Neuigkeiten » he can be a contributor

MALMO, SWEDEN – Santa Claus paid a visit to Team Canadas Christmas Eve dinner on Tuesday evening at Örenäs Castle, about a 40-minute drive outside Malmo where this years World Junior Hockey Championship is being held. Bob Ojeda Indians Jersey . And the big guy in red came armed with gifts and scouting reports. He called up the players one at a time and offered a quick hockey-related message. "That was quite the shot you had last game," Santa bellowed when Connor McDavid was on his lap, "Shoot, shoot, shoot." WATCH: Behind the scenes at Team Canadas Christmas Eve dinner And the 16-year-old listened, putting the puck on net four times against Germany on Monday, matching Anthony Mantha and Bo Horvat for the team lead in the tournament opener, but came away empty-handed. McDavid did notch two assists in his world junior debut, but that first goal is proving elusive. "I missed a whole bunch of chances that Im pretty embarrassed about, but I thought I played an alright game," he said. WATCH: Bob McKenzie breaks down McDavids performance against Germany If theres one criticism McDavid has faced recently its that he sometimes passes up his own scoring chance to set up an even better one with a higher degree of difficulty for a teammate. Its something hes well aware of. "I know one of the big criticisms from other people is that I dont shoot the puck enough and Im always looking for the fancy play and the pass so I try and listen to that and I do try and shoot the puck as much as I can," McDavid said. "I just try and make the right play." McDavid, more often than not, makes the right play. For example, he found his way behind the Swiss defence on Monday and scored on a breakaway in Canadas final pre-tournament game. That was the goal Santa was talking about. "He sees the ice so well," said head coach Brent Sutter. "You look at that goal he got. After he scored, the guys were all looking at each other on the bench and asking, Where did he come from? He just knows how to play the game. Hes smart, intelligent and hes got great sense for the game, tremendous hockey sense and hes got the skill-set to go with it." "There was just a quick turnover," McDavid recalled, "and I saw Mantha had the puck there and everyone kind of jumped forward on their team so I just kind of took a step to the offensive side, which I shouldnt be doing too much, but it worked out, I guess." That hockey sense, that ability to know what moment to strike, thats a key reason why McDavid is seen as the slam-dunk choice to go first overall in the 2015 NHL draft. And thats why any critique of his game at this moment in time – when hes just become the sixth 16-year-old to ever make the Canadian world junior team – seems ridiculously nitpicky. "Its probably nitpicky for sure," agreed Sam Reinhart, when asked if his linemate needs to shoot more. "Hes a great player. How does he have so many goals if he doesnt shoot? Thats my question." When he left for Canadas selection camp, McDavid was eighth in Ontario Hockey League scoring and third on the Erie Otters with 12 goals and 50 points in 31 games. He helped Canada win gold at the 2013 World Under-18 Championship, leading all scorers with eight goals and 14 points in just seven games. Reinhart and McDavid also played together at the under-18 level and formed instant chemistry. That chemistry has carried over to the under-20 level, even though McDavid has been shifted to left wing. Horvat has played between the two "youngsters" and its the one trio Sutter refused to tinker with when he juggled every other line coming off a disappointing loss to the Swedes in pre-tournament play Sunday. "Theyve probably been our most consistent line since Day 1 so thats why I wanted to keep them together," the coach explained. "Its nice," said Reinhart. "We felt like we were playing well together. Its nice when he has that confidence to keep putting us out there together." It was also a sign of just how important that line and McDavid in particular will be to the teams success. Goals may be hard to come by later in the tournament and McDavid, who also gets time on the power play, will be expected to shoulder a big part of the load. Although he doesnt see it that way. "No, I dont feel that pressure," he argued. "We have 13 unbelievably gifted forwards here that can score at any time. If its my line or any other line, it really doesnt matter to me. I dont think offence is something that we need to worry about." Sometimes its easy to forget the phenom is just 16 years-old. He was taking his driving test on the day the Canadian selection camp roster was announced. And yet his maturity suggests his mental game is just as advanced as his physical gifts. The Newmarket, Ontario native is grateful for the opportunity, but not overcome by the moment. On Thursday, he officially joined Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza, Jay Boumeester and Sidney Crosby as 16-year-olds to wear the Maple Leaf at the world juniors. "Its pretty special. Just to be named in the same breath as those guys is something to be pretty proud of," he said. "It was a dream come true. Its pretty special to be here, but now that were here, we know what we want to do and well take it day by day." WATCH: McDavid talks to Nabil Karim about his first ever world junior game So what will McDavid remember about his first world junior game? "Probably just the Canadian fans who made the trip. I was not expecting that at all. It was unbelievable to see. "I noticed them right away, I got chills skating out for the first little bit." Any nerves considering the stage? "Yeah, I was a little nervous," McDavid admits. "Any time you wear the Canadian jersey, there are nerves that come along with that." Bob Lemon Jersey . Adam LaRoche will take that. "I like our position in the standings and I like how our team is playing," LaRoche said after Washington swept a day-night doubleheader from the Cubs on Saturday. Mel Harder Indians Jersey . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/2698u-eddie-robinson-jersey-indians.html . -- Byron Scott is taking over the Los Angeles Lakers with the vocal support of his fellow Showtime greats.The Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks hooked up for a deal involving six players and a couple of draft picks. Numbers Game breaks down the deal sending Tyson Chandler back to Dallas. The Mavericks Get: C Tyson Chandler and PG Raymond Felton. Chandler, 31, returns to Dallas, where he was a critical part of their 2011 NBA Championship squad, and gives the Mavericks a more formidable presence in the paint. Chandler is not particularly durable, having missed 65 games over three seasons in New York and there are signs that his game is declining -- his .593 field goal percentage and 16.48 Player Efficiency Rating last season were his lowest since 2009-2010 and his estimated points allowed per possession was his highest since 2008-2009. Those statistical declines could be a reflection of Chandlers unimpressive supporting cast in New York, or it could be an indication of a 31-year-old centre who missed 20 games with a broken leg last season, but Chandler had more productive years in the previous two seasons with the Knicks. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011-2012 and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2012-2013. The Mavericks need Chandler to stay healthy -- the only time in the past six years that he played more than 67 games in a season was his season in Dallas (2010-2011) -- and provide the same sound defensive presence for which hes been known, at least prior to 2013-2014. Chandler is entering the final year of his contract and it pays him nearly $14.6-million. Thats pretty good motivation to have a strong year, either to get an extension from the Mavs or hit the open market next summer. Felton is a 29-year-old point guard who has had ups and downs in his career, and is currently at a low point, having scored a career-low 9.7 points per game while shooting 39.5% from the field, his lowest since 2006-2007, last season. His 12.90 PER last season was the worst of his nine-year NBA career. Earlier in his career, Felton was a durable player, but hes missed 53 games over the past three seasons. Questionable conditioning has likely contributed to his increasing rate of injuries. On top of his poor performance on the court, Felton recently reached an agreement to a plea deal on a gun possession charge, so its probably best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else. Feltons not a strong defender, lacking the lateral quickness to handle other point guards, but if he gets in shape, he can be a contributor. As it stands now, the Mavericks are looking at a backcourt that includes veteran Monta Ellis and 2013 second-round pick Ricky Ledo. There are surely more moves to make, but there are minutes available, if Felton is up to the challenge. This season, Felton will earn $4.36-million on his contract, then has a player option for $4.54-million the following season; not unreasonable money if he bounces back from his down season. The Knicks Get: PG Jose Calderon, C Samuel Dalembert, PG Shane Larkin, SG Wayne Ellington and two second-round picks. Calderon, 32, didnt have a great season in Dallas. He struggled defensively, which is pretty standard, but his shooting wasnt as effective as it had been in previous years and Calderon couldnt get to the basket, earning less than one free-throw attempt per game. While Calderon did shoot a career-best 44.9% from beyond the arc, he shot 45.6% from the floor andd attempted more threes (425) than twos (323) for the first time in his career. Zoilo Versalles Jersey. That may be a function of his role in the Mavericks offence, but it also is a reflection that Calderon wasnt getting any shots near the rim. Signed for three more years, at around $22.2-million, Calderon is a decent point guard option for the Knicks -- its not like replacing Felton is an impossible task -- but his defence is already poor and is only going to get worse as he approaches his mid-30s. If his offence is reverting to spot-up threes only, well, thats going to limit Calderons value. Since they didnt have many options, 33-year-old Dalembert started 68 games for the Mavericks last season. Hes an effective rebounder and shot blocker, who has had an above-average PER in four of the past five seasons. He has limited touches offensively, but shot a career-best 56.8% from the field last season and grabbed 6.8 rebounds with 1.2 blockes per game, while playing a little over 20 minutes a night. For all those attributes, which at least suggest that he can be useful in a reserve role, Dalembert could still be looking for a new team next season. The Knicks hold a team option, at under $3.9-million, for next season. Given what they have currently, the Knicks would have room to fit Dalembert in their rotation, but free agent options could be more appealing. The 18th pick in last years draft, 21-year-old Shane Larkin didnt play a lot as a rookie, averaging a little over 10 minutes per game in the 48 games that he played. Hes on the small side, at 5-foot-11, but has quickness and at least in college, at the University of Miami, he could shoot a bit (40.6% on threes as a sophomore). Will he be able to defend enough to play a big role in the NBA? While Larkin may not provide immediate value, he can continue to develop behind Calderon, ideally taking over as the starter at some point in the next couple seasons. 26-year-old Wayne Ellington has bounced around a bit since he was a late first-round pick by Minnesota in 2009. The Knicks will be Ellingtons fourth franchise in the past two years, and he scored a career-low 3.2 points per game as a spare part for the Mavericks last season. Ellington can shoot, 38.6% on threes for his career, but doesnt do enough otherwise to hold down a spot in the rotation. He is going into the final year of a contract that will pay him $2.5-million this season. The Knicks also get picks 34 and 51 in Thursdays draft. Over the past five years, picks in the 30-35 range have yielded an NBA rotation player 20.0% of the time, while picks from 50-60 have resulted in an NBA have provided an NBA rotation player 8.0% of the time. Its easy to see the appeal to this deal for the Mavericks, as Chandler gives them an immediate upgrade, without a long-term commitment. They have some backcourt issues to sort out but, after pushing San Antonio to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, there is some justification to believe that they can get into the title mix next season. For the Knicks, they could have a better point guard situation, both immediately and long-term and the hope is that Larkin can ultimately provide value. If not, there wont be much to gain. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '