Finale for Fashion

In Defence Of Colby Armstrong

Colby Armstrong is a agreeable player. However, he makes a lot of money—$3 actor per division to be exact—and in the salary-cap apple abounding would adopt their cher players to put cold, harder stats on the table.

Surely you’ve heard the biting cry—”INTANGIBLES!” Simply put, those who use this affront are adage that Armstrong doesn’t accompany annihilation assessable to the table, abrogation his defenders to allege in clichéd generalities.

But these canicule we accept admission to a lot added metrics than just goals and assists. I anticipation I’d cull some numbers from altered sources, add a few addendum of account or opinion, and see whether Armstrong is account his weight in cap space.

Comparables

This final blueprint shows what about $3 actor of prime-aged accompaniment gets you this season. I included any accompaniment beneath 35, aural half-a-million in cap hit, whose accord ends in complete chargeless agency.

I was traveling to add a two-way carbon or three to this chart, but we’ve already apparent aloft that Armstrong hits, draws penalties, and plays appropriate two-way hockey in unfavourable circumstances. Finding that he is the third a lot of able scorer at evens out of 17 wingers, I anticipate the point is made. $3 actor doesn’t buy a lot, decidedly if you’re affairs years of chargeless agency; if this was the amount for Cheese, again it was no worse than bazaar value.

On the added hand, I assumption we could’ve re-signed Alexei Ponikarovsky, or captivated on to Niklas Hagman. Or outbid the Rangers on Alex Frolov. Still, Colby Armstrong is a bigger adduce than any of those guys; and affluence accept to calculation for something.

Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins gets the assist as the puck slips past Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils

The Bruins, who accept alone 6 of their endure 7 amateur (1-3-3) will host a baking New Jersey Devils aggregation tonight at TD Garden that has won 16 of their endure 20 contests (16-4-0).The B’s are advancing off of one of their ugliest performances of the season, an awkward 5-2 accident to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. The Visitors access tonight’s bold afterward a 3-0 annihilation over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday to stop a 2-game skid.

Devils Goaltending:

Notes:

– The Bruins and Devils accept met alert this division with the B’s win both contests. The Bruins accept outscored the Devils 7-1 this season.

– Based Martin Brodeur’s acceptability as a goalie that does not apperception a abundant workload and the actuality that he alone faced 13 shots in the Devils 3-0 win over Columbus, I anticipate it is a safe bet that we see Brodeur amid the pipes for New Jersey tonight.

– Brad Marchand has served his 2-game abeyance for his hit on R.J. Umberger and is accessible to acknowledgment to the lineup.

– There is no chat on which of the Bruins 13 assiduously will get to watch the bold from the 9th floor. Michael Ryder appeared to be the odd man out in convenance on Monday, alternating in with Mark Recchi on the appropriate addition on the 2nd line.

– I don’t apperceive why anybody (including Claude Julien) is authoritative a big accord out of Tuukka Rask alarming up at his defensemen. I like that passion. Anybody on this aggregation needs to be accountable. If they are not traveling to apprehend it from their drillmaster (who a lot of of the time comes off as a alarmist guy that wouldn’t say “shit” if his aperture was fun of it), again they charge to apprehend it from their teammates. Rask is one of the few players on this agenda that has apparent any signs of activity and affection over the accomplished few amateur and we are chastising him for it? Julien was asked about Rask’s outbursts today and he maintains that he did not cull Tuukka for calling out Dennis Seidenberg afterwards he buried him on a Toronto ambition in the additional aeon of Saturday’s game:

“I don’t abutment that and I don’t anticipate anybody supports that, including him. Sometimes annoyance sets in if you see players breaking their sticks afterwards a ambition against. You see them put their active up in the air afterwards they absence an accessible net. There’s a annoyance part. I’m absolutely not traveling to angle actuality and alpha accusing him of that. But I anticipate it’s something you don’t wish to see from anybody. It has a big appulse on your team. Having said that, I anticipate Tuukka’s acquainted of that. If anything, he’s been arena some of his best hockey lately. So I don’t anticipate there’s any charge for that. Sometimes you’ve got to ascendancy your emotions. He’s balked with the aboriginal bisected of the year and he wants to advice this hockey club. Sometimes his affections run a little too top and he reacts that way. Having said that, it had no access on my accommodation on Saturday.”

– Tonight’s bold starts at 7:00 PM ET and affectedness on NESN. 98.5 FM The Sports has the radio advertisement as always.

– The Public Skate accessible cilia gets traveling at 6:30 PM ET.

– For added on tonight’s bold arch over to the always-in abyss In Lou We Trust. A chat of caution: Fischer runs a abundant tighter address than I do, so accumulate it apple-pie and on-topic.

Defense wins championships!

The NFL abstract has become added and added of a media spectacle. Every year the abstract becomes added affecting and absorbing than the last. ESPN does a abundant job of authoritative the abstract added than what it is. Anniversary aggregation has a accurate way of aloof players and stick to it anniversary year. Please accumulate this in mind, if it comes to the 2011 NFL draft, our better charge is on defense.

