Around the Hockey World — Friday, September 18

15 items · updated 10:48 PM

Top stories

• Ukraine advocates ask Ottawa to sanction Alex Ovechkin after Russian political ad — The Globe and Mail — Hockey5:44 PM
  Excerpt

  The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is calling on Ottawa to sanction and ban Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin for appearing in a commercial for a party aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin . Ovechkin appeared in a television ad standing behind Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as Lavrov vowed “no mercy” for those who attack Russia.

• Why Cheveldayoff has no problem waiting for right Hellebuyck deal — Sportsnet9:42 AM
• Marchenko dodges questions about future with Blue Jackets — Sportsnet10:48 PM
  Excerpt

  Kirill Marchenko was a participant in Day 2 of Columbus Blue Jackets training camp despite publicly indicating he does not intend to re-sign with the team once his contract is up. But when pressed about his future in Ohio, the team's leading goal-scorer over the past three seasons gave little information to ease the anxiety of Blue Jackets fans.

News

• 'It Was Not Just About Hockey,' Former NHLer And Ukraine National Team Coach Dmitri Khristich Discusses How Hockey Is Used As Inspiration — The Hockey News8:26 PM
  Excerpt

  As Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues, former NHL star Dmitri Khristich has been coaching the Ukrainian men's national team. And in this exclusive interview with THN.com, Khristich painted a stark picture of living through war – and hockey's inspirational role for Ukrainians.

• Malkin’s future uncertain after 21st season with Penguins — Sportsnet5:48 PM
  Excerpt

  CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Evgeni Malkin remains as passionate as ever about hockey as his 21st season with the Pittsburgh Penguins begins. Whether it's his last, be it in Pittsburgh or anywhere else, only his body knows. And right now, it's not telling the 40-year-old Russian star anything.

• Flames re-sign Othmann to one-year, two-way contract extension — Sportsnet4:29 PM
  Excerpt

  The Calgary Flames have signed forward Brennan Othmann to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $975,000 at the NHL level, the club announced Friday. Calgary acquired the 23-year-old from Pickering, Ont., from the New York Rangers on March 6.

• NHL Rumor Mill – September 18, 2026 — Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey1:04 PM
  Excerpt

  Check out the latest on Connor Hellebuyck , Alexander Nikishin , and Quinn Hughes in today’s NHL Rumor Mill. THE WINNIPEG SUN : Paul Friesen reported that Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s efforts to trade Connor Hellebuyck have been fruitless since the goaltender made his trade request in April.

• NHL Injury Roundup: Latest On Larkin, Barzal, Domi, Demko, And More — The Hockey News9:42 AM
  Excerpt

  With NHL training camps opening up this week, coaches, general managers and players from around the league gathered at their respective facilities to provide updates ahead of the 2026-27 season. Some of those updates include which players won't be available due to injury, however short or long their absences may be.

Columns

• 2027 NHL Draft Ranking: Pre-Season Tier List Sees Landon Dupont Alone Atop — The Hockey News5:43 PM
  Excerpt

  The 2026-27 NHL season is right around the corner, and training camps across the league are kicking off, with plenty of rookies getting their first taste of NHL action. Before they were rookies, they were draft prospects, and this gives us a chance to look at the 2027 NHL draft class, which is incredibly interesting.

• Three Dark Horse NHL Candidates To Win The Rocket Richard Trophy — The Hockey News4:30 PM
  Excerpt

  For most of NHL history, 50 goals have been a kind of magic cutoff that only the most elite goalscorers can reach consistently. But occasionally, players hit it out of nowhere. Is there anyone who could do that and enter the Rocket Richard race in 2026-27?

• NHL Pre-season Predictions: Atlantic Division Standings — The Hockey News4:29 PM
  Excerpt

  The NHL’s 2026-27 regular season is almost here, and at TheHockeyNews.com , this writer has been posting division-by-division pre-season predictions. Each year, we unveil our guesstimates as to how the NHL standings will look by season’s end. Of course, there will always be circumstances that affect how well or poorly the year will go for teams, but what we’re looking at here is how things shape

• Five questions about the wave of ‘efficient’ long-term contracts — Sportsnet4:29 PM
  Excerpt

  To say that the NHL is a copycat league is like noting water is wet. It’s so self-evident that it barely feels worth mentioning. You see it in the 1-3-1 power play and the drop breakout, or when teams try to build facsimiles of whichever roster won the previous Stanley Cup. And, of course, you also see it in the way managers structure contracts.