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The AP Top 25 college football poll is out after another wild weekend of games.

But what happens from here? We break down what’s next for each ranked team.

Previous ranking: 1

Week 4 result: 39-22 win over Kent State

What’s next: at Missouri (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Georgia knows now what it’s like not to completely blow out a team after winning a sloppy decision over Kent State on Saturday. The next two games are on the road against Missouri and Auburn, two teams the Bulldogs will again be big favorites against, and their offense continues to put up big numbers. Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers has emerged as one of the top playmakers in college football for the Dawgs, who have gained more than 470 yards in all four games. — Chris Low


Previous ranking: 2

Week 4 result: 55-3 win over Vanderbilt

What’s next: at Arkansas (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The Crimson Tide’s offensive line couldn’t generate running lanes and couldn’t keep pressure off the quarterback against Texas earlier this month. Oh, and it committed way too many penalties. But the past two weeks there has been a noticeable improvement in all three areas, first against Louisiana Monroe and then against Vanderbilt. Against the Commodores, Alabama ran for more than 150 yards and didn’t allow a single sack of Bryce Young. But this Saturday’s road trip to Arkansas will reveal whether that progress was real as the Hogs boast one of the best defenses in the SEC in terms of creating pressure on the backfield. — Alex Scarborough


Previous ranking: 3

Week 4 result: 52-21 win over Wisconsin

What’s next: vs. Rutgers (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Ohio State had no problems with Wisconsin, winning by a large margin and dominating most of the game. The Buckeyes remain undefeated and have the offense playing at an elite level. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is still among the Heisman favorites and continues to put up big numbers. Ohio State has Rutgers, Michigan State and Iowa next on the schedule. If any of those teams are going to try to compete with the Buckeyes, they’ll have to figure out how to stop this offense. — Tom VanHaaren


Previous ranking: 4

Week 4 result: 34-27 win over Maryland

What’s next: at Iowa (Saturday, noon ET)

The Wolverines are 4-0 and have to go on the road to play Iowa in a rematch of last season’s Big Ten Championship game. Michigan got its first test of the season against Maryland where quarterback J.J. McCarthy said he didn’t have his best performance. McCarthy and the offense leaned on running back Blake Corum to help win against the Terps and they will likely need Corum to have another big game against the Hawkeyes. McCarthy said he is going to learn from his mistakes against Maryland and use it to improve the offense going forward. — VanHaaren


Previous ranking: 5

Week 4 result: 51-45 2OT win over Wake Forest

What’s next: vs. NC State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The concern for Dabo Swinney shifts from the offense to the defense, which couldn’t get to Sam Hartman or stop the Wake Forest quarterback, who carved up the Tigers for an ACC-record six touchdown passes. First-year coordinator Wes Goodwin must evaluate both personnel and scheme before hosting Devin Leary and NC State in a game that could decide the ACC’s Atlantic Division. The good news is Clemson can lean more on its own quarterback, D.J. Uiagalelei, after his best passing performance since his first start in 2020. — Adam Rittenberg


Previous ranking: 7

Week 4 result: 17-14 win over Oregon State

What’s next: vs. Arizona State (Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET)

After a tough battle in Corvallis that kept their undefeated season on track, the Trojans get to come down a bit and face what’s likely their easiest conference opponent of the season when they host Arizona State. Against the Sun Devils, whose lone win is against Northern Arizona, USC’s offense should have no trouble getting back on track while the defense will continue to sustain its ridiculous takeaway rate (14 in four games). — Paolo Uggetti


Previous ranking: 8

Week 4 result: 31-23 win over Northern Illinois

What’s next: at Ole Miss (Saturday, noon ET)

The Wildcats are going to take a 4-0 start to the season every time. But Saturday’s win over Northern Illinois lacked the kind of dominant effort you’d expect from a top-10 program nationally. One potential area of concern is the running game, which managed 103 yards on 34 carries against the Huskies. The good news: Chris Rodriguez, the leading returning rusher in the SEC, will make his debut on Saturday against Ole Miss after being suspended to start the season. — Alex Scarborough


Previous ranking: 11

Week 4 result: 38-33 win over Florida

What’s next: at LSU (Oct. 8)

The Vols were able to shake their Florida hex — barely. They almost blew a big fourth-quarter lead, but held on to win Saturday over the Gators to move to 4-0. Given Tennessee’s woes against Florida over the years, nobody was complaining. It was a huge win for the Vols, but they have some issues on defense to correct in a hurry, especially in the secondary. The good news is that they have an open date this weekend before going to LSU. They hope to get star receiver Cedric Tillman back for that game, and quarterback Hendon Hooker can also use a week off after taking several big hits in the Florida game. — Low


Previous ranking: 9

Week 4 result: Open date

What’s next: at Baylor (Saturday, TBD)

The Cowboys travel to Waco to face Baylor in a rematch of last season’s Big 12 championship game, a key game as the Big 12 race starts to take shape. OSU beat Baylor in Stillwater last year 24-14 before losing a heartbreaker, coming up just inches short on a goal-line stop in the 21-16 loss at AT&T Stadium. The good news: The Cowboys are coming off a bye week and had a chance to get ready to face a Bears team that just ended Iowa State’s 11-game home streak in conference play. — Dave Wilson


Previous ranking: 12

Week 4 result: 41-10 win over UConn

What’s next: at Clemson (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)

OK, so you survived a closer-than-expected season-opener against East Carolina and then took care of business against Charleston Southern, Texas Tech and UConn. But now comes the real test — which could define the rest of season — with Saturday’s road game at No. 5 Clemson. Devin Leary is playing well at quarterback and could attack a Tigers’ secondary that didn’t look sharp in a close win at Wake Forest on Saturday. — Scarborough


Previous ranking: 14

Week 4 result: 33-14 win over Central Michigan

What’s next: vs. Northwestern (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

James Franklin had imposed orders to try and improve on the running game coming into the season. After churning out over 200 yards rushing in each of the past two weeks — including 245 yards in a road win at Auburn last week — Penn State ran for 166 yards on Saturday in a 33-14 win against Central Michigan. Freshman Kaytron Allen led the way with 111 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. The Nittany Lions welcome Northwestern to State College next week, which is followed up by a bye prior to a trip to the Big House and a date with Michigan on Oct. 15. — Blake Baumgartner


Previous ranking: 13

Week 4 result: vs. Arizona State

What’s next: vs. Oregon State (Saturday, TBD)

From a national perspective, the Week 1 hiccup against Florida still lingers, but the Utes are just as strong a conference-title favorite as when the season began. They’ll get an important test this week with Oregon State coming to Salt Lake City before back-to-back games against the L.A. schools (UCLA, Oct. 8; USC, Oct. 15) to start October. — Kyle Bonagura


Previous ranking: 15

Week 4 result: 44-41 win over Washington State

What’s next: vs. Stanford (Saturday, TBD)

After a hard-fought win over Wazzu, things get easier for the Ducks over the next few weeks. Oregon welcomes Stanford to town next week, and it will be interesting to see whether Dan Lanning’s team and quarterback Bo Nix can keep up the recent offensive production. They’ve now scored 40 points or more in their last three games after only mustering a field goal against Georgia. — Uggetti


Previous ranking: 16

Week 4 result: 35-27 win over Tulsa

What’s next: vs. Kentucky (Saturday, noon ET)

The constants for Ole Miss this season had been running the ball with a vengeance and playing stout defense. The Rebels still ran the ball well Saturday in a win over Tulsa but were outscored 13-0 to end the game. It hasn’t been the toughest of schedules for Ole Miss to this point, but that changes this weekend when unbeaten Kentucky visits Oxford. A win over the Wildcats could send the Rebels on their way to a 7-0 start. They play at Vanderbilt on Oct. 8 and then come back home to face Auburn on Oct. 15. — Low


Previous ranking: 18

Week 4 result: vs. Stanford

What’s next: at UCLA (Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET)

After starting the season with four straight home games, the Huskies travel to UCLA to begin a stretch that includes just one home game (Arizona, Oct. 15) through the end of October. There is a case for UW as the most impressive team in the conference to this point, and a win against undefeated UCLA would further establish the Huskies as a conference-title favorite. — Bonagura


