NHL Power Rankings: Each team’s player to watch for the rest of the season
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
With the Stadium Series on tap this weekend in New Jersey — Flyers–Devils 8 p.m. Saturday on ABC/ESPN+, and Rangers–Islanders 3 p.m. Sunday on ABC/ESPN+ — that means we are also closing in on the March 8 NHL trade deadline. And beyond that, the final push to the playoffs.
There are some captivating players we all have our eyes on when it comes to the potential wheeling and dealing over the next few weeks. This week as part of our NHL Power Rankings, we’ve identified one player from each team that is under the closest watch — whether it’s a player that could be traded, someone chasing a milestone, or a player carrying his team’s playoff hopes on his shoulders.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends 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 Feb. 9. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 72.73%
Quinn Hughes. Vancouver’s top defenseman already owns the franchise record for most points from a blueliner (76), but can he smash through that mark and hit 100 this season? Would that be an opening salvo to Quinn winning his first Norris Trophy? Both milestones feel possible for Hughes, and we’ll be watching to see how his excellent campaign plays out.
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Feb. 17), @ MIN (Feb. 19), @ COL (Feb. 20), @ SEA (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 68.52%
Sam Reinhart. Florida is one of the NHL’s best teams in part because of Reinhart’s dynamic play this season, particularly on the power play. He’s already set and surpassed franchise records for special teams scores, and there are still weeks to go in this campaign. In a contract year, Reinhart is putting on a show that’s well worth watching, especially to see just how many goals he can collect by the end.
Next seven days: @ TB (Feb. 17), vs. OTT (Feb. 20), @ CAR (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 68.52%
Jake DeBrusk. Boston has explored trade partners for Jake DeBrusk before, and we’ll be watching to see if they do so again. DeBrusk is notably without a contract after this season, and given Boston’s recent struggles it could be time for GM Don Sweeney to shake things up. DeBrusk might be a valuable asset in helping the Bruins fill in their gaps.
Next seven days: vs. LA (Feb. 17), vs. DAL (Feb. 19), @ EDM (Feb. 21), @ CGY (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 67.59%
Igor Shesterkin. New York knows it needs a revived Igor Shesterkin for the stretch run here. Do the Rangers finally have that in their midst? Shesterkin played almost a backset to Jonathan Quick in the season’s first half, but he’s perked up post-All Star break. Last week Shesterkin recorded his first shutout of the campaign. Is that a sign of good things to come? In a hotly contested Metropolitan Division race, the Rangers have to hope so.
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Feb. 18), vs. DAL (Feb. 20), @ NJ (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 68.52%
Thomas Harley. Dallas has an unsung hero on its hands in defenseman Thomas Harley. The 22-year-old caught fire while Miro Heiskanen was injured, and now they’re together on the Stars’ top pairing. That’s music to Dallas’ ears. The Stars need a robust defensive effort to compensate for some injury issues — they recently lost Evgenii Dadonov long term — and Harley will be one to monitor.
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Feb. 17), @ BOS (Feb. 19), @ NYR (Feb. 20), @ OTT (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 63.64%
Ryan Johansen. Colorado hasn’t seen the best of Ryan Johansen — and that may well be an understatement. The veteran forward has 19 points in 54 games this season on a team he clearly isn’t clicking with in a projected second-line center role. Do the Avalanche keep trying to make things work there? Or can they scour the trade market for someone to take Johansen and his $4 million contract through next season off their hands? Stay tuned.
Next seven days: vs. ARI (Feb. 18), vs. VAN (Feb. 20), @ DET (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 67.65%
Kyle Connor. Winnipeg has been sliding of late thanks in no small part to their big problem — not scoring goals. That’s where Connor comes in. The All-Star winger has been slowed by injuries this season, but if Connor were to get on a run, it would be the exact spark Winnipeg needs to avoid a repeat of last season’s second-half spiral. Let’s see what a healthy and confident Connor can do to keep that fate at bay.
Next seven days: @ VAN (Feb. 17), @ CGY (Feb. 19), vs. MIN (Feb. 20)
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 63.00%
Connor McDavid. Edmonton will go where Connor McDavid takes it; that’s been true the last few years. McDavid has helped resurrect the Oilers following a rancid start. Now it’s all about how he — and, let’s be honest, Leon Draisaitl — do at bringing their personal brand of magic into the playoffs. It wasn’t long ago a postseason try was pure pipe dream for Edmonton. Now it’s on McDavid to get them there, and do something special.
