Worldwide Sports News

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

In what was a busy offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers re-signed almost all of their free agents, but one forward who played a key role for the team down the stretch is now a solid option for one of the NHL's powerhouses.

On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers announced in a press release that forwards Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark, goalie Frederik Andersen, and defenseman Alec Regula are all expected to miss training camp next month due to injury, putting a massive dent in the Stanley Cup hopeful's depth with little time left before the season.

Arguably the most considerable loss for the Oilers is Janmark, who has been a two-way, bottom-six staple for Edmonton for several seasons now.

Janmark, 33, underwent season-ending surgery back on March 6, and started 62.9% of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone in the 43 games he did manage to play in.

Savoie, 22, emerged as a penalty-killer, too, and scored twice shorthanded for Edmonton last year in what was his first full NHL season. It's unclear when Janmark will be back, but Savoie isn't expected to be out terribly long, according to GM Stan Bowman.

Still, the Oilers will need another forward to start the season, and that's where free agent Flyers forward Luke Glendening comes in.

Flyers' Glendening could get one last chance to play for a contender

Glendening, 37, is one of three remaining free agent forwards who played at least 100 minutes on the penalty kill last season, featuring in that role for both New Jersey in Philadelphia.

The wily vet salvaged his season with the Flyers after being claimed on waivers from New Jersey, scoring five points in 18 games with Philadelphia after recording just four in 52 games with the Devils.

Glendening was part of a formidable fourth line formed by the Flyers and head coach Rick Tocchet, playing alongside Garnet Hathaway and Sean Couturier and occasionally drawing in as a center to take faceoffs for matchup purposes.

Notably, Glendening has played 100 or more minutes on the penalty kill in every year of his NHL career, and while Father Time is beginning to catch up, Glendening was still able to handle a whopping 76.3% defensive zone start rate with the Flyers.

The Oilers could do worse than an experienced, battle-tested Glendening who proved he still has something left in the tank to close out the 2025-26 season.

It helps, too, that the unsigned Flyers forward is a right-shot, like Savoie, and has the versatility to play on the wing if and when needed. The offensive upside is null and void, but the Oilers can leave that up to Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and Leon Draisaitl in the interim.

The Flyers were previously considering bringing Glendening back earlier in the offseason, but the addition of free agent Noel Acciari makes that unlikely in the absence of any injuries to the Flyers' forward group.

So, if this is it for Glendening and the Flyers, the Oilers are a logical next step for the 13-year NHL veteran.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.  

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

12. Adam Kleber – Defense (Minnesota-Duluth – NCAA)

Kleber was the Sabres second-round pick at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The Chaska, MN native played his amateur hockey in Minnesota and two years in the USHL with Lincoln before being selected 42nd overall with a pick obtained from the San Jose Sharks when Buffalo traded down from 11th to 14th overall.

The 6’6”, 214 lb. right-handed blueloiner is defensive-minded, something that will be a good fit down the road with a Sabres blueline that is predominantly left-handed and offensive-minded. The 20-year-old possesses above-average skating ability and good awareness and habits in his own zone, skills that project him to be an effective penalty killer down the line, but at the Sabres Development camp earlier this summer, he showed some offensive ability as well. 

Adam Kleber with some nifty moves. 👀#LetsGoBuffalopic.twitter.com/a6iih6Dc3n

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 2, 2026

In his freshman year at Minnesota-Duluth, Kleber had just five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 33 games, but was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2025 World Junior Championships, and again played for Team USA last December. His offensive totals slightly picked up as a sophomore, and after his junior season, it is likely that the Sabres will try to get him signed to an entry-level deal. 

Follow Michael on X, and Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

78% of Carolina Panthers fans will be disappointed in head coach Dave Canales’ decision to hold starters out of tonight preseason finale against the Houston Texans. There is always a debate between keeping your guys healthy and getting them enough experience to be ready for Week 1. Canales has always erred on the side of caution in that debate. His Panthers teams are also 2-6 in September over his first two years as a head coach.

22% of y’all agree with his decision to rest starters while another 22% want them to play a full half. 9% want more than that while a near majority, at 47% of fans, want to see the starters play the first quarter.

This data came off of a one question survey and obviously doesn’t capture a whole lot of nuance. I want to see y’all down in the comments between now and kick off arguing for your vote. If you want them to play a whole game, tell us why their experience and risk matters more than evaluating the bottom of the roster guys who are getting their last time to shine tonight. If you want to see no time at all, I want to hear why another slow start to the regular season is a worthy risk.

Sign up, scroll down, and sound off to share your opinion.

Checkout FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Asa Montgomery, one of the summer’s biggest risers, is taking an official visit to LSU this weekend, sources told Rivals.

The 6-foot-7 small forward out of Hillgrove High School (GA) is now ranked as the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2027 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Montgomery, a high-four prospect, led the Nike EYCL Circuit in scoring this summer, averaging 27.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game for AOT.

In addition to the Tigers, he’s received offers Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, UConn, Louisville, Florida, Alabama, Houston, Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, and more.

Scouting Asa Montgomery + what he’s looking for in a school

Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw has evaluated Montgomery multiple times in person. Here’s what he had to say about him after watching him in July:

In the most recent 2027 Rivals150 update Asa Montgomery jumped to No. 15 overall. The length and explosive 6-foot-7 forward has had as much success as anyone through the spring and summer. On Wednesday night, Montgomery was able to do whatever he wanted on the court. He showcased his handle, creating advantages for himself and his team. He knocked down multiple threes, both off the catch and the bounce. And he displayed top-level-type explosive burst finishing above the rim.

The upside remains very high with Montgomery, but with that upside comes the current level of production he is seeing. A lengthy and explosive wing with positional size and three-level scoring ability is intriguing. Especially when you also look at his defensive upside. Montgomery has been one of the steepest spring risers, and I don’t expect that to change in the coming week.

In a previous interview with Rivals, Montgomery discussed what he is looking for in a college program.

“I want to go to a family-oriented team. A tight team, and I want to play for a coach that can help me develop and who will put me in the right situations for where I am trying to go.”

Happy Friday, and welcome to another heart-stopping, breathtaking edition of “You’re Nuts.” Specifically, this is the hoops-related version — despite college football being mere hours away, we at Land-Grant Holy Land will continue to sprinkle in the basketball-related content wherever we see fit, even during the lean, dark days of the off-season.

The Buckeyes are back on campus, and on top of that, the Ohio State men’s team made a late-summer addition to the roster in 6-foot-9 power forward Lee Aaliya. Aaliya, who turns 22 in November, has played professionally in Argentina for multiple seasons, and actually was committed to play for Juwan Howard at Michigan in 2023. That never materialized for whatever reason, with Michigan coaches citing “logistical” issues, including visa problems and friction with the University of Michigan admissions office.

Aaliya is not expected to be a “project” player or someone who will take several months to acclimate to this level of basketball. He will have an opportunity to compete for minutes right away, despite not having been with the team for summer practices or the team’s trip to Puerto Rico, where they beat two local professional teams by a combined 80 points. Aaliya is considered more of a post player who is more explosive around the rim, not around the three-point line. He will likely log some minutes at power forward and center.

Last week, Connor and Justin predicted Ohio State’s record in the non-conference portion of the schedule, since that part of the schedule has officially been published on the team’s website. The guys were pretty close, with Connor picking Ohio State to go 10-2 in those 12 games, with losses to UConn and Vanderbilt. Justin picked them to go 9-3 in those 12 games, with losses to UConn, Vanderbilt, and BYU.

Full transparency — news is slow right now in the men’s basketball world, unless you’re interested in talking about lawsuits, temporary restraining orders, and 20-something’s trying to play another season when they should probably be updating their resumes.

For that reason, we’re backing up a few months and revisiting the group of players who transferred out of Ohio State in the spring. Five guys left Ohio State — Devin Royal (Villanova), Taison Chatman (Utah), Colin White (Akron), Gabe Cupps (UIC), and Mathieu Grujicic (Radford). Which guy do you think set themselves up for the most success in their new program?

This week’s question: Which outgoing Ohio State transfer will have the most success with their new team?

Connor: Taison Chatman

Unlike the other four guys, there’s a real chance that Taison Chatman becomes one of — if not the — key player in his team’s offense. Especially after the news earlier this week that former Israeli basketball star Noam Yaacov won’t be allowed to play at Utah, this Running Utes’ roster is looking pretty bleak.

Utah went 10-22 last year overall and 2-16 in conference play, and there’s not a ton of confidence that they’ll be a whole lot better this season. Chatman projects as the starting shooting guard for Utah this season, which means in his fourth year of college basketball, the 6-foot-4 guard will finally have a wide open lane to a starting role, consistent minutes, and a large role in an offense.

Last season from January 26 onward, Chatman averaged just over 7.2 points per game while playing 21.7 minutes per game in those final 13 games. He’s a career 43.8% shooter, 42.4% from beyond the arc, and better than 80% from the free throw line.

Fair or unfair, Chatman was really never given the opportunity at Ohio State to be a featured guy. Would those shooting numbers hold steady if Chatman was taking nine shots per game instead of the three per game he took last season? That question is going to be answered this season for Chatman, because nothing will be stopping him from playing a boatload of minutes for second-year Utes coach Alex Jensen. I think Chatman is going to easily score 10 points per game this year in the Big 12, and perhaps even more if Utah finds a way to get out of the basement of their own conference.

Justin: Devin Royal

Devin Royal transferred to Villanova for his senior season after spending three seasons at Ohio State. Being a kid from Columbus and a large contributor for the Buckeyes for his career, it was a bummer to see Royal hit the transfer portal, but it wasn’t unexpected.

With the emergence of Amare Bynum last season and five-star freshman Anthony Thompson joining the team. There were two starting spots for three guys, and Royal seemed like the odd man out from the jump. He only has one season of college basketball left, and I doubt he wants to spend that coming off the bench after two years of being a starter.

Last season, Royal averaged 13.7 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game. For his career, he averages 10.6 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game in 96 games played.

Things were rocky with Ohio State a couple of times, but for the most part, Royal was great for the Buckeyes and is easily the best player who hit the portal. He will go to Villanova and likely average somewhere in between 12 and 15 points per game and could be an All-Conference type player.

It’s the last podcast before we get back into the in-season flow next week. Today, we’re answering listener questions as we get ready for what would seem to be an extremely promising 2026-27 U of L athletics season.

Direct link here.