STORRS, Conn. -- UConn and Cincinnati both need a win Saturday to avoid an 0-3 start in the American Athletic Conference.Both also are looking for big improvements at key offensive positions.The Huskies (2-3, 0-2 American) come into their game with the Bearcats (3-2, 0-2) averaging just 350 yards a game, which ranks 104th among the 128 Bowl Subdivision teams. That includes just 124 yards per game on the ground.Their leading rusher, Arkeel Newsome, has 224 yards on 58 carries. The Huskies quarterback, Bryant Shirreffs, has run the ball 84 times for 199 yards.I dont really dont have an interest in watching Bryant run and Arkeel not, said coach Bob Diaco. For Arkeel to have six touches, it cant happen.Cincinnati is looking for more production from the quarterback position, where Hayden Moore has missed two games with a high ankle sprain. Redshirt freshman Ross Trial threw three interceptions last week in a 40-25 loss to South Florida and has six interceptions and just one touchdown this season while filling in.The quarterback is the key to your engine, coach Tommy Tuberville said this week. Hes the guy that gets you going, gets you in the right plays, motivates the players, gets all that stuff done.The two are both listed at the top of this weeks depth chart, but Tuberville has given Moore just a 25 percent chance of playing. Former starter Gunner Kiel still listed as third string, but Tuberville said he would choose his starter based on this weeks practices.The Bearcats are averaging just under 415 yards per game.Here are some other things to watch for as UConn hosts Cincinnati on Saturday morning:NEW TARGETSUConns passing attack has so far consisted of a single threat, wide receiving Noel Thomas. The senior has 46 of UConns 97 catches for 523 yards and two touchdowns. The second most productive receiver, sophomore Hergy Mayala, has just 15 catches for 231 yards. But Diaco said hes pleased with the effort from the receiving corps and is not looking for anyone to step up their game.If we put them in situations to be successful, theyve done the work, theyll be successful, he said.SCORING PROBLEMSBoth teams are struggling to score this season. UConn ranks at the bottom of the conference and No. 117 in the nation with 19.8 points per game and has yet to put a point on the board in the first quarter. The Cincinnati offense is just above the Huskies, ranking 10th in the league scoring at 25.8 points per game.SERIES DOMINANCEThe series between the two programs has not been very competitive. Cincinnati has won 10 of the 12 meetings and five straight including all three as members of the American. The Bearcats were 6-2 against UConn when both were members of the Big East.EARLY STARTThe game has an 11:30 a.m. start as is being played on the same day as the Hartford Marathon, which will lead to numerous road closings in the greater Hartford area. Tight end Tyler Davis said the players actually are looking forward to the early start, because it means less waiting around in the morning.BIG 12 PREVIEW?Both programs have been listed among the top contenders for possible expansion in the Big 12 and made pitches to the league last month. Estevan Florial Jersey .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Deivi Garcia Jersey . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. 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Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Leafs team that has much work to do if they are going to continue along the playoff road. As always there will be personnel decisions to address, but the first order of business for the Maple Leafs is understanding that they overachieved last season. That is, their place in the standings was not supported by sustainable underlying statistics, so they cant rest on their playoff laurels thinking that they are simply a playoff team going forward. Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis recognizes that the Leafs have work to do. "We took some significant steps," he told the Toronto Star after the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs. "Theres room for improvement. We need to get better. We need to add more pieces. Weve taken some significant steps. But were not there. Were not playing tonight." Tied with Edmonton for the leagues worst shot differential, with terrible possession metrics, the Maple Leafs had to rely on exceptional percentages (first in shooting percentage, ninth in save percentage) to earn a playoff berth. It worked, but maintaining those exceptional percentages is extremely difficult. Looking