A top MLB insider believes the Cincinnati Reds will make a bold trade for one of the best two-way players available on the trade market this offseason.

After more progress in 2025 and a return to the postseason for the first time in five years, there are high expectations for Reds Nation heading into the new MLB campaign. They have a good young core led by Eli De La Cruz, and in the offseason, the front office added Eugenio Suárez to add more strength to the lineup and signed Emilio Pagan as their new closer.

With the Milwaukee Brewers potentially taking a step back this season, Reds fans are hoping their team can make an incredible run to the National League Central title this summer. To do that, Cincinnati will likely need to add more talent before this year’s MLB trade deadline. And The Athletic’s Jim Bowden expects a major trade move by the club this summer.

Cincinnati Reds predicted to trade Byron Buxton

“Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton has waived his no-trade clause and is traded to the Reds at the deadline with two and a half years of control remaining on his contract,” Bowden wrote in a new prediction article ahead of MLB Opening Day 2026.

The two-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove winner would be a great addition for the Reds. In 2025, he had a big year as he set career highs in home runs (35), runs scored (97), and RBI (83), while adding 25 stolen bases. Furthermore, he is viewed as one of the best defensive midfielders in the American League.

The fact that Bowden believes the 11-year veteran will waive his no-trade clause for Cincinnati reflects the club’s improved profile around the game. While a trade would be expensive, Buxton is just not an on-field fit for the Reds. He is also playing on a reasonable contract. He’s making just $15.2 million annually over the next three seasons.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Washington Commander-One of the greatest players in Redskins history is returning to the field for the first time in 24 years, and it’s all in an attempt to win Olympic gold in 2028.

In two years, the Olympics will return to the United States for the Los Angeles Summer Games. And for the first time, American football will be among the games played. However, it will not be traditional tackle football and will instead mark the debut of flag football as an Olympic sport.

This week, national team tryouts are taking place in Chula Vista, California, and one of the athletes vying for a spot on the USA Soccer roster is a Hall of Famer. The Associated Press reports that Washington Commanders veteran Darrell Green will be one of the players competing in the tryouts.

What makes this news so interesting is that the seven-time Pro Bowler’s 66th birthday is just a few weeks away. And the last time he played in an NFL game was in 2002. However, Green will go down as one of the greatest cornerbacks in league history because he was a freak athlete with epic speed, and it looks like the senior has some left in the tank.

“Darrell qualified through our digital combination. He’s later in his career than other testing participants, but his testing results were impressive,” Kelly Brownson, senior director of high performance and national teams for USA Soccer, told the AP. “Our coaches and staff felt he deserved a closer look. … He is a rare athlete who has remained in shape and is ready to compete this week.”

Green went viral in 2024 after a video surfaced showing how good the 64-year-old athlete was still when he took some high school players under the tree of learning in a training session. Furthermore, this is the same guy who ran a 4.2 40 yard dash in 2000 at age 40.

If there was any player who could surprise USA Soccer officials and earn a spot on the team, it’s Darrell Green. It also helps that some current NFL stars will be taking part in flag football’s Olympic debut.

The corner played all 20 of his NFL seasons in Washington, and is their all-time leader in games played, interceptions and defensive touchdowns. He was the first inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The Minnesota Wild are looking for an upgrade at center by the NHL trade deadline. After trading for defenseman Quinn Hughes, the Wild hope to complete their roster to make a big push at the Stanley Cup. Now, Minnesota is being linked to a big trade of the Olympic gold medalist to Team USA.

Minnesota is still in pursuit of New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on TNT. Trocheck, who was part of the Olympic gold medal team for the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, is the main focus of New York’s trade deadline plans.

The 32-year-old center has 12 goals and 38 points in 45 games with New York this season. Despite New York’s struggles, Trocheck is still performing at an elite level, especially on the power play. Trocheck is a top-six option for a Stanley Cup-caliber team, and Minnesota would be a perfect fit.

Hughes, along with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, have the Wild poised for big performances in the Western Conference. The Minnesota trade for Trocheck would officially solidify their place among Stanley Cup contending teams. Currently, the Wild are in third place in the Central Division with 80 points.

Trocheck is under contract for the 2028–29 NHL season with a $5.625 million cap hit. The 32-year-old center is still performing at a high level, and his cap hit is good for teams to acquire. Minnesota has been searching for an elite center since December, and Trocheck would check the box.

