... Mavericks F Shawn Marion returned after missing two | Forum

Topic location: Forum home » General » General Chat
Deleted user Oct 30 '16, 10:09PM
CALGARY - The Calgary Flames were sellers heading into Wednesdays NHL trade deadline, but buyers had yet to open their wallets a day out. Kevin Johnson Texans Jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Interim general manager Brian Burkes theory for slow business was shoppers were temporarily preoccupied elsewhere. Other forwards said to be on the market were New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler, Matt Moulson of the Buffalo Sabres, Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres. "I think theres a logjam thats been presented or created by two, three, four players thats going to paralyze the rest of the league," Burke told reporters Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome. "Youll see other deals happening but I think the hold up for a high-end forward has kind been captivated by two, three, four players. "I think were on the backburner for a lot of teams right now. Doesnt mean nothing is going to happen, but thats where we are today. "Weve been in discussions with every team in the league and what theyre trying to do. We have some unrestricted free agents we will move if the price is right. Im not close on anything that makes sense for us." Trade speculation in Calgary has centred on Cammalleri, but with a record of 23-31-7 and destined for a fifth straight season out of the playoffs, the only Flames that Burke considered off limits were captain Mark Giordano and rookie sensation Sean Monahan. "When youre in the place we are in the standings, your list of untouchables should be either nonexistent or tiny," Burke said. Burke, the Flames president of hockey operations, stepped in as interim GM when he fired Jay Feaster on Dec. 12. He intends to hire a new GM. But Burkes mandate is to speed up Calgarys rebuild by whatever means necessary: trades, spending to the cap or the signing of free agents. "You cant be waiting for the next guy," Burke said. "Were going to do what we can to improve. If that means theres a few less decisions for the new guy, thats fine. "The dynamic of the trade deadline is, you want to show your players first and foremost, if youre close, you want the room to feel youve done something to add. You want the players to believe management is trying to make the team better." Only the Buffalo Sabres have scored fewer goals than Calgary in the NHL this season, but upgrades are needed both up front and on the blue-line. Cammalleri, 31, scored 39 goals and had 43 assists as a Flame and a linemate of Jarome Iginla in 2008-09. Cammalleri is in the final year of a five-year contract paying him $6 million annually. With the right linemates, Cammalleris offensive skills and experience make him an attractive rental for a playoff push. "Things change very quickly in the business," Cammalleri said. "When it comes to that, I think you understand why certain things take place and why they might be thinking along certain lines. "I feel my best hockey is ahead of me and I feel great about my game. Whether its here, or whatever happens, Im not concerned about my ability to help my team out." Stempniak, also 31, is in the second year of a two-year deal that counts $2.5 million against the salary cap. He has eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games this season. His wife gave birth to twin girls following the Olympic break and he could be on the move Wednesday. "I know thats a very likely possibility and have sort of braced myself for that," Stempniak said. "Ill either get a phone call or I wont get a phone call. "It could be two big life changes in the span of five days, but its part of the business. Thankfully on the family front, everything is going well there and everyone is healthy. Thats the most important thing. Whatever else happens, you think you can deal with it." Defenceman Chris Butler, whose salary is $1.7 million this season, is also scheduled for unrestricted free agency in July. Burke said he prefers adding a player who can upgrade the Flames immediately over acquiring draft picks. Calgary has a healthy dose of cap space to take on unwanted contracts as part of a deal as well. "I hope to be up here in a year talking about buying players, not selling players. Were selling," Burke said. "That being said, if we can salvage a hockey deal out of this were going to do that. "If we can turn our cap space into assets were going to do that. It could be a very important day for the franchise, the next 24 hours, but its not the same as when youre adding to try to make a push." The Flames host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Coach Bob Hartley said Joni Ortio will get the start in net. Ortio was called up from Abbotsford, B.C., when goaltender Karri Ramo injured his knee Feb. 2. Ramo skated Tuesday for the first time since the injury prior to Calgarys optional skate. Damaris Johnson Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. C.J. Fiedorowicz Texans Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. http:///...n-martin-red-jersey/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Dallas Mavericks have struggled at times this season to close out. They didnt let that happen against the Memphis Grizzlies. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Brandan Wright added 17 and the Mavericks used a second-half surge to grab a 110-96 victory over Memphis on Wednesday night. "Weve obviously had a little trouble sometimes finishing games with leads, especially on the road," said Nowitzki, who was 10 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. "Teams are putting pressure on us and really getting into us, and we havent really responded well to that. But (against the Grizzlies) I thought we were solid." Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis had 14 points apiece and Dalembert added 10 rebounds. Vince Carter had 13 points and seven assists to help the Mavericks win their third straight game. Zach Randolph scored 25 points for Memphis, while Courtney Lee finished with 22. James Johnson added 17 and Nick Calathes scored 16 starting his third game in place of injured starting point guard Mike Conley. Dallas began its rally in the closing minutes of the third quarter and carried it into the fourth, eventually leading by as many as 17. The Mavericks are eighth in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Grizzlies for the last playoff spot. Dallas also assured itself of winning the season series with its third win over Memphis this season. "If we would have won it, we would still be able to make the playoffs. If we lose, it doesnt change anything," said Memphis centre Marc Gasol, who had 12 points. "We have a lot of games left. . Of course, we would like to win every game, but if you lose, you move on. If you win, you move on. Theres no other way around it." The Mavericks dominated the paint, holding a 56-32 advantage in points and 35-32 edge on the glass. "To get 40, 50 points in the paint on them is impressive," Nowitzki said. "It means we were driving the ball and sharing. Will Fuller Texans Jersey. . Anytime we hold our own on the boards with this team and almost double them on points in the paint, thats a fantastic job for us." Memphis led 55-52 at halftime after having a basket taken away by a clock malfunction at the end of the half. Ellis scored with 10.1 seconds left, and on the ensuing Memphis possession Johnson appeared to hit a layup with less than a second left. But the clock didnt start properly following Ellis basket, and officials ruled that if it had, Johnson would not have gotten the shot off in time. "In the first half, we didnt defend very well," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We knew we were going to play better in the second half." The Mavericks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third period, but then the game settled into poor shooting on both sides. The result was a quarter with six ties and three lead changes. Dallas broke a 71-all tie by closing the period with a 7-1 push for a 78-72 lead. That started a 14-3 Mavericks rally spanning the quarters. When Wright converted a 3-point play with 8:27 left, Dallas had stretched the lead to 14 points. The Mavericks 110 points snapped a Memphis string of seven games during which the Grizzlies had not allowed an opponent to surpass 90 points. "They always have five guys on the floor that you have to guard, and they can all shoot," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "I did a poor job at getting us ready against the multiple action pick-and-rolls that they ran. "Defensively, we were awful." NOTES: It took 7 minutes after the teams left the floor at halftime for officials to review the final play before disallowing Johnsons basket. ... Mavericks F Shawn Marion returned after missing two games with shoulder and rib contusions and had eight points. ... Calathes, who hadnt committed a turnover in the last two games starting for Conley, had six turnovers. ... Nowitzki has five straight games with at least 23 points. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '