ittle off. Hes in great shape so I think we will hold Rob until we go

One day after signing captain Steven Stamkos to an eight-year contract to keep him from venturing into free agency, the Tampa Bay Lightning inked top defenseman Victor Hedman to an eight-year deal of his own.The extension, which the team announced Friday, will kick in at the start of the 2017-18 season and will pay Hedman $63 million, or $7.875 million annually.Victor has matured into one of the top defensemen in the NHL, and coming off the recent re-signing of our captain, Steven Stamkos, weve secured another extremely important member of our team, general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. Im very appreciative of both Victor and [agent] Peter Wallens efforts to reach an agreement with us at this time.Hedman tweeted about the extension Friday.Hedman, 25, had 10 goals and 37 assists for the Lightning last season, his seventh in the NHL. He has 49 goals and 180 assists in 470 career NHL games. The Lightning drafted Hedman with the No. 2 overall pick in 2009.Yzerman wasnt done with his heavy lifting with the Hedman contract. The team also announced Friday afternoon it has signed netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy to a three-year extension.Vasilevskiy, a 21-year-old who played well in relief of the injured Ben Bishop in the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh, will earn an average of $3.5 million annually over the three years of the contract.Its been a good week for us, Yzerman said.The extension provides further evidence that the team might look to move Bishop, 29, who will be entering the final year of his contract next season.Meanwhile, Stamkos, 26, will receive $8.5 million annually on his deal, which begins in 2016-17.?Combined, the Lightning have locked up their two most important assets for the foreseeable future, and both at average annual incomes that will, in theory, make it easier for Yzerman to re-sign other important Lightning players in the future, such as?Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn.The signings will reinforce the notion that the Lightning will once again be considered a Stanley Cup contender next season. They lost in the finals to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 and were defeated in the Eastern Conference finals this year in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Cheap Los Angeles Rams Jerseys China . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Cheap Detroit Lions Jerseys China .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/ . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. 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He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec.IRVINE, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley thought he saw New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia on Thursday, only for teammates to convince him otherwise.It turns out Gurleys first instinct was right on, as Sabathia and Yankees manager Joe Girardi visited training camp at UC Irvine before starting a weekend series against the Angels.I did see CC, Gurley said. I knew I wasnt tripping.Rams fans will get their own `blink and miss it moment when Gurley plays in the preseason for the first time Saturday. He didnt play in any exhibition games last year while still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during his final season at Georgia. The absence of action didnt seem to hinder Gurley, who rushed for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie.Coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday that Gurley would play one series against the Kansas City Chiefs, perhaps two before taking a seat. Asked what he wanted to see from the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year,A couple carries, maybe some protection stuff, and get him out, Fisher said.Thats fine by Gurley. He couldnt remember what he was doing during the preseason last year, aside from some pregame warmups.Dont even want to remember, Gurley said.Gurley is looking forward to live action, as there are limits to what practice can accomplish in preparing for the regular season.You can do that stuff in practice, but those game reps creep up on you a lot faster, Gurley said.Game reps will also be coming for rookie quarterback Jared Goff. The No. 1 overall draft pick from California will play with the first-string offense, though Case Keenum will take the first snaps. Fisher said starters on both sides of the ball will play into the second quarter.Our plan is to get Jaared in with the ones for a series or two, see how that goes, and let Jared play into the third quarter, Fisher said.dddddddddddd Its important to get him in there with the starters and the ones, so I think it will be a good experience for him.Defensive end Robert Quinn will not make his preseason debut after a quick trip to the Rio Olympics to see his sister compete in the 100-meter hurdles.Quinn was back for Thursdays no-pads session, but Fisher didnt want to risk playing him in a game given the lengthy travel involved.I think it makes sense for us to hold Robert for another week. He had a good practice today, Fisher said. His sleep is a little off. Hes in great shape so I think we will hold Rob until we go to Denver.Hybrid linebacker-safety Mark Barron will be a game-time decision, Fisher said. Barron has not practiced for the last three days, though Fisher downplayed his absence and attributed it to rest.Game notesCornerback E.J. Gaines was helped off the field with an apparent leg injury during a two-minute drill near the end of practice. Fisher said Gaines had made everyone a little nervous, but hes OK. Gaines missed last season with a foot injury and has been limited in training camp with a mild hamstring strain. ... Wide receiver Tavon Austin made a memorable one-handed catch during a team period, pinning the ball against cornerback Lamarcus Joyners back before controlling it. ... Lawrence McCutcheon, who spent 42 years with the Rams as a player and scout, announced his retirement.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '