NHL Rumours: Pettersson Bounceback, Montembeault Trade & Senators Captain – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off by looking at Elias Pettersson and how the Vancouver Canucks are trying to bring him back to his old form. Next, the Montreal Canadiens are still looking to move on from Sam Montembeault, but they may have to wait until after another goalie trade.

Finally, the Ottawa Senators are reportedly closing in on naming a captain, and have a number of available options.

It has been no secret that Pettersson has struggled over the last few seasons, and with so much trade talk before Ryan Johnson took over as general manager, the assumption was that those talks would continue.

While they still may field calls, it appears that Johnson and the Canucks are looking at moving forward with Pettersson as a core piece of the team, and are willing to do what it takes to get the old version of him back.

Pettersson scored 102 points in 2022-23, followed by 89 points the next season. In the two seasons since those great totals, Pettersson has only recorded 30 goals and 96 points total. While there have been a number of arguments as to why his production went down, including injuries and a feud with J.T. Miller, he is too talented a player to be providing middle-six point totals.

In a post from Kevin Woodley at NHL.com, Johnson was quoted as saying, “What I’m stressing with (Pettersson) is I want to give him an environment that supports him, that allows him to be himself and not feel that he’s got to be anything other than himself…I want to help him just in creating a space where I know he wakes up excited to come into the arena every day.”

If the Canucks can help Pettersson re-find his game, their rebuild could have a much more positive outlook across the next few seasons with him at the helm.

Montembeault Trade Coming After Hellebuyck?

Now that the Canadiens are moving forward with a tandem of Jakob Dobes and Jacob Fowler, Montembeault has fallen out of the mix and will likely be moved. This rumour isn’t new and was reported as early as June, but after a quiet summer for the Canadiens, talks could pick back up soon, and now Connor Hellebuyck’s deal might be in the way.

Any team looking to acquire Montembeault likely isn’t going to be the team who is also looking at Hellebuyck, but the fallout from that trade could have teams, including the Winnipeg Jets, looking for a goalie.

Marco D’Amico stated, “…if Hellebuyck gets traded that may start a carousel of other trades…” when talking about Montembeault on The Starr & D’Amico Show.

If the Jets move Hellebuyck, they are left with Stuart Skinner as their starter and one of their depth goaltenders as the backup, and could acquire Montembeault.

As for other teams, most tandems are locked into place, and the non-Hellebuyck goalie market is pretty cold right now.

For some teams who feel that they may run into health problems throughout the year, Montembeault would be a great third goalie, however, he reportedly is not interested in a three-goalie situation again.

Montembeault could be destined for waivers upon the end of training camp, and while the Canadiens would likely be happy to have him with the Laval Rocket as a call-up option, he may not be as happy with that decision.

Senators Reportedly Close to Naming Next Captain

After the departure of Brady Tkachuk, the Senators went into the offseason without a captain for the first time since 2021. Looking through the roster, there are a number of players who make sense for the club.

Thomas Chabot, the longest-tenured player and runner-up for the 2021 captaincy, would make a lot of sense, as would veteran Claude Giroux and stars Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson.

Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch wrote about the current status of the Senators’ process of naming a captain, writing, “[Steve Staios and] Travis Green are closing in on a decision on who will replace departed captain Brady Tkachuk and that the choice could be made in the near future.” (from Why Thomas Chabot deserves to be the Ottawa Senators’ next captain, Ottawa Sun, Aug. 25, 2026)

Garrioch advocates for Chabot to get the captaincy, noting his loyalty to the team after sticking through a difficult decade for the club.

Sanderson and Chabot have both been leaders on the team for a long time, and Stutzle recently spoke at the NHL’s European Media Tour. While there, he told reporters, “We’re focused on what we have ahead of us and the team we have right now. So, wish him all the best,” after talking about Tkachuk’s departure.

Regardless of which way the Senators go, there are many deserving players on that roster.