標籤: operations

Rumors and whispers have been prevalent throughout the NHL season that FanDuel Sports Network is nearing its end, and on Thursday it was made official as the lenders to network owner Main Street Sports Group completed the paperwork to cease operations at the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The problem first became apparent in March 2023, when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leading to the departure of several professional sports teams that had used them for their game broadcasts. However, in January 2025, they came out of bankruptcy and immediately rebranded themselves from Diamond Sports Group to Main Street Sports Group.

What broadcast options could the Carolina Hurricanes pursue next season?

Since the Carolina Hurricanes’ first season, they have been broadcast through several iterations of the company, beginning in 1997 when it was still Fox Sports South.

They enter uncharted territory for the first time in Carolina, as they must secure a broadcast plan before the start of next season – which is expected to start earlier than usual as the NHL adopts an 84-game schedule.

The most obvious option they could take would be to broadcast through Victory+ or Scripps Sports, as many teams did during Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy saga.

Both Victory+ and Scripps Sports are consumer-friendly compared to FanDuel Sports Network, with Victory+ being a free, ad-supported streaming network and Scripps Sports’ annual package priced at $69.99 USD for only team-specific streaming apps, such as Nighttime+ (Vegas Golden Knights) and Panthers Plus (Florida Panthers), and free over-the-air broadcasts on local stations.

In addition to those two, the Hurricanes could also broadcast through MLB, as the Detroit Red Wings have decided to do.

While it seems almost certain that local fans will have to watch the Storm via a different streaming outlet next season, there is at least hope that it could be more cost-effective than FanDuel Sports Network’s $189.99 annual streaming price tag.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Los Angeles Lakers underwent a change in leadership earlier this season, with longtime franchise owner Jenny Buss deciding to sell a majority share of the franchise to Mark Walter, who is now making some changes to the team’s brain trust. In recent days, the Lakers announced that executive Lon Rosen will be the team’s new president of business operations.

Rosen was the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Walter called on him to take on the role as president of the Lakers. With connections made during his time with the Dodgers, Rosen would enlist the help of Dodgers executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, the combo who led L.A.’s operations during consecutive World Series title-winning seasons.

For Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, this means he will work closely with both of them, collaborating with them on roster personnel matters. According to Dan Woik of The Athletic, Pelinka “will continue to handle basketball operations” while working within an “expanded front office.”

The next few years are going to be important for the Lakers; They have to start completely building around Luka Doncic, which will take them a year or two.

The Lakers front office is poised to play a key role over the next few seasons

The Lakers’ trade for Doncic is one they would make 10 out of 10 times, but the roster they built was designed to maximize the James-Anthony Davis-led core. They are so lacking in defensive infrastructure that it will take a year or two for them to emerge as legitimate contenders in the West.

The team is preparing for the 2027 free agency period, when players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic could potentially hit free agency. It’s unclear whether Pelinka will remain with the Lakers until then, but it’s clear from their front office what the intention is.