Ducks select Leo Carlsson with No. 2 pick in draft
The Anaheim Ducks selected Leo Carlsson from Örebro in the SHL with the second overall pick in the NHL Draft on Wednesday night.
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1. Ducks select Leo Carlsson with No. 2 pick in draft
The Anaheim Ducks selected Leo Carlsson from Örebro in the SHL with the second overall pick in the NHL Draft on Wednesday night. The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee is in Nashville for the draft and has more on the selection.
There was plenty of buzz leading up to the NHL Draft about who the Ducks would select with the second overall pick. They had plenty of options to choose from in Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, Matvei Michkov and Will Smith.
In the end, it appeared to come down to Fantilli and Carlsson. Fantilli won the Hobey Baker as the best collegiate player after a historic freshman season at Michigan and made the most of his time at World Championships with Canada, despite playing limited minutes, primarily at wing.
Carlsson more than held his own in the SHL, playing against grown men and was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year this past season. He also performed well at World Championships, becoming the youngest player to score for Sweden in the tournament.
2. Barbashev stays, Smith goes as Knights get busy
Original Misfit Reilly Smith is sent to Pittsburgh Wednesday to clear cap space to sign Ivan Barbashev to a five-year, $25 million extension, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
And you thought the Vegas Golden Knights were going to stand pat with their roster just because they won the Stanley Cup?
Not a chance.
That’s not how they do business at City National Arena. George McPhee, the team’s president of hockey operations, and Kelly McCrimmon, the general manager, are always looking to make the team better and Wednesday, they attempted to do just that. But they did come pretty darn close in keeping the band together.
Goodbye Reilly Smith. Welcome back Ivan Barbashev.
Smith, one of the six original Knights and a longtime member of the team’s Misfit Line, was dealt to Pittsburgh for the same third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft the Knights had used to acquire Teddy Blueger in March. Smith, 32, had two years to go on his deal at an average annual value of $5 million.
3. Dodgers fall just short in back and forth affair, 9-8
After an excellent showing by the offense, the Rockies show late life against Dodgers’ bullpen, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
Well, we knew that things were going to be fun in Colorado. The Dodgers once again found themselves in a game where they were ahead and had to claw back into it after a few lackluster innings by the bullpen. But the Rockies were the ones to throw the first punch and build a lead as Harold Castro, C.J. Cron, and Randal Grichuk each singled to make the lead 4-0 after three innings.
Michael Grove was the place starter Wednesday night in a sort of opener role, and gave the Dodgers five decent innings giving up four runs to keep the team within striking distance. Then in the top half of the fourth, the Dodgers exploded against one of the Rockies best starters in Kyle Freeland, scoring 6 times. Jonny Deluca walked, new call up Yonny Hernandez singled to score two, and Mookie Betts then hit a three-run home run to take the lead right back from Colorado.
Then things got way out of hand for the Dodgers bullpen as Victor Gonzalez and Nick Robertson came in and combined to surrender five runs to give the Rockies back the lead. Bear with me here. The Dodgers had their own fun in the 8th to cut the deficit to one, as Yonny Hernandez hit a sac fly and Freddie Freeman singled to put the team in striking range. After a clean outing by Phil Bickford, the offense couldn't muster a rally in the 9th and fell just short 9-8.
4. Will Russell Westbrook return to the Clippers?
The Clippers and Russell Westbrook both have said they want to renew their partnership. Will they? Th Sporting Tribune’s Mark Medina has the latest before the start of free agency on Friday.
The Clippers say definitively that they will continue to build around Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. How that will look like, though, appears unclear.
Obviously, the Clippers will show more clarity once NBA free agency starts on Friday (3 pm PT). Even in that case, the Clippers’ options seem limited.
The Clippers waived veteran guard Eric Gordon on Wednesday, whose $21 million contact would have cost the Clippers over four times that amount in luxury taxes. With the Clippers already fielding a heavy payroll, they only have an exception ($3.8 million) and veteran’s minimum deals at their disposal.
If the Clippers make any significant headway, they will have to do so via trade. Otherwise, they have to hope Leonard and George stay healthy, while further investing in their younger players. Still, the Clippers have some free-agency decisions to make. Below is a look at those players and the variables in play.
5. Why Lakers believe continuity, youth can fuel title run
The Lakers don’t appear inclined to chase a third star once free agency begins on Friday, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Mark Medina.
The Lakers have the same mission statement.
“We have one singular goal – that’s to add the 18th banner,” said Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, on Tuesday at the Lakers’ practice facility. “That’s our focus. At the end of the next couple of days, we’re going to do all that we can to maximize that opportunity.”
After advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in three years, the Lakers will likely fulfill that mission statement much differently for a franchise that always thrived on star power.
Unlike in past seasons, the Lakers don’t appear inclined to chase a third star once free agency begins on Friday (3 pm PT). Instead, the Lakers plan to build around LeBron James and Anthony Davis by retaining two restricted free agents (Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura) and staying flexible with several others (D’Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr.).
6. Next in line step up for Angel City in win over the Wave
After Angel City's USWNT World Cup players left earlier in the week, the next players in line stepped up, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
The NWSL Challenge Cup seemed like a lost hope for Angel City before Wednesday. They had picked up one point over three games, suffering a last-minute loss to the Portland Thorns in their last Challenge Cup game.
But on Wednesday, that all changed as Angel City took down their rivals, the San Diego Wave, 2-1.
And Angel City relied on their next players in line after saying bye to midfielder Julie Ertz and forward Alyssa Thompson on Monday because of international duty for the 2023 World Cup.
Midfielder Madison Hammond’s last start came against the OL Reign on May 27, appearing in only three minutes of game action since. But after receiving a start against the Wave, she made the most of the opportunity early on.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today.
1:00 p.m. – White Sox at Angels – $4
7:00 p.m. – Liberty at Aces – $14
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
1:00 p.m. – White Sox at Angels – Bally Sports West
5:30 p.m. – Dodgers at Rockies – SportsNet LA
7:00 p.m. – Liberty at Aces – Prime Video
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deutsch and Armani Buckets to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers plans heading into free agency on Friday. Rob Pelinka said the Lakers hope to keep their core group intact. Can a team that got swept in the Western Conference Finals win a championship by essentially running last season's team back?
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
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