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Mets 'going through it right now' following seventh consecutive loss

It's been an ugly week for the Mets, who are in the depths of a seven-game losing streak following their 10-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

The timing couldn't be worse for New York, which is in the middle of playing 10 straight games against its two biggest National League East Division threats, the Phillies and Atlanta Braves. And so far, the nosedive has already resulted in the Mets getting dethroned from their perch atop the standings.

This all started a day after Kodai Senga injured his hamstring covering first base against the Washington Nationals in a game that the Mets ultimately won for their sixth straight victory despite an unnerving ninth inning. But after the week that followed, that all seems like a lifetime ago for the spiraling Mets.

Even though Senga's injury isn't considered serious, it'll still be a while before he returns to the team which is a serious blow for New York who is now without its ace for a period of time. Plus, the domino effect that Senga's absence has caused the Mets has left them reeling and searching for answers -- and not just for starting pitching.

In fact, manager Carlos Mendoza listed what's been going wrong for his team at the moment.

"We’re going through it right now," he said. "I think it’s a little bit of everything. Whether it’s a starting pitcher not going deep in games, we got a couple of games where the bullpen [gives up] an inning like (Friday), an inning like the first game in Atlanta, offensively we’re having a hard time scoring -- so I think right now every area we’re fighting through it. It’s hard, but we gotta continue to fight, continue to grind and get through it and find a way."

Also without Tylor Megill for the immediate future due to his elbow sprain, New York was forced to replace his spot in the rotation on Friday with Blade Tidwell, who made his second MLB start. And although the right-hander only lasted 3.2 innings, he allowed just two earned runs and held the Phillies scoreless for the first three innings, matching Zack Wheeler.

Still, the short outing has become a theme for the Mets lately and started to wear on the bullpen. On Friday, it was Reed Garrett and Justin Garza who were touched up in a six-run seventh inning that blew the game open.

Before that, the game was tied 2-2 as New York's offense continues to struggle to score consistently, ending the night with just those two runs (off back-to-back solo shots by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil) and seven hits.

"I wouldn’t be able to lay my finger on one thing," Alonso said about the team's struggles. "I just think collectively as a group, whether it’s defensively, offensively, we’re not necessarily in sync on either side of the ball right now.

"... As a group, we’re not playing clean baseball, we’re not playing up to our potential. It’s not our standard. How we’ve been playing doesn’t match the talent or the standards that we set for ourselves. ... It’s been a poor showing the past seven games."

So what can the Mets do about it?

"You just have to strap it on and get ready to go and do whatever you can (Saturday)," Alonso said. "Thankfully, we don’t have an off day -- we can go out and have a chance and opportunity to learn from our mistakes (Friday) and go and execute (Saturday). I think that’s the beautiful thing where you can either keep the momentum going or you have a chance to stop the bleeding and play better baseball (Saturday)."

Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when nothing seems to be going New York's way currently.

"I think everything is happening at the same time," Mendoza said.

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Yankees’ Luke Weaver healthy, but frustrated after rough IL return: ‘I feel like I let the team down’

When a guy hasn’t pitched in 18 days, you usually try to find them a relatively soft return.

That certainly would’ve been the ideal scenario for Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Friday night, but the game had other plans. 

With things knotted up at three apiece, the skipper turned to right-hander Luke Weaver to make his highly-anticipated return from a two-week stint on the injured list, and things didn’t quite go as planned.

Baltimore’s offense welcomed the All-Star closer back rudely, as third baseman Ramon Urias cracked a go-ahead solo homer over a leaping Aaron Judge into the short porch leading off the top of the eighth.

“It was a good at-bat,” Weaver said postgame. “I threw a solid pitch, he just put a pretty good swing on it and I was pretty devastated to see it go over -- obviously not the start that I was looking forward to, felt like I let the team down in that moment.”

The Orioles would knock him around a bit more from there -- picking up two more hard-hit singles before ultimately chasing him from the game with just two outs recorded. 

Sidearming left-hander Tim Hill entered and allowed another run to score on a Gunnar Henderson single, but was able to avoid further damage thanks to some shoddy base running. 

Still, the damage was done and the Yanks ended up dropping another frustrating one.

“The whole outing was just about two strikes,” Weaver said. “It was just about trying to put them away and it’s hard sometimes to find that just line where that swing-and-miss is and they’re putting together good at-bats and having good takes. 

“When you’re not quite where you want to be it gets hard, you feel like you’re pitching defensive and it gets hard to get that swing-and-miss from there.”

While the results weren’t there, the most important thing was that the 31-year-old felt healthy. 

Weaver is expected to jump back into the mix in the later innings alongside Devin Williams -- who stepped up tremendously with four saves and a 1.35 ERA in his absence.

“The only thing that hurts is my head and my heart,” Weaver said following the loss. “At the end of the day my leg feels great, the velocity is there, all of my pitchers were there -- I had everything I needed to be successful, it’s just a game that didn’t happen.”

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Pirates’ Santana suspended 4 games by MLB for a confrontation with a fan, but is appealing decision

MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates at Arizona Diamondbacks

May 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NEW YORK (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana was suspended four games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday, a day after he was involved in an altercation with a fan.

Santana is appealing the decision by the league and can continue to play while the situation is being reviewed.

During the second game of the Pirates’ doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, Santana was in the bullpen when he was seen at one point leaping and swiping at the person.

“You guys know me — I’m a calm demeanor type of person,” Santana said after the game through an interpreter. “I’ve never had any issues for any of the teams I’ve played for. This guy crossed the line a few times.”

Santana declined to disclose what the fan said.

“He crossed the line, and I’d like to leave it at that,” he said. “I’ve never had anything like this happen in my eight years in baseball.”

Santana can be seen in videos posted on social media pointing out the fan to a police officer before jumping and swinging at the person who’s in the front row above Pittsburgh’s bullpen at Comerica Park.

After jumping at the fan, Santana was escorted away by Pirates bullpen personnel and held back by a teammate. He entered the game in the ninth inning and pitched to one batter before the game was delayed by rain. The Pirates won 8-4.

Pittsburgh hosted Texas on Friday night.

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Padres reliever Robert Suarez suspended 3 games and fined for hitting Shohei Ohtani with a pitch

MLB: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers

Jun 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres bench coach Brian Esposito (82) looks on as elief pitcher Robert Suarez (75) is ejected from the game after hitting Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) with a pitch in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

NEW YORK (AP) — San Diego Padres reliever Robert Suarez was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount Friday for intentionally hitting Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a pitch in the ninth inning Thursday night.

Suarez appealed the suspension that was scheduled to begin Friday night when the Padres faced Kansas City at home.

Padres manager Mike Shildt and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also received one-game suspensions and undisclosed fines.

Ohtani took a pitch to the back of his right (pitching) shoulder from Suarez in the Padres’ 5-3 victory Thursday in Los Angeles. With Dodgers players starting to move over the dugout railing, Ohtani waved back his teammates.

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Mets’ Blade Tidwell better in second career outing, but knows there’s more work to be done

In need of a spot start with the rotation banged up, the Mets decided to call upon Blade Tidwell to make his second big-league start. 

The young righty played a similar role earlier this season but things didn’t quite go as planned, as he allowed six runs on nine hits over just 3.2 innings while slotting in for a doubleheader against the Cardinals for his debut. 

Fortunately for him and the Mets, Friday’s outing in Philadelphia was a bit better. 

Tidwell did enough to keep New York in the ballgame, as he worked his way efficiently and effectively through the red-hot Phillies lineup before running into some trouble with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. 

A pair of singles from Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, then a Bryson Stott walk loaded the bases with one out -- Tidwell then got Otto Lopez to roll into a fielder’s choice before his night came to an end. 

José Castillo entered and allowed another run scoring hit but was able to close the youngster’s line with just the two runs allowed on four hits while walking three and striking out four across 3.2 innings of work. 

While Tidwell didn’t provide the Mets with the length they were hoping for, and the bullpen ended up blowing things up behind him, he was still solid. 

“Compared to that last outing, a lot better,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The fastball had life, the cutter and slider to go with the sweeper a lot better as well -- obviously in the fourth he left a pitch up to Realmuto and then we knew we were going to keep him to that pitch count.”

This continues a stretch of strong pitching for the 24-year-old former second-round pick -- who had put together five consecutive outings with three earned runs or fewer prior to his rough last start before the unexpected call-up. 

While it’s an encouraging sign, he knows he just has to keep grinding when he returns to Syracuse. 

“I thought I executed the ball better tonight,” Tidwell said. “I had command of the fastball, but wish I had a couple of pitches back. Overall I thought it went better than the last, but there’s still more work to be done.”

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Rewriting The Draft: A Decade Of First-Round 'What-Ifs' for the Senators

The 2025 NHL Draft is now just one week away, and for some hockey fans, it's like Christmas in June, waiting to see what shiny new toys they'll get under the tree. In this (admittedly lame) analogy, amateur scouts play the role of Santa Claus. They're making their lists and checking them twice, but unlike the big man in red, figuring out which kids have been “nice” often boils down to little more than best guesses.

A better analogy might be a baseball player who’s praised for batting .300, even though it's a pretty serious failure rate. But hitting a curveball is hard, and 18-year-old hockey players throw plenty of them at scouts. Only some of them have the stuff to continue their amateur excellence in the bigs.

But what if you could go back to each of the last 10 NHL Drafts knowing then what you know now? A little time travel. How different would the Ottawa Senators' first-round picks look compared to the players they selected?

Let’s preface this with the usual disclaimers. This isn’t an all-out attack on the Senators’ scouting performances of the past. Everyone knows you could perform this exercise with all 32 teams and end up wanting to swap out the majority of the picks. 

So, strictly for fun and interest's sake, we went back over the last 10 first rounds to see who was still on the table when Ottawa made its decisions.

2015

From the Saint John Sea Dogs, the Senators selected Thomas Chabot 18th overall. Then, from the U.S. National Development Program, they grabbed Colin White at 21. These two were joined at the hip early on. They were drafted together, roommates, and share the exact same birthdate.

In our time travel exercise, though, we’d head to customer service and exchange them for Roope Hintz (Dallas) and Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota).

Chabot has still had a career worthy of a first-round pick, but White is now out of the NHL, spending most of last season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and set to become a UFA. He’s still a drag on Ottawa’s cap, carrying an $875k hit for the next three years due to his buyout.

2016

Logan Brown (Windsor Spitfires) was chosen 11th overall but only played 30 games for Ottawa before being traded to the St. Louis Blues. Brown’s skating was good enough to thrive at every level, just not in the NHL. Not yet, anyway. After missing all of 2023–24, Brown posted 29 points in 33 games for the Syracuse Crunch this season.

Here in the village of Hindsight, we're swapping Brown for defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who was still on the board and went to Boston just three picks later. A rugged, right-shot D with offensive upside, McAvoy is exactly the type of player the Senators hope Carter Yakemchuk might become someday.

2017

Another miss. The Sens selected center Shane Bowers (Boston University), who would be Brady Tkachuk’s college teammate when Tkachuk arrived that fall. Bowers has played just 13 NHL games, though Ottawa dealt him in the Matt Duchene trade while his stock was still decent.

Meanwhile, Jason Robertson was taken 11 picks later by Dallas and has been a star for the Stars for five years now.

2018

No complaints here. Brady Tkachuk at 4th overall was a home run. Depending on what he decides at contract time three years from now, he could surpass even Daniel Alfredsson in popularity.

Quinn Hughes is pretty damn intriguing, but if you want your time machine to finish this exercise and not be destroyed by Sens fans and their torches and pitchforks, then don't even think about setting our destination to 2018.

2019

The Sens’ own pick, 4th overall, went to Colorado in the incoming Matt Duchene deal, and the Avs used it on Bowen Byram. But with Columbus' 19th overall pick (acquired in Duchene’s outgoing deal), Ottawa selected defenseman Lassi Thomson. He recently re-signed with the Sens after a year in Sweden, but has only played 18 NHL games.

There’s not a ton of regret here, though. The best name left on the board is probably Washington center Connor McMichael.

Fashionably Late: Top 10 Ottawa Senators Draft Picks Taken After Round 3Fashionably Late: Top 10 Ottawa Senators Draft Picks Taken After Round 3It goes without saying that NHL franchises often find their future stars in the early rounds of the draft. That includes the Ottawa Senators, whose best three players, Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, and Brady Tkachuk, were all top five overall selections.

2020

2020 is the best first round in Senators history. Nobody's rethinking Tim Stützle at 3 or Jake Sanderson at 5. 

Ridly Greig was a great pick at 28, but some might lean toward JJ Peterka, picked six spots later by Buffalo. As an aside, Ottawa even had another chance at Peterka five picks later but went with Roby Järventie, who’s now reportedly headed back to Finland after a season in Edmonton’s system. But with that empty net slapshot so happily embedded in our brains, we’re sticking with Greig. 

2021

With the 10th overall pick, Ottawa took American forward Tyler Boucher, a pick that was immediately panned as being a reach, and that's when his stock was at its highest. He’s one of just six first-rounders from that draft who haven’t played an NHL game, with his development derailed by one injury after another. Pascal Leclaire was an ironman by comparison. Boucher got hurt again this season, but did play a career-high 47 games, putting up 5 goals and 10 points.

In hindsight, Wyatt Johnston (Windsor), now a key piece in Dallas, would’ve been a better choice. Matthew Knies (Toronto, 2nd round) would also have been great, especially since he plays the kind of game the Sens hoped they’d now be getting from Boucher. 

2022 & 2023

The Senators traded away their first-round picks in these years to acquire Alex DeBrincat (2022) and Jakob Chychrun (2023). Neither player lasted even 18 months in Ottawa before being moved again. Chicago used Ottawa’s pick to take defenceman Kevin Korchinski. In ‘23, Arizona took winger Daniil But with the pick they got in the Chychrun trade.

2024

New GM Steve Staios’ first draft pick was Calgary Hitmen defenseman Carter Yakemchuk. It’s far too early for even the smallest of regrets, of course, but as he worked on his defensive game, it would’ve been nice to see him maintain the offensive numbers from his draft year. They tumbled significantly.

Meanwhile, available defensemen like Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium and Sam Dickinson all returned to their amateur clubs with the same 'work on your defence' directions.  Parekh and Buium maintained their production while Dickinson’s stats, already great in his draft year, were off the charts en route to a Memorial Cup title.

But again, it’s still way too early to waste gas on a trip to 2024. 

Hindsight is always undefeated. But going forward, if the new Senators regime can turn a few more strikeouts into hits, then maybe we won’t feel the need to time-travel in the future.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

More Sens Headlines at The Hockey News:
Would Kings Defenceman Jordan Spence Be A Fit With The Senators?
Still No Deal In Sight For Ottawa Senators Pending UFA Claude Giroux
Should The Senators Have Surrendered This Year's First-Round Draft Pick Instead?
Senators Bring Back First-Rounder For Second Tour Of Duty

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Mets' bullpen implodes, gives up another big inning in 10-2 loss to Phillies

The Mets played another dreadful game against a division rival, this time losing to the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, on Friday night. New York is now one game behind the Phillies for the NL East lead.

Here are the takeaways...

-In just his second career start in the majors, Blade Tidwell faced off against two-time Cy Young award runner-up Zack Wheeler and did well -- matching the former Met by going the first three innings without allowing a run. During that stretch, the 24-year-old gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out three to keep it a scoreless game.

Things got messy for Tidwell to start the fourth after singles by Nick Castellanos and JT Realmuto sandwiched a strikeout to put runners on first and second with one out. Following a mound visit by pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Tidwell lost Bryson Stott to a walk with all four balls not even close. With the bases loaded, New York kept the rookie in for one more batter and the righty got the ground ball he was looking for for a potential inning-ending double play, but the Mets couldn't turn two on the high chopper to third base which resulted in the game's first run.

Tidwell's night was done after that after throwing 74 pitches (43 strikes). Despite not being able to give New York more length, the youngster's second major league start went far better than his first back on May 4 when he allowed six earned runs on nine hits (also in 3.2 innings) against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After Tidwell's exit, the Phillies scored another run in the fourth on Brandon Marsh's RBI single. The run was charged to Tidwell whose final line looked like: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His ERA went from 14.73 to 9.82 through 7.1 innings.

-On the other side, Wheeler wasn't at his sharpest over his five innings of work, but he kept runs off the board against his former club and struck out eight, including Juan Soto as the tying run with a runner on second base to end his outing.

-With Wheeler out of the game, the Mets went to work immediately on the Phillies' bullpen, namely another former Met in Taijuan Walker. Pete Alonso greeted his former teammate with a solo shot to dead center leading off the inning that cut New York's deficit in half. Jeff McNeil erased it entirely with a solo jack three pitches later as the Mets went back-to-back to tie the game.

-That's where the game stood until the bottom of the seventh inning. Reed Garrett entered to keep things where they were as he's done so well and so often this season, but it turned into a disaster for the reliever. The right-hander allowed back-to-back doubles that gave Philadelphia the lead, walked a batter and then served up a run-scoring single before exiting without recording an out.

Both of Garrett's baserunners came into score against Justin Garza who had a rough inning of his own which included a double, single and a walk. All told, the Phillies scored six runs in the inning -- four charged to Garrett and two to Garza -- as the Mets have made it a habit of allowing crooked innings lately. Garrett's season ERA almost doubled from 1.23 to 2.45 after his outing.

For good measure, Philadelphia tacked on two more in the eighth on Castellanos' two-run homer off Garza who was tasked to finish the game.

-Offensively, the Mets had seven hits and scored just the two runs. During their seven-game losing streak, the offense has gone ice cold, scoring 16 runs during that span and just seven runs over their last four games -- all against NL East opponents.

-Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and hasn't had a hit in his last 18 at-bats (five games) which has seen his average drop to .264.

Game MVP: Nick Castellanos

He finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Phillies play the second game of a three-game series on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

RHP Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA) will face RHP Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA).

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Luke Weaver allows go-ahead runs in return from IL, Yanks fall to Orioles 5-3

The Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Here are some takeaways...

- Both offenses have been up-and-down of late, but they came out flying in this one. The Orioles loaded the bases and struck for two thanks to a Gary Sanchez single in the first, but the Yankees answered right back and evened things up on a Jazz ChisholmJr. RBI knock and Jasson Dominguez sac fly in the bottom half.

Both Chisholm and Dominguez were able to reach base twice on the night.

- New York jumped in front a few innings later on an Aaron Judge solo homer on his bobblehead night -- it was his 27th long ball of the season and the 48th of his career against Baltimore, which is the most by any player against any opponent since 2017.

Judge was on-base four times on the night with a homer, single, and a pair of walks.

- Max Fried found a feel for his pitches and settled in nicely after his rocky first inning. The ace southpaw went into cruise control as he picked up five punchouts and settled the next nine hitters in order before allowing a two-out double to Coby Mayo in the fourth -- he struck out the next batter to strand him there.

But the Orioles pushed men into scoring position again in back-to-back innings. Fried stranded Jackson Holiday after he walked and then stole second in the fifth, but Baltimore broke through in the sixth as three straight softly hit singles evened things back up at three.

After the lefty talked his way into staying in the game, he retired the next two Orioles to escape further damage and end his night with a final line of three runs allowed on seven hits and seven punchouts over six innings -- his ERA is now at 2.05 on the year.

- After Jonathan Loáisiga put together a scoreless top of the seventh, Luke Weaver entered and was greeted rudely in his return from the injured list. Ramón Urias lifted a solo homer just over a leaping Judge into the short porch, putting Baltimore back in front for the first time since the first inning.

Weaver would allow two more singles and was pulled with two on and two outs in the inning -- Tim Hill allowed another run to score before ending the inning.

- The Yanks offense had numerous opportunities, but they weren't able to scratch anything across against the Baltimore bullpen. Hard-throwing right-hander Felix Bautista put the finishing touches on, recording his ninth consecutive scoreless appearance.

- Anthony Volpe's recent struggles at the plate continued -- he went 0-for-4 with a pair of ugly looking strikeouts, pushing his hitless streak to 24 at-bats dating back to last Saturday's loss against the Red Sox.

- New York has now lost seven of their last eight, and their lead in the AL East is down to 1.5 games.

- They are now 8-12 against their divisional opponents thus far this season, and 35-20 against everyone else.

Game MVP: Ramón Urias

He went just 1-for-5 on the night, but his one knock was the big one against Weaver in the eighth.

Highlights

What's next

The Yanks and O's continue this three-game set in the Bronx on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt (3-3, 3.16 ERA) takes the ball against right-hander Zach Eflin (6-3, 4.81 ERA).

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Angels manager Ron Washington out indefinitely because of health concerns

MLB: New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels

May 26, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington (37) sits in the dugout prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington will be out indefinitely because of health issues, and bench coach Ray Montgomery will manage Friday night’s series opener against the Houston Astros.

Washington, 73, experienced shortness of breath and appeared fatigued toward the end of a four-game series against the Yankees. He was cleared by Yankees doctors to fly home with the team Thursday night and underwent a series of medical tests on Friday.

General manager Perry Minasian announced Washington’s status before the game.

The Angels did not specify what symptoms Washington is experiencing, but said the manager was able to address the team in the clubhouse along with Minasian on Friday, and he was planning to watch the game from the GM’s Angel Stadium suite. Washington was not made available to the media.

“Wash has not felt great the last couple of days,” Minasian said. “We want to make sure he’s 100% before he’s back in the dugout and managing. How long it’s going to take, I don’t know. I don’t expect it to be too long.

“We all know how important this is for all of us, but health is more important than anything, and me personally, I’m not letting him back in the dugout until I know he’s 100% OK. I love the guy too much.”

Washington, who managed the Texas Rangers to back-to-back World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by Minasian before a 2024 season in which the Angels lost a franchise-record 99 games.

The Angels entered Friday night’s game at 36-38 —- 6 1/2 games behind the Astros in the AL West. The Angels are 15-6 in one-run games, a major league-best .714 winning percentage, and 5-0 in extra innings.

“He wants to manage–I don’t know if he’s ever missed a game–but at the end of the day, you have to make tough decisions,” Minasian said. “For me, I want to make sure the guy is absolutely healthy, and physically, he’s in the right place before we put him back in the dugout.

“We play some close games. They’re not the types of games you can sit back, kick your feet up and just watch. They’re pretty tight games, stressful games, and I want to make sure he’s good to go health-wise before he gets back in the dugout.”

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Kraken Announce Two-Year, One-Way Contract With Cale Fleury

Seattle Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury (8) warms up before a game against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Holmes-Imagn Images

The Seattle Kraken have re-signed Cale Fleury to a two-year, one-way deal carrying an $890,000 average annual value.

The 26-year-old defenseman has been with the Kraken organization since the 2021-22 season, playing 36 games in the NHL, recording two assists. The majority of his Kraken tenure has been spent with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL, where he's scored  14 goals and 62 points in 104 games. 

Fleury recorded his highest game tally with the Kraken this year, skating in 14 games and averaging 12:52 of ice time. Fleury was consistently the first defenseman the Kraken would call up to replace any injured or ill Kraken defenseman.

Listed at 6'1, 204 lbs, the former third-round pick (87th overall) of the Montreal Canadiens has become a safe option for the Kraken to call up when needed, and it's why he's earned a one-way contract. The contract, being a one-way contract, is an important piece of business for Fleury. For Fleury to play in the AHL, he'd need to clear waivers, like John Hayden and Ben Meyers, who recently signed one-way contracts with the Kraken as well.

