heavyweight, he has dropped down to light heavywei

PHILADELPHIA -- Despite all the changes made in the front office and behind the bench, Ryan Kesler was not satisfied with the Vancouver Canucks path. He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me." Not wanting the situation to "fester" like the Roberto Luongo saga did under his predecessor, general manager Jim Benning sought a quick resolution to that problem. He found it Friday by trading Kesler and a 2015 third-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for centre Nick Bonino, defenceman Luca Sbisa and the 24th and 85th picks in this weekends NHL draft. "He just felt he needed a fresh start and quite frankly we dont want somebody that doesnt want to be here," Benning said Friday afternoon before the draft began. "Were going to acquire high-quality people that are going to come in here and want to work hard for one another, so we didnt give it much thought." Kesler, who turns 30 in August, asked for a trade during what he called a "painful" regular season full of losing that ended without a playoff appearance and ultimately cost GM Mike Gillis and coach John Tortorella their jobs. He met with Benning after the season and reiterated that he wanted to go somewhere he could win. But the Livonia, Mich., native wouldnt go anywhere. His full no-trade clause allowed him to dictate his destination, and the only two teams hed approve a trade to were the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks. Benning said the Canucks asked Kesler and agent Kurt Overhardt about expanding that list, but to no avail. Chicago was "in it right until the end," according to Benning, but it was important to him to get a potential No. 2 centre and a player who could grow into a top-four defenceman. He hopes he has that in the 26-year-old Bonino and 24-year-old Sbisa. Bonino had 49 points this past season -- some of that thanks to playing with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry -- while Kesler had 43. Sbisa missed time with a torn tendon in his hand but has been considered a top prospect since before he was traded to Anaheim from the Philadelphia Flyers for Chris Pronger at the 2009 draft. "Getting Bonino was an important piece ... (for) being able to replace his goal production for our team next year," Benning said. "Getting Luca, he gives us some physical play from the back end. Hes strong. He plays like a heavy game and I think in our division his heaviness is going to come in handy for our group." When Benning wrapped up the Kesler trade Friday afternoon, he was just getting started making moves. The Canucks traded defenceman Jason Garrison to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 50th pick in the draft and then flipped the 85th pick acquired from the Ducks to the New York Rangers for grinder Derek Dorsett. Trading Garrison brings salary-cap relief in the form of $4.6 million over the next four seasons. Acquiring Dorsett means some familiarity, as he played under Desjardins with the WHLs Medicine Hat Tigers. Despite the bevy of moves, Benning refused to call the Canucks approach a "rebuild." "We acquired players that we thought are going to have an impact on us winning next year," he said. "If it was going to be a rebuild then maybe we wouldnt have tried to fight so hard to get players that can come in and help our team win next year." If Kesler believed the Canucks, under the new direction of president Trevor Linden, Benning and coach Willie Desjardins, were going to win next year, he most likely wouldnt have asked to be traded. The 2003 first-round pick had played his entire career with the Canucks, all 655 games worth. But on his post-trade conference call, Kesler made it clear he wouldnt have been happy sticking around. "The fact that theyre in a rebuild and are looking to get younger and are years away from being a contender, I think it was just time for me to move on and win and hopefully take home a championship," Kesler said. Keslers fond memories of Vancouver included getting drafted, scoring his first goal (with an assist from Linden) and going to the Stanley Cup final in 2011. But much has changed since then, and the Canucks are a team in transition. The Ducks, on the other hand, consider themselves Cup contenders now after losing to the eventual-champion Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals. But something had to be done to make that next step. "We knew we needed (a centre to play) behind Ryan Getzlaf," Anaheim GM Bob Murray said. "This is a huge move for our hockey team. Were better today than we were yesterday." Even though Murray was insistent from the beginning of negotiations that the Ducks were not willing to part with the No. 10 pick Friday night, the Canucks built toward being a better team down the line by getting a first-round pick at 24 and stockpiling with others. Vancouver took Calgary Hitmen winger Jake Virtanen, an Abbotsford, B.C., native and Canucks fan through childhood, with the sixth pick. Shoulder surgery will keep Virtanen from being able to take contact until at least the fall, but this was another move designed for the long-term future. In the short term, Kesler gets an opportunity to play behind Getzlaf for a contender, while the Canucks get to move on. "I didnt want this to linger," Benning said. Cheap Jerseys .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. Discount Jerseys .Brooks, a three-year veteran, was slow to get up after suffering the injury during a 5-yard run by Arian Foster.Brooks limped off the field midway through the quarter and then slowly walked to the locker room a few minutes later. http://www.jerseyscheapauthentic.com/ . The Wizards gave up two seldom-used players — forward Jan Vesely and point guard Eric Maynor. Vesely goes to the Nuggets, while Maynor gets shipped to the 76ers. Philadelphia receives two second-round draft picks, one from the Wizards in 2015 and one from the Nuggets in 2016. Stitched Cheap Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. NFL Jerseys China . -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena to a $25 million, five-year contract Saturday.A few hours before the Sochi Games wrap up halfway across the world, Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann will meet in a cage in Las Vegas for the UFCs celebration of its own Olympic spirit. Judo bronze medallist Ronda Rousey takes on wrestling silver medallist Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170 on Saturday night. Former U.S. Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier headlines the undercard against UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins. Two female Olympians have never met in the UFC octagon, and Rousey jumped on the chance to accomplish another MMA first, even if its just 56 days after she was booed out of the octagon for refusing to shake hands after her last victory over Miesha Tate. "Im super stoked, and its even better its happening with the Sochi Winter Olympics," Rousey said. "It just seems like this is the absolute perfect time for it to happen." Rousey (8-0) has become one of mixed martial arts biggest stars since her UFC debut in February 2013, and shell soon be a movie star as well. But Rousey realizes she owes her fame and fortune to judo, which took her around the world and eventually to the Beijing Olympics six years ago. With her victory over Tate on Dec. 28 still fresh in her mind, Rousey returns at the Mandalay Bay Events Center against McMann (7-0), who won silver in freestyle wrestling at the Athens Games in 2004. "Its a big challenge," Rousey said. "Its the biggest one Ive had to this day. I think its showing how quickly the womens division is progressing. The men, theyve had a lot of Olympians and guys with Olympic backgrounds competing before, but this is the first time weve had two undefeated Olympic medallists fighting for a title." Rouseys Olympic experience defines everything she does in MMA. Her judo skills have been her defining strength in the octagon, where she grabs and throws opponents to the canvas seemingly at will before landing her signature armbar submission on every fighter she has ever faced. She also learned the discipline necessary to be successful in MMA from the decidedly unglamorous world of judo, where internal politics eventually soured hher on the sport.ddddddddddddAfter she picked up MMA a few years ago, she found it suited her perfectly. Its much the same story for McMann, who wasnt sure what to do after her wrestling career until she found a new sport. "I do it for different reasons, but (Rousey and McMann) come from sports where you dont really make any money," said McMann, who has a young daughter. "Youre just doing it because of love of doing it," she added. "But at some point, when you have to work full-time and you have a family, you cant do all those things. There are just not enough hours in the day. So if you can do what you love to do and train professionally and then spend time with your family, thats an awesome, rare thing to be able to do." Cormier has a similar story, taking his first professional MMA fight in 2009 only after making two Olympic wrestling teams and winning gold at the Pan-Am Games. After winning his first two UFC fights as a heavyweight, he has dropped down to light heavyweight to avoid having to fight his teammate, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Rashad Evans was scheduled to meet Cormier at UFC 170, but dropped out with a leg injury 10 days ago, opening the door for Cummins, who had to quit his job as a barista to take the fight on late notice. Rousey isnt worried about the quick turnaround after her third-round victory over Tate in the UFCs holiday show. That fight was her first in 10 months after taking time off to film the latest sequels in the "Expendables" and "Fast and Furious" franchises. "The movie stuff was fun, but by the time it was over, I was glad," Rousey said. "Thats why its good to do the movie stuff and fighting. By the time I was done filming, I was so ready to get back to the gym. I was sitting around Bulgaria, thinking, Man, I miss my gym." And Rousey insists she isnt plotting her escape from the sport, even while shes getting more calls for more movies and entertainment jobs. "Im a fighter," she said. "Thats why anyone in Hollywood is even interested in me at all." ' ' '