You best make us proud, HV71 ginger! | Getty Images
The Islanders made their lone pick with little fanfare on what was a never-ending first day of the draft: Malte Gustafsson, a tall, swift-skating, left-side defenseman who’s already had pro-league experience at age 17 with HV71 in Sweden, was their pick at 13th overall.
The Isles went into the draft with four picks on the second day, one each in rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7.
As for Gustafsson, the Isles had Matthew Schaefer announce the pick — a helluva lot better than having that twert Bieber do it — and though both are lefties, you could see him fitting well next to Schaefer in select situations one day:
A one-man play killer, Gustafsson cemented his status as a high-end defensive prospect by becoming a regular on HV71’s SHL team, a rare feat for a draft-eligible defender. Against his peers, he played nearly half of every game for Sweden at the under-18 championships.
His defensive game is the most translatable part of his NHL game and will allow him to be a trusted defender early in his career. He’s the ideal partner for an elite offensive defenseman because of his ability to insulate and shut down offense, be it in transition or in the defensive zone.
Gustafsson is an outstanding skater and another prospect from Sweden who played most of his season at the pro level. He’s competitive and smart. Gustafsson can be deployed in a variety of roles and trusted in all situations, but will likely only produce secondary offence at most.
A late riser with his play at the U18 worlds, Gustafsson has size, can skate, defend well and help move pucks quickly and efficiently.
Gustafsson was seen as just outside the top tier of five defensemen in this draft, though some entertained the possibility that he should be in there. The Athletic addressed that question before the draft:
There has been a lot of talk about Malte Gustafsson now entering that group of five and making it a group of six, so I thought it would be valuable to test that theory. It was split almost exactly down the middle, with seven scouts saying they don’t have a sixth D in that group and six saying that Gustafsson is now in that group for them. Among the six who had Gustafsson in that group, a majority said they’d rank him sixth, with only a couple saying they’d slot him ahead of any of the other five D. One other D got a vote for that group as well: Tommy Bleyl. A couple of scouts did wonder if their fifth-ranked D actually belonged in a tier with the other names instead of with the four in front of them as well.
To me, Gustafsson was clearly the best player available here. He’s a big, mobile defenseman who can make plays. He has really good defensive traits. He didn’t put up huge points at the J20 level or in the SHL, but I thought he was the best defenseman at the U18 World Championships. He’s a really impressive two-way player.
The other side of this is, the Islanders have quite the deep chart at left defense. So IF current prospects develop, it’s a strength to trade from as well.
Around the Draft
The 29th-overall pick the Islanders acquired from Colorado in the Brock Nelson trade continued to move around. Dealt to the Blues in the Brayden Schenn trade, the Blues packaged it with the 15th-overall pick to Anaheim for Mason McTavish. The Ducks then swapped it with Vegas in a bizarre move that allowed them to move up one spot. Anaheim selected Marcus Nordmark.
The Canucks went ahead and took Caleb Malhotra, the son of their new coach. No pressure there. [Sportsnet]
Not long for Utah: the Bruins grabbed ex-Sabre JJ Peterka from the Mammoth for two firsts. [NHL | Sportsnet]
The Rangers acquired RFA Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas and are working on a seven-year extension. [Sportsnet]
The second day of the draft moves so fast, it’s hard to keep up. But man, it’s downright refreshing after the long, glacial slog of the first day. The Islanders, of course, don’t even pick until the fourth round, barring a trade. So stay tuned for how much they blew it/reached/stole it/found the hidden gem.
This guy wasn’t the problem on the mound! Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Derek Shelton’s Magical Arm Barn managed to quickly cough up a seven-run lead, but heads-up baserunning and a nice hit by Lewis sends the fans home happy. (Or starts off tonight’s postgame Ludacris concert with good vibes.) Inning-by-inning notes:
1: Do we get good Taj or bad Taj tonight? Well, six pitches and three outs. That’s certainly effective Taj.
Buxton has a one-out single. Radio guys Kris Atteberry and Dan “Answer Man” Gladden debate whether Buxton’s yellow shoes mean he’ll run or not. They come to the conclusion that green shoes would mean “go,” but yellow means “caution.” This is what happens when you’ve broadcast a few thousand baseball games.
At any rate, Buxton doesn’t steal, and it doesn’t matter because two pitches later, a good thing happens.
Klobberin’ Kody Klemens, folks. Good grief! Over the top of the sandstone overhang in right. In his first four seasons and 265 games, Clemens had an OPS of .666 (the number of the Least) and a 1.1 bWAR. In his age-30 season, he’s currently at .784 and 1.2. Tell me he doesn’t have his dad’s old “special pharmacy” phone number. Twins 2-0
2: Well… here we get Lucky Taj. He walks one and gives up a hit, but fortunately with two outs the batter is Ezeqiuel Tovar (no relation to César). Tovar is batting .208 on the season with 81 strikeouts; make it 82.
Royce (he’s all fixed now) Lewis has the leadoff single. Brooks Lee decides to bounce one off the top of the right-field wall.
Tristan Gray puts down a good bunt, and pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano makes a terrible throw to first. Gray assumes second will be his on the overthrow, but Edouard Julien (we remember him!) makes a solid grab-and-throw to nail Gray by ten feet at second. So, a heads-up play followed by a TOOTBLAN, or a HUTOOTBLAN. Still, ex-Senators 4-0
3: A pretty easy inning for both pitchers, but Rockies CF Cole Carrigg has an exciting moment when he falls on his buttbutt going for a fly ball. He’s young, though, and gets up in time to go catch it. I’d probably still be on my buttbutt.
4: Second walk of the game for Bradley; second strikeout of the game for old friend Willi Castro. Gladden says the Rockies have been around for “about 25 years” which is only off by 27%, so we’ll call it a dart that misses the board but at least doesn’t put anybody’s eye out.
