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Seattle Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson got a warm welcome back at the first media break during the Kraken’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Stephenson played five seasons in Vegas, lifting the Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season. It marked the second time his name appeared on hockey’s most prized trophy – the first being with the Washington Capitals in 2018. He was also an All-Star in the 2022-23 season.
During his time in Vegas, he scored 75 goals with 162 assists and was a valuable member of the team’s top six.
“I’m sure ‘Stevie’ will be happy to see his old teammates if he hasn’t already,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “A lot of good years here, and he helped us win the Stanley Cup.”
Stephenson signed a seven-year contract with Seattle during the offseason. He carries a cap hit of $6.25 million per season.
He has three goals and 18 assists this season for the Kraken.
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
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Bruins' David Pastrnak Calls Out Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky: He Just Lacks Humility'
Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
Titans waive former first-round pick after latest injury
Treylon Burks‘ tenure in Tennessee is on track to come to an end. In the wake of his latest injury, the former first-rounder has been waived. This move has come with an injury designation, which comes as no surprise given the broken collarbone Burks recently suffered in training camp. Injuries have plagued the 25-year-old throughout his brief NFL tenure, which began when Tennessee selected him with the No. 18 pick in the 2022 draft. That selection was acquired by dealing A.J. Brown to the Eagles. Given the link between the two wideouts created by the trade, Burks’ evaluations have always been measured against Brown’s Philadelphia success. During each of his three seasons with the Eagles so far, Brown has earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro acclaim; the 28-year-old was also a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl success in 2025. Burks, by contrast, entered this summer on Tennessee’s roster bubble. The Arkansas product managed a career-best 444 yards as a rookie while being limited to 11 games. Optimism was high that, with better luck on the health front, he could round out his game and develop into a regular on offense with the Titans. Staying on the field has proven to be an issue, however — Burks missed six games again in 2023 and an ACL tear limited him to five contests last season — and when available he has not managed to meet expectations. The collarbone injury accelerated the timing for what could have been a decision to move on from the Titans closer to the start of the regular season. Tennessee’s receiver depth chart will once again be headlined by Calvin Ridley this season. Veteran Tyler Lockett was added in free agency, as was Van Jefferson. The Titans used the draft to add a pair of Day 3 prospects at the position (Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor), and they will look to handle backup roles during their rookie seasons. Tennessee entered Monday with nearly $30M in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if one of the veterans still on the market is targeted in the wake of this move. Burks is now headed to waivers, with all teams free to claim him. Provided he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve. Situations such as these often result in a release being worked out along with an injury settlement. If that proves to be the case for Burks, his Titans stint will end on an unwanted but unsurprising note.
Broncos make big move with Bo Nix's No. 1 target
The Denver Broncos are solidifying their future with the favorite target of second-year quarterback Bo Nix. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton and the Broncos agreed to a four-year, $92M contract extension Monday, via NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Before the reported extension, the WR had one year left on his deal. Extending Sutton isn't risk-free for the Broncos. The 2018 second-round pick turns 30 on Oct. 10, the point when wideouts can fade. But his close relationship with Nix may outweigh that concern. Nix and Sutton like spending time together. In an April Instagram post sponsored by FedEx, the WR-QB tandem offered Denver rookies care packages. Nix also detailed why he has so much confidence in Sutton in November 2024. "He's just reliable, he's just always there when you need him," the QB said, via ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "He's smart. He's savvy. He makes plays when the ball is in the air. You can trust him. When it's up in the air, it's his or nobody's. It's not going to be a pick." Sutton proved reliable for Nix throughout the 2024 season. The one-time Pro Bowler led the Broncos in targets (135), receptions (81), receiving yards (1,081) and touchdown catches (eight) in 17 regular-season games. Nix, meanwhile, tossed the league's sixth-most TD passes (29 in 17 starts), finishing third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. The Broncos' receiving corps lacks explosive playmakers. Except for Sutton, no Denver WR finished with more than 503 receiving yards last season. This offseason, the Broncos took Illinois WR Pat Bryant (pick No. 74) in the NFL Draft and signed TE Evan Engram to strengthen their passing attack. Engram made the Pro Bowl for the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2023 season. Those moves may give Nix more options, but expect him to still lean heavily on his top weapon in 2025.
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Everything That Happened at Practice 5 of Packers Training Camp
Another day, another questionable hit by Nate Hobbs at Green Bay Packers training camp. On the third play of Monday’s practice, the first padded practice of camp, Hobbs shot in the backfield, went low and tackled running back MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd stayed on the turf for a few moments before being helped up. While he stayed on the field, he did not practice the rest of the day. Coach Matt LaFleur, upset after Hobbs hit receiver Dontayvion Wicks a couple times on Friday and after showing the players the “rules of engagement” before Monday’s practice, pulled Hobbs from the lineup. “Put me in timeout. Let me think about my decisions,” Hobbs said. “And I thought about it real good. It wasn’t an intentional decision like, ‘Oh, I’m going to tackle him.’ It was like, I was behind a blocker, once I popped back in and got my vision on the ball-carrier, he was as close as we are and his shoulder pads go a little down so, by nature, I got low, just to protect myself so I wouldn’t look crazy and get run over. You know what I’m saying? And I got low, I kind of dropped my knee on the ground and I kind of shot and I didn’t try to tackle him, I just got too low.” There was a little pushing and shoving between players throughout practice, including guard Donovan Jennings and defensive lineman Warren Brinson in one-on-ones and tight end Tucker Kraft and defensive end Brenton Cox during 11-on-11. But, for the most part, tempers were held in check on a second consecutive sweltering day at training camp. Jordan Love’s Day Jordan Love was 13-of-19 passing with one interception. The first play of the day was a well-placed downfield ball to Romeo Doubs, who found a hole behind the linebackers and in front of safety Zayne Anderson for a gain of about 20. During a third-down period, Love completed 3-of-5 passes but gained only two first downs and threw the interception. On third-and-5, Carrington Valentine had excellent coverage to prevent a completion to Jayden Reed. On third-and-9, Love’s short pass to Tucker Kraft was stopped immediately by Xavier McKinney. Love converted third-and-4 to Doubs and third-and-6 to Reed against a McKinney blitz. On third-and-7, Love threw a bit too high to Golden, with the ball going off his fingertips and into the waiting mitts of Nate Hobbs. During the final period of practice, Love was 4-of-5 during a 2-minute drill. More on that next. Player of the Day: Jayden Reed Every year, the rookie class – especially the early-round draft picks – gets all the hype and the veterans get lost a bit in the shuffle. Receiver Jayden Reed has led the team in receptions and receiving yards in both seasons. Perhaps first-round pick Matthew Golden will develop into a No. 1 receiver but, for now, Reed remains the best target. For a 2-minute drill, the offense took possession on the 30-yard line with 1:45 on the clock, zero timeouts and in need of a field goal. On first down, Jordan Love threw behind Reed. On second down, Reed connected with Golden for 6. It was The Reed Show the rest of the way. On three consecutive plays, Reed caught a 6-yard pass on third-and-4, a 9-yard pass on first-and-10 and a 22-yard pass on a post against Nate Hobbs on second-and-1. A clock-burning run by Josh Jacobs set up Brandon McManus for a 43-yard field goal. “I think that’s big, man, just to have chemistry with the quarterback, get the targets in practice so it can translate to the game,” Reed said. “I do think it’s very important to build that chemistry along the way.” On a steamy day, it was a strong way to end practice. “Yeah, it was a hot one out there,” he said. “I was pretty tired on that drive, I’m not going to lie, but you’ve got to push through it.” Play of the Day: Matthew Golden Early in practice, Jordan Love and Matthew Golden connected for a big play. Golden ran an out against veteran cornerback Keisean Nixon and made a sliding catch at the sideline. Perhaps a replay review would have shown Nixon had successfully rolled Golden out of bounds without getting two feet down, though Nixon didn’t protest too much. A closer runner-up was a back-shoulder catch by Malik Heath, which we’ll get to in a moment. Packers Injury Updates New injuries: None. Old injuries: receiver Christian Watson (knee), linebacker Collin Oliver (hamstring), offensive lineman John Williams (back). Returning from injuries: LB Quay Walker (ankle), center Elgton Jenkins (back) and WR Savion Williams (concussion). Before practice, coach Matt LaFleur said Walker would be doing the “same” thing as the last few days, which is stand behind the defense to watch the plays. Instead, Walker did much more, getting a heavy dose of individual drills. Savion Williams is out of the concussion protocol. He had a catch for about 20 yards on a pass from Malik Willis. Packers Practice Highlights - The first play during the “real” part of training camp was a run to Josh Jacobs that didn’t get too far. Guard Sean Rhyan and defensive lineman Kenny Clark wound up on the ground, which the coaches want to avoid. “First day of pads is always hard,” Rhyan said. “Everyone is getting used to bending your knees again and really hitting and being able to set blocks. Tomorrow, I think it’ll be a better day.” - Defensive end Lukas Van Ness was impactful all day, especially against the run. On the second play of the day, he stopped Jacobs at the line. - Sean Clifford threw a bomb to rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden. Rookie seventh-round cornerback Micah Robinson’s superb coverage led to an incompletion. - Speaking of Robinson, a bootleg pass from Malik Willis to tight end Ben Sims resulted in a minimal gain because Robinson closed quickly. If this were truly live, it would have been a heck of a collision. - Left guard Aaron Banks, who is coming back from a back injury, got a smattering of snaps with the first unit. He would have had one more had he not been guilty of a false start. Jacob Monk replaced him for the next play. - Defensive end Brenton Cox roared into the backfield and popped running back Jalen White for a big loss. - The young tight ends had their moments. First, Johnny Lumpkin got a high-five from the coaches after clearing a lane for running back Amar Johnson to explode through for a nice gain. Moments later, Messiah Swinson pancaked cornerback Tyron Herring. - It was a good day for safety Evan Williams, who broke up a pass on the sideline to Luke Musgrave and forced a fumble by Tucker Kraft. Kraft has at least a couple fumbles this summer. - Defensive tackle Colby Wooden shot in from the backside to tag Jacobs in the backfield. - There’s been a bad snap or two at every practice. On one, Jordan Love picked the ball up off the ground and threw a deep pass to Golden, which Golden did well to prevent Nate Hobbs from intercepting. - It was short of the first down, but Willis went sidearm to get the ball to tight end John FitzPatrick on third-and-7. - Given the same 2-minute scenario as Love – ball at the 30 with 1:45 on the clock – Willis led the No. 2s to a field goal in his 2-minute drill. On the first play, Willis completed a swing pass to Emanuel Wilson for a gain of 10. On the next play, Willis telegraphed a pass to Malik Heath, which Carrington Valentine almost intercepted for what would have been a pick-six. Willis and Heath got their revenge on the next play, with Willis throwing a superb back-shoulder pass for a gain of 26 against Bo Melton. Willis made the catch at the sideline, displaying textbook late hands to not give Melton an inkling the ball was coming. He hit the turf hard but was back on his feet in short order. Willis connected with Savion Williams for a gain of 7 before a pair of runs by Wilson set up Brandon McManu’s 36-yard field goal. - McManus made all nine field-goal attempts to improve to 23-of-23 in camp. Packers Lineup Notes - With Elgton Jenkins and Aaron Banks working their way back from injuries, the starting line was left tackle Rasheed Walker, left guard Jordan Morgan, center Sean Rhyan, right guard Jacob Monk and right tackle Zach Tom. However, during the opening walk-through, the No. 1 line might be the No. 1 line for Week 1, with Walker at left tackle, Banks at left guard, Jenkins at center, Rhyan at right guard and Tom at right tackle. “I think it’s important just to build chemistry across the line,” Rhyan said of working with Jenkins. “For whoever’s going to be out there on Sundays, Mondays or Thursdays, whatever day we’re going to be playing. I think it is important to build chemistry between guard-center, tackle-guard, all the way across the line. In case we miss calls, it’s unspoken rules and we know what we’re going to do, which allows us to be successful. I think it’s important but camp’s long. We’ve got a lot more days of practice.” - For one early snap, the No. 1 safeties were Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard. Did that signal some sort of change? Probably not. For most of the day, McKinney worked with Evan Williams at safety while Bullard was either the No. 1 in the slot or a No. 2 at safety. - Because of Trey Hill’s problems with shotgun snaps, first-year guard Donovan Jennings got a lot of work at center. - Second-round pick Anthony Belton continues to work at left tackle with the No. 2s and right tackle with the No. 3s. Will he get a shot to compete at guard? “I think he’s got the talent to do that,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “So, we want to try to get him a little bit more settled on the perimeter at tackle and take it in stride.” - Bo Melton continues to get a lot of work at corner with a second unit consisting of Melton and Kamal Hadden at corner and Kalen King in the slot. - This was noteworthy, though. Isaiah Dunn, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2022, got some snaps at corner in a secondary that included Carrington Valentine at corner, Nate Hobbs in the slot and Bullard and Zayne Anderson at safety. Packers Training Camp Schedule The Packers will practice at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. After an off-day on Wednesday, the team will practice at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday before Saturday’s Family Night. Quote of the Day Cornerback Nate Hobbs on how people will appreciate his mentality once the season starts. “Today is today, but the thing about life, bro, when things happen, you’ve got to have the perspective. Sometimes, we forget about everything we’ve been through and the perspective we have on things and we put ourselves in the moment too much. It’s a balance. You’ve got to stay in the moment, but you can’t get too much outside of the perspective you’ve got because that’s why you went through everything you went through in life: to give you perspective. That’s why people around you give you perspective. Right now, it’s bad. But on September 7th, it’s going to be real good. You know what I’m saying? But I do feel horrible.”
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