Now that it has been multiple days since the start of NHL free agency, many of this year's top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have been signed. Although this is the case, there are still plenty of UFAs still looking for their next contracts.
Interestingly, a decent amount of the NHL's remaining UFAs are former Flyers players.
Claude Giroux is the most notable former Flyer who is still a UFA at this point in the summer. However, he has been heavily linked to Philadelphia since hitting the market. A reunion between the Flyers and their former captain would make for a fantastic story.
Giroux would provide the Flyers' forward group with a nice boost if successfully brought back, as he is still a very useful player at this stage in his career. In 82 games last season for the Ottawa Senators, he posted 14 goals and 49 points.
James van Riemsdyk is another former Flyer who is still a UFA. The 37-year-old winger is still a solid offensive contributor at this stage of his career. With that, it is possible that he could land a one-year deal if he does not retire. In 72 games last season for the Detroit Red Wings, the 2007 second-overall pick posted 15 goals and 31 points.
Former Flyers goalie Cam Talbot is one of the top goalies still available in free agency. The 39-year-old had a tough year for Detroit, posting an .883 save percentage and a 3.19 goals-against average in 34 games. However, the two-time All-Star also had a .900 save percentage or better in five out of his previous six seasons before 2025-26. This kind of past success could help him get at least a PTO from an NHL club.
Other former Flyers who are also still UFAs include Kevin Hayes, Rodrigo Abols, Luke Glendening, and Petr Mrazek.
Ahead of Monday's game against the Atlanta Braves, Mets interim manager Andy Green provided an update on the ongoing injury rehab of infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco.
With Polanco still recovering from the left Achilles bursitis, which forced him onto the IL on April 18, Green was asked about his switch-hitter's health, replying that "he's improving, moving around well from the reports I've got."
Polanco's bat certainly looks close to ready to return to the big leagues; clobbering his second homer in the last three games with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets on Sunday.
Jorge Polanco hit his second home run of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/MBA1PvQSkc
Green told reporters that, as of now, the Mets "don't have a return date yet [for Polanco], but he's progressing."
Regardless, the stand-in skipper revealed that the team's plan is for Polanco to ramp up his workload, with the aim being to see him play back-to-back games.
"The back-to-backs will have to come at some point, whether up here [in MLB with the Mets] or down there [in the minor leagues]," Green said.
Polanco served as the team's DH in 12 of the 14 games he has played this season as a Met, meaning he probably won't be relied upon to play defense in a back-to-back situation.
Whatever the case, Green is clearly eager to have a power bat who can mash from both sides of the plate at his disposal.
"[Polanco] will always be available to pinch hit, which will be valuable," Green concluded.
During their chat, Gudas was asked about his decision to sign with the Panthers.
While speaking about the team Florida has built and his desire to win the Stanley Cup, Gudas let another interesting little piece of information slip out.
“Because of the lower income taxes, players are willing to play there even for a little less money,” he said.
Radko Gudas on taxes. In an interview with @DenikSport, he made an interesting point: “Because of the lower income taxes, players are willing to play there even for a little less money.“ He talked about Florida. He chose Florida because he wants to win the Stanley Cup.
I guess the rumors are true. The cat is out of the bag.
With the Panthers operating in the no-tax state of Florida, it gives them a clear and obvious edge over the majority of the teams in the NHL who are not located in a state that provides a similar advantage.
That doesn’t solve the problem of why players never seemed have the same kind of desire to play for the Panthers for the first 25 or so years of the team’s existence, but I digress..
All kidding aside, the tax situation is something that helps give places like Florida (and Texas and Nevada and Tennessee and Washington) a leg-up when players are weighing where to sign, there is no denying that.
But you better believe that if and when the day comes where the Panthers (or Stars or Golden Knights or Predators or Kraken) become less successful and as such, less desirable for free agents, those tax breaks won’t hold the same kind of wight as players decide where they want to spent the next several years of their respective careers.
For now, South Florida is the ultimate hockey haven for any pro looking to combine making money with winning titles while living in a tropical climate.
Photo caption: Jan 28, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and defenseman Radko Gudas (7) celebrate a victory over the Boston Bruins at FLA Live Arena. (Jason Mowry-Imagn Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 26: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Friday, June 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Braves have a chance for a 4-game series win behind Reynaldo Lopez against the Mets today. Join us and discuss tonight’s game in the comments below!
Drew Commesso, one day after choosing not to file for arbitration, has signed a two-year extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. This is a contract that will carry a cap hit of $875 million.
Year one of the contract is a two-way deal that will pay him $800K in the NHL, $200K in the AHL, and has a $250K guarantee. In year two, it is a one-way deal worth $900K. Once it expires, Commesso will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights once again. PuckPedia was the first with the details.
This is a wise bridge deal for Commesso and the Blackhawks, as they now have two years for him to continue developing. The expectation, based on the structure of this deal, is that Commesso will be Spencer Knight’s full-time backup going into the 2027-28 season.
Arvid Soderblom still has one year left on his current deal, which might give him the edge for the job going into 2026-27. There is a chance that Commesso plays in the NHL, but another year of AHL seasoning may be in front of him as well.
In 3 NHL appearances last season, Commesso had a .918 save percentage, a 2.31 goals against average, and 1 shutout. It’s a small sample size, but he was great when called upon. With the way the NHL is trending these days, having 3 capable goalies will help the Blackhawks navigate an 84-game schedule.
Commesso has the talent to become a starter years down the line, but he has a lot to prove before he can be that for the Blackhawks or someone else. For now, he has a contract set up to give him the best chance at success.
Now, Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, and Ethan Del Mastro are the only three remaining restricted free agents in the Chicago Blackhawks system.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 05: JP Sears #38 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 05, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a week straight of losing games, the San Diego Padres finally put one back in the win column. With their win on Sunday afternoon, the club staved off the sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That, thankfully, put an end to the Friars’ eight-game losing streak. It has felt like much longer than that, but the club has started to look better. The last three games have felt especially healthy, despite San Diego being 1-2 in that span.
Starter JP Sears pitched four hitless innings against L.A. before giving up a single in the bottom of the fifth. Bench coach Randy Knorr, who replaced Craig Stammen after the latter was ejected in the first inning, decided to pull Sears for unknown reasons. San Diego’s starters have looked better lately. They’ll need to keep that up against the Arizona Diamondbacks heading into their final homestand before the All-Star break.
Taking the mound
Brandon Pfaadt (AZ) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
Pfaadt has been a solid back-end starter for Arizona, but he’s struggled lately. This season, the righty owns a 5.40 ERA through just 43 1/3 innings pitched. Pfaadt’s pitched better as of late, but he still owns a 4.50 ERA across his last 14 innings.
San Diego should have no problems tagging the righty for some runs. Jake Croneworth owns a lifetime .409 batting average against him (22 at-bats). Similarly, third baseman Manny Machado has a 1.061 OPS versus Pfaadt. Both will look to continue that success.
After completely turning his season around, Buehler had a setback in his last start. Buehler had given up just one run apiece in every start he made in June. Then came his last outing against the Chicago Cubs. Nine earned runs in just four innings of work. It was, by far, the righty’s roughest outing this season.
The Friars will have to hope that Buehler can rebound quickly and quiet Arizona’s bats. The Diamondbacks haven’t been able to put many runs on the board lately. San Diego will hope to keep that up in the four-game set against them.
Batter up!
The lineup looked healthy against Los Angeles against everyone but Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Aside from that Game 3 shutout, the club put up a combined 15 runs in the series. Sunday’s eventual win came thanks to a Machado three-run shot that proved to be the difference maker.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Manny Machado, 3B
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Jackson Merrill, CF
Xander Bogaerts, DH
Sung-Mun Song, SS
Rodolfo Durán, C
Samad Taylor, LF
Tatis has also looked healthy, going 3-for-5 in the series finale. The only batter at the top of the lineup that has struggled is Cronenworth, after a hot start at the plate, he has struggled lately. He could be dropped in the order ahead of the series opener against Arizona. That would likely mean Taylor’s return to the number two spot.
Relief corps
The bullpen looked somewhat spotty in the finale but managed to lock things down. If not for Machado’s three-run homer in the seventh, the game would have been much closer thanks to the two runs L.A. got back. That said, Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez pitched well through command issues. Adrian Morejon looked good, striking out three across 1 2/3 innings.
