NEWARK – With some uncertainty at the position, Dave Nonis took steps to address the Leafs strength down the middle, both now and in the future. Nick Holden Jersey . Nonis sprung to acquire Game 6 hero Dave Bolland from Chicago on draft day, also selecting 6-foot-5 Rimouski pivot Frederik Gauthier with the 21st overall pick. The moves work to address a position of instability within the organization, most immediately with the acquisition of Bolland, a 27-year-old Toronto native who won his second Cup with the Hawks earlier this week. “It doesnt mean that were not [stilll] looking to try to shore up that area because from our standpoint, it still is an area of, I wouldnt say weakness, but were not incredibly deep down the middle and thats why it was important to get him,” said Nonis, minutes after the deal for Bolland was announced. Centre-ice had been, and still remains to some degree, a position of uncertainty. Tyler Bozak, the Leafs number one middleman in 2013, is on the verge of unrestricted free agency with the very real possibility looming that he moves elsewhere for more money than Toronto is willing to offer. With that in mind and some additional uncertainty in the contributions of Mikhail Grabovski and Nazem Kadri next season, Nonis looked for assurance in Bolland, who has one year remaining at a cap hit of $3.3 milion. “It wouldnt rule out signing Tyler at all,” Nonis said of Bozak, who is searching for a significant raise this summer. “If we can find a way of getting him signed then we will. Nothing has changed in that regard from our standpoint.” The injection of Bolland, the former London Knight, into a complement that already includes Grabovski, Kadri (restricted free agent) and Jay McClement, means the Leafs could theoretically be set down the middle for the fall; that is if Bozak departs and Nonis cannot land additional help through the trade or free agent markets. “Yeah, no question that was part of it,” Nonis concurred. “To make sure that we had some depth and we would be able to compete with the group that we had. We feel that if we get everybody signed and in, and now with David, wed be in a perfectly good position to start the season.” With Grabovski and Kadri (potentially) slotting in as the first and second line centres – in lieu of any other moves, which remain a real possibility – Bolland could line up in the all-important three-hole for Randy Carlyle, removing some pressure on Grabovski in defensive situations while injecting the potential for more offence than McClement may provide. Additionally, if Nonis and the Leafs opt to upgrade further down the middle, Bollands acquisition allows further flexibility to perhaps move someone else out or otherwise enjoy long-starved depth at the position. “He played behind some pretty good people [in Chicago] and I think Randy, he wont pigeon-hole him as a third-line centre,” Nonis said of Bolland, who dropped to the fourth line spot for the Hawks in the playoffs, behind the likes of Jonathan Toews, Michal Handzus and Marcus Kruger. “I think hell probably be put in maybe a more prominent role with us than he was in Chicago.” Formerly the head man in Anaheim, Carlyle had plenty of first-hand experience in the Western Conference with Bolland, who fits the gritty mold the Leafs coach seems prefers in his players. “I can tell you that Randy is very happy that we brought Dave Bolland in,” Nonis noted. “Hes the type of player that thrives under the way he coaches. And Randy moves people around the lineup and I think thats something that Dave Bolland has done throughout his career very effectively.” A force during the Hawks run to the Cup in 2010 – 16 points – Bolland was hobbled by injuries throughout the 2013 season – he sat out 13 games – even missing the first five games of the playoffs with a groin issue. Plugged further down the lineup than he had been in the past, Bolland totaled just a single point in series wins against Detroit and Los Angeles before breaking out with three goals and five points against the Bruins, including the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6. “I think its going to be great,” Bolland said of returning home to Toronto. “I think this is one team like the Blackhawks team thats coming up and is going to do great things – hopefully like we did [in Chicago].” Nonis said discussions with Chicago general manager Stan Bowman had been ongoing for quite some time, the Leafs general manager initiating the deal, which sent the 51st and 117th picks to the Hawks this year as well as a fourth rounder in 2014, shortly after the Cup had been awarded. Toronto now has 12 players under contract for the 2013-2014 campaign, still working on contracts for a restricted free agent class that includes Kadri, Cody Franson, Carl Gunnarsson, and newly acquired Jonathan Bernier. With upwards of $19 million available following the likely compliance buyout of Mike Komisarek, Nonis still has plenty of work ahead. “We think theres more things that we hope to do,” he stated, “whether we can accomplish those between now and September remains to be seen. But were going to try to remain active and see if theres more changes we can make.” In addition to Bolland, Nonis and his scouting staff looked to address the centre position long-term, settling on Gauthier with their first round pick, a big, defense-first centre from the Quebec league. Gauthier projects as a stable, low-risk option down the middle, a player who might line up in a shutdown role for the Leafs one day, though not anytime soon. “Were pretty comfortable that he should round out to a second-line centre top-end, but at least a third line guy that can be very responsible,” Nonis said of Gauthier, who remains a work in progress offensively, nonetheless totaling 22 goals in his first season with the Oceanic. “Hes the type of player that you need to eat up minutes, a big-minute crunching centreman that right now we were lacking.” Of those “indicators” which suggest NHL potential, Dave Morrison, the Leafs head scout, pointed to Gauthiers size, defensive savvy, and ability to process the game. “We just think theres some upside,” Morrison told TSN.ca, also emphasizing Gauthiers competitiveness and skill on the draw, “how much offensively remains to be seen. But were hopeful. Hes still a young guy, a big