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Latest draft buzz: Downs' range, Day 2 steals, DT class, more

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:14:13 EST

When could Caleb Downs and Jordyn Tyson be drafted? What are the Eagles, Giants and Steelers thinking?

‘We accept responsibility’: Tavares dissects Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 season

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:59:19 EDT

'A bigger shock to the system than we acknowledged': How 48 hours changed the Lakers' season

Dave McMenamin — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:13:03 EST

After a devastating blowout loss in Oklahoma City on April 2, the Lakers lost two of their three stars. Now they face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets -- as a home underdog.

Five Raptors stat trends to watch going into the playoffs

Ian Finlayson — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:17:06 EDT

An on-the-rise Toronto Raptors team appears to be up against it going into a playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sound familiar?

There’s no need to fear – LeBron James isn’t standing behind that door ready to ball spin and break a collective basketball nation’s heart. It’s nearly one decade later, and a great deal has changed. The Raptors won a championship, James is catching lobs from his son, and about a dozen new catch-all metrics dropped that dubiously distill a player’s worth into a single number.

Fast forward to 2025-26 and the burgeoning Raptors have taken serious strides, discovering strengths and limitations along the way to securing their first playoff berth in four years. And there’s plenty of data to analyze, as Toronto has achieved success in new and intriguing ways.

Unlike the Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan-led squads of the mid-2010s, the Raptors are now a defence-first group that thrives off turning opponents’ misses and turnovers into easy points. They were able to play their game against the Cavaliers in the regular season, sweeping that series 3-0. But those results come with plenty of caveats.

Donovan Mitchell missed one game, Jarrett Allen missed two and Darius Garland missed all three. And of course, Garland’s replacement, James Harden, wasn’t a member of the team yet. Acquiring the former MVP for Garland at the deadline has supercharged Cleveland’s already strong offence. With that in mind, let’s dig deep into five stat trends to watch for the Raptors in the first round, and potentially beyond.

Raptors return to the playoffs on Sportsnet

The Toronto Raptors are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Watch Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet+.

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1. The Raptors want to play fast

Toronto’s ability to dictate the pace of play and win the possession battle could define its success in the first round.

The Raptors led in the NBA in fast-break points this season. They ranked third in overall transition scoring. And they did it while ranking in the bottom 10 in transition efficiency over the first five months of the schedule. The Raptors didn’t score well when defences weren’t set; they just faced scrambled defences a lot – the third-most in the NBA.

Toronto fans will know well, but for anyone unfamiliar, the Raptors’ trying to finish odd-man breaks and easy runouts often resulted in a comedy of errors.

Still, they ran the fourth-most frequently off steals and the most frequently off rebounds (according to Cleaning the Glass, which filters out garbage time). Transition chances materialize much more easily off steals than live rebounds – 67 per cent of the time vs. 29 per cent of the time – so this demonstrates their commitment to getting out in transition at every opportunity.

One way they accomplished this was by using a philosophy Darko Rajaković described as “first touch,” meaning that the rebounder immediately looks up court to make a hit-ahead pass to a player leaking out as an outlet. They also have big wings in Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, who are capable of both rebounding the ball and pushing. Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili also fit this mould to a lesser degree.

Basically, the Raptors want to play fast.

It’s easy to understand why. Even when the Raptors were finishing at a below-average clip in transition, it was still far more efficient than in the halfcourt. The league average points per 100 transition plays is 125.8. Against a set defence, that number drops to 98.1. Running against a still-recovering defence is always going to be more effective than the alternative, and the Raptors have been among the best teams at creating those opportunities.

The same logic can also be applied going the other way, and the Raptors have been successful here too. They have limited opponents to the second-lowest transition frequency through a mix of curbing turnovers and being extra intentional about tagging up with their man when the shot goes up, as Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela explains.

Moreover, this important element is trending in the right direction for the Raptors on a couple of fronts.

First, their transition finishing greatly improved over the final month of the season, bumping them up to 15th (just above league average at 126.5 points per 100). And while they didn’t convert consistently in their first win over Cleveland, they put up monster numbers of 142.9 and 144.4 in their next two matchups, respectively.

The Cavaliers were also below average at preventing teams from getting out in transition, ranking 18th. They also ranked 18th in opponents’ fast-break points, but have been seventh since adding Harden, mostly due to his ability to limit turnovers as a lead ball handler.

The Raptors’ success here, both recently in finishing and on the season against Cleveland, seemingly bodes well for them. But once again, the Harden caveat looms large.

2. Change of the guard

Even before Immanuel Quickley was plagued by plantar fasciitis and missed eight games down the stretch, the Toronto Raptors had already begun to initiate offence differently.

The most notable example came against the Detroit Pistons on March 15, when the Raptors shook out of their funk of habitually pounding the chalk – Toronto was 4-18 against teams with top-10 records in the NBA to that point, with three of those wins coming over the Cavs – by also breaking a pattern of play and taking down the No. 1 seed.

The Raptors’ crunch-time offence had grown stagnant to that point. Their go-to action was Quickley entering the ball to Ingram in the post after he shook free off a cross-screen. That bore fruit in earlier clutch wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers, but opponents started to sit on it, gum it up, and the Raptors were eventually eating the majority of the shot clock just to get it off.

These forced possessions aside, Ingram’s natural pace is that of molasses. The Raptors’ average possession was nearly a full second longer with the languid wing on the floor (per PBP Stats), the highest mark on the team and nearly four times that of Poeltl, who was second.

Toronto will still rely on Ingram to create plenty of offence, but they seem to be leaning towards having him start with the ball more often, instead of burning clock working to get open. The all-star usually ended up taking on his defender one-on-one either way. In that aforementioned Pistons game, every Raptors starter except for Jakob Poeltl initiated a possession in the final five minutes, with all of them doing it multiple times except for Quickley.

With Quickley’s status now in question due to a mild hamstring strain sustained in the final game of the regular season, it might not matter. And the Raptors did already get practice filling the void at point guard. Barnes averaged 10.6 assists over Quickley’s eight-game absence as the Raptors’ pace shot up by 1.5 possessions per 48 minutes (an eight-spot leap in the leaderboard), and teammates were delivered the ball in more optimal positions to score.

After the Raptors’ second win over the Cavaliers, Ingram told me that Quickley is “able to be at his normal position scoring the basketball, getting into the lane. Still seeing passes, but he’s able to be more of a scorer than (a) facilitator when Jamal (Shead) is out there.”

It was telling that Quickley’s teammate saw him playing a more suitable role when Shead was handling point guard duties. Still, Quickley is Toronto’s most talented three-point shooter; he’s the only player on the team who attempts a high volume of more difficult pull-up triples, accounting for nearly 40 per cent the team’s attempts. Without Quickley, the Raptors have almost no pull-up shooting – eight players averaged more pull-up threes per game than the Raptors did as a team this season.

3. The Raptors have started shooting it

The Raptors have recently spent time without their best shooter, and counterintuitively, their poor three-point shooting has started to turn around.

While they rank among the lowest-volume distance shooting teams in the league, both on pull-ups (4.9 attempts per game, last) and overall (32.1 attempts per game, 26th), Toronto’s efficiency has improved. Pre all-star break, it ranked 25th at 34.4 per cent, and since then, it’s been sixth at 37.7.

The bulk of this can be attributed to Ja’Kobe Walter, who’s been pumping heat to the tune of 47.6 per cent from three on 4.7 attempts per game after the mid-February festivities – over a 12 per cent increase on an additional 1.5 shots. The 21-year-old sophomore has always had quiet and repeatable shooting mechanics, and it appears he’s put it together, while also serving as the Raptors’ best on-ball defender at the point of attack. He stands to play an important role in the series as a hot shooting night, or shutdown defence on Mitchell, could go a long way in swinging a game. If Quickley is unable to go, it’s probable Walter enters the starting five in his place – as he did for seven of the eight-straight games Quickley sat.

Ingram, Mamukelashvili, and even AJ Lawson have also had notable upticks in three-point efficiency post all-star break, albeit on less volume. Outside of his threes, Ingram had one of the most difficult shot diets in the league. In contrast, the Raptors’ role players are given the ball in very specific spots. The vast majority of Walter, Mamukelashvili, and Lawson’s usage came on cuts and spot-ups, which are among the most efficient play types. To their credit, they’ve executed, all posting above-average true shooting percentages. Walter and Mamukelashvili’s were 61 per cent and 63.7 per cent, respectively. Huge numbers.

The Raptors’ role players maintaining this level of shooting efficiency will be important if they’re going to have a chance against the Cavs.

4. Unique success in the clutch

During the regular season, the ability to navigate clutch basketball can swing a team’s record by a few wins. In the playoffs, it could save the season. The 2025-26 Raptors excelled in clutch scenarios, finishing with the seventh-best record (21-14) in games that were within five points in the final five minutes.

They didn’t achieve this result through offence. The poor shooting and static hoops we went over reared its ugly head in these situations more than any other. The Raptors were an average offence all-around (they finished 15th in offensive rating), but ranked 22nd in clutch offence and 23rd in the fourth quarter. Ingram took more shots in crunch time than any other Raptor and had the worst true shooting in these spots of any starter on the team at 46 per cent.

Teams tend to slow down late in close games, playing to avoid turnovers and maximize every possession. Flying directly in the face of the Raptors’ run-and-gun tendencies. Yet part of their successful formula was taking care of the ball, as they ranked in the top 10 in clutch turnover percentage (11.3 per cent). One way Toronto accomplished this was by frequently closing out games with two-point guard lineups featuring Quickley and Shead. The team had a 92nd percentile turnover rate when this pair shared the floor.

The other aspect of the Raptors’ late-game heroics was their outstanding defence, anchored by a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Barnes. Toronto already ranked fifth in defensive rating (112.1), but in the clutch, they leapt up to second (99.1). Barnes has had a tremendous defensive season in general, finishing second to Victor Wembanyama in stocks (steal+blocks) with 230, was the only player with more than 100 steals and blocks, and forced teams to shoot 5.6 per cent worse at the rim when he was on the floor, a 94th percentile mark. This was all punctuated with a league-leading nine blocks in clutch time, including a couple of game-savers.

5. Could they see zone in the playoffs?

The Raptors faced the most zone defence in the NBA this season (h/t Blake Murphy). And for an extended stretch, it was for good reason, as they struggled to solve it.

That was until they had a breakthrough against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 21, using Scottie Barnes to get middle and pick apart the zone with his surgically precise passing. Toronto most recently saw a significant zone in their two-game set against the Miami Heat – the NBA’s zone leaders – and diced them up. The Raptors scored against the Heat’s zone at 1.13 points per possession, well above league average, eventually dissuading them from using it altogether.

The Cavaliers ranked third in zone usage during the 2024-25 season at 8.6 per cent (per Basketball Poetry), but that number’s been cut in half this season. Considering that Toronto’s had plenty of practice against zones, showed an adjustment and Cleveland’s waning usage, it stands to reason the Raptors won’t be facing zone in the first round as they did in the regular season. But if Quickley’s unable to play and the Raptors’ bench shooters get cold, it could be lurking in the background as a curveball.

One other note on the topic of defensive coverages, it will be interesting to see if the Cavaliers opt to double Ingram. They didn’t during the regular season, instead playing him straight up one-on-one and living with the results of his shot-making abilities. If this continues, a hot shooting series from Ingram could be a big swing for the Raptors.

Wetzel: For the good of WNBA, commish needs thicker skin

Dan Wetzel — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:27:08 EST

From Engelbert on down, the WNBA should be about "look at us," not "woe is me," Wetzel writes.

Jasudavicius excited to get back in octagon on home turf after brief reset

Sportsnet Video — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:56:35 EDT

2027 recruiting class rankings: Oklahoma among top 10 schools off to strong start

Craig Haubert — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:34:57 EST

These schools are setting the early pace in the class of 2027 recruiting race.

McDavid seals 6th scoring title with 4-assist finale

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

The Oilers' Connor McDavid won his sixth Art Ross title as the NHL scoring leader, finishing the regular season with 138 points after Thursday's four-assist performance in a 6-1 win over the Canucks.

MLB Roundup: Padres beat Mariners for eighth straight win

Associated Press — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:01:19 EDT

SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr.’s two-run single capped a four-run rally in the second inning, Walker Buehler earned his first win with San Diego and the Padres beat Seattle for their eighth straight win and 11th in 12 games.

Mason Miller struck out the side on 14 pitches in the ninth for his sixth save and to extend his scoreless innings streak to 30 2/3 innings, the longest active streak in the majors. He passed Randy Jones (30 innings in May 1980) for second-longest in Padres history and trails only Cla Meredith (33 2/3 innings, July-September 2006).

San Diego beat Seattle for just the fourth time in 12 games at Petco Park since 2022. Seattle won the season series 5-1 last year and claimed the inaugural Vedder Cup, named after Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who has ties to both cities. The trophy is a Fender Telecaster guitar signed by Vedder. The teams play again May 15-17 in Seattle.

Buehler (1-1) took a two-hit shutout into the sixth before allowing three straight singles. He was chased by Cal Raleigh’s RBI single, and Julio Rodríguez greeted reliever Bradgley Rodriguez with another run-scoring base hit. The Mariners had the bases loaded with one out before Adrian Morejon came on and retired the side.

Buehler threw his glove against a dugout wall after being pulled. He allowed two runs and five hits, struck out seven and walked one.

ANGELS 11, YANKEES 4

NEW YORK — Mike Trout hit his fifth homer of the series and the Los Angeles Angels overcame a homer by Aaron Judge in their 11-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon for a four-game split.

Trout, who recently made a mechanical adjustment, went 6 for 16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the series. Trout hit his latest homer with one out in the seventh inning when he sent a 2-2 slider from reliever Angel Chivilli about halfway up the left field bleachers for a 7-4 lead.

Trout homered in his fifth straight game at Yankee Stadium and became the fourth to hit five homers in a series against the Yankees. The others were Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990), according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

Trout’s latest homer contributed to a rare loss for the Yankees when Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homered in the same game. Including the postseason, New York is 53-8 when the duo both connect.

Jo Adell added a grand slam in the eighth for the Angels, who lead the AL with 32 homers.

Judge hit his 89th career first-inning homer and Stanton hit a two-run shot to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the fourth before the Angels scored four runs in the sixth off Max Fried (2-1) and Fernando Cruz. Ben Rice also homered in the sixth.

Trout walked three times and scored the tying run in a four-run sixth on a double by former Yankee Oswald Peraza, who also hit a two-run homer in the first.

GIANTS 3, REDS 0

CINCINNATI — Landen Roupp allowed one hit in six innings and Matt Chapman had an RBI double to spark a three-run rally in the seventh and help San Francisco beat Cincinnati.

Roupp (3-1) didn’t allow a hit until No. 9 batter P.J. Higgins led off the sixth with a single. That ended up being the Reds’ only hit of the day.

Roupp hit TJ Friedl with a pitch, but Matt McLain struck out and Elly De La Cruz grounded into a double play to end the threat. Roupp walked two, struck out six and left after 87 pitches.

Ryan Walker pitched the seventh and Keaton Winn struck out two in the eighth. Erik Miller struck out the side in the ninth for his first career save.

The Giants rallied when Luis Arraez reached on an error by De La Cruz at short leading off the seventh against reliever Brock Burke (1-1). Arraez scored from first on Chapman’s two-out double off the wall in left-center field. Jung Hoo Lee followed with an RBI single. Connor Phillips entered and walked Heliot Ramos before Casey Schmitt singled in a third unearned run.

Reds rookie Chase Burns allowed two hits and a walk, but still faced the minimum through six scoreless innings. He struck out four and left after throwing 87 pitches.

BREWERS 2, BLUE JAYS 1

MILWAUKEE — Garrett Mitchell scored the go-ahead run as Milwaukee bunted three straight times in the seventh inning to break a tie and beat Toronto.

Aaron Ashby (5-0) faced only two batters and got the final out in the seventh to take over the major league lead in wins.

Toronto stranded the potential tying run at third when Kazuma Okamoto grounded out against Angel Zerpa, who earned his second save. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had hit a leadoff single and reached third on a pair of grounders to the right side.

Milwaukee snapped a six-game skid Wednesday by scoring twice in the eighth inning while hitting just one ball out of the infield. The Brewers didn’t hit any balls out of the infield during their seventh-inning rally Thursday.

Mitchell drew a leadoff walk from Tommy Nance (0-1) and Greg Jones bunted him over to second. David Hamilton beat out a bunt hit to put runners on the corners. Joey Ortiz delivered a safety squeeze that brought home Mitchell.

NATIONALS 8, PIRATES 7 (10)

PITTSBURGH — James Wood singled to score automatic runner Jorbit Vivas in the 10th inning and Washington beat Pittsburgh.

Reliever Clayton Beeter (1-0) got his first career win despite giving up the ninth-inning run that sent the game to an extra inning. Brandon Lowe hit an infield single to score Jake Mangum, who Beeter walked.

Dennis Santana (2-1) pitched the top of the 10th for the Pirates.

Orlando Ribalta earned his first career save.

The Nationals scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin had a throwing error that scored the first three. Luis García Jr. grounded into a fielder’s choice and Griffin was unable to tag second in time before he threw wildly to first base. Drew Millas, Vivas and Nasim Nuñez all scored.

The Pirates challenged Nuñez’s slide to second for any illegal contact, but the call was upheld.

RAYS 5, WHITE SOX 3

CHICAGO — Junior Caminero homered and Tampa scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning, rallying for a win over Chicago.

The Rays (11-7) trailed by one run three times before pulling ahead against White Sox (6-13) relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Lucas Sims, extending their winning streak to six games.

Dominguez entered with a one-run lead after Everson Pereira homered in the eighth inning, his second long ball in seven at-bats since returning from a sprained ankle. But Dominguez exited to boos with the bases loaded and one out after allowing Caminero’s leadoff home run, a single, a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch.

Sims struck out Jake Fraley before walking Hunter Feduccia and Taylor Walls. The White Sox have lost six straight home games after starting 3-0.

TIGERS 10, ROYALS 9

DETROIT — Riley Greene doubled home two runs to tie the score with two outs in the ninth inning, and Colt Keith followed with the winning single as streaking Detroit rallied past Kansas City in a wild game delayed twice by rain.

Dillon Dingler launched a two-run homer and Greene finished with three hits for the Tigers, who squandered a five-run lead but recovered to win their sixth straight.

Salvador Perez drove in four for the Royals, including a three-run homer to cap a six-run seventh that gave them an 8-6 lead. Vinnie Pasquantino also went deep, his first homer this season, and Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits and scored three times.

RANGERS 9, ATHLETICS 6

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joc Pederson hit a go-ahead single in a four-run ninth inning and Texas rallied last in a victory over the Athletics to earn a split of its four-game series.

Nick Kurtz blooped a three-run double that Wyatt Langford couldn’t chase down in left field to give the Athletics a 6-5 lead with two outs in the eighth.

Jake Burger and Josh Jung singled to start the ninth against Justin Sterner (0-2). Kyle Higashioka was safe when Sterner fielded his bunt and threw it over the head of Darell Hernaiz at third for an error, allowing Burger to score the tying run. Pederson gave the Rangers the lead, and Ezequiel Duran added to it with a two-run single.

Brandon Nimmo had an RBI single in the third off Jacob Lopez, and Burger added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to put Texas up 2-0.

Jacob Wilson had a two-run single off Jack Leiter in the A’s fifth and Carlos Cortes followed with an RBI single to give them a 3-2 lead.

Luis Medina followed Lopez in the sixth, and Pederson worked a pinch-hit walk with one out after winning an ABS challenge on an 0-2 pitch. Josh Smith’s two-out RBI double tied it 3-all.

Jung hit his first home run of the season — a two-run shot off Scott Barlow in the seventh for a 5-3 Rangers lead.

Leiter allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. Jakob Junis was charged with three runs in 1 1/3 innings after Jacob Latz entered with the bases loaded and gave up Kurtz’s double.

GUARDIANS 4, ORIOLES 2

CLEVELAND — Parker Messick took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, José Ramírez homered for the third time in four games and Cleveland opened a seven-game homestand with a victory over Baltimore.

Making his 11th major league start, Messick (3-0) faced one batter more than the minimum through eight innings before Leody Taveras led off the ninth with a grounder that just eluded diving second baseman Juan Brito and went into right field for a single.

Blaze Alexander followed with a line-drive single to center before the rookie left-hander was removed to a standing ovation from the crowd of 14,748.

Taylor Ward’s single off closer Cade Smith loaded the bases, and Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly drove in Taveras. Pete Alonso hit an RBI double that put runners at second and third with one out.

Smith then retired pinch-hitter Colton Cowser on a fly to center and Samuel Basallo on a grounder for his fourth save.

The 25-year-old Messick walked two and equalled a career best with nine strikeouts. He was charged with two runs in eight-plus innings, his longest outing in the majors. He threw 112 pitches, 78 for strikes.

ROCKIES 3, ASTROS 2

HOUSTON — Hunter Goodman homered and doubled to help Colorado snap a six-game skid with a victory over Houston.

Goodman’s solo shot tied it in the fourth inning and Colorado took the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Tyler Freeman, who had three hits.

Chase Dollander (2-1) took over with two outs in the first and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. He struck out nine and allowed only one hit.

Victor Vodnik walked one in a scoreless ninth for his second save.

Jose Altuve had two hits for the Astros, who have dropped nine of 11.

Altuve hit a leadoff single in the first and moved to second on a wild pitch by opener Juan Mejia. Houston took a 1-0 lead when Altuve scored on a single by Yordan Alvarez.

With two outs, Mejia plunked Christian Walker on the arm with a pitch before a single by Joey Loperfido scored Alvarez to make it 2-0. But the offence stalled after that, and the Astros finished with five hits.

How Collin Murray-Boyles can adjust his game to guard any player on the court

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:06:10 EDT

OU's Torrez stuns by taking NCAA all-around title

D'Arcy Maine — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:27:45 EST

Oklahoma's Faith Torrez made her all-around season debut Thursday night and defeated Olympic and world champions to claim NCAA gymnastics' highest individual honor.

Canucks’ demise punctuated by one last humiliation against Oilers

Iain MacIntyre — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:56:50 EDT

EDMONTON — Two years ago, the Vancouver Canucks won 50 games. Thursday, they finished the 2025-26 season with 25 wins — and 49 regulation losses.

No matter how accustomed we have become to the team’s historic retreat this season, the numbers are still halting.

How much has changed for Vancouver in the National Hockey League was reinforced by its final-game 6-1 humiliation against the Edmonton Oilers, the Stanley Cup contenders the Canucks forced to Game 7 in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs just 23 months ago.

The Canucks did not come close to competing Thursday in the same building where they nearly took down the Oilers in 2024.

“I was thinking about that,” longest-serving Canuck Brock Boeser said after the team’s funeral march finally ended. “It’s hard to imagine. I don’t even know what to say, really, right now. It sucks. I’ve still kind of got to get my thoughts together about everything that happened.

“But this is obviously a direction we had to go with the moves that were made. We’ve got to restart.”

Shots Thursday were 35-12 for the Oilers, who needed a point to guarantee themselves a home-ice start to this year’s playoffs. That urgency was exemplified by Connor McDavid, who seemed to make it his mission not to let the last-place Canucks steal a game that would make it harder for Edmonton to begin another journey towards a third straight Stanley Cup Final.

McDavid carved open the Canucks with four assists and sculpted a first-period hat trick for lucky linemate Matt Savoie. Edmonton’s dominant victory ended an improbable three-game Vancouver winning streak and the Canucks’ worst season this century — arguably, their most disappointing one ever.

“They came out ready to play. . . and we were not ready for it,” Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek said.

The Canucks’ final landing spot, last by a mile in the NHL for the first time in franchise history, is disillusioning but hardly a shock considering this ending could be glimpsed almost from the beginning of the season.

Their fall from a peak of 4-2-0 began in October when injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger exposed the organization’s failure to bolster its centre depth last summer. Highest-paid player Elias Pettersson started slowly, again, and goalie Thatcher Demko got hurt, again. And everyone knew it was over for the Canucks on Dec. 12 when president Jim Rutherford, fearing he might be forced to sell Quinn Hughes at a severe loss if he didn’t act quickly, traded the best player in franchise history to the Minnesota Wild for some elite prospects and a first-round pick.

As the Canucks veered dramatically into a rebuild, everything that happened after that Friday night in December, except perhaps the four-game winning streak that immediately followed the trade, was predictable, albeit difficult to believe in real time.

Finishing at 25-49-8, the Canucks suffered their worst single-year regression since they entered the NHL 55 seasons ago.

Their 58 points were 32 less than the 90 scrounged last year amid the internal dysfunction and injury epidemic of Rick Tocchet’s final season, before the coach leapt into a life raft that carried him away to the Philadelphia Flyers.

It’s like Tocchet knew what was coming.

The previous record season-over-season freefall for the Canucks was 26 points in 2015-16.

Vancouver finishes with a goal-differential of minus-100, an almost unfathomable 83-goal disintegration since last season.

The team won only nine of 41 home games, and just 15 times in regulation. Only once has it lost more games in one season.

Again, these numbers are horrifying, but not shocking based on everything we’ve seen this last six months.

So what happens now?

“You show up to work regardless,” veteran defenceman Marcus Pettersson said. “There’s so many games — 84 games next year — there’s going to be more highs and lows. Keep a steady mindset and learn from each day. You’ve just got to understand the situation we’re in and strive to get better every year. That’s all we can do. It’s easy to slip and it’s easy to kind of get ahead of yourselves. If you win a game … it’s like, yeah, if you don’t follow it up, it doesn’t mean anything, right? So have that mindset every day.”

The only positive thing about Game 82, other than that it temporarily ends the suffering in Canucks Nation, is that minor-league callup Ty Mueller scored a beautiful breakaway goal for his first in the NHL.

He was one of seven players under the age of 24 in Vancouver’s lineup, one of nine who has spent significant time this season or last in the American Hockey League.

“We have so many young guys,” Boeser said. “I think just their maturity and, you know, growing up and learning how to play the right way, it definitely takes time. And I thought they did a lot better job towards the end of the year. Everyone needs to have the right mindset coming to the rink every day. Guys can’t be satisfied. They’ve got to figure out a way to be better, work harder and play as a team.”

“Of course, it’s disappointing where we are,” goalie Kevin Lankinen said, the last player out of the visitors’ dressing room at Rogers Place. “Just looking at the standings, that’s not acceptable. But I want to believe that the future is bright. We’ve got some pieces that we can build on, and I trust that the coaching staff and the management are making the right decisions. And we’re going to be more competitive in the future.”

Celebrini passes Thornton to set new Sharks record for points in a season

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:09:14 EDT

How Travis Green transformed the Senators into a contender

Alex Adams — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:18:09 EDT

OTTAWA — Being an NHL head coach can be a thankless job, getting blamed for every loss and rarely given any credit for the wins.

There are exceptions to the rule, and that’s when you know a head coach is coaching.

As Travis Green told his Ottawa Senators recently after a game, “work your balls off.”

Maybe he was speaking about himself.

In January, the smart money said the Senators were going nowhere as they sat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They were analytics darlings, outshooting and out-chancing opponents with one of the best defensive structures in the league but weren’t getting saves or killing penalties.

That’s when you need your coach to rally the troops, which happened as the Senators brushed off the outside noise to make the playoffs. In fact, the team’s turnaround has rightfully put Green in the conversation for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. And he has his sights set on a Stanley Cup, no less.

Green’s story — and not just for this season — is one of perseverance, learning from his mistakes and growing as a coach.

It started with the Vancouver Canucks, where Green was coach from 2017 to 2021. His record was 133-147-34. It wasn’t sparkling, so when the Senators hired Green in May 2024, it raised eyebrows. But general manager Steve Staios saw something.

“That was that deep dive,” Staios told Sportsnet.ca. “We went through their roster, wins and losses, but also how they performed. … The easy way to do it would be wins and losses and Stanley Cups.”

Interestingly, the Old Boys club played no part in Staios hiring Green: the two had met just once before the interview process.

At the time, a lot of Sens fans wanted to see Staios pick Craig Berube, a Cup winner in St. Louis. “One of the guys out there was a Stanley Cup champ, and what I really dug into was where my team was at and who’s the right fit,” said Staios.

“I’ll never make a decision to win a headline.

“There’s been a number of times where it would have been easy for me to make decisions that our fans would have been excited about, but I wouldn’t be doing the right thing by the team.”

Well, Green has become a positive headline this season, while Berube has not in Toronto.

When Staios looked under the hood, he saw that Green consistently outperformed with a poorly constructed and rebuilding Vancouver team. Green managed to get the Canucks to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs with a young Quinn Hughes, Bo Horvat, Elias Petterson and J.T. Miller.

”We started to dig into the numbers,” Staios said. “We went real in depth to try and figure out exactly (how) he got more out of teams on the defensive side. … We talked about it a lot in Year 1, where we wanted to establish that foundational defensive game, and then build off of that.”

Green told Sportsnet.ca that it was a learning experience coaching the Canucks.

“Head coaches have a lot of confidence in themselves, and when I went to Vancouver, I felt like I had a lot of things figured out. But you definitely learn a lot the more you do it,” Green said.

“I would expect a guy that’s a doctor or a lawyer is a much better lawyer after seven or eight years than he was his first year. And I think that’s definitely the case right now. Even system-wise, I’ve changed a lot of my systems that I originally came into league with. I’d like to think I’m a little bit of a hockey nerd, as far as studying and listening and watching hockey, but also just handling players and going through different scenarios, different situations. When to push, when to have patience.”

“Coaches are always better after their first job,” said Staios.

Green’s transformation of the Senators began with its defensive structure. From 2018 to 2024, the Senators were in the bottom half every season in goals against. Some of that was goaltending, but a lot of that was a mix of great talent but lack of structure in their game under coach D.J. Smith. Staios wanted a level of accountability for the team’s youthful stars, namely Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, which they may not have had under Smith, the coach they had been weaned on. Don’t forget Elias Petterson’s best years were under Green.

From Day 1, in 2024, Green sought to suffocate opponents’ transition games by dumping the puck in, which allowed Ottawa to be great defensively. And he got Stutzle, Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot — all poor defensive players at the time — to become good defensively, even great in Stutzle’s case. The Senators are now second in expected goals allowed per game.

“They want coaching, they accept coaching, and it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. Coaching is being honest, and the players aren’t always hearing things that they want to hear,” said Green.

For years, the young core played exciting but not winning hockey. They needed structure and a kick in the butt.

“Honestly, ever since Travis came, he just taught us the right way how to play hockey, the winning way,” said Sanderson. “It’s not fancy. May not be fun all the time. It’s tiring, but he understands that. He gives us the rest when we need it, so we have the energy to go out and play that way every single time.

“Honestly, not enough nice things I can say. He’s honest, but he’s fair,” Sanderson told Sportsnet.ca.

“I’ve tried to promise myself to never forget what it’s like to be the player,” said Green, who played 14 years in the NHL. “That’s important for coaches.”

Nick Cousins said the fact that Green puts himself in “our shoes” is a major reason the team has rallied and tuned into Green’s voice. When they “need that video session or to come in and scream and yell at us …. (he) knows what buttons to push.”

In many ways, being a coach is as much about the human element as it is the Xs and Os.

“Sometimes, as a coach, you’re like a father figure, you’re a brother and you’re a friend, and that changes from day to day,” Green said “And I think if you can build a relationship with your team … but also have authority on how they’re going to play and when they’re going to play.

“How I treat Shane Pinto is different than how I treat Ridly Greig.”

Good coaches also learn from their mistakes.

Before the Senators went on a run at the end of January, their penalty kill was second worst in the league. Green switched out assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner for Mike Yeo to run the penalty kill. Since then, they’ve had the sixth-best unit.

“There’s times where you look back and (think), ‘Ah, maybe I should have handled that a little differently’, and that only helps you the next time it comes up,” said Green.

Green also realized his team could not play run-and-gun like others, so looked for a pragmatic defensive approach while growing the offensive side of the game. Ottawa now sits eighth in goals for this season.

“We don’t have a team that has 50-goal scorers, 100-point guys, but we have a real team that has a lot of good players. And they’re committed on both sides of the puck,” said Green.

But maybe the hardest channel Green navigated this season was the so-called outside noise: the drama that surrounded Senators on Team USA, Tkachuk’s dad’s comments, Linus Ullmark’s leave of absence and subsequent viral rumours about his personal life.

It was a lot.

But in December, with the team losing and with a ton of drama ahead, someone sent Green a note that became the mantra of the 2025-26 Senators.

“When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras, and I actually wrote it up on my board,” said Green. “It just meant don’t look for something that’s not there.”

A few weeks later, in January, when the team was in the basement of the Eastern Conference, Green made his famous speech caught on video following a 7-1 win over Vegas.

“Don’t listen to the (expletive) white noise. Don’t listen to people outside this (expletive) rink. Zero negativity,” said Green. “Let’s go on a (expletive) run.”

We asked Green about his speech.

“That was around a time where there was a lot of noise around our team. Why were we not winning?” Green said.

“Especially in today’s world with social media … there’s a lot of noise around the team … (so it was about) not letting someone else’s opinion get in the way of what we want to do.”

It worked. The team launched into an impeccable 20-6-4 run all the way to the playoffs.

But Green isn’t satisfied.

“My goal is to win the Stanley Cup,” he said. “Plain simple, that’s what I want to do. I never got to do it as a player. And I want to win a Cup as a coach. … I firmly believe that this team has a chance.”

The best time of the year starts for Green against Carolina in Round 1.

Biggest haters funeral: Chris Paul pokes fun at Clippers after play-in tournament loss

Anthony Gharib — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:13:56 EST

The LA Clippers saw their season end Wednesday, and an ex-Clipper made sure to rub salt in the wound.

Blue Bombers sign Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma

Sportsnet Staff — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:26:02 EDT

Taylor Elgersma is headed back north of the border.

The Canadian quarterback signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, the team announced.

Elgersma, 24, spent last season in the United Football League with the Birmingham Stallions. However, due to issues with a work visa, he didn’t appear in any games.

Before joining the Stallions, Elgersma tried his hand in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

The six-foot-five, 227-pound Elgersma spent training camp with the Packers and appeared in three pre-season games before he was waived by the team ahead of the regular season.

Elgersma signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent after attending the NFL team’s mini-camp. He became just the fourth Canadian university quarterback to sign south of the border and the first since ’87.

The London, Ont., native won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the top player in Canadian university football with the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks in 2024.

In his senior season at Laurier, Elgersma passed for 4,011 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added 223 yards and six touchdowns rushing and led the Golden Hawks to a Vanier Cup appearance.

The Blue Bombers drafted the rights to Elgersma with the 18th overall selection in the 2025 CFL Draft.

How a driven Ja’Kobe Walter earned crucial role with Raptors

Michael Grange — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:24:40 EDT

Ja’Kobe Walter was taking driving lessons.

Sabrina Walter, his mother, was his driving instructor.

Not: She took her son driving so he could get some practice in.

But actually: She was a driving instructor, at Prosper Driving school in McKinney, Texas, and her then 16-year-old son was her student, practising for his license.

It was the ultimate test of coachability and the willingness to accept your role.

How did it go? Not bad, not bad at all. There were moments when Walter didn’t want to hear exactly what his instructor wanted to say. And moments when the instructor wished the student would nod more and talk less. But they got through it — no small thing as anyone who has experienced the new driver-parent dynamic from either perspective.

Even as a 16-year-old Walter recognized the situation, and made the right read:

“I did what I had to do because I didn’t want to be there any longer than I had to be. I felt like I could drive perfectly fine,” Walter said. “(But) I listened. I kept it simple; I did what I had to do to get out of there. She wasn’t going to let me go otherwise. Two hands on the wheel, speed limit, all that.”

His instructor’s version: “He was teachable. But he would listen sometimes, and then sometimes it was like he already knew everything,” said Sabrina Walter, who did a long list of jobs when her kids were growing up — driving instructor just one of them. “We would be on Lesson 3 out of 7 and it wasn’t going fast enough for him.”

But everyone persevered. Walter took his test with the owner of the school and his mom insisted that he not show any leniency.

And?

“I got 100 per cent on my driving test,” said Walter. “When your mom is your driving instructor, you can’t mess that up.”

The Raptors Show

Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy and two-time NBA champion Matt Bonner cover all things Raptors and the NBA. Airing every weekday live on Sportsnet 590 The FAN from 11 a.m.-noon ET.

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As the Toronto Raptors get ready to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first playoff action since 2022, there is good reason the Cavaliers are heavy favourites.

They have the highest payroll in the NBA; Donovan Mitchell is one of the most lethal scorers in all of basketball, with multiple 50-point playoff explosions to his name; James Harden remains as skilled a half-court operator as ever; Evan Mobley is one of the league’s best defenders; and on and on.

But in addition to having a 3-0 regular-season record against Cleveland to bolster their belief, the Raptors can gain confidence from the way their roster has developed over the course of the season. Sure, the Raptors’ fortunes will likely rise or fall on the performances of all-stars Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, but the season-long progression of youngsters such as rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and Walter, the second-year wing from just outside of Dallas, has the Raptors entering the playoffs as the deepest and most versatile version of themselves seen this season.

It’s a welcome development, if a tad unexpected. Murray-Boyles was an unproven commodity out of training camp without a defined position as the No. 9 pick in the draft. And Walter? He was third — if not fourth — among a crowded collection of wings the Raptors had set up to compete for minutes off the bench. He didn’t even start in the Raptors’ intrasquad scrimmage at the end of training camp in Calgary, and was DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) in the second and third games of the season.

But coming into his first playoff series, Walter has very definitively figured it out. The 21-year-old who shot 34.1 per cent from the college three-point line during his one season at Baylor and 34.9 per cent from the three in his first NBA season has turned himself into a lethal threat from distance. He led all Raptors regulars in three-point percentage on the season at 40.9 per cent, and from the all-star break on, he shot a blistering 47.6 per cent from three, second in the NBA among all players with at least 100 makes.

He’s done it while establishing himself as a legitimately pesky on-ball defender, and a dangerous off-ball bandit. His 73 steals were fourth overall in the Raptors ball-hawking lineup, but when playing time is factored in, Walter led Raptors regulars in thefts with 1.8 per 36 minutes, well ahead of Barnes’ 1.5.

It’s all translated into Walter fulfilling a role the Raptors were desperately in need of filling going as the season got underway: A floor-stretching wing who could make threes and be a plus defensively. Every team needs them — the Raptors more than most, given they ranked 29th in three-pointers made a year ago. If form holds, the Raptors will count themselves lucky to find just such a contributor in Walter, who they took with the 19th pick in the 2024 draft, and the Cavaliers will be lucky when he’s not on the floor.

“We all know he’s been great defensively for us,” Barnes said, as the regular season was winding down and more of his assists were coming off Walter’s hand for three. “Being able to put pressure on the ball, turning guys, trapping guys, helping us get out and run, but his shooting is just something that we need on our team, and he’s been on fire. Each shot he takes, it feels like it’s going in and he’s been super important for our team. Sometimes, we get in these ruts where we’re not making shots. But we can count on him to play defence and make shots.”

The irony is that an off-ball, ‘3-and-D’ wing was never a role Walter had played before in his career. He led Baylor in scoring as a freshman, was a McDonald’s all-American coming out of high school and was the best player on his AAU team before that. Even last season with the Raptors very much rebuilding, Walter was getting more opportunities with the ball (his usage rate fell from 18.4 per cent to 14.0 this year) and taking more shots when he had it (from 7.6 per game compared to five) than he has in his second season.

But with the addition of Ingram and pushing for the playoffs an organizational goal, roles shifted this year. Walter adapted seamlessly. It’s a quality his teammates have noticed.

“He’s got this ability to just be a gamer, to have a certain level of competitiveness,” said Garrett Temple, the Raptors 17-year veteran and in-house mentor-at-large. “His ability to take coaching is very old school, and he’s very low maintenance. It’s, ‘Yes, sir.’ Whatever you tell him to do, it’s, ‘I’m on it.’”

Said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic: “He’s a such a great kid and such a competitor, he’s very, very easy to coach, you know? You tell him something one time, he takes that very seriously and he’s trying to apply it right away.”

It’s no small thing. One of the challenges for young players coming into the NBA is recognizing that the game they played with a full heart for all their years has instantly become a job. Which doesn’t mean that the love of the game automatically wanes, or the passion for personal development or goal chasing should stop. Quite the opposite: Standing still in the NBA is an invitation to get churned out of the league as fast as you arrived.

But the job part — which is probably the most relatable element of life in the most gilded league in sports — is that very few players get to play in the NBA the same way they did when they were striving to earn one of the 450 regular roster spots league-wide, or exactly how they want to play. That’s some of what is bundled into ‘figuring it out’ — the catch-all phrase that so often summarizes young players adapting, or not, to NBA requirements.

For Walter, it was baked in.

“It’s the way my parents raised me,” he said. “I’ve always respected people that have authority over you, and was kind of listening all the time, and I think that’s kind of made me the player I am now.”

Of all the skills that can get a player into the NBA, the one that can be make-or-break as far as them cracking a roster or staying on the floor, being coachable is near the top of the list. Walter has never not been an elite basketball prospect. He was AAU teammates with Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Ron Holland of the Detroit Pistons, among other big names. And like any teenager, he remembers the thrill of seeing his highlights coursing out across social media. But somehow as he made his way through the ego-driven gauntlet of elite youth basketball, Walter was able to recognize that a team game didn’t automatically revolve around him.

George Clay thought he was done with coaching summer basketball until he saw a pick-up run where a skinny Grade 9 kid was, in his words, “doing special things.” He introduced himself to Walter’s mom, Sabrina, and his father, Eddie Walter. They hit it off, and Clay ended up coaching Walter for three summers.

“Ja’Kobe was always a kid that could impact the game without having to score,” said Clay. “Now, he was a heck of a scorer, don’t get me wrong. But he knew he could do other things, whether it was shutting down the other team’s best player, and even as your best player, he’s the one diving on the floor for a loose ball, getting a steal or an extra possession. He took a lot of pride in all the areas of his game, versus feeling like — even though he was our best player — feeling like he had to act like that. He did all the little things that kind of mattered and helped us win.

“It’s very, very refreshing to have a guy that knows that there’s more to basketball than scoring a bucket, right?”

For Walter, there was never much of an option. His father, Eddie, played NAIA basketball at Birmingham-Southern, in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala., though judging by his shoulders, you might have guessed Division 1 football. Shake his hand and you’re thinking if rock-crushing was a sport, he’d be good at that.

“He a definitely no-nonsense guy, you know,” said Clay, who remains close with the Walter family. “Great guy, one of my close friends, but definitely no-nonsense.”

He was Walter’s first coach, and his first lessons weren’t that complicated: “I’m all about defence, that’s just me,” said Eddie, who set the school record for steals at Birmingham Southern, and works as a utility repairman since he moved to the Dallas area after university. “And be the best teammate you can be and always try to make the right passes. That was me growing up, and I wanted to instill that in Ja’Kobe.”

The other? “Don’t be complacent. Don’t just go the gym, stay in the gym and work on your craft.”

Message(s) received. One of Clay’s preferred memories of Walter came at the end of their AAU run together at the Adidas circuit championships. They were playing in a closed gym with no college coaches on hand and, in any case, Walter had long ago signed with Baylor. There was nothing at stake other than bragging rights. And yet Walter was throwing himself around, diving on the floor, drawing charges and imploring Clay to press to make up a 15-point deficit before he hit the game-winner.

“I mean, he’s just a competitor,” said Clay. “And I think that’s the one thing that everybody started seeing about him.”

Walter remembers the game, but to him it’s not that noteworthy. Why wouldn’t he play that way? It’s his way. It’s only now that he’s been able to see it how others do.

“You know, I’ve never understood until, probably — truly — this year,” he told me. “But I’ve always been a player that played hard no matter what the situation was, and I really don’t know how to play a different way. I feel like I play the game to win, regardless, so I don’t ever have to put myself in that mindset of playing hard. When there’s a loose ball, obviously you’re supposed to go get the ball. For me, there’s never been anything else. You put your body on the line, you take the charge, dive on the ball and play defence. So that has pretty much helped me to where I am right now. I feel like that mindset alone got me very far in my career.”

The beginning of this season was the first time Walter’s approach didn’t seem to be delivering the results he’d come to expect for himself. Even when he started getting some playing time, it was coming in dribs and drabs, fits and starts. Over a two-month stretch early in the season that included seven games starting in place of a then-injured RJ Barrett, Walter struggled to find a rhythm. He had company in that respect — Gradey Dick or Ochai Agbaji hadn’t exactly taken the job by storm either. Through Jan. 1, the trio was collectively shooting 30 per cent in 53 shared minutes per game.

