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SACRAMENTO - Some say that living well is the best revenge. At least four players on the Raptors roster subscribe to that philosophy. When Torontos Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez and Chuck Hayes return to Sacramentos Sleep Train Arena Wednesday, theyll be feeling a lot better about themselves than when they were last in the building, when they called it home. Its been nearly two full months since that fateful night in Los Angeles when a seven-player trade shook the foundation of the Raptors franchise. As reports began to circulate hours before tip-off, the timing of the deal caught everyone off guard. In exchange for the bloated contract and modest production of Rudy Gay - along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Toronto took back four veteran wild cards. Each of the four had experienced some level of individual success in the league. Vasquez and Patterson - the youngest of the four - were both coming off career seasons, one in New Orleans, the other in Houston. Hayes - a nine-year vet - had been a starter with the Rockets and Salmons, now in his 12th season, was a key contributor to playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee. At 34 and 30 respectfully, Salmons and Hayes immediately became the elder statesmen on a young Raptors squad. Each of them had started in at least one of Sacramentos first 18 games. They were rotation players for a team that was 5-13 at the time of the trade. "Coming from here in Sacramento, things werent that great," Salmons said, candidly reflecting back on the trade after wrapping up practice in the Kings gym Tuesday. "So when we got the opportunity to come here we just wanted to take advantage of it. Losings not fun and this team had a chance to make a run at the playoffs." Without Gay, who was shooting 39 per cent and hoisting just under 19 shots per game, most anticipated there would be at least some addition by subtraction but no one - even internally - knew what to expect from the incoming Kings players. Likewise, they didnt know what to expect from a Raptors team that had a 6-12 record prior to that game in LA on Dec. 8. "I mean you hear stuff about other teams, but the only thing you really know is their record," Salmons added. "You know their record, you know their roster but you dont know the whole story. So coming in all we saw was the record, we didnt know that the locker room was full of good guys." Toronto has gone 19-10 since the trade was made official, 19-9 since the acquired players made their Raptor debuts, good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference over that stretch. Not only did the trade improve the Raptors bench, it made their bench. On most nights, Dwane Casey has settled into a strict nine-man rotation, using the four ex-Kings as his primary reserves. Torontos bench combined for 35 points on 52 per cent shooting in Mondays win over the Jazz. They have scored 30 or more in three of the last five contests and are averaging 26.6 points since the trade. Casey has entrusted them to be on the floor in key situations. Quite frankly, theyve earned it. "I feel like we got four veteran, solid players that really helped us in a lot of different ways and gave us some toughness off the bench," the Raptors coach said. "Right now, obviously [Toronto is] playing at a very high level," said Kings coach Mike Malone. "I think all four of our guys are helping them at different points." The newcomers have each put their stamp on the teams run. Often the first player off the bench, Patterson is logging fewer minutes than he was in Sacramento, yet averaging three more points per game, contributing nearly 10 as a Raptor. Hayes has carved out a niche as a reliable, savvy and hardworking stopper and rebounder. Salmons, a two-way player, has become Torontos third ball handler. Of the four, Vasquez is the only one who has seen his scoring average dip since coming to the Raptors. Still, hes not complaining. "Im in a different situation right now and Im pretty happy," said Vasquez, who has stepped in as a reliable backup to Kyle Lowry, something the team was desperately searching for early in the season. "I think winning really makes everything so much better. Id rather be in a winning program right now than going through a tough time [in Sacramento]." You would have to be naive to think that Wednesdays return to Sacramento is just another game for those four. The Kings are 11-19 since sending them to Toronto and the statement theyre hoping to make has more to do with their collective success than individual performances. "You always look forward to playing the team that traded you," said Vasquez, averaging seven points and four assists with the Raptors. "More than that its about winning. At the end of the day, whether I play well, whether I dont play well, I just want to go back to Sacramento with a win." Vasquez was only with the Kings for a couple months to begin the season. For Salmons, his connection with the Sacramento franchise goes back seven years. In 2006, the Philadelphia-native pulled out of a deal with the Raptors to sign in Sacramento. After being moved to the Bulls, then to the Bucks, Salmons eventually found his way back to the Kings but became expendable when new ownership decided to take the team in a different direction. The trade to Toronto was Salmons fifth since being drafted out of Miami in 2002 but he took this one more personally than the others. He felt slighted by an organization that he had spent most of his career playing for. "When I got traded I had mixed feelings, strong mixed feelings," he admitted. "Im not going to say I was totally mad at the [Kings] organization it was just, I dont know, it was just a little tougher this time." Now, as he and his teammates get set to make their much-anticipated return, that animosity is water under the bridge, more or less. Salmons, like the other three, is sincerely happy to be a Raptor. Winning is the best medicine. "Guys enjoy winning," said Salmons. "Theres the old saying, winning cures everything so the more we win the more people want to sacrifice to continue winning." Cheap Jordans Free Shipping . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. Cheap Jordans Wholesale China . "I knew it was gone. I mean, I felt it," the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year said. "I havent felt like that in a while. I havent got extension on a ball in a pretty long time. http://www.cheapjordansfastshipping.com/. Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. Cheap Jordans Fast Free Shipping . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Wholesale Jordans Free Shipping . The 20-year-old Barkley, whose impressive form this season could earn him a place in Englands World Cup squad, was hurt in Evertons 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Jan.ST. PAUL, Minn – On many nights this season, terrific goaltending and special teams lifted the Leafs to victory where it might not have been deserved. That was nearly the case once more at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday night, but, in this instance, a win slipped away. “We got what we deserved,” said Carl Gunnarsson, bluntly in conversation with the Leaf Report after a 2-1 shootout loss to the Wild. “I just mean if you look at the game all over, 65 minutes, we didnt deserve more than one point.” In a game that saw Nazem Kadri ejected, Jonathan Bernier brilliant once more and both special teams units back on the mark, the Leafs ultimately tripped up in the waning moments, their collective ineffectiveness to that point ultimately bringing about a deserved fate. “Were not happy about it,” Gunnarsson said of his teams play, “but we couldve had two points. We had the chance and we didnt take it. But if you look over the whole game, we didnt deserve more.” Stuck with just one even-strength goal in the past four games, the Leafs failed to generate much of an attack for the better part of two periods against the Wild. But with a power-play goal from Mason Raymond in the second, excellence from Bernier and the penalty kill, they actually led late and appeared on course for two points. It was then, with less than five minutes, to go that a Phil Kessel defensive zone giveaway landed in the hands of Charlie Coyle. Punishing the error, Zach Parise would even the score at one before capping it with the shootout winner a short while later. “We have the puck under control in our zone, we cough it up and it ends up in our net,” Randy Carlyle said of the game-tying goal afterward. Moments earlier, the Leafs had killed off a mammoth five-minute Wild power-play – Kadri given a match penalty for his hit on Mikael Granlund (more in Five Points) – with Minnesota managing just a single shot opposite an aggressive and impactful penalty kill. And so, while not playing up to their desired standard, the Leafs had put themselves in position for victory only to fumble it away. “Yeah for sure,” said Raymond. “That stings a bit.” It was perhaps due karma. Only a month earlier, the Leafs were outshot 37-14 by the Wild at home, escaping with victory on the shoulders of a 36-save performance from James Reimer, two power-play goals and a near-perfect effort on the penalty kill. Holding three of his seven career shutouts against the Wild, Bernier was busy and effective as he has been all season. The 25-year-old stopped 33 of 34 shots, beaten only by Parise on an unlikely ricochet attempt in front. Troubling for the Leafs was the amount of time they spent defending rather than initiating the play as was desired – the Wild out-attempted them by a 70-43 margin. A focal point of attention for Carlyle in the early weeks this season and especially the past few days, the short stock of Toronto forwards (they dressed only 11, lost Kadri and played without Colton Orr and Carter Ashton in the third) were unable to consistently pressure the Minnesota defence, rarely generating much offence against Josh Harding, who replaced Niklas Backstrom early in the first. “We didnt really have that [offensive] zone time,” Gunnarsson said. “We didnt cycle the puck a whole lot, [we were] kind of receiving the game. They moved the puck down low on us and played a whole bunch in our end.” Heroics from the goaltenders and fine special teams play bailed out those inconsistencies amid a successful start, but not on this night. Five Points 1. Kadris eventful night Charging hard into the Wild crease early in the first, Kadri leveled Backstrom with what appeared to be an elbow and was whistled for the first of three penalties. Soaking up plenty of ice in the opening 40 minutes – he led Leaf forwards with upwards of 15 minutes – the 23-year-old would get the gate for good midway through the third. Kadri delivered a crunching hit to Granlund along the boards in the neutral zone for which he was given a match penalty. “He made initial contact with the shoulder and the kid had the head down and he didnt have his arms up and he ran into the player,” said Carlyle, clearly not in agreement with the punishment. For his collision with Backstrom, Kadri will garner a hearing with the NHLs department of discipline on Thursday afternoon. At his best on the edge, Kadri may have crossed a line. “Naz is a very skilled player,” said Dion Phaneuf, “but he plays with an edge and he plays hard. I think thats a big thing thats unique about him is that he doesnt just have those very soft hands and playmaking ability, but hes a physical guy.dddddddddddd” Already short Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland, a suspension to Kadri would further damage the Leafs down the middle. 2. Five-on-five woes continue The Leafs were one of the leagues most potent teams at full strength last season. They scored 105 goals, trailing only the Lightning, Blackhawks and Penguins. So far this season, however, theyve not been nearly as successful. The Leafs boast the 20th-ranked five-on-five offence (29 goals,) failing to score an even-strength goal for the third time in four games against the Wild on Wednesday night. 3. Clarksons drought The goal drought reached eight games for David Clarkson. The 29-year-old hasnt scored yet as a Leaf, totaling just one assist thus far. “I think thats going to start soon,” said Clarkson optimistically before the game. “Start burning some incense here in my stall.” The Leafs werent counting exclusively on potent offence from their marquee offseason addition, but some level of contribution was to be expected for a player who scored 45 goals over the past two seasons. Clarkson has had opportunities, including a glorious chance against his former team last week. But rather than trickle across the goal-line, his attempt on Cory Schneider wobbled wide right. “I think if youre getting chances and youre getting good quality chances, then I think youre doing something right,” Clarkson said, noting the ability to contribute elsewhere if pucks werent finding twine. One easy cure would be to shoot the puck more often, something the Toronto native made mention of himself. During his final two seasons in New Jersey, Clarkson averaged 3.19 shots per game, but in his first eight games as a Leaf, hes down to just two per game. A primary power-play contributor with the Devils, Clarkson is additionally beginning to see more time on the man advantage with the Leafs, with the injuries to Bozak and Bolland opening up opportunity. “Hes had chances and I think its part of our responsibility to try and support him with some of the power-play situations, maybe move him up and down in the lineup, play with more offensive players,” Carlyle said, with Clarkson matched with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul against the Wild. “Theres no better cure for a guy that hasnt scored is to continue to move up the lineup and play with your better players and get power-play time.” 4. Kadri at even-strength Kadri has interestingly dipped most in terms of even-strength offence. He accrued 82 per cent of his offence in such situations last season, his 36 points leading the team. But after 18 games this fall, his production there has taken nearly a 20 per cent hit. Kadri has just eight of his 13 points at even-strength (62 per cent) with the power-play a source of increased productivity. 5. JVR Down the middle Wednesday marked the third career game at centre for James van Riemsdyk. One difference in playing down the middle, according to the 24-year-old, is positioning in transition offensively. “Its a little different,” he said. “When youre coming on the rush youre usually in the middle versus being on the wall; youre usually looking to kick it wide and maybe drive or whatever; youre not usually going to pull up in the middle of the ice and just stop there because then youll turn it over. “Thats usually why the wingers in general get more shots than centre iceman do," van Riemsdyk said. After mustering just a single shot in the previous two games, van Riemsdyk finished with four shots against the Wild, but remained pointless at centre ice. A temporary stopgap when Bolland suffered an ankle injury, he may get the move back to wing soon enough. Out since Oct. 25 with a hamstring injury, Bozak skated for the first time on Tuesday and could be in line to return in the next couple weeks. The 27-year-old is eligible to come of long-term injured reserve on Nov. 21. All of that could change, of course, with a Kadri suspension. Stat-Pack 30 – Faceoffs for Jerred Smithson against the Wild, winning 53 per cent. 23:27 – Ice-time for Jay McClement, a season-high. 70-43 – Shot attempts favouring the Wild. 29 – Total goals for the Leafs at five-on-five. .939 – Save percentage for Jonathan Bernier after 12 games this season. 15 – Times this season the Leafs have been outshot by an opponent. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-3Season: 22.2% PK: 5-5Season: 84.9% Quote of the Night “We got what we deserved.” -Carl Gunnarsson on the eventual result against the Wild. Up Next The Leafs visit the Sabres on Friday in the first half of a home and home set. ' ' '