Chara, a Stanley Cup champion with Boston in 2011, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. In a career that spanned 24 years and 1,680 NHL games, Chara donned the Black & Gold for 14 seasons and 1,023 regular-season games. He was the captain of the team for 13 of those 14 seasons, representing the team and the city like no other.
Originally drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round (No. 56) in the 1996 NHL Draft, Chara signed as a free agent with Boston on July 1, 2006. After calling it a career following the 2021-22 season, his second stint with the Islanders, Big Z signed a one-day contract with Boston on Sept. 20, 2022.
On Sept. 25, the Bruins hired Chara as their new Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor.
Chara's last moment as an Islander and an NHLer was a magical one. In the final game of the season, a season in which the Islanders were not going to make the playoffs, Chara scored his first goal of the year with 44 seconds left to go against the Tampa Bay Lightning:
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 7 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #7.
Let's take a look.
Deron Quint - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Winnipeg in 1994.
Quint played 132 games with Columbus in the early days. He scored 14 goals and had 48 points, and led the Jackets in minutes played per game.
He left for Europe in 2004 and played in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. He retired in 2017.
Scott Lachance - 2003-2004 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 1991.
He played 138 games in Columbus and had five total points. He never played another NHL game after leaving Columbus and retired in 2007 after playing a season in the AHL.
Nowadays, He's the Head of U.S. Scouting for the New Jersey Devils.
John Moore - 2011 - Drafted by Columbus in 2009.
Moore only played 86 games in Columbus and had 8 points. On April 3, 2013, Moore was included in the Derick Brassard deal with the New York Rangers that brought Marián Gáborík to Columbus.
He last played for the Anaheim Ducks.
On March 19, 2022, Moore was involved in a trade that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks along with Urho Vaakanainen in exchange for Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks then attempted to trade both Moore and the rest of Ryan Kesler's contract to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick at the NHL trade deadline on March 21, 2022. However, the deal was disputed due to a no-trade clause in Dadonov's contract. On March 23, the NHL officially cancelled the trade; therefore, Moore remained in the Ducks' organization.
Jeff Carter - 2012 - Drafted by Philadelphia in 2003.
Carter played less than one season in Columbus before forcing his way out via trade to the LA Kings.
On Feb. 23, 2012, the Blue Jackets traded the disgruntled forward to the LA Kings in exchange for Jack Johnson and a conditional first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Jeff Carter was booed by Columbus fans until the day he retired on April 17, 2024.
Jack Johnson - 2012-2018 - Drafted by Carolina in 2005.
Johnson played 486 games for Columbus after being traded from the LA Kings for Jeff Carter. He scored 36 goals and had 156 points in seven years.
He's bounced around since leaving Columbus, but finally won a Stanley Cup in 2022. He found his way back to Cannon City in the summer of 2024. Unfortunately for Johnson, he only played in 41 games for Columbus last year and had 6 points.
He and Head Coach Dean Evason didn't see eye to eye, leading to Johnson being scratched most of the season. Johnson's family even boycotted the family day held ahead of the 2025 Stadium Series Game at Ohio Stadium.
Gavin Bayreuther - 2021 - Undrafted out of
Canaan, New Hampshire.
Bayreuther played 103 games for Columbus and totaled 23 points over three seasons. He also played for the Dallas Stars.
He was made famous in 2021 when he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft. One week later, he signed a two-year deal with Columbus, marking the end of his long tenure with Seattle.
After playing last season in Switzerland for
Lausanne HC, he has come back to North America and will play for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
Sean Kuraly - 2022-2025 - Drafted by San Jose in 2011.
The Columbus-area native has played 292 games for Columbus after coming home. He scored 40 goals and totaled 85 points in four seasons, beating his totals for Boston in 270 games.
After the 24-25 season, Kuraly signed back in Boston, where it all began for him. He played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets 18U team and spent four years at Miami University in Oxford from 2012 to 2016.
There are seven days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #7?
The start of the 2025-26 season starts this Thursday, as the CBJ travel to Nashville to play the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The roster is essentially set with only one thing left to know - Will the Blue Jackets start the season with three goalies? Or will they send Ivan Fedotov to the Cleveland Monsters?
With the loss of Daemon Hunt and Christián Jaroš, the Monsters are very young on the blueline. After Dysin Mayo, who is 29, the oldest defenseman on the team is 22. Four defensemen are 22, and then Luca Marrelli, who is 20.
It's going to be an interesting season in Cleveland.
Let us know what you think below.
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That unpredictability can come on the court — nobody was picking Indiana to make the Finals at this time last season. However, the wilder swings come off the court in trades — Luka Doncic to the Lakers? That was impossible, yet here we are.
Here are my five bold predictions for this season.
1) Lauri Markkanen traded to Pistons
Detroit is a young team on the rise. Cade Cunningham made the leap to All-NBA last season, and he seems poised for another step forward. Detroit is betting on a few things to help the team take the next step. First, Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson need to replace the production off the bench that Michael Beasley gave last season. Second, the young core — Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ron Holland II and Ausar Thompson, among others — to take the next step in the evolution of their games.
All that's still not enough to contend. If the Pistons want to compete with the top teams in the East, they need another high-level scorer and shot creator, ideally one in the frontcourt.
Enter Lauri Markkanen.
Markkanen is a shot-creating, floor-spacing spacing scoring power forward who would be the kind of upgrade over Tobias Harris at the four that could make the Pistons to a genuine postseason threat. The Finnish All-Star is on a rebuilding Jazz team, and while he wants to be in Utah and the Jazz haven't seriously shopped him yet, the door is open.
The challenge for Detroit (or any team looking at him) is matching Markkanen's $46.4 million salary. Well, that and knowing that the Ainge family will have Utah asking for the world. It's not that hard to make the salaries fit for a trade (Tobias Harris, one player making around $8-10 million, and one player on a minimum contract) and the Pistons have first-round picks they can throw in. The sticking point: Utah will ask for Jaden Ivey. The Pistons would try to make the young player going back maybe Holland II or Thompson. Would Detroit give up Ivey for Markkanen? Also, for the Jazz to take on three players for one, some other roster moves have to be made.
It would not be easy, but in the end, it just makes too much sense: Detroit needs one more high-level shot creator and an upgrade at the four, Utah is rebuilding and needs young players and picks. It's going to get done.
2) Giannis Antetokounmpo wins MVP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the favorites to defend his MVP title, he is the head of the snake on the best team in the league. Nikola Jokic was a close second in the minds of voters last year and this season has a better team around him (any slight dip in stats is balanced out by the added wins). "Skinny" Luka Doncic is ready to lead the Lakers and showed at EuroBasket just how sharp he is.
Ignore those favorites, give me Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP.
This isn't an out-of-nowhere bold prediction. Antetokounmpo is a former MVP who averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists a game last season. This season, with Damian Lillard recovering in Portland, even more shot creation will be asked of Antetokounmpo — who else on this roster can handle the rock? That's not good for the Bucks when we're talking playoff runs, but in the regular season in a down East, the Bucks will win enough to be top six and Antetokounmpo will put up undeniable numbers.
The competition is tight, but this is Antetokounmpo's year to get back to the top of the mountain.
3) Rockets trade for point guard
Houston coach Ime Udoka is leaning into the franchise's young stars in the wake of veteran Fred VanVleet tearing his ACL (he is out for the season). Udoka is expected to put the ball in Amen Thompson's hands at the point, but second-year guard Reed Sheppard is going to get his chance, too.
By February, Houston is going to be trading for a point guard.
The Rockets were title contenders with VanVleet, and will realize they need some of what he brought to the table the young stars can't replace. VanVleet provided a steady hand, limiting turnovers and putting players in advantageous positions. Thompson has the explosiveness to score, and Sheppard can shoot, but neither is an experienced floor general.
The question is, who is out there for Houston to trade for? Jrue Holiday in Portland is available and exactly the kind of point guard that would fit, but the three years and $104 million on his contract is going to be too steep a price for the Rockets. The cost in assets to get Derrick White or Payton Pritchard out of Boston is going to be steep. The Rockets should monitor how things go with Andrew Nembhard in Indiana. There are other guys, like Jose Alvarado or CJ McCollum, who the Rockets can consider, and likely another point guard name or two will shake loose.
One way or another, expect Houston to decide they need to chase someone.
4) Anthony Edwards leads NBA in scoring
This doesn't feel like that bold a statement or a stretch, but it might surprise some people.
Edwards finished fourth in scoring last season with 27.6 points per game. This season, with an aging Mike Conley at the point, more offensive responsibility will likely fall to Edwards. Julius Randle will get points in the paint, while role players such as Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo will also get theirs. Perhaps Rob Dillingham takes a step forward off the bench. However, ultimately, everything the Timberwolves do on offense runs through Edwards.
