PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 21: Jakub Dobes #75 of the Montréal Canadiens makes a save against Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 21h, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
How to Watch: Local on SNE, TVAS and SportsNet Pittsburgh, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are headed into a busy first full week of the season after Saturday’s home opener, with a home game Monday against the Winnipeg Jets, a road game Friday against the Washington Capitals and then a back-to-back this weekend at Columbus and against visiting Dallas.
Opponent Track: The Canadiens spoiled Gavin McKenna’s NHL debut with a 3-2 season-opening win over the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Tuesday.
Season Series: The Penguins went 1-2 against the Canadiens last year, scoring just two goals across two regulation losses before claiming a rare shootout win through a span of three games in December 2025.
Hidden Stat: The Penguins have a 31-17-10 all-time record in home openers.
Hidden StatII: The Penguins could be facing a goaltender with one of the highest win ratios in Canadiens history. Only three goaltenders have recorded more wins through 60 career games than Jakub Dobes, who earned his 37th in the Habs’ season opener.
The Canadiens are mostly looking to run things back with the core that took them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, centered by top-line forwards Cole Caulfield and Nick Suzuki.
The most notable addition to the Habs lineup this offseason was Chris Kreider, who has scored 20 career goals against the Penguins in 47 games as a member of the New York Rangers. Krieder is starting the season skating in what used to be Juraj Slafkovsky’s spot on the top line.
Rookies Adam Engstrom and Florian Xhekaj made the Canadiens’ Opening Night roster but were scratched from the team’s road opener in Toronto.
Dobes is returning for a second season as full-time starter after capping off his rookie season with a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He looked strong in his season debut for the Canadiens after giving up an initial goal to the Maple Leafs. The Canadiens will need to decide whether to start him or turn to Jacob Fowler, who was solid as Dobes’ backup during his rookie season, for his 2026-27 debut.
Jakub Dobeš flashes the leather on Kirill Marchenko ⚡️
The Canadiens overall got off to a slow start to Tuesday’s first game of the season. They’ll be looking for more jump out of the gate against the Pens.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines (from Friday’s practice)
FORWARDS
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Filip Hallander
Connor Dewar – Ben Kindel (?) – Andrei Kuzmenko (?)
Blake Lizotte was missing from practice this week with a lower-body injury despite playing 13 minutes against the Flyers in the season opener. Bryan Rust, who sat out Game 1, also hasn’t been practicing due to an upper-body injury.
Kuzmenko is back with the Penguins following the death of his father. His return resulted in Elmer Soderblom being bumped from the even-strength lineup at practice. Kuzmenko was also featured on the second power-play unit Friday, per Michelle Crechiolo.
PP1) Karlsson, Novak, Rakell, Crosby, Kindel PP2) Letang, Chinakhov, Kuzmenko, Lapierre, Malkin (Kuzmenko just had an unreal setup to Malkin for a goal).
Also on track for a potential return to the lineup is Ben Kindel, who was previously listed as week-to-week with a lower body injury. His availability hasn’t been confirmed, but he has joined in on two straight practices and was involved with bone line rushes and the top power play unit Friday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 01: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves speaks to the media after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on October 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During Friday’s discussion with the media, Atlanta Braves skipper Walt Weiss provided plenty of updates on injured players ahead of the NLDS beginning in Los Angeles. From Martín Pérez to Bryce Elder and Tyler Mahle, Weiss provided some updates without explicitly announcing the pitching plans for the series.
The series gets underway this afternoon at 4:00 ET.
The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees square off in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at Tropicana Field, the opener of the best-of-five clash between AL East foes.
It's the second time the two clubs have met the postseason, the other occasion in the 2020 ALDS, a five-game Rays win as Tampa Bay went on to reach the World Series. The Rays won the division this season, outlasting the Yankees to earn a first-round bye with the best record in the AL.
"They haven't had many lulls in the season, and those handful of weeks where they've struggled a little bit, they've answered it really well," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. "So it's a confident group, an athletic group, and one we obviously have to be at our best to have a chance to win."
The Yankees swept the Red Sox in the AL wild card series, outscoring Boston 18-2 in the two-game series in the Bronx. Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the Yankees in the opener on Saturday while Drew Rasmussen gets the nod for the Rays.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
During the off-season, former Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka was traded by the Utah Mammoth to the Boston Bruins.
This happened just one year after the Sabres traded Peterka to Utah. This was after the 24-year-old winger had a down year during his one season with the Mammoth, posting 25 goals and 47 points in 82 games.
So far, the trade to Boston is benefiting Peterka, as he is off to a great start with the Original Six club this season.
Peterka has scored a goal in each of his first two games with the Bruins. This included him scoring Boston's overtime winning goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. With this, the former Sabres forward is making an immediate impact for the Bruins.
Seeing Peterka having a great start with the Bruins is not too surprising. He showed during his time with the Sabres that he is capable of providing strong offense when playing at his best. This was especially the case in 2024-25, as he posted 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games.
In 238 games over four seasons with the Sabres from 2021-22 to 2024-25, Peterka posted 67 goals, 83 assists, and 150 points.
Former Buffalo Sabres star Alex Tuch made his debut for the Washington Capitals on Friday night, and it is certainly fair to say that it was a good one.
Tuch left a great first impression with the Capitals, as he scored two goals in their 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. This included him scoring the game-opening goal for Washington at the 6:33 mark of the first period.
Seeing Tuch put up such a strong performance in his first game with the Capitals is not too surprising. He was a very impactful forward during his time with the Sabres, so there is no reason to believe that he won't be with the Capitals.
The Sabres moved on from Tuch this off-season in a sign-and-trade deal with the Capitals. He landed himself a nice payday in the process, as he signed an eight-year, $84 million contract. With this, the former Sabres star is set to be a Capital for a long time.
Tuch spent five seasons with the Sabres from 2021-22 to 2025-26, where he posted 139 goals, 170 assists, and 309 points. Overall, he had a strong tenure in Buffalo, and it will be interesting to see what he can do as a Capital from here.
After a chaotic home opener on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks (1-1-0) return to Rogers Arena on Saturday against the Calgary Flames (0-1-0). Vancouver comes into the game having scored 13 times in their first two games, while the Flames fell 6-1 in their season opener. Last year, Calgary took the season series as they picked up two of a possible three wins.
The big question surrounding the Canucks is: will the high-scoring games continue? Based on the Flames' roster, another 10+ goal battle is unlikely, but anything is possible. While 9-7 games are exciting, Vancouver needs to find a way to keep their foot on the gas offensively while also playing effectively defensively.
The Canucks' power play will also be a focus on Saturday. While they did find the back of the net Thursday, Vancouver also allowed multiple shorthanded goals. Ultimately, Vancouver needs to be focused with the man advantage, as shorthanded goals can kill momentum both on the ice and in the arena.
Players To Watch:
Marco Rossi:
Marco Rossi has had a hot start to the campaign. In two games, he has scored three times and leads the team with five shots. Based on practice lines, Rossi could move from center to the wing, which would be an interesting experiment if that is the plan for Saturday night.
Ryan Strome:
The only player on Calgary's roster to find the back of the net during their season opener was forward Ryan Strome. The 33-year-old was acquired last season by the Flames and has 13 points in his 20 games with Calgary. Strome was a volume shooter with four shots on Thursday and will be looking to add to his point total against the Canucks.
Mar 28, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (32) makes a save against Vancouver Canucks center Linus Karlsson (94) during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks (1–1–0):
Points:
Paul Cotter: 3–1–4
Marco Rossi: 3-1-4
Elias Pettersson: 1–3–4
Filip Hronek: 0–4–4
Jamie Oleksiak: 1-2-3
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 1–1–0
Leevi Meriläinen: 0–0–0
Calgary Flames (0-1-0):
Ryan Strome: 1-0-1
Yegor Sharangovich: 0-1-1
Connor Zary: 0-1-1
Jacob Middleton: 0-0-0
Zayne Parekh: 0-0-0
Goaltenders:
Dustin Wolf: 0-1-0
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: KiSS West Coast
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 22: P.J. Tucker celebrates with the Larry O'Brien trophy during the Milwaukee Bucks 2021 NBA Championship Victory Parade and Rally in the Deer District of Fiserv Forum on July 22, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Complex? Somewhat. All-encompassing? Yes. Personalised? Definitively. This week, following all the change the Milwaukee Bucks have undergone this offseason, we asked you who you want them to become. More specifically, we sought clarification regarding what identity you want for this new era of Bucks basketball. Well, it turns out the ghost of P.J. Tucker still lingers over Milwaukee.
We want dawgs.
Yes, with 43% of the vote, fans want a return to the days where playing against the Bucks was tough. Think 48 minutes of Eric Bledsoe hounding every dribble. Then upgrading to Jrue Holiday. Think Wes Matthews getting into your chest. Think getting by perimeter defenders only to meetBrook Lopez at the rim—and then watching as he directs the scorers to record his block. Think Giannis tracking you on the fast break, prepping to eviscerate your dreams. And, yes, think P.J. Tucker’s fleet feet, quick hands, bruising physicality—and dawg mentality.
Of course, these Bucks aren’t those Bucks. But they certainly have some defensive upside. On the court, this mainly comes in the form of moldable youth and athleticism—Kel’el Ware, Jericho Sims, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ousmane Dieng, Brayden Burries, Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and even Nate Ament—but they also have one of the league’s best rim protectors in Myles Turner. Kyle Kuzma, Pete Nance, and AJ Green are all willing, albeit limited, defenders too.
More importantly, in Taylor Jenkins they’ve got a self-proclaimed “teacher” who prioritises effort and accountability, winning the possession battle, and working as a team, things the Bucks, much to the chagrin of fans, have struggled with in recent times. And in case you missed it, all of this is captured in the team’s new mantra: Compete. Together. Get Better.
But it’s not just a defensive identity fans want from the Bucks. In fact, 33% of voters long for a game predicated on ball movement and fluidity, while 12% would like to see Milwaukee push the pace. Notably, just 2% want to see the Bucks imitate the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers. Given their lack of success in comparison to the other stylistic examples—those Clippers never made it past the Western Conference semifinals—this is completely understandable.
Beyond these stylistic archetypes, 10% of fans want something else, a sentiment captured in the comments:
Mitchell Maurer: There is no one existing model to adopt that would make sense to emulate; Coach Jenkins needs to see what he has and what he can make work, knowing that there will be some trial-and-error.
retired janitor: One of my biggest mistakes as an early coach was trying to have the players fit my system, vs finding the system that fits them best. It is the coach’s job to nurture improvement, and put them in the best situation to succeed. Basketball is a game of unconscious competence. Do, don’t think… To the question of what I want to see? The staff figures out the strengths and weaknesses of the clay, and small victories are repeated through good habits.
GBFanBoy: It has to be a blend of all of those if it makes sense. 7 seconds is ideal, but we have the versatile pieces that can defend at a high level.
Lockdown terrors, offensive maestros, or something else, the good news is we don’t have long to wait to start to see who these Bucks are—preseason ball begins Monday!
Media Day is often filled with empty or generic quotes, buzzwords, and clichés. It’s inevitable every year.
But sometimes, if you read between the lines after getting to know players over the years, you pick up on things. Oddities. New perspectives. Previews of what could be to come through words converted straight into action. These things can be hard to spot to the naked eye, but if you pay close enough attention, you can see them.
Devin Booker had several quotes that stood out to me in a way that I haven’t really heard before. Book is usually more reserved and doesn’t really throw out quotes like this one too often. In the most nonchalant tone of voice possible, Book sounds as excited as we’ve heard him sound since… the CP3 days? It would be remiss to not mention the early days of KD as well, because there was some buzz then too. But it’s been a minute.
Booker said: “I love the game more than ever. Honestly, my body feels better than it’s ever felt going into a training camp. So, I think, you know, as you get older you know, you learn new ways to train, new ways to take care of your body… I’ve been a sponge to, you know, a lot of guys that have had success and played a lot of years in their career.”
Booker’s body feeling the best it ever has means something. He played in 64 games a season ago, and over the course of his 11-year career, he averages 67 games played per season. He typically hovers in the mid-60s, so if we can get that number closer to the mid-70s, that would be great. Those extra 10 games could be the difference between fighting in the play-in and securing a spot outright.
This next quote also spoke to me. Devin said he wants to “fall into shooting too much,” which is quite an unusual comment from him. When Booker is in “killer” mode, that’s when the Suns are at their best. It doesn’t mean forcing bad shots, dribbling into traps, or over-dribbling. Quite the opposite.
Every time he touches the ball, he is making quick, decisive moves to either attack downhill in a straight line or use one or two dribbles to get into his spot and put defenders on his hip in the midrange.
“Sometimes I fall into passing too much and this year, hopefully, I fall into shooting too much.” – Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker (@DevinBook) on how he hopes to play this season. pic.twitter.com/bcH4ytvuMI
Another gripe that I mentioned in the comments of a recent article was that whenever he gets cold, he can oftentimes settle for jumpers. We’ve seen those dry spells; they can be rough.
What I’d like to see more of in those early-game situations, especially, is for him to go straight into attack mode if his first two jumpers don’t fall. Get to the line and make a pair of free throws, or make an easy shot at the rim to build confidence. That’s how you get a rhythm going.
Because once he hits his stride and he sees it go in, it can snowball in a positive way.
“To start the season, we’re gonna be definitely ahead of where we were to start the season last year,” said Booker.
This team sounds fired up. The energy is right. The talent is there. Who else is ready for some Phoenix Suns basketball?
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Kyle Lowry #7 and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors are photographed with the Championship Trophies on the team bus during the Toronto Raptors Championship Victory Parade on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
There is only one thing that the 2026 Raptors share in common with the championship team from 2019: Kawhi Leonard.
