One of the few Ottawa Senators up for an NHL award this season was Jake Sanderson. He was named as one of the finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, so we knew he would finish no worse than third in voting for the award.
On Friday, wait for it, the NHL announced Sanderson finished third.
The winner was Montreal's Cole Caufield, while the runner-up was Anze Kopitar. Kopitar, who retired at the end of the Los Angeles Kings' season, was the sentimental favourite as a result.
The trophy goes to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
Sanderson was one of the top defensemen in the league this season, putting up 54 points in 67 games, finishing 10th in Norris Trophy voting, and helping Team USA win an Olympic gold medal in Milan back in February.
The Whitefish, Montana native plays a clean game with speed and skill, posting just eight penalty minutes all season. In four NHL seasons (303 games), Sanderson has amassed a total of 55 penalty minutes
Sanderson wasn't exactly rewarded for his sportsmanship this season.
In early March, he missed nearly a month after absorbing a heavy hit from Seattle's Brandon Montour that resulted in a shoulder injury. Then, just eight games after returning, Sanderson's season came to an abrupt end when Carolina's Taylor Hall caught him with a high shoulder in Game 3 of Ottawa's first-round playoff series.
The hit left Sanderson with a concussion, forcing him to miss the remainder of the series as the Senators were swept in four games. Four days later, he was still unable to participate in the team's season-ending media availability.
Fortunately for Ottawa, there are no immediate contract concerns on the horizon. While speculation continues to swirl around the future of other players, Sanderson remains under contract for six more seasons at a cap hit of $8.05 million per year, a deal that already looks like one of the NHL's best bargains.
At just 23, Sanderson has established himself as one of the league's elite young defencemen. If his game continues to improve, and no one in Ottawa thinks it won't, then finishing third in Lady Byng voting will likely be one of the smaller accomplishments in a very long list of NHL honours.
Alexandar Georgiev is once again betting on himself, terminating his KHL contract and reopening the door to an NHL return after a volatile stretch that has taken his career across three leagues in less than two seasons.
Georgiev has formally terminated his deal with KHL Spartak, according to a league announcement. His agent, Stanislav Romanov, told Hockey News Hub (Twitter link) that the goaltender’s intention is to pursue an NHL comeback next season, setting the stage for another attempt to re-establish himself in North America.
The Fall
Not long ago, Georgiev was operating at the top of his value range. During the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Colorado, he worked his way into a full-time starting role and peaked in 2023-24 by leading the NHL with 38 wins. He had also tied for the league lead in victories the season prior, his first year with the Avalanche, briefly cementing himself as one of the league’s most productive regular-season goaltenders.
That momentum collapsed over his final stretch in Colorado. In 2024-25, Georgiev went 8-7-0 with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage across 18 appearances (17 starts). After being moved to San Jose, his struggles deepened: in 31 games (30 starts) with the Sharks, he posted a 7-19-4 record with a 3.88 GAA and a .875 save percentage, a dramatic dip that significantly weakened his standing around the league.
Market Value And The Road Back To The NHL
His NHL decline led to a far different market than the one he once occupied. Georgiev eventually signed a one-year, $850K deal with Buffalo just before training camp, but after clearing waivers and making just two appearances with AHL Rochester, his stint in the organization ended quickly.
Seeking a reset, Georgiev joined Spartak in the KHL, where he produced steadier results, finishing with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 24 appearances. While respectable, the performance was not enough to fully restore his NHL stock to starter-level consideration.
Now returning to free agency, Georgiev enters a goaltending market headlined by names like Sergei Bobrovsky and Stuart Skinner, with most remaining options projected to fill backup roles. Given his recent trajectory, he is likely to be viewed as organizational depth first, with teams weighing his previous peak against a sharp and sustained downturn in North American play.
One of, or maybe even the most intriguing, players in the 2026 NHL draft is Swedish center Viggo Bjorck.
The skilled right-handed shooter put up an impressive six goals and 15 points in 42 games in the SHL, regarded by most as the second-best hockey league in the world. Outside of the SHL, he posted eight goals and 20 points in nine J-20 playoff games in Sweden.
Bjorck also won gold with Team Sweden at the World Junior Championship, scoring three goals and nine points in seven games. He then earned a spot on Sweden’s World Championship roster, becoming the youngest Swedish player to ever participate in the event. In eight games, he scored one goal and six points, but made a noticeable impact in Sweden’s top six.
Bjorck is a feisty player who loves to have the puck on his stick. He excels at zone exits and entries, routinely doing so with possession. He’s also stellar at finding pockets of space in the slot to fire shots on goal, very similar to players like Brayden Point and Logan Stankoven.
Those are two players he’s been compared to in the past, largely due to play style, but also physically.
Bjorck, alongside fellow 2026 NHL draft prospects, recently completed the Scouting Combine, where he was listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. While his game is polished on both ends, his skating is high-end, and he competes hard, his size as a center is undersized, which is holding him back from being a top-five or top-three pick in the draft.
If Bjorck were six feet, he’d compete for the first overall pick.
But if other teams ahead of the Blues are afraid of his size holding him back, that could be the best thing for the Blues. They could snatch a top-five talent in the draft at pick No. 11.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 5: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Round Two Game One of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 5, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In case you hadn’t heard, LeBron James is set to become an unrestricted free agent in less than a month.
While the Lakers have repeatedly said that they’d welcome him back with open arms, there’s no guarantee that he’s in LA next year. Or on the Lakers, at least.
If this turns out to be LeBron’s final year in the NBA, he might want to conduct his farewell tour elsewhere. It depends on how serious he is about contending for a championship next year. (There’s a clear choice for him if that’s his top priority.)
Money will also be a major determining factor. Only a handful of teams can offer him anywhere close to a max contract, and teams over the first apron can’t acquire players via sign-and-trade. That will limit his realistic free-agent options outside L.A.
With that in mind, let’s break down how he could widen his potential landing spots at each step down the salary ladder, using spending-power projections from Spotrac’s Keith Smith as our guide.
Max contract
Options: Lakers, Bulls, Nets
As of now, only three teams are projected to have anywhere near enough cap space to offer LeBron a max contract in free agency: the Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets.
LeBron could earn up to $57.75 million in 2026-27 if the salary cap lands at $165 million, although he isn’t likely to find any team willing to shell out that kind of money for him, not even the Lakers.
The Bulls and Nets are in the early stages of a rebuild, so they likely wouldn’t hold much appeal to a 41-year-old James who’s firmly in win-now territory. If James isn’t willing to take a massive pay cut from the $52.6 million that he earned this past season, re-signing with the Lakers would be his best bet… provided that they’re open to paying him that much.
Below-max contract
Options: Pistons, Hawks
Both the Pistons and Hawks can operate as cap-space teams this offseason, although neither is necessarily likely to.
The Pistons could have nearly $27 million in cap space, but that would require renouncing their free-agent rights to Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris and Kevin Huerter, among others. Unless Duren’s miserable playoff run scares them off from re-signing him (unlikely), they figure to operate as an over-the-cap team, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
The Hawks are in a similar boat. They could operate as a cap-space team, but that would mean declining their $24.3 million team option on Jonathan Kuminga and renouncing their rights to both him and CJ McCollum. Instead, they likewise figure to operate as an over-the-cap team, which would likely limit them to the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Most of these teams are in some stage of rebuilding, although the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are both poised to take a major leap forward. The Jazz acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline and landed the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, while the Wizards traded for both Trae Young and Anthony Davis ahead of the deadline and landed the No. 1 overall pick.
Would LeBron want to team back up with Davis and mentor AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer in the nation’s capital? Might he think the Jazz have the antidote to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs with their trio of 7-footers in JJJ, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler (provided they re-sign him in restricted free agency)?
But why try to beat Wemby when he could simply join him instead?
The Spurs still have Wemby, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper on rookie-scale contracts next year, which gives them far more flexibility than a typical Finals team boasts. The Thunder are still lurking as a real threat to them — James heading to San Antonio wouldn’t quite be on the same level as Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016 — but the Spurs would be clear championship favorites nonetheless.
Any team that operates under the cap this offseason will also have the $9.4 million room mid-level exception at its disposal. The Lakers, Bulls and Nets are all but guaranteed to have it, while the Hawks and Pistons could either have the room MLE or one of the other MLEs depending on what else they do in free agency.
It’s hard to imagine LeBron would be willing to settle for a $9.4 million salary, though, especially if these teams also have cap space to spend on him. The non-taxpayer MLE is likely his floor unless he’s looking to maximize his championship chances by taking a fraction of his actual on-court worth.
Some of these teams might have access to the full non-taxpayer MLE depending on what else they do this offseason, although using it would hard-cap them at the $209 million first apron. Spending the smaller $6.1 million taxpayer MLE would hard-cap them at the second apron.
If LeBron truly doesn’t care about money — after all, the man is a billionaire — being willing to take the taxpayer MLE would expand his free-agent options.
Might he want to join Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in Boston? Could he form a Klutch Sports superteam in Philly with Tyrese Maxey? Would he want a Team USA reunion with Anthony Edwards in Minnesota or Kevin Durant in Houston? Or would he consider joining Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green in Golden State?
But if he’s willing to settle for $6.1 million…
Minimum deal
Options: Any team
A veteran-minimum contract for someone with 10-plus years of NBA experience is projected to be worth nearly $3.9 million in 2026-27. (If it’s a one-year deal, it’d only count as $2.45 million on a team’s books.) That’s not too far off from the taxpayer MLE, particularly for someone as wealthy as LeBron.
If he’s willing to take a minimum deal, he can sign with any team in the NBA, even those over the second apron. That’s his cleanest path back to Cleveland or his chance to play for the New York Knicks. He could also opt to team with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray in Denver if he went that route.
If LeBron is willing to take a minimum deal, he’d effectively under cut everything that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is trying to do to increase parity throughout the league.
This is by far the funniest possible outcome.
Sign-and-trades
Options: Any team below the first apron
If LeBron wants more than the non-taxpayer MLE but wants to land on a team other than the Lakers, he could always pursue a sign-and-trade.
Teams over the first apron cannot acquire players via sign-and-trade, so that would still limit his options to the teams with the non-tax MLE at their disposal. This would also allow the Lakers to recoup something for LeBron rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.
The Cavs would have a ton of work to do to get under the first apron, but would the Lakers be interested in taking back Jarrett Allen? Would Keldon Johnson or Luke Kornet appeal to them? What about Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II?
A sign-and-trade might be the Lakers’ best-case scenario. They can only hope that LeBron isn’t willing to settle for less than $20 million, which would force other teams to find creative ways to pony up.
Jun 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) completes a double play off the bat of Minnesota Twins left fielder Trevor Larnach (9) during the third inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
It was a pitcher’s duel all day in the Twin Cities. The offense’s got going late, but it was the Royals getting the last laugh, beating the Twins 3-2 after a 2-run top of the 9th inning.
Carter Jensen hit a leadoff homer to the right field seats off Joe Ryan. The first career leadoff homer for Jensen, it was also his 8th on the season.
Luinder Avila was really good, his first 4 innings of work were hitless, with a pair of walks. He did run into trouble in the 5th. Austin Martin hit a leadoff single and Victor Caratini smashed a double off the right center field wall. Royce Lewis worked a walk, loading the bases with nobody out. Tristan Gray crushed a liner to center, but Kyle Isbel was able to get underneath it. 1-1 on the sac fly. Avila’s last pitch of the day was the biggest one, inducing Ryan Kreidler to hit into an inning ending double play.
Avila’s final line was 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts, on just 70 pitches.
The Royals had plenty of runners on against Joe Ryan but failed to capitalize. Ryan went 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and striking out 5.
Daniel Lynch IV got a 1-2-3 6th. Lucas Erceg gave up a 1 out walk, but no further damage was done in the 7th, an encouraging sign for the heavily struggling Erceg.
Matt Strahm got the 8th, after recording two quick outs, pinch hitter Orlando Arcia launched his first homer of the year to put the Twins in front 2-1. Strahm quickly retired the next batter to end the inning.
Isaac Collins led off the 9th with a single, Tyler Tolbert pinch ran for him and stole second base. Josh Rojas reached on a fielder’s choice, on a grounder back to the pitcher, but the throw went to second trying to get Tolbert, his headfirst dive back into the bag beat the tag.
Isbel would bunt the runners over, before Jensen tied the game with a sac fly to right. Bobby Witt Jr. up next, and he lined one over the head of Arcia at shortstop, Rojas would beat the throw home and the Royals were ahead 3-2.
Alex Lange got the 9th, trying to record a third consecutive save. He allowed a leadoff double to Kody Clemens off the right field wall but bounced back with two straight strikeouts. Caratini got hit by a 2-2 pitch, bringing up Lewis. After a long battle and full count, Lange struck him out looking.
The Royals have now clinched at least a series split; they are 4-5 on the long road trip. They are 26-39 on the season. Noah Cameron starts the finale tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT.
Jun 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Mariners halted a brief two-game losing skid today – over which the pitching staff surrendered 14 runs – with a shutout 4-0 win against the Tigers. Bryce Miller made his first non-piggyback start of the year and delivered six strong innings against the Tigers, one-hitting Detroit over six innings while striking out a season-high nine batters.
The lone hit Miller gave up could have been Detroit’s first scoring chance of the day, when Colt Keith led off the third inning with a triple. But Miller buckled down and stranded Keith at third, getting Matt Vierling to pop out, striking out Wenceel Pérez looking (and eliciting a failed challenge from Pérez to wipe out Detroit’s challenges for the game, something that would benefit the Mariners later), and handing Gleyber Torres his second of four strikeouts on the day to end the inning. Miller racked up nine strikeouts over his outing and sixteen whiffs, currently good for best in MLB today (a lead he’ll certainly surrender when Yamamoto faces the Angels tonight).
The Tigers did make Miller work; in the fourth, Kerry Carpenter battled him for 12 pitches before earning the second walk of the inning, putting runners on at first and second with just one out and creating Detroit’s best scoring opportunity of the day. But Riley Greene went after the first pitch he saw, a splitter at the bottom of the zone, for an inning-ending double play.
Miller’s velocity held well over his outing, as he was still touching 96-97 in the fifth inning before tailing off a little in the sixth, when he said he “got a little tired” and lost some of his velo and command. It didn’t help that Pérez led off the inning with another long at-bat, this time one Miller won with a ten-pitch strikeout (he was later helped out by some very generous strike calls against Gleyber Torres—but with the Tigers out of challenges, Torres had no recourse). The bullpen helped Miller’s shutout hold over the back three innings: José Ferrer overcame some early inning jangles and a leadoff walk to hang a zero, ending on a filthy strikeout of Spencer Torkelson on a 98.8 mph sinker; Matt Brash overcame a walk of his own, getting Torres looking at a sinker on the outer edge for the platinum sombrero; and Gabe Speier worked around a leadoff double and a walk of his own to complete the shutout, thanks – once again – to a Riley Greene game-ending double play.
But even if the Tigers had been able to push across one or two runs, it wouldn’t have been enough to overcome the Mariners offense, which stacked four runs in the early innings of this game. The first run came in the second inning courtesy of a Dominic Canzone double which came off the bat at 105.5 mph, traveled 417 feet, and would have been a home run at 24 other MLB parks. Dom had to settle for a double, scoring Randy Arozarena, who had walked.
The Mariners stacked on another two runs in the next inning with back-to-back singles from Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor followed by yet another double from Arozarena, who cannot be stopped. Julio scored easily, and then encouraged Naylor to follow him home, making for a close play at the plate where Naylor was luckily ruled safe. With not enough evidence to overturn, the Tigers lost their challenge and final opportunity to argue about anything in this game.
If you can look you can see Naylor toss in his sliding glove as he slides into home, which I assumed was so he had all his fingers available to touch home plate but could also serve as a distraction to the catcher. Maybe that’s part of the reason why the Tigers aren’t very happy with Josh Naylor, who got hit…somewhat obviously in his next at-bat (they’re also mad about this play last night, which seems much more dubious to read for ill intent).
But the Tigers can only complain so much in a game where they were thoroughly shut out; meanwhile, Canzone stretched the lead to 4-0, finally getting revenge on the outfield walls in Detroit with this 451-foot no-doubter, the longest hit homer by a Mariner this season.
That’s all the scoring the Mariners would do on the day, but all they would need thanks to the pitching, bouncing back after back-to-back shaky outings. Tomorrow Luis Castillo aims to prove he too deserves to be freed from the confines of the piggyback, taking the ball in the series finale against another starter with something to prove: Jack Flaherty, fighting for his place in Detroit’s rotation as the Tigers pitching is getting healthier.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 17: Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on September 17, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Forrest Gump once said that life is like a box of chocolates because you never know which kind you’re going to get. The same can be said for Matthew Liberatore this season. Will you get good Libby or bad Libby? Saturday, the Cardinals ended up with both versions, but it would be more late inning magic powered by Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar that would help St. Louis overcome Cincinnati again.
Saturday’s Cards/Reds matchup started out almost completely opposite of what went down Friday night. Instead of coming back from a 3-run deficit in the early innings to tie the game, the Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Alec Burleson and José Fermín opened up the inning with back-to-back singles. Bryan Torres then bunted both of them over and ended up on first base himself when he beat the throw to load the bases. After Pedro Pagés flew out to left, Victor Scott II came through with a partial-swing single dumping the ball into right field and scoring both Burleson and Fermin. St. Louis would get a sharp single from Masyn Winn, too, giving St. Louis their early 3-0 lead.
The St. Louis Cardinals enjoyed Good Libby for the first two innings as he didn’t allow any hits or baserunners and got through both innings throwing just 19 pitches. In the Cardinals edition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Bad Libby took the mound in the top of the 3rd and allowed the Reds to rally. He walked the first two batters, Marte and McLain. After getting one out on a bunt popup gone wrong, Liberatore got the ground ball he needed from JJ Bleday, but it went under the glove of Alec Burleson and first scoring the two runners that Liberatore walked cutting the St. Louis lead down to 3-2. Spencer Steer would hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.
Cincinnati took their first lead of the game in the top of the 4th when Dunn singled and then two batters later, McClain hit a 381 foot home run on a 85 mph Liberatore slider making it 5-3 Reds. That would end Matthew’s day as Oli Marmol brought in Gordon Graceffo to put out the fire which he did. Matthew Liberatore’s final stat line for Saturday was 4 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits, 5 runs total, 3 of them earned with 4 strikeouts and 3 unfortunate walks.
Not so fast say the comeback Cardinals. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Jordan Walker hammered a 94 mph full-count sinker and sent it off of the railing above the right-center field wall for his 16th home run of the year cutting the Reds lead to just 1.
The Cardinals and Reds would team up in the bottom of the 6th to try and cause trouble for Cincinnati. José Fermín ripped a single to center and then Bryan Torres would chop a ball into the ground toward third when Suarez would decide to not let the ball go foul and threw high to first base giving St. Louis runners on first and second with no one out. Fermin and Torres then stole the bases in front of them making it second and third with no one out. Lars Nootbaar was sent up as a pinch hitter, but the Reds intentionally walked him to load the bases because they apparently wanted Cincinnati to lose as much as we did. Oli Marmol then pinch-hit Jimmy Crooks for Pedro Pages, but he hit into a rally-killing double play. Masyn Winn’s ground out ended the inning with the Cardinals getting ZERO runs out of a bases-loaded nobody out opportunity. Even with the Reds tendencies toward self-destruction, we got nothing.
Gordon Graceffo did a solid job in relief. He allowed 2 hits, but got out of a couple jams allowing the Reds no runs during 1 2/3 innings of relief. Ryne Stanek was brought in to pitch what turned out to be a very uneventful 1-2-3 top of the 7th inning. It was George Soriano answering the bell in the top of the 8th inning. Other than a pitch clock violation and a double given up to Dunn, no real harm done as he did not allow the Reds to extend their lead.
The Cardinals would threaten in the bottom of the 8th inning when José Fermín hit the 7th pitch he saw for a single through the right side of the infield. Bryan Torres executed a perfect sacrifice bunt moving him up to second base. That brought up Lars Nootbaar who reminded everyone why we always scream NOOT! With one Lars swing, the Cardinals were back in the lead 6-5 on a 433 foot 2-run homer!
Riley O’Brien was brought in for the top of the 9th inning to confirm the win we all knew was coming in and he did, but not without drama. He allowed two 2-out hits giving Cincinnati the tying run 90 feet away. It was all down to Riley O’Brien versus Spencer Steer who he walked to load the bases for rookie Sal Stewart. That led to a Dusty Blake mound visit. Not sure what was said, but it led to a full count ground out to second to end the game. Thank you, Jimmy Crooks for that ABS appeal on the 3-1 pitch that was called a ball, but was overturned. Whew, that was too close. Somewhere, I’d like to think that former Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue is smiling watching the Reds be miserable again.
The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up a long homestand on Sunday by trying to sweep the Cincinnati Reds. Michael McGreevy is scheduled to make the start for the Cardinals while RHP Rhett Lowder will take the mound for the Reds. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm central time at Busch Stadium and the broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.
Padres left fielder Ramón Laureano will be out 4-5 months and could potentially miss the rest of the season, manager Craig Stammen announced Friday.
Laureano, who will be a free agent this offseason, went to X on Friday night during the Padres’ 5-0 loss to the Mets and posted the Bible verse “Hebrews 12:11” hours after it was announced his season could potentially be over.
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields othe peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” was the first quote from the verse.
The quote was followed by others that read “Create your own reality” and “Today is the beginning of the rest of your life.”
Earlier this week, Laureano was placed on the injured list due to what the team called right hip inflammation. On Friday, it was revealed that he has a torn labrum.
“Ramón Laureano, he had right hip surgery today to repair a labrum, which obviously is devastating news for us,” Stammen said. “Most likely out until at least the end of the season, or the entire season.”
Craig Stammen announces that Ramon Laureano had right hip surgery today to repair a labrum.
Laureano was traded from the Orioles to San Diego, alongside Ryan O’Hearn, for six minor leaguers at last year’s MLB trade deadline.
When Laureano arrived, he instantly made an impact, with nine home runs, 30 RBIs and nine doubles in 50 games.
This season, Laureano is batting .203 but has similar production to last season, with seven home runs, 21 RBIs and six doubles in 53 games.
Padres outfielder Ramon Laureano likely will miss the remainder of the season.
With Laureano potentially out for the rest of the season, San Diego will need to find a way to bounce back. The Padres’ outfield is already struggling, with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill having uncharacteristic down years.
With Gavin Sheets needed in the infield, the Padres will likely have to platoon left field between Bryce Johnson and Jase Bowen, who was called up earlier this week.
What - Game 3 (1-1) When - 8 p.m., Saturday, June 6 Where - T-Mobile Arena; Las Vegas, NV How to Watch - ABC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to steal a road win tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes evened up the series on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime comeback victory in Raleigh and they'll be hoping to keep up that momentum.
Carolina was a lot better defensively in Game 2 and if they can keep playing well on the forecheck as well, that might help give them an edge, especially if the power play can build off of the momentum from Thursday.
However, back in Vegas, the Golden Knights will control the matchups, so everyone is going to have to give that much more if they want to take control of the series.
Streaks
Shayne Gostisbehere (3g, 4a) has points in five straight games.
Jordan Staal (2g) has goals in back-to-back games.
Game Notes
Carolina and Vegas have never met in the postseason before.
This is both team's third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history (CAR - 2002, 2006, 2026; VGK - 2018, 2023, 2026).
William Carrier played for the Golden Knights from 2017-2024, winning the Cup with them in 2023.
Noah Hanifin (2015-2018) and Dylan Coghlan (2022-2024) both played for Carolina.
The Hurricanes went 0-2 against the Golden Knights in the regular season, with both games taking place in October.
All-time, the Canes have a 9-7 record against Vegas.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
Frederik Andersen: 13-2; 0.917 Sv%; 1.72 GAA
Carter Hart: 13-5; 0.917 Sv%; 2.41 GAA
Leading Scorers
Goals - Logan Stankoven (10) / Brett Howden (13)
Points - Taylor Hall (16) / Mitch Marner (24)
Power Play
Carolina - 14.5% (9/62)
Vegas - 20.8% (11/53)
Penalty Kill
Carolina - 93.3% (56/60)
Vegas - 85.2% (46/54)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen Brandon Bussi
Injuries and Scratches: Mike Reilly, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov
Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Pavel Dorofeyev Brett Howden - William Karlsson - Mitch Marner Tomas Hertl - Colton Sissons - Mark Stone Cole Smith - Nic Dowd - Keegan Kolesar
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 04: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots on Carter Hart #79 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game Two of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 04, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It appeared that the Vegas Golden Knights were going to cruise to a victory in Game 2 but the Carolina Hurricanes had other plans as they staged a comeback, though Vegas forced the contest into overtime. Still, it was Carolina who netted the overtime goal from Seth Jarvis to even the series as it heads to Vegas for the next two games.
Incredibly, every Game 2 Carolina has participated in this postseason went to overtime and they won each of them. This series saw the only difference in score.
Carolina Hurricanes Game 2's during these playoffs
April 20: Carolina 3, Ottawa 2 (2OT) May 4: Carolina 3, Philadelphia 2 (OT) May 23: Carolina 3, Montreal 2 (OT) June 4: Carolina 3, Vegas 3 heading to OT
Vegas forward Brett Howden continued his hot streak with two goals in Game 2 to bring his tally to 13 and Mark Stone scored with under two minutes left to send the game to overtime but it wasn’t enough as the series is now tied 1-1.
The biggest question for Vegas is the availability of defenseman Brayden McNabb after he took a puck to the and had to leave the building in Game 2 to get checked out at the hospital. As expected, the team has provided no clues if he’s able to return tonight. Kaedan Korczak will draw back in his place if McNabb can’t go tonight.
"[McNabb is] gonna do everything in his power to be in the lineup tonight."@6ErikJohnson on the impact of Brayden McNabb's injury ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wY8U7Nvd41
The Hurricanes looked sleepy for the first two periods of Game 2 but found their mojo in the third period and almost won in regulation. Alas, overtime was needed but Seth Jarvis was the hero to take the 4-3 victory even this entertaining series. There aren’t any anticipated lineup changes ahead of Game 3.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 13: The San Antonio Spurs honor Bill Schoening for his retirement during the game against the Toronto Raptors on April 13, 2025 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Bill Schoening, Jacob Tobey and Jeph Duarte: surely you’ve heard all their names before and know what they all have in common: the San Antonio Spurs! Bill is the former “voice of the Spurs” and was their radio announcer for 24 amazing years before retiring last summer, Jacob just finished his second season as the Spurs broadcast’s play-by-play announcer, and of course, Jeph is one of our own here at Pounding the Rock, who presents us with some good reading and thoughts for conversation to look forward to every morning.
But there’s something else they all have in common: they’re all musically inclined, and next Thursday, Bill Schoening & Friends will be performing live at Sam’s Burger Joint near downtown San Antonio to celebrate his latest EP Collaborations songwriting release. Bill will be sharing Spurs stories from his more than 2,000 called games. He will be joined by Jacob and Jeph! What more can you ask for than to watch the radio, TV and Pounding the Rock voices of the Spurs all in one place?
There will be Spurs swag giveaways and door prizes celebrating the Spurs historic 2025-2026 season.
If you’re interested, you can click here to purchase tickets. Ticket count is limited to 8 tickets per party, and while reservation of a booth can be reserved for an extra cost, a general admission ticket is still required to see the show, and seating is otherwise limited and on a first come, first serve basis, so be ready to stand. Below is the information for the event. Will you be there?
Bill Schoening & Friends
Featuring: Bill Schoening, Jeph Duarte, Jacob Tobey
The Dodgers celebrated Pride Night on Friday night at Uniqlo Field and donned their traditional Pride Night hats.
Just before Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 victory over the Angels, Blake Treinen came out of the bullpen in the top half of the inning and wore a different hat.
