Before the morning skate, they announced that they have reassigned Cal Burke, Finn Harding, Atley Calvert, Nolan Renwick, and Aaron Huglen to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins training camp. The WBS Penguins training camp will start at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday before moving to Northeast Pennsylvania at a later date.
Cal Burke, Atley Calvert, Finn Harding, Aaron Huglen, and Nolan Renwick have been assigned to @WBSPenguins training camp (AHL).
The Penguins' training camp roster is now down to 43 players heading into Monday's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings. There will likely be more cuts coming later in the week before the Penguins' final preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Puck drop for Monday's preseason contest will be at 7 p.m. ET and fans can stream the game on the Penguins' official website or listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'
After a wild set of Games 162 on Sunday across North America, the New York Mets are out of Major League Baseball’s playoffs, and the Cincinnati Reds are in. This season, the Reds won four of their six games in head-to-head competition to send the Mets packing despite having identical 83-79 records.
“It’s just straight-up disappointing,” Mets slugging first baseman Pete Alonso said in the clubhouse after a 4-0 loss to the Marlins at Miami.
Like the Mets, the Reds lost Sunday, 4-2, at Milwaukee. Even so, the Reds earned the prize of facing the defending World Series Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Polar Bear also told reporters he would opt out of the second year of his contract worth $24 million and take another shot at free agency after hitting 38 homers and leading the team with 126 RBIs.
The tie-breaking format giveth and taketh away. Last year, the Mets benefited from it, qualifying on the final day of the season when they and the Atlanta Braves had the better head-to-head records against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were eliminated.
“I’m still smarting from that,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said at Petco Park where the D-backs were swamped by the playoff-bound San Diego Padres, 12-4. This year, Arizona was eliminated with two games to go.
In the American League, the New York Yankees will renew their long rivalry against the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. They finished atop the East with an AL-best 94-68 record, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the division by virtue of bettering the Yankees in the season series, 8-5.
If the Yankees defeat Boston, the Blue Jays will be awaiting in an AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Toronto.
“The AL East is maybe the best division in baseball,” Yanks starter Luis Gil told writers in the home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium after defeating the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2.
The Jays beat the Rays, 13-4, at Toronto to win the division title.
The Cleveland Guardians completed their comeback from 15.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers on July 8, winning the AL Central by a game when they defeated Texas, 9-8, at Progressive Field on Sunday and Detroit lost at Boston, 4-3. The Tigers and Guardians will continue their battle in the other AL Wild Card Series, beginning Tuesday in Cleveland.
Out west, Cal Raleigh didn’t hit a home run this weekend, but finished his breakout season with 60, setting the record for a catcher and for a switch-hitter, and coming two shy of Aaron Judge’s AL-record of 62 set three years ago. The AL West-winning Mariners were swept by the Dodgers.
Judge finished atop MLB in batting average (.331), OPS (1.144), OPS+ (212) and WAR (9.7), among other categories. Raleigh and Judge are the two favorites to win AL MVP, and the debate continues to rage. The vote of two writers in every AL city is due by game-time Tuesday.
Clayton Kershaw finished his 18-year MLB regular-season career Sunday with 5 1/3 innings of four-hit, no-run ball, including one walk and seven strikeouts. He came back in May after multiple offseason surgeries to record an 11-2 record and a 3.36 ERA.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday was a fitting close of another chapter in Kershaw’s career. He totaled 222 wins, a .698 winning percentage, a 2.54 ERA and 3,045 strikeouts during his years in MLB. His message to Dodger teammates was utilize every opportunity, like the chance to repeat as World Series winners for the first time since the Yanks won three in a row from 1998-2000.
“[Kershaw said] take advantage of [every opportunity],” Roberts said. “And I think those guys really bonded when Clayton mentioned how special this team was.”
The remaining NL series offers the Padres vs. the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. It may be ancient history, but the last time these two teams met in the postseason was 1984 when the Padres overcame two opening losses at Wrigley to win the last of the best-of-five NL Championship Series in San Diego.
As dramatic as Cleveland’s comeback was, so was the Mets’ collapse. They had the best record in baseball of 45-24 on June 12 and went 38-55 the rest of the way. This happened despite the team having the second-highest payroll in baseball of $340.6 million and signing Juan Soto to a 13-year, $765 million contract this past winter.
Comparatively, the NL Central-winning Milwaukee Brewers and their Central foe Reds both made it with payrolls of $142.2 million and $140.9 million. Milwaukee had the best record in baseball at 97-65.
For that matter, the Tigers and Guardians in the AL Central spent $170.1 million and $121.4 million respectively.
The Mets, in the nation’s largest market, won the offseason but choked during the regular season.
“This was a team that was not only built to play in October, but to play deep in October,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told the media on Sunday. “Call it sad, frustrating. I mean, you name it.”
Mendoza now finds himself on the bubble along with Arizona manager Lovullo and Bob Melvin of the San Francisco Giants, whose clubs were eliminated despite high payrolls and even higher expectations. Even though Lovullo is under contract, he said on Sunday he hasn’t been told by Arizona management if he’ll be back in 2026. Mendoza knows the score.
“All year I’d been saying, ‘We have the talent, we have the talent,’ but we’re going home,” Mendoza said. “I take responsibility. I’m the manager. It starts with me. I’ve got to take a long look here. How I need to get better. That was the message to the whole team as well.”
Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito will not pitch against the Yankees in the American League Wild Card series, according to manager Alex Cora.
Giolito is dealing with an elbow injury.
“He’s not going to be on the roster,” Cora said at Yankee Stadium on Monday with Game 1 slated for Tuesday night. “He’s been battling with his elbow the last few days.”
Giolito on Monday went to see Dr. Jeff Dugas, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder, elbow, and knee injuries in athletes. Cora did not have any details pertaining to the visit. Dugas is the same doctor who performed the internal bracing procedure on Giolito that sidelined him for the 2024 season.
“Hopefully it’s nothing major, but he won’t be ready for this one,” Cora said.
Giolito was expected to start Game 3 in New York if the series reached three games.
The best-of-three playoff series will feature Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet on the mound opposite Yankees left-handed Max Fried in Game 1. Right-hander Bryan Bello is now cemented into the second spot and will face New York left-hander Carlos Rodon in Game 2.
If the series extends to Game 3, the Red Sox could give the ball to a rookie starter like Connelly Early or Kyle Harrison. Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler is expected to take the mound in Game 3, if the two teams split the first two games.
Giolito’s most recent appearance came against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. The 31-year-old allowed one run on three hits in 4.2 inning while striking out three batters.
MIAMI — Pete Alonso will opt out of his contract with the New York Mets and enter free agency again this fall, the All-Star first baseman said after the team missed the playoffs.
Alonso tested the open market last offseason before ultimately staying with the franchise that drafted him in 2016 out of Florida. He signed a two-year, $54 million contract in February that paid him $30 million this season with a $24 million player option for next year.
Alonso indicated he’d like to return to the Mets again, but added he wants to win a championship.
“There’s some great guys in this clubhouse, there’s some great people on the staff,” he said. “And every single day, it’s just been a pleasure coming to work and putting on the orange and blue. I’ve really appreciated and been nothing but full of gratitude every single day. Nothing’s guaranteed, but we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve loved being a Met, so hopefully they’ve appreciated me in the same (way).”
The 30-year-old Alonso earned his fifth All-Star selection this season. He batted a career-best .272 with 38 homers, 126 RBIs and a career-high 41 doubles — tied for most in the National League.
Along the way, he broke the Mets’ franchise record for home runs, surpassing Darryl Strawberry’s previous mark of 252.
“I think the biggest thing is, I want to win,” Alonso said. “I know we didn’t this year, but we had the right pieces I think, we just didn’t do it. At the beginning of the year, you just want to have the best possible chance to hold up the trophy at the end and see yourself being a champion. So for me, it’s why I do this. I want to be on top of the mountain. I want to win a World Series. That’s the ultimate goal.”
The Mets entered the regular-season finale needing a win at Miami and a Cincinnati loss in Milwaukee to make the playoffs.
The Reds lost 4-2 to the NL Central champion Brewers, but New York was eliminated with a 4-0 loss to the Marlins.
Alonso has 264 homers and 712 RBIs in 1,008 games over his seven-year career — all with the Mets. He has played in a team-record 416 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the majors behind Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson (783).
“I love Pete,” longtime teammate Brandon Nimmo said. “Obviously, we got to see Pete at his absolute best this year, just absolutely destroying baseballs. ... I’m sure the Mets will be in contact with him this offseason a lot. But if it did happen to be my last (game with him), I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”
For the first time since they skated on the ice with the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers will be back playing hockey in Sunrise on Monday.
Florida will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Amerant Bank Arena as they begin their preseason home stretch.
Starting Monday, the Panthers will play their final four exhibition games over a six-day stretch that includes games in Sunrise, Orlando and Tampa.
The expectation, according to Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice, is that Florida will run veteran lineups – meaning you’ll see the majority of the expected NHL roster – in their final two preseason games.
To a lesser extent, that also includes Monday night against the Hurricanes, which will be the first time some of those veteran players have a chance to play in the preseason.
Maurice has been taking it easier with his vets, holding much of Florida’s expected Opening Night roster out of the grueling elements of training camp during the first week, but now they’re all in the thick of it.