Plus, Edwards is the kind of young star and personality to chase this if he's close to it. These kinds of personal accolades seem to matter to him.
Except, the Clippers are not a young team — they are stacked with older veterans who have seen it all, done it all and know how to focus on the task at hand.
Tyronn Lue has played through and then coached through enough distractions to fill two books. James Harden has been at the heart of rumors and distractions for so long that these latest allegations will be water off a duck's back… or tight beard, to him. Leonard is going to be Leonard, and on the court, when healthy, that's still an All-Star (if not All-NBA) level player. Chris Paul is the kind of veteran leader a team needs in times like these. Ivica Zubac is at his peak and has been around the block. Newcomers Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez and John Collins are not going to be rattled. The same is true of Derrick Jones Jr. and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
This is a quality Clippers roster that, despite losing Norman Powell, should be as good or better than last year's 50-win regular season team. The playoffs are another matter, but for the regular season this is still a top-six team in the West that avoids the play-in.
Honorable mention: Victor Wembanyama finishes top five in MVP voting. He's going to make a massive leap this season, which should scare the league.
CALVERTON, NY -- When the New York Islanders left for the Hamptons on Friday afternoon to begin their three-day team-bonding trip, Isaiah George and Calum Ritchie boarded the bus.
The two youngsters aren't likely to make the Islanders' roster, but the organization felt it was essential to have them on the trip.
"It's important to have them. I mean, are you kidding me?" Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said with a huge smile on his face. "To be around the guys who've been here for a long time, or even less, it's good bonding. It's good for them to be with the club and have a bit of a taste of what it is. I think that's great."
George had a great camp, but with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer cracking the starting lineup and Adam Boqvist having the ability to quarterback a power play, there isn't yet room for him to get valuable minutes at the NHL level.
It makes more sense for his development to be playing big minutes for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.
When it comes to Ritchie, the main return piece in the Brock Nelson trade, he proved that he's NHL-ready and did everything possible to make the Islanders' decision tough. However, a lower-body injury sustained in their final preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday will keep him out 1-2 weeks, making that once-difficult decision an easy one.
Injured players cannot be sent to the AHL, so, in theory, he'll likely remain up with the club to rehab before he's optioned to Bridgeport.
Both will play big roles or this team sooner than later, so why not get them acclimated with their future teammates.
"It's great. When I was a young guy, coming on these things, it really feels like you're part of it," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "You're part of the organization, you're part of the team, and you get to start to know everybody, so when the time comes and they're here with us, they feel comfortable. It's like they're one of us. And I think that stuff's great. We get to know them, like I said, look out for them, take them around, show them the ropes, have some fun, and really begin that relationship."
While both George and Ritchie, playing 33 and seven NHL games, respectively, have some experience, feeling as comfortable as possible off the ice with this specific team will translate to on the ice.
"It's cool [to be a part of this]," George said. "I mean, obviously, to be with the guys, to be a part of the team like this is great, no matter what happens. "This helps build camaraderie amongst the group, and I think that helps us when we're out on the ice."
The Islanders' future is bright, and whether it's the team-bonding trip or participating in a training game with NHLers, having the organization's top prospects feel comfortable is a priority under general manager Mathieu Darche, and it makes all the difference.
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While the Montreal Canadiens lost their last preseason game on Saturday night, you would have been hard-pressed to get a negative comment from coach Martin St-Louis. The bench boss came to camp, acknowledging that his team wasn’t ready for the start of the season last year, but with a clear message for his team: there was no waiting for October 8 to turn up the intensity level, and he was heard loud and clear.
Speaking after the club’s last preseason game, the coach said:
I think that since we started together, this has been our best camp. I guess it comes with the evolution, where we are, the continuity, the players’ buy-in. I’m proud of the camp and how we handled ourselves, how we worked. I’m proud of the youngsters’ progression and the buy-in from the veterans. Honestly, I feel this is the most prepared we’ve been to take on the marathon that is the season since I’ve been here.
It's easy to understand what the coach means when he speaks about the youngsters’ progression. At last camp, Emil Heineman stood head and shoulders above everyone, but this time around, there was a good battle up front. Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, Joe Veleno, and Samuel Blais didn’t make things easier for the coach, and that’s a good problem to have.
On the blueline, Adam Engstrom showed just how much he progressed last season and what Pascal Vincent meant when he said during the rookie camp that he believed the blueliner was ready for the show. There may not be room for him in Montreal just yet, but never say never; he could force his way into the lineup or even be used in a trade to fetch more help up front.
Of course, it’s hard to know just how ready the young Canadiens are before the first game of the season, but that test is getting dangerously near now. The Habs will open their season on Wednesday, October 8, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While it seems clear that St-Louis has no intention of separating his first line, the rest of his lineup remains somewhat unclear. Ivan Demidov started shining at even strength when he was separated from Kirby Dach and Patrick Laine. The young Russian shone brightly in his one game alongside Kapanen and Alex Newhook, but that’s only one game. Can they keep it up?
As for Dach, he also looked better away from Laine and alongside Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno, but Jake Evans and Josh Anderson were less impactful as a line with Laine as their third piece. While the big Finn is a tremendous weapon to have on the power play, he remains hard to figure out at even strength. You can see that he’s making an effort out there, but it’s just not coming naturally to him. Trying to reprogram a player that has focused on offense solely for so long is no easy task, but the Canadiens do need Laine if only for how clutch he is on the power play. Given that he’s entering a contract year, this will be an essential campaign for Laine. If he genuinely loves Montreal and wants to stay, the two-way play will have to come naturally.
There will be quite a bit to keep track of in the world of the Florida Panthers on Monday.
Florida will set its Opening Night roster, and several questions will be answered in the process.
We’re still waiting to hear the status of Aaron Ekbald and Carter Verhaeghe, both of whom were on the receiving ends of illegal hits that garnered disciplinary action from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
It’s all stemming from Florida’s preseason finale against Tampa Bay on Saturday in which the intra-state rivals called for a combined 322 penalty minutes in a game Florida won 7-0.
The aftermath, which has yet to be completely determined, has seen four Lightning players either fined or facing hearing with the league.
Roman Schmidt and Gage Goncalves were each fined the maxim allowable under the CBA for cross-checking Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues, respectively.
The NHL is calling both Scott Sabourin and J.J. Moser in for hearings on Monday as both could face fines or suspensions.
Sabourin went after Ekblad and was tossed from the game, as was Moser after a boarding incident that Jesper Boqvist was on the receiving end of.
So yeah, lots to keep track of.
But wait, there’s more!
Getting back to Florida’s Opening Night roster, the final spots are still in limbo.
Florida has yet to announce whether they are offering a contract to either or both of the men who came to camp on PTOs (professional tryouts), Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte.
The Panthers can carry as many as 23 players on their active roster, which does not include players on IR.
It’s going to be a busy day for the Panthers, who will begin their second straight title defense the following afternoon.
Photo caption: Dec 2, 2021; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres with defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) and left wing Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the third period at FLA Live Arena. (Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
Greg Maddux, left, and Clayton Kershaw share the distinction of ending their stellar careers in the Dodgers bullpen. (Jeff Gross / Getty Images; Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
As Clayton Kershaw completed his pregame routine the other day and walked off the field at Citizens Bank Park, I asked him about his postseason debut. That was 17 years and 39 playoff appearances ago, and yet Kershaw remembered it so well that he got his answer out before I got all of my question out.
“I was in the ‘pen,” Kershaw said. “Here.”
The pitching staff of the 2008 Dodgers featured two Hall of Famers: Kershaw, in his first year, and Greg Maddux, in his last year.
When the Dodgers faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series, Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley made the cut as starters. Kershaw and Maddux did not.
“He and I were both kind of the long guys down there,” Kershaw said. “It’s crazy, kind of the similarities.
“Where I am now is kind of where he was. It’s pretty cool.”
For just about every player, baseball tells you when your career is over. Maddux, for all his accolades, was no exception.
In each of his last five seasons, his earned-run average was above 4.00, even as he pitched at least 194 innings in each of them. In his last stint with the Dodgers — seven starts at the end of the 2008 season — his ERA was 5.09.
Maddux knew that postseason would be the end for him. He just didn’t tell anyone.
Greg Maddux pitches for the Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 19, 2008. (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
In his last outing — in the game in which the Phillies eliminated the Dodgers — Maddux was one of six Dodgers relievers. He worked the fourth and fifth innings, left the mound with the Dodgers down by five runs, and quietly asked the plate umpire for a baseball on his way out.
