BUFFALO – Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis has a pretty good understanding of all that Mason Raymond can offer. But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. “Its not really me,” Nonis said, minutes before the Leafs and Sabres squared off at First Niagara Center on Saturday. “Im comfortable with Mason. I know what hes like as a person and I think everyone is comfortable with him as a player. Its where Randy sees him. Where does he fit in the lineup?” Nonis and his management team will certainly have their input in the series of roster decisions still looming for the Leafs, but according to Nonis, Carlyle will have the final say. “I cant tell him to put someone into the lineup that he doesnt want in the lineup,” Nonis opined of the decision-making process. “He has full control over who makes this team and who doesnt. But we all spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of certain people and their strengths and weaknesses. I think its a pretty healthy relationship and open dialogue both ways to make sure that were all on the same page and were all pushing toward the same goal with the same pieces.” Signed to a professional tryout on the eve of training camp and a second round selection of Nonis in Vancouver, Raymond is among the more intriguing pieces vying for a place on the Toronto roster. With loads of speed and a fair amount of skill, the now 27-year-old offers Carlyle the prospect of depth and versatility in the forward ranks. Scoring twice in his first two exhibition matches, he has made an immediate impression. Surely a more complex case for the head coach is 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, whom the Leafs can either keep in the NHL or return to the junior circuit in Moose Jaw. “Hes making it as hard as I thought hed make it,” Nonis said of Rielly, who suited up for the first three exhibition games, sitting out in Buffalo. Carlyle suggested at the outset of camp that the determination process with Rielly would lie in whether he could capably contribute 12-15 minutes a night or was better off dominating with the Warriors, conceding the value of both options. “Randy knows what hes looking for,” Nonis continued. “He had a different player but a pretty good example of that in Cam Fowler. I think he was always looking for [Fowler] to falter and he never did and Randy used him more and more. And if he wouldve faltered Im sure Randy wouldve pulled him out. Thats the same kind of scenario here with Morgan. If hes ready then hell go in.” Though Nonis stated explicitly that Carlyle has final say on roster decisions, the coach, for one, seems to value the opinions of those around him, taking stock of a range of voices across the organization before settling on a decision. “We converse daily, sometimes two or three times a day,” Carlyle said of his conversations with management after a lengthy 3-2 shootout victory. “If its not [Dave Nonis], its [Dave Poulin], its Claude Loiselle, Cliff Fletcher, Bobby Carpenters here, Steve Kaspers around; theres an armada of management that we make sure that we all have a voice and an opinion. We as a coaching staff talk behind closed doors quite a bit ourselves about what our feelings are and we want to make sure were consistent with what we see and we voice our opinion to the management staff. “When youre in the situation were in I think that you try to take everybodys opinion.” “Well have long discussions about it,” Nonis concluded. “Its probably the same way that I use Randy when were trying to make a trade, I seek his opinion. And at the end of the day we do what we need to do as a staff. I think its the same way from his standpoint; hell seek our opinion, but hes picking the team.” Five Points 1. Rangers shootout attempt The shootout lasted 15 rounds and exactly 30 shooters on Saturday, capped by Jay McClements eventual winner. But the highlight of the exhibition proceeding had to have been Paul Ranger, who offered a truly creative attempt against the Sabres goaltender. “Its a kick-shot,” Ranger said afterward of his failed effort on Jhonas Enroth. “I dont know how else to describe. I learned it when I was probably 10 or 11 years old.” With the shootout dragging with no end apparently in sight, shot after shot turned aside, Ranger decided that when his name was eventually called he would attempt the unusual and unpredictable. “Thats the cool part of it is that I have no idea where its going and the goalie doesnt either ‘cause I sure dont,” he grinned. 2. Reimers second effort James Reimer made his first full outing of the exhibition season, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he saw from the Sabres before adding 15 more in the shootout. “I felt a lot better today compared to London,” Reimer said, referring to his first start a week earlier, which lasted about half the game. “Im feeling better every day on the ice, really seeing the puck better, reading situations and plays better. In the game I felt a lot more comfortable today than I did in London. But having said theres still some situations where you werent as sharp as youd like to be.” Though just an exhibition game, Reimer was pleased with his perfect performance in the shootout, a source of some struggle last season and throughout his career. “Weve been working on some stuff,” he said. “Not going to give away my secrets or anything, but it is something obviously I worked on a bit this summer and tried to really improve on.” Reimer is 0-5 career in the shootout with a .625 save percentage. 3. Lupul nearing exhibition debut The exhibition debut is drawing near for Joffrey Lupul. Returning to practice earlier this week following a bout with back spasms, Lupul remained out against the Sabres on Saturday, but projects to play when the two teams meet again in Toronto on Sunday. “Whats 24 more hours?” Leafs coach Randy Carlyle asked rhetorically before the game. “Well, 24 more hours is a practice underneath [him], an opportunity to stretch, an opportunity for more rest and for his body to tell him that hes 110 per cent, ready to go.” Lupul began experiencing trouble with his back in the days leading up to training camp, remaining off the ice for the first week of camp. Troubled by injuries over the course of his career, including last season when he played in just 16 games, Lupul appeared to have put his most recent back difficulties behind him with four consecutive days of practice. “Wed love to see him in our lineup on a regular basis,” Carlyle said of Lupul. “Weve tried to maintain that he has to change some of the things that he does from a standpoint of maybe being less reckless. I commented on it last week, I thought it was more not being so much reckless, but I think he was just dying to make a contribution.” Lupul fractured his right forearm in the third game of 2013, the victim of a flailing Dion Phaneuf point shot. He returned to the lineup 25 games later, offering two weeks of mesmerizing hockey before suffering a concussion, crunched by Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall. 4. More Rielly Watch Questioned further on the junior option for Rielly, Nonis said the coaching staff in Moose Jaw certainly factored into the Leafs equation. “If he does go back he has a good coach there,” Nonis said of Warriors head coach Mike Stothers. “I think thats one area you look at and say is he being coached by a quality staff and the answer is yes. Would he have a major impact on the World Junior team? I think the answer there is yes. Theres some things that could happen to him that would be good for him. That doesnt mean that he should go back. If he really is ready to play here and he can play a significant role then theres nothing wrong with keeping him at 19.” 5. Smiths dream Vying for a job with the Leafs in a depth capacity, Trevor Smith was born in Ottawa, spent a few years of his youth in Thornhill, Ontario, before finally settling in Vancouver. And he grew up a Leafs fan. “A lot of my buddies were giving me some cr**,” he said of signing with the organization this summer, “but for me personally this is a huge opportunity and something Ive dreamed of as a kid. Im really excited to be here.” Smith spent last season in the Pittsburgh organization – he dressed for one game with the Penguins – a member of the Lightning organization the year prior to that. The 28-year-old has played in 24 career NHL games, his AHL resume chalk full of gaudy offensive stats. Smith has the ability to play both centre and the wing, realizing that his versatility is perhaps the best asset to finding a job with the Leafs at this point. “I think if Im going to play in this league I need to be able to kill penalties and be really good at it,” he explained, “be able to block shots and be versatile, not only five-on-five defensively but on the PK as well.” Vince Carter Magic Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Swingman Vince Carter Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. http://www.magicauthenticshop.com/Authentic-Jason-Williams-Magic-Jersey/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Swingman Shaquille ONeal Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Elfrid Payton Magic Jersey . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games.LONDON -- A rejuvenated Mesut Ozil helped Arsenal secure a place in the FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 2009 while Manchester United eased past West Bromwich 3-0 to keep alive its faint top-four hopes in the Premier League on Saturday. Arsenal beat Everton 4-1 at Emirates Stadium to become the first team through to the last four, with substitute Olivier Giroud scoring two of the hosts three goals in the final 22 minutes. Yet it was the display of Ozil that stood out, the Germany playmaker responding to criticism of his lacklustre recent performances by scoring the opening goal in the seventh minute, setting up Girouds second and working tirelessly for the team. "Physically he looked regenerated, with more power in his runs," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, "and, as well, what I liked is he did a lot of dirty work for a player like him." The other quarter-final matches are on Sunday. Phil Jones, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck scored for United at The Hawthorns to move the beleaguered champions up to sixth, provisionally nine points behind fourth-place Manchester City. It will need an almost-flawless run-in for United to finish in the Champions League positions but the result at least will boost confidence that dropped to a season low after losing 2-0 at Olympiakos in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match 11 days ago. "We were hurt after losing to Olympiakos and we wanted to come and show everyone were a good team," Rooney said. "We played with great energy and we always looked a threat." City, which plays defending champion Wigan in the FA Cup on Sunday in a repeat of the 2013 final, has two games in hand over United in the league. Jones headed United in front in the 34th minute from Robin van Persies free kick and an unmarked Rooney nodded in Rafaels crooss in the 65th to virtually secure three points.dddddddddddd Welbeck added a third in the 82nd as United climbed above Everton on goal difference. In one of four other Premier League games later, Chelsea can extend its lead to seven points by beating Tottenham. Arsenal has dropped off the pace in the Premier League title race by winning just one of its last four matches, and is unlikely to progress beyond the last 16 of the Champions League after a 2-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich in their first leg. That means the FA Cup has become a priority for the Gunners, who are without a trophy since 2005, and it took the 61st-minute introduction of Giroud when the score was 1-1 to turn a tight contest against Everton. The France striker, on for inexperienced and ineffective compatriot Yaya Sanogo, gave Arsenal more presence up front to allow the teams attacking midfielders to shine. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was tripped by Gareth Barry for a penalty, which Mikel Arteta needed to convert twice - the first was ruled out for encroachment by Giroud, to give Arsenal a 68th-minute lead. Giroud sidefooted home Bacary Sagnas cross from close range in the 83rd and, after another flowing move, Ozil supplied a centre for Giroud to apply another simple finish two minutes later. Ozil has been criticized by English media in recent weeks while some Germany supporters directed their ire at the playmaker during the midweek friendly win over Chile. But he was impressive here, slotting home neatly from Santi Cazorlas pass to put Arsenal in front, only for Romelu Lukaku to equalize in the 32nd. Everton youngster Ross Barkley squandered a great chance for the visitors in the 54th minute and it was all Arsenal after Girouds introduction. "It was important for us to win today," Wenger said, "on the psychological front." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '