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The Navy All-American Bowl Road to the Dome tour will visit Miami Southridge Senior High School in Miami, Florida, on October 10th to recognize Ryan Miret as a 2026 Navy All-American.
Anthony Angello Announces Retirement
AHL alumnus Anthony Angello has announced his retirement from professional hockey on his personal Instagram.
The forward recorded 14 points in 41 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and 10 points in 19 games with the Syracuse Crunch last season.
Angello finishes his career with 72 goals and 143 points in 339 career AHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Admirals, Crunch, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Springfield Thunderbirds.
A fifth round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014, Angello had three goals and five points in 31 career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh.
Anthony Angello scoring in #BELvsSPR 🤝 Happy @ThunderbirdsAHL fans pic.twitter.com/yhZsUougOb
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 28, 2023
The 29-year-old turned pro in 2018 after three years at Cornell University where he had 70 points in 102 games and was named to the ECAC Second All-Star Team in 2017-18.
After a strong showing with Syracuse to close out the season it was somewhat surprising to see Angello not receive another AHL contract.
Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.
Three NHL Players Who Took Discounts On New Deals In Recent Years
As the NHL's salary cap continues to grow, more players are signing massive contracts.
Last week, the Minnesota Wild signed superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136-million extension with a league-high $17-million cap hit. And this week, Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel signed eight-year deals worth $96 million and $108 million, respectively.
Even with the increasing salary cap since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few stars who have chosen to prioritize loyalty over money.
The biggest example recently is Connor McDavid, who chose to keep his $12.5-million cap hit for two more years with the Edmonton Oilers this week. He said he's motivated to win the Stanley Cup, which means that money isn't the top priority.
Here’s a look at three more players who took a pay cut to remain with their hometown team.
Claude Giroux, RW, Ottawa Senators
After signing a three-year deal worth $6.5 million annually with the Ottawa Senators in 2022, Giroux did nothing but impress. He tallied 50 or more points in all three seasons, including a 79-point year in 2022-23.
In addition to his stellar performance in the regular season, he was a main contributor in their lone playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he tallied five points, tied for the second-most on the team.
Giroux was also effective on the power play, totalling 61 points across three years.
Despite entering his age-37 season, Giroux was showing little to no signs of slowing down and was set to enter free agency with the opportunity to earn a contract with a similar, potentially even higher cap hit than his last.
However, he opted to take a pay cut to remain with the Senators.
In July of this year, he signed a one-year, $2 million deal, with bonuses that could increase the value of the contract to $4.75 million.
Giroux said he wanted to remain in Ottawa and continue to build with his teammates.
"It's not really about the money; it's what we've built the last few years," Giroux told reporters in July. It's not going to be easy next year; teams are going to be waiting for us. We still have a lot of work to do. But it's still work that I want to do with my teammates."
Given the base salary of his current contract decreased by $3.5 million despite his high level of play, there’s no doubt Giroux could’ve earned more should he have explored the market.
Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers
The 2014 first overall pick has been an anchor in the Florida Panthers' defense group for the past 12 seasons.
After performing well in his first three seasons in the NHL, Ekblad was rewarded with an eight-year, $60 million extension worth $7.5 million annually with the Panthers.
Across those eight years, Ekblad was a key contributor on the power play, putting up 28 goals and 64 assists on the man advantage.
He has also been a key piece to the Panthers' recent playoff success, including their two Stanley Cup wins in 2024 and 2025.
In 83 career playoff games, he's posted 33 points and a plus-21 rating, showing his ability to contribute on both ends of the ice.
His 2025 playoffs, the last on his contract, were his best. He achieved 13 points and a plus-19 rating over 19 games.
With Ekblad coming off an excellent season and entering free agency once again at just 29 years old, he was set to sign a rich extension that would likely exceed the value of his previous contract.
However, he opted to take a pay cut to remain with the Panthers.
On June 30, 2025, Ekblad signed a six-year, $48.8 million extension worth $6.1 million annually that will keep him under contract until the end of the 2032-33 season.
In July, Ekblad told reporters that in addition to Florida being home for him and his wife, he prioritized his teammates.
“When you’re looking around the league, I don’t think there’s a better partner than Gus Forsling– and on top of that, a better group of guys,” Ekblad said.
Ekblad’s extension was announced just hours before free agency began. With plenty of teams looking for a strong defensive presence and veteran leadership, there’s little doubt that Ekblad couldn’t have gotten more had he opted to hit the open market.
Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings
The 20-year NHL veteran is the definition of loyalty. Drafted 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2005, Kopitar has spent his entire career with the team that selected him.
Since being drafted, Kopitar has been a leader and staple of consistency in the Kings organization.
The star forward has excelled wherever he’s been put. He’s only had one season below 50 points, which was in 2012, when the NHL season was shortened to just 48 games.
Over 1,456 regular-season games, Kopitar has 1,280 points, the second-most in franchise history and just 27 behind Marcel Dionne.
He’s also been exceptional in the playoffs, tallying 89 points in 109 games.
Kopitar is also a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy for being the best defensive forward, a one-time recipient of the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best demonstrates sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct while still maintaining a high standard of playing ability.
He was named the team’s captain in 2016, replacing Dustin Brown. It was a sign of dedication to Kopitar, who helped lead the team to Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.
Just months before being named captain, Kopitar signed an eight-year, $80-million extension worth $10 million per season. With the salary cap at $73 million that season, the contract was considered exceptionally large.
However, Kopitar continued his exceptional play and proved why he was worth every penny.
Kopitar was set to hit free agency at the end of 2024. However, he had no desire to test the open market.
After posting a 70-point campaign in 2023, Kopitar opted to take a pay cut and re-signed with the Kings on a two-year contract worth $7 million annually.
Considering he remained an effective first-line forward who contributes on the power play and in the playoffs, there’s no doubt Kopitar could have earned more, but he chose to play his final seasons in the NHL with the Kings, where he's always been.
Michael Hapanovich is an intern with The Hockey News.
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What Buster Posey's most proud of after first season as Giants executive
What Buster Posey's most proud of after first season as Giants executive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
While the Giants late-season collapse wasn’t what president of baseball operations Buster Posey had in mind for his club, the former San Francisco catcher turned-front-office leader does say there were some positive takeaways from the 2025 season.
“One is happy to sign [Willy] Adames, happy to trade for [Rafael] Devers,” Posey told The San Francisco Standard’s Kerry Crowley on the “Section 415” podcast. “[Matt] Chapman being here, Jung Hoo [Lee] being here. … Happy about some of the consistency that we had in the lineup, that we were able to have a lineup that we could roll out there and that our fans could hopefully be excited about coming to the park or watching on TV.”
Posey also says his partner when it comes to roster decisions did what he intended when he hired him in November of 2024.
“When I hired Zack Minasian as the general manager, I was hoping that his experience at touching different levels was going to cover many blind spots for me, which I do feel like we have a great working relationship,” Posey said. “His background as a pro scout really gave me peace of mind as we went into the first trade deadline and Hadi Raad and his group… I felt like did a really nice job at targeting some players that we see that will fit the style of baseball that we believe it will take to win a lot of games.
“Same with the draft this year. You never know, right? It’s hard to say when you’ve got an 18-to-21, 22-year-old, what player they’re going to turn into, but I do think that those groups did a nice job at targeting certain skill sets that we’re looking for.”
As the Giants legend and company continue to build a team that’s now missed the postseason for four straight seasons, the fact that Posey feels the team has a clear direction and players that fit their system is a potential sign of good things to come in the future.
Eric Chavez suggested Juan Soto be more aggressive at plate during slugger's first season with Mets
Juan Soto has always been known for his patience at the plate.
The star outfielder put that on full display during his first season with the Mets, finishing with a league-high 127 walks and a National League-best .396 on-base percentage.
However, during the season, hitting coach Eric Chavez believed Soto could be even more productive if the 26-year-old tinkered with his approach.
Chavez was a guest on Thursday’s episode of Foul Territory and was asked whether Soto could put up big offensive numbers if he was more aggressive at the plate and, perhaps, chase out of the strike zone more often.
He revealed that he spoke with manager Carlos Mendoza about that very topic.
“There were times, and I'll be honest. There were times where, myself, and I even talked to Carlos, about if we could get him to swing maybe 0-0 or some pitches he could do damage on early in counts -- but Juan, he is a precision hitter, I wouldn’t get him out of his comfort zone at all," Chavez said.
Soto’s first-pitch-swing rate dipped from last season with the Yankees (22.5 percent).
He also cut his chase rate down to an impressive 16.5 percent.
All of that led to Soto finishing with a career-high 43 homers and 105 RBI.
While the Mets decided to move on from Chavez last week, he did suggest one way they could get creative with Soto without getting him out of that comfort zone is by bumping him up to the top spot in the order.
Soto has only been slotted there twice to this point in his big-league career.
“Juan is so good at getting on base,” Chavez said. “There are times where things are going and you’re in the middle of the lineup. Like Pete Alonso, we know Pete is going to chase, Pete is going to do damage. Juan can drive in 140 runs, but instead of doing that, where you’re telling him to get out of his comfort zone, slide him into the leadoff spot.
“He steals bases, he gets on base at a 40-percent clip, don’t have him get out of his comfort zone of what he likes to do, but you could be just as dynamic in the leadoff spot if you look at Shohei [Ohtani] and what he's done. Without changing the player too much, just change where he hits in the battling lineup.”
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James to miss start of NBA season with sciatica
LeBron James has been ruled out for up to four weeks and will miss the start of the NBA season with sciatica, Los Angeles Lakers have confirmed.
James, 40, signed a new contract with the Lakers in June and is set to become the first player to play across 23 separate NBA seasons.
Sciatica is a pain in the sciatic nerve that goes down the lower back and through the leg.
James has not taken part in pre-season and missed the defeats against the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns earlier this month because of the glute nerve irritation.
The American is expected to be sidelined for all five of the Lakers' games in October, including the season-opener against Golden State.
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, has never previously missed the start of the season in his 22-year career.
His tally of 1,562 regular-season appearances is just 50 short of breaking former Boston Celtics star Robert Parish's NBA record.
The four-time NBA champion featured in 70 of the Lakers' 82 games last term and played on 71 occasions in the year before.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game and finished sixth in Most Valuable Player vote.
The Lakers qualified for the play-offs in 2024-25 but lost 4-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.
LeBron James out at least three weeks with sciatica: Fantasy impact, roster fallout
Lakers star LeBron James could not take the court to begin the preseason due to a right glute issue, and apparently, the injury is more serious than initially believed.
On Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that James will miss at least three to four weeks due to sciatica in his right side. Due to the timeframe, he won't be available for Opening Night for the first time in his 23-year NBA career.
Lakers star LeBron James is sidelined for at least 3 to 4 weeks due to sciatica on his right side. He is out for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 9, 2025
After failing to play at least 60 games in three consecutive seasons, James appeared in 71 and 70 games the past two. His absence opens up a spot within the Lakers' starting lineup, raising the fantasy ceilings of Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton.
Who will start with LeBron sidelined? Lakers head coach JJ Redick has multiple options at his disposal, but regardless of who he selects, that player will likely be more impactful defensively than offensively. Holdover Jarred Vanderbilt and offseason addition Marcus Smart are two possibilities, with each bringing more consistent production to the table on the defensive end of the floor. While Smart has been the better scorer of the two throughout their careers, he hasn't always been a consistent shooter.
Early ADP data shows that some players are potentially being overvalued by fantasy managers.
Raphielle JohnsonAnother option is offseason addition Jake LaRavia, who has started the Lakers' first two preseason games. While not the defender that Vanderbilt or Smart is, LaRavia's versatility makes him an intriguing deep-league option if he's allowed to start in James' place.
As for the remaining starters, Luka Dončić is the Laker whose draft outlook will be impacted the least, as he already boasts a top-5 ADP. He'll have even more responsibility to begin the year, so fantasy managers who land Dončićwill hope his efficiency does not take a hit with LeBron unavailable.
Reaves, Ayton and Rui Hachimura should all move up draft boards, with the former being the safest option to reach for. Last season, Reaves provided fourth-round per-game value in eight- and nine-cat formats. Hachimura was a late-round option a season ago, and he remains a player who should be selected just outside the first 100 picks.
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Ayton is the wild card, especially considering his play in the Lakers' first two preseason games. After a listless effort in the team's opener, the center was better in Sunday's exhibition loss to the Warriors. The former first-overall pick doesn't lack talent, but inconsistent effort is why the Lakers signed him on a relatively cheap deal this summer.
Ayton totaled 95 appearances in his two seasons with the Trail Blazers, including 40 during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Instant Observations from Phillies' heartbreaking season-ending loss to Dodgers
Instant Observations from Phillies' heartbreaking season-ending loss to Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
LOS ANGELES — There was hope leaving Dodger Stadium Wednesday night. The Phillies were reminded what they’re capable of doing and put together a complete performance with an offensive explosion and structurally sound pitching.
All the momentum was in the Phillies’ favor going into Game 4. Cristopher Sanchez was on the mound and a win would send the NLDS back to Philadelphia with a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series for the third time in four seasons.
That hope went wide and fast, as did Orion Kerkering’s failed attempt to get Andy Pages out at home in the 11th inning when the third out was right there at first base. An unbelievably frustrating error that will linger well into the offseason and beyond.
2-1, Dodgers. That’s a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season. One that started with so much hope to bounce back from a devastating exit last season.
This exit already feels worse.
•Rob Thomson puts Orion Kerkering in behind Jesus Luzardo twice in this series and it came back to bite them, twice. There are two outs in the 11th and one of your top arms is on the mound, how do you opt to go to Kerkering in such a high-level situation? As the final ball of the evening dribbled out to Kerkering on the mound, J.T. Realmuto was gesturing for him to throw the ball over to first base. The ball soared so far away from Realmuto that you almost couldn’t believe it. But it happened. And that’s the lasting memory people will take away from this one. Thomson said the plan was to only have Luzardo pitch one inning because he was working on short rest and when he was pushing 30 pitches with back-to-back righties coming up, he wanted to make the change. It’s a nightmare of an ending when the game was still in reach.
•Sticking with the theme of two, how do you waste two fantastic starts from Cristopher Sanchez in the same series? Two of them. Zack Wheeler is done for the season and Sanchez steps up as the club’s ace without hesitation or difficulty to adapt and you can’t find a way to score any kind of run support? Poor Sanchez. Poor Luzardo for getting the same experience in Game two. And poor Sanchez, again. This is nothing new for the Phillies. The same thing happened with Wheeler in Game One of the NLDS last year against the Mets.
•The Phillies mustered up one run in 11 innings. That’s not good enough against any team, especially one looking to repeat as World Champions. Truth of the matter is, the big bats wanted to play hero ball. There were big swings and big moments in Game 3 that were trying to be replicated. They didn’t adjust, they didn’t try to play small, it was swing for the fences and go back to the dugout. How do you expect to win a series, let alone a game, when the top three in the order go 1-for-14? The photo-finish of the Kerkering throw ending the game is what people will remember down the road … but this one was lost well before.
•Give Sanchez his flowers. Give him the whole dang garden. If Sanchez comes out next season at this level, expect to see his name in Cy Young conversations. Sanchez pitched 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and one run. You couldn’t ask for anything better.
•Circle the sixth inning as the silent killer. Outside of an early Alec Bohm error Thursday, the defense was everything you needed it to be in an elimination game. Trea Turner makes a diving catch to squash all momentum on the base paths and helps Sanchez out of his fifth consecutive scoreless inning. How does the heart of the order respond? Kyle Schwarber strikeout, Bryce Harper ground out, Alec Bohm single and Brandon Marsh being called out on strikes.
•Nick Castellanos has the potential to go down as one of the most misunderstood athletes in Philadelphia history. His honesty is unique in ways you don’t see often anymore, and because he’s in the spotlight, it gets tossed under a microscope. Of course he cares and it’s crazy to think otherwise. Castellanos sent a jolt through Citizens Bank Park in the ninth inning in Game 2 with a two-run double. He then rips one down the left field line just fair Thursday to get Max Kepler home from second. It took seven innings to get a run across the plate from either team and Castellanos gets the credit for it.
•There weren’t many holes in the lineup once the series shifted to L.A. but a surprising one has been Brandon Marsh. There were a handful of at-bats from Marsh with two outs and runners on where he couldn’t get anything going. It happened twice in Game 3 and in the first inning of Game 4. You know the stakes and getting even a single run across home plate would’ve been huge right out of the gate. Unlike Wednesday, it came back to bite the Phillies. Marsh went 0-for-7 in the final two games.
•It was a roller-coaster first year in Philadelphia for Max Kepler. There were offensive struggles, comments made about wanting to be an every day player and a turnaround that no one could’ve predicted. Kepler has come up HUGE defensively in the past two games with two diving catches that stopped the bleeding before it even had a chance to begin. Freddie Freeman led off the bottom of the second with a single and if Tommy Edman’s line drive to left had gotten past him, there’s a good chance the Dodgers go up.
•You know the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome. A picture of the core of the 2022-25 Phillies officially needs to be printed next to the definition moving forward. How upsetting it will be to look back on this core and think they never won it all. So many squandered opportunities in the most heartbreaking of ways. Moves that should’ve been made two seasons ago will now have to be made simply due to the amount of expiring contracts within the club. When the Phillies take the field in about five months, things are going to look very different.
LeBron James out at least 3-4 weeks with sciatica on his right side, will miss opening night
One of the most impressive parts of LeBron James' career has been his durability. For example, in 22 seasons, he had never missed an opening night.
That changes this year. LeBron James is out with sciatica on his right side and will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks, the Lakers have announced. That means he is out for opening night, Oct. 21, when the Lakers host Stephen Curry and the Warriors in the second game of a double-header, the games that mark the return of the NBA to NBC and its debut on Peacock.
Even the most optimistic timeline has LeBron missing the Lakers' first six games, but with him being re-evaluated in a month expect that number to climb into the double digits.
Sciatica is a shooting pain, often accompanied by weakness or numbness, along one side of the body due to pressure on the sciatic nerve. That nerve runs from the lower back through the hips and down the leg to the feet. That compression of the nerve can be caused by a number of things, such as a herniated disc, a bone spur, lifting something heavy incorrectly, or other issues. The treatment rarely involves surgery, but is more about rest, specific stretches and exercises (depending on the cause of the pain) and heat/ice on the affected area.
LeBron, 40, was a second-team All-NBA player for the Lakers last season averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game. The Lakers had hoped to use this year's training camp to get LeBron and Luka Doncic more comfortable playing next to one another, but LeBron's sciatica has put that on hold. Doncic has been a full participant in practices, Lakers coach J.J. Redick said today.
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"Super Honored": Emmitt Finnie Grateful For Opportunity With Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are set to begin their centennial campaign with a matchup on Thursday evening against the historic Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens, and while this campaign will be all about the franchise celebrating a full century in Motor City, there are several youngsters being introduced into the institution that is Red Wings hockey.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (15th overall, 2024), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (17th overall, 2023), and Emmitt Finnie (201st overall, 2023) have all made sufficient enough an impression on Red Wings coaching and management during Training Camp and the pre-season that they saw fit to reward them with roster spots for Opening Night.
What a slick little pass from Emmitt Finnie to Carter Mazur! pic.twitter.com/IErr5a1Fti
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 23, 2025
Finnie will be getting a true baptism by fire into the NHL, beginning his young career playing on Detroit's first line with team captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Naturally, when he found out the news that he'd made the cut, it was an exciting feeling.
"I just came to the rink and found out I was going to be in the lineup, there was lots of excitement and nerves for tonight, but just you know, happy it all worked out," Finnie explained Thursday morning ahead of his NHL debut.
It doesn't seem like long ago that established Red Wings players like Larkin, Raymond, and Moritz Seider were once rookies themselves, and Finnie has leaned on their support and picked their brains on what he himself can expect as he hits the ice for the first time in regular season play.
"I've talked to a couple of guys about their first games and how to kind of get into it and relax then nerves, and they tell just keep telling me to play my game and the nerves will settle in off the start," Finnie said. "Just be super confident out there and play my game."
Just like his rookie teammates Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka, Finnie is going to have a large presence of relatives in the stands to watch his inaugural contest.
"I've got my mom and dad, brother, sister, my girlfriend, aunt, uncle, and his wife," he said of who will be coming to support him. "Lots of family and friends."
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Finnie especially impressed with his play in Training Camp and the pre-season, during which he skated in seven of eight games and was used in all situations by head coach Todd McLellan. Not only does he possess tremendous speed, he's also shown that he's unafraid to go into the tough areas of the ice - not something that your average 20-year-old does with such enthusiasm.
"I think I bring a high motor, I feel like a 200 foot player, and I have lots of speed so I can be all over the ice and impact the game in lots of ways," Finnie said of his playing style.
During McLellan's press conference following Wednesday's practice, he said he'd love to have some of the younger Red Wings players take a crash course in Red Wings history so that they could better appreciate that their vocation has brought them to such a historic team.
While Finnie was only weeks away from turning three years of age when the Red Wings last won the Stanley Cup in 2008, he's already familiarized himself with some of the dominant teams of years past who wore the logo he now sports himself.
"I'm pretty familiar with it, just obviously watching highlights and stuff like it," Finnie said of understanding the history of the team he now plays for during their most recent period of NHL supremacy. "They were a dominant team and had dominant players. It's definitely the expectation for this team, and they've built a legacy around it. We just want to get back to that point."
Meet The New Guys: Detroit's Trio Of RookiesThe Detroit Red Wings will open their 100th season on Thursday by ushering in a new era, as top prospects Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka make their NHL debuts in key lineup roles.
Starting his own career in the 100th year of the winningest franchise in the history of any United States-based NHL team isn't something that Finnie is taking for granted.
"It's very special, obviously the Winged Wheel is a historic logo and any time you get to wear it, it's very special," he said. "I'm super honored to be in this position."
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