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Bloomberg
23 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Premier League CEO on US Tour, Man City Charges
Richard Masters, English Premier League chief executive officer, talks about how the sport is becoming more popular in the US and how the league will keep growing. Four clubs are currently touring the country. Masters also comments on the investigation of Manchester City for allegedly breaching the league's financial rules. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
4 burning questions for the Wild as the Kaprizov, Rossi contract situations remain unresolved
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild's two biggest offseason objectives were to extend the contract of superstar Kirill Kaprizov and resolve the Marco Rossi contract stalemate. As we near August, neither has been accomplished. The Wild and Rossi's camp haven't had talks since early June, per league sources. President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin has said he likes Rossi and wants to re-sign the restricted free agent. But with no offer sheets coming, at least for now, this might be a waiting game until the next pressure point in negotiations — the start of training camp in mid-September. Advertisement The Wild and Kaprizov's camp are taking a breather, with the next step likely coming in a face-to-face meeting with Guerin when the Russian winger arrives in the Twin Cities next month. With a deal this big, you have to imagine the team wants to make sure nothing is being lost in translation while Kaprizov is in Moscow. Last week, NHL forward Vasily Podkolzin posted pictures of Kaprizov and himself at Marat Khusnutdinov's wedding reception, and Kaprizov has been training this offseason with Evgeni Malkin. He looks ready and motivated to put last season's injury-plagued year behind him. Last fall, owner Craig Leipold told The Athletic that the team was actually in Year 2 of a five-year plan. But make no mistake, there's no two-, three- or five-year plan that doesn't involve re-signing Kaprizov, the best player in franchise history. That's what makes this negotiation, as complicated as it might be, so important, despite the fact that Leipold made clear no team can or will be able to offer Kaprizov more money than the Wild. That said, there are burning questions involved that could impact what happens with Kaprizov and, frankly, Rossi. Kaprizov has offered no public statements to the contrary. In fact, at his exit interview with local media, he seemed happy to be here — expressing appreciation for his teammates and his role as a leader. When asked about negotiations, Kaprizov smiled and said, 'We'll see. I love everything here. It should be all good.' But until there's a contract signed, any public platitudes are just that. Guerin has often expressed confidence in getting a deal done with Kaprizov; Leipold has also voiced optimism. The Wild have an advantage, especially with the new CBA, that they can offer Kaprizov eight years. Advertisement Under the current CBA, unless he's traded, the other 31 teams would be able to sign him for a maximum of seven years. In the next CBA, the max term is six years for a player signed in free agency. That doesn't go into effect until September 2026, but a league source said Thursday that it is still being decided if the new rule (six vs. seven) will be implemented next July 1. If so, it could strengthen the Wild's position — if Kaprizov wants to sign long-term. The money, especially from the Wild's end, shouldn't be a big issue, with an eight-year, $15 million average-annual-value contract not something that would be out of the question. Leipold has also insinuated he'll break his long-standing policy when it comes to being willing to hand out signing bonuses. This is the only franchise Kaprizov has known, with the 2015 fifth-round steal playing the first five years of his career in Minnesota. Kaprizov conducting multiple calls with Vladimir Tarasenko late last month to help convince the fellow Russian to waive his no-trade clause is encouraging. But arguably the biggest factor is whether he's convinced Guerin and his staff can make the team a contender. 'It's always, every time — it's about winning,' Kaprizov said in May. The last time the Wild were in a contract dispute with Kaprizov was on the eve of training camp in 2021. Guerin flew to Miami to sit down face-to-face with Kaprizov and his agent, Paul Theofanous. They ironed out his five-year, $45 million contract, and Guerin and Kaprizov returned to the Twin Cities on a private jet in time for camp. Now, if Guerin sits down with Kaprizov and Theofanous again as camp gets close and gets the impression that Kaprizov isn't willing to sign now, it may be incumbent on the GM to inquire on teams Kaprizov would be willing to be traded to. Advertisement Kaprizov wields all the power here by virtue of a no-move clause. In the summer of 2008, Marian Gaborik turned down a 10-year, $80 million contract, immediately got hurt that season, became untradable and left as a free agent the following summer for nothing. That was devastating to the franchise, and Guerin can't let that happen again. Everyone assumes the Wild are going to sign Kaprizov to an eight-year deal, and to be sure, they want to sign him to an eight-year deal. But what if Kaprizov would prefer to go on a shorter term? With the cap set to rise in the coming years, star players might opt for deals in the three- to four-year range to maximize their value. In the case of Kaprizov, who will turn 29 at the start of his next contract, he could also be considering whether he's ready to commit the rest of his career to Minnesota. Why not sign a shorter-term deal, which would allow him to see what kind of moves Guerin makes with the shackles off in terms of the dead cap hits of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter? If