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Patrick Kinahan: Offseason full of intrigue awaits Utah Jazz

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Patrick Kinahan: Offseason full of intrigue awaits Utah Jazz


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SALT LAKE CITY — Not often has an NBA staff that completed seven video games under .500 and faltered often within the last month universally obtained rave evaluations.

But, this was the case for the 2022-23 model of the Utah Jazz, which completed twelfth within the Western Convention at 37-45. Postmortems on the staff centered on participant growth and plethora of accessible draft picks over the following a number of years slightly than not making the postseason for the primary time since 2016.

The draft picks, most of which have been acquired by buying and selling All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell final summer season, mixed with some $60 million in cap house, have created a promising future for a staff that lacked each property after final season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit to the Dallas Mavericks. The cost to enhance the staff throughout this offseason now’s on the management led by longtime NBA executives Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik.

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Discarding as a lot expertise, which additionally included buying and selling Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz started the season anticipating not more than 30 wins. A ten-3 begin rapidly altered these expectations, however two trades and holding a number of out starters fulfilled the apparent want to complete within the draft lottery.

After buying and selling Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley in February, together with sitting Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen and others, the narrative the final a number of weeks modified from successful video games. It was extra about praising the gamers for making an attempt arduous, which is code for placing a optimistic spin on shedding.

However for the primary 12 months of an enormous rebuilding mission, it was straightforward to simply accept the storylines mixed with the spectacular growth of Markkanen and rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji, amongst others.

Presumably, with a full complement of gamers even after the February trades, the Jazz may have been adequate to not less than qualify for the play-in event that features groups that completed 7-10. However the potentialities with the draft have been deemed extra vital than short-term acquire.

Mainly, the Jazz have a 50% probability to draft ninth but additionally may transfer up or down relying how the ping-pong balls bounce. Because it stands, they may also have two picks later within the first spherical acquired by means of different trades.

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Ainge and Zanik have a number of choices to enhance the staff by means of the draft, which means they may bundle gamers and picks to maneuver up within the lottery. Whichever path they select, it is crucial to land not less than one vital rotation addition.

There’s additionally the scenario with Clarkson, an impending free agent who sat out the final month of the season. Clarkson, who averaged 20.8 factors in his first season as a starter with the Jazz, is a fan favourite and appears to have the love of proprietor Ryan Smith.

However do not anticipate any sentimentally from Ainge if it comes on the expense of enhancing the staff. Both means, the Jazz can re-sign Clarkson for the suitable worth or should discover a means so as to add a confirmed succesful expertise.

With a roster stuffed with holes, the Jazz can go a number of instructions to get higher. Excessive on the record, although, is fortifying the backcourt.

With no scarcity of candidates, this is the place it will get attention-grabbing. At instances through the season, Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn and Talen Horton-Tucker every confirmed sufficient to deserve a shot to play vital minutes subsequent 12 months.

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However do the Jazz go in one other path? Given all of the draft picks and cap house, administration may elect to make use of a number of the property to amass a veteran guard to hasten the rebuild.

Anybody taken with Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal? Neither might be pleased enjoying for seemingly perennial losers in Portland and Washington, respectively.

No matter occurs, the offseason guarantees to be stuffed with intrigue. This season was heat and fuzzy for a number of causes, however extra successful blended in with continued growth will high the storylines come October.

Most up-to-date Utah Jazz tales

Patrick is a radio host for 97.5/1280 The Zone and the Zone Sports activities Community. He, together with David James, are on the air Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

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Utah National Guard gets new, top-of-the-line Apache helicopters

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Utah National Guard gets new, top-of-the-line Apache helicopters


WEST JORDAN, Utah — The Utah National Guard has been serving the state since 1894 with roots dating back to the Minutemen of the 17th-century American colonies.

This weekend, they received quite the boost in the form of the Army’s most advanced attack helicopter.

“These aircraft are extremely fast compared to our other aircraft,” said Col. Patrick.

On Saturday, the Utah National Guard took their new Apache helicopters for a spin.

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“The flight went better than we could have hoped for. A little weather on the east coast, but after that, it wasn’t bad at all,” Patrick said.

The first four of 24 Apaches arrived early Saturday morning after they went under full inspection.

“They’ve got software on there that it’s like playing a video game. You just fly the video game and the airplane… is fast and smooth, which is the good thing, and so it’ll just hold the altitude and airspeed and just keep on trucking along. It’s pretty good,” Patrick said.

The first Apache helicopters arrived in Utah back in 1992.

“It just continues the legacy of the air pirates and what we bring to not only Utah, but really to the global fight and security, really,” Patrick added.

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The colonel calls it a major step forward.

“What a great day for Utah as we advance into the next couple decades of combat operations and what we can provide to, you know, the global security.”





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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Utah Hockey Club – Game #21 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info

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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Utah Hockey Club – Game #21 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info


The depth continues to be tested as the bodies keep dropping out of the lineup up front. Tonight, a resilient Maple Leafs team is seeking its fourth consecutive win as Alex Nylander debuts on an all-Marlies line against a tired 8-9-2 Utah Hockey Club (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).


Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Utah

In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Utah holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories and three out of five defensive categories.


