The Boston Bruins have officially made an unbelievable blockbuster deal, trading their captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers.
The Oilers were heavily connected to Marchand in the final hours of the deadline, and even in the weeks leading up to today.
The Boston Bruins are finally falling out of playoff contention, and are making the harsh decision to move off their team captain for future assets. The full return of the trade is not yet known.
This move is made possible by Matthew Tkachuk and his full $9.5M salary heading to LTIR. Marchand has a more manageable salary of just over $6M, but they're fully pushing the limits of the salary cap now. They clearly got creative to make this deal happen.
The Florida Panthers just beat out the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup in 7 Games, and now their team will be much more improved than last year. If the Oilers get back to the final, they may be in for a rematch against Florida with their new elite lineup.
The Edmonton Oilers were clearly looking for top six scoring help at the deadline with the addition of Marchand, but unfortunately missed out to a rival team.
Clearly, no trade clauses and lack of cap space really handcuffed the team's ability to make more trade deadline moves - but Frederic, Jones, and Walman will all improve their team.
While the Oilers did make some quality additions, other teams in the NHL armed up with massive deals. This year's playoffs will be a complete gauntlet, and the Oilers have a harsh path ahead of themselves.
More must-reads:
In an effort to extend his NHL career, veteran winger Conor Sheary has agreed to a professional tryout (PTO) with the New York Rangers, per the NY Post’s Mollie Walker. Sheary has played in 593 games throughout his 10-year career, posting 124 goals and 267 points. He has also shown an ability to elevate his game in big moments during the playoffs, as evidenced by his contributions to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins early in his career, when he often played a key role alongside Sidney Crosby. Notably, some of his best professional seasons came in Pittsburgh under head coach Mike Sullivan. After signing a five-year deal in May to lead the Rangers, Sullivan is bringing in a familiar face as he looks to implement a new game plan in New York. However, Sheary has struggled in recent years. After producing just 15 points in 57 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2023-24 season—his lowest output since his rookie year—he dressed in only five games last season with the team. He spent the majority of his year with Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he produced 20 goals and 61 points in 59 games. Sheary, 33, will now look to rejuvenate his career with the Rangers, a team in the midst of transition. Beyond the obvious changes that come with a new head coach, the team has also seen longtime staples Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller depart, while adding forward Taylor Raddysh and prospect Carey Terrance. While PTOs are anything but guaranteed, Sheary’s history of producing quality offense, combined with his relationship with Sullivan, should give him a strong chance to make the opening night roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been easing their way into training camp ahead of the 2025 season. The players have just been wearing helmets and shorts, and the pads will come on soon. Pittsburgh's training camp is always known as being one of the most intense in the league, and that is because Head Coach Mike Tomlin has his team go full contact, which is something other coaches around the NFL try to avoid. The pads will come on on Tuesday, and fans should expect to see some skirmishes as emotions rise throughout the rest of camp. Practices in just helmets and shorts are difficult for the big guys in the trenches. It is essentially impossible to simulate blocking without pads on, so the defenders and offensive linemen are itching for when the team gets to go full contact. Second-year offensive lineman Troy Fautanu spoke to the media on Sunday, and he shared how things have been going at practice, while also noting that the two sides of the ball have been going at it. "You know, there's a lot of banter going on between the offense and the defense right now." Fautanu said. "As you guys could tell yesterday, things got a little rowdy. I mean, that's something that's normal. I'm super excited just to finally be able to play real football, because as an offensive lineman it's the worst thing to play football in shorts and t-shirts." Fautanu is probably itching to get back to full contact more than others after missing nearly all of his rookie season in 2024. He played in one game in Week 2 before suffering a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. Tuesday will be the first time he gets to put the pads on and get truly physical in nearly a year. The way he described things, it sounds like there will probably be some confrontations as the offense and defense have already been going at it. Training camp is going to be a true test for Fautanu. He is the team's starting right tackle going into the season, and the organization is relying on the offensive line to take a step forward. He needs to try to live up to his first-round label, and he is going to have to do so while blocking TJ Watt in every practice. Watt is going to be moving around the defensive formation more often than usual, but most of his snaps will come when he is lined up over the right tackle. Fautanu is going to be tested on every snap, and if he can handle Watt, he can handle anyone in the league. Having to go up against Watt every day in practice is good for Fautanu in the long run. Practicing against the best is only going to make him better, and he won't have to block anyone during the 2025 regular season that is as good of a pass rusher as Watt. Steelers' Fautanu Could Solidify 2024 Draft For Pittsburgh It is already looking like the Steelers made a ton of right decisions during the 2024 NFL Draft. Zach Frazier had a spectacular rookie season in 2024, and he is looking like he could be one of the best centers in the league. Mason McCormick was a pleasant surprise at right tackle when he was thrust into the starting lineup, and it seems he has gotten considerably better over the course of the 2025 offseason. If Fautanu can prove he is the starting right tackle of the future for the Steelers, then the organization would have nailed three cornerstones of the franchise in just one draft. All contenders have solid offensive lines, and it looks like the Steelers might have one that could be great in the near future.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
Damian Lillard was briefly linked to the Celtics after being waived and stretched by the Bucks, but that possibility came and went quicker than a Jrue Holiday text. Turns out Holiday did shoot his shot. “As soon as I was waived … he sent me the eyeball emoji,” Lillard said at his introductory presser in Portland. “I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it, but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.” “Here” is back in a Trail Blazers uniform. And while Lillard isn’t expected to play this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the idea of him as a long-term Jayson Tatum insurance policy briefly crossed Boston’s radar. That was about as far as it got. As MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote, the Celtics never had the financial path to compete with Portland’s three-year, $42 million offer. Boston only has the $5.7M taxpayer MLE to work with — and using that might’ve meant shedding some other salary just to stay under the second apron. Who’s starting at center? In a new mailbag, Robb projects Neemias Queta as the likely starting center if the roster stays put. That would give Boston a lineup of Queta, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, with the last two spots up for grabs. Payton Pritchard vs. Anfernee Simons at point guard? Sam Hauser vs. Georges Niang at forward? Maybe Josh Minott sneaks into the mix? Yeah, it’s July. But hey, the debates have begun. No Davison, slim Simmons ddds Boston officially parted ways with JD Davison this week, ending a three-year run with the former second-round pick. According to Robb, the team just didn’t see NBA-level growth. And what about that open roster spot? Ben Simmons is out there. But Robb pegs the odds of Simmons landing in Boston at just 10-20 percent, mainly because he’s expected to get better money (and probably a bigger role) elsewhere. More NBA News Rumors
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!