The Utah Mammoth’s decision to part ways with Maksymilian Szuber this summer opened the door for the young defenseman to find a new opportunity in Montreal.
That opportunity became official Monday, with the Canadiens announcing that they had reached an agreement with Szuber on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.
According to PuckPedia, the deal carries an $850,000 NHL cap hit. Szuber will earn $135,000 at the AHL level and is guaranteed at least $175,000 regardless of where he spends the season.
For Utah, the signing puts a bow on the next chapter for a defenseman who spent the past three seasons within the organization after originally joining the franchise when it was still based in Arizona.
The 23-year-old Szuber was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, going 163rd overall. The 6-foot-3, left-shot defenseman developed in Germany with EHC Munich before making the jump to North America in 2023.
He ultimately became a dependable presence for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, appearing in exactly 200 regular-season games over three seasons. During that span, Szuber produced 25 goals and 62 assists for 87 points while accumulating 162 penalty minutes.
His NHL experience, however, remained limited to a single appearance with Arizona during the 2023-24 season.
Szuber showed enough promise to remain part of the organization’s defensive depth, but the Mammoth’s blue-line picture became increasingly crowded. The emergence of prospects such as Dmitri Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux eventually pushed Szuber further down the organizational depth chart.
That ultimately contributed to his departure from Utah.
The Mammoth traded Szuber to the Montreal Canadiens in June, receiving the rights to forward Joshua Roy in return. Roy, 22, became the centerpiece of the deal from Utah’s perspective as the organization continued reshaping its prospect pool.
Now, Szuber gets a fresh opportunity with Montreal.
The Canadiens are coming off a season in which they advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, and their blue-line competition figures to be intense heading into training camp. Szuber will have to fight for an opportunity at the NHL level, but his size, left-handed shot and experience in the AHL give him a legitimate foundation to build upon.
His new contract also gives him some financial security while providing Montreal with a low-cost option capable of providing organizational depth.
For Utah, meanwhile, Szuber’s signing is another reminder of how quickly the Mammoth’s roster and prospect landscape continues to evolve. A player who spent three years developing within the organization is now moving on, while the asset acquired in his departure gives Utah another young piece to evaluate moving forward.
Montreal Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen had a solid 2025-26 season for the Original Six club. In 82 games this past campaign, he posted 22 goals, 15 assists, and 37 points. While he has held off the scoresheet in his seven playoff appearances for Montreal, it was still a successful year for the skilled forward.
Now, Kapanen will be looking to continue to develop in the right direction next season. If he can take his offensive game to a new level and continue to build on his two-way play, he could cement himself as a very important part of the Canadiens' forward group.
When noting that Kapanen is still just 23 years old and only really getting his NHL career started, there is no question that he has the potential to hit a new level for the Canadiens in 2026-27. The young center has a lot of upside, and it would be significant for the Canadiens if he can improve further next season.
It is going to be interesting to see what kind of season Kapanen can put together for the Canadiens in 2026-27. Due to his high potential, it is clear that he is a young forward who fans should be watching extra closely.
We are saddened by the passing of Cozell McQueen, who proudly wore the Red and White from 1981-85 and was a member of our unforgettable 1983 National Championship team.⁰
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) August 6, 2026
McQueen was a sophomore backup center on the Wolfpack team that later spawned the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, "Survive and Advance." In 36 games that season, he averaged 3.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game on 43.1% shooting from the field.
He shot 7-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line during the Wolfpack's NCAA tournament run. His best game came in the Final Four against Georgia, against whom he scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while securing 13 rebounds. In the NCAA championship game against heavily favored Houston, McQueen — defending Hakeem Olajuwon — scored four points while bringing in 12 rebounds.
He started 66 games over his junior and senior seasons, averaging 7.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game over his four-year career in Raleigh. He went on to become a fourth-round pick (91st overall) in the 1985 NBA Draft to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played three games in the NBA in 1986-87 for the Detroit Pistons.
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 4: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #3 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on February 4, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers traded Johni Broome to the Los Angeles Clippers last week in order to create enough cap space under the first apron to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a veteran’s minimum deal. Yesterday, that signing was made official.
Per Sixers Public Relations:
“Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey announced today that the team has signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In 51 appearances (14 starts) with Memphis last season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points on 41.0-percent shooting (91.3% FT), 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 21.3 minutes. He recorded a season-high 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc on Jan. 2 against the Lakers.
Since entering the league in 2013, the University of Georgia product has shot at least 38.3-percent from deep in six of his 13 seasons, including a career-high 42.3-percent from three in 2022-23.
A two-time NBA champion with the Lakers in 2020 and Nuggets in 2023, Caldwell-Pope has appeared in 67 career postseason games, averaging 9.7 points on 35.8-percent shooting from deep, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32.4 minutes.
Caldwell-Pope has appeared in 11 NBA Finals games (all starts), averaging 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 32.5 minutes. He poured in 17 points in Los Angeles’ Game 6 series-clinching win against Miami on Oct. 11, 2020.
Originally selected by Detroit in the first round (8th overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft, Caldwell-Pope has produced career averages of 11.0 points (42.7% FG, 36.5% 3FG, 82.6% FT), 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 963 games (784 starts) with the Detroit Pistons (2013-17), Los Angeles Lakers (2017-21), Washington Wizards (2021-22), Denver Nuggets (2022-24), Orlando Magic (2024-25), and the Memphis Grizzlies (2025-26).
Caldwell-Pope will wear No. 1 with the 76ers.“
The new piece of information was Caldwell-Pope wearing No. 1, last donned by Andre Drummond, with James Harden also being a recent Uno, and the longest-tenured Sixer to wear the number being Slammin’ Sammy Dalembert. We’ll see how much Caldwell-Pope can positively contribute coming off a couple down years in Orlando and Memphis. Undeniably, though, he has more left in the tank than a couple other veterans whom the Sixers have used to occupy end-of-roster spots in recent years. Plus, if it makes LeBron happy, we’re all happy.
138km to go: Nelson is caught. But two of her teammates – Eleonora Ciabocco and Lene Robyn Clay – have been dropped. Mia Griffin, also of Picnic-PostNL, has been dropped too! Did they neglect to have their Weetabix this morning, or did Nelson steal it all at the Picnic-PostNL team hotel?
139km to go: Josie Nelson (Picnic-PostNL) – who hails from Lichfield in Staffordshire – has attacked solo approaching the first climb.
Marko Daňo, an Austrian-born Slovak, was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, 27th overall, at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Daňo made his NHL debut in 2014 and played 35 games. He scored 8 goals, totaled 21 points, and was a plus-12 in his first NHL season. It seemed that Marko Daňo had arrived and was ready to be a good player for Columbus. That was until the following season.
On June 30, 2015, before he even started his sophomore season, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks along with Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, and Columbus' 4th-round pick in exchange for Brandon Saad, Michael Paliotta, and Alex Broadhurst. He ended his time in Chicago by totaling 2 points in 13 games.
Less than one year later, Daňo was traded again, this time to the Winnipeg Jets. He played a total of 82 games over three seasons with the Jets, scoring 10 goals and netting 22 points.
Winnipeg would waive him in October of 2018, when he was then claimed by Colorado. Just over a month later, the Avs put him on waivers again, where he would be claimed by Winnipeg.
In 2019, he was not tendered an offer by the Jets. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Blue Jackets on August 8th. He played three games for Columbus that season but spent most of his time in Cleveland. He played 46 games for the Monsters, scored 4 goals, and totaled 19 points.
In his AHL career, he played in 199 games and had 102 points. During his time playing for the Springfield Falcons, which was the CBJ's AHL team in 2014 & 2015, as well as the Cleveland Monsters, Daňo scored 17 goals and had 44 total points.
Daňo left for Europe in 2021, where he remains to this day. He has played for HC Oceláři Třinec since 2021 and has also played for Czechia in the Olympics and World Cup.
There are 56 days left until opening night at NWA, and Marko Daňo could've been one of those players who would've done well in Columbus for years. He was traded for Brandon Saad, who was then traded back to Chicago for Artemi Panarin a few years later. So, in the end, the deal sending Daňo to Chicago was definitely worth it.
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Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: The Suns finished last season 10th in defensive rating. Do you believe they will be better, worse, or about the same defensively in 2026-27?
GuarGuar: I think overall we will be around the same defensively, maybe slightly better overall with our rating. 10th is pretty good overall, so it’s not really a big problem if we finish the same. However, we were really streaky defensively last year, and I’d rather we be consistently around 10 all year than 6 for half the season and 18ish for the other half…as was the case last season. More minutes for Fleming and Maluach should help us defensively, and I expect Ott to play fewer small-ball lineups this season.
zenzino: I knew this set of questions was coming when grey_hound asked, “What happened to defense? All the answers seemed focused on offense,” and Keratosis concurred, saying many were guilty of that. In another part, Rod said he’d been going easy on us. I said, “Bring it!” And it’s been brought.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but my lineup ideas took defense into account. The reason it “seems” like the focus is on offense is that I’m not worried about defense. The grit and tenacity that last season’s Suns built their reputation on were largely about playing defense for 48 minutes. The foundation this coaching staff preaches is getting more offensive possessions on the defensive side of the ball.
I believe the Suns will be a little better on defense this year. Whether that translates to them moving up in the ranking or not depends on other teams.
Because of injuries and other factors, the Suns slid a little in the second half of the season. If they stay healthy, I don’t see that slide happening again.
This is also where the continuity comes in. Team defense, way more than offense, takes time and chemistry to develop. This is why (in addition to players wanting to show out) you don’t see any team defense in All-Star games and not much in Summer League. It takes time to learn those defensive schemes and learn the strengths and habits (good and bad) of your teammates.
I don’t think the Bridges trade necessarily made them better on defense, but it didn’t make them worse, either. Sheer and Man Man getting more experience will give them additional defensive length as well.
So, yeah…I definitely expect them to be in the top 10 and maybe move closer to 5 than 10.
Ashton: Well, shame on me for not realizing that the Suns finished 10th out of thirty teams. That isn’t bad. Also, I am just not a huge fan of defensive metrics, but a few commentators got up in arms about the lack of defense articles. So, what does Rod do? Dump the whole thing on the Fantable.
To me, defensive ratings are complicated and not the first stat I run to after the game. This is the formula.
Defensive Player Rating = (Players Steals*Blocks) + Opponents Differential= 1/5 of possessions – Times blown by + Deflections * OAPDW (Official Adjusted Players Defensive Withstand)
Yeah, screw that. That formula has been in place for over 20 years! I am not doing the math on that, as other factors come in. Such as, is the player a defensive pest? Can they smash-talk while switching? Are they going to get T’ed up and spend time on the bench? We know Brooks will take a seat. Booker will whine at the refs and take a seat. My guess is Bridges will be an enforcer based on his past history and probably have to take a seat. And I am not running the numbers on what losing RO and GA meant for the defense, but GA was decent. Also, I like watching defense based on the eye-test metric, but I can only watch one side of the court at a time. I would also add if the player stayed at a Holiday Inn the night before as a metric.
Another weird item is that I randomly ran into articles taking a skeptical view of both NBA and PFF (Pro Football Focus) analytic metrics over the course of putting this response together. Do not get me started on AI; it is a glorified data scraper that doesn’t like to play nicely in the “sandbox”. PFF was created by some British guy (shout-out to British Suns Fan) to better understand the game using hand-charted stats, and it was revolutionary for its time. But I tended to be on the side with the skeptical point of view. If the analytics were spot on, then we would all be rich on player prop bets or “Kashi market predictions”. Use the eye test and realize that analytics are helpful but not the end-all, be-all for capturing the nuances of mindset and play.
I still have to answer this question, and I think ranked 10th in defensive metrics is a pretty high bar to clear. Credit to Coach Ott, but I think the Suns regress from the mean. Call it closer to 15th in the league.
Rod: Overall, I see the Suns being at least as good, and likely better, defensively in 2026-27. A lot of that will depend on Ott, his lineups, and his player rotation schemes. I believe many of the Suns’ best defensive players will likely start games on the bench, and the more court time they get, the better the team’s overall defensive rating will be. There’s so much depth on this team; Ott needs to be the anti-D’Antoni coach and use that depth instead of running his starters ragged. I hope to see none of our starters playing more than 30-32 minutes a night because of that depth.
Q2: Which players would you put on the court as your Suns “All-Defensive Team” in 2026-27?
GuarGuar: My All D team for this season would be:
Goodwin Brooks Dunn Fleming Maluach
All those guys are dawgs on defense and get after it.
zenzino: Ok, let’s go.
Starting with the backcourt: Booker and Goodwin.
Yeah, I said Book. Deal with it. He’s a big, strong guard who doesn’t shy away from physicality. Olympic Book was a defensive stopper and he brings some of that to his NBA game. Is he always the best defender? No. Defense takes a lot of energy and he’s asked to do a lot of different things on this team. But, when he needs to be, he’s the best defensive guard on this team (yeah, I said that, too).
Goodie is a pest. He’s active, tenacious, and physical with good size and strength. His defensive rebounding ends opposing teams’ offensive plays.
Frontcourt starting with small forward: has to be Dillon Brooks.
He sets the tone. Physical and annoying, he gets under players’ skin. I really don’t think there’s any better option at SF.
The power forward position is the toughest one for me. The obvious answer is Miles Bridges. And while I can’t say I am well-versed in the ins and outs of his game, scouting reports say he is an able defender who often loses interest in defense. This could be my ignorance, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Rasheer Fleming.
The question says ’26-’27 and not ‘to start 26-27’. So I am projecting that, for next season as a whole, Sheer will be the best defender at the power forward position. As I said in the SL Fantable, while Fleming didn’t show out, he quietly showed improvement in footwork and positioning, and the ability to guard 1-5.
Center is a tough one. I could do the same thing I did with the power forward position and project out but, I don’t think I’m going to do that. Man Man showed great improvement in SL, but he still has defensive areas that need significant improvement. While Oso can do certain things better than the other two (ball-handling, passing) I still have to give the edge to Mark Williams in rim protection and overall defense.
I think it’s interesting that so many people think MW is disposable at this point. His injury was a key reason the Suns’ defense declined towards the end of the season. Obviously, his health is always an issue. But he’s only 24 and will also get better if he can stay mostly healthy. He’s been in the league twice as long as Oso but has only played 26 more games.
So, to sum up, my All-Defensive Suns team is:
Booker Goodwin Brooks Fleming Williams
Ashton: If you made it through my rant on Q1 on analytics, I am still ready to rant. Analytics do not predict the future. But we only have current analytics from the 2025 and 2026 seasons to answer this question. What remains are at least three players. Booker, Brooks, and CG. Okay, pencil them in. Oh yeah, you have to pencil in Oso as well. Now, what to do with the forward position? I know! Let’s play everyone’s favorite subject. Small Ball!
CG (PG) Booker (SG) Dunn (SF) Brooks (PF) Oso (C)
I still think Brooks and Dunn are interchangeable at the forward position. Dunn needs to be brought in for what he was meant to be, a defensive wizard.
Rod: First off, I’m not considering offense as part of this equation. I’m looking at this strictly from the point of view of who put on the court if all you’re concerned with is getting a defensive stop and getting the ball out of the opponent’s hands. With that in mind…
We’ve got to have Goodie on this team. All hustle, all the time, and 13th in steals last season make him a no-brainer choice here.
After Goodie, the choices become a little more subjective as I think there are more than just 4 other players you could select for this team. Depending upon the matchups with the opponent’s lineup, you could tailor the defense to them specifically…but for now I’ll just go with a kind of “generic best” that I think would defend well in almost any situation.
At SG and SF, who do I choose? Brooks comes to mind first in this group, but then we’ve also got Highsmith and Dunn…plus Fleming at SF if we really want to go big on D. Oh, isn’t it good to have so many choices!?!
For the PF slot, we’ve got Fleming and perhaps Oso to consider. Fleming has the better physical tools, but Oso’s BBIQ and versatility can’t be dismissed easily.
And at center, Williams or Maluach? Mark actually had the best defensive rating on the team last year, but I love the way Khaman challenges people at the rim. Intimidation also plays a part in defense, and if Khaman develops a rep as a shot-blocker early on, that could push him into the top center spot for this team.
It’s certainly still mostly pure guesswork on this question, but, for now, my All-Defensive lineup would be Goodie, Dunn, Brooks, Fleming, and Maluach.
Q3: Which Suns player do you believe has the best mix of offensive and defensive talent?
GuarGuar: I’d probably say Dillon has the best mix of offensive and defensive talent. He’s really improved these past couple of seasons offensively, and we know the impact on D he brings on a nightly basis. He might be slightly overrated as a defender, but his energy on that end is very much real and contagious.
zenzino: I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of disagreement on this from the Book haters, but Devin Booker is the best two-way player on the team.
Obviously, he’s the best offensive player on the team with his ability to create shots for himself and for his teammates. His mid-range is money, he can drive to the basket, and while he shouldn’t be a volume 3-point shooter, he can hit them at a decent clip when he’s allowed to pick & choose when he shoots them. He has a lot of gravity and is top 10 in the league at getting blitzed for a reason: everyone in the league respects his ability to score. In his ‘down’ year last season, he still averaged almost 26 points and 6 assists per game.
Granted, he’s not the best defender on the team. But he’s much better than most give him credit for on BrightSide. As I said in the last question, as a guard, he plays with size and physicality. We saw him be a lockdown defender during the Olympics. We’ve seen it in key moments for the Suns.
