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The NHL officials have been under fire in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and now fans have called for one official to be pulled after a shocking call in the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Game Two matchup on Wednesday night.
After a dramatic Game One of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, more fireworks were expected in Game Two, and unsurprisingly, both teams delivered with another one goal game.
There were many moments that defined this thrilling, chaotic matchup, but there were two that stood out the most, with the first being a dirty trip from Brad Marchand on Joseph Woll that the officials somehow ignored entirely.
The second, and the one that got the officials more heat than anything was an embellishment call on Evan Rodrigues, who simply took a hit from Scott Laughton into the glass that would end up with the Maple Leaf having four minutes in the box for roughing.
In no way does this appear to be embellishment from Rodrigues, and while Maple Leafs fans were happy the call went their way, even many of them were stunned, as fans over social media called out the officials.
After this call, the game started to get out of hand, with other hits suggesting the frustration of both teams for the officiating that has been sub-par to say the least through two games.
Knowing the NHL, absolutely nothing will be changed with this official, and he'll continue to call games the way he has done all year, but unless something does change, this series, that potentially has five games remaining could get out of hand at any point.
More must-reads:
- Canadiens handle important piece of business with Mike Matheson's long-term extension
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- The 'Five game-winning-drives in a season' quiz
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Canadiens Calling up Engstrom Could Mean Trade Is Imminent
When the Montreal Canadiens set off for their midwestern road trip, they recalled an extra defenceman from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). Since they have been playing with a man short on the 23-man roster, they usually do this for every road trip. The difference this time is that in the past, they would recall Marc Del Gazio; this time, however, they recalled Adam Engstrom, which raised many eyebrows and sparked much speculation about what general manager Kent Hughes has in mind. Canadiens Recall Engstrom for Western Road Trip The Canadiens recalled Engstrom for the road trip after he had a phenomenal game against the Belleville Senators, where he had a goal and four assists in a 7-2 victory. The fact that he was recalled right after his best professional game could be a sign that the Canadiens wanted to reward him for his play, but it could also have a deeper meaning. As mentioned earlier, the Habs usually recall Del Gazio for road trips as the seventh defenceman; this has happened twice before. The fact that they promoted Engstrom and then played him in the first game after his recall could mean they want to showcase him to other teams and maybe have him available for a trade. Engstrom played in the first game on the trip against the Utah Mammoth and played well. Nothing exciting, but he didn’t look out of place, with one shot and just under 11 minutes of ice time, while replacing Arber Xhekaj, who was a healthy scratch. With the team extending Mike Matheson for five years at $30 million, they have created a logjam on defence with an overabundance of talented defencemen fighting for spots in Montreal. Recalling and playing Engstrom can be seen in two ways: showcasing him to other teams or assessing how he fits into the Canadiens’ system and where he should be in the lineup. Given that, until 2031, the top three spots will be Matheson, Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson, it might be hard for an offence-skilled playmaker like Engstrom to get the ice time he needs to succeed in Montreal. Canadiens Involved in Many Trade Rumours When the Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 at the Bell Centre, there were many scouts in attendance, mainly from the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues. This makes sense, knowing that the Habs are connected to a few players from both teams in trade rumours. The Blues are reportedly shopping Jordan Kyrou, who Montreal had interest in before the season started. The Predators have been rumoured to be looking to move centers Steve Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly as they try to clear up cap space. Since the Canadiens already made a trade with the Blues for Zachary Bolduc, trading for Kyrou seems a bit redundant, considering they are both wingers. Trading for Stamkos or O’Reilly makes more sense since the Habs are still trying to fill their number two center void, and both players could fit in there for the short term. Engstrom could be part of any deal for any of those players; the asking price for O’Reilly has been reported as a first-round pick and a top prospect. If Engstrom falls into that category, he could be part of a deal for O’Reilly. Playing him in Montreal could also show they are willing to move on from one of their other defencemen, such as Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, or injury-prone Kaiden Guhle. The Candiens also have many defencemen in their system that project to be NHL players, like David Reinbacher, William Trudeau, Bogdan Konyushkov, Owen Protz and Bryce Pickford. The team is left-handed heavy, and moving a left-handed defenceman makes the most sense, plus it’s a move from a position of strength. Canadiens fans shouldn’t be shocked if the Habs move a young defender and pick up a coveted second-line center by the Christmas deadline of Dec. 20. The question is, who will it be? Let me know your thoughts.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. Jerry Jones says Jets turned out incredible trade offer for Quinnen Williams “I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 103.5 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation. “A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].” Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a one, and we didn’t get it done.” Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5. If true, Jets made a big mistake If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal. Although Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus, he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass-rush win rate. Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass-rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge-rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss. Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter — if not a star — on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons. How realistic is Jerry Jones' claim? But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s. The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge-rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97M. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed Perhaps the Jets didn't want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have. Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
NFL insider makes the obvious Max Brosmer to Brock Purdy comparison, and takes a damning shot at J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings are set to start rookie undrafted free agent Max Brosmer against the Seattle Seahawks, as starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is out with a concussion. It's a tough one for the Vikings, who have dealt with quarterback injuries all season long, starting with McCarthy's high ankle sprain in Week 2, and Carson Wentz's brutal left shoulder injury suffered in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns. It's been that kind of season for the 4-7 Vikings, but arguably the most brutal aspect has been not knowing if McCarthy is the future at quarterback. With Sunday's game, the Vikings are going to get their first look at Brosmer, who has been compared by many to the elevation of Brock Purdy, including me back in August. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler takes damning shot at J.J. McCarthy The chance for Brosmer to emerge is a huge one, as the Vikings are starving for any kind of good quarterback play. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler broke down how both the Vikings and other teams feel about him "Max Brosmer, huge showcase for this guy. The Vikings know that they have something in Max Brosmer," said Fowler on Saturday morning's Sports Center. "They felt like he had a really good preseason. I talked to multiple teams who said he was cool and calm and collected in the preseason action. He's an undrafted free agent, so the expectations aren't overly high, but I'm told, just from a mental preparation standpoint, he's been really good, and they feel like, hey, maybe something can happen here." Fowler didn't stop there, comparing him to Purdy, who share very similar career arcs, with the sole difference being that Purdy was the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, whereas Brosmer was one of the UDFAs with the most guaranteed money. "It was around three years to the day, Randy, that Brock Purdy made his debut week 12 of the 2022 season. He started for the 49ers. Rest is history. Now, he's one of the, you know, top 10 to 12 best quarterbacks in the league. That's a lot of expectation to put on this guy. However, you know, there is some symmetry here. Yeah, you have Kevin O'Connell's offense. They've got weapons." Fowler didn't end there, as the final line came in like a dagger in terms of McCarthy's performances this season. "They feel like, at the very least, he's going to be probably more mentally prepared than they've had this season with the struggles [at quarterback]." Calling Brosmer more mentally prepared than both McCarthy and Wentz is incredibly damning, and it could be why they decide to ride it out with Brosmer the rest of the season if things continue to go well. This isn't the first time that we've had negative words seemingly come out of the Vikings' building about this team, including McCarthy, this season, but this might be the worst of them all. Will Brosmer end up being the next guy for the Vikings? Only time will tell, but it certainly looks possible. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-383').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-383').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*'); This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Nick Sirianni sends message after Eagles fans called for Kevin Patullo's firing
Nick Sirianni is standing by his coaching staff amid calls for the Philadelphia Eagles to make a serious change to their offense. Eagles fans were unhappy with the team’s offensive play-calling during their 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia made several questionable calls throughout the contest, including a decision to let the clock run down to the two-minute warning in the first half, which drew loud boos inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. With the Eagles putting up just nine points midway through the fourth quarter, fans started chanting for offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to be fired. “Fire Kevin! Fire Kevin!” fans were heard chanting. Fans did not get their wish, at least for the time being. When asked about a potential change at play-caller, the Eagles head coach backed Patullo. “This is the greatest team sport there is, and it is never about one person,” Sirianni said during his postgame news conference. “I have confidence in the entire group. I know it will keep coming back to Kevin. If I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it’s a lot of different things. I don’t think it is Kevin.” The Eagles offense has looked anemic through 12 games this season, which is in stark contrast to last season’s Super-Bowl-winning offense. The offense has looked even worse over the past four weeks, with the team putting up just 15.5 points per contest during that span. The most glaring regression has been the play of Saquon Barkley, who has gone from MVP finalist to middle-of-the-pack running back in the span of a few months. With Patullo taking the offensive reins from previous OC Kellen Moore, who became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, it’s not hard to see why fans are pinning the blame on him. Despite the Eagles’ offensive struggles, the team still sits at a solid 8-4 through Week 13. Philly’s elite defense may be masking the team’s offensive inefficiencies thus far. If the Eagles drop a few more games, Sirianni may have a harder time staying loyal to Patullo.
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