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Geregistreerd op: 24 Okt 2019
Berichten: 210
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 Geplaatst: 19-11-2019 02:59:41 Onderwerp: insisted upon sticking with him and pitching |
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| The Edmonton Oilers made a couple of deals, bringing in a new goaltender and taking on a long-term contract for a fourth line forward in the process. Sergio Romo Twins Jersey . Numbers Game looks at the Oilers adding Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks, while sending Devan Dubnyk to Nashville. The Oilers Get: G Ben Scrivens and LW Matt Hendricks. Scrivens is a 27-year-old who has played 51 NHL games in his career, so he has a limited track record but, in that time, he has a .917 save percentage, which isnt bad at all. Its certainly good enough to get a chance at some regular playing time in Edmonton and, considering how the Oilers season has gone, there should be plenty of opportunity for Scrivens and Ilya Bryzgalov to compete the rest of the way as they audition for next season. Both Scrivens and Bryzgalov will be unrestricted free agents in the summer, so its entirely possible that Edmonton could be starting from scratch on the goaltending market in the summer, but there is also a real opportunity for Scrivens to seize the opportunity and, if he plays well, earn a contract offer that will make him the likely starter. It cant hurt Scrivens that he has experience playing for Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins (with the AHL Toronto Marlies, where Scrivens had a .923 save percentage in 94 games) and if Scrivens plays well the rest of the way, Eakins could be comfortable moving forward with him as the No. 1 or even as part of a timeshare with another goaltender. Scrivens makes a miniscule $550,000 this season but, provided he plays well, will be due for a decent raise -- maybe something in the neighbourhood of $2.5-million per -- as an unrestricted free agent. Hendricks, 32, is a warrior, who has battled his way into the NHL, finally sticking as a 28-year-old. Theres no denying his toughness -- he has 48 fights in the past five seasons -- his face-off skill or, even, some career shootout success (9-for-17, 52.9%), but to take on a four-year contract, at $1.85-million per, for a player with those skills is highly questionable. Its not that the addition of Hendricks is going to be a backbreaker for the Oilers, but money matters, whether its in relation to the salary cap or an internal budget and paying nearly $2-million for a fourth-line winger is not how the best teams are building their rosters and its the term that is troubling. When we know how hard Hendricks has played throughout his career, who would feel good about his chances of staying healthy and (relatively) productive through age 35? The Oilers needed more toughness on the lower half of their forward depth chart, and thats fine, but making that financial commitment for toughness has not been the typical approach for successful teams, so if Hendricks provides value for the Oilers, more power to them, but it looks like a lot to pay for the role he plays. The Predators Get: G Devan Dubnyk. Part of the reason that the Oilers were expected to compete for a playoff spot this season is that Dubnyk, 27, was a solid, if under-appreciated puckstopper in recent seasons. From 2010-2011 through 2012-2013, Dubnyk had a .917 save percentage. Among goaltenders with at least 100 games in that span, that placed Dubnyk 12th, in the same territory as Sergei Bobrovsky, Kari Lehtonen and Carey Price; pretty good company. Then the season started and Dubnyk couldnt do anything right. In his first eight appearances, he allowed at least three goals seven times, posting an .878 save percentage, and it hasnt been much better since. Dubnyks .894 save percentage ranks 39th out of 39 goalies to play at least 20 games this season. Had he been an average starting goaltender, with a .913 save percentage, that would have saved the Oilers close to 17 goals, which isnt nearly enough to make them competitive, but they might not have been staring at a lottery pick right from the first month of the season. In any case, Dubnyk gets a fresh start, with a track record that suggests he deserves one. With Pekka Rinne injured, and with no timetable for his return, the Predators have been making do with Marek Mazanec and Carter Hutton, and while they have had some decent games, they rank 33rd and 34th, respectively, on that list of 39 goaltenders, both posting .902 save percentages this season. Nashville, currently eight points out of a playoff spot, realizes that theyre not likely