Browsing: leaving

Oct 24, 2025, 08:58 AM ET

New San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello admitted it was difficult to leave his job as Tennessee baseball coach but ultimately called it the correct decision to make the unprecedented jump straight to the top of a major league clubhouse.

“It was selfish. It was personal reasons,” Vitello told reporters Thursday, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. “I have always tried to be a good teammate, but I feel like I made a selfish decision that was one I needed to make. It was the right decision.”

Vitello’s hiring marks the first time a big league team has hired a manager directly from a college program without any experience as a professional coach. Vitello was first publicly linked to the Giants on Saturday, when he was identified as the favorite for the job, but he said no decision had been made at that point and expressed some frustration at how the hiring process played out in the media.

“I did not have anything to do with that, and it put everyone in a whirlwind,” Vitello said as part of a lengthy statement. “Now that we look back on it, I think [it] was unfair. Hopefully, people don’t think I’m a diva because that’s kind of how it seemed to play out.”

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He said he leaned on “anyone and everyone” as he tried to decide between his two options. He ultimately chose the Giants, who announced his hiring Wednesday.

Now Vitello, 47, is taking over a San Francisco team that has missed the playoffs for four straight years and is coming off an 81-81 season. He heads to the majors after leading Tennessee to a 341-131 record, three appearances in the Men’s College World Series and a national title in 2024.

This Thursday, Vitello would answer questions only about his Tennessee exit. He is set to address his role with the Giants in an introductory news conference next Thursday.

As Vitello weighed his managing future, Tennessee fans made themselves known during a scrimmage Tuesday, chanting for him and hanging a sign asking him to stay. Though he ultimately chose to leave, Vitello expressed his gratitude to the Volunteers supporters.

“If that is the last time I ever stepped foot on this campus or this field as an employee or as a Vol wearing our orange, I’m just so thankful for the people that showed up,” Vitello told reporters. “It will forever be ingrained in my memory, and it made what was the last day on the job, technically, very, very special.”

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John Cena is in the midst of his farewell retirement tour, culminating on December 13th at “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Many superstars have shared their praise of Cena before he wraps up his in-ring career.Â

One of the only current wrestlers who has even more longevity in the business than Cena is R-Truth, who debuted in WWE in 2000. Truth spoke with Bleacher Report to talk about the future of the wrestling business and how much of an impact Cena has on the future generation of superstars.Â

“It’s gonna excel, man, the wrestling business is only getting better, bigger and better. I think his [Cena’s] blueprint has pretty much given the wrestling business a path to go on, almost like having a map, almost having a Siri. He’s left a lot of stones for people to uncover, turn over, to learn from,” Truth said. “When he was here, he was very giving. He was very knowledgeable; he had no problem telling you what you needed to work on, which is a key in the wrestling business, having a vet or having someone who has that status to give you information.”

The conversation further shifted to the future of the business and who from “NXT” Truth has his eye on.Â

“Man, there’s a lot of guys. ‘NXT’ is full of talent, man. Trick [Williams] is there, Carmelo [Hayes] is up here now, they got Je’Von [Evans], there’s so much talent there, man. I don’t want to, like, put no names or specific things on people, I like to just watch and let everything blossom and bloom.”

In the interview, Truth also discussed his brief return under his real name Ron Killings and why it was so short.Â

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Bleacher Report and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.

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Trinity Rodman is set to undergoing testing to determine the extent of a leg injury she suffered in the Washington Spirit’s 4-0 win over Monterrey in Concacaf W Champions Cup group play on Wednesday night.

Spirit head coach Adrián González told reporters after the game Rodman, who was in tears on the field, will get scans done on Thursday.

“We need to wait until tomorrow,” González said. “She’s going to get scanned tomorrow, and we will have more information.”

Per Ella Brockway of the Washington Post, Rodman was unable to put weight on her right leg after an attempted tackle and had to be helped off the field by Washington’s training staff late in the first half.

Another image from the game showed Rodman using crutches with her knee heavily wrapped while going to the locker room at halftime.

The knee injury comes as Rodman was preparing to make her return to the national team. She has dealt with back issues since the Olympics last summer, including one situation in September 2024 while playing for the Spirit when she was taken off the field in a wheelchair.

Rodman did play for Team USA in a match against Brazil on April 5, scoring a goal in the 2-0 victory. The 23-year-old was added back to the U.S. squad on Wednesday for a series of upcoming friendlies against Portugal and New Zealand.

U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said about getting Rodman back on the roster that she was “super excited” to have “one of the best players in the world” returning.

Wednesday’s injury could significantly alter those plans depending on what Rodman’s test results show. She had been playing great for the Spirit with five goals and two assists in her 15 appearances this season.

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Though they may not quite be the all-conquering force they once were, there is still a sense of honor that comes with being a Manchester United player, coupled with an intense pressure to meet the high standards demanded by fans.

While certain players flourish in those conditions, many have wilted under the stresses, fallen out of favor or simply been unable to muscle into the starting XI only to find themselves occupying the sub’s bench week in, week out.

However, while some have seen their careers come to an abrupt standstill at United, there is a noted phenomenon in football circles known as the “post-United bounce,” where a number of players have successfully escaped their Old Trafford purgatory and almost immediately rediscovered their form elsewhere.

While the grass isn’t always necessarily greener, this season alone we’ve seen the likes of Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Højlund and André Onana join the ranks of players who have departed the Premier League giants at a low ebb before enjoying an instant upturn in fortunes after a fresh start.

Those three aren’t the only big names to benefit from the post-United bounce either, with an ever-lengthening list of players experiencing a similar turnaround in the relatively fallow seasons that have elapsed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager.

– Every time Man United’s Ruben Amorim has talked about his job
– Man United fan grows hair for a year due to Amorim’s team’s results
– Dawson: Sunderland win eases Amorim pressure, but for how long?

2025-26

Marcus Rashford

Patchy form and a dip in morale saw Rashford made available for loan by his boyhood club at the start of the year, with Aston Villa first taking the plunge for the second half of last term before Barcelona weighed in by taking the England forward on a seasonlong deal in the summer.

The 27-year-old already looks like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and the swagger is visibly returning. He has made a decent start to life in Catalonia, with three goals and four assists in his first 10 games for Barça, including an impressive two-goal salvo against Newcastle United in the Champions League which earned him a standing ovation from the home faithful.

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Amorim: The pressure of playing for Man Utd was difficult for Onana

Ruben Amorim talks about the pressure of playing for Manchester United following confirmation of Andre Onana’s loan move to Trabzonspor.

André Onana

A figure of derision under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, goalkeeper Onana was responsible for a string of handling and positioning errors in big games that eventually saw him lose his first-choice designation before ultimately being allowed to leave the club.

The Cameroon international signed for Trabzonspor on loan for the 2025-26 campaign and kicked things off by being named the man of the match on debut for the Turkish club despite them falling to a 1-0 loss. He then upped the ante by registering an assist in his second outing by laying on the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Gaziantep FK.

Rasmus Højlund

A dearth of goals last season saw Højlund left out of the United squad altogether at the start of the 2025-26 campaign until Napoli came to his rescue in September with the offer of a return to Italy.

After mustering four Premier League goals last season, the 22-year-old Denmark striker took just 14 minutes to score his first for the Partenopei and has now produced four goals in his first six games for the club, including a brace in a 2-1 Champions League victory over Sporting CP and the winner against Genoa just before the October international break.

2024-25

Scott McTominay

McTominay sealed a surprise move to Napoli in the summer of 2024 after finding his game time limited under Ten Hag the previous season.

The Scotland midfielder then proceeded to win the Serie A title and be crowned the league MVP in his debut season in Italy while becoming a cult hero among Napoli fans by virtue of his tireless work rate, intense physical play, and of course his knack of scoring important goals in clutch situations.

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Why Antony felt disrespected at Manchester United

Real Betis winger Antony reflects on the end of his tough time at Manchester United.

Antony

Signed by Ten Hag from former club Ajax in an £82 million deal that made him United’s third-most expensive player of all time, Antony unfortunately misfired in England and quickly became a target for derision after routinely failing to make any impact in games while desperately running through his repertoire of superfluous skills.

After two largely unproductive seasons at Old Trafford, the Brazil winger joined Real Betis on loan for the latter half of the 2024-25 season and was immediately reborn, with nine goals in 26 games and a nomination for the LaLiga player of the month award after just a few weeks in Spain, and he has now moved to Seville on a permanent basis.

