Has the tush been pushed too far?

The controversial play mastered and made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles continues to come under attack from all sides. Now they might’ve lost one of their own in the heated debate.

Jason Kelce spoke with USA TODAY Sports and noted that plenty of people are upset with the ‘tush push,’ while also giving a reason for its potential ban.

‘If they can’t officiate it properly, that would certainly be a reason to ban it,’ Kelce told USA TODAY Sports. ‘That’s the reality of it.’

While he didn’t specifically say what the league’s ruling should be on the play, Kelce did express concern about whether a ban fixes anything.

‘Does removing the push affect the issues that people are having officiating it?’ Kelce questioned. ‘I don’t know that removes … everybody has an issue with the false starts.

‘The offensive line is still gonna operate the same way whether it’s tush push or a quarterback sneak,’ Kelce added. ‘The play in the Giants game – they ruled the forward progress stopped. I think it was a bad call. Like it looks like a fumble to me, probably should’ve been a fumble.’

Kelce pointed out that he isn’t certain the play would’ve been called differently if it was a traditional quarterback sneak.

‘Now if people just want to punish the Eagles because they’re getting away with a lot of bad calls, I certainly understand that,’ Kelce said. ‘But I also haven’t seen the struggling to officiate it with other teams running it. The Eagles aren’t the only team that run it, but very coincidentally I often see only the Eagles being brought up online. I think that probably has more to do with the Eagles being better at it than anyone else.’

The former Eagles center also reiterated the reasons for his visit to the league meetings in May, saying he just wanted to dispel rumors around player safety and the idea that he retired due to the play. It’s unclear what impact Kelce might’ve had on the final vote, but the ban was two teams short of being passed.

Unsurprisingly, the discussion has only intensified during the season. The league acknowledged that it is difficult to officiate the play, but there has been an emphasis on trying to spot false starts and more.

As for the fate of the play, Kelce didn’t take a side, but did provide an off-ramp for those who want to pass a ban.

‘If the NFL thinks it’s unfair or they can’t officiate it, those would obviously be good reasons to ban the play,’ Kelce said. ‘I don’t think banning it because it’s ugly is a good reason – that seems pretty subjective.’

Any vote involving the ‘tush push’ will have to wait until the offseason. Whether a ban is passed or not, it appears this issue isn’t going away anytime soon.

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AI-assisted summary
• Colorado coach Deion Sanders questioned the honesty of Big 12 pregame injury reporting.
• The Big 12 implemented injury reports this season to increase transparency and deter insider gambling.
• Sanders stated he provides a full, truthful injury list to avoid having his name slandered for lying.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders questioned whether other Big 12 Conference teams are accurately reporting pregame injuries after a new injury report this week showed Colorado with 20 players on the list compared to only one for Arizona.

Colorado hosts Arizona in a homecoming game Saturday at Folsom Field. Big 12 teams are required by the league to report “any uncertainties” regarding a player’s participation in a coming game.

“Let’s tell the truth, and we do,” Sanders said on the Colorado Football Coaches Show Thursday, Oct. 30. “I guess everybody else is lying because there’s no way nobody’s that healthy.”

The Big 12 discloses injury reports before each game this season in the interest of transparency, hoping it prevents injury information from being traded in the shadows with gamblers. In Colorado’s case, Sanders’ pregame injury list sometimes has been quite long compared to opponents. It includes backup players or players who haven’t played much this season, if at all.

Deion Sanders notes the disparity in Big 12 injury reports

Last week, before the Buffaloes suffered a 53-7 loss at Utah, Colorado listed more than 25 players on its initial injury report compared to only three for Utah.  One of those Utah players was starting quarterback Devon Dampier, who was initially listed as questionable to play against Colorado. Dampier then was upgraded to “probable” to play in a subsequent injury report before the game. On game day, he wasn’t listed on the injury report at all, meaning he apparently was available to play against Colorado. But he didn’t play against Colorado, raising questions about transparency and gamesmanship with the injury report.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham later said Dampier “wasn’t feeling it” before the game and was available as an emergency backup.

Sanders didn’t accuse any coach in particular of being dishonest.

