Kaplan’s Stanley Cup buzz: What are the secrets to success for Oilers and Panthers?
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Emily Kaplan, ESPN
Forget the distance — this year’s Stanley Cup Final is as electric as they come. Two fantastic teams hitting their stride when it matters most, with incredible stories to tell.
Here’s a look inside how both teams got here and lessons on what makes them special.
When the Florida Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring, their emotional leader, Matthew Tkachuk, went around the locker room and repeated three words to his teammates: “We’ll be back.”
The road to the 2023 Final was both emotionally and physically taxing for the Panthers, who sneaked into the playoffs as the last seed and then shocked everybody — except themselves. Our broadcast crew will never forget our pregame chat last year with coach Paul Maurice ahead of Game 5 of the first round in Boston, with the Cats trailing the series 3-1. “We’ll see you back here in Boston,” he said calmly, before walking away.
Florida’s list of players fighting through significant injuries last playoffs was as ugly as it gets. Tkachuk, who suffered a broken sternum in the finals, needed his brother, Brady, to help him get out of bed after a pregame nap before Game 4. Teammates helped him put pads on and tied his skates.
Sam Bennett had two separate injuries; Radko Gudas played through a high ankle sprain. Top defenseman Aaron Ekblad played with a broken foot since the first round — plus two separate shoulder dislocations and a torn oblique. Ekblad and fellow defenseman Brandon Montour (torn labrum) missed the first month of the 2023-24 season recovering from offseason surgeries.
About two weeks after the season ended, a few players, including Carter Verhaeghe, rented ice in Florida. When GM Bill Zito returned from the NHL draft and saw the players skating, he was incredulous. “What are you guys doing?” he asked. They wanted to get back to work.
Several players, including captain Aleksander Barkov and leading scorer Sam Reinhart, returned to training camp in even better shape. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov credited the team’s conditioning for why they’ve been able to wear down teams in the third period. And, as Ekblad told me after eliminating the New York Rangers, they are far healthier this time around.
The Panthers are built mostly from trade acquisitions, free agents and waiver pickups. And each player Florida brought in was targeted for a reason: they’re ultracompetitive, and have no problem playing Maurice’s aggressive style that’s constantly applying pressure.
Maurice built a clear identity of how this team should play — it is relentless. Tkachuk told me the reason it works is because there is “total buy-in.” I asked him after the Eastern Conference finals how hard it is to play in the Panthers’ system. “It is pretty hard,” he admitted, then let out a huge smile: “But we think it’s pretty hard to play against.“
Last year, Maurice said every round felt like an achievement because nobody expected them to be there. This postseason, he said the celebrations after every win and every round have been more muted. In fact, Maurice said the loudest postgame locker room moment so far was when Niko Mikkola awarded the game puck to Jonah Gadjovich, who rejoined the team after his wife gave birth to twins. Gadjovich hasn’t played in one game these playoffs, but it’s just another testament to how close this team is.
They know who they are, and most importantly, they now know what it takes to go all the way.
Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl haven’t shied away from the pressures their team faces, especially in a highly scrutinized Canadian market. After also being eliminated by the Golden Knights last spring, they both declared: Cup or Bust in 2024.
And then, it was a horrific start to the season. They began 2-9-1, tied for last place in the league. That lead management to fire coach Jay Woodcroft to try to get things going. Enter Kris Knoblauch, who has a calming demeanor. Knoblauch, who spent five years running the New York Rangers’ minor league affiliate, is known for his communication style in empowering players. One of his former AHL players told me that when he was struggling, Knoblauch prepared a mixtape of his best highlights — to remind him that he was a great player. Another example of Knoblauch’s relationship skills: Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski, who was Knoblauch’s AHL captain, told me in December that his old coach texted him five times since taking the job, just to check in.
Knoblauch was also McDavid’s junior coach. And even though McDavid is the best player in the world and could command preferential treatment, he never wants to be treated differently than anybody. I’m told that McDavid hated the narrative that he was behind the coaching change — especially since McDavid’s former agent, Jeff Jackson, took over as CEO of hockey operations for the Oilers last summer.
McDavid fought through an injury early in the season. And as Jackson told me in December, when the team began turning things around, it was McDavid’s work ethic that led the way.
“Connor is our leader and our hardest-working player,” Jackson said. “He’s dogging on pucks, creating turnovers on the backcheck. He gives it every single night, and we take his lead. He is relentless.”