Some might say, Dillon Brooks. While Brooks is a better defender and his offense was huge for the Suns last season, we don’t know if he can keep that up now that opposing teams know that side of his game. He can create his own shot, but he went to the ‘Kobe Bryant School of Passing,’ so we know when he wants to score, he’ll take the shot whether he should or not, and is not good at setting up his teammates. His 3-point percentage also went down from 39% to 34% last season because his strength is catch-and-shoot 3s.
Yup, I’m pretty comfortable saying Booker is the best two-way player on the team.
Ashton: It is clearly Booker with the best offensive and defensive skill set. All the metrics align, and he is the one I would want on the court in any crunch.
Rod: I pretty much have to go with Brooks on this one. He plays hard on both ends, keeps the rest of the teams pumped up to play D, and, in general, gets under the opposing teams’ skin. He doesn’t always make the best decisions on the court, but he has the confidence to make one and go with it rather than hesitate. On D, he also doesn’t back down from anyone. The Suns have a few better offensive and defensive players, but I don’t believe any other player on the roster has a better two-way skill set than Brooks.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On August 5, 1999, the Suns traded Pat Garrity, Danny Manning, a 2001 1st-round draft pick, and a 2002 1st-round draft pick to the Orlando Magic for Anfernee Hardaway. Two years later, as part of a three-team trade, the Magic would trade that same 2002 first-round pick back to the Suns along with Bo Outlaw in exchange for Jud Buechler in order to shed salary and create cap space. The 2002 1st-round pick that was traded away and later reacquired by the Suns was ultimately used by the Suns to draft Amar’e Stoudemire. If not for the Suns’ second trade with Orlando, Amar’e Stoudemire would have likely never been a Phoenix Sun.
On August 8, 2000, Kevin Johnson retired from the Phoenix Suns for the second and final time after being called back into service during the regular season after Jason Kidd broke his ankle. Although Johnson had not played in an NBA game since April of 1998, he stepped right back into the Suns’ starting lineup almost 2 years later to start in six of the Suns’ final 10 regular-season games and came off the bench to play in all nine of the Suns’ playoff games before the team was eliminated in the 2nd round by the Lakers. After his 2nd retirement, KJ went to the NBA on NBC studios to call games during the 2000-01 regular season.
Important Future Dates
Sept. 28 – Media Day Sept. 29 – Training Camp opens Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded Feb. 11 – Trade Deadline Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Trae Young #3 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Capital One Arena on March 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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 G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The best thing about the parity era of the NBA is that almost every team believes they are one or two moves away from contention. It can also be something of a double-edged sword when teams get desperate and make shortsighted deals that could negatively affect their chances for years to come if they don’t go right.
Big risks can equal big rewards in the NBA, but some of the decisions this summer already seem destined to age poorly. Here’s my list of the worst moves of the NBA offseason thus far.
7. Lakers break the bank for Walker Kessler
Of all the moves on this list, this one has the chance to come back and bite me. I’m pretty high on the Lakers entering the season. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves needed a defensive-minded center behind them, and Kessler was the best one available on the market. I don’t even really have a problem with Kessler’s contract, a four-year, $130 million deal, which seems fine for a solid starting center. My issue is what the Lakers gave up to get him, sending two unprotected first-round picks and two swaps to Utah for the right to pay him. That’s a superstar haul for a player who has never come close to being an All-Star before, and I doubt he’ll ever achieve that status. The deal also means the Lakers don’t have a first-round pick to trade for the next seven years. Los Angeles might have the worst forward room in the league at the moment, and they have no way to upgrade the roster after overpaying for Kessler. This could work out if Luka looks like the best player in the world and Kessler looks like prime Rudy Gobert, but it’s just way too risky for a player who has accomplished very little in his NBA career thus far.
6. Knicks letting Mitchell Robinson walk
I understand that no team wants to be in the second apron right now, but I think it could have been worth it for the Knicks to re-sign Mitchell Robinson. I understand the logic of letting him walk to the Boston Celtics: he’s often injured, and his miserable free throw shooting makes him a liability late in games. Still, Robinson’s force on the offensive glass and ability to protect the rim made New York both a better team, and a huge pain in the ass to go against. His offensive rebound late in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals helped the Knicks win their first championship since 1973. This team could absolutely repeat this year, but they lost a key piece because they didn’t want to go into the second apron to retain him. Andre Drummond is a pretty big downgrade for a team with ambitions of going back-to-back.
5. Bulls take on Nic Claxton without assets
The Bulls entered the summer with the most salary cap space in the league, but they immediately blew a huge chunk of it by taking back Nic Claxton from the Nets in a three-team trade. The Bulls didn’t give up anything to get him, but Claxton’s play has fallen off so much in recent years that Chicago should have received assets just to take on his contract ($44 million owed over the next two years). If you’re going to be a total non-shooter at center like Claxton, you better be able to rebound well. Claxton is very weak on the glass, finishing in the 27th percentile of defensive rebound rate last year. Unless that perks up, this won’t be a good move for the Bulls, and he’ll be an anchor on their cap sheet next season, too. Claxton was pretty good a few years ago when he was patrolling the backline next to Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, but a back injury has slowed him down and made him look like a shell of himself in what should be his prime years. I actually think Claxton might be the third best center on the team this year behind Jalen Smith and Zach Collins. The Bulls should have waited to see what else was out there on the market before immediately wasting so much money on Claxton.
4. The Pelicans doing absolutely nothing
The Pelicans only made one move this offseason, and it was a super confusing one, re-signing DeAndre Jordan to a two-year, $8 million deal with both seasons guaranteed. Does New Orleans realize it finished 26-56 last year? Does it know basically everyone else in the West improved? The Pelicans have some talent on the roster with Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears, but they can’t possibly think the status quo from last season is good enough. They would have been wise to sell high on Murphy, but they reportedly rejected some strong offers for him. Everyone blasted the Pelicans a year ago for getting too aggressive in their draft night move for Queen, and it apparently paralyzed them into inactivity this summer. Most teams will at least throw a few ideas at the wall. The Pelicans just sat in silence.