We still won’t be seeing the likes of Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekbald, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola or Eetu Luostarinen on Monday, though.
The veteran players who will take the ice against Carolina will be Sergei Bobrovsky, Jesper Boqvist, Jeff Petry, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis, Jonah Gadjovich, Luke Kunin and Mackie Samoskevich.
Florida will be facing a Carolina squad that, at least in a preseason context, will be looking for a smidge of revenge.
Last week, a Panthers roster full of prospects, young pros and a couple NHL hopefuls traveled to Raleigh and earned a comeback victory over a Hurricanes group full of veteran stars that will be on their Opening Night roster.
Now the tables will be somewhat turned.
While the Panthers aren’t exactly throwing out starts that compare with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes aren’t bringing their big guns to Sunrise, either.
A much more watered-down Carolina group, in terms of NHL regulars, will face the Cats on Monday, as none of those aforementioned Hurricanes who played in the previous meeting are on the game roster.
Face-off from Amerant Bank Arena is set for 6 p.m.
It will be the first time Panthers fans will get a look at the brand-new scoreboard hovering above the ice, and the LED boards that wrap around the seating bowl, all of which were installed over the summer.
Photo caption: Sep 24, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Ronan Seeley (91) can’t get to the puck against Florida Panthers left wing Nolan Foote (25) during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
The comparison with Mourinho’s glory days will be clear as he returns with Benfica, but Stamford Bridge hierarchy is firmly behind their current man
Only league champions get their picture on the wall in the Drake Suite at Stamford Bridge. The room is named after Ted Drake, the author of Chelsea’s first title, and features images of a host of club legends: a beaming Carlo Ancelotti, one of Antonio Conte kissing the Premier League trophy and, as Enzo Maresca no doubt noted as he arrived to preview his young side’s Champions League tie with Benfica, three photographs of the manager whose latest return to west London conjures wistful memories of the days when Chelsea were the most feared team in England.
Here comes the Special One. José Mourinho, who won three league titles across two spells at Chelsea, is in town with Benfica and will surely enjoy a wonderful reception. Maresca, meanwhile, inspires less warmth. He has taken Chelsea back into the Champions League, along with winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, but does not have his name sung by fans and was booed after losing 3-1 to Brighton on Saturday.
There’s always a danger this early in the Premier League season of reading too much into a single set of games. Titles may be lost in September but they are very rarely won. This past weekend, though, did feel like one where many of the prevailing narratives crystalised as Arsenal dug deep to win the sort of game they’ve become used to losing, Liverpool’s defensive shortcomings were exposed as they lost for the first time this campaign, Manchester City swept aside lesser opposition in the manner of old and Chelsea fell apart again.
Liverpool have looked defensively shaky all season. Having been the team of control in the last campaign, making the unremarkable 2-0 win a trademark, they have become the side of the late winner, clinching games this season in the 88th, 94th, 100th, 83rd, 95th, 92nd and 85th minutes. That was never going to be sustainable, but the question was whether general performances would improve, or whether the late strikes would dry up.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors rookie Alex Toohey’s introduction to star teammate Jimmy Butler was more than a lesson on the court. It was an eye-opener to the other side of the NBA as he walked around Butler’s San Diego home.
“I learned that you can do quite a few things with a bit of money,” Toohey said Monday at Warriors Media Day.
Butler hosted his Warriors teammates for a few days as a sort of minicamp before the official start of training camp. Basketball certainly was a focal point. Everything else was just as important, if not more.
The bigger goal one week before training camp begins was getting to know the small details of a group that is around each other more than their own families for over seven months, and even longer to reach the Warriors’ objective of contending for a championship. To become an unbreakable team, Butler, going into his 15th season, knows the intricacies of what it takes.
Wine was flowing, stories were told and laughs were had – just like it’s supposed to go with family. As he basically trademarked last season, Butler found his joy again once he was traded to the Warriors in February. Butler made it a point after the season to find time in the offseason to be around his new teammates when his busy schedule that spans the globe allowed him to.
But this retreat was different. He has found time to create chemistry in the past. Inviting a team into his home was an intimate decision Butler was set on doing in pursuit of his first title ahead of his first full season with the Warriors.
“Maybe a couple times, but not at my own home, and I just wanted to be around my guys,” Butler said of his San Diego minicamp. “I got the opportunity to see a lot of them over the summer or to go where they are from. Maybe not see them, but see people I know from their neck of the woods. So it was important for me to welcome – those are guys, like my family, into my home and have a good time and let them in a little bit of my life.”
If the 30 regular-season games and 11 playoff games Butler played after joining the Warriors was an appetizer of what’s to come, he and the Warriors are ready to devour a full four-course meal. Perhaps with a glass of Pinot on the side, too.
“I get to do this thing from day one,” Butler said. “Be with the guys from day one and do what we started out to do from the very beginning. I’m super hyped and I’m super excited. I got to train with my guys this summer. I got to talk with all the guys. I see what they have been doing. I see how they have been working. I’m glad that I get to be here from this media day on up.”
The Warriors were 25-26 last season before Butler’s team debut on Feb. 10. His Warriors introduction was a 21-point comeback road win against the Chicago Bulls, his original team, where Butler scored 25 points and had four assists. From that game on, the Warriors after adding Butler went 23-8 the rest of the regular season, losing the one game he missed.
They had two different five-game win streaks and one that lasted seven games. Their success together was on the fly, learning plays and how each other operates with little time to breathe. The Warriors saw what kind of team they can be with Butler, Steph Curry and Draymond Green all healthy, and are confident a real run at another ring was on the table if Curry’s hamstring held up.
That kind of tease has given them the ultimate confidence of a full offseason, training camp and preseason together before the real lights turn on.
“You can build an identity from the beginning,” Green said. “Defensive terminology and all the things that you build starting in training camp, we’re able to do that this year.”
Drama surrounded Butler going into last season, which wound up being his final one as a member of the Miami Heat. Tensions rose until they hit a boiling point, including multiple team suspensions that put an ugly end to all the good Butler did in South Beach. He’s at a completely different place one year later.
“I think first it helps him just as a human being, as a player, to have something that he knows, a situation he knows based on how last year ended and how we do things, what he can help, continue to help us do at a high level, but then just have that clarity coming in where we can have the conversations that we were having in a very short span after the trade last year,” Curry said. “And the way that we finished playing, or our record towards the end of the year, it was fun for all of us.”
Butler’s smile and outlook at media day matched the shine from diamonds on his ears and the rings on fingers. He’s at peace but hungry for more. The Warriors immediately signed Butler to a two-year, $111 million contract upon acquiring him in February, aligning him with Curry and Green to accomplish what those two have done four times: Win a championship.
The reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder are full of young players in their prime. Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are coming for more. Kevin Durant and the revamped Houston Rockets are ready for battle, and Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets never can be counted out.
Neither can the Warriors. Butler knows what he’s here for and sees last season’s short-lived success as just a taste of what’s to come.
“I don’t think we’re going to catch anybody by surprise,” Butler said. “I think everybody knows what we’re capable of. We’re ready to rock.”
The Yankees finished the regular season tied for the best record in the American League. But they didn’t hold the tiebreaker that decided the AL East title, so their initial October reward is…
A best-of-three Wild Card Series against a team that clobbered them for much of the season. Oh, and it’s their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox, the same franchise that authored the stunning 2004 ALCS comeback against the Yanks and has beaten them in the two playoff meetings since then, too.
For baseball fans, it’s a spicy matchup, thick with subplots and charged history. For the Yankees? Potentially dangerous. And not just because of whatever lingering karma there might be from those previous playoff losses.
Boston was 9-4 against the Yankees this season, outscoring them, 66-51. In fairness, the Yankees won the last series between the teams, at Fenway Park in mid-September. But Boston’s top two starters, Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello, were a combined 5-1 against the Yanks and figure to start the first two games. So a series full of potential pinstriped pitfalls begins with two rugged assignments.
Should be a fun few days that adds lore to a cherished baseball rivalry. Your pulse racing yet?
WHAT THE YANKEES HAVE GOING FOR THEM
Let’s address the 6-7, 282-pound slugger in the room first: At some point, Aaron Judge will put up October numbers more like his regular season rampages, right? If it starts in this series, against this team, an already-all-time Yankee will only add to his mighty rep.
Judge, who finished on a heater, had yet another historic regular season, winning his first batting title and smashing 53 home runs. He’s only the third player ever to have a 50-homer season while leading his league in hitting, joining Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle, and only the fifth since 1961 to lead MLB in average, on-base percentage, and slugging in a single season. The others are George Brett, Larry Walker, Barry Bonds, and Miguel Cabrera.
Crazy, right? Of course, now is when more attention will be paid to Judge’s postseason numbers – a .205 average with a .768 OPS, well off his career marks. He has 16 homers in 58 games (a 44-homer pace over 162 games), but Yankee fans want more.
Judge was the main cog in the best offense in baseball this season, one that re-tooled after Juan Soto departed, and Yankee slugging overcame pockmarks in other departments. They led MLB in runs, hit the second-most homers in team history (274), and even ranked eighth in stolen bases. Stealth Bombers?
They can send hitters in waves at opponents, including Giancarlo Stanton, who thrives in October. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a 30-30 season. Cody Bellinger soared in the Bronx. Ben Rice emerged as an exit-velocity king. Only Judge hit more homers than slugging surprise Trent Grisham (34).
