The Montreal Canadiens were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Washington Capitals. All in all, their season was a success. Few expected them to make the postseason. And they put in a good account of themselves against Washington. However, the team did lose goalie Sam Montembeault to injury in Game 3.
Montembeault left Game 3 in the second period. He did not return to the game or the series. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes finished the contest, winning Game 3 before dropping Games 4 and 5. With the series over, Montembeault has opened up about the injury that sidelined him for the rest of the series against the Capitals.
“I got hurt early in the second, so the first TV timeout I went to the bench and told ‘Rammer’ [director of sports medicine and performance Jim Ramsay] and ‘Dobie’ that I hurt my leg and I told ‘Dobie’ to stay ready,” Montembeault said Friday, via NHL.com’s Sean Ferrell.
“I tried to go back, I could still play but I couldn’t move, I really had a tough time getting back up. So after that, I wanted to wait at least until the second TV timeout so Dobie doesn’t have to go right into the action, give him a little more time. But I really couldn’t move so I had to get out of the game.”
It was later confirmed that the Canadiens goalie suffered two torn muscles in his groin. He told reporters that he would not need surgery to address this issue. How much time Montembeault would have missed had the Habs moved on is unknown.
The Canadiens head into an intriguing offseason. Montreal will certainly look to build upon this performance in 2025-26. They need to add some pieces to the roster, though. Especially if they want to advance past the first round in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
SAN ANTONIO — De'Aaron Fox was supposed to take a tour of Asia a la Victor Wembanyama this summer, only his came with company. On July 8, Curry Brand announced its 2025 Curry Brand World Tour, set to feature both the San Antonio Spurs star and Golden State Warriors frontman Steph Curry beginning in August. Stops along the way included San Francisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Chongqing, China. Announced by Fox Friday afternoon, Curry will be making the trip solo. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to travel to Asia next month," the point guard said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter. "This was a tough decision for me. I was really looking forward to traveling to ... meet all of you and show off the Curry 2s and experience the incredible basketball culture in Asia." Fox didn't provide a reason for his cancellation, and no official statement beyond the video has been made by Under Armour, Curry Brand, or the Spurs. "I'm truly sorry," he said. "Your love for the game and unmatched enthusiasm set you apart from any other fanbase in the world." The Spurs' point guard recently recovered from a pinkie surgery he underwent on March 17 to repair ligament damage sustained during training camp while still with the Sacramento Kings. Since then, he and the team have prioritized building chemistry ahead of next season. “We should be clear, me and Vic, ... around the same time," Fox said at the end of the regular season. "So, we’d be able to get together in the summer and be able to work with each other.”
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks may have already sealed his fate ahead of a make-or-break 2025 season. On Saturday, the No. 18 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft suffered a broken collarbone while making an outstanding diving catch along the sideline during training-camp practice on a pass from rookie quarterback Cam Ward. The play was a distillation of Burks' pro career thus far, one that could be special if not beset by injuries. Burks has only appeared in 27 of a possible 51 career regular-season games. During his rookie season, Burks missed Weeks 5-9 with a foot/toe injury. He also suffered a concussion against the Philadelphia Eagles, forcing him to miss two additional games. In 2023, he was sidelined by a knee injury from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15, followed by another three-game absence the next month after he was carted off with a head injury in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, Burks was limited to five games after tearing his ACL during practice. He appeared to be in prime form on his spectacular grab during the play he was injured, showing off his tantalizing potential (and no lingering effects from his knee injury) by laying out to make the catch. But as has been the case throughout Burks' career, his giant step forward was met with two backward strides. In May, the Titans declined to pick up Burks' fifth-year rookie option, which would have paid him a projected $15.493 million in 2026, per Over The Cap. Over his first three seasons, Burks has 53 receptions, 699 receiving yards and one touchdown. Tennessee invested heavily in improving its wide receiver depth this offseason, insulating it from the effects of Burks' most recent injury. During free agency, the Titans added Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson. They selected Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft while also signing Ward's college teammate, Xavier Restrepo, as an undrafted free agent. Burks' path to playing time was already challenged by the offseason moves, but his broken clavicle could knock him out of the rotation for good. If Burks is ever going to live up to his draft status, it's become increasingly more likely it won't be in Tennessee.
Jonathan Kuminga doesn’t have a good relationship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, according to NBA insider Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. Kuminga is a restricted free agent. He doesn’t want to return to the Warriors. Kerr benched Kuminga for the final regular-season game of last season versus the Los Angeles Clippers and the play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga played in Games 2 and 3 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round postseason series, but that was only because Jimmy Butler was injured. Golden State beat Houston in seven games. Kuminga played in every game of the Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series, but that was only because Stephen Curry got injured in Game 1 and missed the rest of the series. Golden State lost to Minnesota in five games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kuminga played in 47 games for the Warriors last season. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings are interested in Kuminga, who has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The forward, though, hasn’t gotten an offer sheet from the Suns or Kings. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has three options: re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season on his $7.9 million qualifying offer with Golden State and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a new team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a new team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 2022 NBA champion leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. “With the aprons and hard caps and all of that, you can’t just throw money around. We still love Jonathan. We’re hopeful we can figure out a way to strike a balance that works for him and for us. “But we’re not going to compromise our roster-building ability now, or in the future. We have to be responsible in the way we build our team.”
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