Thursday, 26 June 2025
Wednesday, 25 June 2025
MLB on Sportsnet: Pirates vs. Brewers
Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates face off against Jacob Misiorowski and the Milwaukee Brewers in the second game of the series.
Watch live on Sportsnet+ or follow along with every play on our live tracker.
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Report: Fred VanVleet intends to sign two-year contract to stay with Rockets
Fred VanVleet is set to extend his time with the Houston Rockets.
VanVleet intends to sign a two-year, $50 million contract to stay with Houston, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a player option for 2026-27.
The Rockets are declining VanVleet’s $44.9 million player option to set up the deal.
VanVleet, 31, inked a three-year, $128.5 million deal with Houston in the 2023 off-season and has helped guide the franchise into its current competitive window.
In 2024-25, the six-foot guard averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals over 60 games while shooting 37.8 per cent from the floor and 34.5 per cent from three. The Rockets finished second in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record before losing out in the first round to the Golden State Warriors in seven games.
VanVleet stepped up when the lights were bright, averaging 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 43.0 per cent from the field and 43.5 per cent from deep. He also led the team in minutes, averaging 40.0 a night.
VanVleet, formerly an all-star and NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors, will now return to a bolstered Rockets roster after the acquisition of Kevin Durant. They traded away guard Jalen Green, wing Dillon Brooks, along with a 2025 first-rounder and five second-round picks to land the future Hall of Famer.
The 2025-26 season will mark the 10th of VanVleet’s career. The undrafted free agent spent seven years in Toronto, emerging as a reliable defensive force and trusted floor general.
For his career, VanVleet is averaging 14.9 points and 5.7 assists over 550 games played.
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Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Predators hire Luke Richardson as assistant coach
Former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson has joined the Nashville Predators‘ staff.
Nashville announced Tuesday that they have hired Richardson as an assistant coach.
“Luke brings a wealth of NHL experience as both a player and coach to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the organization,” Predators GM Barry Trotz said in a release. “With that experience, we believe he will be a valuable new voice and set of eyes — not just for our defencemen, but for our coaching staff. His strong character, leadership, perspective as a former NHL head coach and ability to connect with both young and veteran players will elevate our team on and off the ice.”
The Blackhawks fired Richardson last December as the team stumbled out of the gate with a league-worst 18 points through 26 games. He finished with a 57-118-15 record during his tenure as head coach.
Richardson, 57, played 1,417 games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with his hometown Senators during the 2009-10 season. After three years, he took over as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Belleville
The 57-year-old Richardson also served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens before he was hired by Chicago in 2022.
“When I think of Luke Richardson — aside from being one of the toughest defencemen to play against during my NHL career — I think of leadership, character and work ethic,” Brunette added in the release. “I’m excited to have him join our coaching staff and feel the different perspective he’ll bring to our defencemen, and team in general, will make us better.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming the former NHL captain and his family to the Predators and getting to work on next season.”
Richardson will replace Todd Richards on Brunette’s staff.
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Monday, 23 June 2025
Canada’s Diallo picks up another win on grass as Wimbledon draws near
Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo picked up another win on grass as Canada’s tennis players continued to prepare for Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old Diallo advanced to the second round of the Mallorca Championships with a 7-5, 6-3 win over local favourite Jaume Munar of Spain on Monday, which took just 56 minutes to complete.
The six-foot-eight Diallo fired 10 aces and saved both break points he faced. He broke Munar three times on four chances, including twice in a four-match winning streak to claim the second set.
Diallo, 23, who won his first career ATP tournament two weeks ago at the grass-court Libema Open in the Netherlands, entered the tournament with a career-high world ranking of No. 41. He will next face Serbia’s Laslo Djere at the ATP 250 grass-court tournament.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded team of Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand were eliminated in the first round of action at the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open in Germany.
Dabrowski, who played her first match after missing a month with a rib issue, seemed poised for a triumphant return after she and Dabrowski took the first set of a match against Taiwan’s Wu Fang-Hsien and China’s Jiang Xinyu. However, the reigning WTA Finals doubles champions ultimately lost the match 6-7 (7), 7-5, 10-8.
In men’s Wimbledon qualifying in London, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over Murphy Cassone of the United States. He will next face British wild card Oliver Tarvet.
Liam Draxl, from Newmarket, Ont., failed in his bid to qualify after losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Serbian veteran Dusan Lajovic.
Women’s qualifying starts tomorrow, with Toronto’s Victoria Mboko, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., Kayla Cross of London, Ont., and Carson Branstine all scheduled to play.
