Pro Sports News

McLaughlin tops early running as rain again delays Indy 500 practice - RACER

Google Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 14:21

McLaughlin tops early running as rain again delays Indy 500 practice RACERView Full Coverage on Google News

Categories: Pro Sports News, World Sports News

UFC roundup: Cormier takes shot at Buckley after ‘worst call-out in history’

SportsNets - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 14:16

“Leave the mothers out of this, all right? It’s unnecessary.” – Ron Burgundy

Joaquin Buckley and Daniel Cormier have exchanged heated words online in the days following Buckley’s co-main event victory in front of his hometown fans in St. Louis at the most recent UFC Fight Night event.

The welterweight extended his winning streak to four with an impressive unanimous decision win over the touted, albeit unranked, Nursulton Ruziboev. However, an untimely and unsuccessful call-out of Conor McGregor during his post-fight interview was not well received by most fight fans and pundits.

Cormier, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, who was on the broadcast team for the event and who interviewed Buckley following his win, were a handful of fighters-turned-commentators who were vocal about not liking Buckley’s attempt at a spotlight grab. Buckley accused them of “trying to twist up my words” in a post Wednesday morning and Cormier was having none of it.

The former two-weight champion, from the top rope, did not hold back when replying to Buckley’s post that referenced the “mommas” of Cormier, Bisping and Sonnen.

“Shut up, (expletive)! Maybe listen. You had a dumb-ass call-out. You’re getting talked about by three of the biggest voices in the game. Maybe listen. It was the worst call-out in history. Don’t let winning at few fights at 170lbs get you too excited bruh. Don’t mention Audrey!”

“Dorothy Mantooth is a Saint!”

In a vacuum, could Buckley vs. McGregor theoretically be a fun matchup at 170 pounds? Stylistically, sure, but neither fighter has a heated history with the other, Buckley has nowhere near the star power as the Irish superstar, and McGregor has an upcoming bout with Michael Chandler at UFC 303 for which he’s preparing.

Dana White immediately threw cold water on the idea by simply saying, “No,” when asked if the UFC would entertain a McGregor vs. Buckley matchup.

Buckley should be calling out the Michael “Venom” Pages, Ian Machado Garrys, Sean Bradys and Gilbert Burnses of the world instead. And, in fairness to Buckley, after acknowledging that he’s unlikely to ever land that blockbuster McGregor matchup, he said he thinks a scrap with one-time title challenger Gilbert Burns would be “a beautiful fight.”

That one makes much more sense with Buckley sitting at No. 11 in the rankings and Burns at No. 6 and coming off a loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299 in February.

CHANGES TO FIGHT NIGHT: BARBOZA VS. MURPHY

A 205-pound matchup scheduled for Saturday’s preliminary card at the UFC Apex has undergone a facelift.

Rodolfo Bellato was removed from his matchup with Oumar Sy due to injury. It was briefly thought that Antonio Trocoli would be the replacement, although the organization announced Road To UFC veteran Tuco Tokkos would instead step in to face Sy. Tokkos is 10-3 as a pro and went 3-0 in 2023; Sy is 9-0 and also making his UFC debut.

UFC Fight Night

Watch UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy on SN360 and Sportsnet+, with coverage beginning at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Saturday.

UFC Fight Night on Sportsnet

RDA DONE WITH CUTTING DOWN TO LIGHTWEIGHT

Rafael dos Anjos appears done with the division he once ruled. The former lightweight champion is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot, the No. 5-ranked contender at 155 pounds, in March and dos Anjos isn’t keen on sticking around in the weight class despite still being ranked at No. 14.

The respected 39-year-old Brazilian asked to be removed from the rankings late Tuesday, explaining he walks around in the 195-pound range and thinks there’s lots of fights that make sense to him at 170 pounds.

The UFC’s all-time leader for most total fight time (8:41:49) has been jumping between 155 and 170 pounds since 2020 but has lost three of his past four outings, two of which were against top-10 lightweights.

Dos Anjos won the UFC lightweight title and defended it once in 2015. After losing his belt and then his next fight, he moved up to welterweight, where he competed exclusively from 2017 to 2020, fighting top competition Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards before they became champions and RDA also picked up a win over former champion Robbie Lawler in the weight class.

UFC 302 LINEUP FINALIZED PLUS OTHER UPCOMING BOUTS

The UFC has finalized the bout order for UFC 302 after recently announcing a fan-friendly middleweight matchup has been added to the main card for the upcoming June 1 event in New Jersey.

Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk will precede the co-main event between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa in the middle of the pay-per-view portion of the card. Holland is coming off back-to-back decision losses to 170-pound standout Michael Page and Jack Della Maddalena, and has not competed at 185 pounds since 2021. Oleksiejczuk is 3-2 over his past five fights but has lost two of three and is looking to bounce back from a 61-second submission loss to Michel Pereira at UFC 299 two months ago, the same card on which Holland lost to Page.

Here is the official UFC 302 bout order, less than three weeks out from the event.

MAIN CARD
— Islam Makhache vs. Dustin Poirier (five rounds for LW title)
— Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa (five rounds non-title)
— Kevin Holland vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
— Jailton Almeida vs. Alexander Romanov
— Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

PRELIMINARY CARD
— César Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
— Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
— Philip Rowe vs. Jake Matthew
— Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
— Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
— Ailín Pérez vs. Joselyne Edwards
— Nyamjargal Tumendemberel vs. André Lima

MMA reporter Marcel Dorff had a few updates this week, including that Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira will headline a June 15 Fight Night card in Las Vegas in a five-round flyweight scrap. Perez was initially scheduled to fight Tagir Ulanbekov at the June 15 event before stepping in and defeating top-10-ranked Matheus Nicolau on short notice in April. Taira was expected to meet Joshua Van at the June event, but the UFC shuffled the matchups and with Perez fresh off a highlight knockout win, his matchup with the 15-0 Taira is a compelling main event for a UFC Apex card. Ulanbekov and Van will instead compete against one another in a 125-pound matchup expected to be featured on the main card.

Middleweights Cody Brundage and Abdul Razak Alhassan are expected to meet at the July 13 card in Denver, per Dorff, and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Melquizael Costa will happen June 15; both fighters are coming off losses to Steve Garcia.

Strawweight star Molly McCann will face Bruna Brasil at UFC 304 in front of the England crowd July 27, as first reported by Brazilian outlet Ag Fight, while Shauna Bannon and Ravena Oliveira are expected to meet on the prelims in Manchester in another 115-pound showdown, according to Dorff.

MMA Melotto out of Brazil is reporting a bout between top strawweights Virna Jandiroba and Amanda Lemos is expected to go down July 20; Miranda Maverick and Tracy Cortez will also fight that day at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with Maverick herself confirming her matchup.

Chris Presnell of MMA Ecosystem reported middleweights Park Jun Yong and Brad Tavares will also meet on the July 20 card, according to First Round management, plus the “Korean Super Boy” Doo Ho Choi will return against Bill Algeo July 20, per Nolan King of MMAJunkie. Choi has fought only once since 2019 and has not won a fight in the UFC since 2016.

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Rutschman’s heroics leave Blue Jays one escape short in gut-punch loss to Orioles

SportsNets - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 14:06

BALTIMORE — There were only so many escapes for the Toronto Blue Jays in the late innings Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards. After Yimi Garcia got out of an inherited seventh-inning jam on his own, then teamed with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Tim Mayza to snuff out another rally in the eighth, Jordan Romano surrendered a walk-off two-run homer to Adley Rutschman in a gut-punch 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

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A weird-hop single up the middle by Jordan Westburg, who led off the first inning with a homer, opened the fateful frame before Rutschman caught just enough of a 94.7 m.p.h. fastball to clear the top of the right-field wall.

An umpire review checked for fan interference. There wasn’t any. Big dub for the hosts, tough L for the still-trying-to-get-rolling Blue Jays.

