In the wake of a 2024 to forget, the San Jose Sharks have found their leader of the future.
The Sharks are naming assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky their next head coach, they announced Thursday morning. Warsofsky, 36, has spent the last two seasons as an assistant to former coach David Quinn.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to be named as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks,” Warsofsky said in a team statement. “This a tremendous opportunity to continue to be part of a well-respected organization, and my family and I couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.”
Once a perennial winner, San Jose is licking its wounds after a 19-54-9 ’24 season—its worst by point percentage since going 20-55-7 in 1996.
For their struggles, the Sharks won the number one pick in the draft on June 28. They are widely expected to take highly touted Boston University center Macklin Celebrini.
Charles Barkley made a guest appearance on ESPN's NHL analyst desk during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, joining the likes of Mark Messier, P.K. Subban and Steve Levy in between the first and second periods of Monday night's game.
Levy hinted at the potential for Barkley to make the leap over to ESPN, jokingly referring to him as the "newest member of ESPN's NBA coverage" while introducing the 61-year-old.
Steve Levy wasted no time trying to convince Charles Barkley to join ESPN's NBA coverage during his guest appearance on ABC's coverage of the Stanley Cup.
"Steve Levy, Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, and the newest member of ESPN's NBA coverage?"👀pic.twitter.com/WhLPgNFReT
"Welcome Mark Messier, P.K. Subban and the newest member of ESPN's NBA coverage? Maybe?" said Levy at the start of the segment.
Rather than immediately address his job, Barkley comically changed the topic and mentioned that Messier owes him $5,000 stemming from a delay of game penalty he took during his playing days.
After discussing Barkley's hockey fandom and his relationship with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the crew circled back to the topic of Barkley's employment. The NBA Hall of Famer joked that he wished he had a job lined up and that he was back on LinkedIn.
With the NBA on TNT crew facing an uncertain future, the prospect of Barkley joining ESPN's NBA coverage isn't all too far fetched, and Levy wasted no time stirring the pot in that regard.
The Dallas Stars have been a postseason mainstay over the last six years, reaching the NHL playoffs in five of those seasons. During that span, however, they've been unsuccessful in winning the Stanley Cup, despite making an appearance in the Final in 2020.
They're hopeful of changing those fortunes this season. Currently embroiled in a Western Conference Final tilt against the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas is looking to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final and win what would be just the second title in franchise history, dating back to their time as the Minnesota North Stars.
Let's take a look back at the Stars' championship season, as well as their appearances in the Stanley Cup Final throughout history.
GAME
RESULT
Game 1
Sabres 3, Stars 2 (OT)
Game 2
Stars 4, Sabres 2
Game 3
Stars 2, Sabres 1
Game 4
Sabres 2, Stars 1
Game 5
Stars 2, Sabres 0
Game 6
Stars 2, Sabres 0 (3OT)
The lone championship in Stars history came 25 years ago during the 1998–99 season, when they defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup Final. They won the series in six games, which featured a legendary triple overtime thriller in the closeout Game 6 that saw Hall of Fame right winger Brett Hull seal the deal with the game-winning goal after nearly two full hours of game time.
It's one of the most iconic moments in franchise history. That Dallas team was loaded, with five players who would eventually reach the Hall of Fame, including Hull, Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Sergei Zubov and Guy Carbonneau.
Although they've only won one Stanley Cup, the Stars have made five total trips to the Finals. The first came back in 1981, back when the team was still playing out of Minnesota. Then the North Stars, the team was defeated by the New York Islanders in a five-game series.
They returned to the Stanley Cup Final a decade later, despite finishing fourth in their division with a 27–39–14 record. The team made a stunning postseason run before being bested in six games at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Their next trip to the Stanley Cup Final was in 1999, when they won against the Sabres. The team made another Stanley Cup Final run in 2000, but were defeated in a six-game set against the New Jersey Devils.
Dallas's last and most recent run to the championship came in 2020, when they were defeated in six games by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Much of that team, including the likes of Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen, among many others, remain on the roster in 2024, eager to finish the job they fell just short of four years ago.
The Washington Capitals are reportedly in agreement to purchase the popular NHL salary cap website, capfriendly.com, with future plans to turn the site dark.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Capitals' purchase of the website won't be finalized until July, as both sides stressed the importance of keeping it functional during the 2024 NHL draft and the onset of the league's free agency period. The NHL draft is set for June 28-29, while free agency opens on July 1.
Per the report, various teams across the league received notice that their contracted agreement with CapFriendly was due to be terminated, an indication that the site had been purchased by one of the NHL's 32 teams.
Once the purchase is made official, it's expected that Washington will bring the site offline, preventing other teams from utilizing its extensive database. Friedman reports that could happen as early as July 5.
CapFriendly was highly-regarded among NHL fans, media and even front office members. The site boasted data on player contracts including salaries, terms, cap hits and more. The site's owner, Dominik Zrim, had previously worked for two NHL front offices; the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks.
