A former Philadelphia Flyers forward is available for the taking, as Nicolas Aube-Kubel has been placed on waivers by the Minnesota Wild.
Aube-Kubel signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild in free agency back in July. This was after the 6-foot forward recorded one goal, one assist, 19 penalty minutes, 40 hits, and a minus-5 rating in 22 games this past season split between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.
Aube-Kubel was selected by the Flyers with the 48th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played in his first four NHL seasons with the Flyers from 2018-19 to 2021-22, where he recorded 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points, 69 penalty minutes, 233 hits, and a minus-4 rating in 102 games.
Aube-Kubel's time with the Flyers ended when he was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche during the 2021-22 season. This ended up benefiting Aube-Kubel quite well, as he won the Stanley Cup during his lone season as a member of the Avalanche.
Since his time with the Flyers, Aube-Kubel has had stints with the Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Sabres, Rangers, and now Wild. It will be interesting to see if another team claims him off waivers or if he clears them from here.
Let’s start with a subjective stat: The entertainment rating of a Red Sox-Yankees playoff series is a 10 out of 10.
The Red Sox, who finished with an 89-73 record to earn the second American League Wild Card spot and the No. 5 seed in the AL, will revive one of the best rivalries in sports when they travel to Yankee Stadium for a best-of-three series against the Yankees, who earned the top Wild Card spot and the AL’s No. 4 seed at 94-68.
You’re likely well aware of the history between these teams — can we interest you in another 2004 ALCS documentary? — but a lot has changed in both Boston and New York since their last postseason meeting in 2021. In fact, pitcher Garrett Whitlock is the only player from that 2021 team on the Red Sox’ current playoff roster.
So, while Boston has bested New York in three straight postseason meetings dating back to that 2004 ALCS, we’ll stay more focused on the present in our breakdown of Red Sox-Yankees.
Here are six stats to know ahead of Tuesday’s Game 1 (6 p.m. ET on ESPN) that could swing the series in either direction.
Stat No. 1: .692
That’s the Red Sox’ winning percentage against the Yankees this season (9-4 record), which is tied for their best mark against New York in one season since 1973, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Boston also went 5-2 at Yankee Stadium this year.
That stat should give Red Sox fans some optimism, but it comes with a caveat: The Yankees took two of three from Boston in the Bronx in mid-September, with newly-acquired closer David Bednar picking up the save in both wins. Which leads us to our next stat…
Stat No. 2: 29
That’s the number of wins the Yankees recorded in their final 40 regular-season games — the most in MLB by a decent margin.
The Yankees were just eight games over .500 in mid-August as they dealt with injuries and growing pains of their trade deadline acquisitions. Since that date, however, they’ve absolutely caught fire, with a .725 winning percentage to close the season.
Bednar has helped stabilize the back of the bullpen with a 2.19 ERA in pinstripes, while Aaron Judge carried the offense with a ridiculous 1.292 OPS in September.
Stat No. 3: 2.34
That’s the combined postseason ERA of Red Sox relievers Aroldis Chapman (2.37) and Garrett Whitlock (2.16).
Chapman in particular has quite the playoff resume: He’s logged 49.1 innings over eight different postseasons with four different teams and won two World Series (with the Cubs in 2016 and with the Rangers in 2023). Whitlock, meanwhile, allowed just two earned runs over 8.1 total innings as a rookie during the 2021 postseason.
Combine those playoff stats with the numbers Whitlock and Chapman posted this season, and that’s quite a 1-2 punch in Boston’s back end.
Stat No. 4: 73 percent
That’s the number of Aaron Judge’s at-bats vs. Garrett Crochet this season that ended in a strikeout.
Judge, who won the AL batting title this season (.331 average), went 3 for 15 against Crochet with a whopping 11 strikeouts. Two of those three hits were home runs, however, so it’s been feast or famine for the Yankees slugger against Boston’s Game 1 starter.
A bonus stat: Crochet went 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA in four stats vs. New York this season, recording 39 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
The Yankees held opponents to a .227 batting average this season, the second-best mark in MLB.
That’s an impressive stat considering New York ranked a pedestrian 14th in team ERA (3.91) and committed 94 errors, tied for the seventh-most in baseball. But Aaron Boone’s club has relied on timely fielding and pitching to keep teams off the board, so the Red Sox shouldn’t expect many gifts in this three-game series.
Stat No. 6: .752
That’s the Red Sox’ OPS against left-handed pitching this season, good for third-best in the AL.
This is the stat that may decide the series, as the Yankees are starting southpaws in Games 1 and 2 (Max Fried and Carlos Rodon). Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez — who are both in the starting lineup for Game 1 — have well-deserved reputations as “lefty killers,” but both players have cooled considerably over the past month. In fact, lefty pitchers have posted a 2.56 ERA against Boston since Aug. 18, per Speier.
If the Red Sox can rediscover their lefty-mashing magic, this series could be over in two games. But that’s far from a guarantee, especially against two elite pitchers in Fried and Rodon.
The Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night in their fourth preseason game out of six. It will be the first of three home games at the United Center to close out the exhibition season for Chicago.
This is the second time that the Blackhawks will face Detroit, but this one will feature many more NHL-ready players on both sides.
Chicago's roster for this game will be as follows:
After another big roster trim on Monday, it is not surprising to see this roster filled with players who will be playing on opening night in Florida.
There are still a couple of battles taking place in camp, however. If Colton Dach has secured his spot on the team already, which is likely but not guaranteed, that means that Lukas Reichel, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene are the ones fighting for a final spot at forward.
Although Sam Lafferty is likely to make the team, he could be someone who is scratched often in favor of a young player who makes the team. He won't play in this game so others can get a chance to play.
Moore has been the most notable of the three, but Reichel has been good, and Greene wins a ton of face-offs, which has been a problem for the Blackhawks in recent years. Of the three, Greene and Moore will go in this one.
On defense, you know the five who are locks to play if healthy. There is also Louis Crevier, but he is almost a lock to make the team, so he doesn't have to be put on waivers. A team would almost certainly claim him.
In this game, Alex Vlasic will miss due to a lower-body injury. He is day-to-day and won't practice on Tuesday.
You'll see Ethan Del Mastro play and compete for the job. He can be sent down without the use of waivers. There is also Matt Grzelcyk, who is a veteran looking to make an NHL team out of camp. Nolan Allan, who played against the Wild on Sunday, is not in the lineup. He is the fourth guy competing for the final roster spot. Allan is also waiver exempt.
There are upsides and pros to keeping any one of these players on the team early in the year. By the end of the season, all of the young players will have at least played a few games.
In net, the Blackhawks are dressing Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom. In the regular season, Knight will be the starter and Soderblom the backup. We will wait to see how they handle their duties in this game vs Detroit.
Outside of a few more roster battles, as mentioned before, this is what the group will look like on opening night. Preseason NHL hockey is looking more and more like the real thing with each passing day.
How To Watch
Those looking for the game in the Chicago area can find it on CHSN. Out-of-market viewings can be found on ESPN+. The puck will drop at the United Center at 7:00 PM CT.
If the Spurs are going to leap up into the playoffs in a crowded West, it's going to involve two things. One is Victor Wembanyama staying healthy and taking another leap forward. The other is point guard De'Aaron Fox and Wembanyama developing chemistry, forming an unstoppable inside-out combo that drives the offense.
The second part of that is on hold. Fox confirmed at Spurs media day that he is still recovering from a right hamstring injury and added, "I don't think I'll be ready for opening night."
“I don’t think I’ll be ready for opening night.” - De’Aaron Fox (right hamstring) says he can play right now and feels great but says they are playing it by ear. He doesn’t think he’ll play in the preseason either #Spurspic.twitter.com/v3sUxK8t5o
Fox made this sound like the classic push-and-pull between a player who is feeling better and a team's medical staff, which understands just how easy it is to reinjure a hamstring that seems fully healed but needs more time.
"I feel good. I felt like I could have played a little bit ago, but they're not letting me," Fox said, adding later the target is a Nov. 1 return. "We're taking it day-by-day, but I feel great."
This is the first season the Spurs are supposed to be done rebuilding and start climbing up the Western standings. Wembanyama is in his third year and is the preseason heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, while also taking another step forward on offense. The question becomes how does a backcourt of Fox, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle all mesh.
Again, the second part of that is now on hold until around Nov. 1.
ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild announced on Tuesday an eight-year contract extension worth $136 million ($17 million AAV) for its superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov.
A few weeks later, the Wild upped the offer by one million a year and Kaprizov has accepted the offer.
Kaprizov, 28, has 185 goals, 201 assists, 386 points, 62 power-play goals, 27 game-winning goals, 1,129 shots, a 20:24 time-on-ice per game average and a plus-71 rating in 319 games played across five NHL seasons, all with Minnesota.
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That $136-million contract, which runs from 2026-27 through 2033-34, is the most expensive in NHL history. The previous high, in terms of total value, was Alex Ovechkin's 13-year, $124-million contract he signed with the Washington Capitals in 2008.
Kaprizov's cap hit is also the richest in NHL history, being a $3 million increase over the $14 million Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl agreed to last September.
This new contract for the Russian left winger comes weeks after he reportedly rejected a $128-million deal, which was likely spread out to $16 million across eight years, earlier in the month.
Kaprizov is entering his sixth NHL season with Minnesota. He’s never played a full 82-game campaign as he battled injuries over the last few years. However, he’s proved to be one of the best offensive minds in the league.
Last season, Kaprizov played 41 games and scored 25 goals and 56 points. Despite only featuring in half the season, he was still the third-highest scorer on the Wild, just four points behind second-place Marco Rossi and two goals behind leading scorer Matt Boldy.
After missing some time, Kaprizov made it back before the Stanley Cup playoffs. He led the way for the Wild, scoring five goals and nine points in six games during a first-round loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 28-year-old has proven his value to the Wild, and he's received Hart Trophy votes in four of his five seasons to date. His best finish in Hart Trophy voting was in 2021-22, when he recorded a career-high 47 goals and 61 assists for 108 points in 81 appearances. The then-sophomore finished seventh in the Hart race.
Kaprizov has the third-best odds of winning the Hart Trophy this upcoming season, according to
sportsbook BetMGM. Sitting behind Connor McDavid of the Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Kaprizov’s odds are set at 9.00 (+800).
Despite only being a member of the Wild for five seasons, Kaprizov owns a few franchise records, including the most points in a season (108 in 2021-22).
He is also fifth in all-time scoring for the Wild. Going into the 2025-26 season, Kaprizov has 386 points as he chases Mikko Koivu's franchise-leading 709 points.
Kaprizov was one of the NHL's top pending UFAs in the summer of 2026. He skips the free-agent market, while McDavid has yet to sign a contract extension with the Oilers. Other pending UFAs include the Golden Knights' Jack Eichel, Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Connor, New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin and the Capitals' Ovechkin.
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The Florida
Panthers' hopes for a Stanley Cup three-peat were dealt a significant
blow last week when captain Aleksander Barkov suffered a serious
knee injury during training camp.
Barkov's injury
generated conjecture over how the Panthers intend to replace him.
With their captain out for the season and left winger Matthew Tkachuk
sidelined until December or January, they have plenty of cap flexibility once
both players are placed on long-term injured reserve to bolster their roster.
Pittsburgh Hockey
Now's Dan Kingerski cited a rumor circulating that suggested the Panthers target Evgeni Malkin. The 39-year-old center is eligible
for UFA status next summer.
Kingerski debunked
that rumor, pointing out that it was tied to comments made by Malkin that were misunderstood when he was asked if he would consider a trade this year. He
mentioned Brad Marchand's trade to the Panthers last season worked
out for the former Boston Bruins captain, but he didn't know how he would
react if the Penguins attempted to move him.
If Malkin were
willing to accept a trade, Kingerski believed the Panthers could be a
good fit.
For now, the
Panthers intend to look to within their roster and their system to
offset Barkov's absence. If they do go the trade route at some point,
they might have younger targets than Malkin in mind, preferably
someone who plays a solid two-way game like Barkov.
In Chicago,
Blackhawks left winger Lukas Reichel was the subject of recent trade
speculation. On Sept. 7, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Timesreported Reichel thought he would be traded to the Edmonton Oilers at
one point during the summer.
Chosen in the
first round of the 2020 draft, Reichel has struggled to establish
himself as a top-six winger. On Sept. 11, Sportsnet's Elliotte
Friedman said it was understood that the Blackhawks could move the
23-year-old if they found a suitable trade partner. He added
that Reichel understood it might be time for a chance.
On Monday, Scott
Powers of The Athletic reported the Blackhawks had informed teams
that Reichel is available. However, he isn't certain if the young
forward will be traded, demoted or remain on the roster when the
season opens next week.
In the past, the
rebuilding Blackhawks could afford to be patient with Reichel's
development. However, with several promising youngsters in their deep
prospect pool pushing for NHL spots, it may be time to move him to a
club where he'll have a second chance to reach his potential.
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Warriors superstar Steph Curry continues to evolve entering Year 17 of his career.
The 37-year-old guard is wrapping up an offseason that featured a book release, a trip to China and his annual youth camp. It also, of course, featured a conditioning regimen to keep himself in shape ahead of another 82-game season.
That offseason conditioning programs looks much different than it did heading into his 2009-10 rookie season.
“It’s evolved based on trying to be more efficient with the work that you get in and more intentional about how each day is designed on-court, off-court,” Curry said about his offseason conditioning on Monday at Warriors Media Day.
New data-tracking technology has come into play, with metrics such as heart rate and time on feet driving the construction of an offseason regimen, according to Curry.
“All those type[s] of things that help monitor the output that you have over the summer so that you’re working smarter and coming into camp fresh knowing that there’s still a little bit of building to go,” Curry explained, “But that I’m in pretty good shape where you’re not putting your body through any unnecessary stress with that transition from off-season to in-season.”
Balance is key for Curry’s preparation heading into his 17th season. As an established scoring sensation, his on-court skill set does not need much improvement, if at all. Maintaining health and conditioning is the priority for the Warriors’ superstar.
“Probably the first decade was more on-court than off-court and that’s actually flipped now where it’s probably 60-40 off-court to on-court percentage now,” Curry noted.
Curry has played in 70-plus games in each of the last two seasons. It is the first time he has logged that many games in consecutive years since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
His 16 seasons with the Warriors is the most with a single team among active NBA players. Last season, he averaged 24.5 points per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Curry led the league with 3-point field goals made (4.4) and attempted (11.2) per game.
In going through the numbers for this grade-the-Mets piece, what jumped out most was how many players had bad-to-horrendous Septembers, both position players and pitchers.
So while it’s true the Mets’ failed season was in some ways a slow death, 17 games under .500 from June 13, it’s also fair to call it a late-season collapse, as this team played its worst baseball -- both statistically and fundamentally -- with everything on the line, making way too many mental and physical mistakes.
That has to be part of the evaluation for David Stearns and the front office, as to just how widespread changes to the ballclub should be going forward.
But one thing for sure: it makes for a messy report card, even with some strong overall seasons from their stars.
It wasn’t all his fault, but Stearns, the president of baseball operations, has to take the majority of the blame for this calamitous season, just as he received so much credit for 2024.
Injuries and underperformance from Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson were at the root of the second-half swoon, but Stearns has to take the hit for the Frankie Montas signing, which drew plenty of criticism at the time.
He also chose to make room for his young, homegrown players over bringing back high-intensity sparkplug Jose Iglesias, and, as I wrote Sunday, a lack of intangibles may have been a factor this season -- especially if you put stock in the Mets’ 0-70 record when trailing after eight innings. His trade deadline deals failed badly, though he received high marks at the time from all corners it seemed, including me.
Finally, perhaps my biggest issue with Stearns was waiting too long to call up Nolan McLean, as the Mets were giving away games starting the likes of Brandon Waddell, Justin Hagenman, and Chris Devenski, due to injuries in the starting rotation.
Mendoza definitely deserves to come back, in my opinion, but he’s got a lot to prove after he didn’t seem to demonstrate the same feel for making in-game decisions that he had in 2024.
Some of that was being stuck with a weak bullpen, which can make any manager look bad. But even so, at times he seemed to have a lot more faith in that 'pen than most fans or analysts, pulling starters more quickly than he should have and trusting the likes of Ryne Stanek and Gregory Soto in big spots.
To cite a couple of specific decisions, not bringing back Edwin Diaz after a seven-pitch inning in that crucial loss in late September to the Nationals, and not pinch-running Tyrone Taylor for Starling Marte in a game in Milwaukee, both proved costly. Also, Mendoza seemed to be more obsessed with righty-lefty matchups, for hitters and pitchers, than he had been the previous season.
I still think he has a good feel for communicating and managing his players, which is essential to the job, and I don’t believe he lost the clubhouse, as it becomes fashionable to say when a team underperforms. But he has to find a way to help recreate that 2024 vibe that was missing this season.
Another 30-30 season but disappeared for a long stretch in the second half when the Mets were struggling, perhaps because of the broken toe. Got hot in September and while his defense overall was good again, Lindor made more misplays than usual, some that were costly.
He delivered with the bat and was the Mets’ most consistent and clutch hitter from start to finish. But the defense was a problem. Every throw became an adventure. His high throw that led to Kodai Senga’s hamstring pull changed the season.
Mets need to re-sign him also need a plan to ease him out of being the everyday first baseman.
