After defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 by a 2-1 final score, the Montreal Canadiens have made a roster move.
The Canadiens have announced that they have assigned defenseman Adam Engstrom to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
While Engstrom has been on the Canadiens' roster, he has not appeared in a playoff game for them this spring. Now, with this news, he is heading back to Laval for the time being.
Engstrom played in his first 15 career NHL regular-season games this season with the Canadiens, where he had one assist and a plus-2 rating.
In 45 regular-season games this year with the Rocket, Engstrom had 10 goals, 24 assists, 34 points, and a plus-14 rating. This is after he had five goals and 27 points in 66 games with the AHL squad during the 2024-25 season.
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the final eight teams left standing in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. They upset a perennial cup-contending Edmonton Oilers squad in six games in the first round and will be up against another cup-contender in the second round: the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, with the help of his coaching staff, out-coached Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch in round 1, and will have to pull out all his tricks once again if he’s to defeat brand new Vegas head coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella has only been the Knights’ head coach for eight games heading into the playoffs after they shockingly parted ways with Bruce Cassidy. Vegas went 7-0-1 down the stretch under Tortorella and dispatched the Utah Mammoth in six games in their first-round series.
It’s unclear if, how, or to what extent (beyond lineup alterations) Tortorella can make changes throughout the course of a long series, behind the bench of a new team, but Quenneville will have to win five key matchups if the Ducks are to win four games in the next seven and advance to the Conference Final.
Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
Jackson LaCombe vs Jack Eichel
If the Conn Smythe Trophy were awarded after one round, a very strong case could be made for it to be awarded to Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe. LaCombe scored nine points (1-8=9) in six games, tied for second in playoff scoring and leading all defensemen, dominated underlying metrics, dictated play on every shift, and effectively shut down (or severely limited) Connor McDavid, the world’s best hockey player.
If Quenneville continues to hard-match LaCombe against his opponent’s top player, LaCombe’s next assignment will be Team USA teammate, 2026 Olympic Gold Medalist, and 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Jack Eichel.
Tying LaCombe, Eichel scored nine points (1-8=9) in six games against Utah in the first round, while averaging 24:22 TOI/G, and offers a completely different challenge for LaCombe than McDavid did. McDavid is far and away the fastest player in the NHL who does most of his damage off the rush and operates at a high rate of speed in every facet of his offense.
Eichel, not slow by any means and still one of the NHL’s best skaters, attacks more surgically and methodically. He utilizes his 6-foot-2, 206-pound frame to protect pucks with an elite glide and is one of the NHL’s best passers, displaying deception and throwing misinformation at every turn. He’s equally as dangerous off the rush or on the cycle.
Eichel prefers to carry pucks low to high in the offensive zone and across the blueline, looking for and opening dangerous seams. Like with McDavid, it will require all five skates on the ice to properly limit his impact, but LaCombe will need to be smart not to drift too far from the net front and remain in good positions.
Lukas Dostal vs Carter Hart
Any goaltender will echo that they aren’t playing against the opposing goaltender, but rather the opposing team as a whole. However, in this particular series, Ducks netminder Lukas Dostal will have to out-duel Vegas netminder Carter Hart, and out-duel him significantly, if the Ducks are to have a chance at advancing beyond the Golden Knights.
Through the first round, traditional numbers suggest that Dostal and Hart have been two of the worst goaltenders in the playoffs, with Hart finishing with better numbers.
Hart finished his first round series by allowing 18 goals on 167 shots (.892 SV%) and saved -0.13 goals above expected (GSAx). The eye test suggests a slightly different narrative, as he let in several goals from distance, without a screen, and/or through his body (between his arm and his torso).
Dostal’s numbers were far worse in the first round, as he allowed 20 goals on 158 shots (.873 SV%) and saved -4.61 GSAx. His eye test suggests he was better than those numbers, but unspectacular nonetheless. His rebound control and puck tracking (typically two staples of his game) left a lot to be desired, but none of the goals (of very few) could be classified as “soft.”
Dostal either allowed goals with screens in front of him, off of deflections, and/or from incredibly high-danger areas of the ice. If he could see a shot, he typically saved it, but he wasn’t able to “steal a game,” and he didn’t come up with a “big save that he wasn’t supposed to make” very often.
The big saves he does make often go unnoticed, as his primary strength as a netminder is his positioning, and he makes difficult saves often seem routine. However, with what Vegas strives to accomplish on offense, Dostal will need to make those big, athletic saves he’s not supposed to, and he may have to “steal” a game or two.
Both goaltenders have the skill sets to dictate a series from their respective creases, but neither had to for their teams to advance to the second round. One may have to, however, if they intend to backstop games in the third round.
Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
Ducks Power Play vs VGK Penalty Kill
In the regular season, Vegas boasted elite special teams, featuring the sixth-best power play (24.6%) and seventh-best penalty kill (81.4%). That continued into the playoffs, as they currently have the fifth-best PP (20%) and third-best PK (93.8%).
The Ducks are a completely different study, as they had middling to poor special teams in the regular season (18.6% PP, 76.4% PK). Their penalty kill remained unimpressive through the first round (71.4%), but it didn’t bite them, as they are the least-penalized team in the playoffs to date.
Anaheim’s power play flipped a switch, however, in the first round, and was one of the greatest factors that led to them defeating the Oilers in six games. With two units finding cohesion and chemistry after 82 games of trial and error, the Ducks scored eight power play goals on 16 attempts in round one.
With the assumption that Vegas’ power play will remain productive and Anaheim’s penalty kill will continue to allow goals at a similar rate, the Ducks’ power play will prove ever-important once again in the second round, as will a continued discipline from Anaheim to limit their own trips to the penalty box.
Ducks Depth Scoring vs Knights Middle Pair (Hanifin-Andersson)
The Ducks’ top line (Gauthier/Kreider-Carlsson-Terry) accounted for six of the Ducks’ 14 goals at 5v5 in the first round and were on the ice for seven. Vegas opted not to match a pair or line against Utah’s top line in their first-round series with much consistency, but the gap between Utah’s first line (Crouse-Schmaltz-Keller) and their second line (Yamamoto-Cooley-Guenther) isn’t as drastic as Anaheim’s.
Utah’s top line did see slightly more ice against Vegas’ top pair (McNabb-Theodore) than they did against their second pair (Hanifin-Andersson). If Vegas’ top pair has remotely the success they did against Utah’s top line, Anaheim’s depth scoring will be more vital to their success in this series.
Anaheim has the offensive prowess down their forward lineup to supplement Terry and Carlsson at the top, with a potent blend of veterans like Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn alongside talented youth like Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish. McTavish and Sennecke got their first taste of playoff hockey, and both project to thrive, stylistically, in that environment. However, both will hope to increase production and factor into more dangerous plays in the second round.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ducks Net Defending vs Vegas Slot Offense
At various points in the 2025-26 season, the Ducks struggled to defend every facet of on-ice play. While adapting to a new coaching staff that brought in a new system, the Ducks had sorting issues defending the rush and made poor pressure decisions at the offensive blueline. However, the area that consistently pained them most was defending the front of their net.
Though they’ve improved when defending cycles, they are still susceptible to getting beat back to the front of the net from the perimeter, and they can still get caught puck watching when plays shift sides of the ice laterally.
When pucks are funneled to the crease from the perimeter, the Ducks struggle mightily with boxing out, tying up sticks, and clearing rebounds.
Vegas is as polished as they come on the cycle. They can work pucks low to high for point shots, dominate possession below the goal line, and sustain pressure for minutes at a time. They’re at their best when their best players (Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel) skate pucks up the walls and across the blueline, drawing defenders out of position to open seams and passing lanes.
Anaheim’s centers will have to make astute decisions on whether and when to pressure in those situations, and defensemen will have to limit their temptation to drift too far from the crease. When defending the net-front, they’ll also have to work tirelessly to eliminate screens, tips, and second-chance opportunities. Easier said than done.
As with any series, this Ducks roster stands a chance to win four of seven, especially with Quenneville behind the bench. However, the execution will need to be nearly perfect, and they’ll have to come out on the positive end of these five matchups to do so.
LAKELAND, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Reed Trimble (62) at bat during the Spring Training Game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers on February 22, 2026 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Triple-A: Nashville (Brewers) 5, Norfolk Tides 1
Sunday marked the Triple-A debut for Trace Bright, the fifth-round Auburn righty who has now spent parts of three years in Double-A. It went… fine. Bright lasted just 2⅔ innings, walking four and striking out four against just two hits, allowing two runs. Last month, Bright was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for a scoreless two-start stretch, but the walks look like a problem still be tackled.
The Tides’ lone run came via the bat of Johnathan Rodríguez, who launched a home run in the eighth inning. Drafted by Cleveland in 2017 and DFA’d in March, Rodríguez is a career .285 hitter in the minors (.852 OPS), but hasn’t had much success in 49 games at the MLB level.
The Baysox coughed up the winning run in the eighth inning, though the offensive contributions weren’t nothing. Frederick Bencosme, the Dominican-born infielder who signed for $10,000 back in 2020, went deep for his fourth homer of the season. Griff O’Ferrall doubled, Aron Estrada had two hits, and Alfredo Velásquez drove in two runs from the nine spot.
Evan Yates, a twentieth-rounder in 2024, gave up three runs but allowed just one walk while pitching into the sixth inning. Calgary native son Cohen Achen pitched 1.2 scoreless. Unfortunately, Jeisson Cabrera let in the tying run in the eighth, though he did strike out the side for good measure.
The headliner here was Carson Dorsey, the Florida State lefty taken in the 2024 draft who has had an up-and-down first full High-A season, with a 6.23 ERA in five appearances. Sunday was definitely an up: Dorsey came out of the bullpen and delivered six scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and holding the Cyclones to two hits while striking out eight. That’s a dominant outing by any measure, and great news for an under-the-radar arm.
Nate George, the top prospect in the organization, drove in two runs. Elis Cuevas added a home run. Wehiwa Aloy singled and walked.
Single-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 10, Hill City (Guardians) 6
The runs were coming in bunches for the Shorebirds on Sunday. A rehabbing Reed Trimble, the 2021 competitive balance pick who’s battled injuries at virtually every level of the system, went deep. Trimble was one of three prospects the O’s protected from the Rule 5 draft last year, along with Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez, both of whom have seen MLB action.
That wasn’t it on offense, though. The 20-year-old José Perez also went deep and added a triple on a day he racked up three hits, four RBIs, and 10 total bases. DJ Layton and Edwin Amparo had two hits apiece. Stiven Martinez hit a pinch-hit triple.
A pair of 2025 draft picks—Denton Biller and Dalton Neuschwander—weren’t brilliant, but they didn’t need to be. Each allowed three runs in two-plus innings, through the pair racked up eight strikeouts. Riley Cooper pitched a nice 1.2 innings, with three strikeouts. And Kenny Leiner threw a scoreless ninth.
No matter how well José Caballero played in this first month of the season, he was running on borrowed time. The Yankees always intended for Anthony Volpe to slide back into the starting shortstop role when he recovered from a torn labrum that affected his play for much of the 2025 season, and they made that clear when they didn’t make a single infield addition in the offseason.
Right?
This is what everyone in Yankeeland assumed was going to happen, regardless of Caballero’s performance. The team had been vocal about their belief in Volpe as a key piece of the team’s future, consistently defending his performance through last season and into his offseason surgery. When he began a rehab assignment, it looked like his return was inevitable.
But the young shortstop reached the end of his 20-day rehab window yesterday, and the Yankees elected to option him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fact he entered the year with all three of his minor league options remaining makes it so that the team isn’t absorbing any risk if this is intended to just get him a week or two more of game action before returning, but there’s a sense that some of the trust has waned in the 25-year-old, and Caballero’s performance hasn’t helped Volpe’s case at all.
