The Kings are counting on Dennis Schröder’s on-ball defense to lighten Keegan Murray’s workload. With the veteran guard joining the starting unit, Murray said he expects to spend less time guarding opposing point guards — a shift that could free him up for other matchups.
“I think with Dennis, obviously it helps,” Murray said. “I won’t guard as many point guards as I did. Obviously, they’ll be versatile in where I guard, obviously, the best player on the court. But, obviously, Dennis is able to do that too. So, it’ll be interesting to see once we get into the season.”
Schröder, entering his 12th NBA season, has built a reputation as a relentless defender. The 32-year-old German guard averages 0.8 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game across his career.
That skill set could be crucial for a Sacramento team that finished last season with a 115.68 defensive rating, a number that often undercut the Kings’ high-powered offense.
With Schröder applying pressure on the perimeter, the Kings hope Murray can focus on defending bigger wings and conserving energy for his expanding offensive role.
“Obviously, with Dennis, it helps me a lot in the starting unit to pick up four court, disrupt the ball handling and things like that,” Murray added. “We’ve seen improvement. At this point, it’s just going out against someone else and going out against the opponent, not obviously making that happen in the game. So, you can’t really just do it in practice and not do it in the game.”
Murray averaged 12.4 points and 6/7 rebounds last season while shooting .343 percent from three.
The Kings will find out soon enough if Schröder’s defensive edge can help Murray — and the team — strike a better balance.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty has missed all of training camp and the preseason with an upper-body injury.
General manager and president Kyle Dubas announced before camp started that McGroarty would be out indefinitely with this injury, which was a tough blow to the team. He was set to compete for a spot on the opening-night roster after looking NHL-ready during his second stint in the league at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Despite being out with the injury, he made progress in his quest to return on Friday, skating on the ice for the first time during training camp.
It's unlikely that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season on Tuesday, but it's still great news that he's back on the ice. McGroarty showed instant chemistry with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby at the end of the 2024-25 season and could get more reps with him once he's ready to return.
McGroarty played in eight NHL games last season, compiling one goal and three points. He also played in 60 games for the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, compiling 14 goals and 39 points.
The Penguins will play their final game of the preseason on Friday at 7 p.m. ET against the Buffalo Sabres.
It had to be this way in the ALDS, didn’t it? After the Yankees and Blue Jays tied for the best record in the league during the regular season and chased each other all year, it’s only right that they meet now with their playoff lives at stake.
And it’s a tasty matchup, too, with New York's raw might clashing with Toronto’s less-brawny-but-mighty-effective offense. The Yanks and Jays ranked first and fourth, respectively, in MLB in runs per game this year.
The Blue Jays are rested, thanks to owning the division tiebreaker with the Yankees. They claimed the season series, beating them in eight of 13 games and outscoring them, 70-59. Home field advantage could be big in this series, too, considering the Blue Jays won six of seven at Rogers Centre and the Yankees took four of six in the Bronx.
Toronto has some rotation questions, but New York's starters are on a heater. Does Vladimir Guerrero Jr. alter his personal postseason narrative? Or does Aaron Judge, who knows a few things about having a postseason rep, lead the Yanks by destroying the series with longballs?
WHAT THE YANKEES HAVE GOING FOR THEM
It’s always worth starting with Judge, the fulcrum of the game’s best offense. The Yanks hit 274 home runs this season and Judge smashed 53 of them, while also leading the universe in rate stats -- so much so that the AL MVP race might be neck-and-neck between Judge and Cal Raleigh, the Mariners catcher who hit 60 (!) homers.
Judge went 4-for-11 (.364) as the Yankees topped the Red Sox in their best-of-three Wild Card series. All of his hits were singles, but he did raise his career October average to .212.
It’s also worth noting that the homer-centric Yankees hit only two in three games against the Red Sox and still won. That’s how good their rotation was (1.33 ERA in 20.1 innings).
Max Fried was exceptional in the opener, delivering 6.1 shutout innings, and Cam Schlittler was so good in his dominant Game 3 start that his name will probably be a forever-pejorative in his native Boston, alongside Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone.
Schlittler threw eight shutout innings and struck out a dozen, sending researchers deep into the record books to produce stat links to names such as Waite Hoyt, Spec Shea and Roger Clemens.
Overall, the Yankees' rotation has been soaring. In 52 starts since Aug. 5, their starters have a 2.80 ERA and have allowed two earned runs or fewer in 41 of those games. Luis Gil or Will Warren figure to have an impact early in this series, depending on how Boone lines up his arms. If the rotation can give a sometimes-shaky bullpen fewer innings to cover, that could pump up the Yankees’ chances in the series.
WHAT THE BLUE JAYS HAVE GOING FOR THEM
Guerrero has struggled in his first six career postseason games, batting just .136 with a .422 OPS and one extra-base hit. Perhaps it’s not a surprise that the Blue Jays are 0-6 in those games.
And he’s not exactly blazing right now – he has not hit a home run since Sept. 21 and he’s got only a .596 OPS in that span, well below his season mark of .848. Still, he’s a huge talent who figures to loom in this series.
So does George Springer, who has 19 career postseason home runs -- including two against the Yankees dating back to his Astros tenure -- and an .875 October OPS. Springer had a .959 OPS with 32 homers this season, a nifty bounce back. His OPS last season was nearly 300 points worse.
As a whole, the Blue Jays may have hit 83 fewer home runs than the Yankees, but they excel at putting the ball in play. They had the most hits in MLB, 1,461 (90 more than the Yankees). Their 17.8 percent strikeout rate was the lowest in baseball (the Yankees were at 23.5 percent). They were tied for third in OPS (.761, 26 points lower than the Yankees) and tied for seventh in slugging.
