He replaces Jimmy Rogers, who after a season at Washington State agreed to become the head coach at Iowa State.
Flyers Miss Out on Egregious Quinn Hughes Trade
It's official: the Philadelphia Flyers pulling off a Quinn Hughes trade is not going to happen, and they should be thankful it won't.
On Friday night, Hughes, 26, was traded by the Vancouver Canucks for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, top defense prospect Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.
The Flyers were never going to be able to match that, especially given that Rossi and Buium are the two clear centerpieces of the deal.
Of course, the Flyers passed on Buium for Jett Luchanko in the 2024 NHL Draft and were rumored to be interested in Rossi, only to bypass that endeavor with rumors suggesting the club would be concerned with adding a player with his 5-foot-9 size.
For the Flyers to have matched the Wild's trade offer for Hughes, they likely would have needed to part ways with Porter Martone, Cam York, Luchanko or Alex Bump, and their 2026 first-round pick, if we're aiming for 1:1 comparisons.
Missed Opportunity? Ex-Flyers Prospect Reaching Heights of NHL Superstars After Controversial TradeThe Flyers and Flyers fans have to be feeling pretty bad about how good Cutter Gauthier has been playing for the Ducks this season.The fruit of the disappointment for fans is obviously going to be missing out on a superstar player had the Flyers acquired assets commonly linked to them throughout the summer and in previous years.
At the same time, though, the Flyers are nowhere near a win-now position like the Wild are in, because they don't have Kirill Kaprizov, high-level veterans, and two of the hottest goalies in the NHL.
Putting together this kind of trade package, considering the lack of leverage the Canucks had from the start of this whole saga, would have been egregious from Philadelphia's perspective.
That said, though, it doesn't excuse the Flyers from needing to make another big trade in the future, because they'll need to in order to find their No. 1 center of the future somehow.
Trevor Zegras's arrival has worked wonders for Danny Briere and Co., but Matvei Michkov's descent under new head coach Rick Tocchet has effectively counteracted that acquisition.
Flyers' Quinn Hughes Trade Hopes Take a Major HitIf the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> were hoping to execute a blockbuster Quinn Hughes trade, their competition for such an ambitious endeavor just got that much stronger.
Now, the onus is on the Flyers, who need a top center and a true No. 1 defenseman, to go out and make things happen, but the Hughes trade is really an example of what not to do.
But, if the market is always going to carry prices like Friday night's, well, they may not have much of a choice going forward but to make a tough choice.
It goes almost without saying that Tocchet, Briere, and the Flyers will be disappointed to have not gotten Hughes if they were ever truly in it, but their focus needs to be on the players they have in-house first until that day finally comes for them.
Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster NHL trade
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.
The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks.
Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade Hughes.
“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”
Hughes, only 26 and considered the best at player at the position behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz around Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey Devils.
They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild GM Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.
Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He has been their captain since 2023, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.
“With the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”
Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.
The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL, Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line, which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas Brodin. Winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” for eight more years.
It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.
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Hurricanes Sign Seventh-Round Rookie Blueliner Joel Nystrom To Four-Year Extension
They always say that the NHL is all about opportunity.
Well, for 23-year-old defenseman Joel Nystrom, his opportunity has led to not only an NHL debut and stint, but now a multimillion dollar contract.
The Carolina Hurricanes have inked Nystrom to a four-year, $4.9 million contract that will run through the 2029-30 season.
“Joel stepped into our lineup early in the season and has proven that he belongs in the NHL,” said Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky in a press release. “He fits our style of play well and we are excited to watch his continued development in Carolina.”
The Swedish rookie, who was a seventh-round pick in 2021, made his NHL debut on Oct. 23 and has since appeared in 23 games this season with all the injuries to Carolina's blueline.
Nystrom has picked up four assists on the year while averaging 16:02 per night. He's been a stable force on the blueline and even though he's a rookie, the moment has never seemed too big for him.