A month into the season, Caballero has performed admirably in his time as the team’s shortstop, contributing some clutch moments offensively with steady defense and aggressive baserunning. Entering play on Monday, he’s slashing .259/.306/.405 with a 99 wRC+ with four home runs, 12 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and 0.8 fWAR. He paces the American League with 7 Defensive Runs Saved and has added value on the basepaths, even after getting thrown out four times in two games last week.
When comparing him directly to Volpe, even if you give Volpe’s 2025 defensive regression some grace due to his labrum injury, the decision makes plenty of sense; the last we saw of Volpe was of a floundering player, and Caballero is performing very well. But if we’re talking about optimizing the Yankees’ roster, the best move would still be to pencil in a healthy Volpe at shortstop and put Caballero back in a role where he’s excellent, as a super-utilityman.
While Caballero has looked better offensively in his brief Yankee tenure than Volpe has in his three-year career, a look under the hood reveals that we shouldn’t expect this much longer from Caballero. Even though faster players will generally run a better BABIP due to their speed (see: Chandler Simpson), Caballero is vastly overperforming his .267 xwOBA, which sits in the 8th percentile. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, has a minuscule walk rate, and his overall quality of contact is much closer to his mediocre 2024 season than his strong finish to 2025.
Compare that to what we saw out of Volpe in 2025, where the expected stats aren’t too much better (.301 xwOBA), but the quality of contact is closer to league average, and there’s more potential in his bat if he can somehow make more consistent contact. Despite his overall numbers being near-identical through three years in terms of wRC+ and OPS, his peripherals have improved, particularly in chase rate and bat speed.
Defensively, it makes sense to give pause to before handing one of the most important positions on the field back to someone who was awful there in 2025, but the Yankees believe that the labrum injury affected him far more than initially believed, causing him to overcompensate in some regards. You could accuse the Yankees of being optimistic there, but we have substantial two-year sample size of Volpe being a strong defender at the position when , combining to produce 21 DRS and 15 Outs Above Average in his first two seasons. Many of his errors last year came from off-line throws, something that could’ve been affected by the shoulder injury.
But the biggest reason to move forward with the team’s initial plans for this season is to optimize the 26-man roster in the absolute best fashion possible. The Yankees’ bench, as currently constructed, isn’t very flexible with the specific roles that Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt, and JC Escarra play. While Rosario can play other positions than third base, it’s not a serious consideration most days.
As of right now, Max Schuemann is the most flexible player on the bench. Schuemann nominally provides versatility, with the ability to play second and third, not to mention his limited experience at short and in the outfield, but the team tellingly hasn’t really opted to use that versatility in the week he’s been on the roster. The role Schuemann fills at this moment can use an upgrade.
Caballero’s defensive prowess gives him a high enough floor that he isn’t a bottom-of-the-barrel shortstop in the league when his bat falls back to earth, but there might not be a better bench player in all of MLB if he’s put back in that role. He’s able to play five different positions at a solid level, having already shown his aptitude at shortstop while also being able to play second base, third base, left field, and right field.
Not only is he a capable defensive replacement at many different positions, but he also exists as a viable pinch-hitting and platoon candidate at these positions. Is there a tough lefty that you might not want to play Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr. against? Caballero’s OPS against left-handers is .800 over the last two seasons, with an xwOBA of .320.
His best attribute of all, though, is his speed, which could now be deployed in the biggest spots of the game. To start the season, the Yankees were reduced to using Randal Grichuk as their best pinch-running option, and even though the recent moves have had either Schuemann or even Jasson Domínguez in that role depending on the day, Caballero as the team’s top pinch-runner would be tremendously more valuable once Giancarlo Stanton returns from injury.
When you factor all that in, Caballero provides much more to the bench than Schuemann can, and that’s only possible when sliding Volpe back into shortstop. Think of it this way; shifting from Caballero to Volpe, if the latter is healthy, shouldn’t be too big of a dropoff, while Caballero provides a massive upgrade on whomever he’s replacing on the bench. And of course, Caballero would likely prove to be a bench player only in name, coming in as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement, or starting against lefties so often that he’d find himself on the field more often than not even if he isn’t the everyday shortstop.
None of this matters if there are legitimate baseball reasons why the Yankees do not want to activate Volpe, but if this is merely just to get him more at-bats in the minor leagues and he’s only a week or two away from donning the pinstripes again, he should reclaim his old job. The Volpe we saw in 2023 and 2024was flawed, but that version of Volpe would still make the Yankees roster better right now.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 3: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 3, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Mark Vientos hit a pair of homers, Clay Holmes maintained his National League lead in ERA, and the Mets are a win away from having a winning streak. Neat!
The Phillies scored six times against Chris Paddack in the first inning Sunday afternoon and never looked back on their way to a 7-2 triumph over the Miami Marlins.
A thorough smackdown of the IronPigs in Syracuse last night. Nick Morabito raised his OPS to .852, while Cristian Pache went deep for the third time this year and now has an .856 OPS himself. The rehabbing A.J. Minter tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout, and even Dylan Ross had a clean inning himself. Good game all around.
In the resumption of yesterday’s suspended game, Binghamton tried to rally late but ultimately fell short. Down 4-1 in the ninth, RBIs from Jose Ramos and Nick Lorusso cut the deficit to one. TT Bowens lined out to end the game though. Close, but no cigar.
A really nice start from Zach Thornton got the Rumble Ponies through in their regularly scheduled Sunday game. Seven strikeouts and no runs in four innings, supported by a good day at the plate for JT Schwartz, was all Binghamton needed.
St. Lucie got caught stealing three times, made three errors, and won anyway. The Mets were actually down 6-2 in this one, but rallied back. Three scored in the sixth on singles from JT Benson and Chase Meggers as well as a successful steal of home (the rare time the “steal second with a runner on third so he can score” play works). Now down one, St. Lucie scored two more times in the eighth on doubles from Randy Guzman and Julio Zavas to take a one-run lead that Christian Rodriguez made stand up.