Next seven days: @ DAL (Feb. 17), @ ARI (Feb. 19), vs. BOS (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 64.15%
Adin Hill. Vegas could see Adin Hill in the Vezina Trophy conversation this season. He’s been that good — and entirely low-key about it. When he’s between the pipes, Vegas is reaping major rewards. What more can Hill prove into spring? And will it be key to the Golden Knights possibly repeating as Stanley Cup champs?
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Feb. 17), @ SJ (Feb. 19), vs. NSH (Feb. 20), vs. TOR (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 61.54%
Auston Matthews. Toronto has seen some great things out of Matthews — but a 70-goal season? That would be a new accomplishment. Only eight NHL players have ever hit that threshold, and Matthews would need just 28 goals in the Leafs’ final 30 games to become the ninth. It’s a bold benchmark that hasn’t been hit in over 30 years. If anyone could do it, it would be Matthews.
Next seven days: vs. ANA (Feb. 17), @ STL (Feb. 19), @ ARI (Feb. 21), @ VGK (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 62.50%
Andrei Svechnikov. When healthy, Svechnikov is a standout. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been available much this season. Svechnikov is on the cusp of returning from his third injury of the season — but the timing may well be perfect if he can finally stay in the lineup. Just how much better can Svechnikov make these Hurricanes? We’ve seen him dominate before. After getting plenty of rest and rehab, perhaps he’ll be right back on form.
Next seven days: @ ARI (Feb. 16), @ VGK (Feb. 17), vs. CHI (Feb. 19), vs. FLA (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 59.09%
Sean Walker. Philadelphia is a rebuilding playoff team. If that’s even a thing. It’s on GM Danny Briere to decide if that’s where the Flyers will remain, and Sean Walker’s situation hangs in the balance. Walker is a pending UFA having his best NHL season. That makes Walker both an attractive trade chip and desirable player to retain. What will the Flyers ultimately do with Walker? The outcome of their season might be in the balance.
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Feb. 17), @ CHI (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 59.09%
Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay’s defense took a hit when Mikhail Sergachev went down with a broken leg. That’ll put even more emphasis on the Lightning’s offense to keep scoring — and Nikita Kucherov is the one to watch in that department. Kucherov appears to be a in a horserace with Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid for league MVP. Carrying Tampa Bay through a tough stretch would go a long way in bolstering his candidacy for the title.
Next seven days: vs. FLA (Feb. 17), vs. OTT (Feb. 19), vs. WSH (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 56.60%
Lucas Raymond. Detroit’s recent surge has deservedly put Raymond in the spotlight. After a slow start to the season, he’s nearly matched Alex DeBrincat for the team lead in points, and that output has helped the Red Wings start to soar. Can Raymond keep the good times going in Motor City and propel Detroit back into the playoffs? No doubt we’ll be keeping tabs on that progress.
Next seven days: @ CGY (Feb. 17), @ SEA (Feb. 19), vs. COL (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 58.82%
Pierre-Luc Dubois. Los Angeles has a new coach in Jim Hiller — and what the Kings really need is for Hiller to get more out of Pierre-Luc Dubois. Often a change behind the bench can kick-start struggling players, and if Hiller can pull something out of Dubois that L.A. hasn’t experienced yet it would be a real boost to their postseason prospects.
Next seven days: @ BOS (Feb. 17), @ PIT (Feb. 18), vs. CBJ (Feb. 20), vs. NSH (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.72%
Jack Hughes. New Jersey needs Jack Hughes to be an electrifying force up front if they’re going to contend in the Metro. Fortunately, Hughes has built a career on being exactly that — and he’s back from injury and lighting it up again. Hughes has the talent to wrestle these Devils out of the murky middle and up the standings. It should make for fascinating theater through to spring.
