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Siakam, Haliburton's double-doubles lead Pacers past Bucks 123-115 for 2-0 series lead

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.

Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and All-NBA guard Damain Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes, his first game action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.

Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.

The game had a little bit of everything. There was a scuffle in front of the Pacers bench that led to double technical fouls, words between multiple players in the final minutes, players repeatedly hitting the floor, a little zone defense, a smattering of full-court pressure and, of course, plenty of points.

But, Indiana controlled the entire game after racing to a 31-16 lead in less than 7 1/2 minutes. The Bucks used a late 13-0 run to get within 115-113 with 2:31 to go before Indiana closed it out with an 8-2 run to end the game.

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Gilgeous-Alexander scores 27 as the Thunder roll past Grizzlies 118-99 to take 2-0 series lead

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Jalen Williams added 24 points and Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City delivered a strong follow-up to its record-setting 131-80 win on Sunday in the series opener. The Thunder have won all six games against the Grizzlies this season by double digits.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 26 points and Ja Morant added 23 for Memphis, which will host Game 3 on Thursday.

Oklahoma City opened with a 9-0 run and held Memphis scoreless for the first 3 1/2 minutes as the Grizzlies missed their first 10 shots.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who had been off for the first five quarters of the series, found his shot in the second quarter. He hit two 3-pointers 55 seconds apart to put Oklahoma City up 55-38.

Oklahoma City led 70-52 at the break after setting a team playoff record with 12 3-pointers in the first half.

Memphis started hot in the third and cut its deficit to single digits, but the Thunder took a 90-79 lead into the fourth.

Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace faked out Zach Edey, then went baseline for a one-handed jam that put the Thunder up 97-79 and brought the crowd to its feet.

The Thunder held Memphis scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the fourth.

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Yankees' Will Warren overcomes his 'kryptonite' in best start yet

The Yankees didn't allow rookie starter Will Warren to record more than five outs in their road meeting with the Rays last Thursday. It wasn't a move that signaled a complete lack of trust -- the right-hander was pushed beyond five innings for the first time this season on Tuesday against the Guardians.

But the positive vibes that Warren produced with five scoreless frames of one-hit ball were squashed in the sixth, as he allowed back-to-back singles and ultimately watched Cleveland orchestrate a three-run rally from the dugout in New York's frustrating 3-2 loss at Progressive Field.

While the Yankees are now on the verge of being swept for the first time this season, their sixth-inning breakdown didn't tell the story of Warren's performance. He worked efficiently, inducing enough grounders and whiffs against a lineup that featured nine left-handed batters. Overall, he allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts across 82 pitches.

"We have confidence in the shapes of my pitches and stuff like that," Warren told the YES Network after the game. "It's mainly being aggressive in the zone, getting the hitter on their heels, and controlling the count.. Any time you put nine lefties in there, it's going to be a challenge for sure. Two years ago, I'd be extremely happy with how tonight went because lefties used to be my kryptonite. Now I feel like I have the confidence to go out there, whoever they put in the lineup."

Warren managed to avoid the long ball and keep his teammates active -- seven of his 15 outs came on grounders. But the Yankees struggled to help him and Mark Leiter Jr. work out of jams, as some squirrely infield hits and defensive miscues raised pitch counts and extended Cleveland's threats.

New York's lone error came in the second, when a poor throw to first from second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. ultimately led to a situation with runners on the corners. Then, moments after Warren left the game, a wild pitch from Leiter allowed a hustling Steven Kwan to score Cleveland's first run.

A two-out looper behind second base that Anthony Volpe couldn’t grab cleanly resulted in the Guardians' third run, and the misplay was also changed from an error to a single. Warren was responsible for creating the sixth-inning mess, but a string of bad luck undoubtedly spoiled his encouraging performance. His ERA now sits at 4.79 through five starts.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he didn't second-guess or regret sending Warren back out for the sixth. He was staying in until Guardians star Jose Ramirez returned to the plate.

"I thought he threw the ball so well," Boone said of Warren. "Really encouraging outing from him. Life to the heater, putting it where he wanted to. But getting ahead and he looked real aggressive, on the attack and pitching with confidence. That's what he's capable of right there. Good to see him have an outing like that."

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The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live: Reacting To Maple Leafs And Senators' Game 2

Chris Tanev and Brady Tkachuk (Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)

Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines, provide updates on the rest of the night's NHL slate and read your opinions.

On tonight's show, Ryan Kennedy and Avry Lewis-McDougall react to Game 2 between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Playoff Frenzy - April 22, 2025 | The Hockey NewsPlayoff Frenzy - April 22, 2025 | The Hockey NewsWelcome to Playoff Frenzy Live by The Hockey News presented by STIX.com, where we give our live reactions and break down the latest news to all the biggest g...

They also discuss what's going on around the NHL on Tuesday night, including Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Check out the show right now and share your opinions in the live chat and in our comment section.  

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Mets' clutch hitting the difference in 5-1 win over Phillies

The Mets continued to roll, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 at Citi Field on Tuesday night, extending their current winning streak to six games and raising their home record to 11-1.

They also extended their lead in the NL East over the Phillies to four games.

Here are the takeaways....

-The pitching continues to be a remarkable storyline for this team. Already leading MLB in team ERA, the Mets used four pitchers, beginning with Griffin Canning, to hold the Phillies’ ever-dangerous offense to just one run.

Their staff has allowed only 10 home runs all season, easily the lowest number in the majors.

-Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso continued to lead the way offensively.

 Lindor went 3-for-5, scored a run and drove in another, and raised his batting average to .301 as the notoriously slow starter is enjoying perhaps the best April of his career.

Alonso, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .349, and his two-out, seventh-inning double off the wall in left drove in Lindor to give the Mets a 3-1 lead that soon went to 5-1 on Luis Torrens’ two-run single.

Alonso is now hitting .444 (4-for-9) with two outs and runners in scoring position -- quite a turnaround from the problems he had in the clutch last season.

-Canning delivered another strong start, albeit over only five innings. The Phillies put eight runners on base against him, but the right-hander repeatedly made pitches to get out of trouble, limiting the damage to one run.

Canning threw 84 pitches and had to work hard to get through the fifth. With runners on second and third and two outs, he struck out Nick Castellanos swinging at an outside slider.

As a result, Canning lowered his ERA to 3.12 after five starts and continues to be a nice surprise for the Mets.

Also, Canning did not allow a home run, and so Mets starters have now gone 12 games at home this season without allowing a long ball. It’s the longest such streak to start a season in franchise history.

In addition, their starters have gone 11 straight games, home and away, without allowing a homer. It’s the longest such streak for them since 2014.

-Huascar Brazoban, AJ Minter, Ryne Stanek, and Jose Butto all pitched scoreless innings in relief, as the Mets’ bullpen continues to excel.

-Phillies starter Christopher Sanchez figured to be a tough matchup, coming off a 12-strikeout outing against the San Francisco Giants that featured a whopping 23 swings-and-misses against his changeup alone. That was the most whiffs against a changeup in a game since the pitch-tracking era began in 2007.

Yet the Mets made life difficult for Sanchez from the start, seemingly making it a priority not to be fooled by the change while fouling off other pitches with defensive swings in long at-bats. As a result, they forced the Phillies’ lefty to throw 58 pitches in his only two innings of work.

Sanchez, who began the night 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA, gave up four hits, two walks, and two runs. The Phillies announced that he was taken out of the game because of left forearm soreness.

Game MVP: Francisco Lindor

His hot bat continues to ignite the Mets. After Lindor led off two straight games with home runs, he was in the middle of every rally on Tuesday, with three singles that all led to runs, one way or another.

Lindor is now hitting .461 (12-for-26) on this homestand.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Phillies complete their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.

