Cam Talbot already knows the date. In the thick of summer’ heat, his mind can wander past Christmas. On Dec. 27, the Calgary Flames will make the three-hour trek north for their first meeting with Talbot’s former club, the Edmonton Oilers — payors of his most significant contract and granters of his first real shot to stick as a starter in the National Hockey League. "It’s kinda weird we don’t play till December," says Talbot, now finding himself aligned with the southern front of the Battle of Alberta. "It’s always been a heated rivalry, and I’ve been part of it for four ye ..read more

In today’s NHL rumor rundown there is an update out of Edmonton as it pertains to Jesse Puljujarvi and for the Oilers. For Oilers fans, the news is not good. The Toronto Maple Leafs also got what many will consider bad news when they received Mitch Marner’s counteroffer to an eight-year contract extension. There is news the Calgary Flames might have interest in a former Oilers defenseman. Finally, in Minnesota, one forward was approached directly by ownership to clear the air. Puljujarvi Finally Speaks on Situation in EdmontonTo date, the friction between the Edmonton Oilers and forwar ..read more

Using the old Yogi Berra adage, “It’s déjà vu all over again,” it seems that each week goes by for Toronto Maple Leafs hockey fans without any news about favorite son, and still unsigned restricted free agent (RFA), Mitch Marner. This past week has been no different. In the meantime, there are rumors and news items emerging from the team. In this post, I will pull together some of the items I’m reading, hearing, and watching. Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Dubas’ Plans & Andersen on Next Season Item One: Matt Read Signs PTO with Maple LeafsOn Friday, the Maple Leafs ..read more

The 2019 trade deadline has passed and, with it, dozens of prospects have begun a new journey toward the major leagues with a different organization. We have all of the prospects who have been traded since the Nick Solak/Peter Fairbanks deal ranked below, with brief scouting snippets for each of them. Most of the deals these prospects were a part of were analyzed at length on this site. Those pieces can be found here, or by clicking the hyperlink in the “From” column below. We’ve moved all of the players below to their new orgs over on THE BOARD, so you can see where they rank among their ..read more

As the trade deadline came and went, there seems to have been a feeling of disappointment about its activity, or perceived lack thereof. Too many players stayed put, while too many teams failed to improve. Ken Rosenthal went so far as to say that “life was getting sucked out of the sport.” Rosenthal cited the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Yankees as clubs that failed to do anything of significance, with the Angels, Phillies, and Red Sox as other teams who failed to do much at the deadline. Rosenthal includes a quote from White Sox GM Rick Hahn and floats the idea that the one-game Wild Card ..read more

With the countdown getting ever closer to the Trade Deadline, Taylor Trammell is heading west in a three-team blockbuster. Baseball's No. 30 overall prospect was shipped from the Reds and landed with the Padres in the deal that involved Cincinnati acquiring hurler Trevor Bauer and the Indians getting five players, including No. 98 overall Logan Allen, San Diego outfield prospect Victor Nova and No. 12 Cincinnati prospect Scott Moss, according to multiple reports. Two-time All-Star Futures Game selection Trammell represented the Reds for the second straight season earlier this month. In 20 ..read more

In a massive and stunning three-team trade involving Cincinnati, Cleveland and San Diego, the Reds will acquire right-hander Trevor Bauer from the Indians, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. The Reds will send outfielder Yasiel Puig to the Indians and outfield prospect Taylor Trammell to the Padres, per reports from Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. In addition to Puig, the Indians will land outfielder Franmil Reyes and young left-hander Logan Allen from the Padres, Dennis Lin of The Athletic relays. The trade is still pending medical reviews, according to Heyman. That ..read more

The Cold A/C League needed a bit of recharging, with Marcus Stroman’s move to the Mets the only major trade so far this deadline. With only 18 hours to go, the Indians provided a big one, sending pitcher Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds in a three-way trade that included the San Diego Padres. I like to approach three-way trades as three individual trades to keep things from getting confusing, like a Westerosi family tree. Cincinnati Reds acquire P Trevor Bauer in return for OF Yasiel Puig, OF Taylor Trammell, and P Scott Moss Cincinnati made aggressive, short-term moves to improve the tea ..read more

Veteran hurler Edinson Volquez says he’d like to make it back to the MLB mound one last time this season, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan was among those to report. Regardless, the 36-year-old says he’ll hang up his spikes at season’s end. Volquez has been rehabbing an elbow strain for most of the season. That came on the heels of a lengthy absence owing to Tommy John surgery, which cost him the second half of 2017 and all of 2018. Having come this far, Volquez says, he’d like to get back on the bump. “I don’t want to go out like this,” he says. “If there is a chance, I can do it for two months ..read more

MLB Pitcher Loek van Mil, Known as the World's Tallest Professional Baseball Player, Dies at 34     Dutch baseball player Loek Van Mil has died, months after he suffered critical injuries in a hiking accident in Canberra.   During his career, the seven-foot-one (216cm) pitcher played for the Netherlands, as well as American and Australian teams, including the Minnesota Twins, the Brisbane Bandits and Adelaide Bite. KNBSB, the Netherlands' baseball and softball association, confirmed the death on its website, saying the 34-year-old had died as a result of a fatal accident but provide ..read more