NHL Power Rankings: Best addition for each team in 2023-24
-
Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
We’re another week closer to All-Star Weekend — the spiritual, if not mathematical midway point of the season — but our voters caused no change atop the Power Rankings, with the Winnipeg Jets holding down the No. 1 slot again. Of course, there were plenty of changes elsewhere.
Beyond the updated rankings, we’ve identified the best new addition for all 32 teams — be it a player, a coach, or … a draft pick? Read on for our picks for each club.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Jan. 12. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 72.09%
Next seven days: @ OTT (Jan. 20), @ BOS (Jan. 22), @ TOR (Jan. 24)
Gabriel Vilardi. Winnipeg acquired Vilardi as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade with Los Angeles in June, and the Jets certainly scored a winner (something Vilardi himself has done plenty of this season). Vilardi puts up great numbers, is a net-front menace and adds potency to Winnipeg’s overall attack.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 71.11%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 20), vs. CHI (Jan. 22), vs. STL (Jan. 24)
Teddy Blueger. Vancouver has brought the best out of Blueger. The 29-year-old forward is on pace to smash his previous career highs (nine goals, 28 points) thanks to a fresh start in the Canucks’ dominant offensive scheme. Blueger is the ideal depth signing for a team looking to play long into this coming spring.
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 71.59%
Next seven days: vs. MTL (Jan. 20), vs. WPG (Jan. 22), vs. CAR (Jan. 24), @ OTT (Jan. 25)
James van Riemsdyk. Boston has gotten more than it could have bargained for out of van Riemsdyk. Brought in on an under-the-radar, one-year deal, the veteran winger is top five in scoring for the Bruins, can play anywhere in the lineup and remains, as ever, a verifiable net-front force on the power play. Overall, van Riemsdyk has been the ultimate depth player Boston needs to be at its best.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 66.30%
Next seven days: @ PHI (Jan. 20), vs. WSH (Jan. 24)
Jonathan Drouin. Colorado essentially took a flyer on Drouin in free agency, and that one-year, $825,000 contract is aging nicely. The Avalanche’s winning culture, and a reunion with former junior hockey teammate Nathan MacKinnon, has helped Drouin settle into a solid season so far. MacKinnon recently stated his belief that Drouin has just scratched the surface of what he can provide for Colorado into the season’s second half.
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 65.91%
Next seven days: vs. MIN (Jan. 19), @ NSH (Jan. 22), vs. ARI (Jan. 24)
Evan Rodrigues. Florida is all sorts of excellent this season, and Rodrigues has played a surprisingly involved role in its success. The veteran signed a four-year deal in the offseason that has translated to top-line minutes alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. There’s no doubt Rodrigues is benefitting from high-caliber linemates, but his stats are no fluke.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 65.91%
Next seven days: @ LA (Jan. 20), @ ANA (Jan. 21), @ SJ (Jan. 23)
Peter Laviolette. New York believed it needed a new voice behind the bench to take another step forward. Laviolette got the nod — and, so far, the results. The Rangers have generally responded well to Laviolette’s structure (despite a rocky stretch or two), and the longtime head coach’s experience — in knowing when to tweak, or stand pat — has served New York well in a strong performance this season.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 66.28%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Jan. 20), @ NYI (Jan. 21), @ DET (Jan. 23), vs. ANA (Jan. 25)
Sam Steel. Dallas was smart to sign Steel when Minnesota failed to give him a qualifying offer in June. That one-year, $850,000 contract for Steel has translated into a solid depth forward who can add some punch — sometimes literally — and scoring touch while providing the Stars with bottom-six versatility. All in all, it has been a good marriage thus far.
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 61.63%
Next seven days: vs. DET (Jan. 19), vs. MIN (Jan. 21), @ BOS (Jan. 24), vs. NJ (Jan. 25)
An eight-year extension for Sebastian Aho. Carolina wasn’t about to let its best player hit free agency this coming summer. So, GM Don Waddell took care of business last July and inked Aho to an eight-year, $78 million extension (the largest in franchise history), which already looks like tidy work by the Hurricanes. Aho currently leads the club in goals, assists and points and is exactly the type of dynamic skater to build a franchise around.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 63.33%
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Jan. 20), @ NJ (Jan. 22), @ NYI (Jan. 23)
2024 third-round pick. Vegas has basically run it back with its Stanley Cup-winning roster. We’ll see how that strategy ultimately plays out for the Golden Knights (and if they’re busy at trade deadline because of it). For now, it’s an asset acquired via another trade — that of Reilly Smith to Pittsburgh in June — that has added the most to Vegas’ coffers by offering them something to deal.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 61.25%
Next seven days: @ CGY (Jan. 20), vs. CBJ (Jan. 23), vs. CHI (Jan. 25)
Kris Knoblauch. Edmonton’s numbers speak for themselves: The Oilers were 3-9-1 when Jay Woodcraft was fired; they are 21-6-0 since Kris Knoblauch took over. That’s the league’s third-best record overall since Nov. 12, and no doubt Knoblauch has played a key part in righting Edmonton’s ship before it completely capsized.
2:57
P.K. Subban has high praise for McDavid and Crosby
P.K. Subban talks to Pat McAfee about the impressive seasons Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are having in the NHL.
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 60.47%
Next seven days: @ VAN (Jan. 20), @ SEA (Jan. 21), vs. WPG (Jan. 24)
Martin Jones. Toronto was eyeing organizational goaltending depth when signing veteran Jones to a one-year deal in August. What the Leafs got with their low-key move was a massive depth piece to carry them through a rough stretch of injury (to Joseph Woll) and poor play (by Ilya Samsonov). Jones gives Toronto a chance each night he’s in net, and that’s all it can ask of a third-string savior.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 61.36%
Next seven days: vs. COL (Jan. 20), vs. OTT (Jan. 21), vs. TB (Jan. 23), @ DET (Jan. 25)
Ryan Poehling. Philadelphia wasn’t going for flash when signing Poehling to a one-year deal in the offseason. What the Flyers got was a forward they could count on, and Poehling has been that throughout the season. He’s a quiet contributor and a valuable depth piece, and most importantly, he loves being in Philadelphia. That’s an energy every team wants for its lineup.
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 59.52%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Jan. 20), vs. SJ (Jan. 22), vs. BUF (Jan. 24)
Cam Talbot. Los Angeles picked right in tapping Talbot as its latest No. 1 netminder. The 36-year-old is having his best season in years, with consistently strong performances that set the Kings up for a terrific first half. Talbot himself earned an All-Star nod and remains among the league’s top-10 starters in most statistical categories.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 57.95%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Jan. 19), vs. TB (Jan. 21), vs. DAL (Jan. 23), vs. PHI (Jan. 25)
Alex DeBrincat. Detroit had no doubt that DeBrincat would be a difference-maker when it traded for and signed him last summer. And DeBrincat has not disappointed in the least. He leads the Red Wings in points, is tied for the team lead in goals and helped convince Patrick Kane to join Detroit’s ranks, too. DeBrincat really can do it all for the Red Wings.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 57.14%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Jan. 20), @ ARI (Jan. 22)
Alex Nedeljkovic. Pittsburgh made splashier offseason moves — we see you, Erik Karlsson — but the one-year, $1.5 million investment in Nedeljkovic was a sound one. He has produced strong numbers in the NHL and gives the Penguins depth at a precarious position. While Nedeljkovic might not be the No. 1 netminder in Pittsburgh, he’s the ultimate insurance policy.
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 55.95%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Jan. 19), vs. DAL (Jan. 20), vs. VGK (Jan. 22), @ CAR (Jan. 25)
Simon Nemec. New Jersey has a burgeoning rookie sensation in Nemec, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft. The 19-year-old blueliner plays with intensity, finesse and no fear of throwing down with league veterans (see: Nemec vs. Brad Marchand). Nemec logs over 20 minutes per game, is smart with the puck and consistently defends well. What more could the Devils want?
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 58.14%
Next seven days: @ STL (Jan. 20), @ MIN (Jan. 23), @ COL (Jan. 24)
Spencer Carbery. Washington tapped rookie head coach Carbery to remake the club into a playoff contender. Right now, the Capitals are in that mix. Carbery has been patient tinkering with his new team and overcame bouts of adversity with poise to prove he can get the most out of what Washington has to offer on the ice.
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 56.67%
Next seven days: @ ARI (Jan. 20), vs. FLA (Jan. 22), @ MIN (Jan. 25)
Ryan O’Reilly. Nashville grabbing O’Reilly on a four-year, $18 million deal is looking like a bargain. The 32-year-old center is on pace to hit 30 goals — which would be a career high — and O’Reilly brings a certain physicality and attitude the Predators need to keep the competition at bay. Expected or not, Nashville found a true top-line performer in O’Reilly.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 56.67%
Next seven days: @ BUF (Jan. 20), @ DET (Jan. 21), @ PHI (Jan. 23), vs. ARI (Jan. 25)
Jonas Johansson. Tampa Bay likely didn’t expect to lean on Johansson — signed in July on a two-year contract — to start the season. But when Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent surgery in September, it fell on Johansson to keep the Lightning afloat. And he did. Johansson was 8-4-5 with a .894 SV% in Vasilevskiy’s absence to keep an inconsistent Tampa Bay team on track.
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 52.22%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 21), vs. CHI (Jan. 24)
Joey Daccord. Seattle had Daccord all along (as in, it selected the goaltender from Ottawa in the expansion draft). But because Daccord signed a fresh two-year contract in the offseason and became the Kraken’s No. 1 netminder for the first time, we’re counting him as a new add. Daccord has been exceptional for Seattle in a starting role and helped it weather the ups and downs of this early season. Talk about found money.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 54.55%
Next seven days: @ CHI (Jan. 19), vs. DAL (Jan. 21), vs. VGK (Jan. 23), @ MTL (Jan. 25)
Mike Reilly. New York snagged Reilly off waivers from Florida when Adam Pelech was injured, and that move was been quite a steal for GM Lou Lamoriello. Reilly has carved out an effective role on the Islanders’ back end and is the type of low-maintenance, high-character skater Lamoriello loves to target. And all the better that Reilly practically fell into New York’s lap.
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 52.22%
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Jan. 20), vs. STL (Jan. 23), vs. CBJ (Jan. 25)
Yegor Sharangovich. Calgary acquired Sharangovich’s rights from New Jersey in the Tyler Toffoli trade in June and quickly signed him to a two-year deal that has paid fine dividends to date. Sharangovich is a top-three offensive producer for the club (and coming off a recent hat trick performance) who can consistently ignite the Flames’ attack.
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 52.33%
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Jan. 20), vs. PIT (Jan. 22), @ FLA (Jan. 24), @ TB (Jan. 25)
Alex Kerfoot. Arizona added a jack-of-all-trades player in Kerfoot — meaning, Kerfoot can (and has) played just about everywhere for the Coyotes. He rapidly earned coach Andre Tourigny’s trust with a strong defensive commitment and the skill to slide seamlessly from a first- to fourth-line spot. Whatever Arizona needs, Kerfoot has found ways to deliver.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 51.16%
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Jan. 20), @ CGY (Jan. 23), @ VAN (Jan. 24)
Oskar Sundqvist. St. Louis technically had Sundqvist before bringing him back — two years later — on a one-year deal last summer. Details! What matters is Sundqvist 2.0 is an ideal fit for the Blues. He’s a hard-working, durable forward who can elevate skaters around him and never quits on a puck. It’s that sort of doggedness St. Louis missed when it lost Sundqvist.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: @ BOS (Jan. 20), vs. OTT (Jan. 23), vs. NYI (Jan. 25)
Alex Newhook. Montreal made a great call trading for Newhook over the summer — even though Newhook has spent weeks on the shelf because of a high-ankle sprain. He was superb to start the season (and is still top seven in scoring on the team despite that missed time) and will be a valuable contributor over the life of his four-year deal as the Habs move closer to playoff contention.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 48.89%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Jan. 20), @ ANA (Jan. 23), @ LA (Jan. 24)
Zach Benson. Buffalo recently promoted rookie Benson to a top-line stint. He had earned his look. Benson has proved to be a trustworthy, responsible and clearly versatile piece for the Sabres, a north-south player who is unfazed by any assignment. At just 18 years old, Benson is repeatedly showing he’s NHL ready.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 46.59%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Jan. 19), @ CAR (Jan. 21), vs. WSH (Jan. 23), vs. NSH (Jan. 25)
John Hynes. Minnesota didn’t adjust much in the offseason, and its 2023-24 campaign started poorly. Credit to GM Bill Guerin for not wasting time pursuing change when he axed coach Dean Evason on Nov. 27 and hired Hynes. The Wild were 5-10-4 when Hynes took over and have rebounded to the point the playoffs aren’t a pipe dream (perhaps just an uphill battle).
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 42.05%
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Jan. 19), @ EDM (Jan. 23), @ CGY (Jan. 25)
Adam Fantilli. Columbus chose well taking Adam Fantilli at No. 3 overall in June’s draft. The 19-year-old has been invaluable to the Blue Jackets in another injury-plagued campaign, moving throughout the lineup to eventually land an unexpectedly expanded role as a top-six center. Fantilli’s rapid growth has produced good numbers and burgeoning chemistry with multiple teammates.
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 40.00%
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Jan. 20), @ PHI (Jan. 21), @ MTL (Jan. 23), vs. BOS (Jan. 25)
Vladimir Tarasenko. Ottawa got what it paid for with Tarasenko. The veteran is an effective second-line winger making consistent contributions offensively. Given the one-year deal Tarasenko signed, his greatest value to the Senators might still be to come — as a trade candidate before March 8.
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 35.23%
Next seven days: @ SJ (Jan. 20), vs. NYR (Jan. 21), vs. BUF (Jan. 23), @ DAL (Jan. 25)
Leo Carlsson. Anaheim hit the right note taking Carlsson second overall in the 2023 draft. The 19-year-old — just back from a sprained MCL — plays with maturity beyond his years. Carlsson has game-changing potential, is dangerous at both ends of the ice and frustrates opponents with his tenacity. The Ducks are in for years of high-caliber performance from their top pick.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 31.11%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Jan. 19), @ VAN (Jan. 22), @ SEA (Jan. 24), @ EDM (Jan. 25)
Connor Bedard. Chicago drafted the generational talent at No. 1 for a reason. The rookie — currently sidelined by a fractured jaw — leads the Blackhawks in every meaningful offensive category and performs all over at 5-on-5 and special teams. Bedard will be itching to regain his form once cleared to return from injury.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 26.67%
Next seven days: vs. ANA (Jan. 20), @ LA (Jan. 22), vs. NYR (Jan. 23)
Mikael Granlund. San Jose’s list of top performers is short and headlined by newcomer Granlund. He has had a great run individually and injected some life into the Sharks’ otherwise sputtering offense. San Jose got Granlund via a trade last summer. Will it have cause to flip him again before the deadline, and maximize what he has been able to produce so far?
-
Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki donned a No. 11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey atop a makeshift stage Wednesday afternoon and called it the culmination of “an incredibly difficult decision.”
When Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the middle of December — a development evaluators have spent years anticipating — 20 major league teams formally expressed interest. Eight of those clubs were granted initial meetings at the L.A. offices of Sasaki’s agency, Wasserman. Three were then named finalists in the middle of January, prompting official visits to their ballparks. And in the end, to practically nobody’s surprise, it was the Dodgers who won out.
The Dodgers had long been deemed favorites for Sasaki, so much so that many viewed the pairing as an inevitability. In the wake of that actually materializing, scouts and executives throughout the industry have privately complained about being dragged through what they perceived as a process that already had a predetermined outcome. Some have also expressed concern that the homework assignment Sasaki gave to each of the eight teams he initially met with, asking them to present their ideas for how to recapture the life of his fastball, saw them provide proprietary information without ultimately having a reasonable chance to get him.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, admitted he has heard some of those complaints over the past handful of days.
“I’ve tried to be an open book and as transparent as possible with all the teams in the league,” said Wolfe, who has vehemently denied claims of a predetermined deal from the onset. “I answer every phone call, I answer every question. This goes back to before the process even started. Every team I think would tell you that I told each one of them where they stood throughout the entire process, why they got a meeting, why they didn’t get a meeting, why other teams got a meeting. I tried to do my best to do that. He was only going to be able to pick one.”
Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the world’s most promising pitching prospects, with a triple-digit fastball and an otherworldly splitter. Through four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 505 strikeouts against just 88 walks in 394⅔ innings. But he has openly acknowledged to teams that he is not yet fully formed, and many of those who followed him in Japan believed his priority would be to go to the team that had the best chance of making him better.
Few would argue that the Dodgers don’t fit that description. Their vast resources, recent run of success and sizeable footprint in Japan made them an obvious fit for Sasaki, but it was their track record of pitching development that landed them one of the sport’s most intriguing prospects.
“His goal is to be the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young, and he definitely possesses the ability to do that,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We’re excited to partner with him.”
Sasaki will join a star-studded rotation headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, decorated Japanese countrymen who signed free agent deals totaling more than $1 billion in December 2023. The Dodgers went on to win the ensuing World Series, then doubled down on one of the sport’s richest, most talented rosters.
Over the past three months, they’ve signed starting pitcher Blake Snell for $182 million, extended utility man Tommy Edman for $74 million, given reliever Tanner Scott $72 million, brought back corner outfielder Teoscar Hernandez for $66 million, added another corner outfielder in Michael Conforto ($17 million) and struck a surprising deal with Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million). At some point, they’ll finalize a contract with another back-end reliever in Kirby Yates and will bring back longtime ace Clayton Kershaw.
But Sasaki, who has drawn the attention of Dodgers scouts since he was throwing 100-mph fastballs in high school, was the ultimate prize.
“As I transition to the major leagues, I am deeply honored so many teams reached out to me, especially considering I haven’t achieved much in Japan,” Sasaki, speaking through an interpreter, said in front of hundreds of media members. “It makes me feel more focused than ever. I am truly grateful to all the team officials who took the time to meet with me during this process.
“I spent the past month both embracing and reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most,” Sasaki continued. “Every organization helped me in its own way, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one. I am fully aware that there are many different opinions out there. But now that I have decided to come here, I want to move forward with the belief that the decision I made is the best one, trust in those who believed in my potential and (have) conviction in the goals that I set for myself.”
Major League Baseball heard complaints from rival teams about a prearranged deal between Sasaki’s side and the Dodgers before he was posted, prompting an investigation “to ensure the protocol agreement had been followed,” a league official said in a statement. MLB found no evidence, prompting Sasaki to be included as part of the 2025 international signing class.
Because he is under 25 years old and spent less than six seasons in NPB, Sasaki was made available as an international amateur, his earnings restricted to teams’ signing-bonus pools. The Dodgers gave him $6.5 million, which constitutes the vast majority of their allotment, and will control Sasaki’s rights until he attains the six years of service time required for free agency. Sasaki said his immediate goal is to “beat the competition and make sure I do get a major league contract.”
Sasaki combined to throw barely more than 200 innings over the past two years and is expected to be handled carefully in the United States. The Dodgers won’t set a strict innings limit for him in 2025 but will deploy a traditional six-man rotation, which also makes sense with Ohtani returning as a two-way player. The Dodgers’ initial meeting with Sasaki saw them tout the way their training staff, pitching coaches and performance-science group work in harmony. In their second, they brought out Ohtani, Edman, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Sasaki’s catcher, Will Smith, in hopes of wooing him. And in the end, it was Ohtani who broke the news to the Dodgers’ front-office members, letting them know they landed Sasaki in a text before his agent could get around to calling.
Friedman described it as “pure excitement.” Many others, however, rolled their eyes at what they felt was inevitable. Wolfe denied that, saying, “I don’t believe [the Dodgers] was always the destination.” But then he went on to describe how prevalent the Dodgers are in Japan. Their games are on every morning and rebroadcast later at night. Dodgers-specific shops outfit stadiums throughout the country.
“They’re everywhere,” Wolfe said. “And I think that all the players and fans see the Dodgers every day, so it’s always in their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto. But when (Sasaki) came over here, he came with a very open mind.”
-
Greg Wyshynski
NHL teams don’t necessarily need a goaltender that can drag them to the Stanley Cup, mostly because those types of netminders are unicorns. What they need is a goalie that can make a save at a critical time; and, perhaps most of all, not lose a game for the team in front of them.
As the NHL playoff picture comes into focus, so does the quality of every team’s most important position. Will their goaltending be the foundation for a playoff berth and postseason run? Or is it the fatal flaw in their designs on the Stanley Cup?
The NHL Bubble Watch is our monthly check-in on the Stanley Cup playoff races using playoff probabilities and points projections from Stathletes for all 32 teams. This month, we’re also giving each contending team a playoff quality goaltending rating based on the classic Consumer Reports review standards: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
We also reveal which teams shouldn’t worry about any of this because they’re lottery-bound already.
But first, a look at the projected playoff bracket:
Ohio State‘s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game was the most-watched game of the season. However, it was a double-digit drop in viewers from last year.
ESPN announced Wednesday that the Buckeyes’ second national championship in the CFP era averaged 22.1 million viewers. It was the most-watched, non-NFL sporting event over the past year, but a 12% drop from the 25 million who tuned in for Michigan’s 34-13 victory over Washington in 2024.
It was the third-lowest audience of the 11 CFP title games, with all three occurring in the past five years. The audience peaked at 26.1 million viewers during the second quarter (8:30 to 8:45 p.m. ET) when the score was tied at 7.
Since Alabama’s 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in 2018, the past seven title games have had an average margin of victory of 25.4 points. Ohio State had a 31-7 lead midway through the third quarter before Notre Dame rallied to get within one possession with five minutes remaining in the fourth.
Georgia’s 65-7 rout of TCU in 2023 was the least-viewed title game (17.2 million) followed by Alabama’s 52-24 win over Ohio State in 2021 (18.7 million). The first title game in 2015 — the Buckeyes’ 42-20 victory over Oregon — remains the most-watched college football game by viewers in the CFP era, according to Nielsen at 33.9 million.
This was the first year of the 12-team field. The first round averaged 10.6 million viewers with the quarterfinals at 16.9 million. The semifinals averaged 19.2 million, a 17% decline from last year. Both semifinal games in 2024 though were played on Jan. 1. Michigan’s OT victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl drew a bigger audience (27.7 million) than the Wolverines’ win in the title game.
CFP games ended up being nine of the 10 most-viewed this season. Georgia’s OT win over Texas in the SEC championship on ABC/ESPN was sixth at 16.6 million.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 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
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway