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The Vancouver Canucks have called up Linus Karlsson and Phil Di Giuseppe from AHL Abbotsford ahead of their two game road trip. In a corresponding move, the club sent defenceman Mark Friedman and goaltender Arturs Silovs down to the minors. General manager Patrik Allvin made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Mark Friedman and G Artūrs Šilovs have been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL). F Linus Karlsson and F Di Giuseppe have been recalled from Abbotsford.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 17, 2024
On the heels of their 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, the Canucks have a travel day on Tuesday ahead of their back-to-back games against the Utah Hockey Club and Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Di Giuseppe has appeared in just four games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season after suffering an injury early in the year. A “Rick Tocchet player” through and through, Di Giuseppe played in 51 NHL games last season, tallying five gaols and five assists. With all the additions the Canucks made to their forward corps this past offseason, Di Giuseppe found himself on waivers out of training camp, and likely would have been up with the big club sooner this season, had he been healthy. Expect him to get a look in the Canucks’ lineup on this road trip.
Similarly, Linus Karlsson has appeared in just seven AHL games this season after dealing with injuries. Karlsson, 25, appeared in four regular season games with the Canucks last season and two playoff games as well. In those six games, he has yet to record a point; but managed to put up 60 points in 60 AHL games last season. The Canucks have used him as a top six option in the past — particularly next to Elias Pettersson — so it will be interesting to see if he gets into any games on this two-game road trip.
Going back to Abbotsford, Arturs Silovs’ demotion shows that Kevin Lankinen is feeling well enough to return, as he was out with the flu bug that’s made its way through the Canucks’ locker room in recent days. Silovs was up on an emergency recall, with Thatcher Demko starting both of the Canucks’ last two games. Mark Friedman got into three games after being recalled by the Canucks on November 28th, but with Derek Forbort, Vinny Desharnais, and Erik Brännström all available, the Canucks chose to bring in some more reinforcements at forward rather than on defence.
After their two-game road trip, the Canucks will return home to take on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
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Who Will Join the Red Wings? Analyzing Current Top Prospects
The Red Wings have had no problem embracing the youth movement. With the addition of Danielson to the team, it seems all the high draft picks have gotten their look. If Detroit is still looking at Grand Rapids to inject some help into this team, who else is going to get a look on this roster? Amadeus Lombardi: 5’11” 183lbs C/LW, 11GP 2G 11A 13P I’ve written before that Detroit has a problem on their hands with Lombardi. He’s clearly graduated above the AHL level. He had 19 goals and 40 points in 44 games last season and tore up the development camp against Dallas. The question of Lombardi is if his game will translate to the NHL. Being a sub-six-foot centre in the NHL is already a bad start, but he can easily flex to the wing. However, Lombardi’s game depends on his hands and skill, and while he has a lot of it, finesse isn’t typically the most dependable skill. Better defensemen, less time, and more pressure are harder to deke your way through. Lombardi is a gifted player, and if he gets hot, he can be a really solid bottom 9 producer. If his physical game can adapt, he could be the depth scorer the Red Wings have needed for years. Carter Mazur: 6’0″ 196lbs LW, 5GP 4G 2A 6P Mazur is still recovering from an injury. Unfortunately, that seems to be common for Carter Mazur. The oft-injured winger got a brief look at the NHL last season, until he got injured less than five minutes into his NHL debut. It leaves you wondering when Mazur will join the roster. The aggressive junk-yard dog style that Mazur plays is perfect for the Red Wings bottom six. He could be the Justin Abdelkader of this coming team, hopefully on a cheaper contract. Sebastian Cossa: 6’6″ 209lbs G, .939% 1.75GAA Cossa can’t let in a goal right now. Cossa is 4-0-0 in Grand Rapids right now; however, he is unfortunately hurt. Given John Gibson playing poorly and Cam Talbot nearing the end of his Red Wings tenure, Sebastian Cossa is due to get some looks, and his numbers in Grand Rapids suggest that should be sooner rather than later. The Red Wings aren’t afraid to play three goalies, and Cossa might force their hand. More to Read: Top 10 Red Wings Prospects Detroit Red Wings: Deal or No Deal pt. 2
