The Detroit Red Wings have come to terms with St. Malo product Travis Hamonic on a one-year contract.
The 34-year-old will make an even $1 million for the 2025-26 season in Motor City, operating under general manager Steve Yzerman and head coach Todd McLellan.
Hamonic, who spent the past four seasons in Ottawa, has seen his numbers suffer over his time in the nation's capital, as his goal and point total have declined, while his plus-minus has also inflated over the past few seasons.
A veteran of 900 career games, Hamonic will look to revitalize things on the back-end in Detroit, which will be his fifth NHL team.
After spending seven years to start his career on the Island, the six-foot, 200-pound defender will look to find his way back to the postseason in Detroit after failing to crack the playoffs since the 2018-19 season with Calgary. Hamonic has only made it to the postseason three times in his 15-year career.
Hamonic joins Jacob Bernard-Docker, James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton, Ian Mitchell and John Gibson as new faces in the winged wheel for 2025-26.
Dodgers first base Freddie Freeman walks in the dugout during a loss to the Angels on Tuesday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Lately, the only thing the Dodgers excel at is losing games they should win. When they hit they can’t pitch and when they pitch they can’t hit. They can’t move runners over or get a clutch hit and, of course, the relievers still can’t throw strikes. It all adds up to a good year ... for the Padres.
Alan Abajian Alta Loma
To paraphrase the old adage, you can put lipstick on the Dodgers — for example, so and so is coming back ... or recovering.
But any team that has played as inconsistently as they have at the plate, in the field, and on the pitcher’s mound is very unlikely to survive in multiple playoff short series. It’s virtually certain that type of team will get tripped up along the way. Especially one predicted to win 120 games.
Kip Dellinger Santa Monica
Mr. Plaschke is saying that the Dodgers' failure to trade for bullpen help is the problem with the bullpen. Maybe he should point the finger at the guy (mis)using them.
John Vitz Manhattan Beach
Re: Bill Plaschke’s column on Dodgers at trade deadline — The Dodgers didn’t have an “inability” to improve their bullpen, it was an “unwillingness.” With the talent in their system, the Dodgers could have easily put together a package to get Mason Miller, David Bednar or similar. Impossible to know if there was any meaningful undisclosed trade talk to get better bullpen help, but it sure looks like the Dodgers simply decided not to do it. It also looks like it could be a big mistake.
John Merryman Redondo Beach
Truth be told, the story was about the incredible Angel comeback/sweep of the Dodgers. Once again the columnist focuses on the Dodgers' injuries instead of the Angels' mind-blowing bottom of the ninth rally. Will the "Summer Bummer" continue when the Padres invade Dodger Stadium?
Patrick Kelley Los Angeles
Who ARE these people and what have they done with our Dodgers?
Sarah Tamor Santa Monica
Kershaw finding a way
Most of Clayton Kershaw's career he has been a very successful power pitcher. As he has aged, and his velocity has dipped, Kershaw has become more of a crafty left-hander. Whichever version pitches on the mound, I'm just glad that Clayton Kershaw continues to have success and win for the Dodgers.
Chris Sorce Fountain Valley
How about winning more games?
In response to Ben Bolch's suggestions on how to increase Bruin football attendance, many fans will say, "just win, baby." Our alumni group of eight purchased season tickets in 1976, the same year that Geof Strand began his magical cheerleading run. For a generation, every home game, win or lose, was pure fun. Eight-claps punctuated the fall afternoon days with "every man, woman, and child" on their feet. The Bruin Marching Band provided the music, no amplified DJ production required. It is nearly impossible to return to the past, but hopefully Martin Jarmond, et al., will give Mr. Bolch's ideas serious consideration.
