Die Allianz T-D-P » nine points combined in the final three games

MANCHESTER, England -- After an offseason of heavy spending, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is to set about trimming his squad -- and one player whose future could be in doubt is goalkeeper Joe Hart.Guardiola was asked Friday how central Hart was to City and the England international was hardly given a ringing endorsement.Im so happy about his qualities, his behavior, what he means to this club, Guardiola said. After, we are going to decide inside the doors (of the club). Now, he is a player of us.City has been linked with a move for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who plays for Guardiolas former club Barcelona and is more comfortable than Hart with the ball at his feet. Its a quality that Guardiola likes in a goalkeeper, so attacks can be built from the back.Hart has been with City since 2006, and is Englands undisputed No. 1. However, he had a disappointing campaign for England during the European Championship, blamed for two of the goals conceded -- including Icelands winner in the embarrassing last-16 exit to the smallest nation in the competition.Guardiola said he would be busy shuffling his squad until the last day of the transfer window, with one of the priorities getting the numbers down from the 28 or 29 he says he has at his disposal. Samir Nasri and Wilfried Bony could also be set to leave City, having been left off the squad for the upcoming Champions League playoff against Steaua Bucharest.We have to reduce our squad, Guardiola said.City has spent around $200 million this offseason in signing eight players -- the latest being center back John Stones from Everton for a fee of $62 million on Tuesday.Stones is another technically gifted player. And while doubts have been cast about his defensive qualities, Stones is the type of ball-player that Guardiola likes having at center back.With his ability to build up (play), with his intelligence to read the next step, the next pass, behind the line, I think he is a good, good, good player so we are happy to have him, Guardiola said.Stones may be handed his debut against Sunderland on Saturday, in Guardiolas first competitive game in charge of City.Of course, there is a lack of time, its true, Guardiola said. But he reads the game. The people who are intelligent, they read exactly what is going on, what they have to do. John Stones, that is why we took him. I think hes ready.City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak visited the club this week, and chatted to the new players during training. He will be at Etihad Stadium for the Sunderland game, which begins possibly the most exciting era in Citys history.City is the favorite to win the Premier League title, but Guardiola doesnt expect the team to be at its best immediately.To create something, we need time, to create something with ideas to attack we need time, he said. But to play with soul and something inside, we dont need time.Tomorrow we dont know if everyone is going to play good or if we will get the result, but I will not accept not playing with soul. We can do that from the first day. BOSTON - Fifteen days after they captured their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, the Blackhawks began the unfortunate task of deconstruction, a stinging process necessitated by a series of looming cap constrictions. Dustin Byfuglien was the first to go, packaged to Atlanta. Kris Versteeg joined him on the way out six days later, dealt to Toronto. One day after that, it was Andrew Ladd on the move, set to join Byfuglien with the Thrashers. Free to walk, Antti Niemi would sign with San Jose two months after that. Eight players from that squad would capture the Cup again for the Blackhawks on Monday night. With an impressive core from the 2010 team still in place, Chicago managed to reconstruct itself around the edges in a span of four seasons, a fine detailing of the roster in the cap era. The stars would still dominate. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane joined forces and effectively took over the series in Game 4 and thereafter. Patrick Sharp would score 10 in the playoffs, including a pair against the Bruins. Brent Seabrook would end two tilts in extra-time. Duncan Keith would play more than anyone not named Chara. But the Hawks would, like they did in 2010, require the contributions of their secondary and in some cases, young and emerging parts. "Theres something about the core we have and the team we had this year," said Kane, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner. The third goalie behind Niemi and Cristobal Huet three summers back, Corey Crawford would end up leading the playoffs with a 1.84 goals against average, stopping 23 pucks in the finale. Bryan Bickell would snipe nine in the postseason, none bigger than the game-tying goal with 58 seconds left in Game 6. A fifth round pick in 2011, Andrew Shaw would end Game 1 in triple overtime. Dave Bolland, so impactful in the previous run, wouldnt score until the Final with Boston, tallying three including the series clincher. Fifteen years after he first entered the league, Michal Handzus, flipped to Chicago for a fourth round pick in April, would total 11 points en route to his first Cup. Acquired from Winnipeg in February 2012, Johnny Oduya would score the game-tying goal in the opener, his point shot instigating Bollands historic winner. Even Michael Frolik, once a top-10 pick in Florida, would find his place in Chicago, bringing energy and enthusiasm to a blistering penalty kill, chipping in with the odd point in a depth role. His linemate Marcus Kruger, the 149th pick in the 2009 draft, would score in a wild Game 4. The fingerprints of formeer Hawks general manager Dale Tallon still remain at the heart of the Hawks squad that would seize the Cup for the second time in four years.ddddddddddddWithout the mighty core of Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Sharp, Marian Hossa (who had seven goals and 16 points) and head coach Joel Quenneville among others, Chicago does not race out of the lockout with a 24-game unbeaten streak nor finish as the Presidents Trophy winner nor top the Bruins in six games. The dominance of Toews and Kane in particular - nine points combined in the final three games - would unquestionably reverse the course of the 2013 Final. Their victimization of Chara was, at times, simply astonishing to behold. But up, down and across the roster, the Blackhawks, led by Stan Bowman at the top, would find contributions from a wide array of sources, a testament to their ability to retool in the constricting cap era. An immediate impact from the draft in 2011 for instance would yield Shaw and Brandon Saad, who finished the regular season with the fifth-most points among rookies. Continued development from Bickell and Niklas Hjalmarsson would also pay dividends. And while they initially sought Marty Turco in their efforts to replace Niemi after the celebration in 2010, it was Crawford - actually a Mike Smith draft pick - who would rise through the ranks and deliver another Cup with an altogether sturdy postseason. "Worked hard," he said joyously afterward, "kept telling myself Eventually youre going to get your chance, keep working hard." He and 30-year-old Ray Emery, a free agent signing in 2011, would join ranks to capture the William Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalie tandem with the lowest goals against during the regular season. Like in 2010, decisions await the Hawks - who have just over $2 million in cap space for next season according to CapGeek. A playoff sensation, Bickell hits the free agent market, joined by Emery, and Viktor Stalberg. The next wave of promising talent is on the way though to fill the gaps, led by Saad, Jeremy Morin, Mark McNeill, Brandon Pirri and the 18th overall selection in 2012, Teuvo Teravainen. Toews is still only 25, Kane just 24. And with the remaining pieces of that finely tuned core locked in place beyond next season, the Hawks can continue to retool and rebuild around the edges, just as they did in 2013. "Its one of the toughest trophies to win in pro sports," an elated Seabrook said after Game 6. "It was nice to see everybody step up." ' ' '