David Peterson (1-1, 3.27 ERA) is on the mound with Zack Wheeler (2-1, 3.73 ERA) on the bump for Philadelphia.

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Peyton Pritchard wins NBA Sixth Man of Year award, fourth Celtic to earn honor

This was Payton Pritchard's year. Coming off winning a ring, he was asked to step up his role as sixth man and get the Celtics through the long grind of the NBA season. He did that with career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game, and Pritchard knocked down a career-high 255 3-pointers, the fifth highest total in the league this season and the second most in a season in Celtics franchise history. Boston was +428 points this season in the minutes Pritchard was on the court.

All that made Pritchard the runaway winner of the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. He received 82 of the 100 first-place votes from a global panel of media members.

Pritchard becomes the fourth Celtic to win the award and joins some illustrious names to take that honor.

Detroit's Mikal Bridges finished second in the voting with Cleveland's Ty Jerome third. The Cavaliers' De'Andre Hunter and the Timberwolves' Naz Reid rounded out the top five.

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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani plays catch as he continues his comeback from elbow surgery

CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani played catch on Tuesday in a continuation of his throwing program in his comeback from elbow surgery.

Ohtani rejoined the Dodgers on Sunday after his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, gave birth to the couple's first child in Southern California. The two-way star went 0 for 3 with a walk in the Dodgers’ 1-0 win at Texas.

Following an off day, the 30-year-old Ohtani threw in the outfield at Wrigley Field before the opener of a two-game set against the Chicago Cubs. He is expected to have a light bullpen session on Wednesday and a “full-blown bullpen” on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts said.

“I still don't know what the next step is,” Roberts said, “and I think once he starts facing hitters, then it'll start to become more pronounced. But right now he's still in the mode of just throwing bullpens, and he still hasn't thrown sliders yet either.”

Ohtani hasn't pitched in a major league game since Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels. He is recovering from right elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023. He paused his pitching work after a mound session on Feb. 25 to prepare for opening day as a hitter.

The reigning NL MVP, who signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, is batting .277 with six homers and eight RBIs going into the series at Chicago.

Left-hander Blake Snell also played catch on Tuesday, and Roberts said it went well. Snell is on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation.

Tyler Glasnow remains on track to start Sunday at home against Pittsburgh. The 31-year-old right-hander left Sunday's win against the Rangers because of lower leg cramps.

“I haven't seen Glas, but from the training staff, they said that there is no more cramping,” Roberts said. “As we traveled here to Chicago he was fine.”

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Will Warren's bounce-back start spoiled by messy sixth inning in Yankees' 3-2 loss to Guardians

A strong bounce-back performance from Will Warren was spoiled by a messy sixth inning as the Yankees fell to the Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, at Progressive Field on Tuesday.

Here are the takeaways...

-- It didn't take long for Ben Rice to prove that his bruised left elbow was healed. The Yankees' slugger, making his first start since Saturday, took the first pitch thrown by Guardians starter Tanner Bibee deep over the tall left-center field wall for a leadoff home run. The 377-foot blast was Rice's sixth of the season, which is tied for 14th in the majors.

-- Considering that Will Warren recorded only five outs in his previous start, the bar for a bounce-back outing was set relatively low. But the rookie right-hander exceeded expectations against a Cleveland lineup featuring nine -- yes, nine -- lefties. With an aggressive attack plan, Warren induced grounders and whiffs, holding the Guardians to a single hit through five innings of work while striking out five.

-- Jazz Chisholm Jr. endured some new frustrations at the plate, as he fouled a ball off his leg in two separate at-bats and needed some time to collect himself. But the Yankees' second baseman overcame the pain, lifting a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth inning to increase their lead to 2-0. The two-run cushion wasn't big enough, however.

-- Warren immediately fell into trouble in the sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach on singles. The mistake pitches forced his exit, and with Mark Leiter Jr. called upon to clean up the mess, Cleveland scored three runs on a passed ball, a double, and an infield single to take the lead. The first two runs were ultimately charged to Warren, who threw 82 pitches across five-plus and lowered his ERA to 4.79.

-- Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis entered the eighth with a spotless 0.00 ERA through 11 appearances, and the Yankees nearly rendered him human with a rally sparked by a leadoff single and stolen base from Aaron Judge. But the threat was ultimately neutralized by the right-handed Gaddis, who sandwiched a pitch-violation walk between a flyout and a pair of strikeouts.

-- For a second straight night, Cleveland chose set-up man Cade Smith over star closer Emmanuel Clase for the save in the ninth. The bold move paid off yet again, as the Yankees went down in order on just four pitches. New York's final 16 batters generated only one hit, and they left seven total runners on.

Game MVP: Aaron Judge

The Yankees' captain remained in a league of his own, extending his on-base streak to 20 games with a perfect 4-for-4 night. It was the ninth multi-hit game of the season for Judge, who now owns a stellar .411 average and 1.231 OPS (best in MLB). He also flaunted his glove work and range in the fifth, robbing Brayan Rocchio of extra bases with a diving catch in right.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (14-10) will play the third and final game of their series in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

Carlos Rodón (2-3, 4.34 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Luis Ortiz (2-2, 5.48 ERA).

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Generals Advance To Eastern Conference Finals

Luca Marrelli wearing the 'A' for Oshawa this season [Tim Cornett/OHL Images].

The Oshawa Generals defeated the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 in game six to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year.  

Brantford took the opening two games of the series, scoring a total of 13 goals across the two games. Oshawa took over on home ice and built up momentum as they won the next four games to take the series. 

The lack of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis starting in game four certainly played a role in the outcome of the series. There are very few teams that could recover after scoring a 70-plus goal scorer. 

Lardis was injured late in game three on a hit delivered by Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson. The big defender, who represented Canada at the World Junior Championship this winter, received a two-game suspension for the hit. 

Without Lardis, the Brantford offense felt lost at times during the series. After game two, the Bulldogs never scored more than two goals in a game. Credit for shutting down the potent Brantford offense should go to the Oshawa defense and Jacob Oster, who looked fantastic between the pipes for Oshawa throughout the series.

Rangers' Head Coach Named OHL Coach Of The YearRangers' Head Coach Named OHL Coach Of The YearYesterday, the OHL announced that Kitchener Rangers' Head Coach Jussi Ahokas is the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy, which is presented to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by General Managers across the OHL.

The win on the road in game five gave the Generals the opportunity to finish the second-round series on home ice. They didn't take the opportunity for granted, outshooting the Bulldogs 15-4 in the opening period.

Luca Marrelli's thunderous one-timer on the power play brought Oshawa fans to their feet early in the game. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect fed Winnipeg Jets prospect Colby Barlow for a tap-in to make it 2-0 before the end of the first. 

Knights Sweep Otters To Advance To Western Conference FinalsKnights Sweep Otters To Advance To Western Conference FinalsThe seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

The Bulldogs outshot the Generals 18-14 for the rest of the game, however, the damage was already done. Owen Griffin and Marek Vanacker exchanged goals that came thirty seconds apart early in the second period to make the score 3-1 in favour of Oshawa. 

Griffin, who is one of the top scorers for Oshawa in the postseason, scored a second goal in the dying moments of the series to seal the victory for Oshawa. He's eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, and his performance in the playoffs is certainly raising his draft stock.

The Generals return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. Last season, they made it to the Finals before losing to the London Knights. This year, Oshawa has a deeper and more experienced roster than they did the last time they were in this position. 

They will await the victor of game seven between Barrie and Kitchener. 

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Yankees' DJ LeMahieu hits home run in first rehab game with Double-A Somerset

DJ LeMahieu made his first rehab start on Tuesday with Double-A Somerset, and the Yankees' veteran infielder had himself a game.

Batting second, LeMahieu was a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, finishing a triple short of the cycle. He also played five innings at second base.

In his first at-bat, LeMahieu lined a double to right field, driving in the game's first run. He then came up in the second with two outs, and down 1-2 in the count, he launched a home run over the right-center field wall off Evan Shawver. He then wrapped up his night with a single in the fourth that deflected off pitcher Alex Barger.

LeMahieu started the season on the IL with a strained left calf after just two at-bats in spring training. The 36-year-old was in the midst of a third-base competition with Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas. The injury allowed Cabrera and Peraza to start the season on the Yankees' roster.

If LeMahieu remains healthy and gets enough at-bats in the minors, the Yankees can potentially call him up before May.

The former batting champion will look to bounce back from a very down 2024 season. In just 67 games, he batted .204 with a .269 OBP and .527 OPS. He launched just two home runs, drove in 26 runners and collected only five doubles.

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What Should New Kraken GM Botterill Do To Avoid A Repeat Of His Results In Buffalo?

The Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken hop on the ice before a Jan. 20 game. (Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)

The Seattle Kraken hope a former Buffalo Sabres GM will help them reach perennial playoff status.

This week, the Kraken fired coach Dan Bylsma, promoted executive Ron Francis to president of hockey operations and promoted Jason Botterill to GM. 

The Kraken finished with the NHL’s sixth-worst record at 35-41-6, placing them seventh in the relatively weak Pacific Division – and a drop from sixth place in the Pacific in the 2023-24 campaign. That’s not nearly good enough for a Seattle team that wants to emulate the Vegas Golden Knights as a young franchise that can have great Stanley Cup playoff success right away.

For one thing, with Francis now promoted upward – in the role of a Brendan Shanahan in Toronto, a Jim Rutherford in Vancouver and a Joe Sakic in Colorado – Francis will have more years to stick the landing as an overseer of Botterill and his incoming management group. 

But Botterill has massive pressure on him and a slew of areas to address in his second chance at general managing an NHL club. He has some successes to replicate and mistakes to avoid from his time as the Sabres’ GM from 2017 to 2020.

Certainly, having more success in the NHL draft will be a priority, which Botterill did well at in Buffalo. He did have an easy pick when he landed star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018, but Botterill's draft team also selected centers Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. 

The Kraken need more from their first-ever draft pick, Matty Beniers, and another step up from Shane Wright. But Botterill must fill the organization’s cupboard with prospects they can turn into reliable NHLers.

They’re going to get a top-10 draft pick this summer. While they can’t necessarily expect the player they select with that pick to play in the NHL immediately, they should add an asset that will be a core component of the team for many years to come.

NHL Sour Rankings: What Lies Ahead For Every Non-Playoff TeamNHL Sour Rankings: What Lies Ahead For Every Non-Playoff TeamThe NHL is so often focused, for good reason, on the races at the top of the standings, but the NHL Sour Rankings looks at the bottom. 

Botterill should also buy out the contract of veteran goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who currently has two seasons remaining on a contract worth $5.9 million annually. 

The 33-year-old Grubauer put up career-worst totals in goals-against average (3.49) and save percentage (.875) last season, and with veteran Joey Daccord the clear No. 1 option in net, Grubauer can’t be kept around at that cap hit. 

Buying out Grubauer will free about $3.92 million next season and $2.82 million in 2026-27, while the $1.68-million buyout cost in 2027-28 and ’28-29 is minimal when the salary cap rises significantly.

That brings us to the Kraken’s huge amount of cap space to use to improve the roster. As it stands, Seattle has $21.75 million in cap space next season with 14 active players under contract. With a Grubauer buyout, that cap space would rise to $25.66 million. That means the Kraken can be major players on the free-agent market while having five first-round picks over the next three seasons to set up the team for long-term success.

Botterill has to make more tough decisions – including who will be the next coach of the team – to push the Kraken back into the playoff mix. They have two pending UFAs, and RFAs Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans need new deals as well. 

Kraken Retaining Jessica Campbell Shows Faith In Early Positive SignsKraken Retaining Jessica Campbell Shows Faith In Early Positive SignsThe Seattle Kraken parted ways with Dan Bylsma after just one season as the head coach, and while many thought Jessica Campbell may have followed, the organization is rewarding her with another season after some early positive returns.

Not long ago, Seattle fans were expecting to make the playoffs consistently, but Sabres fans have been waiting to get back into the post-season for seven times the length of Seattle’s two-year drought. Botterill is one of four men to hold the Sabres’ GM role since their last playoff appearance in 2011, and Buffalo’s best finish under him was 25th in the NHL. With Vegas joining the league in 2017-18, the Sabres actually became the first team in NHL history to finish 31st under Botterill.

Kraken fans will obviously hope Botterill won’t have the same results in Seattle, but the organization trusts him to make the most of this huge opportunity. He has a mandate to remove the stench of regular-season failure as they chart a course that will be more reliably successful.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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Sabres' Salary Cap Space Likely To Be Spent Quickly This Summer

Tanner Pearson (left); Bowen Byram (right) -- ( Timothy T. Ludwig, USA TODAY Sports)

The Buffalo Sabres aren't a big-market team, but a look at the projected amount of salary cap space next season -- via the indispensable Puck Pedia -- has the Sabres smack-dab in the middle of the league's teams, with approximately $21.43-million in cap space for the 2025-26 campaign. And if you break down Buffalo's players who are going to be in need of new contracts, you'll see that the Sabres will be spending much, if not all of their cap space to stay competitive.

For one thing, the Sabres have seven restricted free agents, including defensemen Bowen Byram and Jacob Bernard-Docker, goalie Devon Levi, and forwards Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Byram -- who made $3.85-million this past season -- and Peterka ($855,834) are going to get considerable raises, even with them both being under team control. As well, Levi and Quinn are long-term pieces of the puzzle in Buffalo, so Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will have to make them happy, perhaps with bridge contracts that keep their raises at a reasonable level.

Still, when you factor in all the variables here, you see that Buffalo's cap space is gong to dry up in a hurry. And although cap flexibility is a good thing, locking up your core talents is also a good thing. And the alternative -- trading away up-and-coming players just to keep your spending at an internally-decided-on level -- would incense Sabres fans who want Buffalo to spend to its limit. 

The other factor here, of course, is trades. Buffalo may choose to acquire talent via trades, and that will almost assuredly lead to the Sabres' cap space disapperaing rapidly. Buffalo may decide that they need experienced hands to get them into the playoffs next year, and that type of help won't come cheaply. Thus, Adams will have a balancing act to perform, keeping his core of young talent intact while also bringing in new faces to alter his team's chemistry.

All things considered, then, we're almost assuredly going to see Buffalo spend at or near the salary cap ceiling next season. We'll get an immediate sense of their spending intentions at the start of July, when unrestricted free agency begins. But trades will also take place relatively soon, and Adams will have to strike early to prevent other teams from swooping in and acquiring talent the Sabres have targeted.

Lamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding SabresLamoriello's Cold-Blooded Legacy A Good Lesson For Rebuilding SabresThe New York Islanders parted ways with GM and team president Lou Lamoriello Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to the 82-year-old icon's Hockey Hall-of-Fame career running NHL teams. But there's always something to learn from brilliant people, even when they're removed from power -- and Lamoriello's legacy could and should be a vital lesson for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.

When you think of more than $21 million, you rightfully think that's a lot of money, and it certainly is. However, at a time when the salary cap ceiling is rising exponentially -- and remember, the cap ceiling is going to rise even further, to $104-million, in 2026-27 -- player salaries are going to expand to fill that space.

So while it's on Sabres brass to spend wisely, they're almost certainly going to have to loosen the purse strings and spend to the cap limit each and every season. The cost of doing business in the NHL is going to continue to rise, and that has to be reflected in Buffalo's spending habits.