USC, Michigan deliver big with emphatic Week 13 wins
The strangest thing about the response to USC hiring Lincoln Riley a year ago had nothing to do with the school itself. Riley was a home run. That much was obvious, and the only question seemed to be when he’d revive the Trojans program, not if. No, the real twist was in the way it was celebrated as a win for the entire Pac-12, a league so desperate for national relevancy that, even if its best team made a hire likely to upend the power structure of the rest of the conference, it was still a communal celebration. It was a win for everyone because, after years inhabiting college football purgatory, the Pac-12 would again have a chance for top billing.
On Saturday, Riley and the Trojans delivered on that promise.
It’s not that USC’s ticket to the College Football Playoff is punched just yet. There’s still the small matter of a conference championship game that awaits. But with the 38-27 win over Notre Dame in a prime-time game in which the entire college football world was focused, there was a clear feeling that something seismic had changed.
Alabama‘s playoff hopes are on life support.
Clemson‘s playoff hopes ended with a loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
Ohio State was dealt a potentially fatal blow by rival Michigan in emphatic fashion, too.
Oklahoma and Notre Dame, two of the other teams with as many playoff berths alone as the Pac-12 has as a league, have long since been afterthoughts.
And so here we have USC, the feel-good story of the season.
Well, maybe.
The truth is, USC may have stepped into a far more interesting role with its dominant win over the Irish. In a year in which Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma didn’t dominate the headlines, on a Saturday when Ohio State lost to Michigan for the second straight year and Brian Kelly, despised by thousands of fans who can’t quite articulate why, got his comeuppance against Texas A&M, the college football villainy vacuum was never so clear.
Enter the Trojans.
2:04
Caleb Williams throws for one touchdown and rushes for three in a impressive performance as USC defeats Notre Dame 38-27.
The narrative certainly fits. After all, this is a team built with a checkbook, luring Riley from Oklahoma, who in turn, lured a host of key players via the transfer portal (with some help from hefty NIL deals) to completely transform the roster after a 4-8 campaign just a year ago. It’s a program poised to shrug off a century of history to chase money in the Big Ten, possibly destroying the Pac-12 in the process. It’s a team that rose up the rankings despite a soft schedule and zero particularly impressive wins until a week ago.
Want to root against somebody in a year in which Alabama and Clemson and Ohio State don’t warrant that type of attention? USC sure makes for a perfect bad guy. And make no mistake, college football loves a bad guy. To be the heel is not a slight. It’s an honor that’s earned only by teams that can command genuine ire on a national stage.
The only problem with this theory is that, once USC stats playing, the Trojans are awfully hard to dislike, and Saturday was a perfect example of why.
Quarterback Caleb Williams might be the most riveting player in the sport right now. He’s college football’s closest thing to Patrick Mahomes — though perhaps that’s not even a proper comparison. He’s more like the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, his every move feeling both perfectly executed and entirely improvised. He pinballed off Notre Dame pass-rushers repeatedly Saturday, even his incompletions generating as much edge-of-your-seat excitement as most QBs muster with a 50-yard bomb. He finished with four touchdowns.
Without Travis Dye, USC’s ground game still ran roughshod over a ferocious Notre Dame front, with Austin Jones going for 154 yards. Yes, USC lured Mario Williams and Jordan Addison into the fold via the transfer portal, but Williams actually completed passes to nine different receivers Saturday. There is an absolute wealth of riches in the receiving corps.
And the defense — the maligned unit that nearly coughed up a lead to UCLA a week ago — looked fantastic. In USC’s loss to the Utah Utes on Oct. 15, it was tight end Dalton Kincaid who did the bulk of the damage, catching 16 passes for 234 yards. Surely USC would have its hands full with Michael Mayer then, right?
Mayer had a fine game — 8 catches, 98 yards and 2 touchdowns — but he hardly dictated the action, and for most of the second half he was a mirage. His last touchdown came as USC looked to simply run out the clock.
Notre Dame’s power run game, strong tight end play, stout defense — it’s the poor man’s version of what Georgia and Michigan offer, and it proved no match for USC. How fun might these Trojans be in the playoff then?
And in the end, isn’t that worth rooting for?
We’ve seen so many semifinal blowouts, so many mismatched games, so few truly interesting matchups in the playoff and such a small regional footprint for the biggest games. But whether you love them or hate them, the Trojans are most certainly interesting. More important than that, Saturday proved that this USC team is really good.
Michigan beats Ohio State with style and brazenness
The beauty of the showdown Saturday between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan is that it was not simply a matchup of playoff contenders in a heated rivalry game, but such a stark contrast in styles.
Ohio State is the sports car, all flash and speed with more skill position talent than the average Big Ten team has in a decade.
Michigan is a Jeep, a rugged machine designed for brute force. The Wolverines win not by sprinting past opponents, but by running over them.
And if that had been the script that played out Saturday — and, for much of the first half, it was — the Buckeyes might be headed to the Big Ten title game.
Instead, Jim Harbaugh’s team showed it’s far from a one-trick pony. On Saturday, Michigan was Meryl Streep, effortlessly slipping into a new role, cast against type and playing the part perfectly.
In the end, of course, Michigan still ran the ball for 252 yards, forced two Ohio State turnovers and held the Buckeyes to 5-of-17 on third and fourth downs, but that was simply the denouement. Michigan won through the air, through style, pizzazz and an almost comical level of brazenness from Harbaugh that he has rarely shown in the course of his coaching career.
Blake Corum suited up, but he touched the ball just twice in the game. Instead, Michigan relied on quarterback J.J. McCarthy to deliver the big plays.
Back in September, Harbaugh gambled on McCarthy as his starter, benching the QB who took the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff in 2021, Cade McNamara, in favor of the more versatile sophomore. For much of the season, the gamble paid minimal dividends, with McCarthy deferring to his run game in a series of entirely formulaic wins against lesser opponents, like a poker player checking again and again waiting for just the right hand to go all-in.
Saturday, McCarthy was dealt one ace after another.
Entering the game, Michigan had just 12 completions of 30 yards or more all year. Against Ohio State, McCarthy delivered four of them, including touchdown throws of 69, 75 and 45.
And if McCarthy’s shredding of an overmatched Ohio State secondary wasn’t enough, Michigan used its linebacker-turned-running back to throw a 15-yard jump pass on third down in what was less a play call and more akin to slipping a whoopee cushion onto Ryan Day’s seat just as he sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. It was designed to embarrass as much as to succeed. Such is the beauty of a rivalry like this one.
Indeed, it was bad enough that even Michigan’s punter was dunking on the Buckeyes.
– Weather was nice
– We were taken seriously
– They didn’t have the fluAny more excuses?
— Brad Robbins (@__BR91) November 26, 2022
Perhaps as shocking as Michigan’s role reversal on offense was the way Ohio State simply cashed in its chips down the stretch. The Buckeyes mustered just three points in the second half, turned the ball over twice and watched as Michigan’s Donovan Edwards reeled off touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards on consecutive drives. Had Ohio State kept the game close, fought to the end, took Michigan to the brink — perhaps there’d still be a reasonable case to put the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff.
Instead, the epitaph on their season will read, “Lost by 22 at home to that teaX up north.”
It’s hard to know what this means in the bigger picture for Michigan. Last year, the Wolverines made the playoff, but their fate always felt all but assured, a sacrificial lamb just happy to live long enough to get a free trip to South Beach before getting whipped by Georgia.
Saturday showed something more to the 2022 incarnation though. While Day punted away chances to close the gap in the second half, Harbaugh seemed like a hedge fund manager on a heater at a Vegas craps table — all gas, no brakes, tipping the waitress with $100 bills on every fresh glass of 2% milk she brings (which is what we assume Harbaugh would be drinking in Vegas). While Ohio State was unable to maneuver the foothills in its souped-up sports car, Michigan showed it can sling it around the field, then run it down your throat. And while the Buckeyes were knocked from their place atop the list of contenders for Georgia’s throne, Michigan may well have delivered a statement that reverberates beyond Big Ten country. This team is for real.
Gamecocks ice the ACC
There was a time, two whole weeks ago, when the South Carolina offense was a mess. This was a different era, of course, back before our long national nightmare waiting for Taylor Swift tickets and well before Matt Rhule could locate Nebraska on a map. Many people had only seen “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” twice. So much has changed since then.
Back in those dark days of mid-November, South Carolina was embarrassed by Florida 38-6 and its offense was in shambles.
But now, the Gamecocks have the hottest offense in the country and Spencer Rattler suddenly looks like … well, 2020 Spencer Rattler.
After throttling No. 5 Tennessee 63-38 last week, the Gamecocks put on an encore performance by toppling No. 8 Clemson for the first time since 2013, 31-30, and effectively ending the ACC’s playoff hopes in the process.
0:41
South Carolina’s special teams recover the fumble to regain control in final minutes.
Rattler was dazzling again, completing 25 of 39 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns while adding a third on the ground.
Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei, on the other hand, was a mess, completing 8 of 29 throws, as the Tigers turned the ball over three times while wasting a 14-0 lead.
Will Shipley ran for 132 yards on the ground, but had just two carries on Clemson’s final four drives.
Now, the ACC championship game will feature two teams that both lost their rivalry games to close out the year, with North Carolina losing to NC State 30-27 Friday night in double overtime.
South Carolina, on the other hand, will wrap the regular season with a likely top-25 ranking and enough cachet to warrant some serious buzz heading into their bowl and beyond. The Gamecocks won eight regular-season games for the first time since 2017 and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers — handing Dabo Swinney his first home loss in 41 games to boot.
TCU makes playoff statement
The playoff committee has spent the past few weeks pointing out all the flaws in TCU’s game. The Horned Frogs just haven’t won impressively enough to wow anyone.
On Saturday, however, Sonny Dykes basically held the severed head of Cy the Cardinal aloft and yelled, “Are you not entertained?”
TCU destroyed Iowa State 62-14 behind three touchdown passes from Max Duggan and a defense that forced three turnovers and scored twice.
It was TCU’s first win by more than 10 points since beating Oklahoma by 31 on Oct. 1, and it sealed a perfect regular season for the Horned Frogs, who’ll move on to the Big 12 title game with a chance to force their way into the College Football Playoff — unless of course the committee finds that a 48-point win over the last-place Big 12 team isn’t as impressive as a 22-point loss to Michigan. Got to appreciate those quality losses, and frankly, it’s a real knock on TCU that it doesn’t have any of them.
Indeed, here’s the very definition of irony: What if TCU loses the Big 12 title game next week, then is passed by Ohio State in the committee’s final rankings?
That would mean that the Horned Frogs lost out on a playoff berth to Ohio State in 2014 because the Big 12 didn’t play a title game … then lost out on a playoff berth to Ohio State in 2022 because it did.
Rivalry roundup
It’s rivalry weekend. So, how did some of the less competitive rivalry games go? We’ve got you covered with a full rundown.
Iron Bowl: Alabama 49, Auburn 27
Scene: Clenching a glass of scotch and sweating nervously, Boo Corrigan stares out the window of his room at the Gaylord Hotel, where the playoff committee is set to meet one final time.
Below, a low fog hangs over a graveyard. Lightning flashes. A thunder crash booms.
Suddenly, the ground begins to move. From the fresh dirt bursts a clenched fist with championship rings on every finger.
“My God,” Corrigan gasps. “It can’t be.”
Into the moonlight, the visage is clear. It’s him. He lives.
Who beat up Saban? pic.twitter.com/yUaJLl8c1J
— Anita (@neetsark) November 26, 2022
OK, so it’s still a long shot, but we’re not writing off Nick Saban. The man is indestructible.
As a side note: Bryce Young belongs in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He won’t win it, but he has been incredible.
The rivalry formerly known as the Civil War: Oregon State 38, Oregon 34
Oregon led this game 34-17 with 13 minutes to play.
Oregon State led by four with eight minutes to play and never looked back.
How is this possible? It was a sheer comedy of errors. There was the 43-yard run Oregon allowed that set up a critical third-quarter TD. There was the Ducks settling for a field goal after having the ball with first-and-goal at the 10. There was the huge kick return and face mask penalty that set up another Beavers touchdown. There was the fumble at the 2 recovered by Oregon State. There was the failed fourth-and-1 conversion that gave Oregon State the ball back again deep in Ducks territory.
But more than anything, there was this guy. He isn’t the hero Oregon State deserved. He’s the hero it needed.
Oregon State is clearly leading Oregon by dozens of hats pic.twitter.com/LcfctJYZ9S
— Red Scott ? (@red_scott_fb) November 26, 2022
Governor’s Cup: Kentucky 26, Louisville 13
Will Levis threw two touchdown passes and the Wildcats won the Governor’s Cup for the fourth straight year — all by double digits. What this means for Scott Satterfield’s future at Louisville will be the big question for Cardinals fans, but the more important question for everyone else: How is the trophy for this game not just an oversized bottle of Pappy Van Winkle?
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate: Georgia 37, Georgia Tech 14
Georgia Tech scored on its first possession and led this game well into the second quarter. By any reasonable metric, that’s a huge success. (Note: Actually winning this game would’ve been an unreasonable metric.) Meanwhile, Georgia can now fully turn its attention to the SEC championship game, where Stetson Bennett can accomplish the one thing he has yet to do in his career.
Old Oaken Bucket: Purdue 30, Indiana 16
The Boilermakers secured a trip to the Big Ten championship game with the win Saturday. Purdue is unranked. Purdue in its history has nine wins as an unranked team against top-two opponents, more than double any other program in the country. Purdue will play a likely second-ranked Michigan next week. What could go wrong?
Land of Lincoln Trophy: Illinois 41, Northwestern 3
Remember when Northwestern stunned Nebraska in Week 0? The Wildcats scored 31 in that game. They didn’t top 24 in another game all season. In the month of November, Northwestern scored a grand total of 22 points. Maybe we shouldn’t have been making fun of Iowa all this time. The Hawkeyes are the 2000 St. Louis Rams compared with Northwestern.
Paul Bunyan’s Axe: Minnesota 23, Wisconsin 16
What to make of Minnesota’s season? The advanced metrics loved the Gophers all year. Actually winning games, however, was difficult. After a 4-0 start, Minnesota topped 23 points just twice — against Rutgers and Northwestern. But the Gophers did close out the regular season on a high note Saturday, winning the axe for a second straight season after Wisconsin had dominated the rivalry for much of the previous 25 years. As a side note, we appreciate all rivalry trophies that can also be used to fell a tree. More schools should consider getting trophies from Home Depot.
Land Grant Trophy: Penn State 35, Michigan State 16
Penn State won easily, allowing the Nittany Lions to celebrate with a trophy that is actually just a bunch of things Joe Paterno once found in an old storage unit that he stuck together using a glue stick and duct tape. Anyway, the important thing here is the Nittany Lions are now 10-2 and officially count as a good win for Ohio State as it makes its case to still be invited into the playoff.
The Eighth Overtime Cup: Texas A&M 38, LSU 23
OK, we made that name up, but after the 2018 seven-overtime game between these two teams, it feels appropriate. Instead of a trophy for the winner, Jimbo Fisher’s nephew can just sucker punch the losing coach. There’s a lot of potential here. Let’s keep workshopping.
On the field, the Aggies pulled off the stunning upset behind 215 yards and two touchdowns from Devon Achane, who has essentially been like Paul McCartney in Wings this season. He’s a generational talent. Everyone else? A bunch of session musicians. Still, it was the right combination to topple the Bayou Bengals, whose playoff hopes were nixed in the loss. Will this result in a three-year contract extension for Jimbo Fisher? Jimmy Sexton is making some calls as we speak.
The (other) Governor’s Cup: Kansas State 47, Kansas 27
The Wildcats punched their ticket to the Big 12 title game, where they’ll look for a little revenge against TCU. Deuce Vaughn finished with 229 yards of offense, Will Howard threw for two touchdowns, and the K-State offense had more than 200 yards passing and rushing.
But let’s take a moment here to recall that, at one point, Kansas was 5-0. “College GameDay” went to Lawrence. The world felt like a safer, better place. In the end, Kansas finishes the regular season at 6-6, which feels like a disappointment after the hot start. But it’s actually immense progress for a team that was incredibly fun all season long and one that has genuine cause for optimism moving forward. Somewhere, a now-grown Baby Mangino is thinking of starting a family of his own, knowing he might have a little baby Lance Leipold one day. And all will be right with the world once more.
The no-name rivalry: Tennessee 56, Vanderbilt 0
How have these schools had 130 years to come up with a good name for this game and it’s never happened? At the very least, the winner should get possession of the Sun Sphere. This year, thankfully, the sphere stays in Knoxville, as Tennessee dominated in its first game without Hendon Hooker, relying on a ground game that accounted for 362 yards and six touchdowns. If Tennessee hadn’t fallen apart against South Carolina last week, the Vols’ playoff hopes would actually be looking pretty strong right now. Meanwhile, after winning back-to-back SEC games, Vandy was back to being Vandy. But we feel confident that Clark Lea’s promise that the Commodores would be the best team in the country will come to fruition next year.
Heisman Five
What had been a wide open race for so much of the season now seems down to one guy: Caleb Williams. The rest of the pack is still deep and talented, but each has run into rough waters at some point, but Williams keeps plugging along. As good as some of his competition might be, it’s hard to argue that he’s not been the most entertaining player in college football this year.
1. USC QB Caleb Williams
Not only is Williams the clear favorite to win the Heisman now, he’s quickly building a case as the best of the Lincoln Riley winners, too.
Through 12 games in 2017, Baker Mayfield had 4,342 yards, 42 touchdowns and five turnovers.
Through 12 games in 2018, Kyler Murray had 4,527 yards, 48 touchdowns and nine turnovers.
Through 12 games this year, Williams has 4,063 yards, 44 touchdowns and three turnovers.
One more game left to go before the trophy is handed out, but ultimately, that debate might come down to what happens after.
1:32
Caleb Williams does a great job to keep the play alive for the completion, tops it off with a TD run later in the drive and then strikes the Heisman pose.
2. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
Stroud threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, but he also threw two picks and, for the second straight year, lost to rival Michigan. Stroud’s case for the Heisman is still a good one, but without a chance to play one more game on a championship stage, it’s hard to imagine he can overcome Williams for the top spot.
3. Texas RB Bijan Robinson
He has been off the national radar for much of the season, but there’s no question at this point that Robinson is among the game’s best players. His 179 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Baylor put Texas in position to make the Big 12 title game on Friday, and he’s hit 100 yards in nine of his past 10 games. In fairness, it does feel weird to write nice things about Texas, but that’s just how good Robinson is.
4. Alabama QB Bryce Young
Where would Alabama be this year without Young? His 2022 candidacy feels much like Jameis Winston in 2014 or Lamar Jackson in 2017 — gritty, smart, entirely impressive, but just not as magical as the preceding year. A lot of that can be pinned on a lesser supporting cast and a midseason injury though, and the ultimate takeaway remains that Young is just an incredibly impressive quarterback and worthy of a spot in New York.
5. TCU QB Max Duggan
There’s something rewarding about a Heisman finalist who opened the season on the bench. That could certainly be the story for Duggan, who threw for three more touchdowns in Saturday’s win over Iowa State that secured an undefeated regular season for TCU, and it would give hope to all of the rest of us spending time on life’s bench, knowing that Heisman contenders can blossom after Week 1 and guys who write snarky college football columns every Saturday don’t often reach their peak until their mid-50s.
Under-the-radar game of the day
So maybe UTSA‘s comeback against UTEP didn’t carry the same significance on the national stage as the Oregon State win over Oregon, but it was still pretty wild.
UTEP scored on its first four possessions to go up 24-0. Then UTSA decided to play.
The Roadrunners scored on a 65-yard Frank Harris TD pass, got a pick-six, then scored on their first three drives of the second half to tie the game at 31.
Among the ridiculousness of the frenetic comeback was this wild — or perhaps really smart — play that turned a big gain for UTEP into a drive that ended with a punt.
Game might have turned on the smartest (?) personal foul ever.
UTEP QB runs for 45 yards. Grabs defender’s facemask at end. No big deal, right? Still gained 30. But UTSA defender then grabs horse collar, which is an offsetting penalty. Whole play is wiped out.
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) November 26, 2022
UTEP still had a shot to retake the lead, setting up shop with a first down at the UTSA 14, but Calvin Brownholtz tossed his second INT of the game to end the drive.
In the end, UTSA drilled a 28-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Roadrunners to their 10th win of the season.
Under-the-radar play of the day
Nate Cox‘s final throw of Nevada‘s 27-22 loss to UNLV had more drama than most (but notably, not all) Siegfried and Roy shows.
First off, were you aware that there’s a rivalry trophy for the winner of the Nevada-UNLV game each year? It seems redundant since Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and Reno is a place to find a cheap steak and dispose of evidence, so no trophy could matter all that much in determining which campus is better. But alas, here we are.
In any case, this year’s installment of the Wayne Newton Trophy* came down to the final drive, and Nevada nearly pulled off the type of miracle 90-year-old chain-smoking women dream of while playing the nickel slots.
(*Note: OK, we made that up. The actual trophy is a life-sized rendering of the Blue Man Group playing rock, paper, scissors mounted atop Celine Dion’s original tour bus.**)
(**Note: OK, we made that one up, too. The real trophy is called The Fremont Cannon and was once used by the mafia to fend off a hit outside the Golden Nugget.***)
Nevada trailed 27-16 with less than seven minutes to play but engineered a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that including a fourth-and-5 conversion to pull to within 27-22.
UNLV’s ensuing drive went nowhere, and the Rebels punted.
Nevada got the ball back with 2:05 remaining, managed 12 plays, and had a shot at the game-winner on a fourth-and-1 from the UNLV 5 with 7 seconds to go. Nate Cox’s pass to Jamaal Bell looked like a possible completion — with one official signaling touchdown and another waving it off — but in the end, the call was incomplete, and UNLV hung on for a 27-22 win.
(***Note: OK, we don’t know if the cannon was used by the mafia either.)
Freeze ends cold
Liberty opened the year 8-1, its lone loss coming on a failed 2-point try against Wake Forest.
Since then, however, the wheels have come off, and Hugh Freeze appears to still be flying down the highway, rims sparking, bumper hanging off, en route to Auburn.
If the Freeze era at Liberty is over, there might be a real argument that this departure, following a 49-14 loss to New Mexico State, is even more embarrassing than the one at Ole Miss.
Freeze is in talks to take the vacant head-coaching job at Auburn, which three weeks ago might’ve seemed a home run hire for the Tigers.
Now? Well, hard to blame Freeze for the result Saturday. New Mexico State had only beaten one FBS team by 35 or more in the past 20 years, so clearly the Aggies were due.
Saturday was the cherry on top of the embarrassment sundae Liberty has enjoyed the past three weeks. First came a loss to UConn, getting the Huskies bowl-eligible for the first time since the Taft administration (Note: We didn’t fact-check that, but it feels right). Then came a loss to a 2-8 Virginia Tech that hadn’t won since mid-September. And now, an absolute demolition by New Mexico State.
Of course, there’s a lot more that will go into Auburn’s ultimate decision than just three mostly meaningless games. The important thing on The Plains is to ensure the Tigers get a coach who will happily collect a $40 million buyout in 2025.
The most college football thing to happen Saturday
New Hampshire won its first-round game in the FCS playoffs 52-42 against Fordham, and tailback Dylan Laube got to celebrating early.
Laube’s 87-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put UNH up 7-0, but he didn’t bother with the full 87 before high-fiving teammate Brian Espanet, who was trailing him down the field.
He gave his teammate a high-five before scoring the TD ? pic.twitter.com/noX4qP1O4C
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 26, 2022
This is a far better way to celebrate than the now entirely derivative fake hamstring pull. But here’s an even better idea: a high-five heading into the end zone but then tuck your arm inside your jersey and make it seem like the high five was so emphatic, your arm fell completely off. We’ve done that with toddlers and it always kills.
Big bets and bad beats
Clemson closed as a 14.5-point favorite against South Carolina on Saturday, which should’ve been a sure thing for the Tigers. Dabo Swinney was 62-1 straight up when favored by two touchdowns or more. Alas, the Gamecocks don’t care about history. They only care about melting faces and covering spreads. South Carolina won outright, a money line payout of +430.
One bettor dropped $753,535 on a money line bet on Ohio State at -315. That wasn’t all that smart.
Largest reported Michigan-Ohio St game: $753,535 Buckeyes moneyline (-315). Bet was placed Friday in New Jersey with @WynnBET. It would win $239,214.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) November 26, 2022
Michigan’s win will make for a lot of rough Sunday mornings in Ohio, and at least one in Las Vegas.
Trailing 31-10, Oregon State’s hopes of beating rival Oregon seemed slim. Vegas agreed. The live odds on the game topped out at +2500 at Caesars Sportsbook, meaning a $100 bet on the Beavers to win would’ve paid $2,500. And that’s exactly what happened, as Oregon State erased a 17-point deficit in five minutes of action in the fourth quarter and won 38-34, giving any bettors who still had faith a nice payday.
The 2025 NHL draft is now complete. While No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer was no surprise, there was no shortage of shocks as the two-day event proceeded.
That included celebrity guests making picks and other unique aspects of the first “decentralized” draft, along with the usual draft-day twists and turns.
Now that all 224 selections have been made, what stands out the most? ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski serve up their takes on the best, worst and most transcendent moments from the event.
WINNERS
Making special moments even more special
Getting drafted by an NHL team is one of the biggest moments of any young player’s life to that date. But it’s those little touches that the league and its teams add that make that moment go from memorable to incredible.
When Matthew Schaefer went first overall to the New York Islanders, he already had his late mother Jennifer in his thoughts, having lost her last year to breast cancer. Schaefer had her photo and a signature stitched inside his jacket. But when he was given his first Islanders jersey, it had a purple Hockey Fights Cancer ribbon sewn on the left chest and her initials on the inside collar. Schaefer kissed the ribbon after he put the jersey on.
“This is a high-class organization,” Schaefer said. “A lot of people can say, ‘Oh, it’s just a ribbon,’ but it means a lot for me. My mom’s a big part of my life. This jersey, I’m gonna hang up for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks marketing department and the NHL cooked up something special for their 10th overall pick: Loading him into a helicopter, flying him across Southern California and then driving him to Disneyland. That the pick ended up being Roger McQueen — who then got to meet Lightning McQueen in Radiator Springs — is just fantastic. (We would have also accepted No. 13 overall pick Carter Bear hanging at the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree.)
Whether it was a heartfelt moment of remembrance or a rookie in a Ducks jersey high-fiving Donald Duck, these are the moments we’ll remember from the draft. — Wyshynski
0:29
Ducks draft pick Roger McQueen celebrates at Disneyland
Roger McQueen arrives at Disneyland to celebrate being drafted No. 10 by the Ducks.
Goaltenders are people (and first-rounders) too
It’s become a tradition unlike many others: The annual discussion about whether it’s worth the risk to draft a goaltender in the first round.
Friday became the latest chapter in that saga with the Blue Jackets drafting CSKA Jr. goalie Pyotr Andreyanov with the 20th pick, while the San Jose Sharks selected Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen with the 30th pick. Discourse typically comes with every first-round pick. But what made Friday different is the fact that this was the first time in four years a goalie went in the first round — and the last time there were two of them taken in the opening round as well.
In 2021, the Detroit Red Wings drafted Sebastian Cossa with the 15th pick, and the Minnesota Wild selected Jesper Wallstedt 21st.
Then it was three straight years without a goaltender going in the first, which comes with its own significance; the last time the NHL went three draft cycles without a goaltender going in the first round was almost 40 years ago when it happened in the 1984, 1985 and 1986 drafts. The latter part of the 1980s saw more teams take first-round goalies, before the 1991 and 1992 drafts were the only ones of the 1990s that didn’t see a goalie go in the first round. It was also like that in the 2000s when there was a goalie that was taken in the first round in every class but 2007 and 2009; the following 15-year period included eight classes with no goalies in the first round.
Is 2025 the start of another new trend, or will we wait another four years for the next first-round goalie? — Clark
The Sharks add to an already promising young group
The Sharks may be going through the pain of a rebuild, but the future is astonishingly bright. Never mind that San Jose drafted Macklin Celebrini first overall last year and he’s taken to the NHL like a, well, shark to open water. But San Jose reeled in another haul of promising prospects who will take the franchise forward.
Michael Misa, taken No. 2 overall, could be a top-six center. Joshua Ravensbergen is an athletic, 6-foot-5 netminder who could be their franchise goalie down the road. Defenseman Simon Wang — the highest-drafted Chinese-born player ever at No. 33 — is 6-6, an excellent skater and boasts a massive wingspan.
And those are only some of the players entering San Jose’s system. GM Mike Grier is making smart selections for the Sharks that are, slowly but surely, setting the organization up for long-term success. And while the process may have taken some time so far, it feels like San Jose is getting to the good part quicker than expected. — Shilton
It’s good to be wanted. Hagens was the top-rated prospect by TSN before the 2024-25 season, but his great-not-elite season at Boston College combined with the rise of other prospects pushed him down the rankings, to the point where some believed Hagens would be the first-round’s biggest plummet.
But two things happened in the first round that should have Hagens feeling the love. The first is the Islanders doing whatever they could to bring the Long Island native home, according to GM Mathieu Darche, with the two first-rounders they acquired in the Noah Dobson trade. Islanders fans chanted “we want Hagens!” at their draft party in UBS Arena, and cheered every player drafted that wasn’t named James Hagens.
In the end, Hagens did sort of stay home: The Boston Bruins drafted him No. 7 overall, seeing the local college product as a part of their retool. They recruited no less than Happy Gilmore himself, Adam Sandler, to make the announcement via remote video. For every reason, it was an emotional journey for Hagens. That first game against the Islanders while wearing the Spoked-B is going to be a surreal one. — Wyshynski
1:48
Adam Sandler announces Bruins pick at NHL draft
Adam Sandler gives a nod to his famous “Happy Gilmore” character to announce the Bruins picking Boston College’s James Hagens with the seventh pick.
The WHL’s historic Round 1
Remember what the WHL pulled off back in 2014? That’s when it set a league record for having nine first-round picks. The third pick was Edmonton Oilers center and 2020 Hart Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl. The fourth pick that year was Florida Panthers center and Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett. Others from that class such as Haydn Fleury, Julius Honka and Travis Sanheim would also go on to reach the NHL.
