Blackhawks ship Versteeg to Maple Leafs

Hockey Betting Lines

06/30/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Battling against the salary cap, the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks have traded gritty forward Kris Versteeg to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a five-player deal.

The Maple Leafs also acquired the rights to forward Bill Sweatt while sending Chicago forwards Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis.

Versteeg, who burst onto the hockey scene with 22 goals and 31 assists in 78 games as a rookie in 2008-09, recorded 20 goals and 24 assists in 79 regular season games this past season while adding 14 points in the team's run to the Stanley Cup.

The 24-year-old had recently signed a three-year contract last offseason after being named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, but the Blackhawks were forced to make some roster moves due to the restrictions of the salary cap.

Versteeg moves to a team that is in desperate need of his offensive skill. The Maple Leafs, who finished with the league's second worst record at 30-38-14, scored only 214 goals last season, which was 13th out of 15 Eastern Conference teams.

Sweatt, 21, was a second-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2007 and has spent the last four seasons playing for Colorado College. Last season, in 39 games, he registered 15 goals and 18 assists.

Stalberg, a sixth-round pick in 2006, split last season with the Leafs and the club's AHL affiliate. In 40 NHL games, he registered nine goals and five assists.

DiDomenico was a sixth-round pick of Toronto in 2007 and played only 12 games last season, all for the Drummondville Voltiguers of the QMJHL. Despite the limited action, he registered seven goals and 15 assists.

Paradis will move on to his third organization after being sent to Toronto last season from Carolina for Jiri Tlusty. He finished the season with two assists in four games with the Leafs' AHL affiliate after registering 24 goals and 20 assists in 63 games with the QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes.

The 19-year-old Paradis was originally the 27th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Hurricanes.

Wwwthesimpsons Hockey Betting News

<< Rangers reportedly acquire Bengie Molina from Giants
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have reportedly acquired catcher Bengie Molina from the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Chris Ray and a player to be named later. USA Today reported the trade Wednesday night and said t

<< Orioles hit five homers in win over A's
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Scott's solo home run in the seventh proved to be the game-winner as Baltimore took a 9-6 win over Oakland in the second of a three-game set. Corey Patterson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run an

<< King Felix blanks Yankees in Mariners rout
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Felix Hernandez became the second Seattle pitcher in as many days to throw a complete game against the Yankees, as the Mariners took a 7-0 win in the second of a three-game set. Hernandez (6-5) joined Cliff Le

<< Golf Tidbits: Kerr becomes No. 1 in dominant fashion
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristie Kerr had her sights set on becoming the No. 1-ranked female in the world for a long time. She went old-school Tiger Woods at the LPGA Championship last weekend, winning in dominant fashion, to fina

<< Laffey sparkles as Indians win fourth in a row
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Laffey threw six-plus effective innings and was aided by home runs from Shin-Soo Choo and Matt LaPorta, as the Indians ran their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the

Garza holds down Red Sox >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Garza kept Boston's bats silent through seven-plus innings and Tampa Bay pulled away to earn a 9-4 win and a split of a quick two-game set at Fenway Park between the American League East foes. Garza (9

Jurrjens returns, pitches Braves over Nationals >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jair Jurrjens pitched into the sixth inning in his return to the rotation and singled in a run as the Braves downed Washington, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series. Jurrjens (1-3), who wa

Guillen's blast lifts Royals over ChiSox >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Guillen capped a four-run seventh with a three-run homer, as the Kansas City Royals held off the Chicago White Sox, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. Billy Butler

Wild re-sign Latendresse >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild re-signed forward Guillaume Latendresse to a two-year, $5 million contract Wednesday night. Latendresse scored a career-high 27 goals last season and had a total of 13 assists.

At last, free agency starts for Dwyane Wade >>
MIAMI (AP) -For Dwyane Wade, the start of free agency was predictable. He got courted by Pat Riley.The Miami Heat contacted a slew of top free agents when the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Thursday, a deep list that includes Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

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

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.