As a 22 year old D-man, Owen Power came into the league as one of the most promising players, especially lining up with fellow first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. As a right and left defensive pairing, the Sabres would have one of the most exciting and promising blue lines, but four years in so far, Power doesn't loom first overall caliber.
Gold Glove defense. Abreu won the AL right field Gold Glove in 2024 and is a finalist for 2025. Back-to-back Gold Gloves isn't nothing. It's in fact a lot. For as maligned as the Red Sox defense is (largely confined to errors, the Sox rated better by other metrics) Wilyer Abreu has been an excellent fit. Right field at Fenway Park is big. It has corners. It has a bullpen. It has the Pesky Pole. It's a challenge and Abreu handles it with aplomb.
Ever since he first joined the Bruins back in 2014, David Pastrnak has gone on to be the franchise guy in Boston. He's the number one intangible, and somewhat untouchable guy for the Bruins. Pastrnak has played with the best of the best -- Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Zdeno Chara -- but as of late, he seems to be the only real elite guy left.
Munetaka Murakami to be posted for MLB clubs this offseason (2:20) Ten teams will go into 2026 with a new manager, with eight of those jobs currently vacant (18:50) Plus, we answer your questions, including... Can the Mets get Tarik Skubal from the Tigers? (29:55) Would Pete Alonso return to the Mets if they offered $150MM over five years? (38:20)
Anders Lee has two frames of reference as he enters the final season of his seven-year, $49 million deal at age 35. The first is, the Islanders captain went through this all before and can take an objective view on how it all may play out. Secondly, he watched former teammate and longtime friend Brock Nelson go through this last season, ending with his trade to the Avalanche.
While we don't particularly enjoy thinking about the Leafs parting ways with someone who has been a joy to watch hit unsuspecting forwards as hard as possible, it might just come down to a numbers game. As The Athletic's James Mirtle wrote in a recent mailbag, the Leafs are looking for more of a puck-moving presence on the blue line and that should then result in them moving on from one of the more defensively minded defensemen.
