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Two weeks into the NHL season and we’re right back in it. After covering six games in six cities, here’s the latest buzz I’ve heard from conversations around the rink.


What’s next for Kane?

The greatest American active player, just one year removed from a 92-point season, is a free agent and will be ready to play around midseason. And nobody knows where he’s going to end up.

Patrick Kane is 4½ months out from hip resurfacing surgery. He’s been rehabbing mostly in Toronto, some in Chicago, under the guidance of Dr. Ian MacIntyre. Kane recently has been cleared for contact. His agent, Pat Brisson, told me that in early November they’ll take serious calls from suitors, and Kane is looking to join a team in November or December. Kane, 32, is not in a rush; the priority is to ensure he’s 110% healthy. Hampered by the hip, Kane played last season basically on one leg. Kane also wants the right fit — entering the right environment, on a team with serious chances to win.

Brisson told me it’s way too early to speculate on teams, but here are a few intriguing things I know. Kane’s hometown Buffalo Sabres are keeping tabs. Kane has personal relationships with GM Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato. A few years ago, Kane playing in Buffalo was completely out of the question for him, but dynamics have changed and he’s open to the idea right now.

The Detroit Red Wings have been one of the early surprises of the season. The player seeing the most success in Detroit? Alex DeBrincat, the former Blackhawks winger Kane considers one of his favorite linemates ever. I’ve heard the Florida Panthers let Kane’s camp know this summer they’re interested. The Dallas Stars looked into acquiring Kane at last year’s trade deadline, when he ultimately went to the Rangers, and likely will revisit things. The Avs have been mentioned to me as a sleeper team, though they’d need to tinker with their roster to clear room.

Bottom line: There’s a lot of interest in Kane. On a short term, low-cost deal, why not take the flier? But you can count out the team Kane played for for his first 16 years. Although Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks are on good terms after last season’s trade, the door is closed for now as Chicago is in a rebuild.


Latest on Landeskog’s possible return

The Colorado Avalanche look as legit a Stanley Cup contender as anyone, winning their first five games with a plus-12 goal differential. But looming all season will be the absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog. And while the team is “cautiously optimistic” he can return for the playoffs, there’s still so much unknown. “It’s really uncharted territory,” GM Chris MacFarland told me last week.

The 30-year-old forward hasn’t played since the day the Avs won the Cup in 2022. He missed the start of last season rehabbing a right knee injury — but couldn’t get well enough to return. So in May, Landeskog opted for a dramatic attempt to salvage his career: knee cartilage transplant.

No NHL player has ever come back from that surgery. Coincidentally, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is trying to become the first NBA player to come back from a knee cartilage transplant. Ball is about two months ahead of Landeskog in rehab, and the athletes and their front offices have been trading notes. (Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls’ VP of basketball ops, previously worked for the Nuggets and has a relationship with MacFarland).

Landeskog is spending most of the season in Toronto doing his rehab. He’ll come to Denver from time to time, but he doesn’t want to take away treatment time from his teammates who need to get game-ready. Landeskog, whose wife is from Toronto, has better resources for dedicated medical time in his offseason home.

MacFarland said he won’t start to get excited about the idea of Landeskog returning until he is cleared for more intense skating, such as stops and starts. That’s still months away. MacFarland said the issue is that Landeskog will probably start to feel good in a few months, but if he has one setback, they’re back to square one if he must redo the surgery. So although the Avalanche are optimistic about Landeskog’s early reports — his rehab has been going very well, no hiccups so far — the team is taking a cautious approach, knowing Landeskog’s career hangs in balance.

Landeskog is under contract through 2029. “We’re going to do what’s best for Gabe long term,” MacFarland said.


Poitras in the middle in Boston

One of the best stories of the young season is the emergence of 19-year-old Bruins center Matthew Poitras. Boston has struggled in drafting and developing centers over the past few years, and it is thin at the position after the dual retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Enter Poitras, a 2022 second-round pick. Poitras’ agent, John Walters, met with the teenager in the middle of summer. As the two said goodbye in the driveway, Walters said: “You know, the Bruins lost Bergeron and Krejci. You can make the team, you just gotta believe how good you are. Don’t go in there thinking you’ll be sent back to juniors.”

