TORONTO – On the third day of July in the summer of 2011 the Nashville Predators flipped Matthew Lombardi to Toronto. [url=https://www.cheapsabres.com/]Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys[/url] . Lombardi still had two years to go on a pricey three-year contract and questions lingered as to whether he woul

TORONTO – On the third day of July in the summer of 2011 the Nashville Predators flipped Matthew Lombardi to Toronto. Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . Lombardi still had two years to go on a pricey three-year contract and questions lingered as to whether he would ever play again. To grease him along to the Maple Leafs and subsequently free up cap space Nashville had to surrender a 23-year-old defender whom they drafted and developed in the third round of the 2005 draft. That trade surprised Cody Franson. Another deal that may come to pass in the coming five weeks isnt likely to sneak up on the 6-foot-5 defenceman. His name has been bandied about in trade speculation almost to no end during three-plus seasons in Toronto, that chatter only heating up again recently. An impending unrestricted free agent this summer, Franson and the Leafs have yet agree upon terms for a new deal. Given that murky contract status and the clubs rapid descent out of a playoff spot – 14 losses in 17 games - speculation picked up that the club may opt to move the 27-year-old defender before the Mar. 2 trade deadline. Its one of those things where its everywhere you go, said Franson of the trade talk. If its not on the radio its on the TV. If its not on the TV its on any Twitter feed and even though I dont have [a Twitter account] sometimes its tough to stay away from. Teammates will crack jokes about the possibility. Buddies from back home in Sicamous, B.C. will fire texts with links to some rumour or another. Try as he might Franson cant really escape the swell of speculation – real or fiction – that surrounds his future. At the end of the day its not in my hands, he said. I can control how I play and try and continually prove my worth here to this team and how I want to be here. Those decisions ultimately get made by the people upstairs and theyve got a tough job. Fransons stock has risen this year. Hes emerged with increased responsibilities, is well on his way to a career-high in points and is that rare right-shot defender with size and puck-moving skills. All of that makes him a desired candidate for trade before the deadline and a candidate for a large contract on July 1 – one the Leafs may not be prepared to pay. Franson, who signed his third consecutive one-year deal worth $3.3 million last summer, wants to stay in Toronto and always has, but hell also be after fair value. And given how tightly the organization squeezed him previously in restricted free agency theres no reason to expect him to settle for less. Torontos cap situation, additionally, complicates his future with the club beyond this season. Already looking tight with next years potential cap (projected to be between $71-73 million) and restricted free agents in Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri still to be signed, the Leafs may not have room to ink Franson to the kind of hefty contract hes in line to demand (and get) in free agency. That could change if Brendan Shanahan and his front office staff opt to dramatically restructure the roster, be it now or in the summer months. One such option would be to move Dion Phaneuf – who has six years remaining with an annual cap hit of $7 million – to create the space needed to sign Franson (not to mention Bernier and Kadri), who is two years younger and just reaching his potential. That would leave a foundation on defence of Franson, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner as well as future (potential) parts like Stuart Percy, Petter Granberg and Tom Nilsson. (Toronto will get a look at such a unit in the coming days with Phaneuf sidelined on a week-to-week basis, the result of a week-old fight with Milan Michalek.) The Leafs could still trade Franson before the deadline and then attempt to woo him back in free agency. But if theyre not willing to meet his price now its entirely reasonable to suspect they wont do so later. Its an odd dynamic for Franson at the moment. He wants to be a Leaf, wants to commit to the club for the long haul and yet could be lifted off the roster at any moment. When youre in that situation, he explained, where youre in the place where you want to be and you hear those trade rumours it makes it tough to swallow that pill sometimes. [But] coming through the whole process of trying to make pro and through juniors and into the NHL the second you think you understand what theyre trying to do upstairs youre wrong. I couldnt tell you how many times I thought I knew what they were going to do and they did something completely different. I try to take every rumour for what its worth and at the end of the day I dont know whats going to happen so I approach it like Im going to be here and this is where I want to be. And until that day comes or if that day comes Ill figure it out from there. Stitched Sabres Jerseys . MacIntyre stopped 49 shots and the Marlies defeated the Texas Stars 5-1 in Game 1 of the American Hockey Leagues Western Conference final. "I felt in control, so that was nice," MacIntyre said. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . It will be their 15th head-to-head meeting and fourth in the post-season (Sunday at 2pm et/11am pt on CTV) and for his part, Brady isnt downplaying just how big the game is for him. "Im excited - Its everything you could ask for as an athlete," the New England Patriots quarterback told WEEI Radio in Boston on Monday. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week.SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker was nursing a sprained left ankle and playing a critical playoff game on no sleep only hours after the birth of his first child. It was the perfect formula for a resurgent performance from the San Antonio Spurs point guard. Parker had 23 points and five assists and San Antonio never trailed in a 109-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, taking a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. "Coming into the game I told him this is perfect for you," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "This is what he does in situations like this where he doesnt get a lot of sleep or is in a stressful situation. He always seems to play better. I somewhat expected it from him. "He was really excited before the game. Obviously, he was really excited to have his son here and wanted to get this game really badly not only for his son but for the situation and the timing of it. He was really focused and it was good for us." Parkers rebirth put San Antonio on the verge of closing out a tense series against its intrastate rival with Game 6 set for Friday in Dallas. Vince Carter scored 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting for the Mavericks. Carters 3-pointer with 3 minutes left pulled Dallas within 98-94 but Parker followed a minute later with his only 3-pointer of the game for a 101-94 advantage, punctuating the shot with a loud scream. His son Josh was born early in the morning to his fiancee Axelle Francine. "It was crazy, cause it happened last night, late," Parker said. "I didnt sleep. I basically didnt sleep the whole night and just played on adrenaline today. "Im a happy man right now." After shooting 5 for 14 in scoring just 10 points in San Antonios Game 4 victory, Parker responded with a frantic start. He mixed in three driving layups and two mid-range jumpers to start the game making 5 of his first 7 shots. Parkers drives helped the Spurs struggling offence maintain a consistent rhythm for the first time in the series. Manu Ginobili had 19 points and Tiago Splitter added 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio regained home-court advantage. Duncan added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard had 15 points for the Spurs. After averaging 16 points in the series first four games, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki found the stroke in scoring 26 points on 10-for-20 shooting. But it wasnt enough to overcome Parker and the Spurs returning to form. "Vince shot the ball incredibly, Dirk found his rhythm and really made some tough shots," Duncan ssaid. Sabres Jerseys 2020. "But we were able to counter that offensively by moving the ball, hitting the glass, getting into the paint and getting some easy stuff for ourselves and loosen it up." San Antonio took its largest lead of the game at 24-11 6 minutes into the first quarter as Ginobili hit a 3-pointer seconds after entering the game. The Spurs rediscovered the aggressive defence, long-range shooting and fluid ball movement that fueled them to the leagues best record. San Antonio was 8 for 16 from 3-point range and had 24 assists while committing just six turnovers. The Spurs finished with 54 points in the paint while shooting 47 per cent overall from the field. "I think they moved the ball well and, of course, they got a lot of layups, so thats most of it," Carter said. "They did a great job of just moving the ball and making the right decisions, keeping us on our heels. I think we just have to go back to the drawing board and let it all hang out." Danny Green hit a 3-pointer to give San Antonio a 67-57 lead with 7:22 remaining in the third quarter after starting a fast break by tipping the ball from behind on a driving Ellis. Splitter threw a bounce pass into the lane to feed a cutting Parker for a layup with 7 minutes remaining in the game for a 91-81 lead. Splitter had nine points, six rebounds and four assists in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks were within four points with 3 minutes remaining. Nowitzki had an opportunity to pull Dallas closer but upfaked Splitter and dribbled out of a clean look at a 3-point attempt only to miss a 17-foot jumper with 2:35 remaining. "I would obviously like to have that one back there on the wing when I faked Splitter, to make it a two-point game," Nowitzki said. "That was a big shot. I have to make that one." NOTES: After initially stating that an ouster of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was a "slippery slope," Dallas Mark Cuban refused to comment after NBA commissioner Adam Silver did just that Tuesday. "Im going to tell you exactly what I did," Cuban said. "I went and looked at a picture of my house since Im on the road and I saw that it was made out of a whole lot of glass, so I decided I dont have anything more to say on the whole topic. Thats my statement."... Dallas Samuel Dalembert had to be helped off the court after twisting his left ankle while getting tied up with Green on a rebound. Dalembert returned in the second quarter and finished with two points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. ' ' '