Kaplan’s buzz: Latest on the NHL in Utah and a look at the goalie market
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Emily Kaplan, ESPN
The NHL in Utah is starting to feel inevitable. That was the sense around the league this week when Ryan Smith publicly released a letter to the NHL formally requesting a team.
As one NHL owner told me, “Entry to the NHL is a calculated process which [commissioner] Gary [Bettman] likes control over.” Bettman and Smith have struck up a relationship over the past several years. When I asked the team owner what Smith’s letter meant, he said: “It’s clear this is someone that Gary trusts and is interested in doing business with.”
I talked to Smith this week, and his passion and energy is undeniable. His pitch to the NHL is simple: His ownership group wants to give more than they take, folding into the sport’s mantra of growing the game. Salt Lake City is an emerging, vibrant market. And Smith will bring a fresh perspective, specifically focusing on innovation.
“I’m still active in the tech world. I’m in my early 40s,” Smith said. “Tech is what’s creating a lot of this in Utah. How we can help from a technology standpoint and bringing communities together, it’s really working. That’s a big piece of this. I’m still very involved in Qualtrics, the company I started. I just announced an incubator. Sports and tech, there’s a lot of commonality on how all of this works. I think it’s super helpful to have active tech folks in the conversations that are helping it drive.”
Most notably: Smith said his ownership group (which owns the Utah Jazz and MLS Real Salt Lake City) could host a team as soon as next season at the Delta Center, which has already hosted some NHL exhibition games. That’s significant as the Arizona Coyotes arena situation is coming to a head. Sources from the NHL and NHLPA have told me the Coyotes need to provide firm answers soon, or the league will lose patience — which it has already exercised a ton of.
Smith said he didn’t care if he inherits a relocated team or starts from scratch with an expansion team. “Our goal is NHL in Utah,” Smith said. “And I’ll leave the rest up to Gary.”
The league may be interested in 33 teams regardless — especially since some owners are predicting an expansion fee well over $1 billion.
Anecdotally, I’ve talked to a few players who viewed Utah as an exciting potential location. Some players have or have friends who vacationed in Park City, just outside of Salt Lake City. They liked that it’s a natural winter sport market. Salt Lake City seems poised to host the 2034 Olympics. Some players have expressed trepidation over even more expansion, but they know it means more money for everyone and more jobs.
Smith said they have already identified multiple sites for a standalone hockey arena — either in downtown Salt Lake City or the surrounding areas. “We do own the Delta Center, so that plays a little in our advantage, because we’re going to own that either way. But we can operate in two arenas; there’s definitely the ability to do that here. We’re rolling. I think we’ve got good options there. Utah is what I would call friendly for business. I think that’s what’s helped us create a tech ecosystem.”
Smith seems ready to pony up the cost of an expansion club. Vegas paid $500 million to become the NHL’s 31st team. Just over two years later, Seattle paid $600 million.
“We know they’re not free,” Smith said of the potential expansion cost. “We’ve gone through the purchasing process of two teams [NBA’s Jazz and MLS’ Real Salt Lake City] in the last two and a half years. So we have a pretty good idea of where things stack. That’s definitely part of our intention and commitment, and we don’t want to go through the process if we’re not serious about it. The stadium is another big part of it as well. To get our group around the table and have everyone say unanimously, ‘We’re in,’ is pretty powerful.”
Smith said he’s not sure how the process for arena funding will play out, whether it would be fully privately funded or lean on some public funds. “We purchased the other arena in a private way. … We’ve been pretty independent up to this point,” Smith said. “But part of the challenge in all of this is lining everything up. Obviously in the short term in landing the team, we don’t have to cross that bridge because we already have everything set up. And support comes in a lot of different ways. Support is helping with the Olympics, partnering with universities and tech incubators and stuff like that. We’d rather go with a contingent of people who want to be around hockey.”
IT’S HARD TO gauge how busy this trade deadline will be. Many front office executives and agents I’ve talked to are tempering expectations. The league’s parity has the Stanley Cup chase wide-open this year, meaning the teams hovering on the bubble may take a more conservative approach. The stagnant salary cap has handcuffed contenders too cash-strapped to make much work.
“Just wait for next year,” one assistant general manager said. “With an extra $5 million, we’ll all be going crazy.”
Only a few teams seem poised to push their chips all-in for this season — Vancouver is the name that consistently came up in this category. As usual, there could be surprises.
I asked one general manager in the Eastern Conference if there was one team that could be bracing for a splash. “Vegas,” he said. “It’s just in their nature.” In their six years of existence, the Golden Knights have been uber aggressive. They go after every big name available. For example, I’m told they made one of the most impressive presentations to Patrick Kane, pitching him as the missing piece to their second Stanley Cup. Vegas has been banged up, though its depth has held up. There’s good news on Jack Eichel, who was supposed to be the team’s All Star before undergoing surgery (lower body, not related to his neck). I’m told the prognosis isn’t as bad as initially feared. He should return before the playoffs.
RANGERS CENTER FILIP CHYTIL is back in New York after three weeks of resetting at home in Czechia. I was told he made strong progress in his recovery from a head injury while training there. The Rangers have been cautious to put any time frame on his return so Chytil doesn’t feel pressure and knowing the sensitivity and unpredictability of head injuries. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the 25-year-old return sometime in February.
If New York doesn’t have Chytil’s LTIR money, the Rangers really don’t have much wiggle room. I don’t get the sense GM Chris Drury is keen on mortgaging the future to repeat last year’s major trade deadline moves. Instead, it sounds like the team is looking for an extra forward with some jam. The Rangers expressed interest in Corey Perry, before he signed in Edmonton, but I don’t think those talks got very far outside of an initial conversation.
THERE’S BEEN A leaguewide thirst for goaltending this season, and there are not enough goaltenders front offices trust to go around. Teams that are seriously looking for a goalie include Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles and New Jersey. But who is out there? Petr Mrazek, who worked hard to revive his career in Chicago, just inked a two-year extension. The Blackhawks are rewarding veterans who have been good soldiers during a tough season where they’re designed to miss the playoffs. Not only is Mrazek putting up good numbers, but I’m told he’s been a very positive influence and popular among the younger players on the team.
It also sounds like things have quieted down on the Elvis Merzlikins front. Merzlikins’ agent, Gerry Johansson, never formally requested a trade. He did have a conversation with management where both sides agreed they could call around the league to see if there were other opportunities. But it doesn’t sound like there was a ton of interest right now, and I’m told Merzlikins is in a much better place.
Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek has held firm on a high asking price for John Gibson. It seems Calgary is navigating the Jacob Markstrom situation delicately. He could be available, but management is only approaching him about his no movement clause if it has serious offers. Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen might be depth options. With the scarcity, you can see why so many teams are curious if Marc-Andre Fleury in Minnesota will be open to a trade.
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Dan Wetzel
Week 0 is college football’s oft-ignored start to the season. The good stuff doesn’t generally happen until the smorgasbord of Labor Day weekend.
This year, though, it begins with a unique bang. Consider that, right now in some Dublin pub, two fan bases from Middle America are likely baffling locals by arguing not merely over their teams but the per-acre yields of wheat vs. corn.
It’s Iowa State and Kansas State to kick things off — in Ireland no less.
It’s Farmageddon on the old sod, or Farm O’Geddon, as some have dubbed it this year.
The rural-rooted and wonderfully self-aware rivalry is getting a rare but well-deserved turn in the spotlight.
These are two proud and solid programs. Both are nationally ranked. The Wildcats check in at No. 17, and the Cyclones at 22. It’s a Big 12 game with conference title and national playoff implications.
“It’s certainly a great opportunity, and we certainly feel honored to be able to be a part of it,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.
It’s also a reminder of how, even when college football is doing something well, the sport’s self-destructive ways can hang over everything.
This is the 109th consecutive meeting between these two schools, a run that dates to 1917.
Yet in 2027, there will be no scheduled game; Farmageddon’s streak will be a casualty of conference realignment.
The series predates the old Big Eight, which is now called the Big 12 even though it has 16 members, complicating everything. Trying to manage a schedule in a league that large is a massive challenge. The conference relies on what it calls a “scheduling matrix” to get it done.
The Big 12 chose just four long-standing rivalries to be “protected” and thus forced into the matrix each season: Arizona-Arizona State, BYU-Utah, Baylor-TCU and Kansas State-Kansas.
Those make sense — each is an intense, in-state clash. K-State would rather assure a game against Kansas than Iowa State, just as Iowa State wants to make sure it plays Iowa, of the Big Ten, each year in nonconference play.
Scheduling is tough. Sometimes something has to give.
Still, Farmageddon’s run of games is longer than Texas-Oklahoma, Michigan-Ohio State and the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. While Iowa State-Kansas State will be played again in future seasons, any break feels unfortunate.
Obviously, the rivalry isn’t nearly as storied as those. Both teams have endured lengthy periods where even mediocrity would have been welcomed. Still, there is something endearing about tradition. It isn’t just for the winners.
The strength of college football isn’t the blue bloods, or at least it isn’t solely in the blue bloods. Yes, the powerhouse teams drive the boat and command the television ratings. Every sport has that, though.
What college football has is everything else, everywhere else. The nation’s 136 FBS-level programs hail from more than 40 states. They are in big cities and tiny towns. There are big state schools and small private ones, religious institutions and military academies. Not everyone expects a national title. Or even a conference one.
This is an American creation that represents America in the broadest sense. That is: None of it makes sense except all of it makes sense. The passion. The pageantry. The pride.
That includes these weird neighborhood rivalries. Leagues were once formed because of familiarity or cultural commonality. You went to one school, your neighbor another. The geographic footprint mattered. Now it’s all about media rights and money.
The Big Ten has 18 teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference has two schools overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And the Big 12 is so big that the Kansas State-Iowa State rivalry — which survived world wars, droughts and depressions — can be brushed to the side.
Saturday’s game is a showcase for what needs to be maintained against the avalanche of money. It’s old-school stuff featuring two programs with reasonable expectations that mostly just want a taste of the big time and all the fun that comes with it.
So they’ve invested in it — as institutions and individuals. Try explaining to some Irishman that the 50,000-seat Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in the Little Apple of Manhattan, Kansas, is larger than any sporting venue in the Big Apple of Manhattan, New York.
Or that Iowa State running back Abu Sama III is already a school legend for racking up 276 yards and scoring four touchdowns during a winter storm in 2023 at Kansas State.
That game will be forever known as Snowmageddon.
The tradition continues in Ireland, of all places, now with everyone watching. It’s a fitting moment for an overlooked series. It’s also a reminder to appreciate what this sport can produce, because even the good stuff isn’t necessarily safe.
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Joey Ortiz went on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring Friday, leaving the NL Central-leading Brewers without their starting shortstop.
The Brewers also reinstated first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers from the injured list and sent outfielder Jackson Chourio to a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Nashville.
Ortiz left a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday after hurting himself while grounding out in the fifth inning. Manager Pat Murphy said he has been told it’s a low-grade strain, an indication that Ortiz’s stay on the IL might not be too long.
Ortiz, 27, is hitting .233 with seven homers, 43 RBIs and 11 steals in 125 games. He has batted .343 with an .830 OPS in August.
“I felt like I was finally kind of getting a groove going, especially offensively, that I was starting to swing the bat as I feel I can,” Ortiz said. “Things happen. It’s baseball. It’s going to happen. I’ve just got to do what I can to get back.”
Murphy said Andruw Monasterio will be the Brewers’ primary shortstop while Ortiz is out. Monasterio, 28, has hit .254 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 43 games.
Bauers, 29, was dealing with a left shoulder impingement and last played in the majors on July 18. Bauers is hitting .197 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 59 games. He had gone just 2-for-23 in July while dealing with the shoulder issue before finally going on the injured list.
“Since April, May, I’ve been dealing with it,” Bauers said.
Chourio, 21, hasn’t played since straining his right hamstring while running out a triple in a 9-3 victory over the Cubs on July 29.
“He’s got to be able to get comfortable standing on the diamond back-to-back days,” Murphy said. “He’s got to be comfortable playing all nine (innings) in the outfield back-to-back days, because you can’t bring him back here and then just [go] zero to 100.”
Chourio is hitting .276 with 17 homers, 67 RBIs and 18 steals in 106 games.
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