PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras was the first preseason victim of the NHL's version of the tuck rule.
Zegras was given a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game in the Flyers' 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night for “improperly wearing equipment.”
Zegras' fashion faux pas was having his jersey tucked into the back of his pants.
The NHL is cracking down this season on how players wear equipment, including jerseys, neck guards, visors and helmets.
Jerseys are required to be untucked at the start of a player’s shift and a warning is expected to be given before a penalty is assessed.
“My jersey was tucked in before the shift,” Zegras said. “So after a warning, they said that's an automatic penalty. I started the game obviously with it tucked because that's how I usually play.”
According to the NHL website scoutingtherefs.com, the last tucked jersey penalties on record came in 2013.
Zegras signed a four-year extension with the Flyers in the offseason with an average annual value of $9.125 million. Zegras had a career-high 26 goals and 67 points last season, the second most on the team. He added two goals and four assists in the playoffs.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Will Cuylle #50 of the New York Rangers scores during the shootout in the National Hockey League Preseason game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on September 24, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Regulation
The New Jersey Devils struck first when Vladislav Kolyachonok drew a penalty a little under nine minutes into the game, bringing the power play out. The Devils set up on the right side with Lenni Hameenaho working the wall, and he set up Seamus Casey for a point shot that was deflected over Joonas Korpisalo by Stefan Noesen for the first goal of the game! Noesen, who has been fighting for a roster spot, got off to a good start in making his case tonight.
In the second period, Amadeus Lombardi was checked in open ice by Marc Del Gaizo, and Marc McLaughlin came to Lombardi’s immediate defense. On the replay, it looked like Del Gaizo mostly got Lombardi’s head with the elbow, but the Devils naturally got the extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for McLaughlin’s instigation. The Devils killed the penalty, and Colin White had a great shorthanded chance early in the penalty kill that helped set the tone for the two minutes. Not too long after the penalty expired, Ben Steeves drew a tripping call, sending Cole Beaudoin to the box and the Rangers to another kill of their own. The Devils did not do as well here as their first opportunity.
A few minutes after Seamus Casey hurt himself throwing what looked to be a poor hip check attempt at the blueline, Ethan Edwards expanded the Devils lead with an outstanding one-timer from the faceoff circle! Putting the team up two, Edwards read the cycle very well and skated low for the pass from Matyas Melovsky, wiring the puck off the iron and into the net.
A little over three minutes into the third, the Rangers finally got on the board. Gabriel Perreault went to whip a pass around through the slot, but the puck bounced off Matthew Robertson’s skate, Will Cuylle’s hip, and past Nico Daws. The first goal against was a fluke play, but the second was tough. The Devils were down on a delayed penalty that they somehow didn’t touch up, maybe, and Daws was beat at the side of the net with the extra man on when he dove over the puck, allowing Anton Blidh to tap it in.
At the halfway point of the period, the Devils ran themselves into trouble with lazy cycling. When Topias Vilen was taken into the boards int he offensive zone, Colin White was left alone with Matt Rempe in Nico Daws’s crease, and Vladislav Kolyachonok came rushing down to prevent a pass across to Will Cuylle, deflecting the puck into the net and giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Scott Morrow got the credit for the goal.
With just over three minutes to play, Stefan Noesen backhanded the puck from the end boards to Jesper Boqvist at the side of the net, and Boqvist rang the puck off Korpisalo’s shoulder and the crossbar. After the Rangers iced the puck, the Devils pulled Nico Daws. The Boqvist-Lombardi-Noesen line stayed out quite awhile with Hameenaho, with Noesen continuing to make good plays on the wall to keep possession. The puck eventually got out to Amadeus Lombardi, who caught the Rangers tired and lapsing. As he was being hooked and slashed, Lombardi took the puck around and beat Korpisalo five hole, tying the game with 1:44 to play!
Overtime/Shootout
The Devils started overtime with Lombardi with Matyas Melovsky and Vladislav Kolyachonok, facing off against Noah Laba, Gabriel Perreault, and Scott Morrow. The Devils took possession off the draw, and Lombardi skated up ice into the Rangers’ defensive zone before retreating for a second attempt. On the second, Lombardi turned from his backhand and took a weak shot on goal, giving the Rangers possession. Laba drew a slash by Lombardi at the other end, hitting the hands as Daws saved an easy shot from Laba. The Rangers kept their original three with Cuylle on the ice, while the Devils killed with McLaughlin, Edwards, and Silaev. After the first minute was killed, Ethan Edwards found Noesen with a long pass for a one-on-one. Noesen turned wide on the chance to kill time behind the Rangers’ net rather than take a shot, eventually losing possession to a third Ranger. The Devils killed the penalty.
