Arturs Silovs' AHL MVP play makes him a Canucks trade chip
And with Kevin Lankinen already under contract, re-upping with Demko would set in stone the Canucks' plan in net for the foreseeable future, even if there are lingering doubts about Demko's long-term health. The Canucks' No. 1 goalie has dealt with substantial injuries in each of the past three seasons and was indeed limited to just 23 games this past campaign.
If Demko extends, that's surely writing on the wall for Arturs Silovs, even if the jovial Latvian is coming off yet another spring where he's been a big part of the story.
In the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, he was thrust into the spotlight after Demko damaged the popliteus muscle in his left knee in the first game versus Nashville, and then Casey DeSmith was hurt two games later. Silovs became something of a cult figure, helping his team push the Edmonton Oilers to the seventh game of the second round.
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Edmonton Journal
36 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
McDavid's real value is $50 million year, NHL insider speculates
This in from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, his speculation that in a much freer market situation the Edmonton Oilers would be happy to pay Connor McDavid $50 million per year. Article content Talking about the overall trend in player negotiations this off-season, Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast: 'I think a lot of players expect that the two highest salaries after this wave of signings are going to be McDavid and (the Wild's Kirill) Kaprizov. And look, I don't think anyone's going to have issue. If the Oilers could pay McDavid $50 million, he would deserve $50 million.' Article content Article content Friedman continued: 'And Kaprizov is a great player in a great spot to hit it big. So once those players sign, I think you'll see some of those other potential top UFAs next year say, okay, now the top, top, top of the market has been set. It's easier for me to find the sweet spot or the comfortable place with the team to go after those two guys are done.' Article content Article content 1. I've often wondered what McDavid might be paid if there were no salary cap and he was an unrestricted free agent. The most he can get in a salary capped NHL is 20 per cent of Edmonton's salary cap allotment, which would mean $19.1 million on a new deal. Article content Of course, McDavid is worth that much and far more. Article content But of course, if McDavid signed for as much as $19.1 million per year under the current salary cap system it would mean less cap space to sign other top players and less chance of winning a Stanley Cup. Article content Article content The cap system presents a brutal conundrum to the very top players in this manner. Article content 2. But back to Friedman's speculation. I wondered about a way to test his idea, and came up with this quick back-of-the envelope survey, to look at what the three other top players in the top North American leagues in basketball, football and baseball made in 2025, then compare that to the revenue brought in by their team. Article content When we do that we see that of all these great players McDavid — due to the hard cap model of the NHL's collective agreement — earned by far the least percentage of his team's 2024 revenues. He made $12.5 million, which is 3.2 per cent of Edmonton's $388 million estimated revenue in 2023-24, as reported by Forbes magazine (the source of all the dollar figures here). Article content But what if McDavid took home the same percentage as Dallas Cowboy star Dak Prescott, the highest paid pro football player in America? Prescott makes $127 million, which is 10.6 per cent of the $1.2 billion in revenues made by the Cowboys.
The Province
6 hours ago
- The Province
Canada's Victoria Mboko stuns No. 1 seed Coco Gauff to reach NBO quarterfinals
Published Aug 02, 2025 • Last updated 22 hours ago • 3 minute read Victoria Mboko of Canada celebrates her win over Marie Bouzkova of Czechia during third round tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Thursday, July 31, 2025. Photo by Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press MONTREAL — Victoria Mboko's stellar run at the National Bank Open hit a new level Saturday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Canadian rolled to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 1 seed Coco Gauff of the United States, winning the women's singles match in just 62 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 tournament. Mboko, a rising star who has climbed from a No. 333 ranking to 85th in the world this year, saved all four breakpoints against the world No. 2 Gauff, who committed 22 unforced errors in the fourth-round match at IGA Stadium. The 18-year-old from Toronto, who entered the tournament as a wild card, is the last Canadian standing in the singles draw, both in Montreal and at the 96-man Masters 1000 event in Toronto. Mboko became the second youngest Canadian to reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 1990, behind only Bianca Andreescu. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She's also only the second teenager — and first Canadian — to defeat Gauff, as well as the first player this season to not drop a single game on serve against the star American. After major support for Eugenie Bouchard early in the tournament, the buzz in Montreal shifted around Mboko as the teenage sensation took centre court — and she delivered before a sellout crowd. 'Your support was incredible,' Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of 'Ole, Ole, Ole!' chants echoed around the venue. 'I'm really happy to win today.' Mboko looked ready to meet the moment early, flashing the powerful groundstrokes and blistering serve that have made a mark on the pro tour this season. Gauff, meanwhile, made unforced error after unforced error, firing some shots long and many more into the net during a swift, 25-minute first set. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 21-year-old double-faulted on the third point of the match, leading to an early break for the Canadian, who rattled off seven straight points into the next game. Mboko broke again in the fifth and seventh games while holding serve. In the seventh game, Gauff doubled-faulted and sent two shots into the net in succession to lose the set. Gauff found a rhythm early in the second set and earned three breakpoint chances with the match tied 3-3, but committed an error each time as Mboko hung on to win the game. With Mboko leading 5-4, Gauff doubled-faulted twice to set up two match points for the Canadian. Gauff, this year's French Open champion, scraped by with three-set wins in Rounds 2 and 3. She struggled with her serve, striking a whopping 37 double faults in the two matches combined — adding six more on Saturday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mboko and Gauff met once before in May, when the Canadian won the first set but dropped the next two on clay at the Italian Open. Mboko will play the winner of Saturday's late match between Zhu Lin of China and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Playing in only her seventh WTA main draw, she advanced to the quarterfinals of a 1000-level tournament for the first time, knocking off higher-ranked opponents at each step. Mboko opened with a win over 79th-ranked Kimberly Birrell, then upset 23rd seed and former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin before snapping Marie Bouzkova's seven-match winning streak with a relentless comeback and taking down Gauff, dropping one set the whole way. It's the latest chapter in a breakthrough season for Mboko, who also played in her first two Grand Slam main draws, reaching the French Open third round and Wimbledon second round. Her impressive record in all competitions this season improved to 50-9, including 24-8 against players ranked above her. Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine reacts during her game against McCartney Kessler of the United States during round of 16 tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Photo by Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press In Saturday's day session, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan advanced to the quarterfinals. Kostyuk, the 24th seed, recovered from a first-set loss to defeat McCartney Kessler of the United States 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth round. The ninth-seeded Rybakina also rallied for a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, who defended three match points before losing. Kostyuk and Rybakina will play each other in the next round. News Tennis News Columnists News
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
SIMMONS SAYS: If the Blue Jays can play .500 the rest of the way, they should reach playoffs
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One reason for optimism: Max Domi had 19 primary assists while not playing much power-play time or not playing much on the first two Toronto lines … A weird stat: The Leafs were 26-1 last season in games in which Morgan Rielly had an assist … They were 21-2-1 in games William Nylander had two points … This is why Hockey Canada decided on just three goaltenders — the same three from the 4 Nations team — for its summer Olympic team gathering. General manager Doug Armstrong and staff looked at Washington's Logan Thompson, Edmonton's Stuart Skinner, Los Angeles' Darcy Kuemper and Mackenzie Blackwood of Colorado and considered them quite similar to their three named goaltenders. My understanding of this: Jordan Binnington is a sure thing for the Olympic team and, after that, two of Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault and the other four being looked at while being selected for the team in Milan … Montembeault is French Canadian, which helps his chances of being the third goalie … With rosters enlarged for the Olympics to 25 players, expect the 4 Nations forwards and defence to be much the same on the Olympic team, with the likely additions of Tom Wilson, Nick Suzuki and maybe Mark Scheifele up front and Evan Bouchard on defence. Still in tough to be named: Zach Hyman. A nice invite but with no chance of making it: Maple Leafs forward John Tavares. You can't pick Tavares over Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Suzuki, Scheifele or Rob Thomas. He's not physical enough to play the wing or quick enough to be an effective forechecker. Article content Article content SCENE AND HEARD Article content Elaine Tanner, once known as Mighty Mouse as Canada's greatest swimmer, predicted to me the other day that Summer McIntosh will soon be 'Canada's all-time greatest athlete ever.' So who wins Canada's athlete of the year this year? The MVP and NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or McIntosh, the multi gold-medal winning, record-breaking swimmer. A strong case could be made for both legends, and it's only August … SGA will be honoured in Hamilton on Thursday and presented with the first key to the city in 27 years … The NFL does Hall of Fame much better than Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL. They do their inductions in the off-season, with no regular-season games playing opposite. Baseball and hockey have their induction ceremonies opposite league games being played. It means if you're a fan, you can't watch the Hall speeches and inductions and your favourite team play because it's happening at the same time. 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Article content Article content AND ANOTHER THING Article content Terry Greer is the best Argonauts receiver I've ever seen. Mookie Mitchell and Darrell K. Smith not far behind him. Current Argo Damonte Coxie is among the best the team has ever had. And in less than half a season, with below-average quarterbacking, Coxie has 10 catches of more than 30 yards this season. Last season, no one in the CFL had more than that for an entire season … Former Argo Makai Polk, a key Grey Cup contributor last year as a rookie, was an early cut of the Atlanta Falcons. It's never good when you get let go before pre-season games begin. Might be good for the Argos if they can get him back … Yeah, it was eight years ago that John McEnroe predicted big things for the teenager, Denis Shapovalov. It's never quite happened the way McEnroe figured. Shapovalov is 26 years old now and just another guy on the men's tennis tour. He lost in his first match at the National Bank Open, as did fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who also looks like he should be significantly better than his results … How much does NHL regular-season scoring matter? In their back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons, the Florida Panthers finished 13th and 11th in goal-scoring … Rafael Nadal won 63 tournaments in his career and lost only 51 matches in his entire career. The retiring Genie Bouchard's reaction to that nearly impossible statistic: 'This makes me want to throw up.' … With Aaron Judge out for some time and the rest of his season in question, does that put Cal Raleigh in the MVP chase, or is it simply Judge and nobody else in the American League race? … This is how bad a season Mookie Betts is having with the Dodgers: He ranks 63rd in the National League in batting, 55th in home runs, 47th in RBIs, 72nd in OPS, 63rd in on-base percentage … I don't suspect Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini have much chance of playing for Team Canada in Italy in February, but I do like the idea that both young stars have been included on the summer camp invite list. 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