ahead, to build a team that has long-term sustainable success, the Maple Leafs have to improve their puck possession and that means they can improve at both ends of the rink, finding forwards that control play as well as defencemen that can reduce the number of chances against. These objectives arent easily achieved in a year with a relatively thin free agent market and with a decreasing salary cap. The Leafs have the financial might to use compliance buyouts to give them the most advantageous position possible, and the Leafs are likely going to need to be aggressive in order to make the moves necessary to remain a playoff contender. This isnt meant to rain on the Leafs playoff parade, merely to serve as fair warning that the work is just beginning. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- plus-minus, hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways, penalty differential and faceoffs. (Stats are listed in this format: G-A-PTS, +/-, PIM, GP). Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be 70-plus, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013 regular season ratings with a 93.65. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. GM/COACH Dave Nonis/Randy Carlyle Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Joffrey Lupul 85.38 16 11 7 18 +8 $5.25M Phil Kessel 79.16 48 20 32 52 -3 $5.4M James van Riemsdyk 72.76 48 18 14 32 -7 $4.25M Matt Frattin 67.55 25 7 6 13 +6 $925K Nikolai Kulemin 64.99 48 7 16 23 -5 $2.8M Jay McClement 61.78 48 8 9 17 0 $1.5M Mikhail Grabovski 59.56 48 9 7 16 -10 $5.5M Colton Orr 53.39 44 1 3 4 +4 $925K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Nazem Kadri 76.83 48 18 26 44 +15 RFA $1.72M Tyler Bozak 67.32 46 12 16 28 -1 UFA $1.5M Clarke MacArthur 65.41 40 8 12 20 +3 UFA $3.25M Leo Komarov 58.86 42 4 5 9 -1 RFA $1.2M Frazer McLaren 54.71 36 3 2 5 0 RFA $633K Maple Leafs Forwards Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Injuries limited Joffrey Lupul to just 16 games last season and, while his production was terrific in that small sample, its worth noting that he generated more shots per game in each of the previous two seasons. It just so happened that, in the few games that he did play in 2013, Lupul scored on a preposterous 26.2% of his shots. His career average is 11.5%, so its possible that Lupul isnt really a 56-goal scorer (pro-rating his 11 goals in 16 games over an 82-game season), but credit where its due: he has 85 points in 82 games over the last two seasons. Only six others (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos, Claude Giroux, Martin St. Louis and Jason Spezza) have more than Lupuls 1.04 points per game in that span. The real game-breaking scorer for the Leafs, however, is Phil Kessel, who plays well with Lupul when they are on the same line, but has accumulated 110 even-strength goals over the last five seasons, ranking fifth in the league in that time, behind only Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk. On top of that, Kessels first-round performance against the Bruins (four goals, six points, plus-3 in seven games) helped alleviate any concerns that his game wouldnt translate in a physical playoff series. James van Riemsdyk was a nice addition to the Leafs lineup, showing the soft hands that helped him get drafted second overall in 2007. In Toronto, van Riemsdyk was given more responsibility, playing a career-high 19:12 per game, and he delivered the best goal and point-scoring rates of his career. In 82 career games, Matt Frattin has tallied 15 goals and 28 points, while playing 13:13 per game; relatively modest totals, but enough to indicate that hes worthy of a regular spot on the roster. At his best, Frattin uses his speed to forecheck, create turnovers and generate offence. Hes also sturdy enough to play a physical game, which makes him a fine fit for the third line. His 30-goal season in 2010-2011 may forever ruin expectations, since hes come nowhere close since, but Nikolai Kulemin is a reliable two-way winger who was thrust into a very difficult role last season, playing the toughest matchups and starting most of his shifts in the defensive zone with less than ideal results. However, as a top nine forward with some offensive upside, Kulemin is an asset, if not quite what the Leafs might have thought they had a couple of seasons ago. Veteran checking centre Jay McClement had a solid first season in Toronto, scoring at a career-best (0.17 gpg) pace, but he does the heaviest lifting when it comes to matchups and zone starts. He has a niche and thats defensive