Sharks’ Benning undergoes season-ending hip surgery

San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Benning underwent surgery on his hip that will sideline him for the rest of the season.

General manager Mike Grier announced Thursday that Benning had the surgery and is expected to be back for the start of training camp next season. The Sharks said the estimated time of recovery is typically five months.

The 29-year-old Benning is in the second season of a four-year, $5 million contract with San Jose.

Benning had two assists in 14 games this season but hadn't played since getting injured on

Dec. 3 against the New York Rangers. He has 15 goals and 46 assists in 248 career games with San Jose, Edmonton and Nashville.

ELSEWHERE Nadal and Gauff reach quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time major winner in his second match following a year-long injury layoff, defeated Jason Kubler, 6-1, 6-2 at the Brisbane International tournament on Thursday.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka followed Nadal's match in Pat Rafter Arena and she was even more dominant, beating Zhu Lin 6-1, 6-0.

At Auckland, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff overcame hard-hitting Czech teenager Barbara Fruhvirtova 6-3, 6-0 to advance to the Auckland Classic quarterfinals.

College football: Purdue's Nic Scourton, who led the Big Ten in sacks this season, announced he is transferring to Texas A&M. 247Sports ranks Scourton (6-4, 280) as the top pass rusher in the NCAA transfer portal and the No. 8 player available in the portal.

Scourton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for lost yards this season.

Also Thursday, Mississippi running back Quinshon Judkins he is entering the transfer portal after opening his college career with two 1,000-yard seasons.

Ted Roof was fired on as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oklahoma, following a season in which the Sooners' defense started strong but struggled down the stretch.

NFL: Alabama linebacker Chris Braswell and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry are heading into the NFL draft. They join linebacker Dallas Turner and offensive tackle JC Latham in announcing plans to leave the Crimson Tide.

Clemson tailback Will Shipley is giving up his college eligibility to enter the NFL draft. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior from Weddington, N.C., in 2022 became the only player selected to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference first team as a runner, an all-purpose player and a specialist.

MLB: The Atlanta Braves reworked the contract for newcomer Chris Sale, announcing a new $38 million, two-year deal with the left-handed pitcher acquired last weekend from the Boston Red Sox.

Center fielder Harrison Bader and the Mets have agreed to a $10 million, one-year contract.