All Entries Tagged With: "Leafs"
A Case For Harding
As the trade deadline approaches the big names are being thrown around in rumours. Trust me when I say this, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in no spot to be selling the farm. The fix for this slumping team? A man named Josh Harding. Harding may not be the name that Toronto media craves, they [...]
Sour Grapes: Don Cherry Gets Excited Over Stars
…Blueberry Cheetah. “Time for a little Coach’s Corner I tell ya, wait Ron what’s his name again, Bieska, Bieksa? Beauuty. The NHL is a diverse ecosystem of players and personalities. Built around speed, skill, violence and determination, the game of hockey is a distinct brand of sport that pulls together many different skills, assets and [...]
Leafs Not Meeting Expectations
The Toronto Maple Leafs and expectations go hand in hand. However the height of those expectations can vary from year to year. With Brian Burke entering his fourth year as the Leafs general manager, expectations have not been this high since Mats Sundin was the face of the franchise. The Leafs have no doubt gotten [...]
Toronto Maple Leafs Roster Battles, and What They Mean
With the season only two weeks away, and Ron Wilson saying that he hopes to get a full lineup into a few preseason games, it’s only a matter of time until we finally see the opening roster for The Toronto Maple Leafs. With the top six, and goaltenders virtually set, it will be interesting [...]
Despite winless Rookie Tournament, Nasreddine, Samuelsson positive
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost all three games of the 2011 NHL Rookie Tournament in Oshawa, Ontario, falling by a lopsided composite score of 13-2 in three games over four days. Today, the Penguins’ prospects fell 4-1 to Chicago’s prospect squad in a game that turned near the end of the second period when after Pittsburgh [...]
McKegg’s 1 goal, 2 assists lead Leafs over Pens at Rookie Tournament
Greg McKegg, a returnee from last year’s Rookie Tournament, scored a third period goal and added two assists as the Toronto Maple Leafs won their second straight game this weekend, 5-1 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh fell to 0-2 in Oshawa. McKegg, 19, scored 49 goals and 92 points for the Erie Otters of the [...]
Brandon Saad making most of chances with Hawks at Rookie Tournament
Chicago and Toronto played a competitive, back-and-forth game on Saturday night at the 2011 NHL Rookie Tournament with the Leafs’ propsects prevailing over Chicago’s youngsters 4-2 with Jake Gardiner scoring the game-winning and insurance goals in the third period. After Toronto took a 1-0 lead, the game featured two lead changes before Gardiner, a forward [...]
What To Expect: Tim Connolly
The acquisition of Tim Connolly to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top-six unit will, on the surface, add depth to the team’s forward ranks. But the hopes of playoff hockey in Toronto could well rest on the shoulders of the injury-prone centerman next season. Not because Connolly is capable of vaulting the Leafs to new heights [...]
Leafs’ Third Line Key to Success
Whether the Toronto Maple Leafs’ depth chart remains unchanged until the opening day of the regular season shouldn’t deter from the fact that, on paper, its third-line may be the best it’s been in years. While the need for a number-one center ultimately remains the Leafs’ target to solidify a berth in the post-season, the [...]
Are the Leafs a Playoff Team?
The Toronto Maple Leafs will not be acquiring any more assets in the off-season… at least for now. In an interview with the National Post’s Michael Traikos, general manager Brian Burke said his team is going to sit back and let the players compete for spots at training camp. This is good news for the [...]
What’s Next For The Leafs?
With general manager Brian Burke acquiring John-Michael Liles, Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi and Cody Franson this off-season, there’s little doubt the Toronto Maple Leafs have improved heading into the 2011-12 season. But with a logjam on defense and cap space left to improve some of the Leafs’ needs, it’s unlikely Burke is content with the [...]
Puck-Moving Defenseman Off The Checklist
The Toronto Maple Leafs no longer require a puck-moving defenseman this off-season with the acquisition of John-Michael Liles for the second-round pick in 2012 the Leafs previously acquired from the Boston Bruins. The 30-year-old offensive defenseman has one year remaining on his contract with a cap-hit of $4.2-million. While he is a one-dimensional player, it’s worth [...]
Should the Leafs Target Stastny?
With the National Hockey League Entry Draft under 48 hours away, general manager Brian Burke’s cellphone bill will continue to feed small countries as he contemplates how to effectively use his first-round draft picks. Whether Burke decides to import two first-round prospects to the Toronto Maple Leafs or package them, along with other assets, for [...]
Limited Options For Burke
While the buzz in Leafs Nation is whether the Toronto Maple Leafs will acquire Brad Richards on July 1, general manager Brian Burke will still have options to improve his hockey team via free agency if he fails to acquire the coveted centerman. The problem, however, is that those options would not improve the Leafs up the middle, [...]
Leafs’ Top Priority: Offense
The turmoil that surrounds the opening day of free agency can often leave teams with immovable contracts for the forseeable future. The allure of acquiring impact players without relinquising assets can blur the line between a conservative and aggressive approach to remedy team needs. And, as often the case, it could make or break a [...]
Vancouver has waited since 1915 for another Stanley Cup win
Exactly seventeen years ago today, the scene in Vancouver was very similar. The city buzzed with hope after the previous night’s Stanley Cup Final game on home ice moved the Canucks within one win of capturing the franchise’s first-ever championship. On June 11, 1994, the Canucks defeated the New York Rangers at Pacific Coliseum 4-1 in [...]
The Summer of Burke
As the National Hockey League Entry Draft draws closer, many in Leafs Nation have begun to speculate if general manager Brian Burke will pursue an external asset in the form of a number-one center. The need for such an asset has been abundantly clear since Mats Sundin fled for a certain team that shall not be named. Many have auditioned [...]
Reimer: Goaltender of the Present and Future
Whether the Toronto Maple Leafs successfully execute the impossible and put itself in the playoff picture by April 10 is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. And that is due to several positive stories that have emerged since the all-star break. Despite the departures of Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin and Kris Versteeg, the Leafs [...]
The Resurgence of Phaneuf?
When Dion Phaneuf was anointed the next captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, many wondered if the once purported Norris candidate would manage to handle the expectations of being the Leafs’ captain while also attempting to get his career back on track. With nine games until the 2010-11 season comes to a close, Phaneuf’s first campaign [...]
The Impact of Kessel
Many analysts credit the Toronto Maple Leafs’ run for a playoff spot to the goaltending of James Reimer. While he has no doubt been a key contributor, much of the credit has to be distributed to Phil Kessel, who is suddenly tied for the team lead in points and ranks first in goals with 27. Yes, [...]
