Utah coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday that Mike Bajakian, the Utes’ senior offensive analyst, will serve as interim offensive coordinator for the rest of the season, replacing Andy Ludwig, who stepped down amid a season of struggles.
Ludwig, in his second stint as Utah’s offensive coordinator, had overseen the offense since 2019 after previously working there from 2005 to 2008 and helped the team to consecutive conference championships in 2021 and 2022.
“Andy is the consummate professional and we want to thank him for his complete dedication to our program during his 10 total seasons with us,” Whittingham said in a statement Sunday. “Coach Ludwig has been instrumental to our success here at Utah and personally, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Andy as both a coach and a person.”
Bajakian, most recently offensive coordinator at Northwestern, has been a coordinator at Boston College, Tennessee and elsewhere.
Utah finished 98th nationally in scoring last season and has slipped to 95th this season following Saturday’s 13-7 home loss to TCU. Top quarterback Cameron Rising missed all of the 2023 season because of a knee injury and this fall suffered a Week 2 injury to his throwing hand that eventually shut him down for the season. Backup Isaac Wilson has stepped in and completed only 54.8% of his passes with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. Utah has lost three straight for the first time since 2017 and is averaging just 16.2 points in Big 12 play.
Ludwig, 60, provided stability and success to Utah’s offense during his two terms there, as Whittingham cycled through offensive coordinators at other times. Lugwig nearly left for the same role at Notre Dame after the 2022 season but remained at Utah. He also has coordinator experience at Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, San Diego State, Cal, Oregon and Fresno State.
Utah’s offensive staff includes veteran assistants, such as line coach Jim Harding and tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, the brother of Kyle Whittingham.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
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 draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.