For his first year dealing with the huge expectations of his contract, Soto had a very good season offensively. He just didn’t have those huge, difference-making moments that he had in the past for other teams, including the Yankees.
And with the season on the line in late September, when the Mets needed him most, his bat was relatively quiet. He had two extra-base hits over the final eight games, one of them a meaningless home run in a big loss.
Solid season for Nimmo but at age 32, it’s starting to look like his best years are behind him as he posted a second straight sub-.800 OPS.
He was one of the Mets’ better hitters in the clutch, hitting .310 with runners in scoring position, but he had a quiet September in the heat of the Wild Card race, with a .278 on-base percentage and three extra-base hits, all home runs.
GRADE: B
New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
BRETT BATY
All in all Baty was a pleasant surprise, blossoming into a very good third baseman, and athletic enough to play a solid second base as well, while seeming to finally get over the hump with the bat. Hit .280 in August/September with above-average on-base and slugging numbers.
GRADE: B+
FRANCISCO ALVAREZ
Turned his season around both offensively and defensively after his demotion to Triple-A. From there he put up a .921 OPS with a .360 on-base percentage and a .561 slugging percentage. With eight second half home runs in 35 games, Alvarez showed signs of regaining the power that’s expected from him, while playing through injuries to his hands.
GRADE: B+
TYRONE TAYLOR
Outstanding defensive season in center field made Taylor a valuable player who was missed in September when he was out with a hamstring injury. Didn’t hit much overall but did deliver in clutch, hitting .328 with runners in scoring position.
GRADE: B
JEFF MCNEIL
Was having a solid season but disappeared in September, hitting .187 with a .240 slugging percentage and a .514 OPS. Finished the season going 4-for-44 in final two weeks. Did provide important value with his defensive versatility, including playing an adequate center field.
GRADE: C
Sep 17, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Starling Marte (6) celebrates with second baseman Jeff McNeil (1) after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
STARLING MARTE
The veteran outfielder had his moments as a part-time DH, but like many of his teammates, did little in September, hitting .228 with no walks, so, yes, a .228 on-base percentage as well, and a .544 OPS.
GRADE: C
RONNY MAURICIO
Showed flashes of high-ceiling potential with the bat but remained true to his reputation for poor plate discipline. Vulnerability to breaking/offspeed stuff kept him from earning consistent playing time. Played well defensively at third base. Hard to tell about his Mets future.
GRADE: C
MARK VIENTOS
Hugely disappointing season after his breakout 2024 that included postseason heroics. Finally looked like he was figuring it out in the second half but then went cold in September, hitting .184 with two home runs.
I don’t cite WAR numbers often, but his -0.2 WAR speaks to his poor defense and lack of foot speed, in addition to his poor offense. In short, he’s a DH.
GRADE: D
CEDRIC MULLINS
Mets were desperate for a center field upgrade at the trade deadline, hoping for the best with Mullins, who wasn’t having a very good season in Baltimore. Still, nobody expected him to be a disaster in New York, hitting .182 with no pop, while playing poorly in center field -- getting slow jumps and bad reads.
That play in final week against the Nationals where he stopped running the bases while the ball was in plain sight on the ground, assuming it had been caught, summed up his Mets tenure.
GRADE: F
New York Mets pitcher Edwin Daz (39) reacts after the final out of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Superb season as Diaz regained his 2022 excellence, closing games with dominance from start to finish. Pitched to a 1.63 ERA over 66.1 innings, his most as a Met.
GRADE: A+
NOLAN MCLEAN
The great hope for next year and beyond. Was dazzling in eight starts after August call-up, featuring elite stuff and uncommon poise. Should have been called up sooner, which could have at least gotten the Mets into the postseason.
GRADE: A
CLAY HOLMES
His conversion from reliever to starter proved a success, as he pitched to a 3.53 ERA over 165 innings, nearly 100 more than his previous high. Seemed to hit a wall in the second half but wound up finishing strong, throwing six shutout innings in game No. 161 with the season on the line.
GRADE: B
DAVID PETERSON
What happened? At age 29, Peterson went from being an All-Star in July to unpitchable by season’s end, as Mendoza wouldn’t let his fully-rested lefty anywhere near the mound in a do-or-die final game of the season.
Was it the workload, as Peterson’s 168 innings pitched were 46 more than his highest previous total? Whatever it was, his 9.72 ERA in four September starts spelled doom for the Mets.
