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Barrett Hayton scored a late game-winning goal to give the host Utah Hockey Club a 2-1 comeback victory over the San Jose Sharks on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Nick Schmaltz also scored for Utah, which snapped a two-game skid and went into the clash with only one victory in seven outings. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves in a tight-checking, low-event affair.
Fabian Zetterlund replied for the Sharks, who have dropped two straight games and have only two victories in 12 games. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 24 shots.
With overtime looming, Hayton gained the puck in the corner, skated to the top of the right circle and found the mark with his offering with 92 seconds remaining in regulation.
After Utah forward Kevin Stenlund received a high-sticking double-minor penalty with 56 seconds remaining on the clock, Vejmelka made a couple of key stops to preserve the victory.
Utah has scored two or fewer goals in eight of 10 outings, but came up with a rare win at home. The club sports a 6-8-4 record at the Delta Center.
Zetterlund gave the Sharks a much-desired early boost when he opened the scoring just 58 seconds into the clash. After winning a face-off in the offensive zone, Mikael Granlund's sharp-angled shot was denied, but Zetterlund converted the rebound for his fourth goal in three games against Utah this season.
Schmaltz evened the score at 5:57 of the second period. While his team was controlling play in the offensive zone, Schmaltz worked across the ice to the right circle before ripping a short-side, glove-side shot to make it a 1-1 game.
Utah thought they had taken a lead early in the third period when Clayton Keller buried a shot, but it was overturned on a coach's challenge due to Schmaltz making contact with Georgiev.
The Sharks went nearly 20 minutes of action without a shot on goal from the middle of the second period into the final frame before a frantic late push.
The loss was even more costly for the Sharks, as forward Klim Kostin left the game due to a lower-body injury suffered in the first period.
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Canadiens News & Rumours: Dach, McTavish & More
In this edition of the Montreal Canadiens News Rumours, general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has had a busy offseason after the team made an unexpected appearance in the 2025 Playoffs. Rumours still swirl around the team trying to add to the roster, if they can sign Lane Hutson long-term and if Kirby Dach will be physically ready for training camp in September. Canadiens Prospect Impresses Team Canada Michael Hage made a lasting impression for Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He finished with five points, which was tied for the team lead. “He came here and had a really good camp. He (Hage) was one of our best players.” – Dale Hunter (from ‘Il est l’un de nos meilleurs joueurs’: ça augure bien pour Michael Hage avec le Canada,’ Journal de Montreal, 8/3/25) Impressing the head coach will go a long way in securing a spot on the roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship. Still, his season with the University of Michigan will likely be just as important. For the Canadiens, having their top centre prospect make huge strides in his development will be beneficial, especially for a team in desperate need of an offensively capable second-line centre. Kirby Dach Still Recovering Maxime Truman of Dans Les Coulisses, a French-language site, and French-language radio reported that Dach has suffered a setback. This, after he was seen skating with Ivan Demidov at the Canadiens’ practice facility. However, Eric Engels of Sportsnet is pouring cold water on the rumours that Dach has had a setback. “It was never guaranteed Kirby Dach would be ready for the start of training camp, AND it is also premature to suggest he won’t be. Suggestions Dach has had a setback in his recovery are completely false. Not only has he not had a setback, he’s progressing really well and, according to my sources, is crushing his summer training.” There are some fans who question his durability, especially after missing the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries, and the fact that this is the second time he’s injured this specific knee. With the Canadiens in desperate need of a second-line centre, the hope was that he would be ready to fill that role for the start of the 2025-26 season. While he may still end up being physically capable of dressing, the real question will be if he can finally become the centre the franchise needs now. Canadiens’ Negotiation With Hutson On the Aug. 3 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman addressed the fact that Hutson has not yet signed a contract extension with the Canadiens. While fans are wondering what it could be, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has some differences in it that will mean changes in how young players will be approached this season. The salary cap is due to rise by $7 million this offseason from the current $88.5 million to $95.5 million. The cap is slated to go up from this season’s total to $113.5 million in just three seasons, a whopping $25 million increase. This is important to know because player salaries will rise quickly season over season. The biggest difference is that the longest contract available under the new CBA will be seven years, which is one less than the eight teams have the opportunity to offer until the new CBA kicks in. The rising cap and shorter term will mean bigger cap hits, which is why there is pressure from the fan base on the Canadiens to get this done. There aren’t any issues anticipated getting Hutson signed long-term; the issue will be the cap hit. While his comparables are Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes, with Noah Dobson signed to a new, eight-year, $9.5 million per season deal, it might mean a higher number for Hutson. Now, the question is, will they convince him to sign before they no longer have the option of offering an eight-year term? Canadiens Linked to Mason McTavish The Canadiens are again being linked to the still-unsigned restricted free agent (RFA) Mason McTavish. The third overall pick in 2021 has all the qualities Hughes is desperate to add. He’s big (6-foot-1 and 219 pounds), he’s got proven offensive skills, he can play a physical style, he has an excellent work ethic and loves to go to the net, he’s responsible in his zone, and the left-shot centre wins over 50% of his faceoffs. This also makes him valuable to the Anaheim Ducks, who are trying to go for a playoff spot this season. Anaheim still has over $20.5 million in salary cap space for 2025-26, which makes it highly unlikely anyone can build an offer sheet that would get the Ducks to choose not to match it. That means any team wanting to land the young centre would need to make a trade offer. And that’s one trade package that will cause some pain, as Jimmy Murphy of RG.org has reported. His sources have made it clear that the cost would start with a young right-handed defenceman. “Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock Pat’s socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenceman would be the starting point from what I know.” Montreal isn’t considered the most active on this player; the Detroit Red Wings are, and they have some options, which include their top prospect, Axel Sandin Pellikka. So, the cost for Montreal will most likely start with David Reinbacher, and it wouldn’t end there. A package will also include picks (first-rounders, not middle-rounders) and a roster player. Is it expensive? Yes. Can the Canadiens afford to overpay? Maybe. It depends on what assets, and if those assets would cause the rebuild to stall, at least, in Hughes’ assessment. Keep an eye on our THW Podcast Network for all your hockey needs and THW’s affiliated podcast, Habs Unfiltered, for the latest Canadiens news, notes, and rumours.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league-average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on Aug. 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days' rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
Jerry Jones takes another jab at Micah Parsons over contract stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys have a big problem on their hands right now. Micah Parsons has formally requested to be traded, and he took to social media to vent his concerns and frustration with his contract extension situation. However, team owner Jerry Jones isn't ready to budge. If anything, the controversial business mogul doesn't sound too worried about that. Talking to the media, he implied that he had already shaken hands on an extension with Parsons, so he just has to wait now: "I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake," Jones said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later." Jones, one of the most successful businessmen of his generation, pretty much stated that he wouldn't change the way he does business. "Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with. Let's leave it at that," Jones continued. "There's is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we're still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that." Parsons has every right to feel frustrated. He's one of the best pass-rushers in the game, and he's the youngest in the short list of superstars at the position. The Cowboys have a long history of dragging out negotiations for as long as they can, and that's usually rubbed their players the wrong way. Parsons is still under contract, and the Cowboys can technically wait to give him an extension because the market isn't likely to go any higher after T.J. Watt already got a deal done. But sometimes, it's not just about money, and these power struggles are terrible for team morale.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.
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