The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday afternoon that they have signed forward Emil Heineman to a two-year extension. Per TVA's Renaud Lavoie, the deal carries a $1.1 million cap hit.
The 23-year-old was part of the package from Montreal in exchange for defenseman Noah Dobson, who has since signed an eight-year extension worth $9.5 million.
Here's our story from the day of the trade, June 27, on one of the newest Islanders wingers:
Heineman scored 10 goals with 8 assists for 18 points with the Canadiens last season in a bottom-six role. The 2024-25 season was the first full season for the Swede, who was drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2020.
He has bounced around multiple NHL teams, having been part of both the Sam Bennett trade to Florida and the Tyler Toffoli trade to Calgary.
Characterized by a high motor and versatility, Heineman maintains a strong two-way presence and can play both sides on the wing.
In sheltered minutes with Montreal, Heineman was a defensive piece for head coach Martin St. Louis and provided strong forechecking.
With Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy, Heineman should click similarly and shore up New York’s forward depth.
The winger is a restricted free agent whose deal expired at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
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Here are the winners and losers of The Free Agent Frenzy
Winners:
1. Florida Panthers: Many didn’t think Bill Zito would be able to keep his big three pending UFAs - Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand - but he did. All on miraculously cheap contracts. Zito also re-signed Tomas Nosek, and now has all 12 forwards who skated in Game 6 of The Cup Final under contract… Three-peat? Why not?
2. Las Vegas Golden Knights: From one core four to another. A sign-and-trade sent Mitch Marner to Vegas on an 8 year, $96 million contract. The Golden Knights top-6 may be the best in the league. Is this where Marner finds his playoff success? I say yes.
3. New York Rangers: To sum up, GM Chris Drury turned K’Andre Miller into Vladislav Gavrikov, Scott Morrow, a conditional 2026 1st round pick and a 2026 2nd round pick. Oh, and Miller ($7.5M AAV) is making more, in Carolina, than Gavrikov ($7M AAV) is with New York. Great work by Drury.
Losers:
1. Edmonton Oilers: GM Stan Bowman made no additions with FIVE subtractions on July 1st. The man lost a good portion of his team’s depth. Not to mention, his goaltending situation has not been resolved. AND beginning next season, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard will be making a combined $24.5 million. Captain McDavid is heading into the final season of his contract… Does he stay or go? I predict he stays, but on a short term deal.
2. Boston Bruins: With enough money to make a splash, GM Don Sweeney handed out some questionable contracts. Tanner Jeannot, 5x$3.5M AAV, being the biggest head scratcher. The Bruins didn’t take any strides toward playoff contention.
3. Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are worse today than they were yesterday. Trading Jordan Spence, and losing Vladislov Gavrikov, for nothing, is not exactly ideal for their defense. Additionally, a majority of their money was spent on aging players - Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, and Brian Dumoulin - who won’t be the make or break of the team's success.
The majority of the Free Agency big fish may be gone, but a player like Nikolaj Ehlers is still available. Who’ll get him?
VOORHEES, N.J. — Wayne Simmonds watched Porter Martone around four to five times last season scouting the OHL for the Flyers.
He came away impressed.
Did he think the 6-foot-3, 98-point forward would drop to No. 6 in the 2025 NHL draft?
“I didn’t, personally,” Simmonds said with a laugh. “For us, we got lucky. We’ll take that one, we’ll definitely take that one.”
No doubt, the Flyers were happy to see Martone wearing a white and black practice jersey, with an orange No. 94, as development camp kicked off Wednesday. Just five days ago, they were scooping him up at sixth overall.
The 18-year-old was the first winger taken last Friday night and some public scouting services had him pegged as the third-best player in the draft.
“He’s a great player, big body, owns the net front and the boards,” Simmonds said. “Tremendous competitor.”
A beloved former Flyer, Simmonds is now in a consultant role with the club’s hockey operations department. He’s helping coach the prospects this week at development camp, getting a chance to see Martone again after watching him on the scouting trail. But apparently Simmonds had met him well before this year.
It was after a practice when Simmonds was playing for the Flyers. Martone even has a picture of the two together from that day. Back in the same facility, Martone reminded Simmonds about the moment.
“That was the first thing he said to me and I’m like, ‘Oh my God,'” Simmonds said. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘I’m that old?’ It was honestly really cool, it was really cool to hear.”
Martone, who is from Peterborough, Ontario, and once went to a Flyers game for his birthday, can still recall meeting Simmonds.
“We had, like, 50 kids just banging on the glass the whole practice,” Martone said. “Him and a couple of others took time out of their day to come say hi to us, take a couple of photos. I think that’s a big thing as an NHL player, being able to give back to the community, give back to little kids who look up to those footsteps. Now that I’m here, I want to make sure I do that to kids, try to make everyone’s day a positive, a little bit better.”
He could see more kids at Flyers Training Center come the fall if he makes the big club. That’s not outside the realm of possibility. Martone has a pro-style game and played with NHLers at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, suiting up twice for Team Canada.
“For me, my mindset is playing in the NHL next year,” Martone said when asked about his plans for 2025-26. “If the management staff here thinks otherwise, that’s when you kind of have a talk [between] my agent and me. But right now, my goal is to make the NHL, have a big summer, really gain some strength in the lower body and then come into camp and try to earn my spot. For me, I want to play a full regular season in the NHL next year.”
With uncertainty surrounding Tyson Foerster’s status because of an arm injury, general manager Danny Briere didn’t hesitate to mention Martone’s name as a candidate to fill any void on the wing.
“When you come into camp, you’re going to have to earn your job,” Martone said. “You’re not just going to get it given to you. If I get the opportunity to come in, I’m going to give it my all and try to earn my spot in the opening-night roster. If I do, that’s a dream come true to play with the Flyers’ organization.
“But that doesn’t come without the work that needs to be put in, I still have got to do some stuff throughout the summer to get me ready for training camp in September and get me ready to play in the NHL next season.”
Riley Armstrong sees some of Foerster in Martone.
“He reminds me a lot of Tyson when I was coaching him with the Phantoms,” the Flyers’ director of player development said. “He has that little bit of swag to him, like he knows that he’s a good player. And I think that’s a good thing, you want a player that has that, that confidence within himself.”
And if Martone needs to pinch himself being around Simmonds, that’s not a bad thing, either.
“It’s pretty cool when you get to see people you idolized when you were kid,” Martone said, “and now you’re working with them.”
The Mets dropped their fourth straight game, falling to the Milwaukee Brewers by a score of 7-2 in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader at Citi Field.
Here are the key takeaways...
-For the first time in 17 days, the Mets had a starting pitcher pitch into the sixth inning, as Clay Holmes overcame some early command issues to turn in a solid start. But after a walk to Christian Yelich and a Jackson Chourio flyout, Holmes was pulled with the Mets holding on to a 2-1 lead.
Unfortunately, Reed Garrett was immediately greeted by Brice Turang, who doubled into the left field corner to quickly tie the game. From there, things snowballed on Garrett, and a 2-1 Mets lead turned into a 6-2 deficit after Joey Ortiz smacked a grand slam to left to quiet the Citi Field crowd. Garrett was charged with four earned runs on three hits and a walk while recording just two outs.
Holmes’ final line: 5.1 innings, three hits, two earned runs, four walks and one strikeout.
-Offensively, the Mets weren't able to muster much of anything against Brewers starter Freddy Peralta. They were able to use the running game to get things going in the third as Luis Torrens and Jeff McNeil executed a hit-and-run to put runners on the corners. McNeil would score on a Brett Baty sac fly. The next inning, Juan Soto singled, stole second, and came in to score on a Pete Alonso single, but Peralta limited the Mets to just two hits over his 6.0 innings of work.
-Francisco Lindor remains mired in a slump, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. The Mets' leadoff hitter is now slashing just .133/.172/.267 with 13 strikeouts in his last 15 games.
-If there was any sliver of a silver lining in this game, it's that Brandon Waddell did a decent job of saving the rest of the bullpen, which could be a nice boost for the second game of the twin-billing. Waddell went 3.0 innings, throwing 50 pitches while allowing one earned run on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
-As a team, the Mets mustered just two hits all afternoon, with the top three hitters in the lineup -- Lindor, Starling Marte, and Soto -- going 0-for-11 with a walk.
Game MVP
Ortiz, who turned the tide of the game completely with one swing of the bat.
The New Jersey Devils announced they have acquired forward Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Shane Bowers.
Bordeleau recorded 14 goals and 38 points in 59 games with the San Jose Barracuda and appeared in one game with the Sharks last season.
The 23-year-old has 47 goals and 107 points in 161 career AHL and 18 points in 44 career NHL games.
The 38th overall selection by the Sharks in the 2020 draft, Bordeleau had strong professional debuts in both the AHL and NHL but appears to have been passed on the depth chart by other Sharks prospects. He is a very intelligent player and this is a good high upside trade for New Jersey.
A native of Houston, TX., Bordeleau won the Tim Taylor Award as NCAA's top rookie with the Michigan Wolverines in 2021, was a Top 3 player on Team USA at the 2022 World Junior Championship, and represented the Pacific Division at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game.
Bowers had three goals and 17 points in 65 games with the Utica Comets and went pointless in four games with the Devils last season.
The 25-year-old has 44 goals and 97 points in 282 career AHL games and is pointless in 13 career NHL games.
A first round selection of the Ottawa Senators in 2017, Bowers was a member of Team Canada at the 2019 World Juniors and was named to the NCAA Hockey East All-Rookie Team with Boston University in 2018.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Pierre Olivier-Joseph has found his new home.
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that they have signed Joseph to a one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2025-26 season.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with D Pierre-Olivier Joseph on a one-year contract worth $775,000.
Joseph, 26, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Penguins and became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 because of it. Now, he is heading to the Canucks, where he will look to earn a spot on their NHL roster.
Joseph was reacquired by the Penguins from the St. Louis Blues back in December of this past season. This was after the Penguins did not offer him a qualifying offer and let him walk in free agency last summer. In 24 games with the Penguins this campaign, the left-shot defenseman recorded one assist, 23 hits, and a minus-15 rating.
In 171 games over five seasons and two stints with the Penguins, Joseph recorded eight goals, 30 assists, 38 points, 199 hits, and a minus-18 rating. His best season with the Penguins was during the 2022-23 campaign, as he posted career highs with five goals, 16 assists, 21 points, and a plus-8 rating in 75 games.
Joseph will now look to have a bounce back season with the Canucks after earning this one-year, prove-it deal with them. It will be interesting to see what kind of campaign the 2017 first-round pick has with the Canucks from here.
While Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency still awaits resolution, ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes the Warriors have the upper hand in any ongoing negotiations with the 22-year-old wing.
The longtime NBA executive gave his perspective on the Kuminga saga during an interview with 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” show on Wednesday afternoon.
“I mean listen, [Kuminga] has got no leverage. The only leverage he has right now is to sign the qualifying offer at $7.9 million and then try and go out in free agency next offseason,” Marks told Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “When you look at the landscape of the league right now, it took [the Milwaukee Bucks] waiving Damian Lillard and paying him $25 million [per year] over the next five years just to create cap space.
“The only team out there that has cap space is [the Brooklyn Nets], and I don’t see them putting [in] an offer sheet [for Kuminga]. Of course there’s the sign-and-trade mechanism, but that requires cooperation from Golden State as far as what salaries they would want to take back in a deal here.”
One of the biggest issues the Warriors face is that Kuminga’s situation impacts how aggressive Golden State can be in free agency due to the uncertainty surrounding how much cap space a deal for the young wing could eventually take up. Still, Marks believes whatever deal gets struck will be on the Warriors’ terms.
“If he’s going to be on a long-term contract, it’s basically going to be on the terms of the Warriors in terms of what that number could be,” Marks explained. “What happens with Kuminga dictates what your flexibility is also with what you have, whether it’s your tax mid-level exception or maybe the full exception here.
“But if you’re trying to bring back Kuminga and you’re also trying to get big — a player like Al Horford, for example — your threshold as far as a new contract is 16, 18, maybe could you get closer to 20 [million dollars]? That’s probably where your walkaway number would be.”
Kuminga isn’t the only player in a tough spot, as Marks highlighted a handful of other names who are in a similar situation navigating restricted free agency during an offseason when cap space is at a premium around the league.
“He’s in a boat with a bunch of them, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, Cam Thomas, there’s a list of other restricted free agents who basically are in the same situation,” Marks said.
“The market tells you it’s not a good time to be a restricted free agent. That’s what the market tells you. I think Memphis is a little bit different because of where they were financially; they could do that. I think Golden State’s payroll, they’re OK right now, I think they’re 16 or 17 [million dollars] below the luxury tax and $24 million below the first apron. If they were where Memphis is, they probably could be a little bit more aggressive.”
While it remains to be seen what the ultimate resolution will be, Kuminga’s situation figures to be the most important domino to fall in Golden State’s offseason.
It's Wednesday, July 2 and the Reds (44-41) are in Boston to take on the Red Sox (42-44). Nick Martinez is slated to take the mound for Cincinnati against Brayan Bello for Boston.
Yesterday's game was suspended and resumed at 2:30 PM ET today.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Reds at the Red Sox
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Reds (+108), Red Sox (-128)
Spread: Red Sox -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Reds at Red Sox
Pitching matchup for July 2, 2025: Nick Martinez vs. Brayan Bello
Reds: Nick Martinez, (5-8, 4.12 ERA) Last outing (San Deigo Padres, 6/27): 8.0 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 1 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts
Red Sox: Brayan Bello, (3-3, 3.41 ERA) Last outing (Toronto Blue Jays, 6/27): 6.0 Innings Pitched, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 0 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 1 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Reds at Red Sox
The Red Sox have won 4 of their last 5 games against the Reds
The Over is 7-3 in the Reds' last 10 road games
The Reds have failed to cover the Run Line in 3 straight games
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Reds and the Red Sox
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Reds and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Red Sox on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cincinnati Reds at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.0.
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The Vancouver Canucks have made another free-agent signing, inking defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a one-year contract worth $775K. Joseph has previously spent most of his NHL playing time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that both Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin and President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford have worked with in the past.
“Pierre-Olivier has good speed and mobility and will add to our depth on the back end,” said Allvin in a statement released earlier today. “His addition gives us a player with some solid NHL and pro hockey experience, he is comfortable playing both sides, and he won a world championship with Tyler Myers in 2023. We look forward to getting him here to start working with our group.”
Joseph is a former first-round draft pick, selected 23rd overall in 2017 by the Arizona Coyotes. He never ended up playing a game for the Coyotes, however, instead making his NHL debut for the Penguins after being traded there. He skated in his first NHL game on January 22, 2021, adding an assist and three shots on goal.
In 194 NHL games spread over five NHL seasons, Joseph has scored eight goals and 32 assists. Most recently, he had two assists in 23 games for the St. Louis Blues, and one assist in 24 games for the Penguins, as he played for both teams in the 2024-25 season. In St. Louis, he had the opportunity to play with his older brother, Mathieu, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
The Boston Celtics’ franchise-altering offseason took an unexpected turn Wednesday with the team’s reported interest in superstar guard Damian Lillard.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks waived Lillard to free up cap space to sign former Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner in free agency. They did so by stretching the $112.6 million remaining on Lillard’s contract over the next five years.
The Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers are “known to be among the many teams that would have interest in doing a deal (with Lillard) sooner rather than later,” The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon reported. The mention of Boston came as a surprise with the team shedding salary this summer by parting with Jrue Holiday (trade), Kristaps Porzingis (trade), and Luke Kornet (free agency), and still aiming to get under the second apron of the luxury tax.
Given the current state of the C’s, signing Lillard may seem like a head-scratcher, especially with the 34-year-old set to miss all of the 2025-26 campaign due to a torn Achilles. But looking beyond next season, it’s easy to see why Boston is intrigued by the idea of adding the nine-time All-Star to the mix.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated shared his take on the Celtics’ reported interest in Lillard during Wednesday’s episode of The Off C’season.
“I think the mechanics of a deal will be the most important thing,” Mannix said. “Dame is done for the ’25-’26 season. He got injured in the first round of the playoffs. He’s not coming back until the same year Tatum is coming back. But I thought he was an interesting player for Boston when Portland was dangling him a couple of years ago. I still think he’s an interesting player now because he is a proven postseason scorer. He is a clutch shooter. And if he’s available on the cheap, which I believe he will be to whatever team signs him to his next deal, absolutely, I think they should consider pursuing him.
“And look, he’s not gonna be as pricey as he once was because he’s going to get the full $100+ million from Milwaukee after they waived and stretched him. So yeah, I think the Celtics are among the teams that are going to show an interest in Damian Lillard, but I do expect it to be a strong market for Damian Lillard.”
As Mannix notes, the Celtics wouldn’t have to worry too much about the financials since Lillard will be earning $22.5 million per year from the Bucks. He will likely be available for relatively cheap, so there’s no real downside to adding a supremely talented player with the goal of returning to contention in 2027.
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That said, Lillard may wait a while to decide on his next destination. Mannix believes the seven-time All-NBA selection could put his contract offers on the back burner while he rehabs in Portland this season.
“When I’ve talked to people around Lillard, I think he wants to rehab in Portland, or do a lot of it in Portland,” Mannix said. “He spent the last couple of years away from his family, away from his kids, living in Milwaukee. I talked to him about this in the past, others have as well, like, how difficult that was for him. I think he’d like to spend the bulk of next year around them, and I wouldn’t expect him to be looking for a deal right now.
“He’s got plenty of money coming his way from Milwaukee. He’s got all the resources in the world potentially at his fingertips out there. I think there’s gonna be a decision he makes months from now rather than days and weeks from now.”
Lillard may not be the same player when he returns from injury, but he was outstanding for the Bucks last season. He averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range.
Watch the full episode of The Off C’season featuring Mannix, Chris Forsberg, Drew Carter, and Kevin O’Connor below:
It's Wednesday, July 2 and the Orioles (37-48) are in Arlington to take on the Rangers (42-44). Tomoyuki Sugano is slated to take the mound for Baltimore against Nathan Eovaldi for Texas.
Today Eovaldi makes his second start since being placed on the IL. In his first start back he gave up three earned runs on five hits and in 3.0 innings pitched.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Orioles at the Rangers
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Orioles (+127), Rangers (-152)
Spread: Rangers -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Orioles at Rangers
Pitching matchup for July 2, 2025: Tomoyuki Sugano vs. Nathan Eovaldi
Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano, (6-4, 4.06 ERA) Last outing (Tampa Bay Rays, 6/27): 5.0 Innings Pitched, 7 Earned Runs Allowed, 9 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries, and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions, and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Orioles at Rangers
The Rangers have won 13 of their last 20 home games against teams with losing records
In his last 5 starts on the mound the Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has an ERA of 2.43
The Rangers have covered in 3 straight games with Nathan Eovaldi as the opener
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline, and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Orioles and the Rangers
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Orioles and the Rangers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Texas Rangers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Baltimore Orioles at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
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He never won a scoring championship or a Hart Trophy. He was never named a first-team all-star. And he never garnered huge headlines.
But make no mistake, Alex Delvecchio was a great player, one of the NHL's all-time greats. In fact. Not only did Delvecchio, who died at the age of 93 on Tuesday, center one of the NHL's all-time greatest lines, but he also represented the epitome of integrity, selflessness and enduring durability.
Unlike his famous linemates Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay on 'The Production Line', Delvecchio played his entire career with the Red Wings and was captain of the team for longer than both Howe and Lindsay combined. Only Steve Yzerman was captain of the franchise for longer.
Delvecchio also won three Lady Byng Trophies as the league's most gentlemanly player to match the number of Stanley Cups he won. And all the while, he managed to be remarkably consistent, missing only 43 games during his 23-year career.
Watch today's video column for more, and share your thoughts.
As the NHL draft concluded on June 28th, 27 of our league’s own officially began their new careers as NHL rookies. Vaclav Nestrasil and Ryker Lee from Muskegon and Madison respectively lead their USHL peers as the 25th and 26th pick in the first round.
Below is a list of every NHL rookie drafted from the USHL this year.
Round 1
Vaclav Nestrasil – RW, drafted 25th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks from the Muskegon Lumberjacks
At 6’6”, this Prague native is a fantastic young enforcer that never gives up on the play. Excellent while playing off-puck, Nestrasil brings a level of unselfishness to the Blackhawks that will bring a multitude of goals for the team.
Ryker Lee – RW, drafted 26th overall by the Nashville Predators from the Madison Capitols
In 58 games with the Capitols, Lee managed to lead his team with 68 points. The elusive shoot-first winger closed his season doing it all by collected a team-high of 37 assists with a team high of 31 goals to go along with them. If utilized well, Ryker Lee could pose a great threat to the NHL.