“Why do we always like, we always have 100 guys (on the injury report) and the other team, I look over and they have two guys?” Sanders asked. “Are we the only ones being honest?”

Sanders said he promotes publishing a full injury report because “the last thing I want is my name slandered for lying,’

“I don’t lie,” Sanders told the show’s host, Mark Johnson. “I don’t. I’m not gonna placate nothing. Let’s tell the truth. And we do.”

Sanders said that “we’re tripling our opponents” in number of injured players reported before games. That is not always the case. The initial injury report for the week before Colorado beat Iowa State on Oct. 11 showed 21 players on the list for Colorado and 17 for Iowa State. Sanders said his team goes over the list every day with his training staff to issue a comprehensive report.

Deion Sanders said he finally went home this week

On Tuesday, Sanders said he hadn’t returned to his home in Colorado after suffering the worst loss of his college coaching career at Utah on Saturday. He stayed at the Colorado team facilities instead hoping to get his team back on track. He said Thursday he finally went home Wednesday.

“I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “I want to win. And then, if you don’t, I want to figure out why.”

World Series could affect Colorado’s television channel

Colorado’s game against Arizona on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. ET on FS1. But if the Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Arizona-Colorado game will be moved to Fox, the network confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. If the Dodgers force a Game 7, that decisive game will be on Fox and Colorado will play Arizona on FS1.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

The Tennessee women’s basketball team is days away from tipping off its highly-anticipated 2025-26 season, but senior guard Ruby Whitehorn has found herself in some more legal trouble.

Whitehorn was arrested and charged with simple possession at 4:31 a.m. Thursday morning, according to the University of Tennessee Police Department’s online crime logs. The arrest happened hours after Whitehorn scored 18 points in the Lady Volunteers’ 148-48 exhibition win over Columbus State at Food City Center on Wednesday.

Whitehorn transferred to Tennessee last season after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Clemson. Whitehorn averaged 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 34 games (28 starts) for Tennessee in the 2024-25, shooting 46.3% from the field and a career-high 29.8% from the 3-point line.

It was Whitehorn’s second issue with law the offseason. Whitehorn was suspended in August after facing felony charges of domestic assault and aggravated burglary. Whitehorn pled guilty to two lesser charges of aggravated trespassing and vandalism and was sentenced to probation and anger management classes, WVLT reported. 

Whitehorn, 21, is a little less than two months removed from the suspension following the arrest on Aug. 8. She was reinstated the week of Sept. 8. It’s not clear if Whitehorn will face further discipline from the program following her latest arrest.

‘We are aware of the situation and awaiting additional information,’ Tennessee associate director of strategic communications Eric Trainer said.

Tennessee tips off their season on Tuesday against NC State. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Ruhle’s new deal, which will run through the 2032 season, does not add to his base pay but will add salary escalators for College Football Playoff appearances.

The extension comes on the heels of Rhule being connected to the Penn State opening following the school’s firing of James Franklin. Rhule graduated from Penn State and is close friends with athletic director Pat Kraft, whom he worked with at Temple.

The new agreement raises his buyout to $15 million from $5 million, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

‘We love it here,’ Rhule said on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ shortly after the extension was announced. ‘There’s lots of great jobs, but very rarely in this business you find a home. And we felt like Nebraska’s our home, this program’s our home.’

“Coach Rhule has shown he is the right leader at the right time for Nebraska Football,’ Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said a statement announcing the hire. ‘We look forward to him and his family being in Lincoln for a long time. Our program has seen significant progress under Matt’s leadership, and at this stage in the evolution of the program continuity and stability are critical.’

Rhule has led Nebraska to a 6-2 record in his third season with the program. The Cornhuskers went to their first bowl game since 2016 last season and won their first postseason game since 2015.

Rhule has a track record of program building. He went 2-10 in his first season at Temple in 2013 before leading the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016. He then went 1-11 in his first season at Baylor in 2017, before going 11-3 in 2019.

He coached the NFL’s Carolina Panthers for three seasons, and took the Nebraska job after being fired in 2022.

