Wait … Michael Bublé owns a hockey team?
If you have ever been curious about what it’s like to be Michael Bublé on Valentine’s Day … it’s actually quite different than what you might think.
He’s by himself, hanging out in the quiet part of a 20,000-seat arena in Cologne, Germany, wearing a Simpsons T-shirt while holding a football signed by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Bublé is thousands of miles away from his wife, who is with her family in Argentina. Because that is what comes with being a crooner who sings love songs. It only makes sense to sing those songs in front of thousands of people on Valentine’s Day.
So how does Bublé pass the time before his concert? Simple, he picks up the phone to talk about his other love in this world: hockey.
“Man, I even love the old subway sandwiches they used to serve at the old Pacific Coliseum,” said Bublé, who grew up a Vancouver Canucks fan. “It’s the yellow jerseys that the Canucks or the L.A. Kings used to wear. It’s like I see the jerseys now that they brought back, and it just brings it all right back. The happiest parts of my childhood were watching and listening.”
Yes, the man who is the living embodiment of what it means to be romantic is exactly that when it comes to talking about hockey. Listening to Canucks play-by-play announcer Jim Robson was a foundational piece of his childhood.
Bublé continues to speak like that when talking about what it means to be a co-owner of the Vancouver Giants. Yes, you read that right. International recording artist and four-time Grammy winner Michael Bublé is the co-owner of his hometown Vancouver Giants, the same junior team that sent Bowen Byram, Evander Kane, Brendan Gallagher and Milan Lucic, among others, to the NHL.
How did he get into ownership? What is it like to be a team that is partially owned by a pop star? How involved is Bublé? And given that he already has ownership in one hockey team, has he ever thought about trying to own an NHL team someday?
“I was thrilled because [Giants majority owner Ron Toigo] and I are so close. I thought so much of Ron and his family,” Bublé said. “I tell people, ‘I don’t invest in things, I invest in people.’ So when Ron came to me, my first thought was it was incredibly humbling to even be asked.”
Toigo said he met Bublé through a mutual friend, Bruce Allen, who is Bublé’s agent. Toigo was part of the committee when British Columbia hosted the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2006, and the group was looking for a dinner party entertainer.
Getting Bublé came with some cache. He was already four albums into his career, and his most recent album, “It’s Time,” eventually went triple platinum. Bublé was then invited to attend every WJC game, which allowed him to develop a friendship with Toigo.
A few years had passed when one of the Giants’ co-owners decided to sell his stake, and it prompted Toigo to see if Bublé was interested. That was December 2008, and Bublé along with his father, Lewis, have been involved with the team ever since.
“He knows more about the game than probably a lot of people think he does,” Toigo said. “He pays attention to what the players are doing. With our players, when we are in the playoffs, he has players over to his place between series. He has an ice rink at his house. He and his kids have gone skating with the players, and that is how he gets to know them.”
Just wait. There’s more.
GIANTS GENERAL MANAGER Barclay Parneta had just accepted the job when he received a text message from a random phone number. The message read, “Hey! It’s Michael Bublé! I’ve heard a lot of great things about you from Ron and I am looking forward to working with you and I can’t wait to get the Giants into the Memorial Cup!”
Parneta, who was hired in 2018, admitted that he shared the moment with his wife when it happened because how often does something like this happen?
“I was like, ‘Holy crap. This is awesome,'” he said.
Parneta said Bublé’s involvement goes beyond that of an owner who sits in his suite during games, writes checks and goes to business meetings regarding the club’s affairs.
One of Parneta’s duties is to meet with prospective players and their parents in the event they someday play for the Giants. What better way to show parents that their children could play for a team that cares than by talking to Michael Bublé?
No, really. Bublé will actually get on the phone or jump on a videoconference with the rest of the front office to help answer any potential questions a parent or player might have about the Giants. Parneta said in most cases, it is the parents who recognize him first, then it’s the players.
But the ones who do are prone to do a double take while asking, ‘Is that Michael Bublé?’
Yes, child, that is Michael Bublé.
Parneta shared the story of one particular videoconference with the parents of a player they had just drafted. The player’s mom said in passing that she loved Bublé and was then stunned to see him appear on the screen.
“I could phone him and say we want to set up something and need you to hop on a call. He’s never said, ‘No,'” Parneta said. “He’s done it a number of times. He wants this to be successful. When he comes to games, he comes to the dressing room and talks to the boys. He’s not a passenger. He loves hockey. Loves, loves, loves hockey. If you asked him if he could trade his fame and fortune to play in the NHL, he would do it.”
Parnetta added that Bublé also did a motivational video session with coaches and players during the early stages of the pandemic. It was something he did for nurses — with the most prominent example coming in January 2022 when Bublé surprised a Kansas City nurse whose essay led to her meeting Bublé over video. Parnetta said Bublé has also done something similar with Team Canada.
PICTURE THIS. You’re at a junior hockey team’s Christmas party singing carols in front of 80 people, and one of them is Michael Bublé. That might seem like the right time to stop singing and go hide in a corner. It’s actually the opposite when Bublé is around. He’s the one going around the room encouraging everyone to sing so it’s not just one person doing it alone.
Even though singing by himself in front of thousands of people is literally what he does for a living.
Parneta described Bublé as someone who is part maestro and part monitor when those Christmas parties are happening. Bublé sees when people are singing, he knows when they are fake-singing, and he doesn’t care if they sound bad or good as long as they are participating in the experience.
“He is the one encouraging everyone to sing and to get more people singing along,” Parneta said. “Some of the older people may step back and watch, but the first time witnessing it, it was super cool and amazing to see a guy feel that comfortable. … I mouth the words very well without much coming out!”
Both Parneta and Toigo also discussed Bublé’s charitable nature. Toigo said Bublé purchases a suite for every Giants home game and donates it to a local children’s hospital so it can give it to a family with a loved one who is undergoing treatment.
“He does a lot of things that he’s not pounding his chest over, and he does it because it is the right thing to do,” Toigo said. “There have been shows when he’ll find out someone else is in trouble and will donate the entire gate to them. I don’t think his manager is too crazy about it. He’s just a very giving guy and extremely passionate about society in general. He’s like that everywhere he goes, not just in Vancouver.”
For those wondering, the Giants do play Bublé’s music at home games. No, they are not contractually obligated to do so, Toigo says with a laugh.
BUBLÉ SAID HIS expectation upon joining the Giants’ ownership group was to create the sort of environment that would let players and their families know that Vancouver is an attractive place to play.
This is the part of the conversation in which Bublé gets deep. He opens up about how a lot of his friends are athletes because of the similarities in their professions. Bublé’s point is that whether you are an athlete or a singer, there is an expectation that comes with the pressure of always being at your best for the thousands of people who pay money to watch.
Mental health is something he talks about with his athlete friends. Sure, it’s important to stay in great physical shape. But the conversations about mental health are just as vital. He said it is about finding ways to believe in yourself even when you’re struggling or feeling insecure about your performance.
“I knew as someone who understood how a lot of these people felt, I felt like I could be there to lift them up if they needed it,” Bublé said. “Sometimes, it’s about bringing context: ‘Don’t be so down on yourself, man. You’re in a position millions of kids would die to be in. I know it’s hard to be appreciative of that. But I want you to know that as tough as it is, try to enjoy this moment because it is a great moment. You’re doing something that people dream about doing.'”
Bublé said this is something he does with the Giants or his friends who play in the NBA, NFL or NHL.
He said there are times they even do that for him.
“I don’t give a s— if you’re Tom Brady or you’re Ed Sheeran. We all go through peaks and valleys,” Bublé said. “It’s easy to lose your confidence, and it is easy for things to stop being fun. Part of me being involved at this level of the game was understanding that, and I hope that I could articulate it well enough.
“It sounds very Ted Lasso, but the environment is very important and that kind of support lets guys understand that you understand them.”
Bublé said that it means a lot knowing he has had a chance to be part of a Giants player’s journey whether they play in the NHL, AHL or never play a single minute of professional hockey. One of his all-time favorite moments as an owner was when Byram was selected fourth overall at the 2019 NHL draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
The Giants have had several players get drafted, and Byram was one of only five Giants to ever go in the first round. Bublé watched Byram’s interview. He recalled how Byram thanked his mom and dad and the rest of his family and friends. Then he thanked Toigo for caring about him and making sure he had all the things he needed to get to this stage in his life.
“I called up Ron and said, ‘Ron, that is a beautiful testament to how far and above you go,'” Bublé said. “He’s a special guy. He does care. That’s what my dad is like, too. This means so much to my dad, too. We’re so proud of our city and our community, and it’s pretty thrilling to be part of this. I love the game. … There are amazing codes in this game of hockey. In so many sports where we’ve lost those codes, we’ve not lost them in hockey, thank God.”
GIVEN HOW MUCH he loves the game and wants to be involved, has Bublé ever explored the idea of NHL ownership?
Toigo said Bublé is really good friends with another Vancouver native, Ryan Reynolds, who is part of a group that wants to purchase the Ottawa Senators.
So Michael, anything you want to share? Like, maybe you’re going to join forces with Deadpool, be a part owner of the Senators and perform during intermissions every now and again?
“No, it hasn’t been a conversation,” Bublé said. “I think it hasn’t been because No. 1, I don’t know if I would want to go there.”
Go there? As in NHL ownership?
“No. NHL ownership is fine, but the Ottawa Senators aren’t my team,” Bublé said. “I think it’s Canucks or bust. I really do. That may never, ever happen. The truth is, it’s not like I have some serious ambition where I’ve ever really truly put it out there. I mean, who wouldn’t want to own a team?”
Bublé said he once had a long talk with longtime NHL great and Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito about owning a team. Bublé said there were “a bunch of management groups,” that came to him and he got “very close” to getting involved in NHL ownership.
“He said to me, ‘Are you really passionate about these other teams?'” Bublé said. “I said, ‘Not really. But I’d love to be a part of the culture. I love hockey so much.’ He said, ‘Do you have a billion dollars?’ I said, ‘I do not.’ He then said, ‘Then, get the f— out of there!'”
Then Bublé asks a question.
“But can I tell you what I think about Ryan?” he asks. “I think the NHL could use a guy like Ryan. I think he’s good for the game. Ryan’s a good guy. He’s got an incredible personality. He brings a great energy. He’ll bring so much excitement to a hockey team that’s going to be a good hockey team and to a city that is a great city. I just think it’s great for the game and I think we need more personalities like that. Who knows? One day, Celine Dion may own the Montreal Canadiens.”
Has Bublé ever talked to the Aquilini family, the owners of the Canucks, about getting involved in ownership?
“No, never,” Bublé said. “To be honest, I am friends with all those guys. But I would never. We just have more fun shooting the s—, hanging out and watching the games. I don’t know if I have much time yet in my life.
“Dude, all I do is work. I have four kids and I wouldn’t know where to fit it to be honest with you. But in the future? Who knows. I said I’d never have kids, and now I have four.”
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Alden Gonzalez
The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t just a baseball team these days. They are a symbol. For fans of the other 29 major league clubs, they are a source of either indignation or longing. For rival owners — and the commissioner who answers to them — they exemplify a widening payroll disparity that must be addressed. For players, and the union that represents them, they are a beacon, embodying all the traits of successful organizations: astute at player development, invested in behind-the-scenes components that make a difference and, most prominently, eager to pump their outsized revenues back into the roster.
The Dodgers employ seven players on nine-figure contracts, with five of those deals reached over the past 15 months. They also have the strongest farm system in the sport, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Their lineup is loaded and their rotation is decorated, but also their future looks bright and their resources seem limitless. And yet their chief architect, Andrew Friedman, isn’t ready for a victory lap.
“It just doesn’t really land with me in that way,” Friedman, entering his 11th year as the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said in a recent phone conversation. “I think once I get fired, once there’s like real distance between being mired in the day-to-day and when I’m not, I will be able to look back at those things. But for us right now, it all feels very precarious.
“We’ve seen a lot of really successful organizations that fall off a cliff and take a while to build back. We don’t take any of it for granted.”
Nothing lasts forever. Every empire has fallen, every dynasty has faded. But what the Dodgers have built feels uniquely sustainable. A glaring reminder came last month, when Major League Baseball’s commissioner, Rob Manfred, was asked whether outrage over the Dodgers’ spending reminded him of how fans felt about the star-laden New York Yankees teams of the early 2000s, commonly referred to as “The Evil Empire.”
The current Dodgers, Manfred said, “are probably more profitable on a percentage basis than the old Yankees were, meaning it could be more sustainable, so it is more of a problem.”
The word “problem” depends on one’s perspective. Dodgers fans certainly wouldn’t describe it as such. As the team prepares to begin its season on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in Japan — a country in which they are revered, in a series sponsored by their ownership group — it’s worth understanding how the Dodgers got here.
It was the result of their process, but it also required several monumental steps over the past dozen years.
Below is a look at their biggest leaps.
Jan. 28, 2013: They signed a media megadeal
At the start of 2013, the Dodgers, less than a year into Guggenheim’s ownership, landed a massive local-media deal spanning 25 years and valued at $8.35 billion, or $334 million annually on average. But for the rest of that decade, it qualified as a massive headache. A stalemate between AT&T and Charter Communications meant more than half the Southern California market was unable to access the team’s channel, SportsNet LA, from 2014 to 2020.
As the impasse continued and tensions escalated, the Dodgers’ media deal came to symbolize a growing clash between sports channels that demand higher fees and content distributors wary of making customers pay for content they do not consume. Now — five years after the two sides finally struck a deal, airing Dodgers games on AT&T video platforms and nearly doubling the number of households to more than 3 million — it exemplifies a growing disparity that is rattling the industry.
The Dodgers’ local-media deal runs longer than most and is more expensive than any other, but here’s the kicker, according to a source familiar with the deal: While most regional sports networks are set up as subsidiaries underneath a corporate entity, leaving them in the lurch when they fall into hard times — like Diamond Sports Group, a former Sinclair subsidiary that was forced into bankruptcy when debt mounted and subscribers fell off — the Dodgers have complete corporate backing from Charter, a massive media conglomerate.
So not only do the Dodgers generate far more in local media than any of their competitors, but at a time when the linear-cable model is drying up and teams face increasing uncertainty with RSN contracts that represent about 20% of revenues, their deal is relatively iron-clad. That is especially valuable considering they’re in a division where three teams — the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies — have lost their local media deals.
Dec. 21, 2018: They swung a trade that streamlined their payroll
Four days before Christmas in 2018, the Dodgers executed a rare salary dump. Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer and cash were sent to the Cincinnati Reds for Homer Bailey, who was promptly released, and two young players who would later help trigger blockbuster acquisitions, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray. The prospect component was secondary; the real benefit was the money saved, which gave the Dodgers additional wiggle room under the luxury-tax threshold and helped them remain debt-service compliant the following year.
In a bigger sense, it was the culmination of a multi-year effort by the front office to rid the Dodgers of bloated contracts and streamline a payroll that ultimately became burdened by massive deals for players like Kemp, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford and Adrián González. The Dodgers’ luxury-tax payroll dropped by about $50 million from 2017 to 2019, by which point only two players — A.J. Pollock and Kenta Maeda — were signed beyond the next two years. In Friedman’s mind, the Dodgers were now free to be aggressive.
“For our first four to five years, it was as much about trying to be as competitive as we could be while getting our future payroll outlook in a better spot,” he said. “At the end of the 2019 season was the first time we had reached that point and were in position to be more aggressive at the top of the free-agent class.”
Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon headlined that offseason’s free-agent class. The Dodgers didn’t come away with either of them.
They would soon make up for it.
Feb. 10, 2020: Mookie Betts became available — and they pounced
The Dodgers engaged in initial trade conversations around Betts leading up to the trade deadline in 2019, but then the Boston Red Sox won five of seven against the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees near the end of July, and suddenly Betts was unavailable. A tone was set nonetheless.
“We knew, with him going into his last year of control, that there was a chance they would look to trade him going into that offseason,” Friedman recalled. “There was a switch in their baseball-operations department, and Chaim Bloom was hired, who I have a good relationship with. I spent a lot of time talking to him in the beginning. For him, it was about getting his feet on the ground and understanding the organizational direction of what they were doing. And it wasn’t until January where he opened the door to engage.”
Friedman, who gave Bloom his first front-office job in Tampa, ultimately landed Betts and David Price for Alex Verdugo, Downs and another position-player prospect in Connor Wong on Feb. 10, 2020. Friedman had long coveted Betts not just for his supreme talent, but for his work ethic and competitive edge and how those qualities seemed to elevate those around him. Within five months, Betts agreed to a 12-year, $365 million extension, eschewing free agency.
March 17, 2022: Freddie Freeman became a surprise free agent addition
When Freeman hit free agency after winning the 2021 World Series with the Braves, Friedman assumed he would simply return to Atlanta. So did everyone else — Freeman included. He was a homegrown star poised to someday get his number retired and have a statue outside Truist Park. But initial conversations barely progressed, and the Dodgers saw an opening.
On the afternoon of Dec. 1, moments before the sport would shut down in the midst of a bitter labor fight, Dodgers players, coaches and executives gathered for Betts’ wedding in L.A. Friedman, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and then-third baseman Justin Turner briefly stepped away to call Freeman. They wanted to leave a lasting impression before an owner-imposed lockout would prohibit communication between teams and players. They wanted to be the last club he heard from.
The message, essentially: Don’t forget about us.
Friedman said he “got off the call feeling like it was incredibly unlikely” that the Dodgers would land Freeman. But when the lockout ended on March 10, the Braves and Freeman’s then-agent, Casey Close, still couldn’t bridge the gap, either on length or value. Four days later, the Braves traded for another star first baseman in Matt Olson, leaving Freeman stunned. Three days after that, he pivoted to the Dodgers, coming to terms on a six-year, $162 million contract.
2022-23 offseason: They sat out the shortstop market
When Corey Seager became a free agent at the end of the 2021 season, the Dodgers had a ready-made replacement in Trea Turner, who had been acquired with Max Scherzer the previous summer in a deal that sent Gray and three other minor leaguers to the Washington Nationals. But when Turner himself became a free agent a year later, the Dodgers did nothing to shore up one of the sport’s most important positions.
Turner became part of a historic class of free-agent shortstops, along with Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. The Dodgers didn’t pursue any of them, even though they didn’t have a clear replacement. The Dodgers could have avoided years of uncertainty at this position by locking in a proven star, but doing so was hardly entertained.
The reason is now obvious.
“With where we were commitment-wise,” Friedman said, “and with Shohei [Ohtani] coming up the next offseason, it was just a higher bar to clear for us to do something that would have any negative ability for us to pursue Shohei.”
Dec. 11, 2023: Ohtani chose them
By the time Ohtani became a free agent in November of 2023, the Dodgers’ roster was loaded but their payroll was manageable, with only Betts and Freeman guaranteed beyond the next two seasons. The Dodgers could boast a contending team — with two franchise pillars and a wealth of young talent — but also pitch Ohtani on the promise of adding other impact players around him, regardless of his monstrous contract. It worked.
Now, Dec. 11, 2023, stands as one of the most monumental dates in Dodgers history. Ohtani not only joined the Dodgers that day, but he agreed to defer more than 97% of his 10-year, $700 million contract. The Dodgers have become infamous for their propensity to defer money, a mechanism to provide players with a higher guarantee but, given the ability to invest deferred commitments, is mostly beneficial to the Dodgers (though perhaps not as much as one might think).
Ohtani’s deal was followed by the addition of two frontline starters — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who landed a contract worth $325 million, and Tyler Glasnow, who was acquired via trade and subsequently signed a five-year extension worth close to $140 million. Ohtani didn’t pitch in 2024, but he put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, starting the 50/50 club and becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP.
Just as important, from the Dodgers’ perspective: He generated massive amounts of revenue.
Ohtani had MLB’s top-selling jersey by a wide margin. With him on the roster, the Dodgers struck sponsorship agreements with 11 different Japanese companies during the 2024 season. Two Ohtani bobblehead giveaways prompted fans to line up outside Dodger Stadium up to 10 hours before the first pitch. Japanese guided tours through the ballpark — a twice-a-day, four-day-a-week addition — never relented. The gift shops frequently had lines out the door.
The Dodgers won’t disclose how much additional revenue they generated from Ohtani last year, but team president Stan Kasten has repeatedly said it blew away even their most optimistic projections.
Oct. 9, 2024: They survived Game 4 of the NLDS
It’s amazing, given the space the Dodgers currently occupy, that five months ago they carried a reputation as, well, chokers. Their championship at the end of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season had been thoroughly dismissed for its unconventionality. More prevalent in the general public’s mind was 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, seasons that ended with talented teams getting eliminated early by inferior opponents.
The 2024 season was quickly headed in that direction. On Oct. 9, the Dodgers trailed a Padres club that was widely considered more well-rounded two-games-to-one in the best-of-five National League Division Series. Their depleted rotation had run out of starters. They would stage a bullpen game with their season on the line. And they would survive. The Dodgers shut out the Padres in Game 4, shut them out again in Game 5, then cruised past the New York Mets and Yankees to capture their first full-season championship since 1988.
What followed was a second straight offseason in which the Dodgers added practically every player they wanted. That included a frontline starter (Blake Snell), two corner outfielders (Teoscar Hernandez and Michael Conforto), three premium bullpen pieces (Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen), two fan favorites (Clayton Kershaw and Kiké Hernández) and one of the most alluring pitching prospects in a generation (Roki Sasaki). A key utility player (Tommy Edman) was also extended. The cost: another $466.5 million in guaranteed money, immediately after an offseason in which they guaranteed close to $1.4 billion in signings and extensions.
