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The post-Olympic NHL is buzzing with rumors of trade talk between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning involving some significant pieces – Ranger captain Ryan Callahan and Lightning captain Marty St. Packers #5 Jersey . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less.2. The real question, though, is what is the latest and greatest information. Or, in other words, is this a story that is a couple of weeks old, just now finally coming to light and perhaps outdated? If its the latter, and either Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman doesnt intend to trade St. Louis or St. Louis doesnt want to be traded (he has a full No Move Clause), one or both of them may want to put the kaibosh on this story real fast now that theyre back from Sochi. Thats their call, but the Lighting are an Eastern Conference contender and letting this take on a life of its own is going to make for an unsettled week to 10 days leading up to the March 5 trade deadline. Ultimately, the larger issue is where is St. Louiss mindset at right now? Does he want to remain captain of the Lightning? There is reason to believe in the immediate aftermath of his Jan. 7 snub from the Canadian Olympic team, in some form or another, St. Louis indicated to the Bolts he may look favorably on a move out of Tampa. We have to be careful here not to get too hung up on semantics. Was it a trade demand? A trade request? A conversation? Was it St. Louis speaking directly to Yzerman or was it some form of communication between St. Louiss agent Lewis Gross and the organization? While none of the principals were confirming or denying anything in those days and weeks after the initial snub, talk in the NHL community was rife that St. Louis wanted out. There was even talk – again, nothing with an absolute confirmation -- that the only place St. Louis would waive his No Move Clause for was the New York Rangers. His off-season home is just outside NYC, in Connecticut. If the NYR or bust account is accurate, it would certainly explain the St. Louis rumors coming out of NYC the last few days and the talk of Callahan for St. Louis. But heres the problem on that front. Tampa, especially now that Steven Stamkos is closer to returning, is a potential Eastern contender. St. Louis is a huge part of the Lightning attack and if you take a primary offensive catalyst out of the Bolts lineup now, its difficult to believe it could be accomplished with Ranger captain Callahan coming the other way on an expiring contract. Yzerman would want and need more from the Rangers than that. And as long as we presume the Lightning want to remain a contender in the East this season, trading St. Louis for future considerations or younger, unproven players presents its own set of unique problems in the short term. As for the Rangers, theyre not about to start giving up draft picks, prospects or young players for a 38-year-old. So the Tampa-NYR fit doesnt appear to be there. Even if there were a fit, when its all said and done, nothing happens if St. Louis doesnt want it to happen. His NMC guarantees that. If he feels more strongly about staying in Tampa now that hes played for Team Canada in the Olympics than he may have in the aftermath of the Jan. 7 snub, then the trade stories out of NYC are old news recycled as new. But if St. Louis would look favorably on a move now, even if its only to NYC, then the ball is back squarely in the Lightnings court to decide if theres any desire to oblige him and whether theres even a deal to be made. The way I see it, Yzerman isnt making any move in the short term unless it totally suits his purposes and IF he is contemplating trading St. Louis, it may make as much or more sense to do it in the summer as now. Or maybe St. Louis and the Lightning are going to live happily ever after. If thats the case, theyll no doubt let us know. Or not. In the meantime, well just sit tight to see how this one plays out but it sure seems as though it has way too many moving parts. Packers #76 Jersey . The No. 9-ranked German needed to make a three-foot putt to halve the match and force a playoff against the No. 218-ranked Finch, but it horseshoed out. Kaymer, who won the 2010 U.S. PGA Championship, started the year at No. Packers #2 Jersey .C. -- Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie missed out on an opportunity to beat his old team as the Whitecaps fell 4-2 on penalties to the Carolina Railhawks in pre-season play Sunday.KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Masters champion Adam Scott narrowly beat out Tiger Woods as the male player of the year in voting by the Golf Writers Association of America. The GWAA takes into account more than just a players performance on the PGA Tour. Scott won four times around the world, none bigger than his playoff victory at Augusta National to become the first Australian in a green jacket. He also won a FedEx Cup playoff event and twice in Australia, and he joined Jason Day to win the portion of the World Cup for Australia at Royal Melbourne. Out of 218 ballots, Scott won by five votes. "It is an honour to be recognized as the most consistent male golfer of 2013 and it is appreciated to have the respect of the Golf Writers of America. Thank you," Scott said from Kapalua, where he is playing in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Woods won five times on the PGA Tour, including The Players Championship and two World Golf Championships, though he went a fifth straight year without winning a major. Woods also won the PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average. Woods won player of the year from the PGA Tour (a vote of players) and PGA of America (based on points). Those awards consider only a players PGA Tour record. The PGA Tour does not disclose vote totals. The other GWAA awards were landslides. Inbee Park, who had three straight majors among her six victories on the LPGA Tour, received 91 per cent of the vote to win female player of the year. Womens British Open champion Stacy Lewis and Evian Championship winner Suzann Pettersen received the other votes. Kenny Perry, who won two majors on the Champions Tour and captured the Schwab Cup, also had 91 per cent of the vote for senior player of the year over Bernhard Langer and David Frost. "It is my highest honour, from the pllayers or the writers, to be named player of the year," Perry said. Packers #42 Jersey. "Here I am at 53 doing stuff I probably shouldnt be doing, so Im honoured that the writers are paying attention to me." They will be honoured April 9 at the annual GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Ga. Scott received 75 votes, or 34 per cent of the vote, compared with 70 votes for Woods. In a season that had so many players accomplish so much, Phil Mickelson received 17 per cent, while Henrik Stenson got 16 per cent. Mickelson won the British Open for the third leg of the Grand Slam, along with the Phoenix Open and the Scottish Open. Stenson became the first player to win the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season. Scott played 20 times around the world. Along with his four wins, he had the lead briefly on the back nine of the British Open, where he tied for third, and he tied for fifth in the PGA Championship. Woods had two top 10s in the majors, a tie for fourth at the Masters and a tie for sixth in the British Open. Park rose to No. 1 in the womens world ranking shortly after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She won the LPGA Championship, and then made it three straight majors at the U.S. Womens Open. She failed in her bid to become the first player to win four majors in one season, but still led womens golf with six victories and captured the LPGA Tour money title for the second straight year. "Last year was a year that I could never forget," Park said. "I was able to put my name among the greatest players around the world. Now, on top of that, I am being recognized and honoured by golf writers. They are those who know what has just happened last year in every detail. I can almost say that they know me better than I know myself. Thats why this honour is very special and means a lot to me." ' ' ' |
