A familiar face will be rejoining the Abbotsford Canucks for Game 3 of the 2025 Calder Cup Finals against the Charlotte Checkers. Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki will be making his Calder Cup Finals debut, as the forward’s last game of the playoffs was against the Texas Stars in the Western Conference Finals.
Lekkerimäki, the 15th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, skated in 11 games with the AHL Canucks prior to returning to the lineup tonight. He registered a goal and four assists in this span of time, as well as 17 shots on net. He made his NHL debut earlier in the 2024–25 season, skating in his first NHL game on November 12 against the Calgary Flames. In 24 NHL games, Lekkerimäki scored three goals and three assists.
Abbotsford’s offence has been stalling for the past couple of games against the Checkers, so inserting Lekkerimäki into the lineup could help out their shooting woes. In Games 1 and 2, Abbotsford put up 43 shots in nine different periods of play. In contrast, Charlotte put up 92. As a whole, the team will need to make their chances count tonight and take advantage of the electric home crowd at the Abbotsford Centre.
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The Yankees couldn't muster up a single run for a third straight game, as they fell to the Angels, 4-0, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium for a fifth straight loss.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Will Warren looked comfortable from the jump. The Yankees' rookie starter retired the first five batters with three strikeouts and pushed his fastball velocity to 96.3 mph, up an average of 2.1 mph. But his groove didn't last long, as the Angels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single from Luis Rengifo that narrowly missed DJ LeMahieu's glove on a diving attempt and trickled into right field. Warren gave up more soft contact in the third, and while facing a bases-loaded jam, Taylor Ward pushed the Angels' lead to 3-0 with a two-run single to left that deflected off Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third.
The early mistakes didn't faze Warren. He quickly settled back in after the two-run single, retiring 11 straight on 46 pitches. The impressive bounceback effort allowed him to complete six innings for the first time since May 9, and he registered the quality start with a career-high 11 punchouts and zero walks across 93 total pitches. Warren also threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of 24 batters, fell into a full count only twice, and induced four groundouts.
-- Unfortunately for Warren, his strong performance was spoiled by a dormant offense. The Yanks entered Tuesday riding a jarring 20-inning scoreless streak, and the skid confoundingly reached 26 after six shutout frames and a season-high nine strikeouts from Angels starter Kyle Hendricks. Their struggles against Hendricks defied expectations, as the veteran right-hander took the mound with the second-worst ERA among all MLB starters.
-- Ian Hamilton took over for Warren in the seventh, and the Angels took advantage of the welcome pitching change by producing another bases-loaded rally on a single from Rengifo, a catcher's interference error from Austin Wells, and a hit by pitch to Zach Neto. With one out, Nolan Schanuel grounded out to second, driving in Rengifo and bumping the Angels' lead to 4-0.
-- The Yankees had no answers for the trio of Angels relievers that entered after Hendricks' exit. They went down in order during the seventh and eighth, and only managed to reach base once in the ninth on a walk. Overall, they struck out 12 times and produced just four hits. The ugly loss marked their first time being shut out in three straight games since 2016. It's happened just six times before.
-- Jasson Dominguez, who was penciled in to the leadoff spot for the first time this season, finished 1-for-4 with a single. The only Yankee with a multi-hit night was Giancarlo Stanton, who went 2-for-4. The sample size is somewhat small, but call the past week a slump for Aaron Judge -- he's hitting .125 (3-for-24) over his last seven games.
Game MVP: Will Warren
Sure, this accolade could belong to Ward, who delivered a back-breaking, two-run single in the third that essentially put the game out of reach. But the terrific performance from Warren can't be ignored. Despite the early blunders, he recorded a career-high 11 punchouts across six innings.
Vientos served as the DH on Tuesday night for Triple-A Syracuse and looked to kick off the rust from his time on the bench, as he finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Batting in the first inning with a runner on first against right-hander Matt Pushard, Vientos swung through the first two pitches, a 94 mph fastball and a high, looping 79 mph curveball. He hit the next curveball hard (93.6 mph off the bat) but got under it for an easy fly out to center.
He came up again with a runner on first base in the third. This time against righty Josh White, he took a called strike on a slider before working the count to 2-1, laying off a pair of pitches down and off the plate. After fouling a slider the other way, he swung right over a thigh-high slider to end the third frame.
With one out in the sixth, Vientos got nothing but soft stuff from left-hander Josh Simpson and, after fouling off several pitches, reached out and smacked a low-and-away changeup 104 mph off the bat but right at the center fielder. Aside from the hard contact, Vientos' third at-bat was clearly his best, especially when he took a 1-2 changeup that was just off the outside corner.
