Sports Express | September 29, 2026 — Maple Leafs Land Marchenko in Deadline Blockbuster

1. Maple Leafs Land Marchenko in Deadline Blockbuster, Send Knies to Columbus

Source: Sportsnet.ca

The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a blockbuster in the final hour before Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, acquiring forward Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal centred on power forward Matthew Knies. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, who is currently injured, and forward Miles Wood also head to Toronto, while the Leafs send recently waived Steven Lorentz, depth defenceman Emil Andrae and a 2027 second-round pick back to Ohio.

The 26-year-old Russian sniper, the Blue Jackets' leading scorer three seasons running, first agreed to a six-year, $75-million extension with a $12.5-million cap hit - above William Nylander's $11.5 million and below Auston Matthews' $13.25 million. The 23-year-old Knies posted a career-best 66 points last season despite a knee injury; his team-friendly $7.75-million cap hit runs through 2030-31. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell called Knies "a big, strong power forward who combines tough, hard-nosed physical play with outstanding offensive skills."

Marchenko, listed at six-foot-three and 201 pounds, is one year removed from a 31-goal, 74-point campaign and owns a career shooting percentage of 13.6 per cent. The move underscores GM John Chayka's push to turn a team that finished last spring as the NHL's fifth-worst into an immediate contender.

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2. Keenum Throws for Three Touchdowns as Bears Rout Eagles 27-7

Source: Sportsnet.ca

Backup quarterback Case Keenum delivered a career night in Chicago on Monday, leading the Bears to a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Stepping in for Caleb Williams, who was sidelined by a right hamstring injury, the third-stringer went 24 for 34 for 247 yards with two passing touchdowns and scored his first rushing touchdown since 2019 - a 1-yard plunge with 7:19 left that capped a 13-play drive taking more than eight minutes off the clock. It was his first start in almost three years.

Receiver Kalif Raymond had six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown as Chicago (2-1) bounced back from an ugly 9-3 loss to Minnesota. Philadelphia (2-1) turned the ball over three times and failed to record a takeaway for the third straight game to open the season; Jalen Hurts went 16 for 25 for 153 yards and Saquon Barkley rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. Bears coach Ben Johnson praised Keenum's command, while Eagles coach Nick Sirianni called it "a true team loss" and said he must look at himself first.

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3. Pochettino on Man City Verdict: 'We Have Lived Through a Period of Deception'

Source: BBC

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, now in charge of the United States, said "we have lived through a period of deception" after Manchester City were found guilty of breaking the majority of the charges brought against them by the Premier League. An independent panel found City guilty of a wide range of financial rule breaches, with The Athletic reporting on Friday that 114 of the 115 charges had been upheld. Sanctions are yet to be announced, and City plan to appeal.

The charges relate to a period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, and include a failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations between December 2018 and February 2023. The 54-year-old Pochettino managed three Premier League clubs during that time - 15 months at Southampton, five years at Tottenham and a single season at Chelsea. "Whatever punishment they choose, it's impossible to turn back time," he said. "It's done a lot of damage. Many clubs followed the rules and some didn't." Earlier this month he said Chelsea should be stripped of the 2016-17 title and that it should be awarded to his Tottenham side. BBC Sport understands other top-flight clubs are seeking legal advice over possible compensation claims.

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4. Astros Tab Rookie Blubaugh to Open Wild Card Game 1

Source: MLB.com

The Houston Astros will turn to rookie right-hander AJ Blubaugh to start Tuesday's Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the White Sox at Daikin Park, where he will serve as an opener. Blubaugh threw 15 pitches in relief Friday against the Athletics, allowing one run in two-thirds of an inning. According to MLB.com, Astros ace Hunter Brown will start Game 2 on Wednesday on normal rest, with Hayden Wesneski lined up for a possible Game 3 on Thursday.

Blubaugh led the majors with 27 relief appearances of at least two innings this season, the most by an Astros pitcher since Dave Veres had 27 in 1995, and led all relievers with a career-high 96 innings. The Astros have never started a rookie in Game 1 of a postseason series; their most recent rookie postseason starter was Luis Garcia in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. Blubaugh faced the White Sox three times this season, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over four innings.

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5. Giants Acquire QB McCarthy for a Fifth-Round Pick

Source: USA Today

The New York Giants agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Sept. 28, acquiring quarterback J.J. McCarthy in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The move came after the Giants lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury, prompting new coach John Harbaugh to say the team was weighing "all options." The deal adds insurance in case veteran fill-in Jameis Winston continues to struggle, while the Vikings close the door on a player who quickly fell out of favour.

McCarthy was the No. 10 overall pick in 2022 and has two years left on his rookie contract. Injuries have severely inhibited his development and his ball placement and decision-making were erratic enough to cost him the starting job after just one year. USA Today's grades call the move good business for the Giants, who landed a starting-capable option at a modest cost, while the Vikings settled for a limited return that reflected muted interest around the league.

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6. U.S. Senate Passes Protect College Sports Act 77-22

Source: tsn.ca

The U.S. Senate voted 77-22 on Monday night to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a federal bill aimed at reshaping the college sports industry. It now heads to the House of Representatives, which is not scheduled to vote on any bills until after November's midterm elections; if it does not clear the House during the lame-duck session before a new Congress takes over in January, the process would have to start from scratch. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said the goal was a big bipartisan vote showing the importance of "saving and preserving college sports," adding that President Trump "is eager to sign this legislation."

