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The New Jersey Devils have boosted their forward ranks with free agent signings, including a veteran scoring winger.Numbers Game looks at the Devils acquisition of Michael Ryder.The Devils Get: RW Michael Ryder. Ryder, 33, is a five-time 20-goal scorer who tallied 16 goals and 35 points in 46 games last season; his best per-game point production since his rookie season, 2003-2004. His 213 goals ranks 27th since 2003-2004. While Ryder can find the net, he doesnt stand out otherwise. He has played more than 17 minutes per game once in his career. His recent goal-scoring surge, 51 in 128 games over the last two seasons, tied for 11th, is due to an elevated shooting percentage. Over the last two seasons, Ryder has scored on 16.3% of his shots, fifth-best in the league, but that followed two seasons when he finished on 10.1% of his shots, and his career mark is up to 12.8%, so regression lurks around the corner. Montreal added Ryder part way through last season, in exchange for Erik Cole, gaining future financial flexibility by shedding Coles contract, but they received good production from Ryder (10 goals, 21 points in 27 games). Having signed Danny Briere as a free agent, the Canadiens have effectively found a player that they deem to be Ryders replacement. Briere signed for two years and $8-million with Montreal while Ryder has signed a two-year, $7-million deal with the Devils. Even with some falling back, Ryder should be a productive contributor for the Devils, playing in a top-six scoring role and provided that hes with players that can get him the puck, say on the wing with Patrik Elias and either Travis Zajac or Adam Henrique in the middle, but it shouldnt be shocking if Ryders production could be more in the 18-to-23-goal range for the next couple seasons. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook.Brian Burns Youth Jersey . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Greg Little Youth Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. http://www.shoppanthersonline.us/panthers-ryan-kalil-blue-jersey/ . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Christian Miller Youth Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Will Grier Youth Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week.The MCC University (MCCU) scheme has received a significant boost with news that a sponsor has been found to cover previous cuts in funding.The MCC announced earlier this year that they were to cut their funding of the programme by around 50% (from over ￡550,000 a year to around ￡275,000 a year) from the start of 2017. With the ECB unwilling to make-up the shortfall, the long-term viability of the scheme had been in doubt.But now Deloitte, the accountancy and consultancy firm, have been secured on a two-year deal. While the search for more sponsors and longer term deals goes on, the centres can expect higher levels of funding than anticipated this year and less of a shortfall than feared next.Around 23% of current England-qualified cricketers involved in the first-class game developed in part through the MCCU scheme which has six centres in Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Loughborough and Leeds-Bradford. Among the players to have graduated through the system are director of cricket for the England team, Andrew Strauss, Ireland captain William Porterfield, Surreys Zafar Ansari, former England spinner Monty Panesar, Kents Sam Billings and England Womens captain, Heather Knight.Set-up by former England opener Graeme Fowler in 1996, the aim was to ensure young people did not have to choose between education and cricket. By providing them with good quality coaching and playing opportunities at the same time as allowing them to gain a further education, the scheme not only encourages some into sport who might otherwise be lost, but prepares those who do break into the professional for the life after their sporting retirement.Fowler has long argued that the ECB have a duty of care to fund the scheme, suggesting it helps avoid some of the pitfalls encountered by players as they look for opportunities once their on-field careers come to an end.ddddddddddddNot only does this scheme encourage more of the best and brightest players to pursue a career in the game, Fowler told ESPNcricinfo in March, but it honours the duty of care we should have to them at both ends of their career.While the programme perhaps does not generate the coverage it deserves - it sometimes suffers for being judged on its short-term, on-field results rather than its long-term, off-field impact - a strong case could be mounted to suggest it offers, alongside the PCAs personal development programme, one of the most positive developments in player welfare since the introduction of pensions and insurance policies. It receives no direct funding from the ECB.It easily represents the biggest outlay of funds made each year by the MCC on cricket projects. The MCC has, over the last decade, spent more than ￡6.5m on the project and, in addition to the six MCCU centres, includes the funding of the MCC Combined Universities side (which consists of cricketers unsigned by the first-class counties and has just enjoyed its best season in the 2nd XI Championship) and the Loughborough Women side.Fowler stood down from his post at Durham MCCU in 2015. He was concerned by changes to the programme which he saw as an emphasis shift away from the development of excellence and more towards community based initiatives. ' ' '