The first to leave, yet the only one in Toronto today. A man who has never failed to reach the top of the mountain as a Raptor. Granted, he was only a Raptor for one season, but now that he is back, we can ask: do the Raptors have that same championship trajectory once again?
And with Leonard seemingly still in great shape, coming off one of his best regular seasons ever, are the 2026 Raptors arguably better than the 2019 champions?
Top end talent
In 2019, the team’s leader and best player was Kawhi Leonard. Barring an astonishing Scottie Barnes jump, which is totally possible, Leonard will be the team’s frontman for this upcoming season. Obviously, 2019 Kawhi is going to outclass the current 35-year-old Kawhi in almost every facet. 2019 was his prime. However, Leonard’s offence is still top-notch, and his defence is still amazing too. Even with all the injuries, Leonard’s longevity has been impressive. He is one of the higher-end players in the Association.
Kawhi Leonard’s had two main co-stars on his championship run. Kyle Lowry was an All-Star that season and meshed incredibly well with Leonard. Pascal Siakam had his breakout season in 2018-19, averaging over 16 points per game. These two players in that specific season, who are all-time Raptors legends, cannot compare to modern-day Scottie Barnes. Barnes has been getting a lot of positive attention this offseason. Many people are praising not only his regular-season performance but also his incredible playoff production in the series against the Cavaliers. Receiving comparisons to Scottie Pippen and his new teammate Kawhi Leonard, it is fair to say people have high expectations for Scottie Barnes this season.
Role players and depth compared
The projected lineup for the Raptors in the 2026-27 season consists of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl around Leonard and Barnes.
Quickley and Barrett are the players that the Raptors got in return for OG Anunoby. Both are early into their primes and have shown promising flashes, but play more selfishly compared to Lowry and Green. They swirled around in trade rumors all of last year and will likely continue to be in the rumour mill, unless they sacrifice their own production for the betterment of the team. As for Poeltl, he has not been the same since he injured his back. Compared to Serge Ibaka, who was having some of his best offensive seasons in Toronto and was still a great defender, Poeltl is quite subpar.
The 2019 champions have a difficult bench to match. Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, and Marc Gasol. There were also all of the quality players who had lesser roles: Jeremy Lin, Chris Boucher, and Patrick McCaw for example.
Collin Murray-Boyles was a great defensive asset for the Raptors last year. Any bench with him will be productive. Rookie Allen Graves should add a fun dynamic this year. Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter have been good contributors over the last couple of years too. They, especially Walter, will assume bigger roles with Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick shipped off to Los Angeles. There are also other guys, like veteran Kyle Anderson, rejoining Kawhi Leonard. It would not hurt to acquire more depth, especially at centre. This would allow CMB to play a more natural position of forward, instead of in the intense role of a centre.
Could the 2026 Raptors yield the same results?
This article is kind of premature. Right now, this team and its season are a mystery. Once this season starts, we will get a feel for how this ensemble is going to perform, how Darko Rajaković will manage things, how the chemistry develops, and who else the front office can add. According to speculation, there could be a guy like Domantas Sabonis added to the team. Players like Collin Murray-Boyles could get increased roles. Bottom line: there is time for adjustments to be made.
The competition is also much different in the current NBA. Now, the NBA is much deeper than the 2019 NBA landscape, partly due to the new collective bargaining agreement which disperses talent more effectively than ever. There is also the reality of so many new stars. The emerging stars from the time the Raptors won in 2019 have matured and have great squads next to them now. Not to mention, the Eastern Conference is much stronger than it usually has been, arguably more stacked than the Western Conference. The Warriors were a worthy opponent in 2019, but the competition all around the league has become more respectable.
We will see how the year plays out. There will be twists and turns, just as the 2019 champions had when Kevin Durant got injured in the Finals, making victory even more tangible. There will be roster adjustments, just like when the front office traded for Marc Gasol. The team will have to learn how to play together. Kawhi adjusted quickly in 2019 and won a championship in his first year in Toronto, so why wouldn’t he mesh with the squad this year? The road to success will be strenuous, but the ceiling is as high as ever.
LEESBURG, VA - AUGUST 1996: (L to R) Marcus Camby, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O'Neal, Kerry Kittles, Steve Nash, John Wallace, Antoine Walker, and Samaki Walker poses for a portrait during the 1996 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot in August of 1996 in Leesburg, Virginia. 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 1996 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
CONTINUATION OF THE “WHAT IF” WOLVES SERIES. IN THIS SERIES, I PLAY THE ROLE OF TIMBERWOLVES OVERLORD AND GO BACK IN TIME AND RIGHT SOME OF THE WRONGS OF OUR FAVORITE FRANCHISE. SINCE THIS IS THE TIMBERWOLVES, THERE ARE A LOT OF WRONGS. THIS SERIES MAY GO ON FOREVER.
“What If” Wolves Volume Three: We got our big man, but who will get him the ball?
If you weren’t alive to witness the glory of 90s basketball, you missed out.
Play was dominated by big men in the post, point guards that controlled the game, and the GOAT (don’t get me started with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant talk). Since there was only one Michael Jordan, teams tried to build around the post and the man who could get him the ball. Almost every team was looking for their own version of “John Stockton to Karl Malone”, a dynamic duo that would lead their team to the championship (despite the fact that neither Stockton nor Malone ever won a title, or were remotely decent people, for that matter).
The Wolves had just drafted the greatest player in franchise history, Kevin Garnett. “KG”, “The Kid”, The Big Ticket”, and “The Franchise” (Man, the nicknames for big guys in the 90s were outstanding: “The Dream”, “The Mailman”, “The Round Mound of Rebound, ” and my favorite big man of the time, “The Admiral”).
UNITED STATES – APRIL 18: College Basketball: Closeup portrait of Naval Academy David Robinson (Navy Midshipman 1st Class) with ball aboard ship, Cover, Annapolis, MD 4/18/1986 (Photo by Bill Ballenberg/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X32978)
With the power forward position in good hands after drafting “Ticket”, what the Wolves lacked was any semblance of respectable point guard play. The franchise already crushed my dream of drafting Tim Hardaway when they drafted Pooh Richardson out of UCLA. Pooh was still probably the best PG in franchise history up to the 1996 NBA draft. Granted, the list of point guards that had played for the Wolves up to that point is pretty gross. Let me know if you remember any of these floor generals. Pooh Richardson (only played three seasons with MN), Sidney Lowe (terrible coach), Scott Brooks (better coach), Michael Williams (still holds the NBA record with 97 consecutive free throws made), Corey Williams, Winston Garland, Darrick Martin, Howard Eisley, and my childhood hero, Spud Webb.
That list is hot garbage. The franchise needed better play from the PG spot, and the 1996 draft was a great place to start.
After finishing the 1995-96 season with a 26-56 record, the Timberwolves had the fifth-best odds to win the lottery. Did they get lucky and move up? Uh, no. They ended up with the fifth pick. The Wolves have only moved up once in franchise history (still the best thing any point guard has ever done for the Wolves. Probably the best thing D’Angelo Russell has done in his career as well. Thanks, DLo!).
The real Timberwolves missed out on drafting their franchise point guard with the fifth overall pick. They used the pick to draft future Hall of Fame player and NBA Champion Ray Allen. Allen was awesome coming out of UConn. He was uber-athletic and had an incredible jumper that would only get better throughout his career.
But the Wolves already had JR Rider on the roster, whom the team was still pretty high on at this point, as was I (JR was probably high as well).
The Milwaukee Bucks had the fourth overall pick. Milwaukee knew they wanted Ray Allen. They also knew that the Wolves wanted their PG of the future, so the Bucks did what any smart franchise should do and has done: take advantage of the Wolves’ front office.
The Bucks drafted PG Stephon Marbury from Georgia Tech with pick number four and dangled him in front of the Wolves GM Kevin McHale. McHale would go on to trade Ray Allen and a 1998 first-round pick for Marbury. I watched this draft live with my best friends Dan and Jason.
To be completely honest, we were all thrilled with the trade. I think we even high-fived. Oops.
Outside of watching the draft with my lifelong best friends, what would I do differently as the “What If” Wolves Overlord? The quick fix for the Wolves would be to keep Ray Allen and never have to deal with the future Marbury drama. That fix seems too simple for my taste.
Let’s get into it.
The first move by the “What If” Wolves in the summer of 1996 is to fire Kevin McHale immediately.
I asked him for an autograph once at a Subway sandwich shop. He yelled at me something along the lines of, “Can’t you see I’m having dinner with my family?!” To which I replied, “You are standing in line at a Subway, *&%#@! (Editor’s Note: not quite sure if this breaks the Subway Sandwich code of conduct).”
I left before he had a chance to yell back at me. I was a punk teenager and thought I was tough, but I still hate Kevin McHale despite him being “one of us” and guest starring in the best episode of Cheers.
To be fair, the acting is actually pretty good.
So the “What If” Wolves make some moves. After the Bucks take Marbury at pick #4 and dangle him in front of me, we make a pivot. We got Rider at shooting guard, so we don’t need Ray Allen. Also, Rider had recently won the dunk contest with his “East Bay Funk Dunk”. The dunk contest was super important to me back then, before it descended into whatever we have today (dear NBA guys, please fix this!).
I thought KG and Rider were building something and was excited to see it through, plus we would get the opportunity to hear more stories like this one about MJ. So instead of taking Allen, we trade the #5 pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for picks #12 and #20.
Tough to move back, but we picked up an extra first-round pick and screwed over the Bucks at the same time. Nice. Cleveland takes Ray Allen at #5, which is a huge upgrade over their current SGs Bobby Phills and Bobby Sura. Phills would pass away a few years later while a member of the Charlotte Hornets in a tragic car accident.
The actual Wolves took a pretty big risk in the 1995 draft by drafting Kevin Garnett. When your franchise has been dreadful for the last few years, you need to take some risks. Now, the easy thing to do is to say that I took the same risk and drafted Kobe Bryant out of high school for the “What If” Wolves.
Again, way too easy, plus I like extra long articles.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Santa Clara Broncos<br>#11 Steve Nash, Guard for the Santa Clara University Broncos dribbles the basketball around Stephon Marbury #3, Guard for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets who attempts to block during their NCAA Atlantic Coast Conference college basketball game on 30th December 1995 at the Leavey Center Arena in Santa Clara, California, United States. The Broncos won the game 71 – 66. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With our newly acquired #12 pick, we take a different type of risk by taking a Canadian point guard from tiny Santa Clara University and future 2-time MVP, Steve Nash.
Coming out of college, the comparisons to John Stockton were everywhere. Small school, played on their respective National Teams, crazy court vision, decent shot, slow defender, and pretty pale. Nash was nowhere near the defender that Stockton was coming out of Gonzaga, but he checked every other box in the Stockton comparison.
Taking Nash at #12 is a bit of a reach and a bit of “drafting for need”. But I’m ok with that here. Take a flyer on a kid who has gotten better each of his four years at Santa Clara. Take a chance on the kid who steps up in the big games. In the NCAA Tournament as a freshman, Nash had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and hit six straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to beat #2 Arizona.
As a senior, Nash had 28 points and 12 assists to upset #7 Maryland. He was clutch when it mattered most. That is what the Wolves need: a guy who can lead a team against all odds and destroy the powerhouse teams of the late 90s and early 2000s.
For pick #20 of the 1996 NBA Draft, the “What If” Wolves make the same pick as the real Cavs made twenty years ago and select Lithuanian center Zyndrunas Ilgauskas.
Ilgauskas was a giant at 7’3″. Couldn’t move all that well, but did well enough to earn two All-Star appearances. Ilgauskas makes it so the Wolves never sign Stojko Vrankovic, whose nickname on basketball-reference.com is actually “The Human Victory Cigar”.
I am sure that KG would have made Ilgauskas cry after being yelled at for moving too slowly, getting in his way, or speaking with broken English. Point is, KG was going to yell and scream at him (KG did this to everyone and we all love him for it). Not sure how I would handle a giant man sobbing, but if anyone can console him, I bet Steve Nash would be up for the task.
My other thought was to draft Derek Fisher out of Little Rock. This pick wouldn’t have been to solidify the point guard posistion with some solid depth. This pick would have been solely to have KG verbally abuse Fisher on a daily basis that he gives up basketball all together. I’m still bitter about him destroying the Timberwolves in the 2003 and 2004 NBA Playoffs.
So, no Marbury complaining about not making enough money. No Jesus Shuttlesworth to pair up with KG. No dynamic high school duo with Kobe. But we do get an actual floor general that is a fierce competitor, can shoot lights out, and fits in with the MN culture with his Hockey Flow haircut.
Two MVPs on the roster? I’ll take that risk.
Shoutout to the boys of the MSHSL for continuing to inspire this 50-year-old bald man. I bet Steve Nash is jealous.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 25: Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds first base after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on September 25, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In Chaim Bloom’s end-of-season press conference, he was firm on his stance that the Cardinals would not take any shortcuts in building a team that could contend for division titles and World Series championships. Watching the Cubs get swept out of the playoffs in two games was quite enjoyable, but was also a good reminder of how silly the current playoff structure is. But whatever. Those are the rules, so the only way to avoid the fake playoffs and get a real series is to win the division with a top-two record in the league.
Building a team that can compete for a division title is not a theoretical target. The Brewers happen to play in the NL Central with the Cardinals, so the path to reaching this goal runs through Milwaukee. If your goal is to beat another baseball team in a baseball game, a critical component of the exercise is to have better baseball players on your team. Unfortunately for us Cardinals fans, the Brewers have had really excellent baseball players over the last few years.
