Welcome to summer transfer window -- open on May 16 for the Premier League and a bit later in Europe. We are grading the most notable signings below from the top clubs across Europe, so come back throughout the month for updates as deals are completed.

The most recent grades and write-ups are at the top, and the first grade goes back to July 1 when the moves from the offseason are officially complete. Each day is in order of highest price.

If you don't see a grade for a deal that has been completed, check back later.

JULY 1

LUCAS HERNANDEZ, €80m
Atletico Madrid grade: C+
Bayern Munich grade: A

It's been quite a 12 months for Lucas -- first a World Cup winners' medal with France and now he's become one of the most expensive defenders of all time. The 23-year-old still has plenty of time to grow and his ability to play either left-back or centre-back means Bayern have plenty of options.

In landing Lucas alongside international teammate Benjamin Pavard (see below), the German side have secured their defence for the next decade. A great move, albeit an expensive one.

Atletico will gladly take the cash and use it to reinforce their side, but with Diego Godin already departing, one wonders if they will leave themselves open to defensive issues. He only signed a contract extension in June, so the club will be regretting the choice to keep his buyout clause so relatively low.

FRENKIE DE JONG, €75m
Ajax grade: B+
Barcelona grade: A

If Dortmund have found plenty of success buying cheap and selling big, Ajax are the blueprint to follow. The academy system brings through players at a young age, gives them first-team football and turns them into superstars. Frenkie de Jong has only made just over 50 appearances for Ajax but the 21-year-old holding midfielder cost Barcelona €75m -- money that Ajax will use to put back into the club and find the next player for the production line.

Announcing the deal in January was smart as the speculation was starting to impact player and club, so Ajax deserve props for that. But one wonders if they could have bagged even more money if they had waited for the summer when Man City, PSG and Real Madrid might have come in for him. Still, €75m is a fine amount and they got to keep him for the rest of the season to keep their Eredivisie title chase intact.

For Barcelona, De Jong is the natural heir to Sergio Busquets. He will learn a lot in the next couple of years playing with Busquets and teammates, while his style is perfect for how Barca play.

CHRISTIAN PULISIC, €64m
Dortmund grade: B
Chelsea grade: A+

When Chelsea announced they had signed U.S. international Christian Pulisic on Jan. 2 and would be loaning him back to Dortmund for the rest of the 2018-19 season, they stole a march on their rivals. The much-coveted 20-year-old had been tracked by every top club in the world, but Chelsea moved quickly to tie him down and it's a signing that safeguards the club's future as much as it improves their current squad.

Pulisic's combination of guile, creativity and skill make him one of the standout prospects in the world so for the Blues to land him for only €64m is a real coup.

Yes, Dortmund could have held out for more, they could have started a bidding war, but with only 18 months remaining on his contract, the German club knew they would be playing with fire. It's another star player sold, but as long as they keep unearthing gems like Jadon Sancho then they'll be fine.

RODRYGO, €54m
Santos grade: A+
Real Madrid grade: B

Having already spent €45m on young Brazilian attacker Vinicius Jr. back in 2017, Real Madrid agreed another monster deal in the summer of 2018 for a highly-rated 18-year-old who had been linked with Barcelona.

Rodrygo certainly has the talent to succeed and, if you believe his teammate Vinicius, can be "a great, like Neymar or [Kylian] Mbappe." Real would probably settle for the forward having the same impact as Vinicius did though, after the winger made a real impression at the Bernabeu in the second half of 2018-19 season with his skill and speed.

At €54m, Real have gambled on youth but it's a gamble that could pay off. There was no chance a talent like Rodrygo was going to stay in Brazil and Santos, as they have done many times before, got the best deal they possibly could. Let's just hope there's no succession of court cases in a few years' time about who was owed what.

EDER MILITAO, €50m
FC Porto grade: A+
Real Madrid grade: C

At first glance, Real Madrid spending €50m on a 21-year-old centre-back might be deemed good business. A good defender is hard to find, after all. But then you consider that Porto signed Eder Militao for €7m just last summer and that Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are two of the best centre-backs in world football, with Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Odriozola occupying the right-back slot, so he won't be playing regularly any time soon.

In signing a six-year deal, there's no doubt that Eder has plenty of room to grow. But Real have wasted a young talent before by keeping him on the bench, and it feels like this one is doomed to fail.

From Porto's perspective, a €43m profit inside eight months is incredible business. After a lucrative run in this season's Champions League, they can reinvest and move on quickly.

