Hockey Patrol

Cale Makar at $40.8 million a year? Honestly, Oilers fans might still call that a bargain. 😂

When you’re watching one of the best defensemen on the planet dominate games, win Norris Trophies and completely control the ice, suddenly $40.8M doesn’t sound that crazy compared to Darnell Nurse sitting at $9.25M.

Four times the salary, four times the value… right? 💀

“Suspend me” | Connor Hellebuyck’s trade standoff with the Winnipeg Jets could be heading toward an extreme outcome.

Speaking on TSN’s OverDrive, Martin Biron suggested Hellebuyck may be prepared to sit out the entire 2026-27 season if Winnipeg refuses to move him.

“I really feel that Connor Hellebuyck’s going to say, ‘Okay, that’s fine. Like, suspend me, whatever. I’m willing to sit out a year.’”

If the Jets hold firm, would Hellebuyck actually be willing to sacrifice a full NHL season to force a trade?

Samuel Montembeault’s name is starting to surface in trade talk again, and Edmonton is being floated as the landing spot. 👀

Karine Hains of The Hockey News recently raised Edmonton as a potential fit, while earlier reporting from Maxime Truman said the Oilers had already contacted Montreal about Montembeault.

The Oilers have been searching for more certainty in goal, while Montreal’s crease has become increasingly crowded.

That makes the fit easy to understand.

Montembeault is under contract at $3.15M, so Edmonton wouldn’t be taking on an enormous cap hit either.

There’s no report that a deal is close, but with Edmonton’s goalie situation still unsettled and Montreal having decisions to make in net, this is one situation worth keeping an eye on before camp.

New NHL player rankings just dropped Auston Matthews out of the “elite” tier, and the message is pretty clear: he has to prove he belongs there again. 👀

For years, Matthews has been viewed as one of the NHL’s untouchable superstars. Now, after a season that didn’t meet his usual standard, some evaluators clearly don’t see him the same way.

That’s a big shift for the Maple Leafs captain.

Matthews still has the résumé, the shot and the ability to completely take over games. But reputation only carries you so far.

This season, he gets a chance to remind everyone exactly who he is. They don’t see him the same anymore. Now he has to make them.

David Pastrnak is locked in at $11.25 million per season through 2030-31, and that contract keeps looking better as NHL salaries continue to explode.

Last season, Pastrnak finished with 29 goals, 71 assists and 100 points in 77 games, his fourth consecutive 100-point season. He also ranked tied for seventh in NHL scoring and led Boston with 1.30 points per game.

With other elite players now pushing toward $13M, $14M and $15M per season, Boston has its franchise superstar locked up at a price that looks better every year.

David Pastrnak has the best contract in the NHL.

Five teams said no. He refused to let that be the end of his hockey story.

A 14-year-old player was cut by five different teams last spring and genuinely thought competitive hockey might be over for him.

Instead of walking away, he spent the summer working.

His dad said he went through 45 small-group training sessions, added camps, off-ice work and even trained at home in a garage gym. Then came one more tryout. This time, he made it.

He earned a spot on a 16U A team, playing up in age after a summer that could’ve easily broken his confidence.

No NHL contract. No viral highlight. Just a kid getting told “no” five times and deciding to keep going anyway.

That’s one of the best hockey stories you’ll read today. ❤️

Update on Matthew Mayich: the 21-year-old Arizona State defenseman remains in critical condition and in a coma after collapsing during a team workout on Aug. 20. 💔

Mayich, a St. Louis Blues draft pick, was rushed to hospital after the incident and has remained there since.

The workout is now being looked at more closely, with questions surrounding the intensity of the session and the extreme heat in Tempe that morning.

But the most important part right now is Matthew’s condition.

He’s only 21, and the entire hockey community is hoping the next update brings better news.

Thinking of Matthew, his family and everyone around him. ❤️🏒

Since entering the NHL in 2019-20, Cale Makar hasn’t just been elite, he’s been the standard for offensive defensemen. 🤯

Among NHL defensemen over that span, Makar ranks 1st in goals (136), points (507), power-play goals (45), game-winning goals (28), and multi-point games (135).

That’s not one dominant season. That’s years of owning his position.

And that’s exactly why Colorado just made him the highest-paid player in NHL history. 💰🏔️

$20.4M per year suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Jaromir Jagr is 54 years old and STILL hasn’t retired. He could legitimately be heading into his 39th year of professional hockey. 🐐

For perspective: Jagr has been playing pro hockey for basically as long as Sidney Crosby has been alive. 🤯

But Ryan Malone’s story might explain it best…

Malone remembers being a KID running around the Penguins locker room while Jagr was already an NHL superstar.

He grew up, made the NHL himself, played over 600 games, retired…AND JAGR KEPT PLAYING. 😭😭😭

At this point, we’re not waiting for Jagr to retire. Jagr is waiting for hockey to retire. 🐐

Absolute fu***ng legend. 🫡

Cale Makar at $20.4M just accomplished the impossible:

He made Darnell Nurse at $9.25M look financially responsible. 😭

The same contract hockey fans roasted for YEARS is suddenly sitting there like:

“Wait… maybe I wasn’t the problem.” 😂

Nurse is in San Jose now, Makar just reset the entire market, and NHL contracts officially make zero sense anymore.

No dodging it: Nurse at $9.25M or Makar at $20.4M?