Cam Thomas is one of four restricted free agents without a contract for next season, and the latest reports out of Brooklyn suggest that his representatives and the Nets have yet to seriously engage in contract talks. Thomas reportedly is seeking around $30 million a season, the Nets are thinking significantly less.
Perhaps that has Thomas a little on edge, because he went on an NSFW rant on X recently. It started with Zach Lowe of The Ringer saying on his podcast that Thomas is viewed around the league as an "empty calorie ball hog." That set Thomas off.
The consenus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA . This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who's “not that good” make it make sense please. https://t.co/IrHNVHYqTc
Last time speaking on some shit. Empty Calories ? First off we were the 5th or 6th team in the east before my injury and trades. Can’t control what the GM wanna do with the team … 2nd ball hog? I was 2nd on the team in assists , not counting the Pgs traded away and traded for…
First, Thomas can be as mad at Lowe as he wants, if Thomas doesn't realize that absolutely is the consensus thinking about him in league circles — and we're talking about how many people in front offices view him — then people around Thomas are not being upfront with him. That is how Thomas is viewed, fair or not — a guy who can get buckets but doesn't necessarily contribute the other things that go into winning (he's a negative defender, for example).
Second, Thomas has a point in that he does bring value, and he was near the top of the Nets' scouting report the past couple of seasons. That, however, says as much about the Nets roster as Thomas. He averaged 24 points a game last season (in just 25 games due to injury, but he played 66 games the season before), with a .575 true shooting percentage that is right about the league average (he shot 34.9% on 3-pointers last season, right about his career average). He's a player who can get buckets and create shots, but isn't particularly efficient in doing so. There is a role for him, and perhaps on a team that doesn't need him to rack up buckets like the Nets do, we would see more aspects of his game.
For now, Thomas remains in a stalemate with the Nets. He'll sign a deal with them one way or another before training camp starts, but don't expect anything quickly.
The Phillies placed Alec Bohm on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left rib prior to Saturday’s game against the Angels.
The club recalled Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace Bohm on the 26-man roster.
Bohm aggravated the injury during Friday’s loss to the Angels.
“He felt the rib thing last night in his last at-bat,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Saturday afternoon. “He came in today and he still felt it so he’s going to see the doctor.”
Turns out that visit to the doctor resulted in an IL stint.
Bohm sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch last Saturday in San Diego. He missed the final game before the All-Star break. The hope was that he would be good to go following the break.
Bohm is hitting .278 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 92 games this season. He’s hitting .304 in his last 64 games following a poor April.
Wilson hit .194 in 20 games with the Phillies earlier this season before being demoted to Triple-A on June 19th.
Otto Kemp will play third base on Saturday. The Phillies will likely use a combination of Kemp, Edmundo Sosa, Wilson and potentially Bryson Stott at third base while Bohm is sidelined.
Sosa gets the start at second base on Saturday against Angels lefthander Yusei Kikuchi. Brandon Marsh moves over to left field with John Rojas playing center field.
It’s a rare start against a lefty for Marsh.
“I like the way Marsh is swinging the bat,” Thomson said. “And we get really good defense out there (with Marsh and Rojas in the outfield).”
Good news for Nola
Aaron Nola’s live batting practice session on Saturday was a success.
“Very good,” Thomson said when asked how Nola looked. “34 pitches, two ups (innings). Command was really good. Curveball was really good.”
Nola will throw a bullpen session either Monday or Tuesday. If that goes well he could head out on a minor league rehab assignment.
Signs point towards an early August return for Nola.
Walker’s next opportunity
Taijuan Walker will make his 10th start of the season Saturday. Walker has spent his third season with the Phillies bouncing back and forth between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He’s made 11 relief appearances and has a 3.55 ERA overall.
Thomson raves about Walker’s team-first mentality.
“He’s been great,” Thomson said. “He’s been throwing the ball well, he really has. He’s battled. I felt for him last year and all the stuff that he went through. This year he’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do. And along the way, whatever situation he’s been in, he’s thrown the ball pretty well. Hopefully it continues.”
Walker threw a bullpen session in Arizona during the All-Star break and should be more stretched out for tonight’s outing. He threw 63 pitches in his last start 11 days ago in San Francisco.
The fifth starter spot appears to be Walker’s to lose until Nola returns. Mick Abel and Andrew Painter are currently pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Progress for Painter
Speaking of Andrew Painter – the Phillies’ top prospect will start on Thursday for Lehigh Valley. Painter has a 5.01 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A this season.
Thomson discussed Painter’s progress prior to this weekend’s series.
“He’s healthy,” Thomson said. “I think his command isn’t quite where it normally is for him. But his stuff is good… we’ll just go start by start.”
Before the season Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned ‘July-ish’ as a potential Phillies debut date for Painter.
That timeline seems far-fetched with just 12 days left in the month.
“You can’t put a date on it,” Thomson said. “I’ve always said the whole time that he’s got to be healthy and he’s got to be performing and there’s got to be a spot here. I think he’s going to get to the point where he’s Andrew Painter, the normal Andrew Painter. I don’t think he’s quite there yet.”
Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton echoed Thomson’s sentiments on Painter’s command issues.
“He’s getting there,” Middleton said. “It’s hard. I remember years ago talking to some trainers and some orthopedic surgeons and they said ‘when you have Tommy John surgery you lose five miles per hour off every pitch and you lose command. The velocity comes back pretty quickly. Command can take a while.’ I think he’s just experiencing as he’s gotten up into the higher ranks now, it’s testing his command. And that’s good, he’ll learn.”
Middleton was asked if he’s excited for Painter’s eventual big league debut.
“I’ll be excited when he’s shutting people down,” Middleton said. “Which he will. He’s a smart guy, he’s a determined guy. So he’ll get it right and he’ll get it when he gets it. And hopefully he’ll get it sooner rather than later for us.”
Logan Webb starts coming after a loss typically signal a get-right day for the Giants, and it appeared Saturday would be no different as San Francisco’s ace held a potent Toronto Blue Jays lineup scoreless through five innings despite plenty of traffic on the basepaths .
Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer was perfect through four innings himself before a towering Willy Adames solo shot gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, and jolt of confidence that would be short-lived in San Francisco’s 6-3 loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre.
Toronto had runners on first and second with no outs in each of the first two innings, but San Francisco’s All-Star right-hander found a way to escape both jams.
Webb induced a double-play ball from American League All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first inning, before logging his only strikeout of the game by punching out Blue Jays third baseman Will Wagner with runners on second and third with one out in the second inning.
In the sixth inning, Webb’s magic ran out. Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and right fielder Addison Barger led off the frame with a single and a double respectively, once again placing Webb in a precarious spot.
For a brief moment, it looked like Webb once again was going to limit the damage after getting left fielder Joey Loperfido to pop up to short. With the bottom of Toronto’s order coming up, it would’ve been completely reasonable to envision a scenario where Webb and the Giants got back into the visitor’s dugout unscathed.
Instead, the 7-8-9 hitters ended up delivering the game’s decisive blow, recorind three straight hits to give Toronto a 4-2 lead that the Blue Jays wouldn’t relenquish for the remainder of the contest.
“Balls just started finding holes,” Webb told reporters about the sixth inning after Saturday’s loss. “They were swinging a lot, putting loud contact on balls throughout the game. Just that inning, didn’t make any good pitches, really … I thought I threw pitches where I wanted to, just seemed like they were on everything. So, I don’t know.”
It appeared the Blue Jays’ scouting report emphasized jumping on Webb early, as it seemed every Toronto batter would swing at Webb’s first pitch of each at-bat, creating a difficult outing for the two-time MLB All-Star.
“They don’t strikeout much. It seemed like they swung at every first pitch I threw. It seemed like they were on every first pitch I threw, so it wasn’t fun.”
Webb ended up surrendering 11 hits across six innings of work Saturday, allowing four earned runs — a figure which easily could’ve been astronomically higher given the amount of traffic Toronto had on the bases throughout his start.
Giants manager Bob Melvin lauded Webb’s ability to work out of trouble and give San Francisco a fighting chance as its offense attempted to decode Lauer’s stuff early on.
“He gave up some hits, but he also pitched around most of it until the sixth. He got a double-play ball early on when he needed it,” Melvin told reporters. “The one strikeout he had [came with a man on third, less than two outs. It was the guys at the bottom of the order who ended up getting him and doing all their damage. I mean, he goes into the sixth without giving up a run, they just made him pay in the sixth.”
Czech left winger Vojtěch Čihař, who
turned 18 in March, was drafted in the second round, 59th overall, by
the Los Angeles Kings at this
year’s NHL Entry Draft, which happened to be in Los Angeles.
With
the obvious long-term goal of making the NHL, Čihař is currently
contemplating where to play in order to give him the best shot of
fulfilling his dream. He has already played 57 regular-season and
playoff games with Energie Karlovy Vary in the Czech Extraliga, where
he has recorded only 10 points in a rather limited role. Should he
stay there and try to earn more ice time in the pros, or should he go
overseas to play for the WHL’s
Lethbridge Hurricanes, who selected him in last year’s CHL Import
Draft?
Čihař
was a member of the Czech team that won a
bronze medal at last year’s IIHF World Junior Championship and he
recently attended a summer training camp for the national junior team
for the upcoming season. There, he spoke at length with Czech media
about the Draft and all the considerations that are going into his
decision.
