Which Players Led The Vancouver Canucks In Wins Above Replacement During The 2024-25 Season

There are many different ways to evaluate a player's impact on their NHL team. One could look at basic stats like points, shots, and wins, while others elect to use analytics like expected goals, high-danger chances created, and PDO. Ultimately, thanks to the amount of data being collected, fans now have a greater understanding of how the game is played and what on-ice strategies work best. 

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One metric that has been created to understand a players value is WAR or Wins Above Replacement. This metric attempts to determine how many additional wins a team will get with a specific player in the lineup compared to replacement-level player at his same position. While WAR is mostly used in baseball, it has started making it's way to hockey, with some sites already creating a formula that works for the NHL. 

Mar 18, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and forward Brock Boeser (6) and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki (23) celebrate Boeser’s goal against the Winnipeg Jets n the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images  

Mar 18, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and forward Brock Boeser (6) and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki (23) celebrate Boeser’s goal against the Winnipeg Jets n the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Evolving-Hockey is one of the few sites that records WAR for NHL teams. The site also provides a goals above replacement metric and Standing Points Above Replacement. Using their data, here is a look at which players led the Vancouver Canucks In WAR during the 2024-25 season. 

Forwards

Elias Pettersson: 2 (Tied 55th among forwards)
Pius Suter: 1.6 (Tied 86th among forwards)
Conor Garland: 1.5 (Tied 94th among forwards)
Kiefer Sherwood: 1.5 (Tied 94th among forwards)
Nils Höglander: 1.4 (Tied 106th among forwards)
Jake DeBrusk: 1.2 (Tied 114th among forwards)

Defensemen

Quinn Hughes: 2.8 (6th among defensemen)
Marcus Pettersson: 1.6 (Tied for 31st among defensemen)
Filip Hronek: 1 (Tied for 75th among defensemen)
Derek Forbort: 0.4 (Tied for 135th among defensemen)
Tyler Myers: 0.2 (Tied for 158th among defensemen)

Goaltenders 

Kevin Lankinen: 2.4 (22nd among goaltenders)
Thatcher Demko: 0.9 (41st among goaltenders)

To simplify, the low numbers, especially among the forward group give a clear picture as to why the Canucks missed the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Teams like the Winnipeg JetsTampa Bay LightningEdmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals all have multiple players in the top 50, while Vancouver's top player was Pettersson, who ranked tied for 55th. If Vancouver has a bounce-back season next year, they will likely have multiple forwards in the top 50, as they did in 2023-24. 

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Paul Maurice has funny Lou Brown moment after Panthers score key goal in Game 1

It was a good night for the Florida Panthers on Tuesday in Raleigh.

Florida opened the 2025 Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes with an impressive 5-2 victory at Lenovo Center, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

One of the most exciting plays of the evening for Florida was the goal scored by A.J. Greer off a rush with Niko Mikkola and Tomas Nosek.

A play that Mikkola started in the defensive end quickly transitioned into a rush opportunity, and after a couple quick passes, Greer was scoring what wound up as the game-winning goal.

But as Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice explained after the game, the goal came on a play that he would rather not see made, and the bench had some fun at his expense as a result of it.

Now bear with me, as I hope most (if not all) of you get this pop culture reference.

In the movie “Major League,” there is a part where outfielder Willie Mays Hayes makes a fancy catch and when he gets back to the dugout, as he’s being congratulated by teammates, his manager Lou Brown gives him a high five and says, “Nice catch Hayes, don’t ever f---ing do it again.”

Yeah, that was Maurice on the Panthers bench after the Greer goal.

"I was mocked heavily on the bench for that goal. Heavily," Maurice said. "There's a wonderful inside play to Mikkola at line, which I abhor. We're going to do everything we can to never see that again."

Here's what happened.

As Mikkola rushed up the middle of the ice with Tomas Nosek, who had the puck through the neutral zone along the boards, Nosek decided to make a backhand pass to Mikkola as they crossed the blue line.

The pass crossed over a pair of Hurricanes’ sticks before landing perfectly on Mikkola’s tape, and he continued driving toward the net before making the pass to Greer.

NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) on XNHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) on XFlorida goal! Scored by A.J. Greer with 16:27 remaining in the 2nd period. Assisted by Niko Mikkola and Tomas Nosek. Carolina: 1 Florida: 3 #FLAvsCAR #RaiseUp #TimeToHunt

Now, if Nosek's pass gets deflected or intercepted, suddenly you have a major problem heading back toward your goaltender, with at least three Panthers players having all their momentum going the wrong way.

“If you make those plays, you have to make it,” Nosek said with a smile. “If you don’t, then you’re in trouble, that’s for sure.”

Fortunately for Florida, that did not happen, and instead they scored a nice rush goal with some pretty passing included in the process.

It also allowed for some light moments on the bench, as the Panthers players were all well aware of how much their coach doesn't like to see passes like that.

"It was a wonderful play by Nosek," Maurice said, before adding, "that you're not going to see again."

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Photo caption: Feb 22, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice reacts from behind the bench during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Three takeaways: Panthers adjusting to Hurricanes' rush game, won't sacrifice aggression to defend it

The Florida Panthers got their latest playoff series off to a strong start.

Traveling to Lenovo Center in Raleigh, the Panthers skated to a resounding 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

It was Carolina's first loss on home ice during the postseason.

Playing in a hostile environment is nothing new to the Panthers, who have emerged as one of the top road teams during the playoffs.

So far, Florida holds an impressive 6-2 mark when playing away from Sunrise.

Not too shabby, especially when considering that the Panthers will not have home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, if they get past the Hurricanes, that is.

We've still got a ways to go before we have to start worrying about that.

Let's get to the Game 1 takeaways:

POWER PLAY POWERS WIN

Simply on the surface, Florida picking up a pair of power play goals during their Game 1 win was a huge part of it.

Any time you get contributions from special teams, particularly during the playoffs, it's a big key to winning.

Doing against the Hurricanes' penalty kill, which has been by far the best during the postseason, is an even bigger deal.

Does it mean that Florida is going to dominate special teams during the conference final? Probably not.

The early success does give the Panthers something to hang their hats on as they continue grinding away against a team that is not that dissimilar than Florida is in a lot of ways.

"That's important," Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said of the power play success. "This whole thing is a confidence game, so you can get to the next game feeling good about it. They're going to make adjustments. There's a lot of broken play goals in this. We have almost identical penalty kills, so there's not usually the stuff you see on TV where it's seven passes to the seam, the pucks are all contested on both team's penalty kills. So you get a couple to go for you, you get to feel a little bit better, you get a little more confident in handling the pressure of the other team's pressure, you don't get frustrated."

ADJUSTING TO CANES’ RUSH

As the Panthers have worked their way through the Eastern Conference postseason bracket, they have faced some very strong, and very different, playoff opponents.

There is going to be an adjustment period when going from trying to defend a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs and then facing Carolina, a group that does things very different than the Leafs.

As Maurice explained, it's nothing they haven't had to do before, but there is still going to be a learning curve.

"I didn't love our game tonight, but I understood it," Maurice said. "It's a significant style change. The Game 1 is that first look at what your game looks like in a completely different opponent. So we will have to continue to build that game and get better. We had some good finishes, I thought they had good chances they didn't finish on. It's a little bit what it looks like when these two teams play. Sergei (Bobrovsky) was very strong. It's a different style of rush game than we've seen, so we were just okay with how we handled it. We have to make adjustments, but I maybe have felt that in our first game in each of the previous two (series). We went into Tampa and won, but we scored three power play goals, I think on three chances, and that was 30 minutes in the game and it's like 6-2 or something like that. And then we went into Toronto, and we struggled with their rush offense, so we've got work to do."

CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP

The keys to Florida's success are no secret.

They're physical, they're aggressive and they're excellent when it comes to playing a strong, five-man defensive unit.

It's that strong possession defense that drives Florida's transition game and ultimately, their offense.

Now they must find a way to adjust to defending a team that is very similar to Florida in a lot of ways, and then turn that defense into offense.