Today, I am going to go position by position and diagnose which franchise has the edge in 2027 and long term. For this exercise, I am focused entirely on players already within the respective organizations. This is not an argument for or against the Cardinals acquiring outside help, but rather just a snapshot of the current talent pools. When I am thinking about the long-term outlook of a position, I am mostly focused on the current major league roster and upper-level prospects. Both the Cardinals and Brewers have super deep and talented farm systems, but it is too early to start making plans around Trevor Condon or Ricki Moneys. Finally, this post got pretty long, so this will only cover the position-player side of things.
The Brewers posted a team FanGraphs WAR of 26.1 this season, outclassing the Cardinals’ 15.6 WAR. Let’s dive right in and get to work.
For space, not all players are listed, so the player total will not equal the positional total. Def is the FanGraphs defensive value plus positional adjustment.
Catcher
The Brewers had a significant edge on the Cardinals during the 2026 season thanks to the excellent all-around play of William Contreras and a surprisingly effective offensive season from Gary Sanchez.
The catcher position looks to be one of the more tenuous ones for Milwaukee moving forward. Contreras is under contract for only one more season and seems like a prime candidate to be traded in the offseason. Sanchez will be 34 next season and is not under team control (mutual option). The Brewers have two organizational top-30 prospects at the catcher position in Jefferson Quero and Marco Dinges. Quero was previously a top-100 prospect at some outlets, but had a down 2026 season with a below-average Triple-A batting line. He looks like a poor man’s Jimmy Crooks to me. Dinges is a power/bat-first prospect with only 58 Double-A plate appearances and does not project as a starting-caliber player.
The Cardinals are primed to give Bernal the starting job with Crooks or Pages serving as the backup and Ivan Herrera as the third catcher. Of course, Rainiel Rodriguez may factor in at some point in 2027. With all the comments from the front office about getting Rodriguez positional versatility, I am starting to think that he is more likely to break in as a corner infielder. This makes sense to me for a couple of reasons. The obvious one is the depth of options at the catcher position. The other reason is that he might simply be outhitting the catcher position. There is a real chance that he is a top-10 hitter in MLB and a potential cornerstone for the franchise for the next decade. Do you really want to risk the wear-and-tear of the catcher position on a bat that elite? I am not sure I do.
With or without Rodriguez behind the plate, the Cardinals should have a big edge over the Brewers over the next three seasons. William Contreras has declined by WAR the last three seasons and is getting to the older side for a catcher going into his age-29 season. Still, he is a stud and Bernal is more upside than a guarantee, so the Brewers get a slight edge for 2027.
2027: Brewers, slight edge
Long term: Cardinals, big edge
First Base
The Brewers produced the best first-base offensive output in baseball with the platoon of Bauers (career 88 wRC+ coming into the year) and Vaughn (career 102 wRC+ coming into the year).
Give the Brewers as much credit as you want for the production they got out of these two, but this level of performance is almost certainly unsustainable. Bauers is a free agent and Vaughn has one more year of team control. The Brewers do have an enviable amount of upper-minors corner bats on the way. Andrew Fischer hit 48 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He may stick at third base, but was given time at first as well. He looks like an extreme version of Joshua Baez, if you can imagine that, with a 33% strikeout rate and 37% whiff rate. Blake Burke hit 30 home runs in Double-A as a 23-year-old and Luke Adams cracked out a 149 wRC+ as a 22-year-old in Triple-A. None of these prospects are considered top-100, but all three have a chance to be problems in the future.
The Cardinals have Alec Burleson under team control through 2028. If he is around, he will get the vast majority of the playing time for at least the next two seasons. Jack Gurevitch and Deniel Ortiz are a tick behind the Brewers’ trio in prospect pedigree, but both have starter upside at first or third base. The big thing in the Cardinals’ favor is all of that catching depth could spill over into first base with Rodriguez and Bernal already playing the position.
I like the Cardinals’ first-base setup in 2027 and going forward. The Brewers have enough prospect depth to make it interesting, but the Cardinals have the best player in Burleson, solid prospect depth with Ortiz and Gurevitch, and the leftover catchers to fill in as needed.
2027: Cardinals, big edge
Long term: Cardinals, slight edge
Second Base
Turang has improved every season of his career and put up borderline MVP-caliber numbers in 2026.
Both teams are set at second base for the foreseeable future. I am guessing that when the 2027 player projections are released, Turang and Wetherholt will be within a half win of one another. Turang is under team control for three more years while Wetherholt is locked in with the Cardinals for eight more seasons. Between these two players, you would much rather have Wetherholt going forward just because of the contract situation. Things are more complicated when you start looking at the minor league depth. The Brewers have a bunch of middle-infield prospects on the way that could slide over to second base. Still, assuming that baseball’s number one prospect, Jesus Made, sticks at shortstop, none of them would be projected to outperform JJ.
2027: Even
Long term: Cardinals, slight edge
Third Base
Joey Ortiz played like prime Nolan Arenado across 50 games, and the Cardinals went a full season without an answer at the hot corner.
Ortiz is not a prototypical third baseman, but he has had excellent production at the position over the last three seasons. With Cooper Pratt in as the primary shortstop until the prospects arrive, I assume Ortiz is going to get the majority of his playing time at third. He is under team control for three more seasons. If either of the aforementioned Andrew Fischer or Luke Adams can make it work defensively, they could challenge for playing time as early as next season as well. Jett Williams is a former top-100 prospect who played plenty of third base in Triple-A, but he had a down season offensively and looks like a utility bat moving forward.
You know all the names that are in play for the Cardinals. If the season started tomorrow, we would get some combination of Saggese and Blaze Jordan. Jesus Baez might start making top-100 prospect lists this offseason and is the most obvious potential fit in the upper-minors. Gurevitch and Ortiz could also be in the discussion at some point, but neither is the type of prospect you pencil in. This is where I start to get excited thinking about whether Rainiel Rodriguez could handle third defensively. If my theory is correct that he might be hitting his way off of the catcher position, it would be a huge deal if he could play third base rather than DH and first.
Neither team has an obvious long-term stud at the position, but the Brewers have a much higher floor with Ortiz. Jesus Made could also be an option at third if his defense does not surpass that of the incumbent shortstop, Cooper Pratt. Luis Pena is the Brewers’ second-best prospect and is ranked in the top-20 on most national lists. He could be their long-term preference at third, but looks like he still has a lot of developing to do. Scouts love Pena because of his tools and the exit velocity numbers he has posted, but he has yet to crack double-digit home runs in a season and has not done much offensively above Low-A. He is only 19 and has already made it to Double-A, but until he puts up actual numbers, I will not be too worried about him.
2027: Brewers, big edge
Long term: Brewers, big edge
Shortstop
Even in a down season, Winn provided enough production to comfortably outperform the Brewers’ mix of shortstops.
The Cardinals pretty clearly have a present advantage at the shortstop position. Cooper Pratt is only 22 and put up a really solid season, but he did have some BABIP luck and looks to be more solid than exceptional defensively. While the Cardinals have the advantage today, the Brewers pretty clearly have it moving forward. Jesus Made is the game’s top prospect and could debut as early as next season.
