Jake Muzzin being placed on long-term injured reserve could end up having a significant impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their trade deadline plans.
Since Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is willing to spend to the cap, Toronto moving Muzzin’s $5.625 million to LTIR has resulted in plenty of speculation as we inch closer to the March 21 NHL trade deadline.
Another Canadian team involved in trade rumours is Vancouver, and fans on both sides of the country have wondered if a trade between the Leafs and Canucks is realistic, especially with J.T. Miller’s name being floated out there.
Most of Vancouver’s roster is locked up for next season and GM Patrik Allvin acknowledged there’s no rush to make a decision on whether or not to move Miller, who has one remaining year on his team-friendly contract ($5.25 million AAV) before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
“I’ve been impressed with the way he plays, the way he cares, and I think he’s been probably, since I’ve been here, the most consistent player,” the Canucks GM told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre earlier this week. “I think that’s probably something we’re planning as a staff, to sit down together this summer and see which guys are going into the last year of their deals. We want to see where they are, their mindset and what they want to do and if there is a fit here.”
That hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning, though, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying during the Toronto-Columbus broadcast earlier this week he’s “on the J.T. Miller train” if Leafs GM Kyle Dubas decided to use his LTIR space to make things interesting.
The Athletic’s Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal said Wednesday, “Toronto called Vancouver yesterday to see what it would take to get J.T. Miller,” before adding he believes the Leafs also checked in on Luke Schenn, who was taken by Toronto in the first round of the 2008 draft.
Miller wouldn’t come cheap, considering his favourable contract situation and that he’s having another productive year. Performances like Thursday’s two-goal, two-assist showing in a blowout against the Flames will only drive the price up for inquiring teams.
With 57 points in 51 games, Miller would force a team like Toronto to dip into its relatively deep prospect pool. The Maple Leafs hold their own first- and second-round picks this year but lack selections in rounds 3-6. In 2023 and 2024, the team is fully stocked, with picks minus next year’s seventh-rounder.
Like most teams preparing for a lengthy post-season run, the Maple Leafs could use some improvements at all three levels. Adding an impact forward such as Miller would be flashy but it wouldn’t solve anything in terms of blue-line help. Schenn would help some, but Ben Chiarot, Brett Kulak, Hampus Lindholm and Robert Hagg are also among the type of pending UFA blueliners the Leafs and other teams could target.
Forsberg’s future Filip Forsberg has worn a Predators uniform in all 536 regular-season and 82 post-season games he has skated in yet the forward’s time in Nashville could be winding down.
Longtime hockey insider and Blues reporter Andy Strickland reported this week Nashville is actively looking for a partner to facilitate a Forsberg trade.
Nashville faces an interesting predicament because the team is leading the Western Conference’s wild-card race. On one hand, longtime Preds GM David Poile could seek something in return for a high-end rental player such as Forsberg. On the other hand, they could keep Forsberg if they feel a lengthy playoff run is realistic.
The pending unrestricted free agent, whose cap hit has been an even $6 million since 2016, was acquired from the Washington Capitals nine years ago in one of the great one-sided trades of the past decade (Martin Erat and minor leaguer Michael Latta went to the Capitals; the Predators also got a first-round pick, which they used on Seth Jones).
Forsberg, 27, ranks second in Predators history in goals 204 and fifth in both assists (225) and points (429). He has 26 goals and 44 points in 39 games this season.
The Preds have an extra third-round pick and no sixth-round pick in 2022, but beyond that the team possesses all its own draft selections for the next three seasons. Whether it’s a team like Boston with whom many speculate Forsberg would be a great fit, or elsewhere, any team considered a buyer with assets and cap space to spare ahead of the deadline would be wise to inquire.
Elliotte Friedman did mention on The Jeff Marek Show he believes Poile is trying to re-sign Forsberg, saying he thinks “they know the number has to be above (Matt) Duchene and (Ryan) Johansen,” both of whom carry AAVs of $8 million. Friedman expanded on that in his latest 32 Thoughts column.
Time to take Pavelski off the rental board? Any team eyeing an impact rental forward that has considered Joe Pavelski will likely need to look elsewhere. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Dallas Stars have begun preliminary contract extension talks with the centre that have gone well thus far. Since Pavelski will be 38 at the beginning of next season, Seravalli added term could be as much of a sticking point as salary.
Pavelski’s cap hit since signing in Dallas three years ago has been an even $7 million. After a subpar first season with the Stars, Pavelski leads the team with 46 goals and 105 points over the past two seasons.
Dallas is firmly in the Western Conference wild-card race, so Jim Nill also has several difficult decisions to make in regards to pending UFAs John Klingberg, Alex Radulov and Braden Holtby.
Will the Kraken be busy sellers at first deadline?
Seattle’s inaugural season has not gone according to plan and the expansion franchise appears to be clear a seller heading into the deadline. Mark Giordano is chief among the possible rental players. GM Ron Francis will work with the veteran blueliner, who has a limited no-trade clause, and Seattle could retain salary no problem to alleviate a team taking on Giordano’s entire $6.75-million cap hit.
Although he’s not having his best season, he’s only three years removed from his Norris Trophy-winning campaign and the 38-year-old remains effective in a variety of in-game situations.
Calle Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson are among Seattle’s pending UFA forwards who could also be moved. Friedman wrote Friday that Washington could be a landing spot for Jarnkrok.
Is Chara on the block after breaking record? Zdeno Chara just passed Chris Chelios for most games played by a defenceman in NHL history and it looks like Big Z’s name will remain in the headlines leading up to the trade deadline. The soon-to-be 45-year-old is expected to draw interest from around the league. Last week, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford mentioned the future Hall of Famer as one of five possible defencemen the Blues could target – Chiarot, Giordano, Jakob Chychrun and Hampus Lindholm being the others.
A report from NYI Hockey Now suggested the Isles will look to the trade market to see if any contending teams would be interested in Chara, but GM Lou Lamoriello reportedly did not want to begin the process until after Chara broke the record.
Oilers goalie situation
“The Edmonton Oilers have at times this season actively looked at getting a goalie. That’s no secret. We all know it. That’s out there.”
That’s one thing Friedman told Marek this week before adding Oilers GM Ken Holland has made it clear price is an issue. Edmonton has overpaid for netminders in the recent past in free agency and doesn’t want to repeat those mistakes via the trade route.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Patton Kizzire ended a long victory drought Sunday in the Procore Championship, closing with a scrambling 2-under 70 for a tournament-record, five-stroke victory in the FedEx Cup Fall opener at Silverado Country Club.
Kizzire had gone 176 events without a victory after winning tournaments in Mexico and Hawaii in a two-month span in late 2017 and early 2018.
“I’m going to enjoy this win,” Kizzire said. “It’s just so sweet to get through the ups and downs. That’s life. You just got to stay positive. That’s what led me to here, to right now.”
The 38-year-old former Auburn player earned a PGA Tour card for the next two years after entering the event 132nd in the fight to earn a card with a top-125 finish in the standings. He also gets spots in the Masters and PGA Championship and The Sentry at Kapalua.
Kizzire finished at 20-under 268. On Sunday, he repeatedly misfired off the tee for a second consecutive day, but stayed steady with his approach shots and had three birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.
“I knew that it would be difficult not to get ahead of myself with a four-shot lead heading into today,” Kizzire said. “I wrote down in my yard book, ‘I am here, I I am now.’ Kept going back to that. That helped me be disciplined and stay present. That’s what really helped me come out on top.”
David Lipsky was second after a 71.
Patrick Fishburn (71) was third at 14 under. Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont. (72), Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont. (71) and Greyson Sigg (72) were another stroke back.
Sahith Theegala, the winner last year, closed with a 72 to tie for fifth at 12-under 276.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for seventh at 12 under. He carded a 1 over on his final round. Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., finished tied for 13th at 9 under. He shot a 4 under Sunday. Roger Sloan of Calgary finished tied for 37th at 6 under.
Unlike in 2023 when Theegala was followed by a large gallery on his way to winning, Kizzire and Lipsky played the final round in front of a small crowd at the picturesque course in the heart of the Napa Valley wine country.
For the second straight day, Kizzire had to make up for his erratic tee shots. He missed 11 fairways and hit three drives into bunkers but got out of trouble and limited the damage each time.
Lipsky also had issues off the tee trying to battle winds that had been mostly absent for the first three rounds.
“It was really tough out there,” Lipsky said. “The wind was swirling and it was strong and the greens were so firm. Where they put some of those pins is really tough to get close.”
After Lipsky made birdies on Nos. 1 and 4 to get within two shots, Kizzire responded with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. Kizzire hit his second shot past the green, then holed a soft wedge shot coming back from 50 feet to get to 20 under.
Kizzire bogeyed No. 11 after another errant tee shot, while Lipsky birdied to get within two strokes again. Kizzire then made a birdie save after driving into a greenside bunker on No. 12, and had another birdie on No. 13.
Kizzire was ahead by five strokes after a birdie on No. 15, then missed a short par putt on No. 16. He had a chance to get the stroke back on No. 17, but pushed his putt to the right of the hole and settled for par.
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MILAN (AP) — Bologna’s preparations for its Champions League debut are not going well though it managed to spoil Como’s first Serie A home match in 21 years on Saturday.
Bologna came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw to gather three points from its opening four matches.
Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Its only other appearance in Europe’s top competition was in 1964 in the preliminary round of the old European Cup.
AC Milan is also winless as it prepares for a Tuesday Champions League match against Liverpool. The Rossoneri hosted promoted Venezia later. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0.
Como made a great start in the fifth minute when Patrick Cutrone attempted to roll the ball across the six-yard box but it took a huge deflection off Bologna defender Nicolò Casale for an own goal.
Bologna thought it was gifted a way back into the match on the stroke of halftime when referee Marco Piccinini signalled for a penalty following an Alberto Moreno handball, but he revoked his decision and instead gave a free kick because the handball was just outside the area.
Bologna improved after the break but found itself further behind when Cutrone raced onto a through ball and cut inside past a defender and fired into the far bottom corner.
Tommaso Pobega hit the post for Bologna, which finally pulled one back in the 76th through substitute Santiago Castro.
Another substitute helped the visitors snatch a point when Samuel Iling-Junior curled a fine strike into the top left corner in stoppage time.
Unbeaten sides
Juventus, and more surprisingly Empoli, are among six unbeaten sides.
Empoli held Monza and Bologna to draws either side of a shock 2-1 win at Roma. Juventus’ perfect start to the season was ruined by Roma in a goalless draw before the international break.
On Saturday, there were few clearcut chances in Empoli although home goalkeeper Devis Vásquez made spectacular saves to fingertip out a Federico Gatti header and deny Dusan Vlahovic in a one on one with the Juventus forward.
Empoli had a good opportunity in the 73rd minute following an Alberto Grassi one-two with Pietro Pellegri but the finish was straight at Mattia Perin.
The host could have won it right at the death but Gatti flew in with a great sliding block to keep out Emanuel Gyasi’s close-range effort.
Juventus hosts PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.
