A Harry Wilson double inspires an Australian comeback with 38 unanswered points from 0-22 down to win in Johannesburg for the first time since 1963 .
What a start for the Springboks! It started with Wright fumbling a Williams box kick and then it was all momentum. Just about every player was involved. Du Toit, Kolisi and more had strong carries until the cracks opened. Fassie joined from fullback to play the final pass to his left where Arendse had a simple run in. That move went several phases and 70 metres.
Coventry staged a stunning comeback to beat Derby 5-3 at Pride Park. The visitors, coached by the former Derby manager Frank Lampard, scored three times in the space of eight minutes for a remarkable victory.
The teams traded goals in the first half with Derby twice coming from behind to go in level at the break before their captain, Ebou Adams, put them in front. But after Brandon Thomas-Asante equalised, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp settled a pulsating match.
The final two teams are left in The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings, which rank the off-seasons of every NHL team, and when you’re this high on the list, you’ve done a lot of things right.
Our rankings, which break down every team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings, resulted in teams fitting into one of three areas: off-seasons that have improved the team, off-seasons that have kept the team largely the same, and off-seasons that have made the team worse. Moving from worst off-seasons to best off-seasons, we’re now well past the point where we’re focused on teams that have regressed or stayed the same.
And in this specific file, we’re looking at the No. 2 team in our rankings, the defending, back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers,
Many thought the Panthers would have to strip away talent due to salary cap constrictions, but the primary reason they’re in second place on our summer splash list is the fact that they were able to keep things largely together. You needn’t make many additions when you’ve got a dynasty-in-the-making, so it’s understandable why Florida bent over backward to keep the gang together.
Additions
Nolan Foote (LW), Jeff Petry (D), Daniil Tarasov (G)
The Breakdown: The Panthers went all-in for their second straight Cup win last season, acquiring veteran left winger Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. But while many presumed Marchand would be a pure rental and only a Panther for less than half of a season, Florida GM Bill Zito found a way to keep Marchand around for the long term, signing him to a six-year contract this summer.
Similarly, people wondered if the Panthers could hold onto UFAs Sam Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, but not only did Zito manage to do that, he also re-signed Marchand, Ekblad, and Bennett to deals that had a combined salary cap hit of $19.35 million. That’s terrific asset management, and that’s the primary reason we’ve got Florida ranked second overall on this list.
The Panthers did make a couple additions, first signing former Detroit Red Wings blueliner Jeff Petry to a low-cost, decent-reward $775,000 one-year contract. The 37-year-old Petry is far from his peak as a 40-point-producing D-man, but Florida has excelled at making new acquisitions thrive, and as a depth blueliner, Petry could have a late-career renewal as a Panther.
The other notable addition is former Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Tarasov, who effectively replaces Vitek Vanecek as Sergei Bobrovsky's understudy. Tarasov’s numbers (including a 3.54 goals-against average and .881 save percentage) were sub-par, but so was the Blue Jackets team in front of him. The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is still going to get the lion’s share of the work in Florida’s net, but it will be intriguing to see how they work Tarasov into the team dynamic.
The Breakdown: Go through the rosters of teams that have won Cups, and see the type of roster turnover those teams go through in the immediate years following winning a championship. You’d find that most teams, for one reason or another, are forced to send at least a handful of players packing.
But this hasn’t been the case with Florida this summer. Zito has conducted a masterclass in roster retention, and that has resulted in losing only two Panthers players who appeared in playoff action last spring: veteran defenseman Schmidt, who averaged only 16:32 of ice time as a third-tier blueliner, and forward Sturm, who averaged just 8:59 of ice time in eight playoff games for Florida.
So, the Panthers have found a way to bring back 95 percent of their regular players and set themselves up for another deep playoff run next spring. Zito couldn’t have done a better job keeping the band together, and having to part ways only with two fringe players underscores what a great job Zito is doing as GM.
The Bottom Line
When we put these summer splash rankings together, THN.com’s writers and editors agreed that we weren’t going to reward teams simply for making a slew of changes. We wanted the big picture teams that painted this summer to dictate where we slotted a team in on this list, and that’s why the Panthers are ranked ahead of all but one of their 31 counterparts.
Zito has yet to win a Jim Gregory Award as the NHL’s best GM, but you’d have to think that will change after the recent success Zito has had. He found a way to utilize all his cap space by locking up UFAs when those UFAs had all the leverage. This has proven to be a problem for Zito’s GM colleagues, so it isn’t an understatement to note Zito is performing on another level right now.
It’s still going to be an uphill climb for the Panthers to win three straight Cups, but you can’t say Zito hasn’t given his players and Florida coach Paul Maurice all the tools they’ll need to make a deep playoff push and win it all. When few people believed Zito would re-sign all of Marchand, Ekblad and Bennett, he went out and did exactly that. And for that reason, the Panthers deserve to be second-overall on our summer splash list. Only one team had a better off-season, and that’s a credit to Zito & Co..
Third T20i: Australia, 173-8, bt SA, 172-7, by two wkts
Maxwell’s 62 gets hosts home with one ball to spare
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell produced an unbeaten half-century in a tense chase to help the hosts edge out South Africa by two wickets in the third and final T20 international in Cairns on Saturday. Maxwell’s unbeaten 62 off 36 balls helped Australia chase down 173 with one ball to spare at the Cazalys Stadium, completing a 2-1 series victory in style.
After 18 overs, it was a run-a-ball target for Australia with Maxwell in the middle. The South African bowler Corbin Bosch (three for 26) claimed two wickets and kept Maxwell away from the strike. Needing 10 off the last over from Lungi Ngidi, Maxwell took six from the first four balls before reverse-sweeping for four to seal Australia’s dramatic victory.
We’re still over two months away from the NBA’s 2025-26 regular season tipping off, but the hype train’s left the station with the release of the schedule. Let’s dive into all 82 games and give fans a glimpse of what’s to come for their Brooklyn Nets…
Key dates
Sept. 29: NBA Training Camp opens for the Brooklyn Nets
Oct. 10 & 12: 2025 Preseason: NBA China Games | Nets vs. Suns | The Venetian Arena in Macao
Oct. 21: Start of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season – Opening Night
Dec. 9-10: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Knockout Rounds (Quarterfinals)
Dec. 13: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Semifinals (Las Vegas, NV)
Dec. 16: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Championship (Las Vegas, NV)
Feb. 5: NBA Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
Feb. 13-15: 2026 NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, CA
April 12: Regular season ends
Top matchups
Fri. Oct. 10 and Sun. Oct. 12 against the Phoenix Suns - NBA China Games
The borough continues to go global as Brooklyn kicks off its preseason as one of the NBA’s two representatives in their China Games, taking place over two nights in Macao. Just one and a half seasons after their massive blockbuster trade, these two teams meet without the major players they swapped, but with refreshed and intriguing rosters ready to hit the court.
Wed. Oct. 22 @ Charlotte Hornets
The 2025-26 Nets regular season opens on the road as they take on LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and the upstart Hornets. This should be a winnable and exciting game for Brooklyn against another rebuilding team in the conference.
Fri. Oct. 24 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Their home opener takes place a couple days later against a much stronger foe, as the reigning top-seeded Cavs led by Donovan Mitchell (and former Net Jarrett Allen) come to town.
Mon. Oct. 27 @ Houston Rockets
The Nets face Kevin Durant in his (latest) new uniform for the first time when they travel south to Houston early in the season.
Mon. Dec. 29 vs Golden State Warriors
When Stephen Curry visits, you know you’re going to get a show.
Sun. Jan. 4 vs Denver Nuggets
It’s always special to watch one of the best NBA players of his era come to Barclays to perform, and Nikola Jokic is as generational as they come. The Nets faithful also get to see Cameron Johnson return for the first time in a Denver uniform.
Tue. Feb. 3 v Los Angeles Lakers
In what could be one of his final visits to Barclays, LeBron James comes to Brooklyn alongside star Luka Doncic.
Tue. Feb. 24 vs Dallas Mavericks
Number one overall pick Cooper Flagg makes his professional Barclays Center debut, alongside former Net Kyrie Irving, making his second return to Brooklyn.
NBA Cup games
Fri. Nov. 7 vs Detroit Pistons
Fri. Nov. 14 @ Orlando Magic
Fri. Nov. 21 @ Boston Celtics
Fri. Nov. 28 vs Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Easiest stretches
Brooklyn has a pretty soft December, opening it up against Charlotte at home, Chicago on the road, Utah at home and New Orleans at home. They then take off for the NBA Cup Tournament or a mid-season reprieve, to come back and face the Heat and Raptors at home.
The Nets’ best stretch of games comes down the stretch of their season, timely if they’re in the Play-In hunt. Beginning Sun. Mar. 29, they get a six-game home stint featuring Sacramento, Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington, Milwaukee and Indiana.
Toughest stretches
Brooklyn has to suffer through a pretty brutal winter, beginning Dec. 23 when they take on Philly then Minny on the road before going home to play Golden State.
They then have a back-to-back beginning on New Year’s day against the Rockets and at the Wizards, before playing the Nuggets, Magic and Clippers at home and hitting another back-to-back in Memphis and Dallas.
Not two weeks later, the Nets embark on their longest road trip of the season, visiting the Clippers, Suns, Nuggets and Jazz on a back-to-back before flying out to Detroit. They return home to be greeted by LeBron and the Lakers before taking off to play the Magic in Orlando.
Playoff seeding
If the Nets can find themselves in the Play-In race come the home stretch of the season, their last eight games provide them a decent run at making a play. They have to survive a four-game west coast swing against the Kings, Blazers, Warriors and Lakers first.
Then they go into their late-season home stand mentioned above before closing the year with road games against the Bucks and Raptors.
Newcastle United missed the pick of the chances while Ezri Konsa took a red card for his Villa team as the side played out a reasonably entertaining stalemate
Sandro Tonali: Newcastle’s Italian midfielder looks fighting fit and in a very good mood as he makes his way back to the dressing-room following his warm-up having a laugh and a joke with Tino Livramento. En route to the tunnel, he goes out of his way to high five several young Villa fans.
Some correspondence: “As a previously pessimistic Toon fan, our starting XI looks very balanced, steady at the back and middle and hopefully enterprising enough up front without Isak,” writes Jeremy Keady. “Not sure about our depth for today or indeed the coming months, but a point here would be great, considering our next match (Liverpool at home) and tricky first six matches (Villa, Liverpool, Leeds away, Wolves at home, Bournemouth away and Arsenal at home).”
We’re still over two months away from the NBA’s 2025-26 regular season tipping off, but the hype train’s left the station with the release of the schedule. Let’s dive into all 82 games and give fans a glimpse of what’s to come for their New York Knicks…
Key dates
Sept. 24: Training Camp opens for the New York Knicks
Oct. 2 & 4: 2025 Preseason: NBA Abu Dhabi Games | Knicks vs. 76ers | Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi
Oct. 21: Start of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season – Opening Night
Dec. 9-10: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Knockout Rounds (Quarterfinals)
Dec. 13: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Semifinals (Las Vegas, NV)
Dec. 16: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Championship (Las Vegas, NV)
Thu. Oct 2 and Sat. Oct. 4 against Philadelphia 76ers (Abu Dhabi Games)
It’s been a minute since Knicks fans got to see their team before any others took the court, and this year they’ll have that chance with the team participating in the NBA’s Global Games in Abu Dhabi.
Not only is it a chance to see the team early, but in a neutral ground site for some fun mid-day action -- unfortunately the hiring of Mike Brown might mean more development time for the deep bench and less overexposure of the starters, for those who want to see the stars.
Wed. Oct. 22 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Opening night at Madison Square Garden against your (most healthy) top rival in the East, what could be better? The Knicks get a true test right out of the gates in what will be a raucous, can’t-miss environment to kick off the highest expectation-laden season in decades.
