The 29-year-old Spencer will be back for his third season with the Warriors on a two-way contract after playing in 47 games last season, including the NBA playoffs. The Northwestern product averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 6.4 minutes off the bench in the 2024-25 regular season.
Golden State also signed its other selection from the 2025 NBA Draft, Australian forward Alex Toohey, to a two-way contract. Toohey was selected with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round as part of a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The 21-year-old struggled during NBA Summer League, but the Warriors saw clear potential after his strong finish to the showcase.
Finally, Golden State brought in a trio of players to help fill out its preseason roster as training camp begins this week. The Warriors signed free-agent center Marques Bolden and guards LJ Cryer and Taevion Kinsey, all of whom face an uphill battle to make the final roster.
Bolden, 27, has the only NBA experience of the three; he has appeared in 18 games since the 2019-20 season with three teams, averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. The Duke basketball alum played with the Warriors’ summer league squads in 2024 and 2025.
Cryer, 23, went unselected in this year’s NBA draft. He was a star collegiate player for Baylor and Houston from 2020-25, helping lead the former to the 2021 National Championship as a freshman. Kinsey, 25, averaged 17.1 points per game across five college seasons at Marshall and spent the last two seasons with the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz.
Despite Luke Hughes' contract standoff
with the New Jersey Devils, the two sides are expected to agree to a
long-term deal.
That prompted some pundits to ponder
Dougie Hamilton's future with the Devils. TSN's Pierre LeBrun last
week wondered how many power-play quarterbacks a team needs in
today's NHL. With Hughes seen as the Devils' future No. 1 blueliner,
Hamilton's role with the club could be in question.
Hamilton told NJ.com's Ryan Novozinsky he has heard the trade rumors but said he's not paying much
attention to them. The 32-year-old defenseman acknowledged trades happen, and it's part of the business of hockey. However, he
wants to remain with the Devils because he believes he can help them
win the Stanley Cup.
Most of the trade conjecture suggested
the Devils could move Hamilton to address other roster needs and
clear his $9-million cap hit from their books. However, that cap hit
would also make it difficult to move him. While the salary cap is
rising significantly, teams still must manage their cap space
carefully.
Hamilton's no-trade clause also
complicates things. PuckPedia indicates he has a list of 10 teams he'd accept getting
dealt to, which significantly limits the options for suitable trade
partners.
Add David Kampf to that category. Jonas
Siegel of The Athletic reported the 30-year-old center believed he
would be traded during the off-season. Although that never
materialized, his future with the Maple Leafs remains uncertain.
Siegel noted that Scott Laughton has
replaced Kampf as the Leafs' fourth-line center. The club could make
room for promising right winger Easton Cowan.
Kampf's contract could hinder efforts
to trade him. He's signed through next season with an average annual
value of $2.4 million. Siegel suggests he could be demoted to the
Marlies if he clears waivers.
Turning to the Washington Capitals,
ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported last Thursday that goaltender Clay
Stevenson's solid pre-season play has drawn interest from a few teams
who see him as a future waiver claim.
Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are
locks as the Capitals' goalie tandem, leaving Stevenson as the odd
man out.
The Hockey News' Sammi Silber reports
Stevenson was projected to be the No. 1 goalie for the Capitals' AHL
affiliate in Hershey this season. She believes he's all but certain
to go on waivers, where a rival club will likely pluck him away.
Rather than lose Stevenson for nothing,
the Capitals could see what he might fetch in the trade market.
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The Florida Panthers have made some roster moves as training camp continues.
Monday morning, as Florida prepared to host the Carolina Hurricanes in a preseason matchup at Amerant Bank Arena, the team announced a few changes to their camp roster.
Two defensemen, Ludvig Jansson and Evan Nause, and two goaltenders, Evan Cormier and Kirill Gerasimyuk, are all heading to training camp with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Jansson, Nause and Gerasimyuk were all assigned to Charlotte, as all are under contract with Florida, while Cormier was on a PTO. He will push for a deal with the Checkers, who are expected to also have goaltender Brandon Bussi on their roster once the season begins.
For now, Bussi remains with Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov and Cooper Black as the remaining goaltenders at Cats camp.
You can check out the updated training camp roster in the images below:
It's always hard to gauge the potential of first-year players entering the NBA, especially from a fantasy perspective. However, this 2025 class is different because there's one prospect who stands out head and shoulders above the rest. There are other rookies who could have sizable fantasy roles as well, particularly as the season goes on.
Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
That one prospect we're talking about the most is none other than Cooper Flagg, the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, who will begin his NBA career as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. The former Duke standout is one of the most hyped college prospects in recent memory, and he seems ready to contribute right away from Day 1. Flagg had already turned heads when he trained with Team USA before the 2024 Olympics, but now he'll get to show what he can do on the biggest stage.
He's expected to make a strong, sustainable two-way impact at the NBA level. Flagg might not be the go-to option on offense for the Mavericks, which is understandable considering the team has Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving (once he's healthy) to lead the way. However, Flagg should be a consistent secondary weapon on offense. Plus, the former Duke standout doesn't have any glaring weaknesses in his game. He's ready to contribute at the NBA level right away, either as a defensive stopper or as a slashing forward who could excel when cutting to the basket.
Flagg's numbers in his lone year at Duke were impressive. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range. The Maine native surpassed expectations as an off-the-dribble shot creator, and the early-season absence of Irving should see him experience an uptick in his usage, possibly as a second-best option behind Davis.
Flagg also showcased his two-way versatility and scoring ability during his two Summer League appearances, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks across 31.5 minutes per game. While he's not expected to put up those numbers once the regular season begins, don't be surprised if he averages somewhere around 15 points, five rebounds and around 3.5 assists per game as a rookie. Those would be solid-enough numbers to give him fantasy consideration across most formats.
Other Rookies
Unless a player is drafted into the Top 10, or occasionally the Top 5, and lands in an excellent situation, it's difficult to see first-year players making a considerable impact in fantasy. There are some cases, though, and some examples in the 2025 NBA Draft could be Ace Bailey (Utah Jazz), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets) and Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs).
Ace Bailey, Jazz
Bailey is a natural scorer who fell into the best possible situation as a rookie, as he landed with a Jazz team that's early in their rebuilding process and considers Bailey a franchise cornerstone. The former Rutgers star will have numerous opportunities to grow and adapt in the NBA as a prominent figure on his team, rather than as a bench option, which should accelerate his development. Bailey should post excellent scoring numbers right away, though he shouldn't contribute a lot in other categories -- at least not in the early stages of his career.
Kon Knueppel, Hornets
Knueppel figures to open the season as the Hornets' starting forward, and his three-point shooting ability could translate to a solid role right away in an offense led by one of the most creative passers in the league, LaMelo Ball.
Dylan Harper, Spurs
Harper could enjoy an uptick in usage early on since De'Aaron Fox (hamstring) isn't expected to be available for the start of the season. However, once Fox is healthy, Harper opens the season behind the reigning Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, in the rotation.
Fantasy Sleepers: Other rookies to consider
There's another tier of rookies who could potentially become solid fantasy contributors, although for that to happen, some circumstances would have to go in the player's direction. Some of these players to keep close tabs on are V.J. Edgecombe in Philadelphia, Tre Johnson in Washington and Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans. The talent is there for them, but it's unclear if they'll enjoy a substantial role right away to become valuable fantasy contributors. The same could be said for Khaman Maluach, who is easily the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in this year's lottery. Maluach has excellent size and is a polished defender, but it's unclear if his offensive game will ever develop to become a consistent fantasy option.
In the wake of the Mets' season ending with them falling all the way out of the playoffs, there will be no shortage of takes about what went wrong with a team that entered the year as an expected World Series contender.
There will be discussions about the inconsistent offense, the subpar defense, the coaching, the trade deadline, the decisions made by manager Carlos Mendoza, and the team's failure to win a single game they trailed after eight innings.
And while it's understandable to want to point fingers in a whole bunch of different directions, it can be argued that doing so is kind of a waste.
Yes, there seemed to be a spark missing at times.
Sure, the offense could've been more consistent.
And yes, there were injuries that threw a wrench into things.
But as the dust settles on the 2025 Mets and the 2026 team starts to take shape, it's pretty easy to determine the main culprit for what went wrong.
It was the starting rotation.
The rotation is the nerve center of a team. Everything flows from there. If there isn't enough length provided (the Mets finished 27th in MLB in innings pitched per start) it negatively impacts the bullpen, which becomes overworked.
If the starting pitching is constantly putting the team in holes, there's that much more pressure on the offense to dig out of it.
It's a vicious cycle.
/ Sep 21, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (21) reacts as he exits the game against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Citi Field.
Take Game 162 for an example.
The Mets had simply run out of starting pitchers to rely on. That led them to start a struggling Sean Manaea, who was pulled after 1.2 innings. From there, it was a march of relievers -- Huascar Brazoban for 1.0 inning, Brooks Raley for 0.2 of an inning, Ryne Stanek for 0.1 of an inning, and Tyler Rogers for 0.1 of an inning.
By the time Edwin Diaz was called on to stop the bleeding in the fifth inning, the Mets were in a 4-0 hole. And the season, for all intents and purposes, was over.
You can question Mendoza's decision to pull Raley as quickly as he did, or to go to Stanek. But the fact of the matter is that he was managing the last three and a half months of the season with one hand tied behind his back. That's because the starting pitching was simply not good enough in any aspect, and it took the rest of the team down with it.
So this was a collapse, sure. But it's one with an asterisk, because it can be easily argued that the 2025 Mets were irretrievably flawed from the start.
Looking at how things were shaping up back on Feb. 18, following Frankie Montas' injury (and the questionable decision to sign him in the first place), the Mets' rotation still had a high ceiling. But the floor was alarmingly low.
As I laid out at the time, there were injury concerns with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes was transitioning from reliever to starter, Sean Manaea's late-season results in 2024 were perhaps unsustainable, and David Peterson had yet to put together back-to-back strong seasons.
Meanwhile, Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill, and Paul Blackburn were fine as depth options, but counting on two out of three of them in the rotation could be asking a lot. Regarding Brandon Sproat, his initial struggle with the transition to Triple-A meant that it could possibly take longer than expected for him to become a big league option.
To put it simply, there were lots of what-ifs -- too many for a team with championship aspirations. And while the starting staff excelled over the first few months of the season, the cracks were easy to see.
That included regression from Canning, who had a 5.90 ERA from May 23 to June 26, when he tore his Achilles. And it included the struggles of Megill, who had a 5.79 ERA from May 4 through June 14, which was his last appearance of the season as he dealt with injuries.
Jun 14, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill (38) reacts during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
When the injuries hit Canning, Megill, and then Senga, the Mets -- who were also without Manaea -- were left in a precarious spot.
It would've seriously impacted any team, but the way New York chose to address it was puzzling.
They in effect punted a handful of games as they relied on bullpen games, four starts from Paul Blackburn (losses on June 13, 18, 23, and 28), and one start from Blade Tidwell.
Against the backdrop of David Stearns choosing to not promote McLean, the Mets kept losing games that were winnable.
It's impossible to know how McLean would've fared if he was called up a month or so before his debut on Aug. 16. But it's hard to believe his presence in the rotation wouldn't have led to at least one more win, which would've resulted in the Mets making the playoffs.
You can also point to not adding a starting pitcher around the trade deadline, but the scarcity of available arms and the high price tags make that one a lot more understandable than the strategy they employed over the summer as the injuries mounted -- when it at times felt like New York thought a giveaway loss here or there wouldn't matter.
Still, it all comes back to the way the starting rotation was put together during the offseason. There was just not enough certainty, and it put the team in a precarious spot really quickly -- one Stearns and Co. were unable to wrest themselves out of.
Given Stearns' history of success and analytical nature, it's fair to believe he'll take a different approach to the rotation for 2026 -- one that places an emphasis on track record over hope.
SACRAMENTO – First-year Kings general manager Scott Perry has a list of six tenets that he wants Sacramento to adhere to during his first season in the state capital. It’s a simple, straightforward message that he believes hopefully will establish a foundation for years to come.
“We want to be competitive, tough, team oriented, accountable, disciplined and professional,” Perry told reporters at Golden 1 Center during media day on Monday. “Everything that we do this year, I’m going to look at it through those pillars, on the court, off the court, and how we are holding up to those values. That’s what I’m most excited about.
“It’s about establishing an identity this year of who the Sacramento Kings are going to be, both on and off the basketball court.”
Perry, who was hired in April to replace Monte McNair, is orchestrating yet another makeover of the Kings. Only two years after the team ended the longest playoff drought in NBA history, Sacramento once again is on the rebuild.
Doug Christie had the interim title removed from his name and is the unquestioned head coach. The Kings also have a new point guard, having signed Dennis Schröder in the offseason. Schröder recently was named MVP of the EuroBasket tournament after leading Germany to the gold medal.
“Obviously kept my eye on Dennis and what he was doing, and stayed in contact with him,” Perry said. “Was really happy for him, because I know how much it meant to him and his country, for him, not only to play well, but go ahead and win the championship and be the MVP of that tournament, with so many great players in the tournament. I think that allows him to come here with even a little more confidence and really ready to take on this task and helping this basketball team.”
There have been some other minor tweaks to the roster, giving Christie some flexibility as he enters his first training camp as an official NBA head coach.
“It is different,” Christie said. “There’s a lot of different aspects to it, but I’ve just tried to relish each moment, take it as it comes, and try to deal with it head on. It’s been interesting. It’s been a lot of fun at the same time. That’s the one thing that I always try to do is be happy and have fun and enjoy the process.”
Winning will help facilitate that feeling go a long way.
It also would help erase the sting of last season, when the Kings held high expectations heading into the campaign, only to see the whole thing blow up.
Mike Brown, the first unanimous Coach of the Year following the 2023-24 season, was fired early last season after the Kings stumbled to start the year. That was followed by a franchise-changing trade that shipped long-time point guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio while making way for two-time All-Star Zach LaVine.
Given the presence of three-time All-Star and double-double machine Domantas Sabonis and a mercurial scorer like LaVine, the Kings shouldn’t have much problem putting the ball in the hoop.
Christie, however, is more concerned about how his squad plays on the other end of the court.
“More than anything, defensively, we want to create an identity,” Christie said. “There’s a beautiful side to basketball, obviously, on the offensive end, and we want to share the basketball, but defense is where we want to hang our hat.”
