ST. PAUL, Minn. — Travis Dermott watched Thursday night’s Edmonton Oilers blowout of the Minnesota Wild from Xcel Energy Center, then hopped on the Oilers charter and landed in Alberta’s capital city at 1:30 a.m. MT. At noon MT Friday, Dermott was claimed off waivers by the Wild. In less than an hour, Dermott frantically packed and was in a car headed back to Edmonton’s airport for a flight to Denver first then another that would land him back in the Twin Cities just before midnight Friday night. Advertisement At 1 p.m. Saturday, exactly 24 hours after the Wild plucked him from the Oilers, Dermott is expected to play his first game in a month when the Wild try to avoid regulation losses for the first time this season when they drop the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers . But this is how desperate the Wild were for a left-shot defenseman. With Daemon Hunt now playing in Cleveland after being traded to Columbus last month for right-shot defenseman David Jiricek, the Wild’s injury to Jonas Brodin coupled with Jake Middleton suddenly being sidelined long-term following what league sources said was surgery Friday on at least a broken finger, the Wild were put in a position where they needed an NHL body that could play the left side. GO DEEPER Wild claim Travis Dermott off waivers after placing Jake Middleton on LTIR In fortunate timing, Dermott was placed on waivers Thursday by Edmonton after playing only 10 games this season and none since Nov. 19. After getting the X-ray results for Middleton, Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin gave Oilers GM Stan Bowman a heads-up that he may have to put in a claim for Dermott. The Wild were 31 st on the waiver priority list, so the team was actually on pins and needles Friday that they’d nab Dermott knowing there were other teams, like the New York Rangers , that could have use for a left-shot D. “Jake has been playing incredibly well, and he’s a big part of the team,” Guerin said Friday. “And, yeah, it’s disappointing. But it’s part of the game, and you have to do certain things to cover for guys. It’s not a season-long injury, but it’ll be significant time. And, yeah, it’s disappointing. But we picked up Travis today, and he’ll help. And he’s been a good player in the league for a long time now. He’s got over 300 games in the league, and he’ll help.” He’ll have to quickly shake off the rust. The Wild’s left-shot defensemen next to Brock Faber , Jared Spurgeon and Zach Bogosian are suddenly Dermott, Declan Chisholm and Jon Merrill . Advertisement Guerin did tell The Athletic that first-round pick Carson Lambos is playing much better in Iowa and his NHL debut may not be too far off. But to say depth is being strained is an understatement. The good news is the Wild hope Brodin, who has missed eight games with an upper-body injury, is closing in on a return. The Wild wouldn’t yet pronounce Brodin ready to return against the Flyers. In fact, considering the Wild play at 5 p.m. Sunday against the Vegas , it’s unlikely the Wild would want Brodin coming back for back-to-back games. So if he’s actually going to return this weekend, Sunday’s game makes the most sense. “I’ve seen him play since he was in Junior,” Guerin said of Dermott. “He brings good energy. He can skate well, he can move pucks. We really like him. (Assistant coach) Jason King had him for a short time (in Vancouver). I think he’s going to adapt well to the way we play. “I think just being a good skater and puck move, he’s been in the league long enough where he can adjust quickly. He’s played in several different systems and stuff. So I think he’ll be able to pick it up and just help us in that way.” Middleton was placed on long-term injured reserve. That means he has to miss 10 games and 24 days, whichever is longer. Since 10 games from now is less than 24 days, the soonest Middleton is eligible to return is 12 games from now, Jan. 7 against St. Louis . However, it sounds like Guerin expects him to be out longer. “I don’t think it’ll be (February or March),” he said, before adding sarcastically, “I’ve got to go back in my medical notes. See the history on these types of things. I don’t even want to guess. It’s probably week to week. That’s what I would guess, yeah.” Here is Jake Middleton’s injury. His night ended 37 seconds into his first shift. Struck on hand by one of the NHL’s hardest shooters pic.twitter.com/CmLT5RdQQ3 — Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 13, 2024 It is amazing how injuries are piling up with Brodin, Mats Zuccarello , Joel Eriksson Ek and now Middleton. These are all significant players who play significant roles, and sometimes timing is everything. It was not a good night to be playing the Oilers when you’re without your top checking center and most mobile defenseman, then lose Middleton one shift into the game. Advertisement But like Brodin, Zuccarello, who has also been on LTIR, is close to returning — maybe as soon as Saturday’s game against the Flyers. “Listen, it’s not a great spot,” Guerin said. “It’s kind of funny, the last couple of years it seems like it hasn’t been one injury, get a guy back, another injury. It’s like all at one time. That’s not great, but hopefully we’re getting guys back in the very near future and they can start to help and we just move on.” Fortunately for the Wild, they have put a lot of points in the bank — the second-most in the West. Middleton, who leads the NHL with a plus-22, is a mammoth loss though. He leads the Wild’s defensemen with five goals, ranks second with 13 points and may be the biggest character in the dressing room, so his loss will be felt in more areas than the ice. “Look, there’s nothing we can do,” Guerin said. “I can be as concerned as I want, it doesn’t change anything. ... I can’t control that, the players can’t control, the coaches can’t. The only thing we can control is our attitude, how we prepare for games, our confidence and you know what, we go out and try to win games. That’s it. There’s nothing else we can do. I just don’t like seeing our players hurt.” The unfortunate part of the Wild being stuck in LTIR is it stops the ability to accrue cap space for a potential trade deadline addition and could cause a cap overage that will lower the Wild’s cap ceiling next season, especially with Faber and Marco Rossi on pace to hit performance bonuses. Asked if he thinks this will hurt his trade deadline plans to possibly add a top-six forward, Guerin said, “Yeah, I mean, it probably will. And again, that’s just one of those things. We can’t control it. We’ve been doing our best to build up cap space as we go along. But things happen and we can’t necessarily control it all the time. We’ll see what we can do though. That’s a couple months away. So we’ll see.” (Photo of Jake Middleton: Matt Blewett / Imagn Images)FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — Freiburg survived a late comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 and move into fifth place in the Bundesliga on Friday. The sides started the day equal on points and Wolfsburg had won its last five games in the league and cup. But Lukas Kübler scored an opportunist opener three minutes before the break and added a second with his head six minutes into the second half to put Freiburg in the driving seat. Michael Gregoritsch added the third in the 62nd. Jonas Wind came off the bench to score his third goal in two games and Mattias Svanberg cut the deficit seven minutes from time as Wolfsburg desperately looked for a way into the game. Story continues below video But it was too late, and Freiburg moved above Wolfsburg to fifth place on the table and equal on points with Leipzig, which has a game in hand. The match was an important one for two teams vying for a Champions League place next year. Although Bayern Munich have a six-point advantage over second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, only eight points separate the next nine clubs. 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ROSEN, NATIONAL TRIAL LAWYERS, Encourages Light & Wonder, Inc. Investors to Inquire About ...Vladimir Putin said the use of the new weapon to strike a target in Dnipro was in response to Ukraine’s use of UK and US-supplied missiles in Russia. The world must respond to Russia’s use of a new ballistic missile, Volodymyr Zelensky said as Vladimir Putin threatened to strike the UK with his hypersonic weapon. The Ukrainian president said the use of a ballistic missile to hit Dnipro was a “clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war” and he warned that Russian president Mr Putin would attack or destabilise other countries unless stopped. Mr Putin said the use of the new weapon was in response to the UK and US allowing missiles they have supplied to Ukraine to be used to strike targets in Russia. “In response to the use of American and British long-range weapons on November 21 of this year, the Russian armed forces launched a combined strike on one of the facilities of the Ukrainian defence industry,” Mr Putin said in a televised address. “One of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested in combat conditions, in this case, with a ballistic missile in a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead.” He added: “We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.” But Mr Zelensky urged world leaders – his “dear partners” – not to be cowed by Mr Putin’s actions otherwise there will be “endless Russian strikes” and “not just against Ukraine”. “A lack of tough reactions to Russia’s actions sends a message that such behavior is acceptable,” the Ukrainian president said on X, formerly Twitter. “This is what Putin is doing. Putin must feel the cost of his deranged ambitions. “Response is needed. Pressure is needed. Russia must be forced into real peace, which can only be achieved through strength. “Otherwise, there will be endless Russian strikes, threats, and destabilisation-not just against Ukraine.” The UK is believed to have allowed its Storm Shadow missiles to be used by Ukrainian forces within the Kursk region of Russia, while the US has given permission for its ATACMS weapons to be fired at targets in Mr Putin’s country. Mr Putin confirmed Russia has tested the new intermediate-range weapon in an attack on Dnipro in response. The US said the weapon was a new, experimental intermediate-range missile based on Russia’s existing RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. In Westminster, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “My understanding is that it is the first time that Russia has used a ballistic missile in Ukraine with a range of several thousand kilometres.” Defence Secretary John Healey said it was “yet another example of Putin’s recklessness”. He said: “Since the illegal invasion of Ukraine began, Russia has consistently and irresponsibly escalated the conflict while Ukraine continues to fight in self-defence for a democratic future.” The missile’s range far outstrips that of newly authorised US and British-supplied weapons, which can hit targets around 250-300km away. The distance from Moscow to London is around 2,500km, suggesting the range of the new missile could threaten the UK. Mr Healey said the UK knew Russia had been “preparing for months” to fire a new ballistic missile. Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence have repeatedly declined to comment publicly on Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow. “It risks both operational security and in the end the only one that benefits from such a public debate is President Putin,” Mr Healey told MPs. The head of the UK’s armed forces, Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, met Mr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss the war on Thursday. Mr Zelensky said: “We discussed defence co-operation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, focusing on developing and enhancing the technological capabilities of the armed forces of Ukraine. “Particular attention was given to Ukraine’s current military needs and the continued support from our partners.”
Traveling this holiday season? 10 things the TSA wants you to knowThe New York Rangers called up goaltender Dylan Garand today as starting netminder Igor Shesterkin had to take a leave of absence from the team. Shesterkin is obviously one of the most important players if not the single most important player to the Rangers, but some things in life are more important than hockey. That is exactly why he is currently away from the team. Shesterkin and his wife are currently expecting their second child. This morning, his wife Anna went into labor so obviously Igor had to be there with her. As such, the team recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack. The move put the team over the 23-man roster, which would normally be a violation of NHL rules. However, the Rangers would not need to make an additional move if Garand was recalled on an emergency basis. It is not clear if that is the case or not though. Quick got the net this afternoon and got lit up by Seattle, giving up 6 goals on 21 shots. The Kraken would add an empty-netter to seal the game by a final score of 7-5. If Shesterkin is not able to return to the team tomorrow, which seems somewhat likely, the team would be forced to start a 38-year-old Quick on back-to-back days, or give the 22-year-old Garand his first taste of the NHL. Garand was a 4th round pick of the Rangers back in 2020. In 11 games at the AHL level this year he has a 7-2-2 record, a 2.42 goals-against-average, and a .917 save percentage. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to see if he makes his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks . This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.Harris: Fine Gael ‘will gain seats’ amid further fragmentation of Irish politicsBayan al-Hinnawi, who spent years behind bars in Bashar al-Assad's Syria, joined crowds in the heartland of the Druze minority on Friday to celebrate the president's fall, "a dream" come true for the former prisoner. Hundreds of people descended on Sweida's main square, singing and clapping in jubilation, just days after Islamist-led rebels took the capital Damascus, sending Assad fleeing. The Druze-majority city in Syria's south has been a focal point of renewed anti-government demonstrations over the past year and a half. On Friday, residents waved Syria's pre-Assad flag of white, green and black with three stars, and raised olive branches in a sign of peace. Some of them have lost family members during the anti-government uprising that began in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. Others, like Hinnawi, had languished in prison under the Assad family's five-decade rule. "It was a dream," said 77-year-old Hinnawi of Assad's ouster. Decades ago, a few years after Hafez al-Assad seized power -- which he later handed over to his son Bashar -- a 23-year-old Hinnawi was jailed. He was released 17 years later. The grey-haired man said he had "dreamed that one day the regime would fall", but did not believe that he would live to see the day. "It's a wonderful sight. Nobody could have imagined that this could happen", he said. But his joy was incomplete, remembering the many who have died in jail. "I wish that those who died when I was imprisoned in Mazzeh or Saydnaya could see this scene," said Hinnawi. Since Assad's fall, rebel forces and residents have broken into both detention centres, freeing political prisoners and searching for long-missing loved ones. Activists and rights groups say the Assad government tortured and abused inmates at both facilities. "I got out when I was 40, I missed out of my whole life," said Hinnawi, who served in the Syrian army before being jailed. Recalling torture behind bars, he said that "no oppressor in history has done what they did to us." Since Sunday, the ousted government's security forces were nowhere to be seen in Sweida, and the office of Assad's Baath party has been abandoned, as have army checkpoints on the road to Damascus. Local armed men are present, but not the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the rebel offensive against Assad. Siham Zein al-Din, who lost her son in 2014 after he defected from the national army to join rebel fighters, said he had "sacrificed his life... for freedom, for dignity". The family was still searching for Khaldun's remains, said his 60-year-old mother. Like her son, some members of the Druze community took up arms against Assad's forces during the war. The Druze, who also live in Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, make up about three percent of Syria's population, around 700,000 people. Beyond defending themselves from attacks in the areas where they live, Syria's Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the civil war. Many managed to avoid compulsory conscription since 2011. Residents of Sweida have long complained of discrimination and the lack of basic services. Many buildings in the city are constructed from black volcanic stone that can be found in the area, and its roads have fallen into disrepair. Sheikh Marwan Hussein Rizk, a religious leader, said that "Sweida province has been marginalised" for decades, with most of its residents living in poverty. But, surrounded by the joyful protesters, Rizk said better days may be coming. "Today, we look to the future and ask for a helping hand... Our hand is extended to all Syrians." Next to him, resident Hussein Bondok held up a poster of his brother Nasser, a journalist and opposition activist who was last heard from in 2014 when he was arrested. Bondok, 54, said he believes his brother was likely killed under torture in one of Damascus's prisons. Nasser struggled for freedom, Bondok said. "I want to congratulate him now, because the seeds he had planted with his brothers-in-arms has become a tree." lk/ami/it
Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers continues to prove he is one of the best-undrafted players ever at his positionWild host the Predators after Spurgeon's 2-goal performanceBy Elizabeth Ayoola, NerdWallet The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments. Kids are often pretty good at being consumers. If you’re a parent with a small business, you have the opportunity to show your kids firsthand what it means to be a producer. Small Business Saturday, which takes place on Nov. 30 this year, may be a great time to do just that. Small Business Saturday was established by American Express in 2010 and encourages consumers to patronize their local stores as a way to keep dollars circulating within their community. Here are three reasons you should consider getting your kids involved in Small Business Saturday, according to two mompreneurs. It teaches them positive work values Ronne Brown is the owner of HERLISTIC, a plant-derived beauty and feminine care brand in Washington, D.C. She’s been participating in Small Business Saturday since she established her business in 2020. The entrepreneur gets her kids (ages 24, 18 and 12), plus her bonus daughter, 10, to help out on Small Business Saturday and beyond. Brown’s kids help with customer service, shipping and fulfillment tasks. That could include counting inventory, quality control or packaging boxes. Other times, help looks like Brown’s 12-year-old daughter keeping her up-to-date with TikTok trends and influencers in the beauty field. “I just want them to understand the price and the value of a dollar and what it actually costs to make it,” Brown says. The mompreneur also hopes her kids learn the benefits of commitment and hard work. “What I want to show them is that you have to work hard every day. And there are gonna be moments where you’re gonna be tired, you’re gonna be exhausted, and you’re not gonna want to do things, and you’re going to have to push through,” she says. It creates an opportunity to earn money Hiring your kids to do legitimate work during Small Business Saturday provides a chance for them to learn pillars needed for a strong financial foundation: earning money , saving money and investing. That said, before hiring kids, it’s critical to understand the child labor laws for your state in addition to the IRS’ rules around hiring kids. Brown says she pays all of her children, including her 24-year-old son who is on payroll. Additionally, she teaches them about investing in the stock market. “I want them to understand the importance of making money, but also investing the money that they’re making,” she says. “Because when I pay them, I always ask them, ‘so what are you gonna do to double this money?’” If you hire your minor kids, they could get a headstart on investing by putting some of their income into a custodial Roth IRA , which requires earned income to open. You could also open them a custodial brokerage account. Another perk of your kids earning income by working for you is that they may be exempt from paying federal income taxes if they earn less than the standard deduction . In 2024, that threshold is $14,600. It gives you extra hands to deal with demand Having your kids add helping hands, whether it be doing administrative tasks or helping customers, can ensure you keep up with a potential increase in sales. A 2024 NerdWallet holiday spending report found that 16% of 2024 holiday shoppers plan to shop on Small Business Saturday this year. Lisset Tresvant, owner of Glow Esthetics Spa in Hollywood, Florida, has been participating in Small Business Saturday since the genesis of her business in 2019. “I do tend to sell more because people are usually more inclined to purchase because of the sales, and it gives them a reason to support us,” she says. To help with the demand, Tresvant’s daughter, 12, and son, 9, fill her skincare products, add labels and help prep items for shipping. Tresvant says she decided to let her kids get involved in her business so they have a better understanding of what she does. Looking beyond Small Business Saturday, hiring your child can also help with succession planning , which is about planning for your departure from your business. Tresvant hopes to pass hers down to her kids one day. “They understand that I’m building this legacy just for not myself, but for them as well,” says Tresvant. More From NerdWallet Elizabeth Ayoola writes for NerdWallet. Email: eayoola@nerdwallet.com. The article 3 Reasons to Involve Your Kids in Small Business Saturday originally appeared on NerdWallet .