Vaughn Dalzell breaks down the Heisman race following Week 1's hectic action.
Kraken and Flyers Swap AHL Forward Prospects
The Seattle Kraken have acquired forward Jon-Randall Avon from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Tucker Robertson.
Avon is a 22-year-old center/winger who has spent the past two seasons playing in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In 125 games, Avon has scored 16 goals and 35 points.
Listed at six feet, 174 pounds, Avon was an undrafted prospect who signed with the Flyers in September of 2021.
Heading to the Flyers is Robertson, a 22-year-old center who the Kraken drafted in the fourth round (123rd overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. Robertson has also spent the previous two seasons in the AHL, racking up 10 goals and 19 points in 77 games.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Robertson's game revolves around his defensive work. He anticipates the game very well and uses sound positioning to win the puck back for his team.
The move at the moment is currently an AHL-based deal, as neither of these players shows much NHL potential, but with a change of scenery, anything can happen.
Phillies shutout Brewers to take series in Milwaukee
Phillies shutout Brewers to take series in Milwaukee originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
MILWAUKEE – The pace of play in Thursday’s game made some think the Phillies and Brewers wanted to be done quick enough to get settled in to watch the Eagles-Cowboys game.
In reality, the quickness in the early part was due to two outstanding starts by Ranger Suarez and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.
Once the Brewers’ ace was out, the Phillies finally broke a scoreless game in the seventh when Alec Bohm drilled a one-out triple to rightfield and scored on Trea Turner’s two-out single to give the Phillies the only run they needed in what became a 2-0 win over the Brewers. The Phillies took two-of-three from the Brewers and improved to 81-59. Milwaukee fell to 86-55.
The Phillies chased Peralta after just five innings, not because they were hitting him around, but because he had thrown 92 pitches, which included eight strikeouts and three walks. The National League pitcher of the month for August has not allowed an earned run in 29 innings. In his last six starts encompassing 33 innings, Peralta has given up just 13 hits, one earned run, 15 walks and 42 strikeouts.
Suarez was pitch-for-pitch with Peralta, as he once again had terrific command and masterfully worked himself out of tough situations. He allowed a runner in each of his six innings and appeared to be tiring a bit in the sixth.
“He was fantastic,” said Rob Thomson of Suarez. “Strikes, command, kept them off balance, curve ball was really good. I thought he was outstanding, I really did. And the bullpen was great, too. Our offense on their starter was really good. We got his pitch count up, we had 84 pitches after four which is really good even though we didn’t have anything to show for it. Really good defense. All around great team win.”
William Contreras led off that sixth inning with a walk and moved to third on a double by Andrew Vaughn. That’s when Suarez zoned in. With the infield drawn in, he got Caleb Durbin to ground out to Bryson Stott at second, then coaxed Danny Jansen into a shallow fly out to Harrison Bader in center. He got out of the inning when Andruw Monasterio grounded out to Alec Bohm at third.
Suarez finished the day giving up six hits and struck out four in his six innings and 60 of his 89 pitches were strikes.
“We all know how great of a team they are,” said Suarez, who improved to 11-6. “Today I just focused on being myself on the mound and just throwing the pitches that I wanted and the counts that I wanted, too. I think just be myself and how I am naturally, calm. I think that helped me and locating my pitches. The curveball helped me a lot. I threw it a lot in that last inning.”
The Phillies got an insurance run in the eighth when Bader doubled down the leftfield line to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Stott.
After Suarez’s terrific outing, the bullpen was perfect in closing out the Phillies’ fifth win in their last seven games. David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran each pitched scoreless innings and Duran picked up his 26th save of the season and 10th as a Phillie. He was aided on a leaping catch near the fence in center by Bader off the bat of Monasterio.
“I think our attitude is just keep pushing and keep competing and good things will happen,” said Turner. “We were making (Peralta) work and our pitching staff did a great job today. Ranger was really good and the bullpen was great. Getting that lead and holding onto it was big because you’ve got to win games like that.”
'I Got Notice And Liked It Instantly': Why Dennis Hildeby Signed Unique Three-Year Contract With Maple Leafs
Dennis Hildeby is excited for the upcoming season after signing a rather unique three-year, $2.53 million extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The reason it’s an interesting deal? The first two years are a two-way contract, with Hildeby earning $841,667 in the NHL and $350,000 in the AHL in the first year (and $450,000 the next season), before it shifts into a one-way deal in the third year.
“I’m aware it’s a rare deal for a guy in my position,” Hildeby told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “I got notice that it was on the table and I liked it instantly. I thought it gave me three more years, as I said. I like it here, so I was very pleased with that.”
The 24-year-old goaltender is entering his third season with the Maple Leafs since coming over from Sweden in the spring of 2023. Hildeby finished his first year in Toronto with a .913 save percentage in 41 AHL games before putting up a .908 in 30 games with the Marlies last season.
He also hit a massive milestone early in the year, making his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs on Oct. 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He allowed six goals on 38 shots, with Toronto losing 6-2.
Hildeby played five more games with the Maple Leafs, winning three and returning to the Marlies with an .878 save percentage through six NHL appearances.
“It was kind of a rollercoaster of a season. A little bit up and down,” Hildeby said.
“There was a lot of new stuff I tried to implement into my game that maybe didn’t work out at first. I tried a lot of new stuff and kind of figured out my game more. This season is more about back to trying to take all this new stuff and make it come together into a way it works for me.”
Hildeby will enter this next season as the Maple Leafs’ third goaltender, behind Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. He’ll likely spend a lot of this year with the Marlies again, unless Toronto needs someone up in the NHL.
The Jarfalla, Sweden-born netminder had a down year last year, in terms of statistics (though he was an AHL All-Star), but as he said, he’s looking forward to a new season where he’ll again try to show the Maple Leafs what the future could look like with him in net.
“I’m super excited about camp to get going here and try and prove myself and see where it goes from there.”
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New NHL CBA Changes Take Effect Immediately—How They Impact the Maple Leafs This Season
Five Week 2 college football picks, predictions: Where is the betting value in Michigan-Oklahoma?
Ed Feng gives his prediction for five Week 2 college football games, including where the betting value lies.
Sources: NCAA moves one step closer to a single transfer portal window for college football
If approved, the portal would open on Jan. 2.
Carmelo Anthony earned his induction into the Hall of Fame. Many times over.
This weekend, in Springfield, when Carmelo Anthony slips on the orange jacket and joins the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have earned that spot. Many times over.
• He earned it by having arguably the best college freshman season ever, leading Syracuse to a national championship.
• He earned it by winning three Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball, setting 13 Olympic records along the way and being in the conversation for America's greatest international player ever.
• He earned it by being one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever seen, the foundation of a legendary NBA career.
Starting this fall, you can all that wisdom come into play as Carmelo Anthony joins NBC's broadcast team as the Association returns to NBC and Peacock.
‘Melo’s NBA Hall of Fame Case
That part about 'Melo's NBA Hall of Fame has gotten some odd pushback on social media, as if Anthony's NBA career alone wouldn't have made him a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Maybe that's a seed that got planted with some of his former coaches — George Karl and Phil Jackson, specifically — calling out 'Melo for dominating the ball too much or not playing enough defense during his career. Maybe there were fans who disliked Anthony's ball-dominant style and the physicality of his play. Perhaps it's because Anthony was the No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and some tried to hype up a "Magic vs. Bird" rivalry with LeBron James that never materialized on the court (and they remain close friends off it). Maybe it's online trolls just doing what they do for attention. Whatever the reason, even Karl — the Nuggets coach who had a long-running feud with Anthony — is saying he is an unquestioned Hall of Fame.
Melo’s Hall of Fame enshrinement is well deserved this weekend.
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) September 4, 2025
Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in basketball history and should be celebrated. I’m happy for him! pic.twitter.com/1fnbtXDIuX
Look at Anthony's NBA resume:
• 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game across 19 NBA seasons
• Six-time All-NBA
• 10-time NBA All-Star
• 10th all-time in points scored (28,289)
• 2013 NBA scoring champion
• Member of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team member
• Finished in the top 15 in MVP voting six times
All of that doesn't even touch on him lifting up the Knicks organization in dark times, or the cultural impact he had on the league. The only knock can be "he didn't win a ring," but that's not exclusion worthy. Winning a title takes more than just being a star player, it's about being in the right organizations at the right time with the right teammates, and a little bit of luck. Maybe that didn't all come together for Anthony, but it doesn't diminish his NBA Career.
‘Melo in Olympics, at Syracuse
Nothing dispelled the "Carmelo is a ball hog" myth like watching Olympic 'Melo.
3 Olympic golds
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) May 29, 2020
336 Olympic points
13 Olympic records
One Melo. HBD @carmeloanthonypic.twitter.com/FFq1WuKrRn
Surrounded by elite teammates she could trust, Anthony became the ultimate team player — he definitely still could get a bucket, but he also played within the up-tempo system and got his teammates going as well. He found his groove.
The debate about the greatest USA Basketball men's player ever on the Olympic stage is between Anthony and Kevin Durant. That's it. Which alone could be Hall of Fame worthy.
Then there is college, where Anthony had arguably the greatest freshman season in the history of NCAA hoops, leading Syracuse to the national title.
7 DAYS OF MELO HIGHLIGHTS
— CTRL the Narrative (@ctrlnarrative) September 3, 2025
Carmelo Anthony had the greatest CBB freshman season ever, leading the Syracuse Orangemen to their first ever NCAAB championship (h/t @Frankie_Vision)
pic.twitter.com/1O1B9cekKV
In his one season with the Orange, Anthony averaged 22.2 points, 10 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game. He put up those numbers efficiently, despite defenses throwing everything they could at him.
Combine all that, and there can be no doubt. Some NBA fans forget this is the "Basketball Hall of Fame" — what happens internationally, what happens in college and high school matters, too.
However, even if this were an NBA-only Hall of Fame, Carmelo Anthony would be voted in on the first ballot. Without question. To suggest otherwise is just being a troll.
Former Canadiens Defenseman Announces Retirement
Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Marco Scandella announced his retirement from professional hockey. The St. Louis Blues, another one of Scandella's previous teams, announced the news through a post on X.
Scandella last played in the NHL during the 2023-24 season with the Blues, where he had two goals, eight points, 70 hits, and a plus-2 rating in 65 games.
A steady presence on and off the ice, who always repped the 'Note with pride.
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 4, 2025
Congrats on a great career and enjoy retirement Scandy 👏 pic.twitter.com/gTPwiMo1xJ
After being acquired by the Canadiens from the Buffalo Sabres in 2019-20, Scandella recorded one goal, three points, 25 hits, and a plus-1 rating in 20 games with Montreal.
However, Scandella's time with the Canadiens was very brief, as the Habs traded him later on in the 2019-20 season to the Blues. From there, Scandella would play each of his final five NHL seasons with St. Louis.
In 784 games over 14 NHL seasons split between the Minnesota Wild, Sabres, Canadiens, and Blues, Scandella recorded 51 goals, 119 assists, 170 points, and a plus-11 rating.
Canadiens' Goalie Tandem Receives New RankingIn a recent article for Bleacher Report, Joe Yerdon ranked each NHL team's goalie tandem. The Montreal Canadiens' tandem of Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes at the No. 20 spot. Flyers Trade J.R. Avon to the Kraken for Former OHL Teammate
The Philadelphia Flyers have traded forward prospect J.R. Avon to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward prospect Tucker Robertson, the team announced Thursday.
Robertson, 22, was drafted 123rd overall by the Kraken in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, but has yet to see his pro career achieve liftoff.
The Toronto, Ont., native scored four goals, five assists, and nine points in 38 AHL games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, and went scoreless in three postseason contests.
In parts of three seasons, Robertson has 10 goals, nine assists, and 19 points in 77 AHL games.
Notably, he and Avon were teammates at the OHL, spending parts of four seasons with the Peterborough Petes.
Avon, 22, went undrafted, but signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers during the Chuck Fletcher era on Sept. 21, 2021.
The skilled 6-foot winger has been slightly more productive in the AHL than his old teammate, scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 125 AHL regular season games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms over the last two seasons.
Avon, like Robertson, has yet to progress much beyond that, though, making this trade one that sees two young players finding a change of scenery and hoping it helps their careers and development path.
Neither player appeared in an NHL game for their respective clubs prior to the trade.
Ex-Flyers Goalie Reportedly Begins Moving Towards Maple Leafs Extension
According to a report, former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Anthony Stolarz has begun contract extension negotiations with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Tuesday, NHL Network and The Fourth Period NHL insider David Pagnotta reported, "In Toronto, after going the summer without negotiating, sources tell me the Maple Leafs have now started contract extension discussions with goaltender Anthony Stolarz."
Stolarz, 31, has one year remaining on his current contract with the Maple Leafs at a $2.5 million cap hit, and also carries an eight-team no-trade list.
The former Flyers draft pick would have made an ideal free agent target for the 2026 offseason, provided that players like Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov can't establish themselves alongside or behind newcomer Dan Vladar.
As it stands, Vladar is the only goalie the Flyers have under contract for the 2026-27 season aside from prospect Carson Bjarnason.
Flyers Should Eventually Reunite This Canucks Forward with Rick TocchetThe Philadelphia Flyers are poised for a big free agency period in 2026, and if the last season means anything, they should have one potential signing circled already.
Pagnotta also reported that Carter Hart was of interest to the Flyers, which, if proven to be true, further displays Philadelphia's dissatisfaction with the goaltending situation.
Stolarz played 34 games for ex-Flyers coach Craig Berube and the Maple Leafs last season, starting 33 games, posting a 21-8-3 record, a 2.14 GAA, a league-leading .926 save percentage, and four shutouts, establishing himself as one of the NHL's best '1B' goalies.
Should the 6-foot-6 netminder reach an agreement with the Maple Leafs, another top free agent target for 2026 will be off the board for the Flyers.
Mets claim reliever Wander Suero off waivers from Braves
The Mets added some bullpen depth on Thursday, claiming right-hander Wander Suero off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
Suero, 33, appeared in five games with the Braves this season, pitching to an 11.37 ERA with four walks and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Breaking into the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2018, Suero pitched four seasons with the Nats, posting a 4.61 ERA with a 3.80 FIP.
The righty has also pitched in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (five games), Houston Astros (one game), and the Braves (five games).
While Suero may not be a high-leverage reliever for the Mets, he does give them another experienced arm in a bullpen that has been heavily taxed due to the starting rotation not providing enough length on a consistent basis.
EA Sports pulls offer to make college basketball video game, per report
EA Sports pulled its offer to include teams in a college basketball video game, signaling an end to any possible production.
Roy Jones Jr gets 1988 Olympic gold medal from the man who beat him
Korean rival returns Jones’ 1988 medal in surprise
Park Si-hun: ‘It belongs to you’ at Florida reunion
Bout’s judging remains infamous Olympic scandal
Roy Jones Jr has been handed the Olympic gold medal he was controversially denied in 1988 in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship by the South Korean fighter who beat him.
Hall of Fame boxer Jones shared a video on Wednesday from two years ago that showed Park Si-hun visiting the American’s ranch in Pensacola, Florida to present him with the light middleweight gold medal.
Continue reading...Stars' Mikko Rantanen Might Have Too High Expectations Heading Into 2025
Stars winger Mikko Rantanen is poised for a solid season with his new team but don’t count on his goal scoring to lead the way.
The NHL season will be here in no time as we look ahead to some regular season player props that we look to take advantage of just like we did last off-season. We were very successful at finding great values in these player props with some sportsbooks not fully looking into the background or history of some players besides the stats of the prior season.
We took advantage of the sportsbooks not knowing anything about Connor McDavid and that he's not a goal scorer and easily hit the under for his goal total last season, which was at a shocking 51.5 when he scored more than 44 goals just once in his nine prior NHL seasons. We also hit on nearly all of our other player prop picks like Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck to his over in wins plus take home the Vezina trophy.
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Up next for our deep dive on player breakdowns is someone who ended last season red hot with Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars. The Finnish winger completely took over the Stars' series against his former team in the Colorado Avalanche with five goals including a game seven hat trick. He continued his hot streak with four more goals over the next three games versus the Winnipeg Jets in the second round. After this hot streak however, he went eight straight games without a goal and this reminded fans of the eight game scoring drought he had entering the season.
Going that long without scoring is quite typical for any player but since joining the Stars, Rantanen ended off his regular season with just five goals over 20 games. The sportsbooks are buying a lot into his playoff scoring frenzy and have his over/under for goals at a very high 36.5 (-115 on BetMGM) for the upcoming season.
Rantanen finished with 32 goals last season after shuffling around and playing for three different teams but this season he'll have a full training camp with the Stars and will likely be featured on a lethal line with star players like Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. The only problem with this is that neither of them are as lethal as a 70-90 assist player like Rantanen's former linemate in Nathan MacKinnon.
Rantanen will likely see a dip in production, similar to the decline he experienced at the end of last season. While he remains a capable goal scorer, reaching 37 goals is a high benchmark that he’s only hit twice in his nine NHL seasons.
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Not to mention, he won't be the only goal scorer on his line as Jason Robertson is also an elite shooter with two 40-goal seasons and a single 35-goal season. Hintz can also score a lot of goals with 30 goals in three of the last four seasons.
It will almost certainly limit Rantanen's scoring chances and will likely see him play more of a playmaker role as he's recorded four straight 50-assist seasons. His point totals could look similar to his numbers on Colorado as his linemates will still be elite although I wouldn't count on as many goals as we've seen that be the case on multiple occasions.
All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.
How the Ducks Could Benefit from CBA Changes
The days of a “flat” salary cap are in the rearview, as the NHL and NHLPA announced exactly how much the cap is projected to increase over the next three seasons. The salary cap ceiling is set at $95.5 million for the 2025-26 season, $104 million for the 2026-27 season, and $113.5 million for the 2027-28 season.
Though the current CBA won’t expire until the end of the 2025-26 season and details have yet to be completely ironed out, reports from Tuesday suggest some aspects of the next CBA will be implemented in the 2025-26 season.
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Most notably, a salary cap will now be in effect during the playoffs, and there will be a limit to the benefits teams can receive from placing injured players on LTIR.
Other CBA changes set for 2025-26 implementation:
-No Deferred Salaries (in effect Oct. 7, 2025)
-Player Dress Code Relaxation
-Restriction on Double Retention
-Restriction on Paper Transactions
Although the Anaheim Ducks remain $20.5 million under the salary cap ceiling (the most in the NHL), these new implications could still impact their outlook for 2025-26 and beyond.
During his tenure as general manager of the Ducks (Feb 2022-Present), Pat Verbeek has made minor moves to weaponize the team’s ample cap space, as they’ve been a far cry from the ceiling for the duration of their rebuild. Examples include acquiring a fourth-round pick along with Robby Fabbri in 2024 in exchange for Gage Alexander, acquiring Dmitri Kulikov in 2022 for nothing more than “future considerations,” and infamously attempting to acquire Evgenii Dadonov with a second-round pick attached at the 2022 trade deadline.
Teams often surrounding the Ducks in the standings and in their own rebuilds (San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, Utah Mammoth, Chicago Blackhawks) were all able to acquire considerable assets (first and second-round picks) attached to albatross contracts from cap-strapped contending teams.
The Ducks will be attempting to, at long last, rise from the fog of their rebuild and contend for the 2026 playoffs. However, if injuries occur or things don’t go completely according to plan, they could find themselves in a situation where they would benefit in the long term from acquiring more draft capital and utilizing their cap space in a meaningful way.
Three teams are currently projected to open the season over the salary cap: Vegas Golden Knights, Canadiens, and Florida Panthers. Cap space will not accrue the same way it had in the past, and teams cannot use LTIR relief to accrue space.
The Canadiens have already been in search of a landing spot for the last year of Carey Price’s $10.5 million contract. The Ducks have not been linked in these talks like the Sharks, Hawks, and Pittsburgh Penguins have, but it’s merely an example of a route Verbeek could take should he desire.
Ducks owner Henry Samueli stated at Joel Quenneville’s introductory press conference that Verbeek was no longer going to be “constrained by the budget” and had the green light to spend to the cap ceiling to get the team back into the playoffs.
We’ll see if that manifests in some way between now and the trade deadline, but the Ducks could be in a rare position to benefit from these immediate CBA implementations, perhaps in unforeseen and creative ways.
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