READ MORE: 5 trade targets for the Detroit Red Wings at the 2026 NHL trade deadline

Austin Konensky is a sports writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and college football. His work…More about Austin Konensky

After hearing the words of confirmation from Jack Hughes on Wednesday night, New Jersey Devils fans have certainly taken a lot of comfort in the franchise forward’s future with the organization.

Hughes went with Team USA to Milan, Italy with one goal. To win the gold medal. Little did he know that his goal would be to seal the deal. However, Team USA felt the gold was theirs.

“Obviously we had a lot of confidence in that locker room,” Hughes said. There were a lot of people like alphas in a room, you know? It’s the same with Canada, but there are a lot of big dogs in the room, a lot of guys who believe in themselves, and believe in the group. I think for our team, it didn’t matter who got it, we were just so happy that we got it done. And there was so much confidence in that room that we were going to move forward, and we did.”

Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime to upset Canada and win the gold medal for the United States for the first time since 1980.

The party was going on from there. Team USA arrived in Miami, Florida to celebrate and then traveled to the White House, accepting an invitation from United States President Donald Trump.

“Obviously, it’s been some of the best three days of my life,” Hughes said. “I had a lot of fun with that group of guys, and I’m sure everyone on the team is probably wishing it was still going on, but it’s good to get back into my routine and get back to work here.”

After the White House cameo, Hughes headed back to New Jersey for the Devils’ tilt against the Buffalo Sabers when the NHL schedule resumes on Wednesday.

His legs weren’t right yet, but as the game progressed, he started looking better and better.

“He had a lot of short shifts early on and he’s not a short shift guy,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “If he’s giving you short shifts, you know he’s not feeling it early. But I felt as the game went on, he was increasing his shifts. He wants to be there and you almost have to take him off. [the ice] Because he wants to bring change.

“All things considered, I thought he gave us a lot.”

The Devils’ usual struggles continued on Wednesday. The scoring problems continued despite shot totals and they lost their first game to the Sabres, 2–1. At this point, New Jersey’s season is almost over.

Combine this with the idea that the Devils failed to add the very available Quinn Hughes – Jack’s older brother and Team USA teammate – earlier this year and many began to worry that the Devils could lose their franchise face at some point.

This extended to Jack’s pre- and post-game speeches. Before and after the game, Hughes expressed his love for New Jersey amid questions about his big moment in Milan, which will forever be etched in USA Hockey history.

“I really love living in New Jersey and playing in New Jersey. For some reason, when I got drafted, obviously I was their first overall pick, and I’m an American kid, but I feel like they’ve accepted me so deeply. I feel like, I’m their guy, you know? I’m their guy. I come to these games, and every time I drive by, I just think about that when I see people walking by. [around the Prudential Center] With a Hughes jersey at 4:30. I’m opening my window and yelling at them. They like it, you know?

“But just to represent New Jersey, to represent our fans, like I’m very proud to be a Devil. I’m very proud to play for the Blitzer family, the Harris family, the Fitzgeralds. These guys, it means a lot to me, so to represent them through all of this… just… New Jersey means a lot to me.”

See, the thing is this. Jack could ask questions about the Olympics and tell it all about himself and how big this moment was to him. Instead, he placed all the blame on Team USA, the United States Hockey Development Program, and the Devils for helping them get to this point.

He didn’t need to profess his love for New Jersey. He didn’t need to talk about ownership, or the highly scrutinized Devils GM.

Still, despite public admissions earlier this year that Jack wanted to play with Quinn in addition to younger brother Luke Hughes, Jack made sure the Devils and their faithful knew he held them close.

He shouldn’t have done this.

So, Jack went to the 2026 Winter Olympics and came back an accomplished man. It’s a moment he and Team USA will never forget. However, Jack made it clear that he has the same ambitions for himself in New Jersey. Except he’s not chasing gold in New Jersey. He is looking for a silver medal in the form of a Stanley Cup.

Maybe…after all, the New Jersey speculation about Quinn isn’t over.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Team Canada and Team USA met in the gold medal game on Sunday morning, which was the first opportunity for Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki to enjoy success at the Winter Olympic Games.

NB Due to Olympic rights issues, you may not be able to watch the highlights in your country. If you are located in the United States, please visit the NBC Olympics Twitter account for highlights.

Hey say, can you score?

The Americans started brightly and scored their first goal of the game, a very familiar situation for many Habs fans.

Matt Boldy not only opened the scoring, he also beat both Cale Makar and Devon Toews before beating Jordan Binnington with a brilliant move. Team USA captain Auston Matthews and Minnesota Wild superstar Quinn Hughes were awarded assists in the game.

Considering the impressive talent levels of both teams, scoring the first goal of the game gave the Americans the biggest advantage, while Canada was forced to play behind the eight ball for a significant portion of the game.

Hockey🏒| Final 🇨🇦-🇺🇸 Matt Boldy gave the Americans the lead.

The score is 1–0 to the United States in the gold medal game.@hockeycanada #MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #Hockey #olympic games #teamcanada pic.twitter.com/sxN9F7mm6Y

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) 22 February 2026

solving hellebuyck

With Canada down 1-0, he showed great performance in the pace department, forcing the United States to take back-to-back penalties, increasing time at 5-on-3 for Team Canada. However, despite controlling the game at 5v5, Canada created very few high-quality chances on the powerplay.

When Canada finally created a high-danger scoring chance, Connor Hellebuyck shut them down with ease. Without his heroic effort throughout the game, there is a very good chance that Team Canada would have found the net on multiple occasions.

It took an excellent shot by Calle Makar, not to mention a strong effort from Suzuki on the boards, which ultimately tied the game at the end of the second period.

Suzuki wasn’t given an assist on the play, although you could easily argue he deserved the assist.

Hockey – Final 🇨🇦-🇺🇸 Cale Makar 🇨🇦 ties the score at the end of the second period! It’s 1-1. ➡️@hockeycanada#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #Hockey #olympic games #teamcanada pic.twitter.com/cq4BCh9HqT

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) 22 February 2026

golden goal

Canada defeated the United States 40–26 in regulation, but as per tradition, the teams required extra time to decide which team would be victorious.

Then New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes gained additional fame in less than two minutes, securing the gold medal for Team USA.

Hockey – Final 🇨🇦-🇺🇸 Jack Hughes scores in overtime to give the United States a 2–1 victory, the first Olympic gold medal for the Americans since 1980.

Canada will have to settle for a medal.@hockeycanada#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #Hockey… pic.twitter.com/vbnaAXbd09

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) 22 February 2026

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

SAN FRANCISCO – Among the stars the Golden State Warriors are credited with developing, hockey player Maclin Celebrini may turn out to be one of the most talented players of them all.

The son of Golden State vice president of player health and performance Rick Celebrini, the 19-year-old Maclin has achieved superstar status in the NHL for the revamped San Jose Sharks and Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. This is a miraculous achievement that not only has the hockey world excited, but the entire Warriors organization is also cheering him on.

Before Celebrini and Team Canada’s highly anticipated gold medal match with Team USA, Dubs coach Steve Kerr spoke at length about the kid’s inner excitement as he watched him shoot hoops after practice with his dad and some of the players.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Kerr said. “Yesterday, in the film session, half our team was watching the last two minutes of the game, because it was 2-2. It was 10 o’clock, and we had to start the film, and we were like, ‘No, we’re gonna see what happens.'”

What happened was that Canada was leading Finland in the final minutes of the third period, and Celebrini finished with a team-high 25:53 TOI – an incredible feat for a young player.

But before becoming the youngest NHL player on Canada’s men’s Olympic team, Celebrini was on the hardwood when he wasn’t training on the ice. Kerr recounted several occasions when Maclin and his brothers would play 2-on-2 full court at the Dubs facilities after practice. You read that right, 2-on-2, full courtWith his mother, Robin, jumping as the fourth player to do the same split.

“You want to see an athletic family working out,” Kerr said with a laugh. “That’s one of the fun parts of the job, seeing the families be a part of it…it’s one of the best parts of the job. When we finish the game, every game, win or lose, we open the doors to the family room, and the kids come in in droves, and it’s awesome.

“I sit in my office, I have a beer, and I look down, and I see these little pickup games happening with our players’ kids and the coaches’ kids. People are running around and players are coming out, hugging their kids like it’s a special profession, you know, being able to share that with their kids and they have, you know, memories to last a lifetime, but also good perspective for everybody.”

Whether Kerr and the Warriors saw early signs of what Celebrity would become is debatable. For Moses Moody, who recalled the time the two spent over the summer rehabilitating their personal injuries, he always knew Celebrini was destined for greatness.

“You know that trend that was going on with LeBron? Telling how he knew from the beginning?” Moody smiled. “Yeah, when I first came here, I saw him and he had that look in his eyes! And I said he’s going to do that—no, I’m kidding.”

Although Moody may not have the vision that LeBron James has when it comes to Maclin, he is quickly making an impact on his youngest brother, RJ.

“Actually, his younger brother, the youngest brother. I talked to him for a while, and really, he has this quiet confidence and competitiveness, composure. I’m saying it already. I see something; got a look in his eyes. But even in Mac – he’s got that quiet confidence… Being around him, he doesn’t overdo it. But you can tell he’s working. He’s precise in conversation, you can just tell when someone is a thinker, More of a talkative type of person.”

In that vein, Kerr compared Celebrini’s maturity and leadership to that of another superstar—Stephen Curry. Kerr described intangible things you can’t teach. There’s no limit to where those traits can take him. But if you ask Gary Payton II, he believes Celebrini can enshrine his name among the greats.

“I think he’s eventually going to be one of them when it’s all said and done, like Wayne, Sid, Alex, Mac,” Payton said. “It’s exciting to see it from the beginning. [We’ll] Let’s see where it goes, and it’s going very, very well right now… I’m definitely supporting Mac.”

Even with the incredible opportunity to be with Team USA tomorrow on the global stage, Celebrini is just getting started. But for a Warriors organization that saw one of their own truly develop into the star everyone looks up to today, that’s a special, special thing.

“Everyone is busy, especially the people who have been here a while, who know Rick and Macklin and the family very well,” Kerr said. “So it’s been great to see it all develop. And to see the pride in Rick’s eyes and hear it in his voice, it’s amazing.”

With the U.S. women’s team already enjoying their gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Team USA men’s team will take on Team Canada in a highly anticipated heavyweight battle for the gold medal on Sunday.

Team USA easily defeated Slovakia 6–2 at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The United States has not won a gold medal since a scrappy group of college players led by coach Herb Brooks defeated one of the greatest teams in hockey history, the venerable Soviet Union, in 1980; The game that became known as the Miracle on Ice.

The United States has won several times since the NHL began sending players to the Olympics, but the Americans have never won when involving NHL players. Extremely close moments, including a loss to Canada in 2002 and again in Vancouver in 2010 behind Sidney Crosby’s overtime “golden goal”.

On Friday, second-seeded USA took an early lead against its rival, third-seeded Slovakia. Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin entered the offensive zone after a one-two, but still deflected a wrist shot past Slovakia goaltender Samuel Hlavaj at only 4:19 in the game.

Hlavaj is in the Minnesota Wild organization and playing for the Iowa Wild.

At the end of the first period, Team USA scored a power play goal to take a 2–0 lead. Buffalo Sabers center Tage Thompson blasted a one-timer from the left circle into a very narrow spot, over Hlaváz’s shoulder but below the crossbar. The 6-foot-6 Thompson hit a one-timer at 19:19 of the first period.

Later in the second round, the United States took the lead in the game.

New Jersey Devils star center Jack Hughes danced around the offensive zone, playing with the puck as if it was on a string. After dodging a few defenders, Hughes hit a wrist shot with 7:46 remaining in the second minute.

Just 19 seconds later, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel put the dagger in Latvia with a goal with 7:27 remaining in the second period.

Latvia made a goalkeeper swap to Slovakian league goalkeeper Stanislav Skorvanec, but it made no difference.

J. Hughes struck again with 1:36 remaining in the second period. Zach Werenski’s shot went across the net but bounced off the back wall and past Hughes in the left circle. Hughes played the bounce perfectly with a quick shot into the yawning cage, before Skvoranek could move sideways to snatch the near post.

Brady Tkachuk scored his second goal of the third period when he scored with a backhand shot with 9:08 remaining to give the US a 6–1 lead.

Early in the third period, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slavkowski scored the first goal for Latvia after a pass between USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and his defenseman. Pavol Regenda converted a point-blank opportunity long after the contest had left the game, and put it past Hellebuyck with 6:43 remaining.

Hellebuyck stopped 22 of 24 shots. USA scored 39 runs on the target.

Earlier on Friday, Canada defeated Finland controversially 3-2 to enter the championship round. Canada has won the last two Olympic Games that included NHL players, winning gold in 2010 and 2014. Canada also won the gold medal in 2002.

Team USA Notes

Shortly before Hughes’ first goal, the referee waived a potential American tally due to Jake Guentzel’s elite kicking speed.

As expected, the shots were one-sided in favor of the Americans. The courageous Latvians kept the game close until the final burst, but after 40 minutes the shot clock was 26–13 to the United States.

The three goals of the second period were on shots 22, 23 and 24, while the USA had allowed only 10 shots up to that point.

Thompson, who had a goal and an assist, was not on the bench for the third period due to injury. The team announced that they held Thompson out of the one-sided game for “precautionary” reasons.

The gold medal game is Sunday at 8:10 a.m. Eastern time. NBC and its streaming service Peacocks will broadcast the game.

