As Spring Training approaches, fans can gear up for some entertaining battles between current 40-man roster outfielders, competing for playing time in 2026. The likes of Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Jonatan Clase, and Addison Barger will all be in the mix, with the majority of those names likely resorting to bench roles, presuming everyone stays healthy. One wild card in this group is Joey Loperfido.
Matias Maccelli suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday for the first time in nine games. With the team searching for a spark, the Leafs inserted Maccelli into the lineup in hopes that a change could generate some offence. Acquired by Brad Treliving in the offseason from the Utah Mammoth, Maccelli's first season in Toronto has been underwhelming so far.
After leading the team in receiving in that final exhibition, Flournoy secured one of the final spots on the 53-man roster, but he also knew that it could be short-lived. Mingo was set to return after four weeks, and Brooks and Jalen Cropper were hot on his tail off the practice squad. To keep his value on the roster high, he homed in on a craft that he began to specialize in late in his rookie season.
Live From the Blue Seats is back as Dave is joined by a returning Rob to discuss which Rangers prospects make the team. From Brennan Othmann to Scott Morrow, there are a number of prospects vying for spots, and not all of them have necessarily played their way into a role. There's also a good chance the Rangers send more kids back to Hartford to start the season as some of the other players (Juuso Parssinen) get extended looks.
The top line of Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm and Pastrnak remained the same, as did the fourth line of Mikey Eyssimont, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic. The middle six was jumbled, with Pavel Zacha moving back to center between Viktor Arvidsson and Matej Blumel while Casey Mittelstadt dropped down to a third line with Tanner Jeannot and Matt Poitras, getting his first look of the preseason at wing. There was also a fifth line of Fraser Minten centering Alex Steeves and Marat Khusnutdinov.
Matthew Knies is no stranger to Olympic hockey but despite that, he will face some tough competition for a roster spot on Team USA's final team. But, he can bring something more than any one of his peers. All of the 44 players that Team USA decided to bring to their Olympic orientation camp were present and participating earlier this week, with both Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies seen together.
Jamison Battle deserves all the praise he can get. The Raptors took a chance on him as an older, undrafted prospect from the 2024 class, and when Toronto needed an offensive spark, Battle proved he was more than capable of knocking down the three. Battle finished his rookie campaign averaging solid stats: 7.1 points on 42.9% shooting, a stellar 40.5% from three, 88.9% from the free-throw line, and 2.7 rebounds.
