Blazing trails wherever she goes
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hump day!
Grab a donut and channel your inner Ben Affleck as we juggle today’s sports news.
— Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, calling out NY Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers for implying that the American television host was affiliated with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Rodgers has yet to apologize for his remarks. So much for eliminating distractions.
NHL
🤑 Putting all the chips on the table
The GIST: The rumors were, in fact, true. Longtime Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander scored the biggest total value payday in Leafs history on Monday, signing an eight-year, $92M contract extension — with an average annual value (AAV) of $11.5M — that will begin next season.
The context: Currently sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, the Leafs are certainly getting their money’s worth with the Swede, who leads the team in points (54) and is second in goals (21) behind center Auston Matthews, the highest paid NHLer by AAV.
- At this rate, Willy Styles is on pace to top the career-highs that he set last season when he recorded 40 goals, 47 assists, and 87 points in 82 games.
The salary cap implications: After signing Nylander and Matthews to massive contract extensions, Toronto will spend about $47.75M on their Core Four (which also includes captain John Tavares and right winger Mitch Marner) next season. The league salary cap is expected to jump to $87.7M, leaving the Buds with just over $23M in cap space next year.
- If 2024 isn’t “the year,” only time will tell if new general manager Brad Treliving’s strategy will help end the Leafs’ 56-year Stanley Cup dry spell, the longest active drought.
🔝 The Western Conference currently belongs to Canada, where the Winnipeg Jets are leading the conference after last night’s 5–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Vancouver Canucks are in second place following their 5–2 victory over the NY Islanders.
🏀 Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, news that comes just three weeks after he returned from a 25-game suspension.
- Meanwhile, Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton will miss at least two weeks after straining his hamstring on Monday. Ouch.
💰 The Miami Heat signed head coach (HC) Erik Spoelstra to an eight-year, $120M-plus contract extension yesterday, the most-ever committed money for an NBA HC. Not too bad for the kid from the video room.
🇨🇦 Yesterday’s 10–0 win over Finland sent Team Canada breezing through to tomorrow’s U-18 Women’s World Hockey Championship quarter-finals, where they’ll face the loser of today’s game between Switzerland and Slovakia.
⚽ CanWNT defender Bianca St-Georges inked a two-year contract with the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage on Monday, joining fellow Canadians Sydney Collins and Victoria Pickett on the Courage roster.
⚜️ After a disappointing 10th-place Eastern Conference finish in 2023, CF Montréal named Laurent Courtois as their new head coach on Monday, the club’s third head coach in as many years. Allez!
⚾ The Miami Marlins hired Rachel Balkovec as their farm director yesterday, placing the history-making former minor league manager in charge of the team’s player development. Blazing trails wherever she goes.
🏒 PWHL: Toronto vs. Minnesota — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — TSN
- Forward Natalie Spooner leads Toronto against undefeated Minnesota, with a simultaneous U.S. vs. Canada showdown happening in the Big Apple, where New York faces Montréal. On Wednesdays (and every day), we watch women’s hockey.
🏀 NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. LA Clippers — Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET — TSN
- After losing to LeBron James and the struggling LA Lakers last night while contending with trade rumors surrounding Pascal “Spicy P” Siakam, the Dinos’ Hollywood tour continues against the Clippers.
⛳ PGA: Sony Open — Tomorrow through Sunday — TSN+
World No. 90 Gary Woodland will make his grand return to the PGA Tour following September brain surgery, competing for an $8.3M purse in sunny Hawaii. Aloha, indeed.
Recs from our roster!
🏳️⚧️ What to shop
The GIST's Protect Trans Athletes merch. Join us in making a statement and standing for inclusivity in sports.
🎙️ What to level up
Your podcast rotation. If you need some non-sports recs, check out Apple’s list of the most popular shows in 2023.
📚 What to read
The Long Game by New York Times best-selling author Elena Armas. Our first GIST book club pick of the year follows a disgraced soccer exec’s journey coaching a children’s team in a small town. Join the club and read along on Fable today.
Question of the Day
After a record-setting opening week, the PWHL is just heating up. So, we want to know: which of the league’s six teams are you cheering for?
On Monday, we asked for your early thoughts on who will win the Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers were tied at 31%, 22% voted for the Buffalo Bills, and 16% said the Dallas Cowboys, while one GISTer emailed in support of the Green Bay Packers. Only time will tell.Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.