The Yanks also have their own formidable 1-2 rotation punch in Max Fried (MLB-best 19 wins and a 2.86 ERA) and Carlos Rodón, who allowed just 6.1 hits-per-nine innings, tops in the AL. Impressive rookie Cam Schlittler, who barely looks like he’s throwing hard, even as he hits 99 miles-per-hour on the radar gun, figures as their third starter. Schlittler had a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts. Overall, the Yanks were fourth in MLB in starter ERA (3.61).
WHAT THE RED SOX HAVE GOING FOR THEM
Crochet, a dazzling lefty, is at least in the conversation about the best pitcher in baseball after he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, led the AL in innings (205.1) and all of MLB in strikeouts (255). The vaunted Yankee offense batted .200 against him with a .601 OPS, and he had 39 strikeouts and only four walks in 27.1 innings against them. Bello was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA against the Yankees.
That starter combo could be deadly in such a short series, especially when it’s backed by an elite bullpen. The Red Sox had the second-lowest relief ERA in baseball (3.61), led by former Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman. Chapman had an absurd season, notching a 1.17 ERA, holding hitters to a .132 average and striking out 85 in 61.1 innings.
No Roman Anthony hurts the offense, but the Sox still scored the seventh-most runs, even without any spectacular individual seasons. With the Yanks starting lefties in the first two games, platoon guys such as Romy Gonzalez (.978 OPS, seven homers against lefties) and Rob Refsnyder (.959, seven homers) might be factors.
Should mojo count here? The Sox were 5-2 at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks looked bad against them in several of those nine Boston wins. Whatever psychological advantages the Yanks once seemed to hold over the Sox back in the lopsided days of yore when the rivalry was more like a “rivalry” are long gone. Whatever you believe about that sort of thing.
THE YANKEES WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…
Judge slugs. It’s not all on him, but it kinda is, you know? He’s due. It won’t be easy, though. He’s got two career homers off Crochet, but he’s 3-for-15 lifetime against the lefty with 11 strikeouts.
The Yankees were good at scoring early, slugging an MLB-record 50 homers in the first inning, and that could be huge in this series. They tallied in the opening frame 65 times during the regular season and were 46-19 (.708) in those games. If they continue to hit home runs in this series, regardless of inning, they will be difficult to beat.
Parts of the Yankee summer were marred by sloppy play, but they cleaned up some of that during their MLB-best 34-14 run to close the season. Bad fundies are part of the bad aftertaste from last year’s World Series thud, so avoiding erratic defense now is paramount.
Finally, the Yanks have the worst bullpen ERA of any playoff team (4.37, ranked 23rd in MLB). David Bednar has been the best of the relievers added during the deadline makeover, but the bullpen looms as a potential trouble spot.
New York Yankees relief pitcher David Bednar (53) reacts after defeating the Houston Astros 5-4 at Yankee Stadium / Wendell Cruz - Imagn Images
THE RED SOX WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…
They get a couple of starting pitching outings that allow them to go starter to setup man (Garrett Whitlock) to Chapman. Whitlock, whom the Sox plucked from the, ahem, Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, has been terrific (2.25 ERA).
Defense has been a red (Sox) flag all season. Boston had the most errors in MLB. Does that impact the series?
And how does Alex Bregman, a former member of another October Yankee nemesis – the Astros – factor in? He was on three Houston clubs that eliminated the Yanks and had a .924 OPS against them this year, his first season in Boston. Tuesday will be his 100th career postseason game. Seems unlikely he’s not deeply involved in this.
PREDICTION
Yanks in three.
Sure, Boston dominated the season series. Was that timing or something deeper? We’re banking on timing and that Judge has a big series, Stanton has his usual fall power surge, Yankee starters thrive and the club limits its mistakes.
Loose From The Moose - Mar. 21 2022 - Vol. 75 Issue 13 - Jared Clinton
(JONATHAN KOZUB/MANITOBA MOOSE)
COLE PERFETTI WOULD BE QUITE ALL right with never having to pull on a Manitoba Moose jersey ever again. It’s not that he won’t. This isn’t some prima donna, too-good-to-ride-the-bus thing, nor is he going to put up even an ounce of fight should the Winnipeg Jets brass decide to send him back to the farm club. He’ll be the first to tell you he has faith in what the Jets have planned for him, so it has nothing to do with that, either. No, at its root, this is a matter of not only seeing the grass is greener but being able to enjoy what the pasture has to offer.
