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Forward won 2014 World Cup with Germany
Müller will join Whitecaps next week
Former Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller is joining the Vancouver Whitecaps in arguably the biggest signing in the club’s history.
Müller, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, will join the Whitecaps for the remainder of the season. Terms of the deal were not released. It includes an option that would make Müller a Designated Player for 2026.
Continue reading...Roman Anthony shares ‘simple' reason behind signing Red Sox extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Roman Anthony can’t think of a better place to spend the next eight-plus years of his promising career.
Anthony, who entered the 2025 campaign as the top prospect in all of baseball, signed an eight-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The 21-year-old reportedly will earn $130 million during the life of the contract, which spans the 2026-33 seasons with a club option option for 2034.
“I wanted to be here,” Anthony said during a press conference at Fenway Park on Wednesday evening. “It was as simple as that. I wanted to be in Boston.
“Winning in Boston is different, and I haven’t won anything yet, but for me over these last two months, the baseball we’re playing, the fans and the way they show up every night, it’s amazing,” Anthony continued. “It’s a place like no other. And, for me, it was simple: I just wanted to be here, I just wanted to play baseball in Boston for a long time.”
A second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Anthony was called up to Boston in June after he started the season in Triple-A Worcester. He entered Wednesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals hitting .283 with a .828 OPS across 46 games. He took an eight-game hit streak into the series finale at Fenway Park and has played a major role in Boston’s second-half surge.
Anthony’s deal comes about four months after the Red Sox signed 23-year-old infielder Kristian Campbell to an eight-year extension of his own. Marcelo Mayer, the other representative of Boston’s promising trio, has yet to receive the same long-term commitment but might not be too far away.
Campbell and Mayer, among other youngsters in the organization, are part of the reason Anthony wants to remain in Boston, as well.
“It makes my life a whole lot easier, and taking the field a whole lot easier, when I’m taking it with guys who I just consider my best friends,” Anthony said.
Anthony’s reasoning for wanting to remain with the organization was easy, and the Red Sox now hope it proves to be the right one.
Paul Goldschmidt’s pinch-hit solo home run put the Yankees ahead in the seventh inning, and the much-maligned bullpen pitched four innings of scoreless relief to end a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon in Arlington.
With the win, just their eighth in 19 games since the All-Star break, the Yanks improved to 61-54 on the season. The Rangers, who entered the game just 0.5 game behind New York for the final Wild Card spot, fell to 60-56.
- Looking for a spark in a tie game, Aaron Boone went to the bench in the seventh against left-handed reliever Robert Garcia. Amed Rosario (batting for Ryan McMahon) tapped out to third, but Goldschmidt (batting for Austin Wells) had better luck, taking an 0-2 up-and-in fastball and clobbering it 395 feet to left (109.3 mph off the bat) for a solo home run to put New York up 3-2.
Goldschmidt has been eating southpaws alive; he is now batting .410 (43-for-105) on the year with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 16 RBI.
After Ben Rice reached on a two-out infield hit, Bruce Bochy went to the bullpen, but Shawn Armstrong allowed a single and a walk to give Jazz Chisholm Jr. a bases-loaded chance. But Chisholm managed just a flyout to the warning track in left.
Through the series' first 26 innings, the Yanks had left 19 runners on base and were 4-for-21 with runners in scoring position.
- Tim Hill, pitching with a lead in the seventh was the second man out of the 'pen, got the first out before a single and catcher's interference by Rice put two aboard. The lefty got CoreySeager swinging and Boone summoned Yerry De los Santos, who walked the first man he faced. But a good sinker in on the hands got a fly out to center to leave the bases loaded.
- After De los Santos got the first out of the eighth, Boone called on David Bednar, who walked the first guy he faced, but struck out the next two.
In the ninth, Bednar got pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez swinging at a high fastball and Sam Haggerty to wave at a splitter. Seager looked at a 3-2 pitch that appeared to just catch the corner but was judged a ball, giving the Rangers life. Marcus Semien slashed a single through the right side of the infield to put the go-ahead run on base. Boone came out for a visit and after a conversation, allowed Bednar, who was already at 35 pitches (a season high), to face Adolis Garcia. And the righty got Garcia to swing through a 2-2 splitter on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to end the game.
The Yanks held the Rangers to 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, with 11 runners left on base and turned three double plays.
- Carlos Rodon allowed two singles and a walk, but no runs in his first two innings of work. The Rangers pushed the game’s first run across when a Rodon changeup over the middle got smashed by Ezequiel Duran for a double off the left field wall to start the third, and Haggerty slapped a single the other way.
The left-hander walked Seager on a full count, after getting squeezed on a 2-2 sinker that caught the outside corner to put two men on, but a 5-4-3 double-play and flyout saw him safely out of further damage.
Rodon was in a spot of bother with one out in the fifth after a swinging bunt single, walk, and Seager bloop single to center loaded the bases. The lefty was able to escape with minimal damage, a Semien sac fly to tie the game, getting Adolis Garcia to ground out to short to leave two men on.
The lefty walked Wyatt Langford to start the sixth and Boone went to the bullpen in a tied game, but Mark LeiterJr. got a flyout and a double play to close Rodon’s line: 5.0 innings two runs on six hits, four walks, three strikeouts on 93 pitches (58 strikes) raising his ERA to 3.35 on the year.
- In the top of the fourth, Anthony Volpe had a big chance with runners on first and second and one out after a couple of walks, and tied the game yanking an inside fastball into left for an RBI single off Texas starter Jack Leiter. The Yanks used their speed to take the lead when the runners took off, and catcher KyleHigashioka's throw to third was low and bounced away, allowing Jasson Dominguez to score and Volpe to reach third.
After McMahon walked to put runners on the corners, the Yanks failed to score off lefty reliever Hobby Milner, as Wells tapped into a fielder's choice (Volpe caught off third, 1-5-2) and Trent Grisham tapped out to Milner, as well.
Since the All-Star break, Wells is 5-for-46 with just one extra-base hit, three walks, and 11 strikeouts. McMahon went 1-for-1 with a walk and is batting .297 in 12 games with the club. Volpe finished 1-for-4, including bouncing into a double play.
- Judge, who threw in the outfield before Wednesday’s game, looked overeager his first time up when he popped out on the infield swinging at a 3-0 fastball coming in on his hands from Rangers starter Jack Leiter.
The slugger came up in a big spot with runners on first and second and two out in the third, but was caught looking at a 2-2 changeup at the knees on the outside corner.
Judge got his first hit since his return, lining a two-out single in the seventh. He went 1-for-6 with three strikeouts and one walk in his first two games back.
- Rice went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts and hit into a double play. He is now 9-for-46 (.196) with eight walks and eight strikeouts since the All-Star break.
- Chisholm finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He is now batting .208 (15-for-72) with just four extra-base hits, eight RBI, and 24 strikeouts since the break.
- Bellinger went 0-for-2 with a walk and grounded into a double play. The outfielder went 3-for-22 with two walks and two strikeouts during the six-game road trip.
- Dominguez 0-for-2 with two walks, now has 12 hits in his last 57 at-bats.
- Grisham, who singled to start the game, went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout and is batting .217 (13-for-60) since the break.
The Yankee bullpen allowed two hits and walked three batters, but got 12 outs without allowing a run and struck out six, including five by Bednar, who earned his 18th save of the year.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe turn two! pic.twitter.com/I08h2OMeKl
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
Anthony Volpe gets the Yankees on the board! pic.twitter.com/FvMNLEjtaU
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
Jasson Domínguez steals third and comes home on the wild throw to give the Yankees the lead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gGkwRESTW5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT HOMERS TO GIVE THE YANKEES THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/4mvuZAvbxZ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 6, 2025
After taking Thursday off, the Yanks open a three-game series in The Bronx against the Houston Astros, starting on Friday at 7:05 p.m.
New York is scheduled to start with Cam Schlittler (4.58 ERA, 1.678 WHIP in 19.2 innings) on Friday, with Luis Gil and Max Fried following. Houston is set to counter with righty Hunter Brown (2.47 ERA, 0.985 WHIP in 131 innings) on Friday with lefty Framber Valdez on Saturday. No Astros starter has been named for Sunday.
The Hockey News’ summer splash series – our exclusive rankings of the off-seasons of each NHL team – continues with the 12th spot going to the New Jersey Devils. We’ve been moving in reverse from the 32nd-place Buffalo Sabres to the No. 1 spot, and we’re looking at every team’s roster additions, departures, and hirings and firings where applicable.
After considerable debate and discussion, THN.com has ranked teams that fall into one of three categories this summer. The first category is teams that have improved. The second category is teams that have more or less remained the same. And the final category is teams that have regressed.
The Devils have been a playoff team for two of the past three seasons, but there’s a prevailing sense about this team that they’re not living up to expectations. In two playoff appearances in the past three seasons, New Jersey has been eliminated by the superior Carolina Hurricanes with relative ease, so Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald was frank and true when he said he wouldn’t be bringing back the same group next season.
With that in mind, let’s look at New Jersey’s changes and why they’re nearly a top-10 team in terms of their off-season development.
Connor Brown (RW), Evgenii Dadonov (LW), Juho Lammikko (LW), Thomas Bordeleau (LW), Arseniy Gritsyuk (LW)
The Breakdown: The Devils didn’t make widespread changes this summer, really only dealing with their bottom-six group of forwards and players who may be in the press box to start the year. Brown is coming off a terrific post-season with the Edmonton Oilers, while Dadonov very quietly had a 20-goal, 40-point season with the Dallas Stars. Fitzgerald got Brown and Dadonov for a combined salary cap hit of $4-million. That’s some nifty work by the Devils GM.
Meanwhile, while he’s not an addition per se, goaltender Jake Allen chose to return to New Jersey this summer at a team-friendly salary of $1.8-million. Allen worked well with starter Jacob Markstrom last season, and he almost certainly could’ve received more money to go elsewhere.
So Allen’s decision to stay in New Jersey is an endorsement of what this team is capable of. And a deeper, more skilled Devils group in front of the goalies will make life easier for Markstrom and Allen.
Erik Haula (LW), Tomas Tatar (LW), Curtis Lazar (C), Daniel Sprong (LW), Nathan Bastian (RW), Justin Dowling (C), Brian Dumoulin (D), Nolan Foote (D)
The Breakdown: There’s been a fairly big exodus from New Jersey’s roster this summer, but it’s basically been a stream of fringe players (Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong) and veterans who left for Europe (Tatar).
The most high-profile departure is probably Dumoulin, a trade-deadline acquisition who never really fit in as part of the Devils’ defense corps. But New Jersey has one of the deepest, strongest groups of blueliners in the league, so they’ll be able to absorb the slight blow from Dumoulin’s departure with relative ease.
Something to keep an eye on: Fittzgerald still has $6.1 million in cap space to use between now and the next NHL trade deadline. So nobody should be shocked to see the Devils as movers-and-shakers at the deadline and during the year.
Essentially, Fitzgerald has changed up New Jersey’s wingers this summer, bringing in new blood in Brown and Dadonov in particular and bidding farewell to veterans including Haula and Tatar. That’s a trade-off that almost certainly will make the Devils at least a little bit better. And that’s why they’re ranked as highly as they are in the summer splash list.
Don’t get it twisted – we’re still not sure New Jersey has what it takes to finish higher in the Metropolitan Division standings and/or go on a deeper playoff run next season. But the Devils’ core – brothers Jack and Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier – is coming back with considerably more pressure to improve on their past few years.
The Devils are indeed improved, if only slightly so. But Fitzgerald has effected change in the team’s secondary players, and time will tell whether that was the right choice. And if things go sideways for New Jersey, there will be a larger reckoning at this time next year.
12. New Jersey Devils
13. St. Louis Blues
16. Ottawa Senators
17. Boston Bruins
18. Edmonton Oilers
19. Minnesota Wild
20. Seattle Kraken
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
30. Winnipeg Jets
32. Buffalo Sabres
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Luka Doncic got his max contract extension. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got a historic one, and the Thunder also extended and locked up his running mates Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Devin Booker got his extension.
Trae Young has yet to get his, and he's growing increasingly frustrated. He was frustrated at the pace of things a month ago.
⌛️
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) July 6, 2025
ESPN/Andscape's Marc Spears said Tuesday that Young is "disappointed" that he has yet to be offered a deal. From Spears' appearance on NBA Today:
"What I'm hearing now, at this point — you can tell by Trae's Tweet, and I saw him during the Finals — I think he's disappointed that it hasn't come, it hasn't been offered."
Atlanta can offer Young a four-year, $228.6 million max extension right now, but there also is no time crunch from the Hawks' perspective (the deadline to reach a deal is June 30, 2026).
The question becomes: Is Young a max player? If not — and the conventional wisdom around the league is he's not a full max guy — then what is the number where everyone is happy, both in terms of dollars and years?
The Hawks were aggressive this offseason, retooling their roster into one that could be a top-four team in the East. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking to Atlanta, and he seems a natural pick-and-pop partner with Young. Nickeil Alexander-Walker brings shooting to the wing, plus he and Dyson Daniels give the Hawks an elite wing defense. Luke Kennard adds even more shooting. And that's not counting Jalen Johnson getting healthy and Zaccharie Risacher potentially making a leap in his second season.
