Off the wire

HOCKEY Sabres deal Pominville

The Buffalo Sabres have traded captain Jason Pominville to the Minnesota Wild. The Wild sent prospects Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett plus a first-round draft pick in 2013 and a second-round draft pick in 2014 to the Sabres before the NHL deadline on Wednesday for Pominville and a fourth-round draft pick in 2014. Pominville is an eight-year veteran and a six-time 20-goal scorer who could join Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise on the Wild’s first line. The underachieving Sabres are retooling for the future after trading defensemen Robyn Regehr to Los Angeles and Jordan Leopold to St. Louis over the past five days.

The San Jose Sharks have added some toughness and defensive depth at the trade deadline by acquiring forward Raffi Torres and defenseman Scott Hannan. The Sharks sent a third-round pick to Phoenix on Wednesday for Torres and a conditional pick to Nashville for Hannan. The deals help replace what San Jose lost when General Manager Doug Wilson dealt bruising defenseman Douglas Murray to Pittsburgh last week for two second-round picks and forward Ryane Clowe to the New York Rangers on Tuesday for three draft picks. Torres has five goals and seven assists in 28 games since returning from a suspension for hitting Chicago’s Marian Hossa in the head during last year’s playoffs. Hannan has no goals and one assist in 29 games.

The New York Rangers have traded slumping forward Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second trade of star players between the teams within the past year. Gaborik was dealt to the Blue Jackets Wednesday, just before the NHL’s afternoon trade deadline, for center Derick Brassard, right wing Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore. Gaborik waived a no-movement clause in order to allow the deal to be completed.

The Boston Bruins have acquired defenseman Wade Redden from the St. Louis Blues and center Rob Flick from the Chicago Blackhawks. Redden, who has played in 1,017 NHL games, was obtained for a conditional seventh-round draft pick next year that becomes a sixth-rounder if he plays in at least one game during this year’s playoffs. He has two goals and three assists in 23 games this season. Flick was traded for forward Max Sauve in a deal involving AHL players. Flick has three goals, two assists and 97 penalty minutes for Rockford. Sauve has 10 goals and 13 assists for Providence.

The Phoenix Coyotes have traded forward Steve Sullivan to the New Jersey Devils for a seventh-round draft pick. A 38-year-old left wing, Sullivan started his NHL career with the Devils, playing parts of two seasons in New Jersey from 1995-97. Sullivan signed with Phoenix as a free agent during the off season and had some good stretches with the Coyotes, scoring five goals with seven assists in 33 games, though he hadn’t registered a point in the last 10 games. Sullivan has 288 goals and 454 assists in 16 NHL seasons with six teams.

The Washington Capitals have acquired right wing Martin Erat and minor leaguer Michael Latta from the Nashville Predators for 2012 first-round draft pick Filip Forsberg. Erat leads the Predators with 17 assists and is tied for first on the club with 21 points this season. He’s played all 723 of his NHL games with Nashville, and ranks second in team history with 163 goals and 318 assists.

BASKETBALL Kansas freshman transferring

Kansas freshman Anrio Adams has been granted a release to transfer to another school in what Jayhawks Coach Bill Self characterized as an amicable parting of ways. The talented swing man from Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School played in24 games last season, averaging 3.5 minutes and scoring just 27 points. But Adams generated more buzz away from the court, where he once used Twitter to express his frustration over a lack of playing time. Adams was stuck deep on the depth chart this season behind senior guards Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford and redshirt freshman Ben McLemore, a second-team All-American.

Minnesota has picked 30-yearold up-and-comer Richard Pitino to take over for Tubby Smith. The university announced on Wednesday evening that it has reached an agreement to bring Pitino to the Golden Gophers after one season at Florida International. Athletic Director Norwood Teague says full terms of the contract will be finished later in the week. In his lone season at Florida International, Pitino led the Panthers to an 18-14 record, the school’s first winning season in 13 years.

FOOTBALL

Cardinals’ LB suspended

The NFL has suspended Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Daryl Washington for the first four games of next season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Washington made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last season. He led the Cardinals in 2012 with 140 tackles - 110 of them solo. He had nine sacks, 14 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and six passes defensed. Washington’s nine sacks were the most by an NFL inside linebacker. Washington also led the team in tackles in 2011.

Brian Banks has signed with the Atlanta Falcons after the former Southern Cal recruit’s football dream was derailed when he was convicted of rape and kidnapping charges a decade ago. The linebacker will participate in Atlanta’s off season workouts with a chance to resume his career. Banks has been trying to get back into football since he was cleared on May 12, 2012, of a rape conviction. The 27-year-old Banks was 16 and had a scholarship offer from USC when a high school classmate accused him of the rape. He spent five years in jail but was freed when the accuser changed her story.

TENNIS

Wozniacki, Venus Williams advance

CHARLESTON, S.C. - An early exit at the Sony Open and a postponed humanitarian trip to Haiti left Caroline Wozniacki with a big hole in her schedule - something she was glad to fill with a trip to the Family Circle Cup.

The 2011 Family Circle champion won her sixth consecutive match here with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 victory over Silvia Soler-Espinosa on Wednesday.

Venus Williams, who won this tournament in 2004, began play with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over 19-year-old Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.

The second-seeded Wozniacki didn’t count on getting ousted from her last event in Key Biscayne, Fla., in the round of 32. Then, boyfriend Rory McIlroy delayed a mission visit this week that she planned to attend so he could tee it up at the Texas Open and prepare for the year’s first major championship at the Masters next week.

She entered as a wild-card Saturday, two days before the Family Circle kicked off.

“I was not playing matches and thought I’d basically have four weeks off,” said Wozniacki, who will play at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, later this month. “So I just decided this would be a great week for me. We’ll just see how it goes.”

It went very well for Wozniacki on Billie Jean King Court.

She won seven consecutive games during one stretch, overpowering Soler-Espinosa with her 100 mph serves. She broke Soler-Espinosa twice to win the final five games of the opening set. Wozniacki continued to use her big serves - she took a 3-1 lead in the second set on a 111-mph ace - to keep Soler-Espinosa on the defensive and wrapped up the match in 59 minutes.

“I felt like I really served well and returned well today,” Wozniacki said. “I’m pleased with that.”

Past champion Samantha Stosur, ranked ninth in the world, opened play with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Marina Erakovic. Jelena Jankovic moved on with a three set victory over French qualifier Caroline Garcia.