Brian Kelly said Swinney was "either a really good grader for giving himself a 58 or he's a really hard grader on us."
Deion Sanders to play freshman quarterback Julian Lewis in Week 2
Colorado coach Deion Sanders is adding a new quarterback to the mix after a season-opening loss to Georgia Tech.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Kyle Bradish, Payton Tolle, and Sal Stewart
We are officially in the fantasy baseball championship push.
Whether you’re trying to hold onto a top spot, pushing the leader, desperately trying to play catch up, or positioning yourself for playoff matchups, reinforcements and upside are vital this time of year.
Most waiver wires have been picked over though and it’s difficult to find impact players readily available in most leagues at this point in the season.
Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers that help push us towards glory.
Roman Anthony surges, and Sal Stewart and Payton Tolle crack the top 200 in their rankings debuts.
Matthew PouliotHere are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding.
If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his extendedwaiver wire piece on Sunday.
Kyle Bradish, SP Orioles
(38% Rostered on Yahoo)
Out for more than a calendar year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, Bradish has been better than expected upon returning. Through two starts, he’s struck out 15 batters and walked two in 10 innings and only allowed four earned runs (3.60 ERA).
Most of that production came in his first start off the injured list when he struck out 10 Red Sox over six innings and allowed two runs via two solo homers.
His slider and curveball were sharp and combined for 11 total swings-and-misses while his fastball and sinker each sat around 95 mph, exactly where they were pre-surgery. It was a very encouraging return.
He struggled a bit more with the Padres on Monday, where he only completed four innings and allowed six total base runners.
Yet, he was dealing with an erratic strike zone from home plate umpire Gabe Morales and didn’t allow much hard contact at all. If a 35-pitch second inning that spun off the rails went a bit different, we could’ve been looking at back-to-back excellent starts.
Apart from these great results and prominence of his breaking stuff, there’s been an interesting change to Bradish’s fastball shape over these two starts.
Over the last few seasons, he pushed his four-seam fastball mostly out of his repertoire to make room for more sinkers. That is, until these last two starts.
It makes sense why he would’ve: opposing hitters slugged over .500 against that fastball since he debuted in 2022 and it had an unspectacular movement profile without any ride and lots of cut to his glove-side.
Now, for the first time in his career, he’s getting some legitimate vertical action on that pitch. It's added over two inches of induced vertical break (IVB) over these two starts compared to before his surgery and is better than league average there for the first time in his career.
I still don’t know if that pitch can get whiffs, but simply not getting crushed could be a big deal as Bradish still has two elite breaking balls and a solid sinker that he can command beautifully. Just check out this sequence to Jarren Duran last week where he worked his slider, that new cut-ride fastball, and a gorgeous front-hip sinker for a strikeout.
Just a ridiculous sequence from Kyle Bradish:
— Avi Miller (@AviMiIIer) August 26, 2025
- soft/tight spin inside ⤵️
- hard heat cut up and in⤵️
- front door heat with armside run
Good lord, he's so back. pic.twitter.com/Mxag2iQgje
There was fair skepticism surrounding how effective Bradish could be after a nearly 15-month layoff and 6.06 ERA at Triple-A while he was rehabbing. He’s silenced that doubt though and looks like he could go on a tear over this final month of the season.
Payton Tolle, SP Red Sox
(31% Rostered on Yahoo)
Tolle joined Jonah Tong (48% rostered on Yahoo) last Friday as 22-year-olds to make their major league debuts.
Tong was drafted out of high school, spent the last few years developing in the Mets’ critically acclaimed pitching lab, and struck out nearly 40% of all the hitters he faced coming up through the minors. He had a quick rise to the majors, but it made sense given his fantastic stuff and results.
The speed of Tolle’s ascent was even more shocking.
Drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft out of TCU, he was a breakout star that season after transferring in from Wichita State. He didn’t pitch professionally after the draft and began this season at High-A.
Then, was promoted to Double-A Greenville towards the end of June and only made nine appearances in the upper minors before reaching the bigs. He threw just 91 2/3 total innings in the minor leagues.
Through every level, he had a 3.04 ERA and struck out 133 batters with just 23 walks. That came out to a 36.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate, respectively.
Incredible results aside, a pitcher like Tolle needed to showcase MLB-caliber stuff to rise through a system that quickly and be expected to contribute to a playoff team. He has that stuff and then some.
His fastball sits at 96 mph from the left side with slightly above average ride from his three-quarters arm slot and 7.5 feet of extension. He relied on it for 60% of his total pitches in his debut and by all intents and purposes, it’s already one of the best fastballs by any lefty starter in the league. Check out how explosive it is.
Payton Tolle's 2Ks in the 2nd.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 29, 2025
4Ks thru 2. pic.twitter.com/qBfYphRSP0
Past that exceptional heater, he has a slew of secondaries that he mixed.
His cutter was the most thrown among them at 24% against an all right-handed Pirates lineup. It forced two swings-and-misses and sat at 90 mph with good bite. His changeup forced two whiffs, and that was only against three total swings. Lastly, his slider only forced one and it could’ve been the ugliest swing he got all night.
Payton Tolle, Vicious 85mph Slider...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/FCyttvrkWN
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 29, 2025
The command of those secondaries is certainly iffy and he’ll need to locate them better to get more chases. Plus, Fenway Park is a brutal place to pitch.
Still, that fastball is so good that you have to pick Tolle up now and figure out the rest later.
Sal Stewart, 2B/3B Reds
(9% Rostered on Yahoo)
Promoted without the same fanfare as Tolle or Tong, Stewart comes to the Reds as one of the most well-rounded hitting prospects from the upper minors this season.
Through 118 games at Double-A and Triple-A, he hit 20 homers and 34 doubles with a .309/.383/.524 slash line. That came with 17 stolen bases, a 15.6% strikeout rate, and 9.3% walk rate. Like I said, this is a rather complete skill set.
We had statcast data for Stewart during the 38 games he played at Triple-A and can see that he hit the ball incredibly hard there. Huge thanks to Prospect Savant for their amazing site and this sensational visual.
Those hard-hit numbers are gaudy and his 113.7 mph max exit velocity tells us that there’s enough raw power here to expect something like a 30 homer hitter. Also, he can pull the ball, lift the ball, and run a high contact rate given how often he swings.
At the end of the day, this is a hitter that can do serious damage in a park like Great American Ballpark with any level of consistent playing time.
Stewart’s problem has always been on the other side of the ball though as scouts have been critical of his defense. He spent nearly all of his time at the upper minors playing third base with some time at second base sprinkled in. Yet, he made his major league debut at first as Spencer Steer was out tending to a nagging leg injury.
The injury hasn’t been serious enough to put Steer on the IL though and it’s telling that Stewart was promoted as the rosters expanded on September 1st, rather than to replace an incumbent infielder.
Ke’Bryan Hayes has hit well since coming over from the Pirates and may be the best third base defender in the league. That spot is his for the time being.
Matt McLain has had a disappointing season at the plate and has lost some playing time over the last month to Santiago Espinal. Both are plus defenders, but neither can hit. McLain more so is stuck in a terrible season while Espinal has a career .666 OPS. Stewart would be an immediate upgrade over either at the plate.
Stewart can – and probably should – find at least a part-time role over the next few weeks between second and first given McLain and Steer’s struggles. His profile as a hitter makes him worth a flier in deeper leagues on the decent chance that he gets that shot.
Flyers Lose Ian Laperriere to Division Rival
According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia Flyers have lost hockey ops advisor Ian Laperriere to the Metropolitan Division rival New York Islanders.
Laperriere, 51, joins the Islanders from the Flyers as a pro scout, leaving his new post of hockey operations advisor.
The longtime NHLer initially remained with the Flyers in this capacity on May 27 on the heels of his dismissal as the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. John Snowden has since replaced him as the head coach of the Phantoms.
Neither the Flyers nor the Islanders have publicly announced the news, though The Hockey News's own Stefen Rosner confirmed the initial report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff.
With the Islanders organization, Laperriere is reunited with former Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson, who was in charge of the power play in Philadelphia.
Thompson took the reins as the head coach of the AHL Bridgeport Islanders this offseason after being let go by the Flyers.
George Raveling, Kentucky Unity Series Legend and basketball icon, passes away at 88
One of the most influential figures in the history of basketball and a close friend of the Kentucky Wildcats has passed away. George Raveling, a Hall of Fame coach who helped steer Michael Jordan to Nike and owned the original copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, lost his fight with […]
Should The Panthers Prioritize Winning The Atlantic Division?
The Florida Panthers have dominated the NHL playoffs in the past three seasons, winning the Stanley Cup twice and reaching the finals another.
They've consistently levelled up their game when the post-season rolls around, but surprisingly, they haven't dominated the regular season like you might have expected.
Dating back to 2022-23, when they first appeared in the Stanley Cup finals, the Panthers were the eighth seed when the regular season concluded, upsetting the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round before defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. Upon reaching the final round, the Panthers were severely beaten up and succumbed to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
The following season, the Panthers carried that momentum into the regular season, beating the Bruins by one point to claim the Atlantic Division crown. In the playoffs, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins, the New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
The most recent campaign witnessed the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup winners, but the regular season wasn't always smooth sailing. They finished third in the Atlantic Division, recording 98 points and finishing just a point ahead of the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers were without home ice advantage in each series, but they took care of each opponent nonetheless.
The Panthers' post-season success hasn't been defined by regular season success, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that the Panthers should throw in the towel during the regular season and not care about playoff seeding. Home ice advantage can be an important factor in the playoffs due to the momentum from the crowd, as well as last change.
The Panthers have played a lot of hockey in the past three seasons, far more than any other team in the NHL. Fatigue is destined to catch up to the Panthers in some sort of fashion, and ensuring easier matchups earlier in the playoffs, as well as home ice advantage for line matching benefits, could be what helps the Panthers three-peat.
Winning the division is no small feat. The Maple Leafs and the Lightning will be gunning for the crown, and it's possible the Senators and the Montreal Canadiens could be surprise challengers. Without Matthew Tkachuk for a large part of the season, the Panthers will be missing out on plenty of offense, but their depth should allow them to compete with those teams.
Orlando’s God Shammgod says Banchero, Wagner, Magic 'ready to make their mark'
For the past few years, God Shammgod — the New York playground legend who is your favorite hooper's favorite hooper — has been coaching in Dallas, working with a couple of players who have some of the best handles in the game.
"I love Kyrie [Irving], you know what I mean?" Shammgod said while discussing his new book, “Word of God.” "I know his whole family, so I knew him since he was young. Luka Doncic, of course, Luka's like amazing."
Now is in Orlando, helping teach his dribbling wizardry — the man has a crossover named after him — and coaching up a young and promising Magic team stacked with All-NBA level talent such as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. It's a team a lot of pundits (*raises hand*) project to make a leap up to the top three of the East — if there is a team poised to make an Indiana-style run this season, it's the Magic.
Shammgod sees that.
"Paolo and Franz and them, they're coming into their own right now," Shammgod told NBC Sports "They're at the right age where they still young, but they, they young enough to dare. Dare to be great. And I, I believe like Paolo and Franz is going to be great, but Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, we got Tyus Jones. Now we got, we got so many great players.
"And they all right. And I feel like right now they all are ready to make their mark. So I'm just happy and honored to be a part of it."
Orlando was a .500 team last season, not a bad record considering both Banchero and Wagner missed considerable time with matching oblique strains. The Magic had the second-best defense in the NBA and that propelled them into the No. 7 seed and the playoffs, but they couldn't get by the Celtics (who still had a healthy Jayson Tatum at that point). The focus of Jeff Weltman and the rest of the Magic front office this summer was to upgrade the offense. Part of that involved adding guards like Bane and Jones, but also bringing Shammgod and his wisdom onto the staff.
It wasn't just the players that drew Shammgod to Dallas, it was their coach, Jamahl Mosley. As quickly becomes evident when reading “Word of God,” Shammgod has great stories and connections with people across the NBA, and Mosley is one that goes way back.
"I knew him when we both was teenagers, because when I was a freshman at Providence, he visited Providence. So that's full circle," Shammgod said of Mosley. "Like for me and him coaching at Dallas together, he just got such a great passion and such.
"He's so about the work. You know what I'm saying? There's not too many people I could say, that's all about the work. Like, forget all the accolades, forget all that stuff. Like, he's all about the work and all about winning and all about pouring into the kids. And I think that's what me and him share in common the most."
It's that connection that the players relate to and get them to buy in, whether it's Shammgod improving their handles or Mosley with the bigger picture themes.
This season, when the Magic come into the spotlight and we see Banchero flashing a new dribbling move, or Wagner breaking ankles on the way to the rim, just remember that Shammgod, with his legendary handles, is coaching them now and they are finding a new flow.
Willy Adames, Matt Chapman ejected after Rafael Devers homer causes Giants brawl
Willy Adames, Matt Chapman ejected after Rafael Devers homer causes Giants brawl originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Chaos erupted during the Giants’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday before an out even had been recorded at Coors Field.
San Francisco slugger Rafael Devers hit his third home run in as many games in the top of the first inning — a two-run shot that was followed by an exchange of words with Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland, which then led to an all-out brawl between both teams.
After things had cooled down, the umpire crew engaged in a lengthy delay while they decided who would be punished for the altercation, where some slapping and shoving took place. All in all, the game paused for about 13 minutes.
Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Willy Adames — whose birthday is Tuesday — both were ejected from the game for their part in the fight, along with Freeland. And in the end, Devers got to finish his home run trot with San Francisco up 2-0.
On defense, Devers moved from first to third, Dominic Smith came in to play first base, Casey Schmitt came in to play second and Christian Koss moved from second to shortstop.
Chris Froome suffered life-threatening injury to his heart in training crash
Tour de France winner sustained a pericardial rupture
Kooij wins opening stage of 2025 men’s Tour of Britain
Chris Froome suffered a life-threatening injury to his heart in the training crash in France last week that left him hospitalised with a broken back and broken ribs. The four-time Tour de France winner also sustained a pericardial rupture, a tear to the sac that surrounds the heart, in the crash.
“It was obviously a lot more serious than some broken bones,” his wife, Michelle Froome, told the Times. “He’s fine, but it’s going to be a long recovery process. He won’t be riding a bike for a while.”
Continue reading...Islanders Hire Ian Laperriére As Pro Scout
The New York Islanders have hired Ian Laperriére as a pro scout, industry sources have confirmd with The Hockey News, first reported by The Daily Faceoff's Anthony DiMarco.
Laperriere, 51, had spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate for the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to that, he served as an assistant on the Flyers bench for nine seasons.
I can confirm @ADiMarco25's reporting that #Isles have hired former NHLer Ian Laperriere as a pro scout.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 2, 2025
He spent the last 4 seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He previously spent 9 seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Rocky Thompson, who the Islanders hired as head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, had previously spend the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Flyers, so he knows Laperriere well.
Back in May, the Flyers hired Laperrié as an advisor to their hockey operations department after being let go by Lehigh, but has, clearly, since decided to take on more of a hands-on job with the Islanders.
Drafted in the seventh round (No. 158) in 1992 by the St. Louis Blues, Laperriere played 16 years in the NHL with five different teams. He played 1,083 regular season cames, recording 121 goals and 215 assists for 336 points, while racking up 1,956 penalty minutes.
With Mathieu Darche now the general manager of the Islanders, there have been a ton of changes, with the addition of Laperriere being the latest.
Laperriere will report to Ryan Bowness, who was hired this summer as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, who will oversee the entirey of the pro scouting department.
Ken Morrow, who has served as #Isles Director of Pro Scouting since 1992, will remain with the team in the pro scouting department.
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 17, 2025
Ryan Bowness will run the pro scouting staff.
More on Bowness's roles & what they entail @TheElmontershttps://t.co/8NzFAI9FjQ
We have confirmed that Islanders legend Ken Morrow, who has been a pro scout with the Islanders since 1992, will remain as a scout.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Basketball Hall of Famer George Raveling, who influenced Michael Jordan’s Nike deal, dies at 88
George Raveling, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who played a role in Michael Jordan signing a landmark endorsement deal with Nike, has died. Raveling's family said Tuesday in a statement that he had “faced cancer with courage and grace.” “There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, former players, and assistants — and to the world,” the family statement read.
Five-Time AHL All-Star Cal O'Reilly Signs In Swiss NL
Five-time AHL All-Star and two-time Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award winner Cal O'Reilly has signed a contract with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss NL until the end of October with an option to extend.
One of the most prolific players in AHL history, O'Reilly recorded 177 goals, 606 assists, and 783 points in 1022 games over parts of 18 seasons. He has the eighth most games played in league history, sits sixth all-time in assists, and is 18th all-time in points.
The 38-year-old recorded 11 goals and 49 points in 68 games to lead the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring last season and was an assistant captain.
A fifth round selection of the Nashville Predators in 2005, O'Reilly has 16 goals and 49 points in 145 career NHL games with the Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Minnesota Wild.
O'Reilly is known as a fantastic leader and won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies sportsmanship in 2021 and 2025. He served as captain with four different AHL franchises over his career.
An AHL All-Star in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2019, O'Reilly led the Calder Cup Playoffs in assists in 2015.
While he is only signed until the end of October there is a good chance we have seen O'Reilly's Hall of Fame AHL career come to an end.
Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.
Two Giants prospects highlighted in Baseball America's weekly Hot Sheet ranking
Two Giants prospects highlighted in Baseball America's weekly Hot Sheet ranking originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Giants’ farm system has had an impressive 2025 season, making the largest jump of any organization in MLB.com’s August rankings.
This past week, two Giants prospects particularly showed out to earn recognition in Baseball America’s Hot Sheet, which highlights the 20 hottest players in the minor leagues.
The hype around Marco Luciano has faded after he was a mainstay among the MLB’s top 100 prospects for several years. But the 23-year-old slugger had a huge week with Triple-A Sacramento to earn the No. 20 spot on this list.
Now primarily playing in left field, Luciano went 9-for-22 with four extra-base hits and eight runs across five games. His massive home run to center field on Sunday only went 436 feet (not 508 feet as initially listed by Statcast) for his 23rd of the season.
“With weeks like this, it’s easy to still hold out a flicker of hope for Luciano, the Giants’ former top prospect whose star has faded in recent years as he’s scuffled at Triple-A,” Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote. “He hasn’t torn it up this year, but his last two months have provided reason for optimism. Since July 1, Luciano, who is days away from turning 24, has hit .252/.411/.585 with eight doubles, 11 home runs and nearly as many walks (34) as strikeouts (36).”
At No. 9 is a new face in the Giants’ organization, outfielder Parks Harber. The 23-year-old was acquired at the MLB trade deadline when San Francisco sent Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees.
Playing with the Giants’ High-A affiliate in Eugene, Harber batted 9-for-24 with a whopping five home runs in just one week.
“Harber, acquired from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade, brings a power-first profile to the organization,” Jesús Cano detailed. “He launched 20 homers during his senior season at North Carolina, and that raw strength has continued to translate in pro ball. That power erupted this week with a five-homer outburst. If he can build on that momentum, Harber could become a slugging threat.”
Though Harber currently isn’t listed among the Giants’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, the organization will hope he can continue this momentum through the rest of the season and beyond.
Three NHL Calder Candidates Flying Under The Radar
The NHL's Calder Trophy race is always one of the most unpredictable storylines heading into the NHL season.
While much of the spotlight tends to shine on hyped rookies and high draft picks, history has shown that lesser-discussed players can emerge as serious contenders.
Artemi Panarin, Kirill Kaprizov and, most recently, Dustin Wolf, are just a few of the stars who have proven that opportunity, situation and timing can be just as important as raw talent.
The 2025-26 NHL rookie class is stacked with potential difference-makers, such as Ivan Demidov and Zeev Buium. But let’s look at three players who may be flying under the radar for potential Calder Trophy consideration.
Sam Rinzel, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 41.00 (+4,000)
Sam Rinzel is joining a crowded dressing room of young defenders within the Chicago Blackhawks organization.
The Blackhawks have eight defensemen who played NHL games last year under contract heading into the 2025-26 season, not including RFA Wyatt Kaiser. Seven of them are younger than 25. It’s far too early to cement anyone’s role within the lineup, but Rinzel possesses the skill set to be the team’s top offensive defenseman this season.
Rinzel joined the Blackhawks for the team’s final nine games of last season and showed some real offensive promise, finishing with five assists, three of which came on the man-advantage. He led the Blackhawks in ice time per game in that stretch (23:22) and was immediately thrust onto the team’s top power-play unit.
It’s a short sample size, but that level of production would give Rinzel 45 points over an 82-game season, which would likely put him near the top of rookie defenders in scoring.
Unfortunately, the Blackhawks will likely not be near playoff contention this season, making it difficult for him to make a case for himself to have improved a franchise as much as other rookies. While it will be difficult for him to stand out, it shouldn’t rule out his chance completely.
Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis Blues
Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 18.00 (+1,700)
Jimmy Snuggerud made his NHL debut on April 1 and played in seven regular-season games with the St. Louis Blues, where he recorded a goal and three assists.
However, the Minneapolis, Minn., native was also an integral part in all seven of the team’s first-round playoff games against the Winnipeg Jets, picking up two goals and two assists in the series.
Snuggerud was slotted on the Blues’ top line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, and that role appears to be his to lose heading into training camp this fall. He even took some shifts on the top power-play unit, which could give him every opportunity to be a top offensive contributor for the Blues this season.
Snuggerud, 21, enters the season as one of the older rookies eligible for the Calder Trophy, putting him in a much more advantageous position over this rookie class of forwards. He’s also already earned the trust of coach Jim Montgomery with his offensive instincts and scoring ability, as he was playing just over 17 minutes per game in the playoffs.
There’s not a ton of competition for Snuggerud’s role with Jordan Kyrou being glued to the wing of Brayden Schenn on the team’s second line. If he can replicate the same level of production over 82 games and solidify himself as a top-line player, there’s a strong chance he’ll be a finalist for the Calder when the season concludes.
NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Catch Up On Every Team’s PipelineThe NHL prospect pool overview series is our annual summer series breaking down every team's prospect pipeline.
Leevi Merilainen, G, Ottawa Senators
Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 61.00 (+6,000)
The goaltending situation in Ottawa will be intriguing this season.
Leevi Merilainen, a third-round pick in 2020, suited up 12 times for the Senators last season and had an impressive .925 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average. His 8-3-1 record in that span helped the Senators end a losing skid and put them back on course for a playoff spot.
That short stint would indicate that he’s undoubtedly earned himself the chance to play a larger role throughout the regular season, now that backup Anton Forsberg signed with the Los Angeles Kings.
Obviously, the Senators have a commitment to Linus Ullmark for the next four years with a hefty $8.25-million cap hit, but his injury history, age and overall durability would suggest that Ottawa may have a tandem this season as opposed to Ullmark carrying a heavy workload.
In his 10-year NHL career, Ullmark’s career high in games played is 49, coming with the Boston Bruins in the 2022-23 season. His statistics have been remarkable within the 40-to-50 game range. But if Merilainen continues to have positive outings, then there’s less pressure on coach Travis Green to have Ullmark overwork himself in favor of having him well-rested for a potential playoff run.
It will be a crowded field of players for the Calder Trophy, and with only three goaltenders winning in the last 25 years, the odds are stacked against Merilainen. However, if the Senators can build off their 2024-25 campaign and remain in post-season contention, there’s a good chance he played a big part in that success and could be a worthy candidate for the award.
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Where Jonathan Kuminga's contract saga with Warriors stands entering September
Where Jonathan Kuminga's contract saga with Warriors stands entering September originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The ongoing saga between the Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has persisted past Labor Day. NBA training camp is in four weeks, and the Oct. 1 deadline for Kuminga to accept the qualifying offer is under a month away. So, where are the two sides?
Still miles apart it appears.
The one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer remains the most attractive offer to Kuminga at the moment, sources continue to tell NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors have offered a two-year contract worth roughly $45 million, but are holding strong to a team option for the second year, while Kuminga and his camp have made it clear they want a player option for Year 2.
To ensure Kuminga doesn’t sign the qualifying offer, which essentially would eliminate any option of trading him this season and severely hurt roster building, the Warriors will have to convince him what they’re proposing is that much better than the last resort. The first way to do that is ceding the team option for a player option. The second is simply to give him more money up front, making the team option less of a sticking point in the end.
Year 1 of the Warriors’ offer is $21.75 million, per sources, but because of the base salary compensation rule, Kuminga’s outgoing salary is equal to half of that. So, much of this entire situation comes down to control.
Through four years, Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to find common ground on who he presently is as a player, who he can be with more opportunities and who he will be in the future. The way this offseason has played out only has furthered Kuminga’s desire to control his own destiny and how his future plays out. Kuminga wants to make sure that no matter who his next employer is, he’s comfortable and confident he is being set up for success from the start.
There has been confusion as to why Kuminga would hold steady to the inherent no-trade clause of a qualifying offer, as well as a player option for the second year with the assumption he wants to be somewhere else aside from the Warriors. Kuminga doesn’t want to be used as a “pawn” for a team where he has seen himself as the scapegoat, and he still doesn’t fully know what his role will be going into his fifth NBA season with the likelihood that he still isn’t a starter and might not close games.
Signing the qualifying offer is a risk for Kuminga. His agent, Aaron Turner, isn’t discrediting that. However, the risk is much more on the Warriors.
With an aging core of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, letting Kuminga sign the qualifying offer would take away the Warriors’ best asset at the NBA trade deadline for another big-time name. Kuminga then would have zero trade value because no team can extend off that. Golden State loses his Bird Rights, Kuminga’s Warriors tenure would be done after this next season without getting anything back for him after spurning multiple trade offers for him in previous years, and the situation would make Kuminga a distraction, at least in a media sense, all season because of the nature of the qualifying offer.
The nightmare scenario the qualifying offer presents digs a far bigger hole for the Warriors than it does for Kuminga.
The main example of the qualifying offer risks for Kuminga is Nerlens Noel. The Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2017 initially offered Noel a four-year, $70 million contract that he spurned in hopes of signing a maximum contract offer that never came. He then instead signed a $4.1 million qualifying offer with the Mavs, but greatly disappointed in an injury-filled season where Noel only played 30 games and averaged 4.4 points.
Noel signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder the next offseason on a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract.
Here’s the difference: Noel already missed his entire rookie year because of a torn ACL, and missed 31 games the season going into his contract dispute. At the time of turning down $70 million, Noel had averaged 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while averaging 27.6 minutes. He never was the scoring option Kuminga is and was in a different contractual world than him.
Kuminga doesn’t have a $66 million gap between the contract he’s being offered and the qualifying offer. The gap really is a little more than $13 million when looking at the one-year qualifying offer and the first year of the contract the Warriors currently have on the table. He surely would have insurance policies to lessen the risk, too. The former No. 7 overall pick turns 23 years old on Oct. 6 and is confident his next contract easily will exceed $13 million annually.
The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns both offered Kuminga long-term contracts, empowering him with a starting role and making it known he’d be their power forward of the future. Contracts from the Kings and Suns included a player option, according to sources, but both were dependent on the Warriors agreeing to a sign-and-trade that never enticed their front office enough to do so.
None of the NBA’s four restricted free agents – Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas and Quinten Grimes – have signed a contract yet. The first domino must fall soon. Nothing is close between the Warriors and Kuminga, sources say, with both sides waiting for someone to blink first.