5: Bottom of the lineup, and it takes Taj eight pitches to get right through ’em. We shouldn’t get TOO excited — the Rockies have the worst record in baseball. But they’re only tied for eighth-worst in MLB on offense (with a 94 OPS+, where 100 is league average, adjusted for ballpark). They’re second-worst in pitching.
To wit: back-to-back two-out doubles by Trevor Larnach and Buxton. Clemens takes a nine-pitch walk, and Josh Bell doubles both runners home. The 830-ft.-high City 7-0
6: The Rockies’ second hit! Jake McCarthy, starting Bradley’s third time through the lineup with a leadoff double. A flyout to left means McCarthy can’t tag up and advance, and the next dude strikes out. Then a long pop fly that new RF Luke Keaschall calls everybody off for. (Not BRAND new; Keaschall has played one inning in RF before.)
Seth Halvorsen replaces Sugano. I think I recognize Halvorsen’s name from somewhere. I look at his player page, and no, I don’t know him. Maybe my alternate-timeline self is Halvorsen’s best friend, or he beat me half to death with a flounder one time.
7: Bradley gets ’em 1-2-3 and sits at 91 pitches. He’s never recorded an out in the eighth inning, so we’ll see.
Larnach singles and Buxton ALMOST knocks one out, but doesn’t because Clemens stole all his ‘roids.
8: Bradley still hasn’t recorded an out in the eighth; a double and walk end his night. In comes LHP Kody Funderburk. Per the Twins’ wesbsite, Kody’s entrance song is AC/DC’s “Thunderstaruck,” sadly without new vocals singing “Funderstruck.” An infield hit, groundout and flyout score two runs. TJ Rumfield, who’s 26 and looks 17, singles home another. Still, it’s the Millers Saints 7-3
9: Eric “Small Pasta” Orze in for the Twins. Hey, how about some Drama! A walk, flyout, Julien double and Jake McCarthy homer. Oops.
Anthony Banda in. First-pitch double by Kyle Karros. The Rockies’ best hitter, Hunter Goodman, up.
No more damage afterwards, but this is pretty hilariously bad stuff.
Antonio Senzatela trying to save it for Colorado. A one-out Austin Martin hit, a Ryan Kreidler hit, and that brings Buxton up. He grounds it to third and…
10: RHP Andrew Morris pitching. A FC (to Morris) pushes the runner to third. Then a slow Tovar roller to short, and Kreidler throws it home. Yer out! No scoring occurs.
Kyler Fedko (who?) pinch-runs for Josh Bell at second. The Rockies intentionally walk not-great hitter Victor Caratini to (I guess) set up the double-play possibility. Royce now up. On reliever Jimmy Herget’s second pitch, the ball barely gets away, and Fedko scampers to third. Then…
Studs: Bradley (7.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 SO.) Royce walkoff! The Bash Brothers in Clemens and Lee, doubles duo in Buston and Bell, Keaschall for not embarrassing himself in RF. Duds: no duds, Twins win!
(except the bullpen management was really dudley do-wrong)
COTG go to SooFoo for “Are we secretly playing at Coors?” (because nobody made much noise rooting for the Twins), Nagurski for a bullpen management criticism that turned out to be prophetic, Zach for some blockbuster trade ideas, falcontimmy for reviewing the new Shakopee ampitheater, Matt for immoral support, and JustAnotherMinnesotan for “This is Ludacris” (referring to the bullpen and the postgame concert performer).
Thanks for everyone who joined in, I know it’s more fun to be outdoors on a lovely summer evening. (For people who like the outdoors, which is Not Me.)
Tomorrow’s game is at 6:10, featuring Michael Lorenzen’s Oil pitching against our own Mike Paredes. Catch ya next time!
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: (L-R) NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Gavin McKenna and Justin Bieber pose onstage after McKenna was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs during Day One of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 26, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gavin McKenna’s nerves finally eased when lifetime Maple Leafs fan and international pop icon Justin Bieber took the NHL draft stage to announce who Toronto was selecting No. 1.
“He was looking at me and I kind of was thinking, maybe,” McKenna said with a laugh. “Crazy. Just crazy what’s going on right now.”
With most of Yukon watching and a loud presence of Maple Leafs fans in the stands, Toronto chose the Penn State left winger, validating longstanding projections of McKenna being his age group’s top prospect. The 18-year-old from Yukon’s capital of Whitehorse has been a prolific scorer on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.
And if Bieber’s appearance and taking the stage to the artist’s song “Yukon” wasn’t enough, McKenna was welcomed to the Maple Leafs with a video message from Toronto captain Auston Matthews.
“Obviously he’s on the first line. I’m going to have to prove myself to be able to play with a player like that. But that’s my goal,” McKenna said of Matthews, who was chosen No. 1 by Toronto in the 2016 draft, which also happened to be held in Buffalo. “My game’s obviously a playmaker, he’s a shooter, so I think we could complement each other pretty well.”
McKenna represents a major plank in the Maple Leafs’ rebuilding process of a team suddenly in transition under new general manager John Chayka. Toronto finished last in the Atlantic Division last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since Matthews’ arrival.
Canucks select coach’s son, Caleb Malhotra
The draft featured dueling cheers — and boos — between large contingents of Maple Leafs and Sabres fans, several surprises, a few trades and a nice father-son moment when Vancouver selected center Caleb Malhotra with the No. 3 pick, joining a team coached by dad Manny Malhotra.
“I hugged him right after, and we were happy,” said Caleb, who is from British Columbia and finished second among OHL rookies with 84 points with Brantford last season. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I’ve never felt anything like this. And that embrace was so comforting, and I’m so glad he’s here with me as dad.”
Malhotra said his dad was not aware of the Canucks’ draft plans. And he now has bragging rights on his father in being selected four spots higher, after Manny went No. 7 to the New York Rangers in 1998.
Run on defensemen
After forwards went with the first three picks, including Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg second to San Jose, the expected run on defensemen began with five selected over the next six picks.
Buffalo selected Prince Albert blue-liner Daxon Rudolph at No. 4, followed Latvia’s Alberts Smits going fifth to the Rangers. Chase Reid, who is from Michigan, was part of that run, going seventh to Seattle as the first American-born player selected.
Smits split last season playing professionally in Finland and Germany, while also representing Latvia at the Milan Cortina Olympics. He became the highest drafted Latvian, ahead of Buffalo selecting Zemgus Girgensons 14th in 2012.
Trades and more trades
This was a much more active first round with picks traded for NHL players than the previous couple of years. The Rangers got Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas for picks 26 and 92, and a 2028 first-rounder. Boston acquired JJ Peterka from Utah for a pair of first-rounders. And St. Louis traded two of its picks Friday night to Anaheim for Mason McTavish.
The draft opened with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman getting booed — a draft-day tradition — as he took the stage, and was joined by Sabres forward Josh Doan and NFL Bills tackle Dion Dawkins, who referred to Bettman as his “new dawg.”
Rudolph was wowed watching his good friend McKenna being welcomed to the stage.
“To see him be selected first and with Justin Bieber and everything, it was amazing,” Rudolph said. “I just remember talking to my mom and saying. ‘Wow, this is so cool,’ as I’m sitting there on the couch waiting to be picked.”
McKenna accustomed to the spotlight
McKenna is accustomed to the spotlight, splashing on the scene by combining for 79 goals and 244 points in 133 games with Medicine Hat in the WHL. He made the jump to the NCAA last summer in a bid to challenge himself against older and more physical competition. He finished with 51 points, tied for fourth in the nation.
He became just the fifth NCAA player to go first, and third in six years, since Michigan defenseman Owen Power went No. 1 to Buffalo in 2021.
McKenna also became the fifth Yukon-born player to be selected in the draft, and the highest pick after Ottawa’s Dylan Cozens went No. 7 to Buffalo in 2019. He now heads to a metropolis that is nearly 100 times larger than Whitehorse’s population of about 39,000.
This was the NHL’s second straight decentralized draft, with teams making selections from their respective headquarters.
Decentralized draft Part II
Lacking in the new format is each draft pick joining his new team’s front office on stage. Last year, the NHL attempted to rectify that by having teams welcome their prospects by video conference call on stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The interviews were widely panned for being awkward and glitchy, and contributing to the draft lasting nearly 4 1/2 hours.
This year the NHL had the top prospects seated with their families in what resembled a lounge area, featuring plush couches, directly in front of the stage. After being selected, each player was interviewed on a couch on stage, with the backdrop representing the team.
Jun 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (36) falls over Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) after being tagged out trying to steal second base in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
That’s two in a row where the Jays have fallen behind big early, rallied late, and fallen a single run short. Add to that Tuesday’s loss, in which a successful comeback was blown in extra innings, and it’s been an extremely frustrating week of Toronto Blue Jays baseball, in a season where frustration is the signature.
Patrick Corbin was bad from the start today. Wyatt Langford opened the game with a single. Corbin then hit the next batter, gave up a double to Brandon Nimmo, a single to Justin Foscue, and another to Ezequiel Duran. That put the Jays in a 3-0 hole before they recorded the second out of the ball game. He rallied for a clean second, but the walked Jake Burger with one out in the third to set up a two run Justin Foscue homer, extending Texas’ lead to 5. He’d work around a double in the fourth and record one out in the fifth before being pulled. His ultimate line was 4.1 innings pitched, five runs (all earned) on seven hits and a walk against five strikeouts.
Spencer Miles took over to finish the fifth, and stuck around for the sixth and seventh. He was excellent, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Adam Macko handled the eighth, walking a pair but avoiding runs. Louis Varland, for some reason, was called to work the ninth. He worked around a single for a clean frame.
So five runs was the hill the Jays offence had to climb. They couldn’t find any purchase against Nathan Eovaldi. Their first base runner was a Daulton Varsho walk in the third, and they didn’t get a hit until Vladimir Guerrero jr.’s one out single in the fourth. The first Jay to reach scoring position was Andres Gimenez, who doubled to open the sixth. He advanced to third on a Nathan Lukes line single, but a Guerrero double play stranded him.
They again had a little something going in the seventh. Singles by Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement put a pair on with one out. Eovaldi rallied to strike out the next two batters, though, and they couldn’t break the shutout.
They were able to get to the bullpen in a way they couldn’t the starter. Gimenez singled and Springer walked to put two on with one out off Robby Ahistrom. The Rangers swithched to Jacob Junis, who advanced both runners on a wild pitcha nd then gave up a line single to Guerrero, plating both. Kazuma Okamoto followed with his 19th home run of the season, cutting the deficit to one. Junis got two of the next three Jays swinging, though, preventing them from tying it up.
Down to their last three outs, Brandon Valenzuela worked a walk off Jacob Latz to put the tying run on base. A pair of pop outs and a fly out wasted that final opportunity.
Jays of the Day: Okamoto (0.13), Valenzuela (0.10)
Less So: Corbin (-0.29), Springer (-0.13), Straw (-0.13)
Game 3 goes tomorrow at 3:07pm ET. Dylan Cease (4-3, 2.75) represents the forces of goodness and light, while Cal Quantrill (3-0, 3.73) represents the Texas Rangers.
Roman Empire—Feb 28, 2020 - VOL. 73, Issue. 04 - Ryan Kennedy
YOU’D BE FORGIVEN IF you came out of the 2008 NHL draft in Ottawa thinking about someone other than Roman Josi. After all, this was the year of “Seen Stamkos?” when the Tampa Bay Lightning telegraphed their first overall selection of Sarnia Sting center Steven Stamkos as part of a rebranding for the franchise. And yet it was also an exciting year for defensemen, with the daring Drew Doughty, beastly Zach Bogosian and all-around excellent Alex Pietrangelo going in order after Stamkos. Heck, if you were looking for a hidden gem on the back end, you were probably intrigued by the skinny Swedish kid taken by the host Senators with the 15th overall pick – Frolunda’s Erik Karlsson.
But over at Nashville’s table, GM David Poile and his team were pleased to land Josi early in the second round with the 38th pick. (Earlier, Nashville selected Colin Wilson seventh and Chet Pickard 18th.) Poile was happy, but a little puzzled. “His name wasn’t getting mentioned, other than by our scouts,” Poile said. “You hope he’s a guy you can swoop in and get. I realize he was a second-round pick, but there wasn’t a huge amount of fanfare about him, at least in my memory. I don’t remember anyone telling me, ‘That was a great pick,’ at the time. But we were bang-on.”
Twelve years later, Josi is the captain of the Predators and a Norris Trophy candidate. Playing for a franchise that has made its name on defensemen, Josi is the top dog after years of learning from some of the best in the game. While Nashville is having a down season that saw coach Peter Laviolette fired and goaltending become an unusual weak spot, 29-year-old Josi is proving to be worth every penny of the eight-year, $72-million contract extension he signed last summer. And once it kicks in next season, he’ll still be paying dividends for a long time.
The story of Josi is the tale of development perfected. The kid from Bern, Switzerland, stayed home for two more years after the Predators drafted him, allowing him to get reps against men in his home nation’s best league and playing in multiple world juniors. He wasn’t among Nashville’s top 10 prospects in Future Watch 2009, but arrived in FW10 at fifth, then rose to third in FW11. When he came over to North America in 2010, the first thing he did was pay his dues in the AHL. “I like the way the process worked,” Poile said. “He was a young kid eager to come over, and he understood where he had to play. He went to Milwaukee, where we had a lot of good young guys at the time, then came to Nashville and played a lesser role behind guys like Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, where he learned the game and leadership.”
I DON’T REMEMBER ANYONE TELLING ME, ‘THAT WAS A GREAT PICK.’ BUT WE WERE BANG-ON– NASHVILLE GM DAVID POILE
Ah yes, Suter and Weber – they were OK for Nashville, eh? The Predators were building something special on their back end, but nothing came easy in Nashville in those days, when money from ownership was tight. Suter was a pending UFA in the summer of 2012 and ended up signing a massive 13-year deal worth $98 million with Minnesota. Soon after, Philadelphia smelled blood and tried to swipe Weber away with an offer sheet worth $110 million over 14 years. At the time, the situation looked bleak, but the Preds had a young ace up their sleeve. “Talk about timing,” Poile said. “That summer we lost Suter and matched the offer sheet on Weber. Suter was one of the top five or six defensemen in the league. People wondered how we were going to replace him, and bang, we had a replacement right there. Roman’s like a good stock. We bought low and we’re getting a very good return.”
And so, after a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign split between Bern and Nashville, Josi began his master class in the NHL, helped along by captain Weber. “Just watching him prepare daily for practice, for games, the way he plays the game, there were so many things I learned from him,” Josi said. “He had a huge influence on my career.”
The admiration went both ways and continues to this day, even though Weber is now with Montreal. “Really good kid, works hard,” Weber said. “I enjoyed being around him. He was very young, at the start of his career. You could see the talent there. He just needed time. As you grow as a player you get more experience and consistency and his game has grown, it speaks for itself.”
Looking back at the Predators’ 2013-14 defense corps is wild. Weber and Josi were joined by Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, all of whom have become fantastic NHLers and, in the case of the first three, Norris Trophy candidates, albeit with different teams. “Roman is a special player,” said Jones, the ex-Pred and current Columbus star. “Probably twice the player now than he was when I was there. He’s grown that much. His offensive instinct was one of the best I’ve seen. We were both starting to get into our careers, and he was a great guy off the ice.”
Poile describes that time as “priceless” for Josi, as he could take as many lessons as possible from partner Weber and use them to grow. “Everybody learns from different guys,” Poile said. “You watch, you learn, you steal things from other people’s games, you see how they conduct themselves as a pro off the ice: how they dress, how they engage the community, what charitable work they do. Shea Weber was the man in Nashville, and now Roman is doing the same things.”
But Josi doesn’t just draw his mentors from hockey. Like a number of other NHL stars, he’s a huge fan of tennis icon Roger Federer. The fact both of them are Swiss surely has something to do with it, but Josi sees a true professional in Federer, and following the tennis player’s career has clearly influenced his own athletic trade. “First of all, he’s the best ever, don’t question me on that,” Josi said. “Then it’s the way he behaves. With all the success he’s had, he’s still a humble person. I’ve got to meet him a couple times, and that was definitely something that impressed me.”
When Weber was traded for P.K. Subban, Mike Fisher took the ‘C’ for a season before Josi was named captain in 2017. In determining who would wear the ‘C,’ Poile and Laviolette consulted not only each other but also a lot of people in the organization, from hockey operations to trainers and equipment staff, and the feedback all suggested Josi would make a great leader. Now, Poile sees a player who has evolved into the role and someone who is a lot more vocal than he used to be in the dressing room. “You learn a lot when you become captain,” Josi said. “Shea had a big influence, Mike Fisher, too, those were two great captains. As you go on, there are so many ups and downs, and you learn to deal with certain situations. It’s been a lot of fun and a huge honor to be captain.”
SHEA WEBER HAD A BIG INFLUENCE, MIKE FISHER, TOO, THOSE WERE TWO GREAT CAPTAINS– ROMAN JOSI
Before he earned the ‘C,’ Josi also got a taste of the ultimate prize in hockey – the Stanley Cup final. The Predators fell to Pittsburgh in six games in the spring of 2017, but the playoff run left an indelible mark on Josi, who was on the cusp of taking the next step in his career. “You realize how hard it is,” Josi said. “It’s such a long journey, but it’s such an awesome journey. The games are hard, the games are intense, there are so many momentum swings, but looking back it was unbelievable to have a run like that. It makes you want to go back and get the win this time.”
That Cup run also threw a huge spotlight on Nashville itself, where the party scene on Broadway and the car-smashing fun outside of Bridgestone Arena helped many an outsider fall in love with the city. It’s something Josi was already privileged to know about. “The fans have always been great in Nashville,” he said. “I remember the first time I played at home, I was like, ‘Wow, this is loud and the crowd is awesome.’ With us going to the Cup final, it took it to another level, and it’s definitely a hockey city. The support we get is unbelievable.”
And the city’s cultural DNA is seeping into Josi’s life as well. Coming from Switzerland, he knew nothing about country music when he arrived in Tennessee, but after years of meeting some of the genre’s biggest stars at Preds games, he’s taken a shine to it. He also found the love of his life in Nashville. Ellie Ottaway is from the suburbs of Detroit, but the fashion model moved to Nashville to study music at Belmont University. Josi and Ottaway were engaged at Christmas of 2017 and tied the knot last summer (and just to make the story even more Nashville, their venue used to be Reba McEntire’s house).
Of all the growth that has come to Josi, settling down is right up there in terms of impact. “I definitely feel like I’m at a different point in my life,” he said. “You’re married, two dogs, living a little bit outside the city, things definitely change. I love spending time at home with my wife and my dogs, it’s good.”
So the off-ice component of Josi’s life is locked in. On the ice, hope is not lost for a playoff spot. The West is wide open, and Nashville still has their solid array of blueliners who can change a game at either end. While Subban is now struggling in New Jersey, three of the D-men from the Weber era are still hanging around, making more of an impact than ever. “Most of us, Ellis and Ekholm and me, we’ve been playing together a long time,” Josi said. “We grew up together in Nashville…We have such a great group of guys and some really good defensemen.”
Josi is having the best season of his career, averaging about a point per game and playing more than 26 minutes a night – putting him among the NHL’s leaders and opening eyes league-wide. “I’m a big fan,” said Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele. “He’s unbelievable. He skates really well, he’s got a good stick, thinks the game really fast, and his offensive talent is pretty special. He’s not just offensive, he’s not just defensive, he does it all. He skates so well, it makes it tough to beat him.”
While Washington’s John Carlson will have something to say about it, Josi is in the conversation for his first Norris Trophy. And with years of productive hockey left, he has found his sweet spot both on and off the ice. So what advice would he give to Young Josi, that eager kid from Bern? “Enjoy it,” he said. “It goes by so quick. I remember the day I came into the league and played my first game. Now I’m 29 turning 30 in my ninth season.”
Thinking back to those early days, Poile can still picture the fresh-faced Josi, full of potential and positivity. “Always a smile on his face, upbeat, someone who loved to play the game,” Poile said. “You felt right away that this kid could be really good. His skating, his personality, every game I’ve ever seen he’s got the puck all the time, and that’s not exactly the norm for a defenseman. I don’t think any of us had the foresight to see how the game would change in 10 years, but if we did we wouldn’t have taken him in the second round, we would’ve taken him in the first.”
HE’S UNBELIEVABLE. HE’S NOT JUST OFFENSIVE, HE’S NOT JUST DEFENSIVE, HE DOES IT ALL– MARK SCHEIFELE
That certainly would have caused a lot of chatter on the draft floor, but the result would have been the same: Roman Josi, captain of the Predators, here to pleasantly exceed your expectations – even if those who were around at the beginning could see the future. “Nashville knew,” Jones said. “We all knew how good he was going to be.”
Jun 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer (23) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
If you’re hoping to see highlights of a lot of offense at Busch Stadium Friday night, you’ll have to wait awhile as both Michael McGreevy and Max Meyer were determined to have an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel and they were both successful…for awhile. But, the Cardinals bullpen would eventually lose it to the Marlins.
Let’s start with a lack of offense, shall we? The St. Louis Cardinals only had 2 hits and no runs going into the bottom of the 6th inning. Based on that, you would rightly imagine that the Cardinals chances of winning would not be high. However, the Miami Marlins only had 5 hits through the first 6 innings and they had no runs to show for them either. The stories of the night were the Marlins Max Meyer and the Cardinals Michael McGreevy. The problem is that the Cardinals were losing the pitch count battle as Meyer completed the first 2/3 of the game with only 66 pitches. Michael McGreevy’s pitch count after 6 full innings was 94 which is why he was relieved by JoJo Romero entering the 7th inning.
The only offensive play worth mentioning in the first 6 innings was Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins who wins the award for the worst ABS challenge in history (or that I’ve seen) where the replay showed the ball could not have gone any more directly through the strike zone if it tried. A defensive play worth highlighting was a lightning-fast pickoff by Michael McGreevy as he nailed Ruiz at first in the top of the 5th inning.
In a shocking development, Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the 7th inning and yes, that’s sarcasm. That’s a Major League-leading 22 hit-by-pitches for Herrera. After that, Max Meyer experienced a rare moment of wildness as he walked Alec Burleson on 5 pitches to bring up Jordan Walker who had one of the Cardinals only 2 hits on the night leading up to that at-bat. Jordan was charged with a pitch clock violation before Meyer even threw him a pitch which was odd. Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice with Burleson being forced out at 2nd giving the Cardinals runners at first and third with just one out. That gave Lars Nootbaar the opportunity to finally help the Cardinals break through Friday night’s scoring drought. He worked the count full before drawing a walk to load the bases which brought up Masyn Winn. He unfortunately grounded out to the other shortstop who forced out Herrera at home. He was slow to get up after sliding hard into home as the replay appeared to show him roll over his ankle somewhat, but he eventually retreated into the dugout. It was up to Nathan Church to try and save the Cardinals from another RISP disaster. I wish I could say he was successful, but he lined out to left field to end the bottom of the 7th with the game still deadlocked at 0-0. The Cardinals would not get another great opportunity to score the rest of the night.