They may not have the same kind of boldface names as the Yanks, but they still put up runs. They could be without another star, shortstop Bo Bichette, who has a left knee sprain.
Their rotation will be fronted by Game 1 starter Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber, with help from celebrated rookie Trey Yesavage. Max Scherzer has a 9.00 ERA over his last six starts and Chris Bassitt has been dealing with a back issue, so who knows what either can provide.
Jul 21, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) runs out of the dugout during the pregame warmup before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
THE YANKEES WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…
They can keep it clean. Part of the reason they lost so many games in Toronto this year is that they made 11 errors in the seven games there, leading to eight unearned runs. Some of those were made by players who won’t have an impact on this series. But shortstop Anthony Volpe made three of them.
The Yankees weren’t nearly as sloppy toward the end of the season and did not make an error in the ALDS. But they know how much poor defense hurts – they benefited from some defensive botches by Boston.
They added Ryan McMahon at the trade deadline and he’s been terrific at third, as evidenced by the catch he made of a foul pop in Game 3, secured while going face-first over the Red Sox dugout railing. “That’s routine for him,” Schlittler said afterward.
The Blue Jays are far less likely to give defensive gifts to the Yankees – they made 30 fewer errors than Boston during the season and eight fewer than the Yankees. They boast at least two outstanding defenders – Andrés Giménez, who will sub at short for Bichette, and center fielder Daulton Varsho. That puts even more pressure on Yankees sluggers to mash.
Giancarlo Stanton, an October monster for years, was only 1-for-11 against Boston. He thought his one hit was a homer, but it didn’t get out and his trot had to turn into a sprint to secure a double. The good news for those sluggers: The Blue Jays gave up 209 home runs during the season, the most by any team in the playoffs.
Maybe Volpe, who had a nice 2024 postseason, is a big offensive factor again. He was 4-for-11 with one of the Yankees’ two homers (Ben Rice hit the other) against Boston and he’s reached base in 16 of 17 career postseason games. His October average is .300 and his OPS is .850. Not bad.
THE BLUE JAYS WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…
The bullpen drama falls their way. If they can quickly inflate the pitch count of Yankees starters, getting into their relief corps might be a path to success. That's how the Red Sox won Game 1, when Luke Weaver could not hold the lead that Fried handed him. The Yankees' bullpen had a 5.13 ERA over the final month of the season, and even after a deadline makeover, they entered October with the highest bullpen ERA of any playoff team.
Then there’s the Blue Jays’ closer, Jeff Hoffman. He had the third-most saves in the AL (33), but he also blew seven and gave up 15 home runs in 68 innings, slightly under two homers per nine innings. Does that sound like a great match against the Yankees, who had 10 players with at least 10 homers and hit 30 more home runs than the next-closest team, the Dodgers?
And they already have one game-winner off Hoffman – Rice hit a tie-breaking solo shot in the ninth inning back on July 22, their only victory in Toronto this season.
PREDICTION
Yankees in five games.
Judge goes boom (it’s going to happen in one of these series; he’s too good not to wreck one sometime), Schlittler continues to emerge as a star, and the bullpen does enough to back the rotation.
And the Yankees spike the narrative that this year’s pinstriped model can’t win north of the border.
The Florida Panthers have claimed Cole Schwindt from the Vegas Golden Knights, a year after the Golden Knights claimed him from the Calgary Flames.
Schwindt was a 2019 third-round pick of the Panthers, but was dealt to the Flames as part of the trade that saw Matthew Tkachuk come to Florida.
Schwindt played just three NHL games with the Panthers before he was dealt, and played just four NHL games with the Flames in two seasons. In his first season with the Golden Knights, he scored a goal and eight points in 42 games, dressing for one post-season game as well.
The Golden Knights and Panthers have a history of waiver claims, with Grigori Denisenko and Tobias Bjornfot previously moving between the two organizations.
Schwindt showed promise in a fourth-line role with the Golden Knights, improving on the defensive end and providing occasional offense.
With the injuries the Panthers are facing and the always-important need for depth, claiming Schwindt is a smart move by the Panthers. Centers are immensely valuable; another right-handed center is a welcome addition.
Solovyov, a 25-year-old defenseman, recorded one assist in five NHL games last year while adding 28 points in 59 AHL matches. He put up one assist in three games this pre-season. He's in the second campaign of a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
Schwindt, a 24-year-old center, had a goal and eight points in 42 games for Vegas last season. Florida drafted him 81st overall in 2019 but included him with Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar in the Matthew Tkachuk trade with Calgary. Schwindt scored once in four games this pre-season. He's on a one-year contract worth $825,000.
Hunt, a 23-year-old defenseman, was a third-round pick by Minnesota in 2020. His 13 NHL games came with the Wild, which traded him to Columbus in November 2024 in a package for prospect defenseman David Jiricek. Hunt had 14 points in 48 games for Columbus' AHL affiliate and recorded an assist in four games this pre-season. He's on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
Seven NHL teams also placed a combined 12 players on waivers, according to PuckPedia. Here's that list.
Boston: Patrick Brown, Michael Callahan, Georgii Merkulov, Victor Soderstrom, Riley Tufte
Carolina: Givani Smith
Tampa Bay: Brandon Halverson
Toronto: David Kampf, William Villeneuve
Utah: Matt Villalta
Vancouver: Nils Aman
Washington: Sheldon Rempal
Kampf joins the NHL waiver wire in the third season of a four year contract carrying a $2.4-million cap hit. The center hasn't played in the AHL since 2017-18, logging 536 career regular-season NHL games. But last year, his ice time dropped to 12:24, and he had five goals and 13 points in 59 games.
