Plenty of options remain in NHL free agent pool

Hockey Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nearly a month after the doors to NHL free agency opened, the auction for the best up-for-grabs players has come to a screeching halt.

On the first day of the highly anticipated off-season extravaganza, owners opened up their checkbooks and dished out close to $230 million over 78 years for 33 new players ... just slightly above Ilya Kovalchuk's most recent offer.

While that might be an exaggeration in regard to Kovalchuk, the drop-off in player movement since then is not.

Since July 1, the biggest names who have found a new home are Matthew Lombardi and Pavel Kubina. Most of the other moves have been small in scale, and centered around depth players and minor-leaguers.

Although this isn't an unusual phenomenon, as the cream of the yearly crop is generally scooped up as quickly as possible, there are still several quality players looking for work.

Teams looking for a veteran presence have plenty to choose from with players such as Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Mike Modano, Doug Weight and Bill Guerin all awaiting a phone call.

Although these players represent hockey of a previous era, they would still be able to contribute effectively to a team in need of leadership or playoff experience.

Next up are the "goal scorers".

Leading this list are Russian snipers Maxim Afinogenov followed by former Maple Leafs Alexei Ponikarovsky and Lee Stempniak.

Based on his stats from last season, it would appear Afinogenov is in for a big raise. The speedy winger notched 24 goals and 61 points for the Atlanta Thrashers after signing a one-year $800,000 deal a year ago.

Afinogenov is certainly worthy of a raise, but after slumbering through two injury-shortened seasons in Buffalo prior to signing with the Thrashers, leery GM's might be hesitant to fork over the dough for a player with a battered past.

Stempniak had the most goals of the bunch, with 28 a season ago, although half of those came in an 18-game span after the Phoenix Coyotes acquired him at the trade deadline.

Despite his outlandish production post-trade deadline, it's unlikely Stempniak will cash in big with just over a month to go before training camps open up.

The biggest detriment to Ponikarovsky's value is his playoff performance in Pittsburgh after the Penguins traded for him at the deadline.

He put up five points in 11 games, but was also a healthy scratch twice. That said, he's been a consistent 20-goal scorer since the lockout and could compliment any team looking for scoring depth.

Several other players such as Marty Turco, Raffi Torres, Andy Sutton and Willie Mitchell should garner attention as well, but likely at reduced rates.

With younger players cracking the big leagues on entry-level contracts and budding stars signing lifelong deals, the once abundant and exciting free agent period has become a victim of salary cap-era management.

While free agency will always remain an option for teams looking to add a few pieces to the puzzle, the impact it once had on the league and the players involved has vanished temporarily.

For how long is anybody's guess.

Wwwkiwicasino Hockey Betting News

<< Indians recall Tomlin to make major league debut
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled pitcher Josh Tomlin from Triple-A Columbus to make his major league debut in a start against the Yankees on Tuesday. Tomlin is 8-4 with a 2.68 earned run average in 2

<< Broncos sign rookie WR Decker
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos came to terms with rookie wide receiver Eric Decker, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Decker, who was taken in the third round -- 87th overall --

<< USA dominates Chinese Taipei at World Junior Baseball Championship
Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a team expecting to play right through the end of the tournament, the United States is doing a good job of preserving energy. Phillip Pfeifer (1-0) dominated a hot-hitting Chinese Taipei squad over sev

<< Gaming: C-USA a one-team league in non-conference play
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Take away Houston's straight-up and against-the-spread non-conference records in 2009, and Conference USA was a meat market for its opposition. The Cougars were 3-1 both SU and ATS outside the conference, in

<< Calgary's Bryant highlights CFL Players of the Week
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary wide receiver Romby Bryant, Montreal defensive end John Bowman, Winnipeg kick returner Jovon Johnson and Calgary running back Jon Cornish were selected as the CFL's top performers for Week 4 of the

Ambrose, JTG Daugherty Racing parting ways at season's end >>
Cornelius, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JTG Daugherty Racing and driver Marcos Ambrose will part ways at the end of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, team officials announced on Tuesday. Ambrose has driven the No.47 Toyota for JTG

Former Buckeye, Raider Tatum dies >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-hitting linebacker/safety Jack Tatum has passed away at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday. Nicknamed "The Assassin," Tatum played for Ohio State from 1968-70 and for the Oakland Rai

Braves, Ross agree to two-year extension >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves and catcher David Ross agreed to a two-year extension through the 2012 season. Financial terms were not available. Ross is currently batting .269 with 18 RBI in 35 games this sea

CFL West: Burris powers through errors in win over Riders >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While a home win by the Calgary Stampeders against the Saskatchewan Roughriders isn't completely surprising, that the win came by 20 points is not something many would have expected. Calgary put on a great sec

Celtic signs striker Hooper >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic made its sixth signing of the offseason Tuesday, adding 22-year-old striker Gary Hooper on a four-year deal from Scunthorpe United. Hooper had 43 goals in 80 matches for Scunthorpe United, a

MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

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

Online Sportsbook Accepts Credit Cards

Credit Card Sports Betting: Sportsbook accepts U.S. credit cards

Tired of credit card deposit hassles? Then this is the place for you! MySportsbook boasts the best rate of acceptance for credit card deposits in the whole sports betting industry! They give you an instant 10% bonus for doing so as well, where as many other online bookies do not award a bonus for credit card transactioned deposits.

Welcome to MySportsbook.com the biggest and best sportsbook on the web! If you need a sportsbook accepting US credit cards for deposits you've come to the right place because they are the best.

Are you the type that needs lots of wager offerings? Then keep reading! MySportsbook is one of the best at offering everything gambling related that you can think of! Their sportsbook has all the current football and basketball odds as well as auto racing, horse racing, boxing and hard to find sports as well. Their casino boasts tons of different options as well such as blackjack, video poker, slots and virtual games such as hi-lo and virtual horse derby.

Reasons to Play There: A little tip for you all.. This is a sportsbook promotions that has a tremendous volume of players. They also offer an online poker room. Many of these sports bettors hop over to the poker room once the days games are over. Many of these sports bettors are just that and NOT good poker players. In summary, often times you'll be able to get into some lower limit games with some very ripe fish in the late evening hours resulting in some very easy pickin's and nice wins.

Speaking of poker, they offer satellite tournaments where you can win a free seat to the World Series of Poker! Be sure to check out their cycle, no hitter and slaughter rule refunds too! Open an account today by clicking here!