It is an exciting time for hockey fans with the new season approaching. Soon, NHL teams will be back to playing regular-season hockey, as it officially begins Oct. 7.
With the 2025-26 season getting close, let's take a look at five prime NHL trade candidates who could be moved during the campaign, or even before it begins.
Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary Flames
It is not a secret that Rasmus Andersson is a prime trade candidate.
Andersson is a pending UFA, so the expectation is that the Flames will flip him before the 2026 NHL trade deadline, unless a surprising contract extension occurs. Teams who could use a top-four right-shot defenseman could be in the mix for the 28-year-old. In 81 games last season, Andersson recorded 11 goals, 31 points, and a minus-38 rating.
Connor Ingram, G, Utah Mammoth
Connor Ingram is certainly a trade candidate to watch as we get closer to the season. According to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports, the Utah Mammoth are looking to give the goaltender a change of scenery. In addition, Bagley reported that Utah GM Bill Armstrong said Ingram will be placed on waivers, but a trade could occur before then.
Ingram, who was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in August, could be a solid goalie for a team that needs help between the pipes. While he had a tough 2024-25 with Utah, where he posted a .882 save percentage and 3.27 goals against average in 22 games, he is a clear bounce-back candidate.
In each of his two previous seasons with the Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23 and 2023-24, he posted a .907 SP. That is solid play, especially on a Coyotes team that didn't contend for playoff contention.
With this, Ingram could be a good buy-low goaltender for an NHL club to take a chance on.
Bryan Rust, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bryan Rust was a popular name in the rumor mill all off-season, and that will continue in the regular season if he ends up starting the year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the Penguins in the middle of a serious retool, Rust is exactly the kind of player who could land them a big return.
Teams looking for a proven top-six winger should be interested in Rust. The 5-foot-11 right winger is coming off an excellent season with the Penguins, posting new career highs with 31 goals and 65 points. This was after he scored 28 goals and 56 points in 62 games with Pittsburgh in 2023-24, so he can certainly still make an impact.
Due to this, Rust should be a very popular trade target this season if Pittsburgh find themselves near the bottom of the NHL standings again.
Rickard Rakell, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Rickard Rakell is another Penguins winger to watch for in the trade market. Like Rust, Rakell was the subject of plenty of trade speculation this summer. This will likely continue if the Penguins do not move him before the start of the season.
Following his strong 2024-25 campaign, Rakell's trade value is very high. The 32-year-old just put together the best season of his 14-year career, recording new career highs with 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games. Therefore, if the Penguins want to move Rakell, now would be a good time.
Nick Robertson, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Questions about Nick Robertson's future with the Toronto Maple Leafs have come up for years now, and they have not stopped with the 2025-26 season nearing. When looking at the Maple Leafs' current roster, there is no question that they have a surplus of NHL-caliber forwards. Thus, it is fair to wonder if this could be the year the Leafs trade Robertson.
If Robertson is made available by the Maple Leafs, there could be considerable interest in him. The skilled left winger is still 24 years old and could hit a new level if he's given more opportunity in another market. Thus, he could be a solid addition for a rebuilding team, in particular.
In 69 games last season with Toronto, Robertson scored a career-high 15 goals and recorded 22 points, while averaging 12 minutes of ice time per game, also a career-high.
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For a while it looked as if the kid pitchers might save the season and even make a deep October run more feasible. But now, with a Wild Card berth slipping away from the Mets, the instant success of their three rookies in recent weeks is beginning to look more like a consolation prize of sorts for what suddenly looms as a disappointing finish.
Albeit an important one, to be sure.
That is, if the Mets’ collapse leaves them out of the postseason, at least they would go into the offseason feeling as if they have the makings of a dominant starting rotation next year and beyond.
Such is the sense of hope the trio of Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong provide for Mets fans in what otherwise could be a long winter of demanding answers from David Stearns as to what went wrong this season.
"If they don’t get there, there’s no way to sugarcoat it," an MLB scout said on Monday. "With their payroll and the high expectations, missing a six-team postseason would be a major failure. But those young pitchers would give them something to hang their hat on as far as changing the conversation.
"They’ve been impressive, to different degrees. You need to see more but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that potentially they give you a high-ceiling nucleus for a starting rotation."
That’s the consensus opinion from scouts and evaluators I spoke to in recent days, as well as former pitchers Ron Darling and Dan Plesac, for this story after McLean, Sproat, and Tong have lived up to the hype as highly-touted prospects in recent weeks.
Without them, especially McLean, the Mets almost certainly would be out of the Wild Card race, as the rest of the rotation has fallen apart, due to injury and underperformance.
For that matter, if the Mets do still find a way into that third Wild Card spot, Darling didn’t hesitate when I asked him on Sunday at Citi Field about who the starters should be in a Wild Card series.
"McLean is the best option and Sproat is right behind him," Darling said. "Maybe (David) Peterson would get the nod just because of the experience, but the question you have to ask, if you’re being honest and not trying to do some tactical BS, is who gives you the best chance to win. Right now it’s the young guys.
Sep 20, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean (26) pitches in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
"With McLean it’s obvious, but Sproat has impressed me too. I thought he was going to be Spencer Strider, 100 percent on every pitch, gripping it and ripping it. There’s a lot more nuance as far as the art of pitching, that I’m really happy to see."
Darling referred to McLean’s impact as "obvious," and indeed his performance to this point, with his 1.27 ERA in seven starts speaks for itself. But it’s the way he pitches, combining mound presence with his ability to create movement with various pitches, that has so many observers falling hard for him.
Plesac, for example, pitched in the big leagues for 18 years. And he’s been an analyst at MLB Network for 17 years, breaking down success and failure on a nightly basis, so he’s pretty much seen it all. Yet he’s so captivated by McLean that he gets some ribbing for it from his colleagues.
"From the first time I saw him pitch I was ultra-impressed," Plesac said by phone recently. "One time on our show I was going on about him to the point where (host) Greg Amsinger says, 'Geez, you’ve got a man-crush on this guy.'
"I just love everything about the way he pitches, his poise, his ability to throw breaking balls behind in the count, his slow heartbeat that keeps the game from speeding up on him. He is so advanced for a guy who just got to the big leagues. As a former pitcher, he’s the guy I want on the mound in a big game."
To that end, Darling makes note of McLean’s background as an all-around athlete good enough to be recruited as a quarterback by Oklahoma State, where he red-shirted at the position for one year before deciding to play only baseball – as both a position player and pitcher.
"His maturity on the field stands out," Darling said. "There’s something to be said for a kid who played big-time football as a quarterback, a leadership position. He has a presence about him that you don’t see often for a guy who just reached the big leagues."
Scouts I spoke to echoed such sentiments.
"He’s a scout’s dream," was the way one put it. "You don’t need a radar gun to evaluate him. He throws hard but he doesn’t chase velocity. His ability to spin the ball separates him but he also gets great movement on his two-seamer. He knows what he’s doing out there, setting up hitters, pitching to spots. He’s fun to watch."
As such, the Mets might just have a true No. 1 starter for years to come. Sproat doesn’t generate quite as much excitement from observers, but he too has elite stuff, and as Darling noted, has shown nuance, demonstrating an ability to change speeds and throw his breaking stuff for strikes, in addition to his upper-90s fastball velocity.
Sep 19, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) follows through on a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Speaking of both Sproat and McLean, Darling said, "At their level of experience, these guys can spin it as well as I’ve ever seen. David Cone was the best guy I ever saw at being able to spin the ball, and I’m hesitant to put them in that category already but they remind me of him."
And then there’s Tong, the youngest of the three rookies, at age 22, with only two starts at Triple-A before being called up. His inexperience has shown at times, to the point where he had that rough start against the Texas Rangers, failing to get out of the first inning, but in that regard his strong bounce back start last week against the San Diego Padres was an important sign.
"He showed some backbone," said Plesac. "I know what that’s like, being out there as a young pitcher and nothing is working for you. The speed of the game at the big league level is so different than the minor leagues, and when you compound that with coming up late in the season in a pennant race, it’s hard.
"That’s why I was so happy to see him bounce back. I think he’s got a gigantic ceiling. It just might take him a little longer to get there than the other two guys. He has to attack the strike zone. When he does that, and he’s using all his pitches, you see the swings and misses he gets with his fastball."
Adds a scout:
"Tong has real deception with that delivery, the Tim Lincecum delivery. He’s got that big induced vertical break that everyone talks about now that gives his fastball the extra ride at the top the zone. He found out big league hitters can hit that pitch, though, if they’re sitting on it, so he needs to be able to throw his curve ball and changeup for strikes. When he does that he may be able to dominate the way he did in the minors."
