Harlequins winger Cadan Murley has signed a new "long-term" contract at the reigning Premiership champions.

"It's great to be able to re-sign here with Quins," he told the club's website.

"This is a team looking to build something special and I want to continue my role in what we're doing."

He follows prop Fin Baxter, who also signed a "long-term" contract extension with the club on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old loosehead has made four senior appearances following his debut against Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup last season.

Harlequins have now given eight players new contracts in the past week following deals for Alex Dombrandt, Luke Northmore, Will Edwards, Sam Riley, Oscar Beard and Will Evans.

England fly-half Marcus Smith "could be an absolutely brilliant 10", but needs Owen Farrell's help to "run the game for him", says head coach Eddie Jones.

"Every brilliant 10 in the history of the game has been accompanied by a stable 12," Jones said.

"That's the combination I think we need to have, and Owen brings that at 12."

Jones added on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast: "His [Farrell's] reading of the game, his ability to take pressure off Marcus is going to be so important."

After guiding Harlequins to the Premiership title in June, Smith made his England debut the following month, before starting twice in the autumn against Australia and South Africa, with the victory over the latter coming without the injured Farrell.

"He [Farrell] is going to be an important player for Marcus," Jones added.

"Marcus could be an absolutely brilliant 10, but he needs to have a guy next to him who is going to run the game for him - and that is where Owen is so good."

Despite his patchy form over the past couple of years, coupled with a lack of game-time since the autumn, Jones has no doubt Farrell remains "the right guy for the job" of leading the side.

"What we saw with Owen in November, in the short time he played, was really positive, he came back in rejuvenated," Jones said.

"And you also have got to remember those Saracens blokes have had a really tough time. I certainly didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. I thought they could come back in the Six Nations [in 2021] and play at the level they could, and I over-estimated that.

"Now there is the opportunity for those players to come back. We have seen it with Jamie George in November, how positive it was when he came back, and Owen showed that in the Australia game.

"I have got no doubt Owen can go on and play really well in the Six Nations."

Farrell is set to make his return from injury for Saracens against London Irish in the European Challenge Cup this weekend, and providing he can prove his fitness will start at Murrayfield as England look to regain the Calcutta Cup.

Smith and Farrell's prospective combination will leave the Harlequins pair of Joe Marchant and the uncapped Luke Northmore, as well as Exeter's Henry Slade vying for the outside-centre slot.

"There is no reason Slade can't play 13, Joe Marchant is continuing to improve, and we are impressed by the young guy from Harlequins Northmore, who has come out of the drinking bars of Cardiff Metropolitan University to find his rugby," Jones added.

"I'm sure every club is looking in the bars of Cardiff Met University!"

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, just across the river from the Canadian border, sits Sault Ste. Marie. That's where Abby Roque grew up.

"It's a small community, but a big hockey town," she said. "That's the sport to play in the Sault."

Roque is a member of the Wahnapitae First Nation, which is based in Ontario. Her uncle, Larry, is the chief of their tribe. Growing up, Roque was surrounded by other kids with similar backgrounds.

"We are a community that is very heavily Indigenous," Roque said. "It was something that was just normal to me. There wasn't that big of a divide between Indigenous players on the team and those who were not."

Roque fell in love with hockey at a young age. Her father, Jim, coached at Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie. He now is a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jim first put his daughter on skates in the backyard rink that he built, and soon she was sitting in the stands, taking in all of his team's practices and games. Roque didn't know much about the opportunities available to her playing hockey. She just knew she wanted to be on the ice as often as possible.

But as she advanced through the levels of the sport, she noticed there were fewer and fewer players who looked like her. First, it was because of her gender. Girls teams didn't exist in the Upper Peninsula, so she played exclusively with boys.

"For two or three years, there was another girl in the association, she was a year below me," Roque said. "But then she went over and started playing boys hockey in Canada in peewees. So then, for a while, it was just me for a lot of years."

After Roque committed to the University of Wisconsin and stepped on campus for training camp in 2016, it marked the first time she would play women's hockey year-round. When she started, Roque noticed there weren't many players with her background.

Next month, the 24-year-old Roque will make her Olympic debut for the U.S. women's national team. Roque will be the first Indigenous player on Team USA's hockey roster and the team's only BIPOC player.

"I never processed how few Indigenous players are actually playing hockey around the world," Roque said. "Back home, there were so many Indigenous players around, and now I'm sitting here as the only player and first player on the U.S. women's team that's Indigenous. It's a cool moment and something I'm so proud of, but something I obviously want to help change. I want to see more Indigenous players playing the game and making these teams. It's really eye-opening."

Many in the women's hockey community have pegged Roque as the sport's next breakout star. A 2020 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, an honor given to the top women's college hockey player in the U.S., she finished her Wisconsin career ninth on the school's scoring list (170 points) and seventh in assists (114). She also scored 21 power-play goals and recorded a plus-136 rating. Teammate and soon-to-be four-time Olympian Hilary Knight has gushed about the Roque, saying, "I think she's going to be the best player in the world. Plain and simple."

For Roque to get to this point, she had to blaze her own path. It wasn't a linear journey, and the end goal wasn't always clear.

