#this was triggered by his contract expiring from the cap hit of a team he hasn’t been on for Eight Years

[brockachu]

sorry cleaning my archives has turned me into an old dude (gender neutral) screamingsobbing about even older dudes 👉🏽👈🏽 do y’all still respect me?

[nflfanpointii]

How The New Orleans Saints Are Approaching Free Agency And The Rest Of The NFL Off-Season

The New Orleans Saints were this close to making it to Super Bowl LIII, and the NFC Championship game will be both remembered and tainted for the foreseeable future. This season was a tremendous improvement over 2017, which is saying a lot based on how much Sean Payton's team overcame during three 7-9 seasons from 2014 to 2016. Now, they must pick up the pieces and keep moving forward.

The 2019 season has a lot of promise on the surface for the Saints, but at the same time, it looks to be the closing act of an era. For two years in a row, this is a team that has rapidly improved. Make no mistake about it, the window for getting another Lombardi Trophy in the hands of sure first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees is in the end game stage now. In turn, the Saints face their most important offseason yet.

Expiring Contracts

Running back Mark Ingram headlines the list of impending unrestricted free agents for the Saints. These are players free to negotiate with any team during the NFL's "legal" tampering period prior to free agency opening. Ingram, who turned 29 at the end of December, has expressed a desire to return to New Orleans, but understands that the NFL is a business. Ingram faces some hefty competition in the free agent running back market, and may not immediately see a starting role offered to him. Reuniting with the Saints would make a lot of sense.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who was acquired via a trade from the New York Jets in late August, looks to hit the open market and be an intriguing player to watch. He had a public audition for all teams interested in the regular season finale against the Panthers in Week 17, but didn't exactly have the type of performance that anyone was hoping for. There's a chance for the Saints to get back a compensatory draft choice from a potential Bridgewater departure, as a major financial commitment to him would seem unlikely with some $33.5 million in salary cap space already allocated to Drew Brees.

The Saints also have some role players and depth pieces that they could and should consider bringing back. Linebacker Craig Robertson, safety Chris Banjo, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, offensive linemen Jermon Bushrod and Josh LeRibeus, cornerback P.J. Williams, and defensive tackle Tyeler Davison are all candidates New Orleans could look at re-signing. Of course, watch out what happens with wide receiver Dez Bryant, who has indicated that he wants to be in New Orleans in 2019.

One other thing to watch for is what happens with defensive end Alex Okafor, who actually triggered a clause in his contract that allows him to to become a free agent and opt-out of the final year of his contract. The Saints did make a good faith gesture towards Okafor by giving him a $400,000 contract incentive that he fell one sack short of making. Perhaps that move by the front office helps him stick around for 2019.

The team has some work to do to ensure they keep their exclusive rights (ERFA) and restricted (RFA) free agents. The good news, from a financial standpoint, is that ERFAs get a 'take it or leave it option' from their club with no options of negotiation with other teams in free agency. So, this can be a cost-effective addition for the front office to make with players. Long snapper Zach Wood, linebacker and special teamster Vince Biegel, offensive lineman Cameron Tom, defensive back/standout special teamer Justin Hardee, and defensive back Rickey Jefferson should be no-brainer adds for the Saints.

The RFA class may be a little different to handle, which includes four players: Kicker Wil Lutz, running back Daniel Lasco, wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, and cornerback Ken Crawley. Restricted free agents can be pursued by any team, but New Orleans would be able to match or retain that player with said offer. This happened last season with the Saints pursuing wide receiver Cameron Meredith from the Bears on a two-year, $9.6 million contract in which Chicago did not match. Of the group, Lutz is the most important piece, and in all likelihood Lewis would be the other one brought back.

Team Needs

New Orleans could very well become a serious contender in 2019, but they'll need to upgrade in a few areas to help do so. Benjamin Watson is reportedly retiring, ending a very successful career that started back in 2004. Tight end is a very big area of need for the Saints in the new season. The team will have Josh Hill, Dan Arnold, and Garrett Griffin competing at training camp, but it's an area the Saints simply need to get better at.

Sticking with the offensive side of the ball, a lot of the team needs could hinge on other things. For instance, if Mark Ingram leaves in free agency, the Saints would need to look at another running back to compliment Alvin Kamara. However, that would be easier said than done, given the chemistry the two have developed over the past two years. New Orleans will also have an interesting decision to make with left guard Andrus Peat, who has a fifth-year option worth a $9.625 million cap charge. An upgraded No. 2 wide receiver, and swing offensive lineman are among the team's other needs on offense.

Defensively, the Saints are fairly set with the starting rotation. The loss of Sheldon Rankins in the Divisional Round will hurt, as the torn Achilles' tendon could likely put him on the physically unable to perform/reserve list to start the season. Couple that with Tyeler Davison potentially becoming a free agent, and the team may need some defensive line help. Other than that, New Orleans mainly has depth pieces to backfill. Slot cornerback Patrick Robinson should return to the mix in 2019, and the Saints would need to look at getting their No. 4-6 slots filled out. A third safety in the rotation could also be in play, as Kurt Coleman's salary cap hit of $7 million hardly seems worth it. A post-June 1 designation would save the Saints $5.5 million. Finally, linebacker depth will be an area to look at, as Craig Robertson and Manti Te'o are impending free agents.

Off-Season Targets

While the Saints have several areas they need to address to remain a contender, the kicker here is that they don't have the strong type of draft pick arsenal like they've previously had. Of the six picks they'll have, their highest is in the 2nd round. The rest are Day 3 picks starting in the 5th round. Mickey Loomis and the front office wouldn't be shy to make a deal to move up in the draft or acquire more picks, but it looks like most of the major improvements for the 2019 squad will come via free agency.

The best path for New Orleans isn't necessarily the flashiest, as the main theme would be gaining value and building the depth. Free agency is an exciting time for many, and the comprehensive list of players will always give you some surprise candidates that get released because of financial business decisions. For the Saints, some free agency targets would include Spencer Ware (Chiefs), T.J. Yeldon (Jaguars), C.J. Uzomah (Bengals), Jesse James (Steelers), Marcus Martin (Cowboys), J.R. Sweezy (Seahawks), Denzel Perryman (Chargers), and Darius Philon (Chargers). All of these players could fit the bill financially for the Saints, getting signed to two or three-year deals with some good bonus incentives.

However the Saints choose to attack, they already have a strong nucleus in place that's made up of strong leadership and talent. As painful as it was seeing their season end in such a controversial fashion, this is a team that has proven it can overcome and endure. Head coach Sean Payton will most assuredly do what's necessary to help get his team back into the postseason in 2019, and it all starts in just a short month and a half when the new league year starts on March 19.

[your-dietician]

Who on Edmonton Oilers' extended NHL roster is likely to be promoted to a "Core 12" spot next season?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/who-on-edmonton-oilers-extended-nhl-roster-is-likely-to-be-promoted-to-a-core-12-spot-next-season/

Who on Edmonton Oilers' extended NHL roster is likely to be promoted to a "Core 12" spot next season?

Breadcrumb Trail Links

Cult of Hockey

Author of the article:

Bruce McCurdy  •  Edmonton Journal

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) checks Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan McLeod (71) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Oilers won 5-3 on May 4, 2021. Photo by Bob Frid /USA TODAY Sports

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The other day we began our off-season review of Edmonton Oilers’ roster with a detailed look at the club’s “Core 12” players, a group that includes the starting goalie, top two defence pairs, top two forward lines plus third-line centre. While one or two of those spots might be open to debate, I chose the following dozen: 

Lots of holes in this version of the Oilers Core 12, of which no fewer than 8 players (white background) played under expiring contracts in 2021 and are poised to become free agents next month. Of the others, 2 have a year to run on their current pact (blue background), and 2 are locked up long term (orange). Thankfully, that latter category includes both of Edmonton’s “franchise” players.

Let’s look a little further down the line-up this time:

Every skater here played 8 or more NHL games with the Oilers this past season, nobody else played even 1. The list does include a tiny shuffle between the pipes, where mid-season waiver pickup Alex Stalock dressed as a backup goalie a couple of times, but saw no game action. He was on an NHL roster all season long so clearly belongs with this group. Stuart Skinner on the other hand did play an NHL game, but primarily was a core player for Bakersfield Condors so will be considered later.

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Whereas there are tons of pending free agents in the Core 12, the secondary players — including at least 2 at each position — are largely under contract. That’s not necessarily a good thing, especially on a team whose bottom 6 forwards have gotten owned at 5v5 on an annual basis.

Before we slice the chart vertically and review on a position-by-position basis, it’s instructive to do so horizontally and look at them as 6-man units. The first of those — Neal-Turris-Kassian-Russell-Bear-Koskinen — is not only under contract, but for a collective $18.35 million in ’21-22. That’s over $3 million a man. Not too many value pacts to be seen, especially up front where veterans Neal, Turris and Kassian each played only half the season for various reasons, combining for just 9 goals at a cap hit of $10.6 million. And not one of those contracts is expiring. Ouch.

The second set of Shore-McLeod-Archibald-Jones-Bouchard-Stalock at least has the virtue of being inexpensive, to the tune of less than $1 million per. At that level, contracts can be buried in the AHL, making those spots more open to competition.

Just 6 guys on the entire list who don’t have a contract, 2 of them already committed elsewhere. At first blush the other 4 are in deep simply due to the numbers game.

Left wing

Mixed reviews on the big contract-driven trade that brought James Neal to Edmonton in exchange for Milan Lucic. Some saw it as a Ken Holland-inspired miracle, but the net effect to this point is that Edmonton’s cap hit went up, not down. Instead of absorbing $6.0 million per season on Lucic, the Oilers are on the hook for a net $6.5 million, of which $5.75 is Neal’s AAV and the other $750k cap retention on Lucic. Neal came out guns blazing in Oil Country, but since the calendar turned to 2020 has struggled with injury and COVID and scored just 5 goals in 42 games. With 2 years yet to run on that contract and Neal about to turn 34 before camp opens, the Oilers may well be considering a buyout. That would open a little over $3.8 million in cap space the next 2 years, but claw back 50% of that amount in the following 2. This per PuckPedia.com: From the organization’s perspective the buyout option is the one significant advantage of the Neal pact vs. that of Lucic, which was and is virtually buyout-proof. But that only comes into play if the Oilers actually pull the trigger. Best guess here is that they will.

Devin Shore was RFA at season’s end, but has already signed a 2-year extension at $850,000 per.