"It's a different style than we've seen," Maurice explained. "Tampa and Toronto are so dynamic up the middle of the ice, they'll break off early and go. I think by the end of the series, we had an understanding of it. (Carolina) was more of the double swing off the weak side that we didn't pick up very well. So this is true of Carolina and us: We probably both value puck pressure as much as anything else, and I don't want to sacrifice the puck pressure on a couple of plays that they get in behind us. We're not reckless with our forecheck, which it's fairly defined, but when you play a team like this, and they get in behind you, or they get odd-man rushes, you're missing some sort of change of sides detail. And every team is different. So there'll be teams with center-under on the breakout, there's center-over on the breakout, there's a whole bunch of different ways teams do it, you just have to see it and then adjust to it. So I didn't think we were great with that adjustment. We had guys pulling off when they shouldn't, guys going forward when they shouldn't, but this isn't anything new for us. Because of the way we play, we deal with this all the time. Now, that doesn't mean we're going to get it sorted out. I think you saw during the (Stanley Cup) Final last year, I'm not sure we ever had that thing sorted out, but we at least understand our vulnerability in the way we play, and we won't sacrifice that aggressiveness to cover off. That's what Bob is for."

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Photo caption: May 20, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) controls the puck during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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O'Connor: Brown, White have ‘massive' trade value if C's make a move

O'Connor: Brown, White have ‘massive' trade value if C's make a move originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A complicated financial situation could force the Boston Celtics to make difficult decisions this summer. Aside from Jayson Tatum, who will miss most of next season recovering from a ruptured Achilles, seemingly anyone on the roster could be traded to achieve financial flexibility.

Boston must shed more than $20 million in salary to avoid the restrictive penalties associated with being in the second apron of the luxury tax. That means they may have to move at least one rotation player from the championship core this offseason.

Although Jaylen Brown and Derrick White are set to be the faces of the Celtics while Tatum misses time, even they aren’t safe from being dealt. Trading either star would immediately solve Boston’s financial dilemma and would likely garner a significant haul.

Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports joined Wednesday’s Early Edition to discuss what a Brown or White trade could look like.

“I think it’s massive. I do,” O’Connor said of Brown’s trade value. “Think about Houston, for example. If they wanted to reunite Ime Udoka with Jaylen Brown and they don’t get Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the Houston Rockets on draft night come calling with the No. 10 pick, Fred VanVleet’s contract, which will only have one year left after his team option kicks in, and a bunch of other high-value future picks — they have Suns future first-rounders among other teams as well — if you’re the Celtics, I would think you at least have to listen to that offer if Houston comes calling with that.”

As for White, the do-it-all guard has already been the subject of trade rumors with the Golden State Warriors as a potential suitor. O’Connor sees such a move as a real possibility if the Warriors send C’s president of basketball operations Brad Stevens a serious offer.

“If the Golden State Warriors, if they were to call up and offer a Mikal Bridges-esque package — four first-round draft picks — for Derrick White, you gotta listen,” O’Connor said.

“And so, those are the paths I can’t stop thinking about with the Celtics, even though the easiest thing to do is to come back, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown in the ’26-’27 season and roll it back and try to win again. That’s the easiest path for sure.”

Brown or White donning a different uniform next season would be jarring. Both have cemented themselves in Celtics lore, with Brown earning NBA Finals MVP honors and White stepping up as one of the game’s best two-way guards since joining Boston in 2022. But given the financial situation, and the uncertain state of the team following Tatum’s injury, Stevens and new team owner Bill Chisholm may have no choice but to make an uncomfortable move involving a fan favorite.

Watch the full Early Edition segment with O’Connor in the video below, or watch on YouTube:

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reportedly wins NBA MVP

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a league-high 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting, adding 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks.Photograph: Nate Billings/AP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, capping a breakout year in which he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a league-best 68 wins and the franchise’s deepest playoff run since the Kevin Durant era, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old guard, who will be officially honored on Wednesday night, edged out Denver’s Nikola Jokić for the award after finishing runner-up to the Serbian star last season. Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Thunder player to win MVP since Russell Westbrook in 2017, and only the third in team history, alongside Westbrook and Durant.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the first Canadian to win the award since Steve Nash in 2006. He also continues a run of players from outside the US claiming the award. The last US-born player to win the award was James Harden in 2018. Since then Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo has won the award twice and Serbia’s Jokić on three occasions. Joel Embiid, who represents the US at international level, but was born and raised in Cameroon, was named MVP in 2023.

Related: Nikola Jokić is putting up record numbers. So why is he unlikely to be NBA MVP?

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a league-high 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting, adding 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. His all-around excellence powered an Oklahoma City team that not only topped the standings but also set an NBA record with a plus-12.9 average point differential.

He joins Michael Jordan as the only players to average at least 30 points on 50% shooting with five rebounds, five assists, 1.5 steals and one blocked shot in a season. It’s the third consecutive year Gilgeous-Alexander has topped 30 points per game while shooting better than 50%, a feat previously matched only by legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jordan.

His impact went beyond scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander was instrumental in the Thunder’s top-ranked defense, tallying 208 combined steals and blocks, third-most in the league behind Victor Wembanyama and Dyson Daniels.

With Oklahoma City squarely in title contention, Gilgeous-Alexander is also poised to become the NBA’s highest-paid player. He qualifies this summer for a four-year, $294m supermax extension – the richest annual deal in league history.

Report: Sabres Are Gauging Byram Trade Market


There had been some speculation after the end of their season that the Buffalo Sabres may be considering a major move involving restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram, and that gained some significant momentum on Wednesday, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Sabres are gauging trade interest in the 23-year-old blueliner. 

Byram was acquired in March 2024 in exchange for center Casey Mittelstadt and scored a career-high 38 points last season. That was an impressive feat since the Cup winner was seldom used on the power play and registered all but three of those points at even strength.  

Friedman indicated that Byram’s name has been circulating, even though the Sabres have control over him for two more years before qualifying for unrestricted free agency. Byram is likely looking for an opportunity to be a #1 defenseman, which he had little opportunity to be in Colorado with Cale Makar and Devon Toews on the top pairing, and that is a similar circumstance in Buffalo with a crowded left side with team captain Rasmus Dahlin and 2021 top overall pick Owen Power signed to long-term deals.

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Byram was connected to his hometown Vancouver Canucks in rumors during the season, but that was linked to the possibility of a Elias Pettersson trade and that does not seem realistic after the Canucks sent JT Miller to the NY Rangers. It is likely that the Sabres would be looking for a defenseman-for-defenseman swap, since the club is extremely weak on the right-side of the blueline. 

LA Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke is someone who was rumored to be possibly on the block before the deadline and could be an attractive target for the Sabres since he is still on his entry-level contract, but a deal for an impact forward cannot be ruled out, since Buffalo is looking to upgrade and augment their roster after missing the playoffs for a 14th straight season.  

 

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Pro-doping Enhanced Games to debut in Las Vegas with Trump Jr backing

  • Games scheduled for 21–24 May 2026 in Las Vegas
  • Athletes allowed to use PEDs under medical oversight
  • Investors include Donald Trump Jr and Peter Thiel

A controversial new Olympics-style sporting event where athletes will be permitted – and even encouraged – to use performance-enhancing drugs is set to debut in Las Vegas next May, organizers announced on Wednesday.

The inaugural Enhanced Games will take place 21–24 May 2026 at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip. Over four days, competitors will race, lift and swim with full access to drugs and therapies banned in virtually every other elite athletic setting.

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Revisiting the Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle trade: Turns out to be win-win

Two days before training camp opened, the Knicks and Timberwolves shocked the NBA with what we were sure at the time would be the most surprising and consequential trade of the season (little did we know): Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, while Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo went to Minnesota. At the time, this only seemed like a win-win trade if you considered the Knicks' title chances and the Timberwolves' financial balance sheet (because they got off Towns' max contract, something the Knicks could afford thanks to Jalen Brunson's sacrifice).

Looking back on it with the clarity of hindsight — and with both teams in the conference finals — this turned out to be a win-win across the board.

Let's break it down by teams, but first, a reminder of the trade details:

New York received: Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota received: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, No. 17 pick in 2025 draft (via Detroit, a pick that was top-13 protected)
Charlotte received: DaQuan Jeffries, other draft compensation

New York Knicks

The Knicks had to make this trade, they needed a center. The constraints of the CBA meant New York could not bring back Isaiah Hartenstein (who is thriving in Oklahoma City), while Mitchell Robinson was going to miss most of the season recovering from ankle surgery. That left Precious Achiuwa as the team's starting five, New York knew it needed another big body.

Towns provided much more than a big body, his shooting filled a specific need on a team that plays Josh Hart (33.3% from beyond the arc this season) and some inconsistent shooters big minutes. It set up a devastating pick-and-pop game with Jalen Brunson. Behind Towns' 24.4 points a game and 42% shooting from 3, New York had the fifth-ranked offense in the league.

What Towns did not provide was defense, particularly as a drop-back rim protector. What supercharged the Knicks at the tail end of the season and into the playoffs was the return of Robinson from his ankle surgery. Now the Knicks had two bigs — not unlike how Towns thrived in Minnesota playing next to Rudy Gobert — and some rim protection behind quality perimeter defenders like OG Anunoby. Since Mitchell's return, New York is 18-12 (regular season and playoffs) and has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The one concern still outstanding with this trade — the other shoe proverbially to drop — is that it shrunk the Knicks' bench. Not having DiVincenzo meant more minutes for the starters (something Tom Thibodeau is all too happy to lean into), and in an Eastern Conference Finals where games are every other day, the question becomes, will this catch up with New York?

Minnesota Timberwolves

This trade, at its core, was about saving money in Minnesota. The combination of Randle and DiVincenzo made about $9 million less than Towns, and it gave the Wolves options to reduce future salary. Randle has a player option next season at $30.9 million, one he's not expected to pick up, and the theory was if he didn't fit, then the Timberwolves could sign-and-trade him somewhere else, or just let him walk.

Except, Randle has fit in — exceptionally during the playoffs, where he has been the team's second-best player. This postseason, Randle has averaged 24.3 points, 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds a game, shooting 39.3% from 3. He was the best Minnesota player in Game 1 against the Thunder, hitting five 3-pointers and carrying the offense in the first half.

More than just knocking down shots, Randle's decision-making has been fast and smart. It took him much of the season to get used to playing next to Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards, but when he did, the Timberwolves became a version of themselves, maybe better than a season ago.

As for saving money next season, that equation has changed because Minnesota now has to re-sign Randle. He has become too critical to their identity. That means someone else has to go. Naz Reid is expected to opt out of his $15 million contract to become a free agent, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker also will be a free agent. The buzz in league circles is that Minnesota would consider trading point guard Mike Conley to save money. At least one, if not two, of those players will not be back next season. Minnesota is getting what proved to be the No. 17 pick in this draft out of this trade, which should help. The Timberwolves can draft someone such as Liam McNeeley, the UConn wing, or Michigan big man Danny Wolf, or maybe one of a number of international players expected to go around that spot. Whoever the Timberwolves pick will be asked to step up and play Day 1.

But with Randle playing well and the Minnesota back in the conference finals, this trade was a win for the Timberwolves, too.

Knicks honored with NYC street names being temporarily co-named as players

For the first time since 2000, the Knicks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals and the city of New York is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Across the city, street names are being temporarily co-named with the names of all 15 players on the Knicks roster. Each temporary street name also has the player's corresponding jersey number to go with it and, for the most part, each street name assigned to each player matches their number.

There's Jalen Brunson Boulevard on W 11th St., Josh Hart Street on W 3rd St., Karl-Anthony Towns Square on W 32nd St., OG Anunoby Alley on W 8th St., and many more.

"The Knicks embody the spirit of New York -- resilient, passionate, and unstoppable,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a release. "On the path to a championship, we recognize the hard work and determination that has gotten this team to the Eastern Conference Finals and we’re celebrating this team by temporarily co-naming our city streets so all New Yorkers can celebrate their Knicks pride. Nearly 8.5 million New Yorkers, and millions more, are behind the New York Knicks as they continue this incredible journey."

The temporary street signs will remain for the duration of New York's playoff run which gets going once again on Wednesday night after four days off following its defeat of the Boston Celtics in six games.

The No. 3 seeded Knicks host the No. 4 seeded Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden at 8 p.m. as they look to avenge last season's loss to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals in seven games which ended New York's season.

Mariners’ rotation set to get a boost with return of George Kirby for Astros series

CHICAGO — Seattle workhorse right-hander George Kirby is expected to start and make his season debut when the Mariners open a four-game series in Houston.

Kirby has been on the injured list since March 24 with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The 27-year-old’s return should help bolster the Mariners’ rotation that remains without opening day starter Logan Gilbert, who’s working back from a flexor strain in his right forearm.

Kirby started 33 games last season to tie for the major league lead. He went 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA with 179 strikeouts and 23 walks in 191 innings.

He was an AL All-Star in 2023, when he made 31 starts and went 13-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 190 2/3 innings.

Following his injury diagnosis, Kirby made only one appearance in 2025 spring training. He’s followed with three rehab starts at Triple-A Tacoma.

“Obviously looking forward to getting George back out there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I know it’s been a long road for George since spring training. And you know, you put the work in, you do your rehab assignments and mentally you’re ready to go.”

Wilson said Kirby probably would be limited to “75, maybe 80 pitches” against the Astros.

Before the series finale against the White Sox in Chicago, the Mariners recalled right-hander Jesse Hahn from Tacoma and designated righty Casey Lawrence for assignment.

Hahn will return to Seattle for a second time this season after two appearances in April. He’s pitched four innings with the Mariners so far, going 0-1 with a 4.59 ERA.

Lawrence tossed five innings of bulk relief in Seattle’s 1-0 loss to Chicago, allowing one run on six hits and taking the defeat. He’s 1-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3

Orioles activate Andrew Kittredge from 15-day injured list

MILWAUKEE — Baltimore Orioles reliever Andrew Kittredge is off the 15-day injured list, clearing the way for the right-hander to make his season debut.

The Orioles announced before their game at Milwaukee that they had activated Kittredge, who was dealing with debridement in his left knee.

Kittredge, 35, signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Orioles after going 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA and one save in 74 relief appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals last season. But he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in March and hasn’t been able to pitch for the Orioles yet.

He now returns as the last-place Orioles attempt to snap an eight-game skid that included the firing of manager Brandon Hyde.

Kittredge is 23-12 with a 3.44 ERA and 16 saves in 255 appearances with the Tampa Bay Rays (2017-23) and Cardinals (2024).

“Just a steady guy, a guy who’s been through a lot of big games, a lot of big innings, a lot of moments for a long time in the game on a lot of good teams,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “When he was signed this offseason, it was a big signing for us.”

The Orioles made room for Kittredge by optioning right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles had called McDermott up to pitch. He struck out two while allowing three runs, four hits, including two homers, and five walks over 4 2/3 innings in the Orioles’ 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Teague explains why Warriors shouldn't move on from Draymond

Teague explains why Warriors shouldn't move on from Draymond originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ second-round NBA playoff exit leaves them in a precarious position going forward.

Does Golden State run it back with their aging core? Or blow it up in search of a better squad around Steph Curry while that’s still possible?

It’s a controversial topic around the league, and former NBA guard Jeff Teague offered his take on which path the Warriors should follow.

On a recent episode of Teague’s “Club 520 Podcast,” he detailed why Golden State can’t afford to part with 35-year-old Draymond Green.

“You can’t move on from Draymond, because the moment you move on from Draymond you’re saying, ‘We’re not competing for a championship anymore,'” Teague explained.

“Nobody is going to trade for Draymond Green … you’re not going to get the same value that Draymond brings to your team. Whatever you trade for — I don’t care if you get two young, promising players. They’re not going to have the same vibe with Steph, those two young, promising players.

“So it’s going to be basically over for Steph. Once Draymond leaves, that’s when you know Steph is about to retire.”

Now a 13-year NBA veteran with four NBA championships to his name — all with Golden State — Green is under contract for the 2025-26 season plus a one-year player option after that. Would general manager Mike Dunleavy take the risk of trading away Green this summer?

Well, Teague has made his thoughts clear if he were in charge. But it remains to be seen if the Warriors choose to move in a different direction and part with one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

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