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There were rumours throughout the NHL season that the Minnesota Wild would be a free agent destination for a particular top goal-scoring winger and, when free agency opened, they got their man. Numbers Game looks at the Wild signing Thomas Vanek. The Wild Get: LW Thomas Vanek. Vanek, 30, has been one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the game. Since 2006-2007, his 252 goals ranks fourth, behind Alex Ovechkin, Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk. Vanek is a four-time 30-goal scorer who has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last nine seasons. Only Ovechkin and Rick Nash have managed that same feat. So, with that goal-scoring resume, Vanek should have been incredibly appealing as a free agent, but there was the small matter of his slump in the playoffs that left a sour taste for some. Vanek had eight points in 10 games, through Game Six of the Boston series, but fell flat after that, managing two assists and a total of eight shots on goal in the next seven games. He played under 15 minutes in each of his last eight playoff games. For a season in which he played a career-high 19:21 per game, with the Sabres, Islanders and Canadiens, that role reduction made it clear that Vanek would be moving on from Montreal. This following a season during which he scored 15 points in 18 games with the Habs, giving him 68 points in 78 games while moving around the Eastern Conference. Which brings us to Minnesota, which had been linked to Vanek pretty much from the get-go of his contract year. Vanek played college hockey at the University of Minnesota. His wife is from Minnesota. The Wild would have Dany Heatleys $7.5-million cap hit coming off the books. Former Sabres teammate Jason Pominville was playing well for Minnesota. It was all lining up for Vanek with the Wild. Ultimately, nothing really changed that. Maybe a great playoff would have given Vanek more leverage on the open market, but he didnt sign a break-the-bank deal, inking for $19.5-million over three years. The $6.5-million annual cap hit is actually less than Vaneks previous contract, but when a player has a preferred destination, and particularly when he has earned a boatload of money in his career already (more than $57-million in his career, according to Cap Geek), there is an opportunity for a team to get him for less than the top price on the market. That Vanek was willing to accept a three-year term is a clear indication that Minnesota was his preferred location. When it comes to his game, Vanek doesnt use his size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) very effectively, aside from when hes in front of the net, where he positions well for tip-ins, deflections, screens, etc. Throughout his career, Vanek hasnt been much of a puck possession player, varying up and down a little bit in relative terms from year to year, but Vanek has always been a high-percentage finisher in his own right and consistently had high on-ice shooting percentages (which includes others on the ice with him in 5-oin-5 play), so hes going to bring offence to Minnesota. Depending on how the Wild want their lines to shake out, Vanek should have either Mikael Granlund or Mikko Koivu -- two pass-first playmaking centres -- setting the table for him and if Vanek is getting opportunties -- he had a career-high 3.18 shots on goal per game last season -- take 25 goals to the bank, with 30 or 35 possible at the top end. This is a nice upgrade for the Wild, who made some noise in the playoffs and have added a premier goal-scorer to their mix and have done so without spending too much in order to get him. 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. Air Max España . Kansas City became the first team in baseball history to win four extra-inning games in a single postseason on Friday, as Alex Gordon crushed a leadoff homer in the 10th and Mike Moustakas added the deciding two-run blast in the Royals 8-6 win. Air Max Outlet España . LOUIS - Two-thirds of the St. http://www.airmaxespanabaratas.es/ . "I had a pretty good year," the soft-spoken Granberg told TSN.ca with a grin from the teams annual rookie tournament in London. A fourth-round selection in 2010, Granberg is worth keeping an eye on with NHL training camps rolling around in less than a week. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defender may not possess the wow-inspiring theatrics of fellow prospect Morgan Rielly, but nonetheless has a chance to contribute with the Leafs when all is said and done this season. Air Max Por Mayor . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. Air Max Baratas Outlet . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros.Manhattan, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Nino Williams posted 18 points and seven rebounds, as Kansas State edged No. 22 Baylor thanks to a second-half surge, 63-61, at Bramlage Coliseum. Marcus Foster added 11 points for the Wildcats (11-7, 4-1 Big 12), winners of four straight games thanks to shooting 50 percent (23-of-46) from the field. Kenny Chery poured in a game-high 21 points -- but his runner as time expired failed to fall -- and Taurean Price added 20 for the Bears (13-4, 2-3), who have dropped three of their last five. Chery kept his team close in the late stages. He capped a three-point play on a free throw with 5.4 seconds remaining and Baylor got within 62-61, but Thomas Gipson was fouled on the next possession and split a pair from the line to give the Bears one last chance with 4.8 showing. Chery got the ball and had a lane up the middle, but his attempt which would have sent the game into overtime did not go through. Baylor jumped out to an early 13-2 lead thanks to five points each from Chery and Johnathan Motley, and when Chery connected again from long distance, the lead stood at 22-8 with 9:50 left in the first half. K-State was down 24-10 a short time lateer but managed to pull within two after a Foster triple capped a run of 12 straight points.ddddddddddddHowever, a three by Chery extended Baylors edge to 33-24 at the break. Rico Gathers converted a three-point play with 11:27 to go and the Bears had a 49-37 lead, but K-State began to chip away. The Wildcats assumed their first lead of the contest on two free throws by Justin Edwards with 6:24 on the clock, and Edwards added a jumper less than a minute later to raise the edge to three. Baylor responded twice to tie before Nigel Johnson connected from beyond the arc for a 59-56 game inside of four minutes left. Prince followed with a bucket before Williams struck back for the hosts and Johnson made 1-of-2 from the line for a 62-58 K-State edge. Game Notes Cherys 16 first-half points were the most in his collegiate career ... Gipson ended up with nine points and six rebounds ... Baylor suffered its third loss this season when leading at halftime (11-3), despite holding an opponent under 25 points in the first half for the ninth time this year ... Jevon Thomas committed a game-high five of Kansas States 14 turnovers. 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