Tyler Ennis was acquired for a draft pick at the 2020 trade deadline, then signed to a 1-year extension which has run its course. The 31-year-old vet showed some nice offensive flashes, but ultimately scored just 3 times in 30 games while twice clearing waivers and spending plenty of time on the taxi squad. A small forward with no meaningful role on special teams, I’ll speculate Ennis won’t be re-signed a second time.

Joakim Nygard‘s NHL dream was ruined by a badly-broken hand. He has already committed to a 6-year (!) contract back in his native Sweden.

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Centre

Just 3 centres listed in our chart above, though its worth remembering our initial Core 12 had an “extra” centre in Jujhar Khaira, identified as a 3C which by definition is a bottom 6 player. Indeed, Khaira played fewer than 10 minutes all season long with each of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and scarcely more than that with anyone who might identify as a “skill winger”. He’s RFA with a qualifying platform of $1.3 million. We discussed JJK’s situation in the previous post, and also in the podcast associated with this one.

Signed to a 2-year contract on the first day of free agency, Kyle Turris showed plenty off the ice, where he received Edmonton’s nomination for the King Clancy Award for his exemplary work at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. On the ice was another story, however, where he struggled right out of the gate at both ends of the sheet. The would-be 3C soon wound up as a bit player, clearing waivers at one point and playing on the wing on those rare occasions when he got a game. He finished with just 2-3-5 and a team-worst -11 in 27 games. Alas, he still has a year to run at a cap hit of $1.65 million. Oilers could consider buying him out but are more likely to send him to Bakersfield which would allow them to bury $1.125 million and retain “just” $525,000 against the cap. Not impossible he rebounds and makes the club, of course, but that seems the unlikelier outcome from this distance.

Ryan McLeod made terrific strides in 2020-21, first getting some productive time in the Swiss National League before ripping it up in the AHL (28 GP, 14-14-28, and a league-leading +23). That earned him the distinction of an in-season recall to the NHL, the only player in the organization to do so successfully. He got his feet wet with 10 games and 4 more in the playoffs, scoring just 1 point but showing decent promise. McLeod projects to being a #3C in due course, but surely is better pencilled in at 4C next year until such time as he plays his way up the line-up. Shows real promise to be a draft-and-develop success story, a rare bird in this part of the world.

Gaetan Haas was a quirky, fun player to watch with some real defensive utility but zero offence that translated to the NHL. Like Nygard, he’s signed a long-term deal (5 years) back home, in his case Switzerland.

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Right wing

Zack Kassian‘s counting numbers in 2021 were literally that: 1 fight, 2 goals, 3 assists, dash-4, 5 points. His season was limited to just 27 games due to 2 significant injuries. After a monster 2019 riding shotgun with McDavid that saw him score 24-26-50 in 82 games between Jan 01 and Dec 31, he was signed by Holland in 2020 January to a 4-year extension at a whopping $3.2 million AAV. But the wheels came off right away; he’s scored just 4 times in 47 games since the calendar turned to 2020. Now 30, his career is at (another) crossroads. While there are some whispers that eastern-based clubs might be interested on the trade market, one wonders if they might balk at that cap hit. Best guess is that he’ll still be an Oiler come the fall, with Holland foremost among those fervently hoping for a bounceback season.

Josh Archibald was signed in the summer of 2019 to a 1-year-deal, then re-upped for 2 years with a 50% raise that raised his cap hit to $1.5 million. That deal still has a year to run. Oilers fans can expect more of the same fast-skating, hard-hitting, aggressive-penalty killing style Arch has brought to this point, along with maybe 10 goals.

Alex Chiasson came to Edmonton in 2018 at a crossroads, having just won a Stanley Cup but unable to land a contract. He had to come to camp on a professional tryout before winning an NHL minimum pact from the Oil and using it as a springboard to a career-best 22-goal season. Holland signed him to a 2-year extension in the summer of 2019 at a pricier $2.15 million, for which he delivered responsible even-strength play and net-front excellence on the league’s best powerplay, but only 20 goals combined over the 2 years. That pact has now expired and the cap space likely to be used elsewhere, though it’s not impossible he could be brought back at a significantly lower figure. Best guess here? He’s gone.

Patrick Russell has gotten way further than anyone could have expected since he was signed as a college free agent back in 2016, ultimately signing 4 different contracts with the org. He spent parts of the last 3 seasons with the Oilers, appearing in 59 games overall. Alas, the promising offence he showed in the AHL did not survive the trip to Canada, and he remains stuck on 0 career goals. The Dane was OK-ish as an occasional fill-in on the 4th line, but with his latest 1-year pact expired it seems likely the org will look elsewhere to fill his spot. Almost the definition of a “replacement-level player”.

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Left defence

Kris Russell has been an Oiler for 5 years now, the last 4 of them at a $4 million AAV. His ice time dwindled the last 2 seasons, and he appeared in just 35 games in 2021. Partly due to expansion draft requirements, the organization saw fit to sign him to a 1-year extension at less than a third of his old cap hit. That’s a more appropriate price tag for a guy who projects to a part-time third-pairing role. The diminutive 34-year-old still has defensive chops but has never excelled at the transition game.

Caleb Jones still has a year to run on the 2-year, $850k AAV pact he signed early in 2020. At the time it projected as a value contract, but a year later the player has struggled to make the next step and optimism about his future is waning in some quarters, though not in others. He had a great chance to step into a second pairing role but instead stepped into his coach’s doghouse on occasion. He remains a promising young player who may well be targeted by Seattle Kraken in the upcoming expansion draft.

William Lagesson got an extended look on a defence-first pairing with Adam Larsson. He played a robust game and won his share of physical battles, but brought very little in terms of offensive or even transition game. The Oilers averaged just 16.34 shots per hour that he was on the ice at 5v5, by far the lowest among the 712 NHL skaters who played at least 120 minutes. (Teammate Haas was next at 19.63, over 20% (!) higher.) He’s halfway through the 2-year pact he signed last summer, but as he enters his Draft +8 season it’s surely fair to conclude “limited upside”.

Slater Koekkoek signed a 1-year deal late in free agency, won some fans with his early play before getting injured. He’s poised to become UFA again, even as many folks have penciled his name in as a likely returnee. This observer is less sure about that, given the organization’s depth at left defence. Detailed write-up here.

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Right defence

Finally, a chance to discuss a player who has a legitimate shot to move from this group into the Core 12 next season. That would be Ethan Bear, who was a top 4 defender in his impressive rookie season in 2019-20 who found himself in a third-pairing role on many nights in 2021. Both guys who were ahead of him, Tyson Barrie and Larsson, are currently UFA. Only one of them is pat to be back — I’m guessing Larsson — with Bear well-positioned to step back into his old pairing with Darnell Nurse. He has a year to run on a bridge deal that carries a $2.0 million cap hit.

Evan Bouchard also projects as a Core 12 type in the future, though it’s likely he will first be eased into a third pairing role. He was blocked by all 3 of Barrie, Larsson and Bear in 2021, and played just 14 games in what many saw as a failed developmental opportunity.

Goaltenders

Mikko Koskinen had a hugely disappointing season that failed to build on what was a fairly strong 2019-20. He was OK for a while in the backup role, but struggled mightily any time he got more regular ice time. He definitively lost the #1 job to Mike Smith, whose base salary was just a third of Koskinen’s. That $4.5 million cap hit still has a year to run, leading some to speculate that the Oilers might buy him out. If they try to move him in a trade it will come with a cost of a sweetener, cap retention, and/or a hefty pact coming the other way. Detailed write-up here.

Alex Stalock was plucked off the waiver wire at mid-season, but came with an ongoing health issue and spent plenty of time in a non-roster position before eventually being activated as a third goalie. He played no games. He’s cheap ($785k), experienced, and might battle for a backup job in the fall, though he’s more likely to stay as the #3 man in the depth chart. That’s problematic in an organization that has 3 promising young goaltenders with North American pro contracts and limited places to play.

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Summary

19 players in all discussed here, a meaty post to say the least. Primary takeaways are three-fold:

too many weighty contracts in the lower echelon of the roster, and no easy path to clear them out that doesn’t leave residual dead cap space like buyouts or cap retention.

too few players on the list who project into the Core 12 in the near or intermediate term. I count just Bear in the former category, with Bouchard, Jones and McLeod (as the token forward) in the latter. Given all the potential vacancies due to free agency, internal help still seems to be a fair ways off.

including the Core 12 plus those detailed here, just 2 players (McLeod and Bouchard) on the NHL roster will still be on their Entry Level Contract in ’21-22.

Of course the club has other players in the pipeline who were outside the NHL last season, including several promising ones. We’ll dive into this last group next time.

Recently at the Cult of Hockey

STAPLES: One lesson Oilers could learn from the defending champs

McCURDY: Holland has a big problem with Oilers’ depth lines

LEAVINS: Oilers need to get better players — 9 Things

STAPLES: Evening the score for the Oilers at the 2021 NHL Draft

McCURDY: The next few weeks will define Holland as Oilers GM

Follow me on Twitter @BruceMcCurdy

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[plms-hockey]

Leafs @ Wild - Game 33 - Dec.14.17

Toronto Maple Leafs (20-11-1) vs. Minnesota Wild (16-11-3)

Back in November, the Leafs faced the Minnesota Wild in their first game ever without Auston Matthews. In spite of getting steamrolled in the possession department, that was the day Freddie Andersen began his still running hot streak which resulted in a 4-2 win for the Leafs. Now the Leafs will have to come defend their theft on Wild home-ice, once again without Matthews who is still day-to-day with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Once again, the Leafs are still likely much better off than the Wild in the health arena. Minnesota is still missing key players in Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon, and may be down a goalie as Devan Dubnyk went out on 12-12 with a groin injury.

The Wild, who are currently deep in the cutthroat pileup of Western Conference teams fighting for Wild Card spots, have more problems than just injuries plaguing them, which is strange considering they were considered a real Cup Contender last year. Their bottom six just isn't clicking -- and it's always a problem when you have to start using terms like bottom six in a league that's shifting more and more towards at least a skilled top nine (as opposed to the old school formula of two skilled lines and two bang-and-crash lines). Anyway, the point is that these days you never want to have half your forward group be a non-factor or weakness, and it definitely is for the Wild.

One thing that is working for Minnesota is Jason Zucker. The 26-year-old left wing is second in scoring on the team but what's particularly fascinating is not his own numbers, but what he does to everyone else's. It seems like everyone he plays with scores. As we all know from our first science classes, correlation doesn't prove causation, but it's fascinating to note the team's GF% and shots with and without Zucker. Currently, there are ten skaters who have played more than fifty minutes with Zucker and every single one of them has a higher Goals For Percentage with him than without him.

While you always have to contextualize the fact that Zucker is playing mostly on the top two lines (and so you'd expect them to be hotter than league average), when you consider that he can only play on one line at a time and is only averaging 17:41 minutes of Ice Time a night, the heat maps below are rather shocking. Keep in mind, these aren't showing shot rates in comparison to the rest of his team, but how his team does with or without him in comparison to the league average which just makes it that much crazier.

That's... pretty good. Unfortunately, there are some pros and cons here.

Pro: Zucker is doing great things for the team and he's currently only costing them 2 million a year against the cap.

Con: He's about to become a prime example of what you risk when you make a bridge deal (a shorter deal for less money made with players coming off entry-level contracts) because that 2 million dollar contract was just a two-year deal made after his entry-level contract expired. This is year two and Zucker is about to become a Restricted Free Agent. He's also twenty-six which means, in the simplest terms, that most of the years on his next contract will be purchased Unrestricted Free Agency years (contract expiry status is automatically UFA at/after age 27, and UFA years more expensive because other teams can directly compete with you to sign a player).

So, Zucker is a huge impact player having a career year right before he becomes a 26-year-old RFA. Minnesota is going to have to pay up if they want to keep him around.

This could be an issue as Minnesota doesn't have any other deals worth more than 2.55mil AAV expiring this summer and their cap situation is always a bit rough with over 15mil towards the 75mil Salary Cap tied up in Parise and Ryan Suter until the end of time. While the cap is supposed to rise reasonably over the summer, the Wild have other players they'll need to sign as well, so they'll likely have to shed cap or get creative to make room for Zucker next year if he continues playing as he has been.

The takeaway here: Leafs fans better enjoy our short Cap-stress-free period while it lasts. We'll be in Cap Hell like everyone else as soon as Matthews, Marner, and Nylander come off their ELCs (Nylander this summer, the other two the summer after) and key older players start hitting Unrestricted Free Agency (JvR, Bozak, and Komarov all become UFAs on July 1st 2018).

Anyway, if any of that scares you, just go look at Kadri's contract and it will make you feel at least a little better.

After an adorable outdoor practice yesterday in the form of a 3-on-3 mini-tournament (including ceremonial puck drop by Minnesota native Jake Gardiner's dad, as well as Gardiner's squirt hockey trophy as a prize) it's unclear what lines the Leafs will ice today as there were no practice rushes. If they'd won on Tuesday I'd assume the same setup, but considering that game was a dumpster fire maybe we finally get to see Connor Carrick back in the lineup (bitter laughter), perhaps Kasperi Kapanen as well, if only to shake things up.

Some Key Numbers

16 - Jason Zucker - Left Wing 9 - Mikko Koivu - Center 20 - Ryan Suter - Defenseman 12 - Eric Staal - Center 64 - Mikael Granlund - Right Wing

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE POST GAME

Score: L 0-2

My apologies in advance to any Wild fan who may be reading this as I don't have much to say about Minnesota. They were fine. They made some good plays. They won the game. Wild backup goalie Alex Stalock got revenge for not making the Marlies once during the Leafs tank year--I thought it was a silly narrative but I almost feel bad considering there were zero people talking about it after the game last night. 

No, instead people were wondering why Leo Komarov played over nineteen minutes last night. The silver lining there was that William Nylander also played over nineteen minutes--but then you realize Komarov played more than Kadri, and we're back to angry. This obsession Babcock has with stapling two players together and then rotating a third around them (Komarov/Kadri, JvR/Bozak, Hyman/Matthews) seems almost nonsensical at this point. It also sends a weird message.

If I'm William Nylander or Mitch Marner and I'm getting kicked down to the fourth line because I missed a mark and haven't been scoring, I'm wondering why Leo Komarov, who has the worst 5v5 goals for percentage on the team. Actually, Leo is the only player on the team with a negative goal differential. Every other player on the team is at least break even. And, while I'm sure this isn't a metric Willy and Mitch are looking up, Leo also has the worst Corsi% on the team as well. The point is, how can you preach a message of accountability for the young stars and then let your vets take a pass?

So, what happened in last nights game? Even though it was the first night in a while where the Leafs were actually up in possession, they looked awful in the process. They were messy in their own zone. They didn't look particularly threatening in the offensive zone. They ended up icing a new line in Hyman-Marleau-Marner which I was actually pretty excited about. Marleau, after all, spent years capitalizing on passes from Joe best-playmaker-in-the-league Thornton; surely he could be a great match for Marner who is often burned by Bozak's inability to finish.

Unfortunately, Mitch had a very bad night. No one on that line had a great night but Mitch, in particular, looked stiff, losing a couple marks and dumping the puck in when he clearly could have carried (which we'll get to - oh believe me). I can only hope that they'll try this one at least once more before chucking it in the trash because I still think there's potential there.

Gardiner and Zaitsev were also a mess. I don't have a break down there really, but there were Not Good.

Who was good? JvR-Bozak-Brown. They decimated the Wild's third line in possession even though they couldn't capitalize on anything. Though, they do lose some brownie points here considering they were up against a line run by Matt Cullen, who really should be a 4C on a good team (as he was in Pittsburgh). Still, the Bozak line played well and definitely can be credited with the most dangerous looking Leafs' plays of the evening, which makes it all the more unfortunate that they were on the ice for the first goal.

What a weird one. Rielly had possession of the puck and began to skate behind the Leafs net as someone (Andersen or a forward) called WHEEL, WHEEL, WHEEL loud enough that it was clearly picked up on the broadcast. This triggered a standard play, wherein Rielly should keep skating with the puck behind the net and up the boards, likely to then hinge a pass up towards the blueline for a clean zone exit. As they should have, upon hearing the WHEEL call, all the Leafs players either skated up towards the blue line or the strong side (or what should have been the strong (puck) side, where Rielly was headed).

Instead, for some inexplicable reason, Rielly reversed instead of wheeled. This means he did a drop pass right behind the net. Usually, that's where his defensive partner would grab it and then head up the boards on the other side, etc, etc. But! Everyone heard wheel! I heard wheel in Washington freaking State, so nobody was there except the Wild player who'd been chasing Rielly. Then Rielly took an extremely late hit that probably should have been called and saved their asses, but it wasn't.

A confused Hainsey stalled. Connor Brown made a desperate attempt to clear the puck up the boards, but once again there was nobody on that side of the ice which resulted in him basically passing to a Wild player and, amidst a completely broken play, the Wild scored.

Anyway, buy Hockey Plays and Strategies by Ryan Walter and Mike Johnson with forward by Mike Babcock. Perhaps buy an extra and gift it to your favorite Leafs player for the holidays.

So, why were people so mad after watching this game? Is it because the game was boring and we're spoiled by a young, run-and-gun team? Is it because we don't get some grand master plan that all this nonsense is preparing the team for? A long time ago Babcock said there was pain coming. We thought that meant a tank but maybe it was this. But no, the reason people are so frustrated is because Babcock is playing scared. We don't know why but it's been clearly documented that around the California skid something changed. The young stars started getting less ice-time, the vets with perceived defensive steadiness got more. The semi-annoying chip and chasing that they've been doing shifted to a full offensive shut down (some of the best early modern hockey analytics was Eric Tulsky's work on zone entries/exits and it's very worth looking up).

The Leafs used to rely on their speed to dump the puck in and retrieve it (uncontrolled zone entries). Speed was the name of the game after the Penguins used this technique to steam-roll the competition on the way to their 2016 Stanely Cup. Unfortunately, the thing about a good idea is that people tend to adopt it once it's been proven. Teams are getting faster and faster, and with the evolution of video coaching, everyone knows your game. The Leafs aren't consistently winning the races to the pucks anymore, and it's difficult to shoot the puck if you don't have it, which is why their possession number have been garbage recently.

Data shows that controlled zone entries produce more shots than dump-ins. Chip and chase might guarantee you cross the blue line, but it also results in a lot of the opposition simply skating the puck back out. And the reason it's so frustrating is that it's clearly coached. 

The number of times I saw Mitch Marner heading straight for the blueline and then just flip the puck over the defense’s heads instead of attempting to go around them was infuriating. You see similar things from Nylander, who is a zone entry wizard when he actually gets to play for more than ten minutes a game and is allowed to carry the puck. Basically, Babcock is using precision instruments as bludgeons and it's getting hard to watch.

Right now the Leafs have basically smothered their strengths in an attempt to shore up a weakness. They've gone from a Defense-Offense split of Meh-Lethal to Fine-Meh. Right now, they're not particularly great at anything.

While we have been discussing these problems and predicting a skid, a lot can be covered up by wins and good goaltending. We can only hope that these losses will trigger a change in the team before it triggers a change in the standings.

Statistics and visuals courtesy of HockeyViz.com, NaturalStatTrick.com, CapFriendly.com, Corsica.Hockey and Hockey-Reference.com.

[junker-town]

The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly ready to sell, but who is the most likely to move?

Anyone but Jack Eichel is open season on the Sabres roster.

It’s been yet another disappointing season so far for the Buffalo Sabres. The 2017-18 season wasn’t likely to be anything special in Buffalo, but thanks to the slate of games on Saturday night, they’re now the NHL’s worst team with 16 points and a 6-17-4 record.

The Sabres have taken a miserable road to get to this point, filled with inconsistent goaltending and an offense that cannot seem to score. Buffalo conceded defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 5-1, but not before spending over 232 consecutive minutes without a goal in their last few games.

While the Sabres were slogging through yet another game, Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman spoke on Hockey Night in Canada about the state of the team. In his segment, Friedman reported that the Sabres are now “willing to listen” on trades for anyone on the team but face-of-the-franchise Jack Eichel.

That Eichel is untouchable is not a surprise, since the 21-year-old second overall pick is the team’s cornerstone, but it’s quite something that the rest of the team is reportedly available to be traded. Everyone is now on the table for general manager Jason Botterill to move for pieces as he sees fit, and there’s no telling what a desperate team like the Sabres might do.

While Buffalo is floundering right now, there are certainly attractive pieces on this team that are movable for assets. Here are our best guesses as to which key Sabres players may be on the market now with this new development.

