TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger have the latest on the future homes of Jarome Iginla, Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek as well as updates on the top potential NCAA free agent and the NHLs search for fresh officiating.
[b]D. J. Wilson Jersey[/b] . Jarome Iginla has been one of the stories of this season individually. Hes been a great fit in Boston and his 28 goals leads the team. Does he end up there beyond this year and re-sign? Darren Dreger: Thats certainly the hope of the Boston Bruins and of Jarome Iginla as well. I know Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins general manager, reached out to Don Meehan from Newport Sports last week. Theres been no official back-and-forth in terms of dialogue or a negotiation and the reality is that the Bruins dont have the tag room or the cap space to close this deal in-season. But, most definitely, Chiarelli and the Bruins want to extend Iginlas stay. He loves Boston. They love him in Boston. I think a deal gets done. Pierre LeBrun: Another top-line right-winger whos slated to be a UFA come July 1 is Ales Hemsky, who came over at the trade deadline to help the Ottawa Senators. Now, he has helped them, even though the Senators have struggled. Ottawa has seen enough of Hemsky that in the very near future they are interested in reaching out to his representatives to see if hes interested in staying on and to talk about an extension. Obviously, the money has to be right for the budget-conscious Senators, but right now Bryan Murray would like to bring Hemsky back for next season. Does Ryan Miller stay in St. Louis? LeBrun: That is what Doug Armstrong and the St. Louis Blues would love to do. Theyve already reached out to Mike Liut, the agent for Ryan Miller, and told Miller: ‘Once this season is over, we want to bring you back. They are being aggressive in their overtures and telling this player that they do not want him to go to the July 1 market. They believe he is a long-term fit for their team which will contend for a number of years. Bob McKenzie: The conventional wisdom among the hockey community is that one of the reasons Miller wants to wait until free agency on July 1 is to see if theres any interest from the Anaheim Ducks. There was all sorts of speculation that the Ducks tried to make a trade with the Buffalo Sabres earlier this season for Miller, but that it fell through and they werent able to do it. Millers wife is an actress. She does all sorts of work in Hollywood and the possibility of being on a California team might be something that is really good for Ryan Miller. So, well wait and see where that goes. Its college free agent signing season. The most sought-after right now is Christian Folin, a 63”, 210-pound defenceman from Sweden who plays for the River Hawks and UMass. Who are the front-runners to get him? McKenzie: The Philadelphia Flyers, the Minnesota Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers are amongst the teams believed to have the best chance to try to get Christian Folin out of UMass Lowell. Now, I should point something out. Firstly, theyre playing in the NCAA tournament Friday night against Minnesota State. If they lose, hes got a decision to make. He has not yet fully committed to making the decision that hes coming out of college. The likelihood is that he is, but he hasnt made that decision just yet. Lots of teams are getting the sense now that theyre out of it and that those teams I just mentioned are the front-runners. The NHL is apparently seeking officials... Dreger: Theyre calling it the NHL Exposure Combine and the belief is that theyre hoping to bring in upwards of 60 high-level prospects. Theyre going to collect these, literally, from around the world, but yes, they will send invites to certain universities and NCAA colleges for those graduating hockey players who perhaps want to pursue a career as an NHL on-ice official. Theyll hold the combine in August in Buffalo. There will be considerable physical testing but its all part of trying to expand the search and every other year, theyll do an amateur version. McKenzie: I smell a reality show coming: “So You Wanna Be a Ref?” Pierre LeBrun has a quick one-timer for us on Thomas Vanek. LeBrun: Vanek is obviously loving his time in Montreal so far but I spoke with his agent Steve Bartlett earlier on Tuesday who said the plan has not deviated. They told the Sabres last summer that theyre going to July 1. They told the Islanders after he got traded that its going to July 1 and that remains the plan right now. Lets see if a little playoff magic might change his mind.
[b]Bob Dandridge Jersey[/b] . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson.
[b]Glenn Robinson Jersey[/b] .The ruling takes effect on Jan. 1 and stems from the debate surrounding Paralympic champion Markus Rehm, an amputee who won the national long jump title competing with a carbon-fiber prosthesis.The Pittsburgh Penguins dealt a top scoring winger, improving their forward depth in the process. Numbers Game breaks down the trade sending James Neal to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. The Predators Get: RW James Neal. Neal, 26, is a power forward who has been riding high while playing on Evgeni Malkins wing for the bulk of his time in Pittsburgh. Over the past three seasons, he has scored 88 goals, which ranks fifth, behind Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Phil Kessel. Hes also put up dominant possession stats, but a lot of that would figure to be related to the favourable ice time that he gets with Malkin. While the Predators are aiming to get more scoring in their game, they dont nearly have the playmakers to compare with Pittsburgh, so if Neal ends up playing with Mike Fisher, Colin Wilson or Calle Jarnkrok, none of them is particularly dominant offensively, so expect Neals production to dip. The question is, how far? Before he joined the Penguins, Neal had 131 points in 214 games with the Dallas Stars, a 50-point pace over an 82-game season. That should be about the baseline, with room to move up because Neal currently is a better player than he was from age 21 to 23, but we can also keep in mind that Neal has scored more than 60 points twice in his career. Neal is signed for four more years, at a cap hit of $5-million per season, so hes a reasonably-priced first line forward for the Predators. The Penguins Get: RW Patric Hornqvist and LW Nick Spaling. Hornqvist is a 27-year-old winger who has been one of the more prolific shooters in the game over the past five seasons. Hes a four-time 20-goal scorer who is most effective right around the crease, deflecting shots and knocking in rebounds. He played primarily with Mike Fisher last season (with Colin Wilson and Matt Cullen their most common linemates) and while that line was effective -- Hornqvists relative possession stats have always been really good --- its not quite as dynamic as what opportunities Hornqvist should have in Pittsburgh.
[b]Jon McGlocklin Jersey[/b]. If Neal is expected to see his scoring go down as a result of this trade, naturally Hornqvist should expect an uptick in his scoring numbers. He scored a career-high 53 points last season and while his on-ice shooting percentage was a career-best, it wasnt outrageous and is still below what is typical for wingers alongside Malkin or Crosby. Signed for four more years, at a cap hit of $4.25-million, Hornqvist comes a little cheaper than Neal, but not dramatically, so the Penguins have to expect that they are not going to lose much offensively. Spaling, 25, scored a career-best 32 points last season, playing a career-high 16:01 per game, and while he may not play quite as much in Pittsburgh, the hope is that he might help the Penguins bottom six forwards. However, Spalings possession stats have been rough for most of his time in Nashville, which doesnt suggest that hell be turning the tide on his own. A restricted free agent who earned $1.5-million last season, Spaling is looking at a raise, but the Penguins are probably not in position to give him a lot more money, but they need Spaling to give them more reliable minutes on the third line. It didnt come as a massive surprise that the Penguins moved Neal -- it has been rumoured as a possibility for some time -- but the return may be something of a surprise. The Penguins didnt save a bunch of money; rather, they found a couple of forwards with the hope that will help improve their depth up front. They sacrificed the most talented player in the deal, though, and that presents a certain amount of risk, particularly if Hornqvist doesnt produce at the same level. For a Nashville team that is making a concerted effort towards a more offensive style, Neal is a big addition, well worth the price they paid. 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. ' ' '
