All-UFA Team: The best of the leftovers

Hockey Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite his surprisingly deliberate search for a new team, Ilya Kovalchuk is still gaining headlines as the top free agent left on the NHL's open market.

While it's certainly shocking that we are two weeks into hockey's signing season and the uber-talented Russian winger has not yet decided on a new home, it should also be noted that Kovalchuk is far from the only recognizable unrestricted free agent left to be had.

Kovalchuk would clearly head the list of any All-Free Agent team, but, for our purposes here, we'll pretend that Kovalchuk has already signed.

First off, his value right now is so much higher than any other available player that including him on our team would qualify as a no-brainer. Secondly, so much has already been said about Kovalchuk this summer that I think we are all suffering from a severe case of "Kovi fatigue". Whether he lands in New Jersey, LA, St. Petersburg or elsewhere, at this point there is really nothing left to say about the guy that hasn't already been stated dozens of times over.

With the requisite Kovalchuk talk out of the way, let's take a look at some big free agents that have flown under the radar this summer.

LEFT WING

ALEXANDER FROLOV

Like Kovalchuk, Frolov is a talented left winger who should just be entering the prime of his career. Unlike his countryman, Frolov has been dogged by criticism concerning his consistency and his frequent offensive dry spells. Still, while it's clear Frolov is no Kovalchuk, the 28-year-old did manage to produce 168 goals and 381 points in seven seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. He also notched 32 goals in 2008-09 before disappointing with just 19 tallies in 81 games last year for the Kings. Frolov's lapses in production are a big reason the Kings are in the Kovalchuk race to begin with, but perhaps a fresh start with a new club could do the former first-round draft pick a world of good. It remains to be seen whether Frolov's new home will be in North America or back home in the Kontinental Hockey League.

RIGHT WING

TEEMU SELANNE

Even though he recently turned 40, Selanne's age shouldn't prevent him from producing should he decide to come back for an 18th NHL campaign in 2010-11. But it's hard to determine if "The Finnish Flash" is a true free agent or if he will only re-sign with Anaheim, the city he's called home for the last five seasons. With Selanne's countryman Saku Koivu signed for two more years, Selanne will likely only consider offers from the Ducks, who are in a transitional phase but still have use for this future Hall of Famer. Selanne has played in just 145 games over the last three seasons, but has produced an impressive 125 points (66 goals, 59 assists) over that span. Bill Guerin is another right wing option who is also 40 years old. The American had 21 goals and 24 assists for Pittsburgh last year and, unlike Selanne, Guerin has shown that he is open to signing with just about anybody who is interested.

CENTER

MIKE MODANO

The highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history still may opt for retirement, but if he does return for the 2010-11 campaign it won't be for the Dallas Stars -- the franchise he's been a part of since being selected first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988. Modano, 40, saw his minutes dwindle the last few years in Dallas, but he still managed a decent 14 goals and 30 points while playing in just 59 games during an injury-plagued 2009-10 season. Detroit has expressed interest in signing Modano, as have the Minnesota Wild, who would certainly give their fans a thrill if they could lure the future Hall of Famer back to the Twin Cities. Perhaps a return to the North Star State could rejuvenate his career, but if he is dogged by injuries once again then it would clearly be time to call it a career.

DEFENSEMEN

WILLIE MITCHELL

Mitchell's 2009-10 season ended in January when he suffered a concussion, and the 33-year-old has yet to resume skating. Still, his combination of size, skill and responsible play make him the best all-around defenseman left on the open market. Mitchell had four goals, eight assists and was a plus-13 for Vancouver last season and the Canucks clearly missed his steady play on the back end in the playoffs this past spring. The only reason he is still available is because of his post-concussion symptoms, but if he makes a successful return to skating soon it won't take long for NHL suitors to come calling.

MARC-ANDRE BERGERON

Bergeron offers much more than Mitchell in the offensive zone, but his defensive lapses are a cause for concern. Despite playing in just 60 regular season games with Montreal last year, Bergeron still managed to post 13 goals and 34 points for the Canadiens and also added six points in 19 playoff games for the Habs. Bergeron's biggest asset is a terrific shot, which makes him a very valuable weapon on the power play. Still, Bergeron's deficiencies in his own zone prevent him from being a guy who can log tons of minutes for a contending team.

GOALTENDER

JOSE THEODORE

Many folks would place Marty Turco ahead of Theodore as the best goaltender available, but it's clear that Theodore has been the better backstop over the past few years. Theodore was Washington's main goaltender again last season, but for a second straight playoffs, head coach Bruce Boudreau opted to switch to Semyon Varlamov as the No. 1 guy early in the postseason. Boudreau's decision puzzled me the first time and made just about as much sense this past spring, but perhaps Theodore could do better on a team that has an interest in playing defense rather than simply blaming the goaltender when things go bad in the playoffs. To be fair, Theodore's stellar 62-24-12 record in his two regular seasons with Washington also had a lot to do with the Capitals' high- scoring offense, but at 33 years old, the former Hart Trophy and Vezina winner at least proved he can still carry the load for an NHL team.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.