Thu. Dec. 25 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Tired of chain snatching Donovan Mitchell? Better be ready to do it twice on a national stage before the New Year’s, as New York gets Cleveland again for their Christmas Day game.
Mon. Jan. 19 vs Dallas Mavericks
The highly-anticipated number one overall pick of this year’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, comes to town in a MLK Day matinee that should make for an awesome matchup.
Sun. Feb. 1 vs Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James in the Garden - maybe for the final time?
Wed. Feb. 4 vs Denver Nuggets
The Knicks have played one of the NBA’s perennial contenders and best players well over the past few seasons, setting the stage for hopefully another strong outing vs. Nikola Jokic and his new-look Nuggets.
Wed. Mar. 4 vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Unfortunately the Knicks don’t get to test themselves against the reigning NBA champions until late in the season, with their second matchup coming just before April, when load management takes over the locked-in seeds.
Sun. Mar 15 vs Golden State Warriors
Whenever Stephen Curry comes to the Garden you know it’s going to be a show, and this game adds some real sizzle to the dog days of the season.
NBA Cup games
Fri. Oct. 31 @ Chicago Bulls
Fri. Nov. 14 vs Miami Heat
Wed. Nov. 26 @ Charlotte Hornets
Fri. Nov. 38 vs Milwaukee Bucks
May 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks against Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) in the fourth quarter during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Easiest stretches
The Knicks' schedule doesn’t pull many punches, perhaps because there’s some front-loading or partially due to the West having a total of one true pushover team. They have a seven-game homestand from November 2 to November 14, and even that includes two back-to-backs.
They face a mix of lottery teams in Chicago, Washington and Brooklyn and tougher teams in Minnesota, Memphis, Orlando and Miami. They don’t have a home stand longer than three games for the rest of the season, with some big West coast trips in between.
There’s one stretch loaded with middling opponents, once again coming in the early part of the season however. From November 24 to December 5, New York plays Brooklyn, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, Charlotte and Utah.
Toughest stretches
Talk about your brutal holiday travel plans, the Knicks kick off a back-to-back on December 18-19 before playing every other night through New Year’s Eve, which include two road trips and the Christmas Day game. After an NYE bout in San Antonio, they fly back for another back-to-back beginning on January 2, wrapping up 10 games and six cities and in 17 days.
They only have a couple larger West Coach swings, but one falls in a bruising stretch.
They fly from Toronto back home to face Oklahoma City for a back-to-back on March 3-4, before embarking on a five-game, eight-night road trip against Denver, both LA teams, Utah and Indiana, all to play Golden State at home after a day of rest.
Playoff seeding
If the Knicks haven’t locked in a top two seed before the final weeks of the season, something went terribly wrong or the East showed much greater strength than advertised. In the case of either scenario, the home stretch of their season doesn’t look too bad.
New York plays @ Brooklyn on March 20, followed by vs Washington, vs New Orleans, @ Charlotte, @ Oklahoma City, @ Houston, vs Chicago, @ Atlanta, vs Boston, vs Toronto and vs Charlotte. Those are mostly beatable teams with a couple high-level contenders that could be resting up.
The Mets continue a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on PIX11.
Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...
Mets Notes
Top pitching prospect Nolan McLeanwill make his MLB debut. The 24-year-old owns an 8-5 record with a 2.45 ERA and 127 strikeouts over 21 minor league games
Francisco Lindor hit his seventh lead-off home run of the season in Friday's loss, tying Curtis Granderson (2015 and 2016) for the all-time Mets single-season record
Juan Soto has reached base in each of NY's 13 games in August, batting .280 with 12 runs, five homers, eight RBI, nine walks, four stolen bases and a .980 OPS. so far this month
MARINERS
METS
Randy Arozarena, LF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Cal Raleigh, C
Juan Soto, RF
Julio Rodriguez, CF
Brandon Nimmo, LF
Josh Naylor, 1B
Pete Alonso, 1B
Eugenio Suárez, 3B
Jeff McNeil, DH
Jorge Polanco, DH
Francisco Alvarez, C
Dominic Canzone, RF
Cedric Mullins, CF
J.P. Crawford, SS
Ronny Mauricio, 3B
Cole Young, 2B
Brett Baty, 2B
How can I watch the game online?
