The NHL Drama That Has Set Up A Must-Watch Season: Babcock, Tkachuk, Larkin, Hellebuyck And More

It was during a ESPN Open Night media conference call on Wednesday — ostensibly to create hype for the upcoming NHL season — when analyst and former Hall of Famer Mark Messier said that he was "horrified" about the Edmonton Oilers' decision to welcome disgraced coach Mike Babcock back into the league.

"I'm absolutely shocked they hired him," said Messier. "I'm absolutely shocked that from the stories that ​I heard from very good, reputable character people about the way they were treated. It's been no secret."

That's one way to get non-hockey fans to tune into Edmonton's season-opening game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 29, which is only five days away.

Then again, it's not like the NHL needs any more help in the drama department.

From Brady Tkachuk orchestrating a trade out to the Florida Panthers so that he can play with his brother, to Dylan Larkin having his captaincy stripped after requesting a similar trade — which has not yet been honored —  to goalie Connor Hellebuyck threatening to sit out the season if he does not get traded, this season already has more storylines than daytime soap opera.

Get your popcorn out. This season is going to be must-watch TV.

We don't know if the overall excitement level will match what we saw last year, when an Olympic break treated fans to an electric gold medal final where American forward Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner against Canada, but with 84 games — two more than last year — there's the potential for plenty of fireworks. 

In Toronto, there is a feeling of optimism following the Maple Leafs' selection of Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. But there is also the impending doom that if this season doesn't go the way that the Maple Leafs expect, then Auston Matthews, whose contract expires in 2028, could soon be gone as a free agent. 

Speaking of players who could be on their way out, it's getting to the point where we cannot keep track of those who may or may not be traded before the puck is even dropped.

Minnesota's Quinn Hughes, who has made no secret that he wants to play with his brothers on the New Jersey Devils, is on the final year of his contract and is in no rush to re-sign or provide any kind of clarity on his future.

The future is just as murky for reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, who after years of being underpaid may be looking at a massive payday. The only question is whether the Tampa Bay Lightning, which didn't have the cap space to keep Darren Raddysh around, will be able to afford him.

Alex Ovechkin is also on an expiring contract and potentially his final season in the NHL. However, after the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader appeared in a Russian propaganda video last week, his political decisions could alter his legacy.

We don't know if Ovie will be booed (we doubt it, unless he's playing in Pittsburgh), but the same cannot be said of Brady Tkachuk's return to Ottawa on Oct. 21, especially after owner Michael Andlauer said Tkachuk's brother and father "got in his kitchen."

Forget about getting booed on the road. There's a good chance that whenever Larkin returns to the lineup, he will get roasted by Detroit fans for essentially bailing on his hometown team and requesting a trade.

That is, unless the Red Wings, who finally settled on Shawn Horcoff as an interim GM replacement for Steve Yzerman, pull the trigger on a trade and grant him his wish.

Will Larkin get traded before Hellebuyck? Will Hellebuyck even get traded? Or could a goalie, who seven months ago was the hero and a two-time defending Vezina Trophy winner, actually sit out the entire year because he doesn't want to honor his contract?

Knowing GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who told reporters earlier this week that "this isn't necessarily a time thing for me", this one could get uglier before we get a resolution. 

A similar standoff is occurring with the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes and young defenseman Nikita Nikishin and with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kirill Marchenko. 

Who blinks first could have a domino effect throughout the league.

The young guys are going to be a lot of fun to watch this year.

In San Jose, Macklin Celebrini is coming off a historic season, where he scored 115 points as a 19-year-old. Oddsmakers are already suggesting that he could win the Hart Trophy in just his third year. 

There's similar hype for 19-year-old Mathew Schaefer, who after winning the Calder Trophy could be the youngest Norris Trophy winner since Bobby Orr. That is, if 22-year-old Lane Hutson doesn't win it first.

"I will always have the highest expectations," Schaefer said at the Player Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month. "Last year was good, but I think I can be even better this year."

Speaking of the kids, this could be the most competitive Calder Trophy race we've seen in years, with McKenna and Philadelphia's Porter Martone as the early favorites. However, from San Jose's Ivar Stenberg to Washington's Cole Hutson to Chicago's Anton Frondell, the field has never been this wide open.

Back to Babcock, it's not going to get easier for him.

No team is under more pressure this year than the Oilers, who after back-to-back losses in the final were bounced in the second round last season.

With McDavid's contract set to expire at the end of next season, this is essentially a make-or-break year for Edmonton, which has taken a page out of the Vegas Golden Knights' playbook and put winning above everything else.

Along with hiring Babcock, who was essentially deemed un-hirable after he was fired before coaching a single game for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team also signed Alex Formenton, who is fresh off serving a suspension for his role in an alleged sexual assault.

Cale Makar, who is technically the highest-paid player at $20.4 million (though the contract doesn't take effect until next season), should have no issues justifying his new contract. He is, after all, arguably the best defenseman since Bobby Orr.

The same goes for Celebrini, who has already shown he deserves to be in the conversation with McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and the best players in the league.

But what about Anaheim's Leo Carlsson, whose cap hit jumped from $950,000 to $18 million? Or teammate Cutter Gauthier, who was rewarded with a $13.5-million salary after scoring 41 goals last year?

The Ducks unexpectedly made the playoffs last year and reached the conference final. But now that they are paying their two young stars a combined $31.5 million, there wasn't enough money to keep around Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba or Radko Gudas. Unless Carlsson and Gauthier can pick up the slack, we could could be looking at a one-and-done team. 

A similar bet was made on Columbus' Adam Fantilli, Chicago's Bowen Byram and Boston's Fraser Minten, who all got paid more on potential than actual results. History suggests that not every gamble will work out.

There are five new coaches, five new captains and six teams still without a captain. There's also full-time emergency back-up goalies this year, who will travel with the team. Considering there were three goalie fights this year, having dedicated back-ups makes sense.

There's also 84 games, an increase of two games from last year. Which means there could be more goals, more points and more chances for even more fireworks.

Stay tuned, the drama is just beginning and we haven't even dropped the puck.

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