At four-on-four, Ben Steeves set Lombardi up for what would have been a two-on-one tap-in, but the pass was just a bit too hard for Lombardi to redirect into the net, and play went back to three-on-three for the final 38 seconds before the game went to a shootout.
Lenni Hameenaho shot first. Hameenaho went wide and slow, but could not pick the five-hole.
Gabriel Perreault followed for New York. He approached with more pace, but Daws brought the right leg down over the slide shot.
Topias Vilen somewhat bizarrely went second for New Jersey and was stuffed on the lower pad.
Will Cuylle went second for New York and rang a shot in off the bar.
With the Devils needing to score, Amadeus Lombardi got up. He went wide and slow, and was denied by a shoulder save.
Nico Daws allowed three goals on 23 shots tonight. In total, he faced 3.12 expected goals against. So, in strictly mathematical terms, Daws played a fine game despite a not-so-fine .870 save percentage. But we have to look at things a little more deeply than that: I was hoping that the Rangers playing more NHLers might mean he faced 25, 30, or even 35 shots, but the Devils really shut the Rangers down early. And once the Rangers did break through in the third period, these were the shots that beat Daws:
A pass across the middle of the slot that was deflected by a skate towards the net, where it deflected off another player’s leg and into the net
A tap-in after the Devils’ defense broke down against an extra attacker — Daws could have had this, but he dove over the puck when Glenn Gawdin had the puck at the side of the net, leaving the puck in the crease for Blidh to score.
An own-goal by Vladislav Kolyachonok when Scott Morrow used a largely uncontested screen in Matt Rempe (“covered” by Colin White) to slide a pass across to Will Cuylle. The pass did not make it through, and it’s hard to tell whether Cuylle even could have scored on it had Kolyachonok not done it for him.
I remain disappointed that the Rangers did not dress many NHLers tonight, because I wanted Daws to be tested and not beaten by AHL-level team breakdowns.
Noesen, Lombardi, and Boqvist
I think that all of Stefan Noesen, Amadeus Lombardi, and Jesper Boqvist showed again tonight that they belong in the NHL. This makes the above point really annoying to me, as one of them could still be waived if David Rittich makes the opening night roster. Noesen scored a power play goal. Lombardi scored the game-tying goal. Boqvist was very active on the ice and continued to skate very well. But ultimately, from a polish standpoint, I still think that Stefan Noesen plays the best NHL hockey of those three. At the very least, he played the cleanest hockey. His passing decisions were good, his puck management decisions were good, and there were times the other two were a little more lacking. Lombardi had a bad shot and bad penalty in overtime, while Boqvist made a terrible pass to center ice from the offensive zone (during the four-on-four sequence) that almost led to a chance against in overtime. By comparison, I trust Noesen to play a responsible game while still sneakily creating chances below the goal line and getting out to the front of the net to deflect pucks past the goalie.
Noesen led the team with 0.52 individual expected goals, while Boqvist had 0.25 and Lombardi had 0.24. While Noesen does not have the best physical tools at his age, everyone could stand to learn a lot from how little waste there is in his game. He takes good, direct routes on the ice, still managing to get to pucks when he needs to. This is the Noesen way: move the puck up, get it below the net, and screen for point shots if the play by the net isn’t there. It’s a very efficient model of high-danger offense.
Casey’s Injury and Other Notables
Seamus Casey is hurt again. He has only played 75 games over his first two professional seasons, but he threw a bad check attempt at the blueline and hurt himself tonight. Given the early reports from Sheldon Keefe, it is not looking good for him.
Brutal injury for Seamus Casey. Definitely an awkward collision.
I admittedly find myself frustrated here. I believed a couple years ago that Casey could be a big part of the Devils’ future, but he simply gets hurt too easily. I struggle to fathom how anyone could have promoted, say, moving on from Dougie Hamilton over the last several months because the Devils have Casey. It sucks: he looks good on the ice, but he just cannot stay on it. Maybe defense just wasn’t the right position for him if he can’t hit on a zone entry without getting hurt. And I’ll say again: it sucks. You could really see how much worse the team played after he left the game.
Since Casey can now no longer make the opening night roster, it frees up the seventh defensive position. After tonight’s game, I would give the edge to Ethan Edwards. Edwards was all over the ice tonight, and probably underutilized in overtime if I were to be honest. I have no clue how Kolyachonok, who has been more limited with the puck, got out there first. Anton Silaev would be my close second. His skating ability is unreal for a guy his size, but I still would not play him in the NHL unless I was certain he was getting top four minutes. I have less of a problem with sitting Edwards for a game or three between some third-pairing opportunities.
Matyas Melovsky was also outstanding for the Devils tonight. When compared to the other AHL centers in this game in Colin White and Marc McLaughlin, Melovsky is head and shoulders above the competition. If the Devils ever need a center call-up this year, Melovsky has to be the guy over the other two. White has his moments, but I still struggle to see what McLaughlin offers other than replaceable penalty killing. Melovsky can actually create with the puck and do so consistently while making good decisions in all three zones. I don’t see a path for him right now, and I’ve never been disappointed by him before, but this was another good mark for him.
Your Thoughts
What did you think of tonight’s game? Do you think some of these guys will get back out there for the final preseason game on the Island? What do you think of the roster decisions? What do you think of Casey’s injury? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
In their first action of the preseason, several key Philadelphia Flyers got their reps in against an undermanned Boston Bruins team, gutting out a 2-0 shutout win.
Stars like Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov made their preseason debuts, as did workhorses Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen. Michkov was the star of the show on Thursday night, scoring his first goal of the preseason and generally looking like a potential star-caliber player while paired with Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak.
Zegras won 6 of 17 faceoffs (35.3%) but otherwise looked his usual self, setting up teammates, latching onto and making creative passes, and adding underrated defensive value with tidy stick work.
Zegras, however, did get tagged for an unusual penalty midway through the second period, and it almost got the Flyers in trouble, especially after Jett Luchanko took a penalty of his own to put the Flyers down on a 5-on-3.
Something you don't see every day: an improper wearing of equipment penalty, which Zegras admitted after the game he was initially warned about his tucked jersey before ultimately getting whistled for the penalty for a second infraction.
"They told us, in all fairness, two, three weeks ago. I didn't even think about it," head coach Rick Tocchet said of the penalty. "Then he came over and explained 'Hey, Trevor's got a warning.' I don't know what Trevor did with it. . . he obviously can't do it anymore. He's gotta put a tie down, because regular season starts, we can't have a penalty like that for a tucked jersey."
No harm, no foul, of course, as the Flyers held down the fort in the second period despite the Bruins out-shooting them 14-7.
Early in the third period, surging prospect Cole Knuble doubled the Flyers' lead to 2-0, crashing the crease and poking home a loose puck.
The play all started with Jett Luchanko, who received a pass from Jacob Gaucher and powered his way to the net despite heavy objection from a Bruins defender. Knuble did the rest, and Luchanko earned his third assist in as many preseason games.
"Yeah, I think we've played now, probably four games together, preseason, rookie camp, so building some chemistry there," Knuble said of his budding partnership with Luchanko. "He's fun to play with. He's so fast, creates turnovers. Just an easy guy to play with."
New Flyers goalie Joseph Woll, who is filling in for an injured Dan Vladar, stopped all 28 shots he faced from the Bruins to earn the shutout
"He looks big in net. I mean, he made some really good saves. There was some, especially in the second, they had a couple power plays. We were down to five 'D', and they were coming on," Tocchet remarked. "And then he made some really good saves. Solid, really solid goalie."
Defenseman Simon Benoit dropped the gloves with Bruins winger Brian Halonen and handily won the fight with a takedown.
Flyers notes
Nikita Grebenkin played 12:40 in his first game for the Flyers since March. "It's nice to get him that game so he can kind of feel it out there," Tocchet said of Grebenkin.
Grebenkin played on a line with captain Sean Couturier and newcomer Noel Acciari, a potential preview of the Flyers' fourth line for opening night.
Defenseman Helge Grans was forced to exit due to a lower-body injury after just 1:29 of ice time, forcing the Flyers to play the rest of the game with five defensemen. Grans picked up the secondary assist on Michkov's opening goal.
The Flyers will play their last preseason game on Saturday, hosting the Washington Capitals at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 5 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Detroit Red Wings center Marco Kasper (92) skates with the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Finn Harding (50) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pens made some more cuts on Thursday, sending down 12 players and formalizing the movement of goalie Taylor Gauthier to AHL Wilkes-Barre after he cleared waivers.
The Penguins have assigned the following players to the @WBSPenguins (AHL): F – Brayden Edwards F – Max Graham F – Jack Horbach F – Hugh McGing F – Mark Senden F – Tiernan Shoudy F – Daniel Russell D – Finn Harding D – Daniel Laatsch G – Taylor Gauthier Forward Melvin Fernstrom…
WBS has a preseason game on Friday and they needed some more players to help fill out the team, no real surprises in the mix. All the big decisions are still to be made for players even close to the bubble.
