Ottawa Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk Out… But With An Entirely New Injury

The Buffalo Sabres, currently in last place in the Eastern Conference, are set to extend their NHL record playoff drought to 14 seasons. So when they face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, the Senators would prefer the Sabres didn’t skewer them for a fourth straight loss.

Buffalo has won all three games so far by a combined score of 12-3, and as they try to avoid a season sweep, the Senators won't have their captain on board.

Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

With Ottawa now holding a comfortable seven-point lead in the Wild Card race, Tkachuk’s absence isn’t unexpected. It's a fine strategy to rest key players like Tkachuk, who've been dealing with lingering injuries.

However, Senators head coach Travis Green told the media on Tuesday morning that Tkachuk’s injury is something new. It’s an upper-body issue, completely unrelated to the nagging injury he’s been playing through over the past few weeks.

Tkachuk's new injury happened in Pittsburgh on Sunday when he skated into Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves in the neutral zone. Simply put, while changing direction, Tkachuk wasn’t looking where he was going. After going down in pain, he skated off the ice and into the dressing room, but returned to play in the third period, likely fueled only by adrenaline.

Unfortunately, things obviously worsened after the game, and he won’t be available for Tuesday’s contest against the Sabres.

“Yeah, it’s not what you want, that’s for sure,” Green told the media. “But that’s part of the NHL. You’re going to lose guys, and hopefully he’s only out for a game.”

Last month, Tkachuk was emotional when the Senators traded his close friend, Josh Norris, to the Sabres. This game might’ve been their reunion, but with both players sidelined by injuries, that’s on hold until next season. Norris will miss his 10th consecutive game on Tuesday and didn’t travel to Ottawa. Neither did Tkachuk’s former Boston University teammate, Jordan Greenway, who's also injured.

Tkachuk’s spot on the roster will be filled by Angus Crookshank, who’s been shuffled between Belleville and Ottawa in recent games. Crookshank, a UFA this summer, gets a good opportunity, and Green says he's excited to see him in action.

“I thought last time up, he played some good hockey for us,” Green said. “He’s a feisty player, he's got good hands, and is strong on his skates. Excited for him to get into the lineup.”

Crookshank will skate on the fourth line, taking the spot of Michael Amadio, who’s been playing phenomenal two-way hockey of late. Amadio moves up to the third line while Claude Giroux takes Tkachuk's spot on Tim Stützle’s left side.

Aside from Tkachuk’s absence, which is concerning, and Linus Ullmark starting in net, Green’s lineup will remain the same as it was in the 1-0 OT loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. James Reimer is expected to start again for Buffalo.

Senators Projected Lineup:

Claude Giroux - Tim Stützle - Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore - Adam Gaudette - Angus Crookshank

Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg

Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee), Brady Tkachuk (upper body)

Sabres Projected Lineup:

Zach Benson - Jiri Kulich - Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker - Peyton Krebs - Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn - Tyson Kozak - Sam Lafferty

Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram - Connor Clifton

James Reimer
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Scratched: Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen
Injured: Jordan Greenway (lower body), Josh Norris (middle body)

Faceoff is at 7pm (TSN5 and RDS2) at Canadian Tire Centre.

Three Takeaways From Avalanche's 3-2 Loss To The Calgary Flames

 Samuel Girard (left); Roope Hintz (right) -- Isaiah J. Downing, USA TODAY Images

The Colorado Avalanche suffered their second straight loss Monday, falling to the Calgary Flames by a 3-2 score in a shootout. Here are three key takeaways from the Avs' loss, which dropped Colorado's season record to 45-26-4:

1. Avs Blow Two-Goal Lead, Squander Opportunity To Gain Ground In Central Divsion Playoff Race

For the first two periods of Monday's tilt against the Flames, Colorado looked like it was going to get back on track and stop a two-game losing skid from happening. The Avalanche out-shot Calgary 21-12 through 40 minutes and took a two-goal lead into the third frame, but they were out-shot 11-5 in the third period and blew a chance to win the game in regulation time.

The Avs' loss -- even with the 'loser point' -- failed to make up much ground in the Central race, as Colorado is now eight standings points behind second-place Dallas, and the Stars have a game in hand on the Avalanche. It was still going to be diffcult to overtake Dallas for second spot in the Central, but this loss pretty much assures the Avs of a third-place finish in the division.

2. MacKinnon, Makar Continue To Dominate, Even In Losing Effort

Avalanche superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar had another strong game Monday, collaborating on Colorado's opening goal against the Flames. Makar scored his 28th goal of the season Monday, while MacKinnon had the primary assist -- his 80th of the season -- on Makar's goal.

MacKinnon's assist keeps him as the league leader in helpers this season, while Makar's goal extends his lead as the NHL's top-scoring defenseman. Together, Makar and MacKinnon give the Avalanche a chance to win each and every night, and even on nights where the Avs don't get the 'W', MacKinnon and Makar stand out in a positive way.

3. With Wild's Loss, Avalanche Is All But Assured Of Finishing In Third Place In Central 

The Avalanche's defeat opened the door for the fourth-place-in-the-Central Minnesota Wild to gain ground on the Avs. However, the Wild fell 3-2 in a shootout to the New Jersey Devils -- and that means Minnesota remains six standings points behind Colorado, with both the Wild and Avs each having seven regular-season games left to play.

Barring some collapse by the Avalanche, Minnesota is going to stay a wild card team in the Western Conference, while the Avs are more or less locked into a first-round series against the Stars. There's still a chance the first-place Winnipeg Jets fall below Dallas into second place in the Central, but that's also highly-unlikey.

Ultimately, Colorado and Dallas are headed for a first-round showdown, and the Avalanche are going to be facing a Stars team with an imposing 27-7-2 home record this season. The Avs have a relatively-disappointing 20-15-1 road mark this season, so they'll have to be much better away from home if they're to make it to the second round and beyond. But falling to the Flames Monday all but assures Colorado of what could be the toughest first-round matchup of any first-round series this spring.

Philadelphia hopes to re-sign Quentin Grimes, if they can afford to

You have to look hard for bright spots in this Philadelphia 76ers season, but Quentin Grimes is one of them. Since being traded to Philadelphia from Dallas as part of the Caleb Martin deal, Grimes has averaged 21.8 points a game while shooting 39.2% from 3, plus adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists a night.

Grimes is a restricted free agent this offseason and the 76ers hope to re-sign him, reports Marc Stein in his weekly newsletter.

The challenge is how much Grimes could make and if Philadelphia can afford it.

Grimes' market is tough to predict. Keith Smith at Spotac projects a four-year, $100 million contract, while I think that sounds high, something close to $20 million a season is a fair bet on the potential of the 24-year-old who has shown he is more than a 3&D guy. That said, only Brooklyn has the cap space to max Grimes out, and that's not the direction the Nets are looking, and it's hard to see another team coming in with an offer that Philadelphia would not match.

That said, the 76ers have their own challenges. Philadelphia is on the hook for $149.1 million next season for just their big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, plus Jared McCain. That leaves the Sixers about $5 million below the salary cap number with at least 10 roster spots to fill. The real numbers to watch are the luxury-tax line (an estimated $187.9 million) and the second tax apron ($207.8 million).

Things add up quickly. The 76ers have tanked of late in hopes of retaining their first-round draft pick (they owe it to Oklahoma City, top-six protected). If Philly lands in the top six, that rookie will cost at least $8 million and up to as much as $13 million next season. Also, Grimes is not the only player the 76ers want to bring back. There is Kelly Oubre, who is expected to opt out of his $8.4 million and become a free agent, as well as unrestricted free agent Guerschon Yabusele.

The reality: Philly is likely only going to be able to bring back two of Grimes, Oubre, and Yabusele. Maybe things shake out differently, but with a top-heavy roster, it will be difficult for Daryl Morey to fill out the roster with quality players and stay below the aprons.

Whatever the 76ers choose, expect some team to step up and pay Grimes this season. The trade from Dallas to Philly could not have worked out much better for him.

3 observations after Sixers set NBA starting lineups record in defeat to Knicks

3 observations after Sixers set NBA starting lineups record in defeat to Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Sixers tied their season-high losing streak and dipped to 30 games under .500 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Their ninth consecutive loss was a 105-91 decision to the Knicks.

Quentin Grimes had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the 23-53 Sixers.

The 48-27 Knicks’ top scorer was OG Anunoby with 27 points.

Eight Sixers were out with injuries. Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain) hasn’t played since March 3.

“He did practice (Friday). It went just medium,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame of Maxey. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, that was great’ … but he’s still working out today. He’ll work out tomorrow. And again, we’re hoping he feels a little bit better.

“He got a splint put on there and kind of liked it, but then it was bothering him post-practice a little bit. But again, we’re working him out and trying to get him back on the court.” 

The Knicks’ sidelined players included Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness). 

The Sixers will return home and face the Bucks on Thursday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Knicks: 

Record-breaking night

The Sixers set a new NBA record before the game even tipped off. 

Through 76 games, the injury-cursed Sixers have used an unprecedented 52 starting lineups. Tuesday’s first unit was Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV, Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV and Adem Bona. 

Lineup No. 52 was certainly not the Sixers’ best. Grimes turned the ball over on the game’s first possession and Mitchell Robinson threw down a put-back dunk on the other end. An Anunoby three-pointer gave the Knicks a 9-1 edge. 

There’s many, many factors that have contributed to the Sixers’ woefully disappointing season. The simplest one is perhaps most important: Their team health has been historically poor. 

Lowry back at it 

Kyle Lowry got his first action since Feb. 9, checking in with Jared Butler at the 5:19 mark of the first quarter.

The 39-year-old guard has struggled with a right hip injury this year, but he didn’t plan to end it on the bench. 

“He’s been dealing with this hip issue for most of the season,” Nurse said. “He’s been working hard to try to get back and it took some time. Recently, he’s been feeling better, and he wants to play.”

The Sixers made a 7-0 run late in the first quarter and Lowry had a solid stretch. He tossed a high-low assist to Bona and nabbed a steal when he ripped the ball out of Anunoby’s hands. Nurse had forecast short stints for Lowry, but he played nearly nine minutes before subbing out.

Lowry ended up logging 16 total minutes Tuesday. He had zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, two assists, two steals, a block and a rebound.

Lottery odds outlook

The Sixers only mustered 16 points in the second quarter.

They started 3 for 18 as a team from three-point range and committed 13 first-half turnovers. Giveaways by Edwards and Marcus Bagley late in the second quarter led to two straight New York fast-break dunks. The Sixers trailed by 17 points at halftime.

To the Sixers’ credit, they played a strong third quarter. Two Walker layups cut the Sixers’ deficit down to 67-62.

The Knicks restored a comfortable lead by early in the fourth quarter. Former Sixer Landry Shamet sunk wide-open jumpers, Anunoby slammed in a big and-one dunk on Walker, and New York cruised to victory.

For the Sixers, it’s yet another positive step in terms of NBA draft lottery odds. After Tuesday, here’s how things stand:

  • Fourth-best odds: Pelicans (21-54)
  • Fifth-best: Sixers (23-53)
  • Sixth-best: Nets (25-51)

Mets prospect Jett Williams 100 percent healthy, expected to receive more reps in CF

Here’s the latest from some of the Mets’ top prospects at Double-A media day…


Jett the Met is 100 percent

Last season didn’t quite go as planned forJett Williams. 

The No. 2 ranked prospect on SNY’s Top 30 list had his development slowed down a bit as he was limited to just 33 games after undergoing a wrist procedure that kept him sidelined for a little over four months.

Williams was able to make his way back down the stretch and then participated in both the Arizona Fall League and big-league spring training -- so now he’s feeling 100 percent heading into the Double-A season. 

The versatile youngster will continue receiving reps at all three positions up the middle -- but he told reporters on Tuesday at Binghamton Media Day that the team is planning on giving him more time in center field this year.

“It doesn't matter to me, as long as I’m on the field whether that’s at short, second, center. They told me I was going to be getting more reps in center, but at the end of the day, it’s just going out there, and just being on the field and staying healthy.” 

Williams has appeared in 33 games in center to this point in his career -- but if he can master the position and regain his dominant form at the plate while staying healthy, he just might be able to continue cruising his way through the system. 

Clifford looking to be more consistent, will play some OF 

Ryan Clifford is another one of the Mets’ top prospects who will start the year on a loaded Binghamton squad. 

The young slugger had gotten off to a slow start last year in the pitcher-friendly confines of Single-A Brooklyn -- but after receiving a promotion to Double-A, he returned to his power-hitting form and finished the season on a high note.

He popped 18 homers, 21 doubles, and recorded a .359 on-base percentage in 99 games. 

After working on some things this offseason and being around some of the Mets’ top sluggers throughout big-league camp, Clifford is looking to add more consistency to his game this year in Binghamton. 

"If I can do my best to put the bat on the ball, good things happen," he said.

Defensively, the plan is for him to spend the majority of his time at first base for the first month of the season and then to get some reps in the outfield in an effort to continue increasing his versatility. 

Clifford played 60 of his 130 games in the outfield last season. 

Morabito ready for opportunity 

Nick Morabito is one of the newcomers for this Double-A squad.  

The second-round pick is making the leap up from Brooklyn after putting together a tremendous campaign in which he took home the Mets' Minor League Player of the Year award after leading the organization in batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.403), stolen bases (59), and hits (142).

The jump from Single-A to Double-A is usually a big one, but he feels ready for the promotion. 

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to be here in Binghamton,” he said. “I’m ready for the opportunity and ready to take it on -- I'm going to embrace it, and I just want to be on the field as much as possible and allow my game to play itself.”

For those of you not familiar with his game -- SNY’s Joe DeMayo notes that Morabito has an above-average hit tool, above-average plate discipline, and is a plus athlete in center with tremendous speed. 

He only appeared in one spring training game because of a wrist issue but is 100 percent heading into the season.

Morabito is the 14th-ranked prospect in the organization according to DeMayo, and he could improve upon his floor of a fourth outfielder profile if he can become more of a gap-to-gap line drive hitter.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

Forest completed their first league double over United since 1992 thanks to Anthony Elanga’s glorious nine-second 93-yard dash

2 min: Gibbs-White chases a long pass down the left. He can’t get past De Ligt, who initially looked out of position and did well to get back to stop the Forest man nipping away.

Manchester United get the ball rolling. Nuno looks relaxed in the dugout, Amorim smiling as he prowls the touchline. Here we go, then.

Continue reading...

NBA futures betting 2025: Odds, expert picks, predictions including Evan Mobley for DPOY

It's nearing the end of the regular season and a few NBA awards are heating up like Defensive Player of the Year as Draymond Green, Evan Mobley, and Dyson Daniels battle it out in a three-player race.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley (+130)

Draymond Green surpassed Evan Mobley as the favorite for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, but I am not buying it.

There are multiple layers to why Green has surpassed Mobley, such as the Cavaliers' recent four-game losing streak that factored into the Thunder leapfrogging Cleveland for the NBA's best record, while the Warriors have gone 18-5 since acquiring Jimmy Butler, ranking second in defensive net rating during that span.

That acquisition of Butler is very important for this race. Before the trade, the Warriors were 25-26, and not one single person said Green should be the defensive player of the year or that he was in second place behind Victor Wembanyama before his injury. Since the trade, Golden State is 18-5 and in the sixth and final playoff spot -- avoiding the play-in.

Now, a lot of experts, and Green himself, are pushing this narrative that he should win his second DPOY. I don't think his self-campaign is enough and the Warriors' late resurgence makes him deserving. Butler is a much larger reason why Golden State is better defensively and winning games. Not Green, who was there for the 25-26 first-half run of the season and barely cracked the top 10-12 in defensive net rating.

Mobley leads over Green in defensive win shares (3.4 vs 3.0), net rating (108.3 vs 108.9), defensive rebounding percentage (24.3% vs 19.1%), block percentage (4.8%), blocks (106 vs 63) and team success (60-15 vs 43-31). Green does lead Mobley in steals (87 vs 53) and fouls (191 vs 129), while having one of his lowest usage rates in years (15.7%) compared to the opposite for Mobley (22.6%).

All glitter ain't gold and I think Green's DPOY campaign has a lot of glitter. Give me Mobley between +110 and +130 odds to win his first award.

Pick: Evan Mobley to win Defensive Player of the Year (1u)

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Webb shows off new pitch mix vs. Astros as Giants keep rolling

Webb shows off new pitch mix vs. Astros as Giants keep rolling originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

HOUSTON — It’s not unusual for a player to return to his locker after a game and find a baseball in a glass case. It’s the move for any milestone, from a first hit (which Christian Koss is chasing) to a 100th (Tyler Fitzgerald is one away). It’s a way to commemorate big homers, big wins or your 200th double, but the Giants are putting a twist on the tradition this season.

Logan Webb had a glass case in his locker after Tuesday’s 3-1 win, but if the Giants come out on top again on Wednesday, it won’t belong to him anymore. Willy Adames had one, too, but he might not be the owner for long, either.

The Giants are celebrating wins by choosing a Player of the Game and a Pitcher of the Game, and their names are written on the two baseballs by bench coach Ryan Christenson, who might have the best calligraphy in the game. The hope is that everyone is involved, and that the balls make their way around the clubhouse. 

Webb was disappointed by his performance in the opener last Thursday, but he looked like his old self Tuesday, and he smiled as he looked up at the baseball in his locker. In a win over the Houston Astros that clinched a winning road trip, Webb threw seven innings and showed his evolution as a pitcher. 

The face of the franchise has always been known for two things: Piling up innings and dominating hitters with a sinker-changeup combination down in the zone. But on Tuesday, Webb was a four-pitch guy, and he bordered on five pitches. He has full faith in his cutter, developed last season and sharpened this spring, and he’ll mix in the occasional four-seamer to give him a third fastball he can elevate. 

“I’m just trying to mix it up, I’m trying not to be a one-dimensional guy,” Webb said. “That fastball up, whether it’s the two-seam, four-seam or cutter, it can be kind of a game changer.”

Yordan Alvarez learned that the hard way in his first at-bat. The Astros superstar swung through a cutter that was up and outside, one of six strikeouts for Webb. In the seventh, with a runner on first and a two-run lead, Webb threw him a slider down and in. Alvarez again struck out.

The two strikeouts showed why Webb is so excited about his cutter in particular. He’s now comfortable elevating on some of the best hitters in the game, and once that’s in their head, he can attack every part of the strike zone. 

“It’s just a different look for me, and being able to do that and trying to mix things up to certain hitters that maybe I don’t match up the best with, I think those are situations where I can throw something like that,” Webb said. 

The previous version of Webb would have had his name on the Pitcher of the Game ball often. He’s been one of the game’s best since his breakout 2021 MLB season, but at the age of 28, he’s hoping to evolve. Hitters taught him some lessons last year. Now it’s time to return the favor. 

“You saw some of the takes and some of the swings — it’s different now,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Alvarez [got] a couple in, a cutter in, he’s never seen that one from him before. With the sweeper and changeup, it’s really a four-pitch mix and it’s both sides of the plate, which is going to make him better. He needed all that tonight.”

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Aaron Boone on Yankees' 'personalized' torpedo bats; Adam Ottavino having 'a lot left in there'

Ahead of the Yankees opening a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night in The Bronx, manager Aaron Boone, in answering questions about the hot topic of the torpedo bats, discussed the level of organizational thought that went into the equipment change and discussed the signing reliever Adam Ottavino on a big league deal.


Run (not so) silent, run deep

Over the last three days, the shape of lumber has become the main story of the new season.

“I’m kinda starting to smile at it a little more,” the manager of the team at the center of the new controversial but MLB-approved bats said.

“It’s taken on a life of its own. A lot of things that aren’t real,” he continued. “I really just look at it as the evolution of equipment, and I think I said the other day, I went and got fitted for golf clubs 10 years ago. This is essentially that. This is all within regulations.”

In keeping with the analogy of golf clubs to bats, Boone indicated that there is “a lot more to it” than just, say, selecting the “torpedo bat off the shelf over there, 34-32."

“Our guys are way more invested in it than that,” he added. “Really personalized, really work with our plays in creating this stuff. But it’s equipment evolving.”

Boone said it is “to each their own” when it comes to the club recommending a certain bat to a player, but he seemed to indicate that the organization is involved in working with the players on figuring out what bat would work best for them.

“We want to create an environment where we’re not missing anything, we’re not missing any chance to help a player become their best or optimize a player,” he said. “Ultimately, it's up to the players. How much information do you want? That’s on individual players and us to help educate. But, ultimately, it comes down to what works for you.”

While the league is now aware of the new bats, the manager "doesn't necessarily know that everyone 'knows about it,'" he said while adding air quotes around the final three words. When asked about the distinction, he seemed to imply that awareness of the torpedo bats is "different than knowing about it," he said while pointing for emphasis.

“I think there’s just a lot more that goes into it” than just deciding to use the torpedo bat, the manager added. “A lot went into doing that for our individual guys, and it’s a lot more than just the look of the bat.”

He added: “I think there’s a lot more to it. That even I don’t know all about it, I’m not smart enough to know all of that stuff, but I think there’s more to it.”

But with that being said, how much of an impact do the new bats have? The manager isn’t sure.

"Hopefully what doesn’t get lost in this: It's about the player. It’s about the hitter. It's about the person swinging it,” he said. “Understandably, I get it. It's getting a lot of attention right now. But yes, ultimately, when the dust settles here, it's about players performing.”

Boone stressed he doesn’t see this as giving any player a big advantage: “You’re trying to just, where you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit. And that’s really all you’re gonna do. It’s not like this is some sort of revelation… It’s not related to the weekend we had. I don’t think it’s that.”

He said for some players in some cases it “may help them incrementally.”

Mar 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) follows through on a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Yankee Stadium.
Mar 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) follows through on a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In discussing how the bats work, Boone wanted to dispel a notion, saying that it was “wrong to say we’re moving the sweet spot” with the torpedo bats.

“It’s no moving. Big leaguers don’t not hit the ball off the barrel. The worst of big leaguers they hit the ball off the barrel more than they [don’t],” he said. “You’re trying to just optimize the weight of the bat and take out wasted spots that you don’t use.”

Boone said he was aware Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino were using torpedo bats last season. Stanton was asked if the new lumber was the "bat adjustments" he said earlier this year that may have contributed to his elbow injuries.

"You're not going to get the story you're looking for, so if that's what you guys want, that isn't going to happen,” the slugger said, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Stanton added that he will use a torpedo bat when he returns from the IL.

Ottavino has chance to stick

Reports of Ottavino throwing the ball much better during the end of spring training with the Boston Red Sox helped nudge the Yankees to sign the veteran reliever for a second stint with the club, the manager said.

“He’s kinda been on our board a little bit. I know the front office [has] been talking about him the last couple weeks as a potential,” Boone said. “Felt like what he was doing back-end of spring training was in-line with who Otto is.”

And with closer Devin Williams going on the paternity list, Boone said the club “felt like it an opportunity to get him in here and excited to have him back.”

Ottavino regained his form after back-to-back down seasons during his first year with the Mets in 2022, pitching to a 2.06 ERA and 0.975 WHIP over 65.2 innings. But the veteran saw his effectiveness decline over the following two years and his ERA climb to 4.34 and WHIP to 1.286 over 56 innings.

“I think he’s got a lot left in there,” Boone said. “He’s still been very effective, really, throughout his entire career.”

While the Yanks will have a decision to make on the roster when Williams returns, the skipper left the door open for the 39-year-old to stick around.

“We’ll see, we’ll see,” he said, before adding that his two seasons in The Bronx during 2019 and 2020 provide a level of familiarity.

“When we first got him, we brought him in to kinda be that righty killer, high-leverage, set-up [man,] and he delivered on that,” Boone said. “And, obviously, very familiar with what it takes to play here… and he’s played [with] the Mets and Boston. This [pressure environment] is what he knows.

“This is a chance to get a quality pitcher in here, and hopefully it can help us. And where it goes, we’ll see.”

Will The Winnipeg Jets Win The Stanley Cup This Season — Five Years After THN Predicted They Would?

(APR 6, 2015 -- VOL. 68, ISSUE 19)

The Winnipeg Jets have been one of the NHL's best teams this season, and many believe they'll go on a deep Stanley Cup playoff run this spring. But in THN's 2015 Future Watch edition, we predicted the Jets would win the Cup -- in 2019:

PLAN THE PARADE

By Ken Campbell

All right, let's get one thing out of the way. It gets cold in Winnipeg. Ten months of winter and two months of bad skating. Heh-heh. The day this piece was written in mid-February, it was forecasted to go down to minus-38. Don’t bother with the Celsius to Fahrenheit calculations. When it’s that cold, they’re pretty much the same.

There are bigger cities in the NHL (about 25 of them) that play in bigger arenas (about 29). There are other places where a star can slide right under the radar if he wants. There are places with lower taxes and places where your Bentley won’t get wrecked by road salt. There are places with a few more entertainment options.

These are the obstacles the Winnipeg Jets face when it comes to attracting free agents and getting players to waive their no-trade clauses to go there. In fact, a recent informal study found Winnipeg and Edmonton to be the two least desirable destinations in the NHL. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff talks about how well the organization treats its players and how, once they get there, players actually like it. But when your only exposure to the place is a road trip in the middle of the winter, perception sometimes becomes reality.

“It’s not shocking for me that people don’t understand what Winnipeg is all about,” Cheveldayoff said. “They haven’t been here for a long time. I do believe that once we get a player here and they see how we treat the players, they’ll want to stay. We’ve said it from Day 1, once players come here, they’re going to enjoy being here. And we know the kids we draft and the kids we develop, they’re going to know from Day 1 what it’s like to be part of the Jets family, and they’re going to embrace that.”

And there you have it. If you can’t entice players to your organization because they don’t like hockey weather or they’re too closed-minded, then you get the players who have no choice in the matter and get them to fall in love with the place. Drafting and developing has never been a more important tool in the NHL than it is in the salary cap era. And it’s even more so for places like Winnipeg, where cultivating your own talent is more practical than poaching it from other teams.

On that count, the Jets get a gold star and a direct route to the head of the class. Their group of non-NHL prospects and under-22 players on their roster is the best in the NHL, according to a panel of 13 scouts, GMs and directors of player personnel. And if their prospect group wasn’t good enough already, Cheveldayoff added two more in Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux in the Evander Kane trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Not only that, he has another late first-round pick coming to him in that deal.

Combined with the Jets as they’re currently constituted – a good, fast, young team with a progressive coach – the future looks outstanding. Like, Stanley Cup contender outstanding. As we already have the Buffalo Sabres pencilled in for the Cup in 2020, we’re picking the Jets and their band of young stars to be parading down Portage Avenue with the silver chalice in the spring of 2019. Caveat: grain of salt required. In our 1991 Draft Preview edition, we chose the Jets to win the Stanley Cup within five years. Not only did they not win the Cup in that time, they ceased to exist five years later.

But you get the idea. The Jets have loaded up on young talent and have held onto it. And they have every position covered. In the NHL, Jacob Trouba has the makings of an outstanding two-way defenseman. Mark Scheifele has all kinds of speed and skill, and Adam Lowry is establishing himself as a big, imposing force up front. Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little, two of the team’s top forwards, are signed long-term, as are Tobias Enstrom and Tyler Myers, two of their key defensemen.

When it comes to their prospects, they have the most dangerous offensive player in the QMJHL in Nikolaj Ehlers and a host of other productive players in Lemieux, Nic Petan and Andrew Copp. They have one of Canada’s world junior goalies in Eric Comrie and also a rookie backstopping their AHL team in Connor Hellebuyck. Josh Morrissey was named to the WJC all-star team, and Armia looks ready for NHL duty.

But the Jets and Cheveldayoff have had to be among the league’s elite when it comes to drafting and developing. That’s because it took Cheveldayoff almost four full years to make an NHL player-for-NHL player trade. In that time, he didn’t move a single Jets prospect of note and gave up only one second-round pick – in what turned out to be a bad deal with the Minnesota Wild for Devin Setoguchi in 2013. Before making his blockbuster with Buffalo, Cheveldayoff had traded away more picks than he got back, though all but a handful of them were after the third round and none of them in the first.

So if his scouts were doing their jobs well, and it looks as though they were, the Jets should have a healthy stable of young players preparing for the NHL. But it also requires an organizational philosophy that centers on building through the draft. And the Jets, unlike a lot of other teams, are in a market where they had a couple years to grow. The folks in Winnipeg waited a long time to get their NHL team back and were willing to give the new management team a honeymoon period of non-playoff finishes before they started getting restless.

That time, though, has come, which has led some to the opinion that it’s time to start parlaying some of those assets into roster players from other teams. After all, going back to the Atlanta days, it’s been eight years since this organization last played a playoff game, which is the second longest current drought in the NHL next to Edmonton.

“It’s been a long time, no question,” Cheveldayoff said. “But the process we started the day we took over is a slow one. It’s not one where you’re going to get instant gratification. It’s been a full, methodical process, but we’re seeing the fruits of our labor right now. We’ll look at all our options, but we’re excited with the group of young players we have, and we think some of them are going to turn the corner quickly and be contributors at the NHL level.”

And it’s interesting to note these aren’t your father’s Jets. This is a team in a new rink that sells 15,004 tickets for each game and has cost certainty on its side. Where teams now have to take advantage of their financial positions is off the ice, investing in resources and people that aren’t constrained by a salary cap. To that end, the Jets have seven pro scouts and 14 full- and part-time amateur scouts, a scouting co-ordinator, a director of fitness and a two-man player development department. That’s one of the larger staffs in the NHL devoted to something that is a make or break aspect of the game.

It helps that the Jets have a decent economy, new building and well-heeled bosses with an appreciation for the long term. “We have an ownership group that is extremely committed to doing things the right way,” Cheveldayoff said. “From Day 1, they’ve viewed drafting and developing as an investment, not as an expense. When you get into the boardroom and start dealing with budgets and things like that, the easiest thing to cut is something you don’t see. You barely see the amateur scouts because they’re on the road all the time and it’s an easy cut. But in that aspect, we’ve never been shortchanged.”

Everything is set for the Jets to have a future full of serious Stanley Cup runs. With a management team that has finally begun to address the present, while keeping an eye to the future, the Jets are on the precipice of something special.

We’re predicting a Stanley Cup in 2019. After all, when you’ve waited as long as Winnipeg has to get your team back, what’s a couple more years to bide your time for the top prize? Cheveldayoff likes the sound of that but isn’t about to pre-order his Stanley Cup stationary. “I’m focusing on being a 2015 playoff team right now,” he said.