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TORONTO – On the third day of July in the summer of 2011 the Nashville Predators flipped Matthew Lombardi to Toronto. Lombardi still had two years to go on a pricey three-year contract and questions lingered as to whether he would ever play again. To grease him along to the Maple Leafs and subsequently free up cap space Nashville had to surrender a 23-year-old defender whom they drafted and developed in the third round of the 2005 draft. That trade surprised Cody Franson. Another deal that may come to pass in the coming five weeks isnt likely to sneak up on the 6-foot-5 defenceman. His name has been bandied about in trade speculation almost to no end during three-plus seasons in Toronto, that chatter only heating up again recently. An impending unrestricted free agent this summer, Franson and the Leafs have yet agree upon terms for a new deal. Given that murky contract status and the clubs rapid descent out of a playoff spot – 14 losses in 17 games - speculation picked up that the club may opt to move the 27-year-old defender before the Mar. 2 trade deadline. Its one of those things where its everywhere you go, said Franson of the trade talk. If its not on the radio its on the TV. If its not on the TV its on any Twitter feed and even though I dont have [a Twitter account] sometimes its tough to stay away from. Teammates will crack jokes about the possibility. Buddies from back home in Sicamous, B.C. will fire texts with links to some rumour or another. Try as he might Franson cant really escape the swell of speculation – real or fiction – that surrounds his future. At the end of the day its not in my hands, he said. I can control how I play and try and continually prove my worth here to this team and how I want to be here. Those decisions ultimately get made by the people upstairs and theyve got a tough job. Fransons stock has risen this year. Hes emerged with increased responsibilities, is well on his way to a career-high in points and is that rare right-shot defender with size and puck-moving skills. All of that makes him a desired candidate for trade before the deadline and a candidate for a large contract on July 1 – one the Leafs may not be prepared to pay. Franson, who signed his third consecutive one-year deal worth $3.3 million last summer, wants to stay in Toronto and always has, but hell also be after fair value. And given how tightly the organization squeezed him previously in restricted free agency theres no reason to expect him to settle for less. Torontos cap situation, additionally, complicates his future with the club beyond this season. Already looking tight with next years potential cap (projected to be between $71-73 million) and restricted free agents in Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri still to be signed, the Leafs may not have room to ink Franson to the kind of hefty contract hes in line to demand (and get) in free agency. That could change if Brendan Shanahan and his front office staff opt to dramatically restructure the roster, be it now or in the summer months. One such option would be to move Dion Phaneuf – who has six years remaining with an annual cap hit of $7 million – to create the space needed to sign Franson (not to mention Bernier and Kadri), who is two years younger and just reaching his potential. That would leave a foundation on defence of Franson, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner as well as future (potential) parts like Stuart Percy, Petter Granberg and Tom Nilsson. (Toronto will get a look at such a unit in the coming days with Phaneuf sidelined on a week-to-week basis, the result of a week-old fight with Milan Michalek.) The Leafs could still trade Franson before the deadline and then attempt to woo him back in free agency. But if theyre not willing to meet his price now its entirely reasonable to suspect they wont do so later. Its an odd dynamic for Franson at the moment. He wants to be a Leaf, wants to commit to the club for the long haul and yet could be lifted off the roster at any moment. When youre in that situation, he explained, where youre in the place where you want to be and you hear those trade rumours it makes it tough to swallow that pill sometimes. [But] coming through the whole process of trying to make pro and through juniors and into the NHL the second you think you understand what theyre trying to do upstairs youre wrong. I couldnt tell you how many times I thought I knew what they were going to do and they did something completely different. I try to take every rumour for what its worth and at the end of the day I dont know whats going to happen so I approach it like Im going to be here and this is where I want to be. And until that day comes or if that day comes Ill figure it out from there. Joe Flacco Womens Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Hayden Hurst Ravens Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins (3) - Surrendered a tough first goal against on a deflection through the body short side. http://www.ravensrookiestore.com/Ravens-Jonathan-Ogden-Jersey/ . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. Ben Powers Ravens Jersey . -- When Steve Blake checked in at the scorers table with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter, Stephen Curry shook his head and shouted across the court, asking Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson not to take him out. Marquise Brown Ravens Jersey . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start.6) The 2014 season left everyone wondering about the lack of scoring in the CFL. It was easy to point to the quarterback position--too many injuries, not enough talent or experience otherwise. So did you worry about a Grey Cup that featured Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros, admittedly the best of the new breed but perhaps not ready to light up BC Place with their right arms? Well, both passed for more than 300 yards, and yet just one touchdown pass was thrown, and that by Collaros on the losing side.7) Will you applaud when an NFL team signs Ray Rice and says it believes in giving a second chance? Well, okay, but the NFL team that signs Ray Rice will do so because it believes it needs a running back.8) If it is inevitable that Connor McDavid will come to the NHL as "the next Wayne Gretzky", would it be good or not so good if he is drafted by the Edmonton Oilers? (Wayne Gretzky himself believes McDavid will handle the hype wherever he plays--Im not so sure Edmonton is the best place to do that. And by the way, the Oilers are in 30th place.)9) The event is the thing at the World Junior Hockey Championship, but shall we admit that the interest level will go up or down depending upon the health and performance level of McDavid?10) Does Team Canadas decision to award roster spots to goalies Zach Fucale and Eric Comrie while promoting plenty of competition at other positions make you scratch your head?11) I said here earlier that Tom Brady would clinch NFL MVP honours if he followed wins over Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck with a win over Aaron Rodgers. So the question is: Does the Green Bay quarterback enter the MVP discussion, if he wasnt already in it, and is he now the favourite?12) More MVP talk--is it inevitable that the NHLs Hart Trophy will be won by Sidney Crosby or Steven Stamkos?13) You do want to pause for a minute before declaring that a Toronto Blue Jays trade made by Alex Anthopoulos is a good one, dont you? Things have gone wrong with other moves by AA that appeared to be "cant miss" transactions. But pause all you want, how do you question the decision to trade Brett Lawrie and three prospects for Josh Donaldson?14) Okay, shall I attempt to answer the above? You question the TOR-OAK deal only if you think the As can sstraighten out Lawrie and he can rise a lot closer to Donaldsons level, and if you think Billy Beane is right when he says shortstop Franklin Barreto is one of baseballs best prospects.ddddddddddddWhere the Jays were concerned, Barreto would only have been one of their best prospects.15) Is there a winnable game on the horizon for the Philadelphia 76ers? On this seasons schedule, I mean.16) Never mind how it turns out, when the Boston Red Sox made a big splash in the free-agent pool by signing Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, werent baseball fans everywhere the beneficiaries? The Red Sox are supposed to be an attraction, and they really werent last season. As for the other team that isnt allowed to be boring, its your move, New York Yankees.17) How much will 2014 home run king Nelson Cruz help the Seattle Mariners? Well, he should certainly help Robinson Cano by hitting behind him in the batting order, but the Mariners, who came agonizingly close to a playoff spot last season, have to do more than add one bat every winter. Canos average was .314 last season. No other Mariner who appeared in 100 or more games was within 45 percentage points of the star second baseman.18) When San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner said "After 10 years on the sunny side, we now find ourselves struggling to make the playoffs", do the rest of us understand that the playoffs are the sunny side, or do we agree that the playoffs are weather-neutral until they end, at which time the sun may not be shining? Like in San Jose.19) Should the NFL have disciplined five members of the St. Louis Rams for their "hands up, dont shoot" gesture? This is a tough one, because the NFL is hearing it from police in St. Louis and elsewhere for not acting, and would certainly have been criticized if it had issued fines. Trouble is, the NFL cant pick and choose based on the issue, dealing with the trivial and ducking the touchy. Except thats what it does, too often lately.20) Is there any reason to mention the New Jersey Devils signing of Scott Gomez? Well, no, not really, except to introduce this weeks musical offering, from the band called Gomez, and for that, we go back to 2006, when Scott Gomez was first with the Devils. Thats "How We Operate". ' ' '