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PITTSBURGH – Some may call it a competition, others will say it’s healthy competition, but either way the Pittsburgh Penguins have two goalies worthy of starting on a regular basis. Tristan Jarry entered the 2023-24 season as the clear starter, but Alex Nedeljkovic has found a good rhythm and was gifted with eight of the last 11 starts.
Nedeljkovic noted that both goalies are doing everything they can to help the Penguins win and pushing each other to be better. Jarry got his chance to chime in following the Penguins’ loss to the Vancouver Canucks, a game in which Nedeljkovic started, but was pulled for Jarry after just one period.
“It’s whoever is getting points,” Jarry said. “I think he’s been playing great. Obviously, he’s a great goaltender.”
As the Penguins reach the midway point of the season, Nedeljkovic has played in fewer games, but is putting up almost identical numbers. In 15 games played, he has picked up an 8-3-2 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average.
Jarry turned out to the be goalie of record against the Canucks pushing his line to 11-12-3 with a .913 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average.
“Whoever’s playing well, I think, should be playing,” Jarry said. “I think that’s the way it’s been going. He’s done a great job.”
Regardless of the numbers, Jarry also believes the two are pushing each other to give the Penguins the best possible chance to win every night.
“I think we have a great relationship,” Jarry said. “We’re pushing each other, and I think that helps us be at our best.”
Head coach Mike Sullivan has always run with the hot hand when it comes to deciding who starts in goal. That trend will likely continue as both goalies continue to have productive seasons between the pipes. Both Jarry and Nedeljkovic are confident in their abilities and the Penguins share those thoughts.
It’ll be interesting to see where Sullivan takes the goaltending tandem, but it’ll also be up to Jarry and Nedeljkovic to help make that decision.
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Canadiens News & Rumours: Dach, McTavish & More
In this edition of the Montreal Canadiens News Rumours, general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has had a busy offseason after the team made an unexpected appearance in the 2025 Playoffs. Rumours still swirl around the team trying to add to the roster, if they can sign Lane Hutson long-term and if Kirby Dach will be physically ready for training camp in September. Canadiens Prospect Impresses Team Canada Michael Hage made a lasting impression for Team Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He finished with five points, which was tied for the team lead. “He came here and had a really good camp. He (Hage) was one of our best players.” – Dale Hunter (from ‘Il est l’un de nos meilleurs joueurs’: ça augure bien pour Michael Hage avec le Canada,’ Journal de Montreal, 8/3/25) Impressing the head coach will go a long way in securing a spot on the roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship. Still, his season with the University of Michigan will likely be just as important. For the Canadiens, having their top centre prospect make huge strides in his development will be beneficial, especially for a team in desperate need of an offensively capable second-line centre. Kirby Dach Still Recovering Maxime Truman of Dans Les Coulisses, a French-language site, and French-language radio reported that Dach has suffered a setback. This, after he was seen skating with Ivan Demidov at the Canadiens’ practice facility. However, Eric Engels of Sportsnet is pouring cold water on the rumours that Dach has had a setback. “It was never guaranteed Kirby Dach would be ready for the start of training camp, AND it is also premature to suggest he won’t be. Suggestions Dach has had a setback in his recovery are completely false. Not only has he not had a setback, he’s progressing really well and, according to my sources, is crushing his summer training.” There are some fans who question his durability, especially after missing the majority of the last two seasons due to injuries, and the fact that this is the second time he’s injured this specific knee. With the Canadiens in desperate need of a second-line centre, the hope was that he would be ready to fill that role for the start of the 2025-26 season. While he may still end up being physically capable of dressing, the real question will be if he can finally become the centre the franchise needs now. Canadiens’ Negotiation With Hutson On the Aug. 3 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman addressed the fact that Hutson has not yet signed a contract extension with the Canadiens. While fans are wondering what it could be, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has some differences in it that will mean changes in how young players will be approached this season. The salary cap is due to rise by $7 million this offseason from the current $88.5 million to $95.5 million. The cap is slated to go up from this season’s total to $113.5 million in just three seasons, a whopping $25 million increase. This is important to know because player salaries will rise quickly season over season. The biggest difference is that the longest contract available under the new CBA will be seven years, which is one less than the eight teams have the opportunity to offer until the new CBA kicks in. The rising cap and shorter term will mean bigger cap hits, which is why there is pressure from the fan base on the Canadiens to get this done. There aren’t any issues anticipated getting Hutson signed long-term; the issue will be the cap hit. While his comparables are Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes, with Noah Dobson signed to a new, eight-year, $9.5 million per season deal, it might mean a higher number for Hutson. Now, the question is, will they convince him to sign before they no longer have the option of offering an eight-year term? Canadiens Linked to Mason McTavish The Canadiens are again being linked to the still-unsigned restricted free agent (RFA) Mason McTavish. The third overall pick in 2021 has all the qualities Hughes is desperate to add. He’s big (6-foot-1 and 219 pounds), he’s got proven offensive skills, he can play a physical style, he has an excellent work ethic and loves to go to the net, he’s responsible in his zone, and the left-shot centre wins over 50% of his faceoffs. This also makes him valuable to the Anaheim Ducks, who are trying to go for a playoff spot this season. Anaheim still has over $20.5 million in salary cap space for 2025-26, which makes it highly unlikely anyone can build an offer sheet that would get the Ducks to choose not to match it. That means any team wanting to land the young centre would need to make a trade offer. And that’s one trade package that will cause some pain, as Jimmy Murphy of RG.org has reported. His sources have made it clear that the cost would start with a young right-handed defenceman. “Unless you’re willing to get creative and knock Pat’s socks off with a monster offer, I don’t see him getting traded at this point. A right-shot, top-four and future top-pairing defenceman would be the starting point from what I know.” Montreal isn’t considered the most active on this player; the Detroit Red Wings are, and they have some options, which include their top prospect, Axel Sandin Pellikka. So, the cost for Montreal will most likely start with David Reinbacher, and it wouldn’t end there. A package will also include picks (first-rounders, not middle-rounders) and a roster player. Is it expensive? Yes. Can the Canadiens afford to overpay? Maybe. It depends on what assets, and if those assets would cause the rebuild to stall, at least, in Hughes’ assessment. Keep an eye on our THW Podcast Network for all your hockey needs and THW’s affiliated podcast, Habs Unfiltered, for the latest Canadiens news, notes, and rumours.
Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list. San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut Monday night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Monday's performance pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom-10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league-average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage. This is the first time in two-and-a-half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter. The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation. San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox. That’d point to the series finale on Aug. 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday, via the MLB.com injury tracker. He’d be on six days' rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Marshall Faulk is Colorado's new running backs coach, and the Buffaloes could not ask for someone with better experience for the job. That's, of course, because this is Faulk's first coaching gig. As a player, though, there were few better than the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In 12 seasons in the NFL, he rushed 2,836 times for 12,279 yards and 100 total touchdowns. He was a league MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champ. Faulk was the real deal, and now he has a chance to pass his experiences on to the running backs at Colorado. For him, it's more than just the opportunity to coach football, though. He gets to coach under Deion Sanders, whom he views as a major difference-maker for the game of football. "You guys know him in a different way than I know him," Faulk said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). "We’ve been friends for many years. We worked together in television. We always talk just about the game and probably more about kids coming up in the game. How do you affect and make sure they come into the game the right way? He’s one of those way makers. When you pay attention to kids that’s gonna leave this program and go to the next level, they’re gonna do it in a certain way and you’re gonna say, 'Wow, they were coached by a guy who understands how to get it done.' I identify with that." Colorado can certainly use Faulk's expertise heading into 2025. There are several players battling for the starting role after Isaiah Augustave transferred to South Carolina. Even then, he was Colorado's leading rusher last season while rushing for just 384 yards and four touchdowns, so it's not like the Buffs have a big gap that they're trying to replace. Dekalon Taylor transferred in from Incarnate Word, where he rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns last season, so he'll be a player to watch. Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch, Simeon Price and Charlie Offerdahl are also names to know. Faulk will have his work cut out for him, but he seems excited to make a difference both on and off the field for these young Buffaloes. "So coming here not just to win games on the field, but to win the game off the field, which is to make sure that these young men in life become what they want to become outside of football. They become the father that they want to be, the brother, the husband. Making sure that they do that, that’s the important part. That was attractive," he said.
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Jordan Love’s Insane 55-Yard TD Bomb to Romeo Doubs Goes Viral
Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
Kevin Love is eyeing a return to his roots. The five-time NBA All-Star big man Love has a preferred destination on the buyout market, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Love would like to end up in Los Angeles. Now 36 years old, Love spent the last two-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat. He averaged just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game in 2024-25 but still managed to shoot 35.8 percent from three on the year. Earlier this summer however, the Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team blockbuster deal. Now Love, a 17-year NBA veteran, is pursuing a contract buyout from the rebuilding Jazz. Though he is a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love played his college ball in Los Angeles at UCLA. He also has ties to both L.A. teams — he won an NBA championship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and was also coached on that team by Tyronn Lue, who is now head coach of the L.A. Clippers. Both the Lakers and Clippers are currently sitting at 14 guaranteed contracts each. While they still have spots for two-way and Exhibit 10 players, that means the Lakers and Clippers are both down to their final open roster spot. The ex-rebounding leader Love still has some value, though probably more so as a jokester than as a contributing rotation piece. While Love clearly wants a homecoming to Los Angeles, he may have some convincing to do for either the Lakers or the Clippers to give him that final open roster spot.
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