Hernández: Son Heung-min is LAFC building block to grow global brand
The South Korean striker has been his country's most popular athlete for a decade and means as much to his new soccer team off the field as on it.
Shohei Ohtani's Ruthian feats are not enough as bullpen melts down against Cardinals
Only one player in the last 110 years has tried to do what the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is doing this season, which is to pitch and hit successfully at the big-league level.
Babe Ruth twice won more than 20 games and led the American League in ERA and starts before the Red Sox, then the Yankees, decided pitching was distracting from Ruth’s hitting and put him out to pasture in right field.
Over the next three seasons, Ruth broke the major league record for home runs three times.
The Dodgers and Ohtani insist he’ll remain a two-way player for the time being, but recent performances suggests both the Red Sox and Yankees may have been on to something when they took Ruth off the mound.
Read more:Max Muncy is back with four RBIs in Dodgers' rout of Cardinals
Ohtani made his eighth start of the year Wednesday and it was his best as a Dodger, with the right-hander giving up just a tainted run on two hits and striking out a season-high eight in four innings. Perhaps more important, he also slugged his first home run in 10 games in the third inning of a 5-3 matinee loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was the first truly Ruthian two-way performances for Ohtani since he joined the Dodgers but it was one the team’s defense and bullpen wasted, with three relievers combining to yield four runs on 10 hits over the final five innings.
The two most important ones came in the eighth, when the Cardinals turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead, greeting Alex Vesia with a pair of singles before a two-out hit from Jordan Walker drove in the tying run and the winning one scored on a throwing error by third baseman Alex Freeland.
"It never feels good,” manager Dave Roberts said of the loss, his team’s 17th in 30 games since July 1. “Is there a level of frustration the way the second half has started off? Yeah. We just haven't synced up. We just can't get on track offensively. We're not playing great.”
That can’t be said of Ohtani, although the effort he gave at the plate Wednesday equaled what he's been doing on the mound recently. He has posted a 2.37 ERA and struck out 25 in 19 innings in his eight starts, yet in the same eight games he’s batted .219. In his last six starts on the mound, he’s gone just three for 24 at the plate.
That’s part of a slump that began in mid-June, when Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers. At the time he led the majors in runs and led the National League in homers and slugging percentage. Since then, his strikeout rate has risen, his average has plummeted more than 20 points and he’s clubbed just 14 homers, one fewer than he had in May alone as a designated hitter.
Ohtani said he can’t explain the difference.
"I don't really try to think too differently on days that I pitch and hit and on days that I only hit," he said through a translator. "I'm thinking of adjusting how I work out and do my work in between my outings. Especially now that I'm going to be throwing more innings."
Read more:Hernández: Mookie Betts sounds depressed, but he isn't giving up on snapping his hitting slump
Ohtani both pitched and hit on his way to two MVP awards with the Angels. But last season, the first in five years in which he didn’t pitch while recovering from a second elbow surgery, Ohtani sent career highs in virtually every offensive category and led the NL in runs (134), homers (54) and RBIs (130) while becoming the first player in history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season.
That won him a third MVP award and a World Series ring, replicas of which were handed out Wednesday to the 44,621 sun-splashed fans who came to see Ohtani pitch. But in 2021, when he topped 10 starts for the first time with the Angels, he hit a full-season career-low .257 and struck out a career-high 189 times.
For Ohtani, the manager said, the challenge now is finding comfort in the crowed new routine.
“It's not the norm,” he said. “It's been over two years since he's done this, so he's still sort of getting adjusted to this lifestyle, as far as kind of the day to day."
“I don't think he's there yet. It's only going to get better as he gets more time doing it.”
Read more:Things are finally turning around for Dodgers' Roki Sasaki
Ohtani breezed through his longest start as a Dodger, topping 100 mph multiple times and retiring the first six Cardinals in order. It would have been seven but shortstop Mookie Betts and second baseman Miguel Rojas lost Walker’s popout in a high sky leading off the third. That went for a hit and Walker came around to score on a stolen base, a ground out and Brendan Donovan’s infield single.
Ohtani struck out the next four hitters he faced while giving his team the lead in the third, following Alex Call’s leadoff double — his first hit as a Dodger — with a two-run homer to center. The hit was the 1,000th in the majors for Ohtani while the homer was his 39th of the season.
The Dodgers added another run in the fourth when Andy Pages led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and continued home when the throw from catcher Pedro Pagés hit the bat of Miguel Rojas and ricocheted toward the Dodger dugout.
Then came the daily bullpen meltdown, with the Cardinals pushing a run across against Justin Wrobleski in the sixth, setting the stage for their eighth-inning rally against Vesia. Brock Stewart gave up the final run in the ninth.
“If you look at the last couple weeks, I think our bullpen has been good,” Roberts said of a relief corps that has failed to covert a third of its 52 save opportunities. “We didn't finish it off today. But I think in general, the bullpen in the last couple weeks has been pretty stable.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former Red Wings Forward David Booth Thrills With Pavel Datsyuk-Esque Goal In Australia
Former NHL forward David Booth may not have played in the NHL since his first and only season with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2017-18 campaign, but he's showing that he still has some pretty slick moves that made him one of the better players for the Florida Panthers during their dark years.
Booth, who played the majority of his career with the Panthers from 2006 to 2011, currently plays Down Under for the Melbourne Ice of the Australian Ice Hockey League, and recently scored a spectacular goal against the Brisbane Lightning that some fans could easily confuse for a former Pavel Datsyuk highlight.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Not only did he execute a full Denis Savard-style spin-o-rama around Lightning forward Sacha Rapchuk after receiving a pass near the top of the slot, but then he dangled around defenseman Thomas Kiliwnik before beating goaltender Jakob Doornbos with a quick blocker-side shot.
Could this be goal of the game, week, season ? David Booth ~ 5 goals 3 assists and 8 points for the day. Speechless! pic.twitter.com/YExE7G60O9
— Melbourne Ice (@melbourneice) August 6, 2025
To add to the feat, it was part of a five-goal, three-assist performance during the game for Booth, who has now scored 25 goals with 25 assists in just 11 games.
Booth began his NHL career as the 53rd overall pick of the Panthers in the 2004 NHL Draft, and he would play parts of six seasons with the team. His game action was limited to regular season play only, as the Panthers failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs during his time with the team.
Booth's best offensive output came in the 2008-09 campaign, during which he lit the lamp 31 times while adding another 29 assists.
He was then traded in the early goings of the 2011-12 NHL season to the Vancouver Canucks as part of a package to acquire Mikael Samuelsson, who had won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008 and would later make a brief return to the team later in his career.
Following stints with the Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Booth spent time in Russia suiting up for both Admiral Vladivostok and Avangard Omsk in the KHL before returning to the NHL as a member of the Red Wings ahead of the 2017-18 NHL season, Detroit's first in the brand new Little Caesars Arena.
The Detroit native scored four goals with an assist in 28 games for the Red Wings in what would prove to be his final season in the NHL.
WPG @ DET - 12/5/2017
— Red Wings Goals In Order (@RedWingsVids) March 14, 2025
David Booth - 5-1 Red Wings #LGRWpic.twitter.com/TlXhk50sV8
In 530 career NHL games, Booth scored 124 goals with 112 assists. Since then, he's played in Norway as well as Germany's DEL2 along with another stint in the KHL.
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Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Does Buffalo Have Any Hope To Beat Powerhouse Colorado Avalanche?
The Buffalo Sabres play in the NHL's toughest division in the Atlantic Division -- but the 2025-26 schedule isn't going to do them any favors. THN.com's Sabres site has been publishing a team-by-team look at Buffalo's opponents next year -- and in today's file, we're continuing our look at the Sabres' chances against the Central Division-juggernaut Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche were an elite team last season, even if they finished just third in the Central. But if the Sabres are going to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought, they're going to have to beat very good teams like the Avs. So let's explore Buffalo's chances against Colorado next season, and see if we can't accurately predict how well the Sabres will play versus the Avalanche.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE
NEW AVALANCHE PLAYERS: Brent Burns, D
2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 0-1-1, Avalanche 2-0-0
2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: October 13 at Buffalo; November 13 at Colorado
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Sabres did not fare well against the Avalanche last year, losing both games by a combined score of 11-9. Buffalo did squeeze out one standings point in the two games, losing by a shootout in their last game against each other Jan. 2. But the Avalanche team they'll be facing this year is just as good, if not better than the Avs team that played last year.
To wit: Colorado will have a full season with captain Gabriel Landeskog, and that's more or less a trade acquisition given that they still played well without Landeskog last year. Meanwhile, the Avalanche's defense corps -- already one of the strongest groups in the league -- got even better with the signing of greybear blueliner Brent Burns.
At 40 years old, Burns is the oldest player in the NHL, and while his offensive stats have ebbed in recent years, he's likely going to be very valuable in limited action on Colorado's third defense pairings. And Burns' snarl and size will also make the Avalanche even tougher to battle in their own zone.
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Blackhawks Stun Buffalo In Their Showdowns Next Year?The Buffalo Sabres' schedule has been out for some time now, and it's always fun to examine the Sabres' opponents by breaking down their showdowns against each of the NHL's 31 other teams.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche still will be dominant because in center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, they have two of the top-five players in the league. That made it more palatable to trade former Avs winger Mikko Rantanen, and with the money Rantanen was making, Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland acquired Martin Necas from Carolina and Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders.
And after all those moves, MacFarland still has $3.3 million in cap space. That's a masterclass in cap management. And that's going to make it extremely difficult for the Sabres to beat the Avalanche.
The intriguing wrinkle in Buffalo's games against Colorado is that they both come at the beginning of the year. The first game they go head-to-head will be the Sabres' third game of the regular-season, while the remaining game will be played exactly one month later. That could open up a potential quick-strike action on the Sabres' behalf, with the Avalanche vulnerable as they potentially experiment with lines and chemistry early in the season. Playing the Avalanche early is far better for Buffalo's chances to beat Colorado than they would be if their games came later in the season, after a trade deadline that almost certainly will see the Avs spend every bit of their cap space.
Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: How Will Buffalo Fare Against High-Octane Washington Capitals?The Buffalo Sabres want nothing more than to qualify for the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs. Ending Buffalo's 14-year drought without any playoff games is a gigantic stain on the organization, but there's no assurace the Sabres will be able to vault over many solid teams and grab a playoff berth.
As it stands, Colorado is a top-10 team in the league right now. They may even be a top-five team in the league when firing on all cylinders. So the Sabres have their work cut out for them in trying to win at least one of the two games they have against the Avalanche. Buffalo wasn't able to beat the Avs last year, so a statement game or two against Colorado could be just what the doctor ordered for Buffalo's playoff chances.
And if the Sabres get knocked around again by the Avs, they could miss out on playoff action because they didn't make the most of their opportunites against one of the game's best squads. Time will tell how Buffalo ultimately fares against Colorado, but the challenge is clear -- let the Avalanche know the Sabres are a different team by pushing back and avenging their losses to the Avs last year, or fall again into the same unfortunate pattern and lose both games to Colorado.
25 Reasons Why Kentucky is the Greatest Basketball Program of All Time
Before every Kentucky basketball home game, Big Blue Nation receives a familiar greeting from the public address announcer. “Welcome to Rupp Arena, Home of the Greatest Tradition in College Basketball!” Is that statement 100% correct? Of course it is. But what if we didn’t consider this a given? What about the Wildcats actually makes it […]
Vancouver makes a splash, signing Thomas Müller after Bayern Munich exit
Forward won 2014 World Cup with Germany
Müller will join Whitecaps next week
Former Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller is joining the Vancouver Whitecaps in arguably the biggest signing in the club’s history.
Müller, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, will join the Whitecaps for the remainder of the season. Terms of the deal were not released. It includes an option that would make Müller a Designated Player for 2026.
Continue reading...Roman Anthony shares ‘simple' reason behind signing Red Sox extension
Roman Anthony shares ‘simple' reason behind signing Red Sox extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Roman Anthony can’t think of a better place to spend the next eight-plus years of his promising career.
Anthony, who entered the 2025 campaign as the top prospect in all of baseball, signed an eight-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The 21-year-old reportedly will earn $130 million during the life of the contract, which spans the 2026-33 seasons with a club option option for 2034.
“I wanted to be here,” Anthony said during a press conference at Fenway Park on Wednesday evening. “It was as simple as that. I wanted to be in Boston.
“Winning in Boston is different, and I haven’t won anything yet, but for me over these last two months, the baseball we’re playing, the fans and the way they show up every night, it’s amazing,” Anthony continued. “It’s a place like no other. And, for me, it was simple: I just wanted to be here, I just wanted to play baseball in Boston for a long time.”
A second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Anthony was called up to Boston in June after he started the season in Triple-A Worcester. He entered Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals hitting .283 with a .828 OPS across 46 games. He took an eight-game hit streak into the series finale at Fenway Park and has played a major role in Boston’s second-half surge.
Anthony’s deal comes about four months after the Red Sox signed 23-year-old infielder Kristian Campbell to an eight-year extension of his own. Marcelo Mayer, the other representative of Boston’s promising trio, has yet to receive the same long-term commitment but might not be too far away.
Campbell and Mayer, among other youngsters in the organization, are part of the reason Anthony wants to remain in Boston, as well.
“It makes my life a whole lot easier, and taking the field a whole lot easier, when I’m taking it with guys who I just consider my best friends,” Anthony said.
Anthony’s reasoning for wanting to remain with the organization was easy, and the Red Sox now hope it proves to be the right one.
Paul Goldschmidt's pinch-hit home run lifts Yankees past Rangers, ends five-game losing skid
Paul Goldschmidt’s pinch-hit solo home run put the Yankees ahead in the seventh inning, and the much-maligned bullpen pitched four innings of scoreless relief to end a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon in Arlington.
With the win, just their eighth in 19 games since the All-Star break, the Yanks improved to 61-54 on the season. The Rangers, who entered the game just 0.5 game behind New York for the final Wild Card spot, fell to 60-56.
