With Billly Napier remaining atop the organization, the Florida Gators project an image of a program in decline.
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin says Billy Napier ‘will continue’ as Gators’ coach. Into 2025 season? Stricklin’s annoucnement doesn’t say.
Flimsy vote of confidence for Billy Napier intended to spur Florida’s stalled recruiting efforts.

Florida’s house is a mess. Such a mess, it can’t even write a clear news release.

Amid monthslong speculation that Florida will fire its sunken coach, Billy Napier, athletic director Scott Stricklin announced Thursday that Napier “will continue as head football coach of the Florida Gators.”

Continue for how long? Through the end of this month? Into the 2025 season? It doesn’t say.

We’re led to believe Napier will be back as coach next season, but, within Stricklin’s five-paragraph word salad, he makes no mention of 2025 or next season. This registers as a flimsy endorsement from an athletics director under fire for a coach who will remain on the scalding-hot seat. Napier will stay there until the day he’s fired or wins enough to turn down the heat. And winning remains a problem for Napier.

This announcement serves as a ploy for recruits: Sign with us. The water’s fine.

Except, it isn’t, and as any Floridian knows, you’re a fool to wade into swampy, murky waters.

Napier’s latest recruiting class ranks 51st nationally in the 247Sports Composite, ahead of only Vanderbilt within the SEC. Florida will need to crush it in the transfer portal to brighten its future.

I’m picturing Florida’s offseason pitch to donors: Donate toward Napier’s roster revolution! (And keep the checkbook handy in case we need buyout bucks next fall.)

Assuming Napier keeps his job into 2025 – that’s the assumption Florida wants us to make off Stricklin’s announcement – it won’t be because of job performance.

The Gators are playing better these past few weeks, but they’re still losing to any opponent with a pulse. Third-year SEC coaches are paid to win, not to lose in competitive fashion. Napier’s coaching gaffes directly contributed to Florida’s overtime loss at Tennessee last month.

As the Gators’ SEC rivals strengthen, their decision to continue with Napier plays weak.

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Florida’s tepid case for keeping Billy Napier

Florida will keep Napier because it employs nobody it trusts to fire Napier and effectively replace him. Interim president Kent Fuchs previously was Florida’s president, without the interim tag, when Florida hired Napier three years ago.

Following Ben Sasse’s resignation in July, Fuchs returned to the captain’s seat during this interregnum. Interim leaders keep the lights on, but they tend not to make sweeping changes.

And how about Stricklin, Napier’s boss? Well, Stricklin himself sits on a hot seat. He’s 0 for 2 on football hires. He previously hired and fired Dan Mullen, and now he’s responsible for a coach whose Gators record is 15-18, and it’s about to get worse.

When the day comes for Florida to cue up a coaching search, I can hardly imagine Stricklin leading it.

Napier’s buyout would top $26 million after this season, and new expenses are coming for athletic departments in the 2025-26 athletic season. Schools like Florida are projected to revenue-share more than $20 million annually with athletes after the NCAA negotiated a legal settlement that will result in schools directly compensating players.

So, there you have it: Napier persists, because Florida’s leadership remains in a period of transition, and he’d be pricy to fire.

Florida requires strong solutions but instead offered a tepid vote of confidence.

One day, Florida will have a new president, and Napier’s buyout will be cheaper.

“In these times of change across college athletics,” Stricklin wrote, “we are dedicated to a disciplined, stable approach that is focused on the long-term, sustained success for Gators athletics, recruits and fans.

“I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. We will work alongside him to support any changes needed to elevate Gator football.”

That’s lovely, but nothing in Napier’s performance throughout three seasons indicates he’s up to the job.

You’d need to dig into the recesses of your brain to recall the last Florida coach who “sustained success.” He works for Fox now.

Florida fired its first three coaches who followed Urban Meyer. Napier underperforms each of those three predecessors.

With Napier and Stricklin at the wheel, Florida’s glory days fade into a speck barely visible in the rear-view mirror.

Billy Napier’s Florida Gators buckled under a brutal schedule

Stricklin’s first hire went better than this one. Mullen’s X’s and O’s weren’t a problem, and he fared well enough until his final 12 months of the job, when he became disinterested in roster building.

Napier inherited a depth chart in need of bolstering, and Florida did not position itself for the NIL revolution as well as some rivals. So, he operated behind the eight-ball.

Florida’s schedule this season ranks among the nation’s toughest. Eleven of 12 games are against Power Four opponents, and each of the Gators’ four losses came against teams ranked in the Top 25. The Gators (4-4) started the season performing pitifully, but they played with more competence the past several weeks, even while wins remain hard to come by.

Those are relevant caveats, but patience registers as the loser’s rally cry, and there’s no running away from the fact that Florida speeds toward a fourth straight losing season.

With Napier remaining atop the organization, the Gators project an image of a program in decline.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

We are less than 10 games into the NBA season, and yet the second annual in-season tournament is already nearly upon us. Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 12, the 2024 tournament, rebranded as the Emirates Cup this season, will take place over the course of the next month, culminating in the championship on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural tournament, securing the victory with a 123-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. Both teams would go on to reach the NBA postseason, and although the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, the Pacers would go all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

In essence, this tournament could be a good indicator of which teams could surprise people at the end of the season. Of course though, with injuries already running rampant across the league, several NBA championship contenders may not be in a position to compete for the NBA Cup currently.

Here’s everything to know about the NBA’s second-ever in-season tournament:

How does the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup work?

In July, all 30 NBA teams were divided into six groups of five teams with the Eastern and Western Conferences still separated. The groups were determined by the previous season’s end-of-year seedings.

Every Tuesday – beginning Nov. 12 and through Dec. 3 – and on the Fridays of Nov. 15, 22, and 29, the league will play group stage games, determining seeding for the knockout rounds, which will begin on Dec. 10. Records during the group stage and knockout rounds will count towards each team’s regular season record. The only game of the Emirates Cup tournament that will not count toward the regular season is the championship.

Each team will play every other team in their group to determine whether or not they qualify for the knockout round. Should two or more teams be tied following the group stage, the tiebreakers are as follows:

Head-to-head record in Group Play
Point differential in Group Play
Total points scored in Group Play
Record from the 2023-24 NBA regular season
Random drawing

The winners of each group as well as one wild card team from each conference will advance to the single-elimination knockout stages.

Emirates NBA Cup groups for 2024

Western Conference

Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings
Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
Group C: Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies

Eastern Conference

Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards

2024 Emirates NBA Cup schedule

Group Play

Tuesday, Nov. 12
Friday, Nov. 15
Tuesday, Nov. 19
Friday, Nov. 22
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Friday, Nov. 29
Tuesday, Dec. 3

Knockout stages

Quarterfinals — Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec. 11
Semifinals — Saturday, Dec. 14
Finals — Tuesday, Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

What prize do Emirates NBA Cup winners receive?

Members of the tournament’s winning team will receive additional financial compensation. In 2023, $500,000 was awarded to each player on the championship team; $200,000 was awarded to each player on the runner-up; $100,000 went to each player on the third and fourth-place teams; and $50,000 was granted to each team that lost in the quarterfinals.

Let me take you to the bizarre intersection of blind hope and empirical evidence, where failure is rewarded with patience and persistence in the face of overwhelming reality.

The Florida Gators officially doubled down on hope early Thursday morning. And if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. 

Hope is not a plan. 

But here we are, staring at the fourth consecutive losing season at Florida for the first time since the World War II era, and Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin announced embattled coach Billy Napier is staying. 

Now, next year, beyond.

“I am confident that Billy will meet the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Stricklin said. “As college athletics evolves, (Florida) is committed to embracing innovation and strategy.”

Because nothing screams innovation and strategy quite like Billy Napier.

Before we get into the hows and whys of this strange decision, let me take you back all of three weeks to the Tennessee game. The Gators, desperate for a signature win under Napier, were setting up for a field goal in the final seconds of the first half at Knoxville.

Trey Smack hit the 42-yard kick, but Florida was penalized for a substitution infraction with too many players on the field. The points were taken off the board, and Florida eventually lost in overtime — a game it should’ve won in regulation with those three critical points. 

This was less than two weeks after Napier — three years into his tenure at Florida — began using the special teams mat that nearly every program uses. It’s a sideline mat with 11 dots, numbered 1-11 to make sure there is no confusion in the heat of the moment. 

Innovation and strategy, baby.

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In the Friday walkthrough before the Tennessee game, there were (in theory) 11 players standing on the special teams mat. In preseason warmups, 11. 

When there absolutely, positively needed to be 11 during the game, there were 12 players on the field.

That’s not just a mistake, that’s a game-changing mistake in the most competitive conference in college football, where one play can be the difference between winning and losing.  

Early in last week’s rivalry game with Georgia, before the loss of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway to a hamstring injury, and before a gutty Gators team nearly pulled off an upset, I stared at the Florida sideline and was struck by the sight. 

There were nearly as many blue polo shirts and black khakis on the sideline as there were players in uniform. Three seasons of paralysis by over-analysis, of asking for (and getting) 40-plus staff members to cover every possible contingency, and Florida still can’t get the correct number of players on the field.

Three seasons of confounding and unthinkable gaffes, and poor game day decisions with no solid answers. How many times does Florida need to see special teams mistakes that cost games before enough is enough?

Was last year’s absurd moment of trying to on run the field goal team while the offense was trying to spike the ball to set up a game-winning field goal against Arkansas not a red flag? Was quarterback Graham Mertz screaming, ‘What are we doing?’ during the Keystone Kops moment not enough? 

The Gators lost that game, too — because the gaffe cost five yards, which made the kick longer, which impacted the angle of the missed kick. 

“This is a results business,” Napier says over and over. 

And maybe we’re looking at this thing the wrong way. Maybe Florida, with every possible advantage to win big, is just an average program.

The results, for the majority of the program’s history, have looked a whole lot like what Napier has delivered. He’s 1-10 in rivalry games (Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee), and a 2-13 against ranked teams.

In the 100-plus years of football at Florida, there have been two pockets of legitimate success — and both were because the Gators hired rare, unique coaches. 

Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer were sharks. Elite motivators, and schematically advanced far beyond the rest of the game.

The best high school players wanted to spend three or four years in Gainesville, wanted to win big with arrogance and attitude. The national and SEC titles, the elite players and rollicking Saturdays in the Swamp, are all with Spurrier and Meyer. 

The rest of Florida football consists of an average of 6.8 wins per season, save for a unique season by Spurrier the player, when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966.

So maybe the empirical evidence isn’t the mounting losses, and the historically bad string of losing seasons. Maybe it’s just a typically average program hoping a potentially rare freshman talent at quarterback will save everything.

Maybe it’s hope that Stricklin giving Napier a vote of confidence will magically improve recruiting, which is currently ranked No. 51 by the 247Sports composite.

Maybe it’s hope that players from the transfer portal will want to play with Lagway, and that will be the draw to Gainesville more than the coach who can’t seem to get out of his own way.

Hope, everyone, is not a plan.

Hiring a shark for a coach is the only plan.  

With nearly all the teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll top 25 in action, the Week 11 slate has plenty of offerings for our panel of prognosticators to consider.

There are only two meetings of ranked squads, however, and unsurprisingly both contests are in the SEC. Naturally there are playoff implications for those as well, as No. 2 Georgia pays a visit to No. 12 Mississippi and No. 11 Alabama heads to No. 13 LSU.

There might also be differences of opinion among our panelists in this week’s Big 12 action. Texas Tech looks to spring a second consecutive upset with No. 24 Colorado coming to Lubbock, and No. 9 Brigham Young renews acquaintances with ‘Holy War’ rival Utah.

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Where else might there be potential for surprises? Here’s what our experts have to say.