That, perhaps, foreshadowed these playoffs. I’m told that McDavid is once again playing through something — which perhaps explains why he barely wanted to shoot the puck in early rounds. He overcompensated with work ethic, and has looked more comfortable, and more his dazzling self, as these playoffs have continued.
The Oilers, too, have remained resilient. They overcame three series deficits against Vancouver, and trailed 2-1 in the series and 2-0 on the scoreboard in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals before completely shutting the Stars down.
Defensive structure is the biggest noticeable difference for Edmonton, as it enters the Cup Final allowing just 25.1 shots per game, third fewest among playoff teams. The Oilers also haven’t given up a power-play goal in two of the three series they’ve played so far.
Hall of Famer Paul Coffey runs the defense and joined the bench staff during the early-season shake-up. Jackson told me it worked because Coffey had been around the organization (as a senior adviser) and already had a relationship with many of the defensemen, who trusted him and knew him. Jackson asked Coffey if he was willing to upend his life (he and his wife were living in Toronto) to join the team full time. It’s a move that paved the way to this postseason run.
Coffey comes to the rink every day and says the same thing: “How are we going to get better today?”
With incremental improvements, the Oilers have peaked at exactly the right time.
In commissioner Gary Bettman’s NHL, parity rules all. He wants all 32 teams to be treated equally, with each given a fair chance to win. Hence, the hard salary cap. However, a big topic surrounding the Stanley Cup Final is the perceived advantages teams have in states without an income tax, such as Florida.
Compare that to Edmonton — or any of the seven Canadian cities with teams — where provincial tax rates are significantly higher, and you realize not all teams are playing with the same set of financial rules. California and New York also have high tax rates.
Even though every team has the same amount to spend ($83.5 million this season), the athlete’s dollar goes much further in Sunrise, Florida — or Vegas (last year’s Cup winner), Dallas (Western Conference finalists in each of the past two seasons), Tampa (two Stanley Cups since 2020), Nashville or Seattle. The two Florida-based teams have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past five seasons.
These figures don’t factor in cost of living, which fluctuates across the league. Or the potential for endorsement deals, which are often more flush in Canadian markets. But consider these figures, courtesy of Cap Friendly: A $1 million base salary in Florida has a net income of $624,103 — versus $553,447 in Edmonton. It encourages players to take less money to play on teams like Florida, knowing they’re still coming out ahead.
One potential solution to allow for flexibility would be to introduce a luxury tax, similar to what the NBA has. Teams have the ability to spend more than the cap, but are taxed — and that money is allocated in revenue share to teams who aren’t going over the threshold. This could help grow the league’s financial health overall, and improve players’ salaries, which have remained somewhat stagnant.
That potential change would need to be approved by the league’s board of governors. I checked in with a few sources in the NHL league office and BOG, and came to this conclusion: There is virtually no appetite to change the salary cap system — with very little interest from owners in introducing a luxury tax. I was told the issue has been raised on occasion, but never garnered much interest or support.
That’s because the league sees way too many variables to factor in what makes certain markets attractive to certain players. What’s more, we can cherry-pick examples of lesser-taxed teams being successful (as I did above for effect), but consider: Florida has been in the league for three decades and has never won the Stanley Cup. For years, it was considered one of the most dysfunctional franchises. Success isn’t as much about manipulating the system as it is putting good systems in place in terms of strong leadership, roster management, drafting, support staff, etc.
I think even the league would agree the current rules are imperfect. But it’s working just fine, and unlikely to change any time soon.
A more relevant story to explore during the playoffs is spending outside of the salary cap. There’s no limit on how much a team can invest in staffing and resources. It’s a race that’s been going on behind the scenes for years. In the NHL, there’s a widening gulf between the haves and have-nots in terms of what they are willing to spend to gain a competitive advantage.
Edmonton and Florida are both teams on the “haves” list — though that’s a new place for Florida to be. My understanding is that owner Vinnie Viola basically told Zito there’s a blank check for anything that can help the team win (within reason, of course). That has allowed Florida to do what many higher-end teams have done for years, such as spending extra nights at a hotel after a game if it means giving the players more rest. That’s a swing of tens of thousands of dollars, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, every season.
The Panthers have a four-person goaltending excellence department; a reminder that there are no guidelines to how many coaches or front office members a team can employ. They promoted their team psychologist from part-time to full-time two years ago.
One of Zito’s biggest recent hires was Chris McLellan as VP of sports performance. McLellan, an Australian, holds a PhD, was previously a professor and has worked in the National Rugby League. Zito told me that McLellan has no biases from being a hockey lifer — he asks questions, and doesn’t feel beholden to do things a certain way just because that’s the way they’ve always been done. It has allowed the Panthers to try some creative things which they think have helped players immensely.
Edmonton owner Daryl Katz is equally generous. The Oilers have perhaps the nicest home locker room in the league, rivaled only by Detroit. Edmonton had been known for sometimes being stuck in old-school ways, but a series of recent hires progressed the team forward. Jackson is modernizing their analytics department, bringing in Michael Parkatti in September to oversee the group.
This week, Edmonton announced Kalle Larsson was joining as senior director of player development. Larsson spent 11 years with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints, and I’m told he had several opportunities to go to the NHL sooner but chose the Oilers.
Most notably, the Oilers brought in George Mumford — a world-renowned mindfulness expert and sports psychologist, who worked with NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan — as a consultant this year. Stuart Skinner was benched earlier in the playoffs. The goalie proved over the past three games of the Dallas series (.947 save percentage) he’s someone the team can trust.
In the celebration on the ice after the win, Mumford hugged Skinner, saying: “My man.”
Week 4 is here as we dive into another weekend of college football madness.
The biggest story going into Saturday’s slate of games is if Arch Manning will get his first college start. After capturing the attention of fans, he’ll have a lot to live up to in the spotlight as Texas faces UL Monroe.
USC will be making an appearance at the Big House for the first time in over 60 years as its visit will kick off conference play for the Trojans. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 24 Illinois visits No. 22 Nebraska where one Illinois receiver lives out a different version of a dream he once had.
Before all of this plays out, Appalachian State gets things started as it hosts South Alabama on Thursday.
Our college football experts give insight on players, sound and storylines going into Week 4.
Jump to a section:
Texas QB depth | Illinois’ Pat Bryant | Must needs to win
New conference enemy | Quotes of the week
Stacked QB rooms are nothing new at Texas
Todd Dodge has a unique vantage point to the hysteria around Arch Manning, who made a national splash in his first extensive playing time at Texas after starter and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers sustained an oblique injury.
Dodge, a quarterback guru and legendary Texas high school coach with seven state championships — including three-peats at two different schools — lived in the burnt orange spotlight himself. As the first Texas high school quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season in 1980, he was a star recruit for the Longhorns who started as a celebrity backup himself.
“The most popular guy in any college town is the No. 2 quarterback,” said Dodge, now the coach at Lovejoy High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I’ve been the No. 2 where I couldn’t buy my own dinner and everybody wanted to let me know how much they thought I ought to be playing. And I’ve been the No. 1 who’s played well, who was probably over-fawned-over and then I’ve been the No. 1 when the team lost and I didn’t play well and I’m the biggest bum in three counties.”
He said fans often assume a quarterback room is filled with jealousy or back-biting, but in his career, he has found it to be the opposite, which Steve Sarkisian reiterated Monday when he said nothing changes if Manning starts. The bond between Ewers and his backup is evident, Dodge said. And he is familiar with both players and their families, namely Ewers, because his son Riley, was Ewers’ head coach at Southlake Carroll.
“They’re very, very talented young men that both could be playing almost anywhere in the country, but the No. 2’s family [the Mannings] put tremendous value in development and patience,” he said. “To me, that takes a little bit of the angst off of me as the starter knowing that I don’t have a backup who’s out there just every waning minute trying to convince people that he ought to be the guy.”
Greg Davis, too, experienced the attention in his time in Austin. In 1998, Major Applewhite went 8-2 as the starter, was selected Big 12 Freshman of the Year, then Texas landed the No. 1 prospect in the country, Chris Simms, the well-pedigreed son of New York Giants legend Phil Simms. For the next three years, Simms and Applewhite both had their high points, and both served as co-starters. How do you manage that situation?
“Obviously you don’t live in a vacuum,” according to Davis, offensive coordinator under Mack Brown. “You’re aware of what they say in the grocery store.” Davis has ties to the Mannings himself. He recruited Eli alongside Simms, recruited Peyton at Arkansas and offered Arch’s dad, Cooper, when he was coaching at Tulane.
Davis said the pressure inside the building doesn’t come from attention or fans in the grocery store. It comes from picking the player who had the best chance to win. For Dodge, there’s no question, especially after seeing Ewers beat Oklahoma, then Alabama and Michigan in huge road victories.
“Gosh, all of us Texas fans are fired up about what Arch did the other day,” Dodge said. “But in the big picture, there’s a reason why Quinn Ewers is the starter. When you start having to face Georgia and people like that, well, it doesn’t mean that Arch Manning can’t have a bang-up game against a Georgia or an Alabama. It’s just that Quinn Ewers has already done it.” — Dave Wilson
Illinois’ Bryant dreams big after being molded through tragedy
Tattoos are filling up Pat Bryant’s body, memorializing those whose lives once ran parallel to his but diverged and ended far too soon.
