The PWHL will hold its third annual entry draft in Ottawa on June 24, the league announced Tuesday, with Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien anticipated to be one of the top selections following her MVP senior season.

What's yet to be determined is how many teams will be participating in the draft with the six-team league having yet to announce its decision on whether to expand by as many as two franchises.

The draft will take place at Ottawa's newly expanded Hard Rock Hotel and Casino set to open this spring, and serve as the first event held in the facility's theatre.

O'Brien is among the prospects who have already met the May 8 deadline to declare being eligible for the draft.

The 23-year-old from Massachusetts is coming off winning her third national title with the Badgers, and was this season's Patty Kazmaier Award winner. The second-year captain led the nation with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists), and set a school record with 274 career points (97 goals, 177 assists) in 182 games.

The draft order has yet to be set with the second-year league's announcement coming during a three-week break coinciding with the women's world championships being held in Czechia (Czech Republic).

Each of the six teams has three games remaining following the break, with league-leading Montreal the only one to have already clinched a top-four playoff berth. Toronto sits second and is a regulation win from clinching.

Two points separate the next three teams, with Boston sitting third, Ottawa fourth and defending champion Minnesota fifth. New York sits last, six points out of contention and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

Other top U.S. prospects declaring themselves as eligible include Clarkson's Haley Winn, currently competing in her third world tournament, and Cornell's Rory Guilday.

Top Canadian draft-eligible prospects include Boston College's Abby Newhook and the Clarkson tandem of Anne Cherkowski and Nicole Gosling, who's sister Julia was selected by Toronto in the first round of last year's draft. Colgate's Hannah Murphy, who is from Kingston, Ontario, is regarded as the top goalie prospect after setting a school record with 15 career shutouts.

Among the top European draft-eligible prospects are two members of the Czechia national team: Natalie Mlynkova, who completed her senior season at Minnesota, and Colgate's Kristyna Kaltounkova.

André Onana believes that time away from the Manchester United team has done him good, a source close to the goalkeeper has told ESPN, but he doesn't yet know whether he will be recalled for the crucial Europa League clash against Lyon.

Onana was omitted from the trip to Newcastle United on Sunday with head coach Ruben Amorim, saying the decision was taken to allow the 29-year-old to "disconnect."

It came after Onana was blamed for both goals in the Europa League quarterfinal first leg against Lyon.

A source has told ESPN that the Cameroon international is feeling refreshed after the rest.

However, he's still waiting to find out whether he will be handed the gloves for the return game against Lyon on Thursday. The tie is hanging in the balance after the 2-2 draw in France.

Onana's replacement against Newcastle, Altay Bayindir, endured a difficult afternoon at St James' Park as United lost 4-1.

The Turkish international, who was making his Premier League debut more than 18 months after arriving from Fenerbahce, gifted Newcastle their fourth goal when his pass was cut out by Joelinton for Bruno Guimarães to score.

United need to beat Lyon to prolong their season.

Victory against the Ligue 1 side would set up a semifinal against either Athletic Club or Rangers and keep alive their hopes of ending an otherwise miserable campaign with a trophy and a place in next season's Champions League.

The Spanish word "remontada" is becoming infamous around the world because of the extraordinary against-the-odds fightbacks (the literal translation) that Real Madrid consistently produce in the UEFA Champions League. But while the rulers of Europe will be hoping to conjure up one of those logic-defying comebacks against Arsenal at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, there's a lower-profile -- but equally worthy of appreciation -- remontada happening at the heart of Barcelona's brilliant back line.

The man in focus is Iñigo Martínez. Without any shadow of doubt, he is the team leader at the Spanish champions-elect, the boss of that back four, the man who marshals their exhilarating, ridiculously high-wire, advanced offside line. But he is also a man who also looked to have lost both the possibility of playing for Barcelona and, most likely, ever being chosen for his national team again.

The 33-year-old Basque central defender was first selected as a Barcelona leader-in-the-making while still at Real Sociedad in 2016-17. Ernesto Valverde, then in charge of Barcelona, decided Martínez was a must-sign player who could add steel to his aging, increasingly dilapidated Blaugrana side that eventually fell apart so dramatically (3-0 up, losing 4-3) at Liverpool in 2019 -- the last time the Catalans reached a Champions League semifinal.

When Valverde persuaded the Camp Nou moneymen to go and sign Martínez, using some of the 222 million Barcelona had just received from Paris Saint-Germain for Neymar, he was shocked to find a Praetorian guard of Barcelona old timers -- Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez and Gerard Piqué -- begging him not to sign Martínez.

Whatever that felt like to Valverde back then, it looks like utter madness now. It wasn't, as such, a prohibition order on the defender himself by those players but specifically a vote from his adoring teammates that Javier Mascherano needed to be kept as Barça's defensive leader.

"Jefecito" is Mascherano's nickname -- "the little boss." To the gnarled competitors at Barcelona like Messi, Suárez and Alba, though, the little boss was their big boss -- as he's become again at Inter Miami CF. They wanted to keep the Argentine at all costs and believed that meant closing the door on Martínez.

How did that end up? Well, Mascherano left the club for China halfway through the 2017-18 season anyway, sick of not getting enough game time, and Barcelona fell apart defensively in the 2018 Champions League quarterfinals against AS Roma (4-1 up, out 4-4 on away goals) followed by that all-time embarrassment at Anfield a year later.

Might Martínez have made the difference? Perhaps, and not only on those nights of infamy, but because of his hard, unremittingly demanding leadership on a day-to-day basis. He is the kind of man who influences training ground culture and who, without question, would have spotted the rot and stood up to the star culture that emerged around Messi, Suárez and Piqué. Valverde needed a guy like Martínez so, so much.

Martínez himself closed the door, potentially at least, on an international future with Spain by making it clear to the FA before selection was made for the delayed Euro 2020 that he wished not to be considered. I hugely admired his decision to announce, publicly, that he was not in mental shape to do himself, or his national team, justice if chosen for the demands of that summer 2021 tournament.

"It's tough to write this but for some time I've not been at 100% mentally or physically in order to compete at the level demanded by Athletic or the Spain team," Martínez said in a statement. "To be honest with those teams, and myself, I've decided to step aside, disconnect, try to recharge my batteries and regain the strength which has been central to my career. This season I've left everything I've got on the pitch to try and qualify Athletic for Europe and get myself in the Spain squad for the Euro with the result that, in all sincerity, I don't believe I'd be at the level required for this tough test which Spain faces this summer."

It's the type of thing, a little bit like whistleblowing by an employee who knows dark industrial secrets, where the intentions are right, the reasons behind it are honorable and laudable, many people will appreciate and understand you, but, soon, you spot the wary glances, you see opportunities diminishing, and eventually you realize that you've been isolated and put on the shelf. Doing the right thing is risky.

In the eyes of both the Spain hierarchy and Barcelona's decision makers, it might have looked like an acknowledgment that his elite level days were over. Jumping before being pushed and, on that logic, the beginning of the end.

So, to the redemption stories.

Then-manager Xavi Hernández phoned Martínez personally in summer 2023 to persuade him to leave Athletic Club for the Camp Nou, and the defender bit his hand off -- despite Barcelona being in such financial difficulties that there was absolutely no guarantee that they'd be able to register Martínez to play. In the worst case, he could easily have spent six, or 12, months contracted to them but unable to pull on the Blaugrana shirt competitively because they weren't sufficiently financially healthy to register him with LaLiga. It was a monumental leap of faith on the player's part.

"Xavi's words about me were magnificent, so when he calls on behalf of a club like Barcelona, everyone else needs to take second place," Martínez said at the time. "I immediately said 'yes' to joining. I had no bad memories haunting me about a few years earlier when I'd been so close to joining in 2017. I joined to win."

Injuries have been the bane of his career, but since getting fully fit, and since Hansi Flick inherited Xavi's job, Martínez has been little short of magnificent. He is the perfect partner for an -- admittedly brilliant -- teenage right-sided center-half like Pau Cubarsí. He is the perfect man to patrol Flick's ludicrously daring high back line that, often, plays offside only just inside their own half of the pitch -- it's monstrously risky and needs utter, fanatical intensity, concentration and cohesion. Four men moving as one. Every time, all the time.

There's a nasty little conundrum facing Flick in the team he selects for Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal second leg at Borussia Dortmund. If he were to be booked in Germany, Martínez would miss the first leg of the semifinal through suspension, assuming Barcelona convert their four-goal lead -- something Flick would regard as disastrous.

