Connect with us

Published

on

Novak Djokovic, the No. 1-ranked men’s player in the world, has a chance to make history: complete the calendar-year Grand Slam and break a tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who also have 20 major titles, for the most in men’s tennis history.

Daniil Medvedev can spoil Djokovic’s bid to become the first man to win all four majors — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open — in the same year.

Who comes out on top in Sunday’s US Open men’s final? Our experts break down the magnitude of Djokovic’s run, what makes him so good at 34 years old and what the 25-year-old Medvedev needs to do to pull off the upset.

Djokovic is looking at history and has wavered at times in the tournament, especially in first sets. What weaknesses/areas of opportunity might exist that Medvedev could take advantage of?

Brad Gilbert: Yellow card for stupidity of question. He’s never wavered, and there are no weaknesses in his game than his overhead. That’s a yellow-card question for even saying that he wavered. It’s best-of-five for a reason, and he is great at navigating that. There’s nothing that Medvedev can take advantage of, but it is key for him, if he has any chance, to win the first set and serve tremendous.

Bill Connelly: His return abandoned him against Alexander Zverev in the semis, but Djokovic’s biggest issue has been obvious: He has taken some haymakers out of the gate. He has dropped six sets in this tournament, and he has dropped the first set in four straight matches. He was too dominant from the second set on against Kei Nishikori, Jenson Brooksby and Matteo Berrettini, but dropping the first set to Zverev could have cost him dearly had he not eked out a massive, tight third set. Medvedev is more than good enough to take two of the final four sets if he cashes in on the first.

Alexandra Stevenson: First. I think Djokovic wavers in first sets because he’s measuring his opponent — the hit of the ball, the rhythm of the court. Surely, losing a first set can be considered an opportunity for Medvedev. Look for Djokovic’s serve motion. Does he look strong? When he’s driven back, sometimes he doesn’t move through the forehand and he gets caught with his hit in the net.

The weakness for Medvedev to attack? Go at Djokovic’s all-court consistency. Every pattern. Every ball. Break him down. Can Medvedev get Djokovic thinking about his forehand? Djokovic has shown that his opponents wear down in terms of their physical prowess on court. Like Zverev.

Rennae Stubbs: That Djokovic is not invincible. I think Medvedev would have taken some confidence in knowing Djokovic has shown vulnerability throughout, but he also understands no one is as good as Djokovic over five sets. His focus will be squarely on not letting up if he gets a lead.

Aishwarya Kumar: During the semifinals Zverev tested Djokovic, running him all over the court, particularly in the third and the fourth sets. The match saw some of the longest rallies of the tournament, and Djokovic, who never looks tired, showed signs of slight weariness. If Medvedev is able to move him around the court and challenge him to keep his serve — and consistently at that — he might be able to take a set and put some pressure on the world No. 1.

Ohm Youngmisuk: Djokovic raised his level of play when he had to, especially in the fifth set against Zverev. But he has given his opponents opportunities. No one has been able to take advantage yet. Medvedev has to take this from Djokovic. He’ll have to do more than just get everything back against Djokovic. He will have to be the aggressor. And he also has to hope that the pressure of trying to make history will also wear on Djokovic too.

D’Arcy Maine: It has to start with taking advantage of Djokovic’s recent trend of slow starts and stealing the first set. Beyond that, Djokovic has certainly proved difficult, if not impossible, to beat. However, Medvedev has their clash at the 2020 ATP Finals to look to for guidance as well. In that match, he defeated the world No. 1 with a staggering defensive display and strong serving, essentially beating Djokovic at his own game. The stakes are much higher this time around, and it’s a best-of-five match, but on that day Medvedev had an answer for everything Djokovic tried. Trying to replicate that game plan might be his best hope.

Medvedev has almost quietly made the final. What has been the key to his success?

Gilbert: He has been serving great all tournament and has dropped only one set. A fast start will also be key for Medvedev.

Connelly: He has been serving like crazy. The serve has improved overall this year, and his numbers in these later rounds have been wild. Medvedev has won at least 80% of his first-serve points in five of six matches — to put that in perspective, John Isner is only at 79% for the year, Reilly Opelka 77% — and over the last three rounds he’s landed an especially high percentage of his first serves in. Obviously those numbers will get the stiffest possible test against Djokovic: Medvedev won only 69% of his first-serve points in their Australian Open final meeting, but combined with his increasing willingness to come to the net, Medvedev’s service game overall has improved significantly since Melbourne.

