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New Celtics owner Bill Chisholm vows to 'do whatever it takes' to bring championships to Boston

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics are expecting a smooth ownership transition - and not just because much of the old brain trust is sticking around.

New owner Bill Chisholm says he isn't going to mess with the success of the people who won two NBA championships in their 23 years in charge.

“Let’s do whatever we can to win championships and raise banners, and raise as many as we can,” he said in a news conference on Thursday, flanked by former lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, incumbent president Rich Gotham and president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “I will do whatever it takes, whatever the Boston Celtics need me to do.”

A Massachusetts native who made his money in private equity, Chisholm leads a group that will pay at least $6.1 billion for the Celtics - at the time, a record price for an American professional sports franchise; the NBA unanimously approved the deal last month. He told reporters on Thursday that the opportunity to buy into his favorite team was too good to pass up.

“The Celtics have brought me joy my entire life,” he said. “I feel like I have something to add here. This was an opportunity that was a dream that came true. For me to have this chance, I would never forgive myself if I didn’t go for it.”

Grousbeck and co-owner Steve Pagliuca led a group that bought the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million and presided over an era in which the Celtics won two NBA titles, lost in the Finals two other times and made the playoffs in 20 of 23 seasons. The team’s most recent title came in 2024, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Grousbeck said he will continue with the team as the CEO for five years - with no plans to leave after that. His ownership share will dip below the 15% required for him to continue as the team’s designated governor for league matters, though, so he will serve as alternate governor.

“I’m staying in, shoulder-to-shoulder with Bill,” he said. “I want a third ring. And then I want a fourth ring. I’ve got two, it’s a nice start.”

In all, Grousbeck said, more than half of the old ownership group will be sticking around, along with Stevens, Gotham and coach Joe Mazzulla.

But there should be no question who is in charge.

“There’s a governor, and the governor has the final say, and that’s me,” Chisholm said. “Ultimately, I’m the one responsible.”

Chisholm said he supported the idea of a WNBA team in Boston.

The Connecticut Sun are for sale, and Pagliuca offered to buy them and move them to Boston. (Pagliuca also made an offer for the Celtics but was outbid by Chisholm.)

But the league nixed the deal, saying cities that had already applied for expansion teams were a higher priority.

“It’s definitely something we’re going to look at. And I know the (WNBA) has a process,” Chisholm said. “We’ll do what we can to expedite things. There’s a process there. But philosophically it makes so much sense.”

Chisholm also sounded like he wasn't eager to move out of TD Garden, which the Celtics share with the NHL's Boston Bruins, saying “we've got a great thing going right now.”

“I really like the Boston Garden, personally. More importantly, the team and the players really like the Boston Garden. And equally important, the fans really like the Boston Garden. So that’s a starting point,” he said. “The second thing is I think the Celtics and the Bruins belong together."

Also meeting the media on Thursday was Aditya Mittal, the son of one of India’s richest men and the CEO of a ArcelorMittal, the second-largest steel-producing company in the world. He said he first visited Boston in the 1980s and attended a Celtics game at the old Boston Garden.

“It was magical,” he said. “I fell in love with it.”

Chisholm takes over the team in a bit of a transition just two seasons after its latest title.

Tatum is recovering from surgery to repair the ruptured right Achilles tendon he suffered in Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks, dooming the Celtics’ hopes of a repeat.

And in order to avoid the second apron penalties of the NBA’s salary tax, the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis - key parts of the title-winning team – this summer. Grousbeck said those deals would have happened even if the team wasn’t sold.

Stevens said the deals weren’t about the financial penalties as much as the roster restrictions: If Boston had been over the second apron at the time, it would not have been able to acquire Porzingis, Holiday or Derrick White in the first place.

“You have to give yourself the flexibility and opportunity to jump at the right deals. You don’t always know when those are present themselves,” Stevens said. “So the second apron was the key.”

Chisholm said his message to the basketball operations crew is “Let’s go for it, but let’s do it in a reasonable way.”

“The flexibility the Brad talks about, I think that’s paramount to doing that," he said. "But, ultimately, we’re going to do everything we can to win. It’s job No. 1.”

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Quentin Grimes, 76ers reportedly headed for one-year contract, but will it be qualifying offer or more?

Quentin Grimes wants to capitalize on his red-hot finish to last season after being traded to Philadelphia. The 76ers remain $1.7 million below the luxury tax line this season — despite having two players in Joel Embiid and Paul George making north of $50 million this season — and don't want to mess with future flexibility for a roster where there is great potential but a lot of questions.

That is likely to lead to a one-year deal between Grimes and Philly, something that has seemed likely from earlier reporting and was confirmed by Michael Scotto of Hoopshype. Grimes was seeking a long-term offer starting north of $17 million (approximately $20 million per season or close to it), and the Sixers' first formal offer was significantly below that, at four years, $39 million, Grimes' agent, David Bauman, told Scotto. The Sixers have pushed back on that idea as a formal offer and it was simply part of a negotiation.

However the sides wish to spin it, they are too far apart to find common ground on a long-term deal before the Oct. 1 deadline (when Grimes would have to pick up his qualifying offer). That has the sides moving toward a one-year contract. Scotto added details on that.

At this point, the 76ers have formally offered Grimes a one-year deal that's slightly higher than his qualifying offer of $8.7 million with the caveat that he'd waive his no-trade clause, league sources told HoopsHype. For Grimes to waive his no-trade clause flexibility on any one-year deal, Philadelphia's offer would preferably be somewhere north of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14 million) and $19 million range, league sources told HoopsHype.

Grimes has made a total of $11.1 million across four NBA seasons, so taking the qualifying offer at $8.7 million more than doubles what he made in any one season of his career. That said, he doesn't want to leave money on the table now, and for Philly, if it offers him something like $15 million for the season, it retains his Bird rights and can pay more next summer to keep him if it wishes. That said, anything north of $9.8 million pushes the Sixers above the first apron of the luxury tax, somewhat limiting their ability to make in-season moves.

Grimes wants to cash in on the red-hot 28 games he had with the 76ers after the trade deadline last season, when he averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game. Philadelphia is deep with guards, including Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain (who will miss the start of the season with a thumb injury) and just-drafted VJ Edgecombe. Grimes' role this season will be a smaller one than he had at the end of last season, but still a key one as a starter or sixth man, and how much are the 76ers willing to pay for that?

We will find out by Oct. 1.

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AL East race between Yankees and Blue Jays comes down to final weekend of season

NEW YORK — All even atop the AL East with three games to go.

That means the division title will be determined this weekend by how the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees handle a pair of also-rans.

After both teams won at home, the Yankees and Blue Jays remain tied for first place — and the best record in the American League — at 91-68. New York hosts last-place Baltimore, while Toronto welcomes fourth-place Tampa Bay north of the border.

“I think everyone’s very locked in the way they need to be right now,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully we can keep this going.”

Regardless of results over the next three days, the Yankees and Blue Jays are both headed to the playoffs.

One will have home-field advantage throughout a best-of-three Wild Card Series — very possibly against another AL East foe, the Boston Red Sox.

The other will win the division and earn a first-round bye before opening the postseason at home Oct. 4 in Game 1 of a best-of-five Division Series.

“I’ll take the bye all day long,” Boone said. “It’s winning a series, essentially, without having to play one.”

To do that, New York must finish ahead of the Blue Jays because they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the season series 8-5. So the Yankees need the Rays to trip up Toronto at least once.

“I think everybody wants to feel this pressure at the end of the season,” outfielder Daulton Varsho told reporters in Toronto, where his sixth-inning grand slam broke a scoreless tie and sent the Blue Jays to a 6-1 win over Boston. “You want to feel that because that means you’re in it.

“It’s one of those things where you either can crumble and fall and not play well, or we can be us and know that throughout the season, we’ve played really good baseball, and just keep trusting it.”

Powered by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, the Blue Jays are in the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. But they haven’t won a postseason game since 2016 and are seeking their first division crown since 2015.

Toronto is 3-7 against Tampa Bay (77-82) this season.

Shane Bieber (3-2, 3.57 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against Rays right-hander Adrian Houser (8-4, 3.18) in the series opener. Touted prospect Trey Yesavage (0-0, 5.00) makes his third major league start for the Blue Jays versus Joe Boyle (1-3, 4.40), and Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.47) opposes Tampa Bay rookie Ian Seymour (4-2, 2.85) in the season finale.

Aaron Judge and the Yankees are 6-4 against the Orioles (75-84) after taking three of four games in Baltimore last weekend.