“It’s tough to really win two against a team when you don’t score a bunch,” said manager John Schneider. “But a lot of good signs between our pitching, our defence and the way we drove a really good pitcher out (Kyle Bradish) after four innings. Had the bases loaded there (in the fifth) with (Davis) Schneider, couldn’t add on, just certain things like that we want to capitalize on. But came in here and I thought we played really, really well against a good team, and at times outplayed them.”

For a while, the Blue Jays indeed looked set for a steely series sweep, having arrived in Baltimore miserably sick, both from dropping two of three in the previous series against the Minnesota Twins and from a viral illness that’s been tearing through the clubhouse for about a month. On Monday, they pulled out a 3-2 win against the Orioles despite having only nine position players healthy enough to play and Jose Berrios uncertain to start until his fever broke in the morning.

Tuesday’s rainout offered some time to recuperate, and they headed into the finale with Yusei Kikuchi starting and Chris Bassitt pushed back to Friday’s series opener versus the Tampa Bay Rays, with George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier well enough to start, and with Justin Turner jumping in for Daniel Vogelbach midway through.

Springer, who described his past few days getting over illness as “pretty brutal,” doubled ahead of a Guerrero infield single in the third. Bo Bichette, who had two hits and a walk while reaching for the eighth time in nine games, brought both home with a double that erased an early 1-0 deficit and seemed set to propel the Blue Jays to victory.

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“I’m getting my swing off,” Bichette said of his recent surge. “But I’ve dug myself a pretty big hole, so I’ve got a long way to go.”

Kikuchi, meanwhile, pitched out of jams in the second and fourth innings to keep the score 2-1, but combined with nine strikeouts, he made it through only 4.1 strong innings.

“I knew it was a tight ballgame so I didn’t really think about my pitch count and just gave my all so that I could put up zeroes,” Kikuchi said of handling his two trouble spots, through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “That’s what led to the pitch count going up, but I’m fine with it.”

Still, the Blue Jays were efficiently building a bridge to leverage until the seventh, when a James McCann bloop to right off the glove of an outstretched Guerrero and double into the gap by Austin Hays off Genesis Cabrera put men on second and third with none out.

In came Garcia to tear through the top of the Orioles lineup, striking out Westburg and after an intentional walk to Rutchsman, popping up Ryan Mountcastle for the second out and then getting Gunnar Henderson on a grounder to first.

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An inning later, Garcia ended up in another jam when Anthony Santander started the inning with a fluke cue shot double against the shift and was sacrificed to third. McCann then dropped a two-out safety squeeze that was fielded by Guerrero, who relayed home to Danny Jansen for an out that stood after replay.

Mayza then struck out pinch hitter Ramon Urias to end the threat and protect a 2-1 lead.

Then came the ninth when Romano, who threw two clean innings Monday, watched Westburg’s grounder up the middle kick left on Isiah Kiner-Falefa for a single before Rutschman hit his ninth homer of the season.

“He’s going to win an MVP,” said John Schneider. “He’s organizational changing for them, obviously. He commands the zone. He can do damage. Good at-bat by him.”

Both teams had their chances for more runs – the Blue Jays went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, the Orioles 0-for-10 – but scoring remains a primary issue for the former, as opposed to the latter.

A major reason why they’re 19-23 is that their 152 runs rank 29th in the majors, better only than the Chicago White Sox. At the same time, the Blue Jays are now 3-3 against the Phillies, Twins and Orioles since a team meeting that followed an 11th loss in 15 outings last week in Philadelphia as they seek to turn a corner.

Guerrero and Bichette have helped drive the offence over the past week, which may be the most encouraging sign for an offence, a team still trying to find its way.

“We played with a little bit more life, not just this series, but back home against Minnesota, too,” said Bichette. “Just a little bit more energy, no matter what the score was, point in the game, which obviously is very important to compete until the end. So just continue to do that.”

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Getting Springer, Turner and Kiermaier back up to speed should help lengthen the lineup, too, even if they weren’t 100 per cent yet on Wednesday. But the season doesn’t stop, the Blue Jays are still spinning their wheels and the time to leave the cap-tipping for others is nigh.

“You just basically try to stiff-arm it,” Springer said of playing through illness. “No one is going to feel sorry for you so just go play. The only one that knows how you feel is you and the guys in the locker room. You just have to say screw it for three hours or however long the game lasts and give 100 per cent of whatever it is that you’ve got that day.”

It looked like that would be enough on a weird weather day in Baltimore, until the Blue Jays ran into the one jam they couldn’t escape.

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Listen: IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad v Gujarat Titans

BBC Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 13:03

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary as Sunrisers Hyderabad face Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

Categories: Pro Sports News, World Sports News

Messi will not travel for Inter Miami game at Orlando City - The New York Times

Google Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:38

Messi will not travel for Inter Miami game at Orlando City The New York Times
Orlando City and Inter Miami play to scoreless draw, Messi misses game WESH 2 Orlando
Will Messi play in Inter Miami's game vs. DC United on Saturday? USA TODAY
Orlando vs Inter Miami Highlights, MLS: Orlando holds Inter Miami to a goalless draw without injured Messi Sportstar
Messi absent in Orlando City's scoreless draw with Inter Miami FOX 35 Orlando

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Premier League clubs to vote on scrapping VAR

BBC Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:05

Premier League clubs will vote on whether to scrap video assistant referees (VAR) from next season at their annual general meeting next month.

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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips bullish on league even with futures of Florida State, Clemson up in air - CBS Sports

Google Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 12:04

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The rage of Ange Postecoglou - what was he actually angry about and how have Spurs reacted? - The New York Times

Google Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 11:31

The rage of Ange Postecoglou - what was he actually angry about and how have Spurs reacted? The New York Times
Guglielmo Vicario makes Tottenham feelings clear with five-word message after Man City defeat Football.London
Aston Villa qualify for Champions League: Unai Emery leads side into competition for first time since 1983 Sky Sports
ATHLETIC: Postecoglou's anger stemmed from Spurs staff attitude towards title race Cartilage Free Captain
Ange Postecoglou warns of 'fragile' foundations at Tottenham after revealing 48 hours CBS Sports

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I was overwhelmed by online racist abuse - Hewitt

BBC Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 11:00

Dragons wing Ashton Hewitt aims to encourage more rugby players to open up over mental health issues.

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Smoked mackerel specials and spicy tacos at Brighton

BBC Sports - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 10:21

'Gameday Gourmet' Daniyal Khan heads to the seaside to check out the best bites in Brighton - and puts the matchday meals to the test with Seagulls fans at the Amex.

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Can one of Canada’s tour players finally break through at PGA Championship?

SportsNets - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 10:16

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Golf is very much an individual game, but with the 2024 PGA Tour season chugging along, the Canadian contingent — as a whole — continues to improve.

The obvious next step, with two Canadian winners on the PGA Tour already in 2024, remains securing better results at majors.

“It’s just neat that there is six of us in the top 100 in the world and playing these big tournaments,” Mackenzie Hughes told Sportsnet at the PGA Championship in Louisville, KY. “To do these things together, to watch all these guys have success and be part of that is really cool.

“We feel a lot of support from back home, too.”

The Hamilton, Ont.-born Hughes is one of six Canadians teeing it up this week at Valhalla Golf Club for the second major of the season. That number ties the record for the most Canadians at the PGA Championship in the event’s history.

Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, Adam Svensson, Adam Hadwin, and Corey Conners make up the six pack.

Pendrith, from Richmond Hill Ont., comes into the week with all the momentum, having won his first PGA Tour event two weeks ago and backing that up with a top-10 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship last week — a Signature Event on the PGA Tour, which means a limited field with increased purses and FedExCup points. Hughes finished T6 there. Conners, meanwhile, was in the final group on Saturday at last year’s PGA Championship before dropping to T12, but he’s finished in the top 15 in each of his last three PGA Tour starts.

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Conners, Hadwin, and Pendrith are now separated by just five places in the Official World Golf Ranking (Nos. 49, 51, and 54, respectively) as they battle for a spot on both the Olympic and Presidents Cup teams. A big week at a big event like the PGA Championship will do wonders for their standing.

The PGA Championship is followed in two weeks by the RBC Canadian Open, where Abbotsford, B.C.-raised Taylor defends, and then in another two weeks is the U.S. Open — making this a busy summertime stretch.

“I’m mindful for the golf ahead,” Conners, from Listowel, Ont., told Sportsnet. “Each week is a big week and we’re trying to do our best and prepare the best as possible but trying to be mindful of what’s ahead. Busy schedule but nothing I’m not used to.”

While the good results are stacking up for the Canadians so far in 2024 if there’s been one knock on this crew its their record in major championships.

Hughes and Hadwin have just one major top-10 finish, Conners has three (all at the Masters), while Pendrith, Taylor, and Svensson, a native of Surrey, B.C., have none.

Taylor, who missed the cut at the Masters, said he tried to take what he could from Augusta National and hopefully apply what he learned for this week — and more majors moving forward.

“Sometimes at (majors) you’re trying to do a little more than what you typically do. That could be anything from preparation to feeling like you need to emphasize a certain part of your game to be better,” Taylor told Sportsnet. “I probably forced things a little bit in the past.”

Hughes, too, said when he first started playing majors he tried to make them out different because he felt they were a “different entity.” Now that he’s been on Tour for more than a half-decade, he’s found a good recipe.

“We prepare to play hard courses on the PGA Tour pretty much every week,” Hughes said.

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Valhalla is certainly going to play as a hard course this week, with length added from 2014 and five new tee boxes. The rough is long and thick, and rain through the week will make it feel even longer.

“Driving it in play in general, but in the fairways (will be key). It’s a long track but I like it. It’s set up pretty fair. There’s no doubt that if you have length it’s going to be an advantage,” Taylor said. “But the greens are pretty receptive so even if I have two or three clubs more than some of the guys, I’ll have some opportunities there.”

“Driving is definitely going to be most important,” said Conners. “Hit a lot of fairways means you’ll be able to attack the hole locations.”

The Canadians have kept their usual practice routines going — a nine-hole game on Tuesday between Hadwin, Taylor, Conners, and Pendrith, with Hughes walking and chipping and putting alongside — with Taylor and Hadwin (also from Abbotsford) hoping for a Vancouver Canucks victory that didn’t end up happening. Taylor hasn’t been able to watch his beloved team because, he admits with the laugh, the games just start too late (two kids under five will do that).

Conners and Pendrith played together again on Wednesday on the front nine while Taylor and Hughes returned to the back nine again. This group — all winners now on the PGA Tour — doesn’t appear to be dropping from the upper tier of golf any time soon.

But at another major championship, they all know it’s time to test their mettle again against the very best in the world.

“I feel like, over time, I’ve proven not just to myself that my game is good enough to be up there if the stars align, and I have a chance to win coming down the last nine, then that’s great,” Taylor said. “But obviously good enough to compete and that’s the main focus I’m coming into this week about.”

CANADIAN TEE TIMES/GROUPS FOR FIRST AND SECOND ROUND –

(All times ET)

7:48 a.m. / 1:13 p.m. – Adam Svensson (with Zac Oakley and Ryo Hisatsune)

7:59 a.m. / 1:24 p.m. – Adam Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith (with Martin Kaymer)

8:21 a.m. / 1:46 p.m. – Corey Conners (with Adam Schenk and Nick Dunlap)

9:10 a.m.* / 2:35 p.m. – Nick Taylor (with Sepp Straka and Takumi Kanaya)

1:57 p.m.* / 8:32 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes (with Luke List and Austin Eckroat)

*Starting on No. 10

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NBA draft combine: Baylor Scheierman, Jamal Shead impress in scrimmage - USA TODAY

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Canadiens goaltender Carey Price to receive honorary doctorate from UNBC

SportsNets - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 09:56

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Northern British Columbia on May 31 at the school’s convocation ceremony.

