As the National Hockey League enters the second month of free agency, a number of former Buffalo Sabres still remain unsigned. At this point of the offseason, players who have not latched on with an NHL club might consider playing in Europe, or taking a short-term deal or professional tryout to earn a one-year deal.
A player who has been well-travelled since entering the league in 2014 is center Curtis Lazar. A 2013 first round pick of the Ottawa Senators, the Salmon Arm, BC native Kitchener, ON native played 2 ½ seasons in Canada’s capital before being dealt to Calgary in March 2017. After playing a full season with the Flames, Lazar spent nearly all of the 2018-19 season in the AHL, and he signed with the Sabres in the summer of 2019.
Who had the best and worst offseasons in the Atlantic Division?
The versatile depth forward split time between AHL Rochester and Buffalo in the COVID-shortened campaign and 33 games in 2020-21 before being dealt allong with Taylor Hall to Boston. Since then, Lazar has made stops in Vancouver, New Jersey, and Edmonton, where he played 45 games last regular season and five games in the playoffs.
Outlook: At this point in the summer, and at this point in Lazar’s career, it is more likely that the 31-year-old, if he wants to play for an eighth NHL club, will have to open to accepting a professional tryout.
It's been more than 25 years since the Ottawa Senators traded Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders in one of the most important deals in franchise history.
Yashin was the Senators' first real star in the 1990s, and still the only player in team history to be nominated for the Hart Trophy.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss how the Senators now keep a much tighter lid on trade or signing information than they did just a few years ago..
But after many seasons of discontent, which included contract complaints, holdouts and claims of broken promises, the Senators, just as they did this summer, traded away their team captain.
And incredibly, it's a trade that still has a chance to pay dividends today.
On June 23, 2001, the Senators sent Yashin to the Islanders in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft.
Later that day, the Sens used that #2 pick to select Jason Spezza.
Chara emerged as one of the NHL's top defencemen during his four seasons in Ottawa, while Spezza developed into one of the most talented offensive players in franchise history.
Chara eventually left Ottawa as a free agent in 2006, and Muckalt spent just one season here, so two of the three branches of the Yashin trade tree came to an end a long time ago.
But the Spezza branch is still alive.
Spezza played 11 excellent seasons with the Senators, scoring 251 goals and 687 points in 686 regular-season games. He still ranks second all-time in Sens scoring.
In the summer of 2014, in the proud tradition of Sens captains wanting out, Spezza requested a trade, and Bryan Murray sent him to the Dallas Stars.
The Senators received Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a 2015 second-round draft pick.
That created four new branches on the Yashin trade tree.
Three eventually came to an end.
Chiasson spent two seasons in Ottawa before being traded to Calgary for Patrick Sieloff, who's best known for clobbering a recovering Clarke MacArthur in a preseason scrimmage. The Senators later flipped Sieloff to Anaheim for Brian Gibbons, who had 14 points in 20 games for the Sens before leaving as a free agent that summer.
Guptill was included in a multi-player trade with Buffalo in 2016 that brought Phil Varone, Jason Akeson and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc to Ottawa. It was strictly a minor league deal that never yielded another asset to the Senators.
The 2015 second-round pick acquired from Dallas also took an interesting path.
Ottawa packaged the 42nd overall selection with another pick to move up to No. 36 in the 2015 draft, where the Senators selected Gabriel Gagne.
Gagne was eventually traded to Toronto in 2019 for former first-rounder Morgan Klimchuk. Klimchuk played one full season in Belleville, then retired at 25.
That left Nick Paul, the fourth and final branch. Teammates would often say, "Nicky Paul does it all," and that apparently included nursing trade trees back to life.
The tree could have easily died at any point when the Sens exposed Paul to waivers on three separate occasions, but he went unclaimed and eventually became a very solid middle-six forward for the Senators.
In a trade that certainly hasn't aged well for Ottawa, the Sens deal Paul to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2022 trade deadline for Mathieu Joseph and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Joseph spent two more full seasons with the Senators before Ottawa traded him to St. Louis in 2024 along with a third-round sweetener just to free up some cap room for some big changes in Ottawa that summer.
That ended the Joseph portion of the tree.
But there was still that 2024 fourth-round pick, a single remaining bud.
The Sens used it to select winger Blake Montgomery, and he's the sole reason why a trade tree that sprouted in 2001 is still alive today.
After falling in the NCAA Final with Wisconsin, the 21-year-old joined the pro ranks late last season, signing his entry-level contract and getting into three games with Belleville.
So, in a nutshell (I've decided the tree has nuts), the history of the Spezza branch looks like this:
Alexei Yashin → 2001 No. 2 pick → Jason Spezza → Nick Paul → 2024 fourth-round pick → Blake Montgomery.
It's one of the more intriguing trade trees in Senators history, and whether it ends with Montgomery or not remains to be seen.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 02: Wyatt Mills #58 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Playing some catch-up on roster moves in a busy week, we had resolution for three players were designated for assignment by the Dodgers in the last week.
Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment on Monday when the Dodgers needed to clear 40-man roster space after a flurry of trade deadline deals. On Thursday the right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals, who simultaneously optioned Mills to Triple-A Rochester.
The 31-year-old Mills pitched in six games for the Dodgers this season, his first time in the majors since 2022, after Tommy John surgery wiped out 2023 and 2024.
“A long road, it’s never a guarantee that you get fully healthy after that,” Mills told me after his call-up in May. “So it was more like a deep breath, kind of peaceful. I felt calm. I put in a lot of work, and my confidence came from that.”
Mills struggled in his stints with the Dodgers, with nine walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, with five runs allowed, four of them earned. He had a 2.41 ERA and six saves in 33 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City with 52 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 1/3 innings.
Oklahoma City got a battery back this week after two more players were designated for assignment.
Cole Irvin, who pitched six bulk innings in a reset game at Dodger Stadium on July 31, got designated for assignment one day later. He cleared waivers an was sent outright to Triple-A on August 3. He started and won again for the Comets on Friday night in Salt Lake.
Robinson cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on Friday. The 31-year-old is hitting .229/.333/.440 in 126 plate appearances for Oklahoma City this season, with 32 games started behind the plate.
MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 21: Jonah Bride of the Texas Rangers bats during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on February 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers today purchased the contract of infielder Jonah Bride, the team announced today. To make room for Bride on the active roster, the Rangers optioned outfielder Alejandro Osuna to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Bride on the 40 man roster, the Rangers transferred pitcher Jake Leiter from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.
Bride is a 30 year old who played for Skip Schumaker in Miami in 2024, when he had a career best season, slashing .276/.357/.461 while playing first, second and third base. He has an overall career .221/.311/.313 line, however, which is why he signed a minor league deal with the Rangers this past offseason and has spent the year at Round Rock.
Bride’s overall slash line for Round Rock is a rather pedestrian .282/.401/.425 in 431 plate appearances this season. However, he has put up a very impressive .388/.473/.669 slash line against lefthanded pitchers, which is why the Rangers, who are kind of desperate for a righthanded bench bat, have brought him up. Interestingly, Bride has reverse splits in the majors for his career, slashing .194/.295/.228 against lefties in 272 plate appearances in the bigs, against .238/.321/.367 against righthanded pitchers.
Osuna has played sparingly as of late, getting just one start in the month of April and mainly being used for pinch hitting duties. He’s not a good fit for the roster, as currently constructed, given that he’s a lefthanded hitting outfielder on the bench, and the Rangers need a righthanded hitting bench outfielder, not a lefthanded hitting one. It seems like this might have been an area the team would have wanted to try to address at the deadline, were it not for the fact that Ray Davis is apparently claiming that the team is po’ like Kenny’s family.
Bride will presumably fill in until Josh Jung returns, assuming Jung does return at some point this season.
The move of Leiter to the 60 day injured list is purely procedural in nature, given that he’s spent close to 60 days on the injured list so far on this stint. He still would seem to be on track to return sometime in late-August or early-September.
Jul 29, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After playing poorly in two straight losses, the Phillies will try to salvage the third game of their Alumni Weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jesus Luzardo gets the start for the Phillies. The lefty is 10-5 with a 3.36 ERA.
Rangers have rejected an offer for striker Youssef Chermiti, with manager Derek McInnes confirming that it did not meet the Scottish Premiership club's valuation.
The 22-year-old striker, who went off injured after starting Saturday's match at home to Hibernian, joined the Ibrox club from Everton in September 2025 as he reportedly became their most expensive purchase since Tore Andre Flo in 2000.
"I'm led to believe the club's valuation of the player hasn't been met," McInnes told BBC Scotland when asked about reports that Turkish champions Galatasaray were the bidders.
"So, from our point of view, like everything else, when you get clubs looking at your players, it's business as you were."
Chermiti, capped at under-21 level by Portugal, has made 43 Rangers appearances, 30 of them starts, scoring 15 goals.
"It's no surprise that he's a player who's got a big tag on him and he's got high potential, but thankfully he's our player and that will continue to be the case," McInnes said.
"We're trying to build a team here at the minute and we're trying to still bring additions to the team that helps us add to the good players that we've got, including Youssef.
"So it's not something we would encourage at any point and, as I say, obviously news has broken today, but we're just trying to concentrate on the game today."
Rangers have made nine signings already this summer after the arrival of McInnes from Heart of Midlothian and he is hoping to add more.
"We've got a few bids in for several players and a few things are ongoing at the minute, but everything else, ideally a lot of these things would have came to fruition a wee bit quicker," he added.
"But hopefully, if there is any news to tell, it'll be in the upcoming days on a few of our targets."
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Andrés Chaparro #87 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Abimelec Ortiz #81 after scoring in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park on August 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After that brutal road trip, these last two wins have been a massive boost for the Nats. Now they will look for only their second sweep of the season this afternoon against the Reds. The only other sweep was against another NL Central team in the Brewers, so maybe that is a good luck charm.
The Nats actually have the same 9 players in the lineup today. However, the order is mixed up a bit. Jose Tena will be up in the 3 spot, while Dylan Crews moves down to the 5 hole. Keibert Ruiz will also move down in the order. The Nats have a bullpen game today which will be started by Brad Lord, but all hands are on deck.
The Reds are making a couple changes with a righty opener on the mound. Hector Rodriguez will return to the lineup. Tyler Stephenson will also be the catcher in this one. Left handed JJ Bleday will move up in the lineup while righties like Eugenio Suarez and Dane Myers will move down. The veteran sinkerballer Brady Singer is on the bump.
Getting a sweep would be a major statement for the Nats. It would show that this team has no plans of fading into oblivion. The Wild Card is a real long shot now, but with a real winning streak you never know. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
After 11 seasons and stops with five different NHL teams, the former Vegas Golden Knights forward appears ready to close out his professional career where his hockey journey began.
Nosek has signed with HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga in recent weeks, returning to his hometown club after more than a decade in North America.
For Golden Knights fans, Nosek will always have a special place in the franchise's early history. He joined Vegas for its inaugural 2017-18 season and spent four seasons with the Golden Knights, appearing in 240 games and recording 31 goals, 34 assists and 65 points.
Nosek as a member of the Golden Knights during a 2021 game against the Montreal Canadiens. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
Nosek was never expected to be a star in Vegas, but he became a reliable part of the team's bottom six and played 240 games for a franchise that was still establishing its identity. He brought size, versatility and a willingness to do the less glamorous work that comes with playing a depth role in the NHL.
After his time with the Golden Knights, Nosek continued his career with several other NHL clubs before eventually landing with the Florida Panthers.
His final two NHL seasons couldn't have ended much better.
Nosek helped Florida win the Stanley Cup during the 2024-25 season, appearing in 16 playoff games and recording three assists while throwing 44 hits during the Panthers' championship run.
He returned for one more NHL season in 2025-26, appearing in 21 games and finishing with two goals and two assists for four points.
Now, at 33 years old, Nosek is heading home.
A native of Pardubice, Nosek joined HC Dynamo Pardubice's system in 2007, beginning with the club's U18 team. Nearly two decades later, he's returning to the organization as a Stanley Cup champion and a veteran of 11 NHL seasons.
It's a fitting ending for a player who never forgot where he came from.
When Nosek got his day with the Stanley Cup following Florida's championship, he made sure to bring it back to Pardubice. He visited his childhood rink and former high school before eventually sharing the trophy with thousands of people in the city's historic Pernštýnské Square.
Now, after playing for five NHL teams, winning a Stanley Cup and building a career that lasted 11 seasons in the world's best hockey league, Nosek appears ready for one final chapter in his hometown.
And if this is indeed the end of the road, he couldn't have picked a better place to finish it.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 01: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run in the fourth inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on August 1, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The stage is set as the Atlanta Braves look to avoid a sweep against the New York Yankees.
Let’s take a look at the lineups.
Dominic Smith has returned to DH for the Braves and is batting in the sixth spot. Other than that, the lineup replicates yesterday’s. The bat power is expected (or hoped) to show up in a big way today with Grant Holmes on the mound, but the Braves will have to strike while the iron is hot and get a head start in setting the tone.
Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisolm Jr. have been added back to the Yankees lineup. McMahon averages a 1.500 OPS against Holmes and a .400 batting average, while Luis García Jr. averages an OPS of 1.300.
Cam Schlittler, who will be leading the Yankees on the mound, is no joke and will be looking to bounce back from his off outing against St. Louis. The Braves are just looking for a win before they return home to face their division rivals, who also happen to be right across the subway.
A sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals may well be the last final final last death knell for the 2026 Cincinnati Reds season. The Nats found a way to beat even Chase Burns on Saturday in yet another game where the Reds offense failed to show up, and now the Reds are once again on the cusp of falling 5 games under the .500 mark and too far buried in the National League Wild Card standings to even make looking at them an enjoyable exercise in conjuring miracles.
Brady Singer gets the start for the Reds in Sunday’s series finale opposite Washington opener Brad Lord, who won’t be on the mound for long. First pitch is slated to be Lord-chucked at an early 12:15 PM ET, so I hope you got up and got your coffee in ya early this fine morning.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin this one:
Montreal Canadiens former first-overall pick at the 2022 draft, Juraj Slafkovsky, had a breakout season last year. For the first time in his young career, he broke the 70-point and 30-goal barriers. The big Slovak winger scored 30 goals and logged 43 assists for a total of 73 points, but beyond the points, he also finally realized what his identity needed to be on the ice.
Thanks to a couple of spells playing on a line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, Slafkovsky realized that he could be a play driver in his own right and that he wasn’t just a complementary piece for linemates Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. The forward really started using his pace when chasing the puck and laying big hits in puck retrieval, and he learned to make his way to the busy areas in front of the net to create havoc. With his 6-foot-3 and 225-pound frame, he can be a real nuisance for the goaltender, obstructing his view and putting pressure on the defence, but also being ready to jump on any rebound. Once he sets up camp somewhere, he’s hard to displace, and that’s how he was able to beef up his points total.
The playoffs were a good reminder for the 22-year-old that intensity ramps up when teams are competing for the Stanley Cup, and he needs to be aware of that on the ice. He was rocked by a Max Crozier hit in Game 4 of the Canadiens’ first-round duel with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He needs to remember to keep his head up and not watch himself play, so to speak. His fight with Brandon Hagel also hurt the team; he was challenged by the Bolts winger and answered the bell, but ended up on the receiving end of a haymaker that sent him down to the ice. That’s not the kind of impact he should be having.
The main point of improvement has to be consistency, however. Once again, last season, he had a slow start and took some time to reach his cruising speed. Expect a big start from the power forward as he’ll be keen to bounce back from underwhelming playoffs.
As things stand and unless the Canadiens do manage to find some outside help before the start of the season, he should still be riding shotgun with Suzuki and Caufield. Look for him to play a bigger role now that he has seen what kind of impact he can have if he plays the game the right way and focuses on his strengths rather than trying to emulate what the likes of Caufield or Demidov can do. Look for new career highs in both points and goals for the big winger.
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! The Trade Deadline is in the rearview mirror, a top prospect has made his MLB debut, and the heavens opened up and brought a deluge to the Bronx. And while Yankees fans have certainly made their opinions about this week known — oh boy, they sure have — the players, coaches, broadcasters, and yes, even reporters have remained active on the feed. What have they been up to this week? Let’s find out!
Ave atque Vale
For those who opted not to take Latin in high school or college (shame, shame, shame), “ave atque vale” is the ending of Catullus poem 101, and translates as “hail and farewell.” While the line was originally composed as a funerary gift (the poem is addressed to the “mute ashes” of Catullus’s brother), it has taken on a life of its own, and has been used as the title of a now-lost British film from the 1930s, the name of a transfer-of-command military dinner, and several songs in multiple languages, all dealing with simultaneous greetings and farewells.
Thus, it is an appropriate title for the various “hellos” and “goodbyes” posted on social media at this year’s trade deadline.
Rather humorously, we learned from the Washington Nationals that Jack Cebert had DMed the Nationals back in middle school to suggest they trade for somebody (the original post was deleted, so, uh, we have no idea how good of a scout he is).
The trade deadline wasn’t the only way the Yankees added to their lineup. On August 4th, the Yankees promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr. to The Show — where he homered in his second big league at-bat…right around the same time his brother Jacob, making his professional debut, also hit a home run in his second minor-league at-bat. How awesome is that!