play and penalty-killing. Coming into 2013, Mikhail Grabovski had back-to-back seasons with at least 20 goals and 50 points, but with Nazem Kadri emerging as a scorer, Grabovski was pressed into a defensive role that didnt necessarily mesh with skills that he had shown previously. With Tyler Bozak approaching free agency, the Leafs may be less inclined to shed Grabovskis contract through a compliance buyout, but either that or a trade would have to be a consideration if hes still third on the centre depth chart because a $5.5-million cap hit is very pricey for a bottom six role. It should be noted that, on the heels of such a down season, Grabovski still ranked third among Maple Leafs forwards in ice time in the first round of the playoffs against Boston. He somehow managed to finish minus-10 in seven games, despite ranking among the Leafs best in puck possession for the series. After several years of up and down and not quite ready, Nazem Kadri was given a chance to play last season and made the most of it, scoring nearly a point per game despite modest ice time. Among players with at least 40 points last season, Kadri easily has the lowest ice time at 16:03 per game; he was the only one under 17 minutes per game. Now, for as terrific as Kadris 2013 season was, its imperative to note that hes ripe for regression next season. For one thing, he scored on 16.8% of his shots and thats awfully difficult to repeat. Since 2000-2001, there are 13 players to shoot 16.0% with at least 200 shots on goal and few, if any, profile to be a similar player to Kadri; its more of a crease-crashing crowd with a few sharpshooters mixed in. Aside from that, though related, is that the rest of those on the ice with Kadri scored at unnaturally high rates (14.4% at 5-on-5, when league average hovers around 8.0% and a decent playmaker named Sidney Crosby has exceeded 14.0% once in in the last six seasons). None of this guarantees that Kadris production will decline next season, as an increase in ice time or better linemates could certainly stem the regression tide somewhat, but the point is that its extremely unlikely that he can duplicate his rate of production without either more ice time, more shots on goal or, preferably, both. It appears that Leo Komarov is headed back to the KHL, which would be a notable loss even though he didnt score much. He plays an in-your-face game and was solid in possession terms relative to his teammates. Picked up on waivers, Frazer McLaren made the most of his opportunity with the Maple Leafs, fighting a dozen times, and playing most nights. He has 11 points and 187 penalty minutes in 75 career games, playing a little over five minutes per game, so there is no secret to McLarens game and he gives the Leafs a double-heavyweight tandem with Colton Orr, for whatever that might be worth. Orr just inked a two-year contract extension, with the Leafs talking about how much he improved his skating, and while that may be true, his impact on the game still remains in the heavyweight battles he undertakes. If the Maple Leafs decide to invest in Tyler Bozak as an unrestricted free agent, that will come at the expense of potentially adding somewhere else. Some free agents that might appeal to Torontos brass, offering some offensive ability and toughness, include David Clarkson, Ryane Clowe or Nathan Horton. For fun, they could always take a trip on the Jaromir Jagr twilight tour but, really, a forward that can contribute in the top six is a fair objective. At the same time, adding insurance down the middle (Matt Cullen, Stephen Weiss) would be necessary if Bozak departs. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Cap Hit Dion Phaneuf 73.68 48 9 19 28 -4 $6.5M Jake Gardiner 73.46 12 0 4 4 0 $1.117M Joohn-Michael Liles 68.dddddddddddd1 32 2 9 11 -1 $3.875M Mike Komisarek 62.61 4 0 0 0 +2 $4.5M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS +/- Class 12-13 Cap Hit Cody Franson 77.34 45 4 25 29 +4 RFA $1.2M Carl Gunnarsson 68.95 37 1 14 15 +5 RFA $1.325M Mark Fraser 66.65 45 0 8 8 +18 RFA $600K Ryan OByrne 63.08 42 2 4 6 -4 UFA $1.8M Mike Kostka 62.85 35 0 8 8 -7 UFA $600K Maple Leafs Defence Usage Chart from somekindofninja.com Often maligned for his errors, Dion Phaneuf isnt nearly as bad as his critics might want to believe. He makes his mistakes, still getting caught out of position for a big hit, but he ranks 11th among defencemen in points (72) and tied for fourth in goals (21) over the last two seasons, so there are positives that cant be overlooked. Additionally, Phaneuf was charged with taking on the oppositions best on a nightly basis and, for a Leafs team that had terrible possession numbers, that meant a lot of heavy lifting. Its entirely reasonable to think that there might be other defencemen who could handle the shutdown role more effectively, but its not fair to malign Phaneuf for not being the ideal shutdown defenceman when hes one of the leagues better offensive contributors from the blueline because the list of defencemen who excel at both is very small. Its difficult to fathom just how the Maple Leafs handled Jake Gardiner last season. He was quite possibly their second best defenceman as a rookie in 2011-2012, playing 75 NHL games, and was a lock to make the team last season before he suffered a concussion while playing in the AHL. Gardiner returned to action and struggled in his first two NHL games (after being sidelined for six weeks) and was demoted to the AHL, where he remained for much of the year, allowing some to talk about him as though he was still a prospect on the way up and not a bona fide NHL defenceman. Then, after Gardiner rolled through the AHL, with 31 points and a plus-1 rating in 43 games, he was called up and despite putting up the best possession numbers on the team, was relegated to the press box late in the year, only to be freed in the second game of the playoffs at which point he showed he was more than ready to handle NHL competition. None of this is meant to suggest that Gardiner doesnt have flaws -- he often makes mistakes, either turnovers or positioning, that he can often outskate because he is such a tremendous skater. The trouble arises when he doesnt have the time to catch-up, so improved decision-making will make Gardiner a better player, but hes easily worthy of top-four minutes now, especially for a team of this calibre. A mobile defenceman who fell out of favour and sat in the press box for about a month, John-Michael Liles is more than capable of handling a regular role on the blueline. Hes not physical, never has been, so if thats a specific need, then he wont be the one to fill it, but Liles might be of interest to another team that could use his puck skills in a more advantageous manner. Mike Komisarek is due for a fresh start somewhere else and, with the possibility of a compliance buyout this summer, perhaps hell have that chance. He has undeniably struggled in Toronto, but thats only been exacerbated by his salary, so its probably best for all if he gets a chance to play again, without the financial obligation hanging over his head. 25-year-old Cody Franson was finally given a real opportunity to play last season and he performed well, tying his career-high with 29 points, despite playing 45 games in a shortened season. He doesnt use his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage as much as he could, but Franson is smart with the puck and has a heavy shot from the point. Franson also played more as the season progressed, increasing each month, from 13:01 per game in January to 22:49 per game in the playoffs against Boston, so hes due for a sizeable raise as a restricted free agent. 2013 wasnt the best season for Carl Gunnarsson, though he was playing through a hip problem that affected him for much of the season. Hes a steady, calming influence, which is a nice counter-balance to his frequent partner, Phaneuf, who has higher highs and lower lows. After spending most of 2011-2012 in the American Hockey League, Mark Fraser returned to the NHL last season, playing 45 of 48 games and a career-high 16:57 per game. Frasers game is limited, but he is a big, tough defensive-minded blueliner. As long as hes not asked to do too much, he can be a useful part of the defensive unit. While the Leafs have quite a few young puck-moving defencemen in the pipeline, they could use a veteran with a defensive focus. Free agents like Douglas Murray, Rob Scuderi, Toni Lydman or even ex-Leaf Ian White could help steady the group. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit James Reimer 77.13 33 19 8 5 2.46 .924 $1.8M Ben Scrivens 70.62 20 7 9 0 2.69 .915 $613K Coming into the 2013 season, goaltending was a massive question mark for the Leafs, with James Reimer coming off a 2011-2012 season in which he posted a .900 save percentage. To be fair, that was a season during which he missed a bunch of time with a concussion, so it would be understandable if his game wasnt at 100%, even when he did come back, but that didnt guarantee that he would automatically be in peak form for 2013. Turns out that, yes, Reimer was back on top of his game last season, with his .924 save percentage ranking eighth among qualified goaltenders. That didnt stop the Maple Leafs from looking for alternatives (Miikka Kiprusoff?!?!?) at the trade deadline but, given the Leafs shot deficits all season long, they could just thank Reimer for playing at such a level that they could still make the playoffs because average goaltending wouldnt have been nearly enough. Ben Scrivens saw quite a bit of action early in the season, particularly in February (when he had a 2.25 GAA and .932 SV% in 10 GP), before Reimer wrested control of the starting job. Now, Scrivens is a quality backup at a bargain price, which is an enviable situation for the team. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Morgan Rielly D Moose Jaw (WHL) 12-42-54, -8, 60 GP Matt Finn D Guelph (OHL) 11-20-31, +2, 41 GP Joe Colborne C Toronto (AHL) 14-28-42, +13, 65 GP Stuart Percy D Mississauga (OHL) 13-32-45, -8, 68 GP Josh Leivo LW Kitchener (OHL) 29-44-73, +20, 63 GP Jesse Blacker D Toronto (AHL) 4-7-11, -4, 61 GP Tyler Biggs RW Oshawa (OHL) 26-27-53, +1, 60 GP Greg McKegg C Toronto (AHL) 8-15-23, +4, 61 GP Brad Ross LW Toronto (AHL) 8-3-11, +4, 40 GP Tony Cameranesi C Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA) 14-20-34, +1, 38 GP A brilliant puck-rushing defenceman, Morgan Rielly was the fifth pick in last summers draft and he could challenge for a spot as soon as next season, but may be better served with another year of development before he tackles the pro game. After getting Rielly in Round One last year, the Leafs picked up another puck-moving defenceman, Matt Finn, in the second round. Finn will need time to round out his game, like most young defencemen, but hes quality asset to have in the organization. A first-round pick of the Bruins in 2008, Joe Colborne hasnt had a smooth developmental path, and hes not likely to be a big scorer, but he hasnt looked out of place in 18 call-up games over the past three seasons, including two games against the Bruins in the playoffs. Certainly improving their defence has been a priority for the Leafs, using last years first two picks on Rielly and Finn, a year after grabbing Stuart Percy with their second first-round pick in the 2011 draft. Hes a smart puck-mover who got into four games with the Marlies (1 G, 2 A, minus-1) late in the season. A winger with decent size and some offensive upside, Josh Leivo was a third-round pick in 2011 and should have at least a season or two in the AHL to continue improving his game before hes ready for his shot in the NHL. A second-round pick in 2009, Jesse Blacker has played a couple of AHL seasons and hasnt shown the offensive promise that was there in junior, but that doesnt preclude him from being an NHL-calibre defenceman altogether; it merely lowers the ceiling on what he might contribute. Drafted in the first round in 2011, Tyler Biggs is a big winger who, at the most optimistic projection, could be a power forward as a pro; otherwise, he should have the physical game to at least fit into a bottom six role at some point. A scoring forward who took some time to adjust to pro hockey, Greg McKegg finished his season better than he started. If he can continue that development next season, the 21-year-old could put himself in position for a call-up. Brad Ross didnt stir the pot in his first pro season the same way he did in junior, but given some time, he has a chance to agitate and chip in some offensively. Taken in the fifth round in 2011, Tony Cameranesi may not have been the most highly-touted prospect at that time but, after 34 points in 38 WCHA games as a freshman, the speedster is worth tracking. A couple other prospects that have been toiling in the AHL for a few seasons, Carter Ashton and Jerry DAmigo, could be closer to call-ups, but there is some sense that their progress has stagnated. DRAFT 21st - Anthony Mantha, Kerby Rychel, Nicolas Petan FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Maple Leafs have approximately $46.0M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 13 players. Check out my possible Maple Leafs lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six forward, one top nine forward, depth forwards, one top four defenceman. What I said the Maple Leafs needed last year: First-line centre, starting goaltender. They added: Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Jay McClement, Leo Komarov, Mike Kostka, Mark Fraser. TRADE MARKET Nikolai Kulemin, John-Michael Liles, Carl Gunnarsson. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '