‘Long night for him’: Makhachev warns Tsarukyan ahead of UFC 311

Aaron Bronsteter is joined with Islam Makhachev to discuss his main event at the UFC 311, including why he thinks Arman Tsarukyan deserves a shot, and his friend Umar Nurmagomedov’s hard work.

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Stayed in there, eatin’ pizza.

1. Some rapid thoughts on the Jacob Trouba trade and New York Rangers drama:

• No rules were broken by the Rangers here. But after Barclay Goodrow and Trouba were dispatched, new marquee signees should realize that a partial no-trade clause is essentially worthless in the Big Apple.

Negotiate for full no-move protection, or don’t bother.

• I appreciate how quickly Trouba was available for interviews, just hours after the chaos, and how candid he was explaining that management wielded the waiver wire as “a threat” and admitted that the public nature of his predicament hindered his captaincy.

• Trouba’s best line: “A rite of passage to get fired at MSG.”

Culture trickles from the top, and you can’t tell me owner James Dolan didn’t set the tone here.

• Igor Shesterkin rightly becomes the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL — but his cap hit ($11.5 million) does not exceed top Ranger Artemi Panarin.

From a PR perspective, maybe wait a few days to re-sign Shesterkin. Locking up the most talented guy at the most important position is a great story, and it got overshadowed.

• The best pending UFA goalies of 2025 are now former tandem mates Adin Hill and Logan Thompson.

• So … Radko Gudas and Trouba are on the same team now, eh?

No puck-watching allowed in Orange County.

• As cutthroat as GM Chris Drury was this week, he got out from an anchor contract without retaining a penny. That’s fine work. Cap space is king, and he needs it for Shesterkin and Alexis Lafrenière’s raises.

• Could Ducks GM Pat Verbeek eat some of Trouba’s salary and flip him to a contender? Perhaps send him back to the East, closer to his wife’s hospital residency, for the final year-and-a-half of the defenceman’s contract?

Trouba is no longer an $8-million, top-pair asset, but he can play on my team for a $4-million hit.

• That Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa and Columbus were all interested in Trouba reminds us who’s eager to upgrade their blueline.

• If your name is Chris Kreider, K’Andre Miller, Kaapo Kakko or Ryan Lindgren, how secure do you feel this morning?

• For the first time in the history, the NHL had 32 captains and no vacancies this season. That was short lived.

• Friday news-dump much?

2. Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper was recently reminiscing about the 23-and-under “young guns” Team North America squad he helped coach at the 2016 World Cup.

“Man, that was a really good team, wasn’t it?” Cooper said, smiling, before noting that some elite, eligible talent (Mitch Marner and Brayden Point, specifically) was left off that roster.

It got us wondering: Who would make Team North America 2025?

Let’s go:

Matt Boldy – Jack Hughes – Connor Bedard
Alexis Lafrenière – Connor McMichael – Wyatt Johnston
Matthew Knies – Dylan Cozens – Cole Caufield
Dawson Mercer – Adam Fantilli – Seth Jarvis
Macklin Celebrini

Owen Power – Brock Faber
Luke Hughes – Brandt Clarke
Thomas Harley – Jamie Drysdale
Lane Hutson

Dustin Wolf
Spencer Knight
Devon Levi

3. Hot take: If Connor Bedard was having John Tavares’s season, he would’ve made Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The resurgent Tavares has 12 goals, 23 points, a plus-7, and is winning 58.2 per cent of his face-offs. All this while starting most of his even-strength shifts in the D-zone (52.9 per cent) for the first time in his career and sliding into the 1C role when Auston Matthews missed nearly four weeks.

No doubt, Tavares’s motivation this season, in part, stems from a chance to rep his country. He made that clear at training camp.

“I’d have loved to be a part of it. Playing in best-on-best internationally and the Stanley Cup are the pinnacle of our sport. To have those opportunities is unique and special, so obviously disappointed,” Tavares told reporters Friday, still unsure if he’s a go-to injury replacement.

“There was nothing about that. I did receive a call from Hockey Canada on the weekend, but I didn’t get any official news about that.”

This is about 4 Nations, sure. But it’s also about the 2026 Games.

Remember, Tavares suffered a season-ending leg injury in Canada’s quarterfinal victory in Sochi and didn’t get to suit up for the gold-medal game.

“You just want to continue to push to be part of events and opportunities like that and play for Team Canada. So, there’s the Olympics next year and whatever after that. I mean, it’s not really where you put your focus on,” Tavares said. 

“But, if you play really well, you play at a high level, you can show that you can be part of a group that can help win and put yourself in the mix. So, hopefully, those opportunities will still be there down the road.”

4. William Nylander is one of one.

I had a flashback to his “Best of Rivals” episode Wednesday night. The part where he is talking with pal David Pastrnak and the Bruins star breaks the news that they are positioned to clash in the playoffs. Nylander, in all sincerity, asks who is in first place in their division.

As the hockey world was busying debating the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, I asked Nylander for his thoughts on Team Sweden’s selections, which had been released for about eight hours.

“I actually haven’t seen it yet. When did it come out?” Nylander asked, genuinely in the dark. He smiled. “I’ll take a look at it. Probably have a really good team, anyway.”

I’m not poking fun. I’m truly envious how unbothered (oblivious?) Nylander can be to potential distractions beyond his control.

He had a Leafs game that day.

He ate his meal, scored his goal, got his win.

Sense is, the guy could wait to find out who’s on his team right before puck drop and it wouldn’t bother him none.

All is right in Willy’s world.

5. Quote of the Week.

“One pick before McDavid!” —Minnesota Wild defenceman and certified beauty Jake Middleton on being the 210th and final selection of the 2014 draft (via Spittin’ Chiclets)

6. Sam Reinhart’s breakout 57-goal show in his massive $69-million-earning, Cup-winning contract campaign last season was supposedly bolstered by a wonderful abnormality in his shooting percentage.

A career 16.1 per cent shooter popping off at a ridiculous 24.5 per cent.

No chance the guy who had previously topped out at 33 goals could rip 50 again. (The same thinking applied to Zach Hyman, who jumped from 36 to 54 goals and will now be in tough to hit 25.)

Well, Reinhart — a Team Canada no-brainer — finds himself leading the Rocket Richard race at 19 goals, while increasing his shooting percentage to a silly 26.4.

More like Same Reinhart, am I right?

“I mean, it’s nonstop from him. Unwavering confidence in himself, that he wants the puck at all times — and he’s going to score,” marvels Panthers teammate Aaron Ekblad.

“It’s fun to watch. When I’m out there, I find myself gravitating towards trying to get him the puck, because it’s infectious — his want for it, and his ability to do something with it.”

7. The loss of Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars for the remainder of the regular season is a curse and a blessing.

Low key, the veteran was on pace for his most productive season in nine years (20 points and a plus-14 in 19 games). Now, he’s done for the regular season. Maybe longer.

The 32-year-old is also the most expensive Star in Dallas. Shifting $9.85 million to LTIR gives GM Jim Nill a serious advantage over his fellow trade-deadline buyers.

Factor in the absence of state tax in Texas and the fact another pricy veteran, captain Jamie Benn ($9.5 million cap hit), is slated to come off the books in June, and Nill has the freedom to not only chase rentals but explore players with term.

Armed with picks and prospects, Dallas was already going to be a team to watch in trading season. Now, the Stars are sitting with the big stack at the poker table.

8. As a Steven Stamkos stan, Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena was a tough viewing experience.

With friends and family in the barn for the Markham, Ont., star’s lone homecoming game, Nashville’s big UFA swing couldn’t connect.

Stamkos skated a season-low 15:24, failed to register a shot, and was stuck watching Nylander’s game-winner from the penalty box after committing his second tripping penalty.

Credit the man for not ducking the media during what must already feel like a lost campaign — and on the same day he wasn’t named to Team Canada.

“When you’re in one place for so long and your hockey sense is kind of trained into one way, and things are a little different here, whether it’s systematically or personnel, you have to find a way to adjust to that. And you wish that it could happen overnight,” Stamkos said.

“That’s probably not realistic. It’s taken some time. Expectations were raised for our group this summer, and we’ve fallen short of that — and that’s been the disappointing part.”

The 34-year-old ripped 40 goals last season. He’s on pace for 21.

“He’s a pro,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “It hasn’t affected his leadership abilities. His work ethic has been off the charts. Hasn’t gone in for him. We’re trying to find solutions for him. But, no, he hasn’t changed one bit, regardless of whether he scores or doesn’t score.”

9. Shout out the lads on Real Kyper & Bourne, who aired insightful interviews with two key decision-makers for rebuilding Metropolitan Division teams.

• Flyers president and ultimate realist Keith Jones will not be fooled by Philadelphia’s hanging around the playoff bubble.

“We’re not going to be adding. We’ll be subtracting,” Jones said, definitively.

“Much like we did last year, when we traded Sean Walker to the Avalanche and were able to pick up a first-round pick in return, we’ll be in the same boat.

“We’re open to a lot of ideas, I’ll tell you that.”

Four names up front that should intrigue buyers and don’t have exorbitant salaries: Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, Noah Cates and Garnet Hathaway.

Under Jones, it’s about patiently building a Cup contender, not chasing playoff gates.

• Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell revealed that up to 14 teams were interested in 21-year-old defenceman David Jiricek, before Wild GM Bill Guerin’s persistence won the bidding war.

Just as interesting: He’s had seven teams call to talk trade since Saturday’s deal went down.

“We’ve got a couple things going for us. We’ve got a lot of assets, and we’ve got a lot of cap (space, $28.7 million),” Waddell said.

One of those assets is a second first-rounder (Minnesota’s) in 2025. Waddell said he’d prefer to keep Columbus’s pick (presumably a high one) but is very much open to flipping the Wild’s at the draft.

He mentions potentially trading that pick to acquire an opposing team’s RFA. (Possibly because Columbus faces an uphill battle to land UFAs.)

Waddell believes ownership is willing to eat some cap as a third-party broker to gain more assets, too.

“I think the possibilities are endless, as you look at this,” said Waddell, who was willing to nab Trouba off waivers.

The GM is fielding calls on pending UFAs like Sean Kuraly and Ivan Provorov, but those moves are unlikely to be made until the new year.

There is one player he has no interest in renting, however: Mathieu Olivier.

“He’s got (eight) goals. His career high is five,” Waddell boasted. “He’s an unbelievable character guy.

“Hundred per cent we’ll get him signed eventually.”

10. Junior snub talk!

Heads got scratched when Beckett Sennecke — 2024’s third-overall draft choice — was left off Team Canada’s under-20 squad for the Christmastime championship.

Since being overlooked, the Anaheim Ducks prospect has erupted for 14 points in three games for the Oshawa Generals and, on Saturday, filed his submission for Goal of the Year.

Who wouldn’t want to tune into the world juniors for a chance to witness something this filthy?

11. Anyone else getting it’s-not-me-it’s-you vibes from Patrick Roy on Long Island?

“This is the team Lou gave me, and I’m going to work extremely hard for these guys. I owe this to the players and fans,” Roy told reporters, following New York’s 5-2 home loss to the Kraken.

(I just caught Mike Babcock–sliding-subliminals-at–Kyle Dubas vibes transcribing that quote.)

The Isles have lost five of six and are rolling out the fourth-oldest roster in the league.

They’re the only team in the East still searching for a 10th win. They’re last in the Metropolitan, having been leaped by Columbus, and operate the 31st-best power play.

Whether it’s subliminal comments to the media or healthy-scratching a guy like Pierre Engvall, whom Lamoriello signed through 2030, Roy is making it clear he’s unsatisfied with the ingredients he’s been asked to cook with.

12. The ongoing tête-à-tête between the Bruins captain Brad Marchand and Paul Bissonnette that unfolded over multiple pre- and post-game interviews this week on the TNT broadcast made for some of the best non-hockey hockey television.

Enjoy this act, in three parts …

(P.S. Marchand is so slick, anyone else wonder if he was trolling critics of Team Canada’s roster selection by singling out Seth Jarvis as the player he’s most eager to play with?)