Round 2
Jacob Rombach – D, drafted 3rd in the 2nd round by the Nashville Predators from the Lincoln Stars
Ivan Ryabkin – C, drafted 30th in the 2nd round by Carolina Hurricanes from the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Ben Kevan – RW, drafted 31st in the 2nd round by the New Jersey Devils from the Des Moines Buccaneers
Round 3
Sean Barnhill – D, drafted 6th in the 3rd round by the New York Rangers from the Dubuque Fighting Saints
Michael Pradel – G, drafted 11th in the 3rd round by the Detroit Red Wings from the Tri-City Storm
Mason Moe – C, drafted 26th in the 3rd round by the New Jersey Devils from the Madison Capitols
Brady Peddle – D, drafted 27th in the 3rd round by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Waterloo Black Hawks
Teddy Multryn – C, drafted 31st in the 3rd round by the San Jose Sharks from the Chicago Steel
Round 4
Adam Benak – C, drafted 6th in the 4th round by the Minnesota Wild from the Youngstown Phantoms
Caeden Herrington – D, drafted 24th in the 4th round by the Los Angeles Kings from the Lincoln Stars
Round 5
Sam Laurila – D, drafted 10th in the 5th round by the New York Islanders from the Fargo Force
Ethan Wyttenbach – LW, drafted 16th in the 5th round by the Calgary Flames from the Sioux Falls Stampede
Jackson Crowder – C, drafted 27th in the 5th round by the Washington Capitals from the Chicago Steel
Round 6
Ashton Schultz – C, drafted 7th in the 6th round by the Buffalo Sabres from the Chicago Steel
Anthony Allain-Samake – D, drafted 8th in the 6th round by the Anaheim Ducks from the Sioux City Musketeers
Carter Sanderson – LW, drafted 9th in the 6th round by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Bruno Idzan – LW, drafted 21st in the 6th round by the Ottawa Senators from the Lincoln Stars
Edison Engle – D, drafted 28th in the 6th round by the Winnipeg Jets from the Dubuque Fighting Saints
Round 7
Caleb Heil – G, drafted 1st in the last round by the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Madison Capitols
Brendan McMorrow – C, drafted 4th in the last round by the Los Angeles Kings from the Waterloo Black Hawks
Matthew Lansing – C, drafted 15th in the last round by the Vancouver Canucks from the Fargo Force
Maxon Vig – D, drafted 17th in the last round by the Montreal Canadiens from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Nolan Roed – C, drafted 22nd in the last round by the Colorado Avalanche from the Tri-City Storm
Ryan Rucinski – C, drafted 27th in the last round by the Buffalo Sabres from the Youngstown Phantoms
Aidan Park – C, drafted 31st in the last by the Edmonton Oilers from the Green Bay Gamblers
“Y’all can look at me as mini-Draymond,” Paschall said, referring to the oft-made comparisons of him to Draymond Green. “I like to score. Mentally, at that point, I couldn’t do it. I’m going in there thinking like, ‘All right, I got my chance, so I’m just hooping.’ “
During his rookie season in 2019-20, when Curry was limited to only five games due to a hand injury, Paschall showed out as a primary scorer, averaging 14 points per game and placing sixth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. However, when Curry returned the following season, Paschall struggled to deal with his reduced role.
“Steph and them came back, and Dray was hurt early in the season,” Paschall explained. “But I couldn’t play with Steph early in the season. I’m still going to do me — y’all saw what I did last year. That’s what I’m thinking. But I can’t do that because I’m on the floor with Steph all the time. I ended up asking to come off the bench. I was not wired to set a screen, pass up an open shot — like if I’m open, I’m shooting it. It gave me a false reality of how the NBA works.”
As a result, the Warriors traded Paschall before the 2021-22 NBA season, and he was out of the league the next year.
Some fans and analysts have noted the similarities between the challenges Paschall faced and the ongoing dilemma facing Kuminga and Golden State. Like Paschall, Kuminga is more of a ball-dominant forward who has seen more success in Curry’s absence — namely in the Warriors’ 2025 second-round playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Curry missed most of the series with a hamstring strain.
Now, as the organization and Kuminga face a major decision during NBA free agency, both sides might use Paschall as a key piece of evidence for how they proceed.