3. Suns trading for Miles Bridges
Future first-round picks are at a premium in this era of the NBA, and Suns gave away a super valuable one by sending an unprotected 2033 pick to Charlotte for Miles Bridges. That’s not all Phoenix gave up in the deal: they also parted with two solid role players in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. A team should be able to land an impact player when trading that type of package, and I just don’t think Bridges is good enough to fit the bill. He’s a spacey off-ball defender who ranks near the bottom of the league in steals and deflections, and it’s no coincidence that Charlotte’s defense was much better with him off the floor, going from a 117.1 defensive rating when he was on to a 112 defensive rating when he was off. Bridges also still isn’t a reliable outside shooter after only hitting 32.3% of his triples across the last two seasons combined. The skeptic in me says the Suns only made this move because of Bridges’ Michigan State connections, and they were willing to overlook his horrifying history of domestic violence to do it. I like a lot of the Suns’ other moves this summer, but this one just wasn’t worth it.
2. Wizards give Trae Young a max contract
It’s rare that a contract becomes the worst deal in the league from the second it’s signed, but that’s exactly what happened when the Wizards decided to give Trae Young a four-year max extension worth $212 million. No one else in the league would have given Young that contract, which makes me think the two sides had a handshake agreement when Washington made the trade deadline deal for the former Hawks star in February. Young hasn’t played like a max player since he led the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, and that series was so long ago that Ben Simmons was a focal point in it. Washington is clearly sick of being in the NBA cellar, but I’m skeptical of the fit between Young and newly drafted No. 1 overall pick A.J. Dybantsa. Both players like the ball in their hands and are somewhat shaky as floor spacers. Young is of course still one of the very worst defenders in the NBA. If Young can finally embrace movement shooting and setting screens, there’s a chance his excellent playmaking does help elevate the Wizards’ young core. This just felt like a massive overpay from the second it was signed for a team that still needs a lot more help.
1. Gary Trent Jr.’s $64M deal from the Bucks
Trent made a combined $5.8 million over the last two seasons. He’s coming off arguably the worst season of his career, yet he just cashed in with a massive $64 million deal from the Milwaukee Bucks. This contract reeks of cap circumvention. It sure feels like there was an agreement behind closed doors for the Bucks to eventually give Trent a big day after he signed two small deals, and they ended up rewarding him even though he didn’t earn it. Trent was legitimately one of the worst players in the NBA last year, ranking in the eighth percentile of EPM and the third percentile of estimated wins. He’s a complete zero defensively who can’t do much on offense other than hit some spot-up threes. The NBA is reportedly investigating the deal, but there’s no punishment for Milwaukee that would be worse than actually paying out this contract. The Bucks have plenty of young guards that need playing time, and now one of their highest paid players will be someone they have literally no use for. There’s just no way to defend this deal, even if everyone knows exactly how it came to be.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
Will the Sabres add scoring help before the beginning of training camp?
32. Sean Keohane - D (Harvard - NCAA)
Keohane was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft and is a long-range prospect with impressive physical tools. A native of the Boston area, the blueliner played at Dexter Southfield Prep in Massachusetts and was slated to play a full season in the USHL with Tri-City before heading to Harvard, but after 16 games, he shifted to West Kelowna in the BCHL, where he posted 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 25 games.
Elite Prospects indicates that Keohane “flashes nuanced defensive skating, allowing him to push an absurd amount of aggression defending the rush. He's physical, jumping off the net front to punish attackers on the end boards and tries to clog lanes with anticipation-based reads, pushing nastiness after the whistle.”
The 6’4”, 205 lb. defenseman had two assists in 11 games for Harvard as a freshman and in an increased role with the Crimson last season, he posted three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 34 games. The 21-year-old has holes in his game at both ends of the ice that could be honed with another two years at Harvard, which has traditionally done a good job at developing prospects, but those hopes may have taken a hit after head coach Ted Donato departed for an NHL job with New Jersey.
Over the past few years, the Houston Rockets have assembled one of the most talented young teams in the NBA. A large portion of such trade value is retained.
If another superstar enters the trade market, Bleacher Report thinks Houston has two of the most valuable players in the league to offer.
Grant Hughes of B/R ranked Amen Thompson at number five and Reed Sheppard at number 10 in his July 31 assessment of the NBA’s top ten trade assets, and Houston was the only team with two players on the list. However, we all know the Rockets are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very unlikely to trade Amen Thompson, so for the purposes of today’s discussion, let’s focus on Reed Sheppard.
Sheppard, who is ranked No. 10, gives Houston another young talent who might draw a lot of attention.
Despite having a little role early in his career, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft has continued to be a fascinating member of Houston’s backcourt. However, even with all that, I am unsure if I would keep Reed Sheppard. Reed Sheppard’s main strong suit was shooting, which he was good at as he shot 39% from three, but it feels that’s his only calling card offensively.
After Sheppard made 39.4% of his 3-point attempts the previous season, Hughes emphasized his shooting. The Bleacher Report writer also mentioned Sheppard’s career statistics of 18.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per 36 minutes. “If he develops as a playmaker and figures out how to survive being a target of the opposing offense,” Hughes wrote, “Sheppard has legitimate star potential.”
Houston has more trade weapons than just their two young guards. The Phoenix Suns’ 2029 first-round pick, which will ultimately belong to either Houston or the Brooklyn Nets, was named by Bleacher Report as the NBA’s third-best trade asset. Hughes listed the Rockets’ hold over Phoenix’s 2027 first-round choice as one of the league’s most valuable future assets. Houston has a lot of versatility because of that collection.
Without making another significant trade, the Rockets can keep developing around Sheppard, Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Kevin Durant. But Houston has the youthful skill and draft money to make a strong offer if a player who could change the franchise becomes available.
Last week, Spurs CEO R. C. Buford stated that 8-10 members of the Spurs roster were joining Victor Wembanyama in Paris to work out. A few of the photos released on social media show Kelly Olynyk as part of the squad.
Spurs just posted this video, but you mary have missed this detail…
Kelly Olynyk was on the Spurs roster for the 2025–26 season after San Antonio acquired him from the Washington Wizards in July 2025.
