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With the New York Rangers off to a tough start by their standards, many are wondering what general manager Chris Drury might do to spruce things up for the team that won the President’s Trophy last year.
In a memo sent to the rest of the league, the Rangers GM stated that the team is open to trading both captain Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured Ranger, among other names.
Speculation of a potential move rose when Kreider was noticeably absent from the lineup on Monday night in the Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. However, the 33-year-old revealed it was back spasms.
“Back locked up on me,” Kreider told the media after the team’s morning skate on Wednesday. “A few games back, it was lumbar, and then during training camp, it was thoraxes…Very independent, annoying things. So we’re working on it. Done a couple things to remedy it so it doesn’t happen anymore.”
Head coach Peter Laviolette stated that Kreider will remain out of the lineup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.
Kreider’s name is still in trade talks across the league despite having been with the Rangers since he was drafted in 2009. Through 19 games, the Boxford, Massachusetts, native has scored just nine goals, far from his usual production that has led to 75-point performances in two of the last three campaigns.
With all the noise in and outside the Rangers’ locker room, Kreider admits the team notices it but wants to use it to their advantage.
“I think it’s pretty obvious there’s frustration, angst, tension,” Kreider said. “We’re 20 games in. Let’s go through this s–– now and figure out who we are. We had the best regular season in the history of an Original Six franchise last year, won a Presidents’ Trophy, and didn’t go as far as we would’ve liked. We’re getting exposed right now. Our warts are out there, and teams are picking on the things we don’t do well…We don’t necessarily know what this is right now, right? This could just be part of the story. We look back at this and say, ‘This made us better.'”
The Rangers (12-7-1) sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division, thanks to a three-game losing skid, seven points back of the first-place New Jersey Devils. The Blueshirts hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
More must-reads:
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Bruins’ Khusnutdinov Poised for Potential Big Season in 2025-26
The Boston Bruins will look a lot different when they take the ice in October, with many changes to the coaching staff and roster. One relatively new face is Marat Khusnutdinov. The 23-year-old Russian forward was acquired in a trade deadline deal that brought him, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to Boston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Justin Brazeau. Despite an uninspiring start to his NHL career, Khusnutdinov was the highlight of that deal, and, hopefully, 2025-26 is the season that he starts to prove it. Khusnutdinov’s Early NHL Struggles Khusnutdinov was selected 37th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Wild, the same round the Boston Bruins selected Mason Lohrei at 58th overall. He played his entire junior career in Russia and remained in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) after he was drafted. Many non-North American players make the jump to North America to play in the Canadian Junior Leagues to give themselves time to adjust to the smaller ice surface before they turn pro, or they spend time in the American Hockey League (AHL), since the smaller rink size creates a more physical and faster game that takes time to get used to. Khusnutdinov bypassed the AHL and jumped directly from the KHL to the NHL in the 2023-24 season. He was a highly anticipated prospect after several great seasons in Russia, but it was not an easy transition, and he struggled to generate offense. Whether or not it was due to the smaller ice surface, something did not click for him in Minnesota. Khusnutdinov appeared in 16 games in 2023-24, registering one goal and four assists. In 2024-25, he played in 57 games, only registering two goals and seven points. Right before he was traded to Boston, Minnesota sent him down to play with their AHL affiliate, Iowa Wild, to try and get some momentum going for him. Reasons to Believe in Khusnutdinov It can take around 100 games for many NHLers to fully adjust and get comfortable in the NHL. Khusnutdinov has only appeared in 91 games, including only one full season. It’s possible that the Wild just wasn’t the right fit for Khusnutdinov, and he could easily find success elsewhere. In 18 games for the Bruins after the deadline, Khusnutdinov showed promise. He had three goals and five points, surpassing the two goals he had in 57 games with the Wild last season. Additionally, his shooting percentage (27.3%) and faceoff win percentage (55.6%) improved considerably, and Boston needs players willing to shoot the puck and make the most of their opportunities. Khusnutdinov also arrived at a time when the Bruins were in transition. Captain Brad Marchand and others had just been traded, and with the addition of some new faces, the forward lines were all shifting. The fact that Khusnutdinov had his best stretch of games in the NHL while the team was struggling is impressive. The front office also liked what they saw from Khusnutdinov, as they signed up to a two-year extension this offseason. His contract carries an average annual value of $925,000, which could be a steal by next summer, if he can round out his game. The hope is that he scores at least 23 points and a minimum of 14 goals this season – that would have been good for sixth on the team in 2024-25. 2025-26 Should be Khusnutdinov’s Breakout Campaign Khusnutdinov is only 23 years old and has already shown improvement in his short time with the Bruins. There are no guarantees, but he should have plenty of opportunities to develop his game this season. General manager Don Sweeney doesn’t have a great track record for giving opportunities to young players. But, hopefully, Khusnutdinov managed to take enough steps forward in his time with the team, despite the disarray, to earn legitimate ice time in 2025-26, and maybe even some time on the second line. The 2025-26 season should be a reset for the Bruins. There are so many question marks, so many players should get the chance, especially the young ones, to prove themselves and make their mark. Hopefully, Khustnutdinov can build on his momentum from last season and turn it into a strong third season in the NHL.