Following Thursday’s 4-0 loss to Columbus, the Pens have one more preseason game on Saturday in Buffalo. The regular season begins for them on Wednesday in Philadelphia. By then they’ll be down to 23 healthy players and still have well over a dozen more players to trim away from the NHL camp to get there.
COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 24: Charlie Coyle #3 of the Columbus Blue Jackets shoots the puck against Ryan Graves #27 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of the preseason game at Nationwide Arena on September 24, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you’re like me, the geo restrictions on the stream from Columbus wasn’t co-operating, but all things considered this wasn’t a bad game to miss out on. Therefore, I don’t have a lot of impressions to make out of the Penguins’ 4-0 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Pittsburgh brought a bare bones roster, saving most of their 100+ game veterans for the exhibition finale on Saturday. Tonight’s top line could make up most/all the fourth line come the regular season, otherwise it was stocked with a lot of players who will be headed off the NHL roster in the coming days, besides goalie Sergei Murashov.
Overall, NHL.com has the shots of this snore-fest at 16-15 for the whole game. That might not be good for a Columbus team that took advantage of their home game and loaded up with many an NHL regular.
Pittsburgh generated just two shots in the first period and barely got much going after that. Each team only took one penalty a piece the whole game, matching minors for Avery Hayes and a Blue Jacket for roughing.
Even the highlights left something to be desired, like this ice level view where you can’t really tell what happens but a long-range Zach Werenski wrister eluded Murashov with traffic in front for a goal in the first period that would stand up as the eventual game-winner.
Columbus would tack on an empty netter late to close out the scoring.
Murashov ends up with 13 saves on 16 shots, but considering what he had to work with on his team and about all of CBJ’s good players in there, not too much can be gleamed from the evening. Phil Bourque on the radio had complimentary things to say about Murashov’s performance so we’ll pass that along. He didn’t let in anything outrageous judging from the highlights, though fighting through traffic and finding a way to stop the puck on the first goal is going to be a challenge for him – like any NHL goalie.
Some statlines for players on the bubble or in interesting spots:
Rutger McGroarty: -2, 3 shots on goal (4 total attempts), 1 giveaway and blocked shot
Tristan Broz: -2, 2 shots on goal 2 hits, 3 giveaways, 1-for-6 in the faceoff circle
Ville Koivunen: -2, 1 shot on goal (2 total attempts), 2 giveaways and 2 blocked shots
Avery Hayes: -1, 2 PIMs, 1 shot on goal (4 total attempts), 2 hits
Murashov was charged with 4 giveaways
Some good news, if there is any, is the line of Filip Hallander, Conor Dewar and Elmer Soderblom were not on for a goal against (neither was the Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke pair). Dewar did only win four of his 11 faceoffs, which could loom large with the team likely needing him to start the regular season as a center after preseason injuries to Blake Lizotte and Ben Kindel.
Overall, not much to work with or analyze, which might be for the best considering the circumstances. The Pens brought a B-level team and got a B-level output of basically nothing. That’s about all we got for this one, Pittsburgh will gladly move onto the next day, where they will practice tomorrow at noon before getting ready for that last tune-up game this weekend.
Thursday night's NHL preseason game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins was moving along like any old game, until Trevor Zegras was whistled for a bizarre penalty you don't see called every day.
Just about halfway through the second period of their game against the Bruins, the Flyers were called for their first individual penalty; their first of the night was a too many men penalty served by Matvei Michkov, who also scored the game's first goal.
Zegras was penalized by the referees for "improper wearing of equipment" and in real time, nobody seemed to know what exactly happened or why.
But, as we came to find, Zegras had his jersey tucked, and the NHL and its referees will apparently be cracking down on that this season.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman via his X account, the "league has indicated it will warn players if equipment -- neck guards, visors, helmets (during warmup) -- is not being properly worn.
Jerseys are supposed to be untucked at the beginning of a player's shift. (If it rides up during a shift, no issue.)"
Friedman added, "Procedure is a warning, followed by a two-minute penalty. So, Zegras must have been warned earlier in the game. Next violation is supposed to be a misconduct."
If Zegras and the Flyers were, in fact, warned ahead of time, it was rather innocuous and went unnoticed. Both Zegras and Travis Konecny both plead the Flyers' case to the referees, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.
Ultimately, the Flyers survived the strange Zegras penalty, which was compounded by a Jett Luchanko hooking penalty that put the Flyers on a 5-on-3 penalty kill not long after.
As is seemingly tradition, the Flyers appear to be the first team to be an example for the rule the NHL is trying to enforce, and it certainly caught everyone off guard.
