NHL Rumor Mill – August 26, 2026
Check out the latest on Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, and Canucks winger Brock Boeser in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo reports league sources are “emphatically” dismissing rumors that the Minnesota Wild are in trade talks with the New Jersey Devils regarding Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (NHL Images).
Russo indicated that Wild management is in ongoing discussions with Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson, regarding a contract extension. They remain confident of signing the 26-year-old defenseman before the start of the regular season.
Hughes is in the final season of his six-year contract with a cap hit of $7.85 million. He can become an unrestricted free agent next July.
The rising salary cap is also raising the cost of new contracts, especially for superstars like Hughes. Russo speculated his next deal could be in the $19 million or $20 million range.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Russo has previously reported that the Wild would prefer to sign Hughes to the league maximum contract term of eight years before it is reduced on Sept. 16 to seven years, but the Hughes camp prefers a shorter term, perhaps between three and five years.
As for the Devils rumors, it sounds like wishful thinking because he hasn’t signed an extension with the Wild yet. Everyone knows Quinn would love to play alongside his brothers Jack and Luke one day, but that could be in 2030, when Jack’s contract with the Devils is set to expire. Signing Quinn by that stage would be a great incentive for Jack to stay in New Jersey.
Predictions are for gypsies, but for now, I think Hughes agrees to a three-year deal with the Wild worth around $20 million annually. Feel free to weigh in on this topic in the comments section below.
SPORTSNET: During Tuesday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman proposed a theory that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson goes to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline.
Friedman cited a source who predicted the 36-year-old Karlsson becomes a Maple Leaf depending on how this season goes for both teams.
Karlsson is in the final season of his contract. If he and the Penguins have another solid performance like last season, Friedman doubts he’ll be traded. However, if Karlsson is in the trade market, his source believes Maple Leafs executives Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson could help to entice the Penguins blueliner to come to Toronto.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bear in mind that this is a prediction from one of Friedman’s sources and not an actual trade rumor. There is no indication the Maple Leafs are pursuing Karlsson, nor are the Penguins shopping him.
Nevertheless, if the Penguins are out of playoff contention by March 1, they will likely peddle some of their veterans. That would include Karlsson, as they probably won’t re-sign him given his age and their ongoing transition toward a younger roster.
If Karlsson becomes available, he might consider waiving his no-movement clause to join the Maple Leafs if they’re having a good season. If they’re not, he’ll likely prefer going to a Stanley Cup contender.
TSN: Travis Yost believes Brock Boeser could become a trade candidate as the Vancouver Canucks continue their rebuilding program.
Boeser, 29, is entering the second season of a seven-year contract ($7.25 million average annual value) with a full no-movement clause.
Yost believes Boeser is a better player than his stats over the past two years suggest. Nevertheless, he thinks his best seasons may be behind him, and it would be worthwhile moving him while his value remains high.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That depends on whether Boeser wants to stay and be part of the solution for the Canucks. If he’s unwilling to waive his no-movement clause, they will rely on his leadership and experience to mentor their younger players.
However, Boeser could decide his future lies elsewhere if the rebuild takes longer than expected. This season could decide where that might be.
THE PROVINCE: Speaking of the Canucks, Patrick Johnston reports first-year GM Ryan Johnson is open to adding a veteran to his roster on a PTO or a full-on free-agent agreement.
Johnston noted that a handful of notable players remain in what was a talent-thin UFA market. Forwards include Michael Bunting, Patrik Laine, and Vladimir Tarasenko, while Logan Stanley and John Klingberg are among the noteworthy defensemen.
Johnson could sign one of them, hoping they’ll have a good enough season to make them a worthwhile trade chip later in the season.
Hey if Quinn wants out of Minny give him Charlie 2 1sts. That ought to be enough. Love the Way Quinn plays bruins fans would love him.
Whoever tried to get Quinn will need to open up a large portion of their salary cap for seasons to come. Great player, but he’s looking for a superstar’s commitment financially.
I am concerned about his size and the idea of playing so much each game over an eight year period.
Wonder what it would take to pry Boeser out of Vancouver? His 7.25 AAV is not that bad on the surface.He ll be 35 when his contract wings down!
Barzal for boeser
Boeser with Horvat first line and move palmieri to second like with Schenn
Brock would look good in a bruins jersey.
Not a fast skater ala Larkin but better, more of team player.
The Wild have a lot of aging talent ,especially on defense,that has to be taken into consideration. The Wild’s Cup window opportunity is not that big. Getting out of there division is not that easy. Hughes and his reps are probably taking that into consideration.
As I am reading the summer doldrums of comments and expressions of frustration by some writers a thought came to mind…why the hell would GMs coaches any management types name Hughes(Vancouver mess), Larkin(no leadership) or Tkachuk(todler in a mans body) as team captains and the key word is TEAM
Don O Ray, some fans in Ottawa are – however reluctantly – beginning to realize that Tkachuk’s appointment as team captain on Nov 5, 2021 after 3 seasons and a month of NHL experience was perhaps misplaced.
The guy who should have been named then is Chabot … and it will be a mistake if he isn’t named now. His alternates should be Giroux and Sanderson.
You are so right…Chabot should have been the choice at the time…reponsible from the area of Gatineau-Ottawa region and leadership qualities were present
Im fine with that arrangement. Or Giroux and the other two with A’s for the time being.
Also…as if I didn’t say it elsewhere the “sprinkle of hope” that Erik Karlsson (overpriced veteran) might join the leafs at the trade deadline…after all his good chum Daniel is running their powerplay now. Good rumor!!!
That was from Elliotte right? Does he have a job yet?
I would suggest Vancouver sign David Perron. Quality guy. He can still shoot.
Probably because those are just poor excuses.
1. Hughes did not build the roster in Vancouver, he played on it. He did exactly what people want their players to do, be honest, if they are not resigning, give them the chance to get something for him. They got a pretty fair haul for him.
2. Larkin, asking for a trade means you have “no leadership”? Once again, he did not build the roster, the team has needed a top 6 centre since the day he came into the league and has never done anything to solve this issue. If he didn’t agree with his boss on how it is going, he should be able to move on, I also believe that if a player asks for a trade and they have a NTC they should lose the clause and the GM’s should not be able to approach players with NTC to ask them to waive it.
3. Tkachuk, I’m not a huge fan but he played hard. I don’t have as much of an opinion of this one.
Players that have demanded trades in the past:
Patrick Roy
Chris Pronger
Bill Guérin
Eric Lindros
Pavel Bure
Paul Coffey
Jack Eichel
I don’t know about you but sometimes it just isn’t working for someone just like you at your job, if you are not happy, you can make the decision to leave or attempt. Like I said above, I don’t think the power dynamic should be what it is though.
The Canucks have so many bad contracts on the books lol. Petey, boeser, demko, lankinen, atleast they were able to move Garland who had more value than these other guys, hence why he was acquired by another club. If the hockey Universe doesn’t give this team a top 3 pick next class, we’ll that’s just plain mean.
Not really terrible contracts when you consider how they where as players when signed. Van still has nearly 18 mil in cap space. Trading someone could put them under lower limit. 2 goalies for a combined 13 mil not bad. Demko needs to stay healthy. Chytil? Can he ever stay in lineup? 4 good young players for 1Hughes saved tons. Let’s see how new coach does.
What would the leafs have to trade for karlsson? Pens would be looking for a young nhl player.
Howdy. Making my first comment a bit reluctantly because it’s obvious all of you guys have followed hockey much longer than I have.
But I’ve also been enjoying reading the articles and comments for a while now.
Regarding captains, it sure seems, on the surface, that many teams have named their notable players as captains and not necessarily weighed personality and maturity as much as hockey talent.
I heard recently that Matthew Schaefer was being considered as Islanders captain. That seemed bonkers to me, given his age.
Welcome! There have been 5 19 year old captains in the nhl. Brian bellows the youngest. If Shaffer is made captain I think he’d be the youngest ever.
Hi Renee, welcome aboard … and please post often. We need “fresh” opinions – 🙂
For the record, Bellows is only technically the youngest person to ever wear the captain’s “C”, doing so at just 19 years and 4 months old. But that was as an interim appointment after Minnesota’s regular captain, Craig Hartsburg, was seriously injured. Because it was temporary due to injury, the NHL’s official record books do not count Bellows as a “full” or permanent team captain.
Officially, the 5 youngest are:
Connor McDavid: 19 years, 266 days – Edmonton 2016
Gabriel Landeskog: 19 years, 286 days Colorado 2012
Sidney Crosby: 19 years, 297 days Pittsburgh 2007
Vincent Lecavalier: 19 years, 315 days Tampa 2000)
Jonathan Toews: 20 years, 80 days Chicago 2008
Schaefer, who turns 19 on September 5, would move to the top of the list.
Let the kid age and grow up a little bit before you make him captain. For gods sake he would have just graduated from high school if he were in the USA.
I agree totally Sr. While I don’t profess to know anything about the “character” of each Islander, I would venture a guess that there may be a “crusty” veteran or two who may not take kindly to taking advice or direction from a high-schooler.
Being appointed captain could be the kid’s ultimate ruin. He’s talented as Hell, no doubt, but he still has a lot to learn about the NHL, not to mention how to deal with the media. Some day – and maybe fairly soon (early 20s) – he will likely be the captain, but giving him time allows him to focus on his game, develop at a normal pace, and learn caution in dealing with the pundits.