There’s an angel looking out for the New York Knicks.
Beatrice Reilly-Jordon, a Staten Island widow and devoted Knicks fan, left a bit of her late husband’s ashes on an empty seat at Madison Square Garden — and her family believes his spirit has been lifting the Knicks as they strive for their first championship in 53 years.
“She sprinkled a little on an empty seat next to her at Madison Square Garden recently, so he could enjoy the game with her, watching from heaven,” the couple’s daughter Domonique told The Post.
Beatrice Reilly-Jordon and her late husband Dave Jordon were – and still are – the ultimate Knicks fans. Beatrice Jordon/Facebook
“He loved the Knicks so much and so does she. Like my mom says, he’s the angel on their shoulders.”
The family didn’t mention which game Dave’s ashes attended, but his powers from above seem to have worked their magic — the Knicks are one win away from sports immortality.
If the Knicks can close out the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Saturday in Texas, they will end their 53-year championship drought — and Beatrice believes Dave will be right there for every second of it, she told SIlive.com.
Dave Jordan, a US Army veteran who later worked in health care, died of cancer in 2022, three months before his 69th birthday. Ever since, Reilly-Jordon, 61, leaves a special chair open for Dave when she watches games on TV.
Dave Jordon had a special chair where he would cheer on his team from home. Matthew Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc./Facebook
“There’s my chair, because you know, you always need a chair when a person’s not here,” she told the outlet.
The empty seat is a painful reminder of loss, but also a symbol of a love story death could not erase.
“I’m sorry my husband won’t be here, but he’s still here. He’s in the Garden right now,” she added. “And he’s going to watch it with us.”
The Knicks weren’t just a favorite team for the couple. They were woven into the fabric of their marriage.
Nearly 40 years ago, when their romance was just beginning, MSG became the backdrop for countless memories.
“We started off going to Knicks games together,” she recalled to the Staten Island-based paper. “He said he never went to a Knicks game with anyone, did I want to go?
“And I said yes. It became our thing to go to the Garden.”
The couple began dating by going to Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Beatrice Jordon/Facebook
Then came the devastating diagnosis that changed everything.
As Dave’s health deteriorated, Beatrice stood by his side through every agonizing moment, caring for the man she loved as his condition worsened.
“It was beyond awful,” she said. “I took care of him the whole time. Fed him. We were together for more than 34 years.”
When Dave died on Dec. 18, 2022, the grief was so overwhelming, she couldn’t even bring herself to watch the team they had loved together for decades, and the TV stayed off.
But over time, the family’s heartbreak turned into determination.
Fans at Madison Square Garden watch Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10. NBAE via Getty Images
Surrounded by three daughters and an enormous extended family of siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Beatrice’s loved ones refused to let her give up something that had meant so much to both her and Dave, according to the outlet.
“My godbrothers said, ‘No, you have to. You know Dave wants you to go see the Knicks. You can’t stop doing what you normally do,” she said.
Eventually, the family bought her a ticket, recently sending her back to MSG for the first time since losing her husband.
What happened next became one of the most emotional moments of her life.
“At the game, I brought my husband’s ashes with me,” she told SILive. “And I was in section 224, and I sprinkled my husband, and I said, ‘Dave, you’re here with me.’”
As Knicks fans dream of a long-awaited championship, Beatrice has a message for everyone watching the 2026 Finals.
“He’s right on top of them — an angel on their shoulders — and they’re going to do it this year,” she said.
Derrick White reaches in to try to steal the ball from Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham during a game at TD Garden. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Bill Sy: We’re less than a month away from the NBA Draft and the offseason. The rumor mill has been churning with trade targets like Peyton Watson and Trey Murphy III heading to Boston to Jaylen Brown being part of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. There hasn’t been any indication that the Celtics front office is ready for a big swing, but Brad Stevens could still make substantial changes to the championship core of the roster. If the Jays are untouchable, that could mean dealing Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, or even Derrick White. Unfortunately, White might be our biggest chip to play.
Nirav Barman: Derrick is currently the third highest paid player on the roster, taking in a whopping $30.3 million next season, but he’s been pivotal to Boston’s success since joining the team. The Celtics have been in the Finals twice since acquiring White, winning the championship in 2024, and were a Tatum ankle-sprain away from what could have been a third trip in 2023. Derrick has blossomed in Boston, and it becomes hard to see him anywhere else purely off of his relationship with the team and the city.
Bill Sy: Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge DWhite guy and I’ll always be a huge DWhite guy. Despite his shooting struggles this season, I have no doubt that that was just a blip and he’ll make a big comeback next season. However, with two maxed Jays and roster that could use some rebalancing before the front office makes a big push in 2027, White’s salary slot could better be used elsewhere.
BOSTON, MA – MAY 2: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Nirav Barman: There’s no question that the Celtics are heading towards crunch time for this core given how hard it’s become to navigate the luxury tax and salary aprons. That being said, there are few players who are both available on the trade market, and possess the skill set which White does. Even if you’re looking to address another area of concern for the team in exchange for Derrick, it’s hard to see the team acquiring a player who provides the same value on a similar deal.
Bill Sy: For a minute, let’s put aside who’s available on the market and concentrate who’s already on the team. A big part of my confidence in even considering trading White was the development and performance of all the young wings in Boston’s bullpen: Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. Admittedly, you can’t play all those guys at the same time, but I think you can create Derrick’s contributions in the aggregate just as OKC did with Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Cason Wallace in replacing Jalen Williams.
Nirav Barman: I’m extremely excited to see what our group of young guys can do next season after what they just showed us, but I don’t think they’ve showed us enough to make White expendable just yet. As you said, their current skill sets need to be aggregated to make up for Derrick’s impact. When a game reaches clutch time, you need to have your best five players on the court, and those moments are where Derrick shines the most. JB and JT are guaranteed spots in a closing lineup. If we presume White is traded for a big man, that means there are two spots left between Pritchard and the wings. It’s hard for just one of those guys to fill that role and feel like we’re putting out a better lineup.
Bill Sy: Let’s zoom out a little bit. If we’re going to take Stevens at his word, he’s looking to add rim pressure this summer. Brown led the league in drives per game last season at 19.1. Payton Pritchard trailed behind at 11.9 and in his limited return, Tatum drove to the basket 10.9 times. White? 7.5.
Nirav Barman: It’s true that Derrick doesn’t quite play the way Stevens envisions for the future. However, he’s proven before that he can fit different systems. White fully embraced Mazzulla-ball after joining the Celtics, bumping his 3PA average up from 3.7 per game across 4.5 seasons in San Antonio to 7.0 per game across 4.5 seasons in Boston. There’s no reason why White can’t adjust his shot diet again if the team is looking to drive the ball more.
Bill Sy: The bigger question for me is whether White can be more of an alpha that can make the game a little easier for Brown and Tatum (think Holiday circa 2024) or if he’s the best supporting role player.
Nirav Barman: To your point, I wouldn’t call White an alpha. As great as he is, he doesn’t have the ability to take over games on a consistent basis. That being said, there are only so many slices of the pie available, and it already feels like the world has been trying to drive a wedge between Tatum and Brown because they’re both alphas. Having a high-level supporting role player like Derrick seems to me like the best path to success with the Jays as the foundation.
May 11, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) steals the ball from Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) to end the game in the second half during game five of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Bill Sy: Unlike the Knicks, because we have two max players, we have to be really deliberate with roster construction. And don’t get me wrong. The thought of trading an All-Defense First Teamer from a team with championship aspirations seems silly, but I’m just wondering if we’re not in the same spot we were in with Marcus Smart. At the time, the approach was to surround the Jays with more senior, more proven veterans like Holiday and Porzingis. Now, I’m wondering if we go younger with the Jays in their prime. Could this be those crossroads?
Nirav Barman: It does feel like we’re reaching a point where we’re going to have to make some tough decisions again. The Celtics simply have to improve the roster to keep up with the rest of the top teams. I do think that there are paths to do that which don’t require trading Derrick, though – at least as of now. Boston has a $27.7M TPE from offloading Anfernee Simons, and while they’d have to include some assets to get a good player back, it gives the team a lot more flexibility to address areas of concern while keeping White and allowing the cream of the crop to rise to the top from the selection of young wings. (edited)
Bill Sy: Depending on a handful of team options, the Celtics are projected to enter free agency with a $180-185 million payroll and their first round pick is ticketed for $3 million. Stevens will have the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and that $27 million TPE at his disposal, but ultimately, they’re most likely going to try and duck under the luxury tax line at $201 million again to restart the repeater. So, in reality, they’ve got about $15-20 million in wiggle room. White’s $30 million slot might need to be in play.
Nirav Barman: Even while toeing the luxury tax line, Boston can’t let money override their on-court success. If the right deal comes around, I definitely think trading Derrick can and should be on the table – he’s well loved, but certainly not untouchable. If the expectation is that the young guys will fill in for him, though, it hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet. Until proven otherwise, which could happen by the trade deadline, Derrick gives the Celtics the best chance at staying competitive.
Bill Sy: I guess my thinking is that White’s $30 million and that $15-20 million are the best tools to makeover the roster. Here’s a very hypothetical trade: let’s say Stevens strikes a sign-and-trade deal with Danny Ainge with Walker Kessler going east and White joining Utah’s backcourt. Then, with the MLE, Coby White replaces Derrick White as Boston’s rim-pressuring point guard. Mazzulla would roll out a rotation of:
Coby White – Sam Hauser – Jaylen Brown – Jayson Tatum – Walker Kessler
Payton Pritchard – Baylor Scheierman – Hugo Gonzalez – Jordan Walsh – Neemias Queta
Ron Harper Jr. – 27th pick – Amari Williams – Luka Garza
Rebalancing the front court and back court with younger players sets them up for the immediate and long-term future.
Nirav Barman: I definitely see the appeal in a trade like that. As you pointed out earlier, Brad Stevens isn’t opposed to swapping a fan favorite for someone with clear potential that’s been stuck on a bad team. I’m sure he’ll be doing his due diligence, but I would find it difficult to make a deal predicated on a potential signing since it could create a bigger void if Boston gets outbid. As of now, the free agent market is pretty sparse for both the Celtics areas of need, PGs and Cs. If the Celtics are able to comfortably address one of those needs, then a Derrick trade could become more viable.
