Regardless of the outside noise and uncertainty surrounding the organization, the Detroit Red Wings still have business to take care of.
Detroit will host the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on Friday evening, officially opening its 101st NHL season. However, the Red Wings will be without two key pieces of their lineup.
Forward Dylan Larkin will miss Detroit's first two games while recovering from an off-ice training injury, while unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson has returned to his native Sweden amid a contract stalemate.
But the NHL schedule doesn't stop for injuries or contract disputes.
Despite the challenges they're facing, the Red Wings will enter the season with the pride that comes with being the winningest American-based NHL franchise and an Original Six club.
"We're the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something," said head coach Todd McLellan, who has his name on the Stanley Cup as a Red Wings assistant coach in 2008. "We are an Original Six team; we have a lot of stuff going on around us, but we're still the Detroit Red Wings.
And if it doesn't mean anything to me, or to the players in the locker room, or the trainers, or anyone else in the organization, then shame on them. They shouldn't be part of it."
Pride can only go so far, as the Red Wings cannot rest on laurels.
They currently own the NHL's longest postseason drought at 10 years, which is also the longest in franchise history.
Despite having several top-notch talents, questions remain about whether this is finally the group that can get over the hump, especially after three straight March collapses. Larkin's situation remains unresolved, as is Edvinsson's.
Additionally, the Red Wings' executive leadership situation remains unsettled.
However, with a full regular season ahead, Detroit has no choice but to move forward and hope to recapture some of the magic that makes being a part of the Red Wings so special.
"We've got work to do; we know who we are, we know what we have to do, and things we have to overcome," McLellan said. "But we are the Detroit Red Wings, and that means something.
And we're going to approach it that way all year."
Younger generations of Red Wings fans have yet to experience the championship-level success the franchise once enjoyed.
With one eye on the past and the other on the future, it's up to the current crop of Red Wings to pull the club out of its prolonged slump and back into the NHL's upper echelon.
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NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 28: Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees looks on from the bullpen before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 28, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees made headlines with an unusual roster construction in the Wild Card. Confident in their starting rotation and recognizing the team’s extreme lefty/right splits, New York carried a Major League record 16 position players, carrying just ten pitchers for the three-game set with the Boston Red Sox. While the team did not, in the end, need that entire bench — only 14 players actually got in the games, with Giancarlo Stanton and Ali Sánchez riding the bench — the decision drew quite a bit of attention: the NBC broadcast routinely stressed the wide variety of buttons that Aaron Boone had at his disposal, while Michael Baumann of FanGraphs published an article on Wednesday titled, “Everybody Except the Yankees Is Doing Wild Card Roster Construction Wrong.”
The historic move worked out pretty much perfectly. The Bombers sent out two very different lineups in each of the two games against Boston, with only five position players — designated hitter Ben Rice, left fielder Cody Bellinger, shortstop George Lombard Jr., outfielder Spencer Jones, and catcher Austin Wells — slotted into the lineup both nights; furthermore, in each game, the team went to the bench early and often: Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt pinch hit in the games they didn’t start, and Ryan McMahon, Trent Grisham, and José Caballero came in for defense. While these moves were not, obviously, the reason the Yankees won the series (holding the Boston lineup to just two runs on seven hits across 18 innings gets top billing), this flexibility off the bench was a weapon that Boston manager Chad Tracy had to contend with.
Despite its success, though, conventional wisdom dictates that the Yankees surrender this advantage against the Rays in the ALDS. They carried 12 pitchers last year, 11 in 2024, and 12 in 2022: fewer than the standard 13 they carry during the regular season, but nonetheless more than the 10 they carried this week. The thing is, though…how often do teams actually need more than 10 pitchers in the Divisional Series? Can the Bombers avoid the position player roster crunch — or rather, even more of one than they’re going to have when Aaron Judge returns from injury?
To see just how far the Yankees can realistically push the oversized bench in the ALDS, I went back to every Divisional Series from 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (i.e., every year since the most recent CBA, when the Wild Card Game was expanded into the Wild Card Series) and counted how many pitchers each team actually used over the course of the series. I also documented how many different pitchers got the start, to see if that had any effect on the total (I did not record how many starting pitchers were used out of the bullpen, at least in this preliminary analysis).
Of these 32 teams, seven teams only used 10 pitchers, while one team — the 2022 Yankees, whose series went five games against Cleveland — used just nine. A full quarter of the time, teams were able to get away with the number of pitchers the Yankees had in the Wild Card Series, and while that’s much smaller than the 42 percent who used 12 or 13 pitchers, it suggests that entering the series with a skeleton bullpen is not exactly an impossible ask.
Since eight pitching staffs are a much more reasonable sample size, I then decided to take a deep dive into these staffs, looking into how many starting pitchers they used in relief.
The raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, of course — one of the five relievers on the 2022 Yankees was Clarke Schmidt, who did make a handful of starts that year between Triple-A and the Majors, and one on the 2024 Kansas City Royals was Kris Bubic, a starting pitcher who worked out of the bullpen while recovering from Tommy John surgery; both pitchers were capable of going multiple innings if needed. Even so, though, these numbers give some reasons both for and against the Yankees’ ability to carry just 10 pitchers.
The biggest reason not to carry a short bullpen is the fact that the Yankees are lined up to use four starters during the ALDS, with Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón likely to get the ball against Tampa Bay. Of these eight squads, only two were able to get by with 10 pitchers while using four starters — and in truth, only one had a “traditional” pitching staff, as the 2024 Detroit Tigers employed “pitching chaos” behind ace Tarik Skubal. In a five-game set, it’s already harder to keep the circle of trust completely closed without burning out the bullpen, and even more so when you’re only squeaking by with the bare minimum number of starting pitchers to begin with.
The Bombers, though, do have one trick up their sleeve: the number of starting pitchers and multi-inning relievers available out of the bullpen. Will Warren has already made his first postseason appearance of the season, coming on in relief of Fried on Wednesday night. Paul Blackburn has gone more than one inning in 32 of his 62 appearances. Long reliever Ryan Yarbrough and starter Ryan Weathers should be able to provide multiple innings, and it’s likely at least one (if not both) will make the roster. Brent Headrick, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to need much rest at all, having pitched in 81 games this season — a full half the season. And, if the rotation is lined up as I expect it will, with Schlittler getting Games 2 and 5, and Fried Game 3, either Cole or Rodón will get the ball in Game 4; given the amount of rest they’ve had, it wouldn’t surprise me to see whoever doesn’t get the Game 1 start come out of the bullpen in that game if the situation arises.
It might be theoretically possible, then, for the Yankees to get by with just 10 pitchers. In all likelihood, though, I doubt it’s going to be something they’re actually going to try: even with the extensive amount of rest built into the schedule (the Yankees have off-days scheduled between Games 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 4 and 5, only playing on back-to-back days once — and at home), the fact that the team lines up best with four starters makes it unlikely we’ll see them risk rolling with just a six-man ‘pen. Even so, I’d expect Aaron Boone to keep the circle of trust small and keep only 11 pitchers; assuming Judge doesn’t return from the IL (I will personally be surprised if he returns before the ALCS), that would mean the Yankees would only need to drop one position player, and thus can employ the deep and flexible bench they used so well against Boston.
After just a single game at the NHL level to start the season, Nashville Predators General Manager Chris MacFarland announced that Ryan Ufko has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League on Friday.
"I thought his play tapered a little bit," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette told Brooks Bratten, the Preds' team reporter. "We're hoping for a little better effort last night from him, and he got overwhelmed a little bit in that hockey game. And I think we’ve got some things to figure out on the backend, and we don't really want him sitting out. We want him playing.”
Ufko, a 23-year-old defenseman out of Smithtown, New York, was Nashville's 115th overall pick at the 2021 NHL Draft. He's currently starting his third fully professional season, and although he's made appearances at the NHL level sporadically, he's been a regular in Milwaukee for the past two seasons.
The Admirals are set to start their season tomorrow night as they visit the Rockford IceHogs.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Keith Williams Jr. performs the United States national anthem prior to Game Five of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers will have a familiar face and voice on the field before Saturday’s opener of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium, as Keith Williams Jr. is slated to sing the national anthem before Game 1 against the Atlanta Braves.
Saxophonist Mike Phillips will perform the national anthem ahead of Game 2 on Sunday evening.
For other pregame ceremonies, Adrián González will throw out the first pitch before Game 1 and Reggie Smith will do the honors before Game 2. Both will also say “It’s time for Dodger baseball” ahead of their games.
González played in four NL Division Series with the Dodgers (2013-16), and hit .260/.299/.438 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 18 games. Smith played in one NLDS with the Dodgers, after the strike-shortened 1981 season, and had one hit in two at-bats plus a sacrifice fly and two RBI in three games against the Houston Astros. Smith was inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball in August.
If the NLDS goes the distance, the Dodgers will have Manny Mota and José Mota involved in the ceremonial first pitch before Game 5 next Friday, October 9, with Amber Blue singing the anthem.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: The New York Yankees pose for a group photo in center field after defeating the Boston Red Sox in game two of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks:Was that fun or what? Share some of your feelings about the absolute destruction of the Boston Red Sox in historic fashion.
The Wild Card Series ended up being a rout, and while I definitely favored the Yankees over the Red Sox I wouldn’t have guessed the final tally would see New York put up 18 runs to Boston’s two. The games were definitely tense for a good bit before they became stomps, as Boston’s starters were doing well to keep pace with the Yankees’ until they were both pulled to disastrous effects. I think that the gap in managerial experience in this series was abundant, as now-no-longer-interim manager Chad Tracy didn’t have much of a feel for when he should’ve trusted his starters. The more egregious case was Sonny Gray, who was only at 70 pitches and as he stated his own case in the post-game was an extremely effective pitcher going through the order a third time, whereas Payton Tolle was at least a little deeper into his pitch count. Meanwhile, Boone and company were ahead of the game in constructing their Wild Card Series roster and the Yankee skipper got to pull out all the stops in playing to his matchups with great success. I imagine the ALDS roster will be a little more balanced in the number of pitchers versus position players making Boone’s choices in this regard a little more difficult to make going forward, but this team has had to make the most of their platoons throughout the year and I think that can be a real strength for them now in the Postseason.
As for the damage they did once they got to that Boston bullpen… my goodness. It felt like an entire summer’s worth of frustration unleashed into near-perfect execution. We’ll get into the specifics of their turnaround in a minute, but a Ben Rice masterpiece followed by a team-wide throttling was absolutely thrilling to watch. Everybody got involved, from the most downtrodden names in the middle of the year to the stars they were counting on, and it felt like a resounding answer to the question looming over everyone’s head about how far this team could go if Aaron Judge isn’t going to be available.
The absolute cherry on top of this performance was watching the pitching staff pour it on as the tide started to turn in the Yankees’ favor. Cam Schlittler continues to haunt the Red Sox, turning in another fantastic outing and showing that he’s got plenty in the tank should the team need it, tossing 117 pitches in a 10 strikeout performance going 6.1 strong without a single run allowed. When the Yankees saw Luis Severino break out in 2017 and lead into 2018, I thought I wouldn’t witness a homegrown Yankee pitcher deal like that for a long time, but Schlittler has managed to go above and beyond even the best of Sevy’s reign. He’s the full-fledged ace of the best staff this franchise has formed in decades, and even though there are some incredibly strong teams in the field having a staff like that gives me the confidence that the Yankees could truly go out and compete with anyone. Max Fried’s efforts can’t be ignored, as he’s been an underrated Red Sox killer now in his career as well. His outing wasn’t as flashy as Schlittler’s, but he was extremely effective in preventing the Sox from ever getting a rally going and served as an elite 1B to Schlittler’s 1A. Their efforts combined with the later run support also made it a light series for the bullpen, who will now be nice and rested heading into St. Pete with all hands on deck. They truly couldn’t have drawn this series up any better, and now it’s onto the real test against the Rays.
BetweenThePinstripes asks:The Yankee offense has picked up the pace for well over a month now. What do you attribute this uptick to?
There’s a number of names in the lineup that have quietly turned in significantly better performances in the second half of the season that led them to where they could demolish Boston like they did. It starts with the bottom of the order, which was an absolute black hole for the Yankees for a good stretch. Austin Wells’ job security was hanging on by a thread, his excellent management of the pitching staff from behind the plate being his only saving grace as he couldn’t string together a pair of hits for his life. His 41 wRC+ through the first half of the season was truly dreadful, but he was also dealing with a cervical headache issue that eventually saw him hit the IL in early June. Ever since he returned he’s been a different man at the plate, and over the second half the numbers agree: he posted a 124 wRC+ to close out the year.
Wells has been the biggest turnaround, but it doesn’t stop there. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a much-maligned season, but he found his groove in August and rode that into September, posting a 122 wRC+ in the final month. Jazz’s slow start was mostly fueled by a complete lack of power, but his dip in the summer was the product of him losing the strike zone completely, walking at just a 7.1 percent rate compared to a 38.1 percent strikeout rate in July. With that smoothed out, he’s once again a solid contributor down in the lineup, and then you throw in Spencer Jones finding himself after a couple of stints with the Major League team. Jones ran a trial by fire in his first couple of stays, getting called up as the team couldn’t keep a set of three outfielders healthy for any extended period of time. His strikeout rates may still be a bit gruesome, but they’re nowhere near the stratospheric 41.5 percent Jones was striking out at in the first half, and he’s displayed a surprising burst of speed to go along with his prodigious power. His strikeout converted into a free base was a crucial turning point in Game 2 of the ALWCS, and he’s provided some flexibility now as they work Trent Grisham back into the fold.
Of course, the table setters for this offense still have to make their mark, and the Yankees’ top two hitters are entering this Postseason at their hottest points in months. Cody Bellinger’s season was rapidly declining from an elite May into a downright bad summer, but after a stay on the IL he’s back to looking like his old self at just the right time. Ben Rice struggled for a good portion of this season after the weight of being The Guy in the lineup was thrust upon him with Judge’s injury, but after the Captain’s return became only a brief cameo it was imperative that he could be the big threat in a playoff game and he proved that he’s up to the task with a godly 195 wRC+ in September before going ballistic in Game 1. With just a little bit of protection around him Rice can be a nightmare for opposing pitchers, and now that the rest of the ensemble has gotten their act together he might just have a very special run in him.
All in all, the season stat lines on the Yankees’ offense may not wow you but they’ve got a significant portion of their lineup peaking exactly when you want them to. Would I have liked to see some of them be more consistent throughout the year considering their talent on paper and the fact that their lethargic offense was what held them back from running down the Rays for the division? Sure, but the season is defined by what you do in October and I can easily forgive the frustrations of the summer if it’s met with champagne bottles popping throughout the fall.
As the instructional leagues wrap up and the MLB moves closer to the World Series, it’s time to turn our attention to the next event on the minor league calendar: the Arizona Fall League.
According to the AFL website, “The roots of the Arizona Fall League go back three decades, when the Major Leagues wanted to create an easily accessed offseason league. With the Arizona Fall League, managers, coaches, scouts and league officials can be under direct guidance of league and club personnel in league-affiliated ballparks and premier training facilities. The AFL is designed to serve as the ‘finishing school’ of the minor leagues for players, coaches, umpires and aspiring employees.”
Prospects from all 30 teams are split up into six “super teams” across the Phoenix metro area and play games from October 3-November 14. You can see the full schedule here.
The Colorado Rockies will be represented by eight prospects and two pitching coaches this season, alongside prospects and coaches from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals and New York Yankees.
Here is a preview of each player, as well as comments from Rockies director of player development Chris Forbes.
LHP Konner Eaton
Eaton (No. 28 PuRP) was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of George Mason University. The left-hander made nine appearances out of the bullpen during his first season — eight in Low-A Fresno and one in High-A Spokane. He returned to Spokane in 2025, starting 23 games and posting a 5-8 record with a 3.56 ERA. Eaton was promoted to Double-A Hartford, where he made four starts and posted a 1-1 record with a 5.30 ERA.
He repeated in Hartford in 2026, making 23 starts once again and posting a 5-3 record with a 4.46 ERA.
“There’s a command plan for him,” Forbes said. “We need just a little bit more time with him.”
LHP Stu Flesland III
Stu Flesland III was drafted in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Washington. He’s rocketed up the system, making appearances in Spokane, Hartford and Albuquerque this year. He started the year by repeating in Spokane, but was promoted after five appearances (one start) where he posted a 2-1 record and 3.63 ERA. Flesland made 18 appearances for the Yard Goats (12 starts) and posted a 5-1 record and 1.88 ERA before a late-season, four-inning cameo with the Isotopes. On August 10, he was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.
Across all three levels in 2026, Flesland posted a 7-2 record, a 2.85 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
“They’ve got this velocity thing they’re trying to do with him,” Forbes said of Flesland’s AFL plan, “and they’re going to do that and then try to get him to try it in a game.”
RHP Hunter Mann
Hunter Mann was drafted in a few rounds after Flesland in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tennessee Tech. Forbes described him as a player “who’s emerged this year as a two-plus guy.”
Mann was promoted to Low-A Fresno halfway through the 2024 season, and then spent all of 2025 at High-A Spokane. In 38 appearances in 2025, Mann posted a 6.61 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across 49 innings. He began 2026 back in Spokane, but was promoted to Hartford towards the end of the season.
In 31 appearances in Spokane, he posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 57.2 innings. While in Hartford, Mann made 10 appearances with a 5.54 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.
LHP Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan (No. 21 PuRP) made his MLB debut in 2026, three years after being drafted 46th overall in the 2023 . The Wake Forest product made five starts in the bigs, earning an 0-3 record and 8.87 ERA. In Albuquerque, Sullivan only made 14 starts after spending two separate stints on the injured list.
“He missed quite a few starts, so I think we’re hoping to get his innings up, and I’m hoping this ends up being a blessing in the sense that once we got him down here, as were kind of letting that calm down, he was able to kind of get to, ‘OK, we’re going to focus on strength. Let’s get the strength back up,’” Forbes said.
He also shed light on the Rockies’ plans for Sullivan in the Fall League.
“He’s one of those guys that, during the year, just has trouble maintaining weight. He can come in at 205 (pounds), and now he’s pitching at 187 or something at some point. So you’re hoping with him that he’s able to get some innings back in and get some feel back, and then ultimately make a better decision on how does he play in next year’s club. Does he come out of the bullpen as a length guy? Is he doing a spot start? I don’t know. But that’s the plan with Sean. I’m just looking at five healthy starts and going into the offseason feeling really good about it.”
RHP Fidel Ulloa
Fidel Ulloa was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 Draft out of LSU. He started immediately in Fresno where he posted a 4.50 ERA across 11 appearances (12 innings). In 2025, he split time between Fresno and Spokane (with a brief rehab stint in the ACL after an injury in June). Across all levels, Ulloa posted a 1.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 41 appearances.
“It’s a good reward for a kid that’s been pretty steady,” said Forbes.
C Jack O’Dowd
Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP) was signed as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2026 season, and took the Rockies farm system by storm. The former Texas Longhorn started in Fresno, but was promoted after slashing .345/.385/.702 with seven home runs in 22 games. In Spokane, he kept going, slashing .359/.451/.664 with nine home runs in 34 games. O’Dowd finished the season in Hartford, where he hit a cool .254/.333/.434 with seven home runs in 51 games.
“They needed another catcher,” Forbes said, “and it was great to be able to give [Cole] Messina a blow and reward Jack O’Dowd, and then also play some first and then be able to hit a little bit more.”
INF Andy Perez
Andy Perez (No. 25 PuRP) was signed by the Rockies during the 2021 International Signing Period. He spent two years in the Dominical Summer League before making his stateside debut in 2023. In 119 games in 2023, Perez hit .245/.280/.316 with 24 extra-base hits. He repeated Fresno to start 2024, and was promoted right at the end for 16 games in Spokane. Jump ahead to 2026, and Perez hit .285/.321/.403 with 41 extra-base hits across 128 games in Double-A Hartford.
“Andy Perez is a guy that I don’t think people talk about near enough,” Forbes said. “He’s got a real shot at this thing, and he’s Cuban, so I can’t just send him to the Dominican to play in winter ball. So I think it’s an opportunity for him and his wife to just be steady and safe. Plus he’s a really good player.”
OF Jared Thomas
Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP) was one of the headlining prospects of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Texas. He absolutely tore through Spokane in 2025, hitting .330/.427/.495 in 73 games. He also had 25 extra-base hits (11 homers) and 22 stolen bases. He cooled off a little in Hartford, but still had a good enough season to be selected to last year’s Fall League.
However, it turned out he was playing through a hamate injury that set him back six months. Thomas didn’t play in 2026 until July 6th — five days after his 23rd birthday. He played just 32 games in 2026, which led to him getting a repeat call to the desert.
“Jared Thomas needs the at-bats desperately,” Forbes said, “and I know it’s kind of a relapse back into that league, but we just asked him, ‘Do you want to go to Puerto Rico? Do you want to go to the DR or Mexico? Or do you want to stay here?’ Because he really wants to lock in with our strength coaches, too, and we’re hosting on our side, so I think that’s huge.”
Closing Thoughts
AFL games start tomorrow! Which Rockies prospect are you most excited to watch? Are there any other prospects from other teams you’re excited to watch?
LAS VEGAS - The day has finally come for the Ducks to kick-off their 2026-27 season. It begins with a rematch against one of their opponents from last season's playoff run, the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite losing the series, the Ducks had the most success out of any of the Golden Knight's playoff opponents, taking the series to six games.
"It's gonna be a fast five minutes (to start)," Leo Carlsson said. "It's always loud in Vegas. Just play a simple game in the beginning, and then it's going to open up. They're an older and heavy team, we've known that since last year."
"It's always an exciting game, the first night," Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think that when we finished (training) camp there, we had a little maybe tough ending. But I thought we had a real good week and a couple good days here going into the game. These guys want to play for keeps. I really liked the pace of our practices. We want to play with some speed, we want to play with some energy, we like the enthusiasm in our team. A lot of new faces, a lot of new players. At the same time, we've got some guys that we're excited to see how they're going to do this year, and I think they should be getting better. That's what we're looking forward to as well."
The Ducks' lineup will feature a pair of NHL debutants. Judd Caulfield, who had an impressive training camp, will skate alongside Jeff Malott and Tim Washe on the fourth line. Caulfield has appeared in over 200 AHL games and was utilized heavily by former San Diego Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane last season. Defenseman Noah Warren will be paired with Tyson Hinds on the third defensive pair. Injuries to Drew Helleson and Ian Moore have opened up opportunities for players like Warren and Travis Mitchell (who will be making his Ducks debut) to crack the lineup.
"I'm just extremely excited and blessed to have this opportunity," Caulfield said. "It's something I've been dreaming about my whole life and the time's finally come. Just super pumped to get out there and super excited for the game."
"Really excited," Warren said. "It's a dream come true to play the first NHL game, so really excited. Try not to think about it too much tonight, but we'll see what happens."
"He's a big body, gets in the way. I think that gives us some size back there. I just think that he's evolving from this year to last year. We've got a couple of right D who aren't playing, so it's a chance for him to get into the game and we feel that he should be fine out there."
- Joel Quenneville on Noah Warren
"He's had a real good camp. He gives us some size, physicality. He looks like he's improved his quickness and his pace to his game. Just an up-and-down winger that plays hard. Took advantage of an opportunity based on his performance. I think last couple years down there (in the AHL), he's just gotten better and better."
- Joel Quenneville on Judd Caulfield
Tristan Luneau, who signed a six-year contract extension with the Ducks on Thursday, will get the first crack at filling the spot next to Jackson LaCombe on the top defensive pair. Despite having played just 14 NHL games since being drafted in 2022, the Ducks are trying to get ahead of the curve by tying down one of their pending RFAs before his breakout has even occurred.
"We think a lot of him. There's a lot of upside to his game. Could push for more ice time in more offensive situations. Defensively, he's a work in progress, like our whole D corps is, kind of as a collective, as a group. We saw him last year at the end of the year. Played a real nice game for us against Nashville. It's a great opportunity, good for him. Now, we've just got to complement one another and make sure our young D, we've got to get better on the job."
After a preseason where it seemed that he would get an opportunity in the top-6, 2026 15th overall pick Nikita Klepov will have to wait to make his NHL debut. Quenneville said that Klepov has a "great feel" for the game offensively and that watching a few games from the press box will help him intake some of the situations that he will be in when he eventually gets into the lineup.
"I would say there's some balance to that thought process, exactly like that."
- Joel Quenneville on whether Nikita Klepov could be on a game management plan similar to Leo Carlsson's rookie season
Tustin native Trevor Connelly netted his first NHL goal for the Golden Knights on Tuesday in his NHL debut. He, among others, will be responsible for replacing the production of Pavel Dorofeyev, who was traded to the New York Rangers during the offseason. Dorofeyev's timely goalscoring was instrumental in helping the Golden Knights beat the Ducks in the playoffs.
Projected Ducks Lines
A.J. Greer - Leo Carlsson - Cutter Gauthier Beckett Sennecke - Mikael Granlund - Alex Killorn Nikita Nesterenko - Ryan Poehling - Frank Vatrano Jeff Malott - Tim Washe - Judd Caulfield
Jackson LaCombe - Tristan Luneau Pavel Mintyukov - Travis Mitchell Tyson Hinds - Noah Warren
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Projected Golden Knights Lines
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Mark Stone Brett Howden - William Karlsson - Mitch Marner Trevor Connelly - Tomáš Hertl - Victor Olofsson Braeden Bowman - Nic Dowd - Marc Gatcomb
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 27: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two young Pirates pitchers closed out the season better than anyone in the National League.
Jared Jones and Mason Montgomery entered the season on different paths, but ended with the same recognition.
Jones was awarded National League Pitcher of the Month for September earlier this week. Montgomery earned NL Reliever of the Month after a dominant stretch as Pirates closer.
In five starts, Jones delivered a 3-0 record with a 0.93 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 29 innings. Jones only allowed three earned runs and opponents hit .133 off the 25-year-old righty.
He recovered well from internal brace surgery to post the best month of his career.
Dealt & Dominated.
Congrats to Jared Jones on being named the NL Pitcher of the Month for September. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Clh1spbPmF
Montgomery further solidified himself as the Pirates’ closer of the future with an impressive close to the season.
The flamethrowing righty recorded 16 strikeouts in 13 games. Montgomery earned a 2.08 ERA, allowing three runs in one outing against the Tigers on September 26 but not allowing any runs in his other 12.1 innings pitched.
Pittsburgh won 11 games with Montgomery earning the save. Opponents hit .174 off him in September and it equated to a 0.92 WHIP.
The 26-year-old finished with a 2.88 ERA in 68.2 innings during his first season with the Pirates. Montgomery struck out 105 batters, a rarity for relievers to exceed 100 strikeouts in the modern game.
His lawyers will appeal and say his situation is ‘critical’
Rui Pinto has revealed he is preparing to leave Portugal because he fears for his safety after being informed that his participation in the country’s witness protection programme has been terminated.
The Football Leaks founder claimed he has received “multiple death threats” and is facing “the serious risk of an assassination attempt against me” after being informed of the decision by Portuguese authorities on Wednesday. That came two days after Manchester City were found guilty of 115 charges by an independent commission – an investigation that was prompted by Pinto’s leaks of thousands of private documents.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: The sneakers worn by Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 02: Broadcaster Vin Scully waves to the crowd during the seventh inning between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park on October 2, 2016 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ten years ago today, we said goodbye to Vin Scully, who gave his swan song at what was then known as AT&T Park. From children’s letters to reflecting on the lodestar of our fandom who was always going to leave, but the magnitude of that loss would not be truly felt until much later, we remember here at True Blue LA.
