Maple Leafs exceeding even my expectations

In early Summer 2011 I hoped that Jake Gardiner would go into Leafs training camp with the mindset that he was going to be the quarterback of the power play. Why did I want this? Everyone seemed to be giving the job to Liles uncontested, whereas I had been watching Gardiner develop on the USA junior team and he looked like a solid bet for the NHL.

I also hoped that Phil Kessel would watch video of Mike Bossy, and of Phil Kessel when hot, and hit the ice demanding and expecting big things from himself. He has developed into a premier passer over the past couple of seasons, Joffrey Lupul being the prime beneficiary, yet his sniping ability is so dominating that his assists pile up unnoticed.

My big concern was the position of backup goalie, and up until, well, yesterday against Pittsburgh, I was wholly unconviced that Gustavsson could be a reliable backup. In last night's game he played like a lad named James Reimer, and with Scrivens and Rynnas backstopping the first place Marlies in the AHL, the Buds are super-deep in the nets right now.

My hope was and is for the Maple Leafs to be contending for first in their division on January 1st, and be in the top four or five in the conference, and also to advance to the second round of the Stanley cup playoffs. They are noble goals for a young team, and we are definitely pointed in the right direction.

The fact that we are winning does not mean there won't be a trade, because Burke's phone is likely ringing with offers daily. The key will be to make a move that can add to the 23-man roster without detracting in any way from the success and momentum established so far.

So, who could be traded? Daryl Boyce is a proven NHLer with a winning record in the big leagues, and right now he's languishing on a 3rd line in the AHL, so he could be headed to Anaheim or Vancouver. Korbinian Holzer is likely ranked behind Aulie, Lashoff and Blacker, so could be moved as part of a package.

Two more controversial names would be Kadri and Franson. Beginning an NHL career in one's hometown can be tough, and I'm not convinced Burke sees Nazem Kadri as more than a top nine forward, and perhaps not quite nasty or hungry enough. Franson will likely be given another chance to contribute to wins, showcase his talents and increase the price should he be moved. It is too early to give up on such a talented young player, unless a sensational offer came in for him.

I am hoping Colbourne, Crabb, Aulie, Lashoff and Scrivens will be kept on the Marlies as insurance for the Leafs this year, and core building blocks for the next few years as contracts expire. I also think Mike Brown has earned the tough guy role over Rosehill and Orr.


Hockey players in Leafs system that could be traded

Here are names we could see being traded by the Leafs, but only if Burke thought he was receiving value that will help the Leafs now or in the future, without diminishing the Leafs or, to a lesser extent, the Marlies, hopes for this year:

Daryl Boyce
Jussi Rynnas
Nazem Kadri
Cody Franson
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Korbinian Holzer
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus


Ideally Burke will move one player from the bottom five of the 23-man and package him with two mid-level Marlies, getting in return a top six scorer/playmaker, or a physical top nine winger/scorer. If he has to add in a 2nd round pick to get the right guy, Leafs fans have learned to trust that Brian's choice will far more often than not turn out to be a sound decision.

Leafs: The Monster's LAST STAND tonite?

Motormouthed, inconsistent goalie talking and playing way out of lineup

Known to teammates as Goose, his nickname may be revised to Loose, after Jonas Gustavsson remarked to the media about James Reimer: "You never know with concussions."

What??? We thought this was a neck injury, but thanks for spilling the beans there loosey-goosey.

Anyways, Monster's recent play reminds one of Andrew Raycroft and Vesa Toskala, in that it requires excuses to justify. Leafs fans are definitely lacking confidence in Jonas, as the team rarely plays well in front of him, and the last time he won a game for the Maple Leafs was ... never?

Don't be surprised if Ben Scrivens gets the MSG start tonight, however if The Monster is in the nets, he must play very, very well or tomorrow he will be on waivers and Sunday will join the Toronto Marlies.

"Yo-Yo" Kadri to face Big Bad Bruins in Boston

Mere hours after being sent down to the Toronto Marlies, injuries to Colby Armstrong and Clarke MacArthur in last night's win over Winnipeg resulted in Nazem Kadri getting called back up to the Buds. He is in Boston with the Leafs now, and is expected to play tonight against the Bruins.

