Posts

Posted on

Kings GM Scott Perry issues two-word message to fans before 2025-26 NBA season

Kings GM Scott Perry issues two-word message to fans before 2025-26 NBA season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

“Stay patient.”

That was the answer Kings General Manager Scott Perry gave Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan when asked what his message to Sacramento fans would be on the most recent episode of “The Deuce and Mo Podcast.”

Perry, who took over as GM in April, has had a busy offseason which has included a pair of trades – Jonas Valančiūnas was traded for Dario Šarić and Dennis Schröder was added in a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons – as well as trading into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft to select Nique Clifford.

“Trust in what we’re bringing here,” Perry told Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragen. “We are committed to this 24/7, to making this a success story. We want this, I think this community deserves a sustainable winner.

“I just look and I marvel how the fans still embrace the Doug Christies, and the Chris Webbers, and the Vlade Divacs and the Peja Stojakovics and the Bobby Jacksons, Mike Bibby, you know, all those guys for what they did back during their time of playing.”

Those players Perry mentioned were a part of a late-1990’s, early-2000’s stretch in which Sacramento made eight consecutive NBA playoff appearances. Since the 2006-07 season, the Kings have reached the playoffs just once.

Consistency is something else that Perry committed to, stating they won’t trade the future for a one-time winner.

“I want to get to, at minimum, that place one day but again we’re going to do it prudently and in an opportunistic way,” Perry added. “We’re not gonna just do a lot of crazy things just to only make it happen once. That’s what I want the fans to know that we’re going to have a steady hand on the wheel and enjoy the ride.”

Perry and company will have some obstacles ahead of them and an ever-challenging Western Conference to deal with in the coming months and beyond, but a strong start to the 2025-26 NBA season would do wonders for fans trying to “enjoy the ride.”


Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

       

Posted on

Yankees' Max Fried says blister is improving; remains 'hopeful' to pitch in Blue Jays series

When the Yankees announced their probables for their weekend series against the Braves in Atlanta, Max Fried was noticeably absent.

Fried last pitched on July 12 against the Cubs, where he allowed three earned runs in three innings but was removed due to a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand. The Yankees' southpaw had already pulled out of the All-Star Game to prepare himself for the second half of the season, so New York is skipping his spot in the rotation.

Speaking with the media before Friday's series opener in Atlanta, Fried said he's "hopeful" to pitch in the crucial series with the Blue Jays in Toronto starting Monday. Fried said that he and the Yankees wanted to give their ace more time to heal from the blister and that it is improving. He's been playing catch with no issue and the next step is to throw a bullpen, which he has yet to do.

It makes sense for the Yankees to skip Fried in the rotation for two reasons. The first, as previously mentioned, is to give Fried's finger time to heal. Fried has spent time on the IL four times in his career due to blisters, most recently in September 2023.

The second is that it lines up the Yankees' best starters for Toronto. If Fried is good to go, he, along with Carlos Rodon, will start two of the three games against the Blue Jays.

New York enters the weekend series 2.0 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.

Posted on

Justin Verlander's lack of ‘putaway' pitch dooms Giants in loss to Blue Jays

Justin Verlander's lack of ‘putaway' pitch dooms Giants in loss to Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For the twelfth time in sixteen games during the 2025 MLB season, the Giants lost a Justin Verlander start.

In what has become an unfortunately common occurence for the Giants this season, a familiar scene unfolded early in San Francisco’s 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Centre.

Verlander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner who has a spot in Cooperstown reserved for him, once again got rocked early.

Verlander escaped first-inning trouble after the Blue Jays had runners on first and second with one out, coaxing a double-play ball that allowed the Giants to return to the visiting dugout unscathed. The former MLB MVP wouldn’t be so fortunate in the second inning.

Six of the first seven batters Verlander faced in the second inning reached base, allowing Toronto to jump out to a 4-0 lead which would be more than enough with San Francisco’s anemic offense crumbling in every clutch situation they faced in Friday’s loss.

