NHL IN 60 SECONDS
Detroit has signed Alex DeBrincat to a seven-year, $91 million contract beginning next season, while uncertainty remains around Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson. The League’s new mandatory emergency-backup-goalie position could also give regular netminders more practice rest. Kirill Marchenko celebrated his 300th NHL game with a between-the-legs goal and a hat trick for Toronto. Elsewhere, the Heroes Cup returns in New Jersey to support the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, and Winnipeg’s Heritage Classic programme includes an outdoor fan festival before the Jets meet the Canadiens on 25 October.
THE BIG FIVE
Mandatory EBUG role could ease regular goalie workloads
Every NHL team is required to carry an emergency backup goalie this season under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. For some clubs, that goalie may remain solely an emergency option when an injury or illness makes a minor-league recall impractical. Others intend to use the extra netminder in practice, including for additional work after sessions, potentially reducing demands on their regular goalies. Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger said the arrangement could help lower goalie injuries by giving starters more freedom to take time away when needed. He described the pressure goalies can feel to skate rather than leave teammates without a netminder. The eligibility rules exclude goalies with NHL games on a standard player contract, more than 80 professional games, or professional play within the previous three seasons.
IHM Signal: The EBUG requirement could become a regular workload-management tool, not just emergency cover.
Coach Mark: An additional practice goalie may allow a staff to protect a starter’s workload while keeping drills properly staffed.
Red Wings commit $91 million to Alex DeBrincat
Alex DeBrincat has signed a seven-year, $91 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. The deal carries a $13 million average annual value and begins next season. The 28-year-old forward is currently in the final season of his four-year, $31.5 million Red Wings contract, which has a $7.875 million average annual value, and he would otherwise have become an unrestricted free agent after this season. DeBrincat has eight points, including four goals, this season. He set career highs of 85 points and 41 goals in 82 games last season. The signing arrives after Detroit opened 1-3-2, amid an off-season that included captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade, Steve Yzerman moving into a senior adviser role and Shawn Horcoff becoming interim general manager. Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned.
IHM Signal: Detroit has secured DeBrincat beyond his current deal despite wider uncertainty around the club.
Coach Mark: DeBrincat’s production gives Detroit a proven scoring piece to build around as it seeks stability.
Heroes Cup grows to 16 teams in New Jersey
The NHL, its employees and alumni players will take part in the Heroes Cup Hockey Tournament, a 16-team charity event at Ice Vault in Wayne, New Jersey. The tournament begins Friday and supports the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, whose programmes include mortgage-free homes for Gold Star and fallen responder families, adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, scholarships, veteran homelessness programmes and 9/11 education initiatives. Retired NHL forwards Georges Laraque and Andrew Ference will represent the League. Laraque played on two teams at last year’s event and said he would not sit out a game despite sore joints, citing the service of first responders. The event has expanded from four teams in 2023 to 16, has a waiting list and has raised nearly $500,000. An NHL employee team will compete officially for the first time.
IHM Signal: The tournament’s expansion has turned a four-team event into a 16-team fundraiser with a waiting list.
Coach Mark: The event pairs hockey participation with a clear charitable purpose for responder families, veterans and education initiatives.
READ FULL STORY: NHL staff and alumni join Heroes Cup in New Jersey
Marchenko marks 300th game with Toronto hat trick
Kirill Marchenko made his 300th NHL game memorable for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Marchenko then scored from the left circle and completed the hat trick by converting a pass from behind the net by Colton Sissons. The performance came in Marchenko’s eighth game with Toronto after he spent four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was traded to the Maple Leafs in September. It was a milestone night defined by both an inventive first goal and a three-goal finish.
IHM Signal: Marchenko combined a milestone appearance, a standout finish and a hat trick in his eighth Toronto game.
Coach Mark: The three goals came from different attacking looks, including a power-play chance and a pass from behind the net.
READ FULL STORY: Kirill Marchenko Marks 300th Game With Hat Trick
Winnipeg fan festival set for Heritage Classic day
The 2026 Scotiabank NHL PreGame fan festival is scheduled for Sunday, 25 October, from noon to 5:30 p.m. CDT at the University of Manitoba’s U Lot in Winnipeg. It is open to ticket holders for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic and will run before puck drop at Princess Auto Stadium. The programme includes hockey-inspired activities, appearances, giveaways, photo opportunities and a chance to see the Stanley Cup. Flatland Famous will perform on the music stage. The Heritage Classic will then see the Winnipeg Jets face the Montreal Canadiens outdoors at 6 p.m. CDT. It will be Winnipeg’s third outdoor game and Montreal’s fifth; the Canadiens are 2-2-0 in outdoor regular-season contests and have not played an outdoor game since 2017.
