In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is speculation as to what it might cost the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain Morgan Rielly, along with what else they might do on the blue line. In Detroit, there is speculation as to what type of free agents they’ll go for, and why are St. Louis Blues’s scribes starting to question Alex Pietrangelo returning to St. Louis?
How Expensive Will Morgan Rielly Be?
According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, it could cost the Toronto Maple Leafs big dollars to re-sign defenseman Morgan Rielly when his contract expires in 2022. Fox suggests a good comparison is the Arizona Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s eight-year, $66-million deal. He also notes that the Maple Leafs will be closely watching what happens between the Boston Bruins and blueliner Torey Krug.
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Considering the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap, it might be wise for the Leafs to try and sign Rielly early if they can convince him the cap won’t bounce back by 2022. Free agents this year may have to take less money because of the drop in league revenue and it would be ideal for the Maple Leafs to get Rielly for less and hope salaries pop back up. If the revenues are up again by the time Rielly goes to re-sign, the Leafs won’t have saved anything.
After signing Mikko Lehtonen, could the Leafs have more up their sleeve when it comes to addressing their blue line? Some have suggested the Leafs acquiring another LTIR contract to free up cap space to pursue St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Fox doesn’t see that happening but does note that acquiring a contract like Ryan Kesler’s could help in another way. He writes:
“Paying Ryan Kesler or Marian Hossa to not play hockey won’t help Toronto land Petro. Paying Kesler might, in theory, help Dubas acquire a Josh Manson plus a draft pick from Anaheim in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen.”
Could Red Wings Pitch for Big-Name Free Agent?
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press took a look at potential free-agent options on the Red Wings’ blue line and discussed possible interest in Pietrangelo. She admits the Blues captain may prefer staying for less in St. Louis or going somewhere more competitive than Detroit.
Sami Vatanen, New Jersey Devils, January 20, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Other names mentioned include Toronto’s Tyson Barrie, Carolina’s Sami Vatanen, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Shattenkirk, and Calgary’s TJ Brodie.
St. James writes:
Yzerman will have money to spend — and other teams may find themselves budget-challenged, especially if the cap contracts. But he will still have to excel as a salesman to land one of the better free agents available, and will probably have to overpay. Selling free agents on the Wings was not an issue when he was a player (1983-2006) or worked in the front office (2006-2010), nor while general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning (2010-2018), where he led a successful team in a state without income tax.
source – ‘The Detroit Red Wings need to upgrade their defense. Here are options’ – Helene St. Jams – Detroit Free Press – 05/02/2020
Apparently, Edmonton isn’t the only western Canadian city interested in hosting games should the NHL resume this summer. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that Vancouver has also submitted a proposal.
At this point, there is nothing definitive about what the NHL plans to do, but what makes Vancouver an interesting option is how many buildings there are that could potentially host games. Already a hub for international travel, the options for NHL action includes Rogers Arena (Canucks’ home arena), Pacific Coliseum (Canucks’ former home arena), the University of British Columbia (UBC), Langley Events Centre (WHL Vancouver Giants home arena), Abbotsford Centre (Former AHL arena) and a number of BCHL rinks around the lower mainland (Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, Chilliwack).
Blues Not Confident in a Pietrangelo Return?
Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Dispatch recently wrote that he’s surprised so many fans in St. Louis seemed confident Pietrangelo would be back. He asks, “But why does seemingly everyone in St. Louis seem so sure he’s staying?”
He adds:
The Blues captain and St. Louis sports icon is a free agent when this season is up — whenever this season is up. Or, frighteningly, perhaps there won’t be any more hockey in the 2019-20 season, and the next time the Blues lace ‘em up, it’ll be the 2020-21 season. There is so much uncertainty right now during this pandemic.
But at some point, presumably, in the coming months, the defenseman will have to make a decision. And there are uncertainties involving his decision, some which existed even before the pandemic. Namely, the Blues don’t have enough cap space to currently afford him.
source -Hochman: Petro returning to Blues makes sense, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be back’ – Benjamin Hochman – St. Louis Dispatch – 04/27/2020
The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
