With 147 games remaining and six playoff spots available per league, the Blue Jays still have a 38 per cent chance of reaching the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Those odds have dropped by about 25 percentage points since opening day – enough to sting. At the same time, every team goes through 6-9 stretches and a good week can flip everything this time of year.

“You can always say you have time, but time is of the essence at all times if that makes sense,” Springer said Sunday.

“Not great,” added manager John Schneider.

Under the circumstances, the Blue Jays can use all the help they can get. After placing Springer on the injured list they now have 10 players and over $100 million in 2026 payroll on the IL. Right-handers Bowden Francis and Cody Ponce aren’t expected to play again during the regular season, but that still leaves eight others who should return.

Presented in loose order of proximity to the majors, here’s a closer look at the status of those eight players and how the Blue Jays plan to get by without them in the meantime:

Addison Barger
Injury: left ankle sprain 
On injured list since: April 7

Timeline: Barger’s out of a walking boot, but hasn’t started ramping up towards a return to game action just yet. Schneider expressed hope Barger would miss close to the minimum 10 days, and he’s first eligible to return Friday against the Diamondbacks.  

Who plays in the meantime: Nathan Lukes, Jesus Sanchez, Myles Straw and Davis Schneider have been rotating through the corner outfield spots.

Trey Yesavage
Injury: right shoulder impingement 
On injured list since: entire 2026 season to date

Timeline: Yesavage will make at least one more minor-league rehab start this week before returning to the majors. If all goes well in his upcoming outing, he could theoretically re-join the Blue Jays as soon as next week.

Who plays in the meantime: The Blue Jays signed Patrick Corbin so he could help deepen the rotation while the likes of Yesavage and Jose Berrios work their way back.

George Springer
Injury: broken left big toe
On injured list since: April 12

Timeline: Before Sunday’s game, Schneider said doctors indicated Springer’s “probably going to feel a little bit better in about a week to 10 days. It’s not going to feel great, probably, for a couple of weeks.” If it was up to Springer, he’d be back sooner, though. He wanted to stay in the game even with the broken toe, but team staff ruled that out once the X-rays revealed a fracture. The next 24-48 hours should reveal more about how fast Springer can progress.

“We’re going to find out,” he said. “I don’t really know yet. I’ve never had this happen. It doesn’t feel good to walk, so I would assume running and hitting wouldn’t feel great right this second but at the end of the day I want to play.  I’ll leave that up to Schneids and the staff but I’m going to try to push the envelope.”

Who plays in the meantime: Former White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez had his contract selected Sunday, and he’ll be among those slotting in at DH while Springer recovers. For what it’s worth, Jimenez singled twice in four at bats against the Twins.

José Berríos
Injury: stress fracture in right elbow
On injured list since: entire 2026 season to date

Timeline: Berríos is making progress, but still likely at least a couple weeks away from a big-league return. He recently threw live batting practice and is slated to start a rehab assignment next week with 50 pitches targeted for his first start.

Who plays in the meantime: With Berríos on the sidelines, there’s extended opportunity for Corbin and others.

Yimi García
Injury: right elbow surgery 
On injured list since: entire 2026 season to date

Timeline: García has resumed throwing off a mound and is said to be progressing well, but has yet to begin a rehab assignment. Under those circumstances, it’s hard to pin down a specific timeline but relievers can sometimes ramp up quickly once they’re at full strength. 

Who plays in the meantime: The likes of Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles and left-hander Joe Mantiply have been getting regular reps with García sidelined.

Alejandro Kirk
Injury: broken thumb in left hand
On injured list since: April 4

Timeline: With an estimated absence of six weeks, Kirk could be nearing a return by the middle of May if his recovery goes well. 

Who plays in the meantime: Not only did rookie Brandon Valenzuela recently hit his first career home run over the weekend, he has a strong throwing arm and is earning positive reviews from Blue Jays pitchers. Valenzuela and Tyler Heineman are sharing catching duties with Kirk sidelined.

Shane Bieber
Injury: right elbow inflammation
On injured list since: entire 2026 season to date

Timeline: Bieber has been throwing off a mound, an important step as he builds back toward game action. Yet more tests await the 30-year-old as he has yet to begin a rehab assignment. Once he’s back in minor-league games, it’ll be a sign the Blue Jays believe he’s less than a month away from MLB action. 

Who plays in the meantime: Bieber’s slow ramp-up contributed to the Blue Jays’ interest in signing Max Scherzer, Corbin and perhaps even Ponce. At this stage, he’s too far away from the majors to create pressure on the current rotation.

Anthony Santander
Injury: left shoulder surgery
On injured list since: entire 2026 season to date

Timeline: Santander will miss most of the season, but if his recovery goes well he’s a candidate to return to big-league action late in the season, perhaps by August or September.

Who plays in the meantime: The Santander injury preceded the acquisition of Sanchez, who has been getting regular corner outfield reps along with Lukes, Straw and Schneider.

More from Sportsnet

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Treliving, fired a couple of weeks ago as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will join Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza as part of the management team of Team Canada at the upcoming world championships, Hockey Canada announced Monday.

Treliving and Spezza will join Hockey Canada’s Scott Salmond and Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.

Treliving last represented Canada in 2016, and Spezza is set to make his international management debut.

Dubas, who was replaced by Treliving as GM of the Leafs before moving on to the Penguins, held management roles with Hockey Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, 4 Nations Face-Off, and 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships.

The 2026 IIHF World Championship is scheduled for May 15-31 in Zürich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Canada opens the tournament against Sweden on May 15.

The coaching staff has yet to be announced.

Mark Nichols will join Matt Dunstone’s rink for next season, the team announced on Monday.

Nichols spent over 20 years playing third to the recently retired Brad Gushue, who ended his men’s career after the most recent Brier, held in his hometown of St. John’s, N.L.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Mark to the team,” Dunstone said in a statement. “He’s one of the most accomplished and respected players in the game, and his experience, shot making, and competitive mindset are a perfect fit for what we’re building.”

Dunstone and his team, which includes third Colton Lott and lead Ryan Harnden, were in the hunt for a new teammate after second E.J. Harnden announced that this would be his last year in full-time competitive curling.

Nichols, 46, brings many accomplishments over to a team looking to defend their Brier title, including gold and bronze medals at the Olympic Winter Games, one gold and four silver medals at the World Men’s Curling Championship and six Brier titles.

He has also won 16 Grand Slam of Curling titles, winning 15 with Gushue and one with legendary skip Jeff Stoughton.

“After a very rewarding journey with Team Gushue, starting this new chapter with Team Dunstone feels like the perfect next step,” Nichols said in the release. “The opportunity to join forces with Matt, Colton, and Ryan was one I couldn’t pass up.

“I’m energized by the opportunity to bring my experience to an already elite lineup, and I look forward to building on the foundation they’ve established as we pursue our goals on the world stage.”

Nichols is expected to throw second stones behind Dunstone, Lott and Harnden.

Bowen will be on the mic for Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars on Sportsnet 590 The Fan and Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators on TSN 1050.

Bowen announced his retirement before the start of this season after calling Maple Leafs games on radio and television since 1982. He is perhaps best known for his “Holy mackinaw!” call whenever the Maple Leafs scored a big goal. The Maple Leafs made the playoffs in 25 of Bowen’s 43 seasons on the call.

The Sudbury, Ont., native was honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2018.

Jonathan Quick is retiring from hockey, the netminder announced to reporters on Monday.

“Obviously, the past few years, very lucky to be part of this organization and wear this jersey, but tonight will be my last game in the league,” Quick said.

“You know, I’m looking forward to it. Very fortunate. Wife flew down with the kids. So they’ll be in attendance tonight. My parents will be here. So looking forward to this last one and (will) try to get one more win here.”

Over his 828-game career spanning 19 seasons, Quick has a 410-306-90 record to go along with a 2.51 goals against average, .910 save percentage and 65 shutouts.

The 40-year-old was drafted in the third round, 72nd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 NHL Draft and went on to win two Stanley Cups with the franchise in 2012 and 2014. This included a Conn Smythe-winning performance in the former.

After spending his first 16 seasons in Los Angeles, Quick went on to win another Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 before spending the last three years with the New York Rangers.

Quick will get his final start in the crease against the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

Last week, FIFA had asked for a top price of $2,735 for category 1 tickets for the match but added new “front category” pricing.

FIFA also added a front category 2 tier to its ticket sales website without public announcement, asking $1,940 to $2,330 for those tickets for the U.S. opener. The new categories were first reported Thursday by The Athletic.

The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 in 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Soccer’s governing body had in its Sept. 9 “ticket products and categories” information called category 1 “the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier” but appears to have withheld some seats from that category. It had labeled category 2 as “positioned outside of category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers.”

FIFA did not respond to an email sent to its media office seeking comment.

FIFA added seats at up to C$4,641 in front category 1 for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.

For round of 16 games, it added US$905 seats in Philadelphia.

FIFA last week raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales. The price had been $8,680 when FIFA sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.

FIFA’s category 2 tickets for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were $7,380, up from $5,575, and category 3 cost $5,785, an increase from $4,185. 

No tickets appeared to be available for the final on Thursday on FIFA’s ticket site.

Taxes plagued the series’ term in India from 2011-13.

“It will take another six months to work out the modalities,” Mandaviya said. “The government will help in getting tax relaxations that had become a bone of contention so that it is a viable venture for the organizers.

“Given the global situation due to the ongoing Iran war, India is being seen as a safe and viable venue for sporting events, including F1. We plan to have a MotoGP event before F1 returns. The Federation of Motor Sports Club of India is in talks with Formula 1 right now — we will be facilitators.”

All three Indian Grands Prix at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) on the outskirts of New Delhi were won by Sebastian Vettel.

However, organizer Jaypee Sports Group had money issues from the outset and F1 left after the 2013 race. A key point of contention was the state government taxing F1 as entertainment and not sport, and duties levied on teams’ freight was a significant dampener as well.

The federal government is keen to remove any such obstacles.

“If the entertainment tax cannot be altogether repealed, we will try to ensure that reimbursements are provided to incentivize the project for the organizers,” Mandaviya said. “Discussions are ongoing on the issue — it is an inter-ministerial matter and we are trying our best to make it attractive for F1.”

The BIC was a favorite among the drivers for its fast corners and flowing design. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has expressed his desire for F1’s return to India.

F1 is broadcast in India via digital sports platform FanCode, boasting a strong fan base of 79 million and growing. The races are broadcast in English as well as in local languages Hindi and Tamil.

It costs about $50 million-$70 million in hosting fees for a grand prix. India’s richest business conglomerate Adani Group is exploring opportunities to acquire the BIC and adjoining Jaypee Group businesses, and could spur the movement to bring F1 back to India.

Medvedev, who is currently ranked 10th, received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct by the chair umpire for his actions early in the second set of Wednesday’s match.

The fine is small in comparison to the $76,000 and $42,500 that Medvedev was penalized with for outbursts at the Australian Open and U.S. Open last year, respectively.

Medvedev, who had a first-round bye, had earned 45,520 euros ($50,000) in prize money from the Monte Carlo tournament.

The 30-year-old Russian was already struggling when he landed a forehand in the net to drop his opening service game of the second set and fall behind 2-0 and he slammed his racket near the baseline. Then he picked the racket up and threw it toward a tarp at the end of the court.

Still not through, Medvedev then continually picked his frame up and kept smashing it until it was destroyed enough to fit through an opening in a courtside trash can as the crowd sarcastically cheered him on.

Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open in 2021, lost the match in 49 minutes.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP who led Milwaukee to its first title in half a century in 2021, said after Sunday’s season-ending loss to Philadelphia that he learned that he had no control over his playing status as the Bucks limped to the finish.

Antetokounmpo was the subject of trade speculation as the deadline approached, but he wasn’t dealt. He has since been in a dispute with team management over his injury status.

The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly after a dunk on March 15. Antetokounmpo said in the closing weeks of the season that he was healthy and wanted to play, but the Bucks continued to rule him out with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise.

Antetokounmpo did not play Sunday at Philadelphia in what was also likely the final game of Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ career.

“Being cleared to play, I don’t understand. I’ve never in my life denied participation in practice,” Antetokounmpo said. “Whoever came up with that is disrespectful towards what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself.

“I did what I was supposed to do. I wasn’t able to come on the court now. Who has that say? It comes from above. I thought I had control. OK, if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. This just shows me that not just me, players in general, don’t have no control. No, I didn’t feel like I had control.”

Antetokounmpo had participated in recent pregame warmups, showing no sign of injury.

“It was draining for me, for sure,” Antetokounmpo said. “If it was draining for me, it was definitely draining for me and the organization.”

Antetokounmpo said he planned to put his phone on “do not disturb” and try to avoid the distractions that plagued the end of his season.

The Bucks could look to trade Antetokounmpo in the offseason, or he could sign a four-year, $275 million extension in October.

Antetokounmpo said he had yet to be formally offered the extension — no surprise given that it could not be finalized for months.

“That’s too far away. It’s something I have to sit down with my family and see what’s best for me, what’s best for my family,” Antetokounmpo said. “Money doesn’t mean nothing do me. Zero. Absolutely zero. What means something to me, it’s winning.”

The Bucks put Rivers’ job in jeopardy with a dismal 32-50 season that ended the Bucks’ streak of nine straight playoff berths.

Rivers had said he has a “great relationship” with Antetokounmpo and that he often talks to the superstar about what to work on and what to add to his game.

“I just want to see it end well for him and for the franchise. I think they both deserve it,” Rivers said. “Giannis is a fantastic person. I’ve been lucky to coach a lot of stars, and he’s right at the top as far as good people. I want good people to be taken care of.”