With the Maple Leafs acquiring centers Nicolas Roy and Scott Laughton earlier in 2025, and with Calle Jarnkrok able to play center as well, the Leafs appear to have squeezed Kampf out of the roster for now. If no team claims him, Kampf can go to the AHL Marlies and allow the Leafs to bury $1.15 million of his cap hit.
Soderstrom, 24, was an 11th overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2019. He played last season in the Swedish League, recording 37 points in 49 games, and the Bruins acquired him this past June. The defenseman has one assist, seven shots and a minus-3 rating in three pre-season contests.
Smith, 27, has played 168 career NHL games, including seven last season. He had three points in 16 AHL games as well. This pre-season, the right winger ranks second in penalty minutes, with 28, and he added three points in four outings.
Aman, 25, had a goal and six points in 19 matches for Vancouver and 30 points in 36 AHL games last year. The center had a goal in three pre-season games.
For each player, the 31 other NHL teams can submit a claim for them by 2 p.m. ET on Saturday. Otherwise, their teams can assign them to the minors. And if any of the squads that did claim a player places them back on waivers, their initial team can still claim them.
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The Phillies know the challenge in front of them. The defending-champion Dodgers arrive with aspirations of repeating last year’s tune, but the Phils believe they’re just as battle-tested.
“This is probably the best lineup and bullpen we’ve had since I’ve been here,” J.T. Realmuto said. “Obviously it’s tough losing Wheeler, you can’t replace a guy like that, but our starting pitching is still very deep. We’ve got guys that have had success at this stage. I do feel like this is probably the best team we’ve had.”
Sánchez draws the spotlight
Cristopher Sánchez will get the ball in Game 1, facing Shohei Ohtani in a marquee pitching matchup. For Realmuto, the lefty’s rise has been about more than just pure stuff.
“His confidence has just grown and grown,” Realmuto said. “He’s always had really good stuff, but his command has gotten better, and that in turn has given him more confidence. He’s able to throw all three pitches where he wants, and that’s made him take another step.”
Sánchez admitted he’s leaned on Wheeler, calling him his favorite pitcher. With Wheeler sidelined, the veteran’s support hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He was here yesterday,” Sánchez said. “He was really excited for me and everything that’s been going on with my career recently. … As far as myself, I just have to go out there and compete.”
Asked about facing Ohtani again after a rough matchup in Los Angeles, Sánchez kept it simple: “I’m focusing on controlling my emotions and performing out there.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers’ test
The Phillies already saw Ohtani dominate them in September, tossing five no-hit innings at Dodger Stadium. Realmuto didn’t play in that game, but he’s heard the reviews.
“Obviously his stuff is really good,” Realmuto said. “He mixed really well and kept guys off balance. The fastball plays up, the breaking balls are sharp. It’s obviously going to be a challenge, but hopefully seeing him a second time will help our guys.”
Alec Bohm echoed that it can’t just be about waiting for the long ball. “Especially when the playoffs roll around, every arm you’re facing is the best of the best,” Bohm said. “Guys can kind of lose themselves trying to be the hero, but it’s the little things — moving the ball around, limiting strikeouts, manufacturing runs — that wins in the end.”
Thomson on adjustments and rest
Manager Rob Thomson, who will announce his Game 2 starter on Saturday, said the key is adapting quickly.
“When you see an opponent a second time, whether it’s a pitcher seeing another lineup or an offense seeing another pitcher, it helps,” he said. “That’s when you have to make adjustments.”
He expressed that both clubs enter evenly matched. “Good starting pitching, a lot of thump in both lineups, and really good bullpens. Both teams are very evenly matched.”
Thomson isn’t concerned about rust a number of days off. “The guys are highly motivated, so I’m not worried about the mindset,” he said. “We did more velocity training, more breaking ball training, really focusing on strike-zone control. And the intrasquad game the other night did a lot for us.”
The gameplan
The Dodgers bring one of the deepest lineups in baseball, and Thomson knows it’s not just about Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Ohtani.
“They proved in the Wild Card round they can win without slugging,” he said. “They’ve got veteran hitters that grind at-bats, know the strike zone, don’t chase. You have to pitch them very, very well.”
For the Phillies, the offensive approach will be about balance.
“Our goal, no matter who we’re facing, is to get the starter out as soon as we can,” Thomson said. “But we can’t be too passive. We’ve got to keep the ball in the strike zone. That’s how you build pitch counts.”
Max Kepler said the team is ready after a long week of prep. “I feel great,” he said. “Everything we did was essential and necessary to what we have to do tomorrow. Having fans in here for the scrimmage made it feel more real. We’re ready to go.”
Urgency and unfinished business
Realmuto brushed off any suggestion that expiring contracts might alter the urgency in the clubhouse.
“We’ve always had a sense of urgency here,” he said. “Every year the ultimate goal is to win the World Series, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.”
Bohm added that experience will matter most. “Everybody knows the games are big, but the first time around it can be a little overwhelming,” he said. “Now we’ve been through it, and I think that familiarity helps.”
Falkirk manager John McGlynn remains "wary" of struggling Rangers as he expressed sympathy for under-pressure counterpart Russell Martin.
The second-bottom Bairns trail Rangers - who have one league win in six games - by just two points before Sunday's meeting at the Falkirk Stadium.
"You can't hide from the fact that Rangers are not in a place that they want to be, but put them down at your peril," McGlynn said.
"There's no way we'll be taking it lightly at all. I'm looking for a response to the game last week.
"It wouldn't have mattered if it was Rangers or whoever we're going to be playing tomorrow. On Sunday, we'd be looking for a response from the players. That's my main theme here."
Falkirk have impressed at times in their return to the top flight, but they were well beaten 3-0 by Hearts last weekend at Tynecastle.