Branstine, who was born and raised in California but represents Canada internationally, has an intriguing opening qualifying match against Lois Boisson. The top-qualifying seed captivated fans in her home country with an unexpected run to the semifinals of the French Open earlier this month.
Main-draw action at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the tennis season, begins June 30 on the grass courts of the All England Club.
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Sunday, 22 June 2025
Bublik beats Medvedev to win Halle Open again
HALLE (WESTFALEN), Germany — Alexander Bublik finally defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Sunday to win the Halle Open for the second time.
It was his first win in seven matches with Medvedev.
“Daniil, I’ve been cursed to play you forever and never won a set in my life, but today I’m happy to get through, and I wish you – you’re a great champion – I wish you a lot of success,” Bublik told his opponent afterward. “I mean, to win, to beat you here, it’s a privilege for me.”
The Kazakhstan player, who also won the grass-court tournament in 2023, is just the third player to claim the title more than once after three-time winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 10-time champion Roger Federer.
Bublik made a strong start and put together a 12-point winning streak in the first set. The second was not quite as fluid with five double-faults, but Medvedev produced consecutive backhand errors in the tiebreaker and Bublik seized his chance to wrap up the match in 81 minutes.
Bublik, who defeated top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the second round, dedicated the title to his wife and son, who were absent because of illness.
“This is for you, I know you’re watching,” he said.
Medvedev, who saw off home favourite Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, was playing his first final since losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells in March 2024.
“A better week, maybe, then we expected but not the best feeling in the end,” Medvedev said. “We try to do better next time.”
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Saturday, 21 June 2025
Scout’s Analysis: Why did James Hagens fall from No. 1 draft ranking?
At the 2024 U18 Men’s World Hockey Championship, Team USA forward James Hagens competed as an underage prospect and led the entire tournament in scoring with 9G-13A in seven games. He was named MVP of the tournament and became the most talked about player for the 2025 NHL Draft.
When Hagens started this season at Boston College, he was the consensus top draft prospect, but he’s been pushed off the perch by Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer and landed in the fourth overall slot on my year-end rankings.
With all of the pre-season excitement and expectations surrounding Hagens the obvious question is: How and why did he fall to fourth in my rankings?
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Ranking the NHL Draft prospects
Jason Bukala gives his take on the 80 top prospects for this year’s NHL Draft, June 27-28 in Los Angeles
Healthy Competition
As everyone knows, evaluating prospects isn’t an exact science. Having said that, I’m confident in stating that Schaefer, forward Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit), forward Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton Wildcats) and Hagens have top-of-the-lineup potential and are bound for solid NHL careers. Each one of these prospects excelled at different stages this year.
The point is, a healthy competition developed over the course of the season. Each one of the players I mentioned gave me a reason to potentially rank them in the No. 1 slot for different reasons and at different times during this past season. The NHL is a hard league. Every day is a grind. Competing for top spot in a draft ranking provides a gateway into what to expect once these players, and several others, arrive in the league.
First Line Upside
Hagens produced 11G-26A at Boston College and averaged over 19 minutes of ice time per game with the bulk of his shifts coming at even strength and on the power play. He also played a significant role for Team USA at the world juniors in Ottawa where he centred the Americans’ top line, skating between wingers Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers). Hagens contributed 5G-4A for the gold medal-winning American team. He was reliable in all three zones and finished plus-9 in seven tournament games.
Hagens has fantastic vision entering the offensive zone and he’s deceptive with how he looks at the ice and distributes the puck.
Big time players find ways to impact the outcome of high leverage games. Here’s a clip that shows Hagens dissecting how a play is developing. He finds open space and pounces on the puck before tucking it home on the wraparound:
Growth Opportunity
Hagens had more than 900 shifts this season, mostly at even strength (819) and on the power play (129). He rarely was deployed on the penalty-kill, only seeing the ice for 19 shorthanded shifts the entire season.
Every young player has room to improve their defensive detail. If they work hard off the puck, and are reliable in the defensive zone identifying their responsibilities, NHL coaches will trust them in a variety of roles. Hagens had a solid year defensively at even strength but, like all the prospects on my list, he experienced some growing pains on occasion.
A couple of “coachable moments” occur in the following clips:
In the first sequence, Hagens does a nice job of tracking the play up ice against Northeastern and directs the defenceman to move the puck up the boards on his strong side. Hagens makes sure he’s above the play and nearly intercepts the puck in the neutral zone. Unfortunately for Hagens, it bounds off his shin pads and Northeastern goes on the attack. He’s in solid position defensively until he stops moving his feet and slides off his check, who goes to the net and cashes in on a rebound.
