To determine which NHL clubs are in the best shape for the next three seasons, we had our panel of experts rate each team in four categories -- roster; prospects; cap situation and contracts; and front office, ownership and coaching -- using this scale:

100: A+ (Elite)
90: A (Great)
80: B (Very good)
70: C (Average)
60: D (Very Bad)
50: F (Disastrous)
40: F- (The worst thing imaginable)

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the four categories was weighted to create the overall score: roster (35 percent), prospects (25 percent), cap/contracts (20 percent) and owner/GM/coach (20 percent). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future.

Read through the entire file from No. 1 to No. 31, or jump ahead to your team by using the quick links below:

Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI
COL | CBJ | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI
NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL
TB | TOR | VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG

1. Colorado Avalanche
Overall score: 87.8

Why they're here: Everyone in the NHL is talking about the Avalanche these days. They are loaded enough to win now, and their best players are young and cheap; case in point is Nathan MacKinnon, a top-three player in the league, playing on a ridiculous bargain at $6.3 million through 2023. Eventually, these guys will need new contracts, and that will test GM Joe Sakic's discipline. -- Kaplan

Points of concern: About the only point of concern for the Avalanche at this point is whether they'll meet the expectations that have been placed on them. Because otherwise, they have a young core that's the envy of the league, and a salary cap outlook for the next three seasons that is equally enviable. Coach Jared Bednar and GM Joe Sakic have rightfully earned their admiration with the group they've constructed -- now let's see what it does on the ice. -- Wyshynski

Cornerstone prospects: The Avs' blue line may be set for the next decade if Cale Makar and Bowen Byram reach their ceilings. Both are among the top defense prospects in the game, with Makar looking like one of the best such prospects in the past several years based on his development. Both have offensive talent and can really skate. Makar is a right shot; Byram is a left shot. Could this be the top pairing of the future for Colorado? If it is, that's going to be a great benefit to the team's forwards -- and of great detriment to the rest of the Central Division. -- Peters

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.

RISING

Suzann Pettersen (+10%): It was one of the greatest mic drops in sports history, a walk-off birdie on the final hole of the final match on the final day, sealing a hard-fought victory for the home team. That Pettersen – long one of the fiercest competitors in golf – announced soon after that she was retiring cemented her status as an all-time legend.

Joaquin Niemann (+8%): All of that potential was realized with a runaway victory in the season opener. The 20-year-old Chilean put his name in elite company alongside Seve and Rory as the youngest non-Americans to win on Tour.

Catriona Matthew (+7%): Captains always get too much credit or blame in team competitions, but a tip of the cap to Matthew. She had the guts to pick a rusty veteran, then the smarts to map out a perfect singles lineup that took back the cup.

Korda sisters (+6%): Jessica and Nelly each went 3-0-1 for the Americans, forming a formidable team that should wreak havoc for the next decade. The only disappointment was that the sister act sat out Saturday afternoon.

Viktor Hovland (+2%): With a closing 64 at the Greenbrier, young Hov has now shot in the 60s in his last 17 (!) competitive rounds, tying a Tour record. What a machine. 

FALLING

Lexi (-1%): It’s hard to win when your best player posts a losing record, and Thompson went 0-2-2 while also dealing with back spasms on the final day at Gleneagles.

Juli Inkster (-2%): She’s fun and feisty, elevating the U.S. team over the past six years, but this wasn’t her best performance. Her captain’s picks were uninspired, she broke up the Kordas because they’d “kill each other” (uh, they’re not 14 anymore), and then unveiled a curious singles lineup with unproven players on the back end. They're big shoes to fill, but it’s time to see what someone else (Cristie Kerr?) can do.

Marc Leishman (-3%): The Greenbrier was a week to forget for Leish, who was already bothered by four bulging discs – and that was before he was drilled in the back by an errant shot from one of his pro-am partners. His season-opening WD casts further doubt on his status this fall, and perhaps his participation later this year in the Presidents Cup.

Blogging Tiger (-4%): Predictably, Woods’ habit of signing off as “U.S. Team Captain Playing Captain” on his Presidents Cup blogs required clarification, with the Tour sending out a tweet that Woods has not, in fact, already decided that he’ll be playing and leading at Royal Melbourne. Uh-huh, sure ...

Suzann Pettersen might have been as surprised as everyone else when she decided to announce her retirement upon clinching the Solheim Cup.

Pettersen, who joined “Morning Drive” on Tuesday, said she had no preconception of calling it quits and that the decision was made in the moments after she made the putt to hand Europe victory at Gleneagles.

“When it all comes to an end and they [her husband and son] came walking towards me on that putting green together with all the other million people that were out there, it was just special,” Pettersen said. “And I told my husband, ‘Nothing will ever beat this, so I think we can just say enough is enough.’ And that’s me.