2023-24

Dean Henderson

A product of the United academy, Henderson was on the books at his boyhood club between 2015 and 2023 but managed just 13 games in all competitions. Following a succession of loans up and down the Football League, the goalkeeper signed for Crystal Palace on a permanent deal in August 2023 before going on to win the FA Cup and make his England senior debut during his second season at Selhurst Park.

David De Gea

The second goalkeeper to leave United in 2023-24, former stalwart De Gea saw his 12-year stint come to an underwhelming end when his contract was allowed to expire and he was released without much in the way of fanfare. The former Spain No. 1 then remained a free agent for the entire campaign before ending his extended sabbatical by joining Fiorentina in August 2024. With penalties saved and clean sheets kept, the 34-year-old then played an important role in helping La Viola qualify for Europe (via the Conference League) in his maiden season.

2019-20 and 2020-21

The Inter Milan Exodus

Thanks to a tricky regime change at United, a sizeable number of high-earning and/or underperforming players were cleared out to make room for fresh blood in the squad.

This considerable exodus saw a number of players join Inter Milan just in time to fuel the Nerazzurri’s charge to the 2020-21 Serie A title with a good number of said players still in situ when they won the Italian top flight again in 2023-24.

Indeed, Romelu Lukaku (2020-21), Ashley Young (2020-21), Alexis Sánchez (2020-21, 2023-24), Matteo Darmian (2021-22, 2023-24) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (2023-24) all claimed major honors with Inter after leaving Old Trafford, and also played in Champions League and Europa League finals for the club too.

After having his ability to lead the line for United repeatedly brought into question, Lukaku was voted Serie A MVP in 2020-21 and finished second behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the scoring charts. Lukaku then won his second Italian league title at Napoli last season.

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Chris Smalling

Smalling also left United for Italy around that time, initially on loan to Roma for the 2019-20 season before the deal was made permanent the following summer.

The center back was an instant success at the Giallorossi and even emerged as a European champion when they won the Conference League in 2021-22 under José Mourinho’s guidance. Smalling was voted man of the match in that final against Feyenoord and was included in the UEFA team of the tournament — a feat he then repeated the following year when Roma finished runners-up in the Europa League.

2018-19

Daley Blind

A fairly reliable and versatile defensive option for United, Blind enjoyed success during his four years at Old Trafford by winning an FA Cup in 2015-16 and then the Carabao Cup and Europa League in 2016-17.

However, despite being seen as something of a fading force on his United exit, the Netherlands international kicked on by returning to boyhood club Ajax to claim three more Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups before spending a single season with Bayern Munich and lifting the Bundesliga shield in 2022-23. The 35-year-old veteran is still going too, and is currently in his third season with Spanish side Girona.

2016-17

Memphis Depay

It’s fair to say that Depay failed to fully ignite at United under Louis van Gaal, with an underwhelming 18-month spell at Old Trafford coming to an end in January 2017 when he signed for Lyon in a permanent deal.

Still only 22 at the time, the Dutch forward’s career soon began to gather momentum and he technically won LaLiga with Barcelona in 2022-23 (though left the club halfway through the season after making just four appearances) to join Atlético Madrid. However, Depay has been a bona fide league winner in recent months, taking the Brazilian Serie A title with Corinthians in 2025.

2015-16

Ãngel Di María

With stints at Benfica and Real Madrid already under his belt, Di María was recognized as one of the most skillful playmaking wingers in the world when he signed for United in August 2014 in a huge deal worth almost £60 million — the highest transfer fee ever paid by a British club at the time.

Unfortunately despite early promise, a failure to settle in England, untimely injuries and a dramatic oscillation in form saw Di María regularly squeezed out of the first team under Van Gaal and it all came to an end after 12 months when Paris Saint-Germain offered to rectify the situation in the summer of 2025. The nimble Argentina star duly went on to win a domestic quadruple in his debut season before adding a further 15 major honors to his collection during the seven years he spent in Paris — also winning the FIFA World Cup and two Copa Américas with Argentina.

At the grand old age of 37, Di María is still playing in Argentina with his boyhood club, Rosario Central.

2014-15

Wilfried Zaha

Something of a poster boy for the false start of the post-Alex Ferguson era at United, Crystal Palace star Zaha was actually signed by Fergie in January 2013 but had his move delayed until the following summer, by which time the legendary Scot had retired and been replaced at the helm by protégé David Moyes.

Zaha made just two appearances under Moyes, who sent the young winger out on loan to Cardiff City for the second half of the 2013-14 campaign. Without making a single league start for United, the 22-year-old then returned to Palace in 2014-15, initially on a season-long loan and soon found his ridiculously quick feet again, immediately re-establishing his “fan favourite” status at Selhurst Park while subsequently hitting the best form of his career in the Premier League, carrying the Eagles for several seasons and winning the club player of the year award in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

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Cody Rhodes is indisputably a top five player in pro wrestling today. He’s been at the top for a few years now in WWE that it’s easy to forget his lengthy and unique journey in the business. From debuting in WWE before he could drink alcohol to being saddled with the Stardust gimmick to leaving and helping create a rival promotion to making an epic return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 to being involved in perhaps the greatest storyline of all time with The Bloodline, Rhodes has had one of the wildest rides in wrestling.Â

Rhodes was a guest on ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” where he explained to the hosts why him leaving WWE when he did was unheard of.Â

“At the time that I left, it was really unheard of. Typically, WWE would cut ties with you, and I was a legacy hire, so I was gonna be there forever, just a little nepo baby. And I’d also done really good work, I was one of the last guys who wrestled Triple H when he was still going, Undertaker when he was still going,” Rhodes said. “I was 20 years old when I first got under contract and I was 21 when I debuted on the show. I think it was important for them to know that I wasn’t a kid anymore.”

“The American Nightmare” went on to explain that his experience leaving WWE was even more unique than others, because he ended up creating a competitor.Â

“It was even more unheard of to leave and be able to create something and create a little bit of an underground scene, a different flavor … I had that experience when I went away and I was able to come back far more complete.”

Rhodes remains firmly committed to WWE at this stage in his career, commenting on the chances that he could be in Triple H’s spot in 10 years.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “UnSportsmanLike” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.

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  Tim BontempsOct 1, 2025, 06:27 PM ET

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  Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.

SAN FRANCISCO — For Al Horford, the decision to leave the Boston Celtics was a hard one after spending seven of the past nine seasons there, including winning the 2024 NBA title — his first in his 18 years in the league.

But as Horford contemplated his future this offseason, two things were easy: He knew he wouldn’t retire, and he knew that if he had to leave the Celtics, joining the Golden State Warriors was the obvious choice.

“It’s a great opportunity to compete and to win at a high level,” Horford said Wednesday in his introductory session with the media at Chase Center. “When I think about the Warriors, I think about Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] and Steve Kerr and seeing Jimmy Butler here. What he did in that second half of the season last year after the trade and how they’re playing.

“It wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Boston, but if there was the place, that was this one, and it happened and I happened to give this opportunity, so I jumped at it.”

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The idea of Horford leaving Boston seemed farfetched, at best, when the regular season ended in April. He was fully ensconced in Boston, where he was beloved by the fans and everyone in the organization, his family was a constant presence around the team and the only question was how much longer Horford would continue his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

But, like so many other things for the Celtics, everything changed when Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. With Tatum sidelined for the vast majority — if not all — of the 2025-26 campaign, Boston wound up moving on from both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in trades this offseason, and saw both Horford and Luke Kornet leave in free agency, as finances helped dictate a complete overhaul of a team that has dominated the Eastern Conference for the past several years and entered last spring as one of the favorites to win the title.

With the Celtics resetting things, the potential for Horford to move on from Boston became a real possibility. And, when he did, the fit with the Warriors — where he should be a natural fit both defensively and as a floor spacer and connector offensively playing with Curry, Green and Butler in Kerr’s read-and-react system — made sense for both sides.

“It’s huge to not only to have a space 5, but it’s not just any space 5 — it’s Al Horford,” Kerr said Wednesday. “He rebounds, defends, smart, good passer … just watching him today, you can see the fit, how smooth it is. He can play with Draymond, space the floor as a 5, he can play with Trayce [Jackson-Davis], and Trayce can be the dive man and play two bigs with him. He can also play the 5 himself, and we can have a 5-out lineup. So, Al’s versatility and the fact he fits in any lineup makes him hugely valuable right away.”

Those same qualities were what made him such a seamless fit with the Celtics over the past several years, where he remained a critical part of Boston’s roster even as he entered his late 30s. But, in a nod to his age and the wear and tear on his body, the Celtics were constantly monitoring Horford’s minutes and made sure he didn’t play in any back-to-backs.

Both Horford and Kerr danced around the topic of whether Horford would sit out back-to-backs this season, saying that the medical team would be working with Horford on that moving forward.

The fact that Horford — who agreed to a two-year deal for the $5.7 million taxpayer’s midlevel exception with a player option for next season — was having his intro presser Wednesday, on his second day of training camp, was because his signing, along with several others, had to wait for the restricted free agency of Jonathan Kuminga to come to a conclusion.

Once it did Tuesday night, when Kuminga and the Warriors agreed to a two-year deal, that paved the way for Horford, De’Anthony Melton — who also spoke Wednesday — and others to have their deals wrapped up.

Horford admitted that made for an odd process this summer but said he was happy it was behind him and that he was with the Warriors.

“It was definitely a very odd offseason, just kind of waiting and waiting and seeing what’s going to happen, seeing what’s going to take place,” Horford said. “So just my whole focus was on my training and preparing myself and making sure that I was in the best place for when the season started.”

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A longtime Pro Wrestling NOAH star is departing the company.

NOAH announced Tuesday morning that Go Shiozaki, who aside from a few years spent most of his career with the company, will be leaving as of September 30.

“Following discussions initiated by Go Shiozaki, it has been decided that his contract with PRO WRESTLING NOAH will not be renewed. As of today, the contract has officially expired,†the company wrote on social media.

Notice of Contract Expiration: Go Shiozaki

Following discussions initiated by Go Shiozaki, it has been decided that his contract with PRO WRESTLING NOAH will not be renewed. As of today, the contract has officially expired.

September 30, 2025
CyberFight / PRO WRESTLING NOAH… pic.twitter.com/uGpO4J1pAi

— PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noahglobal) September 30, 2025

Shiozakiâ€s last match was during the N-1 Victory tour on September 23, where he teamed with Atsushi Kotoge, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Mohammed Yone to defeat Harutoki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Naomichi Marufuji, and Shuhei Taniguchi.

Graduating from the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo in 2003, Shiozaki has spent most of his career in the company, where he held the GHC Heavyweight title on five different occasions and won the N-1 Victory tournament in 2023. He briefly left the company in 2013 to join All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he held the Triple Crown title once before returning to NOAH in 2015, where he remained up until Tuesday.

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Jazmyn Nyx isnâ€t the only WWE Superstar departing NXT.

WWE NXT Superstar Edris Enofe took to social media this afternoon to announce that he is departing the company as of today. He released the following statement via a video:

“As of today, I will officially be leaving the WWE,†Edris Enofe said. “Itâ€s a decision that I thought about for a very long time, and Iâ€m going to trust my gut on this. With that being said, for the past four years, I had the chance and the opportunity to meet and work with incredible people.

“From the wrestlers to the referees to the creative team to the medical staff and, of course, to other coaches who put in so much time and effort into making me better. And for that, I will always, always appreciate yâ€all. And of course, to all the fans who have supported me and stuck by my side through all these years. Thank you.â€

The end of Enofe and Blade tag team…

Enofeâ€s last match on WWE NXT took place on June 25, losing a tag team turmoil match with his partner Malik Blade.

Since then, Enofe has appeared on LVL Up and has been regularly featured on Evolve. His last match with WWE took place at an NXT live event on July 25, losing to Lince Dorado.

Blade, his tag team partner, has been out of action since October 2024. Although he recently returned to NXT, winning a dark match last week against an unnamed opponent.

Stay tuned to WrestleZone for more information as it becomes available.

READ MORE: NXTâ€s Edris Enofe Announces Heâ€s Medically Cleared To Compete

What do you make of Edris Enofeâ€s comments? What do you think his next move is in the world of professional wrestling? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

If you use any of these quotes, please credit Edris Enofe with a link to this article for the transcription.

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Through three NHL preseason games, several Philadelphia Flyers roster battles look far from being decided any time soon.

In losses to the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals, the Flyers very much looked like an uninspired team out of gas and out of ideas. Not unusual, given the nature of training camp, but concerning.

The best the Flyers have looked through three preseason games was, incidentally, in their first game against the New York Islanders, when Nikita Grebenkin, Trevor Zegras, and Matvei Michkov stole the show in a 3-2 shootout win.

A glass-half-full way of looking at things is that the Flyers also look like a team undoing three years of John Tortorella, clearly still learning Rick Tocchet’s new systems.

For many young players, including Michkov, Tortorella’s systems were all they ever had and are having to learn a new set of NHL systems all over again. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

But, overall, you’d like to see a group of young guys rise to the occasion and steal a roster spot when they see an opportunity. That hasn’t happened yet.

Flyers Stock Up, Stock Down Heading into Training Camp Week 2
Heading into the second week of Philadelphia Flyers training camp, a number of key players have boosted their stocks and chances of making the NHL roster. Others? Not so much.

Winger Alex Bump, for example, was one player I praised after the loss to the Canadiens. He started the game (strangely) paired with Nick Deslauriers and Jett Luchanko, and eventually started making plays after moving up to the top line with Sean Couturier and Bobby Brink.

So far, Bump’s game has been just that: flashes at times, but nothing sustained yet. For a solid 6-foot, 200-pound guy, he gets knocked over quite a bit, too.

If I had to call it today, Nikita Grebenkin makes the NHL roster with ease, if for no reason other than his ability to (apparently) play with different types of players in addition to his size and aggression.

The other forward spot is up for grabs.

It’s between Bump, Jett Luchanko, Rodrigo Abols, and maybe Denver Barkey, but the edge has to go to Abols at this time. The experienced Latvian can play center and wing and has put in some good shifts in the preseason.

If Bump makes the roster and Deslauriers is the only extra forward, the Flyers would be without a reserve forward who can play the middle, and that’s something they need to consider when constructing the roster.

On defense, Emil Andrae looked good in the first game against the Islanders and hasn’t played since.

Noah Juulsen has been making it a point to play with physicality, but he got lucky with the Kashawn Aitcheson hit in the first game and was penalized for a very similar hit against Ilya Protas on Thursday.

Flyers Make 10 More Roster Cuts, Including A Surprise
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced 10 further cuts to their training camp roster ahead of Thursday night’s preseason game against the Washington Capitals, but some names were more surprising than others.

Helge Grans has been just okay so far and was bad against the Capitals on Thursday, but as Tocchet remarked after the game, everyone was bad and probably tired, too. That led to the Flyers having the day off on Friday.

Tocchet prefers to have a lefty and righty on each defense pairing, but right now, the only two horses making serious claims for a roster spot are Andrae and Gilbert. I see a world where both make it and Egor Zamula is the odd man out and subsequently cut.

For all his size and physical tools, Zamula is still a very slow skater and plays slow, and it’s hard to predict what Tocchet’s patience level will be for that compared to the other options in the cupboard.

Fortunately, the Flyers have four more preseason games, including Saturday’s preseason home opener against Boston, before they open their regular season on the road against the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who are now without captain Sasha Barkov, on Oct. 9.

There’s plenty of time for the youngsters (and some vets) to turn the page on a slow start to the preseason, but, so far, impressive moments have been far and few between.

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Sep 25, 2025, 12:38 PM ET

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov needed to be helped off the ice Thursday after appearing to sustain an injury to his right leg during the first full training camp practice of the season for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Barkov was getting further evaluation.

“I’ll have a better answer for you tomorrow,” Maurice said.

The Panthers have been in camp for a week — with one round of cuts already, paring what was a 72-person roster down to 55 — but Thursday was the first day that most of the veterans were expected to participate.

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It was not clear what exactly happened to Barkov. He wasn’t able to skate off under his own power when he left the ice and headed to the team’s locker room.

“Not a guy you want to see go down, for sure,” Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist said.

Barkov led the Panthers in assists last season with 51 and was second in points with 71 before adding six goals and 16 assists in the playoffs when Florida won its second consecutive Stanley Cup.

He is Florida’s franchise leader in countless categories, including games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782), power-play goals (84) and game-winning goals (52).

The Panthers already expect to be without forward Matthew Tkachuk for the first several weeks of the season while he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia. Now, they are waiting to see if Barkov will be out for any significant time as well.

“Beyond our control, so there’s no concern,” Maurice said. “If we have to learn to win hockey games without good players, if that’s the adversity or the test that we face this year, that’s what we’re going to do. I’m not a doctor. Whatever the report is, it won’t affect how we handle that next day. If he’s not in the lineup on opening night, or if he misses an exhibition game, or he’s out long-term, it’s just not going to affect that day. We’ve got to win the hockey game, and we’ve got to prep for it.”

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