“I’ve got the ball in my room somewhere,” Maddux told The Times in 2014. “It kind of stunk that we lost. But I knew it was the last time I was going to put on a uniform. I was privileged to wear it for as long as I did.”
Kershaw is the rare player that has told baseball when his career is over. He announced his retirement last month, effective at the end of the season, even as he is still mighty effective.
His .846 winning percentage would have led the major leagues, had he thrown another 50 innings. He still threw more innings than anyone on the Dodgers except Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and his 3.36 ERA was his third-worst in a full season. In his final start, he shut out the American League West champion Seattle Mariners into the sixth inning.
In a normal year for the Dodgers, Kershaw would be starting in the playoffs, because a normal year for the Dodgers means scooping up a bunch of talented pitchers with histories of injury and questions of durability, then crossing their fingers and hoping a few are healthy and effective come playoff time.
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, admitted to some trepidation at telling a Hall of Famer that he would be bound for the postseason bullpen.
“But, to Kersh’s credit, he cuts off that timidness in a way by saying, ‘Hey, I'm here to win, whatever it takes,’” Friedman said. “He’s loved watching these guys compete. Obviously he’s done really well this year as well.
“Usually, when a guy’s on his way out, it's like, ‘OK, it's time.’ You can kind of see it. The performance really backs up. That's not the case with Kersh. He was a big part of the success we had this year. But to his credit, he cut it off really early and just said, ‘Hey, I just want to be part of this and help this team win, whatever way I can.’ And so he helped make that conversation way easier.”
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates after getting San Francisco's Jerar Encarnacion to hit into a double play at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 19. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
If Kershaw works four innings this October, he’ll pass Maddux for sixth place on the all-time list of postseason innings pitched. If he pitches 5⅔ innings, he’ll become the fifth pitcher to throw 200 postseason innings, joining Andy Pettitte, Justin Verlander, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.
In the future, fans will flip over Kershaw’s baseball card — or, more likely, look up his Baseball Reference page — and learn that the greatest starter of his generation finished his career in relief.
A curiosity, at the least, I suggested. Kershaw shrugged.
“The postseason is just its own separate thing,” he said. “You just do whatever you can. Where our team is at with our starters, it makes sense.
“I guess it's weird, but it’s part of it.”
In his postseason debut here in 2008, Kershaw retired the first five batters, not bad when four of them were named Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. In his finale in that 2008 NLCS, Maddux got the last man he faced to ground out: Cole Hamels — in the old days, when pitchers used to bat.
Kershaw might not throw another pitch; the Dodgers have made no commitment to use him in this round, or to keep him on the roster if they advance beyond then.
On Sunday, I asked Dodgers manager Dave Roberts whether Kershaw was here only in case a starter exited in a hurry or a game went into extra innings.
“I trust him,” Roberts said. “I think there’s other opportunities he might have to pitch. But I also do feel that there’s other guys, whether it’s lanes or spots, that I feel we're more comfortable with.
“It’s not a slight on Clayton, but I do think that there's various roles — up, down, early, late — that I could use him.”
The Dodgers are using starters wherever they can: starting, relieving, closing. Given the anxiety-inducing state of the Dodgers bullpen, the notion that they might not be able to find a spot to use Kershaw leaves only one question: Seriously?
Warriors veterans Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford have seen the NBA change dramatically over the course of their lengthy careers, and probably have plenty of thoughts and opinions about today’s game.
However, it was one of Golden State’s more junior players that delivered a scathing league-wide critique on Sunday after the Warriors’ 111-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Chase Center.
Second-year guard Pat Spencer, who scored 12 points with three rebounds and four assists on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 1 of 2 on 3-pointers in 21 minutes against the Lakers, took aim at some NBA teams over their roster-construction priorities (h/t The San Francisco Standard’s Danny Emerman).
“If you’re a guy who can connect the dots, but also do some other things, knock the 3-ball down, there’s always going to be a place for you in the league,” Spencer said postgame. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of organizations that are stuck in the bottom that continue to value length and athleticism over IQ. And they tend to stay in the lottery every year.”
The 29-year-old Spencer, a former college lacrosse star-turned-hooper, who is on a two-way contract with Golden State, impressed in limited action during the 2024-25 NBA season with his do-it-all, high-IQ-style of play off the bench.
In 39 regular-season games last season, Spencer averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on 40.6-percent shooting from the field in just over six minutes per game before averaging 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game on 64-percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range in the playoffs.
Spencer currently does not project to be part of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s rotations this season, but he showed last year that if his number is called, he will bring the intangible traits that he believes are deserving of a roster spot in today’s NBA.
The Boston Red Sox held their annual end-of-season press conference on Monday morning, discussing some of their key off-season priorities after making an early playoff exit.
Those speaking included President and CEO Sam Kennedy, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora.
“I want to express huge thanks to our fans for giving us what was a great step in the right direction in 2025,” Kennedy said. “Our fans proved once again why they’re the best in baseball. You guys packed the house night in and night out… We never take that support for granted, we appreciate you guys and we’re excited for 2026. While we fell short of our ultimate goal this year, it was definitely a step in the right direction.”
Breslow echoed those comments, saying Fenway was “electric” this season.
“We’re sitting here in the first week of October, which means we didn’t accomplish what we set out to accomplish — a deep postseason run,” he added. “We fell short of that and I don’t think there’s any running from it or hiding from it. That shouldn’t diminish what the players did, what the staff did… There are a number of things we can point to as reasons for optimism.”
Cora reflected on what he said was one of the most fun groups of players he’s ever managed.
“I’m disappointed at the results — that’s not what I wanted — but as far as the overall season for me, I had a blast,” he said. “We really enjoyed it. I think this place made it special. To come here every single day and win here and to have the energy we had throughout the season, that was special.”
Still, the season was mostly viewed as a success, especially given the development of young players like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer and the fact that the team hadn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2021.
Breslow said he was particularly impressed with the emergence of the organization’s pitching development pipeline this season, but said that won’t stop him from pursuing another front-line starter to augment a rotation led by ace Garrett Crochet.
“I think there are a few things we can point to — most significant is to remind ourselves that there’s no guarantee that we just pick up where we left off at the end of 2025, expecting everyone to take a step forward. That could allow us to be complacent… We’ve talked a lot about how this window is upon us.”
Breslow said one area to look at is improving the team’s defense, and another is hitting with runners in scoring position.
“But right now, we’ll kind of zoom out a little bit and take stock of where we are,” he said. “We’ll be open to all possible pathways to improving the team.”
Breslow was asked about the future of several key players — including Bregman, Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, Tristan Casas and Lucas Giolito — all of whom could move on or be traded this offseason. But he said it is too soon to discuss specifics.
As for whether the team has enough pitching, Breslow said there is always a need for more major league arms, as demonstrated this postseason.
“No one will sit in this seat and say there is enough pitching in the organization,” he said. “I think we saw that in the second half. We can list out pitchers that were on the IL, and it just means that depth is so critically important. When we talk about pursuing opportunities to improve the team, bringing in pitching is certainly one of them.”
The first week of the Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 season is in the rearview mirror after training camp officially began last Tuesday.
Some thoughts on the week’s biggest storylines with preseason games on the horizon:
Tatum’s ‘unprecedented’ rehab
The night before the Boston Celtics huddled for Media Day, Jayson Tatum released a rather jarring video of his progress since Achilles surgery. Less than five months removed from the rupture, Tatum showcased his recent return to basketball workouts.
We wondered if Tatum’s teammates, who have seen him grinding away in the weight room throughout the offseason, were as surprised as the rest of us.
“He looks like he’s going to be ready for opening night,” joked superstar running mate Jaylen Brown. “Just somebody with a crazy work ethic and passion for the game. So I’m not surprised.”
Even seeing Tatum’s relentless effort on a daily basis, his teammates still marveled at how far he’s come in a short time. A sampling of their reactions:
Xavier Tillman: “It is crazy impressive. I mean, I’m seeing this guy do like box jumps and stuff like that. And I’m like, ‘Huh!? What!?’”
Jordan Walsh: “I mean, the dude’s a machine. He’s recovering at a crazy rate.”
Josh Minott: “That’s inspiring, seeing his progression. I mean, they’re saying it’s like unprecedented.”
Derrick White: “It’s been impressive. Just goes to who he is and what type of worker he is.”
Sam Hauser: “To see him moving like that already is pretty special. And it’s just a credit to all the work he’s been doing behind the scenes, when there’s no cameras around. You watch the way he’s working, rehabbing, it makes you want to do a little extra.”
Payton Pritchard: “I already expected this from Jayson, to come back like this … I just never put things past certain people, and he’s one of those guys.”
Joe Mazzulla: “He’s done an amazing job just accepting the journey that he’s on … The work ethic that he’s put in, but also the mentality that he’s shown and the leadership that he’s shown in working and training, it’s second to none.”
Alas, Tatum’s accelerated rehab has caused issues for some inside the Auerbach Center.
“I was a little bit mad at [Tatum] a couple of weeks ago because all of a sudden his next step was he could use the treadmill and I like to use the treadmill,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “And it just kind of felt like we were on the same timing. So I got kicked off the one machine that I can use in that whole building.
“So I’m glad that he’s making strides and getting back on the court, for my own good.”
Beyond Tatum’s prognosis, perhaps the most common question we fielded from Celtics fans throughout the offseason centered (pun fully intended) on how the Celtics would patch together their frontcourt after the departures of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet.
We’d tell the inquisitor about the opportunity in front of Neemias Queta. We’d talk about the additions of Luka Garza and Chris Boucher. We’d even note the addition of Amari Williams on a two-way contract. But we’d routinely forget to include Tillman in the conversation.
Even with an overstocked frontcourt last season, it was jarring that Tillman played just 231 minutes in 33 regular-season appearances. The same player who was a key role player for the 2024 title team after his midseason addition had become a bit of an afterthought.
Tillman’s knee balked for much of last season, leaving him unable to maximize the minutes he received. His playing time evaporated late in the season, and he logged just 35 total minutes after the All-Star break.
Tillman came back to camp 12 pounds lighter and eager to remind people that he can be a key presence as an undersized and versatile big. Even without much playing time last season, he is one of Boston’s more experienced frontcourt players and should get every opportunity to reestablish himself.
The center spot will be in the spotlight as the Celtics kick off preseason play this week with visits to Memphis (Tillman’s old stomping grounds) and Toronto (Boucher’s former home).
Kevin DuCharme/NBC Sports Boston
Celtics big man Xavier Tillman lost 12 pounds this offseason as he aims to carve out a role in Boston’s frontcourt.
Harder, faster, stronger
Maybe it’s time to add Daft Punk to the TD Garden playlist, because so much of the talk around these Celtics in the first week of camp is how much harder and faster they yearn to play this season.
From the moment Boston completed its summer overhaul, the suggestion has been that the Celtics would mask some of that talent drain by simply holding the turbo button this season. Payton Pritchard sported a bloody gash on his neck after what he termed a “war”-like practice on Friday.
It’s not a coincidence that Boston aims to play harder and faster when the Pacers and Thunder were the last two teams standing last season. You need talent and skill, but those teams clearly benefited from an all-gas, no-brakes playing style. Now the Celtics will try to match with some sort of controlled intensity.
The harder/faster hype kicked into overdrive when Walsh suggested the Celtics might go with full hockey subs in order to keep the energy level maximized. Mazzulla — and later Walsh — eventually walked back that idea. But the suggestion is undeniable: The Celtics plan to crank up the aggression to mask some of the skill that departed this summer.
The late Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs at Angel Stadium in 2018. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
More than four years after the family of deceased Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs filed a wrongful death suit against the Angels, jury selection will begin Monday in Orange County Superior Court.
Skaggs' widow Carli Skaggs and parents Debra Hetman and Darrell Skaggs stated in a court filing that they seek at least $210 million in lost earnings and damages. A lawyer for the Angels said in a pretrial hearing that the plaintiffs now seek a judgment of $1 billion, although the lead attorney representing the family said the number is an exaggeration.
The trial is expected to last several weeks. Pretrial discovery included more than 50 depositions and the witness list contains nearly 80 names.
Lawyers for the Skaggs family aim to establish that the Angels were responsible for the death of the 27-year-old left-handed pitcher on July 1, 2019, after he snorted crushed pills that contained fentanyl in a hotel room during a team road trip in Texas.
An autopsy concluded Skaggs accidentally died of asphyxia after aspirating his own vomit while under the influence of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol.
Angels communications director Eric Kay provided Skaggs with counterfeit oxycodone pills that turned out to be laced with fentanyl and is serving 22 years in federal prison for his role in the death. Skaggs' lawyers will try to prove that other Angels employees knew Kay was providing opioids to Skaggs.
“The Angels owed Tyler Skaggs a duty to provide a safe place to work and play baseball,” the lawsuit said. “The Angels breached their duty when they allowed Kay, a drug addict, complete access to Tyler. The Angels also breached their duty when they allowed Kay to provide Tyler with dangerous illegal drugs. The Angels should have known Kay was dealing drugs to players. Tyler died as a result of the Angels’ breach of their duties.”
