Jack Flaherty strikes out seven consecutive batters
Day One of the 2025 NHL Draft is officially wrapped, and the Pittsburgh Penguins were certainly one of the more active teams in the first round.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
San Jose Sharks continue their spending in NHL free agency by signing Dmitry Orlov
Dmitry Orlov is heading to the spend-happy San Jose Sharks, who have been active in NHL free agency and made a pickup off the waiver wire Thursday to reach the salary floor. Orlov, who turns 34 later this month, signed a two-year contract worth $13 million. A Stanley Cup champion from his time in Washington who spent the past two seasons in Carolina, the veteran defenseman will count $6.5 million against the cap through 2026-27. Advertisement Orlov is the latest addition for the Sharks, who needed to add $20 million somehow to get to the $70.6 million minimum for player salaries. That counts money owed to captain Logan Couture, whose playing career is over because of a debilitating injury. San Jose also claimed Nick Leddy off waivers from St. Louis to add to its new-look blue line that includes recently signed veteran John Klingberg, who got $4 million for next season. 'Klingberg was someone we had targeted for a little while now,' general manager Mike Grier said earlier this week. 'We need someone who can run a power play. We think, as he showed he was getting healthier and healthier this year and another year out from his hip (surgery), I think he'll be even better' Leddy also has a year left on his contract at a cap hit of $4 million, with $3 million in actual dollars owed. Orlov is the only experienced defenseman San Jose has signed beyond 2026. Advertisement Orlov's short-time teammate, Brent Burns, agreed to terms with Colorado on Wednesday night to a one-year contract worth $1 million with up to $3 million more attainable through performance bonuses. Grier said, based on the Sharks' youth movement and building process, did not expect to be involved in any of the big-money free agents this summer. One of the top players available, Danish winger Nikolaj Ehlers, remains unsigned 72 hours into the signing period that opened at noon EDT on Tuesday. ___ AP NHL: Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
How a baseball lost cause suddenly became a leading man again
The Detroit Tigers brought the best record in the American League to Nationals Park this week because Tarik Skubal is an animal of an ace who fronts a rotation with baseball's third-best ERA, because left fielder Riley Greene is having a monstrous season that's establishing him as a star, because Manager A.J. Hinch maximizes his roster by pinch-hitting more often than all but one team and valuing versatility, and because a young clubhouse got a taste of October a year ago and clearly wants more.
Miami Herald
24 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
What Dolphins are getting with three new veteran safeties: Fitzpatrick, Melifonwu, Davis
At some point, the Dolphins assuredly will add a veteran cornerback; they've maintained dialogue with Rasul Douglas and kept tabs on Asante Samuel Jr. as he works his way back from a neck injury. Stephon Gilmore, James Bradberry and Mike Hilton also remain options. In the meantime, aside from adding roster-bubble cornerbacks Artie Burns and Kendall Sheffield, Miami's veteran defensive backfield acquisitions have been safeties: Minkah Fitzpatrick (who was acquired in the Jalen Ramsey/Jonnu Smith trade with Pittsburgh on Monday), Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis. Nuggets on the Dolphins' three new safeties: ▪ There's no question that last year was a down year for Fitzpatrick; he permitted a 127 passer rating in his coverage area, down from excellent numbers the previous five years: (65.7, 80.6, 83.1, 84.1, 93). Those are the Pro Football Reference statistics for him. Pro Football Focus said he allowed a 132 passer rating, which is dismal, because PFF has Fitzpatrick yielding five TDs last season, while Pro Football Reference said he permitted four. All of the other PFF and Pro Football Reference stats for Fitzpatrick are identical. In 17 games last season, per both web sites, he permitted 31 of 41 passes to be caught for 370 yards, the 19th most yards allowed by any NFL safety, with one interception. Last season was the first time that he allowed more than 70 percent of the passes thrown in his coverage area to be caught. Per PFF, he was at 38.9 percent in 2020, 61 in 2021, 69 in 2022 and 64 in 2023. PFF said he allowed 75.4 percent to be caught last season. Despite the poor passer-rating-against numbers, PFF nevertheless said that his season wasn't as bad as some perceive. PFF ranked him 52nd among 171 NFL safeties. That's down from 20th in 2023 and third in 2022. ▪ Here's what should give cause for concern: NFL Network's Brian Baldinger, who does good work studying tape, told former NFL player Chris Long that Fitzpatrick wasn't even the Steelers' best safety last season. 'He has one takeaway the last two years,' Baldinger said. 'Honestly, DeShon Elliott was probably a better player last year. He was probably faster, probably a better tackler.' Between 2020 and 2023, Fitzpatrick allowed four total touchdown passes -- less than PFF said he permitted last season alone. On the plus side, his average yards allowed per reception last season (11.9) was better than his career 13.1 average. And he doesn't miss many tackles. ▪ Longtime Steelers writer Gerry Dulac reported that Pittsburgh believe Fitzpatrick's production did not match his salary ($15.5 million this upcoming season): 'They felt the absence of splash plays the past two years was not commensurate with what they were paying him.' Fitzpatrick had four interceptions in 2020, two in 2021, six in 2022, but none in 2023 and just one last season. ▪ PFF's evaluation: 'While Fitzpatrick can help an extremely young secondary after posting a 65.2 PFF overall grade last season, the short-term nature of his contract is the primary appeal for Miami. He will likely play out this season with the Dolphins and then, barring an exemplary performance, be cut with a cap savings of more than $17 million.' Fitzpatrick's entire $17.6 million salary for 2026 is non guaranteed. He likely would need to be produce a Pro Bowl caliber season for Miami to be willing to pay him that amount in a year. ▪ Fitzpatrick played the sixth most snaps among safeties last season (1084). The Steelers used him as a pass rusher on only eight of those snaps. He has rushed the quarterback just 70 times in his career and has no career sacks. ▪ Last season, he played 756 snaps at free safety, 196 snaps in the box and 54 in the slot. He was called for three penalties each of the past three seasons. ▪ Here's the bad news on Melifonwu: He has never had a sustained run as a starter because of injuries. In fact, he has been on injured reserve five times in four years and missed 14 games for Detroit last season because of ankle and finger injuries. The good news: He has been solid, often better than solid, when he played, particularly the past two seasons. In 2023, he won NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 16. In 17 games and six starts that season (the only year he didn't miss any games), he allowed just 15 of 28 passes to be completed for 9.1 yards per catch, two touchdowns and two interceptions. That computes to a sterling 61.2 passer rating in his coverage area. In 2024, in the three regular season games he played, he allowed 5 of 7 passes to be caught for 48 yards (9.5 per catch) and a 90.2 passer rating. But he permitted a five-yard touchdown pass on the only throw in his coverage area in Detroit's surprising January home playoff loss to Washington. Melifonwu's first two two seasons (which included 17 games and five starts) weren't as good. A former third round pick out of Syracuse, he moved from cornerback to safety after his first season. But his overall passing metrics through four seasons are better than decent: 38 completions in 64 attempts for 447 yards (11.8 per catch), five touchdowns yielded, two interceptions and a 93.7 passer rating against. ▪ Melifonwu has been a very effective blitzer. In 36 career pass rushes, he has 4.5 sacks, 21 pressures and one batted pass. That's extraordinary, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver should use him in that role. 'If you watch this player in practice when we go through some of our blitz looks and things like that, man, he does a hell of a job blitzing,' former Lions defensive coordinator (and new Jets coach) Aaron Glenn said in 2023. ▪ Lions coach Dan Campbell said: 'Iffy's continued to grow. His thing [problem] has really been the durability. He's a smart, athletic, physical player. He's got length and range.' Glenn said after starting his NFL career at cornerback, Melifonwu has become 'so comfortable in that position of being safety. That transition is not easy for everybody because now you go from a single-focus guy to 'Man, I've got to see the field.' And that's what he's done a really good job of.' Glenn loved his versatility and had some packages in which Melifonwu played dime and nickel. He has good size at 6-2. ▪ Though Melifonwu has been a decent run defender, missed tackles can be an issue at times; he has 16, including nine in 2023. ▪ The Defensive Player of the Week honors late in 2023 followed a game in which in he did something historic: Since passes defended began being tracked by the NFL in 1999, Melifonwu became the NFL's first defensive back to produce a game with two passes defended, two sacks and an interception. He's also the NFL's first defensive back to produce four passes defended, three sacks and an interception in any two-game span. ▪ With Davis, the results have been much better since he lost his starting job with the Jets. In 2021, when he appeared in 13 games and started 10 and logged 745 defensive snaps, he allowed 26 completions in 33 attempts for 407 yards (15.7 average) with three touchdowns and two interceptions. That computes to a bloated 123.1 passer rating against. But in a meaningful but more limited role, the results have been far better. He started no games in 2022 (after losing the starting job to Jordan Whitehead), five in 2023 and one last season, playing 13, 217 and 261 defensive snaps those seasons. Over those three seasons combined, he allowed a fantastic 40.2 passer rating in his coverage area - 27 receptions in 43 throws against him, for 182 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. Last season, his passer rating against was 66.2, with one TD allowed and two INTs. The eight interceptions are very impressive for a player with just 22 NFL starts (and 69 appearances overall). Davis was picked in the third round out of California in 2020; most draft analysts ranked him as a top five safety in that draft class. In track and field as a senior at Cal, Davis won the Pac-12 110 meter hurdle title and was named second-team All-American. Davis was also named an NCAA Indoor All-American in the 60 meter hurdles. So his exceptional athleticism and history of ball-hawking could potentially make him a really good value signing at one year and $2.5 million (with another $500,000 in incentives). ▪ What the Dolphins could ultimately do, at times, is play Fitzpatrick and Davis at safety and Melifonwu in the nickel, with Kader Kohou replacing Jalen Ramsey or Kendall Fuller on the boundary alongside a potential free agent cornerback addition or Cam Smith or Storm Duck. Elijah Campbell, Patrick McMorris and Maryland rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. also will compete at safety.
