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Mets' Brandon Sproat previews upcoming MLB debut: 'Very blessed to be here'

Speaking to reporters before his MLB debut for the Mets on Sunday, an excited Brandon Sproat shared how he learned of his promotion, his reaction to the news and what he's looking forward to most for the big day.

After reports of his call-up broke on Thursday, Sproat told his side of the story and what it means to him and his family.

"Super excited, very blessed to be here," he said. "It has not sunk in yet. I don’t think it probably will until tomorrow."

Following the news, Sproat said he held it together just long enough to call his parents before he "broke down in tears."

"We sat there and cried for some time together," he said. "Everything we’ve been through this year, they’re my backbone. They’ve been through it all with me."

The third top pitching prospect called up by New York this season, behind Nolan McLean and Saturday's starter Jonah Tong, Sproat has been able to get the lay of the land a little bit by asking his teammates and friends about their experiences during their, albeit brief, major league tenures.

"They’ve been up here for a couple weeks now, so I think it’s good for me to be able to ask them questions as well," Sproat said. "They already know some of the ropes and I’m close with them, so I’m a little more comfortable asking them the questions, but I’ll open up more as it goes on here."

Despite being leapt over by McLean and Tong and the third one of the bunch to get the call, Sproat kept his feet firmly on the ground and didn't let himself wonder if a promotion would happen this year.

Instead, he leaned on his faith and his family and kept pitching well for Triple-A to give himself a shot. 

"You gotta give him credit, he went through a lot," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "It wasn’t easy for him. Even when he started pitching well, he wasn’t the one who was called up right away. And I’m pretty sure it was a struggle for him… and he kept doing what he needed to do in order to get the call. So it says a lot about his personality and the type of kid he is."

In fact, after a disastrous first half of the season, the right-hander completely turned it around during the second half by getting "back to the basics." Now, after all of his hard work, Sproat will make his debut and try to help a Mets team in the midst of a playoff push.

"It’s awesome to be able to come up here and help the guys and really just go out there and compete and just try to win every single game," Sproat said.

Still just 24 years old, Sproat also got some advice for tomorrow's game by the longest-tenured Met on the roster: Brandon Nimmo.

"I talked to Nimmo earlier and he told me one thing, he was like ‘whether it’s before your outing, during your outing, I want you to take 15 seconds and just look around and just soak it all in. Because whenever your debut is done, you’re gonna realize, oh wow, it’s already over.’ 

"He told me to do that and it makes a lot of sense. He’s been there before, so definitely gonna go out there tomorrow and just look around, find my family in the stands and just soak it all in."

Mets players have been doing a lot of soaking in lately following the debuts of McLean and Tong. Now it's Sproat's turn to showcase his stuff. 

And while he shouldn't feel the need to compare himself to the others, if Sproat's debut goes anything like McLean and Tong's, New York looks poised to have an exciting finish to its season and perhaps a great start for its future.

"There’s a ton of talent up here, a ton of talent in the minors," Sproat said. "Seeing what Nolan’s done so far it’s incredible. Seeing Jonah’s debut that’s incredible as well. There’s other guys in Triple-A that are having really good success… I think the Mets have a great farm system and they do things right. I think there’s a bright future for us."

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Predicting Flyers' Plans at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

(Photo: David Kirouac, Imagn Images)

The 2026 NHL trade deadline is officially set for March 6, which marks another important date for the Philadelphia Flyers this season.

This offseason has featured far less trade action than many, including NHL insiders, had previously anticipated, which can only mean that crafty teams like the Flyers have things up their sleeves for later on.

A few months ago, we saw the Flyers move on from established roster players like centers Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton and wingers Joel Farabee and Andrei Kuzmenko. The team did make a few moves to replace those players, like trading for Trevor Zegras, and opened up a spot for a prospect like Alex Bump or Nikita Grebenkin.

Aside from that, though, the Flyers simply don't have as many players they would be motivated to move on from as they did in years past.

One name that is likely to generate a lot of buzz at the 2026 trade deadline is forward Christian Dvorak, who can play center and wing, is usually good for 30 points in a season, and is phenomenal at taking faceoffs.