Inter’s manager was not first choice to replace Simeone Inzaghi but has created a juggernaut that could not be stopped
It all felt inevitable, by the end, Internazionale becoming champions of Italy for the 21st time with a win over Parma they did not even need. A draw would have sufficed: in this game, or the next one, or either of the two after that. Their rivals for the Scudetto yielded one-by-one through the spring and then, finally, all at once. None of Napoli, Milan or Juventus won this weekend, not that it would have mattered any more if they had.
Inter were 10 points clear at the start of this round and 12 by its conclusion, the best team in Serie A by a mile. They have scored 82 goals in a league where no other team has yet made it to 60. Defensively, only Como can equal their 17 clean sheets.
DETROIT, MI - MAY 03: Texas Rangers Jack Leiter (22) pitches in the first inning during the game between Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers on May 3, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tigers 7, Rangers 1
Detroit. Dee-Troit. D Troit.
The Tigers.
They won.
Jack Leiter gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings, which sounds bad.
Which is bad, really.
But he did pitch better than the line would indicate, to use that old cliche.
Leiter allowed a total of six baserunners in the game. The problem is that five of them scored.
Leiter walked just one batter — Riley Greene, to lead off the fifth. It was the first baserunner he allowed all game.
The next batter, Spencer Torkelson, put an 0-2 hanging slider into the bleachers, and that, for all intents and purposes, was that.
The Torkelson homer was the only ball in play over 100 mph that Leiter gave up in the game. Or any other Ranger pitcher, for that matter.
In the sixth, Jake Rogers led off the inning with a ball to the outfield that should have been a single. Evan Carter tried to make a diving catch on it, however, and it got past him for a triple. Kevin McGonigle then hit a flare that fell in for a single to drive in the third run off of Leiter.
Leiter had Kerry Carpenter on second with two outs in the seventh and got a ground ball from Hao-Yu Lee that snuck through the infield for an RBI hit. Leiter was then lifted for Tyler Alexander, who allowed a pair of singles and a double before the inning ended.
So that was the five runs off of Leiter.
He was still really good, though. 10 Ks on the game. 73 strikes on 100 pitches, including 16 swings and misses.
If Leiter pitches like that regularly the Rangers will be in good shape.
Gavin Collyer pitched the eighth and once again didn’t allow any runs. That’s nine games, and 7.1 innings, in Collyer’s major league career without a run being scored.
The bats, meanwhile, were not good, despite the Tigers rolling with a bullpen game.
The only run came off former Ranger Ricky Vanasco in the seventh, when an Ezequiel Duran double, a Josh Smith walk, a wild pitch, and a Kyle Higashioka ground out cut the lead to 3-1.
Duran’s double was the only extra base hit the Rangers were able to muster.
The team was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Both the hitlessness and only having five at bats with runners in scoring position are problems.
Josh Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, at least. That’s the offensive highlight for the Rangers.
Jack Leiter topped out at 99.4 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.5 mph. Tyler Alexander touched 91.3 mph with his sinker. Gavin Collyer’s fastball maxed out at 97.9 mph.
Jake Burger had a 108.7 mph ground out and a 101.9 mph fly out. Kyle Higashioka had a 105.9 mph ground out. Corey Seager had a 103.9 mph single. Andrew McCutchen had a 103.2 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.2 mph ground out. Brandon Nimmo had a 101.7 mph single. Josh Smith had a 101.6 mph single.
On to New York to play the Yankees. Things will maybe be better there.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 16: Brusdar Graterol #48 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands on the field prior to a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch on March 16, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night, and pitched a scoreless inning in his first game action in over 18 months. Graterol, who missed all of 2025 after right shoulder surgery and was slow-played this spring, will have a long rehab assignment before he joins the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in St. Louis on Saturday.
“He hasn’t pitched a whole lot in the last two, three years. So his buildup needs to be methodical,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to him getting going.
“Yeah, it seems like the last few years it’s been a rehab situation. So for him to get out of that mode and get to being a regular player, get the health (issues) behind him – we’re all looking forward to that.”
“He would come around the team, and the Frates family is just a really special family,” Sheehan said. “They have the Frates Foundation, which supports ALS research. It was a really cool cause, and I didn’t know much about it before Boston College, but I was grateful that I got to learn about it and keep it going.”
Links
I’ve referenced this article in a few weekend minor league reports, but last week Kiley McDaniel at ESPN updated his top 10 prospects for all 30 MLB teams. On the Dodgers list, Zyhir Hope moved up to second place and shortstop Emil Morales is now fourth in the system. Also from McDaniel: “Jackson Ferris and Adam Serwinowski, lefties who just missed this list, are next to be added to the 40-man after the season; Serwinowski’s stuff fits better in shorter stints.”
Josh Rosenthal and Angel Amparo attend graduation at the Colorado Rockies training complex in Boca Chica, DR
Author’s note: When we started on this series, we envisioned three or four articles that described what the Rockies are doing to support their Latin American players as they transition to playing professional baseball. As we learned more about it, however, we discovered there was much more here — and that the Rockies were at the forefront of ensuring Latino baseball players received educations that prepared them for the next steps in their lives, whether that was playing baseball or doing something else. It doesn’t get enough attention — and we’ve only really come to understand it through telling this story — but five MLB teams radically re-envisioned what becoming an MLB player would look like for Latino prospects.
All photos are courtesy of Josh Rosenthal.
Two weeks ago, we discussed the Rockies Cultural Education & Development Program, which began in 2012. That article highlighted the program in its current form, but in a phone interview, Josh Rosenthal – the original architect of the program – shared how the program came to be and its impact on Major League Baseball.
Origin story
Rosenthal served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. Upon his return, he was introduced to now-Vice President of International Scouting and Development Rolando Fernández by his brother, Zack, who was an assistant general manager for the Colorado Rockies at the time.
“[Fernández] had this dream for building an education program for the Latino players, and my brother was talking to him about it,” Rosenthal said. “My brother had been working for the team since 2006, and he introduced me to Rolando, and we hit it off when we met for the first time, talking about the idea for this project and this program. And every time I went to visit my brother, I would connect with ‘Ro,’ and we would brainstorm about the possibility of this program, not ever knowing whether it would come true or whether funding would become available.”
They stayed in touch, discussing the framework for a program should it come into existence.
And in 2012, it did.
Rosenthal interviewed for a position to build the program, but his inspiration always came from his time serving in the Peace Corps because of the culture shock he experienced serving in El Campo, Guatemala.
“I needed to really adapt to a very different culture, and I also needed to learn a new language all at the same time,” Rosenthal said.
He sees the experience of the Rockies Latin-American prospects reflected in his own.
“That’s what these boys are having to do, as well,” he said.
“They’re learning a new culture, moving from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela or wherever to the United States. It’s a different culture and a different language. So I’d been through what they’ve been through. I also have a passion for helping people. Being in the Peace Corps, you’re given a unique gift to help people every day. That’s your job. And so I was looking for something that was fulfilling. Obviously, I was a baseball coach, baseball fan and (came from) a baseball family. My brother was the assistant GM for the Rockies for a long time, so this was a marriage of all my passions – teaching, language, travel and helping people in baseball.”
Setting the standard
When the Rockies started their program in 2012, only four other teams had dedicated education programs and full-time education coordinators: the Houston Astros, the Kansas City Royals, the Detroit Tigers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Other MLB teams had English programs, but nothing really comparable.
“We’re really setting these players up for success, both on and off the field, during and after their careers,” Rosenthal said.
During that time, Neskys Liriano, the education director for MLB, and Rafael Pérez, the director of Dominican operations for MLB, pushed education programs and challenged teams to build better infrastructure to support them. MLB also dedicated space at the Winter Meetings for these five teams to share resources, so other teams could build their own programs.
Eventually, Rosenthal and Angel Amparo partnered with the New York Yankees to create one of the first high school education programs that allowed students to earn their high school diplomas while playing baseball.
“If I die tomorrow, that’s my legacy more than anything,” Rosenthal said.
“These boys develop all these amazing skills – they develop leadership, hard work, discipline, teamwork… They’re international. They know how cultures work in the United States. They’re bilingual. They have all these amazing experiences, but then they go home, and they have no high school diploma, so they can’t get a good job.”
Not everyone was on board, however.
“When we developed the high school diploma program, at times there was a little bit of pushback” Rosenthal said, “because we’re in the business of winning championships, not educating young men.”
But Rosenthal knew that was the wrong approach.
“We did the research, and we backed it up, and we said, ‘No, an educated player is a better player. And somebody who has the self-confidence and understands that they have a fallback when their career is over – whether it’s after a 10-year career in the big leagues or whether it’s when their career fizzles out in the Dominican Summer League or rookie ball – they’re going to be more confident knowing that they have a fallback,” he said.
“They’re going to be better learners because they’ve had formal education, and they’re going to be able to more quickly learn English. They’re going to be able to more quickly communicate with their teammates and their coaches. They’re going to be able to understand more quickly what the coaches are teaching them about pitching or hitting.’ So we were able to justify this education for them beyond just being on a moral ground.”
They also had support from others in the front office, including former general manager Jeff Bridich.
“His wife has a doctorate in education, as well, and the Monforts are kind and loving people who supported us, and they told us that they’d pay for the program,” Rosenthal said.
“And now all 30 clubs have programs.”
Creating a new culture
Since this was a new program, there was a big learning curve in the first year for Rosenthal and his team as well as the Rockies organization.
Rosenthal was hired in mid-February 2012 and reported to spring training in Scottsdale just two weeks later. During that spring, he spent most of his time observing baseball operations and interviewing players and coaches to learn as much as possible about Major League Baseball.
Then he got to work on a guiding handbook, which wasn’t without challenges.
“I worked and I grinded and I made copies of English books and picture dictionaries and all this stuff,” he said. “I was in my office just grinding away and I didn’t really feel like I was part of the team.”
He approached then-GM Dan O’Dowd, who told him to be more present with the team.
“So instead of being locked in my office, I started being at practice,” he said. “I started being on the field. I started sitting in the dugout during games or sitting in the stands with the players and working with them and talking about baseball in English, but I was also able to show off my knowledge of baseball in the game and I was able to have conversations with the coaches and they understood and the players understood and respected (me).”
That helped build rapport within the organization as well and set the standard that English classes were just as important as baseball instruction.
“There were some times where players would get called out of my class for a meeting with a hitting coach and I had to step up and be like, ‘No, you can’t leave. You’re in my class right now,’” Rosenthal said. “And I would have to make a statement. There was a time when a coach came in because Rolando wanted to see a player, and Rolando is all powerful, but I would say, ‘Nope, you can see him in 30 minutes when class is over.’
“I have all the respect in the world for Rolando – he’s one of my mentors,” he continued. “But English class is just as important as looking at a video for hitting or pitching or mental skills. That was the culture that we built, and it was appreciated because of that. If a player missed English class, it was like he missed BP, and he wouldn’t play in the game. And we had that culture and guys never missed. It was mandatory, and that was really important.”
In addition to creating new norms in the classroom, Rosenthal and his team also had to break some old norms outside it. Most important was better integrating the dugout and the clubhouse — literally.
“When I first got here in 2012, the dugouts in spring training were separated,” Rosenthal said.
“The Latino players were on one side, and the American players were on the other side. And I went in and said, ‘Hey, we need to change this. You need to mix up these lockers.’ And they said, ‘No, it’s the way we’ve always done it.’ And there was some pushback, and I basically was like, ‘Guys, we’re literally segregating these players. It’s a big word, but this is literally what this is.’
“And they acknowledged it, and they were like ‘We never even thought about it. This is just the way we’ve always done things.’ And sure enough, I had Bridich go in and talk to the clubhouse staff and say, ‘You’re going to go in and mix up all these lockers.’ Now, it was a lot of work to move everyone’s locker, but they did it, and we really had unification of our American and Latino players.”
Another way they unified the players was with a language lesson at the beginning of every meeting in spring training.
“We would do a word of the day or the phrase of the day at the beginning of our morning meetings,” Rosenthal said. “I would call on an American player and I’d call on a Latino player, and the American player would have to say the word of the day in Spanish, and the Latino player would have to say it in English. And everybody was learning, and they were working together, and it was impactful.”
Proudest moments
While there have been a number of players who have reached the Major Leagues, Rosenthal said he’s most proud of “the guys who have become coaches and scouts and that sort of thing because those guys have careers for the rest of their lives.
“I know their kids are going to go to great schools. I know that their children are going to be educated, really breaking the cycle of poverty,” he continued.
“A guy that makes it to the big leagues could lose all his money. It’s wonderful that they made it to the big leagues, but we have Michael Ramirez who’s the Latin American Hitting Coordinator. Cesar Galvez is the manager in (Single-A). Alving Mejias is a crosschecker, and that’s one of the highest roles in scouting. Helmis Rodriguez is a pitching coach. These are all guys that came up through our program, and at times, we would be talking to the front office guys and I’d say, ‘Hey, when this guy’s career is over, this is the type of guy that we want to become a coach or have a role in our program.’ And these are guys that have been hired by the team and have careers that are going to be able to support them forever. So those are the guys I’m most proud of.”
As far as players go, Rosenthal cited six players who played for their countries in the WBC: Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Huascar Brazobán (who is now with the Mets), Ezequiel Tovar, Juan Mejia, and Carlos Estévez.
“One of my proudest moments was the Dominican Republic versus Venezuela WBC game, which was the biggest game in Latin America,” Rosenthal said. “We had six players in those games – Márquez and Estévez didn’t play – making significant impacts in these huge games that were the biggest in their country’s history. It was just really special to see them on that world stage, and that was one of my proudest moments for sure.”
Looking to the future
Rosenthal left the team in December 2019 to spend more time with his family, but he still keeps in touch with the Rockies.
“I keep in contact with them,” he said. “I stop by the complex usually once a year. Angel and I are best friends. We still talk on the phone. The Rockies staff is pretty much the same as when I was hired in 2012 – the core group is still there, and those guys treated me like family and took care of me.”
Additionally, he has turned his focus to his nonprofit, the BASE Foundation, which “provides educational opportunities for boys who are active and dedicated baseball players, but come from low-income communities and have limited resources.”
But most importantly, Rosenthal highlighted the impact these education programs have had on the Latin American communities.
“I think Latin American baseball and its affiliation with Major League Baseball, in some ways, has a bad reputation,” he said. “They sign these players at 16, and that means a lot of these kids drop out of school and go and work and train full-time in an academy and put their education on the back burner. But the education programs that the teams are building and providing to the players make baseball part of the solution, not part of the problem.
“It’s really amazing,” he continued. “It’s gone beyond our wildest dreams that all 30 clubs have active education programs now, and all 30 clubs have high school diploma programs. That’s thousands of kids that have received a high school education in addition to becoming bilingual, learning financial planning, learning emotional intelligence, and those types of skills will help them be successful both on and off the field, during and after their careers. It’s really wonderful.”
Up next
In the coming weeks, we will have interviews with some of the teachers, as well as player experiences and community involvement.
The Isotopes fell back to earth, only scoring four runs after scoring 45 in their last two games combined. They managed to still beat the Chihuahuas (Padres), though, so that’s positive. Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP), Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) and Jose Cordova each recorded two hits, but it was Chad Stevens who singled in the eighth to secure the win.
Caron Palmquist (No. 19 PuRP) pitched three innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Patrick Weigel pitched three more scoreless innings, but Seth Halvorsen gave up two runs in the seventh to blow the save. Blas Castaño and TJ Shook put up two innings of zeroes, though, to close things out and earn the win and the save.
It was a home run parade in Hartford, as the Yard Goats defeated the Fightin’ Phils (Phillies). The Goats hit eight extra base hits — four doubles, one triple, and three home runs.
Each of the Goats’ starters had at least one hit, and they racked up 17 in total. Aidan Longwell did the most damage, doing 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI. Bryant Betancourt also had a three-hit day, recording a double but also scoring two runs, recording an RBI and taking a walk. Dyan Jorge, Andy Perez, Benny Montgomery and Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP) also had two hits apiece.
Starting pitcher Connor Staine threw five innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Carlos Torres pitched two scoreless innings, but then Sam Weatherly got lit up for three runs on three hits in his inning of work. Luckily, Fidel Ulloa was able to finish the game with just a walk and two strikeouts.
The Indians struggled to find any offense in their series finale against the Emeralds (Giants). They mustered four hits, which came at the hands of Tevin Tucker, Jacob Humphrey, Robert Calaz (No. 6 PuRP), and Roynier Hernandez. Hernandez hit a double, while Calaz hit a solo homer — which was the only score of the game.
Jeff Criswell — making his second start of his rehab assignment after having Tommy John surgery in March 2025 — started the game, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. But the damage was done against the other three pitchers. Yujanyer Herrera (No. 22 PuRP) pitched 2.2 innings and was tagged for two runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout. Fisher Jameson pitched 3.1 innings and was tagged for three runs (two earned) on four hits with three strikeouts. And Hunter Mann gave up three more runs in his one inning of work, including one walk and three strikeouts.
The Fresno Grizzlies fell in extra innings against the Stockton Ports (Athletics). The Grizzlies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, but then the Ports answered back in the bottom of the inning. The Grizzlies tacked on another run in the fourth, but the Ports answered back again in the sixth to make things 3-3. Entering extras, Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) singled to score Carlos Renzullo, but Michael Brooks singled to score Gavin Turley and then Myles Naylor singled to score Clayton Gray and officially walk off the Grizzlies 5-4.
