In the months and days leading up to the NHLs trade deadline, we routinely see teams shuffle older defencemen out to playoff contenders, usually for some sort of future asset. Morris Claiborne Super Bowl Jersey . I always find these trades fascinating, because generally speaking, it seems that the player is rarely acquired because hes an effective blueliner. Theres always talk about the laundry list of intangibles the veteran defender will bring to the table come playoff time; far less talk about how the player, more often than not, struggles to get the job done. I think why these trades continue to occur is tied up into the front office and coaching staffs relative lack of trust in younger players to log bigger minutes when the games get meaningful. Sometimes, that lack of trust is warranted. But, ironically, to fix this issue, a team usually targets a defenceman who is years beyond his prime – alternatively, another defenceman who cannot get the job done. Only in this case, an asset – or multiple assets – will be required in order to acquire such a player. I dont think the veteran defenceman acquisition is one that is going to die out in 2014-2015. There are a ton of 34+ age defencemen logging regular minutes this season; a good portion of these players are on short-term deals due to their age, and a good portion of these players currently play on teams who could be eyeballing a prospect or future draft-picks in lieu of a bid at a playoff berth. Theres also the chance that a savvy playoff-bound hockey team will identify said veteran defenceman as a problem, and ship him off to create additional minutes and opportunity for a more competent player internally – the name Eric Brewer, recently traded to Anaheim for a third-round pick, certainly comes to mind here. Make no mistake, most of these older defenders are a drag on their teams performance. Setting up some quick parameters (age 34+; at least 15-games played) can illustrate this. Below, Ive charted the 22-regular veteran defenders by their per-60 scoring rate at 5-on-5, and their RelativeCorsi% -- or, the difference in a teams Corsi% with the player on the ice versus with the player off of the ice. Defencemen, 34+ PLAYER TEAM 2014-15 PTS/60 2014-15 Relative Corsi% Brian Campbell Florida 0.15 +5.17% John-Michael Liles Carolina 0.71 +4.81% Jan Hejda Colorado 0.40 +3.51% Mark Streit Philadelphia 1.04 +2.99% Andrei Markov Montreal 0.96 +2.88% Jordan Leopold Columbus 0.56 -0.37% Marek Zidlicky New Jersey 0.69 -0.38% Francois Beauchemin Anaheim 0.58 -0.55% Willie Mitchell Florida 0.29 -1.62% Lubomir Visnovsky N.Y. Islanders 1.11 -1.62% Michal Rozsival Chicago 0.59 -1.65% Rob Scuderi Pittsburgh 0.37 -2.46% Andrew Ference Edmonton 0.31 -2.53% Stephane Robidas Toronto 0.54 -2.76% Brooks Orpik Washington 0.56 -3.70% Scott Hannan San Jose 0.00 -4.20% Mike Weaver Montreal 0.87 -4.28% Niklas Kronwall Detroit 0.74 -5.20% Chris Phillips Ottawa 0.18 -5.97% Eric Brewer Anaheim 0.61 -6.96% Bryce Salvador New Jersey 0.57 -7.73% Robyn Regehr Los Angeles 0.35 -8.04% Average 0.55 -1.85% You should immediately notice that 17 of the 22 players are in the red – their team controlling play more favorably with them off of the ice. Usage and deployment varies on an individual basis, but the mere fact that only five players have been able to do better than break-even by RelativeCorsi% is a major red flag. The point-scoring is troublesome, too. The group averages about 0.55 points per 60 minutes at even-strength, which is well under the league average (0.71 points per 60 minutes) for regular defencemen. The few names who populate the top of the list by RelativeCorsi% – specifically Brian Campbell, Mark Streit, and Andrei Markov – seem to make intuitive sense. Like most veteran defenders on this list, they have lost a step or two in the skating department. Unlike most of the same veteran defenders on this list, they are still excellent passers. This pays dividends in every area of the ice, and likely is driving their continued success despite a relative lack of mobility. Lets further investigate the other 17 – the guys whose teams play better with them off of the ice than on the ice. We can compare this years performance to the past few years (well use 2011-2014), mostly to see whether this is the norm over a larger sample, or if their play has further deteriorated. First, well look at even-strength points/60. This is far from encouraging. Of the 17 defenders with negative possession numbers this season, fourteen of them have seen a slide in point-scoring this year from the past three seasons. Lets look at RelativeCorsi% next, again charting the differential from 2011-2014 to 2014-2015. Are we seeing stable negative performance, or is their slide growing increasingly negative? This looks eerily similar to the last graph. 