Last night the Los Angeles Dodgers had their pride night as every player was wearing pride hats.
Treinen donned the Dodgers’ usual blue and white “LA” hat, while the rest of the team wore an LGBTQ+-inspired hat that had the color of the rainbow on the “LA” logo.
Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen did not wear the LGBTQ+-inspired hat Friday night. Getty Images
The Dodgers have worn the LGBTQ+-inspired hats annually since they first did it during a road game against the Giants in 2022.
The teams made history that day, as it was the first time two teams wore rainbow hats during a game.
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 6, 2026
It’s unknown why Treinen didn’t wear the same hat as the rest of his teammates, but the special event has been celebrated by the Dodgers for the last 13 years.
The Dodgers Pride Night event kicked off with festivities celebrated throughout the ballpark.
Treinen threw one pitch to end the top of the ninth inning Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Getty Images
The display features pictures and a rainbow on the wall of former Dodgers players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, who were the first professional baseball players to openly come out as being gay after they retired.
When Treinen came into the game, he needed to throw only one pitch and got Oswald Peraza to ground out to end the inning.
On Saturday, the Dodgers donned their traditional blue and white “LA” hats for the second game of the series against the Angels at Dodger Stadium.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 30: The sneakers worn by Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Stephon Castle had his head turned back toward Victor Wembanyama as if he was ready to catch an outlet pass from the big man and push the ball up the court before Wembanyama threw the ball off Castle’s back in the final seconds of Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
A new video angle shows what Wembanyama was seeing Friday night after he grabbed the defensive rebound of Jalen Brunson’s missed shot with the score tied at 104-104 and 11.8 seconds remaining.
With the Spurs foregoing their timeout, Wembanyama took a step, a dribble and another step before passing to Castle.
By that time, Castle had turned his head forward and was running up court past the Spurs bench and near the scorer’s table under the assumption that Wembanyama was going to dribble across midcourt.
Victor Wembanyama’s errant pass and foul cost the Spurs in their NBA Finals Game 2 loss to the Knicks. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
Brunson’s eyes were locked on Wembanyama and he read the miscommunication perfectly, jumping forward to grab the loose ball before Castle even knew what hit him. Literally.
Brunson corralled the ball on the sideline just as Wembanyama caught up to the pass and bumped Brunson to the ground for a foul with 9.5 seconds to go.
“I threw that one away,” Wembanyama said. “I messed up. It’s like the body reacts quicker than the mind. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course.
“Am I going to use that to fuel me and fuel us to the next game? Absolutely.”
Victor Wembanyama fouls Jalen Brunson late in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Castle’s first instinct as Wembanyama corralled the rebound was to get skinny, a slowed-down version of the video shows.
“I didn’t see him throw it to me,” Castle said. “I see Vic has the ball, tie game. I was just trying to give Vic space.”
Last September, the Buffalo Sabres signed goalie Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season. Yet, due to the Sabres' goalie depth, Georgiev never played in a game for Buffalo and was assigned to the Rochester Americans ahead of the campaign.
Georgiev played in just two games for the Amerks this season, where he had a 0-2-0 record, an .896 save percentage, and a 3.57 goals-against average. He then terminated his contract with the Sabres in November and signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva of the KHL.
The move to the KHL certainly benefited Georgiev this season, as he had a 12-10-2 record, a .918 save percentage, a 2.37 goals-against average, and two shutouts in 24 games.
Now, after his strong KHL season, Georgiev has terminated his contract with Spartak Moskva. In addition, his agent Stanislav Romanov shared with Hockey News Hub that Georgiev's goal is to return to the NHL.
When looking at the season Georgiev had in the KHL, it makes sense that he wants to see what NHL offers could be out there for him.
With Georgiev being a former All-Star, the possibility of him getting some interest this off-season from NHL clubs should not be ruled out. He could be a decent backup for a team looking to add some depth between the pipes.
In 303 games over eight NHL season, Georgiev has a 151-108-26 record, a .903 save percentage, and a 2.99 goals-against average. He last played at the NHL level during the 2024-25, where he had a 15-26-4 record, an .875 save percentage, and a 3.71 goals-against average in 49 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.