Bill Sy: I will admit after seeing OG Anunoby tip in the Jalen Brunson miss, the first thing I thought about was DWhite rebounding Smart’s miss and forcing a Game 7 against the Heat. Who would want to trade a guy like that?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 09: Malachi Smith #18 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center on April 09, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last June, Gonzaga fans had it easy. Whichever team won the NBA Finals, one former Bulldog was bringing home a ring: Andrew Nembhard and the Pacers on one side, Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder on the other. This year it all comes down to one guy: Kelly Olynyk, the Spurs’ lone Zag, going up against a Knicks roster with none. However the series ends, Olynyk gets to say he was part of it.
Five other former Bulldogs wrapped up seasons of their own well before the playoffs started, and each one tells a different story. One of the league’s most dependable big men fought through the toughest injury stretch of his career. Another strung together his best run in years before a foot injury ended things early. One had the best season of his career, full stop, even if the team around him couldn’t capitalize. A rookie went from undrafted to a franchise rookie assist record that had stood for three decades. And a guy who spent three years grinding through the G League finally got the call that stuck.
Domantas Sabonis played 19 games this season, after suiting up at least 70 times in each of his first three years in Sacramento. When he was out there he still looked like himself, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 54.3% shooting. Finding him out there was the issue.
He missed the opener with a preseason hamstring strain, then strung together 11 games at 17.2 and 12.3 to start the year, capped by a season-high 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting at Minnesota on Nov. 15. The next night his left knee gave out, a partial meniscus tear initially written off as soreness. The Kings, already 6-21, played the next 27 games without him, covering all of December and half of January. He returned off the bench against Washington on Jan. 17, then held to a restricted-minutes plan the rest of the month while shooting 62.1%. His final game, Feb. 5 against Memphis, saw him put up 24 points and 15 rebounds in 24 minutes before Sacramento shut him down for surgery.
The Kings finished 22-60, and Sabonis has spent most of the last two years as the centerpiece of someone else’s trade idea, with the Hornets reportedly holding exploratory talks about a deal involving Miles Bridges, Josh Green and a first-round pick. Sabonis says he expects to be back at an “All-NBA level” next season. Where that season is played remains an open question.
Zach Collins | Chicago Bulls | 9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 APG
A wrist fracture from the preseason finale kept Collins out until December, and once he got on the floor, the production looked like nothing he’d done before. Over 10 games he shot 57.8% from the field and 42.9% from three, both career-best marks by a wide margin, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes a night. The Bulls went 6-4 with him in the rotation.
The highlights came in bursts: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in a win at Charlotte on Dec. 13, a 3-of-3 night from deep at Cleveland a week later, and a 15-point, 19-minute cameo off the bench in a win over Philadelphia on Dec. 27 in which he missed just three shots all night. The next game, against Milwaukee, he logged a season-high 24 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, his only double-digit rebounding night of the year. He didn’t play again. A sprained right toe turned into season-ending surgery in February.
Collins finishes the year as an unrestricted free agent, his extension from San Antonio having carried him through last year’s midseason trade to Chicago and now run out. Ten games isn’t much to go on, but by efficiency it’s the best stretch of his career. Unfortunately, the run ended before he ever got a chance to build on it.
Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers | 16.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 7.7 APG
With Tyrese Haliburton out for the year recovering from his heartbreaking mid-finals Achilles tear last season, Nembhard took over point guard duties and delivered a career year across the board – 16.9 points and 7.7 assists a game, both well clear of his previous bests, on 44.2% shooting and a career-high 36.1% from three. His shot attempts jumped from 8.3 a game to 13.2, and he started all 57 games he played.
The season opened with trouble. Three minutes into the opener against Oklahoma City, guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he strained his left shoulder and finished with four points in 17 minutes of a double-overtime loss, then missed close to two weeks. Once back, the highlights stacked up: 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting at Cleveland in late November, a 28-point, 12-assist game against Sacramento in a December win, and a season-high 19 assists in a March loss to the Lakers. January was his best month across the board, 48.9% from the field, 40 percent from three, 9.2 assists a night.
But none of it moved the win-loss column much. The Pacers finished 19-63, a year removed from the NBA Finals, and a back and neck issue ended Nembhard’s season early, costing him the final seven games.
Ryan Nembhard | Dallas Mavericks | 6.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 5.3 APG
Nembhard went undrafted in 2025, signed a two-way deal, and spent the first six weeks of the season in spot minutes before a real opportunity opened up. Over a 16-game stretch as a starter he looked like a keeper, peaking on Dec. 2 in Denver with 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 10 assists, then following it two nights later with 15 points and 13 assists against Miami.
His role shrank through January, still in the rotation but down to 16.5 minutes a night, and by February he’d been pushed out almost entirely, appearing in just two games before a bizarrely miscalculated stretch with the Texas Legends. The roster kept shifting around him and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg (Anthony Davis dealt to Wizards at the trade deadline, Tyus Jones eventually waived), and on Feb. 28 the Mavericks converted him to a two-year standard contract with a team option for 2026-27.
March and April made the case for why. His minutes climbed back to nearly 30 a night, and the regular-season finale against Chicago was the exclamation point: 15 points, 9 rebounds and 23 assists in a 149-128 win, breaking Jason Kidd’s 31-year-old franchise rookie assist record by six.
The younger Nembhard spent a season doing what he’s always done: demolishing expectations and making all doubters look dumb for underestimating him.
Malachi Smith | Brooklyn Nets | 8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.3 APG (15 games)
After winning WCC Sixth Man of the Year, Malachi Smith went undrafted from Gonzaga. He tthen spent three years working through four different G League affiliates: the Rip City Remix, the Wisconsin Herd, the Memphis Hustle, and finally the Long Island Nets, where he put up 14.4 points on better than 52% shooting this season. That got the attention of Brooklyn’s front office.
He signed two consecutive 10-day contracts in mid-March and made his case over the following nine games, shooting 51.1% from the field and an absolutely absurd 47.1% from three. The NBA run was highlighted by an 18-point night on 7-of-9 shooting against Sacramento on March 23. The Nets converted him to a two-year deal in early April, and his best game followed almost immediately: 19 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists against Milwaukee, a near triple-double in 43 minutes of action. He finished the season averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48.5/43.5/100 shooting splits.
One detail worth filing away: if you pull up Malachi’s ESPN player page right now, the photo is still him in a Gonzaga jersey. The NBA hasn’t gotten around to a real headshot yet, but the two-year contract’s already signed.
The Spokane to NBA pipeline shows no sign of slowing down for Gonzaga. The 2026-27 roster could feasibly already have three to four future NBA draftees already on the roster, which would be the biggest class the program has ever produced. Massamba Diop, a 7-foot-1 rim protector arriving via Arizona State, is close to a lock. Davis Fogle is a strong maybe after the kind of breakout freshman season that gets pro scouts circling. And if Izan Almansa clears the NCAA’s eligibility hurdles, a big year barreling through the new-look Pac-12 could put him back in the conversation after a near-miss draft process last year. Lots to look forward to once this roster finally, blissfully, reassuringly fills out.
Jun 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) pitches in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Not only did the Atlanta Braves drop the series opener to the New York Mets 7-5, but things remained difficult on the injury front. Spencer Strider got the start and struggled early on. He exited in the fourth inning due to shoulder and elbow soreness and likely undergo an MRI today.
Once again, the Braves are hoping for the best, but after seeing Strider’s significant velocity drop, this is another tough blow for Atlanta.
More Braves News:
Hurston Waldrep was activated from the IL and assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. In his start with the Columbus Clingstones, he threw 3.2 innings and allowed four runs. He will be joining Drake Baldwin, who begins a rehab stint with Gwinnett this weekend.
MLB News:
The Kansas City Royals placed starter Seth Lugo on the seven-day concussion IL after being struck in the face on Wednesday. Fortunately, he was able to leave the game under his own power.
Perhaps it was the pure exhilaration, the adrenaline running high after the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in Finals history.
Maybe it had to do with the reality that the Knicks are now one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought after decades of incompetence.
The euphoric — and even legally problematic at times — celebrations by Knicks fans from the average Joes to Hollywood A-Listers on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning provided just a brief preview of the mayhem that may descend upon New York City on Saturday.
ew York Knicks Celebrations Outside Madison Square Garden. June 11, 2026, New York, USA: NY Knicks fans celebrate the win and get into altercations with the police post game 4 after their close game victory over the Spurs. Adem Wijewickrema/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press / SplashNews.com
For the first time since June 22, 1994, the Knicks take the court Saturday night in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals needing just one win to claim their third championship.
The Knicks famously failed to do so in two attempts in 1994, losing Games 6 and 7 to the Rockets in heartbreakers.
This time around, thanks to their Game 4 heroics, they have three chances to win one game and wash away the memory of John Starks’ Game 7 to forget.
Should they knock off the Spurs, there surely will be a celebration for the ages.
Post-game celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become a staple in recent years when the Knicks have been in the playoffs, but these Finals outbursts have felt different.
Fans did not leave Madison Square Garden for some time Wednesday night, showering in every last second from a once-in-a-lifetime win thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics.
“Thank you OG!”
Knicks fans say thank you to OG Anunoby outside MSG after he scored the game winning basket. Presented by Tri State Cadillac #sponsoredpic.twitter.com/0yg1DJ8jIw
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
The celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Ben Stiller, showcased sheer joy throughout the night while watching courtside and then celebrating after the game.
Clips from outside MSG showed a fan on a bicycle being held in the air, with the fans below surely not feeling any pain while on such a sports high.
They chanted, “Thank you, OG” after his last-minute brilliance, including a block on De’Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds that set the stage for his later heroics.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
Fans ran through the streets as cars beeped their horns, not giving a damn about traffic after watching Jalen Brunson finally break through against a tough Spurs defense.
And to think this all happened after a third Finals win.
