Big names won't last long on the open market

Hockey Betting Lines

06/30/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the last few years of NHL free agency have taught us anything, it's that the best talent doesn't last long on the open market.

General managers have been looking ahead to July 1 for months and if they don't know who to target by now, they're probably not going to help their teams out very much when the free agent market opens Thursday at noon.

Of course, the biggest name on the market is sniper Ilya Kovalchuk, but his asking price eliminates most NHL teams right off the bat.

The Russian winger was dealt from Atlanta to New Jersey at last year's trade deadline, and although the Devils are still very much in the mix to sign Kovalchuk, the 27-year-old seems to have a West Coast address waiting for him in the near future.

The Los Angeles Kings appear to be leading the pack in the Kovalchuk chase, with fellow SoCal residents Anaheim also in the mix.

The Kings are still a very young team with plenty of salary cap room, but after making the postseason last year, LA also feels that it's just one big piece away from challenging for a Stanley Cup title. Although Kovalchuk has not achieved anything in the playoffs so far, there is little doubt that he is a pure goal-scorer.

Anaheim, meanwhile, has some extra cap space to work with since defenseman Scott Niedermayer announced his retirement last week.

What hurts the Devils in the bidding war for Kovalchuk is how his stint with New Jersey this year ended. Kovalchuk filled up the stat sheet for New Jersey, recording 27 points in 27 regular-season games following the trade. He also added six points in five playoff games, but the Devils were still bounced out by Philadelphia in the opening round. It wasn't exactly the best trial run for Kovalchuk and the Devs.

Of course, the knock on this year's free agent class is that after Kovalchuk, there is a big drop-off in talent. The next-best available forwards are Ray Whitney, Olli Jokinen, Paul Kariya and Alexander Frolov and it appears Frolov is leaning towards returning to Russia to play in the KHL.

Also, the Dallas Stars announced earlier this week that they won't be re- signing Mike Modano, but the future Hall of Famer hasn't decided if he will play elsewhere. Not to mention, at 40 years old, Modano doesn't seem to have a whole lot left in the tank anyway.

But, outside of the forward realm, there are some big-ticket items to be had on the market. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar may not be returning to Pittsburgh and just about every team has a need for the two-way talent that the Russian blueliner possesses.

Dan Hamhuis and Paul Martin, who played last year for Nashville and New Jersey, respectively, are also solid puck-moving defensemen and will likely be seeking new destinations.

Hamhuis is an interesting case since his rights have been traded twice in the last few weeks, but he has still yet to sign and may want to test the open market. Philadelphia, which acquired Hamhuis' rights from Nashville, couldn't work out a deal with the blueliner and decided to ship him across state to the Penguins. So far, Pittsburgh hasn't been able to sign Hamhuis either and it appears likely that the defenseman is aiming to get the most out of his free- agency status.

There are also several options for teams looking for a starting goaltender. The San Jose Sharks have decided not to re-sign Evgeni Nabokov, and Marty Turco won't be returning to Dallas. Both goalies are 34 years old, but that doesn't mean they can't still hold down a starting job. Nabokov is especially intriguing since, unlike Turco, he is coming off another strong regular season.

Other available goaltenders who have been starters in the past are Jose Theodore, Chris Mason and Martin Biron.

It's still anybody's guess where these players will actually wind up, but it would be a surprise if most of them weren't snatched up before Monday rolls around.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.