The Bahamas Bowl will not be played this season.
Abe Lucas talks about first impressions of Sam Darnold
OTA's are not the first time Lucas and Darnold met
Shohei Ohtani thought he was 'in trouble' before Dave Roberts gifted him a toy Porsche
The last time Shohei Ohtani thought he might be in trouble was when his name was linked to a federal investigation into illegal sports gambling in March 2024.
His name was soon cleared by authorities, who charged and convicted Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in federal court with surreptitiously stealing more than $17 million from the Dodgers superstar to pay off an Orange County bookmaker.
Ohtani wondered if something was amiss Wednesday when manager Dave Roberts summoned him before the Dodgers' home game against the New York Mets.
But not for long. Ohtani rushed into Roberts' office, saw a bright pink remote-controlled toy car on the ground and immediately started laughing.
"I have a gift for you," Roberts told him. "Actually, for your daughter."
"For my daughter? OK, thank you." Ohtani replied.
"This is from my wife [Tricia] and me to you and your family and your daughter," Roberts said. "So, we have jokes always. This is a little bit of a joke. It's a Porsche. This is going to be your daughter's first car."
"Thank you, I love it," Ohtani said. He tapped the car with his hand and said in English, "I thought I'm in trouble. Some trouble," evoking laughter from Roberts and others in the room.
Doc and his wife bought Shohei's daughter a brand new car...kind of. 😂 pic.twitter.com/LBNMAwdHRU
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2025
Ohtani had gifted Roberts a tiny toy Porsche a year ago when he broke Roberts' franchise record of seven home runs by a Japanese-born player, placing it in the manager's parking lot space as a practical joke.
When Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in December 2023, he gifted Ashley Kelly, the wife of pitcher Joe Kelly, a Porsche — not a toy — for Kelly giving up No. 17. Roberts kidded Ohtani about gifting him when the modest record was inevitably broken, and the new Dodgers slugger obliged with the toy.
It took Roberts — born in Naha, Okinawa, to a Japanese mother and American father — a year to reciprocate.
Read more:Will Dodgers' pitchers ever get healthy? How the team is tackling its biggest problem
"Shohei has been very gracious and we've got this long-running practical joke," Roberts said on video. "This is more of a sincere gesture, not necessarily a practical joke but I wanted to present it to him."
Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, have not revealed the name of their daughter, who was born April 19.
“I am so grateful to my loving wife who gave birth to our healthy beautiful daughter,” Ohtani wrote on social media at the time. “To my daughter, thank you for making us very nervous yet super anxious parents.”
Super anxious? Wait until she starts driving.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
White Sox reach agreement for potential future sale of controlling interest to Justin Ishbia
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement that will give Justin Ishbia, the brother of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, the chance to buy a future controlling interest in the club.
The team made the announcement Thursday, adding that Ishbia will make capital infusions into the White Sox as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026, which will be used to pay down existing debt and support ongoing team operations. Ishbia was already a limited partner. His brother Mat and father Jeff Ishbia will also be “significant investors,” the team said. Justin is the second largest shareholder with the Suns.
Under the agreement, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf will have the option to sell controlling interest in the team to Ishbia from 2029-33. After the 2034 season, Ishbia can acquire the controlling interest.
No transaction can take place before 2029, and there’s no guarantee that one will happen.
The 89-year-old Reinsdorf, who has been the chairman of the White Sox since purchasing the franchise in 1981, will continue in his role as Chicago’s primary decisionmaker.
“Having the incredible opportunity to own the Chicago White Sox and be part of Major League Baseball for nearly 50 years has been a life-changing experience,” Reinsdorf said in a release by the club. “I have always expressed my intent to operate the White Sox as long as I am able and remain committed to returning this franchise to the level of on-field success we all expect and desire.”
NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: Multiple teams interested in Durant, but are the Rockets?
The NBA league office doesn't want teams announcing extensions or pre-draft trades during the NBA Finals — it wants the focus to be on the court — but that doesn't slow the rumor mill.
Durant drawing interest from 4-6 teams
It is still expected in league circles that Kevin Durant will be on a new team next season, even if that takes a little time to unfold, as he has to wait for the Giannis Antetokounmpo domino to fall.
There is plenty of interest in the 15-time All-Star, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
"He is expected to have a robust market of approximately four to six seriously interested teams this offseason, sources said."
Durant, who will be 37 at the start of next season and is coming off an ankle injury, is still a walking bucket. He averaged 26.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season, shooting 43% from beyond the arc. There are more than a few playoff teams he can help, but he's going to want a massive two-year extension off of the $54.7 million he is set to make next season, and those numbers give some front offices pause.
Phoenix lowers asking price for Durant. Maybe.
The question isn't whether Durant will be traded, but where, and how many young players and picks will be heading back to Phoenix.
The Suns — with new GM Brian Greggory in place and owner Mat Ishbia promising to be even more hands-on (yikes) — particularly want to do business with the Rockets because Houston controls Phoenix's No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft, plus they have a lot of quality young players. The Rockets' interest in Durant, who will be 37 next season, has been tepid, which has led the Suns to lower their asking price, according to Kelly Iko at The Athletic.
"There is a price where the Rockets would be interested, but with a fear of breaking up their roster for a 36-year-old coming off injury, doubt remains over a deal materializing."
The idea of a lower asking price was rejected by the well-connected radio host John Gambadoro in Phoenix.
This is so beyond untrue it’s laughable. The Suns haven’t spoken to the Rockets since February - not once! They’ve been focused on hiring a GM and a coach. Now with those hires done they can and will turn their attention to moving Durant. https://t.co/svtbb2yh66
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 5, 2025
Rockets want to bring back Adams, VanVleet
Whatever happens with potentially trading for a star, Houston has other priorities this offseason, specifically bringing back center Steven Adams (a free agent) and Fred VanVleet ($44.9 million team option), according to Iko's report at The Athletic. Adams, coming off a bounce-back season (following time missed with a knee injury), could be a target for teams looking for a traditional center (the Lakers, Spurs among others) but "the Rockets are operating under the assumption Adams wants to return — and will continue to speak with his representation about a possible extension, team sources said."
With VanVleet, don't be surprised if Houston negotiates an extension at a lower per-year salary but one that goes out for a couple more years, giving VanVleet more money overall and more security with a longer deal. Iko summed it up this way: "The likelihood VanVleet plays for a different team next season is slim, those sources said."
Is Towns for Durant trade rumor real?
In the wake of the Knicks' playoff exit, fingers were pointed at two people. One was coach Tom Thibodeau, and now he is out.
The other was Karl-Anthony Towns, whose defensive limitations were on full display in Game 6 against Indiana. That has led to speculation in some quarters of a Durant for KAT trade, most notably from Bill Simmons. This is all just speculation and not reporting at this point — it's fun to talk about, but is there any smoke here, let alone fire? Probably not.
Logistically the trade is not that hard to pull off even with the tax aprons looming, Towns and Durant have similar salaries, and while a third team may be needed a deal could be found. For the Suns, they make Devin Booker happy by bringing in one of his friends and a fellow Kentucky guy in KAT.
There is one big problem with putting together this trade, one that goes beyond Durant saying in 2019 "players have grown up watching the Knicks suck and they aren't cool anymore" (the Knicks are cool again). Phoenix wants picks back in any trade, and New York sent all theirs out the door to acquire Mikal Bridges and Towns; they don't have the picks to make this deal. A third team is not just giving away picks for role players.
Never say never in the NBA, but there are just more logical Durant trades than one to New York.
Rockets still interested in Antetokounmpo
If Houston is going to trade away young talent and picks for a star, they want someone younger and closer to their current core's timeline. With that, the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is "still a target" for the Rockets, reports Iko at The Athletic, but then he threw some cold water on the idea:
"...but there has been recent uncertainty in the past week on Antetokounmpo's actual availability — not to mention the potential asking price Milwaukee would require."
Antetokounmpo has not told the Bucks he wants a trade. While Houston and San Antonio could put together the kind of offers Milwaukee wants in return, there is a growing school of thought that if Antetokounmpo does ask for a trade he will want to stay in the Eastern Conference, not come out West. While he would make the Rockets an instant title contender, the West still has the 68-win Thunder, the two-time Western Conference finalist Timberwolves with an improving Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets, the LeBron/Doncic Lakers, likely with a new center, the Curry/Butler Warriors, and other quality teams. The road to the Finals is not as daunting in the East.
Dumars says Pelicans “going forward” with Zion
A trade market for Zion Williamson exists, but it was never going to bring back as much as New Orleans would want. Other teams saw his production last season but also saw that he played just 30 games due to injury. Add on the accusations against him in a civil lawsuit and other teams will be hesitant.
Which is why it's no surprise Pelicans' decision maker Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune that Zion was at the heart of New Orleans' plans and that they have spent time together.
"We've had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We've done it all. I've had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We're going to go forward with Zion. He's going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward."
Whether Dumars took the job with thoughts of trading Zion or not doesn't matter, it isn't going to happen this offseason. The market isn't where Dumars and the Pelicans would want it (and if Zion plays 65 games and produces like he did last season, would they want to trade him?). You can ignore all the Zion trade talk right now.
Rumor: Would Spurs have interest in Jaylen Brown
Changes are coming to Boston this summer, they are deep into the second apron and with Jayson Tatum's Achilles rupture next season could be a gap year. Either Jrue Holiday or Derrick White will be traded to save money (my bet would be on Holiday), and they will look for a new home for Kristaps Porzingis.
Could the Celtics go for a total reset and trade Jaylen Brown? Probably not, but nobody is sure exactly how deep Boston wants to go with its changes. Breaking up the Jays after riding with them for years and finally winning a title together seems unlikely, but if Boston is really willing to make next season a gap year and do a total reset, Brown would be available. If Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office decide to explore this idea, look for the San Antonio Spurs to be interested, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said on NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’Season YouTube show.
"The team I'd watch the closest with Jaylen Brown is probably the Spurs... "You would get the No. 2 pick back in return. You would get the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That's something I'd watch if and when the Giannis Antetokounmpo stuff shakes itself out over the next few weeks."
There are a lot of "ifs" at play, starting with the Antetokounmpo situation and then what the Celtics are thinking. That said, it's something to keep an eye on. Antetokounmpo is a better individual player than Brown, but Brown might be a better fit with De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio (and he's three years younger than the Greek Freak).
Francisco Lindor has broken pinky toe, plans to play through it
Mets star Francisco Lindor suffered a broken pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch on Wednesday night against the Dodgers.
He is out of the lineup on Thursday, but plans to play through the injury and considers himself "day by day."
"I’m day-by-day," he said before Thursday's game. "Hopefully, I feel good enough to play sooner rather than later. We’ll see. We’ll take it day by day. I trust the trainers, I trust how they go about it, and it will be an educated decision to play or not."
Speaking shortly after Lindor, manager Carlos Mendoza said an IL stint for Lindor was currently not on the table, adding that Lindor fought to be in the lineup on Thursday but was overruled.
Lindor played the entire game on Wednesday after getting hit, but he was clearly hobbled while running the bases.
"At one point of the game I didn’t think it was broken because I didn’t feel any numbness or tingling that was going up my foot or up my leg," Lindor said about playing through the pain on Wednesday night. "I thought it was just a regular hit-by-pitch. I don’t really bruise, and when I got to the X-ray and took off my sock, I saw there was a bruise there and knew something was going to be wrong.
"It’s not a surgical thing, it’s just a matter of tolerating the pain, so hopefully I’m strong enough to play sooner rather than later."
Lindor is in the midst of another MVP-level season, slashing .279/.353/.490 with a career-best 141 OPS+ while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop.
Mets hosting Alumni Classic Game in September with 40 legends, including Mike Piazza and Carlos Beltran
Before the game against the Rangers on Sept. 13 at Citi Field, Mets legends will be competing against one another in the Alumni Classic Game.
Over 40 former Mets will be in attendance for the three-inning tilt, which will feature players from the last decade of Shea Stadium and first decade of Citi Field.
Players from the Shea Stadium team scheduled to participate include Mike Piazza, Pedro Martinez, Billy Wagner, John Franco, Al Leiter, Edgardo Alfonzo, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Robin Ventura, and Cliff Floyd.
Players from the Citi Field team scheduled to participate include Curtis Granderson, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Bartolo Colon, Johan Santana, Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, and Ike Davis.
Check out the full roster below:
The Mets will host a three-inning alumni game on Sept. 13, pitting former players from the Shea Stadium and Citi Field eras against each other.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 5, 2025
Full rosters: pic.twitter.com/3IjFKfC338
The Calgary Flames And Nazem Kadri Should Strongly Consider A Trade
The Calgary Flames are difficult to figure out right now.
This season, the Flames overachieved by staying out of the Pacific Division basement and being in the Western Conference wild-card race until the end of the year.
Flames GM Craig Conroy has said many times he’s not interested in a full rebuild. But given the moves he made this season to acquire younger players – former Philadelphia Flyers forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost chief among them – it’s clear the Flames are willing to be patient in their approach to building a bona fide Stanley Cup contender. And they’re not yet close to being a lock for the playoffs in 2025-26.
That brings us to the subject of Flames center Nazem Kadri and the current market for a solid second-line center.
The 34-year-old veteran and Cup champion had a solid season for Calgary, posting a career-high 35 goals and 67 points in 82 games. He’s a cost-certain asset for the next four seasons at $7 million per year.
If you’re a team that’s looking for an experienced second-line center, you could do much worse than acquiring Kadri. That is, if he becomes available.
Kadri does have a full no-movement clause at the moment, which changes to a partial no-trade clause next summer that allows him to veto a deal to 13 teams. He’s said before he loves the city and organization, the players have a great time together, and the team never quits. The Flames told teams they weren’t open to selling Kadri or anyone else at the deadline, either, though that was when they were in a playoff push.
But with Kadri coming off a good season, it makes sense for the team to ask him where he’d be open to move to and drum up a robust market for him. Conroy would be selling high by trading him this off-season.
The market for a center like Kadri – with his championship pedigree and snarl –will be extremely limited this summer.
The top prize in that regard is Florida Panthers UFA veteran Sam Bennett, but only one team is going to wind up with him. Another center option just got removed from the UFA market when Kadri’s former team, the Colorado Avalanche, signed veteran pivot Brock Nelson to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million. That means there could be many teams looking for a consolation prize. That’s where Kadri comes in.
If you’re another one of Kadri’s former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs, it makes a whole lot of sense to pursue him. Kadri never wanted to leave the Maple Leafs when they dealt him to the Avs in 2019, and he said in November he wouldn’t close the door on returning to the Blue & White.
Acquiring Kadri would serve Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s desire to shake up Toronto’s DNA and give them the snot and physical edge they seek.
But the Buds aren’t the only team that should welcome Kadri with open arms. The Buffalo Sabres are trying to (a) desperately make the playoffs and (b) be a tougher team to play against. Kadri would help in both those regards. Other teams – the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, among many others – could use someone like him.
That could lead to a bidding war Conroy could use to add long-term pieces of the puzzle for the Flames.
Admittedly, they would take a step back by losing their No. 1 center with nobody else in-house to fill that role effectively. But as they wait for their new arena to be built by 2027, Calgary can afford to be patient and use Kadri to help fill their coffers with draft picks and prospects or a younger center who can work their way up the lineup. By the time the NHL’s salary cap ceiling rises to $95.5 million next year and $104 million in 2026-27, Kadri’s salary will be a solid bargain for any team that acquires him.
Maybe the Flames take the cap space they devoted to Kadri and acquire someone like Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras. Or perhaps Conroy takes that $7 million he was paying Kadri and holds onto it until next summer, when the UFA class will be much more tantalizing. But it’s clearly a seller’s market for hard-nosed players like Kadri that should make Calgary better in the long run.
Even with Kadri in the lineup this year, the Flames weren’t a playoff team. Even with the trades they made, they missed out. Even though they want veterans to mentor their younger players, they still have Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.
If they wait another year, Kadri’s trade value might not be the same. It’s worthwhile to see if he wants to go to a more competitive team right now, acquire young up-and-comers who will be cornerstone components for the long term and continue to build a young and revitalized Calgary squad.
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Lizzie Deignan’s farewell tour off to tricky start on Yorkshire home roads
Kim Le Court takes first stage win and overall lead
Cat Ferguson is first British finisher back in fifth
There was personal celebration but professional frustration for Lizzie Deignan on the opening day of her final Tour of Britain when her Lidl-Trek team failed to stop the Mauritian national champion, Kim Le Court, taking the first stage win and overall race lead in Redcar.
Deignan’s valedictory race on British roads began with a fast 85.6km opening stage, from Dalby Forest to the beachfront in Redcar, and took in some of her longstanding training roads within an hour or so of her home in Otley, West Yorkshire.
Continue reading...Could Dallas Winger Jason Robertson Be Ottawa's Next Big Swing?
When the lights are brightest, Steve Staios is not afraid of pulling the trigger.
During last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Ottawa Senators' general manager unquestionably made the biggest trade of his tenure by dealing Joonas Korpisalo and a first-round pick to the Boston Bruins for goaltender Linus Ullmark.
The Senators find themselves back in the rumour mill with the 2025 Stanley Cup Final getting underway on Wednesday night.
In Tuesday's episode of 'The Sheet', host Jeff Marek was expounding on the Dallas Stars' situation after they were disappointingly bounced from the Western Conference final for a third consecutive season.
PuckPedia lists the Stars as having approximately $5 million in cap space with eight forwards, six defencemen and two goaltenders under contract for the 2025-26 season. They face an impending crunch wherein productive veterans like captain Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, and Evgenii Dadonov will hit unrestricted free agency.
Without much cap flexibility, it will put significant pressure on general manager Jim Nill to creatively find avenues to preserve this team's competitiveness and maintain the organization's quality of depth.
That search for flexibility was something that Jeff Marek alluded to during his podcast.
"They have just under $5 million of cap space, and they want to change this team," Marek asserted. "It's still going to be a competitive team. No one is talking about taking a step back. But how do you get over the hump?
"The one thing that a lot of people that I talk to keep coming back to is, could Jason Robertson and his $7.75 million contract -- which is a very, very nice number considering the production you get out of Jason Robertson -- is this, I don't want to say the only move, but is it probably the most obvious move that the Dallas Stars could make in order to get a return that can help them get over the hump?"
Drake Batherson Doesn’t Belong Anywhere Near Ottawa's Trade Bait BoardThere's been quite a bit of dialogue over the past few days about Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson and potential trade talks around the league. According to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch, three NHL executives are out there telling people that Batherson is "a name to keep an eye on" as the NHL Draft approaches.
I presume the conversations Marek refers to are with hockey executives, analysts or journalists covering the league. Without any direct sources, it is certainly presented more as inference and speculation than anything, but if he is available, Robertson would be an attractive target -- especially for a goal-starved team like the Ottawa Senators.
Yes, the same Ottawa Senators that Marek would later reference in a separate blog post for the Daily Faceoff, believing them to be an aggressive suitor for Robertson should he become available.
"Could the Stars move someone like Jason Robertson, who has one more year on his deal at an incredible $7.75 million value, to try to recoup Draft capital and free up cap space to once again go big-game hunting in the summer? If so, I'd watch the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks as possible destinations."
The Senators finished tied for 18th in the league in total goals (242) with Pittsburgh. It is a pedestrian figure for a playoff team, but their real struggles occurred at five-on-five. According to NaturalStatTrick, only the Nashville Predators scored fewer five-on-five goals than the Ottawa Senators' 139.
Jason Robertson is a two-time 40-goal scorer, who finished the 2024-25 season with 35 goals and 80 points. His 23 five-on-five goals this season tied for the league's 12th-highest mark, while his 53 points were the sixth-highest total in the league.
His production in the last four seasons is pretty remarkable.
- 2021-22: 74 GP, 41 G, 79 Pts
- 2022-23: 82 GP, 46 G, 109 Pts
- 2023-24: 82 GP, 29 G, 80 Pts
- 2024-25: 82 GP, 35 G, 80 Pts
Only 13 forwards have produced more goals and points during this span and the analytics affirm that he is one of the best offensive players in the league.
The question for the Senators is, what would you give up?
Interestingly, the timing of these Robertson rumours coincides with recent reports that the Senators would consider moving Drake Batherson.
In a vacuum, trading Batherson admittedly does not make much sense. The popular veteran, Claude Giroux, is an aging asset and is an impending unrestricted free agent, so moving a 27-year-old who happens to be the team's youngest and most productive right winger feels odd given the team's struggles offensively.
Batherson was the Senators' second-leading scorer behind Tim Stützle. For the third consecutive season, Batherson finished with more than 20 goals and 60 points.
- 2022-23: 82 GP, 22 G, 62 Pts
- 2023-24: 82 GP, 28 G, 66 Pts
- 2024-25: 82 GP, 26 G, 68 Pts
Points aside, Batherson is just one of five players this season who scored more than 20 goals and 60 points while recording 140 or more hits. And, playoff performance notwithstanding, it is well-documented that Batherson is on a team-friendly contract carrying an average annual value (AAV) of $4.975 million.
To move that kind of production at that cost would be extremely difficult.
In saying that, however, with only two years left on his contract, if the organization wanted to sell high on Batherson, there may not be any better time than the present.
Under the hood, there are reasons to be wary regarding an expensive, long-term extension.
Defensively, Batherson is not terrible. He is closer to being league-average. The offence is interesting because most of his production tends to occur on the power play, where he has scored 34 of his last 76 goals across his last three seasons. He is not exclusively a power play merchant per se, but Batherson will be 29 years old when his current deal expires.
Analytics have demonstrated that a player's offensive peak is typically between 22 and 27 years of age before it plateaus in the late 20s and then declines progressively through their 30s. By the time Batherson hits free agency, the reality facing the team is that while he still represents being a good offensive player, he has likely played his best offensive hockey for the club.
If the Senators are exploring the market for Batherson, it is likely because they are considering both their short and medium-term outlooks. So, the weight of any prospective Robertson trade has to be, "If we trade Batherson for Robertson and sign him to an extension, how much different will their respective contracts be in AAV two years from now?"
With other reports suggesting the Senators are negotiating with Claude Giroux on an extension of his own, the congestion of forwards means that something has to give.
The Ottawa Senators’ Quiet Logjam Up Front: What Are They Planning?If the Ottawa Senators are planning a new contract extension for impending unrestricted free agent Claude Giroux, it is hard not to wonder whether an accompanying trade is on the horizon.
The portrayal of the Staios regime is of a measured and diligent group which will investigate every possibility to improve this team. Without knowing the other permutations of a trade package, flipping Batherson in a deal for Robertson would improve the team offensively and defensively.
But it would likely rob the team of their remaining valuable trade assets, as well.
Once Tyler Kleven inked his two-year extension with a $1.6 million AAV Monday, it left the Senators with approximately $15 million in cap space to shape their roster.
If the Dallas Stars wanted to preserve their competitive window, trading Robertson for a package that includes Batherson would work. He obviously would not replace all of Robertson's production, but he could replace a large chunk of it while saving the Stars $2.5 million that they could reallocate elsewhere to address another spot on the roster.
The two years remaining on Batherson's deal would also give the Stars an additional year of cost certainty that they would not get with Robertson needing an extension.
On the Senators' side of things, acquiring Robertson's cap hit would cut into their limited cap space, which they will need to maximize if they want to re-sign Giroux, add a top-four right-shot defenceman, and add quality depth to the fourth line.
Robertson is close to the same size as Batherson with both players being listed at 6'3" and a shade over 200 lbs. Robertson does not play with the same physicality as Batherson, however. And, based on the NHL's Edge data, he is not as good a skater as Batherson either.
If the Senators have designs for improving their team speed, it will not be accomplished by flipping these two players.
There is also the risk that Robertson would not want to play in Ottawa. Although his contract is not protected by a no-movement or trade clause, the reality of the Senators' situation is that they can ill-afford to move valuable assets for a one-and-done player.
Pierre Dorion's failed Alex DeBrincat experiment familiarly highlights the risks involved. The player holds all the contract negotiation leverage, with his final year of restricted free agent rights kicking in after the 2025-26 season. Without a contract extension in place, any trade involving a player in Robertson's situation has the potential to blow up in the acquiring organization's face.
With a measured front office, however, the likelihood of management incurring these risks without some measure of confidence or a guarantee that the player will sign an extension is small. It paid off last season with Linus Ullmark, and it may pay off again.
Whatever the case, it is encouraging to hear league insiders suggest that there are expectations that the Senators will aggressively be big-game hunting this summer.
Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News Ottawa
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Ducks Potential Free Agent Fits: Mobile Defenseman
The Anaheim Ducks head into the 2025 offseason with $38.69 million in cap space and need to spend $13.79 million to reach the cap floor. Ownership has given general manager Pat Verbeek a mandate to push for the playoffs in 2025-26 and has given him the green light to spend to the cap ceiling, if it’s deemed necessary to achieve that goal.
Barring extensions signed before July 1, the 2025 free agent class will consist of one franchise-altering superstar (Mitch Marner) and a long list of quality players just beneath at every position who could provide varying degrees of their personal brand and impact to a team’s depth chart.
The Ducks currently have 16 players under contract for the 2025-26 season, with five restricted free agents under team control.
They were a team near the bottom of the league in most traditional and underlying statistical categories in 2024-25 and could use upgrades at several positions within their lineup. Verbeek has stated his priority to add goal scoring, and recently hired head coach Joel Quenneville has traditionally valued puck possession.
Three spots in the lineup the Ducks could look to address in free agency are a top-of-the-lineup producing forward, a two-way middle-six center, and a mobile defensive defenseman.
Ducks Potential Free Agent Fits: Middle Six Center
Ducks Potential Free Agent Fits: Top of the Lineup Point Producer
With how the Ducks roster is constructed and the brand of hockey they’re hoping to ice on a nightly basis, who are the best fits on the free agent market?
Defensive Defenseman
Verbeek stated during his post-season press conference that the biggest need heading into the offseason is improved goal scoring. However, the Ducks were one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, spent too much time in their own zone, and had significant difficulty generating clean exits.
In the 2024-25 season, the Ducks allowed the 10th-most goals per game (3.18) in the NHL, the most shots against per game (32.3), and deployed the league’s 29th-ranked penalty kill (74.2%).
As the defensive depth chart is currently constructed, the Ducks have a breakout two-way star (Jackson LaCombe), two unproven offensive dynamos brimming with potential (Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov), two relatively stationary veterans (Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas), and a trio of inexperienced right-shot youngsters with varying skillsets (Drew Helleson, Ian Moore, Tristan Luneau).
While the potential on the blueline is tantalizing and the roster had issues with logjams a year ago, if the goal for the 2025-26 season is for the Ducks to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, that collection of defensemen likely won’t cut it.
Adding a modern-day mobile defense-oriented defender to the Ducks' blueline would alleviate responsibility on Trouba and Gudas, who have shown trouble assuming shutdown roles at this point in their careers, while potentially insulating and nurturing one or several of the team’s young talents on the backend.
All contract projections provided byAFP Analytics
Aaron Ekblad
Contract Projection: 7 years, $7,802,350
Ekblad (29) is currently playing in his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, as his Florida Panthers squad looks to hoist the greatest trophy in sports for a second straight season. Over the last three seasons, next to Gustav Forsling, Ekblad has made up half of one of the NHL’s most consistent and dominant shutdown pairs, winning shifts while matching up against the league’s elite opposing lines.
The 2014 first overall pick is a proven playoff performer who’s as bruising as he is tenacious. Playing against him, he makes it a chore to get to dangerous areas of the ice and will punish opponents for trying. Offensively, he plays a simple game, but is adept at absorbing forechecks and making clean outlet passes.
Ekblad’s mobility isn’t what it once was, and he’s had his bouts with the injury bug, missing at least 20 games in four of the last five seasons. In 2024-25, he served a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He stated he used a substance as part of a recovery program from a recent spell of injuries.
For a player like Ekblad, the potential term on his contract would be more of a drawback for a team like Anaheim than the potential salary. He would, however, provide a needed boost to the Ducks' penalty kill, as he’s consistently among Florida’s leaders in TOI on the PK.
While he’s a proven playoff performer and champion, it’s unclear how much he’d help a team like Anaheim make the jump from 80-point playoff hopeful to 95-point wildcard threat, especially if he can be penciled into missing 15-20 games per season.
Vladislav Gavrikov
Contract Projection: 7 years, $7,608,621
Gavrikov (29) has earned recognition as one of the better shutdown defenders in the NHL since he was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2023 trade deadline. In 2024-25, he led the Kings in ice time (1893:06) by over 150 minutes and was their most frequently used penalty killer (271:40 TOI).
Gavrikov filled in valiantly for the injured Drew Doughty for the majority of the 2024-25 season on the right side of premier shutdown defender Mikey Anderson. He’s adapted well when tasked with playing his offside, something he’d likely have to do if Anaheim were to pursue him in free agency.
He’s suffered no major injuries during his six-year NHL career and would seemingly fit nicely next to a young, budding star like Pavel Mintyukov.
Dante Fabbro
Contract Projection: 4 years, $4,528,519
Fabbro (26) was seen as somewhat of an afterthought as his days as a member of the Nashville Predators dwindled. So much so that he was placed on waivers in early November and claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
He found a home next to All-Star defenseman Zach Werenski, where the duo paired together for over 1000 minutes and formed one of the better two-way top pairs in the Eastern Conference. Fabbro was the second-most utilized Blue Jackets defenseman on the penalty kill, averaging 1:41 TOI per game on the kill.
He isn’t as physically imposing as other available defensively-minded blueliners, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for with proper angling and engagement techniques so as to never surrender the middle of the ice. He is a more-than-capable puck mover who can get to dumped pucks and find his outlets quickly to negate opposing forechecks.
With his skillset, age, and success next to a star two-way puck mover like Werenski, Fabbro could form a formidable pair next to someone like Jackson LaCombe in Anaheim’s top four.
Other potential fits on the free agent market: Ivan Provorov, Dmitry Orlov, Brent Burns, Ryan Lindgren, Brian Dumoulin, Nick Perbix, Henri Jokiharju
If the Ducks do decide to add to their blueline without subtracting, they could find themselves in a similar situation they were in during the majority of the 2024-25 season, where they had too many NHL-caliber defensemen in need of NHL minutes, leading to potentially hindered development.
However, if the intention is to take the next steps toward contending, it’s unlikely the backend is sufficient as currently constructed. It may benefit them to add a complementary, modern-day, mobile, and defensive-oriented defender to their blueline and sort out the rest of the organizational depth chart when they get to that point.
