The Calgary Flames pulled off a couple of headline-stealing moves before and after the NHL Draft. First, they acquired defenseman Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils and stuck to their guns and kept their ninth overall pick. Then, when the dust settled on the first week of free agency, the Flames dealt veteran leader Blake Coleman to the Minnesota Wild.
Despite taking significant steps to continue their rebuild, Bleacher Report viewed Calgary's offseason as more average than impactful, handing the Flames a C+ grade.
Everyone knew going into the offseason that Calgary wouldn't make any big pitches in free agency; instead, their focus was on making room for prospects to crack the NHL lineup. As the days passed, the rumors continued to swirl around Coleman, who was entering the final year of his current deal, and many wondered if he'd be moved, despite his wishes to stay, to free up a spot for a youngster.
In the deal with the Wild, the Flames traded away Coleman and Olli Määttä in exchange for more draft picks and Jacob Middleton. Of course, draft capital can go a long way in a rebuild, but at first glance, Middleton will not have the same impact in the lineup as Coleman once did. It will be interesting to revisit this deal in a couple of years, when General Manager Craig Conroy uses or flips the draft picks.
Meanwhile, part of the skepticism stems from the expectation that Calgary could take another step backward in the standings in 2026-27. While the Flames continue to build around young players like Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato and Zayne Parekh, the roster still lacks the offensive firepower needed to compete for a playoff spot and stop being one of the NHL's lowest-scoring teams.
Calgary fans have experienced a rebuild paying off before. After drafting players like Sam Bennett, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Tkachuk in the early 2010s, the Flames eventually developed into a Pacific Division champion. Right now, the organization hopes its current young core can follow a similar path, even if that success is still a few seasons away.
Whether Bleacher Report's C+ offseason grade turns out to be accurate will depend largely on Calgary's young core. If Nemec develops into the top-pair defenseman, someone fills the leadership role vacated by Coleman, and prospects like Parekh, Coronato, and Wolf continue their upward trajectory to stardom, this offseason could eventually be viewed far more favorably than it is today.
18 Apr 1998: Right wing Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche in action during a game against the Detroit Red Wings at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Red Wings 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport | Getty Images
Colorado Avalanche News
After acquiring the pick in the Valeri Nichushkin trade, the Avalanche selected Egor Shilov at No. 43 overall — a dynamic offensive talent with all the skill in the world. [The Hockey News]
Predicting Cale Makar’s next mega contract for the Colorado Avalanche. [SI]
Colorado Avalanche name Jussi Ahokas as Head Coach of their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. [CHL]
News Around the League
Tragic new details of Claude Lemieux’s final hours now revealed. [Toronto Sun]
Another Canucks management lesson: the failure of Steve Yzerman. [Ottawa Citizen]
Vancouver ordered to clear salary cap space amid their ongoing rebuild. [Pro Hockey Rumors]
Celebrini is open to taking discount on his next contract to help San Jose. [The Score]
Five NHL stars who could soon demand max contracts. [Sportsnet]
Blackhawks sign star Bedard to a five-year, $75M contract. [TSN]
Hurricanes’ Assistant GM Tyler Dellow celebrates his day with the Stanley Cup [NHL.com]
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 19: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with teammate Mickey Moniak #22 after his two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on July 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies have begun the second half of their season with a series loss against the Cincinnati Reds at home. Tonight, they begin a three-game set against the Washington Nationals and then set out on the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres.
There are 61 games left in the season, and there are a few storylines worth watching as we look to the second half.
The trade deadline
The first, and perhaps most important, storyline of the second half is what the Rockies will do ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. They are clearly in line to be sellers — if they want to be. Historically, the Rockies have not been terribly active at the trade deadline, but that could change this year under a new front office.
There are some interesting potential trade chips this year. The most likely players to be traded will be a combination of veteran players, as some of the younger players such as TJ Rumfield, Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg, are seen as part of the team’s future. These could include the following:
Antonio Senzatela
Jake McCarthy
Mickey Moniak
Willi Castro
However, it’s also possible that the Rockies move some of their younger non-rookies:
Hunter Goodman
Juan Mejia
Brenton Doyle
Ezequiel Tovar
The Goodman question is, perhaps, the most intriguing one — Do you keep your 26-year-old, back-to-back All-Star and build the next contending Rockies team around him? Or do you trade him for what could potentially be a massive haul for the next contending Rockies team?
Moving on from Moniak and/or McCarthy would open up a space for Charlie Condon and/or Zac Veen (more on that later), while moving on from Senzatela during his renaissance season could bring back a good return as well.
The rookies
The three rookies mentioned above — Rumfield, Karros and Carrigg — have all made their marks in the early season. Rumfield is making a Rookie of the Year case for himself, while Carrigg might be sneakily making his own under-the-radar case.
Through July 18, Rumfield is slashing .302/.384/.485 with 35 extra-base hits through 97 games. He took the bull by the horns in his first game and hasn’t turned back. Sure, he’s had some stretches where he’s struggled a little bit, but Rumfield made adjustments as the league has adjusted to him. And he’s been a defensive wizard at first base, which is not something that’s happened in a long time.
Carrigg has so far lived up to his “hair on fire” reputation. After making his MLB debut on June 9, Carrigg has played in 33 games and slashed .288/.371/.529 with 14 extra-base hits. He has only stolen two bases, but that should tick up as he stole 30 in Albuquerque before his call-up. Carrigg has also brought a spark to this team, as they have gone 15-18 since his debut.
Karros started off slow, slashing just .215/.316/.319 with 11 extra-base hits through May 31. Somewhere in early June, Karros made some swing adjustments and has hit .319/.409/.588 with 18 extra-base hits.
This trio of young players is likely part of the next Rockies’ core, and is showing the characteristics that the Rockies are looking for. Rumfield has the slugging capability; Carrigg has the speed on the basepaths and the “never say die” attitude; and Karros has the plate discipline and high OBP. All three have defensive prowess. They will certainly be players to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Call-ups
If players are traded, that should make room for some prospects to get promoted. We’ve already seen eight players make their MLB debuts for the Rockies:
Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) made his MLB debut last year and struggled mightily. Behind the scenes, there was a bigger story behind his struggles. But now that Veen is clean and sober, he has been absolutely tearing up the Pacific Coast League. Through July 18, Veen has slashed .314/.389/.578 with 48 extra-base hits (27 doubles, 5 triples, 16 home runs) and 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts. In his first cup of coffee, Veen played in just 12 games and went 4-for-34 with a double and a home run, but also struck out 14 times (41.2%). Perhaps with a new perspective (and a new body), Veen would be more successful in a second stint.
Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) has also been demolishing Triple-A and knocking on the door for his debut. The 2024 first-round pick also participated in the Futures Game for the second straight year, and probably won’t be long for Albuquerque. In 81 games, Condon is slashing .287/.409/.573 with 42 extra-base hits (16 doubles, 6 triples, 20 homers). He has just six stolen bases in eight attempts, but that’s less a part of his game than Veen’s. While Condon competed with Rumfield for first base in spring training, it looks like that position is locked up for the foreseeable future, so Condon would likely slide into the outfield once he’s called up. He’s spent about equal time at first base (47 games) and right field (37 games), so he could serve as a right-handed platoon bat at either position.
The others on the above list will likely make at least another cameo, except for Herrera who is recovering from a torn UCL. And there may be other call-ups. We just won’t know until the dust settles after the trade deadline.
The rotation
The Rockies’ rotation is filled with question marks once again, as the veteran signings haven’t quite panned out like they hoped they would, and Chase Dollander suffered a season-ending elbow injury in May that resulted in internal brace surgery.
The biggest questions will be who they keep at the end of the year, and if they trade anyone at the deadline. Of the Opening Day Five — Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano, José Quintana and Ryan Feltner — the first four are on expiring contracts, though Freeland and Lorenzen have options for the 2027 season. Feltner is entering his third year of arbitration, while Gordon is still under full team control until 2029 when he becomes arbitration eligible.
However, they have been auditioning younger guys — namely Sean Sullivan and Gabriel Hughes — to mixed results. Sullivan made his MLB debut on June 12 against the Athletics in Las Vegas, where he gave up just two hits and struck out two batters across three innings before being lifted due to illness. Unfortunately, it has all been downhill from there, as he has given up 22 runs across his last four starts (19.1 innings). Hughes, meanwhile, made his debut on July 3 (after being called up on July 1) and earned a three-inning save in the 15-3 victory. He’s since made two starts — one on the road at Dodger Stadium and the other at home — and has allowed five runs on nine hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts across 11.1 innings of work.
There will be a lot of decisions coming in the next few weeks to determine the outlook of the 2027 (and even the 2026) rotation.
Final record
The Rockies are on pace for about a 64-98 final record. That would be a 21-win improvement from 2025. For comparison, the Chicago White Sox improved by 19 games in 2025 after their historically bad 2024, so it’s not out of the question. And considering where this team has been the last few years, I will go on the record to say if they lose fewer than 100 games this year, Warren Schaeffer deserves Manager of the Year consideration (though he — like Rumfield, or any other Rockie in the last few years — won’t get it).
Closing thoughts
The final 61 games of the 2026 season are going to be a wild ride unlike any we’ve seen from the Rockies in recent years. It’s been an interesting year so far, and it will just get more so as we get to the trade deadline and through the final stretch.
Which storylines will you be watching most closely? Let us know in the comments!
The Isotopes struggled at the hands of the River Cats (Giants). They were held scoreless for the first six innings before Jordan Beck finally broke through in the seventh with a solo home run. Unfortunately, that was the only scoring of the game. Ryan Ritter, playing shortstop, went 2-for-3 with a walk. Beck, Charlie Condon, Conner Capel and Drew Avans each recorded a hit to total six for the lineup.
Andrew Baker started the game, pitching two innings and allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Eiberson Castellano then pitched the next five, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts over five innings of work. Seth Halvorsen then pitched a scoreless inning, but Victor Juarez allowed one final run in the ninth.
The Yard Goats fared a little bit better than the Isotopes, but they blew a late lead by giving up four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to the Baysox (Orioles). Jose Torres got things started for the Goats with an RBI single in the second to put them up 1-0. But Brandon Butterworth answered back in the fourth, belting a solo homer off (pitcher) to tie things up. Dyan Jorge singled in the sixth two score Torres and Andy Perez, but then Willy Vasquez hit a two-run double in the seventh to tie things once again. Mike Antico singled to score Torres in the eighth, but Thomas Sosa belted a two-run homer in the eighth to seal the victory for the Baysox.
Jackson Cox (No. 16 PuRP) had a solid outing, allowing just the one solo homer on four hits with six strikeouts. But Carlos Torres and Sam Weatherly struggled in the late innings, each giving up two runs in one inning apiece. Weatherly gave up the two run homer to Sosa, earning him both his third blown save of the year as well as saddling him with his fourth loss.
It was a football-scoring game in Spokane, as the Indians managed just a field goal against the three touchdowns scored by the Aquasox (Mariners). They mustered seven hits, but the scoring went quiet after the fourth inning. The three RBIs came from Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP), Tanner Thach and Kelvin Hidalgo.
The Indians ran out six different pitchers, and none of them recorded a clean inning. Only two — Ismael Luciano and Francis Rivera — escaped without giving up a home run. Hunter Omlid took the worst of it, though, allowing seven runs on four hits with two walks and three homers across just one-third of an inning. In total, the pitching staff gave up 17 hits, 21 runs (all earned), 13 walks and six home runs.
The Grizzlies were the only victorious affiliate tonight, as they held the Rawhide (Diamondbacks) to just one run scored in the second inning. The Grizzlies scored their two runs in the fourth and sixth, respectively.
The Visalia run came off a homer by Adrian De Leon in the second inning. But Derek Bernard answered back with a homer of his own in the fourth, while Kyle Fossum singled to score Bernard in the sixth and put the Grizzlies back on top. Riley Kelly pitched an outstanding game, going six innings and allowing just the one run with one walk while racking up 11 strikeouts. Yanzel Correa relieved him, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out four. Dylan Crooks earned his sixth save of the year by allowing just one hit and striking out one in his singular inning of work.
Kyle Newman writes about how Hughes has been adjusting to the majors, as well as his journey to get there. He also writes about how Hughes can potentially fit into a staff filled with “C-list veterans” as they haven’t been able to field many good homegrown starters. Perhaps Hughes can start the next wave of that.
It’s been no secret that Ezequiel Tovar has struggled mightily in 2026. At the beginning of the season, after the World Baseball Classic, it looked like Tovar might take a big step forward after a down 2025. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. But Thomas Harding caught up with the shortstop about how he hopes to take a step forward after the All-Star break.
Jul 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; A Detroit Tigers fan holds a sign urging pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) to remain with the team before the MLB game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Happy Monday, everyone! We’re fully into the second half of the season now. With that, we will be hearing a lot about the trade deadline and which teams seem poised for a potential postseason run. It’s wild to think that we are already thinking about that, but such is the course of the season. We wait and wait until the baseball season starts, and then before we have a chance to even think about it, the season is halfway over.
To lead off our Monday, we’re looking at some injury updates from Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, a sad update from what was meant to be a very happy weekend in Toronto, and looking at some trade deadline questions and speculation.
It is with profound sadness that the Blue Jays mourn the passing of pitcher Duane Ward
Duane arrived in Toronto on Friday alongside his 1992 and 1993 teammates but was absent from Saturday’s ceremony … He passed away in Toronto of natural causes
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) July 19, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 23: A general view of the Giants equipment rack before the start of the game between the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants on May 23, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
It’s a full week of interleague play for the San Francisco Giants this week.
First up, the Giants take a quick trip east for a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals starting tonight. After that, they head back to Oracle Park to welcome the Los Angeles Angels to town for a weekend series.
As usual, it’s time to pick which series we’re most interested in this week. And I am met with a difficult decision, because the Royals and the Angels are (as of the time this is being written) two of the only teams in baseball with worse records than the Giants. They are also both former World Series adversaries. And I have much fonder memories of the 2014 World Series than I do the 2002 World Series. So I’m going to go ahead and pick the Royals.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants play the first of three against the Royals tonight at 4:40 p.m. PT.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 12: Liam Doyle #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals on the National League Team pitches during the 2026 MLB Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, I’m only going to cover the Memphis Redbirds and the starting pitching prospects at Springfield. On Thursday, the relievers at Springfield and the lower minors, but not the rookie leagues. I gave the update on the rookie leagues earlier this month. But there really aren’t that many interesting rookie league pitchers so it wouldn’t have added a ton to this post.
The problem Quinn Mathews is currently facing is that he has not managed to string many starts together where he seemed to have control. He walked four guys in his first start this season, and then over a period of three consecutive starts, the best he did all year was 5 walks. But you could only find one three-start period where he did that. His next highest was 6 walks over 3 games. Same thing. You were more likely to look at his last three starts and see 9 or 10 walks than 5 or 6.
Good news however: his most recent three starts involved just 3 total walks, for a BB% of 4.4%. I’m not sure what kind of sample the Cardinals are looking for, I kind of think they’d walk better control over a longer period than just three starts. But he might get called up next week. It is important to note that might actually have more to do with the no off-days in the schedule than them actually thinking he’s ready. But that’s his big thing right now: if only he walked less, he’d be in St. Louis already.
Speaking of inconsistency, Hence has not managed to find a rhythm this year at all. His ERA is updated, but his other stats will get worse because he threw 0.1 IP with a BB and HR allowed yesterday. Moved to the bullpen for what I would have assumed were innings concerns, there are now performance concerns. He seems to be facing an entirely different problem than he has in the past, when it was pretty much purely injury concerns. The good/bad news is that something has changed in his delivery or mechanics. And that’s good news because you change mechanics or delivery back to what it was before. The bad news is that if he never finds it again, he doesn’t have a future MLB career. He’s still just 23.
Tekoah Roby, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect)
Acquired: Traded with Thomas Saggese and John King for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Stats: N/A
Roby underwent Tommy John surgery in the middle of last season and is not likely to pitch this season.
I feel like Mathews has gotten plenty of headlines about how much he has struggled with control, but Mautz is really getting much attention and he’s been worse. He has a good ERA, somehow, but every other stat is not good. He isn’t striking out a lot of hitters and he’s walking a ton of them. The Cardinals are clearly avoiding calling up Mautz – they’ve had chances and they went with journeymen – and looking at these stats, I understand why.
So obviously rehab appearances are not about stats, but I would call these numbers concerning. My first instinct is that he’s still not healthy. He could just as easily be rusty. Certainly if his whole rehab goes like this, I would imagine he’s shut down again.
Hunter Dobbins, RHP – 26
Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aitia for Willson Contreras
Last season, Dobbins threw just 78.2 IP all year. This year, he’s already at 84 innings. With over two months left to play, I think it’s pretty clear the Cardinals aren’t going to seriously restrict his innings, but I also think they’re trying to do minor stuff here and there to keep his innings lower than his full potential. Because he’s made 18 appearances across both the majors and minors, he’s one start behind all the MLB guys, and he’s thrown 24 less innings than McGreevy, 14 less innings than both May and Pallante, and 4 less innings than Kyle Leahy – who has also made 18 starts, but is making his 19th start tonight. He did throw 125 innings in 2024, so I assume the Cardinals hope he’ll reach that at least.
Pete Hansen, LHP – 25
Acquired: 3rd round pick, 97 overall in 2022 draft
I’ll give Pete this: he’s hanging in there. I haven’t really been a believer of his, because he’s always been okay while never being the young guy. He’s never been old for his level necessarily, just a guy posting okay stats at AA at 24-years-old is not going to get my attention. But he’s mostly maintaining his production at each stop. He struck out 21.1% of people in Springfield, so far it’s even gone up a bit. He’s been worse because of the walks, but as you can see with Mautz and Mathews, it’s apparently hard to not walk guys in Memphis and 8.5% is perfectly respectable. While his stats remain okay, this is probably the first time I can squint and see him with an MLB career.
Sem Robberse, RHP – 24(VEB’s #13 prospect in 2025)
Acquired: Traded with Adam Kloffenstein for Jordan Hicks
See, now this, this is the kind of performance I want to see in rehab. Who cares about the ERA in 9 IP? He has not walked a single batter and almost everything is being hit on the ground. Great sign. He only threw 14.2 IP last season, so I’m not sure how much they’re going to ramp him up cause obviously it’s going to be pretty easy to beat 14.2 IP with any kind of health.
The Cardinals traded two months of Phil Maton and one of the pieces they got back, who had made 7 appearances in High A at the time of the time, is in AAA less than a year later. Here’s some more fun news: Mason Molina was originally drafted by the Brewers, who traded him to the Rangers for Grant Anderson, a perfectly cromulent but whatever reliever. Molina will probably have to get groundballs at some point to be a starter though – not a lot, but he’d allow too many homers with anything lower than 30%.
Not really stats that make you think he belongs in the big leagues, actually I would describe those stats as good enough for exactly the role he has now – bullpen shuttle reliever.
Hancel Rincon, RHP – 24
Acquired: Internatonal amateur free agent signing of the Dominican Republic in 2019
That’s about as clear-cut of a multi-inning reliever as you’ll get. His three starts were not actually starts, at least not 5 IP starts. He has walked give guys in his two most recent appearances so I don’t think he’s close to getting called up.
Love ended up with not particularly impressive numbers in Springfield despite a fantastic start. The Cardinals promoted him anyway and I guess it shouldn’t be a shock that he has struggled. I was kind of hoping he was going to be an effective reliever, but given his age, it does appear to be a true longshot, despite him being on the door step to the big leagues.
I got to tell you, sharing the pitching stats are a real bummer. I’m pretty sure the offensive environment is a little bit crazy, so understand that a decent or even seemingly below average looking line is actually fine. But that is not an argument that these are good stats. These are an improvement over his performance last season in AAA, although it’s mostly just because he’s getting a lot of groundballs.
Well bad news: Winquest got rocked yesterday. I updated the ERA, not the other stats. And the other stats will get worse, mainly because he allowed a homer and didn’t strike anybody out. Good news though is that the K/BB ratio certainly suggests he’s very close to being MLB ready.
Murphy is a good example of how an injury can derail a career. Murphy had 11 good starts in AA – albeit a little over 3 innings per start – and then he essentially missed his the rest of that season and the next season (which was mostly spent on rehab appearances). So the Cardinals grabbed him up and ploppped him in the bullpen. And there might be something here with his GB rate being so high.
We probably should have expected some growing pains with Doyle. It was known he needed to work on his secondaries. And sometimes that leads to games like yesterday, when he walked 5 guys and struck out just 3 guys. Yesterday’s stats are not reflected in his FIP or xFIP, so those will be worse when you read this. But he is still missing quite a few bats, balls are maybe falling more often than they would in the majors, and I really don’t think the Cardinals care about Doyle’s specific stats.
Jurrangelo Cjintje, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #5 prospect)
Acquired: Traded with Tai Peete in 3-team trade for Brendan Donovan
Yes, I am aware Cjinjte is now in Memphis. He made his first start for Memphis yesterday, and wasn’t very good, allowing 6 ER in 3.2 IP and more walks than strikeouts. This is really not surprising because his stats at Springfield weren’t very good. So interesting move to promote him. I think the Cardinals are not looking at the same stats we are, or at least he’s doing something they are encouraged by that isn’t necessarily reflected in the stats themselves.
Brandon Clarke, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #9 prospect)
Acquired: Traded with Richard Fitts and Patrick Galle for Sonny Gray
You would have legitimately no clue that Clarke actually pitched pretty poorly on Saturday, because the attention was rightfully on the fact that he threw 103 mph. But he walked two and struck out 1 of the 7 batters he faced while giving up two runs. It also speaks to the fact that rehab appearances don’t really matter. When the Cardinals deem him ready for Springfield, that’s when I’m going to care that he’s walking more than he’s striking out.
As good as Hjerpe’s stats are so far…. he is not beating the reliever allegations with them. I’ve pitched it before, but certainly someone who is striking out 44% of batters could probably be an MLB reliever right now. I wouldn’t promote him right now, but I definitely would like to see him get innings in September. I don’t think this is a giving up on starting move – he didn’t throw an inning last season, so I don’t think the Cardinals are going to have him throw more than a few innings per start anyway. If the Cardinals are still in contention, try using him as a lefty weapon out of the bullpen. That’s just my hope.
Chen-Wei Lin, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect in 2025)
Acquired: International amateur free agent signing out of Taiwan in 2023
While these are certainly not what I wuld call good stats, he is striking out 27% of batters while having a greater than 50% GB rate. There’s a starter toolkit here and considering injuries restricted him to 50.1 IP, it’s good to see he has been healthy.
I know Chaim Bloom has a reputation for taking things slow with pitchers, but there are kind of lot of pitchers in this system that were seemingly promoted aggressively and who don’t have particularly great stats at that aggressive placement. Davis made 8 total starts last year and missed a lot of bats and missed the strike zone a good amount. If they repeated Davis in High A, I’m sure they were confident he would have good stats, so they wanted to push him. I just kind of get the feeling that the Cardinals don’t want their starters to be too dominant because then they aren’t being challenged enough.
Blake Aitia, RHP – 23
Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Hunter Dobbins for Willson Contreras
Davis is followed by another pitcher who honestly proves my point more. It does not feel like Aita gets promoted in an organization that promotes its pitchers too slow. It could be an entirely AAA to majors reputation that Bloom got here. It feels like pitchers are promoted aggressively honestly.
Thompson is currently in Springfield, hence why he isn’t in the Memphis section. Props to Randy Flores on picking this guy up in the 17th round, regardless of how far he ends up making it, Thompson looks more like a potential MLBer than the vast, vast, vast majority of 17th rounders ever do and that alone makes it a good pick.
And that’s where I’m going to stop. It felt kind of awkward, because I reached the end of Memphis and noticed that covering all of Springfield would actually make this a fairly long post, but I didn’t want to ignore Springfield completely, so today you get the starters, and on Thursday, you get the relievers plus the lower minors. Covering all the bullpen pitchers really adds up. Thankfully, I can pretty much ignore the bullpen guys in the lower minors. So I will get the pitching section finished on Thursday.
CORAL GABLES - MAY 09: Louisville outfielder Zion Rose (32) bats in the fifth inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Louisville Cardinals on May 9, 2026, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, FL. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“It stinks for everybody to be out there in that situation,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You never want to be in that spot (late in the game), but that’s the spot we put ourselves in. And you know, with seven more games before an off-day, you’ve got to get a position player out there to keep people fresh to pitch tomorrow.”
There will be interest in relievers John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV and Alex Lange, too. But the most intriguing part of this Deadline will be what the Royals decide to do with their two veteran starters, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the latter of whom is probably the Royals’ best trade chip this year. But trading them away is not so simple.
“Those [are] two guys we’re going to count on,” Picollo said. “We already have needs in our rotation. We’ll be open-minded to anything. But we have to be very, very pointed in what we want to get out of any one of those two. And also, they made a commitment to us. I think that’s important to the morale of the team. Where you have two guys that have done what they’ve done in their careers, and they want to be here.
“With that being said, teams want to talk about them — it’s never going to hurt to at least listen. I think those guys understand that.”
“You know, every day I hear somebody tell me about that,” Perez said of the record. “So it’s hard not to think about it. I don’t try to think about it when I’m hitting. I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself, you know.
“I try to see the ball and hit the ball. When it happens, I’m happy. Hopefully, I can do that quick.”
“He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday morning. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”
“I’m grateful to be here, with an organization that cares about their players, cares about their development, cares about the team,” Rose said. “A city that backs their team. I’m excited to get going.”
“I hate losing and I hate losing against people,” Rose said. “And I feel like, in this game, everything is a competition.
“It’s so great because it’s a team game, but in the box it’s one on one. So it’s me versus the pitcher. You know, I could care less who’s up there (pitching), and that’s the great part about it.
Trey Gibson had the start today and pitched well despite taking the a loss. He allowed a run on a walk and a triple, but covered four innings and allowed just the one run. The game remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, when three runs came in against Hans Crouse before Crouse had retired a single hitter. On the other hand, Yaramil Hiraldo, Nick Raquet, Yaqui Rivera and Enoli Paredes all had scoreless outings.
Norfolk had just two hits on the day, a single apiece from Silas Ardoin and Enrique Bradfield Jr.
Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Baysox stormed back with four late runs, their second comeback win of the weekend
Brandon Butterworth got the scoring going for Chesapeake with a home run in the fourth. In the seventh, Willy Vasquez knocked in a two-run double. In the bottom of the eighth, Thomas Sosa hit a two-run homer, scoring himself and Aron Estrada.
Luis de León pitched well, with 4.2 one-run innings where he struck out five. He was followed by Zane Barnhart, who allowed two runs in under an inning. Micah Ashman threw 1.2 scoreless, Christian Heberholz allowed one run, and Jeisson Cabrera got the save.
High-A: Frederick Keys 17, Greenville Drive (BOS) 6
A day after scoring 12 runs on 20 hits on in Greenville, Frederick blasted six home runs in a 17-run, 25-hit donnybrook. This was a lot of hits. RJ Austin went 4-for-6. Ike Irish 4-for-7 with two home runs and six RBI. Creed Willems, in High-A rehabbing, finished 3-for-6 with a homer. Wehiwa Aloy went 4-for-5. I’ll put it this way: the top six Keys hitters each had two or more hits, and three each had four.
Starter J.T. Quinn gave up four runs in 2.2 innings on a three-run home run. Following Quinn, the bullpen pitched a solid 6.1 one-run innings. That comprised Todd Kniebbe, Riley Cooper, Cohen Achen, Trent Turzenski, Chandler Marsh, and Braeden Sloan.
Low-A: Salem RidgeYaks (BOS) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 2
Starting pitcher Dalton Neuschwander got jumped on early, allowing three runs on a first-inning home run. He’d pitch into the fourth and allow one run after that.
The Shorebirds got two runs back in the second inning on a Junior Aybar RBI single and a double steal!
It was a three-hit day for Perez and a two-hit day for Mejía. DJ Layton hit a double. Jordan Sanchez, Andrés Nolaya, Elvin García, Miguel Rodríguez and Aybar each had a one-hit day.
The pitchers who followed Neuschwander kept it together: Adrian Heredia threw 2.1 scoreless innings. Brendan Parks threw 1.1 scoreless, and Zac Lampton each threw an inning-plus without letting in a run.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 19: Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after his team's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2026 NBA Summer League championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 19, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 94-90. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is not smart to overreact to what you see in NBA summer league; there are just too many examples of great players getting off to a bad start to their pro careers in Las Vegas.
Cooper Flagg and Victor Wembanyama didn’t have amazing summer league debuts. Jalen Brunson struggled mightily, Draymond Green was really bad, and Coby White couldn’t buy a bucket. Summer league is not that important. With that being said, it’s the end of July, and there isn’t much else to write about until LeBron James finally signs, so here are some summer league takeaways that verge into being overreactions based on what we saw in the sample in Las Vegas.
Peterson was something of a mystery box coming out of Kansas because he looked like a completely different player from high school to college. As a senior at Prolific Prep, Peterson had the look of a heliocentric guard who could pressure the rim and overwhelm opponents physically. The college version had to adjust after soft tissue strains and cramping zapped some of his explosiveness, and he promptly turned into an off-ball gunner who did most of his scoring from the perimeter.
Peterson said he’s healthy now, and after watching him at summer league, it feels like he’s better suited to run around screens and maximize his three-point rate than trying to be a do-everything guard right away. The Jazz already have a solid point guard in Keyonte George, and what they really need next to him is a high-level defensive playmaker who stresses the defense with his shooting gravity. I think that could be the best version of Peterson early in his career, partially because he can be really good in those areas, and partially because his rim attacks don’t look particularly overpowering at the moment.
I wish I sent this tweet.
Darryn Peterson’s path to stardom as a player comp is Sonics Ray Allen
Peterson’s three-point rate (percentage of field goal attempts from three) dropped from 46% at Kansas to 33% throughout summer league. Meanwhile, he had nearly as many turnovers (24) as assists (26). Get those threes up, DP, and the Jazz will be better off for it.
Free Noa Essengue from the Bulls
The Bulls’ new braintrust of lead executive Bryson Graham and head coach Tiago Splitter did not draft Noa Essengue with the No. 12 overall pick a year ago. Essengue basically had the worst rookie season ever, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury before he scored his first point. He’s still just 19 years old, and figures to be just starting to scratch the surface of his long-term upside. Essengue needs live reps more than anything else after being sidelined since Nov., but he immediately found himself in the doghouse in summer league with Splitter coaching the Bulls for the first two games in Las Vegas.
It sure seems like Graham and Splitter don’t care much about Essengue, because he’s not their guy. Fair enough I suppose, but Essengue has intriguing physical tools, a history of performing well against older competition, and a real path toward one day becoming a useful player — unlike the vast majority of the SummerBulls roster outside of Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain. Essengue’s numbers weren’t even that bad, 62.4% true shooting, a 20 percent defensive rebounding rate, an 8.1% block rate, and a 3.3% steal rate.
Okay, there were some ugly moments, from bad turnovers to missed free throws to falling over every 30 seconds because he can’t handle physicality. But Essengue is only 19 — he’s six months younger than Caleb Wilson — and he has some real potential pathways to value in switchability on defense, offensive rebounding, transition spacing, and maybe eventually floor spacing. I had Essengue at No. 10 on my draft board last year, and I think it’s completely ridiculous that a team with as little talent as the Bulls is already apparently writing him off. Essengue needs a franchise that will invest in his development, not yank around his minutes in completely meaningless summer league games. If the Bulls don’t care about Essengue, another franchise will.
Two Lakers summer league players are the key to their regular season
The Lakers have arguably the best offensive backcourt in the NBA with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and now they have a very good rim protector in Walker Kessler behind them. There’s only one problem: Los Angeles still needs athletic defenders on the wings, and they don’t really have any way to acquire them after spending every possible future asset on Kessler. Would you believe me if I said the answer might be hiding on their summer league team?
Chris Mañon and Adou Thiero could be everything the Lakers need. Both young wings played great during summer league, and have the exact skill sets that could push the big league club over the top. Mañon was a monster defensive playmaker out of Vanderbilt who slipped in the 2025 draft because of his offensive limitations. He showed a little growth as a shooter in the G League last year, and if anyone can make his offense playable, it’s Luka. Mañon thrives as a disruptive defender who can blow up screens, pick shaky ball handlers, and dart in for blocks and steals in a free safety role. The Lakers badly need a bulldog at the point of attack, and Mañon will be excellent there if they give him a chance. Thiero is just an athletic freak with a rare blend of speed and power. He crushes in transition, and has the tools to defend wing scorers.
If the Lakers are smart, they will have a developmental plan for both players in place to hopefully shape them into real contributors come playoff time.
7 second-rounders who will be solid rotation players
The second round of the NBA Draft was supposedly destroyed by NIL. While I agree with that narrative to some extent, there are still going to be players picked in the second round this year who go on to good careers, and I think summer league helped prove it. Here are seven second rounders from the 2026 draft who can carve out careers in the NBA:
Bruce Thornton
Meleek Thomas
Henri Veesaar
Trevon Brazile
Jack Kayil
Baba Miller
Nick Martinelli
Thornton and Thomas are my favorite of the group, and both looked tremendous in Vegas. Brazile landed in a great situation in Denver where he’s a perfect complement to Nikola Jokic, while Kayil surpassed expectations for me, and Martinelli continued to look like the Julius Randle of the North Shore. There’s always talent in the draft, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.
Khaman Maluach will look like a future All-Star by the end of the year
I was super high on Maluach entering the 2025 draft, and I still believe even after essentially getting redshirted by the Suns as a rookie. The big man was absolutely dominant in summer league by putting up 19.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and two blocks per game with 40% shooting from three (on five attempts per game) and 70.4% true shooting.
I went over everything I love about Maluach on the Swish Theory podcast:
on Khaman Maluach:
"His Size is an A++ AND he can shoot!
Pure Play Finisher on Offense – he's gonna dunk the sh*t out of the ball and be a real weapon on pick-and-pops as a floor spacer.
Defensively, he's just the biggest guy in the world.
Yaxel Lendeborg will have a great career even if he’s an old rookie
The Warriors won the summer league championship behind the play of Yaxel Lendeborg. The rookie is just a couple months away from his 24th birthday, but his winding journey to the NBA is proof that players can develop on their own timelines and still reach the pinnacle of the sport.
I usually push back on the idea that older players are more “NBA ready” when they enter the draft. It’s true in Yaxel’s case. He’s going to be a valuable contributor to Golden State from day one.
Finding a candidate to lead the red-ball side is no easy task, with Ben Stokes gone and Brendon McCullum still around
As England’s men scatter for the Hundred, ready to pull on new colours, ingratiate themselves with their new paymasters and use the word “exciting” repeatedly, the management above them could be forgiven for letting out a sigh of relief.
Not that everything is shipshape going into their month-long recess. Far from it. Test cricket is king in this country, No 1 across all age groups and demographics – as per Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, in his Ashes review in March – and in that regard the first half of the season still goes down as a bit of a shambles.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 19: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship on July 19, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
At its heart, NBA Summer League basketball is a chance for teams to see their draftees and other young players in action, and how they respond, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and so on.
Players being competitive though, they want to do two things: make an impression as a potential NBA player, and, not incidentally, to win.
And while Cameron Boozer has a habit of winning, it didn’t work out this time, as Golden State got the championship Sunday night, in a 94-90 victory.
Boozer took a three-pointer with Memphis down 92-90 with about 0:08 to play, but missed.
Still, he made his point in Las Vegas. Boozer still has some doubters, but his new teammate, Cedric Coward, is very happy with what he’s seen from Boozer, saying this: “He’s special, man. I mean there’s no other words I can describe it. Like I told people before, I can’t believe he’s 18, but he’s a special, special player.”
The questions about Boozer always suggest that he’s not that athletic, but he actually outperformed former UNC star Caleb Wilson in the pre-draft agility drills. His vertical is not that great, but otherwise?
He’s better than people think.
Where he just kills people is with his overall grasp of the game, and his fundamentals. As Coward suggested, Boozer is way ahead of the curve for a teenager (he just turned 19 on Saturday, incidentally). And if you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, and you’re fairly rugged, you’re going to be able to make an impact.
We’d love to be a fly on the wall with the Grizzlies to get a better idea of what they learned about Boozer and how they plan to use him this upcoming season.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 19: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on July 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Colin Hubbard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley both delivered in big ways as the Braves once again beat the Rangers in a big series and Sunday win. While there were a few pitching concerns, the bats showed they are more than capable of producing wins. That is certainly a great sign for Atlanta, especially with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. drawing near. If the offense is ready to be among the best in the game again, that will certainly make winning a bit easier.
There was some clarification on the plan for Spencer Schwellenbach. He currently is in Florida throwing bullpen sessions and working his way toward live BP.
The salary cap proposal was coming anyway. The Dodgers did play through wildfire smoke at Yankee Stadium last Friday. No locusts, at least not yet.
But no one foretold that the star to whom the Dodgers agreed last winter to pay an average of $60 million each year would be, well, average.
Over the first half of the season, Tucker’s OPS+ was 100, making him a player defined by that metric as “league average.”
He is batting .240, 30 points below his career average. He is on pace for full-season career lows in home runs (11) and OPS (.702).
His WAR is 0.9, below the 1.3 of Tyler Glasnow. By that metric, Tucker has contributed less to the Dodgers’ success this season than Glasnow, who has pitched in seven of the team’s first 100 games.
Hardly anyone outside Los Angeles has noticed, and hardly anyone in Los Angeles has gotten all worked up about it.
“I appreciate that our fan base, compared to some others, gives a lot more grace to players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I know he sees that as well.”
Here is what Tucker’s trials have cost the Dodgers: Absolutely nothing.
He had two hits, both singles, in 13 at-bats as his team won the weekend series against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers remain the owners of the best record in the major leagues.
Tucker’s four-year contract, lucrative as it is, was not accompanied by a withering spotlight. He does not need to lift his team into the postseason, a burden often borne by marquee free agents signed to put their team over the top.
With the Dodgers?
Shohei Ohtani is the face of baseball. Freddie Freeman’s son walked around the All-Star Game in a T-shirt that read “My Dad Has 2,500 Hits.”
Mookie Betts last played here as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-winning right fielder; he returned as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.
“I think it certainly helps being around a lot of other guys who have high expectations,” Roberts said.
Neither rain nor smoke nor heat can keep the Dodgers from their appointed October rounds. They need Tucker to prosper then.
Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker singles during the second inning against the New York Yankees on Friday. (Caleb Bowlin / Getty Images)
“Obviously, we all want to play well all year,” Betts said. “It’s not like we’re kicking the can and nobody cares. Even then, we’d love to be ready in October.
“It’s really just about playing. You never know. You could have a great October and get one hit, and it could be the biggest hit.”
Said Tucker: “Everyone here is very talented. Everyone is here to help each other out. Everyone here just wants to get back to another World Series, and win it. So I’m trying to do my part and just play baseball.”
He insists he is not weighted down by the external expectations that accompany his contract.
“I think that’s the beauty of it, the thing that’s refreshing,” Betts said. “I don’t think he cares about any of that. He just wants to play well and do his thing and help the boys.
“I don’t think he really cares about the expectations.”
You may think “$60 million” when he comes to the plate. He does not.
“I try, regardless of what my situation is,” Tucker said. “Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve just got to try and do better.”
His strikeouts are up significantly this season. His bat speed is down slightly. His hard contact rate is down significantly.
He’s working on fixing his swing. He’s been working on it. He’ll keep working on it.
Roberts said the quality of Tucker’s at-bats have looked better over the past couple weeks, even if the results may not show it.
“The thing that I’ve appreciated since Day 1 is, he hasn’t run from his struggles,” Roberts said. “He’s owned it.”
Tucker made the All-Star Game in each of the four years preceding this one. The Dodgers are betting his level of performance will at least approach that in the second half.
Betts said he does not see anything specific to worry about with Tucker.
“I don’t see anything at all,” Betts said. “He’s a competitor. He’s already come through a bunch during the year. It’s not like he’s not doing anything.
“He’s not hitting .330 with 30 [home runs], like we all would dream we were doing, right? But, as a team, we’re doing OK.”
For now, the Dodgers are. Their true season starts in a little more than two months.
From Tucker, the accountability is appreciated. Production would be better.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell took to Instragam on Sunday to open up about the next chapter of his life after more than a decade in professional hockey, a message that effectively served as his retirement announcement from the NHL.
In the post, Campbell reflected on the journey that took him from a highly touted first-round pick to an NHL All-Star and, eventually, to a place where stepping away from the crease felt like the right decision. The tone was measured and grateful rather than dramatic. He spoke about closing one book and beginning another, emphasizing growth, perspective, and a desire to move forward with purpose beyond the ice as a life coach.
Campbell’s path was never linear. Long before the bright lights of Toronto or the pressure of a big free-agent contract in Edmonton, he publicly discussed the challenges of the pressure he had put on himself early career. As a high draft selection by the Dallas Stars in 2010, the expectations weighed heavily. He has spoken in the past about periods of deep self-doubt, anxiety, and the sense that he was failing not just as a player but as a person.
Those struggles resurfaced later, most notably when he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in the fall of 2024 while under contract with the Detroit Red Wings organization. The program, which supports players dealing with mental health issues among other challenges, marked a clear prioritization of his well-being over continued on-ice performance. Campbell has since referenced therapy, yoga, meditation, and other personal work as part of rebuilding himself away from the daily grind of professional hockey.
His highest points as a player came in Toronto. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in February 2020, Campbell arrived as a backup and quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff and the fan base. The 2020-21 season produced one of the more memorable stretches in recent Maple Leafs goaltending history. Campbell opened the year with an 11-0-0 record, setting a franchise mark for the most consecutive wins by a goaltender to start a season. That run helped stabilize the team during a condensed schedule and announced him as a legitimate starter. The following year he appeared in the NHL All-Star Game and posted 31 wins in 49 appearances, solidifying his status as a fan favourite affectionately known as “Soupy.” The connection with Leafs Nation was genuine. Campbell’s openness, competitiveness, and personality made him more than just a reliable netminder during a period when the team was searching for consistency in goal.
Those two seasons represented the peak. In the summer of 2022, Campbell signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Edmonton Oilers, a deal that reflected both his performance in Toronto and the market’s belief that he could be a long-term No. 1. The transition proved difficult. Campbell struggled with consistency and the elevated expectations that came with a contending roster and a significant financial commitment. After a rough first season and limited NHL action the next year, the Oilers bought out the remaining three years of the contract in June 2024. He signed a one-year deal with Detroit shortly afterward and spent the majority of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League before focusing fully on his personal health.
Now, with the Instagram message serving as a quiet but clear bookend, Campbell is stepping into his new life as an executive and identity coach, drawing on the same experiences that once threatened to derail him. For a player who spent so much of his career battling the mental side of the game as hard as the physical one, the next chapter appears focused on helping others navigate similar pressures.
Leafs fans who watched him during those standout seasons will remember the smile, the compete level, and the way he seemed to embrace the city. Campbell’s story was never only about stops and starts. It was about resilience, honesty, and the long process of figuring out who he was beyond the crease. That process, it seems, is still ongoing.
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In the latest episode of his Habscast podcast, former professional scout Grant McCagg covered a lot of topics, but one particularly caught my eye: his segment on Florian Xhekaj. Arber’s younger brother is seen by many as a future member of a Montreal Canadiens’ energy line, and there are even those who hope he can make the roster out of training camp. While it would certainly be a good story to see the brothers line up together for the Habs regularly, McCagg considers the forward a long shot to make the team out of camp.
At the 31-minute mark, he starts breaking up Xhekaj’s play with the Laval Rocket in a couple of games in the Calder Cup playoffs against the Toronto Marlies. McCagg’s main concern with the Hamilton, Ontario native’s game is his skating. He considers Xhekaj to be an average skater in the AHL and therefore a below-average skater at the NHL level. According to McCagg, he hasn’t improved his skating at all this season, and the former scout believes that might be down to putting on too much weight and his quest to become bigger and stronger.
At 6-foot-4 and 204 pounds, Xhekaj does have a big body; however, a big body becomes much more efficient when it brings speed and velocity to hits. That’s quite important in the NHL; how often has Martin St-Louis spoken about the importance of a player moving his feet to be efficient on the forecheck?
McCagg does, however, mention that Xhekaj is doing well as a penalty killer and that this might be key to his eventual bid to make the NHL. Because of his lack of pace, he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to play as a center in the big league unless there’s a significant improvement in that department.
McCagg even goes as far as saying that he believes that Owen Beck is more likely to make the Canadiens’ roster this season than Xhekaj. As things stand right now, the Canadiens’ 12 forward spots are pretty much spoken for. Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno left, but that means the Habs no longer have a 13th forward. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Texier, Phillip Danault, Josh Anderson, Zach Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans all have a chair. However, it’s not exactly clear which chair is whose outside the top line, with Demidov being a fixture on the second line.
Beck and Xhekaj are both 22, entering the final year of their ELC contracts, and whichever way you look at it, being the 13th forward in the NHL wouldn’t be optimal for their development, but it may be all that the Canadiens have to offer for now, at least. That being said, there will be injuries; there always are, or there could even be a trade that comes before training camp and changes things, but at this stage, it doesn’t look very likely.
