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  • Eagles newcomers ’26: Why the Arnold Ebiketie deal could be among the Birds’ underrated offseason signings

    Eagles newcomers ’26: Why the Arnold Ebiketie deal could be among the Birds’ underrated offseason signings

    With Eagles training camp drawing nearer on the horizon, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three-dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28. Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We’re rolling out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balances offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.

    Player: Arnold Ebiketie

    Position: Linebacker

    Age: 27

    Previous experience: Ebiketie has four years of NFL experience, and his football journey began at two local schools. The native of Cameroon played linebacker at Temple from 2017 to 2020 before transferring to Penn State for his senior year. Ebiketie began his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, the team that selected him in the second round, 38th overall in the 2022 draft.

    Ebiketie started 12 of 67 games played over four seasons with the Falcons. In total, he has 16.5 career sacks and 129 tackles. His best season came in 2022, when he logged 6.0 sacks, six tackles for loss and 38 tackles.

    The Eagles signed him in March to a one-year, $7.3 million contract, including $4.3 million fully guaranteed.

    Arnold Ebiketie first got onto the local radar as a player at Temple.

    Path to a roster spot: While the news didn’t exactly dominate headlines, Ebiketie could be a sneaky good signing for the Birds. Yes, their defensive front is loaded, but Ebiketie projects to be a decent rotational piece/situational edge rusher who will generate pressure, especially under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s guidance.

    Despite a limited role in Atlanta, Ebiketie still managed to post 24 solo tackles, which ranked 45th among 115 eligible edge rushers last season. If he takes advantage of every snap, he could be another diamond-in-the-rough signing by Howie Roseman.

    Fun fact: The Cameroonian Ebiketie did not play organized football until high school. He initially focused on soccer and basketball when he emigrated to the United States at age 13, until his high school basketball coach challenged him to give football a try. “He made a joke like, ‘Are you scared?’ So, that got me,” Ebiketie said via the Eagles’ website. “I’m competitive. I wanted to prove him wrong. After that, I liked it.”

    Quotable: “The fans in this city and the Eagles, it goes hand in hand. Everything is about the Eagles. I saw that at Temple. Everything matters to them. I’m here and I know it’s fast-paced and very, very important. This is a championship culture. That is the standard here. I embrace that. I want that and I know it’s going to help bring out the best in me.” — Ebiketie to the Eagles’ website.

    Jaeden Roberts celebrates after Alabama beat Georgia for the SEC Championship in 2023.

    Player: Jaeden Roberts

    Position: Guard

    Age: 23

    Previous experience: Roberts is an undrafted free agent who played college ball for Alabama. He started 12 games at right guard for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and was a projected star in 2025 before an August concussion turned him from guaranteed starter to rotational guard. He started just four games in his final season, playing in 10 overall.

    Roberts was a preseason All-American and named to the Outland Trophy Watch List before the season.

    Eagles newcomers ‘26: Will Andy Dalton emerge as QB2 behind Jalen Hurts?

    Path to a roster spot: If he’s going to make the roster, Roberts will need to prove that last season was a fluke. He has tremendous strength and a massive frame, but he’ll need to combine that with sound technique if he wants to earn a spot after going undrafted.

    The Eagles have plenty of fringe offensive linemen who are trying to carve out a role. Names like Tyler Steen, Michael Jordan, Micah Morris, Willie Lampkin, Drew Kendall, and Jake Majors will all enter camp motivated to win jobs. Roberts will need to somehow separate himself from that bunch.

    Fun fact: Let’s talk about Roberts’ strength for a second. The 23-year-old earned a spot on The Athletic’s “Freaks List“ two years in a row thanks to some impressive weight room accomplishments. The 6-foot-5, 333-pound lineman can squat over 800 pounds and power clean 415 pounds. Not too shabby.

    Quotable: “Just being consistent,” Roberts said when he was asked how he could get on the field more amid a position battle at Alabama last season, via AL.com. “I know I’ve been missing practice time, I have been talking to the coaches and just working on the details that I need to improve on, and consistency is one thing that I think I’ve really improved on.”

  • A Ukrainian family was welcomed to Philly when Russia attacked. Now they’re leaving as pressures rise on immigrants.

    A Ukrainian family was welcomed to Philly when Russia attacked. Now they’re leaving as pressures rise on immigrants.

    Four years ago Veronika Pavliutina and her three young children landed in Philadelphia after fleeing Ukraine, escaping the war as Russia shelled their home city of Odesa.

    Their big shock: the outpouring of care and kindness that greeted them here.

    A Mount Airy couple, strangers, invited the family to live in their home ― just move in and take the third-floor bedroom while figuring out next steps. Neighbors delivered meals and clothes and Target gift cards, and others organized events and outings.

    Pavliutina, 48, said she’ll never forget it.

    But now, she said, it’s time to leave.

    Federal pressure on Ukrainian war immigrants has created doubt about the family’s ability to stay in the United States and raised fears about what could happen if they do.

    The government designation that allows Pavliutina and her children to live here, temporary protected status, expires for Ukraine in October. There’s been no sign the Trump administration plans to renew it, fostering uncertainty among thousands who have worked to rebuild their lives in this country.

    TPS, as it’s known, is a humanitarian immigration status that can be granted to nationals of countries embroiled in war, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. It allows people to legally live and work here and protects them from deportation.

    The Trump administration wants to end TPS for some countries ― and the Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that the administration could lawfully strip protections from more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, leaving them vulnerable to removal.

    Pavliutina has felt the changed government attitude toward immigrants, the ICE arrests and detentions, the common resentment and casual hate.