It wasn’t exactly how Walter envisioned his second season unfolding. But he didn’t overreact. He stayed steadfast in his habits — Walter looks for opportunities for extra work in every crevice of the schedule, routinely staying late after practice or shootarounds on the road, or coming back later in the day or evenings when the Raptors are at home. He aims for 1,500 made threes per week. And his pre-game routine doesn’t vary: Sixty made threes off the catch and 90 off movement, with special attention paid to his balance and footwork. And he also took a step back to consider the context.

“I was talking with coach Jimbo (long-time Raptors assistant Jim Saan, who oversees the Raptors development program) and he was telling me about working with dudes like (former Raptor and now Miami Heat all-star) Norman Powell, and how (Powell) didn’t have everything given to him and he wasn’t the player then he is right now,” said Walter. “But that he would always stay consistent and keep working. And after hearing that, I did a little bit of research, looking at different players and how their careers went, and they weren’t always the players they are now, you feel me? And when you understand the league, you know it made sense in my head.

“When you come in as a young guy, you’re not always going to have that role (that you want), so you have to do the little things. And when I changed that mindset, I never really had that bad feeling about going to the games, or I never really got down on myself, because I just understood that this is part of it and it’s all going to come around.”

But Walter hedged his bets. A 21-year-old millionaire has a lot of options to consider with a week of vacation staring him in the face, but Walter wasn’t tempted by any of them. During the all-star break, he headed home to McKinney and put himself through full days of workouts at his old high school with Clay. Shooting, conditioning, weightlifting — no steps were skipped.

His efforts didn’t go in vain. Just before the all-star break, the Raptors had traded Agbaji and shortly after that, Dick fell out of what was becoming a tighter rotation after the all-star break.

Walter’s climb up the depth chart was complete.

Over the last 15 games of the season, Walter averaged 26.6 minutes per game of almost exclusively positive basketball. He shot 53.8 per cent on more than five threes a game, but just as important made only eight turnovers while accumulating 16 steals, and did it against the best competition.

The Raptors lost on the road against the surging Boston Celtics on April 5, but Walter — starting with Immanuel Quickley sidelined at the time with a foot injury — finished with 16 points, was 4-of-5 from three and had two steals, one each from Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. Those who know him best suggest that Walter eventually emerging from the pack and earning his way into a crucial role for the Raptors wasn’t a matter of if, but when.

“Anytime there’s a competition, I’m putting my money on Ja’Kobe for those minutes,” said Clay. “So it doesn’t surprise me at all because I feel like if there’s fair competition, he’ll win.”

It’s all made for an exciting spring for the Walter family. Walter’s older sister, Nikira, will graduate from her Master’s program in statistics from Columbia on Sunday, May 17, so if the Raptors happen to have a playoff game that day, his mom and dad will have to miss it. A good problem to have. But they’ll be there this Saturday as their son makes his NBA playoff debut, eager as everyone else to see how the Raptors match-up against Cleveland.

It’s a special feeling seeing your child succeed in any context, carrying the values you tried to infuse them with on the brightest stages. The Walters are doubly blessed in that respect, and although they’ll acknowledge that while they can trace where their son’s basketball acumen comes from, having a daughter poised to pursue a PhD in math is something that falls more into the ‘your kids can surprise you’ category.

But having seen enough of both of their kids’ progress over the years, that their son has arrived in this place — succeeding in his role, even if it’s not the role he was accustomed to before stepping into the NBA — isn’t something he could have envisioned.

“That’s what he does, this is him,” said Sabrina of her son’s ability to adapt and thrive. “At some point or another, he’s going to excel like he wants to, and we want him to. But I don’t worry about it. For sure I don’t, because that’s just how he is.”

Take it from Mom, take it from his former driving instructor: the Raptors’ young wing is licensed to drive, and driven to succeed.

‘I’ve put in a lot of work’: Boser ready to return as UFC heavyweight

Sportsnet Video — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:55:01 EDT

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Penguins vs. Flyers

Sonny Sachdeva — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:48:06 EDT

It was worth the wait.

For the two clubs on either side of Pennsylvania, it’s been a rough few years. The Pittsburgh Penguins have waded through three seasons without playoff hockey. For the Philadelphia Flyers, it’s been a half-decade. But here, in 2026, the longtime rivals have made it back, have clawed their way to the post-season spotlight once more, and will renew hostilities in the first Battle of Pennsylvania since 2018.

Pens-Flyers. The vets versus the kids. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and a Penguins club that awoke like a hand shooting out of a grave; Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett, and a young, hungry Flyers squad forging a new identity on Broad Street. What more could we ask for?

For both of these clubs, it will be a pivotal series.

The Pens arrive at Game 1 in the twilight of the Crosby-Malkin era, the franchise’s legends nearing the end of their illustrious careers. For a spell there, it seemed like we might never get to see them play post-season hockey again. We’ve been given one more chance. Whether we get another is anyone’s guess. But you can be certain Nos. 87 and 71 understand just how fleeting this opportunity is, and will be looking to make the most of it.

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The Flyers’ core finds itself at the opposite end of that timeline. Though a few veterans with playoff experience remain, for the club’s new blood, the 2026 post-season will be their introduction to playoff hockey. It will mark a clear step forward for a Philly side that’s been wallowing in the division’s basement of late, their future uncertain. And it will give the likes of Zegras, Tippett and Matvei Michkov a chance to begin building their legacies on the game’s biggest stage.

But it won’t come easy. The man leading the Flyers into this battle knows it, having been on the other side back when the Penguins were at their best.

“You know, I’ve won a couple Cups with Crosby, Malkin and Letang. These guys, they don’t die,” head coach Rick Tocchet said earlier this week. “These guys are just warriors. We’re going to have our hands full. We’re going to have to have some game-planning here this week. But those guys don’t die.

“It’s going to be a tough series. And we’re going to have to go after those guys.”

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Penguins: 2-0-2
Flyers: 2-2-0

Penguins X-Factor: Anthony Mantha and the Pens’ third line

Among all the shrewd swings taken by Kyle Dubas as he’s retooled the Pens over the past few years, Anthony Mantha no doubt sits among the clearest wins for the Penguins president and GM. The 31-year-old arrived in Pittsburgh fresh off a couple tumultuous seasons split between Washington, Vegas and Calgary, and caught fire in black and gold. A career year from the winger saw Mantha finish the campaign with a team-leading 33 goals and a personal-best 64 points. But the key is where in the lineup those contributions are coming from.

The last time the Penguins truly made waves in the playoffs — during their back-to-back Cup runs in 2016 and 2017 — they found success on the back of their offensive depth. Most notably, the first of those two runs saw the fan-favourite ‘HBK line’ dominate the post-season, the Pens’ third-line trio of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel all finishing among the club’s top five playoff scorers. Now, for the first time in years — and with Bonino coincidentally back in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach — the Pens’ third line has some juice once again, led by Mantha, fellow big man Justin Brazeau, and teenage wunderkind Ben Kindel.

The three newcomers, who all arrived this past summer, combined for 67 goals in the regular season. While much will still rest on the performances of veterans Crosby, Malkin and Erik Karlsson — and there are other new arrivals who will be pivotal too, like Egor Chinakhov — all eyes will be on Pittsburgh’s new third line making waves in Round 1.

Flyers X-Factor: Late-addition rookie Porter Martone

Philly’s youth movement has been a crucial part of their success of late. There’s 2023 No. 1 pick Matvei Michkov, who found his game in the latter half of his sophomore campaign, leading the Flyers in scoring since the Olympic break. There’s Zegras, who’s turned in a career year since joining the club in June, and others like Jamie Drysdale and Tyson Foerster continuing to progress, too. But the Flyers might not be in the playoffs in 2026 without the late addition of 19-year-old Porter Martone.

Drafted sixth overall by the Flyers last June, Martone joined the big club in late March after a sterling season at Michigan State that saw him stack 25 goals and 50 points over 35 games. In the two weeks since, Martone’s been a revelation for Philly, emerging as one of the club’s most dangerous offensive weapons. The winger put up four goals and 10 points over his nine regular-season games down the stretch — the highest and second-highest sums on the team since he joined, respectively — while pacing the club with 32 shots in that span. It’s not just the production though, it’s the approach. The six-foot-three, 210-pound winger has looked quintessentially Flyer-like since he donned those Philly threads, establishing himself in the top six alongside veterans Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny.

The Pens need no reminder of just how crucial young, hungry talent can be in the post-season. The club hung Stanley Cup banners with some key performances from rookies like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust a decade ago. Philly won’t be dreaming that big just yet, but there’s little doubt Martone will be a key part of whatever the post-season future brings for the Flyers.

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

TEAM	CF%	GF%	xGF%	SV%	SH%
Penguins	50.17 (13)	53.74 (7)	51.52 (7)	.901 (21)	11.13 (2)
Flyers	47.74 (26)	51.94 (13)	50.71 (13)	.905 (18)	10.24 (10)

REGULAR SEASON STATS

TEAM	PP%	PK%	GF/G	GA/G
Penguins	24.1 (7)	81.4 (6)	3.54 (3)	3.15 (22)
Flyers	15.7 (32)	77.6 (22)	2.93 (21)	2.91 (10)

PITTSBURGH STORYLINES

1. Another chapter for Sidney Crosby’s legacy against Philly

There are few clubs No. 87 seems to enjoy tormenting more than the Philadelphia Flyers. The captain’s battles with the Pens’ longtime rival have been a key part of his lore in Pittsburgh. Over the past two decades, he’s potted more goals against Philly than any other NHL club — an absurd 60 over 93 regular-season games. His 139 points against the club rank as the most any single NHL player has posted against the franchise. In the post-season, he’s been no less lethal. Crosby’s suited up for four playoff series against Philly over the years, in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2018 — in that span, the future Hall of Famer’s amassed 15 goals and 36 points, and emerged with three series wins.

You can run down the list of reasons the Penguins’ leader is certain to be motivated come Game 1. His first taste of playoff hockey in four years. The uncertainty of how many more chances he’ll get on the post-season stage. The fresh memory of a disappointing Olympic tournament, cut short by injury. If it were possible for anything to add more fuel to that fire, Game 1 with the Flyers on the other side of the sheet might just be it.

2. Vintage Karlsson, Malkin return to playoff stage

For all the new blood driving Pittsburgh’s success this season, the resurgence of the club’s vets has been just as pivotal to their revival — two vets in particular. A glance at Malkin’s numbers might not make clear just how dominant the future Hall of Famer has been in 2025-26. Limited by injuries once again, Malkin put up 19 goals and 61 points over 56 games for the Pens. But go back through the film and you’ll see a clear difference in No. 71’s play this season compared to last year. Amid reports that the Pens were planning to part ways with the franchise legend after his contract concludes this season, the 39-year-old has seemed a man on a mission all year, attacking with the type of all-world dynamism that defined his best campaigns in Pittsburgh.

And then there’s Karlsson. The veteran rearguard hasn’t just improved his play in 2025-26, he’s become the crucial cog the Penguins expected him to be when they brought him to town in 2023. The 35-year-old approaches Game 1 playing undoubtedly his best hockey in a Penguins sweater — over the final two months of the campaign, he was not only Pittsburgh’s leading scorer, but among the top 10 scorers league-wide, putting up 31 points in 24 games since mid-February. Game 1 against Philly will mark Karlsson’s first taste of playoff hockey since 2019 — a run that saw him help lead San Jose to the conference finals. A meaningful run for the black-and-gold in 2026 will require a similar level from No. 65, and continued vintage performances from No. 71, too.

3. Time for the new-look goalie tandem to shine

The last three playoff series Pittsburgh played ended with Tristan Jarry in the cage for the deciding game. That won’t be the case this time around, as the Penguins arrive at the 2026 post-season with a new-look tandem built over the past year. Since Stuart Skinner landed in Pittsburgh in December, he and Arturs Silovs have split goaltending duties, starting 27 and 25 games, respectively. They’ve performed relatively equally too, neither looking lights out in the cage, but both coming up with key moments en route to the Pens’ post-season return.

If there’s reason for the Penguins faithful to have hope in the pair, it’s what they’ve managed to do past Game 82. Skinner returns to the playoffs fresh off back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton. Silovs has a promising stretch under his own belt from the 2024 playoffs with Vancouver, and is a season removed from leading the Canucks’ AHL affiliate to a championship — a run that saw him named Calder Cup MVP. That in mind, all eyes will be on who gets the cage in Game 1, whether they hold on to it for the series, and whether it’s enough to send the black-and-gold on to Round 2.

PHILADELPHIA STORYLINES

1. Momentum carrying red-hot Flyers into post-season

There are few truths that hold in the chaos of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, except this one: momentum is crucial. And while much will depend on the game-to-game swings that come once the series is underway, the Flyers arrive with some positive momentum already in their corner — since the league returned from the Olympic break, the Broad Street squad has been among the most unbeatable outfits in the league. Philly sat tied for third-last in the East before that February break in play — after the regular season resumed, no team won more games than the Flyers, who tied Buffalo with 18 wins in their final 26 games.

Perhaps most promising in terms of the chances of that success carrying over into the post-season is the way in which they won those games. Joining the club this past off-season himself, Tocchet has worked to instil a stronger defensive identity in this young Flyers group, an approach that proved crucial over the home stretch as the club clinched their post-season ticket. Over the final months of the campaign, post-Olympics, Philly’s 2.38 goals-against per game ranked as the second-best mark in the league, while the club’s 25 shots-against per game ranked top five. Against a Penguins squad that’s been among the most prolific offensive outfits in the league all season, that defensive prowess will be pivotal.

2. Vladar looks to continue career year with stiff playoff test

The under-the-radar addition of netminder Dan Vladar this past summer played no small role in that late-season success. The 28-year-old was brought to Philly after four years as a steady backup in Calgary, with Sam Ersson returning as the Flyers’ presumed starter. But Vladar upended those plans, wrestling away the No. 1 role, turning in a career year, and emerging as perhaps the Flyers’ most important player. Through 52 games in his first season in a starting role, the Czech netminder posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average. But a deeper look at his performance makes clear just how crucial he’s been to the Flyers’ cause.

Per Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, Vladar’s .926 save percentage ranks tied for tops among regular starters. His 20.98 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 ranks fourth-best among all NHL netminders, and his .850 high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 ranks top 10 among those who’ve started more than a handful of games. There’s no doubt he’s been an essential piece for Philly to this point. But he’ll face a stiff test against Pittsburgh, who have no shortage of elite offensive options to throw at the Flyers. How well Vladar holds up against the barrage likely determines how far the Flyers go in their return to the dance.

3. First taste of playoff hockey for hungry, revitalized Zegras

There’s plenty of promise dotted among this young Flyers lineup. And after building throughout the 2025-26 campaign, fighting to earn their place in the playoffs, and finally cementing their return, the kids now have their first shot at building their post-season legacies. Perhaps the most interesting among that group is Zegras. Once heralded as a foundational piece in Anaheim, and the leader of a wave of highly-skilled young stars, Zegras arrived in Philadelphia last June after a rollercoaster two-year stretch with the Ducks. Injuries and inconsistent play soured his relationship with the club that drafted him ninth overall back in 2019. GM Daniel Briere capitalized, and took a swing — nearly a year later, Zegras has found his top form, putting up a career-best 26 goals and 67 points for the Flyers this season.

But it’s the bigger picture that’s the true key here. Zegras’s raw skill has never been questioned. It was the application of that skill over a full campaign. It was how it might hold up when the pressure and the stakes increase. Now comes the young pivot’s chance to prove his doubters wrong. The former Duck has been vocal about the fact that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder, that he’s intent on proving his worth after being traded away. A return to the post-season, with Crosby and Co. on the other side of the sheet, brings a chance to prove just how valuable he can be for a franchise with playoff dreams.

Home Page Top Videos

Josh Beneteau — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:39:26 EST

Macklin Celebrini breaks Sharks single-season points record

Sportsnet Staff — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:29:04 EDT

Move over Jumbo Joe, Macklin Celebrini now stands alone.

With his 113th, 114th and 115th points of the season on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, Celebrini capped his sensational sophomore campaign by breaking the San Jose Sharks franchise record for most points in a single season.

Celebrini took the record from Sharks legend Joe Thornton, who recorded 114 points in the 2006-07 season.

Unlike Thornton, who piled up 92 assists with just 22 goals in his record-setting season, Celebrini took a more balanced approach this year.

With a goal and two assists against the Jets, the 19-year-old Celebrini will finish the season with 45 goals and 70 assists.

Celebrini joined Wayne Gretzky as the only teenagers in NHL history with at least 40 goals and 70 assists in a season, per ESPN.

It marks a significant increase from Celebrini’s rookie season when he had in 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games.

Despite Celebrini’s best efforts, the Sharks fell just short in the race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

But if his record-setting season was any indication, the future looks bright in San Jose.

NHL Highlights: Ducks 5, Predators 4

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:01:36 EDT

👀 Inside the making of Mariners' Ichiro statue

ESPN — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

You know about the reveal mishap. Here's what went into creating the sculpture that will forever honor a Seattle icon.

NHL announces Round 1 schedule for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Sportsnet Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:18:54 EDT

With the regular season officially over, it’s time for playoff hockey.

The NHL has unveiled its 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule for Round 1. Every game can be seen on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

Here are the schedules for all the first-round matchups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game 1: Ottawa at Carolina, 3 p.m. ET April 18
Game 2: Ottawa at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET April 20
Game 3: Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET April 23
Game 4: Carolina at Ottawa, 3 p.m. ET April 25
*Game 5: Ottawa at Carolina, April 27 TBD
*Game 6: Carolina at Ottawa, April 30 TBD
*Game 7: Ottawa at Carolina, May 2 TBD

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 1: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 5:45 p.m. ET April 19
Game 2: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET April 21
Game 3: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 24
Game 4: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 26
*Game 5: Montreal at Tampa Bay, April 29 TBD
*Game 6: Tampa Bay at Montreal, May 1 TBD
*Game 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay, May 3 TBD

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Game 1: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. ET April 18
Game 2: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET April 20
Game 3: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET April 22
Game 4: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. ET April 25
*Game 5: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, April 27 TBD
*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, April 29 TBD
*Game 7: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, May 2 TBD

Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres

Game 1: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 19
Game 2: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 21
Game 3: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. ET April 23
Game 4: Buffalo at Boston, 2 p.m. ET April 26
*Game 5: Boston at Buffalo, April 28 TBD
*Game 6: Buffalo at Boston, May 1 TBD
*Game 7: Boston at Buffalo, May 3 TBD

Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet

The quest for the Stanley Cup begins with 16 teams and ends with one champion. Don’t miss a moment of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with every game on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

Broadcast schedule

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Game 1: Anaheim at Edmonton, 10 p.m. ET April 20
Game 2: Anaheim at Edmonton, 10 p.m. ET April 22
Game 3: Edmonton at Anaheim, 10 p.m. ET April 24
Game 4: Edmonton at Anaheim, 9:30 p.m. ET April 26
*Game 5: Anaheim at Edmonton, April 28 TBD
*Game 6: Edmonton at Anaheim, April 30 TBD
*Game 7: Anaheim at Edmonton, May 2 TBD

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars
Game 1: Minnesota at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. ET April 18
Game 2: Minnesota at Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET April 20
Game 3: Dallas at Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. ET April 22
Game 4: Dallas at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. ET April 25
*Game 5: Minnesota at Dallas, April 28 TBD
*Game 6: Dallas at Minnesota, April 30 TBD
*Game 7: Minnesota at Dallas, May 2 TBD

Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche
Game 1: Los Angeles at Colorado, 3 p.m. ET April 19
Game 2: Los Angeles at Colorado, 10 p.m. ET April 21
Game 3: Colorado at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. April 23
Game 4: Colorado at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m. ET April 26
*Game 5: Los Angeles at Colorado, April 29 TBD
*Game 6: Colorado at Los Angeles, May 1 TBD
*Game 7: Los Angeles at Colorado, May 3 TBD

Utah Mammoth vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Game 1: Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m. ET April 19
Game 2: Utah at Vegas, 9:30 p.m. ET April 21
Game 3: Vegas at Utah, 9:30 p.m. ET April 24
Game 4: Vegas at Utah, April 27 TBD
*Game 5: Utah at Vegas, April 29 TBD
*Game 6: Vegas at Utah, May 1 TBD
*Game 7: Utah at Vegas, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Home Page Featured

Paul D. Grant — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:34:53 EDT

Inside the end of the Ja Morant era in Memphis

Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:13:37 EST

Morant is now the last man standing on a Grizzlies team that hopes to move on from him this summer.

Calgary fans give Kings’ Kopitar standing ovation in final regular season game

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:56:49 EDT

Stanley Cup contender flaws: Biggest issues for the NHL's top playoff teams

Rachel Kryshak — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:03:56 EST

No NHL team is perfect, and postseason opponents will be certain to key in on these areas of weakness.

Canadian Nallo ready to make much-anticipated UFC debut in Winnipeg

Sportsnet Video — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:08:01 EDT

MLB Highlights: Brewers 2, Blue Jays 1

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:26:02 EDT

Doncic, Cunningham win appeals, eligible for end-of-season NBA awards

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:58 EDT

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons‘ Cade Cunningham will be eligible for awards such as MVP and All-NBA this season despite falling short of the 65-game minimum, the league and the National Basketball Players Association said Thursday.

Doncic played in 64 games and Cunningham played in 63. But the league and the union both agreed that each should be on the ballot based on the “extraordinary circumstances provision” in the collective bargaining agreement.

Doncic — who is one of the favourites to contend for MVP honours after winning the league’s scoring title — missed two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia. Cunningham missed 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17.

“The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards,” the league and the union said in a statement.

Doncic, in a statement posted to social media, said he is “grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” adding that it was important to him “to be present for the birth of my daughter in December.”

“This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to accomplish, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards,” the statement said.

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, who played in 60 qualified games, also tried to get on the awards ballot through the extraordinary circumstances challenge — but sought his approval before an independent arbitrator. His challenge was denied.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch — noting that Edwards doesn’t get held out to rest — was not pleased about that and said he’d like an explanation.

“I’m not sure why we have a rule if we have an appeal process that is overturned in two-thirds of the cases that were held before,” Finch said. “Feels more like a suggestion than a rule.”

The statuses of Doncic and Cunningham were a major topic toward the end of the season. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama — an MVP candidate and the likely defensive player of the year — got to the 65-game mark in the Spurs’ next-to-last game, and Denver’s three-time MVP Nikola Jokic became qualified for this year’s awards on the final day of the regular season. Jokic has been first or second in MVP balloting in each of the last five seasons and won the league’s rebounding and assist titles this season.