There will be far grander farewells and remembrances from those on the scene that day. I will happily defer to those folks who worked with, loved, and knew Scully for those. As for me, back then, I wasn’t a writer or even a lawyer yet.
Ten Years Ago
I will always remember this game, because thanks to user Scully’s Tie, it was my first visit to the Giants’ home ballpark ever. I am not one for carrying signs, but Scully’s group had one, and I played along, back in the days when I would wear khaki pants to the ballpark.
I am not sure what I was expecting. As we have previously covered, Oracle Park, as it is now known, is pretty good. Part of Scully’s call was simulcast on both home and away feeds, as well as ESPN. The Giants dedicated a plaque in the visiting broadcasting booth.
The Giants also handed out dual-sided cheer cards before the game, with the contents of the plaque on one side and a message thanking Vin on the other. I made a point to save multiples of the card for later. They have been framed in my apartment for going on ten years now.
For those of us at the ballpark, we had to wait a bit to hear Scully’s final send-off, which still manages to bring a tear to my eye every time I hear it.
The game itself was nothing special. LA lost 7-1, as Kenta Maeda was figuratively slapped around early and often.
Needless to say, there is an interesting bit of symmetry with the recent retirement of longtime Giants’ announcer Mike Krukow, as the Dodgers won an otherwise forgettable game that will fade into history.
Ten Years Later
It is impossible to replace a legend, so you do what you can. Joe Davis has charted his own course with Orel Hershiser over this past decade. The initial anecdote that Davis inadvertently screened Scully twice upon getting the Dodgers’ job is a story worth listening to.
While it is tempting to try and use artificial intelligence to graft Scully’s voice onto the highlights of this era, while well-meaning, it misses the point and arguably lessens Scully’s legacy. If nothing else, one can honor the past while not being beholden to it. If the Dodgers have done anything right in this past decade, apart from signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it’s embracing this mindset in their broadcasting team.
Each era should have its own soundtrack, its own voice. Scully was not one for ego or monument. At some point, one must turn the page to this new era, which has lasted for ten years now.
Yes, Scully was a legend and an institution. Cracking wise with Stephen Nelson and Dontrelle Willis by definition cannot measure up, but in that same vein, it doesn’t have to. Time marches on, and the way we consume baseball has changed accordingly.
Scully enjoyed his retirement with his family for six years, popping up on occasion, most notably Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, as the age and era moved on.
On August 2, 2022, while the Dodgers were playing the Giants at Oracle Park, Scully passed away at the age of 94. Tributes poured in, as the baseball world joined Dodger fans in both grief and honoring Scully’s memory. While a lot has changed in baseball and in our lives in these past ten years, I often go back to the words from Scully’s Swan Song when I need hope and encouragement.
“Don’t be sad that it’s over,” he said. “Smile because it happened.”
Here’s to ten years gone, Mr. Scully, wherever you may be.
Young San Jose Sharks star and captain Macklin Celebrini was recently asked to rank his top-5 players under 23 years old in an Instagram reel, and the result was interesting, especially for Montreal Canadiens fans. While most people would argue that Celebrini himself should be at the top of that list, he took himself out of the equation right away, which was the right thing to do.
He then ranked Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard first, followed by New York Islanders blueliner Matthew Schaefer, then chose 18-million-dollar AAV man Leo Carlsson from the Anaheim Ducks. Finally, in fourth place, he opted for Lane Hutson and added Ivan Demidov in fifth place.
About Hutson, he stated that he was “such a special player” and followed that up with, “How about Demidov? He’s a really skilled player. These two are really a great duo, and [it’s] fun to watch them play.”
While it’s always good for players’ confidence to see they’ve landed in various rankings released by media members, there’s something special about being recognized as part of the elite by their peers.
It will be interesting to see how the five players chosen by Celebrini fare point-wise this season. Of course, there’s more to the game than points, but generally, the best players find a way to contribute on the scoreboard. Top pick Bedard is currently sidelined because of a shoulder injury and has already been ruled out of the Hawks’ first three games; while he’ll travel with the team, he won’t play. It will be interesting to see how many of the 84 games he can suit up for. So far, his most productive season yielded 75 points.
Meanwhile, reigning Calder Trophy winner Scheafer put up 59 points in 82 games in his rookie season, and if he stays healthy, it’s almost a given that he’ll improve on that total. As for Carlsson, in three NHL seasons, he’s never played a full 82-game calendar, and he’s never put up more than 67 points. Will he be able to compete in all 84 games this season? Can he take a big step and become a point-per-game player? Last year he had 67 points in 70 games.
As for Hutson, he went from 66 points in 82 games as a rookie to 78 points in 82 games as a sophomore. This season, he’ll also benefit from Chris Kreider’s presence. The Habs defenseman has a knack for creating space and shooting lanes for himself, but he doesn’t have the hardest shots; that won’t matter with an ace deflector trying to tip it in front of the netminder. The pair has already started working on puck tipping in practices, and in time, we should see some clear results on the ice.
As for Demidov, he led all rookies in points in his first year with 62 points in 82 games, but if he gets more playing time with Juraj Slafkovsky this season, that number could go up. The two players have fantastic chemistry, and if they can see more of each other at even strength, they could both increase their production.
Speaking of Slafkovsky, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was asked by TVA Sports who he considers the Canadiens’ biggest weapon on the ice, and he chose the big Slovak. Crosby explained:
I think he can produce in a lot of different ways: big body, he does a lot, he’s physical, he reads the ice well, he can score. He has an impact in a lot of different ways.
High praise indeed for the former first-overall pick at the 2022 NHL draft. When TVA Sports relayed the information, the power forward could hardly believe it.
Do you think the three young Habs will live up to the hype and expectations this season?
Anne Hathaway made it clear that her Knicks fandom doesn't waver.
Anne Hathaway made it clear that her Knicks fandom doesn’t waver.
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Wednesday, Hathaway prioritized another Knicks championship over winning a second Academy Award while playing a game called “Best Thing Ever.”
The game forced her to choose among two things to decide which is the best and which she would “get rid of forever.”
Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her performance as Fantine in “Les Misérables.”
Actress Anne Hathaway during an interview on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Ralph Bavaro/NBC via Getty Image
Earlier in the show, Fallon gifted Hathaway a signed jersey from Knicks star OG Anunoby.
“Are you serious? Oh my god!” Hathaway said before putting the jersey on.
The Knicks gave Hathaway, who is pregnant, a basket of gifts for her baby, along with a card that read, “All my best” signed by Anunoby.
During an April appearance on “The Tonight Show,” Hathaway told Fallon that she considered wearing an Anunoby jersey on the show because “when I’m at the game, I want them to know that I know who they are and that they’re going to win.”
The next night, the Anunoby scored 29 points and the Knicks pulled off a historic win over the Hawks in a series-clinching Game 6 in the first round of the playoffs.
OG Anunoby #8 of the Knicks shoots a free throw during the game against the Spurs during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. NBAE via Getty Images
Hathaway has been a fan of Anunoby since he nearly crashed into her and her son while they sat courtside during a game at Madison Square Garden in 2024.
While the assumption in many quarters was that the two NBA expansion franchises — one in Seattle, one in Las Vegas — would begin play for the 2028-29 season, that may not be a realistic timeline for Vegas. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at this last month.
"There was not as much discussion around Seattle as there was around Las Vegas, largely because... it's not even clear what the site will be, let alone the arena yet," Silver said after the Board of Governors meeting. "Therefore, it's a much longer timeline before we can throw the ball up for NBA basketball. On the other hand, in Seattle, we have had operational groups out to Climate Pledge. You clearly have a state-of-the-art arena there. It may require some modifications for NBA basketball. If we were opening in five weeks, we could be ready in Seattle."
The league had initially hoped its new expansion franchises would begin play during the 2028-29 season — if it added ones in Las Vegas and Seattle — but it has explored whether a Sin City team could debut in 2029-30 instead. However, that is just a discussion at this point.
The NBA is expected to choose soon between three potential ownership groups in Las Vegas: Golden Knights owner Bill Foley and former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo; Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband, Bill Laurie, with Lauri being a Walmart heir and Bill having owned the St. Louis Blues; former Bucks owner Marc Lasry, former Turner Broadcasting president David Levy and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos.
The issue isn't the ownership group, it's the arena. All three groups are looking to build a new arena, likely as an anchor for a resort/casino complex and entertainment district. Exactly where this new arena and resort would go is undecided, which is part of the delay. It takes time to design, get approved and build a state-of-the-art arena.
While Las Vegas has the T-Mobile Arena just off the Strip — home to the NHL's Golden Knights, the WNBA's Aces, and where the NBA has hosted the final rounds of the midseason NBA Cup the past two years — it would need up to $400 million in renovations to host an NBA team, according to the report.
The expectation is that the new owners will pay about a $10 billion expansion fee to the league for the rights to the team, then spend at least a couple of billion more building the new arena.
Silver said a formal decision on both Las Vegas and Seattle expansion and who will own those teams is expected by the end of the year.
