NHL Media Tour Recap: Latest On Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Sidney Crosby And More

The NHL Player Media Tour may have only lasted two days, but there were a year's worth of storylines that emerged.

With the 2026-27 season approaching, some of the league's biggest stars gathered in Las Vegas this week to recap an intriguing summer while also sharing their perspectives on some of the most prominent news around the NHL.

Here are the major takeaways and noteworthy quotes from this week's festivities:

Once Cale Makar signed his historic eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche, all eyes pointed to Quinn Hughes, who is entering the final season of his contract with the Minnesota Wild.

While there is a ton of intrigue and speculation on the 26-year-old's plans for the future — whether he will remain with the Wild or potentially team up with his brothers on the New Jersey Devils — Hughes made it clear that any decision will be handled on his own terms.

"This is going to be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done," Hughes said to media on Wednesday. “I don’t feel backed up against a wall. I’m very thoughtful. I want to make sure I’m taking my time on everything and make sure I’m making a decision that is going to be good for everyone."

Hughes later joined Sportsnet's 32 Thoughts Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and discussed the possibility of becoming the league's highest-paid defender, which is a title he can envision holding.

"I’ve made ($7.85 million) the last couple years, but I still think I'm one of the best, if not the best," Hughes said. "It's not like I need to raise the bar to prove anything. You just gotta watch me on the ice. But I do think it’s important that if you’re good at your job, you should get paid accordingly."

Sidney Crosby's NHL career won't be over at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, but how much longer will he play?

It was revealed this week that the 39-year-old and his agent Pat Brisson have already spoken with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas about a potential extension, with the length of his next deal being the biggest uncertainty.

"It's just a little bit more difficult at my age trying to project where you're going to be," Crosby told The Hockey News this week. "I'd like to continue playing for a number of years, but I just don't know what that number is. I guess your mind and body tell you that."

Crosby's latest campaign would suggest he still has a lot of hockey left in him, potting 29 goals and 74 points in 68 games in 2025-26.

New Florida Panther Brady Tkachuk hasn't thought about what his reception will be like in his return to Ottawa on Oct. 21.

"If it’s negative, it just shows how passionate the fans are and i enjoyed playing in front of them and how special it was," Tkachuk said at the Media Tour. "If it’s positive, then I’m just really grateful for my time there. I’m not sure what to expect."

Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot might have an idea of what to expect.

Back in Ottawa, the 29-year-old was candid this week when sharing his frustrations regarding Tkachuk's decision to request a trade.

"You want guys to want to be part of this team and city," Chabot told reporters on Tuesday. "When you see something like that — I’d be lying to say I was happy when he decided to leave … We felt like we’re on the verge of starting to make playoffs and building something."

Blueliner Jake Sanderson explained in Las Vegas that he wasn't stunned when Tkachuk made his decision, but the frustration was still there.

"I'm not surprised that Brady would want to go play with his brother," said Sanderson. "I don't think anybody should be surprised, so I don't blame him for that. But absolutely I think we're a team that's getting a lot better and has a window here to win a Stanley Cup. That part of it is tough, for sure."

Both perspectives from each player are likely echoed to some degree by Senators fans, and the anticipation for Tkachuk's return has only grown after this week.

The No. 1 pick from the 2026 NHL Draft is getting the ultimate rookie experience with John Tavares.

The Toronto Maple Leafs veteran revealed this week that he is welcoming Gavin McKenna into his home for the upcoming season, continuing a tradition that he started with forward Matthew Knies in his first year and carried with Easton Cowan throughout 2025-26.

"I really enjoy that opportunity and that mentorship type of aspect," Tavares said. "Hopefully when (McKenna) can come home, he can kind of decompress and disconnect and just be part of that family environment. I think that can be really beneficial."

Joining a revamped Maple Leafs team with high expectations and competitive aspirations could prove to be overwhelming for McKenna as he adjusts to the NHL level, but Tavares is ready to be a shoulder to lean on if things get tough as a former No. 1 pick himself.

“Being 18 years old and from a small town and a more remote place out in the Yukon and a remote place in Canada — that can be really positive for him,” Tavares said of McKenna. "When it does feel heavy at times or when it is a lot and going through it for the first time, he has that ability to kind of just be in a family environment.

While the Philadelphia Flyers overachieved in 2025-26, Matvei Michkov's sophomore season didn't go as planned.

The 21-year-old had a rough start to the season after head coach Rick Tocchet said he showed up to training camp out of shape, and he took a step back in his offensive output.

The Flyers' young stars showed promise with a post-season appearance last year, and Michkov realizing his full potential would elevate their competitive chances. His teammates are confident he can rise to the occasion this year and silence his critics.

"I imagine he’s going to come in with an edge, a little bit of an F-U, honestly after last year and all the heat," Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale said this week. "He’s got the tools, he’s got the knack. I’m looking forward to his year."

"It’s a tough league," Flyers forward Trevor Zegras also added. "I think it’s a good experience to feel that and to know that everyone in our organization has his back, top to bottom. It’s better to have that happen earlier than later, because he’s got a ton of skill, he loves the game, loves being on the ice, so it should be good."

Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson, like many of his Team USA teammates, has kept in touch with Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck ever since they won a gold medal at the 2026 Olympics.

When asked about the potential of the Sabres acuiring Hellebuyck ahead of the upcoming season, Thompson expressed his admiration for the netminder.

"I think what makes him so great is his competitiveness," Thompson said of Hellebuyck. "He just rises to the occasion. He wants to be in those moments where the team leans on him. And when (Team USA) had to lean on him, he showed up."

There are probably 31 other teams that would like to have Hellebuyck, who went public earlier this summer with a trade request. However, multiple reports have linked the 33-year-old to Buffalo going back to the 2026 NHL Draft in June. 

"He's the best in the world," Thompson added. "There's things that are out of your control. We'd love to have him, but if that doesn't happen, then we just move forward with the group we got."

It was a turbulent summer for Zach Werenski, but the reigning Norris Trophy winner is ready to turn the page. 

An off-season trade request was promptly followed up by a vetoed transaction that reportedly would've sent the 29-year-old to the Dallas Stars. Things got hectic, and Werenski's feelings changed quickly.

"I think for me it just reassured that Columbus is where I want to be," Werenski told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "When all that stuff was swirling I knew I wanted to be a Blue Jacket, I wanted to win here and I believe in our group. It was just a lot of madness, a lot of craziness, a lot of stuff that I didn't know that I was reading about me."

Werenski is entering his 11th season with the Blue Jackets and isn't eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2027. If the team fails to make the post-season, rumors will inevitably circulate again, but he expressed this week that he an extension is entirely possible.

"Hopefully when I'm eligible one gets done, but until then I'm just focused on playing in Columbus and helping this team get to the playoffs, where I think we should be."

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