Poitras’ response? “Oh, I plan on it.”

Poitras has a quiet confidence. He told me he doesn’t like being in the center of attention but credited Brad Marchand specifically for being so friendly and funny to be around, which has made him feel included. That’s the Bruins culture.

The day before a game last week, Walters called Poitras at the hotel — where he’s currently living in Boston — and asked what he was doing. Homework.

Poitras is enrolled in college courses, required by his junior team. He’s taking microeconomics. “I hate it,” Poitras admitted to me. He’d much rather just be a professional hockey player.

Thursday, Nov. 2, against Toronto will be Poitras’ ninth NHL game — the point where Boston has to decide whether to send Poitras back to juniors or if he’s staying for the season. The Bruins have not been in this position with a player in 20 years, when Bergeron was a rookie. So they told Poitras they’d take it day by day. Every time the Bruins thought Poitras might dip, he finds a way to level up. The Bruins’ third game of the season, against San Jose, was Poitras’ worst as a pro. He followed it up two games later with a two-goal performance against the Ducks, then scored again in the next game against the Blackhawks.

Boston will use the three-game homestand leading up to the Toronto game to decide Poitras’ future. But unless he takes a serious dip, it looks as if he’s staying — and can dip out of that econ class.


Bedard off to strong start

So much attention has been focused on Connor Bedard to begin his rookie season, and he has lived up to the hype. From an off-ice perspective, I give a ton of credit to the 18-year-old for being professional and accommodating with how many requests he’s gotten. “He just gets it” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot around the Blackhawks. For his very first NHL game, Bedard did a media scrum after morning skate, a first-period intermission interview with me, second-period intermission with Sportsnet and postgame with me followed by general availability. That’s incredible accessibility.

New NHLPA boss Marty Walsh has made this an emphasis. As he goes around and meets with players, he is explaining that if they want hockey-related revenue to rise — which would increase the salary cap, and eventually decrease the dreaded escrow — guys need to put themselves out there more. Visibility and creating narratives around the game is important. Hockey players have traditionally been trained to think that was selfish. Now they’re being taught it’s actually selfless, creating more prosperity for the future generations.

On the ice, Bedard expects to score every game. You can see his frustration when it’s not there, but he’s learning to manage it. Coach Luke Richardson said Bedard is used to the extra coverage on the ice; he’s seen it for years in juniors. When he is being shadowed on the power play — in the same way teams treat Alex Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos — Bedard is learning he needs to move. Look for him to start switching places with Seth Jones in these scenarios. At 5-on-5, Bedard is excellent at drawing two defenders, then using his hockey sense to make a pass and find open ice. Bedard isn’t afraid to drive the middle of the ice, but he also tends to try taking on guys 1 vs 3, which is hard to do at the NHL level.

Overall, Richardson would like to see Bedard shoot more. The rookie is sometimes waiting for the perfect pass or shot, but with his lethal shot, Richardson believes Bedard will be able to sneak it through defenders and past goalies more often.


Balancing now and the future in Pittsburgh

There was renewed energy around the Penguins ahead of the season. Trading for Erik Karlsson, coming off a 100-point season, set the tone. But new GM Kyle Dubas did more work than that. He brought in several players to training camp on PTOs, which created real competition. Dubas also rounded out the team’s depth; Pittsburgh’s bottom six finally has an identity, and there are a handful of players ready for call-up in Wilkes-Barre who have a couple hundred games of NHL experience.

Although Dubas gave the Penguins some quick fixes to maximize this season — another one where it appears core players Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, even entering their mid-30s, are still playing at elite levels — he’s clearly balancing future concerns. Example: the contract situation for Jake Guentzel.

