The WNBA and the players' union have come to tentative terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, which includes a significant salary bump for the league's highest-paid players, going from an annual base salary of $117,500 to $215,000.

The new CBA also includes other cash compensation increases, changes to free agency, travel improvements, additional motherhood and family-planning benefits, enhanced marketing and career-development opportunities, and changes to revenue-sharing potential.

"We believe it's a groundbreaking and historic deal," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. "I'm proud of the players; they bargained hard, they unified, they brought attention to so many important topics."

The agreement is for eight years, from the 2020 through 2027 seasons, with a mutual opt-out provision after six years. Those were the same terms for the previous agreement in 2014, and the players voted in 2018 to opt out after the 2019 season, which set the stage for this agreement.

Terri Jackson, executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association, said having the eight-year deal again gave the players the sense of a strong long-term commitment from the league.

This will be the fifth CBA in the history of the WNBA, which launched in 1997. The first CBA was in 1999, then agreements followed in 2003, 2008 and 2014.

Exact salary figures have not been released yet, but the text of the new CBA is expected to be made public soon. The CBA is pending ratification by the players and the league's Board of Governors, both of which are expected.

In addition to the high maximum salary, sources also confirmed to ESPN that the 2020 salary cap will be $1.3 million, up from $996,100 in 2019. The finalized agreement will have salary and salary cap figures for the eight-year period.

The league said there will be a 53% increase in total cash compensation, separate from insurance benefits, housing, per diems, etc. Cash compensation consists of base salary, additional performance bonuses, prize pools for newly created in-season competitions, and league and team marketing deals.

That means the league's top players could earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, which would more than triple the prior maximum compensation. Other top players have the chance to earn between $200,000 and $300,000. And the average cash compensation will be nearly $130,000.

The additional cash pool breaks down as a minimum of $1.6 million in offseason marketing agreements. The in-season competitions will including something called the Commissioner's Cup, which will be further detailed when the league announces its 2020 schedule later this week.

"We will designate Cup games the first half of the season leading into the Olympic break this year," Engelbert explained. "And then [for] the two teams with the best records, we will have a final in August as our first game back to re-launch the season. In 2020, the cash prizes will be more moderate, but in 2021, we're going to step them up as we seek sponsors."

As for revenue sharing, starting in 2021, there will be a chance for a 50/50 split between players and the league, based on the achievement of revenue growth targets from broadcast agreements, marketing partnerships and licensing deals. Past revenue sharing was tied to ticket sales and provided only about a 20% option for the players -- but according to the union, it wasn't ever triggered because the specified goals weren't met. This revenue-sharing plan, the union believes, has a more realistic chance of benefiting the players.

With free agency, which was first introduced in the 2003 CBA, changes in the new deal should allow for the potential of more player movement, starting in the free-agency period before the 2021 season.

Players then will be eligible for unrestricted free agency one year earlier than in the prior CBA. Meaning those who complete their contracts and have five or more years of service can become unrestricted free agents, unless they are tagged as a "core" player. But part of the core designation is also changing: The number of times a player can be cored goes from four to three beginning this season, and drops to two beginning with the 2022 season.

"Frankly, the core is not necessarily the most popular part of the CBA," said WNBPA executive committee president Nneka Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks. "But we wanted to ensure that core is still reflective of what our system supports, while also ensuring our players have a little more freedom.

"I do understand the value of franchise players. We see the power that's held by our brethren in the NBA, in terms of players having almost complete control of their movement. But we get that the WNBA is the WNBA. So for us to have some of both sides of that, it's going to be helpful from all perspectives."

Another primary objective of the union was to improve what was termed "quality of life" issues, including travel, which has long been a concern of players. In general, charter flights are not a financially feasible option, although the league did allow for charter consideration in the playoffs last year. But under the new CBA, premium economy class status is guaranteed for all players during the regular season. Also, each player will get a hotel room, rather than some players sharing rooms.

"Those things may seem small to some people, but with the nature of our job, those things really matter," Ogwumike said. "Those things do impact performance. You have more comfort on flights, and with your own room you're not worried about waking your teammate or interfering with their sleep patterns."

Better maternity benefits also were negotiated, including players receiving full salary while on maternity leave, an annual childcare stipend of $5,000, and guarantee of two-bedroom apartments for players with children. There are also family-planning benefits that reimburse up to $60,000 in expenses for veteran players regarding fees for adoption, surrogacy, oocyte cryopreservation (freezing eggs for later use), or fertility treatment.

Also, the CBA allows for increased pathways to career opportunities for players after their playing careers, improved better mental health benefits and resources, and counseling and education concerning intimate partner violence.

Like Engelbert, Jackson praised the executive committee and players' increased involvement across the board in the negotiating process.

"Getting the travel improved, getting the improvements for mothers, getting to where we can say a top player in this league could have her salary nearly double -- I think those are really good things," Jackson said. "I feel we'll see the players be more visible year-round. There are things we asked of the league, and things they asked of the players. And we got there."

The kneecapping of the Houston Astros went off Monday in exquisite fashion. Big names were fired. Draft picks were revoked. A record fine was levied. Pounds of flesh were exacted from egregious cheaters. The optics worked. The Astros' comeuppance was here, and it was severe. Major League Baseball was righting an obvious wrong.

As the day rolled on and people around baseball pondered exactly what had happened, a less-obvious version of the story emerged. It was all so tidy, all so clean, so carefully orchestrated and meticulously calibrated -- like something the Houston Astros, ever lauded for their efficiency and ruthlessness, might concoct.

Gone were general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, first suspended by the league for a year, then fired by owner Jim Crane, even as MLB's investigation into Houston's sign-stealing scheme determined it was "player-driven." Gone, too, were their first- and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021, painful but not crippling. And that record fine? All of $5 million, couch-cushion change for every owner in baseball -- and the most commissioner Rob Manfred can levy under the MLB constitution, which speaks to the limitations of the position.

It is a job of extreme compromise, of politicking, of figuring out how to appease the 30 billionaires who are his bosses, and Manfred's handling of the cheating scandal -- the biggest of his commissionership so far and one that cut to the heart of the game's integrity -- offered remarkable insight into how he runs the sport. As much as MLB played the big, bad monolith in delivering the ruinous news from on high, this was not some unilateral punishment for the Astros. It was a sneak peek inside the sausage factory of power and the anger that Crane's relative acquittal caused across the league.

Multiple ownership-level sources told ESPN that dissatisfaction with the penalties had emerged following a conference call with Manfred, in which he explained how the Astros would be disciplined, then told teams to keep their thoughts to themselves.

"The impression," one person familiar with the call told ESPN, "was that the penalty for complaining would be more than Houston got."

The concern over any possible discipline for breaking ranks didn't entirely silence teams. At 12:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost the 2017 World Series in seven games to an Astros team that MLB's investigation confirmed cheated during that postseason, released a statement that read: "All clubs have been asked by Major League Baseball not to comment on today's punishment of the Houston Astros as it's inappropriate to comment on discipline imposed on another club. The Dodgers have also been asked not to comment on any wrongdoing during the 2017 World Series and will have no further comment at this time."

Run through a passive-aggressive translator, the Dodgers' words mirrored what a team president had said earlier in the day.

"Crane won," he said. "The entire thing was programmed to protect the future of the franchise. He got his championship. He keeps his team. His fine is nothing. The sport lost, but Crane won."

On a day when a well-regarded manager and successful executive lost their jobs and the 1919 Black Sox were invoked as comparables, it was easy to miss how MLB soft-pedaled Crane's punishment. In the first paragraph of Manfred's nine-page statement outlining the league's investigation, he addressed the original report by The Athletic that spurred the controversy. How there was "significant concern" that what the Astros were alleged to have done violated "the principles of sportsmanship and fair competition" and how he treats such threats to the game with "the utmost seriousness." He continued: "I believe in transparency." And then, after that on-point thesis, came two completely out-of-place sentences.

"At the outset," Manfred wrote, "I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report. Crane is extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization, fully supported my investigation, and provided unfettered access to any and all information requested."

The absolution of Crane so early in the document came as no surprise. Crane said he saw details of the league's punishment over the weekend. It allowed him to introduce himself as a do-something organizational shepherd. He announced the firings of Luhnow and Hinch on live TV, generating maximum effect. He promised "the Astros will become stronger -- a stronger organization because of this today." Months of misery -- beginning with former assistant GM Brandon Taubman's post-ALCS outburst at three female reporters that led to his firing, continuing with the revelation of cheating and culminating in this -- had made it fairly evident that for all of the strength Crane tries to project, fundamental weaknesses exist throughout the Astros' organization.

Much of Manfred's document was incriminatory, particularly the details of the scheme as laid out by MLB investigators and a section in which the commissioner referred to the Astros' organizational culture as "problematic" and blamed it on "an environment that allowed the conduct described in this report to have occurred." The words were necessary and important -- and entirely dismissed by Crane, who said: "I don't agree with that."

"Did you notice," another team president said, "he never said 'Sorry'?"

Crane didn't, though it also took him six days to say the word to the Sports Illustrated reporter whom the organization tried to smear after she wrote how Taubman had gloated that he was "so f---ing glad we got Osuna," a reference to closer Roberto Osuna, who was acquired while still under a lengthy suspension for domestic violence. On Monday, Crane did apologize to fans, sponsors and the city of Houston. Not the teams the Astros beat while cheating or the sport his franchise's actions put in this position.

For Crane to offer anything beyond the hollow and perfunctory would have been an upset. While MLB's standard for the punishment was reasonable and rational -- the league targeted violations after the Sept. 15, 2017, memo Manfred distributed that said violations of the league's technology policy would fall on teams' general manager and manager -- Crane said he fired them because "(n)either one of them started this, but neither one of them did anything about it."

The same, of course, could be said of him . Either Crane did not know that the business he owns and operates was cheating or he did know and did nothing about it. Neither is good.

None of this, actually, is good. Baseball is far from done with sign-stealing scandals. The league has launched an investigation into the Boston Red Sox after The Athletic reported they used a video replay room to decode signs in their championship-winning 2018 season. Boston manager Alex Cora was previously the bench coach for the 2017 Astros and was implicated by Manfred's report as a central figure in Houston's adoption of a system in which players used an illegal camera feed to crack sign sequences and feed pitch types live to hitters via banging a baseball bat against a trash can. Between the evidence incriminating Cora and Hinch's firing paving the way for managerial dismissals, the end of Cora's time in Boston could be coming, two sources with knowledge of the team's thinking told ESPN.

If Hinch and Cora are both out, the onus then shifts to the New York Mets and Carlos Beltran, who must decide whether they want to be the only team standing by a manager whose name shows up in a report that details rampant cheating. Manfred's report named Beltran as one of the players involved in the scheme, though the league did not discipline him because it gave players immunity in exchange for their testimony.

That choice registered publicly as another curious part of Manfred's ultimate decision. What sort of disciplinary action clears players for a "player-driven" scheme? The answer is a practical one. Between the well-defined lines that held GMs and managers responsible and the fear of the Major League Baseball Players Association defending any discipline against active players and sending the cases into grievance hell, Manfred's pragmatism here, though not satisfying, is understandable.

Already this has stretched beyond his level of comfort. Initially, Manfred planned on limiting the investigation to the Astros. Now MLB is looking into the Red Sox -- and considering their use of an Apple Watch to relay signs in August 2017 was the original sin of modern technological cheating, the penalties for any second offense could be severe. Though they're the only other team with a known investigation pending, Sports Illustrated reported that the Astros named eight other teams they believe cheated in 2017 and 2018 -- and Crane said "the commissioner assured me that every team and every allegation will be checked out."

That sounds far-fetched, like the sort of politicking a commissioner does to placate one of his bosses. What Manfred can do is fast-track the announcement of a new policy on the in-game use of technology, one that holds players and management accountable and entails the sort of harsh penalties Luhnow and Hinch received. The sport needs buy-in from all parties to actually move on.

Hinch tried. In a statement, he apologized and acknowledged that he could've tried to do better -- to tell players and coaches to stop instead of breaking the video monitor twice in protest. He didn't. There wasn't much sympathy for Hinch's actions around baseball, but there was a willingness to forgive. Executives agreed: He'll manage again after being suspended through the end of this World Series.

Like Crane, Luhnow apologized to the team, the fans and the city. He said in a statement, "I am not a cheater." That doesn't exactly square with the team he ran cheating during its championship-winning season and with the information in Manfred's report that "at least two emails sent to Luhnow" informed him of replay-review room sign decoding, about which he did nothing. Luhnow continued to try to clear himself of responsibility while blaming "players" and "low-level employees working with the bench coach." Considering his apparent affinity for throwing people under the bus, let us hope Luhnow's next career does not involve large motor vehicles.

The rest of baseball is bracing for the fallout of the Astros' punishment, and most do believe one purpose was served: that Manfred's disciplinary choices will prompt the rank-and-file to avoid any sort of electronically aided sign-stealing schemes.

"It will scare employees of MLB teams from cheating, at least for a while," one high-ranking executive said, "and the man who owns the team gets to enjoy his ring. He gets off lightly and can start with a clean slate."

This refrain was common inside the game, and it came with a question that was rhetorical-but-not-really, one that illustrated how Jim Crane won the day that his franchise lost. How many owners in baseball would trade $5 million, four high draft picks and the firing of their GM and manager in exchange for a World Series title?

Twenty-five? Twenty-eight? All 30? "I don't know that I would," one team president said, "but I don't know that I wouldn't." It was an honest answer. The decisions made in search of championships, in service of winning, are complicated. Right and wrong blur. It's why Manfred chafes at the complaints of owners. How many are being honest about what they'd do in that same scenario?

Whatever the answer, the remaining two mentions of Crane in Manfred's report do yeoman's work of clearing him. The first said it was "difficult to question" Crane giving Luhnow responsibility of baseball operations. The second stated, as fact, that Crane "was unaware of any of the violations of MLB rules by his club." And that was it. A thorough and impressive whitewashing. Tidy, clean, carefully orchestrated, meticulously calibrated. The Houston Astros, same as they ever were.

British number one Dan Evans beat Alexander Bublik to reach the quarter finals of the Adelaide International.

Evans needed just 75 minutes to beat Kazakhstan's Bublik 7-5 6-2.

The Briton, who will be seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time when the Australian Open begins on 20 January, will face either Russia's Andrey Rublev or American Sam Querrey next.

Elsewhere, Britain's Kyle Edmund claimed his first victory of the year at the Auckland Open.

Edmund, who has slipped to 67 in the world rankings, beat Spain's Alejandro Davidovich 6-2 4-6 6-3.

He will play either Italy's Andreas Seppi or French seventh seed Adrian Mannarino in the second round.

Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic retires from Australian Open qualifying because of the "unhealthy" air quality from ongoing bushfires in the country.

Jakupovic said she felt "really scared" and that continuing with qualifying was "not fair" on the players.

Available to UK users only.

Makin makes further statement with win over Willstrop
By SEAN REUTHE – PSA World Tour

World No.12 Joel Makin has become the first Welsh player since David Evans in 2002 to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions after he overcame 2010 winner James Willstrop 3-1 earlier today in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

Makin claimed a statement win over the higher-ranked Diego Elias in a five-game battle in round two, and the 25-year-old combined accuracy and athleticism to claim an 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 victory over the experienced Englishman to set up a mouthwatering last eight clash with two-time winner Mohamed ElShorbagy.

Makin had the better of the opening two games, but Willstrop’s class eventually came through as he won the third game to halve the deficit, before going 10-6 up in the fourth. However, a tenacious fightback from Makin saw him rattle off six points in a row to finally book his place in the last eight.

“It’s obvious to try and go fast and upset the rhythm of James because you get too worried about exchanging up and down the walls with him,” Makin said afterwards.

“But I think if you try to move the ball too quickly then he’s far too good for that. I know I had to really try and straighten up across the backend and try to play squash how I wanted to and take the middle away from him.

“It’s massive [to be in the quarter finals], the win against Diego [Elias] was huge for me and I knew that was going to be hard today. James has been in great form, he beat [Karim Abdel] Gawad in the last tournament and he was coming into this fresh, so I was well aware that it was going to be tough even though I’m higher than him ranking-wise. I take that as a really good win.”

World No.2 ElShorbagy booked his place in the quarter-finals for a second successive year after a convincing 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 triumph against Frenchman Gregoire Marche.

The ‘Beast of Alexandria’ celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday, and looked like a man in his prime as he played at an intense pace to vanquish Marche, who has been hospitalised twice this week due to illness and faced a gruelling five-game battle with Egypt’s Zahed Salem in the last round.

“Any of the top guys are coming here to try and win this title, I’m just one of them who are trying to have a shot at it,” ElShorbagy said.

“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to give it my best here every day and see what happens. I love coming back here every year, I’ve played some great matches in front of the crowd here over the years. I will try to give my best here because that’s what this crowd deserves.”

Former champions Karim Abdel Gawad and Simon Rösner also booked their quarter-final spots as the third round of the men’s event came to an end. 2017 champion Gawad came back from a game down to beat England’s Declan James, while Rösner, the 2018 winner, got the better of India’s Saurav Ghosal.

Round three of the women’s event began today as World No.1 Raneem El Welily and World No.5 Camille Serme completed respective wins over Hong Kong’s Annie Au and Egypt’s Yathreb Adel.

2015 winner El Welily played with confidence and dealt well with Au’s patented drop and lob game to complete an 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 victory.

“Just like Annie, Camille and me go way back and have had many matches together,” El Welily said.

“Most of them were very close, she is playing very good squash and having to play her in the quarters shows just how good the depth of the game is for the women. It will be a tough match, but hopefully I will be up for the challenge.”

2017 Tournament of Champions winner Serme will look to end a seven-match winless run against El Welily when they line up at Grand Central Terminal tomorrow. They have played 20 times on the PSA Tour – with Serme claiming three wins – but it will be their first battle in New York.

“I’ve been tested by all of the Egyptians these past few months and every match is a battle, I’m ready for it, but it’s tough,” said Serme after her 11-7, 13-11, 6-11, 11-9 win over Adel.

“It feels like the density of the girls is a lot higher. I feel like every round is really hard, it’s good for the sport and good for squash. I’m sure the crowd enjoy those kind of matches more than an easy 3-0.”

There were also wins for World No.3 Nouran Gohar and World No.13 Alison Waters, who will go head-to-head in the quarter-finals after beating Hania El Hammamy and Emily Whitlock, respectively.

The final four third round matches of the women’s event begin on Tuesday January 14 at 12:00 (GMT-5), while the first set of men’s and women’s quarter-finals will get under way at 17:00. All the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

Squash fans can also follow the event via the official tournament website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Results – Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half): 2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 6-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 (43m)
[6] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 11-8, 11-2, 11-9 (38m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 (69m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-0: 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 (37m)

Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 14th

[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [4] Tarek Momen (EGY)

Draw – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 15th

[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [6] Simon Rösner (GER)
Joel Makin (WAL) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Results – Women’s Third Round (Top Half): 2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [11] Annie Au (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (24m)
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [16] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 13-11, 6-11, 11-9 (57m)
[13] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (28m)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [10] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (38m)

Draw – Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half): To Be Played January 14th

[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [14] Salma Hany (EGY)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v [6] Joelle King (NZL)
[8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Sabrina Sobhy (USA)
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

Draw – Women’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half): To Be Played January 14th

[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [5] Camille Serme (FRA)
[13] Alison Waters (ENG) v [3] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

Pictures courtesy of  PSA World Tour

Northampton have confirmed scrum-half Cobus Reinach will leave the club at the end of the season.

The South Africa international, 29, moved to Franklin's Gardens in 2017 from Super Rugby's Sharks.

Reinach has scored 29 tries in 70 Saints appearances and was also a member of the South Africa squad which won the World Cup in Japan last year.

"This has not been an easy decision for me," he said. "I'll be sad to leave some great friends and team-mates."

Director of rugby Chris Boyd said Reinach's departure will be disappointing, but one the club supports.

"We respect that in the final years of his professional career, he's made a decision with the long-term future of his family in mind," he added.

"Saints supporters love watching him play, he has provided them with plenty of memorable moments."

Northampton's other scrum-half options include Henry Taylor, who extended his contract earlier this month following a summer move from Saracens, as well as Connor Tupai and Alex Mitchell.

Italy legend Sergio Parisse plans to mark his retirement from international rugby with a final appearance for the Azzurri at this year's Six Nations.

The 36-year-old, who has 142 caps, planned to retire after the World Cup.

However, he was denied a farewell appearance when Italy's final pool match in Japan was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis.

Parisse is not in coach Franco Smith's initial 35-man squad, but expects a call-up for Italy's home games.

"I will face Scotland, England or both, but I will certainly not play the entire Six Nations," Parisse said.

Parisse made his debut in a 64-10 defeat by the All Blacks as an 18-year-old in June 2002. Only New Zealand's Richie McCaw and Wales' Alun Wyn Jones have won more Test caps.

His club career included a 14-year stint with Stade Francais before he moved to current side Toulon.

Smith has recalled another veteran for this year's Six Nations with 33-year-old Benetton centre Alberto Sgarbi, who last played for his country in June 2014, included.

"We have a mix of experienced players and youngsters who want to establish themselves on the international stage," said Smith, who was appointed interim coach after Irishman Conor O'Shea resigned in November to join England's Rugby Football Union.

Italy, who have not won a game in the tournament since they beat Scotland in February 2015, open their Six Nations campaign against champions Wales on 1 February in Cardiff.

Italy Six Nations squad

Forwards:

Pietro Ceccarelli (Edinburgh), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre), Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Marco Riccioni (Benetton), Giosue Zilocchi (Zebre), Luca Bigi (Zebre), Oliviero Fabiani (Zebre), Federico Zani (Benetton), Dean Budd (Benetton), Niccolo Cannone (Argos Petrarca Rugby/Benetton), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), David Sisi (Zebre), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton), Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton), Giovanni Licata (Zebre), Johan Meyer (Zebre), Sebastian Negri (Benetton), Jake Polledri (Gloucester), Abraham Steyn (Benetton)

Backs:

Callum Braley (Gloucester), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Marcello Violi (Zebre), Tommaso Allan (Benetton), Carlo Canna (Zebre), Giulio Bisegni (Zebre), Tommaso Boni (Zebre), Luca Morisi (Benetton), Alberto Sgarbi (Benetton), Mattia Bellini (Zebre), Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton), Michelangelo Biondelli (Fiamme Oro Rugby/Zebre), Jayden Hayward (Benetton), Matteo Minozzi (Wasps), Edoardo Padovani (Zebre), Leonardo Sarto (Benetton)

DENVER -- It often seems like the NHL has come too easily for Cale Makar. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman stepped into the NHL playoffs in the middle of a tense, first-round series against the Calgary Flames in April -- two days after he wrapped up his college career -- and immediately scored a goal. In his first 20 regular-season NHL games, while most of his rookie peers were getting their feet wet, Makar averaged more than a point per game. He didn't commit a penalty until his 31st game, and it was a fluky, puck-over-the-glass, delay of game call. Furthermore, the 21-year-old has been handling top-four minutes this season.

As such, it is perhaps comforting to hear a rare example of Makar getting into a pickle. It was before last spring's second-round series against the San Jose Sharks, and the Avs had an off day. Makar had moved in with teammate Matt Calvert and his family to ease the NHL transition. The Calverts set Makar up in their finished basement. "At night, they would lock the door to get downstairs because their [13-month-old] son, Beau, was getting tall enough where he could grab the door handle and try to go down," Makar said. "And the stairs were pretty steep."

When Makar woke up, he went up get breakfast -- and then he realized his door was locked from the outside. "I was like, 'Oh boy,''' he said. "I had to get something to eat."

Makar didn't want to bother Calvert or his wife, Courtney, so the 5-foot-11 rookie spotted a small window in the basement and a small ladder. "We didn't hear him at all," Calvert said. "But he climbed out of the window to get out. That's just so Cale. Too polite, he didn't want to bother us. We always call him green. He's so green."

With 33 points through 37 games -- including four game-winning goals -- Makar has been the front-runner for the Calder Trophy so far this season. It has been an impressive season for rookie blueliners, too, with Vancouver's Quinn Hughes just a step behind Makar. The Avalanche are a team with serious Stanley Cup aspirations, and they view Makar as a serious part of that. Teammates stumped hard for Makar to be voted into the All-Star game as a Last Man In, with the team championing the hashtag: #NateNeedsCale. (Makar lost to David Perron of the host Blues).

"He did such a good job last playoffs, I guess that's why they traded Tyson [Barrie] this summer," defenseman Sam Girard said of the trade that brought center Nazem Kadri to the Avs. "They knew Cale would be able to make an impact in the NHL right away as a top-four defenseman."

Makar missed eight games last month due to an upper-body injury after he absorbed a big hit from Boston's Brad Marchand. The Avs went 4-3-1 in his absence. "When he was hurt for eight games, it hurt us a ton," leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon said. "Now that he's back, it's definitely changed our team for the better."

Makar has won over plenty of fans in Denver because of his humility. "He's that good that he could have that kind of arrogance to him, but he's really not that guy," Kadri said. "He's a good Western [Canadian] kid. He doesn't need much to make him happy."

