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Orioles news: Framber Valdez predicted to go to the O’s

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters! If you’re in Maryland or one of the other areas that got hit with winter weather, I hope you’re staying warm. Here in Columbia, we got about seven inches of snow and a whole lot of ice. I’ll be staying home again today, because who wants to go out if they don’t have to?

If you were hoping to spend the cold weekend warming your hands at the Hot Stove, you were left disappointed. There was no Orioles news and little other news. The White Sox signed Seranthony Dominguez to be their closer, and José Ramírez agreed to a contract extension with the Guardians through 2032. He must really like it there!

There was a bit of Orioles-adjacent info that came out, neither of which was too exciting. Hanser Alberto, whose best MLB season came with the Orioles in 2019, announced his retirement. Alberto hadn’t played in the majors since 2023. In 2019, Alberto hit .305/.329/422. He also had 12 home runs, which was nine more than in any other season. Best of luck in retirement, Hanser!

The other info that came out was an announcement by Tomoyuki Sugano that he doesn’t intend to return to Japan after one season with the Orioles. He plans to stay in MLB and is “waiting for offers.” I hope he gets one.

Of course, there is also the thing that we’ve been talking about the entire off-season: pitching. Jim Bowden had a story in The Athletic on Friday ranking the remaining free agents. At the top of the list is Framber Valdez, who has surprisingly not signed yet. In his blurb on Valdez, this is what Bowden had to say:

Most in the industry believe that he will eventually land with the Baltimore Orioles for fewer years than he anticipated at the beginning of free agency.

Anything written by Bowden has to be taken with more than a few grains of salt, but I have to admit I enjoy reading that. Maybe this will be the week!

Links

Basallo and Beavers give Orioles a pair of prospects who should contribute in 2026 – MASN Sports
A post you may have missed over the weekend. Roch Kubatko takes a look at the two highly-ranked prospects and what that could be for the Orioles with the PPI.

How a D.C. bar owner’s love of the Orioles shines through in enemy territory – The Baltimore Banner
Some nice off-season content about Eebee’s Corner Bar in DC, owned and operated by an Orioles fan.

Henderson talks about Orioles’ additions, shoulder injury – Baltimore Baseball
If you missed Gunnar Henderson’s interview on WBAL, Rich Dubroff has you covered.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies: Jemile Weeks (39), Rick Schu (64), and Bob Nieman (b. 1927, d. 1985). Weeks appeared in just three games with the Orioles, but I will always remember him as the trade return for Jim Johnson. By 2013, Johnson had been with the Orioles for eight years and was coming off of back-to-back 50-save seasons. He was due $10 million in salary, which seemed too much for the Orioles. So they sent him packing. The trade was a bit of a head-scratcher, but it turned out in the Orioles’ favor. Johnson was terrible in 2014. Anyway, sorry about not having a Jemile Weeks story on his birthday.

On this day in 2004, the Orioles re-signed Sidney Ponson to a three-year deal. They had traded him to San Francisco at the 2003 trade deadline and the Orioles just had to get him back. Ponson’s second stint with the Orioles did not go so well. In two seasons, he was terrible. The Orioles released him with a year left on his contract for violating their morals clause. Ponson had a number of legal run-ins, including the infamous judge-punching incident.

In 2015, the Orioles signed Chris Parmelee to a minor-league contract. He was called up in early June and had four hits, two of which were home runs, in his first game. It was very exciting! Things fell off after that, and he ended up missing the last few months with injury. He was never heard from again in Baltimore.

In 2021, the Orioles signed infielder Freddy Galvis. He played in 72 games with Baltimore before going back to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

And in 2023, the Orioles traded for pitcher Cole Irvin. They sent prospect Darrell Hernaiz to the then-Oakland Athletics and got Irvin and minor-leaguer Kyle Virbitsky in return. Irvin spent two seasons in Baltimore, splitting his time between the rotation and the bullpen. He did not have much success, but was an easy guy to root for. There was some heartburn among Orioles fans over sending away an interesting prospect in Hernaiz, but so far he hasn’t done much with the Athletics. He’s still young, though, just 24 years old.

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Phillies news: Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Andrew McCutchen

I have a feeling that one of the bigger stories entering spring training and the 2026 season is going to be the lineup and how Rob Thomson constructs it. There is a linked story down below about it, but even then, what goes on after the top three in the order hit? Where does Adolis Garcia fit in all of this?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

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RUMORS: Bruins have checked in on Elias Pettersson. Should they be in on him?

As the Winter Olympics come screaming into focus, the league has experienced a bit of a frenzy of moves to get assets before the great unknown of playing in Milan and/or Cortina potentially leaves them without stars for the last few months of the NHL season. Thanks to the truncated schedule, a bunch of teams are already beginning to make moves after looking at their upcoming schedules, their current records, and their current trends, and making painful decisions on whether or not they’ve got any real shot in the NHL Playoffs.