The hope is that, along with Perry’s six basic tenets, will get the Kings back to the promised land – the playoffs.
“Are we following those six pillars in each and every night? Are we laying it all on the line?” Perry said. “If we’re giving everything we have each and every night, whether it’s practice or game, that I can live with whatever the results are going to be. But I think it’s extremely important, though, that we identify, just identify and establish this culture this year.
“It’s all about that, because if you want to build a sustainable winner, you have to have a foundation, and our foundation has got to be rooted in how hard we play, how tough we are, and how we do this as a team, to do this together.”
The 2025-26 rookie class is filled with talent, and that starts at the top. CooperFlagg is the most highly-anticipated prospect since ZionWilliamson, and the Duke product is our clear No. 1 rookie. It’s not particularly close.
How do the other rookies in this class shake out in terms of fantasy basketball value? Where do Rutgers teammates and lottery selections AceBailey and DylanHarper land? Can Summer League MVP and Flagg teammate KonKnueppel make an immediate impact for the Hornets? What can VJEdgecomb do for the 76ers in Year 1?
Here are Rotoworld’s top-10 fantasy rookies for the 2025-26 campaign:
1) Cooper Flagg, SF, Mavericks
Overall Fantasy Rank: 47
Flagg is ranked inside the top 50 in our 2025-26 fantasy rankings, and he’s nearly 100 spots ahead of the next rookie on this list. The Duke standout is one of the most complete prospects we’ve seen in quite some time. In his one-and-done college season with the Blue Devils, he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 threes. He’s 6’9 and can play elite basketball on both ends of the court, giving him massive upside in the realm of fantasy hoops. KyrieIrving is going to miss significant time to start the season, which means we should see plenty of Flagg from the jump. He’s well worth a mid-round selection in fantasy drafts.
2) VJ Edgecomb, SG, 76ers
Overall Fantasy Rank: 125
The Baylor product is one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft class, showcased by his 38” vertical and highlight reel of dunks in college. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.6 three-pointers with the Bears across 33 games last season, and he’ll look to make a name for himself as an elite two-way option at the next level. Edgecomb can make an impact on offense, but his biggest impact will surely come on defense. He’ll likely play behind JaredMcCain to start the season, but Edgecomb could play meaningful minutes off the bench right away and eventually overtake McCain in the starting five. Philly was one of the most injury-plagued teams in the Association a season ago, so finding playing time shouldn’t be a problem for our No. 2 ranked rookie.
At 7’2”, Maluach has the size to make an immediate impact as an interior scorer, rim protector and offensive rebounder. The Suns sorely lacked such an interior presence a season ago, so naturally, they traded for the Hornets’ MarkWilliams and took Maluach in this year’s draft. Williams, who has never played more than 44 games in a season across a three-year career, sits atop Phoenix’s depth chart as the starting center. Should he miss time this season, Maluach would surely see big minutes. The rookie can provide serviceable boards, blocks and FG%, and he’s a serviceable free-throw shooter at his position.
4) Dylan Harper, SG, Spurs
Overall Fantasy Rank: 144
The consensus No. 2 prospect in this class behind Flagg, Harper comes in at fourth in our rookie rankings due to landing spot. The Rutgers standout averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 three-pointers per game last season, and he’s got huge upside, particularly on offense. Unfortunately for Harper, he’ll be competing for backcourt minutes with De’AaronFox and reigning Rookie of the Year StephonCastle. The path to meaningful minutes isn’t immediately clear, but Harper could operate as San Antonio’s Sixth Man. At the very least, he should be involved in the rotation early in the season and work his way into more meaningful playing time as the season progresses.
5) Ace Bailey, SF, Jazz
Overall Fantasy Rank: 178
Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.3 blocks and 1.6 threes per game for Rutgers last season, showcasing his upside on both ends of the court. He’s got some work to do from an efficiency standpoint, but at 6’8” with a seven-foot wingspan, Bailey can make plays at the rim with his excellent physical tools. The Jazz boast one of the worst rosters in the Association, and Bailey should be the team’s starting SF to open the season. Expect him to push for 30 minutes a night right away.
6) Kon Knueppel, SF, Hornets
Overall Fantasy Rank: 190
The No. 4 pick in the draft is a marksman of the highest order and arguably the best pure shooter in this class. He averaged 14.4 points and 2.2 triples for Duke last season while shooting 40.6% from three-point range and 91.4% from the free throw line. Knueppel isn’t just a catch-and-shoot threat. He can put the ball on the floor and get teammates involved with quality playmaking abilities, and he’s a competitive defender as well. The 2025 Summer League MVP should be a starter from Day 1.
Lights out shooter. Incredible feel for the game. Larry Bird-esque. Your Summer League Championship MVP.
Johnson’s offensive upside is tremendous, and he may be the best pure scorer in this draft class. He averaged 19.9 points per game for Texas last season, which was tops among freshmen in Division I. The 6’6” guard has a nearly seven-foot wingspan, and he’s an elite long-range shooter. Johnson shot 39.7% from beyond the arc and 87.1% from the charity stripe last season. Size and shooting ability give Johnson a nice floor heading into Year 1, and he brings offense to a Washington team that desperately needed it a season ago. He should compete for rotation minutes immediately.
8) Egor Demin, PG, Nets
Overall Fantasy Rank: 196
A 6’9” point guard with high IQ and elite passing skills obviously makes heads turn, but Demin has plenty of question marks. He’s not a great defender or an efficient shooter, but his size and playmaking ability give him enough upside to keep him inside the top 200 in our fantasy hoops rankings. Demin should be given big minutes right out of the gate as the starting PG for a rebuilding franchise. There will be no shortage of opportunity or volume.
9) Jeremiah Fears, PG, Pelicans
Overall Fantasy Rank: 200
Fears isn’t expected to make a huge impact defensively, but he’s got a deep bag on the other end of the court. The Oklahoma product averaged 17.1 points last season with the Sooners, getting tough buckets in the ultra-competitive Big 12. He’ll play behind JordanPoole to start the season, and Fears will compete with JoseAlvarado for backup guard minutes, at least until Dejounte Murray is back on the court. Fears is too talented to ride the bench all season, and he should have no problem earning enough playing time to make him relevant in deep fantasy leagues by the end of the season. He’s got tremendous upside, and he can capitalize on it if given the opportunity.
The five-year man out of Creighton is one of the oldest rookies in the draft at 24 years old, though that maturity should be beneficial at the next level. At 7’1” and 257 pounds, he’ll get an immediate size advantage over most of his competition. The Hornets’ center depth includes MoussaDiabate and MasonPlumlee. Diabate has not made a major impact over his three years in the NBA, and the journeyman Plumlee is on the roster as a steady veteran presence, not because of his elite skills. Neither Diabate nor Plumlee are owed much money for the upcoming season, so Charlotte should prioritize Kalkbrenner’s development. By the end of the season, he should be the Hornets’ starting center.
ST. PAUL, Minn - Training camp and preseason games are a great chance for players to make a good impression and push for spots. It is especially important for the younger players and prospects to showcase their skills.
For the second straight year, Hunter Haight is doing just that.
Haight, 21, impressed in last year's training camp and preseason. Following that he played his rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild.
In his rookie season, Haight recorded 20 goals and 14 assists in 67 games. In the opening preseason game of the year, Haight was the team's fourth line center. Caedan Bankier, Ben Jones and Danila Yurov were ahead of him.
With three minutes left in that game Haight game flying in on the right side before scoring his first goal of the preseason.
For his second preseason game of the year, Haight was on the third line as the center. He played great against Dallas and was the team's second line center on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With the goalie pulled and down two goals, the Wild had Haight on the ice. He was on the ice over Yurov and seemly has been impressing the Wild.
"Yeah, I thought he's had a strong camp," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Sunday. "He's got good hockey sense. I think his competitiveness jumps out at you. He's been able to produce in a couple games and he seems like a pretty versatile player. He's a right-shot center and he's done a pretty good job on the penalty kill. He's had some power play time too, so he's done well."
On Sunday Haight picked up his second goal of the preseason after he finished off his own rebound. Tyler Pitlick made a nice pass to Haight who was streaking in. It was the Wild's only goal on Sunday.
The 5-foot-11 center has impressed the Wild enough to possibly make the team but that opportunity could actually become a reality. Yurov has been given a lot of chances in the preseason. He has centered Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko for a few shifts and has been on the top power play and penalty kill for every game.
On Sunday those spots were given to Haight. He dropped to the third line and went 2-for-8 on the face-off dot. Haight went 4-for-6 on the dot and had 15 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time.
"Yeah, he's put himself in a position to continue to compete for a spot," Hynes said of Haight after the game.
Nico Sturm was signed this offseason to be the Wild's fourth line center but has now missed some time in camp due to an upper-body injury. His status remains unclear if he will be ready to start the season.
Hynes said after the game on Sunday that Sturm's timetable is a moving target. He said they want to get Sturm into a full hour long practice before coming up with how long he will be out for, if any time.
Sturm could respond really well to that practice and be ready to go or he could miss a little bit of time to start the season. This could open a spot for Haight.
"At the end of the day, that's why I'm here, is to try to find a roster spot and every day try and get better," Haight said after the game on Sunday. "I think I've progressed throughout this camp."
Nonetheless, Haight has impressed the Wild and will continue to push for a spot as training camp begins to wind down.
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SAN FRANCISCO — The timing was odd, and looking back, it makes even less sense.
At 1:05 p.m. on July 1, the Giants sent out a press release announcing that they had picked up the 2026 option on manager Bob Melvin. The lead quote in the release was from president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who said later that day he had spent months watching Melvin closely and weeks having internal discussions about whether to make the move.
“We believe he’s the right person to continue guiding this team forward,” Posey said that day, even though the Giants had lost six of seven.
Three months later, the Giants sent out another press release. Melvin had been fired, with Posey saying this time that a change of leadership was needed.
It is an unfortunate end for Melvin, a Bay Area native who viewed this as his dream job and ideally his final MLB job. But, more than anything, it’s a bad look for everyone involved.
At the end of the 2023 season, Gabe Kapler was fired. A year later, it was Farhan Zaidi, with Posey taking over. This time, it’s Melvin. There were plenty of reasons why each move was made, but still, this is a stunning stretch for an organization that wraps itself in “Forever Giant” talk and had incredible continuity while winning three titles.
“It’s not ideal, right?” Posey said Monday. “It’s definitely not ideal. But unfortunately, we talked about it a lot, what the standards are for the Giants, and we have high standards and I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now.”
The front office is not blameless, and Posey knows it. He hoped to boost morale by picking up Melvin’s option, but it became an expensive mistake. He made decisive moves in acquiring Rafael Devers and selling at the deadline, but the Giants also ran out of pitching, and looking back at the offseason, it’s clear they put too much faith in internal options at several positions. They certainly need to be more active with the roster this winter and build more depth.
This is also a tough day for many in the clubhouse. Ultimately, they’re the ones taking the field, and for a second time in three years, they have watched a manager get fired. Melvin was popular to the end, and it was a somber scene on Sunday afternoon as some players realized he would take the fall for their inconsistency on the field.
This all comes after more than a decade of stability under Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy, but now, the Giants have a streak of three straight years in which they either fired their manager or president of baseball operations.
Posey must know that there’s more work to be done behind the scenes. He has spent 12 months watching what goes on at every level of the organization, and he knows this wasn’t just about the manager. Something at Oracle Park just isn’t clicking.
“Without a doubt, you hope there can be consistency in these leadership positions,” he said Monday. “We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.
“When seasons don’t go the way you want them, it’s never one person’s fault. It’s never one group’s fault. But when they don’t go the way you want them, you can’t — in my opinion — sit there and say we’re going to come back and do the same thing that we did this year for the next year. Having said that, that’s part of why we landed where we landed.”
Zaidi hired Melvin in part because he was the opposite of Kapler, who had become unpopular by the end despite leading the Giants to 107 wins in 2021. Melvin is old school, and he brought along longtime coaches like Matt Williams and Ryan Christenson, who could not have been more different than the ones that were let go.
The Giants made a show of cutting back their analytics department, ignoring the fact that the rest of the good teams in their division, the Los Angeles Dodgers in particular, continue to expand. Multiple players said this season that it is one area where the team is lacking.
In retrospect, it’s clear there was a middle ground — and Stephen Vogt represented that. But the Giants played it safe, and they’re now paying for it. As they fell out of the race this year, Vogt — with a staff filled with former Kapler disciples — led a historic comeback in Cleveland.
Vogt once backed up Posey, who now will lead the search for his own hand-picked manager. It is a decision that most lead executives only get to make once, and Posey must get it right.
He is all-in with the core of this roster, and his choice must be strong enough to lead the Giants to the postseason in 2026. The next manager must also be someone who can grow with Posey and general manager Zack Minasian. The Giants don’t want to do this all again in two years. They have already done it far more often than expected.
The tradition at Oracle Park last decade was holding postseason games in October. This decade, they have held press conferences to explain a firing, and no matter what one might feel about the individual decisions, there’s no denying that, taken all together, it’s a bad look.
When Ottawa Senators prospect Stephen Halliday arrives at a new level, he seems to figure things out quickly. At every level he moves up to — whether it's the USHL, the NCAA, or the AHL — he's found a way to not only stick with the club, but to thrive, moving quickly to the top of his team's scoring list. That's part of what makes the 23-year-old forward so intriguing as he pushes toward the NHL.
Halliday doesn’t come with the prospect status of, say, a Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators’ 2024 first-round pick. But he's not far off. With his size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and skill, he checks off a lot of boxes, and he's also got a history of quickly figuring things out at each level.
Back in 2021–22, a few months shy of his 20th birthday, Halliday put up 95 points in 62 games for the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. But because he was an older junior player who had been passed over in two NHL drafts, those were red flags. The Senators' scouting still liked him, though, and by the fourth round of the 2022 draft, they decided to book some Halliday time.
Halliday went on to lead Ohio State in scoring for two straight seasons, then did the same in his first full year with Belleville last season, collecting 51 points in 71 games. Each time he’s climbed a rung, he’s found a way to adjust, then take over.
Now, the biggest challenge lies ahead: carving out a place in the NHL.
Halliday gave fans a glimpse of that potential on Sunday afternoon in Quebec City, when the Senators blanked the New Jersey Devils 2–0 in preseason action. With the game scoreless late in the third period, he broke through with a perfectly placed snap shot that beat Devils goalie Georgi Romanov high to the glove side.
“Yeah, Timmy kind of drove the middle, and I was just kind of trying to be there if there was a rebound. And then a guy poked it to me, and then I just kind of shot it.”
Halliday made it sound like a lucky shot, and maybe it was. But his release was quick and decisive, the kind of finish NHL coaches notice. That said, Senators head coach Travis Green is always careful not to give a player too much public praise.
“He’s a smart player," head coach Travis Green said after the game. "He’s got good hands. He’s big. He’s got good hockey sense.
If you sensed a 'but' coming, you'd be right.
"He’s still adapting to the pace of the league. He’s had a few days where he’s tired. But he’s hanging in there.”
Green’s message was clear: there’s still work to be done. Halliday is aware of that, but right now, he says he feels great.
“I feel like I am making more plays, more confident," Halliday said. "The D-zone, I think, was a big thing for me, just making sure I’m strong on pucks. I’ve been working on that a lot and just kind of taking it day by day. So I’m really happy with my game so far.”
Halliday is still a little shy when the microphones come out, but after Sunday’s win, he lit up when talking about Thomas Chabot, who suited up in his hometown region of Quebec City.
“Yeah, you can just see how cool the city is, and he's been showing us around and taking us to cool spots, and we went golfing on his golf course on our off day. So it means a lot for a guy like me who's just coming up here.
"So it was really cool and we're really happy to get that (win) for Chabby."
Looks like we can check off the "great teammate" box as well.
Halliday's rise to the next level might not happen this fall, but his day is coming. And if the Sens decide to let him cook some more at the AHL level, he's going to be a handful down there, and a nightmare for opposing goalies.
Another year, another battle between Arber Xhekaj and Jayden
Struble for a role on the Montreal Canadiens' third pairing. Both blueliners saw a lot of action
last year thanks to injuries suffered by other members of the defense corps.
Stuble skated in 56 games (just like the previous year) and Xhekaj took part in
70 games (more than he had ever played in a season); the former finished the
regular season in the lineup, while the latter reintegrated the lineup for the
playoffs.
They’re not particularly young anymore. Struble is about to
turn 25, Xhekaj will in January, and they’ve both matured a lot playing-wise. It’s
been clear since before the start of camp that Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Mike
Matheson, Noah Dobson, and Alex Carrier all have their chair reserved, which
leaves just one spot for the other two.
Stuble hasn’t had a bad training camp, but Xhekaj turned up
at camp in much better shape. He’s still as heavy as he was, but the baby fat
is gone, and it’s now all muscle. It shows on the ice that he skates faster,
and his mobility has improved.
Much like Juraj Slafkovsky knows he needs to play a good
physical game to be effective, Xhekaj knows that he needs to pick his moments
on the ice. He needs to play the game that’s in front of him, despite the
constant temptation of chasing that one big hit or of dropping the gloves. What
the Canadiens have on their hands right now is a leaner and wiser Xhekaj. He
doesn’t need to be meaner; he has always been mean enough.
Since the start of camp, Xhekaj is the one who has taken the
spotlight, be it because of that one game in which both he and his brother
played and scored, or because of the hard hits he’s able to land. On Saturday
night in Toronto, he was playing alongside Carrier once again, as he has since
the start of camp, whether in preseason games or scrimmages. Furthermore,
Xhekaj also had an A on his jersey.
At a time when Martin St-Louis says his team needs some grit
and sandpaper, Xhekaj is the logical choice. The Canadiens need to commit to Xhekaj
because if they don’t and he lands somewhere else, he will hurt them. Perhaps
not on the scoreboard, but physically. The Canadiens have long sought toughness
in their lineup, and now that they have it, they shouldn’t be afraid of it.
Despite going down to 10 men, Massimiliano Allegri’s side held on and went top of Serie A
The league billed Milan v Napoli as a showdown between two “Masters of Midfield”, Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne, defining talents of a world football generation who each chose Serie A this summer. Players who have won a combined 58 trophies in their careers, including Champions League, La Liga and Premier League triumphs.
Past their prime? Certainly. But over the hill? Hardly. Modric, at 40 years old, had started Milan’s first four league games, taking more touches (329) and creating more shooting opportunities (19, per fbref.com) than any teammate. De Bruyne, at 34, was the only Napoli player with more than one goal so far this season, having struck in wins over Sassuolo and Fiorentina.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 14 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #14.
Let's take a look.
Ray Whitney - 2001-2003 - Drafted by San Jose in 1991.
Whitney played 151 games as a Jacket and was the Captain for one. During the one year he was the Captain, he scored 24 goals and totaled 76 points, which set a CBJ record. Ray Whitney is the best player to have worn #14 for the Blue Jackets.
When Ray Whitney was traded to the Blue Jackets, the 28-year-old had already played 528 games in the NHL spanning 10 seasons. But he had never played a full 82-game season; he only averaged 53 games a year. So, when the CBJ traded for him in 2001, fans were as excited as ever for the fledgling franchise. They were getting a goal-scorer and a relatively young playmaker.
After his time with Columbus, he went on to play for another 10 years and a total of 1,330 games. He played a total of 22 seasons in the NHL and had over 1,000 points. He would retire in 2015.
In a game at Nationwide Arena in November of 2001 against the St. Louis Blues, Whitney would score this goal, which is still a legendary goal in CBJ history. The radio call from play-by-play icon George Matthews, with his partner Bill Davidge, still gives me chills.
Greg Mauldin - 2004 - Drafted by Columbus in 2002.
Played 6 games for Columbus and had no points. He went on to play 30 more NHL games after leaving Columbus.
Mauldin left for Europe in 2012, where he played in Switzerland, Russia, Germany, and Norway. He played until 2024 before retiring.
Raffi Torres - 2009-2010 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2000.
Torres played 111 games for the Jackets and had 51 points. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on March 3, 2010.
Torres retired on November 5, 2016.
Grant Clitsome - 2011-2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2004.
He played 93 games for Columbus and had 36 points before being put on waivers on February 26, 2012.
On June 1, 2016, Clitsome retired after suffering a serious shoulder injury.
Blake Comeau - 2013-2014 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2004.
Comeau played 79 games and had 21 points for the CBJ. In the summer of 2014, he left in free agency to join the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He would go on to play 909 games in the NHL and retired during the 21-22 season.
Dean Kukan - 2015-2022 - Kukan is undrafted out of Volketswil, Switzerland.
Dean Kukan made his NHL debut in March of 2016 after playing the majority of the season with the Lake Erie Monsters. After playing in 8 games near the end of the season, he was sent back to Lake Erie and would help the Monsters win their first-ever Calder Cup. He had 5 points in 17 playoff games.
Kukan would bounce up and down between Columbus and Cleveland until 2022. He would play a total of 153 games for the CBJ and total 30 points. Where he excelled was in the minors, though. He played in 142 games for Lake Erie/Cleveland and totaled 59 points as a fairly skilled two-way defenseman.
After the 2022 season, Kukan made the decision to return to Europe. He returned to his home country of Switzerland to play for his original club, the ZSC Lions, on a five-year contract.
Kukan is also routinely chosen to represent the Swiss in international competitions. He played in the 2025 IIHF Worlds where he scored 9 points in 10 games.
Gustav Nyquist - 2020-2023 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2004.
Nyquist played 200 games as a Jacket before being traded to the Minnesota Wild in 2023. During his time in Columbus, which included a missed season due to injury, he scored 43 goals and had 117 points.
After being traded to the Wild, he would leave that summer and sign with the Nashville Predators in 2023 on a two-year deal. On 1 March 2025, he was traded back to the Wild to finish the season. On 2 July 2025, Nyquist signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
Gus Nyquist and his family still live in the Columbus area.
Joseph LaBate - 2025 - Drafted by Vancouver in 2011.
LaBate played a total of six games for the Blue Jackets during the 2024-25 season. He originally signed a PTO with the Cleveland Monsters, but in November, the CBJ signed him to a one-year deal, which allowed him to play for Columbus.
LaBate signed a one-year deal with Vancouver this past offseason.
There are 14 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
The pre-season schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Sept. 30 vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
* Games in bold are home games *
After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
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The Buffalo Sabres made a significant roster reduction after their fourth exhibition game on Saturday, sending a total of 24 players to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, including 2021 first-rounder Isak Rosen, 2024 first-rounder Konsta Helenius, and goaltender Devon Levi. On Sunday, the club continued to diminish their roster, placing center Jake Leschyshyn and defenseman Zachary Jones on waivers for the purpose of sending them down to the American Hockey League.
Leschyshyn was a 2017 draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights and spent five seasons in the organization until he was claimed off of waivers by the NY Rangers in January, 2023. The 26-year-old center was spent the majority of his two-and-a-half seasons in the Rangers organization with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and in the summer he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sabres.
Jones, 24, was a third-round pick of the Rangers in 2019 who played two seasons with UMass Amherst before turning pro in 2021. The blueliner saw spot duty with New York over five seasons, compiling 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) in 115 games, and did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers in June. The Sabres signed Jones to a one-year, two-way deal for $900,000 on the opening day of free agency.
The Sabres will be down to 30 players and will need to get down to 23 players before the start of the regular season on October 9. Currently on the roster are three goalies (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Alexandar Georgiev), 2019 first-rounder Ryan Johnson, 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund, and 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka. Luukkonen is expected to play at least one of the final two preseason games against Pittsburgh, which will go a long way in determining whether the club will carry two or three goalies going into the season.
Raphielle Johnson
