Examining the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural roster, plus why the title path for the Suns will only get tougher

Seattle
Examining the Seattle Kraken's inaugural roster, plus why the title path for the Suns will only get tougher

Enjoy the Thursday newsletter reader Shanna McCariston back for bringing you all of the sports news of the day. It’s starting to sink in that the NHL and NBA seasons are both over (so sad). However, we have the Olympics in less than 24 hours so it won’t be quiet that long.

And when we talk about the NHL just because we’re out of season, that doesn’t mean we don’t have major hockey events. Last night, the NHL Expansion Draft took place in which the Seattle Kraken stole players from teams across the league. Fun! … unless your favorite player has been removed from your favorite team.

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We’ll keep you posted on this, discuss if the suns missed their win window, and more.

Let’s begin.

📰 What You Need To Know

1. How the Seattle Kraken built its roster 🏒

What is Kraken guys ?! It’s going to be a long season of Seattle Kraken Word games so I apologize in advance. Last night, the 32nd NHL team had their draft expansion. Every other team in the league, with the exception of the Vegas Golden Knights, provided players for Seattle.

The most notable addition to the team was former All-Star, Norris Prize Winner, and Captain of the Calgary Flames, Mark Giordano. Here’s a look at some notable guys Seattle picked up along with the team they brought the player off:

Overall, Seattle has selected:

  • Fifteen strikers
  • Twelve defenders
  • Three goalkeepers

you are must select at least 14 strikers, nine defenders and three goalkeepers. For a look at that complete octopus list, look at that.

2. Did the suns miss their window of opportunity to win? 🏀

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Make the NBA finals isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and once teams have a chance to win one, it doesn’t keep coming back for a while. That was It will be the year of the Phoenix Sun and yet, even after a 2-0 lead in the final, the Milwaukee Bucks were the ones who ended up holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy.

this is that For the fourth time, a Chris Paul team lost a best-of-seven series after taking a 2-0 lead. Even when stars like CP3 played well, the suns couldn’t make it.

let’s take a look how their journey to the final went, and why this was a golden opportunity for the suns.

  • Done with that second best record in the NBA
  • Lakers star Anthony Davis was injured against the Suns in the playoffs to make their way easier
  • Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard were out when the Clippers faced Phoenix
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo has hyperextended his knee early in the finals
  • Suns go 2-0 in the series
  • Suns lost to the Bucks in six games

What a roller coaster. Things don’t always turn out that way for teams – especially in the playoffs – and next year there will be plenty of serious competitors giving the Suns a run for their money.

The Lakers do not go away and a healthier Davis and LeBron James won’t make it easier to beat them. The Clippers and the nuggets could pose a threat once they get well and the Networks still have their stars. Suns players also get more expensive as they continue to be successful, making it difficult to keep the core together.

Even when it goes like this in the NBA, the margin of error is low. Just ask the suns.

3. Nick Saban is already using new NIL laws to promote his program 🏈

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There’s a reason some coaches are great. Alabama’s Nick Sabanama is one of those trainers who is always above the other. Now that college players could make money with their name and likeness, Saban saw an opportunity to promote his program. Smart person.

In this week, Saban said quarterback Bryce Young has so far made “almost seven digits” in name, image and likeness and while the comment seems shocking – and maybe not it? — there is another layer of why he said it.

With the comment, Saban tells others that “is almost seven digits” a number that can be reached with Alabama. Also, let’s keep in mind that Young hasn’t started a game, which means the chances are only about to come.

Some are concerned about the NIL disparities between players creating a problem in the locker room. Saban had an answer to that too.

  • Saban: “All we’ve done is give our players the opportunity to work. The only thing that’s not the same.”

It will take time to start the season to really know how many players the players are bringing in, what the average top stars are and which schools are bringing in the most money, not # 1

4. It’s time for the Nationals

The MLB trading deadline is getting closer. 30th July is less than 10 days away. As we near the big day, rumors circulate and we have a lot to talk about.

The Nationals are a team to watchas it remains uncertain whether they will provide their ace Max Scherzer. The obstructive free agent would be the top starter on the market – if they have made it available to other teams.

Based on comments from Washington General Manager Mike Rizzo, it’s not clear what they’re up to.

  • Rizzo: “We have a few more games to go before we make such decisions, but I think a dual path is probably the most beneficial for us right now.”

The nats are at 45-50 starting this morning and setting off on a seven-game road trip against the Orioles and Phillies. What happens in these games, and where they end up in the table, will likely have an impact on what they do on the deadline.

📝 Odds & Ends

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📺 What to see tonight

⚾ Rangers vs. Tigers, 1:10 p.m. | DET -130 | TV: MLB.TV

⚾ Braves vs. Phillies, 7:05 pm | PHI +125 | TV: MLB.TV

⚾ Yankees vs. Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. | BOS -121 | TV: MLB.TV

🥇 The best I’ve seen on the internet

Athletes and coaches celebrate championships in many ways. Giannis Antetokounmpo decided to celebrate in a pretty unique way. The NBA Finals MVP was seen live on his Instagram and ordered 50, yes 50 chicken nuggets to celebrate Milwaukee’s victory.

The number 50 is important as it is the number of points he scored in Game 6 and it is the number of years between the championship of both Bucks. The Greek freak made sure he didn’t want 49 or 51 nuggets, he needed exactly 50.

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