NHL

– According to the New York Post, the NHL has not loaned cash to, nor taken over, the Islanders franchise. It still isn’t clear what owner Charles Wang is going to do with the franchise. It has long been rumoured that he plans to move the team elsewhere if he can’t get a new arena built to replace the Nassau Coliseum. But with city and state budgets as they are now, a new building doesn’t look likely in the near future.

The Mets chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon, said he’s discussed the possibility of the Islanders relocating to Queens with Wang.

“I’ve had conversations with Charles, and we’ve talked about Queens. We’d like to be helpful and I think Queens is an option. We built Citi Field well under budget and on time. I have all my guys ready.” There’s some speculation that Wilpon might end up buying the team from Wang, but Wilpon said the two sides “haven’t really discussed ownership.”

Wang has lost an average of $23M per year since he bought the team a decade ago. Wang has been trying to negotiate with the Town of Hempstead to build a new arena for the Islanders, but Wang hasn’t been happy with how little progress has been made towards green lighting the construction project. Stay tuned.

– The Stars have signed G Kari Lehtonen to a three-year/$10.65M extension. The injury-plagued goaltender was acquired by the Stars on February 9 in a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers. He appeared in 12 games this past season due to back surgeries, while skating in 46 and 48 contests the previous two years with Atlanta. Lehtonen posted a 6-4-0 record with a 2.81 GAA and .911 SV% with Dallas in 2009-10. GM Joe Nieuwendyk said, “We were excited to acquire Kari Lehtonen in February because of his size, skill and potential to once again be a top-tier goaltender in this League. His play during the last month of the season reaffirmed our belief that he can be our starter for next year and seasons to come. We’re very happy to agree to terms with Kari on this contract extension.”

– Flyers’ G Brian Boucher (sprained MCL in left knee) may be sidelined for as long as a month, according to GMPaul Holmgren. The Philadelphia netminder injured both knees in Monday’s 4-0 win in Boston, but his left knee feels worse than his right. G Michael Leighton will likely continue to fill in for Boucher between the the pipes for the Flyers.

– The Blues’ largest investor, private-equity firm Towerbrook Capital Partners, is pulling out, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The pullout could make it difficult for Checketts and his company, SCP Worldwide, to keep ownership of the team, according to the paper.

NFL

– QB JaMarcus Russell’s agent offered “no comment” when asked about rumours that the free agent would be joining the Bengals. WR Chad Ochocinco has dropped several hints via his Twitter account that Russell would sign with the Bengals. Tweeted Ocho: “Jamarcus Russell, you on twitter, if not its cool I’ll see you in minicamp, ooops, did I just leak that info?” ESPN’s Adam Schefter responded by saying the Bengals aren’t the only team to have contacted Russell, and there are no plans for the quarterback to join any team’s minicamp right now.

– The Redskins are scheduled to host free agent RB Brian Westbrook on Wednesday. QB Donovan McNabb has been “pushing” the Skins to sign Westbrook, reports ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Washington, however, is already overloaded with over-the-hill backs. Mike Shanahan’s backfield continues to shape up as an unpredictable running back-by-committee situation.

– Patriots’ WR Wes Welker (ACL, MCL surgery, torn rotator cuff) admits that “it’s hard to put any sort of timetable on” his recovery. Welker did say he’s “happy” with his progress, and it’s remarkable that he’s jogging just three months after knee reconstruction. “No telling when that’s going to be or how long it’s going to take, all I can do is just work hard.” We’d rarely doubt Welker’s ability to overcome long odds, but the period of time between his surgery (February 3) and Week 1 (September 12) just doesn’t give him enough time.

– FOX 8 New Orleans reports that the Saints will make a long-term contract offer to unsigned RFA RB Pierre Thomas “as early as tomorrow.” Based on the  second-round tender they gave him in February, the Saints’ offer isn’t going to make Thomas one of the NFL’s highest paid running backs. Expect something in the vicinity of four-years/$17M.