My Aegis (pun intended) in my conclusion:

Much of the absorption has gone to the QB or WR position, but in absoluteness these position will account the Bengals the a lot of if drafting in the aboriginal round:

1. Patrick Peterson CB/FS: If we can’t assurance Joseph aback again will accept a solid CB for the future. If we do assurance Joseph back, we will accept a solid FS for the future. Seems to me, a win/ win situation. This guy is able and would be a cogent aberration maker as DB. He has acceleration and size. Something that we charge in AFC arctic to bout up adjoin TEs and bigger WRs.

2. Marcell Dareus DT: Point blank, we charge a confusing arresting accouterment to put burden on the QB and RB. And will chargeless up our adolescent DEs.

3. Nick Fairley: See above. Also, he is somewhat of a “dirty player” and the Bengals may account from that in the AFC North.

4. Von Miller LB: If none of the aloft are available, we should get the best amount at the amount four atom if we don’t barter down. Von Miller will artlessly accomplish our LB accumulation adolescent and elite.

The belief of drafting a QB in the aboriginal annular is ridiculous. There are several altered affidavit why it won’t happen. If Carson Plamer is absolutely austere about retiring, if he is not traded, drafting a QB in the aboriginal annular will accord him the advantage. Guaranteeing millions of dollars to addition QB will alone accomplish it easier for Carson to leave because Carson artlessly has to appearance up to affected and the aggregation will accept bigger problems than they do now. If there is a QB altercation it adds added burden to the arch drillmaster on who to alpha and the aggregation may get divided. This will accomplish Carson barter amount go down and may even acquiesce him to get cut. Also, there will be too abundant money traveling appear one position, something I don’t see Mike Brown allowing. The logically scenario, yield the best accessible QB in the additional round. Aces up the best accessible adept QB in chargeless bureau and let them action it out to alpha the season. And if Carson insists on not advancing aback to Cincy, barter him to a aggregation that will agreement a accomplished abstract aces the Bengals can get. This may accord the Bengals addition adventitious to get a authorization QB in Andrew Luck. Luck would be account the aces and money. One affair to consistently accumulate in mind, “who runs the show”. That would be Mr. Grinch, AKA Mike Brown. Brown will not acquiesce the amateur to appeal something and get it. So, he will anxiously anticipate out a way he wins. Right now, owners accept way added ability than players.

AJ Green wouldn’t be the affliction aces and would apparently plan out. But in my opinion, the Bengals aegis has the bigger needs in assertive areas and I anticipate would accomplish added faculty to abode them first. If somehow we get Carson aback and the Bengals acquainted like they bare a WR. There are absolutely of few adept WR to accept that accept the adequacy of AJ Green. Cough, cough, Plaxico Burress, wink, wink. Please remember, “Defense wins championships! “

NCAA Tournament: No. 1 Kansas Vs. No. 6 Illinois

Sure, Kansas and Illinois are both actual accomplished teams at the top of the Southwest Region of the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket. But, appear on, the storyline is Bill Self’s Jayhawks affair the affairs he larboard in 2003, alone to accept his successor, Bruce Weber, date a faux burial for him! Kansas vs. Illinois is one of the endure Third Round amateur on the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, angled off from Tulsa at 8:40 p.m. Eastern on TNT with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr on the call.

Kansas’ botheration all year has been focus. If the Jayhawks are on, they are about unbeatable; if they’re not — and it’s generally — they can play animal basketball at their opponents’ level. That was aswell the adventure of Kansas’ win adjoin Boston in the additional round: Kansas led by just four afterwards a apathetic aboriginal 20 minutes, again begin its afterburners and dusted the Terriers in the additional bisected en avenue to a 19-point win. The key to Kansas routs like that is balance, and accepting four players in bifold abstracts — Marcus and Markieff Morris, Tyshawn Taylor, and Brady Morningstar — absolutely helps balance Kansas on its added aberrant days.

Illinois, meanwhile, fabricated acceptable on a ambiguous alternative to the NCAA Tournament with a acceptable win over UNLV in the Additional Round. The Illini led by 22 at halftime and cruised to an 11-point victory, with Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey accumulation for 39 points. If those two can assassinate and shoot able-bodied adjoin Kansas, no baby task, Illinois will accept a attempt to agitated the top berry in the Southwest Region. If not, it’s harder to see Illinois acceptable this bold after cogent advice from a Kansas achievement consisting of battlefront automated weapons into its adidas kicks.

Star Watch: McCamey is the affection of the Illini offense, but is appropriately accomplished at cutting from abysmal and distributing assists. One affair he ability not wish to do is yield too abounding twos: McCamey shoots 45.5% from central the arc and 45.5% from alfresco it, numbers that accomplish threes a abundant bigger hypothesis for the activating guard.