“The NHL lifestyle, the dinners, the private planes, playing in front of 20,000 people, everything about it is just everything you dream of and as advertised,” Perfetti said. “It really is. It’s unbelievable. And as much as I love the Moose, love the guys, had a great opportunity, great chance, and great time there with them and learned so much and am grateful for everything I had with the Moose, once you’ve had that taste of the NHL, you never want to go back to the ‘A.’”
Inextricable from Perfetti’s story, however, will be what the league will have meant to his career. He was among the rare few who could be used as case studies for what elevating top-tier prospects to the AHL instead of relegating them to an additional season of pounding on their junior peers can do for a player’s development. As a result of the OHL’s initially postponed and later cancelled 2020-21 campaign, and thanks to the AHL opening its doors during the pandemic-shortened season to prospects orphaned by league shutdowns, Perfetti had the opportunity to spend last year getting a grasp on what life was like at the next level.
“To get the chance in the AHL and to do the same the first half of this year has helped so much with the little things,” he said. “Playing the right way, learning both sides of the puck, all that kind of stuff. Learning the man’s game is a big difference. When most kids were taking a step back and not getting any better, I was fortunate enough to take a step forward in my hockey career. So, to learn the pro style, that was huge for me.”
WHEN MOST KIDS WERE TAKING A STEP BACK AND NOT GETTING ANY BETTER, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO TAKE A STEP FORWARD IN MY HOCKEY CAREER– COLE PERFETTI
It was also a crash course. Selected 10th overall by the Jets in 2020 on the heels of an outrageous 111-point season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Perfetti couldn’t have had any reasonable expectation that he’d be spending the following season playing against the pros. That’s particularly true given the Jets’ model of development is one that distinctly takes its cues more from the tortoise than the hare. Yet there was Perfetti, a little more than a month after helping Canada to silver at the 2021 World Junior Championship, lining up in the AHL.
(JAMES CAREY LAUDER-USA TODAY SPORTS)
Statistically, the early returns weren’t bad. He scored his first pro goal in his first pro game. Through seven games, he had two goals and four points. Pretty good for a kid who describes himself as “not the biggest, not the fastest,” and said he needed to find a way for his game to translate. But to Jets assistant GM and Moose GM Craig Heisinger, the middling offensive production masked some larger deficiencies. “He was able to contribute somewhat on the power play early on in the AHL season last year,” Heisinger said. “The struggles at 5-on-5 continued.”
Perfetti can agree with that assessment. He’ll even add things didn’t really start to click until about his 10th game, which is a sentiment Heisinger readily echoes. Perfetti was beginning to figure out how to see soft spots in coverage, how to create offense from defense and the necessity of being on the right side of the puck. It added up to a sizable leap in the back half of the season. His point-per-game performance – 22 points in his final 22 games of 2020-21 – is enough to bear that out, and Heisinger noted a marked change in Perfetti’s ability to contribute at five-a-side. It was much of the same when Perfetti landed back in the AHL early in this season, too.
“He was able to pick that up at the start of this year and nothing was a surprise,” Heisinger said. “And the (AHL) certainly stepped up a notch, because it was back to where it normally is with no taxi squads. He was able to be a factor, and being able to do that as a 19-year-old is really, really challenging and a credit to him.”
His play didn’t go unnoticed or unrewarded, either.
When the Jets found themselves in need of reinforcements as injuries and ailments took a bite out of the squad, Perfetti was among the first plucked from the AHL, on Dec. 31, the day before he turned 20. On Jan. 18 – five games into his NHL career – he was raising his arms and drifting face-first into the glass celebrating his first NHL goal, a well-placed wrister fired home on a 2-on-1 against the Washington Capitals. “I’ve never anticipated scoring a goal more than that,” he said. “Dreamed of it since I was two years old. To have that come true, to score, it’s relief, joy, happiness. You work so hard and your family puts so much time and effort in, it’s almost like a celebration. Scoring that first goal was like, ‘Wow, I’m here now.’”
Just being there isn’t enough, though. Perfetti wants to be there to stay. And to make that a reality, Perfetti knows he needs to take a page out of his time in the AHL. That means getting that little bit better with each passing game until he gets to the point he feels he’s finally starting to break through. He’s done enough to impress the Jets. He’s been with the big club throughout 2022, which resulted is his shift from Future Watch “prospect” to “21-and-under NHLer” (see pg. 79). Before the status change, he was easily Winnipeg’s No. 1 prospect and would’ve ranked among the top 10 in our league-wide rankings.
While this latest reporting from the Pablo Torre Finds Out (PTFO) podcast is not as individually damning as previous revelations, it adds to the growing mountain of questions that, when viewed as a whole, are difficult for Ballmer and the Clippers to answer. Questions that the NBA's formal investigation into the matter will ask. Those latest revelations are:
• Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a $1.875 million donation to Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg's charity (the Golden State Opportunity Foundation) in November of 2024 — 10 months after the Clippers had ended its business relationship with Aspiration and Ballmer had claimed he lost his investments in the company. Ballmer said he was “duped” and defrauded by Sanberg, as were other investors.
