Around the Hockey World — Wednesday, October 7

30 items · updated 10:24 PM

Top stories

• Why expansion to Houston makes too much sense for the NHL — ESPN8:12 AM
  Excerpt

  Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is considering a new team, and Houston's viability is concrete.

• Oilers acquire F Hallander from Penguins for D Stastney — TSN
  +7

  Daily Faceoff, the Edmonton Journal, Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Sportsnet, The Globe and Mail — Hockey, ESPN, Sportsnet
  12:58 PM
  Excerpt

  The Edmonton Oilers added to their forward depth on Wednesday, acquiring forward Filip Hallander from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenceman Spencer Stastney.

News

• Ovechkin receives special introduction from two sons at final home opener — Sportsnet10:24 PM
• 'Pretty surreal': Stamkos still filling the net and climbing NHL's all-time goal list — TSN4:42 PM
  Excerpt

  It didn’t take long for him to figure it out, and some 19 seasons later, the 36-year-old is still filling the net for the Nashville Predators . Stamkos scored twice in Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs , breaking a tie with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for 17th on the league’s all-time list with the 626th goal of his career before also bagging his 627th.

• Subban star, executive producer of new animated series — NHL.com2:11 PM
  Excerpt

  Former defenseman will be featured in 'Screech Owls' that combines mystery, adventure

• Unsigned UFAs still waiting for their opportunity to return — Daily Faceoff2:05 PM
  Excerpt

  We’re just over a week into the NHL’s 2026-27 regular season, and while teams get settled in, some players are sitting at home. Veteran skaters like Patrik Laine, David Perron and James van Riemsdyk remain unsigned, despite the league’s salary cap projected to rise in the next few years and younger players signing record-breaking deals.

• Islanders D Alexander Romanov out six to eight months with torn ACL — Sportsnet
  +3

  TSN, Daily Faceoff, NHL.com
  2:05 PM
  Excerpt

  Defenceman Alexander Romanov will be sidelined for the next six to eight months after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced Wednesday. Romanov suffered the injury in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The incident occurred midway through the third period when he collided awkwardly with Rangers centre Mika Zibanejad.

• NHL’s romance-themed audiobooks disappear after opening week of season — Sportsnet1:53 PM
  Excerpt

  NEW YORK — A series of audiobooks the NHL launched recently to connect with fans of the hockey romance genre was no longer available online this week. “Hot for Hockey” episodes about the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, among other topics, were on Spotify last week when the season began. A Spotify search for the name of the series now leads to an error message. The NHL said the episodes

• NHL fights up significantly one week into season — TSN1:52 PM
  Excerpt

  One week into the new campaign, there have been 21 fights in 52 games, a rate of 0.403 fights per contest. Last season, there were a total of 307 fights in 1,343 games, or 0.23 fights per game, a rate nearly half of what’s being seen early

• Aleksander Barkov to miss 6-8 weeks with knee injury, no surgery required, Panthers say — The Globe and Mail — Hockey12:56 PM
  Excerpt

  Florida centre Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a left leg injury and will not require surgery, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday. Barkov was hurt in the Panthers’ overtime loss at San Jose on Thursday. It appeared his left knee – not the knee that needed to be surgically rebuilt last year – buckled on the play, and the Finnish captain immediately left the ice

• Larkin experiences ‘interesting night’ in return to Red Wings lineup — NHL.com
  +1

  Daily Faceoff
  12:56 PM
  Excerpt

  DETROIT -- When it was over, Dylan Larkin stood in the Detroit Red Wings dressing room and spoke to reporters for about eight minutes, a long time for a postgame interview session. The last question: Did he think he would remember this game, for better or for worse, when looking back on his career?

• NHL Rumor Roundup: Elias Pettersson May Have Improved His Trade Value, Latest On The Oilers — The Hockey News11:03 AM
  Excerpt

  Elias Pettersson's strong start to this season has prompted speculation about his value to the Canucks. Meanwhile, it's rumored the Edmonton Oilers could be eyeing a promising forward in the Eastern Conference.

Columns

• Hockey East preview: League seeks postseason redemption — USCHO.com — U.S. College Hockey Online4:43 PM
  Excerpt

  These are dark days indeed for Hockey East. Sort of. It’s all relative, of course, perhaps with a little hyperbole thrown in. Hockey East obviously remains one of the premier conferences in Division I men’s college hockey, but the specter of qualifying only two at-large teams for the 2026 NCAA tournament looms large entering this ...

• The 10 NHL players paid closest to their on-ice values in 2026-27 — Daily Faceoff1:53 PM
  Excerpt

  Perhaps one of the hardest things to pull off when signing players to contracts is locking them in at exactly their market values. Considering the peaks and valleys of NHL players’ careers, they often get signed during high or low points, so their contracts are disproportionate to their on-ice values.

• Are the Red Wings open to rebuilding the rebuild? — Sportsnet
  +1

  Sportsnet
  12:57 PM
  Excerpt

  The Red Wings got Dylan Larkin back in the lineup Tuesday, but Simon Edvinsson still hasn’t been signed. As trade talks continue on both players, Frank Seravalli writes that the game plan in Detroit might be changing. Plus the latest on Alexander Nikishin, Edmonton’s search for a centre, and more.

• The top NCAA hockey teams to watch for high-end prospects in 2026-27 — ESPN11:02 AM
  Excerpt

  The college hockey season is just underway. Here's where to get a glimpse at the next wave of NHL stars.