    “More and more I can see, it’s becoming not safe,” she said in an interview at the family’s home in Perkasie, Bucks County. “I may not be their target for now, but we don’t know.”

    Veronika Pavliutina speaks about leaving the U.S. for Italy during an interview at the family’s home in Perkasie.

    She and her two younger children, Nina, 15, and Yegor, 12 ― Polina, 19, is studying in South Korea ― intend to move to Italy in mid-July. Pavliutina doesn’t know anyone there, but for a family that is again starting over it’s a logical choice.

    In Italy, Ukrainians escaping the war can receive a Permesso di Soggiorno per Protezione Temporanea, a fast-track residency permit that provides work authorization and access to healthcare.

    “It makes me very sad to know they’re leaving,” said Richard McIlhenny, who with his wife, Marissa Vergnetti, welcomed the then-newly arrived family to live in their Mount Airy home. “I’m excited for their new adventure, but sad that it’s not here.”

    Russia struck the southern city of Odesa on the first day of the war, Feb. 24, 2022, blowing up warehouses and air-defense systems and killing at least two dozen.

    Pavliutina told her children they needed to leave, and fast. They fled by car and eventually reached friends in Serbia.

    Meanwhile, 4,700 miles away in Philadelphia, McIlhenny, a real estate agent, and his wife, a preschool teacher, watched the war unfold on TV and decided to become actively involved in helping refugees.

    McIlhenny contacted a childhood friend who was working in Ukraine, asking if perhaps there was a family in need. The friend knew of someone, a single mother with three children.

    The Russian invasion drove a mass exodus, with an estimated 6.9 million Ukrainians leaving the country by the end of 2025, according to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. An additional 3.7 million were displaced internally, forced from their homes to other parts of the country.

    Richard McIlhenny and Marissa Vergnetti (rear) outside their Mount Airy home May 2, 2022, where they are hosting Veronika Pavliutina (right) and her son, Yegor, then 8, and her two daughters. At the time, Pavliutina and her children had just arrived, escaping the Russian shelling in Ukraine.

    The United States opened its arms. And the Philadelphia region, home to one of the nation’s largest Ukrainian communities, helped lead that effort. Churches, civic groups, and families organized to help new arrivals navigate housing, employment, and schools.

    Now tens of thousands of Ukrainian war immigrants face uncertainty.

    “The protections Ukrainians rely on in the United States are quietly but dangerously eroding,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said in a statement earlier this year. “We’ve even seen Ukrainians swept up by immigration enforcement.”

    The Trump administration placed an indefinite pause on applications for the main Biden-era humanitarian program, “Uniting for Ukraine.”

    That effort admitted more than 200,000, but now expired work permits have left many struggling to maintain jobs and housing. Losing legal status can result in deportation, and some have left on their own.

    Meanwhile, as of March 2025, more than 100,000 Ukrainians were in the U.S. under TPS, which has faced backlogs and delays. The designation for Ukraine is due to end on Oct. 19, the prospect of renewal clouded as Trump touts his close relationship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Since 2022 TPS for Ukraine has been extended twice, each instance a nerve-fraying rise and fall of worry and relief that makes it hard to plan for the future.

    The war in Ukraine continues unabated. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire in a gas station following a Russian air attack in Sumy on Thursday.

    Last year, Pavliutina, who has worked as a chef, began thinking it might be time to, as she put it, self-deport.

    The children adjusted to the U.S., she said, learning English, making friends, and earning good grades in school. They also hear other kids talking up Trump, whose pledge to deport millions of immigrants was central to his election campaign.

    Son Yegor said he’s ready to move, “because I’m tired of America a bit.” Nina did not wish to be interviewed.

    Their mother follows the news.

    “It’s a little bit concerning, to be honest with you, because you don’t know when exactly it will be triggered to some kind of violence,” Pavliutina said. “For me it’s easier to think about a new country than to stay here with unknown status, with an unknown future.”

    She’ll miss their house in Perkasie, she said. In fact, it was a new American friend who provided the private loan for her to buy it, an example, she said, of the extraordinary kindness that’s been shown to her family.

    When she hears “Make America Great,” Pavliutina said, she thinks of the countless big and small acts of caring offered by everyday people, the Americans who help others simply because it’s their nature and think it’s a good thing to do. That’s what makes America great, she said.

    “I would definitely keep it in my heart, everything and everyone who was contributing to our life here,” Pavliutina said. “I love the country. I love the people. I just don’t feel safe to stay. And I don’t see the legal way to do so.”

  • Defense lawyers seek to block AG’s appeal of overturned murder convictions

    Defense lawyers seek to block AG’s appeal of overturned murder convictions

    Lawyers for three Philadelphia men whose murder convictions were overturned in May are asking a judge to block the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office from intervening in the case in an effort to reverse that outcome.

    Attorneys for Marc Brittingham, Jermal Shuler, and Rasheed Turner have asked Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer Schultz to reject state prosecutors’ effort to appeal the decision that allowed the men to go free. The lawyers said the office did not have the right to intervene at this late stage.

    On June 16 — three weeks after the men’s convictions were vacated — the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a landmark decision expanding the state’s role in Philadelphia’s post-conviction cases. But that ruling, the lawyers said, doesn’t apply retroactively.

    At issue is whether the authority of the attorney general’s office extends to cases still within a window for appeal when the court issued its sweeping decision granting state prosecutors new power to step into post-conviction cases in Philadelphia.

    The answer could determine how broadly the attorney general’s office can exercise its new authority.

    Last week, the office sought to intervene in the case of Brittingham, Shuler and Turner, whose convictions in the 1997 killing of Essie Mae Thomas were vacated after Philadelphia prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the judge agreed that newly uncovered evidence had undermined their confidence in the jury’s verdict.

