The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally lifted their first-round curse – but the season still ends in a big disappointment and some are wondering what lies ahead now.

It turned out the chants of “We want Florida” did not age for the fans of the Original Six franchise.

Because the Leafs after winning their first playoff series this year since 2004, are going home.

The Florida Panthers, which barely squeaked into the playoffs, routed the Leafs in five games and will move on to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Carolina Hurricanes.

And it’s a major disappointment when you look at the team that’s loaded with talent from Mitch Marner to Auston Matthews.

In fact, it’s been loaded with talent since the 2016-2017 season when everyone around the league praised the Leafs and were excited about what Leafs’ future held.

However, the Leafs aren’t the new kids on the street anymore. The young stars aren’t teenagers. Matthews is 25 and Marner is 26.

This Leaf’s core only has one playoff victory in the seven years the team has been together.

It was supposed to be the turning point when the team signed star center John Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million. But instead, it’s been more of the same.

The biggest question mark is around general manager Kyle Dubas, who is completing the last year of his contract.

Will the Leafs bring him back or does he want to come back?

If he is back, will Dubas make changes?

If Dubas does return then he needs to consider firing head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was out-coached for the most part against the Panthers.

It’s not all on Keefe. He did get a solid performance out of his top players – but the depth of the team was just not good enough.

That includes defenseman Mark Giordano and center David Kampf, who both were the Leafs’ two worst players in expected goals (XGF) against the Panthers.

So Dubas or whoever is the next GM of the Leafs will need to make tough decisions going into the offseason on Keefe’s job status and changing the makeup of the roster.

But it’s also important for the Leafs not to overreact and trade a core player like Marner for draft picks without coming up with a comparable or better replacement.

The Leafs need to turn into a legit Stanley Cup contender.

Stephen A. Smith isn’t too happy with his New York Knicks right and wants them to trade Julius Randle. 

The die-hard fan of the team and sports commentator was frustrated and said on ESPN’s Get Up show that he “vomited” after last night’s game four loss.

“I’m not disgusted more with anybody than I am with Julius Randle,” Smith said.

“I’m on the verge of asking for him to be traded.”

And afterward, he went on his talk show ESPN First Take and said “I think they should trade him.”

And he added that “I’d rather have Karl-Anthony Towns than Julius Randle.”

That hypothetical wouldn’t be such a bad trade.

Towns has averaged 23 points per game in his career compared to Randle’s 18.7.

He also has been a better rebounder.

Smith, like many Knicks fans, is frustrated after going down 3-1 to the 8th-seed Miami Heat.

The Knicks were out-rebounded 44-35 – a big reason why it lost game three.

Another is the Knicks failed to make enough three-pointers, which has been a problem all series.

It’s hard to come away from that game and blame Randle, who led the Knicks with nine rebounds and eight of his 13 shots.

Trading him for the sake of getting rid of Randle just wouldn’t make sense, as he is a two-time all-star who could be a difference-maker for the Knicks.

If the Knicks do lose the series to the Heat, the team should look to build around both Jalen Brunson and Randle.

Some of the top free agent options for the Knicks in 2023 are James Harden – and yes even Kristaps Porziņģis, which the teams should consider a reunion with.

The Chicago Blackhawks have won the draft lottery and own the right to draft Connor Bedard – but the NHL has flaws in its system that rewards tanking.

On Monday night, there weren’t many surprises when deputy commissioner Bill Daly was revealing the team’s draft positions based on the lottery that was conducted.

It didn’t happen until the third pick when the Columbus Blue Jackets wound up falling down a spot to three after entering the night with the second-best odds.

And there haven’t been many surprises since the NHL implemented rule changes in 2021.

That year the team with the best odds at 16.6 percent, the Buffalo Sabres, won the first overall pick.

A year later the Montreal Canadiens won the draft lottery after having an 18.5 percent chance at winning it.

That same year, the New Jersey Devils moved up three spots to grab the number two overall pick.

But the system used to be different and exciting.

Teams outside the top 10 had a legitimate chance to jump inside the top three.

For example, the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018 jumped from the number 11 overall pick to the number two selection after a lottery was conducted.

A year before, Philadelphia Flyers landed the number two pick after entering the night in the 13th slot.

And who could forget the New York Rangers winning in 2020 after participating in the second phase of the lottery?

But those days of madness and keeping fans on edge are over.

The Blackhawks can pick the best-regarded NHL prospect since Connor McDavid was drafted in 2015 in Connor Bedard.

This isn’t to say that the team with the best odds shouldn’t have a chance at winning the draft lottery – but the worst teams often make moves that are not designed to win games.

For example, in the past year, the Blackhawks have traded stars in Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane for draft picks.

The organization also traded Kirby Dach for a first and third-round pick.

Of course, this is rebuilding a franchise and starting over.

But let’s also call it like it is – and that’s tanking for one of the best NHL draft prospects in recent history.

Philadelphia 76ers fans think they are living another nightmare in the playoffs with a new Ben Simmons.

That’s James Harden, who has had two disappointing games in a row for the team.

And largely because of that, the 76ers now find themselves down 2-1 in the series against the Boston Celtics.

Harden has only averaged 14 points in the last two games and only successfully made five field goals.

In the regular season, Harden averaged 21 points per game.

In particular, fans are letting the 33-year-old have it after he passed up a floater in the third quarter of game three.

Harden is now being compared to former 76er Ben Simmons.

One fan asked: “How tf did a top 5 scorer ever become Ben Simmons 5 days after a career game???? This will never make sense to me I’ve never seen a more inconsistent star.”

Another said: “Harden pulled a Ben Simmons LMAO.”

“I feel for Embiid. First, he dealt with Ben Simmons, and now he’s dealing with playoff Harden.”

For those who aren’t aware, Simmons was known for his nightmarish playoff games for the 76ers.

In particular, his last three playoff games with the 76ers were abysmal when the team faced off against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round.

Simmons in those games only scored five, six, and eight points respectively.

And in game 7, Simmons passed up on a dunk or a layup that could have tied the game up in the fourth quarter – which could be what fans are alluding back to.

And sometimes when things go bad for a player in the NBA, they pass up on shots that they normally wouldn’t.

Lack of confidence might be part of it for Harden right now.

But Harden will need to heat up again to avoid another disappointing second-round exit for the 76ers.

In game one against the Celtics this year, Harden scored 45 points.

Odds makers have the betting line close in a huge title fight for the bantamweight belt – but Henry Cejudo should be the clear favorite to win.

For both, many would argue that their opponent will be their toughest by far to date.

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Aljamain Sterling has probably been the best fighter in the division.

But it hasn’t come without controversy and unfortunate events when you take a look at his recent title fights.

The first one was against then-champion Petr Yan in June 2020.

While it wasn’t his fault, Sterling couldn’t continue after absorbing an illegal knee to the head, which gave him the title due to disqualification.

If there was a fifth round, that would have likely decided the bantamweight championship given how close the fight was.

But Yan did get his rematch against Sterling two years later – and that time he lost due to a controversial split decision.

Many thought that Yan won the fight including UFC President Dana White.

“I thought that the judges blew that one,” White said in a press conference after UFC 273.

His next fight was against T.J. Dillashaw. Although Sterling dominated it, Dillashaw had a dislocated shoulder.

While Sterling has two belt defenses at 135 and has been the best fighter in the division, he will have a huge test against Cejudo tonight.

Cejudo hasn’t fought in three years – but he was a dominant champion.

In fact, he was a double champion – earning both flyweight and bantamweight belts.

And his last three victories have been all by knockout, leaving the judges out of the equation.

So based on the accolades and how Cejudo has won his fights – the 36-year-old should be the clear favorite going into this one.

However, as things stand FanDuel Sportsbook is only giving Cejudo a slight edge at -116 to Sterling’s -102.

DraftKings has Sterling at +100 compared to Cejudo at -120. So it’s nearly a toss-up based on the odds.

This should be a competitive fight between a UFC legend and the best fighter in bantamweight.

A win by Sterling by unanimous decision, knockout, or submission would silence the critics.