to make up that ground with their goaltenders stopping 90.2% of the shots they face, so why not take a chance on Dubnyk rebounding? If he performs closer to his career norms, maybe the Predators can scramble into the playoff picture. If not, no big deal, because the Oilers retained some of the salary on Dubnyks contract (which pays $3.5-million per) and he will be an unrestricted free agent at seasons end, making it a low-risk move for the Predators. The move is even better, from Nashville standards, because they managed to get out from under the four-year term on Hendricks contract. Hes a gritty fourth-line forward, who is paid too much for that role, but the Predators can give Rich Clune more consistent playing time and/or recall Filip Forsberg or Taylor Beck, moving a winger like Gabriel Bourque down the depth chart, if need be. The Kings Get: A third-round pick. When Jonathan Quick was injured earlier in the year and the Kings were forced to recall Martin Jones, the Kings found out that they had another NHL-ready goaltender in the system and with Scrivens heading towards unrestricted free agency at seasons end, there was an opportunity to deal Scrivens, and open up a spot on the NHL roster for Jones, while adding an asset in the form of a draft pick. Jones was spectacular in his first NHL action, going 8-3 with a 1.41 goals against average and .950 save percentage in 11 games. That wont continue, because hes not superhuman, but the 6-foot-4, 24-year-old is a quality prospect, one that has posted a .922 save percentage in 151 AHL games, and is worthy of promotion. Working out the Kings depth chart, Jones promotion also means that Jean-Francois Berube, a fourth-round pick in 2009, should get the bulk of the starts for Manchester in the AHL, but with Quick and Jones in Los Angeles, there is no urgency for more goaltending. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Sean Poppen Twins Jersey . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. Randy Dobnak Jersey . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1422t-joe-mauer-jersey-twins.html . Lawrie was hit on the hand by Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto in the second inning of Sundays 4-3 loss to the Reds.CLEVELAND -- Ubaldo Jimenez bounced back for the Indians this season. Now, he may bounce away. The right-hander became a free agent on Friday after the club exercised his $8 million club option for next season and Jimenez voided it. After going 9-17 in 2012 and leading the AL in losses, Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA this season, including 4-0 in September. The 29-year-old was Clevelands most consistent pitcher in the second half of the season, helping the Indians clinch their first playoff spot since 2007. It was a remarkable turnaround by Jimenez, who had been mostly a disappointment since Cleveland acquired him from Colorado at the trading deadline in 2011. The Indians can make him a $14.1 million qualifying offer by Monday, and he would have a week to accept. If he declines, the Indians would receive a 2014 first-round draft pick if he signs with another team. Also, the Indians declined their $7.5 million club option on outfielder Jason Kubel. He was acquired from Arizona on Aug. 20. Jimenez was at his best when the Indians needed him most. He went 6-5 with a 1.82 ERA after the All-Star break, but Jimenez turned it on in the final month of the season as the Indians closed in onn a playoff berth. Ryne Harper Twins Jersey. He posted a 1.09 ERA in six starts in September, leading AL pitchers in innings and strikeouts. In his final start of the season at Minnesota, Jimenez matched a career-high with 13 strikeouts as the Indians clinched a wild-card berth. After he struggled in April, Indians fans were ready to give up on Jimenez, who went 19-8 for the Rockies in 2010 but rarely showed that form during his first one-plus seasons in Cleveland. But manager Terry Francona insisted upon sticking with him and pitching coach Mickey Callaway was able to get the most out of Jimenez. Jimenez was appreciative of the loyalty the Indians showed him, but it might not be enough to keep him around as hell be one of the top free agent pitchers available. During his season-ending exit interview, Jimenez told general manager Chris Antonetti he appreciated the confidence the Indians showed in him. "Ubaldo was very complimentary of Tito (Francona) and his relationship with Mickey, and how much he valued his time here," Antonetti said. Jimenez and Kubel joined relievers Matt Albers, Joe Smith and Rich Hill, starter Scott Kazmir and catcher Kelly Shoppach as free agents. ' ' ' |
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