The WHL tied that record 11 years later when it also had nine players get taken in the first round. It started when the Buffalo Sabres used the ninth pick to draft Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka, before the Ducks selected Roger McQueen with the 10th pick. Mrtka going ninth continued the WHL’s five-year streak of having a first-round pick that started with Dylan Guenther (2021). With Mrtka and McQueen going in the top 10, that extended another streak of having multiple top-10 picks for a fourth straight year, which started in 2022 with Kevin Korchinski and Matthew Savoie.
The WHL continues to produce first-round picks in sizable numbers. Entering this year’s draft, the WHL had the distinction of having more than five of its players go in the first round in nine of the 11 most recent drafts. Some of the more recent examples of WHL players from those classes who have reached the NHL include Seth Jarvis, Kaiden Guhle, Connor Zary, Connor Bedard, Zach Benson, Guenther and Korchinski. — Clark
The Blues have jokes
The Blues went, well, BLUES when they announced a two-year contract extension for promising young goaltender Joel Hofer, by noting in their social media post he would not “be subject to offer sheets.” That, of course, is a thinly veiled dig at the Edmonton Oilers, from whom the Blues’ signed Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway with offer sheets a season ago.
Totally allowed — and the Blues didn’t back down from reminding the hockey world of what they pulled off with some friendly fire to spice up a five-hour second day of the draft.
St. Louis’ only success wasn’t on their socials, though. In addition to getting Hofer — a key piece of the franchise’s future — re-signed, the Blues got an excellent prospect in Justin Carbonneau at No. 19; the pick was announced by comedian — and Blues fan — Nikki Glaser. He’s confident and physical, with potential to be a 20-plus goal scorer in the NHL. He could be the perfect St. Louis prototype. — Shilton
Arizona State now in elite company
Every draft pick has an impact, though many can’t be measured for quite some time. Unless it’s what the Calgary Flames did with the 32nd and final pick of the first round. Their decision to select forward Cullen Potter made an impact from the moment he was drafted into their organization.
Potter became the first player in Arizona State men’s hockey program history to become a first-round pick. ASU’s records show that the Sun Devils have had six players who were draft picks as incoming freshman, with the most notable being Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord and Buffalo Sabres winger Josh Doan. Doan entered Friday as the highest drafted player in ASU history as he was taken with the 37th pick of the 2021 draft by the Arizona Coyotes.
Potter’s selection in the first round did more than give the ASU men’s hockey program one of its biggest milestones. The university is now one of the few schools that can say it has produced a first-round pick in the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and WNBA drafts. The Sun Devils join a list of schools that includes Connecticut, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Of course, there’s a conversation to be had about Penn State. The Nittany Lions have had first-round picks in four of those five leagues, but are slated to have a first-round pick on their roster next season with incoming Tri-City Americans defenseman Jackson Smith getting drafted 14th by the Columbus Blue Jackets. — Clark
LOSERS
Twenty-six NHL general managers
The NHL moved to a decentralized draft this season, because 26 of its 32 general managers wanted the format change, citing everything from the travel cost savings to getting more work done in the vacuum of their home arena conference room. Whatever your feelings are about the way things played out on Friday night, their majority opinion was original sin, although the NHL tried to make the best of it.
That’s what gave us a four-and-a-half hour first round. That’s what led to there being little trade fireworks, as veteran execs like Don Waddell of Columbus said that a lack of face-to-face interaction on the draft floor had a deleterious effect. That’s what led to the NHL Draft House, in which prospects entered an onstage cave to have real-time video conversations with the general managers who drafted them.
Everyone already assumed this format was likely one-and-done for the NHL — everything NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said leading up to the draft had a “be careful what you wish for” undercurrent. The reaction to the first round probably clinched that. — Wyshynski
Fans who love trades
Full marks to Detroit and Anaheim for the John Gibson trade. It gave us at least one move within the confines of the actual draft to spice things up — yes, Noah Dobson was a blockbuster, but that was before the draft began.
There’s always an appetite to see teams start their engines ahead of free agency opening on July 1, and while there are whispers of other trades potentially in the pipeline — is that Mitch Marner humming “Viva Las Vegas” at the cottage? — none of the speculated moves actually came to fruition before the draft’s final bell tolled.
Erik Karlsson is still a Penguin. Jason Robertson is still a Star. It’s too much fun weaving those deals focused on winning now into the landscape of the league’s future being unveiled in real time. We didn’t get nearly enough of it this time around, and that’s a bummer. — Shilton
The NTDP’s first-round streak
Because no NHL draft is complete without some sort of episode in which semantics are at the heart of it all. In this particular case, it’s the narrative around whether the United States National Team Development Program’s first-round streak officially ended Friday.
Here’s where the conversation gets somewhat complex. The NTDP did have four of its alumni — James Hagens, Logan Hensler, Will Horcoff and Cullen Potter — get drafted in the first round on Friday. But all four players were playing elsewhere in their draft-eligible season.
So in terms of alums who went through the program? Yes, their streak continues. But as for the players who were part of the NTDP’s setup this season? None of them were selected in the first round, and even the NTDP’s website provides something of a precedent for how they interpret who could count as a NTDP draft pick. The NTDP’s list of alums who were first-round picks has three players from the 2024 draft who went in the opening round. It’s a list that includes Zeev Buium, Cole Eiserman and E.J. Emery. But in the NTDP’s page about its 2024 draft class, it lists Eiserman and Emery as its first-rounders, with Buium having enrolled at the University of Denver.
If that’s the case, Friday marks the first time since 2008 in which the NTDP didn’t have a player get drafted in the first round. That draft class saw the NTDP have eight players who were taken in the second round and beyond, before the 2009 draft started a new streak that began with future NHL All-Star Kyle Palmieri getting drafted by the Ducks with the 26th pick.
And yet? The NTDP had 23 players who got drafted overall this year, which sets a record. The program’s previous high was 21, set in 2016. — Clark
Dress codes
While the details from the new collective bargaining agreement haven’t been officially released, as the NHL and the players are currently ratifying it, we do know that that it will no longer allow teams to mandate a dress code for players when arriving or departing games.
Hockey fashion norms took an additional hit in the final round on Saturday afternoon, when the 223rd overall pick accepted his new Edmonton Oilers jersey while wearing shorts and a hoodie.
223rd overall and the second to last pick in the #NHLDraft, but Aidan Park stuck around for it! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NwzSoDIFOz
— NHL (@NHL) June 28, 2025
In fairness, Aidan Park lives eight miles away from the Peacock Theater, the site of this year’s draft in Los Angeles. He said he showed up because he had some friends working the event. Park was a ranked prospect by NHL Central Scouting, having played for the USHL Green Bay Gamblers last season, and committed to the University of Michigan next season. But he didn’t expect to get selected until his name was announced with the second to last pick in the entire draft, to a loud round of applause by those still in attendance.
So while everyone else was dressed to the nines in newly tailored suits with custom jacket linings, the nephew of former NHL player Richard Park kept it chill — and won the fashion draft. — Wyshynski
Finland’s California mis-adventure
Look away Finnish hockey fans. The nation that has supplied the NHL with current franchise cornerstone talents such as Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen and Mikko Rantanen did not have a single player go in the first round on Friday.
But that was just the start of what was an uncharacteristic draft. Lasse Boelius was the first Finn to get drafted, 60th overall to the Ducks. Finland would not have another player selected until the fourth round. The nation finished the draft with eight players selected, and it’s the first time Finland finished in single digits since 2014 when it had nine.
QuantHockey’s metrics reveal that Finland has the fifth-most players in the NHL. But the reality that Finland didn’t have a first-round pick has become a little bit of a trend in alternating drafts as of late. Finland had a streak of multiple first-round pick between 2004 and 2020. The 2017 draft was a big one, with six players going in the first round; led by No. 3 overall pick Heiskanen, all of them have reached the NHL.
Finland’s streak ended in 2021, and the nation has since alternated years in which it has had first-round picks. The nation had two first-rounders in 2022, followed by zero first-rounders in 2023, and two first-rounders last season. — Clark
-
Ryan S. Clark
The NHL’s offseason is off and running, and the trades have been piling up since the Florida Panthers raised the Stanley Cup for a second straight season.
