First Shift 🏒

As the Stars swerve down the road that is the 2024-25 season, they are learning to adjust.

Last season, the team rolled out three fantastic lines that stayed consistent for most of the year. Hintz played beside Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski, Duchene centered Seguin and Mason Marchment, and Wyatt Johnston found chemistry with Benn and either Dadonov or Logan Stankoven. It was a formula that drove opponents crazy and led to the best regular-season record in the Western Conference.

But Pavelski retired and Seguin is out 4-6 months following hip surgery, and that creates some challenges. That’s a big hit for a team that could really use some offense.

“With Seguin out of the lineup here and Joe Pavelski retired, that’s 60 goals from last year that are out, so we have to fill that void with other guys,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Other guys have to find a way to score goals. That includes guys that have scored before getting up to the pace that they’ve been on most of their careers and some other guys that we’re counting on to stick some pucks in the net have to do that.”

Robertson has seen his points per game pace go from 0.97 to 0.68. He has previously tallied back-to-back seasons of 40-plus goals but is on pace for 19 this season. Johnston had 32 goals last season and is on pace for 16 this year. Hintz is down from .81 points per game to .63. Benn is on pace for 16 goals in 82 games, that would be the lowest goals per game total of his 16-year career.

So how do the Stars snap out of it?

Well, getting the power play would be a good start.

And getting some line chemistry going would be another.

Bottom line, they have to fight through this.

“We’ve got to find a way, it’s as simple as that,” said Duchene, who is leading the team in scoring. “Whether it’s making adjustments tactically or just getting some swagger in our game. One of the toughest things to do in hockey is to have confidence or swagger when you’re not getting results, and we’ve got to find a way to find that.”

Asked how the team could do that, Duchene said, “For me, you’ve got to enjoy playing the game. I think you’ve got to stick with it and not get frustrated.”

The Stars on Wednesday got goals from Sam Steel, Dadonov and Colin Blackwell, and that’s a great sign. If the depth scoring can chip in, it helps feed the top scorers.

“I think whenever you can put one in, you get a little more pep in your step,” said Steel. “We know there are certain things we are doing when we’re scoring, so we’ve got to try to get back to those habits.”

And that seems the way the team has to do it. It’s how they did it last year, too.

“We don’t have Connor McDavid, or that type of player,” DeBoer said earlier in the season. “Our strength is in our depth, and we have to use that.”

MAUI, Hawaii – Haley Cavinder recorded her second consecutive double-double with a 25-point, 12-rebound performance, and the University of Miami women’s basketball team shot an exceptional 60.0 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from behind the arc en route to a dominant 84-53 victory over Nevada (5-7) to open the Maui Classic. With the victory, the Hurricanes (10-1, 1-0) improved to 10-1.

Haley Cavinder was sensational yet again for Miami, as she dropped a game-high 25 points on 11-16 shooting from the field, including 2-4 from behind the arc, and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out a game-high seven assists.

Cameron Williams poured in 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Natalija Marshall chipped in 12 points, and Darrione Rogers scored 11 points as four Miami players reached double figures in the contest.

Miami was tremendous on both ends of the court, as they recorded season-high clips of 60.0 percent shooting from the field (33-55) and 47.1 percent from behind the arc (8-17) while limiting Nevada to just 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from behind the arc. The Canes dominated the glass, outrebounding Nevada 33-21, and Miami outscored Nevada in the paint, 44-24.

The Canes also had a season-low seven turnovers, as they cared for the basketball exceptionally. After falling behind 13-11 late in the first quarter, Miami reeled off a 4-0 run to end the stanza, as they held a 15-13 lead entering the second period. The Canes opened the second quarter of an 8-0 run, extending the lead up to 10 points at the 6:54 mark in the period. Miami continued their dominant play, leading 39-26 at halftime.

The Canes were sensational in the third quarter, as they shot 66.7 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from behind the arc, outscoring Nevada 24-12 to take a 63-38 lead into the final period.

Miami cruised over the last 10 minutes, earning the 31-point victory over Nevada to open the Maui Classic. The Canes will return to the court Friday evening, as they are set to face Oregon State at 11 p.m.

Courtesy of Miami Athletics

All offseason, the question looming over the Athletics has been who will man the hot corner for them in their first season in West Sacramento, and on Thursday night we received a bit of clarity. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the A’s are in agreement with former Atlanta Braves third baseman Gio Urshela, with Martín Gallegos of MLB.com saying that it’s a one-year deal. The agreement has not been announced by the A’s, as the deal is pending a physical.

Last season the A’s struggled to find consistency at third base, initially giving the job to J.D. Davis, whom they signed during Spring Training, but when he went down with an injury early in the season, Abraham Toro took over and provided a bit of a spark across 56 games at the position. In 28 games in May, Toro hit .315 with a .351 OBP. From that point on, he topped out at batting .200 in eight games in July, and was designated for assignment in late August.

The A’s also deployed Tyler Nevin, Brett Harris, Armando Alvarez, and Darell Hernaiz at third this past season, with the six players combining for a 79 wRC+ (100 is league average), with nobody possessing a league average bat in the bunch, and accumulating -0.9 fWAR. The Athletics ranked No. 28 in fWAR at the position.

GM David Forst has said that the A’s were looking to add a veteran to the mix headed into 2025, with an emphasis on defense. This will be Urshela’s tenth season in the big leagues, and at the very least he has consistently put up WAR totals greater than zero, which will be an improvement.

The 33-year-old signed on with the Detroit Tigers last offseason, but they released him in late August. The Braves picked him up a couple of days later, and he finished out the season with Atlanta. Between both stops, he played 128 games, 110 of those coming at third base, with some time also spent across the diamond at first.

He hit .250 with a .286 OBP, nine homers, 52 RBI, and ended up with an 81 wRC+. With the glove, he racked up 0 Defensive Runs Saved and +3 Outs Above Average, using a couple of different metrics. His defense at the position has seemingly improved in recent years, and he has gone from well below league average to at, or above.

While adding a veteran upgrade was certainly on Forst’s bingo card, Urshela doesn’t figure to be a full-time addition to the roster. Instead, he’s likely to have the large side of the platoon, though who his partner will be is up for debate.

Last season against left-handers he went 17-for-96 (.177), while batting .271 in a much larger sample size against righties. While we missed on which player the A’s could end up signing, A’s on SI seemed to be on the right track with the thinking of the front office. Urshela’s 97 wRC+ against right-handers (vs. 29 against lefties) in 2024 should lead to him playing the majority of the time, but perhaps not every day.

Instead, the likely option against southpaws, at least in this point in the offseason, is Darell Hernaiz. Both players have upside with the glove, and Hernaiz went 12-for-43 (.279) against lefties, good for a 90 wRC+. While the A’s still don’t have a ton of pop at the position, they have the makings of a conglomerate league average option.

This is also an interesting path for the team to take, since Urshela’s deal is only for the 2025 campaign. That would seem to suggest that the A’s believe in former top first round pick Max Muncy being able to make the transition from shortstop to third base in the early part of the season, and potentialy make his debut at some point in the second half of ’25.

Adding Urshela buys the A’s a little time to figure out who will ultimately take over at third base, and it also potentially buys Hernaiz another look in the big leagues, and a chace to earn the job himself.