A Philadelphia Eagles fan who verbally harassed a visiting spectator has been banned from attending any future events at Lincoln Financial Field, a person with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.

The person requested anonymity because they said they were not authorized to discuss the incident, in which the Eagles fan referred to a female Green Bay Packers fan as a ‘ugly, dumb (expletive)’ during the Eagles’ 22-10 win in a wild card game Sunday. Her fiancé captured the exchange on video and posted it on social media, where it had been viewed more than 26 million times as of Tuesday.

‘What it’s like going to Philly just trying to root for your team…,’ Alexander Basara wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a post accompanying the video. ‘Unprovoked, uncalled for. Packers twitter, help me out and find this guy…. this is not okay. I hate that my fiancé [sic] had this happen simply cheering for her team.’

The 43-second video shows the Eagles fan leaning down to yell an inaudible statement at Basara’s fiancé, who was wearing Packers gear, after an in-stadium announcement about the result of an official’s review. Basara told the Eagles fan not to describe his fiancé as a ‘dumb (expletive),’ which he then repeats back to her.

‘You going to do anything?’ the fan asks Basara. ‘Then shut the (expletive) up.’

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The Eagles fan has not been identified by the team or another official source. But BCT Partners, a management consulting firm based in New Jersey, released a statement on social media Monday about ‘a video circulating involving an employee making offensive remarks outside of the workplace.’ The company denounced the behavior and said it has opened an investigation ‘to determine what actions will be taken.’ A BCT Partners spokesperson did not immediately reply to an email seeking more information.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.

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The 2025 NFL playoffs are marching onto the divisional round as the league’s battle for Super Bowl 59 continues.

Wild card weekend treated fans to one close contest and a series of blowouts. The divisional round figures to be much more competitive.

Why? The group of quarterbacks set to participate in the four games is among the best we’ve seen during a postseason in recent memory.

The NFL’s top two MVP candidates face off in a battle on the AFC side of the bracket, while a three-time Super Bowl champion squares off against the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year in the other AFC game. The NFC side also features a quartet of high-caliber quarterbacks, including a recent Super Bowl winner and several players who have routinely been in the MVP mix.

The stacked field of quarterbacks should make the games competitive, and potentially unpredictable. It also begs a key question: How do the remaining playoff quarterbacks stack up against one another?

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Here is USA TODAY Sports’ ranking of the quarterbacks remaining in the 2025 NFL playoffs based on how they have played this year.

NFL QB power rankings for divisional round of NFL playoffs

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Passer rating: 119.6 (1st)
QBR: 77.3 (2nd)
PFF grade: 94.8 (1st)

Jackson may just have a 3-4 record in the playoffs, but he is playing at the highest level of his career right now. He is coming off what will likely end up being his third MVP season in seven years while setting career-best marks in passing yards (4,172), passing touchdowns (41) while throwing just four interceptions.

Not only is Jackson an elite passer, but he is also the best and most elusive running quarterback in the NFL. He is slippery in space but also has the speed needed to rip off massive chunks of yardage. That’s how he racked up an additional 915 yards and four scores on the ground, giving him over 5,000 scrimmage yards and 45 touchdowns for the season.

Jackson’s dual-threat ability was on display in the wild card round, as he handled 15 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That marked his highest carry total since Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. If he continues to be a willing, high-volume runner while remaining as efficient as he has been through the air (he had a league-best 119.6 passer rating), it’s hard to imagine any quarterback outperforming him.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Passer rating: 101.4 (8th)
QBR: 77.4 (1st)
PFF grade: 92.5 (3rd)

If any quarterback can match Jackson head-to-head, it’s Allen. The Bills signal-caller was considered the MVP favorite for much of the 2024 NFL season until Jackson caught up to him during the season’s final month. Allen finished the season with 3,731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a career-low six interceptions while adding 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Allen’s style is different than Jackson’s. The Bills star is powerfully built at 6-5, 237 pounds and uses his big-bodied frame to run over players rather than around them. He also has arguably the NFL’s strongest arm, which allows him to make explosive passing plays down the field.

Allen has just a 6-5 record in the postseason, but his numbers during it are among the best in the league. He has completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,995 yards, 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions in his 11 starts. He has also added 609 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, giving him an average of 327.6 total yards per playoff game played.

Watching Allen and Jackson go head-to-head after a season’s worth of MVP debate will surely be a treat for NFL fans. While Jackson’s current form is slightly better than that of Allen, it would hardly be a surprise to see the long-time Bill outplay his fellow 2018 draftee.

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Passer rating: 93.5 (16th)
QBR: 67.8 (8th)
PFF grade: 85.8 (7th)

What you’re probably thinking: How can Mahomes only be No. 3 overall on this list? He has won three Super Bowls, including back-to-back championships, and is fresh off a 16-1 season with the Chiefs.

While that’s true, Mahomes had a below-average season by his standards. He has been a starter for seven seasons, but the 2024 campaign saw him set career-low marks in passing yards (3,928) and passing touchdowns (26) over that span. That’s partly because he wasn’t asked to carry the Chiefs as much in high-scoring affairs, as Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has developed into one of the top units in the NFL.

Mahomes remains a Houdini-like presence who is hard to bring down in the pocket and who can throw from all sorts of different arm angles. His creativity as a passer alone could be enough to catapult him to No. 1 on this list, especially after he completed a career-best 67.5% of his passes this season.

Still, Mahomes is lagging slightly behind Jackson and Allen statistically this season. He draws into the No. 3 slot as a result, but his Chiefs could easily make the Super Bowl yet again – and he will play the biggest part in their quest for a three-peat.

4. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Passer rating: 111.8 (2nd)
QBR: 68.4 (6th)
PFF grade: 81.8 (12th)

Jackson, Allen and Mahomes are the clear-cut Tier 1 quarterback options in this postseason, as they represent the three best quarterbacks in the NFL right now (though Joe Burrow might have something to say about that).

Things get muddled moving onto the second tier, which contains a mix of younger quarterbacks and veterans who are proven passers but lack mobility. Goff falls into the latter category, but his skills as a passer are enough to make him the most trustworthy of these options.

Goff is coming off a season that saw him post a career-best 111.8 passer rating, which was second-best in the NFL behind Jackson. He completed 72.4% of his passes, including an early-season game during which all 18 of his throws were completed, and logged a career-high 37 touchdown passes.

Goff has complete command of Ben Johnson’s offense in Detroit, and his comfort in that system will make him a big-time postseason threat. He is prone to the occasional blow-up, as evidenced by his five-interception game against the Houston Texans, but the fact remains when Goff is on, he is one of the NFL’s most efficient passers. That makes him and the Lions offense very difficult to consistently stop.

5. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Passer rating: 100.1 (11th)
QBR: 70.5 (4th)
PFF grade: 90.1 (5th)

Is this premature? It’s possible, but Daniels looks like the NFL’s next elite, young quarterback. The presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year helped carry the Commanders to the 2025 NFL playoffs and earned them a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thanks to his dynamic playmaking.

Daniels has had three games during his rookie season where the Commanders neither turned the ball over nor punted. By comparison, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Mahomes have done that twice combined, according to CBS Sports’ Doug Clawson.

Granted, that stat is also is impacted by coaching, as Dan Quinn tends to be aggressive in fourth-down situations. Still, Daniels gives him a reason to be, as the rookie helped Washington convert a league-high 82.14% of its fourth downs in 2024. He simply seems to know how to get the yardage needed for a first down in key situations, just as he did on this run to guarantee the Commanders a game-tying field-goal attempt as time expired against the Buccaneers.

It will be interesting to see if Daniels can continue to be clutch in late-game situations after earning five fourth-quarter comebacks during his 13 wins thus far during his rookie season. Either way, he appears to be a clutch, star in the making after completing 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions as a rookie.

6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Passer rating: 103.7 (5th)
QBR: 65.4 (10th)
PFF grade: 76.3 (19th)

A case can certainly be made that Hurts deserves to be ahead of Daniels on this list. The Eagles starter helped get his team to the Super Bowl in 2023 and has posted passer ratings of 101.5 or better in two of the last three seasons.

Hurts is one of the most powerful quarterback runners of his group as well. He is compactly built at 6-1, 223 pounds, and that, along with his powerful leg drive, is what has made the Eagles’ ‘tush push’ play nearly unstoppable for the better part of three seasons. He is also an accurate passer, and completed 68.7% of his passes this year while tossing just five interceptions.

Why then is Hurts ranked sixth on this list? It’s all about opportunities. Hurst has made the most of his, but the Eagles have averaged a league-low 26.1 passing attempts per game. The Eagles have preferred to run the ball with Saquon Barkley, so that has eaten into Hurts’ ability to make explosive plays as a passer and off scrambles.

Hurts is still doing a great job in his role as evidenced by his efficiency, and he could still carry the Eagles if they run into a team that can contain Barkley. Still, the 2,000-yard rusher looks more like Philadelphia’s offensive engine right now than Hurts, so that will drop him just below the greener Daniels in a tight battle.

7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Passer rating: 93.7 (15th)
QBR: 65.0 (12th)
PFF grade: 76.3 (20th)

You know you have a good group of playoff quarterbacks when a Super Bowl winner checks in this low on the list. Stafford is coming off an excellent game against the Minnesota Vikings during which he threw for 209 yards and a touchdown after a red-hot start to the blowout.

In that game, Stafford showed everything he does well. He got the ball out of his hands quickly and threw with accuracy and anticipation while distributing the ball to his group of quality receiving weapons. That kept Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense off balance, something Stafford does very well.

Stafford’s field-reading skills give him one of the highest floors among the quarterbacks on this list. The soon-to-be 37-year-old’s only issue is he isn’t very mobile and doesn’t like to move off his spot in the pocket, if he can help it. Stafford can still occasionally scramble for a few yards and has the ability to navigate a pocket, but he doesn’t have the same sort of running ability that most of the remaining quarterbacks do.

For those wondering why Stafford is being penalized for that more than Goff, it’s because Stafford has been more prone to bouts of inaccuracy this season, as evidenced by his solid but unspectacular 65.8% completion rate.

That said, Stafford still has the passing talent needed to top the second-tier quarterbacks – if he’s at his best. This ranking represents his floor; he has a much higher ceiling.

8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Passer rating: 87.0 (26th)
QBR: 50.2 (29th)
PFF grade: 77.8 (T-16th)

Stroud was the belle of the ball after leading the Texans to a playoff win last year. This time around, the energy surrounding him is different. He had a sophomore slump during his second NFL season and saw his completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns dip while his interception total more than doubled.

That may sound bad, but it’s still worth noting that Stroud posted a decent stat line, completing 63.2% of his passes for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. More importantly, he led the Texans to a 10-7 record and another playoff win, setting them up to once again try to win a divisional playoff game for the first time in franchise history.

Stroud is a prototypical NFL passer and has the arm talent needed to great long-term starter. He needs to improve his accuracy and consistency, but there’s little doubt that he is an above-average quarterback.

Still, above-average won’t be enough to place Stroud ahead of any of the other quarterbacks on this list. He might be able to take a step forward next year and work his way up the pecking order, especially if his top receiving weapons – Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs (if he re-signs) – can stay healthy in 2025.

Even when awaiting the birth of his child, Patrick Mahomes made sure to be locked into the NFL playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and wife Brittany welcomed their third child, a daughter Golden Raye Mahomes, on Sunday, joining three-year-old daughter Sterling Skye and two-year-old Patrick Lavon III, nicknamed ‘Bronze.’

The birth of baby No. 3 came at a perfect time for the couple since Mahomes’ Chiefs secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC and had Wild Card Weekend off before starting their postseason run in the divisional round. It’s what the couple was hoping would happen.

But as the couple awaiting the arrival of Golden Raye, the three-time Super Bowl MVP was allowed by the expecting mother to catch some of the action across the postseason over the weekend.

‘It was cool that football was on TV while I was in the hospital, so I was able to watch a little bit,’ Mahomes said on Tuesday. ‘Brittany was kind enough to let us watch football as she was getting ready to give birth to our second daughter.’

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Mahomes said his wife ‘crushed it’ giving birth and he also talked about what it was like to welcome the newest addition to the family.

“It’s been cool to welcome another baby girl in our family and see how my other kids react to her and having a baby sissy and stuff like that. So it’s been a lot of fun,’ he added.