So, rest him, right? But Flick also thinks that the best way to ensure Barcelona do convert that first-leg win into a semifinal place is for his Basque defender to boss the match against Dortmund.

Dilemmas and decisions.

Anyone in any doubt about the form or sharpness of Martínez only needed to see his "unbelievable" challenge in which he robbed Munir El Haddadi of what looked a guaranteed equalizer on Saturday as Barcelona squeaked past Leganés. It was one of those top-of-the-class, old-school challenges when the defender started third best in a two-horse race but still won -- the anticipation, the sprint, the risk assessment, the cleanliness of the sliding challenge. Simply magnificent.

The fighter's fightback is what we're witnessing and, just maybe, it'll take Iñigo Martínez to the Champions League final in Munich and the UEFA Nations League finals with Spain in June.

Now that, from where he was not long ago, would truly be a remontada.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Head coach Charles Lee left no doubt about his offseason expectations from Charlotte Hornets cornerstone point guard LaMelo Ball.

"He's got to get stronger," Lee said Monday following the team's exit interviews.

Opposing teams regularly stepped up their defensive pressure on Ball this season, trying to get the 6-foot-7, 190-pounder off his game by being extra physical and using hand and body checks on the perimeter and bodying him up on the way to the basket. On the other side of the ball, opponents would often go right after Ball, attack him off the dribble and back him down in the lane, forcing him to defend.

Early in the season, Ball struggled to stay out of foul trouble and even fouled out of some games, but his defense improved as the season progressed.

"Teams are trying to deny him, trying to be physical, and you can see early in the year when teams did it, it definitely bothered him," Lee said. "As he got used to it, he got a lot more comfortable, so it's going to start with his body. He's got to get stronger and more conditioned to be able to play both sides of the ball and sustain efforts. ... When you're one of the best players in the league, you have to be ready for physicality. In order to combat that, you have to be stronger."

Lee would not say how much weight -- or muscle -- he wants Ball to put on, saying that is up to the team's conditioning staff.

Ball expressed a willingness to listen.

"I definitely agree," Ball said. "Just being in the weight room, and everything they're saying."

It's no secret the Hornets need Ball on the floor. He averaged a career-high 25.2 points this season, along with 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, and he is capable of heating up at any point in the game and making some ridiculous 3-pointers off one foot.

The problem throughout Ball's five NBA seasons has been his inability to avoid injuries. He has played in just 56% of the franchise's 410 games over the past five seasons because of persistent injuries, most involving ankles and feet. Ball's past three seasons have all ended in surgeries.

Ball hasn't come close to reaching the 75 games he played in the 2021-22 season, when he made his only appearance in the NBA All-Star game.

Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson views it as progress that Ball played in 47 games this season after seeing action in just 36 and 22 the previous two years.

"Is it where we want it to be? No. Is it where he wants it to be? No. LaMelo is an incredible competitor, and he knows that in order for us to have the best chance to win and get to where we want to go, he has to be on the floor," Peterson said. "We're providing every resource, and again, he's putting the time in and taking ownership in it. We're happy the season is over in that regard and he's able to ramp up and have a healthy start to the season next year."

Peterson said Ball will "absolutely" be ready for training camp and next season following surgery on his right ankle and right wrist.

"LaMelo, he can be as good as he wants to be, and we've seen that," Peterson said. "He's played at an All-Star caliber level. I told him this the other day that I've been fortunate, and Charles has too, to be around some great players in this league, and LaMelo is very unique and does some things that no one else can do, quite frankly."

Harlequins fly-half Jamie Benson has signed a contract extension with the Premiership club.

The 22-year-old has played 20 times in all competitions - making his debut in the Premiership Rugby Cup in November 2021.

He made his Premiership debut against Exeter in November last year and has gone on to play five times in the top flight and once in Europe this season.

The young Cambridge University graduate scored 13 second-half points to earn the Player of the Match award when Quins beat Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month.

"I have been at the club since I was 13 years old. It's my boyhood club and I have been coming to The Stoop from a young age," Benson told the club website.

"Coming out of university and being in the programme full-time for the first time has been a big step up in standard - I've made my Premiership debut and earned a few more appearances, so I'm pleased so far.

"I'm very lucky to have Nick Evans as one of my coaches at the club and to work closely with Marcus (Smith) and Jarrod (Evans) daily.

"They have great rugby minds so I am just trying to absorb as much as I can and get better every day."

Quins have not disclosed the length of the former England under-20 international's deal.

"He's an intelligent rugby player and he's very accurate off the kicking tee, which is hugely important for every 10," Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson added.

"We have a strong group of fly-halves at the club, it's great to see how they learn from each other every day and push one another on the training pitch.

"We're delighted Jamie will continue his journey at Harlequins as we work closely with him to fulfil his bright potential."

With the Montreal Canadiens on the precipice of punching their playoff ticket Monday night, the Chicago Blackhawks shocked the world by pulling off the shootout victory. So the Columbus Blue Jackets remain in the hunt for the final Eastern Conference wild card.

In the West, there was no movement in the three-way wild-card race between the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames on Monday, but all three play on Tuesday.

Here's everything you need to know heading into what could be a highly consequential evening:

New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

This is the Devils' penultimate tune-up before beginning their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other side, the Bruins enter this matchup in the fourth slot for the draft lottery order; they cannot catch the Predators at No. 3, but they are one point ahead of the Kraken and Flyers, and two ahead of the Sabres.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Maple Leafs have a four-point lead atop the Atlantic Division, but with two games left for the team chasing them (the Lightning), nothing is yet resolved. However, with a win or an overtime/shootout loss against their cross-border neighbors, the division title is theirs. Buffalo has closed the season out strong, but past foibles have the Sabres in the No. 7 spot in the draft lottery heading into Tuesday night; they are in a jumble of teams from No. 4-9, all between 75 and 78 points.

Chicago Blackhawks at Ottawa Senators
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Blackhawks' win on Monday did not alter their final standings result, as they are locked in to the No. 2 spot in the draft lottery. The Senators are locked in to another part of the standings, the first Eastern Conference wild card, with a matchup against the Atlantic Division champs (either the Maple Leafs or Lightning) on the docket in Round 1.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

Montreal's loss in the shootout on Monday kept the Blue Jackets' playoff door open just a crack. Columbus needs regulation wins in both of its final two games (it hosts the Islanders on Thursday), PLUS the Canadiens to lose in regulation against the Hurricanes on Wednesday to earn the second wild card. The Flyers are part of the above-mentioned jumble of teams between 75 and 78 points; they begin the evening in the No. 6 spot with 76.

Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

The most likely postseason scenario in the Atlantic includes these in-state rivals squaring off in Round 1. The Panthers cannot catch the Lightning (they can tie in standings points, but Tampa Bay is well ahead in regulation wins); the Lightning can catch the Maple Leafs, but need to win their final two and have the Leafs lose their final two in regulation. In other words, this game might involve some "message sending" ahead of their upcoming showdown rather than any more standings shuffling concerns.

Washington Capitals at New York Islanders
7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals may not be, ahem, as honed in as we've seen them in recent weeks as they were chasing that clinched position (and Alex Ovechkin was still chasing Wayne Gretzky's record). On the Islanders side, they sit 10th in the draft lottery order with 82 points, four behind the Ducks (78) with two games to go, and one point ahead of the Rangers and Red Wings at 83.

Utah Hockey Club at St. Louis Blues
8 p.m. (ESPN+)

With a win of any variety and a Flames loss of any variety, the Blues clinch a playoff spot; with any other set of results, it's a little more complicated. In the franchise's first season, the Hockey Club remained in the playoff mix quite long, but they'll be in the draft lottery this May. Currently 14th, they can fall behind the Canucks for 15th if they win tonight.

Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild
8 p.m. (ESPN+)

A win of any variety for the Wild clinches their playoff spot (regardless of what the Flames do); the Wild can also clinch if they lose in OT/shootout and the Flames lose in any fashion. The Ducks are at the tail end of the 75- to 78-point teams in the draft lotto order, sitting ninth as play begins Tuesday.

Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames
9 p.m. (ESPN+)

Every game is a must-win for the Flames, and regulation wins will be critical; they are currently two points behind the Blues and one RW, so if the Blues win in regulation Tuesday and the Flames win in OT/shootout, that eliminates the Flames (they could tie in standings points with a win Thursday, but couldn't catch up in RW). If the Blues lose in any fashion, that leaves the door open for Calgary. The Knights are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Pacific -- and will play whichever team winds up in the first wild-card spot when the playoffs begin. If they don't want to see Calgary in a series this spring, they can end that possibility by beating them on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken
10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

The Kings' win over the Oilers on Monday clinched home-ice advantage for them in the first-round series against those very same Oilers. Seattle is our final team in that 75- to 78-point mashup, beginning play on Tuesday night as the No. 5 team in the draft lotto order with 76 points and 28 regulation wins.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today's schedule
Yesterday's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Tuesday's games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Washington Capitals at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Utah Hockey Club at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Monday's scoreboard

Chicago Blackhawks 4, Montreal Canadiens 3 (SO)
Detroit Red Wings 6, Dallas Stars 4
New York Rangers 5, Florida Panthers 3
Utah Hockey Club 7, Nashville Predators 3
Los Angeles Kings 5, Edmonton Oilers 0
Vancouver Canucks 2, San Jose Sharks 1 (OT)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

x - Toronto Maple Leafs

Points: 104
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 106.6
Next game: @ BUF (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Tampa Bay Lightning

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 102.5
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Florida Panthers

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 1
Points pace: 99.2
Next game: @ TB (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Ottawa Senators

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 96.4
Next game: vs. CHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Montreal Canadiens

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 90.1
Next game: vs. CAR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 94.4%
Tragic number: N/A

e - Detroit Red Wings

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 85.1
Next game: @ NJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Buffalo Sabres

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 78.9
Next game: vs. TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Boston Bruins

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 75.9
Next game: vs. NJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

z - Washington Capitals

Points: 109
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 111.7
Next game: @ NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Carolina Hurricanes

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 101.5
Next game: @ MTL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - New Jersey Devils

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 2
Points pace: 91.2
Next game: @ BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 87.1
Next game: @ PHI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 5.6%
Tragic number: 1

e - New York Rangers

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 84.0
Next game: vs. TB (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - New York Islanders

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 79.0
Next game: vs. WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 77.9
Next game: vs. CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

p - Winnipeg Jets

Points: 114
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 1
Points pace: 115.4
Next game: vs. ANA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Dallas Stars

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 107.3
Next game: @ NSH (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Colorado Avalanche

Points: 102
Regulation wins: 40
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 0
Points pace: 102
Next game: N/A
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Minnesota Wild

Points: 95
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 1
Points pace: 96.2
Next game: vs. ANA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 98.3%
Tragic number: N/A

St. Louis Blues

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 95.2
Next game: vs. UTA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 90.6%
Tragic number: N/A

e - Utah Hockey Club

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 90.1
Next game: @ STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Nashville Predators

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 66.8
Next game: vs. DAL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 59.7
Next game: @ OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

y - Vegas Golden Knights

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 45
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 2
Points pace: 109.7
Next game: @ CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Los Angeles Kings

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 2
Points pace: 105.6
Next game: @ SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

x - Edmonton Oilers

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 1
Points pace: 100.2
Next game: @ SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Calgary Flames

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 94.3
Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 11.1%
Tragic number: 3

e - Vancouver Canucks

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 91.1
Next game: vs. VGK (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Anaheim Ducks

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Points pace: 80.0
Next game: @ MIN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - Seattle Kraken

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 76.9
Next game: vs. LA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

e - San Jose Sharks

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 1
Points pace: 52.6
Next game: vs. EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: A "p" means that the team has clinched the Presidents' Trophy as the top team in the regular season. A "z" means that the team has clinched the top record in the conference. A "y" means that the team has clinched the division title. An "x" means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An "e" means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. More details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL's Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

1. San Jose Sharks

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 14

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Points: 59
Regulation wins: 20

3. Nashville Predators

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 23

4. Boston Bruins

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26

5. Seattle Kraken

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 21

7. Buffalo Sabres

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 28

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 23

9. Anaheim Ducks

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24

10. New York Islanders

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28

11. New York Rangers

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 34

12. Detroit Red Wings

Points: 83
Regulation wins: 29

13. Columbus Blue Jackets

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 28

14. Utah Hockey Club

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 30

15. Vancouver Canucks

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 28

16. Calgary Flames

Points: 92
Regulation wins: 30

Scouts throughout the NHL all have a story about the one prospect they watched for countless hours that they begged their organization to draft -- only to watch that player become a success elsewhere.