    The attorney general’s office filed notices seeking to intervene and appeal 29 days after Schultz vacated the convictions, prosecutors withdrew the charges, and the men were released from prison after more than 28 years.

    The move marked the office’s first effort to invoke the high court’s ruling, a sharply worded decision in which it accused Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office of repeatedly misleading courts while seeking to overturn convictions. The court ordered that, going forward, trial judges must notify the attorney general’s office whenever Philadelphia prosecutors concede post-conviction relief and give it an opportunity to review the case and potentially intervene.

    The filings also underscore a complication the Supreme Court anticipated. The deputy attorney general assigned to the case, Hugh Burns, previously worked in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where he opposed earlier appeals by Brittingham, Shuler, and Turner to seek DNA testing in an effort to have their convictions reversed.

    Justice Christine Donohue warned that the new intervention process could create conflicts when former Philadelphia prosecutors now employed by the attorney general’s office are asked to defend convictions they previously handled.

    Defense attorneys say Burns’ involvement highlights that concern. They also described the attorney general’s effort as part of “an ongoing political and ideological battle” between state prosecutors and the district attorney’s office, arguing that Brittingham, Shuler, and Turner “should not be caught in the crossfire.”

    The lawyers say the Supreme Court’s order forecloses the attorney general’s attempt to intervene. In its decision, the high court wrote that state prosecutors have “the right to intervene” in any case where the district attorney’s office concedes relief “before [a] ruling on the concession” is made.

    The attorney general’s office, they said in the filings, is attempting to “change the rules after the fact.”

    Attorney General Dave Sunday did not respond to questions about the case.

    In a statement Tuesday, he said, “I don’t think that it benefits anyone for criminal justice leaders to editorialize a lot of the work we do. We intend to litigate in the appropriate venue — the courts.“

    He added: “The last thing individuals who live in the community want to hear are elected officials yelling at each other. They want to see outcomes.”

    In an earlier interview with The Inquirer, Sunday said that after the high court ruling, his office would be reviewing “cases that are still going through the appellate process.”

    In this case, the district attorney’s office sided with the defense, saying in its own filing that the high court’s decision created a right to intervene “before [a] ruling,” not after. While prosecutors said they would comply with the court’s directive in future cases, they argued that nothing in the decision authorizes intervention in this case.

    In a statement filed in the men’s case, Burns acknowledged that the state Supreme Court had not yet issued its ruling when Schultz granted the men their freedom. Even so, he asked whether the court should temporarily vacate its order to allow the attorney general to intervene.

    Burns’ filing does not challenge the evidence that prompted prosecutors to support overturning the convictions.

    That evidence centered on newly disclosed information about the disciplinary history of Bennett Preston, a former assistant medical examiner whose testimony at trial helped establish Thomas’ time of death — testimony prosecutors later concluded was unreliable.

    Two forensic pathologists hired by defense attorneys and prosecutors also concluded that Preston had incorrectly estimated when Thomas died. Schultz found that the new information likely would have changed the outcome of the trial had jurors heard it before issuing their verdict.

  • Rowan’s vet school can ‘keep the lights on’ under tentative state budget deal, and other South Jersey program updates

    Rowan’s vet school can ‘keep the lights on’ under tentative state budget deal, and other South Jersey program updates

    Rowan University’s nascent veterinary school will get enough funding to “keep the lights on” under the tentative New Jersey budget deal, according to one South Jersey lawmaker.

    It’s among several South Jersey programs with a fate tied to the negotiations ahead of the state’s June 30 budget deadline.

    New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill proposed completely slashing state funding for the state’s only vet school in her budget proposal rolled out in March.

    The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine was created with state support and its first class just finished its first year. On top of training the next generation of vets and conducting research, the South Jersey institution provides veterinary services to the region and helps address a large animal vet shortage.

    Since the four-year school only has had only one 75-student class paying tuition so far, the prospect of losing all state funding was potentially devastating.

    The state legislature will vote Tuesday on a budget that allocates $6.2 million to the school, a lower number compared to the $8 million it got this year (and much lower than the $20 million it had requested). But the amount will be sufficient enough for the vet school to survive, said Sen. John Burzichelli, a Gloucester County Democrat.

    “Will they keep the lights on? Will they continue to grow? I’m confident they can,” he said in a Monday interview.

    Veterinary students at Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine interact with a group of less than-a-week-old kids (baby goats) brought in by classmate Cana Patterson (back to camera, second from right).

    Burzichelli said he and other supporters of the school were trying to allocate $12 million to the school to provide “more resources as they grow out.”

    Rowan spokesperson Jose Cardona declined to comment because the deal has not been signed into law.

    Vet school under attack

    The legislature is expected to approve the budget Tuesday, the final day before the new fiscal year begins on July 1. Sherrill has the power to veto items in the budget before signing it into law.

    As part of her March proposal, Sherrill warned that legislators must provide cuts to equal out any spending they want to add to the budget, a stance she softened more recently.

    On Friday, she said in Camden that because of cuts she identified with legislative leaders, there’s money for lawmakers to “really push into their local projects.” The state’s revenue forecasts have also gone up.

    Sherrill announced last week that she came to a budget agreement with legislative leaders with a price tag of $60.7 billion, the same rounded figure she proposed earlier this year.

    Then, on Sunday, legislators advanced a budget with $15 million more than Sherrill’s proposed total earlier this year.

    Sherrill has repeatedly touted her budget proposal as” the most fiscally responsible budget New Jersey has seen in years,” though it’s the largest in the state’s history.

    Gov. Mikie Sherrill delivers her budget address Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2026, in the Assembly Chamber at the New Jersey State House. Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (left) and Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari (right) are behind her.

    Funding restored for child trauma care in South Jersey

    Sherrill’s original proposal also zeroed out funding for a program that provides medical and mental health care to South Jersey children who have experienced abuse in her budget proposal earlier this year. But the legislature restored funding to the same level as the current fiscal year at $1.85 million.

    Rowan is closing a health center for abused children because of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s proposed budget

    The Rowan-Virtua Child Abuse Research Education and Service Institute (CARES) has locations in Stratford in Camden County and Vineland in Cumberland County. Rowan informed employees of layoffs across both locations and said the university would be closing down the more rural Vineland location as a result of the cuts.

    Cardona, the Rowan spokesperson, declined to say Monday whether the Vineland center will remain open and if the layoffs will be reversed. He said it’s “premature to comment on a budget that has not been approved.”

    Dio Tsitouras, the executive director of the American Association of University Professors Biomedical and Health Sciences union — which represents CARES employees — said the union is awaiting “an announcement from Rowan that rescinds all layoffs and indicates that the Vineland office will remain open.”

    “We are pleased that the budget the Legislature passed restores critical funding to the CARES program so that our members can continue serving the most vulnerable children of South Jersey,” Tsitouras said.

    State Rep. Anthony Angelozzi, a Burlington County Democrat, said his office advocated for CARES, one of dozens of groups at risk of funding cuts that met with his office. He called the program’s work “imperative.”

    “There were certain priorities we had to fight for because we are sorta on the ground in our districts in a way sometimes the governor is not,” he said. “There are some programs that legislators realize how profound they are at helping people that the governor may underestimate.”

    Staff members observe from back of the room during a workshop at the Hispanic Women’s Resource Center in Camden Thursday, June 11, 2026.

    Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers still at risk

    New Jersey has one of the largest wage gaps for Hispanic women in the country. Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers were established by the legislature in the early 1990s to help that disparity, providing employment training and other support to Latinas. Sherrill proposed cutting 80% of state funding for these programs, down to just $535,000 statewide.

    Gov. Mikie Sherrill proposed an 80% cut to a program that provides job training and support to Hispanic women

    Legislators restored most of that funding in their tentative budget to nearly $1.8 million but program leaders say it’s still not enough, at almost 30% less than this year’s allocation of $2.5 million.

    The Latino Action Network Foundation runs these centers in partnership with six nonprofits across 14 sites, including five in South Jersey in Camden, Vineland, Hammonton, Pennsville, and Rio Grande.

    Latino Action Network president Javier Robles said that decrease will still cause the closure of centers and reduce job training, mental health services, and English language classes to thousands of families statewide.

    “At a time when Latino families across our state are being targeted by the right-wing Trump anti-immigrant agenda, these cuts will only put additional strain on our community,” Robles added.

  • 12 players the Flyers could target to upgrade their roster via trade, free agency, or an offer sheet

    12 players the Flyers could target to upgrade their roster via trade, free agency, or an offer sheet

    When Danny Brière, Keith Jones, and the Flyers’ “New Era of Orange” regime took over in 2023, they silently targeted the summer of 2026 as the potential turning point for the team’s rebuild.

    They did so with an eye on a loaded free agent class headlined by MVP candidates like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov — not to mention top-of-the-lineup players like Artemi Panarin, Adrian Kempe, Kyle Connor, and Martin Nečas. Fast forward three years, and each of those players has already come off the board via a contract extension or trade, forcing the Flyers to pivot in their so-far elusive quest to land both a No. 1 center and a bona fide power-play quarterback on the blue line.

    The latest on Dylan Larkin’s trade market, and how some experts believe the Flyers fit: ‘It’s probably the ideal spot for him’

    While they won’t be able to plug those holes via unrestricted free agency once business formally opens on July 1, that doesn’t mean they can’t find creative solutions via trades or even the all-too-infrequent offer-sheet route. With that in mind, here a dozen players the Flyers, who currently have over $33 million available in cap space, could target as they look to build on their momentum from last season and make Philadelphia a destination once again.

    1. Zach Werenski

    LHD | Columbus | Trade candidate

    The Flyers have stated they want to be in the mix when elite players become available, and reports say their interest in Werenski is high. Why wouldn’t it be for a player that just won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman and is coming off back-to-back 20-goal, 80-point seasons? Werenski, who turns 29 next month, is exactly the type of offensive defenseman and power-play quarterback the Flyers have long lacked, and is signed for two more seasons at a $9.5 million cap hit.

    The two questions will be: 1) Would Werenski entertain a move to Philly over other cities that are closer to Stanley Cup contention? and 2) Do the Flyers have the pieces outside of Porter Martone to get him? The Flyers are definitely interested here, and you’d think every player on their roster, aside from Martone, would be available for a player of Werenski’s ilk.

    Source: Flyers qualify Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, let six other RFAs walk

    2. Jason Robertson

    LW | Dallas | Restricted free agent

    Robertson’s name is out there and he’s looking to get paid after reportedly turning down a $15-million-a-year contract offer from Seattle. While the Flyers are well-stocked on the wing, Robertson, who is coming off a 45-goal, 96-point campaign in Dallas, would immediately jump to the top of the pile and is the type of player you move furniture around for. Dallas hasn’t closed the door on keeping Robertson, but he could also be a trade or offer-sheet candidate. The Flyers have the money to pay him and would be wise to look into a move for the highly skilled and well-rounded winger.

    3. Dylan Larkin

    C | Detroit | Trade candidate

    The Flyers are clearly looking for a No. 1 center, and the speedy perennial 30-goal scorer certainly fits the bill. Larkin, who turns 30 next month and is signed for the next five years at an $8.7 million cap hit, has a full no-move clause and seems hell-bent on choosing his next destination. Detroit GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t seem nearly as inclined to trade Larkin to one of his three preferred destinations — Florida, Vegas, and Minnesota ― so Larkin has reportedly expanded his trade list. If the Flyers are on Larkin’s list, they’d likely be very interested.

    The Flyers are interested in star center Dylan Larkin. Can Danny Brière get him? | Mike Sielski
    Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli is a restricted free agent. But could someone price out Columbus?

    4. Adam Fantilli

    C | Columbus | Restricted free agent

    If the Flyers are willing to take a swing on an upper-tier offer sheet (more on others later), Fantilli would seem more attainable than Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson or Chicago’s Connor Bedard with a mammoth offer in the $15 million AAV range. Might Columbus still match? Sure, but if the Flyers are serious about finding a young No. 1 center, making a play for Fantilli would be a worthy gamble. Fantilli, who will only be 22 next season, already has a 30-goal season under his belt and possesses an enticing combination of size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), speed (95th percentile in 22 mph speed bursts), and competitiveness.

    Fantilli is almost certainly staying put, especially with Werenski and Kirill Marchenko wanting out of Columbus, but he’d be worth the offer-sheet compensation of four first-round picks over the next five years. The Flyers and Blue Jackets could also work out a deal in place of an offer sheet if that appealed to Columbus.

    5. John Carlson

    RHD | Carolina | Unrestricted free agent

    The oldest player on this list at 36, the New Jersey native is reportedly a target for the Flyers as they try to fix their anemic power play. The idea behind signing Carlson would be paying him a high AAV (likely over $10 million) on a two-year deal to act as the team’s bridge power-play QB. The former Stanley Cup winner can still generate offense (60 points last season in Anaheim) and run a power play, but could the allure of another Cup chase trump the financial incentives Philly could offer? He might not even make it to free agency either, as Carolina acquired his negotiating rights on Saturday and now has a head start on the competition.

    Flyers draft grades roundup: Philly’s haul doesn’t get anything higher than a C+ from national experts

    6. Mavrik Bourque

    C | Dallas | Restricted free agent

    Dallas has the aforementioned decision to make with Robertson and is also circling when it comes to Werenski and Larkin. That could make Bourque a prime candidate for an offer sheet. Bourque, 24, has played mostly as a wing on a deep Dallas team but is a natural center who would fit a Flyers need as well as the team’s ideal age range. He’s a highly intelligent offensive player who topped 20 goals last season and has room to grow. A former AHL scoring champ and MVP, an offer sheet for Bourque over $5 million AAV would cost the Flyers first- and third-round picks in 2027. This might be the Flyers’ most realistic shot at a potential top-six center this offseason given Dallas’ cap pinch.

    Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens would check a lot of boxes for the Flyers if he is available.

    7. Dylan Cozens or Shane Pinto

    C | Ottawa | Trade candidates

    The Flyers have been linked before with Cozens and Pinto, both of whom are 25, and acquiring either would represent an upgrade down the middle. The Sens may not want to move another top forward after having to trade Brady Tkachuk against their will, but the Flyers do possess a player they are reportedly high on in defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

    The 6-3, 205-pound Cozens, who scored 28 goals last season and is signed for five more years at a bargain $7.1 million, is probably the more attractive of the two given he’s faster (one of the NHL’s fastest per NHL Edge), more physical, and more of a point producer (59 to Pinto’s 46). Pinto, meanwhile, carries a $7.5 million cap hit for the next four years and is an elite defensive center coming off career highs in goals (23) and points (46). How far would Ristolainen and a first-round pick get you in conversations with Ottawa?

    At first glance, the Flyers’ 2026 draft feels underwhelming. Only time will tell.

    8. Alexander Nikishin

    LHD | Carolina | Restricted free agent

    Nikishin is a name I didn’t expect to be on this list given he’s not eligible for an offer sheet and arrived in Carolina a year ago with so much hype after a prolific career in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. But reports over the weekend have indicated that Carolina is at least taking calls on the 6-4, 216-pound offensive blueliner. Nikishin, 24, figures to be expensive both in terms of trade compensation and his next contract, but he’s the prototype offensive defenseman the Flyers are looking for with his passing vision, skating ability, and booming shot from the point. There are some defensive warts, but the youngster’s upside is immense, not to mention he’s a former teammate and friend of Matvei Michkov’s. He had 11 goals and 33 points, including 10 on the power play, as a rookie.

    9. Darnell Nurse

    LHD | Edmonton | Trade candidate

    Nurse, who is the nephew of former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, might be the NHL’s poster boy for being judged by the numbers on your contract ($9.25 million AAV) and not your on-ice play. The 31-year-old is certainly not a $9 million defenseman, but he is still a solid second-pair guy who blocks shots, eats up minutes, and provides toughness. The Inquirer has reported there is mutual interest between Nurse and the Flyers, with the Flyers on the short list he sent to the Oilers. Sportsnet reports that Nurse has added Pittsburgh and Boston. Nurse only truly makes sense if the Flyers are moving Ristolainen AND Edmonton is willing to retain 25-30% of the rugged blueliner’s salary over the next four seasons.

    Darnell Nurse is interested in coming to Philly. Does it make sense for the Flyers?
    Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright, a former top-five pick, could be a worthwhile reclamation project.

    10. Shane Wright

    C | Seattle | Trade candidate

    The 2022 fourth-overall pick’s name has been out there in trade rumors, but his value seems to have taken a significant hit following a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw his point total drop from 44 to 27. The Inquirer has learned that Wright isn’t high on the Flyers’ list and that the team has some serious doubts about his ability to stick down the middle in the NHL. Regardless, Wright is still just 22, came up as a center, has draft pedigree, and a year ago had 19 goals and 44 points without top-of-the-lineup deployment.

    Sielski: A player the Flyers could pursue, an Eagles prediction, and other thoughts …

    Could the Flyers circle back to Wright with centers like Robert Thomas, Mason McTavish, and Connor McMichael off the board? They’ve had success with these types of reclamation projects in recent years, even if Wright doesn’t seem an ideal fit on paper. Matty Beniers would represent a more attractive center from a Flyers’ perspective.

    11. Teddy Blueger

    C | Vancouver | Unrestricted free agent

    The Flyers’ fourth line could use some help, particularly after trading Garnet Hathaway last week. Blueger has experience playing under Rick Tocchet in Vancouver, won a Cup with Vegas, and is a solid left-shot defensive center who kills penalties and can provide some secondary scoring. The Flyers seem to be considering bringing back 37-year-old Luke Glendening, but if they don’t, Blueger and right-shots Colton Sissons, Kevin Stenlund, Oskar Sundqvist, and Noel Acciari would all make some sense as 4Cs who kill penalties.

    12. Noel Acciari

    C | Pittsburgh| Unrestricted free agent

    The Flyers’ fourth line could use an infusion of energy, and Acciari brings that in spades. A right-shot center who is excellent in the dot (53.5% since 2022-23), kills penalties, and plays an in-your-face game, he also chipped in 13 goals last season (his fourth double-digit goal campaign). Acciari is older at 34, but he is still someone who empties the tank on every shift and relishes getting under opponents’ skin.

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  • Letters to the Editor | June 30, 2026

    Letters to the Editor | June 30, 2026

    Vance snubs vets

    The constant propaganda emanating from the current presidential administration continues to be dangerous and disturbing. The latest example concerns our vice president’s comments concerning Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. Our nation suffered the loss of 58,000 service members during the Vietnam War, and it would be difficult to find an American family in the 1960s and early 1970s that had not been touched by the war’s violence. To rewrite the war’s history and its conclusion — not to mention the unlawful conduct of President Nixon during his administration — is insulting to all Americans and service members who served during those years.

    Thomas M. Lynch, Voorhees

    Reflections

    As voters go to the polls this November, I hope they remember that the people they elect are a direct reflection of themselves. Before you pull the lever to register your votes, think hard about how you want people across America and the world to view you.

    When you elect a candidate who says and does disgusting things, others will believe that is an accurate reflection of your values and morals. If you vote for a person who is lawless and disrespects our Constitution, are you willing to accept that others will think you believe this behavior to be acceptable and honorable enough to represent you? Are you willing to elect a candidate who will decide on legislation that will directly impact your life, but is someone you wouldn’t trust to babysit your children or your pets? I urge people to think hard about the candidate they are considering.

    In the end, whoever gets elected will be a direct reflection on the voters and their communities.

    Fred Shapiro, Margate

    Fearmongering

    What keeps you up at night? Is it voter fraud? Rigged and stolen elections?

    I guess it keeps the president up, because he says voter fraud is a national emergency and should be Congress’ top priority. He refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill that would have improved the lives of Americans all over the country because of this “national emergency.”

    I think most people would say what keeps them up at night is being able to pay their bills, to have secure housing, affordable healthcare. The president says he doesn’t worry about inflation or high gas and grocery prices — things that affect the lives of Americans every single day. He obviously is not concerned about people’s housing status because he’s chosen to block the bill that would have given them some relief.

    I think we all know there is no national emergency around elections.

    The real emergency here is Donald Trump’s fear that the Republicans might lose their majority in Congress, which would be a defeat for him.

    June Siegel, Elkins Park

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.

  • Dear Abby | Mother disappointed in son’s choice of girlfriend

    DEAR ABBY: I don’t care for my son’s girlfriend, “Trish,” and he knows it. He seems to date needy women. It may boost his ego, but it doesn’t reflect well on the young lady.

    Our initial encounter with Trish wasn’t a good one. We found her to be rude and disrespectful. He claims she was “nervous.” It’s common courtesy to acknowledge those in a room when you enter if they’re the only ones in the room.

    I don’t know if my son plans to marry Trish, but this isn’t the relationship I assumed I’d have with my son’s wife. I don’t want to just tolerate my daughter-in-law; I want to love her. Trish has made no effort to know my son’s family, not even his brother. She doesn’t view us as factors in his life at all. How do I get him to launch his net into the deep end and find a good wife?

    — ANXIOUS MOM IN VIRGINIA

    DEAR MOM: I don’t know whether your son intends to marry this young woman either, and you could be worried for no reason. But one thing I do know is how important it is for you to extend yourself and try to make a friend out of Trish rather than an enemy. Without being nosy, get to know her background. Does she have a healthy relationship with her own mother? Does she know any of the rules of etiquette? (She may never have been taught.) If you reach out and make the attempt, you may wind up having a daughter-in-law you can love rather than one you have to tolerate. I wish you luck.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: A year and a half ago, I met someone online who I’ll call “Drew.” We immediately hit it off and have talked every day since then, often multiple times a day, with near-constant texting, etc. Drew quickly became my best friend. After a while, I realized that I don’t just love him, I am IN LOVE with him. Deeply.