Coming off a few days to reset during the MLB All-Star break, Verlander took the mound with a chance to put a rough first half behind him and send a strong message that even at 42, he still has what it takes to dominate opposing hitters. Instead, it was much of the same in what has been an outlier season for a pitcher that will go down as one of the game’s greats when all is said and done.

Verlander didn’t record a single strikeout against the Blue Jays, the first time this season the nine-time All-Star failed to log at least one punch out during the 2025 season.

“Typically he has got something to get a swing-and-a-miss, didn’t get any strikeouts,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters after Friday’s loss. “Actually, he limited the damage for the amount of base runners he had in less than three innings, but a couple key hits off him and just really didn’t have a putaway pitch today.”

Verlander’s name is one that long has been synonmous with “putaway pitch,” ranking No.10 on MLB’s all-time strikeout leader list with an eye-popping 3,483 punchouts during his decorated career.

While the lack of a putaway pitch allowed the Blue Jays to string together the game’s decisive inning, Melvin noted that the Giants’ offense hasn’t done Verlander any favors with run support this season.

“The fact we haven’t given him much run support,” Melvin said when asked why he believes Verlander can turn things around. “I mean there have been some games where we’ve been behind early on, but it would be nice to give him a nice lead and let him do his thing. The overall numbers aren’t horrible at this point, it’s just we don’t give him much run support and it seems like there are a few games like tonight where we’ve gotten behind early.”

Verlander was blunt while assessing his own performance today, but remained optimistic the mechanical adjustments he has made recently are showing tangible results that should lead to positive regression back toward the player baseball fans have grown accustomed to seeing during his 20-year MLB career.

“Stuff-wise, still fairly optimistic, but had a tough one today, obviously,” Verlander told reporters after Friday’s loss. “They found a way to put a lot of balls in play. Found a lot of holes and the ones they did hit hard found corners, it’s a tough one. But still optimistic thinking about how the mechanical adjustments have helped my stuff. The velocity is better, I think the breaking balls are sharper, all in all.”

Friday’s loss was the 10th time this season the Giants have been shutout, reflecting a season-long trend of San Francisco’s offense failing to give its robust pitching staff the support it so desperately needs in games like these.

Even with Verlander’s struggles, the Giants still boast arguably the league’s best pitching staff across the board. If San Francisco sneaks into the MLB playoffs, they have the kind of arms in their arsenal that have a long-standing track record of being the key recipe to making deep postseason runs.

The unfortunate reality? None of those hypotheticals will matter if Verlander and San Francisco’s offense can’t get on the same page down the stretch run over the next couple of months.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Posted on

Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz’s leave extended through Aug. 31 amid MLB gambling probe

CLEVELAND — Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31 while he is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation.

Ortiz’s paid leave began on July 3 and was supposed to end on Friday before MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to extend it.

The team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can’t enter any of the Guardians’ facilities.

The Guardians said in a statement they have been informed of the extension and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation.

The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.

The 26-year-old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season.

In four big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save.

Cleveland hosts the Athletics in a weekend series. The Guardians have won six of seven after a 10-game losing streak.

The investigation into Ortiz comes a little more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.

Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers — San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher Andrew Saalfrank and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions.

Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games, and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.

Posted on

Winnipeg Jets And Gabriel Vilardi Avoid Arbitration With Six-Year Deal

The Winnipeg Jets re-signed RFA Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year contract on Friday.

Vilardi, 25, is now under contract through the 2030-31 season at a $7.5-million cap hit, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Vilardi filed for arbitration earlier in July, so this signing avoids a hearing where the Jets would have had to try to convince an arbitrator why Vilardi is not worth as much as the player's camp says he is.

Of all the RFAs who signed contracts since the opening of free agency on July 1, Vilardi's cap hit is tied with newly acquired Carolina Hurricanes defenseman K'Andre Miller for the highest.

Gabriel Vilardi (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

In 71 games this past season, Vilardi recorded 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points, which were all career highs. It was a breakout campaign for the right winger, who had 36 points in 2023-24 and 41 points in 2022-23.

Vilardi earned a solid role on the top line alongside Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, who had 97 and 87 points, respectively.

The 25-year-old from Kingston, Ont., has come a long way since the Los Angeles Kings picked him 11th overall in the 2017 NHL draft.

It took over two-and-a-half years after being drafted for Vilardi to play his first NHL game in February 2020. He only played 32 games in the OHL the season afterward, and a chronic back injury limited him to four AHL games in 2018-19.

Vilardi was an NHL regular in the 2020-21 season, but in October 2021, he put up only one point in seven games. The Kings assigned him to AHL Ontario, where he recorded 38 points in 39 games before being recalled. Vilardi hasn't played in the AHL since then.

The Kings traded Vilardi with Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a 2024 second-round pick to the Jets in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who lasted only one season in Los Angeles before being moved to the Washington Capitals for Darcy Kuemper.

Dubois had 60 and 63 points in two full-length seasons in Winnipeg as a center. If Vilardi keeps up his production from this past season or improves, he'll at least replicate Dubois' scoring as a Jet.

Winnipeg also has about $10.5 million in cap space after re-signing Vilardi. Kupari and Dylan Samberg remain RFAs.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

3 observations after Sixers top Nets in their summer league finale

3 observations after Sixers top Nets in their summer league finale  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers wrapped up their 2025 summer league on a winning note Friday night.

With an 87-83 victory over the Nets, the Sixers concluded their Las Vegas play at 3-2. The team went 1-2 in the Salt Lake City summer league.

Mark Armstrong scored 23 points and Judah Mintz tallied 20.

Several of the Sixers’ 2025 top summer league players watched from the bench, including VJ Edgecombe, Johni Broome, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ summer league finale:

The Sixers’ two Vegas constants

The Sixers started a lineup of Mintz, Hunter Salis, Jalen Slawson, Keve Aluma and Izan Almansa. Aluma and Mintz were the only Sixers to play in all five of the team’s Vegas games. 

Mintz drove hard, absorbed contact and converted an and-one layup in the first quarter.

Mintz’s foul drawing is a legitimately impressive skill. He shot 8.0 free throws per game (29 for 40 total) in Las Vegas action. The 22-year-old guard averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.

Aluma posted 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Stellar finish to Armstrong’s summer

The Nets took a double-digit lead with a run late in the first quarter against the Sixers’ bench. Coming off of a 22-point outing Wednesday night vs. the Mavs, Armstrong forced a few shots and struggled in his opening stint.  

For his first hoop, Armstrong delivered a second-quarter highlight slam. 

The Sixers played effective zone defense in the second period and erased their deficit. Armstrong hit a difficult baseline runner with 13.6 seconds left in the first half to put the Sixers up 43-42. 

He stayed hot in the third quarter and again had a good overall game. Credit to the 21-year-old rookie for closing his summer in strong fashion after an 0-for-7 performance in the Sixers’ Salt Lake City opener.

Defense holds up with three-guard unit

Slawson had a subpar offensive game (1 for 4 from the field, five turnovers), but the 25-year-old forward’s hustle and eagerness to do dirty work stood out.

Slawson grabbed 10 rebounds and had four blocks and three steals. He sunk two late free throws to ice the win, too.

Brooklyn briefly regained the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers’ closing three-guard lineup with Mintz, Armstrong and Sallis defended well. By summer league standards, the Sixers generally left the right players open, helped each other out and showed sound fundamentals.

Armstrong broke an 83-all tie by knocking down two foul shots with 36.0 seconds remaining and the Sixers managed to see their final Vegas victory through.

Posted on

3 observations after Sixers top Nets in their summer league finale

3 observations after Sixers top Nets in their summer league finale  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers wrapped up their 2025 summer league on a winning note Friday night.

With an 87-83 victory over the Nets, the Sixers concluded their Las Vegas play at 3-2. The team went 1-2 in the Salt Lake City summer league.

Mark Armstrong scored 23 points and Judah Mintz tallied 20.

Several of the Sixers’ 2025 top summer league players watched from the bench, including VJ Edgecombe, Johni Broome, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ summer league finale:

The Sixers’ two Vegas constants

The Sixers started a lineup of Mintz, Hunter Salis, Jalen Slawson, Keve Aluma and Izan Almansa. Aluma and Mintz were the only Sixers to play in all five of the team’s Vegas games. 

Mintz drove hard, absorbed contact and converted an and-one layup in the first quarter.

Mintz’s foul drawing is a legitimately impressive skill. He shot 8.0 free throws per game (29 for 40 total) in Las Vegas action. The 22-year-old guard averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds.

Aluma posted 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Stellar finish to Armstrong’s summer

The Nets took a double-digit lead with a run late in the first quarter against the Sixers’ bench. Coming off of a 22-point outing Wednesday night vs. the Mavs, Armstrong forced a few shots and struggled in his opening stint.

For his first hoop, Armstrong delivered a second-quarter highlight slam. 

The Sixers played effective zone defense in the second period and erased their deficit. Armstrong hit a difficult baseline runner with 13.6 seconds left in the first half to put the Sixers up 43-42. 

He stayed hot in the third quarter and again had a good overall game. Credit to the 21-year-old rookie for closing his summer in strong fashion after an 0-for-7 performance in the Sixers’ Salt Lake City opener.

Defense holds up with three-guard unit

Slawson had a subpar offensive game (1 for 4 from the field, five turnovers), but the 25-year-old forward’s hustle and eagerness to do dirty work stood out.

Slawson grabbed 10 rebounds and had four blocks and three steals. He sunk two late free throws to ice the win, too.

Brooklyn briefly regained the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Sixers’ closing three-guard lineup with Mintz, Armstrong and Sallis defended well. By summer league standards, the Sixers generally left the right players open, helped each other out and showed sound fundamentals.

Armstrong broke an 83-all tie by knocking down two foul shots with 36.0 seconds remaining and the Sixers managed to see their final Vegas victory through.

Posted on

Mets Injury Updates: Jesse Winker shut down after epidural, Starling Marte nearing return

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided injury updates on four players ahead of Friday night's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds to start the second half of the season.

On the designated hitter front, Starling Marte (knee) is nearing a return to action as he continues to do baseball activities, the manager said, adding that while he wasn't sure about timing, he suggested the veteran could be back in around three to five days.

"He's gonna run the bases at high intensity, sprinting, hitting velo machine," Mendoza said of Marte. "But he's definitely progressing."

Jesse Winker will need a bit more time as he received an epidural on Friday, as his back ailment had not been responding as the club had hoped, and they "decided to be a little more aggressive" with the injection, which will shut him down from any activities for another seven to 10 days.

Mendoza said that as far as he knows, there hasn't been any change in the injury, but "he's still a ways away."

Winker sustained the back injury last Thursday, just two games after he returned from an extended time on the IL with an oblique issue.

Injury issues have struck both DHs this year, limiting Marte to 58 games and Winker to just 26. Both have been decent at the plate, posting .739 and .709 OPS, respectively.

The news was not good for reliever Max Kranick,who will undergo Tommy John surgery for a second time in his career.

"You feel for the guy," Mendoza said. "You saw how important he was for us the first couple of months in a pretty important role out of the bullpen, and it just sucks for him and for us, too, honestly.

"Wish him the best, and obviously, we do our best to get him back on the field as quick as possible. It's not ideal."

The righty posted a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings over 24 games in his first big league action since the 2022 campaign.

Jose Siri has not resumed running or baseball activities as he continues to recover from a broken leg he sustained in his 10th game of the season in April before having a setback in his rehab in June. "He's feeling better, but as far as running and all that goes, nothing yet," the manager said, estimating that it could be another week or two before he could resume baseball activities.

Earlier on Friday, the Mets activated left-handed reliever Brooks Raley off the 60-day injured list as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery.

Posted on

Pelicans' No. 13 pick Derik Queen undergoes wrist surgery, will be re-evaluated in three months

Derik Queen — the No. 13 pick that New Orleans gave up a lot to move up and draft — has undergone surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, the Pelicans have announced.

Queen will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks, the team said. That timeline has him being re-evaluated during training camp and potentially near the start of the NBA season. That means he will likely be unable to physically participate in all of his first NBA training camp and could be out until the start of the NBA season, depending on how his healing process goes.

Queen suffered the wrist injury during the Pelicans’ Summer League game against the Trail Blazers on July 15. As noted by Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, this is the same ligament surgery the Thunder's Jalen Williams had after the season (and championship parade).

The scaphoid ligament, located in the middle of the wrist, connects the scaphoid and lunate bones, playing a critical role in wrist stability. Spraining or tearing the ligament is painful, which is why Williams had more than 20 pain-killing injections to get through the playoffs.

Queen showed off an impressive offensive skill set during NBA Summer League, averaging 14 points and 10.7 rebounds a game, and garnering three double-doubles.

However, Queen had 17 turnovers in those three games; he was passive for stretches and didn't play with much physicality, which led to some real struggles on the defensive end. His recognition and commitment on defense were an issue, and it could limit his playing time once he gets healthy and the season starts. The challenge for Pelicans coach Willie Green is where Queen fits in a frontcourt rotation with Zion Williamson, Yves Missi and Kevon Looney.

Health is going to be critical to the Pelicans' success this season, and they are now heading into training camp with Queen, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, and Dejounte Murray all coming off of surgery (Murray will miss a chunk of the season due to a torn Achilles).

The Pelicans traded the No. 23 pick this season and, more importantly, a highly valuable unprotected first-round pick in 2026, to Atlanta to move up to No. 13 and get Queen. If the Pelicans do not make the playoffs — a very distinct possibility in a very deep West, especially if they can't stay healthy — that could be a lottery pick next June, maybe a high one, in what is considered a deep 2026 draft. Around the league, trading away that pick was seen as likely the worst trade of the offseason.

It puts a lot of pressure on General Manager Joe Dumars and the Pelicans' front office for Queen to be worthy of the trade. His missing at least part of training camp is not ideal for this.

Posted on

Shohei Ohtani becomes an author with a book starring his dog Decoy out next year

Shohei Ohtani holds his dog Decoy in his arms on the field at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani holds his dog Decoy after the pooch ran out during the ceremonial first pitch before a game against the Baltimore Orioles last year at Dodger Stadium. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Shohei Ohtani is already well-known as a pitcher and a slugger.

The Dodgers superstar has recently taken on another role: children's book author.

Ohtani's dog, Decoy, is already known as the cutest Nederlandse Kooikerhondje on the planet (and quite possibly the only one to be immortalized in bobblehead form).

Read more:How high are the prices for a Shohei Ohtani, Decoy bobblehead? A seller wants it to fetch $69,420

He has also recently taken on a new role: lead character in a children's book.

Ohtani and HarperCollins Children’s Books announced Thursday the upcoming publication of "Decoy Saves Opening Day," which is available for preorder and will be released on Feb. 3.

Ohtani wrote the book with Michael Blank. Fanny Liem illustrates the story of Decoy's adventures as he races home to find his lucky baseball in hopes of making it back to the stadium in time to throw out the opening pitch.

The cover art indicates Decoy might have been successful in his mission, as it shows illustrated versions of Ohtani and his pooch (with ball in mouth) sharing a happy moment on the diamond with the stands full of cheering fans behind them.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Is pitching again hurting Shohei Ohtani at the plate?

“Decoy has been by my side through so many meaningful moments, and I’m excited to share a story that celebrates what makes him so special,” Ohtani said in a press release from HarperCollins. “I hope it brings joy to young readers.”

The book may be a work of fiction, but at least one part of it is based on real life — Decoy actually has "thrown" a ceremonial first pitch before.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Canadiens Have Four Of The 23 Top Under-23 Players In The League

The NHL continued its celebration of young stars by polling nine of its writers to work out who the top under-23 players in the league were. Each writer had to make a list of their top 25 players under 23 years old in the league. First-place votes were worth 25 points, and the value decreased by one point for each subsequent rank. The league compiled the votes and issued its list of the 23 best players under 23 years old.

The Montreal Canadiens currently have four players under 23 on their roster, and all four made the list. The Habs are the only team with four players on their roster; the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks have three players each, yet further proof that the future is bright in Montreal.

Canadiens And Canadian Teams Stung By The New CBA
Canadiens: Caufield Makes Top 10 Under-25 Forwards
Canadiens Are One Big Move Away From Perfect Off-Season

Without further ado, here are the four Canadiens that made the list:

Lane Hutson

The latest winner of the Calder Trophy came in third in voting and was the player who received the most first-place votes with five. This is hardly surprising considering the historic season he just had. Tying the assist record for a rookie defenseman that was set 45 years ago by Larry Murphy during the 1980-81 campaign. The shifty and slippery defenseman possesses incredible skating and creativity on the ice, and got the Bell Center rocking more than a few times this past season. The only question that remains now is what he will do for an encore in his sophomore season?

Juraj Slafkovsky

The big Slovak winger gets the 10th place on the list. Even though he’s only 21, Slafkovsky has already played 200 NHL games, putting up 111 points, and he’s starting to come into his own from a physicality standpoint. Under Martin St-Louis’ tutelage, the 6-foot-3 and 225-pound winger will soon make a significant impact in the games he plays. Last season, he was fourth on the team in points, posting a career-high in points with 51. This is a nice change of pace for the Canadiens, who haven’t been very big in the past and got somewhat roughed up in the playoffs by the Washington Capitals and Tom Wilson. If he can play consistently from the get-go, he will become a force for the Canadiens.

Ivan Demidov

The Canadiens' rookie has only played two regular-season games with the Habs, but that’s enough to earn him the 14th spot. Granted, we’ve only seen a small sample so far, but in those two duels, he showed impressive poise, surprising shiftiness, and fantastic hands. The Russian wonder is already the favourite in the Calder Trophy race, and if he were to win it, it would be the first time in history that Canadiens’ players have claimed twice in a row.

Zack Bolduc

Last but not least, Kent Hughes' latest trade acquisition, Zack Bolduc, gets the 23rd and final spot. It’s a true testament to Hughes’ skills as a negotiator that he was able to pry Bolduc from St. Louis Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong. Flipping Logan Mailloux, who had minimal experience in the NHL, for a young player who’s already played 97 games in the NHL and has shown to be promising was another coup de maitre. In 72 games last season, he posted 36 points, including 12 on the power play, and that was while only getting 12:49 minutes of ice time. It will be interesting to see where he slots into the lineup.

The Canadiens are stealing the show in the NHL’s young stars week, a sign that their ongoing rebuild is going just as planned.

Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Posted on

Former Devils Goalie Signs With New Team

A former New Jersey Devils goalie is taking his talents overseas. 

Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has announced that they have signed former Devils goalie Louis Domingue to a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season.

Domingue made one NHL appearance this past season with the New York Rangers, where he stopped 25 out of 27 shots in a win. The 33-year-old spent the rest of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack, posting a 7-20-1 record, a .896 save percentage, and a 3.32 goals-against average in 28 games. 