One such team is the Vancouver Canucks, who have been a never ending cavalcade of Drama, Woe, and Disaster for the better part of half a decade, and at the center of it all is their # 1 Center, who they are finally willing to listen to other teams about offers for.

According to Frank Seravalli, the Bruins have checked in on this player.

On the Surface

Oh boy this is a doozy.

Elias Pettersson is generally supposed to be Sweden’s big wunderkind player right now. Should be, anyway. He should’ve shown up with an “A” at minimum for Tre Kronor at the Olympics and we should all be looking at Sweden with him at the top of his game and going “oh they’re gonna medal and it’s gonna be a short game.” Still might be, too.

And yet!

Pettersson is by all accounts an extremely high skill forward, able to do a little bit of everything; he’s got incredible hands, he’s a damn strong skater, he’s willing to get into the dirty areas of the ice and cause a little havoc that way, his shot can feel like a game-warping moment, and when he is on his horse, he never, ever, ever gives up on a play. Even when he should, but he doesn’t need to; he can make something happen.

All of this can be yours…assuming the team around him isn’t actively self-injecting poison into itself in a desperate attempt to make their insane owner or alternate captain or general manager or fanbase happy.

Which unfortunately for Mr. Pettersson, is where the problem starts, and why he is reportedly available.

Pettersson is like Quinn Hughes, in that he has been part of propping up a Canucks team that was much farther back on their development curve than they believed, and struggled to really find a place for himself in multiple systems, and watched as his impressive point totals slowly fell into hell, and while he is rebounding this year and looks to be on pace for a 60ish point season, which has been around where his floor is, and what’s hoping to be a reasonably deep run in the Olympics, its a far cry from his 100 point ‘22-‘23 season and his 89 point ‘23-‘24, and trying to replicate those two seasons has been an active nightmare for the Canucks. They know he’s good!…they just gotta make JT Miller happy, or change coaches, or keep swapping deck chairs on the Titanic, or go through like six goalies in a month leading into the playoffs.

Elias Pettersson’s career has been a lot of really cool skill plays and solid work as an NHL center buried under a mountain of bulls#!t; some of it from his own team, some of it from slumps he made himself, some of it the natural consequence of a team riding the PDO wagon until it fell out from under them, all of it too much for both parties at this point. Vancouver needs to make major changes and make them fast, and they are reportedly okay with asking about just about anyone, and that does include Pettersson, who would likely fetch another big return after the Quinn Hughes trade.

Under the Hood

Look.

The big issue that Pettersson has faced throughout his career is that there’s been some horses#!t going on around him pretty much at all times. Anyone’s game would suffer because of that. Great players have had miserable years thanks to their organization making life difficult. Pettersson’s game has had a lot of that, and as a result he’s had a ton of linemates and a ton of revolving wingers and he’s never really been able to get a good bead on who he should be with coach after coach either loving or despising him. That’s forced him to play very into his game, very out of it, and it has messed with his analytics. I cannot definitively prove this, but I believe it contributes to the issues he faces.

The other big issue is that the Canucks committed a ton of money to him…and he’s struggled quite a bit to justify that since putting pen to ink, especially recently.

Pettersson has not been playing like a 1C for a very long time, and the Canucks have attached a nice big dead sea bird (of which it is bad luck to kill, Willem Dafoe said so.) to his neck, ensuring that every game where he doesn’t have a point feels worse and worse and piles doubt after doubt after doubt on this player.

And sure, that one viz is gonna maybe make people feel a little concerned, but I need to make it clear that this is a long-standing problem for him; over the last three years, he’s 12th among Canucks skaters in shot attempts and unblocked shot attempts for per 60 minutes, and 11th in expected goals-for per 60 minutes.

Hronek, Hughes, and Tyler actual Myers have better rates of unblocked shots than him. Nils Hoglander, a player the Bruins once checked in on fiercely before joining the NHL and is playing like 12 minutes a night in Vancouver, has objectively better rates of getting the puck up ice than Pettersson.

This does ignore however that, if we are being fair to him and acknowledging that he is also playing on a dogass team full of dog-ass players, he has improved. He is now 4th on the Canucks in expected goals for per 60, and 8th in shot attempts and unblocked shot attempts for. That is…maybe not worth the obscene price tag? But it is decidedly better than he’s been, and a trend in the right direction for him.

And to be mean, 51.09% on the year is a damn sight better than another center on the Boston Bruins who gets similar ice time to Pettersson. It may not be the most efficient use of money…BUT! he would be An Upgrade.

There is also the chance, especially given his skill ceiling and who his linemates would be, that the Bruins, with their world class wingers and culture of Making Players Feel Valued and Want To Give Back and the fabled “Bruins Bump” and all that…that he could in fact resurrect the player he was in his earlier years. This guy is still in here somewhere in theory; if you figure out where he is under what you will be hoping are years of mismanagement by Vancouver.

What would they need to part with?

The Canucks are in shambles. They are by far the worst team in the Pacific Division as well as the Western Conference, and that is stiff competition at the moment. You will be going for one of maybe players who’s getting anything done on the Canucks right now (and one of them is now in San Jose), and it will herald the beginning of a great big long down-to-the-studs rebuild for Vancouver.

That is a first round pick among many to begin with; especially for the Bruins, who will likely find themselves with a half-decent choice in the middle or top 10 of the draft.

That’s Alberts Smits. That’s Adam Novotny, Oscar Hemming, Caleb Malholtra, Ryan Lin that you are giving to the Canucks, which is not including the roster player and one of the vanishingly few prospects of note in the Bruins’ system.

They may not turn into anything! But they might become something, and you gave them that for an asset that they have well and truly spent a lot of time crushing the confidence of and now you gotta rehab and convince the Canucks to retain salary on, because there’s no way in hell they can fit his preposterous contract under their cap right now.

Should they do it?

The Boston Bruins under Don Sweeney are more than willing to gamble if given the opportunity. They have gambled frequently and sometimes it’s even worked.

Even then…This will be a hell of a gamble if they decide they wanna do it.

If the Bruins think they can rehab this player, and commit to making him work for the long haul, even knowing he may cost them one of their extremely first round picks, even knowing that the last guy you were hoping gets a Bruins Bump Did Not Actually Get One because the team isn’t nearly as good as it used to be, even knowing it may end up losing them one of the few in and out excellent players on the year or one of the potential future stars of the team because let me make it clear you are not sending Elias Lindholm back the other way, they need young guys and they need talented guys and the Bruins don’t really have a lot of either, if you are aware your fanbase and certain sections of this market’s media is gonna be on him from day one if he doesn’t show improvement…then I suppose my answer is go for it.

But you need to be sure. You need to be absolutely sure.

Because if you make this choice, you will be locked into it. His contract has an NMC. You may not pay all of it! But you will be paying some of it. And you will be stuck to it like glue.

You wanna make that call in year one of a retool?

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DitD & Open Post – 1/26/26: Staying Put? Edition

Here are your links for today:

Devils Links

Cody Glass had three points, Lenni Hämeenaho tallied his first two NHL points and the Devils held on for a 5-4 win over the Canucks on Friday. [Devils NHL]

Then on Sunday, the Devils rounded out the road trip with a 4-2 loss to the Kraken. [Devils NHL]

“Almost any way you spin it, Glass has been one of the best third-line centers in the league — arguably the best. His goal-scoring production is league-best in that regard, and his underlying statistical profile is similarly high-end. Of all 32 third-line centers in the NHL, there is one (1) who has been above-average in every single metric listed above, from offensive impact to defensive impact to sG to RAPM to point production: Cody Glass.” [Devils’ Advocates]

“It’s no secret that the 2025-26 New Jersey Devils have struggled to score goals consistently. Per Natural Stat Trick, their 1.94 goals per 60 minutes (GF/60) at 5v5 ranks dead last in the league…and it’s not even really that close. Every other NHL team scores goals at least 6.2% more often.” [The Hockey Writers]

“After being scratched on Jan. 11 in a move that appeared to put his future with the New Jersey Devils in doubt, Dougie Hamilton might be set to stay put in the wake of Luke Hughes’ shoulder injury.” [Sportsnet]

Hockey Links

“Hours before his first game as a visiting player at Scotiabank Arena, Mitch Marner said he didn’t want to look back on the nine years he spent playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.” [The Athletic ($)]

A look back at six ugly returns for NHL stars: [The Athletic ($)]

“In what was expected to be a retooling year, (Penguins GM) Kyle Dubas is in an interesting spot leading up to the trade deadline. Does he stay the course and continue to accumulate prospects and picks? Or will he consider adding to try to help the Pens secure a playoff spot? The second option has to be tempting. Any time you have Crosby on the roster playing at a high level, you don’t want to waste it, and if the Penguins get in, nobody would envy a first-round matchup against one of the game’s all-time greatest players.” [Sportsnet]

Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.

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Preview: Bruins face the Rangers in Manhattan

Just the facts

  • When: Tonight, 7 PM
  • Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA
  • How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
  • Opposing perspective:Blueshirt Banter

Know your enemy

  • 21-25-6, 48PTS, last in the Metropolitan Division
  • Artemi Panarin: 19G-37A-56PTS; Mika Zibanejad: 21G-27A-48PTS; J.T. Miller: 13G-19A-32PTS
  • Jonathan Quick: 3-11-2, 3.20 GAA, .885 save percentage