"We saw somebody that had really high-end hockey sense and that was something that we wanted to bet on," Hurricanes associate GM Darren Yorke told The Hockey News back in November. "Fast forward almost four years now and we’re seeing that hockey sense shine in the NHL and he’s been a big part of the team’s success lately when other guys have been hurt. He’s been able to step up.”
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Wild Acquire Quinn Hughes From Vancouver, Sending Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Plus More
ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild made a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Quinn Hughes.
The cost was steep for Minnesota but it has to be when acquiring a player of that magnitude.
Vancouver will be getting Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.
Rossi, 24, was the Wild's 9th overall pick from the 2020 NHL draft and is coming off 24 goals and 60 points last season. A future top center in the NHL.
Buium, 20, has been compared to Hughes and was the Wild's 12th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft. He has played in 31 games this year and has three goals and 14 points.
Ohgren, 21, was the WIld's 19th overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft and has struggled this year in limited ice time. He has zero points in 18 games.
Hughes, 26, is under contract for one more season after this one. Despite all the rumors of him joining his two brothers in New Jersey, Hughes has been traded to the Wild.
The 5-foot-10 defenseman has two goals and 23 points in 26 games this year for the Canucks and is their captain.
He won the 2024 Norris Trophy which is given to the top defenseman in the NHL. He led the league with an NHL career-high 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games, and had the most even-strength points (54), second-most power-play points (38) and was fourth in plus/minus (plus-38) among defensemen.
In his career, Hughes has recorded 61 goals, 371 assists, 432 points, 16 power-play goals and 190 power play points in 459 games.
Quinn Hughes, acquired by MIN, is a superstar offensive defenceman. An exceptional skater, passer, and puck-handler who has been relied upon to carry his team's offence while also holding up his end of the deal defensively. #MNWildpic.twitter.com/k3j7Wn08Fp
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 13, 2025
The Wild don't make this move thinking there isn't a chance he signs with them. The Wild are going to have to sell it to him to stay though. His brothers Luke and Jack play for the Devils and the rumor for the longest time was that Quinn is going to sign there.
According to Michael Russo, there has been no assurance given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer. But, Wild general manager Bill Guerin does know him well. The U.S. born defender will be on Team USA at the Olympics.
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Mets target Tyler Rogers signs three-year deal with Blue Jays
The Mets and Tyler Rogers will not be reunited after the right-hander agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to multiple reports.
New York was interested in re-signing Rogers after he left for free agency this offseason, but he agreed to a reported three-year, $37 million contract, with a vesting option that would take his contract to $48 million, to play for the defending American League champs.
Rogers, 34, pitched well for the Mets after being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline.
In 27.1 innings across 28 games, Rogers had a 2.30 ERA (3.32 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP.
With Rogers off the board, the Mets will look elsewhere to try and shore up their bullpen behind closer Devin Williams.
Flyers Hit Home Run With This Free-Agent Signing
The Philadelphia Flyers made multiple moves during the 2025 NHL off-season. One of them was bringing in forward Christian Dvorak, as the Flyers signed him to a one-year, $5.4 million contract in free agency.
While Dvorak landed a nice payday from the Flyers, it was not necessarily one of the most-talked-about NHL signings from the summer. While this was the case, there is no question that the Flyers' decision to sign Dvorak to this one-year, prove-it deal is looking like a home run.
Dvorak has been impressing with the Flyers this season, as he has recorded seven goals, 14 assists, 21 points, and a plus-7 rating in 29 games. With this, the Flyers center is well on his way to crushing his current career-high of 38 points, which he recorded during the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Coyotes.
Dvorak is only continuing to stay hot as the season carries on, too. Over his last three games with the Flyers, the 2014 second-round pick has posted one goal, four assists, and five points. This included him recording back-to-back two-point games against the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 and then the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 11.
With the way Dvorak is playing, it is hard not to like this signing for the Flyers. It will be intriguing to see if the veteran forward can keep this kind of strong play up from here.
Lakers' Austin Reaves to miss at least a week because of calf strain
Lakers star Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a mild left calf strain and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week, the team said after practice Friday.
