NHL Rumours: Ovechkin’s Decision, Robertson to Penguins & LA Blockbuster?

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start with the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin, whose decision regarding his retirement was nearly impacted by some trade deadline moves. Next, we look at Jason Robertson and the recent links to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Finally, we look at some speculation that the Los Angeles Kings are keeping some flexibility in case they have the opportunity to make a blockbuster move next offseason.

Ovechkin Didn’t Like Carlson Trade, Appreciated Youth

Before all of the chaos that we have seen this offseason one of the big storylines was going to be keeping an eye on Ovechkin and his decision regarding his retirement.

There was plenty of speculation about whether or not Ovechkin would return for one more season, or if he would play at least one game in Russia. He announced on July 2 that he would return to the NHL for another season.

While the Capitals did not have the season they were hoping for in 2025-26, their decision to trade defenseman John Carlson made sense for the organization, but didn’t go over well with the captain.

Elliotte Friedman reported that after Carlson was traded, Ovechkin was feeling down. The two had played together for a long time, were both integral parts of the 2018 Stanley Cup run, and are close friends.

He then continued the report by stating that Ovechkin really liked what he saw with players like Cole Hutson and Ilya Protas as the season got closer to the end.

Hutson, a 20-year-old left-shot defenseman, joined the Capitals at the tail end of the season after the conclusion of his NCAA career. Through 74 games across two seasons with Boston University, Hutson posted a very impressive 80 points before adding 10 more in his 14-game NHL stint.

As for Protas, after dominating the Ontario Hockey League with 124 points in 61 games in 2024-25, he joined the Hersey Bears in the American Hockey League, posting 66 points in 69 games. His older brother, Aliaksei Protas, has been a mainstay in the Capitals’ forward group for a few years now.

With the emergence of the two young, budding stars, plus the additions of Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner, the Capitals look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league, especially with their forward group.

Can Ovechkin cap off his career with another Stanley Cup?

Jason Robertson Linked to Penguins

There are still a handful of notable restricted free agents in the league, which includes Robertson, who doesn’t have a new deal with the Dallas Stars as of yet.

While it appears that both Robertson and the Stars want to stay together, the star winger is commanding more money than the club is willing to go to. While there are no confirmed reports on where Robertson and his camp is at, the belief is that he is looking for less than the $15.6 million salary offered by the Seattle Kraken.

While he turned that offer down, it likely comes down to the level of competitiveness from the teams. If the Stars were willing to match that, he would have signed it with them.

The Stars don’t want to move him, but they might have to. If they continue to hold firm around the $12.5 million mark for a salary, he may refuse to sign. One team that has been knocking on the door is the Penguins.

According to Josh Yohe, the Penguins have shown to be very interested in Robertson, and he also stated that Robertson would be happy to join them. After turning down the deal from the Kraken, there was also talks between the Stars and the Red Wings, though a Dylan Larkin deal didn’t materialize quite yet, but the idea of a Robertson-Larkin swap could be a possibility, though Robertson may not extend with them, either.

The Penguins are looking to get younger and better, and while Robertson is older than most of the wave of youth, but he would be the perfect addition to the team, and would headline the path forward.

Speaking of big Penguins trades, there has been some reports that they are interested in bringing in Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. There was a report earlier in the week that the Canucks were looking for Ben Kindel from the Penguins, and that he was a non-starter in that deal.

Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal reported that the Penguins do indeed have interest in Pettersson, but Kindel wasn’t a conversation he was hearing. He then added that the Penguins would never give him up for a “bad contract”.

LA Kings Waiting for Potential Blockbuster

The sports teams in Los Angeles are notorious for having star-studded lineups. Whether you want to look at the Lakers, Dodgers, Chargers, and even with the Kings, who have had Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Bernie Nichols, and plenty of others. Los Angeles teams love their stars.

Having a team of stars is fitting for the city, but the current Kings lineup doesn’t have that true superstar right now. Now that Anze Kopitar has retired, and Drew Doughty’s career is winding down, they are looking for a new face of the franchise.

Adrian Kempe is one of the most underrated wingers in the league, Quinton Byfield is still looking for his big breakout year, and they brought in Artemi Panarin who is going to ty and lead the way offensively.

A lot of people were wondering what direction the Kings would take this offseason, and after adding a few veterans and depth pieces, it was a bit underwhelming to some.

Looking at next offseason, they are going to have a lot of work to do, but according to Friedman, they are going to take the patient approach.

Between the long list of superstars who will either be a free agent next offseason, or will be eligible for an extension and could be traded if things don’t go right, the Kings are hoping to make a massive splash in true LA style.

Some 2027 free agents could include Nikita Kucherov, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, and extension-eligible players include Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski, Andrew Vasilevskiy, and plenty of others.

Next offseason could be just as exciting as this one has been so far.