Yes, the Maple Leafs would actually lap the Canucks, more than doubling their success rate.

With a two-game series in Vancouver set to start Thursday night, the Maple Leafs have nine road wins already. The Canucks have nine wins in total.

There are only two statistical categories in which the Canucks match the Maple Leafs: face-off percentage and penalty-killing. But since it’s mathematically impossible that both teams can play 60 minutes at four-against-five, the Canucks’ best hope to win is that goalie Thatcher Demko might steal them a game.

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In a season with so little brightness so far for the Canucks, Demko has been shining since his first three starts, building a .920 save percentage since Jan. 21 despite a seven-goal ventilation in Toronto one month ago.

In his last four starts, Demko has posted a .941 save rate and looked a lot like the goalie who brilliantly parachuted into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last summer and almost single-handedly carried the Canucks past the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference semifinal.

But unlike in September, Demko hasn’t yet been good enough this season to steal a win when the Canucks have been outplayed.

Stealing games is not merely a bonus but a periodic requirement for an NHL starter, which Demko, 25, is learning to be after backing up former Canuck Jacob Markstrom last season.

Canucks coach Travis Green said transitioning to starter from backup is always challenging at the NHL level.

"I think part of it is the market that you play in as well," Green said after Monday’s morning skate at Rogers Arena. "Being a starting goalie in a Canadian market is probably a little bit different than other places. There’s more scrutiny, more eyes. You know, more media. But the pressure on any NHL team is higher than at lower levels.

"These are very ultra-competitive players. Goalies are usually the same way, except maybe even a higher competitive level mentally. There always is a little bit of time (required)… when a younger goalie is transitioning into a starting role. I feel like I probably had the same discussion a lot in the past about Marky when he was in that transition period. That’s just part of the evolution of probably any goalie, but maybe a little more magnified in the Canadian market."

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Green was criticized Tuesday for starting veteran backup Braden Holtby, who has been badly outplayed since January, in Winnipeg one night after Demko shut out the Jets 4-0. Neither Holtby nor the team in front of him was good enough in the 5-2 loss.

Canucks Twitter was ready to erupt again Thursday morning when Holtby practised in the "home" goal, but Demko left the ice first and Green confirmed he would start.

But the coach offered no clarity on any other players, including star centre Elias Pettersson, who skated with the team but left the ice before special-teams work. Winger Jake Virtanen looks again like he will be a healthy scratch.

Even with a full team, the Canucks look overmatched against the Leafs, who swept its three-game series against Vancouver in early February by a combined score of 15-5.

Toronto just swept three games from Edmonton Oilers, embarrassing Connor McDavid’s team 13-1 while using three different goalies. That beatdown was noteworthy in Vancouver because the Oilers last week looked extremely impressive while winning 3-0 and 4-3 against the Canucks.

"This is a team that’s kind of been on the cusp of doing some really good things in the league for a while," Green said. "They’ve been through some wars and battles. They’ve lost some tough (playoff) series. You learn things along the way. I’m sure they are, too. You can see in their game they’re playing strong defensive hockey. But they’re also a highly skilled team that has the puck a lot, which always helps your defensive game. And, you know, you don’t have to look any further than their record and their lineup (to see) they’re a good team."

The best in the NHL so far. The Canucks, not so much.

CANUCKS PROBABLE LINES AND PAIRINGS

J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson-Brock Boeser

Tanner Pearson-Bo Horvat-Nils Hoglander

Loui Eriksson-Brandon Sutter-Adam Gaudette

Antoine Roussel-Jay Beagle-Jayce Hawryluk

Alex Edler-Nate Schmidt

Quinn Hughes-Travis Hamonic

Jordie Benn-Tyler Myers

Crosby was placed on the list on March 2 and missed the Penguins’ game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a 5-2 Pittsburgh win, as a result.

A player’s inclusion on the list does not necessarily mean they have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden also passed COVID-19 protocols on Thursday, clearing the way for his return to the bench tonight against the Flyers.

In 20 games this season, Crosby is tied for the team lead in all major scoring categories with seven goals and 11 assists.

Tonight’s game between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia can be watched on Sportsnet 360, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Atkins told reporters in a video conference Thursday that it was "heartbreaking" that the proper channels were not in place in Cleveland for those facing harassment to seek support.

"As a leader it’s our responsibility to ensure that our staff feels safe, supported, and I deeply apologize to anyone who ever faced harassment or didn’t feel comfortable to come forward," he said.

"This is the type of behaviour that should not be tolerated and something that we need to work harder on in the game and the industry and this world to ensure that it doesn’t happen."

Atkins’ comments come after a report published Tuesday by The Athletic that said several former Cleveland employees had come forward in the last month to say the team’s front office was aware of Callaway’s conduct.

One employee told The Athletic that Callaway’s behaviour was "the worst-kept secret in the organization."

Atkins joined Cleveland’s front office in 2001, and five years later was promoted to director of player development, a position he held when Callaway was hired in 2010.

Atkins was promoted to vice-president of player personnel after the 2014 season before joining former Cleveland president Mark Shapiro in Toronto in 2015.

Callaway was with the team until 2017 — serving as the pitching coach for five years — before he was hired as manager of the New York Mets.

He has been suspended as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach, pending the outcome of Major League Baseball’s investigation into the sexual harassment allegations.

When asked about being part of the front office that hired Callaway in 2010, Atkins said Cleveland’s vetting process "clearly was not good enough."

"We have always been process-focused and values-driven in how we hired," he said. "Respect is a huge part of our values and always has been a huge part of Mark’s, but we didn’t have a good enough process at that time."

Atkins said during his time at Cleveland, as a player, coach and executive, that he felt drawn to the team’s "inclusive nature."

"Although we failed, that those allegations occurred and we didn’t have the right channels for people to come forward, I did at the time feel very good about all the people that were leading me and the culture that Mark created there," he said.

The entire hockey world was jolted when a 26-year-old Joe Thornton was traded by the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks on the last day of November in 2005 for Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau. That out-of-the-blue move was a very different dynamic than the slow-drip brewing in Buffalo, where the icky pale of losing is sticking to everyone. The infamously underwhelming return for Thornton — who’s producing like a pup again while playing left wing on a deadly Toronto trio — is also, presumably, not something that would resemble any haul the Sabres would receive for Eichel. But the fact pivots the calibre of Thornton and Eichel — who doesn’t turn 25 until October — so infrequently get moved in their prime begs the question, what does a trade package for a superstar centre even look like in this sport?

A quick round of housekeeping before we dive into this. For those wondering about another big-time Boston centre moved in the cap era, Tyler Seguin was a good player dripping with potential when he was dealt in 2013, but hadn’t developed into the force he became in Dallas. Trading Eichel would be a different ball of wax.

Also, Eichel is locked up at a cap hit of $10 million for the next five years. That’s an extremely palatable number for a guy who has averaged over a point-per-game dating back to 2017-18 and would likely be even more prolific than that if he had the benefit of some higher-end running mates.

Finally, we have to acknowledge Eichel has not asked to be moved, nor have the Sabres indicated they’re on the precipice of dealing him. It’s just logic-infused speculation at this point, because the rumblings are getting harder to ignore and who wouldn’t be fed up with more than a half-decade of losing?

[radioclip id=5075489]

All that out of the way, it’s an interesting time to contemplate an Eichel move because there are situations with some parallels in other sports that are either ongoing or have recently come to a resolution. James Harden, the NBA’s MVP in 2017-18, pushed his way out of Houston — and had both the figurative and literal weight to do it because part of his protest while stuck there included throwing in the wet nap on conditioning — earlier this season and now plays for the circuit’s latest mega team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. In the NFL, teams are drooling over the possibility of acquiring 25-year-old quarterback Deshaun Watson, the rare pro sports star who toils for a more hopeless organization than Eichel. Watson has reportedly told the bumbling Houston Texans he has no intention of taking another snap for them in his career.

The full web of the four-team trade that sent Harden to Brooklyn looks like the equation Matt Damon solved on an MIT chalkboard in Good Will Hunting. Put it this way; there are first-round picks in 2027 involved. As for Watson, some speculate he could return three, four, maybe even five first-rounders in a league where NCAA players are drafted in April with the expectation they can make an impact on their NFL team five months later. As much as NHL organizations preach building from the ground up, draft pick capital just carries more weight in the NBA and NFL.

For laughs, let’s temporarily live in a world where transactions that were just a boatload of futures on one side happened frequently in hockey. I think we’d immediately come back to Thornton’s old team in Boston. Eichel is a Massachusetts boy and the Bruins are an ultra-competitive team. Boston is also the rare Cup contender that has a smidgen of breathing room under the salary cap right now with the possibility of much more to come when David Krejci’s $7.25-million hit comes off the books this summer. Imagine running an Eichel-anchored line out there right after Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have terrorized an opponent’s top defence pair.

Would Boston fork over four first-rounders to bring that scenario to life? Given how good Eichel is and the fact he’s only 24, the B’s would have to think about it. The reality, though, is those picks just don’t have the same appeal for the Sabres because they’re not likely to be high selections and — even if they are — an 18-year-old drafted in 2024 isn’t going to help your team until the back half of this decade. How do you sell that to a fanbase that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2011?

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If I’m Sabres GM Kevyn Adams, my mind is drifting more towards high-end drafted prospects that could play now or very soon. Good teams don’t often have those in abundance because they haven’t been selecting at the top of the board. Those same quality clubs also tend to be squeezed under the cap. In the NFL, franchises find all kinds of ways to stretch contracts out like chewed gum to bring their annual hit down; not so much in the hard-cap NHL.

Perhaps that’s why the two teams linked most to Eichel out of the gate are the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings. Both have been toiling in the middle or bottom of the league for a couple of seasons, allowing them to stock the prospect cupboard with gamers. (In the Rangers’ case, Lady Luck gets a huge stick tap for the way the NHL Draft Lottery played the past two years).

That said, one of the things that stuck out to me while inhaling speculation about a Watson trade came from Kevin Clark of The Ringer. His advice to NFL teams grappling with the fact there might not even be a precedent for the scale of a Watson swap was basically, if the model for the move doesn’t already exist — in the case of this player — you invent a new one.

NHL teams may be a little more handcuffed when it comes to weaving magic, but the sentiment stands. Given how odd it is for a centre like Eichel to become available, you test every wand and trap door at your disposal.

In sports, sometimes that’s all that matters. Within the span of a month we saw Montreal go from juggernaut to juggernot as they fired their head coach. The New York Islanders were floundering a bit to start the season, but have found a groove again and we shake our heads at all who doubted Barry Trotz.

If you’re good, everyone loves you. And if you’re bad, well, they might be calling for your job or a trade.

So this week’s edition looks at some players around the league whose time it is to stand up. These are mostly struggling players, but in some cases a surge in production would up trade value, better position the player for an upcoming contract negotiation, or just help the team more generally.

As always, these rankings reflect the overall performance of these teams, with a bit more weight put into recent success. We are not ranking the players mentioned.

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1. Tampa Bay Lightning
What a ridiculous exercise to do for a team without any real weakness. OK fine, let’s go with Tyler Johnson, who no one claimed on waivers prior to the season and seems a likely bet to end up in Seattle via the expansion draft. His nine points in 19 games is more or less on par with his production in recent seasons, but for the Lightning to reconsider his future place on the team, he’ll need to give more.

2. Vegas Golden Knights
It’s hard to pick out a step-up candidate for a juggernaut team without anyone underperforming much, so we’ll nitpick a bit here. Reilly Smith has been solid in his own right, with one of the better Corsi percentages on the team at 5-on-5, and it’s not as though his grip on a top-six spot is loosening at all. But we’ve come to expect more goals from him in recent years and he hasn’t scored any since Feb. 7. It’s not only a shooting percentage lull – his shot rates are down a bit per game.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs
Frederik Andersen started this season like so many others before it: slowly. Instead of a shaky October, it was an unsteady January but he rebounded nicely in February and now has the same .909 save percentage he finished last season with. But can he sustain this turnaround the rest of the season and have an overall bounce-back season? Ultimately, Andersen will be judged on whether or not he can win the big game for the Leafs and that won’t be determined until the playoffs. He has a new contract to play for and Toronto has to figure out if he’s worth investing another $5-million contract in for his age 32 season.

4. Washington Capitals
None of this is a knock on Ilya Samsonov, who we’re just happy to see back in the crease after contracting COVID-19 and battling that. “Had trouble breathing for a little bit there, and walking a bit,” he said. Scary stuff. More than anything, we’re rooting for him to return strong. In his first game back, he stopped 19 of 21 shots in a win over New Jersey and the Caps need him back at his usual level. Washington has done well playing through their COVID-related absences, staying at the top of their division with Vitek Vanecek in net. Give Samsonov some time, but the team will ultimately need him to regain control of the net comfortably.

5. Boston Bruins
Lack of secondary scoring has been a recent concern around the Bruins and signing Craig Smith to a three-year deal and $3.1-million cap hit this off-season was done to help that area of the team. He started well, with four points in his first six games, but ever since David Pastrnak returned and reclaimed his place on the top line, Smith has four points in 13 games further down the lineup.

6. Carolina Hurricanes
What is Dougie Hamilton worth on a new contract? For a guy who was in the Norris discussion before he got injured last season, you can see a path to something like the $8.8 million Alex Pietrangelo got as a free agent. But he has just a single goal this season and doesn’t lead the Canes in ice time or 5-on-5 scoring from defencemen. So, is he worth closer to Torey Krug’s $6.5 million? A big second half will make his negotiations with the Hurricanes more interesting.

7. Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon’s line will get theirs, but who leads the second wave? Brandon Saad was brought in to hopefully do that, but after a strong finish to January he’s got on the score sheet in just one of his past eight games. It’s time for the pending UFA to get going again.

8. New York Islanders
A solid goal scorer the past three seasons, Anthony Beauvillier was even taking a step last season before the pandemic pulled the plug in March 2020. But he’s scored just a single goal in 13 games this season even though he’s started more than 60 per cent of his shifts in the offensive zone. He’ll be an RFA this summer, but this regression was not anticipated.

9. Florida Panthers
The team defence is much, much better this season, the offence is just as elite as it was in 2020 and backup Chris Driedger is giving the backup support every team hopes for. But $10-million goalie Sergei Bobrovsky still looks nothing close to the Vezina winner he’s been in the past. He could find it at any time, and has been better lately, but he’s not stealing games or finding consistency in his second season with that seven-year contract.

10. Winnipeg Jets
While the Blue Jackets aren’t winning much these days, Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic have both been pretty productive in their new setting. Pierre-Luc Dubois hasn’t had such a smooth transition, first getting injured, then getting eased into a return on the wing before going back to centre. He has points in two of his seven games with the Jets, but what you really want from Dubois is a strong defensive presence and an ability to tilt the ice.

We haven’t seen peak Dubois yet and the Jets have been outshot 60-45 when he’s been on the ice, one of the more lopsided shot differentials on the team. Once he becomes the Dubois that made a name for himself against Toronto in last year’s summer qualifier, it should help the Jets as they seek improvement as a defensive unit.

11. Chicago Blackhawks
After brother Ryan saw a steep rise in production as a 26-year-old for the Rangers last season, Dylan Strome and the Hawks would like him to have a similar uptick and get back to the pace he was on two years ago. Whether that means he’s doing it for the Hawks all season, or makes him a more attractive trade asset, remains to be seen.

12. Minnesota Wild
Healthy-scratched for Wednesday’s game after an ill-advised shift led to Vegas’s tying goal on Monday, Zach Parise should return with a chip on his shoulder. He has only one goal in his past 13 games, and if he turns on, the surprise Wild would become a lot scarier.

13. St. Louis Blues
Vince Dunn has been a trade candidate for the past few months, but injuries have opened up greater opportunity for him on the blue line in St. Louis. He’s underperforming last season even though he gets heavy offensive zone usage and needs to get back to that level so that either the Blues can get a nice return in trade, or he can get a nice raise as an RFA this off-season.

14. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers’ defence has been a bit of a disappointment, but having Carter Hart struggle as veteran Brian Elliott thrives is a surprise. Hart is the future of this crease and is in a contract season, but Elliott is earning more starts. Hart has allowed four goals or more in four of his past six starts, has an .893 save percentage and the league’s fourth-worst goals saved above average at -6.02.

15. Pittsburgh Penguins
When Evgeni Malkin is fifth on his team in scoring, it’s a disappointment. The 34-year-old has scored just four times this season, and only twice at even strength. He has one year left on his contract and if the new management in Pittsburgh considers big changes this off-season, Malkin will again be a part of trade rumours.

16. Edmonton Oilers
The hot start James Neal had last season is a distant memory as the grumpy goal scorer has been made a healthy scratch on occasion and mustered only two tallies all season (and they came in the same game). Even a stint with Connor McDavid on Wednesday didn’t generate more than a single shot on goal. His $5.75-million contract will have buyout potential, though that could be tough to swallow in a flat cap.

17. Arizona Coyotes
Some great offensive performances have finally broken through at the top of the lineup, but only one forward outside the top six has scored more than two goals. They still need some depth production to come through, and we’d look to 2015 11th-overall pick Lawson Crouse. After scoring 15 times last season, the third-liner still doesn’t have one in 2021.

18. Los Angeles Kings
OK Drew Doughty, you want to be on more projected Team Canada Olympic rosters? You’ve got less than a year to make your case for one of those six spots and beat out a younger wave of exciting blue-line talent. The 17 points in 20 games he’s put up this year is a good start.

19. Montreal Canadiens
If Carey Price was performing as he did in the summer bubble, Stephane Waite would still be Montreal’s goalie coach. The surprise dismissal Tuesday night was made to get a different voice in Price’s ear and help improve his .893 save percentage this season. Price shouldn’t be losing games the way he has and, ultimately, should be helping Montreal steal games when the offence is struggling.

20. New York Rangers
Over the two seasons prior to this one, Mika Zibanejad was the NHL’s 12th-highest goal scorer so the fact he’s scored just twice in 20 games this season is really hurting the Rangers, whose offence ranks 24th.

21. Calgary Flames
Sam Bennett may want out of Calgary, but if he can’t produce offence or do more to tilt the ice in his team’s favour, there’s not going to be enough of a market for the Flames to move a player who has suddenly shown up as an important part of the team in recent playoffs.

22. Nashville Predators
A few of the commitments GM David Poile has made on this roster are looking regrettable right now, and the contract that pays Matt Duchene $8 million per season through 2025-26 is one of the more egregious. He’s pointless in his past seven and is a team-worst minus-13.

23. Columbus Blue Jackets
Max Domi was brought in as a hopeful centre and that didn’t work. So he was moved back to the wing and it hasn’t been much better. Domi has a team-worst minus-11, while Josh Anderson is generally crushing it in Montreal. Domi’s $5.3-million cap hit for this season and next is looking questionable right about now.

24. New Jersey Devils
Where’s the Nikita Gusev we saw last year who led the Devils in even-strength scoring? He’s managed only four points and a team-worst minus-7 in that situation this season. As he heads toward extension talks or exploring free agency, the flat cap will make it hard for him to pull in $4.5 million again if his production doesn’t recover.

25. Dallas Stars
Miro Heiskanen set the bar so high for himself last season that we expect more than the zero goals and just two primary assists at 5-on-5. The Stars have a single win in their past 10 and no player has been on the ice for more 5-on-5 goals against in that stretch than Heiskanen. If Dallas is going to turn this thing around, the young Heiskanen needs to be a leader.

Because of we praised a lot Miro Heiskanen and Ivan Provorov before this season, it's fair to say now that they've been probably two biggest disappointments among defensemen in this season so far in our eyes. Both Dallas and Philadelphia need them in much, much better shape. pic.twitter.com/V8f5yOpc9F

— Andy & Rono (@HockeyStatsCZ) March 3, 2021

26. San Jose Sharks
Another groin injury for Erik Karlsson has interrupted his season, but he did score his first of the campaign after coming back. Karlsson’s declining production has been a concern and his five points in 15 games is so far continuing that trend. Big-money, long-term contracts are biting the Sharks and if Karlsson doesn’t eventually recover his $11-million cap hit for another six seasons is going to become a major issue.

27. Vancouver Canucks
It hasn’t been a good year for any of the Canucks and frustration is starting to boil over. That’s been most noticeable with J.T. Miller, who has caught the attention of fans and media for his body language during games. After scoring 27 goals in his first season with Vancouver, assuaging concerns that the first-round pick price tag to attain him was too costly, Miller has six goals in 23 games this season, including two in his past two games. The Canucks have been playing better hockey lately and not getting rewarded for it, so they’ll look to their leaders to keep their heads down and pull them through.

28. Ottawa Senators
As the kids grow into the league and get more comfortable taking on lead roles, the Sens signed Evgenii Dadonov as a free agent to have some guaranteed veteran production. But the $5-million player has had one short good stretch this season and has been largely quiet outside of that five-game stretch last month. Dadonov is 10th in team scoring after finishing fourth on Florida’s attack a year ago.

29. Detroit Red Wings
Year-over-year improvement had Anthony Mantha on track to be a 30-goal scorer in this league, but outside of a three-game goal streak he’s been rather quiet this season. Mantha has scored just six times in 24 games – and twice in his past 10 – as the Red Wings’ team offence sputters at the bottom of the league. Can he be a consistent driver for this team as it tries to emerge from a rebuild, or will he turn into a trade asset before his contract expires in a few years?

30. Buffalo Sabres
I mean, take your pick right? As they lose grip on yet another season, the Sabres are going to have to get into selling mode again. We’ve got to think pending UFA Taylor Hall will be on the block, but what will the return look like for a player with a single goal in 20 games?

31. Anaheim Ducks
Four goals and five points in 18 games for Adam Henrique doesn’t measure up to his $5.825-million cap hit (which runs another three years). He’s passed through waivers already this season, and if he does improve the Ducks could try and trade him (but likely retain some salary).

Atkins said that Pearson was injured in his first spring training start Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. No specific timeline for his recovery has been determined yet but Atkins said “we don’t expect for him to miss too much time.”

“Our goal and hope is that you’re seeing him again here in spring training pretty quickly,” Atkins added. “But we will be cautious because we can and we’ll make sure that that pain is completely gone before he’s back on the mound. Whether that’s a week or a couple of weeks or longer is too hard to say at this point.”

Pearson was scheduled to throw two innings against the Pirates but only threw one after needing 28 pitches to get out of the inning, allowing one earned run.

The 24-year-old is expected to be a regular part of the Blue Jays rotation this season, his first full campaign in the majors. Elbow injuries limited Pearson to only four starts and five appearances last season and he posted a 6.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 18 innings.

It didn’t take long for the feel-good gesture to be overshadowed by frustrated fans wondering if they could partake by submitting photos with bags over their heads.

Concealing identity is a hot topic around these parts, as no one seems to know who or what the Calgary Flames are anymore.

“If you had an identity for our team, we’re an inconsistent team,” said Flames GM Brad Treliving, adding his two cents to the local debate.

“That’s not usually the identity you draw up. When I say inconsistency, I’m talking about the highs and the lows. You’re not going to have your ‘A’ game every night. Good teams have a good ‘B’ game where they can have success some nights, playing air-tight defensively and being good on special teams. Our problem is we’ve got an ‘A’ game and a ‘D’ game.”

Boom.

Harsh but accurate, as is the bulk of criticism being directed at the club of late.

“We’re not spending a whole lot of time on what the white noise is, but I get it — everybody is up in arms,” said Treliving, whose 10-11-3 club sits three points out of a playoff spot as they approach the halfway mark.

“When you don’t perform, there are consequences. Everyone should be taking shots at you. Enough of the preaching, it all comes down to actions, not sucking your thumb and pissing and moaning. Our players have got to be better — all of us have to be better. It’s easy to point fingers. That doesn’t help us get to where we need to be.”

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While every team in the league goes through peaks and valleys, the schizophrenic nature of his current crew has the odd Rocky Mountain high followed by the type of lows Jacques Cousteau plunged to.

“We haven’t seen the ‘A’ game nearly enough… and then we have ‘D’ games,” continued Treliving, whose team is coming off two blowout losses to Ottawa that sandwiched a 6-3 win.

“We see it within games, too, playing well one period and then drastically outplayed the next.

“There’s going to be ebbs and flows. You’re in a good division, you’re not going to dominate.

“You’ve got a find a ‘B’ game.”

And they’ve got to do it by way of an improved work ethic that has been the root of the team’s problems.

