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  1. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Mikhail Grabovski, 84, Toronto Maple LeafsPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    When asked about Mikhail Grabovski on Insider Trading, Thursday night, TSN analyst Darren Dreger had this to say:The Leafs will only trade Grabovski if they feel a contract will not be figured out by the trade deadline on February 27th. Toronto does not want to let him go to a free agent market without getting anything in return. Ideally though, Maple Leafs General Manager, Brian Burke, wants him to remain in the blue and white if the two sides can agree on a deal. As it stands now, the offer of a prospect and a second round draft pick is a bit weak for Grabovski. There is no indication on how good a prospect is on the table, but unless it is a very good prospect, with a ton of NHL upside, I don't think the offer is enough to get Burke to pull the trigger. If in fact Grabovski is to be traded before the trade deadline, he is likely to get a better offer in the next week and a half.
    Grabovski takes up a big role on Toronto's roster. He is slotted as the center of the second line, but is Toronto's best centre. He is the glue that holds the second line together, and on nights where Phil Kessel and the first line aren't getting it going, he is the go-to guy for coach Ron Wilson. If you take Grabovski out of the picture, there is going to be a big hole that no one currently in the organization can fill. Tim Connolly will likely take the spot on the second line if that is the case, but he has not been meeting the expectations the Maple Leafs thus far this season.
    If Grabovski does get traded, the Maple Leafs hopes of making the playoffs this season will be a far more difficult tast than it looks to be at the moment. He has a lot of chemistry with Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin, and although Kulemin's numbers are down this season, the second line comprised of those three players is rather effective. In games this season when MacArthur has not played with Grabovski, his contributions to the team have declined rather significantly. If Grabovski goes, so does the chemistry of the second line, and so does a good portion of Toronto's secondary scoring.
    There are quite a few fans that don't mind if Grabovski goes because they claim that Joe Colborne will take his spot and succeed just as well. I don't think there is any indication that the Leafs will have Colborne on the second line at any point this season or even next season, unless his development accelerates rapidly. He is a good prospect, but not NHL-ready at this point in time, and is still a few years away from being an effective top six forward, if he even meets that goal at all.
    I believe Grabovski is looking around the five million dollar per season amount over a term of approximately five years, or so. One could argue that compared to other contracts around the league, and compared to similar contracts the Leafs have offered players, Grabovski is one of the most talented players for that price range. In my opinion, the only way Grabovski gets traded out of Toronto is if he no longer wants to play here, or if he is asking for too much money. That being said, there is no indication that Grabovski wants to leave Toronto, in fact he has stated many times that he wants to remain a Maple Leaf. As for his expected salary, I don't see Grabovski getting more than six million dollars per season in the free agent market, so it may be in his best interest to stay in Toronto for around five million per year.
    At the end of the day, I would be surprised if the Leafs traded Grabovski, due to a differing view during contractual negotiations. I believe both sides want to get the deal done and will make strong attempts to do so before the trade deadline. I also don't see Brian Burke accepting the best trade available when February 27th rolls around, however, if a team does offer him a trade that far exceeds his percieved value of Grabovski, I don't think he will hesitate to pull the trigger. As it stands now though, a prospect and a second round pick is not enough.
    Source
  2. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Rick Nash, #61, Columbus Blue Jacketsphoto: mapleleafs.com
    News broke on Tuesday that Rick Nash is willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to a short list of teams. Rick Nash is under contract until the end of the 2017-18 season. His cap hit is $7.8M per season. The list is suuposedly 5 teams or less, and as for Canadian teams, it has been reported that the Canucks, and the Leafs, are somewhat in the run. The problem for both teams is that they are right against the salary cap.
    The price the Blue Jackets have put on Rick Nash is 3 or 4 good young players. According to TSN, a deal that would move Nash to the Maple Leafs would invovle Jake Gardiner and another 2 or 3 good young players. The problem is that the Maple Leafs don't want to "mortgage their farm", or trade away all of the good young assets that they have drafted and acquired over the last few seasons.So, Maple Leafs General Manager, Brian Burke, must ask himself a few important questions. Are there sufficient players available on the Marlies that can jump up to the NHL level and play in an opening that might be created by trading for Nash? Will the Leafs have to trade away salary to have a manageable amount of cap space to make the trade? Is it worth it to trade away a handful of good young talent for Nash?
    The Leafs have played 19 different forwards this season. These include their usual starting line up, but also others in the Marlies. Such as Matt Frattin, Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne. Jay Rosehill and Colby Armstrong have been a healthy scratch the last few games, and Philippe Dupuis is in the Marlies as well, but he wasn't much help to the Leafs when he was up here.
    The Leafs have also used eight defensemen this season. Including Phaneuf, Liles, Schenn, Gardiner, Gunnarsson, Franson, Komisarek and Aulie. They are very deep in defense as they also have Korbinian Holzer, Matt Lashoff, Jesse Blacker, and Simon Gysbers in the Marlies. Blacker is still very young, and not ready to be put into the NHL, but the other three might be able to pull it off. Lashoff has previous, although limited, NHL experience with the Leafs as well as with the Lightning and Brunis.
    The Leafs wont have to trade much to fit Nash under the cap for the remainder of this season. They will only need to shed a little over 1.8 million worth in a yearly salary. That is the equivilent of David Steckel and Mike Brown. Next year, however, they have to resign some quality UFAs and RFAs (such as Grabovski, Kulemin and Franson), and won't have enough space under the cap with Nash on the team unless they trade away a good chunk of salary. Toronto would likely have to get rid of the about 7 million dollars off their cap (almost equal to the $7.8M cap hit Rick Nash brings.
    We've established thats it's possible, but is it worth it? I'm not a big fan of trading away a lot of young players with potential for one player, but Rick Nash is only 27 years old and have plenty on NHL in front of him. He's the big skilled body that the Leafs are looking for that would fit in their top 3. I think it is possible, and it is worth is at the least have the depth to support the trade, and they've proved it with all the different players that jumped into the line-up due to all the injuries earlier in the season.
    So, how would you go about trading for Rick Nash? I would start with shopping Tim Connolly for anything. Connolly is a cap hit of $4.75M and hasn't shown much more than a guy like Matt Frattin, who makes a lot less money this year, and is an RFA next year. If the Leafs can get Tim Connolly off their books, it will already equal nearly 2/3rd the amount of salary needed to cover Rick Nash's salary. Tim Connolly is only signed through next season, so it is not a long-term gamble for any team considering taking on this salary. I'd say its proposterous that anyone would trade for Connolly, but the Habs traded for Gomez while he was in a terrible slump and in a much worse contract in New York. According to capgeek.com, Tim Connolly has a motified no-trade clause, but it does not elaborate anything beyond that.
    Assuming Jake Gardiner is a must, and Columbus wants another three good young players, is it not worth it for the Leafs to try to get this deal done? Let's say the asking price is Gardiner, Kulemin, Kadri and Colborne, is that too much to ask? What about Horbinian Holzer, Keith Aulie and Luke Schenn? Is Clarke MacArthur too old for Columbus to take him in a package deal?
    Brian Burke doesn't traditionally like to make any big deals at the trade deadline, he is known to make his trade weeks or months prior to the deadline. This year is going to be different though, because the Leafs are so tight to the salary cap, and as the trade deadline approaches, he will have a little more wiggle room. Brian Burke and his management staff will have a lot of decisions to make heading towards the trade deadline.
    Source
  3. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Tim Connolly #12, Toronto Maple LeafsPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    So, the Leafs lost again, their fourth straight in regulation. Jonas Gustavsson was in net tonight, and although he let in 5 goals, he looked pretty good aside from a penalty shot goal against. Although, one could argue if Phaneuf didn't get lost on the play there wouldn't have been a penalty shot after all. Kiprusoff was the key to the Flames holding a 3-1 lead until late in the third period when the Flames added two more goals as the Leafs had pretty much given up. The lone goal scorer for Toronto was Tyler Bozak. Leafs defensive zone coverage was a disaster, the slot was open all night and the Flames were ripping them at the Monster from close range. The final score was 5-1 in favour of Calgary.After three straight loses and an injury to Gunnarsson, the Leafs had to juggle their lines heading into tonight. I don't disagree with the decision to juggle the lines, but I can't say the same for the players Ron Wilson decided to promote. Tim Connolly was jumped up to the second line, where he played the wing with Grabovski and MacArthur, and Mike Komisarek started the game on the first defensive unit with Dion Phaneuf. You would think with the salary spent on these two players, over nine million dollars per season combined, they would deserve their new assignments, but if you've watched many games this season its quite the opposite.
    In Komisarek's defense, he wasn't playing on the top defensive unit for long. He finished the game with over 15 minutes of ice time, second lowest of the six Leafs defenders. Mike Komisarek has a no movement clause, so unlike Jeff Finger, the Leafs can't bury him in the minors and take his salary off the cap. That being said, he clearly isn't capable of playing in the NHL. Toronto has to suck it up, eat the money, and put the best guys on the bench and on the ice. I would much rather see Keith Aulie or Korbinian Holzer playing. At least if they make a mistake, you can justify it in many ways that you can't for Komisarek. They're young, they don't make big money, they have a good future in front of them. Komisarek has none of those things going for him.
    And now, the main attraction, Tim Connolly. "Cheap man's Brad Richards", "Plan B", or as I like to call him, "useless". His lack of effort is sickening. I can't handle watching him coast around the ice and exerting no visible effort. Lately I've seen a "skating top speed" radar on TV broadcasts, they should do the same for Connolly to see how slow he's skating.
    He's a waste of talent, and he has quite a bit of it. He's has exceptional vision, and was supposed to be the top line center. He was supposed to be playmaking with Phil Kessel. Hard to imagine that as Kessel would be in the offensive zone and Connolly would still be at the defensive zone face-off dot, coasting up the ice.
    But hey, at least he doesn't make over seven million dollars a season, like Scott Gomez. I must say though, he is definitely in line to take over where Gomez left off when he scored a few days ago. If there's any justice in the Leafs organization, he should be benched until he comes out to play hockey. Nazem Kadri gets benched for rookie mistakes and lack of effort, yet Tim Connolly, a veteran in the NHL, gets promoted to the second line to play like crap... He's junk, wasted money, teach him a lesson and bench him!
    It's nice to see the fourth line work their ass off and average around nine minutes of ice time a game. I wonder what Darrly Boyce thinks to himself while he's warming the bench watching Connolly glide around offering no help in the defensive zone, let alone the offensive zone. Boyce and Brown go hard on the forecheck, cycling the puck and finishing their checks and they get minimal ice time.
    Ron Wilson needs to start rewarding effort and benching players who aren't trying. By letting Connolly play 16 minutes, including power play ice time, you send a message that you tolerate lazy players with no drive to compete. You're looking to discourage that type of play, but your action are in turn encouraging it. If Wilson can't get these guys going, then its about time Wilson gets going.
    The Leafs are in Edmonton tomorrow night. A fifth straight loss will cripple their playoff aspirations. The Leafs have thus far been lucky that Capitals, who trail the Leafs for that last playoff spot, are in a losing slump as well. The Maple Leafs are the only team in the top eight in the Eastern Conference with a losing road record (12-14-2). They need to get things in the right direction tomorrow with a win over the Oilers.
    Source
  4. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Carl Gunnarsson celebrates with Jake GardinerPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carl Gunnarsson left practice this morning after suffering an injury due to a collision with Jay Rosehill. It's sad enough that Jay Rosehill gets to practice with the team and collect an NHL salary, but now he could be on the bad side of many Leaf fans if in fact Gunnarsson is out for a substantial period of time. Apparently Rosehill and Gunnarsson collided during practice and Gunnarsson was helped off the ice. He seems to have injured his leg and Ron Wilson suggested that "an image" would need to be taken and reviewed before the team can correctly evaluate the injury. It sounds like he's definitely going to miss some time, but hopefully its not a long-term injury.
    Despite the fact that the Leafs have quite a bit of depth on defense, they have some big shoes to fill. Gunnarsson has arguable been the Leafs best defenseman this season. He's a steady defender, who also has some offensive flare. Any replacement the Leafs put into the line-up will not be as good as Gunnarsson has been this season.
    Mike Komisarek, who has been a healthy scratch for the last handful of games, will likely return to the line-up if Gunnarsson misses time. Next in the depth charts is probably Keith Aulie, but I would like to see the Leafs call up Korbinian Holzer to actually play a game or two so we can truly evaluate him in an NHL setting. There has been a lot of talk that Holzer is "NHL ready", but he has yet to play in a game this season despite being called up several times.
    On the heels of a three-game losing streak, things aren't looking good for the Leafs, but they have to simply play through their injuries, like every other team in the league. The teams playoff hopes have fallen from near certainty to being on par with the others fighting for a spot. Toronto needs to win tomorrow night and get at least 4 points in their next three games. They are currently on a three-game road trip against western Canadian teams with a few days off between Wednesday and Saturday's games, but the schedule doesn't get any easier for them down the stretch. There are few rest days and the Leafs have back-to-back games six more before the end of the season.
    The Leafs also have big games against the teams they've been fighting for a playoff spot with. They play the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, and New Jersey Devils twice each. They also have one more game against the Ottawa Senators. Two regulation wins against either of those teams might be enough to bury one of them by the end of the season.
    The Leafs (28-22-6) are in Calgary tomorrow night as they play the Flames (26-22-8). Puck drop is at 9pm EST.
    Source
  5. TMLsHockeyBlog
    After a good week of hockey where the Leafs won all three of their games from last Wednesday to this past Monday, the Leafs have struggled badly. They most certainly are making the playoff race interesting, but not in a good way if you're a Leaf fan. They have lost their last three games and have played progressively worse in each game.
    It was Mats Sundin's night tonight. His jersey number 13 was honoured and raised into the rafters accompanied by ceremony where Sundin would be cheered for the majority of the 20 minutes of his speech. That was about all the cheering the Leafs would get as the next three segments of 20 minutes would be filled with boos from the stands. The Leafs were flat again tonight. Reimer let in two questionable goals, one through the five-hole and another that fluttered between his arm and squeaked into the back of the net. Luke Schenn attempted to stick handle the puck in the defensive zone, which is usually not a good idea, and turned it over to Montreal for another goal. Dion Phaneuf let Lars Eller walk around him for the fourth goal and Reimers night was done. Gustavsson would come in the third period and would let a goal in on his first shot against, which was a breakaway for Montreal.
    Along with their terrible performance was a lack of luck for the Leafs. They hit a couple of goal posts including one where Kulemin hit both posts and the puck rolled along the crease. This was definitely a game to forget for the Leafs. On the plus side though, the fourth line played very well. They were extra physical, and even at the end of the game Mike Brown went after PK Subban, who was jousting with Kessel earlier in the period. Brown took a minor penalty, but at that point the game was over and it was good Brown to stick up for his teammate.
    As bad as the Leafs played today, they deserve better goaltending. I don't care how bad your defense is playing, your goalie has to not let in bad goals, and most goalies for a playoff team will make some big saves on plays that should've been goals. Reimer was simply not good today. Not good at all. The Leafs thought their goaltending problems were over last week when Reimer came back getting two shutouts and playing solid, but since he has shown a lack of consistency.
    But its tough to thrown Reimer under the bus without a few friends. No reason he should be lonely down there because Phaneuf, Schenn, Connolly and many other, if not all, Leaf players looked bad today. Brown and Boyce may have been the only exceptions as they played hard, finished their checks, and pressured on the forecheck all game long.
    The Capitals didn't play tonight, so for now the Leafs still hold the eighth and final playoff spot, but they will need to shape their game up because the Caps have two games at hand on Toronto. With 26 games left in the season there isn't much time left for playing like they did this week. Toronto needs to go hard down the stretch. Toronto gets back at it on Tuesday as they start a western Canadian road trip in Calgary. Then they head into Edmonton on Tuesday and Vancouver next Saturday night.
  8. TMLsHockeyBlog
    