body thats still growing, still growing into that body.” Nonis said he and his management team looked seriously at the prospect of moving up in Sundays draft, the price-point just too high to justify a move. “The assets to move up didnt make any sense,” he said. “The temptation to try to do something is always there. I think as you get closer to the draft the temptation actually even increases. You have to make sure you check yourself because its pretty easy to do some pretty significant damage by moving pieces out that you think are going to be long-term pieces of the puzzle. “Were there options? There was a couple of options, but they werent going to help the Toronto Maple Leafs, they were going to probably set us back.” The Leafs went on to select Carter Verhaeghe, an Ontario native and centre from the Niagara IceDogs, in the third round, adding Swiss forward Fabrice Herzog in the fifth, P.E.I. Rockets goalie Antoine Bideau in the sixth, and smallish Swedish defenceman Andreas Johnson in the seventh and final round. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . -- With Tony Allen back, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to turn up their defence pressure and hold off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch. Rod Gilbert Jersey . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. http://www.officialrangersproshop.com/Rangers-Mike-Richter-Adidas-Jersey/ . His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game. "The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didnt happen," Dineen said.NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis has one game left to show why hes the best player under 21 years old in the NBA. For the past two games, hes looked rather good for any age, and has pulled the Pelicans out of a slump. Davis had 29 points and 14 rebounds and New Orleans defeated Milwaukee 112-104 on Friday night. Tyreke Evans scored 25 points for the Pelicans, whove won two straight after losing their previous eight games. "It feels good to get back in rhythm, winning some games," said Davis, wholl get to celebrate his 21st birthday in the Big Easy on Tuesday. "We know how that eight-game losing streak is and we dont want to get back to it, and weve got to keep working." Davis, who hit 12 of 22 shots on an array of layups, crowd-pleasing dunks and mid-range jumpers, is shooting 58 per cent (22 of 38) in his past two games. He had 28 points and 15 rebounds in a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-6 Evans, meanwhile, has been thriving since being moved from the bench into the starting lineup in the small forward spot. He had 24 points against the Lakers and 27 on Monday night in a loss at Sacramento. Being on the floor with Davis, who draws so much attention from opposing defences, has certainly helped, he said. "Its been fun. Thats the way its supposed to be," Evans said. "We both like to play together. We both work hard. To see us both going like that, it just makes things better for our team." Anthony Morrow added 16 points for New Orleans, including a 3-pointer as he was fouled to give the Pelicans their largest lead at 100-90 with 4:50 left. Brian Roberts scored 14 and Eric Gordon 12 for New Orleans. "We let Anthony Morrow get away from us. He made some shots going down the stretch," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "We have a game plan against Davis and Tyreke Evans and Gordon and guys like that. Its the guys off the bench who end up hurting us." Khris Middleton scored 25 for Milwaukee, which lost its second straight. Jeff Adrien added a career-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Ramon Sessions had 16 points and Brandon Knight 15. Milwaukee entered the game without starting forward Ersan Ilyasova, suspended for throwing a punch in a game Wednesday. The Bucks then lost guard O.J. Mayo to aan ejection for a flagrant-2 foul late in the first quarter. J.T. Miller Jersey. With Ilyasova out, John Henson was thrust into the starting lineup, drawing the assignment of defending Davis. "Hes tough, man. Just as far as the activity, they run a lot of stuff where they pull out the side on a pick and roll for him," Henson said. "He attacks or he shoots the jump shot, and thats kind of what they got going over there and it really helped to push the lead up to where we couldnt come back." There were 24 lead changes in what turned out to be a highly competitive, action-filled game between a pair of struggling teams. The Pelicans shot 50 per cent (42 of 84) but were unable to build a significant lead because the Bucks shot 45 per cent (40 of 89) even without Ilyasova and Mayo, who together average 23 points per game. Milwaukee led 79-78 after Sessions driving layup opened the fourth quarter, but Davis driving layup and 15-foot jumper sparked a 10-2 run that put the Pelicans in front for good. Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, when there were 20 lead changes. Mayo had taken only one missed shot when he was ejected after less than three minutes on the court. Mayo collided with Pelicans centre Greg Stiemsma, who was setting a screen, then appeared to shove Stiemsma with a flailing arm to the chest. Pelicans coach Monty Williams rushed in to pull Stiemsma away. Officials initially called a flagrant foul, but upgraded the severity to a flagrant-2 after video review. "I reacted the wrong way and handled it for sure the wrong way," Mayo said. "I want to apologize to the Bucks fan base, the city of Milwaukee and obviously New Orleans and the (fans) who came out and watched the game. Its definitely the wrong way to conduct yourself. Ive got to be better and I will." Still, the Bucks were clinging to a one-point lead before Roberts hit a 5-foot floater as he was fouled for a three-point play, giving New Orleans a 51-49 halftime lead. NOTES: Davis has now surpassed 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game 21 times this season, and he has 29 double-doubles overall. ... Pelicans reserve centre Jeff Withey, a rookie, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 14:29. ... Middletons 25 points were more than double his average of 11.7 coming in and four short of his career high. Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys From China Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '