Top 10 storylines to watch at start of NHL training camps

Training camps open around the NHL on Wednesday and that always brings excitement, energy, optimism and, of course, questions, big and small.

This season, there are several big ones impacting individuals and teams alike.

Here are 10 burning questions worth asking and analyzing with the 2026-27 season to begin Sept. 29.

1. Where is Hellebuyck going?

Connor Hellebuyck, one of the top goalies in the League, remains with the Winnipeg Jets and is expected to report to training camp.

Will he?

If yes, how long will he be there?

If no, would that be surprising considering on Aug. 27 Hellebuyck went public with his request for the Jets to trade him, issuing a statement saying he privately requested a move "several months ago"? He said his stance hasn't changed and that he believes "moving on is the best path forward for me and my family."

The 33-year-old has not been traded, and an already difficult situation could become untenable for the Jets and Hellebuyck if nothing is done before the start of the regular season.

Hellebuyck is a three-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the best goalie in the NHL. He is entering the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) he signed with Winnipeg on Oct. 9, 2023.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Utah Mammoth and New Jersey Devils have all been linked to Hellebuyck in multiple media reports.

2. Will Quinn Hughes' contract situation impact him and the Wild?

The Minnesota defenseman has been eligible to sign a new contract since July 1. He could have signed an eight-year contract up until Tuesday, but now the max would be a seven-year contract based on the terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that takes effect Wednesday.

He could be the NHL's second $20 million player after Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar signed a record eight-year, $163.2 million contract ($20.4 million AAV) on Aug. 29.

Hughes addressed his contract situation at the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Wednesday, saying he was not in a rush to sign before training camp, that he will do it on his time and do what he feels is right, and he won't publicly discuss what he wants.

It’s understandable, but likely won’t lower the temperature on the situation if Hughes doesn't sign before the Wild begin training camp.

Even though Hughes said the contract situation won't hang over him and Minnesota forward Matt Boldy said it won't impact the team, the uncertainty likely will impact the Wild, even subtly, because of how important Hughes is and the impact his future has on the team.

The sooner the situation is resolved, the better it will be for everyone involved.

The good news is Hughes said he can see himself staying in Minnesota beyond this season, that he believes in the Wild, the coaching staff, general manager Bill Guerin, and likes how he fits on the team. He said there's an open line of communication between himself, his agent, Pat Brisson, and Guerin. He said they're working on it.

3. What impact will the 84-game schedule have on training camp?

It could have a significant impact on everyone from returning players to prospects to coaching staffs as teams prepare for a shorter training camp, fewer preseason games, the earliest start to the NHL regular season in North America, and the longest season since 1993-94.

Teams will play 84 regular-season games for the third time in the NHL's 109-year history. The beefed-up schedule is part of changes in the CBA between the League and NHL Players' Association.

It will be the first time the NHL will have regular-season games in North America in September and only the second time it will be playing regular-season games before October.

The 2007-08 regular season opened in September, when the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings played two games in London, England.

Each team will play two fewer preseason games, dropping to four from six. That means fewer chances for prospects and borderline players to make an impact and earn roster spots. Returning players are required to play at least two preseason games.

There will also be fewer traditional practice days with teams having to build in two mandated off days around the four preseason dates.

4. Is Gavin McKenna ready for the Toronto spotlight?

It’s time for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to prove himself that he’s worthy of the hype and the welcome he’s received since being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 26.

The forward’s every move in his first NHL training camp will be chronicled, critiqued, analyzed and at times criticized. He has handled all the attention and publicity with aplomb, but the real thing is here.

The 18-year-old who played at Penn State last season is living with John Tavares and has both his landlord and Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews as ideal guides. Tavares (2009, New York Islanders) and Matthews, like McKenna, were No. 1 draft picks. Matthews went through exactly what McKenna is about to go through having been the No. 1 pick by Toronto in 2016.

McKenna is expected to have a big role with the Maple Leafs this season under new coach Jim Hiller. It'll be intriguing to see where Hiller slots him on the depth chart, who will center his line, which power-play unit he will be on and how he will handle all the attention.

5. What should we expect from Mike Babcock in his return to the NHL?

The Edmonton Oilers hired Babcock as coach on June 23 after the 63-year-old was cleared by an NHL investigation into his resignation from the Columbus Blue Jackets in September 2023, before he coached a game for them.

Babcock has not coached in the NHL since he was fired by Toronto on Nov. 20, 2019. He was hired by the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2023, but departed two-and-a-half months later after reports surfaced that he asked players to share personal photos on their private mobile devices.

Babcock is back, lured out of retirement by the Oilers with the backing of star forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, who played for Babcock in Toronto.

McDavid said he sees it as a "great opportunity to be coached by someone who's coached in every single big game there is to coach in and who's been successful, won Cups, gold medals, you name it."

Draisaitl said of Babcock, "he's the right guy to get us to where we want to get to."

He'll be under a microscope all season, which, really, isn't new to Babcock, McDavid, Draisaitl or the Oilers.