Dave Sanderson La Cañada
Ben Bolch's analysis for the lack of attendance was very good and covered most points; the long drive, helping the students and fans with costs, and the late start times and late setting of start times all have an influence, but there is one other BIG problem, the seats are extremely uncomfortable. They are 100 years old. I am under 6 feet and when I go I have to sit sideways. There is no room for my knees with the seat in front of me. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE!. Also a comment on the start time for the games. Ben was right on that one too. Games with a 7 p.m. start time and we get no coverage on the East Coast, not even on the late news there. It hurts recruiting and image. Start the games no later than 4 p.m.
Marty Meltzer Reseda
Indicator of success?
Ryan Kartje writes that college football preseason polls are useless. That may be true for teams in the middle and below in the rankings but not at the top. In the 11-year history of the College Football Playoff no team outside the preseason top six has won the championship.
Gerry Swider Sherman Oaks
Bad luck or no luck
Just the Chargers’ luck. Constructing a top-10 offense takes a big hit with Rashawn Slater going down for the season. What’s next?
Mitchell W. Cohen East Windsor, N.J.
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
Max Muncy hits a home run for the Dodgers against the New York Yankees on June 1. Muncy is expected to miss at least several weeks with a right oblique muscle strain. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the box score, all was not well. As you already have guessed, the bullpen: Five relievers were needed to cover the final three innings, in which the San Diego Padres put potential tying and/or go-ahead runs on base in each of those innings.
And, on Day 1 of Life Without Muncy 2.0, the Dodgers managed four hits.
With 40 games to play, the Dodgers and Padres are tied atop the National League West. If Max Muncy can play in even a handful of those games, the Dodgers will be grateful.
The Dodgers put their third baseman on the injured list Friday afternoon because of a strained oblique muscle. When Muncy went on the injured list last month because of a knee injury, the Dodgers led the majors in runs. He missed 25 games, in which the Dodgers ranked last in runs.
“Max just has that balance in the lineup, as far as another left-handed (hitter),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but also handles left-handed pitching and has the ability to get on base.
“He’s a threat. Now, without him, other guys have got to step up.”
The Dodgers’ left-handed bats, as of Friday: Ohtani, Freeman, outfielder Michael Conforto (.189) and backup catcher Dalton Rushing (.202).
It should go without saying that Ohtani and Freeman remain imposing. It should also go without saying that opponents might well line up right-handers against the Dodgers, including the Padres throwing Dylan Cease against them Saturday and Yu Darvish on Sunday.
Teoscar Hernández hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during the Dodgers' 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re going to see a slew of right-handed pitching,” Roberts said. “There are going to be right-handers coming out of the pen.
“Our right-handers have got to be better.”
On that score, the most encouraging development for the Dodgers on Friday was Hernández hitting what turned out to be the decisive home run.
“Teo came to life with a big homer,” Roberts said.
Hernández hit 33 home runs last season, when his OPS was at least .762 in each month of the season. His OPS has been below .762 in each month this season except the first one.
In the Dodgers’ first 29 games, he hit nine home runs. In the 93 games since then, he has hit 10.
“Some days, it's good. Some days, it's bad,” Hernández said. “Some days, it's in between. Hitting is not easy. But I'm going to continue to keep working and try to be consistent for the month and a half, and hopefully in the playoffs.”
The pennant stretch comes first, and Roberts has faith in Hernández.
Said Roberts: “It’s an easy bet that, when the stakes get higher, Teo is going to really show up for us.”
Muncy does that, in getting on base and in circling the bases. In October, when the pitching can rise to the occasion, so can Muncy.
His OPS is higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. He walks way more often. He can elevate the Dodgers’ lineup in October, if the rest of the lineup can step up and help get him there.
The Florida Panthers have done a remarkable job building a roster that will keep the team contending for the Stanley Cup for years to come.
That’s coming on the heels of back-to-back Stanley Cup victories and three straight Final appearances.
With such a formidable roster that’s locked up for the foreseeable future, THN Florida has been examining current Panthers players who could someday find their jersey numbers hanging in the rafters.
Today we’ll take a look at a man who has only played for the Panthers, and who could very well end up staying with Florida for the entirety of his career.
We’re talking about defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Florida selected Ekblad with the first overall selection at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He was only the second player that the Panthers have ever taken number one in the draft, following defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who was taken all the way back in 1994.
Ekblad immediately started at the NHL level with the Panthers as a fresh faced 18-year-old, putting up an impressive 12 goals and 39 points during his rookie campaign.
Most Panthers fans probably have to do a double take when realizing that Ekblad, despite already having played 11 seasons in the NHL, is still only 29 years old.
As he prepares to enter his 12th year with the Cats, Ekblad finds himself climbing the charts on several of Florida’s all-time statistical categories.
In terms of games played, Ekblad’s 732 only trail fellow Panthers lifer Sasha Barkov, who came into the league one year before Ekblad and has played 804 games with the Cats.
Regarding defensemen, Ekblad leads all Florida blueliners in goals, assists, games played, points, shots, power play goals and game-winning goals.
He’s third on Florida’s all-time assists list, behind Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, and fifth in total points, trailing Barkov, Huberdeau, Olli Jokinen and Stephen Weiss.
Last month, Ekblad signed an eight-year extension with the Panthers that will keep him in South Florida through the 2022-23 NHL season.
That means by the time he hangs up his skates, Ekblad will hold team defensive records that could stand for a long, long time.
Ekblad made it very clear in the time leading up to the offseason that despite being an unrestricted free agent, his only intent was to re-sign with Florida, and he took less money in order to do so.
It’s hard to imagine after playing nearly two full decades in a Panthers sweater, that Ekblad wouldn’t be immortalized in the franchise’s history by having his number retired.
He’s already carved out a special place for himself in team history, and that legend is only going to grow as he plays out his deal on a team that should continue competing for Stanley Cups.
Ekblad may not get as much credit for it as he deserves, but this guy is as ‘Panthers’ as anyone has been in the team’s history.
He deserves recognition for it, and someday, the team will likely make sure he absolutely gets it.
Photo caption: Jan 26, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
When it comes to hockey, Montreal is a city that never sleeps. All through the summer, we’ve seen footage coming out of the Montreal Canadiens’ training facility in Brossard of players training hard through the dog days of Summer. There’s been plenty of talk about Ivan Demidov spending the summer in his new hometown and a lot of speculation about Kirby Dach’s health status. Earlier this week, GM Kent Hughes spoke to NHL.com about both players, and what he had to say was interesting.
Speaking about Russian rookie Demidov, the man in charge praised his work ethic, saying the youngster has been skating in Brossard twice a day, five times a week, adding that he’s been trying to keep him off the ice. It sounds like Hughes has another Lane Hutson on his hands. Last season, the now sophomore defenseman was spending so much time on the ice that the Canadiens had to forbid him to skate for him to take a day off when the rest of the team wasn’t skating.
The GM also added he felt he could see Demidov start to figure the NHL game out during the playoffs when it came to knowing how much time he had, or didn’t have, to make a play. That’s undoubtedly an encouraging sign for a player who has only had seven games of NHL hockey under his belt. Despite being very young and green, you can expect Demidov to slide into a top-six pair when the puck drops on the 2025-26 season.
Speaking of the top six, Hughes also briefly talked about Dach’s health status and mentioned the hope is that the center will be ready to go at the start of the season or early in the fall. While there was no promise made about him being prepared to start the upcoming season, in the Canadiens’ press release about his injury, it was mentioned that he was expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
As we’ve discussed earlier this offseason, coming back from a second ACL injury is a big deal, and Canadiens fans don’t have to look very far to realize that. Former Habs blueliner Andrei Markov had to go under the knife twice for this same injury, and the road to recovery was a long one.
Dach will be ready when he is ready, but at this stage, it’s important not to rush him back and allow the knee to heal properly if the Canadiens want to see and get the very best out of the 24-year-old.
