TORONTO — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his team’s defensive performance was “just not good enough” after New York made four errors in an 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’ve got to, obviously, tighten it up,” Boone said. “Confident we will. We’ll continue to work at it. We have good defenders here, but tonight was obviously a rough night for us.”
Left-hander Max Fried and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. made throwing errors, while first baseman Ben Rice and outfielder Jasson Domínguez made fielding errors.
The Yankees also made several miscues that didn’t count as errors, including Cody Bellinger losing a flyball in the twilight and no one covering the plate after Fried’s errant throw in the fifth inning.
“Today was a little shaky,” Bellinger said.
Davis Schneider scored from third base when Fried bounced his throw home on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s chopper.
“Tough angle and just not a good throw,” said Fried, a three-time Gold Glove winner with Atlanta.
George Springer scored from second base after the ball rolled away from catcher J.C. Escarra.
The Yankees made seven errors in the three-game series, including a pair of poor throws that led to runs for Toronto in the series opener, a 4-1 Blue Jays win.
“We haven’t been playing that well on defense,” slugger Aaron Judge said. “We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to clean up.”
New York also struggled defensively while getting swept in four games at Toronto from June 30 to July 3 as the Blue Jays leapfrogged the Yankees atop the AL East.
“Obviously, we’ve had two (crummy) series up here,” Boone said. “There’s no way around it. Maybe we’ll get a chance to come back here at some point and flip that script.”
New York has committed 52 errors in 102 games. The Yankees are 41-22 when they play error-free baseball but 15-24 when they make at least one miscue.
“It’s in our control so we’ll take care of it,” Judge said.
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays optioned right-hander Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham following his poor start in Wednesday night’s 11-9 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Once a top pitching prospect, the 24-year-old Bradley was handed a 4-0 lead after the first inning against the last-place White Sox (37-66). But he couldn’t get through the second, allowing four runs, four hits and three walks.
White Sox rookie Colson Montgomery tied the score with a three-run homer off Bradley.
“Tough decision, certainly, but felt like it’s best for him to get down there right now,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s got to get to work. ... It’s probably a better environment for him to work rather than compete every single pitch. We know that Taj Bradley is massive to our success, and we need to get him back to the form that we know he’s capable of.”
The move, described by team officials as a strategic reset rather than a disciplinary action, comes as Bradley’s performance at the major league level has been inconsistent. Through 21 starts this season, he is 6–6 with a 4.61 ERA, raising concerns about his command and mental approach.
In the minors, Bradley will work to regain command of his secondary pitches such as his changeup and slider.
Meanwhile, the Rays plan to rely more heavily on pitchers such as Joe Boyle and Mason Englert to stabilize the rotation.
When Kendrick Lamar’s award-winning “They Not Like Us” song broke out after Team USA’s win over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals last summer, nearly the entire arena sang along to the catchy diss track.
Some speculated it had something to do with Curry’s close relationship with hip-hop icon Drake, whom Lamar dissed during a heated music feud last year, or if it was simply just Curry being agitated by how often and overplayed the song had become.
Almost exactly one year later, Curry explained his viral reaction to the song in that moment during a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman.
“It was both,” Curry admitted. “Everywhere we went, that’s all I heard. And the fact that they knew who I was with. You can’t do anything about what the DJ’s playing. But I got sick of it at a certain point.
“It was funny that the cameras caught me because that was from the soul.”
The loyalty goes both ways, too, as Drake has Curry’s No. 30 tattooed on his arm with a halo.
Curry and Drake go way back, supporting each other’s professional careers but also having a real family-type bond as the rapper and Curry’s wife, Ayesha, both are from Toronto.
Well, now the Warriors’ Chase Center in-arena crew knows which song not to play during home games.
Ukrainian-born
Swedish winger Dmytro Timashov, 28, has signed a two-year contract
with Admiral Vladivostok, several Swedish media outlets have
reported.
Timashov,
who has a Ukrainian mother and Russian father, created quite a
sensation in Sweden – where he was raised – last summer when he
signed with KHL club HC Sochi. After recording four points in 22
games, he was released in December and then in January signed
with Swiss club Genève-Servette,
where he put up nine points over 22 games during the rest of the
season.
Depending
on exactly where in Russia his family is located, Vladivostok is an
interesting choice. The city lies in the far east of Russia on the
Pacific coast – approximately
9,000 km from Moscow.
Timashov
was born in Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine but left the country
with his mother at age seven and grew up in suburban Stockholm,
Sweden, which is where he started playing hockey. He played for
Djurgården in Stockholm and then went overseas at age 17 to play
junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts, where he won
the QMJHL rookie-of-the-year
award and he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry
Draft by the Toronto
Maple Leafs.
He played 45 NHL games with the
Leafs, Detroit
Red Wings and New
York Islanders, scoring four goals and adding five assists, but
spent most of his time between 2016 and 2021 in the AHL.
Since then, Timashov has played two seasons in the SHL with Brynäs
IF and then one
season with HC Ajoie in Switzerland’s National League.
Internationally, Timashov represented
Sweden at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Vladivostok
finished eighth in the KHL’s Eastern Conference last season and was
eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The team also has
under contract for 2025-26 Slovak
goaltender Adam Húska, Czech
defenseman Lukáš Šulák
and
Slovak
national team defenseman Mário Grman.
Swim events at the World Aquatics Championships get under way this weekend as the Dolphins put the drawing board behind them
Barely an hour after the Australian swim team had completed a successful meet at the Paris Olympics, the Dolphins head coach, Rohan Taylor, was already looking to the future. “We’ll go back to the drawing board,” he said on the pool deck. “Performance by design” is one of his often-repeated mantras. So relentless is the pursuit of gold that the following morning, the Dolphins held a debriefing session to reflect on improvements ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
In the year that followed, Australia’s swim stars have enjoyed time away from the pool. Some retired – the nation’s most successful Olympian of all time, Emma McKeon, brought the curtain down on her glittering career, and had a local pool named in her honour. Some tried their hand at other activities – 50m and 100m freestyle star Shayna Jack featured on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, while middle-distance titan Ariarne Titmus is still out of the water, recently on commentary duties at the Australian swimming trials.
Contenders almost always covet elite bullpen arms at the MLB trade deadline, so Griffin Jax, a 30-year-old right-hander with eye-popping stuff, should be quite a popular guy over the next week-plus. That is, if the Minnesota Twins make the reliever, who’s still got plenty of control, available for a deal.
Already, Jax is being linked in media reports to the Dodgers and Phillies. Other heavyweights figure to be lurking, too. Heck, adding an accomplished reliever at the deadline is a great way for GMs and presidents of baseball operations to feel good about themselves, right? Nothing stings more than a late-inning loss during a playoff push, so bulking up the bridge to the closer is comforting.
With that in mind, here’s a look at whether the Mets should try to trade for Jax, setup man extraordinaire. What are the Pros and Cons?
PROS
The Mets were 12th in the majors in bullpen ERA (3.83) entering play Wednesday and they’ve encountered workload issues in the pen thanks to their starters not pitching deep into games most nights.
When they get to Edwin Díaz, great -- but the Mets must make sure the path through the high-leverage innings before the closer arrives aren’t a harrowing adventure, especially if they want to make October noise.
Jax could help. The righty, who is under club control through the 2027 season, is the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to pitch in the major leagues and he’s the son of an NFL linebacker. Jax’s dad, Garth, played for 10 seasons for the Cowboys and Cardinals, starting in the mid-1980s.
Last year, Jax, who forms a wicked 1-2 combo in Minnesota’s bullpen with Jhoan Duran, had an incredible season, recording a 2.03 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and striking out 95 in 71 innings while walking only 15.
His ERA is much higher this season (4.09), but many underlying numbers still impress. His chase percentage (41.1) is the best in MLB and his whiff percentage and strikeout percentage are both in the 99th percentile, according to Statcast. His walks are up slightly, but he’s still stingy there, too -- 2.1 per nine innings.