Winning face-offs in all three zones, and starting with the puck as a result, is crucial at the NHL level. Hagens employed a variety of strategies this season in an attempt to win more face-offs. It’s an area of his game that will be monitored closely and requires improvement. Hagens logs a lot of ice time and is tasked with winning more draws than depth forwards, but only won 45 per cent of his face-offs this season.
At times, a lost draw can lead to late offensive zone exits. Here’s an example of Hagens trying to win an offensive zone draw by getting creative. Notice how he turns his blade over in an attempt to gain control of the draw for his group:
Splitting Hairs
I trust Hagens defensively at even strength. The game moves fast and mistakes are bound to happen occasionally, but he’s generally engaged the entire length of the ice in all three zones. But it’s his offence that wins out as his elite element.
Hagens projects as a top line forward who could be a point per game NHL player in time. The simple fact is that Schaefer, Misa and Desnoyers are also players with elite offensive upside and they are deployed in all situations – including the penalty-kill – which ended up being the difference for me as I built out my list.
Conclusion
James Hagens remains one of the top prospects in this draft class. There’s no shame being inside the top five of an NHL draft ranking, even if he fell off a bit from the No. 1 overall ranking he held early this season.
Sooner than later Hagens will be plying his trade in the NHL and making the team that drafted him proud to call him their own when he’s making plays like this:
Hagens may not have held on to his pre-season and early-season ranking at the top of this year’s draft class, but it wasn’t because he had a bad season or caused any doubt about his NHL projection. It was just a tight competition at the top and the fact he’s still No. 4 indicates Hagens is a top tier player in this class and will be an exciting skater for some team to take.
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Yankees RHP Luis Gil faces hitters for first time since straining right lat
NEW YORK — Luis Gil faced hitters for the first time since straining his right lat in spring training, throwing about 20 pitches in a session New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone described on Saturday as “free and easy.”
About two hours before the Yankees continued their three-game series with Baltimore, Gil notched four strikeouts — three swinging. Since several of the backups who would take part in live sessions were in the lineup, Gil threw to bullpen catcher Peter Serruto and information coordinator Ryan McLaughlin.
“I felt it looked really good,” Boone said. “I think he was 95, 96. It looked every bit of that, looked like it. Just the metrics on the four-seam were really good and I thought he was in control of himself. So free and easy.”
The Yankees are unsure of how many more times Gil will face hitters before progressing to a rehab game. Boone is hopeful the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year can return by the end of July.
“I felt really good out there,” Gil said through a translator. “It’s been a long process. You heal little by little. It felt good to get on the mound to face some hitters.”
Gil stopped a bullpen session on Feb. 28 because of tightness in his pitching shoulder. He went to New York for a second MRI that revealed a high-grade lat strain on March 3.
Gil was shut down from throwing for at least six weeks after receiving the original diagnosis, and at the time the Yankees said he would not return until June at the earliest. On April 16, the Yankees said Gil’s throwing program would be delayed for about 10 days.
“It’s important. Fortunately, after the setback, it’s been a slow build up, but it’s gone well,” Boone said. “It feels like kind of every step of the way. So that’s been encouraging and now we start to build. We start to build lives, pitch counts and then eventually getting into rehab games. So definitely another important box to check.”
The 26-year-old Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts for the AL East champions last year, striking out 171 and walking a major league-high 77 in 151.2 innings. Acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a 2018 trade, Gil made a successful return from Tommy John surgery and threw eight more innings in a pair of postseason starts as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.
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Friday, 20 June 2025
Seattle hires Steve O’Rourke as head coach for inaugural PWHL season
PWHL Seattle is hiring a former OHL coach to serve as its first bench boss.
Steve O’Rourke has been hired as the expansion team’s first coach, the squad announced Friday.
O’Rourke joins PWHL Seattle with over 15 years of coaching experience across multiple levels of hockey. Most recently, he spent two-and-a-half seasons with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, serving as an assistant coach before being elevated to head coach for the 2024-25 season.
O’Rourke was dismissed midway through the season by Oshawa.
“We’re proud to welcome Steve as the first head coach in PWHL Seattle’s history,” said general manager Meghan Turner. “He brings a great hockey mind, a clear vision for the game, and a strong commitment to developing both our team and our players as individuals. We’re confident in his leadership and excited to start this next chapter with him behind the bench.”
The Summerland, B.C., native has extensive ties to the Pacific Northwest as a former player for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in nearby Washington State.
Before becoming a coach, O’Rourke was a defenceman with the Americans and was selected by the New York Islanders in the 1992 NHL Draft.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Professional Women’s Hockey League,” O’Rourke said. “This is something I’ve thought about since the league was first announced. To now be given the opportunity to work with the best players in the world and be part of a professional league that is thriving both on and off the ice is truly amazing.
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Pitt, power, precision a formula that makes F1: The Movie a thrilling watch
Shiny, exhilarating and fuelled with both adrenaline and hope, F1: The Movie is a love letter to the fast-paced world of Formula One. It might follow the story beats we’ve come to expect of sports movies in familiar fashion, but it navigates the turns of each Grand Prix with enough precision that it’s thrilling to be along for the ride.
Director Joseph Kosinski’s follow-up to the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, F1 follows washout driver Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who is drifting through the latter stages of both his life and career. He’s tempted back to the grid by Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a former teammate-turned-team owner, who requires a lifeline in the form of a new driver. Next to fellow racer Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris, in his first blockbuster-starring role) and team engineer Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), Hayes attempts to make a late-stage comeback while navigating new rivalries, egos and his own past.
Pitt brings a familiar, easy charisma to Hayes — a man who has seen and experienced more than he can relate in words. On the other hand, Idris as a young, brash Pierce is trying simply to prove himself, and if their Apex team can’t win even a single race the rest of the season, he might never get another shot. When they share the screen — which isn’t often — their characters shine as the relationship slowly builds from conflict to acceptance. Condon’s McKenna has a lot to do with helping that evolution along; she gets her own underdog story as the first lead female engineer of an F1 team, even if that isn’t explored beyond a few sentences.
If you’re a novice to the world of Formula One, then fear not: the story has largely been crafted for the casual viewer. Screenwriter Ehren Kruger has ensured that no matter your proficiency with hard or soft tires, you will understand more than enough to root for the strategies of Team Apex by the time we get to the climactic race, all the way to the checkered flag.
However, the film’s biggest star isn’t a single person, but instead the sport itself, which will likely endear it to both the hardcore F1 fan and casual viewer alike. The high-octane races wisely put the viewer right in the thick of the action. Cameras are trained on faces during harrowing sequences, as Pitt and Idris emote solely with their eyes. More cameras are attached to every part of these multi-million-dollar feats of engineering, including strapping them right to the front of the cars themselves as they make turn after turn at iconic locales such as Daytona, Silverstone and the Vegas Strip. Kosinski & Co., did it with supersonic fighter planes in Top Gun: Maverick, so why not with finely-tuned F1 machines?
There are some fun cameos as well. For the initiated, you’ll see numerous drivers including Lewis Hamilton (credited as a producer), Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and others, while Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff also makes an appearance. Given that this film was created in collaboration with the FIA itself, the cameos come fast and furious, especially towards the end.
We already know from the outset that F1: The Movie can only end a few ways — the underdog sports movie path is well-trodden, and Kosinski makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel. But even if the journeys for both Hayes and Pierce are ones we’ve been on before, the power and precision of the grid make it a fun, action-packed watch as they cross the finish line.
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Thursday, 19 June 2025
Salzburg defeats Pachuca in tense Club World Cup opener
CINCINNATI — Karim Onisiwo scored a tie-breaking goal in the 76th minute to lead Salzburg to a 2-1 victory over Pachuca in a Club World Cup Group H game on Wednesday night.
Oscar Gloukh, a 21-year-old midfielder, scored in the 42nd minute for Salzburg in a game played in front of a crowd of 5,282 at TQL Stadium.
The game was delayed more than an hour after the start of the second half due to lightning in the area.
Pachuca tied the game quickly on a goal by Bryan Gonzalez, barely a minute after play resumed.
Pachuca captain Salomon Rondón had a number of chances, including one that hit the edge of the crossbar in the 31st minute, but was ultimately saved by the 18-year-old goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky, who was making his Salzburg debut.
The attendance was a major drop compared to Sunday’s Bayern Munich-Auckland match that drew a crowd of 21,152.
Key moment
Salzburg substituted Onisiwo for Edmund Baidoo in the second half, and he wound up scoring the winning goal.
Takeaways
With the 2-1 victory, Salzburg rose to the top of Group H heading into its match against Al Hilal on Sunday. Pachuca fell to the bottom ahead of its match against Real Madrid.
What they said
“We will keep working and move forward and do our best to damage control.” — Jaime Lozano, Pachuca manager.
“We have a young team, but young doesn’t mean inexperienced. I think we have a lot of players who’ve played a lot of games, and football has changed a bit. … I think what’s important for us is that all the agreements we make beforehand that we stick to them during the game. I think overall, we did that. But of course, it was a tough game. They made it difficult for us, but I also think that we showed a lot of character. … We showed the character that we needed to and found the extra willpower.” — Jacob Rasmussen, Salzburg defender.
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Wednesday, 18 June 2025
Rays enter exclusive negotiations to sell team
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays say they are in “exclusive discussions” with a Florida investment group for a potential sale of the team.
The Rays are valued at $1.25 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Stuart Sternberg bought the Major League Baseball club for $200 million in 2004.
“The Tampa Bay Rays announced that the team has recently commenced exclusive discussions with a group led by Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, Ken Babby and prominent Tampa Bay investors concerning a possible sale of the team,” the club said Wednesday while declining further comment.
The potential sale comes at a precarious time for the Rays and their home ballpark. They are playing this season at the spring training home of the New York Yankees in Tampa after the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was heavily damaged during Hurricane Milton last October.
Before the hurricane, the Rays and the city had agreed on a plan for a $1.3 billion stadium development project next to Tropicana Field. In March, Sternberg said the club was withdrawing from that agreement.
St. Petersburg is spending about $55 million to repair Tropicana Field with a plan for the Rays to return there in 2026. The city and the club have a three-year agreement to play there. Beyond that, the club’s future in the Tampa Bay area is uncertain.
When the Rays withdrew from the project, the city noted that it was possible the club would have new owners.
“If in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honouring their agreements and our community priorities emerges, we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete,” Mayor Ken Welch said in March. “But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner.”
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Stampeders place star receiver Reggie Begelton on six-game injury list
The Calgary Stampeders have placed receiver Reggie Begelton on the six-game injury list, the CFL team announced Wednesday.
Begelton injured his right knee in the Stampeders’ 29-19 win at Toronto last Saturday.
Begelton, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver, went down on the Stampeders’ second play from scrimmage.
After needing help to leave the field, Begelton returned to the Stampeders’ sidelines on crutches and ice taped to his right knee.
Begelton has six catches for 65 yards with the Stampeders.
The 31-year-old from Beaumont, Texas, was named a CFL all-star for the third time last season when he caught 92 passes for 1,150 yards and four touchdowns.
The Stampeders (2-0) host the Ottawa Redblacks (0-2) on Saturday.
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Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin named IIHF’s female player of the year
Canada’s “Captain Clutch” Marie-Philip Poulin has another honor to add to her already celebrated hockey career in being voted the IIHF’s Female Player of the Year.
Poulin earned 33.1 per cent of the votes in finishing ahead of five Americans, with Ottawa Charge rookie goalie Gwyneth Philips second with 22.3 per cent of the votes, the IIHF announced Wednesday. U.S. national team captain and the inaugural winner of award three years ago, Hilary Knight, finished third at 20.2 per cent.
The IIHF did not reveal the specific totals submitted by more than 100 voters made up of media and federation officials.
The 34-year-old Poulin is coming off a year in which she earned MVP honours at the world championships in April with a tournament-leading 12 points (four goals, eight assists) for Canada’s silver medal-winning team. The Montreal Victoire captain is also a PWHL MVP finalist after leading the league with 19 goals and finishing fourth with 26 points in 30 games.
Poulin is a four-time Olympian and earned her “Clutch” nickname for scoring key goals, including the game-winners in Canada’s past three gold-medal championship wins at the Winter Games.
She’s the second Canadian to earn the honor, following Natalie Spooner’s win last year.
Philips, meantime, made a splash both professionally and internationally this season by capably stepping in as a backup.
From Athens, Ohio, she went 3-0 at the world championships, including a 17-save performance over the final 32 minutes of the Americans’ 4-3 overtime win over Canada in the title game. Philips entered the game after starter Aerin Frankel was hurt in the third period.
In the PWHL, Philips won the Ilana Kloss Trophy as playoff MVP despite Ottawa losing the Walter Cup finals to defending champion Minnesota. Philips went 4-4 in the postseason in allowing just 13 goals on 270 shots for a .952 save percentage and 1.23 goals-against average.
Drafted by the Charge out of Northeastern, Philips took over the starting duties and helped the Charge clinch their first playoff berth after Emerance Maschmeyer was sidelined by a lower body injury in mid-March.
U.S. national team and Wisconsin defenceman Caroline Harvey (12.9 per cent) finished fourth in the voting, followed by Frankel (7.3 per cent). Also receiving votes were Wisconsin’s Laila Edwards and Finland national team and Charge defenceman Ronja Savolainen.
