The latest NHL news and NHL rumors are picking up at exactly the right time. With the 2026-27 regular season beginning September 29, teams are making their final roster decisions while several major trade situations remain unresolved.
The biggest rumor development involves Dylan Larkin. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that the Detroit Red Wings centre may now be willing to approve a trade to as many as eight teams, a significant expansion from the three-team list previously reported earlier in the summer. Colorado and Washington were specifically mentioned, while Friedman said he suspected Dallas and Tampa Bay are also among the possibilities. Larkin still controls the process through his trade protection, so a larger list improves Detroit’s negotiating landscape without guaranteeing that a trade is imminent.
Elsewhere, Ottawa has added another goaltender, Tyler Seguin successfully returned to game action for Dallas, Vancouver received a difficult Filip Chytil injury update, and Friday night produced four preseason games worth watching as teams moved closer to their Opening Night rosters.
NHL News and NHL Rumors Heating Up Before Opening Night
Dylan Larkin Trade Market Suddenly Looks Much Bigger
This is the NHL rumor I would watch most closely over the next several days.
Earlier reporting indicated Larkin would approve trades to Minnesota, Florida and Vegas. Friedman’s September 25 update suggests the number could now be somewhere around eight teams. That matters because Detroit’s biggest obstacle has never necessarily been finding clubs interested in Larkin — it has been finding enough approved destinations to create leverage.
Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31, according to PuckPedia. He produced 67 points in 74 games last season, or 0.91 points per game.
My observation is that expanding the destination list changes the negotiating dynamic much more than it changes the likelihood of an immediate trade. Detroit can now potentially place competing organizations against each other rather than negotiating inside an extremely narrow three-team market.
There is also an important reporting update here: an earlier July report said Larkin had not expanded beyond Florida, Minnesota and Vegas. Friday’s Friedman report now indicates that situation has changed. That confirms the market has evolved, although it does not confirm Detroit has an acceptable offer.
NHLTradeRumor.com Dylan Larkin Salary-Cap Calculator
The NHL and NHLPA officially set the 2026-27 upper salary-cap limit at $104 million. At Larkin’s $8.7 million cap hit, an acquiring club taking his entire contract would be allocating approximately 8.37% of the league-wide cap ceiling to him. That leaves $95.3 million, or 91.63% of the cap ceiling, available for every other cap obligation before accounting for that team’s existing contracts. This is a cap-share calculation — not a claim that any specific team currently has $95.3 million available.
Dylan Larkin Salary-Cap Fit
NHLTradeRumor.com Trade Value Index: Dylan Larkin
Using production, positional value, contract efficiency, contractual control and trade-clause friction, my current editorial model places Larkin at 78/100.
This is not a report of Detroit’s asking price. It is an NHLTradeRumor.com analytical model designed to explain why Larkin can simultaneously carry strong hockey value while remaining difficult to trade.
NHLTradeRumor.com Trade Value Index
Senators Add Jonas Johansson in Goalie Trade
The Ottawa Senators acquired Jonas Johansson from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations. Johansson posted an 11-10-2 record, 3.29 goals-against average and .884 save percentage over 25 games for Tampa Bay last season. The transaction came after Vancouver claimed Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa.
That looks like a practical depth move rather than anything dramatic, but goaltending depth becomes increasingly important once teams begin compressing their rosters.
Injuries: Brock Faber and Filip Chytil Updates
Minnesota received a scare when Brock Faber left Friday’s 2-1 loss to Dallas after taking a puck to the head. Wild coach John Hynes indicated keeping Faber out was at least partly precautionary and said the severity was not yet known.
Vancouver has more concrete bad news. Filip Chytil is week to week with a shoulder injury sustained in Thursday’s preseason loss to Edmonton.
Meanwhile, Dallas received encouraging news when Tyler Seguin returned to game action, logging 13:57 in the Stars’ 2-1 win against Minnesota after being sidelined following ACL surgery.
NHL Scores From September 25, 2026
Friday featured four preseason games. Dallas beat Minnesota 2-1; Jordan Kyrou scored 11 seconds into overtime as Washington defeated Boston 3-2; T.J. Hughes had a hat trick and an assist in Colorado’s 5-2 victory against Winnipeg; and the Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-1 behind multi-point nights from Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and Adam Fox.
NHL Scores — September 25, 2026
Preseason results and key game notesOne More Story to Watch: Toronto’s New-Look Roster
Toronto enters Tuesday’s opener with one of the league’s most dramatically changed rosters. NHL.com’s September 26 season preview highlights Sergei Bobrovsky, Gavin McKenna, Darren Raddysh, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic and several other newcomers, with chemistry identified as one of Toronto’s early challenges. McKenna, the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, is projected alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.
That makes Toronto one of my most interesting teams to watch during the opening weeks. There is enough talent to create immediate excitement, but adding talent and building chemistry are two different things.
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The post NHL News and NHL Rumors Today: Trade Buzz, Injuries and NHL Scores – September 26, 2026 appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
