Latest news with #RFA
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'A Big Part Of The Future Moving Forward': Why Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Is Confident In Re-Signing RFA Matthew Knies
Nine days after Matthew Knies admitted his desire to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs beyond this season, Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said the same. The 22-year-old, set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, had a career year with the Maple Leafs, scoring 29 goals and 29 assists in 78 games. He added five goals and two assists for Toronto through 13 playoff games. "I'd like to get [the contract] done as soon as possible," Treliving said on Thursday. "Usually, term and money are the only two issues that come into play on contract negotiations." When Knies stepped in front of the cameras on May 20, a few days after Toronto's playoff elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers, he said his best chance to win was with the Maple Leafs. As an RFA, however, there's the chance Knies could receive an offer sheet from another NHL team if he's not signed by July 1. Knies, though, would have to agree to the contract for Toronto to have to match it. From what the forward said on locker cleanout day, it doesn't appear he wants to go down that route. "I want to be here. I want to play here," he said. "That's all that really matters to me." 'It's The Best Chance For Me To Win': Matthew Knies Addresses Short-Term Future With Maple Leafs Matthew Knies wants to be a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the long haul. What could the contract look like, though? "We'll see. Like I said, there's two parties here. I think Matthew's still just scratching the surface. So we've got to see what fits for us, what fits for them," Treliving said. "But I see him as a long-term player here. I'm not trying to be elusive. You'd always like to sign them all for the longest and as lowest as you can. He's a hell of a player, and we're working on it." There was a lot of growth for Knies away from the puck, too. He's becoming someone who can be relied upon in all situations for Toronto. Not just on the top line and the power play, but also on the penalty kill. What's most improved from the power forward is how he's used his massive 6-foot-3, 227-pound frame. Brad Treliving Explains Auston Matthews' Injury Management And Why He's Not Concerned About The Maple Leafs Star's Health Next Season Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving met with reporters Thursday morning for his end-of-season media availability, where one of the key topics of discussion was centered on star forward Auston Matthews – and the injury that plagued the star forward all season long. "We're sort of seeing him evolve in front of our eyes. It's a big step for a young player to become a really important player, right? Like you can be a good player and have a role. He became a really important player," Treliving said. "Matthew had an injury in game six, muscled through it. That wasn't 100 percent Matthew Knies in game seven, right? Like he was muscling through it. But I thought he was really good." Knies' return to the Maple Leafs is all but certain, unless something drastic occurs over the next few weeks and into July 1. The player said it, and so did Toronto's GM. Now, it's just a matter of how much money Knies will get and how long the contract will be. "For a guy who hasn't been through that, this is his second full year. I thought he was really good. He was an impactful player," Treliving said. "Matthew's a big part of the future moving forward." Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should Penguins Offer Sheet An RFA Goalie?
