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With the Toronto Maple Leafs losing star Mitch Marner this offseason, the team has had to fill a massive hole in the lineup. The Toronto front office has done a decent job so far, and the roster looks a little more well-rounded. But it seems that the Maple Leafs may not be done making moves this summer. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto could trade away defensemen Morgan Rielly or Brandon Carlo in an attempt to add more offense. "While we do also have Morgan Rielly on this list, if the Leafs move a defenseman it'll likely only be one of them. But while Rielly comes with the complication of a no-movement clause, Brandon Carlo has just an eight-team no-trade list and so is also worth putting on the trade board. "Making $3.485M against the cap for another two years, Carlo was a welcome addition to the Leafs' defense corps, averaging 19:13 of ice time per game and nearly two minutes on the PK. In the playoffs, he was among the team's shot-blocking leaders," Kypreos wrote. Marner accounted for 27 goals and 75 assists last season, which will be very tough for the Maple Leafs to replace. But the team does have a limited number of tradable assets to work with, which could potentially be why they are thinking of trading a defender. The Toronto front office remains very active on the trade front and it could lead to a deal taking place. There is still plenty of time left between now and the start of the regular season, giving the Maple Leafs some needed optionality before the new year.
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
As the Edmonton Oilers map out their long-term roster under GM Stan Bowman, a critical decision looms on the blue line: Should they sign defenseman Jake Walman to an eight-year extension? Walman, acquired earlier this offseason, is coming off a strong campaign and is currently playing on a $3.4 million deal. With free agency already a few weeks in, the defenseman eligible for a new deal, and his stock rising, now may be the Oilers’ best—and most cost-effective—window to lock him in before the bidding war begins. In a recent Oilers Nation piece, Tyler Yaremchuk highlighted the logic behind acting now. Because Edmonton holds his rights, they’re the only team that can offer Walman an eight-year deal under the current CBA. If everyone waits until the end of the season to sign an extension, a new CBA kicks in, maxing out his extension at seven years with the Oilers and six years with another team. That extra term could be key in securing a discount on average annual value. A deal in the $6-8 million range, perhaps eight years at $56 million, would give Walman financial security into his late 30s—especially appealing given his career earnings total around $12 million to date. From the Oilers’ perspective, it could be a shrewd move to secure a top-four defender at below-market value. The question about committing to an eight-year term is a valid one, however. Reaction to the Idea of a Long-Term Deal for Walman So what do fans think? Reactions to the idea have been mixed, though many see the upside. “Yup, would love for the Oilers to lock him up long-term,” one fan wrote, clearly seeing Walman as a stabilizing force on the left side of the defense. Another agreed: “This makes sense. He is probably our top 4 LD for the foreseeable future.” Others, however, voiced concern about term and age. “I’d be leary signing a 30-year D for 8 years @ $6M per year,” one commenter warned. “Yeah, other teams might be willing to do it but it still doesn’t make it a good deal. I like Walman, but in 5 years, this contract could look like an albatross.” That push and pull—between locking in a valuable piece now or risking future regret—is one Bowman and the Oilers must weigh carefully. If Walman continues to perform at a top-four level and the salary cap keeps climbing as expected, a $6 million extension could quickly look like a bargain. This, even if Walman isn’t effective for all eight seasons. But if his play declines into his early-30s, the back half of that deal could make the Oilers regret taking the gamble.
Micah Parsons is not holding back on his feelings regarding his lack of a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys. One of the best pass-rushers in the league, Parsons is heading into the fifth and final year of his contract with the Cowboys. He'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 and, right now, he has no guarantees of a long-term contractual future with the Cowboys. After practice on Tuesday, Parsons gave a frank answer when asked about his lack of a long-term deal. The long and short of it is that he's looked around the NFL and has seen top pass-rushers getting massive contracts. The question is, why hasn't Dallas and owner Jerry Jones put that same type of investment into him just yet? "When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best guys, I seen T.J. [Watt] gotten taken care of. Maxx [Crosby] got taken care of. Myles [Garrett] got taken care of, [and] he's got two years left on his deal," Parsons said, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. "You see a lot of people around the league taken care of, and you wish you had that same type of energy." Parsons has notched 52.5 sacks over his first four seasons. For comparison's sake, Watt has 58.5 sacks in the same time period and Garrett has notched 60. Watt and Garrett are two of the best pass-rushers in recent memory, and Parsons is right there alongside them. As far as how he sees it, he, of course, believes he's the best in the world at what he does. "I feel like I'm the best at what I do," Parsons said. "You can argue whoever, but stats, numbers don't lie. The consistency is there, and the availability is there." Watt just signed a three-year, $123M contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while earlier this offseason, the Browns signed Garrett to a four-year, $160M extension with $123.5M of that guaranteed. The Cowboys and Jones have a reputation for being stingy negotiators, and they've taken many of their top players to the limit in the past before signing deals. To that point, Parsons seems to be aware that he's not in a unique situation. "This is not like I'm getting treated differently than anybody else. I don't take it personal. I just don't understand," he said. With that said, Parsons is clearly frustrated about the lack of long-term guarantees of his future in Dallas. So much so that he went as far as to say that if the Cowboys don't want him in Dallas, he's happy to move on and take care of business elsewhere. It's worth noting that Jones hasn't helped ease the tension, either. At the start of training camp on Monday, he went as far as to suggest that even if the Cowboys do sign Parsons, that doesn't mean he'll be available because of injury. Jones said that Parsons was injured for six games last season, while in reality, the star pass-rusher missed only four. "I've been pretty consistent. If they don't want me here, they don't want me here and I'll go about my business. I understand the nature of the business," Parsons said. "Like I said, as far as I'm here and under contract, I'll do what I have to perform at the highest level but at the end this is the business. Same way Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and the other Jerry Jones take care of their family is the same way I need to take care of my family. I've got three kids of my own, so we all need to take care of our own family at the end of the day."