Guentzel loves playing in Pittsburgh, and the Penguins love Guentzel. As coach Mike Sullivan told our broadcast team before the opener, “Sure, a lot of players can play with Sidney Crosby, but not all of them can score 40 goals.” Sullivan called Guentzel a “superstar.” But the 29-year-old winger is on the final year of a five-year deal ($6 million AAV) and contract talks are on hold for now. From what I’ve heard, Dubas wants to see how the team does this season to get a better understanding of where the Penguins are before making any commitment.

Guentzel, for his part, has six points in his first five games. It seemed as if he was going to miss at least the first five games of the season after summer ankle surgery. However, I am told that Guentzel “hated” the conservative timeline the Pittsburgh medical staff assigned him. He circled the home opener on Oct. 10 and knew he wouldn’t miss it. He’s a man on a mission this year.


Trouble in Tampa?

The Tampa Bay Lightning‘s emphasis this offseason was on improving defensively. GM Julien BriseBois told me that when they were winning Stanley Cups, they were a top-six or top-eight defensive team. He felt they lost their way last season and gave up too many scoring chances. So the Tampa Bay coaching staff, led by coach Jon Cooper, made an adjustment to the system. And the roster changes BriseBois made in the offseason (bringing in Calvin de Haan, Tyler Motte, Luke Glendening, Conor Sheary, Austin Watson) had that in mind. All the while, the team is feeling the pinch from trading prospects and draft picks for Stanley Cups — they’ve drafted a first-rounder just once since 2019 and are without first-round picks again in 2024 and 2025.

Cooper told me his message this year was simple. When you get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, and have your longest offseason in five years, guys should come back angry and hungry. Tampa has a group that plays with a lot of pride, one that possibly could withstand losing star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy until December.

But the team just isn’t as balanced as it used to be. The flat salary cap forced the team to say goodbye to several stalwarts this summer — Alex Killorn, Pat Maroon, Corey Perry, Ross Colton, Ian Cole, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — and early injuries have exposed their lack of depth.

• The fact that captain Steven Stamkos, a pending UFA, didn’t get a contract offer this summer is a big topic … but we might not get answers on his future for a while. BriseBois told Stamkos and his representatives they would wait until after the season to negotiate, waiting to see how the year goes.

Stamkos also had difficult negotiations in 2016 before ultimately signing a mega eight-year contract two days before he was set to hit free agency. I’ve talked to two of Stamkos’ friends, and they said the same thing: “This one feels different.” I’ve also talked to some of Stamkos’ ex-teammates on the road who believe that it will ultimately get sorted out, that everyone just needs a little time and space. Stamkos clearly wants to remain with the Lightning. But he has seen other players get taken care of and wants to be paid what he believes he’s worth — not just take whatever is left over. BriseBois has said he wants Stamkos to retire in Tampa Bay but also to be contending for Cups while he’s doing it. Given the current state of the team, you can see the chasm.

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.

Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.

If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.

Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.

“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”

Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.

“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”

Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.

The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.

“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”

The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.

The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”

Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.

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Bellinger goes deep for 3rd time after Cubs rob HR

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Bellinger goes deep for 3rd time after Cubs rob HR

NEW YORK — Robbed an inning earlier, Cody Bellinger wasn’t sure his first three-homer game had been swiped away again.

“I didn’t know at first,” he said. “For that third one to finally get over feels pretty good.”

Bellinger hit three two-run homers against his former team and was denied a fourth by a spectacular catch, leading the Yankees to an 11-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Aaron Judge made a trio of outstanding grabs in right field for the Yankees, who have won five straight games following a a six-game losing streak.

Bellinger, whose dad Clay played for the Yankees from 1999 to 2001, is a two-time All-Star and 2019 NL MVP.

He spent 2023 and 2024 with the Cubs, hitting .266 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in 130 games last year while missing time because of a broken right rib. The Cubs traded him to New York in December with $52.5 million remaining on his contract and agreed to pay the Yankees $5 million.

