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The White Sox MVP is Tristan Peters

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 01: Tristan Peters #29 of the Chicago White Sox reacts to a play during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Monday, June 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Tristan Peters has become an unlikely catalyst for the White Sox, providing Gold Glove-caliber defense and steady production atop the lineup. | (MLB Photos/Getty Images)

Man. What a season so far, huh? The Chicago White Sox are 35-31 after Tuesday’s victory over the Atlanta Braves. They’re only a half-game back of first place in the AL Central. They don’t just have a wild card spot, no sir, they have a firm grasp on a wild card spot.

There’s plenty of praise to go around the White Sox locker room. Munetaka Murakami’s power. Miguel Vargas’s All-Star leap. Ditto Davis Martin and his fiendish six-pitch mix. But none of those players is the White Sox MVP through the first third of 2026. The most important man on this roster has been a former Banana Baller who was bought with the change between Jerry Reinsdorf’s couch cushions: center fielder and bunting gremlin extraordinaire, Tristan Peters.

After a prolonged and painful will they/won’t they, Chris Getz executed what he believed would be a simple one-for-one trade. He traded his old center fielder, Luis Robert Jr., and acquired Luisangel Acuña as his replacement. Acuña had never played the position before, but the goal was to bring him up to speed quickly. Getz projected a center fielder’s glove onto Acuña’s range and athleticism. I’ll even admit that I can see his vision whenever Acuña fields his natural shortstop position. Center field is a different beast, however, and the early-season returns were disastrous for Acuña.

I only blame him so much. Acuña’s been on base just 29 times, and yet he’s managed to rack up 11 steals, so you can’t call him lazy.  I’m sure he worked hard at it, but he was put in an impossible position. Oneil Cruz struggled with the same transition, and he’s an athletic marvel. Acuña’s failure falls on Getz.

Had it not been for Peters, there’s no telling where the Sox would be in the standings. The Mune/Vargas/Martin Renaissance could have all gone for naught. It’s not a stretch to say that Peters saved the Sox from their opening swoon:

Now, I won’t sugarcoat it; I simply do not believe Peters is an .800 OPS monster. His Savant batting profile ranges from dark blue (bad) to gender reveal blue (respectably bad), except for a 67th percentile strikeout percentage. The one thing he’s shown is a supersized ability to pull the ball when he does launch it, as his pull percentage on fly balls is 8.4% above league average. Beyond that, the real Peters most likely resembles the man we saw in the first six weeks of this season: a respectable .280 average with a few walks, a smattering of extra base hits, plenty of sacrifice bunts, and an OPS+ hovering around the mid-80s.

I’m not mad about that. Peters’ real value comes in two areas that never slump: baserunning and fielding. The Statcast percentiles make that clear enough. As of the end of play on June 9 — henceforth to be known both as Braden Montgomery Day and as the first time Bob Costas got sick of seeing a team bunt — Peters is in the 89th percentile of baserunning value and the 96th percentile of fielding run value.

Peters’ baserunning pops off the screen. He makes smart decisions and commits to them full throttle, a perpetual motion machine fine-tuned for the 180 feet between first base and third. I shouted out a play on Sunday against the Phillies that won’t show up in his stats but exemplifies his baserunning skill. With Peters on first and two out, Drew Romo slashed a sharp grounder up the middle that second baseman Bryson Stott knocked down. He recovered in time to throw out Romo by a step. It was a great play by the Phils’ keystone man.

As Stott was still scrambling at the edge of the grass, Peters briefly appeared at the bottom of the TV screen. Peters hadn’t slowed down. In fact, he made the turn around second as though the ball had reached the right field wall. Had Romo managed to beat the throw, Peters would have gone first-to-third on an infield single.

And yet! If we’re ranking Peters’ skills, baserunning would still be in the A-tier alongside sacrifice bunts, drag bunts, and being your dad’s favorite player to the point where it’s a little uncomfortable. Above them all, in the S-tier, is the Gold Glove-level fielding he brings to baseball’s most important outfield position.

Peters has seven outs above average (OAA), according to Savant, ranking him fourth in all of baseball. I went ahead and checked some of the underlying metrics, something I had never done before. Definitions for reaction, burst, and route were oddly difficult to find on Baseball Savant’s website. Still, thanks to a Samford University abstract posted online in 2020 by a high school senior named Jake, I finally tracked down this handy infographic:

With that out of the way, I’ll now show you the top 10 leaderboard for OAA. Fair warning, these numbers are going to seem very complimentary of Peter Crow-Armstrong. I’ll try my best to twist them into a negative:

These numbers show that a good center fielder can go about their business in one of two ways. In both cases, burst is non-negotiable. The difference is in how you use that burst. Some guys use it, along with quick reaction time, to compensate for less-than-stellar routes. Like Crow-Armstrong. Looks like you’re just a fast dummy, Pete!

The second are the guys who may not react quickly, but they read the ball well off the bat and optimize their route to the baseball. That’s the smarter kind of outfielder. It’s the rarer kind. It’s more likely to age well:

Among the top ten, Peters and Steven Kwan are the best route runners. Unlike Kwan, Peters also has an acceptable (not exceptional) reaction time. I can’t help but feel like Robert Jr. for Peters would have been a pretty fair deal.

Hustle? Defense? The ability to make up for Getz’s worst decisions? That’s your 2026 White Sox MVP.

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What do Giants fans think is causing the offensive inconsistencies?

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: A general view inside the stadium during the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Good morning baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are off today, with the Chicago Cubs coming to town tomorrow to begin a weekend series.

In the meantime, I thought we could have some fun with a creative writing prompt. Because sometimes, reality just doesn’t make a lot of sense and it’s more fun to make up silly reasons for things. You know, things like the Giants’ inconsistent offensive capabilities.

So today’s creative writing prompt (which you are all encouraged to participate in down in the comments) is to come up with an explanation for this, but wrong answers only.

I’ll go first. My theory is that Buster Posey attended a farmer’s market with his family during the offseason, and this is what happened.

While his wife and children peruse the produce, Posey’s eye catches on a stand advertising rare and unique treasures. A wisp of an elderly woman sits behind the tables laden with strange and somewhat unnerving items.

She catches his eye and beckons him over, where she begins to pull out a dusty velvet box from underneath the tables.

“I know what you’re looking for, young man,” she insists, nodding to herself, as she pushes the box towards Posey. “Take a look.”

He gives her an appraising look, then carefully opens the box to reveal an amulet. The amulet looks suspiciously like one of his World Series Championship rings, but wrong somehow.

“This grants the wearer the power to make one wish and have it come true,” she says quietly. “I can see in your eyes that you’re looking for something, something that has eluded you for years. Take it.”

Posey looks at the woman dubiously. But she insists, and he figures that it can’t hurt.

Hours later, his puts the amulet on in the privacy of his own home once his family has gone to bed. He thinks to himself, “I wish my team would score more runs this season.”

There’s a flash of light and a burst of heat where the amulet rests on his chest. He finds the experience unsettling in a way he cannot articulate, but shrugs it off and goes to bed and promptly forgets the entire thing.

Months later, as the Giants teeter between scoring 19 runs and being incapable of overcoming the smallest deficits, he has a jolt of panic as he remembers the encounter and his wish.

He digs out the amulet from his bedside table to take a closer look. Only then does he realize that while he first believed it to hold a resemblance to one of his own World Series rings, it was actually one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rings.

He gasps, and races to his car, determined to return it to the woman who gave it to him. He scours the farmer’s market, looking for her. He finally spots her in the back and sprints in her direction but she sees him coming and begins cackling. As he approaches, she changes form before his very eyes, transforming into Dave Roberts.

Posey gasps and falls short, giving Roberts the chance to throw a smoke bomb and disappear into the crowd.

End scene.

Your turn! Give me your best, wrong answer to the cause of the Giants’ offensive inconsistencies this season down in the comments.

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On this date in Penguins history: Pittsburgh wins 5th Stanley Cup title

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 11: Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal against Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the third period in Game Six of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Nine years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup title in team history, beating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 of the 2017 Cup Final.

The Penguins won Game 1 and Game 2 at home before Nashville held serve, winning Game 3 and Game 4 to tie the series and send things back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2.

A blowout win in Game 5 put the Predators on the brink of elimination for Game 6 back in Nashville and the Penguins came out on top during a tightly-contested game.

It was a scoreless affair through two periods after a whistle stopped play before Colton Sissons tapped in a puck that would’ve given Nashville a 1-0 lead.

The third period started ticking down as the game remained scoreless until former Predators player Patric Hornqvist scored with just over 90 seconds remaining in the game and suddenly, the Cup appeared to be poised to be handed to the Penguins.

An empty net goal from Carl Hagelin put the game, series, and season on ice — and for the first time in nearly 20 years, the Stanley Cup was staying with the previous year’s winner and the Penguins had gone back-to-back as champions.

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Devin Booker or Jalen Brunson? A debate for the barstool

Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There’s a debate brewing online and in the Reddit threads as the NBA Finals roll along, and it’s one that forces fans to decide whether they want to approach it logically or emotionally. Because once emotion enters the conversation, things tend to get flustered, frustrated, and disappointing in a hurry.

The debate? Who is better, Jalen Brunson or Devin Booker?

This is meant to be a fun debate, and since I saw it on Reddit, it got the juices flowing a bit. It’s the offseason, we’re bored, so why not spice up our lives a little bit with some comparative Suns-based convo? I will say that once I took the Reddit argument to Twitter, the internet reminded me that barstool-esque topics, especially when it involves Devin Booker, get into people’s feelings. And quick. They begin projecting intent and assuming that if you are critical of a player in any capacity, you must hate them.

So I’m stating that on the front in. Don’t hate Devin Booker. Love ‘em. Love having him on this team in this city. My intent is to have a basketball conversation. All right, with the Booker Stan Clause addressed, let’s talk about it.

I understand this is an inherently speculative and subjective argument, although you can certainly point to objective statistical analysis to support your side. But there’s no real reason for the debate to exist outside of the fact that Jalen Brunson is currently playing in the NBA Finals. And because Brunson is only 60 days older than Devin Booker, the comparison becomes unavoidable.

You start looking at the players on the Suns and measuring them against the players still competing at the highest level, in the biggest games, at the end of the season. This isn’t supposed to be some grand architectural discussion about whether you would trade Devin Booker for Jalen Brunson. We know neither the Phoenix Suns nor the New York Knicks would entertain that idea. And when you consider the $19.3 million gap in what they’re paid, it doesn’t make much sense anyway.

These are offseason barroom conversations. They’re not designed to tear down one player or elevate another. They’re conversations about skill sets, styles of play, financial implications, strengths, weaknesses, and how different players impact winning. These are the debates we used to have sitting at the bar before smartphones could provide an answer in five seconds. We couldn’t instantly pull up statistics. We had to talk about what we saw. That being said, feel free to pull up this article at a bar to make your case, one way or the other.

What I see when I watch these two players is something completely different. On one side, you have Devin Booker. He’s smooth. He’s methodical. He’s a jump shooter with what is arguably the best jumper in the NBA. He’s a bigger player who, when he’s at his best, is a shooting guard.

The problem is that traditional point guards have largely disappeared from the league. And the few true facilitators who still exist aren’t exactly available. As a result, Point Book has become a permanent part of the Devin Booker experience. Had he played 20 years ago, there’s a strong argument he would have been the best shooting guard in basketball. Instead, he exists in an era dominated by combo guards, where primary ball-handling responsibilities are often shared. In that sense, Booker is a product of the times.

On the other side is Jalen Brunson. He’s one of those smaller combo guards, but he’s a true three-level scorer. He can get to the rim, operate in the midrange, and knock down the three-point shot. And when the game gets tight, I believe he’s the better clutch player.

That’s what my eyes tell me. And when I started digging into the numbers, they backed up what I was seeing.

Devin Booker vs. Jalen Brunson Career Clutch Statistics

Based on career clutch statistics, Jalen Brunson comes out ahead of Devin Booker in just about every metric that matters. And that’s where this conversation becomes uncomfortable for Suns fans. That’s where the debate takes a turn.

Because if you’re carrying the flag for Devin Booker in this argument, there isn’t a lot of statistical ground to stand on. You can point to the double teams Booker faces. You can argue that there are plenty of possessions where he makes the correct pass, only to have a teammate miss the shot, costing him a potential assist. That’s fair. But Brunson sees those same coverages. He sees doubles. He sees traps. He sees defenses loading up to stop him. He’s simply quicker at navigating them.

When you compare assist-to-turnover ratios, Brunson comes out ahead there as well.