Stevenson: His movement. People can criticize where Medvedev stands — way in the back of the court — but look at where he ends up. His coverage of the court has brought him to the final. He’s going to be a player trying to bust open a no-hitter ball game, only this time, it’s the calendar-year Grand Slam.

Stubbs: Believing in himself and his ability to play on hard court. Because his game transfers so well to this surface, I think he now believes he belongs in the final.

Kumar: While all eyes were on Djokovic, and then the teens making history at the US Open, Medvedev has dominated his end of the draw, dropping just one set in the entire tournament on his way to the final. The key to his success: his serve. He has a stellar first and second serve, and he rarely gets broken. He also gets to every ball, which leaves a lot of his opponents scrambling to pick up the pieces. This, combined with his ability to keep his level up throughout a match, has given him the quiet confidence and the edge to get to his second US Open final and his second Grand Slam final of the year.

Youngmisuk: Medvedev is like a robot. He just grinds and grinds and is like a ball machine. His consistency is a weapon. But he has also had a relatively easy path here, facing just two double-digit seeds on his way to the final. He’ll need fresh legs against Djokovic.

Maine: Considering how much attention Medvedev received during his 2019 run to the final, it’s almost shocking to see how under the radar he is this time around. But make no mistake — that’s by design. He said on Friday he was happy to have had such a “smooth” tournament thus far. He has dropped just one set thus far, and by getting the job done efficiently each match, and with no fireworks or fan interactions, he has been able to simply focus on playing his incredible tennis.

Perhaps nothing better exemplifies his locked-in demeanor than the second set of his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Down 5-2 in the second set, and facing two set points at 5-4, Medvedev used his experience to build a remarkable comeback to take the set, 7-5, and win the match in straight sets.

What is the blueprint Djokovic should follow to beat Medvedev?

Gilbert: There is no blueprint. When people ask these questions — every player plays differently. Djokovic is 2-0 head-to-head in best-of-five, and they’re 3-3 in every other match. So, the fact that it’s a best-of-five is a huge advantage to Djokovic.

Connelly: The body-blow blueprint is the best card Djokovic still has to play. His biggest remaining advantage over the rising crop in men’s tennis is his pure best-of-five endurance. It saved him against Tsitsipas in the French Open final, and it saved him against Zverev on Friday night. Medvedev’s hard-court game is as good or better than Djokovic’s at this point — he has won a higher percentage of both service and return points than Djokovic on hard courts over the last year — but Djokovic’s lungs and best-of-five aura have been too much for anyone to overcome.

Stevenson: Djokovic is following his own blueprint. He knows Medvedev. Djokovic will focus on what brought him to the final: his mental acumen, his all-court technical consistency and his functional physical being on the court. If Djokovic brings those three to Arthur Ashe, he’ll make history.

Stubbs: His own. No one knows how to win in these moments more than anyone in the history of men’s tennis.

Kumar: Same as always: Wear Medvedev down. Get him running early on in the match. And then break him when he’s tired and can’t keep up. Simple.

Youngmisuk: Djokovic just has to play his game, block out the pressure of making history and do what he does best: get every ball, wear down his opponent and impose his will. If he plays his game up to his normal level and doesn’t let nerves or the moment get the best of him, he should be hoisting No. 21 at the end of the day.

Maine: Djokovic completely dismantled the red-hot Medvedev in the Australian Open final in February, and that’s as custom-made of a blueprint as he’ll find heading into Sunday. He found a way to disrupt Medvedev’s rhythm with a variety of shots and outlasted him in the long rallies. Perhaps most importantly, Djokovic kept his cool throughout and never seemed fazed. If he can repeat that performance, this could be another quick afternoon.

What has been the most impressive part of Djokovic’s run through this season?

Gilbert: His resilience. His problem-solving. His willingness to adapt his game when he needs to.

Connelly: Honestly, the most impressive part is that he hasn’t been at his most impressive. In both of his previous two incredible runs — winning four of five Slams in 2011-12, winning five of six in 2015-16 — he was more dominant from point to point than he is now. This has been harder, and he has found a way to consistently survive and advance.