First, can you explain
what kind of experience it was to attend the Draft
in Los Angeles?
“Well, I
have to say that the Draft is unpredictable
and everyone has to wait until the moment their name is called.
Speaking for myself, as soon as I heard (my
name) called by Los Angeles, I was
really excited and even a little emotional.
I had my family and girlfriend there, which was
wonderful too. For
me, the main thing was to have the people closest
to me there.”
If you had
to wait too
long, it would probably turn into a bit of an unpleasant
situation.
“Yeah,
exactly. The whole time, my agent and parents talked about not
making any predictions and just waiting for
the moment. It was better than thinking about whether I should be
taken somewhere higher. At the end of the first round, then
at the beginning of the second … I
thought to myself that it should go
in the second. I was happy that it turned out that way –
59th is decent,
in my opinion.”
The decentralized Draft
seemed a bit bizarre. Did the fact that you were selected by the
host
team
bring you any special
attention?
“I
guess so. As soon as I put on that jersey and went to do the
various things
that come next, I walked through the
theater and the
workers turned around, congratulated me and welcomed me to the City
of Angels. Then I went somewhere to get a bag with things from the
team and former
Kings players who
still work in their organization gave it to me. They also greeted me,
people at the hotel recognized me … It was nice.”
You said you treated the trip to Los Angeles as one big
holiday.
“Absolutely!
I really went there to enjoy it, thinking that if I was drafted, that
would make it even better. We were in Hollywood and also quite
close to the sign where we took the picture. We went to Beverly Hills
to see the villas there, then we were on the beach in Santa Monica. I
quite like the game GTA 5, which takes place in LA,
and we
also went to the observatory from that game. And then to Malibu
Beach. We tried to travel there and of course we couldn’t miss the
shops.”
Do you like hot weather and the beach?
“Oh
yeah. I don’t really like the crazy heat,
but the weather in Los Angeles is just right. The temperature
there suits me quite well.”
So maybe one day you’ll enjoy it as an NHL player. How
far off would you estimate that
is?
“You know
… Unfortunately, I don’t
really have an
answer for
that, because it’s just so hard to say.
Of course, I’d be happy if it were as soon as possible, but right
now I mainly want to move on to the next step.
Another year, two … I think that’s how
we’ve set it up with the people in LA, so now we’re deciding
whether I’ll stay in Karlovy Vary or
maybe move somewhere overseas.”
Did they tell you that they would
prefer you over there?
“They
did say that
because they haven’t seen me there yet. They don’t even know that
some teams here in the Czech Extraliga
have smaller rinks, so they meant it from the perspective of me
adapting better there. Now it depends on when and how the
Kings and Karlovy Vary reach an agreement.
LA has the rights to me there, Vary here. I have to wait, but then
the final decision
will be up to me.”
Do you have a personal preference?
“I’m
always talking with the Karlovy Vary management about where I would
fit in. Of course, I know that if I went to the Canadian
juniors, I would get more ice time there.
To have that in the Extraliga, I would have
to play on the first line, but
the competition is extremely demanding for a young player to get
those minutes. It depends on what their thoughts are about
me. I’ll decide whether to stay or go based on that. It depends on
where I would develop more.”
If you weigh your options between
the tough competition in the Extraliga
and playing among top juniors, where you would be more successful, which do you think would win?
“I think that in terms
of offensive development,
overseas it would be … I don’t want to say easier, but I would
have more opportunities to get chances and develop
my offensive abilities. At the same time, I
know how it works in the Extraliga,
so if I stayed here, it would be almost on the same level as playing
in the AHL, for example. If I were
given more ice time,
which I would
have to earn, it
would still be a good move to stay here. But if not and LA had other
plans for me, then unfortunately there is also the possibility that I
would leave.”
Why do you say “unfortunately?”
Would it
be a bad
thing?
“I still haven’t
planned to leave the Czech Republic anytime soon, but as far as my
development is concerned, I’ll just do what’s best for me. On one
hand, I’d be sad to leave, but on the other hand, I’d be
excited to
move on to
somewhere else.”
The Anaheim Ducks pulled off a nice bit of roster work this week, signing No. 1 goalie Lukas Dostal to a five-year, $32.5-million contract that carries an average annual value of $6.5 million. Dostal’s signing was the latest goalie news in an NHL off-season where teams quickly snapped up most of the available netminders.
For instance, in Philadelphia, the Flyers signed veteran Dan Vladar. In Los Angeles, the Kings signed Anton Forsberg. In San Jose, the Sharks traded for former Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. In New Jersey, the Devils re-signed experienced hand Jake Allen, and in Pittsburgh, the Pens traded for former Vancouver Canucks youngster Arturs Silovs. In Montreal, the Canadiens signed journeyman Kappo Kahkonen, the Panthers traded for former Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov, the Sabres signed Alex Lyon to ostensibly be their third goalie, and of course, Dostal’s former teammate, goalie John Gibson, was dealt from the Ducks to the Detroit Red Wings.
It’s readily apparent, then, that it’s extremely difficult to develop good netminders at the NHL level. And Dostal’s career arc is an instructive example of how teams should be signing and developing their goalies.
At 25 years old, Dostal already has 121 games of regular-season experience. He’s been brought along steadily and methodically, and his individual numbers, despite playing on terrible Ducks teams, have consistently improved.
Here’s what we mean: Dostal’s first extended taste of NHL hockey was in the the 2022-23 season, where he appeared in 19 games and posted a .901 save percentage and 3.78 goals-against average. Then, in 2023-24, Dostal appeared in 44 games, with a .902 SP and 3.33 GAA. And last season, with Gibson frequently out of the lineup with injuries, Dostal emerged as a legitimate No. 1 option when he appeared in 54 games and registered a .903 SP and 3.10 GAA.
Dostal’s evolution into a starter really couldn’t have gone better for Ducks GM Pat Verbeek. Rather than having to overpay on the free-agent market for a goaltender who didn’t come up in Anaheim’s system, the Ducks brought along their own young talent, who eventually pushed out the de facto No. 1 (Gibson) and allowed Verbeek to make a trade of his former No. 1 goalie from a position of strength and leverage. Dostal just naturally took over the starter’s job from Gibson, and that’s exactly what teams want to see from their young goalies.
As of mid-July, most of the free-agent goalies were off the market, and most teams had established who’ll be patrolling their pipes in the fall. There are a couple of options still available – former Maple Leafs and Golden Knights veteran Ilya Samsonov chief among them – but for the most part, the game of musical chairs for goalies has come to an end.
In Anaheim, Dostal has secured a strong payday for himself for the next half-decade, and the Ducks have secured goaltending reliability for that period. In bringing along Dostal slowly but deliberately, Anaheim has done very well in terms of goalie development. And as they make a push for relevance in the near future, the Ducks can rest assured they did things the right way with what is arguably their most important position.
The game in question was March 23, 2023: Charlotte's Terry Rozier started the game that Thursday night against the Pelicans, but played just 9:34 before leaving the game with a foot issue. Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, all well below his season averages. He would not play in any of the Hornets' remaining eight games that season, but a team missing the playoffs being cautious with a player at the end of the season did not raise many eyebrows.
However, what happened that night did raise the eyebrows of federal investigators who saw unusual betting activity on Rozier prop bet unders that game — specifically 30 bets from one person at a Mississippi casino, all of which is detailed in a fantastic story by ESPN’s David Purdum on what is being investigated in that case.
On the morning of March 23, 2023, a bettor at a sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi, placed $13,759 in bets on the unders on Rozier's statistics in a game that night between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, according to the documents, which ESPN acquired through an open records request... In all, at least six sportsbooks in multiple states detected suspicious betting on Rozier props that day, with the bulk of the activity occurring in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to sources familiar with a report issued by U.S. Integrity, a firm that monitors the betting market for abnormalities.
The NBA investigated the situation at the time but determined no league rules were violated in this case. Rozier had not been on the injury report for the game. Rozier is not a target of the investigation, his attorney, Jim Trusty, told ESPN.
Trusty said Rozier met with NBA and FBI officials multiple times in 2023 and that the initial investigation determined that he had done nothing wrong.
"It's unfortunate that he's a big name in sports and is having to endure all this," Trusty told ESPN. "My hope and expectation is that at some point that they'll be done with their investigation and will be professional enough to let us know that it's 100% over and that they reached the same conclusion that was reached in 2023."
This betting investigation is linked to the betting scandal surrounding the Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter, which led to his banishment from the NBA. According to the report, some of the betting accounts involved in the Porter prop betting case were also involved in betting on prop bet unders in the Rozier situation.
The casino paid out the bettor who placed 30 bets in Mississippi because those were legal bets and nobody, as of yet, has been able to prove any wrongdoing on anyone's part.
There's a real chance the Yankees welcome Luis Gil back into their starting rotation before the calendar turns to August, considering last year's AL Rookie of the Year just passed another test on his minor league rehab assignment.
In his second start with Double-A Somerset on Friday, the 27-year-old right-hander looked sharp, striking out seven in 3.1 innings against the Rockies' affiliate. While the outing wasn't blemish-free -- he gave up a two-run home run in the first inning plus a pair of walks -- Gil threw 39 of 57 pitches for strikes and touched 97 mph on his fastball.