All in all, then, there is plenty of reason to believe the young trio can have long-term success.
For one thing, as Plesac noted, "You watch all three of them and one thing I notice is when they miss their location, for the most part they don’t miss over the plate. They miss off the plate, to the side of the (catcher’s) glove. They’re not just spraying the ball all over the place, relying on velocity.
Sep 18, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jonah Tong (21) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
"Whoever has worked with them coming up through the Mets’ system, especially McLean and Sproat, they deserve a pat on the back, because those guys certainly learned how to pitch in the minor leagues. And the experience they’re getting in these high-pressure games right now, it will be invaluable for them going into next year."
So even if this season ends in failure, emergence of this young pitching may be remembered for launching a new era for the Mets. It doesn’t always work out, of course, for anyone who remembers the much-hyped Generation K of the early ‘90s, or even the 2015 staff that seemed to offer so much promise beyond the 2015 World Series.
But Darling was quick to point to the success of the 1980s, when he was part of the young pitching group that included Doc Gooden, Sid Fernandez, and Rick Aguilera, that helped usher in a championship era.
"I think the Mets are in a good spot going forward with these young pitchers," Darling said. "This organization has always had waves of good pitchers. I think that’s how people felt in ’84, and that turned into something special.
"It’s not often that they all pan out, but I wish that for these guys. They have the ability. Everybody talks about the need to make adjustments as hitters see you more, but I never felt like I had to make adjustments. I felt like if I took care of my own house, my stuff was good enough, and these guys should feel the same way. The hitter should be inconsequential to these guys if they execute pitches -- that’s how good their stuff is.
"I mean, right now, you’d have to see all three of them in the rotation next year."
That’s an enticing thought. It’s also worth remembering that Christian Scott showed similar promise as a rookie in 2024 before needing Tommy John surgery, and could be part of that high-ceiling future as well.
With that in mind, an executive from an AL team made perhaps the most salient point about the big-picture state of the Mets, regardless of what happens in this final week of the season.
"More than ever," the exec said, "the most precious commodity in the game is young, home-grown starting pitching, and to have three young guys come up at the same time and get results in high-leverage games and show the potential for long-term success. ... that’s at the top of every organization’s wish list."
Nothing goes together like sports fans and saying “this is the year” when it almost certainly is not -- a tradition the Knicks’ faithful haven't genuinely participated in for decades.
However, coming off their first Conference Finals trip of the millennium with a new coach and bolstered depth, New York is giving its fans a real chance to capture this timeless delusion.
While usually safer to lower expectations, the Knicks are in a real place to compete and believe they can win their first championship in over 50 years.
Here are the reasons fans should think this is the year...
The talent is there and ready to be maximized
Let’s not forget these Knicks came an unlucky bounce and one win away from making the Finals last year, while going through the ringer in the physical Pistons, champion Celtics and eventual runner-up Pacers. They’ve returned largely the same roster, with a coaching change and some depth additions that should assure the roster is reaching its potential.
It didn’t feel that way last year and the numbers reflected it. No Jalen Brunson-led, Karl-Anthony Towns-spaced offense should finish 16th in offensive rating post Jan. 1 -- or seventh in the playoffs. And Mike Brown was brought in to help turn that around.
Assuming he adds the necessary offensive zest without jeopardizing the defense, it’s hard to find better rosters on paper. New York has two top players at its respective positions and multiple borderline All-Star level guys to support them, with some of the best bench pieces in the league when productive.
Add onto that Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele and you have the total package. These two not only bring strong individual production, but address specific needs that should keep the returning rotation in their ideal roles and fresher overall.
The East is vulnerable
This isn’t just about how ready the Knicks are to win it all, but how unprepared the rest of their conference is. Make no mistake, anybody is susceptible in a seven-game series, but not having to seriously worry about the usual major threats inspires confidence.
The Pacers and Celtics, arguably the two biggest obstacles in the Knicks' way, will be going into this season without their best players -- Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum -- who both suffered Achilles tears during the postseason.
Without them, these two teams aren’t title contenders, and their front offices appeared to operate from that mindset this offseason, so don’t expect these guys to get rushed back, either.
May 7, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) defends against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the last seconds of the fourth quarter during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. / David Butler II - Imagn Images
Cleveland has been lurking as a top seed and high-talent threat for years, but can’t seem to win a pivotal playoff series to take them over the hump. They’ve doubled down this season and look to be New York’s biggest foe, but they’ll have to prove it first.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are still in the conference, but their teams are loaded with question marks coming off disappointing seasons.
Milwaukee may fall victim to a Giannis trade request once he gets a feel of Myles Turner as his second best player, and the 76ers need to prove they can stay relatively healthy for more than a couple of weeks.
Chips will be on shoulders
For the reasons above, the Knicks are going to be expected to compete for a championship -- both internally and externally.
This makes 2025-26 an especially pivotal one for a franchise that’s really been in a rebuilding phase until maybe last season.
Now is the time to actually win, everybody knows it, and they’ve all got a ton to prove in that pursuit.
Despite All-NBA honors and postseason domination, Brunson is constantly dismissed in top player conversations and is still having to cement his eliteness like a plucky underdog.
Like every Towns year of the past five seasons, he looked shaky defensively in the postseason and some still questioned whether a team could win with him. Mikal Bridges is tied to the pick price it took to acquire him, a value only deemed fair once he’s helped deliver a championship.
OG Anunoby signed the biggest contract in Knicks history after they traded two homegrown, fan favorite pieces to get him. Leon Rose, the man who brought all these guys together, fired the coach who helped get them here to prove this team can win it all, and the entire legacy of his era now rests on that bet.
And don’t think Brown isn’t looking to prove his championship mettle. After falling short with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, he wants to show it was the fault of his stars and not his coaching.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Cubs play a three-game series at Wrigley Field starting on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. on SNY.
5 things to watch
Mets no longer control their playoff destiny
Entering play on Saturday, the Mets had a 2.0 game lead over the Reds for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. That lead is now gone.
By losing back-to-back games to the woeful Nationals on Saturday and Sunday, the Mets are tied with Cincinnati -- but it's the Reds who hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series.
The Mets would not make the playoffs if the season ended today, and now need help to get in.
The Reds play three games at home against the Pirates starting on Tuesday before traveling to face the Brewers for three. The Pirates have the third-worst record in the National League, and have scored just 561 runs this season -- worst in MLB. Meanwhile, the Brewers -- who have clinched the NL Central and are on pace to finish with the top seed in the NL -- could have literally nothing to play for this coming weekend.
After facing the Cubs, the Mets travel to Miami to face a Marlins team that is 9-1 over its last 10 games and still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.
Sproat, who toes the rubber on Thursday had a hiccup in the third inning of his start on Friday. But New York's outfield defense cost him two runs in the frame. He rebounded from it with a strong fourth inning to cap his start.
While Nolan McLean has stolen the show while being both dominant and ultra reliable, Tong and Sproat have performed admirably while showing flashes of excellence.
Center field, especially on the defensive side of things, has been an issue for the Mets down the stretch.
On Friday night, it was Jose Siri who had what should've been the third out of the third inning bounce out of his glove and took a poor route on a hit later in the frame, allowing it to get by him.
On Saturday, it was Cedric Mullins who misplayed the carom of an 11th-inning hit off the wall, leading to an inside the park home run in New York's loss.
Is help on the way?
May 28, 2024; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) makes a catch for an out during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
Taylor, who is truly elite in center field, could be activated ahead of Tuesday's game.
Cubs have nothing to play for, and they've been playing like it
Chicago has been eliminated from contention for the NL Central title, and they're basically locked into the top Wild Card spot.
There's a chance they drop to the second Wild Card, but it's unlikely -- they have a three-game lead over the Padres with six games to go.
And the Cubs have been recently playing like a team with nothing at stake, getting swept in a four-game series by the Reds that helped land the Mets in their current predicament.
This is not to say that the Cubs won't be a tough opponent. They will be.
But it's hard to see a scenario where their starting pitchers are pushed or where their key relievers are asked to shoulder a ton of the load.
Cade Horton has been elite
The 24-year-old Horton starts the series-opener, and the Mets will have their work cut out for them.
Horton has been phenomenal over the last three months.
He had a 1.52 ERA in July and a 1.20 ERA in August, and has a 1.10 ERA in three starts in September.
