Throughout their 2026–27 season, Vancouver will take part in a variety of entertaining matchups, ranging from welcoming back former players to potentially seeing NHL legends for the final time in their careers. Here are five must-watch Canucks games taking place in the 2026–27 season.
September 29 @ Edmonton Oilers
While there will still be pre-season and training camp to take in prior to the season-opener, this game will serve as the first-look of a rebuild-committed Canucks team featuring new management staff (Ryan Johnson, Daniel and Henrik Sedin) as well as their new coaching staff (Manny Malhotra, Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith, and Jason Krog). This will also be many fans’ first-look at Brendan Gallagher, Jamie Oleksiak, and Paul Cotter in Canucks uniforms.
October 8 @ Carolina Hurricanes
The Canucks will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on October 8, making this the first time Vancouver will face them since they won back in June. The biggest change to Carolina’s roster since they won the Stanley Cup is the departure of goaltender Frederik Andersen, who signed a one-year deal in free-agency with the Oilers.
October 25 vs. Minnesota Wild
Quite possibly the biggest game for Canucks fans heading into the 2026–27 season is October 25, which is when former captain Quinn Hughes will return to Rogers Arena with the Minnesota Wild for the first time since being traded in December of 2025. Lots has changed surrounding fans’ perception of the defenceman since his departure, and while he’s undoubtedly still the best blueliner the Canucks have had, for the most part it appears the fanbase has soured on him. It will be interesting to see how the crowd reacts to Hughes’ return on October 25.
Dec 6, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Linus Karlsson (94) tips the puck in front of Minnesota Wild defenceman Jared Spurgeon (46) at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Morris-Imagn Images
December 7 vs. Washington Capitals
The status of legendary goal-scorer and Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is undetermined past the 2026–27 season. While there were musings of the forward’s potential retirement at the end of the 2025–26 season, Ovechkin ended up signing a one-year deal with the Capitals to extend his career by one more season. As it stands, Ovechkin has not vocalized whether he plans to play past this year or not, making his next trip to Vancouver potentially his last.
March 6 @ Montréal Canadiens
One interesting Canucks road game to catch will be when Vancouver takes on the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on March 6. This will be the first time that new Canuck Gallagher will return to Montréal after being traded to Vancouver ahead of the 2026 free-agency period. Prior to joining Vancouver, the forward spent the entirety of his 14-season NHL career with the Canadiens, including taking part in eight playoff runs with the team. Gallagher is certain to get a positive reception from Canadiens fans when he returns to Montréal.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 02: Brandon Lowe #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring in the seventh inning during the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, July 2, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting underway with the second half of their season and the trade deadline is fast approaching. The Pirates currently sit at fourth in the NL Central division with a 50-47 record, but are only 1.5 games back from a Wild Card berth. The Pirates are in a prime position to add to their squad and the fans at Bucs Dugout echo that, with 90% of the fans voting that the Pirates should buy at the trade deadline this season.
For the first time in a long time it looks like the Pirates may actually add to their roster instead of doing some aggressive house cleaning. With their current record and the deadline coming on August 3, the Buccos should look to add some pieces to put them over the top as the Wild Card race starts to heat up. The Milwaukee Brewers are firmly set in first place for now, but otherwise the division is very much within striking distance for the plucky Pirates.
The question now is would the Pirates try and target in a trade. Brandon Lowe has been a piece that has been brought up in trade rumors all season, but they are especially ramping up after his All-Star snub. With the emergence of Esmerlyn Valdez and Ryan O’Hearn being key contributors, several have speculated if Spencer Horwitz could now be a piece that gets moved. Then of course there’s Carmen Mlodzinski who famously backslid after his move to the bullpen from the rotation and causing some friction in the clubhouse. Does he get moved strictly off of morale and team culture being threatened?
When it comes to who the Pirates should be targeting, a big time reliever would be nearly unanimous in wants and needs from this fanbase. A reunion with Aroldis Chapman was rumored but the Boston Red Sox are surging now and may not be willing to give up that piece like they could’ve been earlier in the year. It would take a complete package but the idea of trading for Mason Miller has circulated online recently, but again the Padres are not in a terrible position themselves. Andrew Filliponi of 93.7 The Fan suggested that the Pirates target some lefty pitching, and threw out names like Kyle Freeland and Jeffrey Springs as possible candidates. Both the Rockies and the Athletics are almost certainly going to be looking to sell at the deadline.
FanDuel SportsBook currently gives the Pirates +245 odds to make the postseason, but also has a line giving the Pirates -345 odds to miss the playoffs altogether. No need to sugarcoat it, these are the best odds for the Pirates to make the playoffs in a decade. The Pirates should be looking to buy and add at the deadline versus cleaning up shop and getting ready for next season.
Who do yinz think the Pirates should try and trade for? Let us know in the comments!
As the Trade Deadline approaches, Yankees fans have a pretty good idea that the team will be looking to add some bullpen help at the deadline. I can, of course, cite reasons why they should — thanks in large part to Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and (regrettably) Tim Hill, the team has a combined 15 blown saves (tied for 10th in the league), a pedestrian 22.3 strikeout percentage, and their 82 shutdowns—defined by FanGraphs as “when a reliever accumulates greater than or equal to 0.06 WPA in any individual game”—ranks definitively in the bottom half of the league.
Let’s be honest, though: it doesn’t really matter what the state of the bullpen is: a three-headed monster of Chad Green, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman didn’t stop Brian Cashman from acquiring Zack Britton in 2018, after all. In fact, in the last 10 years, the Yankees have added a whopping 16 relievers at the Trade Deadline: Tyler Clippard, Adam Warren, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Britton, Lance Lynn (he was supposed to join the bullpen, before the plug was pulled on the Sonny Gray experience), Joely Rodríguez, Clay Holmes, Lou Trivino, Scott Effross, Keynan Middleton, Mark Leiter Jr., Enyel De Los Santos, David Bednar, Bird, and Doval; only in 2019 and the COVID-shortened 2020 did they fail to add one.
In that same stretch, the Yankees have also made a habit of poaching players from the Colorado Rockies, acquiring, to varying levels of success, DJ LeMahieu, Adam Ottavino, Mike Tauchman, Ryan McMahon, Angel Chivilli, and Jake Bird. Might the Bombers go to that well once more, this time for pitcher Antonio Senzatela?
Signed as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela, Senzatela made his MLB debut on April 6, 2017, having cracked the Opening Day roster out of spring training. His career to date has been quite a rollercoaster. Senzatela spent most of his rookie season in the starting rotation, being moved to the bullpen down the stretch in order to limit his innings, as he had missed a chunk of the 2016 minor-league season due to injuries. Further such woes and minor-league stints limited him to just 23 games (13 starts) in 2018, while the juiced ball year hit him hard, as he posted an absurd 6.71 ERA — somehow only a 77 ERA+, a sign of how inflated run totals were in that season. Following a strong 2020 and a solid 2021, the Rockies handed him a five-year extension worth $50.5 million. It turned sour in a hurry: a torn ACL ended his season in August 2022, and after just two starts in 2023, he sprained his UCL and, that July, underwent Tommy John surgery. Senzatela returned to the mound for a brief cameo in 2024, making just three starts at the end of the season.
