Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice have been nominated for this year’s men’s Ballon d’Or while Alessia Russo and Alex Greenwood have been nominated for the women’s award.
The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 October. Ousmane Dembélé, who won the men’s award last year, has been nominated again, as has his France teammate Kylian Mbappé, who made history when he overtook Lionel Messi for all-time World Cup goals (22) at this summer’s tournament.
Courtney Lawes and Joe Marchant have been warned they must go “over and above” the performances of their rivals in the first five weeks of the new season to earn England recalls this autumn.
Lawes, 37, and the 30-year-old Marchant have both joined Sale this summer after spells in France and stated their ambition to resurrect their international careers, having last represented England at the 2023 World Cup.
Briton powers to victory in sprint finish on stage 16
Mas remains in red jersey as race enters final week
Matthew Brennan enhanced his status as the standout sprinter at the Vuelta a España by winning a fourth stage on his Grand Tour debut.
The 21-year-old British rider was delivered to the front of the bunch with 100 metres left by an ideal leadout from Wout van Aert, his star teammate at Visma-Lease a Bike who had already won two stages at this race.
When people talk about the greatness of the Montreal Canadiens’ history in net, they mention George Vezina, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Carey Price, and so many others. All too often, Rogatien Vachon doesn’t even enter the conversation, but the Pallamarole, Quebec, native was no slouch in the Habs net.
Born on September 8, 1945, just days after the end of the Second World War, Vachon joined the Canadiens in 1966-67 and would spend parts of six seasons with the club before requesting a trade. While wearing the Sainte-Flanelle, Vachon had a 108-58-31 record with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Those were amazing numbers, and he helped the Canadiens dominate the late ’60s; in three of his six seasons, the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
In the 1968-69 playoffs, he had a 7-1-0 record with 1.42 GAA and a .953 save percentage, but that wasn’t enough to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He had only played half the games, splitting goaltending duties with Gump Worsley, while defenseman Serge Savard put up 10 points in 14 games and earned the MVP title.
Why did the Canadiens let go of Vachon? Well, in short: because of Ken Dryden. It’s not that the Habs decided to trade Vachon; the player actually asked to be traded, as Dave Stubbs explained in a 2021 article. After Dryden drove the Habs to the Cup in 1971, playing all of the Canadiens’ 20 games, the goaltender knew he needed to move on.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on November 4, 1971, for Denis De Jordy, Dale Hoganson, Noel Price, Doug Robinson, and an option to swap 1975 first-round picks. While none of those players ended up having as great a career as Vachon, it’s hard to lament the trade since the Habs would go on to win another five Stanley Cups with Dryden in net, but it does make you wonder how Montreal would have fared if that had kept Vachon around. He played until the end of the 1981-82 season, while Dryden called it quits after just eight seasons, at the end of the 1978-79 campaign.
Connor Hellebuyck has made his trade request from the Winnipeg Jets public, with a statement on social media via his agent, Ray Petkau.
“Several months ago, I privately requested a trade,” Hellebuyck said in the statement. “I have tried to handle this situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options. With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request. My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family.”
Before the public statement, several insiders revealed that the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes had made offers to the Jets, but the Jets turned them down. Outside of the Sabres and Hurricanes, the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and the Florida Panthers are said to have, or had, interest in acquiring the three-time Vezina Trophy and one-time Hart Trophy winner.
Friedman said the Panthers were "hot" for Hellebuyck, but since the Brady Tkachuk trade, making a deal has become much harder.
"I think one of the teams that was really in this hot was Florida," said Friedman. "And I think one of the challenges is that part of Florida's package, not all of Florida's package, but part of it was what they traded to Ottawa to get Brady Tkachuk. So, does Florida have anything that still makes sense?"
There are several roadblocks the Panthers must overcome to land Hellebuyck. For starters, their trade assets are scarce. They have no first-round picks in any of the next three NHL drafts, own a thin prospect pool that doesn't feature any projected stars, and they don't have the cap space to fit Hellebuyck.
Although the Panthers would likely deal an NHL player back in a move for Hellebuyck, they would still be required to clear additional space to fit his $8.5 million AAV contract.
Then comes the issue with Jacob Markstrom. The Panthers made a deal with the Devils to bring back their 2008 first-round pick. Moving on from him before the season starts would be a poor use of assets, and they'd have to navigate his 20-team no-trade list.
While picturing Hellebuyck backstopping this Panthers team is fun, and it would make for one of the more dominant rosters in the NHL, it's likely impossible for the Panthers to acquire him.
It would be nothing short of a miracle if they did.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The 32-year-old forward announced his retirement from professional hockey on Instagram, with TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie also sharing the news.
For the Utah Mammoth, Dea’s retirement brings an end to a career that included a brief stop with the franchise when it was still the Arizona Coyotes.
Dea played four games for Arizona during the 2021-22 season, recording one assist. It was a small part of a career that took the Laval, Quebec, native through several NHL organizations and overseas before ultimately bringing him back home.
Dea began his professional career near the end of the 2013-14 season after three years with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. He signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as an undrafted free agent and spent much of the next five seasons with the club.
He became a consistent scorer in the AHL, putting up 72 goals and 163 points in 287 games. He also got his chance in the NHL, playing nine games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and scoring twice.
The 2018-19 season saw Dea move between Pittsburgh and the New Jersey Devils after being claimed off waivers by both teams. He scored three goals and five points in 20 games with New Jersey.
Following that season, Dea continued his journey around professional hockey, spending time in the organizations of the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Coyotes.
His best AHL season came in 2021-22 with the Laval Rocket. Playing for his hometown team, Dea scored 26 goals and finished with 52 points in 70 games.
After his time in North America, Dea took his career overseas. He spent several seasons with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL before finishing his career with Eisbären Berlin of the DEL.
Dea leaves professional hockey with 153 goals and 341 points in 517 AHL games. He also appeared in 37 NHL games, recording five goals and seven points.
His four games with the Coyotes may have been just a small chapter in his career, but they are now part of the history of the franchise that has become the Utah Mammoth.
After more than a decade spent chasing the game across North America and Europe, Dea is finally hanging up the skates.
The Detroit Red Wings have just over one week before they gather for Training Camp at Little Caesars Arena (Sept, 17).
As of Tuesday morning, the Red Wings still lack a general manager, so neither captain Dylan Larkin’s trade request has gained traction under a new executive nor has restricted free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson signed a new contract.
However, the latest on Edvinsson paints an optimistic picture for the time being. Per NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, the Swedish native plans to be with the Red Wings for Training Camp, which starts next Thursday.
"Hearing that RFA Simon Edvinsson intends to still be at Detroit’s training camp next week even if still unsigned. Patiently waiting for the Red Wings GM situation to iron itself out before resuming negotiations," LeBrun wrote on X.
Last month, Edvinsson's agent Peter Werner disclosed that they are "patiently waiting" for the next Red Wings general manager to be named before resuming negotiations, via the Swedish publication Expressen.
"We are waiting patiently for a new general manager, says Edvinsson's agent, Peter Werner, to Expressen."
Edvinsson was taken by the Red WIngs in the first round (sixth overall pick) in the 2021 NHL Draft. Through 179 career games, Edvinsson has recorded 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points and has averaged 21:09 of ice time per game while posting a plus-17 rating.
Edvinsson took another step forward last season, his second full campaign in the NHL. He found the back of the net a career-high nine times and ranked second among Detroit defensemen, behind only Moritz Seider in ice time.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 04: Tristen Nielsen #57 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in his rookie lap prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena on November 04, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It is an annual tradition here at Mile High Hockey to anticipate and predict which players could make their NHL debut while playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the coming season. The possibilities run the gamut from a young prospect to a minor league journeymen with a few surprises sprinkled in between. Either way, witnessing a dream come true is always fun and memorable. Now, we’ll look at how the predictions turned out from last season and look ahead to the 2026-27 candidates.
Tallying Last Year
After an unprecedented nine NHL debuts in the 2024-25 season, things calmed down to a more manageable three introductions, all forwards, to “The Show” in 2025-26. Two names were mentioned in our forecast, with the more significant being Taylor Makar who was one of the first recalls to the Avalanche and received 12 total NHL games. Russian import Zakhar Bardakov was also highly likely after signing out of the KHL and he indeed made the team out of camp to play 60 games in Colorado. One final surprise was the 25-year-old AHL veteran Tristen Nielsen who got in four games with the Avalanche as his first taste of NHL action.
The collective at Mile High Hockey deserves a pat on the back for correctly predicting the number of 2-to-3 Avalanche NHL debuts in our poll. Will we be so lucky again this season?
How many players do you predict will make their NHL debut this season with the Avalanche?
As always, there’s a wide variety of NHL debut candidates to consider for the upcoming season. Even with removing most of the speculative “youth movement” forward options including Gavin Brindley, Fabian Lysell, Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux and the aforementioned Taylor Makar as they each already have NHL experience.
Last year’s possibilities who have yet to come to fruition are currently the three at the top of our list. Defenseman Sean Behrens has been mentioned in these predictions for the last four years. Will he get a game with the Avalanche in the last year of his Entry Level Contract? Goaltender Ilya Nabokov has also been inching towards the crease in Colorado since he was drafted in 2024. Now he has a NHL contract in hand and is expected play in North America this season, it has to happen soon, right? Defenseman Alex Gagne almost made his debut after getting called up during the 2026 playoff run, therefore it shouldn’t be a stretch to expect him to get the call sometime this upcoming season.
The duo of college free agent forwards signed last spring also seem the most likely to get a look. TJ Hughes, who was just recently at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase doing press photos in Avalanche gear, is a near lock. Fellow recent signee Matthew DiMarsico should also be sitting at the top of the organization’s list. Both made their debuts for the Colorado Eagles in the spring and did well enough to earn some favor heading into the 2026-27 season.
There’s always a surprise we didn’t see coming. Be it either a AHL veteran who finally gets a reward with a game of NHL experience to his name, a college free agent entering the fold in the spring or an existing prospect who turns pro after his NCAA season. I’ll go out on a limb and predict this season’s surprise NHL debut is the newly signed goaltender Nikita Novosyolov. He’s pretty low on a strong depth chart in goal but things usually get crazy once a season in net and the Avalanche called up (now departed) depth goaltender Isak Posch quite a bit as insurance last season, therefore it’s not impossible .
How many NHL debuts do we expect this season for the #goavsgo?
The Super League leaders are ahead of the pack for the first time since March with the playoffs in view
September is upon us and the business end of the Super League season is here – but if you squinted your eyes on Saturday evening as Wigan Warriors waltzed their way towards another trophy, you would have been forgiven for thinking we were already in October watching the eventual champions in the grand final.
Matt Peet’s team have, for the most part during his five years in charge, made it their business to flex their muscles when it matters most. A ninth trophy within that period is now tantalisingly within reach, as victory against Catalans on Friday would confirm the League Leaders’ Shield and leg two of what could be a domestic treble in 2026.
He signed a seven-year contract at a $7.2-million annual salary cap hit, totalling $50.4 million over the course of the deal. This contract will kick in for the 2027-28 season, as Minten is entering the final year of his entry-level contract that he signed with the Leafs.
This contract will expire following the 2033-34 campaign, leading Minten to unrestricted free agency at age 29.
As it stands going for the 2027-28 season, Minten will be the fourth-highest-paid forward on the Bruins' payroll, only behind David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and JJ Peterka.
The 22-year-old was traded to Boston in 2024-25 at the trade deadline by former Toronto GM Brad Treliving. The Maple Leafs sent a 2025 fourth-round pick, a 2026 conditional first-round pick and Minten in return for defenseman Brandon Carlo.
As for Minten, selected 38th overall in the 2022 draft by Toronto, he played his first full NHL season last year with the Bruins. He featured in all 82 regular-season games, posting 17 goals and 35 points. He also registered a plus-21 rating and averaged 15:33 of ice time per game.
In total, the Vancouver native has appeared in 88 regular-season games and six playoff games for Boston, scoring 36 points - none in the post-season.
For the Maple Leafs, Minten crept into the NHL lineup a few times. In 2023-24, he got his first taste of the NHL with four games and no points to show for it. The next season, he earned 15 games with the Leafs, recording two goals and two assists for four points.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Ontario, CA, Monday, September 15, 2025 - A merchandise store is stocked with caps, jerseys, shirts and toys for the Ontario Tower Buzzers, a single A minor league affiliate of the LA Dodgers. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Images are embargoed until Thursday, September 18, 2025.
Dodgers minor league infielder Oswaldo Osorio hit .500 last week for the playoff-bound Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers, and for his efforts captured the final California League player of the week award of the 2026 season.
Osorio started at first base, third base, and designated hitter last week for Ontario, and in his five contests had nine hits in 18 at-bats with two doubles, two home runs, six runs batted in, six walks, and six runs scored against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He hit a whopping .500/.625/.944.
The 21-year-old Osorio consolidated his efforts into three three-hit games, and drove in a pair of runs in all three of those contests. He also walked twice on Wednesday and Saturday, setting career highs by reaching base five times.
Signed out of Venezuela in 2022, Osorio struggled mightily in his first go-around in Class-A in 2025, hitting .138/.318/.233 with a 69 wRC+ and 34.3-percent strikeout rate in 48 games and 201 plate appearances. This with with Ontario, Osorio hit .255/.363/.511 with 13 home runs and a 116 wRC+ in 55 games and 223 plate appearances, and cut his strikeout rate to 25.6 percent.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 07: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with teammates after defeating the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Monday, September 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Yankees were one of a handful of teams that didn’t play on Labor Day, but not many top American League contenders were in action. The Rays, White Sox, Astros, and Rangers all joined the Yanks in taking a breather on the offday. At least Aaron Judge is officially back! So call that a notable exception to the absence of action.
Here’s what the teams that were active were up to on Labor Day.
Boston Red Sox (80-65) 5, Los Angeles Angels (54-90) 2
I hope no one actually had any real expectations of the hapless Angels going into Fenway and doing much of anything. Brayan Bello needed 103 pitches to get through five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, but again, these are the Angels. They didn’t do much with their opportunities, and they were put in a 5-0 hole in a hurry anyway.
Erstwhile Orioles prospect Grayson Rodriguez was terrible, inflating his season ERA to 6.28 in 17 starts when both Jarren Duran and Adley Rutschman homered off him in the second. His old batterymate’s dinger high off the Pesky Pole was a three-run blast and proved to be a crushing blow.
The Angels’ only real chance late came when Moisés Ballesteros chipped away at the Boston lead. He hit a solo shot off Wyatt Olds in the sixth and then doubled Wade Meckler to third in the eighth. Christian Moore brought in Meckler with an RBI grounder, and Denzer Guzmán pinch-hit for Josh Lowe with the tying run on deck. He lined out to shortstop for the final out, and the Halos went down in order against Garrett Whitlock in the ninth.
The Red Sox trail the Yankees by two games in the Wild Card and the Rays by six in the AL East. New York does have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Boston, though since they’re an even 5-5, Tampa Bay’s is contingent on a three-game set at the Trop from September 18-20 (just before the Rays’ big four-game set in the Bronx).
AL Wild Card Rock Fight
Baltimore Orioles (70-75) 6, Cleveland Guardians (73-72) 4: After a six-game losing streak that included back-to-back losses to the Rockies and a four-game mop at home at the hands of the Red Sox, Baltimore couldn’t afford to lose yet another one at Camden Yards, especially with a new team in town that holds the last Wild Card spot. It’s more likely that they’re still toast than not, but they did get that W over Cleveland, Trevor Rogers firing 7.1 brilliant innings of one-run ball while two homers and three ribbies from Coby Mayo propelled the O’s offense. A three-run shot by Nathaniel Lowe in the ninth made it interesting, but Angel Genao and Patrick Bailey were retired to end it. The Guardians lead the Jays by a game, the Rangers by a game and a half, and the O’s by three.
Toronto Blue Jays (72-73) 5, The Athletics (58-87) 6: Dylan Cease suffered a misstep in his battle with Cam Schlittler for the AL Cy Young Award, and it cost Toronto a chance at tying Cleveland in the Wild Card race, too. You take a pitcher like Cease against the dismal A’s every time, even in the bizarro zone of West Sacramento. Nonetheless, a Zack Gelof double in the first quickly got the A’s on the board following Henry Bolte’s leadoff walk, and a bad throw by Kazuma Okamoto on a later grounder made it 2-0. Bolte’s single and two steals set up another Gelof RBI in the third, and the A’s continued to run wild on Alejandro Kirk with Gelof swiping second and third before scoring on a Carlos Cortes single.
Bolte later homered off Cease to make it 5-1, but Toronto didn’t throw in the towel. Okamoto went yard off Jacob Lopez to lead off the seventh, and three consecutive hits tallied another when Andrés Giménez doubled. Josh Smith’s sacrifice fly cut the deficit to one, and two outs away from a loss, Giménez came through again, clubbing a curve from Hogan Harris 415 feet to tie it at 5-5 in the ninth. Like Cease though, a rare standby in this long Jays season faltered. It wasn’t the mightiest rally off Louie Varland, as it was bookended by infield hits, but he did himself no favors by walking Bolte and Donovan Walton. Jeff McNeil beat out a slow grounder to short, and that was all she wrote at The Sut.
Aug 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics short stop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first base for an out against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Tuesday A’s fans!
Last night, the Athletics kicked off their penultimate homestand of the season with a 6-5 walk-off victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The A’s ability to cobble together a competent pitching staff was the team’s biggest concern entering the season, and boy, has that come to fruition. The team has the worst ERA in baseball, and unlike last season, it is not as if the A’s are only pitching badly at home. Their 4.58 road ERA is bad, yet it pales in comparison to the team’s 6.33 ERA at Sutter Health Park. Making matters worse, the Green and Gold have allowed an unfathomable 135 home runs in 70 home games, as opposing teams have teed off at the minor-league ballpark.
The Athletics’ bullpen has been a major problem, blowing countless leads. However, that unit has started to turn things around recently, thanks to strong performances from the likes of Scott Blewett, Chris Roycroft, Brady Basso and Seth Johnson.
Those four pitchers could be strong contributors next year, along with the mostly solid duo of Luis Medina and Hogan Harris. Nevertheless, it would behoove the team to add a proven late-inning reliever via free agency or trade. The A’s also desperately need a veteran starter to stabilize a rotation that has been too inconsistent this year.
The team’s defense has not helped its pitching staff. According to DRS, they’re the fourth-worst defensive team in the majors. While Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz have shown improvement at shortstop and first base, respectively, Lawrence Butler has been inconsistent in right field, and Carlos Cortes has been an abject disaster at both outfield corner positions. Yet, it is important to remember that the main core of this team has hardly played together this year because of injuries. With all the starters returning at full health, the team’s defense has a strong chance to improve in 2027.
How should the Athletics approach the rest of this season and the upcoming offseason? What adjustments need to be made to spur this team back into contention?
Congrats to the Athletics’ Single-A affiliate Stockton Ports. They will join the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators as the A’s minor league affiliates headed to the postseason.
After an entire season spent digging deeper than prospect rankings and stat sheets, Booney and Lansing Lugnuts… pic.twitter.com/LZuqIve3Gk
— The House Always Wins Media Network/Las Vegas A's (@lasvegasaspod) September 7, 2026
The A’s released their 2027 spring training schedule a few days ago despite the possibility that an offseason CBA lockout could lead to a delayed or cancelled season next year.
San Diego, California - September 07: Nick Pivetta #27 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Petco Park on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Pivetta wasted no time re-acclimating himself to the major leagues. He faced the minimum three batters in four of his five innings. Pivetta allowed just two hits and recorded two strikeouts without allowing a walk. He was efficient in his return, needing just 63 pitches to completed his day. The San Diego offense did just enough, scoring three runs in the first three innings of the game, allowing Pivetta to walk off the mound in line for the win.
The Padres scored a run in the first inning, thanks in part to a misplayed ball in right field by Nationals outfielder James Wood. Manny Machado hit a fly ball to the warning track and Wood appeared to lose it in the sun. The ball dropped just beyond his glove and it allowed Machado to reach second base on what was ruled a double. Ty France followed with a two-out walk and Jackson Merrill put San Diego on the board with a line drive into right field, which allowed Machado to score from second to put the Padres up, 1-0.
San Diego added to its total in the bottom of the third after Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to open the inning. Jake Cronenworth reached on a fielder’s choice to second base when Washington second baseman Jorbit Vivas flipped a ball to second that was not in time to force out Tatis. Machado brought Tatis home with a single to left that gave the Padres a 2-0 lead. France then grounded into a 5-3 double play but Machado was still on second base with two out. Merrill collected his second RBI of the game with a line drive to center field, which scored Machado and bumped the San Diego lead to 3-0.
The Padres bullpen was good despite one pitch left up over the plate by Kyle Hart. Nationals left-fielder Dylan Crews connected on a two-out, two-run home run to left field that pulled Washington within a run of San Diego at 3-2. Bradgley Rodriguez and Adrian Morejon covered the seventh and eighth innings to get to Mason Miller in the top of the ninth.
It appeared the Padres were going to add to their total before Miller came into the game. San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and Xander Bogaerts hit a line drive into left field that would have allowed Merrill to tag up and score. However, Luis Campusano had wandered too far off the bag at second base and was thrown out trying to get back before Merrill could cross home plate to end the inning. Miller came into the game with a one-run lead and locked down the win and his 34th save of the season, allowing the Friar Faithful to take a collective sigh of relief after the base running mistake.
San Diego resumes it’s series with Washington today at 6:40 p.m.