In his final at-bat against righty Anderson Pilar, Vientos went down swinging on a 94 mph cutter off the inside corner. He is clearly kicking off a lot of rust after a fortnight on the shelf, as he swung and missed six times in four times up.
The Mets hope the rehab can jolt Vientos back into form, as he had just six hits in his last 36 at-bats (.167) and a .549 OPS in the 12 games before hitting the IL.
He has posted a .230/.298/.380 slashline for a .678 OPS (95 OPS+ and 94 wRC+) through 208 plate appearances in 53 games.
Before the Mets took on the Braves in Atlanta, manager Carlos Mendoza said Vientos will likely have Wednesday off before playing at third base in Thursday night's game. The Mets will look to get him into back-to-back games and give him time in the field before bringing him back to the big-league roster.
Nearly 600 cricketers are up for grabs in this year’s Big Bash overseas player drafts as the eight clubs look to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Singer and social media personality Nezza sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish before the Dodgers game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
What started as a subtle act of protest has become national news.
Three days after singer and social media personality Nezza performed a Spanish version of the national anthem at Dodger Stadium — despite being asked by a team employee to sing it in English — the performer further addressed the situation Tuesday in an interview with CNN.
“With everything that’s been happening, I just felt like I needed to stand with my people and show them that I’m with them,” Nezza (whose full name is Vanessa Hernández) said on CNN’s “The Lead.” “I wanted to represent them that day.”
Nezza’s performance of the Spanish anthem — a version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" commissioned by the U.S. State Department in 1945 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt — became a viral story after she posted a video on TikTok of an unidentified Dodgers employee telling her beforehand that “we are going to do the song in English today, so I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.”
Nezza proceeded to sing the Spanish version anyway; doing so on the same day thousands gathered downtown to protest President Trump and recent ICE raids around Los Angeles in the last two weeks.
In email communications with the team leading up to her performance, Nezza said she asked if she could sing the anthem in both English and Spanish, but was told no because she would have only a 90-second window for her performance.
Still, she said she arrived at the stadium “fully thinking that I was welcome [to sing in Spanish], because nobody told me in that email thread, ‘No, you can’t.’”
“Had they told me you can’t have any Spanish in there,” she added, “I would have respectfully declined and not shown up on Saturday.”
Instead, Nezza performed the anthem in Spanish prior to the Dodgers-Giants game, before posting two videos on TikTok explaining the situation that quickly went viral.
On Sunday, a Dodgers official told The Times in a statement that she would be welcome back at the stadium.
In Tuesday’s CNN interview, Nezza said she was “very shocked” to learn she was welcome back at the ballpark, noting that “30 seconds after my performance, we actually received a call that said, ‘Don’t ever call us again. Don’t ever email us again. The rest of your clients are never welcome here again.’ So for me, that kind of feels like a ban."
The Dodgers, however, reaffirmed to CNN that there were “no hard feelings” resulting from the situation. And a team spokesperson confirmed to The Times this week that, “She is certainly welcome back at the stadium. She is not banned from the stadium.”
Hurricanes, Golden Knights and Kings among frontrunners to land pending free agent Mitch Marner following recent reports from top NHL insiders.
The sweepstakes for superstar winger Mitch Marner are heating up with recent rumors taking teams out of the equation and narrowing down the field.
It was reported by multiple sources that the 102-point scorer this past season is not interested in returning to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the team has reached out but has not found any success in reaching the 28-year-old.
"The Maple Leafs have tried to talk to Marner and Marner's camp have engaged with them and I think everyone knows where this will be heading,"
- Friedman explained on his podcast, 32 Thoughts.
With the confirmation of a new team being in play, we can start to narrow down the options for where we think Marner will go but we should first look back to what the latest betting odds were before the recent reports.
Updated Mitch Marner Next Team Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Vegas Golden Knights +195
Carolina Hurricanes +470
Pittsburgh Penguins +600
Anaheim Ducks +800
Chicago Blackhawks +800
Los Angeles Kings +1000
Utah Mammoth +1600
Toronto Maple Leafs +2100
San Jose Sharks +2700
Florida Panthers +2900
Ottawa Senators +2900
Columbus Blue Jackets +2900
Philadelphia Flyers +4000
New York Islanders +4000
Detroit Red Wings +4000
It was reported by Friedman that he's heard from Maple Leaf teammates of Marner that they believe he will move to the Western Conference as some described the move being a "clean break."
Friedman expanded on this by mentioning some of the teams he heard were in on Marner saying "People believe LA, people believe Vegas is definitely a team to watch if not the team to watch."
Along with the Kings and Golden Knights, Friedman confirmed that he heard through several sources that the Hurricanes are hoping to make a serious push for Marner after failing to secure a superstar talent when acquiring and then dealing winger Mikko Rantanen.
This could open up the possibility to several teams remaining in the conversation like the Detroit Red Wings, who have slightly less cap space than Carolina but have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league and could prove to be enticing to Marner.
The values for all these teams are still very solid if they are to remain what we last saw before sportsbooks starting taking down the bet. With the Golden Knights at +500, the Hurricanes at +470, the Kings at +850 and the Red Wings behind the rumored top favourites at +3500, it should make for an exciting bidding war.
We could look to pull the trigger on placing a bet on the race, when we next get a chance, with the Hurricanes and Golden Knights appering to be the best cases as it was reported Marner would like to join a contender but the report was seemingly speculation and nothing official.
The Blackhawks are reportedly interested in trading the third overall pick in this year's draft
The Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly interested in trading the third overall pick in this year's draft for more immediate help for young star Connor Bedard, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
"The Chicago Blackhawks are open for business over the next 10 days."@frank_seravalli dives into his earlier report that Chicago is open to trading their third overall pick on the Chicago Lead. pic.twitter.com/2kkwfAHCuU
— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) June 17, 2025
The Blackhawks have made eight first-round picks over the past three years and aren’t focused on further stockpiling prospects. With the 25th overall pick this year and two more first-rounders next year, trading down from the No. 3 spot could make sense as the team shifts its focus from rebuilding to winning.
They aren't desperate to trade the pick Seravalli added, however they would are looking to be aggressive this off-season and trading a top three pick would be just that.
Chicago hasn't made the playoffs since 2020 and have accrued a 126-215-43 record during that span. A top six forward or top four defenceman could go a long way for this Blackhawks team that is starving for some wins.
Swedish forward Anton Frondell is the betting favorite to be selected third overall in this year’s draft, currently listed at -140 odds. Caleb Desnoyers is next at +250, followed by Porter Martone at +450, while Michael Misa and James Hagens sit further back at +750 and +900, respectively.
The gap between Frondell and the rest suggests he’s the clear frontrunner, but the presence of several high-upside options means there’s room for surprises especially with a trade very much in play.
Former Australian all-rounder Brendon Julian has called for the “struggling” Marnus Labuschagne to be dropped from the Test side ahead of the upcoming Frank Worrell Trophy.
Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre will serve as an honorary coach for the American League at the All-Star Game in Atlanta next month.
New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone invited Torre on Tuesday to join his staff at the Midsummer Classic. The 84-year-old Torre, currently a special assistant to the commissioner, won 2,326 games as a major league manager over 29 seasons. He led the Yankees to four World Series titles and six AL pennants in 12 years with the team.
Torre also managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In addition, Boone invited Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt to join the AL staff for the game. He will join Yankees coaches in the dugout.
On the NL side, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked Braves manager Brian Snitker and Miami Marlins first-year manager Clayton McCullough to serve as coaches. They will join the Dodgers’ coaching staff.
The All-Star Game takes place July 15 at Truist Park, three days before Torre’s 85th birthday.
NEW YORK — Yankees reliever Luke Weaver threw a simulated game Tuesday afternoon and is getting closer to rejoining New York's bullpen.
Weaver, who strained his left hamstring June 1 while warming up at Dodger Stadium, faced teammates J.C. Escarra and Oswald Peraza before the Yankees played the Los Angeles Angels.
“Kind of simulated four outs,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He looked great. He really looks good.”
The team initially expected Weaver to miss four to six weeks, but the right-hander said any pain in the hamstring disappeared within days of the injury. He had three side sessions before Tuesday’s simulated game.
“Obviously we passed the activation date, but we want to be smart and make sure the recovery is going well,” Weaver said. “Today was the biggest step thus far and I feel really good. So I’ll definitely advocate to tell them how I’m feeling.”
Weaver’s return will give the Yankees two legitimate ninth-inning options. He has a 1.05 ERA this season and emerged as New York's closer by converting six saves in seven chances after Devin Williams posted an 11.25 ERA in his first 10 appearances.
Williams, however, has a 2.90 ERA in his last 20 games and has converted all four save opportunities this month.
“I haven’t gone into that full-bore yet,” Boone said. “Filing that under a good problem to have. Love the way Devin’s throwing the ball right now. Just looking forward to getting another hammer back in Weave."
Mets left-handed relieverBrooks Raleytook his first small step toward making a return to the big leagues.
Raley made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday night for A-ball St. Luice, pitching a scoreless first inning, allowing one hit, but getting two swinging strikeouts on offspeed pitches down in the zone. Facing two left-handed batters and two righties, he threw 12 pitches (10 strikes).
The lefty threw seven sliders, four changeups, and one sinker and got four called strikes and two whiffs.
This was Raley's first time on the mound in a game in 424 days, which is a quick turnaround considering Tommy John surgery can be a 12-18 month rehabilitation. The lefty underwent the procedure, which also included an internal brace, last May after appearing in eight games with the Mets in 2024, allowing just two hits and three walks over 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts.
Acquired in a December 2022 trade with Tampa Bay, the lefty had a stellar first year in Queens, pitching to a 2.80 ERA and 1.262 WHIP in 54.2 innings over 66 appearances out of the bullpen. He allowed 19 runs (17 earned) on 44 hits with 61 strikeouts to 25 walks.
Due to the length of Raley's time out of action, president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week the rehab assignment could last the full 30 days or close to it.
Brooks Raley struck out two as he threw a scoreless first inning in his rehab assignment for Single-A St. Lucie tonight pic.twitter.com/vEehTOJAbA
MIAMI — Nick Castellanos was benched by Phillies manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday for “an inappropriate comment” the outfielder made after he was pulled for a defensive replacement a day earlier, ending Castellanos' streak of 236 consecutive starts.
“One thing about Nick, one of the many things about Nick is that he is very emotional,” Thomson said before Tuesday night's game at Miami. “He loves to play. He loves to play every inning of every game.
“I just thought last night he made an inappropriate comment after he came out. So, today, he’s not in the lineup. And I’m going to leave it at that.”
Castellanos played right field and singled in four at-bats against the Marlins on Monday before Johan Rojas replaced him in the bottom of the eighth. Max Kepler moved to right and Rojas played center.
The 33-year-old Castellanos, who is in his fourth season with the Phillies, is hitting .278 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. Castellanos, born and raised in South Florida, often has dozens of relatives and friends in the stands when the Phillies visit the Marlins.
The Panthers secured their latest title by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. Marchand skated around the Amerant Bank Arena ice with the Stanley Cup — 14 years after he did it with the Boston Bruins as a rookie.
GOTTA SEE IT: BRAD GETS ANOTHER 🏆
For the second time in his career, Brad Marchand lifts the #StanleyCup
Marchand, whom the Panthers acquired from the Bruins at the trade deadline in March, was absolutely brilliant for the Panthers all postseason long. And he played his best hockey when they needed it most.
His first clutch goal came in overtime of Game 3 in the second round. The Panthers were on the brink of a 3-0 series deficit to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Marchand rescued them. He then scored a goal with two assists in a Game 7 win at Toronto.
IT HAD TO BE HIM 🐀🐀🐀
Brad Marchand calls game for the Panthers with his Game 3 Subway Canada OT winner 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hMOSxDNSQ1
Marchand was arguably the best player of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. He scored in four of the six games, including the winning goal in overtime of Game 2, and a two-goal performance in a dominant Game 5. He is just the second player since 1968 to score five-plus goals in multiple Cup Final series.
Marchand finished the playoffs with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 23 games. His 158 career points in the playoffs are the second-most of any player since he made his NHL debut in the 2009-10 campaign. Only three players in the history of the sport have more postseasons with 10-plus points than Marchand, and they are Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Jean Beliveau.
His 66 playoff goals over that span are the second-most of any player. His 16 game-winning goals in the playoffs are the most during that period.
When he won his first Stanley Cup title with the Bruins in 2011, he scored twice in a Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. He had five goals in the series.
Marchand’s regular season stats are tremendous, too. His 980 points are the 12th-most since the start of the 2009-10 season. All 11 players ahead of him will be in the Hall of Fame. Only five players — Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane — have scored more goals than Marchand’s 424 since he entered the league.
His 36 shorthanded goals are 14 more than any other player during that span. He also ranks No. 1 with 21 overtime goals in that period.
Barring injury, Marchand will hit 1,000 career points next season. And he might need to play just three more years to reach 500 goals.
And you can’t forget about Marchand’s defense. He was an elite two-way forward for a long time. It’s one of the reasons why the Bruins’ penalty kill was so good for much of his career in Boston. Marchand and Patrice Bergeron were arguably the top defensive duo of their era.
Marchand isn’t everyone’s favorite player. If you live in Vancouver or Toronto, you’re probably not much of a fan of the 5-foot-10 forward.
But even his most vocal haters and critics now have to come to terms that, yes, he is going to be in the Hall of Fame someday. And it will be well-deserved.
It has been rumored that the Pittsburgh Penguins would like to trade up in the 2025 NHL Draft.
And, according to a new report, they could possibly have a dance partner.
On Monday during the DFO Rundown Podcast, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff (DFO) reported that the Chicago Blackhawks's 3rd overall pick in this year's draft is in play. Seravalli also mentioned that Chicago would be looking for a "difference-maker" in return.
Chicago - like many other teams in the league - is at a bit of a crossroads in terms of their rebuild and their competitive window. There were reports last week that the Penguins would be the only "true sellers" on the market, and teams like the Blackhawks and several others are looking to take the next steps in their competitive process.
When taking all of this information and putting it together - adding in that GM/POHO Kyle Dubas and the Penguins are apparently enamored with right wing Porter Martone, who many expect to be selected in the top-five - a trade between the Blackhawks and Penguins might make a large degree of sense.
The Blackhawks have enough young talent on their roster at this point wth the likes of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Ilya Mikheyev that they could, conceivably, be looking to improve their NHL roster. Luckily, the Penguins have several tradeable assets on their roster - including wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust and defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Karlsson's full no-movement clause makes it unlikely that he would approve a move to Chicago, but the other two would upgrade a forward unit for the Hawks that is probably in need of some veteran leadership and experience as well.
Rust and Rakell both happen to be coming off career seasons and each have three affordable years left on their current contracts (at $5.175 million and $5 million, respectively). Rust put up 31 goals and 65 points in just 71 games, while Rakell notched 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games.
If the Penguins and Blackhawks were to agree to terms on a deal involving their third overall pick, Martone or James Hagens would, seemingly, be the obvious candidates for draft selections. Martone recorded 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games for the Brampton Steelheads of the OHL, where he was teammates with Penguins' defensive prospect Finn Harding.
Hagens - a two-way center threat - had 11 goals and 37 points in 37 games to go along with a plus-21 rating for Boston College last season.
SAN FRANCISCO – Of all the people that were buoyed by the Giants’ trade for Rafael Devers, Willy Adames might be the happiest of them all.
Adames, a newcomer himself to the Bay, is counting on Devers’ presence in the lineup to change the way opposing pitchers deal with him as he tries to work his way out of what has been to this point a season-long struggle at the plate.
Adames had one of his better nights offensively in San Francisco’s 3-2 loss to Cleveland on Tuesday at Oracle Park, reaching base three times against the Guardians for only the seventh time in 73 games this season.
While not drawing a definitive correlation in connecting his night to Devers’ arrival, Adames is fully aware that the direction of his season can change quickly with the slugger now in the Giants’ lineup.
“Maybe not tonight necessarily … but I know in the long run for a fact I’m going to get more pitches to hit because of him,” Adames said.
For the first two months of the 2025 MLB season, Adames wasn’t very comfortable at the plate and was the target of a lot of fan and media criticism after the Giants signed him to the largest contract in franchise history, a very fat seven-year, $182 million deal.
The trade for Devers was meant to inject some lift into San Francisco’s uneven offense with a seriously powerful bat near the top of the lineup. Some have said he’s the best hitter in a Giants uniform since the days of Barry Bonds.
Coincidentally, Bonds sat in the front row during Devers’ introductory press conference and is expected to work with the new Giant on hitting as the season progresses.
“Another power bat in the lineup,” Giants pitcher Robbie Ray said. “Once we get healthy, get [injured third baseman Matt Chapman] back, we’re going to be that much better.”
Devers’ debut for the Orange and Black included two hits and an RBI in five at-bats, and he was met with multiple standing ovations as the game went along.
“Already a fan favorite,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “There’s a lot going on emotionally. We just assume that everything is great, and it’s hard to do what he did today. That’s what impressed me the most, how comfortable he looked in a completely different place.”
Adames, who hit second in the batting order with Devers hitting third, looked pretty comfortable himself.
Although he said he didn’t notice a difference in how Cleveland’s pitchers worked against him, Adames fully embraces and expects things to be different in the coming months — not just for himself, but the entire Giants team.
“I feel like everything is falling into place at the right time,” Adames said. “Now it’s just continue to embrace that feeling and keep trying to get better. With him behind me, and then when we get Chappy back, it’s going to be good.”
