It has been an excellent off-season for the Montreal Canadiens, as they notably brought in star defenseman Noah Dobson and young forward Zack Bolduc in two separate trades. Yet, they might not be done yet, as there has been plenty of talk about the Canadiens wanting to find an upgrade for their second-line center spot.
Now, the Canadiens are being connected to a very notable center - Nazem Kadri.
In his latest Off-Season Trade Board for Sportsnet, NHL insider Nick Kypreos reported that the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs are linked to Kadri and that the veteran center "appears to be willing" to waive his no-movement clause to join either club.
Kypreos writes:
"Two teams that Kadri continues to be linked to and appear to be willing to lift his no-move clause for are the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs."
If the Canadiens were to bring in Kadri, he would certainly give them a major boost at the center position. The 34-year-old forward is coming off another strong season with the Flames, as he scored a career-high 35 goals and recorded 67 points in 82 games. This was after he had 29 goals and 75 points in 82 games with the Flames during the 2023-24 campaign.
Besides still being an impactful top-six forward at this stage of his career, Kadri would also provide value for the Canadiens because of his experience. He could be a good mentor for the Canadiens' young players as they look to continue to head in the right direction. This is especially so when noting that he has won the Stanley Cup before.
Kadri would also be a long-term investment for the Canadiens if acquired, as he has a $7 million cap hit until the completion of the 2028-29 season. Thus, there would be some risk in acquiring Kadri, as he will be 38 years old once his deal expires. However, with Kadri still being a star at this point in his career, it could very well be a gamble worth taking for a Canadiens team on the rise.
However, with Kadri previously playing for the Maple Leafs, it would also be understandable if he is open to returning to Toronto. The 2009 seventh-overall pick spent the first 10 years of his career as a Maple Leaf, posting 161 goals and 357 points in 561 games. With this, it would certainly take some time to get used to seeing Kadri on the Canadiens if they acquired him.
Dan Serafini warms up before a 2013 exhibition spring training game against the Angels in Tempe, Ariz. Serafini pitched for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. (Morry Gash / Associated Press)
Dan Serafini was a first-round draft pick from a prestigious private high school. He pitched professionally for 22 seasons and earned more than $14 million while with six Major League teams and two in the Japanese League.
Now he might spend the rest of his life in prison.
Serafini, 51, was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the 2021 shooting death of his father-in-law, Robert Gary Spohr, 70. He also was found guilty of the attempted murder of Spohr's wife, Wendy Wood, and first-degree burglary.
Serafini entered the Spohrs' Lake Tahoe home June 5, 2021, where prosecutors said he secretly waited with a .22 caliber gun for several hours for the victims to return before ambushing them. Two children, ages 3 years and 8 months, were in the home at the time.
“The guilty verdicts come after a six-week trial during which the jury heard testimony from dozens of witnesses and the presentation of physical evidence, including digital, cell phone, and other forensic evidence,” according to a Facebook post from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
According to evidence presented at trial, when the Spohrs arrived, Serafini shot both of them in the head and fled the house. Wood survived and called 911. She died by suicide in 2023.
Two years later police arrested Serafini and his nanny-turned-lover, Samantha Scott, 33. Scott pleaded guilty in February to an accessory charge.
Serafini's motive centered on a $1.3-million dispute over the renovation of a ranch, according to prosecutors. Serafini, prosecutors said, hated his in-laws and had written "I'm gonna kill them one day" in a text message mentioning $21,000, according to ABC News Sacramento affiliate KXTV. The victims had given $90,000 to Serafini's wife, Erin, the day of the shootings.
"It's been four years since my mom and dad were shot, and it's been four years of just hell," said Adrienne Spohr, the victims' daughter and Serafini's sister-in-law, said after the verdict.
Adrienne Spohr was heard gasping and crying along with others in the courtroom when the verdict was read aloud, according to KXTV. Serafini shook his head in disagreement.
The mandatory minimum for first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement is 25 years to life, but could increase to 35 years depending on how the charges are applied.
"My parents had been incredibly generous to Daniel Serafini and Erin Spohr throughout their marriage," Adrienne Spohr said earlier in the trial.
The Minnesota Twins made Serafini their first-round draft pick in 1992 out of Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, the same school all-time home run king Barry Bonds attended. Serafini made his big league debut in 1996 with the Twins and pitched in parts of seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.
Serafini pitched in Japan from 2004-2007 before returning to the U.S. He was suspended for 50 games in 2007 for using performance-enhancing drugs that he blamed on medication he took in Japan. He also pitched for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
On June 28, 2015, Serafini's bar in Sparks, Nev., was featured on an episode of Bar Rescue. The bar's named was changed from The Bullpen Bar to The Oak Tavern as part of the makeover, but not before his financial woes were described as blowing through $14 million in career earnings and taking a $250,000 loan from his parents.
Serafini's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 18. He will remain in custody without bail until then.
"At this point, our focus is on the sentencing and making sure that Dan Serafini never sees the outside of a jail ever again," Adrienne Spohr said.
Despite the offseason departure of Dan Vladar to the Philadelphia Flyers and a few lingering questions heading into training camp, the Calgary Flames appear confident in their goaltending situation for the 2025-26 season.
That confidence begins — and largely rests — with sophomore sensation Dustin Wolf.
Dustin Wolf: The Reign Begins
Coming off a stellar rookie season, Wolf is poised to take full control of the Flames’ crease.
The 24-year-old from Gilroy, California, delivered an eye-opening debut in 2024-25, going 29-16-8 with a 2.64 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and three shutouts. His 29 wins led all NHL rookies and came within one victory of tying Mike Vernon’s Flames franchise record for wins by a rookie netminder.
Wolf’s resume continues to grow at a rapid pace. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting, received consideration for both the Vezina and Hart trophies, and became the first Flames goalie ever named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
But it’s not just the stats that set Wolf apart. He’s mentally unflappable — cool, calm, and fiercely committed to his craft. A two-time winner of the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award as the AHL’s top goaltender and the 2023 AHL MVP, Wolf has already proven he thrives under pressure. With another step forward, don’t be surprised if his name enters the Vezina conversation this season.
Ivan Prosvetov: An X-Factor with Upside
Newly signed Ivan Prosvetov brings international experience and intriguing upside to the fold.
The 26-year-old netminder inked a one-year, $950,000 deal with Calgary on July 1 after a strong season with CSKA Moscow in the KHL, where he posted a 20-16-2 record, a 2.32 GAA, a .920 Sv%, and four shutouts.
Originally drafted 144th overall by Arizona in 2018, Prosvetov has bounced between the NHL and AHL, logging eight wins in 24 NHL appearances and most recently spending time in the Colorado Avalanche system.
He’s athletic, aggressive, and now entering his prime. If he can find consistency, Prosvetov could emerge as a reliable backup or even push for starts behind Wolf.
Devin Cooley: Steady, Ready, and Waiting
Devin Cooley (Los Gatos, CA) adds more California flair to the Flames’ crease and could quietly earn an opportunity to contribute this season.
With Vladar gone and Wolf entrenched as the starter, the 6-foot-5, 198-pound Cooley finds himself in position to compete for the backup role. He spent last season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, appearing in 46 games and posting a 21-17-5 record, 2.94 GAA, .905 Sv%, and three shutouts. His performance earned him his first AHL All-Star selection.
Cooley also appeared in six NHL games for the San Jose Sharks in 2023-24, picking up two wins in limited action. While his NHL experience is brief, he brings poise and reliability, and he could step in capably if called upon.
Between the breakout potential of Wolf, the KHL-tested steadiness of Prosvetov, and the readiness of Cooley, there’s plenty to be optimistic about in Calgary’s crease this season.
The 30-year-old has been under contract with the Kraken since he was first brought into the organization, appearing in four NHL games. Now, he's on an AHL contract and would have to sign a two-way deal to play in the NHL.
The 6-foot-3, Swedish defenseman was once a second-round pick (46th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, but as his career has moved along, he's transitioned into a solid defenseman in the AHL rather than the NHL.
The 30-year-old has the leadership qualities that will help the young Kraken prospects develop throughout their farm system.
ATLANTA — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport is in better position to reach national broadcasting agreements for 2026-28 after he attended the annual Allen & Co. Conference of media and finance leaders in Idaho.
ESPN said in February it was ending after this season its agreement to broadcast Sunday night games, the All-Star Home Run Derby and the Wild Card Series. MLB's other agreements, with Fox and TBS, run through the 2028 season, and MLB wants all its national broadcast contracts to end at the same time.
Manfred said in early June he hoped to reach a deal before the All-Star break.
“I had a great week last week. I was in Sun Valley,” he told the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday. “I had a lot of conversations that moved us significantly closer to a deal and I don’t believe it’s going to be long.”
