Posts

If you have Johnny Manziel as the first to do it … have a seat. MORE: Matt Cassel has broken foot | Browns get creative with Manziel | Scoreboard Officially, that honor goes to Blake Bortles, only because Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley announced it first on Sunday afternoon. But both Bortles, the third overall pick in the draft last May, and the Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater, the last pick of the first round, earn the distinction after coming off the bench under vastly different circumstances....

Looking at this week’s slate, there seems little chance for a repeat. In fact, the Week 5 card on the surface has a very chalky appearance to it. That is why it was not nearly as easy to come up with three teams with true upset potential against the NFL odds. However, at the very least we are looking at a trio of squads that can beat the spread as the underdog....

Before we get into the Week 7 forecasts, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out to RotoGrinders’ meteorologist Kevin Roth on Twitter (@KevinRothWx) or check out the hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....

Before we break down the Week 9 forecast, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out on Twitter @KevinRothWx or check our hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....

The news — originally reported by Sportsnet hockey reporter and NHL Network insider Elliotte Friedman — does not guarantee the league will start on Jan. 1, but does replace the league’s previous preferred date of Dec. 1. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hinted at a potential new target date for the 2020-21 season at his state of the league news conference prior to the end of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final between Tampa Bay and Dallas....

It’s the first chance for fans to catch their favorite team in action, albeit in an exhibition match. Nonetheless, there will be a ton of rivalry matchups throughout the preseason, in addition to some unique locations. A number of clubs are playing at neutral sites throughout the preseason, including games behind played in Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and Tulsa. The Canadiens teams are also playing games at unique locations, included Belleville, Ont....

The NHL moved its All-Star Weekend festivities up a day this year, meaning the skills competition will take place on Friday instead of Saturday. The All-Star Game itself has also been moved from Sunday to Saturday. This event consists of six different skills competitions. Players will be judged based on their individual performances and a winner for each event will be crowned. Here’s everything you need to know about the NHL’s skills competition in 2019, including how to watch on TV and live-stream online plus a complete list of events....

Instead, the hard-hitting Montreal Canadiens defenseman fired off a shot that hit 106.5 mph on the radar gun — the seventh-hardest in the competition’s history — and captured his fourth win. “Not surprising at all,” said Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner regarding Weber reaching that number. “I play against him a lot. See his shot a lot. It’s terrifying. . . . He’s a great player out there. He’s got a scary shot, like I said....

Yes, an Alexandre Daigle and Patrik Stefan has been sprinkled in here and there, but for the most part forward prodigies taken first overall live up to the hype. This is not the case with defensemen. Outside of Denis Potvin, who was drafted practically half a century ago, it’s an underwhelming list. There are some solid, even very good, defensemen here. However, nobody comfortably fits the mold of franchise defenseman (we’ll see on Aaron Ekblad)....

Hockey around the globe is rolling, more start dates are on the horizon and, with an eye on the 2022 NHL Draft, it’s going to be an incredibly exciting season. The Ontario Hockey League is back, which means the Shane Wright show is ready for all to see. The Slovakian trio is already turning heads across the pond. Two Russians look poised to steal your focus and your heart. A young phenom in Finland looks like he might be challenged by his own countryman....

The biggest exception is the Avalanche, who could experience the best of both worlds in 2019 as they clinched a postseason spot for the first time since 2009. In addition to its own first-round pick, Colorado also owns the Senators’ first-rounder thanks to the 2017 Matt Duchene trade, a slot that currently holds the highest odds at winning the top overall selection when the NHL Draft lottery takes place April 9....

Phase 2 of the 2020 NHL draft lottery happened Monday night and while it wasn’t the worst team, the second-worst team or even the third-worst (!) from 2019-20 that received the No. 1 overall selection, it was the third-worst team from the qualification round. The New York Rangers had the ping-pong ball bounce their way and will select No. 1 overall come October. Alexis Lafreniere is expected to be their choice....

In a draft rife with rumors about NHL stars changing teams, the Capitals’ salary cap-saving trade that sent Phillip Grubauer and Brooks Orpik to the Avalanche was one of three deals total Friday — much quieter than 2017, when big trades were aplenty. The other two were of the pick-reshuffling variety. NHL DRAFT 2018: First-round results | Pick-by-pick grades | Top 100 big board Erik Karlsson will have to wait to find out if he’s going to be stuck in Ottawa....

Two parties — one in Las Vegas and one in Quebec City — have committed to the “formal expansion review process," according to TSN, which noted that both have already overcome considerable hurdles to be considered front-runners to land a franchise. The Seattle Times reported that possibly multiple Seattle-area groups as well one in suburban Toronto have already said they will apply, although arena financing and availability could affect the Seattle bids....

The 2013-2014 season was something of a case study in Canadian hockey franchise futility. Edmonton was stuck in Year Whatever of their endless rebuild. Calgary and Winnipeg were also-rans for most of the season. Vancouver and Ottawa, two teams with legitimate playoff expectations, never really got out of the gate. Toronto spent their entire season being the worst possession team in the analytics era. That leaves us with Montreal — a team that reached the Eastern Conference Final despite some weirdly average play for most of the year....

Chief among them is ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr, who thought that sunset might have come in South Florida until he and the Panthers unceremoniously split ahead of July 1 after two-plus seasons. The future Hockey Hall of Famer had 130 points in 181 games with Florida and his phone line is open to play a 24th NHL season. MORE: Grading best, worst free-agent signings Contrary to Jagr’s social media charades, there’s mutual interest....

A likely outcome for many teams if the season resumes is the return of players who were injured before the season was paused, drastically impacting the playoff push. For example, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos and St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko will now be ready to take part in the 2019-20 season if it resumes after both underwent major surgeries. Here’s a player from each team that could impact each team’s finish to the season....

When you think of the Blackhawks, you think of an organization that’s created, refined and stuck to a recipe that has fueled a decade of success in the Windy City. In the years prior to the arrivals of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the United Center was a giant empty cavern on Chicago’s west side. On many nights, you could sit in your seat (which may have been free) and count the number of spectators around you — a couple of drafts, a high-profile coaching hire and a passing of the organization torch later, and the Blackhawks had built an empire....

It’s officially hit the fan in Ottawa. Yikes. A month after the Senators executed the biggest trade of the year and brought Matt Duchene to the Canadian capital, their season is off the rails. The train is hurtling toward the cliff with nothing to stop it, and there’s plenty of blame to be cast before the whole thing goes over the edge. In a situation as surprising as it is volatile, that’s to be expected....