Jonathan Alfano Articles - Page 3

The Colorado Buffaloes shook the world of college athletics on Thursday when they officially announced their move from the Pac-12 back to the Big 12 in 2024. While the entire college athletics sphere is heavily affected by this move, the Pac-12 is undoubtedly the biggest loser of this move. The Pac-12 was already facing tough […]

The New York Islanders made a return trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023 but were quickly ousted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. Returning to the playoffs was a solid step forward, but the Islanders will be looking for more this season. However, getting to that point is going to be […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning saw their streak of three straight Stanley Cup Finals come to an unceremonious end this year, as they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. The goal remains the same after a long offseason, though: get back to the Cup. The question is: can the Lightning get back […]

Bad contracts are an unfortunate reality of any sport, and can often sink a team’s contending window. That’s especially true in the NHL, with the league having a hard salary cap with fewer ways to maneuver around it. In the year of our lord and savior 2023, there are a plethora of bad contracts floating […]

Each NFL offseason, star players across the league sign massive contracts and reset the market to get what they’re worth. And every season, these players are put under the microscope as fans and pundits alike try to determine how worth it they are. The 2022 offseason was no exception, with numerous big contracts being handed […]

In the NHL, it’s critical for a team to navigate the salary cap to have success. Even more so than in other sports, as the NHL has a hard cap with fewer ways to manipulate it. As such, it’s not uncommon for one or two bad contracts to completely sink a team. On the other […]

NFL training camps are finally here and the regular season will be underway in just a few short weeks. Despite that, there are still a handful of free agents out there that could be solid contributors to a team, and one such player is running back Leonard Fournette. The No. 4 overall pick in 2017, […]

It’s almost that time of year again, as the return of football is nearly here with the 2023 NFL season. Training camps are kicking off this week, the preseason gets underway soon and the regular season will be here before we know it. It’s shaping up to be another great season of football, and we […]

The Edmonton Oilers have seemingly been on the cusp of a Stanley Cup for the past few years but have been unable to get over the playoff hump. This past season was no different, as the Oilers lost to the eventual champion for the second straight year with a six-game, second-round defeat against the Vegas […]

The San Jose Sharks’ days of being a perennial playoff contender are far back in the rear-view mirror, and the last few seasons have been entirely forgettable. With the team still in the midst of a deep rebuild, it may be a while before the Sharks get back to where they were. San Jose’s offseason […]

It’s been rough sledding for the Montreal Canadiens since their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. They’ve finished near the bottom of the league each of the last two seasons, and have had some absolutely brutal injury luck along the way. With the current state of the team, Montreal will likely be […]

With many key players rumored to want out, the Winnipeg Jets were in for an eventful offseason. The roster overhaul has already begun, with the Jets shipping off Pierre-Luc Dubois and buying out former captain Blake Wheeler. Before long, Mark Schiefele and Connor Hellebuyck could be on their way out of Winnipeg as well. With […]

For much of the last decade, the Vancouver Canucks have been in a state of turmoil. They’ve made the playoffs just twice in the last 10 seasons, with one of those appearances coming in the expanded 2020 postseason. Along the way, they’ve made some brutal trades and free agency signings, which has largely contributed to […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a bitterly disappointing 2022-23 NHL season, as they saw their 16-year playoff streak, the longest in North American sports, come to an abrupt end. While some may call for a full-scale rebuild, that’s likely not what’s going to happen. For one, the Penguins don’t want to rebuild in the twilight of […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made some difficult decisions this offseason, and it won’t get any easier as training camp approaches. The early part of the offseason was a bloodbath, with the Bucs releasing key players such as running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate to get out of a brutal salary cap […]

After missing the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders made their return to the dance in 2023. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t capture the magic of their previous deep runs and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. This offseason, New York was tasked with improving enough to become legitimate Stanley […]

By the Pittsburgh Penguins’ standards, the 2022-23 season was an extreme disappointment. The Penguins saw their 16-year playoff streak, the longest active streak in North American sports, come to an end after collapsing at the end of the season. After such a subpar year, the Penguins canned general manager Ron Hextall and other front office […]

The Tampa Bay Lightning had been the class of the NHL for a while, but it’s getting harder and harder to maintain that dominance. After three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Lightning were a first-round exit at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs this time around. This offseason was always going to be […]

The NFL offseason has been long and grueling, but the light has finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. Training camp is just a couple weeks away, and the preseason and regular season aren’t far behind. It won’t be long until we’re all gathered around the TV watching some good ol’ pigskin again. For […]

Like the rest of the NFL, the Miami Dolphins are gearing up for training camp to make their final preparations for the 2023 season. The Dolphins finished 9-8 last season and fell in the Wild Card Round, but when healthy, they looked like a legitimate contender. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and star receivers Tyreek Hill and […]