2027: Cardinals, slight edge
Long term: Brewers, slight edge
Left Field
Chourio is still just 22 and is inching dangerously close to superstar status.
Chourio is under team control through 2033 and appears to only be getting better. It is not realistic to project Joshua Baez to match or exceed his production, but it would be a big deal if he could at least close the gap.
2027: Brewers, big edge
Long term: Brewers, big edge
Center Field
The Brewers have a good center fielder and the Cardinals do not.
Mitchell is a high-strikeout guy who has posted a career 115 wRC+ thanks to a .382 career BABIP. He has a volatile profile and is only under contract for two more years. Luis Lara broke out in Triple-A as a 21-year-old, but struggled a bit after being called up. He signed a long-term extension and is under team control for the next ten years with club options. Lara is not a sure thing either, but he should have a reasonably high floor thanks to his speed and contact ability. The next-best prospect in the pipeline is Braylon Payne, who made it to Double-A as a 19-year-old. He has swing-and-miss problems, but a ton of upside with 70-grade speed, plus defensive grades, and above-average power.
This feels like a position in which the Cardinals could quickly close ground, but they are signaling that they are going to stick with Nathan Church to start next season. After that, you are waiting for Josiah Ragsdale, Tai Peete, or one of the teenage prospects to emerge. Despite the relatively uninspiring depth in Milwaukee, I would still give the Brew Crew the edge both now and moving forward.
2027: Brewers, big edge
Long term: Brewers, slight edge
Right Field
Jordan Walker’s solid season was enough to give the Cardinals their first decisive win for the 2026 season.
The Brewers will surely have better production next year with either positive regression from Frelick or putting Lara in right field full time. Still, you would much rather have Walker and his upside than anyone the Brewers are likely to run out over the next few years.
2027: Cardinals, big edge
Long term: Cardinals, big edge
Designated Hitter
Both teams had disappointing seasons from their primary DHs, but at least the Cardinals were not paying theirs $26M.
Yelich is under contract for two more seasons and for once, this control is a disadvantage for the Brewers. He is a good bet to rebound some, but is unlikely to be worth his salary as he enters his age-35 season. The previously mentioned corner-infield prospects could help provide some production in the future. Josh Adamczewski is a top-100 prospect who is seen as one of the best pure hitters in the minors but a below-average defender. He only has 66 games in Double-A and is just 21, so he is probably a few years away from being a major factor.
It is hard to project DH value because you do not know if teams are going to use the position as a rotating way to give guys a day off, or have a mostly full-time DH. Herrera is a good bet to be one of the best DHs in the sport for the next three years of his team control. This, combined with Yelich’s contract, gives the Cardinals the edge now and moving forward.
2027: Cardinals, big edge
Long term: Cardinals, slight edge
Advantage by Position
Takeaways
The Cardinals could have a huge advantage at the catcher position as early as next season if the Brewers trade Contreras.
I give the Brewers the edge at the shortstop and third base positions long term, but a lot of that is based on teenage prospects that might be overrated. Made and Pena have not posted numbers in line with their prospect rankings. If they do not live up to the hype, the Brewers will be in trouble.
The biggest single position advantage now and in the future is Chourio in left field. Unless Baez turns into a 3+ WAR player pretty quickly, this is going to be tough to overcome.
Outside of Chourio, the Brewers’ outfield is really not scary in the short or long term.
Christian Yelich is the only bad contract on either team, eating up almost 20% of the Brewers’ payroll. That is a real advantage for the Cardinals.
Where Rainiel Rodriguez fits in positionally could change the picture a ton.
Alright, so where does this leave us? Based on my assessment, the Cardinals and Brewers should have the same number of positional advantages next season. Turang outperformed his expected stats and likely just put up his career year. Bauers is a free agent. Ortiz, Mitchell, and Vaughn all crushed their projections and are likely to regress. You could see some bounceback from Contreras, Yelich, and Frelick and continued improvement from Chourio, Lara, and Pratt. Any time a team wins 103 games, they are all but guaranteed to have some regression the next season. There is plenty of uncertainty on the Cardinals’ side too. No one knows what Walker will do next. Burleson’s 2026 will be tough to beat. I would expect better seasons from Winn and Herrera. Baez has such a low bar to clear from the left fielders he is replacing that he alone could make up a ton of ground. A full season of Bernal should be a huge improvement too.
We obviously haven’t begun to address the pitching side with this comparison, but on the position-player side, the Cards are a center fielder and third baseman away from being right there.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Signage in Truist Park during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series on October 1st, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Wild Card series wrapped up on Thursday and now we’re onto the divisional rounds, which will give us our fist look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians. These series will feature some old friends, and has there are a lot of storylines to keep up with.
Here are some Rockies storylines from the first week of the offseason, as well as some from around the league:
Dodgers’ Ohtani admits he won’t be fully healthy in playoffs | ESPN — Shohei Ohtani has been fighting left knee and right biceps injuries, so this could be a story to keep up with in the postseason. The Dodgers have a ton of depth even without Ohtani, and are still favored to threepeat, but it’s definitely something to watch.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Undergoes Experimental Blood Treatment In Desperate Bid To Return | Yahoo! Sports — Another storyline to watch is that of Aaron Judge. Judge has been battling hamstring injuries for most of the season, but was available to play against the Rockies a few weeks ago. The headline is slightly misleading, stating, “But the shot he received is a fairly new medical innovation, known as platelet-poor plasma (PPP), and it is so groundbreaking that it is still considered relatively unproven by the healthcare industry.”
Miz and Miller in same series? Postseason velocity records beware! | MLB.com — Zach Sweet writes, “Fifty-six pitches. That’s the most triple-digit heat any postseason series has produced since pitch tracking began in 2008.” That happened during the 2016 Giants-Cubs NLDS. And Jacob Misiorowski has thrown four more this season by himself. And Mason Miller is second in that arms race. Good luck to any of the batters in this series!
There’s not much to say about Game 2 or the Wild Card Series overall.
Nico Hoerner was the only hitter to consistently rise to the challenge of the Padre pitching. Hoerner went 2-for-4 in each game with a double and RBI in Wednesday’s game. Seiya Suzuki was 2-for-7 with a run scored over the two games.
There wasn’t anything worth talking about regarding the pitching staff.
Not-very-deep-or-analyzed thoughts about the state of the team going into 2027:
There will probably be a lockout.
The coaching staff: …… Not ready to cut Counsell, but wouldn’t be upset if they did. There will be some movement in the staff, however.
I would love to re-sign Seiya, but now is his time to go get his bag and the Cubs won’t match, so good luck. I feel the Cubs and Ian Happ will part ways.
This would be a great reduction in production, but ride into the regular season with some combination of Pedro Ramirez, Matt Shaw and Kevin Alcántara into the OF to start and hope Josiah Hartshorn will be ready in the second half. Very few quality FA OFers, so it is not worth it to overpay for anyone out there.
