OF. HOOPS AND HOCKEY ... BENNETT AND TROUBA.

 How many coaches do you know who would reject a deserved hike in pay when signing a new, long-term contract? I mean, other than Virginia’s TONY BENNETT … who did it again … agreeing to add four more years at $4 million-plus annually, with bonuses totaling $2.8M if he remains for the duration through 2030-31? … The winningest basketball coach in U.Va., history (15 years: 364-136, .728 ), with the program’s only national championship (2019), Bennett, 55, is one of those rare people who actually believes he makes enough … and would rather make sure his assistants get their fare share, too … No wonder TONY MARKEL (U.Va.,‘64) of Richmond-based Markel, Inc., and TOM DEAN (‘79) saw fit to endow Bennett’s program for $10M … which was completed in its entirety a year ago … Then, with a few extra dollars at his disposal, Markel more recently gave $3M to endow the school’s golf team as well. “They wanted me to help with football,” he said, “but I decided some of the other sports needed it just as much, if not more. You know, there’s a lot of pressure on Olympic sports to do well, too.”

....... Subject to change … Captain JACOB TROUBA – 

and his $8M contract cap-space burden to the New 

York Rangers – was not traded to the Detroit Red 

Wings as predicted by those closest to the Broadway 

Blueshirts … while ZAC JONES, the forgotten man 

of the NY defense, remains, too … and can’t be too 

happy about it. Wait! Maybe, just maybe, things will 

work for both of them after all … With Trouba 

earmarked for the third defensive pairing, demoted 

from No. 2 after a less than remarkable regular season 

compounded by a terrible post-season, that means he 

will be paired with Jones, the native Richmonder now 

expected to replace ERIK GUSTAFSSON, free-agent 

signee with Detroit, on the left side … Never mind you 

could have made a strong argument for Jones over 

Gustafsson despite coach PETER LAVIOLETTE’S 

insistence that resulted in the native Richmonder 

missing the last 20 games, including playoffs. The 

Jones/Trouba matchup could prove ideal for both of 

them … Trouba is the so-called tough guy who doesn’t 

mind mixing it up … while Jones is an excellent skater 

and passer who seldom has trouble moving the puck 

out of the Rangers’ end … unlike Trouba, who should 

have Jones’ back which will unquestionably will help, 

too … It says here they could be the Rangers’ most 

effective duo. Of course, it’s all predicated on GM

 CHRIS DRURY not terminating Trouba either by 

trade or by buyout. According to several news outlets 

in the Big Apple, Drury remains likely to do one or the 

other … because he needs the cap space to meet 

goaltender IGOR SHESTERKIN’S demands for a 

new contract in the $12.9M range, a whopping 14 

percent of the new NHL cap of $88 million … that 

would make him the highest paid goaltender in league 

history … Of course, Drury could opt for a blockbuster 

trade involving Shesterkin, rely on backup

 JONATHAN QUICK and hope his porous defense 

gets a lot better … The Stanley Cup-champion Florida 

Panthers expressed interest in Jones during the season 

but apparently didn’t followup despite letting two 

defensemen leave as free agents … including BEN 

MONTOUR whose bad (no look) pass at the blue line 

in Game 5 was stolen and turned into a short-handed 

goal that kept Edmonton rolling to three straights wins 

(after being down 0-3) … Come to think about it … 

having signed with the Rangers four years ago after 

leading UMass to the NCAA championship, Jones 

made his debut, playing the last 10 games of the 

season … replacing Trouba who was injured … The 

son of ROB JONES, former ECHL Richmond 

Renegades’ trainer/equipment manager, Z Jones will 

be on the second of a two-year contract calling for a 

modest $825,000 annually. Taken as a whole, he and 

Trouba could be a bargain pairing … Gustafsson 

joined the Red Wings, his seventh team in nine years, 

for a two-year contract worth $2M per. He was making 

the same as Jones after spending 2022-23 with 

Washington and Toronto.

Until next time ...