In addition, outside of Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with back spasms as well as an illness, no starter has played fewer minutes than Barnes, as he has consistently seen less time in the three games he has played in. When he has been on the court, he has looked visibly less burst-y and athletic than fans have become accustomed to seeing. His struggles have led to plenty of conversation, even on this site, about his role and mindset:
Tack on all of the "It's only preseason" qualifiers that you want, but Jaquez is contributing in a lot of ways that can help the regular-season squad. He is second on the team in both points (60) and assists (12), and he's hitting those marks while putting together a highly encouraging 50/50/88.2 slash line. Shooting has always been a big swing skill for the swingman, but he quietly made big strides in that department late last season.
In his preseason debut for the Miami Heat, Kasparas Jakucionis showed plenty of flashes that he could one day develop into the star playmaking point guard that fans have long desired. After an up-and-down summer league performance, Jakucionis gave Heat fans much to look forward to in his 25 minutes played against the San Antonio Spurs. Jakucionis finished with eight points, 10 assists, and two steals against the Spurs in his preseason debut.
The Leafs' NHL rosters went 0-2-1 in preseason, while their "B" squads went 2-0-1. The Leafs aren't an incredibly old team by any means - they are the 12th oldest to start the season - but they are a veteran squad. And veterans really do not care about the preseason. In their last exhibition game as a full NHL lineup in Toronto against Montreal, all the penalties seemed to kill the game.
The Washington Capitals are close to setting their Opening Night 23-man roster for the 2025-26 NHL season after making six cuts on Friday morning. The Capitals must cut four more players from camp before submitting their final roster by 5 pm on October 6. All indications, including Friday's lines and pairings at practice, suggest that a group of seven players on the bubble is fighting to remain on the team.
More than any other veteran player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Scott Laughton needs this preseason to go well. After being a trade deadline acquisition and then failing to meet the high-end price that the Leafs paid for him, Laughton is ready to put that behind him. And he did exactly that in the first period Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Sheary has made a splash for the New York Rangers in his lone preseason game so far. The 33-year-old scored a goal in the Sept. 21 win against the New Jersey Devils, tallying seven shot attempts in total. He also created six scoring chances for himself, including two high-danger opportunities per Natural Stat Trick. Sheary is attempting to make his way back to the NHL after his contract was bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer.
Sam Hartman's tentative performance this preseason has left any immediate thoughts of him becoming the Washington Commanders' QB3 in disarray. Dan Quinn still has the definitive journeyman Josh Johnson on the initial 53-man roster, and it is possible offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury feels comfortable enough with the veteran to pencil him into the depth chart behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
When he was setting out on his college journey four years ago, Ja'Corey Brooks appeared to be a can't-miss future NFL star. It's been a rollercoaster ride since, but his dream of making the Washington Commanders' roster is now within touching distance. Concerns about his slender frame and a worrisome number of drops meant Brooks did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. He signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent and hasn't looked back.
Trey Lance demonstrated significant improvement and confidence during the preseason, showing versatility by utilizing his legs to extend plays, culminating in a five-yard touchdown run.
