On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Today, PWHL Minnesota announced Head Coach Charlie Burggraf has stepped away from the team, citing family reasons.
“My family and I have decided that stepping away from the head coaching position at Team Minnesota is the right move for us at this time,” Burggraf said in the team’s press release. “I wish both the PWHL, and especially Team Minnesota, great success.”
The decision comes five days before the start of the inaugural PWHL season on January 1st, 2024. Minnesota kicks their inaugural season off on the road against Boston on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024.
Former NHL defenseman Ken Klee has been named Minnesota’s new head coach.
Around The PWHL
“The hockey energy in Minnesota is just fantastic, and I’m delighted to be part of it,” Klee said in Minnesota’s press release. “This position provides a terrific opportunity to coach outstanding players who represent the top level of professionalism, and to connect with a first-rate hockey community. I can’t wait to get started.”
Klee is also well known for coaching the US Women’s National Team to back-to-back World Championship titles in 2015 and 2016. He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League from 2017-2019.
More must-reads:
- Is Kirill Kaprizov worth a record-setting contract?
- Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
- The 'NFL mascot names' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Is Kirill Kaprizov worth a record-setting contract?
All signs point to the Minnesota Wild signing All-Star winger Kirill Kaprizov to a massive extension this summer. Recent reports suggest that the Wild will likely sign Kaprizov to an eight-year, $120M contract. This deal would surpass Leon Draisaitl’s contract for the league’s highest average annual value (AAV). Still, it would fall $4M short of Alex Ovechkin’s record for the largest contract ever signed in the NHL. This raises the question: Is Kaprizov worth such a significant investment? Unfortunately, Kaprizov is coming off the worst season of his career thanks to injuries. He finished the campaign with 41 games played in the regular season, and another six in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Although he missed half the season, he scored 25 goals in 56 games, finishing third on the team in scoring and 16th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting. Finishing that high in team-scoring for a playoff team while losing half the year to injuries is a testament to Kaprizov’s value. Since joining Minnesota for the 2020-21 NHL season, he’s scored 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games, far and away the highest on the team over that stretch. Kaprizov’s contract demands ultimately come down to one equation. Assuming he’s signed to the $15M figure, Minnesota must ask if he’s worth 14.4% of their cap for the 2026-27 season, and even less throughout the subsequent years. It’s a fairly easy equation to sort through. Over the past five years, Kaprizov has been directly involved in 386 goals scored by the Wild. To understand his impact, we can analyze his point contribution to the total number of goals the entire team has scored during that period. Since Kaprizov began his career, Minnesota has scored 1,197 goals. Factoring in Kaprizov’s contributions, it’s easy to ascertain he’s been involved in 32.2% of the Wild’s goals, despite missing many games due to injuries. Given that he’s accounted for one-third of the team’s offense since coming into the league, it seems like an easy investment to make for the Wild. Unfortunately, his injuries are cause for concern, and they could become an issue throughout negotiations when agreeing to a final dollar amount. Regardless, the good news is that Minnesota appears to realize exactly what they have in Kaprizov. Their only pathway to contention runs through him, and they’re seemingly ready to recognize him financially for that. His hypothetical $15M AAV won’t last long as the league’s highest, with Connor McDavid prepared to earn more on his next contract with the Edmonton Oilers, or elsewhere. Still, although it’s not commonplace to make wingers some of the league’s highest-paid, Kaprizov is worth every penny.
1 final move Los Angeles Lakers must make to complete 2025 NBA offseason
This offseason has been a rather eventful one for the Los Angeles Lakers. And they may not be done making moves yet. Now that they’ve received extra security for their future after Luka Doncic decided to sign a three-year, $165 million extension to stay until at least the 2027-28 season, they could very well be more aggressive when it comes to making moves — especially with LeBron James putting so much pressure on the team to turn the team into a surefire championship contender. At the very least, the Lakers can rest a bit easier knowing that they filled their biggest need heading into the offseason. They badly needed a new starting center after finishing the 2024-25 campaign with the overmatched Jaxson Hayes in the starting lineup, and they got Deandre Ayton at such a bargain contract that it’s difficult to rag them for bringing him in — punctuality and attitude concerns notwithstanding. And then the Lakers also brought Marcus Smart in from the buyout market, although they did lose Jordan Goodwin, a bundle of energy and a hustle guy off the bench, in the process. Smart has been ridiculously injury-prone over the past few years, but he did win the Defensive Player of the Year award just three years ago — so he’s a worthwhile, if risky, flier. As presently, constructed, however, the Lakers may not have enough to win a title. Doncic and James are two of the greatest postseason performers of all-time, but the supporting cast needs work — especially when they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. In particular, the Lakers need an upgrade at the wing — the final move they must pull off to complete their offseason this year. Should the Lakers bring Andrew Wiggins in? As things stand, the Lakers will presumably be starting Rui Hachimura alongside Doncic, James, Ayton, and Austin Reaves. That looks like a dangerous starting lineup on paper. However, that lineup distinctly lacks a lockdown defender who will take on the best perimeter scorer on the opposing