Teams at the bottom see the future as a way to climb higher than their current station. Teams in the middle see the future as a way to break through to reach the elite. Teams at the top see the future as a chance to sustain their success or stave off the inevitability of potentially returning to the bottom.
This is why the future matters. It can bring promise, it can bring results or it could bring a team to its knees if it’s not careful.
With opening night of the 2022-23 NHL season approaching on Oct. 11, it’s time for another edition of the Future Power Rankings.
To determine which NHL clubs are in the best shape for the next three seasons, we had a panel of writers and editors rate each team in four categories — roster (with an emphasis on players 26 and under); prospects; cap situation and contracts; and front office, ownership and coaching — using this scale:
100: A+ (Elite)
90: A (Great)
80: B (Very good)
70: C (Average)
60: D (Very bad)
50: F (Disastrous)
After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the four categories was weighted to create the overall score: roster (35%), prospects (25%), cap/contracts (20%) and owner/GM/coach (20%). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future, plus insights on every team from Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski.
Read through the entire file from No. 1 to No. 32, or jump ahead to your team by using the quick links below:
Why they’re here: The No. 1 team in the ESPN Future Power Rankings has a championship-caliber roster, a strong pool of young reinforcements and an enviable managerial staff. The Hurricanes have the third-ranked current roster, having made the playoffs for four straight seasons and posting a points percentage above .700 in two straight. They rank ninth overall in prospects thanks to young players on the roster and others such as AHL forward Jack Drury and KHL defenseman Alexander Nikishin who are on the way. Coach Rod Brind’Amour and an analytics-driven front office ranked No. 7 overall, although the Canes’ cap outlook was middle of the pack (16th). Still, it all added up to Carolina having the brightest future in the league. — Wyshynski
Points of concern: Canes GM Don Waddell and his staff have decisions to make in the next two seasons. They have eight players who are pending UFAs at the end of the 2022-23 season, which will force decisions with Max Pacioretty and Jordan Staal. Determining a plan in goal will also be a priority because Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are also UFAs at the end of the season. The Canes will have a projected $30.7 million next summer, yet must also remain prudent given Sebastian Aho, Brent Pesce, Brady Skjei and Teuvo Teravainen will be pending UFAs after the 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile, Seth Jarvis will be coming off his rookie deal, whereas Martin Necas will be a pending RFA. — Clark
Reason for hope: Carolina has achieved an enviable balance — the Hurricanes are a great team now set up to be a great team later. What could be more appealing? The Hurricanes can maximize their limited cap space by drawing in players who want opportunity with a great coach, stable roster and chance to win every night. It’s the core in Carolina doing the real work of holding top spots in the standings, and keeping Raleigh a desirable destination moving ahead. — Shilton
George Springer had a career-high seven RBIs, including his ninth grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day by beating the Yankees 12-5 on Tuesday and closing within one game of American League East-leading New York.
The seven RBIs are tied for the second most by any Blue Jays player in a home game, behind Edwin Encarnación (nine RBIs in 2015), according to ESPN Research.
Andrés Giménez had a go-ahead, three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit against Max Fried. After the Yankees tied the score 4-4 in the seventh, Toronto broke open the game in the bottom half against a reeling Yankees bullpen.
Springer went 3-for-4, starting the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth against Fried and boosting the lead to 9-5 with the slam off Luke Weaver after Ernie Clement‘s go-ahead single off shortstop Anthony Volpe‘s glove. Springer has 13 homers this season.
Toronto won the first two games of the four-game series and closed within one game of the Yankees for the first time since before play on April 20.
New York went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 3-for-24 in the series, while the Blue Jays were 5-for-7. After going 13-14 in June, the Yankees fell to 10-14 against AL East rivals.
DENVER — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.
He will be shut down until he’s evaluated by the specialist.
“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night’s series opener at Colorado, which the Astros won 6-5. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We’re just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”
Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.
The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it’s uncertain when he’ll play.
“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn’t want.”
Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Shohei Ohtani reached 30 homers for the fifth straight season, hitting a fourth-inning drive after fouling a pitch off the plate umpire, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Tuesday night.
Ohtani fouled the ball off Alan Porter’s right knee in the fourth. Ohtani checked on the umpire and stood by watching until Parker got up under his own power. The three-time MVP then hit a 408-foot shot to center, snapping an 0-for-6 skid and extending the lead to 6-1. He tied Cody Bellinger in 2019 for most home runs before the All-Star break in Dodgers history; Bellinger won National League MVP that year.
Ohtani joined Seattle‘s Cal Raleigh (33) and Aaron Judge of the Yankees (30) as players with at least 30 homers by the All-Star break; it marks the fifth season that three players have reached the 30-homer threshold before the break (2019, 1998, 1994, 1969).
As for Ohtani, this is his third season hitting at least 30 home runs before the break, tying Ken Griffey Jr. for third most in MLB history (Judge and Mark McGwire each did so for four seasons).
During the seventh-inning stretch, Ohtani walked over and checked on Porter again before leading off.
Los Angeles scored its most runs this season in support of Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6), staking the Japanese right-hander to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
The Dodgers won for the 13th time in 16 games and opened a season-high, eight-game NL West lead. They are 16-5 (.762 win percentage) since June 8, the best record in MLB during that span.
Every run Tuesday night was scored with two outs.
Yamamoto allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one.