12 of the 17 negative-possession defenders have seen a drop in performance from years past. Its important to remember here that all seventeen are still negative possession players – so, even the few players who have posted slight improvements from years past are still getting caved in territorially. In the next couple of months, I think youll see a good number of these defenders be made available by their teams, whether its to upgrade in the short-term internally, or whether its to upgrade in the long-term by dangling the mysticism of player intangibles in front of other general managers for future picks and/or prospects. If Im looking to upgrade at the deadline and can only choose from this list, Brian Campbells certainly a name that interests me. Taking a flyer on Marek Zidlickys expiring deal is intriguing, too. Andrei Markov looks like he still can play, but I doubt Montreals interested in sending him out. Beyond that, I cant imagine a scenario in which Id give up even the most marginal of draft picks or prospects to acquire one of these defencemen. Mitchell Schwartz Super Bowl Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Armani Watts Super Bowl Jersey . And I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences gained through International competition and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Seven NHL referees and six linesmen will be assigned upcoming games in Sochi by the IIHF as part of their 28-man officiating roster comprised of 14 refs and 14 linesmen. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Patrick-Mahomes-II-Chiefs-Jersey/ . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U.NICOSIA, Cyprus - Edinson Cavani scored three minutes from time as Paris Saint-German edged APOEL 1-0 on Tuesday to keep top spot in Group F in the Champions League.The Uruguay forward fought to keep possession inside the box, swiveling as he fell and steering the ball past APOEL goalkeeper Urko Pardo.The win gives PSG seven points in the group, one more than Barcelona, which beat Ajax 3-1 in the other match. The win also stretched PSGs unbeaten streak in all competitions this season.But a feisty APOEL lived up to its reputation of being hard to beat at home, missing several good chances in each half.PSG coach Laurent Blanc conceded that his team wasnt in top form and that several players werent at their peak. He said APOEL were very well organized defensively and could have scored.Ill leave it to you to decide whether we deserved the win, whats most important is that Paris collected the three points, Blanc said. I believe that we didnt play a great game. Honestly, its not one that well remember. But what well keep is the three points.We know well have to be better in the future, both on an individual and team level.APOEL coach Giorgos Donis praised his players for their performance, saying his team was more dangerous on attack and was closer to victory.I consider myself and my coaching team particularly fortunate to be working with such a group of players, he said. They work very hard and are able to put great teams in a difficult position.APOEL had the first reaal chance to score just three minutes in when an unmarked Cillian Sheridan fired a first-time shot from a George Efrem pass — forcing PSG goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu into a diving save. Daniel Sorensen Super Bowl Jersey. SG tried to dictate the pace of the match by keeping control of the ball, but a tight APOEL defence didnt allow the French team any real chances on goal.APOEL maintained its composure and tried to find ways through a tough PSG defence. Just after the half hour mark, Brazilian midfielder Vinicius dribbled well into the PSG area but his pass to Efrem was intercepted by Lucas.PSGs best chance of the first half came in the 26th when an unmarked Cavani missed a shot from close range after a pass from Lucas.Cavani missed another chance in the 40th when his glancing header ended up in the side netting and both teams had further opportunities just before the break.APOEL didnt fade in the second half and continued to press for a goal. PSG survived a close call in the 55th when David Luiz cleared a Tiago Gomes header off the line.Luiz did it again seven minutes later when he cleared the ball off the line after Sirigu clashed with a sprawling Sheridan in the goalmouth.PSG rode its luck again in the 67th when Nuno Morais blasted the ball over the crossbar from the edge of the box.A Lucas effort in the 69th grazed the APOEL post and Pardo gathered substitute Yohan Cabayes 20-yard (meter) shot five minutes later before Cavani secured PSGs victory at the final minutes. ' ' '