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Jonathan Drouin really hopes to sign a new contract with the Avalanche
Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Even though he no longer plays for the Habs, Jonathan Drouin is still the talk of Montreal.

Why is that?

Because the forward found himself in Colorado, and because he’s having a superb season. We used to talk about him when things weren’t going so well… And we have to talk about him when things are going so well.

Drouin scored three points last night in an Avalanche victory. He now has 17 goals and 34 assists (51 points) in 73 games this season, and is probably the NHL’s best bargain if you look at offensive production alone.

After all… At $825,000, let’s just say he’s giving the Avalanche a lot.

The principal interested party will be as free as a bird this summer, and he spoke about his intentions on “The Drop” podcast, hosted by Arda Öcal and Greg Wyshynski.

What’s his goal? To return to Colorado next season (and beyond):

It might be difficult for Chris MacFarland to offer him a big contract, because this summer, the Avalanche will have many players to sign…

But all in all, the Quebecer has amply proven that he deserves a new pact, and that’s a credit to him.

He’s in the process of reinventing himself as a hockey player, and he’s shown a lot of fighting spirit to get there.

That’s one of the reasons he’s beennominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy .

It would be nice to see him back in Colorado next year, because he has great chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon. He has fun on the ice and that’s great to see.

Incidentally, MacKinnon is having his best season ever after being reunited with his old friend.

Is this a coincidence? The question must be asked…

Gossip

– Yes!

– Ouch.

– Oh!

– Blue Jays win this afternoon against the Yankees.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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13-year NHL veteran announces retirement
NHL

13-year NHL veteran announces retirement

After a 13-season NHL career, veteran winger Cam Atkinson is hanging up his skates. The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that they’ll be signing him to a one-day contract and will officially honor his retirement on Oct. 16 against the Avalanche. He’s expected to join Columbus in a front-office capacity at some point down the road, but that announcement won’t be coming now, he told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Atkinson is one of the better draft steals in Blue Jackets franchise history, coming to them in the sixth round in 2008. He signed with Columbus three years later after a great run at Boston College and made his NHL debut in 2011-12, although it took him another two years to fully establish himself on the active roster. After going up and down between Columbus and AHL Springfield, Atkinson broke out into a top-six role for the 2013-14 season. He finished third on the team with 21 goals and fourth with 40 points in 79 appearances, helping fuel the Jackets to a then-franchise record 43-win season that resulted in their second-ever playoff appearance. The undersized but skilled Atkinson remained a fixture in Columbus’s top six for the balance of the decade. He was a two-time All-Star, including his career-best 41-goal, 69-point effort in 2018-19 — leading the team in goals in the year they orchestrated one of the most drastic upsets in league history by sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning in the first round for their first series win in franchise history. After the COVID-shortened 2021 season, Atkinson had totaled a 213-189-402 scoring line in 627 games for Columbus, still holding up as the second-leading goalscorer and point-getter in the Jackets’ record books behind Rick Nash. After Atkinson’s points per game production peaked at 0.86 in that career year, he only managed to produce at about a 0.60 pace over the next two years. That soft decline led Columbus to ship Atkinson to the Flyers in the 2021 offseason in a one-for-one swap for Jakub Voráček. In hindsight, it turned out to be a bit of a lose-lose endeavor. Atkinson seemed to pop back into form with a 23-27–50 effort in 73 games in 2021-22, but a neck injury sustained in the following training camp ended up costing him the entire 2022-23 season and accelerating his decline. He had just 28 points in 70 games for Philly upon returning to play in 2023-24, leading the club to buy out the final year of the seven-year, $41.13M extension he signed with Columbus back in 2017. Atkinson became an unrestricted free agent a year ahead of schedule and signed on with the Lightning on a one-year deal worth $900K. The bounceback he was looking for never came, though. He struggled to stick in the lineup and played sparingly when he did dress, averaging just nine minutes per game across 39 contests. After finishing the year with a 4-5-9 scoring line, the Lightning were quick to say Atkinson wouldn’t be brought back. Atkinson told Portzline that he received professional tryout offers this summer but declined them, saying he essentially made up his mind when he made his final regular-season appearance for Tampa. He ends his career with a 253-236-489 scoring line in 809 appearances, including a -11 rating while averaging north of 17 minutes per game. We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Atkinson on a lengthy and successful pro career and wish him the best in whatever comes next.

