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The biggest NHL News story heading into the weekend may have just changed the late-summer player market.
Chris Kreider is officially an unrestricted free agent after clearing unconditional waivers and having the final season of his contract terminated by the Anaheim Ducks. What makes this more than another September transaction is the timing: NHL training camps are approaching, Kreider scored 22 goals and 50 points in 75 games last season, and contenders can now add him without surrendering a draft pick or prospect in a trade.
Even more interesting is Kreider’s apparent preference. Elliotte Friedman reported that the veteran winger would like to return east, closer to family. Sportsnet’s Sept. 11 analysis identified Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders as possible destinations based on geography, cap space and lineup fit. Montreal and Tampa Bay were also discussed as theoretical fits, although neither was included in Sportsnet’s final five-team list. Those are possible fits, not reports of active negotiations, an important distinction as the rumor cycle starts accelerating.
My read: Kreider has suddenly become one of the more interesting value plays available. A team no longer has to absorb his former $6.5 million cap hit or compensate Anaheim. If Kreider is willing to sign a short-term contract with a contender, the combination of net-front scoring, power-play experience, physicality and playoff mileage could make him far more attractive today than he was as a trade target earlier this week.
NHL News Today: Kreider Changes the Free-Agent Market
There is also an important confirmation angle to this story.
Friedman reported Sept. 9 that Anaheim and Kreider were headed toward mutually agreed contract termination, in part because general manager Pat Verbeek wasn’t satisfied with the trade alternatives and the “sweeteners” Anaheim could have been required to include. Kreider subsequently cleared waivers and became a UFA. In other words, that earlier report proved accurate.
The move is directly connected to Anaheim’s increasingly complicated salary-cap picture. The Ducks matched Philadelphia’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, giving him an $18 million average annual value, while 41-goal scorer Cutter Gauthier remains unsigned. Sportsnet reported Friday that Anaheim now has approximately $15.573 million in cap space following the Kreider move.
Anaheim Ducks Cap Crunch Puts Cutter Gauthier in Focus
The really fascinating part is that Anaheim’s problem wasn’t caused by a bad season. It came from young players becoming expensive faster than expected. Gauthier led the Ducks with 41 goals and 69 points last season, while Carlsson’s offer sheet dramatically changed the internal salary structure. Moving Kreider is therefore less an indictment of the veteran than a sign that Anaheim’s young core has entered a very different financial phase.
NHLTradeRumor.com Chris Kreider Acquisition Value Index
Because Kreider is now a UFA, a traditional trade-value rating doesn’t make sense, his trade acquisition cost is zero. Instead, this proprietary model measures his current value to a potential signing team.
Verdict: Kreider’s age creates risk, but a 22-goal season, extensive playoff experience and zero trade-asset cost make him one of the more intriguing short-term additions available before training camp.
That 82/100 is an NHLTradeRumor.com editorial model, not a reported league valuation or contract projection. The weighting is shown so readers can see exactly how the number was created.
Gavin McKenna’s First Maple Leafs Game Is Almost Here
Toronto fans will get their first meaningful look at Gavin McKenna in a Maple Leafs uniform this weekend.
The No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled to play in Toronto’s Prospect Challenge against Ottawa on Saturday, Sept. 12, followed by Winnipeg on Sunday. McKenna enters the tournament after producing 51 points in 35 games during his freshman NCAA season at Penn State and 14 points in seven games for Canada at the 2026 World Juniors.
For Toronto, this isn’t merely a prospect showcase. McKenna will enter training camp carrying expectations rarely attached to an 18-year-old Maple Leaf. How quickly his skill translates against faster, stronger professional competition will be one of the most closely watched storylines of the preseason.
My observation: the important thing this weekend isn’t whether McKenna dominates the scoresheet. Watch how quickly he processes pressure, whether he creates space without the puck and how confidently he attacks defenders through the neutral zone. Those details should provide a better indication of NHL readiness than one spectacular highlight.
Oilers Want a Different Identity Under Mike Babcock
Edmonton’s biggest story isn’t a transaction, it’s whether a talented roster can become more consistent under new coach Mike Babcock.
Leon Draisaitl said this week that Edmonton never truly established its best game last season, saying, “I don’t think that we ever figured out what our A-game really was.” Edmonton followed consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances by losing to Anaheim in six games in the opening round last spring.
Both Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are healthy entering camp. McDavid produced 138 points in 82 games last season, while Draisaitl scored 97 in only 65. That works out to approximately 1.68 points per game for McDavid and 1.49 for Draisaitl.
Oilers 2025-26 Scoring Rate
Calculated from regular-season point and game totals reported by NHL.com.
The question in Edmonton has never been whether McDavid and Draisaitl can produce enough offense. The more important issue is whether Babcock can establish the structure Draisaitl believes was missing last year before Edmonton reaches the postseason.
Fiala and Huberdeau Will Miss the Start of Training Camp
There are also two significant injury developments.
Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala will miss the beginning of training camp after undergoing another procedure connected to the left-leg injury he suffered at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Kings have not announced a return-to-play timetable. Fiala produced 40 points in 56 games last season.
Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau also won’t begin camp with his teammates as he continues recovering from February hip resurfacing surgery. Huberdeau says he is now pain-free and has resumed skating and off-ice training, but he still needs additional rehabilitation before returning to full practice.
With camps beginning shortly, both situations are worth monitoring because early-season absences could force Los Angeles and Calgary to alter their opening-night forward combinations.
Barry Melrose Remembered Across the Hockey World
The NHL community is also mourning Barry Melrose, who died Wednesday at age 70.
Melrose played 300 NHL games, coached Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, and later became one of hockey’s most recognizable television analysts during a long career with ESPN. He retired from broadcasting in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
His impact extended beyond analysis. For an entire generation of fans in the United States, Melrose was one of the most identifiable voices connecting mainstream sports television with the NHL.
What I’m Watching Next in the NHL Rumor Market
Kreider is the immediate story to watch. Sportsnet’s Friday analysis makes Boston, Buffalo, Carolina, Pittsburgh and the Islanders particularly interesting on paper, but there is a major difference between a logical destination and a team actually negotiating with the player. Until a credible insider connects a club directly to Kreider, those teams should be treated as potential fits rather than confirmed suitors.
At the same time, Anaheim’s next move may matter just as much. Once Gauthier’s next contract is known, we’ll get a clearer picture of how aggressively the Ducks can continue building around their young core.
As of this roundup, NHL.com’s official trade tracker still lists New Jersey’s Sept. 1 acquisition of Luke Evangelista from Nashville as the most recent completed trade, meaning the current drama is centered far more on contracts and free agency than a newly completed blockbuster.
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