Previous ranking: 17

Week 4 result: 31-24 win over Iowa State

What’s next: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday, TBD)

After starting Big 12 play with a gritty, physical win at Iowa State, Baylor might have to raise its game even further now, returning home to face Oklahoma State. Then again, quarterback Blake Shapen already raised his game. He enjoyed maybe the best performance of his career against Iowa State, going 19-for-26 for 238 yards and three scores. The Baylor defense will have its hands full against a high-flying OSU offense, but Shapen and the Bears passing game could land some blows, too. — Bill Connelly


Previous ranking: 23

Week 4 result: 23-21 win over Arkansas

What’s next: at Mississippi State (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET)

The Aggies’ running game got going on Saturday against Arkansas as Devon Achane had a 63-yarder en route to a 159-yard day on 19 carries. They’ll need his help controlling the ball as the passing came continues to be a work in progress with a trip to Starkville against Mike Leach’s offense coming off a 409-yard, 6-TD performance by QB Will Rogers against Bowling Green on Saturday. — Dave Wilson


Previous ranking: 6

Week 4 result: 41-34 loss to Kansas State

What’s next: at TCU (Saturday, noon ET)

OU managed to trip up at home against Kansas State once again, but the tests have just begun for the Sooners. They will make two straight trips to the DFW region — first to TCU to face the unbeaten Horned Frogs, then to Dallas to face a Texas team that also suffered a Week 4 upset. Dillon Gabriel and the Sooner offense was mostly fine against KSU, but Brent Venables’ defense got lit up for the first time. How will it respond against a TCU offense averaging 46 points per game? — Connelly


Previous ranking: 19

Week 4 result: vs. Wyoming

What’s next: vs. Utah State (Thursday, 8 p.m. ET)

The Cougars remain at home again next week for an in-state game against Utah State before heading to Las Vegas on Oct. 8 to play Notre Dame. If BYU can win out, a New Year’s Six bowl could be within reach, but the margin for error remains small. — Bonagura


Previous ranking: 10

Week 4 result: 23-21 loss to Texas A&M

What’s next: vs. Alabama (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The Razorbacks will be upset after letting a win over Texas A&M get away in a game they could’ve finished. There’s no time to stew on it, however, with Alabama coming to town. Sam Pittman has worked wonders in a short time in Fayetteville, but the Hogs haven’t beaten the Tide since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, and last won when Houston Nutt beat Mike Shula 24-23 in 2006. — Wilson


Previous ranking: unranked

Week 4 result: 34-7 win over Michigan State

What’s next: vs. Purdue (Saturday, noon ET)

Minnesota responded quite well in its first road test of the season and its first test without senior wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell, who suffered a season-ending injury last week against Colorado. The Golden Gophers racked up 508 total yards — their third straight week going over 500 total yards offensively. Senior QB Tanner Morgan threw for 268 yards with three touchdowns and connected with 10 different receivers, with six of them hauling in at least two passes. Morgan found junior wide receiver Daniel Jackson for a pair of scores. Off to their second 4-0 start under PJ Fleck and first since 2019, the Golden Gophers host Purdue next week before traveling to Illinois on Oct. 15 after their bye. — Baumgartner


Previous ranking: 21

Week 4 result: 51-45 2OT loss to. No. 5 Clemson

What’s next: at Florida State (Saturday, TBD)

The Demon Deacons won the ACC Atlantic Division in 2021 despite a Clemson loss, so there’s still plenty out there for Sam Hartman and his teammates. The defense is the immediate concern after allowing a combined 87 points in the past two games, both at home. Wake Forest now heads to Florida State to face a confident Seminoles team, which hasn’t beaten the Deacons since 2017. The status of starting cornerback Caelen Carson, who missed the Clemson loss with a leg injury, will be worth monitoring. — Rittenberg


Previous ranking: unranked

Week 4 result: 44-14 win over Boston College

What’s next: vs. Wake Forest (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Jordan Travis continues to impress at quarterback for the Seminoles. With some questions about his health last week after suffering a leg injury against Louisville, Travis not only started against Boston College but was sharp, completing 16 of 26 passes for 321 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. But now the junior from West Palm heads into the treacherous part of the schedule with games against Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson in consecutive weeks. — Scarborough