Slovakia will face Team Finland for the bronze medal on Saturday.

It seems inevitable that the NBA will eventually grant an expansion franchise to Las Vegas. An announcement is expected later this year after the NBA completes its new media rights deals.

Due to the success of the Golden Knights, there may be a lot of unrealistic expectations for a new NBA team in Vegas. Taking a step back, the Golden Knights can arguably be considered the most successful expansion franchise in North American men’s professional sports history.

While the St. Louis Blues made the Stanley Cup Finals in the first three years of their existence, this was due to a unique setup where one of the “Expansion Six” of Oakland, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota or St. Louis had to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals as the Finals pitted the winner of the “Expansion Six” playoff versus the winner of the “Original Six” playoff. The Blues lost each of those three Stanley Cup Final series.

Of course, the Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in more traditional fashion in 2018, their first season of existence, losing to the Washington Capitals (4-1). They later defeated the Florida Panthers (4–2) in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals to win the Stanley Cup in their sixth season of existence. They also reached the Western Conference Finals in their third season of existence and finished as division champions in four of their first eight seasons. Vegas has made the NHL playoffs in seven of its first eight seasons and is poised to make the post-season again in 2026.

How does all this success compare to other NHL expansion teams? Well, this is nothing more than a comparison. Since the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in their sixth season, we’ll look at the first six seasons of expansion teams since 1991. Since this is Vegas, we’ll give each team a ranking of a famous Las Vegas Strip property. Wynn (class of the bunch), Planet Hollywood (surprisingly good), Flamingo (good, but could be better), and Circus Circus (comically bad).

As you can see from the chart, Vegas has the best winning percentage and most playoff appearances of any franchise in its first six seasons. It was fitting that Vegas defeated Florida to capture their first Stanley Cup as, up to that point, Florida was the most successful expansion team of the modern era, having made the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals in just their third season of existence, but were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.

Additionally, if anyone watched the first few seasons of Atlanta, Tampa Bay, San Jose or Ottawa, you know that Circus Circus is an apt description as those teams were nothing short of clown shows.

So, it’s clear that the Golden Knights have been the most successful NHL expansion team in the modern era, but how do they stack up against expansion NFL, MLB, and NBA teams? Only five expansion teams in the Big Four history of North American men’s professional sports have captured titles in a shorter or longer period of time than the Golden Knights. However, there are some caveats. In 1996, the Baltimore Ravens were technically considered an expansion team because their history and records were left in Cleveland, but they were far from a typical expansion team. While the Browns still had only three players left when the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV, the base they started with in Baltimore was far better than a typical expansion team.

The same applies to the 1984 Edmonton Oilers championship team. The team came to the NHL from the World Hockey Association for the 1979–80 season with a roster of young stars that rivaled any established NHL team’s roster. The team included two of the greatest players in NHL history, a young Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, and gathered a wealth of talent around them.

The Marlins won the World Series in 1997, in only their fifth season of existence. However, they did not record a winning record in any of their first four seasons and then suddenly sold all of their stars shortly after purchasing the championship, losing 108 games the following season.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Arizona Diamondbacks were legitimate expansion teams that won championships faster than the Golden Knights. In fact, the Bucks only have a .672 winning percentage over a team’s first six seasons, which is better than Vegas. The Bucks also tallied five playoff appearances and two Finals appearances in Vegas’ first six seasons; After winning the championship in its third season in 1971, Milwaukee lost to the Boston Celtics (4–3) in the 1974 NBA Finals.

Another comparison is to look at the first six seasons of the most recent expansion teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. We’ll use the same hotel ranking system as above.

Arizona winning the 2001 World Series in only their fourth year of existence is certainly notable, but even compared to expansion teams from other leagues, the Golden Knights are still on top. Other than the Golden Knights, no expansion team since 1998 has made more than three playoff appearances in their first six seasons and no other expansion team since 1998 has had a higher win/point percentage in their first six seasons.

The Seattle Kraken were the NHL’s next expansion team after Vegas, so how did they stack up? Seattle is currently in its fifth season of play. His winning percentage is .483 with one playoff appearance in his first four seasons. Respectable, but incomparable to Vegas’ continued success.

Vegas remains the gold standard by which all other modern expansion teams are measured. Yes, they certainly took advantage of some favorable expansion draft rules and loopholes that previous expansion franchises were not afforded, but they remain a perennial Stanley Cup contender now approaching their tenth season in the NHL. They have been able to accomplish what many have not been able to do, consistently win on the Las Vegas Strip.