“It was impulsive. Nobody knew, not even I knew. It got to me – during those next couple of minutes after that putt was holed. I have no regrets.”

Pettersen’s son, Herman, was born in August 2018 and she missed nearly two years of competitive play prior to being a captain’s pick for the European team.

“I think it was just important to myself to prove that I could do it, to come back, put in the work, and perform at the absolute highest level,” she said.

“It’s probably more a massive relief than anything else. I literally proved to myself that I did it.”

Pettersen won 15 times on the LPGA, including two majors, and seven times on the Ladies European Tour. She has a career 18-12-6 record in the Solheim Cup.

As for the next chapter in her life, there is no real plan. And that’s what makes it so excited for her.

“It’s just very nice not to wake up having an agenda. It’s nice not to wake up any mornings feeling guilt that you haven’t practiced, that you haven’t done enough – question if you are prepared, are you ready. I don’t have to deal with those emotions anymore,” she said.

“Just to be able to wake up, be a mom … just really enjoy life.”

Juan Mata has backed Manchester United's youngsters to step up if boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hands them a chance in the Europa League this week.

United face Astana of Kazakhstan at Old Trafford on Thursday in their first European clash of the season.

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Solskjaer has hinted he could use the competition to hand experience to young stars including Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and James Garner and Mata believes they are ready.

"I very much like them," Mata said. "I could speak about every one of them.

"Gomes -- very talented. You can see he's a real football player: vision, decision-making, quick on his feet.

"Chong is a proper winger. Very quick one-against-one, a very nice left foot and a great shot.

"Jimmy Garner I like very much. Composure, personality on the ball, good shot, good decision-making. He touches the ball just the times he needs to.

"As a midfielder that's important -- not just to retain the ball a lot, but to make it move quicker, and he does it so much.

"Mason is a very good finisher, both legs. You can't really tell if he's right-footed or left-footed, which is a very good quality for a striker.

"All of them have been training with us for a long time and they developed a lot in preseason."

United have endured a mixed start to the season but rose to fourth in the Premier League table after their 1-0 win over Leicester on Saturday.

It was a positive start to a hectic week which will end with a tricky trip to West Ham on Sunday.

"If we want to get our objectives, we need to stick together -- managers, players and fans -- because there's many people on the outside enjoying it when Manchester United don't win," Mata said.

"It's key for us to stick together as a whole."

Manchester City's defensive crisis has worsened with news John Stones will be out for up to five weeks after picking up a muscle injury in training on Tuesday.

City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed the news at a prematch news conference ahead of their Champions League opener against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

- Champions League group stage: All you need to know
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The Premier League champions are already without Aymeric Laporte ruled out for four or five months.

City lost to Norwich 3-2 on Saturday, leaving them five points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

During the World Cup earlier this year, Quinton de Kock created a mild furore by saying the atmosphere during his IPL 2019 win with Mumbai Indians was more emotionally intense than the one during South Africa's semi-final defeat in the World Cup in 2015. Blasphemy, cried those who support international cricket over leagues, national flags over similar-looking jerseys. Blown out of proportion, said those who had heard the question, which related to emotional atmosphere at a ground and not the value of a tournament or a match.

A couple of months later, on the eve of South Africa's T20I against India in Mohali, de Kock was given an opportunity to clarify what he meant.

"What must I say?" It is the biggest thing I have won so far. I haven't won a World Cup," de Kock said as a matter of fact. "So obviously once I win a World Cup, if I do, that will be the biggest ever thing I have done in my career. So far it is an IPL. I had played for a couple of teams but had never made the play-offs before. I played for Mumbai, we made the final and we won. So obviously it is a big achievement for any cricketer. There are so many things that cricketers these days want to be part of. They want to win IPL finals. They want to be part of World Cup finals and win them. Personally it's different for everyone. Everyone has their opinions. My opinion is mine. Their opinion is theirs. For me that's the biggest thing I have achieved so far."

The IPL final could not be accused of being dull. Played in front of a raucous crowd, the match involved a successful defence of eight runs in the final over. De Kock was in the thick of him: taking a catch, effecting a run-out, but also conceding four byes off a Jasprit Bumrah hand grenade. The World Cup semi-final was a similarly close affair, but New Zealand beat South Africa in that heart-breaking finish. As a wicketkeeper, de Kock was in the thick of it again, taking a superlative catch to send back Ross Taylor but missing the run-out of Grant Elliott, who eventually took New Zealand home.

Berkshire 164 (Morris 89, Hemmings 4-21) and 97 for 9 (Maxfield 7-48) beat Staffordshire 150 and 110 (Nugent 5-40, Rishton 4-42) by one wicket.

Berkshire held their nerve to win the Minor Counties Championship for a record-equalling fourth successive season after they scrambled a one-wicket victory over Staffordshire on the third day of the final at Banbury.

Berkshire were set just 97 to win but that modest target looked like being beyond them when they slipped to 87 for 9 with Staffordshire seamer Tim Maxfield taking seven of the wickets.

But Staffordshire could not dislodge Berkshire opener Jack Davies who batted throughout the innings for 42 not out.

With the support of last man Mungo Russell, Davies managed to whittle down the runs, striking Rob Hemmings for an important boundary, taking a single off the same bowler to level the scores and then clinching victory in a remarkable low-scoring final by taking the winning single off Maxfield.

Berkshire's win equalled Devon's record of four successive Championships under the captaincy of Peter Roebuck between 1994 and 1997 and gave them their seventh national title in four season to go with four Western Division crowns.

Defeat was hard on Maxfield who finished with career-best figures of 7 for 48 in a brave effort from Staffordshire, the Eastern Division champions.

Ball dominated bat throughout the match on a pitch that helped the seamers and only one batsman, Berkshire's Richard Morris in the first innings, made 50. Davies was the only other batsman to top 30.

There were 13 LBWs in the match, ten of them against Berkshire with five in each innings.

Berkshire began the day needing 73 more runs for victory and Staffordshire requiring seven more wickets.

The equation became 73 runs with six wickets in hand after Manraj Johal bowled Middlesex T20 batsman Dan Lincoln without addition to the overnight total.

Maxfield then bowled Berkshire captain James Morris and Johal trapped Andy Rishton LBW to make it 40 for 6.

But the experienced Chris Peploe (15) and Tom Nugent (13) supplied valuable lower-order runs in important partnerships with Davies for the seventh and eighth wickets which got Berkshire to within 16 of their target.

Maxfield then had Nugent and Luke Beaven LBW but Davies, who is on Middlesex's books, and Russell held firm for 23 balls while they scraped together the last ten runs.

Big picture

India's home season was supposed to begin in Dharamsala, but rain ensured it did not. Our preview for the first T20I, therefore, could serve just as well as a preview to the second one in Mohali.

If you're looking for the TL;DR version, here goes.

In the spotlight

Hardik Pandya has batted 61 times in 66 matches for Mumbai Indians, but only 24 times in 38 T20Is. How have India underutilised his hitting skills to this extent? The answer, perhaps, is that they have for far too long batted too conservatively at the start of their innings, and as a result not allowed him enough time in the middle. Will their new emphasis on batting depth also free up the top order to take more risks?

He didn't have the greatest of World Cups, and he's slipped away from the spotlight in the months since while the world has raved about Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. It might surprise you to learn that Kagiso Rabada is younger than both of them. He'll want to begin this new international season, and this new era in South African cricket, with a bang, and remind the world that this other incredibly gifted young fast bowler exists.

Team news

Who will partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order for India - Shikhar Dhawan or KL Rahul? From their practice session on Tuesday, it appeared that Dhawan might win that race.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey/Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Washington Sundar/Rahul Chahar, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Navdeep Saini

Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje, and the two spin-bowling allrounders, Bjorn Fortuin and George Linde, are yet to make their T20I debut. At least two of them might do so on Wednesday.

South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (capt & wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 David Miller, 6 Andile Phehlukwayo, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Bjorn Fortuin/George Linde, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Junior Dala/Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

Mohali is expected to be warm and dry on Wednesday, with no rain forecast. The pitch usually produces evenly balanced T20 contests, with seven matches in the 2019 IPL season producing an average first-innings total of 171, with the chasing team winning five times.

Stats and trivia

• Virat Kohli's average of 28.83 against South Africa is his second-worst against any T20I opponent. He's done worse only against Ireland, against whom he's scored nine runs in two innings at 4.50.

• David Miller has scored 730 runs in 29 T20 matches in Mohali, at an average of 45.62 and a strike rate of 150.51. Only Shaun Marsh has scored more T20 runs at the venue.

Quotes

"They're both good players in their own right. It's always going to be a good competition. They like being very positive in the way they play their cricket, and it could a great thing to watch."
Quinton de Kock on the prospect of Kagiso Rabada vs Virat Kohli

Soumya Sarkar and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have been picked among 13 capped players in the 16-member Bangladesh A side for their tour of Sri Lanka. Mehidy couldn't find a place in the senior T20I side for the ongoing tri-series, while Soumya was dropped after two matches after scores of 4 and 0.

They will now play two four-day matches and three one-dayers against Sri Lanka A from September 23 to October 12. Mominul Haque will lead the side that also includes Mohammad Mithun, Shadman Islam and Abu Jayed.

The national selectors also named the Bangladesh Under-23 side that will play five one-day matches in India from September 19 to 27 at Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium. This is a similar squad to the one that played for the Bangladesh Emerging side against Sri Lanka at home last month. Saif Hassan will lead the side, although he was also named in the A squad, which means he will fly from India to Sri Lanka once the Under-23 matches are over on September 27.

Among the changes, there was no place for Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam, Raqibul Hasan and Tanbir Hayder while Yeasin Hasan is out with injury.

Shafiqul Islam, Sumon Khan, Tanvir Islam and Zakir Hasan were transferred from the A side to the Under-23 team, which included Ariful Haque among capped players, as well as Zakir Hasan and Mahedi Hasan, who was dropped from the Bangladesh side from the T20I tri-series earlier this week.

A squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Shadman Islam, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Nurul Hasan, Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Sunzamul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Salauddin Sakil, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Najmul Hossain, Saif Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz

U-23 squad: Saif Hassan (capt), Fardeen Hasan, Mahidul Islam, Yasir Ali, Al Amin, Zakir Hasan, Jaker Ali, Ariful Haque, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Manik Khan, Shafiqul Islam, Sumon Khan, Robiul Haque, Sabbir Hossain

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur cracked open the door to make the switch from quarterback Eli Manning to Daniel Jones. He might as well have let in a tsunami. There's no turning back now.

The Giants decided to begin the transition, naming Jones their starting quarterback for Week 3 on Tuesday. Throwing the rookie Jones into the mix on the road without Golden Tate (suspension), Sterling Shepard and Cody Latimer (both in the concussion protocol) is not be ideal. They are their top three wide receivers.

But, there will never be a perfect time and this is the right move. Jones will get his first regular-season action on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox).

The Giants (0-2) can now spend the rest of 2019 rebuilding like they should have two years ago when they were coming off a 3-13 season. Giving Jones in-game experience is the best way for this organization to become a contender as quickly as possible because it's not happening with the 38-year-old Manning.

"There is no way you can learn how to play this game without playing this game," Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner said during the summer. "You can learn mentally and you can grow, but you can't become the player you're going to be by sitting down and watching. You have to get experience, and you have to face things."

Moving on from Manning should have happened two seasons ago when coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese -- both since exiled -- started the ball rolling by benching Manning in favor of Geno Smith in November. The Giants have gone 6-16 since backtracking on that decision, including losing their first two games this season. They're also 0-2 for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Manning is not fully to blame. His supporting cast isn't enough to carry a quarterback who is merely a passenger rather than a conductor at this point in his career. But Manning hasn't done much to make the pain stop. And to keep trotting him out there on a bad team with a porous defense makes no sense -- especially with the future of the franchise, Jones, who proved in the preseason he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed, sitting on the bench.

The Giants are going nowhere this season. Fast. Give them credit for finally realizing it.

It's really a shame the Giants reached this point when just about everyone outside their facility understood where they were headed. Manning shouldn't have returned for his 16th season once the Giants drafted Jones with the No. 6 overall pick.

The real mistake was living in a fantasy world and believing this roster put together by GM Dave Gettleman, with Manning as the starter, could be a playoff team. They conjured visions of the Kansas City Chiefs with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes and the Green Bay Packers with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

Except the Chiefs were 12-4 the season before they drafted Mahomes and a contender in his rookie year. The Packers were 10-6 before selecting Rodgers.

The Giants were 5-11 prior to taking Jones and got rid of several of their best players this offseason. To put themselves in the same category as those Chiefs or Packers teams, as Gettleman did, was delusional. Owner John Mara should have realized the ideal world in which Manning finished the season and Jones never played a snap wasn't realistic.

The Giants basically gave Manning an ultimatum to win or else. Guess how that went?

The reality is it took all of two weeks for Shurmur to realize the rookie out of Duke might give the Giants as good a chance -- or better -- to win than Manning. If not, at least the experience will benefit Jones and the Giants long-term.

"We're always trying to do what we can to win this next game. And then we're always behind the scenes having those long-term discussions. I think that is the challenge each week is doing what you can to win each game," Shurmur said Monday as the Giants pondered the possibility of Jones becoming the starter. "That's really my focus as the coach and certainly that is what the players' focus is."

The focus shouldn't be on whether the Giants are built for instant success or whether Jones will experience tough times playing with the supporting cast around him. Spoiler: They're not, and he will struggle.

Manning took over an even better team 10 games into 2004 and had his struggles. Look no further than when he threw for 27 yards and was pulled mid-game against the Baltimore Ravens. But Manning bounced back. He learned from that experience and was able to have a legendary career winning two Super Bowls against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

The great ones always do rebound. If Jones isn't able to handle early failures such as Manning did during his rookie season, the likelihood is his career probably would have never amounted to much anyway. The great ones need to be resilient with a short memory. It's part of the job description.

The time has come to see if Jones has what it takes so the Giants can figure out sooner rather than later if he's the quarterback who will make them contenders again.