The Adirondack Thunder returned home on Friday Night after a seven-game road trip where they went 2-4-1-0, with four out of the five points coming on the East Coast. Adirondack was coming off a strong performance on Wednesday in TR to finish the road trip, where they held the Lions to 25 shots despite a 4-1 loss. On Friday, it would be a similar start as the Thunder held the Trois-Rivieres Lions without a shot on goal for the first 4:50 of the opening frame. Trois-Rivieres would only have five shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, but Morgan Adams-Moisan fed Tyler Hylland in the slot to open up the scoring at the 14:50 mark of the opening frame. The second period wouldn’t have much action, but Adirondack looked to have had a golden opportunity at the 8:15 mark as Kishaun Gervais looked to have had a two-one-one with Loven exiting the box but instead took the shot and missed high. The two teams would combine for nine shots in the middle frame. However, the Thunder were still down one heading into the final frame.
“Ya, we should be winning these games but it’s unfortunate that we’re not”
Head Coach Pete MacArthur on Friday Night’s loss
Adirondack would finally get on the board as Ryan Conroy fed Kevin O’Neil for a one-timer for his 13th of the year at the 7:48 mark of the period. Adrien Bisson would pick up the secondary assist, as he has four assists in eight games since joining the Thunder. Unfortunately for the Thunder, love wasn’t in the air as Jakov Novak found the back of the net at 11:49 for his 18th of the season. The 25-year-old forward now has seven goals and three assists for 10 points in eight games against Adirondack this season. Luke Cavallin would make 24 saves for the Lions as he picked up his 10th win of the season in a big bounce-back game after giving up 11 goals in his two previous starts coming into Friday Night.
“For me it was just a lot more oppurtunity, lot more freedom to play the way I know I can play, getting the guys to trust me, getting the trust from the coaches really opened up a new game. I’m riding with that, I’m confindent i’m playing well, but in the end we need to find a way to win games. So it is fun personally, I gotta find way to make a bigger impact apparently because we need to win games”
Adrien Bisson on the move from Florida to Adirondack
Despite the loss, some positives came out of Friday’s game as the Thunder allowed just 18 shots, which was a season-low for an opponent and the first time they held a North Divison opponent under 20 shots since November 15th vs Reading. Adirondack is expected to get another healthy body back, and Alex Young is expected to return this weekend as he’s been out since January 5th. Adirondack and Trois-Rivieres will continue their “seven-game series” tomorrow at 7 pm.
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With Mitch Marner’s move to the Vegas Golden Knights closing a major chapter in Toronto, GM Brad Treliving made a series of moves to replace his production. He might not be done. Three may be even bolder moves on the horizon. We’ve heard the names Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf before. However, the Maple Leafs are actively fielding and exploring trade scenarios as they look to reshape their roster — and according to Nick Kypreos, a handful of intriguing names are emerging in trade chatter: Morgan Rielly, Brandon Carlo, and former Leafs fan-favorite Nazem Kadri. The most surprising name still generating buzz is Rielly. Despite being a longtime cornerstone on Toronto’s blue line, his $7.5 million cap hit and no-move clause complicate matters. Yet with the team needing help up front, and possible interest in offensive defensemen like Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, Rielly could become part of a larger plan if he’s open to waiving. Also surprising is the talk surrounding Carlo. A recent addition to the Leafs’ defense corps, he is already being talked about behind the scenes as a potential trade piece. If he were made available, there is interest around the league, as the 6-foot-6 shutdown defender has a team-friendly cap hit and strong penalty-killing ability. Trading Carlo could get the Leafs a top-six forward. Finally, reports on the availability of Kadri remain conflicting. Some say he’s not available, while others suggest that the Calgary Flames would consider the idea. The former Maple Leaf would be a welcome addition back to Toronto, but there isn’t much of a reason for the Flames to trade him unless the return is outstanding. Kadri reportedly would consider waiving his no-move clause for a reunion. That said, getting a deal done won’t be easy, especially with Montreal also rumored to be on his short list. Whether any of these deals come to pass or are just pure speculation, one thing’s sure: the Maple Leafs aren’t standing still. Treliving is trying to get his roster to score more goals. He seems willing to entertain any idea and play Moneyball with the roster if it will help.
The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Not only do they have a great front five, but there goes, potentially, eight pitchers deep with MLB talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a surplus of talent, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in their starters. Ranger Suarez, whose contract expires at the end of the year, would be a typical trade deadline candidate. But he's going nowhere. Instead, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in Phillies right-handed prospect Mick Abel. The 23-year-old starter could be a trade chip if the Phillies find a suitable trade target. "... Same goes for Mick Abel," Gelb writes, "who is drawing trade interest." The Phillies right-hander has impressed in his brief Major League stint, even if he now sits at a 5.04 ERA in six starts. His ceiling, which he displayed in his MLB debut, is enough to captivate teams around baseball. In the minors, Abel has been dominant this season. He has a 1.83 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A, a significant improvement over his 6.46 ERA in 2024. Abel's progress this season has been incredible, and has teams interested in trading for him. If the Phillies find a trade partner for an outfielder or a dominant reliever, Abel could be a centerpiece of a deal to land such a player at the deadline. With the crowded rotation, Abel might not have a starting role on the roster for the rest of the season. He could go to the bullpen for the postseason run or be dealt to land a high-profile reliever or outfielder. But, regardless of what the Phillies do with Abel, this report from Gelb is a good sign. If teams around baseball are interested in Abel, then his progress isn't just a facade; it's something teams are willing to buy in on.
Rafael Devers played first base for the San Francisco Giants for the first time on Tuesday, and his quote about playing the field likely will not sit well with Boston Red Sox fans. Devers said after Tuesday’s game that he prefers playing in the field as opposed to serving as a designated hitter. “It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.” Devers, of course, refused to play first base for the Red Sox after they asked him to. He felt disrespected after they moved him off third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, and thought the team went back on its word by later asking him to play first. To Red Sox fans, if Devers is best playing in the field and playing first would have helped the team, it will be baffling why he did not just do it when that would seemingly have been a preferable outcome for all involved. Devers went 2-for-5 in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, driving in a run in his first appearance at first base. It remains unclear how frequently the Giants plan to use him at the position, but the team might take note of these comments.
Toronto Blue Jays fans don't have much to complain about. Despite losing 5-4 on Tuesday to the New York Yankees, their team leads the AL East by three games heading into play Wednesday against the Yankees. But not everything is perfect north of the U.S. border. Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com, echoed that sentiment during Tuesday night's loss to New York in a post shared on X. "The #BlueJays need more from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and I don't understand why that's only being whispered instead of said out loud," Matheson wrote. Matheson has been beating this drum recently, and he's spot-on. Guerrero Jr., who signed a 14-year, $500M extension in April, hasn't produced superstar numbers. Through 99 games, Vladdy has a .283 average, 13 HRs and 48 RBI. Per ESPN, the 26-year-old is on pace for 21 HRs and 77 RBI, which would by far his lowest full-season totals in those categories since his rookie season in 2019. Although they have one of MLB's best records, the Blue Jays (59-42) lack pop in the lineup. Toronto ranks 20th in the majors in home runs with 105. If Vladdy finds his power stroke and turn it on in the final months of the regular season, the Blue Jays will go from being a playoff contender to a threat to win the World Series. If he doesn't, the Blue Jays aren't getting their money's worth.
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