The latest NHL News and NHL Rumors for Wednesday, September 23, 2026 are being driven by injuries, trade speculation and a busy night of preseason hockey.
Alex Ovechkin’s lower-body injury remains one of the biggest stories of the day after the Washington Capitals captain returned to practice Wednesday but left after roughly 15 minutes. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery described the decision as precautionary and said he was not overly concerned at this point. Meanwhile, Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin could make his preseason debut Friday as he continues his return from ACL surgery.
The trade market remains just as interesting. Connor Hellebuyck continues to be connected to potential destinations after publicly requesting a trade from Winnipeg, while fresh discussion has centred on whether Montreal or Edmonton could realistically make a deal work. Kirill Marchenko’s future in Columbus is also attracting attention, with insiders suggesting the Blue Jackets could monitor his trade value during the season.
And if you missed Tuesday night, there is plenty to catch up on: 10 NHL preseason games produced 59 combined goals, with four games requiring overtime or a shootout.
NHL News and NHL Rumors Today: Ovechkin, Hellebuyck and Marchenko Lead the Headlines
Ovechkin appears unlikely to be pushed into preseason action unless Washington is completely comfortable with his health.
The 41-year-old is officially day to day with a lower-body injury. Carbery said Wednesday that Ovechkin did not feel quite right after testing himself at practice, but called the early departure precautionary. Washington opens its regular season October 2 against Carolina, so there is little reason to gamble with Ovechkin in exhibition games.
My observation: this is exactly how Washington should handle the situation. At this stage of Ovechkin’s career, preseason repetitions are far less important than having him healthy when meaningful games begin.
There was more encouraging injury news in Dallas.
Tyler Seguin could play Friday against Minnesota in what would be his first preseason appearance following surgery to repair a torn ACL. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan indicated Seguin appears to be moving toward playing in Dallas’ final exhibition game.
The New York Rangers received considerably worse news Wednesday. Forward Adam Sykora is expected to miss four to five months with a lower-body injury sustained against the New Jersey Devils. Sykora had entered camp with a legitimate opportunity to push for an opening-night roster position.
Connor Hellebuyck NHL Rumors Get a Salary-Cap Reality Check
Hellebuyck remains one of the most important names on the NHL trade market after making his request to leave Winnipeg public in August. The newest speculation has again connected the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers to the situation, although reporting cited Wednesday also indicated Montreal has not shown interest in paying Winnipeg’s expected acquisition price.
There is another obstacle that cannot be ignored: the salary cap.
We currently list Montreal with approximately $2.78 million in current cap space, while Edmonton has roughly $1.08 million. Hellebuyck carries an $8.5 million cap hit.
NHLTradeRumor.com Salary-Cap Calculation
Montreal:
$8.50M Hellebuyck cap hit − $2.78M current space = approximately $5.72M that must be cleared or offset
Edmonton:
$8.50M Hellebuyck cap hit − $1.08M current space = approximately $7.42M that must be cleared or offset
Those numbers do not make a trade impossible. Salary can leave in the transaction, additional teams can become involved and roster moves can change available space. But they illustrate why this is more complicated than simply asking whether Hellebuyck would accept Montreal or Edmonton.
From my perspective, that may ultimately be the biggest issue surrounding Hellebuyck: Winnipeg needs an acceptable hockey return while the acquiring club has to solve both the asset cost and cap equation.
Kirill Marchenko NHL Trade Rumors Refuse to Disappear
Marchenko is another name worth monitoring.
The Hockey News summarized fresh commentary Wednesday from Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger. Johnston believes Columbus and Marchenko’s camp can work together this season but would not be surprised if general manager Don Waddell monitors his trade value. Dreger noted Montreal was among the teams connected to Marchenko during the offseason and suggested both the trade price and a future contract could be substantial.
The important distinction is that Columbus remains in a position of leverage because Marchenko is expected to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights rather than an unrestricted free agent.
In other words, there is no requirement for Columbus to panic.
If Marchenko produces another big offensive season, his value could actually increase.
NHL Scores From September 22, 2026: 59 Goals Across 10 Preseason Games
Tuesday delivered one of the busiest nights of the preseason.
Detroit scored seven against Pittsburgh, Boston defeated Philadelphia 5-1, Buffalo beat Columbus 5-1 and Utah scored six against Los Angeles. The Islanders also erased a 3-0 deficit to beat the Rangers 4-3, with Semyon Varlamov stopping all 10 shots he faced in his first NHL appearance since November 2024.
Four games went beyond regulation: Carolina beat Florida in a shootout, Nashville rallied to defeat Tampa Bay in overtime, Edmonton beat Winnipeg in overtime and Vegas defeated San Jose in a shootout.
One development to monitor is Flyers goalie Dan Vladar, who left Philadelphia’s loss to Boston with an upper-body injury. Florida’s Brady Tkachuk also left Tuesday’s game after the second period, although Panthers coach Paul Maurice described the situation as minor and precautionary.
NHL Scores — September 22, 2026
Every preseason final score plus the biggest storyline from Tuesday night.
Preseason scores themselves ultimately matter very little. What matters is how players are earning those results.
For fantasy hockey players, watch power-play deployment, line combinations and which prospects continue earning minutes against NHL-calibre opponents. For teams approaching final roster decisions, Tuesday’s games provided another important evaluation point.
Get the Latest NHL News
Stay on top of the latest NHL news, injuries, roster moves, contract updates, trade rumors and breaking stories from around the league with NHLTradeRumor.com. We cover the biggest developments involving all 32 teams so you can quickly catch up on the stories shaping the NHL season.
While you’re here, join our NHL Fantasy Hockey Pool to test your GM skills against other hockey fans and compete for ultimate bragging rights. Looking for what NHL games are on TV today? Check our NHL TV schedules for game times, broadcast channels and where to watch.
Bookmark NHLTradeRumor.com and sign up for our newsletter below so you never miss the latest NHL news, rumors and fantasy hockey updates.
Enjoying our trade coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to catch breaking rumors first.