And then, the return of the Reaper. Mason Miller locked down his first save since June 23. In doing so, he put his ERA back below 1.00 after raising it on Saturday night. He pitched a perfect inning against the Dodgers and may pitch again tonight, but will likely be on the bench to rest. Kyle Hart, Alek Jacob, Ron Marinaccio and Wandy Peralta will be available for tonight’s opener against the Dbacks.
The Winnipeg Jets are looking to make meaningful additions to their offense heading into next season as they push to get back into playoff contention, and it may come by way of another trade with the Buffalo Sabres, though not involving the player most people are thinking of.
It's well known by now that the Jets received a substantial trade offer for superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck that reportedly included the fourth overall pick, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a player believed to be Jack Quinn and at least one additional asset.
Now the trade talks between the two clubs appear to be shifting toward a much smaller piece of that same deal. The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta has once again linked the Jets to Quinn as Winnipeg continues searching for an impact forward to add to its top six.
Quinn, 24, is a young two-way winger with plenty of upside as a former eighth overall pick at the 2020 NHL Draft, and his game has continued to trend in the right direction. The Cobden, Ontario native is coming off a career-best 51-point season on 20 goals in all 82 games for Buffalo, along with seven points in the playoffs.
Buffalo may look to move the young talent as he enters the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent next summer, and the Sabres have reportedly been shopping him since before the draft in search of a roster upgrade rather than more draft capital.
If the Jets can find a way to make it work, it could give them a meaningful addition to their top six, though the exact cost of acquiring Quinn on his own, separate from any larger Hellebuyck package, is not yet known.
It could take a notable return, especially with Buffalo looking to build off the momentum from this past season, when the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in six games in the first round before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in a seven-game battle in the second.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 06: Tyler Tolbert #2 of the Kansas City Royals hits his first home run of the season during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Kauffman Stadium on July 06, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Amy Kontras/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You dolt. You idiot. You rube. You fool. You know nothing. This guy said it looked bad for the Royals in today’s game thread. Who is that guy? He sucks. *Getting a message in my earpiece* Oh, well, uh. I’m being told that the Royals put together 22 hits in a 15-1 complete drubbing of the Phillies.
Tyler Tolbert went 5-for-5 (the first 5-hit game by a Royal since Hunter Dozier in May 2022). Every starter except Josh Rojas had at least 1 hit. Salvador Perez nearly hit for the cycle (he was a triple short before being removed after a HBP). Tolbert himself was only a triple short of the cycle. The Royals scored in every inning. Every one!
The game did not start all that well. Noah Cameron gave up two doubles (one off the center field fence to Alec Bohm) and a walk in the first inning before getting a second out. After a mound visit, he managed to get the last two outs sandwiched around another walk without giving up another run. Which was good – the bases were loaded. Always nice to see a guy get out of a jam without his best stuff. That was the theme of the day for Cameron; more on that later.
But then it turned heavily into the Royals favor in the bottom of the first. The Royals got that first run back through some small ball – a walk, a forceout that Bobby beat the double play on despite hitting it really hard because he’s a speed demon, and a single put runners on first and second with one out. Jac Caglianone hit another grounder that looked like an easy double play ball to end the inning, but Phillies shortstop Trea Turner made an errant throw to first that allowed a runner to score with only one out added to the tally.
The Royals followed with a singles parade to make a speed dater blush. Nick Loftin did not challenge a clear ball on 3-0, but he popped a single to right field anyway to score Cags on a *very* close play at home. Right fielder Brandon Marsh made a beautiful throw and it still wasn’t good enough. Starling Marte lined another Sánchez offering to left field, this time scoring Loftin on a play that was not close at the plate. Tyler Tolbert chopped a weak grounder to short, and this time Turner actually made the throw. But Tolbert’s fast and beat the throw. Poor Turner haha.
Luke Maile came to the plate with two outs, two runners on, and a 3-1 lead. He blew open the game with an opposite-field dinger that juuuuuuuust barely cleared the fence and the outstretched glove of center fielder Derek Hill. Statcast thinks that would be a homer in 21/30 parks anyway. No matter, the damage was done to make the score 6-1 before the Phillies came to bat again.
The Captain added another run with a homer in the bottom of the second (could have been more, but Lane Thomas had a TOOTBLAN on a Bobby Witt Jr fly ball that would have been a homer in 7/30 parks. Alas, it was a double play at Kauffman). That was homer #11 for Salvador Perez. The Royals kept going in the bottom of the third with a Loftin single and Tolbert double to push the lead to 8-1.
Finally, in the fourth inning, the Phillies gave up on Sánchez’s outing. Lane Thomas blasted a no-doubter homer to the left-center field gap and made it 9-1. Witt followed with a single and Perez a double, and thusly Sánchez was no more. Seth Johnson got the rest of the outs before it got worse that inning, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t get worse for the rest of the game for the Phillies. In the fifth, Tolbert got into even MORE of the action by hitting a home run of his own! His first of the season. He drove it into the left field visitor’s bullpen to make it 10-1.
They kept the singles parade going in the sixth inning with Witt, Loftin, and Marte hitting three singles to score one more, making it 11-1. In the seventh inning, the Royals used their *plate discipline* to take two walks before Perez got hit by a pitch and subbed out. With the bases loaded and one out, Cags plated another run by squeaking a ground ball in between the first and second basemen. Michael Massey scored on a subsequent groundout.
The Phillies called on Garrett Stubbs to throw absolute chimneys in the bottom of the eighth, and it went exactly as well as you would think. The Royals kept the singles parade going and added two more runs to finish off the scoring at 15 runs.
Cameron worked around a couple singles and a walk in the second inning to give up no runs (another bases loaded situation). Again, Cameron worked around two singles in the third but gave up no runs. He just kept working around baserunners and did not have his best stuff. He ended up making it only five innings with five walks. But he also got seven strikeouts and gave up only one run. It was good enough. He gutted out enough innings to give the bullpen a chance to hold a massive lead, which it did without giving up ANY runs! Steven Cruz, Beck Way, and Jose Cuas blanked the Phillies for four innings while the Royals piled on.
The Royals are now 37-54. The Phillies are 50-41. The Royals take this series against the Phillies and travel to New York and Baltimore for a road trip before the All-Star break.
Jun 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Due to the unusual Saturday-Monday scheduling, you might have forgotten that the Phillies would be wrapping up the series against the Kansas City Royals with an afternoon game today. If so, don’t feel bad. You didn’t miss anything worth seeing (if you’re a Phillies fan, that is. Royals fans probably greatly enjoyed the game). Heck, the Phillies themselves barely showed up as they suffered a 15-1 bludgeoning.
After a listless effort on Sunday, you figured that the Phillies were still in good position to win the series. After all, the Royals are having an awful season, and the Phillies had ace Cristopher Sanchez on the mound. What could possibly go wrong?
As it turns out, just about everything! Sanchez turned in the worst start of his career, there was a critical error in the field, and the offense left a ton of runners on base.
The game actually started off in promising fashion. Trea Turner led off the game with a double (don’t worry, he’d undo any good will shortly), Bryce Harper walked, and Alec Bohm made it 1-0 with a double to center field. But after Brandon Marsh struck out and Edmundo Sosa walked, Bryson Stott grounded out to leave the bases loaded.
Sanchez was clearly off from the start as he walked leadoff hitter Lane Thomas on four pitches. After getting an out and giving up another single, it looked like he would be able to escape the early jam when Caglianone hit a ball to second that looked like a tailor-made double play ball. But after securing the out at second, Turner’s throw went wide of first base. (Please see the below explanation as to why the runs in the inning were earned despite this error.)
I’ve had a ton of questions regarding today’s first inning in Kansas City regarding the @Phillies at @Royals, and why all six runs were earned despite an error.
The error by Turner is a throwing error, and while a good throw would have ended the inning, this is NOT an assumed… pic.twitter.com/0a6Z6vueYO
— MLB Scoring Changes (@ScoringChanges) July 6, 2026
Sanchez really could have used that out. Immediately afterwards, he fell behind three straight hitters and gave up singles to all of them. Facing backup catcher Luke Maile seemed like an opportunity to minimize the damage. Instead, Maile maximized the damage with a three-run home run.
The Phillies had a chance to pick up their ace and make it a slugfest in the second. They loaded the bases once again, bringing Bohm to the plate with two outs. This time, he was unable to get a run home. He grounded out to bring the Phillies’ left on base total to six. (They tied the record for most runners left on base through two innings!)
Sanchez did not settle in after that bad first inning. A second inning Salvador Perez home run made it 7-1, an RBI double by Tyler Tolbert made it 8-1 in the third, and a Thomas home run in the fourth made it 9-1.
Manager Don Mattingly tried to get some innings out of Sanchez, but when the next two batters had base hits, he had no choice but to pull the pitcher. Sanchez’s final line: 3.1 IP, 12 hits, 9 runs, 1 K, and three home runs allowed. Good thing the All-Star selections have been made already.
The rest of the game was soaked up by the lesser lights of the Phillies’ bullpen as well as an inning by Garrett Stubbs. That went about as well as you’d expect.
Offensively, the Phillies didn’t really give up. They kept getting runners on base, thanks to ten hits and seven walks. But they weren’t able to get any of those runners home after the first.
The Phillies will next travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds. I’d say the Phillies have a good chance to end their two-game losing streak with Zack Wheeler scheduled to start on Tuesday, but after watching Cristopher Sanchez get demolished, I don’t think we can safely assume anything.
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Shane Drohan (55) pitches during the first inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 1, 2026. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to begin a five-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals this week, beginning with a Monday night showdown at Busch Stadium.
Left-handed rookie Shane Drohan is set to get the ball for the Brewers, with right-handed veteran Dustin May toeing the bump for St. Louis. Drohan, 27, is 3-2 this season with a 3.12 ERA, 3.18 FIP, and 59 strikeouts over 57 2/3 innings in 17 appearances, including seven starts. He’s looked solid in his last three outings against the Guardians and Reds (x2), totaling 15 innings with three runs allowed on 14 hits and seven walks, striking out 15. Drohan has made two relief appearances against the Cards this year, totaling 3 1/3 innings with one run allowed on two hits and a walk while striking out two. This will be his first start against them.
May, 28, had a solid stretch that included a one-hit shutout of the Padres in early June, but he’s struggled in his two most recent outings. While he has a 4.80 ERA and 3.37 FIP with 78 strikeouts over 84 1/3 innings this year, he totaled just 2 2/3 innings against the Royals and Braves, allowing 11 runs on 11 hits and three walks, though St. Louis won both of those games in high-scoring affairs. May has made two career starts against the Brewers, totaling 8 2/3 innings with an 0-1 record, 2.08 ERA, and 12 strikeouts. He went seven no-hit innings against the Brewers back in May, but he ultimately took the loss when he gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a hit by pitch in the eighth inning before exiting.
Christian Yelich bats leadoff as the DH, followed by Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang. William Contreras bats cleanup, with Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell to follow. Sal Frelick, Cooper Pratt, and David Hamilton round out the order in what is a lefty-heavy lineup.
First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Players change agents all the time and it goes by with little mention, but Kawhi Leonard changing agents for his next negotiations — pushing aside his longtime advisors — is worth noting.
Leonard and Toronto — who just traded for the veteran winger — are expected to start negotiations on a contract extension off his $50.3 million deal this year.
Handling those negotiations will be Harrison Gaines of SLASH Sports, replacing Leonard's longtime representatives Mitch Frankel and "Uncle" Dennis Robertson, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
It is not a coincidence that this change comes after the NBA launched an investigation into Leonard's contract with the Clippers and whether the team used former sponsor Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap and get more money to Leonard. Robertson, in particular, has been discussed in that investigation, and the off-the-books additions he allegedly asked teams for during Leonard's free agency are legendary. Leonard and the Clippers have denied any wrongdoing, and the lengthy investigation drags on.
Leonard was traded to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and a couple of first-round draft picks. Leonard is coming off an All-NBA season where he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game, shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc. He is an excellent fit for Toronto and can help push the team near the top of the East — but only if he is healthy. While he played 65 games last season, in his seven seasons in Los Angeles, he reached that number twice.