Now with his third child and two weeks off from playing — he sat out the regular season finale against the Denver Broncos before the bye — Mahomes has his eyes set on trying to get Kansas City to become the first three-peat champion in the Super Bowl era. The Chiefs will host the Houston Texans in the divisional round on Saturday.

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UAB football coach Trent Dilfer was on the radio Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, explaining the Blazers’ plight in trying to keep up financially with other schools in the American Athletic Conference.

Dilfer mentioned during the appearance on WJOX-FM there were two teams in particular “that will go to our roster and sign double or triple what these guys can make on our roster and make them backups on their roster, so we can’t have them.”

But the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback and ESPN analyst emphasized in the interview he was not going to name those two teams. But, Tulane coach Jon Sumrall took a different approach with Dilfer’s comments. 

Through his X (formerly Twitter) account, Sumrall reshared a clip of Dilfer’s appearance Tuesday and tagged the social media accounts of Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield and South Florida coach Alex Golesh. Sumrall also included eyeball and wink emojis for his thinly-veiled response.  

Add tweet-baiting opposing coaches about money problems to the many ways in which college football has changed now that the players are being paid and recruiting is increasingly just free agency on steroids. 

But this social media kerfuffle does highlight another layer of separation occurring between the haves and have nots within college football. While the growing divide among the power conferences and the Group of Five leagues is a frequent topic of discussion as college sports become more professionalized, there also appears to be a chasm developing within certain non-power conferences based on how much schools are willing and able to spend. 

Memphis is receiving significant NIL support from FedEx, which last year announced an NIL initiative with the university’s athletic department worth $5 million annually. The Fowler Ave Collective aligned with USF announced a goal to raise $3.5 million for 2024. Tulane’s athletic department announced last week it raised a record $3.6 million in fiscal year 2024, with a goal to eclipse $4 million for the first time this year.

“When you have people in our conference that have four to six players making more individually than our entire payroll,” Dilfer said Tuesday, ‘you better be able to provide them something else to show them value.”

Dilfer, 52, is coming off a disappointing second season at UAB and faced increasing scrutiny for the team’s performance, 3-9 record and dwindling attendance.. He’s 7-17 overall since being hired after a two-year stint coaching high school football at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Memphis football has grabbed at least two former UAB players from the transfer portal this winter – defensive back Chris Bracy and linebacker Everett Roussaw. Tulane, meanwhile, received a commitment from former UAB defensive lineman Derrick Shepard Jr. last month. USF has not yet gotten a player from UAB out of the transfer portal this offseason. The Blazers have had 29 players enter the transfer portal this offseason, according to 247 Sports.

Memphis finished with 11 wins for the second time in program history in 2024, but have not qualified for the AAC championship game under Silverfield. Tulane lost to Army in the AAC championship game in Sumrall’s first season. USF went 7-6 and won a bowl game for the second season in a row with Golesh. 

This is all happening as every school prepares for the potential implementation of revenue sharing as a result of the House vs. NCAA settlement that received preliminary approval from a federal judge last October. It would permit schools the ability to directly pay their athletes as much as $22 annually. A final approval hearing has been scheduled for April 7.

The NHL is back from its holiday break, and trades can resume after the lifting of the holiday roster freeze.

So far, there have been 15 trades, four coaching changes, plus extensions signed by Igor Shesterkin, Jake Oettinger, Alexis Lafreniere, Linus Ullmark and others. Other top players also remain eligible for extensions, including Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Brock Boeser.

There will be more trades as teams build toward a Stanley Cup run or make moves for their long-term future. The trade deadline is on March 7.

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

Jan. 14: Canadiens’ Emil Heineman out after accident

Montreal Canadiens forward Emil Heineman will be out three to four weeks after being hit while crossing a street in Utah. The team said the accident occurred Monday and Heineman suffered an upper-body injury. ‘He got hurt crossing a street yesterday,’ coach Martin St. Louis told reporters on Tuesday. ‘I don’t think it was at a high speed but enough to cause some damage. It’s unfortunate.’ The Canadiens are in Salt Lake City to play the Utah Hockey Club. Heineman, 23, has 17 points in 41 games this season. He ranks third among NHL rookies with 10 goals.

Also: Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point is a healthy scratch Tuesday after missing a team meeting. … The Boston Bruins placed defenseman Charlie McAvoy on the injured list. … New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider was activated from the injured list.

Jan. 12: Penguins’ Michael Bunting misses game after car accident

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Michael Bunting missed Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after being involved in a car accident outside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that everyone in the accident was OK. In other Penguins news, Evgeni Malkin is going on the injured list, and Philip Tomasino was activated. Malkin, who missed a fourth consecutive game on Sunday with an undisclosed injury, remains day-to-day, Sullivan said.

Jan. 11: Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren goes on injured list

Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren went on the injured list Saturday, a day after he was knocked down in the crease and left a game. Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime checked Montreal’s Nick Suzuki, who collided with the goalie. Lindgren was stretching his neck as he got up. He left a few minutes later, replaced by Logan Thompson.

Lindgren and Thompson have been alternating starts this season. The Capitals called up Hunter Sheppard.

Jan. 10: Oilers’ Evander Kane has knee surgery

Evander Kane will need more time before he makes his season debut after he had knee surgery on Thursday. The Edmonton Oilers said Kane would need four to eight weeks of recovery time, which will pause his rehab from the abdominal surgery he had in September. Kane, 33, had 24 goals last season plus eight points in the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He was unable to play the final five games of that round because he had been slowed in the playoffs by a sports hernia. He has another year left on his contract at a $5.125 million cap hit.

Also: The Utah Hockey Club called up Josh Doan after a lower-body injury to Dylan Guenther, who’s out indefinitely. … The Ottawa Senators signed forward Ridly Greig to a four-year, $13 million contract extension.

Jan. 9: Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Matt Rempe to return to lineup

New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said goalie Igor Shesterkin will start Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils. He had missed four games with an upper-body injury. Recently claimed Arthur Kaliyev will make his Rangers debut.

Rangers forward Matt Rempe will return from his eight-game suspension and play in the game. He had received a four-game suspension last season for a hit in a game against the Devils. He said he’ll have to pick and choose the hits he makes because of the previous suspensions. ‘If it’s any way in doubt, I’m feeling like I’ll err on the side of caution because I’m a marked man right now so I got to keep it clean,’ he told reporters.

Also: The Columbus Blue Jackets placed the team’s No. 3 scorer, Sean Monahan, on the injured list (upper body) and called up Owen Sillinger. … The Utah Hockey Club recalled goalie Connor Ingram from a conditioning stint. Last year’s Masterton Trophy winner for perseverance has missed 22 games.

Jan. 6: Rangers claim Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from Kings

Arthur Kaliyev, 23, had two seasons of double-digit goals, though he dropped to seven goals last season. He has yet to play in the NHL this season because of injury but completed a five-game conditioning stint. The former second-round pick averages about 12 minutes a game. He’ll likely fill a bottom-six role after the Rangers’ earlier trade of Kaapo Kakko.

Jan. 5: Ducks re-sign Frank Vatrano for three years

The Anaheim Ducks are often sellers leading up to the trade deadline, but they lock in their third-leading scorer, Frank Vatrano, for three years. He would have drawn a lot of interest if the Ducks had made him available. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the deal is worth $18 million but deferred money lowers the salary cap hit to $4.57 million. He scored 37 goals last season and has 20 points this season. He had a three-point night after the signing was announced.

Jan. 3: Bruins re-sign Mark Kastelic

The rugged forward’s deal averages $1.567 million a year. He was tied for the team lead with 76 penalty minutes and had 151 hits.

Dec. 31: Rangers placing Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, per reports

As if the New York Rangers’ problems were bad enough, they now will be without star goalie Igor Shesterkin for a while. ESPN reported that the team is placing him on the injured list with an upper-body injury and recalled Louis Domingue. Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren had checked Sam Bennett in the last game and the Florida Panthers forward collided with Shesterkin, who stayed in the game. The Rangers goalie recently signed an eight-year, $92 million contract that will make him the highest-paid netminder. The Rangers have lost four in a row and 15 of their last 19 games.

Dec. 28: Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche make trade

The Nashville Predators called up forward Vinnie Hinostroza, the American Hockey League’s leading scorer, then traded forward Juuso Parssinen to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche also get a 2026 seventh-round pick and the Predators get back forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick.

Hinostroza, a 374-game NHL veteran, signed a two-year deal with the Predators in the offseason but had spent the entire season in the AHL. So has Pavel. Parssinen had five points in 15 games with Nashville this season. The Predators and Avalanche swapped backup goaltenders earlier in the season.

Dec. 27: Avalanche give extension to Mackenzie Blackwood

The Colorado Avalanche gave goalie Mackenzie Blackwood a five-year extension 18 days after acquiring him in a trade. Terms weren’t disclosed, but reports said it was worth $5.25 million a year, up from the current cap hit of $2.35 million in his contract that expires this summer.

The Avalanche goaltending struggled at the beginning of the season, and Colorado traded Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators for Scott Wedgewood on Nov. 30. The Avalanche shipped out Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 for Blackwood.

Blackwood has gone 3-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .931 save percentage since arriving.

Also: Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, who’s tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Dec. 26: Red Wings fire coach Derek Lalonde, hire Todd McLellan

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday after two-plus seasons and brought in veteran Todd McLellan to try to turn around the season.

McLellan, 57, who won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings as an assistant coach in 2008, was signed to a multi-year contract as the franchise’s 29th head coach. He has a 598-412-134 regular-season record over 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, making the playoffs nine times. He was with the Red Wings from 2005-08 and left after the championship season to join the Sharks.

Associate coach Bob Boughner also was fired, and Trent Yawney was hired as an assistant coach. The Red Wings had lost nine of their last 12 games to follow to seventh place in the Atlantic Division

Dec. 19: Bruins waive forward Tyler Johnson

The Boston Bruins placed forward Tyler Johnson on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating the one-year contract he signed in November. That would make him free to pursue opportunities with other teams. Johnson had two points in nine games this season and the move follows the Bruins claiming Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers.

Dec. 18: Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Kraken

The New York Rangers get back defenseman Will Borgen and 2025 third- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick of 2019. The trade happened less than a day after Kakko complained about being a healthy scratch. ‘It’s just easy to take the young guy and put him out,’ he said Tuesday. ‘That’s how I feel.’

Kakko, 23, has never matched the expectation of being that high a pick, getting 40 points in his top season in 2022-23. He has 14 points this season and was named by Finland to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The trade is the second recent shake-up move by the sliding Rangers, who dealt captain Jacob Trouba, a defenseman, to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. Borgen, who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, had 20 or more points and averaged nearly 200 hits the past two seasons but has just two points and a minus-13 rating this season.

In other trades Wednesday:

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators swapped defensemen with Justin Barron, 23, heading to Nashville in exchange for Alexandre Carrier, 28. Carrier signed a three-year deal this offseason and the Predators save $2.6 million in cap space with the trade.
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman P.O. Joseph from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. Joseph will help the Penguins with defenseman Marcus Pettersson out with an injury. Joseph played his first four NHL seasons with Pittsburgh.

Dec. 18: Justin Schultz retires after 12 NHL seasons

Defenseman Justin Schultz, 34, who won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced his retirement after 12 seasons with four NHL teams. Originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008, he couldn’t reach terms with that team and joined the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent in 2012, making the all-rookie team. Schultz was traded to the Penguins in 2016 and won championships that season and the following season. He played two seasons each with the Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken, finishing his NHL career with 71 goals and 324 points in 745 games. Schultz signed to play in Switzerland this season but stepped down after eight games.

Dec. 14: Blues acquire Ducks’ Cam Fowler in trade

The St. Louis Blues give up minor league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick to land defenseman Cam Fowler, 33, who spent his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. St. Louis also gets a 2027 fourth-round pick and the Ducks retain about 38.5% of Fowler’s remaining salary.

The Blues, who will be without Torey Krug (ankle) this season, get a veteran defenseman who averages more than 21 minutes a game in ice time. Fowler was moved eight days after the Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba in a trade.

“This was a difficult trade to make considering what Cam has meant to this organization,” general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He has been a valuable and respected member of our team for 15 seasons, representing the Ducks with ultimate class. … After meeting with Cam several times over the last few months, it became clear to both of us it may be time for a change.”

Also: The Boston Bruins claimed forward Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from the New York Islanders. The Maine native had played for Boston College in 2018-19.

Dec. 13: Islanders waive Oliver Wahlstrom, Pierre Engvall

The New York Islanders have placed forwards Oliver Wahlstrom and Pierre Engvall on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The move happened after injured forwards Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair returned to practice. Engvall, who signed a seven-year contract in 2023, passed through waivers earlier this season and played six games in the American Hockey League. He has six points in 20 games. Wahlstrom, a 2018 first-round pick, has four points in 27 games.

Also: The Minnesota Wild claimed defenseman Travis Dermott off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. The Wild placed defenseman Jake Middleton on long-term injured reserve after he was hit in the hand by a shot on Thursday night. … The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Keegan Kolesar to a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension.

Dec. 12: Canucks’ J.T. Miller returns from personal leave

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller said he was returning from his personal leave and played Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. The Canucks announced his leave of absence on Nov. 19. The team went 5-3-2 while he was away.

Miller, who has 16 points in 17 games this season and topped 100 last season, said he wouldn’t answer questions about why he was away from the team.

‘I’m excited to play,’ he said. ‘I want to play and obviously a fun game against the defending champions. Just happy to be around the guys and looking forward to tonight.’

Miller skated a little more than 14 minutes, had two assists and won 60% of his faceoffs.

While he was away, he was named to Team USA for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Also: Anaheim Ducks forward Travis Zegras had surgery for torn meniscus in his right knee and is expected to miss six weeks. … The Utah Hockey Club claimed defenseman Dakota Mermis off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dec. 10: Kevin Shattenkirk announces retirement

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk announced his retirement on Tuesday after 14 NHL seasons with seven teams. He won a Stanley Cup in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Drafted 14th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, he also played for the St. Louis Blues (five 40-point seasons), Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks before joining the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 for what would be his final season.

Shattenkirk, 35, finishes with 103 goals, 381 assists and 484 points in 952 career games, plus 48 points in 91 playoff games. He scored in overtime during Game 4 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Dec. 9: Avalanche land Mackenzie Blackwood in goalie trade with Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche’s season-opening goaltending tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen is out after a subpar start. Now they’re running with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood after separate trades with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, respectively.

The Blackwood trade is the latest one and includes forward Givani Smith and a draft pick going to Colorado, while forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks go to San Jose. Blackwood has a .904 save percentage to Georgiev’s .874, and he made 49 saves in his last game. Georgiev was pulled in his second-to-last start.

GOALIE SWAP: Full details of Avalanche-Sharks trade

Dec. 6: Rangers trade Jacob Trouba, extend Igor Shesterkin

The sliding New York Rangers dominated the news Friday by trading captain Jacob Trouba and giving Igor Shesterkin an eight-year extension that makes him the highest-paid NHL goalie.

The Rangers officially announced the extension on Saturday.

The Trouba trade happened first Friday with the Rangers getting back defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. But the biggest part is the Anaheim Ducks took on Trouba’s $8 million cap hit, giving the Rangers flexibility. Trouba, who has struggled this season and didn’t waive his no-trade clause this summer, adds a veteran presence to the young Ducks. He and new teammate Radko Gudas are two of the hardest hitters in the league.

Shesterkin will average $11.5 million in his new deal, according to reports, moving him past Carey Price ($10.5 million) as the top-paid goaltender. The Rangers rely heavily on Shesterkin, who faces a lot of high-danger shots.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens pulled off a minor trade. Forward Jacob Perreault, son of former NHL player Yanic Perreault, heads to Edmonton for defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer. … The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Brendan Lemieux on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract. He requested the move so he can pursue another opportunity, general manager Eric Tulsky told the team’s website.

Dec. 5: Blackhawks fire coach Luke Richardson

The last-place Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson. Anders Sorensen, coach of the Blackhawks’ Rockford IceHogs team in the American Hockey League, was named interim head coach.

The move happened with generational player Connor Bedard going through a sophomore slump and unhappy with his production. He recently ended a 12-game goal drought and didn’t make the Canadian roster for this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

‘As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary,’ general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement about the coaching move.

Richardson leaves Chicago with a 57-118-15 record.

Dec. 4: Stars’ Tyler Seguin to have hip surgery, miss 4-6 months

The Dallas Stars announced that forward Tyler Seguin will have surgery on his left hip on Thursday and is expected to miss four to six months. That timeline would have him out of the lineup until near the end of the regular season or into the playoffs. Seguin, 32, had been having a strong season, ranking third on the team with 20 points in 19 games.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF: Rosters announced

Nov. 30: Wild acquire defenseman David Jiricek from Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild acquired former first-round pick David Jiricek, 21, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes 22-year-old defenseman Daemon Hunt and a package of draft picks including a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick. Jiricek, a 2022 sixth-overall pick who had been sent to American Hockey League, will report to the Wild’s AHL team. The other picks heading to Columbus: 2026 third- and fourth-rounders and a 2027 second-rounder. The Wild get a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Nov. 30: Predators, Avalanche swap goaltenders

The Colorado Avalanche acquired backup goalie Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators for backup goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick. The Avalanche, who have the league’s third-worst team goals-against average, were expected to make some sort of goaltending move but not necessarily this one. Annunen, 24, has slightly better stats this season, but he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Wedgewood, 32, who was signed in the offseason and played five games for the Predators, has another year left on his contract.

Also: The NHL fined Boston’s Nikita Zadorov and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin $5,000 each for an exchange in Friday’s game. Zadorov poked Malkin with his stick from the bench, and the Penguins star responded with a slash toward the bench, hitting Mason Lohrei.

Nov. 25: Penguins acquire Philip Tomasino from Predators

Philip Tomasino (one point in 11 games) is the final year of his contract so the struggling Nashville Predators get something in return, a 2027 fourth-round pick. The equally struggling Pittsburgh Penguins get another person for their bottom six. The former first-round pick’s best season was 32 points as a rookie in 2021-22.

Nov. 24: Blues fire coach Drew Bannister, hire Jim Montgomery

In a surprising move, the St. Louis Blues on Sunday fired Drew Bannister after less than a year as coach, replacing him with former Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.

The announcement from Blues president and general manager Doug Armstrong comes with the team losing 13 of its first 22 games this year. Bannister had taken over for Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube last season and had his interim tag removed at the end of the season.

