Hot Button: Isles trade for Canucks' Horvat ... Purdy has torn UCL, needs surgery ... NHL legend Bobby Hull dies ... Ref explains down do-over in Bengals-Chiefs game

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ISLES ACQUIRE HORVAT
TO BOOST OFFENSE

Monday, January 30: The Islanders were looking to boost their offense and did so in a big way Monday, trading for Canucks forward and captain Bo Horvat in exchange for forward Anthony Beauvillier, forward prospect Aatu Raty and a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick, a steep price to pay for Horvat, who will be an unrestricted free -agent after the season.

Horvat, 27, has 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games for Vancouver this season. He was was widely rumored to be on the trade block because of his contract status and the Canucks having little hope of making the playoffs at 43 points entering the All-Star break. 

Beauvillier, 25, has 9 goals and 11 assists through 49 games in a bottom-six role for the Islanders. In parts of seven seasons, all with New York, he has 102 goals and 107 assists.

Raty, 20, was the Islanders' second-round pick in 2021. The Finnish center made his NHL debut this season, playing New York's last 12 games and registering two goals. 

Terms of the conditional pick were not reported.

My take: Good move for the Islanders, particularly if they can sign Horvat to an extension. His all-around game is a good fit for the Metro, providing strong 200-feet play in all situations and is good on the dot at 56 percent. The Penguins' road to the playoffs just got a bit tougher. — Bob 

PURDY HAS TORN UCL,
WILL HAVE SURGERY

Monday, January 30: The 49ers did not get the new they hoped Monday when an MRI showed Brock Purdy with a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament which will require surgery. While consulting specialists, the organization hopes he will only need a repair instead of a Tommy John reconstructiuon. A repair has a return-to-play timeline of six months, making him likely to participate in a little of training camp, while a Tommy John reconstruction would require nine months to one year until he could return. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said the 49ers believe it will be the repair.

Prior to the injury many believed Purdy, the last player selected in the 2022 draft, was the frontrunner to be the starter over Trey Lance in 2023, regadless of the outcome of Sunday's championship game. Purdy went 5-0 after taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, who had himself taken over for an injured Lance. He then won two playoff games, going a combined 37 of 59 for 546 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Seahawks and Cowboys.

My take: Tough luck for the kid, who has star potential. Here's hoping for a complete and speedy recovery. That said, Lance is going to get another shot to be the guy in San Fran. He better step up or he'll be out when Purdy returns. — Bob

NHL LEGEND 'GOLDEN JET'
HULL DIES

Monday, January 30: NHL legend Bobby Hull, a two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the National Hockey League's most valuable player and the Blackhawks' all-time leading goal scorer, has died, according to a team release. He was 84. No cause of death was reported.

Hull entered the NHL with Chicago as a 19-year-old in 1957, finishing second in the Calder Trophy race with 13 goals and 34 assists, earning the nickname "The Golden Jet" for his speed and blond locks. Beginning in 1959, Hull began a streak of 17 consecutive seasons of 31 or more goals, between the NHL's Blackhawks and the WHL's Winnipeg Jets, eight times eclipsing 50 goals. Known for his blistering slap shot, in 15 seasons with the Blackhawks — 12 times and All-Star — he scored 604 goals and assisted on 549 in 1,036 games, winning a Stanley Cup in 1961. He won three Art Ross Trophies as the league's leading scorer (1960, 1962, 1966). In retirement, he served as a team ambassador until 2022.

Hull then earned the first $1-million annual contract when he signed to join the fledgling World Hockey Association in 1972. He played with the Jets until the league folded in 1979, winning three championships and two Gordie Howe Awards as WHA MVP. He scored 303 goals and 335 assists in 411 games. He returned to the NHL for one injury-riddled season with the Jets and Whalers before retiring in 1980 at age 41.

In total, as a professional, Hull scored 907 goals, adding 884 assists (1,791 points) in 1,447 games. The NHL does not recognize WHL statistics. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 on his first ballot. The Blackhawks, Jets and Coyotes (original Jets) have retired his uniform No. 9. 

Hull is also famously the father of NHL great Brett Hull, the first father-son duo in the Hall of Fame and the only father-son duo listed among the NHL's Top 100 players, as announced in 2017.

Hull's personal life was not without controversy. He was accused of multiple instances of domestic abuse by two wives and made inflammatory comments in 1998, when a Russian newspaper quoted him as saying "Hitler had some good ideas. He just went a bit too far."

My take: I never really got to see Hull play because he was in the WHA when I was learning to love the game, but I've seen some old games on tape and he was a man among boys on the ice. Kind of makes me respect and appreciate Brett that much more as a player, following up his legendary father by having a legendary career of his own. Bobby's personal life was troubling, I hope he made peace with that. — Bob

REF EXPLAINS DO-OVER PLAY
IN BENGALS CHIEFS GAME

Monday, January 30: Referee Ron Torbert explained to pool reporter Ben Baby following the Bengals-Chiefs AFC Championship Game that the controversial "do-over" play in the fourth quarter wasn't controversial at all, at least from the crew's perspective. 

On a third-down play in the fourth quarter, the Bengals forced an incompletion and the Chiefs were going to punt.  However, officials ruled the play was dead before it started because the field judge blew his whistle before the snap. According to Torbert, he stopped the play clock because the line judge needed to respot the ball and when he signaled to restart the play clock, the game clock started, as well. The field judge responded by running onto the field, blowing his whistle to kill the play because the play clock should not run after an incomplete pass. As such, the officials ruled to replay the down as the play had been blown dead before the snap.

The Bengals got a sack on the next play, but an Eli Apple holding call gave the Chiefs an automatic first down. Cincinnati did eventually force a punt, but the controversial incident eventually resulted in over two minutes gone on the game clock before Cincinnati got the ball back.

My take: Sounds like the officials did the right thing. Hard to argue with the logic, but why couldn't they take 10 seconds to explain it to us? Communication with the fans about on-field decisions is part of the problem with NFL officiating. 

NFL CAP INCREASING
TO $224.8 MILLION

Monday, January 30: The NFL Network reported Monday that a source has confirmed the league has informed all 32 teams the 2023 salary cap will increase $16.6 million to $224.8 million.

According to OvertheCap.com, with existing contracts, the Steelers would have just over $1 million in cap space, carrying $5 million in dead money. The Bears on the other hand, will be $91 million under, forcing that franchise to spend some money to get in range of the 89 percent  cap floor (teams must average 89 percent of the cap over a four year span to be in compliance).

My take: A couple million short of what was expected. If you're worried about the Steelers, don't be. About half the league is close to or over the projected cap. Cuts, restructures and the increase will give them the space they need to address the holes needing filled. — Bob

EAGLES AND CHIEFS: KELCE
BROS TO MEET IN SUPER BOWL

Note: We're close to 200 comments but I'm letting this file stay up through Monday so others have the opportunity to join the conversations in comments. See you there.

Sunday, January 29: The two top-seeded teams will meet in Super Bowl LVII on February 12 as the Chiefs outlasted the Bengals, 23-20, on a last-seconds field goal and the Eagles dominated the injury-ravaged 49ers, 31-7. All-everything Eagles center Jason Kelce and his All-everything tight-end brother Travis of the Chiefs can hitch a ride with their parents to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. When it's over, one will have a second world championship.

That will be one of the story lines, as will be the health of Patrick Mahomes in his effort to win his second Super Bowl, and how Jalen Hurts will respond to the biggest of big stages. Both men, frontrunners to be league MVP, left little doubt Sunday they are deserving of that award. 

Mahomes, playing one week after suffering a high-ankle sprain that usually puts players out 4 to 6 weeks, went 29 of 43 for 326 yards and two touchdowns at "Burrowhead" stadium, as Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton called it earlier this week for his quarterback's past success at Kansas City. Joe Burrow, however, threw two interceptions, one in the fourth quarter to kill a potential go-ahead drive, and he failed to get into scoring position on the next and last time he had the ball. It was here that the ghosts of playoff Bengals past visited themselves upon their current brethren. First, they ensuing punt was returned by rookie Skyy Moore 29 yards to the Kansas City 47 with 30 seconds remaining. The Cincinnati defense stiffened, as it did for much of the second half, and it seemed that the game was headed to overtime. But the most unlikely thing happened — Mahomes scrambled on his gimpy leg for five yards and a first down to the Bengals' 42 when linebacker Joseph Ossai channeled Vontaze Burfict and gave Mahomes a forearm shove in the nameplate after he was out of bounds, sending both to the ground. The flag flew and Kansas City was set up at the 27-yard line. Harrison Butker made the 45-yard field goal. The Chiefs punched their Super Bowl ticket and the Bengals won the Stupor Bowl.

Hurts didn't put up huge numbers, but he didn't have to. The Eagles put up 31 points with just 269 total yards with Hurts accounting for 160 of them (121 passing, 39 rushing and a touchdown). The appropriately named Kenneth Gainwell had 74 scrimmage yards including two plays of 17 yards and a few crucial third-down conversions. Miles Sanders had two rushing touchdowns and Boston Scott had another. Despite the game's hype, it ended as a dud. The Eagles bullied the 49ers in the trenches, pressuring quarterback Brock Purdy early and forcing him from the game on his sixth snap when a sack-fumble by Hasson Reddick injured his arm. Purdy was later diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament injury which the team hopes will not require Tommy John surgery. An MRI is scheduled for Monday. The Niners were forced to turn to fourth quarterback Josh Johnson, appearing with his seventh team and on his 13th NFL roster in 14 years. Johnson did lead a second-quarter touchdown drive and there was a sliver of hope that yet another down-roster quarterback could have success in Kyle Shanahan's offense. But all that ended in the third quarter when Johnson suffered a concussion when he was hit in the pocket and slammed his head on the turf. He was ruled out and Purdy, unable to throw the ball any longer than a few yards, re-entered and handed the ball off the rest of the way, tossing two short screen passes. In the end, San Francisco had 164 total yards, just over half on Christian McCaffrey rushes. They also had 11 penalties accepted against, many sustaining or extending Philly drives. The team that hadn't lost since October was suddenly out after losing their collective cool, the line-of-scrimmage battle and the greater war of attrition.

• Officiating continues to be a problem, but not to the conspiratorial game-fixing level some claim occured Sunday in the Chiefs game. Two big calls against the Bengals — an intentional grounding call against Burrow in the drive before the Chiefs scored and the Ossai roughing were legitimate. An interference call against Hilton was laughable, and a third-down do-over was downright inexcusable after the Bengals forced a Chiefs punt was granted because a ref blew a whistle for no apparent reason. Additionally, general management and control of the games was terrible and too many things obvious to home viewers are getting missed or unjustly called on the field. That no one, including the "eye in the sky," missed an obvious fourth-down incompletion called a catch on the field by DeVonta Smith for 29 yards to the Niners' 6 is ridiculous. Demerits, too, to Shanahan for not challenging. It's a huge play and it's a first-half timeout if it fails. Big deal. Still, the officiating — and these are the highest rated crews — is getting worse, primarily through inconsistency and endless huddling after every flag as they second-guess what forced them to toss the flag in the first place. The NFL is a gazillion dollar business. Pay for full-time refs who are better suited to run on the field that run a boardroom. 

My (additional) take: Advantage Eagles. Mahomes is always an X-factor — his arm talemt is so good he only needs one leg. But that Eagles defensive line is one of the better ones I've ever seen. They won't self destruct like the 49ers. — Bob

BRUINS SERIOUS AFTER
FIRST TWO-GAME SLIDE

Saturday, January 28: Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was very serious after the Bruins lost consecutive games for the first time all season, and in stunning fashion. Following their 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers, Montgomery was serious in stating, "We're facing a little adversity right now. First time all year that we haven't prevailed in two games in a row. So, we're going to have look at what we're doing wrong, and ways to get better."

It collapsed quickly for Boston after David Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead with 49 seconds remaining. With the goalie pulled, Aleksander Barkov ties the game with just under three seconds remaining, then Barkov set up San Reinhart for the game-winner just 17 seconds into overtime.

Despite the recent skid, Boston has still won 16 of it's last 20 games and leads the National Hockey League with 81 points (38-6-5). No other team has more than 70.

It's the second crazy finish in as many nights after the Hurricanes stunned the Sharks on Friday with two goals to tie in the final 1:37, then scoring the OT winner just 55 seconds in, for three goals in 2:32.

My take: Have to love Montgomery's attitude. Six regulation losses all season and they're going to the drawing board after two straight defeats, each by a goal, and one in overtime. Just 17 lost points entering the All-Star Game break. I have a pretty good idea they'll figure it out. — Bob

ACUNA JR. RETIRES FROM VENZUELAN 
BASEBALL AHEAD OF WBC

Friday, January 27: Ronald Acuna Jr. has had enough. The Braves' All-Star outfielder will never play baseball in Venezuela again, officially retiring from his home country's baseball leagues after a series of incidents in a Winter League game had some of his family members involved in a brawl in the stands. It started with a home-run celebration by Acuna in the fourth inning of a game Tuesday night, which lasted throughout his trot around the bases:

Some fans were not happy and began harassing Acuna's family in the stands, eventually turning into a fight in the seventh inning with punches being thrown. After hearing of the incident, Acuna retired. 

The 25-year-old was scheduled to play for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic in March, but that will no longer be possible if Acuna maintains his retirement, meaning he would remain in Braves spring training until the season begins.

In an extension of the story, Alex Rodriguez criticized Acuna's home-run trot on a podcast, claiming he'd gone too far in showing up the other team. In response, Acuna trolled Rodriguez online:

Translated, it reads, "Alex Gonzalez, life must be difficult after retirement. When talking about the best SS in Venezuela nobody mentions you, your numbers are not impressive and now you want to use my name for attention. I keep playing, making history, and you keep criticizing from the sofa at home." 

My take: I always hated the bat flip and the Derek Dietrich-esque showboating on home runs, but I've come to accept them as a part of the game. Acuna's was ridiculous, but it certainly didn't warrant his family being pestered. That said, it's a bit of an overreaction to "retire" from Venezuelan baseball at 25, particularly with how popular he is in his home country. I'd expect a reconciliation. — Bob

REID ANNOUNCES MAHOMES
TO START TITLE GAME

Friday, January 27: It's official: Patrick Mahomes will start Sunday in the AFC Championship Game against the  Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium, according to head coach Andy Reid. Chad Henne will back up, as usual, but no mention was made of whether a third quarterback will be active.

Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the Divisional Round win over the Jaguars Saturday night. He was listed as "questionable" on the official injury report, as was tight end Travis Kelce (back), but each practiced in full Friday.

During media availability Friday, Reid said the offense can be adapted if Mahomes has limited mobility, as it was during her second half of the Jaguars game, confirming they " ... have enough in the game plan where you can kind of pick and choose where you want to go with it. ... Obviously you don't use all the plays in the game plan, but they're available and so if you have to go a certain direction, you can go that direction with the calls.'' 

Mahomes has not missed a game to injury since 2019. He missed two games in 2020 because of the NFL's COVID-19 protocol. He said Thursday the ankle was feeling better than he expected but admitted Friday, "All I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and then when we get in the game you hope adrenaline takes over and you can make those throws when you need to.''

My take: Duh. Mahomes was never going to sit this one out, but he will be stuck in the pocket. I'd expect a bunch of motion sets, jet sweeps and a concerted effort to establish the running game to mitigate the pressure from the Bengals defensive front. Knowing Mahomes will be limited is a huge advantage for Cincy as it game plans. — Bob