It’s been 15 years since the last championship by a Big Four New York City sports team — the Giants won Super Bowl 2012, while the Liberty won the WNBA title last year — and the city is waiting to erupt again.
If you give some Knicks fans truth serum, perhaps they would admit they’d rather the Knicks clinch at home in a potential Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Regardless of the venue, should the Knicks finish off the Spurs, Wednesday’s post-game festivities may seem like child’s play.
The City That Never Sleeps will host an all-night party, full of joy and bedlam, that rings out from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Staten Island to Queens and The Bronx.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets looks on during the national anthem prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, June 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets began a three-game series against the NL East-leading Braves last night and were able to overcome a rough second inning from starter Nolan McLean and a late rally from Atlanta to secure a 7-5 victory. The star of the night was Bo Bichette, who hit two home-runs—including a grand slam—and drove in six runs. The Amazins have now won two straight.
The Phillies were completely and utterly dominated by Jacob Misiorowski last night, as the young Brewers ace threw a complete game one-hit shutout with fifteen strikeouts to give Philadelphia a 6-0 loss.
Prior to last night’s game, the Phillies made a number of roster moves—including placing Adolis García on the 60-day IL with a lat tear and adding the recently acquired Derek Hill to the active roster.
Sandy Alcántara racked up his 1000th career strikeout and the Marlins won their sixth straight with an 8-3 victory over the Pirates that put the Fish back at .500.
The Nationals were delayed for over two hours yesterday due to rain and didn’t exactly come out of the delay sharp, as they were shellacked by the Mariners to the tune of a 10-2 loss.
R.A. Dickey came very close to throwing a no-hitter—and instead settled for the first of what would end up being back-to-back one-hitters—on this date in 2012.
The Seattle Kraken announced Thursday that they had hired Pascal Vincent as assistant coach and Patrik Allvin as vice president and assistant general manager.
The two join a Kraken team that missed the playoffs last season, finishing 27th out of 32 teams.
Allvin joins the Kraken after serving as Vancouver Canucks general manager for four seasons. He previously made history as the first Swedish GM in the NHL. Now 51 years old, Allvin shared his thoughts on joining the Kraken with NHL.com.
"I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to join the Seattle Kraken organization," Allvin said in a press release. "There is a strong commitment to building a winning team and a passionate fan base, and I look forward to collaborating with (GM) Jason (Botterill) and the hockey operations staff as we continue building a club capable of sustained success.”
Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill and Patrik Allvin are no strangers. The two worked together for a decade in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups together.
Botterill released a statement on the reunion and the reasoning behind the hire.
“Patrik is an excellent communicator in a team environment,” said Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. “He understands the importance of structure and a process in making decisions. You look at his experience evaluating talent in North America, Europe, amateur, pro, he’s had a lot of different titles over his career. He had success in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups, being a part of a group there [which included Botterill].”
Vincent, on the other hand, joins the Kraken from the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Canadiens President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton released a statement on Vincent’s departure.
"We would like to sincerely thank Pascal for his work and contribution to the Rocket and wish him all the best in his next professional chapter in Seattle," said Gorton. "He was highly committed to our success and made valuable contributions over the past several years. A native of Laval, Pascal was greatly appreciated and respected by the players, his staff members, and the fans. We are grateful for his dedication, leadership, and hard work during his time with the Rocket."
Vincent has worked with several NHL and AHL teams in varying positions. In seven seasons as an NHL assistant coach, he worked with the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 2023-24, Vincent was promoted to head coach for the Blue Jackets.
Allvin summarized his thoughts on joining the Kraken to NHL.com.
“The practice facility is phenomenal, best in the league. The support of the Kraken in the city and region was evident every time I've been down there for games. As a visiting team, you can feel the fans’ energy and feel the identity of the team playing fast hockey.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 12: Starting pitcher Tanner Bibee #28 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on June 12, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians won a big game to end their four-game losing streak and start the season 5-0 against the Tigers. Nick has your recap here.
Tonight is Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo and if I were the Tigers, losing this one would have me packing it up.
Travis Bazzana is in his first slump in the big leagues. He has a wRC+ of 30 over his last 39 plate appearances. Good for him. He will work his way out of it.
Tanner Bibee has been nails for the Guardians since that disastrous start vs. The Nationals. Props to him and Patrick Bailey for figuring it out. And, if my “Bench Steven Kwan” article can mark the beginning of a run for him, that would be great.
AROUND MLB;
White Sox beat the Dodgers, Twins won, and Royals lost. The Royals are 14 games under .500.
With the 2026 NHL Draft now just two weeks away, we are finally beginning to get an idea of what the Philadelphia Flyers might do with the 21st overall pick.
Much has been made of the Flyers' pursuit of high-end talent and a potential No. 1 center or defenseman, but the reality is, this late in the first round, that's quite unlikely.
A smaller, more dynamic defenseman like Xavier Villeneuve could be that for the Flyers, but that kind of selection has not been in the team's DNA under GM Danny Briere.
With the actual depth of the 2026 draft class looking questionable, all roads may, in fact, lead the Flyers to choosing yet another winger in the first round.
New draft intel from Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects indicates that this very well may be the case when it comes down to it.
"[Elton Hermansson], I had a little bee whisper that maybe [the Flyers] had a good chat with him at the combine. Maybe they like Hermansson," Robinson said on the "Called Up: The Prospects" podcast with fellow draft expert Chris Peters.
Now, Peters did have the Flyers picking a different winger in Adam Novotny at 21 when the duo did their full first-round mock draft on the podcast, but Hermansson offers a bit of a different profile.
The 6-foot-1 Swede is wildly skilled and already plays pro, having played 38 games for MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier league, this past season. In those 38 games, Hermansson scored 11 goals, 10 assists, and 21 points.
"Looking for a high upside forward bet in the second half of the first round? Elton Hermansson could be just what the doctor ordered," an excerpt from his 2026 draft guide profile reads.
"Hermansson’s offensive skill level is impossible to miss, especially whenever he plays against his peers. He dominates the puck, consistently able to drive play and create quality chances for himself through his superior elusiveness and handling abilities."
The Flyers have no shortage of wingers with Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, Tyson Foerster, and the elderstatesmen Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett.
But, by the time Hermansson is ready to go full-time at the NHL level, Konecny and Tippett will be well into their 30s, and Foerster will be close to it.
So, if the value is there, and everything goes well in his development, the Swedish dynamo could be a natural replacement in the top-six for one of those three.
“Super talented kid. Very talented. He’s got a nose for the net. He can shoot the puck. He’s got shifty feet, maybe a touch knock-kneed, but it doesn’t affect the speed. I think he’s going to be a good offensive winger," an Eastern Conference executive said of Hermansson, as included in the Elite Prospects 2026 draft guide.
"I’m not sure what his player comp is in the NHL, but I like his odds to be a scoring top-six winger in the NHL. Another thing with Hermansson is that he’s not physical, but he’s also not shy to play through contact. Great kid, too.”
Hermansson will have to develop a "B-Game", as many coaches say, to ensure a successful NHL future, but there is enough talent there to justify the Flyers taking another player at the winger position with a premium draft pick.
His pro production, as well as his dominance in international junior hockey (12 points in seven World Junior games, 33 points in 18 total games for Sweden's U18s), will make Hermansson impossible to dismiss, even for a winger-heavy team like the Flyers.
The Columbus Blue Jackets should be looking to add to their forward depth this off-season. One player who the Blue Jackets should consider making a push for is Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last month that the Blackhawks have made Mikheyev's signing rights available for trade. With Mikheyev being a solid top-nine forward who provides decent secondary scoring and strong defensive play, the Blue Jackets should consider pursuing him.
Mikheyev just had back-to-back solid campaigns with the Blackhawks. During the 2024-25 season with Chicago, he scored 20 goals and recorded 34 points. He followed that up this season by scoring 18 goals and setting a new career high with 36 points. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to provide the Blue Jackets with more offensive production if they brought him in.
Mikheyev has also recorded at least 31 points in four out of his last five seasons. The only time he did not over that span was in 2022-23 with the Vancouver Canucks when he had 28 points but only played in 46 games.
Mikheyev also provides plenty of value because of his strong penalty killing. He was a major part of the Blackhawks' penalty kill this season and could hold the same role if signed by the Blue Jackets.
While Mikheyev is not the flashiest of players, he would still be a solid pickup for a Blue Jackets club that is looking to be more competitive next season. On a two- to three-year contract, the 31-year-old forward could be a good value signing for the Blue Jackets to make.
In 427 career NHL games split between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Blackhawks, Mikheyev has recorded 98 goals, 103 assists, 201 points, and a plus-38 rating.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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Pavelski has no experience as a head coach in the NHL or any sort of staffing role in the league since retiring as a player in July 2024, according to eliteprospects.com.
Before being picked for the Canadiens job, St-Louis' only coaching experience was for his son, Lucas, and his team, the Mid Fairfield Rangers, at the U-13 AAA level.
Since he was brought in by Montreal, the Habs have seen exponential growth with the players and as a team. St-Louis' history as a star player in the NHL allows him to truly connect with his players. The Canadiens' recent playoff run to the Eastern Conference final is an example of his influence and success with the Habs.
While plenty of other coaches are being considered by the Maple Leafs, it's clear that Toronto's brass is looking to be creative and explore new concepts.
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The NHL announced the players who made the All-Rookie Team for the 2025-26 season, and, unsurprisingly, two Montreal Canadiens players are on the list. Ivan Demidov, who led all rookies in scoring this season, and Jakub Dobes, who led all rookies in wins. They are joined by the Anaheim Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke, the St. Louis Blues’ Jimmy Snuggerud, the New York Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Alexander Nikishin. Oliver Kapanen, who finished seventh in points amongst rookies this season with 37 and third in goals with 22, finished eighth in forward voting with just six voting points.
On top of leading all rookies in points with 62, Demidov also led in assists (43), in even-strength assists (30), power play assists (13), power play points (20) and multi-point performances (tied first with Sennecke at 14). Demidov dominated the forward votes with 195 points, four points ahead of Sennecke (191) and 59 points ahead of Snuggerud (136).