That includes Chris Kreider heading to the Anaheim Ducks, Trevor Zegras joining the Philadelphia Flyers and Noah Dobson being traded to the Montreal Canadiens. During Day 2 of the draft, John Gibson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
This page will be your home for report cards on every major trade this offseason, with the most recent deals first.
June 28: Gibson to the Red Wings
No, this is not a drill. After years of speculation, the Anaheim Ducks finally traded goaltender John Gibson.
The Detroit Red Wings landed Gibson, who was with the Ducks for more than a decade, in exchange for goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Here’s a look at what the deal means for each side.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman had plenty of questions to answer this offseason after the club had missed the postseason for nine seasons. One of them is what he and his front office staff would do about their goaltending situation.
They tried different solutions in recent seasons. Ville Husso went from winning 26 games in his first season with the club (2022-23) to being traded to the Ducks during 2024-25. A tandem of Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot combined for a 0.899 save percentage, which is why the Wings traded for Mrazek before the deadline; he had a .902 save percentage in five games.
Lyon is an unrestricted free agent, whereas Mrazek and Talbot both had a year left on their contracts. It presented the possibly they could turn to Sebastian Cossa, their first-round pick from 2021, who finished with a .911 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in the AHL. Some believe he could use another year of development as the Red Wings seek to avoid a 10th consecutive season without the playoffs.
Acquiring Gibson now provides them with a chance to have the stability that has eluded them. Injuries — along with the growth of Lukas Dostal — played a role in why Gibson was limited to 28 starts last season. But in that time, he won 11 games while registering a .912 save percentage — a strong figure compared to what the Red Wings experienced with their options in 2024-25.
The Red Wings could use Gibson and Talbot as a tandem while letting Lyon walk in free agency. The 31-year-old has two years left on his contract at $6.4 million annually, which also gives the Red Wings more time to develop Cossa in the AHL.
Per PuckPedia, Detroit now has $18.411 million in cap space to address a roster that has decisions to make regarding UFAs such as Patrick Kane and a three-player restricted free agent class that includes Jonatan Berggren.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek had to eventually deal with the dynamic surrounding Dostal and Gibson. Building through the draft has been a significant aspect of the Ducks’ rebuild, and Dostal is one of the players who has embodied that movement.
In the past two seasons, Dostal grew from promising prospect to full-time NHL goaltender, with the 2024-25 season showing he could handle the demands of being a No. 1. The 25-year-old finished the season with 23 wins, posting a .903 save percentage in 54 games playing behind a promising but still mostly youthful defense that does include veterans Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba.
Dostal’s age, usage and his performances are all factors that make him vital to the Ducks’ present and future. They will also play a role in what his next contract could look like, given he is an RFA this summer.
It isn’t that the Ducks don’t have cap space. They most certainly do, and a lot of it, which is why they appear to be in play for every major name in free agency. But they also have three RFAs to sign in Drew Helleson, Mason McTavish and Dostal.
The same applies next offseason, when Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger will all be due for new contracts as RFAs still under team control.
Even with the cap space the Ducks possessed at the start of the offseason, they had a chance to create more. That’s part of the reason why they traded Trevor Zegras earlier this week. Trading Gibson, and the last two years of his deal, now pushes their cap space to $38.188 million, per PuckPedia, which is the second most in the league behind the San Jose Sharks.
June 27: Coyle to the Blue Jackets
In need of salary cap space, the Colorado Avalanche created some Friday by trading Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In return, the Blue Jackets traded prospect forward Gavin Brindley, a 2025 third-round pick, and a conditional 2027 second-round pick to Colorado.
Let’s take a quick glance at what it all means for both teams.
The Avs secured a second-line center by signing Brock Nelson — added at the trade deadline — to a three-year contract extension worth $7.5 million annually. But that resulted in the Avs having just $1.2 million in cap space entering Friday, per PuckPedia. Given that the Avs have a six-player unrestricted free agent class — led by Ryan Lindgren — and it meant they needed to do something.
Coyle was one of the strongest candidates for a trade. His arrival at the trade deadline gave the Avs one of the best top-nine center dynamics in the NHL, behind Nathan MacKinnon and Nelson. But when a team is facing a cap crisis, does it make sense to pay a third-line center $5.25 million average annual value when there are more team-friendly options available?
Wood was another potential trade candidate, given he has four years left at $2.5 million AAV. Injuries and inconsistencies led to his scoring only 13 goals the past two seasons with the Avs — the same amount he had in his final full season with the New Jersey Devils.
But that also leaves the Avs needing to address their bottom-six forwards — in addition to possibly retaining Lindgren — along with anything else they seek to accomplish in free agency.
It’s possible Brindley could help with that at some point in the future. The 20-year-old was one of the top prospects in the Blue Jackets’ farm system, which is one of the strongest in the NHL. A second-round pick in 2023, Brindley scored six goals and 17 points in 52 games while playing his first professional season in the AHL. Before that, Brindley starred at Michigan, where he scored 25 goals and 53 points as a sophomore during the 2023-24 season.
At this point, the Blue Jackets have so much cap space that they can pick and choose what deals make sense. Especially if it involves working with a team that needs to create cap space like the Avs.
Coyle and Wood were a luxury in Colorado, but in Columbus they’ll strengthen the bottom six while allowing the front office to focus elsewhere in free agency.
Entering Friday, the Blue Jackets had six unrestricted free agent forwards, while Dmitri Voronkov is a restricted free agent. Adding Coyle gives them a third-line center with Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli on the top two lines. Wood gives them a winger who can be used on the fourth line (or potentially higher); altogether, the Jackets now have 13 forwards who are either under contract or under team control as an RFA.
They also have more than $30 million in cap space, with the idea that some of that could be used on extensions for Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov.
Brinkley was one of their best prospects, but the Blue Jackets still have promising forwards in their system, including Cayden Lindstrom, Jordan Dumais and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
June 27: Dobson to the Canadiens
0:45
Noah Dobson capitalizes on the power play
Noah Dobson capitalizes on the power play
Defenseman Noah Dobson was at the center of a trade Friday between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders with the idea that both franchises are heading in different directions.
The Canadiens got Dobson after he had signed an eight-year contract extension worth $9.5 million annually with the Islanders on Friday. New York got forward Emil Heineman and both of the Canadiens’ 2025 first-round picks, No. 16 and No. 17.
Here’s how both front offices performed and what it means for each side going forward.
If there’s an opportunity to get a 25-year-old, right-handed-shooting, top-pairing, puck-moving defenseman who can play in every scenario — who is also packaged in a 6-foot-4 frame — that’s a move a GM should make.
But, it’s done with the full understanding that it’s going to cost quite a bit, and that’s what makes the decision by Canadiens GM Kent Hughes one that’s rather emphatic because of what it signals about his team.
Specifically, Montreal is serious about making its 2025 playoff appearance a regular occurrence, with the goal of winning a Stanley Cup in the near future.
Future. That’s the word at the heart of what this trade represented for the Canadiens. Having two first-round picks is a benefit. For teams in a rebuild, it’s a chance to build toward what they believe is a stronger future, while playoff teams — or those on the cusp — use them as trade chips to acquire someone who can make them better now.
Hughes took the latter option with this deal, and it provides Montreal with what appears to be one of the more enticing young defensive setups in the NHL.
Dobson, who has scored 10 or more goals in four straight seasons, adds to a group of young Canadiens defensemen that includes reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle and Jayden Struble. The Habs also have recent first-round picks Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher in their system.
That’s six defensemen all younger than 25. Four of them are first-round picks, while the remainder were second-round selections (including Hutson). This is what’s called a problem. Or rather, it has the potential to create a problem because of what that collection could achieve over time.
