Backs: Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Bath Rugby), Ben White (Toulon).

Forwards: Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Dave Cherry (Edinburgh), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Bordeaux Bègles), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).

Mikko Rantanen has been a member of the Carolina Hurricanes for nearly a week, but it's going to take a bit longer than that for the shock to subside.

Carolina stunned the NHL last Friday night by acquiring Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-way deal that also sent Chicago Blackhawks winger Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes. Entering Wednesday night, Rantanen was tied for sixth in the NHL in scoring (65 points). Since the 2021-22 season, the 28-year-old winger was fifth with 365 points in 286 games, including back-to-back 100-point seasons.

The NHL simply does not see this level of offensive superstar traded within the regular season; nor does it see teams with designs on the Stanley Cup move on from foundational core players like Colorado did with Rantanen. But his contract demands, as a pending unrestricted free agent, created a significant impasse with the Avalanche, with whom he had played for 10 seasons.

Rantanen told ESPN on Tuesday that he still hasn't reached out to all the Avalanche teammates he wants to connect with. Both teams were right back in action in the aftermath of the trade, and Rantanen has been in a personal hurricane of reorienting his new life in Raleigh.

He knows players like Nathan MacKinnon have expressed their disappointment in seeing him traded. The feeling is mutual.

"I thought it was going to be an extension for sure. I can't lie about that," Rantanen said. "It was surprising because there was still some time to the deadline. I totally understand they didn't want to lose me for free. But it surprised me for sure. I didn't expect it at all."

Nor did the rest of the NHL, which is still processing one of the biggest blockbusters of the last decade. We spoke with several NHL executives, agents and players to get a sense of the trade's magnitude and the fallout that could impact more than just the teams involved.

Is this the right gamble for Carolina?

The Hurricanes were in New York when the Rantanen trade went down, with a game against the Islanders on the following evening. The players were at dinner when the news broke about Hall and then Rantanen. The tone and tenor of the meal quickly changed.

"We didn't know who was going the other way. We all tried to figure out who it was," center Jesperi Kotkaniemi said.

Kotkaniemi started getting texts from Finnish friends. "They're really pumped in Finland. They're able to watch the two best players now on the same team. So what could be better for them?" he said of Rantanen and center Sebastian Aho.

But then something else happened on social media: It was erroneously reported that Kotkaniemi himself would be sent to the Avalanche in the Rantanen trade.

On the surface, it made sense: He's a 24-year-old forward signed through 2029-30 at a reasonable cap hit ($4.82 million annually), but he was never part of the package for Rantanen. Still, his name was out there long enough for another wave of text messages to roll in about his own future, which made the situation a bit more intense for him.

"It was a very hectic 15 minutes there," he said.

It's been a hectic few weeks for Eric Tulsky, in his first season as Hurricanes general manager. The league was buzzing about Carolina being active in the trade market. Sources told ESPN that the Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks had engaged in negotiations about forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. The players' longstanding feud had finally reached a boiling point, and Vancouver was seeking to ship one or both of them out before the March 7 trade deadline.

Kotkaniemi and forward Jack Roslovic were discussed in the framework of a Miller trade. Martin Necas wasn't on the table for Miller, but might have been part of a deal for Pettersson.

Meanwhile, Carolina was also engaged in talks with the Avalanche for Rantanen, ones that tracked back to last summer.

Tulsky said last week that there was a desire for all parties to "get their best offers on the table" so the Hurricanes could decide which player to pursue. "Everybody had multiple offers. It was sort of time for everyone to figure out what they wanted to do, and this deal got done," he said. "It was a complicated dance."

When the music stopped, Rantanen and Hall were members of the Hurricanes.

The Avalanche picked up Carolina forwards Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year's draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026. Chicago acquired its 2025 third-rounder from Carolina for Hall, the rights to Swedish forward Nils Juntorp and 50% retention of Rantanen's $9.25 million salary cap hit. The Hurricanes ended up with Hall, a former Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, and Rantanen.

"Obviously, Carolina has been coveting a superstar and this is the way to get one," one agent said.

NHL executives were impressed with the boldness of the swing from Carolina.

"Good for them. Risk and reward," a general manager said. "They're giving up controllable assets for someone that you're not sure you can control. But they have the cap space to sign him. He's a great player who makes them a better team."

The executives we spoke with downplayed the notion that the Hurricanes might have started an "arms race" in the Eastern Conference among contenders. One general manager said that most teams have their own plans in mind for the NHL trade deadline for specific needs that won't be torn up because a rival made a blockbuster trade.

There were virtues to all three players the Hurricanes were considering. Miller and Pettersson were both signed with lengthy term. Miller seemed cut from a Rod Brind'Amour mold as a great, two-way player who's difficult to play against. (Depending on who you believe, he's also a bit difficult to play with as a teammate.) Pettersson has been underwhelming this season, but has incredible upside as a star offensive. In 2022-23, he had 103 points in 80 games for Vancouver.

But Rantanen's combination of size, skill and offensive consistency was too much for the Hurricanes to pass up. Especially when one considers his Stanley Cup Playoff success: Since 2019-20, Rantanen is fifth in postseason scoring, with 83 points in 63 games, including 28 goals.

Carolina has made the playoffs for six straight seasons, each time not producing enough offense to advance out of the conference. In that span, the Hurricanes have a .486 winning percentage in one-goal games.

The downside to acquiring Rantanen, potentially: They currently don't know if he'll be one-and-done in Raleigh, a superstar rental for a team that's yet to play for the Stanley Cup with Brind'Amour as their coach.

"Carolina will look stupid if they lose in the first round and he walks away to another team," an agent said. "But I think they're going to sign him. I think he'll like it there."

Did Colorado make the right call?

Nathan MacKinnon was already in a mood after the Avalanche lost to the Boston Bruins last Saturday.

"I wish I could have talked about this not right now," he said.

But this was the first opportunity for the media to ask Colorado's star center about losing his linemate and close friend Mikko Rantanen.

"Just sad, obviously. Losing Mikko ... really great friend for 10 years. Won a Cup together. I don't really know what happened," he said. "It's just unfortunate losing a great friend and a great teammate."

Rantanen was seeking a contract in the neighborhood of the eight-year extension Leon Draisaitl signed with the Edmonton Oilers in September. That deal carries an average annual value of $14 million. Both Rantanen and Draisaitl are represented by agent Andy Scott.

The winger has said he was willing to take less than market value to remain in Colorado, but it's unclear what that number actually looked like with regard to market value.

MacKinnon tried to stay out of Rantanen's business on a new contract. The ticking clock didn't bother him. He assumed it would play out much like Gabriel Landeskog's negotiations with the team did back in 2021, when the latter signed an eight-year, $56 million extension hours before free agency. But MacKinnon was wrong.

"I never thought in a million years he'd leave. It just sucks," he said.

But Rantanen's departure was something the Avalanche and GM Chris MacFarland believed was a possibility. The Avalanche and Hurricanes had been discussing Rantanen since last summer. Tulsky said the teams tabled "serious offers" for the winger during the past six to eight weeks. The Hurricanes were pushing hard to complete the trade in the past two weeks.

Others around the league knew it was a possibility too.

"I wasn't surprised. For me, it wasn't a secret," a GM said. "The potential was there because of their situation -- that he can't go over MacKinnon [in AAV] or whatever. And I know that Carolina wasn't the only team they were speaking with about Rantanen."

MacKinnon makes $12.6 million against the salary cap on a deal that runs through 2030-31. Before signing that deal in Sept. 2022, he talked about taking less than market value -- on a contract that made him the highest paid player in the league at the time -- in order to "win with the group." It's the same mindset exhibited by his friend and mentor Sidney Crosby with the Pittsburgh Penguins over Crosby's career.

But the contract that really influenced the Rantanen deal was one that hasn't been signed yet: Cale Makar's next deal, which will begin in 2027-28. Considered by some to be the best offensive defenseman since Bobby Orr, Makar could earn the largest NHL contract for a defenseman ever.

"I think they made a decision that you can have two players but not three players making more than $12 million per season," an agent said. "They knew, ballpark, the number for Cale Makar. So their decision was, 'We can have two, but not three. Who do we keep?'"

So MacFarland had a choice to make: Top-load his roster with three star players gobbling up a large percentage of the salary cap or break up their holy hockey trinity. MacFarland made it clear that in doing the latter, he was acknowledging the team didn't have championship depth and needed the flexibility to get it back.

"It's clear we are not deep enough. I think that you've got to be deep to go four rounds, and hopefully this is going to help that," MacFarland said. "Obviously Mikko is a superstar. You can't replace that. But he's a superstar that earned the right to be a free agent."

One agent was skeptical of the negotiation: "I don't feel they ever really were interested in signing him."

Another agent felt the Avalanche did what they had to do. "It was the right trade for Colorado, because they couldn't afford to pay Rantanen what he wanted within the context of their salary structure. He didn't have full trade protection, so good move by them to trade him," they said.

MacFarland called it "a tough business decision" for the team. "It hurts, right. He's a homegrown talent. He's a superstar person. He's a superstar human being," he said.

Of course, there are other "business decisions" to think about in Denver or any NHL market.

"There's an argument to be made that keeping Rantanen makes sense because you're selling tickets. It doesn't really matter ultimately if you win the Cup, but you have to be good every year. That guy is going to allow you to make the playoffs every year," another general manager said. "But I could also make the argument that winning the Cup trumps everything else, and that winning it buys you a few seasons of a steady revenue stream no matter what your success is in those seasons."

MacFarland has made it clear that teams usually have to draft and develop players like Rantanen. "We're going to have to try and replace him in the aggregate; 50-goal scorers don't grow on trees," he said.

But what if he could be replaced?

