MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact have traded Brian Ching back to the Houston Dynamo, the team he never wanted to leave. Maurice Jones-Drew Raiders Jersey . The veteran forward was sent back to Houston on Thursday in exchange for a conditional first round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. Montreal selected Ching first overall in the expansion draft in November, even though the 33-year-old made it clear he was disappointed to have been left available by the Dynamo. He threatened to retire, but ended up reporting when Montreal opened camp on Jan. 16. "We have made this decision based on reasons that we felt were beneficial for both the desires and needs of our club and the wishes of Brian Ching," Impact coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. "We wish him luck on his return to Houston and thank him for his commitment and professionalism while a member of our organization." Ching left the Impacts camp in Carson, Calif., this week for what the team said was personal reasons. The American striker has said he wanted to end is career in Houston and had especially been looking forward to playing in the Dynamos new stadium. After the deal was announced, Ching said in a Twitter message: "Im excited to be back in Houston. I am going to miss my (at)impactmontreal boys. Best of luck this year. I know you guys will do well." Ching scored four times in Houstons inaugural game in 2006 and is the teams all-time leading scorer with 63 goals, nearly twice more than second-place Dwayne De Rosario. He is fifth all-time in games played for the club with 168, fourth in games started with 144 and third in assists with 24. "I am very happy to have Brian back with the team," said Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear. "This is a very important year for the Dynamo, and if anyone deserves to be involved with the team, its Brian." Ching was limited to 20 appearances last season due to injury, but still tied for the team lead with five goals. He also helped Houston reach the MLS Cup Final. "It feels good having Brian back where he belongs," said Dynamo president Chris Canetti. "It was a long and difficult process, but we got the right result. "I am happy that he will have the opportunity to play in the new stadium in front of his Houstonian fans who so badly wanted him here." The move leaves the Impact thin at forward, where Justin Braun, Miguel Montano, Steven Miller and Canadians Evan James and Cal Haworth are vying for spots in the starting 11. Veteran Eduardo Sebrango is also trying out for the squad. The Impact have 24 players on their roster, six under the limit, and are expected to add bodies before they kick off their inaugural MLS season on the road March 10 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. They play their first home game March 17 against the Chicago Fire at Olympic Stadium. Justin Ellis Raiders Jersey . The 55th-ranked Austrian saved five of the eight break points he faced and converted three of his 12 chances to defeat the Spaniard in 2 1/2 hours. Granollers, ranked 40 places above Thiem, was granted a first-round bye at the clay-court event. Justin Ellis Jersey . The Red Wings were set to give Mantha an opportunity to make the roster at training camp after he won the QMJHL scoring title last season with the Val DOr Foreurs.The biggest gun among unrestricted free agents was dealt just as the deadline approached, but the ultimate price sure appears to be a relative bargain. Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Vanek, 30, was considered the prize of the pending unrestricted free agent class as the deadline approached. Hes scored 271 goals in 645 games since coming into the league in 2005-2006. Since his second year in the league, Vanek ranks fourth with 246 goals and hes done it with all sorts of different linemates between his time in Buffalo and, for much of this season, with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo on the top line for the New York Islanders. Vanek isnt a great possession player, some years better than others, but is so skilled and plays in an offensive role that his on-ice shooting percentage is among the best in the league over the past five seasons. In Montreal, Vanek should give the Canadiens offence a jolt, as Max Pacioretty, with 29 goals, is the only Hab with more than Vaneks 21 goals this season. Adding Vanek will give the Canadiens offence more depth and its conceivable that a finisher like Vanek can continue to produce while also elevating the production of his new linemates. A spot alongside Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk might be a decent fit to start. An unrestricted free agent in the summer, Vanek brings a cap hit of more than $7.1-million. There have been several rumours this season about Vaneks desire to end up in Minnesota, and that may be where he goes as a free agent, but Vanek also acknowledged that a winning team sure helps in the decision-making process. If Vanek can play a significant role in the Canadiens playoff push, then perhaps Montreal will be a destination that he considers as a long-term home, but that expectation had better come with the understanding that Vanek is going to command a massive contract as an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Islanders Get: RW Sebastian Collberg and a conditional second-round pick. John Matuszak Raiders Jersey. Collberg just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago and was a second-round pick in 2012. Hes a skilled forward with good speed who has 18 points in 75 Swedish Elite League games over the past two seasons with Frolunda HC. Hes put up a dozen points in 13 games at the past two World Junior Hockey Championships. Its hard to project a young forward getting limited ice time in Sweden to a big role right away in the NHL, so Collberg probably needs time in the AHL, which ought to be fine for the Islanders, who have quite a few young forwards coming through the pipeline. One of those young forwards, Anders Lee, the 23-year-old rookie pro out of Notre Dame, could see quite a bit of action in a scoring role down the stretch. Lee has four goals and six points in six NHL games (this year and last) and, with Vanek gone, there is room for Lee to show that he should be a part of the plans for next seasons team. The conditional picks are based on whether or not the Canadiens make the playoffs. If they hold their current playoff spot, then the Canadiens swap their second-rounder for the Islanders fifth-round pick. If the Canadiens fall out and miss the playoffs, then the deal will just be Collberg for the rental of Vanek. All told, the price doesnt seem to be nearly enough a return for the Islanders, who were out of the race early enough that everyone knew they were going to deal Vanek, but somehow appeared to overplay their hand because even if Collberg is a good prospect, that doesnt seem to match the price paid for lesser players. As a result of that incongruous fit between the Islanders asking price and what the market was ultimately willing to pay, it sure appears to have provided an opening for Montreal GM Marc Bergevin to take advantage and upgrade his team at a very reasonable price. 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. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys' ' '
