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The Avalanche have placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers for the third time this season, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s likely Wagner’s departure from the roster tomorrow, one way or another, will be the corresponding move for defenseman Josh Manson’s activation from injured reserve. He’s traveled with the team on their road trip and is an option to return against the Sharks on Thursday, head coach Jared Bednar said yesterday.
Wagner, 33, signed a two-way extension with the Avalanche in April after signing as a free agent for his second go-around in Colorado in 2023. He was placed on waivers to begin the season and remained on the opening night roster after clearing, but he was sent to the minors on the opening day of the season after the Avs optimized their long-term injured reserve pool. He’s been ferried between leagues countless times since on paper transactions to extend his temporary waiver exemptions as long as possible. Still, it doesn’t matter how many days he’s been on the active roster once he’s played 10 games since last clearing waivers.
That’s the case, so he ends up back on the wire today as Colorado attempts to sneak him through to the minors without a competing claim yet again. Wagner has played in 22 of the Avs’ 33 games this season but has scored just one goal and is still looking for his first assist of the year. He’s averaged seven minutes per game, won 44.9% of his faceoffs, and has controlled a respectable 48.3% of shot attempts at even strength, given his usage as a defensive specialist.
Teams now have 24 hours to decide whether to submit a claim for Wagner to add him to their active roster or let him continue logging time in the NHL and AHL in Colorado. The Massachusetts native has made 395 career appearances in 11 seasons with the Bruins, Ducks, Avs, and Islanders, scoring 39 goals and 27 assists for 66 points with a -31 rating.
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Maple Leafs are reportedly looking to make a splash trade
With the Toronto Maple Leafs losing star Mitch Marner this offseason, the team has had to fill a massive hole in the lineup. The Toronto front office has done a decent job so far, and the roster looks a little more well-rounded. But it seems that the Maple Leafs may not be done making moves this summer. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto could trade away defensemen Morgan Rielly or Brandon Carlo in an attempt to add more offense. "While we do also have Morgan Rielly on this list, if the Leafs move a defenseman it'll likely only be one of them. But while Rielly comes with the complication of a no-movement clause, Brandon Carlo has just an eight-team no-trade list and so is also worth putting on the trade board. "Making $3.485M against the cap for another two years, Carlo was a welcome addition to the Leafs' defense corps, averaging 19:13 of ice time per game and nearly two minutes on the PK. In the playoffs, he was among the team's shot-blocking leaders," Kypreos wrote. Marner accounted for 27 goals and 75 assists last season, which will be very tough for the Maple Leafs to replace. But the team does have a limited number of tradable assets to work with, which could potentially be why they are thinking of trading a defender. The Toronto front office remains very active on the trade front and it could lead to a deal taking place. There is still plenty of time left between now and the start of the regular season, giving the Maple Leafs some needed optionality before the new year.
NBA GM Defends Lakers' Dalton Knecht Amid Struggles
The NBA's summer leagues have quickly come and gone, and if there has ever been a truism about the showcase for rookies and other league longshots, it is this: Let what happens in summer league stay in summer league. For Lakers second-year player Dalton Knecht, that's certainly the hope. After struggling in the California Classic in San Francisco to start July, Knecht and the Lakers went to Las Vegas and there, the former No. 17 overall pick failed to turn around his fortunes. Knecht averaged 10.3 points in three games, shooting 27.9% from the field and 23.8% from the 3-point line. That showing, combined with a streaky rookie year (9.1 points, 46.1% shooting, 37.6% 3-point shooting) has left Knecht's future with the Lakers in some question. In fact, Jovan Buha of The Athletic noted this week that Knecht's stock has plummeted. Lakers Losing Value on Dalton Knecht? Remember, many considered Knecht to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he fell all the way to the Lakers at No. 17, primarily on concerns about his age (he turned 24 in April) and defense. When the Lakers were set to trade Knecht in a package for Mark Williams of the Hornets last February, along with a future first-round pick, it was seen as the team giving up two first-rounders for Williams. But Buha said in his podcast that Knecht would not eb considered a first-rounder anymore. "Summer League has not helped Knecht's stock, and I don't think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation," he said. "That was what I heard in Vegas from talking to multiple people, non-Lakers people, just gauging what would you give for Dalton Knecht? Or if the Lakers are putting Dalton Knecht in a trade, what is he worth? And the feedback I got was, no longer worth a first-round valuation." Dalton Knecht 'Can Shoot, He Has Value' But asked about Knecht's value, one Eastern Conference GM said that the summer did not change anything. "He is a shooter, and he has shown he can shoot," the GM said. "He needs to show he can do something else to get and stay on the floor, for sure. But his value has not gone anywhere, not based on a few summer games. Once you're drafted, it does not matter, no one is thinking of you as, 'You're a first-round pick, you're not a first-round pick.' It's what you can do to help us win. "Knecht can shoot, so that's his value. He rebounds his position. If he can be a better passer, and not be a big minus defensively, he is going to have a nice NBA career."
Raiders GM reveals how they will play safety Jamal Adams
The addition of safety Jamal Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders is a bit surprising given his injury history, but the Raiders brass is keeping their fingers crossed hoping the three-time Pro Bowl safety can stay healthy. In an interview with Raider Nation Radio 920 AM on Wednesday, Raiders general manager John Spytek revealed Adams will "play probably a little closer to the line of scrimmage than a true safety." It is not surprising Spytek would say such a thing since Adams played like a hybrid linebacker for head coach Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Adams played 34 games for Carroll, including one game in 2022 due to a quad injury in the season opener against the Denver Broncos. He only played nine games in his final season with Carroll and the Seahawks in 2023 before joining the Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions last season. The 29-year-old Adams is entering his ninth season after he was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. If Adams can stay healthy, it could turn out to be a great thing for the Raiders since they need a playmaker and veteran leadership on the field. Spytek's words seem to indicate Adams will have a role when the season gets underway against the New England Patriots on Sept. 7. It will not be surprising if Adams gets a lot of reps during the preseason to see if he can stay healthy. For the Raiders' sake, they better hope they get the early version of Adams, who had 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Seahawks in 2020 - an NFL record for a defensive back. Spytek and Carroll are banking on Adams to remain healthy for the Raiders and give the team another threat on the defensive side to complement star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
Golden State Warriors Predicted to Land $70 Million Sharpshooter in Jonathan Kuminga Trade
The Golden State Warriors have had an underwhelming offseason thus far and the main headline surrounding the franchise remains the future of young forward Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga remains a restricted free agent and after falling out of Steve Kerr’s rotation last season, his role entering next season is up in the air. Due to this, many believe that Kuminga’s time in Golden State is set to come to an end this offseason but the young forward is still deciding on what his next move will be, which will also be reliant on the Warriors due to them likely having to move him in a sign-and-trade deal. With Kuminga’s time in Golden State likely nearing an end, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell and Rohan Raman recently came up with a three-team mock trade that would send Kuminga to the Phoenix Suns. In the trade, the Suns would receive Kuminga and Moses from the Warriors and they would send Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to Golden State. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team in this mock trade and they would acquire Nick Richards from Phoenix. This would be an interesting move for the Warriors as they would not only be moving on from a young player in Kuminga, but Moses Moody as well. Despite this, adding a sharpshooting guard in Grayson Allen, who also excels on the defensive end, could be a massive boost that the Warriors need. O’Neal would also give the Warriors a solid scorer and defender at the forward position that would allow them to upgrade their bench. By making this move, the Warriors would get older as they would swap two young players for two veterans but the additions of Allen and O’Neal, along with potential free agent signings, could help them compete for a title next season with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler leading the way.
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