Evander Kane

Kane’s name is nothing new on the trade block front. Kane has been rumored as a blue chip trade piece since at least the last NHL trade deadline, and the noise around the 26-year-old has gotten only louder since. The left winger has 24 points in 27 games so far this season, making him the Sabres’ most attractive asset in their toolbox.

Kane is also on the last year of a six-year, $31.5 million deal, adding to his value as a piece a contending team can sign before the trade deadline for a short-term hit. The Sabres will need to make a decision on Kane by the offseason and if he fits into their future plans. If not, Buffalo may pull the trigger on a deal now to get something in return for their future.

Ryan O'Reilly

Center-men are a hot commodity in today’s NHL, and one of O'Reilly’s caliber will no doubt draw interest across the league. O'Reilly has crossed the 55-point mark five times in his nine-year NHL career, and he’s on pace to hit at least 50 points this season. So far this year, O'Reilly is the Sabres’ third overall scorer with 16 points in 27 games.

The biggest drawback to O'Reilly is his hefty seven-year, $52.5 million contract with an AAV of $7.5 million. O'Reilly drew the contract extension back in 2015, and he’ll be on the books for that amount of money until the end of the 2022-23 season. That term and value will likely price a lot of teams out of the market, but the 26-year-old is more than useful to a contending hockey team.

Rasmus Ristolainen

If what Friedman reported is true, then even a Buffalo’s eighth overall pick from the 2013 draft is on the trade block for the Sabres. Ristolainen has been the Sabres’ workhorse on defense for the last few seasons, as the 23-year-old has put up a career-high average time on ice of 26:43 this season to lead all Buffalo skaters. While Ristolainen has crested the 40 point mark in his last two seasons of work with the Sabres, his seven points in 18 games are merely a symptom of the team’s misery this year.

Ristolainen would no doubt bring back a large return from any team, as young, high-profile defensemen aren’t often on the trade block. His contract, a six-year, $32.4 million deal comes out to a steal of a $5.4 million AAV for what he provides to a roster. The contract expires when Ristolainen turns 27 in 2021-22, and would give a team his prime years for a solid bit of cap space. Considering Ristolainen’s place on the Sabres roster, however, Buffalo may want to think twice before trading away a young No. 1 defenseman in a panic move.

Benoit Pouliot

NHL teams love veteran journeymen depth forwards. Especially contending hockey teams looking to shore up the middle of their lineup before making a playoff run. Pouliot is one such NHL veteran that could provide fine returns for the Sabres if traded away. Pouliot has been a perennial 30-point forward throughout his NHL career, though his 14 points in 67 games last year with the Edmonton Oilers weren’t anything to look twice at.

This year, however, Pouliot is on pace for an improved season with eight points in 27 games on a Sabres team that can’t score. Pouliot has played for seven teams in his 12-year NHL career at the age of 31 and fits the bill for many NHL GMs definition of a veteran presence. That, plus his $1.15 million contract is an easy pickup for many teams, especially when that contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Sam Reinhart

Reinhart is another young player the Sabres could end up regretting if they trade, but for the right price they just might not. On any other team in the NHL, trading away a former second overall pick is almost a ludicrous thought, but the Sabres have clearly been pushed to a breaking point. The 22-year-old center has put up 40 points in his first two full seasons in the NHL, and with 10 points in 27 games this year, Reinhart is on track to hit at least 30 points this year.

After this season, Reinhart is due for a contract extension as his entry-level deal is set to expire in July. It’s hard to say what money he would command on the market, but a team could build around a young center-man like Reinhart if given the chance.

Jason Pominville, Kyle Okposo, Marco Scandella

The Sabres recent acquisitions over the last few years also could be trade bait. However, Botterill giving up on Pominville or Scandella so soon after trading away Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno to Minnesota feels unlikely given the other assets Buffalo has in their pockets.

Okposo is another interesting piece. While his seven-year, $42 million contract is less of a burden than O'Reilly’s is, Okposo is three years his senior and will be older by the time his contract expires in 2022-23. There are others likely ahead of these three in the trade pecking order, but anything is possible depending on how desperate the Sabres are by the trade deadline.

[othersportsnews-blog]

Lakers, Celtics, Sixers and much more potential superteams that can problem the Warriors

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Lakers, Celtics, Sixers and much more potential superteams that can problem the Warriors

Just ahead of LeBron James announced he was getting his skills to South Seaside in 2010, some Las Vegas odds-makers slotted the Miami Heat as the fourth or fifth most-probable group to land him the Cavs, Bulls, Knicks and Nets all had much better odds. Right after two championships and 4 straight NBA Finals outings, the King shocked the globe a 2nd time in 2014, when he announced to Sports activities Illustrated that he was coming house to Cleveland.

James will after yet again be a totally free agent in 2018, and we have acquired our lesson: Be ready for anything. It really is time to commence sketching the totally free agency possibilities now and check out to map out the place the upcoming superteams will be.

So, who is most probable to assemble the upcoming powerhouse to problem the reigning-champ Golden State Warriors? Joining up with ESPN’s Bobby Marks with an eye toward 2018 totally free agency, we look at the three most important versions to making a superteam.

This list appears to be like further than latest contenders Cleveland, Houston and Oklahoma Metropolis — every of whom currently has at minimum two superstars — to the upcoming era of potential superteams.

For reference, here’s a list of the leading 2018 totally free brokers. The major names could involve: LeBron, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan and Isaiah Thomas.

And because it can be hardly ever also early to look in advance, the 2019 totally free agency class could aspect: Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside, Marc Gasol, Kevin Enjoy, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson.

In which could LeBron land? And Westbrook? Who are the darkish-horse superteams? Devoid of further ado …

The 2011 Heat design: Create by totally free agency

The Heat were being longshots to land LeBron James in 2010. They finished up with the King and Chris Bosh. AP Photograph/Jeffrey M. Boan

In advance of a monster 2010 totally free agency, Pat Riley gutted the roster, liberating up the most cap house of any group heading into the bonanza. With only Mario Chalmers underneath agreement after a stunning Michael Beasley trade to Minnesota, the Heat were being equipped to soak up not just two stars, but three of them. As portion of indication-and-trades with Cleveland and Toronto, the Heat sent out 4 1st-rounders and a decide swap for LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Dwyane Wade returned to the Heat. Miami went to the NBA Finals 4 straight seasons and arrived house with two Larry O’Brien trophies.

The upcoming ’11 Heat: Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James and Paul George in purple and gold? Will not slumber on this 1. (And if not James, perhaps Russell Westbrook writes his “I’m coming house” ode to L.A.)

The Lakers could have as considerably as $70 million in cap house upcoming summer time, which would be very good enough to suit two max-level stars to join Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Getting to that $70 million will get some maneuvering, but all indications from LakerLand stage to that way. The group refused to go much more than 1 calendar year on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s agreement, and they currently moved Timofey Mozgov‘s agreement for Brook Lopez‘s expiring deal.

We’ve received you protected with the most recent information, examination and excitement. Full protection

• Most recent excitement | Each and every deal | No cost brokers • Trade Tracker: Bradley, PG-thirteen, much more • George arrives, recruitment commences • Lowe: No cost agency winners, losers • Where’s Miami going with the offers? • Position contenders on star electric power • Each and every deal all 30 teams can nevertheless make • Lowe: OKC gambles major and wins • Pelton on Larkin, Chalmers offers

You will find much more do the job to do. The three-action course of action may possibly have to wait until 2018 draft night: They have to extend Luol Deng‘s agreement ($36 million remaining more than 5 seasons) along with buying and selling Jordan Clarkson‘s remaining two yrs, $26 million. And last of all, they will have to find a taker throughout the time for Julius Randle or renounce his rights in totally free agency.

This need to be doable mainly because the Lakers can trade their 2019 1st-spherical decide after the 2018 decide is picked (both by Philadelphia or Boston). League principles prohibit sending out 1st-spherical picks in consecutive yrs so the Lakers will have to wait until Adam Silver walks to the podium to announce their traded 2018 decide. Right after that, president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka can package the 2019 and 2021 1st-rounders in any salary dumps.

The Lakers have the status, the budding stars and the cap house. But can Magic shut the deal like his previous mentor Pat Riley did in 2010?

Runner-up: San Antonio Spurs

Could Gregg Popovich entice LeBron James and Chris Paul — who currently followed Tim Duncan’s footsteps to Wake Forest — to group up in San Antonio upcoming summer time? The route is there for the getting. The discussion for the Spurs’ entrance business office is whether to focus on 2018 or 2019 totally free agency to establish around Kawhi Leonard.

Like Miami in the summer time of 2010, introducing several stars by totally free agency is an aggressive and risky method, but all issues are possible with Pop jogging the show. LaMarcus Aldridge ($22.three million participant possibility), Danny Green ($10 million) and Rudy Gay ($eight.eight million) could all decide out of their contracts upcoming summer time. Items get challenging if any of them decide-in, but the Spurs have picks to attach in offers. (For instance, if Aldridge opts in, they could ship him to Brooklyn with a 1st-spherical decide. Keep in mind, Nets GM Sean Marks is a Spurs University alum.)

With Leonard, Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White on the publications, the Spurs could open up up as considerably as $fifty four million if they go this route and extend Pau Gasol. A band of $fifty four million isn’t really enough to get two stars at the max, but the Spurs have demonstrated a propensity on advertising no point out-profits taxes in Texas as a way to offset finances. The Spurs could wait until 2019 when much more money frees up (as considerably as $62 million if Leonard opts in to his participant possibility), but you will find an outside the house probability they pull the trigger in 2018 rather.

Darkhorse: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have primarily cleared the decks for the potential. By buying and selling Jimmy Butler and formally hitting the reset button on the Tom Thibodeau period, Chicago has only about $23 million in certain contracts in 2018 and an additional $sixteen.4 million in non-certain money. Zach LaVine has a totally free agent cap maintain at nearly $10 million, but the expectation right here is they’re going to wait on extension talks until they see his recovery from a torn ACL. That would be the clever shift.

The Bulls need to have $52 million in cap house upcoming summer time and a major-time market to entice totally free brokers, but in contrast to L.A. and San Antonio, Chicago lacks a magnetic star like Kawhi or Lonzo. Probably Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen or LaVine can prove us erroneous, but we’re not betting on a star growing in Chicago at any time before long.