UFC 288 will begin tonight at 10 pm EST.  The headliner between Sterling and Cejudo should begin around midnight.

Ronald Acuna Jr. appears to be fine now after suffering a scare on Monday’s game against the New York Mets.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Atlanta Braves outfielder was pegged with a fastball that came from Tylor Megill in the first inning of the second game of the doubleheader.

The 93-mile-per-hour pitch hit him in the left shoulder and he stayed down in pain for a significant amount of time and did not move his injured arm.

“At the moment I thought it was something more serious because I couldn’t move my arm,” Acuna told reporters today.

“But thankfully everything is OK.”

While it was a scare and enough to make Braves fans hold their breath, X-Rays came back negative and he is considered day-to-day with a shoulder contusion.

Additionally, the injury appears to be so minor that the Braves penciled him into the lineup for Tuesday’s opener against the Miami Marlins.

He batted leadoff.

So that’s a huge relief for the Braves, as Acuna is off to a hot start to 2023.

He is hitting 363 .450 .584 (batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage).

Also, Acuna has knocked in five home runs including a 448-foot moonshot against the Mets on Monday.

In 2018, Acuna won the NL Rookie of the Year award.

While the 25-year-old is one of the best young hitters in the game – he has had issues staying on the field.

In July 2021, Acuna suffered a torn ACL, causing him to miss the rest of that season.

While he returned the year after, the injury lingered into 2022.

He only played 119 games and posted a career-worst .351 on-base percentage in 2022.

But now Acuna appears back to his old self and perhaps has a shot at the NL MVP in 2023.

The New York Rangers season is over in disappointing fashion despite the team making big investments for a deep playoff run.

The original six franchise was eliminated in seven games by the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.

The Rangers got off to a quick start in the series by taking a 2-0 lead – but everything turned around since Devils head coach Lindy Ruff made the move to put in rookie goaltender Akira Schmid in game three.

The Devils then went on to win four of the next five games.

Schmid posted a remarkable .951 save percentage with a 1.38 goals-against average in five games.

While Schmid was impressive, the Rangers failed to adapt and outwork the Devils as a team.

That comes despite the Rangers trading multiple draft choices including a first-round pick and a second-round selection to acquire what were supposed to be two difference-making players in Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.

There are plenty of people to blame for the Rangers collapse.

The Rangers leading point-getter in 2022, Artemi Panarin, was abysmal and failed to record a goal in the series against the Devils.

Mika Zibanejad, the second-highest point-getter for the Rangers during the regular season wasn’t much better.

He had just one goal and four points in seven games.

When your best players aren’t your best players – it’s tough to win.

But when the Rangers with all the skill in the lineup are not ready to play hockey as a team in the most critical games in the season – that starts with coaching.

While they had a great game plan going into the series, they didn’t adapt.

The Rangers failed to generate enough grade-a scoring chances as the series went on.

Since game 3, the Rangers had only 36 high-danger looks compared to the Devils’ 74, according to data from Natural Stat Trick.

That’s a 2:1 ratio in favor of the Devils.

The Ranger’s starts were also abysmal, as it surrendered the first goal in the last four games in the series.

And when your team looks that bad with all the offensive firepower from Kane to Panarin, you have to look at head coach Gerard Gallant.

In addition to the tactical problems, Gallant chose to stick with giving Panarin tough minutes despite the results not being there.

So now where do the Rangers go from here?

Well, perhaps it could move on from Gallant after the early exit. Some argue he had the most talented Rangers’ roster since the Stanley Cup winner in 1994.

Some veteran coaching options that the Rangers could look at if it decides to go that route are Bruce Boudreau and Claude Julien.

But general manager Chris Drury will have a decision to make after incredibly underwhelming playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers are continuing its trend of selecting defensive players in the first round – and fans aren’t too happy with it.

On Thursday, the team chose to pick Lukas Van Ness, an edge rusher out of Iowa.

While this could turn out to be a good pick for the Packers, as many experts gave him a first-round grade, some question if this is the best direction the team should have made.

For example, the Packers after trading Aaron Rodgers will now need to develop 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love.

It’s hard to do that when your team isn’t taking priority on offensive playmakers with the top pick.

One frustrated fan tweeted at the Packers: “Is it that fkn hard to finally draft a talented WR at Rs 1??”

In particular, Packers fans wanted Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State.

Another said: “Jaxon Njigba sitting right there and they do that lol…I know Aaron Rodgers [is] glad he [is] gone.”

The frustration from fans comes as the Packers have not drafted a non-quarterback offensive player in the first round since 2011.

The last time the Packers picked a wide receiver in the first round was in 2002.

Add that to the fact that the Packers lost its top receiving target in 2022, Allen Lazard, to free agency.

Also, the Packers led the team in drops last year with 30.

So the organization has some work to do in the draft this year and improve the surroundings for Love.

But in the past, the Packers have luckily found receiving talent out of the first round in the past.

For example, it drafted Davante Adams in the second round in 2014 and Jordy Nelson in the second round in 2008.

Both turned into number reliable number-one receiving options for the Packers.

But in the second round of the 2023 draft – the Packers did add two offensive weapons for Love. That’s tight end Luke Musgrave and wide receiver Jayden Reed.

So we’ll see how it pans out but it can’t be much worse than last year’s fiasco with the dropped passes.

Many were shocked when Will Levis’ name did not come off the board in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft – but tonight could be a good opportunity for a team to land a franchise quarterback.

Thursday night, a total of four quarterbacks were taken.

Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, and Bryce Young were picked in the top four and a quarterback was not taken the rest of the night.

According to ESPN Analytics, Levis had a 92% chance of getting picked inside the top 10 – let alone the first round.

But instead, the night featured various camera shots of the Levis anxiously waiting inside the NFL Draft green room to get a phone call.

As to why Levis was not even selected in the first round is not clear.

But ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that one team thought the two games he missed in 2022 for the Kentucky Wildcats with a left toe injury was “problematic.”

And another NFL organization thinks Levis could manage through the injury but could potentially need surgery.

The other reason why Levis might have been passed up in the first round is that teams wanted to fill other needs and didn’t want to take a waiver on him.

As far as his talent goes, the book on Levis is that he has all of the tools from arm strength to athleticism to be an elite-level quarterback in the NFL.

But his issue has been consistently putting it together.

Now, that sounds similar to Hall of Famer Brett Favre and potentially future Hall of Famer Josh Allen.

Both struggled with accuracy coming out of college – only completing around 55% and 56% of their passes respectively in their final seasons.

So a team will need need to properly develop Levis and make sure his surroundings are comfortable.

As for the best fit, that could be a team that does not have a long-term option at quarterback.

This includes the Las Vegas Raiders, and perhaps the Tennessee Titans. The Lions are set to pick 34th and the Titans are scheduled to pick 41st.

But there could be a team out there that has Levis rated high that does not have a need for a quarterback this year.

For example, that didn’t stop the Green Bay Packers from taking Aaron Rodgers 24th overall in 2005 despite having Favre.

While there are so many positions for teams to worry about in football – sometimes the strategy is to pick the best player available.

And finding a franchise quarterback is a tough task, as Levis is a 23-year-old with an intriguing skillset to entice teams – especially in the second round.

Also, don’t be surprised if a team trades up to come and gets Levis.

Nate Diaz’s legal trouble may not affect his boxing fight scheduled for Jake Paul over the summer.

The mixed martial artist will move forward with his fight with Paul and a press conference is scheduled for May 9, reports the Boxing Scene.

That comes despite a video that leaked over the weekend of Diaz choking a man, who has been identified as Rodney Petersen, unconscious.

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https://twitter.com/FightHaven/status/1649767511561306112

The action has resulted in the New Orleans Police Department sending out a warrant for Diaz’s arrest for alleged second-degree battery.

However, Diaz is claiming self-defense.

“Nate’s attorney Walter Becker can confirm that Nate has received word of the arrest warrant and Becker has been in contact with court authorities in New Orleans,” Zach Rosenfield, a representative for Diaz said in a statement to TMZ Sports.

“Nate’s attorney looks forward to presenting all of the facts about this incident to the District Attorney which clearly demonstrates that a trained fighter named Rodney Petersen aggressively pursued Nate with the intention of engaging him and once doing so, Nate acted entirely in self-defense.”

As the fight will reportedly move forward, Paul has agreed to have fellow YouTuber Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, also known as KSI serve as the backup fighter.

KSI previously fought Paul’s brother Logan twice. One was scored a draw and the other gave KSI the nod with a split decision.

But Diaz didn’t take too kindly to Paul agreeing to fight KSI if it comes down to that.

“Lol why Dont u to scared p***ys just fight each other [in] august [and] I’ll fight someone who can really fight.”

Diaz, of course, is known for his UFC career and was one of the most recognizable names in the sport.

While it’s unclear if he will ever return to the Octagon, he owns a 22-13 record in the UFC.

He has fought Conor McGregor twice, where the two are 1-1 against each other.

McGregor has stated multiple times that the trilogy between him and Diaz will happen one day to settle the score.

However, Diaz is set for a payday in boxing against one of the biggest draws in the sport.

Diaz is scheduled to fight Paul on Saturday, August 5.

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas has finally pulled off a big splash to land Aaron Rodgers – but it’s unclear if he will play after this year.

While his future is uncertain that didn’t stop the organization from sending multiple assets of value to the Green Bay Packers to acquire the 39-year-old.

The Jets sent over its 13th overall selection, a second-round and six-round pick in 2023, along with a conditional second-rounder next year that can become a first if Rodgers plays in 65% of his snaps.

The Packers in return will be sending back the 15th overall pick and a fifth-round pick in 2023 to the Jets.

Despite not clearing up if he will play beyond 2023, Douglas said that he was “comfortable” with how the deal turned out.

“I don’t want to put words in Aaron’s mouth, we’re excited about this opportunity, this deal,” Douglas told the media today in a news conference.

But you can bet that will be one of the first questions Rodgers gets once he speaks to the public about the deal.

But going into his darkness retreat, he revealed on The Pat McAfee Show that he was 90% retired.

However, it appears once it was made clear that he was not wanted by the Packers, he was willing to move on and play elsewhere.

The deal took a while to put together but he’s finally a Jet ahead of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday.

Now Rodgers will look to start another chapter in his career after spending 18 seasons with the Packers and winning four MVPs.

He will join a young team that features 2022 Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner.

Rodgers will not only look to help the Jets make the playoffs for the first time since 2010 – but take the team to a Super Bowl during his next tenure.

Rodgers’s first news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Friday night was yet another of how bad visibly bad the NHL officiating has been – and players including Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl want answers.

Of course, bad calls happen – but if they do it’s up to the officials to not only be better going forward but make sure they are consistent when something similar happens to the other team.

It’s up to the NHL to make the game as fair and even as possible given every inch matters too much at this time of the year.

When officials miss as an obvious that can seriously hurt a player and a soft penalty is called instead – it becomes an issue.

In the second period, Draisaitl sat in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct after slashing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

But if you take a look at the replay above, the slash doesn’t have a lot of force on it and you have to ask yourself: Does that call really need to be made when it has little to do with the impact of the game?

Sure it’s not a smart play on Draisaitl’s part and he admitted that – but he took a shot at refs in his post-game interview.

“You don’t call a clear knee on knee right in front of you, and then you call a slashing penalty… just don’t really know what the standard is right now,”  the German native said.

What Draisaitl was referring to was the Doughty hit on Connor McDavid that made contact with his knee.

While the video is tough to see, it does in fairness to Doughty looks like he makes contact with the body first before making contact with the knee – so it’s not a malicious play.

However, the refs could have called a charge on Doughty because it looks like he makes no effort to play the puck after it left McDavid’s stick.

There was also another penalty that could have been called in the game when Phillip Danault took down McDavid with a slash that took away a potential offensive opportunity for the Oilers.

So if you’re going to call slashes one way call them the other.

The other issue was the Kings scored off the Draisaitl penalty, and it resulted in a tie game in the second period after the Oilers had a 2-1 lead.

The powerplays in the game favored the Kings 6-3.

And now the Kings have a 2-1 series lead after scoring on the powerplay in overtime.

Some other bad calls in the playoffs included New York Rangers defensemen Adam Fox getting called for roughing in game two and Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf getting called for slashing in game one.

The NHL needs to be more consistent in these playoffs going forward – because two-minute powerplays could make a huge difference.

Pete Alonso has already set one record this year – and that might only be just the first one.

The first baseman has become the first player in New York Mets history to reach 10 home runs before May after hitting one over the fence Friday night in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants

In 21 games, Alonso is slashing .293 .376 .671 (batting average, on-base, and slugging percentage) with 23 RBIs.

The Mets sit just a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the lead in the NL East.

But in addition to the hot start, Alonso may have the potential to do much more for the Mets this year – assuming he stays healthy.

Currently, Alonso holds the Mets’ all-time club record for most home runs and runs batted in (RBI) for a single season.

He hit 53 home runs in 2019, which was the most ever by a rookie in league history and knocked in 131 runs in 2022.

That’s already an impressive resume for a 28-year-old and he is well on his way to becoming the best everyday player the Mets have ever had.

But now Alonso will look to chase some league-wide records.

While they will without a doubt be tough to chase, Alonso is red-hot at the plate and it’s at least worth talking about what the records are.

For RBIs, the National League record is 191, which was set by Hack Wilson in 191. That of course, seems astronomical for Alonso, who would need more than 60 RBIs than last year’s total to tie or set the new record.

For home runs, Barry Bonds is the record leader with the 73 he smashed in 2001.

So of course, Alonso has a ways to go and we probably need to see more from him in the coming months.

But say he has around 40 home runs by the time the all-star break comes – then we might be able to start seriously talking about him chasing the National League record more.

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached a contract agreement Jalen Hurts to extend him for five years.

The deal will be worth a total of $255 million, with around $179.30 million in guarantees, reports NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

The contract makes Hurts the highest paid player in league history and it will give him no-trade protection.

The move to sign Hurts comes as the Baltimore Ravens struggle to find common ground with its star quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show that the team offered Jackson, who has requested a trade, $200 million in total guarantees.

However, it only gave Jackson $175 million in injury guarantees compared with Hurts’ $179.30 million.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1648028616582656000

But you have to wonder if Hurts’ deal helps the two sides agree to a new contract.

That said, the Eagles will now look to continue its success with Hurts under center.

Last year, the team reached the Super Bowl as Hurts finished second in the MVP voting, just behind Patrick Mahomes.

The 24-year-old threw for more than 3,700 yards with 22 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.

Also, Hurts rushed for 760 yards.

The Eagles next year will be in arguably the toughest division in all of football.

The NFC East featured three playoff teams in 2022 including the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in addition to the Eagles.

And also, you have to wonder if the Los Angeles Chargers will move to lock up its starting quarterback Justin Herbert to a long-term extension.

The New York Giants aren’t interested in giving big long-term money to Saquon Barkley and it makes sense for multiple reasons.

Since last month, the team has had a non-exclusive franchise tag placed on the former Penn State running back.

It turns out not only are the Giants interested in anything long-term anymore – but Barkley does not plan on signing it either, reports Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.

There was an effort made by the Giants but both sides were not close to coming up with a compromise.

While the Giants are comfortable with Barkley signing his $10.1 million franchise tag, he does not appear to be interested in doing so.

If that’s the case, the 26-year-old won’t be eligible to participate in the Giant’s offseason program, which begins Monday, according to Kim Jones of Newsday.

But Vacchiano said that there is “no real crisis until training camp begins and from what I hear no camp holdout is expected.”

Of course, this isn’t ideal for both sides – but you can understand why the Giants want to be cautious about giving Barkley a long-term contract.

While Barkley had his most productive season since he was drafted by the organization in 2018 with 1,312, rushing yards, he has had issues staying on the field.

From 2019 to 2021, Barkley just appeared in 28 games.

This includes a torn ACL and a sprained ankle.

Along with the injuries, running backs aren’t considered one of the most impactful positions on the football field.

Oftentimes, teams won’t use a first-round pick on a running back – but of course, Barkley was an exception at second overall in 2018.

But still, the Giants will want to come up with a deal because he’s an ideal fit in the backfield for the team in 2023.

Likewise, if Barkley is re-signed, it will be a shorter-term contract agreement – but it does not appear that it will be a one-year deal around his franchise price tag.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had about as disappointing a season as fans could have imagined – but it may all work out if they score a big piece for its future

Overall, the team finished second to dead last in the entire league with a 25-48-9 record in 2022-2023.

That led to the Blue Jackets announcing today that it has fired head coach Brad Larsen and opted not to renew the contract of goaltending coach Manny Legace.

Larsen first was hired by the Blue Jackets in July 2021 when it was rebuilding its organization – with low expectations to start.

However, that all changed when it was able to land one of the NHL’s leading scorers Johnny Gaudreau, also known as “Johnny Hockey” a year later.

While he had 74 points in 79 games, the Blue Jackets were likely hurt by the absence of another top goal scorer, Patrik Laine, who only appeared in 55 games.

But the biggest issue was the abysmal goaltending the Blue Jackets got last season, which explains the decision to part ways with Legace.

Goaltenders for the team only managed a combined .877 save percentage in 2022-2023 compared with .911 in the previous season, according to sports data company StatMuse.

That said, the miserable season could be a blessing in disguise for the Blue Jackets and its fans.

That’s because the team now has the second-best odds to land Connor Bedard, who is being touted as the best NHL prospect since Connor McDavid entered the draft in 2015 at 13.5 percent.

However, the Blue Jackets may regret winning Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which could have landed them the best odds at 18.5 percent.

However, there will be a draft lottery conducted and it’s certainly not impossible for the Blue Jackets to get a little lucky.

But keep in mind since the new rules were put in place starting in 2021, the teams with the best odds has won the lottery both times.

The NHL draft lottery will be conducted on Monday, May 8, and can be watched on ESPN.

Charles Oliveira is won’t be able to participate in his fight scheduled for next month – but the UFC should lock up their replacement.

The former UFC lightweight champion suffered an “undisclosed” minor injury, according to a report from ESPN.

While it’s unclear how serious the injury it will be enough to keep Oliveira out of at least UFC 288, which takes place on May 6.

Originally, the Brazillian mixed martial artist was slated to fight fourth-ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush.

It’s unclear if the UFC will wait until Oliveira is healthy or give Dariush another opponent for UFC 288.

While it’s a tough blow for Oliveira, who could have put himself back in line to earn another title shot after losing to Islam Makhachev by submission – the UFC should look in another direction.

And there’s one name that comes to mind – and that’s Dustin Poirier, who is the former interim lightweight champion.

Poirier, who not too long ago lost a title fight to Oliveira, is coming off a submission win off Michael Chandler in November.

Currently, the number two-ranked lightweight contender in the world does not have a fight scheduled.

But know that it would be a little short notice and difficult for Poirier to get in fight shape, with UFC 288 about three weeks away.

However, this could be a huge fight that could decide who gets the next shot at the title.

Dariush has been rising up the UFC rankings and has won eight fights in a row.

But Poirier would by far be his biggest test. Both fighters are reportedly black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Dariush in his UFC career is 22-4-1, while Poirier is 29-7 with one no-contest.

The other option could be Justin Gaethje, who is the third-ranked lightweight contender in the world.

However, he just fought a month ago – so it might not make the most sense.

But either opponent could be an exciting matchup for fans. But of course, it’s a big blow for Oliveira, who may have lost a near-term opportunity at a lightweight title shot.

UFC 288 will be headlined by Aljamain Sterling against Henry Cejudo.

But as of right now, it’s unclear what will happen with the co-main event.

The Milwaukee Bucks might have gotten great news in regards to Giannis Antetokounmpo – but the Miami Heat still possess a challenge.

Rarely does an eighth-seed in the NBA upset a one-seed in the playoffs.

In fact, the last time it happened was in 2012 when the Philadelphia 76ers took down the Chicago Bulls in six games.

And it’s only happened just a handful of times in the league’s history.

But the Heat have a chance to make things interesting now after how impressive its shooting was in game one.

In particular, it dominated from three-point land, making 60% of its attempts.

Of course, you have to figure that the Bucks will improve its lackluster 24.4% three-point shooting as the series goes on.

The team shot 36.8% behind the arc in the regular season.

Antetokounmpo appears to be healthy enough to play after being forced to leave game one after landing hard on his back.

NBA insider Shams Charania reported that there is “optimism” regarding Antetokounmpo’s game two availability.

Also, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said that Antetokounmpo’s MRI came up “clean.”

While that’s great news for the Bucks, it will be an interesting series if it can’t tighten up its perimeter defense.

And not only does Antetokounmpo not defend the perimeter, but he is battling a ligament issue in his wrist in addition to the back injury, according to Charania.

But the Heat may have to do it without Tyler Herro, who broke his hand in the second quarter of game one.

The 23-year-old, who is a career 38.3% three-point shooter, will likely be out for the remainder of the playoffs.

To have a chance at an upset, the Heat will need the three-point success from Gabriel Vincent and Kevin Love to continue.

Plus, Jimmy Butler will need to continue carrying the Heats’ offense, as he put up 35 points in game one.

Odell Beckham Jr. is now off the board but there might be two better options available.

The 30-year-old made his decision on Easter Sunday to sign with Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal worth up to $18 million.

This could be a big blow for teams that were interested in Beckham, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2014 and became the fastest receiver in NFL history to reach 3,500 yards.

In particular, he was set to meet with the New York Jets on this week but decided to sign with the Ravens instead.

But the issue with Beckham is he’s coming off major knee surgery that caused him to miss all of 2022.

Thus, there might be some better options available via trade.

One includes dealing for soon-to-be 31-year-old DeAndre Hopkins.

While he has been a 1,000-yard receiver during most of his NFL seasons, Hopkins has had trouble staying on the field in the past two years.

This is due to knee injuries and a PED suspension.

The asking price has been a second-round pick and “something else of value,” according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

But it may not be that much, as a team will likely have to restructure his big $30 million cap hit. So this could be an interesting buy-low option for a number one wide receiver.

Another option via trade is for high-upside receiver Jerry Jeudy. 

By many, Jeudy was considered the top receiver in a deep receiver draft in 2020 that featured the talents of CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson.

However, some would argue Jeudy has not lived up to his full potential with the Denver Broncos and its lackluster offense.

That said, Jeudy last year still managed to record nearly 1,000 yards in receiving – but still finds himself in the rumor mill.

While new head coach Sean Payton has revealed publicly that the Broncos aren’t interested in trading Jeudy, it could still happen and provide an acquiring team huge upside.

Bryce Young stands as the favorite to be selected first overall in the 2023 NFL draft later this month.

In recent months, there has been much debate about whether the Alabama quarterback or CJ Stroud out of Ohio State should go number one.

But now Young is a -150 to get picked first, with Stroud at a +110, according to DraftKings.

In 2022, Young tossed for more than 3,300 yards along with 32 touchdowns.

The year before he passed for more than 4,800 yards with 47 touchdowns in his Heisman-winning season.

Additionally, Young holds the Alabama record for most passing yards in a single game with 559.

Stroud in 2022, threw for more than 3,600 yards, and 41 touchdown passes, which was second-most in the NCAA.

But Stroud really made an impression in the Peach Bowl where he threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns.

While the Carolina Panthers appear to be leaning toward taking Young, according to reports – it may not be an easy call.

The Panthers have invested a ton of assets into quarterbacks in recent years.

This includes trading a second, a fourth, and six-round draft picks for Sam Darnold, as well as dealing a fifth for Baker Mayfield.

None of those players are on the roster anymore.

But none is bigger than this latest experiment.

The Panthers most recently traded two first-round picks (2023,2024), and second-round selections in 2023 and 2025 along with its top wide receiver DJ Moore in a deal to acquire the rights to select either Stroud or Young. 

So either way, the Panthers better get it right this time.

Or it better hope that either option is a player it can’t miss with.