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12 people who could shape the 2025 NHL off-season
For the second straight year, the Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. Now that the on-ice battles are over and the 2024-25 season is officially complete, it’s time to turn our undivided attention to the off-season — and all of its storylines and intrigue.
While everyone will be studying Bill Zito’s team-building strategies in hopes of replicating it for themselves — and perhaps stealing a UFA or two out of Florida — there’s plenty more at play this summer.
The cap crunch is coming for some markets — we’re looking at you, Colorado, Dallas and Tampa Bay. Could offer sheets fly, too? At the same time, the league is about to enter a new chapter of cap growth — how will that affect this summer’s free agency?
Among those with cap space to play, which rebuilding clubs face the most pressure to leap into contention? And who might be making moves now to clear the way for next year’s star-studded crop of UFAs-in-waiting?
As we look ahead to what’s expected to be a busy summer across the league, we’re highlighting 12 people — players, GMs, owners and even a prospect — particularly well-positioned to shape the NHL off-season ahead.
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs forward and top pending UFA
Is Toronto’s Core Four era over? As the clock ticks closer to July 1 and the start of Mitch Marner bidding season, it certainly looks that way. But how Marner navigates free agency will have ripple effects not just within Toronto — where fellow UFA John Tavares and top RFA Matthew Knies look to re-up — but across the entire league.
It’s not just about where Marner lands — Anaheim, L.A., and Vegas are considered among the top teams showing their interest in the West, while Carolina’s desire to land the skilled winger has also been well-documented. It’s also about when he makes his decision, and what that means for other UFA wingers and the teams chasing that position. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, via Sunday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Marner’s process could include a series of July 1 meetings, and perhaps a trip or two to visit facilities after that. Intrigue around what kind of term he’s eying is also a story to watch, especially as we enter a new era of salary cap growth and increased player control.
“There was a rumour going around this week that a few teams heard, that Marner may not be looking to sign a seven-year deal in free agency,” said Friedman. “That he might look at a four-year deal and then go for another one — kind of the way that Matthews has done it throughout his career.”
Pat Verbeek, Anaheim Ducks general manager
The teardowns are over, the cap space is plentiful and the time has come for a handful of rebuilding teams to step into the ring and contend again. Count Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and Philadelphia Flyers boss Daniel Briere among those clubs that could make a splashy signing or two to elevate their respective clubs to contender status, but it’s Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek who appears to be setting the pace this summer.
Like his peers in Chicago, Montreal, and Philadelphia, he’ll have his hands full inking RFAs to new deals this summer, but he appears intent to bring in more outside help, too — already, he’s made a change behind the bench despite a marked improvement in the standings and traded for veteran Ranger Chris Kreider to complement his young core.
“He is running a team like a guy who needs to make the playoffs next year,” Friedman said. “He’s adding veterans, he’s adding Kreider, I think he’s gonna add more.”
Friedman said he believes “more” includes taking a swing at Marner — and maybe another Maple Leaf as well.
“I’ve actually wondered, if Toronto and Tavares don’t work this out — and there’s still time here — if Anaheim would be a team that would take a shot at Tavares, too,” Friedman said.
Kyle Davidson, Blackhawks general manager
Let’s zero in on Davidson a little more. We saw glimpses of Chicago’s future this spring through the GM’s forward-thinking deadline deals and the youth movement that surged on down the stretch. How Davidson navigates this summer should mark a major turning point. Signing former No. 1 pick Connor Bedard to a statement-making extension come July 1, when he officially enters his pending RFA year, would be a good place to kick off what should be a really busy summer.
Chicago has just four forwards under contract beyond 2025-26 — the longest contract on the books is Tyler Bertuzzi’s $5.5-million cap hit that expires in 2028 — and the blue line is much the same, with only Alex Vlasic (signed at $4.6 million a year through 2029-30) on the books long-term. With all that cap space, and all those RFA signings… could Davidson make a big swing for a veteran to help the young core?
Along with his plentiful cap space and long list of RFAs is a cupboard full of draft picks, including the third overall selection in an intriguing class this year. With a pair of first-round picks this year and next, plus five second-rounders between now and next year, Davidson could wield some power on the trade market. And in a summer that suggests offer sheets could be on the rise… well, things could get interesting in Chicago.
Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars forward
After winter brought two blockbuster trades and a shiny new eight-year contract in the span of six weeks, and spring saw him put on a show with post-season heroics in Dallas, Avalanche-turned-Hurricane-turned-Star Mikko Rantanen can relax this summer — but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still shaping the off-season ahead. There will be no shortage of GMs and agents eying the $12 million AAV Rantanen signed on for in Dallas and comparing the deal to their own negotiations as a star-studded group of forwards becomes extension-eligible. And then there’s the Rantanen Butterly Effect running from the Rockies to Raleigh and down to Dallas.
