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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. Air Jordan Scarpe Saldi . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Scarpe Jordan Uomo Saldi .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. http://www.airjordanscontate.it/. The alleged sexual assault is believed to have happened over the weekend of Feb. 1, when the hockey team was in Thunder Bay for two games against Lakehead University. The criminal investigation branch of the Thunder Bay Police Service is leading the investigation with help from Ottawa police. Scarpe Jordan Scontate .com) - Australian Open champion Li Na, former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and former world No. Scarpe Jordan Ingrosso . As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not.(SportsNetwork.com) - After a slow start to the season, Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs are starting to look more like the team that began last year with nine straight victories. Hey, just in time for Smiths big homecoming. Smith and the Chiefs try to win a third straight game on Sunday as the former top draft pick makes his return to San Francisco to battle the 49ers at Levis Stadium. Smiths first game against the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2005 has overshadowed a recent hot stretch by the quarterback and the team. Kansas City avoided an 0-3 start by rolling past Miami 34-15 on Sept. 21, then routed the New England Patriots 41-14 this past Monday night. In those two wins, Smith has completed 76.5 percent of his passes and thrown for six touchdowns. He posted a 144.4 passer rating in the victory over the Pats. None of this surprises his former Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh. You know, I have never seen Alex Smith not be good. Right from the time we were with him, how hes playing now. Hes just always been a very good quarterback, noted Harbaugh. Smith was San Franciscos starting quarterback when Harbaugh took over head coaching duties with the franchise in 2011 and the duo made it to the NFC Championship game, where they suffered a loss to the New York Giants. The Smith-led Niners got off to another fast start the following season, with the signal-caller his normally-efficient self over a 6-2 start. However, he suffered a concussion in a tie versus St. Louis in Week 10 and Colin Kaepernick made the start the following week, leading San Francisco to a win over the Chicago Bears. Kaepernick never gave up the job and helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl, where the club suffered a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Smith was traded to Kansas City during the offseason for two draft picks. Smith helped the Chiefs return to the postseason last year and signed a four- year extension this past offseason. Obviously his first game back in San Francisco would make headlines, but the 30-year-old is more concerned with getting a win. I could care less about the stats and out-dueling anybody, said Smith. And I guess the thing that Im talking about is I know that this is going to be a story and I have to deal with it. Yeah, and going back there and playing against some of those guys that I played with. But theres a lot of unknowns too -- its a different place, different stadium, a lot of new faces there as well in some respects. Its different. It is tough to pinpoint who will be under more pressure in this game: Smith or Kaepernick, who has been very successful under center for the Niners and helped the club avoid a third straight loss with a 26-21 win over Philadelphia last Sunday. Kaepernick threw a pair of touchdown passes, but was sacked four times, intercepted once and completed only 17 of his 30 pass attempts versus the Eagles. One reason he claimed the starting job over Smith was his ability to make the big plays that the play-it-safe Smith seemed to avoid. The two now go head-to-head this weekend, but as Kaepernick pointed out wont be directly facing each other on the field. I really dont get to face him, our defense does. But, Alex has done a lot of great things in this league. Hes done a lot of great things to help me. Nothing but the utmost respect for him, he said. At 2-2, both the Chiefs and 49ers are third in their respective division. Kansas City is set to play two in a row on the road, visiting San Diego on Oct. 19 following a bye, while San Francisco visits St. Louis and Denver following this game. Kansas City is visiting San Francisco for the first time since 2002 and has lost four in a row as the visiting team in this series. The Chiefs last beat the Niners as the road team in the two clubs first ever meeting in 1971. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Smith will look to be extra precise in this game, a trait that led to him throwing for 14,280 yards and 81 touchdowns in 75 starts with the Niners over eight seasons from 2005-12. In his last three games, Smith has completed 69.9 percent of his passes and has not been intercepted. That gives the signal-caller a 112.7 passer rating over that span, but Harbaughh doesnt expect his former quarterback to just play it safe this weekend.dddddddddddd Not an accurate term. Hes a football player, Harbaugh said when asked if Smith is simply a game manager. Smith was helped on Monday night by the return of running back Jamaal Charles from a sprained right ankle and the play of tight end Travis Kelce. Charles ran the ball 18 times for 92 yards with a score and also caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Kelce set career highs with eight catches for 93 yards. He also caught a TD pass. Kansas Citys offense thrives when Charles touches the football, either on the ground or in the passing game. Hes a unique player and obviously extremely talented and can do so many different things. ... When you have a weapon like that, you can do run and pass and mix it up, its obviously extremely helpful, said Smith. Smith and Charles go up against a Niners defense that ranks second in total (287.3 yards per game) and run defense (69.8 YPG). San Francisco held Philadelphia to only 22 yards rushing last weekend, the ninth fewest allowed in a single game in franchise history. The 49ers have yielded just 152 total rushing yards over the past three games despite missing linebackers Navarro Bowman and Aldon Smith. Linebacker Patrick Willis leads the team with 23 tackles and defensive tackle Justin Smith has three sacks on the year as well as five over his past seven games. Their front seven is a tough unit, noted Chiefs head coach Andy Reid of the Niners. Big physical guys, the linebackers can run. I would say that their defense is one of the top defenses out there right now. So we need to make sure we prepare for a good bunch of players there and thats what well do. Kansas City has had its own success on defense, ranking eighth against the pass (221.5 YPG) and eight in points allowed (19.8 PPG). The Chiefs are one of just two teams to not give up a rushing touchdown this season and had three takeaways versus the Patriots, including a pick-six by safety Husain Abdullah. Linebacker Justin Houston had two sacks versus New England and became the second-fastest player in team history to reach 30 for his career. He did so in 47 games, behind only Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, who hit the plateau in 31 games. While Kaepernick is engineering just the leagues 22nd-ranked pass attack, the Niners are rushing for 138.5 yards per game and will try to maintain that success this weekend. Running back Frank Gore totaled 119 yards on 24 carries versus the Eagles, but also caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick. Kaepernick himself ran for 58 yards, marking the first time in his career he has run for 50-plus yards in three straight games. That is one thing that perhaps separates him from Smith, but Harbaugh wont rate the two against each other. Never been a big fan of comparisons. Colins play has spoken for itself, he said. San Francisco is hoping to have two key pieces of its offense for this game. Right tackle Anthony Davis made his season debut versus the Eagles, but left late in the first quarter with a left knee injury, while talented tight end Vernon Davis was forced out in the third due to a back injury. Neither practiced on Wednesday and their status is unknown. OVERALL ANALYSIS There is a lot of similarities between these clubs, with the Chiefs perhaps having the slight edge on offense and the Niners possessing the better defense. Does that make the Smith-Kaepernick battle the x-factor? If so, Smith will need to make sure he sticks to what he does well and doesnt try to do too much versus his former team. You focus in on what you do. All the distractions, going home and all that -- it doesnt mean anything, said Reid. Youre there to play the game and once youve said hi to your buddies its over. Youre playing the game, thats what youre doing. San Francisco showed a little Smith influence versus the Eagles by holding the ball for just over 42 minutes in the game, but the Chiefs move at a much slower pace than Philadelphia. That means mistakes must be kept to a minimum and that should give Smith the edge over the flashier Kaepernick. Sports Network predicted outcome: Chiefs 24, 49ers 21 Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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