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Hart not made available as he returns to face Flyers in backup role

Hart not made available as he returns to face Flyers in backup role originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Almost 23 months after playing his last game with the Flyers, Carter Hart returned to Philadelphia as a visiting player.

Hart, now with the Golden Knights after being found not guilty in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, won’t face his former team Thursday. As the Flyers host Vegas (7 p.m. ET/ESPN), the 27-year-old will be the Golden Knights’ backup goaltender.

Akira Schmid will start for Vegas. He last played six days ago when he blanked the Devils, 3-0, on the road.

Hart was in net for the Golden Knights’ last two games, both on the road. He lost to the Islanders, 5-4, in a shootout Tuesday, two days after beating the Rangers, 3-2, in overtime.

“We discussed it, obviously, with him, but that was more us making the decision, that Akira had to get back in pretty soon coming off a shutout,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s how we landed on it.”

The Golden Knights did not make Hart available to the media after their morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“Carter wants to play every game,” Cassidy said. “That’s one thing, he’s a very competitive guy. … Coming out of the Ranger game, he wanted to get right back in the net. That led to the decision on Long Island.”

Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were found not guilty in July almost a year and a half after being charged with sexual assault, stemming from a June 2018 incident in London, Ontario.

Danny Briere said in September that Hart’s agent contacted the Flyers and pretty much ruled out the possibility of a reunion between the club and goaltender. It’s uncertain if the Flyers had interest in bringing Hart back.

“In light of everything that happened in the last year and a half with Carter, they felt and Carter felt that it was better for them to look for a fresh start,” the Flyers’ general manager said then. “That’s where it’s at and it’s the only comment I’m going to make on it.”

The Flyers cut ties with Hart in June 2024 when they didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, turning his restricted free-agent status into unrestricted. He had been away from the team since January 2024 after being granted an indefinite leave of absence.

Hart started in five straight season openers for the Flyers from 2019-20 to 2023-24 and played parts of six seasons for the club.

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MLB Winter Meetings Recap: Mets lose Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso as Kyle Schwarber returns to Phillies

Some of the league's biggest stars made headlines at this year's edition of the MLB Winter Meetings and there were plenty more minor transactions that you may have missed. So, I'm going to recap all the action from the past week right here.

Keep a close eye on theRotoworld Player News page so you don’t miss any of the action and let’s take a trip around the league.

Pete Alonso
MLB Free Agent Tracker 2025-26: Pete Alonso lands with Orioles, Kyle Schwarber returns to Phillies
Stay up to date with the MLB free agent market this offseason, including player signings, contract details, and team fits as the 2025-26 Hot Stove heats up.
  • DJShortBW.jpg D.J. Short
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The Mets Tear Down Their Roster

The MLB Winter Meetings were not kind to Mets fans. One day after Edwin Díaz fled Flushing to join the Dodgers, Pete Alonso took a monster five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles.

Without these two and Brandon Nimmo, who was traded to the Rangers last month, the longest tenured Met is Jeff McNeil – who’s been involved in his fair share of trade rumors too.

After McNeil? The longest tenured Met is Francisco Lindor. At this moment, he and Juan Soto are the only players on this roster with a non-rookie contract that runs past 2028.

Clearly Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns wanted to completely transform their roster after a disappointing season that ended with 83 wins after having the league’s best record in mid-May.

So, what comes next?

Devin Williams was brought in on a three-year deal and is their presumptive closer and is likely due for a bounceback. With little competition, he could easily vault himself back into being a top-five closer this coming season.

There are rumors floating around that the Mets are interested in Robert Suarez though, which could muddy the waters.

Desperate for a new first baseman and power hitter, Willson Contreras is a worthwhile target. After allegedly being unwilling to waive his no-trade clause when the offseason began, he’s since softened on that stance and it’s been reported he’d specifically do so for the Mets. Perhaps he could even spell Francisco Alvarez behind the plate to regain that all-powerful catcher eligibility.

Apart from him and Alonso, the first base market is a bit weak. The wound is still fresh, so the Mets have not been heavily connected to other replacements yet. Mark Vientos is an internal option, albeit more likely a fit at designated hitter.

Before this mass exodus, starting pitching was supposed to be the Mets’ greatest need this winter. The only one they’ve been connected with Michael King. Otherwise, it’s anyone’s guess as to what direction they’ll turn.

Maybe this turnover means they’ll be more willing to give their young players opportunities to play.

Nolan McLean is likely to start on opening day and is enjoying some top-30 starting pitcher helium. Stearns has explicitly stated that Carson Benge has a shot to break camp with the club. Brett Baty has full runway at third base. Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Christian Scott will mix into the rotation depth (if they aren’t traded for more proven pieces). Young flamethrowers Ryan Lambert and Dylan Ross could be in the mix for holds if anyone out there needs a deep dynasty relief pitcher spec.

However, these are still Steve Cohen’s Mets. A spending spree that includes Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Cody Bellinger and other marquee free agents is never off the table.

Regardless, their path forward will be fascinating to track.

More Hot Stove Quick Hits

◆ Kyle Schwarber is returning to the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal. It’s a surprise he wound up getting less money for the same number of years as Alonso. It’s equally as surprising that the Orioles matched the Phillies’ offer for the left-handed slugger.

Regardless, Schwarber is a good bet to remain an elite power hitter longer than most players who are entering their age-33 season.

Two years ago, he hit below the Mendoza Line and made a serious swing change in response. Schwarber shortened his swing from 7.9 feet in 2023 to 7.5 feet this past year and somehow did so without sacrificing any bat speed.

Of players with the 10 fastest bats last season (minimum 200 swings), Schwarber has the shortest swing.

Screenshot 2025-12-11 at 1.30.25 AM.png

Even if the effects of aging take two ticks off his bat speed over the next few years, it’d be exactly where Alonso’s is today. He is a great bet to continue putting up monster seasons in Philadelphia.

◆ Alonso's presence on the Orioles leaves huge question marks about both Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo's roles with the club.

Mountcastle is less of a pressing concern on the final year of his rookie deal, but Mayo was recently considered one of the best power hitting corner infield prospects in the game, just turned 24, and only has a half season of consistent playing time under his belt.

Could one or both be dangled in a trade for starting pitching? They probably should be at this point unless Baltimore wants to maintain the best fleet of first basemen in the league.

◆ Kyle Finnegan re-upped with the Tigers on a two-year, $19 million contract to presumably share closing duties with Will Vest.

After coming over from the Nationals at the trade deadline last season, Finnegan had a 38.8% strikeout rate in August, didn’t allow an earned run, and converted all four of his save chances.

Then, he suffered a right adductor strain while warming up one game, spent three weeks on the shelf, struggled to close the season, and didn’t have his same strikeout stuff through the playoffs.

Still, it’s fair to bet on some of that strikeout stuff returning. While it was far out of line with his career 23.0% strikeout rate as a National, Finnegan made a big adjustment with the Tigers to throw far more splitters than he had before.

Finnegan pitch% month.png

That pitch had a better than 50% whiff rate last August and gives Finnegan a chance to beat his strikeout projections while being a safe bet for some saves with a great home park to boot.

◆ Shane Bieber reportedly dealt with forearm fatigue toward the end of the season. That makes what seemed like a peculiar decision to exercise his $16 million option feel obvious in hindsight.

Also, it casts light on the Blue Jays jumping the starting pitcher market for a frontline guy in Dylan Cease and a depth piece in Cody Ponce.

Alarm bells are ringing loud and clear with Bieber who just returned from Tommy John surgery this past August and has only put together one season with more than 130 innings since 2019. He’s someone to avoid in early drafts.

◆ Mike Yastrzemski agreed to a two-year, $23 million deal with the Braves Wednesday evening. He could jostle with Jurickson Profar to become

◆ Steven Matz will join the Rays on a two-year, $15 million contract. That tells us that his role could oscillate between the back of the rotation and bullpen.

◆ Braves manager Walt Weiss was non-committal on Reynaldo López being a member of their rotation calling him a “nice fallback option” for their bullpen. He’s found success as starter, but also had a season marred by injuries last year and could wind up in relief if health concerns pop up again. Or, if Atlanta makes a play for a free agent starter or someone like Freddy Peralta on the trade market.

◆ Vaughn Grissom is joining the litany of former top prospects on the Angels. He’s never shown the tools to be a big league regular, but will only be 25 this season. The worst case scenario would be him and Christian Moore taking reps from one another, but there should be enough playing time to go around in Anaheim.

◆ Gregory Soto signed a one-year deal with the Pirates and could siphon off some saves from Dennis Santana.

◆ The Rule 5 Draft was on Wednesday and there are a few players to watch from it.