New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton, however, said the Orioles are “always a threat.” The Yankees throw rookie Will Warren (8-8, 4.35 ERA) against ace left-hander Trevor Rogers (9-2, 1.35), who fired six shutout innings of one-hit ball to beat the Bronx Bombers in his most recent outing.

“Got our work cut out for us,” Boone said. “Hopefully, get one tomorrow and go from there.”

Another rookie, Cam Schlittler (3-3, 3.27), faces Baltimore right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (10-9, 4.54), and Luis Gil (4-1, 3.29) pitches for New York versus Kyle Bradish (1-1, 2.25).

“Can’t let one of these games slip away from us,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said.

Toronto has dropped six of eight since a six-game winning streak, stumbling toward the finish line of a surprisingly successful season.

New York, which has won five straight and eight of nine, boasts the top record in the majors (31-14) since Aug. 6 and has made up five games on the Blue Jays since Sept. 17.

“It’s what we’re capable of, and we’ve got three more games to be the ultimate factor, and then turn the page and see what else we can do,” Stanton said.

But the defending American League champions still need to gain one more game this weekend to win their second consecutive division crown and third in four years.

“We’ve got to go out and play well, execute, and play good baseball,” Stanton said. “It’s a good preview (for the playoffs), and it’s understood what we need to do. So, you can’t look to Sunday, you can’t look to Saturday, just execute Friday.”

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Cal Raleigh makes history, but will the catcher’s 60 homers be enough to beat Aaron Judge for MVP?

The 60-homer mark remains a magical threshold in baseball.

Babe Ruth was the first hitter to reach it in a season, and nobody else did until Roger Maris 34 years later. Then it was another 37 years until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa surpassed 60 home runs in 1998, part of a power surge in which there were six 60-homer seasons between ’98 and 2001.

After that, it took over two decades before New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit 62 in 2022. Now Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh has 60 this year, and fittingly the American League MVP race is coming down to him and Judge.

Raleigh (-220) was a slight favorite for the award over Judge (+165) according to BetMGM Sportsbook. But 60 homers is no guarantee of anything. In 1999, both McGwire and Sosa surpassed 60, but Chipper Jones was the National League MVP. McGwire hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 but lost out to Sosa, who hit 66.

While Raleigh tries to add to his home run total, Judge has 51 of his own — and he’s closing in on the AL batting title. So the only thing that’s clear about the MVP race is that everyone else is fighting for third.

Advanced stats favor Judge

Judge led the American League in Baseball Reference’s version of wins above replacement (bWAR) — and by a pretty healthy margin of 9.3 to 7.2. The FanGraphs version (fWAR) is closer, with Judge up 9.6 to 9.1, but the New York outfielder also has significant leads in batting average (.330-.247), on-base percentage (.457-.360) and slugging percentage (.683-.594).

Judge and Raleigh both play for teams headed for the playoffs. Raleigh’s role on a Seattle club that has won its division, but was also in danger of missing the postseason until recently, could weigh in his favor. But Baseball Reference has a stat for that, too: Championship win probability added (cWPA) measures how much a player’s contributions have increased his team’s chances of winning the World Series. Judge has the edge there too, with a cWPA of 3.8% to Raleigh’s 3.0%.

How much does WAR affect the voting?

Quite a bit, seemingly.

From 2012 to 2015, Mike Trout led all AL hitters in bWAR every season but only won the MVP once. He was beaten out twice by Miguel Cabrera and once by Josh Donaldson — most contentiously in 2012 when the Triple Crown-winning Cabrera beat out Trout despite the latter’s 10.5-7.1 advantage in WAR.

But since 2016 across both leagues — and not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign — only five of 16 MVP winners failed to lead his league in bWAR. Those were:

— Christian Yelich in 2018 was fourth in the NL in bWAR, but the only three players ahead of him were pitchers, who often face an uphill climb in MVP voting.

— In 2019, Trout somewhat ironically beat out Alex Bregman despite a bWAR deficit of 8.9-7.9.

— In 2021, Bryce Harper (5.9 bWAR) won MVP honors in a year pitcher Zack Wheeler led the NL in bWAR. Juan Soto had 7.3 bWAR, but his Washington Nationals lost 97 games.

— In 2022, Paul Goldschmidt (7.7) beat out Manny Machado (6.8) and Nolan Arenado (7.9) in the MVP race. Pitcher Sandy Alcantara (8.0) led the NL in bWAR.

