PEORIA, Ariz. — It’s like buying a shiny new Porsche with a rusted Honda Civic engine.

It’s hiring Neil deGrasse Tyson as a professor and having him teach first-grade science.

It’s inviting Dave Chappelle to do a set in front of a church gathering.

It is these Seattle Mariners.

This is a team that had baseball’s greatest collection of pitchers last year, but were burdened with an offense that ruined a potentially magical season. Instead of earning their first World Series berth in their 48-year franchise history, the Mariners sat home and missed the playoffs for the 22nd time in the past 23 years.

No team in baseball was in more dire need this winter of hitting the free-agent market for offensive help. Outfielder Juan Soto was available if they really wanted to spend big. First baseman Pete Alonso could have been had for a bargain-basement price. Same with third baseman Alex Bregman.

The Mariners didn’t make a single offer to any of the three All-Stars.

Instead, they merely re-signed Jorge Polanco to a one-year, $7.8 million contract and brought in infielder Donovan Solano on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

That was it.

They may have been better off convincing Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez, the three Hall of Famers who were at the Mariners facility on Monday, to come out of retirement for an offensive boost.

The inactivity left Mariners fans screaming, the players union and agents seething, and their own players restless.

“The fact that they missed the playoffs by one game, and didn’t go out and add an impact bat or two when you have the best pitching staff in baseball,’ former Mariners infielder Justin Turner told USA TODAY Sports, “just seems absurd to me.’

Turner, who spent the last two months of the season with the Mariners after being traded from Toronto, badly wanted to return. He fell in love with the city. Adored the people. Dug the Pacific Northwest vibe. And thoroughly enjoyed playing for manager Dan Wilson.

He waited all winter for the Mariners to make a respectful offer, but instead was left signing a one-year, $6 million deal with the Chicago Cubs after the start of spring training.

And this isn’t Turner bitter about not re-signing with the Mariners. Even if he returned, but they made no other major additions, his sentiments would be exactly the same.

“Honestly, as much as I wanted to be back there,’ Turner said, “if I was the only piece they brought back in, I would be saying the same thing: What the hell are we doing? Are you trying?’

“There’s not going to a better time to go for it. So, I don’t know what they’re doing. I’m very confused. It’s a head-scratcher for me.’

Turner says he was frustrated all winter just thinking about how they squandered their spectacular pitching staff, knowing that if they just got into the playoffs, they could have been the last team standing.

“I told them several times this offseason, you have a unicorn of a pitching staff,’ Turner said. “This might be the best five starting pitchers in the history of the game. I mean, find me a better 5-man. There obviously has been teams that have had elite three guys, right? [Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in Atlanta]. Maybe four guys [Baltimore Orioles’ 20-game winners Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Bobby Culler and Pat Dobson in 1971]. But five guys?’

Well, the ’88 Mets certainly would disagree with Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling David Cone, Bob Ojeda and Sid Fernandez, but Turner’s point is clear. The Seattle rotation – with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo starting 149 of the 162 games – set a franchise record with a 3.40 ERA. The rotation also led MLB in lowest opponent’s batting average (.223), on-base percentage (.266), OPS (.644), fewest hits per nine innings (7.37), WHIP (1.03), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.77) and quality starts (92).

“There’s never going to be a better time in the history of that franchise to have added a couple of bats to make a run than this year,’ Turner said, “and they missed it. …

“I thought Alonso was a slam-dunk. How can you not go after him? You kidding me?’

The Mariners’ passionate fanbase is fuming and while the current players aren’t about to lash out at ownership, they’re well aware that they spent $71 million less in free agency than even the Athletics. Their projected payroll is $152 million – $90 million under the luxury tax threshold – ranking 16th in the league and lower than everyone in the AL West with the exception of the homeless A’s.

“That’s not our job,’ Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford said. “I know the fans are mad at certain people, but they’re taking it out on all of the players. So, I really don’t get that.’

Said Gilbert: “I wouldn’t say we’re frustrated, we were just kind of waiting to see what happened. You kept hearing rumors, and whether we’d sign somebody. Really, I think we were more curious than anything.’

The players can’t demand the front office or ownership to spend. They’re free to speak their mind, but would prefer to do it privately. Gold Glove catcher Cal Raleigh publicly criticized ownership for its lack of spending at the end of the 2023 season, but apologized the next day.

“It’s hard, because it’s not our money,’ Miller said. “We could say, ‘Go get everybody.’ Obviously, there were a lot of guys who were free agents this year who were impact guys, so no one would ever turn down an impact guy for the offense.

“But at the end of the day, the guys who are in the locker room, that’s who were going with, that’s who we’re riding with. We believe in who we have.’

Really, they have no choice. They’re hoping that after their offense, the second-worst in baseball the first five months – hitting .214 and averaging 3.9 runs a game – will pick up where it left off after Wilson was hired Aug. 22 to replace Scott Servais, while bringing in Martinez as their hitting coach. They went 21-13 after making the change, averaging 5.8 runs a game (third-best in MLB) while hitting .273 (second-best) with an .804 OPS (second-best).

“There was a definite culture change,’ Turner said. “I don’t really know how to describe it, just a vibe, a relaxed intensity. You could definitely see a difference in the room.’

Said Kirby: “With the staff we had, and the way we were getting clutch hits with the bats, we would have been trouble for teams, for sure.’

The Mariners say the biggest change was merely simplifying their approach at the plate, focusing on putting the ball in play instead of swinging for the fences. Their offensive surge has carried over this spring with the Mariners averaging six runs a game under new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, with Martinez the senior director of hitting strategy.

“I think we’re all excited with Dan at the helm now, and Edgar leading the charge with the offensive strategy,’ Raleigh said. “I think guys are hungrier. There’s very good energy going on around here.

“Dan is such a good person, but brings a fierce kind of competitiveness to this team.’

‘Jerry gets a bad rap’

The front office stayed the same with Jerry Dipoto, president of baseball operations, returning for his 10th full season. While Dipoto has been mocked for his flurries of trades while making the playoffs only once in his tenure, their payroll constraints may have played a significant factor in some of the trades that backfired.

You don’t think the Mariners would have loved to have kept third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who hit 30 homers and drove in 101 runs last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, while earning $11 million? Or wish they have given outfielder Teoscar Hernandez at least a qualifying offer instead of watching him hit 33 homers and drive in 99 runs last year for the Dodgers?

“I think Jerry catches a bad rap for a lot of these trades and how crazy some of these trades have been,’ Turner said. “But now being a part of it, I kind of understand. He doesn’t have any money to spend, so he’s got to create money. Like, OK, is it really Jerry’s fault?

“He’s doing everything he can to create a budget to be able to do things. It’s like when he traded [Kendall] Graveman to Houston for [Abraham] Toro. You’re thinking, ‘What in the world?’ He’s probably needed to trade guys just to be able to spend money in the offseason, which is nuts.’

The fear now is that time is running out for the Mariners to take advantage of their pitching prowess. Gilbert, who struck out 220 batters with a 3.23 ERA in a league-leading 208.2 innings in his All-Star season, is a free agent in two years. Raleigh, their Platinum Glove winner who is the first player to led catchers in homers for three consecutive years since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, is a free agent in three years. Who even knows how long they’ll be here when their salaries start rising before free agency?

“Logan Gilbert is the modern-day Felix Hernandez,’ Turner said. “He’s got that kind of an ERA and he’s [9-12]. That’s crazy. And you got a catcher that’s the best catcher in the history of the game his first three years, just won a Platinum Glove, and you’ve only got a few more years left for him. There’s not going to a better time to go for it.

“I feel for them. They’ve got great fans. Their fans are amazing. They want to win so bad. The team is very profitable. And they don’t spend.’

‘We can go toe-to-toe with anybody’

Maybe all will be forgiven if the Mariners just get into the postseason. They don’t need to win 116 games like their 2001 team. They don’t even have to win the division. Just get into the dance, and with their starting rotation and deep bullpen, they’ll take their chances against anyone and everyone.

“When it comes to pitching, there’s nobody better,’ Mariners first baseman Rowdy Tellez said. “I would take this staff over the Dodgers and anybody else. It’s such an electric staff and you have one of the best catchers in baseball that runs it.’

And this year, besides returning the entire staff without trading a starter for offensive help, they’ve got a secret weapon.

A massive chip on their shoulders.

“Almost every guy in the lineup will tell you they had a down year, except for maybe Cal,’ said Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger, who hit .208 with 12 homers and 44 RBI. “We all expected more of ourselves. So we’re all motivated.

“Missing out on the playoffs is never fun, but we all have something to prove, and make sure what happened last year never happens again.’

Their 2025 mantra: Just get in, baby.

“I feel like we can go toe-to-toe with anybody in the playoffs, whether it’s a three-game, five-game or seven-game series,’ Gilbert said. “When I was home watching the playoffs on TV, I knew they were the best teams in the league, but I also know we could have played with them.

“I really believe we’re going to give people a run for their money this year.’

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“Jimmy said that you need to get back here! And bring a notebook!”

That was a direct message during the spring of 1989, as I sat in my cubicle at Valley Ranch doing some busywork as editor of The Dallas Cowboys Weekly, the team’s in-house newspaper, while Jimmy Johnson conducted his first minicamp as an NFL head coach.

The caller was John Wooten, then a top scout for the Cowboys. After I hustled to the practice fields on the other side of the complex, I discovered Johnson had an assignment: Tag alongside an assistant coach and jot down results as they timed and tested players.

Sure, it felt weird. Especially when a couple of the players – Everson Walls and Steve DeOssie – looked at me sideways and gave me a whole lot of grief. After all, every other time they saw me with a notebook, I was a reporter.

It illustrated how people in the building might be tasked for any and everything that year after Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys. Decades later, with the news this week that Johnson, 81, is retiring from his gig as Fox Sports studio analyst, the memories rush back.

Of course, so much more happened as Johnson’s legend grew. Like back-to-back Super Bowl titles and the infamous split with Jones in 1994. The return to coaching as Don Shula’s successor with the Miami Dolphins. The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2021.

When his selection was revealed early in 2020, it marked one of the highlights of his tenure at Fox. Johnson was surprised with the news from then-Hall of Fame executive Dave Baker during halftime of a playoff game that drew 35 million viewers, while his Fox cohorts, including tight sidekick Terry Bradshaw, shared in the moment. Big TV moment.

Weeks before his Hall call, Johnson hosted me at his home in the Florida Keys and for several hours on one of his swanky fishing boats. He really opened up that day, maintaining that the No. 1 reason why he retired from coaching after the 1999 season, a little more than a year after his mother Allene passed, was because, “I never had any family life.”

He regretted that he never saw either of his two sons, Brent and Chad, play in a football game. And he told me how the strain hit him harder during his Dolphins years when he’d lay in bed crying as Chad dealt with substance-abuse issues.

“The good part of the story is that Chad cleaned up,” Johnson told me in 2021.

Even better, Johnson has strengthened his bond with his sons. And Chad founded a successful drug and alcohol rehab center in the greater Tampa area.

“To see the boys and their families do well is phenomenal,” Johnson reflected. “Had it not turned out the way it has, it would have been a disaster, and I would be in a severe state of depression because I would be thinking it was my fault.”

Nearly a year ago, Johnson told me he thought it might be his last year at Fox. It wasn’t the first time he suspected he would retire again. But as was the case when he gave up coaching – and then-Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga wanted him to remain in coaching so bad that he pitched the idea of Johnson taking the entire offseason off, except to run the draft – the TV executives would try talking him out of it.

A few years ago, Fox kept Johnson aboard by setting up a studio in his home and scaling back on the cross-country trips to appear in the Los Angeles studio.

Yet this time, Johnson is really retiring. With his love of fishing, his yacht and other boats, just don’t think this retirement will confine him to some rocking chair.

In any event, he’ll remain a legend in my mind, too, with my own instant replays.

One moment came when I visited training camp during my first year at USA Today in 1993 and all hell broke loose. Troy Aikman was still sidelined after undergoing back surgery and the backup quarterback was out, too, with a day-to-day injury. They had just one quarterback for practice, Hugh Millen.

Well, despite the red jersey Millen wore that screamed “untouchable!” for contact, Charles Haley blasted the quarterback, igniting a mini brouhaha.

On the first play after peace was restored, Michael Irvin ran over the middle and blasted defensive back Kenny Gant with a forearm in a retaliatory blow that ignited more tempers.

Didn’t Haley know to not hit the quarterback? After practice, absolutely no one would answer that question for me.

I finally caught up with Johnson in his dorm room. He told me that before practice he instructed the team to be extra careful because they were down to one quarterback.

Johnson also told me that his confirmation was “on background,” that he couldn’t be quoted. He said something like, “You’re just here for a couple days. I’ve got to deal with him all year!”

Sure enough, a few weeks later after a loss against Buffalo dropped the Cowboys to 0-2 without holdout Emmitt Smith, Haley, according to witnesses, expressed his dismay by smashing his helmet into the locker room wall. Soon after, Smith came back with a new contract…en route to NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP honors.

The morning after his practice-field hit on Millen, Haley was livid. On his way to practice, Nate Newton told me, as I can best recall: “Man, you’ve done it now. Charles is in the locker room and he’s hot. He’s walking around with the paper. He said the season hasn’t even started and y’all are on him.”

Me: Uh, but he hit the quarterback.

Newton: “You said he hit him after the whistle. They didn’t blow the whistle until after he hit him. I was there. You made it sound like he’s a dirty player.”

Oh, brother. Haley, by the way, wouldn’t talk to me before that next practice. He finally gave me a few choice words after practice…none of which could be printed in a family newspaper.

But hey, at least Johnson wasn’t quoted.

I met Johnson in 1982 when he coached at Oklahoma State and I worked my first full-time job as a reporter for The Dallas Times Herald, covering high schools and occasionally college sports. I went to Stillwater, Oklahoma and after his Cowboys trounced North Texas State, I interviewed Johnson for about 20 minutes in his office.

After he joined the Dallas Cowboys – following the trek to the University of Miami that included a national championship – I reminded him of that first meeting. He said he remembered me because it was big deal to have a reporter in town from Dallas.

Yeah, the man with a psychology degree can butter you up.

Let me go back to 1989. During what became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre” press conference, when Jones declared that he would be involved down to the “socks and jocks,” the new owner maintained that his former Arkansas roommate was worth “five first-round draft picks and five Heisman Trophies” as the successor to Tom Landry.

Too bad they had that split.

In any event, after we returned from his first training camp in Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Johnson didn’t like the camp site because it wasn’t hot enough), I got another call at my desk, probably from Marge Anderson, the coaching staff secretary. Come see Jimmy, ASAP.

I got to Johnson’s office to find the latest edition of the Weekly spread out on his desk to display a feature story on veteran third-string quarterback Babe Laufenberg. I was proud of the spread, with the main art drawn up by one of our illustrators, Bubba Flint, who depicted the NFL journeyman standing next to a US map that marked his various NFL stops.

Well, Johnson hated it.

He said, “What is this doing in here? I just drafted two quarterbacks with first-round picks (Aikman and Steve Walsh) and we’re running a story on Babe Laufenberg?”

It was deep into August. I reminded Johnson that we had 40 issues per year, 48 pages each. Walsh was on the cover of that issue, and there were stories on Aikman and Walsh in the front of the paper.

“If we’re ever going to do this story on Babe Laufenberg, now is the time,” I explained.

Johnson grumbled.

“Uh, okay,” he said. “I just wanted to hear your thinking on it.”

My gut told me Johnson was really peeved because the story contained a classic quote Laufenberg dropped during camp, outlining inspiration from the new coach.

Said Laufenberg: “If he wanted me to run 26 miles through the hills, I would. If he wanted me to carry water bottles, I would. If he wanted me to get a haircut like his … well, you have to draw the line somewhere.”

A few years ago, while Johnson was with the Fox crew and I was attending a New England Patriots Super Bowl practice as pool reporter, I prompted a flashback. I told him that for all that was involved in building the Cowboys, I was amazed that he concerned himself with the Weekly.

“Yeah, that sounds like me,” he said. “At that time, I was doing everything. I was even doing contracts until I almost got into a fight over Mark Stepnoski’s deal. I had to let go of some of that stuff.”

And here he is now, letting go of some more stuff.

Bottom line: Thanks for the memories.

Hughes, who has 70 points in 62 games, was injured on Sunday when he crashed into the boards during a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Devils placed him on long-term injured reserve and said he would be back for the start of training camp.

The injury comes with the Devils sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division and on a 2-4 slide, including their last two. They’re just six points ahead of the top non-playoff team and have played two more games.

New Jersey’s situation got worse when defenseman Dougie Hamilton left Tuesday’s game with an injury. The team had no update Wednesday on his condition.

The Devils were in need of more scoring even before Hughes’ injury. They rank 14th in goals per game and there’s a dropoff after Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier.

Placing Hughes on LTIR gives the Devils cap relief if they make a trade before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline.

When was Jack Hughes injured?

Hughes crashed into the boards in the third period Sunday and left the game. Vegas’ Jack Eichel, who got tangled up with Hughes, checked to make sure his Team USA 4 Nations Face-Off teammate was OK.

Hughes missed 20 games last season because of various injuries.

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe fined $25,000 for arguing non-call

Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was ejected Sunday after complaining about the lack of a call on the play on which Hughes was injured, was fined $25,000 on Wednesday for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials.

