The Buffalo Sabres have had an unspectacular offseason after snapping their playoff drought and advancing to Game 7 of the second round, moving on from veteran winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram. The departures have subtracted 44 goals from last season, and it appears at this point that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is relying on internal improvement to fill the gap, but one of the external options that seemed to be realistic was the signing of future Hall-of-Famer and Buffalo native Patrick Kane.
Kane remains unsigned after the first two weeks of free agency, but Hall-of-Fame blueliner and TNT commentator Chris Chelios indicated on a Chicago radio show that a return to the Blackhawks is a possibility.
"I am not gonna lie to you guys, it is down to Buffalo and Chicago. I know that." Chelios said on 104.3 The Score on Wednesday. “I spoke to (Patrick), it’s a tough decision for him, whether to go home and make it easy on his parents, his family and his friends and finish like (Jonathan Toews) tried to do, or he comes back (to Chicago). In my opinion, he’s a Blackhawk.”
Kane spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, but rumors of the Buffalo native heading to his hometown team have circulated ever since he was dealt by the Blackhawks to the NY Rangers in 2023. The circumstances with the Sabres as a playoff team could be a good fit. Kane being added for secondary offense and as a Tuch replacement on the power play would be beneficial, since he posted 79 assists over the last two seasons. It is just a question of whether he wants to play in his hometown at the end of his career or return to the place where he won three Stanley Cups.
The Hawks are in need of help, especially at the start of the regular season with star center Connor Bedard out until Thanksgiving with a shoulder injury. After the signing of Peyton Krebs, the Sabres have just over $5 million in cap space, while Chicago has over $29 million in cap room and could afford to give the veteran winger one final big pay day on a short-term deal.
Last season, the guard averaged his fewest minutes per game since his rookie season, putting up an inefficient 8.1 points and shot just 38.7% from the floor.
Gary Trent Jr. #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives down court as Egor Demin #8 of the Brooklyn Nets gives chase. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Trent even fell out of the Bucks rotation entirely at times.
Despite that, the Bucks rewarded the shooting guard with a gargantuan raise and guaranteed salary for four years.
While some called it an offseason blunder, others claim it’s circumstantial evidence that the Bucks circumvented the salary cap to get the most out of the final years of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Coming off a $51.8 million contract with the Raptors in 2024, Trent signed for a league-minimum $2.6 million with the Bucks.
This was the only contract the Bucks could afford as they paid heavy prices on Antetokounmpo and Damien Lillard and were deep into the luxury tax apron.
Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets drives down court as Gary Trent Jr. #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends in the second half. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Trent’s numbers dropped in Milwaukee, no longer starting as he did at times with the Raptors, but the Bucks re-signed him last offseason with the 20% Non-Bird raise.
The extreme drop-off followed by a jump in salary that doesn’t match on-court performance, could potentially hint at a handshake deal made that promised a certain salary in the future for a short-term pay cut.
“At no time shall there be any agreements or transactions of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), express or implied, oral or written, or promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent, or understandings of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), between a player … and any Team … concerning any future Renegotiation, Extension, or other amendment of an existing Player Contract, or entry into a new Player Contract.”
The probing comes after just about everyone in the NBA world questioned the signing.
NBA salary cap expert Nate Duncan said on X that the contract “would fall under the provision that there is no possible explanation other than circumvention.”
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon chimed in saying the contract stunk.
Claude Lemieux built his legacy by fighting through adversity.
For more than two decades, the former NHL forward was known as one of hockey’s fiercest competitors — a player who elevated his game when the pressure was highest and became synonymous with playoff success.
But away from the spotlight, Lemieux was facing a battle few people knew about.
New details surrounding his death reveal that the four-time Stanley Cup champion struggled in the months leading up to his passing, including a reported relapse after 12 years of sobriety per TMZ. According to an incident report released following his death, Lemieux’s wife, Deborah, confronted him on May 27 after becoming concerned about changes in his behavior.
The report states Lemieux acknowledged he had relapsed. Deborah then asked him to leave their home that evening and contacted their son, Brendan, to discuss how the family could support him.
Hours later, Lemieux was found dead at the family business. He was 60 years old.
His death was later ruled a suicide.
Lemieux’s career was defined by moments when the stakes were highest.
Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 1983 NHL Draft, Lemieux went on to become one of the most accomplished playoff performers of his generation. Over a 21-season NHL career, he won four Stanley Cups — with Montreal in 1986, New Jersey in 1995 and 2000, and Colorado in 1996.
He developed a reputation as the ultimate big-game player, thriving in the intensity of postseason hockey and becoming one of the league’s most polarizing figures. Opponents hated playing against him, but teammates valued the edge, toughness and confidence he brought when championships were on the line.
Away from the ice, however, longtime friend Réjean Tremblay suggested Lemieux carried emotional struggles tied to how he felt his career was remembered after retirement.
Tremblay, a Montreal hockey columnist who knew Lemieux for more than 30 years, told The New York Post that Lemieux struggled deeply with not being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame following his retirement in 2009.
“He always lived this as an injustice, a heavy burden to bear,” Tremblay said.
Tremblay described Lemieux as someone who was “deeply sensitive to rejection,” saying the former NHL star never fully moved past the disappointment.
“The sense of rejection ran deeper than one might have imagined,” Tremblay said. “He took it very hard.”