— In 2023, Ronald Acuña Jr. (8.4) beat out Mookie Betts (8.6) for NL MVP.

It’s Acuña’s MVP that might be most analogous to Raleigh’s bid this year. Acuña in 2023 had a unique statistical accomplishment on his side — he’d become the first player to reach 40 homers and 70 steals in the same season.

Raleigh makes history

The question for Raleigh is whether Judge’s advantage in many key stats is small enough that more subjective factors can tip the race to the Seattle slugger. The Mariners just won their first division title since 2001, and Raleigh’s role as a catcher presumably includes contributions that stats have a hard time measuring. With Judge no longer playing center field — he’s been exclusively at designated hitter and in right field this year — it’s fair to say Raleigh has the tougher job.

No catcher — and no switch-hitter — has ever hit as many homers as Raleigh in a season. In that sense, he’s had a more historic year than Judge.

Now it’s up to the voters to decide if it was more valuable.

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Tigers and Guardians tied atop AL Central with 3 games left

CLEVELAND — Detroit manager A.J. Hinch knows the Tigers’ 4-2 win over Cleveland counts only as one game in the standings.

However, the victory gave the Tigers plenty of momentum going into the final series of the regular season.

“Everybody needs to see a little bit of positivity in the game,” Hinch said. “I think everybody takes a collective breath and say, ‘here we go,’ We know these games matter the most. Even though they count the same, they don’t feel the same because of where we’re at.”

The Tigers and Guardians are both 86-73 and tied atop the American League’s Central Division with three games remaining. The last time the division was remotely close after 159 games was in 2014, when the Tigers had a two-game lead on the Kansas City Royals.

The last time the AL Central was tied at this point was 2006 when the Tigers and Minnesota Twins had 95-64 records.

The Tigers snapped an eight-game losing streak and go into Boston in control of their own destiny. Despite having a 9 1/2 game lead in the division on the morning of Sept. 1, Hinch has tried to keep things focused on the Tigers still having control of a playoff spot despite going 6-15 in September.

Detroit though knows what it is like to be left for dead and all of a sudden get hot at the end to make the postseason. Last season, the Tigers were 55-63 before going 31-13 the remainder of the season to get a wild-card spot.

“This is a weird sport we play. Anything can happen. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. That’s why you have to play all 162 games,” Riley Greene said.

The Tigers swept the Red Sox in a three-game series in Detroit earlier this season. Boston took two of three in its series against Toronto, but lost 6-1.

“We know if we win as many games we can, we’re going to be just fine. We have a good team. We need to play like it,” Hinch said. “Tonight was a good example of what we can bring to the table. Fenway (Park) is going to be an incredibly fun place to play. They are trying to get to the finish line as well, so I expect it to be tough, hard fought games.”

Even though the Guardians were unable to sweep the Tigers for the second time in less than two weeks, they still got what they wanted by taking two out of three games.

“We’re in first place, aren’t we? That sounds good to me,” Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges said. “We talk about winning series. We did that. If we win every series moving forward, we win the world championship.”

The Guardians — who are 18-6 in September — play a Texas Rangers squad that has dropped 9 of 10. However, Texas swept the Guardians in a three-game weekend series last month. The Rangers though will be without their key stars.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the way our guys played these last three days,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We played a great series. Our goal is to win series. We talk about it all year long and we won the series, so we got to do that one more time. We got to win a series this weekend and see what happens.”

If Cleveland and Detroit end up tied after the regular season, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series and host a Wild Card Series.

Cleveland and Detroit also have a one-game lead on Houston for the final wild-card spot.

The Guardians and Tigers also hold the tiebreak over the Astros. Both teams have a magic number of two to clinch a postseason spot.

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Wild owner Leipold expresses patience with Kaprizov contract talks, confidence in GM Guerin’s role

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have yet to secure star forward Kirill Kaprizov beyond this season with a long-term contract.

Owner Craig Leipold is trying to remain patient and stay in his lane, fully confident in leaving the process to general manager Bill Guerin and his assistants.

“Billy’s the guy. He’s the one that does the negotiating, no matter who it is, and that’s his responsibility and his role,” Leipold said. “We’ve got a great relationship.”

Can the same be said about the dynamic between the NHL club and Kaprizov’s camp? That’s difficult to discern, with neither side divulging much about whether a new deal is still realistic before the regular season begins in two weeks. Leipold declined to discuss any specifics regarding Kaprizov, who has 386 points in 319 regular season games and 21 points in 25 playoff games.

Kaprizov said after the team’s first practice that he considers Minnesota his “second home” behind his native Russia and likes being in the Twin Cities area and playing for the Wild.

“We have a lot of time. It’s just 2025, and it’s one more year I have,” he said then. “I just want to play hockey and focus and win some games and go in playoffs and win there.”

At his annual preseason media address last year, Leipold confidently said no other team could offer Kaprizov a longer or richer contract than the Wild. Guerin expressed confidence at the beginning of the offseason in the completion of a deal, but that didn’t happen during the summer and Kaprizov has been on the ice with the team for a week with no news about the 28-year-old left wing.

“As we all know, this is a sport that is more than one player,” Leipold said. “But obviously he’s a special player, and special players do special things. So we’d love to have a player of his caliber on our team.”

Which they do now, clearly but for how long?

One complicating factor in the Kaprizov situation for the Wild has been the rising salary cap and the other stars around the league who also are unsigned beyond this season.

“That’s a lot of new money in the system that, frankly, a year or two ago we certainly had no idea was going to be available,” Leipold said. “So, it does change things, but we have to change with it.”

Leipold spoke to reporters during the Wild’s first home preseason game, their first time taking the ice at Grand Casino Arena. The 25-year-old facility has given the capitol city’s quiet downtown a boost of economic and social activity since it opened for the NHL club as Xcel Energy Center. The utility company’s naming rights for the arena expired earlier this year.

The Wild have begun talks with city, county and state officials about public help for a renovation project they believe is necessary to compete for revenue streams with newer NHL arenas and other venues in Minnesota.

Across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, new Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have begun to assess options for replacing the 35-year-old Target Center. But Leipold said the two teams will not consider sharing an arena like the majority of American markets with both NBA and NHL franchises do.

“We are going to stay in St. Paul, and they are going to stay in Minneapolis. It’s pretty hard to negotiate from that point.” As for the Wild finally getting out of the first round of the playoffs, a feat they have only accomplished three times — and not in more than 10 years?

“I believe in it. I believe in hard work and preparation. I like our team. I hope we’re lucky enough not to have injuries. I think this could be a really special year,” Leipold said. “I’ve thought that before, but one of these years everything’s going to kind of come together in a nice package, and hopefully it’s this one.”

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Red Wings Aim For Third Straight Preseason Win When Taking On Penguins Friday

The Red Wings play their third preseason game in a back-to-back on Friday when taking on a longtime rival in the Pittsburgh Penguins.  

The Detroit Red Wings play their second leg of a back-to-back on Friday when taking on a rival from the 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals in the Pittsburgh Penguins. The rivalry has cooled down over the last 16 years as they are separated by divisions but they still regularly meet in the preseason with Red Wings holding a 8-4-0 record over their last 12 exhibition matchups versus the Penguins dating back to 2018.

Fans may get a treat in this one as Pittsburgh is expected to play their regular starting goaltender in Tristan Jarry. It'll be quite the test for the Red Wings as they'll be playing just a day removed after beating the Sabres 5-2 at home on Thursday. They will now have to travel four hours and 13 minutes over 285 miles to Pittsburgh and will see some players experience a tough back-to-back. 

Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) on XRed Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) on XTonight #LGRW

Detroit is likely to roll out a different-looking lineup than they did on Thursday, shifting toward a more prospect-heavy group rather than the veteran-focused roster used against Buffalo.

Unfortunately, several exciting young players may sit this one out, as Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard have each appeared in both preseason games so far and are unlikely to play a third in a row. In a bit of a surprise, prospect Emmitt Finnie will suit up for his third consecutive preseason game and will look to build on his strong start, having notched a goal and an assist through his first two outings.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Fans should watch for the return of NHL regulars J.T. Compher and Jonatan Berggren, who sat out Thursday’s game but will rejoin the lineup. Meanwhile, forward Elmer Soderblom will take on the uncommon challenge of playing both ends of a back-to-back, having suited up Thursday and notched an assist. On the prospect side, Carter Bear and William Wallinder were also held out on Thursday and could be reinserted for Friday’s matchup. 

In between the pipes, we may finally see former all-star goaltender John Gibson in his first action with the Red Wings as prospects Michal Postava and Sebastian Cossa have started in the first two preseason games and clears the net for Gibson. It could prove to be a crucial game in the position battle for starting goaltender as Detroit bench boss Todd McLellan hasn't named his No. 1 just yet. 

