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The Columbus Blue Jackets did everything they could to make the playoffs, but it didn’t work out. It would have been a nice story if Johnny Gaudreau’s team had managed to make the playoffs…
Yesterday, the Blue Jackets won against the Islanders in 60 minutes. That means that if the habs had lost – in regulation – to the Hurricanes of Carolina on Wednesday, the Blue Jackets would have surpassed the habs.
So it’s relatively close, let’s say.
Seeing the Hurricanes send their B team against the habs two days ago clearly put a wrench in the Blue Jackets’ plans to make the playoffs.
And as Réjean Tremblay said in his column today, it upset people in Ohio.
But you should have read the Columbus newspapers yesterday morning. The columnists were furious. Like the management of the Blue Jackets. – Réjean Tremblay
Okay. We have to acknowledge that I don’t intend to throw the first stone at the Hurricanes for thinking of themselves. They deserved the right to rest their players through their good performances in the first 81 games of the season.
It was up to the Blue Jackets to take the driver’s seat – like the habs – and control their destiny.
Obviously, there would have been the same outrage in Montreal if the situation had been reversed. But the Hurricanes have the right to rest their veterans without being questioned about the “integrity of the game” in the process.
If the Blue Jackets had wanted to make the playoffs, they just had to prevent Ivan Demidov from being available to the habs, hehe.
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overtime
So that’s to say that it’s the habs who took the 16th and last place that gives access to the playoffs. It’s going to start tomorrow in the West – for two series, at least.
Here are my predictions.
- Blues against Jets: Jets in 7
- Avalanche against Stars: Stars in 6
- Wild against Golden Knights: Golden Knights in 4
- Oilers against Kings: Oilers in 7
- Senators against Maple Leafs: Senators in 7
- Panthers against Lightning: Panthers in 6
- Devils against Hurricanes: Devils in 7
As for the habs, I’m going to… take a little more time to decide. But I’m going to predict that Lane Hutson will manage to get his hands on the Calder Trophy.
Oh yes, I’m bold on this Friday.
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TODAY'S BEST
Canadiens News & Rumours: Dach, McTavish & More
In this edition of the Montreal Canadiens News Rumours, general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has had a busy offseason after the team made an unexpected appearance in the 2025 Playoffs. Rumours still swirl around the team trying to add to the roster, if they can sign Lane Hutson long-term and if Kirby Dach will be physically ready for training camp in September. Canadiens Prospect Impresses Team Canada Michael Hage made a lasting impression for Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He finished with five points, which was tied for the team lead. “He came here and had a really good camp. He (Hage) was one of our best players.” – Dale Hunter (from ‘Il est l’un de nos meilleurs joueurs’: ça augure bien pour Michael Hage avec le Canada,’ Journal de Montreal, 8/3/25) Impressing the head coach will go a long way in securing a spot on the roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship. Still, his season with the University of Michigan will likely be just as important. For the Canadiens, having their top centre prospect make huge strides in his development will be beneficial, especially for a team in desperate need of an offensively capable second-line centre. Kirby Dach Still Recovering Maxime Truman of Dans Les Coulisses, a French-language site, and French-language radio reported that Dach has suffered a setback. This, after he was seen skating with Ivan Demidov at the Canadiens’ practice facility. However, Eric Engels of Sportsnet is pouring cold water on the rumours that Dach has had a setback. “It was never guaranteed Kirby Dach would be ready for the start of training camp, AND it is also premature to suggest he won’t be. Suggestions Dach has had a setback in his recovery are completely false. Not only has he not had a setback, he’s progressing really well and, according to my sources, is crushing his summer training.” There are some fans who question his durability, especially after missing the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries, and the fact that this is the second time he’s injured this specific knee. With the Canadiens in desperate need of a second-line centre, the hope was that he would be ready to fill that role for the start of the 2025-26 season. While he may still end up being physically capable of dressing, the real question will be if he can finally become the centre the franchise needs now. Canadiens’ Negotiation With Hutson On the Aug. 3 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman addressed the fact that Hutson has not yet signed a contract extension with the Canadiens. While fans are wondering what it could be, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has some differences in it that will mean changes in how young players will be approached this season. The salary cap is due to rise by $7 million this offseason from the current $88.5 million to $95.5 million. The cap is slated to go up from this season’s total to $113.5 million in just three seasons, a whopping $25 million increase. This is important to know because player salaries will rise quickly season over season. The biggest difference is that the longest contract available under the new CBA will be seven years, which is one less than the eight teams have the opportunity to offer until the new CBA kicks in. The rising cap and shorter term will mean bigger cap hits, which is why there is pressure from the fan base on the Canadiens to get this done. There aren’t any issues anticipated getting Hutson signed long-term; the issue will be the cap hit. While his comparables are Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes, with Noah Dobson signed to a new, eight-year, $9.5 million per season deal, it might mean a higher number for Hutson. Now, the question is, will they convince him to sign before they no longer have the option of offering an eight-year term? Canadiens Linked to Mason McTavish The Canadiens are again being linked to the still-unsigned restricted free agent (RFA) Mason McTavish. The third overall pick in 2021 has all the qualities Hughes is desperate to add. He’s big (6-foot-1 and 219 pounds), he’s got proven offensive skills, he can play a physical style, he has an excellent work ethic and loves to go to the net, he’s responsible in his zone, and the left-shot centre wins over 50% of his faceoffs. This also makes him valuable to the Anaheim Ducks, who are trying to go for a playoff spot this season. Anaheim still has over $20.5 million in salary cap space for 2025-26, which makes it highly unlikely anyone can build an offer sheet that would get the Ducks to choose not to match it. That means any team wanting to land the young centre would need to make a trade offer. And that’s one trade package that will cause some pain, as Jimmy Murphy of RG.org has reported. His sources have made it clear that the cost would start with a young right-handed defenceman. “Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock Pat’s socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenceman would be the starting point from what I know.” Montreal isn’t considered the most active on this player; the Detroit Red Wings are, and they have some options, which include their top prospect, Axel Sandin Pellikka. So, the cost for Montreal will most likely start with David Reinbacher, and it wouldn’t end there. A package will also include picks (first-rounders, not middle-rounders) and a roster player. Is it expensive? Yes. Can the Canadiens afford to overpay? Maybe. It depends on what assets, and if those assets would cause the rebuild to stall, at least, in Hughes’ assessment. Keep an eye on our THW Podcast Network for all your hockey needs and THW’s affiliated podcast, Habs Unfiltered, for the latest Canadiens news, notes, and rumours.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league-average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on Aug. 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days' rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Cardinals Address Elephant In The Room After 2025 Trade Deadline
The St. Louis Cardinals don’t look the same right now as they did on July 30th. The 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline came and passed on July 31st. St. Louis got the ball rolling early by sending Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox. On deadline day, the Cardinals completed two more deals sending Ryan Helsey to the New York Mets and Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers. It was the second time in three years that the Cardinals held a sort of firesale ahead of the trade deadline. But, this one was different from two years ago. Cardinals At Significant Crossroads in trade deadline aftermath So, what’s next? The Athletic’s Katie Woo addressed the recent trade deadline and talked about the difference between the two and quoted manager Oli Marmol in the process. "There will be no mistaking what the rest of the year will look like," Woo said. "Manager Oli Marmol will spend each of the remaining 48 games trying to help answer what things will look like come 2026 and beyond. This is not the same case as the team’s last selloff season, he insists. In 2023, the final two months consisted of the Cardinals simply trying to survive the remainder of the calendar. Many of the rostered players were not part of the team’s future. At least this year, the roster reflects what the organization hopes will develop into a prominent core. "'This lineup is what’s next,' Marmol said. 'Some of these guys in the ‘pen, that’s what’s next. There is way more enthusiasm in a year like this compared to a 2023 standpoint because you’re investing in what the future is going to look like. That wasn’t the case last time.' But given the Cardinals’ current roster construction, it’s fair to question if the organization can accurately do that. As Woo noted, the Cardinals' bullpen seems to be set up well for the rest of the season now to see what the club has. But, the lineup gives questions each day. The two guys to watch closely throughout the rest of the season surely are Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. The amount of time they get -- and obviously how they do -- with surely have a big impact on whether they are a part of the long-term vision for the organization. There's work to do, but this sale was different.
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