RJ Petit is a 6-foot, 8-inch, 300 pound behemoth that could work his way into the high leverage mix for the Rockies. Daniel Susac is a catcher with pop that was a first round pick in 2022 and has a chance to take some reps from the offensively challenged Patick Bailey in San Francisco. Peyton Pallette has serious strikeout stuff and joins a Guardians’ club that’s known for developing relievers.

As a reminder, Rule 5 Draft players are required to spend the entire season on the major league team that drafted them or be returned to their original club.

◆ The stove is still hot and there’s going to be a lot of action over the coming weeks. Make sure to keep up theRotoworld Player News page so you don’t miss any of the action plus live stream and video content here all next week!

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Sharks defenseman, Toronto native Sam Dickinson to play first game in hometown

Sharks defenseman, Toronto native Sam Dickinson to play first game in hometown originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

TORONTO — The Sharks can thank Max Mahoney for Sam Dickinson.

The 19-year-old Toronto native will play his first NHL game in his hometown on Thursday when the Sharks visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But if not for Dickinson’s childhood friend, the big defenseman might not even be playing hockey.

“You hear these stories, especially up here, ‘I was on the ice at two.’ Sam as a young kid — five, six — hockey didn’t stick with him. He didn’t like it,” Steve Dickinson, Sam’s father, told San Jose Hockey Now.

Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast

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ICYMI in Mets Land: All the fallout after Pete Alonso's Orioles deal

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Wednesday, in case you missed it...

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Champions League review: Liverpool sidestep Salah saga as Chelsea slip up

Manchester City conquer the Bernabéu, Liverpool survive without Mohamed Salah and Atalanta find Chelsea’s flaws

• To say that Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid have history is to put it mildly. At Barcelona, Guardiola grew up amid an obsessive enmity on both sides, one deepened by his term as the Catalan club’s coach. They are highly familiar with Manchester City, too. City met Madrid for the fifth season in succession on Wednesday. Despite Madrid’s recent struggles under Xabi Alonso, winning at the Santiago Bernabéu is a huge result, a deserved win where City might have been out of sight by half-time. Rodrygo scored his habitual goal against City but one of Guardiola’s new generation in Nico O’Reilly equalised before a controversial penalty award, converted by Erling Haaland, decided the game. A player linked with a move to Madrid sometime in the distant future celebrated with a smirk; Jude Bellingham’s attempt to distract by trying to yank Haaland’s ponytail did not work. After the selection misstep that led to defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola got it right in Madrid to leave a lifelong rival in flux. In acknowledging an opponent wracked by injury and infighting had made for an easier task than usual, high standards came to the fore. “I’ve been here [at the Bernabéu] many times in the last five years and we have played much better than today and not won,” Guardiola said. He talks – and his team plays – like he has his mojo back.

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Canadiens: Another Goaltender Debut In Pittsburgh?

After losing their last two games and suffering sizeable defeats over the previous two weeks, the Montreal Canadiens called up Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. After yesterday’s practice, Martin St-Louis downplayed the importance of the young goaltender’s being recalled, but given recent events, he wasn’t very successful.

The organization also announced that Jake Evans will leave the team for personal reasons and will rejoin before the team faces the New York Rangers on Saturday night. According to RDS’s Luc Gelinas, Evans has been playing with an injured foot since November 20 and must meet a doctor in Philadelphia. Interestingly, the team chose to evoke personal reasons rather than mention the injury.

Canadiens Control The Narrative
Canadiens Prospect Has Big Opportunity With Call-Up
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?

The center’s absence has forced St-Louis to shuffle his lines. In Brossard on Monday morning, Zachary Bolduc was back with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield; Juraj Slafkovsky skated with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen; and newcomer Beck was centring a new line featuring Alexandre Texier and Josh Anderson. Meanwhile, Joe Veleno, Jared Davidson and Brendan Gallagher were reunited.

On the blueline, Engstrom alternated with Jayden Struble on the second pairing alongside Lane Hutson. Struble didn’t have a great game against the Lightning, finishing his night with a minus-two rating and being easily beaten by Brayden Point, who was on his way to score the game’s opening goal. It wouldn’t be shocking if Engstrom were called upon, given the circumstances.

All eyes will be on the Canadiens’ net tonight. Jakub Dobes has started the last three games, Samuel Montembeault has been dealing with an illness and wasn’t exactly sharp in relief of Dobes against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the coach has mentioned that he doesn’t even know if he’ll give a game to Fowler on the road trip.

