Rising cap projections through 2027 are reshaping NHL contract dynamics, pushing a clash between players seeking a bigger slice of the cap and teams wary of ballooning payrolls. The market’s pace is evident in goalie deals—Dustin Wolf’s seven-year, $7.5M cap hit setting a new ceiling—while Skinner’s future extension looms as Edmonton weighs deadline strategy vs long-term deals. RFAs like Lukas Dostal compare with Mackenzie Blackwood, and incumbents such as Ilya Sorokin and Joey Daccord anchor a volatile netminder landscape that could redefine fantasy value and trade deadlines.

NHL training camps open with a fresh energy as a new CBA brings concrete changes: shorter camps, an 84-game schedule, and a more relaxed gameday dress code. Players at the Vegas media tour weighed in on what they like, debated playoff formats, and shared their favorite cheat meals, hype songs and quirky equipment habits. The consensus is optimism for healthier seasons and smarter workload management, with fantasy-minded fans watching for breakout targets and late-season surges.

Fantilli’s rookie season extension talks are quiet as he enters the final year of his entry-level deal, with Pat Brisson indicating no rush and a longer pact possible after another strong year amid a rising cap. A July 1 offer sheet remains a theoretical path. Ottawa still holds Alex Formenton’s rights after his Swiss stint, with a December 1 deadline looming for any NHL return. Separately, McLeod, Dube, Foote and Hart face suspensions and sign-eligibility scheduling, reshaping early-season fantasy value.

Canucks face a thin second-line center market and tight cap space, making a blockbuster unlikely. The talk centers on internal development as the most viable path, with external options like Rossi, Roslovic, and McTavish debated but constrained by cost and teams’ willingness to move. Broader NHL chatter links Eichel, the Hughes brothers, Karlsson, and Zacha to the center market, underscoring how scarce top pivots remain and why Vancouver may lean on its own pipeline for the foreseeable future.

Lane Hutson capped a Calder-winning rookie season by leading rookies with 66 points and 60 assists, putting Norris Trophy odds in play as he heads into his age-21 season. San Jose's Macklin Celebrini sits among Hart contenders after 25 goals and 63 points; Matvei Michkov matched him in points and led rookie goals for Philadelphia. Luke Hughes (NJD) and Quinn Hughes (VAN) emerge as Norris hopefuls, while Ivan Demidov (MTL) flashed in the playoffs and is Calder favorite for 2025-26. Lian Bichsel (DAL) and Kaedan Korczak (VGK) offer depth, and Yaroslav Askarov (SJS) hints at goaltending upside. A rich rookie landscape awaits in 2025-26 fantasy drafts.