The Toronto Maple Leafs signed free agent forward Brandon Duhaime to a three-year contract on Thursday.

Multiple reports put the total value of the deal at $7.8 million ($2.6 million per year).

Duhaime, 29, had four goals and five assists and played all 82 games for the Washington Capitals last season.

He has posted at least 146 hits in all five NHL seasons, tallying 70 points (33 goals, 37 assists) and 410 penalty minutes in 375 games with the Minnesota Wild (2021-24), Colorado Avalanche (2024) and Capitals.

The Wild drafted the Florida native in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media

A light MLB schedule with just nine games leads into a weekend loaded with intriguing action.
To help you prepare to bet on these games, we’ve done a deep dive into each one. Why? To find the best MLB bets for Thursday .
It should be a great day of baseball leading into the holiday weekend. Now, time for my best bets.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Under 7 at -123 or Brewers -1.5 at +119 (DraftKings)

The pitching matchup is not going to allow too many runs to be scored in this game. Milwaukee has Jacob Misiorowski (9-3, 1.45 ERA, 0.77 WHIP) taking the mound, and Cincinnati is going with Chase Burns (9-3, 2.36 ERA, 1.08 WHIP).

With those two on the mound, runs will be hard to come by in the game, which makes the Under a likely outcome. However, the Brewers have been hitting well (.283 over the last week), and the Reds are the last-place team in the NL Central for a reason.

Burns will keep the Reds competitive, but the Brewers lineup will prove to be too much once again. They won the first three games by 2+ runs; today will make it a clean sweep.

Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians

White Sox ML at -122 (DraftKings)

The White Sox lineup has been hitting .300+ over the last week before getting stymied by the Orioles yesterday. I wouldn’t count on Slade Cecconi (4-6, 4.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) doing the same. Davis Martin (9-3, 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) is having a great season for Chicago but has not been as good away from home (4-3, 4.67 ERA, .279 OBA).

Martin should be able to handle a mediocre Guardians lineup, even though he’s not at home. Cleveland will score, but don’t count on them to score much. Cecconi will do better than expected, but the White Sox bats will come alive once again and do well enough to secure the win.

Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers

Texas -1.5 at +153 (DraftKings)

Both starting pitchers can be described as “shaky.” Nathan Eovaldi (8-7, 3.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) had a shutout in his last outing but has a 4.50 ERA at home. Framber Valdez (4-5, 4.05 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) has given up four runs in four of his last eight starts but has done some of his best work on the road (1-2, 3.59 ERA, .240 OBA).

However, the Tigers lineup has been dependent on home runs over the last week (14). Globe Life Field is not a hitter-friendly park (No. 23 in home runs allowed, 81). Eovaldi has given up seven at home, but four came in one game back in April (4-24 vs. the A’s).

Without those home runs helping the Tigers out, the Rangers lineup will hit well enough against Cecconi to cover the run line.

The Atlanta Braves designated veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment on Thursday.

Tellez, 31, signed a minor league deal on March 23 and appeared in just seven games for the Braves.

Used mostly as a pinch-hitter, he batted .200 (2-for-10) with one home run and four RBIs.

Tellez is a career .234 hitter with 123 homers and 372 RBIs in 783 games with six teams since 2018.

Atlanta recalled shortstop Jim Jarvis, 25, from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding transaction.

Jarvis made his MLB debut on May 6 and was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts in two games that month.

–Field Level Media