In the months before his death, Lemieux made several public appearances celebrating a career that cemented his place in hockey history.
In December, he returned to Ball Arena as part of the Colorado Avalanche’s celebration of their 1996 Stanley Cup championship team — the first major professional sports championship in Colorado history.
Lemieux played an important role in that title run, recording seven goals during the Avalanche’s first Stanley Cup playoff journey after relocating from Quebec. During the celebration, he reflected on how the NHL had evolved since his playing days, praising the league’s increased emphasis on player safety.
Just days before his death, Lemieux returned to Montreal for another emotional moment.
On May 25, he served as a torchbearer before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. The appearance brought him back to the city where his NHL journey began and where he helped Montreal capture the 1986 Stanley Cup alongside goaltending legend Patrick Roy.
Tremblay later suggested the overwhelming support Lemieux received during that appearance may have brought complicated emotions to the surface.
“It’s possible that surge of love, that wave of love on Monday evening, triggered an emotion that was too intense,” Tremblay told The New York Post, citing conversations with people close to Lemieux.
“It might have reawakened old pains, old suffering.”
According to the incident report, Lemieux’s family had become concerned about changes they had noticed in his behavior over the previous year.
After Deborah confronted him and Lemieux acknowledged the relapse, Brendan went to the family business to check on his father and help determine how the family could support him.
The report states Brendan later found his father inside the building and contacted emergency services.
Lemieux’s family has since mourned the loss of a husband, father and grandfather — not just an NHL legend.
“I love you dad,” Brendan Lemieux wrote in an emotional tribute shared on Instagram. “My son [Luc’s] favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you.”
The NHL also honored Lemieux’s impact on the sport.
“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Claude Lemieux’s career will always be defined by the moments when he delivered under the brightest lights — the goals, the championships and the relentless competitive fire that made him one of hockey’s most memorable postseason performers.
But those who knew him best will remember more than the player who battled through playoff wars. They will remember a husband, a father and a person who faced struggles that were hidden from the public eye.
As the hockey world continues to mourn his passing, Lemieux’s story serves as a reminder that even those who appear strongest on the outside can be fighting battles no one else can see.
Apr 20, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) comes off the ice after the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
James Guillory/James Guillory-Imagn Images
NEW YORK — The most expansive season in NHL history will begin in September, not October, and limit most teams to four preseason games.
The league’s first 84-game season since 1993-94 opens Sept. 29 as 32 teams will combine to play a total of 1,344 games. The season runs through Saturday, April 10, before the playoffs begin the following week.
The increase from an 82-game slate, which had been the standard since the mid-’90s, was agreed upon by team owners and players in the last round of talks on a collective bargaining agreement. The intent is to provide more space between the end of the Stanley Cup Final and the draft in late June before free agency commences July 1.
When the Panthers and Oilers went the distance in ’24, there just were three days between Game 7 on June 24 in South Florida and the first round of the draft on June 28 in Las Vegas.
After defeating Vegas to win the Stanley Cup, the Carolina Hurricanes will raise their second championship banner on Sept. 29 against Florida.
That opening night, featuring five games, matches the earliest start date in NHL history and is the first time the regular season begins in North America before October. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings played games in London on Sept. 29 and 30, 2007.
The most recent — and only other — September hockey outside of exhibitions came during the pandemic playoff bubble in 2020, culminating when Tampa Bay hoisted the Cup in an empty arena in Edmonton on Sept. 28.
Games to watch
Oct. 21: New Florida Panther Brady Tkachuk returns to Ottawa. The former Senators captain plays his first game against his old team since getting traded to Florida to play with his brother, Matthew. It did not end well in Canada’s capital, from Brady bristling at his name being in rumors to asking out and then the team offering to take Tkachuk No. 7 jerseys fans wished to exchange.
Oct 25: Heritage Classic. The Montreal Canadiens visit the Winnipeg Jets in the return of outdoor hockey to Canada for the first time since 2023.
Dec. 21: Stanley Cup Final rematch: The Hurricanes return to the scene of their championship triumph to face the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. The two teams meet again in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Jan. 17.
Dec. 31: Winter Classic: Utah takes center stage outside, hosting the Colorado Avalanche in the Winter Classic in Salt Lake City.
Feb. 20: Jerry World hockey: The Dallas Stars host Vegas in at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas.
April 4: Washington hosts Pittsburgh. Alex Ovechkin is back for a 22nd NHL season with the Capitals. If this is it for him at age 41 — and it very well may not be if he wants to shoot for 1,000 career goals — this would be the last regular-season game against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins.
Zaire Wade, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of domestic violence during a court appearance in Pasadena Thursday.
Wade showed up in court wearing a gray three-piece suit and pink tie for his arraignment stemming from an altercation last month involving a woman he was dating.
Zaire Wade pleaded not guilty to felony charges of domestic violence during a court appearance Thursday. Frederick M. Brown for CA PostWade wore a three-piece suit during his court appearance. Frederick M. Brown for CA Post
He was warned by the judge to stay 100 yards away from the unidentified victim and told to sign a document saying he doesn’t have additional firearms in his name, after authorities removed a handgun from his home following the incident.
Wade responded “yes, your honor” when asked if he agreed to a Sept. 24 date for a preliminary hearing in the case.
His attorney, Kevin Moghtanei, told The California Post outside the courtroom that his client denies all the charges.
Zaire Wade, pictured with his father, Dwayne Wade.
When asked if Wade had additional guns in his home, Moghtanei said he couldn’t comment.
On June 21, police responded to a Burbank home around 5:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported hearing a woman screaming.
When officers arrived, they found Wade and a woman with lacerations to her face and body.
Zaire Wade is the oldest child of Dwayne Wade. NBAE via Getty Images
Paramedics evaluated the woman at the scene, but she was not taken to the hospital. Authorities also removed a handgun from the home after the arrest.
Following the arrest, an emergency protective order was put in place. Wade posted a $50,000 bond and was released later that day.
Zaire Wade is the oldest child of Dwyane Wade, the first-ballot Basketball Hall of Famer whose decorated NBA career includes three NBA championships, 13 All-Star selections, the 2010 All-Star Game MVP award, eight All-NBA honors and the league scoring title in 2009. The elder Wade has not issued any public comment regarding his son’s arrest.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues will open the 2026-27 regular season with a three-game road trip against Central Division foes, the NHL announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Blues will open the season with back-to-back games Oct. 2 against the Dallas Stars and Oct. 3 against the Colorado Avalanche before concluding with a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 6,
The Blues open the home schedule on Oct. 8 against the San Jose Sharks but play six of their first eight games away from Enterprise Center.
It's all part of a newly-formed 84-game schedule with fewer preseason games, going away from the standard 82-game schedule that features 22 weekend home games, including three on Fridays, 11 on Saturdays and eight on Sundays, which is a rarity for St. Louis.
The expanded NHL schedule will see the Blues play two additional divisional games, which means they will play in four matchups with each team of their Central Division opponents. The Blues will still play 24 games against Pacific Division teams and a home-and-home set with each team in the Eastern Conference.
The regular season wraps up for St. Louis on April 10, and for the third season in a row, the Blues will close against the Utah Mammoth at home.
The longest homestand of the season is six games from Nov. 27-Dec. 8, and the longest road trip is five games March 15-23.
Other highlights include:
* Sixteen of 19 home games on Saturday or Sunday start at 6 p.m. or earlier.
* The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes visit Enterprise Center early in the season on Oct. 24.
* The Blues play at the New York Islanders on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on Long Island; they host the New York Rangers coming out of Christmas break on Dec. 27.
* There are seven afternoon home games and another four on the road, including a New Year's Eve tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights.
* There are 12 sets of back-to-back games, including to open season.
* Jordan Kyrou returns to face the Blues for the first time with the Washington Capitals on Nov. 28. It will also be Connor McMichael's first game against the Capitals since the two were traded for one another.
* Mason McTavish and Ross Johnston, acquired via trade and free agent signing, respectively, face the Anaheim Ducks for the first time when the Ducks visit on Nov. 17.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Bryce Eldridge #8 of the San Francisco Giants is swarmed by teammates after a walk off grand slam at Oracle Park on June 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Remember May 1st? I don’t. But on that date, I wrote this about March & April:
The Giants were not a good baseball team, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be a bad baseball team going forward. Nobody wants to root for a bad team anyway.
That was the start of a post that looked at some of the fun/not fun stats from a bad first month of the season. Look at that language! Reader, I am an eternal pessimist, and the Giants have been so bad for so long (sorry, 2021 team!) that my default expectation for them is to come off more like a 100-loss team every season than a successful one, and it’s a belief that’s served me well. But sometimes, I have to pretend that We Can’t Predict Baseball just to conjure a thesis and compose an article about this increasingly putrid organization. This was one of those times.
And yet, here we are, midway through July, a hopeless 66 games ahead of us. There are plenty of numbers to look at to explain how we arrived at this bleak place, but in putting the post together, I was surprised to find one positive worth examining. So, let’s start there before getting into all the obviously bad stuff.
Hitting
I spent some time gushing about Luis Arraez yesterday as he’s the only plausible MVP case on the Giants’ roster here in 2026, but for the purposes of examining the team’s numbers from the first part of the season, it’s basically just Luis Arraez. He’s the 8th-most valuable player in Major League Baseball mainly because of his defense, yes, but his .330 batting average is second only to former Giant Otto Lopez (.334), the same 1-2 as the MLB Hits leaderboard (Lopez: 127, Arraez: 119); plus, his 4% strikeout rate is the lowest in the sport (Nico Hoerner is second with 7.9%). His 7 triples trail only Corbin Carroll. His 87 singles are #1 in MLB and he’s 20th in doubles.
While he probably won’t stay at 127 wRC+, I’ll take the opportunity to list all the Giants who’ve hit that or better since 2017 (min. 200 PA):
Buster Posey, 2017 (128 wRC+)
Mike Yastrzemski, 2020 (158)
Brandon Belt, 2021 (159)
Darin Ruf, 2021 (144)
Buster Posey, 2021 (141)
Brandon Crawford, 2021 (140)
Joc Pederson, 2022 (144)
Wilmer Flores, 2023 (134)
Tyler Fitzgerald, 2024 (132)
Rafael Devers wound up with a 135 wRC+ between the Red Sox and Giants, but specifically with the Giants he hit to a 126 wRC+. Yes, this is an arbitrary cutoff line, and it’s not as though Arraez is one of the top-top hitters (36th), but I declare this season of his to be fun!
