Sports

Did Tampa just set the market price with the acquisition of Blake Coleman? – Stanley Cup of Chowder

Published

5 years ago

February 16, 2020

The Tampa Bay Lightning made one of the first big splashes of trade deadline season on Sunday evening, acquiring forward Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils.

Tampa, who was unceremoniously bounced in the first round last spring, paid a hefty price: they sent a first-round pick and 2019 first-round pick Nolan Foote to the Devils.

While it’s a little silly to ask what Tampa’s trade means for the Bruins, it’s worth noting that this deal may serve as a sort of “going rate” for deals going forward.

Coleman, who turned 28 in November, is a good player. He had 22 goals on a not great New Jersey team last season, and already had 21 on a bad New Jersey team this season before being sent to Tampa.

(It’s also worth noting that according to Darren Dreger, the Bruins were interested in Coleman.)

Then there’s this:

Blake Coleman is absolutely relentless, under contract for another season. Also just one of four NHLers to have at least 20 goals and 200 hits last year. Josh Anderson, Alex Ovechkin, and Tom Wilson were others. Bolts have already won 22 of their last 25. Sweeney on the clock.

— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) February 17, 2020

You could argue that Tampa remembered that first-round series last spring, where (and I hate to use this narrative, but here goes) they were way more skilled than the Columbus Blue Jackets but essentially got outworked, outmuscled, and sent packing.

Coleman is still under contract for another year after this one, carrying a cap hit of $1.8 million. This can go one of two ways in terms of price: sometimes, teams will pay more because they get an extra year, while other teams will want to give up less because they’ll have to do more salary cap machinations to make the deal.

Still, Tampa clearly knew that they needed another forward, and they went out and got their man. The first-round pick is reportedly the one that they acquired from Vancouver in last summer’s JT Miller trade, so they’re not really giving up one of their own selections.

However, it’s still a first-round pick, arguably the most coveted (and probably overrated) asset an NHL team can have in its back pocket.

If you were to look at this from a Bruins perspective, it’s similar to trading a 2020 first-rounder and John Beecher for Blake Coleman. Is that worth it? Yeah, probably.

What makes it a little more interesting is wondering what, if anything, the price paid for Coleman means for other guys on the block.

For example, Chris Kreider has to be considered more valuable than Coleman. If Coleman went for what was essentially 2 first-round picks, what is Kreider worth? 3?

Does this now mean Tyler Toffoli is worth, say, 2 firsts and a second? It’s hard to say, as these trades aren’t conducted in a vacuum, and some teams have different needs/wants than others.

What this really means, per our friends at Raw Charge, is that Tampa is going all-in. If you’re the Bruins, and you see that Tampa has decided it’s time to go all-in, what does that mean for you, when you have an older roster?

It’s worth remembering too that the Pittsburgh Penguins sent out a conditional first-round pick in acquiring Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild last week, so other Eastern Conference teams are stocking up.

(Speaking of the Zucker trade, I think the Coleman one is more similar to one the Bruins would make, as I doubt they’re looking to take on a Zucker-esque contract with several years remaining.)

If the Bruins are going to improve significantly at the deadline, it looks like at least one first-round pick is going to end up being on the block. No team likes to send out valuable assets, but for the Bruins, the future has to be tomorrow’s problem.

Two teams in the East have already bolstered their rosters. It’s important that the Bruins don’t overreact and overpay, but they also can’t get caught flat-footed.

Good luck, Don.

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Sports

Sports betting roundup: NFL and college football were all about the favourites

Published

17 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

Coming up

Right after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series, odds for the 2025 World Series were released.

The Dodgers have the best odds at +400, while the Atlanta Braves and Yankees are next at +800.

The Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies round out the top five, both at +1100.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports:

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Longtime rivals Ovechkin, Crosby join Necas as NHL’s three stars of the week

Published

17 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Oliveira, Mitchell named as finalists for CFL outstanding player award

Published

5 days ago

October 31, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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