Mar 25, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) celebrates his second goal of the game with teammates during the third period against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Timothy T. Ludwig/Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Josh Norris’ father never had steered him wrong before. And yet the Sabres forward somewhat was skeptical of just how passionate Buffalo was as a hockey market upon his arrival in a trade from Ottawa a year ago.
Sidelined by an injury, Norris would sit in the press box staring out at a half-empty arena, and hearing a chorus of boos and derogatory chants directed at the team and now former general manager Kevyn Adams, who was fired in December and replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen.
This wasn’t the rollicking atmosphere his dad, Dwayne Norris, recalled of Buffalo during his brief NHL playing days in the mid-1990s, before spending 11 more seasons in Germany.
“I knew he wasn’t lying,” Norris said of his father’s recollections, which suddenly have been realized by a Sabres team enjoying a remarkable turnaround that’s unmistakably revived the hockey buzz in Buffalo this season.
“I feel like they’re getting let out of a cage in a sense — and I mean that in the best way possible,” Norris said of an energized fanbase that’s filling the 19,000-plus seat KeyBank Center, and bringing back memorable chants such as, “Ooh! Ahh! Sabres on the warpath.”
“Now that we’re in this spot, I think it’s hard to miss,” he added. “It’s right in front of you. And it’s incredible to be a part of.”
Winning has a way of flipping the script for a franchise mired in an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.
In the span of three-plus months, the Sabres have gone from sitting last in the Eastern Conference standings to sharing top spot with Carolina following their 4-3 overtime loss to Boston. The Sabres are riding a 33-6-4 run that’s all but assured them of clinching their first playoff berth since 2011.
And the fans are coming back in hordes.
A season after selling out just five of 40 home games (not including an NHL Global Series outing in Europe), the Sabres have enjoyed 17 sellouts this year, including their past 11 straight.
“You can’t beat it. It’s unbelievable. We have some of the best fans in the league and they deserve the success,” said forward Alex Tuch, who was a Sabres fan growing up in Syracuse, New York.
Now 29, Tuch was 14 the last time the Sabres qualified for the playoffs, and had just turned 11 the last time Buffalo won a playoff series in 2007.
“It’s pretty cool, honestly,” Tuch said of what his younger self might think. “I’d be pretty proud of myself right now. But like I’ve said, job not done.”
The Sabres, to a man, have taken a stay-the-course approach in avoiding getting caught up in the wave of excitement they’ve generated. Past frustrations and collapses are still too recent to allow players and coach Lindy Ruff to be drawn into a sense of overconfidence.
Though there are enough comparisons to the team’s last heydays in 2005-07, when Buffalo twice reached and lost in the East finals, Ruff has kept the focus firmly on the present.
“You guys are going to get tired of this,” he said, referring to reporters, “but we’re focusing on the next game.”
And yet Ruff, now in the second season of his second stint in Buffalo, can appreciate how the atmosphere has changed during home games — reminiscent of his first tenure coaching the team from 1997-2013.
“The energy in the building has really been great for our group. I mean, it’s probably the first time they’ve experienced it,” Ruff said. “So embrace it but know there’s a lot of work to do.”
With 10 games left, Buffalo’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 10 points.
Leading scorer Tage Thompson only had known frustration during his previous seven seasons in Buffalo.
“I think everyone in the room has a big level of pride for where we’ve gotten ourselves up to this point. It’s been an extremely hard road to get here,” Thompson said. “I think that gives you a little bit more appreciation for where you’re at. And I think it makes you not want to take it for granted.”
CHICAGO, IL. — Yaxel Lendeborg will have a little extra motivation against Alabama in the Sweet 16.
Lendeborg played for the University of Alabama-Birmingham for two years in 2023-24 and 2024-25 before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal at the conclusion of last season. When he entered, he had hoped to stay in-state to play for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide.
"When I entered the transfer portal out of UAB, I was hoping to get recruited by Alabama. And when I didn't, it kind of hurt me a little bit. Not in a way that I can say 'I hate them.' It just bothered me a little."
Unfortunately for Lendeborg (or fortunately, depending on whether you root for Michigan or Alabama), the call from Alabama never came, so he eventually picked Dusty May and the Wolverines. Now the two programs will square off on Friday, March 26, in the Sweet 16 from the United Center.