6. How will Brady and Matthew Tkachuk coexist in Florida?

The brothers are joining forces this season with the Florida Panthers, bringing about a plethora of possibilities for how coach Paul Maurice plans to use two of the most impactful power forwards in the game.

We'll know early in training camp if they're going to be on the same line and the same power play, or if Maurice is going to start with Brady and Matthew playing apart from one another to potentially spread the impact across the top six forward group and the power-play units.

The Panthers also likely will have a healthy Aleksander Barkov, who missed last season with a knee injury, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett in their top six, with Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand potentially forming the third line.

Matthew and Brady played together for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and the 2026 Winter Olympics, when the Americans won gold for the first time since 1980. Panthers general manager Bill Zito was part of Team USA's management staff at both events.

7. Are the Carolina Hurricanes set up to repeat?

All signs point to yes.

The Hurricanes are entering training camp with essentially the same roster and depth chart they had when they capped off a Stanley Cup championship run with a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 14.

Carolina returns all 20 players who dressed in the Cup-clinching win. Three of the five players listed as healthy scratches on the roster report in that game are also back.

The only player guaranteed to not be in Raleigh when training camp begins is goalie Frederik Andersen, who signed with Edmonton as an unrestricted free agent.

The two question marks concern defenseman Alexander Nikishin and forward Seth Jarvis.

Nikishin remains a restricted free agent. Jarvis is expected to miss the start of the season because he is rehabbing from shoulder surgery he had shortly after the Cup Final.

But Carolina is set up to go for the repeat, just as Florida was two years ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins before them.

The Penguins (2016, 2017), Lightning (2020, 2021) and Panthers (2024, 2025) are the past three teams to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

8. Can the Buffalo Sabres build on last season?

Yes, if their young core builds on the success it had last season, because the Sabres' depth chart will look different without forward Alex Tuch (Washington Capitals) and defenseman Bowen Byram (Chicago Blackhawks).

Tuch was second on the team with 33 goals and third with 66 points last season. Byram was second among Sabres defensemen with 42 points.

Buffalo acquired 23-year-old Olen Zellweger to replace Byram. He should be a top-four defenseman, along with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.

The Sabres didn't replace Tuch with another top-six forward, but that will be a moot point if Zach Benson, Josh Doan and Jack Quinn continue their upward trend.

Benson, 21, had 43 points in 65 games last season. Doan and Quinn, each 24, combined for 45 goals and 103 points last season and having at least 20 goals and 50 points.

Buffalo clinched a playoff berth last season for the first time in 15 years, finishing first in the Atlantic Division with 109 points. It won a playoff round before losing in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens.

It all raises expectations for this season, because the Sabres are supposed to be a playoff team, and possibly a Stanley Cup contender. How they fill the voids left by Tuch and Byram will go a long way toward meeting or exceeding expectations.

9. Will the pressure that comes with big money impact the young guns?

The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks combined to give forwards Macklin Celebrini, Leo Carlsson and Connor Bedard a grand total of $259 million during the offseason.

Each will be expected to deliver with the big money in their back pocket.

Carlsson, the Ducks’ 21-year-old center, initially signed a five-year, $90 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 3. The Ducks matched it on July 9, making Carlsson, at that moment, the highest-paid player in the NHL with an AAV of $18 million.

Bedard, the Blackhawks' 21-year-old center, signed a five-year, $75 million contract ($15 million AAV) on July 18 and was named team captain on Tuesday. A shoulder injury will likely prevent him from competing in training camp, delaying the start of his season.

Celebrini, not surprisingly considering he set a Sharks record with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) last season, signed a five-year, $94 million contract ($18.8 million AAV) on July 29. The contract begins next season.

Anaheim took the next step last season and reached the Western Conference Second Round. Carlsson will be front and center in its push to go further. A strong start is paramount to that; a step back and he'll feel the heat.

San Jose took a step forward by competing for a playoff spot, ultimately falling four points short.

Celebrini has become one of the faces of the NHL. He is entering his third season. The Sharks are primed to take a step similar to the one the Ducks took last season. It's on No. 71 to lead the way.

The Blackhawks finished last in the Central Division last season. That can't keep happening on Bedard's watch.

Big money, big pressure. All eyes will be on Celebrini, Bedard and Carlsson.

10. How will the Capitals' offseason moves impact Alex Ovechkin?

Ovechkin's ice time will likely drop for a fifth straight season if things go right for Washington, which improved its top-six forward depth by adding Tuch in a sign-and-trade with Buffalo, Jordan Kyrou through a trade with the St. Louis Blues, and signing Boone Jenner in free agency.

Ovechkin led the Capitals with 32 goals and 64 points last season, but his ice time dropped to a career-low 17:27 per game. They will want Tuch, Kyrou and Jenner to have significant roles, which means less time for Ovechkin, the NHL's all-time leader with 929 goals who will turn 41 years old Thursday.

He likely will still handle a significant role on the power play, though his days of playing the full two minutes might be over. It'll be interesting to see where Ovechkin slots at even strength and how that impacts his minutes in his 22nd NHL season.