“Whatever the narrative is, we’ve got to be more detailed and much more consistent,” said Treliving, whose club gets a chance on Thursday to bounce back from a 5-1 blowout against an Ottawa club that has a winning record against just one team: Calgary.

“Whether it be work ethic, being responsible, playing hard — you can’t do that in flashes.

“Can we work harder? Yes we can. Can we stop turning pucks over? Absolutely. Can we be a more consistent team? You bet. I know everybody wants to talk about identity, but you don’t just say, ‘here’s what we are.’ To me, what your identity is, is what you become every day. The identity we have now is not where we want it to be.”

So what is it Treliving envisions his team’s identity could be given his personnel?

“I want to be hard to play against, hard-working, physical, tight-checking and have the skill and the ability to generate offence,” said Treliving, whose club should get a boost from having Jacob Markstrom and Derek Ryan back in the lineup Thursday.

“Have we played to that identity? No. At points, yes.”

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One of those points was last summer in the bubble where the team demonstrated the type of focus and dedication that made them a “checking team that can score,” as Milan Lucic and Mark Giordano described their identity last week.

This team can’t do either with any regularity this season, ranking 17th in hits and 27th in goals per game.

“The bubble wasn’t a big success story, but I think there was an identity for the team there — we’ve seen it in fits and sports,” said Treliving, whose club was ousted in the first round by Dallas after dominating a depleted Winnipeg squad in the play-in.

“The team hasn’t changed.”

No, it is indeed the same core group — the same group that has been dogged by questions and criticism the last two seasons.

But never louder than now, and everyone from the backup goalie to the coach is fair game.

If things don’t improve, the GM will also be called into question for not doing anything to affect change — something some believe the players are now waiting for.

“I don’t know what waiting for something to happen means,” said the GM, who doesn’t believe in storming the dressing room to address the players en masse.

“Your job is your job. Do it to the best of your ability and it’s amazing how things can change.”

The stadium that was once a fortress for Liverpool is the now the scene of a scarcely believable implosion by the soon-to-be-deposed English champions.

Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Thursday continued a staggering run of home form over the past six weeks, after Jurgen Klopp’s team had previously gone 68 games in a row unbeaten at Anfield.

Formerly the owner of one of Europe’s most devastating attacks, Liverpool only managed one effort on goal against Chelsea – a weak header in the 85th minute. Mohamed Salah was substituted after barely an hour; Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino barely threatened either.

Mason Mount scored the winner in the 42nd minute, cutting in from the left and curling home from the edge of the area for a goal that sent Chelsea into the top four and dropped Liverpool to seventh place. It was a first win at Anfield since 2014 for Chelsea, which is a team transformed under Thomas Tuchel and has gone 10 matches unbeaten since the German arrived as Frank Lampard’s replacement.

Qualifying for the Champions League looks to be increasingly unlikely for Liverpool, which is four points adrift of Chelsea and even behind Merseyside rival Everton.

"It’s a massive blow," Klopp said. "If you lose that many games, you don’t have the right to go to the Champions League."

Eight months after winning the Premier League by 18 points, Liverpool is 22 points behind first-place Manchester City.

"To get back to where you get these moments, you have to work, be stubborn and fight hard," Klopp said. "We will get there again because it is still in the boys."

NEW-LOOK ATTACK

For the first time this season, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho started a match with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale and Dele Alli as the team’s front four.

None of the quartet scored, with Tottenham instead relying on an own-goal to edge past Fulham 1-0.

Two of Spurs’ new-look attack played a key role in the goal, Son crossing from the left and Alli providing the deft flick that was heading wide only for the ball to deflect into the net off Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo.

Alli started a league match for the first time since the opening day of the season and might have done enough to keep his place in the team as Tottenham pushes to qualify for the Champions League.

A second straight win left Mourinho’s side five points off Chelsea.

Fulham, which would have climbed out of the relegation zone with a win, was denied an equalizer in the 62nd after Josh Maja scored with a low shot just inside the area. The ball only reached him, however, after hitting the arm of Fulham midfielder Mario Lemina, and a handball was awarded following a VAR intervention.

"I don’t know what he can physically do," Fulham manager Scott Parker said. "Probably a bit of common sense needs to prevail in that rule."

EVERTON’S CHARGE

Carlo Ancelotti is part of Champions League folklore as one of only three managers to have won Europe’s elite competition three times. He might be back in it with Everton next season.

Everton extended its unbeaten away record to nine games by beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 and climbed above Liverpool and West Ham into fifth place.

Brazil forward Richarlison headed in the 65th-minute winner from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s cross and now has four goals in his last four games.

Next-to-last West Brom stayed nine points adrift of safety and looks to be going down after just one season back in the top flight.

The incident took place eight minutes into the third period of Wednesday’s game between the Sharks and Avalanche. Blichfeld connected on a hit on an unsuspecting MacKinnon as the latter was turning, with his shoulder clipping MacKinnon’s head.

The Avalanche pivot stayed down for some time, kneeling over and appearing to try and collect himself, while a scrum ensured around Blichfeld.

The Sharks winger was handed a match penalty, after which Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog tallied his club’s third goal of the night on the power play, part of an eventual 4-0 win.

“I think our team responded well to it,” said Avalanche defender Devon Toews in a post-game interview with Altitude TV. “I don’t think we liked the hit very much. And guys stepping in to protect a teammate is what we want. You know, we need that [aggression] from our team, in order to step in when things like that happen. Our response to it, I think, was pretty good.”

After the game, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar suggested his club might’ve avoided a worst-case scenario.

“He seems to be doing good. I think we get lucky on it,” he said, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. “…As of right now he seems to be fine.”

It is not known at this time if MacKinnon will miss time as a result of the hit.

The Avalanche play next on Friday, taking on the Anaheim Ducks to kick off a nine-game home stand that’ll see them also face Arizona, Los Angeles and Minnesota.

For the second straight night, the Raptors will be without five players, head coach Nick Nurse and six other members of the coaching staff due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Starters Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby will not be available, as well as Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw.

Without the key players and members of the coaching staff, the Raptors were thumped 129-105 by visiting Detroit on Wednesday with assistant coach Sergio Scariolo in charge for the second straight game.

Meanwhile, Jalen Harris has returned to Toronto’s G League affiliate, Raptors 905. Harris and Donta Hall were added to the Raptors from the 905 squad Wednesday.

Thursday’s announcement was expected. General Manager Bobby Webster said in an availability Tuesday that it was unlikely that any player or member of staff who missed Wednesday’s game would be available for the contest in Boston.

The NBA goes into its all-star break after Thursday’s action, which will offer a welcome respite for the Raptors. Toronto’s next game is March 11 against Atlanta.

But the work doesn’t stop. And though it’s been 11 months since the Women’s Baseball World Cup got pushed back, Team Canada is still finding ways to evaluate talent remotely. That job has become all the more important as younger players shoot their way up the ranks.

“We really relied on a lot of technology,” said Canada coach Ashley Stephenson, who also played hockey in the CWHL. “I guess part of it was sort of a blessing in disguise. All the budget went to new tech because we weren’t spending it on the World Cup.”

Originally slated to be played in Mexico in September, the World Cup was initially rescheduled for early March 2021. It was recently pushed back yet again to later this year.

It’s a tough blow for players who have a limited clock — and limited options — on their careers. Women’s baseball has picked up in popularity, but oftentimes athletes end up pursuing scholarship opportunities in softball.

There are many national-team players with a softball background, too; Stephenson finds it to be an easier transition for players who started in baseball and moved to softball and back than vice versa.

For those who have softball teams, though, they had a little bit of an easier time staying active and taking swings. For everyone else, it was playing on boys’ and men’s teams when possible, or just reporting their workouts to Team Canada.

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Allison Schroder, a pitcher, joined Vancouver Island University’s men’s baseball team last week, becoming the first woman to play in the Canadian College Baseball Conference.

“I’ve always had the goal to play college baseball, and after graduating last year was when I really made the decision, ‘OK, I want to pursue baseball at the next level,’” she said in a press release. “After taking a year off after (high school) graduation, I really weighed my options as to what I’d like to do career wise, and ultimately made the decision to pursue VIU for both academic and athletic opportunities as it’s a perfect fit.”

Stephenson highlighted Schroder as a key player when international play can begin again.

“She’ll primarily pitch for us, but she can play third, she can play short, she can hit for power,” said Stephenson. “She’s basically the epitome of a fantastic athlete.”

Ellie Jespersen. (Baseball Canada)

Ellie Jespersen is just 17 years old and playing with boys’ teams trying to stay ready for the World Cup. A middle infielder who Stephenson described as a “future star,” Jespersen plays in a midget boys’ league and has been competing for provincial teams since she was 11 years old.

“She hits lead-off for us. She’s always on base,” said Stephenson. “We’re really looking forward to these youngsters — we have a lot of them.”

Some more established veteran players without high school or college baseball teams have had to get a bit more creative. Kelsey Lalor is playing softball at Boise State, using up her last years of college eligibility after she competed in basketball at the University of Saskatchewan.

A veteran of three World Cups, Lalor batted .302 a year ago before the season was cut short.

“Baseball opportunities are somewhat limited,” said Stephenson. “(Lalor) is our left fielder, and she’ll hit middle of the lineup. She hits for power and she’s been an MVP last year.”

Kelsey Lalor. (Baseball Canada)

Canada took bronze over the United States the last World Cup, an 8–5 victory after going 1-2 in the super round got them to the medal game.

This time around they believe young talent has them in a position to compete for a higher medal. In 2016 they got there only to fall 10–0 to Japan in the gold medal game, and they’ve been in the medal game every year since 2012.

This year is a challenge for everyone, but Canada’s vast geography means they might never all get on the field together before they head to Mexico — if the World Cup does happen in the fall. Right now the contingency plan is for regional camps in Eastern Canada, either Ontario or Quebec, and Alberta and British Columbia before joining together.

That’s not an ideal way to train, but when live at-bats are so tough to come by as it is, they’re trying to make the best of their various seasons, and the technology they have to keep the group active.

“It all depends on what we’re allowed to do,” said Stephenson. “We have a Plan A and a Plan B, and Plan A is a lot simpler.”

The Brier will feature an expanded 18-team field with 14 squads representing their respective regions, three wild cards and the defending champions. These aren’t just the top teams in the nation, some of them are the best in the world rankings including a sweep of the top four and altogether eight of the top 13. Can you say stacked?

Here are the main storylines to keep an eye on heading into Friday night’s opening draw.

What’s the format and what’s at stake?

The Tim Hortons Brier will follow an identical format as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with the 18 teams split into two pools for round-robin play. The top four teams from Pool A and Pool B advance to the Championship Pool. Teams carry over their records and square off against the four teams from the opposite pool.

Unlike in previous years where there has been a four-team page playoff, this time only three teams qualify for the playoffs. The top team earns a bye to the gold-medal final with the second- and third-place teams advancing to the semifinal. A tiebreaker, or tiebreakers, may be required to determine third place but, let’s face it, given how tough the field is that’s not an “if necessary” scenario but closer to a guarantee. It would be surprising if there aren’t any tiebreakers.

The Brier winner will represent Canada at the world men’s curling championship taking place in the bubble a few weeks later. That gives them a leg-up to start the event as they’ll already be accustomed to the bubble conditions on and off the ice. The winning team will also qualify for the Olympic trials later this year (if they haven’t already) and claim $100,000.

The lack of crowd noise could play a factor for veteran teams used to relying on that atmosphere. They’ll have to look within for that added energy boost as the only sound they’ll hear is the occasional echo of a toilet flush. (No really, just ask Saskatchewan’s Sherry Anderson about her Scotties experience.)

Could Brad Gushue repeat as Brier champion?

OK, I just copied and pasted the question from our Scotties preview but changed Kerri Einarson’s name to Brad Gushue. Seeing as how Einarson successfully defended the Scotties title, could you blame me? Gushue and his St. John’s, N.L., crew are looking to become the first repeat Brier winners since . . . themselves in 2017 and 2018. All right, so it’s not like the women’s side where there was at least more than a handful of years between back-to-back winners but it’s no cakewalk.

Team Gushue actually played in a couple of fall tour events in Halifax and won both of them undefeated, however, they also had to make do with super spares at lead as Geoff Walker lives in Alberta. Friday night’s opener against Ontario (John Epping) will be their first game as a foursome since winning the Brier a year ago. It’ll be a tough test to start, but the 11-time Grand Slam winner Gushue has proven time and time again even when he’s good that’s sometimes good enough. Once that confidence builds though, Gushue’s dangerous. Team Gushue also captured the 2018 Humpty’s Champions Cup in this very rink, not that they need any extra motivation.

Gushue is also looking for a record-tying fourth Brier gold medal as a skip to join the likes of Ernie Richardson, Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Kevin Koe. More on Koe in just a bit.

Is Jacobs gearing up for another Olympic run?

The hottest team in the world entering the Brier last year was Northern Ontario led by skip Brad Jacobs. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., crew was on a red-hot run winning three consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling men’s titles. Anything can happen in a single-elimination game though and Jacobs missed the podium at the Brier finishing fourth after losing to eventual winner Gushue in the Page 3-4 playoff game. Part of that problem was a slow 1-3 start and Jacobs needing to win two tiebreakers in order to qualify. With the playoff change to only three teams, Jacobs cannot afford to let that happen again.

Three-time Brier champion Marc Kennedy, of St. Albert, Alta., joined the team at third last season and proved to be the spark they needed to soar to the top of the world rankings. That’s not a slight to former third Ryan Fry, who linked up with good friend Epping and also proved to be a good fit there as they sit No. 2 overall.

Jacobs has won the Brier once before in 2013 just ahead of an Olympic year and en route to capturing gold for Canada in Sochi. His team could be on a similar path here with the Beijing Winter Games on the horizon.

Could Koe capture record fifth Brier title?

Move over Gushue, Koe is aiming for the history books as well seeking a fifth Brier title and sole possession of the skip’s record. What’s amazing is Koe has managed to win the Brier with four different vice skips along the way and, what do you know, new second John Morris was handling those duties during the brief fall tour season.

Morris, who has won Olympic gold in men’s and mixed doubles, joined his former teammate Koe after the Calgary-based club parted ways with Colton Flasch. Although Koe won the Brier in 2019, his team missed the playoffs last year losing to Jacobs in a tiebreaker. Remember what we said in the previous storyline about new players? Morris will provide a spark all right and will be counted upon to get Koe and Team Wild Card Two back on top. At the end of the day though, it’ll be down to the 46-year-old Koe coming through in the clutch as they have in the past and usually with only a few seconds left on the time clock.

Fourth time’s the charm for Bottcher?

If Jacobs is overdue, what about Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher, who has claimed silver at the past three Briers?

The Bottcher train was rolling at full steam last year with an incredible 10-1 record through pool play. Their one loss came against Koe in an extra end – so it’s more like a 10-0-1 record, right? Bottcher carried the team throwing 88 per cent through the week to earn first team all-star honours including a perfect game against Gushue. He did not have his best in the rematch for gold though shooting 71 per cent – compared to Gushue’s stellar 97 per cent – in the 7-3 defeat.

Team Bottcher have proven they have what it takes to go all the way, winning three consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles in 2019, and just need to ensure they have enough in the tank when it matters most.

Boom or bust for Dunstone, Epping?

Matt Dunstone claimed the bronze medal last year while looking to end Saskatchewan’s title drought at the Brier that dates back to 1980. Dunstone had an interesting 2019-20 season where he captured his first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title at the Masters but then missed the playoffs at the following three events in the series. That streakiness followed his team on tour where they missed playoffs but also finished runner-up at the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard to Epping.

Likewise, Epping had the hot hand heading into the Brier last year after winning the Canada Cup and finishing runner-up at the Meridian Canadian Open until running into Jacobs in the second round of tiebreakers.

If Dunstone and Epping have a handle on the ice conditions and the rocks, whatever you do, don’t leave them any opportunities to hit for runbacks. Just don’t. They say curling is like chess on ice but sometimes it’s more like checkers when you see one guy clear the board in one move.

Who’s likely to play the role of upset or spoiler?

Considering any of the previously mentioned teams could win the Brier and we haven’t even talked about Team Wild Card One (Mike McEwen) yet, it just shows there’s too much talent at the top to see a team pull off a week’s worth of upsets. Never mind potential championship teams missing the playoffs, there are going to be very good teams even missing the eight-team Championship Pool. The Scotties proved even without a tour season the elite teams still rose to the occasion.

However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a team playing the spoiler role and take away crucial wins from teams that need them. Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson is no underdog reaching the Championship Pool last year and will give some other teams fits with his ability to throw razor-sharp runbacks ala Dunstone and Epping. Team Wild Card Three should live up to its wild-card designation with skip Glenn Howard on the mend following a snowmobile accident and three-time world champion Wayne Middaugh coming off the bench. Middaugh hasn’t played at the Brier since 2013 and looked like his career was over following a leg injury while skiing but will be counted on to deliver a vintage performance. Scott McDonald skipped Ontario into the Championship Pool in 2019 and is filling in for Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy making them another intriguing entry.

These teams might not go all the way – although you never know – but will more likely provide a thorn in the side to the top contenders along the way.

Several professional North American sports leagues collaborated on the effort, including the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, WNBA and MLS.

A total of 789 athletes who had COVID-19 participated in the study, which took place between May and October 2020 and sought to gauge how often the leagues’ return-to-play cardiac screening techniques found instances of inflammatory heart disease.

Imaging evidence showed that, among those participants, five athletes (0.6 per cent) had myocarditis or pericarditis, two forms of inflammation in the heart which can weaken the organ. No athletes who underwent cardiac screening and then continued their professional sport participation experienced an adverse cardiac event, such as a heart attack.

As with all research, the study had limitations. Some of these stemmed from having different researchers, at different clinics, in different states and countries conducting the screening, creating an undesirable potential for variance.

But perhaps the most notable was that nearly all — 98.5 per cent — of the athletes in the study were men.

Prior studies on the risk COVID-19 poses to the heart drew more uncertain conclusions, too.

One paper, published in July before several college conferences postponed their sports seasons, ran MRIs on 100 people who had COVID-19 and found at least some signs of myocarditis in 60 of them. Another, which looked at 26 Ohio State athletes who experienced COVID-19 with mild or no symptoms, found evidence of possible myocarditis in five of them and lesser abnormalities in nine others. The prevalence of myocarditis was especially concerning as, even before the pandemic, it was a leading cause of death in otherwise healthy, young athletes.

Long-term follow-up on this latest study’s participants remains ongoing, and will be an essential part of judging how effective these cardiac screening measures are — as will expanding research to include other levels of athletes.

Still, the limited number of inflammatory cases detected was a welcome finding that can help chart a path forward, both for future research and for improving return-to-play measures, by highlighting the importance of including cardiologists with imaging expertise in the process to properly identify disease and minimize delays in an athlete’s return.

“While long-term follow-up is ongoing, few cases of inflammatory heart disease have been detected,” the study’s authors wrote in their conclusion. “Safe return to professional sports activity has thus far been achieved.”

Year-end point leaders were at or near their peak as players – guys named Mark Stone, Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris, dating back to 2012-13.

With the departures of goal scorers like Stone, Mike Hoffman, Matt Duchene and Anthony Duclair in recent years, general manager Pierre Dorion probably imagined that veteran Evgenii Dadonov, signed as a free agent out of Florida in the off-season, would be the one to replace the 23 goals (in 66 games) lost with the departure of Duclair from last season.

Dadonov has actually played well and been productive with seven goals in 25 games, which projects to 23 goals in a regular 82-game season.

And yet, how stunning and refreshing to see the young names atop the Senators’ list of top scorers.

Drake Batherson, 22, and Brady Tkachuk, 21, lead Ottawa in goals with nine each in 25 games. Not since a young Alexei Yashin, 23, Daniel Alfredsson, 24, and Alexandre Daigle, 22, were one-two-three in scoring in 1996-97 have the Senators had such an array of youthful talent leading the way.

In fact, forget the top three – the top five point producers on the Senators are all 24 or younger: Batherson (18 points), Tkachuk (16), Thomas Chabot (15), Tim Stützle (14) and Josh Norris (13)

Stützle is just 19 years old, and Norris is 21. Chabot is the old man of the group at 24.

If one of the main goals of this season was to turn Ottawa’s young prospects into productive and confident NHL players, mission accomplished. Especially in the forward ranks.

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In the more challenging training ground of the backend, it remains a work in progress as Erik Brannstrom and Christian Wolanin find their way. What a pleasant surprise Artem Zub has been, the 25-year-old who joined the Senators from the KHL. He has become one of Ottawa’s steadiest, if slightly under-used, defencemen.

Head coach D.J. Smith’s concept of “identity” for his team has always centered around being hard-working and difficult to play against. A “tough out.” Even going back to last season, the Senators were developing a reputation as a team that didn’t quit.

The difference this season? They have more quick-strike potential with their forward group, especially their younger players. Now, when they threaten to rally in a game, they have the punch to carry it out. The front-running Toronto Maple Leafs learned that when the Senators rebounded from a 5-1 deficit to beat the Leafs 6-5 in overtime on Feb. 15.

Last season, the Senators produced just 2.7 goals per game on average. In their past seven games, Ottawa has 3.7 goals per game. Remove that one-goal effort versus Montreal and it would be over four goals per game in the previous six. Overall, due to their paltry output in January, the Senators are at roughly 2.7 goals per game on the season. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain their increased production of late.

Though his goal-scoring streak was halted at six games in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Canadiens, Batherson tied a franchise record of six consecutive games with a goal shared by Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson and Bob Kudelski.

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Considering Batherson, aka “The Drake,” had just six goals in 43 career NHL games before this season, his surge has been nothing short of an explosion even he cannot explain. If this were an 82-game season, he would be on pace for 29 goals.

“I couldn’t tell you what’s going on,” Batherson said, after scoring twice in Monday’s 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames. “I said to the boys, ‘I think the last time I scored six (straight) like that was maybe peewee.’”

During the Senators’ early season struggles, Batherson had just one goal and five points in the month of January. In February, a switch went on and he scored six goals and 10 points. Since mid-February, Batherson has truly basked in the glow of the red-light district: eight goals and 12 points in nine games. Though his goal-scoring streak ended, he maintains a seven-game point streak.

For anyone paying a modicum of attention, Batherson’s prowess is not as big a mystery as he lets on. The six-foot-one, 205-pound Batherson is the complete package for a top-line winger. He will use his size along the wall, has the hands to make moves around defencemen that put him in alone, then has a ridiculous deke move to the backhand that has served him well. From the outside, his wrist shot is lethal and accurate. He has learned well from training alongside Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and Nathan MacKinnon in Nova Scotia during the off-season.

What has the potential to make him special, perhaps even Mark Stone special, is that Batherson is as good a playmaker as he is a shooter. While he has two goals on the power play, he has eight points with the extra man, leading all Senators in power-play assists and points. That is evidence of how Ottawa’s power-play attack, much more active in the past two weeks or so, runs through the stick of No. 19.

“He’s dangerous every night,” Smith says of Batherson. “And where he is really good is on the power play . . . he and Stützle are making it hard on other teams.”

At even strength, Batherson has teamed up with centre Norris and left winger Stützle, a 22-and-under line that wreaks havoc with its speed and puck movement.

“They make so many plays and they’re all over the ice,” said Tkachuk, who shares a house with Norris and Stützle. “It’s great for the fans to see that . . . the future of our team right there. Every single game they’ve played together, it’s chance after chance.”

Rookie honours for Stützle

Stützle was rewarded for a tremendous February by being named NHL rookie of the month, sharing the award with off-ice hero Michèle Taché of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

Stützle led all NHL rookies with 10 points in 14 games for the month, including seven assists. He beat out Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild, who had four goals and five assists in February.

Incredibly, Stützle is the first Ottawa Senators player to be named NHL rookie of the month since the late Ray Emery in March 2006.

The Senators winger has elevated his chances in the Calder Trophy race. Though his 14 points trail Kaprizov’s 17, Kaprizov’s age (23) and pro experience in the KHL may make him look less of a rookie in the eyes of some awards voters. For a 19-year-old to hold his own against a forward four years older is telling.

Right behind Stützle in the rookie scoring race is linemate Norris with 13 points.

In October, Stützle joined his hero, Leon Draisaitl, as the highest German-born-and-trained selection in the NHL draft. Stützle was drafted third overall by Ottawa, which is where the Edmonton Oilers selected Draisaitl in 2014.

As soon as fans are again allowed to enter the Canadian Tire Centre to take their seats, they will be lifted out of them by the likes of Stützle, Batherson, Norris and Tkachuk.

LeBron James stars in the Warner Bros.-produced film and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar tweeted out a handful of new images.

Y’ALL NOT READY FOR THIS SQUAD!!!! @spacejammovie @EW pic.twitter.com/8ogu758fsO

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 4, 2021

The first Space Jam movie starred Michael Jordan in 1996 and grossed more than $230 million at the box office globally. In addition to Jordan, Space Jam featured small roles and cameos from NBA stars including Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley, Larry Johnson and Larry Bird.

Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson are among a group of modern NBA stars expected to play minor roles in the 2021 movie.

James and a group of Looney Tunes characters appeared on the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly, which describes James’s character in Space Jam: A New Legacy as “a heightened version of himself, and the story jumps into high-gear when he and his computer-obsessed son Dom (Cedric Joe) get sucked into the Warner 3000 entertainment ‘Server-verse’ by a rogue A.I. named Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle).”

The movie is also expected to showcase various characters and cinematic worlds to which Warner Bros., holds the rights.

“You can look at the WB catalog and just see how many things they have in the archives,” James told Entertainment Weekly. “And for me to be able to travel through and be part of Wonder Woman, Casablanca, The Matrix, it was incredible. We were able to dive into some of those worlds, along with some other ones that… I gave you a couple, but I want to save some for the film. I couldn’t believe it, to see some of the live footage that we were able to shoot, along with some of the digital and animation stuff to just bring it all together.”

Rumours of James starring in a sequel or new version of Space Jam first began swirling back when James played for the Miami Heat.

“In my younger days, part of my thinking was ‘Space Jam was so good, how can I top this?’” James said. “There’s always going to be conversations about LeBron trying to do everything Michael (did). But I’ve gotten older, and you know who you are. You know what you stand for.”

Space Jam: A New Legacy was filmed primarily over the past two NBA off-seasons.

James has previously made appearances in movies, including playing a fictional version of himself in 2015’s Trainwreck and voicing a character in 2018’s animated film Smallfoot.

The following games are available to watch on both streaming and television in Canada. Any game not listed below can still be seen through the NHL Live streaming package or the NHL Centre Ice package available anywhere in Canada through your TV service provider.

New in the 2020-21 NHL season, a subscription to SN Now+ includes access to NHL Live. Learn more about that package here.

Wednesday, Feb. 10

Maple Leafs at Canadiens: 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT
On television: All of Canada (Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific)
On streaming: All of Canada (SN Now, SN Now+, NHL Live)

Thursday, Feb. 11

Oilers at Canadiens: 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT
On television: Oilers region (Sportsnet West), Canadiens region (TSN 2), rest of Canada (NHL Centre Ice)
On streaming: Oilers region (SN Now), Canadiens region (TSN Direct), rest of Canada (SN Now+, NHL Live)

Senators at Jets: 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT
On television: Senators region (TSN 5), Jets region (TSN 3), rest of Canada (NHL Centre Ice)
On streaming: Senators region (TSN Direct), Jets region (TSN Direct), rest of Canada (NHL Live)

Flames at Canucks: 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT
On television: Flames region (Sportsnet West), Canucks region (Sportsnet Pacific), rest of Canada (NHL Centre Ice)
On streaming: Flames region (SN Now), Canucks region (SN Now), rest of Canada (SN Now+, NHL Live)

Friday, Feb. 12

Bruins at Rangers, 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. ET
On television: All of Canada (Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific)
On streaming: All of Canada (SN Now, SN Now+, NHL Live)

Frequently Asked Questions

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That means the rumour mill is alive and well, constantly churning out a surfeit of new stories for fans and pundits alike to immediately dissect and pontificate over.

So, without further ado, here’s a look at this week’s most notable buzz from around the league.

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Oladipo a possible deadline target?

This past Monday, it was reported that former all-star Victor Oladipo had turned down a two-year, $45.2 max extension offer from the Houston Rockets, who acquired him in the four-team blockbuster that ultimately sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.

Oladipo was quick to note that the Rockets had made the offer some time ago knowing he would not accept, more as a gesture of goodwill (and perhaps to indicate to other teams that he is healthy) than anything else, and one that he appreciated.

“They wanted to show me they wanted me,” he told reporters when asked about the extension on Monday.

Though what the Rockets tendered Oladipo was indeed the most they could have offered him at the time, it was expected that he would turn them down as he’s reportedly seeking a longer-term contract, something Houston won’t be able to offer until the off-season if they so choose.

At that point, they could present Oladipo with a four-year, $113 million extension (immediately following the end of the season prior to the opening of free agency) or a five-year, $195 million extension (once the free agency window opens). That’s more than any other team could offer, as the most another suitor could tender would be four years, $145 million.

Of course, Houston may have no desire to offer Oladipo — who hasn’t quite been able to return to the level he was at prior to a ruptured quadriceps tendon he suffered in 2019 — such a deal and may instead be focused on other options, including openly placing him on the trade market.

This has reportedly yet to be the case, but should Houston opt to test the waters, Oladipo’s potential and expiring contract could garner more interest than any other available asset at the deadline. It is a well-known fact, for example, that both the Miami Heat and New York Knicks have sniffed around Oladipo in the past, though each presently have the salary cap space to sign him outright in free agency.

Exactly what the Rockets will choose to do with the 28-year-old depends on a multitude of things (including just getting to know him better and evaluating the outlook of the team’s current core), but it shouldn’t come at all as surprising if his name becomes increasingly bandied about as the weeks pass by.

Redick, Bledsoe remain available

The New Orleans Pelicans, who have been playing solid basketball as of late but still sit 11th in the hellish Western Conference, are making themselves known as sellers and remaining open to conversations around veteran guards JJ Redick and Eric Bledsoe.

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the two remain “very much available” as the Pelicans look to continue rebuilding around the titanic talents of 20-year-old Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Such moves would open up playing time for the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker (in his second year) and Kira Lewis Jr. (a rookie), whom the team is evidently hoping to develop as its back court of the future.

Redick, now in his 15th season and at age 36, is having arguably the poorest campaign of his career (something that will surely lower his market value), but he remains an intriguing option for any team requiring extra oomph along the perimeter as a space-generating sniper on a friendly $13.1 million expiring contract.

Fischer, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, and Shams Charania of The Athletic have all mentioned the Nets as a potential Redick destination, which isn’t at all surprising considering he has family ties to the city. In terms of an on-court fit, however, Redick doesn’t provide relief to Brooklyn’s defensive concerns, and instead simply adds another weapon to a team already bursting with firepower.

Still, if the Nets find themselves striking out on defensive upgrades, opting to fully succumb to the identity of a purely overpowering offensive club isn’t such a bad fallback.

Aside from Brooklyn, the Philadelphia 76ers (whom he played two seasons with from 2017-2019), Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets have reportedly all had some level of interest in the grizzled guard.

Much like Redick, Bledsoe has had a rather poor start to the season, with his numbers down nearly across the board. Unlike Redick, however, Bledsoe is not generating much trade market buzz nor is he on an expiring contract, and while his present deal of $16.8 million isn’t terribly difficult to move in and of itself, the fact that the two remaining seasons ascend in value (he will be making $19 million in his age 33 season) may see teams that would otherwise have been interested in him pass.

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Celtics facing increasing pressure



All is not well in Beantown.

In a season that’s been marred with injuries to key players, the effects of the league’s health and safety protocols and the noticeable void left in the wake of Gordon Hayward’s off-season departure to Charlotte, the Celtics (5-5 through their last 10 games and clinging to the fourth seed in the East by a thread) find themselves searching for answers with the All-Star break mere days away.

This has led many to believe — including league executives — that they could be active in trade talks as the deadline inches ever closer.

“There comes a time where you have to do something to keep your stars placated and show that you’re trying, especially when they’re young and early in their primes,” an East executive told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “You have to make that commitment to them.”

Those stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have individually been tremendous, and were both recently recognized as all-stars. But the roster around them has not only been impacted by injuries (Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford are currently both sidelined), it also simply has some significant flaws — namely, grabbing defensive rebounds (they rank 25th in the league) to close out possessions and a lack of high-level passers to keep the ball moving (they rank 27th in assists).

Even so, Celtics general manager and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who has famously been hesitant to make significant roster-altering moves in the past, has yet to give any serious indication he’s thinking of shaking things up. The last time Boston acquired a player in an in-season trade was six years ago, when it landed Isaiah Thomas from the Phoenix Suns. Only the San Antonio Spurs have a longer drought.

If things continue on the same path, though, that streak may finally come to an end.

The team and the two-time Super Bowl winner announced on Thursday they have agreed on a new contract that assures the 39-year-old will be back in 2021.

Financial details were not immediately available, though the Steelers made no secret of the need for Roethlisberger to take a pay cut to ease some of the burden of his NFL-high $41.25-million salary-cap hit scheduled for 2021.

NFL Network, citing anonymous sources, said Roethlisberger’s new deal will essentially pay him $14 million this season and adds four voidable years to spread out the dead money.

“I am grateful to be at this stage of my career and more than happy to adjust my contract in a way that best helps the team to address other players who are so vital to our success,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “I love this game and love to compete, and I believe in this team and my ability to deliver when called upon. It all starts with great preparation and I am ready to go.”

Roethlisberger passed for 3,803 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games in 2020 after missing almost all of 2019 with a right elbow injury. The Steelers won their first 11 games on their way to a 12-4 record and captured the AFC North title but were stunned at home by Cleveland in the first-round of the playoff game thanks in part to four Roethlisberger interceptions.

Steelers President Art Rooney II, head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert all expressed the desire to bring Roethlisberger, stressing the need to do it in a way that gives the Steelers some financial flexibility. The new contract does offer a bit more freedom, but Pittsburgh is facing several high-profile departures in free agency.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, running back James Conner and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva are among more than a dozen Steelers who will hit the open market this month. Conner and Villanueva are unlikely to be brought back after underwhelming play in 2020. Smith-Schuster and Dupree have likely priced themselves out of a return.

Throw in the retirements of centre Maurkice Pouncey and tight end Vance McDonald and the decision to part with offensive co-ordinator Randy Fichtner — all three of whom have a close relationship with Roethlisberger — and the veteran quarterback will find himself in the midst of an overhaul.

The franchise’s leader in just about every major statistical passing category remains, he was at the controls of an offence that finished last in the NFL in yards rushing and yards per rushing attempt. Those are numbers the front office said it will spend the off-season trying to improve.

Pittsburgh has the 24th pick in the draft and several glaring needs, particularly along the offensive line. If left guard Matt Feiler — also a free agent — doesn’t come back, Roethlisberger could find himself playing behind a line with three new starters and a running back that isn’t Conner for the first time since 2017. Include the imminent departure of the reliable Smith-Schuster and the absence of McDonald — in essence a third tackle in 2020 when he was on the field — and the Steelers will have a very different look in 2021.

Yet rather than nudge Roethlisberger toward retirement and see what the club has in backup Mason Rudolph — who is entering the final year of his rookie deal — the Steelers will run it back hoping their late-season fade was a one-off.

“We know that Ben can still play at a high level and do special things for this team,” Colbert said. “Our goal remains the same, to put together a roster that will compete for another championship. We are happy that Ben will be one of our leaders to help us accomplish that goal.”

The tournament was originally scheduled for April 7-17 in Halifax and Truro, but the provincial and federal governments have yet to approve hosting the tournament amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and no quarantine exemptions have been granted.

The 2020 world championship in the same communities was cancelled because of the pandemic.

The nine visiting countries have all said they’ll participate in a May tournament, according to the IIHF, which is kicking in more money because of decreased ticket revenues and the higher costs of travel and accommodation.

"We know how important this event is in the women’s ice hockey calendar, especially considering that we could not have a tournament last season and now with the Olympics on the horizon," IIHF president Rene Fasel said Thursday in a statement.

"Our member national associations expressed concerns over the associated costs that come with operating a tournament in the current global environment, and I am glad we were able fill the gap and ensure the women’s world championship can take place with all 10 teams."

The IIHF says a limited number of fans may be able to attend games.

"Going to Nova Scotia, the world’s best national teams in women’s ice hockey will play in a region that is one of the least affected by the pandemic among the big hockey nations," the IIHF said.

"There is currently an active case rate in Nova Scotia of under four per 100,000 inhabitants."

Canada didn’t reach the final for the first time in the history of the women’s world championship in 2019, and earned bronze in Espoo, Finland.

The Canadian women’s team has played just five international games since then, all against the United States.

Alberta’s government approved Hockey Canada’s plans to host the world junior men’s hockey championship Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton.

A champion was crowned, although some players missed games because of positive tests for the virus and extended quarantines upon arrival.

"Our organization knows it will have strict support from all participating federations as it relates to adhering to the final health and safety plan that will focus on quarantining, COVID-19 testing, single-room isolation, masking, proper hygiene and social distancing," Hockey Canada president and chief operating officer Scott Smith said in a statement.

"Hockey Canada and the host organizing committee are committed to working with the appropriate health authorities and listening to the direction of medical experts to build a safe and strong hosting plan.

"We understand the disappointment of having the event cancelled last spring and delaying the start of the IIHF women’s world championship this year, but we know the extra time to prepare will help us provide a world-class experience for the participants while maintaining the health and safety of all participants and the community at large."

The Canadian women’s team is currently in Halifax for a 35-player camp concluding Sunday.

"The cancellation of the 2020 IIHF women’s world championship was very difficult for our athletes, coaches and staff, and although the 2021 event is scheduled to start later than usual, our team is grateful to the IIHF and Hockey Canada for their commitment to hosting a world championship this season under difficult circumstances," said Gina Kingsbury, Hockey Canada’s director of national teams.

"This event is critical for our preparations for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and we look forward to competing for a gold medal."

The Devils said Thursday they placed the 22-year-old Swiss centre on injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 27. He is being listed as week to week.

Hischier was hurt in the third period against the Washington Capitals on Saturday when a puck that was deflected pushed the shield hard into his face.

Coach Lindy Ruff has reserved comment when asked about the injury in recent days. Hours before their game against the rival Rangers at the Prudential Center, the team said has a sinus fracture and is currently in concussion protocol.

Forward Janne Kuokkanen was recalled from the practice squad.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, Hischier was named the Devils’ captain on Feb. 20, the day he returned to the lineup after missing first 11 games with a leg injury.

The Devils had not had a captain since Andy Greene was dealt to the New York Islanders last February.

At 22 years and 47 days old, Hischier is the youngest captain currently in the NHL.

]]> Hockey NHL NJ sn-article NBA NBA-All-Star-2021-Court-Design-cropped Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:36:01 EST Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:36:01 EST Sportsnet Staff The NBA has unveiled how it will pay tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the 2021 All-Star game, with HBCU-inspired elements being incorporated into the court itself as well patches on players’ jerseys.

The post David Fizdale on COVID Vaccine rollout in the NBA and Donovan Mitchell appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

Here’s this week’s collection:

1. One observation the Senators’ Matt Murray had after Drake Batherson scored in his sixth consecutive game on Monday was Batherson’s ability to consistently be in the right spot to get a quality chance.

A lot of that has to do with his hockey sense, no question, but part of the reason he has managed to beat opponents to those areas is his improved skating.

Jill Plandowski is a power skating coach in Halifax and has known Batherson since he was born. She went to Acadia University with Batherson’s dad, Norm. For years, just one house separated the Plandowskis and Bathersons in the neighbourhood where Drake grew up.

Plandowski first started working with Batherson in the spring of 2017 a few months before the Senators selected him 121st overall. At the time, he wasn’t a great skater and was still adjusting to his own height. Batherson went from hovering around the five-foot mark at age 15 to suddenly north of six-feet just a few years later.

The biggest improvement in Plandowski’s eyes has been Batherson’s posture while skating. Drake loves to golf in the summertime. Plandowski said he used to skate with such rounded shoulders like he’s hovering over a putt. Over time, they have worked on getting his shoulders back, promoting more arm action and opening up his chest and hips as he moves.

“That just helps everything,” Plandowski said.

Plandowski and her husband, Darryl, who is the Arizona Coyotes Director of Amateur Scouting, have three boys in hockey. Jack (15), Oscar (17) and Marshall (19) all grew up idolizing Batherson. He was the local star who was not going to be denied of reaching his ultimate goal.

“Every step of the way he has had to prove himself and he has more than done it,” Plandowski said.

2. Watching the video the Sens put out with Tim Stützle talking about being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for February, two things stuck out to me.

First, when describing the roll his linemate Batherson was on he said, “he is very hot right now.” That had me searching how popular the movie Zoolander was in Germany in its day (it did over $2 million in the box office according to boxofficemojo.com).

Second, Stützle referred to Batherson as “Schmotzy”. That was a nickname I had never heard before and my interest was instantly piqued. I decided to go straight to the source.

As the story goes, Batherson was watching an old hockey documentary one night when he was playing Jr. A and was drawn to Bobby Schmautz of the Boston Bruins. He loved that his nickname was “Schmotzy” so much he decided to take the name for himself.

“So I told my buddies to start calling me that,” Batherson said with a laugh.

“Ever since I was 17 I’ve had that name and all my teammates and friends have called me that.”

Schmotzy and Stü. Dynamic linemates with great chemistry, or buddy cop TV show in the making?

3. Andrew Matheson was the student manager for the Arizona State Men’s Hockey Team when he first started working with Joey Daccord in his freshman season during the 2016-17 campaign. Matheson comes from a goaltending background and the two would go over video together between games.

Their relationship became so strong, head coach Greg Powers made Matheson the goalie coach for Daccord’s final two years with the Sun Devils.

One of his favourite Daccord stories came at the start of his junior year. Daccord was fresh off a summer of putting in a lot of work and was ready to have a big season. As they went out for their first on-ice goaltending session…it was Daccord giving Matheson his marching orders.

“Okay, Mel, here’s what you’re going to do,” Matheson recalls Daccord saying (Mel is short for Melon, which is Matheson’s nickname due to an oversized noggin).

“You’re going to stand in the slot and shoot pucks at my head.”

“What?”

“You’re going to shoot 30-40 pucks from the slot at my head and I’m going to catch them.”

Matheson couldn’t believe what he was being asked to do, but he obliged. He started sifting a couple pucks towards Daccord’s head before the goalie stopped him.

“Mel, you gotta shoot harder than that,” Daccord told him.

“So here I am just bombing pucks at his head and he’s catching every one of them,” Matheson said.

“That was one of my favourites.”

Matheson is now the Director of Operations for the men’s hockey program at ASU. He described Daccord as someone who has a lot of energy and doesn’t stop talking about hockey.

“I just embraced it,” Matheson said. “If he felt he had someone in his corner, I knew it would be special to watch him develop.”

Daccord had 30 saves in his second career start in Tuesday’s loss to Montreal. The wins are going to come in time. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, after all.

Adesanya has been dominant during his rise to the top of the UFC middleweight division, posting wins in each of his first 20 career fights going into Saturday night’s bout at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Adesanya has seen five of his nine UFC clashes decided by the judges. That includes his successful bid for the interim UFC middleweight crown against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, and his first-ever defence of the unified UFC middleweight title against Yoel Romero at UFC 248.

Blachowicz prepares for his first defence of the UFC light heavyweight title as a +185 underdog. Blachowicz claimed the title with a second-round TKO win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 that paid out on +200 odds at online betting sites and earned the 38-year-old his fifth career Performance of the Night bonus. Blachowicz has now finished opponents on three occasions during a four-fight win streak, and has also won in each of his three most recent fights that went the distance.

Two other belts will be on the line on Saturday night. UFC featherweight champion Amanda Nunes takes on Megan Anderson as massive -1000 chalk, while Petr Yan defends his UFC bantamweight crown for the first time, clashing with Aljamain Sterling in a -115 pick’em.

Nunes became the first woman to simultaneously hold multiple UFC championship belts when she claimed the UFC women’s featherweight title with a first-round knockout of Cris Cyborg at UFC 232. Holder of the UFC women’s bantamweight title since 2016, Nunes defended her UFC women’s featherweight crown for the first time at UFC 250 with a unanimous decision win over Felicia Spencer as -550 wager.

Sporting long +600 odds, Anderson enjoys her first UFC title shot after posting a first-round KO win over Norma Dumont Viana at UFC Fight Night 169. The former Invicta FC featherweight champion has now seen each of her past four fights last less than four minutes, earning the win in three of those contests.

Undefeated in each of his past 10 fights, Yan claimed the UFC bantamweight crown with a fifth-round TKO win over former champion Jose Aldo at UFC 251. Sterling earned his title shot with an opening-round submission victory over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 that also extended his win streak to five fights.

Ovechkin delivered a spear in an upward direction to Frederic’s groin with five minutes left in the third period of the teams’ game Wednesday night in Boston. Ovechkin was given a minor penalty for slashing and Frederic one for cross-checking on the play.

Asked about the fine after practice Thursday, Frederic said: "It’s out of my pay grade. The NHL does a good job in all that stuff, so I just leave it up to them."

The two players exchanged shoves minutes earlier after Frederic hit Ovechkin. Frederic dropped his gloves, but nothing transpired.

"I thought it was kind of natural," Frederic said. "When I dropped him, he went in the boards weird, and when he got up, he wasn’t happy about it. The read I got was, `I don’t know if you want to fight me or what?’ So, that’s the read I had. Maybe (my gloves) came off a little quick. But just kind of protecting myself at the same time, too."

Frederic and Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson fought during a game in Washington earlier this season. Bruins teammates credited Frederic for helping spark a comeback victory in that game.

The Capitals went on to win the game Wednesday night 2-1 in a shootout. Ovechkin had one of his most active games of the season with 16 shot attempts — five on goal — and six hits in over 23 minutes of ice time.

"He’s a big body, he plays hard, he finishes checks," Frederic said. "He gives it out just as much as he takes it."

Frederic said he was feeling fine and didn’t make much of his tangles with Ovechkin.

"I think I was just playing hard," he said. "He’s a good player, so anytime you can get a good check on him, obviously you’re trying to do it. Just playing him hard. The respect I give him is just by playing him hard."

The Capitals had the day off Thursday. Boston and Washington face off again Friday night, with Bruins centre Charlie Coyle potentially out a second consecutive game after entering the league’s COVID protocol Wednesday.

With the announcement, Gehrig will join fellow baseball legends Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente as the only players who are recognized annually with dedicated league-wide days.

“Major League Baseball is thrilled to celebrate the legacy of Lou Gehrig, whose humility and courage continue to inspire our society,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a press release. “While ALS has been closely identified with our game since Lou’s legendary career, the pressing need to find cures remains. We look forward to honouring all the individuals and families, in baseball and beyond, who have been affected by ALS and hope Lou Gehrig Day advances efforts to end this disease.”

The date June 2 holds two significant meanings in Gehrig’s life, as it is both the day he began his then-record 2,130-consecutive games played streak in 1925 and the day he died in 1941 from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

After his passing from the ALS at the age of 37, Gehrig’s name became synonymous with the fatal neurodegenerative disease. Over time, people living with ALS lose the ability to control their muscles, impacting their ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe. No significant treatments exist to cure ALS or extend a patient’s life once they are afflicted with it, but ongoing research has produced several treatments in late-stage clinical trials.

Songwriter Bryan Wayne Galentine helped form a group, the LG4Day committee, two years ago to lobby MLB to create a Lou Gehrig Day, inspired by the way baseball celebrates Robinson and Clemente every season. By getting help from players such as Stephen Piscotty and Sam Hilliard, who had parents with ALS, LG4Day was eventually able to get all 30 teams to sign off on the proposal on Oct. 20. Galentine would die from the disease two days later.

“Lou Gehrig Day will honour Lou’s accomplishments on the field, but also help millions understand this devastating disease that has claimed far too many of us, including my mother,” Piscotty said in a press release. “Before she passed, she did everything she could to raise awareness of ALS and I know she’d be thrilled that Major League Baseball will now shine a spotlight on Lou Gehrig and ALS every season. Hopefully this awareness will help lead to a cure.”

Dzingel completed his mandatory 14-day quarantine over the weekend and has been practising with the Senators since Sunday. He began his career with the Senators, playing three-and-a-half seasons in Ottawa before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2018-19 trade deadline.

“It’s been a long time since I was excited and nervous to practice,” he said after his first practice Sunday, according to NHL.com. “It was an awesome day and I can’t get wait to get things going in a real game and I’m itching to get out there.”

Dzingel, who turns 29 next week, has four points in 11 games this season.

The juxtaposition between the two was front and centre in Wednesday night’s 4-1 Grapefruit League victory by the New York Yankees.

Kluber, the two-time Cy Young Award winner working his way back after consecutive seasons lost to injury, was an off-season target for the Blue Jays before he signed with the Yankees on a one-year, $11-million deal — a high-risk, high-reward add with the potential to impact the AL East landscape.

He struck out three batters over two perfect innings that he described as “pretty solid” afterward, pleased primarily to be getting game-reps in a competitive setting, while adding “obviously it was a bonus that it went well.”

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That the outing came against an opponent that represented a path not taken over the winter didn’t seem to matter to the 34-year-old, who didn’t offer much about the level of consideration he gave to the Blue Jays.

“Any of the teams that were interested in me, I (don’t think) I closed the book on them by any means,” he said. “I listened to everybody and tried to gather all the information we could and came to the decision we did in the end. I don’t think that changes the way I would have approached tonight, whether they would or would not have been interested this off-season. Either way, you only play for one team and the other 29 of them are the opponents, so trying to go out there and do the best I can for my team and my teammates.”

The same went for Woods Richardson and Manoah on that latter part.

Even though neither has pitched above A-ball, both promising right-handers have fast-track repertoires, displayed over a combined four innings of one-hit, one-walk work against a regular-season-quality lineup.

Woods Richardson, a 20-year-old who served as part of the return for Marcus Stroman, got the start and as he listened to the Yankees lineup being announced – D.J. LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Brett Gardner, Gary Sanchez, Jay Bruce and Derek Dietrich – it struck him that, “they’re actually in the box, you’re not watching guys on TV no more, you’re actually facing them.”

Quickly he reset, throwing mostly a four-seamer that averaged 92.7 m.p.h. and topped out at 94.6, and a curveball that generated two whiffs, including a third strike on Stanton in the second. Not bad for his Grapefruit League debut.

“It was just don’t try to do too much and be myself on the mound, you know?” Woods Richardson said of his self-talk as he took the field. “You might have seen me head-bobbing and shaking my head. It was just trying to be myself as much as possible and be as comfortable as possible. And yet, even though the adrenaline is coming in, anticipation of the game is coming, I still had to take a deep breath, get on the mound, attack the strike zone and just be myself.”

Manoah, the 23-year-old first-rounder in 2019, picked up right from there.

After Bruce’s single to lead off the third, Manoah struck out Dietrich on a 97.8 m.p.h. fastball that was his hardest of the outing (he averaged 96.8) and then induced a LeMahieu double play. Manoah opened the fourth by hitting Judge, but then struck out the side by catching Hicks looking at a slider, freezing Stanton with a sinker and getting Torres on a slider in the dirt.

It was big boy stuff, something Manoah said he was prepared for after the Blue Jays “threw me into the sharks” during live batting practice by pitting him against George Springer, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette and Rowdy Tellez.

“For me, that was a really exciting moment to be able to throw against a Silver Slugger, MVP finalist and guys who played in some big games,” he said. “When I went into that outing I was extremely amped up. The location of my pitches wasn’t as great. So tonight going in, I was able to use some of that adversity and some of that experience and, ‘Hey, we’re going to face a good lineup tonight, but stay within yourself, your stuff is good, your stuff plays, go out there and just compete, man. Just have a good time and whatever happens, happens. … That was the headspace.”

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Ben Nicholson-Smith is Sportsnet’s baseball editor. Arden Zwelling is a senior writer. Together, they bring you the most in-depth Blue Jays podcast in the league, covering off all the latest news with opinion and analysis, as well as interviews with other insiders and team members.

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Similarly impressive is how both young pitchers weren’t content to simply soak in the atmosphere, instead trying to leverage every bit of the opportunity before them.

Even before taking the mound, Manoah closely watched the Yankees hitters, “looking for tendencies.”

“Are guys watching the ball all the way into the mitt? Are they swinging at first pitches? Are they biting on sliders? What what kind of approach are they having?” he continued. “That kind of will tell me how the day is going to go for me. If I got guys that are going to swing at first pitches, hey, we’re going to throw that sinker in there and let’s get some ground balls. If we’ve got guys [who] are going to spit a little bit, hey let’s get more of the plate, let’s get them in a count where we’ve got them handcuffed a little bit, 1-2, 0-2.”

Woods Richardson also made a point of watching Kluber dice up the Blue Jays, focusing on the way “he attacked the zone and the way he could (use) his pitch selection to control the strike zone, and get guys to miss, and just to see how a former Cy Young winner operates. It was cool to match up against him for my first outing.”

As first reported by Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe, Bradley has agreed to join the Milwaukee Brewers on a two-year, $24-million contract with a player option after the first year.

Bradley, 30, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Boston Red Sox, helping the team win the World Series in 2018. A speedy centerfielder, he won a Gold Glove award in 2018 and was named ALCS MVP that year.

Last season, Bradley had one of his best seasons at the plate, hitting .283/.364/.450 with seven home runs and a career-low strikeout rate of just 22.1 per cent.

It could be difficult to figure that out in the lead up to this year’s deadline.

How many teams are really out of it already? Ottawa’s set up to sell again, as is Detroit. Nashville is trending that way and Buffalo too. Maybe Anaheim.

And that’s sort of it six weeks out from the trade deadline. Normally that might be plenty of time for more space to separate the standings and for teams to break off into their tiers. But there are a few different factors at play this season that could make that not so simple.

1. Since you only play within your division, it’s not as hard to make up ground during a hot streak. In Canada, for instance, while the Calgary Flames struggle and face a host of questions to do with their core’s identity, a need for change, and a lack of urgency, it’s maybe not time to throw in the towel and become a hard seller yet.

They’re just three points back of Montreal for fourth (granted, with two more games played), but the Habs are also going through hard times of their own. They play each other a couple of times next week and if the Flames can recover first, things may not look so bad again.

2. Quarantine is a real issue that may force teams to make their trade calls earlier than usual. There will no doubt be some deadline day deals anyway, but especially for cross-border trading, the real deadline may actually fall earlier in March, so that an acquired player will be able to play more than a handful of games with his new team before playoffs.

3. Not many teams want to take on money these days. We’ve heard it countless times and the sheer number of capable depth players who are passing through waivers unclaimed (goalies aside) makes that clear. Teams aren’t making the money they’re used to, but the flat cap is also pinching everyone. Over half the league is using LTIR to be compliant and with no sign of the cap rising next season, adding a contract with term will also be tricky. Even money trades may be more popular than ever and termed deals may be easier to swap in the off-season, when teams can go 10 per cent over the cap and just generally have more wiggle room.

So will this year’s trade deadline be a dud? We’ll see. We’d still expect rental players to be shopped as they won’t come with much salary commitment and nothing past this year. And we’d still expect the top teams to try and add bits around the edges.

It is possible, though, that we may not see as many trades on the day or overall in the lead up this season, and that trades occur further out from deadline day than usual.

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BLUE JACKETS WANT A CENTRE

This wasn’t supposed to be an issue for them this season. Pierre-Luc Dubois was their 1C. Max Domi was brought in to hopefully be a two and, if not, a three. Mikko Koivu was signed as veteran depth at the position.

Now Dubois is gone, Koivu retired, and Domi is back on the wing. Alexandre Texier has been good there at times, but is young and still learning the position. He’s moved down the depth chart even as the Blue Jackets need centres. Jack Roslovic is the best of the bunch now, and he’s new to the organization and played mostly wing in Winnipeg.

As the Blue Jackets slide down the standings, one possible reaction was to fire the coach. That’s what you do after six years when a struggling team doesn’t respond, right?

Not this time. Not for now, anyway. GM Jarmo Kekalainen committed to his coaching staff and supported their ability to get the players out of this in a conference call on Tuesday. While a coaching change is off the table for now, trying to acquire another centre is back on the agenda.

“It’s a challenge because (centres are) just not available via trade so you usually have to draft and develop one and I think we did that very well with one player and now he’s not here so we have to get back into our hunt finding a centreman through draft or trade,” Kekalainen said Tuesday.

“There could be some available in the free agent market next summer, but I can assure you we understand the importance of the centre ice position and that’s why we did a lot of the different moves we tried to do in the off-season to strengthen that position and it hasn’t exactly gone as planned. We’ll keep searching and doing our job and building the team.

“I think we have some very good potential centre icemen growing into that role within our team, but we’re also going to look for ways to strengthen that position from the outside.”

WHY MOVING JAKE VIRTANEN IS PROVING SO DIFFICULT FOR VANCOUVER

At some points on Saturday, it seemed like we might get a trade between Anaheim and Vancouver. The Canucks have been trying to move Jake Virtanen for a while and they were being attached to Danton Heinen of the Ducks. But, again, money is the core of this issue.

Virtanen is a player in need of a new start. He has just a single goal in 20 games this season and just hasn’t been able to gain any momentum with the Canucks. He is still just 24 so usually there are takers for that sort of player.

But $2.25 million for this season and next is too rich and too much of a termed commitment for that sort of player in this economy. And it’s not just the cap hit, but Virtanen is due $3.4 million in actual salary next season, which is not attractive at all. Heinen makes $2.8 million, but is an RFA this summer.

“That second year is tough. That 3.4 next year is a real challenge,” Elliotte Friedman said on Sportsnet 960 The FAN’s Big Show. “One of the things that’s going on right now is there aren’t a lot of teams willing to take on money. It’s a real buyer’s market. There’s a lot of sellers. There’s a lot of teams that think they’ve got a chance or they want to move cash, but how many teams out there do you think want to take cash? Not very many.”

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From the Canucks’ point of view, they would replace Virtanen with another struggling depth producer in the hopes he’ll figure it out in a new destination. Notably, this would not be a typical seller’s trade, recouping draft picks for the future. It’d be a push forward, with the allowance of salary relief this off-season if they so choose.

But it seems they’d need to think of some other way for the money to work more comfortably for the Ducks.

A CROWDED MARKET PLAYS IN FAVOUR OF THE BUYERS

So if there are going to be few motivated sellers and not many teams looking to take on money anyway, there just may not be enough chairs for every trade candidate to land in.

If a Filip Forsberg or a Jack Eichel or a Johnny Gaudreau became available, then all bets are off and we could get our second blockbuster of the season. Those deals could happen under any sort of conditions as long as the cap works.

But outside of those big names, you could find a lot of players who do similar things become available. They’d all be sought after in some way by a team that wants to add depth and go for it, but those teams could be very particular about their decisions.

Let’s go back to Vancouver again and take Brandon Sutter as an example. He’s 32, a checking third- or fourth-liner at the valued centre position, and he’s in the last year of his contract. There is no financial commitment to make to him beyond this season.

But how many players like him could be available? Sam Bennett has requested a trade from Calgary and has regularly stepped up his play in the post-season. Luke Glendening could be traded off by rebuilding Detroit. Erik Haula in Nashville, Artem Anisimov in Ottawa. There are a range of centres just on “white flag” teams and in the final year of their deals. More names will surely be added to this list of prospective trade targets.

It won’t necessarily mean a lot of deals happen, or that all of them even move.

“The problem is how many Brandon Sutter-like players will be out there?” Friedman said. “So the teams that are actually taking on money they can afford to be picky and choosy and say ‘we’ll wait until either the perfect player we want or the least return we can give up.’ ”

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WHY A JACK EICHEL TRADE IS LIKELY A SUMMER DEAL

If you’re Buffalo, the last thing you want to do is rush into a Jack Eichel trade.

You certainly don’t want to do it at an emotional time.

And it is emotional right now around the Sabres. The players and coach don’t always seem to be on the same page. Healthy scratches to Jeff Skinner are becoming far too much of a focus for a guy making $9 million another six seasons. Injuries are piling up, passion is sliding down, and this year’s Sabres look like so many that have come in the past decade before it.

All of this has re-engaged Eichel’s name in trade speculation. He has not asked out, he’s signed long-term and he’s still Buffalo’s best player they need to try and build around to leave this stalled reconstruction period.

The Rangers and Kings have been linked, but during this season it’s hard to see how many other teams could get involved and give the Sabres what they would need. Those aren’t the kinds of conditions you want to be trading your best player in.

“If you do it now can you make your best deal, or are you smarter to wait until after the season when everybody knows what their contract statuses are, when teams are going to have the 10 per cent bonus cushion to use, all of that stuff?” Friedman asked. “I just think the biggest question is what does Buffalo want here? What do they think?”

Most of the bigger trades of note in recent years have come in the off-season. There was, of course, a huge trade between Columbus and Winnipeg already this season, but that involved players asking to be moved. It’s not that bad in Buffalo yet, but it could get there.

It just seems to make a heck of a lot more sense to wait for the summer, when the market would be wider.

If trading Eichel is even what you really want to do.

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NASHVILLE OPEN TO ALL OPTIONS

A horrendous start to the season leaves almost everything on the table in Nashville.

Even Mattias Ekholm is appearing on trade lists.

Nashville is sitting 25th in the league by points percentage and second-last in the Central. Their special teams are a mess and a minus-17 goal differential shows this isn’t just a minor run of bad luck. GM David Poile may have to change his core, though the biggest moves possibly have to wait until the off-season.

Among those possibilities include Ekholm, Filip Forsberg or Viktor Arvidsson. More likely to move this season could be the likes of Mikael Granlund or Erik Haula, two pending UFAs.

“I think Nashville at the very least what they’ve done is they’ve let everybody know this is where we are and if you’re serious come talk to us and I think teams that are interested in adding or think they have a chance or are really interested in one of those players, I think they’re fielding the market,” Friedman said.

“I don’t know for sure that Forsberg is going to get dealt, but I think Nashville knows who is interested.”

Friedman had previously reported the untouchables on Nashville were Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Pekka Rinne.

Rowdy Tellez knows how to prepare his body for the rigors of spring training and a professional baseball season, but as part of his preparation for the 2021 campaign the Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter/first baseman also wanted to strengthen on his mind.

Tellez explained during an interview with Arash Madani and Stephen Brunt on Sportsnet 590 he added reading to his off-season repertoire.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old said since he had free time with COVID going on he wanted to stay productive so he decided to start reading a book from legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden, who prior to his death in 2010 wrote many books on leadership, motivation, life lessons and other related topics.

“A lot of that stems from anxiety, some depression from what I went through with my mom and really not tapping into that untapped potential of what the mind can do and what you can understand,” explained Tellez, whose mother died in 2018 shortly before the Sacramento native made his major-league debut.

“(The book) helped me really understand what it’s like to be a leader and to be a figure in a community – not just Toronto but worldwide,” Tellez continued. “A lot of people would do anything to be in my shoes. That’s where I kinda took that and I was like, ‘I’m not just a leader within my community; I’m not just a leader on the field; I’m not one of 26 men on the roster; I’m one of billions of people but I have a platform and I have an understanding to lead by how I act.’

“That’s why (Wooden’s) teams were so good with UCLA. He didn’t get the best basketball players. He got the best men. He got the guys that were mentally ready and he turned them into the best basketball players. That’s where I was like, ‘I’m a good baseball player, but I can be a better man and in return being a better man is going to make me a better teammate which in turn is going to make me a better player on the field and then it’s gonna push my teammates to be even better and it’s gonna push myself to be better.’”

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Tellez is entering his fourth season with the Blue Jays and is coming off a shortened 2020 season that saw him post a career-best on-base percentage (.346) and finish with the team’s second-best slugging percentage (.540).

So what’s different today compared to his first spring training appearance several years ago? Tellez said on the outside he’s pretty much the same person who’s smiling and jibing back and forth with teammates on the regular.

“Inside it’s much calmer,” Tellez said. “A little bit more – I wouldn’t even say adult – more mature, just a little bit more understood. Like, I even understand myself better. Like, I don’t do something then question myself right away. Now I can think things through prior. … I don’t second-guess myself much. I’m just happy with where I’m at. I’m just happy with where I’m at mentally. I’ve always been confident in who I am as a person, who I am as a player and body and all that but I’m finally happy with the mentality that I bring to the yard every day.”

Tellez, who had two hits in two plate appearances as starting DH in Toronto’s spring opener Sunday, said the “vibes are great” in the clubhouse at the team’s impressive new development complex in Dunedin, Fla.

The Blue Jays continue their spring training schedule this week with games against the Yankees, Tigers, Orioles and Phillies.

Tellez concluded with some cerebral life advice: “It’s a long road, you know, so if you can just take it day by day and enjoy every day and be grateful to see the next that’s really all you can be. Peace of mind. Freedom.”

Because the sequence of events — Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin firing Waite and appointing Sean Burke director of goaltending in the middle of a game, and six days after swapping out the head and associate coaches for one assistant coach on Montreal’s bench and one on the AHL affiliate’s bench — and how bizarre it seems is hardly as relevant as the decision itself and why it was made.

“It’s fair to say that I have high expectations,” Bergevin said on Wednesday, and he could’ve stopped right there.

That has ruled everything since Bergevin built the team we see on the ice today — the scratching and waiving of veteran players, Claude Julien and Kirk Muller being fired and replaced by Dominique Ducharme and Alexandre Burrows, and Waite being replaced by Burke — and it will rule whatever happens next.

This past off-season, over $100 million of owner Geoff Molson’s money was spent on Jake Allen, Joel Edmundson, Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson and contract extensions for Jeff Petry and Brendan Gallagher, and the stakes were raised higher than a Tokyo skyscraper.

“I said it from Day 1: I expect this team to make the playoffs,” said Bergevin. “I have expectations that we have a good team, that we can beat anybody if we’re on top of our game, and that’s why I felt it was important to make those changes… You don’t make changes just to make changes. But my job is if I see things that I don’t like and I could help, that’s what I have to do. That’s my responsibility.”

It will not continue to be Bergevin’s responsibility if he sits on the sidelines and just hopes the power play, the penalty kill and the defensive coverage issues somehow magically get fixed. So he makes a coaching change.

If the GM stands idle while Carey Price continues to struggle through the same pattern we’ve seen from him in three consecutive seasons — the one where he is average for the first month and terrible for the second — he’s doing the team and himself a disservice. So he makes the change he made on Tuesday, days after Price has a brutal loss to the Winnipeg Jets and says he’s overthinking things.

After all, Bergevin’s not the only one with high expectations for this Canadiens season.

“We have a team that should make the playoffs, I can tell you that,” Molson told Sportsnet in this exclusive interview two months prior to Bergevin adding Corey Perry as the final depth piece to this well-balanced roster. “And I think the team and the organization and the fans would be extremely disappointed if we didn’t. I think we’ve gotten to the point where we can. So, with that in mind, it would be disappointing if we didn’t.”

That’s why Tuesday’s change was made.

Never mind that it came in the middle of a game, that it was made after Price made 26 saves on 27 shots and that he spoke to the media and we were uncertain as to whether or not he knew about the change while he was talking until Bergevin clarified on Wednesday he did not. And forget that this move could’ve been made at the same time Julien and Muller were let go.

Bergevin explained he wasn’t 100 per cent sure about firing Waite then and didn’t act on it until consulting with the man who’s taking over. He clarified that there was no bad blood or eruption between Price and Waite that forced him to act out of the blue, but simply that he had spoken with Burke, who pointed out a few technical flaws in Price’s game only a goaltending expert would recognize.

Bergevin felt a new voice was needed for Price. He pounced to bring in Burke, who was already a member of the team’s scouting staff and had gone through his own ups and downs through an 858-game NHL career between the pipes. He also felt reassured by Burke’s previous experience as a goaltending coach with the Phoenix-turned-Arizona Coyotes, and finalized his decision just prior to Tuesday’s game at the Bell Centre after he said he was 100 per cent sure this could help Price shallow the valleys he has traversed over the last three seasons.

“I’ve seen ups and downs,” Bergevin said. “You guys saw it. Again, everybody goes through it.

“It was a gut feeling that I had, and sometimes you have to trust your instinct. You run a business, whatever you do, and you have some instincts you trust. You have to go by what you believe, and I felt that my instincts told me that a change was needed.”

I’s not a change Price asked for — as Bergevin confirmed — but it’s clearly one the goaltender’s welcoming after posting an unfathomably bad .888 save percentage through his first 12 starts of the season.

“Sometimes change is good,” Price said. “Sometimes it’s just good to hear a new voice. It’s not to say I didn’t appreciate what Steph was doing, it’s just sometimes a necessity in pro hockey.”

It became one after Price admitted both technical and mental elements of his game had slipped after “an evolution of small things” piled up and fractured the synergy he had with Waite, a coach he said he has deep admiration for.

“I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent with Steph,” Price said. “He’s a hard-working, dedicated goalie coach, and I really appreciate all that work that he’s done with us.”

It helped Price sweep the 2015 NHL Awards. It helped him win Olympic and World Cup gold. It helped him dominate the playoffs in August.

But now Price is looking forward to whatever fresh ideas Burke will bring — first through Zoom meetings, while the latter serves a mandatory two-week quarantine, and then on the ice come Mar. 19 (provided there’s no technical snafus in Burke’s travel to Montreal and his serving of said quarantine).

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Everyone knows what’s at stake. Price especially.

“I had a talk with Carey recently, and he knows that he’s not on top of his game,” Bergevin said. “He knows. It might not come across when he talks to you guys that he cares, but he knows. He knows that his game is not where it should be. He knows more than anybody else, even me.”

But Bergevin knows Price’s game has to get there if the Canadiens are going to do what he expects them to do.

“Sincerely, and I’m going to be frank,” Bergevin said, “I still believe Carey Price is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.”

The GM couldn’t continue to watch Price be one of the worst. Not with what’s at stake this season.

“I made the change to give Carey the tools and the message to help him, and I’m confident Sean Burke will help him,” Bergevin said.

If he’s right, that decision will play huge both now and in the future, with the 33-year-old Price making $10.5 million this season and slated to earn the most money of any goaltender through 2026.

The Associated Press reached out to two dozen state lawmakers sponsoring such measures around the country as well as the conservative groups supporting them and found only a few times it’s been an issue among the hundreds of thousands of American teenagers who play high school sports.

In South Carolina, for example, Rep. Ashley Trantham said she knew of no transgender athletes competing in the state and was proposing a ban to prevent possible problems in the future. Otherwise, she said during a recent hearing, “the next generation of female athletes in South Carolina may not have a chance to excel.”

In Tennessee, House Speaker Cameron Sexton conceded there may not actually be transgender students now participating in middle and high school sports; he said a bill was necessary so the state could be “proactive.”

Some lawmakers didn’t respond to AP’s queries. Others in places like Mississippi and Montana largely brushed aside the question or pointed to a pair of runners in Connecticut. Between 2017 and 2019, transgender sprinters Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood combined to win 15 championship races, prompting a lawsuit.

Supporters of transgender rights say the Connecticut case gets so much attention from conservatives because it’s the only example of its kind.

“It’s their Exhibit A, and there’s no Exhibit B — absolutely none,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and a prominent trans-rights attorney.

The multiple sports bills, he says, address a threat that doesn’t exist.

There’s no authoritative count of how many trans athletes have competed recently in high school or college sports. Neither the NCAA nor most state high school athletic associations collect that data; in the states that do collect it, the numbers are minimal: No more than five students currently in Kansas, nine in Ohio over five years.

Transgender adults make up a small portion of the U.S. population, about 1.3 million as of 2016, according to the Williams Institute, a think-tank at the UCLA School of Law that specializes in research on LGBTQ issues.

The two dozen bills making their way through state legislatures this year could be devastating for transgender teens who usually get little attention as they compete.

In Utah, a 12-year-old transgender girl cried when she heard about the proposal, which would separate her from her friends. She’s far from the tallest girl on her club team, and has worked hard to improve her times but is not a dominant swimmer in her age group, her coach said.

“Other than body parts I’ve been a girl my whole life,” she said.

The girl and her family spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to avoid outing her publicly.

Those who object to the growing visibility and rights for transgender people, though, argue new laws are needed to keep the playing field fair for cisgender girls.

“When the law does not recognize differences between men and women, we’ve seen that women lose,” said Christiana Holcomb, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the Connecticut lawsuit on behalf of four cisgender girls.

One of those girls, Chelsea Mitchell, defeated Terry Miller — the faster of the two trans sprinters — in their final two races in February 2020

The ADF and others like it are the behind-the-scenes backers of the campaign, offering model legislation and a playbook to promote the bills most of them with common features and even titles, like the Save Women’s Sports Act.

When asked for other examples of complaints about middle or high school transgender athletes, ADF and the Family Policy Alliance, cited two: One involved a Hawaii woman who coaches track and filed a complaint last year over a trans girl competing in girls’ volleyball and track. The other involved a cisgender girl in Alaska who defeated a trans sprinter in 2016, then appeared in a Family Policy Alliance video saying the trans girl’s third-place finish was unfair to runners who were further behind.

Only one state, Idaho, has enacted a law curtailing trans students’ sports participation, and that 2020 measure is blocked by a court ruling.

Chase Strangio, a transgender-rights attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, notes that in several states with proposed sports bans, lawmakers also are seeking to ban certain gender affirming health care for transgender young people

“This is not about sports,” he said. ”It’s a way to attack trans people.”

Some states’ school athletic organizations already have rules about trans participation in sports: 19 states allow full inclusion of trans athletes; 16 have no clear-cut statewide policy; seven emulate the NCAA’s rule by requiring hormone therapy for trans girls; and eight effectively ban trans girls from girls’ teams, according to attorney Asaf Orr of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Texas is among those with a ban, limiting transgender athletes to teams conforming with the gender on their birth certificate.

That policy came under criticism in 2017 and 2018, when trans male Mack Beggs won state titles in girls’ wrestling competitions after he was told he could not compete as a boy.

While Beggs, Miller and Yearwood were the focus of news coverage and controversy, trans athletes more commonly compete without any furor — and with broad acceptance from teammates and competitors.

In New Jersey’s Sussex County, trans 14-year-old Rebekah Bruesehoff competes on her middle school field hockey team and hopes to keep playing in high school.

“It’s all been positive,” she said. “The coaches have been really helpful.”

While New Jersey has a trans-inclusive sports policy, Rebekah is distressed by the proposed bans elsewhere _ notably measures that might require girls to verify their gender.

“I know what it’s like to have my gender questioned,” Rebekah said. “It’s invasive, embarrassing. I don’t want others to go through that.”

The possibility that any athlete could have to undergo tests or examinations to prove their gender was among the reasons that Truman Hamburger, a 17-year-old high school student in North Dakota, showed up at the statehouse to protest a proposed ban.

“Once you open up that door on gender policing, that’s not a door you can easily shut,” he said.

Sarah Huckman, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, ran track and cross country for three years at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, after coming out as trans in 7th grade.

Huckman showed great talent in the sprints and hurdles, but was not dominant on a statewide level. In her senior year, she won several events in small and mid-size meets, and had 6th place and 10th place finishes in the Division II indoor state championships.

The proposed bans appall her.

“It’s so demeaning toward my group of people,” she said. “We’re all human beings. We do sports for the love of it.”

Yet somehow the public verdict on Ilya Mikheyev seems to be that he’s passing all the tests.

There are no boos or calls for trades or demotions, and frankly, everyone I hear would be just fine if they ran him out there regularly with any combination of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, or William Nylander. I think it’s fair to say he’s generally beloved by the team, fans and media.

Part of that for sure is that he plays a style that endears him well to Canadian fans. He works hard with the dial always set to hustle, he’ll play physically, he’ll go to the net, and just for the eye test, he’s got size. He’s also got the distinct advantage of not being overpaid, which from a perception standpoint might be the greatest sin one can commit up here.

Tack on that Mikheyev doesn’t have command enough of the English language (not quite anyway) to say anything anyone dislikes, and you’ve put together a pretty likeable package.

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(That what he has said has been charming enough to earn him advertising time as the Soupman – which in itself is pretty hilarious – only furthers his likeability. Honestly, most people seem to like the idea of Ilya Mikheyev more than they know the man himself.)

But Mikheyev is playing the most of any Leafs forward at 5-on-5 outside the top-6, and he’s turned that into two goals and four assists through 23 games. (Not great, Bob.) There are other positive ways to spin that. He’s right where he should be in shots (behind just five Leafs in attempts), while putting up a stunningly poor/unlucky shooting percentage of 4.7 per cent. More goals will come if he just plays the way he’s been playing. But still, that’s pretty light output for a guy playing real minutes on a good team in a soft division.

So, what’s the verdict here? Has he been disappointing, has he been invaluable, what are we to make of a season where the guy’s results look relatively poor but the team – who’d have a better sense of his contributions than the rest of us – continually chooses to throw him over the boards?

The conclusion for me is basically that he’s been handed a damn tough assignment this season (which in itself shows the team trusts him), and done fine with it. He’s good defensively and great on the PK. I know it’s disappointing the answer isn’t “give the guy the Selke” or “get him off the rink,” but that’s where we’re at. He’s been handed a lot, and is mostly losing the statistical battle in those minutes, but someone’s gotta muck the barn so the farm can run smooth.

As of Wednesday, Mikheyev has been handed the toughest situational starts of any player on the Leafs at 5-on-5, and it isn’t close. On just 36.5 per cent of his shifts does he get to start in the O-zone. Here’s his player usage chart, via Dobber Hockey’s Frozen Tools, which contains a lot of information, but here we’ll focus on the axis that shows him starting in his own end (and against pretty decent competition compared to most forwards).

It’s ol’ Ilya and the rest of the team, as you can see there. Also, congrats to Travis Boyd on the other end, who Mikheyev surely envies a great deal.

You’ll also note that Mikheyev’s little circle is just about red, which is reflective of where shots have generally gone when he’s on the ice. By just about every shot attempt metric, it hasn’t been pretty. In sum, he starts in his own end, more pucks end up at the Leafs net than the other one (as you’d expect), and so again, he’s not over or underperforming his assignment, really.

Why I think he’s worthy of conversation, though, is because he’s one of the few players on the Leafs who, to my eye, will give them more as the season goes on. Part of what’s hurt him, on top of the O-zone start percentage, is the team using him as a “can go anywhere” band-aid type player. Top-six, bottom-six, with anyone, they don’t hesitate to hand him new challenges, which means he has roughly zero consistency with his linemates, and no chance to find chemistry.

A normal player will see a big chunk of their ice time with the same linemates, followed by a smattering of smaller percentages with other linemates as the weirdness of a hockey game dictates. For example, here’s who Auston Matthews has spent the bulk of his time with at even strength this season. Two groups make up two-thirds of his time on ice, before it drops into smaller percentages (I cut it off at five groups). You can safely say he’s spent the year with Marner and one of Hyman/Thornton almost every game.

Conversely, here’s what Mikheyev’s minutes look like, which have seen him spend no more than about 23 per cent of his time with any consistent line this season.

The top line is a nice one, but after that it’s kind of a grab bag.

So to get back to how this all turns even more positive for Mikheyev, I know Sheldon Keefe well enough to know he likes to experiment with his roster (call it research), and being in first place allows him to do as much of that as he wants. The team has a lot of forwards this season, having used as many as any team in the league, and they want to evaluate all of them. But come playoffs, and even closer to playoffs, lines will crystallize if they’re healthy. That will work in Mikheyev’s favour.

His forecast then is more consistent linemates, and I’d predict a slightly elevated O-zone start rate (if nothing else, it won’t drop lower than 36.5 per cent). And the things he does will continue to dictate that he’s worthy of playing consistent minutes, because what line couldn’t use a quality defensive player who can forecheck with a good stick and who’s positionally sound all over the rink?

Watch how good he is at using that long stick for disruption, which is a great attribute that’s become more valued over the years. You’re never safe with the puck anywhere within a 15-foot radius of this guy’s wingspan. He gets above his check, and when he isn’t, he’s able to reach into lanes. It’s all really good stick work.

I see a player who brings consistent effort and does so much right, who’s been handed a tough combination of zone starts and inconsistent linemates. And none of this goes into his contributions on the penalty kill, where his expected goals rate is above 25 per cent, meaning that of every four goals scored while he’s on the ice shorthanded, one should be going in for the Leafs (without beating this dead horse too much, his shooting percentage will regress to average here and he’ll get a couple). That rate is in the top-five for NHL forwards who kill with any consistency, which has huge value on a team not overflowing with penalty killing forwards.

Even with some of the poor shot attempt metrics for Mikheyev, he’s a huge part of the Leafs up front. He’s one of those guys you don’t really appreciate until he’s not there to do the dirty work. But it’s only a matter of time until his boxcar numbers better reflect the value he’s brought in 2020-21, and until then, you can see the value reflected in how much the team continues to use him.

After all, it’s tough to impress people with your show ponies if the barn isn’t sparkling clean.

He goes over everything from Carter Hart leaving the net at a very inopportune moment to Sidney Crosby scoring perhaps the easiest goal of his career.

The Pelicans’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Knicks’ RJ Barrett, the Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke, the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort and the Warriors’ Mychal Mulder were all named to the roster on Wednesday. The announcement was made on NBA Top Shot and each player named to the cancelled game will get a special moment on Top Shot, which will be available in a new set released during All-Star Weekend.

The Rising Stars game features two teams, the U.S. Team and World Team, made up of first and second-year players in a game normally contested during the all-star festivities. The NBA will still hold an All-Star Game and skills competition this Sunday in Atlanta.

Below are the full Rising Stars rosters:

U.S. Team
LaMelo Ball (Charlotte)
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento)
Tyler Herro (Miami)
De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta)
Keldon Johnson (San Antonio)
Ja Morant (Memphis)
Michael Porter Jr. (Denver)
Zion Williamson (New Orleans)
James Wiseman (Golden State)

World Team
Precious Achiuwa (Miami)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (New Orleans)
Deni Avdija (Washington)
RJ Barrett (New York)
Facundo Campazzo (Denver)
Brandon Clarke (Memphis)
Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City)
Rui Hachimura (Washington)
Théo Maledon (Oklahoma City)
Mychal Mulder (Golden State)

The 23-year-old quarterback was considered an untouchable player on the roster only a year ago. General manager Joe Douglas has backed off that stance, though, and it could signal a major change at the position as free agency and the NFL draft approach.

“I will answer the call if it’s made,” Douglas said Wednesday when asked if he’d listen to offers for Darnold. “As it pertains to Sam, Sam’s, we think, a dynamic player in this league with unbelievable talent and who really, really has a chance to really hit his outstanding potential moving forward.

“But, you know, like I said earlier, if calls are made, I will answer.”

Douglas’ comments during a video call that included new coach Robert Saleh marked the first time the GM directly acknowledged being willing to trade Darnold. And that has the quarterback’s future with the Jets murky — just three years after being hailed as a potential long-term solution at a position that has long lacked consistent production.

“Our stance on Sam hasn’t changed,” Douglas insisted. “He’s an extremely talented player and he’s very smart, very tough. And we have no doubt that Sam is going to achieve his outstanding potential. Obviously, we’re in the process of getting as much information as we can leading up through free agency and the draft.”

Then-GM Mike Maccagnan traded up in the draft to select Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, but the quarterback has not lived up to those lofty expectations because of inconsistency and injuries. Former coach Adam Gase acknowledged he didn’t help Darnold enough to thrive, and the Jets lacked playmaking talent to help him take the next step in his development.

While Darnold has shown flashes during his three NFL seasons, there remain serious doubts as to whether he can lift the franchise. His contract also makes his status uncertain.

Darnold is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to count $9.8 million against the Jets’ salary cap. While that’s a manageable cost, New York has until May 3 to decide whether to exercise Darnold’s fifth-year option — which would cost the Jets between $15 million and $20 million, fully guaranteed.

New York currently holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft next month, and BYU’s Zach Wilson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields are among the names being mentioned as options for the Jets.

But they are also being mentioned as potential suitors for Houston’s Deshaun Watson, who wants out — although the Texans have, for now, insisted they have no intention of dealing the star quarterback. If the Texans do change their stance, any deal would likely have to include lots of draft capital. And that’s something it doesn’t appear Douglas is willing to part with.

“Ultimately, for us to get to where the great teams are, the most consistent teams are, you do that through the draft,” Douglas said when asked his philosophy on hypothetically dealing picks for a star player. “For us to really be that team that’s consistently competing for Super Bowls, we have to hit on our draft picks.”

While rumours swirl, Douglas contended that the Jets, who are expected to have about $80 million to spend under the cap, have no immediate deadline on making a decision on Darnold or the quarterback position.

The Jets could also opt to stick with Darnold, for at least this year, and trade down from No. 2 to acquire several more roster-building draft picks.

“We’re gathering as much information as we possibly can, especially as it pertains not only in free agency, but in this year’s draft class,” Douglas said.

Among other topics:

— Douglas said in January that safety Marcus Maye, scheduled to be a free agent, would be a priority for the team this off-season. Maye appears to be a likely candidate for a franchise tag. Agent Erik Burkhardt was critical of the Jets’ handling of Maye’s situation in a Twitter post Tuesday night, but Douglas brushed off those comments.

“I’ve had a lot of great conversations with (Burkhardt), and you guys know how I feel about Marcus,” the GM said. “This is part of the business. This is part of negotiating. I don’t see this affecting our ability to get something done with Marcus that’s beneficial for both him and the team.”

— Saleh is optimistic the Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs in an NFL-worst 10 seasons, can become contenders in the near future.

“We’re going to win championships here,” the coach insisted. “To give you a timeline, I wish I knew, I’d go to Vegas. But we’re excited about the opportunity that we have in front of us.”

— Woody Johnson has returned as the Jets’ chairman after a four-year stint as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. His brother Christopher served as the chairman and CEO in his absence, and is now the team’s vice chairman.

“They’ve both been very supportive of the processes that we’ve had in place and continue to have moving forward,” Douglas said. “It’s been great having Woody back. I feel like the communication has been outstanding. And it’s the No. 1 thing is that they both want to win.”

Niederreiter hit Saros up high in a collision behind the net five minutes into the Hurricanes-Predators game Tuesday night. He was given a two-minute minor penalty for roughing.

Saros remained in net for the rest of the first period before being replaced by Pekka Rinne to start the second. On Wednesday, the Predators said Saros, who started the past three games, is day to day with an upper-body injury.

"The ref called a penalty," Predators coach John Hynes said after the game. "It was a hit to the head; we’ll have to see where it goes from there. There’s not much more to comment on it. What we all saw was what happened."

Saros allowed two goals after the collision, and Nashville lost the game 4-2 after Rinne allowed one goal on 17 shots. Saros has started 12 of Nashville’s first 22 games, though Rinne figures to take the reins moving forward.

Kasimir Kaskisuo would then serve as the Predators’ No. 2 goaltender. Kaskisuo has one game of NHL experience, allowing six goals on 38 shots last season with Toronto.

The three-time champion will try to win another Tim Hortons Brier title in an arena setting that will be the complete opposite.

Play begins Friday night in a spectator-free Markin MacPhail Centre as elite men’s domestic curling returns after a long absence due to the pandemic.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts provided a successful kickoff to a run of six straight bonspiels at Canada Olympic Park. Now the Brier takes centre stage as 18 teams — many of them competing for the first time in months — square off for the right to hoist the Tankard.

“It’s going to be interesting and really I have no idea what to expect,” Gushue said. “I think once we get through the first weekend, you’ll probably settle in and know the level (everyone) is at and then you just kind of accept it and battle it out.”

The preliminary round will continue through March 11. The top eight teams will qualify for the two-day championship round.

The top three teams will advance the playoffs on March 14. The second- and third-place teams will meet in an afternoon semifinal with the winner to face the first-place side in the evening final.

It has been four years since Gushue won his first Brier in front of a euphoric crowd in St. John’s, N.L. He beat Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher last year in Kingston, Ont.

The Canada skip is listed as an early 2.35-to-1 favourite to repeat by online sports book Coolbet Canada, just ahead of Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs, wild-card entry Kevin Koe and Bottcher.

“I think the fact that there have been so few games and the practice time hasn’t been there for a lot of teams, it’s a bit of a crapshoot to be honest,” Gushue said. “I think this could go a lot of different ways than what it would if we had all had our regular run-up to the Brier.”

Like many rinks at the recent Scotties Tournament of Hearts, most Brier teams were invited by their respective associations to play after the cancellation of annual playdowns due to the pandemic.

“I think we’ll probably be as patient as we can because I think everybody is going to make some mistakes,” Gushue said. “It’s the teams that don’t compound those mistakes that are going to be successful.”

There is no play-in game this year.

Ontario’s Glenn Howard, Koe’s Alberta-based team and Mike McEwen’s rink from Manitoba are the wild-card entries.

Koe will attempt to win a record fifth Brier title as a skip, a mark he shares with Ernie Richardson, Randy Ferbey and Kevin Martin.

Koe is a headliner in Pool B along with Gushue, Ontario’s John Epping and Saskatchewan’s Matt Dunstone, who finished third last year in Kingston.

They’re joined by Quebec’s Mike Fournier, Greg Smith of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I.’s Eddie MacKenzie, Nunavut’s Peter Mackey and Jamie Murphy’s Nova Scotia team that will be skipped by Scott McDonald.

Bottcher, McEwen and Howard are in Pool A along with Jacobs, Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson, B.C.’s Steve Laycock, New Brunswick’s James Grattan, Greg Skauge of the Northwest Territories and Yukon’s Dustin Mikkelsen.

The Brier winner will represent Canada at the April 2-11 world men’s curling championship in the Calgary bubble.

]]> Curling sn-article Ryan Remiorz/CP Canada-Fans-Rio-Olympics-2016 Wed, 03 Mar 2021 08:41:19 EST Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:47:26 EST Associated Press The postponed Tokyo Olympics look like they will take place without any fans from abroad when they open in just under five months.

The post David Fizdale on COVID Vaccine rollout in the NBA and Donovan Mitchell appeared first on Sportsnet.ca.

TOKYO — The new president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee stopped short of saying there would be no foreign fans at this year’s games, but she certainly hinted at it Wednesday after online talks with IOC President Thomas Bach and others.

The Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported Wednesday that the decision had already been made to exclude foreign fans. It cited only unnamed sources “involved in the discussions.”

“If the situation is tough and it would make the (Japanese) consumers concerned, that is a situation we need to avoid from happening,” organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said.

The newspaper report came just before Hashimoto’s meeting with Bach. She said a decision on foreign fans will come by the end of the month, and she wants one by March 25, when the torch relay begins from northeastern Japan.

The Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23.

“In the current situation it is impossible to bring in foreign spectators,” the Mainichi newspaper said, citing an unnamed government official.

Hashimoto was asked after the meeting how Japan could even consider letting in thousands of overseas fans, given how unpopular the idea is at home where up to 80% want the Olympics cancelled or postponed again. Japan has attributed about 8,000 deaths to COVID-19, but has controlled it much better than most countries.

Hashimoto confirmed that the subject of fans was a key part of the “five-party” talks with Bach, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa.

Bach hinted at hard choices to be made in comments before the meeting was closed to reporters.

“We will focus on the essentials,” Bach said. “That means mainly the competitions. This has to be the clear focus. In this respect we may have to set one or another priority.”

The exclusion of foreign fans has been almost a foregone conclusion with the games being held during a pandemic. The Japanese public has been openly opposed to the games, and one sticking point has been the risk presented by visitors entering the country. The other has been the soaring costs.

The games will involve 11,000 Olympic athletes, and later 4,400 Paralympians, and tens of thousands of coaches, judges, sponsors, media and VIPs. Bach said he was encouraged at the number of national Olympic committees that were getting athletes vaccinated. The IOC said it encourages vaccinations but will not require them.

Bach said his hope was “to have as many participants as possible arriving vaccinated to Tokyo.”

“There I can inform you that a considerable number of national Olympic committees has already secured this pre-Tokyo vaccination,” Bach said.

The general plan is to isolate athletes in the Olympic Village alongside Tokyo Bay; put them in a bubble when they arrive, and until they leave Japan.

Hashimoto said a decision on venue capacity will be made by the end of April. She said the “zero-fans option” was not discussed.

“We need to look at the overall situation before we decide on any percentage rates,” she said. “We believe we will not be accepted unless the citizens feel confident that sufficient countermeasures are taken.”

Having fewer fans will be costly. The organizing committee has budgeted income of $800 million from ticket sales. That shortfall will have to be made up by Japanese government entities.

These are the most expensive Olympics on record. The official cost is $15.4 billion, though two government audits suggest it might be almost twice that much. All but $6.7 billion is public money.

The Tokyo Games have been haunted by problems. A bribery scandal tied to the bid in 2013 forced the resignation two years ago of Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda. He denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, former organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori was forced to resign after making sexist comments about women. Essentially, he said they talk too much.

Mori was replaced by Hashimoto, who cautioned on Tuesday of the unpredictable problems that await.

“The biggest challenges is the countermeasures against COVID-19,” she said. “Nobody can foresee how the situation will be this summer.”

]]> Olympics sn-article Andy Devlin/Getty Connor McDavid Oilers Blue Jackets Tue, 02 Mar 2021 16:30:02 EST Tue, 02 Mar 2021 17:16:32 EST Elliotte Friedman Could the NHL capitalize on digital collectible game “moments” the same way the NBA has? More in the latest 31 Thoughts.

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]]> • Will NBA Top Shot come to the NHL?
• Kekalainen backs Tortorella
• Trade landscape a buyer’s market

Jesse Schwarz is laughing before the question is finished.

“I got a couple of messages like, ‘Have you lost your mind?’” he says from Los Angeles. “Someone tweeted at me, ‘You could have a small family home, but cool.’ But I love it…. It’s like day-trading-meets-sports-meets-fantasy.”

Last week, Schwarz created big-time buzz when he purchased a LeBron James “moment” on NBA Top Shot for $208,000. If that sentence sounded like sixth-century Cappadocian to you, here’s a basic explainer: This is the evolution of sports-card trading for the digital world. Instead of a physical card, we’re talking about virtual highlights. The ones you can find online for free are being turned into a limited number of “moments” for sale.

PACK BREAK HYPE

Live break some #NBATopShot packs, featuring NBA players @joshhart, @T_Rozzay3, @Dami0nLee & @TyHaliburton22

Want more content? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://t.co/WFhFCcK7tc pic.twitter.com/9H7FjQDBr9

— NBA Top Shot (@nba_topshot) March 1, 2021

A Montrealer until his mid-20s, Schwarz displayed an entrepreneurial bent as a teenager, culminating in the creation of the Yo’Dough cookie company during his final year of university. He came up with unique flavours and sold them to stores.

“It was before the time of Uber Eats and that kind of thing, which would have been great for that business,” he says. It did get him cover treatment in the Montreal Gazette, which led to friends nicknaming him “Front Page.” Hence the title of his latest venture — Front Page Projects.

That background makes his cliff-dive into this space even more interesting.

“I think LeBron James is the greatest athlete of all-time across any sport…. And, from an investing standpoint, I really think he’s underrated. The way I see value with something like Top Shot, with the prices changing so fast, it’s really about comparing across the different ‘moments.’ Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), these guys are priced sometimes 60-80 per cent the price of a LeBron.

“They obviously have huge potential, but LeBron already is a legend. If he retired tomorrow, that card is going up. If Zion got hurt and had to stop playing tomorrow, that’s the end. And then he never even reached one per cent of LeBron’s career. So, it’s a value play. I thought it was undervalued … even though it was the highest purchase of all time. I think it’s already worth seven figures.”

Is it a fad without staying power? Is it safe and secure? The answers have major implications for the NHL, the NHLPA and the alumni.

In 2019, the NBA and its Players’ Association signed a multiyear licensing agreement with Vancouver-based Dapper Labs, creators of Top Shot. There are two ways to acquire moments. One is to buy them from someone else. The other is through a “drop” — an online reveal of new ones.

Caty Tedman, Top Shot’s head of marketing and partnerships, said Monday that total marketplace transactions are above $270 million since June 15, 2020. “Drop” sales go to the company, which also keeps five per cent of all user-to-user transactions. The NBA and NBPA get an undisclosed percentage on each.

This is an enormous shift from traditional memorabilia collection. Previously, royalties were paid on the initial sale. Once items went to the secondary market, it was out of a league’s or a players’ association’s control. Not anymore.

In the blockchain/cryptocurrency world, these moments are a class of digital assets known as “Non-Fungible Tokens” (NFT). Each NFT contains information unique to it, making it traceable and verifiable. In Top Shot, you can see the sales history of each moment. Code can be created that locks in the NHL, the players, the alumni, whoever, in every sale — not just the first one.

It’s massive, going well beyond collectibles.

“NFTs could turn into a top-three revenue source for the NBA over the next 10 years,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote to USA Today in an email.

As everyone recovers from the pandemic pounding, it’s impossible to ignore this stream. UFC announced a deal with the company last Friday. Tedman indicated work is being done on an extension with the NBA.

According to multiple sources, the NHL (with the NHLPA and Alumni) is one of several leagues discussing/exploring a marriage. Tedman, a New York Rangers’ fan and a manager in the NHL’s social media department from 2012–14, wouldn’t give anything away. But she smiled, pointing out that being Canadian-based might mean Dapper Labs is interested, too.

One source explained it as being similar to the Apple Store. Once a company establishes itself as the leader in its field, you want to be part of its family, not elsewhere.

You don’t need to find a spare $200,000 in your couch to get involved in this particular enterprise. Toronto-based hockey fan Justin Fisher made a $23 investment in a couple of “packs.”

“It went to $800, to $1,200, all the way to $2,800 before it came back down,” he said.

Fisher showed me how to look up his username on the site and check current value. It was at $1,673 on Sunday evening — in the top 28 percentile.

“I treat it like a stock portfolio,” Fisher says. “I’m going to wait and ride it out.”

(He told a great story about how he got a $3 Fred VanVleet moment for his mother, Wendy, a huge fan of the Raptor guard. She told him he’s not allowed to sell that one.)

Popularity is so high that it’s not uncommon to have 100,000 people online trying to snare a supply of 10,000. If you’re not high enough in line, good luck.

Dapper Labs’ initial foray into this space was called “CryptoKitties.” Users created and traded animated cats. One early rendition sold for $170,000. In May 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported on the fading of that fad, with the median price at $12.30. Tedman believes that sports are different, thanks to the enormous passion of its fans.

“We learned that people are interested in this,” Tedman said. “They wanted to engage in cryptocurrency in a way that wasn’t just currency speculation. We also learned it had to be credit-card-payment based. People were not interested in putting a digital wallet on their chrome extension, then worrying about password recovery. Eighty per cent of our payments are through credit cards.”

That answers one huge question about Top Shot. In researching everything from demand to security to the blockchain technology behind it, there’s a lot of, “I have no (expletive) idea what this is, but you can’t ignore it.” I asked Schwarz and Fisher if they were worried about losing their investments/profits if Top Shot lost its league licences, went bankrupt, etc.

“(The site) is rough — they point out they’re in ‘beta’ (tech speak for still in testing),” Fisher said. “But their partnership with the NBA, the company making five per cent on trades…. I just think this blew up too quickly on them. Once they catch up with demand, I think there’s more of a chance they do something special than burn out.”

“I don’t think the NBA would put their name on anything they weren’t planning on sticking with long term,” Schwarz said. “And, if another company took over, that means the world of digital collectibles becomes so big that someone else does it, and these would still be the original ones. That’s how I see it.”

“Once you own it, you own it,” Tedman said. “We can’t go into your wallet and take it away from you. That was very important to the NBA.”

(Schwarz also likes that Dapper Labs created the blockchain for this, called “Flow.” “It’s not all different projects on the same chain. This one is their own.”)

What also stands out is NBA players and owners pushing it, with force. Miami’s Andre Iguodala, an early investor in Zoom, jumped on this train last August.

“We’ve had player-management groups reaching out to us,” Tedman said. “Players sliding into our DMs.”

“Some people might complain that I can get the same video on the internet anywhere any time and watch it,” Cuban wrote in January. “Well, guess what, I can get the same picture on any traditional, physical card on the internet and print it out, and that doesn’t change the value of the card.

“That’s not to say the digital goods and CryptoAssets markets are perfect — they are not. Transaction costs can be high. The markets can still be moved by a few big players (whales), and … can be influenced by narratives that may or may not be true. But the bottom line is that there are a growing number of investors and traders who think that the digital goods and CryptoAsset marketplaces are better than old-school physical markets and the stock market, and most of them are young.”

Another who weighed in? Ted Leonsis (owner of the NHL Capitals/NBA Wizards):

.@nba_topshot. Top Shot. Top Shot. $50 m week. Boffo.https://t.co/B0s97t8DnW

— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) February 21, 2021

“I thought about sports cards the last two years,” Schwarz said. “But to (buy a card), have it shipped, have it graded, where to store it — I don’t want to hold a $200,000 card in my room. I know a lot of people who do invest in traditional cards and they have them locked up somewhere. They’ve never seen their collection. They know on paper what they’ve invested and they know the value they’ve invested. They buy and sell and never even touch anything. This is the same concept, but you don’t have to do any of that.”

This is very different, indeed.

31 Thoughts: The Podcast

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.

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| Marek on Twitter

| Friedman on Twitter

31 THOUGHTS

1. Another area where blockchain technology could have a massive effect on the NHL? Tickets. Some teams have moved into the secondary re-sell market, but many are sold out of their control online or hand to hand outside of arenas. Moving paperless into the “token” world allows for clubs/leagues to get a percentage of every sale, no matter where it occurs. In a gate-driven league, that’s a godsend.

2. A few years ago, I spent some time asking GMs about the intricacies of firing coaches. How do you know when is the right time? A consistent response was, “When you see no pushback. The momentum changes in a game, and your group consistently wilts in the face of it.”

Publicly and privately, Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen stands up for John Tortorella. This is key, because sometimes what people say in private is not the same as what they say in public. But, as the Blue Jackets were swept last weekend in Nashville, extending the losing streak to five games, it was impossible not to wonder about that “pushback.” Instead, Kekalainen publicly backed his coach on Tuesday morning, disputing the idea players have tuned out Tortorella.

“We owe him a lot for what he’s done for this franchise…. I don’t believe in quick fixes — that you all of a sudden blow up something that you’ve been building for a while. I have full confidence we’re going to snap out of this.”

3. Kekalainen did confirm what has been rumoured, that the Blue Jackets are looking at centres. They’ve got some talented young players who need time to grow into that position, but immediate help is needed, too.

4. It’s a buyer’s market out there. With five weeks until the trade deadline, how many teams are really willing to take on money? Never mind “can” take on money under the cap, but would be willing to do so? The list is not long, and there are many more sellers than buyers.

Boston and Philadelphia are eyeing defencemen, although both teams must monitor expansion-draft issues. You don’t want to make that situation worse, unless of course you are trading something that nullifies the problem. Toronto is checking out forwards. Colorado is looking at some options, but I don’t know how high-salaried they would be. One interesting possibility: Minnesota. Unafraid GM and challenging for top spot in the West.

5. A perfect example would be what’s been happening with Anaheim and Vancouver. They’ve been grinding away off-and-on about a Danton Heinen–Jake Virtanen move for approximately a week. But it was never a one-for-one because the money doesn’t match. Heinen makes approximately $1 million more than Virtanen this season; the current Canuck will make $3.4 million cash next season. (Heinen is restricted with arbitration rights.) So they’ve been trying to figure how to equal things. For example, I could see the Ducks asking Vancouver if they’d be interested in Abbotsford’s Derek Grant. It’s a high-wire act.

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6. On Jack Eichel: I know it’s white-hot in Buffalo, but I would be shocked for the above reasons if the Sabres considered a trade now. First, it’s something they have to come to grips with. Second, there simply aren’t a ton of teams in position to do it for budget or cap reasons. Things change in the off-season: contracts coming off the cap; the 10 per cent summer cushion; etc. The Rangers are an obvious exception — they could do it at any time, if they wished — although some of the proposals I’ve seen out there are kinda crazy.

7. I do think teams searching for goalie depth have asked Buffalo about Jonas Johansson, who will be an unrestricted free agent without 21 appearances of at least 30 minutes. Sunday was his second game of the season.

8. Alex Stalock is going to play in Edmonton. The crazy Anton Forsberg-Troy Grosenick Canadian quarantine waiver carousel means the Oilers are preparing to put three goalies on their roster and not risk any further claims. Stalock confirmed to The Athletic’s Michael Russo what had been rumoured, that he’d developed a heart inflammation due to COVID complications. There were fears he’d never play again, so it’s terrific that he’s back. (Was also great to see Rasmus Ristolainen and Ilya Samsonov last weekend for similar reasons.)

I do think the Oilers would like to see Stalock push Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith; the challenge will be getting him up to speed following the quarantine. He has not played a game since Aug. 7, and it’s not like they can send him to AHL Bakersfield for a conditioning stint. Stalock is a competitive guy, so you know he’ll grind for the opportunity.

9. A week ago, the message to the Flames was, “We’ve got to solve our problems ourselves.” GM Brad Treliving is not afraid to look around, but there hasn’t been anything that made sense. Following Monday’s 5–1 defeat in Ottawa, Milan Lucic was spitting fire in defence of head coach Geoff Ward on the Sportsnet 960 post-game radio show with Pat Steinberg.

“You hear a lot of outside noise talking about coaching, style of play and all this bullshit,” he said. “But that has nothing to do with the coaches. That has everything to do with the guys that are playing…. We just want it easy on a night-to-night basis. We don’t want to work hard like we did when this coaching staff took over last year.”

The simple solution in these situations is to fire the coach — but Ward was given the full-time job on Sept. 14. That’s less than six months ago, and it would be such a rough look.

10. No team spent more in the off-season than the Montreal Canadiens, at $102.5 million — and that’s in American dollars, too. (Vegas was second at $100 million; Ottawa third in the mid-60s.) There aren’t many owners doing that during the pandemic, which ratchets up the pressure to extreme levels.

When Claude Julien was fired last week, Montreal was the best team in the league statistically at five-on-five, scoring 63 per cent of the goals in that situation during their games (Tampa Bay was right behind them). That’s usually a good sign for post-season success, but the heightened level of expectation meant GM Marc Bergevin felt he couldn’t wait that long to find out.

What that said to me is Bergevin feels the heat, too, which is notable. At last spring’s GM meetings (which seem like 100 years ago), Bergevin was facing intense criticism about his choices and made the rounds to several media to explain. He was confident, though. He had a plan and believed in what he was going to do; early this season it certainly looked like the organization was reaping rewards. This was not where Montreal thought it would be at the beginning of March.

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11. I wondered if one of the Canadiens’ immediate goals would be to kick-start Phillip Danault, goalless in his first 18 games. New coach Dominique Ducharme tried just that, putting him on the first line and giving the centre a season-high 21:02 in last Thursday’s 6–3 loss in Winnipeg. But Danault didn’t play well, and was down to 15:32 two night later.

Earlier this year, La Presse’s Mathias Brunet reported Danault turned down a six-year, $30-million offer (word is the two sides were approximately $750,000/year apart). I’ve been in situations where my contract situation was uncertain — it screws with your mind. Danault is a really good player, and it sure looks like it’s affected him.

12. Carey Price is starting Tuesday against Ottawa. I wondered if the Canadiens would give Jake Allen a run, simply to let Price have more practice time. When Julien was fired, Price was 48th among 59 qualified goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected, an advanced analytic that takes into account the quality of the shot faced (courtesy Sportlogiq, Marc-Andre Fleury led the league). Opponents were targeting high-blocker on him, too.

13. Forgot to include this last week, but Los Angeles GM Rob Blake did say the Kings hope to re-sign UFA-to-be Alex Iafallo.

14. My guess on Andrei Svechnikov is his next contract comes in around Mathew Barzal’s (three years, $7-million AAV).

15. Welcome to the Hart Trophy race, Patrick Kane.

16. Thank you to Sportsnet’s Joshua Lessard for the research: No team has ever shut out an opponent three straight times with three different goalies. Toronto’s Jack Campbell and Michael Hutchinson shut out Edmonton on Saturday and Monday. Hutchinson started the second of those games because Campbell — just back from injury — was banged up again, joining Frederik Andersen in the infirmary. (Joseph Woll backed up on Monday.)

Twice, however, one team has shut out another three different times during a season with three different goalies. The first was Montreal over Philadelphia in 1968-69 (Gump Worsley, Tony Esposito, Rogie Vachon); the second was Washington over Montreal in 2010-11 and 2011-12 (Braden Holtby, Michal Neuvirth, Tomas Vokoun). Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen combined for three in a row with the Blues in 2018-19.

17. Toronto’s backups were 7-12-2 last season. This year, they are 6-1. Hutchinson is wearing a Wayne Thomas retro mask during games and a Felix Potvin during practices. Does he have more? It would be really something if he pulled out a Mike Palmateer and/or a Curtis Joseph and rotated them whenever he plays.

“There are no plans for any more right now,” Hutchinson said with a bit of a laugh.

David Leroux painted the Thomas mask for him, and they went to the original artist, Greg Harrison, for permission.

“I really like old-school masks,” Hutchinson said. “Clean and clear. So simple, but looks very cool. I love the history of the Maple Leafs.”

Any particular reason for Potvin?

“I was a huge fan growing up.”

18. Another KHL player to keep an eye on: Magnitogorsk defenceman Grigori Dronov. Just turned 23 and may need some AHL time, but there are NHL clubs watching him.

19. After seeing this, I understand why Winnipeg wants Nikolaj Ehlers to shoot more:

What a player he’s turning out to be. I thought he showed a lot in the bubble (even though the Jets lost) because he competed so hard when Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele went down. Then, after close friend Laine was traded, he admitted, “This is tough — this is not much fun,” but hasn’t let it affect his play. Life stinks sometimes — how do you power through it?

The reaction of his teammates after he fought Corey Perry was priceless. He doesn’t drop the gloves often, but his last four are Perry, Brad Marchand, Ryan Getzlaf and Colton Sissons. Not exactly picking pushovers.

20. Wrote last week about the draft and the CBA-related headaches with moving it. Had a couple of people reach out to say what the piece lacked was a “what’s best for the game” angle. That’s a very fair critique, because it should be paramount.

Players, agents and teams feel very strongly that the right thing is to move it. They won’t give up their fight, even though the odds are against them.

21. Fun podcast interview with San Jose’s Mario Ferraro, who is at the nexus of where the NHL is going: a talented young player and an active social media presence. His YouTube page is very good, and you can find him at Youngest of Plugs.

You won’t see much recent activity — he wisely cuts down during the season as he concentrates on building his career. Ferraro did give a smart answer about his dream video: something with the Stanley Cup. He spent a week last summer with Joe Thornton, and saw first-hand how a 41-year-old remains driven in the pursuit of greatness.

“Every morning we went to the gym to train, he called it a tweak session,” Ferraro said. “You gotta work. He says it every day, ‘You gotta work. You want to play in this league for 10-plus seasons, you gotta work.’ (One day) I said I’m going to do an extra rep here because I screwed up on the first set. Next thing you know I’ve got Jumbo Joe Thornton coming over and doing an extra set with me. He doesn’t like to be topped. He won’t let you get an extra rep in.”

Another day, he did some extra sprints on a treadmill, causing Thornton to get annoyed because the future Hall of Famer had to leave and didn’t want Ferraro staying in the gym longer than he did.

22. What was the funniest thing you saw Thornton do?

“I don’t know why, but he loves to cut grass. And the whole week I was there, he was talking about cutting his lawn.”

23. Ferraro’s growth spurt came later, so he wasn’t a high OHL pick (the Barrie Colts took him). In an important lesson for all young players, he said he “understood everybody has a different path. I tried not to let the size thing bother me — it was all about compete.”

He went to the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and went to the 2017 NHL Draft, expecting to wait awhile before being selected. He was surprised to go 49th overall, and even more shocked that it was the Sharks.

“My meeting did not seem… I think it went the worst out of all the teams,” he laughs. “It was in my head, I was thinking, ‘Wow, that wasn’t a good meeting…. San Jose’s not taking me, I’m done, no chance.’”

He went to NCAA UMass with current teammate John Leonard and Colorado’s Cale Makar, where his game grew.

“The first year I came into San Jose, they said one of the most important things I needed to work on is having a good stick and defending the rush skating forward…. There’s a lot of talent out there, so stopping the rush before they get into the blue line is crucial. So I worked on defending skating forwards and trying to skate lateral to maintain gap, rather than just north/south all the time.”

He’s got a bright future.

24. Finally, we asked Ferraro about his most regular partner, Brent Burns. There’s a common request from the veteran: “‘You get that puck to me. You get it to me. You get that puck over….’ (Burns) just wants the puck on his stuck. I’m throwing passes, and whether they’re flat or three feet in the air, it’s ‘I love that — just get it to me.’”

25. Beating even longer odds than Ferraro is Tanner Jeannot of Estevan, Sask. It appears as if he will make his NHL debut for Nashville on Tuesday night. He spent four years with WHL Moose Jaw before going undrafted. Signed by the Predators as a free agent in April 2018, he’s played 100 games in the AHL and eight more in the ECHL over the past two-plus seasons. A big winger, who — at 23 — didn’t have it easy. Great story.

26. Good news for WHL players based in British Columbia, as the provincial government announced Monday a plan is in place to allow the resumption of play in that province. The entire league is now in position to play, joining the already-in-motion QMJHL. That leaves the OHL as the only one with an unclear path, although it’s a poorly kept secret that the goal is something along 24 games in April and May.

Two weeks ago, Owen Sound defenceman Andrew Perrott, playing in Slovakia while awaiting a resumption in Ontario, authored a widely supported petition that was delivered to both the league and the provincial government.

“I was on the phone with a teammate of mine, Mark Woolley, who is also over here in Slovakia,” Perrott said. “We were chatting about how guys are struggling. I started writing down my thoughts and feelings on paper. Didn’t really think anything would come of it. Actually showed my mom and a couple of people I respect, and they (said), ‘Wow, you actually wrote that very well. You should maybe do something with it.’ The whole point was to raise awareness of how important the season is to the players. Guys have been struggling not being able to play and watching other (leagues) play right now. We just wanted to be heard.”

Perrott admitted he was nervous about pushing “send,” but San Jose’s Kurtis Gabriel — a close friend — encouraged him to go through with it.

“A lot of the players have thanked me for it…. They are struggling and it is hard on them.”

27. He certainly amplified their voices. OHL Commissioner David Branch released a statement, indicating “the Ontario Hockey League is anxious to return to play and eager to get our players back on the ice,” and “we continue to work hard toward ensuring a safe return to play for everyone.”

It’s a delicate dance for Branch, who recognizes that governments work at their own pace (slow) and antagonizing them is a bad idea. When Jeff Marek reported the WHL had an agreement with the province of Saskatchewan, the WHL was unhappy because the government didn’t want it released that quickly. So I see what Branch is doing here.

Perrott admitted another of his motivations was to help teammate Carter Robertson, undrafted and in his final year of junior eligibility. He pointed to another member of the Attack, Brady Lyle (Providence), and the Ottawa 67’s Noel Hoefenmayer (Toronto), who signed AHL deals following their overage seasons.

“How many guys (will) just quit hockey? How many guys’ careers are just over?”

28. Sam Gagner and John Tavares formally announced their “takeover” of the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Marlboros, the crown jewel of the city’s minor hockey organizations. Both played there on their path to the pros, and Gagner was approached about this last spring. He loved his Marlies days, was immediately interested and brought in his close friend, Tavares. They remain in contact with their old coach, James Naylor, who will be heavily involved as the two continue their NHL careers.

“I can’t think of a practice that was systems-based or anything…. (It was all about) the development of us as players and as people,” Gagner said. “If we had a 50-minute practice, it was 50 minutes of trying to make us better hockey players. (With) different age groups, practices are going to be similar and going to be about skill development.”

29. One of the questions asked to Gagner was about whether he and Tavares are truly ready for what they are getting into. Since the story was first reported, Marek and I have been overwhelmed with stories about the issues facing minor hockey in Canada’s biggest city and the hope Gagner/Tavares can help change that.

“I like to think that we can help change that perception,” Gagner replied. “(We want to) create opportunities for everybody. My experience growing up: I had a rink in my backyard, I got to play in every tournament I could think of. I feel so fortunate to have had that upbringing and we want to look at ways to give every kid a chance to do that. I know that minor hockey has become big business and we don’t want it to be that way…. You had told some stories about parents paying for ice time. That’s not something we want. There’s a lot of minor-hockey players out there that have big dreams that their parents might not be able to afford. We want to give those kids the same opportunities that everyone else gets. So we’re going to look into ways to do that.”

One of the routes Gagner’s thinking about is “the academy model. I look at my upbringing, going to school in Oakville, playing hockey in Toronto. That’s a lot of time in the car. It took away from my education at times…. (Are) there ways that we can facilitate that for the next generation of players? We’re looking into those avenues.”

30. Gagner had some great lines. On player recruitment: “I’m going to make Connor McDavid do that for us.” (He’s another ex-Marlboro.)

On the Marlies’ elite level of success, he laughed: “No pressure on us coming in.”

On who wins any philosophical debate between him and Tavares: “I do. I’m sorry, John, but I’m older.”

31. Congratulations to Jeff Deline, leaving his position as Chief Revenue Officer at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment for the New York Mets. He put in the work. His wife’s name is Kim, and their wedding featured the greatest dance contest I’ve ever seen, by far. (I did not win.)

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The 37-year-old son of San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow appeared via videoconference at the hearing in San Diego Superior Court in Vista, a city north of San Diego. He declined to comment before his sentence, saying his lawyers had advised him not to speak.

“In the future, I do plan to tell my story,” said the former Cleveland Browns star, once the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Blaine Bowman said Winslow can only be described in “two words and that is a sexual predator.”

The judge said he preyed on women who were especially vulnerable, befriending a homeless woman, picking up a 54-year-old hitchhiker, and attacking a teen after she had passed out at a party.

Bowman called them “brazen” crimes. He noted that Winslow continued to prey on women even after his first arrest. He performed a lewd act in front of a 77-year-old woman at a gym while hiding his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet with a towel. He also exposed himself to a 57-year-old neighbour who was gardening despite having a bike app that gave his location at the time.

“The vulnerability of the victims was no accident,” Bowman said. “It was the type of victim that you sought out yourself because you felt that perhaps they wouldn’t report the crime” or “wouldn’t be deemed credible by the jurors.”

The 14-year-sentence was the maximum allowed under a plea deal. He was convicted of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct in public.

Four of the women gave statements Wednesday, including one victim who had the prosecutor read hers. All described suffering for years after their attacks from fear and emotional trauma.

The woman who was homeless and raped in Winslow’s home town of Encinitas, a beach community north of San Diego, called into the hearing via video conference from the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, where she watched the proceedings with another victim.

She said since she was raped she has had trouble raising her head and walking. She feels afraid constantly, and checks under beds and in closets when she stays at her brother’s house.

“I don’t ever feel safe inside or outside,” she said. “You brought so much damage to my life.”

Once a first-round NFL draft pick for the Cleveland Browns, Winslow played also for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and the New York Jets. He earned more than $40 million over his 10 seasons. He was injured in a motorcycle accident and left the NFL in 2013.

“This is somebody who has been allowed to utilize his financial privilege and celebrity to evade jail while awaiting trial, which is when he victimized me,” the 77-year-old woman said Wednesday. “It shows this is a defendant who does not learn from his mistakes, who shows no respect to our laws.”

Winslow’s attorney Marc Carlos said he suffered from head trauma from the many blows to his head playing football, which can only explain why he “went off the rails,” going from a star athlete to a convicted sexual predator. He said his client has accepted responsibility and intends to get help.

Winslow was first convicted after a trial in June 2019 when jurors found him guilty of forcible rape and two misdemeanours — indecent exposure and a lewd act in public.

The same jurors failed to agree on other charges, including the alleged 2018 rape of the 54-year-old hitchhiker, and the 2003 rape of the unconscious 17-year-old high school senior who went to a party with him when he was 19.

Before he was retried on those charges, he pleaded guilty to raping the teen and sexual battery of the hitchhiker. Those pleas spared him the possibility of life in prison.

The father of two, whose wife filed for divorce after he was convicted, had faced up to 18 years in prison for all the charges.

But both sides agreed to reduce the sexual battery charge to assault with intent to commit rape last month. That reduced the maximum sentence to 14 years.

Winslow must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Bilbao, Dublin and Glasgow are at risk of being dropped over the lack of guarantees about the number of fans that could be allowed into stadiums by June, people with knowledge of the tournament planning told The Associated Press on Wednesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation ahead of a looming deadline for UEFA to receive the plans from host countries.

UEFA wants the hosting plan settled within weeks after being forced to postpone its showpiece tournament last year due to the pandemic. The governing body would like stadiums to have at least half of the seats filled — despite much of Europe still playing games in empty venues due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions. UEFA is willing to take games away from cities that cannot guarantee a significant number of spectators based on an expected easing up of the pandemic by June.

Although Britain has had Europe’s deadliest outbreak, its vaccination program is the fastest in Europe which has raised UEFA’s confidence in London’s staging of seven games at Wembley Stadium, including the semifinals and final in July.

The British government has plans for up to 10,000 fans to return to stadiums from May but more seats could be filled within weeks, dependent on trials of coronavirus testing for fans and plans to lift many social contact restrictions from June 21. But that only applies to England, with Scottish authorities adopting a more cautious path out of lockdown and offering no indication when fans could be allowed back into sports venues.

"We’ll see whether or not it’s possible at any point along that road for fans to actually be present to witness (the Euros)," Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said Wednesday.

But that uncertainty in Scotland, whose leader Nicola Sturgeon is mired in a political crisis, has left UEFA weighing the option of stripping Hampden Park in Glasgow of its four matches. The three games in the group stage and the last-16 encounter could move south of the border to England in a blow to the Scots after qualifying for their first men’s tournament since the 1998 World Cup.

UEFA could use another London location, with the country’s newest large venue — the 62,000-capacity home of Tottenham — an option. Stadiums in Manchester or Liverpool would also be considered to spread the additional games, especially if UEFA decides to shift the four games slated for Dublin’s 51,700-capacity Aviva Stadium across the Irish Sea to England.

UEFA has yet to receive positive information from Irish authorities with the ban on fans attending games running through April 5.

"The public health advice is that it is too early to say how and when these restrictions should be eased given current uncertainties," the Irish government said in a statement to the AP.

"At the request of UEFA, Dublin’s hosting partners … are examining possible scenarios for staging the games scheduled for Dublin in this COVID-19 environment. We are in constant dialogue with UEFA and our intention is to work to finalize our best possible scenario consistent with public health guidelines."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been in contact with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, said this week "we’re certainly on" for hosting additional games.

UEFA is also in contact with Spain’s Basque Country but has yet to receive assurances about fans attending matches in Bilbao, which is also due to stage four games across the group stage and round of 16. That has left UEFA assessing moving Bilbao’s games elsewhere in Spain.

Basque Country officials gave no indication Wednesday of being rushed into approving the return of spectators, instead sticking to a cautious approach determined by the health conditions.

"With three months to go, we must be cautious," the Basque government told the AP. "But we will continue to work with UEFA and other venues to see if European Championship matches can be held with fans, what the capacity limits will be and under what conditions."

La Liga President Javier Tebas said Tuesday he was hopeful of some fans returning to matches in his competition before the end of the domestic season in May.

There had already been discussions in the Basque Country about the limited prospect of an economic boost from staging Euros games. On top of that, Spain’s national team has lacked popularity in a region with a strong separatist movement.

These Euros have a unique format after UEFA veered from its usual preference of hosting the tournament in one or two countries under a logistically-complex plan instigated in 2012 by then-President Michel Platini.

The new format provided an opportunity to stage games in some countries that wouldn’t necessarily have a chance to host the tournament on their own. But the pandemic has complicated the hosting arrangement even further.

UEFA says it plans an announcement in April on how the pandemic-era tournament will look and the ability for fans to attend games, having already sold tickets. UEFA announced in January that tickets would be refunded for games moved more than 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the original venue.

The Euros are scheduled to open in Rome on June 11 with Italy playing Turkey.

UEFA also remains hopeful of retaining Baku (Azerbaijan), Copenhagen (Denmark), Munich (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Bucharest (Romania), and St. Petersburg (Russia).

Long before the pandemic, Brussels was stripped of hosting because its planned new stadium wasn’t going to be built, with the four games handed to London.

Manager Torey Lovullo said on Wednesday that Locastro tested positive on Tuesday night and would be out for 10 days unless there had been a false positive. Lovullo added that Locastro feels good and currently has no symptoms.

The 28-year-old Locastro is expected to have a sizable role with the Diamondbacks this season, either as the starting centre fielder or a versatile backup outfielder. He hit .290 last season with two homers and four stolen bases in 33 games.

"He’s doing good," Lovullo said. "I got the information last night, spoke to him this morning and he’s in the protocol and feeling fine."

Lovullo said he had "minimal concern" that Locastro’s positive result would lead to widespread COVID-19 issues on the roster. Catcher Stephen Vogt missed a few days early in camp because of a positive COVID-19 test result but has since returned.

Flames centre Derek Ryan also cleared waivers.

Simon, 26, has been a healthy scratch for five straight games and has no points in eight games this season.

Filppula, 36, was scratched on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets to make room for AHL-callup Michael Rasmussen to play. He has five points in 20 games this season.

Geertsen, 25, has yet to play in the NHL but has skated in four games for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack, this season.

It also gives us a chance to play armchair GM, placing free agents on teams that would be great for fantasy purposes and, in some cases, help the fantasy teams you’re managing.

Here’s a look at five players who are about to hit free agency and the teams that would be the most fun fantasy landing spot. We’ll also pick a landing spot that makes sense from a positional and salary cap sense.

Jameis Winston

Fun Fantasy Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers

Speak it into existence!

There’s a lot to love for the Carolina Panthers offence. Look at those playmakers: Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, and the guess is that they will be adding another wide receiver, tight end or complementary running back as part of Matt Rhule’s retooling of this team. The only thing missing is a quarterback.

Love him or hate him, Jameis Winston makes football interesting. There’s talent there – you don’t throw 33 touchdowns in an NFL season by accident. I know what you’re thinking though: the interceptions. He’s not quarterbacking my team so I don’t care as much about that and if he’s on your fantasy team, you probably shouldn’t worry about it too much either. Most leagues don’t punish you enough with negative points for interceptions, so ride the touchdown wave.

Winston was QB6 before leaving Tampa to be the backup in New Orleans, so you can expect that if he goes to a team like Carolina that he’s going to sling it.

Logical Landing Spot: New Orleans

After seeing how Drew Brees finished the last two seasons, it’s clear the clock has struck midnight for him. And while Taysom Hill is a nice idea, he just doesn’t work for me as a starting NFL quarterback over the course of an entire season. Winston has spent a year with the team, so he knows the playbook. It’s not an awful landing spot fantasy-wise, either, with some established players like Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, plus the potential emergence from second-year tight end Adam Trautman.

Aaron Jones

Fun Fantasy Landing Spot: San Francisco 49ers

This one might raise a few eyebrows because the 49ers’ backfield situation always seems to be a hot-hand approach and you never know what to expect.

But what about the thinking that maybe Kyle Shanahan hasn’t had the workhorse running back in his stable to really unleash? This is the angle I’m taking with this landing spot.

This would be such a fun team for Aaron Jones, especially considering his RB5 finish last season, his ability to catch passes, run between the tackles and the pairing with a brilliant offensive mind like Shanahan. The 49ers love to run the football and Jones can certainly fill any role in that offence, a trait the head coach absolutely loves in his players, as seen with the drafting of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and the signing of Jerick McKinnon a few years ago.

Logical Landing Spot: Miami Dolphins

This would be a good fantasy landing spot for Jones as well, but not nearly as good as San Francisco. Miami makes a lot of sense financially as the team has some cap space and from a roster perspective. Myles Gaskin was good in the lead role last season and provided a good spark for Miami’s offence, but he isn’t Aaron Jones.

Having a running back like Jones will help the Dolphins offence, and in particular, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, immensely. On a team that boasts some good playmakers, this might help push them closer to a playoff spot.

Allen Robinson

Fun Fantasy Landing Spot: Green Bay Packers

For this one, we turn back the clock a little bit. The last time Allen Robinson was a free agent, the Packers were right there with the Chicago Bears as one of the suitors for his services. Eventually, as we know, they lost out to their division rivals.

Plenty believe the Packers are in desperate need of another top-end wide receiver to complement Davante Adams. While this narrative is a tad bit overblown, it would still be a ton of fun to watch those two wide receivers in the same offence. How do you defend that?

It would give Aaron Rodgers the best one-two punch he’s ever had and would also keep him very relevant as a top fantasy option for another few seasons. It would hurt Adams’ fantasy numbers as you would expect Robinson to eat into some of that workload, plus whatever Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard accumulated.

We’ve always wondered what kind of numbers Robinson would put up if he had a great quarterback, and this would be one of those opportunities.

Logical Landing Spot: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens desperately need an alpha wide receiver and Robinson fits that bill. However, I can also hear the collective groans as people read this. It would be a terrible spot for Robinson from a fantasy perspective. In fact, it may be one of the worst fantasy landing spots for any top wide receiver.

Having said that, it would do wonders for Lamar Jackson to get a top-end wideout on the roster to pair with some talented playmakers in J.K. Dobbins, Mark Andrews and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, but will it change their offensive approach? I doubt it. The Ravens threw the ball a league-low 25.9 times per game in 2020. That certainly doesn’t bode well for Robinson to reach his full season averages of 88 catches for 1,170 yards and 8.25 touchdowns.

If Robinson ends up in another situation with an inaccurate quarterback, especially with his pick of the litter, we can then all blame him for his choices.

Will Fuller

Fun Fantasy Landing Spot: Los Angeles Chargers

Not only does this fall under the category of a great fantasy landing spot but it also could be the most fun landing spot.

Will Fuller set career highs in basically every statistical category in 2020 and only played 11 games due to a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. It was an unfortunate end to what was shaping up to be a special season. Fuller was on pace for 77 catches for 1,278 yards and 12 touchdowns on 109 targets. That would have been a WR4 finish in standard and WR6 finish in PPR scoring.

The Chargers would offer a great spot for a burner like Fuller to land because of quarterback Justin Herbert’s deep-ball ability. The rookie threw for 953 yards on passes over 20 yards, which was good enough for sixth in the league, while also throwing the second-most touchdowns on passes over 20 yards with 12.

It seems like the perfect marriage – Fuller’s 4.32 second 40-yard dash time to go along with a gunslinger like Herbert.

Logical Landing Spot: Green Bay Packers

The Packers were interested in Fuller ahead of the trade deadline but couldn’t come to an agreement with the Houston Texans. This would be the Packers’ counter to not being able to sign a bigger name like Robinson, but would be a really good fit. Fuller’s blazing speed and sure-handedness would be a suitable replacement for the drop-prone Valdes-Scantling. This might also be a little easier for Green Bay to fit under the salary cap considering Fuller’s previous injury history could mean a bit of a discount on the cap hit.

This would also be a pretty good landing spot for Fuller for your fantasy team and it wouldn’t be nearly as much of a hit to Adams’ numbers as someone like Robinson would be.

Hunter Henry

Fun Fantasy Landing Spot: Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson hasn’t had a good tight end to use as a security blanket and end-zone threat since Jimmy Graham left town after the 2017 season and it’s something that is needed in Seattle. The Seahawks could use a playmaker at the tight end position, especially one who converted four of six red-zone targets into touchdowns last season.

At six-foot-five, 250 pounds, Hunter Henry is a big-bodied, athletic tight end who can be a safety valve for Wilson, who has seemingly been running for his life since he came into the league behind a shoddy offensive line. Health is a bit of a concern for Henry as he has yet to play a full season in his career, but he has produced when on the field. His full-season averages would be 58 catches for 653 yards and seven touchdowns.

It would be a pretty lethal combo to have Henry along with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in the passing game to go along with Wilson’s accuracy. Now, if Pete Carroll would only let Wilson throw the ball.

Logical Landing Spot: Indianapolis Colts

Carson Wentz is now at the helm of the Colts and there is a need for an athletic tight end with Trey Burton and Mo Alie-Cox being free agents. Wentz comes from Philadelphia where he had a couple of good tight ends in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. A reliable, athletic tight end is necessary for this offence to succeed with Wentz at quarterback as that has been what has worked in the past.

The Colts are also loaded with cap space, so they can afford to overpay for a player like Henry if they need to.

Seattle general manager Ron Francis has long stated he’s in no rush to name a coach because he isn’t quite sure which type of team he’ll be able to piece together.

With the immediate success enjoyed by the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural 2017-18 campaign, there’s naturally going to be pressure from the public to see Seattle also post impressive win totals right away – especially considering they’re working with identical expansion draft rules.

“You always want to win now,” Francis previously told The Athletic when discussing hiring a coach. “But we’ll have to judge the landscape and see where things are and make the decisions that are right both short term and long term. … Are there guys that end up losing their jobs or looking for other things elsewhere? I just think we have time on this. We’re not in a race to make that decision at this point.”

Four months after that quote, the Kraken are remaining patient.

The NHL’s coaching carousel has been fairly busy with a handful of off-season coaching changes and the recent firings from the Montreal Canadiens. The more changes that happen means more options for Francis and Seattle to consider.

You can expect some familiar names to lead the pack, however, Seattle plans on being a forward-thinking franchise so it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if the team went slightly off the board for its first head coach.

With that in mind, here are seven names in no particular order we feel could be candidates.

Gerard Gallant

Career NHL coaching record: 270-216-4-51
Most recent coaching gig: Vegas Golden Knights (2017-2020)

Gerard Gallant hasn’t yet landed his next coaching gig after being fired by Vegas early in 2020, but the 57-year-old is likely to end up on the shortlist for any vacancies that open up this year. Gallant is widely regarded as a players’ coach for whom his teams quickly develop an affinity.

Gallant went an impressive 118-75-20 in his two-plus seasons in Vegas, winning the Jack Adams for the franchise’s inaugural season and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. Gallant proved only a few years ago that he’s capable of galvanizing an expansion team and since the same expansion draft rules apply, there’s reason to believe Seattle could be relatively competitive out of the gates just like Vegas.

Bruce Boudreau

Career NHL coaching record: 567-302-115
Most recent coaching gig: Minnesota Wild (2016-2020)

Boudreau recently expressed interest in coaching the Kraken. The 66-year-old hasn’t been behind a bench since being relieved of his duties by Minnesota more than a year ago, but he has stayed close to the game by doing some analysis for television.

“The thing about that job is it would be great to start with a team that is starting fresh and to be the builder of something,” Boudreau said. “Anybody that has done this, wants to be coaching in the greatest league in the world if they can. (Seattle) is new. It is fresh. It is a new team and I think the whole idea is exciting.”

Claude Julien

Career NHL coaching record: 667-445-10-152
Most recent coaching gig: Montreal Canadiens (2017-2021)

Julien is the latest veteran coach to hit the open market after he and assistant Kirk Muller were fired by Montreal last week. The Kraken, like the first edition of the Golden Knights, will in all probability have a wide variety of experience and youth on the roster. With nearly 1,300 regular-season games, plus a Jack Adams Award and a Stanley Cup under his belt, you’d have to think it would be a relatively easy transition for Julien. It would be a safe choice from Seattle’s perspective.

Rikard Gronborg

Career NHL coaching record: 0-0-0
Most recent coaching gig: ZSC Lions in Swiss National League (2019-present)

The longtime Swedish men’s national team coach has been mentioned in NHL coaching rumours for the past few years and the New Jersey Devils were reportedly interested in speaking with Gronborg prior to hiring Lindy Ruff last summer. During his first year coaching in Switzerland, Gronborg had his Lions in first place when the 2019-20 campaign was cut short due to COVID-19. He has been thinking about a possible move to the NHL for a while.

“I’ve kind of done all that stuff and coached some of the best players in the world,” he told Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston in 2018. “Now I’m interested to have my ideas, to (implement) them over a period of time and do them overseas, and kind of challenging the coaching community over in the NHL. I bring a different perspective on things.”

Rod Brind’Amour

Career NHL coaching record: 98-60-13
Most recent coaching gig: Carolina Hurricanes (2018-present)

Brind’Amour has a pretty good thing going in Carolina, yet he’s in the final year of his contract and he has a history with Ron Francis. If the Hurricanes can’t come to an agreement on an extension and/or choose to go in a different direction for whatever reason then we might see Brind’Amour emerge as a frontrunner for the Seattle job. He’s a former teammate of Francis and has been on the Carolina coaching staff for the past decade after retiring as a player.

Todd Nelson

Career NHL coaching record: 17-25-9
Most recent coaching gig: Dallas Stars assistant (2018-present)

If Seattle decides to look at current assistant coaches as potential options, then Nelson could be at the top of that list. He didn’t post a great record with the Edmonton Oilers when he was their interim head coach in 2014-15 after taking over for Dallas Eakins, but did well enough to leverage it into a head coaching job with Grand Rapids in the AHL. Nelson went 133-78-17 in three seasons with the Griffins and won a Calder Cup in 2017. He played one game with Francis and the Penguins during the 1991-92 season.

Stars general manager Jim Nill described Nelson as having a “coaching style that is defined by his ingenuity and his ability to get the most out of his players.”

Mike Vellucci

Career NHL coaching record: 0-0-0
Most recent coaching gig: Pittsburgh Penguins assistant (2020-present)

Vellucci has a dearth of professional head coaching experience, but has enjoyed success at all levels of his career behind the bench. After five seasons and two championships with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors in the North American Hockey League, he found a home with the Plymouth Whalers in OHL. The Whalers qualified for the post-season every year Vellucci was there even winning a championship in 2007.

He joined the Carolina Hurricanes organization in 2014 as assistant general manager and director of player development under Francis. After three seasons in that role, Vellucci became the head coach of Hurricanes AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers. He was named coach of the year and the team won the Calder Cup in Vellucci’s second season there. He spent last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and was promoted to assistant coach with Pittsburgh this past September. Vellucci is also a former teammate of Francis. He suited up for two NHL games during his playing career and both were spent with Francis’s Hartford Whalers in 1987-88.

In a story Tuesday, The Athletic reported that 12 current and former Indians employees have come forward in the last month to say the Indians were aware of Callaway’s inappropriate behaviour while he was their pitching coach from 2013-17.

“Nobody’s ever deliberately covered up for anybody, I can tell you that,” Francona said on a Zoom call from the team’s spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona.

Francona was asked if he was troubled by the report.

“I have never worked in a place where I have more respect for people than here,” said the two-time World Series winner, starting his ninth season with Cleveland. “And I’ve been very fortunate to work for some wonderful people. I believe that in my heart.

“I don’t think today is the day to go into details, things like that. I do hope there is a day, because I think it would be good, and I think it’s necessary,” he said.

Francona said the Indians plan to release a statement further addressing the matter.

Shortly before Francona spoke to the media, his son, Nick, posted on Twitter that he had read the new story on Callaway and confronted his father. The younger Francona said the Indians “are clearly in the wrong.”

“Their behaviour is unacceptable, and even worse, it’s hard to have faith in them to improve and learn when they seem more concerned about covering up wrongdoings that addressing them honestly,” Nick Francona wrote.

The 61-year-old Francona, who managed only 14 games last season because of health issues, said his son’s comments were painful.

“I love all my children unconditionally,” he said. “As you can imagine, that’s a very difficult thing to see. So to deal with it publicly is hurtful.”

Last month, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said he wasn’t aware of Callaway’s behaviour until he read about it in a story by the Athletic, which detailed Callaway’s pursuit of women over a five-year period with three teams.

Callaway was Cleveland’s pitching coach from 2013-17 before he was hired to manage the New York Mets. He’s currently suspended as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach, pending the MLB inquiry.

When he spoke on Feb. 4, Antonetti said he was “distraught” and “disturbed” by the allegations against Callaway. Antonetti expressed regret that none of the accusers felt they could come forward and that the team was committed to making its workplace safe.

Antonetti added that he was not aware if the Mets had reached out to the Indians before they hired Callaway in 2017.

On Monday, Mets president Sandy Alderson acknowledged the team was perhaps short-sighted in its hiring process and probably should have done a better job of vetting Callaway.

Listening to the head coach’s weekly 15-minute appearance on WGR 550 radio Tuesday morning was akin to watching a man keep a brave face while trying to extinguish a tire fire with a handful of damp napkins.

Addressing a loyal and abused Sabres fanbase that has been let down more often than Rapunzel’s hair, the head coach said the entire organization was focused on solutions to its 6-10-3 problem, starting with this morning’s tactical meeting ahead of a game versus the New York Rangers.

The message right through from ownership to the bench is open and excellent, Krueger maintained.

“Every time I’m communicating with the Pegulas, I come off with energy, I come off with encouragement and support,” Krueger said.

Excuse our raised eyebrow.

Krueger denied any disconnect between he and $9-million triple-healthy-scratch Jeff Skinner, even though the latter came out and said he wasn’t learning much from the press box. These sorts of disruptions between player and coach, Krueger explained, are sometimes necessary, even if they cannot be fully understood from the outside. Oh, and Skinner has not been stuffed on the fourth line because the Sabres don’t number their lines.

“We look each other in the eye every day,” Krueger said.

The messaging from coach and captain to the public didn’t quite line up last week either, with Krueger saying Eichel’s lower-body injury occurred during warm-ups Thursday. But Eichel said he’s recovering from getting banged up in-game last Tuesday.

The toxic cocktail of multiple injuries (Eichel dealt with an upper-body ailment in a shotgun training camp), the club’s COVID-19 setback, an unsettled top six, and general losing fatigue, has left Eichel a whisper of the player who finished eighth in Hart voting in 2020.

The $80-million face of the franchise has registered all of two goals. He has five even-strength points. His career-low 3.8 shooting percentage is shocking.

“He looks to me like an unhappy camper,” an anonymous scout told beat reporter Bill Hoppe. “I have noticed it more this year. It’s my guess he knows it’s not working here. Yeah, he’s been nicked up a bit with some injuries, but nothing that should be keeping him at two goals.”

At this point, it’s difficult to discern if Eichel’s body language is mimicking that of the fans or vice versa.

“Anybody that’s happy right now as part of the Sabres organization, you’re in the wrong job,” Krueger said. “What Jack is showing or feeling is in line with what we’re all feeling as a group.”

Then Krueger spun positive: “Anger is a good thing if you invest that energy into the right steps, and that’s what we need to do tonight.”

This is a picture from the last season the Buffalo Sabres made it to the playoffs. Yes, that’s the Atlanta Thrashers pic.twitter.com/LUzosvs30I

— Sabremetrix(@Sabremetrix) February 28, 2021

It’s hardly the first time and won’t be the final time, but the vultures are circling the greatest talent in upstate New York, even though he’s signed through 2026.

“I think at the end of the day Jack Eichel is going to end up a New York Ranger,” an anonymous NHL exec told The Athletic. “I just don’t know when it’s going to be.”

The Los Angeles Kings have also been rumoured.

But there is zero evidence that Eichel has asked out. And even though Eichel’s no-move clause doesn’t kick in until 2022, such a course-alternating move would have to be player-driven. Wouldn’t it?

Hypothetically, a blockbuster of such magnitude would be tricky enough for an experienced dealmaker to pull off under a rising cap and in a vaccinated world.

In the near term, Buffalo should salvage what futures it can from trade bait like Brandon Montour and Staal.

God bless rookie GM Kevyn Adams, but his first big shot at correcting course — spending $8 million to rent Taylor Hall (with full trade protection!) for one year — has bricked.

Hall hasn’t scored in 18 games. Eric Staal is zero for his last 10. Skinner and Kyle Okposo (a $6 million hit) have zero goals combined. Sniper Victor Olofsson is getting his cookies on the Sabres’ third-ranked power-play (31.15 per cent) but has just one strike at even-strength.

“Our power play’s been outstanding this season. Usually, it’s the engine of your offence — but it hasn’t ignited our 5-on-5 game,” said Krueger, shutout back-to-back by Philadelphia in his own building over the weekend. “We need to get some gritty goals.”

Grit has been scarce.

Buffalo takes the NHL’s fewest penalties (5.1 PIM per game) and draws the second-fewest (6.9). There’s not enough engagement and greasy-area drive for a roster that depends on 5-on-4 situations.

“I’m very embarrassed. This is not acceptable. This sucks. It’s the worst,” Rasmus Dahlin said Sunday. “We will keep losing if no one is competing. We need to do all the gritty stuff. Hit someone. A fight. I don’t know. But the team we have right now should not be losing like we are right now.”

The Sabres’ goaltending has been fine (a league-median save percentage), but their defence corps has been overtaxed and it’s impossible to gain ground in a 3-2 league when you’re averaging much closer to the two.

To be fair to Krueger and his crew, the roster — and the coach himself — were hit hard by their COVID-19 outbreak at the end of January. Terrifying stuff, particularly for a 61-year-old.

“Clearly we lost our way coming out of the COVID break,” said Krueger, loathe to use excuses. “We certainly are not pleased with our execution on both sides of the puck.”

The Sabres’ on-ice luck hasn’t been much kinder.

In addition to getting realigned into the East, the NHL’s temporary Division of Death, Buffalo is shooting at an unsustainably low 7.4 per cent (only Nashville is worse). Now, the team’s supposed goalie of the future, Linus Ullmark, will be sidelined for a month, minimum.

Buffalo’s playoff drought is destined to extend to an NHL-worst 10 years, and the city deserves better.

This is no longer about climbing into the race. It’s about climbing into respectability.

It’s about not permitting a culture of losing to seep into great building blocks like Dahlin and Dylan Cozens.

It’s about finding a proper, effective management and coaching structure. It’s about cultivating roles and sticking to a plan. (One of our sources suggested Krueger shift to a president’s role in the off-season as a buffer between ownership and management, and bring in an established NHL bench boss.)

It’s about putting an end to the salt-in-wound stories, like Ryan O’Reilly rediscovering his love for the game and hoisting a Stanley Cup in St. Louis. Or Conor Sheary rebounding nicely in Washington. Or a mismanaged Zach Bogosian becoming an effective defender for champion Tampa Bay and contender Toronto.

How does Bogosian look back at Buffalo, a year after his buyout?

“That’s so far in the past for me. Things didn’t really work out there,” Bogosian said Monday. “I met some lifelong friends, but obviously the way things ended, I was glad to go to Tampa for a new experience. And to win the Cup was kind of icing on the cake.”

Sabres fans’ greatest fear will be one-day reading similar quotes from Jack Eichel.

This, naturally, has led to speculation over head coach John Tortorella’s place with the team. That talk has been thrown around all the extremes, from how a firing could be imminent to a theory that maybe Tortorella wanted out.

GM Jarmo Kekalainen would like you to know that he’s sticking behind his coach through the tough times.

“I wanted to have this call to clarify that this coaching staff has gotten us out of the slumps before,” he said. “They’ve done a great job for us in the past 5-6 years they’ve been here and they’re the ones that are going to get out of this jam as well with the team that we have.

“Inconsistencies have been maddening to all of us. But we win as a team, we lose as a team, we slump as a team if you want to call it that, and we rise out of it as a team.

“I have 100 per cent confidence these guys will get us out of this.”

In normal times, these are the situations that scream coach on the hot seat. Here we have a playoff team that is failing to meet expectations, playing without a certain devotion, for a coach who is in his sixth season on that bench and now in the final year of his contract.

But, of course, it’s not so easy. We’ve seen something similar play out in Vancouver, where third-year coach Travis Green is in the final year of his contract and unable to steer the Canucks back on a paved path. Owner Francesco Aquilini tweeted out his support for both the GM and the coach there.

Quarantines and financial stresses are making any sort of moves more difficult. If the Canucks moved on from Green or the Blue Jackets from Tortorella, where would they get their next coach from? Wouldn’t it be better from business and transitional standpoints to wait for the contract to lapse, if indeed you want to move on?

“I don’t believe in quick fixes that you all of a sudden blow up something that you’ve been building for a while. Yes, we’ve had some curveballs here in the near past, but we’ve got to deal with them and move forward,” Kekalainen said. “I’m a big believer in the process and not just by watching the record, but by watching what these guys do every day. There are very unusual circumstances here with COVID and that also goes into some of the contract situations that we have ongoing so I’m not going to speculate on that anymore. It’ll all get solved in time.”

If you’re, say, a Maple Leafs fan who watched these Blue Jackets grind down your team in the playoff qualifiers last spring, you might be wondering how that style isn’t earning Columbus at least a few more wins that’d keep them out of these kinds of discussions. They’re tough to play against, right? With a dedication to defence that promotes responsible play. That gets you a certain base line.

Heck, if you just look at Patrik Laine’s six goals and 10 points in 13 games, or Jack Roslovic’s 13 points in 16 games since both joined the team, you’d think they made out well in trading Pierre-Luc Dubois and may be even better with that offence.

The truth is, enough has changed within this group that the coach no longer believes they can play the same way right now. Dubois was a huge part of what made the Blue Jackets go, so simply sliding him out for two very different players is going to change things. Mikko Koivu retiring early in the season changed the equation, as did trading Josh Anderson in the off-season.

The Blue Jackets are pretty thin at the most-important centre position right now. The Max Domi experiment hasn’t worked and he’s back on the wing. Alexandre Texier was higher up in the lineup, but is still a work in progress. Roslovic just got there and was playing lots of wing in Winnipeg.

“The team has changed,” Tortorella said. “We developed a pretty damn good centre in Dubois. He’s a hell of a player and did a lot of good things for us as far as strength on puck and all that.

“We didn’t expect some things to happen, but we still have some good players here. Can we play that style with our lineup right now? I think we’d be forcing certain situations to demand that type of style versus more of one in developing three new centres and just the six-to-seven new bodies coming in here, I think we have to play a different way. We’re kinda in between. I think that a part of hockey is to grind a bit and then skill plays have to be made also. And we certainly have done neither consistently enough.

“I do think a little bit of that has to do with the change in our lineup, but we have to find — and this is where I think the coaches have not done a good enough job — find that way to play to be successful. That’s a huge part of any team and it’s the coach’s responsibility to see what you have and try to find a way to play.”

That responsibility will continue to be Tortorella’s for the foreseeable future. The coach said he didn’t even have a problem with anyone’s effort level through this stretch, which is why benchings haven’t been a regular storyline here. Rather, he sees a team playing too tight, with too little confidence, and that he’d actually like to see his team play a “little bit of pond hockey” to just loosen up. Then some bounces will start going Columbus’ way.

The path to finding themselves again will now without doubt be led by Tortorella, we’d think through this season at least. And that means doing it Tortorella’s way.

Safe is death, as he’d say.

“I appreciate that. I just hate him having to do that,” Tortorella said, when told about Kekalainen’s vote of confidence. “When you’re losing games and you’re playing as poorly as you’re playing those questions need to be asked.

“It doesn’t determine how I coach. I’m not going to coach a team (to) try and keep my job.”

J.J. Watt broke his own news on Monday, tweeting out his destination: the Arizona Cardinals.

Unexpected? Maybe a little, at first. As much as we kind of wanted to see a family reunion in Pittsburgh, anticipated a one-two punch with Myles Garrett in Cleveland, or envisioned a Wisconsin homecoming for the former Badger in Green Bay, the defensive end opted for an up-and-coming club in the desert with one of the game’s most dynamic young quarterbacks in Kyler Murray and his old pal from Houston, DeAndre Hopkins.

Ultimately his decision makes a lot of sense: He’s familiar with Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was Watt’s defensive backs coach in Houston his rookie year, has an elite teammate in fellow pass-rusher Chandler Jones, and gets to contribute to a real contender.

Because Watt was released by the Texans, he was able to officially sign his Cardinals contract ahead of the opening of the new league year on March 17.

Now that we know where Watt’s headed, let’s turn our attention to the rest of the names on our list of top free agents, many of whom are strong candidates for the franchise tag designation. The window for tagging a player opened last week and closes March 9, with the designation often serving as a tool to allow teams extra time to negotiate a new long-term deal with their UFA-to-be.

Check back weekly for updates on this year’s crop of top NFL free agents, which includes No. 1 quarterback Dak Prescott, a deep class of wide receivers, and some guy named J.J. Watt a pair of reigning Super Bowl champs.

1. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Age: 27
2020 cap hit: $31.409 million (Exclusive franchise tag)

It feels like we’ve been talking about contract negotiations between the Cowboys and the face of the franchise for years now …

Probably because we have.

The saga continues, with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson stirring things up and setting the rumour mill spinning when it was reported that he would entertain the possibility of a trade if it meant going to one of these four teams: the New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, and… yup, the Dallas Cowboys.

According to Cowboys reporter Jane Slater, the idea of Wilson headed to Dallas is “laughable” and the club’s top priority remains re-signing Prescott.

So, about those negotiations: Last week, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that “it does not sound as if any progress has been made.” Darlington indicated it’s likely Prescott will get tagged again while talks continue.

Prescott hasn’t been tagged yet – or paid. According to Slater, he’s looking to become the second highest-paid QB behind Patrick Mahomes, who earn $45 million a year. Behind him is Texans QB Deshaun Watson, at $39 million (signed just prior to the 2020 season), so anywhere between those numbers could be what Prescott’s eying.

Prescott started last season under the franchise tag when the marathon of contract talks failed to result in a long-term deal, with term reportedly being the biggest point of contention. Signing the franchise tag again isn’t really a suitable solution for the Cowboys – it puts a huge dent in Dallas’s salary cap (to the tune of $37.7 million) and provides exactly z-e-r-o relief when it comes to any kind of certainty for the future, essentially rolling out the red carpet for Prescott to become a free agent next year.

A brutal ankle injury cut Prescott’s 2020 campaign short and gave Dallas a glimpse into life without him… and as we all know, it wasn’t pretty.

General manager Jerry Jones admitted Prescott holds all the leverage during a radio appearance in January.

2. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears
Age: 27
2020 cap hit: $15 million

The top wide receiver in what is a deep free agency class at the position, Robinson has been one of the most consistent producers for the inconsistent Bears. Even in the roller-coaster season that was 2020 in Chicago, Robinson hit elite numbers: He was the third-most targeted wide receiver in the league (151) behind Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins, and he finished the season sixth in receptions (102) and ninth in receiving yards (1,250). That the sure-handed receiver – per Pro Football Focus, his 2.2 per cent drop rate since 2017 is the league’s second-lowest – had such a strong year without a true No. 1 quarterback and on a team that lacked much offensive firepower makes his stats look all the more impressive. Just imagine what he could do if placed on a real contender.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Robinson and the Bears spoke throughout the season about a long-term deal but those talks didn’t lead to any breakthroughs.

The Bears are in the messy middle in many senses – draft order, assets, between QBs – and cannot afford to let Robinson go, but does he want to stay? Rumours of a trade request back in September were quieted, but it’s worth wondering if he might resurface that request if tagged, considering his open disdain for that designation and desire to sign a long-term pact.

3. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age: 24
2020 cap hit: $2.331 million

The newly crowned Super Bowl champion Buccaneers are an intriguing team this off-season, with their hopes of running it back for another title with Tom Brady very much depending on whether they can re-sign their long list of pending free agents to keep this whole crew together. Considering Chris Godwin is a key part of Brady’s one-two offensive punch alongside fellow WR Mike Evans, he’s not going anywhere. Whether that means he’ll be playing the 2021 season with a freshly-inked long-term deal or under the franchise tag is the big question.

Godwin told M.J. Acosta-Ruiz during an NFL Network interview last week that his focus is on staying in Tampa Bay:

“Obviously we all want to have long-term security, we all want to be able to take care of the people that we love. That’s the ideal situation, but a franchise tag is not something that I can control. So, if that’s what keeps me here then that’s what it is, and I’d play on it and go back to war with my guys,” he said. “I love it here in Tampa. I love what we have building. I would love to stay.”

After the club tagged elite pass rusher Shaq Barrett last year, Godwin is a strong option for that designation in 2021 should the two sides not be able to agree to anything with a longer term. Playing under the franchise tag would bring a sizeable pay raise (about $15 million for the 2021 season) for Godwin, which is reasonable for a player of his position and calibre and would allow Tampa a little more time to reload the rest of its roster. That also gives Godwin another chance to up his worth alongside Brady even more.

4. Trent Williams, OT, San Francisco 49ers
Age: 32
2020 cap hit: $12.5 million

Thanks to the Buccaneers, who reminded the Kansas City Chiefs – and everyone watching the Super Bowl – about the importance of a strong offensive line, the stock of an O-lineman has perhaps never been higher than it is right now. (It feels like that’s a lesson we re-learn every year, doesn’t it?)

Williams is priority No. 1 for the 49ers to keep in-house, only their salary cap situation makes that… unlikely – especially with other teams eying the tackle and able to shell out more cash to lure him away from the Bay Area.

Another key here is that the club contractually cannot retain him for another year with the franchise tag designation. Williams sat out the 2019 season with Washington, holding out for a new deal and informing the club he wanted out, and upon landing in San Francisco last April the 49ers restructured the final year of his deal and signed a clause that disallowed them to place the franchise tag on him in 2021.

So, here we are. Let the bidding begin.

5. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
Age: 27
2020 cap hit: $2.313 million

With longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford headed to L.A., a new era is beginning in Detroit. Is Golladay part of it? According to Rapoport, he is… for now, anyway.

That doesn’t rule out a tag-and-trade scenario, or a sign-and-trade, if new Lions GM Brad Holmes is hunting for assets to truly put his stamp on this perpetually rebuilding team.

Golladay was limited to just five games this season due to injury but was excellent in those appearances, registering two touchdowns and twice tallying more than 100 receiving yards. Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before last year saw him break into the elite WR tier, leading all receivers in touchdowns (11) in 2019.

Complicating things further is the fact nearly all of the Lions’ receivers are headed toward free agency. If new QB Jared Goff has any hopes of succeeding in Detroit, he’d better hope the club hangs on tight to Golladay.

6. Brandon Scherff, OG, Washington Football Team
Age: 29
2020 cap hit: $15.03 million (Franchise tag)

According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, both player and team are looking to sign long-term. The club placed the franchise tag on him last year and could do it again this spring but it would likely just be a time-buyer for negotiations to continue.

Should a long-term deal be signed, reports indicate it could reset the market for guards. (Philadelphia’s Brandon Brooks, who earns $14.1 million yearly, currently holds that bar.)

Scherff ranked among the top guards in run- and pass-block as Washington surprised a lot of people this year, emerging from what ended up being a horrendous NFC East and putting up a good fight against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers.

7. Justin Simmons, S, Denver Broncos
Age: 27
2020 cap hit: $11.441 million (Franchise tag)

Simmons was tagged last year, and it’s very possible – likely, even – that the Broncos hit that franchise button again. But the Broncos have made it clear, per Rapoport, that their preference is to lock him up long-term now.

The going rate for a top safety these days is consistently within the $14-million window – only $750,000 separates fourth-highest paid Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu from the top-paid guy, Budda Baker. It feels likely Simmons lands within that, though it’ll be tough considering the financial toll COVID-19 has brought to teams’ payrolls.

Simmons collected five interceptions in 2020, which tied him for fourth in the league, and he hasn’t missed a game since 2017.

8. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Age: 26
2020 cap hit: $2.183 million

To pay, or not to pay… that is the question when it comes to running backs, and with every individual case comes new challenges. The last team to write a monster cheque to their RB1 was the Tennessee Titans, whose investment in Derrick Henry continued to pay dividends in another rushing title in 2020. Jones isn’t quite the game-changer Henry is, but you cannot deny his importance in Green Bay – especially when the top story throughout all of last season was Aaron Rodgers’s lack of offensive weapons – and his earning potential should he hit the open market. On Tuesday, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said the team could “certainly” tag him:

Jones carried the ball 201 times in 2020, finishing fourth in rushing yards (1,104) and leading all RBs in runs of 40-plus yards (four) while also racking up 355 receiving yards as a key part of Green Bay’s offence.

Fellow packers RB A.J. Dillon developed nicely over the course of last season, and if Green Bay can hang on to Jones – either via franchise tag or a longer deal – they’d have themselves a nice dynamic duo to complement Rodgers as that window remains open.

9. Shaq Barrett, OLB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $15.828 million (Franchise tag)

Barrett was worth every penny of his franchise price tag, and more than earned himself a long-term deal to stay in Tampa as a key part of this team’s core front four that wreaked havoc on opponents all year.

He’s made it clear he wants to stay:

But he knows his worth:

“I’m most definitely looking forward to getting a long-term deal done…” Barrett said during a radio appearance earlier in February, adding that he wants to remain in Tampa. “I feel like it’s time for me to break the bank now, and I most definitely want to do that to be able to set my family up better and most definitely going to keep producing, so it’s not like anything is going to fall off. I still think I got a lot left in the tank. I’m still getting better, actually. I’m still learning, like just still learning, like week in, week out. And there’s like, as you can see as the season progressed like … I ended the season playing the way that I wanted to play. And you can see that I did progress throughout the season, and I’m still progressing.”

Barrett is one of the NFL’s best current success stories, going from undrafted free agent signee in Denver who couldn’t break into the regular rotation to recording a whopping 19.5 sacks as a bargain pickup for Tampa Bay in 2019. His performance this past post-season en route to the Super Bowl win only solidified his place in Tampa lore… and on the payroll.

10. Leonard Williams, DT, New York Giants
Age: 26
2020 cap hit: $16.126 million (Franchise tag)

A $19-million franchise tag is a hefty price to pay to keep Williams in New York, but can the Giants really afford not to keep him?

The defensive lineman has been incredibly durable for the Giants, who acquired him in a cross-town trade with the Jets in 2019, and he really broke out last season. His 11.5 sacks marked a career-high by a mile, and his 30 QB hits and 14 tackles for loss were also personal bests.

Leonard Williams: PFF's top-ranked DI this offseason pic.twitter.com/nW4suqHWOf

— PFF (@PFF) February 17, 2021

Another interesting part of this to keep an eye on:

11. Marcus Williams, S, New Orleans Saints
Age: 24
2020 cap hit: $1.986 million

The Saints have been able to work around the cap to keep their strong core intact these past few seasons, but this year feels particularly tough to navigate thanks to COVID-19’s financial implications and the long list of players due new deals – not to mention, an even stronger group of players barrelling toward free agency next year.

Saints sack leader Trey Hendrickson, whose breakout season saw him register 13.5 sacks for second-most league-wide, also looks poised for free agency. Of course, there’s also the matter of franchise QB Drew Brees, who could possibly return for one more season instead of retiring just yet. Lots of unknowns here.

While Hendrickson likely won’t be tagged – it would cost the Saints nearly $18 million – Williams could be a more reasonable candidate for that designation (around $11 million this year). He’s reportedly the Saints’ top priority this spring:

12. Bud Dupree, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $15.828 million (franchise tag)

It feels like almost every player on this list is a likely candidate for a franchise tag – at least for now – but it looks like that won’t be the case here.

During a media availability last month, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said it’s “doubtful” the team would be using the franchise tag on anyone this off-season. Considering two of the team’s top candidates for the designation are Dupree and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, you can see why – the cap-strapped Steelers simply can’t afford to take that cap hit.

Colbert indicated there’s a desire to keep Dupree, who is an important part of the Steelers’ defence and a major reason why they hit double-digits in wins faster than anyone last year. Dupree was having a strong season before suffering an ACL injury in December, tallying 8 sacks in 11 games.

Other notable free agents to keep an eye on: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT); S Anthony Harris (MIN); WR Will Fuller (HOU); LB Lavonte David (TB); TE Hunter Henry (LAC); DE Yannick Ngakoue (BAL); DE Trey Hendrickson (NO); QB Cam Newton (NE); DE Jadeveon Clowney (TEN); OT Taylor Moton (CAR); QB Jameis Winston (NO); CB William Jackson III (CIN); OG Joe Thuney (NE); CB Richard Sherman (SF)

On Tuesday, Sportsnet announced the broadcast schedule for the second half of the Raptors season. Highlights include two meetings with the NBA-leading Utah Jazz, a clash with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and a game against Kawhi Leonard’s Los Angeles Clippers.

Below is Sportsnet’s full broadcast schedule for the second-half of the season.

All times Eastern. This schedule is subject to change.

March

Saturday, March 13
Toronto at Charlotte, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Sunday, March 14
Toronto at Chicago, 9 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Wednesday, March 17
Toronto at Detroit, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Friday, March 19
Utah at Toronto (in Tampa), 8 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Sunday, March 21
Toronto at Cleveland, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, SN Now and Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Monday, March 22
Toronto at Houston, 9 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Wednesday, March 24
Denver at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Friday, March 26
Phoenix at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE)

Sunday, March 28
Portland at Toronto (in Tampa), 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, SN Now and Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Monday, March 29
Toronto at Detroit, 8 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, SN Now and Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

April

Friday, April 2
Golden State at Toronto (in Tampa), 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, SN Now and Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Monday, April 5
Washington at Toronto (in Tampa), 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Sunday, April 11
Toronto at New York, 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Tuesday, April 13
Atlanta at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Wednesday, April 14
San Antonio at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Sunday, April 18
Oklahoma City at Toronto (in Tampa), 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Saturday, April 24
Toronto at New York, 1 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Monday, April 26
Cleveland at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Tuesday, April 27
Brooklyn at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Thursday, April 29
Toronto at Denver, 9 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

May

Saturday, May 1
Toronto at Utah, 10 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Sunday, May 2
Toronto at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, SN Now and Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

Thursday, May 6
Washington at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Tuesday, May 11
Los Angeles Clippers at Toronto (in Tampa), 7:30 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE and SN Now)

Thursday, May 13
Toronto at Chicago, 8 p.m. (Sportsnet 590 The Fan)

This podcast is produced and sound designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

A trio of old(er) goalies are defying aging curves seven weeks into the NHL season. It’s early still, but three of the top-four goalies in save percentage with at least five games played are 35 or older: Mike Smith (38), Marc-Andre Fleury (36) and Brian Elliott (35).

Historically, this is an age where most goalies, if they aren’t already out of the league, start to show their age. With the caveat in mind that there’s still plenty of hockey ahead, here’s a look at how each goalie has performed to date and the historical significance in play if they are able to continue their strong play the rest of the way.

Brian Elliott: 35 years old

At a per-game rate, no goalie has saved his team more goals beyond expected this season than Elliott. The Flyers haven’t exactly been a defensive juggernaut in front of him, with an expected goals against (reflection of shot quality and quantity) of nearly three goals per-game. Elliott’s actual goals-against average sits at 2.03, which means he is saving his team close to a goal per-game.

Granted he’s only played eight games, but Elliott has posted spectacular save percentages before. In the 2011-12 season, Elliott led the league with a .940 save percentage in 38 games with the St. Louis Blues.

As for how goaltenders have fared historically in their age 35 season, the best save percentage ever posted by a goalie with at least 20 games played was Sean Burke in 2002-03 with a .930 save percentage in 22 games. Next on the list, Pekka Rinne at .927 in 59 games during the 2017-18 season. Elliott currently has a save percentage of .931.

If the Flyers improve defensively in front of him and Elliott continues his strong play in the net, it’s possible he can finish with the best save percentage by an age 35 goalie in NHL history.

Marc-Andre Fleury: 36 years old

Fleury has been outstanding this season for the Golden Knights after a mediocre year last season. In 13 games, Fleury ranks top five in wins, save percentage and goals saved above expected. While Fleury has benefitted from playing behind a solid defensive team, he is still saving his team goals on most nights with highlight reel saves.

Fleury has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of his 13 games played this season. However, finishing with the best save percentage of any goalie in his age 36 season will be tough to do.

In 2010-11, Tim Thomas posted a ridiculous .938 save percentage with the Boston Bruins. At the time, it was a modern day record. Elliott eclipsed this mark the very next season as mentioned earlier. Boston went on to win the Stanley Cup with Thomas being named playoff MVP.

The next best save percentage by a 36-year-old goalie was Patrick Roy in 2001-02 at .925. Fleury’s current save percentage of .935 has him in the mix to potentially post one of the best save percentages ever by a goalie his age.

Mike Smith: 38 years old

The oldest of the bunch has the best save percentage of the group at .938. In nine games this season, Smith has saved his team an average of a goal every two games, which ranks seventh in the NHL.

Smith’s save percentage has hovered around .900 the past two seasons split between Calgary and Edmonton, but his start to this season is reminiscent of his play when he was with the Coyotes in the early-to-mid 2000s. Smith has a history of running hot and cold so we’ll see how long he can sustain his current level of play.

His current save percentage of .938 would be the best ever posted by a 38-year-old goalie with a little wiggle room at the top as well. Only 19 goalies have ever played 20 or more games in their age 38 season. Roberto Luongo posted the best save percentage of the bunch at .929 in 35 games during the 2017-18 season.

Perhaps these three elder statesmen have benefitted from more time off than usual in the past year. Perhaps less practice time has provided additional rest, or perhaps this will all amount to a small sample size of hot play that will normalize over the course of the season.

What we do know is that Elliott, Fleury and Smith have seemingly found the fountain of youth early in the season and each has an opportunity to put up some all-time numbers in their respective age groups.