TMLs Hockey Blog

Leafs Acquire Dave Bolland, Bozak Likely Out

2013-06-30T20:03:00.001-04:00

With the acquisition of Dave Bolland, it looks like Tyler Bozak will not be returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the upcoming season, unless Leafs GM Dave Nonis makes a few more trades to free up some salary.

The Leafs only have $16M of cap space remaining and only have 12 players currently signed. Toronto has a long list of players to either re-sign or let go to the free agent market before the start of the season in October. Those players include Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne, Clarke MacArthur, Tyler Bozak, Ryan Hamilton, Carl Gunnarsson, Cody Franson, Mark Fraser, Ryan O'Byrne, Mike Kostka, and the newly acquired Jonathan Bernier.

Assuming the Maple Leafs use one of their two compliance buy-outs on Mike Komisarek, that will free up another $3.5M to get their cap space to just around $20M. But some of those guys on that list are due for a significant pay increase. Kadri, Franson, and Bernier are the most important targets, as well as Colborne and Gunnarsson in the mix too. On the plus side all five of those players are restricted free agents, so there isn't a rush to get them signed in the next week before the market opens up for unrestricted free agents.

It would look like the Leafs aren't going to sign any of their four unrestricted free agents. MacArthur and Bozak are both probably too rich for the Leafs to sign, and O'Byrne and Kostka were seldom used by coach Randy Carlyle down the stretch, so there doesn't seem to be a pressing need to sign either of those players.

Leafs Defense Size vs. Skill

2013-03-12T23:44:00.002-04:00

Leafs Defense Struggle in Winnipeg
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs are have lost three games in a row, for the first time this season. Overall, that's a good sign, but over the last few weeks, including the games they have won, Toronto's defense has not been up to par.

The Leafs are 3-3-1 in their last seven games, but in those seven games have allowed 28 goals against. That's an average of four goals against per game. In fact, in that time span, the only game where the Leafs didn't allow four goals against was March 4th against the New Jersey Devils.

Despite the fact that they were able to win some games in the last few weeks, the team has looked out-of-sorts defensively. In the past you could easily shift the blame to sub-par goaltending, but this time it's not the case. Although their numbers don't look good at all, Toronto's goalies have been playing rather well as of late. The blame must be put on the players. At what point are the players going to be held accountable for their inability to keep the puck out of their own net? Many think that Thursday nights match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins will showcase a different Leafs line-up, but many also think it should have happened weeks ago.

Let's take a look at John-Michael Liles to start. He has been a healthy scratch for nearly a month, having last played February 16th. In 15 games this season, he has one goal and five assists for six points and is a plus-2. He has also only taken two penalty minutes in those 15 games. Jake Gardiner is another name you can't leave behind. He continues to have his way in the AHL playing for the Toronto Marlies. Gardiner has 30 points in 40 games for the Marlies. Both of these players are great puck movers, have a lot of vision and speed, and can definitely help the Leafs' struggling powerplay.

Let's contrast them with two of the Leafs that I think have been struggling mightily lately. Korbinian Holzer is a big tall defensman, who has three points in twenty games this season, but he is also a minus-8 on the season. Mike Kostka has seven assists on the season and is a minus-7 for the year. Both of these players have really struggled lately, and its come to show in recent games.

So at what point do you sacrifice size for skill and finesse? Personally, I don't think you need to roll with six big strong defenseman. Phaneuf, Fraser, and Franson are all pretty big defenseman, and Carl Gunnarsson isn't an easy walk around. Especially considering that despite being smaller defensemen, Liles and Gardiner both use their speed and their skill to play very effectively in their own zone. More effectively than a lot of the players with size have been playing over the last few games. It is definitely time to get Liles into the line-up, and I would like to see Jake Gardiner here as well, but I wont push it, because I know how much Randy Carlyle loves big strong defensemen.

Clearly, though, the current personnel aren't getting the job done and its time for a change. It's time for some of these players to be held accountable for their performances.

Is This The Year For Nazem Kadri?

2013-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Nazem Kadri celebrates scoring his third
goal of the 2013 season
PHOTO: NHL.com

When the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Nazem Kadri seventh overall in the 2009 entry draft, they had high hopes for the former London Knight forward who showcased an amazing set of hands alongside great playmaking abilities. But as the years passed in Toronto, Nazem Kadri hasn't been able to find a regular spot in the line-up, despite multiple opportunities being called up over the last three seasons.

So this past off-season Kadri worked hard so that when the season came around he could prove that he deserved a regular spot on the roster. But things didn't quite work out when the NHL and NHLPA couldn't come to a collective bargaining agreement and the NHL went into a lockout. So Kadri started the season for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League as he awaited the lockout to end. It wasn't the start to the new season that he was looking for, but what made matters worse was when his coach in the Marlies, Dallas Eakins, questioned his play and even benched him at one point during the AHL season.

But once the NHL came back, Kadri had his chance to prove his worth to the Leafs, and thus far he has been playing better than most would have expected. He is playing hard, going into the dirty areas when needed, and he isn't hesitating to try to make a play in the offensive zone. His defensive play, which has been criticized in the past, has also greatly improved.

Kadri has played all of the first four games for the Maple Leafs this season, and leads his team with three goals and five points. Two of his three goals were scored on the powerplay, which is an area where the Leafs have been struggling and look towards a player like Kadri for help.

So Kadri is off to a good start to the 2013 NHL season, but his biggest goal to overcome is consistency. Kadri has been inconsistent in previous years after being called up. He would look great for the first few games and then get a bit comfortable and his game would suffer. With Matt Frattin and a few others trying to gain a regular spot on the Leafs line-up, Kadri needs to play with urgency every game to remain an effective piece of the Maple Leafs.

Leafs Collapse After Strong First Period Against Islanders

2013-01-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Leafs celebrate after jumping to an early lead, before allowing
five unanswered goals
PHOTO: NHL.com

Another late surge by the Toronto Maple Leafs isn't nearly enough to get back into a game where they gave up five unanswered goals after jumping to an early 3-1 lead. The Leafs would ultimately lose the game by a score of 7-4. A reoccurring theme for the Maple Leafs over the last several seasons is the inability to play a 60 minute game. Tonight was a display of just that. The Leafs were all over New York in the first period, but fell asleep for the next 35 minutes. In their defense, the Leafs did play last night and so fatigue is definitely an issue, but it's not an excuse.

In a season with only 48 games, every game is crucial, more-so than the average season. The teams that manage to hold early leads are the teams that will thrive and the teams that can't will be on the outside looking in, as the Leafs have been since the previous NHL lockout in 2004. At times Toronto has shown some promise early in this season, but tonight's game exposed the majority of the hurtles that the Leafs will have to overcome this season.

One major issue for the season is the goaltending. The Leafs have started the season with two rather inexperienced goaltenders, Ben Scrivens and James Reimer. Scrivens has looked nervous in his first three starts in a Leaf uniform this season, and a few times it has directly resulted in a goal against. He really needs to improve his puck handling skills, but more importantly, he just needs to settle down. All of that aside, I'm still interested to see what he can bring to the table in his next few games, because besides the little mistakes, which become big mistakes when the opposing team scores, he looks like he has the ability to play in the NHL.

As for James Reimer, it isn't fair to judge his performance tonight based on one goal against coming in relief of Scrivens, but the goal that did go in went over his glove which was too low when he came out to challenge. That has been an issue with Reimer in the past and opposing players are well aware of that, so he needs to step up in that regard.

On to the forwards, the core of the line-up looks good, even despite Joffrey Lupul being injured with a fractured arm after Wednesday night's game. Matt Frattin was one of the few Leafs that looked good throughout the game. He was called up to the NHL as a result of the Lupul injury.

Nazem Kadri has also been playing well for the Leafs. Through four games this season he looks really good, but its his long-term play that usually becomes the issue when he is at the NHL level. In the majority of his previous call-ups to the big club, Kadri has looked good for the first half dozen games, but beyond that hasn't played hard and became ineffective on the ice.

The Leafs defense were not up to par tonight. From Dion Phaneuf over skating the puck leading to the first goal, to Carl Gunnarsson not tying up the stick in front of the net that lead to the third goal, things didn't look good for the Leafs beyond the first period. I also wasn't impressed with Cody Franson's play tonight. If he wants to prove that he can be a regular player in the NHL, and I think he can, he needs to play quite a bit better than he did tonight.

The Leafs powerplay unit was stagnant again tonight. The Leafs had another brief two man advantage without any reward tonight. It might be due to the fact that arguably Toronto's best puck moving defenseman, John-Michael Liles, was not on the powerplay, not even the second unit. I am a fan of Mike Kostka's game thus far this season, but I don't believe he should be on the first powerplay unit. Liles is a great playmaker and puck handler. When he was acquired, he was to be our powerplay quarterback, but this season the veteran hasn't seen much ice time on the powerplay. Liles played under five minutes in the first period tonight.

With the loss tonight, the Leafs have a 2-2-0 record. They are back at it on Saturday night as they play the New York Rangers, who have had many of their own struggles early this season.

Brian Burke Fired, Dave Nonis Takes Over

2013-01-09T14:43:00.001-05:00

The Toronto Maple Leafs have relieved Brian Burke of his job and replaced him with his Dave Nonis, one of Toronto's assistant General Managers. The news came as a shock today when the decision was made, and was followed up by a press conference from Toronto at 1:45pm this afternoon. Burke has been appointed a new role for the Maple Leafs as a senior advisor.

Burke, who was the GM for the Leafs for the last four years, had a losing record in his tenure with Toronto. He just recently signed Randy Carlyle to take over as the coach at the tail end of last season. Considering the fact that the NHL and the NHLPA have finally come to a deal after four months of lockout, the timing of this news is rather odd. Why not fire Brian Burke in the summer? Or why not fire him in the dead months during the lockout? The timing doesn't seem right for a change to just happen. What made this decision happened just a few days prior to training camp for the 48-game shortened NHL season.

During the press conference held this afternoon, it was noted several times that the decision to let Burke go wasn't anything reactionary, but rather that the relationship with Burke "wasn't something that would last long-term". But could there be something else? Is it possible that Burke's headstrong morals, that may have rubbed other general managers the wrong way and interrupted possible trades, be the reason that he lost his job? At this point, no one knows, but maybe in time the answers will be revealed.

All these questions aside, there is one far more important to Maple Leafs fans, what does this mean for Roberto Luongo coming to Toronto?

NEW VIDEO - TIM CONNOLLY - NO HEART

2012-08-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

In this episode, the ever-so-wacky Tim Connolly has to be serious. He is having some really troublesome health issues. But GM Brian Burke knows a good doctor or two, and with the help of an unlikely friend, Tim realizes that his health problem isn't so bad after all.

NHL13 - Thoughts on the Demo

2012-08-21T20:39:00.002-04:00

Finally I've mustered enough desire to fight off the laziness that has kept me from writing an article over the last few months. This is because EA Sports has released the Demo for NHL 13 today. The game will be available on September 11th, 2012.

After pretty much releasing the same game since 2008 with some minor tweaks over the last four years, this year EA Sports added a bit more to the game. Is it completely different? Absolutely not. Are there a lot of tweaks or just a few? There isn't a lot, but there isn't a few. However, the parts that were revamped this year compared to years in the past were done very carefully to the best detail.

So, what's new?

Speaking strictly about gameplay, there are a few improvements they have made this year. Some for the better, some that may need to be working on by next year to get it just right. The biggest improvement this year is the new skating engine. Players actually look like they're skating across the ice. Unlike previous years where you could do things like stop, turn on a dime and skate at full speed, the skating this year is far more realistic. The downside with the skating, and what may end up being a problem with the game until it is patched by EA (hopefully), is the new skating backwards option. It's a great idea to fully optimize skating as their tutorial video shows, but I think the backwards skating is way too powerful and will end up being a big problem when playing other users online. I have already seen a shoot-out glitch goal where the skater just skates backwards towards the goalie until the last second and turns to face the goalie to score. He did it over and over again only missing a few times.

Another new feature, which I truly enjoy, is the new goalie animations. A lot of the old ones were outdated. So it is really nice to see the goalies make more realistic saves. I took a few videos of some of my gameplay from this afternoon and will post a link to all of them at the bottom of the page. One of the videos shows a goalie making a sprawling blocker save from post to post on a two-on-one rush which looks very authentic.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

I also found that hitting has been adjusted so it isn't so easy this year. In previous years you were sometimes magnetized to the player while hitting, and while that is still there, it seems they lowered the magnetism so that you actually have to time your hits. Also, passing the puck is a lot more sensitive. You need to really aim nicely to hit a player with a long pass, also if you are on your backhand you wont be able to make a hard pass all the way up the ice, which I like because it is far more realistic.

Another thing I enjoyed is the effort done to creating really authentic looking players. Each players face in the video game looks just like in real life. It's a really big improvement on last year. The whole graphics in general have been stepped up quite a bit.

On the downside, which was a bit disappointing, is the fighting engine is still the same awful engine we have been playing with for the past few years. In hindsight, it's probably a good thing, because game times won't be longer due to constant fighting, but it would have been nice to have a new fighting engine.

One thing I found really annoying was the advertisement above the scoreboard. It really isn't much, but a few times I noticed that during a whistle a Honda pick-up truck drives above the scoreboard and stays there for a few seconds before driving off. I just found that slightly annoying.

New to the Main Menu

The main menu has a lot of the same features as previous games. From the "Play Now" option you can play a game, play in the winter classic or "Battle for the Cup". Next is Hockey Ultimate Team, which at a brief glance looks fairly similar to previous years, except when you pick your starting roster, there is a much more in-depth menu.

New this year is GM Connected mode. This mode is basically a fantasy league with your friends. In essence it is an online version of "Be a GM", where you can play against up to 29 your friends as opposed to computer AI. You have the option of playing each game or just coaching them.

Another new addition to the Main Menu is "NHL Moments Live". This is where you are shown a moment of the last NHL season and you can either re-create that moment or change the moment. For example if your team lost a heart-breaking game in overtime, you now can replay that and win the game instead. You have the option to re-live moments of your favourite team or even just your favourite player.

Free skate is the same mode as last year, where it is exactly as it sounds. It's a free skate, an opportunity for you to practice and master some of your favourite moves in NHL13.

Lastly, the EA Sports Season Ticket is brought back this year. With the purchase of it you get the three day early release, much like last year. You also receive 24 Gold Premium Packs for Hockey Ultimate team, which are distributed on a weekly basis and must be redeemed each week. Lastly, you get 20% off downloadable content in NHL 13 and access to other downloadable content.

NHL 13 comes out on September 11th, 2012.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE VIDEOS

The Kings End One Stanley Cup Drought, But Two More Continue

2012-06-13T18:32:00.000-04:00

The Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup for
the first time in franchise history.
PHOTO: NHL.com

The Los Angeles Kings have won the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history. The season had many ups and downs for the Kings, but they managed to make their way into the playoffs by capturing the eighth and final spot in the West. But when the playoffs started, the Kings put their regular season struggles behind them and rolled through each of their opponents with relative ease to capture the Stanley Cup.

The Kings, joined the National Hockey League back in 1967, along with five other teams. This was the league first major expansion and would be the start of many more to come over the next several decades. The downside for cities which already had teams in the NHL was the increased competition, and with that came a lower chance of success. Although the Kings managed to break their drought, which lasted nearly half a century, there are two more droughts dating back to that same season where the NHL expanded from six to twelve teams.

The St. Louis Blues, who also entered the league in 1967 alongside the Kings, have never won a Stanley Cup. Upon entering the league the Blues went on to make it to the Stanley Cup finals in each of their first three seasons. A seemingly good start for the Blues, except for the fact that all three years they were swept in the finals. Since then, the Blues have never made it to the final series of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have only made it to the final four teams three times since.

Things went downhill for the Blues following a second round elimination in 2002 as they would only make the playoffs in three of the next eight seasons. All three of those playoff births were short lived as the Blues were eliminated in the first round each time, only winning four of the 16 combined games. But as we've seen with several teams in the league, including the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks, what goes down must come up. The league is designed so that the teams that struggle the most in the season will have the best opportunity to build their team in the off-season. Both the Penguins and Blackhawks struggled for many years before acquiring and developing their core group that would eventually lead each team to a Stanley Cup Championship. So that being said, over the last decade the Blues had drafted many players in the top half of the draft, including two top five picks. So for all the Blues fans with their heads to the ground, this past season was a wake up call. The Blues won their first playoff series in a decade and that might just be the start of things to come as they develop their young talent.

Now, looking towards a team that is also in the fourth decade of their Stanley Cup drought, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since their last Cup victory in 1967, the Leafs have never made it to the finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Over the next fourty years following the expansion, Toronto would make it to the final four a handful of times, but never past that. Things began to look up hill in the 90's as Doug Gilmour would lead the Leafs to back-to-back Conference finals in 1993 and 1994 but with no further success. Shortly after that, Mats Sundin would lead the Leafs to the Conference finals in 1999 and in 2002 but once again that would be as far as the Leafs would get. Following the NHL lock-out in 2004, the Leafs are yet to make the playoffs. They are the only NHL franchise that hasn't made the playoffs in that period of time. Much like the Blues, the Leafs looked like they may be turning things around this season as they had a great start to the season and maintained marginal success until just about the half-way point of the season where they would free fall to the basement of the standings.

So, which of these two teams will break their drought and hoist Lord Stanley's Cup first? Only time will tell...

Roberto Luongo in a Leafs uniform

2012-05-29T19:03:00.001-04:00

Roberto Luongo may no longer be a Vancouver Canuck
by the start of next season
PHOTO: nhl.com

Following a season where the Leafs found themselves free falling from a playoff spot to a top 5 draft pick, largely due to inconsistent play in the defensive zone and sub-par goaltending, many fans and members of the media are looking for change. One name that has been rumoured to be on the move this off-season is Vancouver Canucks goalie, Roberto Luongo.

Luongo has played his last six seasons in Vancouver, however with the emergence of Cory Schneider, and the Canucks coaching staff leaning towards him in crucial playoff games, it would seem Luongo would be on his way out. But does he really want to play in Toronto? And how badly do the Leafs need a starting goalie? Well, let's look at the last decade of so of Leafs goaltending.

Between the years of 1998 and 2002, Curtis Joseph played four seasons for the Leafs, leading them into the playoffs every year. Joseph's excellent performance earned him two all-star game appearances while with the Leafs. The Leafs haven't had a good playoff run since Joseph left the team to sign with the Red Wings in 2002.

Following Cujo's departure, Ed Belfour played three years in net for the Maple Leafs and was arguably the last good and consistent starting goalie that has worn the blue leaf on his jersey. Belfour played some of his best hockey for the Leafs in two seasons prior to the lockout. After the lockout, he played one more year for the Leafs but didn't look very good. This was likely due to a combination of his age, as he was closing in on retirement, and not playing for a year due to lockout.

Other goalies to play more than a handful of games for Toronto since then include: Mikael Tellqvist, J.S. Aubin, Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, Martin Gerber, Jonas Gustavsson, J.S. Giguerre, James Reimer and Ben Scrivens. None of these aforementioned goalies have proven to be a considered a consistent starting goalie.

Luongo might be the next star goalie in Toronto. He might be the guy to take up where Cujo and Belfour left off. He might not, and that would be bad news for whomever acquires his services because he carries a $5.33M cap hit through to the 2021-22 season.

Although the Leafs are right up against the cap, it would only take a few small moves to free up enough space to fit Luongo. Armstrong, Lombardi and Komisarek are names that come to mind when thinking of player that are signed to rather generous contracts that could offset Luongo's salary. Now the last remaining question is whether or not Luongo wants to play in Toronto for the Maple Leafs, an question that only a handful of people know the answer to.

Who Is Ray Whitney?

2012-05-18T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ray Whitney, #13 Phoenix Coyotes
PHOTO: nhl.com

So we all know who Ray Whitney is, and we all are finally realizing that he is good, but how good is he? Whitney was a name that was seldom mentioned even just a few years ago. Somehow he has managed to remain one of the most underrated players in the NHL over the last decade or so, and despite the fact that he is 40 years old, he is still putting up great numbers late in his career.

Success in hockey came early for the Canadian-born Whitney. In his third year playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he lead the league with 185 points and helped the Chiefs win the 1991 Memorial Cup. He was drafted 23rd overall by the San Jose Sharks in 1991, however his NHL career didn't start off as well as he would have liked. Whitney played the better part of two season in the International Hockey League (IHL). After four partial seasons with the Sharks, Whitney was sent down and split time in the American Hockey League (AHL) and IHL. It was only in the 1997-98 season, when Whitney was already 25 years old, that he started to play complete seasons and put up points just shy of a point per game.

On March 31st, Whitney became the 79th player in history to reach 1000 points in the NHL. He had 77 points in the regular season this year, and since the lockout has put up 468 points in 529 games. In total, he has 1003 points in 1229 NHL games. He also helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in the year following the lockout season. Despite the good numbers, and the ability to do so year after year, he rarely seemed to be mentioned in a conversation of top players in the league. In fact, in the last twenty years that he has played in the NHL he has never made more than $3.55M per season.

At age 40, most players who haven't already retired, would seriously be considering it, as I would assume Whitney is. But his stats over the past few seasons prove that he still has what it takes to not only manage to get the job done, but be a very good asset to whomever he plays for. If Whitney decides to continue for another year or two in the NHL and can put up numbers comparable to what he has done in the past few seasons, he may be considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame. His numbers are already pretty good, and comparable to several players that are already in the hall, including Henri Richard, who amassed 1046 points in 1256 games. Although the fact that Whitney didn't win 11 Stanley Cups like the 'Pocket Rocket' makes it a tough comparison, the stats are very similar and worth considering.

At the end of the day, when Ray Whitney decides to retire from playing hockey, he will go down in history as one of the most underrated players in the league, who quietly played almost twenty years in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.

Philadelphia Flyers - Acquiring a goalie PART II

2012-05-08T22:08:00.000-04:00

Ilya Bryzgalov pulls the puck out of his net as the Flyers
face elimination in the playoffs
PHOTO: NHL.com

When Paul Holmgren, the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers, acquired Ilya Bryzgalov, he thought all of the goaltending issues that plagued the team over the past few years were a thing of the past. But as time has shown, not only is there still have a ton of issues, but they are also shedding quite a bit of salary towards their goalies, mainly Bryzgalov, whereas in the past that wasn't the case. Holmgren made some aggressive moves in the summer to fit Bryzgalov's salary under the cap, and isn't getting his moneys worth, while Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the big name players that he traded, are in the Conference finals with the Los Angeles Kings. I don't think Holmgren ever thought that he needed a backup plan for a starting goalie, but he definitely needs to figure something out for next season.

The last time the Flyers won the cup was 1975. While the Flyers have shown themselves as Cup contenders in recent years, goaltending has been a lingering thorn in their side. Since the lock-out, the Flyers have used several goalies from season to season, and even game to game. There have been eight goalies to play more than a handful of games, Antero Niittymaki, Robert Esche, Martin Biron, Michael Leighton, Ray Emery, Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Bryzgalov. All of which have shown that they are not capable starting goalies. With the exception of Bryzgalov, they are either all back-up goalies or they aren't even in the NHL anymore.

In his defense, Bryzgalov has shown that he is capable of being a good starting goaltender, but he has also shown that it doesn't take much to shake his confidence and he has looked really shaky during most of the season and playoffs. If the Flyers don't have enough confidence in Bobrovsky, they need to go find another goalie that they feel comfortable with riding through the season if Bryzgalov continues to play as bas as he is.

The Flyers have shown that they have quite a bit of offensive firepower, and some games that may overshadow a struggling goaltender. This was evident in the Flyers first round playoff match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But you can't expect that on a nightly basis. And when your players see that their goalie seems to struggle with even some of the easy shots, they tend to adjust the way the play the game. It's hard to play game after game with sub-par goaltending. From losing the Stanley Cup to a shot from the icing line that beat Leighton a few years ago to struggling goalie after struggling goalie since, you have to assume that some players will begin to get rather frustrated. At some point you owe it to your players to get a better goalie that isn't bringing down the rest of the roster before they miss their chance at winning the cup.

Rambling on about Sheriff Shanny

2012-05-04T01:18:00.001-04:00

Shea Weber smashes Henrik Zetterberg's face into
the glass twice
PHOTO: TMLHockey

Brenden Shanahan is in charge of administering discipline to NHL players whose actions are not within the rules of the NHL and thus warrant punishment. The punishment is usually a fine, suspension or both.

Let us look at his role administering suspensions and fines thus far in the playoffs. Things started off really bumpy when Shanahan chose only to give Shea Weber a $2500 fine for his attack on Henrik Zetterberg in game one. Weber took Zetterberg by the back of his head and smashed his face into the glass twice. Since that decision, it seems Shanahan is determined to punish every player regardless of whether they are a superstar or not, which is something that should have been done from the start, but now leaves a void of confusion from player to player as to what will get you suspended and what will not.

Much like watching a game where a ref misses a call and the remainder of the game is a series of make-up-calls, Shanahan has made it very unclear as to what is acceptable and what isn't. Since the Weber incident he has chosen to suspend over half a dozen players for varying amounts of games. The message Shanahan is sending is that it isn't okay to hurt someone with a play within the rules, yet its all fair when you physically assault them without any attempt at making a hockey play.

Enough is enough already with NHL suspensions. Much like how diving seems to get worse every season because referees neglect to make the call, the lack of suspensions in the NHL will lead to worse plays on the ice. Even when suspensions are administered, they are usually only for a game or two. Being suspended for a couple of games in an 82 game season isn't much of a punishment. Players will not stop head hunting because of a three game suspension. The league needs to start throwing around more 10 and 20 game suspensions like they did to Raffe Torres. More long-term suspensions without pay may actually make a difference.

Sadly, I bet of Marian Hossa wasn't carried away in an ambulance, Torres would have only gotten a one game suspension. Maybe even more sad is that Torres made somewhat of a hockey play whereas Weber simply assaulted Zetterberg. I must say that if I were Torres, I'd be pretty unhappy when comparing both instances and both punishments. You know things are unclear when players, such as Jonathan Toews, who were not involved in any way with the suspensions, and lack of suspensions, are saying that something isn't right.

Its about time Shanahan, and the league officials get together to find a solution that works. Harsher punishment to everyone, and not just Torres, may make a difference... I just don't see that happening in the near future. Until someone gets seriously injured, nothing will change. Things will remain the same because the NHL is more about reaction than prevention.

After Four Games Of The First Round In The West

2012-04-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Crawford lets the puck slide past him in overtime and the
Blackhawks lose in another tight game with the Coyotes
PHOTO: nhl.com

So, we've made it to the halfway point of the first round of the playoffs, and it has been rather eventful when compared to previous years. Here is my breakdown of each series this far.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs LOS ANGELES KINGS

The Canucks finished this season with the best record in the NHL, which earns them the President's trophy, but things didn't quite go their way early in the playoffs. Daniel Sedin didn't play in their first three games for the Canucks as the Kings jumped to an 3-0 series lead. Vancouver would win game four with Daniel Sedin in the line-up, but have a big hill to climb.

Roberto Luongo played in net for the Canucks in games one and two, and played considerably well, but Cory Schneider was given the call for game three to change things up. Despite the loss in game three, Schneider, who played well, was given the nod to start in net for game four which he won. This raises a lot of questions about the future of Luongo and whether or not he will be playing for the Canucks in the near future.

The real goaltending story in this series is Jonathan Quick for the Los Angeles Kings. In my opinion he has been the best goalie of the playoffs thus far.

Although the Kings are the eighth an final team to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, they are still a very good team with a very talented roster. I don't see the Canucks winning another three consecutive games to knock the Kings out. In fact, when the dust settles and the first round is behind us, I think Los Angeles will be many people's favourite for the Stanley Cup.

ST. LOUIS BLUES vs SAN JOSE SHARKS

After last nights win, the St. Louis Blues have a 3-1 series lead. The only game they lost happened in the second overtime. Even despite the injury to Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis' number one goaltender, they still managed to win with Brian Elliot in net. Although Elliot is the back-up goalie, he put up great numbers in the regular season and is continuing where he left off in the playoffs. Andy McDonald has been great as well as he leads the Blues offense with seven points.

As for the Sharks, Neimi has played well enough to win most nights, but their top players need to start producing. Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski are still held pointless thus far in the series.

PHOENIX COYOTES vs CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Although Chicago is the lower seeded team in this match-up, many people considered them favourites to get past the Coyotes. With all the fire power and skill up front, it's surprising that the Blackhawks trail the Coyotes 3-1 in the series. Simply stated, Crawford has been bad in net for Chicago, and across the ice, Mike Smith has been phenomenal for the Coyotes.

Granted, all four games were decided in overtime, but the last two games were decided by bad goals. In game three Crawford let in a goal from the icing line, and in game four he let a sliding puck get behind him. If the Blackhawks want to get back into this series, they need Crawford to start playing like a starting NHL goalie. But let's not put the whole blame on Crawford. Johnny Oduya, who the Blackhawks picked up at the trade deadline, is having an absolutely terrible run thus far in the playoffs.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS vs DETROIT RED WINGS

The Predators lead the series 3-1 over the Red Wings in another series where most games have been decided by a single goal. When things are that tight, it helps to have a goalie like Pekka Rinne in net. It also helps that Shea Weber is in the line-up and not suspended despite a vicious play involving him and Zetterberg earlier on the series. But that's another discussion entirely in itself.

Who would've thought that two former Stanley Cup champions and one runner up, all within the last five years, would be on the brink of a first round elimination?

Are the Leafs the worst team in the league?

2012-03-31T02:17:00.000-04:00

Leafs are dominated by the Flyers
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffer yet another humiliating loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers and all is lost for many Leaf fans. While some fans are calling for General Manager Brian Burke to be fired, others are calling the Leafs the worst team in the league.

The harsh words and opinions may simply be the aftermath of another disappointing season, which showcased a rather significant debacle. Regardless of anything, the fact of the matter is that the Leafs haven't appeared in the playoffs in eight years.

But let's be honest, everyone calling for Burke's head and running around saying the Leafs are the worst team in the league, are the same people that were claiming to be the #1 Leaf fan a few months ago. So, sometimes things didn't go as planned. In fact, things went terribly. This season ends as a completely failure for the Maple Leafs, but why is everyone blowing up over how bad the team plays in meaningless games?

After almost being a lock for the playoffs in January, the wheels came off the wagon and the Leafs find themselves in a lottery pick with half a dozen games left in the season. It's only logical that the players on the team would feel a little demoralized. I don't agree with the lack of effort the Leafs have put forth the last few games, but I'm not going to hold the teams future on the results of meaningless games.

I, for one, am excited for the Leafs next season. Sure, it's the same thing most Leaf fans say every year, but this team has come a long way since Brian Burke took the helm as the GM. A clean slate after the harsh debacle this season will be good for the team. So for everyone who is going to watch the last four games of the season with expectations of seeing the Leafs play a great game, I'm sorry, but you will likely be disappointed. So take a nap, or fire up Netflix and start watching some NewsRadio if you can't handle watching the game tomorrow night.

The Leafs Aren't Nearly As Bad As Their Record Suggests

2012-03-16T18:32:00.000-04:00

James Reimer and Phil Kessel celebrate after their victory
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

Quite possibly one of the worst collapses in recent memory is that of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. Two months ago the Leafs were in a respectable playoff position with hopes of playing in the post-season for the first time in almost a decade. However, a monumental collapse in February, that has continued into March as well, has left the Leafs stranded far from a playoff spot as they currently sit seventh last in the entire league. With the win yesterday, Toronto's record is 31-32-8 with only 11 games left in the season. But are the Maple Leafs really as bad as their record suggests?

The Leafs only have three wins in their last 15 games, and many fans who were praising the team just a few months ago, are now turning against Brian Burke, with complaints that he hasn't assembled a good enough roster. In my opinion, such criticism is not fair to Brian Burke. Many are quick to judge, but have short memories. Before Brian Burke became the General Manager in Toronto, the teams top three forwards were Matt Stajan, Alex Ponikarovski and Nik Antropov. Now, our top three forwards are Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, and Mikhail Grabovski, a big improvement from the previous three players listed.

There is a simple way to sum up Toronto's woes this season. It isn't uncommon for a young team, who started out strong, watch their season crumble. This happened to the Leafs and they were unable to pull it back together. Add a coaching change and a new playing system and things get complicated even further. But are the Leafs a bad team? I don't think so. Sure, there are a few bad contracts on the team, but asides from those players, the Leafs are far from being a bottom ten team in the NHL. They may not be a Stanley Cup contending team, but they are definitely playoff contenders.

Things didn't turn out that well for them this season, and the Leafs find themselves in a familiar position in the standings, near the bottom. After the playoff hopes went out the window, I am glad the Leafs continued to lose. There is no point in winning here and there and finishing just a few points out of a playoff spot but not having a top ten draft pick. It seems most fans understand this, and remember those years of finishing a few points out after the last lockout, yet these fans are the same ones that criticize the Leafs for losing a bunch of games. You can't have it both ways!

So, I am looking forward to next season. A clean slate for the players to make up for the mid-season mistakes. A clean slate for the goaltending to step it up and for the defense to help the goalies out, instead of hanging them out to dry. All of this with a new coach and a new style of play, likely a more defensive strategy, and if all goes well, a high draft pick developing in the Leafs' system en-route to becoming a good contributor in the years to come.

Some of the best older posts

2012-03-12T01:45:00.000-04:00

So, I haven't put anything new up in about a week. If you want a Leafs update, they haven't scored in two games and I keep falling asleep while my TV is still on.

I decided to make a list of some of my favourite posts and some of the most viewed posts on my blog, if you haven't checked them out before, give them a look...

They are sorted from oldest to newest.

Fifteen Ways To Become An Elite Hockey Player

Defensive Mistakes and Coaching Errors - Leafs Lose Again

Eric Staal and the Maple Leafs - Wishful Thinking

Why Good Teams Never Trade Their Draft Picks and Comparing With The Leafs

Leafs Have Messed Up Drafting For Twenty Years

Leafs Trade Talks - Kulemin and Gunnarsson

Is Dion Phaneuf the Most Overrated Player in the NHL?

Concussion Prevention - Ten Questions Every Player Should Ask Themselves

How Good Is Cody Franson and What Is He Worth?

2013 Winter Classic - Leafs vs Red Wings

Rick Nash in a Maple Leafs uniform - Is it a good idea?

Grabovski Trade Rumours - What Makes Sense? (pre-trade deadline)

Leafs Fire Ron Wilson and Hire Randy Carlyle

Bruins beat Leafs 5-4, Leafs playoff hopes fade

2012-03-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

Bruins celebrate second period goal vs Leafs
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs were host to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night in search of a win to revive their playoff aspirations, but things didn't go their way. As has been the tradition in the past, the Bruins dominated the majority of the game, especially the second period. The Leafs would lose the game by a score of 5-4.

Toronto scored first and stayed in the game early, as the both teams bounced goals back and forth. The momentum began to seriously shift in Boston's direction late in the first period and continued in the second. A pair of quick goals from the Bruins in the second period was the turning point in this game. The Leafs would gain some momentum back in the third as Mikhail Grabovski, who just signed a 5-year contract extension, scored to cut the Bruins' lead in half. In the end though, some collapses in the Leafs defensive zone in the second period lost them the game.

