BUFFALO – Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis has a pretty good understanding
of all that Mason Raymond can offer.
Authentic Mike Alstott Jersey . But when it
comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when
training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to
the head coach. “Its not really me,” Nonis said, minutes before the Leafs and
Sabres squared off at First Niagara Center on Saturday. “Im comfortable with
Mason. I know what hes like as a person and I think everyone is comfortable with
him as a player. Its where Randy sees him. Where does he fit in the lineup?”
Nonis and his management team will certainly have their input in the series of
roster decisions still looming for the Leafs, but according to Nonis, Carlyle
will have the final say. “I cant tell him to put someone into the lineup that he
doesnt want in the lineup,” Nonis opined of the decision-making process. “He has
full control over who makes this team and who doesnt. But we all spend a lot of
time discussing the benefits of certain people and their strengths and
weaknesses. I think its a pretty healthy relationship and open dialogue both
ways to make sure that were all on the same page and were all pushing toward the
same goal with the same pieces.” Signed to a professional tryout on the eve of
training camp and a second round selection of Nonis in Vancouver, Raymond is
among the more intriguing pieces vying for a place on the Toronto roster. With
loads of speed and a fair amount of skill, the now 27-year-old offers Carlyle
the prospect of depth and versatility in the forward ranks. Scoring twice in his
first two exhibition matches, he has made an immediate impression. Surely a more
complex case for the head coach is 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, whom the Leafs can
either keep in the NHL or return to the junior circuit in Moose Jaw. “Hes making
it as hard as I thought hed make it,” Nonis said of Rielly, who suited up for
the first three exhibition games, sitting out in Buffalo. Carlyle suggested at
the outset of camp that the determination process with Rielly would lie in
whether he could capably contribute 12-15 minutes a night or was better off
dominating with the Warriors, conceding the value of both options. “Randy knows
what hes looking for,” Nonis continued. “He had a different player but a pretty
good example of that in Cam Fowler. I think he was always looking for [Fowler]
to falter and he never did and Randy used him more and more. And if he wouldve
faltered Im sure Randy wouldve pulled him out. Thats the same kind of scenario
here with Morgan. If hes ready then hell go in.” Though Nonis stated explicitly
that Carlyle has final say on roster decisions, the coach, for one, seems to
value the opinions of those around him, taking stock of a range of voices across
the organization before settling on a decision. “We converse daily, sometimes
two or three times a day,” Carlyle said of his conversations with management
after a lengthy 3-2 shootout victory. “If its not [Dave Nonis], its [Dave
Poulin], its Claude Loiselle, Cliff Fletcher, Bobby Carpenters here, Steve
Kaspers around; theres an armada of management that we make sure that we all
have a voice and an opinion. We as a coaching staff talk behind closed doors
quite a bit ourselves about what our feelings are and we want to make sure were
consistent with what we see and we voice our opinion to the management staff.
“When youre in the situation were in I think that you try to take everybodys
opinion.” “Well have long discussions about it,” Nonis concluded. “Its probably
the same way that I use Randy when were trying to make a trade, I seek his
opinion. And at the end of the day we do what we need to do as a staff. I think
its the same way from his standpoint; hell seek our opinion, but hes picking the
team.” Five Points 1. Rangers shootout attempt The shootout lasted 15 rounds and
exactly 30 shooters on Saturday, capped by Jay McClements eventual winner. But
the highlight of the exhibition proceeding had to have been Paul Ranger, who
offered a truly creative attempt against the Sabres goaltender. “Its a
kick-shot,” Ranger said afterward of his failed effort on Jhonas Enroth. “I dont
know how else to describe. I learned it when I was probably 10 or 11 years old.”
With the shootout dragging with no end apparently in sight, shot after shot
turned aside, Ranger decided that when his name was eventually called he would
attempt the unusual and unpredictable. “Thats the cool part of it is that I have
no idea where its going and the goalie doesnt either ‘cause I sure dont,” he
grinned. 2. Reimers second effort James Reimer made his first full outing of the
exhibition season, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he saw from the Sabres before
adding 15 more in the shootout. “I felt a lot better today compared to London,”
Reimer said, referring to his first start a week earlier, which lasted about
half the game. “Im feeling better every day on the ice, really seeing the puck
better, reading situations and plays better. In the game I felt a lot more
comfortable today than I did in London. But having said theres still some
situations where you werent as sharp as youd like to be.” Though just an
exhibition game, Reimer was pleased with his perfect performance in the
shootout, a source of some struggle last season and throughout his career. “Weve
been working on some stuff,” he said. “Not going to give away my secrets or
anything, but it is something obviously I worked on a bit this summer and tried
to really improve on.” Reimer is 0-5 career in the shootout with a .625 save
percentage. 3. Lupul nearing exhibition debut The exhibition debut is drawing
near for Joffrey Lupul. Returning to practice earlier this week following a bout
with back spasms, Lupul remained out against the Sabres on Saturday, but
projects to play when the two teams meet again in Toronto on Sunday. “Whats 24
more hours?” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle asked rhetorically before the game.
“Well, 24 more hours is a practice underneath [him], an opportunity to stretch,
an opportunity for more rest and for his body to tell him that hes 110 per cent,
ready to go.” Lupul began experiencing trouble with his back in the days leading
up to training camp, remaining off the ice for the first week of camp. Troubled
by injuries over the course of his career, including last season when he played
in just 16 games, Lupul appeared to have put his most recent back difficulties
behind him with four consecutive days of practice. “Wed love to see him in our
lineup on a regular basis,” Carlyle said of Lupul. “Weve tried to maintain that
he has to change some of the things that he does from a standpoint of maybe
being less reckless. I commented on it last week, I thought it was more not
being so much reckless, but I think he was just dying to make a contribution.”