In Colorado, the Avalanche face a stiff cap crunch even after parting with Rantanen. Signing Brock Nelson eases the top-six void, but more help will be needed to replace Rantanen’s level of production. Can they afford to make another move?
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, made the most of their failed rental attempt when they flipped Rantanen to the Stars, but the bigger issue remains why the club that is unafraid to go after big trade targets can’t seem to keep its prizes. GM Eric Tulsky is armed with the kind of cap space usually reserved for rebuilding clubs — can he reverse the catch-and-release reputation and reel in a big fish in free agency?
And then there’s Dallas. The Stars won the Rantanen lottery, but it comes at the cost of a major cap crunch. Could a player like Jason Robertson be on the move as a result, or will GM Jim Nill target another strategy?
Bill Zito, Florida Panthers general manager
Take a look at the list of top 12 UFAs of this upcoming off-season, and you’ll see a trio of Florida Panthers among the biggest names. Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, all of whom have upped their stock this spring en route to the franchise’s second consecutive championship, will all garner plenty of interest if they hit the open market on July 1.
That’s a big “if.” And it’s familiar conundrum for general manager Bill Zito, who balanced last year’s championship celebrations with crucial contract talks to keep leading scorer Sam Reinhart in-house but had to bid farewell to top defenceman Brandon Montour, a revived Oliver Ekman-Larsson and clutch backup Anthony Stolarz in the process due to cap constraints. Stanley Cups don’t come cheap, and Zito will be reminded of that again this summer.
So, how does he approach this year’s crop? Asking for about 31 friends, all of whom are surely looking at the Panthers’ unmatched success, the rising worth of their pending UFAs and their $19 million in cap space that can only be spread so far and thinking, “something’s gotta give… right?” No one raised his value quite like Bennett, who led all players in post-season goals (15) and was crowned the Conn Smythe winner Tuesday night for his efforts. Bennett is widely considered the priority signing to stay in the Sunshine State, but how Zito approaches his off-season will have a big impact on the kind of talent hitting free agency.
Brad Marchand, Panthers forward and pending UFA
So clutch has the former Bruins captain been this post-season with the Panthers, Marchand deserves his own entry on this list. At 37, the two-time champ hits unrestricted free agency for the first time in career, and while you won’t see many veteran players of his age in line for a raise, it’s easy to argue Marchand has far outplayed the $6.125 million AAV under which he skated this season.
Among the many takeaways from this year’s Cup Final series was the invaluable presence of veterans like Marchand in Florida and Corey Perry in Edmonton, both of whom played pivotal roles in their respective locker rooms and on the ice. Marchand and Perry each registered 10 playoff goals this spring, tying them for third most this post-season.
Will Marchand and Zito work out a strategy to stay? It’s hard to see the Panthers being able to outbid all others, but the Stanley Cup speaks volumes, and so does a legitimate shot at a three-peat. Should Marchand enter the open market, he’ll be widely coveted by both past rivals — you know the Toronto and Montreal rumours will swirl — and future contenders alike.
Ken Holland, Los Angeles Kings vice president & general manager
After their fourth straight first-round exit at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, the Kings shook things up in the front office and tasked longtime NHL executive Ken Holland — the man who shaped those very Oilers — with getting them over the hump. Unlike some GM hirings, which can signal the start of a rebuild, Holland’s three-year contract as vice president and general manager comes with a ticking clock and a clear mission: Win, now. You can apply that same timer to the club’s aging core, led by centre and captain Anze Kopitar (a UFA following 2025-26) and Drew Doughty, who’s got two seasons left on his deal. There’s no time to waste.
So, how does Holland steer the ship from here? With rumours of Marner’s desire to head west, and Friedman’s suggestion the top UFA could be after a short-term deal… could Holland start his L.A. tenure by reeling in the biggest free agent available? That’d certainly make a splash in the Pacific.
Jim Rutherford, Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations
When your season is defined by an irreparable rift between your top two forwards (amid steep statistical drop-offs for both), a series of injuries hindering your No. 1 goaltender and your best defenceman and an ongoing cycle of trade rumours rippling through the top half of your lineup… well, that’s a recipe for a busy off-season, to say the least. As Canucks president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrick Allvin look to right the ship, the questions are plentiful:
Can Elias Pettersson bounce back? While a trade feels unlikely — that’s a transaction you cannot afford to lose — his name is out there, and there’s a little extra pressure at play considering the struggling star is just weeks away from having a no-movement clause kick in on his contract July 1.
How will Rutherford and Allvin fill the Miller-sized hole down the middle of the lineup? Has UFA Brock Boeser played his final game in Vancouver? Thatcher Demko is extension-eligible as of July 1, but will questions about his health hold up negotiations? And what does all this mean for Quinn Hughes’ future out west?
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers defenceman and pending RFA
How much is a No. 1 defenceman worth in the age of a rising salary cap? How about one that just finished the post-season tied for the second-most points and whose lethal shot from the point has its own name?
The Oilers, fresh off a second straight Cup Final heartbreak, are about to find out alongside the rest of us as they talk through an extension with top rearguard Evan Bouchard (of Bouch Bomb fame, of course) this summer.
Bouchard will be a restricted free agent come July 1, and that status couldn’t have come at a better time for the star blue liner — ditto for the NHL’s $7.5-million hike in the salary cap.
That rise surely feels like a gift to every squad, but especially to one that will boast the highest-paid player on July 1 when Leon Draisaitl’s $14-million AAV hits the books — not to mention his generational-talent teammate in Connor McDavid who will officially be extension-eligible this summer, and the kind of RFA blue liner that could set the market at his position.
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild forward and 2026 UFA
Sure, McDavid is the biggest name on the impressive list of extension-eligible players entering UFA years July 1, and there will be no shortage of intrigue about how high No. 97 can raise the bar for star-studded salaries everywhere. But whether or not McDavid does, in fact, renew his claim to the title of highest-paid NHLer (and how big that number will be) will at least partially depend on how negotiations unfold in another hockey-crazed market.
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold didn’t mince words when he declared his intent to lock up Kirill Kaprizov long-term, and there’s a belief an extension could make him the highest-paid player in the NHL when it happens. And while the Oilers will spare no expense to keep the best player in the game, Edmonton GM Stan Bowman has to balance the books with Bouchard and Draisaitl, too. The Wild, on the other hand, have much of their core locked up on team-friendly deals and are about to get out from under the dead cap money devoted to the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Hand that $14.7 million over to Kaprizov, and you’ve got a good starting point in the bargaining process.
With the cap rising next year, then again and again in the seasons to follow, we’re entering a new and lucrative time for free agents. Just how high might this class of 2026 set the bar, and will Kaprizov find himself at the top (at least for a little while)?
Ryan & Ashley Smith, Utah Mammoth owners
After a warm welcome in Year 1 and some meaningful hockey down the stretch, the Utah Mammoth unveiled their new name earlier this spring and are poised to solidify their on-ice identity this summer with a big off-season to come.
It’s not easy shedding the chaotic reputation of the Arizona Coyotes, but the team in Utah is well-positioned to do just that in their first full off-season one state to the north. With an energetic young core on the brink of being playoff-ready and a healthy amount of cap space, Utah could be active on the open market.
Already, they’ve signed two of their top prospects, Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev, to entry-level deals, bringing up a pair of towering prospects with the kind of stature befitting the Mammoth brand. They had more than a little lottery luck on their side this spring, too, landing the third overall selection in next week’s draft. And with four second-round picks between this year and next and three third-rounders in that same timeframe, the built-up draft capital gives general manager Bill Armstrong room to play in a summer that many expect to see an offer sheet or two.
Whether Utah can steal an eligible RFA from a cap-crunched club, pull off a splashy trade, or entice a big-name free agent to the league’s newest market, making noise this summer with a big-name acquisition would send a loud message to all others that the Mammoth are serious about contending.
Gavin McKenna, top 2026 NHL prospect
We’re still a full year away from hearing a team declare Gavin McKenna as its top pick in the 2026 NHL draft, but that doesn’t mean the star winger from Whitehorse isn’t already well-positioned to shape the league’s off-season. With last fall’s announcement that CHL players will be eligible to join NCAA programs starting next season, this summer is slated to see plenty of talent — draft-eligible players like McKenna, those already in NHL systems, and players who went undrafted but now have a longer runway to get noticed — commit to the college circuit. At 17 years old and coming off a sensational year with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers that saw him lead his team to the Memorial Cup tournament and earn CHL Player of the Year honours in the process, McKenna is the biggest name expected to make the jump. And it’s telling that the top prospect at his level is seeking a change at such a pivotal time leading up to his draft season.
How and where McKenna chooses to play his draft year will be interesting to watch, and it could have a ripple effect on how other top prospects — both drafted and soon-to-be — choose to steer their own development. It’s worth wondering if it could alter how organizations are working with the talent already in their systems, too.
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