Bryant, the star senior wide receiver for No. 24 Illinois, now has four tattoos honoring his friends from Jacksonville, Florida, who have died in recent years. One of the most painful came only two days after Bryant and the Illini played in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, when Bryant’s best friend, Alim Denson, nicknamed “Twin,” died while in prison.
“A lot of those guys, I grew up playing sports with, we all had the same dream,” Bryant said. “Being able to reach my dream, knowing they’re looking down on me, they’re very, very proud. Also, for the kids of the community, I want to show them that there’s more to life than gun violence, drugs. I just want to be a great role model for my community.”
Bryant, who leads Illinois with 235 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season, has contributed to a new community, far from home. He was named a team captain last month, as he prepared for his third season as a starter.
The 6-foot-3 Bryant received 33 scholarship offers in high school, including all the in-state schools, except the one he truly wanted, Florida, where both of his parents attended. Bryant committed to Illinois in June 2020, essentially sight unseen, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in mid-December, just before the end of a delayed and shortened season, Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith. The first high school signing day was just three days away. Wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker called Bryant and encouraged him to sign anyway, which he did. Three days later, Illinois hired Bret Bielema to replace Smith.
When Bryant finally visited Champaign, there was some confusion.
“I flew in, thinking the University of Illinois was in Chicago,” Bryant said. “I get off the plane, we get in an Uber, they’re taking us to the dorm, and I’m just waiting to see the big skyline. And I see corn field after corn field. I was like, ‘There’s no way,’ but I adapted to where I was. Great college town.”
Bryant has built a strong connection to Champaign. Earlier this month, he and two teammates pooled their NIL earnings to donate backpacks and school supplies to local children. Bryant’s desire to give back stems in part from his father, Patrick, the athletic director of the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville, which places officers to help with youth sports programs around the city. Pat Jr. played basketball and flag football in the league.
“He’s been nothing but a class example of everything we believe in here,” Bielema said.
After seven touchdown catches in 2023, Bryant is on pace for a breakout season, which continues Friday night at No. 22 Nebraska. Bielema has received good reviews from NFL scouts on Bryant, who also excels with run blocking. Bryant’s path reminds Bielema of the Atlanta Falcons’ Casey Washington.
At a morning meeting after Illinois’ second win, Bielema recognized Bryant as the team’s top overall performer.
“He lives a routine every day that gives him an advantage,” Bielema said. “We talked about how he’s in the building by 5:15 a.m., he doesn’t have to be checked in by 6:30. It’s just an awesome thing to witness. He knows where he’s at, he knows how to take care of himself. Unfortunately, he’s had some tragedy in his life and it helps motivate him for the future.”
Bryant plays for Denson and the other friends he has lost, but he’s also focused on his current teammates.
“I feel like I have a powerful voice, I can relate to everyone on the team,” he said. “I feel people respect me, not only because of my game but because of the kind of person I am.” — Adam Rittenberg
What teams need to capitalize on to win
Utah: Any sort of analysis about this game for the Utes has to begin with the status of quarterback Cam Rising. There hasn’t been an official update about whether he will play, but it’s hard not to interpret the fact that he spoke to reporters this week about the game as an indicator he will be available — unless it’s an elaborate form of gamesmanship, which cannot be ruled out. After falling behind 14-3 to Utah State last week, the Utes were able to come back and win comfortably, but it’s important the Utes don’t follow that script again. Independent of whether Rising plays, the Utes are at their best when the running game does the heavy lifting, and it does not suit their strengths to go into catch-up mode. This is especially true against an explosive offense like Oklahoma State. The best-case scenario here for the Utes is if Rising plays, they establish Micah Bernard early and neutralize Ollie Gordon II to a reasonable degree. — Kyle Bonagura
Oklahoma State: With back-to-back games against Utah and Kansas State to begin the 2024 Big 12 slate, Oklahoma State is about to enter a season-defining stretch. What better way for the Cowboys to make a statement in the Big 12 title hunt than by figuring out the running game and unleashing reigning Doak Walker Award winner Gordon in Week 4?