BENJAMIN PAVARD, €35m
Stuttgart grade: B
Bayern grade: B+

Bayern have been a bit of a mess this season, but Benjamin Pavard's performances for France in winning the World Cup this summer suggest that he can help them fix their issues. The 22-year-old can play at right-back or centre-back, so that versatility will be key for Bayern, while his release clause of €35m won't break the bank either.

If we're being completely honest, he's not the world-class addition that Bayern would shout from the rooftops but he's a solid addition with room to grow and he should play a big role in the next few years.

Clearly outgrowing Stuttgart, there was nothing much they could do to stop him leaving either, so it's a decent deal for them too.

RAUL JIMINEZ, £30m
Benfica: C
Wolves grade: A

You have to hand it to Raul Jiminez, struggling since he left Liga MX in 2014, the Mexico international striker made the best of his loan move to Wolves and earned himself a permanent deal, which the club were only too happy to break their transfer record to make happen.

A year of failure at Atletico Madrid and three seasons at Benfica in which he failed to get into double figures in the goals department has not daunted him. At 27, the chance to play at the top wasn't going to come around again and his form this season at Wolves has been nothing short of sensational. Only promoted last season, Wolves are looking like a class act.

Benfica initially landed him from Atletico for just under €10m, bought out his rights for another €12m and can count a healthy profit from their endeavours. They will only wonder how they weren't able to get the best out of him as Wolves clearly have.

AARON RAMSEY, Free
Arsenal: F
Juventus grade: A

It's actually quite hard to see how Arsenal could have made a worse job of this deal. First up they offer Aaron Ramsey a new deal, then they pull it out from underneath him and say he can leave on a free. So he does.

Evidently it's all down to the position he would have played under Unai Emery, but the fact of the matter is that the Gunners are letting one of Europe's top midfielders, coming into the peak of his powers at 28 years old, depart for nothing. And with only a reported £40m to spend on reinforcements for the whole squad, there's no guarantee they will be able to replace him adequately.

Juventus did what they always seem to do and signed a quality player for nothing, so it's an A for them. It's only not an A+ because they had to make him a very lucrative wage offer to get him to sign. Gab Marcotti explains why that was a reckless move.

The Premier League transfer window is open. You can click here to review all the latest transfers and keep up to date with all the latest gossip below.

Transfer window grades | When does the window open in Europe?

TOP STORY: United target Dembele as Lukaku replacement?

Manchester United are eyeing Lyon striker Moussa Dembele as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku this summer, according to The Sun.

The 22-year-old has scored 14 goals in Ligue 1 this season, warranting himself a price tag of around £40 million, according to the report. In a summer in which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to heavily overhaul his ageing squad, Dembele could come in for Lukaku, who has been linked with moves away from the club to Inter Milan and PSG after a less-than-stellar year at Old Trafford.

United are expected to adopt a different approach in the transfer market ahead of the 2019-20 season, by buying young players to develop rather than marquee signings, and Dembele would fit that category.

LIVE BLOG

08.25 BST: Cadena Cope report that Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has called Atletico Madrid in the hope of convincing Rodrigo to join the Premier League champions this summer.

City are reportedly very interested in signing the 22-year-old defensive midfielder and are prepared to pay his €70m buyout clause. Guardiola is a fan of Rodrigo, who has similar qualities to Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets.

Asked about Rodrigo's future, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo told Cadena Cope radio: "Right now, Rodrigo is an Atletico player but if tomorrow an offer arrives and he wants to leave.."

08.00 BST: Gianluigi Buffon, 41, has revealed that Paris Saint-Germain have offered him a new contract that will take him into his 25th year as a professional.

The goalkeeper told Sky Italia: "The club have offered me a renewal and this really delights and gratifies me. We'll meet in the coming days to have a look within this project and understand if we both feel it is right to carry on."

The 2006 World Cup winner has made 23 appearances for PSG this season as the club retained the Ligue 1 title but once again fell short in Europe, losing to Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

PAPER TALK (by Stephen Wright)

Saints and Magpies targeting Bolasie

Yannick Bolasie is on the shortlist for Southampton and Newcastle United, as the two Premier League clubs prepare to take the winger away from Everton, while Crystal Palace would consider a season-long loan deal. The Sun reports.

Bolasie signed for Everton from Crystal Palace for £25m in 2016, but the Frenchman's time at Goodison Park has left a lot to be desired, with Marco Silva sending him out on loan spells to Aston Villa as well as RSC Anderlecht in 2018-19.

Should Everton sell him, they will not get a great return on their investment, as he is currently worth around £7m. Elsewhere in Europe, Turkish sides Besiktas and Galatasaray are also keeping tabs on Bolasie.

Madrid to offload 14 players

Real Madrid have been frequently linked with signing a number of players in recent weeks, including Eden Hazard and Paul Pogba, but the size of their squad is not infinite, and Zinedine Zidane intends to make way for new signings by offloading as many as 14 of his current outfit, Marca understands.

Those who are expected to make way include fringe players such as Keylor Navas, Sergio Reguilon, Jesus Vallejo, Theo Fernandez, Dani Ceballos, Martin Odegaard, Marcos Llorente, Oscar Rodriguez, Borja Mayoral, and Raul de Tomas, as well as heavy hitters Mateo Kovacic and Gareth Bale.

Such an overhaul indicates a busy summer ahead at Santiago Bernabeu, with plenty of Europe's biggest names in football continuing to be linked with big-money moves to Madrid.

Tap-ins

- Crystal Palace full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Patrick van Aanholt may both be on their way to Manchester United this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to strengthen his defence for next season, The Sun understands. Put together, the pair would cost United around £50m.

- Alexis Sanchez's departure from Manchester United is looking more and more likely, as The Independent reports that meetings have been held with Juventus. Inter Milan are also interested, but neither are keen on his current wage demands, which have been causing some complications.

Yorkshire 210 and 166 for 3 (Ballance 57*, Lyth 44) lead Kent 296 (Robinson 103, Crawley 81) by 80 runs

Gary Ballance posted Yorkshire's first half-century of the game to keep his side in contention against a Kent side buoyed by a second County Championship century of the season by rookie keeper-batsman Ollie Robinson.

Having conceded a first innings deficit of 86 runs, Yorkshire closed on 166 for 3 after 46 overs of their second innings to lead by 80 runs going into the third day of this finely poised Division One game in Canterbury.

Ballance, who won the last of his 23 Test caps in July 2017, went in at the close unbeaten with 57 and having added 27 with fourth-wicket partner Jack Leaning, who was not out 11.

After dismissing Kent for 296, Yorkshire started their second innings shortly before tea but soon lost Harry Brook, caught behind when prodding outside off at one from Fred Klaassen.

Left-handed pairing Adam Lyth and Ballance took their total through to 82 before Lyth, well set on 44, nibbled at a Mitch Claydon leg-cutter to be caught at the wicket.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore became the final casualty of the day when he attempted to force off the back foot against Daniel Bell-Drummond to be held in the gully.

Kent, who had earlier resumed on their overnight score of 130 for 4, only had themselves to blame for missing out on a third batting bonus point by only four runs.

Robinson and Zak Crawley batted on for half an hour without alarm to extend their partnership's value to 86 before Crawley fell for 81 to Steven Patterson's fourth ball of the day. In aiming to work a length ball to mid-wicket, the willowy right-hander found a leading edge to loop a comfortable return catch to the bowler.

Robinson, Kent's 20-year-old understudy keeper, drove nicely all morning to his first 50 at Canterbury from 103 balls with six fours and with only three scoring leg-side shots.

After a sticky start, Alex Blake cover drove Patterson for four to raise Kent's 200 and a batting bonus point, then the left-hander's backward cut through point against Dom Bess also went to the ropes to level the scores.

With his score on 22, Blake took a hefty blow on the head after ducking into a Duanne Olivier bouncer but continued after treatment and replacing his helmet. He swayed out of the way nicely when Olivier followed up with another bumper.

Olivier maintained his aggression and was unlucky not to remove Robinson on 71 when an edged glance flew behind to Jon Tattersall, only for the Yorkshire gloveman to spill the chance.

Robinson and Blake added 50 before Blake, having been dropped at short leg the previous delivery, edged to slip to give Kohler-Cadmore the fourth of his six out-field catches - equalling the Yorkshire record set by Ellis Robinson against Leicestershire at Bradford in 1938.

With Kent's Robinson edging toward three figures, Harry Podmore miscued to mid-on to gift Bess a wicket, then Matt Milnes nicked off against Olivier.

Robinson finally reached his 177-ball ton with a scampered single to mid-off, but holed out soon after enabling Yorkshire to polish off the home tail.

