The Stanley Cup Final continues tonight as the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 2 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC.
Vegas struck first in the series and now has a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead before the action shifts back to Nevada. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will look to defend home ice and avoid falling into a deep hole against a Golden Knights team that has lost just once this postseason.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET as our Covers experts break down their top NHL picks and predictions for tonight's showdown.
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Neil Parker's expert pick: Frederik Andersen Over 21.5 saves
He finished with just 18 saves after being nothing short of spectacular throughout the postseason with a high-end .920 save percentage, 1.65 GAA, and .560 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes.
Carolina was also vulnerable for stretches of the series opener, and in particular, the Vegas Golden Knights dominated the second period with a 73.3% overall shot share.
Vegas isn’t going to go prolonged stretches without generating offense, and Andersen isn’t going to post a .783 SV% with -1.73 goals saved above expected again in Game 2, so there is an easy path to this Over.
I’d play this prop confidently to -115.
Todd Cordell's expert pick: Taylor Hall Over 0.5 points
Price: -115 at BET99
Taylor Hall didn’t hit the scoresheet in Game 1, but there were a lot of good signs under the hood.
Carolina won the shot attempt battle 17-7 and out-chanced Vegas 7-4 during his 5-on-5 minutes.
His power play also generated four shot attempts and three chances in the same amount of time Carolina’s No. 1 unit created one. They saw a 50-50 split in usage — not many second units get that kind of run.
On paper, Jack Eichel hasn't scored much in these playoffs, finding the back of the net just twice in 17 games. However, the underlying numbers suggest he's been far more dangerous than that production indicates.
Eichel owns 5.93 individual expected goals, one of the highest marks on the Vegas Golden Knights, and he's recorded eight shots on goal across his last three road games.
The veteran has also generated 67 individual Fenwick attempts during the postseason, trailing only Pavel Dorofeyev on Vegas. Eichel continues to create offense at a high level, and the Golden Knights are producing 15.15 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with him on the ice. If those opportunities continue, he's a strong candidate to break through in Game 2.
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It was eight months ago when reports surfaced that Steve Ballmer, owner of Los Angeles’ “other” team, was accused of circumventing the NBA’s salary cap rule by using Aspiration, a now-defunct green banking company, to pay star Kawhi Leonard $28 million for a “no show” job.
An investigation into Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers regarding circumventing the salary cap is still ongoing according to NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Getty Images
Ballmer and the Clippers initially welcomed the investigation, claiming innocence in two press releases sent out that day by saying, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
However, eight months later and no definitive end appears in sight. And NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had enough.
“The investigation has been conducted by a law firm independent of the NBA,” Silver said Wednesday prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs. “Yes, ultimately we’re paying their bills, but they are doing the work independent of the league office, and my instruction to them is we can’t be investigating forever, but at some point, we have to wrap it up.
“But at the same time, the most important thing is that we get it right.”
If Ballmer and the Clippers are to be believed — their innocence that is — then why has this investigation taken so long? The NBA had an entire regular season — and most likely an entire postseason — during that span, including the Clippers hosting NBA All-Star game in February.
Silver spoke more on that topic Wednesday night.
“I think it’s clear they’re far along,” he said. “I think those reports are reading all the time from people who are being interviewed by them, and I think they understand that you can keep going on and on.
“But I think we’re close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up because you also need finality. Their team has to understand what the situation is they’re going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams.”
Speaking prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, Adam Silver talked about the need for the investigation to wrap up both quickly and accurately. Getty Images
The backstory began in September 2021 when Ballmer partially funded the Aspiration with a $50 million investment from his personal LLC, according to Pablo Torre.
Two weeks later, the Clippers and Aspiration announced a $300 million partnership, which included at the time a patch on the Clippers jerseys and continued sponsorship in the Intuit Dome.
The following April, Leonard signed a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration. This came nine months after he signed a four-year, $176.3 million max extension to stay with the Clippers.
The investigation came to life when Torre reported that an unnamed employee who purportedly worked for the banking company said Leonard’s sponsorship deal “was to circumvent the salary cap.”
Leonard is entering the final year of his contract with the Clippers and is set to make $50.3 million in the 2026-27 season. Getty ImagesBallmer officially purchased the Clippers in August 2014 for $2 billion. Getty Images
In an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in September 2025, Ballmer stated that he had no prior knowledge or involvement in Leonard’s deal with Aspiration.
“The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd,” the Clippers said in a statement at the time. “There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team. Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi’s independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong.”
Since then, Aspiration went bankrupt and co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.
Prosecutors were originally seeking 18 years in federal prison after saying Sanberg defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million by fraudulently obtaining loans, falsifying bank and brokerage statements, and concealing that he was the source of some revenue booked by the company
For now, it’s still a wait-and-see game — with all eyes on what Silver will do once the investigation is completed.
“I certainly hear and read things all the time about the perception of what really happened or didn’t happen here, and my only reaction is I think I wouldn’t be doing my job if ultimately I issue the determination based on perception,” Silver said. “My job is to follow the facts, and what essentially happens here is that … findings will be made by this independent firm. That’s presented to me. It’s then ultimately my role to determine what the appropriate discipline, if any, should be meted out based on their findings.
“So it’s sort of two independent processes there, and that’s what’s happening right now.”
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No team is as good or as bad as its most recent game. This is the truest of gambling axioms, though it may not apply to a team’s 12 most recent games. Regardless, do not overreact to the New York Knicks’ 105-95 win in Game 1.
The books are not, installing San Antonio as a 6.5-point favorite.
But this is a Knicks vs. Spurs props article, and these NBA picks run counter to some sportsbook movement simply because the value is too distinct to be explained away via one game.
Game 2 tips off at 8:30 ET on Friday, June 5.
Best Knicks vs Spurs props for Game 2
Player
Pick
Jalen Brunson
Over 6.5 assists
+120
Victor Wembanyama
Under 26.5 points
-110
Karl-Anthony Towns
Over 1.5 3-pointers
+150
Game 2 Prop #1: Jalen Brunson Over 6.5 assists
Jalen Brunson’s assists prop was set at 6.5 in Game 1, and the Under was priced at +115.
Yes, the New York Knicks star dished out just two assists while taking 31 shots (not a typo), but this is still an overreaction.
If anything, Brunson’s inefficient-though-heroic Game 1 should strengthen the argument that he will move the ball in Game 2. The San Antonio Spurs should leave him little choice.
Postseason series are defined by adjustments. San Antonio will focus its defense on preventing Brunson from beating it again. For that matter, Brunson should devote himself to not going 12-of-31 from the field again. To some degree, New York got away with one in that regard.
But mostly, one game should not flip the plus-money on this prop. That is an overreaction that creates value.
Game 2 Prop #2: Victor Wembanyama Under 26.5 points
Only headlines keep this prop elevated. Victor Wembanyama has fallen short of this modest points prop in three of his last four games. He did not reach 27 points in four of the seven games in the Western Conference Finals and in four of the six games against the Timberwolves.
Remove ejections and injuries, and Wembanyama has still fallen short of this number in nine of 16 genuine games this postseason.
In this matchup, Wembanyama faces a stiffer defensive challenge than the public is willing to acknowledge. For years now, talking heads and the basketball illiterate have thrown insults at Karl-Anthony Towns because they refuse to learn the game or consider a player's humanity.
Their simultaneous ignorance and arrogance prevented them from seeing his quality defense, particularly his lower-body strength.
Towns’s strength keeps Wembanyama off balance more than he is used to, as well as further from the rim. Credit Towns for Wemby going 6-of-21 in Game 1. Only his 12-of-13 free-throw shooting got the Frenchman to 26 points.
This has not been a postseason of consistent scoring from the Defensive Player of the Year. This NBA Finals shouldn’t be, either.
Game 2 Prop #3: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers
Speaking of overreactions, this prop was priced at +120 in Game 1. Then, Towns went 0-of-2 from deep, boosting this payout to +150.
The odds increase makes some sense. Towns taking only a pair of 3-pointers is concerning. But the Spurs should try to cut off his drives to the rim after their success in Game 1. And doing so should naturally increase Towns’s 3-point attempts.
Going 0-of-2 in Game 1 lowered his postseason 3-point shooting percentage to 46.8%. Someone hitting nearly half their 3-pointers should not be priced at +150 to hit a pair of threes in Game 2.
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In a wild scene Wednesday, Boston Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson went into the field of play to wave home Wilyer Abreu.
Epperson ran over the foul line, just feet from Baltimore Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo, to indicate to Abreu he should head home and actually wasn’t far from making contact with Mayo.
Red Sox interim 3B coach Chad Epperson went into the field of play while waving a runner home.
Abreu was rounding the bases after Willson Contreras smacked a double to left field in the first inning.
While he was initially deemed safe, Abreu was ruled out after a video review.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said the umpiring crew told both teams that if it happened again, Epperson would be ejected.
Chad Epperson wound up on the field while rounding a Boston player home. X
“Base coaches must remain within the coach’s box consistent with this Rule, except that a coach who has a play at his base may leave the coach’s box to signal the player to slide, advance or return to a base if the coach does not interfere with the play in any manner,” MLB Official Baseball Rule 5.03 states.
Epperson was hired as the interim third base coach after the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and four other staff members following a 10-17 start to the season.
Boston Red Sox interim third base coach Chad Epperson (81) looks on during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park. Eric Canha-Imagn Images
He was formerly with the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox’s AA minor league affiliate. Epperson is the winningest manager in Sea Dogs history.
Following the bizarre incident, the Red Sox went on to win 8-1.
Abreu led the way on offense, going 2-for-5, including a two-run home run.
Payton Tolle also pitched six scoreless innings before Ryan Watson came in to finish out the game.
Since moving on from Cora, the Red Sox are 16-17 but still in last place in the AL East.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Padres play a three-game series in San Diego starting on Friday at 9:40 p.m. on SNY.
5 things to watch
Help is on the way
The Mets have been without four regular members of their lineup for a long time, but they're about to get some reinforcements.
Jorge Polanco, who last played on April 14 and has been battling nagging Achilles and wrist issues, could rejoin the team for the start of this series.
When he is activated, the expectation is that Polanco will serve mainly as the DH in order to keep him off his feet. With the way Mark Vientos has struggled, Polanco's return could lead to a somewhat regular situation where he's at DH with Jared Young at first base.
Francisco Alvarez is also working his way back, playing for Triple-A Syracuse on a rehab assignment.
Alvarez's return isn't imminent, but he should be back sooner rather than later if all goes well.
The Mets' rotation is in flux, with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Freddy Peralta the only ones with set roles as starters.
That has left the Mets to frequently use openers ahead of bulk starters, with them recently experimenting with David Peterson (who is back in the bullpen) and Jonah Tong (who is back in the minors) as the bulk guys.
With Manaea having excelled recently, he is the latest pitcher the Mets are trying out. He's set to pitch on Sunday, though it's unclear whether he'll start or pitch behind an opener.
Manaea came in after an opener on Monday against the Mariners and had his most impressive outing of the season, tossing five innings of one-hit ball while allowing one run, walking one, and striking out four.
During Monday's game, Manaea topped out at 93.8 mph. He averaged 91.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and 91.9 mph on his two-seamer -- notable increases from where he's been most of the season.
New York Mets shortstop Bo Bichette (19) hits a 2-RBI single against the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
While Bichette scuffled a bit in a handful of games before erupting on Wednesday, he has been hitting relatively well for a few weeks, slashing .274/.333/.435 (.769 OPS) with three homers over his last 16 games.
Part of the crowded NL Wild Card race, the Padres entered play on Thursday having lost four straight games and eight of their last 10.
San Diego is also having trouble scoring, with their 231 runs scored being the fewest in the majors.
Part of the issue has been the struggling Fernando Tatis Jr., who had a 92 OPS+ and just one homer over his first 59 games.
Manny Machado is also scuffling, hitting .170 with a 70 OPS+ ahead of play on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Jackson Merrill is slashing just .206/.277/.327 (70 OPS+).
San Diego's pitching staff is a strength
While the Padres' offense has been a major issue, their pitching has been very good.
They entered play Thursday having allowed 239 runs -- the fifth-best mark in MLB.
A lot of that has had to do with Michael King and Randy Vasquez, who will both start against the Mets this weekend. Also getting a start will be former Met Griffin Canning, who was solid for New York last season before tearing his Achilles. Canning has been better lately after some poor showings, but has a 7.16 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 27.2 innings over six starts this season.
Waiting in the bullpen if the games are tight late are Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, and Mason Miller, who is having an otherworldly year. In 25.0 innings, Miller has a 0.72 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, and has struck out 49 batters -- an absurd rate of 17.6 per nine.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Bo Bichette
The turnaround sticks this time.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Nolan McLean
McLean took a step in the right direction in his last start after two uncharacteristic clunkers.
Which Padres player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
As players and coaches continue to move around the NHL carousel, the Philadelphia Flyers keep managing to find a way to be at the center of it all.
This time, with former Flyers head coach Craig Berube getting the boot by the Toronto Maple Leafs, another ex-Flyers bench boss could be stepping in to replace him.
According to TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger, former Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette will be one of the candidates to become the next Maple Leafs head coach, in addition to legendary goalie and, more recently, ex-Islanders head coach Patrick Roy.
Laviolette, 61, last coached in the 2024-25 season for the New York Rangers, guiding the team to a disappointing 39-36-7 record on the heels of a 55-24-4, Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24.
If hired by the Maple Leafs, Laviolette would be kicking off his latest escapade in the NHL Eastern Conference.
The veteran bench boss has previously coached the Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, Flyers, and Rangers to varying degrees of success.
Laviolette led the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup win in 2006 and brought the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, but has seen much less success since, reaching the Final just once in the last 15 years.
In five years with the Flyers, Laviolette was 145-98-29 with a 23-22 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
In any case, the Maple Leafs coaching search is worth monitoring to the Flyers because they own Toronto's 2027 (or 2028, in a rare event) first-round pick, and you can bet they will be one of the teams in on superstar center Auston Matthews if the ceiling falls out there.
Laviolette is just two years removed from a Presidents' Trophy with the Rangers and has as good a track record of making the playoffs of just about anyone out there, which could very well bring down how high the Flyers' pick from the Maple Leafs ends up being.
SAN ANTONIO — The NBA has banned for life the fan who ran on the court in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Finals to apparently take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama, as well as that person's accomplice, the league has said (the Associated Press was first with the story).
The fan who ran onto the court also was arrested for the incident.
"The individual who entered the court area during Game 1 of The Finals was arrested and will be banned for life from all NBA arenas. A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident," the league said in a statement.
Play stopped for about a minute and a half in the third quarter when the fan ran onto the court while Wembanyama was handling the ball out beyond the top of the key (Mikal Bridges had deflected a Wemby pass and looked as if he was about to create a turnover).
"I've never been in that situation. I didn't know how to act," Wembanyama said.
Wemby and the other players did not appear to be in physical danger from the person — who had his phone in his hand and looked like he was trying to take a selfie — and security quickly wrapped up the person and pulled him off the court, while fans in the building booed the person. Lead referee Scott Foster decided the only fair way to restart the game was a jump ball at center court.
The NBA also is investigating two courtside fans in San Antonio who allegedly made vulgar and profane comments to Jalen Brunson about being a "flopper," reports NBA insider Chris Haynes. Brunson had given crew chief Foster an earful about it after the game, but Foster and Jose Alvarado made sure Brunson did not approach the fans.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
The Flyers have only five picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Maddox Dagenais
Position: Center Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 196 Shoots: Left Team: Quebec
Scouting report
Dagenais can really rip the puck.
He possesses an advanced shot to go along with an NHL frame. His release is high end and the accuracy is there. He had two hat tricks and 30 goals over 62 games this season for Quebec in the QMJHL.
“He has got really good shooting hands,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He understands how to put goaltenders back on their heels with that shot.”
The 18-year-old was a point-per-game player. He was second on the Remparts with 62 points, behind only Flyers prospect Nathan Quinn, who had 73 in 58 games.
In the second round of the playoffs, Dagenais was shut down by eventual champion Chicoutimi. He went scoreless in four games with a minus-7 rating. He had three goals and three assists in Quebec’s first-round series, which went seven games.
“I think he’s a better winger,” Button said. “I see him as a winger, I see him as a shooter, I see him as somebody that can really shoot the puck. I see him as more of a goal-scoring type of winger; I don’t see him as a center. He has got size, he drives inside, he gets the puck and he has got really good hands.”
“He’s not a great skater,” Button said. “His skating has improved, but skating isn’t the hallmark of his game. He’s smart, he’s competitive, he has got really good hands, goal-scoring hands. But that’s a lot of skating you’ve got to do as a center. I don’t see that in his profile. I see him as a shooting, goal-scoring winger.”
(Dale Preston/Getty Images)
Fit with Flyers
If the Flyers like Dagenais, they probably would love if he could play down the middle at the next level.
Center is a premium position and one of need for the organization. Meanwhile, the Flyers already have a large crop of young wingers, led by Martone and Matvei Michkov. Part of the reason they traded Bobby Brink was because of all the youth on the wing.
The Flyers will draft the best player available at No. 21, but a true center would be ideal if they take a forward.
Dagenais’ size and shooting ability should intrigue the Flyers. They’ve wanted to get bigger and add more goal scoring. Dagenais could help in both aspects.
The 2025-26 hockey season was an adjustment for Calvin de Haan.
After a lengthy NHL career that began as a first-round pick of the New York Islanders, the 35-year-old defenseman played in Sweden's top league this season with Rögle BK Angelholm. They went all the way to the final last month, before falling to the champs, Skellefteå AIK.
Sweden was de Haan's fallback position this season because after 679 NHL games with six teams, the phone stopped ringing. So he opted for a contract to play in Europe for the first time.
Looking back, his very brief time with the New York Rangers last year probably didn't help his cause.
After Colorado traded de Haan last March, the Rangers immediately used him for three games, and he wasn't on the ice for a single goal against. It was a 4-0 win over Nashville, a 4-0 win over the Islanders, and a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington.
It was a fabulous start for de Haan, who had just come from playoff-bound Colorado, where he had played 44 games.
But in reality, his fabulous start was also the end.
For some reason, head coach Peter Laviolette, who was a month away from being fired by the Rangers, made de Haan a healthy scratch for the rest of the season (20 games).
Near the end of that stretch, de Haan finally voiced his displeasure to the media.
According to New York Post writer Mollie Walker, de Haan walked past reporters and commented on how it’s all finally over. "He said something to the effect of, ‘How about the way I’ve been treated here? It’s f****d.’"
The veteran NHL player had every right to be upset, but his comments made headlines and might have served as a red flag to NHL teams who might otherwise have seen him as a depth option for this season.
But that's old news, water under the bridge.
While speaking this week on the Coming in Hot podcast with Brent Wallace and former Senator Jason York, de Haan talked about how he enjoyed his first season of hockey on a different continent. His team made the final, and he had great respect for the level of play.
When Wallace asked if he had ever wanted to play for the Senators, de Haan says he would have been all over that, including this season.
"In the past, I'd probably say even this past summer, probably three or four summers (in all), coming off my deal with Chicago there, I was trying to sign in Ottawa for years, and it just never came to fruition, unfortunately. Would have loved to (play there).
"I was a Sens fan growing up. I grew up watching Yorkie and those early 2000s teams. I think all the way to 2008, there was a pretty solid run of Sens hockey there. And those teams could have won Cups."
So why didn't things come together? It would appear that Pierre Dorion and now Steve Staios simply didn't see it as a fit.
"I think it was just, you know, they were looking for something else. But I would have loved it."
De Haan is also loving his new hockey chapter in Sweden, though, and unlike his last NHL stop, his new team's bosses love him back. He signed a one-year deal with Rögle BK last summer, and it wasn't long before they wanted more.
They signed the Manotick resident to a two-year extension in November.
CINCINNATI, OH - JUNE 01: JJ Bleday #22 of the Cincinnati Reds rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Monday, June 1, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Colten Strauss/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
As we enter the season’s third month, with the Royals all but technically eliminated from playoff contention but still a bit too early to speculate about the trade deadline, it seems like a good time to take stock of how they could have handled the offseason better. Matthew LaMar already looked at how some of the players the Royals targeted have done this year, with most of them not performing particularly well, but what about some of the lesser-known names the Royals could have targeted?
Now, obviously, I’ve argued that I think if they were serious about contending in 2026, they should have pursued the top names in the market. I’m a huge fan of the arguments that interim MLBPA director Bruce Meyer has been making about how the Padres increased their profits and franchise value by spending real money despite being in a similarly small MLB market.
But even if you allow that those guys were too expensive for the Royals, there were lots of other guys who were much less expensive that the Royals could have considered. Some of them are doing quite well for themselves. Why did the Royals miss on them?
JJ Bleday, Dane Myers, and Nathaniel Lowe
Coming off the Reds series, these are obvious guys to look at. Bleday was signed to a 1-year, $1.4 million MLB contract on December 27, while Lowe required only a minor league contract on February 13, right as spring training camps were opening. Myers was acquired in a trade with the Marlins for a minor league outfielder with no pedigree who hasn’t been hitting well. The biggest problem for the Royals with the first two was that both of them hit left-handed, and the Royals are already so lefty-heavy. Lowe is, additionally, a first baseman only. This is, of course, a position the Royals thought they had locked down with Vinnie Pasquantino.*
*Vinnie, by the way, has been slashing .289/.396/.422/.818 since his day off against Boston a couple of weeks ago. Good for a 124 wRC+. Perhaps he’s back?