Jax’s 88 mph sweeper is his most-used pitch and hitters are batting just .211 against it. He’s been quoted saying he learned the pitch during the pandemic and it’s really enhanced his repertoire with its lateral movement. Jax can throw five or six pitches, but another reliable weapon is his changeup, which is 86-plus mph. Batters have a .154 average against that delivery.
Jax has had one taste of the postseason -- in 2023, he made four scoreless appearances over two series for the Twins, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out five.
Since 2022, when Jax became a full-time reliever, he’s accumulated 5.1 WAR, according to baseball-reference.com. Only 15 relievers have been better, including the guy just above Jax on the list -- Díaz, at 5.2.
CONS
Jax is hard to hit. But once batters have been putting the ball in play, they’ve had success against him this season. Jax is allowing a .367 BABIP and he’s giving up more line drives and more hard contact, according to baseball-reference.com. Opponents have fared well against his hard stuff, a 97-mph four-seamer and a sinker.
There may be some luck involved in how his ERA is bigger. While his ERA is where it is, his FIP (fielding independent pitching), sits at 1.91. His expected ERA is 2.88, which is ranked in the 91st percentile in MLB, according to Statcast.
The Mets actually had a hand in making his ERA balloon -- on April 16, they staged a rally against Jax.
Down 3-0 in Minnesota, they scored three times in the eighth off him, thanks to RBI doubles by Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker and an RBI single by Luisangel Acuña. Two nights later, the Braves clobbered him, too.
Over that span, Jax allowed seven runs and seven hits in 1.1 innings.
Since then, though, he has a 2.04 ERA.
VERDICT
Another easy yes, though the usual cost cautions certainly apply as well. Jax is very good, has two more seasons of team control and will be hotly pursued by other contenders. But the Twins don’t HAVE to trade him, so this is no pennies-on-the-dollar deal.
Minnesota was 49-52 entering Wednesday and a fringe playoff hopeful, but they’d have Jax for two more pennant races if they kept him.
So how far, in terms of prospect return, would this year’s powerhouses be willing to go to help solidify their bullpens, especially when Jax is a long-term asset?
The Dodgers just put Tanner Scott on the IL and their bullpen needs help even more than the Mets’ pen does. Los Angeles has already been hunting relievers. The Phillies are ranked 23rd in relief ERA, one slot above the Dodgers. The Yankees and Tigers both have bullpen ERAs above 4.00, too.
The Mets had a rollicking ride to the NLCS last year. Another deep run probably requires more high-end bullpen parts. Jax qualifies.
Matthew Knies won't go as far as saying the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights will be rivals after Mitch Marner joined their organization.
The 22-year-old appeared on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast with Jonny Lazarus on Wednesday, sharing his thoughts on the upcoming season, his time with the Maple Leafs, and what it'll be like to face Marner when Toronto rolls into Vegas on January 15.
Marner was dealt to the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade on June 30. He inked an eight-year, $96 million contract with Toronto before being shipped to Vegas for center Nicolas Roy.
"I don't know if it's going to be a rivalry," Knies said.
"I love the guy. He did a lot for me in his two years here. He made me so comfortable, made me a better player, better person. I don't think it's a rivalry. You know, obviously, I want to beat him, but I think it's just business as usual."
Knies is coming off a career year where 58 points (29 goals and 29 assists) in 78 games, plus seven points in 13 playoff games. He scored five goals through two rounds, tied for the second-most alongside John Tavares.
The Phoenix, Arizona-born forward signed a massive six-year, $46.5 million contract on July 1 with the Maple Leafs. The deal, which carries an annual average value of $7.75 million, is the third-highest AAV on the team, only behind William Nylander and Auston Matthews.
Knies has spent the majority of his time in Toronto playing alongside Matthews and Marner on Toronto's top line. The young forward added that he'll be excited to see Marner again and be able to talk with him when the two teams face off in January.
"I think maybe off the ice it'll be nice to chat with him and get to say hi. I haven't seen him in quite a bit with the summer now, and obviously we're not going to be on the same team during the year. Just getting to chat with him a little bit would be cool."
