Happy Friday, everyone! Another week down. Congrats!
Let's get right to it.
Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE BOSTON BRUINS
The rich get richer. The Bruins -- who not only lead the NHL but are on pace to challenge the single-season wins and points record -- upgraded their roster by acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals in a three-team deal on Thursday.
Boston also got Andrei Svetlakov from the Wild as part of a three-team trade.The Capitals received a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, a 2024 third-round pick and forward Craig Smith. Washington will retain 50% of Orlov's salary.The Wild will retain 25% of Orlov's salary. Minnesota got a 2023 fifth-round pick from Boston.
Orlov has been a fixture in Washington's defense for most of the last decade, and both he and Hathaway should serve as important depth pieces for the Stanley Cup favorites, writes our Austin Nivison.
Nivison: "In an otherwise frustrating year for Washington, Orlov has still managed to be effective. ... The Bruins already had a stacked blue line with players like Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk eating big minutes. That means Orlov should get more favorable matchups while taking on lighter minutes in Boston. ... Hathaway, who has nine goals and seven assists this season, will provide the Bruins with a bottom-six option at forward."Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees has his glove inspected by umpire Mark Carlson #6 during the first inning at Fenway Park on June 27, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty ImagesMLB PITCHERS
It's been a year-and-a-half since the MLB started checking pitchers for illegal foreign substances. Now, with the season just over a month away, the league is about to take it up a notch.
According to reports, MLB will be more detailed in checking for "sticky stuff" this season:
Umpires' inspections of pitchers' hands fingers will be more thorough, and those inspections will be more random.Umpires could resume checking pitchers' caps, gloves and belts, a practice they mostly abandoned in 2022.Umpires will be empowered to be more aggressive in their checks.Pitchers can use rosin and other league-approved substances, but "spider tack, pine tar or a now-notorious mixture of sunscreen with sweat and other readily available things during the course of a game" are out of bounds, writes our Matt Snyder. No pitchers were found to be violating the rule in 2022, but pitch spin rates -- which went down significantly when umpires began checking in June 2021 -- started going up again last season.
It's the second adjustment the MLB has made this month that will potentially make things tougher on pitchers: Balks will also be more heavily scrutinized, or, basically, more by-the-book after umpires had been lenient about the rule.