UAB's Bartow Arena is about 57 miles from Alabama's Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Lendeborg added that he is excited for Alabama and considers it a second home.
"There's going to be juice for sure," Lendeborg said of playing Alabama. "I know I'm going to try my best to be the best player on the floor tomorrow for sure. All it is extra motivation for sure, just not in the sense where I'm like, 'this is what you guys missed on,' but like you guys could have called at least, or something like that."
Oats refuted that the Crimson Tide "never" recruited Lendeborg, but he did admit that the team was not as aggressive in its pitch.
"We did make a call," Oats said. "It never got very deep. I think there were some programs that were in a little deeper with a lot more money at the time. It's one of those, you kind of call, see where the situation is at. Probably wasn't something we were going to be able to do, so we didn't spend a lot of time on it.
"... It wasn't a lack of thinking he wasn't a very good player. He was the best player in the portal."
Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points per game for the Blazers during the 2024-25 season, to go along with 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. He's averaged 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals for the Wolverines in 2025-26.
May said he will not get in the way of Lendeborg's "revenge" game against Alabama.
"I think we've had several subplots this year and he seems to be performing well up to this point," May said. "So whatever irritates him, I'm going to ride with that and support him.
"Nate and I being friends, we talked through that process. And don't tell Yax, but they did try to recruit him."
As expected, the official news on Thomas Chabot's injury isn't good.
Senators head coach Travis Green announced on Thursday that Chabot has a broken arm that required surgery, and he'll be lost to the Senators for four to eight weeks.
Chabot was injured on a cross-check by Rangers captain J.T. Miller on Monday night.
The play went unpenalized, and while some Sens fans hoped there might be some supplemental NHL discipline for Miller for breaking a guy's arm with his stick, the league didn't see it that way. In fairness, that kind of cross-check happens twenty times every night in every game. This one happened to strike a vulnerable spot at just the wrong time.
Chabot had his surgery today on "his forearm or something," as Green described it, and if the 29-year-old defenseman misses four weeks, that takes us to April 26, or eight days into the first round of the playoffs. If he misses the max, eight weeks, then his return would be sometime during the Conference Final.
But while the Senators have just arrived in a playoff position, they're a long way from clinching one. And with Chabot out for the rest of the regular season, the Sens could use some reinforcements to stay in this spot.
So on Thursday morning, as you might expect, Green was peppered with media questions about his four recently injured defencemen.
Jake Sanderson?
"He's skating, so that's a good sign. He'll come with us on the road trip, so that's another good sign."
Thomas Chabot"
"He'll be out for a while... I'm not sure; four, six, eight (weeks)."
Dennis Gilbert?
"He'll be out probably another three weeks... two to three weeks."
Lassi Thomson?
"Lassi skated today. I don't want to say day-to-day, but I don't think he'll be too long."
Green admitted that Thomson's prognosis is better than originally expected. After Monday's game in New York, Green originally said that both Chabot and Thomson would be "out for a while."
Nick Jensen underwent knee surgery (meniscus) last week, and it sounds like his recovery timeline resembles Chabot's.
For the time being, as the Senators get ready for another big game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at CTC, they'll line it up just as they did in Detroit, where Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan made their NHL debuts.
Sens projected defencemen vs Pittsburgh (listed by ice time in Detroit)
After so many people left them for dead, the Senators clawing their way back into the playoff mix is an outstanding accomplishment. But staying there with a patchwork blue line will be just as impressive.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
The Kings are 0-0-2 on their road trip so far, and they play their final road game of this 3-game trip tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. The Kings are coming into this game after a 3-2 shootout loss against the Calgary Flames. The Kings are currently on a 2-game point streak, having lost to Utah and Calgary in overtime. The Canucks, on the other hand, are coming into this game having lost 5-3 against the Anaheim Ducks.
Kings Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
King's defenseman Drew Doughty did take part in the optional skate this morning and is expected to play after he missed practice for maintenance on Wednesday. Adrian Kempe is also expected to play today after he missed practice on Wednesday.
The Kings are likely to start Darcy Kuemper for the 2nd straight game, and the Canucks are likely to start Kevin Lankinen, who is also set to play his 2nd straight game.
Key Factors
With the Kings sitting 3 points back of the final wildcard spot, this is a must-win game for them as they cannot afford to lose any points. The Kings have to get depth scoring from their bottom 6. Recently, Artemi Panarin has been the consistent offensive threat for the Kings in the last couple of games, and while that is a major positive, the other forwards have to step up as well if they want to make the playoffs.
The Kings and Flames game was another example of the Kings failing to hold a lead when it mattered. Against a team like the Flames, if the Kings end up missing the playoffs by a point or 2, this game will be one that Kings fans look back on.
The Kings cannot take the Canucks lightly; just because they are 32nd in the NHL does not mean they will roll over and let the Kings win. The Kings need their goaltending to be more consistent, and their defence needs to return to the form it showed throughout the season.
Overall, the Kings need to win this game to stay within a game of the playoff race. My prediction for tonight's game is a 4-1 Kings win.
Tom Brady revealed in an interview released on Thursday that he considered coming out of retirement, but the National Football League wasn't particularly receptive to the idea.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, was asked in a recent interview with CNBC if he's looked into the rules regarding a minority owner returning to NFL play.
“I actually have inquired, and they (the NFL) don’t like that idea very much, so I’m going to leave it at that,” Brady said. “We explored a lot of different things, and I’m very happily retired. Let me say that, too.”
It wouldn't have been Brady's first time coming out of retirement. The three-time league MVP briefly retired during the 2022 offseason after two seasons with the Buccaneers. He had a change of heart 40 days later and went on to play for one more year before retiring “for good” in February 2023.
Brady recently turned heads in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, where he played alongside Jalen Hurts, Devonta Smith, Stefon Diggs and Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. He also reunited on the field with his teammate of 11 seasons and four-time time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski.
Sep 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
It’s finally time to play some baseball games that count. The St. Louis Cardinals kick off the 2026 season at Busch Stadium as the Tampa Bay Rays come to town. According to MLB.com, Matthew Liberatore will start the game for the Cardinals while the Rays will send Drew Rasmussen to the mound. This will also be the major league debut for Cardinals phenom (or at least we hope) JJ Wetherholt.
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 08: Detroit Tigers mascot Paws runs with the Tigers Win banner following their 9-3 victory in Game 4 of the ALDS series between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday October 8, 2025 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Detroit Tigers vs. San Diego Padres
Time/Place: 4:10 p.m., Petco Park SB Nation Site: Gaslamp Ball Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections for both players
In a scene that has become all too familiar for the Detroit Red Wings over the past two seasons, March has been a struggle, marked by costly losses to divisional opponents and the evaporation of a once-comfortable postseason cushion.
The most recent setback was a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday evening, a club that had not only played the previous night but was also missing its top two defensemen.
For large stretches of the game, the Red Wings were sluggish and turnover-prone, and while they managed to cut the deficit to one, they struggled to even gain the zone during a critical power-play chance with five minutes left.
Afterward, team captain Dylan Larkin said that the entire dressing room was "mad" about the result, and that they needed to channel that emotion toward the equally critical stretch of play that will ultimately determine whether or not they return to the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Following practice Thursday afternoon, head coach Todd McLellan discussed what he believes the team’s identity must be, beginning with the importance of playing with pace.
“During the year, and throughout the year, we talked about our pace,” McLellan explained. “When we play with pace, which I thought we did against Boston — not always with the puck, but sometimes without it when we get in and forecheck and create turnovers and play with some type of pace, we’re a better team."
The Red Wings had no problem putting pucks on net during their 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday evening, finishing with 43 shots but getting stymied by the dynamic play of goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
But among the mistakes that have caused problems for the Red Wings in recent losses to the Senators and Florida Panthers were failing to clear the puck out of their own zone, resulting in goals against along with power-play opportunities that went for naught.
“Obviously, special teams come into play, but the big thing — and we talked about it today — but some of the moments in the game, it either goes for or against you, and at the end of the night, we tally," he said. "We’ve got to get individuals ending up on the plus side rather than the negative side. A little over 50, not to 100, but just a little over 50. Right now, we may be at 48. It’s such a fine line."
“You can go back to Ottawa - we cleared a puck, got it outside the blue line, we took the puck back into our own end carelessly, and it’s in our net," he continued. "There’s a moment. The night before against Boston, we’re penalty killing, and we shoot a puck from one end of the rink to the other.
We can clean those moments up, turning them from negatives to positives. Just flip those moments into a positive one, and it will go a long way for all of us.”
The Red Wings head onto the road to face the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres, who have been the hottest team in the NHL since mid-December.