Potential Third Line of Copp and Appleton Drives Red Wings to 5-2 Preseason Win Over SabresPotential Third Line of Copp and Appleton Drives Red Wings to 5-2 Preseason Win Over SabresDetroit forwards Andrew Copp and Mason Appleton show preview of third line, helping lead the Red Wings to a decisive 5-2 win over the Sabres in their second preseason game.

Gibson appeared in 29 games (28 starts) for the Ducks last season, finishing with an 11-11-2 record, slightly behind Talbot’s win-loss mark but on a weaker team. Despite that, he posted stronger numbers, with a 2.77 goals-against average (GAA) and a .912 save percentage, compared to Talbot’s 2.93 GAA and .901 save percentage. 

The Red Wings Radio Network, including WWJ Newsradio 950 in Detroit, will broadcast Friday’s exhibition matchup as Detroit and Pittsburgh drop the puck at 7 p.m. Fans can also stream the game live on DetroitRedWings.com and the Red Wings Mobile App.

Click Here if you want to check out more expanded storylines on the Red Wings training camp roster.   

Exclusive: Hall of Famer Johnny Bower Remembers Gordie Howe as a True Hockey Legend (2016)Exclusive: Hall of Famer Johnny Bower Remembers Gordie Howe as a True Hockey Legend (2016)The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

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Sabres Notes – Injury Update, Reimer Signs With Leafs

The Buffalo Sabres allowed three straight second-period goals in a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit on Thursday, with a lineup fairly thin on players expected to be in the NHL come early next month. Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan scored power-play goals, and Alexandar Georgiev had a busy night facing 40 Wings shots. 

Head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on some of the injured players after practice on Friday. Winger Alex Tuch, who has been a participant in practice most of the week, has been given the all-clear and will be in the lineup against Detroit on Saturday afternoon. Ruff was less certain of the status of winger Jiri Kulich, who left practice on Thursday morning with a muscle tweak. 

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Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen practiced for the second day in a row on Friday, increasing his chances of getting in action next week in one of the two remaining pre-season games. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was not on the ice on Friday after what Ruff described as an upper-body injury. 

"He couldn't practice today, so we'll have to evaluate him. He had a good practice yesterday, and maybe that affected him.”

Alex Lyon will play the entire game against his former club on Saturday. In other news, former Detroit and Buffalo goalie James Reimer has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a professional tryout contract. The 37-year-old had a 10-8-2 record in 22 games with the Sabres last season, with a 2.85 GAA and .901 save %.

The club also announced that they have sent defenseman Noah Laberge and goalie Ryerson Leenders back to their junior clubs. Laberge was the Sabres fifth-round pick (135th overall) in the 2025 Draft, while Leenders was selected in the seventh round (219th overall) of the 2024 Draft 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

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Nashville Predators reassign Cameron Reid to OHL in latest training camp roster cuts

Following his first action of the preseason in the Gold Star Showcase on Thursday, Nashville Predators 2025 21st overall pick Cameron Reid has been reassigned to the Kitchener Rangers (OHL). 

In addition, defenseman Scott Harrington has been released from his professional tryout agreement. The Predators' training camp roster is now down to 52 players: 29 forwards, 17 defensemen and six goaltenders.   

Reid, who was injured in the Predators' final game of the Prospect Tournament on Sept. 15 against the Florida Panthers, returned to practice on Wednesday and saw his first live action of the preseason in Thursday's intersquad scrimmage at the Gold Star Showcase. 

His reassignment comes 24 hours before the Predators' weekend slate of preseason road games against the Tampa Bay Lightning (Saturday) and the Carolina Hurricanes (Sunday). 

Last season, Reid scored an impressive 54 points in 67 games and logged 44 penalty minutes with the Kitchener Rangers. He was also invited to play in the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge, where he was named Team West MVP. 

There was also an injury update ahead of Friday's practice as Matthew Wood was absent after leaving Thursday's scrimmage early with an undisclosed injury. 

This is the second injury that the Predators are dealing with in the preseason, as Nicolas Hague suffered an upper-body injury in the Predators' game against the Florida Panthers on Sept. 21 and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. 

Defenseman Tanner Molendyk and forward Zachary L'Heureux both returned to the ice on Wednesday after not playing the first week of training camp due to injury. 

