definitely in play and I know the Panthers have at least o

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chris Sale will return to the Chicago White Sox rotation Thursday. But closer Matt Lindstrom will likely not return before late August with surgery scheduled. Sale, an American League All-Star pitcher the past two seasons, will come off the disabled list Thursday and start against the New York Yankees. Lindstrom, who limped off the field in the ninth inning Monday with a left ankle injury, has a torn sheath protecting the outer tendon. He will undergo surgery Friday with the recovery time projected around three months. Lindstrom had the White Sox first six saves of the season before the injury. Manager Robin Ventura said right-hander Ronald Belisario, who logged a save Tuesday, would be his closer. Sale went on the disabled list April 22 with a flexor strain in his left arm. He allowed one run and one hit in seven innings against Boston on April 17 in his previous start, throwing a career-high 127 pitches and reported he was sore the next day. "Im excited," Sale said. "Its been a long time. Its something Ive been looking forward to. Its been longer than I expected. I think it was just our taking time and not rushing back before the rehab process (was over), to come back at 100 per cent." Sale made a 68-pitch rehab start, striking out 11 in four scoreless innings with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. He threw a bullpen session Tuesday at Kansas City before a game against the Royals with no problems. Sale, who has won 28 games the past two years, is 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA in four starts this season. "Its big," Ventura said having Sale back. "A guy like him you get a pretty good feeling that youre going to win. Hes proven that. With everything hes gone through, it feels good." The White Sox went into their game Wednesday against the Royals at 23-24 despite losing Sale for more than a month and with major league home run leader Jose Abreu and Lindstrom on the disabled list with ankle injuries. "Were happy with the way theyre competing," Ventura said. "The schedule doesnt stop. You miss the guys that are out, but you cant be thinking about that." Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . Five straight losses (and six in the past seven) now dot the schedule – matching their longest skid of the year – after they fell again in New Jersey on Sunday night, topped 3-2 by Cory Schneider and the Devils. Custom Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.hockeylightning.com/authentic-nikita-kucherov-lightning-jersey/ . Still, its a start. Josh Baileys goal with 1:40 left capped a furious third-period rally, and the Islanders edged the Penguins 4-3 on Friday night. Ryan McDonagh Jersey .com) - The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are ready to put all the talk and hype surrounding their meeting at Dodger Stadium behind them. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . Jackson Houck added a goal and two assists for the Giants (28-23-10), who halted a five-game slide, while Tyler Morrison, Mason Geertsen and Dominik Volek each scored once. Matt Bellerive scored both goals for the Blazers (12-43-5), who are 1-9-0 in their last 10 outings.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun have the latest on Ryan Keslers situation in Vancouver, the coaching vacancies around the league, if the first overall pick will move, and more. How does Jim Bennings selection as GM in Vancouver, and who he selects as head coach, affect the Ryan Kesler situation? Darren Dreger: Ryan Kesler hasnt changed his mind. He wants a fresh start and to move on from Vancouver; he met with Benning earlier this week to talk about that. Its believed that Kesler still has six teams on his list that hes willing to be traded to. And we think that Philadelphia and Anaheim are among those. Pierre LeBrun: The asking price remains high, as it should for a guy that only has a $5 million cap hit for two more years. The Canucks dont just want futures here, they want a player that can help them now, preferably a centre. Bob McKenzie: With Kesler on the marketplace right now, thats bad news for the Ottawa Senators, who have been trying to trade Jason Spezza, preferably before the draft. With Kesler out there, thats a centre that most teams will target before they go after Spezza. LeBrun: It might get even more interesting if Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau are on the market. Right now thats not the case but the Sharks have made it known theyre rebuilding. What does that mean for a veteran like Thornton – does he want to be on a rebuilding team? That remains to be seen. Why Jim Rutherford in Pittsburgh? And who might he hire to replace the fired Dan Bylsma? McKenzie: They like Rutherfords experience and they also like the fact that at this point in his career Rutherford is happy to take a 2-3 year transition phase and be able to turn the reigns over to an assistant like Jason Botterill, Bill Guerin or Tom Fitzgerald. In terms of who the coach will be, Ill say this: if Paul Maurice hadnt signed on long-term with the Winnipeg Jets, those two – the Lone Ranger and Tonto – might have ridden again, with Rutherford obviously having an affinity for Maurice. I think whoever he gets, it has got to be a guy who has some cache, whos got a name, and whos been a head coach. Because when that guy walks into that dressing room, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni p;Malkin have got to sit up and take notice.dddddddddddd Give me an update on the other three coaching vacancies. Dreger: Dale Tallon has interviewed as many as 10 candidates for the vacancy in Florida. Hes hoping to get the list down to 5-6 as early as next week and start the process of second interviews. LeBrun: With Rutherfords old team in Carolina, Ron Francis were told has interviewed close to 10 candidates and hes not done. He wants a crack at Ulf Samuelsson, his old teammate, on the New York Rangers staff. He has to wait for the Stanley Cup Final to end. Bill Peters is another candidate; hes interviewed Jacques Martin; and maybe John Stevens from the Los Angeles Kings is in the mix as well. McKenzie: Theres been no news coming out of Vancouver on the coaching front for an obvious reason. We believe the top candidates are still coaching and not available to be interviewed. Thatd be Stevens with the Kings, and Willie Desjardins, whos currently coaching in the American Hockey League Championship and is another strong candidate in Vancouver. The first overall draft pick has only been traded four times. Will it be a fifth this year? Dreger: Its definitely in play and I know the Panthers have at least one solid offer, but the expectation is things will heat up in the days ahead. Is Martin Brodeur prepared to leave New Jersey? LeBrun: I spoke to Brodeur today and he said mentally hes ready to leave New Jersey. He hasnt totally closed the door on the Devils – he says “Ill be a Devil for life” – but he will go to July 1 and see if theres a fit. Hes ready to play one more year and hes ready to play in another uniform. McKenzie: And theres another free agent we should keep our eye on who most people havent heard of: a 22-year-old Czech by the name of Jiri Sekac. He went through the NHL Drafts and never got picked up. He was once cut by the Peterborough Petes but he had a strong year in the KHL playing for the Prague team. Right now he has more than a dozen firm offers on a max entry-level deal for two years. Hes expected over the next couple of days to make up his mind as to which team. This is a guy who is in great demand. Hes a 62, 190 pound left winger who many believe is ready to step in NHL-ready. ' ' '