The Florida Panthers will soon be hitting the ice for the start of 2025 Training Camp.
We’re now into the second week of September, and Panthers players have been arriving back in South Florida and preparing themselves for another run at a Stanley Cup.
It won’t be long before fans are back to seeing and hearing about their favorite Panthers players back on the ice, but thanks to Scripps Sports, those of us who could use an injection of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey into our veins are in luck.
Over the next couple of weekends, Scripps will be airing four of Florida’s playoff games from last season on WSFL and WHDT.
They are all for of the Panthers’ series clinching wins.
Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. ET: Round 1, Game 5 at Tampa Bay
Sunday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. ET: Round 2, Game 7 at Toronto
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. ET: Round 3, Game 5 at Carolina
Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. ET: Stanley Cup Final, Game 5 vs. Edmonton
Whether or not you’re able to catch them live, I think many of us will be setting our DVRs, just to keep these handy.
Afterall, you never know when the mood to enjoy some postseason success will strike.
Photo caption: May 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) celebrates after scoring a goal the game clinching goal on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
Now that the kids have all gone back to school, it will be time for the Montreal Canadiens’ youngsters to get back to work. On Monday, the Habs revealed their rookie camp roster and provided the media with a complete schedule of the rookie camp. Twenty-six players will be put through their paces by Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent and his assistants Daniel Jacob, Martin Laperrière, and Marco Marciano.
The coaching staff will be putting 18 forwards, eight blueliners, and three goaltenders under the microscope from Wednesday, September 10, to Tuesday, September 16. As always, the first day of camp will consist of physical and medical testing at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the media will be able to speak to Vincent, Jacob, and Laperriere.
The rookies will hit the ice on Thursday for a practice from 10:00 AM, and selected players will be made available to speak to the media on the following day. The schedule will remain the same on Friday, as the team will move to the Bell Center over the weekend for two games. First, the Canadiens' rookies will take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at 7:00 PM (tickets are still available on Ticketmaster). Then, on Sunday, Vincent’s men will be facing the Toronto Maple Leafs’ rookies at 3:00 PM, before the Ottawa Senators take on the Jets at 7:00 PM. The Senators and Leafs will also be facing off on Saturday at 1:00 PM. Both of the Canadiens' prospects games will be broadcasted on RDS stations.
The organization will hold its traditional golf tournament on Monday, the 15th, and on that day, the rookies will be enjoying a day off. Rookie camp will wrap up on Tuesday with a practice at 10:00 AM in Brossard, followed by a final media availability.
The 26-player roster features Ivan Demidov, Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen, Florian Xhekaj, David Reinbacher, Adam Fowler, Jacob Fowler, and many more. Matthew Wang, Simon Lavigne, and Maleek McGowan will all be attending on a tryout basis.
It will be interesting to see what Vinzenz Rohrer can do in his first rookie camp. The 75th overall pick at the 2022 draft was signed following an excellent performance at the World Championship last spring, scoring six points in eight games for Austria.
Canadiens Agree To Terms With Austrian Prospect Vinzenz RohrerThe Montreal Canadiens announced on Saturday that they had agreed to a three-year entry-level contract with 20-year-old prospect Vinzenz Rohrer. A third-round pick at the 2022 draft, the Austrian prospect spent the last two seasons with the Zurich Lions of the Swiss-A league, with whom he won two championships.
Xhekaj will be another one to watch after putting up 24 goals and 35 points in his first full pro season with the Rocket last year, even though he wasn’t playing on a top line. The gritty forward also spent 175 minutes in the penalty box, showing similarities in his play with that of his brother, Arber.
Demidov, Beck, Kapanen, and Reinbacher will all be hoping to make the Canadiens’ roster this season and should report to camp eager to make their mark. While Demidov’s presence in Montreal is for all intents and purposes guaranteed, the others will have to impress to earn a roster spot.
As always, the CN Sports Complex will be open to the public during the rookie camp, but it’s worth noting that there are no intra-squad scrimmages scheduled in the team’s press release.
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Ahead of what will be his first full training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers, top goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov continues to draw support from his peers from all over the globe.
Players like Calgary Flames forward and fellow Belarusian Yegor Sharangovich and Flyers teammate Nikita Grebenkin already spoke out this offseason to defend the 23-year-old Kolosov.
Now, KHL forward Kirill Voronin, currently playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, is the latest to give his take on the polarizing Flyers goalie prospect.
"Kolosov, a great professional and a good goalkeeper. Where he is now is probably the dream of many hockey players. And, most likely, he needs some time to adapt in order to gain a foothold in North America," Voronin told Legalbet.by in a recent interview.
"If, nevertheless, he believes that he is not strong enough there, then some other decisions must be made."
Kolosov has quickly been erased from the Flyers' goaltending picture in the eyes of many, and the offseason addition of veteran goalie Dan Vladar certainly didn't help the youngster's case.
It's been unclear, to begin with, as to whether the Flyers' former third-round pick would return for another season in Philadelphia, though all signs currently point to that happening.
Kolosov struggled last season, to be certain, posting a 10-15-2 record between 29 games at the NHL and AHL levels with the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but if he can get comfortable and become a real piece for the Flyers, the fans and the organization should be able to rally behind him and push that momentum forward further.
The 23-year-old is already getting that support from afar, but perhaps some local support and a string of encouraging performances would go a long way for the fans and for the Flyers organization.
SAN FRANCISCO — As a graphic appeared on the scoreboard and the crowd started to rise and cheer, Logan Webb walked slowly back to the dugout at Oracle Park. He stayed focused, because the Giants still were in a close game at the time, but he did sneak one look back at the scoreboard.
Webb didn’t need anyone to tell him that he had just reached 200 strikeouts, the reason for the celebration. It has been a goal all season long, and before the game, he joked about it with catcher Patrick Bailey.
“I’m only six away,” he told Bailey. “But I’m not counting.”
The staff ace ended up getting seven of them, becoming the first Giant to reach 200 strikeouts since Carlos Rodón in 2022 and the first pitcher in the National League to do it this year. His previous career-high was 194, and he’ll end up demolishing that.
On a night when the Giants did their best to calm the talk about a playoff push, Webb didn’t shy away from what 200 strikeouts meant to him. He credited Bailey and pitching coach JP Martinez, along with Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray, two veteran mentors who have done it a combined 14 times in the big leagues.
“It’s really cool,” Webb said.
It was also a long time coming for one of the game’s best.
Webb broke through in 2021 and finished second in Cy Young Award voting two seasons later, but he has never rested on his success. He has worked hard over the years to become better at holding runners, and has made remarkable strides in that department this season. By one metric — Net Bases Prevented — he now ranks among the top 10 in baseball.
Webb constantly is tinkering with his times and looks, and where he stands on the rubber. The biggest change, though, has been to his pitch mix.
When he nearly won a Cy Young in 2023, Webb threw his changeup 41 percent of the time. By Run Value, it was the most effective pitch in the big leagues, but last season, Webb noticed that opposing hitters were a bit too comfortable leaning out over the plate to try and hit his changeup and sinker. He added a cutter, and this year he has thrown the pitch more than 200 times.
His changeup usage is down to 23 percent and he mixes in a few more four-seamers, giving hitters another wrinkle to think about.
Webb adores his four-seamer, although multiple pitching coaches have groaned about it sometimes, given how dominant his sinker is. He has ended 34 strikeouts with his four-seamer after totaling 36 the previous two seasons combined, which has helped this push for 200 strikeouts.
“I think it’s just execution,” Bailey said. “I feel like this year he’s been really dialed in about locating pitches, and I feel like the four-seam has been really big this year. It takes some pressure off the changeup, the (slider) has been really good, too, to both sides. And one of the biggest things is just count leverage. You strike more guys out when you get to two strikes and he does a really good job of that.”
For years, Webb has been one of the game’s top groundball pitchers. He’s still tied for the league lead in double plays, but there are new tools to use this year, and that showed Monday. He dug deep with the potential go-ahead run on third, striking out Adrian Del Castillo with a changeup to reach 200. He would add one more in the sixth inning.
“That really wasn’t him before. It was more (pitch to) contact and try to get deep into games that way,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Now he can get strikeouts when he needs to and groundballs when he needs to. He’s just a better pitcher now. He continues to get better. He reads swings well, he sees how guys are swinging, and also the teams that he has come up against a lot — the Padres and Dodgers, teams that have a lot of at-bats against him — he’s getting different swings out of them now.”
Melvin noted that Webb does plenty of homework between starts, always looking for a different way to approach his next game. Earlier this season, he built off that and threw 41 sliders in a game against the Padres. A few weeks later, he threw 29 cutters at the Dodgers.
Webb’s next start will be against Los Angeles, and it will be a huge one for a team that all of a sudden is just three games out in the Wild Card race. It also will give Webb a chance to reach 200 in a different way. He should have at least three more starts this season, and he needs 15 1/3 innings to get to 200 for a third straight year. Regardless of where that number ends up, Webb should lead the NL for a third straight season.
It’s a combination that is hard to beat. The Giants have the game’s most durable starter, and in his seventh big league season, he also has become one of the league’s best strikeout pitchers.
“He’s a unicorn as far as that goes,” Melvin said.
The Boston Celtics completely overhauled their two-way trio this offseason. So which one of the three new faces is most likely to make a tangible impact with the parent club during the 2025-26 season?
That’s the question we put to our panel for Part 7 of our Ramp to Camp series after the Celtics brought in the rookie troika of Amari Williams, Max Shulga, and RJ Luis Jr. (undrafted) to fill the team’s three two-way slots.
The 6-foot-11 Williams feels like the obvious answer here. The Celtics have multiple holes to fill up front and must utilize every bit of size they have. The player who might see the biggest spike in minutes on the parent roster is Neemias Queta, a former two-way signing who took advantage of call-ups early in his Boston tenure before before signed to the main roster.
Williams showed some obvious talents at Summer League, including excellent passing skills on the offensive end and shot-blocking prowess on the defensive side. His ability to improve as a finisher might determine just how much time he ultimately carves out in Boston.
The pathway to playing time for Shulga and Luis Jr. seems a bit more complicated. While both have intriguing elements to their game, the reality is that Boston remains well-stocked at the guard spot, while there’s a glut of young wings vying for time at perimeter spots.
Still, given all the roster changes, it feels like there is far more opportunity than usual for two-way players. This year’s batch of two-way players can confidently come to camp knowing that they have just as much of a chance of making an impression as some of the other newcomers joining the parent roster.
It’s up to the two-way gang to make the most of that time. The Celtics haven’t been bashful in turning over two-way spots. After drafting Gonzaga forward Anton Watson 54th overall in 2024, the Celtics waived him in March. They picked up Norris, only to waive him in the aftermath of the Luis Jr. acquisition.
Queta and Sam Hauser, who both should play big roles for the Celtics this season, are proof that there is a pathway to a much bigger role after starting on two-way deals with Boston.
So who does our panel like to make an impact from the two-way slot this year?
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
Amari Williams.
The Celtics desperately need big-man help, and Williams at least should get an opportunity to prove he’s a valuable depth option. He’s an excellent passer for his size, which could pique Joe Mazzulla’s interest early in the season.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
You’ve come to the right place. Nobody has studied the careers of Max Shulga, RJ Luis Jr., or Amari Williams more than I have. Did you know Amari Williams is British? That’s pretty cool.
I’ll answer with Max Shulga, because anyone who hits 3s has the chance to catch Joe Mazzulla’s eye.
Sean McGuire, Web Producer
Amari Williams.
I think the path to minutes is easier for Williams given Boston’s uncertain frontcourt. The Celtics have bodies competing for those minutes, of course, but there’s no surefire starter at this point. Could Williams make a case for time with a strong camp and preseason?