The 2008 Celtics design: Create applying trade belongings

Blockbuster trades brought the Celtics superteam jointly. AP Photograph/Stephan Savoia

In the summer time of 2007, the Boston Celtics executed two blockbuster trades applying young players and draft picks to convey in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen upcoming to Paul Pierce. In June, Boston sent a package headlined by Jeff Green to Seattle for Allen and Glen Davis. Later on in July, Boston gained Garnett in trade for a haul that includes Al Jefferson, two potential 1st-spherical picks and position players. Right after opening the time 29-three, the Celtics gained the title.

The upcoming ’08 Celtics: Boston Celtics

Yep, that is right. Component Deux. The Celtics are brimming with coveted belongings: 19-calendar year-outdated Jayson Tatum, twenty-calendar year-outdated Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder‘s agreement (he’s owed just $22 million more than upcoming three seasons), along with Brooklyn’s 2018 1st-rounder, the 2018 Lakers/Kings decide, Memphis’ 2019 1st-rounder (leading-eight secured) and the Clippers’ 2019 1st-rounder (lottery secured) — in addition to their individual 1st-rounders going ahead. Deep inhale.

Which players will teams be pursuing in 2018? Kevin Pelton ranks the 30 finest who could hit the market.

The salary-cap spike of 2016 — which aided Kevin Durant’s shift to Golden State — was a specific circumstance, 1 that isn’t really being recurring this summer time. By 2018, the market correction may well freeze out even much more players hoping to money in.

one Associated

With the bundle of goodies, the Celtics can now established their sights on introducing an additional star by trades after applying cap house to convey in Gordon Hayward and Al Horford. They both handed on or couldn’t get Jimmy Butler and Paul George. Who are they saving these belongings for?

It could be 1 of the twin towers in New Orleans. Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins struggled to mesh previous time, and the Pelicans need to make a final decision before long on whether to preserve them jointly. Cousins is an unrestricted totally free agent in 2018, and Davis has missed 75 online games in 5 seasons by an assortment of accidents. Is 1 ripe for the selecting? It really is possible Boston did not shift for Cousins at the trade deadline previous time mainly because they figured the inquiring price may well fall in February with totally free agency imminent.

It really is not a vivid problem in New Orleans. By signing a series of position players to swollen contracts, the Pelicans find by themselves in salary-cap purgatory the place they have $ninety one.five million in dedicated salaries for 2018 and tiny wiggle place to boost. Davis drew a large amount of Garnett comparisons coming out of Kentucky, and his story arc in the NBA has followed a related route. Hope Boston to circle New Orleans like vultures for both Davis or Cousins.

Runner-up: Phoenix Suns

Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough knows what it usually takes to get this accomplished. The 36-calendar year-outdated was an assistant GM underneath Danny Ainge when they brought in Garnett and Allen in 2007. The upper body is entire of belongings in Phoenix. The Suns have 4 leading-10 picks on the roster who usually are not even of ingesting age nevertheless: Devin Booker (twenty yrs outdated), Josh Jackson (twenty), Dragan Bender (19) and Marquese Chriss (twenty).

Not only that, the Suns have the Heat’s 2018 1st-rounder (secured Nos. one-seven) and their unprotected 2021 1st-rounder to toss in a deal, in addition to their individual 1st-spherical picks going ahead. Assuming the Suns will not attach any of these long-expression prizes in a deal for Kyrie Irving, the Suns are established to be prime candidates for a superteam via trade.

You will find no doubt that the Suns will be lurking in case a disgruntled star tends to make sounds upcoming time. Like Boston, the Suns determine to preserve a shut eye on New Orleans, but Kristaps Porzingis, Blake Griffin and Klay Thompson are all names to view down the line.

Dark horse: Philadelphia 76ers

The course of action is starting to flip into results. By signing JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to major 1-calendar year offers, Bryan Colangelo sent a very clear message: overspend now but retain overall flexibility later. Philadelphia is established up for the potential with $48 million in cap house to invest in 2018 when retaining a core of Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid and Robert Covington (the latter two’s totally free-agent cap holds are factored in right here).

Even with a max agreement for Embiid, the 76ers would have $50 million in cap house for 2019 to go after Klay Thompson or Kevin Enjoy. Of training course, with all the young expertise, they could flip their bundle of belongings for ready-designed stars, a la the 2008 Celtics. Colangelo isn’t really shy about rapid-monitoring a contender. Keep in mind, in Phoenix, Colangelo in 2004 signed a 30-calendar year-outdated Steve Nash to pair with a 21-calendar year-outdated Amar’e Stoudemire and a 23-calendar year-outdated Joe Johnson. And the relaxation is history.

The 2014 Warriors design: Create by the draft

The Warriors drafted their core stars (then additional a couple other parts like Kevin Durant for very good measure). Glenn James/Getty Visuals

Before Kevin Durant remaining OKC, the Warriors developed an empire from scratch considerably like the Thunder did many yrs before. The Warriors drafted their core major three: Stephen Curry (the No. seven decide in 2009), Klay Thompson (No. eleven in 2011) and Draymond Green (No. 35 in 2012). With a contender brewing, the group then additional Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut by trades. Right after winning a title and breaking the normal-time wins record, Durant joined forces with the “natural” group, as Pat Riley not too long ago identified as it. With the foundation developed by the draft, the Warriors have unleashed the winningest three-time extend in NBA history.

The upcoming ’14 Warriors: Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have quietly developed an offensive machine in Denver. Reality: Right after Nikola Jokic joined the starting lineup in Dec. 15, the Nuggets — not the KD version of the Warriors, nor the LeBron-led Cavs — owned the NBA’s finest offensive ranking for the relaxation of the time (113.three points pre one hundred possessions). Yeah, that caught the relaxation of the NBA by shock also.

And just like the Warriors, the Nuggets developed an offensive juggernaut largely by the draft with no needing a leading-5 decide. Like Draymond Green, Jokic was a gem identified in the 2nd spherical back in 2014. Gifted guard Jamal Murray was the No. seven selection in 2016, and Gary Harris was a sweet-capturing steal at No. 19 in 2014. Kenneth Faried was the No. 22 decide in 2011 throughout the Masai Ujiri routine.

Less than the leadership of president Tim Connelly and Arturas Karnisovas, the Nuggets have nailed their draft picks currently. And like Golden State a couple yrs in the past, they have begun introducing from the outside the house. This summer time, the Nuggets obtained their model of Andre Iguodala in Paul Millsap, a star group-1st veteran who can anchor the two sides of the floor.

And they may possibly not be accomplished. With some cap creativeness, the Nuggets could have up to $45 million in cap house (very good enough for a max participant) to insert to an currently powerful core of Millsap, Jokic, Murray and Harris. If Denver declines Jokic’s group possibility, he would join Harris in upcoming summer’s limited totally free-agent class, giving Denver much more overall flexibility upcoming summer time.

So who would be the Nuggets’ KD? Will not ignore Chris Paul as a focus on. Denver’s head honcho, Connelly, was the assistant GM in New Orleans in 2010 when Paul was there. And the Los Angeles Occasions noted that Denver was on Paul’s small list of prepared totally free agency meetings this summer time ahead of Houston pried him away. No group may possibly ever replicate the Warriors’ achievements by the draft, but Denver could have the finest shot of anyone.

Runner-up: Milwaukee Bucks

This is an additional stud core developed by the draft. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker were being all Bucks’ alternatives, and only 1 (Parker) was a leading-9 decide. (Milwaukee also traded for Khris Middleton after his rookie time in Detroit.) The Bucks have in truth hit the jackpot in the draft, but the Bucks’ “individual the potential” slogan could be before long jogging on fumes.

Look at the cap sheet and you will see that the Bucks in 2018 have $one hundred million in salary, just $2 million beneath the cap, thanks to some questionable long-expression totally free agent signings in Mirza Teletovic, Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson (an extension, technically). A tough query for the retooled entrance business office will be whether to shell out up for Parker after two ACL tears when he gets a limited totally free agent.

As of now, it would seem as if the only way to establish a superteam is from in. The Bucks could be a tax group upcoming summer time if Parker’s new agreement instructions a salary north of $twenty million, limiting their alternatives in totally free agency.

However, if the core proceeds to acquire like its has, the Bucks will be in prime situation to get more than the Eastern Conference when (if?) LeBron James heads West or commences to decrease.

Dark horse: Sacramento Kings

Look, we can’t believe that we’re mentioning Sacramento and Golden State in the very same breath both. But the young core in Sacramento is tantalizing. Children De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles depict a sky-substantial ceiling in Sacramento. With George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter presenting some considerably-necessary veteran infrastructure, the kids could convey problems to the relaxation of the NBA in a couple yrs.

We are a long means away from seeing if the Kings have some thing that resembles a playoff group, but the seeds have been planted. Look for the Kings to pounce in 2019 totally free agency with as considerably as $fifty five million in cap house with 9 players underneath agreement (all 1st- or 2nd-spherical picks).

If they hit a pair house operates in the draft and handle the cap shrewdly, could they steal Klay Thompson in 2019? We like what is brewing up the coastline in Sacramento.

Supply hyperlink

[fitzboogieblog]

Steve Mills promoted, Melo on his way out?

I think I was able to be happy for about five days this off season. I thought the Knicks weren’t making any outlandish deals for players who didn’t deserve large contracts, and going for a true rebuild. That was before the Tim Hardaway Jr. signing. I somehow tricked myself into believing that a new front office was going to embrace a rebuild once they signed a new GM. Welp, now it doesn’t appear as though they’re going to hire a GM. Instead, Steve Mills is going to be president of basketball operations. Dumb and dumber Mills and James Dolan will remain in charge of the franchise, missing out on hiring former Cav’s GM David Griffin due to not giving him enough roster control. If they do hire someone, it’ll be a puppet like Allen Houston. It’s maddening as a fan, and legitimately makes you question why you’re supporting this franchise. I’m fully aware that running a franchise is harder than it seems, but at the same time... I could run this franchise better than they can. Give me a room full of dorks that know how to calculate the salary cap and taxes and all of that bullshit, and I could absolutely do a better job that these two bozos we’ve currently got. You know what I wouldn’t have done? Given Timmy Jr. 71 million dollars. 

Alas, I’m not the GM of the Knicks. I’m an angry amateur blogger that’s going to scrutinize their every move until they show they’re committed to rebuilding through the draft. With that being said, it appears that Mills’ second move as president of the Knicks will be to give Carmelo Anthony a way out. Ian Begley of ESPN is reporting that Melo is confident that a deal will get done to send him to Houston. While that is theoretically good news, the Knicks really need to receive some sort of compensation for sending him to the Rockets. There is no way that they can justify a buyout at this point. Regardless of how long they’d be able to spread Carmelo’s money so that it didn’t hit their salary cap all at once, that would still be dead money. Meaning they’d have millions of dollars against the salary cap without a players actually playing. 

The Knicks need to receive players back in a deal for two reasons, neither of which are to win games. 

One is that they need veterans to help mold their young talent. Frank Ntilikina still doesn’t have a mentor at point guard, which he’ll desperately need. Ideally, the Knicks could get back an older point guard from a third team to show him the ropes in any deal that sends Melo out of town. I wouldn’t bank on Rajon Rondo signing for the Mid Level Exception, just as I wouldn’t bank on any free agent ever signing with the Knicks. The only other point guard on the roster currently is Chasson Randle, which is a major problem. There’s a difference between tanking and playing your first round draft pick too many minutes when he’s not ready, ultimately setting him up for failure. The Knicks need minutes at point guard from someone other then Ntilikina, ideally from someone who could teach him a thing or two about the game. If the Knicks are going to center their team around Ntilikina (18), Porzingis (21) and Willy Hermangomez (23), they need a few veterans surrounding them not named Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee. 

The second reason they need players back is to trade them down the line. For example, look at Ryan Anderson. Many people dismiss taking him back in a deal for Carmelo because of his awful 3 year/$61 million dollar deal. But you know what that will eventually turn into? A one year, $21 million dollar deal. That will eventually become attractive to a team looking to acquire an expiring contract while remaining competitive,especially as the salary cap continues to rise. While that may not sound like the best long term plan, if they’re going to be losing games (they are), it’s as good as any. Additionally, taking on a bad contract like Anderson’s would also almost certainly guarantee at least one first round pick coming back to New York. Stockpiling draft picks should absolutely become a priority by any means necessary for these new-look Knicks. 

So to avoid Carmelo’s contract becoming dead money via a buyout, what could the Knicks do? Here are some actually realistic trades they could pull off within the next couple days: 

Carmelo Anthony and Lance Thomas to Houston for Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon 

Like I just said, many are saying that nobody wants Anderson. And I’d agree with that - nobody does right now. But down the line, they could. The Knicks already have Hardaway and Noah locked in for three years or more, so they might as well go all in on bad contracts and tank that way. At least in that scenario, they don’t have more cap room to give to more bad free agents.. It’s also important to note that Gordon’s deal really isn’t a bad contract, and he’d have some value on the trade market if he manages to stay healthy and play at the sixth man of the year level he did last season. I’ve seen a lot of trade scenarios include swingman Trevor Ariza to the Knicks, and those should be laughed at. Ariza is actually a big reason why CP3 wanted to go to Houston, based on their time playing together on the Hornets. Ariza isn’t going anywhere. Still, I’d imagine Houston being reluctant to give up Gordon. Which brings me to.. 

Carmelo Anthony to Houston. Ryan Anderson, Chinanu Onuaku, Isaiah Taylor and 2020 1st Round Draft Pick to New York

Noticing a trend? It’s Anderson being dealt if the Rockets are going to acquire Carmelo in a trade. If the Rockets want to hold onto Eric Gordon, take in Camrelo’s contract and have the salaries match up, they’ll need to include Anderson and a couple of younger players. I believe the holdup on an incoming deal is that Houston would prefer not to give up a draft pick, whereas New York feels that they need one back in order to take on Anderson. Perhaps I’m biased, but I’m going to side with the Knicks - I can’t see any team being up to taking Anderson without draft pick compensation. With that being said,I believe both teams should strongly consider pulling the trigger on a deal such as this one. 

Carmelo Anthony to Houston, Marco Belinelli, Chinanu Onuaku, and Isaiah Taylor to New York, Ryan Anderson and draft picks to Atlanta 

So let’s say the Knicks are adamant that they’re not taking Anderson or Gordon’s contract back. That’s fine, I honestly would prefer they didn’t. However, that means they’re not going to be receiving any draft pick compensation - that will be going to whoever takes on Anderson’s contract. If recent deals are any indicator, Atlanta is amidst a full rebuild, and would likely be willing to take on Anderson assuming they’ll receive future picks. The Knicks would free up some cap space for years to come, and the Rockets would land Melo while keeping their core group of players. Atlanta’s only real motive here is because they have the cap space to absorb Anderson’s bad contract while being given draft picks to do so. 

Carmelo Anthony to Houston. Terrence Ross, DJ Augustine and Tim Quarterman to New York. Ryan Anderson, Shawn Long and future draft picks to Orlando.

I’ll put my hand up in the air and say that once you start making six player deals on the trade machine, you might be reaching. But who is saying no to this deal? Terrence Ross and DJ Augustine are not commodities, regardless of what anyone tries to say. I don’t care that T dot Ross scored a million points that one time and can dunk with the best of them. He’s an unimportant NBA player. Orlando should jump at the ability to offload both of them while taking in draft picks. Anderson played his best basketball of his career in Orlando, perhaps they could get him to produce once again. As for the Knicks, they shed cap and acquire a veteran point guard in Augustine to soak up minutes and teach Ntilikina how to be a pro in the NBA. Houston once again gets their man and offloads a bad contract at the price of future draft picks. 

Carmelo Anthony to Cleveland. Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder and draft picks to New York

I’m just saying, I’m not counting out Cleveland. While I think Cleveland would be sad to see Jefferson leave for sentimental reasons, I think they’d do it in order to acquire Melo. I’m actually surprised this trade hasn’t happened yet, as I just assumed Melo would want to play with Bron Bron over playing for D’Antoni again. As a lifelong Knicks fan, this trade does make me want to vomit seeing Shump and Frye back in Knicks uniforms. But I think it makes sense. Adding Melo establishes the Cavs as a legit super team, and they’re not really giving up anyone valuable to do so. The addition of Jeff Green really makes Frye expendable, as he’s probably the most valuable on-court talent included in that trade. Felder and Jefferson honestly don’t matter, though the later would probably want a buyout. This is a trade both organizations should seek out. 

I’m hoping this is the last time I have to write about Carmelo Anthony on the Knicks. If Nene’s Instagram is to be believed, Melo will be out of New York shortly.I hope the Knicks manage to get back at least one somewhat valuable asset in exchange for their former superstar. Just one. 

Until then though, #STAYME70 

[famouskoaladragon-blog]

What to know about Bills' looming decision on Tyrod Taylor

It was the final game of last season, and the quarterback the Buffalo Bills chose two summers ago to lead their offense stood quiet and alone under a goalpost.

Tyrod Taylor was dressed not in the Bills' game uniform but in a blue sweatshirt, the hood pulled over his head, as he watched his teammates prepare for the New York Jets. When a coach across the field blew his whistle to conclude pregame warmups, Taylor was already several paces into making his solitary exit from MetLife Stadium, beelining for the darkness of the locker room tunnel as a young Bills fan made a fruitless effort to hold out a hat and Sharpie in Taylor's direction.

The reticent Taylor is often praised by his teammates for his steady demeanor, but on that day, words were not necessary to describe how Taylor felt about the Bills deactivating him for Week 17 in a "business decision" almost certainly related Jerseys For Cheap to a $27.5 million injury guarantee in his contract. The divide between the quarterback and his team -- but not necessarily his teammates -- was obvious, and Taylor indicated as much when speaking to reporters the next day.

Tyrod Taylor's future in Buffalo is cloudy -- with a March 11 deadline for a sizable contract guarantee looming. Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports More than a month later, there has been no resolution to Taylor's future with the franchise whose faith in him clearly eroded last season. As the Bills face a March 11 deadline for over $30 million of Taylor's five-year contract to become fully guaranteed, their decision whether to keep or cut Taylor is one of the most complicated offseason questions around the NFL.

Here is a guide on what you need to know about his situation and what it means for the quarterback and team:

What are the Bills' options? The Bills essentially are figuring out whether they Buy Cheap jerseys want to buy Taylor an expensive engagement ring, or if they want to start the search for a quarterback more suitable to marry.

This is a decision point the Bills built into Taylor's contract extension, signed last August after his first year as the starter and before what would have been the final season, 2016, of his initial contract with Buffalo. The deal gave Taylor little guaranteed money up front but called for either $27.5 million or $30.75 million to become fully guaranteed on March 12, 2017, if Taylor remained on the roster.

Former coach Rex Ryan was an ardent supporter of Taylor, but the Bills' front office, headed by general manager Doug Whaley, clearly had doubts about Taylor given its decision to bench him for the 2016 finale. Before the Bills hired new coach Sean McDermott last month, the team planned to move on from Taylor this offseason.

While Whaley retains control of the Bills' roster, he has indicated since McDermott's hiring that he will work with the coaching staff in deciding what to do with Taylor. Whaley cheap jerseys free shipping told reporters at the Senior Bowl last month that the personnel department's meetings with McDermott's new coaching staff would take place in February.

There are several routes the Bills can take over the coming weeks with Taylor:

By March 11, exercise Taylor's option for the 2018-21 seasons and keep Taylor as the starting quarterback for 2017. Taylor would earn a $15.5 million option bonus and would be due a fully guaranteed $12 million base salary in 2017, while $3.25 million of his $13 million salary in 2018 would become guaranteed. In total, Taylor would be fully guaranteed $30.75 million and would be retained at a $15.9 million salary-cap hit next season.

Decline to exercise his option but keep Taylor at a fully guaranteed $27.5 million salary (and cap hit) in 2017 before his contract expires in March 2018.

Attempt to restructure his contract to lower the guaranteed money due this March or to delay when the money becomes Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping guaranteed.

Trade Taylor after the 2017 league year opens March 9.

Cut Taylor before his guarantees become due March 12.

The most unrealistic option is No. 2, which would require the Bills keeping Taylor at a bloated cap hit in 2017 while still guaranteeing him a significant sum. Option No. 3 also seems unlikely given Taylor has little incentive to accept less money from the Bills when there are quarterback-needy teams (e.g., the Browns) flush with cap space likely willing to compete to sign Taylor. The Bills might also have a difficult time with option No. 4, trading Taylor, because teams know they could sign him without giving up draft selections when he is released.

Unless Taylor is willing to accept a pay cut or if a team is willing to give up draft assets for Taylor before he hits the open market, the Bills are left with essentially a binary decision: Either commit to Taylor for the foreseeable future or part ways.