    We’ve met in person a few times, and that has only served to confirm my feelings. I feel safe, happy and cared for in his company, and there is nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for him if he asked. Yet he asks nothing of me. Drew has a partner, and I assume the feelings I have for him are not mutual, although I know he considers me a very good friend. I wish I knew how to proceed. Telling him how I feel is not an option, nor is ending the friendship I rely on. Is it possible to continue as we are? How am I supposed to deal with these feelings?

    — HIS NON-BOYFRIEND IN CANADA

    DEAR NON-BOYFRIEND: Here’s how: Recognize that you and Drew are overdue for an honest conversation about what has been going on. Ask if his partner knows about you. When someone spends as much time as you two have on the phone and texting, there is usually more going on than just friendship. If there isn’t on Drew’s part, you need to know that. However, if your feelings are mutual, then you and Drew have some serious thinking and planning to do.

  • Horoscopes: Tuesday, June 30, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). You give in ways both visible and invisible. The invisible ways often take more effort. It’s normal to want to be seen and appreciated for those efforts. Mercury retrograde asks: Who takes care of whom? Is the arrangement fair?

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Not everything is part of a pattern, but many things are, and that’s why you’re constantly noticing, searching for meaning and predicting outcomes. Mercury retrograde asks: How can I learn from the past? Why am I remembering this now?

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Ideally, home brings out the best in you. If there are ways your domestic situation depletes your energy, they’ll stand out now, wanting to be fixed. Mercury retrograde asks: Where do you feel most like yourself? What environments support your growth?

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Certain traditions survive because they still serve a purpose. Others survive because no one has questioned them. Mercury retrograde asks: Which customs nourish you? Which are ready for revision?

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There are people who know versions of you that were updated long ago, but they never got the memo. Mercury retrograde asks: Which parts of your identity have evolved? How would you introduce yourself if no one knew your history?

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are conversations you never finished. Some ended through circumstance, some through silence. Mercury retrograde asks: What still needs expression? What would happen if I said what I want to say?

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You remember the facts, but memory is never only factual. Each time you revisit an experience, you bring new understanding to it. Meaning changes with time. Mercury retrograde asks: What else might be true? What have you overlooked in the retelling?

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The people who raised you still have influence. They occupy space in your decisions. Whether you’re glad about it or not, gratitude and independence can coexist. Mercury retrograde asks: Which voices belong in the room? Which no longer get a vote?

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You don’t always have the words for what you’re going through at the time you’re going through it. But eventually, language catches up with experience. Mercury retrograde asks: What can you name now that you couldn’t name before? What becomes clearer when you tell the story differently?

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The past occurred one way, and only a time traveler could change that. But your feelings about what happened will keep changing. Distance creates perspective. Mercury retrograde asks: What did your family teach you? What did you teach yourself instead?

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). A promise isn’t always forever. Some promises deserve renewal. Others deserve release. Mercury retrograde asks: What commitment still reflects your values? What are you maintaining purely out of obligation or habit?

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The past is not a destination. It is a reference point. Memories inform your next steps, but they don’t determine them. Mercury retrograde asks: What belongs in your future? What memory can remain behind while the lesson comes with you?

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 30). It’s your Year of the Victory Banner. The effort has already been made; now comes the season of recognition. Your emotional journey and the behind-the-scenes efforts will become a point of interest, and you’ll be asked to share personal stories of inspiration. More highlights: Someone you once admired from afar will be in your regular orbit. An honor marks progress and change you were a big part of. Lucrative ventures are simple and streamlined. Scorpio and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 21, 5, 30, 11 and 2.

  • Phillies fall as Aaron Nola is left searching for answers — and trying a new pitch — in quest to turn his season around

    Phillies fall as Aaron Nola is left searching for answers — and trying a new pitch — in quest to turn his season around

    For the better part of a decade, Aaron Nola has been the Phillies’ workhorse.

    It’s a role he takes pride in. Six times, he has taken down over 180 innings in a season. But lately, that durability has started to show cracks.

    Last year, Nola was uncharacteristically hampered by injuries. He’s healthy now, but his bounceback season hasn’t gone according to plan. And after Monday’s 11-7 loss to the Pirates, where he allowed a season-high seven earned runs over just 4⅓ innings, the path forward isn’t clear.

    “I haven’t really had a stretch like this ever in my career,” said Nola, whose season ERA has risen to 6.04.

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    Nola squandered a 5-0 lead the offense built against Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft. Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh each hit solo homers in the first inning, while Bryce Harper hit a two-run shot in the third. All three homers came in two-strike counts.

    But Nola had issues with homers, too. He looked efficient early with an eight-pitch first inning, and was getting a lot of batters to swing and miss. But he started to falter by the fourth. Bryan Reynolds was inches away from clearing the top of the railing in left-center, settling for a leadoff double. He scored anyway when Esmerlyn Valdez teed up a curveball over the middle of the plate for a two-run shot.

    “Early in that game I thought he was going to roll,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “The way he was throwing the ball, it seemed sharp. Good breaking ball, down in the zone, a lot of swing-and-miss early in the game. And then just got sideways. So I’m not quite sure what happened.”

    For the seventh time this year, Nola failed to get out of the fifth inning, which turned ugly quickly. Nola allowed four hits — including another homer and a double — and walked two in the frame.

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    Three runs had already scored when Seth Johnson finally relieved him with the bases loaded, and all three inherited runs would score, too.

    “It just sped up on him quite a bit there,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “The stuff diminished quite a bit. … You could just tell he got a little tired, it was hot, just the stuff wasn’t as good that inning.”

    Although Nola induced 23 whiffs from Pirates hitters, the second-most in a game in his career, he wasn’t able to take many positives from his outing.

    “A lot of runs tonight, I didn’t really do well with the lead I got, what the guys gave me. They hit really well tonight,” Nola said. “… Swing and misses, honestly, tonight it doesn’t really matter. Gave up too many hits, too many runs, got to be better at that.”

    The two homers Nola allowed Monday upped his season total to 19, which is tied for fifth-most among pitchers this year.

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    As Nola tries to find a way to turn his season around, he has started toying with a slider as a potential different look for hitters. It can be a challenge to add a new pitch mid-season and he hasn’t thrown it much. He flashed it three times against the Pirates, generating one whiff.

    “Just something different,” Nola said. “I throw so many curveballs, and I feel like we saw it tonight, if one pops, it usually gets barreled. So we’ll see.”

    Nola’s shorter outing caused the Phillies to turn to their bullpen earlier than hoped, as the unit had been taxed recently after some tight games against the Nationals and Mets.

    After entering the game, Johnson issued a leadoff walk to force in the go-ahead run, and then induced a grounder to Harper. He got the force out at second, but Turner flung the ball high over first base, allowing two more runs to score for the 8-5 Pirates lead. Turner’s error is his 11th of the season, which has already surpassed his full-season total of eight in 2025.

    Bryce Harper (right) celebrates with Brandon Marsh after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

    The offense showed some life late, though. Marsh hit his second homer of the game in the eighth to start chipping away. He fell behind in the count, 1-2, to Gregory Soto, but put a good swing on a high and inside fastball. Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto hit back-to-back two-out singles to cut the lead to 8-7.

    Derek Hill kept the line moving with a walk, but Justin Crawford was called out on strikes to end it, stranding two.

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    In the ninth, Mattingly opted to use righty Chase Shugart, who had blown a save against the Mets on Sunday, with the intention of preserving his higher-leverage arms. It backfired when he gave up a three-run homer to Pittsburgh catcher Endy Rodríguez that put the Pirates back ahead by four runs.

    “I really didn’t feel like I have much of a choice, honestly, there,” Mattingly said. “Didn’t really feel like, where we’re at with everything, we could just keep chasing a win in with our back-end guys and lose another one. Yeah, I felt like we had to get through that with Shug. He gets two outs quick, and then little kind of a halfway flare to center, and yeah, obviously the breaking ball he hits for the homer.”

    In the bottom of the ninth, Turner struck out, Schwarber grounded out, and Marsh struck out to end it.

  • Paraguay upsets Germany on penalty kicks to book a ticket to Philadelphia’s July 4 game

    Paraguay upsets Germany on penalty kicks to book a ticket to Philadelphia’s July 4 game

    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jose Canale scored on the first sudden death penalty kick, Orlando Gill made two key saves in the shootout, and Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on penalties Monday to earn the biggest upset of the 2026 World Cup so far.

    The round of 32 match ended 1-1 after extra time. Paraguay took the lead when Julio Enciso scored on a header late in the first half, but Kai Havertz equalized in the 52nd minute for four-time champion Germany.

    “We had to analyze every player, every detail. Thanks to that I was able to only miss two penalties,” Gill said afterward. “This is for all the people of Paraguay.”

    Paraguay, ranked 34th by FIFA, is the deepest betting long shot to win a World Cup match and did it against 12th-ranked Germany.

    The Paraguayans will next face the winner of Tuesday’s match between France and Sweden in the round of 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia. A win in that match would land them back in Foxborough for a quarterfinal match on July 9.

    “I think we deserved one more game and to be honest considering everything that was said, everything we went through,” Canale said. ”What I wan to highlight from our team is how united we are. … Today was a game we really needed to show our true colors.”

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    Germany had won six of seven penalty shootouts in major tournaments, including six straight since losing to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final.

    In the only previous World Cup match between the teams, Germany beat Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 at the 2002 tournament. Nearly a quarter-century later, Paraguay has its revenge.

    Paraguay’s players celebrating at the end of the shootout.

    Paraguay had appeared in five previous knockout games but failed to score in each. It advanced only once in those previous occasions, winning on penalty kicks against Japan in the round of 16 at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. It fell that year to eventual champion Spain in the quarterfinals.

    Monday was Germany’s first knockout game since the 2014 final in Brazil when the Germans beat Argentina 1-0 to capture their fourth World Cup title. The Germans were eliminated from the group stage at the last two World Cup tournaments.

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    “We had very big plans for this World Cup. It’s very difficult to disappoint again,” Havertz said. “It was difficult to create chances and keep the pace.”

    Paraguay broke the early stalemate in the 42nd minute Monday with some perfect ball movement to set up Enciso.

    Paraguay’s Julio Enciso (19) celebrates his goal with teammates.

    Miguel Almiron split Germany’s Aleksandar Pavlovic and Nathaniel Brown with a left-footed pass to Matias Galarza. Galarza sent a cross to Enciso, who was unmarked by Germany’s defenders and easily headed it past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

    In the second half, Havertz took a cross from Florian Wirtz, which he got just enough head on to redirect it past Gill.

    And then in extra time, Germany appeared to take a 2-1 lead in the 102nd minute when Jonathan Tah headed in a corner kick by Nathaniel Brown that was just above the reach of Gill. But a video review ruled that Waldemar Anton has pushed Gill to the ground before the shot and the goal was disallowed.

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    Germany, whose 10 goals in the group stage was tied for the most of any team, struggled to find a way through Paraguay’s 4-5-1 setup. The Germans had 78% of the possession in the first half.

    As expected, Paraguay was without defender Omar Alderete, who left with an injury in the second half of the team’s 0-0 draw against Australia. Canale started in his place.