Lowe has all of 16 at-bats versus lefties, but he has yet to record a hit and has only one walk. If you think Vinnie has struggled against lefties… eesh.
Bleday, on the other hand, has been hitting lefties just fine with a 134 wRC+ against them. He’s been better against righties, but should the Royals have known that Bleday had this in him? Actually, maybe! Bleday’s career splits are 90 wRC+ against lefties and 109 against righties. Obviously, 10% below average isn’t where you want to be, but it would still be better than any of Pasquantino, Starling Marte, Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, or Isaac Collins this year.
Bleday had a crummy year for the Athletics last year, but he is only playing in his age-28 season this year and barely making more than Marte. He also had a higher walk rate and ISO than Marte last year despite the down season. And he’s under the Reds’ control for each of the next two seasons without being guaranteed anything. You have to imagine he wasn’t on the Royals’ radar, or they would have been able to outbid $1.4 million. But it sure seems like he should have been.
The Reds got Myers from the Marlins for 24-year-old minor league outfielder Ethan O’Donnell. Myers is an interesting case. Despite the fact that he’s a righty, he’s hit righties much better this year than lefties. Though his career splits suggest that’s a fluke. He’s also walking much more this year than in the past. His swinging strike rates have come down every year since his debut, and he was reasonably good two years ago. He also went on the IL three separate times last year, so you have to wonder if injury played a part in his ineffectiveness. But that didn’t stop the Royals from pursuing Lane Thomas. (Though, admittedly, Thomas has been plenty good against left-handed pitching this season, the whole reason the Royals signed him.)
Still, Myers is playing his age-30 season, so perhaps the Royals simply didn’t think the swinging strike trend could continue. And honestly, it plummeted pretty far this year, so I’d be interested to revisit at the end of the season and see if he’s still doing all that well.
Tristan Peters
Peters is a 26-year-old outfielder the White Sox acquired from the Rays for cash or a player to be named later (PTBNL). He’s hitting well for the White Sox, but he’s a lefty who isn’t hitting lefties, so the Royals probably made the correct decision to stay away here.
Curtis Mead
Mead is a 25-year-old corner infielder acquired by the Nationals from the White Sox for a catcher with an excellent name – Boston Smith – who is hitting well in high A but is already 23 years old. So, basically, some guy we will probably never hear about again. Honestly, Mead came out of nowhere. This is his fourth season in MLB, and he’d never come close to the walk rates or power output he’s shown in Washington. He’s always had good bat speed and a decent eye at the plate. His youth means he is an excellent guy for a team that doesn’t expect to contend to take a shot on as the White Sox did last year when they acquired him from the Rays.
The Royals, of course, have a couple of corner infielders they feel pretty good about in Maikel Garcia and Pasquantino, and they expected to contend this year, so I think passing on Mead or at least not getting into a bidding war over him probably made sense even if he’d look a lot better as a right-handed bat on the bench than Marte has.
Dominic Smith
This name might bring shivers down your spine, and you might not remember why. He’s the one who hit the walk-off grand slam against Carlos Estévez in Atlanta at the start of the season. He’s a left-handed first baseman who hit well last year but signed a minor league deal with the Braves. He has a 97 wRC+ against lefties this year, but it’s only 14 ABs. And did I mention he’s a left-handed first baseman? Once again, I think we can see why the Royals passed here.
Troy Johnston
See: Dominic Smith
Technically, Johnston can play the outfield, but he’s also got a -7 wRC+ against lefties this year. So he still wouldn’t have made sense for the Royals. The Rockies got him off waivers from the Marlins and he has hit .320/.377/.437 with two home runs in 58 games. He is not completely a product of Coors, hitting .293/.358/.404 in road games. He has mashed righties, hitting .358 against them, while just .158 against lefties.
Vaughn Grissom
The Angels acquired the 25-year-old, right-handed second baseman from the Red Sox for a light-hitting, low minors outfielder. The Royals have a few of those. Now, KC had decided that they were going to quasi-platoon Jonathan India and Michael Massey at second base to begin the year, so maybe that could explain why he wasn’t on their radar. But in retrospect, it sure seems like they might have considered making a minor trade for this kid instead of giving India a guaranteed $8 million.