"It's probably the first time we've let ourselves down," the Bairns manager said. "However, I do understand that we wouldn't have been the only one that day [to get well beaten], Hearts were in a particularly good place, they were ready for whoever on that day.
"They'd just been to Ibrox and won for the first time in 14 years, sitting proudly on top of the league. They'd had a lot of time to prepare for the game, and we had a short time to prepare, and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were good, we were a little off it."
Rangers were beaten 2-1 by Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday, a sixth defeat in 16 games for boss Martin, who continues to face abuse from his own supporters.
"Of course you [feel sympathy for him], because you're a human being," McGlynn said.
"You do feel for him. There's abuse and there's going too far. I've seen with another manager [Stuart Kettlewell at Motherwell] last season, he came away from it because of that.
"Sometimes you get guys saying to you, 'I don't know how you do it'. But we love the game. It's a huge part of it. I have a lot of sympathy because sometimes it's going too far. You can't be doing that type of thing. You shouldn't be [having to get] escorted to training and such."
EAST MEADOW, NY -- By Monday at 5 PM ET, the New York Islanders and the 31 NHL teams must submit their salary-cap-compliant rosters to the league office.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who is already on Injured Reserve (IR) as he works his way back from knee surgery, will remain there, which creates the roster spot for backup goaltender David Rittich.
Forward Pierre Engvall, who had offseason hip surgery, will likely land on IR as well, which creates a roster spot for an extra forward. As of now, it appears that Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb are the two extra forwards.
You may be asking, "Why don't the Islanders just put Engvall and his $3 million and Varlamov and his $2.75 million on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) to allow them to go over the salary cap by $5.75 million?
The Islanders are currently cap compliant, so unless they planned on adding a player via trade or waivers, there's no need to go the LTIR route, especially because that would eliminate their ability to accrue deadline cap space.
Cap accrual is what allows teams to have a greater cap space at the NHL Trade Deadline than they had at the start of the season.
When it comes to the Islanders’ final roster trim, forward Calum Ritchie and defenseman Isaiah George seemed like the two players who would not make the team.
Ritchie’s injury -- he's out 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury -- now impacts his ability to head to Bridgeport.
And if you look at the Islanders’ roster, you’ll see three other players who can’t go to the AHL just yet due to injuries.
Per the CBA, teams can’t send down or waive players who are injured unless they’re going on a conditioning stint. Even then, if a player requires waivers, they must be waived to remain in the AHL.
That brings us to defenseman Ethan Bear and forwards Jesse Nurmi and Daylan Kuefler, who are still on the Islanders’ roster. Do they count against the roster and cap hit?
Great question.
The answer is no, and that’s because of something called Season-Opening Injured Reserve (SOIR).
SOIR is a roster tool that helps teams deal with training camp injuries to players who weren’t going to make the NHL roster. It allows players like these three — and potentially Ritchie — to remain on the NHL roster without taking up roster spots or counting against the salary cap.
The biggest difference between SOIR and LTIR, outside of the timetable, is this: there’s no minimum time a player must spend on SOIR, whereas LTIR requires a player to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Functionally, SOIR prorates players based on the number of days spent on the roster last season (which also affects their salary). , while LTIR increases the cap ceiling.
There are eligibility rules, of course. A player can only go on SOIR if they didn’t play 50 NHL games the prior season and are on a two-way contract.
Neither Bear, Nurmi, nor Kuefler saw NHL action in 2024–25, and all three are on two-way deals. Bear signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 ($325,000 AHL). Nurmi and Kuefler are both signed to entry-level contracts, which are automatically two-way.
The Islanders could also place Ritchie on SOIR to open the season, since he’s on an ELC.
In Ritchie's case, he will have a cap hit if he's on SOIR. He spent 16 days on the roster last season with Colorado; his cap hit will be prorated accordingly.
Now, unlike Ritchie, Nurmi, and Kuefler, Bear is not waiver exempt. That means whenever he’s activated from SOIR, he’ll need waivers to head to Bridgeport.
To summarize: the Islanders will likely open the season with a 23-man roster consisting of 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders. Varlamov and Engvall will start on IR, while Ritchie, Nurmi, Kuefler, and Bear will be on SOIR. That would leave the Islanders with $532,472 in available cap space, while still being eligible to accrue more.
St. Louis Blues top prospects Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jiricek will return to their respective CHL teams, doing so with the confidence of performing well in training camp and the praise from coach Jim Montgomery.
Carbonneau skated in three pre-season games, notching a goal and an assist. His determination to win the puck back was evident in all three games, and the 18-year-old showed no fear, physically engaging himself. Carbonneau will return to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL for what is likely his final season in juniors before competing for an NHL or AHL spot next year.
"I want him to gain that next-play speed," said Montgomery. "When the puck transitions from offense to defense that he gets above it. Anyone that's been a scorer, they hang and hope for a turnover, so they're in a better offensive position. That's kind of what we talked to him about. Watch McDavid, watch MacKinnon, watch Crosby, Aho... when he was on the ice with our players, he naturally was the last guy coming back into our end every time. That's just next-play speed: 'I've got to do this.'"
Jiricek impressed as well, and he, too, will return to the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs for what should be his final season in juniors. The 19-year-old carries an abundance of skill, mixed with excellent physical tools, but Jiricek's biggest issue so far in his career has been his health.
The Czech defender played just 27 games last year after suffering a knee injury, but after adding muscle to his frame, he's hoping to remain healthy and continue to improve on both sides of the puck. In his two pre-season appearances, Jiricek failed to record any points, but logged big minutes and looked comfortable in each.
"He's elite with the puck. He's just got to learn to move it and not take as many hits as he does," said Montgomery. "He's got the mentality, 'I'm going to take a hit to make the play.' But sometimes just let the puck do the work and jump by the forechecker. Both (Carbonneau and Jiricek) are elite and going to be NHL power-play players. We see all of that. But to get into the NHL as soon as we would like them to be, they've got to improve in those areas."
Including their CHL campaigns, Jiricek and Cabronneau could feature on their countries' World Junior Championship rosters. Jiricek is likely a lock, previously featuring on the roster twice, but Carbonneau will have to compete against several top Canadian forwards. A strong start to his QMJHL campaign could earn him a spot. His ability to play physically could be a trait the Canadian coaching staff are looking for.
Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov reset the market this week, signing an eight-year, $136 million extension that carries a $17 million average annual value.
The deal has the highest total value in NHL history and immediately raises questions about how it will ripple across the league.
Specifically, the immediate question is how it will impact pending UFAs.
“The reality with the cap going up and Kaprizov making $17 million on his new deal is that every good forward's value on an existing contract just went up exponentially. Players like Tage Thompson at $7 million or William Nylander at $11.5 million have to be considered bargains,” The Hockey News’ Michael Augello wrote on X.
Let’s look at big names ready to sign big contracts and how, if at all, the Kaprizov deal will affect their negotiations.
Impacted: Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
One interesting name to watch comes from Los Angeles, where the Kings and winger Adrian Kempe might have been close to an extension, but the Kaprizov deal changes things.
Talks between the Kings and Kempe’s representatives are set to resume this week, and according to Elliotte Friedman on the FAN Hockey Show, his camp was already targeting an ask in the $10.5 million range. How much did that just jump as Kempe watched Kaprizov sign for $6.5 million more per season?
Kempe is not Kaprizov. Kempe’s career high is 75 points, while Kaprizov’s is 108. It’s fair to assume Kempe’s camp knows there’s a difference between the two players, both in terms of their on-ice production and overall value to the franchise. Still, Kempe, a 40-goal scorer two seasons ago, has proven he can drive offense, and the Kaprizov benchmark strengthens his negotiating position.
Impacted: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets left winger Kyle Connor is another player to watch. A consistent scoring threat and former Lady Byng Trophy winner, Connor has been a critical piece for Winnipeg’s attack. Like Kaprizov, Connor is essential to the Jets’ franchise. Unlike Kaprizov, it’s arguably for a different reason.
Kaprizov is the face of the Wild. He brings in fans. Connor, meanwhile, represents the Jets' ability to retain key players in a market that isn’t always at the top of the list for big stars. If he re-signs, that will help attract other players to Winnipeg.
With Kaprizov’s $17 million average annual value approaching as the new ceiling for elite wingers, Connor’s next deal, which was believed to be hovering around the $12 million mark per season, is almost certain to command more than previously projected.
Not Impacted: Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
For Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights, Kaprizov’s deal has little direct impact.
First, Eichel is a center. Second, he’s playing in a market that almost every NHL player wants to go to. Third, no-tax benefits change what Eichel can ask for and will receive.
Eichel, 28, is finishing up an eight-year, $80 million contract and is expected to ask for more than $13 million annually – surpassing teammate Mitch Marner’s $12 million figure. His case is based on the top of the center market, not the winger market, and he has absolutely no desire to leave Vegas. Eichel’s leverage is more an internal cap thing than it is looking at Kaprizov’s deal and telling Vegas they need to get close.
The Colorado Avalanche are in a tricky situation that only got trickier with the Kaprizov deal.
Martin Necas is locked in at $6.5 million this year and is looking to cash in on a new extension. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said in June there was a sense Necas wasn’t thrilled with his run in Colorado after joining the team in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes. As such, it is expected that he will ask for every penny he can get. Otherwise, he’ll test the market.
Necas is an underrated talent who doesn’t have the same pedigree as Kaprizov. At the same time, the Avalanche gave up Mikko Rantanen in a deal they might likely look back on and regret. If they aren’t willing to let Necas walk away, too, then they may have to pay more than expected to maintain similar margins in cap hit between Necas and a star like Kaprizov.
Not Impacted: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
If there is one unicorn in the group of free agents that wasn’t named Kaprizov, it’s Connor McDavid. His situation is totally unique from anyone else’s, simply because he’s the best player in the world.
If he chooses to take less so the team he’s on can remain competitive, then the Kaprizov contract means nothing. If he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NHL, he should be, and no one will ask questions or try to negotiate with him. McDavid will simply tell the Edmonton Oilers – or another team in free agency this summer – what he wants, and that team will give it to him.
Some might argue that McDavid will see the Kaprizov deal and feel the need to make more. That said, while McDavid wants to be paid fairly, he doesn’t seem to be motivated by money. He’s motivated by giving himself the best chance to win a Stanley Cup multiple times.
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This will be the second preseason game between the two teams after the Penguins won in Buffalo on Wednesday, 5-3. Filip Hallander, Tristan Broz, Matt Dumba, Ville Koivunen, and Avery Hayes scored for the Penguins.
Friday's lineup will feature a more experienced "A squad" for the Penguins, as the regular season is just a few days away. The coaching staff and management want to get the regulars some reps, while also seeing if some of the younger players (hello Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke) can make one last big push for a full-time spot.
The Penguins have 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders listed for this game, but not everyone will play. There was an optional morning skate on Friday, but no line rushes, so it's anyone's guess as to which forwards and defensemen will be healthy scratches.
In goal, head coach Dan Muse announced after the morning skate that Tristan Jarry would play the first half of the game before Sergei Murashov replaces him for the second half.
Like Wednesday's game, the Sabres will have some of their NHL regulars in the lineup for this game, including Josh Norris, Jason Zucker, Jack Quinn, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, and Bowen Byram.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and fans in the Pittsburgh region can watch the contest on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on the Penguins' flagship station, 105.9 'The X.'
It was hard to watch. First Boston's Jayson Tatum, then, on the NBA's biggest stage, Tyrese Haliburton of Indiana.
The last two Eastern Conference champions head into this season without their All-NBA stars and anchors of their team's offense. Tatum tore his Achilles in the second round against the Knicks, and Haliburton famously tore his Achilles early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Both are expected to miss this season (although Tatum is leaving the door open to a late-season return).
In the wake of those absences, the preseason focus has been about the East being "wide open," with discussions about who can step into the void. But what about Indiana and Boston this season? Can this be more than a gap year for them? Let's break it down.
Boston Celtics
Changes were coming to the Celtics' roster before Tatum took a wrong step against the Knicks. The dreaded second apron and repeater tax were already coming for them, but the injury opened the door for management to be aggressive in trimming salary: Jrue Holiday is in Portland, Kristaps Porzingis is in Atlanta, Al Horford is in Golden State, and Luke Kornet is in San Antonio. The result is the Celtics' payroll is below $200 million (but still about $4 million over the first luxury tax apron).
Boston still has plenty of talent: Finals MVP and All-Star Jaylen Brown will become the head of the snake on offense, and they still have Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. White, in particular, is going to have a much larger role and be asked to do more than at any point since he was Mr. Everything for the Colorado Buffaloes. He is going to get a lot of the pick-and-roll opportunities that Tatum has usually absorbed.
The hard questions are in the frontcourt, where the starters are likely to be Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta (who had a great EuroBasket), with Chris Boucher behind them.
Joe Mazzulla is going to have these Celtics playing faster and still launching a historic amount of 3-pointers, and that is going to get them wins. This is not a bad team — Vegas projects a team around .500 — but not a contender. Certainly a step back from where Boston was, as should be expected.
The spin out of Boston will be that this is a year for players to grow and evolve in new roles, and then, when Tatum returns — whether late this season or next — they will be better for the experience. That's a nice talking point, but the guys getting experience are role players, not stars. New owner Bill Chisholm said he would do what it takes, spend what it takes for this team to win. That test starts next summer when Boston needs to restock the roster to contend.
For now, Boston looks like a play-in team in the East.
Indiana Pacers
Not only is Haliburton out for the season, but ownership decided to try to get Myles Turner to take a discount on his next deal, and now he is in Milwaukee. That's two of the top three players — including the critical engine that made the Pacers' up-tempo style work in Haliburton — out for the season.
Anyone who watched the Pacers in their limited time without Haliburton last season grasps what's coming: Good players, well coached, but not great defensively and without the offensive spark needed to win consistently in the NBA.
Pascal Siakam becomes the focal point of the offense, and he should put up numbers. He is surrounded by guys who were good role players a season ago but will be asked to do a lot more now: Andrew Nembhard at the point, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Obi Toppin, Jay Huff and more.
Some guys will step up, and if you told me Nembhard wins Most Improved Player, I wouldn't be shocked (he looked good as the backup point guard last season). However, it's a lot to ask across the board. This looks more like a team struggling to make the back end of the play-in — even in this East — more than a nightly threat.
A year from now, when Haliburton returns, the show returns and things get interesting. For now, it's a season about growth for role players.
Part of the process of crafting a fantasy basketball team, whether it's in a snake draft or a salary draft, is finding positive value. Can you unearth a potential "diamond in the rough," or pay a lower cost for an elite talent than expected? Doing so can make all the difference between winning a league and finishing out of the money.
However, in addition to seeking those players, fantasy managers need to identify players who should probably be left alone based on their average draft positions. Below is a list of ten players who should not be drafted at their current ADPs, beginning with a player who's led the NBA in rebounding three straight years.
Sabonis' production isn't up for debate. However, his ADP as of October 2 was a bit too high. Last season, he appeared in 70 games, averaging 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.9 three-pointers. While Sabonis' rebounding and scoring output held steady compared to his 2023-24 production, the assists decreased by more than two per game. The Kings added DeMar DeRozan last offseason, but that wasn't the most problematic roster change.
Sacramento traded point guard De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio just before the February deadline, adding Zach LaVine as part of the multi-team deal. From February 6 onward, Sabonis averaged 16.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 three-pointers per game. It's possible that the Kings addressing the point guard position by adding Dennis Schröder helps, but he's another playmaker who needs to have the ball in his hands. That may negatively impact Sabonis' assist value and scoring opportunities.
2. PF/C Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Yahoo! ADP: 16.9
Many expect Banchero to be a breakout player this season after recording career-highs in points, rebounds and three-pointers in 46 games played in 2024-25. However, expecting second-round value from the Magic forward may be a bit ambitious, given Banchero's fantasy history. He's yet to produce a top-100 season in either per-game value or totals, and the same can be said of his per-36 fantasy numbers according to Basketball Monster. Can Banchero produce a top-100 season? Given his talent and the changes made to the Magic roster, absolutely. However, expecting a top-20 season, which is what his current ADP implies, is a bit much.
3. SF/PF LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Yahoo! ADP: 18.3
There's no denying James' greatness, and for him to be as effective as he was last season was nothing short of remarkable. That said, he'll turn 41 in December, which may result in more injury management measures being taken despite the Western Conference being loaded. James has played at least 70 games each of the last two seasons, the first time he's done this since his final three seasons in Cleveland. In 2018-19, James was limited to 55 games played. LeBron did finish last season as a top-20 player, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP of 24.5. Expecting similar production, especially with the Lakers entering their "Luka Dončić era," may prove to be unrealistic.
4. PG/SG De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs
Yahoo! ADP: 26.8
Fox's first full season in San Antonio has already gotten off to an inauspicious start, as he'll likely miss the beginning of the regular season with a hamstring injury. Also of concern is the potential production, especially with a healthy Victor Wembanyama set to command touches after missing the post-All-Star break portion of last season due to injury. In 17 games for the Spurs last season, Fox averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 three-pointers. While the rebounds took a slight hit and the assists increased compared to his pre-trade numbers in Sacramento, Fox's scoring decreased by more than five points per game. To approach top-25 value as some expect him to, Fox will need to boost those numbers as part of a lineup that will be more talented (and healthier) than it was last season.
5. SG/SF Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Yahoo! ADP: 30.5
Brown's preseason fantasy value has been boosted by Jayson Tatum being sidelined by a ruptured Achilles tendon and the Celtics losing multiple rotation players by trade or free agency. The roster changes set Brown up to be a more productive player, but this also means opposing defenses will pay even more attention to him defensively. Brown, who underwent knee surgery during the offseason, has just two top-50 fantasy seasons to his credit. And the early ADP does not take into account the possibility of the occasional rest day, especially if the Celtics aren't a factor in the East.
Zubac enjoyed the best season of his NBA career in 2024-25, posting career-best averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals. However, expecting the 7-footer to approach top-30 value for a second straight season is a bit much, especially with the additions the Clippers made during the offseason. The two most impactful moves concerning Zubac were the signings of John Collins, who will likely start at the four, and Brook Lopez to fill the backup center role. Zubac played 32.8 minutes per game, the first time his average as surpassed 30 minutes. It would be unsurprising if his playing time dipped under 30 in 2025-26, thus lowering Zubac's fantasy ceiling.
7. SG/SF Josh Hart, New York Knicks
Yahoo! ADP: 49.8
Hart was likely a league-winning player for many managers who selected him in drafts ahead of the 2024-25 season, as he was nearly a top-25 player in per-game value and nearly top-10 in totals. However, that was under Tom Thibodeau, who was more than willing to have his best players log heavy minutes. Hart moving to the bench during the Eastern Conference Finals may have been a harbinger of what's to come, especially with Mitchell Robinson being healthy. Add in a new head coach in Mike Brown, and Hart's fantasy ceiling may be lower than many managers believe it to be. Also, he underwent surgery on his right index finger in July and aggravated the injury during an offseason workout. Hopefully, that won't be a serious issue during the regular season, but the finger injury is something else for fantasy managers to consider when evaluating Hart.
8. SG/SF RJ Barrett, Toronto Raptors
Yahoo! ADP: 77.4
Based on his early ADP numbers, there's no shortage of managers who believe Barrett may have a top-75 season in him. Based on Toronto's roster and Barrett's fantasy history, those expectations are unrealistic. Barrett has yet to finish a season ranked inside the top-150 in per-game value, and he has one such season in roto (2020-21). As for the roster, the Raptors also have Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes healthy, not to mention Brandon Ingram, who's fully recovered from the ankle injury that limited him to 18 games last season (all with the Pelicans). Given the number of players who will command touches within the Raptors system, Barrett's ADP is too high at this point in the preseason.
9. C Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
Yahoo! ADP: 83.7
Ware had a productive rookie campaign, finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and averaging 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game. After moving into the starting lineup in January, he averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.2 blocks in 27.8 minutes while shooting 54.4 percent from the field. However, Ware will have to earn the right to remain in the starting lineup, and Miami's lack of proven bigs behind Bam Adebayo could result in the Heat staggering Ware and Adebayo's minutes more than they did down the stretch last season. Is a top-100 season possible? Absolutely. But betting on Ware to finish safely within that threshold is a serious roll of the dice.
10. PG/SG Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
Yahoo! ADP: 113.0
George recorded improved averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers last season, which was his second in the NBA. However, he was moved to the bench in favor of then-rookie Isaiah Collier, who offered more as a distributor and defender, in late January. Collier may not have done enough to claim the starting point guard job as his own, as evidenced by Utah's decision to use one of its first-round picks on former Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. Unless he's somehow out of the rotation completely, which should not happen, Expecting George to approach top-100 value with Utah's current logjam at the point guard position is overly optimistic.
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers signed coach Kris Knoblauch to a three-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2028-29 season.
Knoblauch has guided the Oilers to consecutive Stanley Cup finals since replacing Jay Woodcroft behind the bench on Nov. 12, 2023.
After a 3-9-1 start in 2023-24 under Woodcroft, Edmonton went on to post a 48-16-5 record under Knoblauch before reaching the final, falling in seven games to the Florida Panthers.
The 47-year-old from Imperial, Saskatchewan, then posted a 48-29-5 record last season, his first full one in charge. Edmonton went 12-4 through three playoff rounds but again lost the final to Florida, this time in six games.
Knoblauch was in his fifth season coaching the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, when he took his first job running an NHL bench with the Oilers.
He previously had served as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2017-2019, and coached Oilers captain Connor McDavid for three seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters.
Knoblauch also played junior hockey for the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Ice and spent five years playing at the University of Alberta.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts connects on a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in game 1 of the National League Wild Card series at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In hindsight, Mookie Betts made the mystery of his worst career season sound rather simple.
Looking back on it now, the reasons were right there all along.
There was a newfound process of having to flush such frustrations, forcing the 12-year veteran to accept failure, concede to a lost season, and reframe his mindset as the Dodgers approached the fall.
“I just accepted failing, so my thought process on failing changed,” Betts said in an introspective news conference on the eve of the playoffs.
“Instead of sulking on, ‘Well, I tried this and it failed, now I don't know where to go,’ I just used it as positive things, and eventually turned.”
Betts' full season, of course, will remain a disappointment. He posted personal low-marks in batting average (.258) and OPS (.732). He spent most of the summer with his confidence seemingly shot.
But from those depths has come a well-timed rebirth.
Amid a year of continuous turmoil, Betts finally found a way to mentally move on.
Over his final 47 games of the regular season, he batted .317 and nearly doubled his home run total, jumping from 11 on Aug. 4 to 20 by the end of the term.
During the Dodgers’ 15-5 finish to the schedule, he was one of the lineup’s hottest hitters, posting a .901 OPS that was second on the team only to Shohei Ohtani.
In the club’s wild-card-round sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, Betts’ production was even more prolific. He had six hits in the two games, including three doubles and three RBIs in the series clincher Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
And afterward, having helped the team book a spot in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he reflected on his turbulent campaign again — attributing his recent success to the grind that came before it.
“I went through arguably one of the worst years of my career,” Betts said. “But I think it really made me mentally tough.”
All year, speculation swirled about the root causes of Betts’ struggles, which saw him miss the All-Star Game for the first time in a decade and bat as low as .231 through the first week of August.
His shortstop play was the most commonly blamed public culprit. The correlation, to many, seemed too obvious to ignore.
But this week, he finally granted some credence to the dynamic, putting the difficulties of the transition in a different, but connected, context.
“It's hard to go back and forth,” he said of the balance between learning the fundamentals of shortstop while also trying to work through his offensive scuffles. “It's a learned behavior going back [and forth] between offense and defense.”
This wasn’t a problem for Betts when he played right field, where he has six career Gold Glove awards.
“When I was in right, I didn't have to do that,” Betts said. “I was just playing right. I didn't have to think about it.”
At shortstop, on the other hand, he “had to think about everything,” from how to attack ground balls, to how to remake his throwing motion, to where to position himself for cutoff throws and relay plays.
“I was making errors I never made before,” Betts said. “I had never been in these situations.”
The Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer is forced out at second base by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts on a ground ball from Gavin Lux during the first inning of Game 2 of the National League Wild Card series on Wednesday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
It hearkened back to something teammate Freddie Freeman said about Betts early in the season.
“It’s a lot to take on, to be a shortstop in the big leagues,” Freeman said in late May. “But once he gets everything under control, I think that’s when the hitting will pick right back up.”
Eventually, that prediction came true.
By the second half of the season, Betts finally stopped thinking his way through the shortstop position, and developed a comfort level that allowed him to simply play it.
“Now when I go out and play shortstop, it's like I'm going out to right field,” Betts said. “I don't even think about it. My training is good. I believe in myself. I believe in what I can do. And now it's just like, go have fun.”
“Once short became where I didn't have to think about it anymore,” he added, “I could really think about offense.”
Shortstop, of course, failed to explain the full extent of Betts’ hitting problems. Those started with the stomach virus he suffered at the beginning of the season, which wreaked havoc on his swing as much as his body.
Even after Betts regained the weight he lost, his strength remained diminished. It left his already underwhelming bat speed a tick lower than normal. It rendered his usual swing fixes ineffective as he battled mechanical flaws to which he struggled to find answers.
“It's just hard to gain your weight and sustain strength in the middle of a season, when you've been traveling and doing all these things,” he said.
It felt like one domino kept bumping into the next. To the point where everything was on the verge of falling apart.
“My season's kind of over,” Betts ultimately declared in early August. “We're going to have to chalk [this] up for not a great season.”
That, though, is precisely when everything started to turn.
Moving forward, the 32-year-old decided then, he would commit himself to a new mindset: “I can go out and help the boys win every night,” he said. “Get an RBI, make a play, do something. I'm going to have to shift my focus there.”
Suddenly, where there was once only frustration, Betts started stacking one little victory after another. He would fist-pump sacrifice flies and ground balls that moved baserunners. He turned acrobatic plays on defense that refueled his once-dwindling confidence.
“When he kind of said that the year was lost, when he made that admission, that's when I think it sort of flipped for him,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Just freeing his mind up.”
It helped that, down the stretch, Roberts committed to keeping Betts at shortstop; last year, the Dodgers shifted Betts to the outfield when he came back from injury in August.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” said Betts, who wound up leading all MLB shortstops in defensive runs saved this year. “At the start of the season, I wasn't sure I would end the season there. I thought there may have to be an adjustment at some point, from lack of trust or whatever. I just didn't know. So I'm just proud of myself for making it all the way through the year, and actually achieving a goal that I kind of set out to do: Being a major league shortstop, and say I did it and I'm good at it.”
His bat also started to gradually come around. Part of the reason was simple. “I was just able to finally get my strength back,” he said. But much of it was the result of hard work, with Betts spending long hours in the cage with not only the Dodgers’ hitting coaches, but former teammate and longtime swing confidant J.D. Martinez as well (who worked with Betts during both an August trip to Florida and a visit to Los Angeles for Betts’ charity pickleball tournament a few weeks later).
“I didn't really have to try and add on power anymore,” Betts said. “I could just swing and let it do its thing.”
All of it amounted to one long process of Betts learning to move on. From his early physical ailments. From his persistent mental anguish. From a set of season-long challenges unlike any he’d previously endured.
“Slowly but surely,” Betts said, “started to get better and better.”
And now, entering Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday, it has him back in a leading role for the Dodgers’ pursuit of a second straight World Series title: Starting at shortstop, swinging a hot bat, and having solved the mystery of a season that once looked lost.
“Better late than never,” he quipped Wednesday night. “It's just one of those things where, you've just gotta keep going, man … So now, there's just a different level of focus."
Raphielle Johnson
