Sports
NHL Trade Chaos Could Come Early Thanks to Bettman’s Wild 4 Nations Face-Off
The NHL trade deadline is two months from today.
That might seem like a long time from now, and in some ways it is. There are some teams that don’t even know whether they are buyers or sellers yet, and the next two months will go a long way toward answering those questions.
But this year is different than most. Trade activity could pick up a lot faster than usual—meaning the deadline two months from now will prompt deals, but some of the biggest moves could come in January or early February instead of the first week of March.
Why?
This year, an international tournament called the 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20. The event will bring together the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden to determine which nation will be crowned champion.
Maybe you know a lot about this already, or maybe it’s new to you. The NHL organized the event, which will take place in host cities Montreal and Boston, as what it hopes will be a more exciting replacement for this year’s All-Star game.
Believe it or not, Gary Bettman might have gotten something right this time.
The All-Star Game generated about as much excitement as a cable TV rerun. The action was meaningless; the players coasted through the exhibition, and the game could not capture casual fans’ attention no matter how many times organizers changed the format.
Ultimately, the reason the All-Star Game was so boring was that the players didn’t care too much about whether they won or lost. Nobody was losing sleep over the outcome.
This year, the players will care. They will wear their country’s colors on their sweaters. They will all have a shot at the title, and they will do whatever it takes to win.
No more All-Star Game paddy-cakes shenanigans. This tournament will include a fair mix of blood and sweat—tears, to be determined.
So what does all of this have to do with the trade deadline?
Because players care about the 4 Nations Face-Off, and because they will be playing as hard as they can, there is a much better chance of injuries taking place.
Take New York Islanders center Brock Nelson, for example, who will be playing for Team USA.
Nelson could be one of the best players available on the trade market. The 33-year-old from Warroad, Minn., has 21 points (10 G, 11 A) in 40 games this season.
In 12 seasons, all with the Islanders, Nelson has tallied 285 goals and 267 assists for 552 points. He has never gone a season without double-digit goals. He also has 78 playoff games under his belt, and he has 50 points (27 G, 23 A) in those high-stakes contests.
This has been a brutal season for the Islanders, who sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Nelson is in the last season of his contract. All the ingredients are in place for New York to move him to a contender in exchange for prospects or draft picks.
However, come Feb. 12, Nelson will feel the rush of playing for Team USA. There is a more than zero chance of injury. Wouldn’t it be smarter for the Islanders to move him before the tournament instead of waiting until closer to the March 7 deadline.
Other teams could find themselves asking the same questions.
The New York Rangers could shop Chris Kreider, who will play for Team USA, and Mika Zibanejad, who is set to play for Team Sweden. Maybe the Nashville Predators look to move Gustav Nyquist (Team Sweden). Could the San Jose Sharks shop Mikael Granlund (Team Sweden).
There is still a lot to sort out in the standings. Every trade season is different, and we don’t know the full picture yet about which teams will be most aggressive and what types of players they will look to acquire.
We might start to get those answers soon. Not two months from now at the deadline, but within the next few weeks as the 4 Nations Face-Off approaches.
Sports
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd injures knee playing with his children, put on IL
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd hurt his left meniscus while playing with his children at home on Wednesday morning and was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Boyd had an MRI that revealed the knee injury and the pitcher will require surgery. The move was retroactive to Monday.
“It’s kind of unexplainable,” Counsell said. “Kind of an innocent, going down to the ground and getting back up.
“He woke up this morning a healthy player,” the manager added. “He’s just trying to process it and get all the information from the doctors to figure out what’s next.”
Counsell said the timetable for Boyd’s return will be determined after the surgery, but the team expects him to play again this season.
Boyd, 35, was on the IL from April 2-21 because of a left biceps strain. He is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA, six walks and 31 strikeouts in 24 innings over five starts this season.
An All-Star for Chicago in 2025, Boyd is 62-78 with a 4.61 ERA in 218 career appearances (204) starts for the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), Detroit Tigers (2015-21, 2023), Seattle Mariners (2022), Cleveland Guardians (2024) and Cubs.
In a corresponding move, Chicago selected the contract of right-handed reliever Trent Thornton from Triple-A Iowa. They also designated lefty Charlie Barnes for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Thornton. Righty Yacksel Rios was sent outright to Iowa.
Thornton, 32, is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings over four games (one start) with Iowa this season. He has a career record of 14-19 with a 4.38 in seven seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays (2019-23) and Seattle Mariners (2023-25).
The Cubs already have starting pitchers Justin Steele (left elbow) and Cade Horton (right elbow) on the injured list.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi halts Yankees' five-game streak
May 6, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Nathan Eovaldi pitched eight stellar innings and was backed by two early homers as the visiting Texas Rangers quieted the New York Yankees in a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night.
After pitching seven innings in last Wednesday’s 3-0 home win over the Yankees, Eovaldi (4-4) struck out a season-high eight and walked none for the second time this season. The veteran right-hander allowed just three hits, including Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 15th homer in the sixth that snapped his scoreless string at 13 innings.
The Rangers scored more than five runs for the seventh time this season and ended a three-game losing streak by racing out to a six-run lead through four innings against New York’s Will Warren (4-1).
Corey Seager homered three batters into the contest and Evan Carter hit a two-run shot in the third. Seager added an RBI single after going 4-for-31 in his previous eight contests and not getting an RBI in his previous nine.
Ezequiel Duran contributed an RBI double and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly as Texas finished with more than five runs for the first time since April 23 against Pittsburgh.
Eovaldi made the lead stand up with ease. He often recorded quick outs and threw 72 of 101 pitches for strikes.
Eovaldi completed eight innings for the 16th time in his career and fourth time against the Yankees, whom he pitched for in 2015 and 2016. Jacob Latz pitched the ninth as the Rangers held the Yankees to five baserunners.
Judge hit his 12th homer in his past 23 games, but the Yankees saw a five-game winning streak stopped and lost for the third time in their past 18 games. New York scored 46 times in the previous five games, but finished with fewer than two runs for the fifth time this season.
Warren often fell behind hitters and was tagged for season highs of six runs on seven hits in four innings. Warren did get seven strikeouts, but he walked three as he threw first-pitch strikes to just 12 of 22 hitters.
Seager opened the scoring by lifting a 3-0 fastball into the right field seats and Texas added three in the third. After Duran’s double to left-center, Carter hit a 2-1 sweeper off the facing of the second deck in right for a 4-0 lead.
Following Duran’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, Seager made it 6-0 by lining a single to center.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees to honor late broadcaster John Sterling with uniform patch
May 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees wear “JS” stitched on their hats honoring radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Yankees will honor longtime radio announcer John Sterling, who died on Monday at the age of 87, with a patch on their uniforms for the reminder of the season.
The Yankees will continue to wear caps with the initials “JS” on the back through May 17. The team will switch to the patch as their tribute to Sterling on May 18, when the Yankees’ next homestand begins.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone approves of the tribute.
“I think it’s appropriate, certainly,” Boone told the New York Times after the Yanks’ 7-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. “(I’m) glad we’ll be able to honor his legacy throughout the rest of the season.”
The patch will feature Sterling’s name, as well as a microphone with the Yankee logo on a pinstriped background.
Sterling passed away from complications of heart failure on Monday, the Times reported. Sterling was honored prior to Monday’s game with a ceremony that featured a moment of silence and a video of some of Sterling’s most iconic radio calls.
After Monday’s game, Sterling’s signature call of “Thuuuuuuuuuuh Yankees WIN!” was played over the PA system at Yankee Stadium, followed by Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York.”
Both manager Boone and Yankees captain Aaron Judge called for making that combo a permanent tradition. But Sterling’s call was not part of Tuesday’s post-game victory celebration, and it was unclear if the team intends to continue it, the Times reported.
Count Jazz Chisholm Jr. among those who feel the patch is a good way to honor Sterling this season.
“He was here for a long time,” said Chisholm. “He represented the Yankees well. We all, in our childhood, have that John Sterling call rising in our ears. I think it’s pretty cool that we, as a team and organization, get to recognize him for all the great things that he’s done here.”
–Field Level Media
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