The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired a couple of forwards for the stretch run.

Philadelphia got Derek Grant from the Anaheim Ducks for forward Kyle Criscuolo and a 2020 fourth-round draft pick. They also got center Nate Thompson from the Canadiens for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

Grant is a 29-year-old journeyman, having played for six teams (Senators, Flames, Sabres, Predators, Ducks, Penguins) in seven NHL seasons. He was traded to the Ducks from the Penguins in January 2019, returning to the team with which he has his longest tenure (146 games in total).

This season, Grant has set a career high with 14 goals in 49 games, connecting on 17.3% of his 81 shots on goal.

The Flyers have gone 7-3 in their past 10 games to pull into third place in the tough Metro Division.

Thompson gives them a fourth-line center who is tough on the faceoff and penalty kill.

Both Grant and Thompson will be free agents after the season.

The Ducks entered deadline season with a number of non-player assets, as they started with more than $15 million in salary-cap space and possessed all their draft picks for the next three seasons, excluding a fifth-rounder this summer and seventh-rounders in 2020 and 2021.

On the same day that the Carolina Hurricanes made moves to bolster their playoff chase, coach Rod Brind'Amour announced that key parts of the existing roster will be out long term.

Goaltender James Reimer, who started in goal Saturday but left 6:10 into the first period with a lower-body injury, and goalie Petr Mrazek, who left in the second period after he collided with Toronto forward Kyle Clifford, are both on the shelf indefinitely.

Brind'Amour said that Mrazek has a concussion issue.

In addition, defenseman Brett Pesce left Saturday's game with a shoulder injury. He is also out long term, according to the coach.

The goalie injuries caused the Canes to play 42-year-old emergency goalie Dave Ayres on Saturday. He saved eight of 10 shots to pick up a win and become a viral sensation. On Sunday, the Hurricanes recalled goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic from Charlotte of the American Hockey League.

Forsberg, 27, has posted a 15-9-2 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 27 appearances with the Charlotte Checkers. The Hurricanes acquired Forsberg in a trade last June.

Nedeljkovic, 24, has registered a 15-10-2 record, 2.51 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage with four shutouts in 28 appearances with the Checkers. The Hurricanes selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.

The Hurricanes traded forwards Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark to the Panthers for Vincent Trocheck on Monday.

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has acquired speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou from Holland's former team, the Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings get forward Sam Gagner and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. Detroit also sends left wing Ryan Kuffner to Edmonton.

Holland was named Oilers GM last May after 30 years with the Wings organization. He traded for Detroit defenseman Mike Green on Sunday.

Holland has Edmonton in the mix in the Western Conference, currently sitting in second place in the Pacific Division after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.

The Oilers got their biggest boost when Connor McDavid returned to the lineup Sunday after missing two weeks with a quadriceps injury. But he has needed help for a while.

The Oilers also added center Tyler Ennis on Monday, acquiring him from the Ottawa Senators for a 2021 fifth-round draft pick, according to reports. Ennis, 30, has 14 goals and 19 assists in 61 games this season, his first in Ottawa after signing an $800,000 deal in July.

Athanasiou, 25, has 10 goals and 14 assists this season after having a career year with 30 goals and 24 assists last season.

His regression came amid an ongoing rebuild for the Red Wings, who have crashed to the worst record in the NHL this season (34 points in 63 games) and are in the midst of a four-year postseason drought, their longest since 1979 to 1983.

They have compiled a haul of draft picks, though, entering trade season with nine picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts.

Athanasiou is a league-worst minus-45 this season, on pace to sport the worst plus-minus since Rico Fata was a minus-46 in 2003-04. Athanasiou will become a restricted free agent after this season, completing a two-year, $6 million deal.

Gagner was the sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft by Edmonton and is in his second stint with the team. He also played for Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

His best season came with the Blue Jackets in 2016-17 when he had 51 points. He has only five goals and seven assists in 36 games this season while playing a third-line wing role.

He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Kuffner has played 10 games with Detroit and hasn't scored.

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has acquired speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou from Holland's former team, the Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings get forward Sam Gagner and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. Detroit also sends left wing Ryan Kuffner to Edmonton.

The deal:

Oilers get: F Andreas Athanasiou, F Ryan Kuffner

Red Wings get: 2020 second-round pick, 2021 second-round pick, F Sam Gagner

Edmonton Oilers: B+

Captain America made a big move in the latest U.S. Ryder Cup standings.

Patrick Reed's one-shot win at the WGC-Mexico Championship brought with it a seven-figure payday, but it also put the veteran in great position to make his fourth straight Ryder Cup appearance. Reed needed a pick from captain Tiger Woods to make last year's Presidents Cup, but after starting the week in 12th he's now up to third in the U.S. standings.

Reed has been a stalwart on recent American teams, notably pairing with Jordan Spieth in 2014 and 2016 before a less successful pairing with Woods in Paris two years ago. He has a 7-3-2 lifetime record in the biennial competition and has notably never lost a singles' match in either a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup.

Mexico runner-up Bryson DeChambeau also made a significant jump, going from 27th to 13th with his second-place result, while Woods is now on the cusp of the qualification cutoff. Here's a look at the latest U.S. standings, with the top eight after the BMW Championship in August qualifying automatically for Steve Stricker's squad at Whistling Straits:

1. Brooks Koepka

2. Dustin Johnson

3. Patrick Reed

4. Xander Schauffele

5. Webb Simpson

6. Gary Woodland

7. Justin Thomas

8. Tiger Woods

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9. Tony Finau

10. Matt Kuchar

11. Patrick Cantlay

12. Kevin Kisner

The European team standings are split across a European and World Points list, with nine automatic qualifiers joining three additional picks from captain Padraig Harrington. Here's a look at who is currently in position to make the European team, with automatic qualifying running through the BMW Championship in September:

European Points

1. Tommy Fleetwood

2. Jon Rahm

3. Rory McIlroy

4. Victor Perez

World Points

5. Danny Willett

6. Matthew Fitzpatrick

7. Tyrrell Hatton

8. Bernd Wiesberger

9. Graeme McDowell

---

10. Lee Westwood

11. Henrik Stenson

12. Rafa Cabrera-Bello

The road to Winged Foot is officially mapped out.

The USGA announced Monday the list of 12 final qualifying sites, the venues whereby approximately half the field will punch their ticket to this summer's U.S. Open. After conducting 109 local, 18-hole qualifiers from late April to early May, the USGA will turn their attention to a dozen 36-hole qualifiers held across four different countries.

Several final (previously sectional) qualifying sites are familiar, and for the second year in a row there will be a qualifier held in Canada ahead of the RBC Canadian Open. But two courses are hosting final qualifiers for the first time: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Oregon and The Club at Admiral's Cove in Florida.

Entry into the U.S. Open is open until April 22 for any professional or amateur with a handicap index of 1.4 or lower. Steve Jones (1996), Michael Campbell (2005) and Lucas Glover (2009) all won the U.S. Open after advancing out of a qualifier, while Orville Moody (1969) remains the last player to win after advancing through both rounds of qualifying.

The U.S. Open will be held June 18-21 in Mamaroneck, N.Y., as Winged Foot hosts for the first time since 2006. Here's a look at the roster of final qualifying sites this year, with specific allocations of available spots not made until the day of each qualifier:

Monday, May 18

Lakewood CC & Royal Oaks CC (Dallas, Texas)

Monday, May 25

Minagi Golf Club (Hyogo Prefecture, Japan)

Monday, June 8

Walton Heath GC (New & Old Courses) (Surrey, England)

RattleSnake Point GC (CopperHead Course) (Milton, Ontario, Canada)

Lake Merced GC & The Olympic Club (Ocean Course) (Daly City, Calif.)

The Club at Admiral's Cove (North & West Courses) (Jupiter, Fla.)

Ansley GC (Settindown Creek Course) (Roswell, Ga.)

Woodmont CC (North Course) (Rockville, Md.)

Century CC & Old Oaks CC (Purchase, N.Y.)

Brookside CC & The Lakes CC (Columbus, Ohio)

Springfield CC (Springfield, Ohio)

Pumpkin Ridge GC (Witch Hollow Course) (North Plains, Ore.)

Four years after he was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy, Morgan Hoffmann has been named as the latest recipient of the PGA Tour's Courage Award.

Hoffmann, 30, joined the Tour in 2013 after a standout career at Oklahoma State and made the 2014 Tour Championship in his second season. He has compiled a trio of top-3 finishes including a runner-up finish at the 2017 Honda Classic, which came months after he was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). The disorder is characterized by chronic weakness and muscle loss across the chest, shoulders and upper arms.

Hoffmann has remained competitive since, making 11 starts on Tour last season and four this season, most recently missing the cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October.

"To be recognized alongside the past recipients of the PGA Tour Courage Award is very humbling," Hoffmann said. "Playing on the PGA Tour with muscular dystrophy, I hope to inspire people to follow their dreams, no matter what ailments they have, whether it be a disease or a mental disability."

The Tour's Courage Award is presented to players who "overcome extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf." Hoffmann becomes the award's fourth recipient, joining Erik Compton (2013), Jarrod Lyle (2015) and Gene Sauers (2017). The award includes a $25,000 charitable donation, which will be made to the Morgan Hoffmann Foundation later this year at Hoffmann's two-day charity tournament in New Jersey.

Paul Pogba has said that although he doesn't want Manchester United's fierce rivals Liverpool to lift the Premier League title, the French star admits Jurgen Klopp's team will be deserving winners.

Liverpool could become the first side to win the Premier League in March and are contenders to finish the season unbeaten.

Sources: Pogba expects Man United exit; club want over £150m

"They are so way ahead of everyone else," Pogba told ESPN, who has not played for Manchester United since Dec. 26 because of injury.

"They have not lost a single game yet this season in the league. They already have one hand on the Premier League trophy.

"As a Manchester United player and with the rivalry between us, we don't want them to win the title. We don't want anyone else to win apart from us, but as a football lover and a respectful player to opposition team, I have to say that they deserve to be where they are today.

"They have been even better than last season when they won the Champions League and the season before when they [lost the final to Real Madrid].

Pogba also paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on the day of memorial service at the Staples Center celebrating the lives of the Los Angeles Lakers' legend, his daughter Gianna, and seven others passengers after they died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter accident.

"It was a shock for me, for the world, for everyone," Pogba said. "For all the athletes and non-athletes, seeing what happened to a legend like him, a father, a human being, it gave everyone a knock on the head.

"He was an icon. His words, his advice and his determination were inspiring for me and for everyone. He was a hard worker and he influenced me and the world. He influenced everyone to work hard and to believe in their dreams. He showed that you can achieve your dreams.

"It showed that you could leave this world at any time. It can happen to any one of us, whether you are a superstar or working in the market. It is a reminder to everyone to enjoy life as much as possible."

Jos Buttler admits that he cannot continue to be picked on "potential" alone at Test level, after being retained in England's squad for next month's tour of Sri Lanka despite an off-colour showing during the recent Test series in South Africa.

In the midst of an otherwise upbeat run of performances from England's new-look Test team, Buttler's form was a notable exception. He mustered 115 runs in seven innings, with a highest score of 29 - a run that evoked a similar collapse in red-ball confidence on the tour of UAE in 2015-16, after which he played just three more Tests in the next three years.

And in the wake of England's 3-1 series win, there was inevitable speculation about Buttler's future as a Test cricketer - especially given his integral importance to England's white-ball fortunes, both in winning last year's World Cup on home soil and in challenging for three more titles in the next three years: back-to-back 20-over World Cups in Australia and India this winter and next, before the defence of England's 50-over title in 2023, by which stage he may well be the white-ball captain.

Buttler himself, however, insists he still has the drive to succeed in Test cricket, which he describes as "the best form of the game", and says that, despite a Test record that now comprises a solitary century in 73 innings, at an average of 31.74, he retains the "massive self-belief" required to become a world-class player across all three formats.

"I'm very committed to Test cricket," Buttler said. "It's the best form of the game, it's the hardest form of the game. That's what makes it - when you have good moments - the most rewarding. You want to be a part of that.

"My performances may have meant that decision would be taken out of my hands. But fortunately for me I'm on the tour [to Sri Lanka] and really excited about it. I enjoyed the last tour there that we won back in November 2018. I've got good memories from that tour and looking forward to going back."

Though he finished the South Africa tour on a relative high, with a 23-ball fifty in England's series-clinching victory in the third T20I, Buttler acknowledged that his form throughout the tour had not been where he wanted it to be. However, he insisted it was an "easy assumption" to put that down to any sense of a post-World Cup hangover.

"I've got massive self-belief in myself. I'm too old now to get picked on potential but I feel that I haven't got to the level I know I can get to, and that's a big driver for me"

Instead, he insisted that the challenge of "managing your energy" was something that all the world's top players had to get their heads around as they seek to make the most of their finite years at the top level of the sport.

"Definitely a lot went into the World Cup, not just that summer but for four years," Buttler said. "Probably the realisation of it coming together and achieving that, it confuses you a little bit - that's been your clear cut-off for a long time, then that's done. So you've got to quickly reassess.

"But at the same time, I maintain I just haven't played as well as I'd like and that's through decision-making, probably."

There's no let-up in Buttler's 2020 schedule. He sets off for Sri Lanka with the Test squad in early March before linking up with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL immediately after the conclusion of the second Test in the first week of April. Then he returns to England for three Tests against West Indies in June, by which stage the inaugural season of the Hundred will be coming into view. Further international engagements against Australia and Pakistan will complete the English summer, by which stage the T20 World Cup will be looming large. It promises to be a lot of chopping and changing if Buttler truly believes he can compete on all fronts.

"I think trying to manage your energy, it's actually a real skill of the best players around the world," he said. "Learning how to peak at the time you walk to the middle is a massive skill that comes with experience, but you can learn that from watching guys go about it and trying to work out how you do that authentically for yourself.

"Of course you need to find breaks in your schedule, because your mind is your biggest asset, and you need to make sure you can bring that to the best place when you turn up to games of cricket. But there's a crop of guys who are the best players in the world and they're the best players across all the formats.

"I've got massive self-belief in myself, and a lot of it is about fulfilling potential," he added. "I'm too old now to get picked on potential but I feel that I haven't got to the level I know I can get to, and that's a big driver for me. That's my aim every time I turn up to practice, to try and get better and try and reach that level I am capable of. I've always maintained that belief."

Instead of the prospect of any outright rest, Buttler believes that a change will do him just as much good, and said that the chance to cut loose in the recent T20I series came as a "big relief" after a run of ten Tests in a row against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

ALSO READ: Buttler's opening gambit leaves T20 top-order unclear

"I love T20 cricket and it allows you to go out without as many consequences and you can take more risks and move the game on," he said. "To play in that white-ball team again was great because that is the most fun team I have played in for a long time, so that was a great change up.

"I can't think of any times I've played well in Test cricket and gone out and been really aggressive in the way I do in the white-ball game," he added. "In white-ball cricket it might look like risky shots but it doesn't feel like a risk because of the way you break down the probabilities of the game.

"The same is the case in Test cricket, it is about risk management I think. And it is about managing your time when you are waiting to bat. You've got to be aware of what is going on in the game but it is about saving energy as well.

"Maybe if I look back to when I first lost my place in the Test team, I probably listened to too many people," he added. "Everyone's got an opinion on how you should play, and if you're not good with how you manage that, you can confuse yourself, which I certainly did four or five years ago.

"Maybe in South Africa I did that a little bit in terms of, after the first game, thinking I'm going to come out and counter-attack. When actually, you've just got to play the situation in front of you and react best and, as an individual, play how you see best according to that. I maybe didn't do that as well as I would have liked.

"The main skill, and the biggest one that I do well when I'm at my best, is making sure that when I walk out to bat I access being in my zone, whether I've been waiting for six hours or just have a 10-minute turnaround in a T20.

"When I walk out to bat, if I'm in the best frame of mind, that allows me to perform. And looking forward to Sri Lanka. I will try and do more of committing to my way, whether it's trying to block 1000 balls or slog 1000 balls. If that's what I want to try and do, I'll do it."

When Kagiso Rabada earned his fourth active demerit point in a 24-month period and was suspended from the final Test against England last month, his father sent him a little something to make him feel better and it's not what you might expect.

"I sent him a song about the ICC. To cheer him up," Dr Mpho Rabada said, at the launch of his new track, Ska Chechella Morago, a collaboration with family friend and music student Motswedi Modiba at the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town.

The song was inspired by the idea of being able to take flight and its message of positivity is quite unlike the one Rabada senior composed on the fly when he heard that his son had fallen foul of the game's governing body again. Neither of the Rabadas would share the content but Mpho Rabada said it was "quite hilarious," and hoped that "maybe one day," his son would release it. Judging by the look on Kagiso Rabada's face it will be a long time before that happens. But, asked if he could sing something to the ICC, Rabada brightened up and offered a few chords. "Please don't judge me," he started, before the room gave way to giggles.

At least everyone could see the lighter side of what has been a tough summer for South African cricket and Kagiso Rabada, who, at 24 years old, is already five years into his international career. In that time, injuries to more experienced quicks meant that he was quickly elevated to leader of the pack while he was trying to find a level of aggression that intimidated opposition but did not tip him over the ICC's code of conduct edge.

It's little wonder he needs an outlet off the field and he has found it on the turntables. "Music has always been a part of me and my family. It's something to get away and just think about something else," Rabada Jnr said.

His father shares a passion for the beat and the pair spend time together experimenting with sounds, mixing tracks and seeing what happens. That's where Modiba comes in. She is the daughter of Mpho Rabada's best friend and an aspiring singer, who is influenced by gospel music. While Modiba and Mpho have taken the step up and released a single, Kagiso has been working with DJ Da Capo on some house music, which the pair have yet to put the finishing touches on, given their busy schedules.

So for now, music remains a hobby for Kagiso Rabada, and a motivator as he goes about trying to get the South African team and his own performances back on track. Like many sportsmen, he can be spotted with headphones on when he gets off the team bus; most of the time, he is listening to traditional tunes. "For me to get inspiration, that comes from tribal music, African tribal. That gets me going, the different sounds, the chants, it's like I am bonding with my ancestors," he said.

With music such an important part of his process, it's not a surprise that he bonds with the crowd at St George's Park, famed for their brass band. Last Sunday, when South Africa beat Australia in a tense T20 to square the series and Rabada bowled a decisive penultimate over, he could feel the fans acting as a 12th man.

"The atmosphere was really electric. That was the first time in a while where I actually felt the crowd, other than being at the Wanderers," he said. "The Wanderers is my favourite ground because of the electrical atmosphere. Yesterday was similar to what I felt at the Wanderers, it was a sell-out and the band came out and we were in it together."

That is a rarity in South Africa, especially this season, when most of the spectators were traveling English supporters. During the white-ball games that changed, with capacity crowds of mostly local supporters and it is set to stay that way for the deciding T20 against Australia on Wednesday and the three ODIs that follow.

Generally, though, South Africans don't fill out cricket grounds and Kagiso Rabada thinks the team's performances have something to do with it. "We have to win and we have to entertain the crowd," he said "People need to feel an interest towards the game, even more of an interest than they feel already, to want to go the stadium and witness international cricket. If they realise that the skill level is going up, the professionalism is going up and they are going to be entertained, they might come."

Though South Africa's results have been poor of late, even when they were No.1 in the world Test crowds were thin, which could be attributed to anything from lack of interest to lack of time to lack of marketing. Cricket South Africa has been embroiled in various crises since the failed T20 Global League almost three years ago and has lost major sponsors. At best, they have appeared out of touch with their audience, at worst, uninterested.

Kagiso Rabada spent time last week experiencing the opposite when he traveled to the NBA All-Star game. While his highlight was seeing LeBron James because he "admires watching other sportsmen doing well in their craft," he also saw first-hand how a sport can speak the same language as its supporters.

"What fascinated me the most was how it's marketed and how it's really fresh and they keep with the times," he said. "It's got everybody talking about it. It doesn't have an age barrier. If you are older, you can go there and feel young because that energy is electrifying. Music and sport go together in America, the in-thing is trap music and the hip culture. It just feels as if the culture is so inviting and they are always staying on top of it. There is tradition, yes but they keep with the times."

Sounds like a message to cricket to get the DJs in and they know the Rabada household has a few they can start with.