Read coverage from our writers on recent headlines from the NFL, NHL and WNBA.
Super Bowl Recap- Max Moughman
The Eagles dominated Super Bowl LIX with a 40-22 victory. This was a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which ended much differently for the Kansas City Chiefs with a 38-35 victory. Proving he could get the job done when it matters, Eagles head coach Nick Sirrani silenced any doubters from their loss to Patrick Mahomes two seasons ago en route to the Eagles’ second title in the last five years.
Sirrani received heavy criticism following an underwhelming start to the season but followed through with a 10-game win streak and the Lombardi Trophy. Jalen Hurts secured Super Bowl MVP award, throwing 17-for-22 for 221 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception. He also had a rushing touchdown thanks to the “Brotherly Shove.”
Though Hurts received the honors, the Eagles’ defense shined, only allowing 23 yards of offense in the first half and picking off Patrick Mahomes twice. Rookie cornerback Cooper Dejean returned one interception for a 38-yard pick-six, coincidentally on his birthday. He is the second rookie ever to have a pick-six in the Superbowl, the last one being Kenny Phillips in 2008 for the New York Giants.
Speaking of birthday boys and the Giants, Saquon Barkley celebrated his 28th birthday during this Superbowl. Though Barkley only had 57 yards on 2.3 yards per carry in the big game, he had a career year and provides an argument for teams paying star runningbacks after winning Offensive Player of the Year.
This is Patrick Mahomes’ second Super Bowl loss, which halted his superstar legacy as the Chiefs failed to be the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. Kansas City’s superstar tight end Travis Kelce was pondering retirement this season, but this loss surely puts things into a new perspective. This offseason could be a make or break for the future of the Chiefs’ dynasty.
Two NFL Stars Potentially on the Move – Stefan Duncan
Even a Cleveland Brown fan must admit: it’s time for Myles Garrett to move on.
Garrett, the first player in Cleveland Browns history to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year back in 2023 and a multi-time Pro Bowler, did the unthinkable when he submitted his request for a trade from the Cleveland Browns organization. Possible suitors for Garrett are the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Garrett has expressed for the past couple of years that he wants to win now; each team listed has a chance of completing that wish for Garrett.
As Garrett’s career clock runs down, the future Hall of Fame candidate made the most logical decision to leave his only NFL team and seek a championship.
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Since the beginning of this year’s NFL season, there have been rumors of wide receiver Cooper Kupp leaving via trade from the Los Angeles Rams. On Feb. 3 at 7:13 p.m., Kupp made the trade rumors official, posting his thank you and goodbye to the organization in a post on X.
“I was informed that the team will be seeking a trade immediately and will be working with me and my family to find the right place to continue competing for championships. I don’t agree with the decision and always believed it was going to begin and end in LA,” Kupp wrote in the post.
This comes as a shock to not only Rams fans but also Kupp himself, a Super Bowl champion and triple crown winner with the Rams. It is hard to believe this would all be happening if not for the breakout of Rams standout wide receiver Puka Nacua in the past couple of years.
Possible suitors for Kupp are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who all need top receiver targets. Although Rams fans are not fond of this decision, the future is bright for the organization without Kupp.
NFL Honors- Pat Sypher
Every year, the NFL hosts a monster event to recognize and congratulate the best of the best with awards like Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and more. The most prestigious and recognized of these awards is the league’s Most Valuable Player award, which had its fair share of controversy in 2025.
This year, two quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, had unbelievable seasons. Josh Allen won the award this year, resulting in an expected media outrage. Jackson has several statistical advantages over Allen and many football fans are infuriated that last year’s MVP did not get the award for the second year in a row.
I believe the decision ultimately came down to the Bills being more dependent on Allen than the Ravens on Jackson. Voter fatigue likely played a factor too, considering that Allen had zero MVPs and Jackson had two.
Besides the MVP, the other awards were given out without much debate with the slight exception of Offensive Rookie of the Year. It would’ve gone to Brock Bowers, who set the rookie record for receptions but he was beat out by another historic rookie, Jayden Daniels, who led his team to the NFC Championship.
The Offensive Player of the Year award went to Saquon Barkley, who had one of the best seasons for a running back in NFL history. Defensive Player of the Year went to Denver’s lockdown corner, Patrick Surtain, who has been reliable in one-on-one coverage with elite receivers all year.
Defensive Rookie of The Year went to Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, who was second in the NFL in pressures this year with 72. Coach of the Year award went to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell after leading his team to a 14-3 record with Sam Darnold at quarterback, who had mediocre expectations at best before the season began..
NHL
Miller to the Rangers- Deegan Holden
On Jan. 31, forward JT Miller was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round draft pick. The 31-year-old has 35 points in 40 games this season. Miller is in the third year of a seven-year contract worth $56 million.
Back in 2011, JT Miller was drafted by the Rangers 15th overall. Last season, Miller had arguably the best season of his career scoring 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists) in 81 games, good for ninth in the league.
Once a prized prospect and former first-round pick, Chytil’s career has been derailed by injuries. Over his eight-year career, he’s played just four seasons with more than 60 games played. Last season, he missed 72 regular season games and all but six postseason games due to an upper-body injury. This season, he has just 22 points in 43 games.
In the trade, the Rangers also received defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington. Brannstrom has played 294 career games and has 77 points. Dorrington, a Junior at Northeastern University, has 11 points in 25 games this year. This is Mancini’s rookie year and he has five points in 15 games.
Finally, the draft pick received by the Canucks is top-13 protected. Meaning, that if the pick happens to rise to the top 13 overall, that pick moves to next year’s draft.
Miller is everything the Rangers need. He’s physical, wins faceoffs and scores. This trade implies that the Rangers will make another run for the Stanley Cup with this core. However, with forwards Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider combining for just 57 points and making a combined $15 million, a legitimate run seems unlikely.
The Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks Trade– Jonny Martirano
After a flurry of blockbuster trades in the NHL, the Dallas Stars made a trade of their own.
On Friday, February 1, The Stars acquired veteran forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick.
Granlund is a 32-year-old center/winger and spent this season and last on San Jose. This season, he was the leading scorer on the last-place Sharks with 15 goals, 30 assists and 45 points in 52 games. Granlund has been a consistent scorer across his 13-year career with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Sharks.
On the other side of the trade, Cody Ceci is a 31-year-old right-shot defenseman and had 4 goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 54 games in his lone season with the team. Ceci’s 12-year career has spanned across six different teams, and most recently with the Edmonton Oilers from 2021-2024, featuring a Stanley Cup Final appearance this past June.
So far this season, Dallas has had an injury bug with key players forward Tyler Seguin and defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the Injured Reserve, prompting this trade.
The Stars will have Granlund playing alongside Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene on the second line, and Ceci will be slotted on the right side either on the second or third defensive pairing.
The conditions of the third-round pick is that if the Stars make it to the Stanley Cup Final this season, the pick goes to San Jose. If not, the Sharks will receive a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Winnipeg Jets from a trade last season instead.
The Stars (34-18-1) are currently in second place in the Central Division with 69 points through 53 games behind the Winnipeg Jets (38-14-3) with 79 points through 55 games.
With this trade, this will bolster Dallas’ roster on the offensive and defensive side in an attempt to make a run at the Stanley Cup this spring.
The Mikko Rantanen Trade- Lucas Baquero
There was a surge of pre-trade deadline movement in the NHL, epitomized in a blockbuster three-team trade that unexpectedly sent Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The trade also involved the Chicago Blackhawks retaining 50% of Rantanen’s cap hit this year, sending former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall to the Canes. The Avs got Jack Drury, Martin Necas, and two draft picks which are not first-round picks.
The Avs knew that Rantanen’s salary following his free agency would be too high to match. Besides, they would not be willing to tie up more cap space for him than both center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, especially with Makar due to hit free agency after 2026-27. The return is not eye-popping, but may get the job done.
Necas is 26 years old and has team control for one more full season following this one. He is an explosive winger who has been highly touted throughout his career but labeled a ‘change-of-scenery’ candidate after his most recent contract dispute in Carolina.
