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P. Panthers Cam Newton Grey Jersey .K. Subbans Norris Trophy-winning talent and style of play often make him a highly-visible figure on the ice. But recently, hes also become a highly-visible figure on the Montreal Canadiens bench. Subbans lack of ice-time – particularly in late game scenarios – has become something of a trend over the Habs most recent stretch. In the Canadiens 3-2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, he watched the final four-plus minutes of regulation time from the bench and didnt come out until the start of overtime. He was also fourth in ice time among Montreals blue liners, trailing Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges and Raphael Diaz. "I will not comment on the ice time of any player," head coach Michel Therrien said Wednesday morning when questioned about Subbans minutes. Therrien did, however, add that Subban played "a hell of a game for us...exactly what we needed from him." TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie found the timing of the most recent focus on Subbans ice time to be interesting. "Its a real interesting dynamic at a real interesting time that all this is happening probably a week or two before P.K.s representatives are going to start contract negotiations with the Canadiens," McKenzie told TSN Radio 690 Montreal on Wednesday morning. Subban is in the final year of a two-year deal he signed with the Canadiens during the 2012-13 NHL season. That deal, signed after Subban missed the first four games of the truncated 48-game season, was worth a total of $5.75 million, with $2 million going to Subban in the shortened season and $3.75 million coming his way this year. So with a couple of years before Subban is eligible to test unrestricted free agency, it could be argued that the two-year bridge deal that he signed last season may now play in his favour. "There are some people who think that a lot of whats going on now might be contract-related and that the Montreal Canadiens want to be able to say to P.K: "Look, we dont trust you defensively. Youve still got so much growing to do before you can justifiably ask for $7 million per year like Drew Doughty," McKenzie said. But as McKenzie pointed out, a two-year deal could now be what Subban seeks, especially should he elect to go to arbitration where his offensive numbers and Norris Trophy would likely net him a handsome dollar figure on a one- or two-year term, getting him one step closer to the open market. McKenzie also noted that there are mitigating factors beyond Subbans perceived defensive responsibility or lack thereof in the case of Tuesday nights loss. "If you look at it, yes, he didnt play in the last four minutes," McKenzie told TSN Radio 690. "But he had a 1:54 power play shift right at the 14-15 minute mark. Think about that for a moment. He just played a minute and 54 seconds on a power play. So, hes not coming out on the next shift, no matter what. "What were talking about here is – and Im not saying that theres not an issue – but in last night specifically, he probably missed one shift of five-on-five hockey in the last minute of that hockey game." That said, how do you think this saga will end? The Canadiens arent even a quarter of the way into the 2013-14 season, so plenty of time remains for the situation to play out. Will the Habs continue to limit Subbans ice time late in close games, or will they let the defender grow and accept that the game may swing for the better or worse with him on the ice? And will Subbans upcoming contract negotiations lead to a short-term deal that sees him hit the open market earlier or that big multi-year contract that keeps him in Montreal for the long term? As always, its Your! Call. http://www.panthersstore.us.com/Black-65-Garry-Williams-Womens-Jersey/. Bills GM Doug Whaley proved to be bold, trading up five spots to get one of the four real blue-chip players in the draft, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins at No. 4 overall. The problem is they gave up a ton to do it, surrendering next years first-round pick to Cleveland in order to jump up five spots. "You have a young quarterback in EJ Manuel; a talented kid. Now they want to surround him with a weapon, and they went and the premier wide receiver in this draft," NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock said. Panthers Luke Kuechly White Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Kole Calhoun got the Los Angeles Angels off to a fast start with a leadoff triple, and he trotted home after an errant relay throw bounced into the seats. All-Star centre fielder Mike Trout and the rest of the Angels quickly followed his lead, and Los Angeles went on to a 15-6 rout over the freefalling Texas Rangers on Thursday night. "Oh yeah we were having fun," said Trout, the No. 2 hitter behind Calhoun who had a three-run homer among his four hits. "We always have fun, we know what this offence is capable of doing." The first four Angels batters in the game had hits and scored. They added six more runs in the second and were already up 13-2 against Colby Lewis (6-6) when Trout hit his 21st homer with one out in the third. "Those are the days you play for in organized sports, especially in baseball, when everybodys contributing, everybodys having fun, everybodys getting hits," said Josh Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP with Texas who had RBI doubles in each of the first two innings. "Its a fun thing to be a part of." While the Angels won for the seventh time in eight games, Texas has lost five straight and 19 of 22. The Rangers (38-54) have the worst winning percentage in the majors at .413. The Rangers clubhouse remained closed for about 30 minutes after the game. Manager Ron Washington refused to reveal what he said to his team, but gave some insight into what he expects from his players. "That you dont stop fighting. You dont give into adversity. The game of baseball is full of it. You dont give in to it," he said. "The only people that can make a change and make a difference is my guys. " Hector Santiago (1-7) struck out eight in six innings. The left-hander allowed four runs and five hits. Lewis allowed a club-record 13 runs in only 2 1-3 innings. He also gave up a career-worst 13 hits in his 130th major league start, while his ERA increased by more than a full run -- from 5.51 to 6.54 -- afteer 11 earned runs were changed against him. http://www.panthersstore.us.com/Customized/. . Calhoun, who had four hits and scored four times, was only a homer shy of a cycle after hits in each of the first three innings. He admittedly "100 per cent" was trying to go deep his last two at-bats in a lopsided game, but grounded out and had another single. "I was definitely pulling for it," Trout said. "It was fun to watch." Calhoun pulled another ball down the right-field line for an RBI double in the second. Trout then drove in a run on a chopper for an infield hit before Albert Pujols had a sacrifice fly -- though he reached base when right fielder Alex Rios dropped the ball on the warning track for an error. Hamilton then had the second of his three doubles in the game. Erick Aybar, added to the AL All-Star team Thursday, also had RBIs in each of the first two innings. He drove in a run with a groundout in the first and had an RBI single in the second. Rangers rookie outfielder Jake Smolinski, who made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter Monday, had three hits, drove in three runs and scored twice. He has hits in all three of his starts and is the first Rangers player ever with eight hits in his first four games. NOTES: The Angels had lost eight consecutive games at Texas. ... RHP Matt West became the third player to make his major league debut this week for the Rangers. He had two scoreless innings in relief and was the 28th pitcher used this season by Texas, breaking a tie with the Angels for the most in the majors. C Chris Gimenez made it 29 when he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. ... Rangers All-Star 3B Adrian Beltre had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active in the AL. He is hitting .500 (42 of 84) his last 22 home games. ... Angels RHP Garrett Richards (10-2, 2.71), who finished second in the final five voting for the last spot on the AL All-Star team, starts Friday night against righty Nick Tepesch (3-4, 4.29). ' ' '