To watch Mets games online via PIX11, you will need a subscription to a TV service provider and live in the New York City metro area. This will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone browser.
The Detroit Red Wings have come to terms with St. Malo product Travis Hamonic on a one-year contract.
The 34-year-old will make an even $1 million for the 2025-26 season in Motor City, operating under general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Todd McLellan.
Hamonic, who spent the past four seasons in Ottawa, has seen his numbers suffer over his time in the nation's capital, as his goal and point total have declined, while his plus-minus has also inflated over the past few seasons.
A veteran of 900 career games, Hamonic will look to revitalize things on the back-end in Detroit, which will be his fifth NHL team.
After spending seven years to start his career on the Island, the six-foot, 200-pound defender will look to find his way back to the postseason in Detroit after failing to crack the playoffs since the 2018-19 season with Calgary. Hamonic has only made it to the postseason three times in his 15-year career.
Hamonic joins Jacob Bernard-Docker, James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, Ian Mitchell and John Gibson as new faces in the winged wheel for 2025-26.
Dodgers first base Freddie Freeman walks in the dugout during a loss to the Angels on Tuesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lately, the only thing the Dodgers excel at is losing games they should win. When they hit they can’t pitch and when they pitch they can’t hit. They can’t move runners over or get a clutch hit and, of course, the relievers still can’t throw strikes. It all adds up to a good year ... for the Padres.
Alan Abajian Alta Loma
To paraphrase the old adage, you can put lipstick on the Dodgers — for example, so and so is coming back ... or recovering.
But any team that has played as inconsistently as they have at the plate, in the field, and on the pitcher’s mound is very unlikely to survive in multiple playoff short series. It’s virtually certain that type of team will get tripped up along the way. Especially one predicted to win 120 games.
Kip Dellinger Santa Monica
Mr. Plaschke is saying that the Dodgers' failure to trade for bullpen help is the problem with the bullpen. Maybe he should point the finger at the guy (mis)using them.
John Vitz Manhattan Beach
Re: Bill Plaschke’s column on Dodgers at trade deadline — The Dodgers didn’t have an “inability” to improve their bullpen, it was an “unwillingness.” With the talent in their system, the Dodgers could have easily put together a package to get Mason Miller, David Bednar or similar. Impossible to know if there was any meaningful undisclosed trade talk to get better bullpen help, but it sure looks like the Dodgers simply decided not to do it. It also looks like it could be a big mistake.
John Merryman Redondo Beach
Truth be told, the story was about the incredible Angel comeback/sweep of the Dodgers. Once again the columnist focuses on the Dodgers' injuries instead of the Angels' mind-blowing bottom of the ninth rally. Will the "Summer Bummer" continue when the Padres invade Dodger Stadium?
Patrick Kelley Los Angeles
Who ARE these people and what have they done with our Dodgers?
Sarah Tamor Santa Monica
Kershaw finding a way
Most of Clayton Kershaw's career he has been a very successful power pitcher. As he has aged, and his velocity has dipped, Kershaw has become more of a crafty left-hander. Whichever version pitches on the mound, I'm just glad that Clayton Kershaw continues to have success and win for the Dodgers.
Chris Sorce Fountain Valley
How about winning more games?
In response to Ben Bolch's suggestions on how to increase Bruin football attendance, many fans will say, "just win, baby." Our alumni group of eight purchased season tickets in 1976, the same year that Geof Strand began his magical cheerleading run. For a generation, every home game, win or lose, was pure fun. Eight-claps punctuated the fall afternoon days with "every man, woman, and child" on their feet. The Bruin Marching Band provided the music, no amplified DJ production required. It is nearly impossible to return to the past, but hopefully Martin Jarmond, et al., will give Mr. Bolch's ideas serious consideration.