"You could make the argument that Rantanen is a unicorn, and that you're not finding another player like that," a general manager said. "That said, what's your opportunity cost? Could you find another 100-point winger like that? What could you trade to find that?"

One agent believes the Avalanche could find that player because of MacKinnon.

"Something no one seems to be discussing: I think the Avalanche believe that MacKinnon was a big part of Rantanen's success, and that they would be able to put another guy with MacKinnon, pay him less and have comparable success," they said.

Right now that player is Necas, who was immediately placed with MacKinnon after the trade. The speedy winger led the Hurricanes in scoring this season and has another year on his contract at $6.5 million AAV.

MacFarland said it was important to have Necas and Drury, an "emerging player" down the lineup, under contract and "cost-controlled" beyond this season. He said the trade would allow the Avalanche to potentially make more moves before the March 7 deadline. Many sources are wondering if the Avalanche would target a center to play behind MacKinnon, with players like the Islanders' Brock Nelson in the conversation.

"I think we're always sort of looking to get better. Certainly, over the next few weeks that won't change. I think obviously there are a little more bullets in the draft-pick cupboard and some cap space," MacFarland said.

But no Mikko Rantanen any longer.

'What is Chicago doing?'

The Blackhawks' role in the Rantanen trade had observers around the NHL baffled.

"What the f--- is Chicago doing?" one NHL executive asked.

The Blackhawks retained half of Rantanen's salary and cap hit, while also trading Hall to the Hurricanes. For that, they received their own 2025 third-round draft pick that Carolina had acquired from Chicago at the 2024 draft.

In recent trades, a third-party team retaining 25% of a player's salary to facilitate a transaction has typically received a fourth-round pick. Chicago retaining that much cap space ($4.625 million) for 50% of a player's salary and including a veteran forward with Hall's abilities in a deal for only one third-round pick in return left many criticizing the return for the Blackhawks. But NHL insiders acknowledge there may have been some method to Chicago's perceived madness.

One aspect of the trade that hasn't gotten a lot of attention is the actual salaries for Rantanen and Hall this season. Rantanen's contract has a declining real-dollar value to where he was making only $6 million this season after having a base salary of $12 million in the first two years of the deal. Hall made $5.25 million this season. As one general manager noted, from a base salary perspective, the Blackhawks are paying slightly more for the rest of Rantanen's contract than they would have if Hall finished the season with them.

"Essentially, Chicago was asked to sell a little cap space with the money being the same. They get a third for Hall -- which to me is a little low -- but effectively that's what they're doing," one general manager said.

Davidson said that trading Hall was the logical move now because things frankly weren't going to get better for him in Chicago leading up to the trade deadline. "You run the risk of things like injury, the role was diminishing almost by the game, and it just wasn't heading towards a way that was going to maximize or enhance value," he said.

As one NHL agent put it: "I know Kyle Davidson's taking a lot of heat, but I don't think he probably was going to get much better for Taylor Hall than what he got."

There's no question it hasn't been the happiest season for Hall in Chicago. Former head coach Luke Richardson surprised him by making him a healthy scratch earlier this season. He had nine goals in 46 games. One NHL executive suggested that moving Hall out now could benefit the vibes inside Chicago's dressing room.

But moving him out now also means not having to use Chicago's last salary retention spot to move him later, which Davidson would undoubtedly have to do to make a trade work at the deadline. Now that slot is available for another deadline trade involving a player like forward Ryan Donato ($2 million AAV) or defenseman Alec Martinez ($4 million AAV), both of whom are unrestricted free agents after the season; or a more coveted player in forward Jason Dickinson, who has two years left at $4.25 million AAV.

Will Carolina sign Rantanen?

The Hurricanes now have the chance to do something no other team can do for Rantanen this offseason: Give him an eight-year contract. Per the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, everyone else can only go as high as seven years.

"Where is he going to go for seven years instead of the eight that Carolina can give him? If they're willing to go eight years and $13 million annually, where else would he want to go that's good that can afford him?" one agent pondered.

Rantanen told me that the Hurricanes' ability to give him an eighth year will be a factor in his eventual free-agent decision. But those negotiations are a ways off. He's got other things to think about now.

"To be honest, I haven't had any chance to think about an extension, just trying to get into the group and try to play well," he said. "So I think we'll have to think about those situations in a couple weeks or so."

What's been interesting in chatting with sources about Rantanen and the Hurricanes is that the money doesn't seem to be a concern. Owner Tom Dundon is infamous for his tough negotiations on contracts for everyone from players to his own coaches. But the assumption is that the Hurricanes had a ballpark idea of what Rantanen is looking for on his next contract and were comfortable going there in negotiations.

Obviously, the Hurricanes faced a similar situation when they traded for Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel at the deadline last season and attempted to sign him to an extension, only to see the Tampa Bay Lightning ink him instead.

But Tulsky said the conditions are more favorable to keep Rantanen than they were for retaining Guentzel. Last season, the Hurricanes didn't have the cap flexibility to sign Guentzel and the other players they wanted. This offseason, Tulsky estimates the team could have between $35 million to $40 million in cap space.