It’s that time of year again as the ESPYs, a celebration of the sports world, are just around the corner. This year’s edition of the ESPYs is set to take place on Wednesday night, although it will look quite different than previous years. Unlike earlier editions of the awards show, which featured a celebrity host […]

Conference realignment has become arguably the biggest topic in college sports over the last two years. Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC, USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten and more moves have ushered in a new era of realignment, creating a radically changing landscape in college sports. Clemson football is one program in particular […]

Conference realignment rumors have been arguably the biggest topic in college sports over the last two years, including Colorado Football, and it’s not hard to see why. With Texas and Oklahoma heading to the SEC, plus USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten next year, the landscape of college sports is rapidly changing. After […]

After another playoff disappointment, the Toronto Maple Leafs are taking a different approach this offseason. New general manager Brad Treliving, who replaced Kyle Dubas earlier in the offseason, wasted no time in placing his stamp on the roster. Through the first few days of free agency, a clear theme is emerging in Treliving’s first signings: […]

The Washington Capitals are coming off a disappointing season by their standards, finishing outside the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Capitals are looking to squeeze the most they can out of Alex Ovechkin’s twilight, but as this season showed, they need to upgrade the roster around him. They are making an effort […]

The Ottawa Senators were one of the most active teams during the 2022 NHL offseason, making huge acquisitions such as Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. They haven’t been nearly as active this offseason after missing the playoffs but did make one big signing. Namely, the Senators landed one of the top goalies on the market […]

Through the early part of the 2023 NHL offseason, the Nashville Predators have shown that they aren’t messing around. New general manager Barry Trotz has made sweeping changes in his first offseason, resulting in a drastically different-looking roster. Before free agency even begun, Nashville made big moves by trading Ryan Johansen to the Colorado Avalanche and […]

The landscape of college sports is changing before our very eyes. Another round of conference realignment is underway with four new schools joining the Big 12. But the main event takes place next year, when Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC and USC and UCLA jump to the Big Ten. Following these moves, the status […]

After a disappointing first-round exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the New York Rangers were always in for a tough 2023 offseason. They had little cap space to work with, and with Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and more set for free agency, it wasn’t looking pretty. Despite that, New York managed to do well for […]

After a miserable season in which they finished last in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks are looking to right the ship in 2023-24. They made some big moves in free agency to help with that goal, with the most notable being the signing of forward Alex Killorn. The longtime Tampa Bay Lightning Forward was one […]

The first weekend of NHL free agency is in the books, and what an interesting weekend it was. Most agreed that this free agency class was much weaker than in years past, as there weren’t any real star players available. However, we still saw some massive contracts handed out in just the first couple days […]

The first weekend of 2023 NHL free agency is officially in the books, and it was an interesting weekend, to say the least. While this free agency class was weaker than others, we still saw some huge deals handed out. Quite frankly, a lot of those big deals raised some eyebrows for NHL fans, as […]

The NHL free agency frenzy officially begins on Saturday, although this year may not be as crazy as in the past. That’s because there aren’t any true star players available, and the class is pretty weak overall. Nonetheless, there are still some quality players available, such as Minnesota Wild forward Gustav Nyquist. A 33-year-old veteran […]

After a forgettable inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken set the foundation for the future in Year 2. They improved by a whopping 40 points and and not just made their first-ever playoff appearance, but knocked out the defending-champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Even after falling against the Dallas Stars in the second round, […]

The Florida Panthers nearly completed the Cinderella run to end them all during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After just squeaking in as the eighth seed, the Panthers scored three massive upsets against the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to make their second-ever Stanley Cup Final. Sadly, the clock struck midnight as they […]

The Carolina Hurricanes had another great regular season and finally got past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019. However, their season still ended in disappointment as they were swept in the Eastern Conference Final by the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes are a strong team and have been […]

The NHL has already had a big week with multiple high-profile trades, and the fun is just beginning. On Wednesday night, the highly-anticipated 2023 NHL Draft will begin, ushering in the next generation of potential stars. Then on Saturday, the league’s annual free agency begins, and while this class is relatively weak, there are some […]

The NHL free agency frenzy begins on Saturday, although this one may not be as crazy as in past years. Unlike previous years, there aren’t really any star players available and this class is pretty weak overall. However, there are still a few quality players available for the taking. One such player is longtime Tampa […]

The Los Angeles Kings seem to be on the verge of something special. After completing a quick rebuild, the Kings have finished third in the Pacific Division and made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. While they lost to the Edmonton Oilers on both occasions, the Kings have a strong roster now […]