Jack Hughes statistics

Hughes has a team-best 27 goals, 43 assists and 70 points in 62 games. He’s tied with Bratt for the team lead in points.

This story has been updated with new information.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed the star defensive end to a multi-year contract extension. It’s a deal that keeps Crosby in the desert, ending what could’ve developed into trade speculation if the Raiders failed to start winning.

After filling up their coaching staff, the team is now fixing up their roster by taking care of its biggest star.

A fourth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL draft, Crosby has continued to impress as one of the league’s best defenders. He’s made the Pro Bowl four times and totaled at least 10 sacks in three of his first six seasons.

Here’s what to know about the Crosby’s new contract.

Maxx Crosby contract details.

Crosby inked the three-year, $106.5 million extension that includes $91.5 million guaranteed.

A person close to the situation confirmed the details of Crosby’s contract to USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

That contract makes Crosby the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Despite years of losing, the man known as ‘Mad Maxx’ decided against requesting a trade over the years.

The Raiders hired a new regime this offseason, bringing Pete Carroll in as head coach and John Spytek in as general manager. Part-owner Tom Brady has been front and center throughout it all, especially playing a key role in the team’s recruitment of Matthew Stafford, who ultimately opted to stay with the Los Angeles Rams.

Corsby has always been adamant about his desire to win, admitting that he wasn’t sure if that would ever be possible with the Raiders.

“I’ve had doubts in the past,” Crosby said via ProFootballTalk. “I feel like this past year was the hardest part of my career. Battling through injury the whole year, struggling, losing 10 games in a row. Up here, it makes you start questioning a lot of things.”

He went on to say that the trio of Carroll, Spytek and Brady have him as ‘the most optimistic I’ve been’ since joining the franchise.

Now he has $106.5 million more reasons for that optimism, especially after resetting the market for his fellow defensive stars.

The NHL trade deadline is two days away.

So far, the NHL season had two blockbuster trades before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Mikko Rantanen was dealt by the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes and J.T. Miller was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers.

Also this season, the Avalanche have changed up their goaltending, the Dallas Stars acquired Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks, the Florida Panthers added Seth Jones and the Tampa Bay Lightning added two forwards.

Other moves will be made in the next two days as teams beef up for the playoffs or move veterans for draft picks and prospects.

Here is analysis on the deals that have happened leading up to the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on March 7.

TRADE DEADLINE: Team needs | Who has signed extensions?

March 5: Lightning acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde

The Lightning land forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde, plus a 2026 fifth-round pick, from the Kraken for forward Mikey Eyssimont, two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and a 2025 second-round pick. The Lightning’s depth has been thinned since their 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup win because of salary cap concerns. Gourde, a pending unrestricted free agent, was part of those Cup wins and Bjorkstrand is on pace to hit 20 goals for the sixth time in seven seasons. He can move onto the Lightning’s second line and has another year left on his contract.

The Lightning have won nine of their last 10, and this trade is a sign that they’re going for it. Tampa Bay is always willing to deal draft picks to keep the championship window alive. The first-rounders will help the Kraken long-term with the team out of the playoff picture. The Kraken retain 50% of Bjorkstrand’s salary and the Red Wings retain 25% in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

March 5: Panthers acquire Vitek Vanecek from Sharks

This deal is a follow to the Seth Jones trade, in which the Panthers sent goalie Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks. Vanecek, a pending unrestricted free agent, will fill the backup role behind Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers had the room to take on the remainder of Vanecek’s $3.4 million cap hit after they placed Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve. The Sharks get Patrick Giles, 25, a 6-foot-5 former Boston College forward who has played all but nine games of his professional hockey career in the American Hockey League.

Sharks acquire Vincent Desharnais from Penguins

The Penguins receive a 2028 fifth-round pick. The defenseman played only 10 games (no points) with Pittsburgh after arriving last month from the Canucks as part of the Marcus Pettersson trade. Desharnais played 16 games during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He has another year left on his contract.

Also: Rangers forward Reilly Smith sat out a third consecutive game for trade-related reasons.

March 4: Oilers acquire Trent Frederic in three-team trade

The Edmonton Oilers acquired pending unrestricted free agent forward Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins, with the New Jersey Devils getting involved to help retain part of his salary. Frederic’s offensive numbers have dropped this season, but he’s valuable in the playoffs because of his feisty style of play. Edmonton, which reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, has been missing that this season after Evander Kane had multiple surgeries. Frederic is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Boston gets two draft picks and defenseman Max Wanner, a 2021 seventh-round pick, in the trade.

Here are the details of the trade:

Trade 1: Boston Bruins trade Trent Frederic (50% salary retained) to New Jersey Devils in exchange for unsigned draft choice Petr Hauser.

Trade 2: New Jersey trades Trent Frederic (50% salary retained) to Edmonton in exchange for unsigned draft choice Shane Lachance.

Trade 3: Boston trades Max Jones and unsigned draft choice Petr Hauser to Edmonton in exchange for Max Wanner, St. Louis’ second-round pick in 2025 (owned by Edmonton) and Edmonton’s own fourth-round selection in 2026.

March 1: Panthers acquire Seth Jones from Blackhawks

The Florida Panthers send goalie Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick (which could move to 2027) to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick. The Blackhawks retain 26% of his salary. Jones’ recent comments expressing frustration with the team’s play essentially pushed the trade. The Panthers get a right-shot defenseman who plays big minutes after losing right-shot Brandon Montour to free agency last summer. Knight, who won’t be stuck behind Sergei Bobrovsky any more, gets a chance to prove he can become a No. 1 goalie. Knight and the first-rounder are a good return, considering trade demands usually put teams at a disadvantage.

TRADE GRADE: Who won Seth Jones trade?

March 1: Wild acquire Gustav Nyquist from Predators

The Minnesota Wild give up a 2026 second-round pick to the Nashville Predators, who retain 50% of pending unrestricted free agent Gustav Nyquist’s $3.185 million salary. Minnesota is in need of help at forward because of injuries to Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Though Nyquist has struggled along with the Predators this season, he had 75 points last season. This is the second time the Wild have made a deadline deal for Nyquist. They previously acquired him in 2023 and he had five points in three regular-season games plus five points in six playoff games. He signed with the Predators as a free agent in July 2023.

March 1: Avalanche acquire Ryan Lindgren from Rangers

The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers in a five-player deal involving two draft picks. The Rangers retain 50% of Lindgren’s salary. He plays a top-four role, which Colorado has needed after trading Bowen Byram last season, and kills penalties. Lindgren, who had two recent two-assist games but often seems to get hurt, and forward Jimmy Vesey are pending unrestricted free agents, so the Rangers get something in return. Juuso Parssinen, 24, is a pending restricted free agent who played a depth role in Colorado. This is his second trade of the season. Calvin de Haan is a pending UFA with 676 games of regular season experience.

Feb. 24: Red Wings trade Ville Husso to Ducks

The Detroit Red Wings get goaltender Ville Husso’s $4.75 million cap hit off their books. Husso has played only nine games with the Red Wings and had spent much of the season in the American Hockey League. Detroit receives future considerations in the deal. The Anaheim Ducks sent Husso to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, where goalie Calle Clang is out with an injury.

Feb. 1: Stars acquire Mikael Granlund, Cody Ceci from Sharks

The Dallas Stars give up a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick for forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci. Dallas was short on both positions because forwards Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment are injured, as are defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundqvist.

Granlund led the Sharks with 45 points in 52 games and will add to a solid forward group, especially with Marchment getting closer to returning. Ceci led San Jose in ice time and blocked shots. Both newcomers are pending unrestricted free agents. The conditional third-round pick will be a fourth-rounder if the Stars don’t reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Jan. 31: Rangers acquire J.T. Miller in deal with Canucks

The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, two teams in the midst of disappointing seasons, swung a big trade Friday night they hope will shake things up for the better.

Vancouver shipped center J.T. Miller along with Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington to the Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 draft, the teams announced. The pick is top-13 protected, according to multiple reports.

The Canucks weren’t done dealing Friday, either, flipping that first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a separate deal, along with Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and Melvin Fernstrom. They got back Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. – Jace Evans

ANALYSIS: Who won the trade?

Jan. 31: Flyers, Flames swap forwards in four-player trade

Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost went to Calgary and Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2028 seventh-rounder went to Philadelphia. The deal was announced early Friday morning following the two teams’ games.

Farabee, a two-time 20-goal scorer, and Frost, who has hit double digits three times, can give the Flames scoring depth as the team tries to hold on to a playoff spot. Farabee is signed through 2027-28 and Frost is a pending restricted free agent.

Kuzmenko, a pending unrestricted free agent, wasn’t going to be re-signed in Calgary after the former 39-goal scorer (with Vancouver) had four goals this season. But it gives the Flyers a chance to see how he fares with Russian rookie Matvei Michkov, a fellow former Kontinental Hockey League player. Pelletier can fit in the Flyers’ bottom six forward group and kills penalties. He’ll be a restricted free agent.

Jan. 31: Golden Knights sign Brandon Saad for rest of the season

Not a trade, but the Vegas Golden Knights made an addition ahead of the deadline. They signed forward Brandon Saad (pro-rated $1.5 million) for the rest of the season after he was cut loose by the St. Louis Blues. The Blues had waived the two-time Stanley Cup winner, but the sides agreed to terminate the rest of his contract so he could become a free agent. Saad’s numbers (seven goals) have dropped off this season, but he scored 26 last season.

Jan. 27: Islanders acquire Scott Perunovich from Blues

The New York Islanders give up a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick for Scott Perunovich to address another injury on their blue line. The trade was announced after Ryan Pulock (upper body) was placed on the injured list. Perunovich had six points in 24 games with the St. Louis Blues this season. Last week, the Islanders signed free agent defenseman Tony DeAngelo for the remainder of the season because Noah Dobson is out with a lower-body injury.

Jan. 24: Mikko Rantanen traded in blockbuster deal

The Colorado Avalanche no longer have to worry whether they can fit pending free agent Mikko Rantanen in their salary structure. The two-time 100-point scorer was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder. The Hurricanes also get Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks, who retained 50% of Rantanen’s salary.

The Avalanche pay MVP Nathan MacKinnon $12.6 million a year, and that was likely their top limit for Rantanen. Though Colorado loses a prolific scorer, Necas is the Hurricanes’ top scorer and is signed through next season. Drury is also signed through 2025-26 and will be a restricted free agent.

Last year, the Hurricanes were also aggressive before the deadline, but they lost in the second round and weren’t able to re-sign Jake Guentzel.

Dec. 28: Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche make trade

The Nashville Predators called up forward Vinnie Hinostroza, the American Hockey League’s leading scorer, then traded forward Juuso Parssinen to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche also get a 2026 seventh-round pick and the Predators get back forward Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick.

Hinostroza, a 374-game NHL veteran, signed a two-year deal with the Predators in the offseason but had spent the entire season in the AHL. So has Pavel. Parssinen had five points in 15 games with Nashville this season. The Predators and Avalanche swapped backup goaltenders earlier in the season.

Dec. 18: Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Kraken

The New York Rangers get back defenseman Will Borgen and 2025 third- and sixth-round picks in exchange for Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick of 2019. The trade happened less than a day after Kakko complained about being a healthy scratch. ‘It’s just easy to take the young guy and put him out,’ he said Tuesday. ‘That’s how I feel.’

Kakko, 23, has never matched the expectation of being that high a pick, getting 40 points in his top season in 2022-23. He has 14 points this season and was named by Finland to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The trade is the second recent shake-up move by the sliding Rangers, who dealt captain Jacob Trouba, a defenseman, to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. Borgen, who was taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, had 20 or more points and averaged nearly 200 hits the past two seasons but has just two points and a minus-13 rating this season.

In other Dec. 18 trades:

The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators swapped defensemen with Justin Barron, 23, heading to Nashville in exchange for Alexandre Carrier, 28. Carrier signed a three-year deal this offseason and gives the Canadiens a veteran right-shot defenseman. The Predators save $2.6 million in cap space.

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman P.O. Joseph from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. Joseph will help the Penguins with defenseman Marcus Pettersson out with an injury. Joseph played his first four NHL seasons with Pittsburgh.

Dec. 14: Blues acquire Ducks’ Cam Fowler in trade

The St. Louis Blues give up minor league defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick to land defenseman Cam Fowler, 33, who spent his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks. St. Louis also gets a 2027 fourth-round pick and the Ducks retain about 38.5% of Fowler’s remaining salary.

The Blues, who will be without Torey Krug (ankle) this season, get a veteran defenseman who averages more than 21 minutes a game in ice time. Fowler was moved eight days after the Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba in a trade.

Dec. 9: Avalanche land Mackenzie Blackwood in goalie trade with Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche’s season-opening goaltending tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen is out after a subpar start. Now they’re running with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood after separate trades with the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, respectively.

The Blackwood trade is the latest one and includes forward Givani Smith and a draft pick going to Colorado, while forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two picks go to San Jose. Blackwood has a .904 save percentage to Georgiev’s .874, and he made 49 saves in his last game. Georgiev was pulled in his second-to-last start.