Meanwhile, the Giants have scored the second-fewest runs in the National League (395 to San Diego’s 379). They have the sixth-lowest total in the sport just ahead of this weekend’s opponent, the Seattle Mariners (392).
The team’s walk rate has inched up to 6.7%. Still worst in the sport, but they have the sixth-best strikeout rate (20.6%), trailing the Cardinals (20.5%), Dodgers (20.3%), Diamondbacks (19.6%), Blue Jays (19.6%) and Rays (18.9%). And it’s not like they’re just hitting a bunch of singles. Their team ISO of .164 is 9th in MLB, 5th in the NL. The 106 homers is a mere 21st, but they’re tied for 1st with the Rockies in doubles (179) and tied for 2nd with the Diamondbacks in triples (21). Fun!
They’ve also managed to do okay avoiding the double play, with just 58 grounded into so far (14th in MLB). Knock out 2020 (51 GIDP), and these 2026 Giants are on pace for the fewest GIDPs by a Giants team since 2017. Last year, they hit into just 103, which is the fewest of the Oracle Park era when you remove 2020. The 2001 team is 2nd-best with 108. They’ve come a long way since Casey McGehee. Fun!
And after Willy Adames ended a decades-long drought of a 30-home run hitter in the lineup, the team looks like it could have two or (if Adames gets really hot in the final two months) even three 30-home run dudes in the lineup. Devers and Schmitt already have 19 and Adames has 15. It was at this exact point last season that he went on his tear, hitting .232/.335/.494 (.828 OPS) with 18 homers over his final 64 games. Fun!
Pitching
As I’ve said before, I tend to ignore Baseball Reference’s Wins Above Replacement in favor of FanGraphs’ fWAR (since FanGraphs contributors are hired by MLB teams more frequently), but every so often, rWAR will stick out to me. For instance, the Giants have 16 pitchers with negative rWARs. Yes, among those are Christian Koss (-0.1) and Buddy Kennedy (-0.1) , but even taking them out of the picture leaves us with 14 pitchers, which I’d say is a lot.
Ryan Walker, -0.9 rWAR
Matt Gage, -0.4
Adrian Houser, -0.3
Tyler Mahle, -0.3
Trevor McDonald, -0.3
Carson Seymour, -0.3
Ryan Borucki, -0.2
Jose Butto, -0.2
Wilkin Ramos, -0.2
Caleb Kilian, -0.1
Tristan Beck, -0.1
Gregory Santos, -0.1
Reiver Sanmartin, -0.1
Spencer Bivens, -0.1
The total value is -3.8 wins above replacement. I’ll be that guy and do this: +4 wins for the Giants is 45-51. That would put them 6.5/7 games back of a Wild Card, sure, but it would’ve saved everyone a lot of embarrassment. Still, this is where the rWAR vs. fWAR is meaningful. I don’t think the Giants are four wins short because of the pitching staff. I think the negative values given to the position players or, like, Spencer Bivens is sort of not worth examining and I’m not sure that Houser, Mahle, and McDonald add up to -0.9 wins. That’s 1.2 rWAR right there.
For comparison, FanGraphs has only 6 pitchers with negative values: Matt Gage (-0.8 fwAR), Ryan Walker (-0.3), Reiver Sanmartin (-0.3), Jose Butto (-0.2), Ryan Borucki (-0.1), and Carson Seymour (-0.1). That’s about 2 wins lost to relief pitching, which would be 43-53 and seems a bit more correct if we’re just looking at which model can best help us diagnose the problem. The starting pitching has been top heavy (Landen Roupp @ +2.1 fWAR, Logan Webb @ 1.9), but the rest basically replacement level, and that feels more correct.
Having said that, the Baseball Reference numbers sent me to Stathead to conduct this search: how many teams in the San Francisco era have featured a sub-replacement pitching staff? The current Giants’ staff is at 2.2 rWAR, and maybe thanks to Logan Webb alone they might manage to stay in the positive, but I was curious. Unfortunately, the only two results that came up were 1996 (-2.3) and 1995 (-10.4). So, I expanded the scope a bit to see which teams had below 5 wins above replacement in value. That list was a bit more illustrative. 9 teams registered:
Just one winning team in the bunch and all pretty (in)famous teams to some degree. That 2020 might’ve been something had there been some good in the bullpen. That got corrected for 2021.
Now, contrast this with FanGraphs’ bottom 9 of the San Francisco era:
Okay, so, some actual agreement between the systems here. The four worst pitching staffs in San Francisco Giants history were in 1995, 2020, 1996, and 2026, with the only real controversy being 2020 vs. 1996. But at the end of the day, Zack & Buster’s Pitching Staff has been a top-5 worst of the San Francisco era. Fun!(?)
Fielding
The Giants wound up one of the worst fielding teams in the sport. They have the distinction of being “first worst,” as their -6 Outs Above Average (18th in MLB) trails Houston’s +0. They’re followed by an eclectic mix of teams — Nationals (-8), Rockies (-10), Pirates (-11), Rays (-11), Phillies (-15)… Tigers (-19), Twins (-19)… Mariners (-30; yes, they’re dead last) — so, maybe Outs Above Average isn’t the best measure? Or, defense hasn’t been the deciding factor in team success this year… unless you’re the Mariners?
They were particularly bad (-12) against left-handed batters, which makes sense because of (1) Oracle Park and (2) Jung Hoo Lee, who is -2 in right field but -6 in Fielding Run Value overall thanks to also being -2 in CF.
And, to be clear, it is the outfield that’s hurt them, especially in left field (-8, 29th in MLB). On the infield, they’re +5 Outs Above Average (13th in MLB), and even there, the number has been dragged down by Willy Adames (-12) and first base (-2).
Okay, I’ve taken a break from gushing about Luis Arraez, but now it’s back to the gushing. His +10 Outs Above Average is 6th-best in the sport of any position. He’s 11th in terms of Fielding Run Value, which Statcast defines:
Fielding Run Value is Statcast’s metric for capturing a player’s measurable defensive performance by converting all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics from different scales onto the same run-based scale, which can then be read as a player being worth X runs above or Y runs below average. Currently, the conversions for those metrics are as follows. (Unless otherwise noted, all metrics are available since 2016.)
How to read it: In 2024, Andrés Giménez had a Fielding Run Value of +17 runs, which came from 14 runs on range and 3 runs via his involvement in double plays, making him the most valuable defender in baseball among non-catchers that season.
Matt Chapman still checks in 40th on the Fielding Run Value list at +5. His +4 Outs Above Average ranks 55th.
Regrettably, Willy Adames is in the bottom 3 of Outs Above Average (-11), behind Junior Caminero (-13) and CJ Abrams (-11). Moving Adames off of shortstop as soon as they trade Luis Arraez is probably the move, even if doing something like that in-season is tricky/inadvisable.
And the less said about Heliot Ramos’s defense (-2 Outs Above Average & -3.6 Defensive Runs Above Average in 58 games), the better. Yikes. He’ll need to hit like he did in 2024 — 20% better than the league average — to be a valuable player. Fun!(?)
It hasn’t gone well and what’s a little amusing about the whole situation is that it was entirely predictable. Sometimes, it’s fun to predict outcomes and be right, regardless of if it’s a positive or negative outcome. But bad bullpens are really hard to watch. And the team’s continuing inability to develop pitching prospects at a useful rate has really added insult to injury. Oh well.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: An exterior view of PPG Paints Arena before the game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
We got some of the opening games for the Penguins yesterday, today the NHL has announced the full season schedule.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will open up their 2026.27 campaign on the road against their cross-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday, September 30 with puck drop set for 7:30 PM.
Penguins fans will have their first opportunity to see the team in its home opener on Saturday, October 3 against the Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 PM at PPG Paints Arena. Including Pittsburgh’s home opener, the first month of the regular season features three Saturday night home games in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 (vs. MTL), Oct. 10 (vs. DAL) and Oct. 24 (vs. NSH).
The month of November is packed with 13 games, featuring six on the road and seven at home, including the team’s annual games on the night before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25 vs. CGY) and Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28 vs TOR). Penguins fans can celebrate the holiday season at PPG Paints Arena with eight games at home in December, highlighted by a season-long four-game homestand against Tampa Bay (Dec. 15), Los Angeles (Dec. 17), Seattle (Dec. 18) and Buffalo (Dec. 22) leading into the NHL’s Holiday Break from Dec. 23-25.
The Penguins will open up the 2027 calendar year with consecutive home games against Minnesota on New Year’s Day and Edmonton on January 3. Beginning on Jan. 1, Pittsburgh will play 10 home games leading into the NHL’s All-Star Break (Feb. 3-12) before returning to action on their longest road trip of the season with stops in Edmonton (Feb. 13), Seattle (Feb. 15), Vancouver (Feb. 16), Calgary (Feb. 19), Winnipeg (Feb. 21) and Minnesota (Feb. 23).
The Penguins close out their regular-season home schedule with five home games from Mar. 22-Apr. 3 with matchups against Columbus (Mar. 22), New Jersey (Mar. 25), Carolina (Mar. 27), New York Islanders (Apr. 1) and Philadelphia (Apr. 3), prior to finishing the 2026.27 campaign on a four-game road trip through Washington (Apr. 4), New York Rangers (Apr. 6), Detroit (Apr. 9) and New Jersey (Apr. 10).
To view the complete 2026.27 schedule, which is presented by UPMC, click here. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Beginning on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a matchup against the Canadiens, the Penguins will play 18 weekend home games at PPG Paints Arena on either a Friday night (3), Saturday (10) or Sunday (5), accounting for 43% of all regular-season home games.
Information regarding Penguins season memberships, 12-Packs and priority deposits for premium rentals and group experiences can be found here. Single-game tickets will go on sale Wednesday, August 5. Fans can sign up to receive Penguins emails here for access to a presale opportunity before tickets go on sale to the general public.
Pittsburgh’s schedule features some noteworthy home games that fans will want to circle on their calendar:
November 25 vs. Calgary & November 28 vs. Toronto: The Penguins are home for the holidays as they host the Flames for the team’s annual game on the night before Thanksgiving and the Maple Leafs on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
December 29 vs. Carolina: The Penguins host the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Hurricanes for the first of two visits to Pittsburgh.
January 1 vs. Minnesota: Penguins fans can ring in the new year with the team when the Wild make their only trip to Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day.
January 31 vs. Philadelphia: The Flyers visit the Penguins for the first time since the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs in a classic Keystone State matchup.
March 13 vs. Washington: Following Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin meet for their final matchup in Pittsburgh during the 2026.27 regular season.
April 3 vs. Philadelphia: It’s the Battle of Pennsylvania as the Penguins host their cross-state rivals in their final home game of the regular season.
The Penguins’ schedule has 15 sets of back-to-back games, beginning when Pittsburgh visits the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 9 and hosts the Dallas Stars on Oct. 10.
Split by months the games go:
September: One total, 1 away
October: 13 total, 6 home + 7 away
November: 13 total, 7 home + 6 away
December: 13 total, 8 home + 5 away
January: 14 total, 9 home + 5 away
February: 9 total, 3 home + 6 away
March: 15 total, 7 home + 8 away
April: 6 total, 2 home + 4 away
The team has an extended break around the NHL All-Star game, from Feb 3-12, and then go on their longest road trip of the year (six games through Western Canada + Minnesota). Coming out of that break, the Pens end the season with 18 of their final 29 games on the road, after a favorable stretch from Oct 22 – Jan 3 will see them play 20 games at PPG Paints Arena, out of 32 total games. The last four games of the season, and five of the last seven will be played on the road.
The season is loaded up with divisional and conference games at the end, the last 23 games after February 23rd are all against Eastern Conference opponents – and 11 out of the last 12 games are all against Metropolitan Division opponents who will be sure to be jockeying for key positions within the playoff race.
After six seasons with the St. Louis Blues, Dan Stewart is moving on.
Stewart has spent his tenure with the Blues as the NHL goaltending development coach, while also serving as the goaltending coach for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
But he has now moved on, joining the New Jersey Devils as the NHL goaltending coach.
The 50-year-old has a long history as a goaltending coach, beginning his coaching career in the OJHL with the Cobourg Cougars in 2011. He then moved to the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and U Sports’ Univ. of Ontario Institute of Technology.
He then made the move to the NHL, joining the Blues in the 2020-21 season.
The Devils have made plenty of moves involving the front office and staff members. It began when the Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their GM. He made changes to the assistant coaches and assistant GMs.
When the Devils announced the hiring of Stewart, they also announced two new assistant coaches, Ted Donato and A.J. MacLean, as well as a new director of goaltending, Leo Luongo, the brother of Roberto Luongo.
The Blues have made several changes themselves this off-season, including promoting Alexander Steen to GM. Now, they’ll be looking for a new goaltending development coach, whether through a promotion or an external hire.
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The Detroit Red Wings took a major step toward the upcoming campaign on Thursday, releasing their full 2026-27 regular season schedule, complete with several marquee matchups and milestone celebrations.
Detroit will open the season on home ice at Little Caesars Arena against the New York Rangers on Friday, October 2nd. This season marks a first in NHL history, as the league has expanded to 84 games for every team.
As always, the Red Wings will face their Atlantic Division rivals three to four times, take on Metropolitan Division opponents out of the Eastern Conference, and play all 16 Western Conference teams twice.
One of the season's biggest moments comes on November 18th, when the Red Wings host the Boston Bruins for the Centennial Celebration game, marking 100 years since the franchise's first NHL game in 1926.
Detroit will also continue its holiday traditions, hosting its annual night before Thanksgiving game on Wednesday, November 25th against the Vancouver Canucks, and closing out the year on New Year's Eve, December 31st against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
Before the holiday break, Detroit will host a pair of Atlantic Division tilts, welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, December 20th and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, December 22nd.
The new year opens with notable home dates against the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins. With the All-Star Game returning this season, hosted by the New York Islanders in Long Island, the Red Wings will head into a nine-day break spanning from a January 30th matchup at Columbus into February.
Detroit's regular season finale is set for Saturday, April 10th on the road against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
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It’s time to start circling dates on the calendar and planning road trips.
On Thursday, the NHL released its full 2026-27 schedule for all 32 of its teams.
For the Florida Panthers, there were several games and dates that jumped off the page.
As we learned on Wednesday when the league released the home opening matchups for every team, the Panthers will begin with four straight road games, starting with a Stanley Cup banner raising in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29 followed by a west coast trip stopping in San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles on Oct. 1, Oct. 4 and Oct. 6, respectively.
Florida’s home opener is set for Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild.
Interestingly, the Panthers will 13 games during the month of October (not including Opening Night in Raleigh on Sept. 29), but only four of them will be on home ice.
Some other notable games in Sunrise include the return of Sergei Bobrovsky on March 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the returns of Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist when the New Jersey Devils come to town on Feb. 18.
Around the holidays, Florida will have several home games.
They face the Ottawa Senators the night before Thanksgiving on Nov. 25 and are in Washington the night after on Nov. 27 before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning the following Saturday on Nov. 28.
In December, the Panthers will go into the Christmas holiday break with home games on Dec. 19 against the Calgary Flames and Dec. 21 against the St. Louis Blues before coming out of the break on Dec. 26 against Tampa followed by matchups on Dec. 28 against the Nashville Predators and Dec. 30 against the Buffalo Sabres.
That will be one of two five-game homestands for Florida, with the other coming from March 2 through March 12.
The Panthers will have two five-game road trips, tied for their longest of the season.