IHM Signal: The festival gives Heritage Classic ticket holders a full afternoon of programming before the outdoor game.
Coach Mark: The pregame schedule creates a long event-day build-up before the teams take the outdoor ice.
READ FULL STORY: Heritage Classic fan festival set for Winnipeg
IHM SHORT ICE
Larkin trade situation remains quiet
Reports say there is no momentum on a Dylan Larkin trade, though one view is that a move is a matter of when rather than if.
Larkin’s 10-team trade list has not changed and does not include the Montreal Canadiens; Detroit is seeking NHL-calibre players in trade discussions.
Garand starts strongly after Shesterkin injury
Igor Shesterkin sustained a season-ending lower-body injury on 9 October, leaving Dylan Garand with a 2-1-0 record and .932 save percentage in three games.
Garand is tied for second in high-danger save percentage at .958 among goalies with at least three games, while New York is tied fourth on the penalty kill.
Olivier receives $5,000 fine
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Florida Panthers defenceman Uvis Balinskis.
The incident occurred at 13:37 of the second period on Tuesday, 13 October; Olivier received a major penalty and game misconduct, with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Edvinsson returns to North America
Simon Edvinsson is returning to North America to work with a trainer after training in Sweden since the end of camp, but this does not indicate a contract breakthrough.
Edvinsson must sign by 1 December to play this season. Detroit reportedly prefers to re-sign him, while he reportedly prefers a trade.
IHM NHL PULSE
Detroit’s contract questions extend beyond DeBrincat
DeBrincat’s new seven-year agreement supplies a major piece of clarity, but the Red Wings still have separate unresolved situations around Larkin and Edvinsson. Larkin’s trade list reportedly remains unchanged, while Edvinsson’s return to North America is not said to signal a deal. The package presents contract certainty and roster uncertainty side by side in Detroit.
Extra goalie depth is shaping the wider netminding picture
The mandatory EBUG position gives clubs another goalie for potential practice use, while the Rangers are leaning on Garand after Shesterkin’s season-ending injury. The circumstances differ, but both stories underline how goalie availability and workload can quickly affect daily preparation and team planning.
Milestones and event-day experiences lead the off-ice calendar
Marchenko’s 300th NHL game brought a hat trick, while the Heroes Cup and Heritage Classic festival place hockey at the centre of charitable and fan-facing events. Each story links the game to a wider occasion, from a personal milestone to fundraising and an outdoor showcase.
Discipline carries a defined financial consequence
Olivier’s $5,000 fine was the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the payment directed to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. The ruling followed a major penalty and game misconduct for slashing.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING NEXT
- The Heroes Cup Hockey Tournament begins Friday at Ice Vault in Wayne, New Jersey.
- The Scotiabank NHL PreGame fan festival runs from noon to 5:30 p.m. CDT on 25 October in Winnipeg, before the Heritage Classic at 6 p.m. CDT.
- Edvinsson must sign a contract by 1 December to be eligible to play this season.
SHORT ICE Q&A
What is Alex DeBrincat’s new contract with Detroit?
It is a seven-year, $91 million contract with a $13 million average annual value, beginning next season.
How can teams use the mandatory emergency backup goalie?
Some may reserve the EBUG for emergencies, while others plan to use the extra goalie in practice and for additional post-practice work.
What did Kirill Marchenko achieve in his 300th NHL game?
He scored a between-the-legs power-play goal and completed a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres.
When is the Jets-Canadiens Heritage Classic scheduled?
The outdoor game is scheduled for Sunday, 25 October, at 6 p.m. CDT at Princess Auto Stadium.
Why was Mathieu Olivier fined?
He was fined for slashing Florida Panthers defenceman Uvis Balinskis during a game in Columbus on 13 October.
What must Simon Edvinsson do to play this season?
He must sign a deal by 1 December.
FAN PULSE
Which development will have the greatest effect on the weeks ahead?
A) Alex DeBrincat’s long-term contract in Detroit.
B) The expanded role of emergency backup goalies.
C) Dylan Garand taking over after Igor Shesterkin’s injury.