Around the Hockey World — Thursday, September 24
The day's hockey news in one place — and somewhere to talk about it.
For more granular team coverage, check out the team pages.
32 items · updated 11:31 PM
Top stories
- Blue Jackets sign Adam Fantilli to six-year contract — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)1 💬
Excerpt
The Blue Jackets announced that they have signed center Adam Fantilli to a six-year contract with an annual average value of $13.75 million. Last season, the Toronto native put up 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points in all 82 games.
News
- Flyers’ Zegras given delay of game penalty for having jersey tucked into pants — TSN
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Zegras was given a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game in the Flyers’ 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night for “improperly wearing equipment.” Zegras’ fashion faux pas was having his jersey tucked into the back of his pants.
- Kori Cheverie named Canadian women’s team head coach — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)
Excerpt
On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced that Kori Cheverie has been named the head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team for the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship. For the upcoming tournament in Denmark, Cheverie will be flanked by her Montreal Victoire assistant coach Caroline Ouellette and PWHL Hamilton head coach Kris Sparre, who was named the league’s coach of the year in 2025-26 . Addition
- Bruce Cassidy Among New Team Canada Women's Hockey Hires — The Hockey News
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Kori Cheverie was named the head coach of the women's team, Michael Hirshfeld and Manon Rheaume were named assistant GMs of the program and Stanley Cup-winning head coach Bruce Cassidy will serve as a special advisor to the organization.
- Matthews to host McKenna, Maple Leafs for team-bonding trip to Arizona home — NHL.com
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The forward will be hosting his teammates on a team-bonding trip to the Scottsdale-Tempe area for the next several days, an agenda that will include a golf outing, fine restaurant dining and an evening at Matthews' home. They'll practice Saturday at Mullett Arena, where Gavin Bayreuther played his first game for the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Arizona State Sun Devils nearly one year ago.
- Canadiens’ Kirby Dach in tough to earn spot, win over fans — Sportsnet
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BROSSARD, Que. — I’d say the knives were out for Kirby Dach on Monday if they hadn’t already plunged straight into him. Not to suggest Dach was outstanding, or even as good as he needs to be to ward off Florian Xhekaj from stealing his spot. But all the vitriolic tweets aimed in his direction for a pre-season performance against the Ottawa Senators that was anything but bad reeked of confirmation
- ‘He’s entitled to his opinion’: McDavid on Messier’s Babcock criticism — Sportsnet
- The NHL Drama That Has Set Up A Must-Watch Season: Babcock, Tkachuk, Larkin, Hellebuyck And More — The Hockey News
Excerpt
It was during a ESPN Open Night media conference call on Wednesday — ostensibly to create hype for the upcoming NHL season — when analyst and former Hall of Famer Mark Messier said that he was "horrified" about the Edmonton Oilers' decision to welcome disgraced coach Mike Babcock back into the league.
- Winnipeg Jets gain ownership of original franchise’s statistical history — The Globe and Mail — Hockey
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The Jets and the NHL announced Thursday that the franchise’s official statistical history will now include both eras of the team. The first iteration of the Jets played from 1979 to 1996 before relocating to Phoenix. When the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Manitoba in 2011, the statistical records of the original Jets remained with the Arizona Coyotes franchise.
- NCAA hockey roster expansion takes step forward — USCHO.com — U.S. College Hockey Online
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The NCAA is moving toward expanding the roster limit for D-I men’s hockey from 26 players to 28. According to a report in the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, the NCAA D-I men’s hockey oversight committee has approved the proposed change, but it still must clear several hurdles before becoming official. The 26-player limit currently applies ... Read more The post NCAA hockey roster expansion takes step
- NHL Status Report: Kane to make Blackhawks preseason debut against Blues — NHL.com
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Patrick Kane will make his preseason debut for the Blackhawks at the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; CHSN) in that will likely will be his only appearance prior to the start of the regular season. Asked if the forward would be held out of the final preseason game against the Blues at United Center in Chicago on Saturday so he’d make his home debut Oct. 6 against St. Louis, coach Jeff Blash
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- Blackhawks sign Moore to 5-year deal worth $4.25M per year — ESPN
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The Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Oliver Moore to a five-year deal on Thursday, locking up an important piece of their long-term future.
- Toronto to host 2027 PWHL All-Star Game — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)
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At the Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced that it will host its first All-Star Game this season. The inaugural event will take place on March 7, 2027 at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- PWHL creates all-star event to showcase top talent in fourth season — The Globe and Mail — Hockey
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The Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to showcase its talent during its fourth season by holding its first all-star event in Toronto on March 7. The daylong event will feature four teams competing in a 3-on-3 tournament to be played at Scotiabank Arena, home of the NHL’s Maple Leafs, the league announced in a news conference held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Thursday.
- Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer is still just a kid from Hamilton — the Toronto Sun
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The rookie phenom and former first overall pick absolutely dazzled in his first year on the ice with New York Islanders.
- 30 NHL players placed on waivers for Sept. 24 — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)
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On Thursday, 30 players were placed on waivers, making them available to the other 31 teams in the league. If they were to clear waivers on Thursday, they would be eligible to be assigned to their respective American Hockey League affiliates.
- Sept. 23: NHL Preseason Roundup — NHL.com
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John Tavares and Auston Matthews each had a goal and two assists, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-1 in a split-squad game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday. Jake McCabe , Jack Roslovic , Zack MacEwen and Morgan Rielly also scored for Toronto, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 13 saves.
- NHL Network to have wall-to-wall coverage this season — NHL.com
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Wall-to-wall studio coverage and an action-packed schedule of live games will blanket the NHL Network™ schedule throughout the 2026-2027 season. The following original studio programs will be featured on a weekday basis: In addition to its studio coverage, NHL Network will air live regular season games throughout the season, beginning with the Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Oct. 3
- 2026 NHL Draft 1st-round pick signings tracker — NHL.com
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The 32 players picked in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft have NHL hopes. Some have gotten a start toward that goal by signing a three-year, entry-level contract.
- NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On The Connor Hellebuyck Saga — The Hockey News
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It's been a week since the Winnipeg Jets suspended Connor Hellebuyck without pay for failing to report to training camp. So far, there's no sign that the standoff between the 33-year-old goaltender and Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will end soon.
- Gavin McKenna Will Adapt To The NHL Much More Quickly Than The NCAA — The Hockey News
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When Gavin McKenna showed up at Penn State last season after dominating the Western Hockey League , many observers expected him to dominate from Game 1. They were disappointed. It turns out a 17-year-old kid playing for a middle-of-the-road team against 22-year-olds is more of an adjustment than a lot of people imagined. Who knew?
- Projecting the NHL's leap-forward, regression candidates: Michkov, Misa, Mantha, more — ESPN
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Here are a dozen players who are in for a heightened -- or lowered -- level of production this season.
- NHL Rumor Mill – September 24, 2026 — Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey
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Could Connor Hellebuyck return to the Jets? If not, which teams could become trade destinations for the three-time Vezina Trophy winner? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill. THE HOCKEY NEWS : Jake Tye noted that NHL insider Frank Seravalli said “the door is open” for Connor Hellebuyck to return to the Winnipeg Jets .
- Tonight's games — Thursday, September 24 — NHL
Columns
- Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, division predictions by NHL.com staff — NHL.com
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The race for the Stanley Cup is wide open, according to a panel of NHL.com writers and editors who made their predictions for the 2026-27 season. Of the 14 staffers who made picks, six believe the Colorado Avalanche will hoist the Cup at the end of the season, while the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes were picked by two staffers.
- Why the IOC moved the 2030 Olympic hockey venue — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)
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Once bound for the French southern coastal city of Nice, ice hockey at the French Alps 2030 Olympic Games will be moving to Lyon, in a shift from the initial venue plans . The move will bring all ice sports to the arena from the south coast, while speed skating will take place in the Netherlands at an existing venue.
- The Hockey News Wraparound: Will Simon Edvinsson Sign With The Red Wings Before The Season Starts? — The Hockey News
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Emma Lingan, Michael Augello, and Jake Tye discuss Simon Edvinsson’s ongoing contract negotiations, Mikael Granlund’s captaincy in Anaheim, and more.
- Bold predictions for all 32 NHL teams: Dylan Larkin's destination, surprise award contenders, more — ESPN
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We're not saying all of these will come true ... but a lot of them just might!
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- Screen Shots: The World Cup Of Hockey's Eighth Team, Exploring A Red Wings Offer Sheet For Fantilli — The Hockey News
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The tournament will have eight teams, and there are essentially seven nations that will be locks: Canada, the United States, Czechia, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Slovakia. That leaves one spot open for an eighth team.
- Women’s Hockey: 2026-27 Hockey East season preview — USCHO.com — U.S. College Hockey Online
Excerpt
Northeastern returned to the top of the conference, winning the regular season title after a two year absence. But Connecticut eked out a 2-1 win in overtime of the conference championship game. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament. UConn earned their first-ever tournament win in their second berth, defeating Princeton 4-1. Northeastern took down ... Read more The post Women’s Hockey: 2026-2
- Ranking all 32 NHL goalie tandems – or trios – for 2026-27 — Daily Faceoff (Frank Seravalli)
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In the previous decade, we bid farewell to the era of the bellcow No. 1 goalie who started 70 games a year. It gave way to the NHL’s two-goalie era, in which the demands of the position made it necessary to employ duos capable of sharing large workloads. But now we’re inching toward…the trio era?
- NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 24, 2026 — Lyle Richardson of Spector's Hockey
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Recapping Wednesday’s preseason games, injury updates, plus the latest on Dylan Larkin, Logan Cooley, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
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