MLB has been starting to assemble local rights and this season is producing and distributing broadcasts of Arizona, Cleveland, Colorado, Minnesota and San Diego.
“I think it’s very important, in fact, crucial, that when we go to the market for our post-'28 deals, that we have the ability to say to our broadcast partners: We have all these rights, what have traditionally been our national, what have traditionally have been our local, let’s cut them up in a way that is the best in terms of reaching our fans and maximizing our revenue," he said. “And I think in an environment that’s as disrupted as the current media environment, that kind of flexibility is absolutely crucial.”
“I see the MLB media operating of clubs as an interim arrangement to get us to 2028,” he added. “It’s not a goal that I’m pursuing in and of itself. Rather, it is an interim step for clubs that we happen to provide the best alternative given what’s happened in the local markets.”
Manfred describes broadcast rights and the collective bargaining agreement as key factors in franchise values. The economic study committee established two years ago has looked into those issues.
“It was never a mask for labor,” Manfred said. “It was a process designed to think through why, what about our economic system has put us in a position where our franchise values have not grown as quickly as some other sports and try to figure out how we might fix that.”
Tampa Bay, controlled by Stuart Sternberg since October 2005, said last month it had entered exclusive discussions for a sale to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove and Ken Babby, and The Athletic reported Monday that a sale is expected to be finalized by September.
“I have no reason to quibble with or dispute the reports that have been out there,” Manfred said.
Because of damage caused to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg last October by Hurricane Milton, the Rays are playing home games this season at Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees spring training facility in Tampa.
“We think we’re going to be ready to play in ‘26 in the Trop,” Manfred said, adding that there are contingency plans to start the season elsewhere before moving to Tropicana Field later in the year if the stadium isn’t ready by opening day. He didn't say what the contingency plans were.
The Pohlad family announced last October it was exploring a sale of the team, which the family has controlled since 1984. Justin Ishbia, a brother of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, was thought to be interested, but the Chicago White Sox announced last month he was becoming a limited partner in a deal that could allow him to become the controlling owner.
“A big part of the delay in Minnesota was associated with the leader in clubhouse making the decision to do something else,” Manfred said. “There will be a transaction. You just need to be patient while they rework.”
Moving from Oakland, the Athletics are playing the first of what the team says will be three seasons at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento.
“If I had a brand new gleaming stadium to move them into, we would have done that,” Manfred said. “Right now it is my expectation that they will play in Sacramento until they move to Las Vegas."
Manfred addressed MLB's efforts to monitor sports gambling, which led in June 2024 to a lifetime ban of San Diego's Tucupita Marcano along with one-year suspensions of four players, the firing of umpire Pat Hoberg in February and a pending probe into Cleveland pitcher Luis Ortiz.
MLB increased efforts after the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down a federal law that had barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.
“I know there was a lot of sports betting, tons of it that went on illegally and we had no idea, no idea what threats there were to the integrity of the play because it was all not transparent," Manfred said. "I firmly believe that the transparency and monitoring that we have in place now, as a result of the legalization and the partnerships that we’ve made, puts us in a better position to protect baseball than we were in before.”
MLB has hoped for legal modifications, including around prop bets.
“There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable, things where it’s one single act doesn’t affect the outcome necessarily,” he added.
MLB removed mention of its diversity from its MLB Careers webpage in March, following the start of the Trump administration.
“Sometimes you have to look at how the world’s changing around you and readjust where you are,” Manfred said. “There were certain aspects of some of our programs that were very, very explicitly race-based and/or gender-based. We know because there were public comments to the effect that people in Washington were aware of that and we felt it was important to recast our programs in a way to make sure that we can continue on with our programs, to continue to pursue the values that we have always adhered to without tripping what could be legal problems that would interfere with that process.”
Manfred mentioned Baltimore, Boston and Toronto as possible future sites for All-Star Games.
Manfred wouldn't speculate whether MLB will try to cut minor league affiliates from 120 to 90 when current Professional Development Licenses expire after the 2030 season.
“There is a lot going on. College baseball's changing big time,” he said. “It’s just impossible for me to speculate but don’t take that as he thinks it’s going to be smaller or bigger.”
Now that we are in the middle of July, things have slowed down significantly in the NHL. This happens every summer, as most of this year's free agents have been signed. While this is the case, trades can start to pick up as teams look to finalize their rosters at this point of the off-season.
