ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild (1-2) was back on the ice for practice on the eve of Game 4 against the Dallas Stars (2-1).
Mats Zuccarello has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and was not on the ice on Friday for practice with the team. He did skate before Minnesota practiced.
Forward Yakov Trenin missed Game 3 with an upper-body injury as well and was not on the ice for practice on Friday.
Wild head coach John Hynes said after the practice that Zuccarello will be a game-time decision and Trenin will not play.
"That means he's questionable for tomorrow," Hynes said on Zuccarello skating on his own. "He's making good strides. Trenin will not be available tomorrow. Zuccy is going to be game time."
Trenin, 29, led the NHL in hits with 413 hits in his first-ever 82-game season. He also set the Wild franchise record for most hits in a single season.
The 6-foot-2 forward was the only Wild player to have played in 82 games. Trenin set a Wild franchise record for most hits in a single game with 13 in Game 1.
He has 1,359 career hits in 457 NHL games. In 28 career playoff games, Trenin has 115 hits. Including 50 hits in eight career playoff games with Minnesota.
Tough not to have him in the linup for sure.
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JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Ronny Cruz #5 of the Washington Nationals throws to first base during the fourth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
When the Washington Nationals picked up Ronny Cruz as part of the return in the Michael Soroka deal, he was seen as a high upside lottery ticket. You could see the upside, but he was very raw and put up middling numbers in rookie ball. However, that upside is being realized and Cruz has had a meteoric rise in the prospect world.
Fangraphs just released their updated Nationals prospect rankings. There were not that many changes with the exception of Ronny Cruz. They ranked Cruz as the Nats number four prospect, ahead of guys like Devin Fitz-Gerald, Gavin Fien and Travis Sykora. The site also noted that Cruz was moving into their top 100 prospect list with the update.
Ronny Cruz comes in as the Nats 4th ranked prospect in this new update. Said he will be in the top 100 in their next update https://t.co/kI4clbbX8P
That last part was what really stood out to me. Before the season Cruz was not on anyone’s radar as a potential top 100 prospect. Heck, in July he was only half of a package that landed the Cubs half a season of Michael Soroka. In just 17 games, everything has changed for Ronny Cruz.
Now you could make the case that Cruz is the Nats second best teenage infield prospect, only behind number one overall pick Eli Willits. I actually think that Cruz has a higher ceiling, though he is not as polished of a prospect. For a guy with a wiry frame, Cruz generates an insane amount of power due to his elite bat speed.
Cruz’s bat speed, raw power and twitchy athleticism have led to some lofty comparisons. Geoff Pontes of Baseball America said Cruz looks a lot like Fernando Tatis Jr. did at the same point in their development. Obviously Cruz has a long way to go to become that kind of player, but it shows you what kind of athlete he is and what sort of upside he has.
The fact Cruz was traded early in his career makes the Tatis comparison a bit ironic. Like Cruz, Tatis was traded by a Chicago team for a middling pitcher very early in his development. With Tatis, it was the White Sox who traded him. Hopefully Cruz can haunt the northsiders in the same sort of way.
You have to credit Mike DeBartolo for identifying Cruz and trading for him in his stint as interim GM. The work he did at the draft and the deadline has been aging very well so far. However, it seems like Cruz is his biggest win. Getting a future top 100 prospect for a rental Michael Soroka is brilliant work. He is still in the organization, so hopefully he can help Paul Toboni find more gems like this.
If you want an indication of how much Cruz’s stock has risen since the start of the season, you just have to look at the prospect rankings. Baseball America, the same outlet comparing Cruz to Fernando Tatis, ranked him as the number 26 prospect in the Nationals system. MLB Pipeline had him in a similar range, ranking him 25th. Pipeline had the other piece of the Soroka trade, Christian Franklin ahead of Cruz.
Once they update their lists, I would imagine Cruz will move into a similar range as the one Fangraphs has him in. On a Baseball America podcast, they indicated that Cruz would be in their top 5 once they update the rankings.
While Cruz’s ascent has been about as steep as Mt. Everest, you could see some of this coming if you read the tea leaves. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Cruz during Spring Training. Paul Toboni himself name dropped Cruz a couple times. He said that Cruz was the prospect that impressed him the most this spring during an interview with Grant Paulsen.
My first real exposure to Cruz was when I went down to West Palm Beach for Spring Training. He actually appeared in one of the big league Spring Training games I went to and proceeded to hit a home run off of JP France, an Astros righty who has pitched in the big leagues.
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) March 8, 2026
I also saw him get a couple hits on the back fields as well. After seeing how good his swing looked and the kind of power he could produce, I was impressed. I made a point of including him when discussing the Nats more famous teenage infield prospects like Eli Willits, Coy James, Luke Dickerson and Gavin Fien.
However, he is shattering even my most optimistic expectations this spring. He started the season like a house on fire for the Fred Nats. Cruz hit .333 with 3 homers and a crazy 15 steals in 14 games. He posted an OPS of 1.087 and often looked like the best player on the field for a stacked Fred Nats team.
Despite never playing above rookie ball before this season, Paul Toboni decided to promote Cruz to High-A Wilmington after those 14 games. That decision made me even higher on Cruz because it showed just how much faith the organization has in him. The fact he was promoted before guys like Luke Dickerson and Yeremy Cabrera is telling. Those other two guys were also performing well and had much more Low-A experience, but it was Cruz who got the promotion.
When he got to Wilmington, I figured Cruz would slow down a little bit. If you looked at his underlying data, he was chasing a bit more than you would like and his contact rates were not amazing as well. That, combined with Wilmington being a very pitcher friendly environment led me to believe Cruz would take a few lumps before eventually figuring things out.
It has only been three games, but so far Cruz has disproven my theory. He has homered twice in three games and has taken to the new level like a duck to water. Cruz is 5/14 with an OPS of 1.186 as a 19 year old in High-A. It is absolutely bonkers to see what this kid is doing.
stay hot 🔥
ronny cruz with a three-hit night, including his second homer in just three games in high-a! pic.twitter.com/7oVXIew0tr
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) April 24, 2026
He has gone from a high upside flier to a top 100 prospect in the span of a few weeks. This guy has an incredible level of upside and ability. He has a natural feel for the barrel and does a great job hitting the ball at good angles. That allows him to tap into his impressive raw power. He is also a great athlete who could play all over the field if needed.
This season he has split time between shortstop, third base and second base. He has spent the most time at third, but could feasibly play at any of those spots. Cruz has good hands and actions on the dirt. That only makes his overall profile even more tantalizing.
Cruz is the real deal and is the Nats breakout prospect of 2026 so far. His plate discipline and hit tool are still a bit raw, but not to the point where it is truly problematic. We have seen so much development in this player already that you can project future growth as well.
I am curious to see what Cruz does as he sees better pitching. Will he eventually hit a wall as he sees better breaking balls or is this rocket ship only starting its ascent? Only time will tell, but Nationals fans have a new prospect to get excited about and his name is Ronny Cruz.
With the Bridgeport Islanders' season over, an era ends, with a new one beginning in Hamilton, Ontario.
Rocky Thompson, whom Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche hired ahead of this season, is expected to remain as head coach. Thompson led the team back to the Calder Cup Playoffs after back-to-back last-place finishes in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
We'll see about his assistant coaches, who, I'm sure, will get some attention from other teams, especially with the move up north.
Rosters from one season to the next are never the same. Here are the players under contract for at least 2026-27: those who finished the season with Bridgeport or are likely to be with Bridgeport next season.
RFA contracts must be tendered by 5 PM ET on June 30 or the Monday after the NHL Draft, whichever is later.
Unrestricted Free Agent:
A player whose contract has expired and who is completely free to sign with any team, with no restrictions and no compensation owed to their previous team.
Forward: Matthew Highmore, Matt Luff
Defensemen: Ethan Bear
Goaltender: Marcus Hogberg
Group Six Unrestricted Free Agent:
A player who is 25 or older, has played three or more professional seasons, and has played less than 80 NHL games.
In June 2024, the Nets traded Mikal Bridges for five firsts, four unprotected,, a first swap etc. He was supposed to be key piece for the Knicks in a championship run. He scored 0 points in a big post-season loss Thursday night. His team is now down 2-1 in the East.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle on a trade to send F Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/TEGsIpoa3b
In June 2025, the Nets traded Cam Johnson for an protected first and a younger player who wound up averaging 25 points a game. He was supposed to be key piece for Nuggets in a championship run. He scored six points Thursday night in big post-season loss. His team is now down 2-1 in the West.
Breaking: The Denver Nuggets are trading Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson, sources tell @ShamsCharania.
Of course, both teams can recover from being down 2-1. They are, after all, the higher seeds and have superstars in Jalen Brunson and Nikola Jokic. Also, both former Nets could rise to the occasion.
However, the talk in New York and Denver, particularly New York, Friday morning is about the trades as well at the losses. Putting aside the commentary about the trades at the time — Bill Simmons called the Porter deal “one of the worst in a decade” — and whether Sean Marks hung on to both for too long, where do the Nets stand with their “take” from the two trades??
While most of the kerfluffle Monday is about the trades’ effect on the Knicks and Nuggets, little has been written or said how Brooklyn’s fortunes will be affected! A NetsDaily analysis shows that the two deals will provide Brooklyn with at least one pick — a first, a swap, or a second — over aneight-year stretch starting last June and going through 2032. The ten picks were acquired directly or in subsequent trades of assets acquired in the original deals. Here’s how, year by year. Obviously, the Bridges trade has had and will have the most effect.
2025 NBA Draft
— The first return on the Bridges trade came at No. 19 in the first round of the 2025 Draft, when the Nets used the Milwaukee Bucks first rounder, acquired from the Knicks on Nolan Traore. The Knicks had acquired the top four protected pick from the Pistons in 2022.
— The Nets also drafted Ben Saraf with the Knicks unprotected pick at No. 26.
— The Nets traded their second round pick, the No. 36, which they reacquired from New York in the Bridges deal, to the Phoenix Suns for two future seconds in 2026 and 2030. (More on that below.) The Nets apparently decided after trading for the No. 22 pick the day before that they didn’t need yet another development project.
2026 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold the rights to the Los Angeles Clippers’ second rounder at No. 43. That’s one of the two picks the Suns sent the Nets for the No. 36 pick in 2025. Whether the Nets will use the pick to select a player would seem uncertain considering that they will have seven players on rookie deals next season: their own 2026 pick, the Flatbush Five plus Noah Clowney.
2027 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold the rights to the Knicks unprotected first round pick.
2028 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold unprotected first round swap rights with both the Knicks, acquired in the Bridges trade, and the Suns, the last vestige of the Kevin Durant trade in February 2023. (The details are a bit complicated but Nets will likely to swap their pick for the Knicks and possibly another team.)
2029 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold the rights to the Knicks unprotected first round pick.
2030 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold rights to the Boston Celtics second rounder, acquired in the trade of that 2025 second they had re-acquired from the Knicks in the Bridges trade.
— The Nets hold rights to the Dallas Mavericks second rounder, acquired in their trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Ziaire Williams which took place three weeks after the Bridges deal and included a piece from the deal. The Nets used the final piece of their trade with the Knicks, the non-guaranteed contract of Mamadi Diakite, as well as an unused trade exception to complete the deal.
2031 NBA Draft
—The Nets hold the rights to the Knicks unprotected protected first round pick.
2032 NBA Draft
— The Nets hold the Denver Nuggets unprotected first round pick from the Cam Johnson/MPJ trade to Denver.
———————————————————————-
So the current take from the two trades is six first rounders, all but one unprotected; a first round swap; three seconds as well as two rotation players, the 27-year-old Michael Porter Jr. and the 24-year-old Ziaire Williams.
Bottom line is that it could take a long time, at least through the Draft in 2032, to get a final read on who won the trades. It’s generally accepted that if deal culminates in a chip, they win. No questions asked. That is what they play for.
Now though, the trades look like their heavily weighted in Brooklyn’s favor. And who knows whether the Nets will make another big trade this June!
The Portland Trail Blazers plan to make a run at two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo if/when he becomes available for a trade this offseason, reports Bill Oram of The Oregonian. The idea would be to reunite the former Milwaukee teammates in the Pacific Northwest.
"Having Lillard back, especially on a bargain $14 million contract, makes the Blazers better on the court, but it also gives the front office greater urgency to go all in and chase other stars. The Blazers are prepared to make a pitch for Giannis Antetokounmpo as long as he is willing to sign an extension but are not likely to limit their options to Lillard's former Milwaukee teammate."
A few thoughts here, in bullet point form.
• The key part of that paragraph is "as long as he is willing to sign an extension." Antetokounmpo has one more season (then a player option) on his current contract. Any team that trades for him is going to want him to sign an extension. That's what gives Antetokounmpo leverage in the trade talks, he can tell a team "I will not re-sign with you" and they will likely bow out of the running.
• It's highly unlikely Antetokounmpo would extend in Portland. If Antetokounmpo is leaving Milwaukee, it's to go to a team with a real chance to win a title — he has said that is his primary motivation. Portland, while it has a promising young core with some veteran talent, is not a title contender — and Antetokounmpo would be moving into a conference with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder and Victor Wembanyama's Spurs. The road to the Finals from the West is brutal. Obviously, the idea is that adding a top-five player in the world (when healthy) to Portland makes a good team a contender, but would it still be that with what the Trail Blazers would have to send back to the Bucks?
• The book so far on Dundon is that he will spend big on player salaries, but tries to cut costs everywhere else. So the team's two-way players do not get to travel to away playoff games. The team's support staff has to check out of hotel rooms early and kill hours in the lobby, until it's time to go to the arena, to save money on late fees. He's not giving out free T-shirts to fans at the team's first playoff game in five years. He's calling up other coaches — while Tiago Splitter is still employed and leading this team in the playoffs — to see if he can find a quality coach for less than the going rate.
• For players with options — like Antetokounmpo — all of that is a huge turn-off. Why go to a team that is pinching pennies when he has other teams that show more support to their staff and fans? It's hard enough to get free agents to commit to Portland (fair or not), remove perks and make the work environment less than ideal, and things get just that much more difficult.
• Leaking this smells of a public relations ploy at a time when the team is taking PR hits off the court. "Hey look fans, we're trying to get the biggest names!" It's not that Portland will not make a pitch, it's that leaking it feels more about the PR spin than anything else.
• Oram also says in the story that there is a chance Damian Lillard could return this postseason.
"Any appearance would need to be in a later round or 'deep, deep' in the series against the Spurs."
Don't bet on this. While it might be an emotional lift, the Trail Blazers would be taking a guy who has missed all season — and was not a great defender before his injury — and thrusting him right into the middle of the most intense games of the season. He'd get no ramp-up, and his teammates would have to adjust to playing with him on the fly. All of that is a big ask.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings in their Game 3 matchup. With this, the Avalanche now have a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Kings and have increased their odds of advancing to the second round significantly.
Former Montreal Canadiens forward Artturri Lehkonen certainly played a role in the Avalanche winning Game 3, as he put together a strong performance for the Central Division club.
First, Lehkonen recorded an assist on Cale Makar's second-period goal that gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Then, the former Canadiens winger scored the Avalanche's game-winning goal at the 7:39 mark of the third period.
After a game like this, it is clear that Lehkonen was the Avalanche's hero for Game 3. The former Canadiens forward now has two goals and three points in three playoff games for Colorado this spring. This is after he had 21 goals, 27 assists, 48 points, and a plus-32 rating in 70 games this regular season.
It will now be interesting to see if the former Canadiens forward can stay hot for the Avalanche from here. He is having a great start to the playoffs.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 10: A general view of the video board during an ABS challenge against Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in the third inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday, April 10, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary Holt/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
When I first started writing here about a decade ago, the biggest gripe we had with the institution that is MLB is how scared they were to make changes. Replay review had been instituted but in comparison to the other Big Four leagues, baseball seemed unwilling to challenge the century-old traditions that enveloped it, even to the point of self-harm. Fast forward to 2026 and the game looks very different, and in a good way.
We’re a couple years into the pitch clock era, and pulling up highlights from 2015 make me wonder why it took so long to implement that little change. Larger bases and the pickoff limit have helped incentivize a more athletic, dynamic style of play on the basepaths, one that the Yankees surprisingly finally started to take advantage of this season. The “Ohtani rule”, allowing Shohei to remain at DH even once he’s been taken out as a starting pitcher, helps keep the biggest start in the sport in the spotlight as long as possible — regardless of how you feel about the guy, MLB is truly marketing its marquee attractions, a complaint levied many times in my adult life against the league.
And of course we’re a month into the ABS era, and after the whirlwind of excitement that was the rule’s first week, we’ve settled into a nice rhythm with it. Fans aren’t waiting with quite the bated breath the way that Cincinnati crowd tormented CB Bucknor, and Ben Rice seems to have learned his lesson about challenging, but the ABS challenge itself has simply become another part of the game. Any addition to game time seems marginal — average gametimes so far this year have been two hours, 40 minutes, exactly in line with averages the last couple of seasons — and I haven’t felt any disruption to the “flow” of things, although others may differ.
In short, MLB has been getting it right with their rule changes post-COVID. They have identified areas where tweaks and fixes have been needed, experimented with the right solutions in the minors, and then allowed those solutions to graduate to the majors. That process itself deserves credit, as MLB teams are graduating prospects to the 26-man roster that have already experienced pitch clocks and challenge systems while in the developmental system, so they’re used to the changes before things start to really matter.
Each of these rule changes has also addressed an actual need, and that’s the cautionary tale going forward. You can get far too cute with rulebook tinkering — the way the NBA calls fouls jumps immediately to mind — and that does eventually degrade the product. Instead, MLB wanted to cut down overall game time, keep the most bankable name on the field as much as possible, introduce a faster alternative play style, and clean up the most egregious missed calls. Specific needs, targeted solutions.
Everything we write and talk about with respect to baseball in 2026 is overshadowed by coming labor troubles. Whether we lose games in 2027 or not, this winter is going to be ugly. MLB has had a load of successes come its way, from an emergent dynasty (and dynasties are always good for business) to the World Baseball Classic to the growing international spotlight shone on the game. The rule changes the league has implemented have contributed to that success, both in terms of a higher-quality game and positive coverage.
The game itself is healthy, thriving, and growing, which is not something we’ve been able to say at many points in my lifetime. Squabbling over what exact percentage of a few billion dollars — when the San Diego Padres are worth four billion on their own — will halt all that progress in its tracks. The most acute, appropriate rule changes on the planet cannot undo the harm of a lost season. MLB has made great strides to improve the state of baseball, and keeping that momentum going needs to be the focus, not a salary cap.
Fans of both sides are feeling similar levels of stress at different ends of the Premier League table
Zadie Smith once wrote that “the square mile around Arsenal’s stadium could be a suitable surrogate for the whole wide world”. Perhaps you only really glimpse this on a match day, when the jerk chicken grills and paella pans fire up and belch delicious smoke across the rows of terraced houses, when the locals in weathered replica shirts brush shoulders with tourists bearing selfie sticks, when a small group of dedicated volunteers at a kiosk by the Ken Friar Bridge accepts non-perishable donations for the Islington food bank.
And you shall scoff, and you shall sneer, because there is a north London of the popular imagination, and Islington in particular, which has become a surrogate for something else entirely. A slur, an insult, a byword for privilege and entitlement and metropolitan effeteness, the place of Blair and Corbyn and Starmer and a shrink on every street corner. North London is elite, north London is out of touch, north London looks down on the rest of you while eating plates of £16 pasta.
The Buffalo Sabres were in a precarious position trailing 1-0 in the second period and facing a penaltyshot attempt from Viktor Arvidsson, who scored a pair of goals in the Boston Bruins 4-2 victory in Game 2 earlier this week. After a loss where Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen dropped the ball by allowing a center-ice dump-in to get past him and change the momentum of the series, Lyon stopped Arvidsson and gave the Sabres the boost they needed in a 3-1 victory in Game 3 at TD Garden on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
"(The Lyon save was) definitely a turning point,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “I mean really bad luck, (Rasmus Dahlin) breaks a stick and can't do anything with the puck, and (Alex) came up with a huge save for us, at a crucial time of the game."
Bowen Byram tied the game soon after, and Alex Tuch scored the game winner early in the third period, with Noah Ostlund adding the empty-net insurance goal. The rookie center had a two-point night (1 goal, 1 assist) in his first NHL playoff game in relief of the injured Josh Norris.
“He's got experience, he's been in the (AHL) playoffs. Everybody's a little nervous going into a game like that, I totally understand that," Ruff said. "I thought (Noah) played a really solid game for us, a little disjointed with all the penalties, I'd like to see them play a little bit more because he was going so good. But for a first playoff game with us, you could say, gets an A plus."
The power play continues to be a sore spot for the Sabres, as they went 0 for 5 in Game 3, and are 0 for 14 in the playoffs, but unlike the first two games in Buffalo, where Boston scored with the man advantage in each game, the Sabres killed off four penalties, including a pair of minors in the final 10 minutes of regulation with the Bruins pressing for the tying goal.
"We weren't really happy with our first couple kills. We lost a little bit of our positioning, and gave him a couple big opportunities. We went through through some of those after the first period. And I thought those last two kills were, were excellent," Ruff said "I thought we got a couple great blocks. I thought especially those top four guys up front they were killing and the (Conor)Timmins block, I thought (Mattias) Samuelsson was really solid around net front and didn't really give him that second opportunity."
The Sabres have an extra day of rest in before Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, and Ruff is conveying the message to his club not to get overconfident and flush the results of the win, just as he instructed them to get past the loss in Game 2.
"You've got to get through the emotion of losing a tough game. You lose at home, and you had all this emotion after Game 1. That's the battle of the playoffs is you've got to be ready to put put away a big win, like we have to be ready to put this game away and get ready for a really desperate team on Sunday in their building, Ruff said. "Just the same way they have to put the game away and and know that they got a battle to bounce back. It's something that our guys, some of them, haven't been through, but they've got a little bit of a taste of it."
Leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was a big name in the rumor mill. However, the Flyers decided to hold on to him past the deadline.
Now, the Flyers' decision to not trade Ristolainen is paying off for them.
Ristolainen has had a strong start to the postseason for the Flyers, as he has three points and a plus-2 rating in three games. This included him scoring in the Flyers' Game 3 win over the Penguins. He also had two assists for the Flyers in Game 1, which was the first playoff game of his 13-year NHL career.
With this, there is no question that he has been making a positive impact for the Flyers this postseason. Had the Flyers decided to trade him, they very well might not have had their strong finish to the regular season that got them into the playoffs.
Ristolainen is exactly the kind of big right-shot defenseman that teams need during the playoffs, and he is showing that with the Flyers right now. It will be interesting to see how he performs as the playoffs continue from here.
The rhythm of this playoff series for the Philadelphia Flyers has been built on repetition. Same lines and pairings, same opponent, same patterns sharpened and re-sharpened until something gives.
