NHL Player News

Hague (upper body) is expected to be healthy for training camp, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports Tuesday.

General manager Chris MacFarland told reporters Tuesday that the Predators are expected to have everyone healthy to begin camp. Hague was limited to 15 points in 62 outings last season, missing three chunks of time due to injuries throughout the year, including the last six games of the campaign. The 27-year-old defenseman will likely fill a defensive role in the bottom four, so his fantasy value is set to be limited to banger formats -- he had 76 hits, 54 blocked shots and 47 PIM last year.

Hoglander (undisclosed) is expected to be ready for training camp, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports Tuesday

General manager Chris MacFarland told reporters Tuesday that all players are expected to be healthy for camp. Hoglander will be trying to carve out a role in the middle six with Nashville after coming over from Vancouver in a trade in June. The 25-year-old winger has seen his stock fall in the last couple of years, and he was limited to five points in 38 games for the Canucks in 2025-26. While he should be poised for a bounce-back campaign, it's tough to expect much more than 20-25 points out of Hoglander given the trajectory of his production.

Marchessault (undisclosed) is expected to be available for training camp, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey reports Tuesday.

General manager Chris MacFarland believes the Predators will have all their players ready for camp. Marchessault will be trying to bounce back from a tough 2025-26, in which he was limited to 31 points in 62 regular-season contests. The 35-year-old winger can be tentatively penciled in for a top-six role with power-play time, but he could slide to the third line and second power-play unit if some of Nashville's prospects take a big leap heading into the year.

Evangelista was traded to the Devils from the Predators on Tuesday in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick, both in the 2028 NHL Entry Draft.

It's a bit of a surprise that the Predators are parting with Evangelista, who put up a career-high 56 points (12 goals, 44 assists) in 81 regular-season games in 2025-26. The 24-year-old winger held out of camp last fall before signing a two-year contract, so he'll be playing for a new deal with the Devils throughout 2026-27. Expect Evangelista to slot into a middle-six role, and the playmaker should also be an option to see power-play minutes. His fantasy value gets a slight bump by moving to a stronger offense, but since his offense heavily relies on assists, he'll need to click with his new teammates quickly to make good on that upgrade in surroundings.

Michkov and Trevor Zegras could be paired together during training camp to see if the duo can develop some chemistry, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports Monday.

In his sophomore campaign, Michkov notched 20 goals and 31 assists in 81 regular-season games, including 12 power-play points. Those numbers were slightly below the 63 points he put up in 2024-25. If the 21-year-old winger can find his stride alongside Zegras, it's possible Michikov could set new personal bests this year, including topping the 30-goal threshold for the first time.

Jarnkrok inked a three-year contract with Brynas IF (Sweden) on Monday.

After 13 seasons in the NHL, Jarnkrok will return to Brynas IF, the club for which he played his junior hockey before spending four seasons with the professional team. During his time in the NHL, the 34-year-old center logged 774 regular-season games, producing 143 goals and 173 assists, with the bulk of those games coming with the Predators. Given the length of his deal, this will likely end Jarnkrok's NHL career, with him eventually retiring overseas.

Korchinski signed a two-year, $2.65 million contract with the Blackhawks on Saturday.

Korchinski had two assists, four PIM, four hits and 13 blocks in 13 appearances with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. He also had two goals, 26 points and 48 PIM in 53 regular-season outings with AHL Rockford last year. The 22-year-old will be competing for a spot on Chicago's third pairing during training camp, but he'll have a challenging time winning that role. However, Korchinski would have to clear waivers in order to be sent to the minors, and there's a decent chance he'd get claimed. Consequently, the 2022 seventh-overall pick might end up on the Opening Day roster, even if it is as the seventh defenseman.

Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Avalanche on Friday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Makar was believed to be trending toward reaching a long-term agreement with the Avalanche in recent days, and his deal will ultimately make him the highest-paid player in NHL history. Following back-to-back seasons with at least 90 points, Makar appeared in 75 regular-season games last year and racked up 20 goals, 59 assists, 118 blocked shots, 35 hits and 24 PIM while averaging 24:51 of ice time. He's established himself as a top blueliner in the NHL and will now remain under contract with the Avalanche through the 2034-35 season.

Hellebuyck issued a statement Thursday publicly confirming that he has requested a trade, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Hellebuyck has spent the last 11 years in Winnipeg and has been one of the league's top netminders during his time with the team. However, his production dipped slightly during the 2025-26 campaign, as he went 23-23-11 with a 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage across 57 regular-season appearances. Hellebuyck said in his statement Thursday that he privately requested a trade several months ago, and his desire for a change of scenery lingers with less than a month remaining before training camp. The 33-year-old would need to approve a trade due to his no-movement clause, but he's drawn interest from several teams this summer and remains motivated to don a new sweater for the first time in his career.

Benak will join the University of Western Michigan ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, the team announced Thursday.

Benak racked up 28 goals and 49 assists in OHL Brantford last season, adding another 11 points in 15 postseason tilts. Selected by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the 19-year-old center figures to spend at least another year or two developing before making the jump to the professional ranks.