Dave Sanderson La Cañada
Ben Bolch's analysis for the lack of attendance was very good and covered most points; the long drive, helping the students and fans with costs, and the late start times and late setting of start times all have an influence, but there is one other BIG problem, the seats are extremely uncomfortable. They are 100 years old. I am under 6 feet and when I go I have to sit sideways. There is no room for my knees with the seat in front of me. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE!. Also a comment on the start time for the games. Ben was right on that one too. Games with a 7 p.m. start time and we get no coverage on the East Coast, not even on the late news there. It hurts recruiting and image. Start the games no later than 4 p.m.
Marty Meltzer Reseda
Indicator of success?
Ryan Kartje writes that college football preseason polls are useless. That may be true for teams in the middle and below in the rankings but not at the top. In the 11-year history of the College Football Playoff no team outside the preseason top six has won the championship.
Gerry Swider Sherman Oaks
Bad luck or no luck
Just the Chargers’ luck. Constructing a top-10 offense takes a big hit with Rashawn Slater going down for the season. What’s next?
Mitchell W. Cohen East Windsor, N.J.
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
Max Muncy hits a home run for the Dodgers against the New York Yankees on June 1. Muncy is expected to miss at least several weeks with a right oblique muscle strain. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the box score, all was not well. As you already have guessed, the bullpen: Five relievers were needed to cover the final three innings, in which the San Diego Padres put potential tying and/or go-ahead runs on base in each of those innings.
And, on Day 1 of Life Without Muncy 2.0, the Dodgers managed four hits.
With 40 games to play, the Dodgers and Padres are tied atop the National League West. If Max Muncy can play in even a handful of those games, the Dodgers will be grateful.
The Dodgers put their third baseman on the injured list Friday afternoon because of a strained oblique muscle. When Muncy went on the injured list last month because of a knee injury, the Dodgers led the majors in runs. He missed 25 games, in which the Dodgers ranked last in runs.
“Max just has that balance in the lineup, as far as another left-handed (hitter),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but also handles left-handed pitching and has the ability to get on base.
“He’s a threat. Now, without him, other guys have got to step up.”
The Dodgers’ left-handed bats, as of Friday: Ohtani, Freeman, outfielder Michael Conforto (.189) and backup catcher Dalton Rushing (.202).
It should go without saying that Ohtani and Freeman remain imposing. It should also go without saying that opponents might well line up right-handers against the Dodgers, including the Padres throwing Dylan Cease against them Saturday and Yu Darvish on Sunday.
Teoscar Hernández hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during the Dodgers' 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re going to see a slew of right-handed pitching,” Roberts said. “There are going to be right-handers coming out of the pen.
“Our right-handers have got to be better.”
On that score, the most encouraging development for the Dodgers on Friday was Hernández hitting what turned out to be the decisive home run.
“Teo came to life with a big homer,” Roberts said.
Hernández hit 33 home runs last season, when his OPS was at least .762 in each month of the season. His OPS has been below .762 in each month this season except the first one.
In the Dodgers’ first 29 games, he hit nine home runs. In the 93 games since then, he has hit 10.
“Some days, it's good. Some days, it's bad,” Hernández said. “Some days, it's in between. Hitting is not easy. But I'm going to continue to keep working and try to be consistent for the month and a half, and hopefully in the playoffs.”
The pennant stretch comes first, and Roberts has faith in Hernández.
Said Roberts: “It’s an easy bet that, when the stakes get higher, Teo is going to really show up for us.”
Muncy does that, in getting on base and in circling the bases. In October, when the pitching can rise to the occasion, so can Muncy.
His OPS is higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. He walks way more often. He can elevate the Dodgers’ lineup in October, if the rest of the lineup can step up and help get him there.
The Florida Panthers have done a remarkable job building a roster that will keep the team contending for the Stanley Cup for years to come.
That’s coming on the heels of back-to-back Stanley Cup victories and three straight Final appearances.
