As the 2025-26 season approaches, ESPN is making a major change to its NHL coverage.
According to Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel, the Worldwide Leader is adjusting Emily Kaplan’s role, primarily moving her from rinkside reporter to in-studio insider. In a statement to Front Office Sports, ESPN confirmed that the Penn State product will be positioned as the network’s top NHL insider, adding that she’ll continue in-game reporting for select matchups, including the opening night showdown between the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Chicago Blackhawks.
“This season we are positioning Emily to be our primary NHL insider,” ESPN said in a statement to Front Office Sports confirming the news. “She will appear more regularly across ESPN NHL studio coverage and news and information shows while continuing her in-game reporting for select marquee matchups, including our opening night game with the Florida Panthers raising their championship banner and hosting the Blackhawks.”
As Glasspiegel noted in his report, the adjustment to Kaplan’s responsibilities fits ESPN’s recent strategy when it comes to how it presents its insiders. In many ways, her role will be similar to Adam Schefter’s with the NFL, Shams Charania’s with the NBA and Jeff Passan’s with MLB, as each insider also provides in-studio insights as ESPN’s top insider for their respective leagues.
Having arrived at ESPN in 2017 following a stint with Sports Illustrated‘s Monday Morning Quarterback, it didn’t take long for Kaplan to establish herself as a rising star within the company. After initially serving as a national hockey writer and reporter, she became the network’s top NHL rinkside reporter in 2021 as ESPN became a league rightsholder for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
Moving forward, it sounds like Kaplan will still perform in-game reporting during the network’s biggest matchups, but will otherwise primarily report from ESPN’s NHL studio show, The Point. At this point, it has yet to be revealed who will replace Kaplan in games in which she’s not rinkside.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.