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The Montreal Victoire are looking to keep their spot atop the PWHL standings in 2025-26 and took the first steps to doing so as free agency opened on Monday.
According to theScore’s Kyle Cushman, defender Jessica DiGirolamo is set to join the Victoire on a two-year contract, coming over from the Boston Fleet, where she has played the last two seasons.
DiGirolamo has played 54 games for the Fleet over the last two seasons, scoring a goal and seven assists, while helping the team reach the inaugural Walter Cup Final in 2024, where they fell to the Minnesota Frost in a dramatic series.
Jessica DiGirolamo is signing a two-year contract with the Montreal Victoire.
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) June 16, 2025
Physical blue-liner who posted strong defensive metrics last season. Ranked 4th among defenders with 41 hits. One of the younger defenders available in unrestricted free agency.
After a strong showing in the debut season, Boston took a step back in 2024-25, missing the Walter Cup Playoffs. Now, they have also lost a key player in DiGirolamo, who is joining the departing group alongside superstar Hilary Knight, who signed with PWHL Seattle as part of the expansion process.
DiGirolamo, meanwhile, heads to a Victoire team, where she will bring a physical and composed presence to the backend. In 2024-25, she ranked fourth among all defenders with 41 hits, and at 26, was one of the youngest available defenders in free agency.
Before her time in the PWHL, the native of Mississauga, Ontario, played her first professional season in the PWHPA with Team adidas, where she skated with now Montreal teammate Laura Stacey, joining the touring setup after a five-year NCAA career with the Syracuse Orange.
At Syracuse, she served as captain in her final year, 2020-21, and was a more offensive presence, scoring 33 goals and 95 points in 163 games from 2017 to 2022. During that time, she also won the 2021-22 CHA Best Defenseman award and was named to the 2021-22 All-CHA First Team, highlights among several other honors.
Outside of DiGiralomo and re-signing defender Kati Tabin, Montreal were relatively quiet on the first day of the PWHL’s signing window, but will continue to build their roster to take on their seven opponents in the first expanded season of the PWHL in 2025-26.
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Yankees Top Trade Partners Make Deadline Decision
With just a week to go before the July 31 trade deadline passes, the New York Yankees should now have a better idea of how one of their top potential trade partners plans to operate in the coming days. Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Arizona Diamondbacks have told opposing clubs that they intend on moving some of their veteran players. The degree to which they sell is still up for debate, however, and will be determined by several factors. "The number of deals the DBacks complete before next Thursday’s trade deadline will hinge on a variety of factors," Rosenthal wrote. "The level of interest in their players. Whether the proposals they receive for their qualifying-offer candidates exceeds the potential draft-pick compensation. The assessment of club officials about the team’s ability to compete for the third wild-card spot." Eugenio Suárez, Arizona's All-Star third baseman who has posted 36 home runs and a .918 OPS this season in a contract year, is perhaps the top position player available and has been regularly connected to the Yankees given the club's need at the hot corner. Rosenthal noted that the Diamondbacks have scouted the Yankees' farm system amidst their interest in the 34-year-old. "The Diamondbacks, according to a source, are scouting the minor-league systems of at least some of the teams interested in Suárez," he wrote. "Those teams, according to sources and published reports, include the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners." Right-handed starting pitchers Zac Gallen (5.58 ERA in 121 innings) and Merrill Kelly (3.32 ERA in 122 innings), both of whom are rentals like Suárez, may also catch New York's eye as it looks to fortify the rotation behind All-Star lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodón. Arizona came into the year with aspirations of contending in a loaded National League, but season-ending injuries to ace Corbin Burnes and closer Justin Martinez have spelled trouble for the club. The Diamondbacks are currently 50-53 and sit 5 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Suárez being dealt is a near certainty, which bodes well for the Yankees, but Arizona's performance over the next week will ultimately establish how many veterans the team ships off before the deadline. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Yankees Pursuing Pirates All-Star Outfielder Analyst Proposes Wild Yankees, Pirates Trade MLB Insider Makes Brutal Yankees Prediction MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Linked To Red-Hot Reliever Yankees Linked to Former Outfielder in Juicy Trade Rumor
Pelicans' exec makes team's stance on Zion Williamson crystal clear
It’s wild how quickly the NBA narrative can flip. A year ago, Zion Williamson was in every trade rumor possible. People were questioning his health, his work ethic, even his future in New Orleans. And the Pelicans? They didn’t really deny any of it. It felt like both sides were one step away from walking. But things have shifted this offseason — quietly, but clearly. The Pelicans could’ve pulled the plug. Zion’s contract gave them outs, and the trade market might’ve still brought back some real value. Instead, they stuck with him. And based on what one of their own just said, they’re not just keeping him around — they’re still betting big on him. In a recent interview with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, an anonymous Pelicans executive made it crystal clear. “Zion is still our guy. We’re all in on him. We think he’s going to have a huge year. We’ve had some bad injury luck and some things that just haven’t worked out. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet.” That’s not something you say if you’re halfway in. They backed it up with their offseason moves, too. They traded CJ McCollum and brought in Jordan Poole, a high-usage creator who can take pressure off Zion. They drafted Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, a dynamic young guard. They added Kevon Looney, a reliable veteran who brings playoff experience and toughness. Those aren’t tear-it-down moves — those are “let’s try this another way” moves. Of course, Zion’s health is still the question. That never really goes away. He played just 30 games last season, but in those games he looked solid: 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per night on 56.7 percent shooting. The explosiveness was there. The playmaking was sharp. And the hope for New Orleans is that this time, he can finally sustain it. What’s interesting is how the front office is trying to create a better environment around him. Joe Dumars has stepped in to lead basketball operations and is reportedly building a closer relationship with Zion — dinners, real conversations, not just surface-level stuff. It feels like, for once, the team is trying to meet him halfway. It’s a risk, sure. But it’s a calculated one. The West is brutal and the margin for error is thin. Still, if Zion can stay healthy for 60 games, and if Poole finds a rhythm and guys like Trey Murphy and Herb Jones keep improving — this team has a shot to be in the mix. The quote from the exec says it all. They could’ve hit reset, moved on, cleaned house. But they didn’t. They’re still in. And now it’s on Zion to hold up his end of the deal. After everything that’s happened, they’re telling the world they still believe. Now it’s time to find out if they’re right.
Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
The Milwaukee Bucks' decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard sparked even more Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors on social media. There were already reports that Antetokounmpo was considering his options and potentially forcing his way out of Milwaukee, and the Lillard move did little to alleviate the situation. Nevertheless, the weeks have gone by, and Antetokounmpo is still a Buck. More importantly, the team believes that's not going to change any time soon. "We have no indication that anything is really changing as far as our relationship with the player we think is the best in the world," a Bucks front office executive told Spotrac's Keith Smith. "We rebuilt on the fly, in a really challenging situation, but we think we did it as well as it could be done." Antetokounmpo trade rumors have cooled off around the league, and while anything can happen in the NBA, that doesn't seem likely at this point. "Do I think the star guys like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or LeBron (James) are going to go anywhere? Nope. Is it possible? Sure is," said a Western Conference executive. Giannis chose to stay in Milwaukee with one of the most lucrative contract extensions in NBA history. He was overly critical of the team's effort last season, and another early playoff exit may have driven him to the edge. Even so, he's talked about how he wants to win "the right way," as opposed to chasing rings. That said, with head coach Doc Rivers' long list of questionable postseason performances and a championship window that could be closing right before their eyes, Giannis trade rumors will flood social media again if the Bucks get off to a slow start during the 2026-26 campaign.
Kevin O'Connell reveals potential secret weapon for the Vikings in 2025 that can take the offense to new heights
The focus for the Minnesota Vikings this season will be first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. It's all going to be about how good he's playing. One of the biggest elements about helping him perform is going to be how the players around him perform, along with how head coach Kevin O'Connell utilizes them. We know that wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are going to be major factors, but the running game will be a major impact on getting the Vikings to the next level. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones could be key to Vikings' success What's going to be really interesting is how head coach Kevin O'Connell modifies the offense to cater to what McCarthy does best. One of the easiest things you can do to maximize a young quarterback is to have a really good running game. The Vikings added Jordan Mason and extended Aaron Jones to give them a 1-2 punch in the backfield. What we didn't necessarily expect is both of them playing together. That's something O'Connell mentioned during his press conference on Wednesday. "Yeah, I think you can look at it a lot of ways, with looking at Aaron and Jordan," said O'Connell about how he might use Jones and Mason. "But how I just said it is how I see it. It's Aaron and Jordan and, the running back position, I wouldn't go to say it's as nuanced as the quarterback position of reps. But you want guys to be able to get in a rhythm. At the same time, we've got truly a combination that will cause a lot of problems between having two great backs that are different body types, maybe different skill sets, but they're complete backs. Aaron Jones can run in between the tackles, he can catch the ball, he can block in protection. He can line up anywhere in the formation. Jordan Mason has proven already to be well ahead of new players in the system from a protection standpoint. And clearly, he's got the body type to be a physical presence. So, I really see those guys playing off of each other, where we can keep them both fresh, keep them both in attack mode when they're in there. "But how CJ [Ham] and his role in the two back groupings, maybe we activate some two back groupings where we've got Jordan and Aaron in the game at the same time. There's a lot of things schematically that we're going to try and then, as we get towards the season, what gives us advantages? What allows us to play the most multiple way that all circles back to the number one question of what makes the quarterback's job easier and more likely to be quarterback friendly to apply to our whole system." 21 personnel, or the pony package (two running backs, one tight end), isn't something that's new or revolutionary in the National Football League, but it would allow the Vikings to maximize their potential advantages by attacking the second level of the defense. Last season, the Vikings only ran 21 personnel a grand total of 129 times (12.24%) which isn't very much. However, they didn't have a second running back to take advantage of that personnel grouping. They do now. While Mason isn't a dynamic route runner, Jones is a player you can trust to do those things. Texas routes, option routes, running rail and go routes down the field. You name it, and he can do it. Plus, Mason is "good enough" as a receiver to make him a credible enough of a threat out of the backfield to keep the defense honest. The key to maximizing 21 personnel isn't just to exploit the second level defenders in the passing game. You also have to have a good running game to prevent the defense from subbing in their nickel package. The other factor is that both backs need to be able to block well. That's not an issue for either guy. As O'Connell mentioned, this isn't a guarantee, but it is really interesting that he's already discussing it, especially when it was relatively unprompted.
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