When observing potential teams who could make at least one more trade before the season starts, the Chicago Blackhawks certainly stand out. The Central Division club currently has over $22 million of cap space, so they are in a prime position to do some business.
When looking at the Blackhawks' roster, it is certainly fair to say that they could use another impactful forward. Bringing in a scoring winger to help Connor Bedard take that next step would be significant for the Original Six club. However, they could also consider simply improving their depth with some of the money they have available.
With the Blackhawks still building their team up, they are also in a position where they could acquire a player with a bad contract if it means landing a good draft pick or prospect in return for doing so. The Pittsburgh Penguins recently did this when they acquired a 2028 second-round pick from the Dallas Stars for taking on Matt Dumba's $3.75 million cap hit. Perhaps the Blackhawks could be the next team to do something like this.
Overall, with the Blackhawks having a lot of money available, they certainly should be watched this summer. It will be intriguing to see if they end up using their cap space to their advantage before the season begins from here.
The Buffalo Sabres were excited when Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka was available with the ninth overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft last month, and after seeing the 18-year-old Czech blueliner up close at the club’s development camp earlier this month, GM Kevyn Adams made quick work at getting the big blueliner signed to a three-year entry-level contract on Tuesday.
Mrtka offers an intriguing physical package at 6’6”, 218 lb. with excellent skating ability. After getting limited playing time in various levels in Czechia last season and playing for his country in the Under-18s, the big right hander came to North America to play in the WHL and posted 35 points (3 goals, 32 assists) in 43 games with the Thunderbirds.
"Mrtka (offers a) very unique package to be able to move the way he does at 6'6", (is) almost more agile with the puck, if that's possible," Sabres Asst GM Jerry Forton said before the draft. "A smart player at both ends. I was over in Czechia early in the year when he wasn't getting a lot of playing time in the men's league over there to see what he was willing to do to move to North America. He comes from a background where he has very little in the way of resources for hockey or anything outside hockey. He uprooted, high character kid, a huge ceiling."
The Sabres will host the 2025 Prospects Challenge in September 11th to 15th and it is expected that Mrtka will be in attendance, but that will only serve as a preview of things to come, as the 18-year-old will likely return to Seattle for another WHL season to hone his skills, as well as being selected to play for Czechia in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships.
It’s official! ⚔️
We have signed defenseman Radim Mrtka to a three-year, entry-level contract.
"With these young players, they take time. You don't want to rush them," Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said after the first round. Philosophically, I always feel like they'll tell us when they're ready, and then you make room. If that means right away, it's great. If it means a year, two years, three years, you just don't know, but there's a, there's a good player there and we project him as a top four right-shot defenseman whenever that time comes, we'll see."
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
ATLANTA — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday he expects the $1.7 billion sale of the Tampa Bay Rays from Stu Sternberg to Jacksonville, Fla., developer Patrick Zalupski to move forward. Sporticobroke the news that the two sides were in advanced talks in June.
“I have no reason to quibble with or dispute the rumors that are out there about the Tampa sale,” Manfred said during his annual pre-All-Star Game briefing with members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
As far as the process is concerned, Zalupski must be vetted by MLB’s owners committee, which will pass its recommendation on to the 29 other owners for a vote. As in all ownership issues, 75% of that group must approve the franchise transfer.
Manfred would not comment on the current status of the sale process. Sternberg bought the team in 2004 for $200 million.
Sternberg has previously scuttled two deals related to ballpark projects on both sides of Tampa Bay. Most recently, the team pulled out of a projected $1.3 billion ballpark deal in St. Petersburg adjacent to the hurricane damaged Tropicana Field earlier this year. Manfred had urged Sternberg to sell the Rays after that.
The Rays are playing this season in 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The team will remain in the Tampa Bay area for at least the next three seasons by virtue of their lease with the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., and depending on when the facility is reopened. A new home will be addressed when and if the team is sold.
Manfred said he expects the renovated facility to be ready by the start of the 2026 season, but MLB has contingencies if that doesn’t happen.
“Look, we think we’re going to be ready to play 2026 in the Trop,” Manfred said. “I’m not going to get into details, but we do have contingency plans if the Trop is not ready to go in 2026. This is not the Rays telling us we’re going to be ready. We have our own engineers on site monitoring construction, so we do believe we’re going to be ready to go.”
The St. Pete City Council voted in April to apportion $22.5 million to reconstruct the roof of the ballpark, which is made of Teflon slats that were destroyed last October by Hurricane Milton. By contract, the government entity is legally required to maintain Tropicana and repair it in the case of catastrophic damage.
The roof slats are being manufactured overseas and are not expected to be installed until after the current hurricane season.
More funds will be needed to fix flood damage inside the ballpark, which is expected to become more severe throughout the rest of the summer. The entire repair could cost in excess of $50 million.
As far as where the Rays might play postseason games in 2025 if they happen to make the playoffs, Manfred told the Tampa Bay Times that it will be at Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays are currently fourth and 5.5 games back in the American League East and fourth in the AL Wild Card race, 1.5 games behind Seattle in the third spot.
“Our rule has always been that people play in their home stadiums during the World Series,” Manfred said. “And I’m not of a mind to change that rule. I understand it’s a unique situation. It’s different, but that’s where they’re playing. That’s where they’re going to play their games.”
The American League had struggled to score any runs through six innings of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, then Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker came to the plate.
Rooker crushed a three-run, pinch-hit home run off San Francisco Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez in the top of the seventh inning to break up the National League’s shutout, driving a 2-0 four-seam fastball 407 feet over the left-center field wall at Truist Park to make it 6-3.
Rooker somehow was able to lay off two nasty sliders from Rodriguez, who entered the Midsummer Classic as far and away the best reliever in all of MLB.
“I don’t know how I took those two sliders,” Rooker told FOX Sports’ Tom Verducci in the dugout after his homer. “They were really good pitches, I don’t know. I somehow shut it down on them, and then I was swinging no matter what on that 2-0 pitch hoping it was a fastball, and it happened to be a fastball.”
Rooker told Verducci he felt “a little more comfortable” coming into his second All-Star Game, and it certainly showed at the plate.
The homer comes one day after Rooker seemingly was robbed of an opportunity to advance in the Home Run Derby on Monday night when eventual champion Cal Raleigh hit a decisive first-round homer just .08 inches further than the A’s star.
Cal Raleigh advanced to the second round of the Home Run Derby by winning the tiebreaker over Brent Rooker by less than an inch 😳 pic.twitter.com/4O27P4BWyU
But Rooker’s latest homer came when it counted in the All-Star Game, and he kept the AL from leaving Atlanta without scoring a run.
The AL ended up rallying from their 6-0 deficit, scoring six unanswered runs before eventually tying the game in the top of the ninth inning and forcing the first-ever Home Run Derby tiebreaker in All-Star Game history after the NL failed to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth.
Rooker did his part with two homers, but the AL lost the swing-off and the NL emerged victorious.
There are questions around the race contenders’ teams but Wout van Aert’s form could be key for the Danish challenger
There is always a sense of phoney war in the run-in to the Tour de France’s first stage in the high mountains, and at least one debate of the opening 10 days of this year’s race fits that context to a T. Has Jonas Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team at times been towing the bunch deliberately in order to ensure that Tadej Pogacar retains the yellow jersey? It’s a gloriously arcane question, the kind that only comes up in the Tour’s opening phase, but it distracts from a point that could be key in the next 10 days: how the two teams manage the race will probably be decisive.
Firstly, a brief explainer. The received wisdom in cycling lore is that holding the yellow jersey early in a Grand Tour can be as much a curse as a blessing, because the daily media and podium duties cut into recovery time. Hence the thinking goes that Visma might have been chasing down the odd move purposely to keep Pogacar in the maillot jaune, so that he will be answering media questions and hanging about waiting to go on the podium, while Vingegaard has his feet up. Only Visma’s management know if this was the case, but what is certain is that the febrile atmosphere between the two teams will intensify from here on in.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith, watching a walk-off home run against the San Diego Padres last month, was named an All-Star for the third consecutive season. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The hierarchy of stars was obvious even in the table arrangements.
At an All-Star Game media day event on Monday at the Roxy Coca-Cola Theater in Atlanta, the Dodgers’ five All-Star representatives were in the same area of the large venue.
In the first row, basking under large spotlights near an elevated stage, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw were positioned front and center, expected to attract so many reporters that retractable ropes lined the perimeter of their podiums.
And even then, where Yamamoto’s media contingent stretched several rows deep, Smith’s rarely swelled beyond a few people.
He was a third-time All-Star, National League starter and batting title contender — once again relegated to the background of the sport's public consciousness.
“He’s up there as far as being overlooked,” Dodgers manager and NL All-Star skipper Dave Roberts said of his ever-present but easily forgotten backstop. “You know what you’re going to get, but you probably don’t appreciate it as much as you should.”
Appreciated, Smith has not been this year. Not fully, at the very least.
Entering the All-Star break, the 30-year-old slugger is a distant leader in the NL batting race, sporting a .323 mark that outpaces the next closest qualified hitter (his recently slumping teammate, Freeman) by a whopping 26 points.
Smith also has 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .965 OPS (which trails only his two-way teammate, Ohtani) in addition to a 15% walk rate (fifth-best in the league).
According to Fangraphs’ all-encompassing wRC+ metric, only Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh have been more productive hitters this season.
And he’s done it all while shepherding a banged-up Dodgers pitching staff, helping keep the team atop the NL West despite it having used 35 different arms through the first half of the year.
“For him to go out there, catching these guys, having your team in first place, and then you’re hitting .325, I don’t think people are paying attention to that,” Freeman said Monday, peering through a forest of reporters to catch a glimpse of Smith over his shoulder. “People are gonna tune into the All-Star Game, they’ll throw his numbers up on the TV, and they’re gonna be like, ‘Whoa, that’s a really good season.’”
But for as well as Smith has played, the seven-year veteran remains somewhat obscured from the public spotlight.
He is, as Roberts jokingly puts it, the most “vanilla” of the team’s collection of spotlight talent. He doesn’t have jaw-dropping highlights like Ohtani. He doesn’t have a signature World Series moment such as Freeman. He isn’t excelling at a new position such as Mookie Betts. And even when he is swarmed by reporters around the ballpark, it’s usually to field questions about catching the Dodgers’ star Japanese trio of Ohtani, Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
“Honestly, I don’t really care,” he said Monday. “That stuff has never been important to me. Being ‘the guy’ or not, any of that. I show up, play baseball every day, try to help the team win, try to be a good teammate, try to lead the pitchers, and ultimately try to win a World Series every year. That’s what’s important to me.”
This year, Smith was voted an All-Star starter for the first time by fans. But, he isn’t even the most talked about catcher at this week’s festivities in Atlanta, overshadowed again by Raleigh and his 38 first-half home runs — making the slugger affectionately known as “Big Dumper,” who also won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, the best current catcher in baseball in the eyes of many around the sport.
“Will’s just always kind of really under the radar, for whatever reason,” Kershaw said. “He’s been unbelievable for us, at a position that’s really important and very demanding.”
For Smith, the true joy of this year has simply been his health.
Two years ago, he slumped mightily in the second half of 2023 (finishing the year with a .797 OPS) while battling a broken rib he had suffered that April. This spring, Roberts revealed that Smith’s underwhelming performance in 2024 (when he posted more career lows with a .248 average and .760 OPS) was hampered by an ankle injury that again plagued his second-half performance.
“The last couple years, I had some, not major things, but some tough injuries,” Smith said. “But that’s my decision to play through them.”
Now, however, he is back at full physical capacity, allowing him to work counts (he has almost as many walks, 45, as strikeouts, 55), punish fastballs (a pitch he struggled against the last two years) and maintain the most consistent production of any hitter in the Dodgers’ juggernaut lineup.
“I just feel like I have a really good understanding of my swing right now,” Smith said. “It’s a long season, it comes and goes. But for whatever reason this year, I’ve been able to keep it more than I haven’t. So that’s been fun. Credit to the hitting coaches as well for keeping me in that spot. I just have a really good understanding of what I’m doing up there.”
In his typically modest fashion, Smith sidestepped a question about his chances of winning the batting title, something no catcher has done since Buster Posey in 2012.
“I’ve never been one to chase awards or anything,” he said. “I think when you do that, it probably doesn’t go your way, you put too much pressure [on yourself]. So just trying to have one good at-bat at a time, help the team win that day.”
At his current pace, he could be a recipient for MVP votes for the first time in his career as well, although the Dodgers’ careful management of his playing time has left him ranked ninth in the NL in wins above replacement to this point, according to Fangraphs.
“What he’s doing is Buster Posey-ish, Joe Mauer-ish,” Freeman said, citing the only other backstop this century with a batting title (Mauer won three with Minnesota in the late 2000s). “When you’re leading the league in hitting and you’re catching, it’s really hard to do. You’re calling games. It’s almost like they’re more worried about putting up a zero than they are about hitting.”
In time, Freeman believes, Smith’s Q-rating will continue to rise, especially if he keeps replicating the kind of numbers he has posted this season.
“I think it just takes maybe a couple times [being here at the All-Star Game],” Freeman said. “We all know in L.A. how special he is. Obviously, the front office extended him 10 years. So, hopefully now that he’s starting in the All-Star Game, he’s gonna get that national recognition.”
But even if he doesn’t, he hardly seems to be bothered by his second-tier (and, on Monday, second-row) status.
“I just think he’s resolved to not having to be at the forefront,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t ever self-promote. He doesn’t need notoriety or attention. He just wants to win. Some players thrive on getting attention. He’s certainly not one of those guys.”
When Paul Maurice and Kris Knoblauch met in the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year, they did so at an incredibly volatile time for coaches in the NHL.
The pair probably had the safest jobs in the league – but only because neither one had missed a final during their current tenures. Pity Peter DeBoer then, as the Dallas Stars sent their former bench boss packing after he and his team fell in the conference final once again – oh, and after he’d buried his starting goaltender in the press right before he got the ax.
But it is wild how short the lifespan of an NHL coach has become.
Sure, you can be recycled to another franchise, but sticking in one place for more than a couple of years? That’s a rarity these days.
Consider this: the Panthers hired Maurice on June 22, 2022. The only peers who have been with their current NHL teams longer are Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar, Rod Brind’Amour, Martin St-Louis and Bruce Cassidy.
In fact, Cooper is the only coach in the NHL who’s been with his team for more than a decade, and given the success Tampa Bay has enjoyed recently, that’s understandable.
But what if, in an alternate dimension, the Lightning had fired Cooper after Tampa Bay was swept in the first round by Columbus back in 2019? Tampa had just won the Presidents’ Trophy, and the loss was one of the most shocking in NHL history. Even just six years later, it seems GMs have much itchier trigger fingers. Cooper, of course, retained his job and immediately helmed the Bolts to three straight Cup finals, winning two. So, ya know, patience is a virtue.
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As I ponder the constantly spinning coaching carousel – there will be nine teams with new coaches to begin 2025-26 at this point – my thoughts drift closer to Jonathan Swift than Jonathan Toews.
Why would you want to be an NHL coach these days? Employment lifespan is right up there with Spinal Tap drummers and anyone in a red shirt on a Star Trek mission.
If and when you do get fired, it means moving to another city, buying or renting another place, perhaps selling your old place and uprooting your family. It’s the same thing NHL players go through when they’re traded or move via free agency, but it’s in a shorter time frame.
Want to have your mind blown? Former Oilers right winger Corey Perry has been famously nomadic in recent seasons, but only 12 NHL coaches have been in their current position before Perry signed in Edmonton on Jan. 22, 2024.
With that in mind, I think the hottest NHL coaching candidate out there has it right. That would be David Carle, who recently signed a contract extension with the University of Denver.
He has won two NCAA titles and two World Junior Championship gold medals (with Team USA) as a head coach, and with Carle only being 35, he still has decades to go in his career if he should so choose. Numerous NHL teams have kicked the tires on Carle, but he has been clear that because he has a young family in Denver and is already in a great spot with the NCAA’s Pioneers, the situation would have to be impossible to turn down. And I get it.
Sure, the NHL is at the top of the pyramid, but coaches can build incredible legacies elsewhere. Red Berenson will always be a legend at the University of Michigan thanks to his 33 years with the Wolverines, while Jack Parker and Jerry York had their own iconic runs at Boston University and Boston College. In the OHL, you had Brian Kilrea in Ottawa and now Dale Hunter in London. I ran into Berenson at the 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal, and it’s still fun to talk Michigan hockey with him, even though he’s not behind the bench anymore.
Carle could be that legend in the making. He’s clearly a gifted coach, and given how consistently good Denver is, you can probably telegraph at least a couple more national titles for the Pios in the coming years. So, what would you rather do: work a fulfilling job in the same place for 20 years or take a riskier – albeit more glamorous – one that may only last two or three seasons?
Coaches are just like players; they’re competitive. So, it makes sense they want that NHL job. But perhaps Carle will prove there’s another career path that is just as rewarding – with a more loyal employer.
This article, lightly edited for updates, appeared in our 2025 Champions Collector's Edition, where we commemorate the Florida Panthers' back-to-back Stanley Cups. Also, we feature the champs from leagues across the hockey world, count down the season's top 10 moments and look at breakout players to watch for 2025-26.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
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