Good news, Knicks fans. Jalen Brunson is good to go for the start of the regular season.
The Knicks guard told attendees at a live edition of his and teammate Josh Hart's Roommates Show, that he is healthy and ready for the regular season.
"As you guys know, I had surgery this offseason," Brunson told the crowd. "And I just wanted to tell you guys that I am fully cleared."
Brunson underwent surgery back in July after playing through a good portion of the playoffs with it. At the time, SNY's Ian Begley reported that the rehab/recovery process would take about two months.
Brunson revealed this summer -- not long after undergoing surgery -- that he suffered the injury late in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He scored 19 points in 40 minutes in the Knicks' 109-93 win to take a 2-0 series lead -- a series they wound up sweeping.
The Knicks' unofficial captain would go through the rest of the postseason with his injured wrist en route to leading New York to its first NBA Championship in 53 years. He averaged 28 points and six assists in the postseason. His 45 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals helped the Knicks clinch the title and earned him NBA Finals MVP.
A fully healthy Brunson will now look to go back-to-back when the season starts Oct. 5 on the road against the 76ers.
Jalen Brunson shared at The Roommates Show he’s fully cleared after his offseason wrist surgery pic.twitter.com/j4SxLycexl
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres hits a home run during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last night’s game might not have seemed as important as it was. The San Diego Padres dropped their series opener on Tuesday night versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their magic number remained at two to clinch a playoff spot with five games left to play. Three of those games come against the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, it still felt all but certain that the Padres would clinch. Tuesday night gave a bit of fear that San Diego would regress.
Instead, they turned in a fantastic performance on Wednesday night, besting the rival Dodgers and forcing the rubber match in today’s finale. The offense performed well, scoring five runs. But it was the pitching staff that truly outdid themselves. The Friars’ pitchers surrendered just one run despite allowing plenty of traffic. Notably, David Morgan worked out a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning. San Diego will need more of that if they want to get anywhere in October.
Taking the mound
Tyler Glasnow (LAD) v. Nick Pivetta (SD)
Similar to Pivetta, Glasnow has spent the majority of his time on the injured list this season. However, Glasnow owns a 4.50 ERA since coming off of the IL. He pitched well in August (3.00 ERA), but his last three starts have been tough. The righty has given up four runs in two of his last three appearances.
Glasnow hasn’t faced the Friars yet this season, but he’s pitched well against them in the past. Of the hitters with 10-plus at-bats against the right-hander, none are batting above league average (.244). San Diego will need to reverse that narrative in order to win the series finale over the rival Dodgers.
Pivetta has surged since returning from the IL earlier this month. In three starts this month, the veteran right-hander owns a 1.93 ERA through 14 innings pitched. His ERA on the season has now dropped to 3.30 (30.0 IP). In those last three starts, Pivetta has surrendered a total of three runs on 11 hits and one walk.
He’s looked dominant since his return, which has been huge for the Padres. Pivetta’s strikeout numbers were initially down, with just two in his first five innings. But they’ve since bumped up (11 K’s across 14 innings). He is San Diego’s most volatile starter since his arm is relatively untested this season. It’s very possible that he crashes and burns soon, though he could continue to go on the run he’s been on.
Batter up!
Manny Machado slugged the 398th home run of his career to open the scoring on Wednesday night. He’s one away from his first 30-homer season since 2023 and could easily do so in the final four games of the year. Regardless, if he can start to get hot (especially with the coming playoffs) it would be a huge turn of fortune for San Diego.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Dustin Harris, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Ty France, 1B
Jackson Merrill, CF
Luis Campusano, C
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Ethan Salas, DH
Despite the Dodgers outhitting the Padres last night, San Diego made better use of their opportunities. You’d think that wouldn’t be the case with the Friars going 1-for-10 with RISP, but they still scored when it mattered. Most importantly, the Padres capitalized on Los Angeles’ mistakes. They played some great baseball, and they’ll need to continue that.
Relief corps
Starter Robbie Ray worked a grueling 3 1/3 innings before Morgan finished out the fourth inning. He surrendered just one run, but needed a whopping 84 pitches to complete the outing. After that, the ‘pen slammed the door. Yuki Matsui, Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller covered five scoreless innings. They allowed a combined total of three hits and walked two, striking out five batters.
The bullpen will be somewhat depleted today because of that. However, Jason Adam’s return bolsters the club quite a bit. To make room for Adam, Griffin Canning was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. That means the Friars will have Adam, Kyle Hart, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vásquez available. Should Pivetta stumble, the latter trio will be out in full force.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' general manager and president of basketball operations, addresses the media with coach JJ Redick. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The news conference Thursday began with Lakers president of operations Rob Pelinka saying he wanted to “express gratitude” to LeBron James for the eight years he spent playing for Los Angeles before departing to Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer.
It didn’t take long for Pelinka to pivot into Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and how they are now the leaders of the Lakers with James gone.
James informed the Lakers on June 30 that he had plans to play elsewhere, and thus began a new chapter for the Lakers. James, who signed with the 76ers, won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. He led the Lakers to the Western Conference second round of the 2026 playoffs.
Over the course of his 23-year NBA career, James’ longest tenure had been with the Lakers.
And for that, Pelinka was thankful.
“I think before we get into the questions, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve last seen you guys. I thought it would be appropriate at the front to express gratitude for the LeBron era here,” Pelinka said. “Clearly, new team and new players, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. But we as an organization are still grateful for the run that we had with him here. The Lakers have become — as they should — a perennial playoff team — won a championship, went to the Western Conference finals. It was a great era, and we’re grateful for it. I think it’s important to say that at the onset as we turn into a new chapter.”
Pelinka said he collaborated with Lakers coach JJ Redick to build a team around Doncic, using a three-pronged approach.
They wanted to re-sign Reaves, which the Lakers did at four years and $180 million, the largest contract ever for an undrafted player in NBA history.
They wanted to acquire a top-notch center, which the Lakers did by getting Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade deal. The Lakers sent two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Jazz for Kessler and then signed him to a four-year, $130-million contract.
They wanted to add quality depth, which the Lakers did by getting Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney.
Pelinka said this was the “thesis” on how they wanted to build the Lakers for the 2026-27 season.
“And there were three fundamental pillars of what we wanted to accomplish in the offseason: We wanted to retain Austin Reaves. That was a really big thing for us,” Pelinka said. “We wanted to find a way to acquire a franchise center and then we wanted to develop a roster of JJ Redick dribble-pass-shoot players that were younger and add depth to our roster. That was sort of our three-prong thesis basketball-wise for the offseason, and we felt like we accomplished all those things.
“Re-signing Austin, putting together a trade to acquire Walker Kessler, and then building out our team with young players that could dribble-pass-shoot, and have brought the average age of our roster to around 26 or 27, which lines up so perfectly with building a team around Luka Doncic. That’s what we’re here to talk about today, is our offseason and the excitement heading into this year.”
Lakers top executive Rob Pelinka, with reporters in the foreground, addresses the media at the team's training facility in El Segundo on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Pelinka, who held the news conference with Redick by his side, was asked about the new Lakers ownership group of Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, who purchased the franchise for a record $12.5 billion from Dodgers owner and Guggenheim Partners’ Mark Walter, who owned the Lakers for about a year. The deal hasn’t been finalized but is expected to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors.
“We have had introductory meetings with Bob and Josh, and those have been excellent,” Pelinka said. “With a pending transaction, we’re not at liberty to talk more about that under league rules. But we’ve had preliminary discussions with them that have been really, really positive. In terms of day-to-day, nothing’s changed. We’re operating with Lakers excellence.”
The biggest change is James not being with the Lakers.
After the Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in May, James expressed interest in re-signing with the team.
Pelinka even said the Lakers wanted James to retire with the franchise.
But that didn’t happen.
“Again, we’re grateful for the LeBron era,” Pelinka said. “I think the communications with him this offseason were held diplomatically, professionally and honestly. I’m so thankful for the partnership that we had that continued up until this summer when a decision was made for him to play for another team. It was done amicably, professionally, gracefully. We looked at the whole thing with gratitude, because it’s been an incredible era for us here.”
Bob Pettit was named an All-Star in all 11 of his NBA seasons [Getty Images]
Bob Pettit, the first man to receive the NBA's MVP (most valuable player) award, has died aged 93.
Pettit won the award twice, in its first year in 1955-56 and again in 1958-59, when he topped the scoring charts in both seasons.
The Basketball Hall of Fame confirmed Pettit's death, describing him as "a true giant of the game".
He was also named an NBA All-Star in all 11 of his seasons and was the first player to reach 20,000 points.
Having starred for Louisiana State University (LSU), Pettit was signed by Milwaukee Hawks in the draft in 1954.
The team then moved to St Louis, and Pettit stayed with them for the rest of his career which included winning the NBA title in 1958 with victory over the Boston Celtics.
He reached two more finals with the Hawks in 1960 and 1961, and retired in 1965 with a career average of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game.
Pettit was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971 and had his number 50 jersey retired at LSU in 1954. He was the first of their athletes to ever receive the honor.
LSU paid tribute to Pettit on their website, saying: "Pettit defined what the modern power forward should be in the NBA and set standards that have been hard to duplicate in professional basketball."
No cause of death was given.
Pettit helped the Hawks' secure an NBA title by scoring 50 points in a final in 1958 [Getty Images]He was the first LSU athlete to have a jersey number retired [Getty Images]
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s going to be some nasty weather in New York this weekend, and the Yankees have done their best to try and get ahead of it. Saturday’s showdown with the Orioles will instead be played on Friday, in a traditional single-admission doubleheader.
Game one will kick off at 4:05pm Eastern time, with the highly-anticipated twin promotion of Josh Hart’s bobblehead night and CC Sabathia’s No. 52 being retired pregame. After that first game concludes, game two will kick off about 30 minutes afterward.
Saturday's Yankees-Orioles game (Saturday, September 26) has been rescheduled due to the forecast of sustained inclement weather and will be made up tomorrow, Friday, September 25, as the first game of a single-admission doubleheader, which will begin at 4:05 p.m.
There’s no word yet on what the team plans to do for Sunday’s game, although MLB has in the past cancelled games 162 when it’s clear there will be no material impact on the standings. The Orioles currently sit just a game up on the Blue Jays though, so while both are eliminated, the league may try and fit that contest around possible inclement weather since their exact order does at least affect the draft lottery. The Yankees themselves have little to play for with the No. 4 seed locked up in the AL and a home playoff game Tuesday night.
Ticketholders are reminded that only tickets for the original September 25th game will be valid for tomorrow. Ticketholders for September 26th will likely only be able to exchange for 2027 tickets, so let’s make sure that CBA stuff gets cleared up!
As the regular season winds down and the Yankees begin to plan for the postseason, the team's roster lacks some major players. To name a few, Fernando Cruz has been on the injured list (IL) since late August, Clarke Schmidt was diagnosed with right bicep neuritis before Thursday night's matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, and captain Aaron Judge is battling a right calf strain, which he said he hopes to beat by the beginning of the Wild Card round Monday.
But ahead of the game Thursday, manager Aaron Boone gave a cautiously optimistic update about two of New York's injured members: Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton.
"I just talked to [Grisham], said he feels really good. [Giancarlo] was actually in the cage hitting when I was down there. They're going out to hit on the field right now," Boone said. "They're trending in a good way."
Grisham was placed on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6 after tweaking his hamstring, which was declared a Grade 2 strain, less than three months after injuring the same hamstring in mid-June. His first stint on the IL lasted nearly three weeks.
Prior to his injuries this season, the 29-year-old struggled both at the plate and in the field, slashing .211/.308/.395 and posting -7 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -6 outs above average (OAA), which were tied for second-worst and worst in the league, respectively, on Sept. 6. His lackluster season followed a career-best year in which he put up 34 home runs and a .812 OPS.
Stanton, on the other hand, has missed nearly the whole season. The slugger first injured his right calf April 24 running from first to second, then reinjured the same leg in June, extending his rehab process. Then, in late August, he faced another setback while running the bases, this time straining his other calf.
The five-time All-Star would offer a significant boost to New York's offense in the postseason, but when asked what kind of an impact either of the two players could have on the team's Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, Boone was hesitant to make anything official.
"We'll see. It's still days away, so I don't wanna put the cart before the horse," he said. "Let's just get through these next few days and see what we have."
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 30: Tyler Mahle #54 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park on August 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the home finale for the Atlanta Braves! Will Tyler Mahle make it another great start on the mound for the Braves? Will the home team send the home fans home happy for one last time before the Postseason gets under way? Let’s get into it, shall we? Also, join us on the app — especially if you’re a Falcons fan tuning in for the latest episode of football tomfoolery, as you’ll be able to switch between The Falcoholic and Battery Power pretty easily.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with teammates in the clubhouse after defeating the New York Yankees to clinch the American League East title at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 24: Kyle Karros #12 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with third base coach Andy González after hitting a home run in the sixth inning during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
What began as a blowout deficit ended in a close loss as the Colorado Rockies’ last chance at some “LoDo Magic” fell short in a 12-8 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies suffered the sweep while finishing 32-49 at Coors Field this season.
Attack of the Snakes
The first inning has been a disaster for the Rockies most of the season, but especially during their slide over the last few weeks. There was hope with Tanner Gordon on the mound, who has had strong numbers in the first inning and could buck the trend and start the team off with a solid chance in the final home game.
The Diamondbacks had other intentions.
Lars Nootbar started the game with a hot shot down the first-base line that TJ Rumfield managed to stop from going for extra bases. However, Gordon was late getting off the mound and it turned into an infield single. Gordon then walked Ketel Marte, followed by a three-run home run off the bat of Gabriel Moreno to make it 3-0.
Geraldo Perdomo then launched a ball to center field for a triple before coming in to score on a bloop single to left field by Pavin Smith for the fourth run of the inning. Nolan Arenado then followed with his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot to make it 6-0.
Gordon finally escaped the inning, but six runs in the first brought the total number of runs allowed in the opening frame of the series to 13. The Rockies have also allowed a run in the first in 12 of their last 17 games.
The Diamondbacks kept the foot on the gas in the second inning as Nootbar singled to lead off and scored on Marte’s RBI double. Perdomo later blooped a single into shallow center field to score another run, making it 8-0 after two innings.
After a scoreless third inning, Gordon’s day would come to an end early in the fourth inning. Perdomo led off the inning with a walk, the fourth of the game and a new career high for Gordon. Smith’s then delivered an RBI double. Gordon managed to strike out Arenado, but then surrendered a single to Corbin Carroll to end his afternoon, but was still tagged for the 10th Arizona run when James McCann singled to left field off reliever Jimmy Herget.
Gordon lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits with four walks and just one strikeout. The Diamondbacks were not fooled by his fastball, meaning he had to rely on his secondary pitches, which he struggled to command. When he did have to throw a fastball, Arizona made sure to square up the ball and do damage. Despite pounding the zone as usual, Gordon threw 96 pitches and induced three groundouts and five flyouts, but only had three swings and misses.
The Bullpen Fire Brigade
Having to take on another heavy workload, the bullpen did an admirable job settling down the Diamondbacks offense.
Herget picked up 2.2 innings of work and was solid enough despite giving up an RBI single to Arenado in the fifth inning and a McCann home run in the sixth inning to make it 12-1. He still managed four strikeouts against one walk while surrendering four hits, but his 49 pitches helped navigate to the later frames.
Nick Frasso and Juan Mejia then followed with scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, setting the tone after the Diamondbacks had started subbing out players. Jordan Romano then took over the ninth and, despite giving up a triple, fired a clean inning.
E-Rod Domination
While the Diamondback offense had a productive day at the plate against Gordon, the Rockies offense couldn’t quite figure out Eduardo Rodriguez. The veteran left-hander breezed his way through six innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. Utilizing four grounders and seven easy flyouts, Rodriguez threw 92 pitches and stayed in the zone consistently. He had a 63% first-pitch strike rate and 12 swings and misses. His changeup was particularly effective, generating a 21% whiff rate.
The Rockies scratched across their first run in the fourth inning against Rodriguez when Rumfield singled to lead off. Cole Carrigg and Kyle Karros both singled to then load the bases. Brett Sullivan then hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed the run to score, but put runners on the corners with one out. Unfortunately, the Rockies couldn’t scratch across any other runs. The next run wouldn’t come across until the sixth inning when Karros sent a belt-high fastball into left field for his 13th home run of the season, making it 12-2 Diamondbacks.
Once Rodriguez was out of the game, the Rockies had begun a line change of their own in the seventh inning, but started to find some success against the Arizona bullpen.
Facing Dennis Santana, Zac Veen led off with a double down the line. Two batters later, Hunter Goodman delivered a one-out RBI single after a lengthy at-bat to make it 12-3.
Rumfield followed with a walk, setting the table for Carrigg to hit a three-run home run. It was his 11th of the season and got the Rockies back within six runs.
Taylor Clarke then took over the Diamondbacks in the eighth inning and ran into more trouble from the Rockies offense. Veen kicked off another rally with a towering home run to right field for his third of the season to make it 12-7.
Adael Amador then barrelled up a baseball to right for a double. After Goodman recorded the second out on a line drive, Rumfield lined a double to right to drive in another run and make it 12-8. With that double, Rumfield also tied Troy Tulowitzki for most times reaching safely in a rookie season at 243. Karros then threatened with a long fly ball that was caught shortly before the wall in left field to end the inning.
Unfortunately, the rally magic ran out as Kevin Ginkel worked a clean ninth inning to put the Rockies away. In the game, the Rockies had 17 hits, while striking out eight times against one walk. Carrigg led the way with four hits while four other hitters had two hits. They went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position but left 10 on base.
Meanwhile, Arizona had 18 hits with seven strikeouts and five walks while going 6-for-15 with RISP. Oddly enough, they also left 10 men on base, but had three batters with three hits.
Up Next
The Rockies head off to the South Side of Chicago to take on the White Sox for the final three-game series of the season. Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) will face off against Sean Burke.