Stevenson: Of the many impressive moments in the Djokovic season, I think it is the ups and downs of playing professional tennis during a pandemic, testing positive for COVID-19, fighting for political change on the ATP Tour, standing up for lower-ranked players, working on changing his “villain” moniker, winning when it mattered, understanding history and embracing it for the world to see. Djokovic can look to the president’s box and see Rod Laver, who won the calendar-year Grand Slam twice (in 1962 and 1969). Now that is impressive.

Stubbs: Everything! He is a mental and physical giant.

Kumar: His resilience. We all know how last year ended for him. He was defaulted from the US Open after he hit a woman line judge with a ball toward the end of the first set in the fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta. For him to take a step back, calibrate and have this almost perfect year of tennis — he is 27-0 in Grand Slams this year — is quite an accomplishment.

Youngmisuk: He’s relentlessness. Outside of the Olympic meltdown, Djokovic just keeps grinding down his opponents. Perhaps even more impressive is how he has managed to keep winning with the added weight and pressure of making history.

Maine: Having witnessed his meltdown in Tokyo firsthand, I’m most amazed by what he has been able to do in New York after suffering such a disappointment at the Olympics. He was not shy about his desire for the Golden Slam but left the Games empty-handed and with his reputation somewhat damaged due to his unsavory attitude during the bronze-medal match and after.

He then came back to the US Open — from which he had defaulted last year — and has been able to notch impressive win after impressive win and keep his composure, despite the increasing pressure and a weird trend of losing the opening set in the past four matches. It has been quite the emotional turnaround.

Honorable mention: His semifinal win over Nadal at Roland Garros to secure his spot in the French Open final. To beat the King of Clay — the greatest to ever play on the surface — in Paris in four sets was the stuff of legend.

Prediction time: Who will win and why?

Gilbert: I have wanted to see history since we started thinking about this a lot, and I hate to even talk about a perfect game, because that’s what it is. It’s a perfect game and it’s a jinx to talk about a perfect game, but Djokovic is going to win this match, most likely in four sets. Wouldn’t even be surprised if it was straight sets like in Australia.

Connelly: In the “Djokovic vs. the field” competition, I’ve been picking the field for the last two weeks. He had to overcome decent odds and stiff competition just to get to this point. But he’s here. Medvedev is 3-5 lifetime against Djokovic and is in incredible form, but I’m through picking against Djokovic. He wins in four.

Stevenson: I have to believe what Djokovic said post-match after Zverev to Patrick McEnroe: “I’m going to play this [final] like it’s the last match of my career.”

And when Djokovic sits down on the changeover, always staring straight ahead, think Kevin Costner in “For Love of the Game,” on the bench, by himself. And then he pitches a perfect game. Djokovic has been mentally perfect. Djokovic wins, because he’s that good.

Stubbs: Djokovic in five.

Kumar: Djokovic in three. Djokovic has not lost a Grand Slam match — and they’re played two at the Australian Open — to Medvedev. At the 2021 Australian Open, it took him under 2 hours to win his first Grand Slam of the year, beating Medvedev in straight sets (7-5, 6-2, 6-2). He’s in the best form of his life, and Medvedev is not going to pose any new threats to him in the final of what could be the best moment of his career.

It has been 52 years since the last man (Rod Laver) won a calendar-year slam. And on Sunday, Djokovic is sure to join that club.

Youngmisuk: We will see something that has never been done in men’s tennis. Barring an epic meltdown, Djokovic will make history, win his 21st major and complete the calendar-year Grand Slam as well.

Maine: Medvedev’s time is coming, but it’s not this weekend. Djokovic finds his way into tennis immortality by completing the Grand Slam and winning men’s-record-breaking No. 21 in four sets. He has proven that no matter how tough the opponent, he always has just a little bit more. With so much on the line on Sunday, he will not let this elusive opportunity slip by.

Continue Reading

Sports

23XI, Front Row turn to courts to keep ’25 status

Published

on

By

23XI, Front Row turn to courts to keep '25 status

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: The teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They might also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Later Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a scheduled court date in North Carolina over their fight for a charter. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026.

RWR contends the agreement was for 2027, and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

Continue Reading

Sports

New rules for EBUGs? 84 games? What to know about the NHL’s new CBA

Published

on

By

New rules for EBUGs? 84 games? What to know about the NHL's new CBA

The NHL’s board of governors and the NHLPA’s membership have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA runs through the end of the 2025-26 season, with the new one carrying through the end of the 2029-30 season.