There's some logic to the idea of Young at the point leading this roster, he averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists per game last season, shooting 34% from beyond the arc. He also led the league in turnovers with 355 (4.7 per game), and is a minus defender.
Does Atlanta want to see how things shake out on the court before getting serious with extension talks? More likely, they talk to Young about a two-year contract closer to his current salary (two years, $100-105 million). Whether he'd accept that is the question.
What Young wants is an offer and negotiations as a place to start. You could easily get that vibe out of his support for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons and the drama around his contract.
This why you pay the man early, when someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now!
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 1, 2025
Get what you deserve bro!
The question is, how serious are the Hawks about talking at this point?
NEW YORK — Gavin Williams came within two outs of Cleveland’s first no-hitter in 44 years before Juan Soto homered with one out in the ninth inning, and the Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 4-1 win Wednesday.
Williams (7-4) walked three and struck out six, including Francisco Lindor to lead off the ninth. But Soto homered just beyond the leaping grasp of center fielder Angel Martínez two pitches later for the Mets’ first hit since the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 3-2 loss.
The Guardians have not thrown a no-hitter since Len Barker twirled a perfect game on May 15, 1981. Their no-hitter drought is the longest in the majors.
There has not been a no-hitter in the majors this season.
Williams, who was the first player on the field in the ninth with nobody warming up in the Guardians’ bullpen, retired Pete Alonso on a fly to right but exited after walking Brandon Nimmo for the third time.
The right-hander threw 126 pitches — 17 more than his previous career high and the the most in the majors since Alex Cobb threw 131 in a one-hitter for the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 29, 2023.
Hunter Gaddis got Mark Vientos to fly out to earn his second save.
David Fry led off the second by homering against David Peterson (7-5). Martínez hit a two-run homer in the third and Gabriel Arias added an RBI triple in the sixth.
The Mets have lost eight of nine.
Soto’s homer allowed the Mets to avoid being no-hit for the ninth time in team history.
The Guardians’ no-hitter drought is at 7,115 games, counting the postseason.
The Guardians remain on the road Friday, when RHP Tanner Bibee (7-9, 4.51 ERA) takes the mound against Chicago White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (3-6, 3.99 ERA).
The Mets hit the road Friday, when RHP Kodai Senga (7-3, 2.31 ERA) starts against Milwaukee Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff (3-0, 2.22 ERA) in a rematch of last year’s NL Division Series.
The Canucks made an addition late into this offseason yesterday, with winger Vitali Kravtsov signing a one-year, two-way contract valued at $775k. This is his second tenure with Vancouver, as he last played 16 games with the team after being acquired just ahead of the 2022-23 trade deadline, in a move that sent Will Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the New York Rangers.
Kravtsov, hailing from the Russian city of Vladivostok on the eastern Pacific coast, spent the last two seasons playing with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. He scored 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games in the 2023-24 season, his first back in Russia, and was sixth in league scoring in the regular season, with 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 66 games. Through 33 playoff games played over the two seasons, Kravtsov had 12 points (nine goals, three assists) and helped Traktor to the Gagarin Cup Finals last season, where they lost to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in five games.
The 25-year-old winger has spent much of his career outside of North America within the Chelyabinsk system, having played parts of multiple seasons with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk and Chelmet Chelyabinsk, the junior and minor affiliates of Traktor Chelyabinsk, respectively. Kravtsov also spent multiple stints with Traktor Chelyabinsk prior to his latest move back, having spent much of his early career with the major team, and was loaned to the team for the 2021-22 season by the New York Rangers. In 2018, he set the record for most points by an 18-year-old in the KHL postseason, with 11 (six goals, five assists) through 16 games, as well as being named the league’s Best Rookie with the Aleksei Cherepanov Award. Overall, Kravtsov has 160 points (81 goals, 79 assists) in 288 KHL regular-season games across eight seasons, and 40 points (25 goals, 15 assists) in 79 playoff games across seven appearances.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Vitali Kravtsov To A One-Year ContractThe Vancouver Canucks are bringing back winger Vitali Kravtsov. Vancouver has announced that they have signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, two way contract. Now 25, Kravtsov has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Kravtsov was drafted ninth overall during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, just two picks after Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. Later that year, he played in the 2019 World Junior Championships, hosted in Vancouver, where he won a bronze medal with Russia, scoring two goals and earning four assists. He played 39 games in the 2019-20 season for the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the Rangers, scoring 15 points (six goals, nine assists) with his first experience of North American professional hockey.
He made his NHL debut for the Rangers on April 3, 2021, in a shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres — his first of 20 games in the 2020-21 season for the Original Six team. Kravtsov earned his first NHL point on April 11, 2021, with an assist on a goal from Brendan Smith in an overtime loss to the New York Islanders, and netted his first NHL goal a week later on April 18, during a 5–3 Rangers win against the New Jersey Devils. He would score another goal and assist each before the season ended, and he would head back to Russia the following year after tensions with the Rangers' front office surfaced.
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Kravtsov returned to the NHL for the 2022-23 season, where he had six points (three goals, three assists) in 28 games with the Rangers before being traded to the Canucks, where he scored one goal and one assist. As a restricted free agent, he was extended a qualifying offer at the conclusion of the season by the Canucks, but opted to head back to Chelyabinsk, though the Canucks maintained his NHL signing rights.
The Russian winger now returns to a Canucks team that looks vastly different from the one he originally played with. Gone are big names like Rick Tocchet behind the bench and JT Miller on it alongside him, and he is reunited with his former Rangers linemate in Filip Chytil. The two spent 123 minutes together on the ice across 44 games in two separate seasons, mostly on the third line. Chytil and Kravtsov on ice together combined for a Corsi For Percentage of 57.80%, a goals for of 75% against an expected goals for of 59.09%, a shooting percentage of 8.11%, and a PDO of 1.085, above the league average of 1.00, and the 2023-24 league-leading Canucks PDO of 1.025. The last time the two played extended minutes together was on January 16, 2023, where Chytil assisted on Kravtsov’s final goal as a Blueshirt in a 3–1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In his first tenure with the Canucks, Kravtsov spent the majority of his time on the fourth line, with 12 of his 16 games spent there. He made two appearances on the third line and two late-season appearances on the first line with Elias Pettersson as his center. On the current Canucks lineup, his highest ceiling is likely the middle six, though I would not be surprised if he spends most of his time in the bottom six, or if he is sent to Abbotsford to start the season, despite being eligible for waivers.
I’d anticipate Kravtsov working on a third or fourth line to start with Nils Åman — who he also played with twice his first time in Vancouver — or Aatu Räty as his center, assuming the team keep Chytil on as the second line center with Conor Garland and Evander Kane as his wingers. Injuries or impressive performance could lift him to the second line at some point this season with Chytil, or an elevation or trade of another center could move Chytil down to the bottom six with his former Rangers linemate. Still, he will be fighting for a spot on the big league wings come training camp against experienced Canucks like Nils Höglander, Max Sasson, Drew O’Connor, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Arshdeep Bains, and Linus Karlsson. Overall, though, the return of Kravtsov carries a low risk, as forward depth can become an issue as the season goes on, and a league minimum deal for one year adds stability and professional experience to the Canucks winger depth chart.
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In many ways, Wednesday afternoon’s 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians felt like a low point for the 2025 Mets.
While David Peterson was solid but not spectacular on the mound, the entire lineup looked listless at the plate, as Guardians starter Gavin Williams carried a no-hitter through 8.1 innings.
With the loss, the Mets have now lost eight of their last nine games, remaining 2.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies, who also lost on Wednesday afternoon.
“You’ve got to give him credit,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about Williams. “Obviously, he was really good today using all of his pitches, but we also know that we’re better than that. They know they’re better than that. We just couldn’t make any adjustments. A lot of empty at-bats there.
“Yes, as good as he was, I feel like he gave us a few pitches to hit and we missed them.”
Williams struck out six Mets on the afternoon, but even when the Mets did put the ball in play, it was mostly weak contact, outside of a Francisco Lindor liner back to the mound in the first inning and a Mark Vientos flare in the seventh that forced C.J. Kayfus to make a diving catch.
The Mets finally scratched across a hit with one out in the ninth, as Juan Soto homered to straight-away center. But it was too little, too late.
“I really don’t know what is going on,” Soto said after the game. “We definitely have the talent and the guys who are capable to do damage here, so I think one day it’s going to turn around.”
“We have to be better,” Soto added later. “As a group we have to come through better and we have to do the adjustments. Nobody said it’s going to be easy to go all the way, but it’s a challenge. We’ve just got to go out there and take it from them. Nobody’s going to bring the trophy over here and give it to us, we gotta go out there and take it.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Mets in the immediate future, as the club has an off day on Thursday before starting a three-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, who have the best record in baseball at 69-44.
Mendoza isn’t losing confidence in his club, but he knows it’s time to get things turned around.
“I think the number one thing is just understanding that we’re going through it right now, but at the same time, we’ve got to find a way to turn the switch here,” Mendoza said. “We know you’re good, we know we’re good here, but we’ve got to go out there and do it. We’ll continue to have those discussions. We believe in those guys, obviously. It’s been a rough stretch here for a quite a bit now, and I know they’re working really hard. The messaging, obviously we have to be better. We have to continue to work hard, and we have to go out there and do it.”
Michael Pezzetta is still pinching himself after signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this summer.
The 27-year-old, who's spent his entire NHL career thus far with the Montreal Canadiens, grew up in Toronto and was a Maple Leafs fan. A sixth-round (160th overall) pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Pezzetta recalled sitting in his childhood room and looking at all of the posters on his wall after signing with Toronto.
"I got a big picture of Mats Sundin on my wall and a couple of pictures of CuJo (Curtis Joseph) and some other guys," Pezzetta smiled. "I get to fight for the opportunity to put this sweater on, and it's just something that I've dreamed of my whole life, and I'm just, it feels amazing."
A month after signing his two-year, $1.63 million deal, Pezzetta spoke with the NHLPA about joining his hometown club. He reminisced about a moment from his childhood when he attended an open practice at Scotiabank Arena.
Alex Nylander Returns To Maple Leafs Organization, Signing One-Year AHL Deal With MarliesAlex Nylander is returning to Toronto for another season.
"One time, when I was a little kid, our team was at Air Canada Centre [now, Scotiabank Arena] to watch the Leafs practice. I was an energetic kid, not really scared of anything, so I found my way down to the locker rooms," Pezzetta said.
"I was running around outside the locker room, and I ended up running into [former NHL defenceman] Wade Redden and one of the goalies from the Ottawa Senators. By that time, my dad realized I had taken off and came looking for me. I was running around, trying to get guys to sign stuff."
He revealed that Sundin was his favorite player growing up. The former Maple Leafs captain holds the franchise record for most points (987) and goals (420) through 981 games with Toronto.
Could William Villeneuve Earn NHL Call Up After Signing One-Year, Two-Way Contract With Maple Leafs?William Villeneuve is returning for another season in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization.
"I had his pictures in my room, jerseys things like that," said Pezzetta. "I remember his 500th goal, coming across the blue line and blasting a slap shot home, far side, for the overtime winner, and a hat trick. It was a great memory."
Sundin's 500th goal came on October 14th, 2006, and it was a shorthanded overtime-winner against the Calgary Flames. The Bromma, Sweden-born forward also scored 32 goals and 38 assists in 77 playoff games.
Pezzetta is entering his fifth NHL season after tallying 15 goals and 23 assists in 200 games, all with the Canadiens. Although he's likely to be a depth forward for Toronto, there's no doubt Pezzetta will bring more bite to the club's bottom six.
'They're Trying To Move Money Around': Maple Leafs Reportedly Haven't Closed Door On Signing UFA Jack RoslovicThe Toronto Maple Leafs were reportedly interested in unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic earlier this summer, and it appears the lure may not have gone away.
"It’s the same as Montreal, it is a big market, there is pressure and expectations are high," he said. "But that makes sense and that’s what makes it so great to play in these types of cities. I’m embracing every bit of it."
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: 'I Found My Way Down To The Locker Rooms': Michael Pezzetta Reminisces On Moments As A Young Maple Leafs Fan
(Top photo of Pezzetta: David Kirouac / Imagn Images)
A former Miami Heat security officer has been accused in federal court of stealing millions of dollars worth of team memorabilia — including a game-worn LeBron James jersey from the 2013 NBA Finals — and selling them to online brokers.
Appearing Wednesday at U.S. Superior Court for the Southern District of Florida, retired Miami police officer Marcus Thomas Perez pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
Perez, 62, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. His attorney, Robert Buschel, declined to comment when asked on Wednesday by The Times.
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According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Miami field office of the FBI, Perez worked on game-day security detail for the Heat from 2016-2021, and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022-2025.
While employed by the Heat, the press release states, Perez "was among a limited number of trusted individuals with access to a secured equipment room" where "hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia" were being stored to be displayed at a future Heat museum.
"During his employment, Perez accessed the equipment room multiple times to steal over 400 game-worn jerseys and other items, which he then sold to various online marketplaces," the press release states. "Over a three-year period, Perez sold over 100 stolen items for approximately $2 million and shipped them across state lines, often for prices well below their market value."
