Hellebuyck and Larkin Put the NHL Trade Market on a Training-Camp Clock
GOATIFYThe NHL’s late-summer trade market has gone quiet, but that does not mean every major decision has been pushed into the regular season. Training camps open in mid-September, and several teams still have unsettled situations involving players who could change the shape of a roster in one move.
The most important names sit at very different points in their careers. Seattle is trying to determine what Shane Wright is worth after a difficult follow-up to his promising rookie season. Carolina has a young restricted free-agent defenseman in Alexander Nikishin whose future remains unresolved. Columbus keeps insisting Kirill Marchenko is part of its plans even as outside interest persists. Detroit still has Dylan Larkin’s trade request hanging over a franchise searching for new leadership. And Winnipeg has an elite goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck who has openly confirmed that he asked for a move.
That combination makes the days before camp more interesting than the calm transaction wire suggests. A trade does not have to happen before players report, but camp creates a natural pressure point. General managers get a clearer look at roster holes, players are forced to answer questions about uncertain futures, and teams that have spent the summer waiting can decide whether patience is still helping them.
Shane Wright Still Looks Like the Most Tradable Young Center
Wright remains one of the most intriguing players on the market because his value is built as much on age and pedigree as current production. The 22-year-old was selected fourth overall in 2022 and showed why that status still matters during the 2024-25 season, when he produced 19 goals and 44 points in 79 games. Last season was less convincing, with his production and role moving in the wrong direction.
Seattle therefore faces the classic young-player dilemma. Trading him now risks selling before a rebound. Keeping him means committing another season of minutes and development time to a player whose fit may already be uncertain. Reports this summer indicated that Wright’s representation and the Kraken were working toward a possible move, which makes this more than ordinary speculation around a former top pick.
Philadelphia and Vancouver have both made sense as possible destinations at different points, while Nashville is another team that could justify betting on a young center with offensive upside. The important part for Seattle is the return. Wright is still young enough that the Kraken do not need to treat him like a distressed asset. If another club wants a former top-five pick before he reaches his prime years, it should have to pay for the possibility that his best NHL season is still ahead.
Alexander Nikishin Gives Carolina a Different Kind of Decision
Nikishin’s situation is almost the opposite of Wright’s. Carolina is not deciding whether a struggling prospect still has value. It is deciding whether to keep a 24-year-old defenseman who has already shown he can handle NHL minutes, or use that value to strengthen another part of a championship roster.
The left-shot defenseman finished his first full NHL season with 33 points in 81 games. His role became smaller during the postseason, but that did not erase the qualities that make him appealing around the league: size, mobility, age and the possibility of developing into a long-term top-four piece. He is also a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, giving Carolina significant control over the process.
St. Louis has been linked to Nikishin and is an especially logical fit because young defensemen with his profile are difficult to acquire. If the Blues are willing to part with a useful young NHL player or another asset that helps Carolina immediately, the Hurricanes have reason to listen. The alternative is a bridge contract that keeps Nikishin in Raleigh while preserving flexibility.
Carolina does not need to rush. That is what makes a deal difficult. The Hurricanes can afford to keep a good young defenseman unless somebody makes the trade clearly improve their roster. The closer camp gets, the more this becomes a test of whether another club is willing to move beyond interest and pay a premium.
Kirill Marchenko Is the Rumor Columbus Keeps Trying to Kill
Columbus general manager Don Waddell has been unusually clear about Marchenko: he expects the winger to report to camp. That should matter more than anonymous trade chatter, but it has not completely stopped the speculation because Marchenko is exactly the type of player other teams would like to pry loose.
The 25-year-old can play in a top-six role and is entering a period in which contract decisions become more important. Rumors about whether a long-term extension is realistic have helped keep his name circulating. Montreal is an obvious hypothetical buyer because the Canadiens are still looking for another dangerous forward who can help a young offensive core, including Ivan Demidov.
A Montreal offer would have to hurt. Defenseman Arber Xhekaj or winger Zachary Bolduc are examples of the type of recognizable young pieces that could at least create a conversation, but Columbus has little incentive to move Marchenko merely because another team needs scoring. Waddell’s public stance suggests the Blue Jackets are prepared to let the season begin with him in the lineup.
Still, camp can change leverage. Injuries happen, line combinations expose needs and extension talks can either calm uncertainty or make it louder. If Marchenko reports and produces, Columbus can keep him. If the relationship looks less stable than management has suggested, Montreal and other offense-needy clubs will be watching.
Dylan Larkin’s Trade Request Is Now a Front-Office Problem
Larkin’s case has the most organizational weight. He is not a young player who might be squeezed out of a lineup or an RFA waiting on his next contract. He is Detroit’s captain, a 30-year-old first-line center under a long-term deal, and he has spent months waiting for a trade request to produce an exit.
The Red Wings’ search for a new general manager complicates everything. A major Larkin trade is the kind of franchise decision a permanent GM should own, especially when the return could shape several seasons. Until that person is in place, the simplest outcome is also the most awkward: Larkin reports, plays and waits.
Minnesota has long looked like the cleanest preferred destination, with Vegas and Florida also appearing on his original list and Dallas entering the conversation later. The challenge is both price and money. Larkin carries an $8.7 million average annual value, and Detroit is not going to move a premium center for a weak package simply to satisfy timing.
If Larkin truly wants to be on a contender before the season settles in, expanding the number of teams he would accept could be the move that changes the market. More destinations create more bidders, and more bidders give Detroit a better chance to find a package that justifies moving its captain. Until then, his no-trade protection gives him control but also narrows the path to the trade he wants.
The training-camp deadline is therefore psychological rather than contractual. Detroit can carry Larkin into the season. Larkin can report without abandoning his request. But every day the situation remains unresolved means every practice and every media session comes with the same question about whether he will still be wearing a Red Wings jersey a month later.
Connor Hellebuyck Is the One Blockbuster That Could Change a Conference
Hellebuyck is the biggest name because elite goaltending can change a playoff bracket immediately. The 33-year-old is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, is signed through 2030-31 at an $8.5 million average annual value, and confirmed in late August that he had requested a trade during the spring.
Buffalo remains the most natural team to revisit. The Sabres and Jets were reportedly deep into trade discussions before the 2026 draft, only for the deal to fall apart. Buffalo still has the kind of young-player inventory Winnipeg would want, including forwards Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Zack Benson, plus goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as a possible piece in a larger construction.
The Jets’ needs explain why this is difficult. Replacing Hellebuyck is not just about collecting future picks. Winnipeg would need help now, ideally a top-six center or right wing, while also finding a workable plan in net. That makes a multi-piece deal more realistic than a simple prospect-for-star exchange.
Hellebuyck’s contract protection matters as well. A long deal at a major cap hit requires the receiving team to be confident it wants to build around him for years, and his trade protection limits Winnipeg’s ability to create a wide auction. Those restrictions are why a Buffalo framework remains so interesting: the teams have already explored the fit and the Sabres possess enough young talent to address multiple Winnipeg needs.
If this deal happens before camp, it would be the move that changes expectations most dramatically. Buffalo would be adding one of the league’s defining goaltenders to a roster trying to take another competitive step. Winnipeg would be turning the page on a franchise star while attempting to remain dangerous rather than beginning a full rebuild.
And if none of these five deals happens before players report, that does not make the rumors meaningless. It simply moves the pressure into camp. Wright, Nikishin, Marchenko, Larkin and Hellebuyck all have different reasons to remain in the conversation, and every week without a resolution changes the balance between waiting for the right offer and accepting the best one available. The market has been quiet. It may not stay that way once teams get back on the ice.