The latest rehab outing from Gil mirrors his first, as he punched out six across 3.1 frames of one-run ball for Somerset on July 13. He's logged 6.2 innings in the minors thus far, and held opponents to a .167 average.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently said there's no intention of rushing Gil, who's been on the injured list since spring training with a right lat strain. But the expectation is for him to pitch next for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 23, and if all goes well, he could be activated shortly thereafter.
Of course, the Yankees will exercise caution with Gil once his return to the majors arrives. But he should certainly boost a top-heavy rotation that's endured season-ending injuries and felt back-end vulnerabilities.
Sweet Lu 🔥@Yankees RHP Luis Gil punched out SEVEN in his second start of 2025!
The Sharks inked their 22-year-old star winger, who broke out with a career-high 58 points last season, to a three-year, $16.8 million extension ($5.6 million AAV) that kicks 2026-27.
That figure was in line with San Jose Hockey Now’s predictionin early June: “If Eklund and the Sharks discuss three or four-year extensions, over $5 million AAV seems like a realistic possibility.”
The Sharks, however, may regret not locking up their budding star to more years…but Eklund is also not a sure thing to develop into a playoff-caliber first-line winger. And from Eklund’s perspective, he’s sick of losing, so I’m sure that he would want to commit long-term to a winning program.
So it’s couple that’s moving in together, but isn’t sure if they’re ready to get married yet.
Grade: A
John Klingberg
Klingberg, 32, signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Sharks.
If healthy, the 6-foot-2 right-hander should prove to be a bargain. In his prime, he was one of the top offensive defensemen in the NHL, and he looked spry during the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final run.
But he’s also played just 25 regular-season games over the last two years because of persistent hip troubles.
The Sharks also don’t have a secure safety net to quarterback the top power-play unit after Klingberg. So he better stay healthy.
It’s high-risk, high-reward move, even on a one-year pact. But it also could have the greatest pay-off of any of Grier’s moves this summer.
Grade: B-
Adam Gaudette
The Sharks inked 28-year-old center-winger Gaudette to a two-year, $4 million contract.
Gaudette has had an interesting career track: In 2019-20, he had 33 points in 59 games with the Vancouver Canucks. Last year, he scored a career-high 19 goals with the Ottawa Senators.
In between, however, Gaudette bounced between the NHL and AHL with multiple organizations.
NHL scouts think that he’s a legitimate talent though, so if he’s finally found his consistency, he could prove to be another bargain.
At worst, he should be a usable fourth-liner.
Grade: B+
Philipp Kurashev
Kurashev, 25, signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Sharks.
The 6-foot-0 center-winger is yet another reclamation project: The Chicago Blackhawks declined to qualify him after he scored just 14 points in 51 games last year. In 2023-24, he had a career-high 54 points.
So will the real Kurashev please stand up?
Grade: B
Alex Nedeljkovic
The Sharks traded a 2028 third-rounder to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Nedeljkovic.
On and off the ice, Nedeljkovic should be an excellent complement to star prospect Yaroslav Askarov.
Dealing a third-rounder seems like a high price for your backup goalie, but it was important to find a compatible personality who’s capable of stepping up between the pipes if Askarovfalters, but also has no problem taking a backseat.
Losing a third-rounder hurts, but the Sharks should be able to easily recoup that by the 2028 Draft.
Grade: A-
Dmitry Orlov
Orlov, 33, signed a two-year, $13 million contract ($6.5 million AAV) with the Sharks.
For most of his career, Orlov has been one of the better two-way defensemen in the league and was the No. 2 blueliner for the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals. Orlov, however, had an up-and-down last two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Like many of the Sharks’ acquisitions this off-season, Orlov will have to find the fountain of the youth, but the 5-foot-11 left-hander is still a quality blueliner, and should be a steadying force for what’s been one of the league’s worst defenses over the last three years.
And if his decline is real, a two-year commitment won’t hurt. Orlov is also regarded as a solid locker room presence, which the young Sharks always need.
Grade: A-
Nick Leddy
The Sharks claimed the 34-year-old blueliner off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
In his day, the 6-foot-0 left-hander was also one of the better two-way defenders in the league. Leddy slipped last year, but still retains most of his trademark skating chops.
He’s in the last year of his contract, $4 million AAV. Just two seasons ago, Leddy still provided top-four caliber work, so hopefully he was just banged up last year.
Grade: A
Ryan Reaves
The Sharks acquired the 38-year-old enforcer for Henry Thrun.
On the surface, swapping a 24-year-old defenseman for a limited and older skater — Reaves played 7:48 a night last year — seems like an obvious no-no.
But honestly, both Thrun and Reaves are considered low-value trade assets, and Reaves brings a very particular set of skills to the Sharks that they don’t have.
Thrun is a fork, which the Sharks have plenty of, while Reaves is a meat tenderizer, one of the few around the NHL.
Although Reaves has slowed down on the ice, non-Sharks league sources believe he’s still one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL, will protect San Jose’s many young stars, and will also inject a one-of-a-kind energy into a quiet locker room.
Grade: B
I’d give the Sharks a B- grade this offseason.
Individually, Grier has made a series of good-to-great moves. But collectively, I’m not sure that these moves will take the Sharks out of the cellar.
On one hand, it’s not necessarily Grier’s fault, it’s hard to sell the top free agents on a last-place team. Grier, wisely, also exercised caution with his free agent expenditures, not overextending himself in the middle class of the market — there’s a danger in overspending on free agents and ending up with a better-but-ultimately-mediocre team.
On the other hand, Grier built the team that has finished last in back-to-back seasons. If San Jose is still unattractive to free agents, it’s Grier’s short-term pain for his vision of long-term gain.
The Sharks need to get out of last place sooner than later, and hopefully, this is the group that does it. Right now, that’s very much still in doubt.
A look back at the intense rivalry and infamous clashes between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.
There are storied rivalries in hockey like the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Lightning, or even the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was one that defined the league as a whole and took many by surpise as it came out nowhere.
It was a violent war on ice whenever the Red Wings would clash against the Colorado Avalanche as cheapshots and dirty plays would ignite grusome saga. The 1996 Western Conference Finals had left a bitter taste in Detroit’s mouth as the newly competitive Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Red Wings in six games.
The most notable part of the series is a hit that many Red Wings fans remember as the final game of the series saw forward Kris Draper of the Red Wings get blindsided by a vicious check from Colorado’s Claude Lemieux. Draper’s face required reconstructive surgery and when Lemieux didn't apologize and was suspended for only two games. Detroit knew they were going to have to take things into their own hands when they faced off again.
On March 26, 1997, it was clear the Red Wings had a score to settle as the brawls ensued halfway through the first period with Red Wings forward Darren McCarty finding Lemieux and pummeling him near the boards while Lemieux turtled, unable to respond.
The brawls extended to the goalies as Detroit's Chris Osgood and Colorado's Patrick Roy fought center ice. Brendan Shanahan laid out Roy with a flying check. Igor Larionov and Peter Forsberg got into it. It was pure chaos as the crowd in the Joe Louis Arena erupted.
More than 18 fighting majors were handed out with the Red Wings happy that they got to exact their revenge. Detroit would go on to win the game 6-5 with McCarty scoring the game winner in dramatic fashion. From there, the rivalry only escalated.
The two teams met in the playoffs five times between 1996 and 2002, including the 2002 Western Conference Final, where Detroit obliterated Colorado in a 7–0 drubbing during Game 7 in which Roy was embarrassed by a glove save where he got up and celebrated thinking he had the puck, only to realize it was in the back of the net.
During their years of hatred from 1996 and 2002, either the Red Wings or Avalanche won the Cup five times with both side elevating their play solely to beat the other. With loaded rosters including several hall-of-fame players, the rivalry was one of the greatest in hockey history and will always be remembered when the Red Wings and Avalanche face off again.
Not that I blame them, but the Blueshirts talk optimistically about a revival because that's what they're supposed to do but we – feet firmly on the ground – take their "talkin' the talk" with two grains of salt and a glass of Ovaltine.
What matters about Rangers futures is what independent NHL thinkers have to say. One such Wise Man is Joltin' Joe Dionisio, former Newsday columnist. Now running the Hockey Program at Santa Barbara's Ice In Paradise rink, Joe D does not hold back.
"Most of the Rangers' challenges are mental," says Dionisio who points a pinky at Mike Sullivan. "If the coach can cultivate a better attitude from his players, they'll behave better on the ice.
"If Sully can quell the bad locker-room karma lingering from Trouba, Goodrow and the like, he might well steer his club back on course."
Joe does not wear NHL blinders. He knows all about the Mika Zibanejad "You-can't-trade-me" issues and Iggy Shesterkin's bumpy-slumpy play last season.
Dr. Dionisio doesn't care if The Mighty Mika has Blue Cross or not, Jultin' Joe has the prescription.
"Zibanejad was mentally fatigued from his pedestal as whipping boy," Dionisio argues. "The coach needs to play shrink and rebuild Z's confidence. If he can do that, it would be a huge boost.
"As for Shesterkin, Sully has to find a cure – same as for Alexis Lafrenière – for what ails them. I diagnose it as 'Bloated Contract Syndrome.'’
Hustling back to his real job, Joltin' leans on that legendary catcher-philosopher Yogi Berra for a cool thought: "Hockey is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical!"