Previous ranking: 24

Week 4 result: 45-24 win over Rhode Island

What’s next: vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday, TBD)

Coach Pat Narduzzi said going into the season he wanted his team to be a much better running team. Israel Abanikanda has made that a reality, with at least 125 yards rushing over the past three games. Next up is Georgia Tech, a team that has struggled across the board. While the running game is improving week after week, the Pitt passing game remains a work in progress and something that the Panthers will need to work on once the ACC schedule becomes more challenging. — Adelson


Previous ranking: unranked

Week 4 result: 41-34 win over Oklahoma

What’s next: vs. Texas Tech (Saturday, noon ET)

Chris Klieman recorded his third career victory over Oklahoma in four tries behind the heroics of senior quarterback Adrian Martinez. Martinez ran circles around the Sooners’ defense to the tune of 148 rushing yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 21 carries as the Wildcats secured the victory. The Nebraska transfer led an offense that churned out 277 rushing yards and Saturday was the 10th time in Martinez’s career he had run for multiple touchdowns in a game. With last week’s home loss to Tulane now a memory, Kansas State hosts Texas Tech — an 37-34 overtime winner over Texas — next week before a trip to Ames beckons on Oct. 8. — Baumgartner


Dropped out: Miami, Texas, Florida

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Crochet retires 17 straight as Red Sox swipe G1

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Crochet retires 17 straight as Red Sox swipe G1

NEW YORK — Garrett Crochet retired 17 consecutive batters in a sparkling pitching performance, and pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida lined a two-run single off reliever Luke Weaver that sent the Boston Red Sox past the New York Yankees 3-1 on Tuesday night in their AL Wild Card Series opener.

New York loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning, but All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman pitched out of the jam against his former team. Boston is 10-4 versus its longtime rival this year and halfway to winning the best-of-three playoff.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in the Bronx again, with Aaron Judge and the Yankees needing a victory to extend their season. Carlos Rodon (18-9, 3.09 ERA) will start for New York, opposed by Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35).

Crochet gave up only Anthony Volpe‘s second-inning homer and improved to 4-0 against the Yankees this year, throwing a career-high 117 pitches in a marquee duel of ace left-handers with Max Fried. Crochet struck out 11 and walked none over 7⅔ innings while allowing four hits.

“The stuff was really good at that point,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Crochet, keeping him in well into the eighth inning. “He was throwing 97, 98, and the previous inning was a quick one. So, it gave us a chance to push the envelope.”

Pitching with a 2-1 lead after Yoshida’s go-ahead hit in the seventh, Crochet extended his streak of retired batters until Volpe singled with one out in the eighth. Crochet’s final pitch was his fastest at 100.2 mph, which Austin Wells took for a called third strike.

“He’s the best pitcher in the game,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said of Crochet. “He’s going to work all of his pitches, and he threw a little bit more off-speed early on. But we got the Volpe homer, and we got some guys on, but we couldn’t do much after that.”

Chapman retired Jose Caballero on a fly out to finish the eighth before Alex Bregman, playing his 100th postseason game, hit an RBI double in the ninth off David Bednar.

Paul Goldschmidt, Judge and Cody Bellinger loaded the bases with consecutive singles starting the bottom half, but Chapman recovered to get the save when he struck out Giancarlo Stanton, retired Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a fly out and fanned Trent Grisham with a 101 mph fastball.

Boston improved to 13-12 against the Yankees in the postseason, winning nine of the past 10 meetings.

Crochet threw the most pitches in a postseason game since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg tossed 117 against St. Louis in 2019.

Fried pitched shutout ball for 6⅓ innings but a Yankees bullpen that had a 4.37 ERA during the regular season, 23rd among the 30 teams, faltered again.

Weaver relieved with no one on, got ahead of Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2 in the count, then walked him on 11 pitches.

Nick Sogard grounded a hit into right-center, hustling to second when Judge didn’t sprint to pick up the ball. Yoshida lined the next pitch, a fastball at the letters, to center for a 2-1 lead.

Weaver had a 1.05 ERA in his first 24 appearances, was sidelined for 2½ weeks by a strained left hamstring, then had a 5.31 ERA over his final 40 games.

