Charackter Bögen » team and we did a good job

EDMONTON - Craig MacTavish said he has spoken to virtually every NHL general manager over the last few weeks, talking possible deals involving draft picks or roster players in an effort to bulk up his team. The Edmonton rookie GM is heading to Newark, N.J. for Sundays NHL draft determined to add desperately needed size to the Oilers. He said he will be disappointed if he doesnt come home with two or three roster players. "Im motivated to do something to help this current roster," he said. "I want to make sure were at least able to add a big piece with that first pick (No. 7), but outside of that Im pretty open minded to doing anything." The primary need, he explained, was size and depth. "We will try and use some of the existing players that we have now to try to make some trades for the meat that weve all talked about and that everybody has identified as a real area of concern for our team," he said. "My sense is that we try to put together some packages to attract some of those players. We all know the division were going into next year is a strong division. Were going to need big, strong players to compete." He said it will likely take a combination of moving some current roster players and some draft choices. After No. 7, Edmonton has two second-round picks, Nos. 37 and 56, plus one pick each in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. MacTavish said he has received some offers for his first-round pick, but nothing "that even remotely would sway me to move that pick." "We know the default option is a good one, were going to get a very good player there," he added. This years draft is considered a deep one and MacTavish is confident there will be several players available at No. 7 who could help the Oilers in the near future, if not immediately. "We realize at seven were going to get one of about four players. Through the course of the last six months … I realized there are a lot of players out there I would be excited to add to our roster and certainly at seven theres a lot." With the deep draft, he expects the second-round picks to become more valuable as Sunday nears. "I feel the most liquid currency in this business are second-round picks and we have a couple of those," he said At the same time, hes not overly anxious to move those picks without what he considers fair compensation in return, keeping in mind the success the early Oilers had with draft picks. They got Mark Messier at No. 48 in 1979 and in 1980 got Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey at No. 6, forward Jari Kurri at No. 69 and goaltender Andy Moog at No. 132. MacTavish said this years Stanley Cup final once again demonstrated the value of having depth, something the Oilers lack with their current roster. "The year we went to Cup final (2006) we had lots of guys who could contribute offensively and last year we really didnt," he said. "We had a lot of one or two or zero goal scorers who were out there … really the best you could hope for was they were a non-negative factor. We have to let the core players continue to develop … and we have to build that supporting cast around them." For that reason, he said the team wouldnt be looking at role players with their later picks, but rather players with skill potential to develop. Role players, he said, could easily be found if needed. MacTavish wouldnt comment on his plans for the two available contract buy-outs this year or what qualifying offers the team intends to make. He did say he is "somewhat optimistic" he can get forward Sam Gagner, the teams second leading scorer with 38 points, signed to a long-term contract. "At some point we have to, as an organization, start rewarding people who really embody the characteristics that we hold in high regard. Sam really fits that. There are a lot of reasons why we want to get Sam on a long-term contract." Paul Quantrill Blue Jays Jersey . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Blue Jays Jersey . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/3096h-will...-blue-jays.html. The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Derek Law Blue Jays Jersey . The 23-year-old restricted free agent appeared in all 48 games last season, finishing second among all Sabres skaters with 15 goals and 34 points. Jack Morris Jersey . A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012.PHILADELPHIA -- John Wall had his long-distance game working on Wednesday night. Wall scored 24 points on a career-best five 3-pointers, Marcin Gortat had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Washington Wizards beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-102. Bradley Beal had 17 points, Trevor Ariza scored 15 as seven Wizards reached double digits to help Washington earn its first win after starting 0-3. Walls shooting was the big surprise. The former No. 1 overall pick has a career shooting rate of 24.4 per cent beyond the arc. He made only three 3s in his entire sophomore season in 2011-12 and had 12 last season. "He might keep bombing 3s now," Beal joked. The Wizards set a franchise record with 18 3-pointers on 33 attempts. Wall was more impressed with the team getting its first win than his effort. "Theyre a great competitive team, and I like how they play as a young team," Wall said. "They dont give up. They definitely keep fighting until the end." Evan Turner led Philadelphia with 24 points and Spencer Hawes had 13. Rookie Michael Carter-Williams finished with 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds. After a surprising 3-0 start, the Sixers have lost two straight and are starting to play like the team that oddsmakers predicted would win less than 17 games this season. The Sixers sandwiched wins over Miami and Chicago with a comeback win at Washington last week. They overcame a 12-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Wizards 109-102 and spoil their home opener on Friday. "They were a desperate team trying to find a win against a team that beat them five days ago," Sixers rookie coach Brett Brown said. "We made some not-so smart plays. I give them credit." The Wiizards led this one from the opening basket and never let up.dddddddddddd They had a 15-point lead midway through the first quarter after Beal hit his third 3-pointer in three tries, and took a 60-51 lead into halftime. The Sixers got close in the third following an 11-3 run. Turner started it with a pull-up jumper and he hit another jumper and 3-pointer during the stretch. Hawes layup cut it to 71-67, but Wall answered with a 3, and Gortat and Nene scored on tip-ins to extend the lead to 78-67. Beals jumper to start the fourth put the Wizards up by 15 and they led by double digits the rest of the way. "We withstood some stretches and we didnt succumb," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We didnt put our heads down. We sustained. I didnt see any guys down." The fast start had Sixers fans feeling a bit perplexed. Many are hoping for the team to lose so they could end up with the No. 1 overall pick so they could draft Kansas prospect Andrew Wiggins. But Brown and his team generated some early excitement so that created a dilemma for some fans who wanted the team to go winless for Wiggins. Opponents certainly are showing the Sixers respect. Beal called them a "good" team, a compliment no one wouldve expected. "When we play like this, we showed we can beat good teams," Beal said. "We know theyre a comeback team and we did a good job." NOTES: The 18 3s tied a floor record. Seattle had 18 at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 16, 2004. ... Philadelphias Daniel Orton left the game because of right knee soreness. He had five points in six minutes. ... The Sixers outshot the Wizards 47 per cent to 43.9, but Washingtons 3s made the difference. Philadelphia was 6 for 18 from beyond the arc. ' ' '