Pour all that “new” money and spend it in every facet of the pitching staff. Top two SP, a closer and a very good high-leverage RP. “Well, what about the strike and all those high-dollar guys sitting out?” Any time off is less wear on their arms. Plus it would give Justin Steele and Cade Horton more time to get ready. Cheer for a strike? Maybe it would help the Cubs.
Again, just off the top of my head stuff, no numbers or targets — just a basic set up for improvement for the team in the future. Nothing in stone. Probably way off.
I appreciate your reading.
Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*
*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
Tyler Edmunds (OnTapSportsNet): The Cubs Didn’t Just Lose — They Quit. “The Cubs didn’t just lose the series on Wednesday night, they quit. The “magical” season ends on a whimper.“
Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ total playoff no-show let — and left — everybody down.. ““I’m just feeling pretty disappointed in myself,” Pete Crow-Armstrong said after going hitless in two wild-card games against the Padres. “But that’s for me to work on.”“
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Don’t Stop Him Now: The Breathtaking Brilliance of Pete Crow-Armstrong, One More Time. “Picking a favorite highlight from the season Pete Crow-Armstrong just had is functionally impossible. Any time you alight on one, another thrusts itself at you. Let’s sit with a few of the best, as a balm for the disappointment of a summer that gave way to fall too soon.”
Leroy Carr (March 27, 1904 or 1905 – April 29, 1935) was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. Music historian Elijah Wald has called him “the most influential male blues singer and songwriter of the first half of the 20th century”.
After his parents separated, Carr moved from Nashville to Indianapolis, Indiana with his mother. Carr was a self-taught piano player. After dropping out of high school, Carr travelled with a circus, and in the early 1920s served in the U.S. Army. Carr returned to Indianapolis and worked in a meat-packing plant. He was married and had one daughter. Carr was convicted of bootlegging and served a year at the Indiana State Penitentiary. His light bluesy piano combined with Scrapper Blackwell’s melodic jazz guitar attracted a sophisticated black audience. The two recorded with Vocalion Records beginning in the 1920s.
Francis Hillman “Scrapper” Blackwell was an American blues guitarist and singer. Best known as half of the guitar-piano duo he formed with Leroy Carr in the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was an acoustic, single-note picker in the Chicago blues and Piedmont blues styles, with some critics noting that he veered towards jazz.
Blackwell was born in Syracuse, South Carolina, on February 21, 1903 as one of sixteen children. He claimed to be part Cherokee. When he was quite young, his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he spent most of his life. He was nicknamed “Scrapper” by his grandmother because of his fiery nature. Although largely self-taught as a guitarist, Blackwell was later influenced by the recordings of Willie Harris and Blind Lemon Jefferson, and probably by the East Coast Piedmont style of his birthplace. He didn’t consider himself a professional musician until pianist Leroy Carr persuaded Blackwell to record with him
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 08: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 08, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sweeping the Red Sox with two blowout wins was a joyous occasion, not to mention the tangible positive impact of setting up your rotation for the ALDS. The Yankees can begin the series against the Rays with Gerrit Cole as the Game 1 starter, which is only fitting considering Cole’s regular-season campaign in 2026 began and ended against the Rays, both times with a quality start.
Making his postseason debut this season, Cole will get the ball after nearly a week and a half off, his longest time between starts since returning from injury. In three appearances against the AL East champs in the regular season—the most he had against any single team—Cole averaged six innings and delivered a 2.50 ERA, enjoying success against a team not known for its home run pedigree.
Having last played a competitive meaningful game well before the end of the regular season, the Rays will set out to prove there is no rust in their game with Drew Rasmussen starting Game 1. Who better to represent what the Rays are all about than Rasmussen, acquired for the power-hitting Willy Adames as a swingman/backend starter, only to turn into one of the more dominant starters in the AL?
The postseason scenario and all that it entails could be seen as an opportunity to test the Rays’ resolve when it comes to their ace. Rasmussen was already dominant last season—part of what held him back from entering the conversation with the big boys was just how carefully managed he was by the Rays, who only let him reach or surpass 90 pitches twice in 2025. This year, Rasmussen has done that 17 times, including a career-high 114 pitches in a win over the Yankees just a couple of weeks ago—one in which perhaps the Rays gave a sign of their intentions with a trial run. With this extra leeway, Rasmussen managed to pitch 22 more innings than last season despite having one fewer start (31 to 30).
Rasmussen’s ability to go deeper into games than what we’re accustomed to seeing not only from him but also from the Rays as a team is of great value—especially if we are to read into regular season numbers. As much as the Yankees may have a better rotation, perhaps the biggest advantage in this series is in the bullpen. While New York had the second-lowest bullpen ERA in baseball, Tampa was only number 14. The key here, particularly looking at the postseason and a matchup with the Yankees lineup, is that the 95 home runs allowed by the Rays’ bullpen represented the third-highest mark in the bigs.
Then again, this is a Tampa team with the benefit of off-days between each of the first three games. One can only imagine how aggressive they might be willing to go with the likes of Bryan Baker, Cam Booser, and Kevin Kelly. While Baker is the closer, Booser gets the nod as the X-factor for the Rays in Game 1 and this series as a whole—the Yankees were 1-for-10 against him in the regular season, the one being an Austin Wells home run.
Booser’s importance stems from a complete lack of southpaw options for a team whose only other left-hander who finished the season on the active roster was Steven Matz. Garrett Cleavinger was cleared to be a part of the ALDS roster, but his 2026 numbers were quite bad, with an 89 ERA+ in 41.1 innings.
Unlike the Red Sox, all the Rays’ top starters are right-handers, allowing Aaron Boone to utilize his lefty-heavy lineup without fear, starting in Game 1 against Rasmussen. And if Booser can’t shut them down out of the bullpen, Tampa all of a sudden has an incredibly difficult mission to contain Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Luis Garcia Jr., and company.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 01: Nico Hischier #13, Jack Hughes #86, Jesper Bratt #63 and Brett Pesce #22 of the New Jersey Devils celebrate the win after Jack Hughes scored the game winning goal in overtime at Prudential Center on October 01, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (1-0-0) @ New York Islanders (0-1-0)
It was the season opener, and it was a good one! On Thursday, New Jersey opened their 2026-27 campaign with a home date against the Philadelphia Flyers. It took overtime, but the Devils skated away with a 3-2 victory in front of a raucous home crowd. Jake Allen got the win, while Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes scored in regulation and Jack Hughes scored the winner in the extra frame.
Last Islanders Game
New York is also coming off their season opener, but unlike New Jersey, they lost their first game. Back on Wednesday, the Isles traveled north to Toronto to battle the Maple Leafs, losing 2-1. Ilya Sorokin was solid in the loss, stopping 24 of 26 shots, while Emil Heineman scored the lone goal for the Islanders.