The only complication is the $5.4 million cap hit he's drawing from the Flyers in exchange for a short-term deal that allows him greater opportunity on the ice.

Carey Price Trade Could Set the Stage for Flyers, Ryan EllisCarey Price Trade Could Set the Stage for Flyers, Ryan EllisIf the Philadelphia Flyers are to consider trading Ryan Ellis and the two years left on his contract, Friday's Carey Price trade knocked down the first domino.

The Flyers, who are projected to have just $1.7 million cap space at the trade deadline, would likely be eager to shed that cap space, and it makes sense to get assets for any player on an expiring contract.

The flexibility a one-year deal offers was one of the explicitly-named reasons for signing Dvorak to that contract; this allows a player like Jett Luchanko a clear and unabated opportunity to make the NHL full-time in 2026.

One caveat, at least for now, is that the lack of activity around the league makes the trade market a buyer's market, and the Flyers have only one retention slot available to them.

This means that interest in a player like the oft-injured Rasmus Ristolainen and his $5.5 million cap hit will be even more limited, as he has two years on his contract and Dvorak has only one.

Dvorak is likely to bring in the most optimal value with that temporary slot, while Ristolainen will likely have to wait until the 2026 offseason or the 2027 trade deadline, when he'll have one year remaining on his contract.

Other players the Flyers may consider dealing include defensemen Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen, though seventh and eighth defensemen may not have much value by the deadline.

For the Flyers, opening a spot for an Oliver Bonk or a Helge Grans may even be sufficient after the opening few months of the Rick Tocchet era pass.

Beyond Dvorak, don't expect the Flyers to be too active with buying or selling players at the 2026 NHL trade deadline.

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Giants' heartbreaking collapse in loss to Cardinals highlights fatal roster flaw

Giants' heartbreaking collapse in loss to Cardinals highlights fatal roster flaw originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants were rolling. The New York Mets lost. It was lining up to be a perfect day for a team that was dead in the water three weeks ago, on the cusp of finding themselves only three games back from an MLB postseason spot with the most valuable asset in baseball on their side — momentum

And then in the blink of an eye, it all came crashing down in heartbreaking fashion. With San Francisco holding a 2-0 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, Giants manager Bob Melvin handed the ball to reliever Ryan Walker to get the final three outs of the game.

Walker instead coughed up three runs without recording a single out, as the Giants watched their five-game winning streak snapped in horrific fashion. Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker’s RBI double landed in left field with the impact of a dagger to the chest as the Giants fell 3-2 to St. Louis in a game that very well could be looked back at three weeks from now if San Francisco narrowly misses out on playoff baseball.

Justin Verlander was stellar, tossing six shutout innings while also moving past Giants legend Gaylord Perry for the eighth spot on MLB’s all-time strikeout leader list.

In what has become a tragic routine during the 2025 MLB season, Verlander’s gem will be forgotten as the sting of another bullpen collapse steals the show in a gut-wrenching defeat.

While the Giants entered this game as MLB’s hottest team, late-inning collapses like this are an unfortunate consequence of San Francisco shipping out two key bullpen arms at the trade deadline in Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval.

Once the Giants lost Randy Rodriguez for the season with an elbow injury, it always was going to be a tall ask for San Francisco’s bullpen to pick up the slack of three backend options that were as good as any in MLB during the first half of the season.

But they did have an arm who previously had succeded in high-leverage situations in Walker, who entered the season as the Giants closer after an outstanding 2024 campaign thats saw the right-hander log a 10-4 record with a 1.91 ERA in 80 innings of work. Walker didn’t stick in that role after some early-season struggles and location issues that reared their head on Saturday in St. Louis

Perhaps Giants manager Bob Melvin hoped Walker would be able to rekindle some of that magic, or maybe it was as simple as the limited arms at his disposal, but the relievers ninth-inning meltdown hardly came as a surprise to anyone who has watched this movie unfold countless times over the course of this season.

Saturday’s defeat is the kind of loss that feels like a gut punch, even if San Francisco still finds itself in the thick of the NL playoff picture.

There likely will be no shortage of close games down the stretch where the Giants will need to rely on their bullpen to see out wins and Saturday’s disastrous defeat feels like a harrowing reminder that San Francisco remains a few pieces short of what it takes to be a true contender.

Right now it’s obvious those pieces are in the backend of the Giants’ bullpen, making it difficult to envision a scenario where San Francisco is able to consistently scrape across enough run support to make a serious run into October.

Crazier things have happened in baseball, but the lack of trustworthy arms feels like the final nail in the coffin of the roller coaster ride that has been 2025 Giants baserball.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

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Looking At Three Bubble Teams In The NHL's Western Conference Ahead Of 2025-26

With NHL rookie camps opening next week and training camps beginning soon after, a clearer picture is available of what teams will look like to start the 2025-26 regular season. There is always a transition from one year to another, with clubs regressing and falling out of one of the top eight playoff spots in each conference, and making progress to earn a post-season berth.

In the Western Conference, there does not appear to be much slippage in the majority of the playoff clubs, with Winnipeg, Dallas, and Colorado in the Central, and Vegas, Los Angeles, and Edmonton in the Pacific seemingly on an even keel or improved after roster additions like Jonathan Toews (Winnipeg), Brent Burns (Colorado), Mitch Marner (Vegas), Corey Perry (Los Angeles), and Andrew Mangiapane (Edmonton).   

Minnesota successfully re-signed center Marco Rossi to a three-year deal and added Calder contender Zeev Buium to a club that finished with 97 points last season despite not having star forward Kirill Kaprizov for half the season. The one soft target for clubs hoping to make the playoffs is the St. Louis Blues, who had to win 12 in a row down the stretch to secure the second wild-card slot, and added only Pius Suter and Logan Mailloux during the summer. 

Here are three bubble clubs that could make their move this season:

Anaheim Ducks 

Positive

The addition of three-time Cup-winning head coach Joel Quenneville to a club that has boatloads of young talent in need of direction might just be enough to put the Ducks in the playoff mix, but the acquisition of winger Chris Kreider and forward Ryan Poehling should help provide them with some veteran depth up front. 

Negative 

The potential holdout of center Mason McTavish could be a factor if it lasts long into the season, as well as goaltender Lukas Dostal being able to handle the primary starter role with John Gibson heading to Detroit.

Utah Mammoth

Positive

The acquisition of winger JJ Peterka from Buffalo should add some scoring prowess to the Mammoth’s top-six, along with the addition of free agent winger Brandon Tanev and Cup-winning defenseman Nate Schmidt, providing veteran depth. 

Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Olli Maatta and Nick DeSimone celebrate a goal scored by Cooley against the Dallas Stars. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

Negative

There is a question of which version of Karel Vejmelka will show up next season. Will it be the goalie who had a sub .900 save percentage, 3.35 goals-against average and a losing record in 2024, or the one who had an excellent 2025 (26-22-8, 2.58 GAA)? Utah will need the good Vejmelka to battle in the difficult Central Division and challenge for the post-season. 

Vancouver Canucks

Positive

The circus has left British Columbia, with Rick Tocchet heading to Philadelphia and Adam Foote taking over as head coach. The departure of J.T. Miller, the lack of an Elias Pettersson trade, the re-signing of Brock Boeser and the extension of Thatcher Demko should calm the waters a bit.

Negative

The continuing saga of Quinn Hughes will be a constant in rumor circles, especially if the Canucks struggle again. Vancouver will need both Demko and Kevin Lankinen to stay healthy to provide solid play between the pipes, and the circus could return very quickly if Evander Kane remains a distraction, as he has been throughout his storied career.  

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

 

 

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Broadcasters told not to air any booing of Donald Trump at US Open men’s final

  • Trump will appear on big screen during national anthem

  • Broadcasters asked ‘not to show any disruptions’

US Open broadcasters have been asked not to show any negative crowd reactions to Donald Trump at Sunday’s men’s final.

The president is expected to attend the match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in New York, with security at Flushing Meadows being heightened in preparation.

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The Hockey Show: Examining NHL changing LTIR rules for playoffs, Connor McDavid's future in Edmonton

This week on The Hockey Show it was time to look into some changes coming to the NHL next season.