It’s not official yet, but the Sabres are on the verge of ending their lengthy postseason drought, which dates back to 2011. If that happens, the Red Wings will inherit the NHL’s longest active drought, which is already the longest in franchise history.
The next 11 games will determine whether that fate befalls them and will also go a long way in defining Detroit’s identity.
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Welcome back to baseball that matters! It truly is the first day of spring when you can toss the red exhibition jerseys aside and play baseball for real. It’s Garrett Crochet ready to knit it up on the mound against an old friend in Tito and the Reds. Let’s play ball!
⚾️ First Pitch: 4:10pm ET — Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: A general view of the National Anthem prior to the game on Opening Day between the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on March 27, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Detroit Tigers at San Diego Padres, March 26, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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GB community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning at Truist Park on September 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier today, new manager Walt Weiss spoke with the media ahead of his debut as manager of the Atlanta Braves. We’ll have more to talk about later as far as quotes from him (and Chris Sale and Matt Olson as well) but for now, the biggest news of that presser is that we got a bit of an idea of what the lineup is going to look like tomorrow.
Weiss told the media that Drake Baldwin will be in the lineup as the DH for Opening Day against the Royals. Jonah Heim will be the starting catcher for Opening Day as well. This’ll be Heim’s first Opening Day start since 2024 when he was with the Texas Rangers and although he’s clearly being utilized in a bit of a depth situation while Sean Murphy continues to be on the mend, Heim should still be pretty excited about being the backstop for Opening Day.
This also means that Walt Weiss is going to try to get Baldwin’s bat in there as much as he possibly can as evidenced by the Designated Hitter appearance. This also means that he’s sticking to his guns when it comes to keeping Mike Yastrzemski from starting against lefties, as he would’ve been a prime candidate for the DH role heading into this season.
Walt Weiss also mentioned that Ronald Acuña Jr. would be batting leadoff and indicated that that’ll probably be where he stays. “First thing I said to him [in an office meeting] was ‘Do you want to hit first, second, or third?” So based on the fact that it now seems all-but-confirmed that Acuña will be leading off thanks to Weiss’s comments following that little question, it sure seems like Acuña will be at the top of the order as well and starting in right field.
So with just over 24 hours between now and the first game of the regular season, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what Walt Weiss’ first official lineup card as manager of the Braves will look like. We know Acuña will be leading off and batting first, we know Drake Baldwin will be DH’ing and we know that Jonah Heim will be catching. What do you think the rest of the lineup will look like?
Los Angeles, CA - March 27: George Serrano, of Los Angeles cheers after watching the opening ceremony and the F-15C Eagles and F-35As flyover the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2025 home opener with the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) | Los Angeles, CA - March 27: George Serrano, of Los Angeles cheers after watching the opening ceremony and the F-15C Eagles and F-35As flyover the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2025 home opener with the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers second title defense begins in earnest tonight.
From the Grand Tour of 2025, which spanned three countries, two continents, and took every last day of the season — and then some — to this new campaign, with a traditional length Spring Training. What a luxury. The Dodgers had the best record in the Cactus League, which seems off because they did not have 28 ties, but whatever, I hope someone gave them a little cactus for the memes.
After seeing friends and acquaintances gripe about how much they spent on Opening Day tickets, I thought I would take a look. After seeing Loge tickets for over $500 directly from the team, I thought I would check the secondary market, starting with TickPick. I am not sponsored by them; I just abhor paying garbage fees if I can help it.
What I found did not surprise me in the least: one could look at a seat-map range for tonight’s game and be forgiven for thinking the postseason had already started. I have seen ticket prices ranging from $200 to $800 and more, depending on location.
For Opening Night, the Dodger tax is in full effect, with everyone paying like a road fan on Thursday. I have seen the groans and complaints as knowledge of prices has become more widespread. I had the following benign reaction to the news:
In my travels, I have long grown accustomed to paying out the nose for Dodgers tickets. With mild reductions to both the floor and ceiling of prices, I could swap tonight’s prices for games in San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York (both Queens and the Bronx), Seattle, West Sacramento, etc.
That assertion aside, I have full sympathy for anyone experiencing sticker shock. It stinks.
Granted, these prices are absolutely adorable compared to Game 1 of the 2025 season, but at least I had the good fortune to be in Tokyo when I plunked down the price of two used cars for my tickets to Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2025 campaign.