The Skaggs family planned to call numerous current and former Angels players as witnesses, including future Hall of Famers Mike Trout and Albert Pujols as well as pitcher Andrew Heaney — Skaggs' best friend on the team — in an attempt to show that Skaggs was a fully functioning major league pitcher and not an addict.
Pretrial filings and hearings indicated that the Angels were attempting to show that Skaggs was a longtime drug user who acquired pills from sources other than Kay. Skaggs' mother, Debbie Hetman, testified during Kay's 2022 criminal trial that her son admitted he had an “issue” with oxycodone as far back as 2013.
Hetman said her son quit "cold turkey" but she testified the addiction remained enough of a concern that Skaggs wasn’t prescribed opioids after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2014.
Judge H. Shaina Colover dashed a key Angels defense strategy when she ruled that Kay’s criminal conviction could not be disputed during the civil trial. Angels attorney Todd Theodora contended that new evidence indicated Skaggs died of a “cardiac arrhythmia, second to the fact that Tyler had 10 to 15 drinks in him, coupled with the oxycodone, for which Angels baseball is not responsible.”
Theodora said that if the Angels could prove Kay was not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, neither Kay nor the team would be culpable in Skaggs’ death. Colover, however, ruled that Kay's "conviction, based on applicable law and facts, was final." Kay's appeal was denied in federal court in November 2023.
Pretrial depositions of Angels players and support personnel provided a rare glimpse into the rowdy, often profane culture of a major league clubhouse.
Angels clubhouse attendants testified that Kay participated in stunts such as purposely taking an 85-mph fastball off his knee in the batting cage, having a pitcher throw a football at his face from short range, eating a bug and eating pimples off the back of Trout.
Tim Mead, the Angels longtime vice president of communication and Kay's supervisor, acknowledged as much in his deposition, saying, "If you try to describe a clubhouse or a locker room in professional sports, or even college, and probably even the military in terms, and try to equate it to how we see — how this law firm is run or a corporation is run, you know, unfortunately, there's not lot of comparison.... There's a lot of fun, there's a lot of release."
And a lot of painkillers. Former Angels players Matt Harvey, C.J. Cron, Mike Morin and Cam Bedrosian testified at Kay's trial that he distributed blue 30 milligram oxycodone pills to them at Angel Stadium. Skaggs, testimony revealed, was a particularly frequent customer.
Testimony established that Kay was also a longtime user of oxycodone and that the Angels knew it. In a filing, the Skaggs family showed evidence that Angels team physician Craig Milhouse prescribed Kay Hydrocodone 15 times from 2009 to 2012. The Skaggs family also plans to call Trout, who according to the deposition of former Angels clubhouse attendant Kris Constanti, offered to pay for Kay’s drug rehabilitation in 2018.
Skaggs was a top prospect coming out of Santa Monica High in 2009, and the Angels made him their first-round draft pick. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks a year later and made his major league debut with them in 2012.
Traded back to the Angels in 2014, Skaggs made the starting rotation, where he remained when not battling injuries until his death. His numbers were rather ordinary, a 28-38 win-loss record with a 4.41 earned-run average in 96 career starts, but his lawyers pointed to his youth and the escalating salaries given to starting pitchers in asking for a jury award of at least $210 million and as much as $785 million.
Skaggs earned $9.2 million — including $3.7 million in 2019 — and would have become a free agent after the 2020 season. Effective starting pitchers at a similar age and comparable performance can command multi-year contracts of $100 million or more.
Skaggs' death prompted MLB to begin testing for opioids and cocaine in 2020, but only players who do not cooperate with their treatment plans are subject to discipline. Marijuana was removed from the list of drugs of abuse and is treated the same as alcohol.
MLB emergency medical procedures now require that naloxone be stored in clubhouses, weight rooms, dugouts and umpire dressing rooms at all ballparks. Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is an antidote for opioid poisoning.
Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on XTaking its rightful place in the rafters.
On Jan. 15, 2026, Zdeno Chara’s No. 33 will become the 13th number in #NHLBruins history to be retired.
📰: https://t.co/a1vQxhQuZP
Bruins Hire Legend Zdeno Chara In New RoleZdeno Chara is officially back with the Boston Bruins.
Kevin DuCharme/NBC Sports Boston
