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BUFFALO – Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis has a pretty good understanding of all that Mason Raymond can offer. But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. “Its not really me,” Nonis said, minutes before the Leafs and Sabres squared off at First Niagara Center on Saturday. “Im comfortable with Mason. I know what hes like as a person and I think everyone is comfortable with him as a player. Its where Randy sees him. Where does he fit in the lineup?” Nonis and his management team will certainly have their input in the series of roster decisions still looming for the Leafs, but according to Nonis, Carlyle will have the final say. “I cant tell him to put someone into the lineup that he doesnt want in the lineup,” Nonis opined of the decision-making process. “He has full control over who makes this team and who doesnt. But we all spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of certain people and their strengths and weaknesses. I think its a pretty healthy relationship and open dialogue both ways to make sure that were all on the same page and were all pushing toward the same goal with the same pieces.” Signed to a professional tryout on the eve of training camp and a second round selection of Nonis in Vancouver, Raymond is among the more intriguing pieces vying for a place on the Toronto roster. With loads of speed and a fair amount of skill, the now 27-year-old offers Carlyle the prospect of depth and versatility in the forward ranks. Scoring twice in his first two exhibition matches, he has made an immediate impression. Surely a more complex case for the head coach is 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, whom the Leafs can either keep in the NHL or return to the junior circuit in Moose Jaw. “Hes making it as hard as I thought hed make it,” Nonis said of Rielly, who suited up for the first three exhibition games, sitting out in Buffalo. Carlyle suggested at the outset of camp that the determination process with Rielly would lie in whether he could capably contribute 12-15 minutes a night or was better off dominating with the Warriors, conceding the value of both options. “Randy knows what hes looking for,” Nonis continued. “He had a different player but a pretty good example of that in Cam Fowler. I think he was always looking for [Fowler] to falter and he never did and Randy used him more and more. And if he wouldve faltered Im sure Randy wouldve pulled him out. Thats the same kind of scenario here with Morgan. If hes ready then hell go in.” Though Nonis stated explicitly that Carlyle has final say on roster decisions, the coach, for one, seems to value the opinions of those around him, taking stock of a range of voices across the organization before settling on a decision. “We converse daily, sometimes two or three times a day,” Carlyle said of his conversations with management after a lengthy 3-2 shootout victory. “If its not [Dave Nonis], its [Dave Poulin], its Claude Loiselle, Cliff Fletcher, Bobby Carpenters here, Steve Kaspers around; theres an armada of management that we make sure that we all have a voice and an opinion. We as a coaching staff talk behind closed doors quite a bit ourselves about what our feelings are and we want to make sure were consistent with what we see and we voice our opinion to the management staff. “When youre in the situation were in I think that you try to take everybodys opinion.” “Well have long discussions about it,” Nonis concluded. “Its probably the same way that I use Randy when were trying to make a trade, I seek his opinion. And at the end of the day we do what we need to do as a staff. I think its the same way from his standpoint; hell seek our opinion, but hes picking the team.” Five Points 1. Rangers shootout attempt The shootout lasted 15 rounds and exactly 30 shooters on Saturday, capped by Jay McClements eventual winner. But the highlight of the exhibition proceeding had to have been Paul Ranger, who offered a truly creative attempt against the Sabres goaltender. “Its a kick-shot,” Ranger said afterward of his failed effort on Jhonas Enroth. “I dont know how else to describe. I learned it when I was probably 10 or 11 years old.” With the shootout dragging with no end apparently in sight, shot after shot turned aside, Ranger decided that when his name was eventually called he would attempt the unusual and unpredictable. “Thats the cool part of it is that I have no idea where its going and the goalie doesnt either ‘cause I sure dont,” he grinned. 2. Reimers second effort James Reimer made his first full outing of the exhibition season, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he saw from the Sabres before adding 15 more in the shootout. “I felt a lot better today compared to London,” Reimer said, referring to his first start a week earlier, which lasted about half the game. “Im feeling better every day on the ice, really seeing the puck better, reading situations and plays better. In the game I felt a lot more comfortable today than I did in London. But having said theres still some situations where you werent as sharp as youd like to be.” Though just an exhibition game, Reimer was pleased with his perfect performance in the shootout, a source of some struggle last season and throughout his career. “Weve been working on some stuff,” he said. “Not going to give away my secrets or anything, but it is something obviously I worked on a bit this summer and tried to really improve on.” Reimer is 0-5 career in the shootout with a .625 save percentage. 3. Lupul nearing exhibition debut The exhibition debut is drawing near for Joffrey Lupul. Returning to practice earlier this week following a bout with back spasms, Lupul remained out against the Sabres on Saturday, but projects to play when the two teams meet again in Toronto on Sunday. “Whats 24 more hours?” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle asked rhetorically before the game. “Well, 24 more hours is a practice underneath [him], an opportunity to stretch, an opportunity for more rest and for his body to tell him that hes 110 per cent, ready to go.” Lupul began experiencing trouble with his back in the days leading up to training camp, remaining off the ice for the first week of camp. Troubled by injuries over the course of his career, including last season when he played in just 16 games, Lupul appeared to have put his most recent back difficulties behind him with four consecutive days of practice. “Wed love to see him in our lineup on a regular basis,” Carlyle said of Lupul. “Weve tried to maintain that he has to change some of the things that he does from a standpoint of maybe being less reckless. I commented on it last week, I thought it was more not being so much reckless, but I think he was just dying to make a contribution.” Lupul fractured his right forearm in the third game of 2013, the victim of a flailing Dion Phaneuf point shot. He returned to the lineup 25 games later, offering two weeks of mesmerizing hockey before suffering a concussion, crunched by Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall. 4. More Rielly Watch Questioned further on the junior option for Rielly, Nonis said the coaching staff in Moose Jaw certainly factored into the Leafs equation. “If he does go back he has a good coach there,” Nonis said of Warriors head coach Mike Stothers. “I think thats one area you look at and say is he being coached by a quality staff and the answer is yes. Would he have a major impact on the World Junior team? I think the answer there is yes. Theres some things that could happen to him that would be good for him. That doesnt mean that he should go back. If he really is ready to play here and he can play a significant role then theres nothing wrong with keeping him at 19.” 5. Smiths dream Vying for a job with the Leafs in a depth capacity, Trevor Smith was born in Ottawa, spent a few years of his youth in Thornhill, Ontario, before finally settling in Vancouver. And he grew up a Leafs fan. “A lot of my buddies were giving me some cr**,” he said of signing with the organization this summer, “but for me personally this is a huge opportunity and something Ive dreamed of as a kid. Im really excited to be here.” Smith spent last season in the Pittsburgh organization – he dressed for one game with the Penguins – a member of the Lightning organization the year prior to that. The 28-year-old has played in 24 career NHL games, his AHL resume chalk full of gaudy offensive stats. Smith has the ability to play both centre and the wing, realizing that his versatility is perhaps the best asset to finding a job with the Leafs at this point. “I think if Im going to play in this league I need to be able to kill penalties and be really good at it,” he explained, “be able to block shots and be versatile, not only five-on-five defensively but on the PK as well.” B.J. Raji Jersey . 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Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void.Ames, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - A marquee Big 12 Conference showdown is on tap for Monday night at Hilton Coliseum, as the Iowa State Cyclones play host to Canadas Andrew Wiggins and the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas suffered a 61-57 home loss to San Diego State on Jan. 5 in its final non-conference bout, but since then it has opened up Big 12 play with back-to- back wins at Oklahoma (90-83) and most recently at home versus nationally- ranked Kansas State on Saturday (86-60). The Jayhawks are now 11-4 overall but have won just one true road game in three tries. Iowa State opened up the season with 14 straight wins, its best start in school history as well as its longest-ever winning streak, but its perfect campaign came to an end on Saturday afternoon at Oklahoma with an 87-82 setback to dip to 2-1 in league play. The Cyclones are still perfect at Hilton Coliseum (8-0) and have won 31 of their last 32 games in Ames dating back to the 2011-12 campaign. The Jayhawks have a firm handle on the Cyclones in the all-time series, 174-59, which includes wins in all three outings last season. Hosting their nationally-ranked intrastate rival over the weekend, Kansas made easy work of K-State, outshooting it from the field, 56.1 percent to 44 percent, en route to the 26-point victory. Andrew Wiggins paced all scorers with 22 points, doing so on 7-of-13 from the field (including 3-of-4 from 3- point range) and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Wayne Selden Jr. was hot on his heels with 20 points, Perry Ellis netted 12, Joel Embiid tallied 11 points and nine boards and Naadir Tharpe rounded out the balanced attack by handing out nine assists. The Jayhawks offense has been potent all season long, as they shoot greater than 50 percent from the field for 79.1 ppg, which is 10.4 ppg more than tthey allow on the other end of the floor.ddddddddddddWiggins may not be living up to the incredible preseason hype as one of the best incoming freshman in recent memory, but hes still in the midst of a stellar campaign with 15.7 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Fellow first-year player Embiid has manned the paint on both ends of the floor with 10.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 2.4 bpg, all while shooting nearly 66 percent from the field. Ellis (13.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Selden (10.3 ppg) and Tharpe (8.0 ppg, 5.4 apg) round out one of the nations best starting lineups. After playing the first half of its most recent contest to a 39-39 tie, Iowa State fell behind Oklahoma by as many as 13 in the second stanza and could not climb back in the game. It shot an impressive 52.3 percent from the field in the win, but only 6-of-26 came from beyond the arc and it was outscored at the foul line, 18-8. DeAndre Kane was outstanding as usual with 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists, but left the game early with an ankle injury and is out indefinitely. Melvin Ejim poured in 21 points, while Georges Niang and Dustin Hogue scored 14 and 13, respectively. The Cyclones have one of the countrys most potent offensive attacks, ranking 11th in field-goal percentage (.495), 12th in 3-pointers per game (8.9) and sixth in scoring (86.7 ppg), but their production is bound to take a dip if Kane (16.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.1 apg) has to miss significant time. Luckily the squad still has plenty of impressive scorers to rely on, led by Ejim (18.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg), who shoots 52.1 percent from the field and 76.3 percent from the foul line. Niang (15.3 ppg) and Dustin Hogue (12.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg) bring regular contributions to the table, while Naz Long (8.4 ppg) will likely see increased minutes in the backcourt without Kane. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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