Top storylines to watch throughout NHL as training camps begin

NHL training camps begin Wednesday, and the dawn of another new season allows for optimism, hope, belief and confidence for what could happen during the next nine months.

A year ago, the Florida Panthers were hoping they weren't one-hit wonders. They're not. They begin defense of a Stanley Cup championship for the second straight season.

There's a new star player in Vegas and, by extension, one fewer in Toronto.

The NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer celebrates a milestone birthday with his eyes still set on accomplishing great things.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion is back after a two-year hiatus.

Expectations are high in the NHL's oldest market, Montreal, and its newest, Utah.

Several players arrive in camp already having been in the news for their contract situations.

Eight teams, exactly 25 percent of the League, begin training camp with new coaches.

All the while, the specter of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 looms large.

The headlines, notes, quotes, analysis, breakdowns and more will start to come at fans fast now that summer officially is over.

For a primer of what to expect and what to watch before the regular season begins Oct. 7, here are 16 (we cut a list of 25 down to 16, by the way) of the major storylines in the NHL with camps now officially open.

Panthers begin three-peat bid sans Tkachuk

The Florida Panthers open training camp as the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second straight season.

They'll begin their journey to a three-peat without forward Matthew Tkachuk, who will miss the start of the season, and could be out until December, according to general manager Bill Zito.

Tkachuk revealed after last season that he played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite having a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia on the same side, and he reportedly had offseason surgery to repair the injuries.

Regardless of Tkachuk's status, the Panthers open training camp as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and they'll take their first steps toward attempting to become the first team to win as many as three in a row since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83.

Olympics on the mind

For the first time in 12 years, NHL players are entering training camp with an additional motivation -- to represent their country in the Olympics.

The League anticipates the likelihood of 160-180 of its players representing their respective countries in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com in Las Vegas at the League's annual North American Player Media Tour last week. It would be the most ever among the six Olympic Games NHL players have participated in.

Moreover, possibly double that number of players, or roughly half the League, are hopeful and carry the belief that their Olympic dreams can become reality if they have a strong start to the season.

The Olympics, particularly the analysis of who is playing his way on or off his respective national team roster, will be a topic of conversation all the way up to the naming of the rosters around New Year's and even beyond to the break in the NHL season that begins Feb. 6.

It's certainly possible what happens in training camp could impact how Olympic rosters shake out, especially if there are injuries.

McDavid's contract situation key to Oilers

Connor McDavid's contract situation is hanging over the Edmonton Oilers as they open training camp following their second straight loss to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

McDavid is entering the last season of his current eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million average annual value). He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2026.

McDavid has said multiple times that he plans to take his time before determining his future beyond this season, but the Oilers and their fans will remain on edge until there is something official.

Kaprizov's future looms large in Minnesota

Similar to McDavid and the Oilers, forward Kirill Kaprizov's contract situation also is hanging over the Minnesota Wild as they open training camp.

Kaprizov, like McDavid, can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2026. The 28-year-old is going into the last season of a five-year, $45 million contract ($9 million AAV).

He reportedly turned down an eight-year, $128 million contract ($16 million AAV) with the Wild last week. It would have been the most lucrative contract in NHL history. Wild general manager Bill Guerin has said signing Kaprizov is their "priority No. 1."

It will be Minnesota's No. 1 story in training camp too. The last thing the Wild want is for it to carry into the regular season.

Sullivan preparing to open on Broadway

After a decade and two Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins, coach Mike Sullivan begins his first training camp with the New York Rangers with the intention of resetting the culture after a disappointing 2024-25 season and getting the most out of a somewhat rebuilt core.

The Rangers failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs under Peter Laviolette last season after going to the Eastern Conference Final the season before. Laviolette was fired after the season and less than a week later the Rangers hired Sullivan.

More changes were made shortly after.

Gone are forward Chris Kreider (traded to the Anaheim Ducks) and defenseman K'Andre Miller (traded to the Carolina Hurricanes). New York signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million AAV) to pair him with Adam Fox.

J.T. Miller, named captain of the Rangers on Tuesday, begins camp with New York for the first time since 2017 after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. The center was a rookie with the Rangers in 2012-13 and played the first five-plus seasons of his career in New York.

Mika Zibanejad is expected to start the season at right wing on a line with Miller. Will Cuylle is slotted to take Kreider's role as a top-six forward who plays regularly on the power play and penalty kill. Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere are back.

Four months after goalie Igor Shesterkin said something broke last season, Sullivan begins the job of trying to fix the Rangers.

Quenneville returns in Anaheim

Joel Quenneville is back in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks nearly four years after he coached his final game with the Florida Panthers, on Oct. 27, 2021. He resigned the next day after he was named in an independent investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks for allegations by former player Kyle Beach of sexual assault by then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The 66-year-old coach was hired by the Ducks on May 10, replacing former coach Greg Cronin. At the time he said he has "taken time to reflect, listen to experts and advocates and educate myself on realities of abuse, trauma and how to be a better leader."

Quenneville's task is to begin leading Anaheim out of its rebuild. The Ducks had a 21-point improvement last season from 2023-24, but have not made the playoffs in seven straight seasons.

Quenneville (969-572-150, 77 ties) is second in NHL history in wins behind Scotty Bowman (1,244). He has coached the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Blackhawks and Panthers, winning the Stanley Cup three times with Chicago (2010, 2013, 2015).

Marner starting anew in Vegas

Mitch Marner's fresh start begins Wednesday, when the forward opens his first training camp with his new team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Marner, who is from the Toronto suburb of Markham, Ontario, played his first nine seasons and 657 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Vegas acquired Marner from the Maple Leafs on July 1 and promptly signed him to an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million AAV).

Marner likely will start on a line with Jack Eichel, who is entering the last season of his eight-year, $80 million contract ($10 million AAV). The Golden Knights want to see if the two star forwards have chemistry so they can play together.

Marner had 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) in 81 games last season with the Maple Leafs, setting an NHL career high and ranking fifth in the League. Eichel had 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) in 77 games, eighth in the NHL.

Ovechkin's motivation on his 40th birthday

Alex Ovechkin is celebrating his 40th birthday Wednesday by officially beginning his 21st NHL season, only now as the NHL's all-time goal scoring leader. The Washington Capitals forward set the record last season, and ended it with 897 career goals in 1,491 games.

In addition to becoming the League's first 900-goal scorer and 25th player to play in 1,500 games (Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns is three games shy of 1,500), Ovechkin enters the last season of his five-year, $47.5 million contract ($9.5 million AAV) with the intention of trying to build on what he and the Capitals did last season, when they finished first in the Metropolitan Division and reached the Eastern Conference Second Round.

It's possible Ovechkin is starting his last NHL training camp on his 40th birthday after scoring 44 goals in 65 games last season.

Mammoth looking to take next step

Year 2 in Utah begins with high expectations after a second straight offseason of additions and positivity, making the Utah Mammoth one of the top teams to watch entering camp.

The Mammoth are positioned, at least on paper, to challenge for a playoff berth after missing by seven points last season, the franchise's first in Utah since moving from Arizona following the 2023-24 season.

JJ Peterka should help improve Utah's offense, which was 20th in the NHL last season (2.93 goals per game). The Mammoth acquired the forward from the Buffalo Sabres on June 26 and signed him to a five-year, $38.5 million contract ($7.7 million AAV). He had 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 77 games last season.

Peterka will try to mesh with a core group of forwards that includes captain Clayton Keller, coming off an NHL career-high 90-point season, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.

Defenseman Nate Schmidt and forward Brandon Tanev were added to give Utah more depth.

All eyes on Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens a playoff contender entering the season? That hasn't been the case for a while, but it's true now after the Canadiens surprised the NHL by making the playoffs last season as the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

They bowed out in five games in the first round against the Capitals, but it was after they put a scare into the East's top seed.

Now the Canadiens, with reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, the defenseman named the NHL's top rookie last season, are primed for bigger things with much bigger expectations.

Hutson's star-quality play, the emergence of forward Ivan Demidov, the acquisitions of defenseman Noah Dobson and forward Zack Bolduc, the improving health of Kirby Dach, who could be the No. 2 center Montreal is missing, along with the growth the team experienced after last season all has led to the Canadiens being a team to watch entering training camp.

Hughes leading Canucks amid speculation

Quinn Hughes opens training camp with the Vancouver Canucks not long after he attempted to quiet the conversation about his future with the team and the possibility of one day playing with his brothers, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils.

Talk about Hughes' future in Vancouver likely will continue until there is clarity on the issue, but that likely won't come during training camp and potentially not at any point this season.

Hughes still has two seasons remaining on his contract, meaning he isn't eligible to re-sign with the Canucks until July 1, 2026.

But how Hughes and the Canucks handle the situation could go a long way toward the type of season they have. If Vancouver starts hot, the speculation temporarily could go away. If the Canucks start slow, expect it to intensify.

The last ride for Pittsburgh's trio?

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are entering their 20th season together. They are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in the history of North American pro sports.

Malkin's contractual status and speculation about Crosby's future could make this the last training camp together for the three stars who have led the Penguins to three Stanley Cup championships (2009, 2016, 2017).

Malkin, 39, is entering the last season of a four-year, $24.4 million contract ($6.1 million AAV).

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said the organization's "major focus is on treating him right, pushing him to continue to be at his best this year and do right by him by continuing to communicate with him on where he stands and handle it the right way as an organization.”

The Penguins have missed the playoffs three seasons in a row. They're starting this season under new coach Dan Muse, who replaced Sullivan.

Toews' NHL return in his hometown

Jonathan Toews's two-year journey back to the NHL is over and his new start with the Winnipeg Jets begins officially. How he practices, where he plays and who he plays with, how much he plays, and how well he plays all will be major storylines in Winnipeg, Toews' hometown.

The 37-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Jets on July 1. He spent the past two years away from the game because of health issues.

Toews hasn't played in an NHL game since April 13, 2023, his last with the Blackhawks. The veteran of 1,067 NHL games, all with Chicago, has training camp to prepare for the Jets season-opener at home against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 9.

McTavish, Luke Hughes remain unsigned

Ducks forward Mason McTavish and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes remain the top unsigned restricted free agents. They will not be in training camp Wednesday if they do not sign new contracts before players are scheduled to arrive.

McTavish set NHL highs with 22 goals, 30 assists and 52 points in 76 games with the Ducks last season. Hughes had 44 points (seven goals, 37 assists) in 71 games with the Devils last season.

The longer they go without signing, the more trade speculation will grow, at least with McTavish.

It's unlikely the Devils would be interested in moving Hughes considering his brother, Jack Hughes, already is on the team and there's speculation of trying to get the three Hughes brothers to play together at some point.

Andersson's future in Calgary

Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is entering the last season of a six-year contract. His future with the Flames is murky at best.

Andersson told reporters at a Flames golf event Sept. 9 that he doesn't think it's in his best interest to sign a new contract immediately coming off last season, when he had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) and a minus-38 rating, which was the third worst in the League.

He said his intention is to start the season strong to help Calgary win. A strong start could boost his earning potential.

The Flames could be looking to trade the 28-year-old if they don't think they can re-sign him, but then there's the question of his trade value coming off last season. In addition, Andersson's trade value could be affected if he's unwilling to sign a new contract before the season starts.

His status is one to watch in Flames camp.

Schaefer, Misa pushing to make it

The top two picks in the 2025 NHL Draft are hoping to earn their NHL roster spots out of training camp.

Matthew Schaefer, selected first by the New York Islanders, turned 18 years old Sept. 5. The defenseman trained this summer with NHL veterans like Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan, Flames forward Nazem Kadri, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton.

He said he feels "so much more ready" for the NHL after his summer workouts.

Misa, the No. 2 pick by the San Jose Sharks, signed his three-year, entry-level contract Sept. 10. He said on draft night that his intention was to play in the NHL this season and nothing has changed in that regard.

The 18-year-old spent the offseason skating with a group that included Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard.

Preseason games will be big for Misa and Schaefer to start to show they're ready for the NHL.