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The Pittsburgh Penguins had a dismal 2024-25 season. It ended Mike Sullivan’s run as the head coach, nearly a decade after his two consecutive Stanley Cups as the coach. Dan Muse is the bench boss now, taking his first job as a developmental-first coach and signaling a rebuild in the Steel City. That means the Penguins could make some serious offseason trades, and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun cites Bryan Rust as the most likely candidate.
“In a more traditional offseason, several teams would be entering a rebuilding phase, saying, ‘Take our veteran players off our roster’ for future assets. But there really isn’t a single franchise ready to implode its roster,” LeBrun said, referencing the rising salary cap in the NHL this summer.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins could be considered that team, in some ways. They are listening on pretty much everyone other than their legacy guys. Bryan Rust is the guy most teams are calling on. Rickard Rakell is also a name to monitor. It could put the Penguins in a unique position with the lack of sellers to cash in on that leverage.”
Rust has been a career Penguin, making his debut in 2014 at 22 years old. He has 35 points in 79 career playoff games and has cracked 200 goals and assists in the regular season. Rust is a solid middle-six scorer, which is going to get very expensive this offseason. Despite some solid years for the Penguins, it is time to move on. He has three years left at $5 million per year.
LeBrun also references Rickard Rakell, who came over in a trade-deadline deal with the Ducks in 2022. Rakell scored 35 goals this year and has three years left at $5.125 million per season. He is a more dynamic scorer and will cost more in a trade. Despite lengthy contracts, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell could both be on the move this summer.
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Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Top moments from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
Why SS Bo Bichette's stellar play could cost Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in Major League Baseball. Depth contributions throughout the lineup and on the pitching staff are a major factor in their success, but what might be even more important is the heater shortstop Bo Bichette is on. Like most of the rest of the team, after a slow start, Bichette has found his groove, and he put it all on display as Toronto (63-43) won three of four at AL Central-leading Detroit from Thursday-Sunday. Already with two RBI on Thursday and Friday, Bichette added two RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win that included this unreal 13-pitch at-bat against Tarik Skubal. Not many are taking arguably the best pitcher in baseball 13 pitches deep and forcing a walk. In Toronto's 10-4 loss Sunday, Bichette went 5-for-5 with two more RBI. Per StatMuse, it was his fourth five-hit game in the big leagues. Bichette entered the four-game series with a .281 average and now heads to Baltimore with a .289 average. That's superstar stuff from the 27-year-old two-time All-Star. Through 103 games, Bichette has 13 HRs and 65 RBI, putting him on pace for a 20-HR, 99-RBI season. He has driven in 100 runs only once during his seven-year MLB career. Bichette is doing himself wonders in a contract year, especially after a down, injury-plagued 2024 season. Toronto's chance to extend him at a discounted rate is long gone, and it feels like a formality that Bichette will at least test the market this winter. We've seen megadeals handed out to some of the league's best shortstops in recent years, including the Mets' Francisco Lindor, Texas' Corey Seager, Philadelphia's Trea Turner and Minnesota's Carlos Correa. Combine that with the increasing contract values around baseball, and Bichette is set to receive a massive payday. For now, Bichette's focus is on helping the Blue Jays win and make a postseason run that includes Toronto's first World Series title since 1993.
Who reportedly has 'lost ground' in Colts' QB competition
Free-agency signing Daniel Jones seemingly entered training camp as the favorite to win the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback job after third-year pro Anthony Richardson was shut down from throwing in late May when he experienced discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. However, James Boyd of The Athletic noted in an article posted on Monday that Jones "hasn’t done anything to separate himself from Richardson" heading into August. "If anything, Jones seems to have lost ground with the QB battle about even," Boyd continued. "...The only day one quarterback clearly outplayed the other was Friday, when Richardson went 8-of-11 passing with a couple of first-down throws and a handful of solid checkdowns. The latter have typically hindered Richardson in the past, so that he connected on those passes was a positive sign for his development. Jones, meanwhile, finished 6-of-10 passing Friday as Indy’s defensive backs were able to break up his passes." The Colts made it known they were serious about possibly naming Jones their 2025 Week 1 starter when they signed him to a one-year, $14M contract that's worth up to $17.7M and included $13.15M guaranteed this past March. That's understandable considering Richardson has hardly looked like a star when healthy and was limited to 15 starts out of 32 contests (outside of a two-game benching) over his first two NFL seasons. According to Pro Football Reference, Richardson finished the 2024 campaign ranked last in the league among qualified players with a 47.7 percent completion percentage and a 61.6 passer rating. That said, Jones' performances in July could cause some to worry that he won't be better than what he was when he went 3-13 over his final 16 starts with the New York Giants from September 2023 through last fall. For what it's worth, Jones ended the 2024 season ranked 35th out of 36 quarterbacks with a 79.4 passer rating. "Neither quarterback has lit it up on offense, evidenced by their unofficial stats, but for Jones to win the starting job, he’ll have to play a lot better," Boyd continued. "Otherwise, the Colts have no reason to start the 28-year-old Jones, who’s on a one-year deal, over the 23-year-old Richardson, who was drafted to blossom into the face of the franchise." As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Richardson at -130 betting odds to start Indianapolis' Week 1 game versus the Miami Dolphins over Jones (+102 odds). ESPN's Dan Graziano suggested in a piece published on Monday that he agrees with such forecasts. "Training camp is where Richardson looks the best," Graziano said about the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft. "If he's healthy, he's likely to outperform Jones on the practice field. The Colts also have a lot more invested in Richardson, and if it's a close competition, most people I talk to believe that will tilt things in his favor -- at least to start the season." Indianapolis opens the preseason with a game at the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 7.
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