Matt Rhule contract

The annual salary makes him the 15th highest-paid coach in college football this season. His new contract now extends through the 2032 season but doesn’t include a salary increase, as his average annual salary is already set to increase in future seasons.

The new contract also increases escalators for College Football Playoff appearances, although the exact bonus details aren’t included.

Luka Dončić has been upgraded to questionable for the Los Angeles Lakers’ road game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 31.

Dončić missed the Lakers’ last three games due to a pair of injuries he suffered in the team’s 128-110 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 24.

The point guard suffered a left finger sprain and a lower left leg contusion. He was seen with an athletic trainer looking at his left hand at the end of the first quarter in that game. Dončić did finish out the game.

Dončić averaged 46 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the first two games of the season.

When do the Lakers play next?

The Lakers will travel to play the Grizzlies in an NBA Group Stage game on Friday, Oct. 31 at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT).

Carson Wentz made it clear he was on board with the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to leave him in the team’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers despite dealing with a significant left shoulder injury.

Wentz, who will have season-ending surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder that included a torn labrum and fractured socket, spoke to reporters on Oct. 29, telling them he ‘never once felt unsafe’ while struggling through the injury during a 37-10 Vikings loss.

‘This isn’t my first rodeo,’ Wentz said. ‘I’m not an idiot. I know what I was signing up for going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me, any of those things.’

‘Everybody’s handled this tremendously,’ Wentz added. ‘Communication’s been phenomenal from coaches, trainers, all the things. We knew what we were doing all along.’

The Vikings’ decision to leave Wentz in the game had fallen under scrutiny as the 32-year-old quarterback appeared to be in pain throughout the contest. On several occasions, he grimaced while holding his left arm, which was in a stabilizing brace meant to better protect his injured shoulder.

Despite this, Wentz remained in the game until Minnesota’s final offensive drive. The veteran quarterback explained that was his decision, and one he didn’t make lightly.

‘As a competitor, you never want to take yourself out,’ Wentz said. ‘No matter what you’re going through, it’s hard to remove yourself from the game.’

Wentz felt that was especially true considering he had served in a backup role over the previous two seasons, starting just two combined games from 2023-24 before signing with the Vikings.

‘I was a backup the last couple of years, so just being back in the role of starting meaningful football games – it’s fun. I’m not going to lie,’ Wentz explained. ‘It’s fun. It’s what I grew up dreaming of doing. And when you lose it for a little bit, it’s hard to want to give it up. So even with pain, and all the things that I knew were going to come with it was – I want to play. I want to be out there, and I want to be helping this team however I can.’

Still, Wentz knew his days as a starter were numbered. Not just by the imminent return of second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but also because the 32-year-old and the Vikings knew he eventually would need season-ending surgery to repair his injured left shoulder.

That was one of the reasons Wentz got emotional and slammed his helmet down after a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter.

‘I think the frustration that you might have saw on the sideline was me knowing I’m probably not playing again this year,’ Wentz said. ‘So, there was a lot of emotions there mixed with the pain and all the things.’

In the end, Wentz acknowledged his pending season-ending surgery was the right decision for himself and the team.

‘I’m feeling good with the ultimate decision we made collectively,’ Wentz said. ‘It’s weird being done this early in the season. I’ve been on IR a couple of different times, but never this early.’

Now, Wentz will focus on welcoming the imminent arrival of his fourth daughter and getting healthy for the start of the 2026 NFL season.

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AI-assisted summary
• A recent study co-authored by the NFL’s chief medical officer found the benefits of Guardian Caps in reducing concussions are ‘uncertain.’
• The study concluded there was no significant difference in concussion rates from direct helmet shell impacts between players who wore the caps and those who did not.
• The NFL continues to mandate Guardian Caps during practices and touts their effectiveness in reducing concussions.
• Sales for Guardian Caps have surged since the NFL’s mandate, with over 500,000 athletes now wearing the product.

The NFL has been a powerful champion of Guardian Caps, the padded football helmet covers the league touts as an effective way to reduce concussions. And NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made some of the boldest claims.

“It’s actually reduced concussions by 50%,’ Goodell said in 2023 during an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show.

At the annual league meetings in 2024, according to ESPN, Goodell said the Guardian Caps have been “very effective and reduced concussions by 52%.’’

But a study involving the NFL’s top medical official suggests otherwise.

A peer-reviewed paper published online in July provides analysis of the study of the concussion rate at NFL preseason practices from 2018 to 2023. It concluded that, when considering concussions caused by blows to the helmet shell, there was no significant difference in the rate of concussions between players who did and did not wear the Guardian Caps, according to a paper published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study also found the degree of benefits of Guardian Caps “uncertain.’’

The NFL has not publicly addressed the study, but it has continued to tout the benefits of the Guardian Caps beyond what the study suggests.

An article published on the NFL’s website in August states Guardian Caps “have driven” a significant reduction in concussions in practices – about 50% over the past two preseasons.

In September, Sills said at a webinar that the NFL found a “very striking effect’’ when players were required to wear the Guardian Caps and that concussions dropped 50% during preseason practices in 2022 and 2023.

The NFL requires its 1,700 players to wear Guardian Caps during practices unless they wear one of 10 helmets the league says offer equal or better protection. They caps are optional during games, and about a dozen players have worn them this year, according to manufacturer Guardian Sports.

Some players have complained the Guardian Caps, which weigh 11.9 ounces to 14 ounces depending on the size of the cap, are heavy and hot. It’s unclear what NFL players know about the study.

But as the league has promoted Guardian Caps, product sales have soared, according to Guardian Sports, a family-owned company in Georgia that invented the helmet covers.

The company said that more than 500,000 athletes wear Guardian Caps and that the number has surged by about 200,000 since the NFL in 2024 required all players to wear the helmet covers during practices. The official website for Guardian Sports features quotes attributed to NFL officials, including Goodell, citing the benefits of Guardian Caps.

Rise of the Guardian Caps

Once widely derided for their bulky design, Guardian Caps have gone from the ugly duckling to mini-celebrity. They’re featured in Madden 26, the most recent version of the popular football video game.

“Isn’t it crazy?’’ Erin Hanson, CEO of Guardian Sports, said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports.

It was 15 years ago when she cofounded the company with her husband, Lee. They were focused on protecting the young developing brain, Hanson said.

“Our son was playing football,’’ she said. “That’s how we started this whole business, and we really didn’t gain traction and acceptance until the NFL took an interest and the NCAA teams took an interest.’’

In 2017, the NFL held its first HeadHealthTECH Challenge, designed to encourage the development of protective equipment in areas such as head protection.

Guardian Caps won.

At that time, the caps were worn by about 70,000 athletes, about 15% of the total worn by athletes today, according to Guardian Sports figures.

After lab studies and experimentation, the NFL required Guardian Caps to be worn by certain position groups during the 2022 preseason. Later that year, the NFL announced a 50% drop in concussions for players who wore the caps in preseason practices. The league reported the same results in 2023.

Soon the NFL embraced what has become one of its most visible efforts to reduce concussions, and that simultaneously generated publicity for Guardian Caps.

Retail pricing is $70 to $85 per helmet, but average team pricing is $53 to $65 per helmet, according to Guardian Sports. Guardian Caps specially made for NFL players are not available to the general public.

Erin Hanson said sales surged in 2024 after the NFL ordered that all players wear the helmet covers during practices.

“Now that it’s become normalized,’ she said, “we’ll hear youth players say: ‘Oh, man. I want one of those. Those are so cool.’ ‘

Potential ‘reverberations’ of study

Caplan, the medical ethicist from NYU, said he believes the study’s findings transcend the NFL.

“This has a much bigger footprint, given obvious parental worries about high school and younger kids playing tackle football,’ he said. ‘So the reverberations, in terms of how the NFL spins this, are going to be very big. And I hope they spin it in a responsible manner, not just leading with that headline of 50% reduction.’’

A study of 2,610 high school football players in Wisconsin showed Guardian Cap use was not associated with a decreased risk of sports-related concussions, according to its peer-reviewed findings published in January in the British Journal of Sports.

“My biggest concern is the downstream effect of the NFL being so firm in their conclusion that Guardian Caps work, because high schools don’t have a ton of money,’ said Erin Hammer, lead author of the study and a primary-care sports physician at UW Health medicine at the University of Wisconsin. “And if they’re spending money on Guardian Caps, they’re not spending it on resources that actually do keep kids safe, like hiring athletic trainers. So that is my biggest concern with any of these devices is that you’re allowing parents, athletes, school administrators to have faith in a device that may or may not work and purchase those in lieu of investing in resources that actually do keep kids safe.’

Sills stresses that the NFL uses an advanced model of the Guardian Cap that shows the clearest benefits and offered a strong endorsment of the cap in general.

“If I had a child who was currently playing football at the youth, high school, college or pro level, I would want him to wear a Guardian Cap as well,’’ Sills said, adding, “We’ve not seen any downside.’’

Next step for Guardian Caps study?

In 2023, at an NFL media briefing on health and safety, Sills, the NFL’s top medical officer, said the following: Concussions among players required to wear Guardian Caps during the 2022 and 2023 preseason practices dropped by about 50% compared with the preseason average from the previous three years.

He called the benefit “substantial.’’ The study published in July that lists Sills among its authors indicates otherwise.

Yet in September, Sills said during a webinar that the NFL found a “very striking effect’ when players were required to wear the Guardian Caps and concussions dropped 50% during preseason practices in 2022 and 2023.

Sills, a neurosurgeon, did not explain why the league has failed to address the analysis publicly. He reasserted his belief in the Guardian Caps and traced it back to lab studies he said revealed that the caps, when added to a standard NFL helmet, reduce the force by 10% to 15% anytime the helmet is contacted and by 20% to 30% if two players wearing Guardian Caps collide.

But Daniel Daneshvar, chief of the Division of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, said it has never been safer to play football in the NFL based on head health. He cited improved helmets and the league’s new kickoff rules as ways the NFL has addressed head impact.

Regarding the Guardian Caps, Daneshvar questioned the reliability of lab studies, which used helmeted test dummies as opposed to real football players.

He said the lab tests rely on linear forces, measured when a helmet directly hits a hard object. What’s just as important, Daneshvar added, are rotational forces, measured by objects ‘glancing and bouncing and hitting indirectly off one another. Those are all factors that matter.”

“A football game is not a lab test,’’ said Daneshvar, a member of the Mackey-White Health and Safety Committee established by the NFL Players Association. “There’s a lot of ways that the lab data doesn’t translate necessarily to the real world.’’

He suggested taking the study out of the lab and onto the football field.

“If they really think the Guardian Caps are reducing the force of these impacts, then prove it,” Daneshvar said. ‘The forces transmitted past the helmet can be measured with mouth sensors or helmet sensors. The force of collisions can be estimated based on videos. So they could show data that there’s actually a reduction in forces to the head in response to similar impacts in the real world. It wouldn’t be that difficult.’’

But Sills said there’s already reason for optimism because the study shows concussion rates from preseason practices from 2018 to 2023 decreased from 23.3 concussions a year to 11.0 a year.

‘If we change something about your diet or your daily habit and there’s a 50% improvement in your blood pressure, elevated blood pressure, and that was across a large population, that’s a pretty dramatic effect,’’ Sills told USA TODAY Sports. “As a doctor, you would endorse that.

“So that’s kind of the policy side of it in the NFL and why we have continued to recommend the Guardian Caps. And … what I’ve said publicly is it’s been an unqualified success for us because we’ve not seen any downside.’

‘Personal choice’

At times, Guardian Caps have changed the narrative around concussions.

In 2022, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered three concussions in three weeks. The NFL faced scrutiny about how the league managed players after they’ve been concussed.

In 2024, Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion. Now he faced scrutiny.

Will you wear a Guardian Cap? a reporter asked.

“Nope,’ he replied.

Why?

“Personal choice,’’ Tagovailoa said.

Debate ensued.

‘Give Tua Tagovailoa a break on the Guardian Cap,’ Chris Nowinski, cofounder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, posted on X. “All 3 of his 2022 concussions were from falling back & his head striking the ground. Adding 14 ounces to his helmet would make head-to-ground impacts even more likely. Better off never hitting the ground vs. hitting it with a pad.’