Horton has allowed zero or one runs in 10 of his last 11 starts.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Pete Alonso
Alonso's power surge should continue at the friendly confines.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Jonah Tong
Tong found the best version of himself against the Padres.
Which Cubs player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Seiya Suzuki
It hasn't been a huge season for Suzuki, but the power threat is real.
PHOENIX – Kyle Schwarber is a pending free agent—and he’s having a career season at just the right time.
The 33-year-old National League MVP candidate is one of the top hitters available on the upcoming market. He boasts a Major League Baseball-leading 129 RBIs, and with 53 homers so far this season, he’s only the second player on the Philadelphia Phillies to hit 50 homers in a season. Ryan Howard owns the Phillies homer record with 58 collected in 2004.
“[Schwarber’s] had by far the best season of his career,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said in an interview this weekend at Chase Field, where the National League East winners dropped two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks. “It’s an MVP-type season for an MVP-type person.”
Schwarber was voted MVP of the All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15 when he came off the bench to win the first home-run swing-off in All-Star history, deciding the game for the NL.
“He’s impressive,” D-backs starting pitcher Zac Gallen said. “His season has been unbelievable. Every time he’s in the batter’s box, he’s a threat to leave the ballpark.”
Schwarber is among the greatest players in recent Phillies history, joining the likes of Howard, Mike Schmidt, Jimmie Rollins, Chase Utley and Bryce Harper.
“It’s an honor, it’s a privilege to be compared with them,” Schwarber said in an interview. “It’s something you don’t take for granted. All of it. My mind doesn’t process it really well because I’m so attuned to what we’re going through right now.”
Schwarber will hit free agency along with Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker, New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, Boston Red Sox’s Alex Bregman, New York Yankees’ Cody Bellinger and Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette as the top hitters on the market.
Alonso, Bregman and Bellinger—all Scott Boras clients—can exercise player options for 2026 built into their respective contracts without the burden of the qualifying offer affecting their free agency again. There’s no double jeopardy as far as the qualifying offer is concerned; a player can’t be tagged with it twice.
Schwarber, in contrast, was not tagged with the qualifying offer in his first two runs at free agency in 2020 and 2021. But this time, he will certainly get one from the Philles, who’ve made it clear they want to re-sign him, though there have been no substantive talks since spring training.
“We need no motivation when it comes to [signing] Kyle Schwarber,” Phillies owner John Middleton recently told a group of media. “He’s great. We thought he was great when we signed him years ago. He’s been great for us ever since. We love him. We want to keep him.”
The Phillies signed Schwarber to a four-year, $79 million contract prior to the 2022 season, a bargain as the prices on the market have grown ever since. Prior to Philadelphia, Schwarber played briefly for the Nationals and the Red Sox, and he was just a kid with the 2016 Chicago Cubs when they won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
“Pretty much my entire tenure with the Cubs prepared me for where I am now,” he said.
Schwarber will have three problems to overcome this time around in free agency: his age, his lack of flexibility defensively and the qualifying offer.
Schwarber is well into his 30s, and teams recently haven’t signed players of his age to long-term, big money deals. For example, Joc Pederson, a left-handed DH, and a recent World Series winner in Los Angeles and Atlanta, signed with Texas this past winter for two years at $37 million heading into his age 33 season. The above offensive players on the market are all younger.
On the field, Schwarber is also full-time left-handed designated hitter, while the other free agents on the market excel at their various defensive positions. He’s only started 13 games in left field since 2023 and eight this season, DH-ing 291 times including 144 this season.
If Schwarber is anxious about all of this he’s not acting like it. His focus is not on free agency.
“For me here it’s just about trying to help the team,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success the last three years and that’s the best part about it. We all have expectations for each other. We all hold us accountable for how we play and go about preparing for it.”
The MVP races in both leagues have come down to four magnificent players: Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani in the NL, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh in the American League.
Ohtani and Judge are the favorites; as defending MVP holders, they should repeat. Ohtani will continue to do so as long as he pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers and hits 50 homers. He has 53 at this writing, a 180 OPS+ and 7.2 WAR.
Judge is out of this world playing right field and DHing for the New York Yankees with 49 homers, a Major League-leading .326 batting average, a 209 OPS+ and a 9 WAR.
Raleigh set records for a catcher and switch-hitter this season with 58 homers for the Seattle Mariners.
Schwarber? He has a slim chance of winning in the NL with his 149 OPS+ and 4.4 WAR, but will get plenty of votes.
“I always say any time there’s a personal feat I’ll think about that when I’m done,” he said. “That’s when I can sit back, probably have about 20 beers, and look at my career when it’s over and, go ‘Wow, you got to accomplish a lot of really cool things.’”
During the off-season, the New York Rangers acquired prospect defenseman Scott Morrow as a part of the trade that sent blueliner K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Bringing in Morrow is certainly notable for the Rangers, as the 22-year-old defenseman has the potential to become a very good offensive defenseman in the NHL. The young blueliner played in his first 14 NHL games this past season with the Hurricanes, where he recorded one goal and six points.
Yet, Morrow spent most of this past season at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Chicago Wolves. The 2021 second-round pick certainly made an impact with the Wolves, recording 13 goals, 26 assists, and 39 points in 52 games. Thus, it is hard not to feel excitement about Morrow's future with the Rangers.
Morrow is certainly leaving a good first impression with the Rangers, too, as he stood out in their first preseason contest against the New Jersey Devils on Sep. 21.
During the Rangers' matchup against the Devils, Morrow scored at the 13:29 mark of the second period to give the Blueshirts a 4-1 lead. His goal was a nice one, too, as he showed his skill with the puck before firing it past Devils goalie Nico Daws.
Seeing Morrow make an immediate impact offensively, even in the preseason, is encouraging. If the Stamford, Connecticut native keeps this kind of play up, he very well could earn himself a spot on the Rangers' opening night roster.
For Ryan Warsofsky, the Sharks’ 2025-26 NHL season is all about how they start — and the competition that ensues.
San Jose’s coach is focused on making sure the team doesn’t stumble early again, and is stressing the importance of a stronger start out of the gate.
“We have a really good plan in place for training camp and to start a season off the right way, which we all know is very important with the starts that we’ve had lately,” Warsofsky said in an interview with NBC Sports California’s Alan Hoshida. “So, again, just feeling more comfortable, I’d say it would be the biggest thing. And, hopefully that leads to, you know, get us up to a faster start.”
That urgency has shown up quickly, as the Sharks are coming off a 3-0 preseason win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday after their first four days of training camp.
Warsofsky, promoted to head coach in June last summer, became the youngest bench boss in the NHL at 36. He believes this group finally reflects the kind of competitive edge needed to turn the page.
“I talked to Mike [Grier] at the rookie tournament, this is probably the first year we have internal competition, and I think that’s what drives an organization,” Warsofsky explained. “You look around league teams that get better quickly because they have really internal competition. We have players that are fighting for spots, whether you’re a fourth-year player and in the National Hockey League or you’re a rookie coming out of the shell, you’re trying to make the hockey team and there’s spots to be made.”
That conversation stemmed from the Golden State Rookie Faceoff in Irvine, CA, where Sharks prospects faced Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings prospects. Their performance offered an early glimpse of San Jose’s young talent and set the tone for the training camp that closed Sunday, with Warsofsky stressing the fight for starting spots that he believes can push the Sharks ahead.
“I think that’s a big step where this organization is going is now that we have that internal competition, we expect our training camp to be, intense, and it’s going to be and it’s going to be hard.” Warsofsky added. “But, we believe that the competition is going to kind of rise to the top.”
That climb continues with one more preseason matchup against Vegas before the Sharks host the Golden Knights again in their Oct. 9 regular-season opener.
We really are now through the looking glass with Pep Guardiola. Eyebrows had been raised by the way Manchester City approached the second half of their commanding derby win last week, sitting off, allowing United the ball and picking them off on the break. But their performance in drawing at Arsenal on Sunday was on a different level entirely: just 34% possession, the lowest any Guardiola side has ever registered in a game. By the end they had four central defenders, two holding midfielders and a full-back on the pitch.
But even that doesn’t get to the heart of how strange this was. In the previous five seasons there have only been 10 occasions when City did not have more possession than their opponents in a Premier League game. Only once before in the Premier League has City’s possession under Guardiola dipped below 40% – when they registered 37% in beating Arsenal 3-1 in February 2023, a decisive game in that season’s title race as it pulled City level on points with Arsenal at the top, although they had played a game more. That fixture, though, was an extreme version of the United game: City sitting deep, looking to strike on the break and, as it turned out, scoring twice in the final 20 minutes to seal their win.