Dodgers third base Max Muncy (13) grimaces as he holds his left knee after colliding with Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor (21) after he tagged Taylor out trying to steal third base in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 2. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins.
“If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,” he was told, “you’re probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.”
Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort.
“We’re pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I’m in right now,” Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. “It feels great. I’m moving well. Progressing quickly. We’re trying to be smart about it, and understand where we’re at, and what it’s gonna take to get back on the field. But we’re in a really good spot … We’re kind of right where we think we should be at.”
If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead.
While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season.
“He’s in great shape right now,” Roberts said Friday. “I don’t really know a timeline. But I do know … it’s going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.”
Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup.
Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594).
“We've still got a lot of good players,” Roberts said. “But yeah, there's a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.”
The Dodgers’ problems, of course, go beyond Muncy’s absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts’ case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life.
Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers’ long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake.
“We got to figure out how to get something going," said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers’ underachievers this season. "Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that's what we've been doing all year. It's just one of those stretches [where it’s] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we'll be OK."
Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names.
And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won’t significantly impact his swing once he does come back.
“If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it’d probably be a different story,” Muncy said. “But just being on the outside, I think it’s a good spot, knowing that I don’t feel it at all when I’m pushing off on the backside.”
Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said “felt fine.”
“It’s a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,” Muncy said of his rehabilitation process. “But it’s that way for a reason … You don’t want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.”
So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that “there’s no lingering side effects with it.”
“All in all,” he reiterated, “we’re about as lucky as we could be.”
There is always plenty of excitement among NHL fans when their favorite teams sign a big player in free agency. It is understandable, as they are expected to make a significant impact, and in many cases, they do.
However, in some cases, there are scenarios where players end up struggling after joining a new team. This was certainly the case with a few of last year’s top free-agent signings.
Let’s now look at three notable signings from this past summer who underperformed in 2024-25 and also why they could end up turning things around next season.
Steven Stamkos, C, Nashville Predators
After signing a four-year, $32-million contract with the Nashville Predators last off-season, Steven Stamkos struggled with consistency in his first year with the Central Division club. In 82 games with the Predators, he posted 27 goals, 53 points, and a minus-36 rating. This was after he had 40 goals and 81 points in 79 games during his final year with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023-24.
Stamkos showed flashes of his star form at times with the Predators this past season, but he also had serious offensive struggles. For example, he did not record a point in 13 consecutive games from Jan. 25 to March 2, which is simply unheard of from the future Hall of Famer. He also started the season with just one point in his first eight games.
Why Stamkos Can Turn Things Around
While Stamkos’ first season with the Predators did not go as planned, fans certainly should not sleep on the 2008 first-overall pick. He still produced like a legitimate star just back in 2023-24 with Tampa Bay and has been one throughout his NHL career. Thus, the possibility of him turning things around cannot be ruled out.
Furthermore, this was the first season Stamkos played on a team that was not the Lightning in his 17-year NHL career. As a result, it naturally took him some time to adjust to the Predators’ system, and a bounce-back season could be on the way for him in year No. 2 in Nashville.
Jonathan Marchessault, C, Nashville Predators
Sticking with Nashville, Jonathan Marchessault also did not necessarily perform up to expectations in 2024-25. After scoring a career-high 42 goals and recording 69 points in 82 games in his final season with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24, he had 21 goals, 56 points, and a minus-29 rating in 78 games this past season with Nashville.
Like Stamkos, Marchessault had trouble producing at the level expected of him for much of the season. When noting that the 34-year-old winger has a $5.5-million cap hit until the end of the 2028-29 season, they will be hoping that he has a bounce-back campaign in 2025-26.
Why Marchessault Can Turn Things Around
Marchessault may have had his rough moments this past season, but it is hard to believe that he can’t pick his play back up next season. He has shown throughout his career that he can produce like a star, and a clean slate next season could help things on that front.
Furthermore, the Predators as a whole simply had a bad year in 2024-25. Thus, players like Marchessault and Stamkos could improve their numbers next season if the team around them also gets things back on track.
Elias Lindholm, C, Boston Bruins
After signing Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25-million contract this past off-season, the Boston Bruins thought they found their long-term first-line center. However, Lindholm did not reach expectations in his first season in Boston, posting 17 goals, 30 assists and a minus-4 rating in 82 games.
Lindholm’s struggles this past season led to him being bounced around the lineup, and he even spent time on Boston’s third line. With Lindholm carrying a $7.75-million cap hit, this is not ideal, and the Bruins will be hoping that Lindholm can prove he can be a full-time top-six center for them next season.
Why Lindholm Can Turn Things Around
Lindholm’s finish to the season should provide some optimism. After being moved back up to the first line, Lindholm formed strong chemistry with David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. In his final seven games of the season, he recorded four goals, five assists, nine points and a plus-11 rating. This is undoubtedly encouraging, and the Bruins will be hoping he can build off it in 2025-26.
Lindholm also revealed at the end of the season that he had been dealing with a back injury that he suffered during training camp, which negatively impacted him at the start of the campaign. Now that he is healthy, perhaps he can have that big season the Bruins will be hoping for in 2025-26.
The Anaheim Ducks and general manager Pat Verbeek crossed a sizable item off of their summer agenda on Thursday when they signed goaltender Lukas Dostal to a five-year contract that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.
“It’s a big honor,” Dostal said when addressing the media following the announcement of his signing. “I always look at myself in the mirror, and I see a kid who came from a village with 300 people in it. It’s always a good reminder that you have a dream and you want to chase it. There’s always the possibility to reach it. It’s a big milestone, but there’s a long way ahead of us. We have an amazing team.”
Dostal followed up an impressive rookie season in 2023-24 with an even better sophomore season in 2024-25, in which he solidified himself as the unquestioned number one goaltender in Anaheim for the foreseeable future.
Dostal, along with John Gibson, was part of potentially the best goaltending tandem in the NHL in 2024-25, and the pair was the most impactful contributing factor to the Ducks’ 21-point jump in the standings from the year prior.
He finished the season with 49 starts and appeared in 54 games. He posted a .903 SV%, stopped 10.28 goals above expected, and tallied his first career shutout.
If Dostal hadn’t already seized control of the starter’s job in Anaheim, the trading of John Gibson in late June put any and all doubt to rest. Dostal will now head a goaltending group featuring himself, veteran and fellow Czech countryman Petr Mrazek, and Ville Husso. The latter two will likely battle for the backup role, and each will likely get NHL games in 2025-26 with the Ducks.
With his new contract in place, Dostal will carry dramatically increased responsibility and expectations on his shoulders as the Ducks have stated their intended goal for the upcoming season is to make the 2026 playoffs.
“I truly believe it. It was one of the reasons that I was willing to sign a long-term deal,” he said when asked about the outlook of the organization. “It’s always about trusting the process, and I really trust the process of what’s going on in Anaheim right now. It’s very exciting for the future.”
Now that Dostal has received the baton from Gibson as the goaltender who will backstop the Ducks’ hopeful transition from rebuilding team to contending team, a figurative statement was made league-wide that he’s “the guy” now in Anaheim, and with that, he won’t sneak up on anyone. He is no longer a “no-name goalie," he will start more games than he ever has, and he will face the toughest opponents on the Ducks' schedule.
With his $6.5 million cap hit, Dostal is now the tenth-highest-paid goaltender in the NHL. He’s still making considerably less than the tier above him that features Juuse Saros ($7.74 million) and the four goaltenders each making $8.25 million: Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger, and Linus Ullmark. However, he now leads the next tier of highest-paid goaltenders, which includes more experienced veterans like Gibson ($6.4 million), Adin Hill ($6.25 million), and Jacob Markstrom ($6 million).
Dostal’s demeanor is as poised as they come, something even more impressive considering he just turned 25 years old less than a month ago, and he’s never expressed the slightest indication of being rattled, on or off the ice.
After a blazing hot start in 2024-25, where he was near or at the top of the NHL in every goaltending statistic, his numbers wavered as the season became longer and longer. That could either be attributed to fatigue after playing the most hockey in his life, or to uncertainty and inability to reestablish a rhythm with Gibson’s seesaw battle with injury reserve last season.
Dostal is now 121 games into his NHL career and carries a career .902 SV%, a 42-58-13 record, and two shutouts. He’s sharp on his angles in the crease, and he has full trust in them. He never swims amid flurries in front of him, remaining square to pucks in tight at all times.
His most underrated quality is his ability to track pucks throughout the zone and through traffic. Though he’s a sound, fundamental goaltender, he can flash an occasional, yet remarkable athletic save when it’s necessary and shift the momentum of a game.
Dostal’s understanding of the NHL game has improved dramatically, and he’s now displaying veteran game-management skills, reading the ice in front of him and the progression of play, freezing pucks when his teammates need a whistle or advancing pucks when opposing teams are changing or tired.
Dostal plays his best hockey when it matters most, which to this point has been for Czechia on the international stage. He was named as one of the first six players added to his home country’s Olympic roster. Still, he and the Ducks will also be looking to play meaningful games well after the Olympic tournament has concluded in February.
With this new deal and the departure of Gibson, the crease in Anaheim belongs solely to Lukas Dostal. He’s been burdened with a tremendous amount of pressure, but he’s evaded the pitfalls of that pressure in the past, and this situation seems to be no different. He’s poised to make the jump into the club of the NHL’s truly elite goaltenders this upcoming season.
