Hostile Takeover: Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj Could Become Ineligible Today

On Friday afternoon, the Flyers stole the show by making a massive hostile offer to Leo Carlsson. Reports suggest a five-year contract worth $18 million per year, aimed at luring the young center away from Anaheim.
Will the Ducks match the offer? We'll find out by next Friday.
But after seeing the hostile offer signed by Carlsson (and the one signed by Barrett Hayton on Wednesday), one wonders if others will follow suit. However, it's important to remember that today is a key date in the hostile

Paul Skenes, Surprised
He wanted to see Pirates hitters in the All-Star Game.
Paul Skenes on his selection to the 2026 All-Star Game:
“I was shocked that I was the only [Pirate]… we have the third-most runs in baseball. Our offense is just a buzzsaw…”pic.twitter.com/VrWAyosQUM
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) July 5, 2026
Speaking of a player who deserves a spot in the All-Star Game: Sonny Gray.
The most egregious All-Star snub has to be the starter who is 1

Today is the last day for a restricted free agent who is eligible for arbitration to file the necessary paperwork to potentially go through the arbitration process.
With the Canadiens, there was speculation about whether any player would do so. Among the Habs' NHL players, Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj are eligible, but Zachary Bolduc is not.
And now, according to David Pagnotta, Dach is set to file his paperwork. David Pagnotta reported the news.Add another RFA to the arbitration list. Montreal's

The recent signings of Jakub Dobes and, above all, Ivan Demidov make it seem as though Kent Hughes is a magician when it comes to negotiating with his players.
The Habs' GM really seems to be drawing on his experience as a former player agent to give himself every possible advantage in reaching agreements that benefit both the team and the players.
Furthermore, over time, Hughes has begun building relationships with other player agents that are proving increasingly beneficial for his club. This

Currently, three teams have interim managers: the Red Sox, the Phillies, and the Mets.
When Alex Cora was fired by the Red Sox, it set off a chain reaction elsewhere in Major League Baseball. The Phillies and the Mets expressed interest in his services.
Ultimately, Cora decided to take the rest of the year off. Nevertheless, the Phillies and the Mets have since chosen to replace their managers.
This winter, those three clubs will reassess their options. I expect the Red Sox to consider keeping C

The Minnesota Wild are actively looking for a top-6 center, ideally for their first line.
It's not always easy to add a player of that caliber, but the team has been strongly linked to Dylan Larkin ever since he requested a trade.
The team was also very interested in Robert Thomas, but the Blues rejected a trade that would have sent Danila Yurov and Jesper Wallstedt to St. Louis.
Now, the Wild are reportedly in the running for a bigger name than Larkin and Thomas.
In fact, Joe Smith and Michael

Claude Giroux is one of the free agents still on the market.
The 38-year-old veteran still has plenty of good hockey left in him, and many are wondering where he'll end up.
In total, three teams are reportedly still in the running.
We already knew that the Philadelphia Flyers and the Senators were interested.
The Flyers, in fact, seemed to be very close to signing him, but there has been no confirmation (neither from the Flyers nor from Giroux's camp).
In fact, it appears that Leo Carlsson's sit

As we know, Tarik Skubal has a real chance of being traded within the next month. The Tigers pitcher is likely to be the biggest catch on a market that, as usual, will favor teams looking to sell pitchers.
Because every good team needs starting pitchers at the trade deadline… especially if that pitcher is Tarik Skubal.
Of course, we often talk about the usual suspects (the Dodgers and Yankees, among others) as teams to watch. But this morning, Bob Nightengale mentioned another team that c

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues to make headlines for reasons that go far beyond the field.
While his future with the organization remains unclear, a recent social media post has reignited discussions about his behavior and his strained relationship with the team.
Over the weekend, Aiyuk posted a video on his social media accounts directly targeting Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. In his remarks, he referred to Daniels by his jersey number, “5,&r

The Anaheim Ducks find themselves in a rather precarious situation today. The team must decide whether or not to match the hostile offer made to Leo Carlsson, which would pay him $18 million a year.
They have the money to match it… but they also need to sign Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Mintyukov. That's where things could get tricky.
We know that Gauthier isn't eligible to sign a hostile offer, but Mintyukov could be. And that means that right now, it feels like the Ducks are pretty vulnera

