As the new season draws near, it’s hard not to notice that the Montreal Canadiens’ penalty kill has been depleted this offseason. GM Kent Hughes elected to let Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak walk away in free agency, and David Savard retired. While there are plenty of options on the blueline to step into Savard’s skates on the PK, the same cannot be said about up front, however.
If Martin St-Louis is short of options, there’s one player who’s more than willing to step in: captain Nick Suzuki. Speaking to RDS’s Marc Denis at the Canadiens’ golf tournament, the center described his own objectives as follows:
Just kind of more of the same, I think I can improve still in different areas, even scoring, and you know, getting assists and all that. I think that comes with playing with good players and being a good team. Just trying to focus on my defensive side, hopefully penalty kill a bit more this year, and being really good at that too. […] I’ve always PKed my whole life and I love it. I think I can be effective on it, but Marty’s trying to manage the minutes and give guys opportunities to do that, so we’ll see what happens, but I’m there and ready if he needs me to PK.
- Suzuki on his objectives and playing on the PK
As Suzuki said himself, the coach is mindful of managing his ice time, but he clearly would like to do it. As reported earlier this summer, playing that role for the Canadiens would likely increase his chances of making Team Canada for the Olympics. While he’s the number one center in Montreal, that’s not the kind of role he’d play on the national team, and showing just how effective he can be on the penalty kill would be a plus.
It's understandable, however, that Martin St-Louis would like to manage his top center’s minutes since he is his top offensive weapon. However, suppose the Canadiens manage to ice a truly competitive second line, and it takes some of the production’s burden off Suzuki’s plate. In that case, there might be more of an opportunity for Suzuki to play when down a man.
That will be one of the stories to follow as training camp unfolds and we get to see who St-Louis would like to see shoulder the load when down a man.
‘If I can be trusted in the midfield then I’ll go for it’
Freeman enjoyed a stunning 2024-25 campaign
England’s reigning player of the year, Tommy Freeman, has revealed he sees his future at outside-centre and intends to continue his transformation into midfield in the coming season.
A winger by trade, Freeman enjoyed a stunning 2024-25 campaign, racking up 23 tries for Northampton, England and the British & Irish Lions. Freeman scored a memorable hat-trick in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster, having become the first England men’s player to score in every round of the Six Nations.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and members of his team watch from the dugout during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
Bye-bye bye.
Hello, Dodger bullpen.
It was all so familiar. It was all so infuriating. It was the 2025 season boiled down into three hours of roars, then screams, then sighs.
The gasping, grappling Dodgers needed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies this week to have any chance at a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs.
Dodgers pitcher Anthony Banda (43) reacts during the first inning of a loss to Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
One game down, and their bullpen has already suffocated them.
They’re not going to get the bye. They couldn’t survive Philly’s first punch. It was the same old story. The Dodgers’ continually vexing relief pitchers gave back a two-run lead, ruined two ensuing comebacks and then were burned for a 10th inning double steal that led to the winning run in the Phillies’ 6-5 victory.
In a scene reminiscent of past October failures, a mournful Dodger Stadium crowd witnessed the Phillies dancing out of their dugout and squeezing into souvenir T-shirts and loudly celebrating on the field after clinching the National League East title.
In a scene also reminiscent of past October failures, just a few steps from the party, the Dodgers clubhouse was deathly quiet.
Max Muncy was asked about the bullpen, which allowed all six Phillies’ runs Monday, including three homers.
“That’s a tough question,” he said.
He attempted to answer it anyway, saying, “It’s frustrating from a team perspective, but they’ve done a great job for us all year and they’ll continue to do a great job.”
Sorry, but there is no spinning out of this mess. This is not a championship bullpen. This is not even a pennant-winning bullpen. This bullpen has been overworked and outmatched and simply outplayed all season, and when the Dodger front office had a chance to fix it at the trade deadline, they did virtually nothing.
It’s everyone’s fault. It’s an organizational failure. This bullpen is going to be the death of them. The slow expiration officially started Monday.
Fueled by fat pitches from Anthony Banda and Jack Dreyer and Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen, the Dodgers suffered a loss that may well have ended their hopes of defending their title.
Now trailing the Phillies by 5 ½ games with a dozen games to play, there’s virtually no way the Dodgers can pass them and finish with the National League’s second-best record, which means instead of getting a week off they are headed for a dangerous three-game wild card series.
If they win the West over the San Diego Padres — no guarantee — they will play those three games at home. If they finish second in the West, they will play those three games on the road.
Either way, a team with a cooked bullpen and a sore-handed star catcher and all kinds of uncertainty surrounding their rotation won’t get the advantage of a much-needed rest.
"We want the bye, obviously,” Freddie Freeman told reporters last weekend.
It’s strangely not so obvious to everyone. Throughout the next two weeks there will undoubtedly be experts who will make the argument that the Dodgers don’t really want or need a bye week because it robs the team of its routine and rhythm.
Don’t be a dummy.
Dodgers pitcher Anthony Banda throws from the mound during a loss to the Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers were desperate for that bye. The Dodgers knew they needed that bye. They knew they needed to rest the relievers, set up a Shohei Ohtani-led rotation, and give Will Smith’s right hand time to heal.
Yes, the bye week bewitched them in 2022 and 2023, when the offense lost its swagger and the Dodgers were beaten in two stunning division series upsets by the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
But, then again, they earned the bye last year and you know how that ended up.
They needed to pass the Phillies. And they needed to start that process this week, as the Phillies’ remaining schedule includes a closing six-game stretch against the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is understandably steering clear of the bye-no bye debate, telling the media, “We’re gonna try to win as many games as we can. ... Where it falls out is where is falls out. ... I don’t think it matters for me to say how important it is. … I kind of just want to win games and see where it all plays out.”
Here’s how it — ugh — played out Monday:
Banda starts the game as an opener and allows a shot into the right-center field stands by Kyle Schwarber.
Dreyer enters the game with a two-run lead in the seventh and allows a two-run homer to somebody named Weston Wilson.
Vesia allows a go-ahead homer by Bryce Harper in the eighth.
Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia tosses a rosin bag in frustration after Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper homered at the top of the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
Treinen doesn’t hold the runners on base in the 10th, allows a double steal, and JT Realmuto hits the eventual game-winning fly ball.
“I had the guys that I wanted, and that doesn’t always work out,” said Roberts.
It feels like it’s too late to work out.
“Trying to see which guys step up,” said Roberts. “Just gonna try to figure out who’s going to seize the opportunity.”
On Monday night, the opportunity seized them, dragging them into a three-game series that could cost them everything.
Tough to beat a wild card opponent with a bullpen that folds.
However, there could be a pathway that leads Kuminga 80 miles northeast to Golden State’s NorCal neighbors in Sacramento. The Warriors earlier this offseason shut down sign-and-trade talks with both the Kings and Phoenix Suns, per multiple reports, who showed the most interest in the 22-year-old wing after not being moved by any of their offers.
But as The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in a column published Tuesday, one tweak to Sacramento’s offer could have moved the needle for Golden State.
“As it relates to the Kings, who have offered veteran guard Malik Monk and a protected 2030 first-round pick to the Warriors while agreeing to give Kuminga a three-year, $63 million deal, their insistence on including protections on the first-rounder remains the main obstacle to a possible deal, Amick wrote. “If the protections were dropped completely, there are some stakeholders who believe the Warriors would likely change their stance.”
Amick added, citing team sources, that the Kings are under the impression that Kuminga wants to play for them.
Kuminga met with Sacramento’s brass in late July, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, and had a good discussion with general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie. Kuminga was intrigued by the idea of a larger role, something not feasible with Golden State, and was “open-minded” to the idea of joining the Kings.
As Amick notes, another roadblock of a potential Kuminga-to-the-Kings deal is the fact that the Warriors also likely would have to trade Moses Moody or Buddy Hield to stay under the first apron of the luxury tax.
But there’s more.
Monk’s four-year, $78 million contract that he signed with Sacramento runs through the 2027-28 season, when he has a player option of $21.5 million. But the Warriors have been adamant about having financial flexibility during that 2027 summer to maintain the ability to potentially seek big-name superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić, who both have player options entering the 2027-28 season.
As it stands, the most likely outcome is Kuminga signs the Warriors’ one-year $7.9 million qualifying offer before the soon approaching Oct. 1 deadline.
But as we’ve come to learn this offseason, nothing is off the table.
