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Game 2 of the series between the Panthers and Hurricanes kicks off in about 30 minutes’ time. The Hurricanes will be keen to avoid defeat for the second consecutive game… especially as the series then moves to Florida.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be left out by Rod Brind’Amour, who wants to stir the pot.
And the Hurricanes have their work cut out for them, because at the moment, the Panthers really do look untouchable. The club’s top-6 is solid, but it’s their third line that dominates: Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand are giving the other teams a hard time.
And we’re talking about Marchand, who now has 12 points in 13 games in the current series. He’s as hateful as ever… and above all, he seems really happy in Florida.
Even today, he praised the culture at the Panthers.
Brad Marchand on the culture in the Panther’s room- “I can’t say enough about the organization… No one needs leadership in the room, everyone is a leader in their own way.” pic.twitter.com/lxotM4iMlv
– Katie Engleson (@KatieEngleson) May 22, 2025
However, this morning on BPM Sports, Anthony Desaulniers pointed out an interesting fact about Marchand: if we look purely in terms of money, the little pest cost the Panthers a grand total of… $109,375.
His cap hit is $6.125M, but in real money, Marchand is getting $4M this season, $3M of which was paid to him in signing bonuses. That leaves $1 million in salary… which was paid by the Bruins for a good part of the year, and for which the Panthers only had to pay 50% for a few weeks. So, all in all, the Panthers only paid $109,375… and the bill won’t increase, since the players aren’t paid during the playoffs.
More importantly, in the same column, Renaud Lavoie insists that Marchand is really happy in Florida right now. He’s heard rumours that a return to the Bruins for 2025-26 is a possibility… but listening to the informant speak, we understand that Marchand is very happy in Florida.
Between you and me, I think it would be surprising to see him play in another uniform next season. And if he manages to win the Stanley Cup as well, it’ll be hard for him to pass up the opportunity to stay with a team that has proven to him that it’s competitive.
Overtime
– Attention all interested parties.
Carey Price will be in Montreal this weekend for a charity event pic.twitter.com/tbFgYpkXf2
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 22, 2025
– The Leafs won’t necessarily hire someone to replace Brendan Shanahan.
New, for @TheAthletic: What I’m hearing about the Maple Leafs, Brad Treliving’s role and replacing Brendan Shanahan.
https://t.co/HklMarNrmrhttps://t.co/HklMarNrmr
– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 22, 2025
– Indeed.
Oilers will have to avoid the penalty boxhttps://t.co/69PRTglrKf
– RDS (@RDSca) May 22, 2025
– That’s right.
It’s refreshing to see Luca Saputo express himself this way. He was very good for a 27, 28-year-old guy who was in front of the Montreal cameras for the first time. #CFMTL
Hopefully we’ll see more of him starting next month, when he’ll be … https://t.co/7LR9dXILg2
– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) May 22, 2025
– Too bad.
Toronto’s been waiting a long time. https://t.co/4N5FUGRFYc
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) May 22, 2025
More must-reads:
- Mike Grier’s drafting propelling Sharks to certain future
- Shedeur Sanders gets new chance after Browns QB injury
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Longtime Maple Leafs Defenseman in Serious Contract Dispute With His New Team
The longtime former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is in a serious contract dispute with his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. Nobody appears happy to stay with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Most of the talented players on the team were included in trade or free agency rumors, and now, Timmins doesn't appear too excited to sign with the team. Indeed, the Restricted Free Agent, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sabres earlier this offseason for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick, isn't close to reaching a deal in Buffalo. With arbitration hearings set to take place over the coming days, Timmins and the Sabres are likely to meet for that reason soon. Unless a deal is reached before then, the hearing will take place on August 2nd. The Ontario native is coming off a rocky season, where he played 51 games for the Leafs and 17 more in Pittsburgh after being traded. In those 68 games, the 26-year-old defenseman tallied 15 points, including three goals. After seeing three players around the NHL reach deals before their hearing date, some fans hoped to see the Sabres and Timmins sign a contract soon, but multiple reports confirmed that there hasn't been any 'traction' between both camps. As of now, five more players are scheduled to have salary hearings. Here's the full list, per PuckPedia: Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks) - July 28 Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders) - July 29 Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets) - July 30 Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres) - August 2 Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs) - August 3 Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens) - August 3 It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract Timmins would get in a hearing, or if a deal will be reached before the date. With the Sabres' reputation, it's not surprising to see that he appears reluctant to sign in Buffalo. Hopefully for their fans, massive changes will be done to the team to make sure they can attract top talent and convince them to stay with the team.