Finally healthy for the first time in years, Senzatela opened the 2025 season in the Rockies rotation … and proceeded to be one of the worst pitchers in the league: his 6.65 ERA was the highest among pitchers with at least 130 innings, and his -0.1 fWAR topped only Jake Irvin and Erick Fedde in the same category. At the end of August, they were finally forced to send him out to the bullpen, where he finished the season strong, posting a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings across seven appearances.
Now, in the bullpen full-time for the first time in his career, Senzatela has excelled. Among the 165 relievers with at least 30 innings, his 1.1 fWAR ranks 14th, and his 2.39 road ERA would rank 35th (his 3.31 ERA is partially the result of a Coors-inflated 4.37 home ERA). He has cut down his arsenal, notably dropping the slider — the breaking ball he threw most often in 2025 — almost completely, deploying it just 21 times this season. Senzatela has also reduced his reliance on the four-seam fastball, throwing it just 38.7 percent of the time, down from 56.9.
To compensate, the two pitches Senzatela threw the least last season, the cutter and the sinker, have become his second- and third-most common pitch, respectively, with the cutter getting significantly more use (29.9 to 11.4 percent). This gives him—much like Cam Schlittler—a three-fastball arsenal to work with, all of which come out of almost identical arm angles: the fastball and sinker at 41 degrees, the cutter at 39.
Senzatela does use his heater very differently than the hard-throwing Yankees ace, though. His four-seamer and cutter are both designed to generate whiffs, especially against righties, albeit in different ways: the four-seamer is thrown up in the zone at high velocity (97 mph), while the cutter averages just under 92 mph and operates more as a fast slider. His sinker, meanwhile, is thrown at a velocity closer to the fastball (96 mph), but is designed to generate soft contact, as it generates whiffs just 2.4 percent of the time and has yet to record a strikeout this season, but boasts an average “launch” angle of -7 degrees. Occasionally, Senzatela tosses in a curveball, mostly against lefties, which has generated whiffs at a very high rate. Almost half of the 11 plate appearances in which he has thrown a curveball this season has ended with a strikeout on said curveball.
That being said, when you look under the hood, there are some areas of concern:
Despite having an above-average xERA, Senzatela doesn’t do anything particularly well besides fastball velocity, although he doesn’t do anything particularly poorly, either. He doesn’t overwhelm you with strikeouts, gets a decent amount of groundballs on the sinker, walks his fair share of batters (but not an overwhelmingly large amount), and gives up some hard contact. Very little of this, however, is barreled.
Similar to Tim Hill, a few meltdowns which have inflated his ERA (in particular, four-run appearances on June 5th and June 29th raised his June ERA to 8.18). Unlike Hill, however, he hasn’t consistently put together shutdown outings between. In fact, after five scoreless outings to start the season, Senzatela has strung together three-straight scoreless outings just once, and two in a row just three times.
In many ways, Senzatela is outperforming the sum of his parts, which makes him simultaneously a prime candidate to be traded—it seems extraordinarily unlikely the Rockies would want to exercise his 2027 player option, but while the front office has changed, it’s the same Rockies ownership, so you never quite know—and the type of player the Yankees probably should avoid. While circumstances will likely mean that he will cost less in prospect capital than someone with a more reliable track record like Luke Weaver or Adrian Morejon, the Yankees already have quite the stable of inconsistent and unreliable arms.
Senzatela probably makes more sense for a team like the Nationals, a team whose offense has been so prolific they have kept a bullpen completely lacking any competent arms in the race, than for the Yankees, who are looking to lower Aaron Boone’s blood pressure, not increase it.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 16: Gabriel Rincones Jr. #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on July 16, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Mets defeated the Phillies 4-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the All-Star break and MLB Draft are over, the next mission for teams is the trade deadline. Who’s actually looking to buy, sell, or even do a bit of both as the season rolls to the August second deadline.
For a Phillies team that sits 54-44, they’ve established themselves as clear buyers with aspirations for contending given their payroll and previous seasons. The deadline has been both a chance to fill in marginal upgrade or take big swings depending on what’s available. They were able to do both last year, acquiring Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader in separate trades with the Minnesota Twins that changed the outlook of the Phillies team completely.
Will they get a deadline like that this year? Probably not, but they have some similar issues this year. So, here is a power ranking of their needs as the deadline approaches.
1. A playable outfielder and new direction
Even with Brandon Marsh becoming an all-star and Derek Hill having the best stretch of his career in red pinstripes, the outfield still ranks among the worst in baseball. As a group, they rank 28th in wRC+ at 85, 28th in fWAR at 0.9, and 20th in Outs Above Average at -4. They’re not particularly good at anything and no one should be projected to play way better moving forward.
Getting the Gabriel Rincones Jr and Edmundo Sosa platoon off the field would be a big win by default. Rincones specifically has not impressed since being called up from AAA, hitting just .171 with a .503 OPS in 74 plate appearances. Defensively, he looks more like a future first baseman with some outfield capability rather than someone that should play most days in right field.
Sosa’s .625 OPS looks worse than what is actually happening; he’s been hitting the ball normally hard but has been a victim of a career-low BABIP. However, he is still best served as someone who should stay on the infield, grading out as a plus defender at second and third base while being a negative in left field.
Acquiring some sort of playable outfielder that can remove this platoon situation is probably the bare minimum that needs to be done this deadline. If nothing else happens, try to put a band aid on this wound.
The rest of this outfield cannot carry this issue either. Justin Crawford has a .658 OPS while being a below-average defender in center field, it’s fine given he’s a rookie but he’s still been roughly replacement-level and none of the other internal options have worked either.
Two other things make acquiring a playable outfielder the most important issue to address at the deadline. One is that it’s hard to expect Brandon Marsh and Derek Hill to keep playing the way they are. Marsh has begun slumping with a .483 OPS in July, making his season totals much closer to his normal career line. Hill has been a very nice story, but he has struck out on 23 of his 55 plate appearances as a Phillie with a .538 BABIP. He is a role player, a solid one, on the biggest heater of his major league career.
Two is that the infield is not lifting this group nearly as well. Trea Turner and Alec Bohm have had bad seasons and Bryson Stott has worked up to an 86 OPS+ after a bad start, which is roughly on the low-end of what he is as a hitter. Even with Bryce Harper having a good season (not an elite one), it’s not a group that will lift the outfield’s lack of production. This doesn’t even mention JT Realmuto’s issues this season.
2. A high leverage setup man
If outfield is their biggest need, this might be the best one to shop for given how available bullpen arms tend to be. With Brad Keller’s UCL Tear, the need for it to be a left-handed reliever probably matters less.
Jhoan Duran is Jhoan Duran and they will have to extend him as much as possible in October if they want to win a World Series. That’s just the reality of having someone like him on your roster. Jonathan Bowlan has looked like a really good get this season, giving them a 2.84 ERA with elite swing and miss stuff.
At the lowest point, it would be smart to try and shop for someone that slides after them. Given their starting pitching trio of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo, it should be easier to funnel high leverage situations into two or three arms over the course of October.
Acquiring one arm would put Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado in roles that probably suit how their seasons are going. Kerkering has a 2.43 ERA but has pitched worse under the surface, walking 12.7% of hitters he’s faced with a very bad ground ball rate.
