TORONTO -- Steve Tambellini says hes fielded some "soft calls" from teams interested in the No. 1 draft pick. However, the Edmonton Oilers general manager sounds like a man who is intent on making the first selection at the draft in Pittsburgh later this month. "You can always listen," Tambellini said Friday at the NHLs draft combine. "But for us to move the No. 1 pick it would have to be quite a significant proposal." Its the third straight year the Oilers have owned the top pick. Tambellini and the teams scouting staff spent the week in Toronto interviewing prospects and watched them get put through fitness testing on Friday. However, the organization still hasnt decided who will follow Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the next player taken No. 1 overall. "Were not sure who this pick is now and thats the way its been the last couple years," said Tambellini. "The idea is to project on who will be the best player for your team," he added. "Most teams have different opinions on whats best for them. Thats what well do -- well decide which player is the best player for the Edmonton Oilers." Sarnia Sting winger Nail Yakupov enters the draft as the top-rated North American-based skater. Hes followed by Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray, Quebec Remparts centre Mikhail Grigorenko and Sarnia centre Alex Galchenyuk. Tambellini says he doesnt expect the Oilers to make a decision on who the team will pick first overall until the night before the June 22 draft. Yakupov is scheduled to visit Edmonton on Sunday for a more in-depth meeting with Oilers officials. The team has also had other prospects come to the city earlier this spring, according to Tambellini. "You want to get as much information as possible," he said. "Thats the whole thing -- you want to know who youre drafting." Its an extremely important off-season for the Oilers. Tambellini is currently looking to replace coach Tom Renney, who didnt have his contract renewed after a 29th-place finish last season. However, there is no deadline to make the hire. "Well have the right coach," Tambellini said. "If its done at the draft, great. If its done after that, so be it."
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cheap nfl jerseys china .C. -- Rams coach Jeff Fisher says quarterback Sam Bradford will have an MRI on his left knee Sunday night after the team lands in St.With the Major League Baseball off-season in full swing now with free agents eligible to sign wherever they want, its time to shift our focus to Canadas lone team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays finished the 2011 season 81-81, which was good for fourth place in the American League East. They were 10 games out of the Wild Card, so needless to say, the team has some work to do now that the off-season is upon us. Our question for you today is what should the Jays focus on adding the most via free agency or trade? Hitters, starting pitching or the bullpen? The Argument for Offence While General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said during a conference call on Tuesday that another bat was "very low on the priority list and we have a lot of other areas wed rather address first," one could argue that another bat is what the team needs. In overall offence in 2011, the Jays managed to score the sixth-most runs in baseball, while posting the 11th-best OPS, 18th-best OBP and 20th-best average. One could wonder how much better the Jays could be if they could get some more protection in their lineup for Jose Bautista. Bautista has emerged as one of the top hitters in the game, despite not really having much protection in the lineup behind him. After a torrid start to the year that saw him hit .300 at the All-Star break, Adam Lind struggled mightily in the second half of the season, posting a .197 AVG, .233 OBP and .356 SLG batting line. In fact, Linds 2011 season was the second straight year that the first-basemans on-base percentage didnt break .300, and his on-base plus slugging didnt crack the .735 mark. By way of comparison, the average first baseman in baseball in 2011 hit .271, while posting a .796 OPS. If the club could add a more feared hitter in their lineup to hit behind Bautista, the two-time defending home run champion would likely face better pitches, which in turn would theoretically help the offence. Starting Off In 2011, the Blue Jays starting pitchers ranked 25th in baseball, recording a 4.55 ERA. Only the Twins, Rockies, Cubs, Royals and Orioles staffs struggled more. Ricky Romero was stellar for the club, posting a 15-11 record with a strong 2.92 ERA. Henderson Alvarez started 10 games and despite posting a 3.53 ERA, won oonly one game.dddddddddddd After that, the Jays starters all had down years in 2011, with Brandon Morrow (4.72 ERA in 30 starts), Brett Cecil (4.73 ERA in 20 starts), and Kyle Drabek (6.16 ERA in 14 starts) getting most of the other starts. While some could argue that the Jays should expect bounce-back years from both Morrow and Cecil - who each were much better in 2010 - and progression from Drabek and perhaps from Dustin McGowan, one could feel that an experienced arm that could take the ball every fifth day and give the Jays some consistency would be more beneficial than hoping/expecting the youngsters to have a turnaround. Would a more reliable starter help the Jays improve their pitching staff? Its a possibility. Call To the Pen Last season the Blue Jays bullpen had the 21st-best ERA in all of baseball with a .388 mark, while being tied for third in the league for blown saves with 25. Now, while all of those blown saves didnt result in losses, it still signifies a problem as their direct competition in the AL East were all much better in that stat, with the Rays bullpen only blowing 12 saves and the Red Sox and Yankees bullpens each only stumbling 16 times apiece. The blown save stat aside, the Jays bullpen is in flux, with the in-season departures of Marc Rzepczynski, Jason Frasor and Octavio Dotel, and the fact that the two men who handled the bulk of the ninth inning duties in 2011, Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch, are both free agents. There is a school of thought that the bullpen could be easiest of the teams holes to fix, due to the sheer number of relievers available and the fact that the Jays could convert some of their starters like Jesse Litsch and perhaps even McGowan, health permitting, to useful weapons out of the pen. Others would argue that a power arm who has the ability to slam the door shut at the end of contests would not only preserve the leads that the Jays have, but give the rest of the club some confidence and more importantly wins themselves. Youve read the arguments, and now its time for you to have your say. What do you think the Jays primary area of focus should be this off-season: offence, starting pitching or the bullpen? As always, its Your Call!
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