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07/27/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nearly a month after the doors to NHL free agency opened, the auction for the best up-for-grabs players has come to a screeching halt.
On the first day of the highly anticipated off-season extravaganza, owners opened up their checkbooks and dished out close to $230 million over 78 years for 33 new players ... just slightly above Ilya Kovalchuk's most recent offer.
While that might be an exaggeration in regard to Kovalchuk, the drop-off in player movement since then is not.
Since July 1, the biggest names who have found a new home are Matthew Lombardi and Pavel Kubina. Most of the other moves have been small in scale, and centered around depth players and minor-leaguers.
Although this isn't an unusual phenomenon, as the cream of the yearly crop is generally scooped up as quickly as possible, there are still several quality players looking for work.
Teams looking for a veteran presence have plenty to choose from with players such as Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Mike Modano, Doug Weight and Bill Guerin all awaiting a phone call.
Although these players represent hockey of a previous era, they would still be able to contribute effectively to a team in need of leadership or playoff experience.
Next up are the "goal scorers".
Leading this list are Russian snipers Maxim Afinogenov followed by former Maple Leafs Alexei Ponikarovsky and Lee Stempniak.
Based on his stats from last season, it would appear Afinogenov is in for a big raise. The speedy winger notched 24 goals and 61 points for the Atlanta Thrashers after signing a one-year $800,000 deal a year ago.
Afinogenov is certainly worthy of a raise, but after slumbering through two injury-shortened seasons in Buffalo prior to signing with the Thrashers, leery GM's might be hesitant to fork over the dough for a player with a battered past.
Stempniak had the most goals of the bunch, with 28 a season ago, although half of those came in an 18-game span after the Phoenix Coyotes acquired him at the trade deadline.
Despite his outlandish production post-trade deadline, it's unlikely Stempniak will cash in big with just over a month to go before training camps open up.
The biggest detriment to Ponikarovsky's value is his playoff performance in Pittsburgh after the Penguins traded for him at the deadline.
He put up five points in 11 games, but was also a healthy scratch twice. That said, he's been a consistent 20-goal scorer since the lockout and could compliment any team looking for scoring depth.
Several other players such as Marty Turco, Raffi Torres, Andy Sutton and Willie Mitchell should garner attention as well, but likely at reduced rates.
With younger players cracking the big leagues on entry-level contracts and budding stars signing lifelong deals, the once abundant and exciting free agent period has become a victim of salary cap-era management.
While free agency will always remain an option for teams looking to add a few pieces to the puzzle, the impact it once had on the league and the players involved has vanished temporarily.
For how long is anybody's guess.
<< Broncos sign rookie WR Decker
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos came to terms with rookie
wide receiver Eric Decker, the team announced on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Decker, who was taken in the third round -- 87th overall --
<< USA dominates Chinese Taipei at World Junior Baseball Championship
Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a team expecting to play right through
the end of the tournament, the United States is doing a good job of preserving
energy.
Phillip Pfeifer (1-0) dominated a hot-hitting Chinese Taipei squad over sev
<< Gaming: C-USA a one-team league in non-conference play
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Take away Houston's straight-up and
against-the-spread non-conference records in 2009, and Conference USA was a
meat market for its opposition. The Cougars were 3-1 both SU and ATS outside
the conference, in
<< Calgary's Bryant highlights CFL Players of the Week
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary wide receiver Romby Bryant, Montreal
defensive end John Bowman, Winnipeg kick returner Jovon Johnson and Calgary
running back Jon Cornish were selected as the CFL's top performers for Week 4
of the
Former Buckeye, Raider Tatum dies >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-hitting linebacker/safety Jack Tatum has
passed away at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday.
Nicknamed "The Assassin," Tatum played for Ohio State from 1968-70 and for the
Oakland Rai
Braves, Ross agree to two-year extension >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves and catcher David
Ross agreed to a two-year extension through the 2012 season.
Financial terms were not available.
Ross is currently batting .269 with 18 RBI in 35 games this sea
CFL West: Burris powers through errors in win over Riders >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While a home win by the Calgary Stampeders
against the Saskatchewan Roughriders isn't completely surprising, that the win
came by 20 points is not something many would have expected. Calgary put on a
great sec
Celtic signs striker Hooper >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic made its sixth signing of the
offseason Tuesday, adding 22-year-old striker Gary Hooper on a four-year deal
from Scunthorpe United.
Hooper had 43 goals in 80 matches for Scunthorpe United, a
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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