Apr 5, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers center Thomas Bryant (3) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
NBA free agency is in full swing and there’s a couple Hoosiers who are staying put with their current teams.
Thomas Bryant, who spent the 2025-26 season with the Eastern Conference runner-up Cleveland Cavaliers, recently inked a one year deal to return to Cleveland. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Toronto Raptors during the 2025-26 season, had his team option picked up by the Raptors.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Hoosiers today:
CHICAGO — The banged-up Chicago Cubs placed utilityman Matt Shaw and right-hander Ethan Roberts on the injured list.
Shaw has a sprained left hand and Roberts is out because of elbow inflammation. Outfielder Kevin Alcántara and right-hander Gavin Hollowell were recalled from Triple-A Iowa before a 3-2 victory over San Diego in the opener of a three-game series.
The 24-year-old Shaw was on the IL from May 20 to June 9 because of mid-back tightness. He hit .257 with two homers and eight RBIs in 14 games after he was activated from the IL.
“I think there’s a world where he’s swinging a bat by the weekend,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think as soon as we get the inflammation out, we think we can move forward pretty quickly, so there’s a chance that one’s a minimum (stint).”
Shaw had been serving as Chicago’s primary right fielder since Seiya Suzuki hurt his right knee on June 13. Counsell said veteran Michael Conforto will get more regular time in right with Shaw out. Conforto hit an RBI single in the victory over the Padres.
The 28-year-old Roberts is the 13th Cubs pitcher on the IL. He has a 4.21 ERA in a career-high 23 appearances out of the bullpen. He pitched in 11 games in June.
“Ethan’s been one of the guys that has pitched a lot,” Counsell said. “I don’t think we have anything serious here, but it’s just, we got to give him a break, basically.”
Counsell said closer Daniel Palencia could begin throwing soon. The right-hander was placed on the IL on June 16 with elbow inflammation.
Starter Jameson Taillon is scheduled to throw live batting practice against Chicago hitters. The veteran right-hander strained his left hamstring in the second inning of a 2-1 loss to San Francisco on June 7.
The Philadelphia Flyers have made one of their first re-signings of the 2026 offseason, keeping one of their own for another season.
On Tuesday, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that the Flyers and depth forward Carl Grundstrom, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Ryan Ellis trade, have agreed to a one-year contract worth $1 million.
The Flyers cannot officially announce the deal until Wednesday, when free agency opens for the NHL.
Grundstrom, 28, scored nine goals, four assists, and 13 points in 47 games for the Flyers last season, primarily featuring in a bottom-six role, and occasionally playing with Noah Cates and Matvei Michkov because of his speed.
With the departures of Nick Deslauriers and, more recently, Garnet Hathaway, the Flyers had a need for a depth energy winger, and they will keep one around with Grundstrom.
Plus, Nikita Grebenkin only just returned from a four-month absense due to a mystery on Tuesday, and he'll need the offseason to continue to recover and get back up to speed.
With Grundstrom back in the mix, the Flyers still need to re-sign free agents Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Grebenkin, Luke Glendening, Garrett Wilson, Noah Juulsen, and Rodrigo Abols, though not all will be back in Philadelphia next season.
The Flyers have approximately $32 million in cap space to work with after re-signing Grundstrom.
MILWAUKEE — Cincinnati Reds centerfielder Dane Myers was taken to a hospital for further examination after he was removed from the field on a cart in the fourth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers after crashing into the outfield wall
Myers made a running backhanded grab on Andrew Vaughn’s leadoff drive, then hit the wall hard with what appeared to be his left shoulder. He held onto the ball for the out with the Reds leading 1-0.
“He was X-rayed here and it came back negative,” Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game. “Saying that, we sent him to the hospital because he was in so much pain and so uncomfortable.
“The kid was really hurt and it wasn’t going away. I think they want to check for a lot of things, because you saw how violent it was. He was really in pain, he’s already at the hospital. We’ll see what we can find out.”