After playing in Vegas on January 15, the two teams will face each other again in Toronto on January 23. It'll be the only time Marner will play in his hometown next season. Expect that matchup to be circled on a lot of people's calendars.
Marner has spent all nine NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs, scoring 741 points (221 goals and 520 assists) in 657 games. The 28-year-old is fifth all-time on the franchise's points list, fourth in assists, and fifth in Toronto's all-time playoff points (63 points in 70 postseason games).
New reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicates that might not happen anytime soon.
“The Warriors’ entire offseason has been essentially on pause for one player, and that’s restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga,” Charania said Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “They have wanted to figure out his situation before making their other offseason moves. I saw Jonathan Kuminga this morning at a workout in Miami. He’s in good spirits. He had a good workout.
“He did tell me, though, that he is in absolutely no rush on doing a deal with the Warriors right now, and he is not accepting their current offers. He added that he wanted to continue to explore options with his agent, Aaron Turner, whether that’s continuing conversations with the Warriors, but also sign-and-trade options that are available to him in the marketplace.”
Reporting for NBA Today — the latest on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors as August nears: pic.twitter.com/hKZMA5rBGb
Kuminga, who was selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is seeking a situation where he can be a consistent contributor and the future of a franchise that backs and believes in him. That hasn’t been the case for Kuminga in Golden State over the last four years.
The Warriors aren’t moved by the offers they have received thus far, as the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers to land the athletic young wing.
“I’m told the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings are two teams that have made concrete offers with the Warriors over the last week or so,” Charania added. “They’re two of the more aggressive teams with Kuminga. They’re also offering him an opportunity for significant minutes and a starting-caliber role in their lineup — and those are two things he wants more than anything.
“The Warriors do not want anything that is being offered to them in sign-and-trades, and on the other hand, with Jonathan Kuminga, he is not ready to move forward with taking any of the Warriors’ current offers. He’s not in a hurry to do a deal there yet.”
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Giants play a three-game series at Oracle Park starting on Friday at 10:15 p.m.
5 things to watch
Alvy’s hot return
It’s still just two games, but Francisco Alvarez has looked strong since returning from Triple-A.
The young backstop seems to have found his power stroke during his time down in the minors, and thus far he’s been able to carry that success back over to the big-league level.
He drew a pair of walks and lifted a rally-starting double high off the right-center fence on Monday night, then launched a game-tying two-run homer on Tuesday for his first Citi Field long ball of the season.
Alvarez has now gone deep 12 times over his last 20 games between the two levels.
It’s a relatively small sample size back in the majors, but the fact that he’s been showing more patience and has been able to do some damage when he gets pitches to hit is certainly an encouraging sign.
“You have to give this kid a ton of credit,” Carlos Mendoza said. “From the moment he got back down there he just kept working. He could’ve pouted and felt sorry for himself but that wasn’t the case -- and here he is now, looking like the Alvy we know he’s capable of.”
Can Alonso and Lindor get going?
The top of the Mets’ order has been going through it lately.
On Wednesday, though, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso finally showed signs of life.
With the game tied at one in the bottom of the third, Lindor stepped to the plate with a man in scoring position and delivered an RBI single to finally snap his 0-for-31 slump.
It was the worst hitless funk of his career and the sixth longest in Mets history.
“The past couple of games I felt like my at-bats were better,” Lindor said. “I made the pitchers work and there were productive outs, that with the combination of winning games is a good recipe -- then today I get jammed and get a base-hit and RBIs, it’s funny how baseball works."
Moments later, the ice cold Alonso would deliver as well, bringing Lindor and Brandon Nimmo home with a no-doubt three-run blast to the second deck in left-center fence.
It was Alonso’s 248th career homer, but his first in the last 10 games.
Lindor would deliver another well-struck RBI single an inning later, and then Alonso lifted a single of his own in the bottom of the seventh, giving both a much-needed multi-hit showing.
Again, it is just one game, but positive signs for the struggling All-Stars.
“We’re going to need those guys,” Mendoza said. “We know that they’re going through it but they’re too good of hitters and too good of players -- I’m glad that they were able to come through for us.”
How will Senga rebound after his first rough outing?
Kodai Senga worked around traffic to deliver four strong innings in his return from the injured list against the Royals prior to the All-Star break.
Taking the ball in his first start of the second half Monday night against the Angels, though, the right-hander struggled mightily.
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Senga was chased after throwing 73 pitches over just three innings of work -- conceding four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five this time around.
And the results weren’t the only concerning signs, as he threw just 39 of his pitches for strikes and saw his average fastball velocity drop from his season mark (94.6 mph).
“He had a hard time with all of his pitches,” Mendoza said. “At times, he threw a couple of good splits, but then there were some of them that were non-competitive. He got away from his fastball, the cutter wasn’t a pitch, and then they got pitches to hit and then they didn’t miss them.”
Senga said he'll take time to reflect on what went wrong before his next start, which is Sunday's series finale.
The Mets are certainly hoping he can regain his dominant form.
The Giants’ pitching has been great
The Mets will have to deal with the Giants’ two top starters in this series.
It looks like Sunday’s series finale may be a bullpen game, but before that Logan Webb will take the mound in the opener and veteran southpaw Robbie Ray is on the bump for Saturday night’s middle game.
Webb is coming off back-to-back rough outings against the Blue Jays and Dodgers, but there’s a reason he made his second consecutive All-Star appearance.
The right-hander has pitched to a 3.08 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 131.2 innings of work.
Ray was also an All-Star for the second time in his big-league career, as he’s returned to his dominant form following a late-season return from injury.
The veteran is coming off a tough outing of his own in Toronto, but he has a 2.92 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 131 strikeouts over 21 outings on the year.
San Fran's bullpen has also been very solid this season -- including former Mets left-hander Joey Lucchesi, who has a stellar 1.93 ERA across 13 big-league outings this season.
Their offense is heating back up
The Giants were one of the coldest teams in baseball entering this week, but it appears they found their groove while in Atlanta.
Coming off of a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays to open the second half, they dominated the last two games of their three-game series to win two out of three over the Braves.
Their pitching was great, but it was their offense that led the charge.
Rafael Devers has struggled since being acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Red Sox, but he reached base two or more times in all three games, including a multi-homer showing on Wednesday.
Devers also logged his first appearance at first base on Monday night.
Offseason signing Willy Adames has been relatively disappointing as well, but he’s been finding his groove in July and was terrific during that set -- reaching base a total of eight times over the first two games.
And Matt Chapman appears to be settling back into a groove, as he put together a pair of multi-hit showings and drove in runs in all three contests.
Cold no more, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, and Senga will have their hands full with this trio.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Pete Alonso
The big man has gone deep seven times in his career at Oracle Park.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
David Peterson
San Fran's offense has struggled mightily against southpaws this season.
Which Giants player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Willy Adames
Adames is red hot and has driven in 22 runs in 32 career games against the Mets.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies play a three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting on Friday night...
Where would the Yankees be without Bellinger? He's been one of the team's best offseason acquisitions.
As the Yankees continue to combat inconsistency, Bellinger has been the team's most consistent bat and a stalwart in the outfield. Entering play on Wednesday, since June 23, Bellinger leads MLB in hits (35) and is third in extra-base hits (16). In that 22-game span, Bellinger is slashing .372/.385/.713 with eight home runs, 19 RBI and 21 runs. He's also been a plus OAA defender at all three outfield positions this year.
In his two games in Toronto, Bellinger went 4-for-8 with a home run, and was one of the few hitters to be productive north of the border.
Bellinger has also been a beast at Yankee Stadium -- entering this weekend series, he is hitting .317 with 12 homers, 38 RBI, and a .937 OPS in the home ballpark.
If the Yankees were to win this series, Bellinger needs to continue to play this way.
Aaron Judge scare
Judge was seen wincing after making a throw from right field in Tuesday's game.