Here are the key takeaways...
- Looking for a spark in a tie game, Aaron Boone went to the bench in the seventh against left-handed reliever Robert Garcia. Amed Rosario (batting for Ryan McMahon) tapped out to third, but Goldschmidt (batting for Austin Wells) had better luck, taking an 0-2 up-and-in fastball and clobbering it 395 feet to left (109.3 mph off the bat) for a solo home run to put New York up 3-2.
Goldschmidt has been eating southpaws alive; he is now batting .410 (43-for-105) on the year with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 16 RBI.
After Ben Rice reached on a two-out infield hit, Bruce Bochy went to the bullpen, but Shawn Armstrong allowed a single and a walk to give Jazz Chisholm Jr. a bases-loaded chance. But Chisholm managed just a flyout to the warning track in left.
Through the series' first 26 innings, the Yanks had left 19 runners on base and were 4-for-21 with runners in scoring position.
- Tim Hill, pitching with a lead in the seventh was the second man out of the 'pen, got the first out before a single and catcher's interference by Rice put two aboard. The lefty got CoreySeager swinging and Boone summoned Yerry De los Santos, who walked the first man he faced. But a good sinker in on the hands got a fly out to center to leave the bases loaded.
- After De los Santos got the first out of the eighth, Boone called on David Bednar, who walked the first guy he faced, but struck out the next two.
In the ninth, Bednar got pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez swinging at a high fastball and Sam Haggerty to wave at a splitter. Seager looked at a 3-2 pitch that appeared to just catch the corner but was judged a ball, giving the Rangers life. Marcus Semien slashed a single through the right side of the infield to put the go-ahead run on base. Boone came out for a visit and after a conversation, allowed Bednar, who was already at 35 pitches (a season high), to face Adolis Garcia. And the righty got Garcia to swing through a 2-2 splitter on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to end the game.
The Yanks held the Rangers to 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, with 11 runners left on base and turned three double plays.
- Carlos Rodon allowed two singles and a walk, but no runs in his first two innings of work. The Rangers pushed the game’s first run across when a Rodon changeup over the middle got smashed by Ezequiel Duran for a double off the left field wall to start the third, and Haggerty slapped a single the other way.
The left-hander walked Seager on a full count, after getting squeezed on a 2-2 sinker that caught the outside corner to put two men on, but a 5-4-3 double-play and flyout saw him safely out of further damage.
Rodon was in a spot of bother with one out in the fifth after a swinging bunt single, walk, and Seager bloop single to center loaded the bases. The lefty was able to escape with minimal damage, a Semien sac fly to tie the game, getting Adolis Garcia to ground out to short to leave two men on.
The lefty walked Wyatt Langford to start the sixth and Boone went to the bullpen in a tied game, but Mark LeiterJr. got a flyout and a double play to close Rodon’s line: 5.0 innings two runs on six hits, four walks, three strikeouts on 93 pitches (58 strikes) raising his ERA to 3.35 on the year.
- In the top of the fourth, Anthony Volpe had a big chance with runners on first and second and one out after a couple of walks, and tied the game yanking an inside fastball into left for an RBI single off Texas starter Jack Leiter. The Yanks used their speed to take the lead when the runners took off, and catcher KyleHigashioka's throw to third was low and bounced away, allowing Jasson Dominguez to score and Volpe to reach third.
After McMahon walked to put runners on the corners, the Yanks failed to score off lefty reliever Hobby Milner, as Wells tapped into a fielder's choice (Volpe caught off third, 1-5-2) and Trent Grisham tapped out to Milner, as well.
Since the All-Star break, Wells is 5-for-46 with just one extra-base hit, three walks, and 11 strikeouts. McMahon went 1-for-1 with a walk and is batting .297 in 12 games with the club. Volpe finished 1-for-4, including bouncing into a double play.
- Judge, who threw in the outfield before Wednesday’s game, looked overeager his first time up when he popped out on the infield swinging at a 3-0 fastball coming in on his hands from Rangers starter Jack Leiter.
The slugger came up in a big spot with runners on first and second and two out in the third, but was caught looking at a 2-2 changeup at the knees on the outside corner.
Judge got his first hit since his return, lining a two-out single in the seventh. He went 1-for-6 with three strikeouts and one walk in his first two games back.
- Rice went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts and hit into a double play. He is now 9-for-46 (.196) with eight walks and eight strikeouts since the All-Star break.
- Chisholm finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He is now batting .208 (15-for-72) with just four extra-base hits, eight RBI, and 24 strikeouts since the break.
- Bellinger went 0-for-2 with a walk and grounded into a double play. The outfielder went 3-for-22 with two walks and two strikeouts during the six-game road trip.