Randy Carlyle mentioned earlier this week that each player will have a specific role on the team under his coaching. That was evident as Jay Rosehill was inserted back into the Leafs starting line-up and fought Shawn Thornton. Colby Armstrong and Tim Connolly also dropped the gloves, although Tim Connolly and Brad Marchand were only given minor roughing penalties for their short tussle.

More bad news came for the Leafs in terms of injuries. Toronto played half of the game with just three lines. Joffrey Lupul left the game early in the second period after being hit hard into the boards. The team is calling it an upper body injury. Colby Armstrong also left the game and didn't return after a fight between him and Dennis Seidenberg.

On the plus side, Toronto's goaltending was much better than it has been recently. Despite what the scoreboard may lead one to believe, Jonas Gustavsson played a solid game. He looked quiet and steady from the start of the game and maintained that throughout the game. His rebound control was as good as it's been in any game this season.

The loss tonight all but puts their playoff hopes to rest. Toronto heads into Pittsburgh tomorrow to play the Penguins. Then they will return home on Saturday to face the Flyers before heading into Washington on Sunday.

Leafs Win in Carlyle's debut as Head Coach

2012-03-03T23:57:00.000-05:00

Randy Carlyle during practice
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

Randy Carlyle made his debut as Leafs coach tonight in Montreal. The Leafs won the game by a score of 3-1. The Leafs came out with some jump tonight, but the Habs quickly matches their pace and slowed down the team in blue.

Montreal got on the board in the first period and really took the momentum from there. In the second though, the Leafs started to get their game going. Matt Frattin tied the game as he pulled the puck off a scrummed face-off and threw it at the net, over the glove of Carey Price. The third period was a little dull compared to the first two, until Mikhail Grabovski broke the deadlock with a beautifully placed shot into the top corner. The game really heated up after that goal as Montreal pressed for the equalizer, but late in the game Frattin fed the puck to Grabovski, who was wide open in front, and he put his second of the game past Carey Price.

This was the first win for the Leafs since February 15th, and their second win in just under a month. It might be too late for the Leafs to rejuvenate a playoff run, but this win gives a glimmer of hope. The Leafs are three points behind the Jets for the last playoff spot, but will have to jump Tampa Bay, Washington, and Buffalo, assuming the Sabres convert their lead into a win tonight.

The Leafs return home for Tuesday's game with the Boston Bruins, before heading back on the road for Wednesday night's match-up with the Penguins. These two upcoming games will effect their playoff run immensely.

OTHER NOTES:

Mike Brown left the game after fighting in the first period.
David Steckel was moved up to the third line, Tim Connolly moved to the wing and Matthew Lombardi centered the fourth line, where Steckel has played for most of the season.
Cody Franson and Colby Armstrong were healthy scratches, the Leafs have also called up Jay Rosehill from the Marlies.
Jonas Gustavsson struggled early on before settling nicely for the second and third period.

Leafs Fire Coach Ron Wilson, Hire Randy Carlyle

2012-03-02T21:15:00.005-05:00

Ron Wilson, former Leafs coach
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired their coach, Ron Wilson. TSN's Darren Dreger broke the news just after 8pm EST today. Following a dreadful month of February, where the Leafs playoff aspirations fell from a near certainty to next to impossible, the move that many expected has been made, and the Leafs fire Wilson.

Wilson has been the coach of the Maple Leafs since the beginning of the 2008-2009 NHL season. He coached the Maple Leafs for just less than four full seasons. His cumulative record with the Leafs was 130-135-45. The Leafs are in a terrible stretch where they have only won once in their last 11 games, with a record of 1-9-1 that seems to have crippled any hope for the post season.

It's being reported that former Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle is new coach for the Maple Leafs. In six full seasons with the Ducks, Carlyle never had a losing season and won the Stanley cup in 2007. Carylye was fired earlier in the season after his Ducks only amassed seven wins in 24 games to open the season. Carlyle has only coached the Ducks in his career. His all time coaching record is 273-182-61. He has also won 36 of the 62 playoffs games for a 0.581 winning percentage.

The word coming from the players in the Leafs dressing room is that it's not Wilson's fault, but coaches get fired when teams are losing. Clarke MacArthur stated that the players in the dressing room are all looking at themselves and can't blame Wilson for their recent string of loses. In any event, there is a big change in the Leafs dressing room, and they will head into Montreal with a new coach on the bench.

The bad news is that many think Wilson was fired too late, had he been fired a week or two ago, the Leafs may have been able to minimize the damage to their season. Currently sitting in the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference standings, the Leafs are five points out of the final playoff spot. The Leafs would have to go 12-5-1 in their last 18 games just to reach 90 points, and that likely wont be enough to give them a playoff birth. Toronto is currently 8th last in the league, and many believe a top ten draft pick would be better than trying to climb back into a playoff race and finishing a few points short of their goal and outside of the top ten when the draft rolls around in June.

Many also believe that Dallas Eakins is ready to become a coach in the NHL as soon as next season. If the hiring of Carlyle is a long-term arrangement, which from all reports I've heard is true, this may mean Eakins will be coaching for another team in the NHL in the near future. Much like when Kirk Muller left the Habs for a full time coaching job elsewhere, the Leafs may be left with a sour taste in their mouths if Carlyle doesn't work out and Eakins has already found a head coaching job in another organization.

At the end of the day, Leaf fans who have been cheering "Fire Wilson" at the ACC and around the city for the past few weeks have had their wish fulfilled. The Leafs play the Canadiens tomorrow in Montreal before returning to Toronto for Tuesday nights match-up against the Bruins.

NEW VIDEO! Fire Wilson!

2012-03-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

Simply put, Brian Burke was noted as saying that he believes the current team he has built is a playoff team. Some may agree, some may disagree, the fact of the matter is that they're on the edge of becoming a lottery team. If it's not the players on the team he has built, it must be the coach. Yet, he still hasn't fired his buddy Ron Wilson. Something doesn't add up.

FIRE WILSON!

NHL Trade Deadline - Full Recap

2012-02-28T05:19:00.001-05:00

The NHL's trade deadline past yesterday at 3pm EST. There were more than a few big names kicking around as many major sports broadcasts launched their respective ten-hour trade deadline specials. I'll cut to the chase though, most of the bigger name players, such as Nash, Grabovski and others, ending up staying put with their current teams. The day moved slow, but in the end there were more than a dozen trades before the deadline.

Here is a recap of each trade and a bit on who I think walked out a winner, and who walked out a loser.

WINNER: TIE
Nashville had one Kostitsyn brother, and got the other to get some chemistry between the two for their playoff run this season, but they may have given up too much for a pending UFA. Kostitsyn was drafted 10th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-year old had 20 goals and 45 points in 81 games last season and is at a similar pace this season. Those aren't astonishing numbers, but he may prove to be a good secondary scorer. Andrei's brother Sergei will be an RFA this summer. If he decides to stay in Nashville, maybe he can convince his brother to stay as well, and Nashville might walk out winning this trade after all.

WINNER: TAMPA BAY
The Lightning acquire a veteran defenseman from the Red Wings for a conditional seventh round pick. Commodore has an annual cap hit of $1 million and his contract expires this summer. The cost was low, his salary is low, and it expires after the season, why not take a chance at a player when it costs you so little.