At the time, there was no peer-reviewed data from a field-based study assessing the benefits of the Guardian Cap.

Now there is.

Kristy Aborgast, a biomechanical engineer and member of the NFL Engineering Committee designed to advance the development of protective equipment, helped lead the study that showed preseason practice concussion counts dropped 53% for players required to wear Guardian Caps.

“But if you then limit the data to only those concussions where the impact was to the (Guardian Cap) shell, that statistical significance goes away,’ she said.

The study helped spotlight the importance of smarter players who have better technique and overall awareness of reducing head impacts.

“There’s all kinds of other levers that are at play here beyond just putting a padding over a helmet,’ she said. “But we estimated that about half the drop was due to the Guardian Cap itself.’

Still, adoption of the helmet covers isn’t widespread in the NFL’s main weekly showcase. Tagovailoa still isn’t wearing a Guardian Cap during games.

Neither are more than 99% of the NFL’s other players.

(This story has a correction: Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, is a neurosurgeon.)

Another key 2026 NHL free agent is off the list after forward Martin Necas signed an eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, Oct. 30.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal averages $11.5 million a year and is front-loaded, includes $60 million in signing bonuses and has a full no-movement clause in the first seven years of the extension.

Necas arrived from the Carolina Hurricanes in last season’s stunning Mikko Rantanen trade and has 41 points in 41 games with the Avalanche. The deal will place him second in Colorado behind Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million cap hit).

The 2026 NHL free agent class had been one of the strongest in years, but Kirill Kaprizov (a record deal that will make him the NHL’s top-paid player), Connor McDavid (team-friendly deal), Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor and now Necas have signed extensions.

There are plenty of quality players left. Here are the best of the remaining free agents:

10. Anders Lee, New York Islanders

He has been the Islanders’ captain since 2018 and is good for 20-plus goals. He had 29 last season and is averaging about a point a game this season. Current cap hit: $7 million.

9. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer is 40. He’ll either re-sign with Washington or retire. He hasn’t indicated his plans. Current cap hit: $9 million.

8. Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils

He helped stabilize the Devils’ goaltending last season and get them back to the playoffs. He just returned from an injury. Current cap hit: $6 million.

7. John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Carlson is the Capitals’ all-time leader in scoring among defensemen and is a key to their power play. He’s the one who sets up Ovechkin’s one-timers. Current cap hit: $8 million.

6. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers

The goalie has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles and two Vezina Trophies. He’ll be 38 next season. Current cap hit: $10 million.

5. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

The 39-year-old has expressed an interest in playing more and he’s making a case with 16 points in his first 11 games. He has won three Stanley Cup titles in his storied career. Current cap hit: $6.1 million.

4. Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres

He can score (two 36-goal seasons) and also kills penalties. He wants to stay in Buffalo. Current cap hit: $4.75 million.

3. Nick Schmaltz, Utah Mammoth

He keeps improving every year. The winger usually gets 20-plus goals and 60-plus points, and he’s threatening to blow past that with 17 points in 11 games. Current cap hit: $5.85 million.

2. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

The 33-year-old forward scored 120 points two seasons ago, and although he and the rest of the team dropped off last season, he still had 89 points. He’s often in the 90-point range. He’s off to a slow start for him with seven points in 11 games. Current cap hit: $11,642,857.

1. Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings

The winger has two 35-goal seasons and a 41-goal one. The Kings will need to hang on to that type of production, especially with Anze Kopitar retiring after this season. Current cap hit: $5.5 million.

Which 2026 free agents have signed extensions recently?

• Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, eight years, $136 million, a record for its total amount and $17 million cap hit.
• Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, two years, $25 million. The $12.5 million cap hit equals his current one and places him second on the team behind Leon Draisaitl.
• Edmonton’s Jake Walman, seven years, $49 million
• Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor, eight years, $96 million, richest contract in team history.
• Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm, three years, $12 million.
• Vegas’ Jack Eichel, eight years, $108 million.
• Colorado’s Martin Necas, eight years, $92 million.