
Who has the NLCS edge? Preview, predictions for Padres-Phillies
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3 years agoon
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adminWell, excuse the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies for crashing the party.
The 101-win Mets, with a rotation featuring Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom and their most wins in a regular season since 1986? Gone from these MLB playoffs.
The 101-win Braves, trying to defend their World Series championship with a better, deeper team than last season? Gone in a blitz of Phillies power.
The all-powerful, almighty Dodgers, winners of 111 games, the most in the National League since 1906? Gone in a blitz of blistering Padres fastballs.
The first season with six playoff teams in the National League proved to be as chaotic as a system like this can allow it to be. Maybe you love it. Maybe you loathe it. (Dodgers fans definitely loathe it.) Padres and Phillies fans will take it, though, as their teams meet in the most improbable matchup in National League Championship Series history. That’s not an exaggeration — this is the first NLCS between two teams with fewer than 90 wins. But it’s not lacking in star power, not with Bryce Harper and Aaron Nola and Manny Machado and Juan Soto.
Also of note: The condensed playoff schedule means the best-of-seven series will be played over eight days rather than the usual nine, with an off day after only Game 2. That will put a little added pressure on the pitching staffs and perhaps force the managers to dig a little deeper than usual into their starting rotations.
Ahead of Game 1, David Schoenfield takes a look at each team and our ESPN experts make their picks.
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Why they can move on: Their offense took it to the Braves, scoring seven, nine and eight runs in their three victories. In a postseason where generating offense has been difficult to impossible, the Phillies have put together big innings: six runs in the ninth inning to pull out Game 1 of the wild-card series against the St. Louis Cardinals and six runs in the third inning of Game 3 of the division series against the Braves, plus three other three-run innings. Of their six home runs, three have come with runners on base, including three-run homers from Rhys Hoskins and Brandon Marsh against Atlanta. Keep hitting those and you might see more bat slams.
Why they might not: The bullpen is still a work in progress for manager Rob Thomson. Zach Eflin, who didn’t start relieving until September and picked up his first career save late in the season, had first crack at ninth-inning duties and allowed seven hits and four runs in three innings. Luckily, the Phillies’ leads were big enough that it didn’t matter, and he did close out a 2-0 victory over the Cardinals cleanly. But in the clinching game against the Braves, Eflin was the setup guy to Seranthony Dominguez. Meanwhile, Jose Alvarado, who allowed just two home runs in the regular season, has served up two in the postseason.
Who’s hot: In 35 games after returning from the injured list in late August, Bryce Harper hit just .227/.335/.352 with three home runs. But he has three home runs and three doubles in six playoff games, including two blasts of more than 400 feet. A locked-in Harper is a beautiful sight for Phillies fans.
Who’s not: Kyle Schwarber, who led the NL with 46 home runs, is 1-for-20 with eight strikeouts in the postseason, and two of his three walks have been intentional.
How’s the defense? Still bad. Nick Castellanos made a diving catch in right field in the bottom of the ninth to help preserve a 7-6 victory in Game 1 against the Braves, but he and Schwarber remain big liabilities in the outfield corners — Castellanos is in the second percentile in Statcast’s outs above average and Schwarber is in the first. Alec Bohm is a problem at third base, and in the Phils’ only loss so far, Game 2 to the Braves, Hoskins butchered a ground ball that led to a couple of runs.
Final thought: Eliminating the Braves in four games puts the Philadelphia rotation back in order: Zack Wheeler will be ready to start Game 1, Aaron Nola on full rest for Game 2 and then Ranger Suarez for Game 3. But with the possibility of seven games in eight days, that means digging into the No. 4 (Noah Syndergaard) and probably the No. 5 (likely Bailey Falter) starters, which will further stress the thin bullpen. With an off day after Game 2, Wheeler would be lined up to go in Game 5, but Nola wouldn’t be on full rest until Game 7. If the series does go seven, though — the Phillies will like their chances with Nola. — Schoenfield
Why they can move on: Postseason success has become more and more about finding the hot bullpen — and manager Bob Melvin might have found it at exactly the right time. Robert Suarez, the 31-year-old rookie who spent his career in Mexico and Japan before signing with the Padres, has tossed six scoreless innings in the postseason, topping out at 101.5 mph. Veteran Luis Garcia has hit 101 mph in the postseason. Tim Hill can be a tough matchup for left-handed hitters. Most importantly, closer Josh Hader has rediscovered his mojo after a few horrific blowups earlier in the season with the Brewers and Padres (including a six-run outing in late August). He has allowed just one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason and topped out at 100.8 mph. If you’re going to beat the Padres’ bullpen, you better be able to hit some high-octane heat.
Why they might not: You need to hit home runs to win in the postseason. So far, the Padres — who ranked just 12th in the NL in home runs in the regular season — have done that, hitting nine in seven games. But some of those have come from surprising sources, mostly notably three from Trent Grisham — a batter who hit .184 in the regular season. Juan Soto, who hit just six home runs in 52 games with the Padres, continues to search for his power stroke.
Who’s hot: Joe Musgrove and his ears. Red hot, to be precise. Musgrove made the All-Star team after a dominant first half in which he allowed a .205 average and .595 OPS, before batters hit .254 with a .758 OPS against him in the second half. He dominated the Mets with one hit — and one ear check — over seven scoreless innings in the wild-card series and then held the Dodgers to two runs in six innings in the division series.
Who’s not: The Padres’ rotation thins out after Yu Darvish, Musgrove and Blake Snell. Mike Clevinger drew the ball against the Dodgers in Game 1 and got knocked out in the third inning — this after a 6.52 ERA in September. Sean Manaea might get the next opportunity to start over Clevinger and then Melvin might have to rely heavily on his bullpen. Nick Martinez, a part-time starter during the season, can go multiple innings and might play a key role in the middle games of this series.
How’s the defense? Manny Machado has had an excellent postseason with a couple of home runs and vacuum cleaner defense at third base. Ha-Seong Kim is an underrated shortstop, and Grisham is arguably the best center fielder in the majors right now (99th percentile in outs above average). The big liability is Soto, who is a terrible right fielder — bad reads, below-average speed and seemingly indifferent to playing well out there. He does have a decent arm, but the defensive metrics (first percentile in outs above average) support the eye test. The Padres hope the ball doesn’t find him in key moments.
Final thought: The Padres’ master plan to dethrone the Dodgers didn’t materialize in the regular season — the Dodgers not only beat them by 22 games but won all six series. But the Padres won the one that counts the most and will now actually get home-field advantage in the NLCS over the Phillies. If the fans bring the same energy and noise they brought against the Dodgers, that’s a small factor in their favor. The bullpen is clicking on all cylinders and the top three starters are pitching well. This series could come down to pitching depth, and the Padres have the advantage there over the Phillies. — Schoenfield
Who will win?
Padres (7 votes), Phillies (5)
Tristan Cockcroft: Phillies in 6
MVP: Wheeler
The one thing we’ll all be talking about during this series: Either Austin Nola taking brother Aaron deep in his first at-bat in Game 2, or whether the Padres would’ve ultimately won had Fernando Tatis Jr. been available this postseason.
Bradford Doolittle: Phillies in 6
MVP: J.T. Realmuto
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: How Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did it again, assembling a pennant winner with a big payroll and a roster that was incomplete but could flex its star power at the right time.
Alden Gonzalez: Padres in 6
MVP: Machado
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: How San Diego might really, truly be a baseball town.
Eric Karabell: Phillies in 6
MVP: Harper
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: Harper 1, Machado 0.
Tim Keown: Padres in 7
MVP: Machado
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The improbable convergence of talent and cohesiveness that appeared almost out of nowhere and carried the Padres to the World Series.
Tim Kurkjian: Padres in 7
MVP: Machado
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: How the Padres — who, in early August, were supposed to be an offensive machine — won with great pitching.
Joon Lee: Padres in 7
MVP: Musgrove
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The Padres’ roster depth, overcoming the suspension of Tatis Jr., and showing that getting aggressive at the trade deadline can be the difference between a wild-card exit and making the World Series.
Kiley McDaniel: Phillies in 7
MVP: Nola
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The Dombrowski formula works again — and the 76ers/Eagles are good, too!
Buster Olney: Padres in 6
MVP: Soto
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: How owner Peter Seidler hoisted the Padres into the echelon of elite teams through his desire to win, giving the OK to expend resources to get Melvin, as well as players like Machado, Soto, Musgrove, Darvish and Hader — to name a few. Seidler changed the trajectory of the franchise.
Jeff Passan: Padres in 7
MVP: Soto
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The last time the Padres made a World Series, nearly a quarter-century ago, where they were promptly swept by the Yankees. For this team to go all-in and make it to the Fall Classic, even without Tatis Jr., is not just a phenomenal outcome for this season but a portent of a great future.
Jesse Rogers: Phillies in 6
MVP: Harper
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The Phillies’ starting staff — it’s as good as it comes, and even with some question marks in Philadelphia’s bullpen, the Padres won’t score much in the series.
Schoenfield: Padres in 6
MVP: Machado
The one thing we’ll all be talking about: The Padres’ bullpen. Luis Garcia, Suarez and Hader were each throwing 100 mph laser beams against the Dodgers. If the Padres are leading after six, those three will take it home.
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23XI, Front Row turn to courts to keep ’25 status
Published
4 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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Associated Press
Jul 14, 2025, 11:11 AM ET
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.
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New rules for EBUGs? 84 games? What to know about the NHL’s new CBA
Published
5 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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Multiple Contributors
Jul 14, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
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:
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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
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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.
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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
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QB Retzlaff announces his withdrawal from BYU
Published
6 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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Jake Retzlaff announced on Friday that he’s withdrawing from BYU, formally initiating his transfer process from the school.
Retzlaff, BYU’s starting quarterback last year, said in an Instagram post that he made the “difficult decision” to withdraw and that he plans to “step away” from the BYU program. The post makes public what had been expected, as Retzlaff began informing his teammates and coaches in late June of his intent to transfer.
According to ESPN sources, Retzlaff’s path to transfer to a new school is not expected to come from the NCAA transfer portal. With Retzlaff just short of graduating, which would make the transfer process more traditional, he plans to simply leave BYU and then enroll at a new school.
That path is not a common one, but there’s precedent. That includes former Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas leaving school this winter and enrolling at the University of Miami.
Retzlaff expressed his gratitude for his time at BYU, saying “it has meant more to me than just football.” He added that he’s “excited to turn the page and embrace the next chapter.”
BYU officials generally avoided the topic of Retzlaff at Big 12 media days this week, deferring to him to make a statement on his next move.
In a statement on Friday, BYU athletics said: “We are grateful for the time Jake Retzlaff has spent at BYU. As he moves forward, BYU Athletics understands and respects Jake’s decision to withdraw from BYU, and we wish him all the best as he enters the next phase of his career.”
Retzlaff’s departure comes in the wake of BYU’s planned seven-game suspension of him for violating the school’s honor code.
That suspension arose after he was accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in 2023. The lawsuit ended up being dismissed on June 30, with the parties jointly agreeing to dismiss with prejudice, but Retzlaff’s response included an admission of premarital sex, which is a violation of the BYU honor code.
Retzlaff went 11-2 as BYU’s starting quarterback in 2024, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. His departure leaves BYU with a three-way quarterback race this summer to replace him, with no clear favorite.
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MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
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Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
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Environment2 years ago
Japan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
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Environment2 years ago
Game-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike