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Sweden selected Rickard Rakell of the Pittsburgh Penguins to its roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, replacing injured Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson.
Swedish national team coach Sam Hallam announced the roster update Tuesday. His team also recently added Philadelphia's Samuel Ersson to fill in for injured New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Rakell, 31, leads his NHL club with 23 goals and ranks second with 45 points in 53 games this season. Karlsson is listed as week to week with a lower-body injury.
"'Raks' has just, quietly, had a really strong season," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who will also be behind the bench for the U.S., told reporters in Pittsburgh. "He's playing the game the right way. He's playing on both sides of the puck. He has a hardness to his game. He's stiff on the puck. He's physical, he's willing to block shots. He's playing defense. The offensive side, everybody sees. But he's committed to a lot of the subtleties that, on our mind, adds to winning. So, we couldn't be happier for him. We think he's so deserving."
Sweden's top international rival, Finland, recently made two replacements on its blue line after Dallas' Miro Heiskanen was injured and Toronto's Jani Hakanpaa ruled out. Heiskanen underwent knee surgery and is now considered month-to-month, Stars coach Peter DeBoer said.
Buffalo's Henri Jokiharju and the New York Rangers' Urho Vaakanainen took their places.
The United States has a couple of situations to watch with Vancouver's Quinn Hughes and Columbus' Zach Werenski banged up and missing game action.
"He's not playing tonight," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said in Buffalo of Werenski. "We'll continue to evaluate same as we do with everybody that's hurt or injured. We'll evaluate it and move forward."
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said after his team's overtime loss Monday night that Hughes "wanted to gut it out but not the smartest play to play him." Tocchet said Hughes was also out Tuesday night against Colorado.
Canada must still select a replacement for Alex Pietrangelo after the two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2014 Olympic gold medalist withdrew to tend to an ailment and prepare for the rest of the season with Vegas. Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, also a two-time Cup winner and part of Canada's Sochi team 11 years ago, is considered among the candidates to take Pietrangelo's spot, though the 35-year-old has only been back playing for a week since returning from a broken left ankle.
Practices for the 4 Nations Face-Off begin on Feb. 10, with game action on Feb. 12, Feb. 13 and Feb. 15 in Montreal before play shifts to Boston for the end of round-robin and the championship. The NHL-run tournament is taking the place of All-Star Weekend and is occurring as a slimmed-down version of a World Cup of Hockey a year before the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Mikel Arteta has described Kai Havertz as a genetic "powerhouse" and backed the Germany international to compensate for Arsenal's failure to sign a forward in January.
The Gunners made no secret of their desire add an attacking player in the midseason window following injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus but were unsuccessful after having a 40 million ($49.9m) bid rejected by Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins.
Jesus is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery while Saka is not expected back until next month at the earliest, putting more focus on Havertz to play a key role as Arsenal challenge on three fronts.
Ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup semifinal second leg against Newcastle, Arteta backed Havertz -- a 65m signing from Chelsea in 2023 -- to handle the workload, which could theoretically mean starting every game for the rest of the season.
"I don't know ... it is a possibility [he could start every game]," Arteta said. "Maybe we go through that scenario and he scores another 15 or 18 goals? Can you imagine? That's a good scenario.
"Genetically, he is a powerhouse. He is so well-built. He is a player that anything you ask him, he is happy to do: to run in zone six, to be very robust, to make long distances. His body absorbs everything. And then he really looks after himself.
"When you see the professional, how he lives his life, it is immaculate. He does more than any other player there. That is not a coincidence. And then I think he is so intelligent.
"He knows what is good for him and what is not. We know how to manage him and we believe that when he says something it is for the right reason, not because he wants to avoid something. When something works, don't touch him."
Havertz has scored 15 goals and registered five assists in 33 games this season but has faced criticism for a series of bad misses, particularly during the period when Arsenal won just once in five games last month, including a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Newcastle.
"He has played a lot of football but his robustness, his availability is unbelievable," Arteta continued.
"When you ask him he feels better when he is playing every three days. Against Girona for example, we gave him a rest. And then he felt fresher.
"He then had a very demanding game physically against Manchester City for the role that he had to do. We will see how they are. Players give you a lot of information but if you are playing well and scoring goals, all this helps."
Arteta also claimed Arsenal will soon appoint a permanent sporting director to replace Edu, who resigned in November and is set to take up a prominent role leading the multi-club model spearheaded by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis after completing six months of gardening leave.
Sources have told ESPN that the Gunners have now identified a shortlist of candidates to consider alongside interim sporting director Jason Ayto, who stepped up following Edu's exit.
"The decision I think will be done relatively quickly, whether it's Jason or somebody else I don't know but I think that decision will be done quite early," Arteta added.
Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia has completed a loan move to Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
Malacia was the first signing of Erik ten Hag's two-and-a-half year tenure at United. He joined from Feyenoord in a 13 million ($16m) deal in July 2022.
However, the Netherlands defender was unable to hold down a regular starting spot and had an extended period on the sidelines with a knee injury, holding him to 47 appearances in all competitions.
Malacia's loan departure comes two days after United completed the signing of left-back Patrick Dorgu from Serie A club Lecce
Sources told ESPN that United agreed a fee of 30m ($31.1m) plus a possible 5m in performance-related bonuses with Lecce.
Konstas leaves Sri Lanka to play Sheffield Shield
With Head making a speedy half-century to set the tone for Australia's big win, Konstas was set to miss selection again for the second match beginning Thursday.
Konstas trained with the team at their main session in Galle on Tuesday before packing his bags to fly back to Australia in the evening, Cricket Australia confirmed.
Australia selectors determined the 19-year-old would be better served lining up for NSW against Queensland on Saturday at the Gabba - a Test venue at which he has never played - than watching from the sidelines in Galle. The selectors value players getting experience at home Test venues. It was part of the reason Nathan McSweeney got the nod at the start of the Border-Gavaskar series, as Konstas has not played at either the Gabba or Adelaide Oval.
Australia will have adequate concussion substitutes in Konstas' absence, with 15 remaining in the squad as well as development player Tanveer Sangha.
The tour was Konstas' first with the Australian squad to the subcontinent, but he previously attended development camps in Chennai and Sri Lanka.
He may have an additional opportunity to hone his skills against spin with an Australia A tour of India in the works for later in 2025.
After his famous start to life as a Test player, the Sri Lanka tour may have shaped as underwhelming for Konstas, who missed selection and was then struck down by a stomach bug.
But Head said Konstas would have learnt from the touring experience.
"Sam's a big part of where we're going, there's no doubt about it," Head said. "Disappointed that he missed out on the first Test but great for him to be here, great for him to be experiencing conditions."
Head expected Konstas would return to the top of the batting order when Australia travelled to England for the World Test Championship Final against South Africa in June.
"Most likely I'll go back in the middle order and Sam will open," Head said.
Green hopeful of Shield return and county cricket ahead of WTC final
The 25-year-old underwent the same back surgery that many fast bowlers around the world have had including Jasprit Bumrah and WA and club teammate Jason Behrendorff, who he consulted with both before and after undergoing the procedure in Christchurch. Green also caught up with former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond while recovering in New Zealand, with Bond one of the first to undergo the radical procedure that includes having screws and a wire inserted into the spine.
Green's recovery is well ahead of schedule. He was back running in early January and has been batting for a number of weeks. He is not going to return to bowling until later in the year, well after the WTC final and the three-Test tour of the Caribbean, with the long-term aim to have him bowling without restrictions for the 2025-26 Ashes series which starts in late November.
From very early in the recovery phase there were hopes in Western Australia that Green could be fit to play a Shield game as a batter in late February or early match. While speaking at the Cricket Australia Awards on Monday night in Melbourne, after winning the Community Impact Award for his work with Kidney Health Australia, Green confirmed that he was eyeing a possible return in WA's final Shield game of the home and away season against Victoria at the WACA ground on March 15. WA is also in the mix to play in a fourth straight Shield final which begins on March 26.
He would need clearance from CA's medical staff to be approved to play in that game. Green has to have scans on his back at regular intervals post surgery to monitor his progression.
Beyond that, Green is understood to be open to a stint in county cricket in England prior to the WTC final. There are eight rounds of championship fixtures scheduled in April and May, the last of which begins on May 23 before the WTC final starts on June 11.
CA would only likely approve him for a short stint if a club was keen to sign him under those restrictions given he would not be capable of bowling.
Green's return to fitness will create a squeeze in Australia's top order. He made 174 not out batting at No.4 in his second last Test against New Zealand in March last year but Steve Smith has returned to No. 4 in style, scoring three centuries in his last four Test matches against India and Sri Lanka.
Cummins 'heavily unlikely' for Champions Trophy, Smith or Head to lead Australia
Cummins missed the Test tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child, but he has also been nursing the ankle issue that had flared up after a heavy workload in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia's ODI players, who are not on the Test tour, are due to fly out to Sri Lanka on Thursday but McDonald revealed on Wednesday morning that Cummins was unlikely to be among them.
"Pat Cummins hasn't been able to resume any type of bowling so he's heavily unlikely, so that would mean that we do need a captain," McDonald told SEN. "Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two that we've been having conversations with while we've been building out that Champions Trophy team along with Pat back home. They'll be the two that we look at for that leadership post.
"They're the two obvious ones. Steve has done a great job here in the [first] Test match. He's done some good work in one-day international cricket across the journey as well. So it's between those two.
"But, as I said, Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of shame, and we've also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling [to be fit] at the moment. So that medical information will land over the next couple of days and we'll be able to shore that up and let everyone know the direction."
Hazlewood is understood to be dealing with a hip issue after recovering from the side and calf injuries that saw him miss three of the five Tests against India and the Test tour of Sri Lanka.
Tanveer Sangha has been flown to Sri Lanka ahead of the second Test for development purposes but McDonald confirmed he could play a part in the two ODIs in Colombo before the team flies to the Champions Trophy
Australia's selectors will have a challenge cobbling an XI together for the first ODI against Sri Lanka on February 12 given there is only one travel day scheduled between the fifth day of the second Test and the first ODI, with ODI squad members Head, Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc all set to play in the Test match. But there may be extra days to recover if the Test ends quickly on a surface that already appears much drier than the previous one.
Red-ball specialist Bedingham 'still trying to learn' his trade in T20s
"I've found it quite tough. But I also feel that the bowlers that we played against have been quite good as well, so it's probably a combination of both," he said. "But speaking to the guys that played the first two seasons, they've definitely said that the wickets have played a bit tougher. I've spoken to Russ(ell Domingo, Sunrisers' batting coach) and he said that in India, and England, those types of countries are probably a lot easier to bat in the first six overs, whereas in South Africa, you probably have to be a bit more circumspect. So especially in this tournament where the wickets have played quite tough, I think those first six overs have been crucial. And I think a lot of the teams, including us, have probably struggled in those first six overs."
"I've basically tried to just play one-day cricket in those first three or four overs," Bedingham said. "Obviously, if we have wickets in hand, then you can maybe push the tempo a bit but I've either been out in the first couple overs or we've three or four wickets in the first three overs, so it's been quite tough to kick on and try and hit quick runs. But in saying that we're in the Eliminator, so hopefully we can start off well and win that game."
Sunrisers are the only team to have won the SA20, and they've done it twice under the same coach Adi Birrell and captain Markram and seemed to have mastered the recipe for success. Now, it's just about whether all the ingredients can come together to do it again.
Fans say Mavs offering refunds after Luka trade
The Dallas Mavericks have offered refunds to fans who have canceled season tickets in the wake of the trade that sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, multiple fans told ESPN.
"We value every season ticket member relationship and reps are available to take calls from members with any concerns or questions," Mavs vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said via text message.
Mavericks fans have reacted with outrage to the shocking trade that sent the 25-year-old Doncic, a five-time first-team All-NBA selection who is entering his prime, to the Lakers along with reserve forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in exchange for 31-year-old All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, wing Max Christie and the Los Angeles' 2029 first-round pick.
Fans protested outside the American Airlines Center on Sunday, the day after the deal was made. Several held signs criticizing Mavs general manager Nico Harrison, who negotiated the deal in secret with his Lakers counterpart, Rob Pelinka, blindsiding Doncic with the news that his 6-year tenure in Dallas was over only months after leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals.
"I'm sorry they're frustrated, but it's something that we believe in as an organization," Harrison said Sunday. "It's going to make us better. We believe that it sets us up to win, not only now, but also in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away."
KD downgraded to doubtful as trade talks swirl
Kevin Durant, who is 26 points shy of 30,000 for his career, has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday's road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as trade speculation swirls around the future Hall of Famer.
The Suns say he is dealing with a left ankle sprain.
Durant reaching the milestone in Oklahoma City would have been a full-circle moment, as he spent eight seasons playing for the Thunder after the franchise moved from Seattle following his rookie season.
Durant, who was selected to his 15th All-Star Game, has been routinely booed in Oklahoma City since he left the franchise as a free agent in the summer of 2016 to join the rival Golden State Warriors.
It's now uncertain whether Durant has played his final game for the Suns, as sources told ESPN that Phoenix has been willing to listen to offers for him in recent days. The Warriors are among the teams with interest, sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who pulled off a blockbuster deal to acquire Durant from the Brooklyn Nets hours after his purchase of the franchise became official in February 2023, has publicly declared that he has no intention to trade the star forward.
Fox set to make Spurs debut vs. Hawks on Wed.
De'Aaron Fox is set to make his debut for the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, the team announced Tuesday.
The Spurs acquired Fox as part of a three-team trade that involved multiple players and picks, but ultimately pairs the All-Star guard with superstar center Victor Wembanyama.
The trade was made official Monday and Fox had been listed as questionable for Wednesday's game before his status was upgraded to available Tuesday night.
"There's no concern of ramping up, conditioning or whatnot," acting Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. "We know there will be a runway of learning our program and terminology. There will be some patience and some excitement on both sides from the group here waiting on them and then joining the group.
"It'll just be something we work through and trying to expedite as much as possible without having a ton of practice time."
It remains unclear how Fox's addition will affect the Spurs' starting lineup, which features Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Wembanyama. Paul, a future Hall of Famer in his 20th NBA season, and Castle, a promising rookie who has started 29 games in 2024-25, share the same position as Fox.
Fox, 27, is averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season.
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