Former Florida Panthers winger Rocco Grimaldi will join ex-NHL star Igor Larionov's KHL team SKA St. Petersburg.
Grimaldi was a second-round pick (33rd overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Panthers. After the selection, Grimaldi spent three seasons in the NCAA with the University of North Dakota. Following those three years, Grimaldi signed his entry-level contract and spent the better part of two seasons in the AHL.
Grimaldi was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche the following season, concluding his Panthers tenure. He played just 27 games, scoring four goals and six points.
The 32-year-old hasn't played an NHL game since the 2021-22 season. Grimaldi was a successful AHL player, recording 192 goals and 428 points in 499 games. Skill has never been the issue for Grimaldi, but standing just 5-foot-6, 181 pounds, Grimaldi is extremely undersized for an NHL player.
Internationally, Grimaldi won two gold medals for the USA at the 2010 and 2011 IIHF U-18 World Championships and another at the 2013 world juniors. He also played for the USA at the 2023 world championships, where he notched seven goals and 14 points in 10 games.
Joining St. Petersburg in Russia, Grimaldi will be playing in a league that values skill more than physicality, which should benefit Grimaldi.
St. Petersburg iced a star-studded lineup last year, featuring Ivan Demidov, Alexander Nikishin, Mikhail Grigorenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Arseni Gritsyuk, Nikita Zaitsev and Tony DeAngelo. Only Zaitsev remains, but the organization has added long-time NHL great Igor Larionov as head coach as well as North Americans Trevor Murphy, Brennan Menell and Joey Blandisi, who have some NHL experience.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Sunday night said the league was closing in on a deal to cover the final three years of its legacy TV contract with ESPN.
Manfred dropped in on the Sunday Night Baseball booth during the fourth inning of the Little League Classic matchup between the Mariners and Mets, and during an exchange with ESPN’s Karl Ravech, the MLB boss intimated that a new deal could be announced well before the postseason begins.
“We’re having very detailed conversations with a number of parties, including ESPN,” Manfred said as New York batted with a 3-1 lead over Seattle. “We hope to have it resolved in the next couple of weeks. It’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle, but we will have it resolved in the next few weeks.”
In response to Manfred’s update, Ravech said, “I put my hand up for hoping that we stay involved.”
Manfred had hoped to have a deal secured in time to make a formal announcement during last month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, but the process of finding a possible replacement for ESPN (which triggered its opt-out option on the Sunday night package in February) has been complicated by a flurry of interest from prospective partners, including NBC Sports and Apple. Also up for grabs are the Home Run Derby and the American and National League Wild Card Series.
As for ESPN, while the incumbent wanted out of the latter portion of its original $550/year media deal, chairman Jimmy Pitaro hasn’t been shy about his willingness to assemble some sort of reconfigured arrangement with MLB. To that end, ESPN has been kicking the tires on an opportunity to license the out-of-market MLB.tv package.
Aligning Bristol with a delivery system for local MLB games is consistent with Pitaro’s oft-stated desire to secure a portfolio of the league’s in-market rights. Pitaro first broached the subject last summer during an on-campus ESPN media scrum.
Wherever the ESPN package lands, the deal will expire at the end of the 2028 MLB season—at which point Manfred says he’ll combine the league’s local and national rights into a newly configured package.
During his Sunday night drop-in, Manfred also discussed the potential for a broad realignment of MLB, one that would presumably eliminate the canonical AL and NL in favor of a more travel-friendly geographical clustering.
The hypothetical realignment would coincide with the expansion of MLB to 32 franchises. In one scenario, a four-club “Northeast” division would include near-neighbors the Yankees, Mets, Phillies and Red Sox, while a “Mid-Atlantic” cluster would house the Nationals, Orioles, Pirates and Guardians.
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because … that 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim would now be two West Coast teams. And so that slot, [which has been] a problem for us sometimes, becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”
Should such a shakeup occur, it would likely happen after Manfred steps down from his post in January 2029, when his term in office expires.