Speculation over Sidney Crosby's future
faded after the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain stated his intent to
stay put. Naturally, the focus has now shifted toward some of his
teammates.
Meeting with the media last Thursday,
Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas said there was no change on the
contract front with Evgeni Malkin. The 39-year-old center is entering
his 20th season with the Penguins and is eligible for UFA status next July.
Dubas indicated he intends to meet with
Malkin during the Olympic break in February to discuss his future.
Malkin also spoke with reporters,
echoing Crosby's stance that he wants to remain with the Penguins.
Nevertheless, he admitted he didn't know how he'd react if Dubas
approached him about waiving his no-movement clause.
RG.Org's James Murphy reported an NHL
executive source claimed the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning were among teams to inquire about Malkin's
availability since the 2024 off-season. The answer from Dubas was
always a “hard no,” as he wants to allow Malkin and Crosby to
decide their futures. Murphy's source noted that the duo haven't
asked out, but haven't ruled out the possibility.
Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson said he wasn't
surprised that he wasn't moved during the off-season. The 35-year-old
defenseman was the frequent topic of media trade chatter. “It was a
quiet summer for me,” Karlsson said. “Didn't really hear much
other than what I read from you guys and all the other people around
the league, which is typical for the off-season.”
Bryan Rust was another Penguins player
who was a fixture in the off-season rumor mill. Matt Vensel of the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazettereported the 33-year-old right winger
laughed off the speculation, but acknowledged the possibility because
he lacks a no-trade clause. Nevertheless, Rust remains hopeful that
he'll stay in Pittsburgh. He's signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value of
$5.125 million.
Penguins Icon Malkin Facing Uncertain Final Chapter Ahead Of 2025-26 SeasonFor years now, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been a study in disappointment. In failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the past three seasons, the Penguins have failed their core of veteran star talent, including captain Sidney Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, and defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. But in Malkin’s case specifically, he stated time and again that he wanted to remain in Pittsburgh for his entire career.
Dubas has put his veterans on notice,
saying the younger players are coming and will get every opportunity
to make the roster. With a few notable exceptions like Crosby and
Malkin, the rest know they'll have to work harder to keep their jobs.
This season will be crucial for the
Penguins. An improved performance could convince those with no-trade
protection to stick around. However, another season outside the
playoff picture could prompt some to consider a change of scenery.
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Tomas Poletin (Rd. 4, No. 106) showcased an impressive shot throughout training camp and did play in Sunday's preseason loss, recording one shot, two hits, and three blocks in 11:49 minutes.
Poletin was selected first overall in the 2025 CHL Import Draft by the WHL's Kelowna Rockets after playing in Finland's junior league in 2024-25.
Luca Romano (Rd. 3, No. 74) is a player who has a ton of different skills from his skating, to his edge work to his hockey IQ and, as we saw on Sunday, his shootout moves:
Romano heads back to the OHL's Kitchener Rangers for his third season with them after posting 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) in 67 games in 2024-25.
Burke Hood (Rd. 6, No. 170) improved as training camp progressed, adjusting to the speed and skill of NHL shots.
Fellow junior player, Kashawn Aticheson will be going back to the OHL's Barrie Colts at some point. The No. 17 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft left Sunday's preseason game due to a lower-body injury.
The Islanders are in New Jersey to face the Devils on Tuesday night for their second preseason game.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
“Hockey is back” has been a common term around social media over the past week, and the NHL regular season is creeping ever closer. The Anaheim Ducks participated in their first preseason game of the exhibition season on Sunday afternoon, when they headed to Ontario, CA, home of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, to take on the Los Angeles Kings in what’s become the annual “Empire Classic.”
The Ducks squad, mostly an inexperienced and/or AHL lineup, was highlighted by 2024 third-overall pick Beckett Sennecke, talented sophomore Cutter Gauthier, and newly-acquired Ryan Poehling.
The Ducks fell by a score of 3-1, following a tight-checking affair, which included allowing a short-handed goal in the critical third period and a late empty net tally.
Ducks forward Jansen Harkins left the game with an upper-body injury and left the arena with his arm in a sling.
While this is the first preseason game on the schedule, and there were a few nuggets to take away, every observation should be taken with a grain of salt, as the team’s new systems are just beginning implementation, chemistry is nearly nonexistent, and competition levels are inconsistent.
