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Defense helps US team to the World Cup final

WWE seeking to block concussion-related lawsuits

Associated Press <div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>Associated Press</bylineMeta></div>PITTSBURGH &#8212; Phil Kessel spent six years in Toronto trying to lift the Maple Leafs out of the churn of mediocrity.All the goals &#8212; 181 of them while wearing a leaf on the front of his sweater &#8212; failed to turn Toronto into a contender or quiet the critics who wondered whether the talented forward cared enough or worked hard enough to justify his status as one of the elite players in the NHL.That won&#8217;t be an issue in Pittsburgh, not after the Penguins acquired the 27-year-old in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday they hope will rejuvenate Kessel&#8217;s career while giving stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin a running mate that can come close to matching their pedigree and production.&#8220;He was always the guy, he was a guy that was blamed when things weren&#8217;t going well, and he doesn&#8217;t have to be the guy here,&#8221; Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said. &#8220;We have a bunch of them, and so I believe that he&#8217;s going to fit in very well.&#8221;The Penguins sent forward prospect Kasperi Kapanen, forward Nick Spaling, defenseman Scott Harrington and a 2016 third-round pick to the Maple Leafs for Kessel, forward Tyler Briggs and defenseman Tim Erixon. Conditional draft picks are also involved.The centerpiece, however, is Kessel, who has 247 goals and 273 assists in nine seasons between Boston and Toronto, including 25 goals and 36 assists for the Maple Leafs in 2014-15.Dynamic and dependable &#8212; he hasn&#8217;t missed a game in more than five seasons &#8212; Kessel will get a chance to play with two of the best in the game for the Penguins, who were in desperate need of a top six forward to ignite an offense that limped through an injury-filled season before going out in the first round of the playoffs.Rutherford stressed it will be on coach Mike Johnston to figure out where Kessel lines up on a given night. He spent more than half a decade shouldering the burden in Toronto, which made the postseason just once with Kessel&#8217;s No. 81 in the lineup.Predators re-sign RibeiroNASHVILLE, Tenn. &#8212; The Nashville Predators are keeping forward Mike Ribeiro, who signed a two-year, $7 million contract Wednesday on the opening day of free agency.The 35-year-old Ribeiro scored 15 goals and had 47 assists for the Predators this past season. He was sued in March by a woman who accuses him of sexual assault, but Predators general manager David Poile complimented him as a &#8220;good teammate&#8221; on Tuesday and signed him a day later.Sabres draftee Eichel signs entry level dealBUFFALO, N.Y. &#8212; Buffalo Sabres draftee Jack Eichel signed his first professional contract on Wednesday, opting to skip his final three years of college eligibility.Buffalo selected the physical 18-year-old center No. 2 overall in last week&#8217;s draft, picking a player who won the 2015 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey.The physical center had 26 goals and 45 assists in 40 games with Boston University. He was the second freshman to nab the Baker award &#8212; Maine&#8217;s Paul Kariya won it in 1993.Rangers busy on opening day of free agencyGREENBURGH, N.Y. &#8212; The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Raphael Diaz and forwards Jayson Megna, Matt Lindblad, Viktor Stalberg and Brian Gibbons as free agents.Rangers general manager and president Glen Sather announced the moves on Wednesday as the NHL kicked off free agency. Contract terms were not immediately available.

Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Phil Kessel from Maple Leafs in major trade