The Minnesota Wild announced on Wednesday that they have added Ray Shero to their management team, in a senior advisor role for GM Bill Guerin. Given his lengthy time in the NHL as a GM, and one that has a Stanley Cup ring, that experience is always just a nicety for a team on the rise. But what exactly can Shero do for this teamWe asked Hooks Orpik over at Pensburgh what he thought about Shero time as GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins and how that can possibly translate to Minnesota. Did it appear that Shero had control of everything Or was it more a management-by-committee approachUltimately as a GM Mats Zuccarello Flag, I think Shero pretty much did what he wanted to do, but there also was a lot of oices at the table , and smart ones at that. For a while the Pens management team included having Tom Fitzgerald https://www.storeminnesotaonline.com/Marcus_Foligno_Pet_Jersey-172, Jason Botterill and Bill Guerin under Shero in various managerial roles. All three went gone on to stints as full-GM for other NHL teams. It fair to say Shero helped groom and develop all of them as managers whether it was working with the minor league team, player development, the financial/salary cap aspects, as well as scouting and player analysis. Ultimately it was Shero steering the ship, but he definitely fostered relationships and knows his way around a front office. How would you grade his trading abilityShero trading ability was unreal, and probably his strongest attribute. His prime deal was probably getting James Neal and Matt Niskanen from the Dallas Stars for Alex Goligoski. Goligoski was a perfectly good player, but the Pens got so much value out of that. Some deals to add players didn really work out (Lee Stempaniak, Marcel Goc, very old Alex Kovalev) but overall Shero has a good sense for the trade market and getting results, at least from what he showed in Pittsburgh. Some might not have worked on the ice https://www.storeminnesotaonline.com/Nico_Sturm_Hoodie-55, but Shero moves mostly made sense in theory for what he was trying to add to the Pens. Also, in hindsight and after seeing Jim Rutherford scorch the earth in Pittsburgh trading almost every pick not tied down, Shero did a pretty impressive job of balancing future needs and keeping high picks while also trying to feed the Pens championship aspirations. That not an easy balancing act to pull off, and now with the benefit of a bit of time and space, I think Shero deserves more credit and praise for how he conducted himself with the Pens. What about contracts How did he handle re-signing players or signing free agentsA lot like trades, probably a mixed bag. The Pens never really had cap space due to attributing so much to their core, so signing big free agents was hit or miss. Shero signed Paul Martin to replace Sergei Gonchar, which was a different style but a success. . . Then he also signed Zbynek Michalek that same summer to a big contract and that one didn work out very well. I think Shero was just OK in the free agent market, but free agency was a pretty low priority for the Pens. Trades and the draft were more important, out of necessity. You didn ask, but draft-wise, Shero was all aboard the puck moving defenseman bandwagon train, and really just hoarding as many defensemen in general. He used high (1st/2nd) picks on players like Simon Despres, Philip Samuelson, Joe Morrow, Scott Harrington, Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta from 2009-12 alone (just 2 forwards were drafted with 1st/2nd rounders for this time period in Pittsburgh). Some of them were good ideas, some were not. His evals weren always spot on, for instance taking Pouliot 8th overall instead of Jacob Trouba who went the very next pick probably set the franchise back quite a bit. So that could be an influence to watch with all of Minnesota high picks to see if they target defense. Which may or may not happen, managers learn, evolve and shift strategies and aren always the exact same. For instance, Shero almost always used his high draft picks on forwards with New Jersey, and that was smart. (And it helps the one defenseman he did draft in the first round, Ty Smith, looks like a really great young player). In your personal opinion, do you think this move benefits a team that is on the rise like the WildI really do think it would be a positive addition for any team to add the experience and leadership of Shero, but especially so for Minnesota. Bill Guerin was traded for by Shero in 2009 and then Shero gave Guerin as job as a player development coach to start his career. These are obviously two people that get along, think similarly and have a great positive working relationship. Shero is extremely experienced with helping to run an NHL team. He got to be great as a voice to have in the room to pitch in ideas and give a well-respected and well-reasoned opinion about roster moves and how to best build a team. Shero helped the Pens out a lot in their 2009 Stanley Cup and a LOT of his finger prints remained with the Pens in 2016 and 2017, even though Shero was gone . Shero is a quality person and a very sharp guy https://www.storeminnesotaonline.com/Hunter_Jones_Flag-227. He doesn have a perfect track record, but I think he has a lot to offer, and doubly so considering it re-joining Guerin where it already assured there will be a great fit and close personal rapport and trust already existing that should only serve to help Guerin out. Which in turn will help the Wild out. Solid addition for this role.

No matter what happens between now and then, the Texas Stars 2021 season will end on May 15th in a road game against the Iowa Wild. It not technically because of the team performance thus far, even though they have a losing record on the season and currently sit fifth out of six teams in the AHL Central Division. Rather, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cash-strapped league were too much of a problem, leading to the decision to not host a playoffs and reward the Calder Cup for the second straight year https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Garett_Bolles_Hoodie-126. While each of the AHL five divisions were provided the opportunity to host some sort of unique in-division postseason, the collective decision of the Central Division, which Texas is a part of, declined. Only one group of teams, the Pacific Division, decided to have a playoff tournament. With seemingly little to play for, it would have been hard to begrudge them too much if they simply went through the motions in their final games. However, what happened this past week is the exact opposite of that. The Stars put forth gutsy efforts in front of their home fans against the opposing Cleveland Monsters, winning the first two games before dropping the final one in overtime. Recent NCAA signing Adam Scheel required very little time to win the starting goaltender job with his new team, playing in all three games last week and posting impressive numbers in each one. The first of the three, on April 29th, was the most notable, as he turned aside 39 of 40 shots and then all three that he faced in the shootout to secure a tight win. e made some game-changing saves in the final twenty, said head coach Neil Graham, as reported by 100 Degree Hockey. e was big for us in overtime, and then he was great in the shootout. Happy for him. It was a great night on his part. exas opened the floodgates a little more on Saturday, leading for most of the game en route to a 5-2 victory. Rookie defenseman Dawson Barteaux potted his first professional goal and it was a beauty, while Riley Damiani had a goal and Adam Mascherin picked up two helpers. Damiani scored again in the third of the three matches, Ty Dellandrea picked up a beautiful assist and Scheel turned aside 34 pucks, but the 35th squeaked past him in overtime to give Cleveland the 3-2 win. Mascherin (31) and Damiani (29) continue to pace the team in terms of points, and both are actually still in the race for the AHL scoring title, behind San Diego Gulls forward Andrew Potularki 34. Thomas Harley continues leads all Texas defenders in scoring, as he has all season https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Damarea_Crockett_Pillow_Cover-351, with 17 points in 32 games. The Stars have six more games remaining on their schedule: a three-game series at home against the Tucson Roadrunners that begins this week, before hitting the road to face Iowa to wrap things up. Win or lose, playing some spirited, competitive hockey would be a respectable way to end a strange, challenging season. EuropeSwedenWhile his scoring pace has slowed down considerably, forward Fredrik Karlstrm nevertheless still finds himself on the verge of a league championship, as his Vxj Lakers team leads Rgle BK 2-0 in the SHL final. Karlstrm was held to just one assist in the five-game semifinal series win against Örebro and has yet to find the scoresheet against Rgle. As has been reported elsewhere, fellow Swedes Jacob Peterson and Oskar Bck have deservingly signed their entry-level contracts with the Dallas Stars, and these three countrymen could all head to North America for the 2021-22 season. Someone who hasn signed his entry-level contract yet Albin Eriksson, who was selected by Dallas in the 2nd round, 44th overall, in the 2018 draft. The Stars have one more year to sign Eriksson before losing his rights, so it will be an especially big season for him. The good news It appears that he will have a much-needed change of scenery for next season, as he is reportedly heading over to Finland to play with Ässt, a similar path taken by former Dallas prospect Jakob Stenqvist (who just left the team himself to sign in the KHL). North American JuniorQMJHLCenter Mavrik Bourque QMJHL season has come to an end after his Shawinigan Cataractes team was eliminated in the playoffs by the Rimouski Ocanic in five games. It certainly an unexpected outcome, as Shawinigan was the much better of the two teams during the regular season and Rimouski was without one of their top players, Zachary