The Russian winger has incredible skills, and the Canadiens front office has made it clear it will try to sign him to a contract extension this offseason. As they should, since they still have the option to sign him to an eight-year deal until that possibility goes away because of the new CBA in mid-September.
As for Dobes, his 29 wins were well ahead of the competition, with his nearest pursuer having only 21 triumphs. Only three rookie goaltenders have had more wins with the Canadiens; Ken Dryden (39), Bill Durnan (38) and Jacques Plante (33). He becomes just the fourth Montreal goaltender to make the All-Rookie team after Steve Penney (1984-85), Patrick Roy (1985-86) and Carey Price (2007-08).
The All-Rookie Team was created in 1982-83, and since then, it has happened three times that the Canadiens have had two players on it: in 1982-83 when Mats Naslund and Dan Daoust made it, in 1984-85 when Penney was joined by Chris Chelios and in 1985-86 when Roy was joined by Kjell Dahlin. In other words, it’s a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 40 years.
In the last few years, Lane Hutson (2024-25) and Nick Suzuki (2019-2020) made the cut. Before them, Brendan Gallagher had been the last Hab to make it, back in 2012-13.
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick (10) reacts to the strike during the fifth inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday May 27, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This has not been a good season for Sal Frelick. He has struggled at the plate. Even more alarmingly, he has struggled in the field. People are speculating as to whether he’s injured. And when the Brewers secured the signature of Luis Lara—who has been red hot all season at Triple-A Nashville—earlier this week, they gave themselves an obvious candidate to take some of Frelick’s playing time.
Frelick is an easy target right now. His at-bats don’t look good. He has never hit for power, so he’s not offering value as a low-average, high-homer guy akin to Gary Sánchez. Previously, living with Sal’s struggles at the plate wasn’t hard to do; he was a Gold Glove-winning outfielder in 2024 and still solidly above average out there last season. He has generally been a good baserunner (which, it should be said, continues to be the case this season).
But, contrary to another struggling veteran on the Brewers right now, Frelick shouldn’t be completely given up on. I’m not ready to pull the plug in order to hand his job over to Lara quite yet. In his time with the Brewers, Frelick—who is still only 26 years old—has earned a little patience.
That being said, the concerns are real and should not be ignored. Let’s go through it.
Offense
Take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2026. Then take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2025. What’s different?
The answer: not much. What is true is that Frelick’s Statcast page is ugly. There’s a lot of blue. His exit velocities, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, expected slugging, all of that kind of stuff, are all bad. He’s in the bottom 10 percent in most of them.
But what’s weird is that he was bad at all those things last year, too. This season, Frelick is batting .228/.299/.311. Last year, he hit .288/.351/.405. So what’s different?
Frelick is still one of the best players in the league at not striking out. He’s actually been quite a bit better this season at not chasing. According to Statcast, he is squaring up the ball at an elite clip—he is maximizing theoretical exit velocity on the swings that he is taking—something he did well last season, too.
Unfortunately, a major factor isn’t allowing Frelick to maximize that high square-up percentage: he’s hitting too many ground balls.
A simple indicator is batting average on balls in play. In Frelick’s first three seasons with the Brewers, he had BABIP numbers of .286, .306, and .317. This year, it’s .243. A more specific indicator is the ground balls. In 2024 and 2025, Frelick was just about league average in line drive rate and he was a little below the league average in ground ball percentage. This season, his ground balls have jumped (GB = ground ball, LD = line drive, FB = fly ball):
2024: 48.0 GB%, 24.8 LD%, 18.0 FB%
2025: 46.7 GB%, 23.2 LD%, 20.2 FB%
2026: 53.8 GB%, 17.9 LD%, 17.9 FB%
Digging further into Frelick’s batted ball data, we can understand why the groundballs are happening. Statcast breaks down batted ball quality into six different categories: weak, topped, under, flare/burner, solid, and barrel. Barrels are what you want—that’s the best quality of contact—and while Frelick is slightly below last year’s 3.1%, at 2.2% he’s actually slightly above league average this year (2.1%). He’s making slightly less weak contact (the worst kind) than last season. He’s getting under the ball slightly more often, but not alarmingly so.
The big problem is his percentage of balls that are “topped.” This matches the eye test: Frelick is hitting a ton of balls that go directly into the ground. At 42.4%, Frelick is more than four percent higher than the league average, and more than seven percent higher than he was last season. We see this is in his launch angle data, too: at an average launch angle of 8.3 degrees, Frelick is well below last season’s 12.1 degrees and even further below the league average (12.5 degrees).
Another thing that might be preventing Frelick from maximizing his square-up percentage is that he has a slow bat. But a slow bat and a good square-up percentage can work for players who can elevate the ball: Luis Arraez is has first-percentile bat speed with a 100th-percentile square-up rate. But Arraez’ 14.6 degree launch angle dwarfs Frelick’s 8.3 degrees, and he’s hitting way fewer ground balls (43% versus 29.4% line drives and 24.2% fly balls).
Basically what the Statcast data tells us is that Frelick is the same hitter he was last year except for one crucial problem: he’s hitting over the top of balls way too often. This accounts for his poor launch angles, his high ground ball percentage, and his low BABIP.
The fact that Frelick is so poor in terms of exit velocity, barrel percentage, expected slugging, etc. means that he has very little wiggle room. If he’s not hitting line drives like he was last season, he’s just going to ground into a ton of outs. That’s true of anybody, but even more so with Frelick, as his low-exit-velocity grounders are less likely to sneak through the infield.
Whether you think this is good news or bad news depends on how you saw the Frelick of 2025, the one who finished seventh in the league in batting average and had a 111 OPS+. If you think that that version of Frelick was good and had a repeatable approach, then you should be optimistic that some adjustments to his bat path should help him stop topping the ball and he can return to being that player. But if you saw Frelick’s 2025 performance as mostly luck-based, and that all the blue on his Statcast page was a major red flag, then you will think that this year’s version of Frelick is simply what last year’s version should have been.
Defense
The defensive question is far more alarming. Simply stated, if Frelick isn’t offering anything in the field, his bat isn’t good enough to be a starting corner outfielder for a good team, and that was probably true even last season when things were going well.
For the purposes of this discussion, let’s use Statcast’s defensive metric, Outs Above Average. Frelick has been a good outfielder the past two seasons by OAA. But it sees him as poor in 2026 (as does Baseball Reference’s preferred metric Defensive Runs Saved, for what it’s worth). Statcast has Frelick in just the 28th percentile in fielding run value. That’s an alarming drop; Frelick was in the 85th percentile in 2025 and 79th in 2024 via the same metric.
The issues are all over. Frelick was in the 90th and 93rd percentile in range in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year he’s in the 48th percentile. His arm has suffered, too: Statcast has two numbers to grade a player’s arm, “arm value” and “arm strength.” In 2026, Frelick is in the 9th percentile in arm value and in the 44th in arm strength; that’s down from 71st and 66th in 2025 and 66th and 68th in 2024.
Why has this happened? There has been a lot of speculation that Frelick, a player who plays with no real regard for his own body, is playing hurt. He does seem to react with pain at certain times during games. But if this is the case, it’s not really hurting his sprint speed, which you would expect to be an accompanying issue. Frelick’s speed as measured by Statcast is down slightly, but not much—he’s still in the 86th percentile in sprint speed (he was 87th last season).
If Frelick’s speed is intact, I’m not sure how to explain his diminished defensive value in right field. There could be an injury that’s affecting his upper body, but not his legs—that would be supported by the fact that some of the speculation about Frelick’s potential injury being related to his oblique. That could explain the dip in the value of his throwing, but it doesn’t really explain why he is or isn’t getting to balls that he used to be catching.
He has earned some patience
Whether there’s some positive regression in Frelick’s future or not, we do not know. Fans are getting frustrated and Lara is making waves in Nashville. But Frelick didn’t turn 26 until April. He’s got two years of solid major-league baseball behind him. He was a 3.6 fWAR player last season. By all accounts he is a great teammate, he works hard, and he is clearly one of Pat Murphy’s favorites.
There are signs that Frelick is improving, too. It’s only 10 games, but in June Frelick is hitting .303/.378/.394. The pessimists will point out that his xwOBA (.293) in that span is only 14 points higher than his season total (.279), and he is outperforming it by 55 points (.345 wOBA).
If Frelick is injured, then he should stop trying to play through it, go on the injured list, and let Lara have a chance. But it’s worth remembering that Lara is no sure thing, either; he’d be a defensive improvement over this version of Frelick, surely, but there’s no guarantee that he would outperform even Frelick’s 71 OPS+ this season.
In the case of the Brewers’ infield, I advocated for moving on from Luis Rengifo and giving Cooper Pratt the shortstop job. Sal Frelick isn’t Rengifo. Rengifo is on a one-year contract and everyone has known since the day that he signed that there were big prospects behind him. Frelick is a bigger part of Milwaukee’s past and he can still be a part of their future if he turns things around, and the Brewers should give him the chance to do so. He’s earned it.
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 08: Adolis García #53 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to first base after hitting a home run during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 8, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Imagine being Gabriel Rincones, Jr.
You’re told that you’re headed to Milwaukee as a injury replacement for Adolis Garcia, that you’ll make your major league debut in the first game you are with the team.
Then you see the starting pitcher that will be on the mound for the Brewers.
SURPRISE, AZ - OCTOBER 24: Nick Morabito #3 of the Scottsdale Scorpions runs to first base during the game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Friday, October 24, 2025 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Nick Morabito drove in the only run for Syracuse, but also collected a golden sombrero in a pretty poor offensive team showing. Nate Lavender, who got a lot of talk as a potential major league bullpen arm this year gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work.
Chris Suero and Nick Lorusso both went yard for the Rumble Ponies, with Lorusso driving in five overall. The bullpen gave up just one run over five innings.
The Cyclones uncorked 13 runs, with all but one starter getting a hit and seven starters driving in runs. Colin Houck, Corey Collins, and John Bay all went deep for Brooklyn.
Four pitchers all went at least two innings, with a collective eleven strikeouts. DH Jackson Hauge accounted for all the offense, driving in both runs on a double in the eighth inning.
