We begin Odds & Ends this week with Colin Kaepernick and his quest to possibly have a shot at redemption in the NFL. No,not with the San Francisco 49ers, but with none other than the Denver Broncos.

The two teams have agreed in principle that would send Kaepernick to Denver in exchange for a mid-round draft pick,presumably in this year’s draft. Earlier this week,Kaepernick’s $11.9 million salary was guaranteed as he was still on San Francisco’s roster by the Apr. 1 deadline. The teams are hung up on money as the Broncos have little cap room to pay the entire $11.9 million salary to Kaepernick. They are willing to give him $7 million,but the remaining $4.9 million would either have to be paid by the 49ers or forfeited by Kaepernick. Both parties are unwilling to do both options as of press time.

Honestly,this is Kaepernick’s best shot to give his floundering career a shot in the arm. You have an opportunity to start anew with a new team who two months ago won the Super Bowl. Look,the experiment in San Francisco is over. I think it’s best to give the 49ers as well as their fanbase an opportunity to regroup and find a away to rebuild what was once a successful program. Denver is hugely successful and in desperate need of a quarterback and all they have is Mark Sanchez,the author of the Buttfumble. Kaepernick needs to put aside his pride,take a cut in pay and join this roster as soon as possible,if he doesn’t,he’s making a big mistake.

Moving on the the NBA and a trend I’d like to see go and that’s unnecessarily resting players. This was started years ago by the Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich and the trend has grown into unacceptable heights. You have teams like the Warriors,the Cavaliers,and the like resting most of their starters when some of us who are regular joes buy tickets to see those players come to town and they end up not playing because they’re resting.

I think back to the times when Michael Jordan,Magic Johnson,and Larry Bird were playing and couldn’t even think of a way those guys would ever take a day off. If they had done so,they would’ve been harshly criticized for it. Take a day off? For who? For what?

I get that it was a different era back then,but I think in orser for teams to keep competitive momentum going in a season where the goal is to win a championship,these guys need to play as much as possible,espcially if it’s for the sake of their paying customers.

Last year,five of Canada’s seven NHL teams were in the postseason. This year or the first time since 1970, no canadian team will be playing for Lord Stanley’s Cup in the NHL playoffs and it’s a bit of a cause for concern in regards to Canada’s identity and even their economy.

“Across the country, Canadians love to cheer Canadian teams, so I think you’re going to see the interest dwindle. Especially sports bars and restaurants, they may not have the numbers coming in to watch the games,” Hannah Holmes, a McMaster University professor who specializes in the economics of sport, told CBC News.

No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens beat Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals. The last team to represent Canada in the Stanley Cup Finals were the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, a loss to the Boston Bruins that ended in chaotic riots throughout the city. Four other teams,including the Canucks once more have also tried to win a cup since Montreal in 1993,but none have done so.

Is this the beginning of a trend where Canadian teams have trouble becoming postseason bound? Not at all. Hockey teams have a way of rebuilding their teams very swiftly (unless you’re the Edmonton Oilers) and I have no doubt that a team from the Great White North will be back in the postseason next season. Stay tuned!