"Our team situation is totally different right now," he said. "We don't feel nearly as constrained."

So if it's not the money and it's not the percentage of the salary cap, what is the make-or-break thing for Rantanen staying with the Hurricanes?

"I think they will ultimately sign him, unless he absolutely hates it there," one agent concluded.

Tulsky admitted that the Hurricanes' current approach to Rantanen is "more of a recruiting pitch than a negotiation in my mind." They have to sell him on the franchise, the system, the players on the roster and on the way and, most of all, spending the next eight years of his life in Raleigh.

Sebastian Aho has not affixed "Ambassador" to his name, but it might as well be there. He's been a friend and Finnish national team teammate for Rantanen throughout their lives. Aho has starred with Carolina since 2016-17. No one on the Hurricanes is better equipped to sell Rantanen on Raleigh and the franchise.

"I guess it's just about making him feel comfortable, making him feel welcome. I think that goes a long way," Aho said. "But obviously if he wants to go play a round of golf, I'm not saying no to that."

What if Rantanen goes to market?

There isn't yet certainty on the NHL's salary cap in the near term. Some projections have it jumping from $88 million to upwards of $97 million next season. From there, the sky's the limit.

One agent said that as the salary cap rises, some teams will claim they have an internal cap that only allows them to offer so much money to players. But after one or two huge contracts are handed out that elevate teams to the new ceiling, that dogma will go out the window.

"Competitiveness is going to kick in. GMs and owners are going to decide that they need to spend more to stay competitive," the agent said.

The opportunity has never been greater for a player like Rantanen to maximize his earning potential on the open market. Leon Draisaitl's contract with the Oilers was $112 million over eight years, or $14 million AAV.

"I think he'll get Draisaitl-like money as a UFA," one agent predicted.

"There are probably some good teams that might be willing to go seven years at $14 million annually to get him," another said.

Draisaitl's contract is one factor, but there's another winger potentially going to market this summer seeking a big contract: Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who is in the last year of a six-year contract with a $10.903 million AAV.

As far as possible suitors, two of the NHL's richest franchises come to mind:

• The New York Rangers continue to aggressively try to reshape their roster. They nearly completed a trade for Miller with the Canucks in recent weeks, with center Filip Chytil as the centerpiece. But salary retention and draft pick conditions were reported sticking points. If they're able to create the necessary space -- moving out a veteran like Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad -- Rantanen is the kind of shiny new toy the franchise finds hard to resist. Consider also that winger Artemi Panarin will be in the last year of his contract in 2025-26 at an $11,642,857 AAV.

• The other team is already paying part of Rantanen's salary: The Chicago Blackhawks. They're expected to be in on every player they can this offseason in an attempt to quickly build a contender around young star Connor Bedard. The 19-year-old phenom has shown some discontent at dwelling in the Central Division cellar in the first two seasons of his NHL career. Putting a top five scorer like Rantanen on his wing would certainly put a smile on his face. Needless to say, Chicago has the money and the cap space to attempt it -- if not the competitive team that Rantanen might be compelled to join.

Then there's a wild card played recently by insider Andy Strickland, who is the rinkside reporter for the St. Louis Blues on FanDuel Sports Network. On his "Cam & Stick" podcast, Strickland said Rantanen will sign with the Edmonton Oilers this summer.

"They're going to be able to pay him and I think there would be some interest from him," he said, noting that Draisaitl and Rantanen share an agent. Strickland said the acquisition of Rantanen would also be an enticement for star Connor McDavid to re-sign, as he becomes an unrestricted free agent in summer 2026.

The magnitude of this trade, and the star quality of the player, lend themselves to this kind of speculation. The Hurricanes have some advantages in seeking to keep Rantanen. But they won't be alone if he tests the market.

"Assuming he doesn't hate the system and the environment there, I think he signs with Carolina," one agent said. "If he doesn't care where he plays, all bets are off."

The president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) launched an impassioned defence of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) on Wednesday after clubs voted to scrap it last week.

Lise Klaveness said the NFF would like to retain video officials but admitted the processes need improving after considerable fan protests that saw fishcakes flung onto the pitch in July last year.

"Despite strong arguments in favour of abolishing VAR, in particular opposition from the elite clubs, the governing body unanimously concluded that the best thing for Norwegian football is to maintain and develop it," Klaveness said.

The president added to her case by citing the number of decisions that had been corrected by VAR since its introduction.

A final vote on whether to keep VAR in Norway's top-two tiers is set to take place at the NFF's congress in early March. The congress is made up of the professional men's clubs (19 out of 32 voted in favour of axing VAR), profesionnal women's teams and amateur teams, as well as district representatives.

Former Premier League referee David Coote has insisted that his drug use had no influence on his on-pitch decisions as he opened up on his sacking and why he said he is ashamed of his actions.