GRADE: C–
Sep 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea (59) looks on against the Miami Marlins after the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
SEAN MANAEA
A lost season for the lefty, after his change in delivery and his 2024 dominance earned him a three-year, $75 million contract. Mets better hope his woes were mostly the result of his oblique injury and then the loose bodies in his elbow. Was so untrustworthy by season’s end that Mendoza pulled him after two walks in the second inning of a scoreless game in the season finale.
GRADE: D
KODAI SENGA
He was having an A season before the hamstring injury on June 12, then a D performance in eight starts after his return that led to a minor league demotion. His inability to pitch when he’s in less than perfect health has become an issue.
GRADE: INCOMPLETE
BRANDON SPROAT
Showed high-ceiling potential, with feel as well as stuff, in his four starts.
GRADE: INCOMPLETE
JONAH TONG
At age 22, Tong wasn’t quite ready to be tossed into the deep end after only two Triple-A starts. But he too showed high-ceiling potential.
GRADE: INCOMPLETE
BROOKS RALEY
By season’s end Raley was the second-most dependable reliever, pitching to a 2.45 ERA in 30 appearances after his return from Tommy John surgery.
GRADE: A–
New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Citi Field / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
TYLER ROGERS
The numbers were OK, as Rogers pitched to a 2.30 ERA after coming over in a trade from San Francisco, but his pitch-to-contact style resulted in too many key hits in big spots down the stretch.
GRADE: C
HUASCAR BRAZOBAN
The right-hander had his moments. He was dominant early in the season but very inconsistent overall.
GRADE: C
REED GARRETT
Strong early, inconsistent overall and eventually injured, headed for Tommy John surgery.
GRADE: C-
RYNE STANEK
Seemed to be a DFA candidate for much of the second half, which made it hard to understand why Mendoza used him as often as he did in high-leverage spots, especially in the season finale.
GRADE: D
RYAN HELSLEY
There were ominous signs even when Mets traded for him, as the opposition had been pounding his fastball with the Cardinals. But nobody expected him to be a such a bust.
I shudder
to think what the Knights may do with a top-five offense that added Mitch
Marner, a perennial 100-point threat with excellent playmaking and defensive
ability that you can play in any situation.
It does
make a lot of logical sense to play Marner and Jack Eichel, a worthy MVP
candidate last season, on separate lines given their ability to drive play
themselves. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least early in the
season, with the Knights toying with the idea of stacking their top line. It’s
not something they’ve ever had the luxury to do; while they’ve gone after some
big names, an Eichel-Marner combo would be the best they ever had, and arguably
a top-five duo in the league.
That Marner
cost them nothing but cap space should push the Knights offense to an even
higher level. To date, only one team in the cap era, the 2021-22 Panthers with Jonathan
Huberdeau (115 points), Aleksander Barkov (88 points) and Sam Reinhart (82),
has ever averaged more than four goals per game. Can the Knights do this? On
paper, I think it’s totally possible. THN Yearbook & Fantasy Guide projects
Eichel and Marner to combine for 199 points this season.
It won’t cost
the Knights a balanced lineup, either, considering Tomas Hertl and William
Karlsson are as good as you can get with your No. 2 and 3 centers. Mark Stone
is still a fantastic Selke-level winger when healthy, and Pavel Dorofeyev (35
goals in 82 games), Ivan Barbashev (21 even-strength goals) and Brett Howden
(22 even-strength goals) can provide scoring from the other lines. The Knights
can throw out three scoring lines on a nightly basis no matter how they
configure their players.
There are
no shortage of quality fantasy options here with Eichel and Marner both worth
first-round picks in standard 12- or 14-team leagues, and then having a minimum
of three others – Dorofeyev, Hertl, Theodore – worth rostering even in the
shallowest of leagues.
Where the
Knights will certainly feel a hit, however, is the absence of Alex Pietrangelo
due to injury. There’s no replacing a player of his caliber and it puts a lot of
emphasis on their current top trio, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb and Noah
Hanifin, to pick up the slack. Zach Whitecloud joins the top four, but the jury’s
still out on a defensemen entering his age-29 season who has never averaged
more than 18 minutes per game. Jeremy Lauzon, who will likely anchor their third
pairing, is worth noting due to his significant potential for hits, who played
himself into banger league relevance after leading the league with 386 hits in
2023-24.
Goaltending
is somewhat dicey if only because the Knights have zero depth behind Adin Hill.
At one point they had a parade of capable backups, but Akira Schmid played in
just five games last season and through four seasons has started just 36 games.
Hill is coming off the first season in which he appeared in at least 50 games, and
his play held up a lot better than I thought, but there’s little margin for error.
At least with Ilya Samsonov last season, he brought plenty of experience and
still had stretches where he was very reliable, including a perfect 4-0-0 in December
last season with a .948 SP and 1.25 GAA.
Prediction:
Even with
some question marks regarding their depth on defense and in net, the Knights win
their third division banner in four seasons with an outstanding offense. Even
with a new team, Marner acclimates himself well with the Knights in the Western
Conference, where he can live with relative anonymity compared to being the
hometown franchise savior in Toronto.
A looming
free agency for Eichel has very little cause for concern given how well he’s
fit on the Knights. With plenty of deals expiring this season and the next – Karlsson,
Stone, Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Jeremy Lauzon among them – the Knights have the
cap space and plenty of proof they can be a contender for season to come,
making it easy to convince Eichel to stay.
As the
Central Division teams beat each other into oblivion with the divisional
playoff format, the Knights will have a clear path to the conference final and
beyond. Their main rival remains the Oilers, who don’t offer as much depth as the
Knights and have even bigger questions in goal.
All
stats courtesy of naturalstattrick.com, moneypuck.com, hockeyviz.com, allthreezones.com,
hockey-reference.com, eliteprospects.com unless otherwise noted.
Sublime Spaniard beats world No 4 in straight sets
But he pulls out of Shanghai Masters to ‘rest and recover’
After consoling his opponent and embracing his team at the end of another successful week on the tour, Carlos Alcaraz had just one thought on his mind. He immediately sought out a pair of scissors to finally remove the extensive bandage wrapped tightly around his left ankle.
Having started his week in Tokyo by rolling his ankle and being unsure about whether he would continue, Alcaraz ended it with his eighth title of the season as he overcame a spirited fight from a physically hampered Taylor Fritz to triumph at the Japan Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Tatum has aggressively attacked his rehab from the very beginning. He underwent surgery in New York less than 12 hours after rupturing his Achilles tendon at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of the Celtics’ second-round playoff series with the New York Knicks. He spent essentially his entire offseason in Boston, working out regularly at the Celtics’ training facility under the guise of trainers and medical staff. And about four months after his initial injury, he’s already participating in basketball drills, which he documented in an eye-opening YouTube video over the weekend.
Tatum’s recovery has impressed his Celtics teammates, several of whom admitted to Insider Chris Forsberg at Monday’s Media Day that they were surprised to see the All-Star forward going through a basketball workout this soon after a surgery that keeps many players sidelined for a full year.
While Tatum is the latest in a long line of NBA players who suffered Achilles injuries — most notably Dejounte Murray, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton this past season — Forsberg believes Tatum could set a new standard with how swiftly he recovers.
“I think we’re watching something potentially unprecedented in terms of how quickly he can get back to a high level,” Forsberg said Monday on Arbella Early Edition. “There are still a lot of hurdles to go. It’s still a long time. I don’t think they’re going to rush this at all. But you can’t watch that video and then say, ‘Oh, a 200-day season and he’s not going to be back.'”
Tatum’s surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley, a renowned surgeon who reportedly has performed a special type of Achilles surgery called the “SpeedBridge” repair that can lead to a faster recovery time. It’s still unclear whether Tatum had that specific procedure, but nonetheless, he seems to be on the cutting edge of his rehab in several respects.
“You have to understand, they got him into surgery at an unprecedented rate,” Forsberg added. “No one has ever torn their Achilles and then been into surgery less than 12 hours before. Nobody who has (had) this injury in the NBA has gotten this Speedbridge procedure in that situation and then been back to rehabbing on this aggressive timeline.
“This might set a precedent for how we view this injury, and I know that’s daunting, because you never want to be the first one … but every indication is, he is progressing at a rate where we at least have to think about these conversations.”
“I’m gonna move it up. I’m into February now, and maybe I’ll be in January at some point,” Forsberg said. “I can’t watch that tape and not think to myself he’s going to be back on a basketball court sooner than later, as long as everyone is confident he cannot re-aggravate this injury, and he is at a point where the strength is enough.”
Here are five things to watch for the Sixers in the preseason:
What’s different about the offense?
Joel Embiid said on Day 1 of training camp that the Sixers have changed their offense “quite a bit.”
“I’m in the dunker (spot),” he said with a smile. “Let me just chill in the dunker and everybody else does whatever they want.”