However, there could be a pathway that leads Kuminga 80 miles northeast to Golden State’s NorCal neighbors in Sacramento. The Warriors earlier this offseason shut down sign-and-trade talks with both the Kings and Phoenix Suns, per multiple reports, who showed the most interest in the 22-year-old wing after not being moved by any of their offers.
But as The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in a column published Tuesday, one tweak to Sacramento’s offer could have moved the needle for Golden State.
“As it relates to the Kings, who have offered veteran guard Malik Monk and a protected 2030 first-round pick to the Warriors while agreeing to give Kuminga a three-year, $63 million deal, their insistence on including protections on the first-rounder remains the main obstacle to a possible deal, Amick wrote. “If the protections were dropped completely, there are some stakeholders who believe the Warriors would likely change their stance.”
Amick added, citing team sources, that the Kings are under the impression that Kuminga wants to play for them.
Kuminga met with Sacramento’s brass in late July, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, and had a good discussion with general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie. Kuminga was intrigued by the idea of a larger role, something not feasible with Golden State, and was “open-minded” to the idea of joining the Kings.
As Amick notes, another roadblock of a potential Kuminga-to-the-Kings deal is the fact that the Warriors also would likely have to trade Moses Moody or Buddy Hield to stay under the first apron of the luxury tax.
But there’s more.
Monk’s four-year, $78 million contract that he signed with Sacramento runs through the 2027-28 season, when he has a player option of $21.5 million. But the Warriors have been adamant about having financial flexibility during that 2027 summer to maintain the ability to potentially seek big-name superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić, who both have player options entering the 2027-28 season.
As it stands, the most likely outcome is Kuminga signs the Warriors’ one-year $7.9 million qualifying offer before the soon approaching Oct. 1 deadline.
But as we’ve come to learn this offseason, nothing is off the table.
It’s been quite a run for Derrick White since he arrived in Boston.
An NBA title and a gold medal. All-Defense status and a lucrative long-term contract extension. It feels a little bit greedy to wonder what more he can do to help the Celtics when his mere presence seems to elevate everyone around him.
For Day 12 of our Ramp to Camp series, and continuing our “What’s Next?” week for the key members of the 2025-26 Celtics, we’re putting the spotlight on White.
While it feels like White is one to shun individual honors, it’s pretty obvious that the only major honor that has eluded him in recent seasons has been an All-Star nod. Some poorly-timed cold streaks have conspired against him — along with the fact that Boston’s roster has been overflowing with talent — but it sure feels like there will be an opportunity to earn that All-Star selection this season.
The absence of a rehabbing Jayson Tatum to start the season combined with a talent drain cased by the second apron is going to allow White even more freedom on the offensive end. How might White’s production spike?
In eight regular-season games played without Tatum last season, White averaged 20.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. The Celtics were +75 in his 274 Tatum-less minutes. That feels like the sort of stat line that would get the attention of All-Star voters.
In 16 regular-season games without Brown last season, White was at 17.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. The Celtics were +143 in 555 minutes of floor time. The theme: White was more than capable of elevating when the Celtics were without one of their stars.
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An All-Star nod would be a reflection of White’s ability to help keep this team afloat while navigating Tatum’s absence. If the Celtics outkick outsiders’ tempered expectations, then core members like White could be rewarded with trips to Los Angeles.
Much like with Brown elevating to the 1A role, we’re intrigued to see how White fares in a brighter spotlight. Teams will game-plan more to take away those clean 3-point looks, but White is so good at simply making the right play.
Will his scoring bump up to that 20-point range? Will his assist numbers spike to career-high levels? We’re intrigued to see how his efficiency fares with more usage and whether he can keep the turnovers down.
You know the defense is going to be there. He’s averaged better than a block per game in each of the past two seasons while establishing himself as the best — and craftiest — shot-blocking guard in the league.
We’re also interested to see how White’s leadership grows. Entering Year 9 at age 31, he has the resume to be more vocal if he desires, even if he typically leads by example with his smart play. White can help steer this ship through some rocky waters as younger players try to find their identities on a new-look roster.
Everyone in Boston knows White’s value. An All-Star nod would be an acknowledgment that the rest of the league knows, too.
Let’s check in with our panel on the one thing they want to see from White this season:
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
Assertiveness. It took almost two seasons for the Celtics to convince White to shoot whenever he had an open look, and he blossomed into Boston’s third-best scorer as a result.
With Tatum out, he’s now the second-best scorer and will be asked to shoulder an even greater offensive load. Beyond taking open shots, it’d be great to see White look to create his own offense more frequently.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
Keep being Derrick White. Maybe that sounds like an unserious response, but if I’m looking at Derrick White, I don’t want him to change a thing about his game. Good player. Stay that way.
Sean McGuire, Web Producer
I’d like to see White turn into a high-volume scorer behind Jaylen Brown. He’s been a consistent scorer, having averaged 16.4 points per game during a career season in 2024-25. That’s what was needed from him then, but it’s not what is needed now.
White had 17 games with 20 points or more but just four with 25-plus points and two of 30-plus. Given Boston will be without three of the team’s top six scorers from last season (Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday) White will need to pack a bigger punch in that department.
Josh Canu, Media Editor
Be an All-Star. Derrick White is the No. 2 option for the Celtics this season. He has shown that when one of the Jays is out, he can pick up the slack. Now he has to do it every night.
I want to see if White is able to maintain his defensive impact while absorbing a bigger offensive role. If he finds that balance, he will be an All-Star this season.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
I want to see White average 22-plus points per game this season. He has the ability, but can he consistently score for the C’s without any diminishing returns on the defensive end?
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
I’d like to see him avoid a joyless cold streak. It’s sad to know he’s not having a blast out on the court.
South Africa and New Zealand’s selfish decision to go it alone will lead to competition hiatus and looks foolish
Enjoy it while it lasts. The current edition of the Rugby Championship has been captivating, the most open in living memory and with two rounds remaining all four nations are firmly in contention for the title. Last weekend witnessed another thriller between Australia and Argentina – the Pumas edging home 28-26 – while the Springboks produced their most dominant display since the 2023 World Cup with a record victory against the All Blacks.
There had been suggestions that South Africa were beginning to decline after a plateau since their triumph in Paris but Saturday’s performance was some riposte. Australia were agonisingly close to another successful comeback at the soldout Allianz Stadium, meanwhile, and there remains a good deal of optimism around the Wallabies. Not least because they sit top of the table and believe they can get their hands back on the Bledisloe Cup in the coming weeks after New Zealand won it back in 2003 and never let it go.
Chris Sutton believes Rangers' players are operating in a "toxic" environment amid the club's current struggles, calling head coach Russell Martin position "horrific".
Martin, appointed in the summer, has won three of his 12 games and Rangers have not won in their past five fixtures.
"I've got sympathy for him," said former Celtic forward Sutton. "I feel sorry for some of the players. I really, really do.
"You just don't get time in Glasgow. It's all about winning. It's turning ugly. It's a really difficult place to play. The environment to play in, it is toxic.
"The problem that the Rangers hierarchy have... These were the guys who hung their hat on Russell Martin. They keep backing him.
"I don't think he's helped himself, he told everybody the players are scared. That's the Rangers manager telling every other club in Scotland that his players are playing with fear. That's on him. Why would you do that?"
Sutton, like Martin, is a former Norwich City player and suspects supporters will stop attending Rangers matches.
"Unless he goes on an incredible run, Rangers fans, from what I'm hearing, they're just not going to rock up and watch the team," Sutton added on the BBC's Football Daily podcast. "They won't fill the stadium. They are so disillusioned.
"This has turned so ugly, so quickly. The start was so important for Russell Martin. He doesn't have any real allies other than the people who employed him.
"Nobody else at the club wants him to stay. In a short space of time, that's a horrific position for him to be in."
Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia delivers the ball from the mound during the top of the eighth inning during the team's loss to the Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
Philadelphia came to Los Angeles having already clinched a playoff berth. With Monday’s 6-5 extra-inning win over the Dodgers they added a division title to that collection, one they celebrated in the center of the Dodger Stadium infield, then with champagne in the tiny visitors’ clubhouse.
The Dodgers are zeroing in on a playoff berth and division title of their own. So the chances are high the teams will meet again in the postseason, which makes this week’s series a great opportunity to do a little scouting.
“We try to gather as much information as we can,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “They're doing the same thing.”
That’s not the main objective though. Because if the Dodgers are closing in the postseason, they aren’t there yet. And they have even more work to do after Monday’s game, which ended with Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto’s 10th-inning sacrifice fly scoring ghost runner Harrison Bader from third with the winning run.
Dodgers third base Max Muncy reacts to grounding out in the 10th inning, sealing the Philles' win Monday at Dodger Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
“With where we're at, I'm trying to win every game,” said manager Dave Roberts, whose team fought back from deficits three times before losing. “And where it falls out is where it falls out.”
One of the things that both sides surely learned Monday is that the Dodger bullpen is still far from being playoff ready. Because after Emmet Sheehan held the Phillies to one hit over 5⅔ innings, striking out seven, he watched a quartet of relievers combine to give up four runs — three on homer runs — over the next four.
“It's frustrating, just from a team perspective,” third baseman Max Muncy said of a bullpen that has blown 24 saves and ranks fourth in the National League with 30 losses.
It’s unlikely to cost the Dodgers another trip to the postseason. Even with Monday’s loss, they are two games in front of idle San Diego in the National League West with 12 games to play and their magic number for clinching an 11th division title in 12 seasons is 10.
The magic number to clinch a wild-card berth is six.
The Dodgers have also been eyeing the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament, however, a spot Philadelphia holds and one that brings with it a bye in the first round. It’s a break Roberts’ battered roster could use, but it’s one that may now be impossible to grasp: Monday’s win pushed the Phillies’ lead to 5½ games in the race for No. 2, a deficit the Dodgers have less than two weeks to make up.
“It’s really hard to not face these games down the stretch like a playoff game,” Rojas said. “We've been doing this for almost two weeks now. That's the way that we have to look at it if we want to be prepared for October.”
Those preparations were uneven at best Monday. At the plate, the Dodgers fought back from deficits three times to send the game to extra innings on Andy Pages’ solo homer with one out in the ninth. But they also went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and, after Muncy grounded out with the bases loaded in the 10th, they left nine men on base. That erased a big game from Mookie Betts, who drove in three runs on two sacrifice flies and a game-tying homer in the seventh.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts hits a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Phillies at Dodger Stadium Monday. (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)
That gave him 19 RBIs in September and his 78 for the season, three better than his total from all of last year. But that wasn’t enough to overcome another bullpen meltdown.
Sheehan followed opener Anthony Banda to the mound, taking the ball three batters in the game with the Phillies already leading 1-0 on Kyle Schwarber’s league-leading 53rd home run. Sheehan left with a 3-1 lead after giving up his only hit, a leadoff double to Otto Kemp in the seventh. But three batters later the Phillies had a 4-3 lead after Weston Wilson, the Phillies No. 9 hitter, homered off Jack Dreyer.
The Dodgers rallied to tie the game twice after that but each time the bullpen gave the lead back, the final run coming in the 10th on Realmuto’s game-winning fly ball to right off right-hander Blake Treinen (1-5).
Asked if the series will show the Dodgers anything that can use if they face the Phillies again next month, Muncy shook his head.
“Personally, I don't necessarily think so,” said Muncy, who third-inning homer, his first since returning from the injured list as week ago, opened the Dodgers’ scoring. “We've done that in the past. We've played teams right before we've seen them in the postseason and usually they do everything complete[ly] opposite.
“Right now, you're just trying to win a game. You're not really worried about what's ahead.”
Notes
Reliever Brock Stewart, the Dodgers’ most-celebrated acquisition at the trade deadline, left Monday to join Oklahoma City for a two-game rehab assignment. Stewart, on the injured list since Aug. 12 with right shoulder inflammation, is expected to pitch Tuesday and Thursday in Triple A before returning to Dodger Stadium.
“If all goes well, then we have a conversation over the weekend,” Roberts said of Stewart’s availability. “We’ve just got to make sure he's healthy. If he's right, then it could be very additive.”
For the second straight year Betts has been chosen as the Dodgers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious off-the-field prize, in recognition for his wide-ranging charity work.
In January, Betts’ 5050 Foundation donated more than $30,000 of Nike clothing to victims of the Southern California wildfires. A few weeks later, in partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), he donated more than $160,000 to the Brotherhood Crusade to help fight hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles.
Also this season the 5050 Foundation partnered with the Obama Foundation at Hyde Park Academy to donate youth sports equipment and other supplies while also funding the Mookie Betts Metro Baseball Tournament in Nashville.