With such a formidable roster that’s locked up for the foreseeable future, THN Florida has been examining current Panthers players who could someday find their jersey numbers hanging in the rafters.
Today we’ll take a look at a man who has only played for the Panthers, and who could very well end up staying with Florida for the entirety of his career.
We’re talking about defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Florida selected Ekblad with the first overall selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was only the second player that the Panthers have ever taken number one in the draft, following defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who was taken all the way back in 1994.
Ekblad immediately started at the NHL level with the Panthers as a fresh faced 18-year-old, putting up an impressive 12 goals and 39 points during his rookie campaign.
Most Panthers fans probably have to do a double take when realizing that Ekblad, despite already having played 11 seasons in the NHL, is still only 29 years old.
As he prepares to enter his 12th year with the Cats, Ekblad finds himself climbing the charts on several of Florida’s all-time statistical categories.
In terms of games played, Ekblad’s 732 only trail fellow Panthers lifer Sasha Barkov, who came into the league one year before Ekblad and has played 804 games with the Cats.
Regarding defensemen, Ekblad leads all Florida blueliners in goals, assists, games played, points, shots, power play goals and game-winning goals.
He’s third on Florida’s all-time assists list, behind Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, and fifth in total points, trailing Barkov, Huberdeau, Olli Jokinen and Stephen Weiss.
Last month, Ekblad signed an eight-year extension with the Panthers that will keep him in South Florida through the 2022-23 NHL season.
That means by the time he hangs up his skates, Ekblad will hold team defensive records that could stand for a long, long time.
Ekblad made it very clear in the time leading up to the offseason that despite being an unrestricted free agent, his only intent was to re-sign with Florida, and he took less money in order to do so.
It’s hard to imagine after playing nearly two full decades in a Panthers sweater, that Ekblad wouldn’t be immortalized in the franchise’s history by having his number retired.
He’s already carved out a special place for himself in team history, and that legend is only going to grow as he plays out his deal on a team that should continue competing for Stanley Cups.
Ekblad may not get as much credit for it as he deserves, but this guy is as ‘Panthers’ as anyone has been in the team’s history.
He deserves recognition for it, and someday, the team will likely make sure he absolutely gets it.
Photo caption: Jan 26, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
When it comes to hockey, Montreal is a city that never sleeps. All through the summer, we’ve seen footage coming out of the Montreal Canadiens’ training facility in Brossard of players training hard through the dog days of Summer. There’s been plenty of talk about Ivan Demidov spending the summer in his new hometown and a lot of speculation about Kirby Dach’s health status. Earlier this week, GM Kent Hughes spoke to NHL.com about both players, and what he had to say was interesting.
Speaking about Russian rookie Demidov, the man in charge praised his work ethic, saying the youngster has been skating in Brossard twice a day, five times a week, adding that he’s been trying to keep him off the ice. It sounds like Hughes has another Lane Hutson on his hands. Last season, the now sophomore defenseman was spending so much time on the ice that the Canadiens had to forbid him to skate for him to take a day off when the rest of the team wasn’t skating.
The GM also added he felt he could see Demidov start to figure the NHL game out during the playoffs when it came to knowing how much time he had, or didn’t have, to make a play. That’s undoubtedly an encouraging sign for a player who has only had seven games of NHL hockey under his belt. Despite being very young and green, you can expect Demidov to slide into a top-six pair when the puck drops on the 2025-26 season.
Speaking of the top six, Hughes also briefly talked about Dach’s health status and mentioned the hope is that the center will be ready to go at the start of the season or early in the fall. While there was no promise made about him being prepared to start the upcoming season, in the Canadiens’ press release about his injury, it was mentioned that he was expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
As we’ve discussed earlier this offseason, coming back from a second ACL injury is a big deal, and Canadiens fans don’t have to look very far to realize that. Former Habs blueliner Andrei Markov had to go under the knife twice for this same injury, and the road to recovery was a long one.
Dach will be ready when he is ready, but at this stage, it’s important not to rush him back and allow the knee to heal properly if the Canadiens want to see and get the very best out of the 24-year-old.
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