Coach Mike Gundy says he’s “not concerned” about Oklahoma State’s start on the ground this seasos. But through Week 3, the Cowboys rank 105th in rushing among FBS offenses and Gordon is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, down from 6.1 in 2023 when Gordon finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Oklahoma State leaned on its passing game to storm past Tulsa last Saturday when Gordon carried 17 times for just 41 yards. Relying so heavily on quarterback Alan Bowman won’t be as easy this weekend against Utah’s 26th-ranked pass defense. The Cowboys’ broader College Football Playoff aspirations probably hinge on finding a way to get Gordon and the run game going. Saturday against Utah is a good place for them to start. — Eli Lederman
Get to know your new conference enemy
With so much anticipation heading into this season about the new West Coast additions of the Big Ten playing matchups like this one, it’s hard to believe how much USC and Michigan have already switched roles.
The defending national champion has not looked the part after losing its head coach in Jim Harbaugh, but also plenty of talent on the field such as quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum, among several others. After losing 31-12 to Texas at home and struggling on offense last week against Arkansas State, this isn’t exactly looking like the encore Wolverines fans envisioned.
Now, USC comes to town for its first marquee Big Ten game, looking far removed from the bitter end it had to the Caleb Williams era last year. After firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Lincoln Riley revamped the defensive staff with former UCLA coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and after a statement win over LSU in the opener and a shutout of Utah State at home, the Trojans are coming off a bye week and look to be on the way up.
Despite any momentum USC might have, the concept of playing — and winning — a road game in the Big House looms large on any opponent, especially one that hasn’t been there since 1958. Though USC players keep harping on their improved physicality in the trenches being the deciding factor in this game, Riley has remained adamant over the past week that despite its struggles, Michigan is a really good team with NFL-caliber players. You can see how much he is trying to will his team to not view itself as the favorites, even if the odds say so.
“Everybody wants to write the story after a couple of games in the season for everyone,” Riley said this week. “And it’s a long season, man. That’s a good football team that we have a lot of respect for. To have anything less would be a mistake on our part.” — Paolo Uggetti
Quotes of the week
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“Yeah, there’s an old quarterback from Muleshoe, Texas that’s going to come out of retirement, can see if his legs still got it,” Lincoln Riley, smiling, when asked if USC has someone on the scout team that can replicate what Michigan QB Alex Orji does on the ground. “No, we got a couple of guys that we’re trying to use a little bit. But he’s a really good athlete. I told people last night I was familiar with him. We recruited him a little bit coming out of high school, remember, I have a lot of respect for him as a player and an athlete.”
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“I thought that they were trying to make it hard on us, to be honest with you,” Mike Gundy said Monday with Oklahoma State staring down back-to-back meetings against conference favorites Utah and Kansas State to open Big 12 play. “Commissioner [Brett Yormark] is my buddy, but he doesn’t do the scheduling. So, I’ve sent the wrong guy pecans for Christmas. I should’ve sent the scheduling guy pecans for Christmas.”
NEW YORK — Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance Friday night with a 12-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Assured at least a National League wild card, the Phillies can secure their first NL East title since 2011 with one more win this weekend against the second-place Mets at Citi Field.
With the division crown so close, Philadelphia planned a mellow celebration following Friday night’s game — hoping to let loose soon with a boozy clubhouse bash after locking up first place.
Seeking their third World Series championship, the Phillies overtook Atlanta for the division lead on May 3 and haven’t trailed since. Their victory coupled with the Braves’ 4-3 loss in Miami eliminated Atlanta from contention for the NL East crown — ending its six-year reign atop the division.
Alec Bohm had four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run homer, in Friday night’s blowout. Nick Castellanos had three hits and two RBIs, J.T. Realmuto added a two-run homer and the Phillies extended their NL East lead to seven games over the second-place Mets (85-69) with eight to play.
Philadelphia stole five bases — four in a six-run fourth inning capped by Bohm’s homer off reliever Adam Ottavino. Johan Rojas had a two-run double off starter David Peterson (9-3), who was pulled after just 64 pitches and 3 2/3 innings — his shortest start of the season.
Cristopher Sanchez (11-9) overcame a shaky start and five walks in five innings for the win. Philadelphia outhit the Mets 17-4.
Philadelphia (92-62) has the best record in the major leagues and is on track for a first-round bye in the playoffs. It’s the third time the Phillies have reached the postseason three years in a row (1976-78 and 2007-11).
Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. A wild-card entry each of the past two postseasons, the Phillies put together consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.
They reached the 2022 World Series, losing to Houston in six games, and dropped a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year after leading the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0 and 3-2.
So this time, the Phillies are looking to go all the way and finally finish the job.
Philadelphia’s only World Series championships came in 1980 and 2008.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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