All-UFA Team: The best of the leftovers
Hockey Betting Lines
07/15/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite his surprisingly deliberate search
for a new team, Ilya Kovalchuk is still gaining headlines as the top free
agent left on the NHL's open market.
While it's certainly shocking that we are two weeks into hockey's signing
season and the uber-talented Russian winger has not yet decided on a new
home, it should also be noted that Kovalchuk is far from the only recognizable
unrestricted free agent left to be had.
Kovalchuk would clearly head the list of any All-Free Agent team, but, for our
purposes here, we'll pretend that Kovalchuk has already signed.
First off, his value right now is so much higher than any other available
player that including him on our team would qualify as a no-brainer. Secondly,
so much has already been said about Kovalchuk this summer that I think we are
all suffering from a severe case of "Kovi fatigue". Whether he lands in New
Jersey, LA, St. Petersburg or elsewhere, at this point there is really nothing
left to say about the guy that hasn't already been stated dozens of times
over.
With the requisite Kovalchuk talk out of the way, let's take a look at some
big free agents that have flown under the radar this summer.
LEFT WING
ALEXANDER FROLOV
Like Kovalchuk, Frolov is a talented left winger who should just be entering
the prime of his career. Unlike his countryman, Frolov has been dogged by
criticism concerning his consistency and his frequent offensive dry spells.
Still, while it's clear Frolov is no Kovalchuk, the 28-year-old did manage to
produce 168 goals and 381 points in seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings.
He also notched 32 goals in 2008-09 before disappointing with just 19 tallies
in 81 games last year for the Kings. Frolov's lapses in production are a big
reason the Kings are in the Kovalchuk race to begin with, but perhaps a fresh
start with a new club could do the former first-round draft pick a world of
good. It remains to be seen whether Frolov's new home will be in North America
or back home in the Kontinental Hockey League.
RIGHT WING
TEEMU SELANNE
Even though he recently turned 40, Selanne's age shouldn't prevent him from
producing should he decide to come back for an 18th NHL campaign in 2010-11.
But it's hard to determine if "The Finnish Flash" is a true free agent or if he
will only re-sign with Anaheim, the city he's called home for the last five
seasons. With Selanne's countryman Saku Koivu signed for two more years,
Selanne will likely only consider offers from the Ducks, who are in a
transitional phase but still have use for this future Hall of Famer. Selanne
has played in just 145 games over the last three seasons, but has produced an
impressive 125 points (66 goals, 59 assists) over that span. Bill Guerin is
another right wing option who is also 40 years old. The American had 21 goals
and 24 assists for Pittsburgh last year and, unlike Selanne, Guerin has shown
that he is open to signing with just about anybody who is interested.
CENTER
MIKE MODANO
The highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history still may opt for
retirement, but if he does return for the 2010-11 campaign it won't be for the
Dallas Stars -- the franchise he's been a part of since being selected first
overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988. Modano, 40, saw his minutes
dwindle the last few years in Dallas, but he still managed a decent 14 goals
and 30 points while playing in just 59 games during an injury-plagued 2009-10
season. Detroit has expressed interest in signing Modano, as have the Minnesota Wild, who would certainly give their fans a thrill if they could lure the
future Hall of Famer back to the Twin Cities. Perhaps a return to the North
Star State could rejuvenate his career, but if he is dogged by injuries once
again then it would clearly be time to call it a career.
DEFENSEMEN
WILLIE MITCHELL
Mitchell's 2009-10 season ended in January when he suffered a concussion, and
the 33-year-old has yet to resume skating. Still, his combination of size,
skill and responsible play make him the best all-around defenseman left on the
open market. Mitchell had four goals, eight assists and was a plus-13 for
Vancouver last season and the Canucks clearly missed his steady play on the
back end in the playoffs this past spring. The only reason he is still
available is because of his post-concussion symptoms, but if he makes a
successful return to skating soon it won't take long for NHL suitors to come
calling.
MARC-ANDRE BERGERON
Bergeron offers much more than Mitchell in the offensive zone, but his
defensive lapses are a cause for concern. Despite playing in just 60 regular
season games with Montreal last year, Bergeron still managed to post 13 goals
and 34 points for the Canadiens and also added six points in 19 playoff games
for the Habs. Bergeron's biggest asset is a terrific shot, which makes him a
very valuable weapon on the power play. Still, Bergeron's deficiencies in his
own zone prevent him from being a guy who can log tons of minutes for a
contending team.
GOALTENDER
JOSE THEODORE
Many folks would place Marty Turco ahead of Theodore as the best goaltender
available, but it's clear that Theodore has been the better backstop over the
past few years. Theodore was Washington's main goaltender again last season,
but for a second straight playoffs, head coach Bruce Boudreau opted to switch
to Semyon Varlamov as the No. 1 guy early in the postseason. Boudreau's
decision puzzled me the first time and made just about as much sense this past
spring, but perhaps Theodore could do better on a team that has an interest in
playing defense rather than simply blaming the goaltender when things go bad
in the playoffs. To be fair, Theodore's stellar 62-24-12 record in his two
regular seasons with Washington also had a lot to do with the Capitals' high-
scoring offense, but at 33 years old, the former Hart Trophy and Vezina winner
at least proved he can still carry the load for an NHL team.
<< Unga, Price-Brent taken in supplemental draft
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL's supplemental draft took place on
Thursday and two players were taken -- running back Harvey Unga of BYU and
defensive tackle Josh Price-Brent of Illinois.
Unga was selected by the Chicago Be
<< Lightning re-sign C Jones
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning added some depth to the
forward position on Thursday by re-signing center Blair Jones to a one-year
contract.
Financial terms were not announced.
The 23-year-old appeared in 14 g
<< Oilers sign D Peckham
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman
Theo Peckham to a one-year contract.
Peckham, 22, has played in 31 career NHL games with the Oilers, including a
15-game stint during the 2009-10 campaign.
<< Blue Jackets re-sign Sestito
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed
forward Tom Sestito to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the two-way deal were not disclosed.
Sestito appeared in three games for the Blue Jackets last s
<< Nets ink first-round picks Favors, James
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets signed 2010 first-
round draft picks Derrick Favors and Damion James on Thursday.
The Nets selected Favors with the third overall pick after the 6-foot-10, 246-
pound forward aver
Islanders sign Kohn >>
Bridgeport, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders signed defenseman
Dustin Kohn to a one-year, two-way contract.
Kohn appeared in 22 games with the Islanders last season, his first in the
NHL. He totaled four assists in those
All eyes on Colangelo, Bargnani >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a hot summer in full swing, it's no
surprise that Bryan Colangelo has been busy working up a sweat.
After sending Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade deal that netted
the Toronto Raptors
Mariners sign P Wright among roster moves >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners signed free agent pitcher
Jamey Wright on Thursday, one of three roster moves made by the club.
Pitcher Chris Seddon also had his contract selected from Triple-A Tacoma,
while pitche
Braves place LHP O'Flaherty on DL, recall Dunn >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves placed left-handed reliever
Eric O'Flaherty on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a viral
infection.
O'Flaherty has been a stalwart out of the Atlanta bullpen this s
Bruins sign four >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins signed four players on
Thursday, including forward Gregory Campbell.
Campbell is a six-year veteran of the NHL and had played that entire time with
Florida. Over 363 games, he has total
Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
 Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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