Drury is another young and controllable impact piece. He has another season until he hits restricted free agency, where Carolina will most likely retain him. It is a very respectable return the Avs got for an expiring player.
There was one clear loser in the trade: the Blackhawks. They gave away good trade bait in Hall and one of their three salary retention slots for just a third-round pick that will be late in the draft since it comes from Carolina. There is no way to justify why the Blackhawks gave up assets for a late third.
WNBA
A Four-Team Trade Shakeup in the WNBA- Stephen Zaglin
A significant domino has fallen in the WNBA. The Phoenix Mercury have acquired two-time WNBA All-Star Sabou Sabally from the Dallas Wings in a four-team trade that also involves the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun. The trade will send Sabally, center Kalani Brown, and guard Sevgi Uzun to the Mercury.
The Wings will receive guard Tyasha Harris and the rights to forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from the Mercury, as well as forward NaLyssa Smith and the No. 8 pick in the 2025 Draft from the Fever.
The Fever are acquiring forward Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 pick from the Mercury.
In a later trade, which ended up being a part of the overall deal, the Wings acquired guard DiJonai Carrington and the No. 12 pick from the Connecticut Sun. Dallas also has the rights to swap 2026 second-round picks with Connecticut. The Sun got Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft.
What the trade means for Phoenix: Adding Sabally to play with fellow starters Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas is a major win for the Mercury. Not only did they continue to add more star power in the fifth-year player from Oregon, they also got Brown and Uzun who could potentially be decent rotation players. This sets up Phoenix nicely to contend in the future.
What the trade means for Dallas: Since Dallas didn’t have many options after Sabally requested a trade, they got an underwhelming return for such a great player. While they received the most recent Most Improved Player winner in Carrington, they now have a lower draft pick than before, and the other players they received are at best rotation players. While they still have the No. 1 pick in the next draft, things aren’t looking much better after this trade.
What the trade means for Indiana: Smith being traded was one of the more obvious moves that Indiana was going to make. After being benched in the final game of the season, the writing was on the wall. Being able to acquire Cunningham who shoots over 36% from 3-point distance and still getting a top-20 pick is a good haul.
What this trade means for Connecticut: With Connecticut seemingly in rebuild mode, they were able to receive a top draft pick as well as Sheldon, who was a top draft pick in last year’s draft. Since they’re in a rebuild, the draft pick will be useful to the Sun. They will be able to continue to acquire young talent for the future.
Aces, Storm, and Sparks Make Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Deal- Karlie Genevive
A jarring three-team trade involving the Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, and Los Angeles Sparks is remarkable, as it marks the first trade in WNBA history that has involved multiple No.1 overall draft picks. This proclaimed trade entailed the Aces’ agile shooting guard Kelsey Plum being traded to the Sparks. In return, the Aces acquired a vital player: Seattle Storm’s top guard; Jewell Loyd.
Following alleged rumors, there was an investigation of player mistreatment and transgression by the Storm coaching staff. It came to light shortly after the allegations that Loyd requested the Storm for a trade, as she was the one who filed the harassment complaint, per the Chicago-Sun Times.
Loyd was drafted No.1 in the 2015 WNBA draft to the Seattle Storm, where she soon became a two-time WNBA champion, six-time WNBA All-Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. During her time at Seattle, Loyd was reliable for the majority of the team’s success leading the league in scoring in 2023. She ranks third in Seattle Storm franchise history with 5,536 points.
A strong competitor, Plum was the No.1 pick in the 2017 WNBA draft, along with being a two-time WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, three-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
The Aces will undoubtedly suffer as a result of Plum’s relocation to the Sparks as Plum was an outstanding team player, leader, and knowledgeable competitor. That being said, the Sparks gain from acquiring Plum, as they lack a consistent, reliable guard like Plum.
When this trade was announced, it sparked inquiries from numerous WNBA fans leaving many appalled. These notable players have developed close relationships with their teammates and fanbase, in addition to having a significant impact on their teams’ success.
Edited by Dan Aulbach and Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Cara Lacey
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