But then there’s the actual “problem” facing Hughes now that he has Dobson under contract, in that the Habs are now $3.394 million over the salary cap (per PuckPedia), while having seven defensemen under contract or team control for 2025-26.
It’s going to force Hughes to decide which defenseman Montreal moves on from to clear cap space, while also having the necessary group to make the aforementioned playoff push. Veteran Mike Matheson has one year left on his contract at $4.88 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, while Alexandre Carrier has two years remaining at $3.75 million annually before he hits the open market.
Getting that situation handled sooner rather than later allows the Habs to gain more financial flexibility should they want to do more, although they also have a pair of RFAs in Struble and Jakub Dobes who are in need of new deals.
New Islanders GM Mathieu Darche spent six seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s front office, allowing him to appreciate the value of certain items. One of them is the value of building a long-term winner through the draft.
GMs running lottery teams need to have a level of honesty and understanding about the direction of their franchise. That’s what makes anything the Islanders do in Darche’s first offseason even more critical.
That’s not to say that Dobson couldn’t have been part of those long-term plans on Long Island. But there’s also something to be said for identifying the strongest possible value a player has for your franchise, and determining that this value is greater with a return like one that Darche got here.
What Darche received in exchange for a top-pairing defenseman in Dobson will play a significant role in shaping the Islanders for the next decade, if not longer.
Having the No. 1 pick was a starting point toward that future — and it’s likely he’ll add talented defenseman Matthew Schaefer with that pick. But by now adding two more first-round picks, he has even more options.
Darche and his staff might decide they want to keep both picks they acquired from the Canadiens, and draft three players. After all, they would be adding more to a system that, despite having 2024 first-rounder Cole Eiserman, is in distinct need of talent. Part of the reason for that is that the Isles have had four draft classes since 2018 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) in which they did not have a first-round pick.
Or will Darche look to repackage one or both of those picks in another trade, with the hope of doing something else he and his staff believe can set them up for even greater success over the long term?
Although the future is in focus, there’s also something to be said about the present and what it means now that Dobson is gone. The Islanders now have five defensemen under contract, and seven who are under team control, with a pair of pending RFAs in Scott Perunovich and Alexander Romanov. Tony DeAngelo and Mike Reilly are UFAs from the 2024-25 roster.
The Islanders have $20.934 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), which can be used to address their defensive needs along with whatever else they need to handle this summer; that includes re-signing Heineman, who is an RFA after scoring 10 goals and 18 points in 62 games during his first full NHL season.
June 26: Peterka to the Mammoth
0:46
JJ Peterka lights the lamp for Sabres
JJ Peterka lights the lamp for Sabres
Two of the storylines to watch this NHL offseason were whether the Utah Mammoth could add at least one top-six forward to their roster, and if the Buffalo Sabres would part ways with restricted free agent JJ Peterka.
Wednesday night or early Thursday, depending upon the time zone, those narratives collided, with the Mammoth acquiring Peterka in a trade with the Sabres, with forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring going to western New York.
Let’s look at how both front offices performed in this swap, as well as what it means for each franchise moving forward.
In 2024-25, the Utah Hockey Club was a top-10 team in terms of shot share, shots per 60 minutes rate, and scoring chances per 60 — but finished 16th in goals per game. So there was a disconnect. With $20.357 million in salary cap space, a solution needed to be found for that problem.
And so the latest significant move for Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong? Landing Peterka in trade, then immediately signing him to a five-year extension worth $7.7 million annually.
Since Ryan and Ashley Smith purchased the franchise and moved the team to Salt Lake City, the Mammoth have taken a strategic yet aggressive approach. It started last year when they traded for a legitimate No. 1 defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev along with John Marino as part of a plan to revamp their blue line.
Peterka is a continuation of that need to take another big swing. In doing so, the Mammoth add a 23-year-old proven goal scorer who not only addresses their need for more goals but also fits into their long-term plans. After scoring 28 goals and what was then a career-high 50 points in 2023-24, Peterka responded with 27 goals and 68 points in 77 games in what would be his final season in Buffalo.
Trades can often be about creating more options for a team, and Peterka gives the Mammoth quite a few. They now have a top-six winger group that also includes Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz. That amounts to a quartet of 20-goal scorers to play with centers Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton, who also scored more than 20 goals last season, anchoring those top two lines.
Armed with what’s considered to be one of the strongest farm systems in the NHL, the Mammoth didn’t have to part ways with any of their top prospects to get Peterka. They still have Matias Maccelli — who they could seek to move one from in another trade — and still have $14.982 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Nick Bjugstad and Michael Carcone are their most prominent unrestricted free agents, while Jack McBain remains their lone restricted free agent. After landing a difference-maker at No. 4 overall in the draft on Friday — or using that pick to acquire another NHL-ready player instead — they’ll be able to use the majority of that remaining cap space to be active in free agency on July 1.
The most apt word one could use to describe what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams received in return for Peterka? Complicated.
Generally, a 23-year-old top-six forward who remains under team control is going to hypothetically attract a certain price. In some ways, the Sabres were able to get that by receiving a pair of NHL players in Doan and Kesselring. But there’s an argument to be made that the Sabres didn’t receive enough.
Missing the playoffs for the past 14 seasons has left the Sabres in the space between trying to end that drought, while having one eye on the future in case plans need to change (again). Although the Sabres do have one of the stronger farm systems, the Peterka trade presented an opportunity for them to add more — whether it be through draft capital or prospects.
That’s especially true when the player at the center of the deal was so important to the Sabres, given he was second on the team in points, third in goals, third in power-play points and third in ice time among forwards with more than 70 games.
It’s not like Adams walked away with nothing. Doan could carve a place as a top-nine forward. Joining the Sabres is a chance for Doan to find the consistency that eluded him in Utah. He played 28 games in the AHL last season in addition to the 51 games he played for the Hockey Club.
Kesselring gives the Sabres a third right-shot defenseman on their roster. He finished with more than 20 points, while logging more than 70 games, in consecutive seasons. He was also sixth among Mammoth defensemen in average ice time; like Doan, he could see a greater role in Buffalo.
Doan and Kesselring give the Sabres depth. They are also going to cost the club a combined $2.325 million in cap space, with both players having a year left on their respective contracts before restricted free agency. The Sabres now have $20.881 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Yet it still results in this question: Was a bottom-six/middle-six forward and a middle-pairing (at best) defenseman enough of a return for a top-six forward? Or should Adams have gotten more for a player that is addressing one of the Mammoth’s biggest needs, while leaving themselves in need of filling a sizable hole in the roster?
June 23: Zegras to the Flyers
2:18
The highlight reel Trevor Zegras is taking to Philadelphia
With Trevor Zegras being shipped to the Flyers, relive some of his top plays from his last season with the Ducks.
Rumor finally became reality Monday with the Anaheim Ducks trading forward Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Ducks moved Zegras, who has long been discussed as a potential trade target, to the Flyers for forward Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick (originally belonging to the Columbus Blue Jackets) and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
What does it all mean, and how did both front offices fare?
“Potential” is the word that’s going to be used the most to describe this trade.
It starts with the fact that Zegras gives the Flyers another top-nine center in addition to what they already have with Sean Couturier and Noah Cates, with the idea that Zegras has the potential to become their top-line center.
Zegras is a two-time 20-goal scorer who has also authored a pair of consecutive 60-point seasons. That could give the Flyers, who finished 24th in goals per game, another player who can score while creating opportunities for those around him.
At 24, he also potentially fits within the Flyers’ long-term plans. The Flyers were the NHL’s youngest team in 2024-25, with an average age of 26.09 years, according to Elite Prospects.
Again, the key word here is potentially.
Injuries and inconsistencies over the past two seasons created questions as to whether Zegras could return to becoming the player who had those consecutive 60-point seasons back in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Further, they led to inquiries about whether he’d return to or surpass those totals while remaining the Ducks.
Surrounding Zegras with wingers such as Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov and/or Owen Tippett could get him back on track. After all, at one point Zegras was among the league’s breakout stars and looked as if he was going to become one of the future faces of the NHL. He was chosen as the cover athlete for NHL 23.
Then there’s the added incentive that Zegras is in the final season of a three-year contract worth $5.75 million annually. He will remain under team control as a restricted free agent for the next two seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
Even after taking on Zegras’ salary, the Flyers will still have $15.141 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.
For all the questions the Ducks faced about holding on to Zegras, there appeared to be a rather large one looming:
Is it prudent to pay a third-line center more than $5 million annually when there are cheaper options available and other roster holes to fill?
Leo Carlsson — the No. 2 overall pick from 2023 — showed he could handle the demands of being a full-time, top-line center. He scored 20 goals and 45 points last season, giving the Ducks a two-way center packaged inside a 6-3, 205-pound frame.
Follow that with Mason McTavish, who was the No. 3 draft pick in 2021, scoring 22 goals and a career-high 52 points in a second-line center role.
McTavish led the Ducks in goals last season and finished second in points. Carlsson was third on the team in points. Getting that sort of production out of their top two centers made Zegras expendable for Anaheim.
Then there are the financial ramifications. Anaheim is projected to have a little more than $36 million in cap space this season, which appears to be quite a bit, and it is — until one looks at the future and how GM Pat Verbreek must tread carefully. Lukas Dostal, Drew Helleson and McTavish are restricted free agents in need of new contracts this offseason. Those deals will likely shape what necessary funds the Ducks possess to be active in unrestricted free agency starting July 1.
Looking at what they could do next offseason, however, is what made the trade more enticing. Zegras was slated to be part of a six-player RFA class that includes Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger, while Jacob Trouba will be an unrestricted free agent then.
That five-player RFA class and Trouba remain in place, so those decisions will have to be made. But instead of having to worry about what to pay Zegras, the Ducks could have a much lower price point to deal with when it comes to Poehling, a 26-year-old who scored 12 goals and 31 points in 2024-25. He has one year remaining on his contract worth $1.9 million before he becomes a UFA next summer.
June 12: Kreider to the Ducks
0:54
Chris Kreider traded to the Ducks
Take a look at the stats and notes to know after the Rangers dealt Chris Kreider to the Ducks.
Could this be the start of something more?
That question could be asked of both the Anaheim Ducks and the New York Rangers after the first major trade this offseason. On Thursday, the Rangers sent Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Anaheim’s own, previously acquired in the December 2024 Jacob Trouba trade) to the Ducks for center prospect Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick (Toronto’s, acquired in the Feb. 2024 Ilya Lyubushkin trade).
Here’s a glance at what this means for both franchises along how they each performed.
There was a need to create salary cap space. There were the questions about production. There was also the fact that the Rangers could find a replacement elsewhere.
All told, there were many reasons that influenced the Rangers’ decision to move on from Chris Kreider.
Kreider scored 20 or more goals for the seventh straight season and for the 10th time in his career. That consistency is what came to define Kreider, but it became one of the reasons a move out of New York seemed likely.
Kreider turned 34 in late April, at the end of a season in which he scored 22 goals; however, that was a decline from what he had done the past three years. He scored 36 or more goals in each of the last three seasons, while averaging 69 points per campaign in that time. He finished with 30 points in 68 games this season, for a 0.44 points-per-game average.
With two years left on his contract worth $6.5 million annually, it became a numbers game for the Rangers.
Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin signed a new contract that starts in 2025-26 that ramps up his annual salary from $5.67 million to $11.50 million. There were also the series of in-season trades that Rangers GM Chris Drury made to get Will Borgen and J.T. Miller that led to them taking on an additional $12.1 million per year; Borgen signed a five-year extension worth $4.1 million annually, and Miller is entering the second of a seven-year pact in which he’ll earn $8 million annually.
This left the Rangers needing to find solutions to address a seven-player restricted free agent class led by K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones, Matthew Robertson, and Will Cuylle.
That’s not to say there aren’t questions about how they’ll replace Kreider’s production.
It’s what made the spring signing of Boston College star winger Gabe Perreault important, because it gives the Rangers a potential top-six option on a team-friendly deal, while allowing them to create the necessary space to address that RFA class — on top of everything else they may seek to achieve this offseason.
The Rangers now have $14.922 million in cap space after shedding Kreider’s contract, per PuckPedia. That provides the front office with more financial flexibility than it initially possessed, with the notion it might not be done.
Adding Terrance, who signed with the Ducks in April, brings a center prospect to a system that appeared to need one. Their strongest prospect down the middle, Noah Laba, signed with the club after three seasons at Colorado College, while Dylan Roobroeck’s first full professional campaign included 20 goals in the AHL.
Terrance, who was a second-round pick in 2023, had his third straight 20-goal season for the OHL’s Erie Otters; overall, he finished with 39 points in 45 games. He also represented Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships, where he had two goals in seven games before sustaining an injury.
Rebuilds are all about ending up in a better place, with the notion that all of them take a different path to reach that desired destination. The Kreider trade is a signal that the Ducks are remaining steadfast in an approach that has served them well so far, with the belief it could lead to them either reaching the playoffs or at least be in the wild-card discussion in 2025-26.
For all the conversations about how they have drafted and developed, the Ducks have also made a concerted effort to insulate that homegrown young core with respected veterans. It’s a veteran group that includes Radko Gudas, Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano, and Krieder’s former Rangers teammate Jacob Trouba.
So what does this mean for the Ducks’ top-nine winger setup? Kreider adds to a group that has Sam Colangelo, Cutter Gauthier, Troy Terry, Killorn, and Vatrano. Not only does it provide the Ducks with goal scorers in general, but also with players who can grab those goals in a variety of ways.
And this is what makes the Ducks either fascinating — or terrifying — depending upon the perspective. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek just took on a forward with a $6.5 million cap hit, and PuckPedia projects he still has more than $32.188 million in available space.
This is what could make Katella Avenue a destination come free agency on July 1.
Of course, Verbeek must act responsibly. Lukas Dostal, Drew Helleson and Mason McTavish, who are part of the Ducks’ young core, are each pending RFAs that need a new contract. Then there’s what lies ahead next offseason, when Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Trevor Zegras, Olen Zellweger, and Gauthier will all need new deals at the same time.
Possessing that much young talent on cheap contracts creates financial flexibility. It’s why they were able to add Kreider for the price of a draft pick and a prospect in Terrance, who was expendable because of their center situation in the NHL and Lucas Pettersson, their second-round pick in 2024, in the system.
Ever since their rebuild started, the Ducks have been a franchise that’s been about trying to make progress by any means necessary. They’ve developed one of the NHL’s most promising farm systems in that time, and cultivated an expectation for their prospects. All the while, they’ve known when to make the moves like the one that got them Kreider.
Now what?
Finishing with 80 points for the first time since the 2018-19 season has them at a critical point. It’s part of the reason why they moved on from head coach Greg Cronin after two seasons to hire Joel Quenneville with the premise that they feel they can go further.
Because that’s what it means to play in the gauntlet that has become the Western Conference. For all the established contenders like the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, there are still other teams that can carve a path.
The Seattle Kraken did it in their second season back in 2022-23. A year later, the Vancouver Canucks did it in their first full season under Rick Tocchet in 2023-24. This season saw the St. Louis Blues return to the playoffs, while the Calgary Flames and Utah Hockey Club pushed until the latter stages of the regular season.
Anaheim finished 16 points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. But the gradual improvement the Ducks have shown — along with the fact they have made two of the bigger moves this offseason, believing they could do more — could see them knocking on the door to the postseason, or kicking right through it.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike