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Choose Your Fighter: Gallant Joins Small List Of Former NHL Coaches Now Working In KHL

Gerard Gallant joined the list of former NHL coaches leading KHL teams in thrilling fashion.

The newly rebranded Shanghai Dragons announced Gallant as their new coach in a dramatic Mortal Kombat-style video posted to their social media channels on Wednesday.

"Inside every heart lives a child dreaming of legendary journeys," the video said. "And in every legend, there is a master – one who has shaped the greatest heroes."

The video then showed depictions of Jaromir Jagr and Artemi Panarin, two former KHL players Gallant coached during his time with the NHL's Florida Panthers and New York Rangers.

"Now, the master has arrived to build a new team with a new name: Gerard Gallant," the video said.

The announcement transitioned from a dragon's fiery eyes into a depiction of Gallant wearing armor.

The Dragons rebranded last week from Kunlun Red Star Beijing with a similar action-packed video announcement. They are the KHL's only team from China, although they'll play in St. Petersburg, Russia, this upcoming season, with a two-year window to return to China.

Gallant is the third active KHL coach to have also been an NHL bench boss. Here are details on the three "masters."

Gerard Gallant, Shanghai

Gallant, 61, signed a two-year contract to coach the Dragons, whose CEO said they must make the playoffs and push deep into the post-season to maintain strong interest in China.

"We understood that building a strong team usually takes more than one season — the example of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl speaks for itself," Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. That’s why the Dragons needed not just an experienced, high-profile head coach, but a specialist capable of building a competitive team in the shortest possible time.

"That instantly reminded us of Vegas, a team that made it to the Stanley Cup final in their very first season, with Gerard Gallant serving as head coach at the time."

Gallant won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year when the Golden Knights reached the final in 2017-18. He first coached the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2004 to 2006, then the Panthers from 2015 to 2016 before joining Vegas. After his time with the Golden Knights, he guided the Rangers to the Eastern Conference final in 2022 before losing in the first round in 2023, leading to a mutual parting of ways.

In 705 regular-season NHL games, Gallant has a 369-262-70 record, with four ties and a 31-29 playoff record. He's also a two-time QMJHL champion, Memorial Cup champion and two-time World Championship gold medallist.

The Dragons feature Winnipeg Jets prospect Auston Wong, 2007 Nashville Predators draft pick Jeremy Smith, former Calgary Flames prospect Spencer Foo and his brother, Parker Foo.

Last year, Kunlun finished ninth of 11 teams in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.

Bob Hartley (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

Bob Hartley, Yaroslavl

Hartley is entering his first season coaching Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which won the Gagarin Cup as KHL playoff champions. The coach who led the team to the championship, Igor Nikitin, left Yaroslavl for CSKA Moscow.

Hartley, 64, hasn't coached a team since 2021-22, his fourth season with KHL Omsk. That year, he won the Gagarin Cup and was the KHL's coach of the year. Before that, he coached Latvia's men's squad for two years.

The Hawkesbury, Ont., native last coached in the NHL in 2015-16. He led the Calgary Flames for four seasons, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2014-15 after advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Hartley also coached the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007, but most of his success came with the Colorado Avalanche before that. 

The Avalanche got to at least the conference final four times under Hartley. And in 2000-01, they went 52-16-10-4 in the regular season and 16-7 in the playoffs to capture the Stanley Cup.

His NHL coaching record is 463-361-59 with 61 ties in the regular season and 54-41 in the playoffs. He's also a playoff champion in the AHL, QMJHL, Swiss National League and Jr. A CCHL.

Hartley told French-Canadian radio station BPM Sports in July he accepted the offer to honor the memory of his friend Brad McCrimmon, a Stanley Cup champion, 1,200-game NHL veteran and assistant coach who was named Yaroslavl's bench boss in 2011 before he and most of the team died in a plane crash. Hartley said in French it touched him to relive the passion and friendship he had for McCrimmon.

Yaroslavl's squad includes Nashville Predators prospect Egor Surin, who was drafted 22nd overall in 2024, as well as former NHLers Alexander Radulov and Byron Froese.

Guy Boucher (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

Guy Boucher, Omsk

Boucher is entering his second season coaching Avangard Omsk after losing to Yaroslavl in the second round of the playoffs.

The 54-year-old hadn't been a head coach since working for the Ottawa Senators from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He helped the Senators reach the Eastern Conference final in 2016-17, when they lost in double overtime of Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The other time Boucher made the playoffs was in 2010-11 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which also reached the Eastern Conference final.

In parts of six seasons split between the Lightning and Senators, Boucher collected a 191-186-46 regular-season record and a 22-15 playoff record. Before heading to Omsk, he spent one season as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-24.

Boucher's won the Spengler Cup with Team Canada in 2015, the Swiss Cup in 2014-15 and the QMJHL playoffs in 2009. He also won gold with Canada's U-18 squad in 2008 and the world junior team in 2009.

Omsk's former NHL players include Nail Yakupov, Vasily Ponomarev, Maxime Lajoie and Andrew Poturalski. Their NHL prospects include Colorado's Ivan Yunin and Mikhail Gulyayev.

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Roman Anthony keeps putting himself on short lists with Hall of Famers

Roman Anthony keeps putting himself on short lists with Hall of Famers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In the modern era of social media hype trains, rare is the athlete who can actually live up to the billing.

Roman Anthony, though? He has somehow exceeded even the loftiest of expectations placed upon him prior to his MLB debut this season.

The ascent of Boston’s former No. 1 prospect was accentuated on Tuesday night in Houston, when the 21-year-old turned in an ultra-rare stat line with four walks, four runs scored and a home run for good measure. (Anthony did technically strike out on a check swing on a 3-2 pitch in his third plate appearance, though the call certainly could have gone either way.)

According to the Red Sox’ media relations team, Anthony is the third-youngest player since 1901 to have four or more walks and at least one home run in a game, and the youngest to do so since Ted Williams did it for the Red Sox in 1939. Williams was 70 days younger than Anthony when he accomplished that unique feat, and only Mel Ott (at 20 years, 124 days) did it at a younger age.

Barry Bonds turned in that stat line when he was almost a year older than Anthony’s current age.

Anthony also was the first leadoff hitter since at least 1920 to score four or more runs, take four or more walks, and hit at least one homer in a single game.

While that stat line may be a bit of an oddity, it’s merely one of several short lists that Anthony has been joining lately — with most of them filled only with current or future Hall of Famers.

The Red Sox also noted that Anthony became the second-youngest player in franchise history to score four or more runs in a game. Only Bobby Doerr — a 1986 inductee of the Hall of Fame whose retired No. 1 hangs forever in right field at Fenway — did so at a younger age (back in 1938 and 1939).

The Red Sox were happy to share more Anthony stats, including the fact that he has the fourth-best on-base percentage of any player since 1950 through 52 career games at .406. Ahead of him on that list: Willie McCovey (.429), Albert Pujols (.416) and Juan Soto (.413).

That note also stated that Anthony is the third-youngest major leaguer since 1901 to record 30 or more walks and score 30 or more runs in their first 52 games, with only Juan Soto (19 years old) and Jason Heyward (20) doing so at a younger age.

Here’s one more, from former Red Sox media relations manager J.P. Long: Anthony has reach based the second-most times among players under 22 years old in their first 52 games with 89. That’s two fewer than Pujols and one more than Soto.

All of those tidbits came after Tuesday night’s game broadcast displayed an eye-popping stat: Anthony became the first Red Sox player since Ted Williams with 20-plus extra-base hits and 20-plus walks in his first 51 career games.

Any time any player becomes the first to do anything since Ted Williams, it’s going to draw plenty of attention. Yet the even-keeled Anthony — who signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with Boston last week — seemingly hasn’t been impacted by any of the increasing attention he’s continued to bring upon himself with his nightly performances.

It’s all perhaps even more impressive, considering Anthony started his MLB career on an ice-cold streak. He had just two hits in his first nine games, and from his call-up date on June 9 until June 25, Anthony was just 5-for-44 (.114) with a .291 OBP and .518 OPS.

Since that date, Anthony is hitting .341 with a .445 OBP and .967 OPS. And since being moved to the leadoff spot in the lineup on July 27, he’s hit .340 with a 1.028 OPS.

The Red Sox noted that since June 28, Anthony has the second-highest OBP, third-highest batting average and 10th-highest OPS in the majors.

Needless to say, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has enjoyed the show from the dugout.

“With him, everything is fast, right? Except his at-bats. He slows down everything,” Cora said during his weekly interview with WEEI on Wednesday. “I’m very impressed, just the way he controls the strike zone is something that when you start looking around the league, Juan Soto, he does that. He did it from the get-go. That’s what Roman is doing.”

Cora added: “It’s just fun to watch.”

At such a young age, Anthony obviously has a very, very long way to go before the story of his career is written. Yet as each passing night makes clear, it would have been nearly impossible for Anthony to have written a better opening chapter.

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Report: Former Predators Forward Signs With KHL Club

Former Nashville Predators forward Rocco Grimaldi is headed overseas.

The 32-year-old native of Rossmoor, Calif. signed a two-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Grimaldi was rumored to be headed to Russia late last week. His most recent NHL action came in 2021-22, when he appeared in seven games with the Predators without registering a point. His first full NHL season came with Nashville in the 2018-19 season, when he registered 13 points in 53 games.

The 5-foot-6, 181-pound forward was drafted 33rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He spent three seasons at the University of North Dakota, collecting 77 points (31-46-77) with 68 penalty minutes and a +22 rating over 86 games.

Grimaldi also played in the USHL with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. In 55 appearances, he recorded 45 points (23-22-45) with 40 penalty minutes.

Grimaldi has played in 203 NHL games during his career between Florida, Colorado and Nashville, tallying 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points, along with four points in 11 post-season games.

While his NHL success has been fleeting at best, the right-shot forward has thrived in the American Hockey League. In 499 career AHL games, he’s totaled 428 points (192-236-428).

Grimaldi was mainly a bottom-six forward with the Predators. Despite concerns about his size, the Panthers took him in the second round, though much of his success has come at the AHL level.

Having failed to crack the NHL in the last three seasons, Grimaldi will now try his hand in the KHL.

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Venus Williams, 45, will be oldest US Open singles entrant in 44 years

  • Williams to play first slam singles since 2023

  • Oldest US Open singles entrant since 1981

  • Seven-time major champ won in 2000 and 2001

Venus Williams will make her return to Grand Slam singles at the US Open after a two-year absence, having received a wildcard invitation on Wednesday to compete at Flushing Meadows at age 45.

Williams will be the oldest singles entrant at the tournament since Renee Richards played there at 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.

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Why Domantas Sabonis is excited for full Kings season with star teammates

Why Domantas Sabonis is excited for full Kings season with star teammates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Domantas Sabonis is looking forward to the Kings having a full training camp to improve chemistry among himself, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and coach Doug Christie leading up to the 2025-26 NBA season.

“I think it’s going to help,” Sabonis told reporters Wednesday at his second annual youth basketball camp in Rocklin. “You know, [LaVine] in halfway through the season, also a new coach — not the system the coach might want to play, [and] players learning it. 

“I know Doug’s working hard on the new system and how he wants to play us. He’s going to translate it through training camp. And so far, all summer, we’ve been getting little bits and pieces of that new offense. Hopefully, when training camp comes, we’re just ready to go.”

LaVine was acquired at the 2025 NBA trade deadline in the blockbuster deal that sent longtime Sacramento icon De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, and Christie is in his first offseason of officially being the Kings’ coach after serving as the interim following Mike Brown’s firing in late December.

DeRozan, too, is entering his second season with the franchise.

Sacramento has a well-rounded roster, but it’s clear the key players themselves never fully adjusted to the new-look offense upon LaVine’s arrival, as reflected by the Kings’ 40-42 record in 2024-25.

Though the two-time NBA All-Star did average 22.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds over his first 32 games with Sacramento. But in that span, the Kings still won a mere 14 games and finished the whirlwind of a campaign by being eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA play-in tournament.

Sabonis is well aware of the untapped potential his team has centered around himself, DeRozan and LaVine. The three-time All-Star even told reporters that he and some teammates already have been practicing together before training camp starts on Sept. 29.

“Of course,” Sabonis said about working out with his Kings teammates. “I’m flying down … tonight, after the camp, to LA. We’re going to meet up with some guys, you know, and just get some work in.”

Sabonis added that he will not be participating in any international hoops for his native country of Lithuania. He is strictly focused on bringing the Kings back to the NBA playoffs.

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Former Panthers Coach Joining KHL Team As New Bench Boss

Former Florida Panthers coach Gerard Gallant will be joining the Shanghai Dragons as their new head coach. 

Gallant was a long-time NHL head coach, but he hasn't worked in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, when the New York Rangers fired him. He coached over 700 NHL games, winning a Jack Adams Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Gallant spent two full seasons with the Panthers as the bench boss before they fired him in his third season after an 11-10-1 start to the 2016-17 season. The Panthers missed the playoffs in Gallant's first campaign but won the Atlantic Division in his second, recording 103 points and winning 47 games. The Panthers were defeated in the first round of the post-season by the New York Islanders in six games.

After various levels of success following his Panthers tenure, Gallant has seemingly fallen out of the pecking order in the NHL head coaching job search and has decided to make the move to Europe.

 

Gerard Gallant (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)

The Shanghai Dragons, formerly known as the Kunlun Red Star, were established in 2016 as a Chinese-based team, but they haven't played a game in China since 2020. The franchise has missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons and has been near or at the bottom of the KHL standings for most of its existence. 

Since 2020, the Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in the Moscow area and will play this season in St. Petersburg. However, according to the club’s announcement, they would like to return to China in 2026-27, or 2027-28 at the latest.

The Dragons have high expectations for Gallant as they attempt to cement their placing in the KHL.

“As it turned out, Gallant emerged as the clear choice, meeting every single one of team’s criteria,” Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh is quoted in the club’s announcement. “We reached out to him outlining the club’s vision and key objectives.”

“We understood that building a strong team usually takes more than one season,” said Belykh. “Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. That’s why the Dragons needed not just an experienced, high-profile head coach, but a specialist capable of building a competitive team in the shortest possible time.”

With these high expectations comes a whole heap of pressure. Gallant has shown previously that he can turn things around very quickly, but on the opposite side of the world, playing a different brand of hockey, jumping out to a start as quickly as the club's CEO is hoping for might be wishful thinking. 

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai DragonsGerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.
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Cricket Australia chief warns some countries risk going bust by playing Tests

  • Todd Greenberg sees a future with fewer Test nations

  • Winter Tests in Darwin and Cairns could be revived

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has warned some nations will go “bankrupt” if they continue to play the longest format of the game, stressing he sees a future with fewer Test nations.

Admitting he has become a “little unpopular” since taking over from Nick Hockley in March, the former Australian Cricketers’ Association boss believes “scarcity in Test cricket is our friend, not our foe”.

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What we learned as Giants are swept by Padres at Oracle Park after blowout loss

What we learned as Giants are swept by Padres at Oracle Park after blowout loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Exactly two months ago, on a beautiful night in Los Angeles, the Giants moved into a tie for first place. 

On Wednesday, they got a standing ovation from Oracle Park in the seventh when a sacrifice fly cut their deficit against the San Diego Padres to 10 runs.

That’s where this 2025 MLB season has gone. 

Looking to avoid a sweep, the Giants instead played one of their ugliest games of the year. Kai-Wei Teng lasted just five outs and the Giants kicked the ball around early while falling behind 10-0 through the first five innings. 

The 11-1 loss dropped them a season-high three games under .500 and was their fifth straight. They have scored five total runs in those five games, and their MLB playoff hopes are in a coma. 

Two months after they moved into a tie atop the West, the Giants fell 10 back of the Padres, who are a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers after an easy sweep. With the loss, the Giants got caught in the West standings by the Arizona Diamondbacks, with both teams sitting six games out of the final wild-card spot. 

Seven-Run Second

The second inning included three walks, a two-run single that hit second base, a throwing error when Heliot Ramos spiked a ball into the grass in left field, and a passed ball that scored a run. There was some bad luck for Teng, particularly the soft liner from Jake Cronenworth that hit second base and ricocheted into left field. Fernando Tatis also hit a seeing-eye grounder that could have been an inning-ending double play in brighter times. 

But right now, everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and Teng certainly didn’t help himself. He threw 32 of 53 pitches for strikes and ran deep counts. When he was in the zone, his pitches were up and center-cut. 

Teng pitched well on Friday, earning another shot, but the Giants figure to look elsewhere the next time that rotation spot comes around. Blade Tidwell, Hayden Birdsong and Carson Whisenhunt are all in the Triple-A rotation, and Tidwell — who is on the 40-man roster — probably is ready for another shot in the big leagues. 

The Giants Have Lost 13 Of Their Last 14 Home Games

That’s hard to do.

No Seriously, That’s Really Hard to Do

This is the first time in San Francisco Giants history that they have lost 13 of 14 at home. The New York Giants did it in 1940 and also 1901.

Losing 13 of 14 under any circumstance is hard to swallow. Doing it with a $200 million roster that’s pretty much completely healthy and is playing in front of good crowds — the Giants drew 35,080 Wednesday — is completely unacceptable. It’s the kind of thing that should lead to organizational meetings on the off day to figure out if heads need to roll. 

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Cubs at Blue Jays prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for August 13

Its Wednesday, August 13 and the Cubs (67-51) are in Toronto to take on the Blue Jays (70-50) in Game 2 of their three-game series.

Cade Horton is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Kevin Gausman for Toronto.

The Jays continued their dominant play at home last night opening the series with a 5-1 win. Ernie Clement went yard with two ducks on the pond in the fourth inning to break open the game. Jose Berrios allowed two hits over 5.1 innings to improve to 9-4 on the season.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Cubs at Blue Jays

  • Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
  • Time: 7:07PM EST
  • Site: Rogers Centre
  • City: Toronto, ON
  • Network/Streaming: MARQ, Sportsnet

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Cubs at the Blue Jays

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

  • Moneyline: Cubs (+109), Blue Jays (-129)
  • Spread:  Blue Jays -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Blue Jays

  • Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Cade Horton vs. Kevin Gausman
    • Cubs: Cade Horton (6-3, 3.18 ERA)
      Last outing: August 6 vs. Cincinnati - 0.00 ERA, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 2 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
    • Blue Jays: Kevin Gausman (8-8, 3.85 ERA)
      Last outing: August 6 at Colorado - 1.29 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 3 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 8 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Blue Jays

  • After losing the series opener on the road, the Cubs have a 10-3 record in Game 2 this season
  • This season Kevin Gausman has an ERA of 3.86
  • With Kevin Gausman starting the Blue Jays are up 0.75 units on the Run Line at Rogers Centre in 2025
  • The Pete Crow-Armstrong MVP chatter has gone silent as the outfielder has started August with just 3 hits (2 singles and 1 double) in 37 ABs (.081)
  • Vladimir Guererro Jr. is 15-43 (.349) in August

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Blue Jays

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Cubs and the Blue Jays:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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Gerard Gallant Named Head Coach Of KHL’s Shanghani Dragons

Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Gerard Gallant has been named the head coach of the KHL’s Shanghani Dragons. 

The Dragons were previously known as the Kunlun Red Star, before officially rebranding this summer.

The 61-year-old coach takes over for Mikhail Kravets, who was let go after one season on the job.

Throughout his career, Gallant has served as head coach for several teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and most recently, the New York Rangers.

Gallant coached the Rangers for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. 

He led the Blueshirts to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022, but in his second season in New York, the team failed to live up to expectations and ultimately lost in the first round to the New Jersey Devils. 

Brett Berard Eying Perminant Role With Rangers Brett Berard Eying Perminant Role With Rangers Brett Berard will be competing for a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening night roster in training camp. 

“I don’t know if he’s (Gallant) been in any of these particular interviews this year, I just don’t know,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “I have heard he’s eager to prove that when he got let go by the Rangers, It wasn’t only about him, and he wants an opportunity to show people that. We’ll see if he gets an opportunity with teams to talk about that.”

If Gallant plans to one day return to the NHL, this opportunity in the KHL will be a chance for him to put his name back on the coaching radar.

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Mets calling Nolan McLean up for Saturday's start against Mariners

The Mets are turning to one of their top prospects in the starting rotation, promoting right-handerNolan McLean to make Saturday's start against the Mariners at Citi Field, reports SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino.

McLean will be replacing Frankie Montas, following Montas' move to the bullpen earlier this week.

Featuring an elite sweeper and mid-90s fastball, McLean has been dominant this season for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

In 113.2 innings, McLean has a 2.45 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 127 strikeouts -- a rate of 10.1 K's per nine.

He tossed 109.2 innings last season, meaning he should have plenty left in the tank down the stretch if the Mets give him a long look in the rotation -- which seems likely.

The No. 4 prospect in New York's farm system on SNY contributor Joe DeMayo's latest Top 30 list, McLean has excelled this year in what is his first season since transitioning from being a two-way player.

