New?Anaheim Ducks?coach Randy Carlyle doesnt expect his team to look all that different, systematically at least, from last year.The difference will come in its lineup construction and deployment. Carlyle thinks it needs more youth and energy.You always have to transition youth into your lineup, he said during a recent phone conversation. Were a budget hockey club; were going to be forced to use younger players.With youth comes a little more pace. Its usually the veteran players who know how to slow the game down and make it work at their speed. Ryan Getzlaf is as good at that as anyone.But during offseason phone conversations between Carlyle -- who coached the Ducks from 2005-06 until early in the 2011-12 season and won a Stanley Cup with the franchise -- and his former players, like Getzlaf and Corey Perry, the pace of play became the central part of discussions.They play more of a pace game. Theyre veteran players. Thats one of the things were going to ask them -- to play the game at a higher pace, Carlyle said.He doesnt need any more proof they can do it. Carlyle watched the pair play for Team Canada in the World Cup and saw the kind of skating hes going to require from his veteran players, especially Getzlaf.And Corey Perry is in the best shape hes ever been in, Carlyle said. They put the work in. Its a tribute to them.Best new facesGM Bob Murray was aggressive in addressing his roster needs before last season, and the result was a team that took half of a season to get going. The biggest change this time around is behind the bench, while the main pieces of the roster have been essentially untouched -- except for one position.Frederik Andersen is gone as the starting goalie, with John Gibson now expected to get a majority of the starts. Gibson has long been regarded as a great, young goalie, but now comes the moment of truth. He had a .920 save percentage in 38 starts last season, even earning enough votes to finish tied for seventh in the Vezina.After the Maple Leafs gave Jonathan Bernier his signing bonus, the Ducks grabbed him in a trade for a conditional draft pick. It was a shrewd move for a budget-conscious team that has cap space but gets Bernier at a discount, after Toronto paid his bonus.Bernier had his best season as a starter while playing for Carlyle in Toronto, finishing the 2013-14 season with a .923 save percentage. He struggled last season, but playing for a bad team tends to do that to goalies.Everybody in the league is looking more to the 1A and 1B situations, Carlyle said. Yes, Gibby is highly rated. Its hard not to give him an opportunity. Goaltenders have to earn it. You have to earn it night in and night out. We feel we have a capable option in Jonathan Bernier.Biggest unknownsIts not particularly great that the Ducks had two restricted free-agent no-shows at the start of training camp, with Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell?both still unsigned when camp began. Not only was Rakell unsigned, he was dealing with complications that followed his appendectomy in September.Even if both of those situations get settled, you never know how a player is going to react following an intense contract negotiation.The bigger concern in Anaheim is the possibility of a decline coming from its aging stars. The Ducks are very dependent on the trio of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan Kesler. When theyre on and playing well, the Ducks can beat anybody. Theyre also at the collective age where its not unreasonable to expect some depreciation, especially considering the style in which they play. As the league speeds up and gets younger, its quite possible that trio will get old in a hurry. Maybe not this year ... but the clock is ticking.Sure thingsHeres one --?Sami Vatanen is going to outplay the value of his contract. During an offseason in which teams struggled to get deals done with their restricted free agents, Vatanen was off Anaheims to-do list quite early. He signed a four-year deal worth $19.5 million in mid-June.With an average annual value of $4.875 million, his contract is going to look good in a hurry.I wanted to be there, Vatanen said. That was the main thing. I saw the GM and coaches -- they wanted me there. It helped a lot. Im very happy about that.They wanted the 25-year-old defenseman for good reason. He has pushed 40 points each of the last two seasons, is offensively gifted and is a right-handed shot. Lindholm is the best pure defenseman on the roster, good enough to challenge for a Norris Trophy at some point. But Vatanen is the kind of defenseman you need behind your top guys to keep the puck moving in the right direction.PredictionThe Duck have concerns. Is John Gibson ready to be a full-time starter? Will the contract issues linger into the season? How will the team respond to the return of Randy Carlyle?But, ultimately, this team has too many good defensemen and star power up front to decline too far below their 103-point total from last season. The Ducks will clear the playoff hurdle but maybe not as easily as theyd like to. Second place in the Pacific. Miami Dolphins Jerseys . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. Custom Miami Dolphins Jerseys . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Minkah-fitzpatrick-dolphins-jersey/ . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Larry Csonka Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Bob Griese Jersey . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns and Tony Parker all looked regular-season ready in their first action of the preseason.LeBron James and Irving each scored 15 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-105 on Saturday night.After hitting the go-ahead shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and then winning a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team, Irving was given the night off in Clevelands opener.Towns, the unanimous Rookie of the Year, looks ready for a huge second season after having 20 points and 10 rebounds in Minnesotas 109-100 victory over Miami.Parker had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in a victory over Atlanta after sitting out San Antonios opener.---CAVALIERS 108, 76ERS 105CLEVELAND -- Jordan McRae came off the bench for 20 points, including the clinching free throws, for the Cavs.Joel Embiid had 12 points in 13 minutes of his third preseason game.76ERS: Rookie Dario Saric shot 1 for 7 and had four points. ... Richaun Holmes had 19 points and Sergio Rodriguez added 15 points and eight assists.CAVALIERS: Kevin Love had two points on 1-for-7 shooting. ... Channing Frye was 4 for 4 from 3-point range off the bench, finishing with 14 points.UP NEXT: Philadelphia (1-2) visits Memphis on Tuesday. Cleveland (2-0) visits Atlanta on Monday.---TIMBERWOLVES 109, HEAT 100KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points, going 13 for 16 from the free throw line to overcome 3-for-11 shooting from the floor.Towns shot 7 for 18 in Tom Thibodeaus first game as Minnesota coach.Hassan Whiteside had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Miami.TIMBERWOLVES: Rookie Kris Dunn, the No. 5 overall pick, was 2 for 8 for six points in his debut. ... Shabazz Muhammed added 14 points and Nemanja Bjelica had 12.HEAT: Goran Dragic scored 16 points. ... Dion Waiters and Derrick Williams, both in their first seasons with the Heat, each finished with 14 points.UP NEXT: Miami (1-1) hosts Brooklyn on Tuesday. Minnesota (1-0) visits Charlotte on Monday.SPURS 102, HAWKS 91SAN ANTONIO -- Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 14 points in the Spurs first preseason victory.Aldridge grabbed six rebounds in his first exhibition action.HAWKS: Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver and Dennis Schroder all got the night off. Paul Millsap is still recovering from surgery. ... Taurean Prince and Malcolm Delaney each scored 13 points.SPURS: Gregg Popovich left the coaching to an assistant, as he traditionally does in at least one preseason game. Ime Udoka coached the first half and James Borrego the second. ... Manu Ginobili scored 11 points.UP NEXT: Atlanta (1-1) hosts Cleveland on Monday. San Antonio (1-1) visits Detroit on Monday.---BULLS 121, PACERS 105CHICAGO -- Dwyane Wade had 22 points and eight assists in his best game of the preseason, and the Bulls got their first victory.The Pacers lost for the first time in their third exhibition game.PACERS: Rookie Georges Niang had 16 points in just 122 minutes, going 6 for 8 from the field and 4 for 6 from 3-point range.dddddddddddd... Paul George had the night off. ... Glenn Robinson III started and scored 17 points.BULLS: Nikola Mirotic broke out of his preseason shooting slump with 18 points and nine rebounds, going 6 for 9 and making four 3-pointers. ... Jimmy Butler had 15 points but made only 3-of-11 shots. ... Rajon Rondo didnt play.UP NEXT: Indiana (2-1) faces Milwaukee on Wednesday in Evansville, Indiana. Chicago (1-2) hosts Cleveland on Friday.---KNICKS 116, NETS 98NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony scored 16 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 12 and the Knicks won the first preseason meeting between the city rivals in four years.Both teams played without their starting point guards. Derrick Rose remains in Los Angeles for his rape trial, while former Knicks star Jeremy Lin sat out after scoring 21 points Thursday in his Nets debut.New York got its first victory under Jeff Hornacek after getting routed 130-103 by Houston in its opener.NETS: Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett scored 15 points, going 11 for 14 from the free throw line. ... Brooklyn also gave Luis Scola the night off.KNICKS: Joakim Noah sat out again with a sore left hamstring and probably wont play Monday, coach Jeff Hornacek said. ... Chasson Randle had 14 points, getting extra playing time in Roses absence.UP NEXT: Brooklyn (1-1) visits Miami on Tuesday. New York (1-1) hosts Washington on Monday.---CELTICS 104, HORNETS 86UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Tyler Zeller scored 14 points as the Celtics beat the winless Hornets for the second time in three days.Boston beat Charlotte 107-92 on Thursday in Greensboro, North Carolina.Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11 points and Frank Kaminsky had 10, though the starting forwards combined to shoot 8 for 28.HORNETS: Kemba Walker had six points in 14+ minutes as he continues his recovery from offseason left knee surgery. ... Jeremy Lamb, like Walker a former University of Connecticut star, started and scored nine points. ... Christian Wood led Charlotte with 13 points.CELTICS: Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas didnt play. ... Jordan Mickey led Boston with 16 points, going 8 for 10. ... Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 pick in the draft, shot 2 for 10, missing all four 3-point attempts.UP NEXT: Charlotte (0-3) hosts Minnesota on Monday. Boston (2-1) visits Brooklyn on Thursday.---BUCKS 88, MAVERICKS 74MADISON, Wis. -- Jabari Parker scored 21 points in Milwaukees victory in Wisconsins capital city.Dwight Powell scored 15 for Dallas.MAVERICKS: Dallas was held below 20 points in three quarters.BUCKS: Milwaukee plays a second straight game at a neutral site on Wednesday, facing the Pacers in Evansville, Indiana.UP NEXT: Dallas (1-2) hosts Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Milwaukee (2-0) faces Indiana on Wednesday in Evansville, Indiana. ' ' '