The Bucks reached the East finals during Antetokounmpo’s first MVP season in 2019 — ending an 18-year stretch without a playoff series win. They won the title two years later. But they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022.

“We’re the furthest away we’ve been,” Antetokounmpo said. “I didn’t think we were going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we will be in next year.”

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Here’s a look at how a full slate of games could finalize the NHL’s playoff picture:

Philadelphia Flyers

Clinch a playoff berth (Metropolitan 3) AND a locked-in first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Metropolitan 2) if they:

Defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion.

Anaheim Ducks (idle)

Ducks clinch a playoff spot if the San Jose Sharks defeat the Nashville Predators in any fashion.

Los Angeles Kings

Clinch a playoff berth if they defeat the Kraken in any fashion.
AND 
If the Sharks defeat the Predators in regulation.

The Carolina Hurricanes will clinch the Eastern Conference title:

If they get at least one point against the Flyers.
OR
If the Blackhawks defeat the Sabres in any fashion.

The Buffalo Sabres will clinch the Atlantic Division title if:

They defeat the Blackhawks in regulation. 
AND 
with any result in the Lightning-Red Wings game other than a Lightning regulation win.
OR
The Blackhawks defeat the Blackhawks in overtime or shootout AND if the Red Wings defeat the Lightning in any fashion.

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Jake Sanderson.

As the Ottawa Senators bloom from their rebuild, the 2020 fifth-overall pick is central as they head to the 2026 playoffs. 

“He’s a Norris defenceman for a reason,” said the Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk. “When you have a top-five defenceman in the NHL back in your lineup, it just gives you a boost of energy.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs have never had a Norris Trophy winner. In Ottawa, first it was Erik Karlsson. Now, Sanderson has taken the mantle as a Norris-worthy defenceman. 

“He’s a beast,” said Tkachuk. 

In the playoffs, the intensity ratchets up, and so do the minutes for your No. 1 defenceman.

It’s mono e mono in the Eastern Conference. Whether the Senators go up against Jaccob Slavin in Carolina, Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo, Lane Hutson in Montreal or Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay in the first round, the Senators have as good as they’ll get in Sanderson. 

What separates Sanderson from other elite defencemen is his ability to neutralize the McDavids and Kucherovs while also becoming a consistent 60-point producer. When Sanderson is on the ice, he has the third-fewest expected goals allowed per 60 minutes of any defenceman in the league, while routinely playing the league’s most skilled players every night. 

He’s only 23 years old, too. Sanderson is signed well into his prime, until 2032. 

“Not surprising,” said Senators head coach Travis Green about Sanderson’s elevation as a player. “I’ve said this a lot. He’s a special player. He’s still getting better. He loves the game. He’s well-prepared, consummate pro. And we just try not to overcoach him.”

It might be a bold claim, but this writer wholeheartedly believes Sanderson is the best defensive defenceman in the league with his mix of size, speed and elite hockey IQ. The playoffs could be the moment when the rest of the league wakes up to his prowess. 

Sanderson is 17th in the NHL in wins above replacement this season, according to Evolving Hockey, despite missing 12 games due to a separated shoulder. 

When Sanderson returned, the Senators won four in a row to vault into the playoffs, even including a self-professed “rusty” first game. He tallied six points in his first six games back, including three goals. 

How good Sanderson becomes offensively will determine his ceiling as a defenceman and, likewise, his team’s potential. Sanderson has a career-high 14 goals this season and has been producing at a 66-point pace. 

There is reason to believe he’s starting to realize his offensive capabilities, specifically his speed to burn defences.

He’s scoring around the net. In his last four games, Sanderson has a breakaway goal, a drive-to-the-crease goal and a rebound tap-in. 

“I think not just using (my speed) to lose gaps on the defensive side of the game, but to beat guys one-on-one,” said Sanderson.

“I think this year, too, I found myself scoring a lot more goals around the net, which is kind of unique as a defenseman, but just using my skating and just getting to the hard areas. I’m not trying to be a perimeter player and (instead) just taking it to the net. And I think (I’ve) found some pretty good success that way.”

He’s also becoming an excellent power-play quarterback. The Senators’ power play went from top 10 to 24th in the stretch without Sanderson. Since his return, they have six power-play goals in five games. 

Tim Stutzle emphasized how integral Sanderson is to the power play; the duo combined for a beautiful Sanderson breakaway against Carolina last week. 

“He’s just really smart, so he reads the other team’s defence,” said Stutzle.

So, what are the holes in Sanderson’s game? Hard to say. He’s faster than almost everybody, as smart as they come, and the only blemish isn’t really one: It’s how much dynamism and creativity he reaches offensively. It means if the Senators’ second and third pairs can play well in the playoffs, it could thrust them over the top.

The other hidden storyline to watch for during the playoffs is Sanderson’s partnership with Artem Zub. 

Among defensive pairs that have played over 400 minutes this season, Sanderson and Zub are third in expected goals share at five-on-five — they dominate their minutes at five-on-five. In a playoff series when you’re trying to shut down Sebastian Aho or Tage Thompson, there may be no better duo.

“I think just our comfortability with each other, just knowing our tendencies, knowing where you know each other are going to be, where we want the puck and where we’re going to be confident with it too,” said Sanderson. “So, we’ve been teammates for four years now. We’ve grown confidence and grown our friendship off the ice, which helps, for sure.”

Another aspect that could propel the hockey sponge forward into the post-season is what he learned from his Olympic experience among the game’s greats. 

“I think just the preparation, the mindset and the confidence of all the guys there you play against, you’re playing with all the big dogs in the league,” said Sanderson. “So, I think it was just such a cool experience for me to soak in. I learned so much just from being around the best players in the world. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

To be the best, you must learn from the best.

“I’m learning, and I want to do what those high-end guys do on a nightly basis, like the Quinn Hughes’ and the Zack Werenskis,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, just being around them, seeing what they do on a day-to-day basis, was really cool.”

Those two have the edge in the offensive department but definitely not on the defensive side of the game compared to Sanderson. 

His captain affectionately called Sanderson “boring” early this season in recognition of how dialled-in he is on conditioning, his preparation and body. 

“When he got hurt, he was already throwing the weights around, so I knew he wasn’t going to be missing a step, and that’s just who he is,” said Tkachuk. 

You want your best defenceman to be as driven as they come. Talent matched with work ethic makes superstars.

Everything is set for Sanderson to drive the Senators forward throughout the post-season. The better he is, the longer the Senators will be playing this spring.

Adams’ Apples

Scoring punch: An underrated storyline is the Senators’ growth offensively. They were second-last in five-on-five goals last season; this season, they are eighth in goals per game at five-on-five. In the playoffs, special teams matter, but the whistles get swallowed, which means an ability to score at even strength is paramount, which Ottawa has shown the ability to do.

Tkachuk injury: Green said Tkachuk is feeling better, but he needed a rest on Sunday night against New Jersey. All signs point to Tkachuk being ready for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Playoff scenarios: If Boston loses in any fashion in its season finale, and the Senators win against Toronto, the Sens will have the first wild-card spot and likely face the winner of the Atlantic Division, which is still to be determined. If Ottawa suffers an overtime loss and Boston loses in regulation, Ottawa would be WC1, too. However, if Boston wins its final game against New Jersey, the Senators are almost certainly playing the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1. 

Resting is smart: The Senators didn’t dress Sanderson, Tkachuk, Stutzle or Thomas Chabot against New Jersey. All are banged-up and are needed for the post-season. It was the right call and should continue into Game 82.

With so much talent at the top and the possibility that Toronto could get lucky at sixth, there are many questions ahead of Monday’s draft.

Does Dallas want to take a risk and lock down a vibrant young international talent who may not join the W this year? Will Azzi Fudd drop all the way to fourth … or lower? Was Lauren Betts’ showing during March Madness enough to boost her to the top? After some impressive free agent signings this week, do the Tempo need to focus on this year’s roster or on stashing for the future?

Here’s a look at these questions (and more) ahead of the Tempo’s first-ever draft on Monday.

Who will go No. 1?

The Dallas Wings have a slew of options to consider with the No. 1 pick this year.

Awa Fam, a breakout young star from Spain, is projected by many to go first overall. The 19-year-old centre brings a strong physical presence and raw athleticism that will continue to develop over the next few years. It is unlikely Fam would immediately jump into a key starting role this season, but she’s a top option for an already young Wings team building for the future.

Betts shot up the ranks after an impressive March run that finished with her leading UCLA to a National Championship. At 6-foot-7, Betts is a unique centre talent who is just as comfortable taking control of the paint as she is hitting a midrange jumper. She was named Most Outstanding Player of the women’s NCAA tournament after averaging 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

Olivia Miles is an elite passer who can take control of the floor and lead a team out of trouble. In March, she nearly averaged a triple-double with 17.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 9.8 rebounds per game. The 23-year-old was eligible to enter the draft last season but chose to forgo the pros and entered the transfer portal instead. A year ago, she was already a projected top pick and that remains true this year as well. Her leadership and court vision are unparalleled in the 2026 draft class.

Azzi Fudd is one of the best shooters coming out of the NCAA. She shot 44.7 per cent from deep last season and led the nation with 117 three-pointers made. Fudd led UConn to the national championship title in 2025 and earned Most Outstanding Player honours. This year was a bit of a different story, however, as she struggled to make shots during the end of the 2026 tournament. Yet if the Wings are willing to look beyond that, they might jump at the chance to reunite Bueckers with her former UConn teammate.

Tempo targets at sixth

It’s obvious that the Tempo aren’t planning to put off winning.

After signing Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes and making a trade with the Sky to bring in another pick for Monday, it’s clear Canada’s team is ready to be competitive.

The coin-flip win over Portland secured Toronto the sixth pick, and after giving up the chance to select Canada’s Bridget Carleton at the expansion draft, they’re going to have to use it wisely.

Flau’jae Johnson is a proven winner with excellent shot-making ability and a strong defensive presence that appears to match the identity the Tempo have started building. The 22-year-old was a freshman starter in 2023 when LSU won the National Championship, and her role on that team only blossomed from there. She’s a strong guard who can turn a good shot into a great one when using her athleticism to get better positioning.

Gabriela Jaquez is a hustler. She can adapt to multiple positions, will out-rebound even those who tower over her, and can graduate from being a role player to a top contributor when the moment warrants it. With 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in UCLA’s national title game, she knows how to impact a game when it’s needed most. She’d be a key factor as the Tempo look to establish their culture and is the type of gritty player an expansion team needs.

Toronto to the moon

An expansion team — or any team for that matter — can’t build a perfect roster in one off-season. It’s going to take some future planning for the Tempo to create a team that launches the franchise to the top heights of the league.

With four picks in the 2026 draft, Toronto is in a good spot to split its picks between players who can impact now and ones who will have their moment in the future. As of this writing, the Tempo have just four training camp spots remaining and 11 players already on contract. If they take four players who are ready to go now, there will be no space left for additional free-agency moves (or even to make an official deal with Shakira Austin, who has already signed an offer sheet). Considering who is already set to make their debut on Canada’s team, it is extremely likely the Tempo will select at least two players who won’t see a WNBA floor this year with two of their second- and third-round picks.

Good stash options for the Tempo would be forward Nell Angloma from France or forward Ella Declercq from Belgium. Both athletes have a wealth of international experience and would add important size to a Tempo team flush with smaller talent.

Sleeping giants

UCLA stars are pulling all the attention, understandably. That’s how it goes every year for the National Champions. It’s unlikely the Valkyries would have taken a chance on Kaitlyn Chen last draft had she not been cutting down the net at the end of March.

Even so, if you squint beyond the glitz, you’ll see a few sleeping giants that could fall to lower spots and become big bargains for teams who can spot the potential.

Spain’s Iyana Martín is a perfect example of a sleeper pick. The young guard has had less airtime in North America but is coming into her own in the EuroCup league and showing all the signs of a promising WNBA point guard. With a 12.5 points-per-game average and plenty of athleticism and size, she could be a risky first-round option for a team looking for long-term payoff or an early second-round steal.

Canada’s Cassandre Prosper is another good sleeper option, especially for the Tempo. It became clear after the expansion draft that Toronto is already under fan pressure to bring in a Canadian player. And although Prosper (a Montreal native) fits the bill, her heritage is not the only thing that makes her an enticing option for the Tempo. Prosper played all four of her college seasons at Notre Dame before jumping off the stat sheet in her senior year and being named the Most Improved Player in the ACC. She averaged 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks over 33.2 minutes per game as she helped her team to an Elite Eight appearance.

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Fernandez and Stolarz had three aces and converted three of their seven break points in the first-round win.

Jiang and Xu converted their lone break point chance.

Fernandez and Stolarz will next face the winner of a match between the German tandem of Noma Noha Akugue and Ella Seidel and fourth seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia at the WTA 500 clay-court event.

Fernandez and Stolarz are making their partnership debut in Stuttgart.

The Canadian teamed with Venus Williams, Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic at previous events this season.

But before we get to the main bracket, we must enjoy/endure the play-in tournament — that chaotic little appetizer the NBA inflicts on us every April. Here is a preview of those games, along with the full slate of playoff matchups that will follow.

East play-in

No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
No. 9 Charlotte Hornets vs. No. 10 Miami Heat

The 76ers are, on paper, the scariest team in either play-in field. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George — the question isn’t whether the roster can beat anyone; it’s whether it can stay intact for more than a quarter. As for Orlando, the Magic are not built to charm anybody. They are built to slow the pace and turn every clean look into work. That kind of grinding basketball has a way of unsettling teams who’d rather not be bothered. Still, BetMGM has the 76ers as -120 home favourites in the 7-8 game.