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Richmond Rewards: Former Vancouver Canuck Troy Stecher’s Road To The Stanley Cup Final
The Vancouver Canucks didn’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, but for some former Canucks, the ultimate trophy in professional hockey is only four wins away. Two former Canucks will take part in the Edmonton Oilers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance, with one having been a fan-favourite for pretty much his entire time with the Canucks organization.
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Troy Stecher is from Richmond, BC, and started his NHL career with his hometown team back in the 2016–17 season. Before this, he skated with the Penticton Vees from 2010 to 2013, taking on a leadership role in his final two seasons with the club. After, he spent three seasons at the University of North Dakota in the NCAA, the last of which he played with Canucks prospect at the time Brock Boeser.
Originally undrafted, Stecher signed his first NHL contract with the Canucks back in April of 2016. He started the 2016–17 season with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate at the time, the Utica Comets, but was quickly called up and has remained in the NHL ever since. Stecher made a lasting impression on the fanbase only four games into his rookie season after he was nearly taken out by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin. However, Vancouver’s goaltender at the time, Ryan Miller, quickly stepped in to help out the young defenceman. Later on in the season, Stecher was the victim of an April Fool’s Day prank that saw him skating on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin during practice.
When @troystecher arrived at practice Saturday, he had been moved to forward. With the Sedins.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 1, 2017
Stech forgot it's #aprilfoolsday... pic.twitter.com/KBz9hUljYU
Stecher remained with the team throughout a quick roster turnaround that saw them pick up star prospect after star prospect. He was with the team when all three of Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes made their NHL debuts. As well, he played with a defensive core that featured members of the Canucks 2011 Stanley Cup run in Alex Edler and Chris Tanev. Because of this, he could have easily become a mainstay in the Canucks core moving forward. However, after Vancouver failed to qualify him following the 2019–20 Bubble Playoffs, Stecher found himself signing with the Detroit Red Wings.
From 2020 to 2022, Stecher played in 60 games with the Red Wings, putting up four goals and nine assists in this span of time. He also joined Team Canada during the 2021 World Championship, helping his home country to their third gold medal in six years at the time. After playing 16 games with Detroit in the 2021–22 season, he was traded to the L.A. Kings for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He played his first postseason matches in front of a live audience with the Kings, tallying two goals and two assists in four games.
Stecher flip-flopped between the Arizona Coyotes and the Calgary Flames before he ended up with the Oilers in the 2023–24 season via trade. Last season, he only played seven games for Edmonton and ultimately didn’t dress for any of their playoff matches due to ankle surgery. With changes hitting the Oilers throughout the off-season, Stecher found his way into the lineup and played in 66 regular season games, potting three goals and four assists. Injuries and lineup shifts forced him out to start the 2025 postseason, but in Mid-May, he was able to make his Oilers playoff debut against the Vegas Golden Knights. While the return of Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton’s lineup has taken Stecher off the bench, the defender has effectively contributed when needed and has earned himself a Stanley Cup Final appearance without a doubt.
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Another nightmare start for Luzardo as Phils get blown out by Blue Jays
Another nightmare start for Luzardo as Phils get blown out by Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jesus Luzardo was many miles away from the bounce-back start he wanted Thursday.
Following a nightmare day last time out vs. the Brewers, Luzardo seriously struggled again in the Phillies’ 9-1 series finale loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. He’s conceded 20 runs over his last two starts.
Luzardo’s afternoon was even shorter than his 3 and 1/3 innings against Milwaukee. He logged 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and eight runs. Luzardo walked two hitters and struck out two.
Over his past two outings, Luzardo’s season ERA has jumped from 2.15 to 4.46.
Chris Bassitt fared much better than Luzardo, throwing seven strong innings. He was charged with five hits, one run and two walks.
Toronto went ahead in the second inning when Myles Straw’s two-bagger to the right-center gap scored Davis Schneider from first. Luzardo couldn’t contain the inning. The Blue Jays added three more in the second, including a two-run Bo Bichette homer on a meaty first-pitch Luzardo sweeper.
In the third inning, Luzardo’s day fully unraveled.
An Alejandro Kirk single, Ernie Clement double and Schneider walk loaded the bases, prompting Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham to visit the mound. Straw then lined a two-RBI single to right field.
While the Blue Jays certainly hit Luzardo hard, his outing ended on a Tyler Heineman pop-up to shallow left field. Trea Turner failed to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch, two more Jays scored and Luzardo exited with an 8-0 deficit.
Luzardo’s velocity was right around his season norm — 96.5 mph average on the lefty’s four-seam fastball, 96.1 mph average on his sinker — but Toronto’s hitters looked very comfortable and confident at the plate. The Blue Jays had four hits on Luzardo changeups and also picked up knocks against his sinker, four-seamer and sweeper.
On the other side of the ball, the Phillies managed just two hits across the first five innings. Kyle Schwarber’s sixth-inning single brought in Turner for the Phils’ lone run. Nick Castellanos (3 for 3) did well against Bassitt, but the 36-year-old righty cruised with a large lead.
The Phillies used Max Lazar, Taijuan Walker and Seth Johnson to eat innings out of the bullpen. Weston Wilson handled a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Tossing eephus-style pitches, Wilson’s up to four career innings and has yet to allow a run.
Realmuto sidelined
J.T. Realmuto sat after taking a foul ball Wednesday to a sensitive area below the belt.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlahn March, Realmuto said he won’t be out for long and hopes to only miss one day.
Rafael Marchan started behind the dish and had an 0-for-3 day.
On deck
The 37-25 Phillies will travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend series.
With Zack Wheeler on paternity leave, the Phillies will do a bullpen game Friday, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters postgame that Joe Ross will serve as the opener.
Ranger Saurez and Cristopher Sanchez are the scheduled starters for the final two games of the series.
Thunder v Pacers – which storylines will define NBA Finals?
Oklahoma City Thunder face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, starting on Thursday night.
The Thunder booked their place in their first national finals since 2012 with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.
In the east, the Pacers beat the New York Knicks 4-2 to reach their second national finals and first since 2000.
Before the final, BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team looks at what to watch out for in during the best-of-seven series.
NBA finals fixtures
- Game 1 - at Oklahoma Thursday, 5 June - 20:30 local time (01:30 Friday 6 June BST)
- Game 2 - at Oklahoma Sunday, 8 June - 20:00 local time (01:00 Monday 9 June BST)
- Game 3 - at Indiana Wednesday, 11 June - 20:30 local time (01:30 Thursday 12 June BST)
- Game 4 - at Indiana Friday, 13 June - 20:30 local time (01:30 Saturday 14 June BST)
- Game 5 - at Oklahoma Monday, 16 June - 20:30 local time (01:30 Tuesday 17 June BST)
- Game 6 - at Indiana Thursday, 19 June - 20:30 local time (01:30 Friday 20 June BST)
- Game 7 - at Oklahoma Sunday, 22 June - 20:00 local time (01:00 Monday 23 June BST)
How to watch the NBA finals
All seven matches of the NBA finals will be showing in the United Kingdom via TNT Sports and discovery+.
First-time hopefuls vs a 46-year wait
As far as historic NBA longevity goes, a final between the Thunder and the Pacers is one that is a surprise to many.
The Pacers are only here for the second time in their history, while the Thunder are only making their fourth finals outing themselves.
Spearheaded by Olympic champion Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are among the 10 active franchises never to win the NBA's national championship.
The Thunder's only NBA finals crown came in 1979 when they were the Seattle Sonics, meaning no Oklahoma-based side has won the competition.
The Larry O'Brien Trophy will head to a new state for the first time in either Indiana or Oklahoma.
Will SGA join the exclusive MVP club?
This season, Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Canadian to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since Steven Nash in 2006.
A finals win with Olkahoma could also see him join an exclusive club with some of basketball's all-time greats.
Not since 2015 has the season MVP gone on to win the finals with their franchise that season, with the last being Steph Curry.
Better known as 'SGA', Gilgeous-Alexander is the third Thunder player to be named MVP after Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017).
SGA could join the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as an MVP and NBA champion.
Thunder's 2-0 record vs Pacers
The two finalists have met twice already this season, coming in December in Indiana and March in Oklahoma.
On both occasions, the Thunder came out on top.
Between Christmas and New Year, the Thunder were 120-114 winners on the road and they beat the Pacers 132-111 in March.
During the play-offs, the Thunder recorded wins in 12 of their 16 games, including a 4-0 sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The Pacers have an identical record.
Pacers' outstanding comebacks
A major factor in the Pacers reaching a first finals in 25 years has been their ability to overturn games that have at times, seemed close to impossible to do so.
In game five of their play-off first-round meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pacers found themselves 118-111 down with 40 seconds of overtime remaining, only for Andrew Nembhard to nail a three-pointer and Haliburton to score five unanswered points for a 119-118 victory.
Trailing by 14 points in the third quarter of game two in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Thunder were 119-112 down with 57 seconds left, but recorded a 120-119 victory as Haliburton found a three-pointer with one second remaining.
A hat-trick of memorable play-off comebacks again had Haliburton at the heart of it. In the first game of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers trailed 121-112 to the Knicks with 52 seconds remaining of regular time. As the buzzer sounded, Haliburton's long-range shot with one foot on the three-point line bounced up off the rim and dropped in for two points, sending the game to overtime before the Pacers won 135-134.
The Pacers could need their ability to dig deep into games against a Thunder side that averaged 3.1 more points per game than them in the regular season.
Thunder's home-court advantage
The Thunder have got the home-court advantage for the seven-game series, meaning they will host games one, two, five and seven, should all seven matches be required.
This is because the Western Conference champions had a significantly better record during the 82-game regular season, winning 68 matches to the Pacers' 50.
Since the Pacers' previous finals appearance in 2000, 16 of the 25 teams with home-court advantage have won the finals.
However, each of the 2024, 2023 and 2022 finalists with home-court advantage failed to make it count.
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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Twins' Pablo López expected to miss 8 to 12 weeks because of a strained shoulder
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo López is expected to be sidelined 8 to 12 weeks because of a strained shoulder.
The Twins said that López has a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle.
Lopez was the winning pitcher in a 10-3 victory over the Athletics, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings before leaving because of the shoulder problem.
The 29-year-old from Venezuela is 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 11 starts this season.