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One example listed in the press release is the jersey that James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, during which the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win their second straight championship. Perez allegedly sold the jersey for around $100,000; it was sold in an online auction for $3.7 million in 2023.
In executing a search warrant at Perez's home April 3, law enforcement "seized nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia," all of which the Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility, according to the press release.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Moses Moody shares hilarious story about his first encounter with Steph Curry originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry does Steph Curry things on the court and a young Moses Moody learned that the hard way.
The 23-year-old guard detailed the experience of finding out what Curry is all about when he recently joined “The Young Man & the Three” podcast.
“One of my first times, I ripped him and I’m a rookie, I’m just coming in so I’m feeling good about it,” Moody recalled. “And it’s like I just felt everybody in the room kind of like ‘ohhhh, like he don’t know.’ And then Steph did what Steph do and go crazy and all that and I’m like, ‘OK, that feeling was right.’ I knew what I felt, everybody knew what was about to go down.”
Moody, who was drafted by the Warriors in 2021, said that while Curry doesn’t do his trash talking as loud as other players, the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader definitely gets his words in.
“He’s not loud, he don’t talk crazy but like, he’s like, he’s so good that like when he’s talking, he’s helping you almost,” Moody said. “Like, he’s just playing. He don’t talk a lot, it’s not in a conniving type of way, it’s genuine.”
Just add this one to the list of Curry Flurries that have taken the NBA by storm over the past decade.
The cover of EA Sports NHL 26 was revealed to be Florida Panthers’ forward Matthew Tkachuk. In their official reveal trailer on Wednesday (Aug. 6), they also revealed the deluxe edition would include his brother, Brady, and his father, Keith.
With the news in mind and it being that season of video games, where fans either complain or love the cover athlete, let’s talk about three LA Kings who should be considered next year, when NHL 27 comes out.
This one seems obvious. Adrian Kempe is a solid hockey player and one of the most underrated in the NHL.
While he may not be the most flashy player in the league, selecting a player who is a bit off the board but still has the skill to deserve it, combined with the ability to reach fans who still play the game, is exactly why Kempe should be in the running.
In what is likely his final season in the NHL, Anze Kopitar deserves a look for NHL 27. It would be a little odd to have someone who isn’t going to play in the 2026-27 season grace the cover of the video game, but why not shake things up a bit?
Kopitar is a legend and could be considered a Hall of Famer when all is said and done. Rewarding him like this is something EA Sports should consider.
Hear me out here.
A goaltender gracing the cover of an NHL video game? We haven’t seen that since Martin Brodeur did it with NHL 14. Why not give a goaltender a look? It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to consider him as a cover athlete, but that is a long shot.
You could also consider Drew Doughty, since he is someone else who is still in the running for an Olympic run, has been a legend of the game, and is arguably one of the most popular players in the league off the ice.
Time will tell, but it would be cool to see anyone from the Kings’ organization on the cover of the next instalment.
Image Credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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3 PTO Options for the LA Kings Going Into the 2025-26 SeasonWith the NHL offseason coming to a close, the Los Angeles Kings still have some cap room to play with before training camp.
Following a new report, it would appear the Philadelphia Flyers don't have much of a chance of landing Mason McTavish in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks at all.
The reason isn't why you might think, either. Surprisingly, the reality is the reported asking price from the Ducks for McTavish starts with a player the Flyers simply do not have and cannot offer.
According to an NHL executive via Jimmy Murphy of RG, the Ducks would at least like a long-term, right-shot future top-pairing defenseman.
"Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock [GM Pat Verbeek's] socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenseman would be the starting point from what I know," the NHL executive told RG. "I don’t see the [Detroit Red Wings] moving Moritz Seider, so you’re likely talking Axel Sandin-Pellikka."
A cabal of Flyers fans have been holding out hope that Flyers GM Danny Briere has one more big move in him this offseason, particularly for McTavish, but based on the above information, there's no way that will happen.
Ironically, the closest thing the Flyers have to offer that would even remotely compare to a player like Moritz Seider or Axel Sandin-Pellikka is Jamie Drysdale, who was traded by the Ducks to the Flyers already last January.
Philadelphia Flyers Should Avoid This Potential Ducks Trade TargetThe Philadelphia Flyers are still well positioned to execute a blockbuster trade for a top center this summer, but one popular potential trade target on the Anaheim Ducks isn't worth all the hype.