winning is the most important thing to Kaprizov, a shorter deal could put more pressure on the organization to build a better roster around him. When asked before the NHL draft whether he'd be open to a shorter-term deal with Kaprizov if the star preferred it, Guerin said, 'I'm not going to comment on stuff like that. That's too much info.' Leipold set the bar high at the beginning of last season in his comments about re-signing Kaprizov: 'I will tell you nobody will offer more money than us, or longer. So all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.' Leipold's point was mostly that Minnesota is the only team that can offer Kaprizov eight years. But the Wild won't penny-pinch when it comes to an offer with their franchise player, who currently carries a $9 million AAV. Kaprizov is arguably a top-10 player in the world. He's irreplaceable. So the price tag is going to be high. An eight-year, $120 million deal ($15 million AAV) would put Kaprizov in line to be the league's highest-paid player once the contract kicks in for 2026-27 — although Connor McDavid needs a new deal starting the same season and figures to come in even higher. Advertisement Now, what if Kaprizov wants McDavid money? McDavid, currently at $12.5 million AAV, is also heading into the final year of his contract. We don't know what McDavid will command, but $16 million-plus is not unreasonable. The max either would be able to sign for prior to July 1, 2026, is 20 percent of next year's $95.5 million salary cap ($19.1 million). Would there be a point where Guerin and Leipold aren't comfortable reaching, even for Kaprizov? As Guerin has repeated, especially during the Rossi contract stalemate, he's 'running a business,' too. Remember, Kaprizov was an early-season frontrunner for the Hart Trophy last season before injuries caused him to miss 41 games. Even though the Wild need Kaprizov more than Kaprizov needs the Wild (he's going to get paid in any scenario), the higher this AAV goes, the more it becomes a risk for the Wild, especially if they want to afford complementary players around him. Work ethic has never been an issue with Rossi, who scored 24 goals and 60 points in only his second full season in 2024-25. He's a gym rat, and if you follow him on social media, you've seen that he's putting in exhaustive work this offseason despite the stress of a contract squabble. The guy basically climbed a mountain last week, then afterward got to work with soon-to-be Hall of Famer Joe Thornton, who's helping him improve in the faceoff circle. Rossi wasn't eligible to elect salary arbitration earlier this month, but he can sign an offer sheet with another team. The Wild would then have seven days to decide whether to match or accept draft pick compensation and walk away. But we're 28 days into July, and that offer sheet hasn't come. It's almost like Guerin, who vowed to match any offer sheet, was playing a game of chicken to show Rossi's camp that he didn't buy that this threat was a real threat. And to this juncture, at least, he's been right. That means at this point Guerin could make Rossi sweat and slowplay this until we get closer to camp. Rossi obviously wants to play and must be signed to do that. Advertisement Of course, from Rossi's standpoint, he knows how thin the Wild are up the middle and how much they need him in the lineup by opening night as well. This is a huge season for the Wild, and Rossi's got to know his importance. The GM is entering his seventh year. They have yet to get past the first round during that tenure. Kaprizov and No. 1 goalie Filip Gustavsson are entering the final year of their contracts. And free agency was largely a whiff with Brock Nelson and other top centers re-signing with their current teams. So while the Wild may think they have all the leverage because Rossi has no 'rights,' Rossi's got significant leverage as well. But unless a trade or offer sheet materializes, the only solution is a compromise on a contract, which means bridging a chasm between the team's valuation and the player's. Rossi has already turned down a five-year, $25 million deal and a two-year deal at less than $5 million per. On a long-term deal, he wants in the $6 or $7 million range. On a short-term deal, he's hesitant to sign what he sees as an under-market-value contract, fearing it would make him easily tradeable (since he isn't yet eligible yet for no-trade protection) or leave him buried in the lineup if the Wild acquire a top-six center or a youngster like Danila Yurov emerges during the life of his contract. It feels like the only solution is a short-term deal in the $5 million range — unless Guerin changes his tune and suddenly accepts some of the recent comparables in this growing-cap world, signing him to a longer-term deal north of $6 million. That seems unlikely if the Wild aren't sold on committing to him long-term. Nothing appears imminent, but with both Kaprizov and Rossi, that can always change with one phone call. (Photo of Joel Eriksson Ek, Marco Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov: Dennis Schneidler / USA Today)
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Nicklas Backstrom, who elevated the Caps and their captain, to play in Sweden
Nicklas Backstrom has never been one for fanfare. At the peak of Backstrom's powers as one of the best playmakers in the NHL, his brash Washington Capitals running mate, Alex Ovechkin, usually grabbed the lion's share of the spotlight, which suited the more reserved Swede just fine. When Backstrom played his final NHL game, no one knew it was the last. It was the eighth game of the 2023-24 season and the 1,105th of Backstrom's career, a no-frills late October win over the San Jose Sharks. Three days later, Backstrom announced that as a result of his 'ongoing injury situation,' most notably the hip issues he had for years, he would be stepping away from hockey.
