New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider will make his NHL return Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, interim coach Alain Nasreddine announced.

Schneider, 33, a one-time All-Star, has been relegated to the Devils' AHL affiliate most of the season as New Jersey has been largely planted in last place in the Metropolitan Division. He was recalled last week, and with Louis Domingue dealt to the Vancouver Canucks at the NHL trade deadline Monday, New Jersey's backup slot, behind rookie Mackenzie Blackwood, is now open.

Tuesday will be Schneider's first start since Jan. 18. His record this season is 0-6-1 with a 4.65 goals-against average and an .852 save percentage.

"Obviously, I have to play well here. It's all about having that mentality. I'm focused on my game, and my work ethic and how competitive I can be," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. But I feel good about my game."

SEATTLE -- Seattle's expansion NHL franchise is trying to make it easier for fans to get to its games in the traffic-clogged city.

NHL Seattle announced Tuesday that it will fully subsidize public transit costs for fans with season tickets or single-game tickets.

Additionally, the team is entering into a partnership with the Seattle Center Monorail to upgrade the current system connecting downtown Seattle with the Seattle Center, where the team's arena is under construction. The team will invest $7 million for upgrades at the downtown station for the monorail system, which was originally built for the 1962 World's Fair.

The public transit subsidy makes Seattle the third franchise in the U.S. to offer that benefit to fans, according to the team. Rob Johnson, the team's vice president for transportation, said the franchise expects 25% of fans to use public transit to attend games in the inaugural 2021-22 season.

"We respect the history of the Monorail and want to remind people of its original intent. I couldn't be prouder to align with a company that shares our values and ambitions." team CEO and President Tod Leiweke said. "By offering embedded public transit we are making the right decision for our fans and for the city."

It's annually one of the toughest stretches on the PGA Tour outside the majors, and this week it's back in the headlines.

The PGA Tour returns to Florida with the Honda Classic, and the famed "Bear Trap" will take center stage at PGA National. Comprising the 179-yard 15th, 434-yard 16th and 175-yard 17th holes, it's a disaster-laden trio where water lurks around every shot. As Jack Nicklaus described on a plaque that greets players walking off the 14th green, "It should be won or lost right here."

And often that has been the case. Time and again players' title aspirations have disappeared into the lakes that line the critical stretch, while Adam Scott famously won the Honda in 2016 despite making a quadruple bogey on the 15th hole during the third round.

Here's a look at some of the notable Bear Trap stats according to the PGA Tour (all figures since 2007, when the tournament moved to PGA National):

• Among non-majors, the Bear Trap ranks as the third-toughest three-hole stretch on Tour at 0.644 over par on average. It's behind only Nos. 16-18 at Quail Hollow (+0.873) and Nos. 8-10 at Pebble Beach (+0.673).

• The Honda Classic field is a combined 3,629 over par across the Bear Trap and 4,934 over par across the other 15 holes at PGA National.

• 543 different players have played at least one competitive round at the Honda since 2007, with 76 percent (415) of them hitting at least one ball in the water on the Bear Trap.

• 2013 Honda Classic winner Michael Thompson has played the most rounds (28) without hitting a single ball in the water on the Bear Trap, followed by Jim Furyk (14) and Bud Cauley (13).

• 54 players have managed to play Nos. 15-17 bogey-free for an entire week at the Honda, with two players doing it on three separate occasions: Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell.

• Ryan Palmer has hit the most balls into the water along the Bear Trap with 16, three more than Jimmy Walker (13), who is next on the list. Palmer's 39-over cumulative score is six shots worse than any other player (Adam Scott is next at 33 over).

• The best cumulative score along the Bear Trap since 2007 belongs to Russell Knox and Adam Hadwin, who have both played Nos. 15-17 in 6 under par. Only 6.4 percent (35 out of 543) of players are under par across the Bear Trap during their Honda playing careers.

• Gavin Coles is the only player to put four balls in the water during a single playing of a Bear Trap hole, making an octuple-bogey 11 on No. 15 during the third round in 2007. 

• There have been 666 balls in the water on No. 15 since 2007 and 455 on No. 17.

• There have been two aces on the Bear Trap during the Honda: Scott Stallings made a hole-in-one on No. 15 during the opening round in 2017, while Jhonattan Vegas matched him on the same hole during the 2017 final round.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Keith Mitchell broke through to win his first PGA Tour title in spectacular fashion at the Honda Classic last year.

He holed a 15-foot birdie putt at the last, knowing if he missed he was headed to a playoff with Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler.

Of course, Mitchell allowed himself a moment to enjoy the memories when he returned on Monday, but only a moment.

“It’s been fun to see everything, but, also, it's business as well, because I don't want somebody else taking my trophy from me,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell followed up his victory last year with a T-6 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the following week and then a T-8 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship two months later.

He’s looking for his first top-10 this season

“I've always felt like this was my good stretch, because I grew up on the Bermuda greens,” said Mitchell, who was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and played at the University of Georgia. “I grew up in this part of the country playing golf. So, I'm a little bit more comfortable here. Felt like I've had an OK start at the beginning of the year. Got to go to Maui for the first time, which was great, and played decent in Sea Island, where I live.

“I feel like we're trending. My game is getting better. I've had some good finishes the last couple weeks. So, I would say this is really where my year is starting to pick up.”

MADRID -- Pep Guardiola says he has been shown proof Manchester City are innocent of the financial irregularities that has seen the club hit with a European ban.

City, who face Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday, have been handed a two-year suspension after being found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play regulations by UEFA.

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The club, who intend to appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, have often cited "irrefutable evidence" that they have not violated FFP regulations, and speaking at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, Guardiola revealed he has been given a run down of the case by City chiefs.

"We were under suspicion for a long time, we have the right to appeal and I trust the people in my club," said Guardiola. "They explain the reasons, they showed me the arguments and the proofs. We are optimistic that finally if we deserve to be in the Champions League we can do it next season, if finally it doesn't happen we have to accept and move forward.

"My trust is with the club. I know them. We are going to see what happens with CAS."

Guardiola, who has won the Champions League twice while in charge at Barcelona but has never been beyond the quarterfinals with City, insists his players should not need a potential ban as extra motivation as they attempt to progress at the expense of the Zinedine Zidane's 13-times winners.

David Silva said the squad's focus was only the game rather than the implications of a possible suspension, but with his time at the Etihad Stadium coming to an end in the summer, the 34-year-old admitted the Champions League is a trophy he is still desperate to win.

"We want to win the competition and we didn't win it," said Silva, "I want to win Champions League. Having the second leg at home is better because we are with our fans. In order to [to go back with a chance of progressing] we need to have a good match and a good result [here]."

Guardiola has been boosted ahead of the first leg against Real Madrid, who have won just one of their last four games, by the return of Raheem Sterling. The winger has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury but is ready to start against the Spanish giants.

"He's fit," said Guardiola. "His natural condition, his a regeneration is amazing. He said to us he could have played against West Ham and Leicester but the doctor said be careful. He's fit, he's ready."

New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell, the subject of rampant trade speculation, isn't going anywhere in 2020.

That was the message delivered Tuesday by Jets general manager Joe Douglas, who addressed Bell's future with reporters at the NFL scouting combine. Douglas said there have been no trade discussions, adding that he has no plans to shop the former Pro Bowl back.

"There hasn't been talk as far as him going anywhere," Douglas said. "We're excited about Le'Veon. Le'Veon has been a great teammate. I can't tell you how great he's been. ... We're excited to have him."

In other news, the Jets acknowledged for the first time an interest in signing All-Pro safety Jamal Adams to a contract extension. Douglas said there have been "some preliminary discussions" with Adams' agent, adding, "The plan is for Jamal to be a Jet for life."

Adams is under contract through 2021, including his fifth-year option, but he said recently he wants a new contract before the season.

He and Bell were floated in trade talks at the league's trade deadline last fall, raising questions about their future with the Jets.

Bell, 28, who came to the Jets last offseason on a huge free-agent deal, had the worst statistical season of his career. In 15 games, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star rushed for only 789 yards on 3.2 per carry, totaling only four touchdowns as a runner and receiver.

Douglas defended Bell's performance, attributing to his poor numbers to a substandard offensive line.

"I wouldn't say his play declined," Douglas said. "His numbers probably aren't where he would want them to be. I think we need to do a better job of opening holes for him. We need to put him in a good position to be as productive as he was in Pittsburgh."

Truth is, the Jets probably couldn't trade Bell even if they wanted to. He's due to make $13.5 million in 2020, all of which is fully guaranteed. It's an immovable contract unless they agree to pay a large chunk of his salary, and that appears unlikely.

The Jets can move on from Bell after the 2020 season, when there's no guaranteed money left in his contract.

Coach Adam Gase, speaking at the combine, said he's not sure if Bell is planning to attend the voluntary portion of the offseason program. The chances are slim, considering he usually works out with a personal trainer in South Florida. Bell was a no-show last offseason, except for the mandatory minicamp.

Citing Bell's work ethic and football aptitude, Gase said it's "not a huge deal" if the Jets star stays away again. That stance seems to contradict what Gase said at the end of the season, when he said he was hoping to spend time with Bell in the spring so they could watch tape and search for ways to maximize his strengths.

On Tuesday, Gase tried to strike an upbeat note.

"He's been great for us," said Gase, whose relationship with Bell has been scrutinized since day one because of reports that he didn't want to sign him. "He's done everything I've asked him to do. He tried to do things the right way. What anybody else says, I think we're to the point where we really don't care. As long as our relationship is good, we're good."

Regarding free agency, the Jets are planning to meet at the combine with the agent for wide receiver Robby Anderson, their top in-house free agent. Douglas called him a "dynamic" player, yet the sense is that Anderson will hit the open market.

Fellow receiver Quincy Enunwa is progressing in his rehab from a serious neck injury, Douglas said, but he still hasn't been medically cleared. He has an upcoming doctor's appointment that "will be big for him," the GM said.

Enunwa's $6 million salary, which becomes fully guaranteed on March 22, already is guaranteed for injury. So is $4.1 million of his $7.8 million salary in 2021. If he's released with a failed physical, he will be entitled to $10.1 million in injury guarantees, which would count against the 2020 cap.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Stefon Diggs is very much a part of the Minnesota Vikings' plans for the 2020 season.

In the wake of recent trade rumors and speculation over the wide receiver's future, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman dispelled the notion that the team is attempting to move on from Diggs.

"He's not only a major part of our offense and a major part of our organization winning games, but he also does a lot of things for this organization off the field," Spielman said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.

"There's no reason -- the rumors or whatever you're talking about -- to anticipate that Stefon Diggs is not going to be a Minnesota Viking. When you have some of the offensive talent that we have, with him and [Adam] Thielen together, with Rudy [Kyle Rudolph] and Irv Smith, with Dalvin Cook and [Alexander] Mattison, we have a pretty good support cast around our quarterback."

The trade rumors date back to the first month of the 2019 season, when Diggs was fined $200,000 for unexcused absences from practices and team meetings in the wake of a Week 5 loss at Chicago.

At the time, Diggs said he hadn't "communicated anything" about a trade request but that there was "truth to all rumors" amid the assumption that he was unhappy with the state of the offense, which had shifted toward a run-first approach, and his role within it.

Recently, a handful of cryptic tweets and removed posts from Diggs' Instagram account sparked further speculation that the wideout wants out of Minnesota.

Asked whether Diggs has expressed a desire to remain in Minnesota or be traded, Spielman said he had not spoken with the receiver's representation. The Vikings will meet with the majority of the agents who represent their players throughout the NFL combine, which is expected to include Diggs' agents, Adisa Bakari and Jeff Whitney of The Sports & Entertainment Group.

Spielman noted Tuesday that Diggs' involvement in the offense was a direct correlation to the success the Vikings had last season. The 26-year-old receiver hauled in 63 receptions for a career-best 1,130 yards. He also scored six touchdowns.

Two years ago, Diggs signed a five-year extension that is set to keep him under contract in Minnesota through the 2023 season. Despite moments where the receiver appeared visibly frustrated on the sideline during games, Spielman rejected the notion that Diggs and others demanding the ball creates a predicament but is rather "what makes them the great players that they are."

"I know how strongly our coaching staff feels about him, and when you have the ability to pair him and Thielen together on the field, and the tight ends that we have right now on the field, and you have the running back committee that we have on the field, we have some pretty good supporting cast around [Kirk] Cousins," Spielman said. "Coming back, running the same system for the second year in a row, we don't want to take a step back, and where we're at with these guys, we want to keep all these guys and move forward. You want these guys on your roster."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- A day after Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were honored with a a poignant "celebration of life" at the Staples Center, LeBron James said that nearly a month after the helicopter crash, his nerves are still raw.

"Emotionally a wreck, like everyone else," James said after shootaround Tuesday morning in preparation for a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. "Another challenging day for all of us. Like you've been hearing me talk about the last couple times you guys asked me about the whole situation, it's just been hard to kind of talk about it. Trying not to go back. It's just tough."

It was unclear if James was also in attendance at the ceremony. His agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that it was a very emotional day for James and that he spent the memorial "in his own space." Despite prompting, Paul did not clarify whether or not James was in the building.

When James was asked directly about his whereabouts on Tuesday, he turned his focus towards Bryant's widow, Vanessa, and her words of remembrance for her late family members.

"I respect your question for sure, but it's very emotional. A very emotional day. A very tough day for myself, for my family, for everyone involved," James said. "One thing I can come out of it saying is how strong and how bold and how powerful Vanessa is. To stand up there the way she did, to give that speech the way she gave that speech. I commend her.

"My heart his with their family still. With his three daughters that are still here. With his wife. With his mom and dad and his sisters. It was just a very difficult day. Obviously a celebration but it was a difficult day for all of us. So, I appreciate it. If we could move onto tonight, that would be great."

In the aftermath of the Bryant tragedy, James told ESPN it was the "toughest week of my life." James struck a similar chord when asked about the ceremony following the Lakers' win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

"I don't want to keep going back on it," James said at the time. "I think it's unfair and it's unjust to his family, as they're trying to move on. We're all trying to move on -- but also know that he's with us. His jersey is sitting in my locker right now. But, it just puts me in a difficult mindset when I continue to harp on it. ....I'm trying to (stop) if you can respect that."

Still, James allowed for a couple follow up questions on Tuesday for further thoughts on the ceremony.

He said that hearing Michael Jordan elaborate on the special dynamic between him and Bryant did not surprise him.

"It's well documented how their relationship was," James said. "Mike is always looked at as like big brother to Kobe from the beginning, we've all seen that from the first time that they played in Chicago when Kobe was a young bol'. So, we all know that."

And he was asked if the celebration could provide some closure for a Lakers team that has 27 regular season games remaining until the franchise makes its highly-anticipated return to the postseason for the first time in six years.

"It's never a closure. It's never going to be a closure," James said. "I mean, we continue to live on his legacy and continue to have our hearts heavy with both sadness and with happiness for his family that are still here. So, it's not a closure. But it was a celebration which was well received from not only the Laker faithful, not only the family here, but everybody around the world."