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Blues center Oskar Sundqvist will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in Monday’s game against the Golden Knights, the team announced. The tear requires surgery, which carries a minimum recovery time of six months.
If his recovery timetable holds, Sundqvist won’t be ready when training camps begin ahead of the 2024-25 season in September. However, he hasn’t been ruled out for the beginning of the regular season.
Sundqvist suffered the injury midway through the second period of the eventual 2-1 overtime loss. After he cycled the puck behind the goal line in the Vegas zone, Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb attempted to cross-check him into the boards but approached Sundqvist at an indirect angle that caused both players to fall awkwardly.
Sundqvist’s right leg buckled during the fall, and he could not get up without assistance from Blues head athletic trainer, Ray Barile. Officials did not assess McNabb a penalty on the play.
The 30-year-old had a middling season after returning to the Blues in free agency for his second stint with the club. He appeared in 71 of St. Louis’s 72 games, posting six goals, 15 assists and 21 points while averaging 13:15 per game.
It was his worst offensive showing on a per-game basis since 2017-18. After breaking into an everyday top-nine role the following season, Sundqvist recorded 48 goals, 66 assists and 114 points in 285 games for the Blues, Red Wings and Wild from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
He was never a particularly strong possession player at even strength but often did good work on the penalty kill for the Blues, whose 80.9 percent success rate with the man disadvantage was 10th in the league, with Sundqvist averaging regular minutes there across four seasons.
A fan favorite who posted nine points in 25 playoff games en route to St. Louis’s first Stanley Cup in 2019, the Blues traded Sundqvist to the Red Wings at the 2022 deadline as part of the package that landed them defenseman Nick Leddy.
He was traded again at last season’s deadline as a pending UFA with Detroit out of the playoff picture, heading to Minnesota for a fourth-round pick.
Despite Sundqvist’s decline in both the points and possession departments this season, Blues GM Doug Armstrong decided earlier this month that he wanted to keep him around through their pending retool, inking him to a two-year, $3M extension.
The Blues hope he can recover from surgery in time to start that $1.5M AAV deal off on a high note next fall. He’ll be a UFA in 2026 after the extension expires.
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Vancouver Canucks Have a Big Decision to Make as Slew of Top NCAA Players Are Now Available to Sign
Some NCAA free agent options have begun to emerge for Patrik Allvin and the Vancouver Canucks to consider over the next few months. The Vancouver Canucks are currently focused on their quest for a second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with reinforcements on the way as top prospect Tom Willander is expected to leave college and sign with the team at some point before the end of the regular season. With the regular season now wrapped up in the NCAA and playoffs beginning this weekend in most regions, some college free agents have begun to emerge for the Vancouver Canucks to consider. NCAA free agents emerge for Vancouver Canucks to sign In a recent article on Canucks Army, Dave Hall took a look at seven potential NCAA free agents that the Vancouver Canucks could sign this spring or summer that'll be a boost to their prospect pool. Some of the names mentioned by Dave Hall in his article include T.J. Hughes of the University of Michigan (no relation to Quinn), Ryan Kirwan of Arizona State University and Quinn Hutson of Boston University, brother of Montreal Canadiens rookie sensation, Lane Hutson. 'Without the dynamism shown from his brothers, Quinn's game is built on hockey sense and a nose for the net, whether via long-range snipes or crafty finishes in tight. However, his skating lags behind most elite edges, potentially capping his ceiling as a pro. Still, his right shot and scoring instincts make him an intriguing flyer - perhaps as a bottom-six forward with offensive flair.' Dave Hall said about Quinn Hutson's game. Hutson, 23, has appeared in 32 games so far this season for Boston University where he's registered 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists), 29 penalty minutes and is a plus-22. There isn't necessarily a standout name that the Vancouver Canucks may target from Hall's list, however each of the seven players he mentions could be intriguing options to Patrik Allvin to consider as help for Abbotsford next season and beyond. Source: Dave Hall/Canucks Army 7 potential 2025 NCAA free agent forwards the Vancouver Canucks could target
Winners, losers from Thursday's NFL free agency: Steelers get a QB
The NFL offseason is officially under way with the beginning of the new league year this week. Let's take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Thursday's movement and deals. Winner: Mason Rudolph, quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers It is not the quarterback anybody was expecting or waiting for, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally do, in fact, have signed a quarterback this offseason. They brought back Mason Rudolph, who already has an extensive history with the team on a two-year contract. It is a nice win for Rudolph because depending on what happens with the quarterback carousel in free agency he might actually have an opportunity to start and throw deep passes to DK Metcalf and George Pickens. If the Steelers bring in Aaron Rodgers, he still might get a chance to play later in the season if a 41-year-old Rodgers does not play in 17 games. Or play effectively. Either way, it is a very good spot for Rudolph. Loser: C.J. Stroud, quarterback, Houston Texans Good news for Stroud: the Texans have made some dramatic changes to their offensive line this offseason, hoping to address what was a massive issue and weakness during the 2024 season. Bad news for Stroud: they may have actually made the offensive line worse than it already was. Add in the trade of left tackle Laremy Tunsil and there are certainly some big questions remaining on the Texans offensive line. Winner: Jack Conklin, OT, Cleveland Browns The Browns re-worked the contract of the veteran tackle, giving him the opportunity to earn $12M this season after incentives, while also allowing him to hit free agency in 2026 instead of 2027. The win there for Conklin is that he gets his money this season, an opportunity to prove himself to be healthy over a full season, while also hitting free agency a year earlier when he can potentially get one more big payday in his career. Loser: Everybody waiting on Aaron Rodgers There are no winners here if you are in a position waiting for a 41-year-old quarterback, that might not be any good anymore, to make up his mind on where he is going to play this season. The Steelers, New York Giants and perhaps the Minnesota Vikings are all in a holding pattern waiting on how to move forward with their offseasons. Russell Wilson, presumably a backup option for the team that does not get Rodgers, is in a holding pattern waiting to see who might still want his services. The winner of this sweepstakes gets to pay big money to a quarterback that might be a bigger distraction than he is worth on the field. Everybody else gets to decide between Wilson, Jameis Winston and Joe Flacco. Winner: Gardner Minshew, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs After spending the past two seasons in Indianapolis and Jacksonville, Minshew now gets an opportunity to be the backup for Patrick Mahomes after reportedly agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Minshew was pretty much always going to be a backup this season no matter where he went in free agency, but at least now he gets a chance to do so on a Super Bowl contender while still getting guaranteed money from the Raiders. Good deal all around for him.
Browns insider predicts trade with Giants, stunning QB move
The Cleveland Browns possess the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are likely hoping that Miami's Cam Ward, the "consensus" No. 1 quarterback in this year's class, remains available after the Tennessee Titans make their selection with the first overall pick. However, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand and NFL reporter Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com believe the Titans will take Ward with the draft's top pick. Thus, Grossi predicted in his latest mock draft that the Browns will trade their No. 2 selection to the New York Giants for pick No. 3 and choice No. 65 this year, along with a 2026 third-round pick. Grossi thinks this could result in the Giants taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 and the Browns landing Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart with the third pick. Following the NFL Scouting Combine, some speculated that the Browns could select Sanders with the second pick and that the Giants would "reach" for Dart at No. 3. Sanders has been linked with the Giants since at least December. Still, numerous reports revealed that some teams don't view him as a first-round prospect after he allegedly "hit the wrong notes in combine interviews." Perhaps there's reason to believe the Browns are one of those clubs. As of Thursday afternoon, the Giants and Browns continued to be mentioned as potential landing spots for veteran quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins, even though the Atlanta Falcons seem serious about not releasing Cousins anytime soon. Grossi wrote that "signing either Cousins or Wilson might be the clearest signal yet of the Browns taking a position player other than quarterback with their first pick," and ESPN's Field Yates thinks Cleveland could draft Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter over both Sanders and Dart. Interestingly, Dart's supposed rise in draft stock has coincided with Sanders sliding down the board in mock drafts. It's difficult to know what to believe during the draft process's "smokescreen season," but it's worth noting that NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY shared on March 5 that at least "one team source" had Dart ranked ahead of Sanders following the combine. It remains to be seen if the Browns or Giants would be bold enough to select Dart over Sanders with the second pick in the draft.
Mavericks owner's stunning claim on Luka Doncic trade contradicts GM Nico Harrison — and reality
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison says he traded Luka Doncic to win now. Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont says he did it for the future. As part of the Bank of Texas Speaker Series from a Dallas-area real estate group, Dumont explained his motivations for the team sending Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. "After the trade deadline last year, we actually had the best record in basketball," Dumont told the group. "We got to the championship games, and we didn't win...We had to decide how to get better." Dumont added, "This [the trade] was a decision for the future." Aside from betraying his unfamiliarity with basketball by referring to the NBA Finals as the "championship games," Dumont's contention that the Mavericks made the move looking to the future, because other teams passed them, contrasts with Harrison, who considered the trade a move to "win now and in the future." It appears that the Mavericks weren't totally sure why they traded Doncic, aside from their desire not to give him a supermax extension this summer. Harrison wanted to win now and move forward without Doncic. Dumont seems to have already given up on the team that made the 2024 "championship games," even after their offseason additions of Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes. If you take Dumont's comments at face value, the Mavs were looking to the future by trading 26-year-old Doncic for Anthony Davis, who recently turned 32. They followed up that move by sending the 24-year-old Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers for 29-year-old Caleb Martin. They also received just one future first-round pick when they traded Doncic, hardly long-term thinking. All of those plans became moot when Davis was injured in his first game with the Mavericks and Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Winning now and winning in the future both seem like a challenge. But it's hard to believe that Dumont is familiar with NBA basketball, especially if he considered his team uncompetitive. The Mavericks made the NBA Finals a year ago, and the Western Conference finals two years earlier. Dumont didn't think the Mavericks could compete with the elite teams, even in a season where they have gone 3-1 against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who they also defeated in last year's playoffs. Dumont may know the casino business well. He's in line to become the CEO of Las Vegas Sands, which is the casino and resort company that his late father-in-law, Sheldon Adelson, founded. So far, he hasn't demonstrated that same expertise when it comes to NBA basketball. Perhaps worse, he doesn't seem to be on the same page as his GM.
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