Chop Robinson injury update: Miami Dolphins star reveals severity after being carted off field
Dolphins fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief with the latest update on the injury to pass rusher Chop Robinson. The second-year defender had to be carted off the practice field Wednesday during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Robinson posted an update on social media a couple of hours later to let fans know he is “good” and the injury is “nothing serious.” It sounds like he avoided anything that would cause him to miss significant time, and the carting off the field was simply a precautionary measure. As a rookie, Robinson played in all 17 games for the Dolphins, starting one. He finished with 26 tackles, eight tackles for loss and six sacks. He finished fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Robinson was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Nittany Lions after starting his career at Maryland. Over the course of his collegiate career, Robinson finished with 60 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Robinson had a career high 5.5 sacks in 2022. As a member of the Class of 2021, Robinson was a four-star recruit out of Gaithersburg (M.D.) Quince Orchard, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 5 EDGE in the class and the No. 62 overall prospect in the class. The Dolphins have their next preseason game on Saturday against the Lions. We might not see Chop Robinson play in that contest, but it doesn’t mean the injury is a serious one and would likely only be a precautionary measure from the team as it prepares for the regular season. Tyreek Hill trade rumors Multiple NFL teams reportedly monitoring future with Dolphins In addition to Robinson, there’s been drama with the Dolphins lately. There are now rumors that Tyreek Hill could fetch some trade requests from other teams. “So his status is uncertain, with an oblique injury right now, as for when he gets back in the lineup, is still up in the air,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Right now, I have talked to a few teams that are at least monitoring his future a little bit. Could he be a potential trade target? Now, I know the Dolphins earlier this summer were telling teams, no, we’re not trading Tyreek Hill, but they just, you know, wonder, is he going to be available? It could be wishful thinking. “Maybe they want him to be available, but he’s a player that when I bring up the teams and say, who’s sort of a trade target you’re watching? They bring up Tyreek Hill, so we’ll see. He’s a big option for Tua and that’d be a major move if they did move away from him.” On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.
Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made it clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL, ensuring that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after offensive emails he had sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Shohei Ohtani named in lawsuit regarding $240M real estate project
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been named in a lawsuit that was filed in Hawaii on Friday. Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, are being sued by a real estate investor and a broker in Hawaii who have accused Ohtani and Balelo of sabotaging a $240M real estate deal for a development on the Big Island. According to court documents that were obtained by Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press, real estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto say Ohtani and Balelo deliberately had them removed from the project “for no reason other than their own financial self-interest.” The lawsuit claims Ohtani was brought into the deal for his promotional value and that he and his agent pushed the founders of the project out using “threats and baseless legal claims.” “Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all — celebrity or not.” Hayes and Matsumoto have also accused Ohtani and Balelo of trying to push them out of a similar neighboring development project. The $240M Big Island development is located along Hapuna Beach, which is rated one of the top beaches in the world. Matsumoto was supposed to be the listing agent for the properties, which average more than $17.3M each. A brochure for the project stated that Ohtani, who was called “Japan’s Babe Ruth” has committed to buying one of the 14 properties and acting as a “celebrity spokesperson” for the development. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The two-way star is having another monster year with a .284 average, 42 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.013 OPS entering Tuesday. Ohtani has also returned to pitching this season and has a 2.37 ERA across 19 innings. Ohtani was also connected to a massive gambling scandal last year, though Major League Baseball determined that the 31-year-old was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
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