Mock Drafts Differ On Sabres Target At #9

With less than two weeks before the 2025 NHL Decentralized Draft in Los Angeles, there are differing opinions of who the Buffalo Sabres will select ninth overall if they do not trade the pick. A mock draft from the Athletic earlier this month and Mike Morreale from NHL.com projected the Sabres to select OHL defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson with their pick, but the Athletic's updated mock draft and NHL.com's Adam Kimelman have Buffalo adding a forward prospect.
Aitcheson had a breakout offensive year with the Barrie Colts, jumping from eight goals last season to 26 goals, finishing behind only 2024 first rounders Zayne Parekh and Sam Dickinson among OHL defenseman. Aitcheson led the Colts with 59 points and scored 12 points in the OHL playoffs.
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In their updated mock, the Athletic has the Sabres selecting Soo Greyhounds center Brady Martin at #9. The 6'0', 178 lb. Martin nearly tripled his point output in his second OHL season with the Greyhounds (33 goals, 39 assists), and his stock has been rising after an excellent showing for Canada at the Under-18s with 11 points in seven games.
Kimelman projects Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone to be selected by the Sabres. The 6'3', 208 lb. winger had 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 OHL games last season, and is considered the best winger in the draft class, but there has been speculation that the 18-year-old power forward could go as high as third overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, so the chances of Martone slipping to the Sabres six picks later seem unlikely.
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New York Times

21 minutes ago

• New York Times

Why do Dodgers have so many pitcher injuries? Plus today's top sports news

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Take care of your elbow today. The Dodgers, with their nearly $400 million roster, may soon need to pull a kid out of the stands, Henry Rowengartner-style, and put him on the mound. At one point this month, the defending champs had 14 pitchers on the injured list. That didn't even count Shohei Ohtani, who this week made his first mound appearance in almost two years. With Ohtani and the now-oft-injured Clayton Kershaw back in action, the Dodgers have seven starters and six relievers on the IL this weekend. Advertisement Some of this could have been expected. L.A. seemed to have gone out of its way to acquire talented arms with durability questions. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell were hurt a lot long before they donned Dodger Blue. Even Ohtani, a unique case, was coming off Tommy John surgery when the Dodgers signed him. But the quantity is jarring even in an injury-laden game. So I had to ask Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic's Dodgers reporter, what's going on. It's not like the Dodgers are the only team telling pitchers to throw hard and spin the ball, so what gives? Fabian gives us some great intel: Whew. It feels like the Dodgers are a microcosm of pitching development in general with everything dialed up to 11, doesn't it? 💬 Losing pitchers at this kind of rate isn't sustainable, but then again, the incentives are all there for the status quo. For some of these arms, it's maximizing their potential and getting them into the big leagues in the first place while understanding the hazards behind it. The team, the same thing. To Fabian's last point on incentives: L.A. is 47-30 and leading the NL West by four and a half games. 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The decision came shortly after a group of Los Angeles community leaders sent a letter to Dodgers ownership to take a public stand against the ICE raids. More on the Dodgers' pledge here. (This and all links below are free to read.) Advertisement More news: The Senegal women's national basketball team canceled a 10-day training camp in the U.S. later this month after players and staff were denied visas. More here. Jonathan Toews signed a one-year deal with his hometown Winnipeg Jets to complete his NHL comeback. The 37-year-old longtime Blackhawks captain hasn't played since April 2023. Former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in 21 years yesterday. Patrick Mooney has more on Sosa's return to Wrigleyville. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh broke Johnny Bench's record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, thanks to his sixth multi-homer game of the year yesterday. He's on a torrid offensive pace. 📺 WNBA: Mercury at Sky 1 p.m. ET on ABC The Sky are off to a dreadful 3-8 start. Last year's two promising rookies, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, have yet to take sophomore steps forward. Other than that, all is well. 📺 MCWS: Coastal Carolina vs. LSU 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series, capping what's been a real humdinger of a College World Series for both the men and women. The Athletic's weekly sports news quiz. I played the board game Wingspan for the first time this week. The first hour of learning how to play had me ready to quit, but the second hour was pretty enjoyable. It's a really cool game when it clicks, with an even cooler backstory. — Sam Settleman A helpful piece from our Collectibles desk: As the value disparity between PSA 10s and PSA 9s widens, an opportunity could be emerging in ungraded cards. 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CNN

26 minutes ago

• CNN

Sales prices for sports teams are soaring to record. Here's why, and what that means for fans

The Los Angeles Lakers may not have as many NBA titles as the Boston Celtics, but the Lakers topped their archrival with a record-setting $10 billion franchise price tag this week — just three months after the Celtics held the honor for the highest sale price for a professional sports team at $6 billion. But this record might not last very long. The NFL's New York Giants are in the process of shopping a 10% ownership stake, which could put the team's overall value above $10 billion, according to Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based sports consultant who advises NFL, NBA and MLB clubs. What's clear is that the valuations of sports teams are continuing to climb — and climb rapidly. Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at College of the Holy Cross who specializes in sports business, said in his 30 years of studying sports sales, he can't remember a team selling for less than it was purchased. For example, a 10% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks was sold in September 2024, which valued the small-market NBA team at $4 billion, a windfall from when the team was sold a decade earlier for $550 million. So even if the $10 billion record for the Lakers stands a while longer, other teams will eventually be sold at a hefty premium to their previous purchase price. The impact on fans, meanwhile, can be complicated. Fans often publicly yearn for an owner who is willing to spend what it takes to make the team competitive, yet some of the wealthiest owners have lousy records. In the end, fans are more likely to care about a team's winning percentage than its owner's net worth. Sports franchises have long been considered trophy assets, like luxury properties in short supply. 'The only thing I remember from all those economics courses is when the supply is fixed, and the demand goes up, prices go up. It's as simple as that,' said Sal Galatioto, one of the leading sports investment bankers brokering team sales. 'It is so rare you get a chance to buy control of a premier franchise.' Sports franchises have grown in value over the last decade. Cord-cutting, streaming and DVRs have made it more difficult for advertisers to reach viewers, meaning live sports programming has become more important. Major sporting events have reliably been among the most-watched events on television. 'Sports content is the lifeblood of the media industry and that drives tremendous value for these franchises,' said Lori Bistis, a deals partner and one of the leaders of accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers' sports practice. While cord-cutting has resulted in some regional sports networks falling on to financial hard times in recent years, streaming services have shown increasing interest in broadcasting games. Bistis said it only makes sense to see sports franchise values rise in tandem with that of lucrative television rights deals. 'We're not surprised to see the increase in valuation and all the data points to it continuing,' she said. Another factor: Buyers of professional sports teams know they will have access to valuable data on the demographics and spending behavior of their fans. Bistis said data can be monetized through different viewing experiences, merchandise and events. Galatioto said the increase in sports gaming since it became legal in 2018 is also driving up the interest in sports and sports programming. Deep-pocket investors have lined up to buy even minority stakes in teams and that is helping to drive up the valuations, as well. 'There's a lot of new money coming into the business,' said Galatioto. 'I can always find the high net-worth individuals willing to pay more. An individual gets ego gratification value, gets perks, they get other advantages.' A potential buyer could think, 'I'm willing to pay a premium to be an owner of my favorite team. I'm not willing to pay a premium to be an owner of a bunch of assets,' according to Galatioto. And a greater supply of potential buyers interested in minority stakes in teams can help drive up the prices being paid even more, said sports consultant Ganis. 'The universe of potential buyers of a 5% or 10% stake is much larger than the universe of potential buyers who can buy a 100% stake,' he said. Billionaire businessman Mark Walter, who is now buying a controlling stake in the Lakers with this deal, had been one of those minority owners with a significant stake in a team, Ganis noted. Walter had a nearly 27% stake, so his purchase of about a quarter of the team is all he needed to cross the 50% threshold. He didn't have to put up a full $10 billion in his bid for the Lakers — just a fraction of that amount, according to Ganis. Walter, the CEO of global investment and advisory firm Guggenheim Partners, also leads Guggenheim Baseball Management, which owns a controlling stake in the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Guggenheim Baseball Management has invested heavily in the Dodgers' success. The Dodgers, who have the highest team payroll ($338 million) in baseball, are followed by the New York Mets, at $325 million, according to salary tracker Spotrac. The Mets, who were bought by Wall Street financier Steve Cohen in 2020 and had the highest payroll in 2024, fell to the Dodgers in last year's postseason. But spending big on players, coaches and a front office doesn't necessarily lead to winning titles. Only twice in the last 15 years has the baseball team with the top payroll won the World Series: the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and the Dodgers in 2020. (Major League Baseball is the only American sports league without a salary cap.) There have been champions during that time, such as the Kansas City Royals, whose team payroll in 2015 was just a fraction of the league's top payrolls. The deep pockets of the new class of owners have less of an influence on a team's success in leagues with salary caps, such as the National Football League and National Hockey League. So while baseball fans may get frustrated when their owners are not willing to spend to improve the team's roster, having an ownership of more modest means doesn't necessarily prevent a team from coming out on top. Matheson said he's studied the relationship between winning and payroll in baseball and found that higher payrolls do help teams win, at least during the regular season, but payrolls are only responsible for predicting about 30% of a team's success. The other 70% is due to factors like good management, avoiding injuries and even luck. 'If you're a fan, you're always wanted an owner who spends more money, but just because you have got an owner who does spend more money, that doesn't mean you're winning the whole thing,' he said.

Fox News

27 minutes ago

• Fox News

Gisele Bündchen flaunts stunning post-baby body during Florida outing

Gisele Bündchen is putting her figure on display just a few months after welcoming her third child. Last weekend, Bündchen was spotted during a paddleboarding session off the coast of Surfside, Florida. The model was wearing a white one-piece bathing suit with a brown visor and large sunglasses. Bündchen had a smile on her face in some of the photos as she glided through the water. Bündchen's outing comes after she gave birth to her first child with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente in February. The duo's romance began after her divorce from NFL legend Tom Brady in 2022. Speaking with Vogue France, Bündchen admitted that her life looks a little different with a new baby. "Getting my hair and makeup done feels like I'm on vacation," she said. "With a baby, the nights are so short that I've barely brushed my hair in the last few months!" Despite the hustle and bustle, Bündchen remains optimistic. "With a baby, the nights are so short that I've barely brushed my hair in the last few months!" "Now that my little one is sleeping through the night, I'm back in control. As any new mom knows, it's incredible how much sleep – or lack of it – can change everything!" she told the outlet. Bündchen appeared on the cover of Vogue France's June/July issue – just four months after giving birth. "I feel more comfortable in my own skin. And I have a clearer understanding of my priorities. I'm grateful for where I am. I feel like I've earned it," she admitted. Bündchen told the outlet that her favorite moments are spending time with her three kids at home. She shares Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11, with Brady. "Time at home with my kids is absolutely priceless," she said. Bündchen noted that following her shoot with Vogue, she was most excited to get back home to her "bundle of joy." Valente first came into the picture as a jiu-jitsu instructor for Bündchen and her son, Benny. Having been referred to the Valente Brothers academy through a friend, the supermodel told Dust magazine in 2022, "I wanted to steer my almost teenage son in the right direction. I thought he might be interested in this." The Brazilian beauty started studying jiu-jitsu herself in December 2021. "Initially, I wasn't even considering it for myself," she said. "But when I brought [Benny] to the first class and started talking to Joaquim, I realized that it was much more than self-defense." After spending time as friends, Bündchen and Valente's relationship reportedly turned romantic in June 2023. "First, their relationship was teacher/student. Then… they became friends. And eventually, way after she was already divorced and she had no commitment to Tom Brady, something else started," a source previously told Fox News Digital of how their relationship progressed. The source added that Valente is an extremely charismatic person with "a great sense of humor" who is "very intelligent, very loving, he's just a good person," noting that "he loves kids." Brady and Bündchen announced their divorce on Oct. 28, 2022, in separate Instagram posts. "In recent days my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage," Brady wrote at the time. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve." Bündchen wrote, "The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always."