Bolduc, due to injury. Bourque, the Cataractes captain, showed a lot of maturity and responsibility after the series ended, calling out one of his own mistakes as the turning point in the series. hey were there in every game, he said to local media and translated from French by Google Translate. heir goaler was good, their game system too. When you get shut out two games out of three wins, it doesn help. Perhaps the lack of opportunism cost us the series. You have to learn from defeat https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Brandon_Mcmanus_Hoodie-122, we are back next year, we must not make the same mistakes. We were fickle during the year, and it hurt us for the playoffs. I think my mistake in Game 4 was the turning point of that series. My bad backhand pass to take the game to 3-2 was the turning point. He shouldn be too hard on himself, though, as he did lead his team in goals and tied for the lead in points in the series. Goaltender Rmi Poirier season is also done as his Gatineau Olympiques were eliminated by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in that series. Poirier finished the playoffs with a . 879 save percentage, but after watching every single goal that he allowed I can honestly say that he wasn getting a whole lot of support in front of him. He is eligible to turn pro next season Alexander Johnson Pet Jersey, but my money would be on him returning to the QMJHL for his overage year. Whether the Stars will decide to offer him an entry-level contract, or even should, is difficult to say. StatsFor a full database of the organization prospects and their stats, check out the Stars the System page on Elite Prospects.

The Winnipeg Jets took advantage of some interesting drafting from teams above them in the draft and drafted wunderkind Cole Perfetti. Okay, I do not know if he is actually a wunderkind where he is a big scorer with the Saginaw Spirit. He scored 111 points in only 61 games including 37 goals. I see a potential centre for Patrik Laine in the future if Laine sticks around. From the reaction on Twitter this is an excellent pick for the Jets and they should absolutely be proud of themselves for not forking this up which is really hard for NHL teams to do most days Josh Morrissey T-Shirt. KISS (keep it simple stupid) is the principle that all teams should follow when doing anything because it usually works. Cole Perfetti was also the OHL's scholastic player of the year. One time considered the college route and Michigan, ultimately stuck with the OHL. Some of the best hockey sense in this draft and an especially thoughtful player away from the ice, too. Perfetti sounds like a smart young man who will hopefully enjoy the many museums that Winnipeg has to offer. I also recommend that he gets to know Patrik Laine and the two of them become best friends https://www.storewinnipeg.com/Anders_Hedberg_Pillow_Cover-105. Patrik should send him a fruit basket and then they should become best friends for reasons. Okay, for real this draft is weird and wonderful and this pick is wonderful and I really wish I was at yoga instead of writing this https://www.storewinnipeg.com/Dylan_Samberg_Face_Mask-266. Also, we had an October thunderstorm so that is that.

In case you missed it, the Blues signed Adam Wainwright. . This is amazing!!! LGB pic. twitter https://www.stprostoreonline.com/Tyler_Bozak_T_shirt-43. Wait, no, that should read Cardinals. The Cardinals signed Adam Wainwright to a one year deal. Waino, to his credit, took the flub in stride, openly campaigning for at the very least a spot on the Blues fourth line. I'm not necessarily a very good skater, but with a little work. . . . challenge accepted. Thank you to whoever typed that chyron, for you are the one who gave Blues and Cardinals fans this video. Obviously they had the Blues on the mind David Perron Pet Jersey, which makes sense since a) theye the team that is playing right now and b) the team with the general manager actively working to fill gaps in talent. Clearly, the Blues won be needing Adam Wainwright services this season, unless the Department of Player Safety continues to implicitly imply (I suppose that a thing) that it open season on Blues players. If that is the case, may I suggest putting Wainwright on the taxi squad, at the very leastSure https://www.stprostoreonline.com/Niko_Mikkola_T_shirt-20, he no Tom Glavine, but I like his form, and I like his can-do attitude. He has some time to kill until pitchers and catchers report. Slap some skates on him and let see what he can do.

Over the next few weeks, wel be taking a closer look at the Titans free agent class. One by one, wel provide some basic details on the player before making an argument for both sides why the Titans should, or shouldn re-sign that player. Wel also offer our final verdict and a prediction to go along with it. We start this new series today with the team biggest free agent Brian Hill Flag. Davis has battled through injuries and inconsistent play throughout his career. He also suffered through some bad quarterback play in his early years. Davis struggles made it that much sweeter to see him finally put it together in his fourth season in Tennessee. Davis posted career highs in yards and touchdowns while equaling his career best in catches . It a shame that he fell just short of 1,000 receiving yards, but it takes nothing away from the terrific year he had. Why the Titans should keep Davis is an easy argument to make Marshall Newhouse Pet Jersey. This offense was firing on all cylinders in 2020. Why wouldn you want to keep it intact The offense finished top five in the following categories: points scored , yards , rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and had a top five red zone offense. General manager Jon Robinson should try to run things back on offense. Why the Titans should let Davis walk: It awfully convenient that Davis had the best season of his career in a contract year. This isn the first time that a professional athlete has performed his best with the future of his personal finances on the line https://www.tennesseefanstoreonline.com/Ty_Sambrailo_Face_Mask-658.

The upside: A trusting Houston Texans fan could make a lot of money betting on David Culley. The downside: Despite the new coach quiet confidence, oddsmakers aint seeing it Joe Thomas Face Mask. Does the new Texans rookie coach have a chance to surprise A chance, even, to win NFL Coach of the YearAccording to BetMGM, well, yes . . . there is a chance. But it is the worst chance in the league. Culley has the same odds to win Coach of the Year for 2021 as does the Cincinnati Bengals Zac Taylor does: +6600 https://www.houstongearonline.com/Vernon_Hargreaves_Iii_Flag-635. READ MORE:Mr. Wonderful: Coach Culley Has Special Message For New TexansAnd yes, those are the basement odds in the NFL. Is it just because Culley, as experienced as he is as an NFL assistant, a first-year coach No, because rookie coach Brandon Staley of the Chargers is at +1600 odds, the same number attached to the Rams Sean McVay, Miami Brian Flores, Kansas City Andy Reid, and the Niners Kyle Shanahan. And it the second-best number in the league. More rookie coaches The New York Jets Robert Saleh has +1800 odds. Arthur Smith of the Atlanta Falcons is at +2500. The Jaguars Urban Meyer is at +3500 . . . and Meyer and Culley will start off the NFL season in Week 1 with a chance to start proving the oddsmakers right or wrong. Although the Texans arent expected to have a good season, it isnt unprecedented for a coach to win coach of the year amid a losing campaign. In 1990, the Dallas Cowboys Jimmy Johnson won the award after posting a 7-9 record following a 1-15 mark in his first season in the league Justin Britt Hoodie.

The Miami Dolphins opened their 2021 veteran minicamp on Tuesday, starting a three-day stretch of practices and meetings designed to ensure players are grasping the new offensive playbook and picking up tweaks to the defense. The team can hold two practices a day for a total of 3. 5 hours, with the second workout limited to a walkthrough. This is the only mandatory event during the offseason for veterans and one that signals the start of contract holdouts if a player does not show up. That is the exact situation when it comes to cornerback Xavien Howard. The 2020 All-Pro has four years remaining on a contract extension he signed back in 2019, but he is now sixth in the league in terms of average salary per year for a cornerback on the deal. More importantly Nick Coe Pillow Cover, he is second on the Dolphins in average salary at the position. While Howard has a $15. 1 million average, Byron Jones has a $16. 5 million per year contract with Miami. Howard led the league with 10 interceptions last year, while Jones only recorded two. Miami has a dynamic duo between the ball-hawking Howard and the coverage specialist Jones, but they also now have an issue where Howard appears to feel he is underpaid. think it pretty clear that this is a contract situation, which wee talked about internally, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said on Tuesday ahead of the team first practice of minicamp. hat what I believe it is and obviously wee had discussions and wel continue to have those discussions. lores explained a bit more about the discussions the team is having internally as they deal with a player who is unhappy with his contract, but still has four years remaining on that deal. would say that normally we keep this stuff internally; but generally speaking Michael Deiter Pillow Cover, I think you put them in buckets, the coach stated. o you have contract extensions, youe got free agent contracts; so we have a player and we extend a contract. You have free agents you bring on. I sure you guys all understand this. He was extended and now wee talking about a renegotiation of an extension, so that a little bit different. Wee had a lot of discussions about that. Again, it a very unique situation. Wee talking about a potential renegotiation after one year. I think those turn into longer conversations and we understand that. Wee obviously had a lot of talks and conversations about those. We will continue to have those and keep those internal; but it a very unique situation. oward situation is clearly unique. He signed the five-year extension and has played one season into it. It was a $76 million deal with $12 million guaranteed this season - with Jones guaranteed $14 million in 2021. Howard changed agents this offseason, signing with David Canter, always a sign the player is looking for a new contract. His ten interceptions last year made Howard the first player to reach double digit interceptions in a season since 2007 and tied the Dolphins franchise record, a mark set in 1967 by Dick Westmoreland. Howard also has the most interceptions in the league over the past three seasons, while missing 15 games over that span. He led the league with seven interceptions in 2018, while only playing 12 games, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He picked up his second Pro Bowl selection https://www.miamigearonline.com/Javaris_Davis_Hoodie-196, along with his first First-Team All-Pro selection, last season. e treat these case-by-case, Flores continued. think at the end of the day, wee going to keep these conversations internal. But specific to this one, like I said earlier, it very unique. It a renegotiation of an extension after one year and it honestly something that hasn been done before. I not saying that wee drawing a line in the sand, but different players set the market every year. he Dolphins are not believed to be looking to trade Howard, though there have been reports in the past of teams calling Miami about his availability. Flores stressed on Tuesday that the team continues to plan for Howard to be in Miami. Let me go ahead and say that right now, so you guys can make sure you write that. We love him. He very productive. He a team player. He an important player on this team; but again, (it a) unique situation, Flores explained. e want to keep him here. Again, markets are set. Specific to Byron, markets are set differently every year. Yeah, that a part of the conversation; but again, that what makes this unique, like I mentioned, which I sure everyone can understand. oward could be fined up to $93,000 if he skips all three days of the Dolphins minicamp. Any hold out that carries into training camp, set to begin on July 27, would open Howard to fines of $50,000 per day missed. Miami could come to an agreement on a new deal with Howard and waive any fines, but that could also set a precedent that a player with four years remaining on a contract can hold out for a new deal. Howard and the Dolphins is a unique situation and one that we will all watch out over the next few days, and the next couple of months.

The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with former Vanderbilt wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, per Jim Wyatt and the team. . Titans sign former VandyFootball WR Kalija Lipscomb to roster after rookie minicamp. Also, Titans waive WR Rashard Davis, LB Davin Bellamy took part in the team rookie minicamp over the weekend as one of four tryout players, and he was signed on Monday. Lipscomb obviously impressed the coaching staff. Titans fans will likely be familiar with Lipscomb. He played his college football locally at Vanderbilt. In four years there, Lipscomb caught 198 passes for 2 Quinn Bailey Pillow Cover,356 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft, and has spent time on practice squads with the Chiefs and Packers. Lipscomb joins a busy wide receiver room that includes a ton of players battling for playing time and roster spots such as Cameron Batson Anthony Chickillo Pet Jersey, Nick Westbrook, Mason Kinsey, Chester Rogers, Marcus Johnson, Racey McMath, Cody Hollister and Fred Brown. Also on Monday, the Titans waived receiver Rashard Davis and linebacker Davin Bellamy . Former Memphis quarterback Brady White, cornerback Josh Nurse , and running back Otis Anderson also took part in the minicamp on a tryout basis https://www.denverproshoponline.com/Amara_Darboh_Pet_Jersey-258, but they were not immediately signed.