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By the time the end of February 2017 rolled around Authentic Eric Staal Jersey , the Colorado Avalanche were out of the playoff race and playing out the string of a terrible season.

They were 17-42-3 after the 62nd game of the season and finished with 22 wins and 48 points, both lows for a full season in Denver.

There is a different vibe in the locker room this season. The Avalanche enter game No. 63 just two points behind Calgary for the final playoff spot and have played one less game than the Flames. While it will take a great finish by Colorado to nab one of the top three spots in the Central Division, the wild card is a real possibility.

The Avalanche players are treating Wednesday’s night game against Calgary with appropriate importance.

“It is a big game,” center Nathan MacKinnon said after Monday’s 3-1 win over Vancouver.

The Flames beat Colorado 5-1 in Calgary on Saturday. That loss was the end of a stretch of 13 of 16 road games for the Avalanche Cheap Adrian Clayborn Jersey , and now they’re in the midst of playing seven of nine at home.

Calgary (32-23-9) lost, 2-1, in Dallas on Tuesday while Colorado rested, holding just an optional practice. The Flames are on the players’ minds http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/saquon-barkley-jersey , especially after getting routed in Calgary.

“We have a little payback,” Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen said Monday night. “They won last time they were here, too, so I think (we are) 0-2 against them this year. I think it’s time to get a win against those guys. I don’t know if they played today or not but we are battling with them for a wild-card spot so it’s going to be a huge game for us.”

Neither team made big deals before Monday’s trade deadline. The Flames signed forward Chris Stewart — a former Avalanche player — off waivers from Minnesota and acquired center Nick Shore from Ottawa for a seventh-round pick.

Stewart wasted no time in getting acclimated. He started on Calgary’s first line with center Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau against Dallas on Tuesday night.

“To get an opportunity to play with two of probably the best young hockey players in this league Colts Tyquan Lewis Jersey , it’s going to be fun and I look forward to the challenge,” Stewart told the Calgary Sun on Tuesday.

Stewart had one shot on goal in 12:53 of ice time against Dallas.

Colorado (33-24-5) swapped defensemen with New York, sending Chris Bigras to the Rangers for Ryan Graves. They also signed Mark Alt off waivers.

Both moves bolster their banged-up blue line. Top defenseman Erik Johnson is expected to miss extended time with a shoulder injury but Anton Lindholm is close to returning. Lindholm suffered an elbow injury Feb. 18 against Edmonton, the same game when Johnson went down.

Lindholm practiced Tuesday.

“According to me Authentic Wayne Simmonds Jersey , I’m ready right now,” Lindholm told HockeyBuzz.com on Tuesday.

Colorado recalled goaltender Spencer Martin from the AHL to serve as Semyon Varlamov’s backup for Wednesday. Jonathan Bernier has been in the concussion protocol for the past five games and was joined by Andrew Hammond. Hammond hasn’t played so he most likely suffered his head injury in practice.

PITTSBURGH (AP) Kevin Colbert isn’t a fan of the word ”need.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers general manager believes it points too specifically to one area of weakness.

”We have to be better and I do not think we were better in 2017 than we were in 2016 because we got eliminated a round earlier http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com/malik-jefferson-jersey ,” Colbert said of the AFC North champions, who were upset at home by Jacksonville in the divisional round of the playoffs. ”And I think that’s a reflection on the job that all of us did or didn’t do. And how do we get better?”

For the Steelers – who never met a salary cap they didn’t like to butt up against – that means using the draft as a way to address what Colbert prefers to call ”challenges.”

Even for a team that’s won three division titles in four years, there are plenty to go around.

Pro Bowl inside linebacker Ryan Shazier has already been ruled out for 2018 while recovering from spine stabilization surgery that has put his career in jeopardy.

All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell could be playing his final season in Pittsburgh in 2018 if the two sides can’t find enough common ground to lock him up to a long-term deal.

The secondary is in the process of yet another overhaul after Mike Mitchell, William Gay and Robert Golden were cut loose in March.

While Pittsburgh added defensive back Morgan Burnett and linebacker Jon Bostic as relatively low-cost free agents Wholesale Fred Warner Jersey , the Steelers prefer to add difference makers in the draft, as they did last year when they took linebacker T.J. Watt in the first round and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second.

Pittsburgh has the 28th overall pick and multiple picks in the fifth and seven rounds, with none in the fourth or sixth. A linebacker along the lines of Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch or Alabama’s Rashaan Evans could help immediately address Shazier’s absence.

A cornerback might also be in play considering 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns appeared to take a step back in his second season.

Regardless, the Steelers are almost certain to use their top pick on the defensive side of the ball for the seventh time in eight years http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/justin-reid-jersey , as tends to happen when you give up 45 points to Jacksonville .

”I think that the group we have coming back, most of those players, are either in their prime or they are on the rise,” Colbert said.

”I do believe that group has a chance to get better. Does that mean we won’t add to it? If we don’t change the roster we had in 2017 Ravens Lamar Jackson Jersey , what reason would we think there would be any difference in the results? So, we have to be ready to be better than we were last year.”

Some things to look for as Pittsburgh tries to maintain its Super Bowl window a little longer.

BELL’S FUTURE

Depending on when you ask him, Bell might hold out a week or two during the regular season.

Or he might not.

He might stay in Pittsburgh the rest of his career.

Or he might not.

Either way the All-Pro is almost certainly going to wait until late August at the earliest to sign his franchise tender if he and the Steelers can’t work things out.

Pittsburgh could tip its hand about its plans at the position by taking a back in the early rounds. The Steelers used a third-round pick on James Conner last spring, but his rookie year was cut short by injury.

AIR APPARENT?

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went from waffling about his future to telling teammates he can go three more years. The two-time Super Bowl winner turned 36 in March and now gets to see what he can do with Randy Fichtner as the offensive coordinator following Todd Haley’s departure.

Still Authentic Harrison Phillips Jersey , Roethlisberger isn’t going to play forever. The Steelers met with high-level quarterbacks in the run-up to the draft. They haven’t taken a quarterback before the fourth round since tabbing Roethlisberger with the 11th overall pick in 2004.

If they do it this time – Lamar Jackson anybody? – it would provide them time to groom the pick as Roethlisberger’s eventual successor, though it’s more likely they wait at least one more season.

HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS

The Steelers are as adept as any team in the league in turning late-round picks into success stories (see Brown, Antonio). Their record in the early rounds Authentic Daniel Kilgore Jersey , however, is spotty. For every Vince Williams – taken in the sixth round in 2013 who is now a starter at inside linebacker – there is a Senquez Golson.

Pittsburgh selected the cornerback in the second round in 2015. He missed all of 2015 and 2016 because of injury and then was among the final cuts in 2017.

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KANSAS CITY Authentic Sam Darnold Jersey , Mo. (AP) Brett Veach has made so many maneuvers involving draft picks since taking over as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ general manager that it’s hard to believe he’s never led an actual draft.

That changes this week.

The young front office boss, who took over when John Dorsey was let go last summer, heads into the three-day draft Thursday without a first-round pick. But Veach has one in the second round and two more in the third, giving him ample opportunity to shore up a leaky defense on an otherwise deep roster.

”I am looking forward to it. I’ve been working up to it, been doing this for 12 years,” he said last week. ”I’ve been going to the draft room for a long time. Certainly Authentic Blake Wheeler Jersey , it will be different as a GM. I am surrounded by a lot of great people and trust those guys.”

The Chiefs clearly trust him. Dorsey did a good job of acquiring talent after taking over a 2-14 franchise, but his inability to manage the salary cap ultimately led to his ouster.

Veach has quickly balanced the books, using draft choices to help the process. He sent a fourth-round pick next year to Buffalo to grab middle linebacker Reggie Ragland, who started right away last season, and a fifth-rounder this year to Cleveland for swing offensive tackle Cam Erving.

Then, he dealt quarterback Alex Smith to Washington for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick this year Wholesale Barkevious Mingo Jersey , and cornerback Marcus Peters and a sixth-round pick this year to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round pick this year and a second-round selection next season.

Got all that?

The upshot is that, while nobody is quite sure what Veach will do when he runs his own draft, the safe assumption is that he will move aggressively to nab a player he likes.

”That’s just kind of who I am. I have a group of guys up there who are worried that I’m going to be too aggressive,” he said, ”so I’m glad I have those guys. Everyone does this, and we’ve done this the last five years Authentic David Robertson Jersey , you go through mock drafts just like you see online. We kind of just play that game ourselves in regards to what do we do if, or what about if this guy slides.

”I think every scenario had me trading up and my guys were like, `we have a lot of good picks here.’ I think I’ll have a good group of guys helping me out there.”

As Veach and the Chiefs prepare for the draft, here are some things to know:

PRIORITIZING DEFENSE

The Chiefs spent lavishly on WR Sammy Watkins and are deep on offense, but there are holes across the board on defense. Look for them to target a pass rusher or cornerback with their first couple of choices, regardless of whether Veach decides to trade up.

”Brett puts his own flare on things here and there Wholesale Tracy Walker Jersey ,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. ”I think he’s very thorough. If I can tell you what he is, he’s very thorough.”

BUT REMEMBER OFFENSE

Kansas City will have a young, largely unproven starter under center after Patrick Mahomes II took over. Veach and Reid both talked about surrounding him with talent, and that could mean more help with pass catchers and offensive linemen.

LOCAL LOOKOUT

There are some local names that could fit nicely in Kansas City. Kansas DE Dorance Armstrong showed flashes of talent throughout his career in Lawrence, while Kanas State CB D.J. Reed has the speed to help on defense and special teams – he was a return ace with the Wildcats.

HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS

The Chiefs have landed at least one Pro Bowl player each of the past three drafts: Peters in 2015 Authentic Connor Williams Jersey , WR Tyreek Hill the next year and RB Kareem Hunt last season. But they also have acquired other key guys, including Mahomes in the first round last year and DT Chris Jones in the second round in 2016.

The misses have largely been on defense. CB KeiVarae Russell was cut in camp after going in the third round in 2016, while DE Tanoh Kpassagnon rarely saw the field as a second-rounder last year.

Good luck finding bigger bargains than Hunt and Hill. Hunt was a third-round pick last year and led the league in rushing as a rookie, while Hill was a fifth-round pick with plenty of off-the-field issues, but has thrived as a wide receiver and return man.

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