While the continuation of labor peace is the most important development for a league that has endured multiple work stoppages this millennium, there are a number of wrinkles that are noteworthy to fans.

ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski break it all down for you here:

Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers

When does this new CBA take effect?

The new NHL CBA is set to begin on Sept. 16, 2026 and runs through Sept. 15, 2030. Including the coming season, that gives the NHL five years of labor peace, and would make the fastest both sides have reached an extension in Gary Bettman’s tenure as NHL commissioner.

It’s also the first major negotiation for NHLPA head Marty Walsh, who stepped into the executive director role in 2023 — Shilton

What are the big differences in the new CBA compared to the current one?

There are a few major headlines from the new CBA.

First are the schedule changes: the league will move to an 84-game regular season, with a shortened preseason (a maximum of four games), so each team is still able to play every opponent while divisional rivals have four games against one another every other season.

There will also be alterations to contract lengths, going to a maximum seven-year deal instead of the current eight-year mark; right now, a player can re-sign for eight years with his own team or seven with another in free agency, while the new CBA stipulates it’ll be seven or six years, respectively.

Deferred salaries will also be on the way out. And there will be a new position established for a team’s full-time emergency backup goaltender — or EBUG — where that player can practice and travel with the team.

The CBA also contains updated language on long-term injured reserve and how it can be used, particularly when it comes to adding players from LTIR to the roster for the postseason — Shilton

What’s the motivation for an 84-game season?

The new CBA expands the regular season to 84 games and reduces the exhibition season to four games per team. Players with 100 games played in their NHL careers can play in a maximum of two exhibition games. Players who competed in at least 50 games in the previous season will have a maximum of 13 days of training camp.

The NHL had an 84-game season from 1992 to 1994, when the league and NHLPA agreed to add two neutral-site games to every team’s schedule. But since 1995-96, every full NHL regular season has been 82 games.

For at least the past four years, the league has had internal discussions about adding two games to the schedule while decreasing the preseason. The current CBA restricted teams from playing more than 82 games, so expansion of the regular season required collective bargaining.

There was a functional motivation behind the increase in games: Currently, each team plays either three or four games against divisional opponents, for a total of 26 games; they play three games against non-divisional teams within their own conference, for a total of 24 games; and they play two games, home and away, against opponents from the other conference for a total of 32 games. Adding two games would allow teams to even out their divisional schedule, while swapping in two regular-season games — with regular-season crowd sizes and prices — for two exhibition games.

The reduction of the preseason would also give the NHL the chance to start the regular season earlier, perhaps in the last week of September. Obviously, given the grind of the current regular season and the playoffs, there’s concern about wear and tear on the players with two additional games. But the reduction of training camp and the exhibition season was appealing to players, and they signed off on the 84-game season in the new CBA. — Wyshynski

play

1:49

Why Mitch Marner is a great fit for Vegas

Greg Wyshynski reports on Mitch Marner getting traded from the Maple Leafs to the Golden Knights.

How do the new long-term injured reserve rules work?

The practice of teams using long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to create late-season salary cap space — only to have the injured player return for the first game of the playoffs after sitting out game No. 82 of the regular season — tracks back to 2015. That’s when the Chicago Blackhawks used an injured Patrick Kane‘s salary cap space to add players at the trade deadline. Kane returned for the start of the first round, and eventually won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in their Stanley Cup win.

Since then, the NHL has seen teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning (Nikita Kucherov 2020-21), Vegas Golden Knights (Mark Stone, 2023), Florida Panthers (Matthew Tkachuk, 2024) also use LTIR to their advantage en route to Stanley Cup wins.

The NHL has investigated each occurrence of teams using LTIR and then having players return for the playoffs, finding nothing actionable — although the league is currently investigating the Edmonton Oilers use of LTIR for Evander Kane, who sat out the regular season and returned in the first round of the most recent postseason.

Last year, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that if “the majority” of general managers wanted a change to this practice, the NHL would consider it. Some players weren’t happy about the salary cap loophole.

Ron Hainsey, NHLPA assistant executive director, said during the Stanley Cup Final that players have expressed concern at different times “either public or privately” about misuse of long-term injured reserve. He said that the NHL made closing that loophole “a priority for them” in labor talks.