He homered in a three-run third off Chris Flexen and in the fifth against Caleb Thielbar for this 18th multihomer game. Bellinger nearly went deep in the seventh but was robbed by Kyle Tucker on a drive above the right-field wall.

“I was watching it. He timed it up perfect, so I was a little sick about it, honestly,” Bellinger said. “But it was a good catch.”

“Boys were giving me a hard time after he robbed it. Boonie was giving me hard time,” Bellinger added.

A four-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner, Tucker snatched the ball as a fan tried for it, the spectator clasping both sides of the outfielder’s glove.

“I caught the ball and he caught my glove, so I figured even if I dropped it they’d probably look at it and get it overturned,” Tucker said. “I’ve probably had some encounters with me trying to go into the stands and catching a ball and me hitting someone’s hand or whatever but I don’t know if anyone’s ever actually kind of caught my glove while doing it.”

Bellinger homered in the eighth off Jordan Wicks, just above the red glove of leaping center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and into the dark glove of a kid in the front row.

“The fan just beat to the spot,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He just had a better chance of catching it higher than I did.”

Bellinger, who had rounded first, watched and then smiled when he saw he had hit No. 3.

“Glad the fan caught it before PCA could grab it,” said Bellinger, who met the boy after and got the ball back. “I’ve seen PCA rob so many homers. He’s a freak athlete out there.”

Bellinger is batting .406 over a career-high 16-game hitting streak, raising his average to .285 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs.

He had spoken with his Cubs ex-teammates during batting practice.

“No, no, no revenge,” he said. “Honestly, ultimately it was just fun to be out there. I saw a bunch of guys I hadn’t seen in a while and I shared a bunch of good memories with them for these past two years.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and manager Aaron Boone encouraged Bellinger to emerge from the dugout for a curtain call.

“He was a little reluctant, but then the Bell-lin-ger” over the dugout got pretty loud. So I think he succumbed to it,” Boone said. “Belly’s loved being here and loved playing here in a meaningful place to him, going back to his childhood.”

Bellinger turns 30 on Sunday and can opt out of the final season of his contract this fall. With long balls and wide smiles, he seems to have found a home in the Yankees clubhouse.

He tried not to make much of getting the three homers against the Cubs, but Bellinger’s teammates could sense the significance.

“It’s always good to go against your old teammates that you spend a lot of time with, you know, you respect,” Boone said. “To perform right away against them I’m sure probably is a little cherry on top for him.”

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M’s Raleigh hits 2 more HRs, brings total to 38

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M's Raleigh hits 2 more HRs, brings total to 38

DETROIT — Cal Raleigh hit his 37th and 38th home runs in Seattle‘s 12-3 victory over Detroit on Friday night to move within one of Barry Bonds’ 2001 major league record for homers before the All-Star break.

Raleigh hit a solo homer off former teammate Tyler Holton in the eighth to tie the American League record of 37 before the All-Star break set by Reggie Jackson in 1969 and matched by Chris Davis in 2013.

“[Holton] and I are really good friends, and I’ve caught a lot of his pitches,” said Raleigh, who was in the lineup as the designated hitter instead of at catcher. “I don’t think that helped much, but I’m sure he’s not very happy with me.”

Raleigh hit a grand slam off Brant Hurter in the ninth.

“I didn’t even know it was a record until just now,” Raleigh said. “I don’t have words for it, I guess. I’m just very grateful and thankful.”

It was Raleigh’s eighth multihomer game this season, tying Jackson (also in 1969) for the most such games before the All-Star break in MLB history, according to ESPN Research. He also tied Ken Griffey Jr. for the most multihomer games in Mariners franchise history.

Seattle has two games left in Detroit before the break.

“Cal Raleigh … this is just unbelievable,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “He’s already set the AL record and now he’s only one short of Barry. There are two games, so who knows?”

Raleigh hit 10 homers in March and April, 12 in May, 11 in June and has five in July.

“This is a very boring comment, but baseball is all about consistency,” Wilson said. “This hasn’t been one hot streak, he’s doing this month after month. That says everything.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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