Game notes

  • The Bruins are in snowy New York City on this fine Monday to face the New York Rangers, who are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division after a disastrous first half of the season.
  • That disastrous first half featured, among other things, a 10-2 shellacking by the Bruins and another open later to Rangers fans talking about an impending retool. Good times.
  • Jonathan Quick has been shouldering the load in the absence of Igor Shesterkin, who was injured earlier this month. It…hasn’t gone well for Quick, who has lost his last 12 starts (and only two of those losses were beyond regulation). Yikes.
  • Speaking of losses, the Rangers have lost three games in a row and eight of their last nine. I don’t mean to pile on the Blueshirts, so I guess we could just leave it at “things have not been going well across the board.”
  • Sorry, last one: the Rangers have been bad at home this season, sitting at just 5-13-4 at Madison Square Garden.
  • Spencer Martin started the Rangers’ last game, a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Friday.
  • This is the last match-up of the season between these two teams, as aside from the aforementioned 10-2 game, the Rangers beat the B’s 6-2 back in November.
  • The Rangers are celebrating their centennial season this year, and like the Bruins, they are milking it for all that they can. Tonight is one of their “eras” type celebrations, “Legendary Blueshirts,” which will be “honoring some of the best to ever play the game, some of the best individual seasons and team accomplishments in franchise history.”
  • Tonight will be the first game of back-to-backs for the Bruins, who will host Nashville at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Hope your back isn’t too sore from all the shoveling! See ya tonight!

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Pens Points: A Western Canada sweep

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins completed their Western Canada swing on Sunday evening, facing off against the Vancouver Canucks. It was a homecoming for rookie forward Ben Kindel, who led the way with two goals as the Penguins won 3-2. [Recap]

However, in the dying moments of the game, amid a Vancouver push for the tying goal, forward Bryan Rust hit Vancouver’s Brock Boeser on the ice as time expired Sunday. Video shows Rust appearing to hit Boeser up high with an extended elbow, an action deemed “dirty” by Vancouver players. [Sportsnet]

Big Justin Brazeau has been one of the many positive revelations this season. The winger has career highs in goals (14) and points (25) in 37 games after Sunday. He’s been able to cash in on his offensive opportunities by “playing the right way.” [Trib Live]

Every club in the league would take 13 goals and 40 points in 36 games for a 39-year-old forward who is set to be an unrestricted free agent at year’s end. However, those statistics belong to an NHL and franchise icon in Evgeni Malkin, who has now publicly said he is willing to take a discount to return to the Penguins next season. General manager Kyle Dubas, with his seemingly infinite pool of cap space, should listen and reward Malkin with the extension he has rightfully deserved. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has apologized after he was seen on camera flipping the middle finger during Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. [TSN]

The Seattle Kraken are open to hearing trade offers for 22-year-old center Shane Wright, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. [theScore]

The NHL may have gained a new fan base as viewers go crazy for the viral HBO streaming hit “Heated Rivalry.” The show, which centers around a romance between two hockey players, has driven a “noticeable spike” in demand for NHL tickets and revenue for the league, according to ticket website SeatGeek. [CBS News]

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Islanders Gameday: Seeking revival in Philly

The Islanders will try to rediscover their game, or at least their look, with a visit to Philadelphia tonight. The Flyers are just two points back with a game in hand, coming off a potential “statement” victory in Colorado. That third position in the Metro the Isles currently (and tenuously) hold has become more prominent lately, as the two current wild card holders are from the Atlantic, Montreal and Boston, each three or more points ahead.

Lots of season left to go, but the first-quarter narrative of the laughable Atlantic has shifted now that Boston has righted itself, Montreal has rebounded from a swoon and the Sabres continue to do whatever the hell they’ve been up to over the past 20 games ever since they started hanging around that Faust guy.

First Islanders Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

  • Isaiah George was thrilled to make his season debut Saturday, after missing out on previous callups due to his own injuries. [Isles | Newsday | Post | THN]
  • Takeaways from Saturday: the benched top line, the overturned goals (well, one was simply after the horn sounded), and “did it to themselves.” [Isles]
  • The Skinny: In WTF trivia, “Alex Lyon and Tristan Jarry are the only opposing goaltenders with two shutouts at UBS Arena.” [Isles]
  • Gross: It was the right call to sit Barzal-Duclair-Lee to uphold a standard for the team. [Newsday]

Elsewhere

Sunday scores included the Devils falling in Seattle (two goals for Jordan Eberle), the Senators blowing out Vegas and the Penguins survived a late push by the lowly Canucks.

  • Also, Brock Nelson completed a hat trick against the Leafs with an empty net goal. [NHL]
  • The Canucks hate themselves. [Sportsnet]
  • So do the Knights, at least for one game. Mark Stone blasted his team for playing “like a junior team” against his old squad. [Sportsnet]
  • Probably include the Leafs in that self-assessment, too. [Sportsnet]
  • Linus Ullmark didn’t start, but he was back in the lineup for the Sens after his personal leave for whatever your local tweeter rumored it was for. [TSN]
  • Sam Montembeault continues to…not inspire confidence in Montreal. [Sportsnet]
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Derrick White and Payton Pritchard always give the Celtics a chance

Over halfway into the season, the Boston Celtics find themselves sitting at second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-17. They’ve set high standards for themselves by consistently sitting at or near the top over the past decade, but this year is different. Prior to the start of the season, the basketball world was debating whether they would be tanking for a top pick, or if they would somehow find themselves fighting for a play-in spot.

There’s still a lot of season left, so Boston may not be able to maintain their position throughout. There’s no doubt that tanking has always been out of the question for a team with championship DNA, though. The Celtics play to win, plain and simple. Soon enough they may also be getting a top-5 player in the league back on the court, which should make winning a little easier.

That doesn’t mean we should lose sight of the people who have carried them this far. There is plenty of praise and credit to go around, from Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff who have prepared the players, to Jaylen Brown who has shouldered a lot of the load during an MVP-level season, to the young guns who are making the most of every opportunity, and everyone in between.

Of course, there are two guys who may be getting slightly overlooked at the moment: Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Fans were expecting a huge jump from both in terms of offensive production, but the stats haven’t exactly backed that up so far. That being said, they provide a whole lot more than the numbers could never capture.

Let’s start with the bad. Derrick only saw an increase of 1.2 points per game (PPG) while his efficiency took a big hit, 38.8% on field goals (FG%) and 32.1% on threes (3P%). The FG% is a career low for Derrick, and a steep drop-off from the 44.2% he was shooting last year. Similarly, the 3P% is the second lowest of his career, and another big drop from last year’s 38.4% from range.

Payton has been more efficient than Derrick, but he’s been having some struggles of his own. His FG% sits at 45% at this point in the season, which isn’t bad, but is his lowest mark of the past three years, down from his 47.2% from last year. The real struggles are coming from behind the arc for Pritchard, 34.4% from three, a career low, and far below his 40.7% from last year.

And as far as the bad goes, well, that’s just about it. Once you look past the efficiency, Derrick White is averaging career highs in every major statistical category: 17.6 PPG, 5.4 assists per game (APG), 4.6 rebounds per game (RPG), 1.3 steals per game (SPG), and 1.5 blocks per game (BPG). Payton is averaging career highs in points (16.7 PPG), rebounds (4.4 RPG), and assists (5.4 APG), while being just 0.1 steals per game and 0.1 blocks per game off of career highs in those categories as well, though neither have ever been his strong suit, 0.8 SPG and 0.1 BPG this season.

If we listen to Joe Mazzulla and take a step further out, things look even better. After a solid win against the Pacers, Joe had this to say about the two of them: “Those are always two guys that – they’re not defined by shot making… It’s not just the stats with them. They’re always doing the intangibles, and they always give us a chance to win.”

Joe couldn’t be more right. With how young the Celtics are this year, strong leadership makes a world of a difference. When you see Derrick taking charges, opening himself up to poster opportunities, challenging guards and centers alike at the rim, and giving his all on every possession no matter which side of the ball he’s on, how could you not be inspired? So much of this team’s identity is their grit, which the young guys embody night in and night out – but it always starts with Derrick.

As for Payton, he currently ranks as the most efficient isolation scorer in the NBA, yet the ball never sticks with him. He does a masterful job of controlling the pace of the offense, whether that’s creating opportunities for himself or others. He increased his APG average by nearly 1.9, and is currently tied with Derrick in leading Boston in that category. Pritchard has always been an undersized guard as well, but still does a great job holding his own on defense, and is tied for fourth on the team in rebounds per game despite being the shortest one on the court more often than not.

Boston’s starting backcourt plays with incredible poise, averaging less than 3 turnovers combined. Pritchard even has the highest assist to turnover ratio in the league, 4.74, and set the franchise record this season for most 20+ point games without a turnover at 13. They are one of the big reasons why Jaylen can play as great as he has this season, and why the Celtics are as competitive as they are.

Going back to the Pacers game, Derrick earned a lot of praise that day. Joe added on to his previous comments, saying this about White: “He’s not defined by shooting efficiency. I think, to me, that’s a bonus… I just think it’s hard to recognize all the other stuff and it’s easy just to notice the shooting.”

Before the game even started, Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Pacers, started off his presser by saying that White should be an All-Star before he was even asked a question. Jaylen Brown had a lengthy answer after the game echoing the sentiment, and added on that Derrick should be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year as well. Neemias Queta got in on the love circle by calling White a “Swiss Army Knife.”

Like Joe said, it’s easy to get caught up in the shooting numbers, but the impact Derrick and Payton make on a game is immeasurable. It’s clear that their teammates feel the effects. Stats may not lie, but they don’t tell the whole story. At the end of the day, Boston can always like their chances when those two are on the court.

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Cup of Cavs: NBA news and links for Monday, Jan. 26

Good morning, it’s Monday, January 26th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 27-20 and play the Orlando Magic at home tonight at 7 PM. We wish you warmth and a clear driveway today.

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points in the Cavaliers’ win over the Magic in Orlando on Saturday. Cleveland has now won 10 of their last 14 games and is back in the mix for the second seed of the Eastern Conference.

Today’s Game of the Day

  • Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics – 8 PM, Peacock

Let’s switch it up and talk about some different teams.

The Trail Blazers (23-23) and Celtics (28-17) are each having better-than-expected seasons. Portland has been led by the breakout of Deni Avdija (who is listed as questionable for this matchup) while the Celtics have proven that sticking to a strong identity can lead to positive results, no matter who is in the rotation. This should be a fun one.

The Rest of the NBA Slate

  • Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks – 1:30 PM
  • Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets – 3 PM
  • Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7 PM
  • Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls – 8 PM
  • Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets – 8 PM
  • Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves – 9:30 PM

There are plenty of games to choose from today if you’re able to stay home and avoid the snow. The NBA has you covered.

Cavs links of the day

NBA links

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The stretch

With this winter storm crushing half the country and NBA travel either delayed or cancelled this weekend, the Celtics return home for what could be another regular season-defining stretch of games. Here’s play-by-play announcer Sean Grande with the details:

With the NBA trade deadline (February 8th) and All-Star Weekend (February 13-15th) on the horizon, the Celtics will play seven of their next nine games at TD Garden:

  • 1/26: Portland Trail Blazers
  • 1/28: Atlanta Hawks
  • 1/30: Sacramento Kings
  • 2/1: Milwaukee Bucks
  • 2/3: at Dallas Mavericks
  • 2/4: at Houston Rockets
  • 2/6: Miami Heat
  • 2/8: New York Knicks
  • 2/11: Chicago Bulls

Not exactly a murderer’s row with the road back-to-back, but nothing can be taken for granted. It’s not as if Boston has exactly taken care of business recently. In what was supposed to be the easiest month of the Celtics’ schedule, they’re a respectable 8-5 so far, but it sure feels like they’ve left some games on the table.

They’ve been playing .500 ball over their last ten with the losses to the Nuggets, Spurs, Pistons, Detroit, and Chicago totaling just 15 points. Boston could easily be knocking on Detroit’s door for #1 and now, only five games separate the Celtics from the #2 seed and the Play-In Tournament.

With that in mind — at least narrative-wise — an 8-1 or 7-2 run could go a long way in solidifying this roster as true contenders. Most likely though, Brad Stevens knows what they have and no record will change how he approaches the trade deadline or Jayson Tatum’s return.

And as CelticsBlog’s Bobby Manning expounds, they owes it to this squad to compete for a championship:

Still, decisions loom about setting the Celtics up best for the long term, Boston is still relatively high above the tax, and the team could use another consistent rotation player especially if Tatum can’t return this season. Brad Stevens, Bill Chisholm and company at least owe it to this group to stand pat and allow this team to play out the year.

There will always be trade rumors, especially for teams at the top of the conference, so expect to hear more about the Celtics trying to cut more salary and reduce their tax burden, finding front court help, using Anfernee Simons $27 million expiring contract as a trade chip, etc. This is the NBA nonetheless and the NBA loves rumor season.

The reality is the Celtics could enter All-Star Weekend with Jaylen Brown repping the team as a starter and Jayson Tatum nearing a return. And regardless of how they finish their next nine games, their last forty-five have proof positive that Joe Mazzulla is one of the league’s best coaches and his staff, the front office has a keen eye for finding players that fit their culture and system, and to a man, each of them has grabbed this opportunity and ran with it.

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Montreal hosts Vegas after Caufield's hat trick

Vegas Golden Knights (25-14-12, in the Pacific Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (28-17-7, in the Atlantic Division)

Montreal, Quebec; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Vegas Golden Knights after Cole Caufield recorded a hat trick in the Canadiens' 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins.

Montreal is 28-17-7 overall and 14-11-1 at home. The Canadiens have a 25-6-6 record in games they score three or more goals.

Vegas has a 13-7-6 record in road games and a 25-14-12 record overall. The Golden Knights are 24-5-7 in games they score at least three goals.

The matchup Tuesday is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Canadiens won 4-1 in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Caufield has 29 goals and 24 assists for the Canadiens. Alexandre Texier has four goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

Pavel Dorofeyev has 22 goals and 16 assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has seven goals and 11 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-4-1, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.8 penalties and 11.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 7-3-0, averaging 4.3 goals, 7.2 assists, 2.2 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game.

INJURIES: Canadiens: None listed.

Golden Knights: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Paying attention to Texas Tech yet? You should. That and more from college basketball weekend

It’s been a great time for sports at Texas Tech.

Football went to the College Football Playoff, softball nearly won the Women’s College World Series and the track and field teams owned the Big 12. 

The Red Raiders aren’t done yet, with men’s basketball (16-4) and women's basketball (20-2) on course to continue the run of success. Texas Tech's men racked up another big win Saturday, Jan. 24, beating Houston to prove it is a national title contender.

It was one of the most impressive performances of the season. Houston is reliably spectacular on defense, yet it didn’t look like it in Lubbock. The Red Raiders outmuscled the Cougars, drew fouls and forced Kelvin Sampson’s team to play their way. They scored 55 points in the first half, the most Houston has allowed under Sampson’s 12 seasons at the helm.

Despite 42 points from Houston freshman Kingston Flemings, Texas Tech didn’t crack with a late run to put it away.

Tech has won nine of its past 10 games , the only loss a four-point defeat at Houston a few weeks prior. During that stretch, the Red Raiders have beaten Duke, BYU and Houston, one of the best collections of wins you can find in the country.

It all starts with an offense that’s on fire. The 3-point shooting is relentless, making more than 11 a game — and if they aren’t making it from deep, they have JT Toppin continuing to dominate inside. He had 31 points and 12 rebounds against Houston, his eighth double-double in the past nine games. 

Simply put, if Houston can’t stop this offense, then who can? The Big 12 is loaded with title contenders, and Texas Tech put itself in the conversation to keep the fun times in Lubbock and lead the top storylines of the weekend in college hoops.

How long until undefeated teams lose?

We enter the final week of January with three undefeated teams: No. 1 Arizona, No. 7 Nebraska and Miami (Ohio), all 20-0. It’s rare to have multiple undefeated teams at this point of the season, so it’s worth asking how long can this go?

Arizona hasn’t really been tested to start the Big 12 slate. That will change with a trip to BYU on Monday, Jan. 26. The Cornhuskers will have their biggest week yet, at Michigan for a top 10-ranked matchup followed by a visit from Illinois.

That leaves the mighty RedHawks. They beat Kent State in a thriller, as the Golden Flashes were the best chance to beat Miami (Ohio). Now it faces UMass next, a team that was expected to contend in the MAC but hasn’t looked the part.

Keaton Wagler cooks Purdue, Boilermakers in trouble?

Have yourself a day, Keaton Wagler. The Illinois freshman set a Mackey Arena opponent record by dropping 46 points to lead his team to a 88-82 road win against Purdue.

The Fighting Illini have been on fire with nine consecutive wins, really looking like the team much of the country envisioned coming into the season. While Illinois deserves its flowers for this win, it brings up questions surrounding the Boilermakers (17-3). Two straight losses wouldn't normally be concerning, but Matt Painter's team hasn't been playing well recently.

It was uninspiring in wins against Penn State, Iowa and Southern California. Braden Smith hasn't been the problem, but Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn have been very inconsistent, an overarching theme for the rest of the offense. Wagler's performance also highlighted Purdue hasn't been able to keep opponents from taking over the game.

Purdue is still a title contender, but cracks are starting to show for preseason No. 1, and they better get patched up before the panic alarm sets off.

Freshman light up scoreboards

Wagler and Flemings weren't the only first-year players with big days as Jan. 24 belonged to the freshmen. Look at these numbers from around the country:

  • Wagler, Illinois: 43 points
  • AJ Dybantsa, BYU: 43 points
  • Flemings, Houston: 42 points
  • Cameron Boozer, Duke: 32 points
  • Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas: 31 points.

The youngsters are balling.

North Carolina gets swagger back

Back-to-back road losses to Cal and Stanford were so bad for North Carolina, it needed a big win to avoid people from yelling the sky is falling. Luckily for the Tar Heels, they picked up a Quad 1 win at Virginia on Jan. 24

North Carolina fell by 16 points in the first half and the Cavaliers looked like they'd run away with this ranked matchup. Whatever was said at halftime resonated, as the Tar Heels looked completely different in the second half. The offense was flowing, led by Jarin Stevenson scoring all of 17 points in the final 20 minutes, knocking in some big momentum buckets. He was able to take the pressure off Caleb Wilson and Seth Trimble, who had to pick up from the struggles of Henri Veesaar.

You can't overstate how badly North Carolina (16-4, 4-3) needed this win. It was the first road ACC win of the season, and prevented problems from snowballing. This could be the victory that turns everything around.

Rick Pitino makes history, St. John's finding momentum

Rick Pitino added another accolade to his hall of fame career, but it's not the biggest story out of St. John's: The Red Storm are finding a rhythm.

St. John's had a second-half comeback and fought off a Xavier rally to beat the Musketeers. Pitino got the best of the Musketeers and son, Richard, for win No. 900, the fourth Division I men's basketball coach to reach the mark. With the win, the Red Storm have won six straight — four on the road — to get back near the top of the Big East, where many expected them to be this season.

It's redeeming the 7-4 start St. John's had, which can't be completely ridiculed since it was a tough schedule. The Johnnies are building toward another strong campaign, and have a chance to run the Big East once again en route to March.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top college basketball storylines: Texas Tech confirms contender status

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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Scoop up veteran Corey Perry with the Kings on a five-game week

Fantasy hockey managers looking to tinker with their rosters will benefit from zeroing in on specific categories. Whether you are looking for long-term fits or short-term options, there should be a plethora of potential pickups to help your squads.

Let's get into this week's suggestions for your consideration.

Cirelli has notched two goals and four assists during his three-game point streak. His production has been inconsistent at times recently, but he has generated five goals, 29 shots on net, 13 blocked shots, 12 hits and 16 points in his last 17 appearances. Cirelli might match or surpass his career-high 59 points from the 2024-25 regular season. He has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the top-six, and he currently is playing on the first line due to the absence of center Brayden Point. The Lightning have three games slated for this week. 

Lindholm has registered one goal, four assists, five shots on net and seven blocked shots over his last four outings. He has one marker and one helper on the power play during that span. Lindholm is clicking with David Pastrnak on the top line, which gives his fantasy value a significant boost. While the 31-year-old Lindholm has experienced some brief dips in production, he has been effective for the most part this season. He has nine goals, 35 points, 65 shots, 40 blocks 30 hits and a team-high 382 faceoff wins, with a 54.3% success rate, through 42 appearances. Lindholm's category coverage makes him an intriguing option ahead of a four-game week for Boston, and he has value for the remainder of the season as a potential 60-point performer. 

Marchment's fantasy stock is on the rise since he produced a four-point effort, including a hat trick, against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He has played in two contests after missing eight straight games because of an upper-body injury. Since being acquired from Seattle in mid-December, he has amassed eight goals, 11 points, 19 shots and eight hits over nine appearances for Columbus. Marchment fits in nicely on the top line and the first power-play with his new team. The Blue Jackets play four times this week. 

Zuccarello has generated three goals and six assists during his five-game point streak. He has one goal and four helpers on the power play during that stretch. Since late December, he has compiled six goals on 33 shots and 16 points in his past 15 appearances. Had he stayed healthier in 2025-26, he could have been on pace for the second 70-point campaign of his NHL career. He has been all over the scoresheet when he's been in the lineup, while seeing most of his playing time alongside Kirill Kaprizov. Zuccarello has plenty of offensive upside going into a three-game week for Minnesota. 

Crouse has been a streaky scorer recently after a sluggish start to the 2025-26 campaign. He has accounted for five goals, 12 points, 24 shots on target and 38 hits in his last 13 outings. The 28-year-old winger had a top-line role alongside team-leading producers Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz before missing a 5-2 win over Nashville on Saturday due to an illness. Assuming he recovers quickly, he could play in four games during a busy week for the Mammoth. If he remains unavailable, Kailer Yamamoto (0% rostered) had one goal and one assist in Saturday's contest while filling in on the first combination for Crouse.

Following a nine-game absence due to a lower-body injury, Lyon has picked up right where he left off with some superb play between the pipes for the surging Sabres. He has won both of his outings since returning to action, stopping 57 of the 60 shots he faced. Lyon has won his last nine appearances while posting a 2.05 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He has a 12-6-3 record this season with two shutouts across 23 appearances. Lyon could still lose some playing time to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but both netminders should be rostered in more leagues. Buffalo plays three times this week.  

Sourdif has two goals and three assists during his three-game point spree. He has eight shots on target, two blocked shots and three hits over that span. Across his last 11 appearances, Sourdif has eight goals, 15 points, 23 shots, six blocks and 10 hits. His fantasy value received a boost with Tom Wilson's return to the lineup against Vancouver last Wednesday. Washington has three games scheduled for this week. 

Nedeljkovic has won his last five starts while recording a 1.99 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in four of those outings. Even though he has much better numbers, Nedeljkovic has been rotating games with Yaroslav Askarov during that stretch. Still, the 30-year-old Nedeljkovic has value as a depth option or a spot starter during his superb run, making him a viable pickup for San Jose's three-game week.

Duclair has heated up in January, accumulating eight goals on 15 shots and 10 points through nine games. He is clicking with Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee on the top line. The trio got benched in Saturday's 5-0 loss to Buffalo, which should provide considerable motivation ahead of a four-game week for the Islanders. 

Perry has missed five of the last nine games due to a personal matter, but he has picked up one point in each of his four appearances in the lineup during that span. He has racked up three goals, seven assists, 11 shots on net and five blocked shots in his past nine contests. He ranks second on the team with 11 power-play points and has earned three tallies and three helpers with the man advantage during that nine-game stretch. The veteran winger is skating on the top line and the first power-play combination. Perry is an intriguing addition due to his production, and the Kings play a league-high five times this week. 

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Australian Open 2026: Shelton beats Ruud, Swiatek swats aside Inglis, Sinner defeats Darderi – as it happened

Ben Shelton came from a set down to book his place in the last eight, after Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner had eased through too

Down break point at 0-2 1-2, Darderi locates an ace, but he must soon handle another, Sinner dashing in to put away a volley having cracked a forehand to the corner. But a netted return restores deuce and from there he closes out the game before celebrating by petulantly throwing down a towel next to his coach. Meantime, Swiatek is doing all she can to prevent Inglis getting on the board, an overhead dispatched with prejudice saving game point at 3-0.

Swiatek breaks Inglis immediately for 2-0 and though, as she seeks to consolidate, she’s taken to deuce, she eventually prevails. She can play a lot better than this – and if she wins, against Rybakina, she’ll have to.

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