Under the new CBA, the total salary and bonuses for “a player or players” that have replaced a player on LTIR may not exceed the amount of total salary and bonuses of the player they are replacing. For example: In 2024, the Golden Knights put winger Stone and his $9.5 million salary on LTIR, given that he was out because of a lacerated spleen. The Golden Knights added $10.8 million in salary to their cap before the trade deadline in defenseman Noah Hanifin and forwards Tomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha.

But the bigger tweak to the LTIR rule states that “the average amounts of such replacement player(s) may not exceed the prior season’s average league salary.” According to PuckPedia, the average player salary last season was $3,817,293, for example.

The CBA does allow an exception to these LTIR rules, with NHL and NHLPA approval, based on how much time the injured player is likely to miss. Teams can exceed these “average amounts,” but the injured player would be ineligible to return that season or in the postseason.

But the NHL and NHLPA doubled-down on discouraging teams from abusing LTIR to go over the salary cap in the Stanley Cup playoffs by establishing “playoff cap counting” for the first time. — Wyshynski

What is ‘playoff cap counting’ and how will it affect the postseason?

In 2021, the Carolina Hurricanes lost to Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That’s when defenseman Dougie Hamilton famously lamented that his team fell to a Lightning squad “that’s $18 million over the cap or whatever they are,” as Tampa Bay used Kucherov’s LTIR space in the regular season before he returned for the playoffs.

Even more famously, Kucherov wore a T-shirt that read “$18M OVER THE CAP” during their Stanley Cup championship celebration.

The NHL and NHLPA have attempted to put an end to this creative accounting — in combination with the new LTIR rules in the regular season — through a new CBA provision called “playoff cap counting.”

By 3 p.m. local time or five hours before a playoff game — whatever is earlier — teams will submit a roster of 18 players and two goaltenders to NHL Central Registry. There will be a “playoff playing roster averaged club salary” calculated for that roster that must be under the “upper limit” of the salary cap for that team. The “averaged club salary” is the sum of the face value averaged amounts of the player salary and bonuses for that season for each player on the roster, and all amounts charged to the team’s salary cap.

Teams can make changes to their rosters after that day’s deadline, provided they’ve cleared it with NHL Central Registry.

play

1:54

How Aaron Ekblad, Panthers benefit from staying together

Greg Wyshynski reports on Aaron Ekblad signing a new deal that keeps him with the Panthers for eight more years.

The “upper limit” for an individual team is the leaguewide salary cap ceiling minus any cap penalties for contract buyouts; 35-plus players or players with one-way contracts demoted to the minor leagues; retained salary in trades; cap recapture penalties; or contract grievance settlements.

The cap compliance is only for the players participating in a given postseason game. As one NHL player agent told ESPN: “You can have $130 million in salaries on your total roster once the playoffs start, but the 18 players and two goalies that are on the ice must be cap-compliant.”

These rules will be in effect for the first two seasons of the new CBA (2026-28). After that, either the NHL or the NHLPA can reopen this section of the CBA for “good faith discussions about the concerns that led to the election to reopen and whether these rules could be modified in a manner that would effectively address such concerns.”

If there’s no resolution of those concerns, the “playoff cap counting” will remain in place for the 2028-29 season. — Wyshynski

Did the NHL CBA make neck guards mandatory?

Professional leagues around the world have adjusted their player equipment protection standards since Adam Johnson’s death in October 2023. Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers of England’s Elite Ice Hockey League when he suffered a neck laceration from an opponent’s skate blade.

The AHL mandated cut-resistant neck protection for players and officials for the 2024-25 season. The IIHF did the same for international tournaments, while USA Hockey required all players under the age of 18 to wear them.

Now, the NHL and NHLPA have adjusted their standards for neck protection in the new CBA.

Beginning with the 2026-27 season, players who have zero games of NHL experience will be required to wear “cut-resistant protection on the neck area with a minimum cut level protection score of A5.” The ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 Standard rates neck guards on a scale from A1 to A9, and players are encouraged to seek out neck protection that’s better than the minimal requirement.

Players with NHL experience prior to the 2026-27 season will not be required to wear neck protection. — Wyshynski

What’s the new player dress code?

The NHL and NHLPA agreed that teams will no longer be permitted “to propose any rules concerning player dress code.”

Under the previous CBA, the NHL was the only North American major men’s pro sports league with a dress code specified through collective bargaining. Exhibit 14, Rule 5 read: “Players are required to wear jackets, ties and dress pants to all Club games and while traveling to and from such games unless otherwise specified by the Head Coach or General Manager.”

That rule was deleted in the new CBA.

The only requirement now for players is that they “dress in a manner that is consistent with contemporary fashion norms.”

Sorry, boys: No toga parties on game days. — Wyshynski

Does the new CBA cover the Olympics beyond 2026?

Yes. The NHL and NHLPA have committed to participate in the 2030 Winter Olympics, scheduled to be held in the French Alps. As usual, the commitment is ” subject to negotiation of terms acceptable to each of the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF and/or IOC.”

And as we saw with the 2022 Beijing Games, having a commitment in the CBA doesn’t guarantee NHL players on Olympic ice. — Wyshynski

Did the NHL end three-team salary retention trades?

It has become an NHL trade deadline tradition. One team retains salary on a player so he can fit under another team’s salary cap. But to make the trade happen, those teams invite a third team to the table to retain even more of that salary to make it work.

Like when the Lightning acquired old friend Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken last season. Gourde made $5,166,667 against the cap. Seattle traded him to Detroit for defenseman Kyle Aucoin, and the Kraken retained $2,583,334 in salary. The Red Wings then retained $1,291,667 of Gourde’s salary in sending him to Tampa Bay for a fourth-round pick, allowing the Lightning to fit him under their cap.

Though the NHL will still allow retained salary transactions, there’s now a mandatory waiting period until that player’s salary can be retained in a second transaction. A second retained salary transaction may not occur within 75 regular-season days of the first retained salary transaction.

Days outside of the regular-season schedule do not count toward the required 75 regular-season days, and therefore the restriction might span multiple seasons, according to the CBA. — Wyshynski

Can players now endorse alcoholic beverages?

Yes. The previous CBA banned players from any endorsement or sponsorship of alcoholic beverages. That has been taken out of the new CBA. If only Bob Beers were still playing …

While players remain prohibited from any endorsement or sponsorship of tobacco products, a carryover from the previous CBA, they’re also banned from endorsement or sponsorship of “cannabis (including CBD) products.” — Wyshynski

What are the new parameters for Emergency Goaltender Replacement?

The NHL is making things official with the emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) position.

In the past, that third goalie spot went to someone hanging out in the arena during a game, ready to jump in for either team if both of their own goaltenders were injured or fell ill during the course of play. Basically, it was a guy in street clothes holding onto the dream of holding down an NHL crease.

Now, the league has given permanent status to the EBUG role. That player will travel with and practice for only one club. But there are rules involved in their employment.

This CBA designates that to serve as a team’s emergency goaltender replacement, the individual cannot have played an NHL game under an NHL contract, appeared in more than 80 professional hockey games, have been in professional hockey within the previous three seasons, have a contractual obligation that would prevent them from fulfilling their role as the EBUG or be on the reserve or restricted free agent list of an NHL club.

Teams must submit one designated EBUG 48 hours before the NHL regular season starts. During the season, teams can declare that player 24 hours before a game. — Shilton

What’s the deal with eliminating deferred salaries?

The new CBA will prohibit teams from brokering deferred salary arrangements, meaning players will be paid in full during the contract term lengths. This is meant to save players from financial uncertainty and makes for simplified contract structures with the club.

There are examples of players who had enormous signing bonuses paid up front or had structured their deals to include significant payouts when they ended. Both tactics could serve to lower an individual’s cap hit over the life of a deal. Now that won’t be an option for teams or players to use in negotiations. — Shilton

What’s different about contract lengths?

Starting under the new CBA, the maximum length of a player contract will go from eight years to seven years if he’s re-signing with the same club, and down to just six years (from the current seven) if he signs with a new team.

So, for example, a player coming off his three-year, entry-level contract could re-sign only with that same team for up to seven years, and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent sooner than the current agreement would allow.

This could benefit teams that have signed players to long-term contracts that didn’t age well (for whatever reason) as they won’t be tied as long to that decision. And for players, it can help preserve some of their prime years if they want to move on following a potential 10 (rather than 11) maximum seasons with one club. — Shilton

What does the new league minimum salary look like? How does it compare to the other men’s professional leagues?

