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MLB’s regular season gets underway tomorrow with Opening Day baseball, so you know what that means — it’s time for season predictions!

There are lots of questions going into the 2025 season: Will the Dodgers repeat as World Series champions? What surprises will the expanded playoffs bring this year? How will Juan Soto look for the Mets — and how will the Yankees fare without him? And when will we see Shohei Ohtani reprise his two-way role on the mound?

No one can definitively know what’s in store for this season, but that doesn’t stop us from making our best guesses. We put 28 of ESPN’s MLB writers, analysts and editors on the spot to predict what will happen in baseball this year, from the wild-card contenders all the way up to the World Series champion, plus the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in both leagues.

For each category, we’ve asked a number of our voters to explain their picks. Did they hit the nail on the head or were they way off their mark? Only time can tell — and we’ll be circling back to these predictions come October to see how well — or poorly — we did.

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AL picks | NL picks | WS picks | AL awards | NL awards

AL East

Our pick: Boston Red Sox (13 votes)

Who else got votes? Baltimore Orioles (10), New York Yankees (3), Toronto Blue Jays (1), Tampa Bay Rays (1)

Boston is our voters’ favorite in the AL East. How can the Orioles beat out the Red Sox for the title? The Orioles will win the division because they will cobble together enough pitching to outlast the Red Sox and Yankees. They will win because their young players — most prominently Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser — will carry the offense through the regular season. Jackson Holliday, free of last year’s ridiculous expectations, will be more relaxed and productive. And here’s a wild card: Tomoyuki Sugano, signed out of Japan, will be a revelation in the starting rotation and present a reasonable facsimile of the departed Corbin Burnes. But temper the excitement: Boston is my pick to end up in the World Series. — Tim Keown

You were the only person to pick Toronto to win the division. Why are the Jays your choice? The Yankees and Orioles are already going to be several wins worse than last season because of all of those injuries they’ve already suffered this spring. Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is playing for a new contract, Bo Bichette can’t possibly play as poorly as he did last season and Anthony Santander gives this lineup a nice power upgrade. If even only one of Max Scherzer and Jeff Hoffman stays healthy into September, we’re looking at a potential division winner here. Throw in a little extra support from an extra-motivated Canadian fan base? Head and heart unite behind the Blue Jays in 2025. — AJ Mass


AL Central

Our pick: Kansas City Royals (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Detroit Tigers (11), Minnesota Twins (4), Cleveland Guardians (1)

Make the case for the Royals to take home the division title. The Royals’ move to get Jonathan India will ripple through how their lineup is constructed. It’s a case of a player’s collective impact being more valuable than his individual one. India could hit leadoff and his improvement in the walks category allows other players to be slotted correctly in the lineup — though Kansas City still needs Hunter Renfroe and others to anchor the back end of the lineup.

Veteran pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo know the pace of the season, and the Royals could be bolstered by the young arm depth they have in their system. Keep in mind that they were in first place on Aug. 27 last year and they still made the playoffs after losing seven in a row in September. They had room to slump and still get in. I see a better September and a team that now has a taste of the playoffs; but more importantly, I see an organization that is backing up the contract it gave Bobby Witt Jr. to make sure he will not be a star in a vacuum and that the team will be competitive every year and build internally with good players. Why? Because they already have their franchise player. — Doug Glanville

Make the case for the Tigers to take home the division title. The AL Central is winnable for any of the four teams that received votes, but my pick is Detroit. The Tigers have the best pitcher in the majors, Tarik Skubal, and a Rookie of the Year contender in pitcher Jackson Jobe. They are so unpredictable in their rotation, bullpen and lineup that matching up against them is going to be very difficult for opposing managers. And the Tigers’ manager, A.J. Hinch, is as good a manager as there is in baseball in handling the strategy of the game. The Tigers played exceptionally well the last six weeks of last year. It’s possible that that could continue. — Tim Kurkjian


AL West

Our pick: Texas Rangers (18 votes)

Who else got votes? Seattle Mariners (7), Houston Astros (3)

The Rangers are the overwhelming favorite to win the division. How do the Mariners beat them? By not having one of the worst offenses in baseball. The Mariners, between their elite pitching staff and stout defense, are going to excel in run prevention again. Their starting rotation might be the best in baseball. The issue, for years, has been the offense. Last season, they ranked 21st in runs scored. Seattle famously didn’t acquire a high-impact bat during the offseason. So, how are they going to flip the script? There are two reasons for hope:

1. Julio Rodriguez is due for a hot start. The star center fielder owns a .642 OPS in April/March, a .768 OPS in May and a .704 OPS in June in his three-year career. The Mariners gave him more at-bats in spring training in hopes of an early improvement. Rodriguez has also spoken highly of hitting coach Edgar Martinez, who was brought on board at the end of August last season.

2. That leads us to the second reason for optimism: The Mariners’ offense was significantly better after Dan Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager and hired Martinez. Seattle averaged the third-most runs in baseball (5.8) and recorded the second-best OPS (.804) over the season’s final 34 games. Maybe it was coincidental. But there’s reason to believe a turnaround is possible. — Jorge Castillo


AL wild cards

Our picks: New York Yankees (21 votes), Houston Astros (15), Baltimore Orioles (13)

Who else got votes? Boston Red Sox (10), Seattle Mariners (6), Kansas City Royals (5), Detroit Tigers (5), Cleveland Guardians (3),Texas Rangers (3), Tampa Bay Rays (1), Toronto Blue Jays (1), Athletics (1)

Our voters view the Yankees and Astros as wild-card teams rather than division winners. Why do you think that is? The Yankees play in the game’s most tightly bunched division from top to bottom — with almost every projection system having the AL East winner and basement dweller separated by eight games or fewer — and losing their best pitcher (Gerrit Cole) after seeing their best hitter from 2024 depart (Soto) puts them in a perilous spot. The Yankees badly need to add upper-tier pitching reinforcements and, as the season dawns, have given no indication they’ll do so.

The Astros, meanwhile, lost key hitting contributors in Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, are taking some real chances with their defensive alignment (Jose Altuve in left field?!) and no longer have quite the pitching depth that they once did. It brings them back toward an AL West pack that has solid competitors in the Rangers and Mariners and potentially a surprise squad in the A’s. I personally think the Rangers rebound after their 2024 World Series hangover year. — Tristan Cockcroft

You were the lone voter to choose the A’s to make the postseason as a wild-card team. How do they get there? The AL West feels a little wide open, doesn’t it? So does the entire AL, for that matter. That’s not to say the A’s are going to win 95 games and get a first-round bye, but if things fall right, I believe they can sneak in. It starts with a solid offense that ranked eighth in OPS during the second half of last season. That didn’t feel like a fluke — not when you have Brent Rooker and the emerging Lawrence Butler in the lineup. Both produced an OPS of .900 after the All-Star break (Butler was actually .898).

We all know the headlines the team garnered in the winter when they actually spent some capital on pitching, bringing in Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs. The A’s will hand the ball off to All-Star closer Mason Miller, so they’re going to win a lot of tight games. And all signs point to the group in the clubhouse embracing the move to Sacramento. If they can create a bit of a home-field advantage, watch out for the A’s — they might surprise everyone. — Jesse Rogers


AL champion

Our pick: Boston Red Sox (10 votes)

Who else got votes? Baltimore Orioles (7), Texas Rangers (7), Seattle Mariners (2), Detroit Tigers (1), New York Yankees (1)

The Red Sox didn’t even make the playoffs last year — but this season, they’re our favorite to win the AL pennant. Why? Boston had three major needs going into the last offseason: a couple of frontline pitchers and an established right-handed hitter. The Red Sox went on to land Garrett Crochet, the most coveted lefty in the trade market; signed Walker Buehler, who threw the last pitch of last year’s World Series; and signed Alex Bregman, a two-time All-Star with a career adjusted OPS+ of 132. Their rotation is better, their defense is better and their lineup should be more balanced.

At the same time, they’re graduating three high-end prospects into the big leagues in Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony. This could be a dynamic team cast against a mediocre AL landscape, making the Red Sox stand out. — Buster Olney

You and a number of our other voters are predicting a bounce-back for the Rangers this year. How do you think they get back to the ALCS? When the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, they had a devastating offensive team. Last year, so many of their best hitters either got hurt or didn’t perform up to expectations. There’s no way that’s going to happen again. And outfielder Wyatt Langford, who’s entering his second season, will be a star before long. The Rangers have pitching questions, as do most teams, but they should be able to maneuver through some of those issues. — Kurkjian

NL East

Our pick: Atlanta Braves (18 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (9), New York Mets (1)

Atlanta is once again the preseason division favorite. How can the Phillies beat out a fully healthy Braves squad? It’s mostly about starting pitching. I’m a big believer in what Cristopher Sanchez has done this spring — just look at his 29.2% K rate. If he has truly elevated his skillset to at least Aaron Nola‘s tier, if not a half-step behind Zack Wheeler‘s, and Jesus Luzardo can stay healthy as well as pitch the way he did in 2023, then the Phillies’ rotation isn’t simply as good as the Braves’ … it’s a clear step better. Yes, yes, the Braves have all of those bad-luck injury rebound candidates to potentially elevate their win total, but the Phillies did have six wins on them in the 2024 standings and have every bit as tantalizing a 2025 ceiling. — Cockcroft

Despite landing Juan Soto this offseason, you were the only person to pick the Mets to win the NL East. Explain your reasoning. The Braves are a better team on paper, especially given the Mets’ recent run of injuries, but I think New York’s willingness to spend and its depth — particularly of prospects in the upper minors — are being underrated as solutions to many of those problems. Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna, Ronny Mauricio, Ryan Clifford, Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams are all position player candidates. Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Blade Tidwell are young pitchers lingering in the upper minors. Only two or three players need to play better than expected in addition to the widely expected breakout from Clay Holmes to bridge that gap. — Kiley McDaniel


NL Central

Our pick: Chicago Cubs (15 votes)

Who else got votes? Milwaukee Brewers (8), Cincinnati Reds (5)

The Cubs are the favorite to win the NL Central, despite not having made the playoffs in a full season since 2018. What makes this year different? In going 83-79 the past two seasons, the Cubs lacked a middle-of-the-order hitter to anchor the lineup. Now they have Kyle Tucker, one of the best all-around players in the majors. Tucker, who was having his best season in 2024 before fracturing his shin, gives the Cubs their best offensive player since Kris Bryant during his MVP season in 2016. Rookie Matt Shaw also projects as a significant upgrade at third base (Cubs third basemen hit .210 last season) and the pitching staff is deeper. Throw in some Pythagorean improvement — the Cubs were seven wins worse than expected in 2023 and five worse in 2024 — and the arrows point to a division title. — David Schoenfield

Why is Milwaukee still your pick to win the division even with all the support for Chicago? Because the difference between the two talentwise is pretty negligible and I like teams that have won recently. It’s true the Brewers did not spend any money this winter and were raided in free agency. It’s also true that Jackson Chourio is on the verge of becoming one of the best players in baseball and the Brewers’ farm system consistently produces quality big leaguers — enough to send them to the postseason five times in the past six full seasons. The Cubs are better on paper, sure, but they haven’t played as much postseason baseball recently. That said, would it surprise me if the Cubs won the division? Not at all, because it’s the NL Central, and just about anything can happen. — Jeff Passan


NL West

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (28 votes)

Every single voter chose the Dodgers to win the division. Is their title inevitable? Never use the word inevitable when it comes to baseball but GM Andrew Friedman has done the best possible job of fortifying his team for another seven-month grind. Because of this, the Dodgers’ chances of not just another division title but a repeat World Series title are as good as any championship team since the early 2000s. The moment I picked them to repeat was the day they signed reliever Kirby Yates. It came just days after they grabbed Tanner Scott to close games. Signing the top arm in the market and then arguably the next best one is all anyone should know about L.A. This team has depth and redundancy all over the field. It’ll be enough to win the division, and the Fall Classic, again. — Rogers


NL wild cards

Our picks: Arizona Diamondbacks (20 votes), New York Mets (19), Philadelphia Phillies (18)

Who else got votes? San Diego Padres (11), Atlanta Braves (10), Milwaukee Brewers (3), Chicago Cubs (1), Pittsburgh Pirates (1), Cincinnati Reds (1)

You picked all three of the wild-card teams that received the most votes. Why will this be the NL wild-card field? The NL looks extremely top heavy this season, with a clear-cut top five. The Dodgers are heavy favorites to win it all, of course, and while the Braves face a tough three-way battle in the NL East, they are still running well over 50-50 in my projections to win that division. Meanwhile, the NL Central very much looks like a one-playoff-berth division. So that leaves the Phillies, Mets, Diamondbacks and Padres to duke it out for the three wild-card slots, with the last spot coming down to the latter pair. Right now, I just think the Diamondbacks are deeper and better balanced than the Padres. I see all of this with extreme clarity which, in my experience, means all of this will be completely scrambled by Memorial Day. — Bradford Doolittle

It seems as if the Padres’ only route to the postseason is through the wild card — and our voters had them just missing the cut. How can San Diego replace one of the favored teams? The well-run Padres still boast plenty of talent to win 90 games again, led by multiple aces topping the rotation (Michael King and Dylan Cease), a strong, deep bullpen (watch Jeremiah Estrada) and an underrated lineup that was among the top 10 in runs scored last season. The Padres did lose some key players — but most teams do. Still, center fielder Jackson Merrill can keep improving, as can new veteran right-hander Nick Pivetta. Don’t worry about left field, because prospect Tirso Ornelas will be a star by midseason. These Padres are good enough to make their fourth playoff appearance in six seasons. — Eric Karabell

Cincinnati received five division title votes but just your one wild-card vote in a super packed NL field. How do you think the Reds can disrupt the wild-card race? Truth be told, I’m probably rooting for this story just as much as I think it will happen. Terry Francona’s return to the dugout is something to be celebrated and understood as simply a major upgrade at manager. Add to that the fact that Elly De La Cruz has had a full offseason to understand his potential, alongside the hopeful efforts of fireballer Hunter Greene on the mound and the Reds are, at the very least, going to be extremely fun to watch, never mind their actual success. — Clinton Yates


NL champion

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (21 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (3), Atlanta Braves (3), Arizona Diamondbacks (1)

Make a case for how the Phillies can beat out the Dodgers. With right-handers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and left-handers Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, the Phillies can win a playoff series against any team, including the mighty Dodgers, who, before 2024, hadn’t had much playoff success. The key is for the Phillies to score runs in October, but their lack of production is why they’ve lost in recent seasons. Who knows which Dodgers will even be on the mound then? Los Angeles has excellent pitching, but it is far from reliable. Every rotation member boasts recent injury woes. This might be a regular-season dynasty — the Dodgers won only one playoff game during 2022-23. Any team can beat them in October. — Karabell

Make a case for how the Braves can beat out the Dodgers. The Braves aren’t as talented as the Dodgers, but they’re next on the list. In a vacuum, their 89-win season followed by a wild-card-round exit in 2024 was disappointing. But reaching that point was one of the most impressive results of the year in baseball given Atlanta’s dreadful injury luck. Most teams would’ve folded after losing their best position player (Ronald Acuña Jr.) and best starting pitcher (Spencer Strider). That didn’t happen in Atlanta. If Acuña and Strider return as expected and the Braves avoid terrible injury luck elsewhere, they should be right there in October — and anything can happen in October. — Castillo

World Series champion

Our pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (20 votes)

Who else got votes? Philadelphia Phillies (3), Atlanta Braves (2), Boston Red Sox (1), Texas Rangers (1), Seattle Mariners (1)

Our voters are predicting the Dodgers win the first back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees won three in a row in 1998-2000. How can L.A. do it? First and foremost, the Dodgers need health; they can’t possibly thrive in October with as many injuries as they absorbed last year, particularly to their starting pitchers. They boast an incredibly deep lineup, but they need their three best hitters — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — to continue to produce like stars. They have the makings of quite possibly the best collection of starting pitchers in the sport, but that group is exceedingly volatile, which means that among the three more certain arms — Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow — perhaps two need to be dominant for a full season. The defense has some deficiencies, and Betts being a serviceable shortstop is especially crucial.

Just as important, they also need a little luck. There’s a reason it’s been a quarter century since a baseball team repeated — this sport is incredibly unpredictable, especially when sample sizes are whittled down in October. The Dodgers are no stranger to that. But they’re as well-equipped to repeat as any team has been this century. — Alden Gonzalez

You picked a rematch of the 2023 World Series between the Rangers and Diamondbacks, with Texas prevailing again. Explain your reasoning. The Rangers’ lineup is one of baseball’s likeliest bounce-back units, having scored 198 fewer runs in 2024 than it did in the World Series-winning season. That team won the title despite only 30⅓ innings from Jacob deGrom, whose stuff has popped this spring in the wake of his second Tommy John surgery.

The Diamondbacks led the majors in runs scored last season and added, conservatively, a top-10 starter in Corbin Burnes to an already-stacked rotation. And while the Dodgers will overwhelm everyone during the regular season, Arizona can set its sights on a potential rematch of the 2023 NLDS in which it swept the 100-win Dodgers out of the postseason. — Paul Hembekides

AL MVP

Our pick: Bobby Witt Jr. (14 votes)

Who else got votes? Aaron Judge (3), Gunnar Henderson (3), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3), Alex Bregman (2), Yordan Alvarez (1), Brent Rooker (1), Julio Rodriguez (1)

There was a nice mix of votes for a variety of players, but Witt is the favorite among our voters. Why is he your pick for MVP? If we set aside certain two-way players, Witt might already be the best overall player in the game. Even if he doesn’t repeat his .332 average/.354 BABIP breakouts from 2024, his overall range of skills is good enough to get him at least 7-to-8 WAR. He’s also more durable than Judge, whom Witt finished second to in the MVP race last season.

More than anything though: Witt doesn’t turn 25 years old until June. He’s not only still on the ascension in terms of the aging curve, but he just seems like a player driven to shore up his weaknesses. Eventually, he won’t have any left. No player in baseball right now means more to his franchise than Witt does to the Royals. — Doolittle


AL Rookie of the Year

Our pick: Jackson Jobe (9 votes)

Who else got votes? Kristian Campbell (5), Cam Smith (3), Jacob Wilson (3), Jasson Dominguez (3), Coby Mayo (2), Roman Anthony (2), Tomoyuki Sugano (1)

So many different players received votes for Rookie of the Year. Why is that — and why was your pick Anthony? There isn’t really a clear potential star that’s big league ready being handed an Opening Day starting spot with plenty of slack for a slow start, though Campbell would be the closest to that. With Anthony and Mayer also circling, and Boston having a pretty good lineup, there might be room for only one of those three to really take the reins of the Rookie of the Year race.

Smith hasn’t played much in pro ball yet, Wilson has limited upside, Jobe has the concerns that come with any pitcher, Dominguez has had mixed luck and health over the past few years, the Rays are not quick to call up prospects (Chandler Simpson and Carson Williams are of interest) and the Rangers’ injuries mean Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are both in the rotation now to split votes. Anthony is the best prospect of that group and I think he’ll get a chance to succeed at the major league level at some point in the first half. — McDaniel


AL Cy Young

Our pick: Tarik Skubal (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Garrett Crochet (9), Cole Ragans (3), Logan Gilbert (3), Max Fried (1)

Why do you think that Skubal will win back-to-back Cy Young honors? No AL pitcher has repeated as a Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 2000, but Skubal was the easiest call of all the award picks for me — that’s how great he was in 2024, when he captured the pitching triple crown. Skubal has matured into a complete pitcher: He possesses one of the best left-handed fastballs in the game while deploying a five-pitch repertoire and averaging only 1.6 walks per nine innings. He also benefits from fewer Cy Young contenders in the AL compared to a loaded list of them in the NL. — Schoenfield

NL MVP

Our pick: Shohei Ohtani (19 votes)

Who else got votes? Fernando Tatis Jr. (3), Elly De La Cruz (2), Juan Soto (2), Trea Turner (1), Mookie Betts (1)

Ohtani will be working back toward a two-way role this season, yet he’s still our voters’ favorite to win a second consecutive MVP. Why? Ohtani didn’t need to pitch to become the NL MVP last year, when he was rehabbing his elbow while putting together the first 50-50 season in big league history. As tempting as it is to predict someone else to be MVP this season — Soto, anyone? — it just seems as if the award has become Ohtani’s to lose — probably for the next five years. He’ll pitch at some point this season, and whatever he brings to the mound for the Dodgers is just another ridiculous addendum to everything else he’s doing to separate himself from the field. — Keown


NL Rookie of the Year

Our pick: Dylan Crews (12 votes)

Who else got votes? Roki Sasaki (7), Matt Shaw (5), Bubba Chandler (3), Andrew Painter (1)

Why is Crews your NL Rookie of the Year pick? A major factor for fledgling award candidates is often about opportunity. Paul Skenes didn’t start last season in the big leagues (incredibly), and that might well have cost him the NL Cy Young Award.

With Crews, there is no doubt about how he’ll be handled this year: Having made his debut at the end of last season, he is going to get 600 plate appearances if he’s healthy, and if healthy, he’s going to do a ton of damage. The second pick in the 2023 draft hits for power and steals bases, and he’ll be an anchor in the Nationals’ up-and-coming core of young star prospects. — Olney

Why did you choose Sasaki? Sasaki is an easy pick here, as my No. 1 prospect in baseball who will open the season in the Dodgers’ rotation and has already impressed stateside. He could be a true ace at some point in 2025 but still has some work to do diversifying his arsenal. Crews and Shaw are leading candidates as position players with Opening Day spots in the lineup, but there are questions about their ceiling this season. Chandler and Drake Baldwin lurk as potential sleeper candidates. — McDaniel


NL Cy Young

Our pick: Paul Skenes (17 votes)

Who else got votes? Zack Wheeler (5), Blake Snell (3), Spencer Strider (2), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1)

Skenes won Rookie of the Year for his 2024 season and is our voters’ favorite to win Cy Young in his second year. What makes him so dominant? Skenes is as self-aware a 22-year-old baseball player as I’ve ever met, and that fastidiousness informs his approach to pitching. He has immense physical gifts: the 6-foot-6 height, the capacity for his body to gain strength and supercharge its output into the arm. Skenes is still relatively new to pitching, switching full time on the mound only three years ago, so there is more to learn — and he will do so with an open-mindedness to expanding his repertoire but a fealty to the foundational elements that brought him to this point.

In other words: The guy throws 100 mph, created one of the best pitches in the world in the splinker, added another changeup this winter and has a handful of spinny pitches with which he piles up strikeouts. There is no such thing as the perfect modern pitcher, but Skenes comes awfully close to what one might look like. — Passan

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Power Rankings: How has each Top 25 team’s quarterback looked through Week 4?

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Power Rankings: How has each Top 25 team's quarterback looked through Week 4?

As we approach the one-month mark of the 2025 college football season, the state of quarterback play among the contenders (and pretenders) across the country is becoming clearer.

LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Texas’ Arch Manning — all for different reasons — have followed hefty preseason hype with relatively slow starts this fall. Elsewhere, Josh Hoover (TCU), Haynes King (Georgia Tech) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) are looking very much as expected, and some of the nation’s biggest offseason question marks, including Oregon’s Dante Moore and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, have emerged as surprise stars.

Week 4 was a big one for transfer passers as Joey Aguilar (Tennessee), Carson Beck (Miami), John Mateer (Oklahoma), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Beau Pribula (Missouri) all built on impressive starts with their new programs. Meanwhile, fellow portal quarterbacks Jackson Arnold (Auburn), Devon Dampier (Utah) and Jake Retzlaff (Tulane) experienced their first stumbles in their new uniforms Saturday.

With four full weeks of college football in the books, here’s our take on the Top 25 and how early-season quarterback situations are developing across the country. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

Freshman Julian Sayin is off to a terrific start through three games, having replaced national championship-winning quarterback Will Howard. Sayin ranks 29th nationally in QBR (77.2) and is completing almost 79% of his throws. Sayin didn’t put up big numbers in Ohio State’s season-opening 14-7 victory over then-top-ranked Texas. But he was accurate and avoided any big mistakes (sacks or turnovers), which allowed the Ohio State defense to salt away the win. In Week 2’s 70-0 victory, Sayin set a school record with 16 straight completions to begin the game. Then, in Week 3, he passed for 347 yards as the offense got rolling against Ohio in the second half after a slow start. Some big tests loom ahead, most notably on Nov. 1 against Penn State and in the regular-season finale at Michigan. But Sayin has impressed so far with his poise and precision. — Jake Trotter


Previous ranking: 3

Carson Beck has helped lead the Hurricanes to a 4-0 start following a 26-7 win over Florida on Saturday. Though his performance against the Gators was not up to his standard — Beck went 17-of-30 for 160 yards with one interception — he is still completing 73% of his passes on the season and has helped position Miami in the top five as a CFP contender. Beck has shown an ability to make big plays in the passing game with his receivers, who are skilled at going up and making acrobatic catches or coming down with jump balls. Following an open date, Miami plays Florida State in Tallahassee, and Beck said he is looking forward to playing in Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time. — Andrea Adelson


Previous ranking: 2

The Ducks continue to boast one of the most balanced offenses in the country as they totaled 305 passing yards and 280 rushing yards in their 41-7 win over rivals Oregon State Saturday. One slight difference about this week’s performance, however, was that they let quarterback Dante Moore loosen his arm a bit more. Whether it was by design or not, it worked; Moore threw 31 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, all season highs. It was another reminder that no matter how good the Ducks have been this season, Moore still has more in the tank. Even if he doesn’t have the kind of off-the-charts pop that others at his position might boast, the sophomore has proved he can be efficient, explosive when needed and, most importantly, capable of managing Oregon’s offense to perfection so far. — Paolo Uggetti


Previous ranking: 4

After a slow start to the season due to a torso injury, Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier again looked like one of the best passers in the FBS on Saturday, albeit against FCS program Southeastern Louisiana. And with a trip to Ole Miss coming up next, it couldn’t have come at a better time for LSU. Nussmeier completed 25 of 31 passes for 273 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in 2½ quarters of action against the Lions. It was the first game in which he threw for more than 250 yards this season. “This week was big about trying to find our rhythm and getting in stride heading into SEC play,” Nussmeier said. LSU coach Brian Kelly thought Nussmeier did a better job seeing the field and throwing in rhythm. — Mark Schlabach


Previous ranking: 7

Veteran Drew Allar is off to a bit of a slow start statistically. He ranks 111th in QBR (38.4) and has thrown just four touchdowns over three games. But the Nittany Lions have yet to be pressed, as they coasted past Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0) and Villanova (52-6). The spotlight, however, will be on Allar and Penn State next weekend when Oregon visits for a prime-time, “White Out” showdown. Allar admitted over the summer that the time has come for the Nittany Lions “to get over that hump” against big-time opponents. Under coach James Franklin, Penn State is 4-20 against teams ranked in the AP top 10 — and Allar has only one career top-10 win (Boise State last year) as Penn State’s starting quarterback. Beating the Ducks this time around would be a huge statement for Allar and the Nittany Lions. — Trotter


Previous ranking: 5

Any lingering quarterback concerns that Georgia fans had about Gunner Stockton were probably put to rest after his performance in a 44-41 overtime victory at Tennessee on Sept. 13. The sophomore completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and ran 13 times for 38 yards with another score. It was a much better performance for Stockton, who struggled to get the ball down the field in a 28-6 victory against Austin Peay the week before. He led the Bulldogs on four touchdown drives of 72 yards or longer, including one near the end of regulation that resulted in his 28-yard scoring pass to London Humphreys on fourth down. Georgia’s offensive line needs to get better, and Stockton needs to improve at keeping his eyes down the field while scrambling. — Schlabach


Previous ranking: 8

So far, things could not have gone better for the Seminoles with transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who has been a perfect fit for the offense and the team in general. Castellanos has thrown for 594 yards and three touchdowns this season, completing 71% of his passes, while adding 139 yards rushing and three scores. Florida State has not had to rely on the passing game just yet, as the Seminoles have steamrolled their opponents on the ground. Castellanos did have a bit of a scare in a 66-10 win over Kent State when his leg got rolled up on, but he said afterward he was “all good.” — Adelson


Previous ranking: 9

Washington State transfer John Mateer has delivered on the hype that followed his offseason arrival in Norman. Through four games, he has already taken care of his principal objective: stabilizing a Sooners offense that finished 113th in total offense a year ago. But Mateer has also brought with him a brand of playmaking ability Oklahoma hasn’t had at the quarterback position since Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts rolled through the program in the late 2010s. Following Saturday’s 24-17 win over then-No. 22 Auburn, Mateer ranks sixth nationally in passing yards (1,215) and tied for second among Power 4 quarterbacks in rushing scores (five). He was far from perfect facing an SEC defense for the first time, and Mateer’s turnover tally (four) and propensity for working himself into trouble are worth keeping an eye on as Oklahoma stares down ranked matchups in six of its final eight games of the season. But there’s no doubt that Mateer has significantly raised the floor for the Sooners’ offense. The question now is just how high the ceiling can be this fall. — Lederman


Previous ranking: 6

The Aggies had a bye week, a fortuitous break after an emotional trip to Notre Dame where they won on a fourth-down touchdown with 13 seconds left. It was A&M’s first road nonconference win against a ranked team since 1979 and first road win against any ranked team at all since 2014. Marcel Reed was just 17-of-37 in that game but threw for 360 yards, and KC Concepcion and Mario Craver have provided the 3-0 Aggies with the big-play threats they lacked last season. Last year, A&M got off to a hot start, beginning 7-1, including a win over No. 8 LSU. Then, a slide started, beginning with a road loss to South Carolina followed by a 43-41 triple-overtime loss to Auburn. The Aggies get the Tigers at home next week, who are coming off a road loss to Oklahoma, to try to keep this year’s momentum rolling. — Dave Wilson


Previous ranking: 20

Although Indiana retained many of its top players from its 2024 CFP team, it needed to replace standout quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The team plucked one of the top available transfers in Cal‘s Fernando Mendoza, who joined his younger brother and fellow quarterback Alberto Mendoza at IU. How would Mendoza adjust? The answer came Saturday with a near-flawless performance, as Mendoza had three more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (two), finishing with 267 passing yards and finding four different teammates for scores. He became the second FBS player with five passing touchdowns and 90% completions against an AP ranked opponent in the past 30 years, joining Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud in 2021 against Michigan State. Mendoza could end up being an upgrade from Rourke. — Adam Rittenberg


Previous ranking: 12

After four games, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has a good problem on his hands. Ole Miss has two quarterbacks who are more than capable of running the offense. Starter Austin Simmons won the job in camp and has thrown for 580 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Simmons injured his ankle in the fourth quarter of a 30-23 win at Kentucky on Sept. 6, and backup Trinidad Chambliss has played even better in his absence. In Saturday’s 45-10 rout of Tulane, Chambliss passed for 307 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 112 yards on 14 attempts. In the past two wins over Arkansas and Tulane, Chambliss threw for 660 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions, while running for 174 with two scores. With LSU going to Oxford, Mississippi, next week, Kiffin faces a difficult decision. “I’m not saying he’s Russell Wilson, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some similarities in that kind of in the ‘it factor’ and how he moves and holds himself, you know, that I’ve kind of said that since he’s gotten here,” Kiffin said of Chambliss, who won two Division II national championships at Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan. — Schlabach


Previous ranking: 17

Behren Morton took some rough hits on Saturday, including a hit to the head that knocked him out of the Red Raiders’ road test at Utah. But Texas Tech did not miss a beat when backup Will Hammond stepped in to replace him. The redshirt freshman threw for 169 yards, rushed for 61 yards and led a 21-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter for a massive 34-10 victory against then No. 16 Utah. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said Morton will be fine, and a bye week is arriving at a good time for this team. But Hammond, who put up the second-best QBR (96.3) in FBS during Week 4, has done more than enough to prove he’s ready to help this team win if called upon. — Max Olson


Previous ranking: 10

A tuneup against 0-4 Sam Houston might have been what the doctor ordered for several scuffling Longhorns who had yet to find their stride this season. Arch Manning accounted for five touchdowns — three passing and two rushing — and completed 14 passes in a row a week after the Longhorns’ offense got booed after 10 straight incompletions against UTEP. Saturday, Manning finished 18-of-21 for 309 yards, including two touchdown passes of 53 and 13 yards to Ryan Wingo, who had just nine catches and one touchdown in the first three games, and edge rushing star Colin Simmons recorded his first solo sack of the year. The Longhorns head to Florida on Saturday hoping to keep building momentum in their SEC opener against the 1-3 Gators before facing Oklahoma, which beat Auburn to move to 4-0, in Dallas the following week. — Wilson


Previous ranking: 16

Joey Aguilar and Tennessee faced a unique test this week, needing to get back on track after a devastating loss to Georgia last week. Safe to say, they passed it. Aguilar threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns and needed to play only one drive in the second half as the Vols broke out to a 42-7 halftime lead and cruised 56-24 over UAB. The Vols are averaging 53.5 points per game through four games, and Aguilar has 1,124 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. They have an explosiveness that they lacked with Nico Iamaleava at quarterback last season, and the defense has been fine against teams not named Georgia. Starting next week at Mississippi State, however, the Vols embark on a run of three road trips in four games. We’ll see if Aguilar’s solid early form travels. — Bill Connelly


Previous ranking: 13

The Cyclones were idle this week ahead of next week’s home game against surging Arizona. At 4-0, Iowa State is off to a promising start, but it has to turn in a comprehensive win against an FBS opponent as all three such wins have come by one score. Quarterback Rocco Becht is finding a way to help pull these games out, but Iowa State needs more explosive plays from its offense if it expects to seriously compete for the Big 12 title. — Kyle Bonagura


Previous ranking: 15

Ty Simpson had to wait years to win Alabama’s starting job, and his tenure began as inauspiciously as possible with a dire loss at Florida State. Simpson has been almost perfect since, however, completing 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards and seven TDs against UL Monroe and Wisconsin. The Tide rolled in both games, setting the table nicely for an enormous and potentially season-defining trip to Georgia next Saturday. If Simpson looks good in a Tide win, he enters the Heisman discussion and Alabama’s CFP bona fides get a nice boost. If he struggles and Bama loses, the CFP starts to seem like a pipe dream. — Connelly


Previous ranking: 19

Beau Pribula has had it pretty easy early in his tenure as Mizzou’s starting quarterback. He has completed 72% of his passes with an 8-to-2 INT-to-TD ratio, he has been a solid scrambling weapon at times, and he has been able to turn around and hand the ball off to Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts. They’ve taken it from there. The running back duo rushed 35 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns in Mizzou’s 29-20 win over South Carolina on Saturday night. Despite missing left tackle Cayden Green, Mizzou had 285 yards rushing, Pribula took only one sack and Mizzou went 7-for-13 on third downs. Only some third-down brilliance from the Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers kept this one competitive, but the Tigers moved to 4-0 by finishing the game on an 11-0 run. With a buy game against UMass and a bye week coming up, it looks like Pribula will lead an unbeaten team against Alabama in Columbia in a couple of weeks. — Connelly


Previous ranking: 18

Saturday’s win over Temple wasn’t exactly pretty, but then again, things rarely are for the Yellow Jackets. QB Haynes King likes it that way. Few quarterbacks in the country have proved their toughness more than King, who added three touchdowns in Week 4’s 45-24 win over the Owls. King’s ability to make plays with his legs is what sets him apart, but he has also been stellar as a passer — a big question coming off last season’s shoulder injury. Georgia Tech’s next two games are against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech — two of the ACC’s bottom-feeders — meaning he’ll have a shot to pad his stat line even more before a showdown at Duke on Oct. 18. — David Hale


Previous ranking: 21

Freshman phenom Bryce Underwood earned his first Big Ten road victory on Saturday with a 30-27 win at Nebraska. He didn’t put up crazy stats on the day — 105 passing yards, 61 rushing yards, one TD — but didn’t need to while the Wolverines’ run game overwhelmed a top-10 scoring defense with 292 rushing yards on 9.1 yards per carry (excluding sacks). Interim coach Biff Poggi loved the poise Underwood brought to the sideline and huddle that gave his team no doubt it’d win. The young QB’s developmental trajectory through four games remains extremely exciting to watch. — Olson


Previous ranking: 22

Diego Pavia fought for an extra year of eligibility in 2025 and is absolutely making the most of it. The sixth-year senior avenged last year’s upset loss to Georgia State with a 70-21 rout on Saturday night that has Vanderbilt off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2008. Pavia has dramatically raised his completion percentage from 59.4% last season to an SEC-best 73.9%, ranks among the top 10 in QBR (85.7) and is powering a top-10 scoring offense that’s putting up 47.5 points per game. The Commodores have one more nonconference tuneup against Utah State before an epic October schedule against four of the SEC’s best in Alabama, LSU, Missouri and Texas. — Olson


Previous ranking: 25

The Horned Frogs played a bit sloppy but never panicked against SMU in a 35-24 win, the last iteration of a rivalry that dates back to 2015. Josh Hoover threw for 379 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, and a stacked receiving room saw Eric McAlister become this week’s star, with eight catches for 254 yards (second best in school history) and three touchdowns, narrowly missing two more, one on an interception that was wrestled away from him and another on a possible TD catch that was ruled incomplete and wasn’t reviewed by officials. The defense held SMU to 384 yards, 4-of-13 on third down and the Mustangs’ fewest points all season. The Frogs, who snuck into the AP Top 25 at No. 24 this week, head to Tempe to take on defending Big 12 champs Arizona State on Friday night, a test that could start to reveal if TCU is back on its 2022 trajectory. — Wilson


Previous ranking: NR

If there wasn’t much talk about Jayden Maiava‘s season so far, then let the chatter begin. The Trojans’ quarterback was impressive against Michigan State in a 45-31 win, looking as comfortable as ever in Lincoln Riley’s offense. Maiva completed 20 of 26 passes for 234 yards (and crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season) while adding three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns too. It’s not clear yet just how good USC is and can be in the Big Ten and beyond this season, but through four contests, there’s no doubt that the explosive offense the sport has come to expect when Riley has a dynamic quarterback in tow is alive and well with Maiava under center. In fact, after putting up 517 yards of offense against the Spartans, the Trojans’ average yards per game for the year (604 per game, tops in the country) will go down. At the center of it all has been Maiava. — Uggetti


Previous ranking: 24

When the season opened, the biggest question looming over Notre Dame was at quarterback. It took until late in fall camp before CJ Carr won the job, and the Irish — fresh off a trip to the national championship game — might’ve reasonably been concerned about putting their fate in the hands of a QB with no starting experience. Turns out, Carr has been fine — throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-30 win over Purdue on Saturday — and Notre Dame’s Achilles’ heel has been the area the Irish might’ve felt best about: the secondary. Purdue threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, and the battered and struggling defensive backs in South Bend showed little ability to adjust. Notre Dame might have its QB1, but the job now is stopping the other team’s quarterback. — Hale


Previous ranking: 11

When the Illini slogged through the first half Sept. 6 against Duke, struggling along the line of scrimmage, quarterback Luke Altmyer kept the team on track, avoiding major mistakes and buying enough time for a second-half surge. But Altmyer had no chance to be a hero at Indiana, which swarmed him all night, recording five sacks in the first half and seven in the game. Other than a 59-yard touchdown pass to Collin Dixon, Altmyer was limited to 87 passing yards on 13 completions and constantly faced pressure. He certainly can play better and will need to beginning this week against USC. But Altmyer was far from Illinois’ biggest problem in the Indiana debacle. He has given the Illini a veteran presence who, when given time, can pick apart defenses. — Rittenberg


Previous ranking: 14

The celebration in Utah about a revived Utes offense was premature, it turns out. Utah and Texas Tech were locked in a defensive tussle for much of Saturday’s 34-10 Texas Tech win before the Red Raiders finished the game with a flurry of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Utes struggled in both phases on offense, managing just 101 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.3 yards per carry) and only 162 yards through the air. The ineffectiveness of the offense was compounded by four turnovers that served as an unpleasant reminder of the past two seasons. — Bonagura

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Hall of Famer Parent, Flyers great, dies at age 80

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Hall of Famer Parent, Flyers great, dies at age 80

PHILADELPHIA — Bernie Parent, the Hall of Famer considered one of the great goalies of all time who anchored the net for the Flyers‘ only two Stanley Cup championships during their Broad Street Bullies heyday, has died. He was 80.

The Flyers made the announcement Sunday but provided no immediate details. Parent died overnight in his sleep, said Joe Watson, a star defenseman on the Flyers’ Stanley Cup teams.

Watson said by phone that he saw Parent and other former Flyers players at a function on Friday night in Delaware.

“Bernie was in such pain, he could hardly walk,” Watson said, citing Parent’s bad back. “We had a great time, but I felt bad because he was in such terrible pain. To see this happen, it’s very sad.”

Parent’s steel-eyed stare through his old-school hockey mask landed him on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 when the Flyers reigned as one of the marquee teams in sports. He won Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in back-to-back seasons when the Flyers won the title in 1974 and 1975, the first NHL expansion team to win the championship.

“The legend of Bernie Parent reached far beyond the ice and his accolades,” the Flyers said in a statement. “Bernie had a deep love for Philadelphia and fans of the Flyers. He was passionate about his role as an ambassador for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education and inspired an entire generation of hockey fans. He dedicated his time, energy and enthusiasm to not only grow the game, but also to spread joy to anyone he encountered.”

After he made his NHL debut with Boston in 1965, Parent was left unprotected by the Bruins in the 1967 expansion draft and was selected by the Flyers. After 3½ seasons, he was traded to Toronto but ended up back in Philadelphia ahead of the 1973-74 season. He won a league-high 47 games that season and led the NHL in wins again the next season with 44.

He retired with the Flyers in 1979 after 271 wins — 231 of them with the Flyers — over a 13-year career. Parent was accidentally struck in the right eye with a stick in 1979 and was temporarily blinded. He never played again.

The Flyers beat the Bruins in six games to win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and beat the Buffalo Sabres in 1975.

On the flight home from Buffalo, the Flyers plopped the Stanley Cup in the middle of the aisle. For close to 90 minutes, the Flyers couldn’t take their eyes off the ultimate prize.

“We were able to just sit back, look at the Stanley Cup and just savor it,” Parent said in 2010. “It was just a special time.”

With Parent the unstoppable force in net, “Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent” became a popular slogan in Philadelphia that stuck with him through the decades.

“We used to joke about it in the dressing room. We’d say, ‘Bernie, how many goals do you need?’ He’d say, ‘One, two, that’s it, and we’ll win the game,'” said Gary Dornhoefer, a winger on the two Cup teams.

Parent, team captain Bobby Clarke and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz all became stars for the Flyers under owner Ed Snider in an era when the team was known for its rugged style of play that earned it the Bullies nickname. They embraced their moniker as the most despised team in the NHL and pounded their way into the hearts of Flyers fans. More than 2 million fans packed city streets for each of their championship parades.

“We always felt comfortable with Bernie in the net,” said former Flyers winger and enforcer Bob Kelly. “He would challenge the guys in practice. He’d stop the puck and throw it back at you and say, ‘go ahead, try and catch this one.’ He was the first guy to jump in line to help another teammate if they needed it. He was a real testament to what a team player is all about.”

Parent’s No. 1 was retired by the Flyers and still hangs in the rafters of their arena. In 1984, he became the first Flyers player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Parent is still the Flyers’ career leader in shutouts with 50.

Parent was one of the more beloved Flyers and remained connected with the team over the years as an ambassador.

“He was so good with people,” said Watson, who first met Parent in 1963. “A lot of athletes don’t get it or don’t give fans the time of day. Bernie gave everyone the time of day. He’d always have his rings on. He’d show them to the people and people loved to see them. This past Friday in Delaware, people were coming up, they wanted to see the rings. People were so excited to see him. He had a great sense of humor. Bernie was a funny guy.”

Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, who played 11 seasons over two stints with the team, choked back tears at the New Jersey practice rink as he described Parent’s influence.

“As a young kid, you’re stressed trying to make the team. When he would come in, he’d just break the room up. He really helped me out when it came to that,” Tocchet said. “It seemed like every day was a great day to him. I don’t know if he ever had a bad day. But that (Stanley Cup) group was very close, and Bernie was kind of the glue. Bob Clarke obviously unreal, and Billy Barber and all those guys, they came around a lot. Bernie was one of those guys, he would just, we’d lose three in a row, somehow he’d come in there and loosen us up the Bernie way.”

The final career highlight came in 2011 when Parent was in the net for an alumni game outdoors at Citizens Bank Park ahead of the NHL Classic. “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” echoed throughout the park for the affable goalie, who played 5 minutes, 32 seconds and stopped all six shots. Each save made the “Bernie!” chants return.

Parent was the third Hall of Fame goaltender to die this month. Ken Dryden, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, died at 78 after a fight with cancer. Ed Giacomin, one of the faces of the New York Rangers’ franchise in the 1960s and ’70s, died at 86 of natural causes.

“They’re big losses,” Kelly said. “They were just prime, super goaltenders.”

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Blackhawks settle second lawsuit in Aldrich case

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Blackhawks settle second lawsuit in Aldrich case

The Chicago Blackhawks have settled a second lawsuit brought by a former player who claimed they were negligent in dealing with sexual assault allegations leveled against then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The complaint was filed in 2023 in Cook County (Ill.) Circuit Court. Romanucci & Blandin, the firm that filed the lawsuit, identified “John Doe” as a Black Ace — a prospect who joins an NHL team as a reserve player for the postseason — during Chicago’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. It listed 15 counts of negligence.

The lawsuit claimed that Doe was targeted by Aldrich, who “used his authority as a coach to groom, harass, threaten, and assault John Doe for sexual gratification.” Doe’s lawsuit accused the Blackhawks of “utter indifference and/or conscious disregard for the safety of its employees” in not taking action when made aware of Aldrich’s actions. The suit claimed that Doe suffered injuries and damages, including “great pain of body and mind.”

The two sides issued separate statements confirming that a deal was struck with Doe, but terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Doe was the second former Blackhawks player from that season to file a lawsuit against the team and reach a settlement. Forward Kyle Beach filed a lawsuit claiming he was sexually assaulted by Aldrich and that the organization’s senior leadership put off taking any action until after the Stanley Cup was awarded that season. He settled with the team in 2021.

The Blackhawks allowed Aldrich to resign in 2010. In 2013, Aldrich pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct with a 16-year-old high school hockey player he coached in Michigan. He spent time in prison and is now listed as a sex offender.

A trial date of Oct. 27 was set for John Doe’s lawsuit before the settlement.

Beach’s complaint inspired an independent review by the law firm Jenner & Block, which Doe participated in as “Black Ace 1.” That investigation resulted in the NHL fining the Blackhawks $2 million for their “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.”

Stan Bowman, the Blackhawks’ president of hockey operations and general manager, and Al MacIsaac, senior director of hockey administration, both stepped down in October 2021. Joel Quenneville, who coached the 2010 Blackhawks, resigned as coach of the Florida Panthers in October 2021 after a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

All three executives were reinstated by the NHL in July 2024.

“While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership,” the NHL said in a statement in July 2024. “Moreover, each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse.”

Bowman was hired by the Edmonton Oilers as general manager in July 2024. Quenneville was named coach of the Anaheim Ducks in May 2025.

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