Alvarado is a wild card that the Phillies shouldn’t give up on yet. The 6.82 ERA is very bad, but it is simply not indicative with how he’s pitched. Alvarado is striking out over 29% of batters he’s faced, limited walks, and has been solid quality of contact. His ERA has been as high as it’s been thanks to a .440 BABIP that seems impossible to sustain moving forward.
3. Some kind of non-Alan Rangel fifth starter
This should be the least expensive of their needs given the bar. They are not looking for someone to save the rotation but having an extra starting pitcher for the stretch run would help. It almost certainly will not be what Walker Buehler provided them last year but they could just use a body.
Alan Rangel has looked fine for someone who shouldn’t face more than 18 batters a night but it could tax the bullpen over time and is probably part of why those team totals have been an issue. Aaron Nola has been a lot better his last three starts, but is still a question whether he will finish six innings during a start.
Adding another body would just make pitching plans more flexible for the stretch run. Whether that’s combining him and Rangel in a game if the bullpen has been overworked and needs a day or if they feel the need to run a six man or just something else. More flexibility is generally good to have.
While they sit only 2.5 games back of the NL East as of this writing, they still should be thinking about trying to get this pitching staff healthy and ready for a wild card series. Winning the division is always great but they sit six back of the Brewers for a top-two seed, a much more difficult goal to achieve.
There are at least 576 more innings to go in the regular season, they could use another bulk option to help them get through it.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 17: Michael Porter Jr. speaks onstage at the ESPN SportsCenter live broadcast at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Fanatics) | Getty Images for Fanatics
Michael Porter Jr. was at the Fanatics Fan Fest in New York Friday and made a bit of news both on the free agency of his friend and former Denver Nuggets teammate Peyton Watson as well as his own.
While most pundits do not put the Brooklyn Nets in the forefront of potential landing spots for the 6’9” 23-year-old Watson, there he was with Porter Jr. yesterday at the Jacob Javits Center on Manhattan’s West Side pushing the idea. As a fan recorded, MPJ has not giving up on bringing PWat to Brooklyn…
His key line from an impromtu conversation involving him, Watson and a fan went something like this:
“He boutta sign for $130 million. I’m tryna get him in Brooklyn, though.”
At the moment, pundits think Watson who averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists with 49/41/73 splits last season, is likely to return to Denver or wind up in a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, Clippers or Hawks. That’s what Tony Jones wrote for The Athletic Friday. He doesn’t even mention the Nets, in fact. Last week, Jake Fischer also didn’t mention Brooklyn in his analysis of Watson’s free agency. The Nuggets want to keep him and basically have tried to scare off competitors by indicating they will match any offer for the restricted free agent. Sign-and-trades, while possible, are tricky under the new CBA.
The $130 million figure MPJ mentioned would seem to match the prevailing league wiseom that Watson wants a starting salary of around $25 million and a five-year deal.
It’s always possible that Porter Jr. was trolling fans but the close friendship between the two has been one big reason that, until recently, the Nets were thought to be legitimate contenders for Watson’s services. Porter mentored Watson in his early years in Denver. The Nets of course still have a deep cache of draft assets including 10 tradeable first round picks which became more valuable with the change of NBA lottery rules. Ironically, their biggest non-draft asset would have to be Porter.
Putting Watson aside, however, the comment by MPJ had additional revelance in that he readily admitted he was recruiting for his current team. This week, Sean Marks told media in Las Vegas that while he wants to MPJ back and happy, he was not in a rush to engage Marc Bartelstein. Two days later, Chris Haynes of TNT speculated that if there isn’t progress in talks on an extension, the Nets might deal MPJ, which seemed unlikely considering all the positive things the two sides have had to say about their relationship. Indeed, Haynes said it’s possible the two sides could talk as early as this weekend.
Porter, 28, will earn $40.8 million next season has been eligible since June 19 for a four-year extension worth as much as $234 million. It’s likely a final number would be more in the four year, $160 million range, however.
And in a live interview on ESPN from the FanFest, MPJ once again talked about his happiness with the Nets and their fans while adding “we’re building something special over there.”
“It’s really an honor because as an athlete because during the season, a lot of it is going to the gym, going to play games, coming home and you don’t get a chance a lot to interact with the fans and see how much love they really have. So to come out here and shake people’s hands and sign their autographs and take pictures of them is really an honor.”
Asked to compare his experience in Denver where he won a championship with last year in Brooklyn where he was mired in rebuild. Porter put this spin on things.
“Las year, it was a like new rookie season. It felt that drastic of a chance — in Denver being one of the younger guys, part of an established culture and winning a championship to come to Brooklyn and be the leader on the team, one of the oldest guys on the team — we have five rookies, youngest team in the NBA — was a completely different role that I had but it was soemting that I cherished and we’re building someon this special over there.”
There’s no urgency for the Nets to ink an extension with Porter. They have until next summer to finalize things. And it’s not at all absurd to suggest that Marks wants the additional team — and cap resources — to work on other possibilities. Perhaps PWat?
After a crushing victory on Friday night, the Braves now have two chances to open the “second half” with a series win against the respectable Rangers.
Facing the Rangers’ lefty, MacKenzie Gore, Eli White gets the start in right field, batting sixth and just ahead of Austin Riley. Joey Bart gets the start at catcher, as Drake Baldwin and his reverse splits bats leadoff, DHing. Jim Jarvis continues to start at shortstop, even against a lefty starter, and bats ninth.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The start of Saturday’s game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets has been pushed up one hour to 3:05 p.m. because of rain in the forecast.
Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (2-4, 4.56 ERA) is scheduled to face Philadelphia All-Star lefty Jesús Luzardo (8-4, 3.51) in the second game of the three-game series. The Mets took the opener 4-1 on Thursday.
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 10: Brendon Little #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the seventh inning during a game against the New York Mets at Rogers Centre on September 10, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We made it to another weekend. There are only ten of these weekends left this season
Yesterday’s game was the latest in a series of terrible games this year. I’m wondering if they can continue to go with Spencer Miles one of five starts. But then, I don’t know who the next choice is.
And it doesn’t look like we are going to get any help coming off the IL.
Anthony Santander isn’t going to back anytime soon, he’s just had a cortisone shot because he ‘felt something’ in his shoulder and is shut down for 7 days. I’d bet he won’t be playing this year.
Addison Barger still has elbow inflammation, he won’t be back until August at very best.
Max Scherzer is back at the ‘playing catch’ phase.
Yimi Garcia and Jesus Sanchez are closer to returning.
And Jake Bloss is injured, with a shoulder injury. They don’t know how bad it is yet, but he won’t be pitching for a while.
The team is making changes to the back end of the bullpen again:
Adam Macko and CJ Van Eyk have been send down to Buffalo. Lázaro Estrada and Brendon Little are back. We haven’t seen Little in a while. He is still walking too many. In July he’s pitched 4.2 innings with 4 walks (one intentional) and 6 in 5.2 innings in June.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 17: Michael King of the San Diego Padres after giving up a walk against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 17, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was the San Diego Padres’ game to lose. The Friars took the lead in extra innings before Kyle Hart gave up fours runs (three earned) to the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the 10th. It’s just the second time this season that the Padres have been walked off.
In reality, it never should have gone that far. Several pitching decisions by manager Craig Stammen fell short of success, actively losing the game for San Diego. With Adrian Morejon ahead of Salvador Perez in the eighth, Stammen issued an intentional walk that turned into the go-ahead run. That was erased by a Ty France homer in the ninth, but that should have been the go-ahead run for the Friars, not a game-tying one.
After Mason Miller pitched a thrilling ninth inning, it was surprising to not see him in the 10th. Sure, he’d worked to get out of the previous frame, but he was at just 16 pitches. It was even more surprising that Hart wasn’t taken out with the game-winning run aboard. Instead, Stammen’s poor decision-making ended in heartbreak for San Diego. Now, they’ll need to win tonight to force the rubber match.
Taking the mound
Randy Dobnak (KC) v. Griffin Canning (SD)
Former Padre Stephen Kolek will be missing his scheduled start after returning from the family medical leave list just before the All-Star break. Kolek showed signs of rust and the Royals sent him to Triple-A to make a minor league rehab start.
In his place, Dobnak will pitch his third game for Kansas City since being traded from the Seattle Mariners a month ago. He’s been used primarily as a bulk reliever and has been successful (1.86 ERA, 9.2 IP). Whether or not that success can continue when the sample size increases remains to be seen.
Canning has bounced back considerably in his last few starts. Despite a ballooned 6.47 ERA this season, the right hander has given up two runs or less in each of his last three starts. That’s good for a 3.46 ERA across Canning’s last 13 innings pitched. It’s a small sample size, but it has been inspiring.
The San Diego right-hander doesn’t have much experience against the Kansas City lineup. Salvador Perez has the most at-bats (11) with a career .273 batting average and .878 OPS. If Canning can make it through five quality innings, it’ll be the first time he’s done so since June 12.
Batter up!
The lineup looked pretty healthy Friday night. The offense put up six runs on eight hits including three from Fernando Tatis Jr. and a Ty France homer. Miguel Andujar had his second game in as many weeks where he slugged three doubles. It was a solid outing for the Friars, one that they’ll need to continue if they hope to contend.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jackson Merrill, CF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, LF
Ty France, 1B
Miguel Andujar, DH
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Freddy Fermin, C
Luis Campusano winced after swinging at a pitch last night. Fermin will likely take his place to give Campusano a rest day. The series opening loss was more due to some costly defensive errors from the San Diego infield. Those miscues halted the Friars’ momentum, leading to the unfortunate events of the 1oth inning. They’ll need to be better.
Relief corps
For the most part, the relievers nailed it down. Bradgley Rodriguez and Morejon each gave up a run over three innings after Michael King went just five innings. It’s impossible to overstate just how incredible Miller’s performance was. After loading the bases with no outs, Miller struck out the next three Royals batters to push the Padres into extra innings.
Hart imploded from there, but that shouldn’t take away from Miller’s incredible appearance. It was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise stellar performance for the Friars. If they can rebound with a win tonight, it will make all the difference for San Diego. The club will have Jhony Brito, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Miller and Matt Waldron available in today’s contest.
SITE NOTE: Today is the annual postgame bleacher BBQ, thus today’s recap will be delayed an hour or so past the usual time.
Saturday notes…
SATURDAY IN THE PARK: The Cubs are 8-7 on Saturday this season. They finished 20-7 a year ago, including 9-5 at home, where they are 4-4 this year. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
LET THERE BE DAYLIGHT: The Cubs are 21-10 in day games so far, significantly better than their 43-32 final showing last season. They are 15-10 in sunshine at home this year. They wound up 29-20 a year ago. They also are enjoying more success in day games after night games (12-8 to 19-19 last season) and in day games at home after night games (7-3 to 7-8). (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
LACK OF LONG BALLS: The Cubs did not hit a home run last night and served up a decisive three-run blast. They are 14-25 when they have surrendered more homers than they have hit, 20-12 when they have hit the same number and 20-6 when they have hit more than they have allowed. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: After a rain delay of two hours and 30 minutes, Javier Báez and Willson Contreras homered in a four-run Cubs third inning. That led the Cubs to a 5-1 win over the Braves in Atlanta. It happened nine years ago today, Tuesday, July 18, 2017.
Matthew Boyd, four starts since returning from the knee injury: 2.86 ERA, 1.273 WHIP in 22 innings. Looks like he’s back on track to me.
Boyd did not face the Twins last year and so only four of the current Twins have ever seen him, only one for more than a handful of at-bats: Josh Bell, 4-for-14, three walks.
Taj Bradley came to the Twins in a deadline deal last year that sent Griffin Jax to the Rays.
Bradley’s had a pretty good year in Minnesota in 2026. Over his last five starts: 2.32 ERA, 0.935 WHIP, 38 strikeouts in 31 innings.
He has two career starts vs. the Cubs and in those two games combined for 12.2 innings in which he allowed three unearned runs (0.00 ERA) and struck out 19. Alex Bregman, though, is 2-for-6 against him, both the hits home runs. So maybe Bregman can stay hot against him.
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At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 21: Quentin Grimes #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the game against the Utah Jazz on March 21, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA is a community. Even when players are on different teams, the degree of separation between them and other organizations is small.
Quentin Grimes is a perfect example. On the surface, he is the newest Laker and a five-year player who has spent most of his time in New York and Philadelphia.
However, for a brief moment, he was a teammate of Luka Dončić on the Mavericks. And when you factor that he’s worked out multiple times with Lakers head coach JJ Redick, even staying at his guest house during one of those sessions, it’s obvious he is entering into this new situation with some familiarity.
“I think everybody wants to be wanted as a player and I feel like there was a lot of mutual interest between me and the Lakers for a while now. “Nobody expected Luka [Dončić] to be with the Lakers and we had a good little run with Dallas. I knew JJ [Redick], I knew Jarred Vanderbilt, I knew Kurt Rambis and Greg St. Jean and everybody so it was kind of like a no-brainer and a great fit honestly.”
Grimes has the respect from his new team, which should make chemistry a breeze. Redick wouldn’t have worked with Grimes before if he didn’t like his game and work ethic.
Still, it’s almost a certainty that other teams had interest in Grimes as well. So it’s going to take more than that for a player to join a franchise. Besides his four-year, $60 million deal, Grimes selected the Lakers because the role he was pitched enticed him.
He elaborated on this during the next portion of his interview.
“That was really one of the bigger selling points. Talking with JJ and then having them be able to pitch me what my role [will] look like, having a pretty big offensive role within the team. But also having a big leadership role on defense as well as taking on that challenge every night of guarding the best players and wanting that responsibility. I want to have that challenge every night. So, that was really the two main things when I was choosing [a team] in free agency.”
Grimes averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game last season. With six of LA’s top 10 scorers from last year gone, there is a need for additional scoring and Grimes could be the answer.
What’s also interesting from this quote is Grimes viewing himself as a defensive leader. He’s assuming that he’ll defend some of the best players on most teams. Grimes being a top two-way player for the Lakers is a big ask, but he’s looking forward to answering the call.
Knowing Grimes has a connection with LA’s superstar, their head coach, other players on the team and the front office people, he knows what he’s getting into.
Grimes understands the pressure and is up for the challenge. The interest has been mutual and this fall we’ll hopefully see why both sides wanted this partnership to happen.
It seemed like the perfect homecoming for the Detroit Red Wings in April 2019, when it was announced that beloved legendary captain Steve Yzerman was returning to the franchise he helped bring back from the dead in the early 1980s.
Considering what Yzerman was able to accomplish as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, which included uncovering several gems in the NHL Draft that turned into elite talents, the understandable thought was that it was only a matter of time before he did so in Detroit.
Upon his arrival back in Detroit, he undertook a massive rebuilding process after the prospect cupboards were left essentially barren by former GM Ken Holland, who also left behind several bloated contracts of underperforming players.
And while Yzerman did select a handful of top-tier talents in his first two Drafts as Red Wings GM in Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, the club never fully put things together.
Yzerman officially stepped down from his role on Wednesday morning following what was the seventh straight year of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the third straight that his club was in prime striking position in March, only to stumble and tumble out of the race.
The club is also in the midst of a standoff with captain Dylan Larkin, who requested to be traded not long after the season; his request was made public in early June.
Needless to say, this is not how even the most skeptical of fans and analysts would have guessed Yzerman’s tenure as GM would have ended.
There were several questionable decisions Yzerman made along the way, not the least of which was attaching a second round draft pick to Jake Walman and shipping him out of town for nothing in return.
While it’s true that the Red Wings suffered abysmal luck in the NHL Draft Lottery, Yzerman was also hesitant to pull the trigger on bold trades aside from Michigan native Alex DeBrincat, who only wanted to come to his hometown team.
Fans were also growing frustrated with the lack of any kind of timeline as to when they could expect a return to the postseason.
Little Caesars Arena, which opened in the fall of 2017, has yet to host a single postseason hockey game.
Yzerman and the Red Wings seemed perfect for one another. Unfortunately, his tenure as GM wasn’t anything like how events unfolded in Tampa Bay.
While the Red Wings are in a considerably better position now than when he took over, they’re still faced with several roster holes and questions about when they can realistically compete for the Stanley Cup again.
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TORONTO, ON - APRIL 29: NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, with Colorado Avalanche's Rick Pracey, Director of Amateur Scouting, with the "golden ticket" which gives the Avalanche the 1st overall pick in the NHL Draft, at the TSN studios in Scarborough. (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The past thirty years of Avalanche hockey have featured incredible highs, and some very, very dismal lows.
As an avid fan of The Simpsons, I’ve witnessed plenty of “best of times” moments, but also been subjected to a smattering of unpleasant “blursts” of times. In this latest edition of an ongoing off-season series, I take a look back through the past thirty years, highlighting one moment that stands among the best, and comparatively, the worst (or blurst, if you will) each season.
Here are the best and blurst moments from another five years of Colorado Avalanche history.
2015-2016
The Best: NHL Stadium Series Weekend (February 26-27, 2016)
Ever since the initial announcement was made over a year ago, both Avs and Red Wings fans were chomping at the bit for this weekend to finally arrive.
Since the inception of both the NHL Winter Classic and Stadium Series, the present-era Red Wings had participated twice in outdoor contests, having played the Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2009 and 2014 Winter Classic, respectively.
The Avs, on the other hand, would be first-time hosts and first-time participants in an outdoor contest.
Although the real game would be played on February 27, the alumni game between both clubs the day before drew significant interest. Both franchises assembled a who’s who of Hall of Fame talent, eager to lace up the skates in one final curtain call for the greatest hockey rivalry in the modern era.
Although the animosity had considerably cooled down over the years, the competitive nature on both sides was still as strong as ever.
As he had done in the first-ever Avs game in 1995, Valeri Kamensky opened the scoring for the Avs in the first period. Both alumni captains would also score in the period, with Detroit’s Steve Yzerman tying the game, then Joe Sakic putting the Avs alumni ahead 2-1.
Milan Hejduk scored the only goal of the second period to increase the lead for the Avs alumni. Craig Billington relieved Patrick Roy in goal for the third period. Raymond Bourque scored to make it a 4-1 lead, which Billington preserved after stopping a penalty shot attempt for Detroit’s Tomas Holmström. Brendan Shanahan would score the second goal for the Detroit alumni, cutting the Avs’ alumni lead in half, but Stéphane Yelle would put the game out of reach, securing a 5-2 victory for the Avs greats of yesteryear.
Both teams would shake hands after the game, then pose together at center ice, a sight that was unfathomable nearly twenty years earlier.
The next night, the modern-era Avs weren’t so fortunate. Despite having a 2-1 lead in the first period off goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie, Detroit scored two goals in the third period to take the lead. Alex Tanguay tied the game moments later, but Detroit would score another pair of goals (including one on an empty net) to defeat the Avs by a 5-3 score.
Both teams came together for another handshake line at the end of the contest. The Cold War between the Avs and the Red Wings was now over, but the ending lived up to all the hype.
The best moment of the season, and certainly a memorable one, no matter what side you were on.
The Blurst: Patrick Roy Rips Matt Duchene’s 30th Goal Celebration (April 03, 2016)
The Avs were chasing down the final wild card spot in the Western Conference as the calendar flipped to April. They trailed the Minnesota Wild by five points in the standings, and failed to gain ground with losses in four of their previous five games. Coming into a key matchup against division rival St. Louis (who defeated the Avs at Scottrade Center three nights earlier), they needed a strong start to turn their luck around.
That turn of luck didn’t pan out exactly as the Avs hoped.
Gabe Landeskog put the Avs on the penalty kill early in the first period, and David Backes made them pay for it. Goals by Magnus Pääjärvi and Colton Parayko followed later in the period, and the Avs trailed by a 3-0 margin after the first twenty minutes. Both teams made goalie switches in the second period: Calvin Pickard replaced Semyon Varlamov, and Anders Nilsson came into relieve an injured Jake Allen.
The switch in goal didn’t improve the Avs’ fortunes on offense, as Alex Pietrangelo scored the only goal in the second period, and the Avs failed to register any offense through forty minutes.
With under five minutes to play in the third period, Avs forward Mikhael Grigorenko passed the puck to Mikkel Bødker in the slot. He fired the puck towards Nilsson, and Matt Duchene got just enough of his blade to graze the puck before it eluded the Blues goaltender to give the Avs their first goal of the game.
The goal was Duchene’s 30th of the season, the first time he had hit the milestone. He pumped his arms excitedly in the air, and Bødker retrieved the puck amid the cheers from the Pepsi Center crowd.
Less than 90 seconds later, and with Pickard on the bench, St. Louis forward Troy Brouwer scored into an empty net. The Avs lost by a score of 5-1, their third loss in a row and second to St. Louis in their past three games.
Head coach Patrick Roy used his postgame comments to air his frustration, taking issue with Duchene’s celebration. “It’s a four-nothing goal. Big cheer. Are you kidding me? What is that? I mean, it’s not the reflect we want from our guys, not at all. We need to change the mindset; I think we have a losing mindset right now. I think we have to find ways to believe more in ourselves, and sometimes things aren’t going to go our way.”
Duchene offered his own perspective on the game, which focused more on the lost opportunity to inch towards a playoff berth instead of his own personal achievement. “Maybe it’s something [when] I look back at the season after, you know, enjoy it on a personal level, but, I mean, you play and you try to score goals, and make the playoffs, and if you’re not in the playoffs, you know, it doesn’t really mean as much as you want it to mean. No one remembers that, and no one cares.
“Everyone just cares who’s in the playoffs and that’s all we care about,” Duchene continued, “and that’s all I care about. Obviously, it’s a nice milestone, but I’m not thinking about it at all right now. I’m just very disappointed in this loss tonight.”
“We talked, we had a good chat yesterday,” Duchene said. “I totally understand where he’s coming from, what he’s trying to do. I’m on board with it; I think we all are. It was one of those things where right away, I certainly knew it wasn’t the right thing, the right reaction. I kind of buried my head after that, even going back to the bench. I understood it wasn’t the right thing. We had a good talk, and it’s all good.”
“I think Matt Duchene is a great person, ” said Roy, “and I think when you’re willing to learn, like I was when I was young, I think that goes a long way. That does not mean becoming a leader comes overnight. Experience makes you a better leader. I made many mistakes. I got slapped in the fingers by vets in my first years.”
The Avs lost their final three games of the regular season, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Four months later, Roy would one-up his outburst (outblurst?) by giving the Avs the finger on his way out the door.
For all we know, it was one of the fingers that got slapped by the vets in his first years of playing.
2016-2017
The Best: Jared Bednar Hired as Head Coach (August 25, 2016)
Believe it or not, Avs fans, something good did happen this year!
When Patrick Roy tendered a very abrupt resignation on August 11, he threw the entire front office—not to mention Avs fans—for a loop.
“I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer about how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs and bring it to a higher level,” Roy said in a release that day. “To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP-hockey operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team’s performance. These conditions are not currently met.”
With less than a month to go in the off-season, and training camp on the horizon, Avs general manager Joe Sakic had his work cut out for him. Many of the top coaching candidates were already off the market, but that didn’t faze Sakic. Two weeks later, he had his man: Lake Erie Monsters head coach Jared Bednar. Bednar, then a spry 44 years young, had already compiled a promising coaching resume in the minors.
Through parts of fourteen seasons, Bednar was a head coach for eight of those years, and spent six as an assistant. He amassed a 251-148-42 record, culminating in a sweep of the Hershey Bears (the AHL affiliate of the Avs until 2005) that June, securing the first Calder Cup trophy in Lake Erie’s history. He had also won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2009, where he also spent several seasons as a player prior to beginning his coaching career.
“I was certainly happy to be considered and I’m ecstatic to have been named head coach and I’m looking forward to getting to work,” said Bednar. “When I started coaching, my ultimate goal was obviously to get to the NHL and to coach at the highest level and getting an opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup. That was my goal going into it and I worked real hard trying to achieve those goals, and this is another step in that direction.”
Nearly ten years later, Bednar is the franchise leader in regular season games coached (700), wins (390), losses (246), points (864), playoff games coached (81), playoff wins (49-tied with Bob Hartley), and playoff losses (32). With the Avs’ 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 26, 2022, Bednar became the first (and only) coach to win a Stanley Cup, Calder Cup, and Kelly Cup championship.
It may have taken him six years, but he achieved his goal, and was truly the highlight of what was to come that season, because what lay before him and every Avs fans can be summarized in one word: pain.
The Blurst: EVERYTHING (October 15, 2016 – April 09, 2017)
Jared Bednar’s first step towards competing for the Stanley Cup, in hindsight, may as well have been off a cliff.
After winning a roller-coaster of a season opener against the Dallas Stars by a score of 6-5, which featured an ultra-rare hat trick from free agent signee Joe Colborne (remember him?), the Avs would assemble a 4-3 record in their first seven games.
It was the last time they would be above .500 during the season. They wouldn’t be above the .500 mark again until October 5, 2017, when the Avs would defeat the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
(For those of you keeping score, that’s a total of 356 consecutive days. which probably felt like 356 consecutive years.)
The Avs then proceeded to lose twenty-three of their next thirty-two games—including a season-worst 10-1 beatdown courtesy of the Montréal Canadiens at Centre Bell on December 10—to close out the calendar year.
Not counting the two COVID-shortened seasons (spoilers), the Avs lost fewer than twenty-three games twice in an entire season: 2021-2022 (19), and 2025-2026 (16). This cursed version did that in under three months.
Things went from worse to…even more worse. On January 27, the Avs announced that goaltender Semyon Varlamov would have hip surgery and miss the remainder of the regular season. Varlamov had been dealing with recurring groin issues since December, and with the season all but lost, having him undergo surgery and allowing as much recovery time to prepare for the following season was the sensible move.
Meanwhile, the Avs couldn’t stop the bleeding on the ice.
Prolonged losing streaks were frequent. This team had three five-game losing streaks, one six-game losing streak, one seven game losing streak, and one nine-game losing streak. They never won more than three games in a row at any point during the season.
And then, during a visit to Winnipeg on March 4…the free-falling Avs found out that rock bottom has a basement.
Already trailing 5-0 in the second period and with Winnipeg on the power play, Nathan MacKinnon poked the puck away from Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba. Blake Comeau pounced on the loose puck at center ice, skated in unimpeded on goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and…inexplicably slowed up, then turned to pass the puck back to MacKinnon, only to have Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine intercept his pass and turn the play back towards the Avs zone.
Here’s the sequence, in all its perplexing glory.
The season-long waking nightmare ended on April 9, with the Avs losing to the St. Louis Blues by a score of 3-2 at Scottrade Center. The Avs finished with a League-worst 22-56-4 record and 48 points in the standings. Incredibly, this is the third worst finish in franchise history as the Quebec Nordiques finished with a 12-61-7 record and 31 points during the 1989-1990 season, followed by a 16-50-14 record and 46 points the year after.
On April 29, as teams gathered for the NHL Draft Lottery, one final insult was delivered to the Avs. Despite having the League’s worst record, and therefore, the best possible odds to win the lottery, they wound up with the fourth overall pick, as the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars wound up finishing ahead of the Avs in that order.
A franchise-defining blurst that stretched throughout an entire season all but left the Avs for dead, but not for long.
2017-2018
The Best: Game 82 (April 07, 2018)
The expectations for the Avs were virtually nonexistent when the 2017-2018 season began, and for good reason, based on their disastrous regular season campaign a year earlier.
For them to find themselves at the doorstep of the postseason one year removed from their worst season since relocating to Denver was nothing short of miraculous.
They almost didn’t get to this point (spoilers), and when opportunity knocked on that Sunday afternoon at Pepsi Center, the entire roster answered.
Sam Girard got the Avs on the board with a rocket of a shot from the St. Louis blue line past goaltender Jake Allen in the first period. Tyson Barrie would double the lead in the second period with a blue line shot on the power play. St. Louis responded a few minutes later with a power play goal of their own to make things interesting, but Nathan MacKinnon restored the two goal lead late in the period.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier and the Avs defense held strong in the third period, thwarting every opportunity from St. Louis. Blues head Coach Mike Yeo pulled Allen with over 4:30 left in regulation in the hopes that his team could pull even. Over a minute later, Gabe Landeskog collected a loose puck and launched it across the ice into the empty net to the roar of the entire crowd. His teammates mobbed him in excitement, knowing that they were minutes away from securing a playoff berth.
St. Louis scored a meaningless goal with under a minute to play, but the outcome was certain: the Avs would claim the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and face the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Avs finished the regular season with a 43-30-9 record and 95 points, nearly doubling their wins and point totals from the previous season (22 wins and 48 points, respectively).
Putting the exclamation point in such a high-stakes game was the defining moment of the season.
The Blurst: The Injury Bug Strikes Again (March 31, 2018)
As the end of the regular season neared, both the Avs and the St. Louis Blues were in a hotly contested battle for the final wild card spot in the playoffs. Both teams were in action on March 30: St. Louis was playing the upstart Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena, and the Avs hosted the Chicago Blackhawks at Pepsi Center.
Vegas defeated St. Louis in overtime, but for the Avs, victory was all but certain. With the Avs leading 5-0 late in the period, things took a turn when Chicago right winger Tomáš Jurčo lost his footing when carrying the puck towards goaltender Semyon Varlamov. He fell to the ice and crashed into Varlamov, resulting in an injury that would take him out for the remainder of the game. Jonathan Bernier held things down until the final buzzer.
The next day, the Avs announced that Varlamov would miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower body injury as a result of the play. In addition to Varlamov, defenseman Erik Johnson would out for six weeks due to a fractured non-displaced patella.
The news was certainly a tough pill to swallow at such a late stage of the season. St. Louis had one extra game to play as the season wound down, putting additional pressure on the Avs to perform at their best. They responded in lackluster fashion, losing their next three games to set up the win-and-get-in scenario on home ice against St. Louis.
For their part, St. Louis was equally inept, losing three straight games as well. They managed to eke out one final win against Chicago before flying to Denver for the Game 82 showdown.
Of course, the Avs managed to overcome a potential blurst-worthy collapse and squeaked into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years. Despite bowing out in six games to Nashville, one can’t help but wonder how they would have fared against them with both a healthy Varlamov and Johnson in the mix.
2018-2019
The Best: Love at First Shot (April 15, 2019)
Out to build upon last season’s accomplishments, the Avs sought their second consecutive playoff berth, a feat that they hadn’t accomplished since 2006. Unlike last year, they didn’t wait for last-minute heroics to punch their ticket to the postseason; an overtime goal by Erik Johnson against the Winnipeg Jets on April 4 at Pepsi Center got the job done.
The Avs drew the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames as their first round opponent. The Avs split the first two games at Scotiabank Saddledome, and returned home for Game Three with an opportunity to take the lead in the series.
Rumors had been swirling that prized defensive prospect and reigning Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar, whom the Avs drafted fourth overall in 2017, would sign with the Avs once UMass had been eliminated from the NCAA Frozen Four, which had been underway as the playoffs began. As the saying goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire: Makar signed with the Avs the day after UMass had been eliminated, clearing the way for him to join the team in time for Game Three.
The buzz inside Pepsi Center was palpable as fans waited for their first glimpse of Makar in burgundy and blue. The entire crowd was on their feet as the Avs took pregame warm-ups, laser focused on Makar wearing his now-trademark number 8.
Head coach Jared Bednar didn’t throw Makar into the mix right away. Only after Nathan MacKinnon scored back to back goals to give the Avs a 2-0 lead did he decide to test the waters with Makar.
His patience was rewarded quickly: on his first shift, Makar trailed MacKinnon into the Calgary zone, and after getting the puck from MacKinnon, he flung it towards Calgary goaltender Mike Smith. The puck zipped between Smith’s pads, giving the Avs a 3-0 lead, and marking Makar’s first career goal in the NHL.
Makar was immediately mobbed by Gabe Landeskog, along with MacKinnon, Alex Kerfoot, and Tyson Barrie.
Being in the crowd for that game, I remember being in complete awe as Makar skated into the zone and fired that shot past Smith. The crowd erupted into a frenzy and my jaw fell open at what I just witnessed. After that play, I knew that Makar was really going to be something special.
The Avs would win Game Three by a score of 6-2. Makar’s goal wound up being the game-winner.
Two more victories followed, and for the first time since 2008, the Avs would advance to the second round.
Scoring your first goal with your first shot during your first shift in your first game and it’s the game-winner? Not a bad bit of business.
Indisputably, the best business of the season.
The Blurst: Shark Sandwich (May 08, 2019)
After extinguishing the Flames in the first round, the Avs would face the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This marked the fifth playoff series between both clubs, and the first time since 2010 that they would meet in the postseason.
Both teams traded victories throughout the series, and Gabe Landeskog’s overtime goal in Game Six would set up the winner-take-all Game Seven back at the Shark Tank.
San Jose would stake a two-goal lead in the first period, but Mikko Rantanen would get the Avs on the board just before intermission. Near the halfway point of regulation, Derrick Brassard knocked the puck away from Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow. Nathan MacKinnon swooped in to gather the the puck and raced down the near boards. His pass found a wide open Colin Wilson, who beat Martin Jones for the game-tying goal.
Or did he?
San Jose head coach Pete DeBoer challenged the call for offside. After the play was reviewed, the officials determined that Landeskog, who was in the San Jose zone prior to MacKinnon’s zone entry, was offside despite the fact that he was heading off the ice as part of a line change. The goal was overturned, and the Avs bench was livid.
Minutes later, San Jose defenseman Brent Burns fired the puck towards the far corner in the Avs zone, where teammate Joonas Donskoi collected it, skated around the back of the Avs goal uncontested, and fired the puck to the left of goaltender Phillipp Grubauer to restore the Sharks’ two goal lead.
In a matter of minutes, the Avs went from being on even footing with San Jose to trailing by a two goal margin.
The Avs fought valiantly, and despite a goal from Tyson Jost early in the third period giving them some hope, they couldn’t find the equalizer (again). They would fall in Game Seven by a 3-2 final score, their playoff dreams once again at an end.
If not for that sequence, and the resulting offside call, this series could have a different outcome for the Avs. Unfortunately, this blurst ensured that it didn’t.
2019-2020
The Best: Nazem Kadri’s Last-Second Heroics Seal the Deal Against St. Louis (August 02, 2020)
In March, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend the season. Five months later, the NHL rolled out a carefully-controlled playoff format, where the Western Conference teams would play in a playoff “bubble” at Rogers Arena in Edmonton, while the Eastern Conference teams would do the same at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
A play-in round, followed by a short round-robin series of games, determined seeding. In their first round-robin qualifier, the Avs would face the St. Louis Blues in a rematch reminiscent of their regular season finale two years earlier.
David Perron opened the scoring on a first period power play goal for St. Louis. The Avs peppered goaltender Jordan Binnington through the first two periods, but they couldn’t break through.
Early in the third period, St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko wound up for a shot on Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer, but his botched shot attempt was intercepted by Mikko Rantanen. He carried the puck into the St. Louis zone and passed it over to a wide open Ryan Graves. Graves fanned on his first shot attempt, but made his second one count as he sent the puck past Binnington to tie the game.
The Avs continued their siege of Binnington, but he turned aside everything that came his way. With Alex Steen in the box near the end of regulation, a shot from Gabe Landeskog bounced off the near post. A wide open Nazem Kadri swooped towards the puck and fired it into the net past Binnington as time expired.
As Kadri and the Avs celebrated the goal, the play was reviewed to determine if the puck entered the goal before time expired. Upon further review, the puck crossed the goal line at 0.1 seconds, securing a 2-1 victory for the Avs.
This game had all the drama and excitement of a Stanley Cup playoff game, even if it was a qualifying match. In the uncertain landscape created by COVID, being able to experience the joy of hockey felt almost…normal, if only for a few minutes.
The Blurst: Cale Cuts Down His Captain (September 02, 2020)
It still might be a little too soon for this one.
With the Avs trailing 3-2 in their second round series to the Dallas Stars, Game Six was nothing short of a must-win. As the second period wound down, Gabe Landeskog was preparing to chase down the puck in the Avs zone alongside Andrew Cogliano, who had been playing for Dallas at the time.
As both men skated away from the corner, Cale Makar, who was down on the ice, swung his left leg back as he attempted to regain his footing. His skate blade sliced through Landeskog’s kneepad, giving him a deep cut at the top of his knee. Landeskog stumbled to the ice momentarily, then recognized something was very wrong. He immediately skated to the Avs bench and hobbled his way down the dressing room.
The Avs went on to win Game Six by a 4-1 margin, but were unable to close out the series in Game Seven. In Game Seven, the Avs turned to goaltender Michael Hutchinson once more after backstopping the Avs to two consecutive wins. Landeskog was deemed unfit to play, and an overtime goal from Joel Kiviranta completed the hat trick for the fresh-faced rookie, ensuring yet another Game Seven victory for Dallas, this one by a score of 5-4.
Landeskog would return for the beginning of the 2020-2021 season, seemingly no worse for the wear.
As it would turn out, Landeskog’s injury was more than just a mere flesh wound.
Was there a best (or blurst) from these five years of Avalanche hockey that was overlooked? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
PRODUCTION - 08 July 2026, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Stralsund: A crowned crane is standing in a meadow at the zoo. This year, State Zoo Day will take place on July 10, 2026. Photo: Stefan Sauer/dpa (Photo by Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
You would believe there was a regular-season game played on Friday, as the SummerKnicks and the SummerMavs combined for a dumb 198 points in both team’s Summer League Consolation game.
New York used 15 players, and Pacome Dadiet had himself a day to preserve his value entering next season while big man Liam Robbins put up a solid outing to remain alive in the race for a spot as a backup center. Here’s today’s links and notes.
No recap nor Scenes, so here’s a bunch of notes from Sin City’s finale.
Dadiet dumped 19 points in 23 minutes on a 7-of-15 shooting performance (still 1-of-5 from three) and added five boards, a dime, and a steal to that. He committed two turnovers and finished with a minus-12, but you can’t win all fronts.
Robbins put up 14 points, went perfect on two attempts from the charity stripe, and pulled down four rebounds while swatting a shot from the SummerMavs in 20 minuts of playing time.
Tyler Nickel got his cardio up with a 30-minute run in which he hoisted a monster 11 treys but hit just three of them. Still, nine points for the neophyte to go with two rebounds, three dimes, three steals, and just one turnover.
The rest of your mob — starters and benchmen included — didn’t feature anyone playing above mediocrity levels. Dillon Jones went 6-5-2, Jack Kayil put up a goose egg with zero points on just two shots (10 minutes) but three assists and a rebound, and Jaden Akins the only other double-digit scorer with a solid 11-2-3-2 stat line.
Not that we didn’t already know, but the Summer League is over and the Knicks’ frontcourt problem is still the one roster issue pending fixing. The Daily News’ Kris Winfield argued that New York has enough spacing and could live without giving Tyler Nickel the last standard contract, especially with Landry Shamet already around, prioritizing adding a center between now and tip-off time next October.
Kris also touched on Deuce McBride’s long-term future, which might be connected to the upcoming financial squeeze the Knicks will need to navigate with Karl-Anthony Towns extension-eligible and Jalen Brunson due for another deal soon enough. Deuce is likely to ask for a sizable salary (a la Mitch), so unless somebody/everybody takes less or the cap sheet changes, odds are he departs before or on July 1, 2027.
Related to everything discussed above, Daily Knicks’ Jack Simone expanded on how Nickel could represent exactly the kind of player contenders like the Knicks need under the current CBA if they want to stay on Tier S.
Jack Kayil’s situation is perhaps more frustrating, and our own John Grove couldn’t have written about it any better. A two-way contract is the obvious out-of-context path and would allow the Knicks to keep Kayil in Westchester, but that would prohibit New York from paying his ALBA Berlin buyout, and he would have to cover it himself, which is not exactly a reasonable request for a 20-year-old starting his career. Read the story for a much better understanding!
“If the Knicks choose to offer Kayil a two-way contract, NBA regulations prohibit them from paying his overseas buyout. According to the rules, the buyout would have to be executed strictly between the player and ALBA Berlin. Yes, Kayil would have to independently pay for his buyout in order to accept a two-salary. Truthfully, this financial decision is unlikely.
“While a two-roster spot may be available, the Knicks likely lack the cap space to offer their 20-year-old guard a standard NBA contract. That contract is the only legal way New York can cover his international buyout. Of course, this dampens things a little bit.”
Brunson refused to sign a Giants helmet at Fanatics Fest, and instead ended up scribbling “Go Birds” on it.
In his talk with The Wall Street Journal, Brunson revisited his discount deal ($113 million left on the table!), his preference for financial security, and touched on his lifestyle, big-money purchaes, and a bunch of other staff.
Pat Benson of Kicks on SI must have had a blast of a time speaking to Jose Alvarado on his partnership with AND1. The match is perfect and I can’t love it anymore. Here’s one (can you guess the question?), but go read all of his quotes!
“Fat Joe, J.Lo— and Wemby!“
Anthony Edwards was at the Fanatics Fest and talked about Jalen Brunson — not Victor Wembanyama — as well as about KAT and the “cheat code” advice he gave him heading into the NBA Finals.
John Calipari spoke extensively with the New York Post and shared a lot of stuff about his former pupil Towns. Spoiler: don’t flop. Full quotes: in today’s Bulletin.
Charles Barkley brought his Michael Jordan feud to the table, which lasted 15 years but has seemingly, finally, ended!?
LeBron James said his daughter Zhuri is the deciding factor in his upcoming free-agency decision. Zhuri did not answer James’ question about where to go next immediately after he told him about his departure from Los Angeles, and would tell him later, or simply even write her feelings down at some point. Imagine Zhuri choosing Memphis.
The Chicago Blackhawks made a huge trade before the draft, acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres. In the deal, the Blackhawks sent picks 4 and 45 in the 2026 NHL Draft, along with defenseman Louis Crevier.
Forward Jordan Greenway was also part of the package, coming to Chicago alongside Byram. Greenway is not someone who will move the needle for the Blackhawks, but he can be a solid 4th-line player if he remains healthy for the bulk of the 2026-27 season.
Greenway only played in 40 games for Buffalo last year, and he has mostly dealt with injury trouble for his entire career. If the Blackhawks can get 50 games out of him, however, it would be a win as he could rotate in and out with other bottom-six forwards.
Other players like Cole Smith, Sacha Boisvert, Ryan Greene, and AJ Spellacy will all likely get playing time on the fourth line alongside Greenway, which is a nice mix of skilled skaters who can forecheck, move well, and just be overall hard to play against.
Greenway was the second-round pick (50th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2015 NHL Draft before he was traded to Buffalo in March of 2023. Although injuries have plagued him, as mentioned before, he has shown the ability to create chaos in an NHL bottom six.
One of the knocks on the Blackhawks over the last few seasons has been that they are “soft” or “easy to play against”. Part of that has been their youth, but it has also been due to a lack of physical players on the roster.
Well, Jordan Greenway will help with that when he’s in the lineup. If he could find a way to play 80% of the games or more, he may even show some skill from time to time.
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