Olynyk was acquired by the Spurs last summer in exchange for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and a 2026 second-round draft pick. Although he played sparingly during the season, Olynyk offered a vet presence to the chemistry of the fledgling core.
Since free agency began, there have been no official reports of Olynyk signing for the 2026-2027 season. In the meantime, it seems he has continued to bond with the members of the Silver & Black. He is in the photo of the team at the Louvre seated in front of the Mona Lisa.
A week of hoops, art and camaraderie.
Vic treated the guys to a tour at the Louvre while together in Paris 🖼️🇫🇷
If Olynyk signs a contract, this will be his fourteenth NBA season. At 35, he might not be quite ready to hang it up. He could also be scouting a post-playing career. The Spurs have helped many players transition into coaching, front office, and scouting by utilizing their off court basketball talents. Only time will tell where Olynyk will be come October.
For now, he’s in Paris with a group of guys ready to make another Finals run.
On an unrelated note, happy belated birthday to Tarris Reed, Jr. who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. His first since being drafted by the Spurs.
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Oct 27, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Keaton Wallace (2) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The roster for the Hawks in 2026-27 continues to take shape even as the Jonathan Kuminga saga drags on. This week has brought us the news that two players from last year’s team won’t be back — the two having signed contracts with two different teams in Israel.
First, former two-way player Jacob Toppin didn’t quite have the big summer league performance he was looking for in a return to live basketball for the first time in months after a labrum injury ended his 2025-26 season. He’s now decided to sign with the basketball division of Hapoel Tel Aviv:
The team plays in the largest city of Israel in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Their crosstown rival in the same league also made a recent move for a Hawk.
Keaton Wallace just yesterday was reported to sign a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv:
Wallace was on a two-way deal with the Hawks in 2024-25, but he earned a full contract ahead of last season. He appeared in 53 games for the team last season, although for a total of just 536 minutes.
PHILADELPHIA,PA - MARCH 3 : Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on March 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Over the past few weeks, both the point guard and shooting guard Mt. Rushmore have sparked a lot of great conversation and insight. Shifting our attention to the small forwards, I expect this rendition of the mountain to do the same.
For the Knicks, the three-spot is not just another position. It is a goldmine of pure scorers, gritty enforcers, and players who seamlessly match New York City’s energy. The top two spots on this rock were quite simple to chisel in. They are franchise legends, making significant impacts on their era of basketball. Spots three and four, on the other hand, provided a bit more of a challenge.
Let’s head back to the mountain and get this all settled.
Carmelo Anthony
Okay haters, let’s get the counterargument out of the way. Yes, his overall playoff resume during his Knicks tenure is far from perfect. But Carmelo Anthony took New York basketball out of the dungeon and made it matter again. After years of inhabiting the NBA’s desert, one of basketball’s greatest scorers willingly took on the pressure of Madison Square Garden to get the Knicks back to relevance.
A complete offensive force, Anthony possessed the physical strength to punish smaller defenders in the post and combined it with a soft shooting touch from the perimeter. He was the focal point of 2012-2013’s 54-win season, capturing the scoring title by scoring 28.7 points per game. Whether it was his 62-point explosion or the clutch threes on Easter Sunday, Melo delivered moments that defined a generation of Knicks basketball. Earning seven All-Star selections as a Knick, he sits at seventh on the franchise’s all-time scoring list despite only playing six and a half seasons in New York. There is no denying that Carmelo Anthony’s face belongs on the mountain.
If we are talking about peak performance, Bernard King might have had the highest ceiling of any Knicks player. Before a devastating knee injury changed his career trajectory, King was arguably the most unstoppable player in the NBA not named Magic Johnson or Larry Bird.
An expert of the mid-range and one-person fast break, King completely overwhelmed defenders with speed, power, and an unblockable release. Capturing the 1984-85 scoring title, he averaged a mind-boggling 32.9 points per game. On Christmas Day against the Nets, he dropped 60 points, the highest single-game total on Christmas. During the 1984 playoffs, King put the team on his back, averaging close to 35 points per contest against the Pistons and Celtics.
No one has scored more points on Christmas than Bernard King!
To put it simply, one cannot tell the story of the New York Knicks without showing Bernard King the love he deserves. Like Melo, King is a total lock to make our Mt. Rushmore.
Bill Bradley
You cannot carve an accurate mountain without honoring the figures that helped bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Starting at small forward for both the 1970 and 1973 championship teams, Bill Bradley was the epitome of a team-first basketball player. A perfect contrast to the isolation play of Anthony and King, Bradley was not flashy or the primary offensive engine. Instead, he was an incredibly intelligent, unselfish player capable of executing Red Holzman’s system perfectly. Understanding spacing better than most, he moved without the ball flawlessly. He consistently hit open jump shots, serving as the perfect connector alongside Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Earl Monroe.
Not possessing the scoring titles, Bradley is still a two-time champion and Hall of Famer whose number 24 hangs in the Garden rafters. That is enough to put him as the third face on our small forward Mt. Rushmore.
Latrell Sprewell
With the first three spots of the mountain inhabited by Melo, King, and Bradley, spot number four needed a specific brand of energy to round out the group. Latrell Sprewell provided that exact energy.
The 1999 NBA Finals run is sacred ground for Knicks fans. New York was an eighth seed with absolutely no business competing for a title. Yet, Sprewell put the franchise on his back and willed the Knicks forward. Not just a productive player, he was a cultural phenomenon, perfectly capturing the gritty, underdog mentality of the city. When the offense completely shut off in the postseason, Spree served as the engine keeping the team alive. Completely carrying the offensive load against the Spurs in the ’99 Finals, Sprewell thrived under pressure and made fans in the Garden roar like no other.
He was the ultimate wildcard. For that, he takes our final spot.
The Snubs
Before we officially close the book on this debate, we have to give a shoutout to the players that missed the cut. Though they fell on the wrong end of the selection, we cannot ignore how much these players meant and continue to mean to the franchise.