- Dominguez 0-for-2 with two walks, now has 12 hits in his last 57 at-bats.
- Grisham, who singled to start the game, went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout and is batting .217 (13-for-60) since the break.
Game MVP
The Yankee bullpen allowed two hits and walked three batters, but got 12 outs without allowing a run and struck out six, including five by Bednar, who earned his 18th save of the year.
Highlights
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe turn two! pic.twitter.com/I08h2OMeKl
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
Anthony Volpe gets the Yankees on the board! pic.twitter.com/FvMNLEjtaU
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
Jasson Domínguez steals third and comes home on the wild throw to give the Yankees the lead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gGkwRESTW5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT HOMERS TO GIVE THE YANKEES THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/4mvuZAvbxZ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
Upcoming schedule
After taking Thursday off, the Yanks open a three-game series in The Bronx against the Houston Astros, starting on Friday at 7:05 p.m.
New York is scheduled to start with Cam Schlittler (4.58 ERA, 1.678 WHIP in 19.2 innings) on Friday, with Luis Gil and Max Fried following. Houston is set to counter with righty Hunter Brown (2.47 ERA, 0.985 WHIP in 131 innings) on Friday with lefty Framber Valdez on Saturday. No Astros starter has been named for Sunday.
NHL Splash Rankings: No.12 New Jersey Devils
The Hockey News’ summer splash series – our exclusive rankings of the off-seasons of each NHL team – continues with the 12th spot going to the New Jersey Devils. We’ve been moving in reverse from the 32nd-place Buffalo Sabres to the No. 1 spot, and we’re looking at every team’s roster additions, departures, and hirings and firings where applicable.
After considerable debate and discussion, THN.com has ranked teams that fall into one of three categories this summer. The first category is teams that have improved. The second category is teams that have more or less remained the same. And the final category is teams that have regressed.
The Devils have been a playoff team for two of the past three seasons, but there’s a prevailing sense about this team that they’re not living up to expectations. In two playoff appearances in the past three seasons, New Jersey has been eliminated by the superior Carolina Hurricanes with relative ease, so Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald was frank and true when he said he wouldn’t be bringing back the same group next season.
With that in mind, let’s look at New Jersey’s changes and why they’re nearly a top-10 team in terms of their off-season development.
Additions
Connor Brown (RW), Evgenii Dadonov (LW), Juho Lammikko (LW), Thomas Bordeleau (LW), Arseniy Gritsyuk (LW)
The Breakdown: The Devils didn’t make widespread changes this summer, really only dealing with their bottom-six group of forwards and players who may be in the press box to start the year. Brown is coming off a terrific post-season with the Edmonton Oilers, while Dadonov very quietly had a 20-goal, 40-point season with the Dallas Stars. Fitzgerald got Brown and Dadonov for a combined salary cap hit of $4-million. That’s some nifty work by the Devils GM.
Meanwhile, while he’s not an addition per se, goaltender Jake Allen chose to return to New Jersey this summer at a team-friendly salary of $1.8-million. Allen worked well with starter Jacob Markstrom last season, and he almost certainly could’ve received more money to go elsewhere.
So Allen’s decision to stay in New Jersey is an endorsement of what this team is capable of. And a deeper, more skilled Devils group in front of the goalies will make life easier for Markstrom and Allen.
Departures
Erik Haula (LW), Tomas Tatar (LW), Curtis Lazar (C), Daniel Sprong (LW), Nathan Bastian (RW), Justin Dowling (C), Brian Dumoulin (D), Nolan Foote (D)
The Breakdown: There’s been a fairly big exodus from New Jersey’s roster this summer, but it’s basically been a stream of fringe players (Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong) and veterans who left for Europe (Tatar).
The most high-profile departure is probably Dumoulin, a trade-deadline acquisition who never really fit in as part of the Devils’ defense corps. But New Jersey has one of the deepest, strongest groups of blueliners in the league, so they’ll be able to absorb the slight blow from Dumoulin’s departure with relative ease.
Something to keep an eye on: Fittzgerald still has $6.1 million in cap space to use between now and the next NHL trade deadline. So nobody should be shocked to see the Devils as movers-and-shakers at the deadline and during the year.
The Bottom Line
Essentially, Fitzgerald has changed up New Jersey’s wingers this summer, bringing in new blood in Brown and Dadonov in particular and bidding farewell to veterans including Haula and Tatar. That’s a trade-off that almost certainly will make the Devils at least a little bit better. And that’s why they’re ranked as highly as they are in the summer splash list.
Don’t get it twisted – we’re still not sure New Jersey has what it takes to finish higher in the Metropolitan Division standings and/or go on a deeper playoff run next season. But the Devils’ core – brothers Jack and Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier – is coming back with considerably more pressure to improve on their past few years.
The Devils are indeed improved, if only slightly so. But Fitzgerald has effected change in the team’s secondary players, and time will tell whether that was the right choice. And if things go sideways for New Jersey, there will be a larger reckoning at this time next year.
Summer Splash Rankings
12. New Jersey Devils
13. St. Louis Blues
16. Ottawa Senators
17. Boston Bruins
18. Edmonton Oilers
19. Minnesota Wild
20. Seattle Kraken
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
30. Winnipeg Jets
32. Buffalo Sabres
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Trae Young reportedly 'frustrated' Hawks have yet to make contract extension offer
Luka Doncic got his max contract extension. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got a historic one, and the Thunder also extended and locked up his running mates Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Devin Booker got his extension.
Trae Young has yet to get his, and he's growing increasingly frustrated. He was frustrated at the pace of things a month ago.
⌛️
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) July 6, 2025
ESPN/Andscape's Marc Spears said Tuesday that Young is "disappointed" that he has yet to be offered a deal. From Spears' appearance on NBA Today:
"What I'm hearing now, at this point — you can tell by Trae's Tweet, and I saw him during the Finals — I think he's disappointed that it hasn't come, it hasn't been offered."
Atlanta can offer Young a four-year, $228.6 million max extension right now, but there also is no time crunch from the Hawks' perspective (the deadline to reach a deal is June 30, 2026).
The question becomes: Is Young a max player? If not — and the conventional wisdom around the league is he's not a full max guy — then what is the number where everyone is happy, both in terms of dollars and years?
The Hawks were aggressive this offseason, retooling their roster into one that could be a top-four team in the East. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking to Atlanta, and he seems a natural pick-and-pop partner with Young. Nickeil Alexander-Walker brings shooting to the wing, plus he and Dyson Daniels give the Hawks an elite wing defense. Luke Kennard adds even more shooting. And that's not counting Jalen Johnson getting healthy and Zaccharie Risacher potentially making a leap in his second season.
There's some logic to the idea of Young at the point leading this roster, he averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists per game last season, shooting 34% from beyond the arc. He also led the league in turnovers with 355 (4.7 per game), and is a minus defender.
Does Atlanta want to see how things shake out on the court before getting serious with extension talks? More likely, they talk to Young about a two-year contract closer to his current salary (two years, $100-105 million). Whether he'd accept that is the question.
What Young wants is an offer and negotiations as a place to start. You could easily get that vibe out of his support for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons and the drama around his contract.
This why you pay the man early, when someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now!
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 1, 2025
Get what you deserve bro!
The question is, how serious are the Hawks about talking at this point?
Gavin Williams just misses Guardians’ first no-hitter in 44 years in 4-1 win over Mets
NEW YORK — Gavin Williams came within two outs of Cleveland’s first no-hitter in 44 years before Juan Soto homered with one out in the ninth inning, and the Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 4-1 win Wednesday.
Williams (7-4) walked three and struck out six, including Francisco Lindor to lead off the ninth. But Soto homered just beyond the leaping grasp of center fielder Angel Martínez two pitches later for the Mets’ first hit since the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 loss.
The Guardians have not thrown a no-hitter since Len Barker twirled a perfect game on May 15, 1981. Their no-hitter drought is the longest in the majors.
There has not been a no-hitter in the majors this season.
Williams, who was the first player on the field in the ninth with nobody warming up in the Guardians’ bullpen, retired Pete Alonso on a fly to right but exited after walking Brandon Nimmo for the third time.
The right-hander threw 126 pitches — 17 more than his previous career high and the the most in the majors since Alex Cobb threw 131 in a one-hitter for the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 29, 2023.
Hunter Gaddis got Mark Vientos to fly out to earn his second save.
David Fry led off the second by homering against David Peterson (7-5). Martínez hit a two-run homer in the third and Gabriel Arias added an RBI triple in the sixth.
The Mets have lost eight of nine.
Key moment
Soto’s homer allowed the Mets to avoid being no-hit for the ninth time in team history.
Key stat
The Guardians’ no-hitter drought is at 7,115 games, counting the postseason.
Up next
The Guardians remain on the road Friday, when RHP Tanner Bibee (7-9, 4.51 ERA) takes the mound against Chicago White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (3-6, 3.99 ERA).
The Mets hit the road Friday, when RHP Kodai Senga (7-3, 2.31 ERA) starts against Milwaukee Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff (3-0, 2.22 ERA) in a rematch of last year’s NL Division Series.
Vitali Kravtsov Returns To The Vancouver Canucks, NHL After Two Years In The KHL
The Canucks made an addition late into this offseason yesterday, with winger Vitali Kravtsov signing a one-year, two-way contract valued at $775k. This is his second tenure with Vancouver, as he last played 16 games with the team after being acquired just ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline, in a move that sent Will Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the New York Rangers.
International experience
Kravtsov, hailing from the Russian city of Vladivostok on the eastern Pacific coast, spent the last two seasons playing with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. He scored 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games in the 2023-24 season, his first back in Russia, and was sixth in league scoring in the regular season, with 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games. Through 33 playoff games played over the two seasons, Kravtsov had 12 points (nine goals, three assists) and helped Traktor to the Gagarin Cup Finals last season, where they lost to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in five games.
The 25-year-old winger has spent much of his career outside of North America within the Chelyabinsk system, having played parts of multiple seasons with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk and Chelmet Chelyabinsk, the junior and minor affiliates of Traktor Chelyabinsk, respectively. Kravtsov also spent multiple stints with Traktor Chelyabinsk prior to his latest move back, having spent much of his early career with the major team, and was loaned to the team for the 2021-22 season by the New York Rangers. In 2018, he set the record for most points by an 18-year-old in the KHL postseason, with 11 (six goals, five assists) through 16 games, as well as being named the league’s Best Rookie with the Aleksei Cherepanov Award. Overall, Kravtsov has 160 points (81 goals, 79 assists) in 288 KHL regular-season games across eight seasons, and 40 points (25 goals, 15 assists) in 79 playoff games across seven appearances.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Vitali Kravtsov To A One-Year ContractThe Vancouver Canucks are bringing back winger Vitali Kravtsov. Vancouver has announced that they have signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, two way contract. Now 25, Kravtsov has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Kravtsov was drafted ninth overall during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, just two picks after Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. Later that year, he played in the 2019 World Junior Championships, hosted in Vancouver, where he won a bronze medal with Russia, scoring two goals and earning four assists. He played 39 games in the 2019-20 season for the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers, scoring 15 points (six goals, nine assists) with his first experience of North American professional hockey.
New NHL beginnings
He made his NHL debut for the Rangers on April 3, 2021, in a shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres — his first of 20 games in the 2020-21 season for the Original Six team. Kravtsov earned his first NHL point on April 11, 2021, with an assist on a goal from Brendan Smith in an overtime loss to the New York Islanders, and netted his first NHL goal a week later on April 18, during a 5–3 Rangers win against the New Jersey Devils. He would score another goal and assist each before the season ended, and he would head back to Russia the following year after tensions with the Rangers' front office surfaced.
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Kravtsov returned to the NHL for the 2022-23 season, where he had six points (three goals, three assists) in 28 games with the Rangers before being traded to the Canucks, where he scored one goal and one assist. As a restricted free agent, he was extended a qualifying offer at the conclusion of the season by the Canucks, but opted to head back to Chelyabinsk, though the Canucks maintained his NHL signing rights.
Familiar faces
The Russian winger now returns to a Canucks team that looks vastly different from the one he originally played with. Gone are big names like Rick Tocchet behind the bench and JT Miller on it alongside him, and he is reunited with his former Rangers linemate in Filip Chytil. The two spent 123 minutes together on the ice across 44 games in two separate seasons, mostly on the third line. Chytil and Kravtsov on ice together combined for a Corsi For Percentage of 57.80%, a goals for of 75% against an expected goals for of 59.09%, a shooting percentage of 8.11%, and a PDO of 1.085, above the league average of 1.00, and the 2023-24 league-leading Canucks PDO of 1.025. The last time the two played extended minutes together was on January 16, 2023, where Chytil assisted on Kravtsov’s final goal as a Blueshirt in a 3–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In his first tenure with the Canucks, Kravtsov spent the majority of his time on the fourth line, with 12 of his 16 games spent there. He made two appearances on the third line and two late-season appearances on the first line with Elias Pettersson as his center. On the current Canucks lineup, his highest ceiling is likely the middle six, though I would not be surprised if he spends most of his time in the bottom six, or if he is sent to Abbotsford to start the season, despite being eligible for waivers.
I’d anticipate Kravtsov working on a third or fourth line to start with Nils Åman — who he also played with twice his first time in Vancouver — or Aatu Räty as his center, assuming the team keep Chytil on as the second line center with Conor Garland and Evander Kane as his wingers. Injuries or impressive performance could lift him to the second line at some point this season with Chytil, or an elevation or trade of another center could move Chytil down to the bottom six with his former Rangers linemate. Still, he will be fighting for a spot on the big league wings come training camp against experienced Canucks like Nils Höglander, Max Sasson, Drew O’Connor, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Arshdeep Bains, and Linus Karlsson. Overall, though, the return of Kravtsov carries a low risk, as forward depth can become an issue as the season goes on, and a league minimum deal for one year adds stability and professional experience to the Canucks winger depth chart.
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Mets unable to make adjustments in deflating loss to Guardians: 'We have to be better'
In many ways, Wednesday afternoon’s 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians felt like a low point for the 2025 Mets.
While David Peterson was solid but not spectacular on the mound, the entire lineup looked listless at the plate, as Guardians starter Gavin Williams carried a no-hitter through 8.1 innings.
With the loss, the Mets have now lost eight of their last nine games, remaining 2.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies, who also lost on Wednesday afternoon.
“You’ve got to give him credit,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about Williams. “Obviously, he was really good today using all of his pitches, but we also know that we’re better than that. They know they’re better than that. We just couldn’t make any adjustments. A lot of empty at-bats there.
“Yes, as good as he was, I feel like he gave us a few pitches to hit and we missed them.”
Williams struck out six Mets on the afternoon, but even when the Mets did put the ball in play, it was mostly weak contact, outside of a Francisco Lindor liner back to the mound in the first inning and a Mark Vientos flare in the seventh that forced C.J. Kayfus to make a diving catch.
The Mets finally scratched across a hit with one out in the ninth, as Juan Soto homered to straight-away center. But it was too little, too late.
“I really don’t know what is going on,” Soto said after the game. “We definitely have the talent and the guys who are capable to do damage here, so I think one day it’s going to turn around.”
“We have to be better,” Soto added later. “As a group we have to come through better and we have to do the adjustments. Nobody said it’s going to be easy to go all the way, but it’s a challenge. We’ve just got to go out there and take it from them. Nobody’s going to bring the trophy over here and give it to us, we gotta go out there and take it.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Mets in the immediate future, as the club has an off day on Thursday before starting a three-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, who have the best record in baseball at 69-44.
Mendoza isn’t losing confidence in his club, but he knows it’s time to get things turned around.
“I think the number one thing is just understanding that we’re going through it right now, but at the same time, we’ve got to find a way to turn the switch here,” Mendoza said. “We know you’re good, we know we’re good here, but we’ve got to go out there and do it. We’ll continue to have those discussions. We believe in those guys, obviously. It’s been a rough stretch here for a quite a bit now, and I know they’re working really hard. The messaging, obviously we have to be better. We have to continue to work hard, and we have to go out there and do it.”
'I Found My Way Down To The Locker Rooms': Michael Pezzetta Reminisces On Moments As A Young Maple Leafs Fan
Michael Pezzetta is still pinching himself after signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this summer.
The 27-year-old, who's spent his entire NHL career thus far with the Montreal Canadiens, grew up in Toronto and was a Maple Leafs fan. A sixth-round (160th overall) pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Pezzetta recalled sitting in his childhood room and looking at all of the posters on his wall after signing with Toronto.
"I got a big picture of Mats Sundin on my wall and a couple of pictures of CuJo (Curtis Joseph) and some other guys," Pezzetta smiled. "I get to fight for the opportunity to put this sweater on, and it's just something that I've dreamed of my whole life, and I'm just, it feels amazing."
A month after signing his two-year, $1.63 million deal, Pezzetta spoke with the NHLPA about joining his hometown club. He reminisced about a moment from his childhood when he attended an open practice at Scotiabank Arena.
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"One time, when I was a little kid, our team was at Air Canada Centre [now, Scotiabank Arena] to watch the Leafs practice. I was an energetic kid, not really scared of anything, so I found my way down to the locker rooms," Pezzetta said.
"I was running around outside the locker room, and I ended up running into [former NHL defenceman] Wade Redden and one of the goalies from the Ottawa Senators. By that time, my dad realized I had taken off and came looking for me. I was running around, trying to get guys to sign stuff."
He revealed that Sundin was his favorite player growing up. The former Maple Leafs captain holds the franchise record for most points (987) and goals (420) through 981 games with Toronto.
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"I had his pictures in my room, jerseys things like that," said Pezzetta. "I remember his 500th goal, coming across the blue line and blasting a slap shot home, far side, for the overtime winner, and a hat trick. It was a great memory."
Sundin's 500th goal came on October 14th, 2006, and it was a shorthanded overtime-winner against the Calgary Flames. The Bromma, Sweden-born forward also scored 32 goals and 38 assists in 77 playoff games.
Pezzetta is entering his fifth NHL season after tallying 15 goals and 23 assists in 200 games, all with the Canadiens. Although he's likely to be a depth forward for Toronto, there's no doubt Pezzetta will bring more bite to the club's bottom six.
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"It’s the same as Montreal, it is a big market, there is pressure and expectations are high," he said. "But that makes sense and that’s what makes it so great to play in these types of cities. I’m embracing every bit of it."
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: 'I Found My Way Down To The Locker Rooms': Michael Pezzetta Reminisces On Moments As A Young Maple Leafs Fan
(Top photo of Pezzetta: David Kirouac / Imagn Images)