Should the Bills decide to keep Taylor, it would mean they feel he can improve in his weak areas over the coming years of his career and develop into a quarterback capable of competing for a championship. Even if Taylor's development plateaus, as some of his 2016 statistics indicate, the Bills could view their LeSean McCoy-led running game and McDermott's revamp of the struggling defense as enough to get the team into the playoffs.

The Bills could also see Taylor's $15.9 million cap hit in 2017 as being appropriate for his production level. Taylor is slated to have the 20th-highest cap hit among quarterbacks next season, although he could rise up that chart depending on what happens with Tony Romo ($24.7 million cap hit) and Jay Cutler ($16 million).

What about that injury guarantee? As part of his contract extension, Taylor would be guaranteed a $27.5 million salary in Cheap NFL Jerseys From China 2017 if the Bills released him this spring while injured. If the Bills were certain Taylor would be their starter in 2017 -- and were certain they wanted to guarantee him $30 million this spring -- then the injury guarantee would be moot and Taylor likely would have played in the season finale.

Instead, the Bills chose to deactivate Taylor, which strongly hinted they had doubts about whether they would keep him on the roster this spring long enough for his guarantees to trigger. By keeping Taylor Cheap Jerseys out of the finale and avoiding injury, the Bills also dodged a situation where they potentially wanted to release him this offseason but had to pay him $27.5 million because he suffered a serious injury in Week 17.

There was another wrinkle to Taylor's health: He had a lingering groin injury this past season that did not cause him to miss any time but that required surgery Jan. 5, after the season ended. The procedure led to questions about whether Taylor would be able to pass a physical before the Bills' deadline to release him and whether he underwent surgery against the Bills' wishes in order to trigger the injury guarantee. However, the decision to have surgery was made in consultation with team doctors and is not expected to cause a fight over whether Taylor should be due his $27.5 million injury guarantee if released.

On his Instagram page Tuesday, Taylor shared video of him practicing his dropbacks as part of his rehabilitation. The same day, he posted several videos to his Instagram story of him throwing passes inside the Bills' field house.

Why keep him? The natural place to start with defending Taylor's play over two seasons in Buffalo is his Total QBR, 69.2. That has been the eighth-best Total QBR since the start of the 2015 season and a better mark than Russell Wilson (67.6), Andy Dalton (66.0), Philip Rivers (62.9), Cam Newton (59.5), Eli Manning (56.6) and Derek Carr (54.4). Total QBR takes into account a quarterback's contributions "on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties," and in Taylor's case, his contributions as a runner are most impactful. Since 2015, he ranks 19th in the NFL on expected points added (EPA) on passes, but he ranks first among quarterbacks in run EPA, an advanced statistic used by ESPN.

Breaking down Taylor's contributions as a runner, his biggest impact has come on designed runs on first and second downs. Taylor has averaged 5.66 yards per carry on 58 designed early-down runs (excluding kneel-downs) since 2015, the second-best quarterback average in the NFL behind Tennessee's Marcus Mariota and better than all but two running backs with at least 50 such carries, Green Bay's Ty Montgomery and Oakland's Jalen Richard. Taylor's contributions as an early-down runner have been both better than the league average for quarterbacks (3.86 yards per carry) and better than what the Bills' running backs gain on first and second downs -- an NFL-best 4.82 yards per carry since 2015.

Taylor also has protected the ball better than most quarterbacks. He has averaged interceptions on 1.1 percent of his first- and second-down pass attempts, fifth best in the NFL since 2015. However, that rate has increased to 2.5 percent on third downs, 18th in the NFL.

The NFL named Taylor to the 2016 Pro Bowl as an alternate Wholesale Jerseys from china after five quarterbacks declined to participate. Taylor was also invited to the 2017 Pro Bowl last month but could not accept the selection because of injury.

Among Bills quarterbacks to start at least nine games in any season, Taylor owns the second-best (99.4 in 2015) and fourth-best (89.7 in 2016) passer ratings in franchise history. Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly owns the best and third-best passer ratings in team history.

Why get rid of him? Taylor is rightfully considered one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL, but his abilities have not always translated into statistical results. While he has ranked near the top of the NFL on designed first- and second-down designed runs, he was stopped on all four of his designed third-down runs (excluding kneel-downs) last season, averaging an NFL-worst minus-2.0 yards per carry. Since 2015, he has gained first downs on only 23.5 percent of his third-down designed runs, considerably lower than the NFL average success rate of 56.9 percent for quarterbacks.

Taylor has been sacked on 7.8 percent of his dropbacks since 2015, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. That high total might be partly the result of an offensive line that allows pressure, but Taylor hasn't offered much of an advantage in escapability in such situations; when under pressure, he still has been sacked at a rate (23.2 percent of dropbacks) higher than the league average. When Taylor moves outside the pocket, he has been sacked on 19.3 percent of such plays since 2015, the highest rate in the NFL.

Taylor also has a propensity to scramble out of the pocket on third downs despite not facing pressure, a problem the Bills have attempted to coach out of his game. Since 2015, Taylor has gained first downs on only 46.2 percent of such runs, significantly lower than the league average of 59.1 percent. While quarterbacks such as Colin Kaepernick (87.5 percent first-down rate), Aaron Cheap NFL Jerseys China Rodgers (69.2 percent) and Alex Smith (77.8 percent) seem to pick their spots wisely on such runs, Taylor has often misjudged his ability to scramble past the sticks instead of attempting a pass.

When Taylor did not scramble on third downs, he has completed passes at a 57.1 percent rate and averaged 7.16 yards per attempt, both slightly lower than league averages since 2015. He also has gained first downs on third-down throws at a rate (39.9 percent) shy of the NFL average. Taylor's third-down passing statistics declined in 2016, although some of that can be explained by the loss of top elite cheap jerseys receiver Sammy Watkins for eight games because of a foot injury.

Another area where the Bills' front office has critiqued Taylor? Late-game situations where opponents knew Taylor would need to win a game by passing. On 20 fourth-quarter drives since 2015 in which the Bills were trailing by eight points or fewer, Taylor threw only three touchdowns and tossed four interceptions. Overall, he went 2-12 in such games, although one of the losses was a Week 16 game last December in which Taylor led a fourth-quarter, go-ahead drive only to have the Miami Dolphins tie the game and then win in overtime.

Since 2015 in such late-game passing situations, Taylor has a 46.0 percent completion rate (34th in the NFL and less than league average of 59.0), has averaged 6.24 yards per attempt (27th and below average of 7.07) and has gained first downs on 26 percent of passes (29th in NFL and less than average of 34.4).

[junker-town]

Everything you need to know about Richard Sherman trade talks

The Seahawks have had discussions to trade Richard Sherman, but don’t count on it happening.

The Seattle Seahawks are willing to listen to offers for Richard Sherman. That’s what we know after the team admitted as much. But the likelihood of a deal happening is tougher to decipher.

According to the Miami Herald, the Seahawks are looking for “a very good player plus a high draft pick” in exchange for the three-time All-Pro cornerback. Similarly, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said the cost is a first-round pick coupled with a mid-round selection.

That seems like a high price tag for a player who recently turned 29 at a position that doesn’t always age well. Sherman also comes with a hefty contract and concerns about a knee injury that slowed his production in 2016.

But when the New York Jets traded Darrelle Revis three months before his 28th birthday and after his sixth NFL season (Sherman just finished his sixth), it netted the team the No. 13 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a conditional draft selection that eventually became a fourth-round pick in 2014.

So it’s not unrealistic to think that the Seahawks could get a similar coup for Sherman, although the question is if there’s a team — like the New England Patriots, perhaps — willing to make it happen.

Here's what everyone said about a possible Sherman trade

In a league where almost everybody keeps their cards close to the vest, most trade rumors spread via anonymous sources in the media. The unusual thing about the Sherman rumors is that they’ve been explicitly explained and confirmed by all parties involved.

The Seahawks say they’ve talked about trading Sherman and they say that the cornerback has been made well aware of what’s happening throughout the process.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll:

“You either are competing or you are not,’’ Carroll told the Seattle Times. “So we have always had to be open to every suggestion that comes along. There have been some teams that have called, and so we have talked about it.

“But he is extremely important to our football team. I don’t see anything happening at all. I don’t see anything happening with any of our players, just the banter that’s out there right now. But it has been talked about. He is a great player and he can impact a team. I can see why people would be interested in him.’’

Seahawks general manager John Schneider:

“What you’ve seen lately in the news is real,” Schneider said during an interview on the Brock and Salk Show, via the Seattle Times. “That’s on both sides. It’s just open communication. He knows what’s going on. We know what’s going on.

“I don’t know if anything would ever happen. But like I tell people all the time, 98 percent of the deals that we’re involved with, we don’t follow through with. But at least we’ve opened that door, gone down the road and seen what’s behind door A or door B.”

Richard Sherman's brother:

“This is something that's going to play positive on both ends — on the organization that is trying to regain its power and on Richard," Branton Sherman told NFL.com Wednesday. "They're making it seem like they don't need him. This is the same player that everyone doubted and denied, saying he's too tall, too slow, his hips aren't good enough, fifth-rounder.

“This is a new chip Richard is going to use. He's going to be like, 'You think you can trade me? I'm going to show you guys. That you would even talk about trading me...' This is a new obstacle, mentally.”

Richard Sherman:

“Very little chance it happens, but both sides are listening,” Sherman told MMQB’s Albert Breer in a text Thursday. “I honestly don’t have much more to say about it than what I’ve already said. We have a great relationship. ... There is a lot of love and respect. There is no bad blood.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

“It has been my understanding all along that Richard Sherman was the one who initiated this,” Schefter said on SportsCenter Friday. “He was the one that wanted to be traded initially. The Seahawks were obliging him and his request.”

Reasons why a Sherman trade could happen

If a trade is being discussed, a trade could happen. It would just take the right team to swoop in with a big enough offer that makes Seattle want to pull the trigger. It would also help if the team was good enough that Sherman is happy with the deal being made.

But why do it?

Sherman has four trips to the Pro Bowl, three All-Pro nods, and is a huge reason why Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL for four consecutive seasons before allowing the third-fewest in 2016.

His sideline antics last year

Sherman has never been one to hold back from expressing his thoughts and opinions. After all, his explosive interview with Erin Andrews is one of the reasons why he launched into superstardom more than three years ago.

That was never really an issue with the Seahawks until his explosions started happening, well ... to the Seahawks.