Coote was fired by England's referee body PGMOL last month after being suspended in November for being "in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract." It followed a video circulating on social media showing the official allegedly making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and their ex-manager Jürgen Klopp.

The investigation also covered a second video appearing to show Coote snorting a white powder, purportedly during the 2024 European Championship where he was one of the assistant VARs. European football's governing body UEFA has appointed an ethics investigator to look into the matter.

Coote, who apologised for his actions earlier this week and said a fear of abuse due to his sexuality triggered his behaviour, spoke in detail about his sacking in an interview with Sky Sports News, where he was asked if his drug use affected his ability to make "clear and concise decisions during matches."

"I can understand why [people] may think that way," Coote, 42, said. "However, I do want to make it clear that this was really personal for me.

"It was around my responses to coping with pressure and it was postgame without an implication on my work. I don't condone it for one instance of course. I regret taking those actions. I made really poor choices at that time.

"There were times when I escaped to a place that I really don't want to go back to."

Coote was suspended by PGMOL on Nov. 11. The controversy escalated a few days later when UK newspaper The Sun released a second video allegedly showing the drug use.

"In the first instances, it was a real shock and then as things gathered pace in terms of other stories that came to light, it was really, really hard," Coote said.

"In that moment and in those first days, they were really dark because I felt embarrassed and ashamed at what I've done over the course of time. The situation that I found myself in meant that I really had to rely on people's support to get me through.

"Otherwise, genuinely, I don't know that I'd be here."

Asked what he meant by that, Coote explained: "In that first week, I had suicidal thoughts and I didn't get close to acting on those, but at that time, that was really tough and a lot of people reached out to me on a frequent basis because they were concerned about my welfare.

"A lot of things that I really regret either doing or saying all came to light in the space of a week or so, when in fact, a lot of them were over the course of four or five years ago. In my head, I'd put them to bed and forgotten they even existed.

"To then find myself facing what they were just reignited some really difficult times and some really tough thoughts."

Coote also spoke about his regret over his comments referencing Klopp's German nationality in the video, and said he understands if he never referees again.

"I accepted my fate immediately, with the PGMOL as well," he said.

"I want to take ownership of my actions. I think that's important. I want to apologise to those who are offended by what I said and were offended but I want to now try and live my life to the values that are truly me and to the best of my ability moving forward."

The first season of the new 36-team, single-league table UEFA Champions League built to a crescendo on Wednesday night with all the final games kicking off at the same time -- and it delivered the drama and chaos we crave.

Much of the focus, naturally, fell on the varying fortunes of the big guns: Manchester City squeezed into top 24, Paris Saint-Germain needed a win to be certain of qualifying, while AC Milan fell unceremoniously out of the top eight with a 2-1 loss to Dinamo Zagreb.

But for every top team underperforming, there's an underdog seizing their moment and taking their place. And during this phase, Aston Villa, Lille, Brest, Celtic and Club Brugge certainly rose to the occasion as they all secured unexpected placings in the next round.

There are some common themes among the teams who exceed expectations: They all benefited from the new format's more egalitarian outlook on fixtures, they all had one particularly spectacular result that changed their outlook, and almost all of them can thank their goalkeepers for some truly sensational performances.

LILLE

Finished Top 8

What drove their success: Brilliant goalkeeping, young stars flourishing and Jonathan David penalties

Lille fought tooth and nail to even get into the Champions League group phase, counting on a 118th-minute penalty from Jonathan David to beat Fenerbahce in the third qualifying round then squeezing past Slavia Prague 3-2 on aggregate to make the league phase. The range of emotions these players and fans had experienced before they'd even confirmed their place in the competition proper was remarkable.

Lille started poorly, falling 2-0 to Sporting CP in a run of four straight losses across all competitions. It was a surprise to everyone, therefore, when they tightened up and deservedly beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the second game; then came a downright shock when a heavily rotated and young XI sent to play Atlético Madrid returned with a 3-1 win.

David scored a penalty in each of those games, which became a clear theme of their Champions League campaign, but it's important that doesn't distract from another important theme: Bruno Génésio's bold decision to trust youngsters on the biggest stage. Ayyoub Bouaddi played against Real Madrid on his 17th birthday, three of the starters away to Atleti were aged 20 or younger, and 20-year-old Ngal'Ayel Mukau was the man of the match with two goals in the win over Bologna. Underpinning all of this was Lucas Chevalier's excellence between the sticks. The 23-year-old is one of Europe's finest young goalkeepers and delivered fine performances.

Opta gave Lille just a 33% chance of reaching the top eight heading into the final night, but beating Feyenoord 6-1 in a bizarre game that featured two own-goals by the same player, Gernot Trauner, allowed them to edge past AC Milan and Atalanta.

ASTON VILLA

Finished Top 8

What drove their success: A famous Bayern win, Jhon Durán wondergoals and Morgan Rogers' breakout season

This is Aston Villa's first Champions League campaign for 42 years and while Premier League teams are expected to perform strongly in Europe, a top-eight finish wasn't ever seriously talked about before the competition began. But three straight wins to begin, including a famous 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich, changed expectations and paved the path to success.