Dec. 6: Rangers trade Jacob Trouba, extend Igor Shesterkin

The sliding New York Rangers dominated the news Friday by trading captain Jacob Trouba and giving Igor Shesterkin an eight-year extension that makes him the highest-paid NHL goalie.

The Rangers officially announced the extension on Saturday.

The Trouba trade happened first Friday with the Rangers getting back defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. But the biggest part is the Anaheim Ducks took on Trouba’s $8 million cap hit, giving the Rangers flexibility. Trouba, who has struggled this season and didn’t waive his no-trade clause this summer, adds a veteran presence to the young Ducks. He and new teammate Radko Gudas are two of the hardest hitters in the league.

Shesterkin will average $11.5 million in his new deal, according to reports, moving him past Carey Price ($10.5 million) as the top-paid goaltender. The Rangers rely heavily on Shesterkin, who faces a lot of high-danger shots.

Also: The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens pulled off a minor trade. Forward Jacob Perreault, son of former NHL player Yanic Perreault, heads to Edmonton for defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer.

Nov. 30: Wild acquire defenseman David Jiricek from Blue Jackets

The Minnesota Wild acquired former first-round pick David Jiricek, 21, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes 22-year-old defenseman Daemon Hunt and a package of draft picks including a top-five protected 2025 first-round pick. Jiricek, a 2022 sixth-overall pick who had been sent to American Hockey League, will report to the Wild’s AHL team. The other picks heading to Columbus: 2026 third- and fourth-rounders and a 2027 second-rounder. The Wild get a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Nov. 30: Predators, Avalanche swap goaltenders

The Colorado Avalanche acquired backup goalie Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators for backup goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick. The Avalanche, who have the league’s third-worst team goals-against average, were expected to make some sort of goaltending move but not necessarily this one. Annunen, 24, has slightly better stats this season, but he’s a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Wedgewood, 32, who was signed in the offseason and played five games for the Predators, has another year left on his contract.

Nov. 25: Penguins acquire Philip Tomasino from Predators

Philip Tomasino (one point in 11 games) is the final year of his contract so the struggling Nashville Predators get something in return, a 2027 fourth-round pick. The equally struggling Pittsburgh Penguins get another person for their bottom six. The former first-round pick’s best season was 32 points as a rookie in 2021-22.

Nov. 12: Capitals reacquire Lars Eller in trade with Penguins

Center Lars Eller, 35, is a familiar face for the Washington Capitals after playing in Washington from 2016-23 and winning a Stanley Cup there in 2018. He kills penalties and is strong in the faceoff circle. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ side of the trade might be more interesting. They get a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder, and this also could be an indication that the Penguins are shaking up the roster after a disappointing start. Eller’s trade will allow the team to give more ice time to younger players. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent.

Oct. 30: Sharks acquire Timothy Liljegren from Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs get defenseman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-rounder. Liljegren, 25, had been limited to one game in Toronto this season, and the Maple Leafs recently committed to blue-liner Jake McCabe with a five-year extension. But Liljegren should fit in well in San Jose, which is building around younger players. Benning, 30, and Liljegren are signed through 2025-26.

This is the second day with an NHL trade after none previously since the season opened in North America.

Oct. 29: Utah acquires defenseman Olli Maatta from Red Wings

The Utah Hockey Club gives up a third-round pick as it addresses a desperate need for a veteran defenseman. Sean Durzi and John Marino are out long-term after surgery. Utah has been leaking goals during a four-game losing streak, including blowing a 4-1 lead late in the third period against the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Maatta is solid defensively and has nearly 700 games of NHL experience.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf wants out of Seattle.

The Seahawks star wide receiver requested a trade. A person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Metcalf’s trade request comes at a time when the wideout has one year remaining on his current contract and he would like a new deal. It also comes on the same day the Seahawks decided to release veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett after 10 seasons in Seattle.

Metcalf has compiled 438 receptions, 6,324 receiving yards and 48 touchdowns in six seasons in Seattle. He’s registered at least 900 receiving yards every season since entering the NFL.

The Seahawks drafted Metcalf in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver is a two-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020.

Why does DK Metcalf want to be traded?

A person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports that Metcalf would like a new deal and hopes to play for a contender.

The Seahawks failed to make the playoffs and finished second in the NFC West last season.

Metcalf’s trade request means the Seahawks could go into next season without two of their top 10 all-time receiving leaders. Metcalf and Lockett rank in the top 10 in franchise history in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions.

Emerging wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was Seattle’s leading receiver in 2024.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.