Your hockey team just scored a goal and got a power play. They are working their way back into a game against their biggest rival that they have no business being close in. Another goal, and the momentum will completely shift in their favor. Then, for some inexplicable reason, their goaltender comes out of the crease to get the puck, completely whiffs on the play, and ends up being closer to the blue line than the net as the opponent picks up as easy a shorthanded goal as you can imagine.
In a single boneheaded moment, Vitek Vanecek summed up the 2024-25 season for the San Jose Sharks.
You may remember that I talked about the Sharks around this time last season. When that article was made, that rendition of the Sharks had just given up ten goals in back-to back games and looked dead set on flirting with the status of being the worst team in NHL history. While this year’s version has done nothing quite that egregious yet, they have succeeded in completing a piece of dubious history themselves. After Saturday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Sharks have become the first team in NHL history to lose nine straight games to start back-to-back years.
While last year’s Sharks team ultimately avoided breaking the wrong type of records (hi, Chicago White Sox), they were still horrifically overmatched by almost every team in the league. They predictably finished dead last and placed at or near the bottom of the league in every possible metric. When analytics, basic statistics, and even the eye test unanimously condemn a team’s performance, that’s a telling sign things could potentially get worse before they get better.
The lost season resulted in the Sharks once again having to sell at the deadline. For the most part, it was basic fare: Anthony Duclair going as a mid-season rental to Tampa Bay, Kaapo Kahkonen moving to goalie-starved New Jersey, Radim Simek getting swapped for Klim Kostin. Solid, if unspectacular. Then came the eleventh hour of deadline day, where the Sharks pulled arguably the most shocking deal in recent memory: Tomas Hertl was sent off to Vegas. Outside of the obvious issue of sending one of their best players to their nemesis, the trade came with a litany of issues for the Sharks. The Sharks used their final salary retention spot on Hertl (the others were used on Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson), meaning the Sharks can no longer retain salary in a deal until the end of this season. Even after retaining salary, the Sharks still had to add in a pair of third-round picks as sweeteners. They could have prevented all of it by trading Hertl when he was a pending free agent a couple of years ago, and the fact they pulled the trigger after they signed him to a deal is a damning indictment of the Sharks’ front office.
In the offseason, the Sharks were realistic about where they were as a team. David Quinn was proven for the second time that his tactics simply do not work at the NHL level and was replaced in-house by rising assistant Ryan Warsofsky. They made a few moves like signing Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg to bolster a young core. They accepted cap dumps from other teams like Jake Walman, Cody Ceci, and the return of Barclay Goodrow. The real prizes, however, came during the draft, when the Sharks drafted Boston University forward and Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini first overall. This man was going to be the face of their franchise, the cornerstone of their rebuilding effort. They also got top defensive prospect Sam Dickinson in the first round as well, adding to an impressive farm system. Finally, the Sharks pulled the trigger on a trade for Yaroslav Askarov, a top goaltending prospect whose path to the NHL was blocked when the Nashville Predators locked Juuse Saros into a long-term extension. The future was in place, and the expectations were that the Sharks would not be an easy out for anyone this time around.
Even those low expectations lasted all of one game. The Sharks coughed up a 4-1 lead to the St. Louis Blues and lost Celebrini to injury. Since then, it’s been similar to what last year’s Blackhawks looked like when Connor Bedard went down: lifeless, unwatchable, devoid of hope. Warsofsky has reportedly called out the team, saying their start was “embarrassing.” Askarov remains in the AHL, likely to protect him from a Swiss cheese defense that allows opposing teams to pepper the goaltenders with shots. Offensively, the only reliable sources have been Toffoli, Mikael Granlund, and William Eklund. Celebrini’s injury has put his season on pause, while fellow top prospect Will Smith has been terrible to start, failing to put up a point in seven games. The only defenseman who has been consistent is 22-year-old Jack Thompson. Sure, Sharks fans can point out that pieces of a future core are emerging, but the old adage takes precedence: you are what your record says you are.
I understand that it might be unfair ripping into a team clearly in the deep throes of a rebuild. The Sharks had no expectations for the postseason and their play so far has only cemented that. That said, the important part of the word ‘rebuild’ is build for a reason. The point of a rebuild is to identify core pieces and reinforce them with talent gradually in the hopes of yearly improvement. Progress is not going to come overnight, but it at least has to be visible in some aspects. With a similar start to the season to last year’s disastrous campaign and the same problems flaring up once again, the Sharks are once again forced to take a deep look at their roster and figure out what’s going wrong. Their postseason drought is likely going to hit six years, and it is fair to assume fans are growing restless.
At some point, something has to give. The Sharks can not expect to keep the status quo when similar problems are yielding similar results. It’s one thing to have top talent, but it’s another to hope they develop and find a spot in an optimal lineup. Throwing everything and anything at the wall and hoping it sticks is not going to cut it anymore. The Sharks need to figure something out and find anything at all that makes this season worthwhile. Otherwise, ’embarassing’ might be an understatement by the end of the season.
After a brief hiatus from doing these rankings, it’s time to get back in the saddle and let the speculation commence. The first week of the regular season took the preseason expectations and jumbled them around. Sure, some expected contenders and bottom-feeders looked the part, but the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers look like they have their records flipped around. Meanwhile, the Utah Hockey Club is proving that your team doesn’t need a name to be arguably the most fun to watch in the early going, while someone may want to wake up the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators to tell them the season’s under way.
Now, it’s important to acknowledge these rankings are done with a small sample size. The real hierarchy likely won’t make itself apparent until next month. That said, some teams are building a strong foundation for success, and we have seen teams ride strong starts out to the postseason plenty of times before. Also, there can be signs of sustainability or lack thereof that emerge from the first few games, giving the casual fan a peek into whether a team can be trusted this early or not.
So how does the league shake out in the early going? Let’s find out.
1. Dallas Stars: Three straight wins and back-to-back shutouts at home to start the year? Whatever concerns there are about the underlying numbers balanced themselves out right and quick, and I would imagine those stabilize later on. After two straight Conference Finals exits, the Stars are hungry to finally get over the hump.
2. Vegas Golden Knights: The Knights certainly understood the assignment going into the year, sweeping a three-game homestand to start. That top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Ivan Barbashev could be terrifying if they can keep the early momentum going.
3. New York Rangers: The overtime loss to Utah could look better (or worse) with time, but the Rangers continue to look the part of an early contender. There is a sign of concern in the future with Igor Shesterkin’s increasing contract demands, but that’s a worry for another time.
4. New Jersey Devils: Jacob Markstrom has fortunately been as advertised for the Devils, who parlayed a strong showing in Prague against the Sabres into a 3-1 record to start the year. Barring another injury wave, the Devils should be dueling the Rangers for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division all season long.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs: Craig Berube’s hire has paid immediate dividends, with the blueline looking much improved and the depth starting to emerge. If the Core Four start to get rolling, the Leafs could start to look even more dangerous than they do now.
6. Winnipeg Jets: While the Jets have seen hot starts only to taper off later on before, they can enjoy Connor Hellebuyck regaining Vezina form and Mark Scheifele playing up to his contract. If the Jets are continuing to play the right way as the season wears on, then maybe they will get some more consideration as a legitimate threat.
7. Florida Panthers: The record does not look particularly promising, but they are playing without Aleksander Barkov and with a less than 100 percent Matthew Tkachuk. I’m willing to chalk this up as a Stanley Cup hangover and let it slide, even if that excuse becomes a little less valid if the Panthers continue to struggle.
8. Utah Hockey Club: Utah was actually one of my favorite surprise picks to make the playoffs, and they have looked the part so far. Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther have led the charge so far, and there is no question that they have been exciting to watch thus far. All of Arizona is seething with rage right about now.
9. Tampa Bay Lightning: The effects of Hurricane Milton leave the Lightning with only one game played this week, but they looked impressive in that particular game against Carolina. If Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel have the type of instant chemistry they showed in their opener all season long, the Lightning’s window might be open for a bit longer than anticipated.
10. Boston Bruins: The Bruins certainly made their fans sweat it out, but Jeremy Swayman is signed and holding it down in net for the foreseeable future. It’s probably a good thing they got the deal done when they did; with how rough Joonas Korpisalo looked in the opener against Florida, Swayman could have held out for an even larger payday.
11. Carolina Hurricanes: On the opposite side of the Lightning, the Hurricanes looked just a bit off in their season opener. With an interesting clash against the Devils headlining a somewhat more pleasant week, Carolina will know where it stands in the Metro relatively quick.
12. Calgary Flames: The spirit of Johnny Gaudreau is hard at work, as his former team has been one of the great surprises of this early part of the season. Unsustainable? Probably. Fun to watch? Absolutely.
13. Vancouver Canucks: Blowing a three goal lead to Calgary and losing to Philadelphia in regulation is not a good look for the Canucks to start the year. They should be fine, but they will need to be more consistent and put together sixty-minute efforts to be more than just playoff fodder.
14. Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers lost 15-3 in their three games this week (including an embarrassing loss to their provincial rival at home), Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have yet to really get it going, and goaltending and defense look like sore spots once again. Still, the last time the Oilers got off to a slow start, they were one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. No need to break the glass on the emergency button just yet.
15. Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis needed some positive results to really cement his job security, and the Canadiens have delivered thus far. Sam Montembeault has been the clear MVP early, shutting out Toronto and letting only one get past him against Pittsburgh. If he can continue to steal some wins, the Canadiens could stay in the thick of the playoff race all season long.
16. Nashville Predators: The Predators hype train has yet to be completely derailed, but a losing effort against Dallas and being shut out by Detroit is certainly going to stall it for a bit. A four-game homestand should get them trending in the right direction, but the chemistry is going to have to develop quickly with the fast start some of their Central Division rivals have enjoyed.
17. St. Louis Blues: Maybe I’m a bit more bullish on the Blues than most people, but they put together three strong efforts this week, coming from behind against Seattle and San Jose before being stonewalled by Vegas. Is this the sign of a confident group that should improve as the season wears on, or an indication that their style of play won’t cut it against the NHL’s elite?
18. Colorado Avalanche: Sure, a core of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar means the Avalanche will likely never be completely out of the picture. That said, the concerns surrounding them (terrible goaltending, unreliable penalty kill, an impending cap crunch when Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin return) are much more impactful than other slow starters. Will these issues prevent Colorado from playing up to their potential?
19. Minnesota Wild: Matt Boldy’s emergence has been nice to see, but everyone else is still waiting for a reason to consider Minnesota anything more than a minor nuisance. The injury to Joel Eriksson Ek is hopefully not long-term, but the Wild cannot just rely on a few players.
20. Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield look good to start, but the Kings simply need more out of their depth. The void left by Drew Doughty’s injury has yet to be filled, which is far from ideal for a team that needs to get out of first-round purgatory.
21. Ottawa Senators: There are still some issues that needed to be sorted out with the Senators, but Linus Ullmark and Tim Stutzle were impressive against Florida in their opener. Good goaltending and strong play from star players tend to mask quite a few faults, after all.
22. New York Islanders: The start is not the reason I have concerns about the Islanders so far, more than it is on their decisions in net. Is Ilya Sorokin hurt, or does Patrick Roy have some favoritism towards Semyon Varlamov from their days in Colorado? There’s no way Lou Lamoriello gave an eight-year deal to someone their coach considers a backup…right?
23. Chicago Blackhawks: Beating the Oilers was nice, but it has been the only bright spot for the Blackhawks thus far. It looks like Connor Bedard’s in for another year of heavy lifting, folks. Be very afraid.
24. Detroit Red Wings: Cam Talbot may have wrestled the starting goaltender spot for Detroit, which is good. For a team that hasn’t looked good otherwise, Steve Yzerman might be sweating it out a little more than in past seasons.
25. Seattle Kraken: The Kraken have looked a bit sluggish out of the gates, but maybe that’s just the new additions needing time to jell together and the NHL mainstays getting to figure out Dan Bylsma’s system. Congratulations to Jessica Campbell for becoming the first woman to land a coaching job in the NHL, though.
26. Columbus Blue Jackets: The post-game donkey hat being handed out to honor Johnny Gaudreau is a nice touch, and longtime teammate Sean Monahan being the first to receive it was nothing short of heartwarming. It will likely be another long season in Columbus, but any positive development will be a relief from the nightmare the past couple of months have been.
27. Washington Capitals: It’s only one game (granted, they didn’t look particularly convincing), and having to play a streaking Vegas team next is not going to make life any easier. Still, the start doesn’t erase the good work done this offseason, and the Capitals stand as the team most likely to rise out of this low spot and push for respectability.
28. Philadelphia Flyers: Matvei Michkov getting his first NHL point was nice, but the rest of the Flyers have been relatively nondescript so far. No one’s going to have high expectations as the team is still in the throes of a rebuild, but the Flyers are going to need to figure out if this core is going to get them anywhere.
29. Buffalo Sabres: Beating a shorthanded Florida team was a positive touch, but two straight stompings in Europe and being single-handedly bested by Anze Kopitar is not. The yearly pessimism towards the Sabres is back like it never left, and that postseason drought already looks like it will increase by one.
30. Pittsburgh Penguins: The likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson are really going to have to go through this in the twilight of their careers? That is sound enough rationale to put this team this low and possibly even lower.
31. Anaheim Ducks: A win against the Sharks is the only reason the Ducks are not languishing at the bottom of these rankings. They did not look good against either the Sharks or Knights, and that will likely be the case all season barring a drastic turnaround.
32. San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini looked good in the Sharks’ first game, and then promptly landed on injured reserve. Even when they might look somewhat watchable, the team just can’t have nice things.
When Linus Ullmark was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Ottawa Senators in late June, it was with the expectation that Boston was ready to hand the full-time starting netminder role to Jeremy Swayman. Fast forward to three months later, and Swayman is still without a contract to play.
Of course, questions were bound to circulate over Swayman’s future in Boston the longer the impasse between player and team went on. However, an ill-timed quip from team president Cam Neely during a press conference suggesting Swayman had a $64 million contract offer on the table may have changed the entire equation. Now, the question has evolved from whether Swayman will get his contract to whether he will suit up for the Bruins ever again.
The situation has become far more delicate now, and another high-profile mishandling of personnel (Bruce Cassidy’s firing, the signing of Mitch Miller, etc.) could lead to Neely and GM Don Sweeney’s dismissals if the season doesn’t go as expected. Where the problem is significant for the Bruins is that their leverage is all but gone; the front office showed their cards when they traded Ullmark before locking Swayman down to a deal, and they have only themselves to blame that he and his camp caught on. Going from arguably the best goalie tandem in the NHL in Swayman and Ullmark to trying to convince Bruins fans on a Joonas Korpisalo career renaissance is not expected to go well at all.
If the Bruins were to put Swayman on the trade market, however, things will get interesting in a hurry. Young, potentially elite goaltenders don’t just grow on trees, so when one hits the market, any team desiring an upgrade will take notice. While Swayman has yet to play more than 44 games in a season (a blessing and curse of the goalie rotation with Ullmark), his sample size of strong play is large enough to indicate that his performance is legitimate. Combine that with his best playoff run to date, and it becomes much easier to see how teams will rush to the phones the second a trade looks likely.
So which teams have the best shot at landing the former William Jennings Trophy winner? Let’s find out.
Framework
First, it is important to establish a clear framework for this trade in order to point out what the Bruins will likely want in return for Swayman.
Obviously, an NHL goaltender will have to come to Boston. No disrespect to new waiver pickup Jiri Patera or Providence Bruins goaltender Brandon Bussi, but I don’t think the Bruins feel particularly comfortable having to rely on them for too long. Whether the new addition will be the outright starter or firmly in a rotation with Korpisalo is irrelevant in terms of getting a deal done.
To go along with the goaltender, the Bruins will likely seek an NHL-caliber forward to go along in the deal. Boston has had some concerns over center depth since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s retirements, and moving on from Swayman does mean that the Bruins will have more cap space to work with.
With an eye towards the future, the Bruins will also likely seek a goaltender prospect and a first-round pick. The prospect will ensure that the Bruins have a long-term plan in net to build around, and the first-rounder will boost a farm system that has been depleted in recent years.
Any extra pieces a team might wish to add to make their offer more enticing, as well as any adjustments to value they’d like to make, is at their discretion.
With that in mind, let’s meet the potential suitors.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are still deep in the throes of their current rebuild, but the core they are building has Stanley Cup potential. They have drafted Connor Bedard and Artyom Levshunov in back-to-back years, young talent like Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic are emerging as key contributors, and the Blackhawks have as deep a prospect pool as any team in the NHL.
The only thing missing for them is the goaltender of the future, and Swayman can provide exactly that.
With Swayman turning 26 in November, he’s still young enough to fit in the Blackhawks’ long-term plans. Securing a maximum eight-year deal would mean the Blackhawks have stability in net, allowing them to attack other positions and continue to add talent around Bedard.
The trade: Swayman for Laurent Brossoit, Ryan Donato, Adam Gajan, 2025 1st Round Pick (top 10-protected), Dallas’s 2025 2nd Round Pick
While Brossoit was one of the mid-tier free agent signings by Chicago this offseason, his contract is easier to move than Petr Mrazek’s, so he would be the goaltender headed to Boston. The Bruins won’t mind, as Brossoit has put together back-to-back years of strong play in a backup role for Vegas and Winnipeg. Also going to Boston would be Donato, a Harvard product who started his career with the Bruins during the 2017-18 season. With double-digit goals in four of his last five seasons, Donato should be able to chip in offensively in a depth role.
While neither Gajan or Drew Commesso are high-end prospects, Gajan has more developmental runway and the draft pedigree to justify his addition. Gajan had a rough post-draft year, but he will be hoping to rebound at the University of Minnesota-Duluth this season. Dangling a first-round pick could be risky, but adding the top-ten protection means the pick would kick over to 2026 if the Blackhawks fall in that range, as they are expected to. Dallas’s second-round pick, which the Blackhawks got in a deadline deal in exchange for Max Domi, would be added to ensure the Bruins get a pick for this upcoming draft.
The deal might not stand out at first glance, but a first-round pick from Chicago would be enticing, especially if the team is still a few years away from competing. Should the Blackhawks continue to struggle, that pick could ultimately end up being quite valuable for the Bruins in the event of a retool. For that reason (and the potential of Gajan hitting his stride), the Bruins will have to consider this deal.
Colorado Avalanche
Unlike the Blackhawks, the Avalanche are in search of a goaltender who can help them right now.
There’s no denying that the Avalanche have a core capable of taking them to the Stanley Cup, led by Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen. That said, where the Avalanche fall well behind their Central Division contemporaries is in net. Where as Dallas, Nashville, and Winnipeg can rely on Jake Oettinger, Juuse Saros, and Connor Hellebuyck, respectively, Colorado has Alexandar Georgiev, who posted a sub-.900 save percentage last season and is forced to put in a heavy workload due to lack of depth.
Sure, the Avalanche could hope that Justus Annunen continues his emergence and ascends to the starting role, but the team is not in the position where they can afford to be patient. With Rantanen’s contract expiring after this season and the team facing a possible cap crunch, any move that can help them improve on top of alleviating those concerns would be welcome.