Major domino falls for Yankees with Trent Grisham decision
Outfielder Trent Grisham is accepting his $22.025M qualifying offer and will return to the New York Yankees in 2026, reports ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. Players who accept a QO are considered free-agent signings and are thus ineligible to be traded prior to the following June 15 unless they consent to the move. Trent Grisham had a breakout season It’s at least a modest surprise, as Grisham is coming off a breakout year at the plate that saw him club a career-high 34 home runs. He slashed .235/.348/.464, thanks in no small part to a career-best 14.1% walk rate and a 23.6% strikeout rate that stood as the second-lowest in his career. Between that production, the fact that Grisham only just turned 29 earlier this month, and a thin outfield market in free agency, the stars seemed to align for him to pursue a weighty multi-year contract this winter. Instead, Grisham returns to the site of his breakout and will hold down a key role in an outfield that’s also currently slated to include Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge. The Yankees are interested in re-signing Cody Bellinger, have been linked to Kyle Tucker and also have DH Giancarlo Stanton at least loosely in the outfield mix. (He played 132 outfield innings in 2025.) How does Trent Grisham's decision affect the Yankees? Grisham’s return muddies the waters a bit, but GM Brian Cashman said recently that even if he accepted, it wouldn’t impact the team’s pursuit of a new deal with Bellinger, via the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. The Yankees wouldn’t have made the QO to Grisham if they believed his acceptance was a roadblock to bringing back Bellinger or signing Tucker. They’re surely glad to have him back. Even though his defensive grades took an unexpected downturn in ’25, he has the best defensive track record in center of the Yankees’ in-house options. While Grisham could have looked to cash in this winter, he’ll instead take a hefty one-year payday in what amounts to a bet on himself. Though he’s a left-handed bat, his power output was hardly a product of Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch. In fact, Grisham hit just .195/.326/.376 at home this season, compared to .254/.364/.506 on the road. If he can replicate this year’s huge power production, he could hit the market next offseason on the back of consecutive plus seasons at the plate and without the encumbrance of a qualifying offer. A big enough showing this year could realistically position Grisham for a $100M+ contract — particularly if his defensive grades rebound, too. The looming potential for a work stoppage is one other wrinkle to consider, but if anything, today’s glut of QO decisions suggests that players aren’t necessarily going to shy away from short-term deals that put them on the open market next year — at least not en masse. Grisham is one of four players to accept the QO, joining Gleyber Torres, Shota Imanaga and Brandon Woodruff in that regard. In a vacuum, any one of the four accepting his QO wouldn’t be considered a major surprise — but all four accepting in the same offseason is downright atypical. This marks the first time since the inception of the qualifying offer that more than three players have accepted a QO. With Grisham back in the fold, the Yankees’ projected payroll for the upcoming season jumps to about $263M, per RosterResource. They’ll now have about $286M of luxury-tax obligations, placing them just over the third penalty line. That means that the Yankees’ top pick in the 2026 draft will drop by 10 places, unless they’re able to sneak their luxury count back under $284M. Given the wide swath of offseason dealings that’s likely still on the table for Cashman and Co., that doesn’t seem to be a very likely outcome. In all likelihood, the Yankees will wind up in the top CBT penalty tier, just as they’ve done in each of the past three seasons. How does Trent Grisham's decision affect the rest of MLB? Turning to the rest of the league, Grisham’s early removal from the free-agent market — to a team that didn’t clearly need to retain him, no less — subtracts arguably the top center field option from the market. Bellinger, of course, can still play center but barely did so in 2025. Most teams probably consider him more of a corner outfielder/first baseman who can play occasional center field. Harrison Bader and Cedric Mullins are the two most notable options still on the market, though the former has been more of a part-time player and the latter is looking to bounce back from an awful 2025 showing. The market was light on center fielders to begin with and is even more so now, so teams looking for help at the position might be more inclined to turn to the trade market to address that deficiency.
Steve Spurrier has two endorsements for next Florida HC
Steve Spurrier is a legend for the Florida Gators. Known as "the head ball coach" down in SEC-land, Spurrier was a star both as a player and as a coach for Florida. Heck, the dang field in Gainesville is named after him. That means what he says about the Florida program carries a lot of weight, and he recently revealed that he believes there are only two people who would live up to the expectations and be a great fit for the Gators as they look to replace fired head coach Billy Napier sooner rather than later. “I know Lane Kiffin and I know Eli Drinkwitz,” Spurrier recently said, according to Daniel Hager of On3. “Obviously, either one of those guys would be super if it works out. But, it’s a long way from whoever we’re going to get as our coach right now.” The Gators are currently making a full-court press for Lane Kiffin, but they're not alone in their pursuit in the Ole Miss head coach. While the Gators reportedly flew members of Kiffin's family down to Gainesville to check things out recently, the LSU Tigers also pulled the same trick — hoping to get Kiffin to ultimatly come down to Baton Rouge. LSU is probably Florida's biggest competitor for Kiffin right now, but there's also Ole Miss to consider. It's not like the Rebels are going to let a coach who has led them to a 54-19 record over the past six seasons go without a fight. Kiffin would absolutely be a home-run hire for the Gators, though. He's a high-level recruiter and a high-level offensive mind in the SEC. Those are two things that the Gators desperately need in the wake of the middling Napier era. Not only that, but Kiffin has ties to the state. He was the head coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19. Eli Drinkwitz an interesting option for Florida if it can't land Lane Kiffin Drinkwitz is another interesting option, though. You'll also notice that there's a trend here for Florida, and that's going after established SEC head coaches. Napier had come from the Sun Belt conference. Drinkwitz has made Missouri a tough out in the SEC and he's won a ton of football games. His overall record at Mizzou is 45-27, though his record in big games does leave a little to be desired. He's 7-14 against ranked opponents and 0-7 against top-10 teams. Still, Drinkwitz is a young coach at just 42, so the upside is there. He's a big personality who does well on the recruiting trail, and he could do a lot of good things with the firepower of the Florida Gators behind him. There are other options out there for Florida. Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is a Florida alumnus, for instance. If Spurrier has narrowed it down to Kiffin and Drinkwitz in his mind, though, you can bet those in power at Florida are likely thinking the same thing.
Indianapolis Colts’ New Dynamic Duo: Is This the NFL’s Next Great Cornerback Tandem?
Let’s be honest, for a hot minute there, the Indianapolis Colts’ cornerback room was looking a little shaky. It felt like every week we were patching things together with duct tape and hope. But in a plot twist worthy of a Hollywood script, GM Chris Ballard decided to stop plugging holes and just build a brand-new, impenetrable wall. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the entire vibe of the Colts’ defense changed. First, Ballard pulled off a blockbuster trade, bringing in the one and only Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. It was a move that sent shockwaves through the league and had Colts fans pinching themselves in disbelief. Then, just as the dust was settling, they got the news that Charvarius Ward, the team’s established top corner, was about to make his grand return from injured reserve. Suddenly, a position that was a giant, blinking question mark has transformed into a terrifying strength. It’s like going from a pop gun to a pair of laser cannons. Colts Have Best Cornerback Room In the Making When you get two alphas in the same room, you always wonder how they’ll mesh. But if you ask Gardner, he’s not just optimistic; he’s practically giddy. “Charvarius, he’s been a dog since he was in San Fran, since he was in Kansas City,” Gardner said on Monday. “I’m looking forward to just going out there together and putting on a clinic. But from afar watching him, he’s always been that guy.” That’s the kind of mutual respect that should make opposing offensive coordinators lose sleep. It’s not just about business, either. “We’ve been chopping it up a lot, talking ball, talking life in general,” Gardner said. “He’s a great dude, for sure. Great person to be around.” This isn’t just about adding talent; it’s about building chemistry. And with a veteran like Kenny Moore II, arguably the league’s best slot corner, holding down the fort inside, this trio has the potential to be downright scary. Moore himself was blown away by Gardner’s rapid adjustment. “He just elevated the entire room,” he said, noting how Gardner insisted the defense not slow down for him during his first walkthrough. Talk about confidence. Good Luck Throwing the Ball, Everyone Else So, picture this: you’re an opposing quarterback. You drop back, scan the field, and on one side, you’ve got Gardner, a guy who makes receivers disappear like a magician. On the other side, you’ve got Ward, a corner so good that quarterbacks actively avoid his zip code. Where do you go with the football? In his Colts debut, Gardner was targeted just three times and gave up a single catch. Ward, when he’s on the field, allows a measly 6.7 yards per catch. You’d have better luck trying to thread a needle in a hurricane. This isn’t just about shutting down two receivers. The presence of two legitimate lockdown corners completely changes the defensive playbook. It allows Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo to get aggressive. He can dial up more blitzes, get creative with his schemes, and dare quarterbacks to test his secondary, all while knowing he has two elite erasers on the back end. Of course, the equation isn’t perfect just yet. The recent loss of DeForest Buckner to injured reserve stings. The symbiotic relationship between pass rush and coverage means losing a beast like Buckner just as you gain Gardner almost feels like a wash. But reinforcements are on the way. The prospect of having Gardner, Ward, and a healthy Buckner on the field at the same time is the stuff of dreams for Colts fans and the stuff of nightmares for the rest of the AFC. For now, the league is on notice. The Colts have assembled a secondary that looks terrifying on paper. Gardner is ready to put on a “clinic.” And soon, we’ll all get to see if this dynamic duo can turn that hype into a full-blown defensive masterpiece.
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