All Is Well In Devil Land For Now
The final score was not indicative of how much New Jersey dominated Thursday’s game. Pick a stat, any stat, and it will reflect near-total control for the home team. The Devils outshot the Flyers 44-25. According to Natural Stat Trick, New Jersey controlled 69.98% of the Expected Goals at 5-on-5. Another metric, Moneypuck’s fabled Deserve To Win O’Meter, tabbed the Devils at 83% deserving to win. It was a complete beatdown.
The only stats the Devils did not dominate were the power play and goaltending. The powerplay went a disappointing 0/4, though I would argue they looked reasonably good on the man advantage. It didn’t help that Jesper Bratt was absolutely robbed by Joseph Woll on a third period PP. And speaking of Woll, he was most of the reason why this wasn’t a blowout. The Flyers were playing the second half of a back-to-back after getting trounced 7-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener the night before, and it showed. Woll was the only one who could hold his head up high, stopping 41 of 44 shots, and saving 1.05 Goals Above Expected according to NST. It’s not like Jake Allen played poorly, as he saved 23 of 25 himself, but he was clearly outplayed by his counterpart on Thursday.
Thankfully in the end, it didn’t matter. New Jersey’s process was incredible against the Flyers, and it lifted the team to a win. It’s only one game out of 84, and a lot can and will change as the year progresses. But for now, the Devils are back and riding some good vibes into game number two.
Already Bucking The Trend
One of the biggest issues of last season was how dreadful New Jersey played against their own division. In 2025-26, the Devils went an embarrassing 7-17-2 against the Metropolitan Division. All those points they not only left on the table, but gifted to their division rivals, added up and cost them dearly. In fact, the Flyers were one of the biggest Metro thorns in the Devils’ side, sweeping the season series over three total games.
So it was refreshing to see them actually collect two points in a Metropolitan tilt right off the bat. It’s frustrating that they allowed Philadelphia to pick up a point of their own, and if the Devils really want to clean up their Metro issues, they need to start banking not just wins, but regulation wins. Nevertheless, Thursday was a good start.
And now they have a chance to flip the script on yet another Metro team that swept them last season. The Islanders won all four matchups against the Devils in 2025-26. I would argue that this season series also featured the absolute rock bottom of the entire campaign: the 9-0 loss in January on Long Island. If the Devils can exorcise two Metropolitan Division demons from last year right away, that would go a long way toward regaining some trust with a fanbase that has been burned by disappointment so many times since 2022-23.
By The Numbers
The Devils entered this season with some familiarity amongst the forward combinations, but also with a lot of new faces and new roles. How did each of their lines fare against the Flyers? Let’s take a look at some numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. All numbers reflect 5-on-5 play:
Line
TOI
CF%
xG%
Meier-Hischier-Evangelista
8:40
64.71
59.61
Mantha-Hughes-Bratt
10:54
80.95
85.38
Gritsyuk-Rodrigues-Mercer
10:55
75.00
57.13
Lombardi-Glass-Noesen
4:28
42.86
35.35
It was a pretty excellent night all around. The fourth line struggled, but that’s understandable considering it’s the fourth line, and it was missing a key piece in Connor Brown. Noesen is a legit NHL player so it’s not like the Devils went from Brown to an ECHLer, but it was still tough to lose Brown before the opener.
But otherwise the top nine rolled. The Hischier and Rodrigues lines controlled play well, while the Hughes line absolutely blasted the Flyers. Again, we’re working with a microscopic sample size here, but through one game, the lines look good.
On An Island
In a Metropolitan Division that got a lot better over the summer, the Islanders were a bit of an outlier. They brought in a few pieces like Matias Maccelli and Logan Stanley, but by and large they stood pat from a roster standpoint. Perhaps the biggest change came in the dying days of the 2025-26 season, when they brought in old friend Pete DeBoer for the final four games of their season. He enters his first full slate as Isles head coach, and while he’s had some issues in the playoffs at some of his past stops, I think DeBoer is an excellent coach who will squeeze some extra points out of this Islanders squad.
New York finished sixth in the Metro in 2025-26 with 91 points. It wasn’t an awful year, but it wasn’t a good one, and it was largely kept respectable thanks to Ilya Sorokin’s heroics. This is a roster that has some talent, but is still a bit thin. Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal are nice players, but not franchise-altering players.
They do have one franchise-altering player though, who we’ll discuss in a moment.
I came into this season thinking the Islanders will be the worst team in the Metro, and I still think that’s going to be the case now. The Devils, Rangers, and Capitals all significantly improved in my opinion. Meanwhile the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Flyers probably didn’t improve. But the difference between those teams and the Isles is that the Hurricanes won the Cup and didn’t need to improve, the Blue Jackets finished ahead of the Islanders in 2025-26 (granted by one point), and the Penguins and Flyers were playoff teams last year. I don’t think any of those four teams got significantly worse either. The Islanders were mediocre a season ago, and now that their aging team is a year older, I expect a bit of a step back.
However, I also believe this is still a respectable team. They’re certainly capable of beating anyone on any given night and not having it be that much of a surprise. New Jersey is almost certainly more talented than New York, but they still need to take the Islanders seriously if they want to win a game against them for the first time since November of 2024.
Somebody Stop Him
And now we turn our attention to the Islanders’ franchise-altering player.
Matthew Schaefer was the first overall pick in the 2025 draft for a reason. As numero uno, he entered his rookie season with high expectations, and despite that, he still managed to blow those expectations away. As an 18-year-old, Schaefer recorded an absurd 23 goals. He added 36 assists for a total of 59 points, which is a strong number for a defenseman of any age, let alone a teenager. According to Natural Stat Trick, Schaefer put up solid play-driving numbers as well, hovering around the breakeven mark in all the major categories.
Again, we’re talking about an 18-year-old here. The fact that he did all that as a teenage rookie is breathtaking.
It didn’t take long for Schaefer to earn the trust of former Isles coach Patrick Roy either. Roy fed Schaefer some huge minutes last season, giving him 24:41 of ice time per game on average. Would that change with DeBoer now in charge? Well it did change…but not in the way you’d think. Obviously it’s only one game and the card is subject to change, but in the season opener against the Maple Leafs, Schaefer played a ludicrous 27:45.
27:45! And as a reminder, he’s still a teenager!
Schaefer didn’t register a point against Toronto, but he controlled play very well. NST had him at a 60.87 xG%, while out-attempting the Leafs by a whopping 27-8 margin at 5-on-5. Schaefer also registered three shots on goal himself, so despite the loss it was an overall sparkling season opener for the Isles’ phenom. In a post-Leo Carlsson offer sheet world, I shudder to think of how much money Schaefer is going to command as an RFA in a couple seasons.
So the moral of the story is this: get used to seeing a LOT of Schaefer this evening, and get ready to see him do some special things on the ice. The kid is a marvel, and Sheldon Keefe needs to make him the top priority in the game plan.
Your Take
What are you expecting this evening? Who on the Devils do you think will have a big game tonight? Who are you most concerned with? Which Islander will you be keeping an eye on the most? As always, thanks for reading!