At this point in the season, and given their current standing in the standings, the Toronto Blue Jays need to rack up wins. But once again yesterday (Saturday), that wasn't the case against the Seattle Mariners.
And once again, pitcher Shane Bieber didn't get the job done. Granted, the starter pitched a strong first inning and retired the first two batters in the second.
But then, the tsunami hit. A double, a single, another single, a walk, and the cherry on top: a grand slam. Fortunately, after

Kyle Van Noy, a two-time Super Bowl champion and NFL veteran with more than a decade of experience, remains a free agent heading into the 2026 season, despite recent developments that suggested there would be strong interest in his services.
The 35-year-old linebacker had, however, put together an impressive season in 2024 with the Baltimore Ravens, recording a career-high 12.5 sacks in 16 games, which earned him his first Pro Bowl selection at the age of 33. That performance served as a reminde

We were expecting a big move from Kent Hughes this summer.
We expected the Canadiens' GM to make a major trade, as he has done every summer since taking the helm with the Montreal Canadiens.
That hasn't happened yet. And at this point, we have to wonder if it will happen at all.
Of course, there's still plenty of time left before the end of the summer, and the season doesn't start tomorrow either. But… July 1 has come and gone, and teams are starting to take shape for the upcoming season.

Last night, Major League Baseball announced the players who will be in the All-Star Game, which will take place in just over a week in Philadelphia.
Here's the starting lineup.
Your 2026 All-Star Starterspic.twitter.com/JH8oFs14hH
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) July 5, 2026
In fact, there's already one notable change to the American League's starting lineup… and it involves the Blue Jays.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (who's having a rough season but was selected as a starter via fan vote) has decided no

Mavrik Bourque was traded to the Nashville Predators in recent days.
And it didn't take long before he signed a new contract with the Preds, as he had been looking for a new deal ahead of next season.
The Quebec native signed a six-year deal worth $5.5 million per season with the Predators: that's a really great contract for the young player… and it must make Zachary Bolduc happy.
Why am I mentioning Bolduc here?
It's simple: seeing Bourque sign that contract must really have the young Ca

Former NFL player and sports analyst Marcellus Wiley was arrested in Florida over the Fourth of July long weekend, according to reports by TMZ Sports. The 51-year-old former athlete faces a charge of alleged domestic violence.
According to Orange County jail records, Wiley was booked on July 4 and charged with “domestic battery.” At the time of this report, he remained in custody and was being held without the possibility of bail.
Details surrounding the alleged incident remain limit

Aaron Donald reignited discussions about his future this weekend, as his name has once again begun to surface in speculation about a possible return to the NFL.
The former star defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams commented on an Instagram post by ClutchPoints NFL that raised the possibility of him coming out of retirement.
His response—a simple “eyes” emoji—immediately caught the attention of fans and American football observers.
This type of reaction, often interpr

The British Columbia Lions finally got off the board in the 2026 CFL season with a 36–24 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Saturday night.
Led by a dominant performance from James Butler, the team earned its first win of the season while handing its opponents their first loss.
Butler was the driving force behind the running game with an impressive 135 yards and two touchdowns, setting the pace of the game from the very start.
His effectiveness allowed the Lions to control long offensive dr

There are some questions surrounding the Montreal Canadiens' net.
One thing is certain: Jakub Dobes was excellent in the playoffs and at the end of the regular season, and he'll start the upcoming season as the No. 1 goaltender.
However, Samuel Montembeault's situation was the subject of much discussion last year.
Let's not beat around the bush: Montembeault didn't have a great season. He wasn't able to turn things around after being loaned to the Laval Rocket, and it's safe to say that Jacob Fo

Montreal Canadiens fans have been spoiled by the team's recent playoff run.
No one expected this, given that there are still significant gaps to fill on the roster.
First, there's the much-discussed second-line center—ideally another top-6 winger—and finally, another big, right-handed defenseman who's reliable on the defensive end.
With all these gaps, it's surprising in a way to have seen the Habs go this far in such a strong conference.
In fact, on the most recent episode of Tellem

Relievers will be on the market
The Royals and the Rockies are about to throw in the towel.
“Two teams that we believe will be putting their relievers on the market… the Rockies and the Royals.”
– @jonmorosi highlights the reliever market with exactly one month to go until the Trade Deadline pic.twitter.com/TgOUqqvOSG
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 3, 2026
What an arm
34 years ago, Larry Walker did this:
34 years ago, on July 4, 1992, Larry Walker demonstrated th

It was a busy day in the NHL on Wednesday as the free-agent market opened… but it was a different story for the Habs. The team reached an agreement with Ivan Demidov to keep him in town through 2035, but they didn't bring in any immediate reinforcements.
They added some depth to help out in Laval, but that's about it.
When you look at the prices, it's easy to see why Kent Hughes chose to stay out of the free-agent market. But we suspected that one of the players the Habs would have liked

With a record of 58 wins to 31 losses and a 14-game lead at the top of the National League West, everything is going perfectly for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Except, perhaps, for one thing.
What is it?
The health of their star player, Shohei Ohtani.
In fact, after last night's game against the San Diego Padres, the Japanese star explained that the reason for his early exit from the game—replaced by Miguel Rojas—was tightness in his right bicep.
Ohtani also said he'd had a similar issue

The REM breakdown prevented us from getting to Brossard in time for the scheduled Red vs. White games last Thursday—a summer family tradition. So all we could do was bike down the mountain and get back home in time to watch the whole thing on YouTube, from the comfort of our living room!
Unfortunately, Mr. Pugachyov—aka “Good Old Gleb”—was also unable to make it to Brossard on time, in his case due to visa complications…
Never mind—somewhat surprisingly

Rumors surrounding Shedeur Sanders' future continue to circulate, but an iconic figure with the Cleveland Browns believes the organization would be making a serious mistake by letting the young quarterback go right now.
Hall of Famer Joe Thomas believes Sanders simply hasn't had enough time to demonstrate his true potential.
Appearing on the radio show 92.3 The Fan, the former star offensive lineman stated that trading him for just a fourth-round pick would be a hasty decision.
According to Thom

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding brought together an impressive lineup of celebrities and sports figures in New York.
Among the guests who drew attention was New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who made a rare public appearance alongside his wife, Jen.
The couple was spotted arriving near Madison Square Garden, where the ceremony took place. This appearance was particularly significant, as it was one of their first public outings together since Mike Vrabel had been at the c

The Yankees are in the midst of a really rough stretch. The team is struggling to win games (even though they finally won yesterday)… and even as offensive players return from injury, pitchers are starting to go down.
We know that Carlos Rodon has been placed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. And even though he was being used more and more in relief, Carlos Lagrange (one of the team's top prospects) will also miss a few weeks due to a shoulder injury.
Carlos Lagrange suffered

Last week, Gavin McKenna joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. The forward was selected first overall in the draft, and he will join forces with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares.
The Leafs will clearly have offensive talent to spare.
That said, on Wednesday, Toronto also acquired Sergei Bobrovsky to help out in net. And that sparked a bit of a buzz, given that, just like McKenna, the goaltender wears #72.
So people were wondering which of the two would change his number… and

The New England Patriots have chosen to cut costs during the 2026 offseason by overhauling their linebacker corps.
Several veterans have left the organization, allowing the team to significantly reduce its payroll. However, this strategy raises significant concerns as the new NFL season approaches.
The departures of Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, Marte Mapu, Jack Gibbens, and K'Lavon Chaisson have allowed the team to save or avoid nearly $22 million in salaries.
Some of these savings come dir

Yesterday afternoon, the Ducks watched as the Flyers made a hostile offer to Leo Carlsson. Carlsson signed a five-year contract that will pay him $18 million a year.
Barring a massive surprise, Carlsson will be the highest-paid player in the league next year. That's… something, isn't it?
But what this situation has really highlighted is just how tough Pat Verbeek's negotiating strategy is. It was complicated for Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish… and it's still complicated for Leo C