Domingue played in 16 games for the Devils during the 2019-20 season, recording a 3-8-2 record, a .882 save percentage, and a 3.79 goals-against average. He also had a 4-2-1 record, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.45 goals-against average in seven AHL games with the Binghamton Devils that season. 

Domingue's time with the Devils ended when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in February of the 2019-20 campaign in exchange for goalie Zane McIntyre. 

In 144 career NHL games over 10 seasons split between the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Devils, Canucks, Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Rangers, Domingue had a 61-60-10 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.01 goals-against average. 

Devils Star Named Among NHL's Best Young PlayersDevils Star Named Among NHL's Best Young PlayersNew Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes is one of the NHL's brightest young stars, and he has now been recognized for it. 

Photo Credit: © Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Posted on

Ducks Sign Drew Helleson to Two-Year Extension

The Ducks have now signed both of their arbitration-eligible restricted free agents.

On Friday, the Ducks announced that they signed defenseman Drew Helleson to a two-year extension with a $1.1 million AAV. This comes a day after Lukáš Dostál signed a five-year extension.

Helleson established himself as an NHL-caliber defensemen this past season, receiving a recall in November and never returning to the AHL after that. The then 23-year-old solidified a bottom pair spot alongside fellow Boston College alum Brian Dumoulin and, after a brief stint as a healthy scratch after Jacob Trouba was acquired from the New York Rangers in December, re-entered the lineup and continued to hold down that spot. Pavel Mintyukov became his most common defensive partner after Dumoulin was dealt to the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. Helleson also received a Calder vote this offseason.

It’s possible that Helleson filed for arbitration to seek out long-term security after he had nailed down a spot in the Ducks’ lineup. There will be plenty of competition for the right-side bottom pair spot again with Tristan Luneau expected to make the full-time jump to the NHL next season. With Helleson signed, the Ducks now presumably have their blue line set for the 2025-26 season.

Mason McTavish, Sam Colangelo and Tim Washe are now the three restricted free agents left for the Ducks to sign after completing extensions with Dostál and Helleson.

Featured image caption: Apr 3, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson (43) against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Posted on

Devils First-Round Pick is Officially Headed to the KHL

It’s official, Canadian defenseman and former New Jersey Devils first-round pick Ty Smith has signed a one-year contract with Belarus-based KHL club Dinamo Minsk.

Rumors circulated earlier this week that the 2018 first-rounder would be leaving the NHL after five seasons in the league.

Smith initially made a strong impression in his rookie season (2020–21). After being selected 17th overall, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, tallying 23 points in 48 games. The following season, he recorded 20 points in 66 games.

However, his rookie year ultimately marked the peak of his NHL career. After 2020, his production began to decline. He saw a reduction in playing time and was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins after one more season with the Devils. Smith played just nine games for the Penguins, spending most of the season in the AHL, before being traded again, this time to the Carolina Hurricanes.

In total, Smith played 131 NHL games across five seasons and three teams, never matching the numbers from his debut campaign. Now, at 25, he’s officially headed to the KHL.

He turned 25 on July 1, qualifying him as an AHL veteran under league rules.

Smith spent most of last season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where he posted 28 points in 36 games and appeared in eight NHL games with the Hurricanes.

In free agency, the Hurricanes left him unprotected. He became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and has now opted to continue his career overseas.

According to Belarushockey.com, Smith signed a one-year deal worth $500,000 with Dinamo Minsk.

Russian sports site Championat.com confirmed the signing on Thursday, as did the team via Telegram.

His future beyond next season remains uncertain. While there’s a chance Smith could return to the NHL, there’s currently no indication of a comeback.

Seven years ago, he was a top prospect, a first-round pick expected to be a cornerstone of the Devils' blue line.

Had he sustained his rookie-level performance, Smith might be skating alongside Hughes, Hamilton, and Nemec today.

Instead, at just 25, he departs the NHL in search of a fresh start internationally.

Photo Credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images