We have some big game belts this week, but perhaps none was as exciting as George Lombard Jr. receiving one in his MLB debut on Tuesday, thanks to a big home run that helped power the Bronx Bombers Pitchers to a 2-0 victory over the Cards.
Remembering Munson
Last Sunday marked the anniversary of the death of Yankees legend Thurman Munson. His former teammate Willie Randolph took some time to remember his captain on Instagram. Austin Wells wore some very 1970s throwback replica catcher’s gear in tribute to the late captain.
If you were in the Bronx on Friday night, you would have thought that Zeus and Thor had teamed up to destroy the city, as a thunderstorm ravaged the city and delayed the matchup between the Yankees and Braves until 9:00 pm ET (and somehow, the Yankees bats still showed up late, not arriving until midnight).
Oh you thought we were done with World Cup posts? Yeah, well, so was I. That is, until I was at Tuesday’s game, and who threw out the ceremonial first pitch but Ferran Torres — aka, the man who scored the game-winning goal for Spain last month.
The Houston Astros are short road underdogs against the San Diego Padres tonight, and I’m taking the plus-money price for two units.
Houston’s current hitting profile gives the Astros a better matchup against Randy Vasquez than the market is pricing.
Here are my Astros vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks for Aug. 9.
Who will win Astros vs Padres today: Astros moneyline (+105)
I'm backing the Houston Astros down to +100. It's a great price on the team in better form with the stronger matchup.
Randy Vasquez starts for the San Diego Padres with a profile that is all over the place. He is coming off his best outing of the season, six scoreless innings and two hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but his underlying metrics still tell on him.
His barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and ground-ball rate all sit in the Bottom 25% of the sport. Houston attacks exactly that, ranking 12th in barrel rate and 10th in hard-hit rate over the last two weeks.
While that's not eye-popping, it's enough to make me buy against a poor pitcher at this price.
COVERS INTEL: Vasquez is in the midst of a third straight season with at least one run of differential between his actual ERA and expected ERA, a strong signal that negative regression is inevitable with more volume.
Astros vs Padres Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-112)
I’m playing the Over because both starters bring run-prevention concerns into a matchup with enough recent offensive pressure.
Vasquez’s low-strikeout profile gives Houston a path to sustained traffic, while Cristian Javier has allowed a 6.59 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 27 1/3 innings.
San Diego does not need to crush Javier to contribute here. Walks, elevated contact, and early bullpen exposure can get this game toward nine runs without requiring a full slugfest.
Chris Hatfield's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 43-40, +5.84 units
Over/Under bets: 46-37, +10.58 units
Astros vs Padres weather
Petco Park weather does not create a major betting adjustment. Unless the wind shifts closer to first pitch, there is no weather edge strong enough to change the side or total.
Astros vs Padres odds
Moneyline: Houston +109 | San Diego -118
Run line: Houston +1.5 | San Diego -1.5
Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5
Astros vs Padres trend
The Astros have hit the run line in 11 of their last 15 games (+9.15 Units / 48% ROI)
How to watch Astros vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Sunday, August 9, 2026
First pitch
8:20 p.m. ET
TV
NBC
Astros starting pitcher
Cristian Javier (1-2, 6.59 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Randy Vasquez (7-6, 4.19 ERA)
Astros vs Padres latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Mets have optioned right-handed pitcher Xzavion Curry, who gave them three scoreless innings of relief last night Pittsburgh, to Triple-A Syracuse. And the team has called up fellow right-handed pitcher Jack Weisenburger to take his place on the active roster.
Curry joined the organization ahead of the 2026 season, and he’s gone back and forth between Syracuse and the big league club already this season. The 28-year-old has a 2.81 ERA and a 4.77 FIP in 16.0 innings with the Mets, while he has a 4.56 ERA and a 5.64 FIP in 51.1 innings in Triple-A.
As for Weisenburger, if he gets into a game, he’ll be making his major league debut. He’s also 28 years old, and he’s spent several years of his professional career in the Athletics’ minor league system. From there, he pitched in the Atlantic League and Mexican League before the Mets signed him. He’s thrown 52.1 innings in Syracuse this year and has a 7.22 ERA and a 5.37 FIP in that time.
COVERS INTEL: Vasquez is in the midst of a third straight season with at 