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Maple Leafs hire highly respected assistant coach
Marc Savard Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Marc Savard as an assistant coach. This news vindicates rumors about Savard’s connection with the team and reunites him with head coach Craig Berube, who Savard supported with the St. Louis Blues in 2019-20. The two will rekindle in Toronto, with Savard expected to assume his usual role as power-play coach.

Savard has become a popular coaching candidate despite just two years as an NHL assistant. But he proved plenty successful in both opportunities, leading the Blues to a 24.2% success rate on the power-play in 2019-20, good for third-best in the league. Savard stepped away from St. Louis after one season, moving to a head-coaching role with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Savard would spend two years in Windsor, leading the team to 44 wins in both seasons and a run to the OHL championship in 2022. He kept his tenure brief, though, taking his talent behind the Calgary Flames bench in the 2023-24 season, where he found significantly less success than in St. Louis. Savard led the Flames power-play to a a 17.9% success rate, the seventh worst in the league.

But for all of his coaching prowess, Savard is still remembered most fondly as a player. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 1995 NHL Draft, Savard won an OHL championship before making the jump to the AHL and then NHL in the three years following his draft – finding a way to emerge as a top scorer at every step. Savard would move through appearances with the Calgary Flames and Atlanta Thrashers, consistently showcasing plenty of promising scoring and plenty tenacity, though he wasn’t able to play every game of a season until 2005-06. He performed well when fully healthy, recording 28 goals and 97 points and vindicating it with 96 points in 82 more games the next year. The pair of high-scoring seasons, which overlapped Savard’s move to the Boston Bruins, established him as one of the league’s top wingers. He would carry that title through five years with the Bruins, though repeated injuries eventually caught up to Savard.

Savard famously retired in 2011, citing concussions-related symptoms. He totaled 807 career games across 13 seasons in the league and retired just ahead of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup win, which would have been the first of his career. He’ll now look to chase that title as a coach, taking over a power-play unit featuring Auston Matthews and William Nylander, among plenty of other star offensive talent.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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Rangers sign veteran winger to PTO
NHL

Rangers sign veteran winger to PTO

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.

NASCAR driver disqualified after Truck Series race at IRP
NASCAR

NASCAR driver disqualified after Truck Series race at IRP

What was a third-place effort for Stewart Friesen in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park turned out to be all for naught. Friesen's No. 52 Toyota was disqualified in post-race inspection for failing front height measurement, relegating him to a last-place (35th) finish. The stage points he earned were also stripped. Friesen qualified 21st, but drove into the top five and was running second in the closing laps before he was passed by Corey Day. Friesen's team, Halmar Friesen Racing, issued a statement following the announcement. "The Halmer Friesen Racing team will be going to the NASCAR Appellate Board after our third-place disqualification in the TSport 200 race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 25," the team said. "We believe the post-race heights disqualification was caused by a part malfunction that occurred during the race by circumstances out of our control." The DQ drops Friesen to 11th in the regular season standings, but the 42-year-old driver is already locked into the Craftsman Truck Series playoffs by his win at Michigan International Speedway on June 7. Layne Riggs won Friday's race at IRP. The Truck Series will return to action at Watkins Glen on Aug. 8.

Source: Jonathan Kuminga Wants To Leave Warriors, Likes Kings And Suns
NBA

Source: Jonathan Kuminga Wants To Leave Warriors, Likes Kings And Suns

Jonathan Kuminga wants to leave the Golden State Warriors and likes the idea of playing for the Sacramento Kings or Phoenix Suns, an NBA source told Hoops Wire on Saturday. The Suns and Kings are interested in Kuminga, but neither franchise has extended an offer sheet to the talented forward, the NBA source said. As a restricted free agent, Kuminga can either re-sign with the Warriors on a new deal, play next season with Golden State on a qualifying offer worth $7.9 million and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with a rival team. If Kuminga signs an offer sheet with a team, the Warriors can either match the offer sheet or let the 22-year-old swingman leave and execute a sign-and-trade deal. “We’re trying to be responsible. 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,” a Warriors front office executive told NBA reporter Keith Smith of Spotrac. Kuminga averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Warriors last season in 47 games. He shot 45.4% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 66.8% from the free-throw line. Kuminga has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the Warriors. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft. More NBA News Rumors

Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart
NFL

Bengals finally reach agreement with first-rounder Shemar Stewart

The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.

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