St. Louis Blues forward Mason McTavish feels he has a point to prove in 2026-27. "Yeah, I think I have a chip on my shoulder, for sure," McTavish told Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. "I'm not happy with the way things went in Anaheim. I enjoyed my time there; it was awesome, guys were great, but at the same time, they traded me. That's something I'm passionate about and want to get better. I'm looking forward to doing that here." McTavish arrived in St. Louis in exchange for a pair of first-round picks in June. The Ducks traded him less than 12 months after signing him to a six-year, $42 million contract extension. McTavish is expected to play an important role on his new team as the second-line center and a power-play contributor.

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson has gone through a couple of tough campaigns, but teammate Brock Boeser is confident he'll regain his superstar level in 2026-27. "Seems like he's in a great headspace," Canucks winger Boeser said about Pettersson at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour. "Way better than the last few years." Pettersson had a 102-point campaign in 2022-23 before signing an eight-year, $92.8 million extension in 2024, the largest contract in Canucks history. Since then, his performance level has dropped significantly, as Pettersson has averaged only 0.70 points per game. After posting three consecutive 30-goal years, he has scored 30 goals combined over the last two campaigns. A resurgence from Pettersson would greatly benefit the Canucks and help many fantasy teams.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis (shoulder) is on track in his recovery from offseason surgery, Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports. The 24-year-old underwent shoulder surgery in late June and was ruled out for 4-6 months. He's hoping to return to action in late October or early November. Jarvis has posted three consecutive 30-goal and 60-point campaigns despite dealing with a shoulder injury over the past couple of years. With the issue behind him, the versatile forward could take his game to a new level.

Defenseman Nick Blankenburg has agreed to a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports. Blankenburg has been without a standard contract late in the offseason despite playing 60-plus regular-season games in back-to-back campaigns. He split the 2025-26 season between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, registering 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists), 72 SOG, 59 blocks, and 55 hits. The 28-year-old will compete for a bottom-pairing role during training camp.