Fully understanding the recency bias, leaving OG Anunoby off the mountain hurts. The definitive perimeter of our championship team, we also do not win the title without him dismantling the opposition’s best wing every game. Of course, his “Hand of God” tip-in sits as one of the greatest moments in NBA history. However, when comparing his relatively short tenure to the massive footprint left by Sprewell in the late 90s, Spree edges him slightly, for now.
Then there is Anthony Mason. Mase served as the heart, soul, and muscle of Knicks basketball in the 90s. Playing point-forward, he was completely ahead of his time. But because he split so much of his time playing power forward, it felt right to leave him off the pure small forward list.
Finally, we need to show respect to Larry Johnson and RJ Barrett. Providing unmatched leadership, LJ gave us the legendary 4-point play. On the other hand, RJ was the polarizing prodigy that helped rebuild New York’s broken culture and serve as the bridge to the current championship era.
Okay, so the rock is set. The official New York Knicks Small Forward Mt. Rushmore features Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King, Bill Bradley, and Latrell Sprewell. We get two of the greatest scorers in franchise history, the historic glue guy of the 70s championships, and the chaotic energy of the 1999 Finals run.
Now, it’s your turn. Where did I go wrong? Who did I disrespect? Am I completely out of my mind for leaving Anunoby off after this title run? Let me know who makes you mountain below.
The Dodgers did not need an ace. They had one in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was an absolute master last fall as he was leading Los Angeles to its second straight World Series title. The Dodgers also have a two-time Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell coming back from the injured list soon, followed by another All-Star in Tyler Glasnow.
Yamamoto threw two complete games last October, the first pitcher to do that in a postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, then he came out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the World Series and got the last eight outs. He was the Series MVP. With Snell expected back next week and Glasnow on schedule for a late August return, the Dodgers will have depth. Shohei Ohtani has stepped away from pitching for now, but is expected back on the mound at some point this season.
So, Tarik Skubal is not filling the role of team savior. He's insurance against three arms that have to come back right. The Los Angeles rotation, despite the laments about injuries, already led the majors in ERA without the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner.
More than 60 trades went through from the middle of July to Aug. 3. A few, like the Skubal deal, made a good team even better. A few of these moves will decide whether a team plays in October at all. Those are arguably worth more, and they are also the ones most likely to blow up.
Here are five big impact trades, sorted by how much they are likely to matter once the season gets shorter:
In June, the Red Sox looked ready to have a fire sale. Then they won 23 of 26 games, and Craig Breslow started spending prospects. He sent three of Boston's top five prospects to Baltimore to get a catcher that can help the Red Sox in October.
He needed to. Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong combined for a .615 OPS behind the plate this season. Rutschman is a three-time All-Star who switch-hits, frames and calls a solid game. He is 28 and under club control through next season, so it's not a rental.
Where this could blow up on Breslow and Boston is with Rutschman's health. He arrived at Fenway Tuesday on the injured list with left wrist inflammation, and his injury history was the biggest worry executives had about him at the deadline. The Red Sox went into Wednesday night's games 61-51 and four games ahead of Cleveland for the last wild card spot. They will be playing in October if Rutschman is.
Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to the Padres
Nobody has more riding on the deadline boost than San Diego. The Padres went into Wednesday night's games 59-55, one game back of Arizona, which is in the third wild card spot. Two weeks ago, the assumption was that the Padres would sell. The rest of baseball hungrily scouted their closer, Mason Miller.
The rotation was the problem all season. Padres starters carried a 4.66 ERA, fourth worst in the majors, and Michael King and Walker Buehler were the only regular starters left standing. The club was throwing three bullpen games per week.
A.J. Preller went out and fixed things in a day.
Mize left Detroit with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 16 starts and fewer than two walks per nine. Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner, is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 122⅔ innings. Despite a scare this week, Nick Pivetta is on track to return in late August. Joe Musgrove has not pitched at all this season after Tommy John surgery.
If the Padres reach October, it was the trade deadline that did it. If they don't, Preller emptied what was left of the farm system for nothing.
Liam Hicks to the Rays
Three teams in the same division had the same problem. The Red Sox, Yankees and Rays needed catching at the deadline. Boston paid a high ransom, the Yankees struck out completely and the Rays found the fix without breaking the bank.
Tampa Bay catchers had hit .267/.320/.381 with 38 RBI all year. Hicks came over from Miami with 62 all by himself. He hit .282 with 14 home runs and had a .795 OPS in 101 games for the Marlins. He is one of the six best hitting catchers in baseball. He has struck out 39 times.
He hit a grand slam in his first game as a Ray, the first by anyone in the organization this season. He also caught 7⅓ scoreless innings from the bullpen in an 11-inning win.
The cost was Brayden Taylor, Jacob Kisting and Adrian Santana, the Rays' 16th, 22nd and 23rd prospects. No one from the top 10. Hicks comes with four and a half more years of club control.
Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates and Lake Bachar to the Pirates
The risk was obvious. Pittsburgh is 57-58, three and a half games back of Arizona, and lost Mitch Keller for the season to a teres major injury on deadline day.
The Pirates made four separate deals over three days and replaced an entire bullpen that ranked in the bottom half of baseball and had blown 19 saves. In a short series, a manager rides his best two or three arms almost every night.
Weaver is the one who makes this matter. He went 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances for the Mets, holding hitters to a .162 average with a 0.82 WHIP, and he saved four games with a 1.76 ERA for the Yankees in the 2024 postseason. The other three are bets on what they used to be. Doval led the National League in saves in 2023, but struggled with the Yankees. Yates is 39 and carries a 3.95 ERA and Bachar is at 3.84.
Ben Cherrington spent on a team that has to climb over three clubs to matter, and he bought volume rather than certainty. If Pittsburgh gets there, it was a smart buy.
Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Ryan Zeferjahn to the Cubs
Chicago was one of seven clubs linked to Skubal before the deadline. When it was obvious that Skubal wasn't heading to the Northside, Jed Hoyer bought three arms, including two starters. Neither is a sure thing.
Gausman is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts. The underlying numbers are slightly better with an expected ERA of 3.95 and a FIP of 3.50, all well below his ERA. They line up with his 2025 numbers and that is what the Cubs are betting on. He starts Friday in Kansas City.
Holmes fractured his fibula on May 15 and has not pitched since. The 2.39 ERA attached to his name comes from nine starts that ended three months ago. The Cubs will see what they are getting Saturday.
Zeferjahn, the reliever, is actually the sure thing here. He strikes out 13 hitters per nine innings and threw a scoreless inning in his debut.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 11: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Egor Chinakhov (59) looks on during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals on April 11, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We continue our look at some over/unders for the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins, and today we turn our attention to their secondary players. The players on that list include: Egor Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell, Tommy Novak, Elmer Soderblom and Samuel Girard. They are not new players, they are not among the Penguins’ youngest players, they are not quite depth players, and they are not the Penguins’ top core players. But they are still players that should be expected to play a significant role and produce this season.
Here is a quick look at the other over/unders we have looked at so far:
Let’s get into today’s players and potential numbers.
Egor Chinakhov: Over/under 28.5 goals
There were a lot of big (and surprising) developments for the 2025-26 Penguins, and one of the most significant was the in-season acquisition of Egor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was not only his acquisition that made a difference, it was also the way that he arrived and immediately started to reach his full potential as a player, both with and without the puck. He was one of their best and most impactful players in the second half of the season, and looked like the player Columbus had always hoped he could be.
He finished the season with a career-high 21 goals and 42 total points between the two teams, including 18 goals and 36 total points in his 43 games with the Penguins.
Those numbers with the Penguins come out to a 34-goal, 68-point pace over 82 games.
That is first-line production, and when you add in how improved he was defensively he looked like a potential star.
The question is what is he going to do over a full-season?
Was that performance with the Penguins a sign of what he can, and will, be? Or was it simply a hot streak where everything clicked for a talented, but still inconsistent player for a brief period of time?
I think the answer to that question resides somewhere in the middle.
He’s clearly better than he showed in Columbus, and very likely needed a fresh start and a different environment with different voices leading him to start reaching that potential.
But I also don’t know if I expect him to spend a full season shooting over 17 percent. His shot is objectively great, but there might be some regression that comes there. I could see a situation unfolding where he might be the same player, or perhaps even improve, while not scoring goals at the exact same pace as he did a year ago with the Penguins.
With that said, 28.5 seems like a good target line. It’s still very good. It’s still very productive. But it might just be a little bit of a slower pace.
Rickard Rakell: Over/under 30.5 goals
I feel like Rickard Rakell’s time with the Penguins has been a little underappreciated. He had one down year in 2023-24, but other than that has scored like a top-line player and owns what has become a pretty team-friendly contract under the rising salary cap.
He’s good. He is one of the few positive things that can be associated with the Ron Hextall era.
He also showed this past season he can be pretty versatile and held his own at center when the Penguins needed it.
In his four seasons with the Penguins his 82-game goal paces have been 28, 17.5, 35 and 32.8. That’s pretty good, and it’s not hard to spot the outlier. His past two seasons have been outstanding from an offensive perspective, and especially as a finisher.
He is going to be 33 years old this season, so there is a chance he starts to slow down, but after scoring at a 32-goal pace in back-to-back seasons I am not sure he is going to just suddenly fall off the map.
The big thing that might limit him is the potential for injury as he has missed at least 10 games in two of the past four years. But if he stays healthy? Thirty goals should definitely be on the table.
Tommy Novak: Over/under 15 minutes of ice-time per game
At this point we have a pretty good idea of what Novak is as a player. He’s a very capable middle-six forward that can play a variety of roles up and down the lineup, and is probably going to score you between 15-20 goals and 40-45 points.
He is talented, but a little inconsistent.
He has obvious skill, but sometimes it leaves you wanting more.
He is a good player, but there is a very obvious ceiling on what he is.
The Penguins also seem to really like him, as evidence by the fact he just a received a three-year contract extension.
For his over/under I am focussing more on role and usage than production, and I am wondering if he takes on a bigger role than before.
For his career he has averaged 13:45 of ice-time per game.
With the Penguins, that number has gone up a little to 14:15 per game.
But over the last two months of the 2025-26 season, and into the playoffs, his ice-time started to reach levels it has never reached at any point of his career, topping 16 minutes per game.
Prior to those two months to close out the 2025-26 season, he only had three other months in his NHL career where he averaged more than 15 minutes per game, and one of those months came in a month where he played just five games.
With Evgeni Malkin now looking like more of a winger than a center, and with Ben Kindel still only being 19 years old, I wonder if we see Novak take on a more traditional second-line center role from the start of the season and get a slight boost in his ice-time.
Elmer Soderblom: Over/under 10.5 goals
Soderblom was another younger, mid-20s player that the Penguins rolled the dice on. Just as was the case with players like Chinakhov and Novak (and some of this past offseason’s additions), Soderblom was a player that posted strong rate and per-minute stats with his previous team, but never really had a chance to show what he could do with a consistent role.
After joining the Penguins he scored five goals with 10 total points in 20 games, while still posting great underlying numbers.
While his raw box score numbers for his career do not jump off the page, he has still averaged 12 goals per 82 games.
He has obvious skill and tremendous size, and I think there is still some untapped potential in him as a player. He also might get a bigger role than he ever had with the Detroit Red Wings. All of that, combined with a new 84-game season, could put him in a position to reach double-digit goals in a full season for the first time in his career.
Samuel Girard: Over/under plus-6.5 rating
Sam Girard did not have a consistently great debut with the Penguins, but I am not giving up on him still having some sort of positive impact for the Penguins.
He is still only 28 years old, has a track record of success in the NHL, and for as much as he struggled at times with the Penguins he still finished as a plus-5 after coming over in a trade from the Colorado Avalanche.
He has been a plus-6 or better in four of his NHL seasons, including this past season.