Stephanie White Puts Indiana Fever Players on Notice Despite Win Against Aces
The Indiana Fever’s starters turned in a strong all-around effort in Thursday’s 80-70 win over the Las Vegas Aces. The starting unit scored at least 13 points each, save for Aari McDonald, who registered nine points in 22 minutes of action. Indiana’s starters combined for 76 out of the team’s 80 points on the evening, which only means that the four other players who came off the bench accounted for just four points in the game. All that came from Sydney Colson, who went 2-of-5 in 18 minutes of playing time. Lexie Hull, Makayla Timpson and Damiris Dantas all failed to score in the win. Stephanie White Calls Out Fever's Bench Be that as it may, offense wasn’t even the biggest concern for head coach Stephanie White. In her postgame press conference, the veteran shot-caller called out Indiana’s bench for their lack of intensity on the defensive end, particularly in the first half. “Our bench has to be ready,” she said. “I felt like our bench in the second half was really good defensively. In the first half, I didn't feel that way. You got to be ready to come in and you got to be ready to guard your matchup and execute the game plan. "We have depth for a reason. We've got quality depth and we've got to be able to use it. So if fatigue is a factor in execution, then they just need to ask for a sub and I'll get them out and get them back in." It has been a bit of a busy stretch for the Fever at the midway point of the season. Thursday’s matchup against the Aces was their second game in three nights, and they will be back in action again on Sunday in a rivalry showdown against the Chicago Sky. White, however, isn’t accepting fatigue as an excuse. This is regardless of the fact that Caitlin Clark remains out with a re-aggravated groin injury. White is adamant that this roster has been built for adversity, and she didn’t hesitate to put her bench on notice after Thursday’s showing.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
Tom Cruise rejected Interview with the Vampire sequel
Tom Cruise refused to return for the 'Interview with the Vampire' sequel. The 62-year-old actor starred in the 1994 horror picture – which is based on the 1976 Anne Rice novel of the same name - as the blood-sucking Lestat de Lioncourt, and director Neil Jordan has now revealed that a follow-up to the movie was shelved after Cruise ruled out reprising his role for another film. Speaking with Variety, the 74-year-old filmmaker said: "I was asked to write a script of 'The Vampire Lestat', which I did. And quite simply, Tom didn’t want to reprise the role. It was as simple as that. "And it would’ve been quite a different animal. If Mr. Cruise had said he would do it, I’m sure they would’ve done it. But at the time he wasn’t doing sequels." The 'Mission: Impossible' actor starred opposite Brad Pitt in the flick, who played the heartbroken widow Louis de Pointe du Lac who goes on to become a vampire after Cruise's Lestat bites him. While the 'Top Gun' star had previously joked about the homoerotic undertones between his and Pitt's characters, Jordan insisted he wanted this theme to be prevalent in the film to stay faithful to Rice's original novel. The director explained: "I just wanted to be accurate to Anne’s book. "Once Louis is turned into a vampire, he’s stuck with this companion who is half a lover, half a manipulator. And any of the sexual undertones that are there are expressed through blood, and through the desire for blood. "So I would say there is exactly the amount of eroticism, homoeroticism or otherwise, that there was in Anne’s novel. "And in fact, when I did my draft I had to reintroduce as much as I could of those elements." 'Interview with the Vampire' went on to earn an impressive $223.6 million at the worldwide box office when it hit theatres in 1994, and the moviemaker said it was "really gratifying" to have worked on such a commercially successful project.
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