Posts

Posted on

Jalen Brunson turns right ankle in Knicks loss to Magic, leaves MSG in walking boot

Jalen Brunson appeared to sustain a right ankle injury in Wednesday night's loss to the Orlando Magic and was later seen leaving Madison Square Garden in a walking boot.

Brunson, who turned his right ankle driving the lane late in the fourth quarter, was seen by SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley leaving the arena with a boot and using crutches.

After the 124-107 loss to Orlando, head coach MikeBrown said that the guard "turned his right ankle, but that's all I know."

Brunson, who led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-for-23 shooting, sustained the injury when he stepped on Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr.'s foot as he was driving the lane with 1:54 to play in the game.

He hobbled to the free-throw line and made one of two attempts, but then gingerly walked up to an Orlando player for an intentional foul to get himself out of the game. Brunson then immediately turned and walked to the Knicks locker room, having fouled out moments after Brown emptied the bench.

There was no further word on the possible severity of the injury.

Posted on

Houston routs Oakland 78-45 behind Flemings and Sharp

Kingston Flemings had 19 points and nine assists, Emanuel Sharp scored 19 points and top-ranked Houston routed Oakland 78-45 on Wednesday night. Flemings was 8 of 12 from the floor, and Sharp shot 7 of 13, including 5 of 9 on 3-pointers, for Houston (3-0). The Cougars shot 45% and were 9 of 31 on 3-pointers.

Posted on

UCLA baseball signs pitcher Fabio Bundi from Zurich, Switzerland

UCLA baseball coach John Savage doesn't care where you come from, as long as you have grades, skills and character. That's why he had no problem Wednesday signing a junior college player from Switzerland, right-handed pitcher Fabio Bundi, who has a 95-mph fastball. He was one of nine players to sign to grant-in-aids.

Bundi, 22, is in his second season playing for Monterey Peninsula College. In Switzerland, he said he got bored playing tennis and soccer, so he turned to baseball when he was 7.

"My life is baseball," he said.

The sport is so little known in Switzerland that Bundi said people ask, "What sport? Do you hit or do you throw?'"

He's 6 feet 2, 200 pounds and has been gaining velocity as he grew in his teenage years. Last season as a freshman, he was 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 86 innings. Savage saw him pitch in a Northern California showcase.

Now the question is how good Bundi becomes as a pitcher. With his signing with UCLA, he's certain to attract additional interest from pro baseball scouts this spring. A good season will give him options.

He's been accepted as a student at UCLA but still needs to pass an English test. He's fluent in English, so that shouldn't be a problem.

He said he admires Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

No one would guess he's from Switzerland because his baseball knowledge is high. He does have a little bit of an accent. But when people see his fastball and 12-to-6 curveball, they can only conclude he's a pitcher to watch.

Sign up for UCLA Unlocked for big game takeaways, recruiting buzz and more UCLA sports insights.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck score two goals each as Rangers beat Lightning 7-3

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Will Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck each had two goals, and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3 on Wednesday night for their second straight win.

J.T. Miller, Alexis Lafrenière and Will Borgen also scored for the Rangers, and Artemi Panarin had four assists. Igor Shesterkin finished with 31 saves as New York improved to 8-1-1 on the road.

Scott Sabourin, Zemgus Girgensons and Jake Guentzel scored for the Lightning, who had won six of their previous seven games. Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 13 shots through two periods and Jonas Johansson had six saves in the third.

The Rangers, coming off a 6-3 win against Nashville on Monday night for their first home win, finished with their highest scoring total of the season.

Trocheck pushed New York's lead to 5-3 with 1:41 remaining in the second period as he got a cross-ice pass from Panarin and fired it in from the right circle after Vasilevskiy fell while sliding from his right to his left.

Trocheck scored again at 5:03 of the third from the slot to give the Rangers a three-goal lead, and Cuylle added an empty-netter with 2:11 remaining to cap the scoring.

Cuylle got the Rangers on the scoreboard with a power-play goal at 1:08. Adam Fox's shot from above the inside edge of the left circle deflected off Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak and then the end boards right to Cuylle on the left doorstep for a quick goal.

The Rangers doubled the Lead at 3:31 when Mika Zibanejad's pass went off Miller's skate and in.

Sabourin pulled the Lightning to 2-1 as he beat Shesterkin from the left circle at 6:04 for his first, and Lafrenière scored from the right circle 1:04 later to restore New York's two-goal lead.

Girgensons pulled Tampa Bay back within one with 6:01 left in the first. Oliver Bjoristrand's shot from the slot hit Yanni Gourde in front and Girgensons put the loose puck in.

Borgen capped the Rangers' four-goal opening period with 3:40 remaining and Guentzel scored a short-handed goal 1:12 later to pull the Lightning to 4-3.

Up next

Rangers: Play at Columbus on Saturday.

Lightning: Visit Florida on Saturday.

Posted on

Magic overcome Paolo Banchero injury, hand Knicks their first home loss of the season, 124-107

This early in the NBA season, matchups can often be misleading on paper. Coming into Wednesday night, the New York Knicks were 7-3 on the season and 7-0 at home in Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic were sitting at a disappointing 5-6 after being a playoff team for the last two seasons. Yet, that didn’t stop the Magic from coming into the Garden and controlling the game from start to finish, leading 62-42 at the half and withstanding a Knicks run to begin the fourth quarter that invigorated the crowd before ultimately pulling out a 124-107 victory.

“Obviously, them being undefeated at home is great for them,” said Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley before the game. “Our ability just to focus on what we need to do, to come out and just get the win. Not necessarily where it is, but just how we can come together and get that done.”

The Magic certainly got it done on Wednesday. At the center of their success was Franz Wagner. The 24-year-old, who was sporting a mask as he played through a broken nose, was all over the court from the tip, leading the Magic with 28 points on 10-22 from the field, while adding nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. Five additional Magic players scored in double figures, including 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals off the bench for Anthony Black, who was thrust into a larger role on offense after Paolo Banchero had to leave the game after just 12 minutes with a groin injury.

On the other side, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-23 from the field, while chipping in six assists and three rebounds before fouling out and limping off the court and into the locker room with just two minutes left in the game. Karl Anthony Towns also posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not a strong offensive night for the Knicks, who failed to get into any kind of rhythm against an aggressive Magic defense.

While some may be surprised by the emphatic nature of the Magic victory, their performance wouldn’t have caught Knicks’ head coach Mike Brown totally off guard. Perhaps the nature of it would have, but Brown knew before the game even started that the Magic’s early-season record was not indicative of their true talent.

“They're a lot better than what their record says,” he stated almost two hours before tip-off. “They're a big team. They're athletic, they're long, well-coached. Jahmal Mosley has done a fantastic job down there. I think their starting five might be top five in net rating in the NBA, so they can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”

That certainly proved to be true on Wednesday night.

"It's not a statement," said Coach Mosley after the game. "It's our process...We've got to continue to focus on our process, and it starts with the defensive end of the floor."

The Passing That Had Fueled the Knicks’ Offensive Success Vanished vs the Magic

The Knicks had been experiencing a bit of an offensive renaissance under Mike Brown. The new head coach had stressed pace and ball movement on offense, which had led to the Knicks being third in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in points per game.

A big part of that was how often and effectively the Knicks were moving the ball. Coming into Wednesday's game, the Knicks were making 310.9 passes per game, good for 5th in the NBA. That had led to 28 assists per game (8th-best in the league) and also 75.8 assist-created points (6th in the league). That's a huge improvement from last year, where they made 281.2 passes per game (18th in the league) for 27.5 assists per game (11th) and 68.2 assists created points (15th).

Those passing opportunities were created by the Knicks aggressively attacking the paint and then looking for kickouts.

They had ranked 3rd in the NBA in pass rate off of paint touches at 34.5% and were 5th in the NBA in assist rate on paint touches at 6.6%. Last year, they were 22nd in the NBA in pass rate on paint touches at 26%, but were 4th in the league in assist rate on paint touches (6.3%) so it was a skill they always possessed but weren't using as much as they were capable.

Mike Brown stressed the need to unlock that.

“Are we touching the paint?" he said when asked about the keys to the Knicks' success. "That doesn't just mean on a dribble drive. Are we touching the paint the right way? Are the cuts timely? Not only are we cutting or driving the ball and touching the paint, but are we re-spacing after those cuts in the right timeframe? If we're doing that offensively while sharing the basketball, I'm feeling pretty good.”

However, few of those positive steps in development seemed to show up on Wednesday, and it was evident right from the start. The Knicks had two assists versus eight turnovers at the 9:37 mark of the second quarter. They would finish the half with nine turnovers to just five assists and finish the game with 14 turnovers and 20 assists, a far cry from their 28 a game.

