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In our NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup, Connor McDavid cemented his place alongside Wayne Gretzky with yet another milestone, while the Calgary Flames suffered a setback with captain Mikael Backlund’s injury. Meanwhile, former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk officially announced his retirement, bringing an end to an eventful 24-year career.
Top NHL Trade Deadline Roundup Story:
Connor McDavid Joins Gretzky in Elite 60-Assist Club
Connor McDavid continues to etch his name in Oilers history. On Thursday night, he recorded his 59th and 60th assists of the season in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky as the only player in NHL history to register nine consecutive 60-assist seasons.
Gretzky set the benchmark with 13 such seasons from 1979 to 1992, spanning his time with the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. Since being drafted first overall in 2015, McDavid has hit the milestone every year except for one. During his injury-shortened rookie campaign, he wound up with 32 assists.
Additionally, McDavid became the first player since Mario Lemieux to record a point in 16 consecutive games against the same opponent.
Flames Captain Mikael Backlund Out Week-to-Week with Injury
The Calgary Flames will be without captain Mikael Backlund for the foreseeable future after he suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The team has listed him as week-to-week.
Backlund exited the game in the first period after delivering a hit on Canucks defenseman Victor Mancini. While he skated off under his own power, he appeared to twist his left shoulder or upper arm. The 35-year-old veteran has not missed a game since the 2020-21 season.
With the Flames battling for a playoff spot, losing Backlund—along with Connor Zary’s two-game suspension is less-than-ideal timing. Backlund has posted 24 points in 64 games.
Calgary recalled Dryden Hunt from the AHL’s Wranglers on an emergency basis.
Former NHL Star Ilya Kovalchuk Officially Retires
Ilya Kovalchuk has officially announced his retirement, marking the end of a solid hockey career that spanned 24 seasons. In his heyday, the 41-year-old was one of the most electrifying wingers of his generation.
Drafted first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2001, Kovalchuk was the face of that franchise for nearly a decade. He eclipsed the 50-goal mark twice and was the team’s all-time leading scorer until Mark Scheifele (now the Winnipeg Jets) surpassed him last month.
His NHL career took a sharp turn in 2010 when he was traded to the New Jersey Devils and later signed a controversial 15-year contract, which got the Devils in hot water. He left the league in 2013 to return to Russia. He won multiple Gagarin Cups with SKA St. Petersburg before making a brief NHL comeback with the Kings, Canadiens, and Capitals.
Kovalchuk retires with 443 goals and 876 points in 926 NHL games.
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The Dallas Stars prospect no one is talking about but should be
The Dallas Stars prospect pool is full of talent with names like Lian Bichsel and Emil Hemming getting attention, but there is another rising defenseman who could surprise at training camp and become a key piece sooner than many fans expect. Christian Kyrou has been steadily climbing through the system, and his progress last season with the Texas Stars proved he may be closer to NHL action than most realize. Drafted in the second round back in 2022, the right-shot defenseman finished the 2024-25 season with 15 points in 36 AHL games while showcasing the same offensive instincts that made him a standout in junior hockey. What makes Kyrou intriguing is how his game translates at the professional level. His puck-moving ability and poise with the puck have drawn strong reviews from the Dallas front office, and he is starting to look like a player who could one day quarterback the power play. Christian Kyrou is positioning himself as the Dallas Stars' next breakout defenseman Assistant GM Mark Janko praised Kyrou's progress in a recent interview with Stars reporters. "He's been one of our most consistent puck movers in Texas. The decision-making is improving, and his instincts are hard to teach." For Dallas, the timing could not be better. With Nils Lundkvist still trying to lock down his place and the cap picture becoming tighter, an affordable option like Kyrou has major value. According to The Hockey News, his skillset fits perfectly with the NHL's trend toward mobile defenders who can move the puck quickly and contribute offensively. "He has the vision and confidence that you rarely see in young defensemen. If he keeps improving, he will force his way into the NHL lineup." I think Stars fans should pay close attention during training camp, because Kyrou might be the type of under-the-radar player who steals a roster spot.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's biggest find is ready to take a huge step forward, and it could be huge for Brian Flores' defense
After joint practice on Wednesday between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, I was asked by some members of the Patriots beat about just one player. "Who's 61? He's a dude." That player is Jalen Redmond, who has quite the story heading into his second season with the Vikings. He was playing in the UFL in the spring of 2024 with the Arlington Renegades. He was a signing the Vikings made on June 18th, 2024, which came after mandatory minicamp. Redmond was the 90th player on the roster and excelled throughout training camp to earn a roster spot. That ability is showing up once again. Jalen Redmond is taking another step forward The signing of Redmond was a massive win for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his scouting staff, especially Ryan Grigson, who was given a lot of credit for finding him. "I remember he [Grigson] called me and said, 'I like this guy.' I think it was late May," Adofo-Mensah explained. "You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available, but ultimately here's why he might be a good bet. "And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out to me. That's the other thing, when you've been together for two or three years, and my history with Grigson before, he knows how to communicate with me, makes a cut-up, knows exactly what we look for." You can see the power and explosiveness in Redmond's game. He rarely gets washed out by the offensive line, and often penetrates the backfield with his ability. Where things have gotten really interesting with Redmons is seeing how good he can be from a short and long-term perspective. Last season, Redmond played in 13 games and flashed in a major way. While he went undrafted out of Oklahoma, it wasn't so much due to talent, but a health issue that kept him from being selected. He certainly looks like a player who should have been selected. Over the course of the season, Redmond got one sack and 6.0 tackles for loss to pair with 18 tackles. His ability to be a penetrating force on the line earned him a starting role at the end of the season, with two starts in his first year with the Vikings. Going into year two, Redmond shouldn't be overlooked. He won't be a starter with the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but it shouldn't be much of a surprise if he approaches 500 snaps as a rotational player. His teammates believe he's a stud, something that Jonathan Greenard emphasized last week. "Redmond is a dog," said Greenard after Redmond's great practice on Thursday. "Jalen's been a dog since last year in training camp. I knew he was a dog when he got thrown out of practices last year. So I was like, listen, from that day forward, he got thrown out, he came back in just completely, just dominating. And at that point even to see it during the season and see him continuously build. Now I'm like, man, everybody knows, but when you see, obviously, you bring in two guys like JA [Jonathan Allen] and Grave [Javon Hargrave], you kind of think that he gets put in the wayside, making the same place he was last year, if not more. And that just helps us out to know that it's not gonna drop off whenever those guys get a breather or something like that. If I'm coaching, I'm putting him in." Don't sleep on Redmond going into this season, as he's only getting better.
Saints' QB picture remains unclear with end of preseason nearing
New Orleans Saints rookie head coach Kellen Moore still doesn't seem to love his quarterback options heading into the season. After a 17-17 home tie against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Moore refused to name a starting QB in his postgame news conference. "We'll see," the coach said when asked if he would announce a starter this week. Perhaps Moore wants to use the preseason finale against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 23 to make the best decision for the team, or he still has doubts about both of his QBs. Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough started Sunday, while Spencer Rattler was the backup. The 2025 second-round pick out of Louisville wasn't awful, but he wasn't outstanding. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 66 yards and was sacked twice. When Shough exited after the second quarter, the Saints trailed 17-3 and had punted three times. New Orleans could've been losing by more if Jaguars starting QB Trevor Lawrence hadn't fumbled a handoff in the red zone on the game's opening drive. Rattler entered the game in the third quarter and played better. The South Carolina product spurred a 14-point comeback and led a nine-play, 82-yard drive late in the fourth quarter. At the end of the drive, Rattler tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dante Pettis. The QB then scrambled for a two-point conversion, tying the game at 17-17. Rattler finished 18-of-24 passing for 199 yards, one TD and one interception. While the comeback was impressive, he probably can't pull off the same magic against a first-team defense in the regular season. Plus, the Saints had struggled to score in the red zone until the final drive—two of Rattler's five drives ended in field goals. The offense looks slightly better with Rattler, which could give him an edge in the competition. However, he has yet to prove he's a viable starter. The 2024 fifth-rounder had a 0-6 starting record during his rookie season. It's easy to see why Moore is delaying his decision. His options don't seem to give him a chance for immediate success in New Orleans.
Chicago Bears WR Luther Burden makes massive statement in unexpected way vs. Bills
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver is still battling for reps with the starting offense. Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus has a strong hold on the WR3 gig, and if Burden wants to catch him, he'll need to impress coaches with more than just his playmaking ability. And boy did he do exactly that during Sunday night's Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Burden, whose passion for the finer details of football was questioned during the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, did the grunt work that not every receiver is fond of: he got his nose dirty in the run game. Check out this incredible block that cleared the way for an Ian Wheeler touchdown run. Believe it or not, that was Burden's second edge-destroying block that resulted in a Bears' score. Here was the first: Of course, the Bears spent the No. 39 overall pick on Luther Burden primarily because of his playmaking skill set. And he put that on display against the Bills' defense, too. Burden totaled three catches for 49 yards in the first half. He looked every bit the part of game-changing wide receiver. Even in the run game.
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