NEW: Steve Ballmer quietly donated $1.875M to charity of Aspiration co-founder who "conned" him — 1.5+ years after Clippers ended deal, as feds closed in.
"It does not make any iota of sense," an insider says, "to be both hoodwinked and bamboozled yet continuously giving money." pic.twitter.com/xdx2WgGkex
The Clippers noted that Ballmer had been donating to this charity since 2018, long before Aspiration became a sponsor of the Clippers or helped provide environmental credits (Aspiration was a "green bank" company whose business model was to plant trees to gain these credits then sell them to companies that needed them; Sanberg has pled guilty to defrauding investors of $248 million through the business). It should also be noted that there are no claims that this charity itself was fraudulent.
While a donation to a charitable cause is not in and of itself damning, it suggests a relationship between Ballmer and Sanberg that existed before and seemed to continue after the Clippers' business with Aspiration had ended in such a messy manner.
• While Leonard's uncle and business manager Dennis Robertson — "Uncle Dennis" — gets the headlines for his audacity, Leonard does have a legal and traditional agent, Mitch Frankel. PTFO has screenshots from former Aspiration general counsel Mike Shuckerow, dated November 2022, when Frankel texted an Aspiration executive repeatedly for an overdue endorsement payment. Leonard was owed his quarterly endorsement payment ($1.75 million) and it was more than a month late.
This late payment ultimately became one of the hardest-to-explain-away aspects of the allegations for the Clippers: In December 2022, when it was already clear that Aspiration was a failing company, Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong donated $2 million to the company. Nine days later, Leonard got his $1.75 million payment.
The core of the case being investigated by the NBA — and uncovered by Torre — is that Ballmer invested $50 million in the "green bank" company Aspiration, which went on to become a $300 million sponsor of the Clippers team in 2021. Later, the Clippers purchased $100 million in those green credits from Aspiration as part of Ballmer's effort to make the Clippers' new home, the Ituit Dome, carbon neutral. Leonard signed a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspriation, a deal that grew to $48 million at one point when he got $20 million in company stock (which is now worthless).
Leonard did nothing for the company as an endorser that can be seen publicly, leading to the accusations that this was a "no-show" endorsement designed to circumvent the salary cap. While it was stipulated in his endorsement contract that he would do so, there is no evidence that Leonard performed any days of work for the company, participated in promotional events or marketing efforts, or even made a social media post about the company.
Aspiration is now bankrupt, and its CEO, Sandberg, has pled guilty to $248 million in fraud. Ballmer said he was “duped” like other investors and has said that the Clippers ended their team sponsor relationship with Aspiration after it defaulted on its obligations. He and the Clippers have maintained that they knew nothing about Leonard's endorsement deal with Aspiration except that it existed. Ballmer vehemently denied the charge that the Clippers used Leonard's Aspiration endorsement to circumvent the NBA salary cap. Ballmer went on to make a second, $10 million investment in Aspiration in March, 2023, despite it being clear at that point the company was failing and headed toward bankruptcy.
The NBA hired an independent law firm to do its investigation. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that the burden of proof in this case lies with the league to demonstrate that the Clippers did something wrong, and that he "would be reluctant to act if there was sort of a mere appearance of impropriety."
However, the mountain of evidence makes that appearance seem worse and worse. Here is what one current NBA head coach texted Pablo Torre, he said on his podcast: "This should be embarrassing for the league. I know teams do little side deals, but what happened here is so obvious."
The league's potential punishments can include taking away future draft picks (up to five), fining and suspending team executives who knew, and even potentially voiding Leonard's contract (although that seems unlikely).
These moves, coupled with the Warriors’ returning core and youngsters on the rise, have star point guard Steph Curry feeling confident about the campaign ahead.
“I think with this last little piece that needs to settle, I think I’m extremely happy with a different look,” Curry told reporters Monday at Warriors Media Day. “We’re just trying to carry the momentum that we had from last year, understanding getting through an 82-game season is the challenge for every team, but especially a veteran team. But the way that we finished [2024-25] and the record that we had, and obviously before I got hurt during the [2025 NBA playoffs] second round, we were a relevant threat, and I think we’ve gotten better.”