One consolation for the financial pain was that the games were an actual showcase international event that somehow spawned a mediocre documentary that one can literally start streaming on CNN’s streaming platform today. The Tokyo Series mattered, unlike the abomination that played out in San Francisco last night. The logic of “Netflix paid us money” is likely the only justification for starting the 2026 campaign with two literal also-rans.
Incidentally, the ticket for 2025’s Game 1 cost more than the ticket for 2025’s Game 179, albeit not by much. The sticker price for both tickets was comparable; it was just that capitalism (and the corresponding demand) exploded as planned.
Regardless, I understand the argument that the Dodgers have succeeded so much that they are now on the cusp or have started negatively affecting those who would just like to enjoy the ride: the casual fan.
The rush hour train is crowded
As someone who does not go to Los Angeles regularly, I do not find the influx of bandwagon and casual fans a big deal. Success breeds a party everyone wants to attend until they are priced out. No one wants to pay a premium price for games that do not, hence the modest attendance for the Freeway Series’ finale on March 24.
We do not have to rely on anecdotal evidence for this claim either. Michael Duarte of the California Post reported on March 19 about the booming prices of baseball tickets in 2026, focusing in part on how the Dodgers are leading the way:
Baseball is booming and so are the ticket prices. In 2026, ticket prices depend on where you sit and which team you’re watching.
Here in California, the divide isn’t subtle. It’s as large as the Grand Canyon.
The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t just lead Major League Baseball in ticket prices this year, they honestly belong in another economic category altogether.
The average minimum ticket price at Dodger Stadium sits at $76.57, nearly double the MLB average of $34.82…
…On average across the league, when the Dodgers come to town, the cheapest ticket in the ballpark jumps to $62.51. The only other team in that stratosphere is the rival Yankees.
Mr. Duarte is not exactly reporting breaking news here, especially as to the road front. Factor in the average ticket price, the $45 parking fee (unless you booked ahead of time, saving $5), the prices for food and drink (heaven forbid, alcohol), and one is looking at a several-hundred-dollar expenditure for a family of four or more to see the Dodgers in person.
It is widely believed that the Dodgers pulled in over $1 billion in revenue last year, topping the four-million mark in attendance for the first time in franchise history. Note that I did not say “profit,” but given the team’s perception problem, the distinction will likely be lost on most. I have harped on this point before: does the team need to extract every nickel and dime it can out of its fanbase?
Would a five-dollar hot dog, a refillable soda, and capping the prices of certain tickets really break the franchise and critically slow the Dodgers’ financial juggernaut?
Echoes of a bygone age
I remember when I was so broke that I could only cobble together the funds to go to a single game at Dodger Stadium a year. If you came back to tell me in 2012, after seeing Chris Capuano “pitch”, that 14 years later I would be working for a site I was then intermittently reading and going to 17 Dodgers games in seven cities, words fail me as to how badly I would handle that hypothetical social interaction.
I would probably see it as a unique form of bullying; that’s how broke I was during those days.
In baseball’s golden age, seating was seen as a great democratic (small d) equalizer, as you would have members of different social and economic classes jumbled together to watch baseball. That horse is so far gone from the figurative barn that it has died from old age from running free.
There is no going back; if you want a better view, you have to pay for it. Baseball teams have been catering to the 1% of earners, its whales, for a long time now.
A modest proposal
If I could change one thing about the operation of the Dodgers (I can’t) or if the Dodgers were interested in the public relations boon that would arise from following my advice (they are not and they will not), I would implement the following changes on ticket prices for the regular season going forward:
No bleacher seat should cost more than $25 out the door.
No upper deck seat should cost more than $40 out the door.
I am being entirely arbitrary, operating purely on the vibes, as the children say. I simply asked myself what 2012-me would have considered fair. If the Dodgers’ economic engine is wholly dedicated to running on the backs of those sitting in the literal cheap seats, so be it. But without looking into the team’s financial books, I suspect that all the corporate and sponsorship money, along with the media deal, are largely keeping the proverbial ship afloat.
Plus, imagine the public-relations bonanza if the team announced such a move; it would flummox the naysayers with a single announcement. Two additional steps would be needed to thwart scalpers and others who would seek to ruin a good thing. Oddly enough, one step comes from what I have seen other franchises do, and the other step comes from the Savannah Bananas, of all people.