Next seven days: vs. PHI (Feb. 17), @ WSH (Feb. 20), vs. NYR (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 56.60%
Pavel Buchnevich. St. Louis hasn’t had the easiest season to date, but Buchnevich is one continuous bright spot. Will that lead the Blues to trade him away? St. Louis has been clinging to a Western Conference wild-card spot, and retaining Buchnevich gives them a better shot at the playoffs. But Buchnevich might move the needle even more on the trade block. What direction GM Doug Armstrong goes could reflect how he feels about this season’s potential for the Blues.
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Feb. 17), vs. TOR (Feb. 19), vs. NYI (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 53.77%
Noah Dobson. New York arguably has the league’s most underrated defenseman in Noah Dobson. Will he continue to fly under the radar? The Islanders are in a dogfight to make the playoffs, and if they do, Dobson will be a primary reason why. What he’s able to do nightly in pushing New York over the line will be worth watching one way or another.
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Feb. 18), @ PIT (Feb. 20), @ STL (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 50.93%
Jonathan Huberdeau. Calgary waited a long time to see Jonathan Huberdeau shine — and this just might be his moment. Since the Flames swapped Elias Lindholm for Andrei Kuzmenko and slotted the latter skater onto Huberdeau’s line it’s like Huberdeau himself has come to life with some inspiring hockey. If this success is sustainable, can an improved Huberdeau help push Calgary into the playoff conversation?
Next seven days: vs. DET (Feb. 17), vs. WPG (Feb. 19), vs. BOS (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 51.85%
Alexandre Carrier. Nashville could cash in at the deadline by moving Carrier to a contender. He’s a 27-year-old right-shot defender that would be an ideal depth add for any team hoping there’s a long spring ahead. That scenario doesn’t look to be in the cards for Nashville, so will taking calls on Carrier be what helps set them up for brighter days in the future?
Next seven days: @ STL (Feb. 17), @ VGK (Feb. 20), @ LA (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 53.92%
Jake Guentzel. Pittsburgh was dealt another tough blow when Guentzel landed on injured reserve this week, with a projected return date around mid-March. Guentzel was (is?) the Penguins’ top trade asset, and was generating plenty of interest ahead of the deadline. Will that still be the case? Is the prospect of trading Guentzel — a pending UFA — more appealing to the Pens now that he’s unavailable to help keep their playoff hopes alive? And what does it mean if the Guentzel market has totally cooled? There’s a landslide of uncertainty now — something the Penguins did not need more of this season.
Next seven days: vs. LA (Feb. 18), vs. NYI (Feb. 20), vs. MTL (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 51.89%
Brock Faber. Minnesota might have the one player capable of challenging Connor Bedard for the Calder Trophy, and it’s defenseman Brock Faber. The Wild freshman just tied Bedard for a league lead in rookie points, and he’s done it while helping stabilize Minnesota’s back end with excellent play well beyond his 21 years. Keep an eye on Faber to see if he can pull off an award’s season upset.
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Feb. 17), vs. VAN (Feb. 19), @ WPG (Feb. 20)
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 51.92%
Alex Ovechkin. Washington may not make the playoffs — but Ovechkin is back on track towards making history. The Capitals’ captain has been a goal-scoring machine of late, and discussion about his potential to break Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record is heating up once again. How much closer can Ovechkin get in these final weeks? Let’s find out.
Next seven days: @ MTL (Feb. 17), vs. NJ (Feb. 20), @ TB (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 51.85%
Philipp Grubauer. Seattle’s playoff chances could hinge on how well Grubauer can perform down the stretch. He was back in the crease this week after more than two months away nursing an injury, and the Kraken need him to take some of the pressure off goalie partner Joey Daccord. If Seattle is going to get back in that postseason mix, they’ll need a strong tandem in net. Can Grubauer be the guy who helps the Kraken climb?
Next seven days: vs. DET (Feb. 19), vs. VAN (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 48.08%
Barrett Hayton. Arizona sorely missed Hayton while he sat out two months with an injury. Well, he’s back, and he’s exactly what the Coyotes need in a pivotal lead up to trade deadline. That’s when GM Bill Armstrong will decide whether to let Arizona keep gunning for a playoff spot or go into trade mode. Having Hayton on the scene makes the Coyotes better — how much better is what we’ll be watching to find out.
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Feb. 16), @ COL (Feb. 18), vs. EDM (Feb. 19), vs. TOR (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 47.17%
Casey Mittelstadt. Buffalo has done well locking up its players to long-term deals. That strategy just hasn’t actually gotten the Sabres anywhere in their quest to return to the playoffs. Mittelstadt is a pending RFA that will want a multi-year pact of his own, and frankly Buffalo might not be able to offer that up. So, should the Sabres be trading Mittelstadt instead? If the interest is there, Buffalo should consider the offer.
Next seven days: @ MIN (Feb. 17), vs. ANA (Feb. 19), @ MTL (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 48.15%
Jake Allen. Montreal has three goaltenders in the mix, and Allen is long-rumoured to be the odd man out there; meaning, the Canadiens would be most likely to trade him. Will they find a team willing to perform the swap? Allen’s name being out there so long suggests it won’t be easy — but not impossible, either.
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Feb. 17), vs. BUF (Feb. 21), @ PIT (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 46.00%
Vladimir Tarasenko. Ottawa’s season hasn’t gone to plan — to put it charitably. There’s still time to make the most of opportunity, though. That could start with trading Tarasenko. The veteran forward would have to waive his no-trade clause, but it’s not like Tarasenko would pass on a chance to chase another Cup. The Senators have to focus on the future, and since Tarasenko’s deal runs out this season, Ottawa’s focus might shift to seeing him out the door sooner than later.
Next seven days: @ CHI (Feb. 17), @ TB (Feb. 19), @ FLA (Feb. 20), vs. DAL (Feb. 22)
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 40.39%
Boone Jenner. Columbus is in a tough spot with Jenner. The club’s captain wants to be part of the Blue Jackets’ rebuild — but he’s also a viable trade asset who Columbus could flip for long-term assets. So what should the Blue Jackets do? Keep a good player who wants to be there? Or think about the future and capitalize on Jenner’s value right now? An attractive offer could make for a seriously hard decision.
Next seven days: @ SJ (Feb. 17), @ LA (Feb. 20), @ ANA (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 37.74%
Frank Vatrano. Anaheim won’t be making the postseason. But the Ducks could be a winner with the right trade return for Vatrano. Their top skater is generating plenty of interest on the market, and a high-end return could provide long-term building blocks for Anaheim in their ongoing rebuild. And from Vatrano’s perspective, he might wind up somewhere with a chance to compete for a Cup this season.
Next seven days: @ TOR (Feb. 17), @ BUF (Feb. 19), vs. CBJ (Feb. 21)
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 33.02%
Mikael Granlund. San Jose are destined to trade at the deadline, and Granlund might be first off their docket. The veteran has been terrific this season, and newly back from injury, he will have time to show off for potential suitors before March 8. The Sharks — with cap space to spare on the salary retention front — could fetch a fine return placing Granlund in a new home.
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (Feb. 17), vs. VGK (Feb. 19)
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 28.70%
Tyler Johnson. Chicago is primed to sell at the deadline. And while Johnson has been superb for the Blackhawks this season, he’s a 33-year-old with extensive playoff experience, making $5 million a year on a rebuilding team. Chicago would be better off in the long term finding a trade partner for Johnson that reels in something the Blackhawks can use into their future.
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Feb. 17), @ CAR (Feb. 19), vs. PHI (Feb. 21)
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Adam Rittenberg
COLUMBUS, Ohio — At the NFL scouting combine last month in Indianapolis, Ohio State‘s draft hopefuls talked about Julian Sayin as the likely choice to be the team’s next starting quarterback.
“Julian’s that guy, to be honest with you,” cornerback Denzel Burke told reporters.
“Now it’s his time,” added quarterback Will Howard, the man Sayin and two others will try to replace for the defending national champions.
But Sayin isn’t viewing the starting job as his quite yet. The redshirt freshman is focused on spring practice, which kicked off Monday, and operating in a quarterback room that has been reduced by Howard’s exit and the transfers of Devin Brown (Cal) and Air Noland (South Carolina). Junior Lincoln Kienholz and freshman Tavien St. Clair, a midyear enrollee, were the other two quarterbacks practicing Wednesday.
“You have to block out the noise,” said Sayin, who transferred to Ohio State from Alabama after Nick Saban retired in January 2024. “I’m just focusing on spring practice and just getting better.”
Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler said Ohio State is “a long way away” from even discussing the closeness of the competition. Fessler, promoted to quarterbacks coach after serving as an offensive analyst last season, is evaluating how the three quarterbacks handle more practice reps, and areas such as consistency and toughness.
He’s confident any of the three can handle being Ohio State’s starting quarterback and the magnitude the job brings, even though none have the experience Howard brought in when he transferred from Kansas State.
“A lot of that was done in the recruitment process,” Fessler said. “I’m confident all three of them could be the guy. Those guys already check that box. So now it’s just a matter of who goes out and wins the job. And again, we are so far away from that point.”
Sayin, ESPN’s No. 9 recruit in the 2024 class, has been praised for a lightning-quick release. He appeared in four games last season, completing 5 of 12 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
“We continue to work to build that arm strength, to strengthen his core, to work rotationally, because he is such a rotational thrower, to be able to maximize his movements, both between his lower half and his upper hats, so you can get that ball out with velocity and be successful,” Fessler said. “So he definitely has a quick release, but there’s so much more to playing the position.”
Sayin added about 10 pounds during the offseason and checks in at 203 for spring practice. He’s working to master both on-field skills and the intangible elements, where Howard thrived, saying, “There’s a lot that comes to being a quarterback here besides what you do on the field.”
Kienholz, a three-star recruit, saw the field in 2023, mostly in a Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri, where he completed 6 of 17 pass attempts. He also added weight in the winter, going from around 185 pounds to 207.
“The past few years, I’ve had older guys in front of me and just getting to learn from them on how to be a leader and how to take control,” he said. “Now I’m the oldest guy in the room, so I feel that now, and I kind of feel more confident.”
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has challenged the quarterbacks to be the hardest workers on the team, and to sustain that ethic.
“I know every single one of them saw that quote by Coach Day, which is pretty awesome,” Fessler said. “It’s so real. It’s who we have to be — the toughest guys in the building, and the hardest-working guys in the building.”
The Department of Defense deleted a story on its website that highlighted Jackie Robinson’s military service, with the original URL redirecting to one that added the letters “dei” in front of “sports-heroes.”
The scrubbing of the page followed a Feb. 27 memo from the Pentagon that called for a “digital content refresh” that would “remove and archive DoD news articles, photos, and videos promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).”
The Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment by ESPN.
“We are aware and looking into it,” an MLB spokesperson said.
Robinson, who served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the most integral figures in American sports history, Robinson won the National League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards during a 10-year career that led to a first-ballot induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The deleted story was part of the Department of Defense’s “Sports Heroes Who Served” series. Other stories, including one on Robinson’s teammate Pee-Wee Reese that references his acceptance of Robinson amid racial tensions in his first season, remain on the site.
Robinson was drafted into military service in 1942 and eventually joined the 761st Tank Battalion, also known as the Black Panthers. He was court-martialed in July 1944 after he refused an order by a driver to move to the back of an Army bus he had boarded. Robinson was acquitted and coached Army athletics teams until his honorable discharge in November 1944.
Robinson, who died in 1972, remains an ever-present figure in MLB, with his No. 42 permanently retired in 1997. On April 15 every year, the league celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, honoring the date of his debut with the Dodgers by having every player in the majors wear his jersey number. Last year, Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, who is 102 years old, attended the April 15 game between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field.
Martin Luther King Jr. said Robinson’s trailblazing efforts in baseball made his own success possible, and Robinson joined King on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement.
“The life of Jackie Robinson represents America at its best,” Leonard Coleman, the former National League president and chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, told ESPN. “Removing an icon and Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient from government websites represents America at its worst.”
The removal of Robinson’s story reflects other efforts by the Pentagon to follow a series of executive orders by President Donald Trump to purge DEI from the federal government. A story on Ira Hayes, a Native American who was one of the Marines to raise the American flag at Iwo Jima, was removed with a URL relabeled with “dei,” according to The Washington Post. Other stories about Navajo code talkers, who were lauded for their bravery covertly relaying messages in World War I and World War II, were likewise deleted, according to Axios.
The Department of Defense also removed a website that celebrated Charles Calvin Rogers, a Black general who received the Medal of Honor, but it later reestablished the site, according to the Post.
On Feb. 20, Trump announced plans to build statues of Robinson, boxing icon Muhammad Ali and NBA star Kobe Bryant in the National Garden of American Heroes, a sculpture park he proposed during his first administration.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and William Weinbaum contributed to this report.
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Tim Keown
TOKYO — I have seen an image of Shohei Ohtani, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, gazing out from a vending machine while standing in a field of green tea leaves, a bottle of Ito En iced tea in his left hand, and I have seen it roughly 4 million times. I have seen Ohtani — two Ohtanis, presumably both the same legendarily indulgent sleeper — sitting on a Sleeptech mattress pad. One Ohtani wears a short-sleeved shirt and holds a baseball bat like a right-handed hitter, the other wears a long-sleeved shirt but holds no bat. Both Ohtanis, whose eyes seem to follow me from the wall of the Tokyo Dome, wear the same expression, which is the same expression found in the field of tea, which can only be described as the look of a man who is dreaming of getting back in the batting cage.
Electronic-billboard Ohtani has looked down upon me from three different directions above the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, representing New Balance, DIP (a human resources and recruitment firm that stands for Dreams, Ideas, Passion) and a men’s fragrance called Kosé. He’s 100 feet tall on the side of a building in Shinjuku, wearing the same look next to a couple of Seiko watches. There are many Ohtanis, and so many of them bear the exact same look that it seems plausible that it is one stock image reconstituted to serve an endless number of purposes.
Convenience store Ohtani is draped on a banner across the front of nearly every FamilyMart store, promoting the MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series while holding up onigiri (a Japanese rice ball) and probably wondering how long this is going to take.
I have seen television Ohtani, wearing an apron, prepare and eat a bowl of ramen — chopping his own onion — on a commercial selling something food related that has blurred into all the others. Relaxed yet precise, it is some of his best work. I have seen him standing on a beach kicking a soccer ball for the green tea people, smiling like he’s unaware he’s being filmed. I have seen him morph from Dodger Ohtani to samurai Ohtani on a spot for Fortnite, and it’s hard to tell which one is more imposing. Television Ohtani is an unspoken presence on an ad for T-shirts featuring an artist’s image of his dog, Decoy. (Someone out there, it would seem, is intent on pushing the bounds of fame.)
Television Ohtani is not to be confused with taxi TV Ohtani, who seems to run on an endless backseat loop. On the first day the teams worked out in Tokyo, a massive screen in front of the Tokyo Dome played a mashup of commercials starring Ohtani interspersed with some promotional spots for the series, and a long line of people stood next to it, pointing their phones at the screen.
“Shohei’s impact in Japan is impossible to overstate,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman says. “We thought we understood it, but until you see it and live it, you can’t fully grasp it.”
Ohtani carries himself like he’s aware that every eye in every room is hyperfocused on him, and him alone. Here, in his home country, is where that truth exceeds the bounds of exaggeration. He has existed here for seven years as nothing more than a figure on a screen — many, many screens — and yet his presence is never more than a street corner away. Baseball fans plan their summer days around Dodgers games, most of which start in the late morning. It feels like more fame than any one human seems capable of containing.
“Every time I go to Japan,” Friedman says, “I think, ‘Well, Shohei, I didn’t miss you at all. I see you everywhere.'”
Ohtani’s mother, Kayoko, handles his business dealings in Japan, and she is clearly killing it. The word is he is judicious with his choices for endorsement deals, but it’s hard to imagine he’s turning much down.
All of it emphasizes Ohtani’s value, not just to himself but to baseball in general and the Dodgers in particular. For six days, Tokyo was one massive ATM. MLB set up a 30,000-square-foot store at the Tokyo Dome to sell Dodgers and Cubs merchandise, everything from logo-printed cookies to Ohtani towels, and it was 10 deep just to get close enough to check the size on an Ohtani jersey. (You could have parked your car in front of the Cubs gear.) Topps put together a remarkably cool four-story baseball card exhibit in Shibuya, right around the corner from the three looming Ohtanis. It included two donations from Ohtani: the base he stole to complete his 50/50 season last year, and a bat he used during the World Series. His deal with Topps netted roughly $7 million for the company last season alone, a company source said, even though card collecting is relatively new in Japan. Stamp rallies, however, are tried-and-true crowd-pleasers, so Topps made sure to include one in the exhibit.
Japan Airlines has an Ohtani-themed plane, his face in triplicate on both sides of the fuselage, and travel agencies throughout Japan operate tours for fans to travel to Los Angeles to watch Ohtani play. Concession stands and signage at Dodger Stadium look vastly different than they did two seasons ago. And Ohtani’s estimated $65 million in annual endorsement income in 2024 — the most of any baseball player, and about $58 million more than the second-place player, Bryce Harper — made it much more palatable for him to defer nearly all of his $700 million contract, which is partly responsible for Friedman’s ability to spend whatever he wants (more than $300 million this season) on whomever he wants.
Ohtani’s fame is such that it can be imprisoning. He has a running feud with Fuji TV in Japan after it flew a drone over the house he bought in Los Angeles and aired the footage. He refused an interview with the network after the Dodgers won the World Series. But rarely has his fame been so stark and unforgiving as it was when the Dodgers’ plane arrived at Haneda Airport on March 13. Roughly 1,000 Japanese fans crowded outside customs to get a glimpse of Ohtani, but the airport had installed white walls that served as a tunnel to separate the players from the public, leaving Ohtani’s fans to settle with breathing the same air.
“It’s too bad, but it’s a security issue,” says Atsushi Ihara, an executive and former director of Nippon Professional Baseball. “If Ohtani walked out of his hotel and down the street, it would end up a police matter.”
The scene in and around the Tokyo Dome for the four exhibition games and the two regular-season games is probably best described as controlled, civil mayhem. Four hours before the first pitch on Opening Day, the crowds were so thick in the shopping areas outside the ballpark that it was difficult to move, which was fine with most people since they were happy to stand in clumps and raise their phones to take videos of the latest Ohtani commercial playing on the massive screens all around them.
(Inside the Dodgers’ clubhouse, a space with all the charm of a middle school locker room, the most prominent feature was a smoking capsule that resembled a phone booth and included a bull’s-eye on the wall showing smokers where to aim for maximum ventilation. No Dodgers appeared to be interested in using it.)
Before every pitch to Ohtani, it felt as if the entire building held its breath before releasing it in one massive exhale. The result was immaterial — foul ball, swing and a miss, take — the response was the same. And when Ohtani hit a homer in his second plate appearance in Tokyo, sending the ball halfway up the bleachers in right against the Tokyo Giants, a group of moms with their tiny daughters, all wearing Ohtani jerseys, danced in the concourse behind the lower deck.
After the game, Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe was asked if he had a chance to speak with Ohtani. “Yes,” he said. “I saw him in the batting cage.” He paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to plow forward. “Some people might not like this,” he said, “but I asked if I could get a picture with him.”
There were five Japanese players in the Tokyo Series, but it was sometimes hard to tell. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto turns up on the occasional train station advertisement for an energy drink that sources on the ground say was initially targeted toward Japan’s middle-aged salarymen and their rigorous schedules. Yamamoto’s task, along with sidekick Ichiro Suzuki, is apparently to recruit the younger Japanese consumer to experience the joys of concentrated caffeine.
But really, there is Ohtani, always Ohtani and seemingly only Ohtani. “It’s hard to imagine him being more famous than he is in America,” Dodgers rookie reliever Jack Dreyer says, “but that’s certainly the case.” In Ohtani’s home prefecture of Iwate, in the far northeastern section of Honshu, I passed a gas station with a row of tire racks covered by tarps emblazoned with Ohtani’s photo. A sign nearby declared, “More than 300,000 tires sold.” It was unclear whether the seller was Ohtani or the station.
“What he is achieving and what he’s already achieved is something out of a comic book,” Ihara says. “Like a comic book superhero, you would think that nobody could do such things in real life. He’s showing us that there’s no limits for us as human beings, and that’s the inspiration that he is continuously providing for us.”
Ohtani played four games in Tokyo, two that counted and two that didn’t, a distinction that didn’t seem to matter. He was here, in the flesh, playing baseball in Japan for the first time in eight seasons, and he provided enough memories — his booming homer in the fifth inning Wednesday is the first that comes to mind — to remind everyone why they came. And then he headed back to his new life, back to being an image on a screen or a vending machine or above a convenience store, back to being nowhere and everywhere, somehow both at once.
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