THN hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork got into several topics, including perhaps the most impactful alteration that could impact any and every team.

Teams can no longer use LTIR to exceed the salary cap during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something that worked well to Florida’s advantage during their 2025 Stanely Cup run.

When Matthew Tkachuk missed much of the second half of season after being injured during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Florida was able to add to their roster thanks to Tkachuk’s AAV going on LTIR and not counting against the cap.

When he returned for the playoffs, it didn’t matter that the Panthers would’ve been over the cap, as it’s not counted against during the playoffs.

Or at least, it wasn’t. Until now.

Roy and Dave were also joined by Prime NHL host Adnan Virk to chat about Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton, the expanding regular-season schedule and lots more.

You can check out the full episode in the videos below:

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Three Panthers Forwards Who Must Step Up In Matthew Tkachuk's Absence

Looking back at top Florida Panthers plays from past few seasons

Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky Ranks Fourth In NHL Network's Top 10 Goaltenders Rankings

Panthers 2023 top pick Gracyn Sawchyn participates in NHLPA Rookie Showcase

Former Panthers Center Scott Gomez Features In U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2025

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Hall-Of-Famer Dryden And Sabres Had Historical Connections

Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden passed away on Friday at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. The Montreal Canadiens great was a dominant presence between the pipes for Les Habitants from 1971 to 1979, winning six Stanley Cups, five Vezina’s, a Conn Smythe, and Calder Trophy, as well as being the starter along with Tony Esposito in the 1972 Canada-Russia Summit Series.   

The Hamilton, ON native had many connections to the Buffalo Sabres, the strongest one being his older brother Dave playing for the Sabres from their inaugural season in 1970-71 until 1974. The younger Dryden faced his sibling in one of his first NHL starts and was the Canadiens starter in an upset victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.    

 Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

After a quarter-final loss to New York in 1972, the Canadiens played the Sabres in their first playoff appearance, beating Buffalo in six games on the way to his second Cup. The following season, Dryden held out the entire year and worked as a law clerk, but returned to the Habs in 1974. 

The Sabres exacted a bit of revenge on the big netminder, as the French Connection-led club bested the Canadiens in six games in reach their first Stanley Cup Final. Buffalo was the last club that Dryden lost a playoff series, as the Habs defeated the two-time Cup winning Flyers in 1976, Boston in 1977 and 1978, and the Rangers in 1979 before retiring in 1979.      

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Adrian Morejon, Romy Gonzalez and Kyle Manzardo

FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS

Adrian Morejon (RP Padres): Rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues

Nick Pivetta aside, the Padres are having some obvious rotation problems, and they’ve reacted to them by leaning more and more on their deep bullpen. Adrian Morejon is often the first guy in when a starter leaves a close game in the fifth and sixth, and he’s all the way up to 11 wins as a result. One imagines he’ll be good for at least a couple of more this month, making him a great choice for teams more concerned about victories than saves at the moment.

Morejon is hardly a secret at this point, having been picked for the NL All-Star team. Converted into a reliever because of his issues staying healthy as a starter, he had a 2.83 ERA in his first full season in 2024. He’s at 1.85 in 63 1/3 innings right now. Of the 305 guys with at least 50 innings pitched this season, he has the second lowest hard-hit rate at 27.7%. He’s also issued just 10 unintentional walks.

The Padres don’t want to overwork Morejon, who is still just 25 years old, and they’ve backed off him a bit these last 10 days. Still, with the NL West and Wild Card positioning both up for grabs, they have plenty of incentive to finish strong, even if they’re not much in danger of missing the postseason. Morejon definitely rates as a top-30 RP at this point.

Romy Gonzalez (INF Red Sox): Rostered in 13% of Yahoo leagues

After five months mostly spent as a top-flight platoon player, Gonzalez is finally getting extended time against righties, in part because he deserves it but also because outfield injuries have forced the Red Sox to keep Ceddanne Rafaela in center instead of having him moonlight at second base. Gonzalez has gone 15-for-32 with six RBI while starting Boston’s last eight games, and he seems poised to stay at second base going forward.

Gonzalez had intriguing exit velocity numbers during his time with the White Sox, but terrible plate discipline was his undoing; he had a 36% strikeout rate and a 2% walk rate in 239 plate appearances over three seasons with the White Sox. Two years later, his strikeout rate is down to 25%, and while that’s still not great, so much of his contact is hard contact that it’s allowed him to hit .306/.343/.496. His 57.2% hard-hit rate is fourth highest in fastball.

To turn into a truly above average regular, Gonzalez still needs to work on lifting the ball. His groundball rate has been over 50% throughout his time in the majors, and for all of his power, he’s totaled only 14 homers in 494 plate appearances the last two years. At this point, that’s more of a concern for next year, though. Gonzalez is the best the Red Sox have at second base right now, and he’s hitting in the middle of the order regularly. He should be a pretty good play.

Kyle Manzardo (1B Guardians): Rostered in 17% of Yahoo leagues

With four homers in seven games and nine in 31, Manzardo has been a nice contributor of late, and now he’s getting to play against lefties with Carlos Santana having been let go by the Guardians. The metrics definitely like what he’s doing; he has a .422 xwOBA over his last 50 plate appearances.

Manzardo is all about lifting the ball. Only three of the 252 players with 300 plate appearances this season have a higher flyball rate than the Guardians first baseman. He doesn’t combine it with elite power, so batting average is an issue and figures to remain one. Still, he should continue to be productive in terms of homers, and hitting fourth regularly behind José Ramírez means he’s getting RBI opportunities..

Manzardo also has a rather soft schedule going forward, particularly this week against a Royals rotation missing its three best starters and the White Sox. One could pick him up now and move on from him next week, but he’s a reasonable bet for the remainder of the month.

Waiver Wire Quick Hits

- The Brewers’ Jose Quintana is available in two-thirds of leagues and is due to face the injury-plagued Rangers and Cardinals next week. He’s a great one-week pickup.

- Emmet Sheehan is also a nice one-week pickup, assuming that the Dodgers make it official that he’ll start at home against the Rockies during the Monday-Wednesday series.

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Mets owners release statement following Davey Johnson's death

After the news of the death of former Mets manager Davey Johnson broke, the baseball world sent their condolences and gave tribute to the four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion (twice as a player and once as a manager).

Steve Cohen and Alex Cohen, owners of the Mets, issued a statement on Saturday afternoon on the beloved manager who was at the helm in New York from 1984-1990.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Davey Johnson. Davey’s 595 wins remain the most in franchise history, and his legacy is highlighted by him leading the 1986 team to a World Series championship. He led with a quiet confidence and unwavering belief in his team, always caring deeply for his players both on and off the field. He had a distinguished 13-year playing career, including winning two World Series titles with the Orioles. On behalf of our entire organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Davey’s family, friends, and all who were impacted by his remarkable life and career."

A two-time Manager of the Year, although none with the Mets despite compiling a 595-417 record (.588 winning percentage) in six-plus seasons in New York, Johnson was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010, alongside Frank Cashen, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.

Both Strawberry and Gooden, as well as a few other former players, paid their respects to their former manager with statements, too.

"Davey Johnson was the greatest manager I ever played for," Strawberry said. "He let us do our own thing. This is a sad day for the Mets and for the 1986 Mets family."

Gooden added: "He took a chance on me when I was 19. Davey wasn’t afraid to make a tough decision. I know I wouldn’t have had the career I did without him.”

Strawberry also posted a picture of him, Johnson and Gooden at their Mets Hall of Fame ceremony on Instagram with the caption:

Additional tributes by former players to Johnson include Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Mookie Wilson and Roger McDowell.

"Without a doubt he saved my career," Hernandez said. "He let me be myself on the field. He knew when to be tough and when to take it easier. It was a joy playing for him."

"Getting to the major leagues is tough. Succeeding in the major leagues is even harder, and to accomplish that you need a guardian angel,"Darling wrote. "Davey was my guardian angel."

"He was just a player's manager," Wilson added. "He made it fun to go to the field. He laid down the law when needed, but other times he just let us play."

"Davey was really a forward thinker," McDowell said. "He knew his players strengths and weaknesses. He always set us up to have success as a team and individually. Our Met family has lost a quality man."

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NBA hires law firm to handle investigation into Kawhi Leonard, Clippers endorsement deal

As expected, the NBA has hired an outside law firm to investigate whether the Los Angeles Clippers circumvented the salary cap with a "no-show" endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard by one of the team's sponsors.

The NBA has hired the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, reports Joe Vardon, Sam Amick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. This is the same law firm that investigated the Donald Sterling situation with the Clippers (which ultimately led to the sale to current owner Steve Ballmer) and investigated reports of a misogynistic workplace under former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, who was ultimately suspended by the league for a year and sold the team.

This case, if proven to the satisfaction of the other owners (who will vote on any potential punishment), would not lead to as severe an outcome as the sale of the team (circumventing the salary cap is serious for the NBA, but not on the level of racism and misogyny). However, the list of penalties prescribed in the NBA CBA includes fines up to $7.5 million, the forfeiture of draft picks, and potentially the voiding of the player's contract.

This case resolves around an endorsement deal with a Clippers sponsor unearthed by the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast. The timeline breaks down like this: In September 2021, Ballmer made a $50 million investment in Aspiration, a "green bank" company claiming it was planting trees to gain carbon emissions credits it could pass on to its clients. Later that month, Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million max contract extension with the Clippers. At the Clippers' media day at the end of that same month, Ballmer announced a $300 million partnership and sponsorship with Aspiration that was in part an effort to make the then-under-construction Intuit Dome "green." Not long after, Leonard signed a four-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration. None of that is out of the ordinary (star players signing separate endorsement contracts with team sponsors, with a clause the sponsorship ends if they are traded/leave the team, are relatively common).

Two things make this story take a turn. The big one is that Leonard did nothing for Aspiration, the endorsement was what several Aspiration employees told Torre was a "no-show" job. Leonard never made any public appearances for the company, did not appear in its marketing, nor did he post anything on social media about Aspiration. He got $28 million for doing nothing (Leonards LLC formed for this endorsement is one of the creditors in Aspiration's bankruptcy, as are the Clippers). The other twist is that Aspiration turned out to be a fraudulent company, one that is under federal investigation, filed for bankruptcy, and its CEO pled guilty to defrauding investors of $248 million.

Steve Ballmer and the Clippers have vehemently denied the allegations and said they did nothing wrong. Ballmer said in an interview with ESPN that he was “duped” by Aspiration and its CEO, as were many other wealthy investors and celebrities. The Clippers said this in a statement:

"Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap. The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd. Steve invested because Aspiration's co-founders presented themselves as committed to doing right by their customers while protecting the environment... Neither Steve nor the Clippers had knowledge of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government initiated its investigation. Aspiration was a team sponsor for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons before defaulting on its contract."

Now it comes down to the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz investigation and what they find — with the investigation being run by a law firm and reporting to a lawyer himself in NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, the bar for direct, hard evidence will be high. However, there is a flood of circumstantial evidence, and the Clippers or Leonard explaining away a no-show contract will be difficult.

Ultimately, it is the other owners who will decide the punishment for the Clippers and Ballmer, and they want to see this report. The other owners will not want slap on the wrist punishment (like the Knicks got with for tampering with Jalen Brunson) that will signal it is okay to circumvent the cap, but how hard they want to come down on one of their own in a case where he claims plausible deniablity is another question (those owners can think "there but for the grace of God go I"). A lot will come down to what this investigation finds.

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Six RFAs Remain: Which NHL Teams Face The Most Pressure To Re-Sign Their Guy

One of the few remaining RFA players came off the market Friday with news from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Calgary Flames winger Connor Zary agreed to a three-year contract extension with an annual average value of $3.775 million. That leaves only six RFAs left who had played NHL games this past season.

Let’s break down a fun little pressure-o-meter on the six remaining RFAs. On a scale from one to five stars, with one star being the least amount of pressure to five stars being the most amount of pressure, how much will each team be feeling the heat if their RFA remains unsigned to start the season? 

1. Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim Ducks

Pressure raking: Five stars

The Breakdown: The Ducks are aiming to take a major step this season, and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek has more than $20.5 million in salary cap space. So it’s more than a little curious that the Ducks and McTavish haven’t come to some kind of financial common ground. 

If Anaheim is going to have a hope to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, they’re going to need all hands on deck, and that includes McTavish, who has averaged 19 goals in each of his first three NHL seasons. The Ducks’ year won’t float or sink depending solely on McTavish, but if any team can’t afford to have a dynamic young player on the sidelines, it’s Anaheim. And the longer they fail to sign McTavish, the better the chance they completely burn a bridge with him and end his Ducks career before it could really take flight.

Mason McTavish (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

2. Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey Devils

Pressure raking: Four stars

The Breakdown: Much is expected of the Devils this season in no small part because of their deep and skilled defense corps. But not having the 21-year-old Hughes under contract feels like a fight New Jersey doesn’t need to make. And the hole Hughes leaves in his absence could wind up being the difference between the Devils securing home-ice advantage in the playoffs and being a wild-card team.

Hughes has produced 75 assists and 91 points over the past two seasons, and those totals could’ve been higher if he’d played more than the 71 games he played in 2024-25. Having Hughes miss any time because of a financial stalemate will not do the youngster any favors as he tries to grow his game. And that’s why New Jersey is facing considerable pressure to get him signed.

3. Luke Evangelista, RW, Nashville Predators

Pressure raking: Three stars

The Breakdown: The Predators were a huge letdown last season, but the development of the 23-year-old Evangelista was a bright spot. Despite playing 12 fewer games last season than he did in 2023-24, Evangelista still put up 32 points. And while Nashville has $9.3 million in cap space, they’re under no urgent need to throw a lot of it at Evangelista.

Thus, the Preds can afford to be more patient than the Ducks and Devils are being with McTavish and Hughes, respectively. Nashville needs more out of all its players, Evangelista included. But there’s no point rushing things with Evangelista. If it takes another few weeks to sign him, the Predators will be fine with it. They shouldn’t let it drag out forever when it comes to Evangelista, but the clock isn’t ticking quite so loudly as it is for the aforementioned two players on this list.

4. Rasmus Kupari, C, Winnipeg Jets

Pressure raking: One star

The Breakdown: The Jets may not have had a high ceiling for Kupari when they acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings, and as part of Winnipeg’s bottom-six group of forwards, his individual numbers (including five goals and eight points in 59 games last year) aren’t going to get him a big-money, long-term contract.

Kupari isn’t regarded as being especially crucial to the Jets’ playoff hopes, so if he doesn’t agree to a new deal by the time the season begins, there won’t be a huge outcry from Winnipeg fans. The 25-year-old Kupari may eventually grow into a more valuable player, but for now, he’s more of a fringe contributor, and the Jets’ slow movement to get him signed is a reflection of that reality.

5. Alexander Holtz, RW, Vegas Golden Knights

Pressure raking: One star

The Breakdown: The Golden Knights are a team built to win now, and so young players like the 23-year-old Holtz are a supplemental talent. Holtz posted only eight assists and 12 points in 53 games. Meanwhile, every salary cap dollar is hugely valuable to Vegas, and given that the Golden Knights are currently over the salary cap ceiling, they’ll need to keep Holtz’s raise to a minimum.

So, while Vegas got a 16-goal, 28-point season out of Holtz two years ago, they don’t have to break the bank for Holtz. A short-term, low-money deal will probably be as good as it gets for Holtz, at least right now. And Vegas clearly is in no rush to get him signed.

6. Wyatt Kaiser, D, Chicago Blackhawks

Pressure raking: One star

The Breakdown: The Blackhawks are mired in rebuilding hell, but money isn’t a problem for Chicago, which currently has $18.6 million in cap space. But handing out a lot of money on a long-term deal for the 23-year-old Kaiser doesn’t make much sense from the Hawks’ perspective.

Kaiser did play a career-high 57 games for the Blackhawks last season, but that’s not going to translate into a huge financial windfall for the blueliner. They can afford to take their time getting Kaiser under contract, and only the hardcore Hawks fans will notice him not being in the lineup if it comes to that. But we see Kaiser getting a new deal done before the season begins. The Hawks can afford to give him a decent raise and let him earn a bigger payday down the road.

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