Do The Maple Leafs Have Trade Candidates In Net After Hildeby's Emergence?

TORONTO - Dennis Hildeby earned the first shutout of his NHL career in a 2-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

The 24-year-old rookie is the interim starter with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz out with injury, and he has come up huge for Toronto in the meantime.

With Hildeby's recent performances, recording a .936 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average in nine appearances and five starts, he's giving the Leafs a luxury.

"What I see in that is he's trusting his ability and his size and, you know, staying pretty calm and cool in net," coach Craig Berube said afterward. "His puck play has been good, but overall, his mindset is really good."

With 'The Beast' playing the way he is now, along with Woll and Stolarz waiting to come off the injured reserve, the Maple Leafs could have the beginnings of a three-headed monster in the crease.

While Toronto's tandem hasn't been the most reliable in terms of health, they have tremendous depth at a bargain price. Hildeby earns $841,667 per year for the next three seasons, not to mention that Woll and Stolarz together earn less than a combined $7-million cap hit this season and less than $7.5 million next year.

With the Leafs owning three valuable goaltenders, should GM Brad Treliving consider trading one of them?

It's still relatively early in Hildeby's NHL career, but the Swedish netminder has been there when the Leafs needed him most in a limited sample size.

Plenty of teams around the NHL would love to have additional help between the pipes. Woll and Stolarz are exceptional goaltenders in their own right, even with their injuries.

A team like the Edmonton Oilers, which has been searching for a goalie at a low price, could be attracted to one of Toronto's netminders and would be willing to give up assets for help in net.

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby, left, comes in to relieve teammate Joseph Woll on Nov. 22 against the Montreal Canadiens. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

What that return for the Maple Leafs could be is uncertain, but depending on Woll and Stolarz's individual play, some clubs would be willing to throw a first-round pick for their services on their current contracts.

Stolarz, 31, has a 16-team no-trade clause on his contract for this year and the next, making $2.5 million against the cap this season, which jumps up to $3.75 million for the following three.

As for Woll, he earns about $3.67 million per season, and that deal lasts through the 2027-28 campaign. In addition, the 27-year-old has an eight-team no-trade list in the final year of his contract.

Sure, a first-round pick or prospects aren't helpful for a team looking to win now, but those future assets attract teams near the bottom of the standings who are looking to sell.

Toronto doesn't have a first-round pick until 2028 and is pretty thin in its prospect pool, too. So moving out a goaltender is a risk, but it provides an opportunity for Treliving to look for a way to bolster his roster toward the NHL trade deadline.

If teams are desperate enough for a goaltender, and the Leafs have three solid ones, it's not a terrible idea to see what could be received in return. Making a deal to move out a goaltender isn't about clearing cap space; it's about nabbing other resources that could be used to make some notable additions.

At the moment, Toronto has over $4 million in salary cap space. Moving off of either Woll or Stolarz could bring that up around the $7-million mark, leaving plenty of room for Treliving to work his magic.

In the meantime, Hildeby will look to build on a solid start to his NHL career. Every strong outing by Hildeby from this point onward will be a huge help to the Leafs – and also a pleasant problem if he's proven he's too good to head back to the minors.


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Canadiens Veterans Are Struggling

Martin St-Louis has said it many times since he was hired as the Montreal Canadiens coach: the toughest thing for young players to achieve is consistency. Which is why a team must know what they are getting when they use their tried-and-tested veterans: those players know what the league is about and how to play their best hockey.

This season, the Habs aren’t exactly getting that from some of their more experienced players. In fact, according to Moneypuck.com, Montreal has three of the bottom five players when it comes to on-ice goal differential.

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Amongst players with at least 50 minutes of ice time, Canadiens center Jake Evans is 722nd, dead last at minus-28, defenseman Alexandre Carrier is 720th with a minus-25, and Evans’ linemate Josh Anderson is 718th with minus-23.

When playing his contract year last season, Evans was on fire offensively and proved that he could be very reliable defensively, so much so that the Canadiens’ GM signed him to a four-year contract extension worth $2.85 million, which at the time sounded like a great deal. This year, however, Evans is on pace for just 23 points after scoring a career-high 36 points last season.

Clearly, the coach is starting to lose patience with the vet. In the Canadiens’ December 2 game against the Ottawa Senators, Evans saw just 9:22 of action spread across 14 shifts. In that game, he had a 25% success rate at the faceoff dot, winning just two of the eight draws he took. He bounced back in the following game, skating for 16:22 and winning 73% of his faceoffs, but then, on Sunday against the Blues, he won just 3 of his 12 faceoffs, meaning another 25% success rate that night and just 12:37 of ice time.

There’s no two ways about it, Evans needs to be better if the Canadiens are to make the playoffs this season. Granted, his life has changed this past year with the arrival of twins, but that’s a new reality he needs to adapt to, and the sooner, the better. With the hectic December calendar the Canadiens face, St-Louis has to be able to count on Evans to shoulder some of the ice time; Nick Suzuki cannot spend more time on the ice than he already does.


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Duke freshman Cameron Boozer voted AP men’s basketball player of the week

The freshman from Salt Lake City had 29 points and six rebounds in leading the third-ranked Blue Devils to a 67-66 win over No. 18 Florida, then Boozer poured in 18 points with 15 rebounds and five assists in a 66-60 win at No. 9 Michigan State. The son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, Cameron Boozer was the runner-up for national player of the week to Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg last week, and he was honorable mention in Week 2 of the college basketball season.

Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Derrick White excels for surging Celtics

The NBA docket is a bit less busy this week, with the NBA In-Season Tournament on the horizon. Players won’t be on the floor quite as much this week, which makes for a good time to pinpoint some guys that are trending in either direction.

NBA: Preseason-Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers
Raynaud has emerged as a legitimate backup big, and he should remain in the starting lineup until Domantas Sabonis returns.

STOCK UP

Derrick White — PG/SG, Celtics

Small sample size here, but White’s been outstanding to begin December — in four games, his 24.5 points per game on 51.4/ 40.8/ 80.0 shooting splits have been significantly better than his lower-scoring, inefficient-shooting October and November. What’s stood out most is White’s 12.3 three-point attempts per game! With him hitting threes at a high rate, the production from beyond the arc has brought incredible value from a fantasy basketball perspective, as have his recent bumps in rebounds and assists. Hopefully, this type of production is here to stay, now that White may be adjusting well to his role as one of the Celtics’ go-to scorers. Stock way up!

Kevin Porter Jr. — PG/SG, Bucks

Between the Game 1 injury and Ryan Rollins’ immediate ascension that followed, it’s likely that Porter Jr. became an afterthought to many folks from a fantasy basketball perspective. Well, he’s been back for a bit more than one week and has already become Milwaukee’s most productive player. In the five games since his return, KPJ is averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.4 steals on 55.6/ 61.3/ 88.0 shooting splits, which includes a couple of 30-point outings with at least five three-pointers made. Whatever questions fantasy managers may have had about Porter Jr.’s reintegration and fit alongside Rollins, they should now have answers.

Dylan Harper — PG/SG, Spurs

It took a couple of games for Harper to find his rhythm, as well as his fit off the bench, in his return from an early-season calf injury. He’s been productive in the five games since, however, tallying at least 15 points in four of those five contests, while logging five assists or more in four consecutive games. The rookie guard most recently amassed a career-high 22 points against the Pelicans and dropped in a smooth-looking game-winning layup with his off hand to end the night. Whether it be his minutes, production, or confidence, everything seems to be trending in a positive direction for Harper, who’ll likely improve with more reps under his belt. Like many of the Spurs’ players, his ceiling is high.

STOCK DOWN

Myles Turner — C, Bucks

It’s been a rough go for the Bucks, who are struggling to find an identity or put together wins with or without their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Regardless of the former Finals MVP’s availability, the supporting cast has been inconsistent lately — specifically, Turner. The prized offseason addition hasn’t secured more than three rebounds in a game since November 26 against the Heat, and has scored more than 12 points just once over that period. He’s also playing fewer than 24.0 minutes per game since the start of December and finds himself in an unpredictable spot just over a quarter of the way through his debut season in Milwaukee. Things could always get better as the season progresses, but vibes aren’t currently high, and neither is Turner’s productivity.

De’Andre Hunter — SF/PF, Cavaliers

Hunter’s gone cold of late as the Cavaliers have rotated wins and losses over their last five games. He’s failed to score in double figures in two of those five games, with his high being 13 points. The seventh-year forward has also tallied exactly three rebounds in each of the past five games and totaled nine assists over that time, leading to minimal fantasy production recently. Hunter could use a big game in the near future to get him back on track, but until he does, his stock will remain down.

Reed Sheppard — PG/SG, Rockets

There was a 10-game stretch not long ago in which Sheppard averaged 17.1 points and 3.0 threes per game, including a 31-point masterpiece to carry the Rockets to a road win over the Warriors that marked the moment of his young career thus far. And just when it looked as though the second-year guard was about to take off, Kevin Durant returned from injury to reclaim his high production and make Sheppard’s contributions less necessary in the five games since. As a result, Sheppard is down to 9.0 points per game and has played fewer minutes than Aaron Holiday, the current backup point guard, in three of the last five games. Sheppard’s still having a nice sophomore season, but it’s tough to say whether he’ll reach those early-season heights again anytime soon.

Blues Recall Veteran AHL Winger

The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Hugh McGing from the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.

The 27-year-old has played 18 AHL games this season, notching four goals and six points. McGing has played in 298 games in the AHL, scoring 60 goals and 156 points.

McGing has been called up by the Blues previously, skating in six NHL games, but is still searching for his first goal and point. 

McGing's call-up comes following the injury news of Jordan Kyrou. The 27-year-old was involved in a collision during the Blues game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and has been given a day-to-day status. Unfortunately, his return date is unknown, and no update has been given about his status for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins.

Matt Luff was recalled last week and made his season debut on Sunday, replacing Kyrou in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens. He finished the game with one hit and two blocks in 8:33 of ice time. 

Clarification on who will be in the lineup tonight, between McGing, Kyrou, and Luff, will likely be provided during this morning's skate or during warm-ups tonight. 

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Enterprise Center.

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Red Bull F1 adviser Helmut Marko retires after successful 20-year stint

  • Austrian key to Vettel and Verstappen world title wins

  • ‘Now is the right moment,’ says influential 82-year-old

Red Bull’s influential auto racing adviser Helmut Marko is retiring from his role at the age of 82, ending a 20-year stint in which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen develop into four-time Formula One world champions.

Marko’s departure leaves Red Bull without the two main guiding personalities from its 2005 entry into F1 after the team principal Christian Horner was ousted in July and replaced by Laurent Mekies.

Continue reading...

OG Anunoby's importance to Knicks' championship aspirations evident in return from injury

OG Anunoby is back in the rotation after missing nine games for the Knicks, leaving his mark with 21 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in Sunday’s win over Orlando. Though New York went a commendable 6-3 in that span, Anunoby’s absence and recent return to the lineup only reiterated his importance to this team and its championship aspirations.

The Knicks may have traded two homegrown prospects and signed him to the biggest contract in franchise history for what he can ultimately do in April and May, but Anunoby is giving us a staunch reminder of his value in the regular season, too.   

Any Anunoby conversation has to start with his stalwart defense, which has single-handedly lifted the Knicks from mediocrity this season. With Anunoby on the court, the Knicks are allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions, on par with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but without him, they’re at 116.7, or bottom third in the league. 

It’s a stark discrepancy non-existent with any other member of the rotation. His on/off numbers as a Knick remain absurd: he’s a +154 in 426 minutes this season, only recording one negative +/- in a game all year. 

These figures don’t just stand out, but reflect the eye test well. Anunoby’s their best one-on-one stopper and off-ball disruptor, often engaged to do both while putting up numbers on the other end. 

His presence was especially missed against the tougher opponents they faced during his injury. The Heat, Magic and Celtics all exposed weak points in the Knicks' defense that Anunoby often makes up for. 

Anunoby is the stabilizer and anchor with Mitchell Robinson’s minutes and impact limited, and we saw a lack of discipline and late-game execution on that end when Miami snuck by a win. Franz Wagner scored 37 points in Orlando’s win, taking advantage of New York’s lack of size down low and switching options.

When the Knicks desperately needed stops against a star in his bag, they couldn’t turn to Anunoby against Jaylen Brown, who finished with 42 and the W. Now compare these to New York’s win over Orlando on Sunday.

Obviously, there are factors beyond Anunoby, but he’s the biggest one. And we’ve yet to touch on what he’s brought offensively this season as the latest beneficiary of head coach Mike Brown’s new system.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The new spacing, motion, and ball-sharing principles have allowed Anunoby to average one extra drive per game despite playing six fewer minutes, and he’s converting more of them into scores, passes and assists. Getting to utilize his size and strength in more opportunities where help is less present or confident in coming over has opened up a ton for his game, like the game-sealing dunk against Orlando. 

He’s also shooting a career-high 40.9 percent from three, given the full green light to use his big frame to shoot over defenders. All this has made his game more efficient without compromising the work he’s done on the other end of the court. 

Now the Knicks have him getting back to full strength as they enter the second quarter of the season, having survived an initial wave of injuries with their spot at second in the East intact for now. Not a moment too soon, as New York’s schedule beefs up with Miami-Philadelphia-Minnesota-Cleveland as their Christmas sled and a West Coast trip early in the new year. 

Having Anunoby back in tow is huge, and could potentially bring their defense to new heights if they’re able to build on what they learned when he was gone. New York’s defense seemed to improve in some of their later games against the Raptors and Hornets, hopefully as a result of development and not strength of schedule.  

Anunoby’s return to the offense shouldn’t be understated either, with Karl-Anthony Towns still finding his footing, Mikal Bridges not exploding without him and some key guys still out. Expect him to have some big games as he finds his rhythm and Jalen Brunson needs a breather. 

If this Knicks start hasn’t felt as dominant as some fans might have liked, it’s because it hasn’t been. New York is one team with Anunoby and another without him, and he’s about to remind the basketball world why.  

Bobby McMann Faces Possible Suspension After NHL Department Of Player Safety Announces Hearing For Maple Leafs Forward

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann will have a hearing following a high-stick on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand.

McMann’s stick came down on the Lightning forward, and he was immediately issued a match penalty.

“That's a tough one. It really is. I mean, I got to look at it more closely, which I didn't,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said following the Leafs’ 2-0 win against Tampa. “From our view on the bench, I couldn't really see it too well. So I'll take a look at it; I had a tough time with that, to be honest with you.”

It is rare for a hearing not to result in a suspension of some kind.

The infraction occurred during a larger scrum that saw Gage Goncalves receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis. Mermis left the game and did not return; the Leafs stated he would need further evaluation to determine the extent of the injury.

McMann has recorded eight goals and six assists in 29 games this season. He has never been suspended in the NHL, a factor that may influence the length of any potential ban. However, he did receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov on Jan. 3, 2024. The league reviewed that hit but decided against issuing a suspension or fine.

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Plenty of Florida Panthers behind-the-scenes access coming as league brings back 'Road to the NHL Winter Classic'

We’re less than a month away from the 2026 NHL Winter Classic.

This year, the Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in what will be the southernmost Winter Classic ever played.

The game is set for Friday, Jan. 2 with an 8 p.m. ET puck drop.

For fans who are getting excited about the big game, they’ll have more opportunities to wet their appetites in the weeks leading up to the affair.

That’s because on Wednesday, the NHL is debuting a new season of Road to the NHL Winter Classic, the annual series that provides exclusive behind-the-scenes access to both the Panthers and Rangers as they gear up for the game.

The four-part series will premiere Wednesday at 6:30 ET on TNT and will be simulcast on truTV and HBO Max.

Panthers fans should buckle up for more in-depth looks at how their Stanley Cup championship team prepares for games, as well as the injury recovery process for players like Matthew Tkachuk.

For the full series schedule, click here.

You can check out the trailer for Road to the NHL Winter Classic below:

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