Myers, who entered hitting .252, accounted for the Reds run with a two-out RBI double in the first.
“That was an amazing catch,” Francona said. “He’s fearless going into the wall, and probably like nobody I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe he held on, but he paid a pretty big price for it.”
TJ Friedl, recalled from Triple-A Louisville after outfielder Blake Dunn was placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain, replaced Myers in centerfield.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MAY 28: Evan Carter #32 of the Texas Rangers slides safely into third base before Spencer Arrighetti #41 of the Houston Astros applies the tag during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on May 28, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers offense has been assessed the lion’s share of the blame for the team’s struggles last year, as well as their hovering around .500 so far this season. If the team would just hit like an average team, the argument goes, the pitching is strong enough for the Rangers to excel.
I have a variety of issues with that sentiment, but something that jumped out at me, in looking at the team’s offensive numbers for 2026, is that the offense has been hitting like an (at minimum) average team this year.
Baseball Reference shows the 2026 Rangers with a team OPS+ of 108, tied for third in the majors. Fangraphs, which uses a park factor that doesn’t treat the Shed as pitcher-friendly as B-R does, has the Rangers’ wRC+ at 101, tied with the Orioles for 15th.
But let’s set aside park-adjust numbers for a moment. Let’s look just at raw numbers:
The Rangers’ wOBA this year is .316 — tied with the Orioles for 16th in the majors, and barely below the league average of .317.
The Rangers’ batting average this year is .244 — tied with the Red Sox for 15th in the majors, and one point above the league average of .243.
The Rangers’ OBP this year is .320 — 13th in the majors, and one point above the league average of .319.
The Rangers’ slugging percentage is .392 — tied with the Marlins for 20th in the majors, and eight points below the league average of .400.
Looking at just the non-park-adjusted numbers above — wOBA, average, OBP, slugging — you would expect the Rangers to be average to a hair below average in runs scored in 2026.
Instead, though, the Rangers are 23rd in the league with 4.07 runs per game — barely ahead of the Giants, Jays and Mariners, at 4.05, and almost half a run per game behind the league average of 4.49 runs per game. Over the 85 games they’ve played, that’s a 36 run shortfall compared to if they were scoring runs at the sort of league average rate you would expect, given their team offensive numbers
That doesn’t make a lot of sense, so I decided to poke around and figure out where the Rangers are falling short.
I thought, maybe the Rangers are underperforming with runners in scoring position. Taking a look at that, they are right around league average hitting with no one on, men on base, and runners in scoring position. So that’s not it.
They’ve not been good with runners in scoring position and two outs — they’ve slashed .195/.288/.307, compared to .227/.325/.378 overall. That might explain part of it, I guess, though that means that they are overperforming the league with runners in scoring position and either one out or two out.
Then I took a look at the team’s baserunning data on Baseball Reference, comparing it to the league as a whole, and an unexpected explanation for at least part of the discrepancy jumped out at me.
B-R shows you the percentage of times that each team takes an extra base on a hit, as well as the league as a whole. That incorporates scoring from second on a single, advancing to third or scoring from first on a single, or scoring from first on a double.
The league average is 42% — that is, 42% of the team, on a single or double, a runner takes more than than one base (on a single) or two bases (on a double). The Detroit Tigers have the highest percentage, at 53%, with the Royals next, at 50%. Most teams are between 40% and 49%, with the Twins and Angels tied for next-to-last at 37%.
The Rangers? They are last, at 34%. The Tigers take an extra base on a hit more than 50% more often than the Rangers do. The league as a whole does so almost 25% more often.
The Rangers lag even most dramatically in regards to going from first to third on a single. The Rangers have singled with a runner on first 163 times this season — sixth most in MLB, and 15 more times than the league average of 148.
Despite that, they are dead last in the majors in the number of times they’ve had a runner go to third, or score, from first on a single. They’ve done it only 34 times — barely 20% of the time, compared to over 35% for the league as a whole.
If the Rangers were going first to third on singles at a league average rate, they’d have put a runner on third base on a single, instead of having them stuck at second, 23 more times this season.
They also don’t score from 2nd on a single as often as the league as a whole, though there, the difference is less dramatic — the league scores from second on a single about 61% of the time, while the Rangers do so about 55% of the time. The delta there would indicate five additional runners scoring from second on singles, as compared to sticking at third, if they were scoring from second on singles at a league average rate.
It isn’t the whole explanation, but it does help explain why the Rangers have been so bad at converting baserunners into runs — just 27% of their baserunners this season have scored, tied with the Mariners for last in the majors. The percentage for the league as a whole is 30% — and if the Rangers were cashing in 30% of their baserunners this year, they’d be scoring runs at, if not a league average clip, pretty close.
It just advancing on singles, to be clear. The Rangers have hit into 65 double plays, tied for the third most in the majors, and 12 more than the league average. They are a little below average in sacrifice flies, as well. And although the team has been successful when it has attempted to steal — their 80% success rate is tied for 6th in the majors — only five teams in baseball have attempted fewer steals.
I don’t have a solution to the issues, and I don’t know that there necessarily is one. The Rangers have a number of slow players, and those have been the guys who have been getting on base most often. If Joc Pederson or Josh Jung — two of the Rangers’ best OBP guys this year — get on, they are likely going station-to-station, which also effects anyone getting on base behind them. Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter are fast, but they’ve also missed much of the season and not been getting on base at great clips.
I suck at typing conclusions, so I’ll just end this by saying, hopefully this improves going forward.
NEW YORK — New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the game against the Detroit Tigers following a violent collision with right fielder Jasson Domínguez and was placed in concussion protocol.
With the Yankees down 7-0 in the fourth inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit a high popup to shallow right field. Chisholm ran back and attempted to make the catch but Domínguez charged in and caught the ball as his glove struck Chisholm in the face.
“I’m not sure exactly what happened,” manager Aaron Boone said after a 7-3 loss sent the Yankees to their fifth straight defeat. “Obviously we’re playing the infield in, so it’s a little bit that no-man’s land. I think JD called it late. I don’t know if he didn’t hear.”
Chisholm immediately fell down on the grass and was on his back for several minutes as Boone and athletic trainer Tim Lentych checked on him. After a few minutes, Chisholm stood up and slowly walked off the field under his own power. He was replaced at second base by Oswaldo Cabrera.
“It was really unfortunate,” Domínguez said. “They were playing infield in. In my mind, I’ve got to go catch the ball. I called it, but obviously I didn’t call it loud enough. But really unfortunate what happened.”
Domínguez remained in the game and crashed hard into the outfield wall on the next play while catching Kerry Carpenter’s drive to end the fourth.
“My elbow kind of went into my belly,” Domínguez said. “I was just out of breath. I’m OK.”
Chisholm struck out in his only at-bat and is hitting .222 with 12 homers and 33 RBIs in 81 games this season.
He was ejected from New York’s 5-4, 10-inning loss in Boston by first base umpire Todd Tichenor when he spiked his helmet in the dirt behind home plate following a strikeout on a check-swing against Sonny Gray.
After eight seasons and an NBA title, the LeBron era for the Los Angeles Lakers is coming to an end.
LeBron James will play his unprecedented 24th season in 2026-27, but he has informed the Lakers that the team can move forward without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells Shams Charania of ESPN.
After eight seasons with the Lakers, including leading the franchise to the 2020 NBA championship, James departs and enters free agency set to join a new team.
Lakers president Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul spoke a short time ago about the four-time champion's plans, sources said.… https://t.co/QPwbkJi9OJ
James, who led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship alongside then-teammate Anthony Davis, enters this offseason coming off a two-year, $101.36 million max deal — including a $52.63 million player option in 2025-26. According to reports, the Golden State Warriors are planning to pursue James in free agency once the negotiation window begins Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. He will turn 42 in December.
James was an All-Star last season, averaging 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 60 games after missing the first month because of sciatica. While playing increased minutes during the postseason (from 33.2 to 38.4 minutes per game), James led the Lakers to a first-round series win over the Houston Rockets while Luka Doncic was out with a hamstring strain.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center on March 19, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Four-time NBA champion LeBron James is set to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and enter free agency, with plans to continue his career into a record-setting 24th season.
James, who will turn 42 in December, informed the Lakers that he intends to play elsewhere next season, continuing a career that has already spanned more than two decades at the highest level.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first broke the news, with LeBron’s agent Rich Paul announcing that his client is ready to move for a final chapter elsewhere.
After eight seasons with the Lakers, including leading the franchise to the 2020 NBA championship, James departs and enters free agency set to join a new team.
Lakers president Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul spoke a short time ago about the four-time champion's plans, sources said.… https://t.co/QPwbkJi9OJ
The decision marks the end of an eight-year run in Los Angeles and signals a final episode in LeBron’s soon-to-be 24-year NBA career, with the forward already being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“BREAKING: LeBron James will continue his NBA career for the 2026-27 season and has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that the franchise can move on without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN.” — Shams Charania
As old as he is, James averaged 20.9 points per game — extending his streak to 23 consecutive seasons with at least 20 points — while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He also contributed 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, pretty much carrying the Lakers by himself into the second round of the playoffs.
Throughout his career, James has earned a place in 21 All-NBA teams, only to see his near-career-long streak finished last season. A five-time MVP, James entered the league all the way back in 2003 when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick.
James’ best recent season came in 2020, two years after he joined the Lakers, when he won the title in the NBA Bubble. Career-wise, James will enter his final season averaging 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He’s also a 50.7% shooter from the field, 34.8% from three, and 73.7% from the charity stripe.
With this news, LeBron is becoming an unrestricted free agent and thus making himself available for all 29 franchises not playing basketball inside the Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers expressed to James that they wanted him back, but the NBA's all-time leading scorer decides to move on elsewhere. https://t.co/hGhK4gGd42
The Golden State Warriors (per Jake Fischer) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (per Chris Haynes) are the two most obvious landing spots for James, whether that’s for the relationships he built throughout his career representing the USA alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr, or simply for returning home to play basketball in Ohio amid his upcoming retirement tour. The Miami Heat (per Jake Fischer) could be a third potential destination with past links to James, but Miami hasn’t popped up frequently in the rumor mill, and the arrival of Giannis could be enough to deter James from joining a team with a Luka-like franchise player already in tow.
When it comes to the Knicks, it’s hard to envision LeBron signing a deal to play in New York. Back in mid-May, I floated the idea of the Knicks signing LeBron depending on the season outcome, and a solid discussion emerged in The Feed. Obviously, given the Knicks’ financial situation, the options have come down to just two: offering him a minimum deal or letting him sign elsewhere without even caring. If you ask(ed) me, I was and still am team vet-min offer.
That said, after James spent the past 15 years showing love to MSG but always ditching the franchise to set camp in warmer locales, it’s hard to even think the Knicks would do more than due diligence and submit a veteran minimum contract to Rich Paul, just in case and if anything at all, which for all intents and purposes would do James more of a favor than the other way around in this the year 2026 of our Lord.
But I must say that having a player of James’ talent and production coming off the bench or splitting time with the likes of Josh Hart, taking only a couple millions from your cap, is something I wouldn’t complain about…
No, THANK YOU! Truly a honor to wear the 💜💛 while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint. 🙏🏾🫡👑 https://t.co/RmQ6uvvgv0
TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger will be shut down for several more weeks because of a stress reaction in his back, further delaying his return in an injury-plagued season.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Barger experienced back pain while hitting at the team’s spring training facility in Florida. Barger came to Toronto for an MRI, which revealed the stress reaction, a bone injury that leads to swelling and irritation.
Barger, out since May 10 because of a sore elbow, just has played nine games this season. He’s batting .045 with no homers and two RBIs.
He had one hit in eight games in March and April before missing 29 games because of a sprained left ankle.
Barger returned May 9 against the Angels. In the second inning that day, he caught Vaughn Grissom’s fly ball and threw home at 101.2 miles per hour to retire Jorge Soler for an inning-ending double play. It was the fastest throw on an outfield assist by any Blue Jays player since 2015, and the fastest in the majors this season.
Two days later, Barger went on the injured list with a sore elbow.
Barger had 21 homers and 74 RBIs in 135 games last season, helping Toronto reach the World Series.
He hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history in Game 1 against the Dodgers.
The New Jersey Devils traded veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom and Utica Comets forward Angus Crookshank to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for forward Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
LeBrun added that New Jersey is not retaining any salary in the move.
The 36-year-old netminder, who began his NHL career with the Panthers, earned a record of 23-19-1 with the Devils last season with a 3.07 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage. He is entering the first season of a two-year, $12 million contract with a $6 million cap hit.
New Jersey acquired Markstrom from the Calgary Flames on June 19, 2024 in exchange for defenseman Kevin Bahl and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Recently, the Panthers acquired former Devils goaltender Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights.
We have acquired goaltender Akira Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for our third-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Rodrigues, 32, scored 11 goals and collected 20 assists over 69 games with the Panthers in 2025-26. He was part of Florida's 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup championship teams.
Boqvist began his career in New Jersey and spent four seasons with the club before leaving for the Boston Bruins organization. As an unrestricted free agent, he signed with the Panthers in 2024, where he won his first Stanley Cup.
Steeves, 24, is a undrafted left winger who spent last season in American Hockey League (AHL), with the Charlotte Checkers. He appeared in 72 games and collected 45 points.
This story will be updated.
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BRADENTON, FL - MARCH 02: Ty Johnson (82) of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 02, 2026 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This was the 12th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Tuesday, June 30th).
According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), prospect Caden Bodine has taken back over as the top performer in the system. His full season stat line is further below.
Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa continues to be the top performing pitcher in the system. The 22-year old Cremarosa is having a solid debut season within the Rays system. The 2025 8th round pick is currently in Single-A and holds a 2.68 ERA | 2.69 FIP with a 32.1 K% & 4.6 BB% over 57 IP.
RUMBLINGS
Ty Johnson was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. During his start on the 28th, Johnson delivered 5 no-hit innings while racking up 9 strikeouts and walking just one batter.
Baseball America is slated to update their top 30 rankings on Wednesday
TEAM LEADERS
Must currently be assigned to that team
Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
(minimum of 130 TBF & PA)
Tampa Bay Rays
Top 10 Prospects
None currently on active roster
Durham Bulls
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .258, Blake Sabol OBP: .339, Carson Williams SLG: .440, Blake Sabol HR: 9, Tatem Levins & Blake Sabol wRC+: 98, Carson Williams SB: 16, Homer Bush Jr
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 2.08, Evan Reifert FIP: 3.65, Ty Johnson K%: 32.2% Ty Johnson BB%: 8.1%, Chase Solesky WHIP: 0.95, Ty Johnson AVG: .172, Ty Johnson WHIFF%: 14.9%, Ty Johnson
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .309, Austin Overn (placed on the IL on 5/27) OBP: .376, Xavier Isaac SLG: .533, Austin Overn (placed on the IL on 5/27) HR: 14, Xavier ISaac wRC+: 139, Austin Overn (Placed on IL on 5/27) SB: 28, Austin Overn (placed on the IL on 5/27)
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 2.15, Chris Clark FIP: 3.46, Chris Clark K%: 25.5%, Jackson Baumeister BB%: 3.9%, Santiago Suarez WHIP 1.03, Chris Clark AVG: .208, Chris Clark WHIFF%: 14.8%, Tommy McCollum
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .309, Adrian Santana OBP: .438, Tony Santa Maria SLG: .587, Connor Hujsak HR: 16, Connor Hujsak wRC+: 137, Tony Santa Maria SB: 28, Tony Santa Maria
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 1.66, Jacob Kisting FIP: 2.36, Jacob Kisting K%: 29.6%, Jacob Kisting BB%: 4.1%, Dominic Niman WHIP: 0.92, Jacob Kisting AVG: .196, Jacob Kisting WHIFF%: 17.4%, Noah Beal
LeBron James is a 22-time All-Star. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP
LeBron James looks set to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, with ESPN reporting he has told the team he will continue his NBA career but with a different team.
James will turn 42 during the 2026-27 season but his long-time representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, said the 22-time All-Star intends to continue his playing career. However, he intends to do so away from the Lakers, with whom he won a championship in 2020.
Reports on Monday indicated the Golden State Warriors are looking to sign James, setting up a union with his old rivals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The Warriors are also understood to be looking at signing Anthony Davis. The window for free agency negotiation opens at 6pm ET on Tuesday.
James is a 22-time All-Star, claiming the honor every year from 2005 to 2026 and has been league MVP four times, a total bettered only by Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James’s longevity – and brilliance – means he owns a host of NBA records, including most minutes played, most points scored and most All-Star appearances.
Across his career he has averaged 26.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists. He has also played long enough that last season his eldest son, Bronny, became his teammate at the Lakers.
The St. Louis Blues have announced that they have placed former Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin on waivers for the purpose of buying out his contract.
Drouin signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the New York Islanders this past off-season. However, he ended up being traded to the Blues in the deal that sent Brayden Schenn to the Islanders.
Drouin getting bought out comes after he had four goals and 24 points in 64 games split between the Islanders and Blues last season. This included him recording a goal and two assists in nine games for St. Louis after the trade.
With Drouin set to be bought out, he will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) once he clears waivers. The former Canadiens forward has the potential to generate some interest around the NHL, especially with this year's free agency class being weak. However, he may have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal after how his last season went.
Drouin spent six seasons with the Canadiens from 2017-18 to 2022-23, where he recorded 48 goals, 138 assists, and 186 points. His best season in Montreal was in 2018-19, when he recorded 18 goals and 53 points in 81 games.
The Florida Panthers are acquiring goaltender Jacob Markstrom and winger Angus Crookshank from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves, as first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
The Devils will not be retaining any salary on Markstrom’s contract, meaning the Panthers will be on the books for the next two seasons paying Markstrom an average annual salary of $6 million.
Markstrom was once a Panther, playing 43 games with Florida from 2010 to 2014. Markstrom was originally a second-round pick of the Panthers.
The 36-year-old was dealt to the New Jersey Devils two seasons ago, but never found his footing. In the most recent campaign, Markstrom posted an .883 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average in 44 games as the Devils missed the playoffs.
Crookshank is a 26-year-old AHL winger with 29 games of NHL experience. Throughout his career, he’s posted solid AHL numbers, scoring 185 points in 262 games.
Heading the other way were two Panthers regulars, as well as an AHL forward.
Rodrigues, who will now be joining the fifth team of his NHL career, served as a valuable, versatile forward for the Panthers in their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. His ability to play on the wing or up the middle, as well as in the bottom six or top six, will truly be missed.
GM Bill Zito has been vocal about his admiration for Rodrigues, but moving the 32-year-old forward was clearly a price to pay to make the money work.
Also included in this deal is Jesper Boqvist, who has filled a role similar to Rodrigues’, just not as effectively. Despite that, Boqvist played more than 70 games in both of his Panthers seasons. Boqvist was originally a second-round pick of the Devils and played four seasons with the organization.
Steeves led the Charlotte Checkers in points last season, notching 23 goals and 45 points in 72 games. Although he was never given the opportunity to play an NHL game with the Panthers, he was trending in the right direction and was recently tendered a qualifying offer, likely to facilitate this trade.
The Panthers, following this trade, now have just under $4.5 million in salary cap space to sign Akira Schmid and make some depth moves.
This is the first trade Zito and former Panthers assistant GM Sunny Mehta have conducted with one another.
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