The university highlighted Price’s NHL achievements, inspiration of Indigenous youth and philanthropy in Northern B.C. and Canada in its announcement Wednesday.

Price, who grew up in Anahim Lake, B.C., backstopped Canada to Olympic gold in 2014 and led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup final in 2021.

In 2015, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP and the Northern Star Award as Canada’s top athlete.

The 36-year-old is under contract with the Canadiens through the 2025-26 season, but hasn’t played an NHL game since April 29, 2022, due to a debilitating knee injury.

Before the NHL, Price led an under-18 triple-A team from Williams Lake, B.C., to the 2002-03 provincial championship.

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NHL coaching roundup: Jets expand search, Berube to Maple Leafs?

SportsNets - Wed, 05/15/2024 - 09:45

While eight teams continue to battle for the Stanley Cup, six other squads are trying to finalize their head-coaching roles for next season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discussed the coaching searches on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast.

Winnipeg Jets

Although assistant coach Scott Arniel was pegged as a top candidate quickly after Rick Bowness retired, several other names are now being mentioned as possibilities.

Friedman said former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube has done a Zoom interview with Winnipeg, and ex-Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason also is believed to have interviewed.

Friedman also pointed out that AHL Hershey coach Todd Nelson has ties to Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff from their days with AHL Chicago, and could be a contender.

“Somebody just said to me, do not count out at least them talking to Todd Nelson,” Friedman said.

Hershey, a Washington Capitals affiliate, finished with the top record in the AHL this season. Nelson has 46 games of NHL head-coaching experience with the Edmonton Oilers, after he replaced Dallas Eakins in 2014-15.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Berube continues to be the front-runner after the team fired Sheldon Keefe.

“To me, he’s the guy, but nothing is done until it’s done,” Friedman said. “The one thing about (general manager) Brad Treliving is, even if everyone thinks it’s obvious or people are speculating it’s obvious, he wants to at least slow down the process a bit. He doesn’t want to rush into anything.”

New Jersey Devils

The Devils’ search has gone all over the map.

“There was a time I thought Berube was the lead candidate. There was a time I thought (former Oilers coach Jay) Woodcroft was the lead candidate. I know they’ve showed interest in (former Los Angeles Kings coach) Todd McLellan and there was also a time I thought Keefe was the lead candidate,” Friedman said.

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Keefe will be paid by the Leafs for two more years after signing an extension last off-season, so he certainly has the option to sit back.

“What people are asking is, ‘Does he really want to coach right now?’ and I think we’re still kind of waiting on that answer,” Friedman said.

Los Angeles Kings

Jim Hiller finished the year as interim coach and guided the team to the playoffs after the Kings fired McLellan.

Hiller is a candidate for the full-time role.

Friedman also is wondering if Marco Sturm, coach of L.A.’s AHL affiliate in Ontario, will be a possibility.

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“It’s getting to the point where I think the Kings are going to have to make a decision on Sturm,” Friedman said. “Is he going to proceed in their organization or is he going to have to (go) somewhere else?”

Like Nelson, Sturm still is coaching in the AHL playoffs.

Seattle Kraken

Friedman said three names are dominating the conversation: McLellan, Kraken assistant Jay Leach and Dan Bylsma, the former Penguins coach who coaches Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley.

“At different times, I think people have argued for different people,” Friedman said.

San Jose Sharks

Sturm, a former San Jose player, and Sharks assistant Ryan Worsofsky are believed to be in the running.

Friedman said another name he is hearing is Tampa Bay Lightning assistant and former Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill.

Blue Jackets’ GM search

Kings senior adviser to the GM Marc Bergevin and Kraken assistant GM Jason Botterill are believed to have talked to Columbus, but it doesn’t appear that a decision is imminent.

“I am under the impression that they are still waiting to talk to people (still involved in the playoffs),” Friedman said. “What’s going to happen in Edmonton after the season? I think that’s one of the situations that could have an effect on Columbus.”

Oilers GM Ken Holland is in the final year of his five-year contract.

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