The bill grants the NCAA an antitrust exemption to help it enforce a cap on how much teams can pay athletes, and would limit athletes to a single penalty-free transfer and a five-year window to compete that begins when they finish high school or turn 19. The Senate weighed seven amendments, voting 52-47 against capping coaches' earnings at $5 million a year. The bill also caps Power 4 conference membership at 20 schools and would raise the direct-payment cap for schools from roughly $21.5 million to about $49 million.

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7. CBC Brings Back Hockey Night in Canada to Air PWHL Games

Source: The Globe and Mail

CBC announced Monday it is bringing back the Hockey Night in Canada brand as an occasional Saturday-night home for Professional Women's Hockey League broadcasts. The move comes three months after CBC and Sportsnet announced the program was ending its 74-year run on the public broadcaster as a weekly NHL showcase. The new show will be the centrepiece of CBC Sports Primetime, hosted by Andi Petrillo, and will feature eight PWHL games over the season; after 12 years under Sportsnet, it is being rebranded as CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

The first game, on Dec. 5, will feature reigning Walter Cup champion Montreal Victoire against PWHL Hamilton, an expansion club that does not yet have a nickname. The rest of the schedule will be released Friday, and every PWHL game in the new Hockey Night in Canada will include at least one Canadian team. The league's other games remain shared by Sportsnet, TSN and Amazon Prime, with CBC airing roughly two dozen games across the season. "Hockey in this country is more than just the NHL, and therefore Hockey Night in Canada should reflect what hockey has become to Canada," said Chris Wilson, CBC's executive director of sports and Olympics. Last year's CBC games drew a total audience of about four million, averaging 78,000 per game.

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8. Arizona State Players Ask School to Place Coach Powers on Leave

Source: Daily Faceoff

Several Arizona State men's hockey players are asking the school to place head coach Greg Powers on leave, according to The Athletic, after teammate Matthew Mayich collapsed and was hospitalized during an August outdoor workout. The Sun Devils are investigating the incident, which Mayich's family lawyer Rob Carey described as exertional heat stroke. The university's initial findings say Mayich collapsed during an Aug. 20 workout held in especially hot and humid conditions and led by Timothy Ziesel, an ex-Green Beret. Mayich remains in the hospital on life support.

In a letter to Arizona State president Michael Crow, seven players disagreed with certain findings and suggested Mayich did not receive water or proper medical care. They sent the letter anonymously out of concern that Powers would punish them. The players said Powers told them Mayich's collapse was "just a little heat stroke" and that he had "seen this a million times," and that after telling the team there was "good news" the next day, he sent his players out for practice. The players also recommended Phoenix Coyotes legend Shane Doan as a possible interim head coach. Arizona State opens its season at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri, on Oct. 2.

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9. U.S. Rallies Past Internationals to Win Presidents Cup at Medinah

Source: tsn.ca

The United States beat the Internationals 17-13 at Medinah, Illinois, to win the Presidents Cup for the 11th straight time and post the biggest Sunday rout in tournament history. Outplayed over three days of team matches, the Americans flipped two key singles matches on the back nine, led by captain Brandt Snedeker's group. The U.S. won nine of the 12 singles matches and halved the last one on the course. President Donald Trump, the honorary chairman, was on the first tee for the start of singles play and kept his remarks short - "It's going to be a very interesting game of golf" - before staying for the trophy presentation.

Rookie Jackson Koivun, 21, rallied from 2 down to win by 2, hitting clutch shots on the 18th, while two-time major champion Collin Morikawa also came back. Patrick Cantlay holed a birdie putt from just inside 60 feet on the par-3 16th. The clinching point came from Jacob Bridgeman, who was 1 down with three to play before rolling in a 3-foot par putt for a 1-up win over Min Woo Lee. Internationals captain Geoff Ogilvy said the day was "on a knife's edge" and that a few flipped matches could have changed everything. The next Presidents Cup is in two years at Kingston Heath in Australia.

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10. Leonard Returns to Toronto, Addresses Raptors for the First Time

Source: Sportsnet.ca

Kawhi Leonard made his first public appearance since rejoining the Toronto Raptors at the team's season-opening media day on Monday. Wearing the same No. 2 jersey he wore during the 2019 title run, the famously reserved star quickly moved past questions about the salary-cap circumvention scheme in which he was the central figure: "I'm excited to be here. I know some of you came wanting to hear about the investigation, but after talking with the NBA and the Players' Association, I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time as a Toronto Raptor."

A 364-day NBA investigation confirmed that the Clippers funnelled millions in phony endorsement schemes to Leonard. The league fined the Clippers $30 million, took away five future first-round picks and banned owner Steve Ballmer and a top executive from the NBA for a year. The bulk of the blame landed on Leonard's uncle and former advisor, Dennis Robertson, who has been banned from NBA activities for five years. Leonard was fined $700,000, and a trade back to Toronto was completed, with a two-year, $115-million extension signed last week. The 35-year-old will make $168 million from the Raptors over the next three years. He said legacy was "a big part" of his return and noted his son was born in Toronto.

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