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Football Daily | Aston Villa finally win but remain a shadow of their former selves

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Seven games into the season and Aston Villa finally have a win on the board. And while it may have come in Bigger Vase, a competition they probably resent having to play in after being robbed of a lucrative Bigger Cup place by some overzealous refereeing in their final match of last season, it at least gives Unai Emery a platform on which to build, even if his players have yet to produce a performance even remotely fit to lace the steel-toed boots of all those geriatric rockers who joined Ozzy Osbourne at Villa Park for his summer farewell. Despite last night’s win, Emery’s side continue to look a pale facsimile of the one that pushed the tournament’s eventual winners, PSG, all the way over two legs in their Bigger Cup quarter-final last season. Something is definitely not quite right at Villa Park, a state of affairs perhaps best illustrated by the fact the assist for their winner came in the form of a comedy air-shot by the desperately out-of-sorts Morgan Rogers.

The story of Lewis White going to the wrong Bury (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition) reminds me of my first stag do, when I dragged all my London mates up to Manchester and to a home game at Gigg Lane, in the fancy hospitality section (well, fancy by Bury standards). We were late getting to the game and as we were walking from the tram stop to the ground, my best man got a call from the club asking if we were on our way. They were clearly so excited at the prospect of a large group who had travelled all the way up from London that they wanted to make sure we made it. If only the lads at Bury Town had extended the same courtesy to Mr White” – Tom Dowler.

In 1994 pop singer Lena Fiagbe was booked to appear at the Radio One Roadshow in Bangor to perform her hit single (the, as it transpired, somewhat unfortunately titled) ‘Gotta Get It Right’. After a long trip to north Wales with her entourage, and some time fruitlessly looking for the park that was meant to be hosting Bruno Brookes et al, Lena’s manager placed a call to Radio 1 to ask for directions, only to be told they were expected in Bangor, Northern Ireland” – Tim Grey.

I admire Robbie Keane and wish him well in his role as manager of the legendary Hungarian club Ferencvaros, but I wish he would be more adventurous, tactically. I mean, just yesterday in Bigger Vase he parked Dibusz” – Peter Oh.

I read your story about Marko Arnautovic and his signing for Red Star (yesterday’s Football Daily). I must admit that, as a Serb and a cynic, I think that – apart from his huge love for Red Star and all the promises he made to the late Sinisa Mihajlovic – it certainly helps that Marko’s yearly salary is reportedly something like €2.5m, in a country where the average monthly wage is no bigger than €800” – Bogdan Kotarlic.

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Panthers captain Sasha Barkov suffers significant knee injury, expected to miss regular season

The Florida Panthers are going to be without their captain for an extended period of time.

On Thursday, Sasha Barkov suffered a serious knee injury during his first official practice of training camp.

While cutting toward the net with the puck, Barkov’s knee appeared to give out and the 30-year-old collapsed onto the ice.

Video of the play was captured by WPLG Local 10 and can be seen in the X post below:

He did not put any weight on his right leg as two trainers helped him to the locker room.

THN Florida has since learned that Barkov’s injury will require surgery and as a result, he’s expected to be out for at least the regular season.

The Panthers are already going to be without Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek, both of whom are not expected back until early 2026.

During Friday’s practice, Florida’s forward lines had a bit of a new look without Barkov at the top.

Sam Bennett was seen centering Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues skated between Jesper Boqvist and Mackie Samoskevich.

The Panthers third line from last year’s postseason, with Anton Lundell centering Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand, remained intact.

Florida will resume its preseason on Monday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

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Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) skates between play during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

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Canadiens Announce Rough David Reinbacher Injury News

David Reinbacher (© David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that top prospect David Reinbacher will be out for the next four weeks due to a broken metacarpal bone. 

This is certainly rough news for Reinbacher, as the right-shot defenseman will now be sidelined until at least late October. Furthermore, this injury now means he will not return to game action for the remainder of the preseason with the Canadiens.  

Reinbacher suffered his injury during the Canadiens' preseason matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sep. 25. 

Reinbacher was selected by the Canadiens with the fifth-overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-2 defenseman is considered one of the Canadiens' best prospects and has a very bright future with the Original Six club. 

Reinbacher appeared in 10 regular-season games this past season with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, where he recorded two goals, three assists, five points, and a plus-5 rating. He then played in 13 playoff games with Laval this past spring, recording two goals and six points.