Jul 25, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) runs for third base during the fifth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is expected to start on the mound Wednesday as he continues his buildup from elbow surgery that kept him from pitching all last season.
Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before the Dodgers faced the Boston Red Sox in the finale of their three-game series that the plan is for Ohtani to work four innings at Cincinnati, with an off day to recover before hitting in a game.
With the Japanese superstar working his way back along with left-hander Blake Snell, who pitched 4 2/3 innings on Saturday in his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City, the Dodgers will be using a six-man rotation.
They currently have Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan in the rotation.
“Shohei is going to go on Wednesday and then he’ll probably pitch the following Wednesday, so that probably lends itself to the six-man,” Roberts said.
In Ohtani’s last start, he allowed one run and four hits in three innings against Minnesota on July 22. He struck out three and walked one, throwing 46 pitches, 30 for strikes.
Roberts feels like this season is sort of a rehab year in the big leagues and doesn’t foresee the team extending Ohtani's workload deep into games for a while.
“I think this whole year on the pitching side is sort of rehab, maintenance,” he said. “We’re not going to have the reins off where we’re going to say: ‘Hey you can go 110 pitches.’ I don’t see that happening for quite some time. I think that staying at four (innings) for a bit, then build up to five and we’ll see where we can go from there.”
Also Sunday, the club activated right-handed reliever Blake Treinen from the injured list and recalled left-hander Justin Wrobleski.
The 37-year-old Treinen was a big part of last season’s run to the World Series title, picking up two victories in the Series against the New York Yankees.
He has been sidelined since April 19 because of forearm tightness.
“I think the only thing I’m going to be mindful of is the up-down,” Roberts said on Treinen’s usage. “To come into an inning of leverage, I have no problem.”
Wrobleski, 25, is with the Dodgers for the fourth time this season. He’s a starter now, but Roberts said he’ll work out of the bullpen.
“Just trying to get a quality arm, get some length, potentially using him in two-inning stints, three-inning stints is going to be helpful for our 'pen," Roberts said. “The goal is to get the best pitchers on your roster in whatever role.”
To make room on the roster, LA optioned right-handers Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez.
Taking the mound for Syracuse on Sunday, Paul Blackburn was strong again.
The Mets’ starter worked into the seventh inning this time around, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters.
Blackburn retired the first nine batters he faced, but Omaha was able to strike against him in the fourth, as back-to-back singles and a two out double brought in the first run of the game.
He worked around another double in the fifth, and a one out single in the sixth.
The righty came back out for the seventh but was pulled after issuing a walk -- Alex Carrillo entered and gave up back-to-back singles, but was able to escape the threat without further damage on his line.
Blackburn has now allowed just three runs over his three rehab outings.
Carlos Mendoza said the team still isn't sure what his next step will be.
“I just saw the line score, it was pretty good,” the skipper said. “We’ll wait tomorrow and call down to the guys in Triple-A, check in with him and the trainers and see what’s next with him, but it was good to see him throw the ball that way.”
Blackburn has been on the IL for about three weeks with a shoulder injury.
Dodgers pitcher Dustin May delivers during the second inning of a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday. (Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
On a day the Dodgers were facing one of their former longtime starters, Dustin May faced the prospect of potentially soon having the same distinction.
In the last week, trade rumors have started to swirl around May, the oft-injured right-hander who is finally healthy this season — but also having an up-and-down campaign in his final year before free agency.
It’s an idea that, on several levels, makes sense to explore: The Dodgers will soon have to demote someone from the rotation (likely May or Emmet Sheehan) to make room for Blake Snell’s return next weekend. And there are few foreseeable scenarios in which May would pitch big innings in the postseason, given his 4.85 earned-run average and the fact that, in his return from a 2023 elbow surgery this year, he is already past his previous career-high for innings pitched.
May hardly seemed surprised to see his name mentioned as possible trade bait in multiple reports this week; having long ago grown accustomed to such speculation during his rise as a top pitching prospect.
“Shocker,” he quipped earlier this weekend. “It’s there every year. It’s not anything new.”