– NFL Network’s Steve Wyche reports that Rams’ RFA FS O.J. Atogwe will not sign his tender with the Rams, meaning he’ll become an UFA on June 1. The Rams still hold exclusive negotiating rights with Atogwe until that point, but it appears he won’t budge and is poised to leave St. Louis. Though Atogwe is coming off reconstructive shoulder surgery and a reported sports hernia, he will have plenty of suitors on the open market. The Rams do intend to meet with Atogwe this month, perhaps to make a long-term offer.

– Suspended LB Brian Cushing’s positive test last September was reportedly for abnormally elevated levels of “hCG” — a non-steroidal substance produced naturally by the body. The catch is, it’s also a popular combo agent during anabolic steroid cycling, and the same thing Dodgers’ OF Manny Ramirez was suspended for in 2009. When injected, hCG can restore testicular size (which is affected by steroids), in addition to produce testosterone. Cushing may not have tested positive for ‘roids, but it’s pretty clear something isn’t right. As SI’s Ross Tucker noted Monday, many players use PEDs during the offseason, when their chances of being tested are down. They then maintain the gains during the season.

MLB

– Giants’ 3B Mark DeRosa (wrist) called the offseason surgery on his left wrist a “total failure.” DeRosa underwent tests on Tuesday which revealed an aggravated nerve in the wrist. Of most concern to the Giants is the numbness in the ring and pinky fingers of DeRosa’s left hand. “I feel like my bottom hand’s underwater. I don’t have much feeling in my bottom two fingers. I’m not going to stink all year. …I’m doing myself and the team a disservice.” DeRosa, 35, will remain out of the starting lineup for the next few days and hasn’t ruled out another procedure if his condition fails to improve. He signed to a two-year/$12M contract over the winter, is batting just .194/.279/.258 over his first 93 at-bats this season.

– Rays’ 3B Hank Blalock’s agent, Scott Borasm indicated that Blalock would activate the out-clause in his contract sometime within the next week. The move would force the Rays to either call him up to the majors or allow him to become a free agent. “I would imagine that we’ll probably know something about Hank in the next seven days. The time has come. The time has come. He’s playing third base, obviously he’s hitting well, he’s a young guy.” Blalock, 29, is currently hitting .375/.435/.552 with four homers and 23 RBI with Triple-A Durham. He didn’t garner much interest as a free agent, but there would likely be a few takes if the Rays cut him loose.

– Mariners’ LHP Erik Bedard’s (shoulder) simulated game was scratched Tuesday because of rain, the Associated Press reports. The M’s will push the session back a day or two. He is still a little ways off from a minor league rehab assignment. It’s not clear when he would return, but early June would not be surprising.

– The Angels have placed RHP Brian Stokes (shoulder) on the 15-day DL. Stokes, who was acquired from the Mets in January, has a 7.31 ERA and 15/16 K/BB ratio over 16 innings this season.

NBA

– The Miami Herald reports that free agent G Joe Johnson wouldn’t mind playing for the Heat. The Knicks are also interested in JJ.

– The NBA has officially approved the sale of the Nets to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. A New Jersey congressman made a last-ditch effort to stall the deal because of Prokhorov’s business dealings in Zimbabwe, but there was little doubt it would eventually be approved. After enduring a miserable 2009-10 season, the Nets have a talented young core, a ton of salary cap space, a temporary new home in Newark, and Prokhorov’s deep pockets.

– According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Jazz’ G Deron Williams (wrist) is postponing surgery for the next month-and-a-half to see if he can avoid going under the knife. D-Will is supposed to play for the USA in the World Championships this summer, but that may not happen because of the injury. Minicamp for Team USA doesn’t start till July, but Williams said he thinks he doesn’t even need to play in that if he’s still hurting. “That’s the last thing I want to do is have surgery. I’ve just got to rest it first and hopefully that takes care of it and I can play.”

– The Grizzlies have signed coach Lionel Hollins to a multi-year contract extension. Hollins led the Grizz to a 40-42 record this season, 16 games better than their mark in 2008-09. Hollins has installed an up-tempo game plan that resulted in the Grizz averaging 102.5 points per game — good for seventh-most in the league. Now the Grizzlies need to get impending free agent Rudy Gay under contract for a reasonable amount.

– According to FanHouse, Larry Brown has expressed interesting in returning to the Sixers. Brown said recently that he didn’t want to coach for anyone else than Bobcats owner Michael Jordan but he failed to mention his thoughts on whether he would take on other tasks with other organizations. When asked if he could join the Sixers as team president and/or coach, he said, “I haven’t talked to anybody. The only person I talked to is (Bobcats owner) Michael (Jordan). I basically told him what I told you. I love my job. I love working for him. But I’m just having a real difficult time being away from my family…I’m going to sit down with (his wife) Shelly, to talk to her and my family.”

WWE

– Kofi Kingston defeated Christian to win the Intercontinental Championship. Soon after, Drew McIntyre gave Teddy Long a piece of paper, signed by Vince McMahon, which stripped Kingston of the IC title and back in the hands of McIntyre. He’s also officially re-instated to the SmackDown roster.

– Monday’s episode of Raw averaged a 3.05 (3.00 and 3.10) cable rating, the same number as last week. Overall viewership was slightly up as Raw averaged 4.41 million viewers compared to 4.33 million last week.

– John Cena noted on his Twitter account today that he spent time in the recording studio this afternoon.

“Just finished recording a song with ‘Bumpy Knuckles’ for the movie Legendary. It will be out in September. Was very good to be back in the studio making music. I am really thinking about doing another album. Time will tell.”

TNA

– Paul Heyman, who has been close friends with Brock Lesnar since Lesnar’s time in WWE years ago, has updated his HeymanHustle.com blog. Here are some highlights of what Heyman said about:

Brock Lesnar’s life threatening battle with Diverticulosis: “Just six months ago, Brock Lesnar’s career was for all intents and purposes, one for the history books. An intense battle with Diverticulosis sidelined the baddest man on the planet, and almost killed him … Brock Lesnar went through a humbling experience with his illness. It made him realize he’s human. He can feel physical pain. He’s not invincible nor even invulnerable. He’s the very best at what he does, but like all “Best Ever” Athletes, the clock ticks away, and the human frailties rear their ugly heads.”

Lesnar is In the Prime of His Career: “Brock Lesnar is 32 years old. He will turn 33 a little more than a week after his July 3rd return to the cage against UFC Interim Champion Shane Carwin. Think about it. 32 years old … in the best shape of his life … with a changed diet that has only made him healthier.Brock has a better understanding of his own body now than he did six months ago. He is unquestionably in the peak prime of his athletic career.”

Lesnar’s UFC Return On July 3rd Against Shane Carwin: “On July 3rd, Brock Lesnar returns to the Octagon. His opponent is a 12-0 Knockout King who is quickly becoming the Mike Tyson of the Ultimate Fighting Championships. No man has survived the 1st round with Shane Carwin. No man has withstood Carwin’s violent assault. No man has fought Shane Carwin in this sport without leaving the cage a victim of a first round knockout … Shane Carwin hits hard. Scary hard. Inhumanly hard. Hard, fast, and violently. This guy is no F’N joke.”

– According to F4WOnline, Gregory Helms is expected to join TNA Wrestling once his ninety-day no-compete clause with WWE expires later this month. He has already made a verbal deal with the organization through Jeff Hardy and will most likely be performing under his WCW ring name, Shane Helms. On another note, there is talk of starting a faction with Hardy, Helms, Shannon Moore and Jesse Neal.

– TNA Wrestling has signed female wrestler Mary Kate Duignan to a Knockouts contract. Duignan, who is a graduate of Team 3D’s Wrestling Academy wrestles on the independent scene as Betsy Ruth and Miss Betsy Rosie, worked a tryout match against Daffney prior to the April 20th TNA iMPACT! taping from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Daffney was hospitalized after a bonsai dropthat left her with a bruised sternum and temporary spinal trauma. Thankfully, she did not suffer any nerve damage. Dunigan called signing with TNA “most emotional day ever” and thanked her trainers (Team 3D) and her fellow students at the 3D academy.

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