SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 27: A general view of Oracle Park as the San Francisco Giants play the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants are playing a home series this weekend, which means it’s time to take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans.
Oddly enough, they have no events or giveaways posted for tonight’s game. That’s kind of unusual. If I missed something, please feel free to weigh in down in the comments.
However, Saturday will feature Dog Days Part 2 as the special event for the day. Fans with special event tickets will be able to bring their canine buddies to the park to partake in an on-field parade. Also, I don’t know if I’m interpreting this wrong or if this is how it’s always been done, but their website says, and I quote, “All dogs must have a ticket to enter the ballpark and sit in the designated Dog Days section.” I kind of always assumed that the dogs got in on their owners’ ticket. (Since, you know, they are dogs and completely unaware of the concept of tickets and money.)
Anyway, there will be a giveaway for Saturday’s game as well. The first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Willy Adames long sleeve jersey giveaway.
Sunday is a big one, as it is Pediatric Cancer Awareness day at the park. This requires a special event ticket as well, and those attending with said tickets will receive a beanie giveaway for both themselves and for a child who is going through cancer treatment.
Additionally, the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Logan Webb football jersey giveaway.
If you’re headed to a game this weekend, have fun!
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin this weekend series against the San Diego Padres tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.
Sep 7, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser (54) hands the ball to manager Pat Murphy during a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I think the Brewers are now officially close enough to clinching a postseason berth — they can do so as soon as this weekend — that we can start talking about plans for the postseason without jinxing anything.
So, who is going to pitch? What is going to be the plan? I’m going to take a look first at the starting rotation, then the bullpen.
First: a quick reminder on postseason roster rules. Anyone who was either on the Brewers’ 40-man roster or their 60-day injured list as of September 1 (at 12 p.m. ET, technically) is eligible for the postseason roster. Players who were in the minor league system but not on the 40-man roster on August 31 need to be injury replacements, and they need approval from the league, but are likely also postseason eligible (for example: the Dodgers are calling up Josue De Paula from Double-A today, and presumably the league would approve him for postseason eligibility because he’s replacing Shohei Ohtani on the active roster). The Brewers haven’t added anyone since September 1 (aside from minor leaguer Ben Moore, who will not be eligible), so they don’t have to worry about this. Rosters in the postseason are 26 players, and teams can replace players who are injured within a round with approval from the commissioner’s office (though the injured player then cannot return during that round).
The Starters
The Brewers would need four starters (with caveats about bullpen games) in both the NLDS and the NLCS; the schedule is such that in both series, the first four games happen within five days. There are two guys who we will unquestionably see start games this postseason: Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. After that, things get murky.
If we’re assuming that Brandon Sproat’s adventure on Wednesday night eliminated him from any real consideration for the rest of the season (he was optioned on Thursday morning), that means that there are four healthy players currently on the Brewers who could conceivably pitch in a postseason starting rotation. Here are those players’ numbers since the trade deadline on August 3:
When three of the four options for your number three starter have an ERA above 5.60, that’s not ideal. Harrison in particular doesn’t look like an option right at this moment — after he returned from about a month on the injured list in early August, he allowed just four earned runs in his first four starts back. In his last two, he’s been crushed: nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs on August 31 and six runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds on September 6. Even in his good outings earlier in August, he was routinely struggling with velocity and command.
The Brewers might like Drohan more as a multi-inning bullpen guy. As a starter this season, Drohan has allowed a .777 opponent OPS. His command is better. His WHIP is way better — 1.414 as a starter versus 0.975 as a reliever. He has a 4.83 ERA in 87 2/3 innings as a starter and a 1.69 ERA in 26 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Drohan has been valuable as an innings-eating starter this season, but he’s pretty clearly more effective as a reliever.
May has been an enigma as a Brewer. His first two starts were excellent: he combined for 13 innings and three runs allowed. Then he gave up seven runs in two innings against the Mariners, took a line drive off his back on the first pitch in his next outing and left early, then had two shaky outings in which he couldn’t complete five innings against the Rangers and Reds, combining for eight innings and six runs allowed between them.
At times this season, May has looked like a guy who could start in the postseason, but right now, it doesn’t look that way. He has very little experience out of the bullpen, though: he’s only got 14 appearances out of the bullpen in his entire career, and 12 of those came in 2019 and 2020, when he was a brand-new major leaguer.
The last guy here is Gasser. His overall numbers this season are mediocre; he owns a 92 ERA+ and a FIP and ERA that are exactly the same (a pedestrian 4.43). But while his numbers since the trade deadline are overall not great (even if they’re better than any of these other options), he’s trending in the right direction. Over his last three outings, Gasser has a 2.51 ERA and 3.38 FIP in 14 1/3 innings, and as we reach the end of the season, his velocity is actually going up.
Based on the data we have here, Gasser is the one who has looked the best lately. Of course, we could see some shifts in how we feel about any of these guys between now and the end of the regular season. Right now, I’d expect Misiorowski and Henderson to be the one and two guys and Gasser and May as three and four, though with extremely short leashes on the latter two.
The Relievers
A big part of the reason why the Brewers can afford to be aggressive with their somewhat shaky back end of the rotation in the postseason is that they’ve got a lot of options, particularly amongst pitchers who could go more than an inning. As we saw during last year’s postseason, this type of reliever is critical in the way the game is played these days.
If we assume that Miz, Henderson, Gasser, and May all make the postseason roster, that leaves nine more openings for pitchers. Here’s who we’ve got as options:
Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe are obvious no-brainers at the back of the bullpen.
Aaron Ashby is also a no-brainer, and DL Hall has pitched well enough lately that he’s also moved into the “no-brainer” category. Both players could pitch two innings if you needed them to.
Antonio Senzatela’s numbers haven’t been great since he came to the Brewers, but he seems certain to have a role in this bullpen in the postseason; if nothing else, he’s an extreme groundball pitcher who could be used in a spot where you really need a double play.
JoJo Romero has only pitched five times for the Brewers, but he’s a veteran, and he’s been fine. I wouldn’t categorize him as “high-leverage,” but I think he’s got a spot.
Chad Patrick was excellent out of the bullpen last postseason. He hasn’t been great this season, but he’s been fine, and I think he’s certain to be included.
That’s seven, and then we have to address the two guys who were chopped from the rotation. Drohan is almost certainly going to be in the bullpen if he’s not in the rotation. That leaves a question mark for Harrison. He could probably play a role out of the bullpen, but I think we need to see what happens with him between now and the end of the season — I could see him pitching well in a couple more starts and getting him back into the rotation conversation, or I could see him ending up on the injured list. Those two things seem about equally likely to me.
If it’s not Harrison, then we’ll have some question marks. Bryse Wilson is on the injured list, but even if he were healthy, ideally you don’t want to have a mop-up guy on your postseason roster. Grant Anderson has been part of the squad all year, but he’s on the injured list currently and hasn’t looked good lately. We’re likely to see a few options from Triple-A Nashville get cycled through between now and the end of the season, particularly in the wake of Sproat’s demotion on Thursday. Potential options could be a starter type, like Coleman Crow, Garrett Stallings, or Colton Gordon, who are all already on the 40-man roster, or a reliever. Potential options there:
Why not Jared Koenig? Koenig is also on the 40-man roster already, and he’s been good for the Sounds, to the tune of a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings. But his velocity is still way down — his fastball has averaged just 92.8 mph in the minors this season, compared to 95.9 mph last season. Not a lot of faith that this would go well.
Blake Holub, who has a 2.13 ERA in 50 2/3 innings out of the Nashville bullpen this season. He throws in the mid-90s and has some Brewers-y traits.
Cameron Wagoner started the season at Double-A Biloxi and earned a promotion after he had a 2.03 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He’s been good at Triple-A, too: just one run allowed in 10 outings that cover 11 1/3 innings, though his peripherals have taken a bit of a step back. Wagoner can reach the upper 90s, and he’s good at limiting walks, which is certainly a plus.
There could be a surprise, like Rob Zastryzny, who has been hurt all year but is currently on a rehab assignment with the Sounds.
If Holub or Wagoner were to be the option, the Brewers would have to get permission from the league (at least as far as I understand the rule) to include them on the postseason roster, since they weren’t on the 40-man on September 1. Zastryzny would require a 40-man slot — and I believe they could just leave him on the 60-day IL until the end of the season if they choose not to activate him, because he didn’t start his rehab assignment until there were fewer than 30 days (the maximum allowed for a rehab assignment) remaining in the season.
Guesses
This will probably change before the end of the season, whether that’s because some pitcher who has been poor shows us something or because someone gets hurt. But here’s my best mid-September guess at what the postseason pitching staff will look like:
Starters (4): Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Dustin May
Middle Relievers (2): Antonio Senzatela, JoJo Romero
Long Relievers (3): Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison
I’d also expect the hooks to be exceptionally quick for Gasser and May, with those games looking almost like bullpen games, just with a starting pitcher at the beginning. I’m thinking three-ish innings for each.
I’m least confident about the Gasser/May/Harrison situation. Harrison and May in their last couple of outings have looked essentially unusable in a postseason situation, but it seems likely that at least one of them will need to make a start or two for the Brewers this postseason. That’s the biggest spot to keep an eye on for me.
If one or both looks unplayable, then my attention turns to the likely revolving door of relievers (in the Sproat roster spot) that we’re likely to see over the next couple of weeks. Might one of those guys be able to make a big postseason impact?
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t afraid to shuffle his starting lineup.
Mazzulla utilized 23 different starting combinations during the regular season last year, routinely rotating players at the wing position while Jayson Tatum rehabbed from Achilles surgery. Four five-man combinations started at least 10 games apiece; 18 other combinations played two games or fewer.
In Game 7 of a first-round playoff series against Philadelphia, with Boston on the brink of fumbling away a 3-1 series lead, Mazzulla boldly trotted out a lineup that hadn’t played a single minute together all season.
For Day 4 of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our panel a question that might not have a firm answer: Predict the Boston Celtics’ starting five for the 2026-27 season.
Last year’s opening-night starting five lasted two games before Mazzulla started making alterations. Sometimes coaches land on their preferred lineup right out of the gate, but most years they spend much of the regular season trying to determine the best mixes of personnel.
The Celtics have some interesting choices to make this season, both with the departure of All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown, and the offseason additions of veterans Paul George and Mitchell Robinson.
Our best September guess for the five that will start on opening day in Detroit: Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta.
Pritchard actually posted slightly better numbers over 29 games as a reserve (17.2 PTS, 42.9 3PT%) than he averaged in 50 games as a starter (16.9 PTS, 34.8 3PT%) but both stat lines were jarringly similar (with only 1.2 minutes more per game as a starter). There’s a case to keep him in the Sixth Man role where he’s clearly comfortable.
The pitch might simply be having another scorer/playmaker on the floor for stretches when Tatum might be off the court. The counterargument is that the Pritchard/Tatum combination has been one of Boston’s most successful two-man combos over the past five seasons while posting a +11.6 net rating in 3,196 minutes together.
Boston’s offensive rating is a robust 122.0 with that tandem on the floor. On a team that needs additional scoring options after Brown’s departure, keeping Pritchard and his rim-attacking ways on the court with the starting group feels important to start the year.
George has started 653 straight NBA appearances. The Celtics will certainly tread cautiously with his games played and minutes played but, when available, it would seem they’ll lean heavily on his ability to fill some of Brown’s void on the wing.
Robinson was Boston’s big offseason splurge, but he’s no stranger to a bench role and averaged 19 minutes per game over his final two seasons in New York. His ability to bring energy and play hard in short shifts might be best utilized in a reserve role. Queta should get every chance to maintain the starting job he held down last season, though he must avoid foul trouble that plagued him during Boston’s first-round exit.
The Celtics need to be mindful of how to stay afloat in non-Tatum minutes. But, over the past five seasons, the Pritchard/White/Tatum triumvirate has posted a +14.4 net rating over 1,138 minutes together. The Celtics should want that trio together as much as possible.
Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Baylor Scheierman could get his fair share of starts this season.
If the Celtics elect to eventually utilize Pritchard off the bench, we’re intrigued by the idea of a bigger starting lineup while adding another wing like Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, or Ron Harper Jr. alongside Tatum and George. The Celtics have some intriguing defensive combos, or can lean on Hauser for his floor spacing.
Ultimately, the more important aspect might be landing on a firm closing five. Which group of players brings out the best basketball in the highest leverage moments? That group almost certainly features Tatum, White, Pritchard, and George when he’s available. Mazzulla is going to have plenty of options for starting and closing five.
And, after Game 7 last season, nothing Mazzulla might decide about how to deploy talent would surprise us.
Jason Levine: Executive Producer, Content Integrations
Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
I simply like Pritchard coming off the bench. He gets to be the clear second option with one (or two) of Tatum, PG13, or White resting. I think you have to let Queta start over Mitchell Robinson to begin the season, but that could really change as the season progresses. I like having Scheierman or Hugo Gonzalez start because those guys are high-energy 100 percent of the time, and that’s important to have in the first eight minutes of a game.
Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
Pritchard has been more effective as a Sixth Man, so I could foresee a scenario where he comes off the bench. But the C’s will need his offense with Brown gone. Queta had a breakout season as a starter in 2025-26, so why mess with that? Mitchell Robinson should still see the floor a lot. If Paul George misses a bunch of games, which is a real possibility given his injury history, then I could see Sam Hauser making a bunch of starts.
In summary, I think the Celtics will use a bunch of starting five combinations this season. Joe Mazzulla, as we saw in Game 7 vs. the Sixers, isn’t afraid to mix things up.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Payton Pritchard averaged 17.2 PTS and shot 42.9 percent from 3 off the bench last season.
Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
Paul George has started 99 percent of his NBA games after his rookie year, so he’ll start every game he can suit up for this season. I do think coach Joe Mazzulla showed he’ll happily mix and match his starting five as he’ll see fit — nine players started 10 games or more last season, and 16 players started at least one game. And he’ll also pull one of those starters right out of the game if he doesn’t like what he sees in the opening minutes.
Sam Hauser was in the starting lineup on opening night last year but essentially split time as a starter/bench player all year. Jordan Walsh got his run in the starting five, as did Baylor Scheierman — and Josh Minott, and Luka Garza, too. All of that is to say, the starting five may be a bit obvious, but I expect Mazzulla to tinker all season based on current circumstances.
Josh Canu: Editor
Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
I think the best version of the Celtics this season relies heavily on Payton Pritchard in the starting lineup. Without Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum will be seeing a lot of double teams and to make teams pay, Pritchard has to be the best version of himself. He is the one player on the roster that will make other teams think twice about doubling Tatum.
In terms of consistency, with a player like Paul George who misses a lot of games, I would expect Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman to get plenty of opportunities in the starting lineup as well this season.
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Offseason addition Mitchell Robinson is expected to come off Boston’s bench, with Neemias Queta starting at the five.
Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
Perhaps Pritchard will revert to his sixth-man role, but this seems like the most sensible starting five to begin the season. Pritchard started 50 of the 79 games he played in last season, and he excelled in the role with 17.0 points and 5.2 assists per game. He’ll be counted on again to provide a consistent offensive spark with Brown out of the picture.
The only other question mark is the center spot with Mitchell Robinson in the mix, but Robinson should maintain the role he had in New York as the first big off the bench. He’ll provide much-needed depth behind Queta.
Adam Hart: Executive Producer, Content Strategy
Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta
This starting five creates an impactful second unit that can maintain or grow leads. Putting Scheierman in the starting lineup because he adds a hustle element to the group, and it allows Pritchard to be the lead dog off the bench.
Kessel is the first former member of the Maple Leafs to be inducted into the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame since former president and GM Brian Burke was inducted in 2023. Before Burke, it was former Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, who was inducted in 2017.
As for former players, Mathieu Schneider was the last player to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame who served for Toronto in their career. He was inducted in 2015.
Kessel represented the Maple Leafs for a large chunk of his career. In fact, it was the longest stop at any destination throughout his 17-year NHL career.
The right winger played six seasons for the Maple Leafs, from 2009-10 to 2014-15. He appeared in a total of 446 regular-season games for the club, scoring 181 goals and 394 points. His best season came in 2011-12 when he notched 37 goals and 82 points in 82 games. Kessel never went on to score more goals in one year.
He also played for the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights, winning two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and one with the Golden Knights in 2023.
Kessel's all-time best campaign was with Pittsburgh in 2017-18 when he scored 34 goals and 92 points in 82 games.
He currently holds the record for most consecutive NHL games played, with 1,064 outings in a row. The 2022-23 season was his last year in the NHL. In total, he's played 1,286 NHL games, scoring a total of 413 goals and 992 points.
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On Friday evening, Philadelphia Flyers rookie camp officially begins with an on-ice training session at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., at 4 p.m., and from there, we'll have the two rookie series games on Saturday night and Sunday night.
Top prospects like Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey will be the headlining acts for rookie camp, and they will joined by 2026 first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii, who was interestingly included on the training camp roster as well.
Players like Brek Liske, Matthew Gard, Nathan Quinn, and Ilya Pautov, for example, were excluded.
The Flyers may want to just have Sokolovskii under their watch for a while longer, or they intend to have the hulking defenseman play in a preseason game before sending him back to the OHL London Knights.
In either case, fans heading to Allentown or the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees over the next week will have several opportunities to watch Sokolovskii further.
Here's the full Flyers rookie camp schedule as follows:
Friday, Sept. 11: Training session at PPL Center from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 12: Morning skate from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., game vs. Rangers prospects at 7:05 p.m. at PPL Center
Sunday, Sept. 13: Morning skate from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., game vs. Rangers prospects at 5:05 p.m. at PPL Center
Monday, Sept. 14: Training session at to-be-announced time at Flyers Training Center
Tuesday, Sept. 15: Training session at 11:15 a.m. at Flyers Training Center
Wednesday, Sept. 16: Day off
Thursday: Sept. 17: Flyers training camp begins
In just over two weeks, the Flyers will have played their last preseason game against Washington on the 26th, then dive right into the season opener against Pittsburgh on the 30th.
Many roster battles will have to be settled in a short period of time, in which case it helps that the rookie camp roster and training camp roster are mostly separate.
Martone, Barkey, and Bump will see some extra work, of course, but it's fair they put some extra time in for having what are effectively guaranteed roster spots.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 5: Bismack Biyombo #18 of the San Antonio Spurs arrives to the arena before the game against the New York Knicks during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 5, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Bismack Biyombo completed his fifteenth season last June. The Congolese big man was drafted in 2011 and spent a large portion of his career with Charlotte. He’s also played for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder before joining the San Antonio Spurs in February of 2025.
Biyombo has not signed on for the 2026-2027 season as of this writing, but he has his sights set on other opportunities, or more directly, creating opportunities.
As our students begin this new chapter, I want to take you inside Katanga Elite School and share what these classrooms truly represent.
This school is more than a collection of buildings. It is the story of a promise, a journey, and a belief that every child deserves a future… pic.twitter.com/dnbvq2xqJt
Biyombo shared a post announcing the opening of Katanga Elite School, a bilingual college preparatory school located in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
“This school is more than a collection of buildings. It is the story of a promise, a journey, and a belief that every child deserves a future without limits.”
This school is not Biyombo’s first foray into philanthropic projects. Biyombo started the Bismack Biyombo Foundation to initiate a positive impact through opportunities in athletics, education, and health. During the pandemic, they donated around $1 million worth of medical supplies to people in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo. Biyombo also pledged his entire salary from the 2021–22 season towards the construction of a hospital in Congo in honor of his father.
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 19: Tony Bradley #13 of the Indiana Pacers dunks the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Pacers 113-104. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The New York Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond positioned atop their center depth chart, but the defending champions remain without a traditional third center as training camp approaches and this saga doesn’t feel any closer to an end.
In yet another update on the situation, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, veteran free agent Tony Bradley has emerged on the Knicks’ radar as New York continues evaluating potential additions for its remaining roster spots, with a competition for those expected to take place throughout camp and the preseason.
“One other note on free agent signings ahead of training camp: veteran center Tony Bradley has also been a player on the Knicks’ radar,” Begley reported.
From @IanBegley: “Note on free agent signings ahead of camp: vet center Tony Bradley has been…on Knicks radar. Knicks do not currently have a 3rd center, but strong degree of confidence internally in KAT- Drummond duo”
If you’re like me, you probably though Bradley was 35 already. Turns out he’s only 28!
Even then, and while Bradley would provide an experienced third option behind Towns and Drummond, don’t expect TB (or whoever ends up landing in New York) to find a clear and open path into coach Mike Brown’s established rotation.
Begley noted that the Knicks are comfortable with their current top two options despite the absence of another traditional center, making it even tougher for Mystery Man to get any potential playing time.
“The Knicks do not currently have a third center, but there is a strong degree of confidence internally in the Karl-Anthony Towns-Andre Drummond duo at the position,” Begley reported.
Bradley spent last season with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks, appearing in 41 games and averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-10 center has eight seasons of NBA experience after entering the league as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bradley owns career averages of 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 234 regular-season appearances.
Begley previously reported that New York has also shown interest in free agents Drew Eubanks and John Konchar while evaluating its remaining roster openings, hinting at the openness of the Knicks’ brass to land a variety of player types ahead of their title defense.
For now, the Knicks’ next step is opening training camp before they face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first game of the preseason.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 20: Jared McCain #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on December 20, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. The 76ers defeated the Mavericks 121-114. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s really cool when you can see the Brotherhood in real time.
Flagg and McCain are professionals now, of course, and they are used to a higher level of competition.
Even so, they’re playing against some very talented young players, and it’s a good tune-up for the upcoming season.
As for the current Blue Devils, they get a chance to test their mettle against two guys who are among an elite number of players who not only have played in the NBA, but are valuable pieces on their teams.
And that’s an important distinction. Plenty of guys get to the league, and might play for a year or two, but just can’t stick.
These guys have, and they’re helping the younger members of the Brotherhood understand what it takes to get there, and just as importantly, how hard they’ll need to work.
It’s a great partnership on both sides.
This what I’ve been saying do for awhile! Get our guys in the NBA to come play pick up with the current roster 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/RPCnKbAIAS
Ever wonder how a sportswriter can end up with 50 pairs of new underwear and two overstuffed suitcases on a short scheduled reporting trip?
I traveled to San Diego in September 2001 to interview and write about Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career coming to an end weeks later.
It was early Tuesday morning, Sept., 11, when the phone rang in my hotel room at the Mission Valley Marriott near Qualcomm Stadium. I groggily reached for the phone, answered, and it was a friend from Atlanta.
“Did you hear what happened in New York?" she breathlessly said. “A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center."
OK, I figured someone accidentally crashed their private plane, thanked her for the call, and went back to sleep.
The phone rang 15 minutes later.
A second plane crashed, into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
This time, I stayed awake, glued to the TV set like the rest of America.
Commissioner Bud Selig postponed all 15 games that day, extended the postponements until Friday, and then again for three more days until Sept. 17. It was the longest regular-season stoppage, outside of a players’ strike, since World War I shortened the final month of the 1918 season.