Warwickshire 184 for 7 (Sibley 95, Abbott 4-43) trail Hampshire 354 (Alsop 150, Patel 6-94) by 170 runs

A searing post-tea burst from Kyle Abbott put Hampshire in command against Warwickshire on the second day of their County Championship clash at Edgbaston.

After Hampshire were lifted to a solid 354 by Tom Alsop's classy, career-best 150 off 317 balls, including 23 fours, the home side's reply advanced smoothly enough to 135 for three before Abbott's blast of three wickets for four runs in eight balls.

Suddenly, the follow-on figure of 204 was far from a formality for Warwickshire and they still have work to do to reach it, having closed the second day on 184 for 7.

Against a rampant and raucous Hampshire side, the injury-ravaged Bears were left leaning heavily on Dominic Sibley. The former Surrey opener, who has scored centuries in each of his previous five first-class matches, went into stumps five short of another.

In the morning session, Hampshire added 63 to their overnight 291 for 6. They advanced to 327 without further loss before Jeetan Patel took the last four wickets in 33 balls.

The Bears' captain finished with 6 for 94, his 35th first-class haul of five-or-more wickets, after Gareth Berg fired back a fierce return catch, Alsop skied to mid-off, Abbott played on and former Warwickshire player Keith Barker edged behind.

In reply, Warwickshire lost three wickets in the afternoon session. Will Rhodes edged an excellent ball from Abbot to second slip where Joe Weatherley took a smart catch before debutant Rob Yates' maiden first-class innings was ended by a ripper from Liam Dawson. Having opened his first-class account with a sumptuous cover-driven four off Abbott, Yates offered no stroke to Dawson's second delivery only to see it turn in a long way to strike off-stump.

Sibley and Adam Hose began to retrench but, having added 40, were separated in the last over before tea when Fidel Edwards speared a yorker through Hose's defence.

Liam Banks settled alongside Sibley to add 47 in 17 overs but then came Abbott's purple patch - a textbook example of aggressive, straight fast-bowling. He bowled Banks through the gate then removed Alex Thomson, who offered no shot, and Tim Ambrose lbw with successive balls.

That left Warwickshire still 59 short of the follow on figure with four wickets left. Sibley and Craig Miles added 26 but Edwards, brought back fresh just before the close, had the latter caught at short leg.

Pakistan women 120 for 3 (Dar 53, Maroof 53*) beat South Africa women 119 for 7 (Tryon 43, Mir 3-14, Dar 2-30) by seven wickets

Captain Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar both struck fifties as Pakistan stormed to a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the first T20I in Pretoria. After Sana Mir's 3 for 14 helped restrict the hosts to 119 for 7, Maroof and Dar shared an 89-run third-wicket stand to guide Pakistan's chase. Dar fell moments before the result was sealed but she scooped up the Player of the Match award for her part in helping Pakistan to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, Maroof remaining unbeaten on 53.

Pakistan lost Javeria Rauf in the first over of their chase but Maroof walked in at No. 3 and calmed any early jitters with a brace of boundaries in the third over, the second via a particularly sweet pull to the square leg boundary. Maroof and Umaima Sohail ticked through the Powerplay at close to a run a ball, with Sohail spanking six off a Marizanne Kapp full toss before she was dismissed by medium pacer Tumi Sekhukhune.

But Maroof found an able partner in Dar, who laced the second legitimate delivery she faced to the cover boundary and continued in cruise control as South Africa struggled to break through. Having seen off the hosts' vaunted pace attack, Maroof and Dar set to work on the spinners, with Maroof sweeping Sune Luus' first ball to the backward square leg boundary and Dar swiping two more fours in the legspinner's next over.

Maroof was first into the forties, but Dar accelerated past her to reach fifty first with a swatted six over extra cover. Having got to the brink of victory, Pakistan made slightly heavy weather of the final push, with Dar bowled for 53 having a swipe at Klaas with just two runs needed. Iram Javed played out the wicket maiden and, after Maroof handed her the strike at the start of the 18th over, tapped away four dot balls before a quick single sealed the result.

Dar had also played a crucial part with the ball, her 2 for 30 complementing Mir's efforts as Pakistan's two leading wicket-takers in this format shared five wickets to hinder South Africa's efforts. Mir struck twice in the very first over, trapping Lizelle Lee in front of her stumps and then finding Tazmin Brits' outside edge.

They also lost Kapp inside the Powerplay, and when Mignon du Preez chipped a catch to mid off and Luus was bowled by Mir for 10, the innings was in danger of meandering completely off course at 49 for 5 in the 13th over. A 54-run stand between Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail repaired some of the damage, but South Africa had plenty of ground to make up after their top-order failures and their eventual total was easily bettered by Dar and Maroof.

Zimbabwe cricketer Brendan Taylor's wife was mugged outside their home in Harare earlier this week, with Taylor tweeting about the incident and urging residents of the city to remain vigilant amid reports of increased crime.

"Just had an alarming situation outside my house," Taylor wrote. "I was waiting for my wife's return in my driveway. I started hearing her screaming about 100m from my gate, she was getting mugged by 4 armed men. I ran outside and they sped away in red Honda Fit."

Local media has reported an increase in crime in the country since the intensification of load-shedding in Harare this week, with criminals apparently taking advantage of the power failures in the capital city's suburbs.

"Fortunately she only lost her handbag and it could of [sic] been a lot worse," Taylor posted on Twitter. "People are getting desperate, be vigilant when entering your property and try keep off the roads after dark. With all this load shedding we're easy targets."

Avondale Police station, which is the station closest to Taylor's house, has also taken to social media to urge residents of the area to be on high alert.

"We note with concern the crime activity in our area in the last 8 weeks," read a message on the station's social media page. "Unregistered vehicles continue to expose our community to crime and we now are appealing to all our Avondale residents and Security Structures, Neighbourhood Watches, Whatsapp Media Platforms to be on high alert for any suspicious individuals or vehicles."

Shakib Al Hasan retired hurt during the course of Bangladesh's chase in the final league fixture against Ireland after hurting his left side.

The injury, suspected to be a side strain, took him off the field after he had faced 51 balls for his half-century. The incident occurred at the end of the 36th over of Bangladesh's chase. Only an over earlier, he was holding his left side in pain. Physio Thihan Chandramohan spent several minutes trying to relieve him of the pain, before Shakib decided to continue batting.

Then as he resumed, he felt the pain as he pulled a short ball off Joshua Little. However, he decided to retire hurt in the next over. The gravity of his injury isn't yet ascertained and it is likely that the Bangladesh Cricket Board will throw light after receiving an update from the physio.

The decision was a wise one, considering Bangladesh are in their final stretches of preparation for the World Cup. As such, Shakib has dealt with multiple finger injuries in recent times, the one last September nearly derailing his career as the finger contracted an infection.

Shakib then broke his finger during the BPL final in February, which forced him to miss the New Zealand tour.

Bangladesh are already through to the tri-series final against West Indies on May 17.

It didn't take long for New York Jets interim general manager Adam Gase to make his first trade.

The team on Wednesday night agreed to send linebacker Darron Lee to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2020 sixth-round pick, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gase inherited personnel power earlier Wednesday, when general manager Mike Maccagnan was fired after four seasons. Gase, hired in January as the coach, will serve as the interim GM until a new one is hired.

Maccagnan picked Lee in the first round of the 2016 draft. His days were numbered as soon as the Jets signed middle linebacker C.J. Mosley to a record-setting contract in free agency. They tried to trade Lee during the NFL draft last month, then declined to exercise his fifth-year option.

Lee was the 20th overall pick in the 2016 draft. It was a curious choice, because at 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, he seemed small to play inside linebacker in the 3-4 defense. The coaching staff downplayed the size factor, saying he fit the growing trend of fast linebackers who could play in space against spread offenses.

The former Ohio State standout struggled in his first two seasons, especially against the run, but he showed signs of improvement in 2018. He made three interceptions -- the first three of his career -- including one returned for a touchdown.

Lee felt he had played well enough to earn Pro Bowl consideration, but his season came to an abrupt end after the 12th game when he received a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He has yet to comment publicly on the matter.

Due to the suspension, Lee's 2019 base salary of $1.84 million is no longer fully guaranteed, because by rule the guarantee was voided. The Jets had no intention of exercising his fifth-year option for 2020, which would have been an estimated $10 million.

In the Jets' way of thinking, Lee became expendable when they signed Mosley to a five-year, $85 million contract in free agency. Mosley will replace Avery Williamson, who will slide over to Lee's former spot -- the weak-inside linebacker position.

Williamson's $8 million salary is guaranteed, and there was no chance that the Jets would eat that much money.