Lupul fractured his right forearm in the third game of 2013, the victim of a
flailing Dion Phaneuf point shot. He returned to the lineup 25 games later,
offering two weeks of mesmerizing hockey before suffering a concussion, crunched
by Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall. 4. More Rielly Watch Questioned further on the
junior option for Rielly, Nonis said the coaching staff in Moose Jaw certainly
factored into the Leafs equation. “If he does go back he has a good coach
there,” Nonis said of Warriors head coach Mike Stothers. “I think thats one area
you look at and say is he being coached by a quality staff and the answer is
yes. Would he have a major impact on the World Junior team? I think the answer
there is yes. Theres some things that could happen to him that would be good for
him. That doesnt mean that he should go back. If he really is ready to play here
and he can play a significant role then theres nothing wrong with keeping him at
19.” 5. Smiths dream Vying for a job with the Leafs in a depth capacity,
Trevor Smith was born in Ottawa, spent a few years of his youth in Thornhill,
Ontario, before finally settling in Vancouver. And he grew up a Leafs fan. “A
lot of my buddies were giving me some cr**,” he said of signing with the
organization this summer, “but for me personally this is a huge opportunity and
something Ive dreamed of as a kid. Im really excited to be here.” Smith spent
last season in the Pittsburgh organization – he dressed for one game with the
Penguins – a member of the Lightning organization the year prior to that. The
28-year-old has played in 24 career NHL games, his AHL resume chalk full of
gaudy offensive stats. Smith has the ability to play both centre and the wing,
realizing that his versatility is perhaps the best asset to finding a job with
the Leafs at this point. “I think if Im going to play in this league I need to
be able to kill penalties and be really good at it,” he explained, “be able to
block shots and be versatile, not only five-on-five defensively but on the PK as
well.”
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first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2
win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
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said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year
contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his
salary upped to 4.
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. PAUL, Minn.SAN DIEGO -- After a tough few outings, Clayton Kershaw is backing
to pitching at Cy Young form. Kershaw rebounded with seven dominant innings and
got two-run homers from Yasiel Puig and A.J. Ellis as the NL West champion Los
Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 on Saturday night. Two days
after clinching their first division title since 2009, the Dodgers turned to
their ace who delivered a gem as he struck out 10 and allowed just three hits.
Kershaw (15-9) lowered his major league-best ERA to 1.88. He leads the NL with
224 strikeouts. The left-hander was held out of his last start on Wednesday to
allow him more rest as the playoffs approach. "I felt good, so I guess thats a
bonus," Kershaw said. A little bit erratic at first with the fastball but A.J.
did a real good job of making me use all my pitches on both sides of the plate."
In his previous three September starts, Kershaw wasnt as sharp as normal, going
1-1 with a 4.26 ERA. Kershaw is trying to become the first pitcher to lead the
majors in ERA in three consecutive seasons since Atlantas Greg Maddux from
1993-95. The last Dodger to finish a season with a sub-2.00 ERA was Sandy Koufax
(1.73) in 1966. San Diego had Kershaws number this season, defeating him in all
three previous starts. The 2011 Cy Young Award winner was 0-3 with a 4.67 ERA in
his first three starts against the Padres, while going 14-6 with a 1.71 ERA in
his other starts. "(San Diego) is a tough team. They battle me," Kershaw said.
"They put good at-bats on me and always seem to get my pitch count up. I felt
good to finally get a win against these guys." Said Padres rookie second baseman
Jedd Gyorko: "I think the difference was being able to get those key hits. You
cant get him all the time and he kind of got us. Id say our at-bats were just as
good as any other game against him. We just couldnt push through." San Diego had
runners on first and second in the first with one out and men on second and
third with no outs in the third and couldnt scorre either time against Kershaw.
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against him the last couple of years," Ellis said. "They grind him better than
any team hes faced throughout the season. Hes kind of become a one-sided guy
against these guys. Fastball in, slider, occasional curveball (with) two
strikes. I think he was ready for something different." Ellis homered in the
fourth off rookie Burch Smith (1-2). "It was a changeup that was a little bit up
that ran into his bat," Smith said. Puig then connected on a shot to centre
field off Tim Stauffer in the seventh that was estimated at 457 feet. Kershaw
reached on a bunt single to lead off the inning. Kershaw retired 14 of his last
15 batters. Relievers Ronald Belisario and Brian Wilson each pitched a perfect
inning for the Dodgers. Los Angeles played all of its starters, except shortstop
Hanley Ramirez. The Dodgers held out all of their regulars in a 2-0 loss to the
Padres on Friday night, one day after clinching their first division title since
2009. Smith gave up two runs on three hits in six innings. The rookie struck out
six and walked a career-high five. NOTES: Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is
resting Ramirez to help him recover from back and hamstring injuries that have
plagued him throughout the season. Ramirez is expected to see limited playing
time before the post-season. ... Dodgers OF Andre Ethier (sprained left ankle)
missed his eighth straight game. Ethier, who took batting practice and did
running drills before the game, could return when the Dodgers start a three-game
series at San Francisco on Tuesday. ... Smiths third-inning single was his first
major league hit. ... Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (15-3, 2.75 ERA) will pitch at
Petco Park for the first time since he sustained a broken left collarbone on
April 11 during a brawl with Carlos Quentin, who was hit with a pitch and
charged the mound. Quentin, who recently had knee surgery, is out of the season.
... RHP Andrew Cashner (10-8, 3.21) pitches for San Diego on Sunday.
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