We imagine Embiid will still be a major piece of the Sixers’ offense and not a mere spectator when he’s available. It also does sound like the Sixers intend to play a more guard-centric, up-tempo style.
“It’s certainly something we want to do as far as just creating more of a passing, ball movement type of situation,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Sunday. “There has been a lot of drill work leading up into (training camp) and it’s starting to take shape pretty good. … Again, I keep saying we’ve got a little bit more speed, we’ve got a little bit more perimeter play, we’ve got a little bit more guys that can get involved in actions. So we want them touching the ball.”
Edgecombe’s game and jumper
VJ Edgecombe has drawn glowing praise from all corners of the Sixers’ practice gym.
“VJ’s a special talent,” Tyrese Maxey said Friday of the No. 3 pick. “One of his talents that a lot of people don’t really use is how hard he plays on both ends of the floor, whether that’s offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, guarding the ball, playing in transition.
“Those are little things that a lot of people don’t do, so I think he’s going to be really good at that. He likes to learn, he wants to get better. The sky is the limit for him.”
Though the preseason results won’t matter, it will be interesting to see Edgecombe’s jump shot (on top of his sensational athleticism and all the tools Maxey named). Nurse mentioned at media day that Edgecombe made “great strides” with his shooting during the offseason. The 20-year-old said Saturday he’s improved his arc and consistency.
The backup bigs
Andre Drummond said at media day that he’s “100 percent to go” after struggling with a left big toe injury last season.
Nurse has also noted Drummond’s fitness level.
“I think he’s at least 20 or so pounds lighter than he was a year ago at this stage, so that’s a good start,” Nurse said Sunday. “He can probably keep going on that just a little bit more, but it’s helping him and his toe feels better. That’s obviously helping him. He’s moving a little bit better and he’s been playing very good.”
Drummond and second-year big man Adem Bona appear to be the main names behind Embiid at center. Bona’s coming off of an excellent end to his rookie season and won a EuroBasket silver medal this summer with Turkey.
According to Drummond, Bona is “jumping two inches higher than he did last year.” According to Nurse, the 22-year-old is “breaking all the weight room records.”
“It’s competitive,” Nurse said of the Sixers’ backup center outlook. “There’s three, four, five of them, depending on how far you want to go with it. … It’s Bona, it’s Drum, it’s (Johni) Broome, it’s (Jabari) Walker. (Dominick) Barlow maybe a little bit, too. … I think they know they’re in a battle. If you came to watch practice and you were watching that position, you’d see a lot of competition going on between that whole group.”
Walker, Barlow ‘in a very similar situation’
Both Barlow and Walker seem to have plausible routes to earning a larger role than the typical two-way contract player. Each could boost their case with strong showings in the preseason.
“They’re in a very similar situation, very similar positions,” Nurse said after Day 2 of training camp. “Barlow’s constantly on the glass, keeping the basketball alive, etc. I did talk to Jabari about that. Jabari can really rebound the ball. … He’s one of those guys that emphatically snatches rebounds out of there and he’s really good on the defensive glass especially.
“I just kind of reminded him yesterday that I didn’t quite see that, but I did see it today. … He was a lot more active kind of open-floor attacking, which we’re trying to get him to work on. He does have a handle enough and the size in the open floor to take guys on with some shoulder hits and some things. It’s a work in progress, there’s a ways to go on that with him, but he was very good today.”
The 22-year-old Barlow is 6-foot-9 with a 7-3 wingspan. He hasn’t been an outside shooter in the NBA (10 for 40 from three-point range across 96 games), but Barlow’s a good athlete who views his versatility as a strength.
“When I was at Overtime Elite, I think I played every position — two, three, four, five,” he said following Sunday’s practice. “The game is changing so much. You see a team like Houston run double-big lineups. You see Golden State run Draymond (Green) at the five and he’s traditionally undersized. I think the game is just evolving.
“On a night-to-night basis, you see different matchups and different positions, so I don’t worry so much about position. It’s just continuing to play a role and find ways to help our team be as effective as possible.”
How healthy can Sixers be on opening night?
The Sixers would love to minimize the injury woes that overwhelmed them from the very start of last year. It’s not a massive stretch to say injury-free preseason games would be successful preseason games.
Trendon Watford has been dealing with right hamstring tightness, which the Sixers have called a “day-to-day” injury.
“We are getting closer,” Nurse said of Watford’s status. “I would hope and I think that we’re going to see him in the practices at some point (in Abu Dhabi). … That’s what the hope is, I believe.”