While the reigning MVP was able to finish the game, it's definitely something to monitor, especially since manager Aaron Boone penciled in Judge as the DH for Wednesday's series finale.
Boone downplayed the move as a planned DH day for Judge, but Friday's lineup will be the ultimate signifier that everything is ok with the captain.
Judge did snap a 0-for-8 skid with a two-run blast on Wednesday, so perhaps he's just fine.
Can Marcus Stroman keep giving quality outings?
Stroman's performance since coming off the IL has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees.
The veteran right-hander is 2-0 and has allowed just seven runs in 26 innings (2.42) over his four outings since returning to the rotation.
New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) slaps hands with first base Ben Rice (22) after the top of the fifth inning against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
Stroman is slated to pitch Saturday, potentially making him the difference between a series win or loss.
With all the injuries the Yankees have suffered, what Stroman has provided is invaluable. And while rookies Will Warren and Cam Schlittler try to figure it out at the big league level, and Max Fried trying to come back from a blister issue, his starts continue to be more and more important.
And, how big was that start in the series finale against the Braves?
Can Yankees tighten up their defense?
The Yankees defense. There's not much to say after their four-error performance in Wednesday's loss.
A big part of that has been the infield.
Anthony Volpe's struggles at the plate have been a year-long issue, but it's followed him onto the field. Entering the weekend series Volpe has 13 errors, which is tied for the MLB lead, and has been a far departure from his Gold Glove form in 2023.
But the young shortstop isn't the only one struggling. Third basemen Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas are not tearing the cover off the ball, but defense is supposed to be their calling card -- especially Peraza -- and they have not played up to that ability of late.
It's not only the errors but the miscues. Wild pitches, failing to cut off throws, etc, continue to plague the Yankees, who consistently give teams extra outs, and going up against a good team like the Phillies, you can't do that.
Rodon vs. Wheeler
Sunday's series finale will see a big pitching matchup. Carlos Rodon will hope to bounce back from his shaky start against the Blue Jays earlier in the week, and the Phillies will have NL Cy Young front-runner Zack Wheeler on the mound.
Wheeler has made two starts at Yankee Stadium in his career and they haven't been good. Wheeler has allowed 10 runs on 14 hits, including three home runs, across 9.0 innings in those two games in the Bronx. Despite those numbers, runs should be hard to come by on both sides.
Can the Yankees get to Wheeler and get a much-needed win?
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Cody Bellinger
Bellinger has been great of late, especially at home. And with the Phillies putting two righties in the series, he could have a massive weekend.
Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?
Carlos Rodon
Rodon has been a dog for the Yankees and should hold down the lefties in the Phillies lineup.
Which Phillies player will be a thorn in Yankees' side?
Bryce Harper
Harper is healthy and on a tear. Harper is also 7-for-23 (.304) with a home run in seven career games in the Bronx.
The NHL free agent market is significantly smaller than it was when it opened on July 1. This is understandable, as teams often make their moves during the early part of the month when it comes to free agency.
Yet, even with this being the case, there are still some veterans who remain unrestricted free agents (UFAs) at this point in the summer. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Motte is one of them.
Motte, 30, spent this past season with the Detroit Red Wings. In 55 games with the Red Wings, the Michigan native recorded four goals, five assists, nine points, and 72 hits. Overall, it was a bit of a quiet year from the former Blackhawk, so it is understandable that it is taking him a bit more time to land his next contract.
While Motte has yet to be signed, that certainly has the potential to change before the season is here. The 30-year-old forward has shown throughout his career that he can be a solid bottom-six player to have, as he can play multiple positions and kill penalties. He is also not afraid of the physical side of the game, so he could be a solid pickup for a team looking for more bite.
Ultimately, Motte is the kind of depth player that teams like to have around. On an affordable one-year deal, he could be a good pickup for a team that needs help in their bottom six.
Motte was selected by the Blackhawks with the 121st overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In 33 games with Chicago during the 2016-17 season, he recorded four goals, seven points, and a plus-2 rating. His time with the Blackhawks ended when he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets with Artemi Panarin during the 2017 NHL off-season.