Montgomery, a former assistant to Berube, has an overall regular-season record of 180-84-33 as a head coach with Boston and Dallas. He was just let go by the Bruins last week after they lost 12 of their first 20 games. – Steve Gardner

Nov. 22: Golden Knights sign Brett Howden to five-year extension

Forward Brett Howden will average $2.5 million in the five-year contract extension. He plays in the Vegas Golden Knights’ bottom six and has eight goals this season.

After the Golden Knights lost free agents Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others from their 2023 Stanley Cup title team this summer, they’ve been working to get extensions done early. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb signed recently. Goalie Adin Hill and Keegan Kolesar also are pending unrestricted free agents from that championship team.

Also: Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle had surgery on his pelvis and will be out at last three months.

Nov. 21: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen to have knee surgery

This marks the fourth season in a row that Andersen has missed extended time. He was limited to 16 games last season with a blood-clotting issue and missed more than two months of 2022-23 with a lower-body injury. An injury kept him out of the 2022 playoffs.

Pyotr Kochetkov is the Hurricanes’ No. 1 goalie in Andersen’s absence. Andersen, 35, is in the final year of his contract.

Nov. 19: Canucks’ J.T. Miller out indefinitely for personal reasons

‘Right now, our sole focus is making sure that J.T. knows the entire organization is here to support him,’ general manager Patrik Allvin said. ‘Out of respect to J.T., we will have no further comment at this time.’

Miller ranks second on the Canucks and is their top-scoring forward with 16 points in 17 games. He scored 103 points last season.

Nov. 19: Boston Bruins fire coach Jim Montgomery

The Boston Bruins made Jim Montgomery the first coaching casualty of the 2024-25 NHL season, firing him less than two seasons after he was named coach of the year.

Associate coach Joe Sacco, a former Colorado Avalanche head coach, will take over behind the bench as the interim head coach.

The move came after a blowout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Montgomery, who was in the final year of his contract, was let go with the team sitting at 8-9-3 and sporting poor underlying numbers.

BRUINS: More details on coaching change

Nov. 19: Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin out with leg injury

Alex Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record is temporarily on hold after the Washington Capitals star left Monday night’s game with an injury.

The team announced Tuesday that Ovechkin is week-to-week with an injury to his lower leg after he absorbed a leg-on-leg hit from Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain during the third period.

Ovechkin had been on a torrid scoring pace this season. Before Monday’s injury, he had scored twice in the 6-2 win over Utah, giving him five goals in the last two games and a league-leading 15 goals in 18 games.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. He provides speed and depth to a team that hasn’t received much scoring from the wings this season.

Nov. 18: Islanders’ Mike Reilly to have procedure on heart

General manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters that the pre-existing heart condition was discovered during routine testing for a concussion that had sidelined the defenseman since Nov. 1.

‘It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired,’ Lamoriello said. ‘They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew.’

He said Reilly has been cleared from the concussion.

Nov. 15: Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin returns from suspension

Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin returned Friday night from his six-month suspension. He was suspended during the playoffs last May under Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He also was in the program for about two months earlier in the 2023-24 season and missed part of the 2023 playoffs for personal reasons. Nichushkin is a key offensive contributor with 28 goals in 54 games last season. Injured forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood also returned Friday.

Also: The Vegas Golden Knights signed defenseman Brayden McNabb, the franchise leader in games played, to a three-year contract extension that averages $3.65 million a year.

OILERS: Connor McDavid is fourth fastest to reach 1,000 points

Nov. 13: Sabres claim goalie James Reimer off waivers

The Buffalo Sabres claimed goaltender James Reimer off waivers, bringing him back to where he signed a free agent contract in the summer. Reimer was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks off waivers earlier this season when the Sabres tried to send him to the American Hockey League. The Ducks put him on waivers after the return of injured goalie John Gibson. Reimer, on a one-year, $1 million contract, played two games in Anaheim with a 4.50 goals-against average. No. 1 Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was hurt in Monday’s loss but hasn’t been ruled out for Thursday’s game.

Also: Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm will be out ‘weeks’ with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot, coach Jim Montgomery said.

Nov. 12: Capitals reacquire Lars Eller in trade with Penguins

Center Lars Eller, 35, is a familiar face for the Washington Capitals after playing in Washington from 2016-23 and winning a Stanley Cup there in 2018. He kills penalties and is strong in the faceoff circle. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ side of the trade might be more interesting. They get a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder, and this also could be an indication that the Penguins are shaking up the roster after a disappointing start. Eller’s trade will allow the team to give more ice time to younger players. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent.

Also: The Winnipeg Jets claimed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and loaned him to their American Hockey League affiliate. They had lost him on waivers to the Avalanche last month.

Nov. 11: Flames’ Anthony Mantha to have season-ending surgery

Also: The Colorado Avalanche placed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. They had claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last month.

Nov. 9: Penguins recall veteran goalie Tristan Jarry from minors

The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled two-time All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry from his conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. Jarry was loaned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 26 after recording a 5.37 goals-against average and .836 save percentage. His AHL numbers were 2.16, .926.

Also: The Philadelphia Flyers made rookie Matvei Michkov a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game.

Nov. 8: Kraken acquire Daniel Sprong from Canucks

The Seattle Kraken landed Daniel Sprong, one of their former players, in exchange for future considerations. The Kraken have struggled to score this season and Sprong had 21 goals for them two seasons ago. The forward has scored double-digit goals five times. He had one goal with Vancouver this season.

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: 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.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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

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.

After leading the U.S. women to the Olympic gold medal in just her 10th game in charge, Hayes could have coasted for a few months. She could have maintained the status quo and took time to catch her breath from the whirlwind of the past year.

But that is not Hayes’ way. If you’re not always pushing forward, you’re falling behind. Or, as she likes to say, if something isn’t broken, break it.

‘It’s something that’s served me really well in my career. Something that I think is essential for top performance,” Hayes, who won seven English Super League titles with Chelsea and has twice been FIFA’s coach of the year, told USA TODAY Sports.

“That’s not to say destroy everything within that framework. But it’s absolutely essential that to compete at the highest level, you have to challenge, you have to reflect. Be adding to, subtracting,” Hayes said. “It’s an evolutionary process.