Ville Husso started in net for the Ducks and stopped 30 of 32 shots. He was opposed by 19-year-old 2024 second-round pick, Carter George, who saved 22 of 23.
Here are my takeaways from this game:
Beckett Sennecke: Sennecke entered camp needing to perform and persuade the Ducks' front office beyond a reasonable doubt that he’s NHL-ready if he’s to stick with the Ducks all year. He was comfortable and confident with the puck on his stick and was able to create some dangerous looks in tight while making some quality off-puck reads on the defensive end.
However, the one-on-one defensive habits need some polishing, as he tends to watch the puck instead of engaging the opponent’s body, and he tried to force some optimistic passes, forgoing the simple options, which didn’t connect at critical moments.
Rush Offense: Puck possession is the clear priority this season, with the hiring of Joel Quenneville and his new coaching staff. Breakouts that often ended with stretch passes and were then tipped deep in the offensive zone have now become opportunities to hold onto pucks, gain entry, and allow players to utilize their skills and instincts to create dangerous offense.
Rather than a hard-forechecking mandate, when puck carriers didn’t have numbers or options, they elected to chip pucks to areas where their teammates could either skate into them or at least create a 50/50 battle.
Ville Husso: Husso performed very well behind a somewhat scattered defensive structure, as players adjust to new teammates and systems. He was especially true to his angles and remarkably calm when there was a scramble in front of him. He managed the game well in this one.
The Ducks will host the newly-named Utah Mammoth on Monday night at Honda Center to open their home exhibition schedule and will likely ice a completely different roster.
Midfielder beats favourite Nick Daicos to top honour
Bailey Smith and Jordan Dawson make up top four
Gold Coast midfielder Matt Rowell has pulled off a Brownlow Medal upset by beating red-hot favourite Nick Daicos to collect the AFL’s highest individual honour.
Surging to 20 votes after 11 rounds, Rowell could not be stopped as he denied Collingwood superstar Daicos, who for a third-straight year had been one of the major fancies.
The Montreal Canadiens might have fired Claude Julien in 2021, but the former bench boss had a significant impact on one current Hab last year. After taking some time off, once he was let go by the Sainte-Flanelle, Julien accepted an assistant coach role with the St. Louis Blues, and that’s where he got to work with Zack Bolduc.
According to RDS’s report, the assistant coach met with Bolduc every two or three games to conduct video sessions and explain how he could improve his play. The Trois-Rivieres native and former first-round pick at the 2021 draft enjoyed working with the experienced coach:
I had the opportunity to work with Claude a lot last season. On things I focused on last year that made me a more defensively sound player. I loved working with Claude. He’s been in hockey for so long, and he knows what it takes.
Bolduc wasn’t a defensive specialist in Missouri, though; he made a tangible impact on the Blues’ power play, and the Canadiens definitely took notes on that. On Sunday, in Brossard, judging by the power play units formed in Group A, it seems likely that in Group B, Bolduc will get an opportunity to play on a power play unit that will include Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson.
Does that mean it will be the same once the puck drops on the regular season? Not necessarily. Looking at the Groups on the ice in Brossard on Sunday, it’s clear that Martin St-Louis has made a point to create two balanced groups with the same number of NHL players. That split was done with even-strength lines in mind, since those are the trios that will be used most often.
We’ll see as the preseason progresses and cuts are made how the groups evolve, but even if his spot with the top line on the man-advantage may not be meant to be permanent, he has a chance to impress and show what he can do in that company.
In St. Louis, he played in the slot on the power play with talented players like Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, and it paid off.. 12 of his 36 points were scored on the power play, including seven goals. That’s definitely worth looking into for the Canadiens, and the preseason is the right time to do it.
Matthew Potts could be handed a spot in England’s main Ashes squad when Rob Key and the selectors finalise their plans for Australia. While the head coach, Brendon McCullum, has said to expect few surprises after a settled period for the Test side, Jamie Overton’s withdrawal from first-class cricket – plus uncertainty over the fitness of Chris Woakes – does mean there are final decisions to be made this week as regards the seamers.
The core of this group picks itself, with Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all considered bankers – none are expected to play the final round of the County Championship – and optimism that Mark Wood is on track for a return after undergoing knee surgery in March.