The Pittsburgh Penguins employ Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic as their goalie tandem. However, the duo and Joel Blomqvist (15 games) combined to give up the third-most goals in the NHL in 2024-25. Jarry is under contract for three more seasons with a $5.375 million cap hit, while Nedeljkovic will enter the final year of his deal, valued at $2.5 million. Meanwhile, in the system, Joel Blomqvist is an RFA in 2026-27 and will make $886,667 next season. Tristan Jarry - Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images After the Finnish netminder on the depth chart is Filip Larsson ($775,000) and Russian phenom Sergei Murashov ($861,110). Murashov finished his first season in North America in the ECHL with some time in the AHL, compiling a 19-10-1 record between the two leagues. Finally, Taylor Gauthier, who had an outstanding season in the ECHL, is an RFA. Advertisement Ultimately, the Penguins' future goal is to turn Murashov into their franchise netminder. At 21, he's still not ready to compete in the NHL, unless the organization decides to throw in the towel in 2025-26 in hopes of landing Gavin McKenna. Realistically, Captain Sidney Crosby would not buy into that plan, which means Pittsburgh should consider revamping its goalie platoon for better success next season. Considering the shallow depth of available free agent goalies, some intriguing RFA names are in the pool. If the Penguins decide to move on from Jarry, whose buyout would save up to $3.6 million next year, his future is a hot-button topic amongst the fanbase; his potential buyout would free up some cap space to take a flyer on an RFA goalie. When looking at the list of RFA goalies, the Penguins would have to take a number if they wanted to offer sheet the Anaheim Ducks' young goalie Lukas Dostal. According to he's projected to get a salary increase to over $5 million. Lukas Dostal - Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Although he's young and talented, Dostal could be looking for a starting role. Despite decent numbers on a bottom team, he may not be the answer, especially if someone wants to offer him an eight-year contract. Advertisement After Dostal, there are a handful of potential candidates, like Arvid Soderblom (Chicago), Cayden Primeau (Montreal), Jakub Dobes (Montreal), and Danill Tarasov (Columbus). Still, the best option may be Joel Hofer of the St. Louis Blues. If anyone remembers, the Blues stirred the pot last summer by acquiring Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers via an offer sheet, which means someone will be out to return the favor. Furthermore, Jordan Binnington is the starter in St. Louis, carrying the team to their 2019 Stanley Cup title. He recently reestablished himself at the 4 Nations Face-off, leading Canada to the championship. So, Hofer becomes expandable with Binnington between the pipes at the right price. projects Hofer could ink a two-year extension at $2.8 million. As mentioned, if Jarry is bought out, the Penguins would save roughly $3.6 million next season, which is more than enough to get Hofer into black and gold and still have some money left over. Especially with Nedeljkovic potentially coming off the books after next season, his spot can go to Blomqvist or Larsson, who is ready to be a 20-25-game backup. Advertisement Meanwhile, at 24, the Penguins could offer him a four-year deal, giving the organization plenty of time to let Murashov mature in the ECHL and AHL without suffering any significant setbacks at the NHL level. Although some in the fanbase may think that another few seasons in the minors will "hold Murashov back," the New York Rangers did not let Igor Shesterkin see any NHL action until he was 24, and at 26, he won the Vezina Trophy. Goalies develop at a different pace. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, like Andrei Vasilevskiy, who started to play 50 games at 22, and Connor Hellebuyck, who skated over 50 games at 23. Joel Hofer - Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images At this point, the Penguins need a goalie tandem they can rely on night in and night out. Hofer debuted in 2021-22 and played two games (1-1) before playing in six (3-1-1) in 2022-23. For the past two seasons, he's played 61 games, compiling a 31-20-4 record with a 2.65 GAA, .909 SV%, and two shutouts. Advertisement Outside of his first two games, Hofer has yet to record a sub .900 SV% in any season and continues to lower his GAA from a career-high 3.22 in 2022-23. Hofer won't be the long-term solution in the net and does not need a lengthy contract offer, especially since Jarry's five-year deal hasn't aged well. But suppose the goal is to get Murashov ready to take the baton in a couple of seasons. Why not put the Blues in an uncomfortable position with an offer sheet for their number two goalie, giving him a chance to become an NHL starter on a team with a new head coach and a burning desire to return to the postseason?
IOL News
22-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
The poor will be hit hardest: Treasury slammed for increasing fuel levy in 2025 Budget 3. 0
Fuel prices have a direct impact on the cost of goods and services. South Africans might have escaped the dreaded one percent Value Added Tax hike proposed in the original Budget, but fuel taxes are now set to rise from the beginning of June. In his revised 2025 Budget proposal, announced on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the General Fuel Levy (GFL) would increase by 16 cents for petrol and 15 cents for diesel. Although the modest fuel price decrease forecast for June, due to the current price over-recovery, is likely to cancel out the petrol levy increase, the effects of the tax hike will be felt further down the line when international oil prices inevitably rise again. Following the fuel tax hike, which takes effect in June, the GFL will now total R4.01 per litre for petrol and R3.85 for diesel. The total tax on petrol, once the RAF levy and carbon taxes are factored in, will amount to R6.37 per litre. This is likely to push the tax on petrol beyond 30%, depending on June's final price calculations, which have yet to be announced. ALSO READ: How South Africa's fuel taxes affect daily life Organisations such as the Automobile Association (AA) and Road Freight Association (RFA) have slammed the decision by treasury to raise fuel taxes. 'This levy adjustment comes at a time when South Africans are already contending with high food prices, elevated interest rates, increased electricity tariffs and persistently high unemployment,' said Eleanor Mavimbela, spokesperson for the AA. 'Fuel is a critical input cost across all sectors of the economy; any increase inevitably drives up transport and operational costs, further intensifying inflation. 'Lower-income households, which spend a greater share of their income on transport, will be disproportionately affected by this rise,' Mavimbela added. Gavin Kelly, CEO of the RFA, said the fuel levy increase would be felt directly by consumers as transporters cannot absorb the increase without detrimental effects on their bottom line. This will see global supply chains re-evaluate their routes, while the consumer will ultimately pay more for goods and services. 'Treasury would rather tax citizens than cut the wasteful expenditure that has brought the country to where it is,' Kelly said. 'Government does not have money - it belongs to the taxpayers, and the time for accountability and responsibility has come.' Full transparency needed The AA added that while it recognises the need to address fiscal pressures, continuously using fuel levies to fill budget gaps is unsustainable for the country, particularly in the absence of true transparency on how these funds are allocated and used. The organisation has called for a forensic audit of revenue generated from the fuel levies, and the price-setting formulas in place for fuel, as well as an exploration of alternative funding mechanisms that reduce reliance on fuel-based taxation. IOL
Technical.ly
21-05-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Meet our new reporter: Baltimore County native brings global experience to covering Maryland's digital divide
Maria Eberhart remembers when laptops arrived in her school district. In 2014, in Baltimore County, a racially and economically diverse jurisdiction that stretches from the metro suburbs to rural areas along the state's northern border, that was not a given. Nor was the digital literacy program's success, as an outside evaluation found four years later. Come this summer, Eberhart will be exploring how tech makes its way into school systems throughout the region and state as newest reporter in Baltimore. 'I'm interested in tracking the expansion process of educational technology around Maryland and how students fall through the cracks in underserved areas,' she said. Eberhart comes to via Report for America (RFA), a philanthropic initiative that places emerging journalists in local outlets to cover communities and issues underserved by the existing media ecosystem. During their tenure, corps members dive headlong into specific topics while receiving mentorship and training through the employer and RFA, which will match local funding to support the position. (If you or your organization wants to see more Baltimore and Maryland stories of innovation, contact CEO Chris Wink to help us fully fund this role.) The University of Southern California journalism school alum joins our distributed newsroom, which has previously hosted RFA corps members in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Baltimore. She'll work closely with this writer and lead reporter Kaela Roeder as she reports on Maryland's urban-rural digital divide, as well as the related tech, innovation and workforce development topics has been covering in Baltimore for nearly 12 years. So much of our current tech discourse revolves around AI and new, world-changing tools. While these discussions have a place, it's vital to cover the communities that lack the fundamentals. Maria Eberhart The timing couldn't be more urgent. Digital equity in all its avenues — device adoption, broadband access and speeds, corporate oligopoly and government priorities among them — remains an issue in Greater Baltimore and Maryland. Its aftershocks ripple beyond schools into local economies, which suffer if their prospective workforce cannot access the resources needed to participate in them. The current federal administration's negative stance on net neutrality and the Digital Equity Act threatens to slow or even reverse progress on a situation that disproportionately hurts Maryland's rural areas and its redlined, largely Black and brown urban communities. Eberhart has worked in both local and national journalism, as well as international education. She previously interned at the Baltimore Sun, where she covered topics ranging from disability services worker training to efforts to make the local skateboarding community more equitable for LGBTQ skaters. She served as an editorial assistant for the music media juggernaut Pitchfork and an administrative coordinator for New York Public Radio's newsroom. She joins following a stint teaching English in Bogotá, Colombia. She marries this with a palpable passion for where she's from. Learn more about Eberhart's journey and reporting interests before catching her around town starting in July. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. How did you get into journalism? I started writing for my high school's student newspaper and fell in love with storytelling. I went to a big school and loved how journalism introduced me to different parts of the student body. I spent a lot of late nights laying out pages and editing articles, but after catching the reporting bug, I couldn't stop. What excites you about covering the rural-urban digital divide in Maryland? I'm excited to connect with the lawmakers and activists working to tackle this digital divide in Maryland. So much of our current tech discourse revolves around AI and new, world-changing tools. While these discussions have a place, it's vital to cover the communities that lack the fundamentals. I was a Baltimore County Public School student when the district introduced laptops into the classroom. I'm interested in tracking the expansion process of educational technology around Maryland and how students fall through the cracks in underserved areas. What questions are you hoping to answer in your work here? It's great to see reporting on emerging entrepreneurs in the Baltimore area. I'm curious to learn more about the tech industry's growth here. While it might not always make national headlines, there's a vibrant ecosystem developing. In my work, I want to explore what role tech expansion has in shaping the city's economic future and whether its prosperity will address Baltimore's systemic inequities or further entrench them. You'll be moving back to your hometown region — what did you miss the most? I've missed the music scene in Baltimore! I grew up going to concerts, and I haven't seen the same energy in other cities at shows. There are so many great established and DIY venues that support a robust arts community. I'm always bragging to my non-Baltimorean friends about the wealth of musical talent from the area. What do you like to do outside of work? I'm a big fan of film photography and love shooting portraits of my friends and family in my free time. I'm working on my darkroom skills, and I hope to learn more about printing
Boston Globe
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
In closing Radio Free Asia, Trump is doing the Chinese a favor
As a reporter who grew up in Taiwan and has freelanced for international outlets including RFA, I have seen how vital RFA is in places where authoritarian governments stifle independent journalism. Despite its funding by the US government, the agency remains editorially independent. And its list of journalism coups is substantial, including critical This beacon of uncensored information has been a thorn in the side of the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party and other repressive regimes in Asia, from Cambodia to Myanmar. Why, then, is President Donald Trump trying to shut it down? Advertisement RFA was expected to have released 'These individuals, who come from countries where they could face reprisal for their work with RFA, have made great personal sacrifices to advance US foreign policy interests overseas,' said RFA's president and CEO, Bay Fang, in a One D.C.-based RFA journalist from a Southeast Asian country who requested anonymity due to concerns about his visa status called the situation 'impossible.' He arrived in the United States last year on an H1-B visa to work for RFA and now faces unemployment and the potential loss of legal residency. Advertisement 'The U.S. used to be a safe haven for those who fight for freedom in repressive countries. But now there is no safe haven left,' he told me. Another RFA staffer in Washington told me she left Hong Kong in 2024 after the passage of Article 23, a national security law that tightened government control over foreign organizations operating in the city. 'Back then, our biggest fear was from the authorities of China and Hong Kong,' she told me. 'I didn't expect that the final blow would come from the United States.' She has hired a lawyer, but the threat of deportation looms. Reporters Without Borders warns that Trump's shutdown of RFA is a 'gigantic gift' to repressive governments. 'Closing Radio Free Asia could turn these countries into complete information black holes,' the group said in a But in China, the government and its supporters seem thrilled by that prospect. Hu Xijin, former editor in chief of China's state-owned Global Times, hailed the news of RFA's demise as ' RFA's closure is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle US-backed media organizations, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Next up could be domestic broadcasters that receive federal funds, including the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio. Last week, Trump signed an executive order Shuttering independent media and targeting journalists has long been the playbook of authoritarian regimes. Now the same strategy is surfacing in the United States, a democracy built on the principle of a free press. When public broadcasters are defunded and journalists forced out, the United States edges dangerously close to the tactics it once condemned abroad. Advertisement This column first appeared in , Globe Opinion's free weekly newsletter about local and national politics. If you'd like to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up . Alicia Chen can be reached at