While it’s doubtful he alone would net much of a significant return as a rental player who has posted below-league-average production, potential Dodgers trade partners have dedicated scouting attention to him recently, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
And given the number of teams still in relative no-man’s-land in the standings (looking to offload some pieces, but still within an arm’s length of a potential wild card spot) the Dodgers could find some interest in him ahead of the Thursday 3 p.m. PDT deadline.
It all made Sunday’s start, against former Dodgers rotation-mate and current Boston Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler, a pivotal one for the 27-year-old May — providing him one last chance to try and stay in the rotation, and the Dodgers’ front office one more data point to evaluate in the coming week.
The result: An at-times impressive, but ultimately disappointing, effort in which May yielded four runs over five innings in the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Red Sox, largely cruising through the first four innings before getting ambushed in a three-run fifth.
Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May reacts after retiring the final Boston batter of the fourth inning Sunday. (Jim Davis / Associated Press)
“It’s been like that for a lot of my outings,” May said afterward. “I feel like I get to a good spot then I can’t get through one inning. One-inning blowup. It’s not a fun feeling.”
What comes next remains wholly unclear.
Before the game, manager Dave Roberts said the team would “push” its decision on who to remove from the rotation “down the line a little bit.”
“In all honesty,” Roberts added, “things seem to change a lot each week. So I think that right now I don't want to put anyone into a corner. We'll just kind of read and react after this start."
When May was asked after the game if he felt like he was pitching for his spot in the rotation, he responded, simply, “no.”
“I think in totality he threw the baseball well,” Roberts said. “The line score doesn't show that.”
For a while on a gloomy Sunday afternoon that started with a 40-minute rain delay, May out-pitched Buehler in the latter’s first start against his old team.
Buehler issued three walks in the third, including one to Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to score a run. He gave up a home run to Michael Conforto (who also had two doubles, but two misplays in left field) to lead off the fourth, before later walking Miguel Rojas (who reached base all four times he came up) and giving up an RBI single to Mookie Betts (making his first start of the weekend at his old home stadium).
May, meanwhile, settled down after giving up a quick run in the first, retiring nine in a row — including five on strikeouts — between the second and fifth innings.
“I felt good in the middle part [of the game],” May said. “Mechanics were in a good spot.”
But with one out in the fifth, Abraham Toro singled, Roman Anthony hit an RBI triple on a shallow fly ball that ricocheted off the Green Monster, and Alex Bregman flipped the game with a two-run homer on a hanging sweeper down the middle, turning the Red Sox’s 3-1 deficit to the Dodgers into a sudden 4-3 lead.
“I know that there’s good stuff is in there,” May said. “It’s just a matter of eliminating the one bad inning.”
From there, the Dodgers (61-45) squandered every chance they had to answer back against Boston (57-50). Rojas and Conforto (twice) were stranded after doubles in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. They saw a two-on, one-out threat in the eighth extinguish when Teoscar Hernández lined into an inning-ending double-play at second base, where Ceddanne Rafaela stretched to make the catch before beating pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim to the bag with a dive. They again had a runner at second in the ninth, only to again come up empty on a day they finished one-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.
“We created opportunities, which was good,” Roberts said. “But we just couldn't finish off innings today."
As a result, May was left on the hook for the loss, dropping him to 6-7.
Whether or not it will be his last start in the rotation, or final outing of any kind in a Dodger uniform, will remain in question in the days ahead.
Blake Treinen returns
More than three months after sustaining a forearm injury, key reliever Blake Treinen rejoined the Dodgers on Sunday after recently completing a minor-league rehab assignment. The Dodgers also called up Justin Wrobleski in an effort to freshen their bullpen, and optioned Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez to the minors.
Max Verstappen condemned as unnecessary the FIA decision to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix because of adverse weather conditions, but his view was countered by George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, who insisted any other call from the governing body would have been “stupidity” given the conditions and the dangerous nature of the Spa‑Francorchamps circuit.
The start was delayed by an hour and 20 minutes after rain swept into Spa just before the race. The FIA opted not to proceed after one formation lap because the visibility given the spray from the cars was so poor. The circuit is enormously fast and challenging and can be dangerous even in good conditions. There have been two fatalities in recent years, Anthoine Hubert in 2019 and Dilano van ’t Hoff in 2023.
The former Mets closer had to wait until his 10th and final year on the ballot, but he was officially inducted into Cooperstown on Sunday afternoon.
One of the most dominant relievers of all time, Wagner pitched for the Mets from 2006 to 2009 during a career that also included stints with the Astros, Phillies, Red Sox, and Braves.
A seven-time All-Star who twice finished in the top 10 of Cy Young voting, Wagner had a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 1,196 batters in 903.0 innings over 853 appearances during his 16-year career.
Now, he becomes the eighth full-time reliever to enter the Hall.
After thanking countless individuals including his family, teammates, coaches, and fans during his speech Wagner shared a heartfelt message.
“Obstacles are not a roadblock, obstacles are stepping stones, they build you and shape you,” he said. “I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t left-handed, I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame, now there are eight.
“Because I refused to give up or give in, I refused to listen to the outside critics, and I never stopped working. That’s what this game does for you -- it teaches you about life, it teaches you how to preserver. Don’t fear failure, embrace it because perseverance isn’t just a trait, it’s the path to greatness.”
Along with Wagner, former Yankees Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia were elected.
SAN FRANCISCO — When Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale were all in the same Triple-A rotation, they invented a little game. The three often would walk around the ballpark together, and if a fan yelled out “Carson” the first one to turn around would have to go and sign autographs.
“Usually it’s Whis,” Seymour explained. “They want his signature.”
Whisenhunt, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will now be hearing those fans at Oracle Park.
Manager Bob Melvin announced Sunday that Whisenhunt will start Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’ll be the MLB debut for the 2022 second-round pick, and it’ll come in place of Landen Roupp, who went on the IL on Friday.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said. “We thought maybe he would be here last year, too. He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe. With what’s gone on here with the injury and (Hayden Birdsong) going down (to Triple-A), there’s a need for it. It’ll be exciting to see him pitch.”
Whisenhunt, 23, has a 4.42 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His strikeout rate is down, but he has done a better job of staying in the strike zone and has limited homers. He’ll attack the Pirates on Monday with a changeup that is one of the best in the minor leagues and has long been ready for big league hitters.
The Giants promoted 2022 second-rounder Carson Whisenhunt to High-A after he struck out 20 in 13 2/3 innings with San Jose. He’s got one of the nastiest left-handed changeups you’ll see pic.twitter.com/hu2Rn66UuU
“It’s a legit changeup, for sure,” Seymour said. “The fastball is good. The sequencing is great.”
Seymour was the first of the three Carsons to reach the big leagues, and he hoped to face the New York Mets this weekend since they traded him away a few years ago. Instead, he is likely to back up Whisenhunt on Monday, and he said he’s eager to get that shot.
Whisenhunt threw seven innings in four consecutive starts earlier this season, but he has not completed six innings in about six weeks. He threw 3 2/3 innings last Sunday, allowing only one run and striking out four.
The Giants used seven relievers on Sunday, but they currently are carrying 10. To add Whisenhunt, who will wear No. 88, they’ll need to make moves to the active and 40-man rosters, but they should still have plenty of depth behind their young lefty on Monday. They’re currently carrying four pitchers who can qualify as long relief types.
“It just depends on how efficient he is,” Melvin said of Whisenhunt. “We’d like him to be able to get maybe a little bit deeper into the game than he (did) last time. We do still have some length arms down there to be able to help out, but it just depends on how efficient he is.”
SAN FRANCISCO — When Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale were all in the same Triple-A rotation, they invented a little game. The three often would walk around the ballpark together, and if a fan yelled out “Carson” the first one to turn around would have to go and sign autographs.
“Usually it’s Whis,” Seymour explained. “They want his signature.”
Whisenhunt, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will now be hearing those fans at Oracle Park.
Manager Bob Melvin announced Sunday that Whisenhunt will start Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’ll be the MLB debut for the 2022 second-round pick, and it’ll come in place of Landen Roupp, who went on the IL on Friday.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said. “We thought maybe he would be here last year, too. He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe. With what’s gone on here with the injury and (Hayden Birdsong) going down (to Triple-A), there’s a need for it. It’ll be exciting to see him pitch.”
Whisenhunt, 23, has a 4.42 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His strikeout rate is down, but he has done a better job of staying in the strike zone and has limited homers. He’ll attack the Pirates on Monday with a changeup that is one of the best in the minor leagues and has long been ready for big league hitters.
The Giants promoted 2022 second-rounder Carson Whisenhunt to High-A after he struck out 20 in 13 2/3 innings with San Jose. He’s got one of the nastiest left-handed changeups you’ll see pic.twitter.com/hu2Rn66UuU
“It’s a legit changeup, for sure,” Seymour said. “The fastball is good. The sequencing is great.”
Seymour was the first of the three Carsons to reach the big leagues, and he hoped to face the New York Mets this weekend since they traded him away a few years ago. Instead, he is likely to back up Whisenhunt on Monday, and he said he’s eager to get that shot.
Whisenhunt threw seven innings in four consecutive starts earlier this season, but he has not completed six innings in about six weeks. He threw 3 2/3 innings last Sunday, allowing only one run and striking out four.
The Giants used seven relievers on Sunday, but they currently are carrying 10. To add Whisenhunt, who will wear No. 88, they’ll need to make moves to the active and 40-man rosters, but they should still have plenty of depth behind their young lefty on Monday. They’re currently carrying four pitchers who can qualify as long relief types.
“It just depends on how efficient he is,” Melvin said of Whisenhunt. “We’d like him to be able to get maybe a little bit deeper into the game than he (did) last time. We do still have some length arms down there to be able to help out, but it just depends on how efficient he is.”
The Yankees were able to salvage the final game of their three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 4-3 on Sunday afternoon and snapping a three-game losing streak.
Here are the key takeaways...
-It was a bit of a strange afternoon for Carlos Rodon. On one hand, he limited the Phillies to four hits and racked up eight strikeouts over his 5.1 innings, but on the other hand, three of those hits were solo home runs.
Rodon allowed a pair of homers to Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp in the second inning, and Kemp would later get him again in the fifth, but it was an overall successful day on the bump for the left, whose season ERA now sits at 3.18.
-After Rodon gave up two runs in the top of the second, the momentum swung right back to the Yankees’ side as they tagged Zack Wheeler for four earned runs in the bottom half of the inning. After Wheeler uncharacteristically hit a pair of batters to load the bases with nobody out, Ryan McMahon drove in a pair with a double down the line, and the Bombes scratched across two more runs on an Austin Wells sac fly and a Trent Grisham single.
Wheeler, a Cy Young candidate once again, battled back and ended up going 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. He struck out eight and walked two, while also hitting three batters.
-It was a nice afternoon for McMahon. Not only did he have a pair of hits, but also flashed the leather at third, including a sliding stop and strong throw to get Trea Turner in the fifth. With McMahon under contract through the 2027 season, the Yankees' third base position seems to finally be in good hands.
-Give the Yanks' bullpen a lot of credit. Following up Rodon's solid start, Jonathan Loaisiga (0.2 IP), Luke Weaver (1 IP), Tim Hill (1 IP), and Devin Williams (1 IP, SV) held the Phillies scoreless over the final 3.2 innings.
-The Yankees found enough offense despite not having Aaron Judge, as the club officially placed the slugger on the 10-day IL with a right flexor strain. According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Yankees expect Judge will only miss the minimum of 10 days, though he likely will DH when he first returns.
Who was the game MVP?
McMahon, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
The Montreal Canadiens have brought in multiple new players this off-season. Their two most notable additions, who they acquired from separate trades, are defenseman Noah Dobson and forward Zack Bolduc. Yet, they also brought in some new depth players this summer through free agency.
On July 1, the Canadiens added to their goalie depth by signing netminder Kaapo Kahkonen to a one-year, $1.15 million contract. While this is one of the Canadiens' smaller moves of summer, it also has the potential to be a good one for the Original Six club.
With this addition, the Canadiens have brought in another goalie with a good amount of NHL experience. This is certainly not a bad thing, as NHL teams can never have enough experienced depth between the pipes. Furthermore, Kahkonen now also offers them another potential option for their backup goalie spot if they feel youngster Jakub Dobes would benefit from more time in the AHL.
Yet, even if Kahkonen ends up starting the season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, he will still be a good goalie to have around. He would have the potential to help out Laval tremendously and would also be a clear call-up candidate for the Canadiens when injuries arise.
Thus, there is truly no risk in this minor move for the Habs, and it will be fascinating to see how much of an impact Kahkonen can make next season from here.
New Canadiens Star Should Be Perfect FitEarlier this off-season, the Montreal Canadiens made a significant trade. They acquired star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Emil Heineman and picks Nos. 16 and 17 of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Canadiens then immediately made Dobson a long-term part of their future, as they signed him to an eight-year, $76 million contract.
Just under a week before the two sides were scheduled for saiary arbitration, the Buffalo Sabres and defenseman Conor Timmins agreed on a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension. The 26-year-old blueliner was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal for veteran Connor Clifton and the Sabres 2025 second-round pick on day 2 of the NHL Draft last month.
The St. Catharines, ON native coming off a 15-point season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Penguins (3 goals, 12 assists) in 68 games was expected to get a slight raise from the $1.1 million salary he made last season, but with the cap going up and the Sabres buying an unrestricted free agent year, Timmins salary doubled to an AAV of $2.2 million. That amount is still $1.1 million less than Clifton’s 2025-26 salary.
Timmins ranks fifth in salary on the Sabres blueline, behind team captain Rasmus Dahlin ($11 million), Owen Power ($8.35 million), Bowen Byram ($6.25 million), and Mattias Samuelsson ($4.285 million), and ahead of the recently acquired Michael Kesselring ($1.4 million), Jacob Bryson and Zac Jones ($900,000). Although he will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams may try to be proactive and try to get Kesselring extended, after he was the main piece in the trade that sent JJ Peterka to Utah.
The signing of Timmins leaves the Sabres with one remaining restricted free agent in goalie Devon Levi. The 23-year-old is not arbitration-eligible and cannot be signed to an offer sheet, but after spending the last one-and-a-half seasons in AHL Rochester and the signing of veteran Alex Lyon to a two-year contract earlier this month, there may begin to be some concern of how motivated Levi is to sign a new deal with Buffalo.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants did something this weekend that they haven’t done in nearly 100 years.
While losing 5-3 to the New York Mets on Sunday, the lineup went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. That followed a pair of 0-for-8 games, meaning they went 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position over three games. All three were losses for a team that now is just two games above .500 and became the first Giants group to go at least 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position in a series since 1931, when the New York Giants also went 0-for-23 against the Brooklyn Robins.
In their first pre-planned bullpen game of the year, the Giants actually found themselves in a pretty good spot through five. A couple of Matt Chapman homers gave them a 3-2 lead, and up to that point, they had only used long reliever Spencer Bivens and lefties Matt Gage and Joey Lucchesi.
The Mets stunned Randy Rodriguez in the seventh, though, getting a game-tying homer from Ronny Mauricio and then a go-ahead blast from Juan Soto.
The Mets tacked on a run in the ninth but wasted an opportunity to add more. In the bottom of the inning, that immediately became a factor.
All-Star closer Edwin Diaz walked Jung Hoo Lee with one out, grazed Heliot Ramos, and then walked Rafael Devers to load the bases. But Diaz bounced back quickly, blowing away Willy Adames and Chapman to end the game.
Double Trouble
There was a lot of talk at the end of the first half about how Devers (groin and back tightness) needed the four days off. Chapman was right there with him after rushing back from a hand sprain.
Chapman had just one extra-base hit in eight games after he came back, but since the All-Star break, he has returned to his old ways. He homered twice on Sunday, giving him four in nine games since the four days off. Chapman also has a homer and triple during that span.
Chapman’s first homer on Sunday was a 110 mph blast to left, and his second one went to dead center and gave the Giants a 3-2 lead. The multi-homer game was his 13th in the big leagues and first since last Sept. 21, and it put him at 16 for the season. That’s one ahead of Adames among Giants who have been here all year (Devers has 19).
Chappy ties it with his 15th dinger of the season 🚀
The Giants have used just two bullpen games this year, and both have come on Sunday Night Baseball. They also did it last month after trading Kyle Harrison just before the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.
This one started well, with Gage throwing a dominant first inning as The Opener. Bivens allowed two runs in three innings, and after that, Bob Melvin started searching for innings. That seemed to catch up with him in the seventh.
Melvin tried to get multiple innings out of Lucchesi, but he was replaced by Rodriguez after giving up a double in the sixth. Rodriguez was brought back for the seventh and gave up two homers for the first time all year.
Mauricio’s splashdown was the first homer off Rodriguez since April 29. Soto followed that by taking a fastball into the seats in left.
Best Ballpark in Baseball
If you were on social media late Saturday night, you probably saw some discussion about changing the ballpark’s dimensions after Lee’s potential game-tying homer in the ninth hit the bricks and went for a double. It would have been a homer in 29 other ballparks, and that led to some foolishly calling for the fences to be brought in.
A day later, the Giants benefited from basically the exact same play. With the Mets trailing by a run in the sixth, Jeff McNeil hit a 408-foot rocket to right-center. Like Lee, he was stuck with a double. And, you guessed it, the ball would have been a game-tying homer in 29 other ballparks.
(Note: Due to the digital quality of some older issues, articles may contain errors).
Sep 19, 2006/vol. 60, issue 03
Nashville pull
Predators attracting prime free agents as Music City emerges as hockey hot spot
BY JOHN GLENNON
In the old days of NHL free agency, players generally considered one variable – money – when it came to signing with a new team.
While that’s still usually the case, the league’s salary cap has evened out many offers, meaning players also are looking for what makes them feel warm and fuzzy in addition to rich and famous.
The short-term result has seen the small-market Nashville Predators become somewhat surprising players in free agency during the past two off-seasons.
The trend began last summer when left winger Paul Kariya stunned the hockey world by choosing to sign with Nashville, continued this past June when center Jason Arnott picked the Preds and resumed last month when right winger J-P Dumont selected Music City over a number of other suitors.
Dumont signed a two-year deal that will pay him $2 million this season and $2.5 million in 2007-08.
“We had some offers, but I talked to (former Predator) Joel Bouchard, who played there a few years ago and he told me good things about the town and organization,” Dumont said. “He told me (Nashville) would be the best pick by far and he didn’t even know who the other teams were.
“He said those guys really know how to treat everybody as a family. I wanted to go somewhere where I feel wanted and welcome.”
Dumont, who became a free agent when Buffalo chose to walk away from a salary arbitration award of $2.9 million, was one of the last significant players on the open market.
Carolina also made a notable late addition by signing defenseman David Tanabe to a one-year, $900,000 deal, after Boston walked away from Tanabe’s arbitration award of $1.275 million.
With training camp fast approaching, only a few notable free agents remained; winger Anson Carter being the most prominent.
In Nashville, management and coaches were excited over the arrival of Dumont, who has scored at least 20 goals in four of his past five seasons.
“I thought our forwards were (already) good and now in my mind they’re the best forwards we’ve ever had,” said Preds GM David Poile.
Nashville also was pleased with its growing reputation as a players’ choice destination. Arnott’s signing process, for instance, actually began when his agent asked Poile why the Predators hadn’t been inquiring about Arnott, explaining Arnott had Nashville on his wish list.
Dumont seemed equally enthusiastic about his move.
“His interest was as great, if not more, than ours from that standpoint,” Poile said. “It points out two things: We’re a very competitive team and the city of Nashville is a great place to play.”
The NHL introduced the mandatory visor rule in 2013-14. All players who appeared in fewer than 25 NHL games before that season must wear a visor "properly affixed to their helmet."
Of all the league's active players, 101 of them played games before the 2013-14 season. Of that group, 83 played at least 25 games. In fact, Alex Ovechkin had already played 601 games by that point. Corey Perry, Brent Burns, Anze Kopitar and Shea Weber, who hasn't played since 2021 due to injury but is under contract for one more season, each passed 500 games as well.
That said, all those longtime NHLers wear visors. Let's take a fresh look at the four active visor-less players before seeing who dropped off the list since April 2023.
Ryan O'Reilly, C, Nashville Predators
O'Reilly, 34, played 265 regular-season NHL games and recorded 45 goals and 82 assists for 127 points before the visor rule came into effect.
The 6-foot-1 center from Clinton, Ont., is currently an alternate captain on the Nashville Predators. He has two years left on his contract at a $4.5-million cap hit, and he's still bringing some scoring power and two-way play to the lineup. He followed up his 69-point campaign in 2023-24 with 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in 79 games in 2024-25. His 746 faceoff wins were the 11th-most in the NHL, good for a 55.7 win percentage.
O'Reilly is also 48 games away from 1,200 in his NHL career.
Jamie Benn, LW, Dallas Stars
Benn, 36, has been the Dallas Stars' captain for as long as the visor rule's been in effect. Before 2013-14, he had 82 goals and 111 assists for 193 points in 263 games.
The 6-foot-3 left winger from Victoria, B.C., re-signed with the Stars on a one-year contract with a $1-million cap hit and $3 million worth of performance bonuses – $500,000 each at 20, 30, 50 and 60 games played, $500,000 for winning the third round and another $500,000 for winning the Stanley Cup while playing in at least half of his team's playoff games.
After recording 78 points in 2022-23 and 60 points in 2023-24, Benn put up 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points in 80 games this past season while winning 56 percent of his faceoffs, going 296-for-529. He's eight games away from 1,200 in his career, one goal away from 400 and 44 points away from 1,000.
Zach Bogosian, D, Minnesota Wild
Bogosian, 35, played 297 games before mandatory visors became grandfathered in, recording 34 goals and 69 assists for 103 points.
Bogosian played 81 games in 2024-25, which ties a career high set initially with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10, his sophomore season. He had four goals and 12 assists for 16 points with the Minnesota Wild in 2024-25. He averaged 15:48 of ice time and had 80 blocked shots and 81 hits.
The 6-foot-3 blueliner from Massena, N.Y., has one season left on a two-year contract worth $1.25 million annually.
Ryan Reaves, RW, San Jose Sharks
Reaves, 38, played 131 games and recorded nine goals, five assists, 14 points and 281 penalty minutes before 2013-14. His 29 major penalties are the most among the NHL's active players who played before the visor rule took effect.
The 6-foot-2 right winger from Winnipeg still has the most major penalties among active players to date, with 93. He's arguably the most feared fighter in the NHL, with Georges Laraque, Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet each ranking him as the league's top active fighter in 2023.
After recording two assists in 35 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs put Reaves through waivers in March and traded him to the San Jose Sharks on July 10. He has one season left on a three-year contract with a $1.35-million cap hit.
Who Else Was In The Final Eight?
Jordie Benn, Zack Kassian, Milan Lucic and Matt Martin were among the final eight visor-less NHL players in 2022-23.
Jordie Benn, 38, is now a development coach and amateur scout on the Stars, recently working with the team's prospect pipeline at development camp. He retired from professional hockey in September 2024.
Martin, 36, retired on June 24 after playing 987 regular-season games and recording 3,936 hits, the second-most in the NHL since 2005-06 when the stat was first tracked. The New York Islanders hired him as a special assistant to GM Mathieu Darche.
Kassian, 34, retired from the NHL in October 2023 and played eight games in Czechia in 2023-24. He spent the 2024-25 season as a pro scout with the Edmonton Oilers.
Lucic, 37, last played in the NHL with the Boston Bruins in October 2023. He took a leave of absence from the Bruins after being arrested on a domestic violence charge, but the case was later dismissed. His partner, Brittany Lucic, posted a photo of her and Milan Lucic smiling to Instagram on July 22, with the caption saying, "healing is real... and it's exactly what this world needs more of."