The first will be in early January when they travel to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle and Minnesota over the course of 11 days, then in mid-March Florida will travel to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo and Tampa Bay that will last 10 days.
Florida will also host the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 2 after traveling to Nashville on New Year's Day for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Preds.
The Cats will close the season with home games on April 6 against Montreal, April 9 against the Boston Bruins and April 10 against Carolina.
Photo caption: Dec 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13), center Aleksander Barkov (16) and left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds walks the carpet during the 2026 All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Mastercard at Independence Mall on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds may technically be on the All Star break, but that didn’t stop them from making one of the most important decisions of the franchise’s history. On Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Jeff Passan announced that the club and rising ace Chase Burns have agreed to a massive 7-year, $105 contract that cements his status as one of the franchise’s cornerstones.
Right-hander Chase Burns and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a seven-year, $105 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Burns, 23, was an All-Star this season and one of the best young pitchers in baseball. No club options. A straight deal that will run through 2033.
As MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand noted, it’s the largest contract every given to a pitcher with so little service time, and the deal includes no further options (nor deferrals). It also ties the total amount the Reds once guaranteed to pitcher Homer Bailey, and that’s the last time I’d like to use that name in reference to Burns going forward.
Reds P Chase Burns has agreed to a 7-year, $105M extension, per source. The deal, which includes no options or deferrals, is the largest guarantee given to a pitcher with less than 4 years of service and ties the largest guarantee given to a pitcher in Reds history (Homer Bailey)
It’s a massive commitment from a franchise that, to date, had been weary of making commitments to any of their players long-term. Hunter Greene was signed to a contract similar to that of Burns, albeit having done so fresh off of Tommy John surgery and with it including club options that were a hedge for the club. Jose Trevino picked up a small extension after being acquired just last season, but that was just about it for the club’s accounting ledger beyond what they doled out on 1-year deals in 2026 and their arbitration-controlled core.
Now, they know exactly what they’ve got on-payroll with their duel aces for the foreseeable future, and that’s a pair around whom every team in the sport would want to build.
The Chicago Blackhawks, in conjunction with the National Hockey League, have released their schedule for the 2026-27 season. It will be an expanded schedule as the league increases from 82 to 84 games.
On Wednesday, the league revealed all home openers, showing four Blackhawks games in total. They will open on September 29th at the Vegas Golden Knights. Their road trip will continue with games against the Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres, before returning to Chicago on October 6th for their home opener against the St. Louis Blues.
Now, the entire 84-game odyssey can be seen below:
Most of October will see the Blackhawks play a seven-game homestand, including the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. This is one of three total home streaks of five games or more.
The road games are much more staggered. There are a few trips, but only one road trip goes longer than four games, which is a west coast swing in January going into February.
The holidays will be filled with Blackhawks hockey at home, including the day after Thanksgiving on November 27th against the New York Rangers. They will also face the Boston Bruins on New Year's Day. On Halloween, they will be on the road against the Bruins.
Weekends at the United Center will be plentiful, as the Blackhawks will play 22 weekend games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Part of this schedule is two games for the Blackhawks against the Ottawa Senators in Düsseldorf, Germany, as part of the NHL Global Series. These games will take place at PSD Bank Dome on December 18th and 20th.
Blackhawks home games during the week are mostly going to be at 7 PM, instead of the usual 7:30. The weekend games will be at 6 PM or earlier. There are a lot of home matinees (9) on the slate.
In addition to the schedule release, the NHL announced that All-Star Weekend is returning this season, with a 10-day break for the Blackhawks from January 31st to February 9th. The event will take place on Long Island, New York.
Is this the year that the Blackhawks' rebuild takes a big step? It all begins on September 29th against the reigning Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights. The promotional schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
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The Vancouver Canucks have officially released their 2026–27 regular season schedule.
The 84-game slate of matchups for the Canucks features a season-opener against the Edmonton Oilers on September 29 in Edmonton that is one of two NHL opening-night matches. Vancouver will then play in their home-opener on October 1, also against the Oilers. They will conclude the 2026–27 regular season on April 10 against the Calgary Flames.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Vancouver will play in four pre-season games running from September 19 to 26. They will travel to face the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames on the 19th and 22nd respectively, before returning to play on home-ice against the Oilers and Kraken on the 24th and 26th.
