The biggest NHL News today is being driven by something that usually becomes dangerous for teams this close to training camp: uncertainty around superstar players. Quinn Hughes is not officially on the trade market, but Philadelphia is already being mentioned as a team worth watching if Minnesota cannot lock up its No. 1 defenseman. Meanwhile, Connor Hellebuyck has publicly requested a trade from the Winnipeg Jets, and there still appears to be no quick solution.
There is another layer developing around the league. Vancouver just committed $75.04 million to 20-year-old defenseman Zeev Buium, one of the major pieces acquired in last season’s blockbuster Hughes trade, while speculation over NHL expansion in Atlanta received a significant reality check.
My biggest takeaway from the latest NHL news on September 6 is that teams are running out of quiet offseason runway. Training camps begin soon, the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect September 16, and unresolved contracts and trade requests are about to become daily locker-room stories.
NHL News Today: Trade Pressure Is Building Before Training Camp
The Quinn Hughes situation is easily one of the most fascinating storylines in hockey.
Hughes is entering the final season of his current contract with the Minnesota Wild at a $7.85 million cap hit and can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Today’s rumor discussion added another intriguing team to the conversation.
The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, has suggested the Philadelphia Flyers should be paying attention to Hughes’ contract talks. Kurz pointed to Hughes’ relationship with Flyers coach Rick Tocchet and friendship with Trevor Zegras.
The important distinction is this: there is currently no report that Minnesota is shopping Hughes and no report of active Flyers-Wild trade negotiations. The Wild are still trying to sign him.
That distinction matters because speculation can quickly turn into an internet game of telephone.
From my perspective, Philadelphia makes sense as a theoretical destination. A franchise trying to transition from rebuilding toward legitimate contention almost never gets an opportunity to acquire a true No. 1 puck-moving defenseman in his prime. Hughes would instantly transform the Flyers’ transition game and power play.
But the acquisition cost could be enormous, and Philadelphia should only entertain that type of trade if Hughes comes with an extension.
Connor Hellebuyck’s Trade Request Is Becoming Harder for Winnipeg to Solve
Unlike Hughes, there is nothing speculative about Connor Hellebuyck wanting a change.
Hellebuyck publicly confirmed on August 27 that he had requested a trade from Winnipeg several months earlier. Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff acknowledged the situation but said there was no update at the time.
The interesting issue now is leverage.
Hellebuyck carries an $8.5 million cap hit through the 2030-31 season. He also has a full no-movement clause for 2026-27 before the contract changes to modified no-trade protection in subsequent seasons.
That makes this far more complicated than simply finding the highest bidder.
The NHL and NHLPA officially set the 2026-27 upper limit at $104 million.
That means Hellebuyck consumes roughly 8.17% of an acquiring team’s entire salary cap. That’s reasonable for an elite goaltender, but a buyer still has to create the space, satisfy Winnipeg’s asking price and obtain the player’s approval.
That’s why I don’t expect Cheveldayoff to make a desperation trade simply because camp is approaching.
Methodology: This is an editorial trade-leverage model created for NHLTradeRumor.com, not an NHL statistical metric. Public trade requests and trade protection reduce leverage, while elite performance and multiple years of team control increase it.
The paradox is obvious: Hellebuyck is valuable enough that Winnipeg cannot afford to sell low, but his no-movement protection means the Jets can’t simply create an unrestricted auction.
Could the Philadelphia Flyers Really Chase Quinn Hughes?
Philadelphia was also loosely connected today to Columbus Blue Jackets restricted free-agent center Adam Fantilli.
Again, the reporting does not indicate an active trade negotiation. In fact, Kurz was skeptical Columbus would allow the 21-year-old center to get away, and Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has expressed confidence that Fantilli will be signed before camp.
Hughes is the more interesting Flyers storyline because there is a plausible hockey connection.
If Minnesota reaches the point where it believes Hughes intends to test unrestricted free agency, the Wild’s entire negotiating position changes. Waiting until the deadline risks lowering the number of clubs willing to surrender premium assets without an extension.
My read is that Minnesota’s first, second and third choices remain exactly the same: sign Quinn Hughes.
Everything else should remain hypothetical until there is evidence he has rejected that path.
Zeev Buium’s $75.04 Million Contract Shows Vancouver Has Chosen Its New Cornerstone
While Minnesota deals with Hughes uncertainty, Vancouver has made a massive commitment to one of the key players acquired for him.
Zeev Buium signed an eight-year, $75.04 million extension carrying a $9.38 million annual value. The contract begins in 2027-28. Vancouver acquired Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick in the December 2025 trade that sent Hughes to Minnesota.
Buium’s deal is fascinating because it tells us Vancouver isn’t treating him merely as a good young defenseman.
They’re betting he’s a franchise pillar.
There is also important timing involved. The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect September 16, 2026. Under the new rules, the maximum term for players re-signing with their existing club falls from eight years to seven, while outside unrestricted free agents can receive a maximum of six years rather than seven.
Vancouver therefore secured the eighth year while it was still available.
That’s smart asset management if Buium develops into the high-end defenseman the organization believes he will become.
Atlanta NHL Expansion Report Gets a Major Reality Check
One of the more interesting pieces of NHL News this weekend involved Atlanta.
A report circulating online suggested an Atlanta expansion project was reaching the final stages of NHL approval. That characterization was subsequently walked back.
Vernon Krause of Krause Sports and Entertainment said the information was premature and clarified that the NHL has made no decision regarding the project and that the group is not currently in the expansion application phase.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly went even further, telling The Athletic that the process was “not even remotely close to an application phase.”
That’s an important update because it confirms an earlier report circulating online overstated how advanced the process actually was.
Atlanta may eventually become part of another NHL expansion conversation, but fans should not interpret this weekend’s chatter as evidence that a franchise announcement is imminent.
What I’m Watching Next in the NHL
The next 10 days could be far more important than a typical September news cycle.
Hughes remains unsigned beyond this season. Hellebuyck has publicly requested a trade. Several notable restricted free agents still have business to complete. And on September 16, the NHL officially enters a new CBA era.
Once players begin answering questions at training camp, front offices lose the ability to contain these issues quietly.
That is why I believe Hellebuyck is the situation most likely to generate significant trade chatter first. Hughes has enormous long-term implications, but Minnesota still controls the immediate situation and has every incentive to get an extension completed.
Winnipeg has a player who has already publicly said he believes moving on is the best path forward.
That’s a different level of pressure.
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