JoJo Romero was successful keeping the Marlins scoreless in the top of the 7th inning. For the top of the 8th, it was George Soriano‘s turn. He gave up a sharp single to Ruiz who led off the top of the 8th. What had been a scoreless battle suddenly became a Marlins lead when Graham Pauley ripped a double down the right field line scoring Ruiz making it 1-0 Miami. And then the rains came…and we as Cardinals nation had 15 minutes to contemplate our lives. Meanwhile, George Soriano had to return to the mound and figure out how to hold the Marlins to just 1 run with a runner on second with nobody out. Soriano was able to get Marsee to pop out to shortstop for the first out, but then he walked Conine and Edwards to load the bases. The next play would be pivotal. Stowers hit a ground ball that Alec Burleson grabbed, stepped on first and then fired the ball home to Herrera who tagged Pauley. The ump called him out on the field and after a long review from New York, the call was overturned giving the Marlins a 2-0 lead which would be the score after the LONG top of the 8th was done.
The good news for the St. Louis Cardinals was the fact that Max Meyer did not go out to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. His impressive stat line for the night was 7 innings pitched allowing just 2 hits and no runs while striking out 5 and walking 2. Michael Petersen was his replacement for the Marlins. He would get Blaze Jordan to ground out leading off the 8th, but José Fermín cracked a ground rule double into the left-center field stands although a fan did not make a good play on the ball. JJ Wetherholt then lined out hard to left-center which brought up Iván Herrera with two outs. He struck out to end the St. Louis hopes of going into the 9th inning with anything other than 0’s on the board.
Max Rajcic was not able to hold the Marlins at bay in the top of the 9th inning. After getting the first out, he walked Mack and Ruiz. He was able to get Pauley out on a deep flyball to right which sounded like a home run off the bat, but Nathan Church was unable to make a diving catch on a single from Marsee which scored both Mack and Ruiz giving the Marlins a commanding 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning.
For the Cardinals to pull off a miracle comeback win, they’d have to get through the Marlins Calvin Faucher. Unfortunately, they didn’t. The grand total of St. Louis Cardinals offense Friday night was a very disappointing 3 hits and nothing but bagels on the scoreboard.
After a pitcher’s duel Friday night, the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins will tangle again Saturday night. The expectation was that Dustin May would get the start for the Cardinals, but there is a report that he has back tightness and may skip his next start. The most up-to-date lineup for Saturday shows Andre Pallante starting for St. Louis Saturday. The Marlins have not officially announced a starter either, it could be that Ryan Gusto will take the mound for Miami. First pitch is set for 6:15pm central time at Busch Stadium. The game TV broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
Jun 26, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) and Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (2) shake hands after scoring runs against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Well, it looks like at least one of the twins will be donning the black and gold.
With their 22nd overall selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected right wing Liam Ruck from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. Ruck, along with his twin brother, Markus, put up massive numbers in the WHL last season with 45 goals and 104 points in 68 games, while Markus had 21 goals and 108 points in 68 games playing on the same line.
Both Liam and Markus are committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2027-28 season, as they each plan to play for Medicine Hat in 2026-27.
The 6-foot, 183-pound forward is a dangerous offensive player, and he has some speed to boot. But the most lethal weapon is his shot, which is, arguably, one of the best in the 2026 class. The Penguins are getting a sniper with Ruck, and if his brother is selected in the second round at 39, many have compared their connection and chemistry to that of the Sedin twins.
The NHL Draft continues Saturday with rounds 2-7. The Penguins still have their 39th, 54th, 86th, and 170th selections for the time being.
The Nashville Predators have made another first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
After acquiring pick No. 31 from the Carolina Hurricanes for picks No. 42 and 57, they drafted Tommy Bleyl. A right-handed-shooting defensemen, who was slated to go in the late first round.
The Pro Hockey Group, founded by former NHL scout Jason Bukala, released a blurb on what type of player he is.
"Bleyl is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who excels with the puck on his stick. His skating, vision and passing ability allow him to drive transition, create offense and contribute effectively on the power play."
Bleyl has the potential to be an impactful defensemen similar to how Lane Hutson plays with the Montreal Canadiens. He can use his skating and vision to make a great first pass and crease offense.
That is a big need for the Predators. They have a ton of young forwards, including their 10th overall pick Wyatt Cullen. However, they are pretty thin in terms of high-end prospects on the blue line. Bleyl helps with that a lot and has a good chance at being the future of the Predators' blue line.
Bleyl played the 2025-26 season with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. Where he played in 63 games and scored 13 goals and 68 assists for 81 points. After a strong season, he will return to the Wildcats next season, but then he will jump to the NCAA and join Michigan State University in the 2027-28 season.
The Anaheim Ducks finished off a busy Day 1 of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by selecting Marcus Nordmark with the 28th overall pick. The Ducks acquired the 28th pick by trading picks 29 and 117 to the Vegas Golden Knights. They acquired the 29th pick, along with the 15th pick (Nikita Klepov), from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Mason McTavish.
Nordmark was selected from Djurgardens IF in Sweden. During the 2025-26 season, he tallied 38 points (14-24=38) in 25 games at the U18 level and an assist in eight games at the SHL level. He represented Sweden at the U18 World Championship, where he scored four points (3-1=4) in six games en route to a gold medal.
With the puck on his stick, Nordmark dictates pace and controls play by protecting and making deft plays from everywhere in the offensive zone. While not the lightest on his feet, he has all the other tools necessary to become a producer at the NHL level.
Though not too involved when off-puck, he finds soft ice and has a quick, heavy release that can beat goaltenders from distance. He has the vision to know when to keep his feet moving, make a slip pass, or attempt something a bit more ambitious.
