TORONTO – Fighting rising adversity and stalled growth, the Leafs will get a little help on the back-end in the coming days. Malcolm Butler Titans Jersey . Mark Fraser is ready to return from a left knee injury and hopes to play against the Devils, his former team, on Friday. The 27-year-old has been sidelined for all but two games this season with a grade-2 MCL tear. "I think I can say today was my best day yet," said Fraser, following an hour-plus practice on Wednesday morning. "There really wasnt any concerns today in practice. I think thats a pretty good green light indication for myself." Randy Carlyle wasnt ready to say if Fraser would immediately rejoin the lineup, but did at least concede to the looming possibility of change on a defence thats had trouble this season. Guardedness from the coach aside, Fraser figures to find a place upon his return from injury. He was among the teams top-6 defenders when the season began in Montreal – he played with Paul Ranger that night – and offers the kind of meat-and-potatoes defensive game his team has lacked early this season. Where he fits and who exits the lineup in the interim is more the question and one Carlyle and the coaching staff have surely been pondering. "We have decisions to make," Carlyle said, revealing little in the way of plans. The odd man out when the season opened on Oct. 1, Morgan Rielly played a season-low 14 minutes in Vancouver on Saturday. The 19-year-old has had the predictable ups and downs of a rookie defender, averaging nearly 18 minutes alongside Cody Franson in the slot Fraser occupied last season. Like Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Paul Ranger have also been inconsistent options to date. Theyve offered limited patches of good on a third pairing, but nothing sustainable. Their troubles with the puck and in the defensive zone have been an obvious concern. Much like last season, the Leafs have struggled to find consistency beyond their top pair of Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson. Carlyle has typically employed Franson and Rielly against second-tier offensive options (often subbing the rookie with Phaneuf), but theyve proven uneven in the role, both players more refined offensively than defensively. Carlyle found success teaming the 6-foot-4 Fraser with the 6-foot-5 Franson last season; though the pair had difficulty at times with greater competition as the year wore on. Because of Riellys inexperience and the inconsistency of Gardiner and Ranger, this may be the best option for the Leafs at the moment – with any one of the aforementioned three exiting the lineup initially, likely on a rotating basis. Ultimately, Carlyle will have to determine where Fraser fits best in helping to stabilize the defence. "Youre going to make the decision that you feel is best for your hockey club, whats going to give you the best chance to win," said Carlyle. Frasers return, needed as it is, highlights the instability of a Toronto defence that received no external upgrades in the offseason. Leaf management had limited options via free agency and ultimately stood pat on the trade market, adding only Ranger from the Marlies. It was and remains a hope for the club that Gardiner rounds into playoff form, that Ranger continues to improve after a four-year NHL absence and that Rielly continues to show growth. The results remain inconclusive to this point. Fraser exuded a workmanlike effort in snatching a spot with the Leafs last season; he led the defence in both blocked shots and hits. Though the pain and discomfort in his left knee have subsided, he will be required to wear a brace upon returning from long-term injured reserve, one that hell likely keep for the remainder of the season as a precaution. "Finding some sort of comfort in it," he said of the adjustment. "It just feels like a very restrictive piece of equipment that seldom stays in the same spot so its just getting beyond that. Like anything it just takes some getting used to." More constrictive than the brace is the medical tape he must wear, stretching from the thigh to below the knee. The protective equipment, he said, wont affect his skating stride nor does it restrict him from any typical movements. Though he figures to help a club that has had difficulty defending – 37 shots against per game – his addition is just one small piece to a group that has yet to play anywhere near its best hockey (10-5-0). In what was likely their worst performance of the season on Saturday, the Leafs allowed 40-plus shots for the third straight game, shut out for the first time all year in a 4-0 loss to the Canucks. "I think we need physical," said Carlyle, asked if Frasers physical presence was needed. "I think we need puck-moving. I think we need to quit the turnovers. I think weve got to get back to more a workman-like game versus the cute game I think weve been trying to play." Theyll be challenged to do so without two of their top centres. Tyler Bozak (hamstring) is out for the foreseeable future (Nov. 21, his earliest return date) and Dave Bolland (ankle) has hit injured reserve for a period that remains unknown and figures to be longer rather than shorter. Hoping to plug the holes and survive in the meantime, the club signed 34-year-old Jerred Smithson for the remainder of the season, also bumping James van Riemsdyk to centre. Previously with the Marlies on a pro tryout, Smithson spent last season split between Florida and Edmonton. "We look at our team to play a tighter brand of hockey and to continue to show some growth," said Carlyle. "We think the growth has stalled for our team. We dont think that weve played to the template that weve created and some of the things that were struggling with are things that we have to overcome or were not going to give ourselves the best chance for success." Luke Stocker Jersey . Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win. Harold Landry Titans Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-21-Malcolm-Butler-Womens-Jersey/ . Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams.CALIFORNIA, Pa. - Five football players from a state university in western Pennsylvania were arrested and suspended from the school after police say they beat and stomped a man outside an off-campus restaurant, then fled yelling Football strong! The victim was in intensive care Friday with severe brain trauma.The California University of Pennsylvania players attacked Lewis Campbell, 30, of West Chester, as he was trying to stop an argument between his girlfriend and a player at about 2 a.m. Thursday, police said.Witnesses heard the players yelling Football strong! as they fled to a car and Campbell lay unconscious, police said.The university declared later Thursday that its Division II football team would forfeit Saturdays against Gannon University, jeopardizing its best season in three years.Behaviour has consequences, the universitys interim president, Geraldine Jones, said in a statement.Officers said they arrested the players — Jonathan Barlow, DAndre Dunkley, Corey Ford, Rodney Gillin Jr. and James Williamson — at practice Thursday afternoon. They are charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.Online court records didnt list attorneys for the men, who remained jailed Friday because they werre unable to post bail of $500,000 apiece. Blaine Gabbert Jersey. They face a preliminary hearing Nov. 17.The California football team has won seven of eight games this season and this week reached No. 19 in D2Football.com, its highest ranking since 2012. The team has two games scheduled after Saturdays forfeit. It is unclear if they will be played.The team took swift action Thursday to scrub its website of the arrested players, removing their names from the roster and deleting their biography pages.Ford, a 22-year-old senior from Harrisburg, and Gillin, a 20-year-old junior from Reading, were starters at defensive back, according to a cached version of the teams website.Barlow, a 21-year-old sophomore defensive lineman from Pittsburgh, and Dunkley, a 19-year-old tight end from Philadelphia, have seen limited action.Williamson, 20, of Parkville, Maryland, transferred this year after two seasons at West Virginia Wesleyan.Jones said they would face university sanctions for potential violations of the student code of conduct, in addition to any penalties imposed through the legal system.At the same time, she said, it must be clearly understood that the actions of a small group of individuals are not representative of our entire student body, nor of all Cal U student-athletes. Cheap Cowboys Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Cheap Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Cheap Vikings Jerseys ' ' '