NHL Rumours: Celebrini on NHL 27 Cover, Bjorck Joins Jets & Vatrano Cap Dump

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off with a leak that Macklin Celebrini has earned the honour of being the EA cover athlete for NHL 27. Next, Viggo Bjorck has left Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League in an attempt to make an early impact for the Winnipeg Jets. 

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks may be forced to move out a player to make cap room after Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet, and Frank Vatrano seems to be at the top of that list. 

Celebrini Set to Become NHL 27 Cover Athlete

While it won’t go on his Hockey Hall of Fame resume when the time comes, Celebrini is going to add a pretty great accolade by being named the cover athlete if EA’s NHL 27. 

This leak comes from Mike Straw on X, who stated that the marketing campaign for the game will begin next week. 

Straw, a veteran journalist in the gaming scene, found a link that will be used for preordering the game, and it reveals Celebrini as the cover athlete. 

The last time EA used a San Jose Sharks player as their cover athlete was Owen Nolan for NHL 2001, though Joe Thornton also earned that honour, being on the cover of NHL 2K7. 

Celebrini, who just recently turned 20 years old, will now be the youngest player to appear on the cover, beating out the 21-year-old Trevor Zegras who was the face of NHL 23. 

The decision to put Celebrini on the cover is an easy one. He is a very marketable player with a lot of personality, plus, he has a massive breakout season in 2025-26, where he posted 115 points as a sophomore. 

On top of that, he was the first teenager to appear for Team Canada on the Olympic stage, where he posted 10 points in six games en route to a silver medal. He followed that up with 14 more points at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. 

Putting Celebrini on the cover was a pretty easy choice for EA.

Viggo Bjorck Leaves Djurgardens for Shot at NHL Spot

As one of the most talented players from the 2026 NHL Draft class, Bjorck fell to the Jets at eighth overall, and after an announcement from his SHL club, he will be joining the Jets organization to make a run at an NHL spot. 

While it may be unfair to expect him to be their second-line centre as an 18-year-old, he will have every chance to prove that he deserves it. 

The Jets have their Connor Hellebuyck situation to deal with, and according to Chris Johnston, there is still some uncertainty about where the trade talks will end up. 

Beyond that, their biggest offseason goal is to bring in a true second-line centre. 

They have had a rotation of Vladislav Namestnikov, Jonathan Toews, Adam Lowry, and a few others playing in that role, but none are at the level the club was hoping to see in that position. 

Bjorck has a strong, mature two-way game, despite his smaller stature at 5-foot-9. He is one of the most competitive players on the ice, and has a ton of great offensive skills and instincts. 

There is a legit chance that Bjorck can make the NHL roster in the fall, and even push to fill that void the Jets have been looking for. 

Ducks May Be Forced to Dump Frank Vatrano

After being served with the whopping $18 million offer sheet, the Ducks may be looking to move Vatrano. 

After a few great seasons in Anaheim, 2025-26 was one to forget. Through 50 games, Vatranto posted just nine points, and his $4.57 million salary for the next two seasons may be in the way of getting other business done. 

According to Rick Dhaliwal, the Ducks started making phone calls trying to see if any teams were interested in taking him, but as of now, there haven’t been any takers. He confirmed that the Canucks were on the list of calls general manager Pat Verbeek made regarding Vatrano 

The Ducks currently sit with just over $9 million in cap space, but need to sign Cutter Gauthier, and could benefit from some improvements on defense. 

Some other potential cap casualties may include Alex Killorn or Chris Kreider, who both make over $6 million and have just one season left under contract. 

It is no secret that the Ducks have been put in a tough position, but with Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Troy Terry, and Pavel Mintyukov all locked up for at least four seasons, the rising cap should help them get through this tough spot. There is still a very bright future for the club, despite this speed bump.