Fried got 19 swings and misses, striking out six and walking three while allowing four hits in 6⅓ innings. He escaped a second-and-third, two-out jam in the fourth, then first-and-second, one-out trouble in the fifth.

Volpe, who slumped to a .212 average this year, put the Yankees ahead when he drove a sinker to the opposite field, where the ball landed a half-dozen rows into the right-field seats. Volpe’s drive would have been a home run in all but one big league stadium: Fenway Park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Winners and losers of Kirill Kaprizov’s NHL record-setting contract

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Winners and losers of Kirill Kaprizov's NHL record-setting contract

The Minnesota Wild handed out the largest contract in NHL history on Tuesday to star winger Kirill Kaprizov, as the 28-year-old will earn $136 million on an eight-year term through the 2033-34 season.

It’s a deal worth more in total money that the one Alex Ovechkin signed with the Washington Capitals ($124 million) in 2008, and carries a higher average annual value (AAV) than the one signed by Leon Draisaitl with the Edmonton Oilers ($14 million) last September.

It’s a contract that has sent shockwaves through the NHL. Some will benefit from its repercussions. Some will not. Here are the winners and losers of the Kaprizov contract, as we see them:


Winner: Bill Guerin

It was Guerin that finally got Kaprizov to leave the KHL for the NHL in 2021, succeeding where two previous Wild GMs had failed. Now he’s the guy that’s helped convinced Kaprizov to stay in Minnesota.

Guerin faced some enormous challenges in getting this done. One of them was the lure of unrestricted free agency under a rising salary cap, as Kaprizov wouldn’t have suffered from a lack of suitors. Some of those suitors might have been more appealing than the Wild: As one NHL agent told ESPN, the Wild’s status as a mid-tier Stanley Cup contender and Minnesota not being “a destination” for stars worked against them. Kaprizov had the hammer in negotiations, as was evidenced by the windfall he eventually received.

But Guerin also had some advantages here. His team could give Kaprizov the eighth contract year that the player reportedly wanted out of his next deal. He also had the financial backing of ownership to offer the richest contract in NHL history — $128 million earlier in September — and then increase that offer when Kaprizov didn’t sign.

Guerin also benefitted from having Kaprizov’s contract come up before a major change in the CBA rules. His contract pays out $128 million of his money in annual signing bonuses. That’s 94% of its value. Starting in Sept. 2026, contracts will only be able to offer signing bonuses worth 60% of the “aggregate compensation payable under the contract.”

Guerin landed the plane at time when many felt Kaprizov’s initial rejection of a record contract was his rejection of the franchise. Whether you agree with the compensation or not, give credit where it’s due: He got it done.


Loser: Kevin Cheveldayoff

Since 2021-22, Kyle Connor has scored just five fewer goals (153) than Kaprizov (158), having played 44 more games than the Minnesota winger. That’s on a 14.2% shooting percentage. Simply put, the 28-year-old Jet winger is as elite a goal-scorer as you’ll find on the wing — and as an unrestricted free agent next summer, should be compensated as such.

The question is whether that’ll happen in Winnipeg, where he’s entering his 10th season, or elsewhere.

If Connor was waiting for a salary domino to fall, this one landed with a sonic boom. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff just watched Kaprizov reset the market for a player that scored 41 goals and had 56 assists for a career best 97 points in 82 games.

Cheveldayoff has done a masterful job retaining other stars like goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele, both at $8.5 million AAV over seven seasons. Market conditions were more favorable to the Jets when they re-upped in 2023. They aren’t now, thanks in part to Kaprizov.

The conundrum for Cheveldayoff and the Jets: Is Connor worth that money?

“He scores goals, but gives a lot back,” one NHL executive said.


Winner: Paul Theofanous

Wild owner Craig Leipold told The Athletic on Tuesday that the team was still convinced Kaprizov wanted to re-sign even after he didn’t agree to an eight-year, $128 million contract extension offer on Sept. 9.

“He never raised the money issue. That was always the agent,” Leipold said. “So, I mean, I think we always thought that we’re going to get this thing done, and we thought, at least in the last week or so, 17 was the number.”

Theofanous, Kaprizov’s agent, is a legendarily tough negotiator. He not only managed to get another $8 million added to an offer that would have already set a new NHL contract value record, but he negotiated a contract structure that pays Kaprizov $128 million in “buyout-proof” bonus money. Theofanous dug his heels in and won huge, despite the Wild’s belief that Kaprizov wouldn’t take this to free agency.


Loser: Player movement

The era of player retention continues.

The upper limit of the NHL salary cap this season is $95.5 million. It’s been estimated that the ceiling will be at least $104 million in 2026-27, the first time the NHL’s salary cap will have crested over the century mark. Some predicted this inflation would lead to a spike in player movement, as teams had more to spend on acquiring talent.

On the contrary, the rising cap has seen teams retain their players throughout the offseason, no longer sweating out the pressure points that the cap created. Kaprizov is the latest name to stay where his stuff is, and he’s likely not the last.


Winner: Getting locked in early

Hart Levine of the salary cap site Puck Pedia believes that hockey fans just have to accept that this is the new normal under the salary cap.

“It’s a big number, but we just have to get used to living in a world where the cap is going up each year. It’s going up 9% from this year to next year,” he told me.

It’s all about context. Heck, even Kaprizov’s deal might look like a bargain in the next few seasons.

Take Draisaitl’s contract that he signed last September. Levine says that under next year’s salary cap, Draisaitl’s contract would have been worth $15.25 million against the cap. Conversely, if you took Kaprizov’s contract and put into current cap dollars, the AAV would be around $15.6 million.

One NHL executive likened the rise in the salary cap to a “tidal wave” that’ll just keep adding more and more large contracts as it grows. Which means the key for teams is locking players in before that wave crests.

When discussing good cap management with some NHL sources, one team that came up multiple times was the Carolina Hurricanes.

Their front office, now led by GM Eric Tulsky, has locked up several players to long-term deals ahead of the dramatic salary cap increase: Forwards Sebastian Aho ($9.75 million through 2031-32), Seth Jarvis ($7,420,087 through 2031-32) and Logan Stankoven ($6 million through 2033-34), as well as newly acquired defenseman K’Andre Miller ($7.5 million through 2032-33) and forward Nikolaj Ehlers ($8.5 million through 2030-31).

The Canes have their core locked up long-term at a reasonable rate, and the flexibility to still go after big players via trades as they’ve done the last two seasons with Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen.

Speaking of which …


Losers: Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen

Kaprizov’s contract will no doubt continue the dialogue about NHL cities with high income taxes and NHL cities that don’t have income taxes, a.k.a. the teams that happen to be winning Stanley Cups with some frequency lately.

According to an analysis by the Tax Foundation, Minnesota has the fifth-highest top income tax rate in the U.S., at 9.85%. There’s no question that’s a factor in Kaprizov getting $136 million over eight seasons, because he wouldn’t have gotten that same number in a no-tax state. Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff spoke with one player agent who said Kaprizov’s average annual value in a place like Florida would have been around $14 million.

If that’s the case, then Kaprizov still would have made more annually than Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights and Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars, who both signed mega-contracts in the last year worth $12 million against the cap through 2032-33.

Marner’s points-per-game average of the last three seasons was equal to Kaprizov’s (1.24) while Rantanen’s was right behind them (1.22). If either of them had the power of clairvoyance and could see what Kaprizov just earned, what would those contracts have looked like?


Winner: Kirill Kaprizov

We must obviously shout out the man himself, who set a new standard for NHL contracts in both overall value and average annual value. From a production standpoint, he’s among the best offensive hockey players in the world: He plays to a 50-goal pace, is a dynamic playmaker and shown to be a more committed defensive player than one might assume given his gaudy stats.

But there’s one number that’s never added up for Kaprizov, and that’s games played. The winger has played over 80 games once in his NHL career, back in 2021-22 when finished seventh in the MVP voting. Last season saw him limited to 41 games. He’s 28 years old, turning 29 next April.

Again, it’s a credit to Kaprizov that he has still managed to post astounding numbers despite those injuries. But for this level of investment, the Wild need him on the ice and not in the press box. Minnesota was 63-41-12 with Kaprizov in the lineup over the last two seasons and 21-23-4 without him. He’s a difference-maker.


The most complicated contract decision in the NHL just got a little more complicated.

McDavid is entering the final year of his contract with the Oilers. As we’ve written previously, everything is on the table for his future — from taking a shorter-term deal to remain in Edmonton to leaving for what would unquestionably become the richest free-agent contract the NHL has ever seen.

The latest speculation around the league: If McDavid does decide to remain with the Oilers beyond this season, it wouldn’t be for a max contract, with the idea being that McDavid would want fair compensation while giving Edmonton GM Stan Bowman flexibility to improve the team in pursuit of McDavid’s elusive Stanley Cup ring.

Yet there are also those who believe that McDavid should secure the bag even if he stays in Edmonton — after all, why should he pay for the team’s cap-management missteps?

McDavid is the best hockey player in the world. Whatever he wants on a new contract in Edmonton, they’re going to give him. It’s the “whatever he wants” that’s now a thornier issue, as the bar has been raised from Draisaitl’s $14 million to Kaprizov’s $17 million. Will McDavid choose to reset that bar whenever — or wherever — he signs his new deal?

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Skubal ties Tigers record with 14 Ks in G1 win

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Skubal ties Tigers record with 14 Ks in G1 win

CLEVELAND — Tarik Skubal tied a franchise postseason record with 14 strikeouts and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series.

Will Vest recorded the final four outs for Detroit, surviving a tense ninth inning after Cleveland star Jose Ramirez got hung up between third base and home for the second out.

The Tigers, who struggled down the stretch, allowing Cleveland to secure the AL Central title, can advance to the division series round for the second straight year with a win Wednesday.

“It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1,” Skubal said. “To have the trust in our whole organization, it means a lot. And it doesn’t really matter how we got here. We’re up 1-0 in a best of three.”

Detroit scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Zach McKinstry‘s safety squeeze scored Riley Greene from third.

Ramirez led off the ninth with an infield single and advanced to third when shortstop Javier Baez threw wide of first base. Vest struck out pinch-hitter George Valera, then Kyle Manzardo hit a grounder to Vest. Ramirez broke for home but was cut off by Vest, who chased him down and tagged him out.

“That ball’s two feet either way, he scores,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It just happened to go right back to Vest. So we play aggressive. We always do. We run the bases aggressive. I wouldn’t play that any other way.”

C.J. Kayfus then hit a flyout to Baez in shallow left to end it.

Skubal, who is favored to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award, set a career high for strikeouts. He was dominant and unfazed as he pitched on the same mound where one week ago, he threw a 99 mph fastball that struck Cleveland designated hitter David Fry in the nose and face during the sixth inning.

“I thought my outing was coming to a close,” Skubal said when asked about being allowed to continue on into the eighth inning. “But I was ready to go back out there. I’m never going to take myself out of a game, and I don’t ever really want the handshake.”

The right-hander went 7 2/3 innings and threw 107 pitches, one off his career high, including 73 strikes. He allowed one run on only three hits, with two being infield singles, and walked three. His fastball averaged 99.1 mph, 1.6 mph above his season average.

Skubal outdueled Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, who was just as effective but hurt by a pair of Guardians errors. Williams allowed two unearned runs in six-plus innings on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

“I was just worried about doing my best to execute each pitch,” Skubal said, “and just do what makes me a good pitcher, and that’s getting ahead, and getting guys into leverage.”

Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kerry Carpenter scored on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out bloop single to left field. Carpenter got aboard on a base hit to right but advanced to second on a fielding error by Johnathan Rodriguez.

The Guardians finally got to Skubal in the fourth by not having a ball leave the infield.

Angel Martinez hit a slow grounder between Skubal and second baseman Gleyber Torres to lead off the inning. He advanced to second on Ramírez’s walk.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Gabriel Arias hit a high chopper over Skubal. The ball landed on the infield grass between the mound and second base. Skubal fielded the ball as Martinez rounded third. Martinez’s left hand touched the plate before Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler applied the tag.

Martinez was originally ruled out on the head-first slide, but it was overturned by instant replay to tie the game at 1-1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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