On Thursday, August 28th, at the CN Sports Complex in
Brossard, fans will have the opportunity to watch a special skills competition
event pitting three generations of Montreal Canadiens players: Lane Hutson,
Paul Byron, and Patrice Brisebois.
Tickets to the Challenge Hockey Hush can be purchased here
and are only $15. Proceeds will be donated to the Manoir Ronald McDonald, a
charity picked by Hutson himself. Brisebois was on the Sans Restriction Podcast
this weekend speaking about the event, and it will be interesting to see what
he can do some 15 years after retiring. The 1992-93 Stanley Cup Champion chuckled
and admitted that he hadn’t skated at all so far this summer, and that he would
need to get on with it soon.
The veteran blueliner spent 18 years in the NHL, and only
two of them weren’t with the Canadiens but with the Colorado Avalanche. He
played 1009 NHL games and picked up 420 points in the process.
As for Paul Byron, he played part of 12 seasons in the NHL,
seven of which were spent in Montreal, where he found an NHL home and played a
significant role with the team. The speedy winger became a penalty-killing
specialist with the Canadiens and had a knack for scoring shorthanded goals using
his fantastic speed. Over his 521 games,
he put up 208 points and was forced to retire due to injuries.
The main attraction will no doubt be Calder Trophy winner Hutson.
The 21-year-old had a memorable first season with the Canadiens and even broke Chris
Chelios’ record for the most points by a rookie defenseman with 66. The
youngster quickly became a fan favourite, not only because of his points
production but also because of his love and dedication to the game.
Hutson spent most of his Summer working at his dad’s hockey
school, making dreams come true for several young players who got to not only
skate with their idol, but also be taught by him. Don’t miss the Challenge
Hockey Hush - it’s sure to be a great show, and you’ll be contributing to a
good cause in the process.
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As the Yankees continue their push for the postseason, the club is getting healthier.
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, the Yankees are expected to activate infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario off of the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Rays in Tampa, the first contest of a quick two-game series.
Rosario, acquired from the Washington Nationals ahead of the trade deadline, appeared in four games with the Yanks before suffering a shoulder injury on Aug. 8 while trying to track down a ball in right field and crashing into the Yankee Stadium wall.
In those four games, the versatile Rosario had three hits in seven at-bats, including a double and one RBI.
It’s been a solid season overall for the former Mets top prospect, who has slashed .277/.315/.432 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 50 combined games between the Nats and Yankees.
While the Yankees have not yet officially activated Rosario, the club did announce that catcher J.C. Escarra has been optioned to Triple-A, which opens up the roster spot for Rosario.
Escarra, 30, has played in 40 games with the Yankees, posting a .629 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI.
The No. 22 Cyclones open Saturday against No. 17 Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, and two weeks later play the annual CyHawk Game against Iowa at home.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games.
#25 - Matous Jan Kucharcik - Forward (Slavia Praha Jr. - Czech)
Kucharcik is a lanky forward who played for Slavia Praha in the Czech junior system, and played for his country at the Under-18’s before being selected by the Sabres in the fourth round (103rd overall at the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old forward was born in Italy, as his father (a 1991 Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick) played throughout Europe during his career.
The youngster is described by Elite Prospects 2025 Draft Guide as “a smart two-way centre who excels at facilitating others through his strongly ingrained supporting habits. He backtracks to intercept passes in the neutral zone, pickpockets opposing defencemen on the forecheck and takes the right routes to provide his teammates with passing options. There’s also a clear defensive upside with Kucharčík. His motor is solid, but it’s how he angles and positions that really drives his defensive value.”
Instead of remaining in Czechia, Kucharcik will be playing for Youngstown in the USHL next season, which would indicate that he is pursuing an NCAA track before becoming a professional.
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EDMONTON – Good goaltending is imperative to winning a Stanley Cup.
While the Edmonton Oilers might not be able to acquire an elite starter, the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard has been good enough to lead them to two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances.
The first box Daws ticks off is his NHL experience. While Cossa and DiPietro have good upside potential, Daws has played 52 NHL games to DiPietro’s three and Cossa’s single NHL outing.
There is minimal, if any, opportunity for Daws to play in the NHL this season. Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom are returning to tend the twine, leaving Daws on the outside looking in. That checks off box number two for the Oilers; their organization presents a better opportunity for Daws than his current one.
Finally, Daws has better results in a bigger sample size than the aforementioned DiPietro and Cossa.
Daws has a career 2.98 goals against average (GAA), a .898 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout. Last season, he only played six games. In those games, he posted a 1.60 GAA, a .939 SV%, and one shutout.
If the Oilers are going to take a gamble on a young goalie, there are much worse options than Daws.
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It's impossible to sugarcoat the stretch the Mets are starting to come out of.
After a seven-game winning streak gave them a 62-44 record at the end of play on July 27, New York had a 2-14 stretch, dropping them from first place in the NL East to a spot where they'll need a very hot finish to overtake the Phillies and win the division.
During the aforementioned stretch, the Mets were nearly no-hit, saw lead after lead evaporate, watched their starting pitching struggle badly, and lost all seven of the one-run games they played.
The Mets dealt with a combination of very poor performance with a dash of some really unfortunate events and bad luck mixed in (losing seven one-run games in a row is bonkers). It was the kind of bad run that is hard to believe while it's happening.
Despite all that went wrong over the last few weeks, though, the Mets are still very much in the driver's seat when it comes to reaching the postseason -- up two losses on the Reds for the third Wild Card spot, within striking distance of the Padres for the second spot, and one hot streak from being right back in it for the NL East title.
They started to right the ship this past weekend against the Mariners, taking two of three games from a very hot team as New York rode strong pitching and a revitalized lineup that is starting to click again.
Let's assess how things are going for the 2025 Mets and what's to come...
The good
The Mets are oozing with talent and are relatively healthy as they enter the stretch run. And no one will care about what they did in the first few weeks of August if they wind up back in the postseason, where they would be incredibly dangerous.
As has been the case all year, the success of the offense will likely rise and fall with the performances ofFrancisco Lindor,Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo -- and all four of them started to heat up as the Mets came out of their malaise over the last week.
That's not a coincidence.
New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The bottom of the lineup has been better lately, especially with Francisco Alvarez (the Mets are holding their breath about his thumb) being a different hitter since he returned from a stint in the minors. But this team will likely go as far as the top of their lineup will take them.
The starting pitching is also beginning to stabilize after failing to provide much length or effectiveness for most of New York's 2-14 spiral.
Kodai Senga was sharp his last time out, Clay Holmes looked very good on Sunday night against Seattle, and Nolan McLean gave the team a real jolt when he fired 5.1 shutout innings during his big league debut on Saturday at Citi Field -- looking not only like a pitcher with the stuff to succeed at this level, but like someone who has the temperament for it as well.
Then there's Edwin Diaz, who is in the midst of a lights-out campaign. In 48.0 innings over 47 appearances, Diaz has a 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts -- a rate of 13.1 per nine. He has been nearly untouchable in 22.2 innings since June 6, with a 0.79 ERA.
Another real bright spot lately has been lefty reliever Gregory Soto, who hasn't allowed an earned run in 8.1 innings since being acquired from the Orioles.
One cause for concern right now would be the combination of Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley not immediately becoming the dominant 1-2 punch the team hoped would be a bridge to Diaz.
Rogers has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 appearances, but he has just one strikeout during that span and has been much more hittable with New York than he was for San Francisco. Rogers has given up 13 hits in those 9.1 innings after surrendering just 38 in 50.0 innings earlier this season for the Giants. Meanwhile, Helsley blew back-to-back late leads last Thursday and Friday and has a 7.11 ERA since being acquired from the Cardinals.
Both Rogers and Helsley have stuff that is too good for them to get hit this much, so the expectation should be that they'll stabilize -- and Helsley started to do so with a scoreless inning on Sunday night while striking out a pair.
New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Citi Field / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
Meanwhile, even with the rotation being better lately, it would still be very helpful if they were able to provide more length. No team can withstand its starters giving as little length as the Mets have, which has caused a serious ripple effect and put the bullpen in a really bad spot.
