Anaheim Angels @ Texas Rangers
Sunday, August 23, 2026, 1:35 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
The Shed
LHP Yusei Kikuchi vs. RHP Cal Quantrill
Go Rangers!
Game 131 Game Day Thread – Anaheim Angels @ Texas Rangers
Astros vs. A’s Game Discussion: 8/23/2026
TODAY’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (65-65), who own a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers, will play a rubber game with the A’s (50-80) today in what is the finale of their nine-game homestand.
Both clubs named today’s starters following last night’s game, with RHP Cristian Javier (1-4, 6.44 ERA) starting for the Astros opposite an opener in LHP Brady Basso (0-0, 3.91) and a bulk reliever in RHP Jack Perkins (2-9, 6.96 ERA).
EL REPTÍL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his eighth start of the season and his fifth since returning from the IL in early July. He’s split time between being a starter and reliever since his return, making four relief appearances and four starts. Since returning from the IL, he has a 4.33 ERA (13ER/27IP) with 26 strikeouts in 27.0 IP.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 45-34 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank first in slugging (.410), first in total bases (1790), third in home runs (171), third in runs scored (590), and fourth in OPS (.727). In the Majors, the Astros rank fourth in homers, trailing only the Nationals (183), Yankees (177) and White Sox (173).
PLAYERS’ WEEKEND: Today is the final day of MLB Players’ Weekend, which provides players the opportunity to showcase the people, passions and causes that make them who they are. After originally taking place from 2017-19 and then re-imagined in 2024, this sixth edition of Players’ Weekend brings personal stories and self-expression to life through custom bats and cleats, and a wide breadth of storytelling across MLB platforms.
THE DOG DAYS: Today at Daikin Park, the Astros will hold their second straight Dog Day. Like last night, the first 500 dogs to enter the park will receive an exclusive Astros Dog Toy. There will also be fun activities for dogs to participate in and will be dog-related vendors in attendance in Hall of Fame Alley.
ROAD WARRIORS: After today’s game, the Astros will embark on a week-long jaunt to New York to take on the Yankees (3g) and Mets (3g). Houston has gone 25-16 (.610) on their last five road trips and are 31-22 (.585) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. Houston is 32-31 overall on the road in 2026.
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.319), first in HR (36) and first in RBI (90). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.047), OBP (.433), SLG (.614), and TB (283). In the AL, he ranks first in XBH (64), second in hits (147), walks (88), and runs (85), and tied for fourth in doubles (28)..
GOOD INTENTIONS: DH Yordan Alvarez has been intentionally walked 25 times this season, by far the most in the Majors. Alvarez’s 25 intentional walks are the second-highest total in a single season by an Astros player in club history, trailing only the 27 intentional walks to 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997.
HIT PAREDES: Prior to last night, 3B Isaac Paredes had gone 11 straight games without a strikeout, taking 45 plate appearances in those contests. Despite the strikeout, Paredes has hit safely in 10 of his last 14 games (since Aug. 7), while batting .346 (18×52) with five doubles, one home run, eight RBI, and a .914 OPS in that span.
AUGUST HEROES: 2B Jose Altuve is having a strong month, hitting .317 (20×63) with a .380 OBP and an .809 OPS in 18 games this month. Also, RF Cam Smith is hitting .276 (16×58) with four homers, 10 RBI and an .824 OPS in 18 games in August.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has made 500 career appearances and is one of 12 active pitchers to reach that milestone. Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in June, going 4-1 with a 0.87 ERA (3ER/31IP), 41 strikeouts, a .123 opponent average (13×106) and a 0.77 WHIP, while converting all 18 of his save chances in 32 appearances.
MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh has taken a huge Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 79.1, far ahead of second-place LHP Aaron Ashby (69.2IP) and LHP Brent Suter (69.2IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the MLB in innings since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.
VS. THE A’S: This is the third of four series between the Astros and A’s this season, with Houston going 4-4 in their eight games. After this series, the two clubs will match up for a four-game series in Sacramento to end the regular season from Sept. 24-27.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Several of the Astros minor league clubs are having success this season:
• Triple A Sugar Land: In the second half, the Space Cowboys (34-16) are in first in the PCL East Division.
• Class A Fayetteville: For the second half, the Woodpeckers are in first place in the South Atlantic League North Division with a 30-20 (.600) record.
• Rookie Level FCL Astros: The Astros won the Florida Complex League championship, finishing with a 42-11 (.792) record in the regular season.
• Rookie Level DSL Astros: The DSL Astros Orange finished with a 33-20 record and advanced to the DSL playoffs, going 1-1 so far in their current three-game series vs. the DSL Padres.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1992 – The Astros defeat the Phillies, 3-1, to complete their record-long, 26-game road trip with a three-game sweep at Veterans Stadium. The long trip was the result of the Republican National Convention being held in the Astrodome. They ended the trip with a 12-14 record.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 23, 1:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; ESPN Radio (National); TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Game Thread: Old Friend Alert
Go Rays!
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St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies Game Discussion Sunday
The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up a long road trip on Sunday as they try again against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle Leahy is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals while the Phillies will give the ball to Cristopher Sánchez. First pitch is set for 12:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
- JJ Wetherholt (L) SS
- Iván Herrera (R) DH
- Jordan Walker (R) RF
- Alec Burleson (L) 1B
- Joshua Báez (R) LF
- Blaze Jordan (R) 3B
- José Fermín (R) CF
- Ramón Urías (R) 2B
- Pedro Pagés (R) C
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Mets at White Sox: Lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 8/23/26
Mets lineup
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Bo Bichette – 3B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Luis Robert – LF
- Eric Wagaman – 1B
- Christopher Morel – DH
- Marcus Semien – 2B
- A.J. Ewing – CF
- Luis Torrens – C
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
White Sox lineup
- Sam Antonacci – LF
- Munetaka Murakami – 1B
- Miguel Vargas – 3B
- Andrew Benintendi – DH
- Braden Montgomery – RF
- Colson Montgomery – SS
- Chase Meidroth – 2B
- Tristan Peters – CF
- Jake Rogers – C
SP: Erick Fedde – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 2:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Game #131: Athletics at Astros Game Thread
The A’s got a win yesterday! Can they make it two in a row?
It’s Brady Basso getting the ball today. How long will the lefty last this afternoon? Something to monitor.
Here’s the A’s starting nine:
As for the Astros, they have Cristian Javier on the mound for them. The right-hander has looked so-so in his limited time this season. He’ll come into today’s contest with a 6.44 ERA.
And Houston’s lineup:
Let’s make it two in a row. Let’s go A’s!
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Carlos Rodón vs. José Soriano
The Yankees made it close yesterday, but as they say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Just three games behind the division-leading Rays, they don’t need to win every game, but they almost need to win nearly every series to chip away at that deficit. That means today’s rubber game with the Blue Jays is more important than your typical Sunday in August, and with starter Carlos Rodón likely still on a pitch limit, the team needs him to be as efficient as ever.
Rodón returned earlier this week, a four-inning effort that wasn’t a bad start in and of itself, but saw him get too deep into too many counts. Walks have been his problem all year, and getting into 2-2 or 3-2 counts multiple times an inning doesn’t just make those walks more likely, but when you’re limited to 65 or so pitches, you burn through that allowance quickly. He threw 66 against the Orioles on Tuesday, so we should expect about 75-80 from the southpaw today, and hopefully another inning and a bit than he managed in his return.
José Soriano goes for the Jays, one of the pieces that came to the club in their build-but-tactically Trade Deadline. He had 22 strong starts with the Angels, but his three with the Jays have been a little more of a mixed bag. The ERA is great, 2.76, but he’s given up some loud contact and critically has nearly halved his strikeout rate from when he was out west. Three games out of 25 isn’t that much to analyze, but if there are pitches in the zone, the Yankees need to go hunting.
The big news on the offensive side is Cody Bellinger is back! The former MVP bats cleanup and perhaps most exciting of all takes over left field from Heliot Ramos. The lineup looks just a little more professionalized today, and hopefully that bears out in just a little more production for a team thirsty for a spark.
How to Watch
First pitch: 1:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | SN590 THE FAN (TOR)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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Sunday afternoon Orioles game thread: vs. Rays, 1:35pm ET
Probable pitchers: RHP Shane Baz (4-13, 4.02 ERA, 132 Ks) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (12-4, 3.05 ERA, 83 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
If the Orioles could play an entire season just against the Rays, they’d probably be the best team in baseball. After last night’s extra-inning win, the Orioles improved to 8-4 on the season against the AL East leaders and have won eight of their last nine vs. the Rays.
And yet, despite being the only team to beat the Rays 6+ times, the Orioles need another win today if they want to continue their push toward a playoff spot. With the O’s at 63-67, and six other AL teams clustered between 61 and 64 wins, every game is a near must-win for Baltimore the rest of the way.
After excellent pitching performances from Trevor Rogers and Brandon Young to begin the series, the Orioles turn to former Ray Shane Baz to finish off the sweep. Any time Baz takes the mound, the focus almost always shifts to his frustratingly small amount of run support. The 27-year-old is 53rd among 55 qualified starting pitchers with an average of 3.12 runs of run support per game. The lack of run support has only gotten worse of late, as the O’s are scoring 2.7 runs/game in Baz’s last 10 starts, dooming the team to a 1-9 record in those 10 games.
However, if the right-hander’s previous starts against his former team are anything to go on, Baltimore won’t need a ton of runs to beat the Rays today. Baz faced his former club for the first time as an Oriole back on May 20th in Tropicana Field, when he tossed 6 innings of 2-hit ball, allowing just 1 run and striking out six. Just six days later, Baz faced the Rays again in Baltimore and posted an equally impressive line of 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 9 Ks.
Opposing Baz is 36-year-old right-hander Nick Martinez. The 2026 All-Star leads the Rays’ rotation in bWAR (3.0) and IP (141.2), while ranking second in ERA. However, the first-year Ray is in the midst of his worst stretch of the season, having posted a 5.96 ERA and .303 BAA over his last four starts. He’s also averaging one home run allowed per game over his last 8 starts, which should bode well for the red-hot bat of Pete Alonso and the middle of the Orioles’ order.
Prior to joining the Rays, Martinez spent four years in the National League (after a four-year stint in Japan between 2018 and 2021). Today’s start will be his first time pitching in Camden Yards since 2015, when he faced an Orioles lineup led by Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis and JJ Hardy. Martinez was the loser that day 11 years ago, and the current generation of O’s will look to hand him another L today.
Orioles lineup
- Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
- Pete Alonso (R) 1B
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Samuel Basallo (L) C
- Coby Mayo (R) DH
- Dylan Beavers (L) LF
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 3B
- Colton Cowser (L) CF
- Leody Taveras (S) RF
Rays lineup
- Yandy Díaz (R) DH
- Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B
- Junior Caminero (R) 3B
- Liam Hicks (L) C
- Chandler Simpson (L) LF
- Jonny DeLuca (R) RF
- Cedric Mullins (L) CF
- Richie Palacios (L) 2B
- Taylor Walls (S) SS
O’Hoppe up, Kelenic DFA’d
The Texas Rangers have recalled catcher Logan O’Hoppe from AAA Round Rock, the team announced today. To make room for him on the active roster, the Rangers have designated outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment. With this move, the Rangers now have 38 players on the active roster.
Earlier this month, the Rangers brought up Jonah Bride to replace Alejandro Osuna, purportedly because of a stretch of lefthanded pitchers they were set to be facing. Two days later, Bride was designated for assignment, and the Rangers purchased Kelenic’s contract for the second time this season.
Kelenic had gone 1 for 8 with a pair of walks and 5 Ks in his first stint in the bigs with the Rangers, but slashed .391/.456/.674 in 24 games for Round Rock after being sent down, so I guess they thought he deserved another look. Kelenic, this time around started two games, came off the bench in eight more, and had three singles and two walks in 14 plate appearances with 6 Ks.
He now hits the waiver wire, and Logan O’Hoppe, acquired from the Angels, along with Chase Silseth in exchange for Angel Arredondo last month, is up as a righthanded bat the Rangers hope can give their offense a boost. O’Hoppe slashed .209/.271/.295 in 75 games for the Angels before being traded, and slashed .213/.258/.371 in 119 games the year before. He has put up a .292/.386/.556 slash line in 18 games for Round Rock since the Rangers acquired him, however.
This feels a bit like grasping at straws, in terms of trying to improve a Rangers offense that has been sucking wind of late. But hey, maybe O’Hoppe can provide some insights in regards to how best to face his former teammates today.
Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins Game Thread
This Nationals team is in complete free fall. There is no other way to put it. However, they need to start picking up some wins or else the beginning of the season will be completely forgotten. Today, they will look to avoid yet another divisional sweep in Miami.
The Nats lineup is honestly a shame to look at given how ferocious it was for most of this season. Daylen Lile is still the leadoff man. Despite a righty on the mound, Dylan Crews is still hitting third. Andres Chaparro and Keibert Ruiz are back in the lineup as Blake Butera desperately looks for a spark. Despite not being on the IL, CJ Abrams is not back yet. Jackson Kent will look to improve on his first two big league starts.
With a lefty on the mound, the Marlins only have one true lefty in the lineup. That is Griffin Conine. Deyvison De Los Santos gets the start at first base, his first since being recalled. Starting catcher Joe Mack gets a day off, with Brian Navarreto in his place. Esteury Ruiz moves to center field, replacing Jakob Marsee. Janson Junk gets the ball for Miami.
Game Info:
Stadium: loanDepot Park
Time: 1:40 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
The season is lost, but the Nats need to pick it up if they want to retain any momentum heading into 2027. A divisional win would be a really nice boost for this battered and bruised group. Follow along in the comments below and let’s go Nats!
Cubs vs Mariners Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game
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Looking to back the Chicago Cubs at a cheap price? Look no further, as I have you covered with my Cubs vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, Aug. 23.
After a 5-4 Mariners win on Saturday, the Cubs will be out for blood this afternoon.
Who will win Cubs vs Mariners today: Cubs moneyline (-116)
Talk about a discount on the Chicago Cubs to secure a win this afternoon against a right-hander who sports an 8.04 ERA and 1.60 WHIP while allowing an 11.5% barrel rate over his last three outings.
On top of that, they draw a lineup that owns a 25% strikeout rate, .676 OPS, 4.3% barrel rate, and 98 wRC+ over its last six games.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners draw Shota Imanaga, who has been shoving over his last five starts, maintaining a 3.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while limiting opponents to a 31% hard-hit rate. Chicago's bats, on the other hand, have been on fire over their last six games, posting a 119 wRC+, .348 wOBA, and .799 OPS.
With how bad Bryce Miller and the Mariners' bats have been, getting the Cubs at $1.16 is a steal.
COVERS INTEL: Alex Bregman sports a .333 BA, .704 SLG, 1.104 OPS, and .371 ISO over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers. Cubs vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-103)
Despite Imanaga pitching at a very high level across his last five starts, there are some concerning underlying metrics. Over his last three starts, opposing hitters have generated nearly a 17% barrel rate against the Cubs southpaw. On top of that, Miller has allowed over an 11.5% barrel rate to opposing hitters. Both pitchers could be in for a rough start.
On top of that, even though the Mariners’ bats have been ice cold, they have been drawing a ton of walks, which could help get ducks on the pond and drive in some runs.
The Cubs will expectedly be the main contributors to taking this thing over, but expect the Mariners to help out a bit, too, with Imanaga’s recent flaws.
Cubs vs Mariners home run prediction: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+325)
Only Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki have been hitting the ball better than Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong over their last 10 games, but PCA has the far better overall matchup against Miller.
The 28-year-old pitcher has been struggling against left-handed hitters lately, owning a 9.95 ERA against his last 60 faced. During that stretch, those lefties against Miller own a .318 xBA, .494 xSLG, and .309 ISO.
The Cubs center fielder enters Sunday as the highest-rated Cub in this matchup, where he covers almost 100% of Miller's pitches. Over his last 10 games, Crow-Armstrong has maintained a .628 SLG, .419 ISO, and 19.4% ground-ball rate while producing a near 10% barrel rate.
He's easily the most likable guy to go yard this evening. Take this down to +300.
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
- 2026 Season: 426-831, -9.7 units
- Home Run Bets: 108-373, +18.4 units
Cubs vs Mariners weather
This game will be played in a dome.
Cubs vs Mariners odds
- Moneyline: Cubs -116 | Mariners +105
- Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+152) | Mariners +1.5 (-168)
- Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-103) | Under 7.5 (-112)
Cubs vs Mariners trend
The Cubs have covered the run line in 28 of their last 45 games for +16.35 units and a 31% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Mariners.
How to watch Cubs vs Mariners and game info
| Location | T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA |
| Date | Sunday, August 23, 2026 |
| First pitch | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | MARQ, Mariners.TV |
| Cubs starting pitcher | Shota Imanaga (8-9, 3.77 ERA) |
| Mariners starting pitcher | Bryce Miller (4-7, 3.71 ERA) |
Cubs vs Mariners latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Yankees Notes: Aaron Judge, Clark Schmidt updates; Spencer Jones' role as Cody Bellinger returns
Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided a plethora of updates prior to Sunday's series finale against the Blue Jays...
On Judge's progress
Aaron Judge continues to make progress on his road to recovery from a stress fracture in his right first rib .
Judge was able to hit off the tee for a few days before taking yesterday off, but he is expected to resume hitting again before the Sunday matinee in the Bronx.
He has also been running, doing strength stuff, and is responding well.
Though there's still no timeline, the Yanks remain confident he'll be back at some point this season.
"The biggest thing for him now is building up the body to get back into playing shape," Boone said. "It's more getting the body fully back up to speed more than anything now."
This week marked Judge's first time swinging a bat since May 31.
Bellinger's back, now what with Jones?
Though Judge remains out, the Yankees' lineup is set to receive a nice boost on Sunday, as Cody Bellinger makes his highly-anticipated return from the IL.
Bellinger missed just under a month with a hamstring injury, but was deemed ready to return after getting in a pair of minor league rehab games this week.
"Excited obviously," Boone said. "He had a pretty good rehab process where things went smoothly, we feel like he's been tested properly, got a couple of days worth of at-bats down there so we feel like he's ready to go.
"A guy who helps us tremendously on both sides of the ball, so to get one of our core guys back is big."
With Bellinger back in the mix, though, it could mean less consistent playing time for the young Spencer Jones.
Jones has truly settled in during his most recent stint in the majors, but Boone said that there's a "good chance" he'll serve in more of a platoon with deadline pickup Heliot Ramos in right field for the time-being.
"Just trying to do what's best for us everyday," the skipper explained. "How exactly that unfolds, we'll see."
Boone feels that Jones is still a work in progress against left-handed pitching, but while there's still room to grow, he's held his own during this string of success over the past 25 games.
"He's made some real adjustments to the league," Boone said. "I feel like he has a good understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, has a good understanding of the opposing pitchers strengths and weaknesses, and for a young player has done a good job of making the adjustments to help him get better."
Next steps for Schmidt, good signs from E-Rod
Clark Schmidt continues to make decent progress on his road back to the Yanks, as well.
Boone said that the right-hander will throw a live bullpen session early next week, and if all goes well, he could head out to begin a rehab assignment from there.
Though Schmidt could make sene as a potential rotation fill-in with Ryan Weathers hitting the IL, he likely won't be stretched out enough to make an impact there.
The Yanks have planned on utilizing him as a reliever down the stretch.
23-year-old top prospect Elmer Rodriguez could also be a potential option, and Boone says the Yanks like what they've seen from him over his past few outings in Triple-A.
"He's been doing a good job," he emphasized. "He's even pitching deep into some games down there, him and Brandon Beck as well, have earned the opportunity to certainly be in the conversation and hopefully if they get an opportunity here they can be a part of us winning games."
Agent Rich Paul says Peyton Watson was held out of playoffs to protect him from himself
Last postseason, Aaron Gordon pushed himself to play through an injury to get back on the court for Denver, but it wasn't enough for Denver as it got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Minnesota.
Peyton Watson did not play in that series after suffering a hamstring injury in February that lingered through the final months of the season and the playoffs. Watson was heading into free agency this summer — he just completed a sign-and-trade that gets him to Cleveland with a new four-year, $88 million contract — and the decision for him not to play in the postseason was to protect him from himself, Watson’s agent Rich Paul said on his Game Over podcast (hat tip Real GM).
"You've got to remember, he didn't finish the season. He didn't play in the playoffs. He was dealing with a hamstring injury, soft tissue injury. And when you're dealing with those injuries, you have to be very careful in your return. Guys want to play, and you have to protect them from themselves in that moment. Because you're up for a contract and it's the playoffs, and I've had a pretty good year, so I need to play. And it's important to protect that."
There were reports during the playoffs that other Nuggets teammates were frustrated with Watson for not pushing through his injury to play. Now we know why. Paul's answer also may not sit well with Nuggets fans, especially in the wake of what Gordon did, but it's also what an agent should be doing — looking out for the long-term health and what is best for his client.
It's fair to wonder if one reason the Nuggets didn't meet Watson's salary demands — which were less than what they paid Christian Brown the summer before — was that he didn't push to get on the court for the playoffs. Although the larger issue was Denver's finances, it remains over the second apron.
Cleveland needs him on the court this playoffs, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, they need his perimeter defense. His offensive game stepped up for a stretch last season, now Watson needs to show that wasn't an excuse.
Potential Sabres Trade Or Free Agent Acquisitions – Morgan Frost
The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
We are continuing to look at potential options for the Sabres, now that veteran Patrick Kane has returned with Chicago. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
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Kekalainen ideally is looking for someone who could make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, or someone who can fill the leadership gap and/or add some snarl and sandpaper to the middle-six, with the trade of Jordan Greenway to Chicago.
The Sabres appear to be set at center next season, with Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, and Sam Carrick, and youngsters Kulich, Ostlund, and Helenius capable of shifting to the middle in case of injury. A player like Frost has played center during his seven-year career with Philadelphia and Calgary, but is also capable of being effective on the wing.
The 27-year-old was a 2017 first-rounder of the Flyers, and was dealt to the Flames in 2025. Frost has been a consistent 40+ point forward since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2022, and last season, in his first full year with Calgary, he scored a career-high 22 goals.
Unlike Brock Boeser, who has six years of term remaining, Frost will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season. While Boeser would likely cost a couple of the Sabres top prospects, the cost for a quality rental would be significantly less. One factor that could drive the price up on Frost is the normally inflated cost of centers before the trade deadline.
The Flames are a rebuilding club, and have a ton of cap space available, and with Frost in his mid-20’s, he is young enough to be in his prime when they are ready to contend. The question is whether GM Craig Conroy is willing to commit long-term and pay the going rate for a second-line center or top-six/top-nine winger instead of dealing him for a package of draft picks and/or prospects.
An eight-team no-trade list became a factor in the final year of his deal, but Frost being from Aurora, ON (north of Toronto) might make that a non-factor. With the Sabres likely entering the season hoping that their youngsters will pick up the scoring slack, they may choose to wait until the middle of the season before addressing any scoring deficiencies, and that timetable may be a perfect fit for the Flames, considering trading their expiring contracts.
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The Avalanche Are Dead Last In One NHL Ranking — And They Shouldn't Care
The NHL didn't always operate this way.
Before the 2004-05 lockout, there was no salary cap. The league's financial structure was changing, competitive balance had become an increasing concern and the NHL ultimately lost an entire season while the owners and players fought over a new collective bargaining agreement.
When hockey returned, the sport looked different.
The introduction of a salary cap created a new reality for NHL teams. You could still build a powerhouse. You could still keep a championship window open for years. But eventually, difficult decisions would come. Good players would become too expensive. Veterans would age. Draft picks and prospects would become currency.
In other words, success could only last for so long before something had to give.
That is the nature of the modern NHL.
There are ebbs and flows. Some organizations spend years near the bottom, accumulating draft picks and young talent before finally emerging as contenders. Others reach the top and do everything possible to stay there, often sacrificing pieces of their future for a better chance to win in the present.
The San Jose Sharks are a perfect example of the first path.
After several difficult seasons, San Jose has begun building one of the NHL's most exciting young cores through the draft. Macklin Celebrini has already emerged as one of the league's brightest young stars, while Will Smith and Michael Misa give the organization even more elite talent to build around.
The Colorado Avalanche are on the opposite end of that cycle.
They haven't had the luxury — or perhaps more accurately, the need — to think like a rebuilding team.
When you have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in their prime, the future can wait.
The only thing that really matters is whether the roster in front of you is good enough to win the Stanley Cup.
And sometimes, that means paying for today with tomorrow.
That brings us to the Avalanche being ranked last in the NHL by The Athletic's Corey Pronman in his recent evaluation of each organization's under-23 talent.
On the surface, 32nd out of 32 teams sounds alarming.
For Colorado, though, the ranking is both understandable — and not necessarily something that should keep anyone up at night right now.
The Avalanche have spent years operating in win-now mode. They have moved first-round picks. They have traded promising prospects. They have prioritized players capable of helping them compete for a Stanley Cup today rather than simply stockpiling talent that might be ready three or four years from now.
That's what happens when your championship window is open.
And while I don't necessarily agree that Colorado's prospect situation is truly the worst in hockey, it's also difficult to argue that the Avalanche possess one of the league's stronger pipelines.
They don't.
The question is whether that actually matters right now.
And for the Avalanche, the answer is probably no.
The concern isn't necessarily that Colorado is ranked 32nd today. The concern is what happens when the championship window finally closes.
For now, though, the Avalanche still have an opportunity to win.
And when you're staring at a Stanley Cup window that may only remain wide open for another year or two, worrying about the prospects who might help you five years from now probably shouldn't be at the top of the priority list.
Tomorrow will eventually come.
The Avalanche can worry about rebuilding when it does.