Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – October 11, 2026
Could the Rangers pursue Connor Hellebuyck? What’s going on with Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, Hurricanes blueliner Alexander Nikishin, and Flames forward Connor Zary? Find out in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports there’s been plenty of wild internet speculation that Winnipeg Jets holdout Connor Hellebuyck would be a fit to replace New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterskin, who suffered a season-ending injury on Friday.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).
Friedman dismissed the idea, pointing out that it would give the Rangers two goaltenders with expensive long-term contracts. He believes the Blueshirts will try to be patient and not make any panic move regarding their goaltending.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was among those wondering if the Rangers might make a play for Hellebuyck for one year.
Shesterkin is in the second year of an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $11.567 million. Hellebuyck is in the third year of a seven-year deal with an AAV of $8.5 million.
Hellebuyck is holding out trying to force a trade, but it’s doubtful the Rangers can afford the Jets’ high asking price if they were inclined to pursue him. Some folks on social media have suggested the Rangers acquire Hellebuyck, keep him just for this season, and then flip him to another club next summer.
However, Hellebuyck probably prefers joining a team where he’ll be part of their future beyond this season. The Rangers also wouldn’t want the headache of trying to find a trade partner willing to meet their asking price.
Meanwhile, Weekes wondered if Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild, Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche, former Rangers backup Jonathan Quick, former Anaheim Ducks goalie Petr Mrazek, or former Ottawa Senators backup James Reimer would be targeted by the Rangers.
Gustavsson is on LTIR recovering from offseason hip surgery. Blackwood is seeing the bulk of the starts for the Avalanche, so he’s probably unavailable. Mrazek and Reimer are UFAs, making them more likely options if the Rangers want to go that route.
Weekes’ colleague Emily Kaplan reported Quick is comfortable in retirement as the Rangers director of goaltending development. However, she stated that sources claim he could be a possibility if the club asked him to play.
Turning to Simon Edvinsson, Friedman claimed the situation remains unchanged for the 23-year-old Detroit Red Wings defenseman. He still prefers a trade, but the Red Wings still hope to re-sign him. Friedman indicated that the Red Wings are willing to consider several contract terms for Edvinsson.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings must do some serious fence-mending to convince the young blueliner to change his mind.
As for Alexander Nikishin, Friedman doesn’t see any trade possibility on the horizon for the 24-year-old Carolina Hurricanes defenseman. He thinks the Hurricanes would bring him back, though his contract still has to be determined.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s rumored that Nikishin seeks a long-term deal with an AAV of $9 million. Combine that with what could be a high asking price from the Hurricanes, and it’s not surprising that a trade cannot be found at this early stage of the season. The longer he sits out, the more it could hurt his trade value.
Friedman reported the Vancouver Canucks could be among the teams interested in Connor Zary. The Calgary Flames demoted the 24-year-old forward after clearing waivers last week. However, he doesn’t think anything’s imminent.
I don’t see enough upgrade for Vancouver in zary at that salary, and it’s not as if he is speedster either so that he can help them be a quicker team and he is kind of small too so he isn’t a help in that department either
Any Flames fans who can shed some light on why the team has soured on Connor Zary, drafted 24th overall in 2020?
As a left-shot C costing $2.5 mil off the cap through next season before becoming an RFA, I realize he isn’t exactly the size (6’ 178lbs) that can out-muscle big D in close, but since entering the league full-time in 2023-24 he has 82-game averages of 17g 20a 37 pts over 193gp. This season, before going on (unclaimed) waivers he had played 2 games with just 1 assist and a -2.
But in terms of what they’re getting from some other roster players listed as centers, that alone is hardly significant (cap hits shown):
Morgan Frost 5gp 2 0 2 -6 $4,370,000
Martin Prospisil 5gp 0 0 0 -7 $2,550,000
Ryan Strome 5gp 1 1 2 -5 $5 mil
Mikael Backlund 5gp 1 0 1 -3 $3,250,000
Yegor Sharangovich 5gp 0 2 2 -1 $5,750,000
I was surprised he wasn’t claimed off waivers.
“Hellebuyck probably prefers joining a team where he’ll be part of their future beyond this season”. True but, does he prefer sitting out (and not getting paid) compared to playing now? My 1st reaction, like many others, was Hellebuyck. After a couple days to think about it, replacing Shesty while weakening the roster doesn’t make much sense. They’ll get a good look at Garand while Martin backs him up until Korpisalo is ready. If they plan on competing, they’re better off eventually using ltir to acquire a player or 2. Anybody know anything about Matt Murray? I know he was hurt last year but played at end of season. Has history with Sullivan. Can’t be worse than Martin
Hi all. Been following the league since June of 2025, but the vast majority of last year through Sirius XM ch 91 and occasional game highlights.
Subscribed to ESPN+ last month so I could start actually watching games.
Oh my goodness! All of the summer madness (much that continues) and the crazy start to this season (on so many levels, injuries not the least)… How typical is all this?
What’s the mindset here? Is this level of injury normal or is some of this increasing because of the super brief training camp and preseason?
I get that all the major player ongoing-drama madness through the summer and into this year isn’t exactly an average offseason. But what about the way things have started this year?
The Flyers seem to be performing way lower than expected. The Rangers better than most projected (I’m still cringing over the Shesterkin news). Several other teams have either over or underperformed based on where they were at the end of last year and where all the radio guys seemed to predict.
Am I noticing more fighting than I’d expected because I’m actually watching the games? (I saw a couple live in the 1990s, and one other in the early 2000s, but that’s been it, and these were all AHL / or similar.)
And the penalty calls and refereeing… I’ve been stunned by the inconsistencies.
Is that just human refs occasionally missing calls or are there really some teams that get favored over others during play? (Yes, I’m looking at you Florida.)
I’m not rooting for any specific team yet, so I guess that’s part of the AAAAHHHHH: I’m trying to keep up with most everybody right now, then decide which select few, or maybe one, I want to focus on.
I watched one early Blue Jackets game that was exciting and showcased some tremendous defense and they won and I was thrilled (my husband happened to be visiting family in Ohio at the time so that was rather synchronistic). And then the next time I tuned into them it was a total snooze fest. How often does that happen?
Do teams have “off” nights energy or chemistry wise, or does it truly just depend on who they are playing?
Those multi-view games on ESPN are amazing. I love how I can skip commercials with that, note what game –or fight 😉 — draws my interest and then zero in on it full screen.
Someone here had mentioned watching the Ducks and Cutter, so I made sure to tune into Anaheim (chaotic, fast skating and yes, fun) and of course the Sharks as well.
Anyway, it’s a lot to keep up with. I’m sporadic online, but I’m really enjoying these daily updates when I have time to catch up. Thank you all so much!
Renee
PS Steve Kouleas is my favorite on Sirius and I was counting down the days to The Power Play’s return. Shockingly, I’ve learned doing dishes isn’t as horrible as it’s been for decades when I’m listening to the show.
PSS George O and Chisms – Thanks for the fun smiles back in mid-September!