Those first three performances were very different to the following five -- they came at a time where Villa were playing confident football, so Young Boys and Bologna were dismantled, while Bayern were seen off thanks to incredible grit, determination and a wondergoal from Jhon Durán. Morgan Rogers also exploded onto the European scene, as his direct dribbling style took teams apart.

From there, things got stickier, and in the end Villa did just enough, overcoming some bizarre moments to qualify. In their trips to Monaco and Club Brugge they struggled. And in Brugge, Tyrone Mings picked the ball up in his own box from a goal kick (resulting in the penalty that won the game). On the penultimate day in Leipzig, they played exhilarating-but-fragile football to win 3-2.

That left a must-win home bout with Celtic on a final matchday which ended up a carnival of emotion. They went 2-0 up, were pegged back to 2-2, hit the post, had a shot cleared off the line and missed a penalty en route to an eventual 4-2 win, with Rogers completing a hat trick late on to seal it.

BREST

A comfortable top-24 finish

What drove their success: Overcoming injuries, counter-attacking masterclasses and goalkeeping heroics

Brest finished 14th in Ligue 1 in 2022-23, so for them to find themselves in the Champions League just over a year later is a remarkable achievement in itself. The conservative target going into the competition was to simply be competitive, yet they ended up comfortably qualifying for the playoffs and were even in contention to finish in the top eight going into the final gameweek.

They did this despite not being able to strengthen considerably during the summer window (Ligue 1's broadcasting revenue situation affected all teams bar Paris Saint-Germain), not playing home games at their own stadium (it's not up to UEFA standard) and they also lost two of last season's shining stars -- Pierre Lees-Melou and Bradley Locko -- to injury.

Brest could, and probably should, have collapsed, but their ability to overcome those setbacks and collectively step up was immense. Their gameplan was to weather attacking storms and counterpunch with pace -- an age-old tactic that worked perfectly. The man who made that possible was goalkeeper Marco Bizot, who put in a handful of exceptional performances to keep them in games and allow the strategy to play out (if you watch the highlights, you can hear the crowd chanting "Bizot Bizot! Bizot!" after big saves.)

CELTIC

A comfortable top-24 finish

What drove their success: Peak Kasper Schmeichel, beating Pot 4 teams and THAT night against RB Leipzig

Celtic are a household European name with more historical success at this level than the vast majority of clubs, but this past decade has represented slim pickings for them in the Champions League. The last time they reached the latter stages of the competition was 2013; since then it has been a lot of fourth-placed group finishes or qualifying stage eliminations. So although the goalposts have been moved a little -- widened, you might say, given eight more teams qualify now than before -- accruing 12 points is proof they've turned up and changed the narrative this year, regardless of the format.

Celtic's start to the tournament was wild: They beat Slovan Bratislava 5-1, then lost to Borussia Dortmund 7-1. From there, though, they settled into a groove of being hard to beat, relying on goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who hit top form on the big nights.

Then came a magical night against RB Leipzig, when Celtic winger Nicolas Gerrit Kühn scored twice in a 3-1 win, prompting newspaper German Bild into an existential crisis, running the stunned headline: "German no-name embarrasses Leipzig!" (which is odd, considering he spent three years at Leipzig from 2015-18.)

Schmeichel had time for one more tremendous night, at Villa Park, where he pulled off a host of magnificent saves to make things nervy for Aston Villa, completing an incredible individual league phase.

CLUB BRUGGE

Squeezed into the playoffs

What drove their success: Consistency of selection, a bit of luck and Hans Vanaken's calm control

Make no mistake, Club Brugge are no strangers to the Champions League; they've played over 100 games in this tournament and have been a fairly consistent presence since 2015. But rarely have they looked this competitive and difficult to handle.

The secret to their power lies in the consistency of their team selection: Six players started all eight league phase fixtures, while four more started all but one. But for a red card to Raphael Onyedika and a January transfer exit for Andreas Skov Olsen, they would have come mightily close to a full 100% record with the same 11 players.

So perhaps it's no surprise that Brugge were able to dig in and defend like a well-drilled army unit, then spring away on the counter and do some damage. Hans Vanaken, their captain and midfield heartbeat, played brilliantly, consistently picking the right pass at the right time to ensure chances were created.

His focus was on bringing forward Christos Tzolis into the game as often as possible and though he may have only scored once in eight games, he was a lively presence in the absence of a proper goal-scoring No. 9 striker.

Finally, it would be remiss to talk about Club Brugge's journey without accepting they benefited from a little luck along the way. They beat Villa 1-0 thanks to that incredibly strange penalty; and Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers scored the oddest own goal of the league phase, attempting a simple pass back to Schmeichel but instead guiding into his own net, in a game that finished 1-1.

After eight matches played across four months, we finally know the 24 teams that will continue in the new UEFA Champions League format through to the knockout rounds.

It's been a big departure from the old way, with those eight four-team groups having become like a trusted old friend over more than 20 years.

Top-level football in Europe had never seen anything like this before: 36 teams in one massive league table, playing only eight opponents and not on a mirrored home-and-away basis.

But has it delivered a better competition? Our writers assess its impact.

Did you love or hate the new-look Champions League?

Gabriele Marcotti: I thought it was really good. Maybe in a few years the novelty wears off and we'll hate it. But for now, I really enjoyed it. I like the fact that smaller teams actually have winnable games. And we have more games among big teams. I think it's silly to call it "a slog" (Is the Premier League "a slog"?) or to say all those big-budget clubs who didn't make the top eight mailed it in (how about some credit to those who beat them?) As for the jeopardy aspect, we won't really know until we know how the seeds play out in the sense that it's not clear now that being 20th is much worse than being 13th.

Mark Ogden: It's been great on matchday 7 and 8, but that's the problem -- it shouldn't have taken so long to become exciting. The early matchdays lacked intensity and jeopardy because the bigger clubs were coasting. The likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all made the mistake of thinking they could take it easy and cruise through, but they won't repeat that mis-judgement next season. Credit to Celtic, Feyenoord and Aston Villa, though, for taking it seriously from day one. Qualification was their reward.

James Olley: It's a money grab by UEFA that diluted the group-stage jeopardy to the point it was hard to know what any of it really meant until near the end. That obviously made for a more uncertain climax, and the idea of having all final-round matches kick off at the same time is a good one, but those positives were outweighed by two extra matches making this stage a painfully slow burner, which ultimately contributes to widespread and valid concerns about player welfare.

Rob Dawson: Personally, I am not a fan. There's nothing wrong with trying to revamp the format, but I'm not sure adding loads more games was the answer. More statement matches are welcome because fans want to see Manchester City against Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool against Real Madrid. The flip side, though, has been a gruelling league phase with lots of meaningless games and very little jeopardy. The excitement around all the final league phase games kicking off at the same time is one positive. It's just a shame there wasn't more at stake to make it a really blockbuster night.

Beth Lindop: The new format has been a little bit of a slog, with even players and managers admitting to being unsure of the permutations of various results. That said, I think the Champions League was in need of a shakeup, and there have been some more exciting matchups thanks to the new format, even if the level of jeopardy going into the final night was perhaps not as high as it it might have been.

Dale Johnson: It's still early days, but I reckon it's fair to say its only the bigger clubs who didn't really enjoy the slog. For a lot of the clubs it has been a joy to experience a successful campaign in the Champions League, rather than simply expect to finish bottom of a four-team group with your European adventure over before Christmas. A lot of supporters didn't really understand what was going on this season, and they're still confused now by the knockout bracket ahead of Friday's draw. But like all competitions, fans will come to know how it works and how important positions can be amid the drama of the final round of fixtures.

Did you prefer the new format to the old?

Johnson: For all the comments of a slog made up of meaningless games, people maybe forget how much of a ceremonial formality most of the four-team groups were. Most were effectively done and dusted by the time Matchday 4 kicked off. And by Matchday 6, you might have only a couple of positions in a couple of groups with real jeopardy. The old format had just as many, if not more, pointless matches, they were just hidden a little. At least this format has a final day where almost every match matters. That said, I think "more big games" is a false argument, as they are quite ceremonial due to the long nature of the league phase -- ergo, what does one win really mean? And it's definitely a good thing there's now no safety net to drop into the Europa League.

Olley: No. The old format wasn't ideal but don't let the pursuit of the perfect be the enemy of the good. UEFA is keen to point out the rollercoaster nature of the league table but it is ridiculous that a team like Manchester City, for example, can still be in the competition after the campaign they've had. Only two of Wednesday night's matches had no bearing on qualification, which, taken in isolation, is an obvious selling point for this format, but the price was too high: weeks of matches with minimal risk is not worth the one-night payoff.

Marcotti: 100%. If you're a top seed, in the old format, you might stomp a bottom seed, win and lose against the third seed and -- presto! -- you have nine points and all you need is one point from two games against the second seed. That's not exciting. Also, with the old format, the focus in each nation used to be on whatever groups had teams from that country in it. Now, it's more spread out. You see more teams. It feels more like a league. Not to mention the seeding pots give you less of an advantage than they did before. And that's a good thing.

Ogden: No, because there are too many games that feel like they don't matter and it enables clubs to qualify by doing the bare minimum. I accept we are never going back to the jeopardy of knockout games from the first round, or when we had mega groups such as Bayern, Barcelona and Manchester United in the same four-team group in 1998-99, but the new format was sadly a non-event until January.

Dawson: Not particularly. The general principal of the new format -- having more big teams playing each other -- is the right idea. You wouldn't have had top seeds playing each other this early in the old format and they're the games that generate the most excitement. The problem is that to increase the number quality of matches without significantly expanding the schedule, you have to reduce the number of participants. UEFA is never going to do that because it means fewer games and less money. Regardless of whether UEFA wants to admit it, the driving force behind the switch in format was the increased revenue.