It's most likely just an off night for a tired team, but it also serves as a reminder that this Knicks team is still only 11 games into Mike Brown's tenure, and learning a scheme is not a linear process. There will be setbacks and games where the new habits fail them. Tonight was one of those nights. The key is not to let it bleed into the next game on Friday against the Heat.

The Magic’s Defense is Beginning to Find Its Footing

Some of the Knicks’ struggles on offense could be attributed to them playing the second game of a back-to-back, but the Orlando Magic also need to be credited for playing the type of defense that was a big part of their success in 2024-25.

On Wednesday, the Magic had 10 steals and forced the Knicks into 14 turnovers. That type of performance hasn’t been the norm for Orlando this season. Coming into tonight, the Magic were 15th in the NBA in defensive rating, but they had been 2nd at the end of last season.

Part of that is due to Orlando being less active and effective in the passing lanes. This year, they’re 23rd in the NBA in steals with 7.8 per game, but they were 6th in the league last year with 8.9 steals per game. Last year, the Magic were also 6th in the league in deflections with 17.7 per game. This year, they’re 24th at 15.9 per game.

According to Coach Mosley, some of that was just due to preparation and execution: “We gotta do a better job of knowing personnel and then being able to keep them out of the lane, but also being able to get out to shooters at the same time.”

They certainly did that against the Knicks, holding New York to 11-36 from beyond the arc, good for 30.6%. The Knicks came into tonight tied with the Cavaliers for first in the NBA with 17 made three-pointers per night, and also ranked 6th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at 38.5%.

"This is a team that is averaging close to 130 a game," said Coach Mosley after the game. "The way our guys defended. We took that as the first priority. That's who we are, a defensive team that can get out and run and create opportunities because of our defense and just being physical without fouling."

The Magic executed last year’s defensive strategy of bringing a physical mentality to the defensive side of the ball. A few early fouls set the tone for a tough game with plenty of contact, and the referees wound up swallowing their whistles on some calls they may have otherwise made.

“I think we've got to be smart about [fouling],” said Coach Mosley before the game. “The difference in being physical before that ball breaks the three-point line. If we can be as physical there, out on the perimeter, versus when that ball gets in the lane - the swipe downs, the and-ones, the cheap fouls, if you want to say - we’ve got to be smarter there. I think that's a big portion of how we can continue to improve.”

Shooting Continues to be a Weakness for the Magic

The Knicks had been trending in the right direction defensively, but one area where opponents seemingly always have an advantage is from behind the three-point line. Coming into tonight's game, the Knicks are allowing opponents to shoot 37% shooting from three, which was the 2nd-worst mark in the league. That's exacerbated by the fact that they also allow the 2nd-highest three-point frequency in the league. To put it plainly, opponents shoot and make tons of three against the Knicks.

The Magic were obviously well aware of that since they launched 33 shots from beyond the arc on Wednesday. They came into the night 28th in the NBA with just 31.4 three-point attempts per game.

Of course, their infrequent shooting from three is partially by design.

The Magic have a physical team that loves to attack the basket. They came into the night 5th in the NBA in field goals made on drives with 11.5 per game. They were also 8th in the NBA in drives per game at 52.3 and 10th in the NBA in the percentage of points that come on drives at 61.7%. In fact, 72.7% of all Orlando's points come in the paint, which is 7th in the NBA.

A lot of that is a consequence of maximizing the skillset of the players on their roster, but another component of it is that the Magic are simply not a good shooting team.

Heading into their game against the Knicks, the Magic were 20th in the league in effective field goal rate. They were hitting just 33.3% of their three-point shots, which was 25th in the NBA. They take just 22.1 catch-and-shoot threes per game, which puts them 28th in the league, and they make 34.2% of those shots, which is 23rd in the league. In fact, if you include shots from inside the arc, the Magic shoot just 36.2% on all catch-and-shoot opportunities, which is 21st in the NBA.

That was a big reason why the Magic went out and traded for Desmond Bane this offseason. The 27-year-old is a career 40.7% shooter from beyond the arc and a 47.1% shooter overall. He was meant to provide the floor spacing and knockdown shooting that the Magic so desperately needed. Yet, so far this season, he is shooting just 27.7% from three and putting up just 4.3 three-point shots per game, well below his career mark of 6.3

Some of those struggles could simply be that Bane is adjusting to his new teammates, but it also seems like Orlando's offensive scheme is not one that leads to many three-point opportunities. On the season, the Magic are 26th in the NBA in percentage of threes that are deemed open (when the defender is within 4-6 feet). They attempt only 11.1 open threes a game, which is also 26th in raw amount too.

So the Magic aren't getting many open threes, and they're not knocking down many of the threes that they are getting. That sounds an awful lot like the offense we had seen from them in recent years, but this year was meant to be different. Perhaps it still can be.

Posted on

Sluggish Knicks can't survive ugly start, fall to Magic 124-107 to end home win streak

The Knicks, playing on the second night of a home back-to-back, looked like a team playing on a quick turnaround as they struggled out of the gate and had a horrendous second quarter that put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of in a 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-for-23 shooting, but left the game hobbling after turning his ankle while being fouled with two minutes to play. He was a minus-20 in 37 minutes, adding three rebounds, six assists, three turnovers, and six fouls. Karl-Anthony Towns really struggled for offense, as did the rest of the team. He had just 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists, and was a minus-2 in 35 minutes. The three other starters for he home team – OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and MitchellRobinson – combined for 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting. 

The loss snapped New York's five-game winning streak and seven-game home win streak to start the campaign.

The Magic, who lost All-Star Paolo Banchero after the first quarter, got 28 points from Franz Wagner (10-for-22 from the floor) with nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals for a plus-21 in 37 minutes. And 22 points from Desmond Bane (7-for-15) with eight assists and six rebounds and was a plus-13 in 34 minutes. Anthony Black, coming off the bench, helped withstand a little fourth-quarter surge by the Knicks, scoring 17 on 7-for-11 shooting in 24 minutes.

Here are the takeaways...

- Brunson was the Knicks’ offense in the game’s early goings with all four points, but he also had a turnover and a shot blocked that led to Orlando runouts for a Magic lead and an early Mike Brown timeout at the 9:44 mark in the first.

And transition defense was something Brown didn’t like from the Knicks’ second-half performance the night before against the Grizzlies: “We watched [the film], we talked about it, we didn’t do a good job of following our rules. And then we got a little lazy on the things we do in the half-court, too, defensively,” the head coach said pregame. The poor second half the night before had clearly carried over.

A Brunson three gave him 11 in the first, but New York sputtered thanks to six turnovers, including three from Josh Hart off the bench and two from Anunoby. However, Orlando, despite getting plenty of open looks from behind the arc early, but entered as just about the least proficient outside shooting team in the league, and missed seven of 10 in the opening quarter, and New York was down 30-23 after 12 minutes. The Magic were 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) from the floor, besting the Knicks' 7-for-19 (36.8 percent).

Brunson led the Knicks with 16 points, but was 4-for-10 shooting and was a minus-17 in 19 first-half minutes.

- Towns, who entered the night shooting 43.2 percent from the floor (a career low) and 33.3 percent from three (also a career low), got very frustrated with the referees early in the second after he thought he was fouled on a shot attempt and didn't get the call. In a rough first half he had six points on 3-for-7 from the floor (missing two three-point attempts) with seven rebounds, an assist, a steal, a turnover, and two fouls, one of which came out of his frustration over the no-call, and was a minus-16.

In the fourth, Towns finally hit double-digits and put in five quick ones to force a Magic timeout, cutting the lead to 12 with just under 10 to play. And he made it 11 straight games to start the season with 10+ rebounds, but the lead was still 11 with 6:28 to play when he picked up his fifth personal with two fouls in under 15 seconds, the first on a silly reach-in 30 feet from the basket and a loose ball foul fighting for a defensive rebound.

Brunson cut the lead to nine, but after Jalen Suggs drained a deep three and the Knicks guard grabbed his fifth foul on Wagner, who knocked down a pair at the line, with 5:21 to go. But he stayed in the game and hit two shots, but both were answered by Black, scoring five of his nine fourth-quarterpoints to force a timeout with the lead back at 15 at the 4:23 mark.

Brunson drew a pair of offensive fouls, sticking his nose in there, but after Bane knocked down a spot-up three to make it 16 with two to play, Brown emptied the bench as Brunson appeared to roll his ankle in his final act of the night.

- The second quarter was ugly at the start with the home side connecting on just 3 of their first nine (1-for-5 from deep), and an 11-2 Magic run pushed it to a 13-point deficit. A Hart old-fashioned three-point play put a stop to the bleeding, but his next attempt missed, and that sandwiched two more Orlando buckets, and it was 46-31 to the visitors. The Magic lead topped out at 21 before the game hit the half with Orlando ahead 62-42.

The Knicks scored just 19 points in the second, shooting 6-for-20 (30 percent) from the floor in the quarter (1-for-10 from three). And the 42 points and six assists in the first 24 minutes were both season lows for a first half.

- Robinson opened the third quarter by flushing an alley-oop from Brunson (his first bucket), and that began a 9-2 run, but the Knicks’ big man picked up two quick ones to give him four in the game. And he would hit the bench, a tough one to see sit as he had eight boards (five offensive) to that point.

Anunoby knocked down his first field goal of the game (a three at the 7:26 mark of the third), and the Knicks had clearly picked up the intensity on both ends, knocking down 10 of their first 15 and forcing a few turnovers, but five quick points by the Magic pushed their lead back to 16 with four minutes left in the period. And after all that good workgetting the lead down to 11, the Knicks missed their next seven field goal attempts, and the deficit was 18 at the end of the third.

Robinson finished with two points, eight rebounds, and four fouls and was a minus-11 in 17 minutes. Anunoby finished with eight points (2-for-4 shooting) with four rebounds, two blocks, an assist, a steal, and was a plus-1 in 34 minutes. Bridges had a very quiet six points (3-for-9 shooting) with two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and was a minus-19 in 28 minutes.

- Off the bench, Landry Shamet was the first man in for Robinson, who didn’t play Tuesday, just four minutes into the game and knocked down his first attempt (a corner three) a few moments later. He finished with 11 points and was a minus-3 in 27 minutes. 

Guerschon Yabusele knocked down a much-needed three in his first moments on the court to start the second as the Knicks' bench was looking to provide some kind of spark amid a rather listless first half. But didn’t spark anything as the bench had just 14 points in the first half (4-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-12 from deep) with five turnovers and four fouls. He finished with six points and was a minus-4 in just 5 minutes, seeing action again only in garbage time.

Miles McBride had nine points (3-for-8) and was a minus-9 in 21 minutes. Hart finished with 10 points (4-for-10), three rebounds, two assists, and was a minus-16 in 18 minutes.

Game MVP: Franz Wagner

The fifth-year player was the clear bright spot for an Orlando team that appears to have some pieces, but not a complete squad. He stood in stark contrast to a Knicks team that has shown they are a complete squad, but had no pieces on Wednesday night.

What's next

The Knicks conclude the seven-game homestand on Friday night when the Miami Heat come to town. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.

Posted on

Mets announce LHP Nate Lavender's return to Triple-A roster after being outrighted by Rays

The Mets are getting a pitcher back without making a deal this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Rays DFA'd Nate Lavender earlier this month and since he was outrighted off the team's 40-man roster, he will return to the Mets' Triple-A roster.

Lavender was acquired via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, but he suffered an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure.

The 25-year-old made five Triple-A appearances (one start) with Syracuse in 2024 before he suffered an injury. In that time, he pitched to a 3.86 ERA. Before that, however, Lavender had some buzz heading into the 2024 season after pitching to a 1.74 ERA in seven Double-A appearances and a 3.27 ERA in 35 Triple-A appearances in 2023. 

It's unclear how far along Lavender is in his rehab, but he could pitch for a spot in the bullpen as a depth piece this spring.

 

Posted on

David Stearns speaks, GM Meetings in full swing, and the free agent party begins | The Mets Pod

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo react to all the offseason noise coming out of the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.

Connor and Joe react to quotes from Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns about Carson Benge having a chance to make the team, the possible returns of Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, the future for Kodai Senga, and the search for a “Number One” starting pitcher. 

The guys go Down on the Farm to decode what Stearns said about Jett Williams, and also answer Mailbag questions about free agents Shota Imanaga, DustinMay, Alek Manoah, and Trent Grisham. 

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Posted on

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal becomes the 12th pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal won his second straight American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, joining elite company after another spectacular season in which the left-hander helped propel Detroit to a playoff berth.

The 28-year-old Skubal became the 12th player to win baseball’s top pitching honor in consecutive years, joining a group that includes Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez.

Jacob deGrom was the previous pitcher to win consecutive Cy Youngs, pulling off the feat with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019. Martinez was the last American League pitcher to do it, in 1999 and 2000.

Skubal posted a 13-6 record with an American League-leading 2.21 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings for the Tigers during the regular season, then went 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in three playoff starts for Detroit, which was eliminated by Seattle in the Division Series.

Skubal received 26 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The other four went to runner-up Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox. Crochet led the American League in innings (205 1/3) and strikeouts (255). Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros came in third.

Related Stories Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge going for consecutive MVP awardsWhat to watch during MLB’s best-of-three Wild Card Series this weekThis Date in Baseball - Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in MLB history with three 60-HR seasons

A year after taking a massive step forward by winning the pitching Triple Crown in the American League on his way to being a unanimous Cy Young Award winner, Skubal backed it up by serving as the anchor for the Tigers during a volatile season in which Detroit squandered a 15 1/2-game lead in the AL Central and was caught by Cleveland down the stretch.

The Tigers got a bit of revenge in the wild-card round, beating the division-champion Guardians in three games thanks in large part to a 14-strikeout gem by Skubal in the series opener.

Skubal’s historic run comes with him set to enter free agency after the 2026 season. Considering the massive contract Skubal could command on the open market, it’s uncertain whether he’ll stay with the Tigers beyond next season.

The NL Cy Young Award winner will be announced later Wednesday, with Pittsburgh star Paul Skenes — whose 1.97 ERA was tops in baseball — heavily expected to become the first pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year one season and a Cy Young Award the next since Dwight Gooden did it with the New York Mets 40 years ago.

Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers are the other two finalists in the National League.

Posted on

Which Canucks Have Played In 500+ Career NHL Games?

Last night, during the Vancouver Canucks’ 5–3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, forward Conor Garland played in his 500th career NHL game. Garland is the seventh current Canuck to play 500+ games in the NHL, with only one other reaching the 1000-game mark throughout their career. 

Image

The seven players who have played in 500+ NHL games throughout their career are Conor Garland (500), Marcus Pettersson (540), Derek Forbort (552), Jake DeBrusk (565), Brock Boeser (570), Evander Kane (948), and Tyler Myers (1084). The only player of these three who have spent every NHL game with the Canucks is Boeser, who has done so throughout a decade within the organization. 

With Myers having hit the 1000-game mark on October 19, 2024, the next Canuck to hit this milestone will be Kane. The forward has 52 games left until he gets to 1000, which is definitely achievable during the 2025–26 season if he stays healthy. If he were to play every game from now, Kane’s 1000th game would be March 26 against the Los Angeles Kings in Vancouver. 

Image

The Canuck who is most likely to hit the 500-game mark next is center Elias Pettersson, who is currently sitting on 489 NHL games played. If he remains healthy, he’ll complete this milestone during Vancouver’s home game against the Minnesota Wild on December 6. After Pettersson is Filip Hronek with 469 NHL games played, with Hronek’s projected 500th NHL game taking place on January 19 against the New York Islanders. Quinn Hughes (447) and Teddy Blueger (420) round out the rest of the Canucks who have played 400+ games in the NHL. 

Image

Filip Chytil is the only Canuck looking to reach the 400-game mark in the NHL this year, though whether he hits this milestone this season or not will depend on his injury status throughout the year. After him on the list of NHL games played is Nils Höglander, who has 293. Hitting 300 NHL games is very doable for Höglander this year, though this will also depend on his injury status. As he is expected to be back anywhere from late November to mid-December, it’s very likely that the forward will hit this milestone during the 2025–26 season.

Forwards Kiefer Sherwood (283) and Drew O’Connor (259) are also looking to hit the 300-game mark this season, with both doable depending on how injuries shake out during the remainder of the year. Pierre-Olivier Joseph rounds out the group of players with 200+ NHL games played with 202.  

Image

Three current members of the Canucks are currently sitting on 100+ games while waiting to play in their 200th. Lukas Reichel (184) is the most likely to hit this milestone first. Nils Åman (132) and MacKenzie MacEachern (126) follow him on the list, though the former is currently with the Abbotsford Canucks and the latter will likely join once more players start returning from injury. 

10 players who have played for the Canucks this season currently have less than 100 NHL games played. Of these 10, Aatu Räty leads the way with 64 games played, followed by defenceman Elias Pettersson (45), Max Sasson (44), Linus Karlsson (42), Arshdeep Bains (39), Victor Mancini (36), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (28), Joseph LaBate (20), Tom Willander (8), and Braeden Cootes (3). With 64 games remaining in the 2025–26 season, only Räty, Pettersson, Sasson, Karlsson, and Bains have a shot at playing in their 100th NHL game this year. Mancini could hypothetically do so as well, but would have to return to play on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes and take part in every game until the end of the season. 

Oct 25, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland (8) and forward Jake DeBrusk (74) and forward Brock Boeser (6) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) celebrate DebRusk’s goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Son Of Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Named Team CHL Captain

More Information Revealed About Canucks Thatcher Demko's Newest Injury

Canucks Expected To Be Without Forward Teddy Blueger During Three-Game Road Trip

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Hockey News
Posted on

Yankees Notes: Brian Cashman's thoughts on outfield market, comfortability with David Bednar as 2026 closer

Yankees GM Brian Cashman was not in Las Vegas for the GM Meetings this year, but did speak with the media over Zoom on Wednesday to speak on a number of topics.

The hottest topic was the departures in the Yankees outfield. Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham are exploring free agency and Cashman was asked how that impacts his offseason. 

"We're very interested in bringing him back," Cashman said of Bellinger. "He's going to have a lot of choices because he can do a lot of different things. He was a terrific addition for us last year...certainly would love to have him come back to us. We'd be better served if we could retain him. But if not, we'll have to look at alternative ways to fill it and see where that takes us."

On the subject of Grisham, the team extended the qualifying offer, and whether he accepts it or not may change how Cashman and the Yankees pursue Bellinger or other outfield options. Cashman fielded the question and broke down the scenarios.

"We’re comfortable [extending the qualifying offer to Grisham]. This is a very thin outfield market. If he turns it down, that means the market is flush with teams that have the need," Cashman said. "He had a helluva year for us, was one of the big reasons we had the level of success we did, and we’d be happy if he accepted and came back."

Cashman said that if Grisham rejects the offer, he will still be in contact with both his and Bellinger's camp on potential deals while also keeping an eye on internal options. Jasson Dominguez is set to play in Winter Ball ahead of spring training to give him more reps, while prospect Spencer Jones is working out at Yankee Stadium before heading down to Tampa. 

Both youngsters are potentially in play for an outfield spot if Cashman is unable to land one or both free agents, but he acknowledges how early in the offseason it is to predict what will happen.

"We know what Grisham and Bellinger are capable of," Cashman said. "It’s very early in the process. We can lose both Grish and Bellinger to free agency, so that puts more pressure on internal options. Maybe it creates trade flexibility. I guess stay tuned."

Jazz extension talks?

One position the Yankees don't have questions about is at second base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. will man the position in 2026 but is on the final year of his contract.

Chisholm has expressed his desire to stay with the Yankees beyond 2026 and Cashman was asked if he or Chisholm's camp had broached the idea of discussing an extension.

"Haven’t yet. Not sure how that will play out," Cashman said. "[Agent] Brodie Van Wagenen and I spoke as early as today. [Chisholm's] been a great addition. He’s approaching free agency, which puts pressure on whether you make a decision or wait...With his service time, he’s one year away from free agency. He’s one of the best second basemen in the game. An All-Star last year and another one that had a big reason for our success."

Yankees next closer?

Aside from the outfield, Cashman will look to fill vacancies to his bullpen. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are free agents and Cashman said he will talk to their agents this offseason to try and bring them back, but he is happy with the arms that are already on the roster.

"We have [David] Bednar,[Camilo] Doval,[Fernando] Cruz,[Scott] Effross just off the top of my head. We have a lot of good strong arms that are pushing their way up from the system," Cashman said. "We have quality down there that we have to improve upon. We have a few guys that left us in free agency and we’ll talk to them."

This offseason has a flush closer market, headlined by Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez. Cashman was asked if he will be in the market for a closer, and the veteran GM said that part of the market isn't a need for the Yankees.

"We have a closer in Bednar, which is a good thing for us. It’s not a pressure point for us," Cashman said. "It’s hard to find people to navigate that ninth inning…it’s a very hard job, only a few people can do, that’s why they get paid significantly more...Thankfully, we acquired a guy last year we feel comfortable with... so it lessens that role for us but it doesn’t prevent us from dipping our toe into the water to add to our bullpen. So we will be touching base with everyone on the marketplace to make sure what their costs are."