You can also point to the talent around each player and argue that Brunson has had better teammates throughout his career. There’s probably some truth to that. But the statistics we’re discussing encompass the entirety of their careers, the good years and the bad years alike. And when viewed through that lens, Booker has spent significant portions of his career playing alongside players like Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul. Those are All-Star-caliber teammates who should, and did, make life easier.

That’s where the challenge lies. If the argument becomes that Booker needs elite talent around him to maximize his effectiveness, what does that ultimately say about Booker?

Meanwhile, Brunson spent his early years playing next to Luka Doncic. Once he arrived in New York, the only All-Star teammates he’s shared the court with have been Julius Randle and Karl Anthony Towns. Yet his impact late in games remains undeniable. The numbers support it. The eye test supports it. And that’s what makes this debate more difficult than many Suns fans would probably like to admit.

 I’ll pause here and say this: I want my answer to be Devin Booker. As a Phoenix Suns fan and a Devin Booker fan, I want him to be the better player in this comparison. But sometimes reality points you in a different direction. Sometimes the eye test tells you one thing, and the statistics back it up. That’s where this conversation becomes frustrating for the fan base. Because Booker makes $19.3 million more than Jalen Brunson.

When you’re making $57.1 million a season, the expectation is that when the moments are brightest and the games get tightest, you’re the guy who comes through. That doesn’t always mean scoring. It can mean making the right pass, creating for teammates, controlling the pace, or making winning plays. But when you look at a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7, a career 25.4% shooting mark from three in clutch situations, and overall negative clutch metrics, those numbers become difficult to ignore. And unfortunately, that’s the fuel for the fire for those who believe moving on from Devin Booker is the right decision.

This is where I reset the conversation.

This is where I step away from the barstool debate and remind everyone that even if he isn’t Jalen Brunson, he’s still Devin Booker. Even if he isn’t a superstar, he’s still a star. That matters, especially when you consider the position the Phoenix Suns currently occupy.

The Suns are in a transitional era. They’re in what I like to call their Dead Cap Era, one we’ll look back at someday and share memories much akin to The Timeline Era. They’re trying to run a race with an anvil tied to their ankle. That anvil is $23.2 million in dead money, and there are limits to what you can accomplish when you’re carrying that kind of weight.

What else is weighing them down? The fact that they don’t control their own first-round draft picks until 2032. That’s six summers away.

So while the cap limits their ceiling and the lack of draft capital limits their floor, the smartest path forward is to remain competitive, continue building the culture, establish an identity, and focus on continuity and internal development as the primary means of improvement.

Because while Booker may not be as effective in clutch moments as Brunson, he’s still a top 20 player in the NBA. He’s still someone capable of helping you win basketball games during this stretch of organizational uncertainty.

And if you decide to trade him? You’re trading him to a team that immediately becomes better because of his presence. That, in turn, lowers the value of the draft capital you’re receiving back. And since the Suns don’t control their own picks, there’s very little benefit to the losing that would almost certainly follow.

That’s why, even if the Brunson comparison doesn’t land in Booker’s favor, it doesn’t automatically mean moving on from him is the right answer.

Perhaps that’s the real takeaway from all of this. The Brunson versus Booker debate doesn’t have to end with a winner and a loser. It’s a reminder that not every star carries a franchise the same way, and not every path to winning looks identical. Brunson may have the edge in the moments that matter most, but Booker remains the player Phoenix has, the player Phoenix needs, and the player who gives this organization its best chance to navigate an uncertain future without losing its direction along the way.

Now pass me another Four Peaks Kilt Lifter. And where are my wings?

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Looking at the St. Louis Cardinals starting pitch depth

MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 25: Brycen Mautz #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, May 25, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

On Monday, I covered the position player depth. My bad on not including Thomas Saggese at shortstop. Even though I think I’m lower on his defense there than most, the Cardinals do clearly consider him SS depth, so he should have been listed. Today, I want to address the pitching depth. I’ll take a different approach with the pitching.

First, let’s talk about the ideal pitching depth heading into a season. For your #1, you want somebody where there’s not a debate that they’re an ace. This hasn’t been a thing for the Cardinals since the 2nd half of 2019, and then Jack Flaherty got hurt. Before that, it was probably Adam Wainwright once Chris Carpenter retired. It’s been a minute. (Carlos Martinez topped out at 3.3 fWAR, so I think he falls short of this standard)

For your #2, think Tyler Glasnow as the prototype. The unreliable “ace” if you will. I actually think the last month or so of Dustin May is pretty much this. We can’t really trust him, but he’s pitching like an ace. The true ideal is of course having both Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but one thing at a time here. Your #3 is…. Michael McGreevy honestly. He’s exactly what I imagine a perfect #3 to be. Someone whose numbers will probably be more reflective of a #2 because of the amount of innings they pitch.

And then your #4 is your hotshot prospect who hasn’t quite put it together yet, and your #5 is the 2026 version of an innings eater. I say 2026 version, because this pitcher will get taken out fairly early in the game sometimes just because taking him out helps you win, but if you’re blowing out a team, they’ll probably go 6. If they get roughed up early, they’ll still throw 5 innings. The Cardinals have my ideal #5 too: Andre Pallante. I wish he was more fun to watch, because yeah he’s a perfect #5 starter.

He’s not a hotshot prospect, but Kyle Leahy’s season is kind of like what I’d expect a season from said hotshot prospect looks like. Can’t quite make it through 3rd time through the order, shows flashes. Leahy is 29 so it’s very much not the same and I still expect him to move to the bullpen, but his season is more or less the expectation for a first-time pitcher.

Again, I’m speaking in generalizations and rarely will a starting rotation look like my ideal rotation. Matthew Liberatore doesn’t fit neatly into my categories right now, but I would say the fully realized Liberatore, if it ever comes, looks a lot like my #3. If he manages that, good chance between McGreevy and Liberatore, you still get a #2 production out of one of them. Hunter Dobbins is in the same boat. He might fit my #3 definition, he might fit my #5 definition.

Behind this group is an MLB ready starter who you want in the major leagues, but nobody has gotten hurt yet. Hunter Dobbins this year, Michael McGreevy last year. Unfortunately, a lot of times in this plan, your sixth starter will look better than at least one of your top five, but it’s just kind of a necessary safeguard in today’s game. On Opening Day, I want there to be at least one starting pitcher in Memphis who I really wish was in St. Louis. You’ve crafted good depth if that’s the case.