Under the new CBA, the minimum salary for an NHL player will rise from $775,000 to $1 million by the end of the four-year agreement. Although gradual, it is a significant rise for a league in which the salary cap presents more challenges compared to its counterparts.

For example, the NHL will see its salary cap rise to $95.5 million in 2025-26, compared to that of the NFL in which Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s highest three-year average is $61.6 million.

So how does the new NHL minimum salary upon the CBA’s completion compare to its counterparts in the Big 4?

The NBA league minimum for the 2025-26 season is $1.4 million for a rookie, while players with more than 10 years can earn beyond $3.997 million in a league that has a maximum of 15 roster spots

The NFL, which has a 53-player roster, has a league minimum of $840,000 for rookies in 2025, while a veteran with more than seven years will earn $1.255 million.

MLB’s CBA, which expires after the 2026 season, has the minimum salary for the 2025 season set at $760,000, and that figure increases to $780,000 next season. — Clark

Is this Gary Bettman’s final CBA as commissioner?

Possibly. The Athletic reported in January that the board of governors had begun planning for Bettman’s eventual retirement “in a couple of years,” while starting the process to find his successor.

Bettman became the NHL’s first commissioner in 1993, and has the distinction of being the longest-serving commissioner among the four major men’s professional leagues in North America. He is also the oldest. Bettman turned 73 in June, while contemporaries Roger Goodell, Rob Manfred and Adam Silver are all in their early- to mid-60s.

That’s not to suggest he couldn’t remain in place. There is a precedent of commissioners across those leagues who remained in those respective roles into their 70s. Ford Frick, who served as the third commissioner of MLB, was 71 when he stepped down in 1965. There are more recent examples than Frick, as former NBA commissioner David Stern stepping down in 2014 when he was 71, and former MLB commissioner Bud Selig stepped down in 2015 at age 80. — Clark

Continue Reading

Sports

Five-star tight end Prothro commits to Georgia

Published

on

By

Five-star tight end Prothro commits to Georgia

Georgia beat Florida and Texas to its second five-star pledge in the 2026 class on Saturday with a commitment from tight end Kaiden Prothro, the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300.

Prothro, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound recruit from Bowdon, Georgia, is ESPN’s No. 2 overall tight end and viewed as one of the top pass catchers at any position in the current class. A priority in-state target for coach Kirby Smart, Prothro took official visits to Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Texas before narrowing his recruitment to the Bulldogs, Gators and Longhorns last month.

He announced his commitment to Georgia in a ceremony at Bowdon High School, where Prothro has hauled in 89 passes for 2,034 yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Prothro arrives as the Bulldogs’ 17th ESPN 300 pledge in an incoming recruiting class that sits at No. 2 in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the cycle, joining quarterback Jared Curtis (No. 6 overall) as the program’s second five-star commit in 2026. He now stands as the top-ranked member of a growing Georgia pass-catcher class that also includes four-star wide receivers Brady Marchese (No. 62) and Ryan Mosley (No. 120) and three-star Craig Dandridge.

The Bulldogs, who produced six NFL draft picks at tight ends from 2019-24, have forged a reputation for developing top tight end talent under Smart and assistant coach Todd Hartley. Georgia signed ESPN’s top two tight end prospects — Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour — in the 2025 class, and Prothro now follows four-stars Brayden Fogle (No. 142 overall) and Lincoln Keyes (No. 238) as the program’s third tight end pledge in 2026.

Those arrivals, along with eligibility beyond 2025 for current Georgia tight ends Lawson Luckie and Jaden Reddell, could make for a crowded tight end room when Prothro steps on campus next year.

However, Prothro is expected to distinguish himself at the college level as a versatile downfield option capable of creating mismatches with a unique blend of size, speed and physicality in the mold of former two-time All-America Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. His father Clarence told ESPN that Georgia intends to utilize Prothro across roles, including flex tight end and jumbo receiver, and said scheme fit was a key driving factor in his son’s decision.

A three-time state football champion, Prothro caught 33 passes for 831 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. He eclipsed 1,200-yards in his junior campaign last fall, closing 2024 with 56 receptions (21.4 yards per catch) and 22 receiving touchdowns en route to a 13-2 finish and a third consecutive state championship. Prothro is also an All-Region baseball player and was credited with 20.7 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in his junior basketball season.

Continue Reading

Trending