The guard is averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists and has led the Lakers in total minutes played this season as the team weathered stretches without stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Reaves responded with a career start. He is ninth in the NBA in scoring and could be on track to earn his first All-Star nod as he enters a critical contract decision this offseason.
Reaves will at least miss Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns, a road game at Utah on Dec. 18 and a game at the Clippers on Dec. 20.
After another road game against the Suns on Dec. 23, the Lakers begin a stretch of five consecutive home games, starting with a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Lakers' Austin Reaves out with mild calf strain, to be re-evaluated in one week
Everything you need to know about how Austin Reaves' season is going happened on the last play of the game in Toronto just over a week ago when the Lakers faced the Raptors. With Luka Doncic out and the game tied with under 10 seconds to go, coach J.J. Redick put the ball in the hands of Austin Reaves and asked him to create a shot. The Raptors chose to double Reaves — and double off LeBron James, one of the greatest playmakers the game has ever seen. Reaves got the ball to LeBron, who drove to the nail, then kicked it out to the corner to a wide-open Rui Hachimura, and the Lakers got the win.
That is the trust the Lakers have in Reaves and the respect other teams have for him, and why he will be missed for the next few games as he is out with a mild calf strain, the team announced Friday. Reaves will be re-evaluated in one week and will miss at least two games (on the road at Phoenix and Utah).
Reaves has made a huge leap this season and established himself as the true No. 2 option for the Lakers next to Doncic, and a guy who can run the offense on nights Doncic is not on the court. Reaves is playing at an All-Star level and averaging 27.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds a game, while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
"There's a there's a cadence right now to his game," Redick said recently of Reaves. "He's got a great understanding of when he has a good matchup. He's got a great understanding of how to play with Luka [Doncic]. And so the flow state that every athlete kind of searches for. He's just in that right now."
Reaves is also a free agent next summer and is widely expected to re-sign with the Lakers, but it's going to cost the team — Reaves is on a steal of a deal at $14.9 million this season and that salary is going to more than double next season.
Expect Gabe Vincent to get the start in Reaves' absence and Marcus Smart will get more run, while more playmaking duties will fall to LeBron.
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How the Dodgers landed Edwin Díaz — and finally found a bona fide closer
At the start of the winter, the assumption was that top free-agent closer Edwin Díaz would fall out of the Dodgers’ preferred price range.
Knowing they needed bullpen help, however, the Dodgers decided to reach out with interest anyway.
What followed will go down as one of the most surprising outcomes of this MLB offseason. And, for the Dodgers, their latest in a string of big-name, star-player acquisitions.
Even though the Dodgers initially had doubts about their chances of landing Díaz — especially on the kind of relatively shorter-term deal they were seeking in their hunt for relief help — circumstances changed, Díaz’s market evolved, and they went from dark horse to front-runner.
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On Friday, it all culminated in a Dodger Stadium news conference, the once-unexpected union between the two-time defending champions and three-time All-Star right-hander being made official as Díaz’s three-year, $69-million contract was finalized.
“It wasn’t easy,” Díaz said of his free agent process, which ended with him leaving the New York Mets after a decorated seven-year stint. “I spent seven years in New York. They treated me really good. They treated me great. But I chose the Dodgers because they are a winning organization. I’m looking to win, and I think they have everything to win. So picking the Dodgers was pretty easy.”
That didn’t mean it came as any less of a surprise.
Early on this winter, the Dodgers signaled a hesitancy to hand out another long-term contract to a reliever, after watching Tanner Scott struggle in the first season of the four-year, $72-million deal he signed last winter.
And though they gradually grew more open to the idea, giving serious consideration to Devin Williams before he signed a three-year, $51-million deal with the Mets two weeks ago, the thought of landing Díaz seemed far-fetched.
After all, the 31-year-old was widely expected to receive a four- or five-year deal, having already opted out of the remaining two seasons on his record-breaking five-year, $102-million contract with the Mets to become a free agent this winter. Also, since he had turned down a qualifying offer from the Mets at the start of the offseason, the Dodgers knew they’d lose two draft picks (their second- and fifth-highest selections) to sign him.
