New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski admitted that he was considering retirement following the team's Super Bowl 52 loss to
the Philadelphia Eagles.It's been nearly two months
Ed Dickson Color Rush Jersey , and Gronk has yet to make an announcement. But according to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, the two-time Super Bowl
champion is expected to return next season, citing sources close to
Gronkowski.Darlington did note that Gronk hasn't made a final call yet, but he
wants to come back so long as Tom Brady remains part of the team. But even if
No. 87 continues his football career, there's a chance it happens outside of
Foxborough.Per Darlington, there is some strain in the relationship of
Gronkowski and Belichick, who apparently didn't care for some of his cryptic
social media posts. This included Gronk bidding farewell to former teammate
Danny Amendola, who signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. In the
post, Gronk wrote "Be FREE
Matt Belisle Jersey , Be HAPPY."Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston also reported after the Super Bowl that Gronk wasn't happy during training camp last
year, feeling "persecuted," and "singled out," and even contemplated retirement.
So even if Gronkowski returns to the Patriots, it looks like there is plenty of
tension to clear up with the legendary head coach. With Malcolm Butler leaving
the team under bitter circumstances and Belichick reportedly being caught in a
power struggle with Brady and Robert Kraft (according to a report from ESPN's
Seth Wickersrham in January), it seems like the heat is really on in New
England.Despite the reported drama, the Patriots dynasty nearly won a sixth
Lombardi Trophy to their impressive collection. But first, it remains to be seen
if Gronkowski will return - and if the Patriots will be able to put all of this
tension behind them as they try to win a third consecutive AFC Championship.
TORONTO — The Florida Panthers will be trying to keep their playoff drive alive Wednesday night while the Toronto Maple Leafs will make another attempt to
set a franchise record for wins in a season.
The Panthers (39-28-7) defeated the New York Islanders 3-0 Monday night as they pursue the New Jersey Devils for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern
Conference.
“I really haven’t been paying much attention to what’s going on with the Devils and those other teams, but obviously we know it’s tight and you can’t
afford to lose at this point
Cheap Jason McCourty Jersey ,” said Panthers center Nick Bjugstad, who scored a goal Monday. “There’s not much breathing room here at the end of the
year. We’ve got a tough schedule coming up here, a lot of games, but it’s going
to be a fun challenge.”
The Maple Leafs (45-24-7) are secure in their playoff spot but will be trying for a franchise-record in wins for a season with 46. That goal was thwarted by a
3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Monday night in which they had a 41-27 advantage
in shots on goal. The loss also stopped a franchise-record 13-game home winning
streak and prevented the Maple Leafs from winning their 27th home game of the
season, which also would be a team record.
“I think we got a nice warning against Detroit (a 4-3 win over the Red Wings Saturday) that no matter if the teams are playing for the first draft pick or
whatever or they’re playing for the playoffs, they’re going to bring it every
night,” Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen said. “I think we came
prepared, I think we played well tonight — we could have hit the net a little
bit more maybe, but I think we had a lot of good opportunities. Those nights are
going to happen
Youth Justin Reid Jersey , and I think we played a good game overall.”
A former Maple Leafs goaltender, James Reimer, has played a big part in the Panthers attempt at a playoff spot.
Reimer made 32 saves for his fifth consecutive win Monday. The backup to Roberto Luongo earned his fourth shutout of the season. He is 7-1-0 since
returning from injury Feb. 12.
“I just tried to be big in there and try to read the puck as best as I could and be on it,” Reimer said. “And then rely on your D-men to clear any garbage,
and they did a great job.”
“Reims has answered the bell every time,” Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. “This is the part of the season you need guys stepping up and he’s been one of
our guys that’s stepped up for us. His preparation is real good and you can see
he was focused right from the drop of the puck tonight, made some big
saves.”
Monday night, the Panthers signed their first-round draft pick from 2016, center Henrik Borgstrom to a three-year entry-level contract. He could join the
team as soon as Wednesday.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said there are things his team can improve on from their performance on Monday.
“Obviously
Ronald Acuna Jr. Atlanta Braves Jersey , I thought our turnovers in our own zone in the first period; I thought we were a little bit loose,” he said.
“We’ve got to hit the net, we had so many opportunities in the offensive zone
and we failed to hit the net. We missed the net, just looking right here, it
says 26 times we missed the net. So, I mean, that would be part of it too. In
the end, we had every opportunity to win, we were a little too loose and we
didn’t win. Let’s get back to work.
“I thought we had lots of good things
Cheap Justin Jones Jersey , but then we got carried away with it and gave up some chances. Now, the puck has got to stay out too. The bottom line is we
did lots of good things, we didn’t win the game. I still think we can be better
without it at times. I thought we turned it over a bit too much — too cute — and
in the end you go home disappointed.
.
