Lightning quick: Tampa Bay signs Malone, Prospal, Roberts
Hockey Betting Lines
06/30/2008 -
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning made a big splash in the
free agent market on Monday, signing forwards Ryan Malone, Vinny Prospal and
Gary Roberts.
Malone's deal is for seventh years and worth an estimated $31.5 million. He
was acquired from Pittsburgh along with Roberts Saturday in exchange for a
conditional draft pick in 2009.
"Ryan's signing is a great validation of the organization's plans and
desires as we move forward," Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie said.
"He fits our strategic plan of adding quality players with a warrior
mentality. We look forward to a long and productive career for Ryan as a
member of the Lightning organization and the Tampa Bay community."
On Sunday, the Lightning also acquired the rights to Brian Rolston from the
Minnesota Wild.
Ownership hopes the deals will invigorate a franchise coming off a horrendous
2007-08 campaign in which Tampa Bay finished with the worst record in the
Eastern Conference. The club also drafted Steven Stamkos first overall earlier
this month.
Malone, a 27-year-old Pittsburgh native, recorded 27 goals and 51 points in 77
games for the Penguins last season. He also tallied six goals and 16 points in
20 playoff games in a career-year for the left winger. In 299 career games,
Malone has 87 goals and 169 points, all with the Penguins.
Prospal agreed to a multi-year contract after the Lightning acquired his
rights from the Philadelphia Flyers on June 18 in exchange for Nashville's
seventh-round pick (previously acquired) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and Tampa
Bay's fourth-round pick in 2009.
"We were very pleased to be able to announce last week that we had reached
terms with Vinny Prospal to bring him back to Tampa," Koules and Barrie
said. "With Vinny's new contract signed and in hand we are now able to
formalize the announcement today. We expect great things from Vinny in
2008-09 and beyond. He fits uniquely alongside Marty St. Louis and Vinny
Lecavalier on our MVP line and the new ownership group is thrilled these three
forwards will lead us into battle next season."
Tampa Bay dealt Prospal to the Flyers on February 25, one day before the NHL
trade deadline. The 33-year-old recorded four goals and 14 points in 18
regular-season contests last year following the trade, adding three goals
and 10 assists in 17 playoff games as the Flyers advanced to the Eastern
Conference finals for the first time since 2004.
Prior to the deal, Prospal registered 29 goals and 57 points in 62 games for
Tampa Bay.
This marks Prospal's third tour of duty with the Bolts. He was originally
acquired from Florida in exchange for center Ryan Johnson and a sixth-round
choice in the 2003 draft on July 10, 2001. He became a free agent on July 1,
2003 and was then reacquired from Anaheim on August 16, 2004 in exchange for a
second-round pick in 2005.
Over 792 games with Philadelphia, Ottawa, Florida, Tampa Bay and Anaheim, the
Czech native has 179 goals and 554 points.
Roberts signed a one-year contract.
"When meeting the media and our fans last week in Tampa we talked about not
leaving Steven Stamkos alone," Koules and Barrie said. "We talked about being
aggressive at the start of the free agency signing period. We think Gary's
signing today represents a great first step for us. He brings the Lightning
leadership, tenacity, grit and experience and he will be great for our young
players, especially Steven. He will be tremendous for the locker room and his
ability to play different roles at the forward position will be beneficial to
the team next season."
A former Stanley Cup Champion with the Calgary Flames in 1989, Roberts was
limited to only 38 games last season because of a broken leg and high ankle
sprain. He scored three goals and 15 points with 40 penalty minutes.
For his career, Roberts, 42, has tallied 434 goals and 903 points in 1,194
games with the Flames, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Panthers and Penguins.
Tampa Bay also acquired defenseman Janne Niskala from the Philadelphia Flyers
in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2009 on Monday.
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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