Holmes, who is miles past his previous innings total, might simply be a five-inning guy for the remainder of this season, and could possibly wind up in the bullpen before the year is over.
David Peterson had been giving 6.0 or more innings regularly until recently, so a bounce back there should be expected. But the Mets need more from Senga and especially Sean Manaea, who has a 4.78 ERA and has pitched past the fifth inning just once since returning from his injury on July 13.
Another big shot in the arm could be provided by Mark Vientos, who possesses game-changing power but has yet to put things together this year. Vientos catching fire and taking over the main designated hitter duties while getting some starts at third base would seriously lengthen the lineup.
What's to come
With the trade deadline in the past, McLean up, and impact position players like Jett Williams and Carson Benge almost certainly not debuting until 2026, the group that the Mets have now will closely resemble the one that will get them to the playoffs or not.
One big exception is the potential debut of Brandon Sproat, who could possibly join McLean in the rotation at some point if New York goes to a six-man staff or if Holmes is eventually shifted to the bullpen for the remainder of the year.
There's also a possibility the Mets use Sproat out of the bullpen if there's a need there.
While Jonah Tong has been the most dominant pitcher in minor league baseball this season, it's hard to envision him getting the call this year unless he's utterly dominant in Triple-A (where he shined in his first start over the weekend) and the Mets wind up dealing with multiple injuries.
As far as the schedule New York will have to navigate to reach the postseason, it isn't easy.
Following a six-game road trip this week against the Nationals and Braves, the Mets play 19 of their final 32 games against teams that are fighting for playoff spots -- including seven games against the Phillies, three against the Tigers in Detroit, three against the Reds in Cincinnati, three against the Cubs in Chicago, and three against the Padres at Citi Field.
The other games aren't cupcakes, either, including seven against the plucky Marlins and a three-game set against a Rangers team that isn't contending but remains dangerous.
The Mets, who made the playoffs in 2022 and 2024, have never had a four-year stretch where they made three postseason appearances. To change that, they'll have to lock in down the stretch and take it.
Following a rough July that included a career-worst 0-for-31 skid, Francisco Lindor has gotten things back on track during the month of August, and now the Mets shortstop has been named National League Player of the Week for his efforts.
In six games last week (Aug. 12-17), Lindor went 14-for-25 at the plate, slashing .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs, three doubles, seven RBI and seven runs scored.
Zooming out a bit further, Lindor’s numbers in the month of August are equally as impressive, as the Mets star has slashed .350/.435/.633 with four homers, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored over the course of 15 games. This comes after a month of July in which Lindor hit just .206.
It’s been an up-and-down offensive season for Lindor, who earned his first All-Star appearance as Met thanks to a strong first half in which he posted a .787 OPS with 19 home runs and 54 RBI.
But with Lindor now back in the leadoff spot after getting some chances to hit second and third in the order, it’s clear that he remains a key cog in the Mets’ offense.
If Lindor continues to play as well as he has since the calendar flipped to August, it could go a long way towards the Mets making a push for the NL East crown, as they currently sit 5.0 games behind the Phillies with seven games remaining between the two clubs.
Denver, Colo. - Calling all bookworms who also happen to be hockey fans!
The Colorado Avalanche announced on Monday morning that they will be collaborating with Local NYT Bestselling author Rebecca Yarros for a special Fourth Wing night on Thursday, November 13th, while the Avalanche host the Buffalo Sabres.
Yarros, author of the viral romantasy phenomenon "Fourth Wing," book one of the Empyrean Series, has teamed up with the Avalanche to provide two special ticket packages, both of which send fans home with:
A specialty jersey, featuring "Riorson" (male main character in the books) with #4 on the back and an Avs logo centering the signature rune from the front of the books on the front
An exclusive Colorado Avalanche edition of Fourth Wing, with a burgundy cover and matching stenciled edges with dragons running down the pages
The VIP ticket package will also include a book signing with Rebecca, a chance to shoot a slapshot on the ice, and more.
Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, August 19th, at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time.
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