Kelly Hrudey's contract was not renewed by Sportsnet for 2026-27 and it leaves two vacancies both at the national and regional level.
Hrudey announced on his social media on August 5th that he was advised on June 19th that his contract with Sportsnet was not being renewed for the 2026-27 season, ending his 12-year tenure with the network.
The former NHL goaltender and analyst became a broadcaster in 1998 and was a mainstay of Canadian hockey broadcasts for nearly 30 years between CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and Sportsnet.
Hrudey leaves Sportsnet without a clear goaltending voice on their panel
But in losing Hrudey, the network lost a distinctive voice who was able to give fans, his fellow panelists and any viewers a breakdown of positioning and in-game adjustments and his near three decades allowed him to adapt that wisdom to the modern game.
It's going to be hard to find a replacement for his analysis, though one person that comes to mind could be former Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk.
An analyst post-retirement much like Hrudey, Dubnyk provides a more modern voice who is well respected around the league, and has appeared on several programs including NHL Tonight though this is purely speculation and no indication the network has Dubnyk as a candidate to replace Hrudey.
If Sportsnet decides to replace Hrudey and goes with a quieter or more reserved - yet analytical mind, then they still value the intelligence and wisdom that Hrudey brought. Though if they decide to either keep his position vacant or add a more entertaining voice that focuses on headlines not analysis - then it's a shift towards a new style of hockey analysis on the network.
Calgary regional broadcasts add another hole that Sportsnet needs to fill
But beyond just being a panelist, Hrudey was instrumental in presenting Calgary Flames broadcasts as a colour commentator alongside Jon Abbott and Brendan Parker and his analysis combined with the deep knowledge of the team and the organization as a whole made the inner workings a bit more accessible to fans.
The Flames have had several voices either leave the network or pass away in recent years with Greg Millen who passed away in April 2025 (who often filled in for Hrudey on broadcasts) and Sportsnet broadcaster John Garrett - who mainly worked with the Canucks but did appear during several Flames broadcasts.
Sportsnet hasn't indicated publicly if they are going to replace Hrudey's role on the Flames broadcast and they may need to look for multiple options to replace him not only in the studio but also someone who can regularly handle regional broadcasts - one person may not be able to do both.
Hrudey's departure leaves Sportnet with two decisions: how to replace his goaltending perspective on a national level, and find a replacement beside Abbott and their 2026-27 lineup will determine whether it's still a one-man job or not.
Will Sportsnet replace Kelly Hrudey?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Kelly Hrudey's departure closes another chapter of Hockey Night in Canada