Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed Tuesday’s practice due to illness and was held out for precautionary reasons, head coach Craig Berube revealed.
“Nothing terrible, but I thought it was better he stay off today and rest up,” Berube said of Ekman-Larsson, via TSN’s Mark Masters.
Ekman-Larsson was replaced by Jani Hakanpaa during the practice session. Hakanpaa was paired with Simon Benoit on the third unit. Nick Robertson also took Ekman-Larsson’s place on the second power play unit. Ekman-Larsson logged 17:54 of ice time in Sunday’s loss.
The 33-year-old has been an excellent addition to the Maple Leafs’ defence corps and has been paired with Benoit throughout the playoffs, the 10th-most commonly used group in the playoffs at 5-on-5. Ekman-Larsson has recorded two goals and four points in 10 playoff games, providing some key secondary offence for the Leafs. He registered four goals and 29 points in 77 regular season contests.
Ekman-Larsson is one of three current Leafs who won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, alongside Steven Lorentz and Anthony Stolarz.
Stolarz skated with the team Tuesday for the first time since suffering an injury in Game 1 of the series, after getting hit in the head by Sam Bennett. He left the ice before the practice session formally began and Joseph Woll is widely expected to start Game 5 on Wednesday. Woll was outstanding in Game 4, as the Maple Leafs were blanked 2-0.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube hinted at some lineup changes for Game 5, but it’s unclear what those changes may look like. Ekman-Larsson’s spot in the lineup is secure, provided he’s healthy Wednesday.
Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty-John Tavares-William Nylander
Bobby McMann-Max Domi-Pontus Holmberg
Steven Lorentz-Scott Laughton-Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe-Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly-Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit-Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Joseph Woll (projected starter)
Matt Murray
Dennis Hildeby
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New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe joined a few NHL players, including New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce, in a supposedly friendly hockey game on Friday in Connecticut. Although the event was supposed to be just about skating for a good cause, Rempe found a way to make headlines for the opposite reason, as he nearly flattened Pesce during an offseason charity game. At the “Shoulder Check Showcase” in Stamford, Connecticut, Rempe drew attention when he locked in on the Devils defenseman and tried to deliver a high-speed check into the boards. Pesce narrowly avoided contact, dodging what could have been a serious hit in a game meant for fun, not full contact or suffering potential season-altering injuries. Pesce, who was wearing the Devils logo on his shoulder, might have flipped a switch for Rempe, who reacted instinctively despite the event’s nonprofit and non-competitive nature. That's because of the lingering tensions between the Rangers' enforcer and the Devils that track back to Rempe's rookie season in New York. The animosity started when Rempe completed a high hit on Devils player Nathan Bastian, and later escalated further during a line brawl in March, where Rempe was one of 10 players ejected two seconds into the game. The brawl got started when Rempe challenged the Devils' Kurtis MacDermid after previously knocking Jonas Siegenthaler out with a high elbow that led to a four-game suspension earlier in the season. The 23-year-old Rangers forward has yet to find an established role in New York, having played just 17 and 42 regular-season games for the franchise in the past two seasons. The Rangers must have liked Rempe's skill set, however, as they recently signed the enforcer to a two-year, $1.95 million extension.
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. A big reason for this is their wide receiver room. For the past three seasons, they have relied on rookies and second-year players to carry the load on offense from a pass-catching perspective. However, that has led to some inconsistent play. Last year, drops were a huge issue, especially for former fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks. He was able to get open but would drop the ball in key moments. Wicks is determined to change the narrative and is already turning heads in training camp. Green Bay Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks Looking Good Wicks was the star of the 2-minute drill during Friday’s training camp practice. He found a hole in the zone and ran the post route. Quarterback Jordan Love saw him immediately and unloaded a long ball. The former Virginia receiver was all alone and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass to end the drill. This was one of the many great plays Wicks made throughout the practice. He was asked about the play after the practice. “I knew I had the post,” Wicks said. “I had a man on me. I released, ran full speed. I knew X was over the top. So I stemmed out a little bit and broke flat across. It was a runaway, and J-Love gave me the ball and I ran under it, and that was all from there.” This is great news for the Green Bay Packers. Drops can often be attributed to a lack of confidence. They can snowball. Once a player drops one pass, it can snowball into more drops. The same can be said about catches. Once a player gets confidence, it can be hard to stop. If Dontayvion Wicks has gotten his confidence, the league should watch out. No Problems Getting Open Wicks had no problems getting open last year. According to ESPN Analytics, he was open on 84% of his routes, thanks to a quick burst off the snap and his ability to find gaps in the zone. However, getting open doesn’t matter if a player can’t bring in the ball. The Green Bay Packers hope this is the start of a new player in 2025. Matthew Golden has also looked good in training camp, and Jayden Reed has vowed to drop fewer passes as well in 2025. If that trio can haul in passes, this offense could be one of the best in the league. Final Thoughts We always have to be cautious about training camp news. It can sometimes point to what will happen in the season, but not always. However, this seems like a step in the right direction for the Green Bay Packers. If Wicks gains confidence now, that should carry over into the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers know that it will take quite a while to get strong chemistry on the offensive side of the ball with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as he is in a brand-new system with a bunch of players that he has never played with before. Luckily, it's just the beginning of training camp, so there is still some time to get the kinks worked out and get everyone on the same page. Pittsburgh's new passer, historically, likes to find a couple players and target them specifically, so many weapons have to compete for that attention. Rodgers may have already found one of his favorite targets. So far in training camp, fans and analysts have noticed that he has paid a lot of attention to tight end Darnell Washington all throughout practice. In Arthur Smith's tight end-heavy offense, Washington is expected to see plenty of playing time. The big 6'7" mountain of a man has primarily been a blocker in his two seasons in the NFL, but he has had a few moments as a receiver, including lining up wide and catching the Steelers' first touchdown of the 2024 season. There is definitely potential there, especially since he towers over almost every defensive back in the NFL. Rodgers has connected with Washington multiple times early on in training camp, including during a critical part in Saturday's "Seven Shots" drill. The big tight end may not be much of a route runner, but he can still be useful over the middle as a safety valve, as well as an option out wide to simply out-reach the defensive back. Either way, "Mount" Washington could easily set career highs in pretty much every statistical category. On top of that, Rodgers has thrived in multi-tight end sets in recent years, which perfectly fits with Smith's scheme. Even with Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith already on the roster, the former third-round pick should see an increase in snap count and targets. His frame is perfect for red zone routes, where Pittsburgh struggled in during the 2024 season. Him receiving a handful of touchdowns in 2025 is not out of the question. One man's fortune is another man's misfortune. Jonnu Smith was acquired to be a versatile receiver for Rodgers, but he missed the first two days of training camp for undisclosed reasons. That gave Washington and Freiermuth more time to work with the 41-year-old passer. Freiermuth has seen some attention from his new quarterback as well, but the supposed blocking tight end of the group has been especially highlighted during team drills. Everything is set up for Rodgers and his tight ends to thrive. Even with Washington being the main player at that position receiving targets, there is still over a month of practices and preseason games to go for the whole group to develop that chemistry. Arthur Smith may love the multi-tight end personnel groups, but he may be forced to go to that more than even he is used to just to give Rodgers the best chance to thrive with his targets. Steelers' Game Plan Could Slow Down Top Offenses Obviously, when the tight end group is a featured part of the offense, the plan is not to get splash play after splash play and score in five plays. DK Metcalf may make that happen occasionally, but the plan is to wear out opposing defenses with 10+ play drives. That will also keep opposing offenses off the field. The Cincinnati Bengals will have a tough time putting up 38 points if they only have six offensive possessions.
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