Dein erstes Forum » steady labour ahead to reclaim his game

The Maple Leafs have a hole down the middle, a Ducks centre making the most of his opportunity, plus notes on Chris Kreider, Kris Versteeg, Robin Lehner, Alex Goligoski and more in Scott Cullens latest blog. 1. As the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost C David Bolland, indefinitely (for a long time by most guesses) due to a severed ankle tendon, there is a glaring need at centre, particularly with C Tyler Bozak also sidelined with a hamstring injury. In the short-term, the Leafs have moved James van Riemsdyk to centre on the top line, shifting Nazem Kadri to centre on the second line and veteran checker Jay McClement handles the third-line duties. When Bozak returns, and presumably van Riemsdyk moves back to left wing, there is going to be a need for another centre, ideally one that can handle top nine minutes. While there are any number of ways to address the need, including a blockbuster for a premier centre, the most obvious would be to find a player on an expiring contract -- the proverbial rental -- playing for a team that might not be in the playoff mix, that can handle playing one of the top three centre spots. Here are a few options that might be available for trade: Steve Ott, Buffalo - In the final year of a contract with a $2.95-million cap hit, Ott is an agitator who is playing a career-high 19:05 for the lowly Sabres. He can score a bit, but is probably best-suited to a third-line role. He figures to be a sought-after commodity, if/when the Sabres move him, so he wont necessarily come cheaply. Matt Stajan, Calgary - Former Leaf was traded to Calgary in 2009 and hes under-performed, certainly relative to his $3.5-million cap hit, but as a third-line centre, Stajan is a solid enough two-way player that he could fill that role. He can provide some offence from time to time, but plays a responsible enough two-way game to fit in the top nine. David Legwand, Nashville - 33-year-old has played 908 games for the Predators and has a no-trade clause, but will be an unrestricted free agent at seasons end. If the Predators, who have depth down the middle, arent prepared to keep Legwand and they cant stay in contention, then maybe it would make sense to get some value in return (of course, pending Legwands approval). These are hardly the only options. There are veterans who would likely be easy to acquire (Scott Gomez, Olli Jokinen) or the Leafs could set their sights on Montreals David Desharnais or Dallas Shawn Horcoff. Considering his parting comments for coach Randy Carlyle, its probably too much to hope for the Leafs to try and bring back Washingtons Mikhail Grabovski. In any case, the Leafs probably cant afford to stand pat and just hope that they can remain a playoff team despite the loss of Bolland who, incidentally, has been excellent. 2. Its not unusual for a player to get a better opportunity playing on a new team, especially for a coach that is familiar with him from his previous team, but Ducks C Mathieu Perreault has really made the most of his chance in Anaheim. Hes playing a little more, a career-high 13:55 per game, and has good linemates -- Teemu Selanne and Jakob Silfverberg (both currently injured) -- have been his most common linemates. Recently, it has been Devante Smith-Pelly and Emerson Etem, with some Dustin Penner sprinkled in there. With opposing defences geared towards stopping the Ducks top line, it provides good opportunity for Perreault to generate offence and hes done that, ranking fourth in points/60 minutes of play. Its not entirely a fluke, either. Perreault is a high-percentage finisher (18.7 SH% for his career ranks best among players with at least 200 shots since 2009-2010), so he should continue to finish at a high rate. On the other hand, his on-ice shooting percentage (12.2%) is also very high, even if middle-of-the-pack on the Ducks currently, and it would be a career-high for Perreault. So, sure, there will be some regression, but if hes left in an offensive role all season, its entirely reasonable to expect a new career-high in points for Perreault, whose previous best was 30 points in 64 games in 2011-2012. Maybe something closer to 45-50 points is possible for this season. 3. Rangers rookie LW Chris Kreider was a disappointment last season, scoring two goals and three points in 23 games (and only 23 points in 48 AHL games), but hes been much better this season. He started the year in the American Hockey League, but after four points in six games, was recalled to the Rangers, where he has a couple of goals and six points in seven game, while playing with Derek Stepan and either Brad Richards or Mats Zuccarello. Whats encouraging about Kreider is that he also has strong possession numbers and is generating shots on goal (2.43 per game, compared to 0.83 per game last season), so he may actually be able to sustain some offensive production. 4. Panthers RW Kris Versteeg has had a tough road coming back from reconstructive knee surgery. Hes been a healthy scratch, played a season-low 10:48 in his last game (Nov. 1 vs. St. Louis) and has one point in his last five games. But dont write him off just yet. Versteeg is getting chances -- a career-high 2.69 shots on goal per game -- and his possession stats are strong. Combine that with the fact that hes a four-time 20-goal scorer on a team lacking proven offensive performers and Versteeg ought to find better results soon enough. 5. Senators G Craig Anderson suffered a neck injury against Dallas and, while it doesnt appear to be serious, it does give Robin Lehner opportunity to see more action. While the Senators are allowing a league-high 38.5 shots against per game, Anderson has come back to earth with a .912 save percentage (following a league-leading .941 SV% last season), but Lehner continues to play well in limited duty. In 22 games, over the last three seasons, Lehner has a .936 save percentage, the kind of play that begs for more playing time. 6. Its been hard enough for the New Jersey Devils to score this season, tied for 27th with 1.86 goals per game, but they have been forced to juggle lines recently with Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac out of the lineup. Jaromir Jagr has skated with Dainius Zubrus and Andrei Loktionov on one scoring line, while Adam Henrique centered Mattias Tedenby and Michael Ryder. Those lines arent causing opposing teams sleepless nights as they prepare to face the Devils. 7. After some trying times under new coach Lindy Ruff, Stars D Alex Goligoski has averaged 24:41 of ice time over the last four games, scoring a couple of goals. Hes been paired with Jordie Benn, who has played more than 20 minutes in each of the last four games (only the second time in his career he has such a four-game streak). Their ice time has come at the expense of Sergei Gonchar and Trevor Daley, who are in the 16-18 minute range. 8. Missing defencemen Jacob Trouba, Mark Stuart and Paul Postma, the Winnipeg Jets picked up D Keaton Ellerby on waivers from Los Angeles. Ellerby was the 10th overall pick in 2007 and had played 160 NHL games with Florida and Los Angeles before joining the Jets. Its a good opportunity for Ellerby to get playing time, something that wasnt happening in Los Angeles this year, and the Jets definitely need whatever NHL-ready help they can find to back-fill for those injuries. 9. Lightning D Radko Gudas is a hard-hitting rookie defenceman who played 22 games for the Lightning last season and he showed in that trial what kind of player he could be in the NHL, racking up 38 penalty minutes and 87 hits, along with five points in those 22 games. This season, Gudas has amped it up. In 14 games, hes playing a prominent role, 19:40 per game, and is the only player in the league with at least 30 blocked shots and 50 hits. He also has 55 penalty minutes in 14 games. As might be expected, looking at those numbers, his puck possession stats arent ideal, but hes also contributed a goal and four assists in the last eight games so, as much as hes a physical force, he can contribute with the puck on his stick too. 10. Bruins prospect Ryan Spooner got called up for a couple of games while RW Loui Eriksson was injured, and Spooner gave a solid accounting of himself, contributing a couple of assists in limited ice time. With Eriksson returning to action, was sent back to Providence, where he has seven points in eight games, but if the Bruins need offence inserted into their lineup at any point this season, they know where to look first. 11. Hurricanes rookie D Ryan Murphy has been held without a point over the last five games, and was fined for clipping, but there are positives to take from this span. Hes played more than 20 minutes in each of those five games, averaging 21:33 per game. Its not surprising, given the lack of offensive talent on the Carolina defence, but Murphy has ample opportunity to produce, even as a rookie. 12. Canadiens C David Desharnais is going to be a healthy scratch for Tuesdays game against St. Louis. With the Canadiens moving second-year forward Alex Galchenyuk to centre, on the second line, and Lars Eller to the third line centre spot, Desharnais was left without a natural fit. In some respects this could be seen as a decision precipitated by the emergence of rookie winger Michael Bournival, who remains on the top line with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta, but its also a reflection of Desharnais play this season. He has no goals and one assist in 15 games, has subpar possession numbers and, for a guy who is listed at 5-foot-7, he has to produce if hes going to keep a spot in the lineup. Given that hes under contract for three more years after this one, at a cap hit of $3.5-million, Desharnais will get another chance to play, but hes obviously not in a good spot right now. 13. The Edmonton Oilerss list of injured forwards includes Jesse Joensuu, Taylor Hall, Ryan Smyth and David Perron -- all left wingers. Yet, they have not recalled Linus Omark from Oklahoma City, where the 26-year-old has eight goals and 12 points, with a minus-8 rating, in 12 games. Isnt it at least possible that he would be better than one of Nail Yakupov, Ryan Jones, Ben Eager or Ryan Hamilton? 14. Kings RW Jeff Carter is on IR, which prompted the recall of Tyler Toffoli from Manchester of the AHL, where Toffoli had seven goals and 12 points in 10 games. Toffoli had an assist in his first game of the season with the Kings, playing a career-high 19:23 on a line with C Mike Richards and either Dwight King or Daniel Carcillo on the left side. In Saturdays loss to Nashville, King played a career-high 21:04. 15. Sharks RW Martin Havlat has returned to the lineup and its at a good time, while the Sharks are still missing RW Brent Burns. When Burns is ready to come back, that will require some finesse from head coach Todd McLellan, since the Sharks line combinations had been awfully effective, particularly when Burns was healthy. For his part, Havlat has no points and three shots on goal in his first couple of games and now has 45 points in 81 games with San Jose. FIRST NHL GAMESJordan Szwarz, RW, Phoenix - A fourth-round pick in 2009, Szwarz has played the last two seasons in the AHL, scoring 53 points in 118 games, but he started strong this year, with five points in six games, and has played 6:16 per game in three games for the Coyotes. He did score his first NHL goal against Nashville on Halloween. Reto Berra, G, Calgary - A 26-year-old with a .908 save percentage in nine AHL games, Berra was promoted to the Flames because he may still be a better option than Joey MacDonald or Karri Ramo, who have both struggled. Berra stopped 42 of 44 shots to win his debut against Chicago. Jon Merrill, D, New Jersey - Drafted in the second round in 2010, Merrill is a talented defenceman with good size, who had some off-ice trouble while at the University of Michigan, limiting his playing time over the last couple seasons. He does have 15 points in 23 AHL games, including late last season and early this season, so he should upgrade the Devils ability to move the puck out of their own end, but his debut could have gone better. He skated just 1:16 before he was tripped by Wild winger Torrey Mitchell and crashed into the end boards, ending his game. Ben Chiarot, D, Winnipeg - A stay-at-home defenceman drafted in the fourth-round in 2009, Chiarot was pressed into service due to injuries. He was minus-3 and generally overmatched in 10:47 against the Blackhawks, which isnt exactly the easiest matchup for ones first NHL game. CHIRPING"I cannot say I dont play well. I cant blame the hands because they were pretty good to me all my life. So, I blamed the sticks.” - Jaromir Jagr, shifts the blame. "I feel like this year the cockiness is coming back a little bit." - More Jagr. "To play in Madison Square Garden is something special. I love New York. There are so many great things to do here, and I guess another one is to win a hockey game." - Ducks G Frederik Andersen, after Mondays win. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Balenciaga Shoes Wholesale Australia . -- Colin Kaepernick insists he just happened to pull on a pair of socks with dollar bill prints all over them Wednesday morning -- before he learned he had struck a new fortune with the San Francisco 49ers. Balenciaga Shoes On Sale Cheap . And though his comeback night didnt quite go to script, Bryant couldnt help reflecting on the work necessary to get back on that court -- and all the months of steady labour ahead to reclaim his game. Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut, but Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in the trade-depleted Toronto Raptors 106-94 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday night. http://www.cheapbalenciagaaustralia.com/. Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. Cheap Balenciaga Australia . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight preseason win, a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Balenciaga Mens Shoes Australia . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve.TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays relied on their big bats in the first two games of their nine-game homestand. The power game was minimized Friday and it proved costly in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels that ended Torontos season-high five-game winning streak. Angels leadoff man Erick Aybar tripled to open the ninth inning and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Raul Ibanez. Ernesto Frieri earned his fourth save to end a choppy, mistake-filled game that at times was not pretty to watch. Torontos bullpen struggled after a five-inning effort from starter Dustin McGowan. Sergio Santos left the game in the seventh with the bases loaded and Steve Delabar followed by walking in a run. Brett Cecil (0-3) was uneven in the ninth as the Blue Jays fell back to the .500 mark. "Thats where weve struggled this year -- throwing strikes out of the bullpen," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "If they beat you, make them hit it to beat you." Toronto (18-18) pumped out 22 runs over its two-game mini-sweep of Philadelphia leading into the opener of a four-game series against the Angels. The Blue Jays scratched out runs where they could on this night, scoring twice on wild pitches and getting another run on a Jose Reyes solo homer. McGowan was hit and miss on the mound and did well to escape with just two earned runs allowed. Santos breezed through the sixth inning but gave up a one-out double to Aybar in the seventh. Aybar moved to third on a groundout and after an intentional walk to Albert Pujols and another walk to Ibanez, Delabar threw four straight balls to Howie Kendrick that were well out of the zone. "It was one of those days where I thought it was right there," Delabar said. "When I released the ball, I thought it was in the zone but it was nowhere close." Mike Trout hit his seventh homer of the season for Los Angeles (17-17). Aybar, meanwhile, was 3 for 5 and is hitting .397 over his last 15 games. "Hes swinging the bat nice, he has confidence up there," said acting Angels manager Dino Ebel. "Hes putting good wood on it and he wants to be the guy ... hats off to him getting that big triple there in the ninth inning." Reyes had three hits and scored twice for the Blue Jays, who were outhit 9-7 in front of 21,383 spectators under the roof at Rogers Centre. Los Angeles starter Garrett Richards was wild at times but turned in a solid performance overall, allowing five hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out six. "Richards is one of the best young pitchers in the game," Gibbons said. "t;He can overpower you.dddddddddddd He shut down a pretty offence too tonight. So that was the key there. "We were in a position to win, we just didnt win it." Richards second wild pitch in the first inning allowed Reyes to open the scoring. Trout gave the Angels a 2-1 lead with his solo shot in the third inning but another wild pitch from Richards allowed Melky Cabrera to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame. The Angels nearly went ahead when McGowan fired a wild pitch of his own with two outs in the fifth inning. The ball bounced back toward catcher Dioner Navarro, who tagged Ibanezs leg as he slid at home plate. Umpire Angel Hernandez ruled him safe but Gibbons challenged the call and the decision was reversed to end the inning. Reliever Joe Smith (2-0) replaced Richards in the eighth and Reyes greeted him by lashing a pitch that barely cleared the wall in right field. It was the third home run of the year for the Toronto shortstop, who has struggled to find a groove after missing time with a hamstring problem last month. "He looks back," Gibbons said. "Hes feeling good, hes bouncing around. He got off to a slow start with the bat but its coming. He can do so many things." The Blue Jays put the potential go-ahead run at second base later in the eighth but Juan Francisco struck out to keep the game tied. Notes: Ebel, the Angels bench coach, will also serve as skipper on Saturday as regular manager Mike Scioscia is away at his daughters college graduation. ... Toronto slugger Jose Bautista singled in the eighth inning and has now reached base safely in a club-record 36 straight games to open the season. Its the longest season-opening on-base streak since Pujols had a 41-gamer in 2008. ... The game took three hours nine minutes to play. ... McGowan allowed seven hits, two walks and struck out a pair. ... The Blue Jays entered play Friday with five players in the American Leagues top 10 in home runs. Bautista and Colby Rasmus were tied for third spot with nine apiece. Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C., and Cabrera were tied for ninth with six homers apiece. Chicagos Jose Abreu leads the AL with 12 homers and Pujols is next with 10. ... J.A. Happ (1-0) is scheduled to start for Toronto on Saturday. Fellow left-hander Tyler Skaggs (2-1) goes for the Angels. ... The challenge in the fifth inning lasted much longer than usual. The unofficial time was three minutes 20 seconds. ... Toronto has hit at least one homer in all 15 home games this season. ... The Blue Jays have dropped eight of their last nine games against the Angels. ' ' '