In three seasons, Lee started 36 of 40 games, compiling four sacks, two forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries.

Lee became the first of Maccagnan's first-round picks to be jettisoned from the roster. The other four -- defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, quarterback Sam Darnold, safety Jamal Adams and defensive end Leonard Williams -- were all top-six picks.

In Kansas City, Lee should get the chance for playing time.

The Chiefs, with one of the NFL's worst defensive teams last season, have undergone a dramatic overhaul on that side of the ball. Among the changes is to a 4-3 defensive system.

At least one of the starting linebacker spots is up for grabs after the Chiefs traded one of last year's starters in Dee Ford and released another in Justin Houston. Anthony Hitchens, a free-agent addition last year, and Damien Wilson, who signed this year, figure to be two of the starters. The third spot is up for grabs, and that's where Lee could get a look.

The Chiefs also have Reggie Ragland, who started 15 games last season, and Dorian O'Daniel, a third-round pick last season.

ESPN's Adam Teicher contributed to this report.

ST. LOUIS -- The four officials huddled by the penalty box. Most of the San Jose Sharks had retreated to the dressing room, believing that Erik Karlsson's goal at 5:23 of overtime had given them a Game 3 win and a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference finals. None of the St. Louis Blues had left the bench or the ice, believing there was absolutely no chance these officials could have missed the hand pass by the Sharks' Timo Meier that led to that goal.

But they did.

All four of them missed it, marking another blown call in a postseason that has been defined by refereeing controversies and officiating errors. Since the National Hockey League's video review process doesn't include hand passes that lead to goals, the Sharks were victorious. And the Blues were irate.

"I really didn't get an explanation other than, I guess, there's a different set of rules for two different teams, so I'm sure they'll lose some sleep tonight after looking at it," St. Louis captain Alex Pietrangelo said after the Blues' 5-4 loss to San Jose that left them standing on the bench dumbfounded -- at least the ones who weren't on the ice smashing their sticks in anger.

Just over five minutes into overtime, Meier slid to the ice, waving his stick at the puck. It deflected off St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko and bounced in the air, then off Meier's chest -- and then he swatted it with his right glove. Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester kicked out his leg to stop it, but it trickled to Gustav Nyquist, who fed the puck to Karlsson for a shot that went past goalie Jordan Binnington.

The Sharks celebrated, and the Blues swarmed the officials. Binnington flipped his catching glove up and down to signify that he saw a hand pass. The Blues remained on their bench and on the ice. The remaining Sharks skated to the dressing room after the officials indicated that the goal would stand.

Binnington slammed his stick in anger. Brayden Schenn did the same, breaking it on the end boards. Numerous Blues players waved their arms on the bench in disbelief. But the officials left the ice, under the cover of a canopy that protected them from the cups and cans that began littering the rink from the enraged fans at Enterprise Center, who by then had seen multiple replays of the hand pass on the giant video screen.

In the bowels of the arena, loud displays of anger could be heard. St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong slammed his hand on the door of the officials' dressing room, yelling that the decision was "f---ing garbage."

What did Karlsson see on the play?

"We weren't playing handball, were we?" he said after the game. "We were playing hockey. We deserved to win this game. At the end of the day, I don't think either team drew the shorter stick on any of the calls. Fair game."

The Blues said they received no explanation for the call from the officials. Was it a hand pass?

"What do you guys think?" St. Louis coach Craig Berube asked the media during his postgame news conference.

A few reporters said, "Yes."

"Then don't ask me," he said. "There's no reason to ask me. I've got nothing to say about it."

In an official statement, the NHL said: "Plays of this nature are not reviewable. A hand pass that goes into the net can be reviewed, but a hand pass between teammates cannot be reviewed."

A pool reporter caught up with Kay Whitmore, the NHL's supervisor of officials for the series, and asked whether any of the officials saw the hand pass.

"What [did they tell] me? It's a non-reviewable play. You can read between the lines. You can figure out what you want. You watched the video. But it's just non-reviewable. I know that sounds like a cop-out answer, but that's the truth," Whitmore said.

Could the War Room in Toronto have stepped in on a critical goal such as this?

"The way the rules are written, any chance there is to review, everything is reviewed that's reviewable," Whitmore said. "But as the rules currently stand, the play is non-reviewable."

As with many other calls this postseason, the discussion quickly shifted to whether replay should be expanded to include this kind of play.

"We're going to go there, eh?" said David Perron of the Blues. "Yeah, it's a hand pass. The league's going to take care of it as they have throughout the playoffs."

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer passed the buck.

"That's for [commissioner] Gary Bettman and GMs. That's not for Pete DeBoer. I'm a coach. You want to ask me about the game?" he said.

The rest of the game seemed secondary to the call in overtime, but it was a tremendous rally by the Sharks.

After San Jose built a 2-0 lead in the first period, the second period will go down as one of the postseason's wildest. The Blues' Alexander Steen scored at 1:18 on a hard-fought feed from Ivan Barbashev. Joe Thornton scored his second of the game just 18 seconds later. Vladimir Tarasenko rocketed in his first goal since Game 4 against the Dallas Stars to cut it to 3-2. Perron fired one past Martin Jones at close range to tie it, then scored again from just inside the blue line with Brent Burns in the box for hooking, one of only two penalties in regulation, for a 4-3 lead at 18:42. That broke an 0-for-18 streak on the power play for St. Louis that dated to Game 3 of the Dallas series.

It did not, however, break the Sharks. They peppered Binnington with quality chances, with the rookie goaltender doing as he does and standing tall in the third. But playoff pluck is found throughout both of these rosters, and the Sharks' most reliable postseason paladin struck again: Logan Couture, heretofore held in check in Game 3, tucked a puck past Binnington's pad on the door step with Jones pulled at 18:59 of the third. Couture now has 20 points and 14 goals to lead the playoffs.

"I think it's one of those playoffs runs we'll look back at years down the road and say, wow, what a competitor, what a leader. But when you're in the heat of the moment, he's just doing what he does," said DeBoer, who also praised the play of Jones in making 15 saves in the third period and overtime.

The Blues attempted to turn the page quickly in their locker room, and that was the message echoed from the coach.

"It's difficult to lose in overtime, the playoffs, anytime. You've got to move on. The team's got to move on. We've all got to move on from it and get ready for Game 4. Really, that's all you can do," Berube said. "We played a solid hockey game, but we were on the losing side of it. And there's nothing we can do about what happened. We've just got to move on."

That "hey, things happen" vibe also was found in the jubilant Sharks room.

"You know what? There's a few calls you're going to get. You're not going to get certain ones. Everyone keeps talking about the hand pass, so there must have been something there, but at the end of the day, there are calls that go both ways. That's the playoffs. There's adversity. You gotta adjust, handle it, keep your cool," San Jose captain Joe Pavelski said.

"If you get the extra call, great. Just keep playing. They're not trying to screw anybody. They really aren't. They're good guys. May not always seem that way, but tonight, we may have caught a break, but there were a lot of breaks going both ways all night, all series."

One can't help but note the enormity of the breaks that have gone the Sharks' way. For the second time in the postseason, a critical blown call led to a San Jose win. In Game 3 against St. Louis, it was a hand pass the officials missed that led to a game-winning overtime goal. In Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round, the Sharks were given a five-minute major they shouldn't have received, rallied with four goals in the third period and then won in overtime.

The NHL apologized to Vegas for that botched call. It remains to be seen whether the Blues will receive a similar mea culpa before Game 4.

The NBA is expected to move up the start of its annual moratorium on free-agent negotiations from midnight ET on July 1 to 6 p.m. on June 30, sources told ESPN.

While the decision isn't finalized, the expectation is that it will be implemented for this year's free-agency period.

The decision is long overdue, as the current system has forced players and teams to work into the early-morning hours on July 1 to conduct the opening rounds of business in free agency. Moving up the start will allow people to have a more normal schedule.

At his annual news conference at the Las Vegas Summer League in July, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said such a change was likely to happen.

"In terms of when free agency begins, I've not only heard from my friends in the media, but as I get older and the people I grew up [with] in the NBA get older, I think we're all tired of all-nighters," Silver said. "What I've heard from, again, several of my colleagues at teams are, does this really need to be at midnight? I think that's something that we'd need to find agreement on with the players' association. But I think we could change for next year.

"It's one of those things that everybody looks at each other and says, 'Why has it always been that way?' It's unclear. It's just always been at midnight. But putting aside the impact on the working media, I think there is so much interest in it. Clearly, if it were happening at a more reasonable time, it would be better for coverage.

"But again, I think also it maybe was kind of fun in the old days scheduling the meetings at midnight or something else. But I think we're past that. I expect a change for next season."