On the other hand, rookie guard Max Shulga and rookie wing RJ Luis Jr. are further down the depth chart at their respective positions.
Josh Canu, Media Editor
Amari Williams.
The biggest area of concern for the Celtics this season is their frontcourt, so Williams should get his opportunities. I liked what I saw at Kentucky and think his game can translate to the NBA.
It might not happen right away, but I think by the end of the season, he’ll be a player we can pencil in for a permanent role going forward.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
Amari Williams plays a position of need and is a sneaky good passer for a big. He also has the most upside of any of the bigs on the roster, so the C’s should prioritize his development.
Kevin Miller, VP, Content
In the short run, I could potentially see Max Shulga earning a shot with his ability to play point guard and his shooting ability.
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
I feel like it has to be Amari Williams simply because the Celtics are thin up front. Luis Jr. interests me, though.
Jim Aberdale, Supervising Producer, Celtics
My first instinct is to respond “none of the above” but after pounding a gallon of Green Kool Aid, I’ll go Amari Williams.
Here we have a 7-footer who was the best passing big in college basketball last year. Mike Zarren says he has “incredible vision.” I’m envisioning no-look Bill Walton passes circa 1986. Let’s go.
October tour of New Zealand could be earliest return date
Mark Wood is set to miss the entire home summer, with England deciding to take an ultra-cautious route with the fast bowler they deem central to their Ashes hopes this winter.
Wood, 35, underwent knee surgery in March and was initially targeting a return for the fifth Test against India in late July. Despite bowling in the intervals during that series, this target was then pushed back to a possible late season outing for Durham in the County Championship.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning of a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Glasnow threw seven no-hit innings. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Years ago, when Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax were at the top of the Dodgers' pitching rotation, Drysdale missed a game to attend to some personal business. Koufax pitched a no-hitter that day.
When told about the achievement, Drysdale had one question: “Did he win?”
That’s a fair question for the current Dodgers pitching staff as well. Because Monday, for the second time in three days, the Dodgers took a no-hitter into the ninth inning.
They lost the first one. And while they won the second, it wasn’t easy with the Colorado Rockies bringing the tying run to the plate three times before Tanner Scott got the last out to preserve a 3-1 win at Dodger Stadium.
The victory kept the Dodgers a game ahead of the San Diego Padres in the National League West with 18 games left in the regular season.
It was Tyler Glasnow who flirted with history Monday, pitching seven hitless innings before turning the game over to relievers Blake Treinen and Scott. On Saturday, a similar scenario unfolded when Yoshinobu Yamamoto came within an out of a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles before giving up a home run to Jackson Holliday.
He left at that point, only to see Treinen and Scott give up three more runs in a 4-3 Dodger loss.
So when Scott gave up a double to Ryan Ritter to start the ninth — ending the no-hitter and drawing boos from those who remained from the crowd of 48,433 — manager Dave Roberts said he hoped he wasn’t witnessing déjà vu all over again.
“I try to not think like that,” he said.
Given how the Dodgers bullpen has struggled recently, it was hard not to.
Scott, however, quickly settled down, retiring the next two batters on soft grounders before Hunter Goodman lined out to Max Muncy at third to end the game and give Glasnow (2-3) his first win since March.
It was a victory that was long overdue.
Glasnow pitched six no-hit innings his last time out only to wind up with the loss when the Dodgers (80-64) failed to score behind him. That’s become an all-too-common problem for Glasnow, who has the second-lowest ERA in the Dodgers rotation but has received the weakest support with an average of 3½ runs per start.
Mookie Betts hits a two-run single in the seventh inning during the Dodgers' 3-1 win over the Rockies on Monday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers' hitters didn’t even match that modest number Monday. But when Mookie Betts delivered a two-run single in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie, it left Glasnow in position for the win.
“It's always good to score runs,” he said with a smile.
Smiles have been hard to come by for Glasnow. In his 15 starts, he left the game with the Dodgers trailing by multiple runs in just three of them. The Dodgers didn't even score behind him in five of those starts, which explains why he went more than 160 days between wins.
“It is what it is,” he shrugged. “But yeah, they put some at bats together, and we ended up winning.”
Glasnow, who was held out of his last scheduled start with a sore back, was pitching for the first time in 10 days and was strong from the start, striking out the side in the first — although he needed 18 pitches to do it. He fanned the side again in the sixth, but in between he gave up a second-inning run on Jordan Beck’s leadoff walk, a stolen base and two long outs, the second Kyle Farmer’s sacrifice fly to the left-field wall.
What he didn’t give up was a hit. Glasnow said he was aware he had a no-hitter as the game progressed, but he also knew he probably wouldn’t be allowed to finish it.
“My pitch count was pretty high,” said the right-hander, who finished with a season-high 105, striking out 11 and walking two. “I don't know how many pitches I was going to be allowed to throw.”
Also working against him were his two stints on the injured list this season and his recent back issues.
“Obviously I want to stay in, no matter what my pitch count is,” he said. “[But] given my, like, track record, I kind of understand why. I respect the decision.”
For five innings, Colorado starter Chase Dollander, who came in 2-12 with a 6.77 ERA, nearly matched Glasnow. The Dodgers didn’t get their first baserunner until the third inning and didn’t have a hit until the fifth, when Michael Conforto led off with a single to left.
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow delivers in the fifth inning Monday against the Rockies. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Dollander faced just three batters over the minimum before leaving with an apparent injury after walking Ben Rortvedt to start the sixth. Reliever Juan Mejia walked the first batter he faced and an out later Freddie Freeman bounced a high-hopper over Farmer and down the right-field line for a tying double.
An inning later the Dodgers scored two more off Angel Chivilli (1-5) to go in front. With two out and a runner on first, Shohei Ohtani doubled to right to bring Betts to the plate. After falling behind 0-2, he picked out a belt-high slider and drove it into the center to break the tie.
With the Dodgers safely in front and Glasnow out of the game, the drama turned to the no-hitter. There have been 22 combined no-hitters in major league history, with the last one by the Dodgers coming against the Padres in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2018.
That appeared in reach when Treinen breezed through the eighth. But Ritter, the Rockies' No. 9 hitter, one-hopped the wall in left on Scott’s second pitch of the ninth. The ball appeared catchable off the bat, but Alex Call, inserted for defensive purposes, turned the wrong way, costing him any chance to make a play.
Scott retired the side on two ground outs and a liner to Muncy before celebrating with Rortvedt, who was called up from the minors Thursday and has come within four outs of catching two no-hitters in his first three starts.
“It's not me, it's these guys,” he said. “I'm doing my homework as much as I can, trying to be prepared. The pitchers are prepared. It’s just the fruit of that labor at that point.
We're just under a month away from the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2025-26 season getting underway inside Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on October 7.
The Penguins will get to see their old head coach, Mike Sullivan, right away after he accepted the Rangers' head-coaching position right after the regular season ended. As a matter of fact, the Penguins will play the Rangers in two of their first three games since the Rangers will come to PPG Paints Arena on October 11.
Sullivan will get a big video tribute from the Penguins after he guided the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, and is arguably the best coach in franchise history.
Expectations aren't exactly high for the Penguins heading into this season since they're rebuilding, but that doesn't mean the year is going to be full of negatives. In honor of hockey being around the corner, let's make some bold predictions for this Penguins' season.
Tommy Novak will score 20+ goals.
I am all aboard the Tommy Novak train entering the 2025-26 season and think a lot of Penguins fans are sleeping on him. He only got to play in two games before he got hurt and had to miss the rest of the season. Novak came over from the Nashville Predators in the Michael Bunting trade before the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
The Penguins got younger in that deal and think Novak can be a good fit in their top nine for this season. He's an underrated goal scorer and has a release that people don't talk about enough. He finished last season with 13 goals and 22 points in 54 games while rocking a 14% shooting percentage.
For his career, Novak is a 15.2% shooter, with a career-high shooting percentage of 18.3%. He can score from anywhere and will have the opportunity to play second and third-line minutes this year. He's flexible and can play both center and wing, meaning head coach Dan Muse may put him on Malkin's wing at times. On paper, it is a strong fit since Novak can score and has some slick vision.
Novak's career high in goals is 18, but he will break that this season and get his first 20-goal season.
Erik Karlsson will score 70+ points (if he's not traded).
This one may seem a bit crazy since Karlsson hasn't even gotten over the 60-point plateau during his Penguins tenure. However, he has more to give and is going to come into this season motivated to prove his detractors wrong after his first two seasons with the team.
He was banged up heading into last season after suffering an injury during training camp, and it took him a bit to find his game. His first month was especially rough, but after that, he settled in a bit more and was one of the top 5v5 offensive play drivers among all defensemen in the NHL. He was also great at the 4 Nations Face-Off since the Swedish coaching staff had a plan for him, and he executed it to perfection.
Karlsson will have the opportunity to get top-pairing minutes this season since he's the Penguins' best defenseman, which means he will spend a ton of time with the Sidney Crosby line. He'll also likely be the power play quarterback after the Penguins let Matt Grzelcyk walk to free agency. The power play isn't Karlsson's strong suit, but he'll still get points from it.
If this prediction comes to fruition, there will be teams calling the Penguins for his services after a slow summer in terms of trade rumors.
Arturs Silovs will steal starts from Tristan Jarry.
The Penguins acquired Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks on July 13 to bolster their goaltending depth heading into the season. Silovs is bringing a lot of momentum into this year after helping the Abbotsford Canucks win the Calder Cup last season. He was the best player on the team and was named the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs after finishing with 16 wins, a 2.01 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage.
Silovs is the favorite to win the backup spot to Tristan Jarry, who still has a lot of question marks heading into the season. He was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton multiple times last season due to poor play before coming up for the last month of the season. To his credit, he played well to end the year, but it still shouldn't inspire a lot of confidence heading into this season.
Jarry is what he is at this point in his career, and with that in mind, Silovs will steal some starts from him since he will be the more consistent goaltender. Consistency in the NHL has been an issue for Silovs, but this will be the season where he starts to solve that problem.
Some fans arriving at Dodger Stadium to watch Monday's game between the Dodgers and Rockies ran into problems trying to access their tickets from their phones. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Issues accessing tickets from the MLB app caused problems at the entry gates for some fans trying to enter Dodger Stadium before Monday's game between the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.
It's unclear how many fans were affected, but the problem wasn't confined to Dodger Stadium — the issue has been ongoing since at least last weekend at MLB ballparks across the country.
"MLB’s ticketing system TDC is experiencing difficulties across multiple venues for retrieving tickets and fan entry," the Dodgers said in a statement. "The league is working with the Dodgers and other franchises to address the issues."
The Dodgers notified season ticket holders Monday about the situation, urging them to reset their passwords on the MLB website. They instructed them to contact the team's member services department if they were unable to access their tickets or couldn't reset their passwords.
An MLB representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Staff writer Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.
When the Mets traded for Cedric Mullins at this year's trade deadline, he was supposed to serve as an upgrade offensively compared to the options they had on the roster. However, the outfielder has been stuck in a slump since joining New York and has shown little signs of busting out anytime soon.
Now hitless in his last 25 at-bats after his 0-for-2 night on Monday, Mullins is doing everything he can to get back on track and help the Mets but nothing seems to be working.
"Rough start," he said after the team's 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. "Trying to find that adjustment that kinda gets me going. Felt like I had it at one point, just lost (it) somewhere along the way, but gonna keep working."
In 30 games as a Met, Mullins is slashing .174/.284/.272 with one home run and a .556 OPS. And while he's not necessarily known as the biggest threat at the plate, the 30-year-old did have 15 home runs and a .738 OPS with the Baltimore Orioles before getting traded and has held his own offensively during his career.
Still, all New York was hoping for out of Mullins following the trade was for him to be a step up from what Tyrone Taylor was contributing offensively. Instead, Mullins has struggled just as badly as Taylor has this season.
"I think I’m just trying to focus on contributing to a win," Mullins said. "I think that could be adding a little pressure, but it comes with the territory so (I'm) working diligently each day to get better."
But with time running out and the Mets, losers of three straight and four out of their last five, scuffling to the finish line, they need Mullins to pick it up sooner rather than later, especially with Taylor, the better defender, currently on the IL.
If not, it could potentially force New York to play Jeff McNeil in center field with another option at second base, moving Mullins to the bench.
"We haven’t seen the results," said manager Carlos Mendoza. "He’s a really good player and I know he wants to contribute, but we got to help him because I feel like he’s missing good pitches to hit."
For what it's worth, Mullins believes he can turn things around.
"Eighteen games left, that can be shifted in a positive direction between now and then," he said.
The Pittsburgh Penguins haven't officially announced their training camp roster yet, but we know at least one of the top prospects will be there when it likely opens next week.
Bill Zonnon, one of three players the Penguins selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, will be at Penguins training camp.
Zonnon was picked with the 22nd overall pick by the Penguins after they selected Benjamin Kindel with the 11th overall pick. They later selected Will Horcoff, son of former NHL player Shawn Horcoff, with the 24th overall pick.
Zonnon has spent the last three seasons in the QMJHL and will spend his fourth in the league this season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He spent the last three years with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, and his production went up each year, including this past season, when he finished with 28 goals and 83 points in 64 games.
The Penguins' coaching staff and management will get to see how he does at camp before sending him back for his junior season. They're really excited about him and think he can be a mainstay in the NHL once he develops more.
His game is more east-west but uses his shot really well and is really good around the net front. He also has some slick playmaking ability. There's a lot to like about his game, and it'll be great to see him showcase his skill once camp starts.
There were plenty of offseason additions made by Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, though none could truly be considered of the "major splash" variety.
One such addition that is flying a bit under the radar with the potential to be among the more intriguing signings is that of former Winnipeg Jets forward Mason Appleton, who signed a two-year contract and will earn a $2.9 million annual cap hit.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 2, 2025
It's a homecoming of sorts, as he already had ties to Michigan with his two seasons in East Lansing for the Michigan State Spartans from 2015 through 2017.
Selected 168th overall in 2015 by Winnipeg, Appleton has built a steady, unflashy NHL career, appearing in exactly 400 games. The majority of his time in the NHL has been played with the Jets aside from a relatively short time with the expansion Seattle Kraken before he was traded right back to Winnipeg that season.
While Appleton won't be filling up the scoring sheet, one area he can thrive in is one that the Red Wings badly need help in - the penalty kill.
Detroit's penalty killing flirted with NHL history last season, and not remotely in a good way. The Red Wings were in very real danger of setting the worst penalty killing efficiency percentage in League history since the statistic began being tracked in 1977.
They finished at 70.1 percent efficiency, the worst in the NHL and not far off from the all-time worst 68.2 percent set by the 1979-80 Los Angeles Kings.
Appleton is expected to slot into a bottom-six role with Detroit, but could be a central figure with their penalty killing as he was during his tenures with the Jets. He'll also be filling a role that was occupied on the PK last season by Tyler Motte, who was not re-signed.
Don’t expect Appleton to hover any higher than around the 10 goal mark this season - but that’s not why he was signed. Yzerman clearly values his reliable 200-foot game, with the hope that he can provide a much-needed boost the penalty kill.
At 6'2", Appleton also brings an element of size to the Red Wings lineup that also wants to be harder to play against.
Last season, Detroit missed the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference by just five points. Even an average penalty kill ranking could have made a significant difference in picking up those extra points in the standings.
Look for him to begin the season on either Detroit's third or fourth line, but to be included in Detroit's first penalty-killing unit.