Watching the ABS challenge system has been one of the more entertaining things about baseball this year, as it’s given fans a glimpse into how hard it is to judge the strike zone from all sides. However, Hunter Goodman has proven to have a keen eye behind the plate (not as much in the batter’s box, though). Thomas Harding talked with Goodman about his strategy, and what’s been behind his early-season success.
Walt Weiss played shortstop for the Rockies from 1994-97 and managed the team from 2013-16. Now, he’s the manager of the red-hot Atlanta Braves after serving as the bench coach for the last eight years. Earlier this year, Weiss went viral for tackling Jorge Soler during a brawl that broke out between the Braves and the Los Angeles Angels. Patrick Saunders caught up with Weiss in his return to Coors Field to discuss what went down in the brawl, as well as finding himself back in the manager’s office.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 13: Matt Cain #18 of the San Francisco Giants is congratulated by teammates after pitching a perfect game against the Houston Astros at AT&T Park on June 13, 2012 in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Astros 10-0. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
We are in the middle of a new feature for May that I’m calling the “12 Days of Mays-mas” because I won’t be around for this week, and I want to leave you guys with some fun things to watch while I’m gone.
For the fourth day of Mays-mas, I thought we could take another look at Matt Cain’s perfect game!
I vividly remember this game, but not because I was watching it. I was still living in the bay at the time, and I remember getting about a half dozen text messages telling me to get to a television.
It was my brother’s birthday, and I remember very clearly him telling me that he refused to turn the game on because he felt he had the worst luck in the world and would jinx it. For his sacrifice, Matt Cain gave him the best birthday present a baseball player could give someone that would be forever associated with his day.
So grab your coffee, settle in, and enjoy!
What time do the Giants play today?
The San Francisco Giants return to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at 6:45 p.m. PT.
I don’t think that’s what he meant, but Jay Jaffe notes that with the advent of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system this year, walks and runs scored are up.
Apr 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) reacts after securing the final out against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
With one out in the top of the 7th, Rich Simonds woke up in his hospital bed to the Cardinals getting shut down by a series of Pirates relievers. He had missed the previous 6 innings, being too tired to stay awake, but the sounds of Cardinals baseball gradually seeped into his consciousness and his eyes opened with Ivan Herrera at the plate. Somewhat groggy, he was still half asleep when Herrera grounded out. But when Alec Burleson broke up the perfect game with an infield single, he was at least awake enough to start paying attention to the game. And he stayed awake to watch the Cardinals come back in the 9th inning and win the game.
Earlier that day, the doctors had deemed my dad able to breathe on his own for the first time since the previous Wednesday. And while that Monday was a good day, he was mostly still pretty miserable, because he couldn’t do a lot on his own, his voice was very raspy and sore from having a tube down his throat for five days, and he still had double pneumonia, the disease that caused him to need help breathing in the first place. Barely able to stay awake for most of that first day, he was improbably awake for the improbable comeback.
While he was unconscious, I had a running joke that I would tell my dad whenever I saw him, which is that the Cardinals were waiting for him to wake up. And then it became not a joke. I rushed to the hospital in the middle of my work day before he was intubated, and shortly after that, the Cardinals lost to the Marlins. Wednesday was a tough day, because he needed 100% oxygen and the doctor was not comforting when explaining the situation. It wasn’t her job to make me or my family feel comfortable, I was just hoping for more “This is nothing, he will be back.” And we didn’t get that. The seriousness of the situation settled in.
But Thursday morning, we got the update that he had an uneventful night and his oxygen percentage needed from the machine went down. And then every new day came with slightly better news. I got excited at things I did not understand, but was told was good news, like the pressure from the machine dropping from 10 to 8. It quickly became clear that he had a good chance to get off the tube by next week. Meanwhile, the Cardinals lost on Friday to the Mariners. And then Saturday. And I was in the ICU with him unconscious with my mom watching the Cardinals get swept by the Mariners. I again told him that he needed to wake up because the Cardinals were waiting for him.
Leaving the hospital that night, I was hopeful they would take out his breathing tube the next day or Tuesday, but I was surprised to wake up to a text message that they had already removed the tube. He was woken up before the tube was removed, and I was told he motioned for his tube to be taken out, but they were waiting for a reason I can’t remember, and he threw up a couple of middle fingers. He has no memory of this, but I knew my dad was back when I heard that.
He still didn’t feel very good on Tuesday. He was still making progress, but you don’t see it as progress when you’re living through it. I was unable to see him on Monday due to the tornado warning, but I went straight after work on Tuesday. I left before the Cardinal game started, but made plans to see the game with him the next day. He said it was probably good I was leaving, because he didn’t think he could stay awake for the game. Well, he did. He watched the Cardinals’ offense explode for 11 runs and beat the Pirates despite the best efforts of the Cardinals’ bullpen to blow it.
You see my dad, in case it wasn’t obvious, is an enormous Cardinals fan. It’s something I picked up from him and my mom, who both shared season tickets with my grandparents for years. When I went to college (and the prospect of two siblings not far behind), they were forced to drop it. Also, I believe it was because neither my brother nor sister are as big of Cardinals fans as I am and I think that was just too many games where if I’m not an option, it might be a struggle to find people to go to the game.
But we did start a tradition during that period of time, which continues to this day, which is that I go to Opening Day with my mom. My dad was a construction worker and couldn’t ever go because of work. My mom would take me out of school and we would go to Opening Day together. It stopped briefly when I went to college, but it continued as if he had never stopped after I graduated. My dad retired a few years after that, but graciously let the tradition continue between me and my mom. He even drives us to the game and then picks us up after.
Another reason developed why he couldn’t go to Opening Day, which is that he got an infection on his foot maybe five years ago that has never quite healed. It has constantly been on the verge of healing, and then something comes up, and it’s like he has to start from scratch. He is very rarely not been under orders from doctors to stay off his foot as much as possible. It has prevented us from taking baseball trips and from him going to a lot of games. He has attended Cardinals games – not as many as he’d like and none so far this year – but we would park as close as possible, walk directly to our seat, and then stay in our seat until we were ready to leave. You can see how this would be a problem on Opening Day.