"McLean will throw five pitches, headlined by his mid-80s sweeper, which is one of the nastiest pitches in minor league baseball that has generated a 30 percent whiff rate at Triple-A," DeMayo recently wrote about McLean. "He mixes in two fastball shapes in a sinker and four-seamer that average around 95 mph and will touch 97. He also has a cutter and a curve ball that he can really spin, but only throws nine percent of the time."

While McLean is the first top pitching prospect up, fellow right-hander Brandon Sproat could possibly join him at some point before the end of the season.

Sproat, who features a fastball that reaches triple digits, has honed his skills over the last month-plus for Syracuse, including a recent stretch where he allowed just two runs in 33.0 innings.

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Sixers have their 2025-26 NBA Cup group play schedule

Sixers have their 2025-26 NBA Cup group play schedule originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers now know all the details of their work ahead in the 2025-26 NBA Cup.

The league announced the full group play schedule Wednesday. The Sixers’ is below: 

  • Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. ET vs. Celtics
  • Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Pistons
  • Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET vs. Magic 
  • Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Nets 

The Sixers did not advance out of group play in the first two editions of the NBA Cup, which was originally known as the In-Season Tournament. Overall, they went 5-10 last year against the teams in their 2025-26 Cup group: 

  • 2-2 vs. Nets
  • 1-2 vs. Pistons
  • 1-3 vs. Celtics
  • 1-3 vs. Magic

The team’s roster now includes former Net Trendon Watford, a close friend of Tyrese Maxey’s who’s expected to play a significant, versatile role. 

All six group winners and two “wild cards” — the best non-group winners in each conference — will make the quarterfinals. The Cup will conclude in Las Vegas, where the semifinals (Dec. 13) and championship game (Dec. 16) will be played. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.

On Thursday, the NBA will announce its complete 2025-26 schedule. 

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NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No. 5, Anaheim Ducks

The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings are nearly wrapped up, with the Anaheim Ducks in fifth place.

In these summer splash rankings, we’re examining each team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings to see who improved or worsened. We’ve already catalogued all teams that got worse or basically stayed the same, and we’ve nearly arrived at the very top of the group of teams that improved or, in special circumstances, exceeded expectations to prevent getting worse.

We’re focused solely on NHL teams’ off-season development, or lack thereof. The Ducks are still rebuilding, and it will be challenging for them to make the playoffs, but they took notable steps forward this summer.

Additions

Mikael Granlund (C), Chris Kreider (LW), Ryan Poehling (C), Petr Mrazek (G), Joel Quenneville (coach)

The Breakdown: The Ducks finished 16 points out of a playoff spot in the West, and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek went into the off-season with a mandate to get this team as competitive as possible as quickly as possible. 

You can’t argue he hasn’t done so, as bringing in a slew of veterans – including former Dallas Stars center Mikael Granlund, former New York Rangers left winger Chris Kreider and reinstated coach Joel Quenneville – will almost assuredly result in a better record for the Ducks next season.

Kreider and Granlund will be looked to for a boost on offense after the Ducks scored the third-fewest goals in the NHL last season. 

Kreider, 34, only had 22 goals and 30 points in 68 games, but he put up 39 goals and 75 points in 2023-24, so even landing somewhere in between would boost the Ducks. Granlund, 33, was one of the rebuilding San Jose Sharks’ leading scorers in the last two seasons before being traded to the Stars, where he still had 21 points in 31 games in more of a depth role.

Even Ryan Poehling, who came to the Ducks in the Trevor Zegras trade, can provide some solid depth scoring. He put up 12 goals and 31 points in 68 games with the Philadelphia Flyers while averaging just 13:53 of ice time.

Petr Mrazek came back in the John Gibson trade. He’ll compete with Ville Husso for the backup role. Either option is unlikely to perform as well as Gibson, so the goalie tandem is worse on paper but not enough to drag down the team’s overall improvement.

Quenneville must provide structure and confidence for a young Ducks core. And the truly crazy thing is that, after all those changes, Verbeek still has a whopping $20.5 million in available salary cap space. 

Some of that will go to RFA center Mason McTavish, or to a player McTavish is traded for, but the Ducks will be able to be big-timers in trades this year. If that’s what it takes to bring in more top-level performers who can be part of Anaheim’s long-term future, Verbeek and the rest of Anaheim management will be thrilled to do so.

Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlsson (Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images)

Departures

John Gibson (G), Trevor Zegras (C), Robby Fabbri (C), Isac Lundestrom (C), Brock McGinn (LW), Brett Leason (RW), Oliver Kylington (D), Greg Cronin (coach) 

The Breakdown: Gibson and Zegras are by far the Ducks’ biggest departures this off-season.

It felt like Gibson was in the trade rumor mill for at least two years, but now was the right time. Lukas Dostal, 25, played 54 games in net and showed he can permanently take over on starting duties. Gibson’s .912 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average were better than Dostal’s .903 SP and 3.10 GAA, but Dostal is still young for an NHL goalie and should only improve from here.

Trading Zegras would have been bewildering two years ago after his second 60-point season, but he’s since dealt with injury issues and a drop in production from 0.80 points per game in 2022-23 to 0.56 in 2024-25. With Leo Carlsson and McTavish becoming a one-two punch down the middle, and with Mikael Granlund under contract for the next three years, it made sense to move Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for a fresh start and craft a more consistently healthy and effective roster.

As for Robby Fabbri, Brock McGinn, Brett Leason and Oliver Kylington, they haven’t latched on with another NHL team as of mid-August. Some of them may get contracts later in the off-season, but the Ducks were a subpar team last year because they simply didn’t have enough above-average talent, and Verbeek has done what he could to flush out some of that subpar talent in favor of more proven veterans.

Also gone after two years behind Anaheim’s bench is coach Greg Cronin, who was in his first job as an NHL coach when Verbeek replaced him with Quenneville. It’s true the Ducks improved in Cronin’s time running the team, going from 59 points in Year 1 to 80 in Year 2, but the chance to bring in a multi-time Cup-winner in Quenneville sealed Cronin’s fate.

Anaheim will still have some growing pains in the next few years, but Verbeek has clearly improved his team’s depth. And that’s the name of the game when it comes to getting out of the mix of non-playoff teams and moving into the mix of playoff teams.

The Bottom Line

The Ducks missed the playoffs for the last seven seasons. Rebuilding was always going to take time, but Anaheim fans will tell you this current rebuild has already taken up more time than they hoped it would.

While it will still be a challenge for the Ducks to leapfrog over Pacific Division teams, such as the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, to qualify for the 2026 post-season, Anaheim now has a clearly defined core of youngsters to build around, and they’ve supplemented them with experienced hands in Kreider and Granlund.

At the end of next season, the Ducks may be a non-playoff team yet again. But the reason they’re so high in our summer splash rankings is because they’re a better team than the one that ended last season. They have more scoring power, they upgraded bench bosses, and their untouched defense core continues to develop along with their young starting netminder. 

At the very least, Anaheim should be playing meaningful hockey right down the stretch. Verbeek has done what he set out to do, and that’s why, in our opinion, only four teams rank higher in the NHL summer splash rankings than the Ducks.

Summer Splash Rankings

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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Red Sox at Astros prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for August 13

Its Wednesday, August 13 and the Red Sox (66-55) are in Houston to take on the Astros (67-53).

Walker Buehler is slated to take the mound for Boston against Hunter Brown for Houston.

The series is now tied at one game apiece following Boston's shellacking of the Astros, 14-1, last night. Alex Bregman homered again against his former team as part of the 13-hit onslaught. Dustin May had his best outing of the season throwing six innings of five-hit shutout ball for the Sox.

Lets dive into the series finale and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Astros

  • Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
  • Time: 7:10PM EST
  • Site: Minute Maid Park
  • City: Houston, TX
  • Network/Streaming: NESN, SCHN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Red Sox at the Astros

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

  • Moneyline: Red Sox (+141), Astros (-167)
  • Spread:  Astros -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Astros

  • Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Walker Buehler vs. Hunter Brown
    • Red Sox: Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40 ERA)
      Last outing: August 8 at San Diego - 0.00 ERA, 0 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
    • Astros: Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA)
      Last outing: August 8 at Yankees - 3.38 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Astros

  • The Red Sox have won 4 of their last 5 games against AL West teams
  • The Under has cashed in 10 of the Astros' last 12 home games with Hunter Brown on the mound
  • Hunter Brown has struck out at least 5 in each of his last 5 starts and in 7 of his last 8 outings
  • Rookie Roman Anthony has hit in 5 straight games (7-19)

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and the Astros

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Red Sox and the Astros:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)