Last week the NHL announced massive jumps to the salary cap coming over the next three seasons: $95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in 2026-27, and $113.5 million in 2027-28. This is a huge deal, one that carries immense implications for the league’s contract landscape. Players are about to get paid, none more so than…
Everyone’s allowed to complain about their job from time to time, even those who are making millions of dollars playing a game. Spend enough time in NHL locker rooms, and you’ll hear gripes about facilities, about coaches, about teammates, about a city’s nightlife or lack thereof, about escrow, about the relentless grind of an NHL…
Much of the NHL will scatter to the winds next week for a rare 10-day in-season break — a chance to recharge and heal up ahead of the playoff push. But while they’re back home in Europe or hanging with the family stateside or lounging on a beach in the Caribbean sipping piña coladas, most…
By Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, Jesse Granger, James Mirtle and The Athletic NHL Staff In October, The Athletic’s NHL staff didn’t consider the Vegas Golden Knights a serious Stanley Cup contender. There’s no other way to put it — seven teams received preseason votes to win the Cup, and Vegas wasn’t one of them. A…
The NHL season is nearing its midway point, with all 32 teams playing between 35 and 41 games. By now, we generally know what each team is and isn’t and whether the rest of the season should be focused on title contention, short-term progress or the long-term future. What better time to break out our…
The NHL trade market has been a busy place over the past few weeks, and the rumor mill is churning. Once we get through the holiday roster freeze (Dec. 20-27), names of possible trade targets will begin swirling around teams with increased speed leading to the March 7 deadline — whether those names emerge from…
Utah will be one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams? The Stars Stanley Cup winners? Dylan Larkin — and many others — 40-goal scorers? Heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, The Athletic asked its hockey staff for bold predictions, and two months later, some are holding up well while others look to have been a bit…
There doesn’t have to be a milestone moment or viral play for an NHL player’s phone to be flooded with notifications in the wake of a game. Maybe there’s a text from a parent, a reminder from a partner, a few messages of congratulations or condolences. Not to mention the usual spate of emails and…
Wayne Gretzky is about as revered as professional athletes get. Nobody’s posted more goals, assists or points than him — in a career or a single season. He owns the NHL’s longest point streak, has the most 100-point seasons, claimed the most scoring titles, scored the most shorthanded goals, was the quickest to 50 goals,…
Thirty years ago, the average PGA golfer drove the ball 261.84 yards. Davis Love III was the longest hitter at 283.8 yards. In 2024, the average distance is 300.9 yards, with Cameron Champ leading the way at a whopping 323.3 yards. Technological advances for both clubs and golf balls — combined with a greater focus…