Grissom broke into the bigs with Atlanta in 2022 as a 21-year-old. He was their top prospect playing in AA, and Ozzie Albies was hurt. In retrospect, it seems like they rushed him a bit. He did well that year but struggled in 2023 and 2024 before spending all of 2025 with the Red Sox’s AAA affiliate. And he put up a lot of red in statcast metrics there.
He wasn’t walking, and he wasn’t pulling the ball in the air enough, but he did almost everything else at a high level. You have to especially like the Zone Contact rate combined with a lack of Ks. Now, suddenly, his strikeout rate is cut in half from 2024, combined with a modest improvement in walk rate. His ISO is back to where it was all throughout the minors in the .160-.170 range. A 104 wRC+ isn’t tearing the cover off the ball, and he’s not a tremendous defender, but he would have been quite a bit better than anything the Royals ever got out of India.
Since India went down with an injury, the Royals have been mostly platooning Massey and Nick Loftin at second base, and, at least lately, they haven’t been the problem in the Royals’ lineup. Massey, at least, has been tearing the cover off the ball for two weeks with a 171 wRC+. And Loftin is one of the few guys who has had some luck with runners in scoring position. But, really, we should be comparing Grissom more to the at-bats of Marte with the positions of Loftin. And he would be an improvement, there, too.
Even though there are quite a few cheap bats that seem like they could have been available to the Royals, most of them make sense for the Royals to have passed on because the vast majority are left-handed hitters. No team can be perfect at this sort of thing. It’s easy to argue that the Royals did make similar gambles with players like Kevin Newman and Josh Rojas – their moves just haven’t worked out so far.
But, really, when was the last time such a gamble did work for KC? It sure seems like these kinds of guys break out or come back around the league all the time, but never for the Royals. And you have to wonder if their scouting, development, or coaching departments couldn’t use some improvement to make it easier to generate some of this luck.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Only three players have been around for all nine seasons of the Vegas Golden Knights. This is the third trip to the Stanley Cup Final for William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, and the thrill still is there.
“It’s the same feeling as Year 1,” Karlsson said.
That one ended in defeat, but it set the perennial expectations at championship or bust, and Vegas hoisted the Cup in Year 6 in 2023. Eager for another parade on the Las Vegas Strip, the original Golden Knights wasted no time making an early impact in Game 1 at Carolina.
Karlsson and Theodore each scored, and McNabb had the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in the 5-4 victory in Game 1. The Golden Knights leaned on their longest-tenured players to erase another multigoal deficit and will keep relying on them.
“They’re calm,” said coach John Tortorella, who only has been in charge since late March. “The foundation of our team, the guts of our team, has been through this before. ... Those guys kind of lead the way by not panicking. They don’t say much, they just play, and I think other people follow behind them. I think that’s so important this time of year.”
William Karlsson returning has changed everything
One reason the Golden Knights did not look this dominant during the regular season was Karlsson’s lengthy absence because of an undisclosed injury. He was out from early November until the start of the second round.
“I learned not to take anything for granted,” Karlsson said. “It wasn’t always just a straight line. Some minor setbacks. But I always have the mind to come back for playoffs, and I’m very happy to be able to be a part of it.”
Karlsson getting back allowed Mitch Marner to shift to his more natural right wing from center. Karlsson has six points and Marner 15 in the 11 games since.
“It’s super fun to play hockey, and I’m happy to be getting a lot of minutes and help the team,” Karlsson said.
Shea Theodore has stepped up when needed
The Golden Knights went into the season with a giant void on their blue line, with No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo unlikely to play again because of a chronic hip injury. Former coach Bruce Cassidy said during the ’23 title run that he knew Pietrangelo was good but came to appreciate the do-everything, all-around game up close.
Theodore stepped into that role in Pietrangelo’s absence.
“Shea’s game this season has just added a completely different layer than what we were used to because he’s always been a great puck-mover, always been a very good offensive defenseman,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Shea has become a penalty killer. He never killed penalties prior at all. He’s on the ice when it’s 6 on 5 against, where in the past he would not have been. And I’m really proud of him, to be honest with you. I think he’s really grown into it.”