“We checked in from the get-go,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. But, he acknowledged, “the opportunity to add somebody of this caliber to what’s already a really talented bullpen was something that we weren’t sure was going to be able to actually come to fruition.”
Turned out, a few factors were working in the Dodgers’ favor.
First, the Mets weren’t willing to give Díaz a longer-term deal, either. Instead, in the wake of the Williams signing, they were reportedly offering only three years for a similar salary as the Dodgers. Not coincidentally, it was only entering last week’s winter meetings — mere days after Williams’ Dec. 3 agreement with the Mets — that Gomes said talks started to intensify.
“Having those conversations and making sure you’re in there and [letting him know], ‘Hey, we’re really valuing you, and if things make sense on your end, great, we’re here’ — that was the biggest thing,” Gomes said. “Making sure you’re exploring all avenues, because you don’t know how things are gonna play out.”
Another benefit for the Dodgers: They had advocates close to Díaz vouching for the organization.
Díaz said he received rave reviews about the club from both his brother Alexis (who spent most of last year with the Dodgers, after they acquired him from Cincinnati following an early-season demotion to the minors) and his Team Puerto Rico teammate Kiké Hernández (a longtime Dodgers fan favorite who is currently a free agent).
“They treat every single player the same,” Díaz said of the message he received. “That’s really nice, [especially] knowing they have a lot of great players, future Hall of Fame players. … That’s really good. That’s how a winning clubhouse is.”
Ultimately, it all led up to a rather swift signing process on Tuesday morning, one in which the Dodgers gave Díaz the highest average annual salary for a reliever in MLB history ($23 million per year) but kept the terms to three years and were able to defer more than $13 million of the total guarantee.
“I think once Devin came off the board, it was like, ‘OK, let’s continue to explore the different options,’” Gomes said. “Obviously having no idea what conversations had gone on up to that point between Edwin and other clubs, it was more about: ‘Hey, we’re here if there’s something that makes sense. And we would love to have you join our group.’ And fortunately enough, everybody’s interests were aligned on that.
“That’s why you shouldn’t play the game of assumptions, and just do the due diligence on the front end,” Gomes added. “Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. But having those conversations and making sure you’re doing the work that’s needed to really understand the situation is important, especially when you see situations like this play out.”
Now, the Dodgers will put their faith in Díaz to play a leading role in their quest for a World Series three-peat.
He will be the club’s designated closer — a role they have been hesitant to bestow upon any one reliever since the departure of Kenley Jansen (the only MLB reliever with more saves than Díaz since his debut in 2016).
“For us, we have a high bar. To name someone the closer, you have to be one of the best. You have to be elite and dominant at what you do,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.
The team’s expectation is that Díaz's presence will elevate the rest of the bullpen, too, giving a more defined late-game structure to a relief corps that ranks just 21st in the majors in ERA last season.
“It allows Doc and our coaching staff to kind of put guys into spots leading up to that,” Gomes said, “knowing that it doesn’t really matter who’s in the ninth, that we’re gonna like the matchup.”
Read more:Submit questions for our live 2025 Dodgers Debate Christmas Special
Perhaps the biggest news from Friday’s introduction: Díaz still plans to enter games to his iconic walk-out song, “Narco” by Timmy Trumpet — which Gomes described as “probably the most electric walkout song in the game.”
“I can’t wait, the first game of the season, coming in the ninth with Timmy Trumpet and getting the W for the Dodgers,” Díaz said.
A few weeks ago, that scene felt like an unlikely vision.
But now, anytime the sounds of trumpets echo around Chavez Ravine in the summers to come, they will serve as a reminder of the team’s latest free-agent coup — one more unexpected than almost all the rest.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Warriors waste another historic Steph Curry performance in loss to Timberwolves
Warriors waste another historic Steph Curry performance in loss to Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Another bad Warriors loss was added to a growing list Friday night, even in Steph Curry’s sensational return against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center.
Curry played his first game in 16 days after missing the Warriors’ previous five because of a left quad contusion. He played 32 minutes and scored a game-high 39 points, including 23 in the second half and 14 in the fourth quarter. The result still was a Warriors loss, falling 127-120 against a Timberwolves team that was without its own superstar in Anthony Edwards.
The loss dropped the Warriors back to .500 again with a 13-13 record this season. Curry has now scored 30-plus points in eight games this season, and the Warriors also are a .500 team when he does so, going 4-4 thus far.
“I mean, he was Steph,” Quinten Post said after the loss. “He really got going in that second half, and then as a team it sucks that we couldn’t help him to a win.”
A healed Curry was back on the court after watching the final two games of the Warriors’ previous homestand from the bench and then staying back during their three-game road trip to rehab at the team facilities. But he apparently lost his starting spot at point guard.
Of course, that’s only semi-true and semi-sarcastic.
Curry started in his first game since Nov. 26, though he had a new backcourt mate. Curry previously had started alongside Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody as the Warriors’ two guards in a season that has seen little semblance and consistency in the first five on the floor. Steve Kerr, on Friday night, opted to go with the hot hand next to Curry.
What’s the perfect complement to a Splash Brother? Perhaps a legendary Lax Bro who has become a Warriors fan-favorite. Pat Spencer started his third straight game to follow his head-turning road trip. Improvements as a shooter and the willingness to shoot behind the 3-point line made Kerr comfortable starting two smaller guards together.
“Yeah, it’s a big deal. It’s the biggest thing,” Kerr said in his pregame press conference. “If he’s willing to take the shot, then it sets up the rest of his game and sets up our game. We want to get good shots, we want to get open threes so we can crash. We want the ball to move. For five-out spacing you’ve got to have a number of guys who can knock down that shot. Pat has proven that this year. It has changed him.”
The Warriors led 19-18 when Kerr first subbed Spencer out in the first quarter and broke up his new backcourt. Curry (10 points) and Spencer (five points) had combined for 15 of the Warriors’ first 19 points. The two of them were 3 of 6 from 3-point range in the first quarter while the rest of the Warriors missed all six of their threes. By halftime with the Warriors having a two-point lead, Curry was up to 16 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Spencer was at nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
“It’s reminiscent for me, like Jarrett Jack back in the day,” Curry said. “A guy that can just handle the ball. I was off the ball a lot in the first quarter, and on purpose with full confidence he can initiate the offense. I can get some off-ball actions and he knows how to move the ball. Yeah, it was different.
“Obviously we hadn’t played much this year, but anybody with high IQ I can play next to.”
Spencer struggled in the second half. He was a minus-19 in a little under 13 minutes, scoring just three points on 1-of-6 shooting. De’Anthony Melton was the closing guard next to Curry, a pairing Kerr envisions using often at the end of games.
“I think Melt will be in our closing lineup quite a bit this year,” Kerr said.
The Warriors entered the fourth quarter with a three-point lead and then found themselves in a 12-point hole with under six minutes remaining from a 17-0 Timberwolves run. A furious comeback put the Warriors back up by three, 117-114 at the 1:58 mark, only for the Timberwolves to reel off an 11-1 run to put the game away.
In a game where the Timberwolves didn’t have Edwards, they still had three players score at least 20 points. Curry was the only Warrior to reach the mark. Another two Timberwolves scored at least 17 points. The Warriors’ second-leading scorer, Quinten Post, wound up with 16.
Jonathan Kuminga was a healthy DNP for the second straight game after averaging 24 points against the Timberwolves without Curry in the final four games of the second round of the playoffs last season.
The scoring discrepancy was so bad that Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert scored 12 points in the fourth quarter while Warriors not named Curry scored 15.
“Just a tough way to end,” Curry said of the fourth quarter.
On a night where Curry continued to defy age and had his 94th career game of 35-plus points since turning 30 years old to pass Michael Jordan for the most all time, the Warriors still couldn’t earn a win to maintain the momentum they created on the road. The Warriors now have lost five games where the opposition has been without their star player, and Curry played in each one.
Not good enough.