Officiating Crew For Steelers-Browns Game Gives 1 Team Clear Advantage
NFL

Officiating Crew For Steelers-Browns Game Gives 1 Team Clear Advantage

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been dominant against the Cleveland Browns under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. However, an AFC North contest coming off a bye week is never something Steelers fans overlook. With the Browns sitting at 1-4 and the Steelers at 3-1, a victory in this matchup is pivotal for Pittsburgh to start AFC North play on the right foot. The Steelers are looking to carry momentum from a strong start to the season, and continuing their winning ways against a divisional rival would set a positive tone for the months ahead. The Browns will be starting rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who will be making just his second-ever NFL start. The Steelers' defense will look to make life extremely difficult for the rookie on Sunday. One area that is always important in these matchups is the officiating crew. According to NFL Ref Stats, the Steelers appear to have a significant advantage in this contest against the Browns. Historically, Pittsburgh has fared well under certain officiating crews, particularly those with tendencies that favor defensive schemes and physical play at the line of scrimmage. This statistical edge may not guarantee a win, but it certainly provides a subtle advantage that could tip critical calls in Pittsburgh’s favor during a tightly contested game. Beyond the numbers, the Steelers will need to execute clean football on both sides of the ball. Protecting the quarterback, establishing the run, and maintaining discipline on defense will be key to neutralizing Cleveland’s biggest playmakers. While the Browns are struggling this season, divisional games often bring out unexpected performances, making preparation and focus essential. If Pittsburgh can combine their historical dominance, officiating edge, and disciplined execution, they have a strong chance to assert control early in AFC North play and keep their division hopes alive. Ron Torbert will serve as the officiating head for this contest, and the numbers clearly favor the Steelers. In games Torbert has officiated, Pittsburgh has gone an impressive 10-1, showing a consistent trend of success under his oversight. Even more striking, the Steelers are a perfect 8-0 at home in games where Torbert is the head referee, highlighting a significant home-field advantage when he is on the crew. Steelers Should Have Edge In Week 6 Against Browns Expect the officials to focus heavily on offensive penalties, as Torbert has a reputation for calling more infractions on the offense than the defense. According to NFL Ref Stats, he assesses 52.5% of all penalties against the offense, ranking fourth in the league for offensive penalties per game. This suggests that both teams will need to maintain discipline, but it could particularly benefit Pittsburgh, a team built around physical play and disciplined execution. For the Steelers, this officiating angle could be an advantage they can capitalize on, especially early in the game. By staying sharp and minimizing mistakes, Pittsburgh can force Cleveland into difficult situations while maintaining momentum. With Torbert on the field, the historical trends and penalty tendencies both point to a scenario where the Steelers have an extra edge in controlling the pace and flow of this crucial AFC North matchup. The Steelers sit as -200 favorites in this contest and it seems like a lot is on their side.

Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice
NFL

Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has officially been benched, and he is not taking it lightly. Browning has started the last three games for the Bengals in the wake of a toe injury that Joe Burrow suffered in Week 2. After going 0-3 in those games, the Bengals decided to acquire Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that Flacco will start in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That means the new guy is taking Browning's job right away, which is hardly a surprise. Jake Browning is not happy about losing his job Browning spoke with reporters shortly after Taylor revealed that Flacco will start in Green Bay. The 29-year-old quarterback said the situation "sucks" but that he understands how the business of the NFL works. "I think it sucks but, like I said, everyone's in the middle of a season. I think, 'Welcome to pro football,'" Browning said. "If you don't play well, you're gonna get replaced, and that's what I'm going through." Browning also admitted he is angry over being benched. Though, he said he is not willing to shoulder the blame for everything that has gone wrong for Cincinnati since Burrow went down. "For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pi--ed. If I wasn't pi--ed, then I shouldn't be in this locker room," Browning added. "I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks, but I'm also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on, and just doing that." Zac Taylor had no choice but to make a switch Browning threw three interceptions in Cincinnati's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns as well, but anything positive that the veteran did came when the game was essentially out of hand. In his two starts prior to the Lions loss, Browning threw for a total of 265 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals scored 13 points in the two games combined. Ja'Marr Chase looked extremely frustrated at times and even had a heated exchange with Taylor on the sideline. Taylor had been facing tremendous pressure from fans to make a quarterback change. It would not be a surprise if Cincinnati's front office and some players expressed a desire for Browning to be benched, as well.

Terry McLaurin's latest injury update leaves questions about his status on Commanders' offense for Monday Night Football
NFL

Terry McLaurin's latest injury update leaves questions about his status on Commanders' offense for Monday Night Football

The Washington Commanders have an extra day this week to prepare for the Chicago Bears and heal up, which is needed for some of the injuries on the team. The team has been getting healthy at the right time, but they're still missing three key players who have missed time over the last few weeks. They would love to get them back for a primetime NFC matchup against the Bears, who are getting their own impact players back from injury. The biggest name for the Commanders to watch this week is wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and we got our first update on Wednesday. Terry McLaurin did not practice on Wednesday Everyone is wondering when McLaurin will make his return, especially with Jayden Daniels back from his own injury, and the hope is this week, with the extra day. Head coach Dan Quinn said on Monday that the team was optimistic about McLaurin's return, along with right guard Sam Cosmi and wide receiver Noah Brown, but they had to wait until the team practiced to see their availability. Well, the team showed up to practice on Wednesday, and McLaurin did not participate like Quinn warned right before the players took the field in his press conference. "You'll see Noah out at practice today," Quinn said. "Terry won't. And then with the extra day, we'll just kind of work our way through with Terry to see where we're at and just kind of watch as we're going through it with him and Noah both.” The team will practice again on Thursday before taking Friday off as a recovery day, then take the field again on Saturday and Sunday to get a final game status on players' availability for Monday night, including McLaurin. McLaurin didn't need surgery and avoided going to the IR, which would've put him out for four games, and the team is going into the third game since he was injured, making his return likely this week or next. The good news, however, is that Brown looks like he will be available this week for the first time in a while. Noah Brown is back at practice Regardless of whether McLaurin returns or not, getting Brown back would help the offense while Deebo Samuel and Luke McCaffrey have been carrying the load over the last two weeks. Brown is the one who caught the Hail Mary touchdown last season in this matchup, and who knows what plays he could make on Monday. The more weapons, the better. The offense should continue to lean on the run game, especially against a really bad Bears' run defense, but getting more weapons back for Daniels, who looked much better last week, will long a long way on Monday night. Hopefully, that includes McLaurin, but we will have to wait and see through the rest of the week.