WINNER: TIE
The Oilers wanted a more defensive defenseman, whereas the Wild wanted a more offensive defenseman. The two have almost identical contracts, except Gilbert has a $500,000 higher cap hit. If I were to pick which player I would rather have on my team I would choose Gilbert, but Edmonton already has several puck moving defenseman, so I don't see anything wrong in moving one of them.

WINNER: TIE
Given the depth the Maple Leafs have at defense, Keith Aulie was expendable. Aulie has really struggled to find his game this season after a promising end to last season. In return the Leafs get former first round draft pick Carter Ashton. The 20-year old stands at 6'3" and 200lbs. He is the prototypical player that Brian Burke likes, he is big but can still skate and move the puck well.

WINNER: COLORADO
The Sharks acquire Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi, but gave up two good prospects and a roster player similar to the two they received in return. San Jose did not get an impact player in this trade. They are trying to bolster their team for a playoff run, but acquired a decent player in Winnik, and one that has really been struggling in Galiardi. The Sharks gave up Michael Sgarbossa, who is just 19-years old and has played very well in his last couple of seasons in the OHL. He has 146 points in 96 games for the Sudbury Wolves. They also gave up Mike Connolly who amassed 30 points in 40 games for the Worchester Sharks before being traded.

WINNER: TAMPA BAY
The Lightning trade Matt Gilroy for a younger Brian Lee. Neither of these two are guys that will make of break your team, but I think the Senators gave up on Brian Lee a little too early in this deal. Gilroy is a UFA after this season.

WINNER: VANCOUVER
The Canucks pick up a very good defensive forward in Sami Pahlsson. The price was moderate considering Ellington, a former second round draft pick, hasn't really shown much promise towards becoming a player in the NHL. Pahlsson will prove valuable to the Canucks in their playoff run in the spring.

WINNER: WINNIPEG
The Blackhawks definitely overpaid for Johnny Oduya. The Jets had to part with a good defender during their push for the playoffs, but were rewarded generously for Oduya, who is a UFA in the summer.

WINNER: BOSTON
The Bruins gave up two struggling prospects in hopes that the 39-year old, Brian Rolston, can pull together a good run in the playoffs. Rolston has proven that he can be a quality goal scorer in the past, but his stats have fallen considerably this season. He is a UFA this summer. The Bruins also pick up Mike Mottau. He is also in the last year of his contact and will provide some depth for Boston's defense.

WINNER: BUFFALO
I find it hard to believe the Predators traded their first round pick for a 30-year old rental player whose highest scoring season is 36 points, despite seven years in the NHL. Gaustad does bring some intangibles to the table, but Nashville overpaid.

WINNER: MINNESOTA
The Bruins make the swap for an older, more experienced Greg Zanon, but Kampfer is only 23 years old and has plenty of hockey ahead of him. Zanon's contract ends after this season whereas Kampfer's has another year. The only reason this trade makes any sense is if the Bruins are intentionally dumping a roster spot for next season.

WINNER: TIE
I don't know much about John Scott, but he is a 29-year old who just broke into the NHL a few years ago and has only mustered five points in 140 NHL games. I don't know know what the Rangers see in him, maybe they were trying to get TSN's James Duthie to stop making jokes and pushing buttons that make annoying sounds you would only hear in a mid-90's radio show.

WINNER: ANAHEIM
Anaheim wins simply because they put Fraser on waivers last month and the Leafs could have claimed him for free. This trade seems more of a good gesture from the Leafs to give Dale Mitchell a chance in another organization. He has struggled in his limited time with the Marlies over the past couple of seasons.

WINNER: BUFFALO
The Sabres walk away laughing with this deal. They didn't give up much and managed to pry Cody Hodgson out of Vancouver. I do like Gragnani for the Canucks, but it wouldn't have taken much to get him out of Buffalo. The deal hangs mostly on Zack Kassian, and I think the Canucks over-valued him significantly. He is just 21-years old though, so he has plenty of time to prove me wrong. How everyone on Buffalo's end managed to keep a straight face until the deal was signed is beyond me.

And finally...

WINNER: ANAHEIM
The Canucks pick up Andrew Gordon in this deal, and although his AHL stats are great and would lead one to believe he is a very good pick up, the 26-year old hasn't been able to do much in the NHL. The Ducks pick up 22-year old Sebastian Erixon from the Canucks.

The best show came from the Nashville Predators who continued to buy yesterday in hopes of a long and prosperous playoff run. Nashville has given up quite a few draft picks over the last week or so, I hope for their sake things work out.

Overall, it was a boring day in the hockey world compared to trade deadlines in the past. Maybe next season TSN's trade deadline special wont be ten hours long. You know things are slow when you're looking at a possible roster selection for the 2014 Olympic games...

This is the part of the movie where "The Monster" is destroyed

2012-02-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Jonas Gustavsson, #50, Toronto Maple Leafs
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

In the movie of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2012 season, the hero is currently at war with the villain. However, in this complex story-line, the villain is actually one of the good guys who means well, but can't seem to handle the pressure and ends up doing harm to their surroundings. The villain is Jonas Gustavsson, and even though he is good at heart, the hero, Brian Burke, needs to take him down, away from the surroundings where he is causing all this destruction.

Last nights hockey game will likely mark the beginning of the end of the Gustavsson goaltending experiment in Toronto. It takes a special kind of goalie to play in this city. He has to be composed, confident, and skilled. It doesn't take much for the fans in Toronto to turn on you, as we have seen in recent years with Vesa Toskala and Andrew Raycroft, just to name a few. Without those three characteristics in perfect balance, this city will eat you up as a goalie.

Gustavsson, who is 27 years old and in the last year of his current contract, will likely be a free agent this summer. I hope the best for him, and I hope he thrives in a smaller market that doesn't demand perfection from their goalies. Without all the pressure on his shoulders, he may be able to find more consistency in his game.

As it stands now, the Leafs have two struggling goaltenders. Gustavsson has been known to make some really big saves, but let in some really bad goals. The other, James Reimer, hasn't shown that he will make the big saves for the Leafs as much as Gustavsson, but he has shown that he will let in few bad goals in comparison. In my opinion, the Leafs need a steady goaltender in Reimer down the stretch. It was pretty evident, by the look on the faces of several of the Leafs players, how they felt about Gustavsson in net on Tuesday night.

So, with the trade deadline just a few days away, why not move Gustavsson? There are a handful of teams around the league that have major goaltending woes and would likely take on Gustavsson for the remaining 20 or so games in the season. If he doesn't pan out, it's not a big deal because his contract is ending, but just maybe he can thrive in another market, and its a winning situation for both the Monster and his new organization.

In comparison, in November of 2006, the Leafs traded Mikael Tellqvist to the Pheonix Coyotes for Tyson Nash and a fourth round pick. The Leafs would end up using that fourth round pick to draft Matt Frattin, who has shown good signs of NHL potential. In my opinion, Jonas Gustavsson is a better goalie than Tellqvist was at the time the Leafs traded him. I don't think it would be unreasonable for the Leafs to get a fourth round pick in return, and maybe, just maybe the Leafs can turn that pick into something of value. The Leafs have had above average success with their fourth round picks in recent years. James Reimer and Korbinian Holzer along with Frattin were all fourth round picks.

The Leafs can give the goalie another chance in a smaller market, get a mid-to-late draft pick in return, and hope the best for everybody... Or they can keep him down the stretch. Either way, I would expect James Reimer to get the majority of the starts from here on out for the Leafs.

Leafs win 3-1 over Devils... Wait, no they lost 4-3 courtesy Jonas Gustavsson

2012-02-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

Joffrey Lupul's facial expression says it all.
Leafs lose 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday night
PHOTO: TMLsHockeyBlog

The Maple Leafs played 60 hard minutes in Toronto tonight. It has been a while since I have seen the team put in a complete effort like this. They are on the wrong side of a losing skid and barely in a playoff spot, mostly due to the Washington Capitals struggling just as much as Toronto.

The Leafs started the game with a ton of effort and speed, but it was the Devils that scored first as the Leafs defenders left Petr Sykora wide open to tap in his own rebound. From there, Jonas Gustavsson would take over. He let in two bad goals through the five hole that seemed to zap the Leafs of any momentum as they were pushing back to take the lead in the hockey game. Down 3-2 in the final minute of the third period, Phil Kessel would slide the puck past Brodeur and tie the game, but in overtime the Monster struck again. Mark Fayne's point shot was going wide, but Gustavsson stretched to stop it anyway. The puck would hit Gustavsson under his left arm and bounce into the net. The Leafs would lose 4-3 in overtime.

This is the final straw for the goaltenders in Toronto. Enough is enough and something needs to give. I can't imagine Gustavsson will get another start for a while. To say the Toronto's playoff hopes are in jeopardy is an understatement. They need a goalie that can make the simple saves, and sometimes make a big save. As it stands right now, neither of the goalies on their active roster, James Reimer or Jonas Gustavsson, have proven to be a number one goaltender. The starting role has bounced back and forth for a while now. You would think that one of the goalies would take the opportunity and run with it, but that hasn't happened.

So, the pressure is on Leafs GM Brian Burke. With the trade deadline less than a week away, Burke needs to decide once and for all what to do with his goaltending. Is there anything better out there than what Toronto currently has? You would have to assume so, because it is looking ugly for the Leafs night after night.

Rick Nash has been on the Leafs radar for a while, but the price is apparently too high for the Leafs, who are unwilling to give up Jake Gardiner, amongst others. With the added pressure on Burke to get the Leafs into the playoffs, he might be tempted to pull the trigger on a deal. There are some suggestions that the Leafs should try to get Steve Mason as well as Nash out of Columbus, but such a deal would have a pretty large price tag attached to it.

Next on the chopping block is Leafs coach Ron Wilson. With six loses in the Leafs last seven games, many are pointing the finger at the coach. Wilson was given a contract extension in December that is expected to have him coaching the Leafs until at least the summer of 2013, but with the recent string of loses, he may not be Toronto's coach for much longer.

Expect a ton of trade rumours involving the Leafs, from now until the trade deadline next week. Also, expect James Reimer to start in net for the Leafs on Thursday night, when they host the San Jose Sharks.

Leafs lose 6-2 to Canucks

2012-02-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

Leafs goalies Jonas Gustavsson (left) and James Reimer (right)
as Reimer was pulled from the net in Saturday's game
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a really bad whole and can't seem to climb out of it. They have just won win in their last six games including last nights 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks shed some light on truly what kind of team the Leafs can be against a top team in the league. The answer on this night was a skilled offensive team with terrible defensive zone coverage, and two goalies who, rather than play really well to prove they want and have earned the starting goaltending job, end up getting the start moreso based on the other goalie's struggling efforts.

The game started out bad when the Canucks scored in the first off a mis-timed pinch by Keith Aulie. We've seen too many of those come back and end up in the back of our net. Aulie needs to gage when is a good time to pinch, and when isn't. Once in a while you will make mistakes, but you would think after being burned by that play so many times, he would be more hesitant to pinch.

It's tough to blame James Reimer on many of the goales the Canucks scored on him last night, but on the flip side he didn't go out there and make any big saves to help the team. If you're a bubble team like Toronto you need your goalie to step up and make some big saves every game. I'm not deflecting away from the issue, which is absolutely awful defensive zone coverage, but a big save from Reimer would have been nice last night. Jonas Gustavsson came into the game in relief of Reimer, and did not look any better, in fact I would say he looked worse, but I wasn't really paying attention, tuning in and out at that point.

Nikolai Kulemin scored a late goal in the third period. His first in a while, and only his sixth on the season. He celebrated a little too much for someone who scored the second goal for in a 6-2 defeat, but I don't think he deserves the criticism. He has struggled lately and it's nice for him to get on the board.

The Leafs miraculously still sit in eigth in the East. The Capitals also lost last night, to the Lightning, so they remain one point behind Toronto. Suddenly there are more contenders for the last playoff spot though. Will all the Leafs and Capitals loses lately, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves only two points out of a playoff spot. The Leafs will have to be careful.

Toronto will have to put a better effort forward as a team heading into a four game home stand. They play New Jersey on Tuesday, San Jose on Thursday, Washington on Saturday and Florida the following Tuesday. Three of the four games are against teams that higher in the standings than Toronto, and two games are against teams that are close to them in the race. A fair goal for the Leafs to set is to win either of the first two match-ups, and then win both games against the Capitals and Pathers.

Habs trade Hal Gill to Predators

2012-02-17T15:34:00.001-05:00

Hal Gill
PHOTO: mapleleafs.com

It must be really difficult to manage a team when the ownership keeps you on a really tight budget. Such is the problem in Nashville. That is why in the off-season the Predators traded Cody Franson and Matthew Lombardi to the Maple Leafs for Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney. The only reason the Predators gave up an asset like Franson is because they wanted to get Lombardi's contract off their books. Nashville would end up letting Lebda go and keeping Slaney, until today.

The Predators traded Slaney along with Blake Geoffrion and a second round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for Hal Gill and a conditional draft pick. Gill, who is 36 years old, is in the last year of his current contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. With not much money left to pay to Gill from now until the end of the season, the Predators add some depth to their defense as they prepare for the playoffs, at a very minimal cost.

Looking back at the those two trades, there isn't much return for what the Predators have given up. They did manage to save the 3.5 million dollars per year, for this year and next year, that Lombardi would have been paid, but have given up quite a bit for not much in return. Compared to last years roster, out of Nashville is Cody Franson, Matthew Lombardi, Blake Geoffrion, and a second round draft pick, and in return is just Hal Gill, who is likely just a rental player until the end of the season.

The limited funds in Nashville have really handcuffed the management of the team, despite that though, the Predators are currently fifth in the West. They are also in one of the hardest divisions in the league. The Central Division also has the Red Wings, Blues, Blackhawks and Blue Jackets. All of those teams except Columbus are in the top six in the West, yet the Predators have a record of 13-2-2 against teams in their division.

Indeed, the Predators are a model NHL team to follow. I'm sure they would much rather have Cody Franson on their team right now, they may not have had to trade for Gill if Franson was still there, but they keep on doing what needs to be done. They are a new team compared to others in the league, and there really isn't much going for them, yet they almost always seem to manage their way into the post-season. So thumbs up to the Predators for this trade given their circumstances.