Your 7th guy on the depth chart has extensive AAA experience and even if you don’t think they’re quite ready, they’ve been in AAA long enough that they’d probably still benefit from MLB starts. You don’t consider it rushing. Think Quinn Mathews. If Mathews had to be added to the 40 man before the season, he’d have probably made his MLB debut already. And lastly, your 8 and 9 guys on the depth chart are legitimate pitching prospects who you hope will be ready by midseason. One of their seasons will go well, the others will not. Think Ixan Henderson and Brycen Mautz.

So, you have your ace, your flawed ace, your bulk inning #3, your struggling prospect, and your innings eater. Your 6th guy is ready right now, and maybe he fits the bulk inning role, maybe he fits the struggling prospect role. You have your experienced AAA starter, and then two pitching prospects at least a half season away (and probably more than that). And I’m not willing to define depth beyond that.

So going forward, let’s try to map out possibilities. You already have my picture of the 2026 depth, so let’s look beyond 2026. For this exercise, we will act like the Cardinals will make no free agent signings or trades. That’s a good way to get a picture of the depth. And then we might know if we need free agents or trades. After the player’s name will be their service time entering that season.

2027

Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (3.144), Michael McGreevy (1.091), Andre Pallante (4.145), Hunter Dobbins (1.131)*, Quinn Mathews (0.030)*

6th guy: Richard Fitts (0.164)

Yes, I will once again point out I am not a Kyle Leahy in the rotation believer. I’m moving him back to the bullpen for 2027. I’m probably trading Andre Pallante, just because Dobbins and Fitts seem like natural replacements for him. I’m signing and/or trading for a starting pitcher, one who is better than Michael McGreevy. But again this is a depth exercise. If they don’t actually get another starter, I think Pallante would have to come back unless you’re rolling with Liam Doyle on Opening Day.

Other starters to see MLB time: Tekoah Roby, Ixan Henderson, Pete Hansen, Brycen Mautz, Liam Doyle, Cooper Hjerpe

Using purely internal depth is not so great for ceiling in 2027 specifically, but the pitching depth at large looks extremely strong. I’m listing Hjerpe because some of you believe in him, so that was an attempt to leave my bias out of it. But yeah my personal expectation is 100 percent in the bullpen. I feel comfortable not listing Tink Hence as SP depth at the moment unfortunately. I think Mautz has a good opportunity to put himself in the 6th guy role too for 2027. They could make some trades to clear out the clutter a little if they want. Of course injuries usually solves these issues.

*I am speculating on the service time of Dobbins and Mathews. Dobbins would need to not get sent down again to reach that number, but the important info is between 1 and 2 years of service. Same for Mathews: I expect a little MLB service time.

2028

Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (4.144), Michael McGreevy (2.091), Hunter Dobbins/Richard Fitts, Quinn Mathews (1.030), Liam Doyle (0.030)

6th guy: Jurrangelo Cjintje

Other starters to see MLB time: Brycen Mautz, Braden Davis, Mason Molina, Tanner Franklin, Jacob Odle, Brandon Clarke

And I just realized how impossible this exercise is. I think Tekoah Roby to the bullpen is a safe bet, but between him, Clarke and Hjerpe, I mean one of those dudes will stick at starter. That I happen to believe it will be Roby is almost irrelevant. But I realized crafting this rotation that there’s going to be a prospect I have to ignore. Then there’s the fact that Franklin might be ready by 2028 too. Are we still going to be messing with Hunter Dobbins or Richard Fitts in the rotation if the potential of Franklin, Doyle, Roby, Clarke, and Hjerpe is still starting at this point? Probably not right? But they have a bunch of team control.

Anyway, I definitely don’t think Pallante lasts until 2028. He’s eligible for free agency after the 2028 season. I think the version of Liberatore who pans out is safe until 2028, just because in this version, he’s a stable hand and you want a stable hand in the rotation. Maybe when players like Doyle and Franklin establish themselves more fully, that’s the point where you look for a trade.

2029

Possible projection rotation: Michael McGreevy (3.091), Quinn Mathews (2.030), Liam Doyle (1.030), Jurrangelo Cjintje (1.040), Tanner Franklin (0.050)

6th guy: Yhoiker Fajardo

We’re in pick a name of out of a hat status here, but if the pitching prospects remotely go the way the Cardinals want them to go, I think Liberatore is traded before the 2029 season. I think Liberatore is safe for next season, somewhat in danger after, but I don’t think enough names will be established by the beginning of the 2028 season and then either he has taken a leap forward or he’s in that #3/#5 and is someone you can trade. Or he gets injured like every other pitcher. Who knows? But yeah the names at this point aren’t specifically important, pick whoever your favorite prospects are. The high potential starting pitching prospects are either in the starting rotation or full-time relievers by 2029 though. Or traded honestly.

And I’ll stop there, because there’s just too many directions this could go. But that gives a pretty good picture of how much this depth may stack up in the upcoming years and it’ll be interesting to see who sticks at starter, who moves to the bullpen, who is traded, who flames out. It’s important to remember: no so such thing as too many pitching prospects. Which is a good thing to remind oneself looking at the Cardinals’ system, because there are a lot of them.

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Jerry Seinfeld shuts down anti-Israel influencer with 3 words after Knicks’ historic win

Jerry Seinfeld shut down an anti-Israel influencer by telling him Palestine “doesn’t exist” after he was rushed while leaving the Garden Wednesday night following the Knicks’ historic NBA Finals comeback.

The legendary comedian, 72, was walking among the throngs of people after Game 4 when he was ambushed by a popular streamer armed with a mic and camera.

“What up, Seinfeld? What up? Can we get a ‘Free Palestine’?” said the streamer, FinesseFave, sticking a mic in the face of the Jewish actor and writer.

Jerry Seinfeld and wife Jessica on celebrity row during the second quarter of the Knicks’ game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The famously quick-on-his-feet standup responded with a laugh before shutting down the incendiary question in three words.

“It doesn’t exist,” he said, before walking away.

FinesseFave later shared the video with his 180,000 TikTok followers, along with the caption, “Clown hasn’t been relevant in decades anyway.”

Jerry Seinfeld told a prominent Kick streamer that Palestine does not exist. TikTok / @finessefave
The comedian was rushed after the historic game. TikTok / @finessefave

In May 2024, he was booed, and dozens of students walked out as the comedian gave the commencement speech at Duke University.

Two weeks later, he was interrupted on stage by an anti-Israel protester who jumped up and yelled, “Free Gaza” during a standup show in Norfolk, Virginia, TMZ reported.

The audience responded by booing the heckler and chanting, “Jerry! Jerry!” as another bystander got the protester in a headlock before security ushered the man out.

Here’s the latest on the Knicks’ historic 2026 NBA Finals run

“This is exciting. I like this. I like a little Jew hate to spice up the show,” Seinfeld joked darkly from the stage as the heckler was evicted.

The show continued, but protesters interrupted Seinfeld a further eight times throughout the 90-minute set.

Seinfeld has also faced abuse on the streets of his native New York, with two high-profile incidents in 2025.

Jerry Seinfeld performs onstage at the Colossal Stage during Colossal Clusterfest at Civic Center Plaza and The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on June 4, 2017 in San Francisco, California. FilmMagic

In February 2025, an influencer asked Seinfeld for a selfie outside Radio City Music Hall, before instead recording himself saying “Free Palestine” while filming the comedian.

Seinfeld responded by saying, “I don’t care about Palestine,” before walking away.

And while leaving the Garden after a Knicks game in May 2025, a vile protester filmed themselves telling Seinfeld he supports the genocide of babies in Gaza.

The comedian watches the second half of Game 4. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Jerry Seinfeld cheers on the Knicks from court side. NBAE via Getty Images

“Only you,” Seinfeld quipped, as he got into his car.

His standup shows have faced continual picketing this year, with protesters branding him a “genocide apologist” ahead of his appearance in Aurora, Illinois, in January, as the Jamia Times reported at the time.

Seinfeld, star of the eponymous iconic ’90s sitcom, was sitting on celebrity row at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks completed a record 29-point comeback against the San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

The Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Championship since 1973 if they beat the Spurs in Texas on Saturday, with tipoff at 8:30 p.m.

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Serena Williams’ return ends prematurely at Queen’s Club due to Mboko injury

  • Mboko forced out with knee injury after heavy fall

  • Williams’ focus now shifts to Berlin wildcard spot

Serena Williams’s first tournament since coming out of retirement has ended prematurely after her partner Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw from the Queen’s Club tournament after injuring her knee when slipping on the grass in her singles match on Wednesday.

Williams made a sensational return to competition at 44 after a four-year absence on Tuesday alongside Mboko as the pair defeated the third seeds Nicole Melichar Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2. The pair were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund on Thursday afternoon.

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Red Sox News & Links: Garrett Crochet, Craig Breslow confused about severity of lat injury

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox look on in the bullpen during a Spring Training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 19, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Garrett Crochet is not coming to save the Red Sox season. Or at least he isn’t any time soon. After initially saying that his lat strain was so minor that he didn’t even want to call it a setback, the Red Sox ace now says that it “is a lot worse than what we thought” and that “he has “no idea” when he’ll be cleared to pitch. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

But wait! Is his injury actually any worse? After Crochet’s dispiriting comments came out last night, Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow both spoke to the media, providing somewhat contradictory information. “Garrett continues to make good progress with the lat strain,” Breslow said, further stating that there was no new information in terms of the severity in the injury. So no one has any idea what’s going on with the team’s ace and highest paid pitcher. This is what a dysfunctional organization looks like, folks. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Elsewhere in the rotation, you my have noticed that it was Jake Bennett — not Brayan Bello — who got the start for the Red Sox yesterday. But just because Bello’s been relegated to AAA, that doesn’t mean he can’t bounce back. Cliff Lee, for one, once similarly got demoted in the middle of an established bid league career and came back stronger. So what does Bello need to do out in Worcester? “With Bello, the Sox have areas of focus. For much of this year, the arm slot on his foundational sinker had been an average of 6 inches higher than it was last season. From that height, he was losing sink on his sinker and changeup. His locations and pitch shapes became worse.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

But for all the ink spilled about Crochet, Bello, and the rest of the pitching staff, it’s the somnambulant lineup that remains the Red Sox’ biggest problem. “I can’t believe they are content going with so many [Triple-A] players — utility infielders — at the bottom of the lineup,” said one executive from a rival team. “I’m still confused on the Red Sox roster construction and truthfully how they thought it would turn out any different than it has. The holes that were there at the start of the season are still there,” said another. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Notably, none of those rival executives thought that the Red Sox problem was literally with the team’s bats, rather than the players wielding them. But Mickey Gasper isn’t taking any chances — he put in a new order of bats to try to turn his offensive fortunes around. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Of course the bats probably aren’t to blame for the team’s terrible plate discipline. In the previous four games entering yesterday’s contest, the Sox had walked just four times total. “It marks only the fourth time since 1994, and the fifth since 1981, that Boston has had four or fewer walks in a five-game span.” (Justin Turpin, WEEI)

No word on whether Caleb Durbin was using a new bat yesterday when he had his first career multi-homer game, and hit his first homer off a non-position player this year. “Honestly, the last couple days felt really good,” Durbin said. “Felt like I was really getting good swings on the ball, and when I was going to hit them, it was going to be good results — not just feeling like I’m putting good swings on the ball, but trusting that the result would be good and trending in the right direction. But obviously still a lot of work to be done.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

But despite Durbin’s power surge, the Sox still lost. It’s going to be one of those seasons where we see historical parallels like this all year long:


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What it was like inside MSG the for greatest game in Knicks history

NEW YORK — In the service area here at Madison Square Garden, after it was all over, the world’s biggest pop icon was being whisked toward the tinted Chevy Suburban that would wheel her out into the thick night.

By this point, thousands of fans had already spilled back into the streets for a rave in orange and royal blue.

As Taylor Swift approached the truck, the expression on her face was caught between wonder and exuberance. Shaking her head in disbelief, she mouthed, seemingly to no one: What just happened?

About 200 feet away, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was trying to explain how his team had wasted a 29-point lead to become an inglorious footnote in NBA Finals history. And on the other end of that were the New York Knicks, who authored the largest comeback in Finals history to go up 3-1 in the series, on the cusp of the franchise’s first championship in 53 seasons.

This was, when considering the stakes, undeniably the greatest game in the storied history of the Knicks.

Johnson was in a makeshift press room. Makeshift because it wasn’t a room at all, but rather a wedge of hallway carved out of black cloth room dividers. There was no door to speak of, and the exultant cries still coming from Knicks fans were so loud that his microphone picked them up.

Seventy-five feet from there, underneath the tunnel that feeds to the court, Knicks superfan and actor Ben Stiller was trying to make his way toward the New York interview room. Stiller is reportedlyshooting footage for an HBO documentary about the Knicks and has been a staple at the team’s postgame press conferences.

Stiller could not get very far; members of the Knicks hype squad started shouting "We love Ben" over and over until Stiller joined the mob in an impromptu mosh pit.

Seconds later, Timothée Chalamet joined in.

In the upper and lower bowls, thousands of fans had chosen to bask in the revelry a little longer. Fittingly, Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin’ " was pumping through the speaker system. Those who stayed were dancing and belting the chorus, snapping selfies and FaceTiming jealous loved ones. It was unrestrained jubilance in the collective, a catharsis for a fan base deprived of an NBA title for 53 seasons.

Somehow, it felt spiritual; this was their mecca, and they were gathered in worship.

Down the corridor back toward Tower C, Knicks coach Mike Brown was holding his press conference, where he called the game-winning tip-in from OG Anunoby "the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball."

He reflected but acknowledged the need to close the series out. He humbly praised the grit and resilience of his players. Yet, as much as he tried to restrain his emotions, he, too, got caught up in the

"Fat Joe is just sitting there with all his chains on, and every time he jumped up, the freaking lights with those chains, they blinded me, so it was a little hard (to see)," Brown said. "Fat Joe, keep wearing the chains, because you look smooth.

"But you can’t replace this crowd, man. The building’s already electric, but during a run like that, to see, you know, people like Fat Joe and all the others just enjoying themselves at a basketball game – you know, just being human, jumping up and down, high-fiving, screaming, the vibe is just – it’s hard to describe, and the energy in the crowd had a lot to do with our comeback, too. It was fantastic. Unbelievable."

As Brown left the press room and worked his way back toward the Knicks locker room, a procession of people congratulated him. From long-time beat reporters to a Madison Square Garden staffer ("great adjustments, Mike") to former Knick Iman Shumpert ("great [expletive] win"), Brown brought hope back to this fan base.

Shumpert, who wore his own Knicks jersey though he last played for the team in 2014, then said, to no one in particular, that he was "going to turn up on 7th Ave." He was a man of his word.

A pair of former Knicks paraded toward the exit, and the communal celebration of fans continued to steadily thrum throughout the building.

"One more," Marcus Camby said to Latrell Sprewell, referring to the final game the Knicks need to win.

Back in the Knicks press room, the current players had that very thought in mind.

"I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I was about to cry, not because – obviously there is one more – but I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special," Knicks guard Jose Alvarado.

"I was just – I was just excited. It’s really something I couldn’t put into words. And like I said, we could get excited and enjoy this, but we got one more to do."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Madison Square Garden for greatest game in Knicks history

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The New York Knicks have stopped believing in impossible. They may be a team of destiny

The Knicks are one win from the third championship in their 80-year history and first since 1973.Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

What does a team of destiny look like? You know it when you see it. The evidence has been mounting for weeks – months, even – that this year, despite decades of precedent to the contrary, that team is the New York Knicks.

On Wednesday night, the proof overflowed in the hallowed halls of the Mecca. One of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history – and the largest ever in an NBA finals game – saw New York erase a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4, leaving Taylor Swift and members of Haim leaping for joy courtside and the 58-year-old building shaking like a bounce house.

Related: Knicks beat Spurs with largest NBA finals comeback to move to brink of first title since 1973

The irony, of course, is that these same Knicks have so often found themselves on the wrong end of heartbreak in those very halls. As recently as last year, the Indiana Pacers reminded them of the sport’s cruelest lesson: no game is over until the clock hits zero. In some ways, those Pacers were the last team to carry the sense of inevitability that seems to surround this Knicks squad. Their run, however, ended in crushing fashion with a Game 7 defeat. The Knicks appear mindful of that history. “It’s still 0-0” and “still a long way to go” were common refrains throughout their post-game press conferences on Wednesday night. Some, including head coach Mike Brown and players Jose Alvarado and Karl-Anthony Towns, showed visible emotion.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat this,” Alvarado said. “I was about to cry. I’m at Madison Square Garden, end of the fourth quarter, playing with these guys, and we’re playing for something special.”

Others, such as team captain Jalen Brunson and game-winning playmaker OG Anunoby, were more stoic. But the message was unanimous: as extraordinary as this victory was, there is still one more game left to win.

The Knicks have become something of comeback specialists in recent years. There have been multiple double-digit rallies during this 2026 playoff run alone, after a handful of stunning recoveries against the favored Boston Celtics last postseason. So they certainly have some experience in the art of the improbable. But perhaps the real preparation for nights like this comes from the heartbreak. Being on the receiving end of an unlikely comeback teaches you, in unforgettable fashion, that no lead is safe and no game is ever truly over. The scar tissue of past playoff disappointments, the callouses left by victories snatched away at the last moment – those can be life’s greatest teachers.

And beyond the wins and losses (and Knicks fans will be the first to tell you there have been plenty of losses), this is, in many ways, a team of castoffs. The Dallas Mavericks let Jalen Brunson walk, and that was after he was passed over in the first round of the NBA draft as a two-time national champion at Villanova. Karl-Anthony Towns was abruptly moved by the Minnesota Timberwolves after years as the face of the franchise. Josh Hart bounced around the league. Alvarado went undrafted. Even Brown was dismissed as coach of the Sacramento Kings not long after helping them “light the beam”.

Perhaps that’s why this group never seems to believe they are beaten. Too many of these players have spent their careers being told what they couldn’t do to accept that a game is over before the final buzzer sounds.

“I think everybody, to a certain degree, at some point in life is overlooked,” Brown said late Wednesday night. “Just to have the ability to stay with it, stay with it, stay with it, stay with it, especially when you get knocked down, to me, that defines who you are. Even if you don’t have the quote-unquote ‘ultimate success’ that you think you deserve, if you get knocked down in life and you’re able to get back up and keep fighting, that’s a freaking win.”

The idea of a team of destiny raises an interesting question: how much control do we really have over our own fate? Is destiny a path laid out before us, something inevitable and immutable? Or is it something we create ourselves? Maybe it’s a bit of both. The Knicks found themselves pondering those questions after their historic victory.

“You’ve got to have a little luck in sports,” Brown said. “But you can also make your luck, too.”