Full 2026–27 Season Schedule:
*Local times written
September 2026
Tuesday, September 29 @ Edmonton Oilers, 8:00 pm
October 2026
Thursday, October 1 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 3 vs. Calgary Flames, 7:00 pm
Sunday, October 4 vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:00 pm
Thursday, October 8 @ Carolina Hurricanes, 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 10 @ New Jersey Devils, 3:30 pm
Sunday, October 11 @ New York Rangers, 6:00 pm
Tuesday, October 13 @ New York Islanders, 7:45 pm
Thursday, October 15 @ Florida Panthers, 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 17 @ Tampa Bay Lightning, 4:00 pm
Tuesday, October 20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7:00 pm
Thursday, October 22 vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 pm
Sunday, October 25 vs. Minnesota Wild, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, October 27 @ Anaheim Ducks, 7:00 pm
Thursday, October 29 @ San Jose Sharks, 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 31 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4:00 pm
November 2026
Tuesday, November 3 vs. Anaheim Ducks, 7:00 pm
Thursday, November 5 @ Winnipeg Jets, 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 7 @ Edmonton Oilers, 9:00 pm
Monday, November 9 vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 13 vs. New York Rangers, 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 15 @ Vegas Golden Knights, 6:00 pm
Monday, November 16 @ Utah Mammoth, 7:30 pm
Thursday, November 19 @ Seattle Kraken, 6:40 pm
Saturday, November 21 vs. Minnesota Wild, 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 22 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 6:00 pm
Wednesday, November 25 @ Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 27 @ Philadelphia Flyers, 3:00 pm
Sunday, November 29 @ Boston Bruins, 5:00 pm
December 2026
Tuesday, December 1 @ Washington Capitals, 7:00 pm
Friday, December 4 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 5 vs. Dallas Stars, 8:00 pm
Monday, December 7 vs. Washington Capitals, 7:00 pm
Thursday, December 10 vs. Nashville Predators, 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 12 @ Los Angeles Kings, 7:00 pm
Monday, December 14 @ San Jose Sharks, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, December 16 @ Anaheim Ducks, 6:00 pm
Saturday, December 19 vs. San Jose Sharks, 8:00 pm
Monday, December 21 vs. Utah Mammoth, 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 26 @ Calgary Flames, 9:00 pm
Monday, December 28 vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, December 30 vs. Seattle Kraken, 7:30 pm
January 2027
Saturday, January 2 @ Utah Mammoth, 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 3 @ Seattle Kraken, 5:00 pm
Tuesday, January 5 vs. New York Islanders, 7:00 pm
Thursday, January 7 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:00 pm
Saturday, January 9 vs. Florida Panthers, 8:00 pm
Thursday, January 14 vs. Seattle Kraken, 7:00 pm
Saturday, January 16 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 8:00 pm
Monday, January 18 @ Colorado Avalanche, 1:00 pm
Wednesday, January 20 @ Nashville Predators, 1:00 am
Friday, January 22 @ Chicago Blackhawks, 7:00 pm
Saturday, January 23 @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, January 26 @ Minnesota Wild, 7:00 pm
Thursday, January 28 @ Dallas Stars, 7:00 pm
Saturday, January 30 @ St. Louis Blues, 2:30 pm
February 2027
Monday, February 1 vs. Montréal Canadiens, 6:30 pm
Wednesday, February 3 vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 13 vs. Winnipeg Jets, 8:00 pm
Tuesday, February 16 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 pm
Thursday, February 18 vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 20 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 21 vs. Boston Bruins, 6:00 pm
Tuesday, February 23 @ Dallas Stars, 7:00 pm
Thursday, February 25 @ St. Louis Blues, 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 27 vs. Calgary Flames, 8:00 pm
March 2027
Wednesday, March 3 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 8:00 pm
Saturday, March 6 @ Montréal Canadiens, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, March 9 @ Buffalo Sabres, 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 11 @ Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 13 @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 14 @ Ottawa Senators, 5:00 pm
Wednesday, March 17 vs. Nashville Predators, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 20 vs. St. Louis Blues, 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 21 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 6:00 pm
Tuesday, March 23 vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7:00 pm
Thursday, March 25 vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 27 vs. Anaheim Ducks, 1:00 pm
Monday, March 29 @ Los Angeles Kings, 6:30 pm
Wednesday, March 31 @ Vegas Golden Knights, 7:30 pm
April 2027
Saturday, April 3 vs. San Jose Sharks, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, April 6 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7:00 pm
Friday, April 9 @ Winnipeg Jets, 6:00 pm
Saturday, April 10 @ Calgary Flames, 8:00 pm
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Liam Ohgren (92) and defenseman Filip Hronek (17) and forward Ty Mueller (39) and forward Jake DeBrusk (74) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) celebrate their victory against the Los Angeles Kings in overtime at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 6: Matisse Thybulle #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts to a play in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on April 6, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. 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 Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers have added a wing to their team by reportedly signing Ziaire Williams, but they continue to look for more depth at the position.
As a defensive-minded wing, Thybulle would be a good pickup for the Lakers. As currently constructed, LA’s perimeter defense appears to be a weakness, and Thybulle can help address it. He has made All-Defensive Second Team twice in his career and remains a solid defender.
Last year Thybulle put up modest numbers with the Blazers. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, so don’t expect massive production from him if he joins the purple and gold.
However, he is a pretty good outside shooter. Thybulle shot 39.8% from 3-point range last season. And on a Luka Dončić-led team, having a defensive wing who can knock down open threes is ideal.
It’s good that the Lakers aren’t just locked in on Kuminga. He’s likely the best wing option available, but he’s unrestricted and could end up elsewhere.
So, LA has to keep options open. The top priority has to be adding a player to the wing position. If that happens to be Thybulle, that would be a solid pickup. He is a good perimeter defender and can spread out the defense due to his threat as a shooter.
Whether it’s Thybulle, Kuminga, or another player, it seems pretty clear the Lakers are continuing to search for more wing options.
This deep into the offseason, things might move a bit slower in free agency. Certain big names are still out there and players looking at smaller deals don’t have to rush to sign.
So, don’t be surprised if it takes some time for the Lakers to add a wing. At this point, though, it seems most likely that they will add one to the main roster before training camp begins sometime in September.
