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The Toronto Maple Leafs have already begun their training camp prior to the start of the 2025-26 NHL season. Although no further trade moves have been announced, the Leafs have made changes to their roster and have officially sent back six prospects to their junior teams. Specifically, the players leaving camp are as follows. Two surprising moves by the Maple Leafs Perhaps the most surprising cases are those of Tyler Hopkins and Matthew Hlacar. Hopkins, 18, even received the opportunity to be promoted to Group 2 at camp recently, where he shared the ice with top prospects like Easton Cowan, plus John Tavares and William Nylander. On the other hand, Hlacar, 19, was also one of the forwards who performed best during the rookie camp, following a season of seven goals and one assist for eight points in 43 games in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. That said, although it is surprising due to their performances, it also makes sense considering that the OHL season began this weekend. If they were not going to be considered sufficiently by Craig Berube, the best thing for these players is to get into rhythm with their junior teams and continue preparing to make the jump to the highest level in the coming years. The two prospects were drafted just this year. Hopkins was selected 86th overall by Toronto, while Hlacar was drafted by the Leafs in the seventh round. Both hope to break into the main roster sooner rather than later.
The Detroit Lions (2-1) came away with a major early-season statement road win against the Baltimore Ravens (1-2), 38-30, in the final game of the Week 3 calendar. Here are our takeaways from a "Monday Night Football" game we didn't want to end. Main takeaway: Shall we meet again in February? Apologies to the NFL's 30 other teams, but we've found our dream Super Bowl LX matchup. Give us Lions-Ravens Part II. The two playoff contenders put on a show in the Monday night thriller, going back-and-forth in a game neither team led by more than one possession until the Lions pulled ahead by 14 with 1:42 remaining in the fourth. Both quarterbacks were at the top of their games, with Jared Goff going 20-of-28 for 202 yards and a great touchdown to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to tie the game at 21 in the third. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was also excellent (when he wasn't getting sacked), finishing 21-of-27 for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps we're still reeling from the bleak Chiefs-Giants "Sunday Night Football" game, but it was a treat seeing two excellent teams compete in primetime. We certainly aren't opposed to a rematch in February. Game MVP: Detroit Lions offensive line It's only right to give the entire Lions unit up front love after its brilliant performance. Left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Christian Mahogany, center Graham Glasgow, right guard Tate Ratledge and right tackle Penei Sewell combined to control the line of scrimmage, preventing the Ravens from sacking Goff. Most impressive was how it fared in run-blocking situations. The Lions gained 225 yards on 37 carries (6.1 yards per attempt), led by David Montgomery, who had 12 carries for 151 yards, including a 72-yarder late in the third quarter. Detroit finished with four rushing touchdowns, tied for the most allowed by Baltimore at home in franchise history. (h/t Stathead) It showed its power on two goal-line scores, driving defenders out of the way to cap two long, 10-plus play drives. It's hard to win consistently in the NFL without a good offensive line, but that's not a concern for Detroit. Based on what it put on tape against the Ravens, it's among the Lions' biggest strengths. Play of the game: Lions 4th-and-1 touchdown to start the fourth quarter Ben Johnson who? Concerns grew this offseason over what the Lions offense would look like without Johnson's play design creativity, but first-year offensive coordinator John Morton put those concerns to rest with a call that would make his predecessor blush at the start of the fourth quarter. Facing a 4th-and-1 inside the Ravens' 5-yard line, Goff handed the ball to St. Brown, who quickly tossed it to Jahmyr Gibbs, leading to a Lions touchdown. It was perfectly executed, showing what a well-coached football team looks like. And the Lions didn't even need Johnson calling the shots.
Former Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes remains a restricted free agent as the league is set to open training camps within the next week or so. Grimes is still tied to the Philadelphia 76ers after a midseason trade from the Mavs, but the team and shooting guard have yet to agree to a deal. According to HoopsHype, Grimes is the third-best free agent available in the NBA. "Small sample size (28 games) needs to be considered, but after getting traded from Dallas to Philadelphia, he put up huge numbers – nearly 22 points per game with over five rebounds and four assists – efficiently, too, shooting almost 47 percent from the floor with the Sixers. That elevation in play could not have come at a better time with him about to hit restricted free agency," HoopsHype wrote. Grimes still in free agency The only free agents higher on HoopsHype's list is Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is a restricted free agent like Grimes, and Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley, who is an unrestricted free agent, but was recently cleared in a gambling investigation that is allowing him to play in the NBA this season. are The Sixers can still match any offer that Grimes receives from another team, which is why the interest in him has remained low despite his exceptional run at the end of the season in Philadelphia. Grimes blossomed with his extended opportunity, proving that he belongs in the league. There is a very good chance Grimes ends up with the Sixers this season, so he will likely sign a qualifying offer just before the start of training camp to return on a one-year deal to Philadelphia. Should Grimes sign a qualifying offer, he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Grimes' success since leaving Dallas is another example of general manager Nico Harrison's poor choices in the front office, and while bringing him back could reverse the move he made, a return to the Mavs is unlikely.
Everyone may have come to see Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov, but a few other Habs prospects turned the tide in favour of the home side on Monday night instead. For one, goalie Jacob Fowler sealed his team’s 2-1 shootout victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins to open both teams’ preseason schedules. Game Recap After Oliver Kapanen put the Canadiens 2-1 ahead in the shootout, Fowler stopped Avery Hayes to secure the win by that same score. Sean Farrell had scored the first marker in the shootout in the third round after goalie Sergei Murashov, who was otherwise stellar in the contest, making 19 saves on 20 shots, deflected the puck in off the initial shot. Penguins forward Tristan Broz responded immediately afterward to unofficially sully Fowler’s perfect night. A full other scoreless round followed before Kapanen went backhand on a deke to score the final tally of the evening. For his part, Broz, a 2021 second-round pick, had one of the better showings of anyone on the night. He showed quick hands and an even quicker release to get it past Fowler in the shootout. He also opened the scoring in the first period, on a power-play give-and-go with Valtteri Puustinen. Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault allowed the goal in what was otherwise a flawless 20-save performance, as he kept his flat-footed team in it early. The contest may have ended with a mere three-shot-on-goal difference (34-31 Penguins), but during Montembeault’s half of the game, the Habs got badly outshot and outchanced, only truly coming alive late in the second after a fight between Jared Davidson and Samuel Poulin (and the goaltending change, with Murashov replacing Joel Blomqvist on the Penguins’ side of things). At around the 17:00 mark of the second, Canadiens forwards Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans traded chances to no avail. It took a few shots in close on Murashov early in the third, for potential-rookie Owen Beck to get the Habs on the board. The Canadiens had technically just let their second two-man advantage of the night go to waste, with Beck scoring mere seconds after Ryan Graves had left the penalty box (for holding Kapanen) to even things up. In recording four shots on goal, two blocked shots and three hits (and the goal), Beck furthered his case to make the team, with ironically Kapanen standing in his way. Despite Demidov hogging most of the attention heading into this one with top-line ice time and a good shot at earning the Canadiens a second straight Calder Memorial Trophy (Lane Hutson), he was quiet for most of the night. That’s if you ignore the noise the crowd understandably made whenever the 2024 fifth-overall pick touched the puck. Demidov’s best chance came in the dying seconds of overtime, when offseason-acquisition Noah Dobson fed him the puck for a one-timer that Murashov got a pad on, leading to the shootout (which he even opened only to be stopped by Murashov), and ultimately a happy home crowd. They after all got the win and impressive performances from several Habs prospects, even if none of them were named Demidov. The Canadiens continue their preseason schedule on Tuesday, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins next face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road on Wednesday.