Because of his foot, he was prescribed antibiotics. He’s used to those, and when he felt the side effects, it didn’t raise any alarm bells. He’s used to side effects. If there’s a bad side effect he can get, he’ll get it. His new nickname is “Worst Case Rich” which he has more than earned even before this recent development. It turns out this side effect was actually double pneumonia, which is an extremely rare side effect. He was lethargic, sick and had no appetite for a couple weeks before it became all but impossible not to go to the doctor’s. He went to the hospital on Monday, they exhausted other options, but he couldn’t keep his breathing rate above 90, and he was absolutely miserable. Intubation became the only option.
On Wednesday with my mom and sister, we all watched the Cardinals run up the score to 5-1 in in his tiny hospital room, and then once again, the bullpen tried their hardest to blow the game, culminating in the game-saving catch by Nathan Church that we all thought was going to be a homer. The next day, I get a call asking me if I’m watching the game. Unfortunately, I was at work. He told me JJ Wetherholt homered to lead off the game against Paul Skenes. After I hung up, he called me almost immediately to share that Jordan Walker just homered. He also shared excitedly that he was sitting down watching the game, and that he could sit for as long as he wanted. Trust me, this was big news.
By the time I saw him next, on Saturday night, we watched the game again and he was in a chair the entire game. He was animated and talkative – two things he was very much not on Wednesday. We talked baseball the entire time, interrupted at points by the helpful nurses at Mercy. Eventually my uncle joined us and we watched a relatively stress free game – until the end when the Cardinals almost made a bunch of plays before Riley O’Brien decided he better just strike the guy out to avoid another almost catch.
The magical streak came to an end on Sunday, but the streak did its job. We had a great day on Sunday with my entire family which included my nephew and his grandson. He was pretty down at the beginning of his recovery, looking at the long road ahead, but he had the Cardinals. The unknown, incomprehensible spirit that lives within us sometimes needs a little bit of a boost. The Cardinals’ winning streak provided that.
I will never have any way of proving it, but I do believe the Cardinals winning streak did a lot for my dad. At the beginning, I kind of suspect he needed the Cardinals to win in a way, and winning has a way of instantly improving any fan’s mood. Mood can be very important for recovery and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my dad seemed to improve by leaps and bounds each day and seems to be himself, now to ready to face the rehab process. There’s even hope for his foot which as it turns out, the one positive of being stuck in a hospital bed for a week, is that you are off your foot. Very strange bright side, but a bright side nonetheless.
The winning streak did its job. Now he’s like the rest of us, desperately wanting the Cardinals to win and being invested in every pitch, but if they lose, oh well there’s another day tomorrow.
May 3, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The Royals struck out 17 times on Saturday, yet managed to win the game, writes Josh Kirshenbaum, filling in for Anne Rogers.
“Runs were going to be tough to come by,” Massey said. “You might have to find some unorthodox ways to figure it out.”
The Royals tonight were the first team in major league history to:
1) walk zero times 2) strike out 17+ times 3) hit zero home runs 4) win
Jaylon Thompson writes that Jac Caglianone’s big hit on Saturday is a sign he is heating up.
“I hadn’t faced Munoz before, but you know, watching videos and everything, I knew he had an electric heater,” Caglianone said. “So I told myself, just be on time for the heater. And if it’s there, just go.
“And luckily, first pitch, saw it pretty good and put a good swing on it. Props to Lane for busting it and getting around the bases and scoring that run. That was huge. So it was just a really cool moment to do that on the road.”
“You know, the game was close,” Garcia said. “(Hancock) did a great job. Game was on the line, like 2-1, so we can’t give up. We know we have the talent to come back and we did.”
“I think the bigger thing to talk about is Carter moving (Perez) over,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “That’s a professional at-bat. It’s not going to show up in the box score and it’s not going to help his (Baseball) Savant page. It’s not going to help any of those things people love to talk about. It’s a good baseball play.”
Randy Johnson had his number retired with the Mariners with the Royals in town, so Kirshenbaum talked to Royals hitting coach Marcus Thames about facing the Big Unit.
The swing isn’t there yet. Gamble gets his hips open early but ends up out of sync as he adjusts to the pitch, resulting in a weakly hit ground ball. His upper half drifts towards first base as he begins his swing. The margin of error becomes so slim here that Gamble isn’t going to get a hit unless he grounds it weakly through the hole or finds the barrel perfectly. He appears to be selling out early to get to some of that power.
MONTREAL, CANADA- APRIL 26: Alex Newhook #15 of the Montreal Canadiens screams during the warm-up of Game Four of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Arianne Bergeron/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Colorado Avalanche News
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Wild vs. Avalanche Western 2nd Round preview. [NHL]
Who has the edge in Wild vs. Avalanche? Breaking down a titanic, conference-final worthy showdown. [The Athletic]
Notebook: Avalanche prepare for heavyweight Round 2 series vs. Wild. [Sportsnet]
News Around the League
Habs hang on in Game 7, eliminate Lightning on a goal from Alex Newhook, move on to face Buffalo Sabres. [CBC]
NHL Draft Lottery: Canucks are no strangers to sliding, even with a lucky charm. [The Province]
Malkin wants to keep playing in NHL, even if Penguins don’t re-sign him. [NHL]
Maple Leafs elect for high-risk, high-reward option in hiring franchise legend Mats Sundin. [The Leafs Nation]
Leon Draisaitl unloads: Edmonton Oilers have ‘taken big steps backward’. [Edmonton Journal]
Top 50 NHL UFAs of 2026: Bobrovsky isn’t in the playoffs, yet his value is rising. [Daily Faceoff]
Rantanen fined $5K for cross-checking Kaprizov. [The Score]