But every so often, in the throes of postseason hockey, something small can come in and disrupt that rhythm. Not enough to cause panic, not enough to demand overhaul, but just enough to force a recalibration.
For the Flyers, that recalibration may come in the crease.
Dan Vladar has been, in many ways, one of the crucial constants behind their early series control against the Pittsburgh Penguins. A stabilizer and a leading voice in the locker room, his game has been defined by both spectacle and sequence—save selection, rebound control, emotional presence. It’s the kind of goaltending that pulls focus for all the right reasons.
But Vladar has been asked to backstop three consecutive high-intensity, physical games against Pittsburgh, rarely getting a day off with travel and practices in between. He's stepped up to the challenge (and then some), but he's not immune from joining the banged-up brigade that makes up so many playoff hockey teams.
Head coach Rick Tocchet isn't sweating it, though, should he have to sit Vladar to avoid risking injury. He has full confidence in the other half of the Flyers' goalie tandem, Sam Ersson, to take care of business if he's called upon.
The Wear Beneath the Workload
Vladar took a knock to the hand in Game 3 on April 22. It wasn't dramatic or immediately consequential, but it was cause for a bit of worry.
He followed with a pre-planned maintenance day on April 23. Then another on April 24.
Maintenance days for Tippett, York, and Vladař. Rick Tocchet said Vladař is feeling better today after taking a knock to the hand last night, clarifying that he probably would have a maintenance day today regardless.
Rick Tocchet’s framing was careful, but not dismissive of the question of Vladar's fitness for Game 4 on April 25.
“It’s more of a maintenance thing," he said after practice on Thursday. "He was gonna probably be off [today] anyway, but he’s a little banged up. He feels better today.”
The name of the game for playoffs—especially a series as physical as this one has been—is maintenance, management, and precaution. The Flyers have admitted that they came out of the regular season banged up, but as many NHL players do, have refused to sit out games like these—especially since for most of this Philadelphia team, this is their first playoffs.
But goaltending, more than any other position, lives in the margins of physical precision. A fraction of a second in tracking, a slight hesitation in sealing the post, a rebound that travels a few inches farther than intended—small disruptions like those can compound quickly.
And Vladar has played a lot. Not just in volume, but in intensity. These have not been passive minutes. They’ve been layered, high-attention performances in games where structure has held, but still required finishing touches. The Flyers have not needed him to steal games, but they have needed him to complete them.
The Value of Readiness Over Reaction
If there is a potential shift coming for Game 4, it doesn't feel like one born of urgency. It feels like one born of preparedness.
Sam Ersson has not been an afterthought in this series. He’s been, in Tocchet’s words and actions, a parallel track—developing quietly, staying engaged, maintaining a rhythm that isn’t always visible from the outside.
Tocchet didn’t hedge when asked about the possibility of turning to him for what could be the final game of the series (Flyers currently hold a 3-0 series lead over the Penguins).
“His mental and physical game since the Olympics—I don’t think he’s had a bad start," Tocchet said on Thursday. "I’ll tell you, the Montreal game [on April 14], going in there, we have half [Lehigh Valley Phantoms call-ups], people are saying we’re throwing him to the wolves, and he was really good. So I’m not really worried if he had to play. He’s locked in, even in practice. If his number is called, he’ll be ready to go.”
Tocchet's viewpoint is clear: Should Ersson be put in net for Game 4, they have full confidence that he could slam the door on the Flyers' western Pennsylvania counterparts.
Ersson’s trajectory since the Olympic break has been defined by correction—refinement rather than total reinvention. His game has tightened in predictable ways: cleaner reads through traffic, more controlled rebounds, a steadier presence in moments where games begin to stretch.
“I think that a good finish was well needed," Ersson told media on Thursday. "I had to take a step up from how I was playing and just trying to do my best and contribute. We knew that every point during that stretch mattered. It was very important… I feel like I’m in a good spot with my game. Obviously it helps stringing wins together, makes you feel better about your game.”
The Psychological Balance of a Possible Change
Switching goaltenders in a playoff series—especially with a dominant lead—could be framed as a risk. But it can also be insulation.
The Flyers are not reacting to a breakdown. Vladar has been extremely effective, composed, and aligned with the structure in front of him. The question isn’t whether he can continue. It’s whether he should, right now, in this moment of the series.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 22, 2026. (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
Rest, in this context, is not retreat. It’s preservation.
And if Ersson starts Game 4, the responsibility doesn’t change. The environment will.
Philadelphia will still have the advantage of home ice in this game, with a chance to sweep, yes, but also with the expectation of a response from Pittsburgh. The Penguins will push—harder, earlier, with greater urgency. The Flyers know this.
So does Ersson.
“I try to work very hard throughout the year and build day by day and just be ready at all times," he said. "I think that’s something you work on to just keep your game in a good spot so that when your name is called upon, you’re ready to go.”
Continuity, Even in Change
The most important detail in all of this is not who starts Game 4, because at the moment, we just don't know yet. It's that, structurally, very little changes regardless.
The Flyers have built their early series success on predictability—not in the sense of being easy to read, but in the sense of being internally consistent. For a goaltender, that matters.
It defines sightlines, dictates shot quality, reduces the number of situations that require improvisation. And whether it’s Vladar or Ersson, or even AHL call-ups Aleksei Kolosov or Carson Bjarnason, the expectation is not that the goaltender will redefine the game. It’s that he will fit into its existing shape.
If Vladar plays, it will be a continuation with the understanding that he’s managing more than just the opponent.
If Ersson plays, it will be an opportunity—not as a deviation, but as an extension of the same identity.
Either way, the Flyers are not approaching Game 4 as a pivot point. They are approaching it as part of a sequence they believe they control. The crease, for now, is simply the most visible place where that control might be tested.
And the most telling thing about this moment is that it doesn’t feel like this team is uncertain or panicking at a possible point of adversity. Every reaction feels considered. They trust their lineup enough to handle whatever the chaos of the postseason throws at them. Which, in a playoff series defined by structure, discipline, and emotional balance, may be the clearest sign yet of where the Flyers are—and how prepared they are for whatever comes next.
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 28: The Baltimore Orioles mascot on field before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 28, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
But enough about the Yankees series. Let’s move right on.
The Red Sox are headed to Baltimore to play the Orioles. Baltimore is 12-13 and Boston is 9-16 and on a three-game losing streak. Things haven’t gone great for the O’s while missing Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutchman, Tyler O’Neill, Ryan Mountcastle, Zach Eflin and playing sub-.500 baseball, but they’re still close to a coin flip away from the postseason.
Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt have been bad in the rotation. Sadly they won’t be facing the Sox. Who is?
Friday night the O’s start things off with Brandon Young. Young is a 27-year old righty who made 12 starts last season for Baltimore to the tune of a 6.75 ERA / 5.35 FIP. In one appearance this year he tossed five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out two. He’s a fastball/splitter/slider/sinker guy who tends to give up more ground balls than fly balls. Perfect for a team struggling for power. However, last year he allowed 12 homers in in 57.2 innings of work so, I don’t know, pencil in 1 home run. Let’s be optimistic.
Brayan Bello will oppose Young for the Red Sox. The arrival of Payton Tolle gave Alex Cora the chance to push him back a day. Bello has had good numbers against the Yankees but given his current funk who can argue with extra rest? In that 6.2 inning, 2-run outing against the Cardinals was back on 4/12 (coincidentally the last time Payton Tolle pitched before last night) he still looked like he was figuring some things out. Let’s hope he can channel that energy.
Trevor Rogers pitched like an ace last year in his short season. For 109.2 innings he posted an ERA of 1.81 (2.82 FIP) and won 9 games. Wins aren’t really meaningful this century because of baseball’s structural changes, but the O’s only won 75 games. In fact, the Orioles would win 13 of his 18 starts. He alone kept their season from becoming truly awful. For Boston, Garrett Crochet will be on the mound. What can you even say at this point? Just assume Tommy John and he’s back in 2028? Or is he really just a tweak away from being a Cy Young pitcher again? He certainly thinks this is a tweak situation and his start against Detroit looked good – still had 8 Ks, his season high – before the wheels fell off again. Bring back the War Pig!
The Sunday matinee features Kyle Bradish for the O’s. Through five starts he’s allowed two runs three times while allowing four and one, respectively, in the other outings. He’s been averaging about 5.0 innings per start. It would be nice to see the opposing starter leave the game early for a change. In 25 innings he’s allowed 31 hits plus 13 walks. The bases could be absolutely filled. Connelly Early will finish then series for the Red Sox. He was cruising through 5.0 innings against the Yankees before trouble hit. Can’t think of anyone the Sox have started you’d feel most certain about how he’ll do though. 90 pitches, 5 innings, probably 1 run. And he might do better!
Gunnar Henderson leads the O’s with 7 homers and as a team they’ve hit 26. He also leads the team with 36 strikeouts. And steals with 4. He’s pretty good.
Pete Alonso is hitting .213/.327/.372 with 3 homers and many years remaining.
Taylor Ward, acquired for frequent IL visitor Grayson Rodriguez has hit 13 doubles.
Roman Anthony should return to the lineup.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, April 24: Brayan Bello (6.75 ERA / 5.77 FIP) vs. Brandon Young (0.00 ERA / 3.54 FIP)
Saturday, April 25: Garrett Crochet (7.88 ERA / 4.98 FIP) vs. Trevor Rogers (4.08 ERA / 3.87 FIP)
Sunday, April 26: Connelly Early (2.88 ERA / 4.18 FIP) vs. Kyle Bradish (3.96 ERA / 3.50 FIP)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 13: Grant Holmes #66 of the Atlanta Braves takes the mound during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Braves and Phillies again. Grant Holmes vs. Andrew Painter again. Not on BravesVision again.
In the time we’ve been apart, the Braves took three out of four against the very pesky Nats to conclude a 6-1 road trip. The boys will return home to Cobb County with the best record in baseball (18-8).
The Phillies… were swept again. If you’re not a sicko who’s scoreboard watching in April like some of us, you’d be shocked to learn of their current streak of nine straight losses. (The Mets snapped their skid at 12, but lost Lindor to the IL in the process.)
After losing three at Wrigley, I’m sure they’re thrilled to be in Atlanta for the weekend. Sunday’s short-lived starters will have a second chance on Star Wars Night at Truist Park.
After the starter switcheroo that brought us the callups of Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie, Grant Holmes will pitch on regular rest to open this three-game set. Only going 4.2 innings the last time out versus Philadelphia, he threw 81 pitches, gave up four hits, allowed two earned runs on a Schwarber homer, walked one, and struck out four. He allowed the home run in the first and locked it down until Walt Weiss came to pull him just shy of qualifying for a win. While encouraging, Holmes is fighting to stay in the rotation instead of being moved to the bullpen in a long relief role. His longest outing to date was 6.2 innings in Anaheim on April 8, where he threw 99 pitches. Spencer Strider looms, and JR Ritchie had a strong debut. The saxophones are getting louder.
Holmes did outlast Phillies starter Andrew Painter, who threw 84 pitches in 4 innings on Sunday. In the rookie’s first loss, he was charged with a Michael Harris homer and two runs inherited by Tim Mayza. He walked one and struck out four. The only Braves to record a knock off him so far are Harris (twice), and Ronald Acuña Jr., Dom Smith, and Mike Yastrzemski all have one apiece. Ozzie Albies recorded a walk.
Same clubs seeing the same pitcher in less than a week. What could go wrong?
If we’re going to feel this much déjà vu, we might as well lean all the way in – might be an unpopular opinion, but I wouldn’t mind another Atlanta series sweep.
Elliot Anderson completed a stunning victory for Forest, who moves eight points clear of relegation after thrashing Sunderland
3 min A regrettable square pass from Sadiki, deep in his own half, is nicked by Hutchinson. Alderete makes an immportant challenge on the edge of the area and Anderson’s long-range shot deflects over the bar for a corner.
The corner is half cleared to Williams, who mishits a difficult volley well wide.
Apr 17, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Casey Legumina (64) pitches to the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Rays are acquring right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Ty Cummings.
Legumina, 28, was originally selected in the 8th round of the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Twins; Legumina was actually drafted twice prior to signing with the Twins (25th round in 2016 by Toronto & 35th round in 2018 by Cleveland). After quietly working his way up through Minnesota’s system, the Twins would trade Legumina to the Cincinnati Reds for Kyle Farmer in November, 2022. It was with Cincinnati that Legumina made his big league debut, appearing in 11 games during the 2023 season and compiling a 5.68 ERA | 6.73 FIP with a 18.0 K% & 14.8 BB% over 12.2 IP.
Legumina spent one more season with Cincinnati and then was claimed off of waivers by Seattle in February, 2025. Since joining the Mariners, Legumina compiled a 5.43 ERA | 4.15 FIP with a 23.5 K% & 10.3 BB% over 61.1 IP. The Mariners designated Legumina for assignment April 21st following a string of appearances in which he allowed six runs on 10 hits over 4.1 IP.
The cost to acquire Legumina was minor leaguer Ty Cummings, whom the Rays originally acquired from the Mariners as the Player to be Named Later in the Randy Arozarena trade. The 24-year old was originally a starting pitcher in the Rays system but they recently moved him to the bullpen. Prior to this trade, Cummings had made 3 appearances in Double-A, compiling a 1.69 ERA | 4.57 FIP over 5.1 IP.
Legumina is out of options, so the Rays will need to clear a spot on the active roster as well as on the 40-man roster. Marc Topkin is reporting that the move will be made official over the weeknd or on Monday.
NHL Must Address Jamie Benn After String of Dangerous, Uncalled PlaysJamie Benn's dangerous, uncalled playoff antics continue. The NHL faces pressure to address a pattern of reckless plays impacting star players.
