The latest NHL News for September 21 is already producing major storylines as training camps and the preseason pick up speed across the league. Alex Ovechkin is dealing with a lower-body injury in Washington, Brady Tkachuk delivered an immediate statement in his Florida Panthers debut, Dallas locked up Sam Steel on a new four-year extension, and several significant trade situations remain unresolved.
Sunday’s NHL Scores also gave hockey fans plenty to digest. Brady Tkachuk scored twice and added an assist as Florida defeated Carolina 6-3, while Anaheim Ducks youngster Beckett Sennecke erupted for a hat trick against the San Jose Sharks. Boston needed a late Charlie McAvoy goal before beating Washington in a shootout, and Colorado, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Seattle also picked up preseason victories.
Those performances matter more than the preseason standings. With the regular season approaching quickly, coaches are beginning to test combinations that could survive opening night, while veterans coming back from injuries and offseason additions are getting their first real auditions.
Latest NHL News and Rumors for September 21, 2026
Alex Ovechkin’s status is one of today’s biggest injury stories. The Washington Capitals star missed practice Monday because of a lower-body injury and is considered day to day. Coach Spencer Carbery has not committed to Ovechkin appearing in any preseason games.
“Right now, we’ll see how it goes this week,” Carbery said when discussing Ovechkin’s timeline.
Ovechkin has been skating with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard during camp, so that combination remains one worth watching once the 41-year-old is cleared.
Toronto received better injury news. Morgan Rielly returned to the Maple Leafs’ main practice group after a virus kept him out of Toronto’s preseason opener. Rielly said he expects to be available for Toronto’s split-squad games against Ottawa on Wednesday. Dallas forward Matt Duchene is also expected to resume skating this week after being held out for precautionary maintenance.
Sam Steel Gets a Four-Year Extension With Dallas
The Dallas Stars also took care of future business Monday, signing Sam Steel to a four-year, $14.8 million extension carrying a $3.7 million average annual value. The deal begins next season.
NHLTradeRumor.com Cap Calculation: The NHL’s already-announced 2027-28 upper limit is $113.5 million. Steel’s $3.7 million cap hit would therefore represent approximately 3.26% of the league salary cap. For a useful middle-six forward, that is the type of percentage Dallas can work with if Steel continues providing reliable two-way minutes.
That is an important distinction when evaluating contracts. The dollar figure matters, but a player’s percentage of the available cap tells us much more about how restrictive that contract could become.
NHL Trade Rumors: Dylan Larkin and Patrik Laine Remain Names to Watch
The Dylan Larkin situation continues to hang over Detroit. Larkin requested a trade during the offseason and is currently working his way back from an upper-body injury. A recent Chris Johnston update indicated the expectation is that Larkin is not moving anytime soon, suggesting Detroit is prepared to wait rather than accept a return it considers inadequate.
That makes sense from Detroit’s perspective. Larkin is not a rental. Moving a first-line center with term remaining simply because a trade has been requested would significantly weaken the Red Wings unless the return solves another major organizational need.
There is another Detroit angle floating around. Pierre LeBrun recently raised the possibility of unrestricted free-agent winger Patrik Laine fitting with the Red Wings. At this point, that should be treated as a possible fit rather than evidence that a signing is imminent. Laine could provide another dangerous shooting option, particularly on the power play, but Detroit would have to decide whether his skill set addresses what the roster actually lacks.
Colorado could eventually become another team to watch in the trade market. The Avalanche moved Valeri Nichushkin during the offseason, and reporting out of Denver suggests the club could accumulate cap flexibility before deciding whether an impact addition is necessary closer to the March 1 trade deadline.
NHL Scores From September 20, 2026
There were seven NHL preseason games Sunday. Here are all of the final scores and the biggest notes from each matchup.
NHL Scores — September 20, 2026
Sunday NHL preseason finals and game notes
What Sunday’s NHL Scores Tell Us
Here is one number that jumped out to me: home teams went 6-1 on Sunday, with Seattle producing the only road victory.
The seven games also generated 39 combined goals, an average of 5.57 goals per game.
I would not read too much into either number because this is preseason hockey with uneven rosters, but individual performances matter. Sennecke finishing chances the way he did is meaningful for Anaheim. Brady Tkachuk immediately connecting with Florida’s established stars is meaningful. And Barkov scoring in his first game after missing last season because of a knee injury may have been the most encouraging development of the night for the Panthers.
Other NHL News to Know
Kevin Hayes announced his retirement Monday after 12 NHL seasons. The 34-year-old finishes his NHL career with 446 points across 805 games while playing for five teams.
Buffalo also has an encouraging comeback story developing. Jiri Kulich is expected to play in Monday’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh after his previous season ended because of a blood clot. The shortened preseason gives Buffalo only four exhibition games, making Kulich’s return an important evaluation point for the Sabres.
The biggest lesson from this stage of the calendar is not to chase every preseason result. Instead, pay attention to roles. Which prospects are being trusted with NHL players? Which veterans are seeing reduced minutes? Which new combinations remain together from practice into games?
Those clues usually tell us more about opening-night plans than the final score.
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 above 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.