After taking the night off Tuesday for Election Day, the NBA returned to action Wednesday night, setting up a weekend loaded with fascinating matchups.

On Friday, a pair of contenders in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, will face off in Dallas. Friday will also see a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals – a series the Denver Nuggets won in five games over the Miami Heat – and a meeting between the Philadelphia 76ers (who will be without the suspended Joel Embiid) against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sunday features a trio of intriguing Western Conference battles: the Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavericks at the Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings at the Suns.

Another thing to watch: the NBA Cup will be making its return Tuesday night with an eight-game slate; the headliners will be the New York Knicks at 76ers and Mavericks at Warriors, both of which will air on TNT.

Before then, however, here are some takeaways from the second week of the NBA season.

Thunder have NBA’s best defense, and it’s not particularly close

The Thunder lead the league in defensive rating (96.5). They’re the only team with a rating less than 100 and they lead the next closest team, the Warriors, by 7.3. Oklahoma City leads the NBA in steals per game (13.4, which is 3.3 more than the next closest team) and in blocks per game (7.3). In fact, the mark for steals per game would set an all-time NBA record, surpassing the 1977-78 Suns, who averaged 12.9 steals per game.

The Thunder have done it by installing players who have excellent length and thrive on defensive competition all along the starting five. The trade for Alex Caruso, who leads the NBA in deflections per game, was a difference maker. Center Chet Holmgren’s development as a rim protector has been crucial. It’s no surprise, then, that the Thunder (7-1) look like a real threat to contend for a championship.

Retooled Knicks still finding their way

The incorporation of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges might take longer than anticipated. New York dropped its second game in a row Wednesday night, allowing Atlanta Hawks rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Riscaher to pop off for 22 points in the first half and 33 overall. Very uncharacteristic of a Tom Thibodeaux-coached team, it’s defense where the Knicks are lacking; New York ranks 20th in defensive rating (115.2).

One additional issue the Knicks are facing, perhaps fueled by the absence of center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and the free agency departure of Isaiah Hartenstein, is that New York is underperforming on the glass. One season after leading the NBA in rebound percentage (52.7%), the Knicks rank 18th (49.4%) through seven games this year.

Heat have a third quarter problem

And that problem is even worse at home. The Heat (3-4) rank 28th in third quarter point differential (-52). The only teams worse are the Utah Jazz (-65) and Portland Trail Blazers (-73). This issue stretches back to last season. Heat players often lack energy coming out of the locker room, affecting their defensive intensity, which then impacts their shot selection.

When asked why this has been happening, players and coach Erik Spoelstra have appeared bewildered. ‘I don’t know, we’ve looked at everything,’ Spoelstra said after Monday’s loss against the Kings in which Miami was outscored by 20 in the third quarter. ‘At some point, you have to take a stand and say ‘Enough is enough.”

During Wednesday night’s loss at the Suns, Miami actually broke even with Phoenix, with each team scoring 29 apiece in the period. The Suns closed the frame on a 15-3 run, however, shrinking the Heat’s lead to three points at the start of the fourth and setting up a far more difficult end to the game.

Warriors find new formula and new ‘Splash Brother’

Wednesday night’s road takedown of the defending champion Boston Celtics was a perfect case study for how the retooled Warriors are not only staying competitive in Stephen Curry’s 16th season, but thriving. Golden State (7-1) is hounding opposing wing players along the perimeter, often blitzing elite scorers with double teams and slowing pace.

Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Draymond Green have been essential in this, though it has been a team effort; only one team – the Thunder – is defending the 3-pointer at a better rate than Golden State (29.5%). The Warriors have the NBA’s second-ranked defense (103.8). Compare that to last season, when the Warriors ranked 15th in defensive rating (116.9).

On the other end, Buddy Hield has been a tremendous offseason addition coming off the bench, ranking second in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (4.6), helping ease the loss of Klay Thompson.

Anthony Edwards doesn’t care if you think he shoots too many 3s

Speaking of 3-pointers, he was already an offensive force, but Minnesota Timberwolves two-time All-Star Anthony Edwards has transformed his offensive approach. Edwards, after attempting 6.7 attempts from beyond the arc last season, has upped his volume to 11.4. It’s a remarkable uptick, and one that has changed the way Minnesota spaces the floor and runs its offense.

Edwards is converting 5.1 of those attempts per game – most in the NBA – and he’s shooting the 3 at a career-best 45% clip. The move is paying off, at least individually; Edwards is averaging a career-high 27.3 points per game. But is it paying off for Minnesota?

The sample size is small, but the Timberwolves (4-3) are averaging 111.7 points per game, which is slightly down from the 113 they averaged last season. One point worth noting here, however, is that the team is significantly different on offense, after it traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

The NHL season is a month old and there have been two trades and extensions signed by Jake Oettinger, Alexis Lafreniere, Linus Ullmark and others.

Top players remain eligible for extensions, including Igor Shesterkin, Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Brock Boeser and others.

There will be more trades as teams build toward a Stanley Cup or make moves for their long-term future. Here are key dates to watch: the holiday roster freeze in December, the league’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and the trade deadline in early March.

Follow along here this season for signings, trades, transactions and other news from the NHL:

Nov. 7: Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov to be healthy scratch

Coach John Tortorella called the move ‘part of the process.’

‘With young guys, they can watch games, too, as far as development,’ he told reporters. ‘It’s trying to help them.’

Michkov, 19, has 10 points in 13 games and a minus-8 rating and was NHL rookie of the month in October. He had just one point in his last five games and his ice time dropped in the last four.

Nov. 4: Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini ready to return from injury

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, is ready to return to action after aggravating an injury in the season opener, according to NHL.com.

He took part in practice Monday on the top line with Tyler Toffoli and Mikael Granlund and is looking to play his second game season Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Celebrini said he reinjured his hip on his first shift of the opener but played the full game and had a goal and assist.

He has missed 12 games. The Sharks opened the season 0-7-2 but are 3-1 in their last four games.

Also: The Colorado Avalanche said Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to practice with the team. The suspended forward remains in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program and would have to be cleared to play. … St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg will be out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. He needed help getting off the ice Saturday after he was checked by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner. … The Boston Bruins signed forward Tyler Johnson to a one-year, $775,000 contract. He won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning and spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Nov. 2: Islanders’ Mathew Barzal, Adam Pelech go on injured list

New York Islanders No. 1 center Mathew Barzal was placed on long-term injured reserve with an unspecified upper-body injury. He’ll be out four to six weeks. He had 80 points in 80 games last season but had been limited to five points in 10 games this season as the Islanders have struggled to score.

Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech also will be out four to six weeks after being hit in the face by a puck. He went on the injured list.

Oct. 30: Sharks acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs get defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. Liljegren, 25, had been limited to one game in Toronto this season, and the Maple Leafs recently committed to blue-liner Jake McCabe with a five-year extension. But Liljegren should fit in well in San Jose, which is building around younger players. Benning, 30, and Liljegren are signed through 2025-26.

This is the second day with an NHL trade after none previously since the season opened in North America.

OILERS: Connor McDavid out with ankle injury

Oct. 29: Utah acquires defenseman Olli Maatta from Red Wings

The Utah Hockey Club gives up a third-round pick as it addresses a desperate need for a veteran defenseman. Sean Durzi and John Marino are out long-term after surgery. Utah has been leaking goals during a four-game losing streak, including blowing a 4-1 lead late in the third period against the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Maatta is solid defensively and has nearly 700 games of NHL experience.

Oct. 28: Maple Leafs sign Jake McCabe to five-year extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jake McCabe to a five-year extension with an annual average value of $4.51 million. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports there is some deferred money in the deal. McCabe, 31, had been acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a February 2023 trade and ranks fourth on the team in average ice time this season. He has three assists in nine games and a team-best plus-6 rating.

Also: The New York Rangers recalled rugged forward Matt Rempe from the American Hockey League after he played two games there. The Rangers play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in what has become a feisty rivalry.

Oct. 26: Penguins send goalie Tristan Jarry to minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins sent two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to their American Hockey League affiliate on a conditioning loan after his early season struggles. He had been sent home from the Penguins’ road trip to work on his game after recording a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three games. He was pulled from his last start on Oct. 16 and gave up six goals in the opener.

Jarry is in the second season of a five-year contract that carries a $5.375 million cap hit. Rookie Joel Blomqvist has had the most starts in the Penguins net this season and Alex Nedeljkovic recently returned from an injury.

Also: The New York Islanders signed rugged forward Matt Martin for the rest of the season. He had been to camp on a tryout agreement after spending 13 of his 15 seasons with the Islanders. … The Calgary Flames activated forward Yegor Sharangovich from the injured list. The team’s top goal scorer last season had yet to play this season.

Oct. 25: Rangers’ Alexis Lafreniere gets seven-year extension

The New York Rangers and Alexis Lafreniere have agreed to a seven-year extension as he builds on last season’s breakthrough. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick will average $7.45 million in the deal, according to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. That’s up from this year’s $2.325 million cap hit. Lafreniere, 23, broke through with 28 goals and 57 points last season and added eight goals and 14 points in the playoffs. He is averaging a point a game this season through seven games and scored his fourth goal of the season on Thursday. He is signed through 2031-32.

Also: The Rangers have sent fan favorite Matt Rempe to the American Hockey League to get him more playing time. The 6-7 forward made a name for himself last season with his epic fights and big hits, one that led to a four-game suspension. But he has played only two games this season.

Oct. 24: Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore signs for seven years

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore will average $7.425 million in the extension, which kicks in next season and runs through 2031-32. Getting him signed now is important after the Golden Knights lost Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup team to free agency during the summer.

Theodore, 29, is the franchise’s top-scoring defenseman with 296 points and has opened this season with seven points in six games. Vegas’ top three defensemen (also Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin) are signed through at least 2026-27.

Oct. 24: Devils’ Brett Pesce, Luke Hughes returning from injury

The New Jersey Devils will get two players back on their defense when Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes make their season debuts Thursday at the Detroit Red Wings.

Pesce, signed as a free agent, has recovered from surgery for a broken leg. Hughes hurt his shoulder in September. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy last season, leading all rookies with 21 power-play assists and 25 power-play points.

Their return comes at a good time because the Devils have yielded 14 goals over their last two games.

Also: New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair (lower body) will miss four to six weeks, a blow to the 2023-24 playoff team that ranks 30th in scoring this season. … The Los Angeles activated goalie Darcy Kuemper from the injured list. Pheonix Copley was loaned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. … The Colorado Avalanche loaned goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on a conditioning assignment. He was claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets earlier this season.

Oct. 23: Utah’s Sean Durzi, John Marino out long-term after surgery

The Utah Hockey Club, who beefed up their defense in the offseason, will be without two key blueliners long-term after they had surgery.

Sean Durzi, who was injured in an Oct. 15 game, will miss four to six months after shoulder surgery. John Marino, who has yet to play this season, is out three to four months after back surgery.

Utah added defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, Marino and Ian Cole in the offseason. Durzi, acquired last season when the team was in Arizona, signed a four-year, $24 million contract during the summer.

In other injury news, St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas has a fractured ankle and will be evaluated in six weeks.

Oct. 22: Panthers give coach Paul Maurice contract extension

Maurice, who joined the Panthers in 2022-23, went to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season and won it last year. His 29 playoff wins are a franchise record.

He has 98 regular-season wins with Florida and his 873 career wins rank fourth all time in NHL history.

Also: The Blues signed forward Jake Neighbours to a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Oct. 17: Stars’ Jake Oettinger signs eight-year contract extension

The Dallas Stars signed goalie Jake Oettinger to an eight-year, $66 million contract extension that kicks in next season. The $8.25 million cap hit matches the deals recently signed by the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman and Senators’ Linus Ullmark.

Oettinger has led the Stars to the Western Conference final the past two seasons.

