Hellebuyck, Hughes Headline NHL Training Camp Questions
The Jets goalie's trade request, Minnesota's unsigned star and a condensed preseason lead the issues facing teams before the Sept. 29 opener.
NHL training camps open Wednesday with the 2026-27 regular season set to begin Sept. 29. Several of the league's biggest questions are already in place before teams hold their first full practices.
Connor Hellebuyck remains with the Winnipeg Jets after making his trade request public Aug. 27. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner said he had privately requested a move several months earlier and believes leaving Winnipeg is the best path for his family. He is expected to report to camp, but the Jets have not resolved his future.
Hellebuyck is entering the third season of the seven-year, $59.5 million contract he signed in 2023. Carolina, Buffalo, Utah and New Jersey have been linked to him in media reports, leaving Winnipeg to balance a difficult trade market with the start of a new season.
In Minnesota, Quinn Hughes enters camp without an extension. The defenseman had been eligible for an eight-year deal through Tuesday. The new collective bargaining agreement, effective Wednesday, limits team extensions to seven years. Hughes said last week that he is not rushing the process, remains in communication with general manager Bill Guerin and can see himself staying with the Wild.
The new CBA also changes the shape of camp. Teams will play four preseason games instead of six and must build two off days into the schedule. The regular season expands to 84 games, with the first NHL regular-season games in North America scheduled for September.
Toronto will use that shorter runway to evaluate Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old enters his first camp under new coach Jim Hiller and is expected to compete for an immediate role with the Maple Leafs.
Edmonton also begins camp under a new coach. Mike Babcock returns to an NHL bench for the first time since Toronto fired him in November 2019. The Oilers hired him in June with support from Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.
Those storylines will begin to take shape over a condensed preseason, with less time for prospects and new coaches to make their first impressions before opening night.