Roberts, fresh off a record-setting extension, has talked about how he might have been fired had he not navigated his Dodgers past the Padres last fall. Friedman acknowledged that the Dodgers probably don’t spend as much if they don’t win the World Series and generate the extra revenue that comes from it, though he called that “a lazy guess.”
Still, when asked how often he has thought about how life would be different if the Dodgers hadn’t won Game 4 of the 2024 NLDS, Friedman said: “Zero minutes.”
“We have been on the good side of those games and on the bad side of those games,” he added, “and I’ve spent zero minutes thinking about what the world would look like if the outcome had been different.”
All that matters now is a reality that exhilarates their fans and infuriates everyone else: The Dodgers look about as insurmountable as a franchise can be in this sport.
The Boston Bruins‘ approach to the trade deadline indicated that perhaps management thought this wasn’t their year, and they would add some future assets for a quick reload this offseason.
But as the chips fall on Monday, the Bruins still have a chance to make the playoffs.
That all begins with a game against the lottery-bound Buffalo Sabres Monday night (7 p.m., ESPN+). A win in that one closes the gap between Boston and the current first wild card, the New York Rangers. The Rangers have 72 points and 30 regulation wins through 68 games, while Boston is at 68 and 23 through 68.
After Buffalo, it’s a road trip through Nevada and California (Golden Knights on Thursday, Sharks on Saturday, Kings on Sunday and Ducks on Wednesday, March 26). All told, the Bruins will play teams currently in playoff position in six of the final 13 games after the matchup with the Sabres; the final five, in particular, could be a spot to make up ground, with two against the injury-struck Devils along with single games against the Sabres, Blackhawks and Penguins.
To be clear, this would be a long shot; in addition to going on a hot streak, the Bruins will need to jump ahead of four teams (which would all need to get cold, in this hypothetical). Stathletes isn’t so sure all of that will fall into place, giving the Bruins a 2.4% chance of making the postseason. But stranger things have happened in recent seasons!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 New York Rangers
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Vancouver Canucks
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Monday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Sunday’s scoreboard
Detroit Red Wings 3, Vegas Golden Knights 0
Colorado Avalanche 4, Dallas Stars 3 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 3, New York Rangers 1
New York Islanders 4, Florida Panthers 2
St. Louis Blues 7, Anaheim Ducks 2
Utah Hockey Club 3, Vancouver Canucks 1
Winnipeg Jets 3, Seattle Kraken 2 (OT)
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 14
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 16
Points pace: 100.6
Next game: vs. PHI (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 16
Points pace: 100.6
Next game: vs. CGY (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 16
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: @ MTL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 98.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 88.2
Next game: vs. OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 20.2%
Tragic number: 32
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 85.7
Next game: @ WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 5.3%
Tragic number: 29
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: vs. BUF (Monday)
Playoff chances: 2.4%
Tragic number: 25
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 73.2
Next game: @ BOS (Monday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 21
Metro Division
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 117.5
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 86
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 105.3
Next game: @ SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 14
Points pace: 94.1
Next game: @ CBJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 95.7%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 14
Points pace: 86.8
Next game: vs. CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 53.2%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 87.0
Next game: vs. NJ (Monday)
Playoff chances: 16.7%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 84.5
Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 6.4%
Tragic number: 29
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 13
Points pace: 78.4
Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.8%
Tragic number: 21
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 77.2
Next game: @ TB (Monday)
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 21
Central Division
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 14
Points pace: 118.2
Next game: @ VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 16
Points pace: 108.1
Next game: vs. ANA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 14
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: @ TOR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 96.7
Next game: vs. LA (Monday)
Playoff chances: 91%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 88.0
Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 32.5%
Tragic number: 29
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 86.9
Next game: @ EDM (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 17%
Tragic number: 29
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 72.1
Next game: vs. STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 18
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 60.0
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7
Pacific Division
Points: 86
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 105.3
Next game: vs. BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 100.4
Next game: vs. UTA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 17
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ MIN (Monday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 15
Points pace: 89.3
Next game: vs. WPG (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 41.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 89.6
Next game: @ TOR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 18.7%
Tragic number: 33
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 79.6
Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 23
Points: 63
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 76.0
Next game: @ CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 19
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 54.3
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 1
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 63
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 24
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