EMBARASSMENT 

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Monday night should have been a night of celebration at Madison Square Garden, instead it turned into a nightmare, something that has happened far too often. The Rangers lost 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators but that’s not the story. The story was the Rangers were held to NINE shots on goal, tying a franchise record from December of 1955. 

As I said at the top Monday should’ve been a night of celebration, as Center Mika Zibanejad was playing in his 1,000th career NHL game. On July 18th 2016, Zibanejad was acquired from the Ottawa Senators (ironic how the schedule played out) along with a second round pick for Derrick Brassard. Since joining the Blue shirts Zibanejad has put up 279 goals and 655 points.  Zibanejad is top 10 in Ranger history in goals, points, power play goals, and short handed goals. And with the trade of Chris Kreider this past summer, Zibanejad is the longest tenured Ranger. 

Ranger captain JT Miller said after the game “Today you should have a fire lit under your ass to go play for your teammate. A guy that feels like a cornerstone of the organization. We go out and have four shots through two periods at home – a place where we haven’t been desperate enough this season”. Miller is right it should have lit a fire inside of them, but the problem is that fire hasn’t been lit in months and on a game by game basis only a few players stand out. As for the record at MSG, the Rangers are 9-18-7 on the season at home. 

On a night that should’ve been celebrated, the Rangers did what they’ve done all season and that is look awful and lethargic. Yes, this season has been full of embarrassing moments, but this is is the most embarrassing and a sign that changes need to occur this summer. Because Mika Zibanejad and the fans both deserve better.

NOTE : RANGERS ARE NOW CREDITED WITH 10 SHOTS

CARSON BENGE TO START FOR METS

By Mark Halpern

     Just after the Winter meetings the Mets were still filling holes where they were most needed. The biggest question on the Mets roster was who was going to play in the outfield along with Juan Soto? The Mets decided to move Soto to Left and acquired Luis Robert to play Center, but who would be in Right field? The Mets brought in a few guys to compete for the position. They signed Mike Tauchman, gave Brett Baty an extended look, Tyrone Taylor, and top prospect Carson Benge were all given a look. Well, on Sunday it was announced that Tauchman tore his meniscus in his knee, so he won’t be on the opening day roster. Taylor and Baty are going to be utilized in utility roles, which left Benge. But don’t think he didn’t earn it in Spring Training, Benge hit .366 in Spring Training. 

   Benge, has excellent defensive skills, has great speed and a fast bat. What are the only two downsides are injuries and just not preforming on a major league level. Not every rookie that makes a starting lineup as a career first year. It will take time learning but, the key is he has to play every day. 

    Personally, I think this is a bold move for the Mets, which shows you that the games are over and there is pressure to win.  Benge is going to have his ups and downs. Benge isn’t expected to carry the team, and for that they can ease him in a bit, but I have faith in both this bold decision and the youngster.

TEARDOWN

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Jalen Waddle passed his physical with the Denver Broncos, making the trade official with the Miami Dolphins. So, the trade is Denver acquires Waddle and a fourth round pick (111 overall ) for a first round pick (30), third round pick (90) and a fourth round pick (130) all picks are in this year’s draft. This offseason the Dolphins have severed ties with Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb and Jaylen Waddle. 

New General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has done two things with his roster management so far. The first thing he has done is make the Dolphins the youngest team in Football and the other thing he has decided to do is build his team through the draft. The Dolphins have 11 picks in the draft, which is tied for the most and they have seven picks in the top 94. 

Between the draft picks and the upside on Quarterback Malik Willis, who took more of a team friendly deal to come to Miami, Jon- Eric Sullivan has a massive opportunity to make a quick stamp with the Dolphins. 2026 won’t be about the wins and losses for Miami, it’ll be about setting the foundation up for future success and building a winner for a team that hasn’t won a playoff game in over 20 years.

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?