This year, when obtaining my Phillies tickets directly from the team, they were initially geolocked to residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. I do not live in Pennsylvania, and I was prompted to call the ticket office. I did, and ten minutes later, after declaring that I was not a scalper and that I was only after one ticket for one game, the transaction was completed with nary a feather ruffled.
Generally, a setup like the one described above thwarts, or at least slows, the automated computer bot that can react faster than a human. The only way to ensure these tickets would not fall into the hands of mass sellers who would then feel free to raise the price as much as they want, to take a page from the Savannah Bananas, who were inspired by how music acts combat scalpers: by cutting out the middleman and becoming the only outlet to sell tickets.
Such measures would mean more work and less profit for the Dodgers, which is likely a non-starter. The situation seems likely to hit a breaking point with people’s finances, especially in a rapidly spiraling economy. Where that breaking point actually is is anyone’s guess.
Feedback on Dodger Stadium Express
For those going to games at Dodger Stadium in the next week or two, I would greatly appreciate feedback (posted in the comments of this essay or on BlueSky) on the wait times to get to and leave Dodger Stadium after games. There were changes implemented in the final third of the 2025 season, and I am working on a follow-up analysis essay for which I need to crowdsource anecdotal data, as I am physically unable to collect it myself.
Despite thoughts that he would likely be done for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, Vancouver Canucks centre Filip Chytil was seen at his team’s practice ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. The forward sported a full bubble cage during Vancouver’s optional morning skate today.
Chytil has played in just 12 games for the Canucks this season, having missed the first three months of play after taking a hit from Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals on October 19. He made his return to the lineup on January 23 but departed from a game on February 2. While he did return to practice after the Olympic break, Chytil ended up taking an errant shot to the face and has not played since.
With Chytil’s appearance at practice today, there’s, of course, speculation on whether he could play again at some point during the tail-end of Vancouver’s 2025–26 season. Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote noted post-skate that any return for Chytil won’t be determined right now.
“I’m sure he wants to. Our training staff is probably pushing for him not, to be honest. We’ll see what happens.”
Foote also elaborated that, while it’s a good sign that the forward is back to skating, that ultimately, Chytil will need to work with the team’s staff to determine when he gets to a good stage where he appears fit to return.
Chytil is currently in the third year of a four-year contract that pays $4.437M annually. The 2026–27 season will be the final year of his contract, after which he’ll become a UFA if not extended.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil (72) shoots against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The beginning of the MLB season is always a time of hope. Other than a couple select teams (RIP Rockies, White Sox, et al) there is at least a chance they’ll make the playoffs, and that gives us all something in common. Sure, there are some teams far more likely, others nearly guaranteed, but we all have that hope.
Admittedly, that hope is hard to find at the beginning of this season if your a Diamondbacks fan. You’re looking at a team that failed by every objective measure in 2024, then did next to nothing to get better in the offseason. When your two biggest acquisitions are washed corner infielders and two pitchers that were on your team last season, it’s just not particularly inspiring. In fact, you could be forgiven if you think we actually got worse. Geno+ for Arenado isn’t exactly a trade most of us would make, if it were actually a trade. That’s before we get to the injuries that have already piled up.
Even beyond that, there are bigger picture reasons for a lack of hope. There is a distinct possibility, bordering on certainty, that this will be the end of MLB’s streak of no games lost to labor strife. So many factors are playing into it, including some that the Diamondbacks know well as members of the NL West. The environment the game occurs in has changed, but the game itself has largely stayed the same. That’s going to come to an end, and in a brutal, protracted way. That hurts the hope.
All that to say to feel less, or even no hope, at the start of this season is understandable. I’m the eternal optimist, so I still think we have a chance, but even for myself and my 92 win prediction… I get it. But let me take this time to remind us all that there is still a chance. Still a chance for this season, still a chance that MLB comes out stronger and healthier on the other side of the impending work stoppage, and maybe, just maybe, the Diamondbacks will find themselves on a more even footing with the multi-billion dollar investment groups that own other teams.
But now, the conjecture, the speculation ends. Baseball isn’t played on paper. It’s played on grass and turf and dirt. It’s time for baseball.
All stats from 2025. Game 2 and 3 Dodger starters are unconfirmed and projected by ESPN.
Zac Gallen has a lot to prove this season. He was untradeable at the deadline, unsignable in the offseason, and for good reason. He had an all time bad season. It was his worst personally, he was 45 worst by ERA in the entire league. He technically took less than the original qualifying offer to come back to the Diamondbacks on a one year deal. There is a lot on the line for him to show that he can reach the Cy Young finalist heights that he’s reached before, and much of the hope the Diamondbacks have is riding on him putting it all out there to get that contract he thinks he deserves. As far as that goes… well Merrill Kelly is already throwing bullpens, so we have a backup plan.
Yamamoto put together a stellar 2025 and more than earned his third place finish in the Cy Young voting. In another world, one where Paul Skenes doesn’t exist, he stood a decent chance at winning. His spring training has been much of the same, with an ERA just a tick higher than his last season. We all know that spring stats mean next to nothing, but personally I feel like if its just a continuation of what he did last season, it’s at least a decent sign. Going to be tough with him at the top of the Dodgers rotation again.
Game 2 – 3/27, 7:10 PM: Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.39 ERA/127 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP, 3.4 bWAR) vs. Emmet Sheehan (6-3 2.82 ERA/147 ERA+, 0.96 WHIP, 1.1 WAR)
It’s not a hard argument to make that Ryne Nelson has been the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks since about the trade deadline of the 2024 season, and finally that is being rewarded with being added to the opening day starting rotation. It’s been a long time coming, and many people said it should have been taken a step further with an Opening Day start, but at least it’s finally happened. Now it’s up to him to make it worth it. If he continues to pitch at the 3.16 ERA he had as a starter last year, he stands a good chance of again being the best pitcher on the team.
Emmet Sheehan missed the later part of the 2023 season, the entirety of the 2024 season, and just shy of the first half of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, like so many Dodgers players do. When he came back, he pitched very well for the Dodgers, again like so many players do, but struggled in the postseason as a reliever. Obviously it did not matter much, however. Thanks at least in part to Blake Snell starting the season on the IL, Sheehan will once again be starting for the Dodgers and will look to continue what he had going during the 2025 regular season.
Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off a great World Baseball Classic, and I for one hope that experiencing winning baseball that he was a large part of will jump start the bounce back season we’ve been hoping for from him since, well, he joined the Diamondbacks. It’s been a rough road for him, and at no point has he lived up to the pretty hefty contract he was given by Hazen and the Diamondbacks. If, somehow, he were able to put it together and pitch even to an average result, it would go a long way to the Diamondbacks being Wild Card contenders this season. As a side note, I do find it interesting that the team did actually have a winning record in his starts in 2025. Just speaks volumes about how good the offense really was.
Glasnow is another oft injured Dodger pitcher, though that started long before his tenure in Los Angels. Last season he only pitched 90 innings for them, after suffering a shoulder injury in late April that took a while to come back from, and in 2024 it was an elbow sprain. When he actually takes the field, however, he is a good pitcher, having not had an ERA+ lower than 114 in his last five seasons. The only question for him is his health.
Conclusion
The scheduling gods are wasting no time in seeing what the Diamondbacks are made of. If their players and the team as a whole are going to have a bounce back season, it will have to start from the very first pitch. All roads to the playoffs have to go through the Dodgers, might as well get it started sooner rather than later.
Am I confident in this series? Not particularly, but hopefully they can prove me and the many other doubters wrong. I say they go 1-2, however. Go Dbacks!
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: A general view is seen of the stadium prior to game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on March 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The beginning of the MLB season is always a time of hope. Other than a couple select teams (RIP Rockies, White Sox, et al) there is at least a chance they’ll make the playoffs, and that gives us all something in common. Sure, there are some teams far more likely, others nearly guaranteed, but we all have that hope.
Admittedly, that hope is hard to find at the beginning of this season if your a Diamondbacks fan. You’re looking at a team that failed by every objective measure in 2024, then did next to nothing to get better in the offseason. When your two biggest acquisitions are washed corner infielders and two pitchers that were on your team last season, it’s just not particularly inspiring. In fact, you could be forgiven if you think we actually got worse. Geno+ for Arenado isn’t exactly a trade most of us would make, if it were actually a trade. That’s before we get to the injuries that have already piled up.
Even beyond that, there are bigger picture reasons for a lack of hope. There is a distinct possibility, bordering on certainty, that this will be the end of MLB’s streak of no games lost to labor strife. So many factors are playing into it, including some that the Diamondbacks know well as members of the NL West. The environment the game occurs in has changed, but the game itself has largely stayed the same. That’s going to come to an end, and in a brutal, protracted way. That hurts the hope.
All that to say to feel less, or even no hope, at the start of this season is understandable. I’m the eternal optimist, so I still think we have a chance, but even for myself and my 92 win prediction… I get it. But let me take this time to remind us all that there is still a chance. Still a chance for this season, still a chance that MLB comes out stronger and healthier on the other side of the impending work stoppage, and maybe, just maybe, the Diamondbacks will find themselves on a more even footing with the multi-billion dollar investment groups that own other teams.
But now, the conjecture, the speculation ends. Baseball isn’t played on paper. It’s played on grass and turf and dirt. It’s time for baseball.
All stats from 2025. Game 2 and 3 Dodger starters are unconfirmed and projected by ESPN.
Zac Gallen has a lot to prove this season. He was untradeable at the deadline, unsignable in the offseason, and for good reason. He had an all time bad season. It was his worst personally, he was 45 worst by ERA in the entire league. He technically took less than the original qualifying offer to come back to the Diamondbacks on a one year deal. There is a lot on the line for him to show that he can reach the Cy Young finalist heights that he’s reached before, and much of the hope the Diamondbacks have is riding on him putting it all out there to get that contract he thinks he deserves. As far as that goes… well Merrill Kelly is already throwing bullpens, so we have a backup plan.
Yamamoto put together a stellar 2025 and more than earned his third place finish in the Cy Young voting. In another world, one where Paul Skenes doesn’t exist, he stood a decent chance at winning. His spring training has been much of the same, with an ERA just a tick higher than his last season. We all know that spring stats mean next to nothing, but personally I feel like if its just a continuation of what he did last season, it’s at least a decent sign. Going to be tough with him at the top of the Dodgers rotation again.
Game 2 – 3/27, 7:10 PM: Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.39 ERA/127 ERA+, 1.07 WHIP, 3.4 bWAR) vs. Emmet Sheehan (6-3 2.82 ERA/147 ERA+, 0.96 WHIP, 1.1 WAR)
It’s not a hard argument to make that Ryne Nelson has been the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks since about the trade deadline of the 2024 season, and finally that is being rewarded with being added to the opening day starting rotation. It’s been a long time coming, and many people said it should have been taken a step further with an Opening Day start, but at least it’s finally happened. Now it’s up to him to make it worth it. If he continues to pitch at the 3.16 ERA he had as a starter last year, he stands a good chance of again being the best pitcher on the team.
Emmet Sheehan missed the later part of the 2023 season, the entirety of the 2024 season, and just shy of the first half of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, like so many Dodgers players do. When he came back, he pitched very well for the Dodgers, again like so many players do, but struggled in the postseason as a reliever. Obviously it did not matter much, however. Thanks at least in part to Blake Snell starting the season on the IL, Sheehan will once again be starting for the Dodgers and will look to continue what he had going during the 2025 regular season.
Eduardo Rodriguez is coming off a great World Baseball Classic, and I for one hope that experiencing winning baseball that he was a large part of will jump start the bounce back season we’ve been hoping for from him since, well, he joined the Diamondbacks. It’s been a rough road for him, and at no point has he lived up to the pretty hefty contract he was given by Hazen and the Diamondbacks. If, somehow, he were able to put it together and pitch even to an average result, it would go a long way to the Diamondbacks being Wild Card contenders this season. As a side note, I do find it interesting that the team did actually have a winning record in his starts in 2025. Just speaks volumes about how good the offense really was.
Glasnow is another oft injured Dodger pitcher, though that started long before his tenure in Los Angels. Last season he only pitched 90 innings for them, after suffering a shoulder injury in late April that took a while to come back from, and in 2024 it was an elbow sprain. When he actually takes the field, however, he is a good pitcher, having not had an ERA+ lower than 114 in his last five seasons. The only question for him is his health.
Conclusion
The scheduling gods are wasting no time in seeing what the Diamondbacks are made of. If their players and the team as a whole are going to have a bounce back season, it will have to start from the very first pitch. All roads to the playoffs have to go through the Dodgers, might as well get it started sooner rather than later.
Am I confident in this series? Not particularly, but hopefully they can prove me and the many other doubters wrong. I say they go 1-2, however. Go Dbacks!