Game Day Quotes

Craig Berube on what he learned from the pre-scout of Utah’s 6-1 win over Pittsburgh last night: 

The power play was good. They got three. They’re fast, and they have a lot of skill. They make a lot of plays — a lot of west-west plays — and get up the ice really well. Their D are involved.

We have to check well tonight. We have to stay out of the penalty box. Our PK is going to be important.

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Overall, we need to take time and space away from this team right out of the offensive zone. Be hard on them breaking plays up. That will be very important tonight.

Berube on the decision to start Joseph Woll over Anthony Stolarz tonight: 

[Woll] had a really good game against Vegas. We are just thinking ahead here. Stolly has played a lot. We have some time here. He is working in practice and doing a lot of good things.

That’s really it. We just talk about things and make decisions on what we think is best for the goalies and the team.

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I talked earlier about how both goalies are going to see more net than they have in the past. It is important that we manage it to the best of our abilities.

Woll is coming off a real solid game against a real good team. We wanted to go back with him.

Berube on what improvements he is looking for from his team offensively after a week of practice: 

Attacking more than we are. There are times when we tend to just control the play a little bit too much on the outside. We could attack more with more shots to the net, get pucks low to high, and do more on-and-off shooting while getting people to the net with numbers around there.

Resets to the back of the net, making quick plays out of there, doing things a little bit quicker, moving it quicker, supporting it quicker, and getting more pucks to the net than we are.

Berube on why Fraser Minten is so trustworthy despite his lack of experience: 

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It goes back to a great draft pick, finding a player who is so responsible at a young age. You guys aren’t on the bench, but just hearing him talk on the bench and how he sees the game, he says all the right things.

You don’t see young guys do that very often. He is already doing it at a very young age with very little experience. It is great to see. It’s refreshing. It really is.

Minten on the keys to success for his line with Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Nylander:

We just have to be simple with pucks and forecheck, using our speed to get pucks back on the forecheck. From there, let the skill make things happen. Those guys are really good when they get it back, so we have to make sure we are forechecking hard to retrieve pucks, and we’ll go from there.

Minten on the keys to success in the net-front role on the top power-play unit: 

Try not to overcomplicate it too much. Get the goalie’s eyes, get in sight lines, try to get pucks back, get some tips, get some screens, and cause a little chaos. You can draw a defender with you. If you’re going backdoor, you give them a little more space. Be ready for anything coming to you. They are great players, so just try to read off of them, and hopefully, it goes well.

Minten on his experience level in front of the net on the power play: 

In junior, I was mostly a flank guy with the puck more, but last year, I kind of got into it more at the end of the year, and I have been playing that role with the Marlies every game so far this year.

Minten on Morgan Rielly’s guidance at the NHL level: 

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He has been amazing. We have a lot in common, being from the same place. He took me under his wing a little bit and has been super nice. It makes it easy when you are coming in at 18 or 19 and there is a guy who comes to talk to you and is a really nice, supportive guy and friend. He has been awesome.


Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Forwards
#74 Bobby McMann — #91 John Tavares — #16 Mitch Marner
#89 Nick Robertson— #29 Pontus Holmberg — #88 William Nylander
#71 Nikita Grebenkin  — #39 Fraser Minten — #92 Alex Nylander
#46 Alex Steeves — #24 Connor Dewar — #18 Steven Lorentz

Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins

Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz

Extras: Jani Hakanpää, Philippe Myers
Suspended: Ryan Reaves (four games remaining)
Injured (IR): Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Matthew Knies
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Dakota Mermis, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf


Utah Hockey Club Projected Lines

Forwards
#9 Clayton Keller — #27 Barrett Hayton — #8 Nick Schmaltz
#22 Jack McBain — #92 Logan Cooley — #11 Dylan Guenther
#63 Matias Maccelli — #17 Nick Bjugstad — #67 Lawson Course
#15 Alex Kerfoot — #82 Kevin Stenlund — #53 Michael Carcone

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Defensemen
#98 Mikhail Sergachev — #2 Olli Maata
#28 Ian Cole — #10 Maveric Lamoureux
#7 Michael Kesselring — #41 Robert Bortuzzo

Goaltenders
Starter: #70 Karel Vejmelka
Jayson Stauber

Injured: Sean Durzi, John Marino, Connor Ingram

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NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com

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NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com


Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There is one game on the schedule for Sunday, which will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.

Game of the day

Utah Hockey Club at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NHLN, Utah16)

Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have all stepped up for the Maple Leafs (12-6-2) in the absence of captain Auston Matthews and look to continue the trend against Utah (8-9-3) at Scotiabank Arena. Marner has 12 points (four goals, eight assists), Nylander nine points (four goals, five assists) and Tavares eight points (four goals, four assists) in the seven games without Matthews, who is out with an upper-body injury. Toronto has won three in a row and is 6-1-0 without Matthews, who skated prior to practice Saturday and said he could return from an upper-body injury this upcoming week. Marner leads Toronto with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 20 games and has points in six of the seven games Matthews has missed. Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Wall made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday for his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL. Utah is playing the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in team history and will look to build on a 6-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist, and Clayton Keller had three assists, helping Utah end a three-game losing streak. Goalie Jaxson Stauber could make his Utah debut after being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Wednesday; the 25-year-old has not played an NHL game since Feb. 22, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks. No. 1 goalie Connor Ingram has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury.

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