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to first base to force out San Diego's Ramón Laureano during the fifth inning of the Dodgers' 3-2 win Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw gave up just two hits and one earned run over six innings. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When the Dodgers are reeling and roiling and losing their grip on a long hot summer, who is the one player who can stop the fall and calm the nerves and, oh yeah, kick some San Diego Padre butt?
Still, still, still, Clayton Kershaw.
He’s 37 with a battered 18-season body and a fastball the speed of a Zamboni and yet there he was Friday night, carrying an entire worried Dodger nation on his weary shoulders into the opener of a three-game series against the cocky rivals who had just stolen first place.
“We had the right guy on the mound tonight, I think we all know that,” said manager Dave Roberts, smiling for what seemed like the first time in a week. “What he did for us tonight, not only just the compete, but the stuff ... getting us through six innings was huge, setting us up for the rest of the series ... Clayton set the tone ... big, big outing by him.”
It was a blast from the past, only it’s been happening in the present, Kershaw behaving like the staff’s second-best starter, improving his record to 7-2 while lowering his ERA to 3.01 and, as crazy as this once sounded, making an early case for inclusion in the postseason rotation.
“It was a good night,” Kershaw said.
Understated as usual. For all this game meant, it was a great night.
Since July 4 the Dodgers had been worse than even the Colorado Rockies, with a 12-21 record while losing 10 games in the standings to the Padres in a span of 40 days, surrendering first place just two days ago, and set to play the Padres six times in the next two weeks.
They desperately needed somebody to stop the bleeding. And before the game, Roberts claimed that Kershaw was “the perfect guy” to do it.
There was Kershaw, spinning and steering and surfing the ball past the Padre bats with apparent ease, his only mistake a hanging curve that Ramón Laureano hit 400 feet.
There was Kershaw, deftly making plays from the mound, demonstrably pleading for every close strike call, proudly stalking from the mound into a dugout filled with hugs and high-fives.
And there was Kershaw, after his maligned bullpen danced through danger and barely survived, admitting that maybe this game meant a little more.
“When you play everyday, things can spiral pretty quick,” he said. “So maybe just coming home, having an off day to reset, and playing good games ... it just takes one to get going. Hopefully this was it tonight for us.”
Before the game, Roberts acknowledged that the Dodgers just play harder, and with more urgency, when Kershaw is pitching.
“He had a way of elevating people’s focus and play,” Roberts said.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw turns to walk back to the dugout after the Dodgers completed a double play against the Padres in the sixth inning Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Sure enough, a team that had seemingly forgotten to do the little things did every little thing, from great defensive plays at the corners from Alex Freeland and Freddie Freeman to the eighth-inning sweeper from Blake Treinen that fooled Manny Machado into stranding two runners with a popout.
This is a team that devoutly follows Kershaw ... when they’re not sitting back and admiring him.
“He’s built for these big moments,” said Teoscar Hernández, whose seventh inning homer eventually proved to be the difference. “He is a legend.”
Kershaw was at his best when the Dodgers' best was needed, and in doing so he brought sanity back to the National League West and old-fashioned hardball back to a series that had become cheap and unseemly.
In these two teams’ seven previous meetings this season, the Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit three times, Shohei Ohtani was hit twice, and Roberts and Padres manager Mike Shildt engaged in a brief shoving and shouting match.
The stage was set for more bad blood, but Kershaw, who entered with a career 23-11 record and 2.19 ERA against the Padres, quickly put an end to that. He retired the Padres on a three-up-three-down first inning and efficiently dominated them from there.
“It's a game in August, obviously, it’s not that huge a deal,” Kershaw said. “But the way we were going, it felt like a big game for us and, thankful that we got a win.”
The only possible controversy emerged when Kershaw was removed from the game after just 76 pitches, surprising fans who didn’t have time to give him the proper standing ovation while leaving the game in the shaky hands of the bullpen.
Get used to it. The Dodgers are smartly going to protect the midseason Kershaw in hopes of maximizing the October Kershaw.
“I just think we’ve got to take care of him,” Roberts said. “For Clayton to give us six strong innings of one-run baseball, he did his job, there was no reason to push him more.”
Before the game, Roberts was asked if his struggling team held a players-only meeting. He said that, no, the transparent results of the next week would be the equivalent of any meeting.
“I don’t like to be embarrassed, I don’t think our players do, so this series I’m expecting high intensity and high performance,” Roberts said. “I think in itself, the schedule over the next week, will suffice in lieu of a meeting.”
In an opener that pulled the two teams into a first-place tie, the early results were clear.
Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid is aiming for an NHL comeback this season.
The 36-year-old netminder, listed at six-foot-two, first broke into the league in 2012-13 after going undrafted. He spent his first six seasons with the Devils before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and most recently the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23.
Though he appeared in just one NHL game over his last three seasons, Kinkaid is making noise again thanks to an impressive showing at this summer’s 3ICE 3-on-3 tournament, held at the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. Playing with 3ICE Buffalo, he turned aside 30 shots across two wins, including a highlight-reel save on a two-on-one breakaway, to help his team secure the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Buffalo now heads into the final four championship this week, where they’ll face Minnesota. A win would set up a matchup against either NY/NJ or Tennessee.
“I knew we needed to win, and I knew I needed to be dialed in early,” Kinkaid told NHL.com following his performance.
Last season, Kinkaid suited up in the ECHL with the Savannah Ghost Pirates, posting a .893 save percentage in 32 games after several years bouncing between AHL teams. In his NHL career, he has appeared in 169 games with a career .905 save percentage.
Now, his focus is squarely on returning to the league.
“Right now, I just want to keep playing. We’ll see what happens,” Kinkaid said. “This is a great opportunity to show I still have it. My body is holding up very well. I am 36, but I am just trying to prolong my career because once it’s done, it’s done. [3ICE] has given me the chance to keep playing, to showcase that I still have gas left in the tank. It has been a tough couple of years just bouncing around, but hopefully someone calls and I get the chance to play again this season.”
Kinkaid remains unsigned heading into 2025-26 but is open to any opportunity.
“Any opportunity is fine with me,” he added.
CINCINNATI — The Milwaukee Brewers just keep streaking, and now they’ve matched the franchise record for consecutive wins at 13.
The Brewers rallied from seven runs down through two innings Friday night by scoring nine unanswered runs in thumping the Cincinnati Reds 10-8.
Milwaukee opened the 1987 season winning the first 13.
“It’s just a special win,” said Christian Yelich, who had two homers among four hits driving in five runs.
This latest streak in a season in which the Brewers just don’t lose very often or bash their way back to one big win after another has them atop all of Major League Baseball with a 77-44 record. That’s six better than Toronto, and Milwaukee has opened up a nine-game lead inside the NL Central over Chicago.
That success has fed their confidence. Yelich told manager Pat Murphy they were going to win even when trailing 8-1 after two innings. He played with a bat honoring Bob Uecker, the Brewers’ former announcer who died in January at the age of 90, down to his signature home run call.
Yelich said the Brewers have been in this situation before and always find a way to make it close.
“Just with the way that our team is I knew we weren’t going to get our doors blown off,” Yelich said. “You know we’re going to find a way to get our way back into that thing. We just got a roomful of fighters and guys who just don’t care what the scoreboard says or anything like that.”
Uecker, nicknamed Mr. Baseball, broadcast Milwaukee games for over half a century. Murphy said they just have to convince themselves that Uecker is still with them after what he meant to the organization.
“Somehow it seems like he’s watching over us,” Murphy said. “I said he’s not going to miss a game. Well, he was definitely here tonight. Yelly proved it. Special.”
Yelich nearly put his bat away after an opening home run only to keep swinging it the rest of the game. He was supposed to use the bat honoring Uecker last year, and Uecker loved the bat when he saw it. Yelich called this kind of a full-circle moment.
“If you know Ueck, you know like crazy things like that are going to happen when he’s involved,” Yelich said. “It just adds to like how special tonight was.”
