Early-season NHL buzz: Latest on Patrick Kane, Gabriel Landeskog and a young Bruin
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Emily Kaplan, ESPN
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.
The first day of the 2025 MLB draft is complete! The Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick, opting for the prep shortstop — who might be more likely to sign below slot — in a draft with no clear-cut top prospect. And there were plenty of other intriguing selections as the first three rounds unfolded Sunday night.
The Seattle Mariners had to have been thrilled to have Kiley McDaniel’s No. 1-ranked prospect, Kade Anderson, fall to them at No. 3, and Ethan Holliday was selected at No. 4 by his famous father’s former squad the Colorado Rockies.
We asked ESPN baseball insiders Alden Gonzalez, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield to break down their favorite and most head-scratching moves of the draft’s first night, as well as to predict which players will bring the most to their new teams in the long term.
A lot of us were thrown for a loop by the first two selections. What do you make of the Nationals taking Ethan Willits at No. 1 and the Angels picking Tyler Bremner at No. 2?
Gonzalez: I was stunned on both accounts. Though there was definitely some uncertainty around the Nationals’ approach, especially since the firing of GM Mike Rizzo, I didn’t see anybody, anywhere, projecting Willits to be their choice at No. 1 overall. But the Angels drafting Bremner was an even bigger risk. Kiley had him 18th in his latest ranking. Six pitchers were ranked ahead of him. But Bremner might be someone who can rise and impact their major league roster quickly, and the Angels are always looking for that.
Rogers: The first two picks really summed up the uncertainty of the entire draft. The Nationals’ faith in a 17-year-old will be tested over the coming years, but the pick will likely save them some money for later in this draft and give Willits time to grow. The same can be said of many of the top picks: They’re going to need time. There are far fewer sure things this year — though Bremner could be the exception. The Angles love to graduate their players quickly, and as a college arm, he could see the majors sooner rather than later. Like Willits, this could also be a cost-saving move for later spending.
Schoenfield: In a draft that not only lacked a sure-thing No. 1 overall pick but was viewed as weaker at the top than those of recent years, it’s perhaps not a huge surprise that the Nationals and Angels used their picks to strike likely underslot deals with Willits and Bremner, giving them money to spend later in the draft — which they can use on high school prospects who might have slipped, trying to buy them out from going to college. It’s a strategy teams have used with success over the years, so the drafts for the Nationals and Angels will have to be viewed in their totality and not just focused on these two players.
What was your favorite pick of the night — and which one had you scratching your head?
Gonzalez: The Rockies have done a lot of things wrong over these last few … uh, decades. But it was really cool to see them take Ethan Holliday at No. 4 after his father, Matt, starred in Colorado for so long. Outside of the top two picks, Ethan Conrad going 17th to the Cubs was my biggest surprise of the night. Kiley had him ranked 30th; others had him falling out of the first round entirely. There’s uncertainty coming off shoulder surgery. But Conrad, 21, put up a 1.238 OPS in 97 plate appearances before his season ended prematurely in March. And the dearth of college bats probably influenced a slight reach here.
Rogers: I’m loving Billy Carlson to the White Sox at No. 10. Though they lost 121 games last season, Chicago couldn’t pick higher than this spot per CBA rules — but the Sox might have gotten a top-five player. Carlson’s defense will play extremely well behind a sneaky good and young pitching staff that should keep the ball on the ground in the long term. Meanwhile, with the pick of the litter when it came to hitters — college outfielders and high school kids as well — the Pirates took a high school pitcher at No. 6. Seth Hernandez could be great, but they need hitting. A lot of it.
Schoenfield: The Mariners reportedly wanted LSU left-hander Kade Anderson all along, but they certainly couldn’t have been expecting to get him with the third pick. (Keep in mind that the Mariners were lucky in the first place to land the third pick in the lottery, so they added some good fortune on top of good luck.) They get the most polished college pitcher in the draft, one who should move quickly — and perhaps make it a little easier for Jerry Dipoto to dip into his farm system and upgrade the big league roster at the trade deadline. Even though I understand why the Angels did it, Bremner still seems a little questionable. With the second pick, you want to go for a home run, and the consensus is that Holliday or even Anderson is more likely to be a more impactful major leaguer. Bremner’s lack of a third plus pitch is an issue, and you have to wonder if the Angels are relying too much on his control — which, yes, should allow him to get to the majors — and ignoring the possible lack of upside.
Who is the one player you’d like to plant your flag on as the biggest steal of this draft?
Gonzalez: Seth Hernandez, who went sixth to the Pirates and should someday share a rotation with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. High school pitchers are incredibly risky, especially when taken so early in the draft. But Hernandez is a great athlete who already throws hard, boasts a plus changeup and showed improvement with his breaking ball this spring. He’ll go the Hunter Greene route, from standout high school pitcher to major league ace.
Rogers: Jamie Arnold will look like a steal at No. 11, especially when he debuts in the majors well before many of the players taken around him. I’m not worried about the innings drop in 2025 — not when he was striking out 119 hitters and walking just 27. The A’s need to polish him up but will be pleased by how consistent he’ll be. You can’t go wrong with a college lefty from an ACC school — at least, the A’s didn’t.
Schoenfield: I’m going with Billy Carlson with the 10th pick — with the admitted caveat that the White Sox haven’t exactly been stellar at developing hitters. But Carlson looks like an elite defensive shortstop with plus power, and that alone can make him a valuable major leaguer. If the hit tool comes along, we’re looking at a potential star. OK, he’s Bobby Witt Jr. lite? That’s still an All-Star player.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Day 1 of this draft?
Gonzalez: The Nationals throwing a wrench into the proceedings by selecting Willits. It was a surprising choice, but in their minds an easy one. Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo called Willits the best hitter and best fielder available. And in a draft devoid of can’t-miss, high-impact talent, Willits is no doubt a solid pick — a polished hitter who should stick at shortstop and might consistently hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases at a premium position. He also might come under slot, allowing flexibility later in the draft. But his selection is what allowed Anderson to reach the Mariners at No. 3 and prompted the Rockies to draft Holliday at No. 4, among other dominoes. It set a really interesting tone.
Rogers: Things change quickly in baseball. Whereas college hitters are usually the safest bets early in the draft, this year high school position players dominated. (And they all play shortstop, at least for now.) Athleticism has returned to baseball, and draft rooms are acting accordingly.
Schoenfield: I’m agreeing with Jesse. The selection of that many prep shortstops stood out — and they all seem to hit left-handed and run well, and some of them have big power potential and a cannon for an arm. Look, the hit tool is the most important and the hardest to scout and project, so not all these kids are going to make it, but their potential is exciting and, to Jesse’s point, their wide range of tools is showing that baseball is still drawing top athletes to the sport.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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