“The moment teams get in the comfort space of previous winning is a future indicator of winning — it’s not enough. It’s not enough. You need to be so mindful of what the very top nations are doing around the world and do everything to try and stay one step ahead.”

The breaking begins this week, with a USWNT training camp that will be held alongside a Futures Camp for players age-eligible for the Under-23 team.

Hayes has a long-term vision for the entire U.S. women’s program that she’s expected to unveil soon. But a key piece of it is bridging the ‘gap’ — more like a chasm — the USWNT has in international experience for its youth players.

For decades, the NCAA system was enough to give the USWNT an advantage over other countries. But as the rest of the world poured money into their women’s program, the lack of attention to youth development became glaring.

Consider defending World Cup champion Spain, whose ‘golden generation’ developed together. Spain’s roster for the 2023 World Cup looked much like its roster for the Under-20 World Cup in 2018. And the U-17 World Cup in 2016.

In the United States, the U-23 team did not play a single game last year, and only five in 2023. The U-20 team finished third at last year’s World Cup after failing to get out of the group stage at the previous two tournaments. The U-17 squad played only two games last year that weren’t part of the Concacaf championship or World Cup.

‘The reality is, there’s a correlation between cap accumulation (at the youth level) … and winning,’ Hayes said. ‘We have to invest significant resources into this future proofing so we can develop more players at a higher level.’

When the USWNT stumbled home from the 2023 World Cup, having made its earliest exit ever from a major international tournament following a sub-par showing at the Tokyo Olympics two years earlier, the rest of the world gloated. Maybe not loudly or even publicly. But there was a feeling the mighty Americans had finally been humbled, the playing field leveled.

Hayes, still at Chelsea, heard all of it. By winning gold in Paris, she and the Americans let the rest of the world know that their demise had been greatly exaggerated. But it’s not just about the titles and on-field dominance for Hayes. If it was, she’d have stayed in England.

She came back to the United States because she wants to change the game, on and off the field.

Hayes wants to encourage more women to get into coaching, and make sure they have the resources to do so. She wants to use AI to ensure her players have the best support mechanisms possible. She wants more research into the physiology of women athletes and then have it be used to design training and treatment plans specifically for women. She wants her players to be empowered in soccer and anything else they do.

“I’ve got a team of people behind me that are determined to shape the future narrative for women’s soccer in this country. And with that, launch the women’s national team strategy, which is to make sure that the female lens is at the heart of everything we do,” Hayes said.

That sweeping vision might be daunting to some, but not Hayes. Every day she gets to coach the USWNT is ‘amazing,’ the smile in her voice obvious as she said it. This is, after all, what she imagined for herself back in 2001, when she attended the championship game for the WUSA, a precursor to the NWSL.

‘One day,’ she recalled thinking, ‘I’m going to be at the very top of this country. I know who I am and what I want, and now I’m going to put my career’s work into doing that.’

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

New court documents show that former Toronto Raptors forward JontayPorter texted alleged co-conspirators in his gambling case during an NBA game.

Authorities arrested 39-year-old Shane Hennen in Las Vegas on Sunday as he was attempting to board a one-way flight to Colombia. Hennen had multiple cell phones and around 10,000 in cash when he was arrested.

Hennen is the sixth person charged in the alleged betting scheme involving Porter, and along with Hennen’s arrest, federal authorities disclosed a text message Porter sent explaining how, during a Jan. 22, 2024, game against the Memphis Grizzlies, he planned to take himself out of the game.

Porter pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud conspiracy and was subsequently banned from the NBA for life. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 20.

According to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Porter sustained an eye injury during the game and texted the two alleged co-conspirators, ‘I went back to the locker room to get eye checked on. Idk if imma play much more. I’m Not starting second half. But if it’s garbage time I will shoot a million shots.’

According to the court documents, one of the alleged co-conspirators forwarded a text from Porter to Hennen on Jan. 26: ‘Hit unders for the big numbers. No blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.’

The complaint doesn’t identify Porter in the documents but only refers to him as ‘NBA Player 1.’ However, it’s clear that this refers to Porter, as the documents detail his guilty plea in the case.

Authorities also said that Hennen got inside information for a March 20 game and was told that Porter would remove himself from the game.

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The Dallas Cowboys parted ways with Mike McCarthy on Monday, Jan. 13, one day before the veteran coach’s contract was set to expire.

It appears Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might make a splash move in an effort to replace his five-year head coach.

Shortly after news of the parting between Dallas and McCarthy spread, it was also revealed that the Cowboys had spoken to Deion Sanders about their coaching position.

Sanders, a former All-Pro defensive back who spent five seasons with the Cowboys, has spent the past five seasons coaching in the college ranks. He started by taking command of Jackson State and turning them into the pride of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in just three years.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

‘Coach Prime’ has spent the past two seasons at Colorado, coaching his sons Shedeur and Shiloh, as well as Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Sanders led the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record during the 2024 college football season, which marked Colorado’s first winning season since it went 10-4 in 2016, and just the Buffaloes’ second winning season since 2006.

Sanders’ success has established him as a strong college coach, but could his approach work at the NFL level? And would he even want to take on the Cowboys job if Jones really wants to hire him?

Here’s what to know about Sanders’ candidacy with the Cowboys and why he is looking like a legitimate option to replace McCarthy.

Will Cowboys hire Deion Sanders? Latest rumors, updates

The Cowboys appear to have an interest in Sanders as a candidate for the team’s head coaching job. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports the Colorado coach spoke to Dallas owner Jerry Jones on Monday.

‘While an interview has not been scheduled, the two are expected to continue their dialogue,’ Archer wrote of Sanders and the Cowboys.

Sanders appears to be keeping his options open, however. He addressed his conversation with Jones on Monday night but implied it would be tough to leave Colorado just two years into his stint as the Buffaloes’ head coach.

‘To hear from Jerry Jones is truly delightful, and it’s intriguing,’ Sanders told ESPN. ‘I love Jerry and believe in Jerry. After you hang up, and process it, and think about it, it’s intriguing. But I love Boulder and everything there is about our team, the coaches, our student body and the community.’

As such, it isn’t clear whether Sanders will consider taking on the Dallas job. Even so, he presently ranks as the odds-on favorite to land the job.

Cowboys next head coach odds

DraftKings listed several other candidates as options for the Cowboys, including current Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who held the same role in Dallas for a time under McCarthy.

Below is the full list odds being offered by the book:

Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes head coach: +100
Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator: +250
Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator: +350
Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator: +450
Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator: +550
Bill Belichick, North Carolina Tar Heels head coach: +650
Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns head coach: +750
Jason Witten, former Dallas Cowboys tight end: +850
Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator: +950

Cowboys coaching candidates

Below is a brief rundown of Dallas’ top options, aside from Sanders, as they look to replace McCarthy:

Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator

Moore spent eight years with the the Cowboys as a player and a coach, including four years as the team’s offensive coordinator. His offenses in Dallas typically fared well – including the 2021 NFL season, during which the Cowboys led the NFL in both points and yards per game – so he should be able to rekindle some of that magic with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb should he return.

Jerry Jones made sure Moore stuck around even after Jason Garrett was fired, so he clearly likes Moore. Expect him to be the favorite if Sanders doesn’t get the gig.

Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator

Kingsbury is another NFC East offensive coordinator the Cowboys could try to poach. The former Arizona Cardinals head coach led Jayden Daniels to an elite rookie season and helped Washington finish as the No. 4-ranked offense in EPA for 2024. That included a league-best ranking of 0.12 EPA on running plays.

Pairing Kingsbury with Prescott could end up being a boon for Dallas’ offense, and weakening Washington’s offense would be an added bonus. The only question is whether Jones would be scared off of Kingsbury because of his 28-37-1 record as Arizona’s head coach.

Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

Johnson would represent a Sean McVay-like swing for the Cowboys. The 38-year-old has become one of the top regarded offensive minds in the NFL since taking over as Lions offensive coordinator. He has led Detroit to top-five offenses in yards and points per game in each of his first three seasons in that role while turning Jared Goff into a Pro Bowl-level talent.

The Cowboys missed a chance to interview Johnson during his playoff bye week, but if they’re willing to be patient, Dallas could get into the sweepstakes for the offensive wunderkind.

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Brady is another up-and-coming offensive coach and could end up being the NFL’s youngest head coach if hired in 2025. The 35-year-old took over Buffalo’s offense midway through the 2023 NFL season and turned it into one of the most efficient and explosive units in the NFL. The Bills finished the 2024 season ranked second league-wide in EPA per play (0.18) while Josh Allen recorded 41 total touchdowns in an MVP-caliber season.

Allen isn’t the only quarterback Brady has coached up during his career. He helped lead Joe Burrow to a historic season as part of LSU’s offense in 2019 and also worked with Drew Brees and Sean Payton before then. Hiring Brady could help Prescott, 31, continue to thrive as he enters the latter half of his NFL career.

Pete Carroll, former Seattle Seahawks head coach

Carroll will turn 74 on eve of the 2025 NFL season, but he reportedly wants to return to the NFL. That could make him an option for the Cowboys as an experienced, Super Bowl-winning coach who has a reputation for being a culture-builder. That could be crucial, considering that McCarthy seemed to be well-liked by his players.

Carroll also has ties to Dan Quinn, who was excellent as Dallas’ defensive coordinator before taking the Commanders’ head-coaching job during the offseason. That, and Carroll’s 170-120-1 career record, should be enough to earn him a look from Jerry Jones and the Cowboys brain trust.

Jason Witten, former Dallas Cowboys tight end

Witten wouldn’t be a coaching candidate anywhere besides Dallas, but Jerry Jones LOVES the potential of his former tight end.

Case and point, Jones was asked whether Witten would have a future as an NFL coach during his weekly appearances on 105.3 The Fan on Nov. 15, 2024.

‘Yes. Without hesitation. Yes,’ Jones said. ‘(Witten) has something that you can’t draw up. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end who is head coach up there in Detroit right now (Dan Campbell).

‘Jason is very sophisticated when it comes to understanding football and all the nuances. But more important than anything, he really does understand the physical and the mentality of being physical and that part of it. Without a question, he could become (an NFL coach). He has extraordinary work ethic. … He can be a top coach.’

Witten may have potential, but he has just four years of experience as a head coach at the high school level. That wouldn’t make him the most advisable hire, but if the 82-year-old wants to give Witten a shot, he could.

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Paul Allen speaks for all.

The Minnesota Vikings were smacked by the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round on Monday night, 27-9, ending a 14-3 season in a way that only they can.

Minnesota’s magical run began with expectations of competing for the No. 1 pick, but they were in position for the No. 1 seed all the way until Week 18. The wheels started to come off at that point, with Sam Darnold officially turning into a pumpkin as the clock struck midnight.

It was a fitting outcome for the quarterback who previously admitted to seeing ghosts, as he was sacked nine times by the L.A. defense.

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Allen, the team’s radio announcer on KFAN in Minneapolis known for his memorable calls, sounded like everyone else that watched the game as Darnold held onto the ball for an eternity.

By the seventh sack, Allen was clearly less animated with Minnesota trailing 27-9 in the fourth quarter, resigned to the reality of yet another Vikings’ season ending in disappointment.

And then finally, the ninth sack had Allen and broadcast partner, Pete Bercich, questioning why he wasn’t throwing the ball. The duo added that Darnold’s unwillingness to throw had the Rams defense looking like the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Allen was a little less active on X, with his final live tweet of the game coming in the second quarter after Darnold’s only interception of the game. Prior to that, Blake Cashman’s scoop and score was overturned on review, keeping an earlier Rams’ drive alive.

Considering Allen’s history, his calls on Monday night were pretty tame for the passionate broadcaster.

He’s seen plenty of heartbreaking Vikings’ moments over the years, from Blair Walsh’s missed kick against the Seahawks, to the Cardinals’ Josh McCown’s prayer being answered, Brett Favre’s NFC championship game interception and so much more in between.

It’s not all bad, however.

He was on the call for the ‘Minneapolis Miracle,’ as Stefon Diggs hauled in the touchdown pass from Case Keenum to defeat the New Orleans Saints.

The Vikings are still on the hunt for their first Super Bowl in franchise history, one of 12 teams in the NFL that haven’t won.

Maybe Allen will one day get to call that triumph. For now, it’s just another chapter in Minnesota’s sports cursed history.

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