    Gustavsson lets in a soft goal vs the JetsPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
     After Kessel opened the scoring to give the Leafs an early one goal lead, a familiar face came to see the Maple Leafs in their efforts against Winnipeg tonight. It was another really bad goal against due to goaltending that simply isn't up to the task. Jonas Gustavsson lets a really soft backhand from a near impossible angle get by him and the Jets would tie the game. Winnipeg would later score again to make it 2-1 and held the lead through the rest of the game.  
    For it being the second game in back to back nights, the Leafs put together a very honest effort. The team as a whole worked hard throughout the game, and maybe didn't deserve to win, but at the very least it should have been a tie game through regulation. The Leafs were hesitant to shoot the puck, often electing to make one more pass for the perfect goal that just didn't materialize. That being said, they didn't deserve the fate they walked away with tonight.Up until James Reimer took back the number one starter job in the last few weeks, those watching the Maple Leafs were all ready to watch an awful goal make it's way into the net behind a blue and white jersey. Joe Bowen's excited voice saying "he would like that one back" would ring in my ears game after game. I had almost forgotten the feeling altogether for the past few weeks as Reimer backstopped the Leafs to a few wins with some very steady goaltending.

    Coming off a six game streak where they went 5-0-1, it was almost inevitable that the Leafs were going to struggle to get any points in tonight's game. I will consistently reiterate that I don't think Gustavsson is a terrible goalie, he does make some big saves every game, but the fact that he lets in an absolutely terrible goal almost every single game is unacceptable. He will not be the goalie that will take the Leafs into the playoffs or beyond as the year progresses. I would expect him to get only a handful of starts from here to the end of the season as the Leafs battle for the post-season.
    The only good news around the East for the Leafs is that the Senators lost again against the St.Louis Blues. The Devils beat the Rangers 1-0, the Penguins lost in a shootout but managed a point. Washington played Florida, so from a Leafs perspective as long as that game didn't go into overtime they'd be fine, and the Capitals beat the Panthers 4-0. So the Leafs still hold the 7th spot with one point over the Senators and two games at hand. The Panthers drop to 9th as the Caps take the division lead, but the Panthers have only played 52 games, two less than Toronto and four less than Ottawa.
    Source
  9. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Reimer making one of his 49 saves tonight en route tohis second consecutive shut out
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    James Reimer had a spectacular game tonight as he recorded 49 saves for his second shut out in as many games. In his last two starts he has stopped all of the 74 shots against and likely has taken back his position as starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs. The Leafs picked up an easy 5-0 Victory over the Ottawa Senators, who have really fallen off the map lately. Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak each picked up a goal and two assists, while the back end pitched in for the other three goals. Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn, and Cody Franson all scored as well tonight.
    The 5-0 win for the Maple Leafs caps off their fourth win since losing to Montreal two weeks ago. The Leafs only loss was in overtime on Tuesday after a late game collapse versus the Penguins. So they have 9 of a possible 10 points in their last five games. The 5-0 loss is terrible news for the Sens, it extends their losing streak to 6 games. They have recorded just one point of a possible 12 in their last six games. Ottawa does have a 3 point cushion on the 9th place Washington Capitals, but the Capitals have four games at hand. If the Sens don't change things soon, they could find themselves on the wrong side of a playoff race rather quickly.Reimer struggled earlier this season after returning from an neck injury, or as the doc calls it "not a concussion", and found himself on the bench for a good chunk of last month. He was given his an opportunity to take back his crease in two important games to close out this week. One against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night, and again tonight when the Leafs squared off with the Senators. He was perfect in both games and with the two victories the Leafs has jumped up to 60 points, eight games above .500. For the Leafs to finish with 93 points on the season, a number many suggest will be necessary to make the playoffs, they will only need to go 11 games above .500, only 3 games above .500 for the rest of the season. If you pro-rate the current Leafs winning percentage over an 82 game season they are on pace for almost 95 points.

    The other good news is that finally the Leafs injury problems are behind them, at least for now. The last of the injured players, Liles and Armstrong, returned to action earlier this week. James Reimer returned earlier this season, but didn't seem like his old self. He was written off by many who exulted Gustavsson and crowned him the Leafs' savior. But tonight Reimer gave those critics something to reconsider. He was great last year down the stretch and the Leafs were hoping for much of the same this season and although things haven't quite gone as planned for both the Leafs or Reimer, they look to be making a turn for the better.
    Reimer's excellent performance tonight is hopefully a sign of things to come in the next few months. His play showed that he is not only capable of being steady enough to get wins for the Leafs, but good enough that he can steal a game for the team as well. Granted, it has only been two games and that isn't a good enough sample size to take to the bank, but its a really good place to start.
    The Leafs have a busy few weeks ahead of them. They have four games in six nights next week. Monday they host the Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday it's Winnipeg on the road, Thursday they head into Philadelphia and Saturday they come back home to welcome Montreal. Then, after two nights of rest, they will be embarking on a western Canadian road-trip that starts with back to back games in Calgary and Edmonton and ends in Vancouver on the 18th of February. Of those seven games, only two of them are against opponents with a better record than the Leafs, the Flyers and the Canucks.Source
  10. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Cody Franson #4 - Toronto Maple LeafsPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    When the Leafs traded Slaney and Lebda for Franson and Lombardi everyone thought the key to the deal was Franson. The Leafs would take on the extra salary from Lombardi but in exchange Nashville had to give up a good young defenseman. Cody Franson, who is 24 years old, had 29 points in 80 regular season games, and six points in 12 playoff games last season. The Leafs weren't just getting a prospect in return, but an NHL ready defenseman who makes a mere 800k this season. Everything seemed to be going well until the season started and Cody Franson found himself a healthy scratch. On top of that, he publicly made known he felt that he deserved to play on a regular basis for the Leafs. This caused a bit of controversy, and suddenly things didn't seem as bright as they were in the off-season, which is when the Leafs made the trade.Franson would be patient over the next half a dozen games or so until he finally got a shot to play, but he didn't look all that impressive and was in and out of the line-up until Toronto suffered some injuries on the back end. As Franson continued to play more he became more steady in the defensive zone, cutting out those little mistakes that a coach hates, and he showed his offensive skills as well. Franson has a really hard shot, but also knows when to take a softer shot and get it through the traffic on the net. Leafs defenseman have struggled many times with actually getting a shot on the net, often times they shoot the hardest slap shot they can muster and the puck sails over the net or wide of the post.
    Franson has somewhat cemented his role on the team. He usually gets powerplay time on the second unit, and has seen his production grow this season. Through 36 games he has three goals and 11 assists for 14 points. Those stats are respectable, but not great, until you do some further research. And I took two key points to research how his offensive numbers could be in the elite class of players this season. The first is the amount of games he didn't play due to being a health scratch behind players that many consider him to be superior to, and the second is his ice time per game.

    Firstly, if Cody Franson had played all 51 games for the Leafs this season, he would have 20 points thus far and be on pace for over 30 points by the end of this season. Secondly, this season Cody Franson had played on average 16 minutes and 13 seconds per game, which is the least of any defenseman that has dressed for the Leafs. Hypothetically speaking, if Cody Franson played about 21 minutes per game, which is a respectable amount for most defenseman, his production would increase even more. Franson has played roughly 583 minutes this year (16m 13s x 36 games). If you divide that number by the amount of points he has, which is 14, you would get 41.7. This number represents the average amount of time he plays in comparison which each point he gets. So, if Franson wasn't scratched earlier this season, and plays 21 minutes a game, he would be in the top 20 in points by a defenseman thus far in the season, and he would be on pace for over 40 points by April.Now, I'm not saying Franson is getting the raw end of the deal here, and these above hypothetical stats are all based on "what ifs" which probably wont occur, but one has to wonder... I was just as unhappy with Franson's play early in the season as Ron Wilson was, and although I wouldn't go as far as justifying playing Mike Komisarek over him every game, I didn't mind the coach's decision to sit Franson. Since then, however, he has proven that he deserves to be a regular in the line-up.
    Now you're probably annoyed of reading hypothetical stats and how he played last season and blah, blah, blah. So, where am I going with all of this? Well, with all the talk in Toronto being about Mikhail Grabovski and his contract expiring this off-season, little has been mentioned that Cody Franson's contract is ending as well. Other players with expiring contracts include: Nikolai Kulemin, Joey Crabb, Darryl Boyce, Jay Rosehill and Jonas Gustavsson. Below is a chart of Toronto's pending unrestricted and restricted free agents.


    The Leafs already have over 51 million dollars in player salaries tied up for next season. That 51 million includes nine forwards, six defenseman, one goaltender, and the one million dollars they are still paying for buying out Darcy Tucker. There really isn't much room for signing the key players with expiring contacts, who in my opinion are Grabovski, Kulemin, Franson, and Crabb, let alone improving the team going forward. Brian Burke and his team will have to crunch numbers and find out exactly what the plan for next season is.

    If the Leafs are unable to unload some of their currently signed over-priced players, such as Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi, and Mike Komisarek, they may have to trade someone with an expiring contract before the deadline, or let them go to free agency. Grabovski, Kulemin and Franson would likely be getting the most interest. I would assume Grabovski would sign for between 4-6 million a season for a five year term, and Kulemin would sign for a similar contract as the one he currently has, which is between 2-3 million a year. But where does Cody Franson fit?
    It's hard to say at this point of the season how much Franson would ask for next season, but it could be anywhere from 2-3.5 million a season. Obviously anything over three million sounds like it's coming out of left field, but if Franson is still unhappy with the amount of ice time he is getting and his state with the team overall, he may push it a bit. You can couple this with the fact that Luke Schenn is making 3.6 million this season and you could argue that Franson has been the better and more consistent of the two. That being said, I don't see him signing for much more than 2 million dollars, but you have to consider every angle.
    So comes the decision to trade Franson at the trade deadline later this month, re-sign him in the off-season, or if he doesn't want to re-sign for a price the Leafs are comfortable paying given their cap situation, trade his rights as a restricted free agent in the off-season. If the Leafs will end up trading him they would want to do so at the deadline as opposed to in the off-season as his value will be much higher at the deadline. That being said, the Leafs are in a playoff push and trading Franson may hurt their chances at the post season and beyond. I'm not sure what teams are offering for Cody Franson, or if Brian Burke is getting any calls at all about him. In my opinion if the Leafs decide to trade Franson, rather than trading him for a pick (likely a second or third rounder) or a prospect, the Leafs would be better off trading him as part of a bigger trade for a top 6 forward they have been looking for. Either way Brian Burke and his management staff have some decisions to make.Source
  11. TMLsHockeyBlog
    James Reimer celebrates after a shutout victory overthe Pittsburgh Penguins
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    After a humiliating defeat to the Penguins two nights ago, where the Leafs blew a three-goal lead in half a period, the Leafs started James Reimer last night. The game was rather dull compared to Tuesday night, but there were more than a few good points to take from it. The most important being that the Leafs jumped to 7th spot in the East with 58 points. Also, Clarke MacArthur, who has seen his role increase since being put back on the second line with Grabovski and Kulemin, is back to putting up the type of number he did last year. MacArthur scored the lone goal in this game last night as he deked around Johnson and slid the puck into an open net.John-Michael Liles and Colby Armstrong returned to action last night. The Leafs send Nazem Kadri and Keith Aulie down to the Toronto Marlies in order to free up roster spots for the two returning players. Both played exceptionally well, given their respective roles in the line-up, it looked as if neither had missed a single game.
    James Reimer was perfect last night as he stopped all 25 shots thrown his way by Pittsburgh. Granted, he did get a little help from the goal posts and crossbar on more than one occasion, but he settled into the game rather quickly and was steady as the game progressed. He recorded his second shutout of the season and held the one goal lead for the Leafs.
    I've mentioned before that in order for the Leafs to have success down the stretch this season, they need to be playing with James Reimer in net. He is the better goaltender, period. This is not to knock on Jonas Gustavsson, who played well when given the opportunity, but he is not a number one goalie in any organization at the moment. Reimer was a bit out of sorts in the first few minutes of the game last night, which is expected for a goalie that has barely played in nearly a month, but he managed to settle down quickly and make all the important saves. That's the difference between him and Gustavsson. Jonas Gustavsson is prone to letting in that one bad goal each game and no matter how many miraculous saves you make, once you let in that bad goal you deflate your team and usually lose the game.
    I'm interested to see who Ron Wilson will choose to start in net on Saturday night when the Leafs play the Senators. It's a very important game for Toronto as Ottawa is just four points ahead of them in the standings but have played two more games than the Leafs at this point, and will have played three more games by Saturday. The Senators are currently on a four game losing streak.
    There were two other games in the Eastern conference last night. The Rangers beat the Sabres in a shootout after going 65 minutes without either team scoring a goal. The Panthers also edged the Capitals by a score of 4-2. Michal Neuvirth really struggled as he let in two goals from long range, one that was from just inside the center ice line and another that was just inside the offensive blue line.
    There are only five teams in the Eastern Conference with more goals for than goals against, and the Leafs are one of them. This really isn't a very useful stat, but the old saying goes "it's hard to win games when you don't score" or in this case when you're being outscored. The Panthers are -12, the Senators are -4, the Devils are -6, and the Capitals are -4. Only a handful of teams have made it into the playoffs with a negative goal differential in recent years, so if the Leafs can keep their pace going the future looks bright.
    Source
  12. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Grabovski has been red-hot for the Leafs in January,but despite his efforts the Leafs lose in Pittsburgh
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    The title could also be "Leafs blow a three-goal lead with half a period to go", either way works. The Leafs started off with all the energy tonight as the Penguins were flat for probably 55 of the 65 (overtime included) minutes of play. Tyler Bozak scores a goal just a few minutes into the game which is disallowed by the referee because he deemed goaltender interference. As the replays would show, however, Michalek bumped into his own goalie and goal should have counted. The refs call on the ice stands and the game is still 0-0.  The Leafs would continue pressing well into the second period until Dion Phaneuf would pinch and find Mikhail Grabovski for the first goal of the game. Grabovski has been red-hot lately for the Leafs and he continued to put up the big numbers again tonight. He would score his second on the night with a beautiful shot through traffic into the top corner for a 2-0 lead. Matt Cooke would redirect the puck pass Gustavsson to cut the lead in half before the end of the second period.Then Penguins had picked up their game late in the second period and the Leafs needed to come out strong for the last 20 minutes to secure the victory. Quite a bit of back-and-forth hockey was played in the third period, showcasing Marc-Andre Fleury with some spectacular saves. Tyler Bozak would blast one past him on the powerplay six minutes into the period and 19 seconds later MacArthur would score on a beautiful feed from Grabovski. The Leafs now led the game 4-1 with just over 13 minutes remaining, almost sure they'd had a victory. Two minutes later Jake Gardiner fell at the blue line and Steve Sullivan came roaring down the wing and beat Gustavsson with a slapshot over the glove. Then with five minutes left in regulation, Gustavsson tried smothering a loose puck, missed it, and Vitale put it into the net and the Pens were back within one. With just twenty seconds left Grabovski frantically worked the puck to the center ice where it was thrown back towards the blue line by the Penguins. The pass was taken inside the blue line while Pittsburgh players were off-side and the play should have been blown, but wasn't. The play would continue and James Neal would shoot one on net which hit Malkin in the leg before going in with just six seconds left in the third period.
    The overtime would show us no change on the scoreboard despite many quality chances from both sides. The game went into a shootout where Evgeni Malkin completed the comeback with the lone goal in the shootout.
    The Leafs give up a three-point swing against a team they're chasing for a playoff spot. Instead of getting two for a win and the Penguins getting nothing, the Leafs only got one point and Pittsburgh got two. The blame can be placed somewhat on Jonas Gustavsson who let in a terrible third goal. The second Penguins goal wasn't too nice either. But then again if you're follow the Maple Leafs game after game you should be expecting the goalie, regardless of whether its Reimer or Gustavsson, to let in a terrible goal or two. Another good portion of the loss can be blame on really inconsistent refereeing. Take a look around the NHL on any given night and you will find far too much questionable refereeing. "It's a fast game" is not an excuse for terrible call after terrible call. If the refs cannot keep track enough to make the right calls then video review needs to be expanded to overruling referee's decisions that lead to a goal. Giving the coach the ability to challenge a play could have been used for either the waved off first goal, or the off-side that led to the tying goal by the Penguins and the Leafs would have won the game in regulation.
    If I had a nickel for every absolutely terrible call made by referees this season, not just the slightly bad ones but the absolutely terrible ones, I think I could purchase the majority of the Phoenix Coyotes. There have been so many inconsistencies. The Maple Leafs went the entire month of January with only 17 penalty calls against them. Although part of that is due to more disiplined play, a larger chunk is due to the referees simply not making the calls on several plays. I'm completely unbiased with my view of the referees, because frankly they have been terrible many times in favour of Toronto. But the lack of consistency, the straight-up missed or wrong calls, and the fact that the NHL hasn't let video review override certain decisions or provided a challenge option to the teams, is simply frustrating. There must be a solution to the problem. There must be something better than having to deal with the fact that a terrible call is going to be made twice a night. A terrible call that may cost your team the win, or one that might give you the win on a silver platter. I can't understand how the referees are allowed to gather and converse over a delay of game penalty, yet they can't, or choose not to, over a goaltender interference play, or a high-stick play, or an off-side play that leads to a goal.
    Mikhail Grabovski was once again the best player on the ice, he scored twice and added an assist tonight. Tyler Bozak also played a good game. For most of the first and second periods he was skating hard, creating chances and making good plays in all three zones.
    I would expect James Reimer to get the call in net in tomorrow nights rematch. Reimer hasn't played much lately as Gustavsson has taken the starting job, but in my opinion Reimer is the better goalie. He needs to play a near perfect game tomorrow to gain an opportunity to take back the starting job for the Leafs. If the Leafs make the playoff it will either be because of Reimer's solid play in net or it will be despite Jonas Gustavsson's on-and-off play in net.
    There is some good news behind the blown lead for the Leafs. The Boston Bruins rattled back three unanswered goals to beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in regulation. The winning goal for Boston was taken from center ice as Anderson simply missed the slap shot that was dumped on goal. The Washington Capitals would also lose 4-3 in a shootout against the Tampa Bay Lightning. On the flip side, The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 4-3 in a shootout and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Philidelphia Flyers 2-1 in a shootout.
    At the end of the day the Leafs jump into the eight and final spot in the East, but only because the Florida Panthers didn't play. The Senators sit at 60 points in 53 games, the Devils have 57 points in 49 games, the Capitals have 56 points in 49 games, and the Maple Leafs have 56 points in 50 games. From the outside looking in are the Panthers with 58 points in 49 games and the Jets have 52 points in 51 games.
    The Leafs are back in action Wednesday night with the Penguins, however, this time the game is in Toronto. Then they play the struggling Ottawa Senators on Saturday night in Ottawa.
    Source
  13. TMLsHockeyBlog
    So we all watch the All-Star weekend, but if you're like me, chances are you walk away from it asking yourself why you wasted all that time. I say that to myself year after year and yet I still get sucked into watching everything, from the fantasy draft all the way to the All-Star game, which looks like a game of gym hockey sometimes. I'm not completely ripping the All-Star weekend, but someone definitely needs to cut the fat.
    FANTASY DRAFT
    The All-Star fantasy draft was a decent idea, but the execution of it is terrible. First off we have James Duthie hosting the show and attempting to make jokes that aren't remotely funny for an hour and a half. I have nothing against James Duthie, I think he's done well for TSN, but the only time I laughed all night was when he said the giant key could be for Chara's car, and even then it wasn't much of a laugh. The fantasy draft also didn't begin for about 20 minutes. In that time we saw a few clips of James Duthie and what seemed like a million commercial breaks. We get it, the entire all-star weekend is a cash grab, just please don't throw it in our faces. By about the third round of draft pics I was completely out of the loop. I have no idea who was drafted or when, I spent all my energy waiting for a decent camera angle of those two blonde girls bringing out the jerseys. Don't get me started on all the boring player interviews, I don't think there's ever been a room of people that shy with a microphone being forced into one face after another. James Duthie asking Tim Thomas about the Obama stuff was really not the brightest thing to do either.
    SOLUTION TO ALL-STAR FANTASY DRAFT
    They should cut the length of the program to 30 minutes instead of 90 minutes. Nobody wants to sit through the entire thing. Either that or replace some of the commercial breaks with decent camera shots of the jersey girls. I mean it's all about trying to make extra money anyways, right? A little sex appeal never hurt anyone.

    SKILLS COMPETITION
    Was it really necessary to see an endless amount of shooters in the shootout? Thank God Carey Price had a mic, he was the only saving grace for the entire program. They should really just have the actual skills and not the rest of the crap in the competition. It's all fun and games watching Patrick Kane slide stomach-first on the ice throwing the puck around with his glove, but really how long can you milk that for? The rest of the shootout attempts were boring, some even terrible. If people want to see some creative shootouts, the NHL and CBC would be better off just showing clips of Kyle Wellwood doing shootout attempts in practise.
    SOLUTION
    First off, can someone please get Glenn Healy out of there. I cannot stress this enough... How about we actually have skills in the skills competition. More events like the hardest shot and most accurate etc. I really don't want to watch Carey Price make a save facing the glass, although that was the probably the most entertaining part of the shootout competition.
    ALL-STAR GAME
    Is there any way of making the game itself actually competitive? Understandably nobody wants to get injured so there isn't much hitting and such, but if I want to watch a full game lacking effort or contact I'll watch a Habs game... Maybe we can give the players some incentive for winning... Maybe the players on the winning team all get a car, preferably something nicer on the eyes then Honda's odd looking station wagon. I'll give them credit though, the front end of the car looks really nice, so if you plan on running over someone, they'll think you have a pretty nice ride. I don't really have any ideas for a solution to this one, but surely someone somewhere on the Earth can think of a way to make this entertaining. Someone get Shanahan on it, he clearly isn't doing any better with administering suspensions. It's been the same inconsistencies year after year. Maybe next year they'll consider twice before suspending Ovechkin for three games for a boarding hit and letting Milan Lucic off with a warning for running over Ryan Miller. If Lucic was a Honda Crossover though, you see where I'm going with this? Maybe Miller wouldn't have been so pissed...
    FINAL VERDICT
    Is anyone actually reading as I ramble on? I would like to hope not, but then again this just proves that the NHL doesn't have to do anything with the All-Star weekend. Some people, myself included, are just way into hockey... Normally thats a good thing, until you realize you wasted half a dozen of hours on the All-Star weekend. Now you feel ripped off...
    Oh well...
    Source
  14. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Gustavsson celebrates his second shutout of the yearwith Nikolai Kulemin
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    The Maple Leafs were host to the Buffalo Sabres tonight in an important game for both teams. Buffalo, who are struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive came out flat against the Maple Leafs. Nikolai Kulemin would open the scoring on the powerplay in the first period just over eight minutes into the game. Then, with just over two minutes left in the opening period, Mikhail Grabovski places a beautiful backhand over the glove of Ryan Miller to lift the Leafs to a 2-0 lead. That would be the final score in a game where Jonas Gustavsson really wasn't tested too much.Buffalo's offense was almost non-existent in the game. This may be partly due to the fact that Vanek left the game after taking a hit from Dion Phaneuf. Derek Roy did not dress for the Sabres tonight, but it looks like he will make his way back into the line-up within the next couple of games.
    Jonas Gustavsson was solid again in goal for the Leafs as he picked up 32 saves for his second shutout in 2012. He wasn't too much, but his streak in goal for the Maple Leafs has continued. He is undefeated thus far in the new year.

    The Maple Leafs penalty kill also hasn't allowed a goal against in the new year. This is mostly due to the fact that the Leafs as a whole have been taking far less penalties. They didn't take a single penalty tonight, and only took one penalty in each of the two previous games.
    Late in the game Nathan Gerbe was getting into it with several Leafs, most prominently Joffrey Lupul. There was a scrum behind the Sabres net where Gerbe and Lupul were getting into it. Following that exchange the two of them got into it in front of the benches while both teams were changing lines for the faceoff. This may bring on some bad blood for Friday nights game in Buffalo.
    With the win the Leafs have jumped up to 6th in the Eastern playoffs race, with a total of 49 points in 42 games. The Sabres loss puts them down below .500 with just 41 points in 42 games. Another loss for the Sabres on Friday night will likely be the final blow to their playoff hopes. More good news for the Maple Leafs is that most of the other teams in the Eastern Conference lost tonight. Montreal, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg and Tampa Bay all lost tonight. New Jersey has also had a rough start against the Flames, they're down 4-0 at the end of the first period.
    The Leafs next game is Friday in Buffalo, followed by another home-stand that starts on Saturday as the New York Rangers come into town.
    Source
  15. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Liles defending against the CapitalsPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    John-Michael Liles signed a deal with the Maple Leafs where he would make 3.875M per year for the next four seasons. Shortly after hearing the news today, I learned something new. Apparently 30 is the new 50 and somehow I never noticed. There's a lot of backlash with Leafs fans about signing Liles to a four-year extension. Liles is 31 years old and so when his contract ends he will be 35. Apparently that's far too old for many Leafs fans (yeah, cause you wouldn't all kill to have Lidstrom in a Leafs uniform). Not to say that's a fair comparison, but that's why Liles signed to under 4 million dollars.The Leafs are one of the youngest teams in the NHL, with an average age of about 26 years. Contrast that with the model hockey franchise, the Detroit Red Wings, who are over 29 years. Why so many fans are upset about signing a player in his 30's to less money than he made this year, when he was already being underpaid in my opinion, is beyond me. Great signing on Brian Burke's part as well as the rest of the Leafs management.
    I gathered a list of NHL players who are older than Liles and would have a larger cap hit next season. Those players include:
    Brian Campbell - 32 years old - 7.14M until 2016
    Zdeno Chara - 34 years old - 6.91M until 2017, 4M cap hit in 2018
    Dan Boyle - 35 years old - 6.66M until 2014
    Wade Redden - 34 years old - 6.5M until 2014
    Kimmo Timonen - 36 years old - 6.33M until 2013
    Andrei Markov - 33 years old - 5.75M until 2014
    Lubomir Visnovski - 35 years old - 5.6M until 2013
    Sergei Gonchar - 37 years old - 5.5M until 2013
    Tomas Kaberle - 33 years old - 4.25M until 2014
    Ed Jovanovski - 35 years old - 4.125M until 2015
    Mark Streit - 34 years old - 4.1M until 2013
    Robyn Regehr - 31 years old - 4.02M until 2013
    Marek Zidlicky - 34 years old - 4M until 2013
    There are only a couple of these players I'd rather have on my team and they have twice the cap hit Liles will have next season.
    Now there is a valid argument that at this point, if the salary cap doesn't change for next season, the Leafs will have just over 11M cap space next season. Aulie, Franson, Rosehill and Kulemin are all RFAs. Grabovski, Crabb, Boyce, and Gustavsson are all UFAs. It seems there's barely enough money to sign the key players for next season, and if that happens the Leafs will be the same team next year as they are this year. The flaw in the argument is that one would assume the Leafs wont make a trade or buy out a contract or do something to free up any extra cap space they need. By some peoples logic you should not sign one of your best players because other under-performing players are on your team taking up all the cap. Sounds pretty stupid to me.
    Liles is a great puck moving defenseman. We've seen the difference in the Toronto's powerplay when he is in the line-up as opposed to when he's not. He's not a defensive liability like many other powerplay specialists in the league. He brings experience to a very young team, he's a hard-worker, he leads by example on the ice and he's a leader in the dressing room... Any GM that wouldn't sign him is a fool and should be locked up in a room with John Ferguson Jr.
    Source
  16. TMLsHockeyBlog
    MacArthur celebrates after scoring on MontoyaPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    After a tough couple of weeks and some brief time on the fourth line last game, Clarke MacArthur was told by coach Ron Wilson that if he moved his feet and played hard he would be rewarded. After the Islanders scored two goals through the first 30 minutes of the game, Wilson put MacArthur back on a line with Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski. MacArthur would score late in the second period to cut the Islanders lead in half before eventually scoring the game winning goal in overtime.
    Shortly after the rumours swirled about MacArthur likely being traded from Toronto in the near future, he comes out and plays a hard game, and wins it for the Leafs. There's no question that he has a ton of chemistry with Grabovski and Kulemin, but sometimes his effort on the ice, or lack thereof, has led to a demotion to the third of fourth line. That second line was very effective for the Maple Leafs last season, the trio 177 points for the Leafs in the 2010-2011 season. If they can get back to that type of production, the Leafs would have quality secondary scoring that would open up some ice for the top line, who've noticed their stats decline as they have faced opposing teams top D-men shift after shift, game after game.
    Any thoughts Leafs management had towards trading MacArthur will likely be put on hold for a short while. With the trade deadline about a month away, the Leafs still have time to decide if MacArthur fits with the team or not. Either way MacArthur's value is going up with games like these. If Brian Burke does in fact decide to trade him, a few good games on the second line are sure to get a better return for the Leafs. The 26 year old has 14 goals and 10 assists in 42 games this season.
    The Ottawa Senators lost again tonight, their third loss in a row. They are currently in sixth in the East, but have played 52 games, while the majority of the teams in a playoff position have only played 47 or 48 games. The Winnipeg Jets lost again tonight, and have fallen to 22-22-6. Their hopes for the playoffs are dwindling. At the end of the night there is a five point difference between the Jets and the top nine. This is good news for the Leafs as they only have to concentrate on jumping a team ahead of them and don't have to worry as much about a team from behind them in the standings. That being said, the season is far from over and there's plenty of time for teams like the Jets or the Lightning, who have won their last four games, to make a playoff push.
    With the win the Leafs would jump to 55 points. This ties them with the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, and New Jersey Devils. However, Toronto has played 49 games whereas the other three have only played 48 games thus far. The Leafs head into the All-Star break on a good note, but have to carefully prepare for a home-at-home match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are currently in fifth in the East with 60 points. They've been red hot lately, winning their last 7 games in a row.OTHER NOTES:

    MacArthur's overtime goal had to be reviewed as Islanders goaltender Al Montoya made a phenomenal glove save. Upon further review, Montoya's glove was in the net. Jake Gardiner scored his first NHL goal tonight. Mikhail Grabovski had a point on all four of the Maple Leafs goals (1G, 3A), including setting up MacArthur for his two goals. After Grabovski scored a lucky goal, which deflected off a stick over Montoya and into the net, the Islanders got a lucky goal themselves with just 13 seconds left in the game. Grabovski wrapped the puck around the boards when it took an odd bounce and came right to the slot. Parenteau made no mistake all alone on Gustavsson. The Leafs went the entire game without having to kill a penalty. The third time they have done that this season. Jonas Gustavsson played well again tonight making 29 saves on 32 shots. Source
  17. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Gustavsson makes 25 saves for his fourth career shutoutPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    The Toronto Maple Leafs have only won one game of their last five, and their playoff aspirations were slowly slipping away. Monday night marked the first of their last two games before the all star break, a home at home series with the New York Islanders. The Leafs came out with lost of speed and energy in the first period, something that has been lacking in recent games. Matthew Lombardi got the Leafs to a 1-0 lead in the first, but the next period and half would be sloppy for both teams. The Islanders really picked up their game in the third period but Phil Kessel scored for the Leafs to give them the two goal lead. Matthew Lombardi would add his second goal of the game late in the third period. Toronto would win the game by a final score of 3-0, and Jonas Gustavsson picked up another shutout.
    Gustavsson, who didn't have much work in the first two periods, ended the game with 25 saves and his third shutout of the month. Toronto once again insulated the Maple Leafs netminder well throughout the game. They kept the Islanders to the outside, blocked shots and boxed out the front of the net. Also, the Leafs penalty kill is still perfect in the new year as they went a full sixty minutes without taking a penalty tonight.
    Last week Ron Wilson said that Matthew Lombardi will step up his play in the second half of the season as he eases back into playing in the NHL after injuries kept him out of action for quite some time. He has been rewarded with more ice-time over the last couple of weeks and scored twice to help the Leafs to a win tonight.
    Clarke MacArthur found himself on the fourth line tonight, with the least ice-time of any Leaf player. After a few games of sub-par defensive efforts his ice-time was drastically reduced, he played under ten minutes tonight. MacArthur, who showed last year that he can be an effective secondary scorer, is struggling this year in all three zones of the ice. His offensive numbers are down, and he is a minus-1 through 40 games this season.
    The two points the Leafs picked up tonight put them up to 53, which ties them with the Washington Capitals for that final playoff spot, and one point behind both the Panthers and the Devils. Toronto heads out on the road to face the Islanders tomorrow before the break and take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in another home-at-home series next week. The Penguins, led by Malkin, have 58 points coming off a six game win streak and will prove to be a big test for the Leafs.
    The Leafs need to take it one game at a time and look forward to Tuesday nights game in Long Island. Coach Ron Wilson stated that Gustavsson will probably get the start again.Source
  18. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Montreal wins in Kaberle's return to TorontoPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    Leafs playoff hopes here high approaching the puck drop at the ACC on Saturday night. Both the New Jersey Devils and the Ottawa Senators lost their respective games in regulation earlier today. The bad news is that the Panthers play the Jets. Going into tonight Winnipeg sits two points behind the Leafs and the Panthers are one point ahead. A win for the Leafs tonight will put them back into the top eight. If the Panthers win they will jump back to third and a Leafs win will knock Washington to the ninth spot.
    The first eight minutes of the period went by quickly without much action until P.K. Subban took a bad roughing penalty as he punched Tyler Bozak in the head. On the Leafs powerplay Clarke MacArthur would cough up the puck to Lars Eller who came in on a breakaway but was stopped by Gustavsson, his first save of the game. Through the first period the Leafs weren't using their speed and seemed to be playing down the the level of the Habs. After some awful turnovers by the Habs, the Leafs were gaining momentum until Montreal came in on a 3-on-1 and scored. The original shot deflected awkwardly off the boards behind Gustavsson and bounced over the net and landed at the top of the crease on Bourque's stick, who scored his first as a Canadien. The Leafs would answer back quickly though. Tyler Bozak lobbed a great pass to Matthew Lombardi who scored on a breakaway to tie the game. The second period was a pretty quiet one, there was no change in the scoreboard. There was a ridiculous dive by Montreal's Kostitsyn. The ref that was ten feet away watching the play didn't call a penalty on the Leafs because he saw that Kostitsyn dove. The ref at center ice called a penalty and the Leafs had to kill another penalty. What makes the ref at center ice think the ref ten feet away missed the call and he should make it from 100 feet away? Also, once the ref at center calls the penalty can't the other ref say it was a dive and at least even up the calls? There's no reason the Leafs should have ever been short-handed on that play. We should've been on a powerplay because as far as I know there is no rule against calling a stand-alone diving penalty. I've said it before, and I'll say it until somebody actually happens, players will continue to dive because they know there is no consequences. They know that worst case the referees will only call even-up penalties, one penalty for a hook or trip and one for the dive. Apparently, you can't lose if you dive. Let's get some refs out here that actually call players on diving before hockey turns into a game of soccer.

    The Leafs started the third period much like the first two, very slow. Montreal took advantage of this and put a shot through a screen behind Gustavsson and the Leafs are down 2-1 early in the third period. They would end up losing the game 3-1 by a combination of questionable refereeing and playing without any urgency. The third goal was another one that Gustavsson should have stopped. That being said, he was hit off balance as Gardiner was pushed into him a few seconds before the goal went in. Much like the loss against the Senators earlier this week, the well-rested Leafs are beat by a team who played who played the night before.
    Clarke MacArthur didn't look good tonight. He wasn't really competing, he turned the puck over too many times, and in the second period he found himself taking a few shifts on the Leafs fourth line. I think he played his best hockey with Kadri and Connolly a few weeks ago, but now with Lupul playing so well for that line you can't put MacArthur back there. His numbers are still respectable, he has 12 goals and 9 assists in 39 games heading into tonights contest. His cap hit is managable for teams looking for some secondary scoring. There were more than a couple of pro scouts from around the league in attendance and maybe the Leafs can trade him as part of a package for something bigger.
    Tomas Kaberle returned to Toronto but looked pretty invisible tonight. He fit well with every player wearing blue. If Toronto wants to be a playoff team they have to be able to beat teams like Montreal who sit near the basement in the NHL. Something has to change in Toronto because they're losing their grip on playoff hopes. To make matters worse, the Panthers and Lightning game turned out to be a three-point game as it went into overtime and then a shootout.This may be another year that Toronto looks back on a few games like tonight where they did not come out to play and miss the playoffs by a few points. The Leafs have back-to-back games against the New York Islanders on Monday and Tuesday. They have to win both of those games just to keep pace.
    Source
  20. TMLsHockeyBlog
    

    Joey Crabb celebrates after scoring a high-lightreel goal in the first period
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    
    The Leafs brush off a tough three game losing skid as they beat the Wild 4-1. Nazem Kadri scored early as he spin around and smacked the puck out of the air and into the back of the net just 50 seconds into the opening frame. Joey Crabb would also score in the first for a two goal lead. Phil Kessel and Mikhail Grabovski would also score for Toronto. Jonas Gustavsson didn't have much work, but was solid when he needed to be. He had the shutout going until the last few minutes of the game when he let in a goal from the icing line.
    It looks like the line juggling coach Ron Wilson made prior to the game worked out well for the Maple Leafs. Joffrey Lupul was moved to a line with Tim Connolly and Nazem Kadri, and they worked well throughout the game including scoring early into the game. Matthew Lombardi was moved up with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak and the second line of MacArthur, Kulemin, and Grabovski, that played so well last season, was reunited. At first I wasn't too sure about having Lombardi on the top line with Bozak and Kessel because I don't think Lombardi is capable of filling the offensive role that Joffrey Lupul occupied. Although it's true, Lombardi wasn't the offensive player that Lupul has been on that line, he helps out in the defensive zone and should keep some of those dreaded minuses off the stat sheet beside numbers 81 and 42.
    Though it didn't really make a difference on the scoreboard or in the points column, the bad goal that Jonas Gustavsson let in reminds the Maple Leafs of their goaltending struggles. Neither Reimer nor Gustavsson have really taken the opportunity to become the starting goaltender with stellar play. They both have a bad habit of letting in a bad goal in almost every game. It's not a big deal when your team is winning 4-0, but in closer games, such as Tuesday night, that soft goal can cost you the game. That being said, Jonas Gustavsson played well overall tonight and I would expect him to get the start Saturday night against the slumping Canadiens.Gustavsson is has 10 wins in his last 14 starts. Despite his uncommon demeanor in between the posts, including the fact that he might make a record for the most times a goalie has lost his stick in a regular season, he's been the one getting the job done. He looks more composed in the net and seems to be calm now with a few games under his belt as opposed to earlier this season when he wasn't playing as much.
    Keith Aulie was the odd man out on the defensive side of things for the Leafs. The young defenseman had such a promising end to the season last year, but this year has not been as good as he needs to be. Mike Komisarek found his way back into the lineup tonight. Since being sent down for a game with the Marlies, Jake Gardiner has played very well for the Leafs. With the news that John-Michael Liles is expected to return within a week, I suspect Keith Aulie would be the odd defenseman out and will likely be sent down to the Marlies.

    In other news around the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils couldn't hold their one goal lead over the Bruins. Boston scored four times in the third period to edge Brodeur and the Devils. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 and the Winnipeg Jets also beat the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 4-1. Care to guess what the score was in the Islanders vs Flyers and Senators vs Sharks games? New York and Ottawa each won their respective games by a score of 4-1.
    So how does this look for the Leafs and their playoff hopes? The Devils loss is good news for Toronto but other than Toronto doesn't gain much ground. Neither the Capitals nor the Panthers played tonight, so the Leafs currently sit one point out of the top eight, but have played one game more than both Washington and Florida, who both play tomorrow night.
    With 36 games remaining for the Leafs, and the expectation for the playoffs being at least 93 points, Toronto needs to go at least 21-15 to close out the season. Not an easy task, but not out of the question for the Leafs. Toronto has three games before the All-Star break, each against opponents near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They host Montreal on Saturday and then have a home-at-home against the Islanders that starts on Monday.Source
  21. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Rosehill err... Mike Brown fightingPHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    I'm still very angry about the game, so this recap will have quite a bit of flare... Just a heads up.The Senators played last night and have to come into Toronto to play the Leafs. They obviously must be tired. The Leafs need to take advantage of that. They started off strong but as the third period came around the Leafs were exhausted. Why? Because Jay Rosehill gets to play. So that he can watch Mike Brown and Dion Phaneuf fight. That's some great coaching! Sorry Wilson, but he's a useless player and should never play a game in the NHL!

    Lombardi got the Leafs to a 1-0 lead after his shot deflected off the defender. Then on an awful giveaway by Cowan the leafs scored on a two-on-one, Lupul put it away on a pass from Kessel. The Leafs were all over the Senators, but the defensive mistakes began. With 10 seconds left in the period Keith Aulie chases a man behind the net with no chance of catching him. Stupid, stupid, stupid... I can't figure out how someone decides to do that. A professional NHL hockey player. So the pass goes in front and Lupul, the back-checking Leaf, takes down a player wide open in front of Reimer. As the player goes down he hits Reimer, throws him off position and the Sens score in the dying seconds of the period.
    In the second period all goes to hell... The Leafs still have tons of energy, and are all over the Senators. Anderson made some huge saves, and gets some lucky bounces and the Leafs are unable to get their third goal of the game. As the second period goes on Jason Spezza, who apparently bribed the referee in the first intermission, decides to go to the net, bump into Reimer, and then stand on his left pad for about 10 seconds. The puck then deflects wide to Daugavins who whiffs on it and kicks it towards the net. The puck is about an inch or two from the goal-line and Spezza, who is STILL standing on Reimer's pad, reaches over top of Toronto's goaltender and pokes the puck into the net. The ref on the ice called it a goal cause apparently he's smoking rocks. They would go upstairs to review if it was kicked it but because Spezza touched it just before it went it the goal counts... So now we have a tie game...On to the third period where the Leafs have no energy because they only played with three lines because plugs like Jay Rosehill are being paid nearly a million dollars to play hockey. I would rather wipe my ass with that money than see Rosehill on the ice playing hockey. He is a terrible hockey player, and gets played to fight and defend his team and didn't do either.
    Next up, cue the awful goal that the Leafs goalie, despite who it is, will inevitably let in. This time it was Reimer going down early and letting in a shot that flew over his glove... A really bad goal to let in but then again it's not like we would've had much better. Gustavsson's bad goal of the game is simply missing a shot that almost any goalie that's ever played an NHL game could save, excluding Patrick Lalime obviously. And while were at it, if Scrivens was in net, his bad goal would be playing the puck around the boards for a giveaway that goes into the back of the net... Getting back to the main topic, the Leafs blew a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2, in regulation to make matters worse.
    Other notes from the game include Foligno going low to clip Phaneuf. Phaneuf would then fight him a few minutes later after the Leafs failed to score on the power play. He didn't jump Foligno or anything and they both seemed to agree to fight, but the ref decided to give Phaneuf an instigator... Okay... What else... Hmmm... Tyler Bozak carries the puck up the right wing, drops it to Kessel at about the center ice line. Kessel carries the puck into the zone, but realizes its offside because Tyler Bozak was tackled at the blueline and ruled offside... Without an interference call... They would also botch a play where the puck deflected off the Ottawa player's stick about a foot inside their own blueline yet the refs ruled the faceoff outside the zone. Realizing their mistake they then called the Senators on a questionable icing call.
    On the plus side it was nice to see Bozak and Gardiner back on the ice. They both played well for most of the game. Bozak definitely helps the Leafs first line, they don't seem to work as well with Tim Connolly. On the injury front, Leafs expect both Liles and Armstrong to make their way back into the line-up in a week or so. The Leafs defense and powerplay have struggled with the absence of Liles, they're definitely looking forward to having him back.
    Bottom line, story of NHL referees are missed calls and make-up calls. I know its a fast game, but with four of them on the ice they should be able to get the call right. I like how they all gather when the puck is flicked over the glass to make sure its a penalty, they should really do that when the one ref realizes the other has made a terrible blunder.
    Next question for the Leafs is who do you start in net Thursday night? I prefer Reimer, but either way I don't think it matters much. What matters is being able to play four lines. Please Mr. Wilson, for the love of God, DON'T DRESS ANY PLUGS!
    Source
  22. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Every player should ask themselves these ten questions when on the ice. Being aware of your surroundings can help you prevent a concussion.
    So here, in no apparent order, are the questions:

