BE-LAF

BY MIKE RIFKIN

It’s been a horrendous season for the New York Rangers, who will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. But something good has come over since the Olympic break and that has been the play of former first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere, who is a lightning rod for Ranger fans has eight goals including a hat trick last night against the Flames and 13 points over his last nine games. 

One of the major reasons for the uptick in production from Lafreniere is the fact that he is benefiting from new linemates. Lafreniere is playing with Mika Zibanejad and 2023 first round pick Gabe Perrault. That line has had some real chemistry since being put together and it would be smart of Mike Sullivan to keep them together for the rest of the season. 

While people could be frustrated with the consistency of Lafreniere, keep in mind he is still only 24 years old (will be 25 in October). He should be someone looked at as part of the future solution to the New York Rangers. And yes, we have seen glimpses of this from Lafreniere before (2024 playoffs), when he plays with confidence, he gets a swagger to his game. That’s why Sullivan cannot break this line up and should go into next season with that as his top line. These last 15 games or so may not help the Rangers make the playoffs, but what we could be looking at is a glimpse into the 2026-27 season.

MVP CANDIDATES

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the two best players in Baseball. Every year since 2020 at least one of them has captured MVP, including the last two years where they each won their respective league MVP. For Ohtani it was his third consecutive MVP (2023 with LAA), Judge will be looking for his third consecutive MVP and fourth in five years. Let’s take a look at some players who could unseat them as MVP

AL TOP CONTENDERS

JOSE RAMIREZ – GUARDIANS – Let’s start with an easy one, Ramirez posted another 30 homer season, his second straight and third in five seasons. He only drove in 85 runs, which was down 33 from the year prior. Ramirez also stole 44 bases and slugged over .500. Ramirez is still one of the best in the game and the heartbeat of the Guardians, if they play well he could be in MVP conversation again.

BOBBY WITT JR – ROYALS – Witt is electrifying and one of the best shortstops in the game. 23 homers to go along with 88 RBIS. Witt also stole 38 bases, and led the league in hits.  A lineup featuring Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jac Caglianone could get Witt more pitches to hit. 

GUNNAR HENDERSON – ORIOLES – Last year was a down year for Henderson and the Orioles. After hitting 37 homers and driving in 92 runs in 2024, Henderson hit 17 and drove in 68. He did have a career high 30 stolen bases, but he was down in average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS, if the Orioles want to compete in the AL East they need Gunnar Henderson. 

JULIO RODRIGUEZ – MARINERS –  Last year it was all about the Big Dumper Cal Raleigh and his 60 homers. But while that was going on Julio Rodriguez quietly posted a 30/30 season with 32 homers and 30 stolen bases. If the Mariners are going to get back to where they got to last season they need their superstar CF to be a major factor. 

VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR. – BLUE JAYS – Vladdy posted his usual great slash line last season .292/.381/.467. But it was a down power season for Vlad with 23 homers and 84 RBI’S. But Vlad was a monster in the playoffs with eight homers and 15 RBI’S and hit almost .400. If he carries that over he could earn his first MVP. 

AL DARK HORSES

NICK KURTZ – A’S –  The A’s slugger was called up on April 23rd and in just 420 at bats hit 36 homers. Kurtz had a slash line of .290/.383/.619 and if the A’s can make the jump, after playing so well in the second half Kurtz will be a reason.

YORDAN ALVAREZ- ASTROS – I know what you’re thinking how is Alvarez a darkhorse? My answer is health, Alvarez was limited to 48 games due to a fractured hand. But to keep Alvarez healthy the Astros will use him in the DH position. 

NL TOP CONTENDERS

JUAN SOTO – METS – Soto posted career high with 43 homers and 38 stolen bases last season. With a lot of the moves the Mets made, Soto becomes the major focal point of the Mets offense. Soto has never won an MVP and at 27 he has a shot to unseat Ohtani.

KYLE SCHWARBER – PHILLIES – Schwarber hit 56 homers and drove in 132 runs last season. Now he returns to Philly with a chance to repeat some of those numbers, in three of his four seasons in Philly Schwarber has hit at least 46 homers. 

RONALD ACUNA JR. – BRAVES – Health is the thing that has hurt Acuna the past couple of years. In 2023 Acuna hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases, the last two years combined he’s hit 25 homers with 25 stolen bases in 144 games. If he’s healthy Acuna is still one of the most dynamic players in the game. 

FERNANDO TATIS JR. – PADRES – Like Acuna, Tatis is one of the most dynamic players in MLB. Tatis hit 25 homers and stole 32 bases. Tatis had a slash line of .268/.368/.446 and plays a very good right field.

NL DARK HORSES

BRYCE HARPER – PHILLIES – Yes, I know Bryce Harper will eventually wind up in Cooperstown, but what makes him a dark horse MVP candidate? Well, his own GM Dave Dombrowski doesn’t believe Harper is elite anymore. Cue up the Michael Jordan I took that personally meme, because I wouldn’t be shocked if Harper goes on a tear this season. 
JACKSON CHOURIO – BREWERS – In two seasons Chourio has a slash line of .272/.317/.463 with 42 homers, 157 RBI’S and 43 stolen bases. Chourio is the straw that brews the Brewers.

DISASTER

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Monday night’s shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers put the Toronto Maple Leafs at 0-3-1 since the Olympic break. The Leafs sit seven points back of the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference, but every team in front of them outside of the Capitals actually have games in hand. But, with the trade deadline looming it’s no secret that the Leafs need to be sellers, the question is how deep can they sell? You’ll hear names like Scott Laughton, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo potentially on the move, but would that solve all of the Leafs’ issues?

The Leafs don’t have a first round pick each of the next two drafts (unless this draft is in the top 5), and this draft only have a third, fifth and a sixth. If you look ahead to 2027 they have a second, fourth, fifth, two sixths, and seventh. So the Leafs need to use this deadline to help them get some draft capital. But that’s what they need to do at the deadline, the offseason there’s an even bigger question to be answered?

After Saturday’s loss to Province rival Ottawa Senators, Head Coach Craig Berube essentially said his team has no heart. Berube, probably sealed his fate for after the season, which many expect him to be fired. But this raises a bigger question, the pass that the bulk of this team has gotten over the years, did they get rid of the wrong people? Kyle Dubas, was a punching bag for fans, now look at what he’s doing in Pittsburgh with acquiring draft capital while still being successful. Mitch Marner right now would be leading the team in points and is a point per game player. After this season, Auston Matthews has two years left on his contract, should the Leafs explore the possibility of moving Matthews?

My answer, is yes they should look into moving Matthews. Think of the haul you can get back for a Center and one of the best goal scorers on the planet. Matthews has scored at least 30 goals every year of his career, and is on his way to doing it again this season (he sits with 26). The Leafs have won two playoff series in the Matthews era, is that all his fault? No, but right now where the Leafs stand they might be better looking into the future, because how many coaches and general managers can a team honestly go through. 

But there’s a bigger disservice the Leafs have pulled in the last month plus and that is what they’ve done with Easton Cowan. In Monday’s game against the Flyers Cowan played a total of eight minutes and 23 seconds, the game Saturday against the Senators he played 13:34. Prior to that the two games in Florida, Cowan was a healthy scratch, which comes after he didn’t play during the Olympic break, because they didn’t even send him to the AHL. There are a lot of negatives about the Leafs this season, but this sits at the top. After the deadline Cowan needs to play big minutes to truly get evaluated. 

The Leafs need to do some soul searching here at the deadline and into the offseason. The people of Toronto have already witnessed the Raptors winning an NBA Finals and the Blue Jays went to the World Series, while the Leafs have won two playoff series over the last 20 years, and haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

ANTHONY RICHARDSON LANDING SPOTS

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Colts selected Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in 2023 out of Florida. Now, three years later the Colts have granted Richardson a chance to seek a trade. Richardson, who will turn 24 in May, was beaten out by Daniel Jones to be the Colts starting Quarterback last season. Richardson in 17 career games has a 50.6 completion percentage, 2,400 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has 634 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. A team adding Richardson will have until May to decide if they are to pick up his fifth year option. Now, the teams adding Richardson fall into two categories: one is a place where he can straight up compete to start, and the other would be a team with a definitive Quarterback, who Richardson could learn from. 

COMPETE 

JETS : I know what you’re thinking didn’t they just try this with Justin Fields? The answer is yes and that failed, but with this not being a really deep Quarterback draft and I would rather try Richardson than trade for Kyler Murray (just based on contract) this would be low risk high reward. 

DOLPHINS : The Tua era is over, it’s just a matter of time. The Dolphins could add the Florida native and have him compete with Quinn Ewers for the job and wait until next season to potentially draft their franchise QB. And same as the Jets it would be low risk high reward. 

VIKINGS : Let me say this I would rather have them sign a Kirk Cousins, than trade for Richardson. But a Richardson vs JJ McCarthy training camp battle could be on the way in Minnesota. Because McCarthy was often injured and didn’t play great, the Vikings sat at home during the playoffs, but they’re too talented for that. 

SIT AND LEARN

RAMS : The most important question for the Rams this offseason was answered at NFL Honors, when Matthew Stafford said he was coming back for another season. The Rams lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, and having Richardson learn from a future Hall of Famer is not a bad thing. Also Richardson in the Mcvay offense could be dynamic. 

PACKERS : Malik Willis is about to get paid in free agency, and now the guy backing up Jordan Love is a massive hole. Richardson has a similar skill set to Love, and like Mcvay, Richardson in Matt Lafleur’s offense could be a lot of fun. 

STEELERS : This all hinges on if Aaron Rodgers returns. If he does than you could add Richardson to learn. If Rodgers retires or goes elsewhere the Steelers could add him to compete with Mason Rudolph. 

CHARGERS : This would be my wild card pick for one reason Mike McDaniel. The new offensive coordinator, could be getting some head coaching interviews next season, and if he lands a new job he could bring Richardson with him, as two guys with a lot to prove.

SPRING CLEANING

By Mike Rifkin

We are about two weeks away from teams being able to legally tamper with free agents. Entering last Monday the Miami Dolphins were about 16 million dollars over the cap, well they changed that on Monday and at the same time got younger.

Last Monday the Dolphins released wide receiver Tyreek Hill, EDGE rusher Bradley Chubb, Guard James Daniels (some prefer his brother Jack), and Receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. These four cuts saved first year GM Jon-Eric Sullivan over 56 Million dollars. Now every Dolphin fan will know what comes next and that is the potential cut of Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But these cuts could help the Dolphins pay down a trade of the quarterback. 

The Dolphins needed to do this, after being the talk of the league for Mike McDaniel’s first two seasons, the team took a step back the last two and missed the playoffs. But they created a lot of narratives in the McDaniel era including winning big games and how they play in a colder environment. The big thing being created here by the new Brass in Miami is they’re setting up their own identity, and while it could be a long 2026, their eyes could look at who could stand out for 2027. But if you look ahead to the 2027 draft Quarterbacks who the Dolphins could draft include Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin. 

Right now also is a good time for a rebuild to in Miami. The Bills are a premier team in the NFL and the Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and the depth of the conference is something the Dolphins can’t get passed in one season. So the fans will have to let the new staff evaluate and go from there.

PICKENS WILL STAY IN DALLAS

BY MARK HALPERN

        George Pickens is coming off a sensational season. In his first season in the Lone Star State Pickens had 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, all of which were top 10 in the NFL. Jerry Jones was asked about Pickens future and said “We are working on a long-term deal but have a few contracts to restructure first (DAK, LAMB, Tyler Smith.)” This would be opening up a huge amount of room not only to sign Pickens but have a chance of revamping certain positions. 

    Prior to signing Pickens to a long term deal, they are going to use the Franchise Tag, which gives them a few months to iron something out. If no deal between Dallas and Pickens is finalized then the Tag will be used and Pickens will get the 28 million for the season. Pickens has found a very comfortable home playing opposite Cee Dee Lamb and expect to see them playing together for a long time to come.

CHICAGO BEARS NOW INDIANA BEARS

BY MARK HALPERN AND MIKE RIFKIN

     Over the past decade or so we have heard rumors of teams leaving their current stadium and looking for better venues, even if that means playing in a different state. If you are familiar with the NFL you already know this isn’t something new. The New York Giants and The New York Jets both play their home games at MetLife Stadium but in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I mean let’s be honest you’re not going to build a Football field in the middle of NYC or any major city anytime soon.

     Soldier field (One of the most famous gridirons left) is falling apart and needs upgrades (not as bad as RFK Stadium) all around and underneath the Stadium itself. The Stadium Proposal is by Wolf Lake which has a lot of land to give in The Hoosier state but, still would have to pass a substantial funding bill that will probably be asked to split between the State and Ownership. The proposed site is a 25-mile drive from the current spot of soldier field is making it a short jaunt (this is about the same difference for NY fans when visiting a NYG or NYJ game) but, the fans will have a lot to say about this and are currently making their voices heard.

   There is NO current deal to move the Bears but, this is the first real opportunity to come their way over the time they have been searching. There are a ton of things that will need to happen before a deal is struck and like the Jets and Giants they will always be The Chicago Bears (who don’t play in Chicago)

If I lived in the state of Illinois this would tick me off. The Bears have been at Soldier Field forever, and they shouldn’t have their team taken from them. I’m not sure but could they give it renovations like Wrigley Field has gotten?

MAXX CROSBY TRADE DESTINATIONS

BY MIKE RIFKIN

According to NFL insider Jay Glazer Raiders star EDGE rusher Maxx Crosby is likely done with the team. With the Raiders reportedly set to hire Klint Kubiak as the coach and draft Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders are starting over again. In 15 games this past season Crosby had 10 sacks. In his career Crosby has 69.5 sacks. Let’s take a look at some teams who should and could make the call for the star edge rusher.

COWBOYS : Dallas tried to reshape their defense after trading Micah Parsons last summer. As good as the Dallas offense was, the defense was awful to start the season, they were near the bottom with 35 sacks. Putting Crosby next to Quinnen Williams could help the Cowboys on the defensive side of the ball. They may have to dig into some of that 2027 draft capital to do it.

JETS : If there’s any team with enough draft capital to pull this off it’d be the Jets. The Jets have  four picks in the first 44 in the 2026 draft and have more ammo in 2027. The Jets were second to the bottom in sacks this past season. And let’s be honest the Jet fan needs something right now, because Florham Park is a mess.

BILLS –  The Bills were hoping for a big year out of Joey Bosa and he was fine with five sacks in 15 games, but the Bills only finished with 36 sacks. The Bills also need to win in this window of Josh Allen being as good as he is, and if Brandon Beane makes this happen people will understand why he stayed. 

49ERS –  The Niners finished last in the league in sacks and that was primarily due to injury. Even with all the injuries the Niners won a playoff game. They’re another one of these win now teams. Could they package a deal around Brandon Aiyuk and a pick to get a deal done. 

LIONS : The Lions went from one of the best stories in football to out of the playoffs entirely. They were fourth in the league in sacks, but imagine Aidan Hutchinson and Crosby together. The NFC North will continue to be a fight and if the Lions can unleash that kind of duo, they’ll be back on the prowl. 