For Judd Brackett, his cautionary tale of what could have been has helped the Minnesota Wild build what might be the NHL's best farm system as part of a larger plan to become the next long-term Stanley Cup contender.

Before Brackett was the Wild's director of amateur scouting, he was an amateur regional scout. His life was about those numerous long car rides through hundreds of miles of dreary and repetitive landscapes, with the payoff in finding a prospect who could possibly reach the NHL.

One day, Brackett found one of those prospects. He filed reports about a two-way player who had size, skill, could skate and score goals. A crossover scout came to watch the prospect, only to see him have his worst game of the season. Brackett pushed for another chance, but was told to forget about the player.

Except Brackett didn't forget. It still haunts him more than 15 years later for two reasons: the prospect was a later-round draft pick who won a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him, and it taught Brackett the value in making sure that every scout feels heard, a concept he continues to uphold in his current role.

"I always try to be cognizant that even if I see a guy and they didn't play well, whether it's in the car ride home or next week, I am calling the scout in the area," Brackett said. "I ask them, 'Tell me again what you like?' If it was just a bad game, it's a one-off. If I've got a scout who really believes in a player and I didn't see it, I still have to find the right place for that guy."

When the Wild named Bill Guerin their general manager in 2019, it came with the belief that he could lead the franchise to new heights. The Wild are in position to reach the playoffs for the fifth time in Guerin's six seasons, but have had to maneuver around salary cap challenges.

How they've done that is having young talent on team-friendly contracts who could play right away. That's what makes Brackett and his staff so valuable to the Wild. Even though Bracket is not in a front-facing role, the work he and his staff have done has been visible for years.

Their first draft pick under Brackett, who started in the 2020-21 season, was Marco Rossi, who has emerged into a top-six center. The Kevin Fiala trade -- which led to them getting a franchise cornerstone defenseman in Brock Faber along with a first-round pick that became promising prospect forward Liam Ohgren -- was orchestrated with Brackett's insights.

And with the foundation that Brackett has laid -- and some big cap hits coming off the books -- they are in position to make a bigger splash this offseason.

"Judd's critical to what we're doing," Guerin said. "I cannot express how important he is to us and how great of a job he has done for us and what it's allowed us to do with how to operate with our empty cap hits. It's his staff, his department; he runs it, draft day is his, and he's a very smart guy and good leader."

THE CENTRAL DIVISION is arguably the NHL's toughest, particularly among the top five teams.

Many of their division rivals have chosen to build through the draft. The Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets each have more than 11 players that they drafted or signed as undrafted free agents. The Colorado Avalanche have five on their current roster, but their 2022 Stanley Cup team was built around a homegrown core that had nine players who were drafted or undrafted free agents.

The Wild have only three on their current roster -- for now. But the need to develop more talent from within further amplifies what makes the work done by Brackett and his staff so crucial to the Wild's short- and long-term plans.

"I don't know what he does, but he does it," Guerin joked. "He gets it, and he knows and I trust him wholeheartedly. We have Judd with us for development camp, for training camp, for [free agency], for the trade deadline, because even players that have been in the league for three or four years that we're considering, we go with Judd. We go back to [the player's] draft year. What do we know about him? What do we know about his character? He has all that information."

Keeping pace with division powers like the Avs, Jets and Stars is only part of the equation when it comes to the Wild. It's something that should become hypothetically easier once July 1 arrives and the Wild attain the financial flexibility they'd been missing because of the combined Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.

The Parise and Suter buyouts in 2021 were nine years after they each signed identical 13-year contracts worth $98 million back in 2012. A year later, the NHL and the NHL Players Association came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement limiting the maximum contract length to eight years.

If they had remained with the Wild, those contracts would be coming off the books after this season. The first of the buyouts saved the Wild more than $10 million at a time in which every team was even more financially conscious because of the flat salary cap. However, the second year of the buyouts went from costing the Wild a combined $4.7 million cap space in the first year to $12.743 million in the second season. The third and fourth years increased to $14.743 million in cap space.

This meant the Wild needed to find talent with team-friendly contracts who could contribute to their lineup.

ENTER BRACKETT, his staff and how their haul from the 2020 NHL draft has benefitted the Wild in multiple ways.

• They used their first-rounder on Rossi, who has emerged into a top-six center the last two seasons

• Their second-round pick, Marat Khusnutdinov, played 57 games in a bottom-six role this season before he was traded for forward Justin Brazeau

• Defenseman Daemon Hunt, who was drafted in the third round, was part of a trade earlier in the season to get prospect defenseman David Jiricek, who was the sixth overall pick in 2022.

Guerin said Brackett was "extremely involved" with the Jiricek trade, just like he was with the Fiala trade with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022. Faber, who was runner-up for the Calder Trophy in 2023-24, has become the Wild's top-pairing defenseman, while Ohgren played in 24 games this season.

Between Faber, Khusnutdinov, Ohgren and Rossi, it was a quartet that combined to play in 227 games this season, at a collective cost of $3.6 million.

The Wild could have another prospect who plays a pivotal role for them in the playoffs in Zeev Buium. The University of Denver defenseman was part of a Wild draft class that earned an A grade from ESPN's Rachel Doerrie, and Guerin moved up one draft spot to No. 12 to ensure the Wild could select him. He signed his entry-level contract on Sunday, and began practicing with the team on Monday.

Buium, a Hobey Baker finalist, scored 11 goals and 50 points as a freshman in 2023-24 -- tops among all defensemen -- as he helped Denver win its NCAA-record 10th men's national championship. He also won gold twice with the United States at the World Junior Championships. Buium led NCAA defenseman in scoring again in 2024-25, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as college hockey's top player.

Brackett said every trade scenario -- whether for an NHL player, or swapping draft picks -- presents multiple options for a team to discuss. He said that it's difficult to concentrate on one player, because the other team might say no; that makes it important to have someone on staff who can speak about most, if not, all the potential prospects in play going each way.

"It usually starts at a moment's notice," Brackett said. "Most trades take some time, but the framework might be right there. There's usually some ongoing discussion so there's more time to dig a little bit deeper.

"But you know you must be prepared. You know you could get a phone call whether it's Bill or from an assistant GM or somebody. They want to know about a player, and you have to be ready to speak about that player with all the pros and cons."

EVEN THOUGH BRACKETT has a cautionary tale, he also has a success story about the player who made him believe he could be a scout someday.

That player was Marty Reasoner. Brackett was a high school goalie in Massachusetts before he played at Northeastern and later, Connecticut College. He played against Reasoner, who would become a first-round pick in 1996 and play nearly 800 NHL games. Facing Reasoner back then led to Brackett evaluating what made him so good at the time.

Brackett said looking at traits such as Reasoner's vision and selflessness along with his talent gave him a reference point when it came to player evaluations. It's something he took with him when he began working as a scout for the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL for nearly three full seasons. Gatineau won the President's Cup in his final season.

Brackett was then hired by the Indiana Ice in the USHL as their head scout and vice president of player personnel where he helped the franchise win two Clark Cups. He drafted or signed 34 future NHL players during his time with the Ice, before he was hired by the Canucks in 2008.

He was an amateur regional scout for seven seasons and was then promoted to amateur scouting director in 2015. Brackett played a role in the Canucks drafting future cornerstones such as Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson before departing the club in 2020 to join the Wild.

"Bill and I didn't have any prior relationship before coming to Minnesota," Brackett said. "We go about it in a very honest way in terms of our evaluation. We try to be unbiased when we're making those decisions or recommendations."

His work has been especially important with the Parise-Suter buyouts at their most expensive, with hope on the horizon: The buyouts will cost a combined $1.6 million annually over the next three years, and PuckPedia projects the Wild will have $21.8 million in cap space this offseason.

The team has five pending unrestricted free agents, including Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist, Brazeau, Jon Merrill and Marc-Andre Fleury, while pending restricted free agent Rossi will also need a new contract. The majority of the core is under contract for at least one more season before star forward Kirill Kaprizov becomes a free agent after 2025-26.

Once they re-sign Rossi, it will leave Guerin with more cap space to address the roster than he's had in recent years. But he can further maximize that space by tapping into a farm system that's been strengthened by Brackett and his staff.

"Quite honestly, it's a luxury having a guy like Judd," Guerin said. "I trust him wholeheartedly. We know we are going to get players that have a chance. Even when we were making the deal for David Jiricek, Judd was the first to raise his hand and say, 'Don't worry about our pick this year. Get him.'

"That's when you know a guy has confidence, and a belief in what he's doing."