Sitting in my hotel room that morning, unable to take my eyes off the TV, I was contemplating what to do next when the phone rang.
It was Gwynn.
He knew I had traveled into town to do a cover story on him for “Baseball Weekly” and we were set to talk at the ballpark.
He asked how I was doing, if I needed anything, and whether I still wanted to do the story.
I assured him I still did, so he invited me to come by his house in suburban Poway, and we’d have lunch.
I pulled up in my rental car the next day, and Gwynn greeted me at the door with blue shorts, a gray shirt, and an orange cap. He plopped down on the recliner in his living room. And we talked.
And talked. And talked. And talked.
We talked for hours. There was no better interview in baseball than Gwynn. There may never have been a better person, either. He was an absolute joy to cover. If you wanted to talk about baseball, Gwynn was there to talk as long as you desired.
You could be a pimple-faced kid from a local high school, or a grizzled veteran from “60 Minutes,’’ and Gwynn would treat each reporter with identical respect. It didn’t matter how big your newspaper’s circulation was, or whether you were local or national, Gwynn would provide the same access.
He was everyone’s favorite.
This day, with the living room TV showing the heartbreaking devastation in New York, Gwynn had all the time in the world.
“It’s just unbelievable what happened,” Gwynn was saying. “You see it over and over, and still can’t believe it. Life as we knew it before, is over. Life is going to change. And now that it’s going to change, you want to be in a little more control in your life."
Gwynn, who for years talked about wanting a level playing field, felt helpless at times during his own career. He was disgusted by the rampant use of steroids and amphetamines in the game when everyone else was afraid to address the subject. He was constantly at war with agents and officials who ridiculed him for signing hometown discounts to stay in San Diego. He didn’t care what you thought. This was who he was.
But Gwynn was absolutely right.
The world did change overnight.
Security heightened at the airports. Friends and family could no longer escort you to the gate or await your arrival when you got off the plane. Metal detectors were installed at ballparks and bomb-sniffing dogs became regulars in the clubhouse. Teams hired security agents.
Meanwhile, with no flights available and stranded in San Diego, my cover story: “Mr. Padre: Sweet-Swinging Tony Gwynn closes out a Hall of Fame career’’ was written that week. When flights resumed once again, it was up to the my editors to determine the next move.
Go home or cover the biggest story in baseball?
Barry Bonds home run chase
The San Francisco Giants were resuming their season, and Barry Bonds was sitting with 63 homers. The editors suggested staying in California for an extra week. Why not catch the Giants in San Francisco for their three-game series against the Houston Astros, follow the Giants back to San Diego, and then go home?
Made sense. I watched Bonds hit his 64th homer in the series finale against the Astros, but then he went homerless in his first two games in San Diego. I was set to fly home the next day, but in that final game of the series, Bonds hit two more homers for 66.
Now, Bonds needed just four more homers in the final 12 games to tie Mark McGwire for the single-season record of 70, set just three years earlier in 1998 during the great home-run race with Sammy Sosa.
“Uh, you mind staying on the Bonds watch?," my editor asked.
I covered the final 18 games of the Giants’ season, going to San Francisco, back to San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and back to San Francisco. I watched Bonds tie McGwire’s record in his final at-bat in Game 159 in Houston. And then break it the next day with two homers off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chan Ho Park for 71 and 72, sending the home sellout crowd of 41,730 into hysterics.
Bonds added one more homer for posterity off Dodgers starter Dennis Springer in the season finale, capping one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, and his fourth MVP award. Bonds hit .328 with 73 homers, 137 RBI, a league-leading .515 on-base percentage, league-leading .863 slugging percentage, league-leading 1.379 OPS and league-leading 259 walks.
It was a season for the ages.
Bonds would go onto win four MVPs in a row, and break Henry Aaron’s all-time home run record in 2007 with myself and a horde of reporters covering the home run chase for nearly a month.
Gwynn, meanwhile, spent the final day of his career in San Diego in 2001 pinch-hitting against the Colorado Rockies in front of a sellout crowd of 60,103. He batted .324, his 19th consecutive season hitting at least .300.
Six years later, Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were inducted together into the Hall of Fame, drawing the largest crowd in Cooperstown history that still stands today.
2001 World Series among the best ever
Now, with the 2001 regular season coming to an end after Bonds’ record-breaking performance, it was time for the postseason, which was pushed back a week because of the terrorist attacks. It was off to Arizona and St. Louis to cover the National League Division Series. Next, Atlanta and Arizona in the NLCS. Then, the World Series between the Diamondbacks and New York Yankees.
It will be remembered as one of the greatest World Series in history, featuring President George W. Bush throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 at Yankee Stadium as the sellout crowd emotionally burst into cheers and tears - followed by three dramatic Yankees wins.
It ended on the night of Nov 4, the latest World Series Game in history, with the Diamondbacks coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth inning of Game 7 with outfielder Luis Gonzalez hitting a walk-off single off future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.
Arizona 3, New York 2.
Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, who came onto relief to win Game 7 after pitching seven innings and winning Game 6, was the co-World Series MVP along with Curt Schilling, who yielded a 1.69 ERA in three starts.
It was the first and only Diamondbacks’ World Series championship.
And it was the end of the Yankees’ dynasty, after winning four World Series titles and five pennants since 1996.
Finally, after 56 consecutive days on the road, I was going home, taking along perhaps the most underwear ever stuffed in suitcases.
Why so much underwear?
Hey, you know how much hotels charge to do laundry? It was not only more convenient, but also cheaper to simply buy all new clothes.
So, I kept buying and buying, two, three packs at a time. Before I knew it, I had an entire suitcase full, hoping some poor soul at airport security (soon-to-be TSA) didn’t actually have to open the bag when I landed in Minneapolis.
The season was over, and after 40 years covering baseball, one that I’ll never forget.
And, you know what, Gwynn was right.
Life did completely change.
We’ll be reminded of it once again Friday when the Mets and Yankees play at Yankee Stadium on the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
I just wish Gwynn were still alive to reminisce about the memories from a quarter-century ago on how the sport of baseball helped heal a nation – and how his kindness and compassion helped a stranded visitor in his hometown.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 31: Axiel Plaz #13 of the Scottsdale Scorpions smiles during an Arizona Fall League game against the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on October 31, 2025 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On this edition of the Pirates Prospect Update series, we take a look at catcher Axiel Plaz, who has been enjoying a nice season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Plaz as an international free-agent in the winter of 2022, and since then the Dominican catcher has risen the ranks to being one of the best prospects in Pittsburgh’s system. In his first season of professional baseball he was named to the All-Star team for the Dominican Summer League after hitting .382 with a 1.206 OPS.
What has plagued Plaz has been inconsistent play due to injuries. 2024 saw the 21-year-old catcher limited to just 84 games after suffering numerous injuries. Then in 2025 Plaz was out of action with a broken finger and only appeared 66 games as a result.
The proof is in the pudding when Plaz is healthy however, as he continues to emerge as a strong player at the plate. During his time in Bradenton he ranked near the top in categories like exit velocity, barrel and hard hit percentages. His power continues to develop, but he is capable of hitting to all fields and has changed his approach at the plate which has resulted in far less swing and miss strikeouts.
Now in 2026, Plaz has played the most games to this point in his professional career, currently at 94 with Greensboro. At the plate this year Plaza has knocked in 18 home runs along with 74 RBIs. This season he’s slashing .305/.389/.513 with a .902 OPS. He was also just awardSouth Atlantic League Player of the Week honors.
Plaz has an overall prospect rating of 50, with his defense needing some work if he wants to be a big league catcher one day. His arm is plenty strong, and he’s proven that he’s capable of making hard throws from behind the plate. His defense is subpar though as his receiving has lacked consistency. That being said the Pirates are seemingly still looking for their catcher of the future so there’s ample opportunity for Plaz to move up the ranks and continue to improve in the minor leagues.
Axiel Plaz is the seventh ranked prospect in the Pirates’ system.
Macklin Celebrini is here for the long haul. After finishing his second NHL season with over 100 points and proving his superstar status in the league, the Sharks rewarded him with a five-year, $94 million extension. Now Celebrini enters the season fully focused on hockey and leading the Sharks to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But Celebrini is not just a hockey player, he is also one of us. Hockey players have a reputation for being focused solely on hockey and nothing else, giving off the vibe that they only really care about being the best players they can be. But sitting down with actor Belmont Cameli in a video for The Hollywood Reporter, Celebrini squashed that notion.
“I think hockey players in general have a bad rap of not having much personality,” Celebrini told Cameli. “Just kind of what the culture has always been with hockey. If you meet some of the guys that play in the NHL, it’s some of the best people you ever meet. Obviously, when the cameras are off and you’re just shooting it with them, just some of the best guys to hang out with. I feel like that doesn’t really get portrayed very well on camera. People don’t really see it.”
Since joining the Sharks as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini has captured the hearts of many in the Bay Area, quickly becoming a star right before our eyes. Celebrini firmly put himself on the map during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he finished the tournament as the leading goal scorer en route to guiding Canada to the silver medal.
This offseason, Celebrini made even more history when he was named the cover athlete of NHL 27, making him the youngest NHL player ever to receive that honor.
The Sharks last made the playoffs in 2018-19, and while the team has experienced down years in recent seasons, confidence in this year’s team is sky high — especially if Celebrini stays healthy and continues to play at an elite level. Already being mentioned in MVP conversations, Celebrini will head to training camp on a mission to become the face of the NHL.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 1: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees bats in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 1, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ESPN | Associated Press: The Yankees recalled Anthony Volpe Thursday in a corresponding move as Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the IL. The promotion was anticipated after Chisholm left Tuesday’s game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained right thumb. After he was displaced from his starting job at shortstop, Volpe went on a heater at Triple-A and was recently named the International League’s Player of the Week after going 11-for-21 with three homers from September 1-6 while bouncing between shortstop, second, and third. He projects to split time with José Caballero at the keystone in the absence of Chisholm, who has said he expects to return on September 22. Volpe’s return couldn’t have gone better, the newly minted second baseman going 3-for-4 with a grand slam on his first day back.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: ($) Will Warren’s start on Wednesday, in which he allowed one run across six innings of work, may strengthen his case for a playoff role. The right-hander, who has a 2.22 ERA over his last five outings, ranks behind some of his more experienced rotation mates but could end up a valuable bullpen piece in October. “He can serve a lot of roles potentially,” said his manager, Aaron Boone. “He’s been incredibly durable, but he’s got weapons, and I do like the tick up in his stuff, which seems to be there the last three, four times out.” As Boone alluded to, Wednesday’s start was Warren’s third straight in which his velocity increased.
NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: David Bednar got a ringing endorsement from an authoritative source on Tuesday. No less than Mariano Rivera praised the Yankees closer while watching him pitch, saying “David reminds me of myself. The thing I love about David is that he goes after hitters, which is what I always tried to do. He doesn’t mess around. And he has the ability to put things behind him – good or bad – and move forward.” When informed of the Hall of Famer’s compliment, Bednar was reportedly moved. “Wow, that’s really great to hear,” he said. “Coming from someone like Mariano, that’s amazing.”
Hudson Valley Renegades | Joe Vasile: Luis Serna just wrapped up an exemplary season for the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. The 22-year-old, ranked as the Yankees’ 18th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, led the South Atlantic League in several pitching categories, including ERA (4.32), strikeouts (140), opponent’s average (.224), and WHIP (1.19). (An important caveat — only four pitchers in the league threw enough innings to qualify for the rate stats.) The 140 punchouts also set a Renegades record, surpassing the 138 Drew Thorpe recorded in 2023. “He had a career season for himself without a question,” said Renegades pitching coach Ryan Mossman. “He was throwing more strikes with his fastball and improved his slider quite a bit. [Some changes to his arsenal] made him able to better gameplan for lineups and go out there and execute and dominate the way he did this year.”
