The first month of 2026-27 is nearly behind us, and it has brought plenty of news. We recap the key stories of the past week here.
Extension For Green: Earlier this week, the Ottawa Senators committed to their head coach, Travis Green, through the end of the decade. In his third year as the Senators’ head coach, Green signed a four-year extension to remain in Ottawa.
Since becoming the Senators’ bench boss, Green has led Ottawa to a 97-61-18 record, including two postseason appearances. Unfortunately, the Senators were eliminated in Round One in both Stanley Cup playoff attempts.
Khusnutdinov Gets Three: The Boston Bruins locked in one of their most flexible forwards. On Wednesday, the Bruins announced a three-year, $11.85MM ($3.95MM AAV) extension for Marat Khusnutdinov.
The 24-year-old Russian scored 15 goals and 33 points in 77 games for Boston last year, his first full season with the club. He has the ability to play on all four forward lines comfortably, giving the Bruins plenty of options.
The new extension walks Khusnutdinov to unrestricted free agency after the 2029-30 season.
Devils Welcome Helle: Nearly two months after publicly requesting a trade from the Winnipeg Jets, Connor Hellebuyck got his wish. On Friday, the day his suspension for missing training camp was set to expire, the Jets traded Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils for Dawson Mercer, Nico Daws, Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
The three-time Vezina Trophy winner and one-time MVP will need some time to ramp up to full speed since he has not played in a contest this season. Hellebuyck posted a 23-23-11 record in 57 games for Winnipeg last season with an .895 SV% and 2.86 GAA.
Hurricanes Settle With Nikishin: Unlike Hellebuyck, the Carolina Hurricanes chose not to fulfill Alexander Nikishin’s trade request. A 10.2(c) restricted free agent, Nikishin had very little negotiating power.
He wasn’t eligible for an offer sheet and didn’t have the typical December 1st deadline for a new deal. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes reportedly had a trade lined up for him last season, but Nikishin was unwilling to sign an extension with the interested club.
Instead, the two sides settled on a new one-year, $3MM contract earlier today. Next offseason, Nikishin will be eligible for an offer sheet, giving him more bargaining power.
Penguins’ Kindel Hospitalized: After their recent contest against the Utah Mammoth, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced a scary update from their return flight to Pittsburgh. The team shared that they had to return to Salt Lake City after youngster Benjamin Kindel collapsed due to a vasovagal episode.
Kindel was immediately taken to the University of Utah Hospital and was placed on the team’s injured reserve for his hospitalization. Fortunately, Kindel was alert and responsive shortly after the medical emergency.
The former first-round pick had scored two goals and four points in nine games before the incident.
Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.