among candidates or football people that Ive talked to aroun

Hurricanes Shake-Up? The Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the team to watch from an Insider perspective. Decimated by injuries - including those to Eric and Jordan Staal - the Hurricanes remain the only NHL team without a win and even though the club has considerable time to make up ground, some around the league label the Canes as the early favorite to make a significant change this season. Ten days ago, Leafs nation was jolted by a suggestion on Insider Trading that Eric Staal could one day be a Maple Leaf. The information was based on the Leafs interest in the Carolina captain which the Leafs explored months ago, yet there has been no change in that level of interest since. However, Staals commitment to the team, his brother and the Carolina community also hasnt changed, so while some remain confident Staal may one day consider a move, its also possible that day never comes. The primary reason being, with a healthy lineup, Staal and management believe Carolina is much better than its woeful start indicates. Staal is said to be progressing and may return from an upper body injury as early as Tuesday and Nathan Gerbe should also be in Tuesday’s lineup, so help is on the way. Peter Karmanos is known as a budget-conscious owner. If things dont improve dramatically, the likelihood increases Karmanos puts heat on rookie general manager Ron Francis to trim the payroll that current stands at $66.2 million (according to capgeek.com). This seems somewhat obvious given the fact the Hurricanes invested money this season to put together a more competitive team. Francis will preach patience, soundly supported by not having his top two centres, a crippling blow for any NHL club. The longer Carolina waits to make a significant deal, the more money that is paid down in salaries, which may not be budget friendly, but could lure a larger collection of bidders - including cap-strapped contenders - if a key piece like Staal is legitimately in play. What we know at this point is; Staal is not going to be the one to come out and say he wants out. What Rebuild? The Calgary Flames remain in rebuild mode, strongly interested in making deals for age appropriate assets and are keenly motivated to strengthen the organization through the draft and development. Yet, as enticing as potential franchise players Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel might be, the Flames brass insists winning trumps everything. Calgary has won five of their first nine and sits third in the Pacific Division with 11 points, just one point shy of league leaders Montreal, Anaheim and Nashville. The Flames werent supposed to be able to score yet, early in the regular season, this hard-working group ranks 16th in goals for with 2.67 per game, above the likes of Los Angeles, St. Louis and Boston. Brian Burke says hes not surprised by his teams impressive start, directing praise at the Flames goaltending and a work ethic he gives head coach Bob Hartley credit for instilling. The notion Calgary is doing a disservice to its long-term plan by winning is dismissed by the president of hockey operations. Burke is as insulted by the suggestion of tanking today as hes ever been, and says he would support strong penalties against any club found guilty of doing anything other than trying to win. This comment is consistent with the opinion Burke shared on tanking during a TSN 1050 radio interview in March. If the coach made the suggestion, I would fire him on the spot, said Burke. If I made the suggestion, I would suggest to ownership that they fire me on the spot. Nine games is hardly a sample size worthy of planning a postseason party, but the early success does fall in line with Burkes belief teams in transition should still be competitive and entertaining to watch. Lightning Fast Heres another story to add to the Steven Stamkos file. We all know Stamkos commitment to training in the offseason is second to none. This past summer, Stamkos approached his routine under the supervision of fitness guru Gary Roberts with his usual intensity and machine-like execution, despite the fact he was hampered by a surgically inserted screw nearly protruding through his skin - the remaining piece of hardware used to stabilize a badly broken leg. Roberts recalls one particular workout designed around what was supposed to be a light run because of lingering issues with his leg, where after limping into position, Stamkos shredded the track and posted a time of 10.5 seconds over 100 metres. As a point of comparison, top Canadian decathlete Damian Warner recorded a personal best of 10.29 seconds this past July in Glasgow en route to winning the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games. OT Update The architects of the NHLs long change and pre-overtime dry scrape are rallying behind this weeks surge in games decided in overtime. To date, 11 of the 25 games that have gone past regulation have been settled in OT rather than a shootout. Last season, only 8 of 25 were decided in overtime. Now, as satisfied as those who pushed for the OT tweaks might be, the AHLs 3-on-3 experiment continues to produce impressive results. Eight of the 16 overtime games played this season have ended 3-on-3. Six have ended in 4-on-4 and just two of the 16 have required a shootout. Rest assured that Red Wings GM Ken Holland, a strong advocate for 3-on-3 hockey, is pleased with these results. Darren Dreger and the TSN Hockey Insiders will have another edition of Insider Trading on Tuesday on Sportscentre and TSN.ca. DAngelo Russell Jersey . Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Nick Young Jersey .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. https://www.warriorsrookiesshop.com/Alfonzo-Mckinnie-City-Edition-Jersey/ .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills will head into the regular season short on experience at quarterback after trimming the roster on Friday. Nick Young Warriors Jersey . Expensive. The NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 on Wednesday for interfering with Baltimores Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return in the third quarter of a 22-20 loss to the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. Nate Thurmond Warriors Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.BEREA, Ohio -- Mike Pettine knows he might not have been Clevelands first choice or even the Browns second pick. All that matters to the son of a high school coaching legend is that hes the one they selected. "Its been my life-long dream to be an NFL head coach," Pettine said Thursday, "and however that opportunity presents itself, its fine with me." After nearly a month of twists, turns and talk, the Browns found their man. Buffalos defensive co-ordinator, who didnt seem to be on Clevelands radar when the team began a coaching search last month, signed a five-year contract Thursday and was named the Browns seventh full-time coach since 1999. Pettine replaces Rob Chudzinski, fired on Dec. 29 after just one season. The Browns interviewed 10 candidates before deciding on the 47-year-old Pettine, who has built a solid reputation with a no-nonsense approach with his players. "I have been nicknamed BFT -- Blunt Force Trauma," he said. "The days are too short to dance around subjects some time and I think guys appreciate that." His straight-forward style attracted Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who set out to find a "strong winner" and feels the clean-shaven Pettine can lead Clevelands resurgence. "Hes very smart," Haslam said. "Hes aggressive. Hes innovative. You can see hes tough. Hes going to be very demanding. Hes going to set high standards for our organization." Pettine spent one year with the Bills after four as Rex Ryans defensive co-ordinator with the New York Jets. Before that, Pettine was an assistant coach in Baltimore, giving him some familiarity in Clevelands division. Pettine understands there are challenges in turning around the Browns, who have lost at least 11 games in each of the past six seasons and made the playoffs once in their expansion era. Pettine believes the Browns have talent -- as evidenced by their six Pro Bowlers -- and wants to be the one to return them to glory. "Theres only 32 of these jobs and they dont come along often," Pettine said. "People ask me, Why didnt you wait? There will be chances next year? I dont know if I believe in that. When you put all the factors together, this franchise is in position, given the right leadership, to win." Pettine emerged as the favourite to become Clevelands fourth coach in six years as the Browns eliminated candidates and Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase, considered the front-runner when the search started, told the team to movee on without him.dddddddddddd His hiring ends a 25-day odyssey for the Browns. It was a quest filled with rumours, denials, withdrawals and far too much drama for a franchise seeking stability. At the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, Browns tight end Jordan Cameron echoed the sentiments of most Cleveland fans. "Im just happy to have a coach," he said. The Browns flew to Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday to interview Pettine for the second time at the Senior Bowl. The four-hour meeting came shortly after Gase, the first candidate the team contacted, called Haslam and withdrew from consideration. The team had been expected to give Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn a second interview, but if he was their pick, the Browns would have had to wait until after the Super Bowl to finalize a deal. Banner said the decision to hire Pettine before speaking with Quinn a second time was "tough." As six other teams filled their head-coaching vacancies, the Browns kept looking. The lengthy delay led to a national perception the team didnt have a clear plan. Aware of the criticism, Haslam sent a letter to Cleveland fans last week explaining why the team was being "methodical" in finding Chudzinskis replacement. Haslam argued the view of the Browns was media driven. "Thats a perception that you all have generated," he said to reporters. "Thats not the perception among candidates or football people that Ive talked to around the country." Browns CEO Joe Banner took a playful jab at Clevelands front office, which was characterized locally as "The Three Stooges" when the search began. "I dont know if you had a chance to meet Mike, but since (GM) Mike Lombardi and I are Moe and Larry, we went and set out to find Curly and we succeeded," he said. "Thats why it took so long; there arent a lot of Curlys running around the country." Now that hes in place, Pettine is ready to roll up his sleeves and fix the Browns. Football is in his blood. He learned the game from his father, Mike Pettine Sr., who won four Pennsylvania state championships and retired as the winningest coach in state history. Not long after getting the job, Pettine phoned his dad. "It was special," he said. "It didnt last very long because he knew I had a lot of stuff to get done. My poor mom answered the phone and he said "Is that Michael?" He ripped it out of her hands. They were both excited and knew how much work it went into this." ' ' '