Edmonton Oilers

NHL Trade Talk Recap: Senators, Maple Leafs & Oilers’ McDavid’s Year

Can McDavid score less and win more? Stützle faces a new role in Ottawa, while the Leafs may finally have fixed their power play.

by
Old Prof
August 22, 2026

In today’s NHL Trade Talk Recap (August 22, 2026), there’s a lot cooking around the league this offseason, and today’s roundup covers three teams dealing with some pretty different kinds of change. Over in Ottawa, Tim Stützle’s suddenly stepping into a leadership role nobody saw coming this soon. In Toronto, the Leafs might’ve actually fixed a power play issue that’s haunted them for years. And in Edmonton, fans seem weirdly okay with McDavid scoring a bit less, as long as it means winning a lot more.

NHL Recap April 27 — NHL Recap August 22

Can Stützle Fill the Void Tkachuk Left Behind?

Tim Stützle’s numbers were never the question. He already proved he can produce with 34 goals and 83 points last season. What’s changed is that Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa’s captain and emotional leader, is gone. That suddenly puts a much bigger job in Stützle’s lap. He’s admitted the trade caught him off guard, but he also sounds ready for what’s ahead, not dreading it.

The good news is Ottawa didn’t just blow things up. They added pieces like Eklund, Burakovsky, and Ersson, so Stützle isn’t rebuilding this team alone. He just needs to become the leader the room leans on, not necessarily a bigger scorer. If he can grow into that role while keeping his production up, this could turn into a pretty compelling season for the Senators. Maybe the exact push Stützle needed to take that next step.

Tim Stützle Has a New Challenge in Ottawa — And It’s Not Goals

Have the Maple Leafs Finally Fixed Their Predictable Power Play?

For years, Toronto’s power play was basically “get the puck to Matthews or Nylander and hope for the best.” That worked until teams got better at defending it. This offseason, that might actually change. Darren Raddysh brings a legit shooting threat from the point that penalty kills can’t ignore, which means they can’t just collapse on Matthews and Nylander anymore. Add in Gavin McKenna’s playmaking, plus Tavares and Knies still working the net front. Now, the Maple Leafs suddenly have real options instead of just one predictable move.

There’s also a strong second unit now. Rielly, Ekman-Larsson, Roslovic, and Cowan give new coach Jim Hiller a way to rest his top guys without losing much. For the first time in a while, Toronto’s power play isn’t just Plan A on repeat. They might actually have a Plan B, and that alone could make a real difference this season.

The Maple Leafs Just Fixed the Biggest Flaw in Their Power Play

Connor McDavid Oilers postgame — Connor McDavid Oilers

Fans Think McDavid’s Numbers Might Dip — And They’re Fine With It

A new fan survey from The Athletic found something kind of interesting. Most Oilers fans don’t actually think Connor McDavid hits 130 points this season, even though he’s pulled that off three of the last four years. Most seem to think he’ll land somewhere in the 120s instead. But here’s the twist: nobody really seems bothered by that. With new coach Mike Babcock possibly leaning on McDavid to buckle down defensively and get more guys involved offensively, a small dip in points might actually mean a tougher, more complete team. And let’s be honest, McDavid would trade some personal numbers for a real Cup run without thinking twice.

The more interesting wrinkle is what happens if that trade-off doesn’t pay off. Fans are only somewhat confident McDavid sticks around past his current deal, and given how competitive he is, another early playoff exit probably won’t sit well no matter how the individual numbers look. So the real question isn’t just what McDavid scores this year. It’s about whether toning it down actually gets Edmonton closer to a championship. If it doesn’t, that’s when things could get complicated.

Fans Predict McDavid’s 2026-27 Point Total, And It’s Not What You Think