    Is Matt Cooke on the ice? - Is Chara angling me into the ... ? (CRASH) ... Oh God - Has Chris Neil sucker-punched you in the face yet? (Watch him pretend he got hit in the face too... what a tool) - Did you recently take part in the Sports Illustrated "Most Over-rated NHL player" poll and are Dion Phaneuf and Chris Pronger standing on your porch? - SI.com link Wendel Clark doesn't still play hockey, does he? - Is David Steckel skating near you and pretending not to see you? - Did Milan Lucic just run over my goaltender? Should I jump in there and show him that here in Buffalo we don't roll over to physical contact? ... Whats that?... We do roll over? ... Good, I'll stay here then. - Is that Glenn Healy between the benches? Damn you Hockey Night in Canada! (beats head repeatedly on the boards.) - If I attempt to settle this bouncing pass with my head down, will I be crippled? - Video link Wayne Simmonds has the perfect NBA body type, he should be able to jump over me, right? -  ... I guess that's why he's playing hockey and not basketball... I'll show him, I'll get some dumbass to throw a banana at him! -  ... What's that ref? No, that wasn't a racist comment... I can't say "banana"? Barch article link ... Wait what? ... Wayne Simmonds is black? I never noticed... (the ref must be the racist one... tsk tsk...) P.S. For the record I don't condone fighting. At the same time, I'm not against it, especially in a league where you have guy running around taking cheap shots at other players. But there's a big difference between fighting at a stand still and skating full speed to hit a guy in the head.If you dispute my theory, I highly encourage you to participate in our final experiment. In this test we have you stand in front of one of you're friends as they punch you in the face several times... How do you feel? A bit woozy? ... Okay, now go stand in the middle of the road and have a friend drive a motorcycle at 50 km/h towards you. While he approaches, get him to stick his elbow out and drive it into your head... How do you feel now?
    Source
  23. TMLsHockeyBlog
    They may all look different and wear different numbersand names on their jerseys, but the Leafs came out
    as a eighteen Alex Kovalevs
    PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    After a frustrating 3-2 loss last night against the Buffalo Sabres, the Maple Leafs were back at home in the ACC hosting the New York Rangers. Another loss tonight would put the Leafs back on the rim, fighting for a playoff spot. So the Leafs had to come out with some energy, but instead they came out flat. The Rangers also didn't have a great start but instead of the Leafs taking it to them early, they were content playing at the same slow pace. The difference is that for the last 40 minutes of the game the Rangers stepped it up and the Leafs fell apart. They were unable to make the simplest of plays such as getting the puck out of the defensive zone on many opportunities.The Rangers scored a pretty goal on a 3-on-1 tic tac toe play where Gustavsson had no chance to make the save. The second Rangers goal came off a shot where Franson unnecessarily screened Gustavsson and then jumped out of the way as the shot came. The third goal was once again off a partial breakaway, another one Gustavsson didn't have a chance to make the save on.
    I'm wondering though, why did Gustavsson start this game? I thought the Leafs were using a "win and you're in" philosophy, so why didn't we see James Reimer in goal tonight? Especially after the second goal Gustavsson let in against Buffalo, that was a pretty awful goal to let in. That being said, It didn't matter who the Leafs playing in goal tonight because there was nothing in front of the goalie. It was an all-around disaster. Jonas Gustavsson did play well tonight, I won't knock his performance, but I hoped and expected to see Reimer in the net. I would assume he starts next game.
    More on the bad side, Nazem Kadri was back to his old ways again. Forcing plays, getting pushed around, and showing no hustle or desire. I was very happy about his play in his first few games since being called up, but he's starting to play like he has in the past. He's playing like a player that doesn't belong in the NHL. Maybe someone should mention sending him down to the Marlies again. It seems the fear of being sent down is the only thing that strikes some fire in his game. I wonder if the Leafs can do that for the next 15 years of his career... Phil Kessel didn't look much better either. He was hit hard early in the game and found himself in shoving bouts with the Rangers. New York did a great job of taking him off his game.
    To make matters worse, Ottawa beats Montreal. Ottawa wins AGAIN! ... And so did the New Jersey Devils. I wish the Leafs could go on a big streak like this instead of constantly keeping Leafs Nation in suspense. It will likely go right down the wire in April, and Toronto might look back at some of these loses with some regret.
    I understand that its the second game in as many nights and the Leafs are justified in being tired, but losing two in a row in unacceptable for a team barely hanging on to a playoff spot. They have to find a way to beat Buffalo knowing the Rangers are coming into town the next night. On top of that, the Rangers start Biron against Toronto, and the Leafs hand the Rangers' backup goaltender an easy shut out.
    On the plus side, and I will probably mention this every game until the unimpressive streak is broken, the Leafs penalty kill was perfect. They killed off both Rangers power plays and did it rather effectively. The flip side to that argument is that the Leafs power play was awful again here tonight. They only had two opportunities, but not having John-Michael Liles really hurts the power play. You really notice it as Ron Wilson flips around who he plays on the point of that first unit.
    The Leafs are back at it on Tuesday night. They're facing the red hot Ottawa Senators in another "must win" game. I would expect James Reimer to get the start, and hopefully he plays well enough to hold the starting job. Gustavsson played well, but he lets a really bad goal every other game or so and the Leafs need lights out goaltending if they're going to be a contender.
    Source
  24. TMLsHockeyBlog
    
    
    Gustavsson in net for the LeafsPHOTO: TMLsHockeyBlog
     The Sabres started off with a quick goal against the Leafs. The puck was centered from behind the net and it deflected into the back of the net for a 1-0 Sabres lead. The Sabres would add another one just a few minutes later and suddenly the Leafs found themselves down 2-0 just five minutes into the game. Toronto would answer with two goals in the first to take a tie game into the second period but would ultimately lose the game by a score of 3-2.
    The second Buffalo goal was awful. It was definitely a save Gustavsson needs to make. Letting in one bad goal is what inevitably cost the Leafs the game tonight and has cost them too many already this season. The Monster did regain his composure as he made a few big saves to keep the Leafs in the game. The game winning goal was scored on a brutal defensive brain-fart as both Luke Schenn and Carl Gunnarsson were caught watching the puck instead of covering a man. The Sabres set up a cross-ice pass from the boards to the front of the net for an easy goal.
    The Leafs controlled the play for good portions of the game, but their inability to capitalize or even generate quality chances on the power play killed their own momentum. On the plus side they only took two penalties and killed them both off. So the Leafs PK is still perfect in the new year through five games.
    On the plus side, I really liked the Buffalo arena. This was my first Leaf game in Buffalo and I really enjoyed myself. The seats were great and the arena was packed with as many Leaf fans as Sabres fans. The constant struggle of cheers from opposing fans made the game much more entertaining. The atmosphere was amazing.
    Nazem Kadri didn't impress today. He did showcase his good hands, which he normally does, and controlled the puck as well as made a few shifty dekes to gain some space. The recurring problem, which may have been his biggest problem in previous seasons, is that he turned the puck over soon after and didn't manage a scoring chance. He also didn't make a conscious effort to hustle to get back into the play defensively. I had hopes that Kadri was a different player this season, and I won't sell him off just because of one game, but if he continues to play like this he won't have much success in the NHL.
    Grabovski was by far the best Leaf on the ice. He scored a goal and added an assist in the first period to help the Leafs back in to a game that seemed to be getting away from them early. Phil Kessel's line looked average, Kessel still had great speed through the neutral zone but was unable to convert it into many scoring chances.
    The Leafs head back to Toronto to host the New York Rangers tomorrow night. With the Capitals and Penguins winning, the Leafs find themselves barely hanging on to a playoff spot. They are just one point ahead of both of those teams.

    Source
  25. TMLsHockeyBlog
    Overrated?PHOTO: mapleleafs.com
    In a recent and anonymous poll by Sports Illustrated, Dion Phaneuf was voted the most overrated player in the Nation Hockey League. The poll was anonymous and was taken by 161 NHL players. Here's how the top fifteen rounded out:
    Dion Phaneuf Alex Ovechkin Scott Gomez Roberto Luongo Dany Heatley Ilya Kovalchuk Vincent Lecavalier Jay Bouwmeester Ryan Kesler Mike Komisarek Chris Pronger Jerome Iginla Alexander Semin Olli Jokinen Ed Jovanovski
    Leafs General Manager Brian Burke summed up the poll nicely. He said "Yes, players dumb enough to participate in polls designed to crap on fellow NHLPA members are not very bright... I am thrilled to have both player (Phaneuf and Komisarek) on my team."
    Is it just me or is this whole idea completely ridiculous? Regardless of who was voted number one, Sports Illustrated was looking to start something controversial in order to gain some exposure... And it worked... Most sports fan know or at least have heard of Sports Illustrated, so they're not a name that's trying to get out there, but I don't think I've mentioned their name once in the last 3 years whereas I've mentioned it about 30 times in the last 24 hours.
    The term "overrated" is another topic in itself. Its such a vague term that may hold different meaning to different individuals. How does one classify overrated? Is it league wide exposure? Is it stats vs. salary? In this case the poll could be entitled "Which NHL player do you hate playing against", with a few exceptions. 
    There are too many inconsistencies with this list. Apart from a few of these players, the rest are some of the elite in the league. Mike Komisarek is definitely an overpaid player. He is a defensive defenseman with almost no offensive upside, but doesn't everybody know that already? Who around the league is rating Mike Komisarek in the same breath as Alex Ovechkin or Chris Pronger? You'd be hard-pressed to find someone that would. So why put him on this list? I have no idea...
    Of course, Alexander Ovechkin is the second most overrated player in the league. I don't think anyone would disagree with that... I'm being completely sarcastic of course. This is a player that came into the league as a 19 year old rookie and has pretty much destroyed the league.  He has the most points and awards of any player since the NHL lockout. Last I checked, that makes you a damn good hockey player, far from being overrated.
    I do think Dion Phaneuf gets paid a little more than he should. Calgary gave him a large contract, that's not really his fault. If you were in his position would you have said "no thanks, that's too much for me"? There's a reason Calgary's management has been flipped upside down. You think Matt Stajan is running back with a cheque for the 3 million a season he's being overpaid? Then again, Dion Phaneuf has the sixth most points by a defenseman thus far this season. So I'm not sure I really have any ground to stand on when I say he's a little overpaid. He's in some pretty good company with similar contracts. Let's also not forget the intangibles such as his leadership qualities, his desire to win and so forth. Seriously, his face looks like its pregnant and he doesn't complain. He doesn't sit for a game or two. He comes back and plays big minutes, usually around 25 a game.
    The 161 players who participated in this poll should feel stupid. Nothing good can come out of calling out your peers to the media. And the list is so bizarre to begin with, I'm questioning whether they just asked Mike Sauer 161 times over and he's still a little confused and bitter after Phaneuf ran him over back in early December. But we'll likely never know who actually participated in the poll. I bet they wouldn't call those players overrated to their respectable faces. Something tells me Pronger would have something to say about that. They're cowards, and Sports Illustrated are cowards for making headlines with such a stupid list. Source
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