The Warriors closed out the 2024-25 season going 23-7 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup after acquiring the veteran forward at the NBA trade deadline. But with Butler banged up and Curry knocked out with a hamstring injury in the Western Conference semifinals, their NBA Finals hopes ended with a Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, Golden State will look to build upon that late-season success with aging vets Curry, Butler and Draymond Green leading the way. Though the Warriors lost longtime center Kevon Looney to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason in NBA free agency, Curry is confident in the group Golden State has now — including young big men Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
“It’s tough to lose Loon, like that’s a big deal knowing what he meant to our franchise, but we have a lot of pieces that are going to have an opportunity to take that next step,” Curry said. “Like every NBA season, I said the same thing last year, probably on the podium right here. [We] started 12-3, and then all hell broke loose for a good couple months. So, you can only do what you can to control your mentality going into the year. And I think it’s really optimistic and positive around here, and that’s how it should be.”
While the Warriors wait for the Kuminga dominoes to fall, it’s clear Curry is confident in the group that will begin this new season together.
ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders hit the ice on Monday for morning skate ahead of their second-to-last preseason game, as they host the cross-town rival New York Rangers.
Islanders captain Anders Lee, who did take part in Sunday's skate, was out of his red non-contact sweater but will not play.
David Rittich will start, which makes sense as the No. 1 netminder. Ilya Sorokin will get the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
By going that route, Sorokin will only have a week between starts, as opposed to 10 days, with the season opening on Oct. 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One thing to note here is that Calum Ritchie is centering the fourth line, moving Casey Cizikas to wing. Ritchie played all seven NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche on the wing, but Roy likes him down the middle.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
The 29-year-old Spencer will be back for his third season with the Warriors on a two-way contract after playing in 47 games last season, including the NBA playoffs. The Northwestern product averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 6.4 minutes off the bench in the 2024-25 regular season.
Golden State also signed its other selection from the 2025 NBA Draft, Australian forward Alex Toohey, to a two-way contract. Toohey was selected with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round as part of a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The 21-year-old struggled during NBA Summer League, but the Warriors saw clear potential after his strong finish to the showcase.
Finally, Golden State brought in a trio of players to help fill out its preseason roster as training camp begins this week. The Warriors signed free-agent center Marques Bolden and guards LJ Cryer and Taevion Kinsey, all of whom face an uphill battle to make the final roster.
Bolden, 27, has the only NBA experience of the three; he has appeared in 18 games since the 2019-20 season with three teams, averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. The Duke basketball alum played with the Warriors’ summer league squads in 2024 and 2025.
Cryer, 23, went unselected in this year’s NBA draft. He was a star collegiate player for Baylor and Houston from 2020-25, helping lead the former to the 2021 National Championship as a freshman. Kinsey, 25, averaged 17.1 points per game across five college seasons at Marshall and spent the last two seasons with the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz.
Despite Luke Hughes' contract standoff
with the New Jersey Devils, the two sides are expected to agree to a
long-term deal.
That prompted some pundits to ponder
Dougie Hamilton's future with the Devils. TSN's Pierre LeBrun last
week wondered how many power-play quarterbacks a team needs in
today's NHL. With Hughes seen as the Devils' future No. 1 blueliner,
Hamilton's role with the club could be in question.
Hamilton told NJ.com's Ryan Novozinsky he has heard the trade rumors but said he's not paying much
attention to them. The 32-year-old defenseman acknowledged trades happen, and it's part of the business of hockey. However, he
wants to remain with the Devils because he believes he can help them
win the Stanley Cup.
Most of the trade conjecture suggested
the Devils could move Hamilton to address other roster needs and
clear his $9-million cap hit from their books. However, that cap hit
would also make it difficult to move him. While the salary cap is
rising significantly, teams still must manage their cap space
carefully.
Hamilton's no-trade clause also
complicates things. PuckPedia indicates he has a list of 10 teams he'd accept getting
dealt to, which significantly limits the options for suitable trade
partners.
Add David Kampf to that category. Jonas
Siegel of The Athletic reported the 30-year-old center believed he
would be traded during the off-season. Although that never
materialized, his future with the Maple Leafs remains uncertain.
Siegel noted that Scott Laughton has
replaced Kampf as the Leafs' fourth-line center. The club could make
room for promising right winger Easton Cowan.
Kampf's contract could hinder efforts
to trade him. He's signed through next season with an average annual
value of $2.4 million. Siegel suggests he could be demoted to the
Marlies if he clears waivers.
Turning to the Washington Capitals,
ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported last Thursday that goaltender Clay
Stevenson's solid pre-season play has drawn interest from a few teams
who see him as a future waiver claim.
Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are
locks as the Capitals' goalie tandem, leaving Stevenson as the odd
man out.
The Hockey News' Sammi Silber reports
Stevenson was projected to be the No. 1 goalie for the Capitals' AHL
affiliate in Hershey this season. She believes he's all but certain
to go on waivers, where a rival club will likely pluck him away.
Rather than lose Stevenson for nothing,
the Capitals could see what he might fetch in the trade market.
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