Roque is brimming with confidence, which she credits to her upbringing. Despite standing out, she felt nothing but encouragement from her inner hockey circle.

"I never played with a single guy who wasn't so supportive of me and wanted me on the team," she said. "It was never a question of, 'She's a girl, she can't play.' It was always, 'She's good, she should be on the team.'"

That doesn't mean things were always smooth. "It was more people on other teams when you ran into problems," Roque said.

By the time she got to high school and played on the boys' varsity team, Roque said she would get two different reactions on the ice. Some opponents would skate up to her and say things like, 'It's so cool to see you out there. I hear you're committed to Wisconsin, congrats.'

"Then there were other teams that would try to target you, run you through the boards, chirp [at] you," she said.

What happened on the ice was never as bad as what was going on in the stands.

"There would be a lot of parents screaming, 'Hit the girl!' Or, 'She doesn't belong here!'" Roque said. "Then you'd have some of our parents fighting with them, maybe get into a fight in the lobby of the rink. It was crazy times. Like, why are people fighting in the lobby of the rink about this? It doesn't matter."

Roque controlled only what she could, which was her game. Her body and skill set were different than her male teammates, and Roque was always finding ways to use that to her advantage.

"Especially when you get to the high school level, a lot of these boys are taking off with their strength and their speed and their size," she said. "I was probably 5-4 freshman year, a [140 pounds], and I'm sitting there having to learn a different game than a lot of these guys."

Despite being the smallest on the ice, she had to be tough. She learned to take checks and make plays off them.

"I also knew I wasn't going to beat anyone with my speed or anything like that, so I had to play the smart game," Roque said.

If she held onto the puck too long, she knew she was going to get buried into the boards. So she focused on making passes, making plays and seeing the game faster than anyone else.

Roque moonlighted for Little Caesar's girls teams for a handful of tournaments, her first exposure to girls hockey. "It was definitely an adjustment," she said. "I had to teach myself to lay off the body."

In 2013, Roque's dad asked if she wanted to drive downstate for a tryout for the under-18 women's world championship team. "I had no idea how good the other girls would be," she said. "I had no idea how I'd compare."

Turns out, Roque was really good. She was invited to a second tryout and then made the roster. She made the team again the next year. Since her dad is a Canadian citizen, she had the option to skate for Canada or the U.S.; she chose to play for the latter.

"I never really thought about it," she said. "I'm proud of my Canadian roots, and my tribe is in Ontario, so it's interesting to have both. But I'm American. I finally got my dad out of his Canadian hats, but I came home for Christmas and there was a Canadian flag in the garage. I'm like, 'Dad, come on!'"

When Roque committed to Wisconsin, it was time for her to fully transition to the women's game. Coaches were constantly telling Roque to shoot more and hold onto the puck longer -- counterintuitive to how she conditioned herself to play in boys hockey. Containing her own physicality continued to present problems.

"I definitely got a lot of penalties body checking by accident," she said. "I once got a two-game suspension for a check. Someone was coming at me. I just dropped them because I didn't think about it. I thought they were trying to hit me. Then I get towed out of the game. I'm like, 'I get four penalties a year in boys hockey, this is nuts!'"

Playing on boys teams undoubtedly shaped who Roque is today. At 5-foot-7, she prides herself on both her hockey IQ and skills. She sees the game well, but isn't afraid to get into the gritty areas, and rarely loses battles.

Growing up, Roque modeled her game after the players on her dad's college team. When she went home at night, she'd tune into the NHL and loved watching Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash. Visibility remains an issue for women's hockey; Roque simply didn't have many opportunities to watch women play. That's something she hopes to change for the next generation.

When she returned home for Christmas, Roque was delighted to see more girls at the rink than ever before. "A couple [of] girls were at the rink just to watch me; they wanted to see me skate," she said. "That was so cool to me. I think girls now realize they can play, that was the big piece."

Growing up, Roque didn't have that awareness. With the Olympics being the highest-profile women's hockey tournament in the world, players are potential role models. Roque represents something more.

"Being able to see somebody like yourself at the level you'd want to picture yourself is incredibly important," she said. "Because then you can say, 'Oh that can be me.'"

Stepping into a leadership role has come naturally for Roque.

"It's cool to see her standing in her power because she realizes she does have a voice," her good friend and Wisconsin teammate Sarah Nurse told ESPN last year. "She feels she's representing a whole group of people and can be a role model for them. When she stepped on campus, she let it be known, 'This is where I'm from, I made it, this is who my family is.' It makes me proud to see how proud she is."

Roque and Nurse will put their friendship aside next month as Nurse is a standout forward for the Canadian team. But ultimately they have the same goal: making hockey more inclusive for everyone. Visibility isn't the only barrier.

"Hockey is one of the most expensive sports out there," Roque said. "Hockey really wasn't that expensive for me growing up; we made it affordable. We had so many fundraisers as teams, we had a lot of sponsors. You realize when you leave that some of these programs are charging people so much money to play hockey, and it's unattainable for a lot of families. Then you realize, hockey isn't the welcoming of a sport.

"If you don't know hockey and you turn it on, you have no idea what's going on. It's so confusing. If you want to put your kid in hockey, it's like, 'I don't know what gear they need, do they need shin pads or what shin pads or how to even put the gear on.' So as hockey people, we need to make it as welcoming as we can, so everyone feels welcome to try hockey."

The NHL's 2021-22 season continues to see some shifts in the schedule due to COVID-19 postponements, but some teams have weathered the storm a bit better than others. What is the key takeaway from each team's play since mid-December? We break it all down here, while unveiling the latest 1-32 rankings.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors rates teams against one another -- taking into account game results, injuries and upcoming schedule -- and those results are tabulated to produce the list featured here.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the last edition, published on Jan. 12. Points percentages are through Tuesday's games.

1. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 0.731
Next seven days: @ EDM (Jan. 20), @ VAN (Jan. 21), @ SEA (Jan. 23), @ WPG (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Best in the business. The Panthers have spent the past month on easy mode, and it shows. Florida hasn't suffered a loss since Dec. 16, is averaging six (!) goals per game, has been perfect short-handed and is firing nearly 40 shots on goal per game during that span. And there's no sign the Panthers will be slowing down.

2. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 0.736
Next seven days: @ ANA (Jan. 19), @ LA (Jan. 20), vs. MTL (Jan. 22), vs. CHI (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: It's Cale Makar's world ... and we're lucky to be living in it! No, really. The Avalanche have continued to stupefy teams with their explosive offense (hello, Mikko Rantanen!) but Makar's game has been a revelation for Colorado. The 23-year-old has serious swagger locking down the blue line and scoring highlight-reel goals. The total package.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 0.750
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Jan. 21), @ NJ (Jan. 22), vs. VGK (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Doin' it all (and doin' it well). It says something about the Hurricanes that a 6-0 loss to Columbus last week was the first time they've been shut out all season. Carolina's just consistently been that good. Even the dips can't dull its shine. Since mid-December, the Hurricanes boast the NHL's best power play and average over four goals per game, while limiting chances against. Onward, and upward.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 0.720
Next seven days: @ ANA (Jan. 21), @ SJ (Jan. 22)

Takeaway: Andrei Vasilevskiy, MVP. The Lightning have played more than anyone since mid-December and have four players that are in the top 12 in scoring. But it was getting Vasilevskiy back from COVID-19 protocols that seemed to solidify Tampa's game again. Vasilevskiy is top three in wins and save percentage since returning, and he helps the Lightning look lethal.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 0.708
Next seven days: @ NYR (Jan. 19), @ NYI (Jan. 22)

Takeaway: Late-game letdowns. Between COVID-19 problems and provincial capacity restrictions, the Leafs have played only six games in 30 days. But it's clear lately Toronto has had a hard time finishing teams off. Multigoal leads against Colorado, Vegas and St. Louis all evaporated, and the Leafs failed to come out on top after being tied in the third period in Arizona. Toronto needs to work on its closing act.

6. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 0.639
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Jan. 20), vs. WPG (Jan. 22), vs. ANA (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Boston's back, baby. Where have these Bruins been? As Tuukka Rask returns to the net, Boston's finally looking like its old self. The scoring is consistent (over four goals per game), while they've tightened up defensively, and the Bruins' stars are all aligned. Finally.

7. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 0.600
Next seven days: vs. MTL (Jan. 20), @ WSH (Jan. 24), @ CAR (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Fortress frustrations forming. There's been no home-ice advantage for the Golden Knights lately. In the past month, Vegas is 2-4-2 at T-Mobile Arena, while going undefeated over that stretch on the road. It's a strange turn of events given the Golden Knights' home barn was once among the NHL's toughest buildings in which to play. Can it be again?

8. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 0.692
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 19), @ CAR (Jan. 21), vs. ARI (Jan. 22), vs. LA (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Resiliency is real. The Rangers have a way of not getting rattled. At least not in the past month. Lose 5-1? Come back next game and win 4-1. Key players fall out of lineup? Depth scoring and better defense fill the void. In a challenging season for everyone, New York is standing out for how it's weathering the storm(s).

9. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 0.671
Next seven days: @ CHI (Jan. 21), vs. CHI (Jan. 22), vs. MTL (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Stay the course. Minnesota ended calendar year 2021 in a slide, but thanks to balanced contributions (and a lighter schedule), the Wild have been rebounding nicely to recapture some of the magic that drove them through the early season. And Kirill Kaprizov seems to be coming into his own at just the right time for Minnesota.

10. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 0.663
Next seven days: @ BOS (Jan. 20), vs. OTT (Jan. 22), vs. VGK (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Hittin' the skids? Let's face it: Washington has been dominant all season. The team was due for some adversity. Now it's all about comeback season. The Capitals dropped five of their first six games in 2022, their worst stretch of the campaign by far, while averaging fewer than three goals per game. But as Washington gets healthy again, this midseason slump is likely to fade fast.

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 0.671
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Jan. 20), @ CBJ (Jan. 21), vs. WPG (Jan. 23), vs. ARI (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Bend, don't break. The Penguins were flying high into 2022 ... then turbulence hit. How they navigate the bumps will tell us -- and them -- a lot. Louis Domingue has stepped up in net and Kris Letang is firing from the blue line, but Sidney Crosby has one goal since Dec. 10 and Kasperi Kapanen has gone ice cold. Time to pick it up.

12. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 0.654
Next seven days: @ SEA (Jan. 21), @ VAN (Jan. 23), @ CGY (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Crazy for Kyrou. Jordan Kyrou is having a moment. The forward was named to his first All-Star Game last week. He was the breakout performer in this season's Winter Classic. He's top 10 in league scoring over the past month. He's a threat seemingly every shift. And he's just darn fun to watch.

13. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 0.622
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Jan. 20), vs. DET (Jan. 22), @ SEA (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Yes, they're for real. Are we still questioning whether the Predators could contend? Because the past month has shown positive signs in that respect. Juuse Saros is (still) underrated, Filip Forsberg (when not in COVID-19 protocols) is playing into a major payday and Roman Josi anchors a blue line as well as anyone. The recent dip in results should be a blip on the radar.

14. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 0.563
Next seven days: vs. COL (Jan. 20), @ NJ (Jan. 23), @ NYR (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Exceeding expectations. The Kings weren't jumping off the page early. That's changed in the past month. L.A. was on a 7-3-0 run (before running into Timo Meier's five-goal night on Monday), which was one of the league's best stretches. It quietly pushed the team into second place in the Pacific Division, and the Kings' overall success feels sustainable too, thanks to excellent goaltending and strong two-way play.

15. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 0.600
Next seven days: @ EDM (Jan. 22), vs. STL (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Is the honeymoon over? That long COVID-19 pause took something out of the Flames. Darryl Sutter's once exceptionally stingy group has allowed more than four goals per game the past month and earned only two victories in their past six outings. Have they lost that loving feeling with Sutter's defense-first system? Or is this the inevitable come down from a hot start? Time will tell.

16. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 0.550
Next seven days: @ SEA (Jan. 20), vs. TB (Jan. 22)

Takeaway: It's Timo time. The Sharks have had a good month overall. Timo Meier has had a great one. That stretch culminated in a five-goal performance against L.A. this week, but even before that Meier was locked in. His eight goals and 16 points in 10 games is near the top of the league since mid-December, and he's helped carry the Sharks to an impressive early 2022.

17. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 0.549
Next seven days: vs. COL (Jan. 19), vs. TB (Jan. 21), @ BOS (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Re-tooling ... or rebuilding? It has been an ugly month for Anaheim. COVID-19 absences undoubtedly played a role, but two wins in 10 games is poor no matter the justification. Has the magical run by these Ducks petered out? Or is this setback a temporary lapse? Giving up nearly four goals per game won't help them rebound. A return to full health -- with All-Star John Gibson back in net -- might help get them turned around.

18. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 0.571
Next seven days: @ NSH (Jan. 20), @ BOS (Jan. 22), @ PIT (Jan. 23), vs. FLA (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Riding the wave. The Jets are another Canadian club whose schedule has been stymied by provincial capacity restrictions. Plus, Winnipeg has faced its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date. You just might not know it from its results. Winnipeg won four of the first five games it played since mid-December, outscoring opponents 15-7 in those victories. And it looks like reinforcements are on the way too, in the form of Blake Wheeler skating again post-injury.

19. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 0.528
Next seven days: @ BUF (Jan. 20), @ DET (Jan. 21), @ PHI (Jan. 24), @ NJ (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Big drama in Big D. Rick Bowness isn't mincing words. Dallas has five wins in the last month, and its coach is calling out the team's competitiveness while admitting there are players he'd like to healthy scratch, if only he could. Bowness has even demoted top defenseman John Klingberg to try kick-starting his group. Will the strategies work long term? We'll see.

20. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 0.500
Next seven days: vs. FLA (Jan. 21), vs. STL (Jan. 23), vs. EDM (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Rough road rules. The Canucks have basically spent the entire past month on the road. And while the team is still benefiting from its Bruce Boudreau bump, its results of late haven't been so consistent, particularly against top teams like Carolina, Florida and Tampa. Does Vancouver, with plenty of ground to gain in the Pacific, have what it takes to really compete in the playoff mix?

21. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 0.543
Next seven days: vs. FLA (Jan. 20), vs. CGY (Jan. 22), @ VAN (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Everything is awful. Setting aside the COVID-19 issues with which Edmonton has dealt -- because frankly, what team hasn't experienced that this season? -- it's painful watching the Oilers try to dig themselves out of this current state. Edmonton hasn't won a game in the past month, goaltender Mike Smith is injured again, Connor McDavid's been pushed to the second line and there's a growing sense of frustration over what Edmonton's front office can -- or will -- do to patch the holes.

22. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 0.513
Next seven days: vs. DAL (Jan. 21), @ NSH (Jan. 22)

Takeaway: Slowdown in Motor City. The Red Wings entered December on a high, but lately they've hit some potholes. Detroit just hasn't been scoring much, or as often, as it was earlier, getting shut out twice in the past week alone. The Red Wings relied heavily on rookie Lucas Raymond all season, but he's registered just two goals since Dec. 1. The next few weeks will be pivotal.

23. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 0.500
Next seven days: vs. ARI (Jan. 21), vs. TOR (Jan. 22), vs. PHI (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Up and runnin'. Don't look now, but the Islanders are turning a corner. They recently peeled off their first three-game win streak of their season, won five of their past seven at the new UBS Arena digs, and the team finally has genuinely positive momentum. There's a lot of work left to do, but New York seems ready for the challenge.

24. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 0.446
Next seven days: vs. ARI (Jan. 19), vs. CAR (Jan. 22), vs. LA (Jan. 23), vs. DAL (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: First goal wins. The Devils really, really need to score first (at least in this last month). When it hasn't, New Jersey isn't winning (0-4). When it does, outcomes are vastly improved (4-1-0). It's a tough mental spot to be in for a team, knowing the first goal of a game can seemingly have that much influence on the result.

25. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 0.436
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (Jan. 20), @ BUF (Jan. 22), vs. DAL (Jan. 24), @ NYI (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Better luck next year? If the past month has proven anything, it's that the Flyers will need a miracle to salvage their season. Eight straight losses going into Tuesday night was bad enough. Scoring more than two goals in only one of those games was worse. The fact that an eight-game skid wasn't even Philadelphia's longest of the season? Well then.

26. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 0.486
Next seven days: @ PHI (Jan. 20), vs. PIT (Jan. 21), vs. OTT (Jan. 23)

Takeaway: Stop the bleeding. The Blue Jackets played eight games in the past month, and in that span gave up the second-most goals in the league (36). A 9-2 loss to Florida prompted coach Brad Larsen to tell his players not to give up on themselves, or the season. Nearing the halfway point, Columbus has to figure out its defensive issues to salvage a potential playoff bid.

27. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 0.375
Next seven days: @ PIT (Jan. 20), @ WSH (Jan. 22), @ CBJ (Jan. 23), vs. BUF (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Big break for Batherson. Ottawa has played four games so far in 2022, meaning there's a lot of ground for it to cover in the second half of this season. The man to help them do it? Drake Batherson. He's been the Senators' do-everything player all season, and in their few recent outings as well, proving why he's a worthy first-time All-Star selection. If Ottawa manages any kind of push from here, no doubt it'll be led by Batherson.

28. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 0.462
Next seven days: vs. MIN (Jan. 21), @ MIN (Jan. 22), @ COL (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: Flower Power prowess. The Blackhawks certainly fell in a rut over the past month, going 1-4-3 into early January. But then Marc-Andre Fleury returned from COVID-19 protocols to save the day. Chicago's netminder settled in and reeled off a 4-0-1 run to get the Blackhawks back on track and feeling good, finally, for the new year.

29. Seattle Kraken

Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 0.342
Next seven days: vs. SJ (Jan. 20), vs. STL (Jan. 21), vs. FLA (Jan. 23), vs. NSH (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Keep pointing fingers. The Kraken have had an underwhelming start and a difficult past month (at 1-7-1). Whose fault is it that Seattle's been so sub-par? Well, take your pick. Lately, criticism has fallen on head coach Dave Hakstol, poor work in the expansion draft by GM Ron Francis, a dearth of scoring, consistently weak goaltending and more. Placing blame won't help Seattle get rolling, though.

30. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 0.397
Next seven days: vs. DAL (Jan. 20), vs. PHI (Jan. 22), @ OTT (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Growing goaltender graveyard. It's difficult to win games without good goaltending. It's even harder without anyone healthy enough to play the position. The Sabres have watched one goalie after another go down with injury during the past month, and only putting up about two goals per game hasn't helped take the pressure off whoever is in net. Buffalo needs a boost on both ends, badly. After a 43-save performance, is Michael Houser the answer in goal?

31. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 0.297
Next seven days: @ NJ (Jan. 19), @ NYI (Jan. 21), @ NYR (Jan. 22), @ PIT (Jan. 25)

Takeaway: Vejmelka on the verge. The Coyotes don't win a ton of games, but they do get some solid goaltending. Karel Vejmelka stole a victory for Arizona over the Maple Leafs last week, and he has been a steady presence this past month as the Coyotes keep battling for consistency.

32. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 0.276
Next seven days: @ VGK (Jan. 20), @ COL (Jan. 22), @ MIN (Jan. 24)

Takeaway: One right move. The best thing Montreal did this past month was hire Chantal Machabée as its vice president of communication. The first six games it played in 2022 between COVID-19 issues and capacity restrictions resulted in no other victories.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Ousmane Dembele is free to leave the club this month if he doesn't renew his contract at Camp Nou.

Dembele, 24, is into the final six months of his deal with Barca and sources at the club have told ESPN they believe it would take a "miracle" for the France forward to commit to new terms now.

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"The situation with Ousmane is difficult," Xavi said in a news conference on Wednesday. "The club have decided that if he doesn't renew, we will have to look for a solution.

"[Director of football] Mateu Alemany has been in talks with the player and his agent for five months. It's been too long now. Either he renews or we look for a solution."

Dembele's representative Moussa Sissoko said on Tuesday Barca had threatened to send Dembele to the stands for the final six months of his contract if he refused to sign an extension.

Xavi, who had to ask journalists to limit their questions on Dembele, said sending Demebele to the stands is not a solution.

"That is not something that I am contemplating," he added. "Either he renews or we look for an exit. It is one thing or the other."

Xavi repeated that Dembele has told him he wants to stay at Barcelona, but the club have been unable to strike an agreement with Sissoko, who said he has "certain demands" that Barca have been unwilling to compromise on.

Sources at Barca have told ESPN they hope for a resolution as soon as possible. On Thursday, Barca travel to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey and Dembele's participation is likely to depend on how the situation evolves over the next 24 hours.

"We will decide [on Thursday] if Dembele is involved," Xavi said. "It depends on many factors. The club will make a decision."

Dembele has drawn interest from a host of Premier League sides as well as Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich. However, sources added to ESPN that getting a fee for him this month would be difficult because it would eat into commission the player and his camp would get this summer when they can move for free.

Therefore, one source even suggested Barca may explore the possibility of rescinding Dembele's contract mutually.

Another player in line for a contract renewal at Barca is Ronald Araujo. The defender is still on the salary he agreed when he joined the club's B team in 2018 and, with his deal up in 2023, is due a pay rise.

"It's a priority to renew Araujo's deal," Xavi said. "You can see he is an important player for me, for the team.

"He is an extraordinary defender. It is very important we reach an agreement quickly."

Barca will be without the suspended Luuk de Jong for Wednesday's round-of-16 tie in Bilbao, while Memphis Depay is also a doubt. Martin Braithwaite could return from injury, though, while Pedri, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are all set for more minutes after returning to action against Real Madrid last week.

Who will make this year's Baseball Hall of Fame class? We don't quite know that yet (results will be announced Tuesday), but there are a number of players who we're pretty sure won't make it. Either they're not getting enough support on public ballots or they're staring at a too-significant deficit from their previous year's vote totals, among other factors. For many of these players, that's justified -- there's no shame in lasting long enough to make a Hall of Fame ballot -- but for others, we're not quite sure it's fair. We asked some of our experts to make their best cases for players who really should be getting more love from the voters.

Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu was a five-tool player in the truest sense -- a patient hitter with power who acted as a perpetual stolen-base threat and could alter a game both with his arm and with his glove. But his career has also been defined by glaring slights, such as:

• Only two All-Star Game appearances.

• Only one Gold Glove.

• 8.7% support for the Hall of Fame.

The final bullet represents the percentage of Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots Abreu appeared on last year, in his second year of Hall of Fame eligibility. The year prior, he just barely reached the 5% threshold required to remain a candidate. This year, with 42.1% of ballots revealed, Abreu has pulled in only 11.5% of the vote, according to the data compiled by Ryan Thibodaux.

Abreu is admittedly not a surefire Hall of Famer. But his case is a lot closer than it appears, and he deserves far more consideration than he has been granted. From 1998 to 2004, Abreu ranked fifth in FanGraphs wins above replacement, behind only Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Scott Rolen and Andruw Jones. He played in at least 142 games in 14 straight seasons and frequently finished with at least a .300 batting average (six times), a .400 on-base percentage (eight), a .500 slugging percentage (five), 20 home runs (nine), 20 stolen bases (13), 100 RBIs (eight), 100 runs (eight), 100 walks (eight) and 3.0 FanGraphs WAR (10).

The average Baseball-Reference WAR for Hall of Fame right fielders is 71.1, and Abreu falls noticeably below that at 60.2. But that list of Hall of Fame right fielders includes Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline -- inner-circle Hall of Famers. Abreu isn't at that level, but that doesn't mean he isn't worthy of inclusion altogether. His JAWS score (Jaffe wins above replacement), famously developed by Jay Jaffe, ranks 20th at his position, sandwiched between a couple of Hall of Famers in Dave Winfield and Vladimir Guerrero.

Again, he's close. Abreu's career totals might not jump off the page -- he finished just shy of a .300/.400/.500 slash line, 2,500 hits, 300 home runs and 1,400 RBIs, though he did steal exactly 400 bases -- but he deserves far more consideration. -- Alden Gonzalez

Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones, who is trending at 50% on public ballots in his fifth year of eligibility, is the most overlooked player on a ballot full of them. There are three reasons he should be garnering more Hall of Fame buzz:

1. He just might be the greatest outfielder who ever lived.

Baseball Reference measures the number of runs better or worse than average a player was by using defensive runs saved when available and its total zone rating when not. When doing so, Jones sits atop a list of some legendary outfielders:

Most runs from fielding
outfielders in MLB history
Andruw Jones 234.7
Roberto Clemente 204.8
Willie Mays 184.5

In all 10 seasons in which he was the Braves' everyday center fielder (1998-07), Jones ranked in the top three among National League outfielders in putouts (and led the league six times). Over that span, Jones recorded 4,126 outfield putouts, 495 more than any player in baseball.

2. He enjoyed a brilliant peak, and it wasn't short.

Jones played 11 full seasons for the Braves, from 1997 to 2007, and over that span, he produced 60.9 WAR. The only position players across baseball to generate more were Alex Rodriguez (85.7) and Barry Bonds (79.1), the two best players of their generation (albeit clouded by connections to performance-enhancing drugs).

Jones won a Gold Glove in 10 of those seasons (1998-07), in which he hit a total of 345 home runs. Only three players hit more homers in their Gold Glove seasons, and they are all first-ballot Hall of Famers.

Most HRs in Gold Glove seasons
Willie Mays 435
Ken Griffey Jr. 382
Mike Schmidt 369
Andruw Jones 345

3. He is as responsible for the Braves' division dynasty as anybody.

That group is best remembered for its Big Three -- Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz -- all of whom were inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. So was Chipper Jones. Even manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz have been enshrined.

But amid the Braves' record streak of 14 consecutive division titles, Jones was, by WAR, their best player in a team-high five of those seasons, even though he didn't play a full season until 1997.

Times Leading Braves in WAR
Division-Winning Seasons (1991-05)
Andruw Jones 5
Greg Maddux 2
J.D. Drew 1
Ron Gant 1
Marcus Giles 1
Tom Glavine 1
Chipper Jones 1
Terry Pendleton 1
John Smoltz 1

-- Paul Hembekides

Billy Wagner

So far, eight relievers have snuck into Cooperstown, a number small enough that it remains debatable about where the line on their Hall worthiness should be drawn. Wherever that line ends up, Billy Wagner will be comfortably above it. He's the best Hall-eligible reliever not yet enshrined in Cooperstown.

More than ever we can calculate the impact that elite relievers have on winning, and it is disproportionate to what you'd expect from aggregate raw statistics. You have to judge relievers through the prism of leverage-based statistics, and the practice of doing so is only going to become more necessary in the years to come, as increasingly those metrics determine how relievers are deployed in the first place.

Among the eight Hall relievers, five of them rate as the top five in Jaffe's R-JAWS metric. Wagner is No. 6. He's also sixth in both career saves (422) and win probability added among career relievers. He's 44th all-time in win probability added among all pitchers, not just firemen. He was consistent and dominant for nearly his entire career -- his 187 OPS+ ranks second among Hall-eligible relievers, behind Mariano Rivera.

Wagner appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle of a still-swollen backlog of qualified Hall candidates on the ballot. Seven years into his eligibility window, he has crept up on the 50% mark but hasn't seen much growth in his support over past year. That needs to change and fast: Wagner has just three more years of eligibility remaining. -- Bradford Doolittle

Andy Pettitte

Even Andy Pettitte's old-school stats are better than you realize. He won 256 games in the majors, more than Carl Hubbell or Bob Gibson or Whitey Ford or Pedro Martinez. OK, sure, his 3.85 ERA would be the highest of any Hall of Famer other than Jack Morris, but his adjusted ERA+ of 117, well, that's the same as Gaylord Perry, better than Dennis Eckersley or Steve Carlton or Fergie Jenkins or Robin Roberts or Nolan Ryan. Nobody is trying to kick those guys out of the Hall of Fame. As Sam Miller pointed out in an ESPN column, it was tough being a pitcher born in the 1970s and surviving the steroid era. Only Martinez and Roy Halladay have more career WAR than Pettitte among pitchers born in that decade.

I get it: Pettitte's peak performance doesn't scream Cooperstown -- two qualified seasons with an ERA under 3.00, four top-five Cy Young votes, only three seasons above 5.0 WAR. He was a bit of a compiler, a guy who churned out his 200 innings every season, although of course there is a lot of value in doing that. With Pettitte, however, we also need to consider the postseason. For modern players, with multiple rounds of playoffs and so many more opportunities to pitch, this can add a lot to a player's legacy.

Pettitte has won more games than any pitcher in postseason history (19), started the most games (44) and pitched the most innings (276). He went 19-11 with a 3.81 ERA and, yes, volume is again part of the success, but he allowed two runs or fewer in 23 of those 44 starts and pitched at least six innings in 35 starts. Yankees fans happily remember his greatest moments, including 8⅓ scoreless innings in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series and two wins in the 2009 World Series. Maybe he's a borderline candidate via his regular-season numbers, but the five World Series rings are the exclamation point to his career. -- David Schoenfield

Poland's Iga Swiatek, who shot to fame by winning the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest WTA Tour star to feature in a BBC Sport column.

Even though I'm moving around the world all the time and switching time-zones, it can be easy for me to get bored.

And if I am going to get bored then I won't be as passionate on court - which is what me and my team want to avoid.

Clearly, practising and preparing properly for a Grand Slam are the priorities but we also understand - and plan - that I have the time to do something cool every few days.

Working towards a strong work-life balance, and taking care of my well-being off court, is so important to me.

I tend to get really stressed and sometimes this stress may mean I'm not enjoying the life on tour. And this life is great!

We are travelling, visiting really cool places but, in Covid times when we couldn't leave the hotel, it wasn't that cool.

Now that we are able to go out more at tournaments, like we can in Melbourne this year, is it easier to enjoy it.

This year, I have tried to change my attitudes towards tournaments and enjoy things outside of them even more than before.

For example, when I lost to Ash Barty in the Adelaide semi-finals recently, of course I was upset and angry. But it took me less time to get over it.

That's because I'm trying to come up with that kind of stuff to take a mental break during tournaments.

Every day I went out to the Adelaide Botanical Gardens, which was a different - and warmer - way to see nature after spending the previous month in the cold of Europe.

Going to St Kilda Beach - one of Melbourne's most famous tourist attractions - is helping me here. I've been twice already this week.

It is also important to choose the right hours so I don't get overheated but in this Melbourne summer that can be impossible to avoid!

Even though we are allowed out and about in Melbourne, I understand there are rising cases here and it is important to stay safe. We're also trying to avoid much contact with other people because of the Covid situation.

It is the summer holidays here so there were a lot of people visiting the beach so we had to find a calmer place which was less crowded.

I love the beach because I like to be around water. I'm a fan of stand-up paddle and I did that two years ago in Melbourne, but it is quite a physical activity which requires a lot of balance. So it can be tiring and I need to preserve energy.

I really want to learn to surf too. But you also have to be careful with that from a physical point of view too. I have no idea when I will find the time to do that, perhaps in the off-season.

Melbourne is probably in the top three of my favourite cities, but I know if I wasn't playing here then I probably wouldn't come because it is too far from home.

So I want to make the most of being here and seeing things, but I know it is a delicate balance between work and rest.

One place I definitely need to go to is AC/DC Lane. You may know I am a big fan of AC/DC - Thunderstruck is my favourite song - but I've never been to this street. I didn't know about that until just recently!

That's definitely going on my list of things to-do here.

I have been before to the National Gallery of Victoria - one of the city's biggest art museums here - and did a virtual reality experience, that was pretty cool. But I think my brain would get confused if I did that during the tournament!

I'm also massively into coffee - and Melbourne has one of the best coffee scenes in the world. I don't drink a lot because I'm not supposed to and I'd have trouble sleeping but a coffee is an important part of my day.

It is interesting to see how different cities do their coffee differently. Here, the flat whites are amazing. They also have great brunches here in Melbourne, things like avocado on toast, but I usually eat before practice in the early hours so I don't always choose brunches.

Seafood is one of my favourite foods and the salmon they make on site at Melbourne Park is the best salmon I have ever eaten. That's quite weird because the food at tournaments is great but not usually that good!

My new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski likes steak and has recommended a good restaurant. Maybe after I've won some more matches we can go and celebrate there.

So there are a lot of small things-to-do which I want to enjoy in Melbourne and in other cities too when the WTA Tour continues after here.

I think doing these little fun activities will help me stay mentally refreshed and recover quicker from tough moments.

Being less upset when I lose a match or play a bad practice should mean I will have more energy towards the end of a long season.

Iga Swiatek was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Melbourne Park.

Victoria Azarenka wants a "black-and-white" approach to Covid vaccinations at Grand Slams to stop more cases unfolding like the ones in Australia.

Azarenka, who is on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Player Council, said: "This could have been prevented.

"I don't believe that this just came out of nowhere."

The two-time Australian Open champion added: "This could have been addressed way earlier than it was. What happened after, I don't believe there was anybody who looked good in any case.

"I think as soon as there is a grey area in the rules, that gives a bit too much questions, and situations like this happen."

Djokovic's expulsion has raised questions over whether he will be able to play in the other Grand Slams this year, with the French sports ministry saying there will be no exemption from the country's new vaccine pass law.

Azarenka says the situation regarding Djokovic became "a bit of a circus" as she reiterated her stance on vaccines.

"I believe in science, in getting vaccinated. That's what I did," she said.

"I don't want to push my beliefs on everybody else. However, we are playing a global sport and are traveling around the world.

"As an entity, as an association of the WTA that is traveling globally, we still have to respect countries, different countries, different mandates, different legalities of the country."

The 32-year-old contracted Covid last year, as did her father and the Belarusian was grateful he had been vaccinated.

"For me, there is a social responsibility for other people who are much more vulnerable maybe than us. I definitely look at it from that point, as well," added Azarenka.

The most recent figures issued by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) reveal that more than 80% of female players have been double-vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the ATP, which governs men's tennis, said last week 97 of the top 100 male players are vaccinated.

However, world number 25 Azarenka, says enforcing a mandate on female players on the tour would be difficult.

"To impose something legally on the WTA Tour can be a challenge," she said. "I think that's something that we are facing.

"I don't necessarily say that getting vaccinated then nobody will be sick, but I think it is a step to hopefully battle against this coronavirus, hopefully bring it down globally.

"But to make it as a mandate, there is much more to it. If you ask me just for my opinion if that should be the case, I think it would just be helpful for everybody in the world, especially when we are traveling internationally."

'Not much development with Peng Shuai'

Azarenka also says there has not been any developments in the case of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who sparked global concern when she disappeared from public view after posting allegations of sexual assault against a top Chinese leader online.

She has since said there had been "a lot of misunderstandings" about the post.

"There hasn't been that much development in terms of contact with Peng Shuai even though from our side we will continue to make any and all efforts to make sure that she is safe, she feels comfortable," added Azarenka.

"Hopefully we will get to hear from her personally at some point. I think that's the goal, the main goal right now.

"As an association, women's association, I am proud that we are supporting our players. The situation is really unfortunate. We all hope for the best. We will see what happens in terms of logistics."

The WTA has been putting pressure on China over concerns about the safety of Peng.

"I think the tennis community has come together," said Australian world number one Ash Barty.

"Obviously we're all looking out for her safety. We all hope that she's well. We hope that she's doing okay. Hopefully it's not too long until we see her back out here."