I did not write anything about the Brooklyn Nets’ play at Las Vegas Summer League. Nor the California Classic, for that matter. Let’s amend that and a look at an assortment of Brooklyn’s young players, examining what we saw during the summer and what we’d like to see in 2026-27. Again, limited to those that played this summer. Sorry, Nolan Traoré. I like the haircut though.
Mikel Brown Jr.
Like you, I cannot wait to watch Mikel Brown Jr. this season.
Mikel hitting this gear with ease vs traps/hedges is not something Nets fans are very familiar with.
I’m most curious about his long-range 3-point shooting. Over four games this summer, the #6 overall pick shot 9-of-26 from deep in 86 minutes of player. At Louisville, he shot a pedestrian 34.4% from deep, but half of his makes were self-created and he took nearly 15 attempts per 100 possessions. It’s the variety, the volume, and the 84.4% from the line that drives optimism for his 3-point shooting.
Brown Jr. wasn’t shy to pull this summer, but I stillfelt like he left opportunities on the table…
Mikel will suffer from a lack of upper body strength as a near-teenage guard in the NBA, no question. He is at his most exciting when he hits second gear going north-to-south, going around/by defenders rather than through them. And Brown Jr. will find more of these opportunities if he proves himself a capable shooter (on pull-ups especially) from 25+ feet, shots we’ve seen on his highlight tapes as well as in summer workouts…
Though Mikel Brown Jr. shot around 65% at the rim (depending on your source) for Louisville, it was on fairly low volume, and I expect his rim-scoring to be subpar in his rookie NBA season. He’s a fine vertical athlete, but he’s lacking the strength to excel down there, for now. Not a long term worry.
As such, I hope to see Brown Jr. stress-test his 3-point shooting for the Nets. Ben Saraf and Nolan Traoré were all but explicitly banned from shooting pull-up threes last season (rightfully so), while Egor Dëmin played off-ball more than Mikel will this season. How much license will the #6 pick have to fire? How many long-distance threes can he shoot while forcing defenses to play up on him?
If defenses feel the need to apply pressure, it gives Mikel Brown Jr. more opportunities to make the type of plays that’ll have you making irresponsible comparisons down in the comments…
Chaney Johnson
It’s always wise to be wary of late-season ballers who do NBA damage in March and April. I’m pretty sure Noah Clowney blocked more shots during the spring of his rookie season than he’s blocked since. Alas, Chaney Johnson was out there hooping for the tanking Nets, enough to earn a two-way contract with Brooklyn heading into 2026-27. He was great at Las Vegas Summer League as well.
There are plenty of reasons to doubt Johnson’s NBA future. He is currently a 24-year-old 6’7” center who hasn’t been a consistent 3-point shooter at any point in his career. Even during his inspiring run of play last season, the Auburn product still had one of the highest foul-rates in the NBA. I appreciate that Johnson tries to dunk everything, but he still wasn’t a great finisher (nor rim protector) at the NBA level, and there’s no reason to think that’ll change with a bigger sample size.
Still, he plays hard as hell. Bucking the lineage of gangly, thin-chested Brooklyn bigs, he is compact and physical, living on the offensive glass but passing and ball-handling well enough to evince his past as a wing. He was the same player — but better — against lesser competition this summer. He made threes and free-throws in a small sample, sure, but he also racked up 15 steals and 24 offensive rebounds in six games!
Chaney Johnson is undersized but he plays hard and physical. Can he outsmart opponents as well?
That’s a great defensive play. I hope Johnson gets some small chance to make an impact for the Brooklyn Nets this season; is he the third-string center right now? I think he’s earned an opportunity, however small, to prove his strength + smarts can play at the highest level, even if there are plenty of reasons to doubt him.
Drake Powell
When is Drake Powell going to play? That’s a serious question. He seems prime to be a victim of perhaps the most interesting team-building storyline following the Brooklyn Nets this season: When do you start to give up on draft picks? The Nets want to take a step toward competitiveness this season, and there’s seemingly a million guys on the roster who have a case for minutes.
I felt bad watching Powell this summer. He had that brutal streak of misses from the field, unable to even get a cheapie in transition. But while his jumper needs improvement, that was a secondary concern. If NBA Combine scores were hidden from the public, would Powell still have a reputation as an elite athlete? I don’t think so. He is laterally explosive, to be sure, though the absence of a threatening handle hides that trait on offense.
Against lesser competition this summer, Drake Powell just didn’t pop as either a player or an athlete. He actually finished pretty well at the rim last season, of course on low volume, but there are still so many plays like this in his catalogue…
Powell has an angle with a live dribble, an opportunity to let his renowned athleticism shine and get up at the rim. Instead, an awkward fading jumper that smears the glass. It’s the lack of explosive finishes, deflections, and rebounds that worry me. I understand Drake Powell is raw, but I’m not sure he’s an elite basketball athlete either.
Egor Dëmin
Egor Dëmin has his jorts, his jewelry, his new haircut, and that wispy mustache + goatee combo, fully assimilated to the North Brooklyn young professional lifestyle. Look at our boy go. He’s also been in the weight room, which he credits for his newfound comfort as a driver and overall 2-point scorer.
I have my reservations, you’ll be thrilled to hear. Dëmin wasn’t just missing strength last season. The Russian then-teen had some other deficiencies, also present this summer and — hey, whatever. He shot 22-of-29 on two-pointers over five games in July. Nets fans should be excited for his sophomore year, even as NBA defender occasionally exploit his relative lack of shake. Still, the most encouraging sign is that Dëmin seems simultaneously stronger and quicker…
Egor can dump that off to Chaney Johnson (who dunks it anyway), but doesn’t he just feel snappier in that clip? Slow-to-fast-to-slow-to-fast.
My hope for Dëmin isn’t solely that he makes more layups and dunks, it’s that his improved ball-handling + strength allow him to explore the paint and make more high-level passes. I harped on the lack of assists leading to shots at the rim last season, and in general, I thought we didn’t see the number of high-level passes commensurate with his reputation as a prospect.
But Dëmin should have the ball in his hands more moving forward, and Mikel Brown Jr. should bring more passing ability and scoring gravity than any backcourt partner Dëmin played with last season. I can’t wait to judge his improvement.
Danny Wolf
Danny Wolf is approaching his age-22 season. He is graded on a stricter curve than any other young Net. Will he find minutes as a third-string center (in addition to playing next to Day’Ron Sharpe + Moe Wagner) instead of Chaney Johnson? Is he strictly a big wing that can shoot and attack closeouts?
It’s easy to get lost in the positional weeds with Wolf, but the key for 2025’s #27 overall pick is finishing at the rim. Then we can talk about everything else. Per Synergy Sports:
Wolf took more shots at the rim (as a % of his overall diet) than 66% of the NBA last season.
Wolf was more efficient at the rim than just 17% of the NBA last season.
Additionally, Wolf shot 9-of-21 on runners and hooks.
His archetype as a multidimensional mismatch just doesn’t work if he’s not scoring on the interior. Wolf shot 16-of-26 from two in Las Vegas Summer League, a more important sign than small-sample frigidity from three, but there were still worrisome, ground-bound plays…
Joshua Jefferson
Brooklyn will presumably start Julius Randle and Day’Ron Sharpe together in the front-court this season. They ran pick-and-roll less frequently than the vast majority of NBA teams last season, but ran more dribble-handoff action than any other team in the league. Now they have both a center and a bulky forward who can get Brooklyn into those actions — I’m curious to see the split, and what Sharpe is doing when, for example, Randle and Dëmin and playing a two-man game. Does Jordi Fernández trust Sharpe to space and shoot corner threes? Dunker spot?
Joshua Jefferson will see plenty of minutes in Long Island early, but I have the same questions about his usage. How often will he play as a dribble-handoff hub, how often will he be attacking closeouts and shooting threes?
In Brooklyn, Jefferson will not be the point-forward he was for Iowa State. I look forward to seeing his vision in the open-court — hopefully he maintains strong defensive rebounding numbers — but I am most excited for plays like this…
Jefferson had the ball in his hands a lot in college. He should get the opportunity to hit cutters and play the DHO game with Brooklyn’s shooters early on. But if Jefferson can make 0.5-second decisions off the catch and read the floor from there, it’ll be a lot easier for Fernández to get him on the floor.
The Brooklyn Nets will hold Media Day on September 28, and NetsDaily will once again have you covered. Training camp and the preseason soon follow, and the Nets tip off preseason on the road against the Charlotte Hornets on October 6. Suddenly, we’re almost there, folks.
Europe do indeed escape from their travails on 1 with a half. Alison Lee leaves her birdie putt short, and Nanna Koertz Madsen tidies up. But the USA strike back on 2, Nelly Korda wedging close with her approach on the par five, and Lottie Woad can’t save the day with her 15-foot right-to-left putt. All square in the opening two matches.
Corpuz/Korda A/S Hull/Woad (2)
Koerstz Madsen/Boutier A/S Coughlin/Al. Lee (1)
The Edmonton Oilers signed Alex Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract Wednesday, bringing the 26-year-old back to the NHL for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Edmonton was connected to Hart after he, Formenton, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote were acquitted in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case. Hart had already spent six seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers when the league allowed the five players to sign contracts again.
Stan Bowman addressed Hart during training camp last September and said Edmonton wasn't looking at "those types of situations." The Oilers went through the season without him and eventually rebuilt their goaltending again this summer.
One year later, Formenton is an Oiler.
All five players were acquitted, and Formenton was also made immediately eligible for Hockey Canada programs this summer; Bowman pointed to that decision when discussing Edmonton's willingness to sign him. Bowman said he had multiple conversations with Formenton before the organization offered him a contract.
The Oilers clearly did their homework, and somebody within the organization decided Formenton was worth bringing in.
Formenton hasn't played an NHL game since 2022. He scored 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games during his final season with Ottawa. He spent the following years with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland where he had 13 goals and 23 points last season.
Formenton can kill penalties, which he'll have to do for Matt Savoie, and scored 18 goals during his only full season with Ottawa. An $850,000 contract also carries very little financial commitment. Formenton can earn his place during camp and give Mike Babcock another option in the bottom six.
But again, why is Edmonton willing to take on everything surrounding Formenton now?
Hart was available last year when Edmonton needed a goalie. He had played 227 NHL games and was well regarded as a capable goaltender around the league. His career numbers included a .906 save percentage and a 2.94 GAA, and the Oilers decided not to pursue him.
Formenton was an available UFA this summer with 109 NHL games under his belt and almost five years removed from his last NHL game. In his most recent season, he only had 23 points in Switzerland.
Bowman made it clear last September that he didn't want to get involved with players coming out of that situation. There wasn't much ambiguity in the answer at the time. Now, he likely believes enough time has passed.
There's less attention on the players now than last year, and several organizations have had to make decisions about them, and the NHL's reinstatement process has been in place for a full year.
Still, four seasons away from the league is a long time, and his production in Switzerland leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, the ice is bigger, and it often strengthens the defensive side of a player's game, but an NHL forward should score more than 23 points. It remains to be seen whether he can handle a regular role under Babcock.
Edmonton publicly stated last year that it wanted no part in this conversation, but has now willingly put itself directly into it.
Edmonton wasn't willing to make that decision with Hart last year, but is with Formenton now. Something changed inside the organization during those 12 months, and the Oilers should explain what it was.
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