The Heat, meanwhile, have made an art form of post-season relevance with far less talent than this. They’ll face a Charlotte Hornets side that plays with the energy of a team with nothing to lose. Charlotte hosts Miami as -220 favourites at BetMGM. But don’t sleep on coach Erik Spoelstra and his squad.

West play-in

No. 7 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers (Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on SN 360)
No. 9 LA Clippers vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors (Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT on SN 360)

The Suns host Portland as -180 favourites at BetMGM, though, to be candid, neither team has done much to inspire confidence in the final weeks of the season. Meanwhile, the Clippers-Warriors game carries a specific kind of late-era melancholy. The Clippers have watched their championship odds crater after losing Ivica Zubac and James Harden at the trade deadline, but they remain -180 favourites at home against a Golden State team that seems well past its glory days. Steph Curry’s window is closing. Is there one more moment of magic to add to his career highlight reel?

Round 1 match-ups

No. 3 New York Knicks (-300) vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks (+240)

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and the rest of the Knicks squad (which came within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals last year) are built for high-pressure, grind-it-out post-season basketball. The Hawks at +240 aren’t without intrigue but New York has the depth, the experience and the Madison Square Garden crowd.

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (-700) vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors (+500)

The Cavaliers are -700 favourites at BetMGM, one of the steepest prices on the board — a reflection of the fact that Cleveland boasts one of the most talent-rich backcourts in the league. The Raptors, however, pulled off a minor miracle just to get here, snagging the No. 5 seed on the final day of the season. Credit where it’s due: Toronto is young, fast, and plays with the carefree confidence of a team that’s ahead of schedule on its rebuild. At +500, they represent one of the more intriguing underdog plays of the first round.

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. East play-in winner
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. East play-in winner

Boston and San Antonio occupy the same tier of “very good team whose first-round opponent will almost certainly be irrelevant.” With Jayson Tatum back from injury, the Celtics look imposing. They’re the +160 favourites at BetMGM to win the Eastern Conference. The Spurs, meanwhile, have been the most surprising story in the league all season. Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have built something in San Antonio that very few people saw coming this early, and their championship odds have surged from +2500 to +450 over the course of the year.

No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. East play-in winner

The Pistons are the feel-good story of the season. They opened the year at +6600 to win the championship — a true long shot. With Cade Cunningham back and seemingly healthy, Detroit’s depth and cohesion could prove a genuine test for any Eastern rival. Add in the pent-up enthusiasm of Pistons’ fans — who’ve had little to cheer about for more than two decades — and you’ve got the recipe for a deep run.

No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers (+550) vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets (-800)

Well, look at that: The Lakers (the Lakers!) are +550 underdogs at BetMGM, which means that betting $100 on Los Angeles to advance would return $550 in profit. The Lakers still have their history and their logo and their aura, but what they likely won’t have is Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Houston, meanwhile, is a -800 favourite, one of the most lopsided series prices of the first round. Kevin Durant and the Rockets have spent the season constructing exactly the kind of physical, well-coached unit that tends to thrive when the calendar turns.

No. 3 Denver Nuggets (-350) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+275)

Here is the series that should be circled on every bettor’s calendar. At -350, Denver is a significant favourite, but the Nuggets’ core has been battered all season with Nikóla Jokić missing the longest stretch of his career, Peyton Watson going down mid-season and Aaron Gordon absent for more than two-thirds of Denver’s games. And yet here they are, a 10-game winning streak in tow, with Jokić averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive season. Can they stay healthy? Even if they can, Minnesota is no pushover: Anthony Edwards is a legitimate star and the Timberwolves’ defence makes life miserable for opponents in ways that don’t always show up on a box score. This could be the series of the first round.

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. West play-in winner

We’ve saved the best for last — literally. The Thunder are the defending NBA champions. They opened the year as the heavy favourite to repeat. And they closed out the season by winning 15 of 16 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren form one of the most complete trios in basketball, making OKC the +135 favourite to win it all. Thoughts and prayers for whichever play-in team “wins” the right to face this juggernaut.

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This is certainly the case when it comes to jersey sales as, according to the NBA, Curry was the top-selling jersey during the 2025-26 NBA season.

Curry finished his regular season averaging 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.8 per cent from field, 38.3 per cent from three-point range and 92.3 per cent from the free-throw line in 43 games played as injuries ravaged his availability.

Curry’s Warriors will see the Los Angeles Clippers in the Nos. 9-10 play-in game on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama and Doncic’s Lakers teammate LeBron James round out the top five of the NBA’s jersey sales.

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder ranked eighth.

Traditional NBA markets in New York, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics round out the top three teams in jersey sales.

We say technically because the Nets have been among the leaders of the NBA’s most determined collection of tankers in league history. For them, winning had long ago ceased to be a motivation. They had nine regulars listed out on their injury report. If you listened closely, you could hear “1-2-3 Cancun” when they broke from timeouts. 

The Raptors’ task was therefore simple: win, improve their record to 46-36 and lock down sixth place. With some luck — the Miami Heat beating the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic losing to the Boston Celtics — and the Raptors could end up fifth. 

As it turned out, who doesn’t like Cleveland in the spring? 

The Raptors dominated the Nets for the 136-101 win and then had to hang around the televisions in their locker room to watch the Celtics — who sat all their starters — outlast the Magic, nudging the Raptors into fifth.

They will play the fourth-seeded Cavaliers (52-30) instead of the third-seeded Knicks. 

On paper, maybe a good thing, since the Raptors went 3-0 against the Cavs this season, and 0-5 against the Knicks. 

But any regular-season results are probably only mildly relevant since Cleveland and Toronto haven’t met since Nov. 24. Cleveland comes into the post-season relatively healthy and has since added James Harden, making them the justified heavy favourites. 

As an added concern, Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley left the game at halftime with hamstring tightness in his right leg. He went for testing afterwards. On the bright side, the Raptors don’t play Game 1 until Saturday (at 1 p.m. ET).

So on Sunday night, those were concerns for another time. The Raptors set a lofty goal and reached it, which is something to be recognized and saluted. 

They were a 25-win team two years ago, starting a rebuild without the benefit of their first-round draft pick and had finally divorced themselves from the remnants of their championship era. Last season, they won 30 games in what was a relatively unsuccessful tanking mission in that they finished with the NBA’s seventh-worst record and moved back to the ninth pick on lottery night. Team president Masai Ujiri was fired. It was a new era.

There was optimism that the Raptors could be competitive this season with better health and the addition of Brandon Ingram, but no guarantees. 

“Obviously, we never set a goal of get this seed or that seed,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. “We were just focusing on our work, focusing on the things that were in our control. The hand played out well for us this year. We won 46 games, 16 more than last season. We saw a lot of growth from this roster. The best part of it is that we’re gonna have an opportunity to play in the playoffs. As much as all of those games meant to put us in the playoffs, it’s going to be an amazing experience for our team to go in the playoffs. We’re just gonna take it one game at a time. Our mentality is not gonna change. We’re gonna try to win one game, this next game, and see where we end up.”

It’s been a breakthrough year for Scottie Barnes, who finished the season with career bests in games played (80), minutes played, points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals, and was the hub on what ended up being the NBA’s fifth-best defence heading into play Sunday — something no one saw coming, except maybe them.

“From training camp, we believed it. We were confident we could get in this position,” said Barnes, who led the Raptors against the Nets with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his ninth career triple-double. “The season is always going to have some ups and downs, but if you get through it, push through it. I thought we did a great job of pushing through it. Stuff happens, you can try to go out there and win the next game, win the next game. I felt like we got through that and through those moments as a team.”

Their reward is that they get to test themselves in the playoffs against a veteran team with championship ambitions.

“From when I got here, I would always be one of the ones saying, ‘when you do things the right way, the results are going to come.’” said RJ Barrett (22 points on 9-of-15 shooting), who has been to the playoffs twice in his career with the New York Knicks, and now gets to do it with his hometown team. “We’ve been doing things the right way. We’ve been working, building. This is the result of that. Obviously it’s still a process. But this is a good step for us. I don’t think many people thought we were gonna be here. I’m just very proud of this group, how hard we work, how together we are. That’s going to continue in the playoffs.”

Or as Barnes said when asked about what he’s been telling his younger teammates about post-season basketball: “Just be ready for the physicality. You got to love this s—, this s—’s fun. Be ready to go. Try to win and I think our guys can go out there and try to win.”

Three-point Grange, bonus edition!

But how did the Raptors get here? It’s been a trip, starting in Calgary for training camp and winding up Sunday night with a playoff spot.

Here are 10 moments that defined the Raptors’ season.

1. Jakob Poeltl misses first pre-season game: How little we knew. Poeltl missing the NBA Canada game in Vancouver against the Denver Nuggets was described simply as precautionary, a result of a sore back he’d developed following the intrasquad scrimmage at the end of training camp in Calgary. Poeltl went on to miss 20 of the Raptors’ first 27 games, rarely looking like his best self, before missing 27 of the Raptors’ next 28 games. But eventually the big Austrian returned and has missed just two games since the all-star break. He’s still not been at his best — his rebounding rate is his lowest in seven years — but any chance the Raptors have to be at their best now or over the next four years that the 30-year-old is under contract relies on his good health.

2. Jamison Battle to the rescue:  It’s a long time ago now, but it felt like the Raptors’ season was hanging by a thread back on Halloween. Remember? After a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks on opening night, the Raptors got pummelled in four straight games, losing convincingly to Milwaukee, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. The Raptors were 1-4 and seemed too small to compete against teams that had any kind of quality size (Giannis Antetokounmpo was still firing on all cylinders for the Bucks, Anthony Davis for Dallas and Steven Adams for Houston. And of course, Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs). The Raptors were trailing Cleveland by 10 midway through the third quarter when Darko Rajakovic turned to Jamison Battle in search of some offence. Good call! Battle finished 7-of-7 with six triples and was plus-28 in 15 minutes in a game the Raptors desperately needed to get.

3. The easiest schedule in NBA history: In mid-November, the Raptors had righted the ship and were 7-5 when opportunity knocked. Ahead of them was what might have been (at the time) the easiest stretch of games in NBA history: over the next six games, they were due to play Indiana twice, as well as Brooklyn and Washington. At the time, those teams had a cumulative 3-32 record. There was only one time previously that three teams in the same conference had been 1-10 or worse. To play them four times in just over a week was too good an opportunity not to take advantage of. The Raptors did just that, running their winning streak to nine games. It was the defining stretch of their season. Even with the win over Brooklyn Sunday, the Raptors finished just 10 games over .500.

4. Collin Murray-Boles did what? There was never a moment this season when the burly rookie didn’t impress. On the first day of training camp, Scottie Barnes was calling him a “beast, a monster.” Grown men were overwhelmed by the 20-year-old’s brute strength. But on Jan. 5 against Atlanta, Murray-Boyles signalled that he was more than a promising rookie with plus athleticism as he put up 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks without a turnover, while making countless winning plays — screens, loose balls, deflections — that don’t show up in the box score. It was the first time in 35 years that a rookie put up at least those numbers without a turnover. Forgetting turnovers, the only rookies to hit those thresholds in the past decade are Amen Thompson, Victor Wembanyama and Lonzo Ball. We’ve seen since that it was not a fluke. Even while battling a thumb injury on his shooting hand, Murray-Boyles has proved himself an essential piece of the Raptors’ rotation and a potential difference maker in the playoffs.

5. Barnes with the clutch block: Whatever happens in the playoffs, this season will likely be remembered as the year that the rest of the NBA recognized how special Barnes’ game-changing defence can be. He does it in every way — he was the only player in the NBA to finish in the top 10 in blocks and steals, blowing past his previous career marks in each category. But if there was one area that defined Barnes’ season, it was his proclivity for game-winning defensive plays. Four times this season, Barnes blocked a shot in the final seconds to preserve a win: Nov. 17 against Charlotte, up two with 0.8 seconds left; Dec. 2 against Portland, up four with nine seconds left; Jan. 25 against Oklahoma City with 29 seconds left; March 13 against Phoenix, up four with 43 seconds left. Taken together with the Raptors’ unexpected standing as the NBA’s fifth-best defence will get Barnes recognition as an all-NBA defender at season’s end.

6. Fourth quarter woes: Who knows what the Raptors’ record might be this season if games were just 36 minutes long? The Raptors’ performance in the fourth quarter was a problem all season. Their fourth-quarter offensive rating was 25th after 81 games. Weirdly, they had the fourth-best offensive rating in the third quarter. Overall, they were 15^th. But there were moments when the Raptors’ fourth-quarter performance was a record scratch across an otherwise solid album of work, with blown leads down the stretch littering their win-loss record.

7. Detroit, finally: Amid what has been an enjoyable season with results that safely exceeded anyone’s (realistic) pre-season expectations, one of the hard-to-put-aside dampers was the Raptors’ inability to beat good teams. They did finish 4-0 against Atlanta, which seems a little more impressive now given their second-half surge, and they were 3-0 against Cleveland, which isn’t nothing. But against the top three teams in the East, the Raptors finished a cumulative 1-12 and 1-11 against the top six teams in the West. At the point in the season when that seemed to be weighing heaviest, the Raptors put together what was arguably their best single-game showing as they handled their business against the first-place Pistons 119-105 on March 15, thanks to 61 combined points from Barnes and Ingram, and a 21-point, 18-rebound night from Poeltl.

