CLEVELAND — The sound of backslaps filled the Guardians‘ clubhouse right after Cleveland lost in the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees on Saturday night — teammates giving one another season-ending hugs, silent expressions of thanks for a year of shared accomplishment.
In one corner, teammates Josh Naylor, Austin Hedges and Matthew Boyd talked quietly, and when Steven Kwan walked up to the group, Boyd reached out and offered a fist bump. “Because we were so close,” Kwan said, “it makes it sting a little bit more.”
Manager Stephen Vogt gathered the players right after the Guardians lost on a 10th-inning home run by Juan Soto, and told them how proud he was of them. “Obviously, we’re hurting,” Vogt told reporters after a 5-2 loss. “What a game to finish on.”
The Guardians played well beyond expectations throughout the 2024 season, seizing first place in the AL Central early in the year and holding it throughout the summer on the way to a 92-69 record. Having clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Guardians came back to beat Detroit in the division series, beating presumptive Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal with a dramatic grand slam by Lane Thomas.
The matchup with the Yankees in a series was far more intense than the 4-1 result would suggest. In Game 3, the Guardians had come back with late-inning home runs from Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry to win in a walk-off, and in Game 4, Cleveland had rebounded from a 6-2 deficit to push the Yankees before losing. And in Game 5, the Yankees needed an extra-inning home run from Soto.
In the end, the relievers largely responsible for the Guardians’ success this season finally faltered in the playoffs. Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith gave up three homers in this series, after giving up only three during the regular season, and Hunter Gaddis, who was spectacular during the regular season, gave up Soto’s homer. “They carried us here,” said Vogt, who is likely to receive strong consideration for manager of the year in his first season as the replacement for Terry Francona. “If it wasn’t for those guys, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. They deserve a ton of credit.”
Brayan Rocchio, the Guardians’ shortstop, would not accept the premise that the loss to the Yankees was a disappointment, “because along the way, we experienced a lot of growth.”
In the immediate misery of elimination, there seemed to be an acknowledgment of a year of progress, for young players such as Rocchio and Noel. For Tanner Bibee, who became the Guardians’ de facto ace after injuries and struggles of other starting pitchers; this might be why Bibee was emotional as he talked about the year the Guardians shared. Jose Ramirez, Kwan, the members of that dominant bullpen will all be back next year. “This,” Boyd said, “was a special group.”
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.