BENGALS – Let’s start with the fact that Bengal defense has been horrendous the past few seasons. This year didn’t help when Joe Burrow went down with injury, but the Bengals need a defensive splash. Trey Hendrickson will be out as a free agent, maybe the Bengals can use a few picks to get themselves another elite pass rusher. Because like the Bills need to win now, so do the Bengals and Zac Taylor might be on the hottest seat in the league entering next season. 

Yes, every team can use Maxx Crosby’s services, but few could afford the financial hit plus the loss of draft capital. In my opinion the team’s listed above could use the splash as well as have a massive need for his services.

PATRIOT GAMES

BY MIKE RIFKIN

This is a special week for the New England Patriots, as they appear in their first Super Bowl post Tom Brady. They could also celebrate a new hall of famer as former Kicker Adam Vinatieri is a finalist. 

Two names not making it to Canton in 2026 are former Coach Bill Belichick and Owner Robert Kraft. They’re not in at least for this year for their actions for “Spygate” and “Deflategate”. In 2028 when he is first eligible will Tom Brady be given the same consequence? Belichick has the second most wins all-time and has eight Super Bowl rings (6 as HC, 2 AS DC). The six he won with the Patriots are all with Kraft as the owner. 

But, will Brady get special treatment in a few years or will he have to wait? This is the Pro Football Hall Of Fame and to not have the greatest coach in or the greatest Quarterback of all-time get in on the first ballot would just be ridiculous. These three men will always be tied at the hip of being the faces of the NFL dynasty of the 2000’s. But the voters put themselves in a interesting position, if they vote in Brady on the first ballot, people will ask why wasn’t Bill? But if they don’t put in Brady on the first ballot people will ask how could they possibly do that? 

If this is a punishment for spygate and deflategate, it’s not the Hall’s job to hand out the punishment. Or is this why Brady got into broadcasting, trying to smooth out relationships to ensure himself he gets in on the first ballot? There will be someone out there asking does getting in on the first ballot matter? In my opinion it matters, it’s cool to witness especially when it is a player or coach you grew up watching.

BACK TO SCHOOL

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Florida men’s basketball team handled Alabama on Sunday 100-77. The Gator student section came as prepared as the team did. The Gator faithful would chant “G-League dropout” at Alabama Center Charles Bediako. Bediako, is currently suing the NCAA to get back his eligibility, despite declaring for the NBA Draft. This season Bediako was averaging 5.2 points per game along with 5.1 rebounds for the Motor City Cruise. Bediako was in his third G-league season also playing for Austin and Grand Rapids.

Bediako’s lawsuit has opened the door for Amari Bailey to try to do the same thing. Bailey, a UCLA standout was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2023 and played in 10 games for them. He is now seeking to get back to UCLA after a stint in the G-League. 

The NCAA and NBA do have a deal where a player can declare for the draft, and then they can withdraw their name for another year of school. But to declare for the draft and actually play in the G-league and then decide to go back because you got more of an opportunity in college is wrong. Either these guys had bad advice or they weren’t ready, and if that is the case than they should have gone back to school. I loathe a lot of decisions made by the NCAA, but there is no reason these guys should be able to come back. In the NHL and MLB once a player signs an ELC (entry level contract) their college eligibility (playing sports) is over. Just because these guys are unhappy with where they are at after college, doesn’t mean they should go back. Both Bailey and Bediako were one and done meaning they played their Freshman season and then declared for the draft. 

Now, I have never been a fan of the one and done rule personally. I have always felt an individual should play two seasons of college ball before turning pro. I also felt with NIL becoming a big thing in college, there was a chance to see fewer one and done’s. Look, I am not the biggest fan of the NCAA, but these guys gave up their eligibility after declaring for the draft. Had they withdrawn from the process fine, but they’ve actually played a professional ball game, and have given up their eligibility and just because they don’t like where they are doesn’t mean that they should go back to school.