And the union — which worked with the league to come up with the 65-game policy — has said it wants the rule changed, saying it was put into place to address load management and not to keep deserving players from awards. That said, many players have spoken out in favour of the rule.

“I would say it’s an opportunity for us to reevaluate the rule in itself,” NBPA President Fred VanVleet of the Houston Rockets said.

VanVleet — speaking in a video posted by the union and filmed ahead of Thursday’s news — said he thinks voters should be able to make decisions for All-NBA and other awards on a case-by-case basis.

Nuggets coach David Adelman said last week that he hopes the 65-game rule is changed, somehow, this summer. He said if players like Jokic can play 64 games, never wanting to come out, and not be award-eligible, then something is wrong.

“That’s not the spirit of what that rule is,” Adelman said.

A number of players will be ineligible for most major individual awards this season because of the 65-game rule, including the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James — whose 21-year streak of making an All-NBA team will end. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Golden State’s Stephen Curry have also missed too many games to be eligible.

With the decisions on Doncic, Cunningham and Edwards now complete, the NBA sent ballots to the panel of reporters and broadcasters who cover the league on Thursday — a few days behind the typical schedule from recent years.

It’s unclear when the announcement of award winners will begin.

Harden chases long-awaited ring as Cavaliers open playoffs vs. Raptors

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:52:24 EDT

CLEVELAND — James Harden has amassed many accomplishments during his career, which will likely include a place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

However, Harden still has a glaring omission on his resume — a championship ring.

Harden sees his mid-season trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers as his best opportunity yet for a post-season run culminating in an NBA title.

“It’s the truth. That’s why I’m here,” Harden said about the narrative of doing everything but winning a championship.

The Cavaliers open the NBA playoffs on Saturday when they host the Toronto Raptors. Harden has 90 playoff wins, second among players who have not won a championship. Karl Malone is atop the list with 98, but Harden could surpass him if Cleveland reaches the Eastern Conference finals.

Harden has played in 173 post-season games, third among players who haven’t won a championship. Malone is at 193, and John Stockton is next with 182.

Raptors return to the playoffs on Sportsnet

The Toronto Raptors are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Watch Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet+.

Broadcast schedule

The closest Harden has come to a championship was when Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat in five games. He reached the Western Conference finals with the Houston Rockets in 2015 and ’18, only to be knocked out by the Golden State Warriors.

“Run up against a dynasty, injuries. It’s a part of the game, though. … I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back. It’s a part of it. It’s life,” Harden said. ‘I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our life that just didn’t go our way and feel bad about it, feel sad about it. I don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”

Harden’s last two trips to the post-season were with the Los Angeles Clippers and ended with first-round exits.

The Feb. 4 trade to Cleveland paired Harden with Donovan Mitchell, who also has experienced his share of post-season heartbreak. Mitchell is looking to reach a conference final for the first time in his nine-year career.

Harden is averaging 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in his 26 games with the Cavaliers, who are 19-7 when “The Beard” is in the lineup. He is fourth in the league in assists (8.0), and his 23.6 points were 17th in the regular season. It was also his highest scoring average since 2020-21.

Coach Kenny Atkinson described Harden as a teacher in describing his impact on the team in a short time.

“He’s very bold, extroverted in talking with those guys, and it’s a huge help. He knows the things I don’t even see all the time,” Atkinson said.

“He’s like ‘Hey, they’re going to send Don left, can we flip the screen at this angle?’ and ‘Can we move the ball over to this side of the court so we’ve got more space to take away their gaps?’ I think he translates that message to the coaches and players,” Atkinson said.

The biggest question for Cleveland going into the playoffs is if its core four of Harden, Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have had enough time together?

With just seven games and 92 minutes together, the quartet has delivered impressive results — outscoring opponents by 26.7 points per 100 possessions — but it has been a short stretch.

“We know the talent is there, but the problem is, when you don’t have a lot of chemistry going into high-stress situations like the playoffs, and against a team like Toronto who, I mean, let’s face it, they’ve got some guys that get after you — Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram — they understand the gravity of it all and they play hard, they play together,” NBC Sports analyst Reggie Miller said.

Harden isn’t concerned about the lack of minutes with his teammates, noting that Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen have played together for four seasons.

“It probably took me a game or two just to figure out where they like the ball and what to do, what not to do, and so I’m pretty familiar,” Harden said. “In the post-season for the most part, they’re going to guard you one way until game three, maybe game four, and make an adjustment. We’ll figure out what works, figure out how they guard us, and then talk about how we can adjust and counter them.

“So I’m not really worried about the (lack of) minutes. I’m more focused on us and our operations and our force against their defence.”

Oilers’ romp of Canucks sets up Round 1 matchup with Ducks: ‘We’re excited’

Mark Spector — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:47:53 EDT

EDMONTON — Fans will celebrate No Kings Day in Edmonton on Friday, and instead, the Oilers will draw their 2017 selves in a Round 1 series against the Anaheim Ducks.

It took four years and 82 games, but an Anaheim win in Nashville, and an Oilers romp over a tragic version of the Vancouver Canucks helped to avoid a fifth straight Round 1 series against the Los Angeles Kings.

“I like winning,” said defenceman Mattias Ekholm, when asked about the Kings. “But a change of scenery will be nice.”

Playing their best hockey of the season at the most important time, Edmonton flexed with a dominant 6-1 win, outshooting the Canucks 35-12. The Oilers scored just 1:58 in, and led by Connor McDavid’s four assists, they never allowed the Canucks even the slightest kernel of belief that they may have a chance to win.

“They came out ready to play and secured their spot in the playoffs on home ice,” said Vancouver defenceman Filip Hronek. “We were not ready for it.”

If there was ever any doubt about the Oilers’ ability to deliver a decisive victory on cue, they dispelled that notion with a 60-minute, wire-to-wire boot stomp of a Canucks team that did

“It was 60 minutes of a good hockey game,” said Darnell Nurse. “We checked well — we’ve been checking well for a little bit now — and were able to produce the offence. I think for our group it was good overall.”

Edmonton has allowed one regulation goal against in each of its past three games. In six of their past eight, they’ve allowed two or less.

They’re dialled in and gave the Canucks absolutely nothing, other than a miscue with the score 2-0. Edmonton native and former Sherwood Park Crusader Ty Mueller scored his first NHL goal on a breakaway in front of family and friends. It was the only time of the evening when Vancouver appeared competitive.

“We came out and looked like we were assertive in every way possible, and weren’t going to let this one slip,” Ekholm said. “Kudos to us for having a professional performance against a team that looked like they kind of wanted to go on their break.”

McDavid, as expected, came out right from puck drop with a demeanour that said, “We’re winning tonight, and there is no other option.” He assisted on four of the Oilers’ six goals.

After Josh Samanski banked a pass in off a skate at the 1:58 mark, one of two goals for the fourth line, McDavid went to work, assisting on all three goals of a Matt Savoie hat trick in Period 1. Savoie closes out his rookie season with 18 goals and 37 points, most of the damage done since Jan. 1.

He’s found a spot on the left wing with McDavid and Zach Hyman that’s beginning to look permanent. Savoie is fast, young and has great hands — a nice set of tools on a team that is getting long in the tooth.

“I’m tenacious and I think I’m getting better working to areas to be able to finish,” he said. “I think the looks have been there especially over the last seven, eight games. I’m starting to finish more and looking to continue with the confidence.”

With the regular season complete, McDavid wins his sixth Art Ross Trophy with 138 points (48 goals). He will have an excellent shot at collecting his fourth Hart Trophy after a late-season run that produced 27 points in the final 15 games of the season.

With a four-point night Thursday, the Oilers captain moved past the great Montreal Canadien Jean Beliveau in all-time scoring with 1,220 points. By the end of next season, he will likely reel in the likes of Norm Ullman, Peter Stastny, Jarome Iginla and Gilbert Perreault on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.

Crazy how time flies, isn’t it?

Now, Edmonton will play a Ducks team making its first post-season appearance in eight seasons. Much like in 2017, when McDavid made his first NHL playoff journey — one that was ended by a veteran-laden Ducks team in seven games.

“They’re a young team,” he said of Anaheim. “It’s their first time in the playoffs and they’ll be excited as they should be. They’ve earned their spot and they’ll be excited. But we’re excited too.”

OIL SPILLS — Colton Dach notched his first Gordie Howe hat trick Saturday, and a viable fourth line has emerged just in time for playoffs, when depth is so important … With three assists, Evan Bouchard closes his season with 95 points — just the 10th defenceman ever to hit that mark.

What is the wildest storyline we could see in NHL playoffs?

Sportsnet Video — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:37:50 EDT

Bedard contract top priority as Blackhawks enter pivotal off-season

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:58:23 EDT

CHICAGO — Connor Bedard is going to get paid. That’s for sure. The only questions are how much and how many years.

It also looks as if Bedard is going to be named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. That seems like it’s only a matter of timing.

That’s the easy part of this off-season for Chicago. The rest of the picture is more complicated.

The Blackhawks are moving into another big summer after going 29-39-14 this year, an 11-point improvement on the previous season and still nowhere near playoff contention. They have finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the last three years.

“The end of the day, we’ve got to start winning,” Bedard said Thursday, a day after the Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 in their season finale. “It’s been a while, and I think it takes a toll on you, and you want to make that step. We talk about it all the time, but it’s on us to go out there, have good summers, come back and make that leap.”

It all begins with Bedard, who continued his steady improvement in his third season since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2023. The 20-year-old centre set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games.

Bedard is eligible for restricted free agency, but it’s unlikely that his contract situation lingers for that long. He has said repeatedly how much he likes playing in Chicago and expressed confidence in the direction of the team. And Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has made it clear what the rebuilding franchise thinks of its biggest star.

“We’ll get that done, and we’ll get to work soon on that,” Davidson said. “Like I said, he’s so important to our team. He took such a big step forward this year in every facet. So yeah, that’s certainly an important one to cross off the list.”

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Bedard’s contract may be a foregone conclusion, but the final numbers in terms of length and cap hit will help the shape the future of the franchise as it considers what it wants to do with the rest of its top prospects as their rookie deals wind down.

“It’s just seeing kind of what fits the team best, what fits me best and just going from there kind of thing,” Bedard said. “So, you know, I’m very open to however they see it and what they have to say.”

Chicago traded away its entire leadership group at the deadline, sending captain Nick Foligno to Minnesota and alternate captains Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson to Edmonton. Playing without some of their top veteran leaders, the Blackhawks went 6-11-4 in their last 21 games.

Bedard became an alternate captain after the Murphy deal, and he said being named captain would be “a special, special honour for sure.” His teammates think he’s ready for the challenge, too.

“As a guy that has played with him and been on the team since he’s been here, I’ve seen how he’s changed as a person and player, and he’s shown everybody in this organization — including me — that he knows what it takes to win,” fellow forward Ryan Donato said. “He’s put in the work and he’s dedicated and obviously he’s the franchise player. We want to make sure we play our best for him, but he wants to give his best to every guy.”

Chicago put together a solid start in its first season under coach Jeff Blashill, but it dropped off late in November. Then Bedard injured his right shoulder on Dec. 12 and Frank Nazar broke his jaw on Dec. 20, accelerating the decline for the team.

The Blackhawks have made just one post-season appearance since 2017, and that was the expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Going into next season, it’s, playoffs are the expectation,” defenceman Alex Vlasic said. “We’re not here to do this again. And we all know that in the locker room. We have confidence in our group.”

How much confidence Davidson has in his group of young players remains to be seen. While it has become increasingly difficult to sign an impact player in free agency, Davidson has the resources to trade for a star if he can find the right match.

The Blackhawks drafted 11 players in the first round alone over the previous four years. They will have another top-four selection in this year’s draft, along with three second rounders.

“We’re definitely going to explore what’s out there,” said Davidson, who finalized a multiyear contract extension with the team before the season finale. “I don’t think I’m shy to try things. Just nothing has arisen in the last little while to make that happen. But we’re going to look at what we can do to add to the roster, of course.”

Maple Leafs notebook: Rielly, Knies reiterate desire to stay in Toronto

Sonny Sachdeva — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:13:23 EDT

The long, painful journey to the final game of this lost Toronto Maple Leafs season has come to an end. Now comes the truly difficult part — pinning down how exactly it all went off the rails, and finding a way to get the organization back on track.

Thursday marked the first step in that process, as the Maple Leafs spoke to the media at the club’s training facility in Etobicoke, Ont., reflecting on the first campaign in a decade that ended without playoff hockey. Much remains uncertain about the future of the club, about its front office and the players who don its sweater — the only thing that is clear is that changes are coming.

Morgan Rielly’s worn the Maple Leafs crest longer than any other player currently in the building, has seen the franchise at rock bottom and at dizzying heights. And as the team’s trajectory aims downward once again, he finds his name at the centre of chatter about the changes needed.

On Thursday, the 32-year-old was asked how he would feel if asked to waive the no-move clause granted to him when he inked his eight-year, $60-million extension in 2021.

“It’s a challenging thing to answer when those conversations haven’t happened yet,” Rielly said. “But after a year like this — after any year, but especially one that [was] very disappointing — change is bound to happen. So, I think as an athlete, you have to be prepared for that.

“It’s not the first time that it’s crossed my mind. It’s not something anyone believes that they’re not open to. So when that conversation happens, we’ll deal with it accordingly.”

The defender — who’s played 13 seasons for the Maple Leafs, including four that saw him top the 50-point plateau, and one that saw him put up a career-best 20 goals and 72 points back in 2018-19 — reiterated his affinity for the organization that drafted him fifth-overall back in 2012.

“I’ve always loved being in Toronto and being a part of this organization. It’s very meaningful to me, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to stay. I still want to stay. I love playing here, I love being a Maple Leaf, and this organization means a lot to me.”

That said, Rielly also made clear that the path back to post-season relevancy after this rollercoaster campaign will be a hard journey.

“In this league, I don’t think there are any easy fixes,” he said. “The work that this team will have to put in to get back to where we want to be is extensive. Being outshot or playing too much time in our D-zone are things that we need to improve on. But you know, it’s more than just that.”

Tanev ‘very confident’ he’ll be ready for training camp in September

The Maple Leafs’ blue line was a central topic of conversation all season, as the club’s struggles in their own zone started early and never went away. Key to those struggles was the loss of back-end stalwart Chris Tanev, who missed all but 11 games with injury in 2025-26 after establishing himself as a pivotal blue-line leader for Toronto a season prior.

Amid questions about whether the 36-year-old will be able to resume his career after his recent slate of injuries, the veteran said Thursday he believes he’ll be back on the ice for the Maple Leafs next season.

“I’m doing well,” Tanev said. “I was in New York Monday to see the doctor about my surgery and everything’s going great, everything’s on track.”

The defender said he doesn’t foresee any further surgeries being required following the core muscle procedure he underwent in March. Asked how confident he is in his ability to return to the ice next season, Tanev was adamant: “Very confident,” he said. “I feel like I work harder than anyone, and I will continue to do that to get to where I need to be.”

Originally injured in a late-December game against Detroit, Tanev said he delayed his surgery in the hopes of returning in the playoffs.

“Every doctor I saw said the exact same thing: ‘You need surgery.’ I chose to wait a little bit — I was hoping we were going to be in a playoff spot and I could try to come back and play in April,” he said. “That was the goal. If that was the case, I would’ve had surgery after that.

“But coming out of the Olympic break, we didn’t play as well as we wanted, so it gave me an opportunity to do it then, where I could have a bit of a runway to get ready for next season.”

Asked what he saw as the fundamental reason his club found themselves unable to claw their way back, Tanev said there are a number of issues that need to be ironed out before 2026-27.

“When you watch the game up there, everyone thinks they’re Wayne Gretzky. The game is so much slower from the press box than it is on the ice. So, it’s tough for me to really critique when I only played 11 games,” he said. “But I think we needed to execute our systems better, we needed to have some more pace. Depending on who you ask, there could be 20 different things.

“When things don’t go as well as planned, or as well as they need to go, there’s always issues that need to be addressed. I think whoever comes in at the top is going to have to look at that and see what the important issues that they see are, and then try to fix them.”

Knies on seeing his name in trade reports: ‘That’s not in my hands. I’d love to stay here.’

One approach considered by the club’s previous regime was moving out young power forward Matthew Knies, who found his name brought up in reported trade offers considered by former GM Brad Treliving and Co.

Signed to a six-year, $46.5-million deal prior to this season, the 23-year-old managed 23 goals and 66 points in 2025-26. However, injuries hampered his ability to truly take a step for the club.

“It came up earlier in the year, I honestly don’t even know what date — some time pretty early in the season,” Knies said of his lower-body injury. “I think it was kind of blown out of proportion, I don’t think it was as serious as it was [said to be]. It was obviously not comfortable to play with all year, but it didn’t really hinder me being out of the lineup.

“I’m happy now that I can let it heal up and rest it a little bit, and try to come back and be 100 per cent for next season.”

As for his name being considered in trade offers this season, and perhaps moving forward, Knies reiterated his desire to remain a Maple Leaf.

“It’s not in my control,” the winger said. “I can just focus on my attitude that I bring to the rink, the work ethic I bring to the rink. That’s for the guys upstairs, that’s not in my hands. I’d love to stay here. I want to play here. I think you’re going to hear that from everyone in this locker room.

“It doesn’t get to me, really, I’ve just got to focus on my game and trying to help the team win. That was my only thought this year.”

Maple Leafs point to lack of consistency, injuries as key reasons for lost season

As the dust settles on a disastrous campaign that saw Toronto finish in the league’s basement just one year after winning a division title, the Maple Leafs tried Thursday to sort through the wreckage of their disappointing season. The squad’s overall lack of consistency was brought up repeatedly by the dejected group.

“We never really seemed to get quite on track the way we needed to,” said John Tavares. “Our game obviously just didn’t build, get to the level that it needs to be consistently to have success, to put yourself in a spot to be in the playoffs. … We just didn’t do a good enough job. I think we all understand the roles we play as players, and certainly myself, the expectation and the standards that we want to uphold. We didn’t meet those.”

Asked why that consistency wasn’t there, despite the veteran experience in the group and the results they found last season, Tavares said the issues were plenty.

“It just didn’t really come together. You know, I think it’s always hard to pinpoint one thing. But certainly our level of execution, and just the challenge that it brings on a nightly basis in this league, the buy-in that everyone needs to have to be on the same page — and doing the things when they’re the most difficult, when they’re the most challenging, being able to sustain that. You know, having the fortitude needed to do what’s required on a nightly basis.

“As our game went throughout the season, it obviously was a real challenge — just spending a lot of time in our own zone, not having the puck very much, and then we just didn’t defend and execute, break out very well. That’s on everyone, starting with myself.”

Knies pointed to the club’s defensive performances.

“We can’t let in that many goals and expect to win games,” he said. “I think our defensive play, to be honest, was very subpar. We left our goalies out to dry a lot of the games. I think that was a part of it. I think towards the end of the season, our ability to generate offence wasn’t there. That kind of ties into consistency — not everything was there all the time.

“At parts I think we were good defensively, but the offence wasn’t there, and then vice versa. We’re going to have to put it together, all the pieces, next year, and completely buy into the system, show that it works.”

For Stolarz, it was the lack of bite and competitiveness that sunk them — the type of intensity he saw his former club, the Florida Panthers, bring routinely.

“You know, you look at the response that we had late in the season after the Auston injury. I think that’s something that, next year, starting at Game 1, that’s the way we have to play,” the netminder said. “We have to play like bastards. We have to play hard and we have to play heavy. There were times this year that we’ve shown it. We’ve played with some of the best teams in the league and were able to beat them. I think that was the toughest thing, was just the consistency. We hung with some of the best teams in the league, we beat some of the best teams in the league — it just wasn’t there night in, night out.”

William Nylander, who led the club with 79 points this season, chalked it up to the injury bug.

“I mean, a lot of injuries piled up,” the winger said during a brief availability Thursday. “I think that maybe was a big factor, looking back at it.”

Much was made of head coach Craig Berube’s system, and what seemed to be a lack of buy-in from his players this season, an issue that appeared to snowball as the tumultuous campaign wore on. Asked Thursday for his thoughts on that critique, Berube said he and his staff did try to tweak the system throughout the season to find a solution.

“You know, we did modify it this year at times. And it ended up being the same result,” the coach said. “It’s not like we’re not trying to work and help the players and try to get them to a different level. Systems are systems. They have to be executed to be successful.”

Berube — who said he hasn’t heard anything yet about whether he’ll be back next season — pointed to one area specifically when asked why his team fell off in 2025-26 after a successful 2024-25.

“Goals-against,” the coach said, point blank. Still, Berube said he believes the club’s current goalie tandem of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz can find success again in Toronto.

“We did last year,” Berube said Thursday when asked if he could live with the duo returning. “And they were solid. We had a nice tandem, and I believe that we can have that tandem again. You know, this year, whether it’s a one-off or whatever, there was a lot of circumstances, with injuries and different things, that went on.

“It was a little chaotic in the goaltending department. But I do believe Stolarz and Woll are very good goalies, when they’re healthy and ready to go. I believe they can come back next year and do the job again.”

Tavares on belief Maple Leafs can bounce back next year: ‘We have to earn that’

The crucial question for the Maple Leafs faithful is where things go from here — was this campaign a one-off, undone by injuries and a mismanaged roster? Or was it a sign that the Maple Leafs’ window for contention has now slammed shut, and a new path must be charted?

Asked if they believe they can return to the playoffs Thursday, the Maple Leafs expectedly affirmed their belief in their group — but also noted it won’t be a simple process.

“I think in moments you have doubt. If you look at the record and after games, you have feelings of doubt,” admitted Rielly. “But ultimately I think that there’s a strong belief in here with this team, in the big picture and over the long run, that this team will be able to get back to a position of strength and a chance to win.”

“I think we have a ton of good players in here,” added Tanev. “Obviously we didn’t have a very good season at all. But we had — I’m not going to give excuses on injuries — but we had some guys that didn’t play a lot of the year. I think we can learn a lot from this year, and the importance of having a really good start to the season. Falling behind the eight ball and learning and adapting to how we can get better. There’s some amazing players in here, and I do believe that we can be a playoff team next year.”

“With the talent and the personnel in this locker room, I think that that’s definitely going to happen,” said Knies, doubling down. “It sucks to say, but with a summer like this, there’s time for guys to heal up and get prepared, just get as ready as possible for next season.”

“We have some good players here — we have to make some adjustments, we have to make some moves to bring in maybe some different players or different people,” said Berube. “But there’s a good core here, good players, and good people. So I do believe we can bounce back.”

Asked if he’s confident this group can return to the post-season after what just transpired in 2025-26, Tavares was more cautious with his optimism.

“Very. But we have to go out there and prove that and earn that,” the former captain said. “Just like, you know, we had high expectations for this year, and we didn’t come close. So, the challenge going forward for the group is to regroup, continue to work together to find the areas we have to be better. And then our level of play just has to be much, much higher.”

Round 1 Previews (Home + NHL)

Kellen Forrest — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:55:05 EDT

Devils turn to Panthers executive Mehta as GM

Emily Kaplan — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

The Devils have hired Sunny Mehta, who was an assistant GM when the Panthers won the Stanley Cup the past two years, as their general manager.

Auston Matthews takes wait-and-see approach to future with Maple Leafs

Luke Fox — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:35:01 EDT

TORONTO — What Auston Matthews did not say is as important as what he did say.

Upon conclusion of a season blessed with national triumph and cursed with local embarrassment, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs was offered multiple opportunities to assure the city’s fans that he was down for the long haul, that he only envisions himself playing hockey in one NHL sweater.

Instead, Matthews pled the fifth.

“I can’t predict the future. There are steps that have to take place. They’ve got to hire new leadership in management. I don’t really know. I can’t really predict the future,” Matthews told reporters Thursday morning, the earliest locker cleanout day of his 10-year career.

Matthews was asked directly if he would reject the notion that he might not fulfill the final two seasons of his current contract in Toronto.

“There is always noise and chatter. Personally, I really don’t pay attention to all of that. I really just focus on myself, this team, and trying to be a part of the solution,” he replied.

No doubt, it’s unusual for all this consternation over a superstar still under contract for two-plus years.

But Matthews and the Maple Leafs began preliminary discussions on his desire to re-sign two off-seasons prior to his first impending UFA summer. The 2026-27 campaign is Matthews’s critical “Quinn Hughes” year, the season before the contract season.

And with talents and salaries of this magnitude, franchises must be proactive.

Hughes’s exit from Vancouver is fresh. As is Toronto’s Mitch Marner masterclass in asset mismanagement. The Leafs want Matthews in the fold; the Leafs cannot let him walk for nothing.

So, the top priority for Keith Pelley’s hired head of hockey operations is to find out: Is our guy willing to stick here through thick and thin? Or does he have a wandering eye?

The irony here is that Matthews, armed with a full no-move clause, absolutely can predict his near future. He could orchestrate a move to a team he believes has a better shot at the team success he desires. Or he could dig in and lead the Leafs for two more seasons minimum.

Don’t underestimate the power of the star athlete in a top-heavy league.

What would the player like to hear from the next boss?

“I don’t know if there is anything specific. Those conversations are going to be personal and private. We aren’t even at that point yet,” Matthews said. “When the time comes, those conversations will just happen organically.”

Our take: Matthews struck a noncommittal tone because — after the Leafs fell to 28th place in the standings, 31st in goals against, and 32nd in immediately having their captain’s back — the man needs to know what, exactly, he’s committing to.

Does training camp open with Craig Berube trying, once again, to get the troops to buy in to a chip-and-charge, clutter-the-crease attack? Does GM TBD find that elusive playmaking winger missing from Toronto’s top six? Is everyone healthy? Is the vision inspiring?

Those things, to be fair, Matthews cannot predict.

To a man, everyone wearing a Maple Leafs logo on the last day of school asserted their belief that 2025-26 could merely be a hiccup, that they have the personnel and conviction to summon a Bruins-esque bounce-back to the 2027 post-season.

“Absolutely,” Berube asserted, the Maple Leafs can win a Stanley Cup with Matthews and William Nylander. “’Cause I watch them play, and I know what kind of people they are.”

Stay with that a moment, though.

Watching Matthews play this season was underwhelming, to be kind.

The centreman carried the second-highest cap hit in the sport ($13.25 million) yet finished 67th in points per game (0.88) among skaters who played 20 games minimum.

His 27 goals and 53 points are both career lows. And while his defensive commitment and matchup game is strong, Matthews finished a dash-4.

Matthews will be 29 when the puck drops next, and now he has a surgically repaired left knee (“I think you know how I feel about the hit,” he said) to add to an injury history that includes a concussion, a separated shoulder, a twice-repaired wrist, and a wonky back.

Still, outside of some admitted Olympic-celebration jetlag, Matthews maintained that until Radko Gudas forced him into the brace he’s wearing, he had felt fine physically this season and will be raring to go come training camp.

Matthews stated that he loves being a Leaf and that he shares fans’ frustration and that he and his teammates must own this failure.

Less than 12 hours after the Maple Leafs’ 50th loss of the season, Matthews still believes he can win in this town.

“I believe in the guys in this room and the people we have here,” he said. “We are going to hire new leadership and management. There will be changes. That is just the way things go.”

But if we peer into the future, and the winning doesn’t come — or doesn’t come quick enough — Matthews cracked a door into a world where he could be part of those changes.

That’s just the way things go.

32 Thoughts: The Podcast

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

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Fox’s Fast Five

• Does Berube expect to coach the Maple Leafs in 2026-27?

“Yes,” he replied.

While he has been no indication otherwise from up top, Berube did acknowledge that new management would make that call.

• When Brad Treliving dangled Matthew Knies at the trade deadline, his ask was for one of three packages in a return, according to Nick Kypreos: two first-round picks and a high-end prospect; or one first-round pick and two high-end prospects; or three high-end prospects.

Did Knies take such a hefty ask as a compliment?

“I wouldn’t want to look at it as a compliment. I’d look at it as a crappy thing. I don’t want to leave this group of guys,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter what it was. I wouldn’t want to leave here.

“I want to stay here. I want to play here.”

• John Tavares intends to play for Team Canada at next month’s world championships in Switzerland. He loves the game, especially in winner-take-all intensity, and finds he always learns and improves playing with different teammates under different coaches in different settings.

“It can only benefit me,” Tavares said.

• Chris Tanev, beauty that he is, said he feels he “let a lot of people down” by only suiting up for 11 games.

Every doctor he visited suggested season-ending groin surgery, but Tanev wanted to try to rehab without going under the knife. Only once the Leafs played themselves out of contention did he relent.

The 36-year-old defenceman’s rehabilitation is on track, and he vows to come back on time and in return-to-form condition.

“I work harder than anybody,” Tanev said.

• Anthony Stolarz was the first to notice something was amiss this season, publicly calling out the team’s defensive and togetherness issues way back in October.

“I think most definitely could have been handled in the room. But I think sometimes that what we need is tough love,” Stolarz reflected. “The guys understood where I was coming from. There was no animosity.”

‘Guys understood where I was coming from’: Stolarz on early-season comments

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:03:20 EDT

Fantasy baseball news: Astros, Padres struggle to keep rotations healthy

ESPN Fantasy — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:19:18 EST

All of the important fantasy spin and actionable takeaways resulting from the latest baseball news.

Corbin settles in vs. Brewers, but Blue Jays’ search for offence continues

Arden Zwelling — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:30:28 EDT

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Unemployed and left to his own devices as pitchers and catchers reported to club facilities across MLB this spring, Patrick Corbin had to figure out his own training progression towards a regular season he was determined to pitch in. He wasn’t sure where or with whom, only that he needed to be ready.

So, the 36-year-old began building up pitch count at Cressy Sports Performance, a private training facility about 10 minutes from his home in Palm Beach, Fla. He turned up every morning after dropping his kids off at school and tried to mimic the typical day starters across the league were working through.

On Tuesdays, he threw long bullpens, regaining feel and refining the shapes of his five pitches. On Fridays, he faced hitters, progressively getting up to five innings and 85 pitches, which he repeated several times.

He never knew who’d be catching him or who he’d be pitching against. Some days, he got big-leaguers such as Jordan Walker and Tommy Pham. Others, he faced college kids. During one session, he spotted Jacoby Brissett working out and asked the Arizona Cardinals quarterback if he’d be willing to step into the box against him.

“I actually tried to talk him into it a couple times,” Corbin said. “But he never agreed to it.”

Hey, any port in a storm. Corbin had been facing the same hitters over and over again — sometimes the same batter 10 times within an hour. He was desperate for new looks and even more eager for the adrenaline of live competition under lights with a defence behind him and spectators looking on.

That’s why it was no issue for Corbin to throw 74 pitches over five innings in a minor-league game a day after he signed with the Blue Jays earlier this month, and 85 over four in the majors only a week later. Playing ball is all he’s wanted to do for months. And he did everything he could to be ready the moment an opportunity materialized.

“I felt pretty good about my season last year and knew I wanted to play a couple more years,” said Corbin, who threw 5.2 innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 Blue Jays loss Thursday afternoon. “There’s always thoughts of, ‘Man, if nobody wants me, I don’t know what the heck I’m supposed to do.’ But I just tried to throw as much as I could and get as prepared as I could possibly be.”

Despite Corbin’s strong outing, which followed Dylan Cease’s best of the season, the Blue Jays struggled to generate offence for a second time in 30 hours and left Milwaukee with a fifth consecutive series loss after sweeping the Athletics on opening weekend. And the only thing preventing this series from being a sweep in the opposite direction was a pair of desperate comebacks in a wild, 9-7 Blue Jays victory Tuesday night.

After scoring only once in a 2-1 defeat on Wednesday, the Blue Jays’ offence responded with a punchless performance against Brewers swingman Brandon Sproat, who entered the day with as many walks as strikeouts (10) over his first three outings.

The Blue Jays generated a run in the third, as Andres Gimenez led off with a double, advanced on an Ernie Clement single, and dashed home when Tyler Heineman pushed a sacrifice bunt up the first base line. But little came about from there.

A promising opportunity developed in the sixth, as Davis Schneider and Daulton Varsho both reached to begin the frame. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bounced the first pitch he saw — a sweeper away — into a routine double play. Two pitches later, Jesus Snachez flew out to left, erasing the threat just as quickly as it materialized.

A day after Blue Jays manager John Schneider described his team’s offensive approach as “quick” and in need of an adjustment against pitchers trying to use Toronto’s aggressiveness against itself, Blue Jays hitters made over half of their outs against Sproat on three pitches or fewer, allowing him to get through 6.2 innings while throwing only 75 pitches.

One of Toronto’s most lively moments came between innings, when Trevor Megill struck out Varsho to cap the top of the eighth and glared towards the Blue Jays bench as he walked off the mound. That brought Schneider and Heineman out onto the field, chirping back and forth with Megill as he continued to his dugout. From the on-deck circle, Guerrero motioned for the Brewers reliever to keep walking.

“As a person, you don’t appreciate when another grown man yells what he did in your face,” Schneider said. “So, you just kind of react in the moment. But we’ve got other stuff to worry about other than that. He’s got other stuff to worry about. I’ve got other stuff to worry about. Our team’s got other stuff to worry about. We’re kind of both in the same place right now, us and them. So, heat of the moment. No big deal.”

Tempers will run high when a season begins as lamentably as Toronto’s has, particularly as you’re getting beat on a walk followed by three consecutive bunts, which is how the Brewers scored the game-winning run against Tommy Nance and Joe Mantiply in the seventh.

Meanwhile, making his second start with the Blue Jays, Corbin looked far more comfortable than in his first, breezing through his opening three innings on 40 pitches. He allowed back-to-back hits to begin the fourth with runners on the corners and none out, but limited the damage to only a run on a sacrifice fly.

He erased a lead-off single in the fifth with a pickoff ahead of a couple strikeouts. And he even came back out for the sixth to face Milwaukee’s top two hitters a third time, retiring both.

In all, Corbin struck out six while allowing four hits and a walk over a 79-pitch outing. He worked front-door sinkers, elevated four-seamers, and diving sliders to lefties. He threw sinkers away, cutters up, and the odd slider to righties. The only pitch that wasn’t reliably working was his changeup, so he threw it just often enough to show hitters he had it.

“You try to locate early, you want to get ahead and then try to expand and get them to chase,” Corbin said. “But I think, overall, just kept the ball on the corners, stayed out of the middle for the most part, and got into better counts today. I felt in a little better rhythm out there, for sure.”

Corbin’s stuff is far from overwhelming, but on days like these when he’s moving around the zone and sequencing effectively, it can get him into middle innings. Which is all the Blue Jays are asking him to do from the back end of their rotation. At least five frames, a little more than two trips through the lineup, preferably with only two or three runs scoring. It won’t always go like that, but Corbin can be a stabilizing presence if it does more often than not.

Of course, Corbin’s season began similarly a year ago, as he went unsigned through most of spring training before the Texas Rangers offered him a contract on the eve of the regular season. The difference then was that Corbin and his wife, Jen, were imminently awaiting their third son, who was born only four days after he signed the deal.

That additional life stress added a degree of difficulty to his rushed preparation for major-league competition. Remember, the Rangers didn’t sign him as a long-term project. They signed him because they had a pressing rotation need, just as the Blue Jays did when they came calling this month. He at least got a minor-league tune-up this time around. Last season, he went straight from the delivery room to a big-league mound.

“I don’t know if doing it before was a little advantage or not,” Corbin said. “It almost helps to jump right into it and get going. Because it’ll never be perfect. You just try to make the best out of it.”

And you never know where opportunities will take you. Originally a rotation stopgap, Corbin went on to throw 155.1 innings over 30 starts and a relief appearance for the Rangers, working to a 4.40 ERA and 1.9 fWAR. That isn’t the dominant ceiling performance contending teams envision atop their rotations. But it is the serviceable floor production that those clubs need every five days to sustain competitiveness.

It remains to be seen if Corbin’s Blue Jays tenure lasts as long. But starts like Thursday’s aren’t going to hurt his chances now that he finally has one.

“My off-season’s not ideal for anybody,” Corbin says. “It’s just a little different facing big-league hitters in a different environment. It’s hard to simulate that for me, personally. So, it’s always good to go out there, try to keep us in the game, and pitch as deep as I can.”

Postseason roundtable: NHL player, coach, GM predict the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs

Greg Wyshynski — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:03:56 EST

Which team is better than we think? Who has the most flop potential? And who wins the Cup?

LIV Golf is still going, but its days seem numbered and probably always were

Dan Wetzel — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:53:16 EST

LIV made a lot of noise, caused some nervous days at the PGA Tour and even forced some positive changes. But ultimately, it never did enough to make a real challenge.

Canucks’ Mueller pulls off sweet deke for first-career goal

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:40:07 EDT

Verstappen finding joy in his Nürburgring side quest

Laurence Edmondson — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:40:27 EST

Max Verstappen hasn't been very happy in F1 this year, but his Nürburgring 24 Hours side quest is reinvigorating the four-time world champion.

Tiger Woods’ lawyer vows to fight subpoena for prescription records in DUI case

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:29:58 EDT

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods’ attorney intends to fight an attempt by prosecutors to subpoena the golfer’s prescription drug records following his arrest last month in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Attorney Doug Duncan said this week in a court filing that Woods has a constitutional right to privacy when it comes to his prescription medications. The attorney asked a judge overseeing the case in Martin County, Florida to hold a hearing to determine if the drug records are necessary for the criminal investigation.

If the judge determines the drug records are necessary, Duncan asked for a protective order limiting their release only to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, state experts and Woods’ defense team.

Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence. A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a truck’s trailer and rolled over on its side.

Woods was travelling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test, authorities said.

Prosecutors told the court they would issue a subpoena seeking copies of all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach, Florida from the start of the year through the end of last month.

Prosecutors also demanded in court papers on Wednesday that Woods reveal the names and locations of any witnesses he plans to present in his defense.

Beers, dinners and wins: How surging Sabres have become ‘close-knit’ group

Mike Koreen — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:39:55 EDT

BUFFALO — Less than two weeks after joining the Buffalo Sabres following a trade-deadline deal from the Winnipeg Jets, Luke Schenn quickly discovered there was a good feeling in the dressing room of his 11th NHL team.

On a trip through Las Vegas and California last month, the Sabres went for two team dinners — a telltale sign of a connected group in the veteran blue-liner’s eyes.

“There were two team dinners in four games, and then guys were hanging out back in the hotel, playing poker, cards, watching more hockey,” Schenn said before a recent home game. “Doing all sorts of stuff which teams do in the playoffs, and these guys are doing it during the regular season, which means you can’t get enough of one another.”

Schenn has been in his share of strong and, well, not-so-strong rooms after 1,100-plus NHL games

The Saskatoon native won Stanley Cups in 2020 and ’21 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but also waited until the sixth season of his NHL career to play a playoff game after four misses with the Toronto Maple Leafs and one with the Philadelphia Flyers.

So, Schenn also has a good idea of what it means to end a playoff drought — which the Sabres will do this weekend after a painful 14-season run of absences. His experience could come in handy for a team without any recent post-season history heading into a first-round series with the Boston Bruins.

“I think guys really care for one another. That’s one of the things I experienced when I was in Tampa — how close the guys were off the ice,” Schenn explained. “Guys wanted to be around each other, you’re doing massive dinners instead of little groups and cliques. When you get back from dinner, guys are still wanting to hang out. Families are tight, wives and girlfriends are tight — which is a big part of it.

“Just the closer group you have, the easier it is to be in sync on the ice. That’s something I sensed when I got here, was how close the group was. Guys truly love being around one another and there’s lots of energy, lots of laughs … I’ve been around some rooms where you don’t have that and you don’t really have a chance to have success on the ice. I think it starts with a close group, which we have.”

Captain Rasmus Dahlin, preparing for his first career NHL playoff game, leads the Atlantic Division champs on and off the ice.

The Swedish defenceman has been through a gruelling year. His fiancée, Carolina, underwent an emergency heart transplant last summer while vacationing in France. Dahlin left the team in November, with permission, to spend time with her back home.

Since returning, Dahlin has excelled, along with the rest of the team. The Sabres made a huge push to the top of the Atlantic Division following the firing of general manager Kevyn Adams.

Carolina is now back in Buffalo, which has given the room a big boost.

“She’s a big reason why the culture is so tight here, and the foundation of the team is so solid,” Sabres forward Tage Thompson told Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.

Dahlin’s sense of humour also seems to have galvanized the team.

The 2018 first-overall pick told reporters last month the team had been working on “team chemistry and the brotherhood” all season.

The natural follow-up was how do you work on brotherhood.

“Drink beer,” Dahlin said, smiling.

The simple answer was a hit. On a recent trip to a local tavern close to KeyBank Center for lunch, before Buffalo’s grudge match against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a patron at the bar was spotted wearing a cap with the words ‘Drink Beer’ along with a Dominik Hasek Sabres jersey.

“Right from the beginning of the year, we set out to become a close-knit team and it’s kind of been a focal point for us all year,” rugged winger Jordan Greenway said. “It includes a lot of different things, … whatever Dahls (Dahlin) said included. Everybody’s willing to stick up for anyone else. The winning helps, a lot of things help. But I would definitely say we’re a close-knit group.”

Schenn understands the power of raising a glass with teammates at the right time.

“Go ask Pat Maroon over there how many beers we had together,” Schenn chuckled prior to the game against Tampa. “I would agree with that. It started for us when we were in Tampa, Patty was good at getting the whole group together at the Global Series in Stockholm. That’s when we became a team. You’re in Stockholm for a week, you’re having a few drinks together, getting to know one another.”

The reaction of the fanbase has also added to the good vibes.

The Sabres sold out their last 18 games and had 24 full houses overall after just four last season, per the Buffalo News. They’re up to 11,000 season tickets for next season after approximately 9,000 this year.

Buffalo may be a small market, but the town tends to go hockey crazy when the team puts a good product on the ice.

The Sabres’ rise brings back memories of when the Buffalo Bills ended a 17-year playoff drought in 2017. Since then, the Bills have been one of the NFL’s top teams, playing in front of rabid home fans craving a first title.

Maybe something similar is happening for the Sabres. Or maybe they can even overtake the Bills and give Buffalo an elusive big-four-sport title.

“(The fans) love it. It’s been great to say. I’m excited for them,” Greenway said. “It definitely helps when you’ve got the fans behind us, we’re all feeling good. It makes things a lot easier.”

Ajou Ajou suspended, released after violating CFL’s gender-based violence policy

Canadian Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:19:05 EDT

The CFL suspended Canadian receiver Ajou Ajou for the 2026 pre-season and at least six regular-season games for violating its gender-based violence and harassment policy.

The league said Thursday it was made aware of multiple allegations in late January. It immediately initiated a third-party investigation, which included interviews with Ajou, multiple witnesses and complainants.

Ajou spent last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, registering 22 catches for 212 yards in eight regular-season games. He was with the CFL club when it defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 to capture the Grey Cup, registering two catches for 13 yards.

Ajou rejoined the Riders after being released by the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 26.

The investigation revealed that on Nov. 18, 2025 — the same day as the team’s Grey Cup parade — Ajou engaged in aggressive and unwelcome physical contact with multiple women at a restaurant in Regina, conduct that breaches the CFL’s gender-based violence and harassment policy, the league said.

On Thursday, the Riders said Ajou is no longer with the club.

“The Saskatchewan Roughriders do not tolerate gender-based violence or harassment, and Ajou Ajou’s actions go directly against the values we hold as an organization,” Jeremy O’Day, Saskatchewan’s vice-president of football operations/GM, said in a statement. “We hold our players to a high standard, one that focuses on integrity and treating people with respect.

“He failed to meet that standard and is no longer a Roughrider.”

The CFL added that there are no criminal charges currently pending against Ajou.

The six-foot-three, 218-pound Ajou, 24, of Brooks, Alta., becomes the second player suspended by the league for violating the policy.

In 2024, Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly was suspended for the entire pre-season and at least half of the club’s regular-season contests. The move came after a lawsuit and independent investigation into harassment allegations involving the league’s 2023 outstanding player.

Kelly was reinstated in August 2024 by the league on a last-chance agreement after undergoing mandatory counselling and meeting with then commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

The CFL said Ajou’s reinstatement process will consist of three parts. He’ll undergo at least 15 mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert, as well as a psychological assessment by another independent expert.

The final requirement will be to meet with league commissioner Stewart Johnston. Upon satisfactory completion of all three steps, Ajou will be eligible for reinstatement, although the league also said it reserves the right to modify the discipline.

“Protecting the safety and well-being of our communities is non‑negotiable,” said Johnston. “Our players are expected to lead with integrity and serve as role models.

“When improper conduct occurs, our policy is clear, and we will enforce it without exception. It is my hope that Mr. Ajou learns from this experience, and that other players take this unfortunate situation as a reminder of the standards we uphold.”

Parekh scores winner, Flames beat Kings in final game of season

Canadian Press — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:09:39 EDT

CALGARY — Zayne Parekh snapped a 1-1 tie with a goal at 6:08 of the third period to lift the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 season-ending win over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Rookie goalie Arsenii Sergeev made his first career NHL start, stopping 27 of 28 shots for the Flames (34-39-9).

Morgan Frost opened the scoring at 5:21 of the second period on the power play with his 22nd of the year. Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato picked up the assists.

Quinton Byfield responded less than two minutes later with his 24th of the season.

Joel Farabee netted his 20th goal on the season as he sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Calgary’s Ryan Strome wrapped up his campaign with a two-assist effort.

Anton Forsberg made 18 saves for the Kings (35-27-20), who learned during the game that they’d have to settle for the second wild-card seed and a playoff date with the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.

The Edmonton Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division with 93 points after a 6-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, while the Anaheim Ducks edged the Nashville Predators 5-4 to finish third in the Pacific with 92 points.

TAKEAWAYS

Flames: Russian netminder Sergeev has spent time in both the ECHL and the AHL this season before his NHL debut. The 23-year-old was a seventh-round pick for the Flames in the 2021 NHL entry draft.

Kings: Anze Kopitar, who appeared in his final regular-season game, finished with the seventh-most career points all-time by a born and trained European player with 1,316. The leader of the category is Jaromir Jagr who recorded 1,921 points. Kings’ centre Scott Laughton left the game in discomfort after blocking a Frost shot in the second period. Laughton eventually returned.

KEY MOMENT

Parekh scored his fourth of the season to make it 2-1.

KEY STAT

Matvei Gridin became just the fifth Flames player in the past 20 years to record 20 points in a season at age 20 or younger. The forward wrapped up his rookie season with 20 points in 37 games.

UP NEXT

Flames: Begin the off-season.

Kings: Visit the league-league Colorado Avalanche on Sunday to start the first round of playoffs.

Alycia Baumgardner's journey to become the face of women's boxing

Andreas Hale — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:19:47 EST

An early setback and a positive test -- since cleared -- didn't define Baumgardner. Now, she's on the doorstep of leading the sport.

Transfer rumors, news: Liverpool, Bayern eye Tottenham's Archie Gray

ESPN — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:25:26 EST

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Archie Gray is being considered for a summer move by Bayern Munich and Liverpool. Transfer Talk has the latest.

Home Page Featured 2 item

Mike Koreen — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:12:57 EDT

NHL Highlights: Oilers 6, Canucks 1

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:45:08 EDT

Ranked: Who are the top 50 players in the Premier League right now?

Ryan O'Hanlon — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:21:17 EST

The Premier League Top 50 returns, with just over a month remaining in the 2025-26 season, to rank the best players in the Premier League so far.

‘We’ve shown we can do it’: Stolarz on how Maple Leafs can bounce back

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:58:15 EDT

WrestleMania 42 roundtable: Most anticipated matches, bold predictions

ESPN Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:31:31 EST

Before we get to a weekend full of wrestling, our crew shares their thoughts on WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Flames’ Parekh dances around Kings player before sniping unreal goal

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:28:02 EDT

Maple Leafs face the music (April 16)

Paul D. Grant — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:53:09 EDT

MLB Highlights: Giants 3, Reds 0

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:41:59 EDT

With gesture to 10-year-old fan, Dustin Wolf proves that small goalies can make big impact

Eric Francis — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:34:25 EDT

CALGARY — Ten-year-old Kade Heisler walked into the Calgary Flames dressing room to meet his idol, handed him a birthday balloon, and apologized.

“Sorry for what?” asked Dustin Wolf, beaming at the sight of the young viral-video sensation.

“For losing your focus,” responded Heisler, alluding to the two goals scored on Wolf after Tuesday’s stick exchange melted hearts around the globe.

“Not at all,” said Wolf, inviting him to sit next to him in his stall before signing the stick.

“I’m glad it worked out the way it did. The smile on your face means the world to me. That’s what it’s all about.”

By now, you’ve seen Heisler’s beautiful reaction to having his sign recognized in the stands by Wolf during a TV timeout, and bursting into unabashed tears of pure joy as he cradled a game-used stick sent to him by Flames equipment manager Mark DePasquale.

Wolf didn’t see the priceless reaction in real time, but melted after the game when shown the video that has circled the globe for its purity.

It prompted the team to invite Heisler and his family — parents and four kids — to the Dome to meet Wolf after Thursday morning’s skate.

“I saw the video afterward and just the pure emotion, love and the happiness… it goes a long way,” said Wolf, whose status as one of the most beloved players is getting a well-earned boost.

“To take a couple seconds out of your day to make someone else’s better is what we want to do.”

After all, he knows what it feels like.

“I was in the same position with Quickie (Jonathan Quick),” said Wolf of his childhood idol growing up in Los Angeles.

“I was very fortunate to get a couple pictures of him over a few different years, and it’s sad to see him hang ’em up, but to get to play against him and see him across the ice a few times is certainly a dream come true. That’s the stuff you dream about as a kid.

“We’re very privileged. We’re in an unbelievable position to support others, to make other kids’ days, make families’ days, and try to go above and beyond when you get the chance. It doesn’t seem like it’s a whole lot to you when you’re doing it, but it means so much to them.”

More than Wolf could ever have known.

This hasn’t been an easy year for Heisler.

Just before Christmas, the resident of nearby Carstairs, Alta., quit hockey because he was bullied by a teammate.

The young man walked away from the game he loves.

“It started out with names and stuff, and then it turned into physical,” he told Sportsnet. “It wasn’t fun anymore.”

Looking on with pride as her son was interviewed by several local TV stations Thursday, his mother, Kimberly Komarniski, said the sign he made declaring Wolf his idol has plenty to do with the fact the Flames goalie is the smallest in the NHL.

“He gets picked on for his size a lot and that’s where his admiration comes from for Wolf,” she said. “We were just hoping for eye contact, or for him to see the sign. To get a thumbs up from Dustin was above and beyond, then the stick was mind blowing.”

As has been the fallout — something the young man has taken in stride as he started being hounded for interviews TV and radio stations around North America early the next morning.

“I like Wolf because he proves that size doesn’t matter,” said the pint-sized goalie, who will be the shortest player on the ice when he starts skating with his new team, the U-13 Renegades, this fall.

“If you’re short or tall, you can still cover the same amount of net. Wolf doesn’t let his size hold him back. He turns it into motivation.”

The day was also a big one for Kade’s 12-year-old brother, Jayden, who has battled cystic fibrosis since birth.

“When the day comes for his Make-a-Wish, it’ll definitely have something to do with the Flames,” said Kimberly, who added that daily treatment and a new drug has helped with their outlook on the disease, which causes severe respiratory and digestive issues.

“He eats and breathes the Flames. He is an encyclopedia for the Flames, and he’s a huge Dustin Wolf fan too.

“This means the world not just to Kade, but all of us. It’s like a dream come true.”

That’s the thing about being kind — you never know how much it can mean, and to how many.

Small gestures — no pun intended — can have big impacts.

And while most players understand their power, and wield it appropriately with acts like these every day, it was Kade’s reaction that made the moment so powerful.

“Those tears of Kade’s the other night, those were just pure gratefulness,” said mom.

And that’s why it hit home with the millions and millions who’ve seen it.

Stanley Cup playoffs mega-preview: Stanley Cup cases, X factors, bold predictions for all 16 teams

Ryan Clark and Kristen Shilton — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:42:39 EST

The postseason Thunderdome is about to open its gate. Which team will emerge as the 2026 Stanley Cup champion?

Sources: NWSL expected to vote on calendar shift

Jeff Kassouf — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:09:27 EST

The NWSL's board of governors is expected to vote later this month on whether to flip the league's calendar to a fall-to-spring season, multiple sources told ESPN.

Late-game drama adds to another frustrating series loss for the Blue Jays

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:50:51 EDT

Weekend predictions: Can Arsenal hold off Man City? Will Atlético win Copa del Rey?

Julien Laurens — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:19:57 EST

We've got potential title deciders in England and Germany, a grudge match in Portugal, and the Copa del Rey final: Julien Laurens previews the weekend and makes his predictions.

MLB Highlights: Rays 5, White Sox 3

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:49:22 EDT

Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket finalized

Sportsnet Staff — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:53:01 EDT

Here’s a look at how the NHL post-season shapes up.

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Lightning vs. Canadiens

Ryan Dixon — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:11:38 EDT

The first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs features a rematch from the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

Weird, right?

Odd as it might be to recall, a pandemic-impacted, 56-game season concluded with the defending-champion Tampa Bay Lightning downing the Montreal Canadiens — the worst team, by record, to make the 2021 playoffs — in five games to claim a second straight title.

The two teams took drastically different routes to this next encounter, with Tampa remaining on Excellence Street, while the Canadiens — who ostensibly lost Shea Weber and Carey Price forever after that trip to the final — executed a full-scale rebuild that’s already producing a second straight playoff appearance.

As for Tampa, while the club has remained one of the league’s best, the Bolts haven’t won a playoff round since advancing to their third straight final in 2022. It’s unfair to say we’re at now-or-never time for this core, but some fingers and toes must be anxiously tapping in T-Bay as coach Jon Cooper and Co. try to find a way back to the top of the mountain.

Or, at least, to a much higher elevation than they’ve been scaling the past three springs.

Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet

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Broadcast schedule

While these two teams have been in wildly different spots the past handful of years, they put together similarly impressive campaigns in 2025-26. In fact, this clash — the 2-3 battle in the Atlantic, with Tampa holding home-ice advantage — is a meeting of clubs with the fifth- and sixth-best records in the entire NHL.

So, despite a wide gap in terms of playoff pedigree between the squads, the young Habs — coached by Bolts legend Martin St. Louis — and savvy Lightning could produce an extremely close first-round series.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Tampa Bay: 2-2-0
Montreal: 2-1-1

Lighting X-factor: Health

Are they finally healthy, at just the right time? Key Bolts like Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Darren Raddysh all missed at least 10 games this year, while defenceman Ryan McDonagh missed close to half the schedule. Captain Victor Hemdan, who’s been on personal leave since late March, played well under half the season.

Even if Hedman is unable to return for Game 1, Tampa’s roster is in a much better spot than it has been for large chunks of the season.

Canadiens X-factor: Depth of scoring

How much offence can Montreal get from lines that aren’t the top one? The second line, in particular, has struggled to produce when Juraj Slafkovsky joins Nick Suzuki and 50-goal man Cole Caufield on the top trio. Really, the only guy who’s been on the second line all year is Ivan Demidov and, good as he is, Demidov is a rookie who needs support. If Alex Newhook — who missed a huge chunk of time with a fractured ankle — can continue his strong late-season play as a speedy 2C, maybe Montreal can hit on something that supports the big boys.

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

TEAM	CF%	GF%	xGF%	SV%	SH%
Lightning	53.30 (3)	56.20 (2)	54.19 (4)	.908 (12)	11.09 (3)
Canadiens	48.64 (23)	53.49 (9)	48.59 (23)	.906 (14)	11.3 (1)

Regular Season Stats

TEAM	PP%	PK%	GF/G	GA/G
Lightning	20.7 (17)	82.6 (3)	3.49 (4)	2.79 (3)
Canadiens	23.1 (10)	78.2 (18)	3.40 (7)	3.06 (16)

TAMPA BAY STORYLINES

1. Tampa tough guys

Quick, which team led the league in penalty minutes this season? Certainly not the Lightning team which has built a winning legacy this century with skill and smarts, right?

As you’ve surely guessed by now, there’s more backstreet brawler to the Bolts than you might initially imagine, with Tampa racking up more PIMs than any team in the league this year. Hey, when you face — and lose to — the notoriously unpleasant Florida Panthers as the Lighting have in each of the past two first rounds, eventually you develop some pugilistic tendencies of your own.

If Tampa was already inclined to enter the post-season prepared to put their thumb in someone’s eye, playing the Canadiens might stoke the instinct to make this a street fight. Montreal, of course, is nobody’s idea of a mean team and the Lightning may think they can have their way with small stars like Caufield and Lane Hutson.

2. Vasi-level up-skiy

Andrei Vasilevskiy is a slam-dunk Hall-of-Famer. That said, he’s 4-12 in his past three series with an .882 save percentage. That’s a long way from the Conn Smythe performance “Vasy” threw down the year Tampa beat Montreal in the final, when he had a .937 SV% in 23 games. In fact, during the team’s three consecutive runs to the final from ’20 to ’22, Vasilevskiy had a .928 in 71 post-season contests. He doesn’t have to be that good, but the big Russian needs to improve on what we’ve seen in each of the past three springs.

3. Opportunity Knocks

This is a preview of a series between Tampa and Montreal, but we’re going to bring up the Panthers one more time. It’s hard to shake the feeling there’s a lane here for Tampa to make a run with Florida — almost sure to return, rested and mean as ever next spring — not in the mix this year. Again, it’s not as though the clock is about to strike midnight on this iteration of the Bolts, but they’ve got a kick at it here with Nikita Kucherov still at the sky-high top of his offensive game and a bunch of key players aged about 28 to 32. Put it this way; if the first-round exits at the hands of Florida the past two springs hurt, losing an opening-round series to a club that — good as it is — likely won’t peak for a couple years would be a severe gut punch.

MONTREAL STORYLINES

1. Untested tenders

The Canadiens rookie battery of Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler have roughly 145 minutes of career NHL playoff experience, with all of them belonging to Dobes from last year’s five-game loss to the Washington Capitals. Goaltending became a big subplot for Montreal this season when incumbent starter Sam Montembeault completely lost his game and never got it back.

However, since play resumed after the Olympic break, Dobes’ .916 save percentage is the third-best mark in the league among goalies with 15 appearances and he was especially stellar in March and early April, posting a .925 SV% in a dozen outings while the Canadiens solidified their playoff spot in a tough Eastern Conference fight. If Dobes, 24, falters, Fowler is the rare 21-year-old who might be able to handle the post-season heat. One of the top young goalies in hockey, Fowler has shown himself to be a capable, calm stopper when given the chance this season.

2. Lineup decisions

Coach Martin St. Louis has interesting decisions to make at forward and defence, albeit for different reasons. On the back end, the Canadiens were dealt a tough blow when Noah Dobson — a vital, right-shot defenceman for the team — got injured blocking a shot with his hand in Game No. 80. While there could be some gamesmanship given it’s playoff time, Montreal said last weekend that he’d be re-evaluated after two weeks, which basically takes the team through four playoff contests. Assuming another righty, Alexandre Carrier, can return for Game 1, that leaves St. Louis looking at the likes of Arber Xhekaj, recent AHL callup David Reinbacher and maybe even Adam Engstrom for a final spot on the blue line. Everyone brings something different, so the coach will have to decide which way to play it.

Up front, a handful of guys — Brendan Gallagher, Joe Veleno, Zach Bolduc and Alexandre Texier — have all taken turns being scratched from the lineup. Maybe the series will tell St. Louis how to fill out his lineup card, but the coach has some tough calls to make and could throw different looks at Tampa as the battle wages on.

3. What constitutes progress for Montreal?

As noted, the Canadiens have now made the post-season in two straight years and that fact alone could be seen as a win for a squad that still seemed elbow-deep in a rebuild about 15 months ago. Does Montreal, in its second spring fling, need to win a series to show progress? Alternatively, maybe a tight six- or seven-game loss to a heavyweight like Tampa would suffice as a sign this club continues to move in the right direction.

What it really might come down to for the Canadiens is evaluating if the team, as currently constructed, has what it takes to thrive when the physicality takes a leap. Win or lose, will management leave the series thinking the core has what it takes to eventually make it work at this time of year or will they be left contemplating debilitating holes in the blueprint?

UFC Fight Night in Winnipeg

Josh Beneteau — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:14:24 EDT

NHL Highlights: Blues 5, Mammoth 3

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:35:08 EDT

‘Underdog’ Kings face tough first round after loss to Flames caps regular season

Eric Francis — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:58:29 EDT

CALGARY — It’s been four years since Darryl Sutter so famously said, “It’s going to be a waste of eight days” for whoever played the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

How perfectly appropriate then that Sutter sat in the Saddledome stands for Thursday’s regular-season finale between the last two teams he coached, the Flames and Kings.

He was there in support of one of his most beloved players, Anze Kopitar, whose Kings are very likely in line for the type of fate Sutter spoke of years earlier.

And when the Flames punctuated their 3-1 win over Los Angeles with a handshake line for the soon-to-be-retired Kings captain, it seemed like a precursor to what could be on tap four games later when the Avalanche are heavily favoured to put the punchless Kings out of their misery.

Count eight days from Sunday afternoon’s opener in Denver to figure out when the Kings’ season is likely to end.

Although wins by the Oilers and Ducks earlier in the evening solidified the West’s second wild-card spot for the Kings, the loss to the Flames served to punctuate a season marked by a late coaching change, a popgun offence and spotty goaltending.

“The best team in the league, but you know, playoffs,” said Kopitar, when asked after the game about a date with the Avs.

“I’m not gonna say anything can happen, but we’ll go in, and we’ll play hard, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

The Kings enter the series against the Presidents’ Trophy winner with the dubious distinction of entering the playoffs with just 22 regulation wins — an NHL record.

Despite facing an undermanned Flames squad whose long list of rookies included Arsenii Sergeev making his NHL debut, the Kings couldn’t solve the Russian netminder despite throwing 28 shots on net.

Playing in front of a crowd conflicted by the desire to remain 30^th in the standings while also cheering for Sergeev, the Flames passed the Rangers in the standings and will now have the fourth-best odds of winning the draft lottery at 9.5 per cent.

With six minutes to go in a 1-1 game, Zayne Parekh put on a clinic along the wall, shielding the puck from Brandt Clarke before turning on a dime to face Anton Forsberg and rip the game-winner into the far corner. Joel Farabee’s 20^th of the season found the empty net to cap the Flames’ fourth-straight season out of the playoffs.

The Kings enter the post-season with points in eight of their last ten, which was needed for them to stave off late pushes from several other teams.

“I guess the second half of March into April we were pretty good to put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs, and now this is a whole different animal,” said Kopitar, who received a standing ovation early in the evening when the Flames honoured him with a Jumbotron salute.

“The intensity ramps up. Everything ramps up. Every mistake, every little play magnifies now, and we’re gonna have to go out there and compete and just work our asses off.”

Coach DJ Smith, who replaced Jim Hiller on an interim basis Mar. 1, knows the task at hand is a large one.

“For us, I don’t think it matters whoever we’re going to play, we’d be the underdog,” said Smith, who said his players were all aware that going into the third period tied 1-1, their playoff matchup had already been set.

“We know there’s going to be spurts where they’re going to be really, really good, but we’re going to have to look at it and manage those times. They have five, six, seven of the best players in the world over there. But the one thing we’ve always been able to do is play defence. So we’re going to have to defend real hard, and then when we get opportunities, we’re going to have to sting them.”

Smith said he’d convene with his staff before deciding whether he’d go with the experience of Darcy Kuemper for Game 1, or the hotter hand of Forsberg.

“I think at some point we’re going to need everybody, whether it’s guys that are in the lineup, out of the lineup, or both goalies,” he said.

“We’re going to go with who we think is ready to win Game 1, and then we’ll readjust after that.”

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Devils hire Panthers’ Sunny Mehta as general manager

Sportsnet Staff — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:21:22 EDT

The New Jersey Devils have a new head of hockey operations.

Sunny Mehta, formerly an assistant with the Florida Panthers, has been hired by the Devils as general manager, the team announced on Thursday.

Mehta was also reportedly a candidate in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ executive search.

The 48-year-old, who was raised in Wyckoff, N.J., spent the past six seasons with the Panthers, winning two Stanley Cups. Over the past three years, he served as head of analytics as well as assistant GM.

“This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said in a press release. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”

Mehta, who will be introduced with a media availability on Tuesday, becomes the sixth general manager in Devils history. New Jersey is coming off its second straight year missing the post-season, placing seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 87 points in 82 games.

He will take time to evaluate the status of head coach Sheldon Keefe, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported.

Devils star forward Jack Hughes missed chunks of the season due to injury, but scored the golden goal for the U.S. in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament.

“We quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates,” managing partner David Blitzer said in a statement. “Sunny’s familiarity with our organization and experience with a two-time Stanley Cup-winning team are characteristics that will serve as a foundation for future success. Our expectations are to be a perennial playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, and I look forward to Sunny leading us there.”

Mehta previously spent four seasons with the Devils from 2014-15 to 2017-18 under Lou Lamoriello and Ray Shero.

Prior to joining the NHL, Mehta was a professional musician and poker player. He studied Jazz Guitar and Studio at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and later wrote two books on poker strategy called Professional No-Limit Hold ‘Em, Volume 1 (2009) and Small Stakes No-Limit Hold ‘Em (2007).

With the Devils having filled their GM vacancy, it leaves the Maple Leafs, Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators as the remaining openings.

The Devils fired previous GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier in April.

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Ludvig Aberg cleans up game, leads in RBC Heritage with a 63

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:48:04 EDT

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Ludvig Aberg swapped out some sloppy mistakes at the Masters with pure iron play at Harbour Town in warm, swirling wind that produced an 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage.

Aberg moved ahead of Harris English and Viktor Hovland with an 8-iron to about 15 feet on the back corner of the green on the par-3 17th and made the birdie. He closed with a par, pleasing because he felt that 8-iron confirmed how well he was swinging the club.

Houston Open champion Gary Woodland, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler were in the group of players at 65.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy skipped this $20 million signature event for the second straight year, having said Harbour Town doesn’t suit him.

Scottie Scheffler, the runner-up last week at Augusta after a 65-68 finish, had a shocking start. His first tee shot was out-of-bounds on the right. He didn’t know out-of-bounds was over there.

“It was looking like it was going to hit those trees and I guess it flew right through them and then hit path and went out-of-bounds,” Scheffler said. “Thumbs up for the start. It was a good bogey.”

That it was, a 12-foot putt to limit the damage, followed by a par save on the next hole and then it was business as usual in the tougher afternoon conditions for a 68.

Aberg had a disappointing week at Augusta National by his standards — a tie for 21st, his first time out of the top 10 in three appearances at the Masters.

“I felt like I was playing well but made some silly mistakes that prevented me from having a real chance,” Aberg said. “But I also felt like in the grand scheme of things, I was swinging it nice, I was moving it nice, so I didn’t have to prepare that much in terms of my golf swing on Monday through Wednesday, and I felt like good golf was in there.”

The challenge for Aberg and the other 52 players who were in the Masters was to stay sharp inside the ropes on an island that makes this tournament feel like a working vacation.

Hovland is feeling less stressful more because of his swing, instead of the week at the Masters when he made a big run up the leaderboard on Sunday only to catch the wrong gust at the wrong time that led to double bogey on the 15th hole. He still shot 67.

Hovland doesn’t feel he’s all the way back with his swing, but he found enough signs of progress to believe he is getting close. He played bogey-free for a 64 that featured no birdies on the three par 5s.

“The whole year I’ve been working really hard, and I think now that I’m seeing my game progress and get closer to where I want it to be, I can start to relax a little bit more and focus on kind of the recovery aspect of things,” Hovland said.

English also played bogey-free for his 64, finishing with a birdie to a front pin over the bunker.

Davis Love III refurbished the fabled course to restore greens to their original design, but players felt it looked the same. And it played the same — opportunity from the fairway, trouble otherwise as Scheffler and others discovered.

Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood each opened with a 76.

The toughest day belonged to someone who didn’t even play. Brooks Koepka was the first alternate and showed up at Hilton Head in case someone withdrew. That typically means a two-hour wait in the morning, taking a break, and waiting some two hours during the afternoon wave.

Bad news for Brooks — this signature event has players in twosomes off the first tee, one right after the other. He was at the course about 6:45 a.m. (the first tee time was 7 a.m.) and could not leave until the last group teed off at 2:10 p.m.

There were three alternates on property — Keith Mitchell and Denny McCarthy — because if Koepka got in, the stipulation for his return from LIV Golf was two additional players added to the field.

Morikawa seemed to be the best hope with his back that first went bad at The Players Championship. But he played the Masters with some trepidation and tied for seventh, and he played bogey-free at Harbour Town for a 66.

NHL highlights (April 16)

Myles Dichter — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:04:47 EDT

Napheesa Collier signs reported one-year, $1.4M supermax contract with Lynx

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:29:39 EDT

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Lynx re-signed five-time all-star forward Napheesa Collier, who’s coming off one of the most productive seasons in WNBA history.

The team announced Thursday night it was bringing back Collier, but didn’t disclose terms of the deal.

ESPN reported, citing sources, that the Lynx signed Collier to a one-year, $1.4 million supermax contract. The deal came a day after the WNBA defending champion Las Vegas Aces re-signed four-time MVP A’ja Wilson. ESPN reported that contract was a three-year, $5 million supermax deal, the most lucrative in league history.

The 29-year-old Collier averaged a career-high 22.9 points per game last season while shooting 53.1 per cent from the floor, 40.3 per cent from 3-point range and 90.6 per cent from the foul line, becoming the first player in WNBA history to post 50/40/90 shooting splits while averaging 20 or more points per game. She finished second to Wilson in league MVP voting the last two years.

“Phee has been such an integral part of the Lynx since she was drafted in 2019,” head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said in a statement released by the team. “Coming off a historic 50/40/90 season and guiding the Lynx to the most wins in franchise history, Phee is hungry to position the Lynx for a championship run in 2026.”

Minnesota went 34–10 in the regular season and was the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA playoffs. But Collier injured her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against Phoenix, ending her season. The Lynx lost the series to the Mercury in five games.

Collier, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-WNBA and All-Defensive Team selection, was the sixth overall draft pick by the Lynx in 2019 out of UConn and won the league’s Rookie of the Year award. She has career averages of 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in seven seasons. Collier ranks second in franchise history in career steals (325) and scoring average (18.4), behind Maya Moore, and second in blocked shots (239) behind Sylvia Fowles.

Last season, Collier set the franchise record with 54 consecutive made free throws and was selected the WNBA All-Star Game MVP after setting the scoring mark with 36 points.

Blue Jackets sign coach Rick Bowness to extension

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:59:23 EDT

It didn’t take long for the Columbus Blue Jackets to decide if Rick Bowness would return as coach.

The team announced Thursday that Bowness agreed to a deal to be behind the bench for the 2026-27 season.

Bowness led Columbus to a 21-11-5 record after taking over for Dean Evason on Jan. 12.

“If you look at the body of work that happened here over the last 37 games, I’m very pleased with Rick’s work. I’ve said all along that the strengths of this organization from a coaching standpoint has been the communication he’s had with the players and getting them ready to play on a regular basis,” President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell said during a news conference. “It’s always interesting when you do make changes how players are going to respond. Through all the exit meetings that have happened so far, every player to a man said they love playing for Rick, they respect Rick and they’re all hoping he’d come back for another year.”

The Blue Jackets were in last place in the Eastern Conference when Bowness arrived. They went 18-2-4 in Bowness’ first 24 games and moved into a playoff spot after collecting a point in 12 straight games.

But Columbus struggled down the stretch, going 3-9-1 to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season.

Bowness gave his players a lot to think about after a 2-1 season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. He launched into a 3-minute rant on the team’s effort and that “losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them.”

He also said that if he was back “we’re changing this freaking culture. I’ve been around long enough to know. I’ll find ways. I’ve got enough experience. I’ve dealt with this. I’ve dealt with it before. If we’re back, we’ll straighten it out.”

Bowness and Waddell said the comments were not a surprise to the players, since they heard the same thing before he addressed the media.

“Rick speaks from his heart. It was very passionate what he said and he cares and from a general manager standpoint, that’s what he asked for,” Waddell said. “Since Rick’s been here, I knew that he was all in on this. I give players the opportunity (to discuss the comments during end-of-season meetings) and to a man I heard only positive things, so I’m good with everything that’s happened.”

Bowness added on Thursday that he might have pushed things a little too far, and that he held himself as much accountable for the late-season struggles as he did the players.

“Now I have a reference point to them, and I can go to them in October and I can go to them in November; that’s the stuff that hurts us in March and April that you will not get away with then and you will not get away with in the playoffs.’ So that helps. That seed has been planted,” he said.

Bowness is expected to be the league’s oldest coach at 71 when next season begins. He has a 331-419-48-42 record in stints with the Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets (twice), Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.

Columbus went 40-30-12 this season, the first time it has posted 40 games two straight seasons since 2018-19. The 92 points this season are the fifth-highest point total in club history, but the first time the team had at least 90 points and didn’t make the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets have Zach Werenski, who led the team with 81 points and is among the favourites for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

Center Charlie Coyle and left wing Mason Marchment, along with captain Boone Jenner, will be unrestricted free agents. Adam Fantilli, the third pick in the 2023 draft, is a restricted free agent in line for a lucrative extension.

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MLB Highlights: Rockies 3, Astros 2

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:38:47 EDT

Trout homers again as Angels outslug Yankees to split series

Associated Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:44:47 EDT

Trout’s latest homer contributed to a rare loss for the Yankees when Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homer in the same game. Including the post-season, New York is 53-8 when the duo both connect.

Jo Adell added a grand slam in the eighth for the Angels, who lead the AL with 32 homers.

Trout walked three times and scored the tying run in a four-run sixth on a double by former Yankee Oswald Peraza, who also hit a two-run homer in the first.

Vaughn Grissom hit a go-ahead RBI single, and Josh Lowe hit a two-run single for a 6-3 lead.

The Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games and Fried allowed five runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Manager Aaron Boone was ejected for the first time this season after New York batted in the eighth.

Brent Suter opened the game and went two-plus innings. Sam Aldegheri (1-0) allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Up next

Angels: José Soriano (4-0, 0.33 ERA), the AL leader in wins, starts the opener of a three-game series at home against the Padres on Friday.

Yankees: RHP Cam Schlittler (2-1, 2.49) opposes Kansas City RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 0.43) in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.

Messick loses no-hit bid in 9th; Guardians hold on

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

Guardians rookie Parker Messick's bid for MLB's first no-hitter of 2026 was broken up in the ninth inning, but Cleveland held on for a 4-2 win over the Orioles on Thursday night.

Homepage Headlines

Noah Love — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:21:44 EDT

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Sabres vs. Bruins

Ryan Dixon — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:39:46 EDT

For the past 15 years, the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins have lived completely opposite experiences.

From 2012 through 2025, when the Sabres played a grand total of zero playoff games, the Bruins posted the second-most post-season victories (69) of any team in the NHL.

But as any hockey fan in Western New York can tell you, not only is the drought over, but the Sabres have also won their division for the first time since 2010.

The team that knocked them out of the playoffs in Round 1 as a lower seed that year? Yep, these same Bruins.

From Rick Jeanneret’s famous “May Day” call 33 years ago — celebrating Buffalo’s shocking four-game sweep of the favoured Bruins that concluded with an all-time OT marker by Brad May — to another series-ending strike 10 years before that, when Boston’s Brad Park sent the Sabres packing with a Game 7, overtime goal in 1983, these clubs have combined for some memorable playoff moments.

Of course, the Sabres are creating a meaningful memory for a new generation of fans simply by making the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after a 14-year absence.

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And, really, saying Buffalo has “made” the post-season is underselling it; the Sabres are charging into the derby as one of the best teams in the league. In fact, since the calendar flipped to 2026, Buffalo’s .733 points percentage is the top number in the NHL.

Less celebrated, though, is the fact the third-best mark belongs to Boston (.683).

The Bruins were never going to win a narrative battle with Buffalo given the protracted heartache there, but Boston’s quick turnaround from a team that finished 28th overall last year to one that immediately returned to the playoffs — on 100 points, no less — is very impressive.

Now, whether you’re a young Sabres fan who’s never seen your team in the playoffs or a spoiled Bruins backer who thinks one spring away was too long, you can look forward to a Boston-Buffalo series with the potential to create another classic moment.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Sabres: 1-1-2
Bruins: 3-1-0

Sabres X-Factor: Home-ice advantage

The atmosphere at KeyBank Center for Game 1 is going to be unhinged and the Sabres have to hope they can ride the wave of a crowd that will be going out of its mind. If ever there was a time to put stock in something as unquantifiable as “vibes,” this is it.

Bruins X-Factor: The newest young player

James Hagens may not even draw into the Bruins lineup for Game 1 of the series, but the seventh-overall pick from 2025 is an interesting new toy for coach Marco Sturm to consider. Hagens, once projected to be the top pick in his draft class, could provide a spark of offence on the third line if the B’s need it. He’s looked capable in the two games he suited up for after jumping to the NHL following his sophomore year at Boston College.

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

TEAM	CF%	GF%	xGF%	SV%	SH%
Sabres	49.28 (17)	55.30 (3)	49.95 (18)	.914 (8)	10.65 (5)
Bruins	48.92 (19)	54.98 (5)	46.66 (27)	.917 (4)	10.62 (6)

REGULAR SEASON STATS

TEAM	PP%	PK%	GF/G	GA/G
Sabres	19.5 (21)	81.9 (4)	3.45 (5)	2.93 (11)
Bruins	23.4 (9)	77.0 (24)	3.27 (11)	3.01 (14)

BUFFALO STORYLINES

1. Playoff newbies

As exciting as all this is for the Sabres, it goes without saying that this team is not long on playoff experience. From Tage Thompson to Rasmus Dahlin to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, just about all the key players on Buffalo will be making their NHL playoff debut. Of course, the counter to that is the steady hand at the rudder, Lindy Ruff. The veteran has been behind the bench for 132 career post-season contests, more than every coach in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs save Anaheim’s Joel Quenneville (225) and Tampa’s Jon Cooper (155).

The Sabres play a go-for-it brand of hockey and it will be interesting to see how that translates to the second season, when things tend to clamp up a bit. That said, where Buffalo does profile as a team that’s built for spring is on the scale. The Sabres are a heavy squad that can lean on opponents and the defence corps, in particular, is loaded with tall bodies gripping long sticks that can make it seem like there’s nowhere for attackers to maneuver.

Expect Boston’s bruising fourth line of Sean Kuraly between Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic to try and soften up the big Buffalo blue line.

2. Power outage

The Sabres are one of the higher-scoring clubs in the league, but Buffalo’s power play really struggled down the stretch. Since March 10, the Sabres rank 30^th in the NHL with a PP conversion rate of just 14 per cent. Much of that is driven by an awful end to the season, which saw Buffalo go 0-for-22 in its final seven outings. Goals can obviously be harder to come by in the post-season and this squad is going to have to generate a timely PPG here and there to keep pace.

3. Local boy done good

Alex Tuch is a unique presence on the team, not only because he’s a Western New York native who grew up cheering for the Sabres, but because he’s the rare player on the club who brings a host of experience to the table thanks to his time with the Vegas Golden Knights. Combine playoff know-how with his big frame and soft touch, and it’s easy to see why Tuch could be a vital player for the squad. Of course, all this comes against the backdrop of the reality that, as a pending-UFA, his future with the Sabres is up in the air. Nobody is going to be more hyped for the return of playoff hockey to Buffalo than Tuch.

BOSTON STORYLINES

1. Sway the series

Jeremy Swayman was one of the top stoppers in hockey this year. Among goalies with at least 35 appearances, Swayman had the highest goals saved above expected/60 of any goalie in the league. Two years ago, Swayman was a huge reason Boston ousted Toronto in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a .950 SV% in six games versus the Leafs and finishing that post-season with a .933 mark in a dozen contests. If Boston wins this series, it’s easy to imagine Swayman being the No. 1 difference-maker.

2. Scoring balance

David Pastrnak is the 100-point megastar and fellow top-liner Morgan Geekie validated a breakout from last year with a monster 39-goal season this time out. But for the Bruins to do anything against Buffalo, the B’s need the second line of Pavel Zacha between former Sabre Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson to keep firing. Zacha’s 15 goals since March 1 are more than everyone in the league except Montreal’s Cole Caufield (16), and Arvidsson — acquired from the Oilers in a salary dump for a fifth-rounder — has 24 points in 22 outings during that span.

On the back end, Charlie McAvoy is producing at a higher rate than at any other point in his career, averaging a point-per-game in the back half of the season. Overall, where Buffalo lacks experience, the likes of McAvoy, Pastrnak and, to a lesser degree, Swayman — Boston’s most important players — have tons of playoff experience to draw on.

3. Home cookin’

Every team that starts the playoffs on the road is happy to return home with a split, but if the Bruins can make it back to Boston with a win from the first two games in Buffalo, the B’s will be feeling extra confident about their chances. The Bruins were extremely tough to beat at TD Garden this season, finishing the year with a .720 points percentage on home ice that was second only to the Carolina Hurricanes (.732). Boston was the stingiest team in the league playing in friendly confines, surrendering just 2.54 goals per game. If they can grind out one road victory, the B’s may feel as though they can take care of the rest at home.

However, it should be noted that the Sabres were also tough to beat in their own building, posting the fourth-best home-ice points percentage at .695.

Capitals’ Ovechkin hopes he hasn’t played final NHL game, uncertain on timeline

Sportsnet Staff — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:17:33 EDT

For the first time in his NHL career, Alex Ovechkin doesn’t have a clear next step.

After a season that sees the Washington Capitals and the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer at a crossroads, Ovechkin isn’t ready to give a definitive answer on his playing future.

“I don’t know,” Ovechkin said when asked during the Capitals’ end-of-season availability Thursday about a timeline for his decision. “I’m not going to tell you how I’m going to feel in the next two weeks … after two weeks, yeah, I’ll figure out timeline-wise.”

The 40-year-old winger is coming off another productive campaign, scoring 30 goals while playing all 82 games, but the season was marked by inconsistency for both him and the Capitals.

Despite the uncertainty about whether he will return with the Capitals, Ovechkin pushed back on the idea that his NHL career is nearing a definitive end.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game,” he said. “I hope it’s not my last game against Columbus. And like, how I said, like, I have to make a decision, to see where we’re at.”

Washington ultimately fell short of the playoffs, leaving Ovechkin to balance competitive ambitions with personal considerations.

“If I want to come back… first of all, we’re going to make the playoffs, and we have to fight for (the Cup),” he said.

That desire to contend appears central to his decision. Ovechkin made it clear that any return would hinge not just on his own readiness, but on the direction of the roster — something he has yet to discuss with management.

At the same time, factors beyond hockey are also in play.

“Family-wise, health-wise… but team-wise, I think this is the most important thing for me,” he said.

Ovechkin acknowledged that conversations with his family will weigh heavily. His children, he said, are already asking whether he’ll return — and hoping the answer is yes.

“My wife and kids, they want me to come back because they love the city, they love the team, they love the boys,” Ovechkin said.

Still, all options appear to be on the table — including the possibility of playing in Russia — though he emphasized any decision abroad would come only after determining his NHL future.

Physically, Ovechkin admitted the grind is only getting tougher. While he managed to suit up for a full season, he dealt with injuries and acknowledged the increasing challenge of maintaining elite form at his age.

“When you’re 20, it’s a normal thing. When you’re 40, it’s harder and harder every year,” he said.

Even so, he believes he can still contribute — provided he commits to the work required in the offseason.

“It’s up to me how I’m going to handle my body, how I’m going to train,” he said.

If this does turn out to be the beginning of the end, Ovechkin made sure to highlight one lasting memory from the season: reaching the 900-goal milestone — a mark no player in NHL history has hit before.

“Probably 900 goal… no one in history did it,” he said.

‘We didn’t get it done’: Berube on Maple Leafs’ disappointing season

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:40:29 EDT

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2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Hurricanes vs. Senators

Rory Boylen — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:31:02 EDT

If you were to poll a general collection of NHL fans a week ago, and ask them which team was most capable of pulling off a first-round playoff upset, the most popular answer would probably have been the Ottawa Senators.

If they could just get good goaltending, the Senators were effectively a wagon of a team for many weeks, with underlying numbers that would rival the best in the league. That goaltending did come around just in time to deliver a playoff appearance, but how does Ottawa feel as an upset candidate now that we know who their first-round opponent is?

While Buffalo is a great story, perhaps they play too loosely defensively and would have been ripe to be upset by the Senators. If it were Montreal, perhaps Ottawa was set up with the better four-line, three-defence pairs depth chart to run a smaller, less physical team out of the rink. Tampa Bay came with some injury questions, a star goalie who has had three consecutive “meh” playoff performances, and a missing No. 1 defenceman.

But Carolina? They’re basically the more experienced, more polished version of the Senators.

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For as solid an upset bet as Ottawa looked to be (again, if they got the goaltending), the Hurricanes present the toughest potential matchup they could have drawn. The Canes are similar in style, slightly better by the numbers, and have had a relatively solid eight-year run under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who has gotten them to multiple conference finals. Carolina hasn’t gotten over the hump yet and is in danger of becoming this generation’s San Jose Sharks, but their disappointment tends to come in the later rounds.

Still, this is a highly intriguing matchup, close on paper and similar in the areas of the roster that are concerning.

This will be the first time these two teams have ever met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it’s set up to be one heck of a series. Can Ottawa take last year’s playoff return, first-round elimination, and build off it? Can Carolina make its way through a wide-open Eastern Conference and finally make it to the Stanley Cup Final that’s eluded them?

Here’s a look at our Round 1 preview.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Hurricanes: 1-1-0
Senators: 1-1-0

Hurricanes X-Factor: Bussi, or Andersen… or Kochetkov?

What a strange year it’s been in Carolina’s net, and after 82 games, the picture is murkier than ever. Brandon Bussi began the season as the No. 3, but when an injury befell Pyotr Kochetkov (suspected to be season-ending) and poor play caught up with Frederik Andersen, Bussi was given his shot, and by mid-February, he had run up a 23-3-1 record. He even earned a contract extension mid-way through the season and looked to be taking over as the No. 1.

However, Bussi’s play post-Olympics has cratered to an .865 save percentage, among the worst in the league. Andersen hadn’t been that much better, and, in a shocking development given the earlier indications of his injury, Kochetkov returned to practice with the team, got an AHL stint, and was even lined up to play Carolina’s final regular-season game before he was a late scratch due to a “roster technicality.” He may yet play himself into this equation.

All told, Carolina has a great depth of three goaltenders, but none of the healthy ones had been playing all that well down the stretch, and the other is coming off a major injury. For as strong as Carolina’s underlying numbers are and as much playoff experience as they have, will one of these goaltenders stand up and meet the moment?

Senators X-Factor: Do they have enough offensive finishers?

It’s funny when you compare the Senators and Hurricanes by the numbers to see how similar they are. They are both strong defensively and also create a lot of offence. You’ll see both teams among the best in the league in goals and expected goals in the 2026 portion of the season, as well as among the best in shots against and expected goals against.

But in just about every case, Carolina is just a little bit better than Ottawa. You could easily make the case that the Senators are the mini version of the Hurricanes, structurally strong on defence, and dangerous attacking on offence.

Over the years, as Carolina has had continued playoff success, in that they’ve won several rounds, ultimately, they’ve fallen short every time, often because they haven’t had the game breakers to lift them past other tight-checking teams. And that’s what we wonder about this year’s Senators. Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson were their top two scorers last season, but the two combined for three goals between them in last year’s six-game series loss to Toronto. Brady Tkachuk is the spiritual leader of the club and managed 22 goals in 60 games, but that total was far below his “expected” goals of 31.03. Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto and Fabian Zetterlund round out Ottawa’s top six scorers from last season, and those three players also combined for only two playoff goals last spring.

So, against the tough-checking Canes, who can match and exceed what Ottawa throws at it, will the Senators be able to bury the puck enough to get through?

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

TEAM	CF%	GF%	xGF%	SV%	SH%
Hurricanes	59.78 (1)	53.49 (8)	55.89 (2)	.895 (26)	8.89 (24)
Senators	52.85 (5)	53.49 (8)	54.54 (3)	.893 (27)	9.96 (12)

REGULAR SEASON STATS

TEAM	PP%	PK%	GF/G	GA/G
Hurricanes	24.9 (4)	80.5 (11)	3.55 (2)	2.88 (7)
Senators	24.0 (8)	75.7 (29)	3.35 (8)	2.99 (13)

CAROLINA STORYLINES

1. Can they keep their streak of first-round series wins going?

This will be Carolina’s eighth playoff appearance in a row, all under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, and they’ve gotten past the first round in each of the previous seven. They’ve made it to three of the past seven Eastern Conference finals, and so have been just on the verge of making it into the Stanley Cup Final. However, in reality, every time they’ve reached the third round, they’ve been blown away. In those three appearances, Carolina has won just a single game.

Of the 10 series the Hurricanes have won under Brind’Amour, eight came against Metropolitan Division teams, and just one was against an Atlantic team (the other was against Nashville in the re-aligned pandemic season). This year, they’re playing an Atlantic team right out of the gate, and despite finishing first in the conference, Carolina is not drawing a soft opponent. This will be their biggest test yet in the opening round.

2. Will enough offensive difference makers step up this year?

We labelled this as the X-Factor for Ottawa, and for Carolina, it’s just a yearly narrative now that tends to catch up to them. Can it be different this time? Usually, Carolina’s lack of a game breaker — a true superstar — nips them in the later rounds, but given how similar this opponent is to their own game, the Canes might be tested in this area of relative weakness earlier in this year’s playoffs.

One addition to this year’s team has a chance to make a huge difference. Nikolaj Ehlers was, for years, an underused, very productive player in Winnipeg, and he delivered them five goals in eight post-season games last year. With Carolina, Ehlers set new career-highs in assists and points and was used just about everywhere in the lineup, finally ending up on the third line with two of Carolina’s best checking forwards.

So, Carolina will be looking to the usual players on the top lines — Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis — to carry the offence, but perhaps having their second-highest point getter on the third line can help with the spread. Yes, Carolina can create offence, but they had the worst shooting percentage (re: finishing) among all Eastern Conference playoff teams.

3. Will they be able to put up with, and fight through, Ottawa’s physical game?

The Senators had more recorded hits than any other playoff team this season, and so we know they will bring the physicality to Carolina. We know Tkachuk won’t be shy to lean into this style of game, and neither will Nick Cousins or Dylan Cozens, and Fabian Zetterlund isn’t afraid to get his body involved. The Senators will be looking to wear down Carolina, and while the Hurricanes have toppled “physical” teams in the past, again, this opponent is also the most skilled they’ve seen in the first round, so the combination will be unlike anything the Canes have gotten used to playing against so early in the tournament.

OTTAWA STORYLINES

1. Can Linus Ullmark deliver an upset?

The Senators spent a lot of money to bring in Vezina Trophy winner Ullmark to their team last year with the expectation he’d settle their crease and be the final piece of an emerging roster. In Year 1, he delivered on that promise in the regular season. And while Year 2 was certainly more bumpy — the goaltending was keeping Ottawa out of the playoffs for the longest time — he finished with a .926 save percentage in six April starts. Post-Olympics, Ullmark went 12-4-3 with a .902 SV% and 2.51 GAA, so perhaps he’s coming around at just the right time.

2. Will this be Jake Sanderson’s break out performance to a national audience?

You don’t need to tell Senators fans how great Sanderson is. Every night, Sanderson plays against top competition, leads Ottawa’s blue line in average minutes at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill, and in 67 games played, he posted 54 points. That 0.81 points per game mark ranked 14th among all NHL defencemen.

He and partner Artem Zub have formed one of the best — perhaps underrated — top pairings in the NHL. With Sanderson on the ice at 5-on-5, the Sens control the run of play and earn nearly 57 per cent of all shots taken and outscore the competition by 12 goals. Zub, in fact, was Ottawa’s plus-minus leader this season.

But how aware is the rest of the league, and other teams’ fans, of Sanderson’s capabilities? Against Carolina, Sanderson will play opposite Jaccob Slavin, who was long one of the more underrated defensive defencemen and is now one of the most recognized for what he does well. If Sanderson can tip the scales in Ottawa’s favour when he’s sharing the ice with Slavin, the Senators will be in a great position.

3. The third line’s ability to stall Carolina’s attack

In such a tight series statistically, and against an opponent that on paper has a lot of lines that will attack you in waves, we have to wonder where the Senators could slow down the Hurricanes. And for that, we turn to the third line, specifically the Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio duo.

Pinto scored 20 goals for his third full season in a row, while Amadio was not far behind and put up a career-best 35 points at 29 years of age. But the real strength these two bring to the team is their defensive play, which drew a little attention for Selke consideration this season.

Often challenged in the shutdown role, when Amadio and Pinto shared the ice together at 5-on-5 this season, the Sens outshot opponents 319-266 and outscored them by three, an advantage that might be the difference in this opening-round series.

Malott looks to join elite company at welterweight with win at UFC Winnipeg

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Forget the 40: The true measure of Carnell Tate

Elizabeth Merrill — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:58:54 EST

Wide receiver Carnell Tate is confident, intelligent and ready to star in the NFL. His mother made sure of it.

10 NFL scouts predict the first 10 draft picks: Intriguing landing spots for top prospects

Matt Miller — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:14:13 EST

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Sources: Collier back to Lynx on supermax deal

Kendra Andrews — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

Napheesa Collier has signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax contract to return to Minnesota, sources said.

MLB Highlights: Guardians 4, Orioles 2

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MLB Highlights: Rangers 9, Athletics 6

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The moment Charles Jourdain realized he wasn’t taking his career seriously

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MLB Power Rankings: NL teams dominate top 10 with two debuts

ESPN — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:27:08 EST

Three weeks into the season, two red-hot NL teams are shooting up our list while another powerhouse plummets.

10 NFL draft prospects to put on your fantasy radar -- and three others to monitor

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Women's college basketball transfer rankings for 2026-27 season

Charlie Creme — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:40:27 EST

Iowa-bound Dani Carnegie moves up to No. 4. Jada Williams, who is transferring to LSU, jumps to No. 6.

Slafkovsky, young Canadiens steeled by last year’s playoff experience

Eric Engels — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:13:12 EDT

BROSSARD, Que. — Juraj Slafkovsky stood stunned, with his voice tremoring and his eyes locked in a 1000-yard stare.

“We just have to play better, and we will,” Slafkovsky kept saying after sobering losses to the Washington Capitals last April.

His demeanour betrayed the confidence he wanted to portray following the first two games of his Stanley Cup Playoff career.

It was clear the experience shook Slafkovsky.

But by the time five games were played and a promising season had come to its abrupt end, it also became clear it had transformed him.

Countryman Eric Cernak saw that transformation as soon as Slafkovsky returned to Slovakia and joined him for their summer routine.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman, who will face a much more hardened Slafkovsky than the one who got tenderized by the Capitals last spring, said the change was unmistakable.

“We have the same strength coach, so we work out and skate together, and I could see the difference right away when he was working hard and going for every single workout and skate with a different intensity,” Cernak told us prior to a 4-1 win for the Canadiens over his Lightning on Mar. 31.

“He clearly came prepared,” Cernak continued. “The way he’s played, the confidence he’s played with, it’s been amazing.”

It led Slafkovsky through the best of his four NHL seasons. He set career highs with 31 goals and 74 points, emerging as a dominant power forward three years ahead of schedule—in his 22^nd year on the planet—and carrying himself with the swagger he had only hoped to have but couldn’t find with the Canadiens’ backs pinned to the wall in that Washington series.

An all-star performance at the Olympics in between prepared the 2022 No.1 overall pick for what’s coming next.

It was in Milan that Slafkovsky started every game as a marked man and finished it as an assassin. He posted four goals and eight points in six games and willed Slovakia to the semifinals.

In the process, he proved to himself what he wasn’t able to prove to himself last spring.

“I was able to see that I can actually go out there and do what I want and need to do in meaningful games against the world’s best players,” Slafkovsky said, “and now I know I can bring the same energy to playoff games.”

His voice was steady as he said it. His demeanour was confident, relaxed, and revealed the value of experience gained.

Seeing that from Slafkovsky and other members of this Canadiens team—ahead of a matchup with the most playoff-hardened team of the 16 challenging for this year’s Cup—made it easier to believe they can rise to the challenge in front of them.

You think of Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, among other young players who went green into last year’s playoffs and emerged from them black and blue, and you know they’ll also be much more ready for Sunday’s Game 1 in Tampa.

The lessons have sunk in.

“I was maybe a little less assertive as I wanted to be as a player,” Hutson said. “I feel more assertive in trying to help any way I can.”

Demidov came over from Russia last April and arguably would’ve gotten enough out of the two regular-season games he played while the Canadiens were trying to clinch a playoff berth if that was all he was exposed to before this season.

But getting in the five games he played against Washington had a massive influence on how he trained over the summer to author the most productive rookie campaign of any first-year player in the league.

To see Demidov score 19 goals and post 62 points was one thing, but Hutson feels he also offered evidence he can level up when it matters most—now.

“You can tell down the stretch, these last couple games, he’s hungry,” Hutson said. “We talk about the playoffs all the time, how exciting it is here and what we want to do to help us win, and he’s so hungry to do whatever it takes to win, and it’s definitely fun to see.”

The Canadiens are hoping that what they’ll get from Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble and Kaiden Guhle will be anything but fun for the Lightning to see.

The bruising back-enders also had their first experiences in the playoffs last spring, and they also took their hits like the rest of the Canadiens.

But Struble was more assertive down the stretch of this season than he was at any point last season—he was at his most aggressive in last week’s 2-1 win over the Lightning at the Bell Centre—and Xhekaj has recently found a better balance between asserting himself physically and managing the other key elements of play.

“I find he’s playing good hockey,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “He’s playing physical, playing to his identity, and he got some good reps down the stretch… I like what I saw.”

Results for Guhle were just as reassuring. Especially to his teammates.

“Guhles is going to be awesome for us,” said Kirby Dach. “Big, rangy defenceman who plays hard and physical in front of his own net. He can eat big minutes, he’s a bit of a pain in the ass to play against, so we’re definitely lucky to have him.”

Experience has brought Guhle and the rest of the Canadiens to another level, and that showed during this 106-point season.

“There’s ups and downs through a playoff series, there’s ups and downs through a game, there’s emotion that comes with it,” said St. Louis, “so having gone through it, I think it helps you.”

It may not have felt that way to Slafkovsky in the moment, but it certainly feels that way to him now in hindsight.

“Honestly, I grew a lot from that,” he said. “It was really hard. On TV, you can just watch and see all the plays developing, and everyone can figure it out on TV. Me too. I see what should happen. But on the ice, it’s way different. There’s a lot of physicality, and it’s way faster.

“But I realized it’s the type of game I love. It’s what I play for.”

Cernak knows that.

He saw it first-hand at the Olympics, and he knows Slafkovsky is just one of the young Canadiens more prepared for this year’s playoffs.

“Even if they have a young team, those guys have been there for a few years and have gone through stuff together,” he said. “It was only a matter of time before it started clicking, and everybody was playing winning hockey. That’s what they’ve done. Marty, as the head coach, has experience. Even if they’re young, they know how to manage winning those hard games, and I think that’s important.”

Out with the old, in with the new: Ravens unveil new uniforms

Jamison Hensley — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:16:32 EST

The Ravens revamped their on-field look since 1999 with new uniforms after a process that took three years.

MLB Highlights: Tigers 10, Royals 9

Sportsnet Video — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:32:04 EDT

WR Knox found negligent in crash, to pay $2.8M

Michael Rothstein and Nate Taylor — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:42:13 EST

A Texas court on Wednesday issued a default judgment of more than $2.8 million against Theodore Knox, the co-defendant in one of the civil lawsuits against Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice stemming from a 2024 street racing crash in Dallas.

Spring football games: Previewing Virginia Tech, Michigan, Miami and others

ESPN — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:34:57 EST

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McDavid wins sixth Art Ross, MacKinnon snags Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy

Sportsnet Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:49:18 EDT

Now that the NHL regular season has come to a close, a couple players will have to clear some space on their trophy cabinets.

For the sixth time in his career, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy, while Colorado Avalanche counterpart Nathan MacKinnon will take home the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the first time, the league officially announced Thursday night following their final regular-season games.

The Art Ross Trophy is given to the player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season, and McDavid took the title after finishing the campaign with 138 points, eight more than second-place Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The “Rocket” Richard is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the regular season, and MacKinnon’s career-high 53 goals were enough to secure the hardware, beating out second-place Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens.

For McDavid, it’ll end his Art Ross drought, having lost the previous two trophies to Kucherov. He previously won in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, then won in three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2023.

His point total this season is the second most of his 13-year career after he put up 153 points in the 2022-23 season, becoming only the sixth player in NHL history to surpass the 150-point threshold.

MacKinnon, meanwhile, set a career-high in goals and surpassed the 50-goal mark for the second time, first doing so in the 2023-24 season when he potted 51 and won the Hart Trophy.

He and Caufield were the only players this season to score 50 or more goals. He also became only the second Avalanche player to have multiple 50-goal seasons, joining Joe Sakic. Prior to the team’s relocation to Colorado, Michel Goulet of the Quebec Nordiques had four 50-goal campaigns.

Over in the crease, Colorado Avalanche goalies Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood combined to win the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders on the team with the fewest goals against in the regular season.

The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs led the league in both goals against per game (2.43) and team save percentage (.913).

Blue Jays provide injury updates on George Springer, Addison Barger

Sportsnet Staff — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:05:33 EDT

The start of the 2026 season hasn’t been ideal for the Toronto Blue Jays, but they might be getting some much-needed reinforcements in the near future.

Injured slugger George Springer took to the visitor’s batting cage in Milwaukee for the first time since fracturing his big toe, per Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling.

Though Springer has yet to resume running, it’s possible he can come off the injured list next Friday ahead of the Blue Jays’ homestand.

“It looked pretty normal, which is good. He’s feeing better,” manager John Schneider said. “The swing looked like George.”

Springer was injured in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins on April 11 after fouling a ball off his foot. He was able to finish his at-bat, but exited the game shortly thereafter.

In 54 at-bats this season, Springer is batting .185 with two home runs and six RBIs.

Schneider also provided an update on Addison Barger, who has been sidelined since April 5 with bilateral ankle discomfort.

The 26-year-old resumed baseball activity at the Blue Jays’ complex in Florida and is expected to begin swinging on Friday or Saturday with the goal of ramping up to running early next week.

Prior to his injury, Barger had been dealing with a slow start to the season, batting .053 with just one hit in 19 at-bats.

The Blue Jays are navigating several injuries to begin the season, which include pitchers Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow), Jose Berrios (elbow), Yimi Garcia (elbow), Cody Ponce (knee), Bowden Francis (elbow), catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb) and outfielder Anthony Santander (shoulder).

The Blue Jays are in action Thursday as they look to win the series tiebreaker against the Milwaukee Brewers. Catch all the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning at 1:40 p.m. ET / 10:40 a.m. PT.

Julien LeBlanc ‘honoured’ to join UFC: ‘Greatest news of my life’

Sportsnet Video — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:52:35 EDT

UEFA Champions League preview: Biggest questions for final four teams

John Molinaro — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:03:55 EDT

This week’s second legs of the quarterfinals separated the wheat from the chaff in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.

We’re now down to four teams is club soccer’s most prestigious competition, with all four teams having an equal chance of hoisting the European Champion Clubs’ Cup.

Real Madrid won three consecutive titles from 2016-18, but no other team has won back-to-back tournaments since the European Cup was rebranded the Champions League in 1992. Paris Saint-German’s quarterfinal win over Liverpool means it remains on course to become only the second club to repeat as champions in the modern era of the tournament.

Here are the big questions facing the remaining four clubs who remain in contention for a spot in the final on May 30 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

ARSENAL

Quarterfinals: vs. Sporting CP (1-0 aggregate win)

Semifinals: vs. Atlético Madrid

Interesting stat: With 10 wins and two draws, Arsenal is the only team to have gone unbeaten in this year’s tournament.

Past meetings: Arsenal has a record of one win, one loss and one draw in three meetings vs. Atlético Madrid in UEFA competitions.

Is the pressure getting to the Gunners? Arsenal went a perfect 8-0 in the initial phase of the competition, but it has looked far from impressive in recent weeks. A surprising 2-1 loss to second-tier Southampton earlier this month knocked them out of the FA Cup in the quarterfinals. They followed that up with a shocking 2-1 loss to Bournemouth last weekend, a result that loosened their grip on first place in the Premier League; Manchester City is just six points adrift, with a game in hand. And the Gunners looked far from impressive against Sporting, as they just managed to hold on for a 1-0 aggregate win over the Lisbon-based club. Mikel Arteta’s side seem to be coming a bit undone during the worst possible time, and now they have a tough semifinal series against a pesky Atlético Madrid.

BAYERN MUNICH

Quarterfinals: vs. Real Madrid (6-4 aggregate win)

Semifinals: vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Interesting stat: Bayern Munich has won 11 of its 12 games in this season’s Champions League.

Past meetings: Bayern Munich has a record of nine wins and six losses in 15 meetings vs. Paris Saint-Germain in UEFA competitions.

Is there any stopping Harry Kane? With 12 goals to his credit, Kane ranks second in this year’s scoring race, but he’ll surely surpass leader Kylian Mbappe’s 15 now that Real Madrid has been eliminated. Kane has been a model of consistency for Bayern in this competition — he’s scored in each of the German giants’ last three matches and has a goal in eight of their 12 games. Incredibly, he’s recorded four braces and is averaging a goal every 71 minutes in this year’s competition. However, he failed to score in Bayern’s 2-1 road win over Paris Saint-Germain in November during the initial phase of the tournament. Kane was limited to one shot on target and was subbed out in the 88th minute after a frustrating night in Paris. So, it’ll be interesting to see if the French club can contain the English striker over two legs in the semifinals.

ATLETICO MADRID

Quarterfinals: vs. FC Barcelona (3-2 aggregate win)

Semifinals: vs. Arsenal

Interesting stat: This is just Atlético Madrid’s sixth appearance in the final four, and first since 2017, when it lost to eventual winners Real Madrid.

Past meetings: Atlético Madrid has a record of one win, one loss and one draw in three meetings against Arsenal in UEFA competitions.

Can Atlético’s defence hold firm? Diego Simeone’s side has done well to get this far, securing its spot in the knockout stage following a playoff win over Club Brugge and then getting the better of Tottenham and FC Barcelona. But Atlético’s defence has looked anything but solid — the Spaniards coughed up 15 goals in the initial phase of the tournament and conceded another seven goals across their four matches in the knockout round. In total, they’ve recorded just one clean sheet in their 14 Champions League matches this season, and now they’re getting ready to play Arsenal, which scored a tournament high 23 goals in the first phase of the tournament. What’s more, Atlético has lost five of their last six matches in all competitions.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

Quarterfinals: vs. Liverpool (4-0 aggregate win)

Semifinals: vs. Bayern Munich

Interesting stat: Paris Saint-Germain is unbeaten in six games (five wins) vs. English teams in this year’s competition.

Past meetings: Paris Saint-Germain has a record of six wins and nine losses in 15 meetings against Bayern Munich in UEFA competitions.

Is Ousmane Dembélé peaking at the right time? The current holder of the Ballon d’Or was pretty quiet through Paris Saint-Germain’s first 10 games of the competition, with just one goal in six appearances to show for his efforts (injuries forced him to miss the other four games). But the French forward has come good during the knockout round, with three goals across PSG’s last four outings, including a brace in the club’s 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield this week. Dembélé was rather wasteful in the first leg against Liverpool, but he buried both of his second-half scoring chances in the return match, and he’ll have to continue to be in top form, when PSG clashes with Bayern Munich in the semifinals after losing to the Germans at home in November the initial phase of the competition.

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.

MLB highlights (April 16)

Myles Dichter — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:16:56 EDT

Frustrated Jets say they’re sorry for letting ‘best’ fans, city down

Canadian Press — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:54:34 EDT

Scott Arniel wished he could apologize to Winnipeg Jets fans.

Not just the capacity crowd of 15,225 that watched the team get burned 6-1 by the San Jose Sharks Thursday night and still gave it a standing ovation at Canada Life Centre, but all the fans who won’t get to cheer for the Jets in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“You’re disappointed that you weren’t better and you didn’t win those games,” said Arniel, who finished his second season as head coach.

“The other thing for me is that they’re not all getting ready for The Whiteout. And that’s the big thing, is that I know how much this city and this province loves playoff time.

“That’s the hard part, is that you’ve disappointed them. They can’t get dressed up, they can’t get crazy and can’t have the street parties.”

Winnipeg’s final record of 35-35-12 for 82 points was a drastic drop-off from last season, when the club won the Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL-best 116 points — a 34-point fall. The team ended up getting eliminated in the second round.

The Jets are the fifth NHL team to win the trophy and not qualify for the playoffs the following season.

They finished 26th overall and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

“We felt like we were so close,” Arniel said. “We thought we were going to get in (the playoffs) and everybody had the belief that it was going to happen, and when it doesn’t it is a gut punch.”

Jets veteran defenceman Dylan DeMelo also felt bad for fans who stood up and cheered after the team lost its fourth consecutive game to end the season — and was outscored 24-7 in those matches.

“I think we let them down tonight. Let ourselves down,” DeMelo said. “Just a real bad showing to end it off.”

Macklin Celebrini set a Sharks’ franchise record for points in a season with a goal and pair of assists. He finished with 45 goals and 70 assists, his 115 points surpassing former San Jose great Joe Thornton’s 114 points in 2006-07.

Celebrini’s 45th goal made it 6-1 just over a minute into the third period, but fans still tried to have a good time.

“Thank you for hanging in there with us,” DeMelo said, when asked what he’d like to tell fans. “Tough year, no, really disappointing year.

“Obviously, you know, they’re doing the wave when we’re down 6-1. And like you said, a standing ovation. We have the best fans in the league, and they deserved better tonight. They deserved better all year. And hopefully we can come back better next year and turn this thing around.”

The Jets finished 19-16-6 at home, not reaching the 20-win mark for the first time in nine full seasons.

A second straight sellout capped the season. The building only sold out nine times, compared to last season’s 16 regular-season full houses.

“We are not going to have hockey here again until September,” Arniel said. “It is a letdown and we feel like we let (fans) down, and not just in these last two games.

“When you don’t make the playoffs there are 82 games you have to look at to find the reasons why.”

And he’s ready to dig for answers.

“You get into the playoffs, you don’t know when that last game is,” Arniel said. “That’s the most frustrating part about it. You know tomorrow that you’re done.

“In this business, it’s a result-driven business. I have to be better. Certainly our team has to be better, our players have to be better. We all have to step up. For me, I’m already questioning some of the things I’m going to do, some of the things I want to do and change.

“I got four months here to kind of grind this out and find an answer. It’s hard. It’s hard to not play at this time of year and be in the middle of all the fun. I’m going to have a tough time Saturday watching some of these (playoff) games. I’ll watch them, but it’s hard to watch when you’re not in the race.”

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