At the time, Dolan assured his players that, should the Knicks bring home the championship, their significant others will also be receiving championship rings in recognition for their contributions and support to the team.
Knicks owner James Dolan gives a speech to the team on April 3, 2026.Knicks guard Jalen Brunson hugs his wife, Ali, after the team’s NBA championship win on June 13, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / NY Post
“When we win the championship, we will get rings. When we get rings, so will they,” Dolan told his team.
“I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others, because their contributions are very important to this team win.”
Dolan had jokes too.
“If you don’t have a significant other, most of you do, find someone that you’re sharing this journey with for the next 10 weeks,” Dolan said, which was met with laughs from around the room.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan and president Leon Rose celebrate behind the Larry O’Brien trophy after their team defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Getty ImagesNew York Knicks owner James Dolan celebrates with his team after becoming the 2026 NBA Finals Champions. Jason Szenes for NY Post
When the Knicks won their championship on Saturday, Dolan, who has owned the team since 1999, addressed Knicks fans everywhere with an apology.
“Hey, New York, I’m sorry it took so long,” Dolan said as the team was presented with the Larry O’Brien trophy, its first in 53 years. “But here we are, and hopefully it won’t take that long again. Yeah!”
After falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series against the Hawks, the Knicks reeled off 13 straight wins and lost just once in that span on their way to defeating the Spurs 4-1 in the Finals.
The Knicks finished the playoffs with a point differential of +283, the biggest in NBA history.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 16: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rejoice, one and all. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year returns.
Sensing we needed some good news after the recent skid and mixed Spencer Strider update, the Braves have made an off-day move to reinstate Drake Baldwin from the IL and outright Austin Wynns to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The #Braves today returned C Drake Baldwin from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and outrighted C Austin Wynns to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Baldwin went down on May 19 with a strained right oblique. Sent on his rehab assignment on June 13, he played one (1) rain-delayed game in Jacksonville for the Stripers and went 1-for-3 with a solo homer. “That’s enough, bring him back,” we all joked. But the Braves clearly agreed.
Baldwin’s rehab homer made his hit total the exact same as Austin Wynns’ in his six games / 14 at-bats with the Braves. That lone hit was a single in the extra-innings loss in Chicago last week.
Baldwin is also in first place in NL All-Star voting for catchers in the first batch of votes released today. He’s poised to make and start his first All-Star game. As much as “Send your Braves to Philly” sounds like a threat, make sure you’re voting for Drake and the Braves 5x a day at braves.com/vote.
The Milwaukee Bucks are widely expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo sometime in the next week. According to several recent reports, the Boston Celtics are frontrunners to land the two-time NBA MVP.
By all accounts, Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of playing in Boston, but acquiring him would almost certainly require the C’s parting ways with 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. It likely wouldn’t be a simple swap between Boston and Milwaukee, however.
“Giannis wants to win. What team offers him the best opportunity to win? In all likelihood, the Boston Celtics,” Yahoo Sports’ NBA insider Kevin O’Connor said on Monday’s Early Edition. “It’s just going to be a matter of, can the Celtics find an appropriate third team to land Jaylen Brown?
“It seems like all indications are the Milwaukee Bucks don’t want Jaylen Brown as their key return. They’d rather have a haul of picks, multiple pieces, rather than just Jaylen Brown. I doubt Jaylen Brown would even want Milwaukee either at this point in his career. He wants to win somewhere else.”
The Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Clippers have often been mentioned as potential partners for Milwaukee and Boston in a three-team deal. Boston would get Antetokounmpo, the third team would get Brown, and Milwaukee would get draft capital and young pieces to help jumpstart its rebuild.
The Miami Heat have also reportedly been in the mix to acquire Antetokounmpo. Wherever the 10-time All-Star goes, the team that lands him will still have work to do.
“It can’t be just Giannis. There would have to be more moves to follow,” O’Connor said. “So I think for the Celtics, if they get Giannis, it’s going to be a matter of, what’s next after that? What other moves are going to completely shake up this roster?”
The Celtics’ roster might get shaken up even if they don’t end up with Antetokounmpo. O’Connor believes president of basketball operations Brad Stevens could move a disgruntled Brown in a different deal.
“I can’t imagine (Brown would) be too happy going back to Boston if they don’t end up landing Giannis Antetokounmpo,” he said. “So I’d imagine that Brad Stevens has at least a Plan B or a Plan C here to flip Jaylen Brown somewhere else for parts. I don’t know what exactly it would be, though.
“The New Orleans package with Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and whatever other pieces, I think, is pretty intriguing with what they could do in (Joe) Mazzulla’s system alongside Jayson Tatum. I think those are winning players that have just been stuck on a losing team.”
Brown and Antetokounmpo are set to make $57 million and $58 million next season, respectively. Tatum will also make $58 million.
Antetokounmpo, who has a $63 million player option for 2026-27, would be eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension six months after being traded. As enticing as it is to put him alongside Tatum for the next several seasons, the new collective bargaining agreement makes it difficult to sustain success with multiple expensive superstars.
“Look, the fact is it’s hard to win with two players making $60-plus million. That’s true with Giannis plus Tatum, it’s true with Brown plus Tatum,” O’Connor said.
“We’ve seen the formula in recent years. The Knicks just won the title with a team that played one through 11 sometimes. Last year, OKC vs. Indiana, two teams that were very deep. Boston the year prior was very deep. With a new collective bargaining agreement, perhaps having one superstar-level player surrounded by good players might be the way forward.”
Whether it’s to Boston, Miami, or elsewhere, Antetokounmpo is expected to be moved before the NBA Draft on June 23.
Watch the Early Edition segment in the video player above.
The San Jose Sharks are going to have to do quite a bit of work to make themselves Stanley Cup contenders in the near future, that's no secret at this point. Oddsmakers clearly agree, as BetMGM's odds for the 2027 Stanley Cup winner placed the Sharks 20th out of 32 teams, on par with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins at +6000.
Considering the Penguins made the playoffs last season, being on equal footing with them is a step in the right direction for the Sharks. With that being said, the lowest rated Western Conference playoff team from last season is the Los Angeles Kings with a +3500, meaning the odds aren't in the Sharks' favor when it comes to even making the playoffs.
The five teams with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup next season are, unsurprisingly, the Colorado Avalanche (+700), Carolina Hurricanes (+750), Vegas Golden Knights (+1000), Edmonton Oilers (+1100), and the Florida Panthers (+1100).
Once the Sharks prove that they have what it takes to make it to the playoffs, it likely won't take long to see their odds move toward the best in the NHL. With that being said, Mike Grier has a lot of work to do to reach that stage.
The 2025-26 NHL season officially ended on Sunday night when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.
Carolina took out the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, capped off by their 3-0 victory at T-Mobile Arena in Game 6.
Backstopping the Hurricanes to their shutout victory in the clinching game was goaltender Brandon Bussi.
With Bussi’s name going on the Stanley Cup later this summer, it will continue an interesting streak of success for someone in South Florida.
That’s because before he arrived in Carolina, Bussi was actually signed by Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito prior to the season.
When Florida tried to sneak Bussi to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Carolina quickly pounced and claimed the talented netminder.
Clearly it proved to be a great move, between Bussi’s historic regular season success to his amazing performance with the Stanley Cup on the line.
But it doesn’t change the fact that Zito can now say that he’s signed a player who went on to win the Stanley Cup in the same season three years in a row.
Sure, two of those years it was his own team winning the Cup, but that’s what makes extending the streak so interesting.
Now, Zito can continue that streak if the Panthers get back to the business of winning championships next season...or if he signs a player who ends up being claimed by or traded to the eventual Stanley Cup champs.
For those wondering, here is the list of players Zito has signed who went on to win the Stanley Cup in the same season.
2023-24: Evan Rodrigues, Niko Mikkola, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Kevin Stenlund, Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich
2024-25: A.J. Greer, Nate Schmidt, Tomas Nosek, Jesper Boqvist
2025-26: Brandon Bussi
Will Zito, and seemingly the Panthers, be able to add to this list and extend the streak to a fourth straight year?
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers hits a two run RBI double during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for June 15, 2026 against the Minnesota Twins: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Mike Paredes for the Twins.
Texas returns to Arlington to begin a six game homestand, with the first three coming against the Twinkies. Corey Seager is still not in the lineup.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Langford — LF
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Osuna — CF
Freeman — 2B
Lopez — SS
Diaz — C
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -160 favorites.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Aaron Judge #99 high fives Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees after hitting a home run during the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB has released its first All-Star voting update, and a number of Yankees are in contention, with Ben Rice and Aaron Judge in good position to secure spots. As a refresher on how All-Star voting works, we’re currently in Phase 1, which runs through June 25th; the top overall vote-getter in each league after Phase 1 will automatically earn a starting spot at their position in the All-Star Game. The top two vote-getters at every other position proceed to a run-off in Phase 2.
Despite going down with a right rib stress fracture, Judge is still tops among AL outfielders, and trails only Yordan Alvarez for most votes in the American League. His lead over the number-two outfielder, Mike Trout, is narrow, with Judge leading by 977,460 votes to 926,601 votes. Alvarez, a DH, isn’t far ahead of Judge at 1,015,768 votes, but Judge faces an uphill climb to catch Alvarez and earn an automatic slot, given he’ll be on the shelf at least the rest of the month.
Ben Rice is one of two other Yankees in position to proceed to Phase 2, as he’s second to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, trailing by about 96,000 votes. Guerrero’s star power keeps him in the top spot, with Rice thoroughly outplaying the Blue Jay, Rice’s 172 wRC+ dwarfing Guerrero’s 108. The other is Cody Bellinger in the outfield, in third behind Judge and Trout. The top six outfielders advance in the voting, so Bellinger, in the midst of what’s been his best season since his 2019 MVP campaign, looks to be in a good spot.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also within striking distance of qualifying for the Phase 2 run-off. He’s only in fifth place among AL second basemen, but he’s not far behind the second slot, with the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran in second at 287,996 and Chisholm at 230,846. After a terrible start, Chisholm has looked much more like himself the last several weeks, and could move up in the standings if he stays hot. Giancarlo Stanton is in fourth in the DH rankings, but has slim odds to catch up after suffering a setback in his recovery from a calf injury.
Other Yankees that received enough votes to show up in the rankings for their respective positions: José Caballero, in ninth at shortstop, Ryan McMahon (amusingly) at tenth at third base, and Austin Wells (even more amusingly) at tenth at catcher. You can check out the full lists, as well as the voting for the National League, here.
On Saturday, the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins completed a trade, as the Panthers sent forward Oliver Okuliar to the Penguins in exchange for defenseman Emil Pieniniemi.
Okuliar is a 26-year-old Slovakian winger who spent the 2025-26 season playing in the SHL with Skelleftea AIK. Okuliar posted 15 goals and 29 points in 46 games. The year prior, Okuliar played in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, scoring a respectable 19 goals and 41 points in 69 games.
Okuliar was headed into the off-season as an unrestricted free agent, and it was believed the Panthers were uninterested in re-signing him. Okuliar has signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Penguins.
While the Panthers move on from the former undrafted forward, they've acquired a 21-year-old defender.
Pieniniemi was a 2023 third-round pick of the Penguins who made his North American professional debut this season. Plenty of internal controversy surrounded Pieniniemi, who, after his OHL campaign ended last season, refused to report to the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate.
Eventually, the Finnish defender would join Wheeling this year, where he scored six goals and 11 points in 26 games. In the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pieniniemi scored one goal and totaled three points in nine games.
Pieniniemi is a two-way defender with a history of offensive upside. In 2024-25, Pieniniemi scored 10 goals and 60 points in 60 games with the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL. Additionally, he notched two goals and three points in six games en route to silver medal with Team Finland at the world juniors.
At just 21 years of age, this move is good business for GM Bill Zito and the Panthers front office. They move on from a player who didn’t have a future with the organization in favor of a younger player who could one day work his way onto the NHL roster.
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Filmmaker Spike Lee reacts to a play during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on June 10 at Madison Square Garden. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
The “Do the Right Thing” star, director and screenwriter was 13 when he witnessed the Knicks defeat the Lakers in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. And he was on hand in San Antonio at age 69 when the Knicks finished off the Spurs with a title-clinching 94-90 victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
In between, Lee has become the Knicks’ most famous and visible fan. He has been a season-ticket holder since 1985, the rookie season of Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, and has been a courtside fixture for decades. In 2024, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s superfan gallery.
Lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee made sure he got ALL THE ANGLES of the Knicks trophy presentation! 🥹📸 pic.twitter.com/5YpuzibtfO
During a 2020 appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Lee laughed when he was informed that his Knicks seats cost around $300,000 a year and that he had spent roughly $10 million on tickets over the years.
So, yeah, he’s considered by many to be an honorary member of the Knicks — and as such, he’s also considered by many to be more than worthy of an NBA championship ring. The idea has taken off on social media, with several celebrities offering their support.
“Give @officialspikelee a CHAMPIONSHIP RING DAMN IT!!!!!!!!” comedian and actor Kevin Hart wrote Sunday on Instagram.
Legendary sports broadcaster Dick Vitale wrote Monday on X: “I agree with Kevin Hart - yes the LOYALTY of SPIKE LEE to the @nyknicks should be recognized & rewarded- Spike is truly a dedicated & genuine LOYAL Knicks fan .YES I agree with Kevin - SPIKE should get a Championship ring !”
“First Take” host and fellow die-hard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith reposted on X a graphic calling for Lee to receive a ring for his “decades of loyalty.”
Spike Lee celebrates with a crowd of New York Knicks fans after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday in San Antonio. (Darren Abate / Associated Press)
“I completely support this for Spike Lee,” Smith wrote. “No Knicks’ fan deserves this more than him.”
The Times reached out to representatives for Lee and the Knicks for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Lee is likely less concerned with a championship ring for himself and more concerned with his beloved team earning another one in 2027.
“You know what I’m thinking?” Lee asked during an on-court interview with WABC-TV in New York immediately following Saturday’s victory, before shouting the answer to his own question: “Back to back!”
Mike Brown sat to the right of James Dolan, Knicks players seated in front of them at the club’s practice facility.
It was before the April 3 shootaround when Dolan gave an impassioned 15-minute speech, recorded on video, that implored his Knicks to sacrifice everything with an unyielding commitment across the next 10 weeks of the playoffs to compete a mission years in the making — and 53 years in all — that would make every one of them champions and kings of New York with rings for one and all for the rest of their lives.
10 Weeks to Glory.
10 Weeks that would change their lives and the lives of their loved ones forever.
The Future Was Now.
And the owner believed.
“I don’t know if you understand what it would mean to win the NBA championship,” Dolan told his Knicks. “It would be life-changing… It will stick with you the rest of your lives. And if you don’t win, you’ll be thinking about it the rest of your lives.”
And if you do win, this team will belong up in the rafters with the 1970 Knicks and the 1973 Knicks.
“You will forever ever be important to New York City,” Dolan said. “No matter where you go and what you do the rest of your lives, when people introduce you, even if you become the president of the United States, they’ll start off with ‘NBA champion, 2026.’ … That’s what’s at stake here.”
So seize the moment.
“The big word is sacrifice. You’re going to have to sacrifice if you want to achieve this,” Dolan said.
“It’s only 10 weeks, it’s not a long time. . . Sacrifice everything you got these next 10 weeks to win that championship.
“I know you can do it… You know you can do it. I believe you know you can do it.
“Will you do it?”
He offered suggestions:
He implored his Knicks to eliminate distractions and bind together even tighter.
“At the end of this 10 weeks, what you achieve is what the public’s gonna think of you — not what you say in the press conferences, etcetera,” Dolan told them.
James Dolan’s Apr. 3 speech spurred the Knicks to a legendary 10-week run to the NBA Championship.
He offered other suggestions:
“You need to bump your practice. You need to pay more attention to your diet. You need to sleep better. You need to be ready for every game… That’s not something you start on the first game of the playoffs. That is something you start right now, today!”
And one that was intended as a joke …sort of.
“I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks — you don’t have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks — BUT — like the Spartans, you know what Spartans are? They denied themselves, right? So that they can have an edge. Get the edge.
“Go home, talk to your wives and tell them — don’t tell them you’re not gonna have sex, don’t tell ‘em it was my idea — but let them know what this is gonna be like, what your commitment is gonna be like, and how they’re gonna have to sacrifice too. Those concerns at home, they can’t come on the court. It’s not who we play, it’s how we play.
“Because I believe this team can beat anybody in the NBA.”
James Dolan’s April 3 speech spurred the Knicks to a legendary 10-week run to the NBA Championship.
The Post could not immediately confirm how many of any of the players lived that Spartan existence but the Knicks sure proceeded to play with that edge across those magical 10 weeks.
“It’s a pretty serious mood going into the playoffs,” Brown told The Post. “When he said that, I was like, ‘Mike, hold yourself together. Do not fall out. Focus on his words. Focus on his words. Try to keep this as serious as you can. And let’s see how it plays out with the players.'”
“But there was no way that I could get that done,” he added with a laugh.
Dolan went on:
“When we win the championship, we will get rings. And when we get rings, so will they. I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others, because their contribution is gonna be very important to this team winning.”
He emphasized first-quarter focus and defensive pick-and-rolls and rebounding. “The next 10 days, fix those three things as part of your focus,” Dolan said, “because those are our Achilles heels, and they’ll stop us in the playoffs.
Knicks owner James Dolan celebrates after defeating the Spurs to win the NBA Championship. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“You gotta try like you’ve never tried before.
“It’s only 10 weeks guys.
“You gotta go for it.
“You gotta leave nothing on the table.
“You must go for it.
“Do it. Commit to it. Go for it.”
Applause filled the room.
“His speech was effective ‘cause it was powerful,” Brown told The Post. “It was impactful, and it added to what messaging we’ve been giving our guys from Day 1, from the Opening Night dinner going into training camp, it added to it. And it added to it on another level because now you have the top guy, the ultimate leader, the guy that owns the team, that writes the checks, saying how he feels in a deep-felt message.
“They took it very seriously. We had shirts made up with 2026 playoffs, and on the back we had 10 Weeks. And we even had the slogan 10 Weeks on the wall in the locker room, and as time went on, guys would say, ‘Hey — we got 3 weeks left, 3 weeks, let’s lock in.’
“If you can break it down to where hey, this is 10 weeks of your life. . .10 weeks of your life to reach the mountaintop.”
Dolan had lauded Brown for a collaborative approach with the players that he and Rose felt was missing under Tom Thibodeau’s sole voice. It heartened Brown.
“One hundred percent this man has my back and we’re aligned,” Brown said. “And that’s what I needed to hear. Our business, it’s a tough business, there’s too many different opinions that everybody can see and feel that can create separation or divide amongst a group. And I felt when he said those words, especially about me, that our players and everybody that was around during that speech, knew that we were truly aligned, vertically and horizontally, and it was a strong bond.”
Brown was heading for an appearance with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.”
A parade awaits on Thursday.
“You can’t go anywhere without people hugging you and telling you how long they’ve been waiting,” Brown said. “You see grandpas saying, ‘When I was twenty-something-years-old that happened.’ Then you see parents saying ‘When I was a little kid and my parents used to take me,’ then you see their kids saying, ‘This is great!’ They don’t understand how long 54 years is ‘cause they’re 10 years old (laugh).’ You can feel how passionate and how truthful and how much pain they had over this team not winning all those years.”
The owner’s 10 Weeks To Glory speech changed everything.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: New York Knicks fans, including Erica Ford, center, chant Go New York, Go New York, Go! as they are filmed by a television station outside of Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Saturday, June 13, 2026, before Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, (Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News via Getty Images)
According to FOX 5 NY, the New York City Mayor’s Office has finalized the logistics for the Knicks’ historic championship ticker-tape parade. The party hits the streets on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
Here are the times and locations you need to know:
The Timeline & Route
10:00 AM ET – The Kickoff: The parade officially begins down at The Battery (Battery Park) in Lower Manhattan.
The March – Canyon of Heroes: The floats and players will march straight north up Broadway, rolling through the iconic Canyon of Heroes.
The Finale – City Hall Ceremony: The route wraps up at City Hall Plaza. Immediately following the parade, Mayor Mamdani will host the official championship ceremony on the plaza to present the team with the Keys to the City.
Pro Tip: Lower Manhattan will be completely gridlocked, and several MTA subway stations along Broadway will face temporary entrance/exit closures or heavy bypasses. If you are heading down to camp out for a spot, aim for the early morning and use stations a block or two east or west of Broadway (like the dynamic transit hubs at Fulton Street or Chambers Street) to avoid the worst of the bottlenecks.
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider will be shut down from throwing for four weeks because of inflammation in his right elbow, the team announced.
Strider, who had been placed on the 15-day injured list, had a consultation with Dr. Keith Meister before they decided on four weeks. Strider will have another MRI at the end of that period and would begin “throwing progression” if test were to show the inflammation had cleared, the team said.
Strider left a 7-5 loss at the New York Mets in the fourth inning due to right shoulder and elbow soreness. Braves manager Walt Weiss said the team also was concerned about a dramatic decline in Strider’s velocity.
Strider has a history of arm problems. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had the UCL in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in April 2024.
Rookie right-hander JR Ritchie, who pitched in relief behind Strider, will move into the rotation and has been scheduled to start against San Francisco.
Strider allowed six hits, including three homers, and a season-worst seven earned runs in three innings.
Strider was making his eighth start of the season for the first-place Braves after missing the first 34 games recovering from a strained left oblique. He is 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA this season.
Strider led the major leagues with 20 wins and an Atlanta-record 281 strikeouts in 2023.
The Carolina Hurricanes are atop the NHL and their celebration just is getting started. The rest of the league is about to be hard at work trying to catch up.
The offseason is underway, with the next few weeks expected to bring a flurry of player movement via trades and signings. The salary cap is increasing to $104 million and several big-market teams with money to spend and holes to fill are eager to get better.
Here is what to know:
Buyout window opens first
Starting late Tuesday night and through June 30, clubs can buy out player contracts. There are not a ton of buyouts expected this summer, though the reigning champs have a legitimate candidate: Jesperi Kotkaniemi surprisingly got handed the Stanley Cup before leading goal-scorer Logan Stankoven or goaltender Brandon Bussi. The Finnish forward who turns 26 on July 6 was a healthy scratch all playoffs.
While Kotkaniemi has four years left on his contract, his age would allow Carolina to nearly save $4 million against the cap next season and $4.3 million the following three with a buyout, while incurring a minimal charge of under $900,000 from 2030-34. A trade also is an option for someone who might want to take a chance on his potential.
Montreal buying out 34-year-old winger Brendan Gallagher also is a possibility. Gallagher dressed for three games in the first round and not again the during his team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. He is signed for one more season at a $6.5 million hit.
Who might get traded?
Looking back at who almost changed teams at the deadline is a good place to start.
The New York Rangers are attempting a retool on the fly, and soon-to-be 33-year-old center Vincent Trocheck could fetch a strong return from a contender looking for a dependable player who can do it all and showed it winning gold with the U.S. at the Olympics.
Century-old rivals Toronto and Montreal reportedly discussed a trade that involved big winger Matthew Knies going from the Maple Leafs to the Canadiens but did not get done. Since then, the Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving and hired John Chayka to fill the role, so it is not clear if the new regime has any interest in moving a cost-controlled player in his early 20s.
Toronto’s longest-tenured player, defenseman Morgan Rielly, seems likely to get dealt. Edmonton also is looking to make a change on the blue line, and Darnell Nurse has given the Oilers a short list of places to which he would accept a trade.
Maple Leafs have the top pick in the draft
Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade caused plenty of consternation in Toronto where there are questions about captain Auston Matthews and his long-term future.
When the lottery balls bounced the Leafs’ way in early May, the organization got a jolt of optimism. Penn State’s Gavin McKenna has been considered the likely No. 1 pick, and Chayka traveled to the young winger’s hometown of Whitehorse in the Yukon territory to meet with him and his family.
The draft in Buffalo, New York, begins with the first round on June 26. San Jose, Vancouver and Chicago have the Nos. 2-4 picks, with Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg and Canadian defensemen Chase Reid and Carson Carels among the top prospects available.
NHL free agency begins July 1
If the Buffalo Sabres do not re-sign him before the end of the month, 30-year-old forward Alex Tuch figures to be the most sought-after unrestricted free agent in a pool depleted by so many teams using cap space to keep their own players. Same goes for Tampa Bay’s nearly point-a-game defenseman Darren Raddysh, fresh off his best season.
The Islanders could part with longtime captain Anders Lee, putting him on the market for the first time (he will be 36 on July 3). Slightly younger winger Anthony Mantha may be able to cash in off his impressive season with Pittsburgh in which he set career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists and 64 points.
Perhaps the most intriguing situation this summer surrounds the Florida Panthers, who missed the playoffs after winning back-to-back championships. The goaltender who won those championships, Sergei Bobrovsky, is unsigned and he will be 38 by opening night.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 30: The sneakers worn by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
MIAMI, FL - MAY 23: New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro (91) pitches a ball during a game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets on May 23, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Prior to the start of the team’s series with the Reds, the Mets announced a bevy of roster moves. First off, the club recalled Tobias Myers, who will start tonight’s game, and Jonathan Pintaro from Triple-A Syracuse. To make room on the roster, the team optioned Daniel Duarte to Triple-A and officially placed Christian Scott on the IL, retroactive to June 12, with a right hip impingement. The club also moved Jorge Polanco to the 60-day IL and claimed old friend and now current friend Zack Short off waivers from the Tigers.
The first move of note should not come as a surprise, as Carlos Mendoza announced following the team’s win yesterday that Myers would get the nod for New York in the series opener. The right-hander was sent down to Triple-A at the end of May to stretch out as a starter and give the team a fresh arm in the pen. Since going down to Syracuse, he has thrown six innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit. Mendoza stated that he will be limited to right around 40 pitches today, so he will essentially be an opener. Prior to the news of Scott’s injury, you could have made the argument that David Peterson could serve as the bulk arm tonight, but the lefty may now be needed to fill Scott’s vacant slot. Scott last pitched on Thursday and allowed four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings before exiting.
Pintaro will provide New York with a fresh arm to back up Myers tonight, at the very least. The right-hander has made three appearances for the Mets, allowing one earned run on one hit with five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. This will be his third stint for the Amazins this year. Duarte, who was sent down to make room for Pintaro, has also made three appearances for the Mets, allowing just one hit while striking out three over five innings of work. He pitched in each of the team’s last two games against the Braves, tossing 2 2/3 innings and throwing 20 of his 28 pitches for strikes. He did not allow a hit in either outing and struck out two while walking one, The heavy workload meant he would likely not be available for the next two games, and with the Mets likely needing to use their bullpen heavily in these outings, his demotion was essentially a given.
Lastly, if the name Zack Short sounds familiar, you may be ready to tackle and dominate the “2024 Mets Sporcle” quiz. The infielder appeared in 10 games for the 2024 club, amassing nine at-bats and picking up one hit. So, at the very least, he is ahead of Jed Lowrie on the club’s all-time hits list as he begins his second stint in orange and blue. Polanco hitting the 60-day IL functionally doesn’t change much about his recovery timeline, as the club said they expect him to appear as a DH in rehab game in the coming days.