The Kraken have made quick work of a lot of minor deals prior to the opening of free agency, which should allow them to put their focus on other free agents and their own restricted free agents, which are headlined by Kaapo Kakko, Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Kraken stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

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Dave Roberts suspended one game by MLB for actions during Dodgers-Padres game

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 19, 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Dodgers manager gestures at Padres manager Mike Shildt after benches cleared in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 5-3 loss Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will serve a one-game suspension Friday night against the Nationals after Thursday’s benches-clearing altercation against the San Diego Padres.

In addition to the suspension, Major League Baseball announced Roberts was fined an undisclosed amount. Padres manager Mike Shildt also was suspended one game and fined, and Padres right-handed pitcher Robert Suarez was suspended three games and fined for “intentionally hitting” Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Read more:Contentious Dodgers-Padres series ends with benches clearing and managers ejected

“I support it. I think that obviously, I never want to make the game about the managers, it shouldn’t be,” Roberts said Friday. “It should be about the players and winning.”

He continued: “It unfortunately came to a point where we became the focus and that’s not the way it should be.”

Bench coach Danny Lehmann will manage the Dodgers against the Nationals.

The back-and-forth animosity on the field came to a peak Thursday when Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Shildt exited the dugout and pointed at Roberts, causing the Dodgers manager to charge toward home plate. Roberts bumped Shildt, causing the benches to clear and bullpens to empty. Both managers were ejected.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Brad Marchand Sends Message To Rangers About Niko Mikkola

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, Brad Marchand sent a message to the New York Rangers. 

Marchand took a photo of many of his Panthers teammates and thanked opposing NHL teams for essentially giving up on certain players and allowing them to come to Florida. 

That includes Niko Mikkola who once played for the New York Rangers. Marchand posted a picture of Mikkola with a caption that read “THANKS @NYRANGERS.”

Mikkola was traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Rangers in February of 2023 and he played in just 31 games for the Rangers. 

A few months later during the offseason, Mikkola signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract and has helped the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups. 

Why The Rangers Can't Do What The Panthers CanWhy The Rangers Can't Do What The Panthers CanAs the Stanley Cup was paraded around Amerant Bank Arena by the two-time champion Florida Panthers, a Ranger fan could not be faulted for asking: "Why not us?"

Through the Panthers’ 2025 playoff run en route to winning the Stanley Cup, the 29-year-old recorded three goals, three assists, and six points while averaging 20:13 minutes per game.

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Red Wings Could Be Circling Islanders’ Noah Dobson in Trade Talks

New York Islanders exploring options for defenceman Noah Dobson with Detroit being a potential destination

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The Red Wings head into the offseason looking to upgrade several areas of their lineup, with help on the blueline high on their list as a deep pool of talent is available in this year’s free agent market.

Luckily for Detroit, another big name looks like they will be joining the picture as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman explained on his podcast 32 Thoughts that the New York Islanders are testing the market on restricted free agent Noah Dobson. 

The 25-year-old Summerside native has stood out in recent seasons, peaking with 10 goals and 60 assists for 70 points just a year ago. However, he experienced a significant drop this past season, posting only 39 points, his lowest total in four years. A change of scenery may be the right move for the former 12th overall pick back in 2018, and the Islanders could command a strong return in a trade. 

More NHL:Should Detroit Go All-In For Canucks' Brock Boeser?

That said, time is a factor as if the team waits too long, rival clubs could present offer sheets for Dobson, potentially reducing the return to draft pick compensation based on the value of the contract offered. New York is currently testing the market for the young defenceman to see what more they can get besides draft picks and this could open the door for Detroit to make a move. 

The Islanders were middle of the pack defensively last season but their offence looks to be the team's biggest problem as they finished bottom five in goals per game. The Red Wings have plenty of players that would be able to slide into a middle-six role for the Islanders as well as a very deep prospect pool and draft capital with four first-round picks over the next three seasons. 

A potential trade package featuring forward J.T. Compher, typically a 30-50 point producer, along with 24-year-old NHL-ready prospect Jonatan Berggren and additional draft picks, should be enough to land the Red Wings a defenceman for the future.

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