Lindop: I do think the old format had become a little bit tired. There are definite drawbacks to the new format, chiefly that teams who have performed poorly in the league phase have been able to seal a place in the top 24 relatively comfortably. However, the group stage always felt like something of a formality for many of the top clubs, so I'm not convinced that was a better model.

Who have been the biggest winners and losers of the new format?

Ogden: The biggest winners have been the clubs because they have made a lot more money from the format and that, ultimately, was the reason for the change. On a less cynical note, it's been good for the teams who struggled to get out of the old group stage, such as Celtic, but it wasn't designed for the mid-ranking teams to have more fun. The biggest losers? Probably the fans who have to pay for more games, most of which felt insignificant in the early stages.

Marcotti: Damn, Ogden is grumpy. Fans don't "have to pay more" for more games, Mark. They can choose to pay more to watch the team they love two more times. Or they can choose not to. It certainly feels like mid-sized and smaller clubs have more of a shot than they did under the old format. And, of course, we have more knockout football. Which is what the traditionalists want, right?

Johnson: Let's take a look at Pot 4 of this year's draw. Three teams -- Aston Villa, Brest and AS Monaco -- have made it through to the UCL knockouts. Under the old format, only three teams made it in the last four editions. But this isn't only about progress, it's about being competitive too. Look at Celtic, who won one match in 12 in the last two editions and finished bottom of their group. This year, they won two of their first four matches. Sort of like the UEFA Nations League, giving teams more matches against teams of their own level (Pot 3 and 4) increases general competitiveness. Lille and Aston Villa are straight through to the round of 16, which would have been extremely difficult before, while the likes of Brest and AS Monaco were able to be competitive to the very last matchday.

The losers? Definitely those big clubs who missed out on the top eight and must now play two extra matches. Under the old format, with the round of 16 spread across four weeks, all UCL teams would get two midweeks of rest. But with the new knockout playoff round, AC Milan, Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Man City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid have to play all four midweeks. Let's see how they approach the league phase next season.

Olley: One interesting losing group from this format is the club analysts. One high-placed source rightly pointed out to me a couple of months ago that the analysts' workload has almost trebled, because instead of working on three group-stage opponents, they now face eight. That may have been a contributing factor in the number of upsets and high-scoring games in the group stage.

Dawson: Manchester City are the biggest winners. They've won three games in the Champions League against Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava and Club Brugge and still qualified for the next round. Slovan Bratislava finished 35th in the table, Sparta Prague finished 31st and Club Brugge scraped into the playoffs by finishing 24th. The way City played in the competition, they probably deserve to be out. But UEFA has built in a safety net for the big clubs with the sheer volume of games and City managed to save themselves at the crucial moment.

Lindop: In terms of winners, it's nice to see some clubs who previously struggled to get out of the group stage, like Celtic and Feyenoord, have a chance to get through to the round of 16. For Champions League debutants Brest, too, the new format will surely be viewed as a big success. The biggest losers are probably the players, many of whom have had to play two extra games for very little payoff.

What would you change to make it better?

Marcotti: I think the only people who like what I'm about to say are me and Theo Theodoridis, the UEFA general secretary. But if we want to make the seeds really relevant, we should let the top seed pick whatever opponent they like (and whether they want to play home or away first.) Second seed gets next pick and so on. Not only would it enhance the narrative, but it would also avoid freak situations where a team does well and then get stuck playing Manchester City or someone like that who happen to have underachieved and drawn a lower seed.

Lindop: The playoff concept could yet throw up some interesting matchups, but the fact a team could finish 24th and end up qualifying for the round of 16 at the expense of one that finished ninth doesn't sit quite right. It won't happen but I would prefer it if the top 16 just went through automatically.

Ogden: Maybe find a way to cram all the games into the calendar before Christmas so that it gives the competition more momentum. I know that will cause havoc for some countries with too many games and cup competitions -- hello, England! -- but by making it more intense, it would help grab the attention better. The knockout stage looks great, so the tennis-draw model has worked, but it's the journey before that which needs a tweak.

Olley: Reduce the group stage to 24 teams. Then, top eight go through, middle eight face a playoff and bottom eight are relegated. More jeopardy, higher quality, better product. Except of course that will never happen because the television revenue from more matches is too great to pass up. Which is the entire point of the change.

Dawson: The number of teams should be reduced and all the league-phase games played before Christmas. Matchday eight was an exciting night but it took too long to get there. It has felt like the Champions League has ambled along for months only to speed up at the last minute. The problem is that if it's money UEFA is after then it is going to want more and more games. That dilutes the product and serves up just as many poor games as good ones.

Johnson: I'd remove the safety net that UEFA gives to the big teams by avoiding any marquee games on Matchday 8. It appeared to give all those teams an extra insurance policy to get through. Why couldn't we have PSG vs. Man City on the final day?