If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on Fowler starting the first game of his career against the Pittsburgh Penguins nonetheless. Montembeault has a 2-3-1 record against the Pennsylvania outfit with a 3.72 GAA and a .880 save percentage, while Dobes has never taken on Sidney Crosby and co. Either way, since the three duels against them last season came before he was called up after the Christmas break.

As for the Penguins, goaltender Tristan Jarry has an 8-1-1 record against the Habs with a 2.50 GAA and a .911 SV. Meanwhile, Arturs Silovs has never taken on the Canadiens. The Latvian native has split the workload with Jarry this season and has a 4-4-5 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 SV.

Up front, the Canadiens will of course need to keep Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby in check; the living legend has 69 points against the Habs in just 52 duels, including 25 goals. The Pittsburgh captain already has 18 goals this season and is on pace for 52 lamplighters, which would be a career high. He scored 51 goals in 2009-10. Unsurprisingly, Evgeni Malkin is not far behind him with 64 points in 52 games, and he’s also having a solid season; he’s got 29 points in 26 games, on pace for 74 points, but he’s currently on the injured reserve list. Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang both enjoy taking on the Habs; the former Ottawa Senators captain has 42 points in 52 duels with the Habs, while the lifelong Penguins have 39 points in 47 games.

Meanwhile, Gallagher is the Canadiens’ top scorer against the Pens with 15 points in 31 games, followed by Suzuki with 11 points in 15 games, and Mike Matheson has 10 points in 19 games against his former team. Anderson is the only other Hab to reach double digits against the Pens; he has 10 points in 26 games. Meanwhile, Caufield, who just saw his 11-game point streak come to an end against Tampa, only has five points in 11 tilts.

Thursday night’s duel will be the first of three between the two teams this season, with the other two scheduled for December 20 and 21, just over a week from now. The Penguins have won seven of the last 10 duels, including the three from last season when they outscored the Habs 18-6.

The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on SN-PIT, TSN2, and RDS. The Canadiens don’t have a practice this morning, but there will be media availabilities at 11:45 AM at the team’s hotel. Will St-Louis show his hand, goaltending-wise, then? It remains to be seen.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

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How playing hard, coaching hard is fueling Celtics' recent success

How playing hard, coaching hard is fueling Celtics' recent success originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics do not have as much talent as they did last season.

That’s what happens when you lose Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet in one offseason. And they also have had to deal with losing a perennial first team All-NBA player in Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury.

When you don’t have as much talent as some of the opponents you play, the work ethic has to increase. You have to outwork and outhustle the other team. You need to win every 50-50 ball, set good screens, rebound well, commit to tough defense, get to the free throw line, etc.

Playing hard means doing the little things well. For example, Boston leads the league with 9.2 screen assists per game. The C’s also rank No. 4 in box outs, No. 6 in defensive loose balls recovered and No. 10 in charges drawn.

The Celtics have been one of the hardest-working teams in the league, and it’s one of many reasons why they are 10-2 in their last 12 games — a run that has seen them rise up from the play-in tournament spots to sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“(Head coach Joe Mazzulla) just wants our guys to be the hardest playing team every night,” Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell said on the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Talk Podcast. “And sometimes it may not happen, but we have enough depth on our team that we — Joe’s going to find the pieces to play hard. It may not be for 48 straight minutes, and no team does that, but we want to get like 40 minutes or 42 minutes of hard-playing basketball.

“If we can do that, we don’t worry about guys making shots or missing shots. We worry about how hard we’re playing and if we’re competing. Joe just wants guys who can compete at a high level and bring some force. If you’re out there, make an impact doing something.”

Not only do the Celtics play hard, but the players are coached hard. Mazzulla and his staff are pretty demanding.

“If Joe Mazzulla is yelling at you, that means he really cares about you,” Cassell said. “He wants you to be better. He’s taking this time out to give you instruction and direction.”

This style of coaching has produced fantastic individual results, especially in regards to Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott — two key bench players for Boston.

Walsh has been a breakout star for the Celtics. The C’s are 10-2 since he entered the starting lineup, and he’s making a tremendous impact on both ends of the floor. Walsh is averaging 14 points on 76.5 percent shooting (63.6 percent from 3-point range) over the last five games. 

“He just needed the opportunity,” Cassell said of Walsh. “He’s been in our system for three years now, and it hasn’t been easy for him at all. We coach him hard, and the thing I like about our team this year is they allow us to coach them hard.

“They allow us to get in their face and tell them they aren’t doing A, B or C. But when they do do things right we always congratulate them and we praise them. But the praise isn’t a lot. It’s like a second or two and then we gotta get back to work.”

Minott is an interesting case because Mazzulla seems to have taken a particular interest in coaching him hard during games. He is often seen giving detailed feedback and instruction to Minott during timeouts.

“He plays a tough role because of his versatility. He’s defending ball handlers, he’s defending screeners,” Mazzulla said after last Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers. “They’re changing matchups on him. Just continuing to grow and execute, and he has a willingness to learn. He has an open-mindedness, and he wants to get better.

“I think he’s gotten a lot better. It’s just a credit to him. He cares about the details. He cares about wanting to get it right, but he plays a unique role for us, where he’s seeing a bunch of different reads over the course of the game on both ends of the floor. The growth of him is to get to the point where he can just make those on his own consistently.

“He does a great job studying those things, but it’s just a communication and teaching. I really enjoy coaching him.”

Minott clearly enjoys the hard coaching from Mazzulla.

“I love it. You know why? Because it means he’s thinking about me,” Minott said after the Lakers game, per John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal. “Every time Joe yells at me, I love it because it’s like, I’m a priority in that moment … I’ll yell back. We love each other.”

Not every player likes or responds well to hard coaching. It’s up to the coaches to determine how best to reach their players and maximize their on-court production. It’s something that Mazzulla and his staff have done very well over the last few years, and the results speak for themselves.

Boston has developed a lot of good players in the three-plus years since Mazzulla took over as head coach.

Also in this episode:

  • Sam Cassell on his expectations heading into this season.
  • Cassell on the leadership of Jaylen Brown.
  • Cassell on watching Jayson Tatum work his way back to the court.
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Three With Islanders Ties Inducted Into 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame

On Wednesday night, former New York Islanders forward Zach Parise, former Islanders assistant coach Scott Gomez, and Long Island native Bruce Bennett, the greatest hockey photographer of all time, were part of the 2025 Induction class into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Joe Pavelski and Tara Mounsey were the other two inductees. 

Parise, who played 19 NHL seasons, two with the Islanders, sits ninth all-time in goals by an American, with 434.


He scored the tying goal in the 2010 Gold Medal game against Team Canada, before Sidney Crosby's infamous golden goal:

Gomez, who served as the Islanders' assistant coach from 2017-19, became the first Alaskan inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.  He played 1,079 NHL games and was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion (2000, 2003) with the New Jersey Devils. 

Bennett, the Levittown native who, as an 18-year-old, began taking pictures during the New York Rangers' 1973-74 season, has photographed 45 Stanley Cup clinching moments and became the first-ever photographer to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Congratulations to all the inductees on their tremendous careers. 

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Columbus Blue Jackets (32 pts) vs. Ottawa Senators (30 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are home to take on the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 PM. 

Ottawa Senators - 13-12-4 - 30 Points - 4-6-0 in the last 10 - Lost 3 straight - 7th in the Atlantic

Columbus Blue Jackets - 13-11-6 - 32 Points - 3-3-4 in the last 10 - 8th in the Metro

Blue Jackets Stats

  • Power Play - 18.9% - 16th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 72.3% - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 19th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 102 - 26th in the NHL

Senators Stats

  • Power Play - 24.7% - 5th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 70.7% - 31st in the NHL
  • Goals For - 87 - 17th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 96 - 22nd in the NHL

Series History vs. The Senators

  • Columbus is 19-20-2-3 all-time, and 12-7-1-2 at home vs. Ottawa
  • The Jackets are 8-1-2 against Ottawa in the last 11 home games.
  • The CBJ went 1-2 vs. the Sens last season.

Who To Watch For The Senators

  • Drake Batherson & Tim Stützle both have 12 goals and 26 points to lead the team.
  • Jake Sanderson leads the team with 18 assists.
  • Goalie Linus Ullmark is 10-8-4 with a SV% of .877. His last start was on December 9th.
  • Leevi Meriläinen is 3-4-0 with a SV% of .876. His last start was on December 4th.

CBJ Player Notes vs. Senators

  • Zach Werenski has 19 points in 19 career games against Ottawa.
  • Kirill Marchenko has 5 points in 9 games.
  • Sean Monahan has 19 points in 31 games vs. the Sens.

