LAKE FOREST, Ill. Larry Foote Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears released eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers on Tuesday, one of several moves they made to reshape their struggling defence. The Bears also agreed to a five-year contract with former Oakland Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston, a two-year contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants safety Ryan Mundy, and one-year deals with linebackers Jordan Senn and D.J. Williams. But the biggest move as they tried to shore up a defence that got shredded by injuries and ranked among the leagues worst last season involved Peppers. Given the way he struggled last season and the fact that his salary cap hit for next season was for more than $18 million, the Bears were expected to let him go or restructure his contract. "We appreciate Julius contributions to the Bears over the last four years," general manager Phil Emery said in a statement. "He was a leader on our defence starting every game since coming to Chicago. His accomplishments over his NFL career place him among the best defensive ends over the past 20 years. The Chicagoland community has benefited greatly from his quiet generosity. We wish him the best." Peppers is the second high-profile player to part ways with the Bears this off-season, joining record returner Devin Hester. Those moves come after they split with Brian Urlacher following the 2012 season. Peppers, who turned 34 in January, finished with just seven sacks, his lowest total in four seasons with Chicago and the fewest for him since he had a career-low 2 1/2 with Carolina in 2007. Three times last year he failed to register a tackle, and the Bears defence ranked among the worst in the NFL. But Peppers has been one of the best at his position during his career. In his 12 seasons with Carolina (2002-2009) and Chicago (2010-13), he ranks second in the NFL with 118 1/2 sacks. He has nine interceptions -- the most by a defensive lineman since 2002 -- and his 39 career forced fumbles are fifth most in the league during that time. On special teams, Peppers has 11 blocked kicks during his career. With the Bears, Peppers had 38 sacks along with three interceptions, nine forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. But he was inconsistent last season. At times, he showed that old burst. Too often, he was a nonfactor. The defence, overall, was a mess for the Bears last season because of injuries and poor execution. Williams, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, and Henry Melton missed big chunks of the season. Nickel back Kelvin Hayden and defensive tackle Nate Collins also suffered season-ending injuries. And the Bears couldnt stop the run or get to the quarterback. Chicago allowed a league-high 5.3 yards per carry, half a yard more than any other team, and tied Jacksonville with an NFL-worst with 31 sacks. Houston started all 16 games last season for Oakland and was one of the few playmakers on a 4-12 team. He led the Raiders with a career-high six sacks and got 16 in four seasons with them. Mundy made a career-high nine starts with the Giants last season after spending his first four with Pittsburgh. He had 70 tackles and a 91-yard interception return along with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He also had seven special teams stops. Senn has appeared in 83 games with seven starts over six seasons with Indianapolis (2008-09) and Carolina (2009-13). He was primarily a special-teams player last season. Williams appeared in six games and made four starts at middle linebacker last season after signing a one-year deal with Chicago. A ruptured pectoral muscle tendon cut short his season. Deone Bucannon Elite Jersey . During their talk, Lemieux was reported to have discussed with Crosby how a captains erratic behaviour can negatively impact the team.Lemieuex told Crosby... "You cant behave the way you did at the end of the game, it gives off a bad vibe to your teammates, it gives off a vibe that might be portraying you in a negative light, especially when youre struggling. John Brown Elite Jersey . -- The Royals expect to place left-hander Bruce Chen on the disabled list with a swollen disc in his back that has already caused the club to juggle its starting rotation.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger have the latest on the future homes of Jarome Iginla, Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek as well as updates on the top potential NCAA free agent and the NHLs search for fresh officiating. Jarome Iginla has been one of the stories of this season individually. Hes been a great fit in Boston and his 28 goals leads the team. Does he end up there beyond this year and re-sign? Darren Dreger: Thats certainly the hope of the Boston Bruins and of Jarome Iginla as well. I know Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins general manager, reached out to Don Meehan from Newport Sports last week. Theres been no official back-and-forth in terms of dialogue or a negotiation and the reality is that the Bruins dont have the tag room or the cap space to close this deal in-season. But, most definitely, Chiarelli and the Bruins want to extend Iginlas stay. He loves Boston. They love him in Boston. I think a deal gets done. Pierre LeBrun: Another top-line right-winger whos slated to be a UFA come July 1 is Ales Hemsky, who came over at the trade deadline to help the Ottawa Senators. Now, he has helped them, even though the Senators have struggled. Ottawa has seen enough of Hemsky that in the very near future they are interested in reaching out to his representatives to see if hes interested in staying on and to talk about an extension. Obviously, the money has to be right for the budget-conscious Senators, but right now Bryan Murray would like to bring Hemsky back for next season. Does Ryan Miller stay in St. Louis? LeBrun: That is what Doug Armstrong and the St. Louis Blues would love to do. Theyve already reached out to Mike Liut, the agent for Ryan Miller, and told Miller: ‘Once this season is over, we want to bring you back. They are being aggressive in their overtures and telling this player that they do not want him to go to the July 1 market. They believe he is a long-term fit for their team which will contend for a number of years. Bob McKenzie: The conventional wisdom among the hockey community is that one of the reasons Miller wants to wait until free agency on July 1 is to see if theres any interest from the Anaheim Ducks. There was all sorts of speculation that the Ducks tried to make a trade with the Buffalo Sabres earlier this season for Miller, but that it fell through and they werent able to do it. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys. . Millers wife is an actress. She does all sorts of work in Hollywood and the possibility of being on a California team might be something that is really good for Ryan Miller. So, well wait and see where that goes. Its college free agent signing season. The most sought-after right now is Christian Folin, a 63”, 210-pound defenceman from Sweden who plays for the River Hawks and UMass. Who are the front-runners to get him? McKenzie: The Philadelphia Flyers, the Minnesota Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers are amongst the teams believed to have the best chance to try to get Christian Folin out of UMass Lowell. Now, I should point something out. Firstly, theyre playing in the NCAA tournament Friday night against Minnesota State. If they lose, hes got a decision to make. He has not yet fully committed to making the decision that hes coming out of college. The likelihood is that he is, but he hasnt made that decision just yet. Lots of teams are getting the sense now that theyre out of it and that those teams I just mentioned are the front-runners. The NHL is apparently seeking officials... Dreger: Theyre calling it the NHL Exposure Combine and the belief is that theyre hoping to bring in upwards of 60 high-level prospects. Theyre going to collect these, literally, from around the world, but yes, they will send invites to certain universities and NCAA colleges for those graduating hockey players who perhaps want to pursue a career as an NHL on-ice official. Theyll hold the combine in August in Buffalo. There will be considerable physical testing but its all part of trying to expand the search and every other year, theyll do an amateur version. McKenzie: I smell a reality show coming: “So You Wanna Be a Ref?” Pierre LeBrun has a quick one-timer for us on Thomas Vanek. LeBrun: Vanek is obviously loving his time in Montreal so far but I spoke with his agent Steve Bartlett earlier on Tuesday who said the plan has not deviated. They told the Sabres last summer that theyre going to July 1. They told the Islanders after he got traded that its going to July 1 and that remains the plan right now. Lets see if a little playoff magic might change his mind. ' ' '