Added MacKinnon: "There are so many things that are amazing about him. He's such a freak athlete. He's so fast and powerful. I think he's one of the best D-men in the league already. But he's got this quiet confidence about him."

Makar is also pure -- perhaps to a fault. Teammates say they've never heard him chirp on the ice, and they quash the notion of that ever happening. "Cale chirp?" captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "No way."

"As a rookie, I don't think you have that privilege yet," Kadri said. "But I don't think I ever see him being that guy." (Makar's take: "I don't think I'm quick enough to come up with anything good to say.")

Describing his interests outside the rink, Makar said: "I like video games a little. I grocery shop. I read." (He calls Costco "an unbelievable store," and he's currently reading Nicklas Lidstrom's book, which his dad gave him for Christmas).

When I asked NHL players this fall about their most recent splurges, Makar responded that he recently treated himself to ... a slurpee. He has become a yes man to almost all external asks. He voiced a welcome message that airs on the train to baggage claim at Denver International Airport:

Come to Denver. Get greeted by Cale Makar on the train to baggage claim.

Again. He was in college a year ago and now he's already one of the faces of the #Avs. pic.twitter.com/2KzUJ6el1R

— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) November 22, 2019

He starred in a video on the Avalanche Twitter feed instructing fans how to make Cale (or kale) smoothies and stole the show in the NHL's holiday video by committing to -- and nailing -- a very low note to conclude a group rendition of Jingle Bells.

? Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ?

Happy Holidays from the NHL! pic.twitter.com/QPPgf1zBCC

— NHL (@NHL) December 20, 2019

"I just roll with it and have fun with whatever anybody needs," Makar said. "I'm an open book for the most part. I just try to be polite about it. Other than singing. I won't be singing in public ever again. That was my one appearance."

The amenable attitude is something Makar adopted from his childhood idol, Jarome Iginla. Makar grew up a 10-minute drive from downtown Calgary. His family shared Flames season tickets with six others, so the Makars attended a handful of games per season. Makar would battle with his younger brother, Taylor, over who would get to go to games with their dad.

"My dad always told me to pay attention to how Jarome Iginla handled himself in public and in the community," Makar said. "He was a role model for me. I wanted to be like him. Everyone in Calgary loved Iginla. He could do nothing wrong."

That's exactly how Makar has begun his NHL career. When people ask about the frenzied few days last spring when Makar won the Hobey Baker, lost in the Frozen Four with the UMass Minutemen and joined the Avalanche for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, Makar says, "I blacked out."

"There's no other way to describe it. The events that took place in those 48 hours were just crazy," he said. "It was probably good that I played that game because if I had more time, I would have overthought a few different things."

If Makar was nervous that week, he sure didn't show it. MacKinnon remembers going up to Makar before the first game. "How are you feeling, man?" MacKinnon asked.

"He was like, 'Good, you?'" MacKinnon recalled with a laugh. "And I was like, oh, OK. Just another day for Cale."

Makar is just as cool on the ice.

"If it looks like he's in trouble, he just takes two strides, and he's out of it," Landeskog said. "Obviously, he has tremendous patience and poise with the puck."

Asked if he has ever seen anyone adjust to the NHL so easily, Landeskog said, "I mean, Nate had three points in his first NHL game. But the impressive part is doing it in the playoffs. Cale didn't know anything, really. He just stepped in and completely took over. I've never seen anything like that."

What excites the Avalanche most: Makar is just scratching the surface. "Matt Nieto and I are always talking about the younger players," Calvert said. "And I remember 10 games in, we were like, I don't think he's playing half as well as he could -- and yet he's still averaging a point a game."

There are, however, some things that haven't been easy for Makar. One of them is adjusting to the new attention. Recently Makar was at his beloved Costco with his mom, and he said he was recognized in every aisle. "That was weird," he said.

In December, the Avalanche had an off day in Boston, and UMass invited Makar to return to campus as they raised a banner honoring his Hobey Baker Award.

"It made me a little bit uncomfortable, to be honest with you," he said. "I'm not a guy that looks for attention like that. It was kind of weird for me to stand there and have all those people look at you. I was really honored, but it's crazy to think just one year ago that I was playing there."

In other words, a lot has changed -- and fast.