Skating and forechecking leave something to be desired, and he’s not overly physical despite his 6-foot-2 frame. He’s under contract with Djurgardens for the 2026-27 season.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 26: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the final out of the the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Holy crap. Payton Tolle was flat-out brilliant Friday night at Fenway—seven innings, one hit, zero runs, seven strikeouts. Five perfect frames. The Yankees lineup managed just three hits for the entire game. THREE. Goldschmidt, Bellinger, Chisholm—a combined 0-for-11. The one guy who got to Tolle at all was Spencer Jones with a single in the sixth. That’s it. That’s the whole résumé for New York’s offense. Aside from two walks from a gassed Tolle in the 7th but still.
On the flip side, Will Warren couldn’t find a punchout if he walked into Cask ‘N Flagon or the Lansdowne at 1am 5 2/3 innings, seven hits, five runs, three walks, and zero—A BIG OL’ GOOSE EGG—strikeouts. The Red Sox just put the ball in play all night, refused to expand the zone, and let Warren beat himself. Frankly letting the Yankees beat themselves is a special kind of schadenfreude in Boston. By the time Ryan Yarbrough came in to clean it up, the game was already decided.
The only blemish on the night was Tommy Kahnle coughing up the lone Yankees run in the eighth on a Wells RBI. But after seven shutout innings from Tolle, that’s about as high-stakes as finding a scratch on your car bumper.
Oh, and Willson Contreras decided to make things interesting. Warren’s walk to him in the 5th came on a pitch that ran decently inside—almost hitting Willy’s elbow, and apparently Contreras took real exception to just how inside it was. He and Warren started jawing at each other, and the next thing you know both benches and both bullpens had emptied. No punches, nobody got tossed, the whole thing defused itself. But Contreras was unmistakably the main character of the situation and was not visibly interested in calming anyone down. Honestly, this isn’t even close to the first time he’s looked like he’d be perfectly fine if things escalated to a full field brawl. Bowser came to play baseball and apparently is open to other activities as well.
Studs
Payton Tolle (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K)
There’s a version of this piece where I write a whole section about the offense and mention Tolle at the end. That’s not the right version. Seven innings, one hit against a lineup that has legitimate lineup depth—that’s the kind of outing that earns a little reverence. Tolle commanded everything tonight. Seven strikeouts and it didn’t even feel like he was hunting them; he was just pitching and hitters were running out of options. Really nice start.
Willson Contreras (2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
Contreras keeps doing this thing where an at-bat builds logically to a home run. Two hits, the long ball, two runs driven in, a walk. Good Contreras is genuinely one of the better offensive players on this roster and nights like this are a reminder of that ceiling.
Caleb Durbin (2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 R)
Still rolling. No RBI tonight, but he scored twice and the double was a loud one—the funniest knuckleball screaming line drive that Spencer Jones can’t track well. He’s in the middle of a real stretch at the plate and has become a guy you watch every at-bat wondering what he’s going to do. Is it the private hitting coach? The lack of Driveline finally in this team? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Connor Wong and Tsung-Che Cheng (2 RBI and 1 RBI, respectively)
I’m going to lump these two together because the bottom of this order deserves a lil moment. Wong had a hit and two RBI with a walk. Cheng had an RBI double and a walk. In a game where Tolle was going to make this comfortable regardless, the early cushion those two helped build was a real gift.
Duds
Ceddanne Rafaela (0-for-4)
Rafaela has been one of the better offensive stories on this team through 63 games—wRC+ of 123, OPS north of .770, the whole thing. He went 0-for-4 tonight and that’s fine, it’s a 162 game season. One game doesn’t undo a two-month arc. Moving on.
Mickey Gasper (0-for-4)
He brought a run home, which is credit, but four at-bats without a hit keeps him in this section. Gasper has been a bit of an enigma at the plate this year and tonight didn’t change the picture.
Play of the Game
Has to be Tolle’s full outing. From the first inning to the last pitch, he gave this team exactly what it needed—and then some. Absolute fire and a blast on the mound to watch.
On Friday night at the NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings made a splash, sending goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for the 23rd overall pick. Detroit would go on to use the pick on Kamloops Blazers forward JP Hurlbert, who grew up dreaming of wearing a Red Wings jersey.
The Allen, Texas native is coming off one of the most impressive rookie seasons the WHL has seen in years, posting 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games with the Kamloops Blazers, finishing fourth in the entire league in scoring and earning WHL Rookie of the Year honors in the process.
Hurlbert spoke to Sportsnet's Ailish Forfar shortly after his selection and made it clear that being picked by Detroit is about more than just hockey for him.
"I was a Red Wings fan growing up. My whole family is from Detroit. It's so special to be able to put on this jersey. I'm so excited."
"That's how I got into hockey. I was a Red Wings fan. My grandpa, my whole family is from Detroit. It's so special to be able to put on this jersey. I'm so excited."
The six-foot, 190 pound forward will enter the organization with high expectations as the piece Detroit sent to Utah in Sebastian Cossa is widely viewed as a potential difference-maker at the NHL level as early as next season, meaning the pressure on Hurlbert to deliver early on.
The Red Wings trade their way into the first round and draft J.P. Hurlbert with the 23rd overall pick ☑️ pic.twitter.com/L6qOQaB0sf
What Red Wings fans can be sure of is that they are getting a player who is deeply passionate about the organization and will pour everything into representing it well. Detroit fans may not have to wait long for a first look either. Hurlbert has committed to the University of Michigan, putting him in close proximity to the Red Wings organization and his family in the area.
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CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 26: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field on June 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to another edition of a recap of a game the Guardians have played eighty-five million times this season. They have lost a 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, or 3-2 game for the 175th time this season. It is an MLB record.
Joey Cantillo was good, again, tonight. He’s begun spinning his breaking pitches much more effectively recently, something that has yielded great success for him. Even though the Mariners have been bad against LHP this season, Cantillo was still able to shut them down quickly and effectively. He went 6 innings, striking out 9, and giving up his only run of the night on a homer from Colt Emerson (an Ohio native, if anyone were surprised).
Khalil Watson cares! He drove in the only run of the night, tonight, on an RBI double off the left field wall.
Khalil Watson is responsible for driving in 6 of the Guardians last 9 runs if you were wondering how the offense has been.
Herrin pitched again. In the 7th inning. Yay. Walked Cal Raleigh (.575 OPS) and Dominic Canzone (23 PA vs LHP) to start the inning. Got old friend Josh Naylor to ground into a double play on the first pitch, but then Travis Bazzana was unable to come up with another groundball, leading to the go-ahead run scoring.
Espino gave up a run in the 8th on a Rodriguez RBI single.
Manzardo, Rocchio, and Watson went strikeout-strikeout-groundout to end the game.
In what was, yet again, an uninspiring performance from both the offense and bullpen, the Guardians dropped the series opener against a struggling Mariners team, 3-1.
It’ll be Cecconi vs. Gilbert/Hancock (piggybacking) tomorrow night.
Zach Thornton took the mound for the Mets on Friday night for just the second time in his career, and it was awfully impressive.
Going up against the high-powered Phillies and with Zack Wheeler on the mound, Thornton held his own, allowing just one run across six innings while striking out seven batters. Although the Mets fell 2-1, Thornton was impressive.
"You have to be pleased with the pitching tonight. Zach Thornton was really good," Mets interim manager Andy Green said after the game. "Talking about a young kid who gets a barreled up three consecutive times. Gets a mound visit, settles in and gives us six great innings....Thought he was great."
As Green alluded to, Thornton's night started off precariously. He allowed three straight hits and the Phillies to drive in a run, but retired the next three hitters (two on strikeouts) to escape further trouble.
Green said that Thornton mixed his pitches effectively, speeding up hitters with his fastball, allowing his offspeed pitches to be more effective. He also liked the young left-hander's aggressive approach.
"He really attacked, went after aggressively, that’s what you’re looking for in a young guy," Green said. "We knew that was inside of him and who he is that he showed at every level. It’s good at this stage for everyone to see that from him."
"Got the nerves out in that first game, now I just go out there and compete," Thornton said of the difference between his first start and second.
A big part of Thornton's night was the defense behind him. First baseman Jared Young grabbed a screamer hit down the line for the second out of the first to help the youngster get out of the inning. Young would catch a few other snares hit at him throughout the night and Francisco Lindor made a couple as well, all in support of Thornton, which helped settle him down.
"Let's me pitch freely in the zone knowing I got Francisco Lindor there at shortstop," Thornton said.
Thornton became just the fifth left-hander in franchise history to record at least seven strikeouts in one of their first two major league appearances (David Peterson, 2020). Friday was also just the third time this season a Mets pitcher threw six-plus innings, struck out, seven or more batters and allowed one or zero runs.
So, did that start earn Thornton another go through the rotation? Green was non-committal, stating the organization had to figure out the pitching order since Christian Scott is to be activated for Saturday's start. A pitcher will need to be optioned to activate him, and Thornton could be the unlucky pitcher.
Whichever direction the Mets choose to go with Thornton, Friday's start has instilled in the 24-year-old that he can pitch at this level.
"Gives me the confidence that I can compete with the best out there and get anyone out," Thornton said of his performance. "I want to pitch in the big leagues for a long time and I think I can do that."
The Vegas Golden Knights entered Friday without a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They changed that before the San Jose Sharks selected Ivar Stenberg at 2nd overall.
Of course, they had to give something to get something. And the something they gave was
The Golden Knights sent 25-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev, a Restricted Free Agent and their two-time leading goalscorer, to the Big Apple in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026, a third-round pick in 2026, and a first-round pick in 2028.
The New York Rangers quickly signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $11 million contract. That’s a deal the Golden Knights were never going to agree to, as they currently have just $4,625,000 in salary cap space and only 13 skaters signed. They’ll gain another $8,800,000 in relief if they put Alex Pietrangelo on Season Ending LTIR, but that’s still a far cry from being able to afford giving Dorofeyev $77 million.
Dorofeyev was a rare home-grown talent, selected 79th overall by the Golden Knights in 2019. He broke into the NHL in 2023 and went on to lead the team in goals for two straight seasons, scoring 35 in 2024-25 and 37 in 2025-26.
In their pursuit of success, the Golden Knights have flipped almost every prospect or draft pick with value for players to help them win now. As a result, they’ve enjoyed unprecedented success over their nine-year history. But now, the cupboard is bare.
Because the Golden Knights weren’t going to write Dorofeyev the check he wanted, trading him was the only option. But did they get enough in return to justify losing their best goalscorer?
On one hand, the Golden Knights turned a third-round pick in 2019 into the 26th overall pick in the 2026 Draft. On paper, that’s an excellent return on investment, especially since just eight players drafted by Vegas went on to play at least 100 NHL games. Only four did so with the Golden Knights, and just one– Kaedan Korczak– is still with the organization.
On the other hand, for all their elite offensive talent, the Golden Knights don’t have many players who want to put the puck in the back of the net.
No Golden Knight has scored more goals over the past two seasons than Dorofeyev, who scored a total of 72. The next closest scorers were Tomáš Hertl with 56 and Jack Eichel with 55. After that, it’s a pretty steep drop-off— Mark Stone with 47, Ivan Barbashev with 46, and Brett Howden with 35.
The Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final this year and were just two wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup in four years. And then, an old demon reared its ugly head, and the 2025-26 season ended the exact same way that the 2024-25 season did.
After scoring 13 goals through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights scored just five goals over their final three games.
Dorofeyev scored the Golden Knights’ only two goals in Game 5, and they were shut out in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. For the second straight year, their season ended because they couldn’t score a single goal.
Can two first-round picks and a third-rounder replace Dorofeyev, who scored 37 regular-season goals and 12 in the postseason? Is the return enough to replace Dorofeyev and his 20 power-play goals during the 2025-26 season?
