Defending champions Saracens begin their title defence against three-time champions Toulon while Sale and Scarlets will be out to prove theyre not just there to make up the numbers. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. The double winners returned to the top of the Premiership with victory over Wasps on Sunday and that puts them in good stead ahead of Saturdays trip to the Stade Felix Mayol.Jonathan Davies return to Parc y Scarlets, along with the signing of Super Rugby star Johnny McNicholl, have bolstered the Welsh regions backline, but Sale have shown they can mix it with the best in the Premiership when theyre in the mood. Saracens Saracens have won five of their opening six games of the season Champions Cup record: P73 W49 D0 L24Best finish: Winners (2015-16)Whats hot: Defending champions both in Europe and in the Premiership, Saracens are the team to beat in every competition. They have made a good start to the defence of their Premiership title, with a defeat to Harlequins at the Stoop the sole negative of their domestic season. Alistair Hargreaves retired after seeking medical advice Whats not: The departure of former captain Alistair Hargreaves, who last week announced he has been forced to retire from the game on doctors orders following a concussion injury.Whats changed: With the departure of Charlie Hodgson, Alex Lozowski was brought in as an understudy to Owen Farell. However, with Farrells ongoing back problems, Lozowski has been given the No 10 jersey and has done a superb job of pulling the strings. The youngster was rewarded for his composure with a call-up to Eddie Jones England training squad.One to watch: Schalk Burger has been brought in to fill the void of recently-retired tackle enthusiast Jacques Burger, and the South African has already made a literal and figurative impact at the club. The Springbok will add value to Saracens already burgeoning pack throughout their campaign.Toulon Leigh Halfpenny has impressed for Toulon since returning from injury Champions Cup record: P41 W33 D0 L8Best finish: Winners (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15)Whats hot: Francois Trinh-Ducs arrival has forced Toulon to adjust their style of play but Mike Ford could be the man to get their backline firing. It would be foolish to write off a side that includes a plethora of stars such as Samu Manoa, Duane Vermuelen and Leigh Halfpenny. Mamuka Gorgodze has scored some crucial tries for Toulon this season Whats not: Toulon are sorely missing Matt Giteau, both on and off the field. They are in rebuild mode after losing the likes of Bakkies Botha, Carl Hayman and the Armitage brothers - people who knew what the club was about - and the pressure placed on the squad by their mad owner, Mourad Boudjellal, doesnt help matters.Whats changed: There were plenty of comings and goings during the off-season as the Toulon rebuild begins. Liam Gill arrives from Super Rugby with South Africa forwards Juandre Kruger and Marcel van der Merwe also moving to the Stade Mayol.One to watch: Georgia international Mamuka Gorgodze has been immense for Toulon this season.Scarlets Wales centre Jonathan Davies is back at the Scarlets following a stint in France Champions Cup record: P129 W60 D2 L67Best finish: Semi-finals (1999-2000, 2006-07)Whats hot: The arrival of a host of star names to the club; the Welsh region has spent heavily during the off season in a bid for silverware. After a poor start, the Scarlets have won their last three PRO12 fixtures Whats not: Scarlets strength on paper is not being replicated on the pitch; they lost their first three PRO12 games this season. They have since snapped out of the losing streak by beating Connacht, Treviso and the Dragons in succession but have only played in fits and bursts.Whats changed: Lions centre Jonathan Davies has joined brother James in the squad, while Springbok prop Werner Kruger and Johnny McNicholl of the Crusaders have also been brought into the fold.One to watch: Johnny McNicholl has been carving up defences in Super Rugby for some time and will be eager to start life at his new home with similar antics.Sale Sharks Former Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has joined Sale from Racing 92 Champions Cup record: P49 W18 D0 L31Best finish: Quarter-finals (2005-06)Whats hot: Josh Beaumonts stock in English rugby is rising and with the task of leading a relatively inexperienced squad causing no apparent burden to the No 8, his contribution to the Sharks cause will be vital. Beaumont was recently part of Eddie Jones training squad so they 24-year-old is learning his trade at the top.Whats not: Injuries to key players. Rob Webber broke his arm on debut for the Sharks last month, while scrum-half Peter Stringer recently suffered the same injury to add to their woes. Sale do not have the kind of depth that other clubs can rely on and will be hoping the injuries dont derail their season early on. Josh Charnley is switching to rugby union after winning the Super League Grand Final with Wigan Whats changed: The loss of Danny Cipriani to Wasps is a big hole for Sale to fill but the arrival of AJ MacGinty from Connacht goes a long way to plugging that gap. Another big signing is that of Mike Phillips from Racing 92, who will have to step up in the absence of Stringer.One to watch: Josh Charnley is the latest rugby league player to cross the divide to try his hand at union. The Wigan winger recently starred for the Warriors in the Super League Grand Final and has promised more of the same pace and finishing at his new club.You can watch Champions Cup Rugby, Premier League football and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Cheick Diallo Jersey . Smiths former Atlanta teammates were glad to hang on for an ugly win. Kelly Oubre Jersey . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/1089z-ty-jerome-jersey-suns.html . The victory strengthened Liverpools position in the top four after Tottenham lost 1-0 at Norwich in the days late kickoff, cutting the north London club six points adrift of fourth place and the final Champions League slot for next season. Cheap Suns Jerseys . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. Stitched Suns Jerseys . 15-23, the Ottawa Senators will by hoping to avoid going five straight games without a victory for the first time since a 0-3-2 drought from Oct.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are trying improve on last seasons playoff campaign - provided they can get their No. 1 centre signed to a contract. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Metropolitan GM: Jarmo Kekalainen Head Coach: Todd Richards 2013-14: 43-32-7 (4th in Metropolitan) Playoffs: Lost in First Round Goals For: 226 (12th) Goals Against: 214 (13th) PP: 19.3% (11th) PK: 82.1% (14th) That Was Then: Last season was the most storied in the teams 16-year history. That seems like lofty praise for a first-round exit, but the Blue Jackets fought hard and got a consistent effort throughout their line-up to earn a playoff spot in the post-season. Things started ugly as the Jackets lost 10 of their first 15 games, including a pair of five-game losing streaks. Matters didnt get much better when Sergei Bobrovsky went down in early December with a groin injury. The team sweated out some wins under Curtis McElhinney and Mike McKenna and put the pedal down upon Bobrovskys return. They won eight in a row from Jan. 6 to Jan. 23 and thrust themselves into the Eastern Conference playoff race, earning the Eastern Conferences first wild card spot. Though outmatched on paper, the plucky Blue Jackets pulled out a pair of dramatic overtime wins against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in Games 2 and 4. They almost forced a Game 7, but the clock ran out on the season despite a three-goal outburst in the third period of an eventual 4-3 Game 6 loss. The Jackets saluted their rapturous fans from the ice but, more importantly, may have served notice to the league that theyre for real. In just his third NHL season, 21-year-old Ryan Johansen found his stride. He emerged as the No. 1 centre the Jackets had been waiting for and piled in 33 goals without missing a single game. How that plays out this season remains to be seen. Scott Cullens Analytics Avalanche 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.45 2.75 6.7% .931 48.4% .425 21-41 2.81 2.86 10.7% .912 48.8% .548 42-62 3.29 2.52 9.7% .928 52.4% .690 63-82 2.10 2.25 5.3% .936 52.1% .571 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Strong goaltending wasnt enough to overcome subpar possession and shooting. Games 21-41: Goaltending dipped, but shooting skyrocketed, making them more competitive. Games 42-62: Best stretch of the season, with vastly improved possession combined with high percentages. Games 63-82: Scoring dried up, but goaltending and possession were strong enough to keep Blue Jackets in playoff picture. Key 2014 Additions: LW Jerry DAmigo, C Brian Gibbons, LW Scott Hartnell Key 2014 Subtractions: LW Blake Comeau, RW Matt Frattin, C Derek MacKenzie, G Mike McKenna, D Nick Schultz, RW Jack Skille, LW R.J. Umberger This Is Now: Building onn last seasons success is no easy task for the Jackets.dddddddddddd A full year out of Bobrovsky is also key. He shone in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and was a spark-plug for the team upon his return last year. His save percentage prior to injury was .909, but he posted a .931 mark to finish the season. The rest is up to the development of their young core and scoring depth. Johansen had his breakout year, but second in team scoring was defenceman James Wisniewski with 51 points. The addition of Scott Hartnell from the Philadelphia Flyers is a huge character boost for a team that already has a lot of that, but questions beg about his on-ice performance. He brings grit and is always good for 100 penalty minutes, but have the Jackets acquired the 20-goal player from last season or was Hartnells scoring talent buried by the Flyers depth last year? He scored 37 in 2011-12, but at 32 years-old, expecting him to do it again may be unrealistic. Hartnell does, however, provide leadership and a positive influence for the teams young forwards. Johansen, Boone Jenner, Cam Atkinson, Artem Anisimov, Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky are all still in their twenties and could learn a lot from him. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Boone Jenner Ryan Johansen Nathan Horton Scott Hartnell Brandon Dubinsky Cam Atkinson Nick Foligno Artem Anisimov Matt Calvert Jerry DAmigo Mark Letestu Corey Tropp Michael Chaput Brian Gibbons Jared Boll Kerby Rychel Alexander Wennberg Simon Hjalmarsson Defence Left Right Ryan Murray James Wisniewski Fedor Tyutin Jack Johnson Tim Erixon David Savard Frederic St. Denis Dalton Prout Will Weber Cody Goloubef Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky Curtis McElhinney Oscar Dansk Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Alexander Wennberg Alexander Wennberg is so fluid in his play. Excellent skater with the ability to move past defenders seemingly with ease. Can make plays with the puck at high speed and in tight areas. What should allow Alexander to be a top center is an outstanding sense of the game, offensively and defensively. He adapts to the situation and then takes advantage. Centre ice is a critical position in the NHL and a duo of Alexander and Ryan Johansen puts the Blue Jackets in a position for success. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Boone Jenner A physical forward with good size, Jenner earned a more prominent role late in his rookie season, scoring 15 points in his last 27 games (then five points in six playoff games), finishing the year on Ryan Johansens wing. Jenner is still young, only 21-years-old heading into his second season, and it could be too soon to forecast an offensive breakthrough, but if Johansen gets signed and there is an opportunity to build on the foundation they were laying last season, then Jenner should continue to play a prominent role in the Blue Jackets attack. ' ' '