Prospects like Spencer Gill and Oliver Bonk might make some sense, but neither has the draft pedigree or pro experience that Sandin-Pellikka has.
The 20-year-old Swede has already won the SHL and owns 52 points in 107 regular season games across three seasons in Sweden's top hockey league.
Bonk, on the other hand, will be playing pro for the first time this fall and saw his production drop exponentially with the OHL London Knights this past season.
Plus, Briere and the Flyers already pried forward Trevor Zegras out of Anaheim in an attempt to resolve their issues at center and inject some skill into the top-six.
How many times can these two sides realistically continue to exchange core players and key draft assets?
There is a fit for McTavish in Philadelphia with the Flyers, yes, but it's unlikely the Flyers want to continue to fork over prime assets for more players who may or may not reach their full potential.
Instead, a slow burn towards the finish line of this rebuild is the path of least resistance at this time.
The Mets fell to the Cleveland Guardians by a score of 4-1 on Wednesday afternoon, and have now lost eight of their last nine games.
-- The story of the day was Guardians starter Gavin Williams, who carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning.
After not recording a hit over the final four innings of Tuesday's loss, the Mets were left searching for answers against Williams, as the right-hander had his fastball sitting in the high-90s and induced plenty of weak contact. While he only struck out six hitters, he kept his pitch count relatively low, though he was up to 111 pitches through eight innings.
In the ninth, Williams struck out Francisco Lindor swinging to start things off, but Juan Soto ended the no-no, homering to center field on Williams' 117th pitch of the game. Williams issued a walk later in the inning, and his afternoon ended after 8.2 innings and 126 pitches. Hunter Gaddis came in and recorded the final out, and Williams' final line read 8.2 innings, one run, one hit, six strikeouts, and four walks.
-- It seems like in every potential no-hitter situation, there's always one or two stellar defensive plays that keep it going. Lindor, the first batter of the game, lined one right back to Williams which knocked his glove off his hand, but Williams recovered to get the out at first. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Mark Vientos flared a ball to shallow right field and C.J. Kayfus laid out to make the grab, keeping the no-no alive for the time being.
-- David Peterson has been the only Mets starting pitcher to give them any length of late, and while he pitched deep into the game once again, he didn't receive any run support and was tagged for a couple of home runs. The lefty allowed a solo home run to David Fry in the top of the second, and fell victim to the long ball again in the third, when Angel Martinez lined a two-run shot to left.
Gabriel Arias later lined a two-out, RBI triple to right-center to extend the Guardians' lead to 4-0 in the sixth. That was the final frame for Peterson, who went 6.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two.
-- While it was a game to forget for the offense overall, Brandon Nimmo reached base three times on three walks.
Williams, who came within two outs of recording the first no-hitter in the majors this season.
Gavin Williams is through 8 no-hit innings against the Mets pic.twitter.com/IaHcUbk4Qj
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 6, 2025
Juan Soto breaks up Gavin Williams' no-hit bid with a 9th inning home run pic.twitter.com/LhM253BPjt
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 6, 2025
The Mets are off on Thursday before beginning a three-game series in Milwaukee against the red-hot Brewers on Friday at 8:10 p.m. on SNY.
Kodai Senga is scheduled to face Brandon Woodruff.
Aaron Judge, already back in the Yankees lineup as a DH, took a big step in his return to the outfield ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers.
Judge threw from about 60 feet while playing catch with Giancarlo Stanton on the outfield grass and came out feeling positive about his progress from the flexor strain in his right arm.
“Felt good to get out there. We’ll see what I can do tomorrow,” Judge said, via Newsday. “You’ve got a flexor strain. Like a hammy, the first time you run on a hammy, it’s going to be sore. But I didn’t feel like I did when I hurt it.”
The slugger went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts in his first game back from the 10-day IL on Tuesday -- his first action since sustaining the injury on July 22 in Toronto.
When asked if the soreness would be something he will have to manage for the remainder of the season, Judge said he anticipates it will eventually subside.
“I think for a little bit, and then eventually it will get better and we’ll be good to go and forget about it in a couple of weeks,” Judge said. “We’ll see. I’ve never had this.
“Would be easier if I had a quad or a hammy or oblique, I could kind of give you a better estimate of what we’ve got.”
In that regard, Judge equated the injury to “any muscle injury” when it comes down to playing despite any lingering pain.
“You pull a hammy, you have to be smart,” he said. “You just can’t blow it out. We’ll be smart with it.”