Injuries 

  • Erik Gudbranson - Upper Body - Missed 22 Games - IR - No timeline for a return
  • Boone Jenner - Upper Body - Missed 14 Games - IR - Could return this week
  • Mathieu Olivier - Upper Body - Missed 7 Games - IR- No timeline for a return

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 59

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK. Bob Wischusen will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 THE FAN, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. 

Let us know what you think below.

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Canadiens Control The Narrative

After the Montreal Canadiens lost Tuesday night’s game 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the organization decided to call up three players from the Laval Rocket: Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, and Jacob Fowler. It’s the goaltender’s presence amongst the recalls that raised more than a few eyebrows.

Media and pundits alike had previously operated under the assumption that Fowler, who is primarily seen as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, would be spending the entire season honing his skills and getting used to the pro level in the AHL. That assumption led them all to conclude that the move was a desperate move stemming from Samuel Montembeault’s and Jakub Dobes’ performances this season.

Canadiens Forward Out vs. Penguins For Personal Reasons
Canadiens: Home Sweet Home?
Canadiens: A Cry For Help To Fowler

But after Tuesday morning’s practice, coach Martin St-Louis was a man on a PR mission. He said several times that the plan had always been to see what Fowler could do at the NHL level this year, and that now was as good a time as any, given the schedule, adding that he would have been surprised if the youngster didn’t get a game in the NHL this season.

When told that the move was primarily seen as a panic move because of the Habs’ current goalie predicament, St-Louis dismissed the idea. He argued that the situation the Canadiens find themselves in was caused by poor collective play, by the way the team played in front of the goaltenders, rather than by their own performances.

While he has a point about the team not consistently playing well in front of the masked men, taking the responsibility away from the goaltenders serves one specific purpose: to make it clear that Fowler is not coming in as the saviour of the team. This is a smart move, especially considering that the Montreal market is a pressure cooker for any player, but even more so for the netminders.

The coach added that he didn’t know if Fowler would play in the upcoming road trip, but that if he didn’t, he would still gain valuable experience just being around the team. Still, I believe the rookie will get a game sooner rather than later and hopefully, the rest of the team will play well in front of him, giving him a real chance to show what he can do.

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. 

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Lakers takeaways: Marcus Smart a bright spot as Lakers eliminated from NBA Cup

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 10, 2025: San Antonio Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk (8) grabs an offensive rebound against Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on December 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers guard Marcus Smart challenges Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk for a rebound during their NBA Cup game on Wednesday night at Crypto.Com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

LeBron James’ emphatic one-handed dunk brought the crowd at Crypto.com Arena to its feet. It left Luke Kornet shrinking under James’ intense glare and scream. It will live on in the soon-to-be 41-year-old’s highlight reel, but for this night, James wanted it to fade into the background.

Because even though the moment left his teammates jumping on the bench and gasping for air, it did nothing to stave off a Lakers loss.

“It was just a play,” James said after the Lakers lost 132-119 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, getting eliminated from NBA Cup play and setting up a regular-season matchup at Phoenix on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.

The Lakers (17-7) went 2-3 during a revealing five-game stretch against teams with winning records, and needed fourth-quarter heroics to squeeze out both of their wins that came by a combined seven points. The Lakers’ plus-1.5 scoring margin ranks 15th in the NBA after their last three losses came by an average of 16.3 points.

“We really got to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out what we're gonna do,” guard Marcus Smart said. “We're going to lay down and get punked or we're going to fight back. And I'm not the one that's going to lay down and get punked.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

Marcus Smart adds a spark

After missing six games because of a back injury, Smart returned to score a season-high 26 points in 27 minutes, going eight for 13 from three-point range with three rebounds and one assist.

Smart struggled with injuries while with Memphis and Washington after getting traded from Boston in 2023. He hoped that coming to the Lakers, with their eternal championship ambitions, could help him revitalize his career. He got off to an uneven start, missing two of the first five games while shooting only 25.4% from three-point range.

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Then he hit his highest three-point total in a game since Jan. 5, 2024, on Wednesday.

“All I can do is control how I prepare, and that's to make the shot,” Smart said. “I've been doing it — everything right. Tonight was the night for me, and hopefully that starts a trend for me to start making some shots consistently.”

Playing his highest minute total since Nov. 14 against New Orleans, Smart said his back “felt good” during the game. His only physical shortcoming was getting his wind back after being sidelined for two weeks. Coach JJ Redick, who called Smart the team’s tone-setter on defense, commended Smart’s “care factor," even when the Lakers fell behind by 18 in the second quarter.

Smart didn’t score any points during a late second-quarter run that cut the Spurs lead from 17 to eight, but he played key roles on both ends of the court. His block on De’Aaron Fox's shot led to a Jaxson Hayes alley-oop dunk. Smart screened two Spurs players to clear the way for Luka Doncic on a driving layup with 1:51 remaining in the second quarter. Doncic immediately turned and pointed to Smart in appreciation.

“When he guards, when he talks to us, we listen,” said Doncic who finished with 35 points and eight assists, including three on Smart three-pointers in the third quarter. “Just got to be a little bit more of what he’s doing.”

Bench falls flat 

Outside of Smart’s 26 points, the Lakers bench produced only five points. Three came from Dalton Knecht on a garbage time three-pointer.

The Lakers have prolific scorers on their bench. Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst in Minnesota made him a viral sensation and earned him a custom “Who is No. 12?” T-shirt designed by general manager Rob Pelinka. Gabe Vincent shot a sizzling 55.6% from three-point range during the preseason before he suffered a sprained ankle in the third game of the regular season.

But LaRavia and Vincent combined for only two shots Wednesday. The only other regular rotation player who scored off the bench was Hayes.

Redick credited some of the bench struggles to San Antonio’s defensive coverages. Despite not having Victor Wembanyama (calf), the Spurs used center Luke Kornet similarly to how Phoenix used Mark Williams to dare Doncic and Austin Reaves to shoot shots in the paint instead of letting the star guards play-make for others.

Reaves struggled offensively for the second consecutive game, shooting six for 16 from the field for 15 points. Reaves, who leads the team in total minutes while also ranking second in points per game with 28.4, has made nine of 32 shots in the last two games.

Even Rui Hachimura, who had scored in double figures in each of the previous three games and made the game-winning shot in Toronto, had just two shot attempts in the first three quarters Wednesday. He finished with a quiet eight points.

Redick has marveled at the way Hachimura can go long stretches of games without touching the ball then still make crucial shots. Teammates have asked him for his advice on how to stay ready when coming off the bench.

“[The ball is] gonna come eventually,” Hachimura said before Wednesday's game. “And then that time comes, you have to make some moves. You have to do something about it, so you don't want to be surprised when it gets [to you].”

No strings attached 

The Lakers entered Wednesday’s game ranked 21st in defensive rating. They were the fifth-worst team in opponent three-point shooting percentage, allowing teams to shoot 38.2% from three. The percentage will get even worse after San Antonio (17-7) shot 44.7% from three on Wednesday.

Opponents have shot better than 40% from beyond the arc in six of the last seven games against the Lakers. The Pelicans and Celtics both shot better than 50% from three.

Without Wembanyama, the Spurs showcased their dynamic backcourt, led by Fox. The speedy guard who missed the last matchup against the Lakers had 20 points while Stephon Castle, last year’s rookie of the year, dropped 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists on the Lakers, who simply had no answers for the quick, athletic guards.

“Being able to contain the basketball is probably the most difficult thing for our team right now,” Redick said.

Doncic and Reaves have become the highest scoring duo in the league, but the guards will never be known for their defensive prowess. The soon-to-be 41-year-old James is well past his time of being a regular defensive standout. If the Lakers can compete defensively, it has to be as a unit, James stressed.

“Five guys being on a string,” James said. “Obviously, you can't do it individually by yourself. It has to be five guys on a string, communication, always at an all-time high.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Where young Giants pitchers fit into the team's plan for 2026 MLB season

Where young Giants pitchers fit into the team's plan for 2026 MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

ORLANDO — The Giants headed to the Winter Meetings with two open spots in their rotation and left with two open spots in their rotation. But internally, they don’t want to view it as that straightforward. 

If you ask members of the front office how many starters they need, they likely will give some variation of “as many as we can get.”

“We used 15 starters last year,” general manager Zack Minasian said this week. “To think we’re going to use five would be fooling ourselves. The more the merrier is kind of how I look at it right now.”

Buster Posey and Minasian are confident they will be able to add veterans through free agency, trades or both, but they also still feel good about the young depth that’s around. Some of it might be needed in deals — everyone is looking for young, cost-controlled pitching — but in Hayden Birdsong, Blade Tidwell, Trevor McDonald, Kai-Wei Teng, Carson Whisenhunt and others, they feel they have plenty of young pitchers who can fill cracks in the rotation or bullpen down the line, or even in the spring.

A year ago, Posey spoke often about the organization’s collection of young pitchers. Landen Roupp broke through as the No. 3 starter and Kyle Harrison brought Rafael Devers to town, but overall, the group disappointed. 

How many can be part of the solution in 2026? 

“I’d say that’s up to them. It’s up to them with how they perform,” Posey said on Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast. “We certainly hope that there’s a handful of them that we’re saying ‘we need this guy in the rotation or we need him in the pen,’ but ultimately it’s going to boil down to how they perform.”

The group underwhelmed in the second half last year, but there’s hope internally that a new coaching staff can find the right adjustments. There will be three new faces on the pitching front — Frank Anderson, Justin Meccage, Christian Wonders — and during their interviews they were asked about ways they could help specific pitchers in that group. 

Birdsong has the highest ceiling and Tidwell pitched for Tony Vitello and Anderson at Tennessee, but it might be Trevor McDonald who leads that pack at the moment after two eye-opening starts at the end of the season. The right-hander allowed just three earned runs in 15 innings in September and had an eye-opening start at Dodger Stadium. 

Posey asked about McDonald often last season in his conversations with player development leaders Randy Winn and Kyle Haines and Triple-A manager Dave Brundage. 

“He really settled in to hone in on his sinker and slider late and said this is going to be my bread and butter,” Posey said at the Winter Meetings. “Early on it seemed like the feedback was he was being a little too cute with trying to get his usage to look a certain way instead of just attacking with the top end of his arsenal. I’m excited for him. He’s got to feel confident going into the offseason.” 

Honors For Everyone

Brad Grems (home clubhouse) and Gavin Cuddie (visiting) were named the Clubhouse Manager of the Year in their respective categories. It marked the first time that one organization took home the awards on both sides. 

Grems took over for the legendary Mike Murphy, who got an even bigger honor in November. “Murph” was part of the initial six-man class for the MLB Clubhouse Managers Hall of Fame, along with longtime Athletics clubhouse manager Steve Vucinich and Eddie Logan, who worked for the New York and San Francisco Giants and ran the home clubhouse at Candlestick Park before Murphy. Murphy and Vucinich flew to Cooperstown earlier this offseason to see their plaque. 

Also, this week, executive assistant Karen Sweeney won the Katy Feeney Leadership Award, which honors exceptional female employees in the industry. When it came to awards — a big part of the Winter Meetings for behind-the-scenes employees — the Giants just about came away with a clean sweep. Earlier in the week, Matt Chisholm was honored for excellence in media relations. There was also Jeff Kent’s induction into the Hall of Fame, of course. 

Who Wins Out?

The trade for Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac gave the Giants a second young right-handed catcher to compete for the job behind Patrick Bailey. Susac, a former first-rounder, likely will enter camp with an edge over Jesus Rodriguez, since he has to make the Opening Day roster or else be offered back to the A’s, but there still will be a competition in the spring. 

The organization is extremely high on Rodriguez, who came over in the Camilo Doval trade with the New York Yankees. He hit .322 in Sacramento and is a .309 hitter in the minors, and while Susac has much more power, Rodriguez might be better suited to hit big-league pitching right now. The main concern heading into the spring is the lack of reps he has gotten defensively. 

“We’re really excited about his future,” Posey said. “I think what excites me is when I hear our manager or a coach on the staff in Triple-A talk about his makeup and how well he has worked with the pitchers and his desire to get better defensively. At least from the games that I’ve watched, he’s a guy that’s going to encourage a pitcher throughout the game. If he needs to tell a pitcher, like, ‘Hey, you need to get that breaking ball further outside,’ he’s going to be willing to do that. 

“But having said that, we have to look and see what other options might be out there because he has been pretty limited in the amount of games he has caught so far.”

The Giants will at some point need both the 24-year-old Susac and the 23-year-old Rodriguez. It’s also possible they go with three catchers at times if the two are playing well and there’s a roster need; Rodriguez has a lot of first base and DH experience in the minors and Wilmer Flores, a key right-handed bench bat, won’t be back. 

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Pitch Points: will Inter Miami be better next year, and can Nancy succeed at Celtic?

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, we endeavor to answer three of them

Lionel Messi is a MLS Cup winner. That might rank lowly on the GOAT’s list of career achievements, but it was clear in the Argentine’s celebrations after the 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday’s championship game just how much this meant. Even for Messi, this was more than just another trophy. This was a ‘mission accomplished’ moment.

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