Tortorella praised Theodore for bouncing back in Game 1 after getting “spanked” on Carolina’s opening goal 25 seconds in.
“It doesn’t bother him, and he probably plays one of the better games,” Tortorella said. “He just played. I think it’s a really good lesson for all of us to see.”
Theodore not only scored Vegas’ first goal after falling behind 2-0 but delivered a textbook shot-pass to Brett Howden for a goal in the third period.
“His vision is unbelievable,” said Howden, whose 11 goals leads the postseason. “He wasn’t even looking at me, but I feel like he knew that I was going there and he made an unbelievable pass there. I just had to chip it in.”
Brayden McNabb flashes unusual offensive touch
McNabb has been a solid defender in the league for more than a decade. Keeping the puck out of the net, while guarding and hitting opponents, is his primary job. He doubled his assist total this postseason in Game 1, after having just three in 15 games over the first three rounds. Theodore cracked, “He’s an offensive guy.”
“My partner did most of the work on all of them, really,” McNabb said, crediting Theodore. “But, yeah, the guys made great plays, and it’s nice to chip in offensively when I can.”
Vegas has brought in plenty of talent since its overachieving inaugural season, including captain Mark Stone, top center Jack Eichel and Marner. But there is still a deep reverence for the original Golden Knights, including Reilly Smith, who was traded and reacquired and had been playing until Karlsson returned.
“They mean everything,” Howden said. “They’re the ones that built this team from the ground up. They built a culture here, starting from the top down. But those guys were here from the start, and they lead the way. They’re unbelievable leaders in the room.”
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 03: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres turns a double play over Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during a game at Citizens Bank Park on June 03, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (32-28) at Philadelphia Phillies (32-29), June 4, 2026, 10:10 a.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, Penn.
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"I met with his agent, Neil Sheehy, here this week," Darche told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I said at the end of the year I'd love for Anders to play his 1,000th game with the Islanders, but it has to work for us and for him. He's earned the right to look at options where he is in his career.
"We're planning ahead, so I still hope we can get a deal done. It's not there yet, and we'll keep working at it till July 1."
MILWAUKEE — San Francisco Giants left-handed reliever Matt Gage has gone on the injured list with right knee inflammation.
The Giants recalled right-hander Dylan Smith from Triple-A Sacramento while placing Gage on the 15-day injured list.
Gage has made 29 appearances to lead all Giants pitchers. He owns a 4-1 record with one save and a 2.63 ERA.
“Little bit of knee tenderness, I think specifically kind of stemming between his quad and the knee,” San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said before the Giants’ 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. “He’d been battling that for a while. If you know him, he’s kind of been through everything you can to get into the big leagues, and obviously doesn’t want any time down. He has fought through it, but good to come forward with that information because obviously when he’s at his best, he’s one of our best guys. But he’s got to get past that.”
Vitello didn’t have an estimate on how long it might take for Gage to return.
Smith made one appearance for San Francisco earlier this season and allowed no runs in two-thirds of an inning. He has gone 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA and one save in 15 games for Sacramento.
Last season, Smith went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in seven games with the Detroit Tigers.
The NBA also said a second individual involved in the incident had also been banned from attending NBA games moving forward.
"The individual who entered the court area during Game 1 of The Finals was arrested and will be banned for life from all NBA arenas," the league said in a statement released on June 4, according to the Associated Press. "A second individual will also receive a lifetime ban for his role in the incident."
The fan, a young male, ran onto the court in the middle of play during the fourth quarter of Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Spurs and pulled his phone out to take a selfie. Security in San Antonio quickly swooped in and escorted the fan from the floor at Frost Bank Center.
Wembanyama was standing next to Mitchell Robinson. The Spurs center laughed while the Knicks big man appeared confused. Officials stopped play momentarily and ultimately re-started the action with a jump ball at center court after being uncertain of possession at the time of the incident.
The Knicks were up 92-86 with 6:34 on the clock when it happened.
According to the NBA Code of Conduct, "guests who engage in fighting, throwing objects, or attempting to enter the court will be immediately ejected from the arena."
Possible sanctions for the fan and anyone who violates the Code of Conduct include "ejection without refund, revocation of their season tickets, and/or prevention from attending future games. They may also be in violation of local ordinances, resulting in possible arrest and prosecution."
Frederik Andersen Over 21.5 saves
Jack Eichel anytime goal
Jalen Brunson
Victor Wembanyama