Towns echoed the sentiment.

“Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you make your luck,” he said. “We made our luck today.”

For most of Wednesday night, it seemed as though New York’s luck had finally run dry. Team owner James Dolan had spent the previous few days making himself the center of attention on a decidedly ill-advised media tour, while some fans half-jokingly wondered whether the bad vibes lingering from the Commander in Chief’s controversial – and sleepy – appearance at Game 3 had cursed the Knicks’ title hopes. The Spurs certainly played as if they believed it. Victor Wembanyama even went so far as to proclaim “I’m in your head” to the Knicks during the first half, and he may not have been wrong. Until he was.

Because that’s the thing about a resilient group like this one. That’s the thing about a team of destiny: however unconventional the path, however theatrical the punctuations along the way, it somehow arrives where it’s meant to. And for the 2026 New York Knicks, that journey is now just one win away from an NBA championship.

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Thursday’s Brotherhood Playoff News & Links

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates after his team's 107-106 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images

San Antonio set a record nobody would want, giving up a 29-point lead, including a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, and losing to New York, 107-106.

Charles Barkley, who has had a few things to say about the city of San Antonio over the years, called the Spurs “the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization.”

He’s not entirely wrong, but there is some context: first, the Spurs are by far the youngest team to make it to the Finals. If a couple of plays had gone differently, they’d be up 3-1 instead of down by that margin.

And secondly, while this team has some great pieces, it’s not where it could be. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell might be better coming off the bench. And while De’Aaron Fox had a major error, so did Josh Hart.

Imagine the Spurs with a couple of other pieces. For argument’s sake, let’s say they had Jared McCain, a confident shooter and acceptable defender. Imagine if they had, say, De’Andre Hunter or Marcus Smart.

Or having just one veteran could stabilize that team when things get dicey and could put them over the top.

Right now, Dylan Harper (20), Stephon Castle (21), and Victor Wembanyama (22) are the heart of that team. Wembanyama is wildly gifted, but he’s cracked under the pressure of the Finals. Harper is very promising, but he’s a rookie. Castle, just in his second year, seems like the rock of the team.

We’d love to see Mason Plumlee playing a bigger role, but he’s 36 and his career is winding down. He got another DNP in Game 5.

We said the other night that San Antonio had a narrow margin of error in the Finals, and that was the case in Game 4. Their best three players are under 22, and they’ll learn from this failure. This is a humiliating loss and a brutal lesson, but this is still the team of the future.

Just as the Spurs are too young to pull this off, New York is a team with a lot of veterans who made amazingly gutsy plays down the stretch. The guy we’re happiest for is Jose Alvarado. When he was at Georgia Tech, we said he’d be a four-year player who would not play in the NBA. Well, we were really wrong there. Alvarado hit a dagger of a three late in the fourth. The Knicks probably wouldn’t have won without him.

Assuming they get one more win, which seems highly likely, Alvarado is going to be an absolute prince in his hometown. New York hasn’t won a title since 1973, and when they do, he may never have to pay for another meal in town again.

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How the Anaheim Ducks can Become a Destination for Star Players

The landscape of the NHL is changing now more than ever. The salary cap ceiling is increasing year after year, and star players are more willing to “upset the apple cart,” leveraging their contractual positions to influence their way to more preferred destinations. 

Every year, general managers ask players with no-trade clauses to waive them as the team intends to shift directions in terms of roster construction for the franchise’s future. In recent years, however, players have taken some of that power back, refusing to waive, communicating a willingness to waive for only a select few teams, expressing desires to sign extensions only with certain teams when their contracts are close to expiring, etc. 

Beginning with Jack Eichel’s request to be traded to a team willing to allow him to undergo his desired surgery in 2021, to Matthew Tkachuk’s unwillingness to re-sign in Calgary as an RFA, to Quinn Hughes’ reluctance to commit long-term to the Vancouver Canucks, star players are navigating their way to teams and situations they feel are better for their careers. 

The Anaheim Ducks’ 2025-26 Starting XI

Gulls Looking For New Head Coach After McIlvane Departure

The latest such request came on Thursday, when Detroit Red Wings captain and top center Dylan Larkin requested a trade. What makes Larkin’s request unique is the term remaining on his current contract (five years) and his no-trade clause attached to said contract. 

Larkin has control over where he ends up, and Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported he submitted an initial list of three teams to which he’d be willing to accept a trade. The teams on Larkin’s list were (in alphabetical order) the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. 

The saga between Larkin and the Red Wings will play out in due time, but what stands out about the teams in Larkin’s initial list is their commitment to winning and winning now. Florida and Vegas represent the last three teams to hoist the Stanley Cup, with Vegas two games from extending that number to four. Minnesota has been one of the NHL’s most aggressive teams in the last year, extending star forward Kirill Kaprizov to a record contract and acquiring Quinn Hughes mid-season.

The NHL seems to be in the early stages of a player empowerment movement. While secondary or tertiary benefits different organizations have to offer, like market, weather, state income tax situations, etc., can tip scales one way or another, the driving force behind desired destinations is one aspect above all else: winning. 

Players want to win. They want to win as immediately as possible, and they want to win as much as possible. Organizations like the Wild, Panthers, Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightning have demonstrated a willingness to prioritize present success over future success and to win at all costs, rendering them destinations that players seem to be orchestrating moves to. 

Of course, teams must make the right moves to build their rosters and become desirable organizations. However, in today’s landscape, that’s only part (a big part) of the equation. 

Traditionally reserved for unrestricted free agency, now more than ever, teams have to sell themselves to players. They have to sell players on a vision they feel will soon lead to hoisting Stanley Cups, and they have to do it, not by pitching them in a boardroom, but by their actions.

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Pacific Division

Anaheim Ducks Offseason Rumor Roundup: 6/6/26

So now the question for teams like the Anaheim Ducks moving forward will be: how do we get to the point where we can sell this organization as a destination to which star players orchestrate moves to win championships?

Superfluously, the Ducks can sell players on things like weather, lifestyle, and a favorable media environment, but now they may be entering the discussion of places where players can win. 

In 2025-26, after an excruciatingly long rebuild, the Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time in eight years and advanced to the second round for the first time in nine. In May 2025, Ducks’ general manager Pat Verbeek hired the second-winningest coach in NHL history, Joel Quenneville. At the trade deadline, he parted with a first and third-round pick to acquire the expiring contract of veteran defenseman John Carlson, with the goal of offering his roster the best chance at success in the playoffs.

Anaheim lost in the second round, but defeated the back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in the first round. Though Carlson may not re-sign in Anaheim, and they traded a first-round pick for the first time since 2017, the Ducks sent a message to the NHL and to star players potentially on the move that they are willing to make bold moves in order to win. 

Selling players on location, lifestyle, and even promising young cores like the Ducks have with Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Senencke, Jackson Lacombe, etc., is easy. The more difficult part of the equation is selling a commitment to winning. The Ducks may still have a gap to fill between themselves and the Panthers, Knights, and Avalanche of the league, and make their way onto “teams I’ll accept a trade to” lists, but it would appear Anaheim is well on their way to entering such conversations. 

Anaheim Ducks a Tantalizing Potential Destination for Red Wings Center Dylan Larkin

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Metropolitan Division

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Central Division

Offseason Preview: Anaheim Ducks Trade Partners/Targets, Atlantic Division

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2025-26 Season in Review: Harrison Brunicke

Vitals

Player: Harrison Brunicke
Born: May 8, 2006 (20 years old)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 201 pounds
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Shoots: Right
Draft: Second-round, 2024, No. 44 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins
2025-26 Statistics: 9 games played, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point
Contract Status: By only playing in nine games this season Brunicke still has all three years of his entry-level contract remaining.

Story of the Season

Brunicke entered training camp as one of the top prospects in the Penguins system, and impressed the coaching staff and front office enough to get an immediate look with the NHL team at the start of the season. He ended up getting a nine-game look that was dragged out over a couple of months due to healthy scratches and some early load management. He then represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, returned to the Western Hockey League to play for Kamloops and then spent the end of the regular season and playoffs in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the American Hockey League level.

It was not the ideal situation for a young player’s development, but he still managed to play more total hockey games than he did in each of the previous two seasons and showed considerable improvement along the way.

Monthly Splits

via Yahoo

Brunicke only played two NHL games in November, but you can clearly see there were more struggles in those two games than in his first seven games. He managed just one shot on goal in the latter group, was a minus-4 overall and saw his ice-time drop by exactly two minutes per game.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 13 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 100 minutes.

Corsi For%: 48.6 (7th)
Goals For%: 33.3 (13th)
xGF%: 50.8 (8th)
Scoring Chance%: 49.2 (8th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 48.5 (11th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 6.67 (13th)
On-ice save%: .868 (12th)
Goals/60: 0.44 (2nd)
Assists/60: 0.00 (12th)
Points/60: 0.44 (12th)

In a lot of ways this is probably what you should expect from a 19-year-old defenseman trying to make the jump right from juniors to the NHL. He played well at times early on, but also had some growing pains and some rocky moments. He was not a total liability, but he was also clearly not quite ready for NHL action on a full-time basis. There is nothing wrong with that for a 19-year-old defenseman. Or any 19-year-old player.

Highlights


Questions to ponder

The most pressing question at the moment is whether or not bouncing around through multiple teams and levels had any sort of a negative impact on his development. Based on the way he played in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the playoffs, the answer to that seems to be no. The AHL was probably where he belonged all along, but he was not eligible to actually play there until the end of the season. As soon as he arrived, he was arguably their best overall defenseman.

The other big question to ponder is simply what sort of upside he has and how quickly he can start making a full-season impact on the NHL. Can he do it next season? Can he eventually a No. 1 or No. 2 defenseman on a contending team? It would certainly be exciting to see, while also being a significant development for the Penguins.

Ideal 2026-27

An ideal 2026-27 for Brunicke would be him making the NHL roster out of training camp, sticking for the entire season, and showing that he is a full-time NHL player. I do not need him to play like a No. 1 or no. 2 as a 20-year-old. But I do want to see him show flashes of that sort of ability, be a contributor, and not look out of place. That would be a meaningful step forward and great progress.

Bottom line

Brunicke is not only one of the Penguins top prospects, he is their top defensive prospect and an extraordinarily important player for their long-term development of the franchise and the ongoing rebuild. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are the top-two right-shot defensemen in the organization as of this moment, but they are 36 and 39 years old respectively, while Karlsson is entering the final year of his contract and it is unclear what his future with the team actually is. They need Brunicke to develop. They need him to be really good. They need him to do so over the next one or two years.

PensBurgh Grade: B+

He got a taste of NHL action, held his own, and then put together an outstanding season in the Western Hockey League and the American Hockey League. Strong season for one of the top prospects in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and farm system.

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2 Chicago Steel Players For Blackhawks To Contemplate

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of intrigue surrounding their 4th overall pick. However, that is not the only selection that they will make at the 2026 NHL Draft.

It is important to find gems in the middle and late rounds as well if you want to keep the pipeline strong, as they move into the next phase of the rebuild. 

Players from all over the world are going to be selected over the course of seven rounds. Within the first four, the Blackhawks may not need to look far beyond their own backyard to find some good ones.

The Chicago Steel, who will be neighbors with the Blackhawks very soon, have a couple of prospects that are worth considering. 

Jayden Kurtz

Jayden Kurtz is a tall and slim defenseman standing at 6'3" and 194 pounds. He finished his high school season in 2025-26 before joining the Chicago Steel for a handful of games. 

In 16 USHL matches with Chicago, he had 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points from the blue line. He is someone who will go in the middle to late rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft following this small sample size of solid play in lesser leagues. 

Now, he will move to the NCAA with Wisconsin, which is likely to have a National Championship caliber squad. If he has a great year with the Badgers, which he very well could, his stock will only continue to rise.

His lack of experience following high school hockey is the reason he is projected to be drafted where he is, which is good for whatever team selects him, as long as he continues to develop once he is drafted. 

Cole Tuminaro

Cole Tuminaro would fit the recent draft profile for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is a big defenseman standing at 6'4" and 225 pounds. He is going to be available late in the draft, which is exactly where you consider a big defensive defenseman like him. 

In 54 games played with the Chicago Steel in 2025-26, he scored five goals and 11 assists for 16 points. He also had 148 penalty minutes, which speaks to his size and toughness in-game. 

Next season, Tuminaro is going to play at Cornell, which regularly competes within the ECAC. If the Blackhawks draft him in the 5th round or later, they could be looking at it in a year from now and wonder how they got so fortunate because he's been dominating the college hockey level. 

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