In October, Sherman got in a shouting match with defensive coordinator Kris Richard, Kam Chancellor, and other teammates on the sideline. Then in December, it was offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell who heard Sherman’s thoughts loud and clear during the middle of a game.

Rocking the boat can be tolerated if a player makes it worthwhile with their play on the field, but Sherman’s antics compound the fact that there are other reasons Seattle could benefit from a trade.

Salary reasons

Paying all the stars that got the Seahawks to the top made the team’s salary cap situation suddenly tight. But trading Sherman would put another team on the hook for the cornerback’s $13.631 million and $13.2 million salary cap hits in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, respectively.

That’s a lot of money to work with for a team that needs help rebuilding the trenches on both sides of the ball.

It could also be used to shore up the secondary by ensuring Chancellor doesn’t leave in free agency after his contract expires in the 2018 offseason.

The Seahawks could draft a new CB

Ultimately, the Seahawks won’t trade away Sherman unless the team feels it can find a competent replacement that doesn’t significantly downgrade the defense. Seattle might be in luck with the 2017 draft class.

The Seahawks could look to replace Sherman with a much younger defensive back later in April. The most popular projection to Seattle in mock drafts is Washington’s Kevin King, a 6’3 cornerback who allowed just one touchdown in the last three seasons, but carries many of the same speed concerns that made Sherman a fifth-round pick.

If it’s not King, there’s a list of other cornerbacks who could fit the bill in a deep class, and all would come significantly cheaper than Sherman. The No. 26 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was Paxton Lynch, and he signed a four-year, $9.4 million deal with the Denver Broncos.

Reasons why a Sherman trade likely won’t happen

At the end of the day, Sherman has been a valuable part of a dominant defense. If Seattle’s price is indeed a high draft pick and either a mid-round selection or a very good player, that leaves a lot of ambiguity of just how high the pick or picks need to be, and how good a player would have to be to replace a mid-round selection.

There are reasons why those standards could be difficult for an interested team to meet.

Sherman's still pretty darn good

A “significant MCL injury” in 2016 is likely the reason why Sherman wasn’t quite his dominant self. But even in a down year, he held opposing passers to a rating of 68.4, according to Pro Football Focus. That “down year” upped the rating of quarterbacks throwing at Sherman to 51.1 over the span of his six-year career.

Assuming he’s able to return to 100 percent in 2017, there isn’t much reason to believe Sherman won’t be really good again at age 29.

And it’s not as easy as just inserting another cornerback into his role. At his best, Sherman allows the rest of the secondary to shade toward the other half of the field.

“I don't think that there's anything they could trade for him unless it was like three first-round picks or something,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett told ESPN last week. “You don't lose a guy like that — a guy that shuts down half of the field, a guy like that. He shuts every receiver down."

Rolling the dice that a player like Kevin King or any other rookie could have anywhere near that impact is a huge gamble.

Everyone says it's unlikely to happen

All parties involved admits there’s smoke, but no one has said anything that would lead you to believe there’s a fire. The only team that has been rumored as interested are the Patriots — a team that Sherman would seemingly like to play for — but there are problems with that deal getting done.

For one, New England doesn’t have much to send. While other teams that could reasonably be landing spots — like the Tennessee Titans or New Orleans Saints — have a first-round pick or two to barter with, the Patriots aren’t on the clock until pick No. 72.

Schneider says 98 percent of trade talks the Seahawks do don’t result in a deal, and Sherman discussions don’t look like an exception.

[junker-town]

Here’s everything you need to know about Richard Sherman trade talks

The Seahawks have had discussions to trade Richard Sherman, but don’t count on it happening.

The Seattle Seahawks are willing to listen to offers for Richard Sherman. That much we know after the team admitted as much. But the likelihood of a deal happening is tougher to decipher.

According to the Miami Herald, the Seahawks are looking for “a very good player plus a high draft pick” in exchange for the three-time All-Pro cornerback.

That seems like a high price tag for a player who recently turned 29 at a position that doesn’t always age well. Sherman also comes with a hefty contract and concerns about a knee injury that slowed his production in 2016.

But when the New York Jets traded Darrelle Revis three months before his 28th birthday and after his sixth NFL season (Sherman just finished his sixth), it netted the team the No. 13 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a conditional draft selection that eventually became a fourth-round pick in 2014.

So it’s not unrealistic to think that the Seahawks could get a similar coup for Sherman, although the question is if there’s a team — like the New England Patriots, perhaps — willing to make it happen.

Here's what everyone said about a possible Sherman trade

In a league where almost everybody keeps their cards close to the vest, most trade rumors spread via anonymous sources in the media. The unusual thing about the Sherman rumors is that they’ve been explicitly explained and confirmed by all parties involved.

The Seahawks say they’ve talked about trading Sherman and they say that the cornerback has been made well aware of what’s happening throughout the process.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll:

“You either are competing or you are not,’’ Carroll told the Seattle Times. “So we have always had to be open to every suggestion that comes along. There have been some teams that have called, and so we have talked about it.

“But he is extremely important to our football team. I don’t see anything happening at all. I don’t see anything happening with any of our players, just the banter that’s out there right now. But it has been talked about. He is a great player and he can impact a team. I can see why people would be interested in him.’’

Seahawks general manager John Schneider:

“What you’ve seen lately in the news is real,” Schneider said during an interview on the Brock and Salk Show, via the Seattle Times. “That’s on both sides. It’s just open communication. He knows what’s going on. We know what’s going on.

“I don’t know if anything would ever happen. But like I tell people all the time, 98 percent of the deals that we’re involved with, we don’t follow through with. But at least we’ve opened that door, gone down the road and seen what’s behind door A or door B.”

Richard Sherman's brother:

“This is something that's going to play positive on both ends -- on the organization that is trying to regain its power and on Richard," Branton Sherman told NFL.com Wednesday. "They're making it seem like they don't need him. This is the same player that everyone doubted and denied, saying he's too tall, too slow, his hips aren't good enough, fifth-rounder.

“This is a new chip Richard is going to use. He's going to be like, 'You think you can trade me? I'm going to show you guys. That you would even talk about trading me...' This is a new obstacle, mentally.”

Richard Sherman:

“Very little chance it happens, but both sides are listening,” Sherman told MMQB’s Albert Breer in a text Thursday. “I honestly don’t have much more to say about it than what I’ve already said. We have a great relationship. … There is a lot of love and respect. There is no bad blood.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

“It has been my understanding all along that Richard Sherman was the one who initiated this,” Schefter said on SportsCenter Friday. “He was the one that wanted to be traded initially. The Seahawks were obliging him and his request.”

Reasons why a Sherman trade could happen

If a trade is being discussed, a trade could happen. It would just take the right team to swoop in with a big enough offer that makes Seattle want to pull the trigger. It would also help if the team was good enough that Sherman is happy with the deal being made.

But why do it?

Sherman has four trips to the Pro Bowl, three All-Pro nods, and is a huge reason why Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL for four consecutive seasons before allowing the third fewest in 2016.

His sideline antics last year

Sherman has never been one to hold back from expressing his thoughts and opinions. After all, his explosive interview with Erin Andrews is one of the reasons why he launched into superstardom more than three years ago.

That was never really an issue with the Seahawks until his explosions started happening ... well ... to the Seahawks.

In October, Sherman got in a shouting match with defensive coordinator Kris Richard, Kam Chancellor and other teammates on the sideline. Then in December, it was offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell who heard Sherman’s thoughts loud and clear during the middle of a game.

Rocking the boat can be tolerated if a player makes it worthwhile with their play on the field, but Sherman’s antics compound the fact that there are other reasons Seattle could benefit from a trade.

Salary reasons

Paying all the stars that got the Seahawks to the top made the team’s salary cap situation suddenly tight. But trading Sherman would put another team on the hook for the cornerback’s $13.631 million and $13.2 million salary cap hits in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, respectively.

That’s a lot of money to work with for a team that needs help rebuilding in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

It could also be used to shore up the secondary by ensuring Kam Chancellor doesn’t leave in free agency after his contract expires in the 2018 offseason.

The Seahawks could draft a new CB

Ultimately, the Seahawks won’t trade away Sherman unless the team feels it can find a competent replacement that doesn’t significantly downgrade the defense. Seattle might be in luck with the 2017 draft class.

The Seahawks could look to replace Sherman with a much younger defensive back later in April. The most popular projection to Seattle in mock drafts is Washington’s Kevin King, a 6’3 cornerback who allowed just one touchdown in the last three seasons, but carries many of the same speed concerns that made Sherman a fifth-round pick.

If it’s not King, there’s a list of other cornerbacks who could fit the bill in a deep class, and all would come significantly cheaper than Sherman. The No. 26 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was Paxton Lynch and he signed a four-year, $9.4 million deal with the Denver Broncos.

Reasons why a Sherman trade likely won’t happen

At the end of the day, Sherman has been a valuable part of a dominant defense. If Seattle’s price is indeed a “very good player plus a high draft pick” that leaves a lot of ambiguity of just how good the player and just how high the pick need to be.

There are reasons why those standard could be very difficult for an interested team to meet.

Sherman's still pretty darn good

A “significant MCL injury” in 2016 is likely the reason why Sherman wasn’t quite his dominant self. But even in a down year he held opposing passers to a rating of 68.4, according to Pro Football Focus. That “down year” upped the rating of quarterbacks throwing at Sherman to 51.1 over the span of his six-year career.

Assuming he’s able to return to 100 percent in 2017, there isn’t much reason to believe Sherman won’t be really good again at age 29.

And it’s not as easy as just inserting another cornerback into his role. At his best, Sherman allows the rest of the secondary to shade toward the other half of the field.

“I don't think that there's anything they could trade for him unless it was like three first-round picks or something,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett told ESPN last week. “You don't lose a guy like that -- a guy that shuts down half of the field, a guy like that. He shuts every receiver down."

Rolling the dice that a player like Kevin King or any other rookie could have anywhere near that impact is a huge gamble.

Everyone says it's unlikely to happen

All parties involved admits there’s smoke, but no one has said anything that would lead you to believe there’s a fire. The only team that has been rumored as interested are the Patriots — a team that Sherman would seemingly like to play for — but there are problems with that deal getting done.

For one, New England doesn’t have much to send. While other teams that could reasonably be landing spots — like the Tennessee Titans or New Orleans Saints — have a first-round pick or two to barter with, the Patriots aren’t on the clock until pick No. 72.

Schneider says 98 percent of trade talks the Seahawks do don’t result in a deal and Sherman discussions don’t look like an exception.