Oct. 14: Matthew Tkachuk’s illness to keep him out a week

Already down one star, the Panthers will be without another one.

Coach Paul Maurice said Matthew Tkachuk’s illness will keep him out more than a week. The team is targeting an Oct. 22 return.

Tkachuk missed Saturday’s game. So did captain Aleksander Barkov, who injured his leg in the second game of the season and is expected to miss two to three weeks.

Oct. 12: Aleksander Barkov, Macklin Celebrini are injured

The NHL season is young, but two prominent players are already out with injuries.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will miss two to three weeks after crashing leg first into the boards while trying to prevent an empty net goal on Thursday. His stick had broken but he couldn’t stop Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle from scoring. The time frame should allow Barkov to participate in the two Global Series games against the Dallas Stars in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 1-2. Barkov is the first Finnish NHL captain to win the Stanley Cup. He won the Selke Trophy last season for the second time as top defensive forward.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks placed No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Coach Ryan Warsofsky said Celebrini is week-to-week. He had been dealing with an injury in training camp but played in this week’s season opener, scoring a goal and an assist.

Oct. 11: Avalanche claim goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers

In a busy day for goalie transactions, the Colorado Avalanche claimed Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Colorado lost 8-4 in the opener, with Alexandar Georgiev giving up five goals and backup Justus Annunen giving up two goals on four shots. The Avalanche are Kahkonen’s fourth team in a year. He split time last season between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils.

In other moves, the Minnesota Wild called up Jesper Wallstedt, their goalie of future, who will join Game 1 winner Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Nashville Predators sent down Matt Murray, who backed up Scott Wedgewood on Thursday with injured No. 1 goalie Juuse Saros unable to play.

Oct. 10: Hurricanes-Lightning game postponed because of Milton

Saturday’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning has been postponed as the Tampa Bay area recovers from Hurricane Milton. The league said a makeup date would be announced as soon as it can be confirmed.

The Lightning are playing their season opener in Carolina on Friday. Saturday’s game was to be the start of a three-game homestand (also Tuesday and Thursday).

Amalie Arena got through the storm fine, though Tropicana Field, home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida, suffered major damage to its roof.

Oct. 10: Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner has surgery

Jenner had shoulder surgery to repair an injury he suffered during training camp and could miss up to six months.

‘Our hope is he can return before the end of the season,’ said Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Waddell. ‘His loss will be felt by our club, but we have a strong leadership group in place and players will be given an opportunity to take on greater roles on and off the ice.’

Boone, who finished second on the Blue Jackets last season with 22 goals and is the franchise leader in games played, has been the team’s captain since 2021-22.

Oct. 9: Linus Ullmark, Joey Daccord get contract extensions

Ullmark, who won the Vezina Trophy with the Bruins in 2022-03, was traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason so Boston had the room to re-sign Swayman. Ullmark will get four years, $33 million from the Senators and have the same $8.25 million cap as Swayman.

Meanwhile, Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord received a five-year, $25 million extension. He filled in for Philipp Grubauer after that goalie’s injury last season and got the NHL’s first shutout in the Winter Classic. Both contracts will take effect next season.

Oct. 8: Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin turns down extension offer

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes posted on social media Tuesday that the New York Rangers offered Shesterkin an eight-year, $88 million contract, with an $11 million average annual value that would have eclipsed Carey Price’s high-water mark of $10.5 million. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed those numbers to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.

It’s not a huge surprise that the 28-year-old Russian would reject it on the eve of New York’s season-opener in Pittsburgh. Another person familiar with the situation recently indicated the two sides have been far apart in negotiations, and that the chances of striking a deal before the start of the new season weren’t looking very promising. That could always change if Rangers team president Chris Drury decides to up the ante, but Shesterkin seems content to bet on himself and wait it out. – Vincent Z. Mercogliano, lohud.com

Also: The defending champion Florida Panthers announced after their opening victory that forward Carter Verhaeghe had agreed to an eight-year extension. It’s worth a reported $56 million.