The trade: Swayman for Alexandar Georgiev, Ross Colton, Ilya Nabokov, 2026 1st Round Pick
There’s a bit more NHL talent involved in this deal, largely in order for Colorado to make the financial numbers work. Georgiev would be the obvious choice to head to Boston and, while he didn’t have the best of seasons last year, he’s as good of a goalie as Boston can expect to get from this deal. Colton has been a potential option to move in the event of Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin returning to the lineup, and Boston would be alright to land a middle-six forward with center versatility. Miles Wood also came to mind for the NHL forward, but Colton’s versatility is more appealing to Boston, while the extra cap space with Colton moving will be more beneficial to Colorado.
Colorado fans might give me the stink-eye for putting this year’s second round pick Nabokov in this deal, but what path to the NHL would he realistically have behind a Swayman-Annunen tandem? Nabokov has continued to perform at a high level in the KHL this season, and his expiring contract means he would be eligible to sign in the NHL for next season. With Georgiev on an expiring contract and Korpisalo being far from a guarantee to produce, expect Nabokov to be a target for Boston in any Swayman trade. With Colorado likely hoping to keep the one second round pick it has for 2025, they will likely choose to offer their 2026 first round pick to keep their package as enticing as possible.
Sure, there’s some hurdles to clear when it comes to this deal. Colorado would be having to overpay just a bit in terms of assets, and they will need to ensure that their cap situation won’t be further exacerbated by this move. That said, if Swayman can provide the key saves that have been missing in Colorado the past two years, it will all be worth it. Vegas and Florida made bold trades that got them Stanley Cups in the end, and it might be time for Joe Sakic and Chris McFarland to do the same.
Detroit Red Wings
In a vacuum, moving Swayman to Detroit would make zero sense for Boston. Moving Ullmark in-division made at least a little sense, but why send a possible franchise goaltender to a potential rival?
The answer is surprisingly simple: Steve Yzerman might be under just as much pressure as Sweeney right now.
There’s no denying Yzerman is a Detroit sports legend, but he will be in his fifth season as general manager this season, and the Red Wings haves to make the playoffs during his tenure. He’s been given plenty of leeway to get the ball rolling, but at what point does the patience in the Yzerplan wear thin? With the team coming close to the postseason last year, the clamps have to be put on to ensure the Red Wings take the next step.
The issue there is the Red Wings don’t have a true starting goaltender. They signed Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell for organizational depth to go with Ville Husso and Alex Lyon, but none of those options inspire much confidence. Swayman would put an immediate end to the speculation in net, making him a desirable trade option. It might take a lot to convince Boston to pull it off, but Detroit may have an answer…
The trade: Swayman for Cam Talbot, Andrew Copp, Dmitri Buchelnikov, Sebastian Cossa, 2025 1st Round Pick, 2026 2nd Round Pick
While moving Ville Husso’s expiring deal and Justin Holl’s contract were considered, this package made more sense. Talbot performed better than expected in Los Angeles last season, and is contract is certainly affordable for the Bruins to manage. Copp’s deal (three years at $5.625 million AAV) is a hard one to swallow, but J.T. Compher’s arrival makes him obsolete in Detroit and Boston’s forward group could give him an extended role that allows him a greater chance to live up to that contract. Plus, taking that deal on would make it easier to justify Detroit handing over what they are.
The real prize here would be Cossa, a former first-round pick and elite goaltending prospect who would instantly give Boston a long-term solution in net. With Cossa hitting his stride in his second professional season last year, there’s no question he would be the top target for Boston in a deal. Buchelnikov also gets added due to the unlikelihood that he signs in Detroit, but a core in Boston that’s somewhat lacking in pure offensive talent could convince him to change his stance. The picks added are spaced out to ensure Detroit does not sacrifice a full year of its future on this deal.
This deal is obviously the biggest of all six due to it being in-division, but would either side truly be comfortable saying no here? Detroit gets the goaltender they need to truly threaten the hierarchy of the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, Boston gets a couple of decent assets now to pair with great ones for the future. If Sweeney and Yzerman are ultimately as desperate for solutions as I think they are, this deal would be much more agreeable on both ends.
Utah Hockey Club
The NHL’s “newest” franchise is certainly doing its part to make waves this offseason.
With a core beginning to emerge and ownership now stabilized, the artists formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes have made a fair share of moves already. The additions of Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino should bolster the defense, and young forwards are emerging on a consistent basis. It may seem somewhat odd to say, but the possibility of Utah experiencing playoff hockey in its first season is not that far-fetched.
Adding Swayman would go a long way towards fulfilling that goal, as Utah still has plenty of prospects and draft capital to use as trade chips. They’re also the only team on this list that doesn’t have to shed salary to give Swayman a long-term extension, so being able to exercise free reign over who can be sent the other way is a boost.
The trade: Swayman for Connor Ingram, Alexander Kerfoot, Carsen Musser, 2025 1st Round Pick, Ottawa’s 2026 2nd Round Pick
The key for this deal would be financial flexibility. Ingram was relatively solid last season, and his contract at just less than $2 million for this and next season would help Boston attack other parts of their roster. Kerfoot would be on an expiring deal, but he provides versatility and leadership that is sorely needed in Boston’s bottom-six forward group.
Musser does not possess the same name value as the other prospects on this list, but it doesn’t make him any less interesting of a prospect. He’s quite athletic for a six-foot-four goaltender, he performed well with Madison in the USHL last season, and he will be allowed to develop at Colorado College for the next few years. The first will be valuable, especially if Utah continues to struggle, and a second round pick acquired from the Jakob Chychrun trade will sweeten the deal a bit.
Similar to Chicago, this deal feels better than the sum of its parts. Ingram and Kerfoot may not be spectacular, but they fill spots that Boston needs in the wake of a Swayman deal. Musser is an interesting enough prospect to monitor, and the picks could bring in some high-end talent that Boston could use to replenish the farm system. Boston could see if Utah’s willing to give them Karel Vejmelka and Lawson Crouse instead of Ingram and Kerfoot, but this would be a good package for the Bruins to take.
Philadelphia Flyers
When your coach openly says that the goaltending situation scares him, they have to be included here.
No team may have had worse luck in terms of goaltending than the Flyers have recently. Carter Hart never seemed to regain his confidence, and his NHL career has likely ended in disgrace due to the Team Canada World Juniors sexual assault scandal. Then there was Ivan Fedotov being called away from the Flyers back to Russia. Then Alexei Kolosov was a threat to defect back to Russia instead of reporting to the team. Needless to say, Philadelphia is far from set in terms of their netminders.
Still, there is at least some reason to be optimistic. Matvei Michkov is making his NHL debut a year earlier than anticipated, and some are calling him the early favorite to win the Calder Trophy. He headlines a group of young, exciting talent that can certainly climb up the ranks quickly with proper development. Similar to Chicago, Swayman fits the timeline in Philadelphia, and they don’t have any pressing cap questions at the moment. It could be a good fit, assuming Boston wants to deal Swayman in the East.
The trade: Swayman for Ivan Fedotov, Morgan Frost, Carson Bjarnason, Edmonton’s 2025 1st Round Pick, 2025 2nd Round Pick
Fedotov was locked down to a two-year extension worth $3.275 million AAV, but he would still be the likely choice to ship to Boston. Samuel Ersson and Kolosov are both under team control for longer, and Swayman’s contract would likely make a tandem with Fedotov too costly. Boston won’t mind, though, as Fedotov was one of the top goaltenders in the KHL prior to coming to America, so the hope would be that he finds his rhythm quickly. While Frost has played well for stretches, he’s never really seemed to gain the full trust of John Tortorella. He would be an excellent fit for Boston’s middle-six group, sporting good playmaking instincts to pair with an underrated physical game.
Bjarnason would go to Boston to fulfill the goaltending prospect requirement. A second round pick last year (similar to Gajan from Chicago), Bjarnason did actually show improvement last season, so he might be more palatable at this moment. Philadelphia also boasts six picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft, so they have no problem using that stockpile to bring Swayman over.
This deal is more based on possibility than anything concrete. Will Fedotov regain his KHL form and turn into a franchise goaltender? Can Frost find his footing on a new team? Wil Bjarnason or the draft picks lead to a franchise talent? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, Boston should have no concerns with this deal. That said, I will concede this is the least likely of the five to occur, if only due to Boston maybe not wanting to deal Swayman in-conference and Philadelphia maybe lacking the available assets of Detroit and others.
Did Bryce Young just become the biggest bust in NFL history?
That’s the inevitable question coming out of the sports world on Monday, when the Carolina Panthers elected to bench the former first overall pick in favor of Andy Dalton for the team’s upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
To be fair and even somewhat blunt, the move itself is far from shocking in a vacuum. Young not only doesn’t look like he’s improved after a disastrous rookie campaign, but it appears he’s somehow regressed just two games in. His first pass being an overthrow directly into the arms of New Orleans Saints safety Will Harris was merely a prelude to the nightmare that was about to unfold. Young has thrown for only 245 yards in two games with a 0-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His one touchdown (and the only one the Panthers have scored thus far) was a scramble in garbage time against the Saints…and he had to recover his own fumble to do it. Even the basic eye test does Young no favors: he has no confidence in his ability to drive the ball downfield, he looks skittish in the pocket and makes ill-advised decisions under pressure, and he looks afraid to even move around in the backfield. It’s how you get games like the one he had against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday: 84 passing yards on 26(!!!) passing attempts.
First-year coach Dave Canales tried to quash any unrest and claim confidence that Young was the guy, but it was ultimately too hard to justify the position. It may be hard to bench a top overall pick so early into his career, but anything’s on the table with professional micromanager David Tepper as owner. When pressed about Tepper’s involvement on the decision to bench Young, Canales tried to deflect as the Panthers placed the responsibility at his and GM Dan Morgan’s feet, but anyone who’s followed this organization since the hedge fund manager took over in 2018 would be shocked if he didn’t have his own say in the matter.
The optimist might argue that benching Young now was the right decision. The argument would go that a stable veteran like Dalton would gives Canales and his staff a better picture of where the Panthers are currently at, and it’s still early enough in the year that Young can reset and return to the lineup when ready. Here’s my problem with that line of thinking: how can they be so sure that Young’s confidence will ever return? His press conference after the Chargers game was chilling: his body language and vague answers looked and sounded like those of a broken human being. Now the head coach that was brought in to revitalize your career has essentially turned his back on you after two games? The supposed franchise savior has just seen his career disintegrate into dust before his own eyes, and the clock on his stint in Carolina may already be ticking down.
To make matters even worse, take a look back at the trade that brought Young to Carolina. To acquire him, the Panthers traded top receiver D.J. Moore, their 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, San Francisco’s 2023 second-round pick, and their own second-round pick in 2025 to the Chicago Bears. Moore has emerged as the focal point of Chicago’s passing game. The 2023 picks were used on Darnell Wright (one of the only consistent performers on Chicago’s offensive line) and Tyrique Stevenson (a starting cornerback in one of the NFL’s more underrated secondaries). The 2024 pick turned into the first overall selection, allowing the Bears to draft ballyhooed USC product Caleb Williams. With how this season is going for Carolina, that second-round pick next year is looking like pick 33, which the Bears could package into securing a first-round pick anyway. That would have been a lot had the Panthers drafted eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, but a quarterback who’s on the bench after just 18 games and two victories? It’s looking like the kind of trade that sets a franchise back years.
Despite all of this, would you like to know the worst part about all of this? Young may go down as the biggest bust in NFL history, and it isn’t even his fault. Sure, his poor play thus far hasn’t helped his case, but think about the company he keeps in that discussion. The likes of Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, and Zach Wilson all had maturity issues that plagued their developments, and their floors turned out much lower than even the most pessimistic of expectations. With Young, on the other hand, his team hasn’t given up on him yet, and no one hears anything about him off-field that might lead to conclusions about character concerns. That’s not even considering the team in front of him. The Panthers tried to put some resources into helping Young out, but it doesn’t change that the collection of skill players is on the low end of the NFL hierarchy and the defense has taken two steps back. When the best player remaining is lost for the season in Week 1 and your top cornerback was just burned by maligned receiver Quentin Johnston for two touchdowns the very next game, no one can be surprised when even NFL analysts are calling your roster one of the worst ever assembled.
When it comes to all the factors that led to this moment, one has to only look at the constant variable in all of them: Tepper.
It has only been seven years into his tenure as Panthers owner, and he has already filled the void Dan Snyder left behind as the worst in the league. Look how the on-field product has devolved into what we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks. Counting interim coaches and holdover Ron Rivera, Carolina has already worked through seven head coaches under Tepper’s watch. The only hires that have been made in that time were Matt Rhule (college coach who didn’t pan out at the professional level) and Frank Reich (didn’t even make it out of his first season despite an all-star coaching staff that failed to coexist). It may be odd to say that Canales is already on the hot seat at the beginning of his six-year deal, but Tepper is also the same owner who fired Rhule midway through a seven-year contract and would still be paying him the buyout if it weren’t for Nebraska hiring him. Canales wasn’t just mentioned for the Carolina gig for his exemplary work in reviving the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield over the past couple years; it was also because he was one of the only candidates who would even remotely consider accepting the job. Signing on with the Panthers meant having to deal with an owner known for his impatience and meddling in team affairs, and Canales had to be at least acutely aware of these risks.
The quarterback situation hasn’t gotten much better, either. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were just there, Cam Newton came back briefly for little reason other than getting butts in seats, 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral didn’t even get a chance, and Teddy Bridgewater ended up being a free-agent bust. Now Young becomes the latest casualty as the revolving door continues to spin with no end in sight? It’s easy to say that Stroud or Williams could have been the answer but, with the way the Panthers are right now, Patrick Mahomes would struggle to win games with this group. It’s also important to know that Mayfield and Darnold have thrown for a combined 46 touchdowns and 14 interceptions since leaving the Panthers, and both are currently the starting quarterbacks of 2-0 squads in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. If the Panthers get their choice of quarterbacks in 2025, what reason is there right now to think any of them have a shot to turn the tide?
That would be enough to establish Tepper as a terrible owner in the eyes of the NFL world, but his off-field exploits haven’t been stellar, either. A decision to cancel development on a practice site in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for the Panthers was received so well that the city sued the team and mudslinging has continued on both sides. A game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville saw Tepper pour drinks on opposing fans from his skybox. Tepper engaged in a feud with a Charlotte restaurant putting up a sign asking for Tepper to allow the coach and GM to make their drafting decisions, and the restaurant was all too happy to point out the owner’s poor decision-making practices.
Going back to Young, how could he or anyone possibly succeed in this environment? When a team has an owner that fancies himself a football genius and lords over his staff at every opportunity, management that has no choice but to cater to said owner’s every whim, and a coaching staff that rarely gets the chance to implement their vision before they get canned, what other outcome but failure is there? Young still has time to turn things around, but it’s hard to imagine that he will come even close to fulfilling a fraction of his potential so long as he stays in Carolina. There are options open to him if player and team decide it is in their mutual interest to part ways. Miami could use a backup plan if Tua Tagovailoa misses extended time with his recent concussion. The Los Angeles Rams could use him as an understudy for Matthew Stafford and see if Sean McVay can utilize him. The next opponent in the Raiders aren’t set at the quarterback position and could decide to bring Young in as a way to not force a decision and build up the rest of their roster. For Young, these spots represent a much-needed fresh start, and a change in scenery might be a better reset than rotting away on the Panthers bench if Dalton makes them look even semi-competitive,
Meanwhile, for the Panthers, it’s hard to tell if this is rock bottom or if there is somehow deeper to dig. Bryce Young has become a lose-lose proposition for them. If he stays, it’s unclear if he will ever develop properly and odds are he will become replaceable quickly; if the Panthers trade him, the team will likely have traded away a significant part of their future for what will likely amount to a late-round pick. The trade already has to be considered one of the worst in NFL history, and it will only rise up that pantheon if the Bears become a force within the next few years. To make matters worse, they’re the ones that will be stuck with Tepper and the rest of the dreck he’s assembled, meaning their situation will almost certainly get worse before it gets better.
I believe Carlito Keyes said it best: “This, my friend, is hell.”
It’s hard walking away from what’s been your life’s work. Being without one of the few constants that life has provided is certainly a daunting endeavor. However, what happens when one of the things you love most in this world doesn’t love you back? What if it’s actively robbing you of living life to its fullest extent, taking away from everything else that matters? What if the only choice is either deciding to walk away on your own power, or not having the choice at all?
Such is the crossroads where Tua Tagovailoa stands now.
On Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins quarterback was trying to galvanize his team to a comeback against the Buffalo Bills. Midway through the third quarter, Tagovailoa attempted to scramble and drive his team down the field. Instead of sliding, he tried to truck through Bills safety Damar Hamlin to fight for more yards. Instead, Tagovailoa’s head collided with Hamlin’s body and he fell to the turf.
What happened next was a scene that was disturbingly familiar: Tagovailoa laid out on the field, unable to stand, his arms locked in a fencing response. It was the second time fans had seen him in this position, after his head hit hard against the ground after taking a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022. That one was considered his second concussion in the span of a week when he went into the NFL’s concussion protocol during their previous game (ironically, against Buffalo).
For those of you doing the math, this recent scare is Tagovailoa’s third concussion, at least, in as many seasons. With players, analysts, and fans alike already wondering if he would retire after the multiple concussions in 2022, those same conversations have not only returned: they’ve been kicked into overdrive.
Tagovailoa even admitted during that off-season that he contemplated retirement after the 2022 season after conversations with his family. He would ultimately return to football, taking jiujitsu and judo training to soften his landings and stay away from another concussion. It would pay off for Tagovailoa, as he remained healthy and played a full season for the first time in his NFL career in 2023. He would also be rewarded this past off-season with a massive extension, signing a four-year, $212.1 million deal in July.
Therein lies the tricky part of the equation. In his new contract, Tagovailoa received just over $167 million in guarantees, with $124 million left to be paid during the deal. If Tagovailoa opts to retire despite being medically cleared to return to the field, he will forego that money. If he is medically forced to retire, however, he will be entitled to those guarantees. Going back to the point from the start of this article, Tagovailoa may not have the choice available to him.
Even in the event he is medically cleared to return to play later this season, is there really a guarantee Tagovailoa will come back? Sure, it’s hard to walk away with nine figures on the table and a whole career still ahead, but there are some things you can’t simply clip a price tag on. By returning to the game, Tagovailoa will be putting his body at massive risk, and another big hit could result in irreparable, life-altering consequences for the star quarterback.
A study from just last year noted that, out of a group of contact sport athletes who passed away before the age of 30, 40% of them had their brains diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Even though CTE can only be diagnosed postmortem, the signs of it are visible during life. CTE can cause confusion, balance issues, memory loss and, in severe cases, dementia and depression. With Tagovailoa’s alarming history of concussions, the possibility of CTE or similar disorders brought on by repeated concussions, as well as their impact on his overall quality of life, has to be considered.
If not out of concern for his own well-being, that of Tagovailoa’s family has to be considered. He is a husband and a father of two young children, and he must weigh the risks of continuing his career with his family life. In this respect, I think of the recent tragedy involving Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. While the circumstances between the two are somewhat different, it paints a chilling picture all the same. Johnny left behind two young children and, as his wife revealed during the brothers’ funeral, a third will never get to know life with their father. Matthew also had an unborn child on the way. Those families now must endure an existence no one should wish on their worst enemy: incomplete, hollow, every milestone a painful reminder of who should be celebrating with them. Tua Tagovailoa and his family don’t deserve that happening to them; no one does.
The choice, ultimately, is Tagovailoa’s and his alone. If he does play, he will be welcomed back by his teammates and fans, hoping for his continued success at the highest level of competition. That said, there will always exist the fear that the next hit could be the last one, bringing Tagovailoa’s plans for the future to a sudden, screeching halt. There would be no shame in choosing to walk away now; Tagovailoa has shown success at the University of Alabama and for the Dolphins, and the money he has already made will ensure his family is set for life. If he does choose that path, though, I only hope that he’s the one who makes that decision, and life doesn’t make it for him.
Look at the child in this photograph. At first glance, with his backwards hat and giant smile plastered on his face, he seems harmless.
What if I were to tell you that this child was the bane of many sports game players’ existences around the turn of the century? A young man so far ahead of his peers, including child versions of MLB stars. A player so overpowered, Madden 2004 Michael Vick and Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson are balanced by comparison. See him stroll to the batter’s box, and anyone would tell you that magic was bound to happen.
His name is Pablo Sanchez. The Secret Weapon himself. And soon, he will grace us with his presence once again.
In a press release, Playground Productions announced the revival of the cult classic Backyard Sports series. A trailer was also released to confirm that the games would bring back the aesthetic of the late-90’s to early 2000’s releases, but also heavily implied that the first game released would be a new version of Backyard Baseball. Not only would the games return, according to the press release, but the Backyard Sports IP would seek to expand into new entertainment mediums such as TV, film, and merchandise. The first game released would be the first new entry into the series since a now-discontinued mobile game in 2015.
Developed by Humongous Entertainment in 1997, the original Backyard Baseball was an underdog title that quickly developed an unexpected fanbase. When the 2001 rendition came out and included real-life professional players, the series soared in popularity and became a hit amongst diehard baseball fans and casual players alike. From there, publisher Atari continued to push the Backyard Sports series into different sports such as football, basketball, ice hockey, and even skateboarding until the series went dormant.
In a video game world where dark and gritty aesthetics have dominated the landscape, the Backyard Sports games would be a much-needed splash of color a la Fortnite and Genshin Impact. Even in the sports game market, where the focus has recently shifted towards simulation-style gameplay for a more authentic experience, Backyard Sports would offer an arcade-style alternative complete with power-ups and arena gimmicks. The game also featured a cast well ahead of its time in terms of diversity and inclusion, long before such words dominated the news cycle. The game’s original characters were not only split evenly between men and women, but also featured several different ethnicities, cultures, body types, and even disabilities. There was truly someone in the game that any player could connect to on a personal level, which could explain why the game has remained so popular for such an amount of time as it has.
Despite the series’ long-standing hiatus, the Backyard Sports games (and the aforementioned Sanchez, in particular) have continued to keep a foothold in sports culture. Sanchez routinely places high up on lists of the most iconic virtual athletes of all time. In 2016, then-Minnesota Twins prospect Daniel Palka used Sanchez’s walkup theme in a minor league game. Even in January, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce discussed the series with brother and Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce on their podcast New Heights, even going as far as insinuating interest in buying the rights to the series. While several news sources have confirmed the Kelce brothers are not involved in the series, their interest sparked renewed conversation about the series until the confirmation of its return.
The return of Backyard Sports comes off the back of a successful return for the NCAA games when NCAA Football 25 released in July to tremendous fanfare. After eleven years in between releases, the game has quickly surged in popularity and has become one of the smash hits of 2024. Sure, it’s not perfect by any stretch, but nostalgia has always painted over small issues with a rose-colored hue.
As someone who probably does not boast the same connections with the two series in question as others, I only got into both after their heyday. That said, I can still acknowledge their overall impact on both the sports and video game landscapes. These are important games for a lot of players, and having them re-introduced to a brand new audience is always exciting to see. While it will be intriguing to see what new twists the revival will bring about, the trailer suggests that Playground Productions is intent on doing so while retaining the charm of the original games.
On a more personal note, 2024 has been a year of nostalgia for me. Over the last year, I’ve started to develop a hobby of retro game collection. Some of my favorite games as a kid (SSX Tricky, Soul Calibur 2 and 3, etc.) continue to celebrate milestone anniversaries, and seeing the old gameplay always tempts me to pop them into my GameCube or PlayStation 2 and shake off the rust. Sometimes, I even check out my nearest retro games place (Retro City Games, for the curious) to browse around and sometimes get some new games for the collection. For the longest time, I was never quite sure as to why I developed the hobby, but then an idea dawned on me in the past month, and it perhaps sheds some light on why the Backyard Sports revival is of some significance to me.
It’s natural to miss childhood, especially in the crazy times we live in now. With all of the negative publicity surrounding our everyday lives, it can make one develop a bleak outlook on life; in fact, I will admit I have had my own mental health struggles at times. In this case, having a means of escapism becomes an understandable form of coping, and video games became mine. They helped me make some of the most meaningful connections in my life and provide an outlet to let out any negative emotions in a safe and positive manner. That’s ultimately why I developed such a connection to the hobby, and why the return of series like the NCAA and Backyard Sports games have my interest.
To be honest, that same feeling likely persists for plenty of people as well. People yearn for the days when the biggest problem was not missing their favorite Saturday morning cartoon, and seeing games like this pop back up bring back precious childhood memories. Hopefully, Playground Productions is able to help a new generation of players develop similar memories that they will treasure for the rest of their lives. Just as long as they keep Pablo as broken as before.
On the surface, the US men’s basketball team’s gold medal performance at the Paris Olympics was the standard. It was the fifth straight gold medal that Team USA has won, continuing the dominance that America has held on the hardwood for decades.
That said, one prevailing storyline encapsulated the entire world during this run: it was the definitive end of an era of American basketball.
LeBron James and Steph Curry, two of the best players the game has ever seen, will be in their 40s by the time the 2028 Olympics roll around, and both will almost certainly be enjoying retirement by that point. Kevin Durant will be just months from his 40th birthday by that time as well. Teammates Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White will all be in their mid-30s. It’s reasonable to assume most, if not all, of these name will not be donning the red, white and blue when the team tries to retain their gold medal in Los Angeles.
Needless to say, 2028 will be a transition year for the United States as they look to establish a new long-term core to build their program around. Given how the rest of the world has developed their own talent pools, home-court advantage does not make the US an automatic gold medal team. Serbia nearly knocked the United States out in the semifinals and are led by perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. Silver medalist France boasts the last two top picks in the NBA Draft (Victor Wembanyama and Zacharie Risacher), and both should have significant pro experience under their belts before the next Olympics. Spain, Germany, Australia, and Canada all also have their cores in place. The talent gap the United States once had on the rest of the world has all but closed, and 2028 could very well be the year that finally signifies that the rest of the world has caught up to the American juggernaut.
Despite all of that, Team USA will still have an embarrassment of riches to choose from as they seek to defend their title. Of course, there will be plenty of factors that go into choosing the next Olympic squad, and director Grant Hill will have to consider all of them as they replace possibly over half of their current group.
Who will be chosen to represent the USA in Los Angeles? Let’s find out.
Criteria
To start, it’s important to lay out some ground rules to provide some clear context of the choices being made here.
Steve Kerr will likely be replaced as head coach in 2028, as Team USA had some rough patches and controversy with player usage, as well as his Golden State Warriors likely going to decline by this point. For now, I’ll tab Miami Heat coach and Team USA assistant Erik Spoelstra as the head coach going into 2028, citing some level of continuity while also acknowledging the Heat punching well above their weight class in recent years.
An emphasis was placed on youth for this exercise, as Team USA will likely be looking for players who can compete not just in 2028, but also beyond. As such, the cutoff age for this team was 34, so the aforementioned names on the list, as well as the likes of Damian Lillard, Paul George, and James Harden were not considered. That said, I am willing to name them as honorable mentions at my discretion.
Given that this team will largely be new, pre-existing chemistry will also play a role in some decisions. Prior experience on Team USA and having teammates in the NBA will hold some merit here.
With that said, let’s reveal the team.
Guards
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves): The closest thing there is to a lock when it comes to who will make Team USA in 2028. Edwards was the youngest player on 2024’s rendition and, given he will only be 27 in 2028, he stands to be a fixture for the Americans for years. An explosive scorer and rapidly improving defender, Edwards could very well be the best American player by the time the Olympics roll around. An MVP or Minnesota winning a championship would make this a bigger no-brainer than it already is.
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns): A starter for Team USA in Paris, it stands to reason that Booker will be one of its leaders in 2028. Turning 31 in 2028, Booker will be valued for his shooting ability, defense, and backcourt versatility. Depending on the makeup of Team USA, Booker could be a valuable starter at either point guard or shooting guard. Regardless, it will be a good problem for the United States to have.
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks): While Brunson has never been on an Olympic team before, he’s no stranger to Team USA or the international stage. He was the captain of the 2023 FIBA World Cup team, and he has dedicated himself to improving at the NBA level. He has shown the ability to facilitate and control the tempo of a game, and notoriously defense-oriented Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau could help Brunson develop into a hard-nosed guard on the defensive end as well. He will be 31 in 2028 and his small stature could serve as a knock on him for international play, but Brunson has a good shot of making his first Olympic team in Los Angeles.
Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers): The last guard spot was difficult to the backcourt being where the greatest amount of depth for Team USA is; it’s very possible that this leads to five guards being chosen for Los Angeles. For now, Haliburton’s experience with Team USA gives him the nod, despite him not playing much in Paris. He was a good sport about his lack of minutes, however, and him being only 28 means that he fits perfectly with the outlined philosophy. Whereas Brunson will slow the pace of the game and create more measured opportunities, Haliburton will push the tempo instead to open the offense up and involve everybody on the court. A point guard duo of Haliburton and Brunson that will keep opposing teams off-balance and dictate the flow of the game would be a tremendous boost for Team USA.
Forwards
Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics): Tatum’s participation will be a massive storyline for Team USA in 2028. Despite winning an NBA championship with the Celtics, he never saw the court much in Paris, resulting in the risk of a fractured relationship with Team USA. With that being said, I think this usage is more of a Steve Kerr problem, and the choice is clear between who to bring in between America’s top forward and a coach with multiple worthy replacements. With what he brings to the table in all aspects of play, a then 30-year-old Tatum is a lock to join Team USA if he wants the spot, and guaranteed minutes should be no problem to find.
Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic): Banchero choosing to represent the United States over Italy internationally was huge for the Americans, securing a versatile forward who can play multiple positions. Another World Cup player in 2023, Banchero has gotten better at the NBA level and has lifted a once-moribund Magic team to a higher echelon. He should be one of the NBA’s best scorers by 2028 at just 25 years old, and his combination of size and speed could make him a matchup nightmare in international play for years to come.
Mikal Bridges (New York Knicks): Bridges is not the lock that Tatum and Banchero are, but Team USA will undoubtedly develop a soft spot for him. He is the classic case of a “3 & D” wing, and he’s proven that both in the NBA and in international play. He can hit shots from anywhere on the court, offers some shot creation, and can guard any player that he’s asked to. His Villanova and now Knicks teammate Brunson will also certainly put in a good word for him if he needs any other recommendations. Expect Brunson and Bridges to be the leaders of Team USA’s second unit.
Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder): The Thunder have emerged as one of the NBA’s fastest-rising teams, and Williams’s own breakout year played a major role. Just two seasons into his NBA career, Williams has blossomed into a two-way star with accurate shooting at all levels and versatile defense. Playing with other young stars (one of which is coming later on this roster), Williams doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands often to do his damage. He’s a young, low-maintenance player that Team USA will certainly appreciate.
Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets): Miller will only be 25 when the 2028 Olympics arrive, giving him plenty of time to develop and lock his spot in the Team USA lineup, Similar to Bridges and Williams, Miller is a versatile forward who can shoot the ball well, defend most positions on the court, and provide some passing ability. Miller’s youth, however, could give him the leg up, especially if he can do what Banchero has done in Orlando with Charlotte. There will be stiff competition for both a spot and minutes in the rotation, but the idea of Miller becoming a Team USA fixture is too enticing to ignore here.
Bigs
Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat): With Embiid and Davis both disqualified from this roster due to aging out, Adebayo is the only big man from Paris to be in Los Angeles. Having his coach Spoelstra elevated to head coach would only solidify his position further. He will be a nightmare defensively with enough strength and quickness to guard anyone on the court, and he’ll always look for the smart plays on offense. Another low-maintenance player for Team USA, and he can be safely penciled in as the starting center in Los Angeles.
Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder): Whereas Adebayo is the only safe holdover on the roster, Holmgren is the fresh face likeliest to make his Olympic debut in LA. He offers a similar skillset to Davis with his skill and versatility on both ends of the court, making him that much more appealing of an option for Team USA. The fact that he has international experience against a likely long-term thorn in Team USA’s side in Wembanyama also serves to Holmgren’s credit.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies): Out of all of the players on this list, Jackson’s spot is likely the one most in peril. That said, he’s one of the best interior defenders the US has to choose from right now, and Team USA knows that they will need to find some physicality inside soon with Adebayo being 31 in 2028. There’s a chance a young big man comes along to take that spot, but Jackson has the inside track for now.
Honorable Mentions
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers, Guard): Haliburton’s leading competition for a spot, and the likeliest option to join if a fifth guard spot gets added. Maxey has progressed dramatically over the past year or so, but he will need to continue that progress to cement his spot.
Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers, Guard): Another part of Team USA who has yet to make an Olympic roster, Mitchell’s scoring prowess is well-documented by now. What sets him apart is that he is a better defender than the likes of Brunson and Haliburton right now, which could give him a spot if Team USA values defense like they did in 2024.
Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies, Guard): There’s no denying Morant’s explosive scoring ability, but recent off-court issues and injuries have dampened his chances to be on Team USA. If he can keep his nose clean and develop a consistent three-point shot, however, it will be much more difficult to leave him off.
Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic, Guard): Suggs is a dark horse candidate to make a leap for 2028. He’d be a fantastic defensive complement for Team USA’s backcourt, but he will need to continue flashing his offensive skills to earn his place there. Having Banchero to vouch for him certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns, Forward): Durant might be 39 going into the 2028 Olympics, but Team USA has never been opposed to keeping elder statesmen around. Just like choosing Diana Taurasi over Caitlin Clark and other young players for the women’s team in Paris, Hill may elect to hold off committing too much to the youth movement and bring KD back if he’s still playing at a high enough level.
Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics, Forward): There’s no denying that Brown is one of the top 12 American players right now, and his style of play would fit seamlessly in international play. That said, the Finals MVP took his exclusion from Paris a bit too harshly, and there’s the chance that the bridge between the two sides can’t be mended in time for Los Angeles.
Cooper Flagg (Duke University, Forward): Everyone has touted Flagg as the consensus number one pick for 2025, he will only be 21 for the Olympics, and he was shown to dominate NBA players at Team USA’s training camp. While it’s too much projection to place Flagg on this list for now, a great year at Duke followed by three strong years in the NBA could change that quickly.
Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors, Forward): Barnes’s candidacy would be a lot better if we knew about the three names in front of him, as he’s in the same tier as Williams and Miller for younger options. He’d be the top choice for now if injuries struck any of the forwards down.
Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers, Big): Another potential holdover, Davis would get a nod if he still wanted to play due to his defense and versatility. While he may be 35 and his injury history is a bit spotty, it would be difficult for Team USA to leave a Laker off the team in Los Angeles.
Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers, Big): The biggest competition to Jackson right now, Mobley certainly has the defensive part of his game down pat. What will hold him off Team USA, however, is that his shot hasn’t quite come around yet. Four years is plenty of time, though, and further development could lock Mobley into a roster spot.
Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans, Big): Health will be the biggest question mark with Williamson, and his on-ball style of play is rarely one that gains fans with the Team USA braintrust. Still, he would be the ideal Embiid replacement as a physical offensive force who can explode in front of the basket, assuming that’s what Team USA still desires that element.
Baker Mayfield. Kyler Murray. Joe Burrow. These three names are quarterbacks who have gone on different career trajectories since entering the NFL, but they all started their professional journeys the exact same way.
All three had ascended to the first overall pick without being considered prior to the start of the season.
To this point, draft boards are still fluid, and there is plenty of time from now to next April in Green Bay for prospects to fly up the rankings. While there are rumblings suggesting this upcoming class is heavy on top defensive prospects and that the quarterback crop is weaker than the past two years, the narrative is far from set in stone. Even in the last two drafts, the likes of Anthony Richardson and Jayden Daniels went from barely being considered for the first round to being drafted in the top five.
That being said, this group is not without its leading contenders. Georgia’s Carson Beck is the current clubhouse leader for the first quarterback selected, possessing a combination of size, arm strength, and passing mechanics that modern NFL scouts covet. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is another name thrown in that discussion, with the hope being that his decision-making can catch up to his arm strength and accuracy. While these two both have a strong case for them to solve a QB-needy team’s woes under center, they are far from the only options available. In fact, looking at the group of draft-eligible quarterbacks for 2025, there are plenty of names that could easily enter the equation in the right circumstances.
Which quarterback prospects look poised to shake up the hierarchy of the draft? Let’s find out.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Looking for a physical specimen that will almost certainly rise up the ranks during the Combine? Milroe is your man.
The tape on Milroe last year was admittedly inconsistent. There were moments in the first half of the season that lead to a temporary benching, but Milroe eventually became the engine of the Alabama offense that defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship game and snuck into the College Football Playoff. He certainly possesses the arm strength NFL scouts look for, with his ten yards per attempt ranking third in the nation last season. When the play breaks down, Milroe also has the ability to use his legs to keep the offense moving. All of this paints the picture of Milroe being a dynamic offensive weapon at quarterback, but it is currently balanced out by his processing. He can get caught holding the ball for too long as he observes the field, suggesting improvement as a pocket passer and a need to trust his receivers and take what the defense is willing to give him.
All that being said, the great equalizer that stands out is Alabama’s new coach: Kalen DeBoer. While DeBoer will certainly feel the pressure of having to replace the legendary Nick Saban, Milroe stands out as the biggest winner of the coaching change. DeBoer’s previous stop in Washington saw him turn Michael Penix Jr. from one of college football’s great “what if?” stories into a surprise top-10 selection in this year’s draft. At Fresno State prior to that, DeBoer unlocked the potential of Jake Haener and guided him to a season where he threw for 33 touchdowns. That type of track record can only mean good things for Milroe, as DeBoer and his staff can iron out any inconsistencies and turn the obvious physical traits into production.
Milroe has all of the tools necessary to climb up boards and steal the QB1 crown from the favorites. A dominant year at Alabama could make that all but an inevitability.
Connor Weigman, Texas A&M
Staying in the SEC for a moment, Weigman stands out as one of the most intriguing prospects at quarterback this season
Looking back on Weigman’s tape the last season, it’s easy to understand why his stock looks set to skyrocket. What stands out right away is how unafraid Weigman is to face pressure, which became a necessity due to Texas A&M’s rough offensive line play last year. He never allows the defense to take him out of rhythm, and he rarely makes critical mistakes that young quarterbacks often do. Weigman is willing to escape the pocket and throw on the run, doing what he can to keep plays alive and still make the best decision possible; such is a skillset that will endear him to teams where the trenches are still a work in progress.
The bad news with Weigman is that there is still much projection to his game. A broken bone in his foot ended his campaign after four games, and he’s only thrown just over 250 passes in his collegiate career. The best ability is availability, and another year where Weigman is lost to injury will automatically raise questions about his durability and if he can withstand the punishment that the NFL will invariably dish out. If Weigman wants to make good on the hype surrounding him from the scouting community, staying healthy is crucial.
Weigman’s sample size is smaller than many of the others on this list, but what he’s shown so far has arguably been the most impressive of the bunch. If he can manage a bill of health as clean as his mechanics, there’s no reason Weigman can’t shoot up boards in a hurry.
Drew Allar, Penn State
Now we start getting into the bold predictions, starting with one of the most toolsy quarterbacks in the nation in Allar.
Looking at Allar, it’s not hard to understand why teams would line up to work with him. His 6-foot-5 frame is the prototypical size for a modern NFL quarterback, and he has shown multiple times that he has the arm strength to boot. Even more importantly is that Allar has shown some good decision-making under center, highlighted by throwing only two interceptions last season on just under 450 attempts. The natural talent for Allar to dominate at the collegiate and, eventually, the professional level is there, and the tape puts it on display.
Of course, Allar is far from a finished product. His accuracy was just below 60 percent last season, and his timing can be thrown off when either his main option is taken away or the defense applies significant pressure. While this can all be chalked up to inexperience, part of the problem stem from Penn State not providing an ideal environment for Allar’s development. The Nittany Lions changed offensive coordinators mid-season, the offensive line struggled against elite competition, and the receiver corps performed well below average. This resulted in Allar, as well as highly-touted running back Nick Singleton, having to endure up-and-down seasons in a far too conservative offensive scheme that either refused or was unable to allow them to unleash their talents.
There is certainly the possibility that Allar needs more seasoning at this level before he elects to go the the pros. However, a strong season in Happy Valley and showcasing more poise to match the physical gifts would shift the conversation completely.
Donovan Smith, Houston
A more raw version of Milroe, Smith is a name that the college football world should get ready to hear early and often.
Smith possesses all of the tools that NFL scouts love. The 6-foot-5 frame is exactly what the league is looking for at the position. He not only has the requisite arm strength to push the ball downfield and drive plays forward, but also the confidence to attack the middle of the field and hit quick passes with efficiency. Smith can operate as both a pure pocket passer who doesn’t get easily rattled under pressure, as well as a runner out of the backfield on both designed run plays and scrambles. His combination of size, strength, and athleticism points to someone who is destined to dominate the athletic testing portions of the draft process (Richardson immediately comes to mind as someone who benefitted immensely from this.)
So why is Smith the best quarterback prospect you’ve never heard of? First, Houston is a team expected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, so the lack of exposure does not help his case. Secondly, Smith’s first year starting showcased some of the usual flaws that young quarterbacks have. He has the tendency to lock onto his first read, and his mechanics can sometimes falter when things go off-script. For Smith to improve his stock, he will have to eliminate the mental mistakes and prove that he can properly manipulate the defense and anticipate when his receivers will get open. Again, last season was Smith’s first season as a starting quarterback, so the idea here is that more game reps will help him establish good habits. Also, Sanders is a top quarterback prospect on an average Colorado team, so there’s no excuse to use Houston’s lack of success against Smith if the results are not on him.
A breakout season is all that separates Smith from a locked-in first round selection. Even if teams do not intend to start him right away, the physical tools are just too tantalizing to ignore.
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
The name currently most likely to choose to wait until 2026, the conversation surrounding Drones has the potential to change if the hype train begins to get out of control.
Another prospect who was a first-time starter last year, Drones showcased his abilities quite effectively. For a 6-foot-2 quarterback, the first thing that stands out about Drones is his mobility. With 818 rushing yards and five touchdowns, Drones is a legit threat to take it from the backfield and drive play forward with his feet. OF course, he also possesses a cannon for an arm, pushing play downfield while also limiting mistakes (three interceptions in 2023). With experience now under his belt, Drones looks poised to take the next step and establish himself as a dynamic weapon as Virginia Tech takes the next step forward.
The thing that stands out most about Drones that could hurt his case, however, is his accuracy. Just over 58 percent in completions is not going to cut it at the professional level. A large part of this is Drones tending to look more towards making the big play instead of going underneath and allowing his receivers to take advantage of holes in the defense. Similar to other first-year starters, however, it’s easy to suggest that this is all due to inexperience and will be filtered out over time. That being said, Drones will have to compete against several other underclassmen at his position. Other than a quartet of Milroe, Weigman, Allar, and Texas’s Quinn Ewers, Drones finds himself in a tier with USC’s Miller Moss and Arizona’s Noah Fifita as quarterbacks who have shown dynamic tendencies and just need to show more consistency. If Drones wants to turn pro after this season, he will have to develop good habits quickly and stay ahead of the curve.
There’s no denying Drones will be a top name come 2026. If he and Virginia Tech live up to the expectations this year, however, the NFL may not have to wait another year to see what he can do.
The term “train wreck” gets thrown around often in the world of sports. It often represents more than simply a team languishing at the bottom of the standings. It more accurately describes a team that has little to suggest improvement and the only logical path forward being to tear the whole thing down until nothing remains.
The last time I brought a team like this to attention, it was the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks after they had given up ten goals in back-to-back games and lost their first twelve games of the year. While the team managed to avoid further embarrassment, the article still held up rather nicely. GM Mike Grier did well to remove coach David Quinn from his position, but followed it up with a questionable trade deadline that saw Tomas Hertl and a couple of sweeteners go off to Vegas. They did land Macklin Celebrini with the top pick in the draft, however, and the talent in San Jose’s farm system suggests they can rejoin the ranks of the NHL’s elite with proper development.
It’s one thing to write a team off at the beginning of the year when they had zero expectations to begin with; meanwhile, Chicago White Sox players and fans have to be waiting impatiently for their nightmare to finally end.
On August 4th, the 27-86 White Sox were swept for the 18th time this season by the Minnesota Twins after a 13-7 defeat. It was the 20th consecutive defeat the Sox have suffered, one away from tying the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the longest losing streak in American League history and three away from the modern record belonging to the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies. The all-time record belongs to the 1889 Louisville Colonels at 26 straight losses and, quite frankly, would it even be a surprise to see the White Sox chase THAT record down? After all, ever since the Sox’s last victory against these same Twins on July 10, Joe Biden stepped down from his re-election bid, the Olympic torch in Paris was lit, and the Chicago Bears won a game. It has truly become that egregious.
It is one thing to go on a miserable losing streak such as this, but this is merely the tip of the iceberg for the South Side baseball club. Should the White Sox continue at their current pace, they would finish the season with a record of 38-124. They would be the worst team in this century with that mark over the 2003 Detroit Tigers by five games. They would be four games worse than the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the worst modern record in MLB history. The only team with a worse winning percentage (.237 for this White Sox team) would be the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics’ mark of .235. This is a level of futility that the baseball world has not seen since World War One.
Normally, there would be a silver lining that existed in a scenario like this. Somewhere, if you look hard enough, the White Sox should be good at something, right? Unfortunately, even with due diligence, there’s nothing here to suggest any improvement is coming. The offense is outright putrid, scoring 327 runs and averaging only 3.05 runs per game; the next-lowest marks belong to the Miami Marlins at 390 and 3.61, respectively. The only team they’ve hit more home runs than is the Washington Nationals. They have the lowest batting average at .216, on-base percentage at .276, and slugging percentage at .341.
Pitching and fielding have done the White Sox no favors, either. The only team worse than the Sox’s 4.81 ERA is the Colorado Rockies, and they play half of their games in the most hitter-friendly park in the entire MLB. The bullpen not only has the lowest number of saves with 17, but they lead the league with 27 blown saves (yes, that matches the number of wins) and are the only group to have a save percentage lower than half. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only team to have been hit with more home runs than the White Sox, not to mention they have walked more batters than any other team. On defense, the White Sox are one of only two teams to allow more than five runs per game (the Rockies are the other), and they rank fourth in total errors with 68. It should be no surprise, then, that the White Sox roster has a total of -20 WAR (wins above replacement), highlighted by a -20.9 mark for their lineup. Replacement-level players could come together to scrounge up a team and perform a full twenty wins better than the Sox.
It will only get worse, unfortunately. At the trade deadline, the White Sox were obvious sellers, resulting in a thin roster becoming even more so. Three of the top five batting averages (Tommy Pham, Eloy Jimenez, Paul DeJong) in the lineup are gone. DeJong also led the team in home runs with 18. Wins and ERA leader Erick Fedde is gone as well, along with arguably their top two bullpen arms in Michael Kopech and Tanner Banks. Their two leading trade chips in Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert are still around, but it likely will not be long until they are shut down to protect them from further damage. Crochet, in particular, has requested a new contract, and it will likely take a king’s ransom for him to want to stay anywhere near this disaster. Maybe they can use some of the money saved from the Jimenez deal (speaking of which, when was the last time anyone has seen analysts from a team-owned sports network happy that a player has been traded away?)
It has long reached the point for moves to be made. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been confirmed to hold private meetings with manager Pedro Grifol and general manager Chris Getz to discuss the issues surrounding the team. The general consensus for those meetings, however, was that Grifol’s future with the White Sox is uncertain to this point, and an in-season firing is not out of the question unless the wins begin to come back. For Reinsdorf to consider this drastic change with a year remaining on Grifol’s contract is proof enough of how lost this season has been for the White Sox, and the disaster could see first-year GM Getz also come under fire.
The sad part is both hirings were questionable ideas when they were even made. Grifol had been selected to be the new manager after a couple of years as Mike Matheny’s bench coach for the Kansas City Royals. In Grifol’s final year with the organization, the Royals finished 65-97, good for last place in the American League Central division. Matheny would not return to the organization and he would be replaced by Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, a move that has paid off with the Royals looking much better in his second year at the helm. Grifol, meanwhile, currently holds the worst winning percentage of any White Sox manager at .320, all while being on the receiving end of jokes from former White Sox and World Series-winning manager Ozzie Guillen. Meanwhile, when the organization was enduring a rough season last year and removed GM Rick Hahn, the White Sox elected to make an in-house hire with Getz. While Getz would have been fine as an interim selection, going with him full-time suggests that Reinsdorf and the White Sox braintrust don’t believe that anything is wrong. It creates a vicious cycle of aiming to be merely competitive and making ill-fated decisions for the purpose of selling tickets and increasing the bottom line instead of seeking success on the diamond (see: Colorado Rockies and the Kris Bryant signing). While baseball is a difficult sport to stay at the top of for a prolonged amount of time without financial or analytical advantages, fans will not approve of a team whose long-term strategy is profits over product.
The schedule does not necessarily ease up, either. The Oakland A’s are next up for the White Sox and, while the A’s have not particularly had a strong season, they are a full 19.5 games ahead in the standings. It is possible that the series in Oakland results in a sweep and leaves the White Sox at the doorstep of eternal mockery. As an extra twist of the knife, the series after is against the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs, who would love a free chance to keep their postseason hopes alive and establish their dominance in the Windy City. The New York Yankees and Houston Astros are next and will want to cement their spots in the playoffs as well, so they will also be motivated to perform against the Sox. Sure, losing 30 games in a row sounds impossible, but the fact it even has to be considered a possibility is insanity.
It is rare to see this level of ghastliness come in the sports world, particularly due to general parity and the difficulty of being this consistently vile. It has become a reality for the White Sox, however, and the final two months of their season will be dedicated to avoiding the historical lows they sit perilously close to breaking. At least they are bound to get a top prospect in next year’s draft to help push the team in the right direction…right?
Even a month or so after their loss in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s easy to still live in the afterglow if you’re an Edmonton Oilers fan.
The Oilers were just one win away from completing arguably the greatest comeback in sports history against the Florida Panthers. Connor McDavid became the first player since Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003 to lose the Final and still win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Leon Draisaitl is, along with McDavid, firmly in the conversation of the top five players in the world. Evan Bouchard has become a Norris Trophy candidate. Zach Hyman has given the Oilers a lethal “Big Three” at forward. Stuart Skinner overcame an awful postseason last year to become the new face of Canadian goaltending. Defense is still questionable, but the emergence of Philip Broberg during the playoffs certainly eases some concerns. All of the pieces were in place for Edmonton to do what the Panthers did last year and return to the Final with a different result.
The off-season only caused the hype train in Edmonton to go into overdrive. Postseason heroes Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark were both re-signed. Depth options like Corey Perry, Connor Brown, and Calvin Pickard were also extended. Outside the organization, the Oilers brought in Jeff Skinner on a fantastic deal after he was bought out from Buffalo. Viktor Arvidsson embraced the “if you can’t beat them, join them” mentality and fled Los Angeles to join the Edmonton war machine. Josh Brown was brought in on the back end to make sure toughness remained on the defensive corps. The front office also made a savvy move to pick up Matt Savoie from Buffalo to potentially pair with one of Edmonton’s elite centers. There are still questions to answer in terms of cap casualties, but it was looking like a fantastic summer for the Oilers.
There was just one small problem that needed to be sorted out: Ken Holland had stepped down as general manager shortly after the Final. Jeff Jackson was doing a good job in the interim, but he already turned down requests to accept the job full-time. Given how crucial the next couple of years are going to be for the franchise, this was a hire the Oilers needed to get right. There were plenty of suitable candidates for Edmonton to choose from, some familiar with the organization and some not.
When the Oilers finally put their hand in the mystery box, however, they pulled out the greatest enigma of all.
Prior to the hire, Stan Bowman’s legacy in the NHL was as complicated as it was controversial. While it’s true that he did win three Stanley Cups as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, most of the core that won those Cups was in place before Bowman took the helm. His draft record in Chicago was hit or miss, and even some of the hits (Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Hartman, Philip Danault, Nick Schmaltz) were traded under Bowman’s watch. There was also the trade of Artemi Panarin to Columbus for nothing, struggling to find a capable defenseman to replace Niklas Hjalmarsson (including one attempt for Calvin de Haan costing the Blackhawks Gustav Forsling), and the trade and extension for Seth Jones that has looked questionable. By the time Bowman was fired in 2021, the Blackhawks roster was a far cry from the Cup-winning teams of the last decade and a rebuild was desperately needed after the damage done over the last few years.
Of course, no one can discuss Bowman’s tenure as Chicago GM without discussing its ultimate black mark. Much has already been written about the sexual abuse scandal committed by former video coach Brad Aldrich on Kyle Beach, but the main point in this context is Bowman was among a group of Blackhawks executives who became aware of the incident and failed to immediately resolve the issue. Aldrich’s antics would continue and he was forced to resign from his position, but he still was paid by the organization, had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, and continued to take roles for high school and college hockey until another incident in 2013 put him under arrest.
When an investigation on the Beach incident occurred and its findings were reported, the hockey world imploded. Aldrich became persona non grata and removed from NHL history, and the seedy underbelly of hockey culture at the time became exposed for all the world to see. Bowman, then-head coach Joel Quenneville, and then-team executive Al MacIsaac were all ruled ineligible to continue working for the league, but the ruling was overturned at the beginning of July.
Obviously, Bowman’s return to the league was met with immediate pushback, even amongst Oilers fans. Even during the press conference that made the move official, it felt more like the Oilers doing damage control than anything else. They cited Bowman’s genuine remorse and work with the Respect Group, an advocacy group for abuse and harassment started by former NHL player and sexual abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy. Jackson mentioned that they had even discussed Bowman’s hiring with Beach and said that he had given the Oilers the green light.
So why, even after a week later to process this, do I still have issues with the hire?
While I would have preferred Beach’s approval of the Bowman hire to come from the man himself, Kennedy’s statement also mentions that the two had a positive meeting together, so I’m willing to at least believe that part. Where the problem begins is that the NHL is currently in a rough patch with sexual abuse scandals and “changed men” returning to the league. The NHL is still reeling from the 2018 Canada World Juniors team scandal, which has seen five of its players removed from the league and facing charges of sexual assault in Canada. In terms of changed men, the Columbus Blue Jackets brought in Mike Babcock as head coach last year, despite knowledge of multiple incidents with players during his tenures in Detroit and Toronto regarding verbal abuse and invasion of privacy. Babcock didn’t even make it to training camp before another incident flared up and he was swiftly removed from his position. It’s easy to say that people have changed; to prove it is a different and more difficult matter entirely.
Any move the Oilers have made to this point have been completely overshadowed. News about the team will be dominated not by how the team looks on the ice or what changes are being implemented, but how the players feel about Bowman being in charge. One would think that the team would also discuss this with its players, especially with their stars. While it can be debated whether discussing a coach or GM hire with players is a good idea or not, the Oilers have a tenuous situation to justify it. Draisaitl’s contract expires after this season and McDavid’s the year after, with both becoming unrestricted free agents. One, if not both, should undisputedly be in Edmonton’s long-term plans, so why make a controversial hire now that casts a shadow over potential negotiations? It’s fair to assume that some in the NHL will never truly forgive Bowman for his role in the Aldrich scandal, and there’s a real chance that Edmonton’s best players want no part in any sort of controversy. If that’s the case and both choose to go elsewhere when their contracts expire, the Bowman hire will have a much greater negative impact than it already does.
Even worse, such an incident would have been completely avoidable had the Oilers just gone a different route with the hire. Even without discussing Jackson, there are two people in particular who should have been given at least a look: Keith Gretzky and Shawn Horcoff.
Keith Gretzky, brother of Wayne, has worked in the Oilers organization for almost a decade now, so he would have the most experience with the team out of any eligible candidate. While he’s mostly served as GM of Edmonton’s AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, it’s been noted that he has served as an advisor to Holland and Jackson during the off-seasons. Given the success this summer has been for the Oilers and that he already had a foot in the door with the organization, promoting Gretzky to the GM position would have made sense to people. Meanwhile, Horcoff is a former Oilers captain and longtime player who has seen the organization at both high and low points, so he would know what bringing a Cup would mean to Edmonton. He is currently working his way through the Detroit Red Wings front office, now serving as assistant GM and GM to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Throughout his time, Horcoff has been able to develop younger players and get them ready for the NHL, which is something Edmonton would certainly value. With their connections to the organization, they would have a great chance to sell McDavid and Draisaitl on the idea to stay in Edmonton and become national heroes if they bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time in over 30 years.
The search doesn’t even have to end there. Mathieu Darche’s diverse skillset and expertise in negotiations would have made him an asset. Mark Hunter has a great track record of developing talent as part-owner of the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League, and his chances of landing an NHL job have improved due to another CHL owner in Kelly McCrimmon exceeding expectations in Vegas. Perhaps Jason Botteril could have provided ideas that he was previously unable to in Buffalo? Does Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch tap into his connections to bring Hartford Wolf Pack GM Ryan Martin along? All of this sheds light on my ultimate problem with the Bowman hire: there were so many other qualified options that would not have come with Bowman’s baggage, especially given that Edmonton’s long-term future isn’t quite set in stone.
For what it’s worth, I genuinely hope Bowman has changed. It appears on the surface that he has learned the error of his ways and is doing what he can to correct them. That said, all of this feels like too much, too fast. Bowman will not only be tasked with running a team with legitimate Cup aspirations, but also to ensure complete transparency on the organization’s inner workings. Bowman’s second chance, given the circumstances, feels like a blessing; there will not be a third should issues arise again.
The Sports Nerd Speaks 