8. Walter runs with it: When the Raptors played their intrasquad scrimmage on the last day of training camp in Calgary, Ja’Kobe Walter wasn’t slotted with the starters, nor was he slotted as a starter on the second unit. By default, that puts the second-year wing third behind Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick among their collection of reserve wings, and sometimes fourth behind Jamison Battle. But Walter kept working, kept playing and finally earned his moment. Agbaji was traded to the Nets, Dick fell out of the rotation, and Walter’s superior defence kept earning him minutes over Battle. He’s since become a fixture in Rajakovic’s rotation. He showed his chops as an on-ball defender most memorably when he helped hold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 24 points (eight under his season average) in the Raptors’ win at OKC in January. His emergence as a shooter has been crucial as well. Walter came into Sunday’s game shooting a blistering 47.1 per cent from three since the All-Star break, pushing him over the 40 per cent mark on the season. He was three-of-five from deep against the Nets on Sunday.

9. Ingram, Iron Man: By far the biggest question looming over the Raptors heading into the season was whether Ingram would stay on the floor long enough to make a difference. He hadn’t played more than 70 games since he was a rookie, and in the eight years since, he averaged 52 games per season. But Ingram started playing and never stopped. Sunday was his 77^th of the season, just two less than his career high of 79. But he blew past his career marks for minutes played and points scored and had enough in the tank to play his best game (38 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) in a crucial Raptors win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.

10. Speaking of the Heat: As much as the Raptors secured their playoff spot on Sunday with their (predictable) win over the Nets, it really came down to two games against the Miami Heat earlier this week. A split or two losses would have likely consigned them to the play-in or, at the very least, in need of considerable help from other teams. Two wins would set up the situation the Raptors found themselves in — a win at home against the woeful Nets to solidify their spot. It was a perfect set piece: two relatively evenly matched teams, both on similar rest, each relatively healthy. Who would impose their will? The Raptors did as they blew out the Heat not once, but twice, with difference makers in each game. The Raptors had earned the opportunity through 78 games to that point, but with a chance to make it all count, the Raptors knocked the door down. It was impressive, in its own way.

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Raptors beat Nets to clinch playoff berth, will face Cavaliers

There can be no more movement, and the seeds are all set. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons will both enter the post-season as the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. The Toronto Raptors, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, will be the No. 5 seed and face the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Play-In tournament will begin on Tuesday and the playoffs will begin on Saturday, with the full schedule to be announced.

Here is a look at the final bracket and the playoff matchups:

Eastern Conference Round 1 matchups:

No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 seed
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 seed
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. ET
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. ET
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. ET

Western Conference Round 1 matchups:

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 seed
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 seed
Game 1: Sunday, April 19 at 9 p.m. ET
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
Saturday, April 18 at 3:30 p.m. ET
No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets
Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Play-In schedule

Tuesday
Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets (9-10 game), 7:30 p.m. ET
Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns (7-8 game), 10 p.m. ET

Wednesday
Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers (7-8 game), 7:30 p.m. ET
Golden State Warriors at LA Clippers (9-10 game), 7:30 p.m. ET

Friday
East eighth-seed game, 7:30 p.m. ET
West eighth-seed game, 10 p.m. ET

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“I have truly loved my time in Milwaukee,” Rivers said Monday in a statement released by the team. “Coming back to where I got my start, to a city that has always embraced me, has been a privilege. I am disappointed that things did not turn out the way any of us hoped, but I am deeply grateful for this experience, the relationships built, and unwavering support from our fans and the community. Milwaukee will always mean a lot to me, and this chapter will hold a special place in my heart.”

The announcement comes a day after the Bucks ended a 32-50 season that snapped their run of nine straight playoff appearances. The news release announcing Rivers’ departure as coach didn’t indicate whether he might have any role with the team moving forward.

“It has been an honor to have Doc as our coach and as a leader in our organization and community,” Bucks owners Wes Edens, Jimmy Haslam, Dee Haslam and Jamie Dinan said in a statement. “In addition to his impact on the court, we’re thankful for Doc’s class and professionalism during his tenure in Milwaukee.”

Rivers went 97-103 in 2 1/2 seasons with the Bucks. He owns a 1,194-866 overall record and overtook George Karl for sixth place on the career wins list among NBA coaches this season. The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame announced this month that Rivers would be part of its newest induction class.

The 64-year-old had left little doubt about his future as the season wound down.

“I have seven grandkids now and they’re all 8 years and under,” Rivers said about his future before an April 7 loss at Brooklyn. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents’ day with each one of them in school. And it’s probably time to go see them more. So, I’ll let you figure out the rest.”

Rivers’ exit comes amid questions surrounding the future of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led Milwaukee to its first title in half a century in 2021 and has set Bucks career records in virtually every major statistical category.

Antetokounmpo’s status dominated league discussions as the trade deadline approached, but he wasn’t dealt. He since has been in a disagreement with team management over his injury status.

The last game Antetokounmpo played was on March 15. He said in the closing weeks of the season that he was healthy and wanted to play, while the Bucks continued to rule him out because of a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. The NBA is investigating the matter.

Antetokounmpo had two extended absences because of right calf strains and ended up playing in just 36 games. Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks’ second-leading scorer, appeared in just 38.

“It’s hard,” Rivers said Sunday. “I don’t remember guys being out like this, but it makes sense. I haven’t had a lot of this. It’s no fun. Losing, I don’t give a crap what the reasons are, I’m just too competitive. It’s just no fun not winning. It just isn’t.”

Rivers won a championship with Boston

Rivers won a title with Boston in 2008 and led the Celtics to Game 7 of the NBA Finals two years later, but his teams haven’t advanced beyond the regional semifinals since. He owns a career playoff record of 114-112.

This marks the first full season in which Rivers has coached and posted a losing record since 2006-07, when he went 24-58 with Boston.

Rivers came to Milwaukee after head coaching stints with the Orlando Magic, Boston, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. He was working as a broadcaster for ESPN and ABC before the Bucks hired him.

He took over midway through the 2023-24 season after the firing of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin. The move represented a homecoming of sorts for Rivers, who played at Marquette before his 13-year NBA playing career. His No. 31 college jersey hangs from the rafters at Fiserv Forum, the arena that both the Bucks and Marquette call home.

But the Bucks never managed to establish any momentum during Rivers’ tenure, with injuries playing a major role.

Bucks struggled with injuries

Milwaukee went 17-19 under Rivers during that 2023-24 season to finish a 49-33 season. They lost to Indiana 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs, with Antetokounmpo missing the entire series because of a calf strain.

Last season, three-time All-Star Khris Middleton didn’t start playing until early December after offseason surgery to each of his ankles, and he got sent to Washington at the trade deadline. Damian Lillard missed Milwaukee’s final 14 regular-season games because of deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, returned for Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series loss to Indiana but tore his Achilles tendon two games later.

With Lillard unable to play this season, the Bucks waived him and agreed to pay his remaining salary over the next five seasons. That opened up cap space for the Bucks to sign former Indiana Pacers centre Myles Turner.

Milwaukee won four of its first five games but struggled the rest of the way while playing much of the season without its superstar.

“I personally have enjoyed the challenge,” Rivers said after Sunday’s game. “It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, obviously. I always say I could do a better job. We could have had better health. We could have had all kinds of things. But I’m not a big guy in looking back. All you can do is look forward.”

“It was running — he wasn’t touching it, so I was a little nervous,” Einarson said of her Swiss teammate’s attempt to draw the button. 

Nail it, and their 11-person team made up of players from Canada, Switzerland, Italy and Sweden would share a US$100,000 winner’s cheque and be the first-ever Rock League champions, winners of an event that saw some of the world’s best curlers play with rules and elements the sport has never quite seen before as six franchises with GMs went head-to-head in men’s and women’s fours and mixed doubles.  

It was a fitting way to end the first event for the outfit that promises to present “Curling Unleashed,” too, that the week-long competition came down to a draw to the button between two curlers. After Jacobs beat Typhoon CC’s Niklas Edin in men’s and Einarson lost to Typhoon’s Anna Hasselborg in women’s, mixed doubles was the deciding game to determine the event’s champion. Since the mixed doubles game was all tied up through eight regulation ends, Rock League rules state that ties are broken by a draw to the button challenge, and so after Typhoon sent theirs long, Schwarz-van Berkel got set in the hack to try to float in the winning shot. 

“Of course, you feel the atmosphere is changing in the stadium,” he said, with a grin, since all his teammates were watching, along with some 500 fans in the stands. “That was exciting. You just want to throw it as good as you can.”

Schwarz-van Berkel did, and when his shot settled on the button, he and the rest of Shield CC were airborne, hugging and jumping and fist-pumping as Queen’s We Are the Champions played over the arena’s speakers.  

“It felt good,” Schwarz-van Berkel said, holding a hammer trophy he’d won after being named the event’s MVP, which comes with a US$5,000 prize. “So very glad I could make it,” the 34-year-old from Geneva added, thinking of what it would’ve been like if he hadn’t. “That would be, I mean, a bummer. So very glad.” 

Jacobs, who back in February won his second Olympic gold medal, was all smiles as he reflected on Rock League’s debut event.

“What a great way to end the week,” he said, pointing out that was the best part of all, on top of the winner’s cheque. “We wanted to be crowned champions and be the first ones to win in this league. Obviously it doesn’t hurt to make some extra cash — we’ve got mouths to feed and roofs to keep over our heads and all that stuff. But to be the first ones, you know, more than anything, there’s no feeling like winning.”

Shield CC was Canadian-heavy, with not only Jacobs and Einarson but fellow Canucks Tracy Fleury, Jacob Horgan, Dan Marsh and Marlee Powers. They were joined by Switzerland’s Schwarz-van Berkel and Carole Howard, Italy’s Mattia Giovanella and Amos Mosaner, and Sweden’s Agnes Knochenhauer. 

“They made it really easy,” Jacobs said, of his teammates, and creating a good dynamic. “I think everyone’s very cooperative, genuinely good people, and when you combine that with the athleticism, the hard work everyone puts in, and just seeing the personalities and everyone getting along really well, I wasn’t surprised to see that we were doing well this week. And I’m not surprised to see us come out with the win because of that.”

Schwarz-van Berkel said he figured franchises would start practising together ahead of events going forward, with a full Rock League season kicking off in January of 2027, featuring five events across North America. 

“It’s a very different end to the season, winning the first edition of this. Hopefully it’s a concept that’s gonna grow and become relevant,” Schwarz-van Berkel said. “That feels very good today, and hopefully in a couple of years, you will be even more proud because the league has grown and, you know, the attention and the meaning of it will grow.” 

The league declares “the future of curling is here,” and it boasts a non-traditional product that features different elements, like a rink-side bar and a live band playing between games. But the biggest differences are in the rule and format changes: It’s faster (players have about 80 per cent of the thinking time they get at other events and four-person games go just seven ends), it’s head-to-head (ten-player franchises feature men’s fours, women’s fours and mixed doubles all playing match-style to determine the winner), and it has different rules (like a shot on the pin hole in the final end worth two points instead of the usual one and a no-tick rule that players loved). 

Jacobs said he himself, at age 40, didn’t feel like the sport’s future, but he hopes the Rock League can be a place for young curlers to aspire to play in one day. “I think that’s what they mean about ‘the future of curling is here,’ for young kids,” the skip said. 

The Rock League saw every player earn prize money from a $250,000 total pool. Typhoon CC, led by Hasselborg and Edin, took home a shared $60,000 in second place, while the last-placed Frontier CC split $10,000.   

The intensity on the ice was at its height on Sunday, players agreed, but factored in all week.  

“We’re all out here to win,” Einarson said. “Amazing week for us, and pretty special to be the first-ever Rock League champs.” 

“Certainly going into the summer, it’s nice to be the team that wins the last game,” Jacobs added. 

For the second time in California in less than 24 hours, the Canucks were fully invested and engaged Sunday and beat a team with everything to play for in the playoff race, denying the Anaheim Ducks a chance to clinch their first Stanley Cup tournament berth in eight years by winning 4-3 in overtime.

The Canucks delivered a severe blow to the San Jose Sharks’ wild-card playoff hopes on Saturday by winning 4-3 in a shootout in Northern California.

The Ducks and Sharks, who will likely miss the playoffs for a seventh straight year, are the rebuilds frequently trumpeted as blueprints for the genre and teams the Canucks should try to emulate. But Vancouver, at the embryonic stage of its own rebuild, set back both opponents.

Marco Rossi’s power-play one-timer with 10 seconds left in overtime blasted the Canucks to victory in Anaheim after Beckett Sennecke, part of the Ducks’ new young core, turned the puck over in his own zone, which led to Chris Kreider’s slash on Drew O’Connor at 2:53 of the extra session.

After the Canucks rallied three times to win in San Jose, forcing overtime on Teddy Blueger’s goal late in regulation time, Vancouver blew a 3-1 lead in the third period against Anaheim.

Canuck Brock Boeser forced John Carlson into a turnover and brilliantly finished a shorthanded breakaway at 4:28 to put the National Hockey League’s worst team up by two goals. But Cutter Gauthier fired through Vancouver goalie Nikita Tolopilo on the same power play 37 seconds later. And at 6:56, Leo Carlsson tied it 3-3 by flipping a rebound through a sprawling Tolopilo after Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek’s rim-around took an unlucky bounce and caromed straight to Kreider in the slot.

But with Anaheim fans chanting “We want the playoffs! We want the playoffs!”, the Canucks survived the rest of the Ducks’ third-period surge before Vancouver’s sizzling power play won it in OT. Losing the bonus point left the Ducks tied with the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division (but third on the tie-breaker), one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Each team has two games remaining.

As impressive as the resilience the Canucks displayed after losing their lead with 13 minutes to go in regulation, their start was at least as encouraging as their finish.

Facing a rested, hungry Ducks team 19 hours after beating the Sharks about 600 kilometres away, the Canucks were physically and emotionally engaged from puck drop. 

Blueger went back at tough Anaheim defenceman Radko Gudas for his heavy hit on Vancouver rookie Liam Ohgren on the second shift, then challenged and fought him later in the period despite being overmatched. Even Gudas was impressed, helping Blueger up off the ice after the tilt.

Defenceman Elias Pettersson (Junior) didn’t shy away from Alex Killorn in a scrum. And as the game got rough, Canucks enforcer Curtis Douglas won a fight against Jeffrey Viel.

Importantly, even after Gauthier opened scoring for Anaheim just 3:41 into the game, five seconds after Blueger’s initial cross-checking penalty ended, the Canucks responded with goals by Douglas at 10:49 and Jake DeBrusk, on a power-play shot-pass from Rossi, at 14:37 to build a road lead Vancouver held until the third period.

With their first consecutive victories since December, the Canucks are playing like a team that doesn’t want the season to end. Or, at least, a team that doesn’t want it to end despairingly, without any positivity heading into a long summer.

“Yeah, they’re really fighting,” Foote told reporters in Anaheim before the game. “It’s a great group. They’re getting better and better, they’re working at it. You can almost feel the room, the energy, something shifted the last month or so and especially the last, you know, 10 days. I know they don’t want it to end.”

DOUGLAS BUSTS OUT

As exuberantly joyful as Douglas was at scoring his first NHL goal, it was difficult to tell after he swept in a loose puck at 10:49 who was the happiest Canuck on the ice. That’s how excited teammates were for the 26-year-old who spent five years in the minors before changing NHL teams twice this season on waivers.

Aatu Raty wouldn’t let go of the six-foot-nine winger during the group hug in the corner, and Pettersson looked like he wanted to wrestle him. It was a special moment for Douglas, a point-per-game player at the end of his junior career, who grew up in Oakville, Ont., not dreaming of fighting in the NHL but scoring goals.

Analyst Dave Tomlinson smartly pointed out on Sportsnet’s broadcast that all six Canucks on the ice for the goal — Douglas, Raty, Pettersson, Tolopilo, Ty Mueller and Kirill Kudryavtsev — were in the American Hockey League last season.

Playing his first NHL game this year, and the third of his career, defence callup Kudryavtsev earned his first NHL point by shooting from the point, the shot bouncing to Douglas off Raty. Kudryavtsev, 22, finished plus-one in 14:17 of ice time, with a 6-2 shots advantage at five-on-five and expected-goals-for of 77.8 per cent.

VETERAN PRESENCE

No team successfully rebuilds without veterans to help teach the kids, and the Canucks should seriously consider re-signing both Douglas and Blueger before they leave as unrestricted free agents this summer. Games like Sunday’s illustrate why leadership and toughness remain such important elements with so many young players in the lineup.

POWER UP

In 23 games since the Olympic break — and since Rossi returned to the Canucks fully healthy — Vancouver is 18-for-55 on the power play (without a shorthanded goal against) for a success rate of 32.7 per cent that ranks second in the NHL during that time.

The power play was 4-for-7 on the weekend and a huge factor in both wins. But we were surprised not to see Jake DeBrusk used on either unit in overtime after he scored his fifth power-play goal in seven games in the first period. DeBrusk is fourth in the NHL this season with 18 PPGs. 

SCOTT OAKE AND CANUCKS

When retiring Hockey Night in Canada reporter and After Hours host Scott Oake was invited into the Canucks’ dressing room before his final show Saturday in San Jose, the team gave him more than a jersey and an engraved silver puck. The Canucks are also making a $50,000 donation to the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre in Winnipeg.

Scott and Anne lost their son to addiction in 2011, then founded the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for men in an effort to change how drug addiction is treated in Canada. A retired nurse, Anne Oake succumbed to cancer in 2021. The new treatment centre in her name will allow women who have children to seek help without fear of being separated from their kids.

“It caught me completely by surprise, something I never expected,” Scott said Sunday night of the donation. “We appreciate every dollar we get, but we depend on significant donations like this, and it will help save lives. For the Canucks to do this, I’m really touched.”

He said construction on the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre begins in May and the 75-bed facility should be completed by the end of 2027.

CANUCKS LINEUP IN ANAHEIM

Forwards

Hoglander-Pettersson-DeBrusk
O’Connor-Rossi-Karlsson
Ohgren-Blueger-Boeser
Douglas-Mueller-Raty

Defencemen

Buium-Hronek
M. Pettersson-Willander
Kudryavtsev-Pettersson Jr.

Goalies

Tolopilo
Lankinen

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You could tell he’d be good long before he was drafted 13^th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, but few would’ve predicted he’d be this good. It was unforeseeable when he arrived in Montreal—in the 2018 trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Sin City—that he’d become one of five players in Canadiens history to hit this milestone. And even if it was easier to imagine when Suzuki broke out with 89 points last season, it still felt like a fantasy he’d ever breach 100.

Not to him, though.

“When you’re a little kid, you think of doing things like this,” said Suzuki, “and it’s definitely special.”

It certainly was when Guy Lafleur and Peter Mahovlich became the first Canadiens to do it in the 1974-75 season.

They combined to repeat the feat six more times (Lafleur on five other occasions and Mahovlich just once) through the end of the 70s, with Steve Shutt also hitting the club in 1976-77.

Then came Naslund in 1985-86, notching 110 points for a team that went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens have been searching for a player as prolific ever since.

Vincent Damphousse teased with 97 points over his first 84 games with the Canadiens in 1993-94.

Then Pierre Turgeon became the first Canadiens captain to hit 96 in a season just two years later.

He was at the Bell Centre Saturday when Suzuki notched his 99^th point, and he told Sportsnet before it came that he was astounded by the progress he’s seen from the player since he arrived in Montreal.

“I love him,” Turgeon said. “He’s got the hockey sense, he plays so well defensively, and he’s just got it all. And what I like is that when the game is on the line, there’s guys that can stand up and make the difference, and he’s definitely the guy that can do it. Some guys have a harder time doing that, but he always finds a way to step up and make the big assist, win the key battle, or score the big goal.”

Suzuki’s 29^th of the season broke a 0-0 tie in the 16^th minute of the second period of Sunday’s Canadiens-New York Islanders game at UBS Arena.

His 72^nd assist came just 28 seconds later, making this his 29^th multipoint performance of the season.

“I take a lot of pride in just playing the right way and not really worrying about points,” Suzuki said.

The player who set him up with his 100^th in the 4-1 win that ended the Islanders’ playoff push said that’s exactly why Suzuki was able to do this.

“He’s always playing for the team,” said Juraj Slafkovsky, “and when you do that, you get rewarded, and the game gives back to you.”

It’s rewarded Suzuki in the way he thought it might, as both he and the Canadiens were making their ascent.

“I think as we kept building this team and the talent that we were acquiring and the chemistry that we were building, definitely saw a lot of potential in that,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun playing with these guys.”

Slafkovsky, who now has 30 goals and 43 assists in just his fourth NHL season, is one of those guys.

Cole Caufield, who became the first Canadien to score 50 goals since Stephane Richer did it in 1989-90, is another.

And then there’s Lane Hutson, who recorded his 65^th and 66^th assists Sunday to tie Larry Robinson for the most among Canadiens defencemen in a single season.

“We’ve got a really special group, with a lot of special players,” Suzuki said. “Seems like there’s some type of record all the time with this team. It’s really crazy. But it comes with a lot of work behind the scenes and a lot of dedication through the summers and through the seasons. We’re a hungry group, and we continue to get better, which is an awesome thought to have.”

Another is that he is the driving force behind it all of it, and he’s just one year into the prime of his career.

Whether you’re Slafkovsky, Caufield, Hutson, or David Reinbacher, who registered his first NHL point in his league debut Sunday, that’s a comforting feeling.

“He’s a true leader,” said Reinbacher of his captain. “He’s the head of this group, and he just brings a high (level) of calmness.”

It’s enabled Suzuki to dominate the toughest matchups night in, night out, making him the fifth-highest scorer in the NHL and the leading candidate for this year’s Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.

“I remember (Sergei) Federov winning the Selke, and he was an offensive player too,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “I think it takes an honest game, and that’s what Suzy brings.”

He brings a consistent one, too, partly because he’s always available to play.

Suzuki hasn’t missed a game since stepping into the league 536 games ago, and what he’s done over his last 81 has added another dimension of reliability.

He’s only been held off the scoresheet in 18 of those games, and he’s only had two sequences of consecutive games without a point.

“He should be proud,” said Turgeon. “He’s fun to watch, and it’s fun to see what’s he’s been doing.”

Not many would’ve predicted Suzuki would be doing it, no matter how many points he scored in the Ontario Hockey League before debuting with the Canadiens in 2019.

The progression has been linear ever since, with 41 points notched through those first 71 games, followed by 41 in 56 the following year.

Suzuki then put up seasons of 61, 66, 77 and 89 before hitting and passing 100, and he’s got one more game to get to 102 and beyond.

And though Suzuki has done it all with great humility, he’s always envisioned himself accomplishing the kind of great things so few have accomplished before him.

“Those guys are just legends of the game, and this organization’s been around for so long and had so many great players that I’m kind of shocked it’s only that many guys that did that,” Suzuki said of joining the Canadiens’ 100-point club. “It’s special for me to be a part of it.”

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They did by way of a shooting gallery during warmups, firing pucks at him from every angle.

“They came right at me right away,” beamed the popular defenceman who spent four years in Calgary before agreeing to a deadline deal to Utah.

“When I was getting interviewed, they were shooting pucks at me right away. Colesy (Blake Coleman), Backs (Mikael Backlund), Matty (Coronato)… I felt like I got more blocked shots in the warm-up than I did all season.”

It says plenty when the perennial shot-blocking leader is on the receiving end of so many frozen reminders of how beloved he was in Calgary.

Still is.

That point was driven home six minutes into his first game back in Calgary Sunday, when a lengthy video tribute during the first TV timeout brought the crowd to its feet for one of the heartier welcomes from a fan base that sure seems to be getting used to them.

“It was special,” said Weegar, who removed his helmet for the moment and sure seemed to be a tad misty-eyed as he waved in appreciation.

“Obviously, a lot of emotions going through that. Some laughs too — the boys kind of triggered me a little bit. I could see them peeking their heads over behind the red line.

“Just a lot of great memories. I got some goose bumps over there, it was a great cheer. My appreciation for the fans, and their appreciation for me, never goes unnoticed.”

He too noticed the roars were just a little louder than most of the lads who’ve passed by with their new teams. After all, he heard most of them over the last handful of years.

“That’s the market here — they love their hockey, they love their players, and if you just buy into the system, and you work super hard every night, and you wear that jersey with a lot of pride, they’ll show it back to you here,” smiled the 32-year-old.

“So that’s all I wanted to do when I was here, just wear that jersey with pride and give it all I got here. I’m glad they noticed it. And it goes both ways.”

Weegar said the love-in was similar to what he expected, minus the result — a 4-1 Mammoth loss in which he actually had a chance to flip the script early in the second when he walked in from the point and had a golden chance to beat Dustin Wolf to narrow the gap in a 2-0 game.

“I’ll sleep on that one for sure,” he said of the shot that found its way into Wolf’s glove.

“I’m thinking about it right now. I could have got him in a couple different areas, but he played great tonight. I’ll give him credit. It would have been a really great night if we got the two points. I really wanted to win that one.”

Wolf said playfully he loved getting a leg up on Weegar in his return to a city in which No. 52 was wildly popular with teammates and the masses.

“He had a real nice look down the middle, and… you knew he was going there,” laughed Wolf, whose squad got goals from Connor Zary, Brayden Pachal, Coronato and Backlund.

“He tries to fool me, but he needs to try a little harder.”

The win saw the Flames pass the New York Rangers for 29th in the standings — an unpopular move for most Flames fans.

For the Mammoth, who are trying to avoid playing Colorado in the first round, the loss does nothing to derail the fact that they’re heading to the playoffs for their first spring fling since moving to Utah.

“I can’t wait, it’s gonna be an absolute blast,” said Weegar, who assisted on Utah’s third-period goal to ruin Wolf’s shutout.

“Ultimately, I made the decision to come over here for that reason, to get an opportunity to get in the playoffs and make some noise.”

He insists that as the team bus drove past Scotia Place he resisted the urge to joke with teammates that he had a hand in making the new rink happen.

“They were kind of chirping me a little bit about that,” he smiled.

“I saw the new building getting built, and I kind of just had a little thought in my head, kind of ‘what could have been.’ But the Saddledome here has given me a lot of great memories.”

Sunday night being yet another one of them.

From the opening faceoff to the celebratory post-game skate in which he waved gratefully to the adoring fans, Ovechkin enjoyed one heck of a day, Best of all, the Capitals won Sunday to remain in the playoff hunt.

Playing in front of an appreciative sellout crowd, the Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0. Ovechkin will wait until the offseason to decide whether to retire or return for a 22nd NHL season, but the fans weighed in early in the game by chanting, “One more year!”

Afterward, surrounded by his two young sons, Ovechkin had this response to that request: “I’ll think about it,” he said with a wry smile.

Ovechkin turns 41 in September, but the league’s all-time leading goal scorer with 929 isn’t exactly limping to the end of his brilliant career. He leads the Capitals with 32 goals and 63 points, and he received an assist on the empty-net goal that clinched Sunday’s pivotal win.

“It’s a big moment for us right now,” he said. “Everybody was dialed in.”

The Capitals must win their regular-season finale in Columbus on Tuesday night and hope Philadelphia fails to win either of its remaining two games. No matter how it plays out, and regardless of whether he decides to come back or not, Ovechkin will always have this day to savor.

“I’ll remember this moment, the atmosphere that was tonight,” he said.

It was no ordinary afternoon, and the Capitals knew it.

“You could tell, the game felt different and the night felt different,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “A lot of great moments.”

It was an unusual game right from the start, when Ovechkin joined Pittsburgh great Sidney Crosby at center ice for the opening faceoff.

“The opening draw, I got a kick out of that,” Carbery said, before adding,. “I just caught myself watching in certain moments, taking it all in.”

It was the 100th meeting between Crosby and Ovechkin. Crosby and the Penguins have won more times than not, but Ovi has certainly made an impression on Sid the Kid.

“He came in with such high expectations, and he passed them,” Crosby said. “To be the greatest goal scorer of all time and to do what he’s done, its impressive.”

Carbery hopes that Ovechkin will add to his lofty goal total in 2026-27, but regardless, the coach is thankful to have been associated with The Great 8.

“If it is the end of his career, I smile thinking of those moments because been blessed to be his coach when he broke the all-time goals record and I was the coach that was with him at the end,” Carbery said. “I don’t take that for granted one minute.”

To say Sunday’s outing was a rough one for Scherzer would be an understatement. The veteran was removed in the third inning and charged with eight runs during what ended up being an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in front of 37,804.

The loss ensured the Blue Jays (6-9) ended their homestand with just two wins in six games, and they were outscored 40-23 along the way. 

“Everybody’s got to look in the mirror about what they want to do and what they want to do better,” Scherzer said. “Obviously we want to be winning. This is the big leagues and this is our job to go out there and compete, be at our best and win ballgames. Unfortunately, we’re not doing that at the rate that we would like to right now.”

It’s been a tough stretch for the defending American League champions, who placed George Springer on the injured list Sunday morning with a left great toe fracture as the designated hitter became the club’s 10th player sidelined to injury.

However, it’s not just injuries to the starting staff and lineup that are plaguing the Blue Jays and contributing to the four consecutive series losses since opening weekend. There’s also a level of ineffectiveness at play and that was evident during the three-game set against the Twins. 

Patrick Corbin, Eric Lauer, and Scherzer combined to allow 19 earned runs over 11.2 innings during their starts. The Blue Jays were able to overcome Corbin’s rough outing during Friday’s win, but the poor rotation performances put the club in massive holes on both Saturday and Sunday.

Right-handers Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios are making progress toward returns, however, as the Blue Jays embark on a nine-game road trip through Milwaukee, Arizona and Anaheim, results from the incumbent members of the starting staff will need to improve.

“Solo homers aren’t going to beat you,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “I feel like this series, whether it was a couple of walks or hit-by-pitch before, that leads to two- or three-run homers, whatever it may be. That’s tough to claw back from.”

While that’s true, the offence has also been inconsistent. On Sunday, the lineup had plenty of opportunities to score but ultimately went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on base and continuing a troubling trend. 

“We can play a lot better baseball,” said centre-fielder Daulton Varsho. “I think everybody in this whole building knows that. I think fans know that.”

Added Schneider: “We’re missing that hit to keep the game flow where it should be. It seems like we’ve been playing out of sync a little bit with an inning here, an inning there, where it makes it pretty tough to come back.”

Scherzer was coming off a two-inning outing against the Dodgers that he left due to right forearm tendinitis. He underwent an MRI in between starts that showed there were no issues with the ligament, and he was deemed healthy for Sunday’s contest, which featured a Twins lineup with five lefties and three switch-hitters.

The right-hander touched 94.1 m.p.h. with his fastball in the opening frame and induced two flyouts and an inning-ending punchout. In the second inning, though, he had trouble locating and walked Josh Bell and hit Matt Wallner before surrendering a three-run homer to Tristan Gray, who unleashed on an 0-1 cutter in the middle of the zone.

Scherzer wasn’t able to stop the bleeding in the third when Kody Clemens led off with a 417-foot homer to right-centre field, and the Twins followed that with single-single-walk-single-sac fly. Scherzer was lifted for Joe Mantiply, who hit the first batter he faced before surrendering a bases-loaded double to Brooks Lee during what was a five-run inning.

The runs were charged to Scherzer, and in total, he allowed eight on five hits over 2.1 innings, with two walks and three strikeouts over 68 pitches (41 strikes). 

“Today I got beat on walks and missed execution,” said Scherzer. “I can look at myself in the mirror and I’m accountable for how I go out there and how I execute, and today I didn’t get it done.”

The right-hander said his forearm was not an issue and that it loosened up well as the day progressed. He stopped short of saying that he’d moved past the tendinitis, though, noting he needs to see how his arm responds Monday. 

Whether it’s his own ailment or the collective injuries of the team, Scherzer said “there’s no excuses in this game” and that there are opportunities for “somebody else to come up here and show what they can do.” 

“Whether you’re hurt or not, no one cares,” he added. “This is about going out there and winning ballgames. And so, everybody has got to be accountable for what you do, and you got to be accountable for how we’re playing. And we gotta play better.”

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It was a yet another stunning day in Georgia but both Canadians, with something to shoot for, went the opposite way on the leaderboard.

Conners, who shot a 3-over 75 on Sunday to finish at 6 over and tied for 49th, managed to dunk his approach on No. 14 for an eagle. Each eagle during the Masters earns a pair of branded crystal highball glasses. Conners has a handful already, but that doesn’t mean they are any less special.

“Displayed proudly in our living room,” Conners said.

It was a rare week for highlights for Conners at the Masters, who came in as a trendy pick for another great result after four top-10 finishes in his last six starts at Augusta National. He said he hit a choked-up, three-quarter 8-iron on No. 14 and when it found the bottom of the cup, that “put a smile” on his face on an otherwise “frustrating day.”

“I loved it in the air. I saw it land on the green. At that point in the round, I was a little bit frustrated so I was kind of thinking in my head, ‘What could go wrong with this shot?’ even though it was right at the flag,” Conners said with a laugh.

Conners went 75-73 to make the cut on the number before finally getting into red figures on Saturday. He made six birdies in the third round but also five bogeys. That was the summation of his week for the most part. Another microcosm of his frustration? His approach on the par-5 15th Sunday landed on the green and his caddie passed him his putter. Two minutes later, the ball had rolled down the front of the green and into the water, forcing Conners to have to hit another approach with a wedge from the drop zone.

“It was a frustrating week. I feel like my game is close to being where I want. Just wasn’t able to put the scores together,” Conners said. “The course is playing a little bit tricky and just wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do out there.”

Nick Taylor, who finished tied for 41st, played steadily all week, but ended up struggling in Sunday’s finale, making three bogeys in a row as he made the turn and then hit his approach into the water on the par-5 15th en route to another bogey.

He closed, for the second day in a row, with a birdie on No. 18 but shot a 5-over 77 to tumble down the leaderboard.

“I’ll take some time, learn from it, and try to build for the next major. But certainly, it’s better than missing the cut and banging my head against the wall,” Taylor said with a smile. “It’s always hard when you finish poorly on a Sunday to kind of take the positives for the week, but I’ll take a day or two and keep working on what I’m doing.

“There was obviously a lot of great golf this week; today just wasn’t it.”

The next major of the year is the PGA Championship in mid-May at Aronimink Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia. Conners and Taylor are essentially locks to tee it up, while Taylor Pendrith has a confirmed spot after his tie for fifth at the PGA last year.

It wasn’t quite enough.

Scheffler shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday at Augusta National and finished one stroke behind winner Rory McIlroy. Now McIlroy and Scheffler are even with two Masters titles each. Scheffler was trying to pull off what would have been an unprecedented comeback from 12 strokes down after 36 holes.

“I always felt like I was a couple shots out of it, but I was ahead of those guys (on the course), so I felt like if I could make a few birdies and post a score I’d be in a good spot,” Scheffler said. “Just wasn’t able to make enough birdies on the back.”

Scheffler shot a 65 on Saturday to pull within four, and he was in the mix during the final round, becoming the first player since World War II to play the last two rounds of the Masters without a bogey.

What he needed, however, was at least one more birdie. After making one on No. 1 and another on No. 3, a streak of 11 straight pars stalled his progress at a time when he was very much within striking distance.

On the par-5 15th, his tee shot went to the right into the trees, and his second shot caromed off one of them, leaving him still 189 yards out. He had a gap between two tree trunks but needed to clear water to reach the green.

He somehow pulled that off and rolled in the putt for a birdie to move to 10 under. Problem was, at around the same moment, McIlroy birdied No. 13 to go to 13 under. Then Scheffler answered with a birdie on the par-3 16th to pull within two.

And that’s where it stayed until the 18th, when McIlroy’s bogey was enough to win him the tournament.

Scheffler’s last good chance to apply pressure on McIlroy came when he stood over an 18-foot putt for birdie on No. 17. It was a similar putt to the one Jack Nicklaus made on his way to a sixth Masters title 40 years ago.

For Scheffler, the putt stayed just to the left of the hole.

“The putt I hit on 17 I really thought I made,” he said. “The shot into 18 I hit it exactly how I wanted to. I think we just lost the wind, and it got right up to the edge and came all the way back down. Would’ve been nice to give myself an opportunity there on 18, but I always talk about how I try to be focused on controlling the things that I can control and yesterday and today was some of the best that I’ve felt like I’ve been mentally all year.”

There were other missed opportunities. The par-4 seventh was yielding birdies left and right — and even a couple of eagles — on Sunday. But after an errant tee shot, Scheffler’s approach missed the green to the left.

He went over the green from 95 yards on the par-5 eighth, costing himself another good birdie chance.

Scheffler’s son Remy was born late last month, and he hadn’t played since The Players Championship in the middle of March. This was his first top-five finish since Pebble Beach in mid-February.

Scheffler has won four major titles and now has three runner-up finishes. He tied for second at the 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 PGA Championship. This time he ended up alone in second, proving to be the biggest threat to McIlroy on a crowded leaderboard.

Scheffler and McIlroy have won four of the last five majors, with McIlroy winning the 2025 and 2026 Masters and Scheffler taking the PGA Championship and British Open last year. They are ranked 1-2 in the world, making this the first major since the 2002 U.S. Open (Tiger Woods over Phil Mickelson) in which the top two players in the ranking were the top two finishers in some order.

Scheffler ultimately put himself in too big of a hole when he shot 70 in the first round and 74 in the second. And he didn’t take advantage of the two par 5s on the back nine — Nos. 13 and 15. His remarkable up-and-down on the 15th hole Sunday was his only birdie on either of those holes, and he bogeyed both Friday.

McIlroy, meanwhile, played those holes in 6 under over the four days. And he had the fortitude to win Sunday after he lost a six-stroke lead Saturday.

“I’ve competed against him for a long time, and you don’t win the amount of tournaments that he’s won out here without being pretty resilient,” Scheffler said. “Having a six-shot lead at Augusta is never easy, and losing that is obviously something difficult. But at the end of the day when you tee it up here on Sunday, he’s tied for the lead to start the day and had a solid round and did what he needed to do.”

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He finished in a four-way tie for third.

The popular 45-year-old Englishman, who lost a playoff to Rory McIlroy last year, ended up two shots behind him on Sunday. For a brief moment, it was Rose with a two-shot lead in the final round at Augusta National, until a series of mistakes through Amen Corner and a couple of birdies by the defending champ through the same stretch of holes dealt Rose another dose of disappointment.

Two-time champion Scottie Scheffler made a late charge to finish second at 11 under, and Rose was another shot back, along with Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley and Cameron Young, who played in the final group with McIlroy but never got anything going.

“Just a chance that got away,” Rose lamented afterward.

He’s had a lot of them on the picturesque grounds of Augusta National.

Rose has finished second three times, including another playoff loss to Sergio Garcia. The only players to be runner-up more often in the Masters are Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Tom Weiskopf — and Nicklaus and Hogan each won more than one green jacket.

“I feel like with a sudden-death loss,” Rose said, “you kind of know you got to the house. You’ve done everything it took to win. Then it comes down to a flick of a coin at times. Whereas today I felt like, yeah, there was an opportunity to do better.”

Rose began the day three shots back of McIlroy and Young, but by the time he made the turn, he had reached 12 under and was back in contention. McIlroy and Young had started to falter, and Scheffler had yet to make his move, and that left Rose in the middle of the fairway at the long, par-4 11th with a two-shot lead in the final round of the Masters.

He proceeded to hang his approach shot so far right that it ended up wide of the greenside bunker, the first ominous sign of trouble. Rose followed with a good pitch, but he missed the 15-footer for par and his lead was trimmed in half.

Then, at the par-3 12th — perhaps the most famous par 3 in the world — Rose flew the green from 155 yards. His ball came to rest on a slight downhill lie, and he left the ensuing chip short of the green, leading to a second consecutive bogey.

“You get on the 12th tee, you’ve got to be 100 percent in the moment,” Rose said. “Landed two yards too far and kind of put me in a funny spot where I had a pine cone right next to my ball that I wanted to move. It kind of made me try to chip that a bit of a different way, because I kind of had to use the toe of the club and hit a bit of a hook-chip.”

Yet it may have been the final hole of Amen Corner that Rose will regret most. He gave himself a 40-footer for eagle at the par-5 13th, which would have pulled him alongside McIlroy at 12 under. Instead of making it, a three-putt par further zapped his momentum.

Rose did get up-and-down for birdie at the par-5 15th, but he missed a 3-footer at 17, and his chances of winning were over.

“I was by no means free and clear, and was nowhere kind of close to having the job done, but I was right in position,” Rose said. “I was really in control. First 10 holes I felt like I was — yeah, I was. And the mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done. I was playing great, but just momentum shifted for me around the Amen Corner.”

The majors have caused Rose plenty of heartache over the years. He was second at the British Open in 2024, and third at the PGA Championship earlier in his career. The three runner-up finishes in the Masters have put his name on the large, silver trophy depicting the Augusta National clubhouse, but not in the column that belongs to the winners.

His only major title remains the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.

Rose isn’t giving up, though. Far from it.

“I’ve really kind of re-kicked on and re-energized my career and myself, and have a lot of belief in myself that there is a lot of runway ahead,” he said. “These are the tournaments I focus on. These are the tournaments why I practice. These are the tournaments that get me going that sort of extra mile to sort of have to show up and keep being in these great arenas.”

That attitude was the difference in the final round as McIlroy defended his title at the Masters, becoming just the fourth person in history to go back-to-back at Augusta National. 

The chairman of the club put McIlroy’s green jacket back through his arms Sunday. Members of his home club in Northern Ireland cheered. Some members of the media did the same. Why not? McIlroy has been the biggest global star in the game for more than a decade. 

McIlroy, who has now won six major championships, tied Nick Faldo for the most major victories by a European with his win. And he is, for now, the greatest of his generation — as we await what Scottie Scheffler’s final major total may be. 

McIlroy will be in a class of his own by the time we get to the PGA Championship in a month’s time. He’s chasing ghosts. McIlroy’s next major victory will tie him with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, and Bobby Jones. 

He’s in the pantheon now. 

“It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it. I’m not putting a number on (how many I can win), but I certainly don’t want to stop here,” McIlroy said. 

McIlroy’s experience around Augusta National, both on the mental side and with the kinds of shots he hit, was the key through Sunday. It’s never easy. It can’t be. That’s why so many in the game often go their entire careers without doing it. McIlroy admitted he hadn’t really played any other golf course the last two or three weeks leading into the Masters and was able to shoot scores and practice shots around greens and knew — perhaps most importantly on a week when he was second-to-last in driving accuracy amongst those who made the cut — where to miss. 

“I joked last week and going into this week that this place feels like my home course,” McIlroy said. 

Although he opened with a birdie on No. 3, he gave it all back and then some with a double bogey on the par-3 4th. He added another bogey on No. 6 before rallying with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8. He gave himself a talking-to on the seventh tee after finally roasting a tee shot to the centre of the fairway, which set him up for the final stretch. He said if he didn’t make those birdies he may have had to press a little bit on the back nine. 

McIlroy hit a nifty, sawed-off 9-iron off the tee on No. 12 to just a few feet and converted the birdie there before adding one more on No. 13. On the iconic par 5, McIlroy was in a gully on the left side of the green but took out a putter from off the green and rolled it up to 11 feet. Smart. Stylish. Impressive. 

“I think staying aggressive and staying committed, especially on those two holes, definitely served me this week,” McIlroy said. 

He had to hold off a hard-charging Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 4-under Sunday and had a strong chance to push McIlroy more until a few late misses left him one shot short. 

McIlroy knows how hard it is to compete against — and defeat — Scheffler, the game’s best player. He called him “relentless” earlier this year. 

Scheffler finished at 11 under for the week and in solo second. This was just the third major championship since 1986 in which the top two finishes were the first and second-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking. 

“I’ve competed against him for a long time, and you don’t win the amount of tournaments that he’s won out here without being pretty resilient,” Scheffler said of McIlroy. “Having a six-shot lead at Augusta is never easy, and losing that is obviously something difficult. But at the end of the day, when you tee it up here on Sunday, (McIlroy is) tied for the lead to start the day and had a solid round and did what he needed to do in order to get it done.”

Four different players led at one time Sunday, and at one point, McIlroy was three shots back. He held steady through the final stretch of holes before it almost all came undone on the 72nd hole. McIlroy blasted his tee shot way right and at the base of a tree. But it was just right enough that he had a window to carve his approach up the 10th fairway and into the front bunker. McIlroy blasted it out to about 25 feet and nestled it up to just inches for a closing bogey. Good enough. 

“I don’t make it easy. I used to make it easy back in my early 20s when I was winning these things by eight shots. No, it’s just… It’s hard. It’s hard to win golf tournaments. Yeah, especially around here,” McIlroy said. 

After last year, McIlroy continued to be asked about what’s next. What happens when you achieve such a big dream — a dream that some, McIlroy said, might have been deemed outlandish. 

McIlroy said Sunday that he thought winning the grand slam a year ago was the destination. And then he realized it wasn’t. This win, he said with a glint in his eye, was another stop on his journey. 

When you dream so big, it’s just as fun to achieve them all over again. 

“It still fits,” said McIlroy of his Pantone 342 C sport coat. 

And now, Holywood has its sequel. 

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Though the manager suggested it was possible his team’s leadoff hitter and offensive catalyst might need only a minimum stay of 10 days, a fractured left big toe still made him the club’s 10th player sidelined.

The fallout of the injury suffered in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins meant that Eloy Jimenez’s contract was selected from triple-A Buffalo and the slugger was inserted into the lineup at DH, batting seventh, with Ernie Clement up in Springer’s leadoff spot.

With Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger also injured in the last week and Anthony Santander lost before spring training started, the Blue Jays’ depth on the position-player side is now being tested the way its pitching staff already has been.

Backfilling the leadoff spot “is going to be, probably a whole lot of different stuff based on the starting pitcher,” said Schneider. “We’re going to need some guys to do some things and we’re going to need to be a little bit creative. We’re going to need to really lean into this and say, this is a challenge when you lose one of the best leadoff hitters in this generation, right? So, we’ll figure it out every day. And, I think there are going to be a lot of moving parts, a lot of moving pieces. But, I think that we’re pretty good at that.”

The Blue Jays have little other choice, as their roster has been steadily whittled down by injuries beginning with news on the eve of camp. Santander was set for shoulder surgery, Bowden Francis needed reconstructive elbow surgery, and Shane Bieber was sidelined with forearm fatigue.

During the course of camp, the attrition spread to Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios and Yimi Garcia while Cody Ponce made it through just 2.1 innings of his Blue Jays debut before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Once Springer fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning Saturday, “with where he is, with where we are right now, I mean, it does feel like woe is me, right? But it can’t be that,” said Schneider. “I didn’t want to push George and compromise him and have him play at 65, 70 per cent right now. We all know that he will do that in the post-season and down the stretch. But the biggest thing is George has played through stuff a lot since he’s been here and I don’t want a toe to compromise anything else, lower body or anything like that. He’s got one speed that he plays at, and I think we can weather the storm with him and other guys for now, but I don’t want anything worse to happen to him. He gets that.”

To that end, the Blue Jays considered giving Springer until the middle of the week to see if he might recover enough, but didn’t want to play shorthanded during that time. Last summer, Clement played through a small hairline fracture in his left hand and after 10 days to heal on the IL, something along those lines could be possible for Springer, as well.

“I think so, yeah, which obviously would be the best-case scenario with what the doctors are saying,” said Schneider. “Doctors are saying he’s probably going to feel a little bit better in about a week to 10 days. It’s not going to feel great, probably for a couple of weeks, but getting that time in now to make it feel better, I think is only fair to him, and fair to us, really, to kind of have a full roster and to have a normal functioning version of George.”

The Blue Jays will hope for an injection of slug from Jimenez, one of baseball’s most exciting young players whose career was stalled by injury.

Signed to a minor-league deal in January after he finished out last season with Buffalo, Jimenez had a “great camp obviously,” said Schneider, who feels “he’s physically in a place where he can do some things that we saw him do a couple of years ago. And that’s kind of the hope, is that you continue to have good at-bats, hit the ball hard and help out however you can help out whenever those run-producing situations are there. We want him to kind of i thinget after it.”

They need him, and others, to do just that, as well, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., pointed out Saturday night.

“This is not the NBA (where) one guy scores 45 points and the team wins,” said Guerrero. “In baseball, everybody in the lineup has to do their part. I’m going to go out there and do my job and the rest of the guys have to do their jobs, too.”

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Keep up with the latest signings, trades and more with Sportsnet’s free agency tracker.

April 12

Sparks keep spending with Julie Vanloo addition

After re-signing Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby, and adding Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks’ spending spree continued with the re-upping of Vanloo, who joined the team via the waiver wire midway through last season.

Wings upgrade guard depth with Lindsay Allen

The Dallas Wings are bringing in some veteran help behind Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. Lindsay Allen is joining the Texan side after spending last season with the Connecticut Sun, where she averaged 2.4 points and two assists in 14.5 minutes a night, mostly off the bench.

Mystics add former ROTY Michaela Onyenwere

A busy off-season for the Mystics continues as they pen Michaela Onyenwere to a multi-year contract worth over $1.4 million, per ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike. Beyond just playing in the WNBA and earning the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award, Onyenwere recently helped coach UCLA, her alma mater, to a national title at March Madness.

DeWanna Bonner sticking around in Phoenix

The Phoenix Mercury are re-signing yet another piece of the roster that brought them to the WNBA Finals last season. Bonner joined the Mercury midway through last season after being waived by the Indiana Fever and averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and one assist in 24 games back with the team that drafted her in 2009.

Jade Melbourne heading back to Seattle

Jade Melbourne is on her way back to the team that drafted her back in 2022. The 22-year-old Australian guard agreed on a one-year, $500,000 deal to head back to the Seattle Storm after spending two seasons with the Washington Mystics.

Portland nabs centre C Gustafsson from Vegas

After staying mostly quiet in free agency up to this point, the Fire are finally adding some size to their front-court rotation. They agreed to a two-year, $1.025 million deal with Megan Gustafson, providing the expansion side with some championship experience and a six-foot-four frame.

Kahleah Copper re-ups with Mercury

After helping her side to the WNBA Finals, Kahleah Copper is sticking around in the desert. In her second year with Phoenix, she averaged 15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 37.7 per cent from three-point range. The 2021 Finals MVP upped her scoring in the post-season, averaging 17.8 a game, and projects to be the No. 1 scoring option for the Mercury with Satou Sabally gone.

DiJonai Carrington signs one-year deal with Sky

The 2024 Most Improved Player and all-defensive selection has signed with the Sky on a one-year deal after leaving the Lynx in free agency, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. DiJonai Carrington was traded from the Wings to the Lynx at the 2025 trade deadline to help bolster Minnesota’s playoff run.

Nia Coffey signs two-year deal with Lynx

The Lynx are bringing in veteran Nia Coffey on a two-year deal that is greater than the veteran minimum, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The former free agent spent last season with the Dream, where she was a solid contributor off the bench, playing around 10 minutes per game.

Two-time all-star Natasha Howard leaves Fever for Lynx

After starting in all 44 of the Fever’s games last season, two-time all-star Natasha Howard is signing a two-year, $1.4 million deal with the Lynx, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Lynx bring back five-time all-star Kayla McBride

Kayla McBride has signed a two-year, lower-max-salary deal with the Lynx, per ESPN. The 33-year-old returns to the team she’s found success with for the last five seasons.

All-star Ezi Magbegor has re-signed with the Storm

Forward Ezi Magbegor has re-signed with the Seattle Storm. The 26-year-old is a 2023 all-star and four-time all-defensive team selection.

Valkyries re-sign three stars from their first season

The Valkyries are keeping three key players from their first-ever season in Golden State. Illiana Rupert and Janelle Salaun have each been signed to multi-year deals, while Cecilia Zandalasini has agreed to a one-year contract.

Valkyries activate Justė Jocytė’s rookie-scale deal

The Golden State Valkyries have activated a contract for their first-ever entry draft selection. Justė Jocytė will play for the Bay Area on a rookie-scale deal.

Courteny Vandersloot re-signs with Sky

The Sky have re-signed Courtney Vandersloot to a multi-year deal. The Star veteran had her season cut short in 2025 after she suffered an ACL injury.

Courtney Williams re-signs with Lynx

Courtney Williams will be staying in Minnesota after agreeing to a two-year max contract worth $2.4 million.

Valkyries sign all-star Gabby Williams to multi-year deal

All-star guard Gabby Williams has reportedly agreed to a multi-year deal with the Golden State Valkyries, per ESPN’s Andraya Carter on Sunday.

Williams, 29, joins Golden State on the heels of her most active WNBA season. Last year’s steals champ made 44 starts with the Seattle Storm, averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and league-best 2.3 steals.

Tempo sign former Liberty depth piece Isabelle Harrison

The Tempo have signed veteran forward Isabelle Harrison to a one-year deal. Harrison will be reunited with Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello, whom she played for while with the Liberty last season.

Kelsey Plum is all in with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Kelsey Plum has reportedly re-signed with the Sparks on a one-year $999,999 deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The four-time all-star and two-time WNBA champion was eligible to sign the $1.4 million supermax contract but opted to sign below that rate to free up cap space for the Sparks as they look to build a roster that could contend this season.
Read more.

Sophie Cunningham re-signs with Fever on one-year deal

Sophie Cunningham will be sticking around with the Indiana Fever on a one-year deal. Her 2025 season was cut short due to injury but she still finished fourth on the team in scoring after only playing in 30 games.

April 11

Aces re-sign forward Parker-Tyus

Despite not getting much of a run in 2025 due to the birth of her child, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is running it back with the Las Vegas Aces on a one-year deal. She missed the start of the year but returned just before the playoffs and appeared in six post-season games on the Aces’ run to their third WNBA title.

Wings bring in DPOY Alanna Smith

The Dallas Wings officially have their defensive anchor after signing centre Alanna Smith to a three-year max contract, pairing the defensive player of the year with reigning rookie of the year Paige Bueckers and the returning Arike Ogunbowale.
Read more.

Stefanie Dolson signs with Storm
After losing Nneka Ogwumike to the Los Angeles Sparks, the Seattle Storm are bolstering their front court, signing six-foot-five centre Stefanie Dolson. A WNBA veteran, Dolson was an all-star in 2015 and 2017, and spent the last two seasons with the Washington mystics.

Kennedy Burke heads to the Sun

The Connecticut Sun are bringing some championship experience into their locker room with Kennedy Burke, who won the 2024 title with the New York Liberty and has spent the past two seasons as a solid bench wing in the Big Apple.

Rachel Banham re-signs with the Sky

Amid a week of upheaval, the Sky are bringing back one of their top guards from last season. Rachel Banham is re-signing in Chicago after averaging nine points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 35.7 per cent from deep in her first full season with the team.

Fever sign Tyasha Harris

The Indiana Fever keep adding around Caitlin Clark and Co., bringing in guard Tyasha Harris, who missed most of the 2025 season with the Dallas Wings following left knee surgery. In her last full season with the Connecticut Sun in 2024, she averaged 10.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and three assists while shooting 39.5 per cent from three.

Valkyries re-sign Veronica Burton to multi-year deal

Veronica Burton will be sticking around in Golden State. The 25-year-old guard had a breakout season in 2025 and earned the Most Improved Player award. She will be a key piece as the Valkyries continue to build in their second season.

Fire sign Canadian Bridget Carleton

The Fire have secured the first pick in the expansion draft, forward Bridget Carleton. The 28-year-old signs a three-year max contract with the expansion team. Carleton comes with seven years of WNBA experience and most recently played with the Lynx, where she made 24 starts and averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Storm re-sign rookie Mackenzie Holmes

Mackenzie Holmes was drafted by the Storm in 2024 and appeared in 10 regular-season games and one playoff contest in 2025 during her first year in the league.

Fire reach deal with veteran guard Karlie Samuelson

Karlie Samuelson has agreed to a veteran deal with the Portland fire. The shooting guard played last season with the Lynx, but boasts eight years in the league and really began to find her role in the W in 2024 when she played for the Mystics.

2022 Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard has re-signed with the Dream

The Atlanta Dream are stocking up during this free agency and bringing back some key pieces. Rhyne Howard has re-signed in Atlanta to stick around with the team that drafted her first overall back in 2022. Since then, the 25-year-old has been a key element of the Dream rebuild as she averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists last year.

Satou Sabally is moving to New York

After leading the Phoenix Mercury to the 2025 WNBA Finals, Sabally is leaving for the New York Liberty on a multi-year deal, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

The 27-year-old was named to the All-WNBA First Team and received the Most Improved Player award in 2023. In 2020, she was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Read more.

Sky sign seven-time all-star Skylar Diggins

Skylar Diggins is leaving the Storm after two years to sign a two-year deal with the Sky. Veteran guard averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 assists in her 11th season in the W.

Liberty finalize multi-year deal with Jonquel Jones

Jonquel Jones will be sticking around in New York. Madeline Kenney from the Post reports that the 2024 Finals MVP will re-sign on a multi-year deal.

Fever sign free-agent Monique Billings

Former Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings is signing a deal with the Fever. Billings posted 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with the expansion franchise last year. Caitlin Clark and Billings should fit well together in Indiana. The two recently showed off their budding chemistry at the FIBA Qualifiers in March.

Three-time all-star Dearica Hamby re-signs with Sparks

Dearica Hamby announced she will stay in Los Angeles with a social media video infused with pop culture references. The three-time all-star has 10 years of experience in the W and is coming off one of her best-ever seasons, where she averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game.

Sky trade 2028 first-round pick to Mystics for Jacy Sheldon

The Sky have traded their 2028 first-round pick to the Mystics in exchange for guard Jacy Sheldon. Sheldon was the fifth pick in the 2024 draft and has averaged 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists over her first two years in the league.

Lexie Hull re-signs with Fever

Although she received plenty of interest during the first few days of free agency, Lexie Hull has decided to return to Indiana on a multi-year deal.

Hull was the sixth pick in the 2022 draft and logged huge minutes for the Fever as they struggled through injury and made a deep playoff run last season.

Azura Stevens leaves Sparks after three seasons

Azura Stevens has agreed to a three-year deal to return to the Sky. She previously played in Chicago from 2020 to 2023.

The top forward is coming off a career year with the Sparks after averaging 12.8 points and 8 rebounds per game

Julie Allemand signs a multi-year deal with Tempo

Toronto has signed a multi-year deal with expansion pick Julie Allemand. The 29-year-old guard from Belgium joins the Tempo with extensive international experience and two years in the W under her belt.
Read more.

April 10

Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes agree to multi-year contracts with Tempo

Toronto signed both guards Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes to multi-year deals with its first-ever free agency moves.

The Tempo gave Mabrey their core designation, which allowed the team exclusive negotiation rights. She signed a two-year, $2.4 million deal. Sykes, meanwhile, is the team’s first true free-agent signing, snatching her talents from the Seattle Storm.
Read more.

10-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike returns to Sparks

After spending two seasons with the Seattle Storm, Nneka Ogwumike is returning to the Los Angeles Sparks, where she played for the first 12 years of her career.

The star forward has accrued 10 All-Star bids, eight All-WNBA and seven all-defensive team selections. In 2016, she also earned MVP honours as she led the Sparks to their third championship.
Read more.

Alyssa Thomas to stay in Phoenix

After leading her team to the WNBA Finals last season, Alyssa Thomas is finalizing a deal to remain with the Mercury for 2026.

Jackie Young to return to Vegas

Two key pieces of the Aces’ championship team will be staying in Las Vegas.

Jackie Young has been with the Aces her entire career, making four all-star teams and two All-WNBA teams. She also won the 2022 Most Improved Player award.

Jewell Lloyd will also be sticking around on a three-year deal worth $2.2 million.
Read more.

Brionna Jones to return to Dream for second season

Brionna Jones will return to the Atlanta Dream for a second season on a multi-year deal. The top post player recorded 12 double-doubles last year while averaging 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

She helped the Dream to a franchise-best 30 wins last season.

Naz Hillmon and Allisha Gray to sign three-year deals with Dream

The Dream are keeping Allisha Gray around after her career year in Atlanta.

The 31-year-old guard was an MVP candidate and earned All-WNBA first team honours for the first time last season. She is set to sign a three-year max-plus deal in Atlanta

Naz Hillmon is also staying with the Dream on a three-year deal.

Arike Ogunbowale returns to Wings

Arike Ogunbowale will be sticking around in Dallas on a multi-year, seven-figure deal. She was initially cored by the team and therefore eligible for a supermax $1.4 million deal, but opted to take a lesser contract to leave space for the team to build around her.

Kelsey Mitchell signs supermax contract after being cored by Fever

The Indiana Fever have signed a supermax deal with Kelsey Mitchell worth $1.4 million after coring her on April 7.

Mitchell led the Fever to an impressive playoff run last season and became a top MVP candidate for the first time in her career.
Read more.

Natasha Heideman leaves Minnesota

Natasha Heideman is headed to Seattle on a two-year deal where she is set to become a dependable depth piece for the Storm. She was a force off the bench for the Lynx and averaged just under 10 points a game for Minnesota last season.

Jessica Shepard signs multi-year deal in Dallas

The Lynx say goodbye to Jessica Shepard after five seasons. The forward joins the Wings on a multi-year deal after a standout playoff run in Minnesota last season.

All-defensive player Elizabeth Williams re-signs in Chicago

Centre Elizabeth Williams will be sticking around with the Sky on a two-year $1.2 million contract that is fully guaranteed.

Chelsea Gray is running it back with Vegas

Chelsea Gray will remain with the Aces after winning a championship there last season. She has reached a three-year, $3 million fully guaranteed deal.

Jordin Canada re-signs with Dream

The 30-year-old guard Jordin Canada will remain with the Dream on a two-year $1.2 million contract.

Brittney Griner joins the Sun

As the Sun prepare for their last season in Connecticut before moving to Houston, two-time WNBA scoring champ Brittney Griner joins for the final hurrah.

The 35-year-old WNBA legend has signed a seven-figure deal.
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The Tempo have signed the veteran forward to a one-year deal, the team announced on Sunday. She has signed for $400,000, per Madeline Kenney of the New York Post.

“Isabelle brings toughness, experience, and versatility to our frontcourt,” general manager Wright Rogers said in a press release. “She’s a proven professional who understands her role, competes on every possession, and provides valuable depth and leadership as we continue to shape our roster.”

The 12th overall pick in 2015 was a solid depth piece for the Liberty last season and has experience playing under the Tempo’s new head coach while in New York. Over her career, the 32-year-old has averaged 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. She had her most productive seasons from 2019-22 while playing for the Wings.

“I’m happy to be part of something new and I’m ready to get the season started,” said Harrison.

With the addition of Harrison, the Tempo now have 13 players signed to contracts for the upcoming season.

Jackson was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season.

“It’s thrilling to acquire one of the great young talents in this league in Jackson,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “Rickea is only going to continue to ascend, and the organization is excited to witness that growth firsthand.”

It was a difficult offseason for Jackson when her ex-boyfriend, Atlanta Falcons player James Pearce, was arrested and charged in a domestic dispute incident in February.

The Sky had given Atkins the franchise tag earlier this week. Chicago originally acquired her last February and she averaged 13.1 points in 34 games last season.

“Ariel is a proven winner and one of the most respected two-way guards in this league,” Sparks GM Raegan Pebley said. “She’s a champion, an elite defender and someone who understands what it takes to win in big moments. Her professionalism, competitiveness and versatility make her a perfect fit for our franchise and a key piece in our pursuit of a championship.”

It’s been a busy week for the Sky. The team signed Skylar Diggins on Saturday, the first day a team could officially add free agents. Chicago also brought back forward Azura Stevens, who helped the franchise win a title in 2021.

The Sky re-signed center Elizabeth Williams, who has been with the team since 2023. She averaged 8.5 points and 5.2 rebounds last season, appearing in 43 games with 15 starts.

Chicago also re-signed guard Courtney Vandersloot to a multiyear deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced. Vandersloot tore her ACL last year in June.

Chicago traded Angel Reese on Monday to Atlanta, moving on from the talented young star.

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Report: Four-time all-star Kelsey Plum re-signs with Sparks on non-max deal

Ogwumike returns to Sparks after spending first 12 years with team

Plum has reportedly re-signed with the Sparks on a one-year $999,999 deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The four-time all-star and two-time WNBA champion was eligible to sign the $1.4 million supermax contract but opted to sign below that rate to free up cap space for the Sparks as they look to build a roster that could contend this season.

Plum joined the Sparks through a blockbuster three-team deal during free agency last off-season. Before the move, she had spent six of her first seven seasons in Las Vegas and captured two championships with the Aces.

The Sparks have had an active free agency period so far as they locked up one of the biggest names on the market, 10-time all-star Nneka Ogwumike, and brought back another key piece in three-time all-star Dearica Hamby.

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WNBA Free Agency tracker: Latest signings, moves

How Tempo will attack franchise’s first-ever WNBA entry draft

Centre Alanna Smith has agreed to a three-year max contract with the Dallas Wings, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported Saturday.

Smith, 29, enjoyed a breakout campaign in her second year with the Minnesota Lynx last year, averaging 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while tallying 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.

Those efforts on the defensive end helped her earn her first Defensive Player of the Year award, co-winning the trophy with MVP A’ja Wilson after voters were split.

A native of Tasmania, Australia, Smith was drafted eighth overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019 and spent the first three years of her career there. She then spent one year with the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky before finally landing in Minnesota, where she helped the side to the WNBA Finals in 2024.

Smith will now join the tandem of Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, who re-signed with the Wings on a multi-year, seven-figure contract. Because Ogunbowale returned to the team on a figure below the $1.4 million supermax — of which she was eligible for — the team was able to find extra cap space to bring in Smith.

Though the Wings struggled to a league-worst 10-34 record last season, they managed to net the first-overall pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft to select a long-term pairing for Bueckers, Ogunbowale and now Smith.

The Tempo have offered Austin a three-year offer sheet with a max contract value worth $1.19 million base value, The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant reported on Saturday. The Mystics will have two days to decide to match the contract before the deal can become official with Toronto.

On Tuesday, the Mystics sent her a restricted qualifying offer. Austin became a restricted free agent after completing her four-year rookie deal last season.

Austin was the third pick in the 2022 draft and has only ever played for the Mystics. The 25-year-old forward averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season. She struggled through injuries in both 2023 and 2024, only making 31 appearances across both years, but bounced back to play 38 games in 2025.

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Tempo sign six players to training-camp contracts

Tempo sign Julie Allemand, first pick in expansion draft to multi-year deal

After leading the Phoenix Mercury to the 2025 WNBA Finals, Sabally is leaving for the New York Liberty on a multi-year deal, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

The 27-year-old was named to the All-WNBA First Team and received the Most Improved Player award in 2023. In 2020 she was named to the All-Rookie Team.

Sabally was drafted second overall in 2020 by the Wings and spent her first five years in Dallas before playing the 2025 season in Phoenix.

The star forward averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals last season. During the playoffs, she upped her production to 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Sabally joins a strong Liberty roster with Sabrina Ionescu, who was cored by the team, and Breanna Stewart who has expressed an intention to remain in New York. Jonquel Jones has also re-signed with the club. Ionescu and Sabally will reunite for the first time since their college days when they played together for Oregon.

Looking to the rest of free agency and the draft, it is clear the Liberty have some big contracts they have to work around to fit within the cap.