team. Doncic and Reaves are not the sturdiest defensive duo to begin with; the former’s effort comes and goes, and the latter’s size makes him a target for opposing teams to exploit in pick-and-roll situations. James can only do so much now that he’s set to turn 41 years of age in December. Ayton’s motor issues are well-documented. The Lakers’ defense was top-notch last season even after bringing Doncic in thanks in large part to the defensive scheme that head coach JJ Redick deployed. Redick would want to load up the strong side, relying on the Lakers’ fleet-footed perimeter defenders, such as Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Finney-Smith, to cover the ground on the weak side when the opposing offense starts to ping the ball around. Now that the Lakers have more size on the interior, they don’t have to play as frenetic of a defensive scheme. However, the playoffs have shown that you can only have so many weak links on defense if the goal is to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. No, Hachimura is not exactly a defensive weak link. But he’s not exactly the lockdown wing defender that’s going to slow down the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Anthony Edwards. The Lakers will have to upgrade this position — especially if their mind is set on keeping Reaves alongside Doncic and James. The Lakers’ reported interest in Andrew Wiggins should not come as a surprise to anyone. Wiggins has the size of a prototypical and ideal wing in the NBA, and he has a track record of elevating his game in the playoffs. In 2022, Wiggins became his best self, especially on defense, hounding Doncic and Jayson Tatum en route to winning the title with the Golden State Warriors. Since the Lakers believe that they can turn back the clock to 2022 anyway with the addition of Smart, why not make another gamble in the form of Wiggins? Alas, the Miami Heat have reportedly been very difficult to negotiate with, and as such, the Lakers appear to be setting their sights elsewhere. But Wiggins might be the attainable piece at the end of the day, as 3-and-D wings are at a premium in today’s NBA. Rumor has it that the Lakers are saving their resources for the 2027 offseason, when the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell, among others, could hit the open market. But time is of the essence for this Lakers team. If the Heat lower their asking price for Wiggins, then the Lakers should be all over the former champion and All-Star starter.
Triple H provides statement on Seth Rollins' SummerSlam appearance
Night one of SummerSlam 2026 ended with a bang. Seth Rollins came back from what now appears to have been a fake injury, cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase against CM Punk. The WWE fanbase had long postulated the idea of Rollins returning at SummerSlam. His return felt like low-hanging fruit. Yet, despite the expectations, both Punk and Rollins played the situation perfectly. Now, as we head into night two of SummerSlam, there is a new World Heavyweight Champion in town. When speaking at the SummerSlam post-show, Paul "Triple H" Levesque admitted, albeit in kayfabe, that he wasn't pleased with Rollins falsifying injury reports to get the upper hand on Punk. "Seth Rollins is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers," Levesque said. "And he comes out, goes through none of it and takes the World Heavyweight Championship. My hats off to Seth Rollins. That’s a smart way to do business. Not thrilled about bogus medical reports, but we’ll deal with that down the line." Not everyone will be happy with Rollins becoming the new champion. They will feel like Punk was robbed. Or that WWE creative took the easiest route possible. And in truth, they're probably right. However, sometimes the best way to progress a story is to go with the most obvious segue. The fact is, everyone came away from the SummerSlam main event with some form of emotion. The story being told worked; it made people feel. And now, the storyline moves on to how Punk and Rollins — two heated rivals — will move forward. A future title match is all but guaranteed, yet it's the story, week after week, month after month, that will captivate people. WWE used SummerSlam as a jumping-off point, and now, we could see the very best of CM Punk, likely culminating in a main-event title match at WrestleMania 42. So, yes, Rollins' win was a deflating moment for many, but what comes from that moment will keep wrestling fans talking for the next six to 12 months, and that was likely the whole point.
White Sox rebuild already showing significant progress
The Chicago White Sox won only 41 games in 2024, setting a major league record for the most losses in a season. This season has already been better in Chicago. Although the White Sox remain in the AL Central basement, they won their 41st game of the season on Friday, a 6-3 victory over the Angels. The beginnings of the future core have started to take shape. Catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel have performed admirably with the bat, giving the White Sox the potential for impressive depth behind the plate. Infielder Chase Meidroth has continued to put together strong at-bats and get on base. Third baseman Miguel Vargas has cooled down from a torrid May, but is still showing signs that he could be a building block. Fellow infielder Colson Montgomery had six homers in 23 games entering Saturday. The pitching staff needs more work but there are some building blocks at the major league level. Starters Shane Smith and Davis Martin look like solid back-of-the-rotation arms. Mike Vasil has been one of the more underrated relievers in the game. More pieces are coming through the pipeline. Top prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this season and could be a future ace. Pitcher Hagen Smith and outfielder Braden Montgomery should debut sometime in 2026. The White Sox may have reached rock bottom in 2024, but the future is bright. That future is coming sooner than one would expect. Yes, the White Sox have the second-worst record in the majors, but progress is being made. Those improvements can be seen in their record as the White Sox have already matched their win total from 2024.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