Gotta love the depth Burkie has built into the 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs!

Kadri to Marlies; Leafs Big Nine a tough nut to crack

If anyone is wondering why Naz has been sent to the Buds' farm team, think of how far we've come. With the additions of Connolly, Lombardi, Steckel, Frattin and Dupuis, it is harder now to crack the Toronto Maple Leafs top nine than it was to make the big six last year.

Also, don't be surprised if Kadri has been told he may be down there for awhile. Joey Crabb is playing real well, potting two sweet goals in Saturday's win over Erie Monsters, and Joe Colborne is among AHL leaders.

Finally, a player has extra pressure starting his NHL career in his hometown. I am sure Burke is listening to offers as I type.

Maple Leafs with best plus / minus should stay in the lineup

Here are 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs with a +/- of at least +2:

Dion Phaneuf +8

Phil Kessel +6

Joffrey Lupul +6

Tyler Bozak +4

Carl Gunnarsson +4

Mike Brown +2

Another thing about Brown, even though he's an American, he plays hockey like a Canadian, and Leaf fans love him for it!

NHL Hockey: Leafs vs Jets, 3 things to watch for

Will Lombardi get the call between Lupul and Kessel?

No, Bozak will get at least one more game on the first line.



Will rookie D-man Jake Gardiner be back in the lineup?

Yes; Franson should sit and shut up.



Will Gustavsson get his first start?

No, even though it would be logical, so that Reimer can play Thursday in Boston and against Montreal on Saturday. The prob is that Leafs fans do not like Gustavsson as he has let us down five too many times, plus we can really use the win. Look for Optimus to play Wednesday and Saturday with The Monster facing the Stanley Cup champions in Beantown on Thursday; trial by fire and ice.

NHL concussion comebacks a healthy sign for Crosby

There may be other chapters to this feelgood story, however with 3 players beginning successful comebacks in recent days, any additional tales will be just icing on the cake. Scoring in their first game back after a long absence due to concussion were the Toronto Maple Leafs' forwards Matthew Lombardi and Colton Orr, while Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens banged one home in the Habs victory over Winnipeg, just his second game back.

Syd my man, you too can do it!

Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart, October 2011

As training camp broke and Steckel was added for faceoffs and penalty killing, the Leafs opened the season with Connolly and Kadri on the shelf due to what are hopefully minor injuries.

Here's a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart as of today, October 9th, 2011:

Forwards

Kessel
Grabovski
Kulemin
Bozak
Lupul
Connolly
Lombardi
Steckel
MacArthur
Armstrong
Dupuis
Frattin
Brown
Rosehill
Orr
Kadri


Farm

Boyce
Crabb
Colbourne
Zigomanis




Defence

Phaneuf
Liles
Schenn
Gardiner
Gunnarsson
Komisarek
Franson



On the farm:

Aulie
Lashoff

Simon Gysbers
Korbinian Holzer
Jesse Blacker
Juraj Mikus



Goaltenders

James Reimer
Jonas Gustavsson

Ben Scrivens

2-way battle for Marlies backup spot:

Jussi Rynas
Mark Owuya

Crabb, Colbourne and Boyce power Marlies to 3-2 AHL opener

Victory over champs led by Toronto Leafs late cuts

Even though the Leafs pulled last night's game out of a rabbit hat in the end, they did dominate Ottawa for long stretches, and Brian Burke must be smiling today. As the Leafs enter a week of practice, the Toronto Marlies are showing the depth the Leafs GM can benefit from. When Connlly and Mac Arthur return, both Kadri and Frattin could also find themselves on the Marlies, strengthening this club even further.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (CP) - Darryl Boyce scored the power-play winner with one minute left in the second period as the Toronto Marlies defeated the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators 3-2 in American Hockey League action Saturday.

The Marlies scored three times in the second period to earn the win. Joey Crabb got Toronto (1-0-0) on the board at 3:24 of the period, then Joe Colborne and Boyce scored power-play goals to give the Marlies their first lead of the game.

Kaspars Daugavins and Eric Gryba scored in the first period for the Senators (0-2-0).

Ben Scrivens made 23 saves for the Marlies, who went 2-for-7 on the power play.

Mike McKenna made 35 stops for the Senators, who were blanked on four power-play chances.

NHL Ottawa vs Toronto Preview

With Game 2 of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2011-2012 season just a couple of hours away, here are some notes regarding tonight's game versus Ottawa Senators, who opened their own season with a 5-3 loss in Detroit last night (courtesy of mapleleafs.nhl.com):

Season Series: It's the first of six editions of the Battle of Ontario, a series that ended with each team winning three times last season. The Senators have won their last two trips to the Air Canada Centre.


Team Scope:

Senators: You can be sure this was not how Paul MacLean had planned to start his NHL coaching career. In his first game as the boss, MacLean watched in horror as Ottawa fell behind 5-0 in Detroit on Friday night before scoring three times in a 5-3 loss that looked closer than it was.

"It looked a lot like it did when I was on the other bench from this bench," said MacLean, who was hired in Ottawa after six seasons as an assistant to Mike Babcock with the Wings. "For me, I felt comfortable being here at Joe Louis Arena, I've been here before. But we made a few mistakes."

Maple Leafs: Optimism reigns in Toronto, where the Leafs got their season off to a satisfying start by blanking the archrival Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Thursday night. James Reimer stopped all 32 shots he faced and made goals by Matthew Lombardi and Dion Phaneuf stand up.

Not that coach Ron Wilson is ready to declare his team a powerhouse as it tries to end a playoff drought that dates to 2004. After all, the Leafs started last season by going 4-0-0, then collapsed with 11 losses in their next 12 games.

"We're still going to be a work in progress," he said.

Who's Hot: Reimer is now 21-15-5 since joining the Leafs on Jan. 1. … Newcomer Dave Steckel didn't hit the scoresheet Thursday night, but he more than did his job by going 18-7 in the faceoff circle. Steckel led the NHL in faceoff percentage last season.

Injury report: The Senators are without center Peter Regin (shoulder). Jesse Winchester (shoulder) and Matt Carkner (knee) are on IR. Center Zenon Konopka missed Friday's game with a back problem but hopes to play against the Leafs.

Toronto is still without one of its big offseason signings, center Tim Connolly, who's out with an upper-body injury. The Leafs hope he'll be back in a week or so. Forward Nazem Kadri is out with a knee injury.

Stat Pack: Reimer went 2-0-1 with a 0.98 goals-against average against the Senators in 2010-11, including a 2-0 shutout on Feb. 19. … The Leafs, among the NHL's worst penalty-killing teams during the past few seasons, held Montreal scoreless in five tries on Thursday and scored a shorthanded goal.

Puck Drop: No one is happier to be in the lineup than Lombardi, whose shorthanded goal on Thursday came in his first NHL game since he sustained a concussion last Oct. 13, when he was playing for Nashville. He couldn't even skate for 10 months and was only cleared for contact last week.

"It just goes to show that if you want it enough and you want to push yourself you can do it," said Lombardi, who played about 11 minutes on Thursday. "You've just got to believe in it."

Optimus Reim stonewalls Habs, leads Leafs to 2-0 win

Lombardi and Phaneuf goals enough for a victory

After a truly shaky first period, when veterans Phaneuf and Komisarek held steady and Reimer performed solidly, the rest of the Maple Leafs joined the party in the second.

It's just one game but with players such as Connolly, Franson and Kadri out of the lineup, and proven NHLers like Boyce and Aulie with the Marlies, there is enough depth there for Burke to swing a two for one or three for two deal with a team that may be thinner.

Picking up Steckel for a fourth round pick may or may not turn out to be listed among Burke's brilliant horse trading moves, but tonight he was a big help, a force in the faceoff circle while patrolling the 3rd line wing. Lombardi on the 4th line is also intersting, as Brown and Rosehill open up room for a top six calibre forward.

Frattin doesn't really work on the Grabovski line because he is a shoot first forward and both of his linemates are better NHL snipers than he is, though he's getting there. Still, I'd like to see some responsibility thrown on him, he wants it.

Here are some line combos for Wilson to ponder for the 3rd game.

Frattin - Lombardi - Kessel
MacArthur - Gabrovski - Kulemin
Steckel - Dupuis - Armstrong
Brown - Bozak - Rosehill

Another thing I would like to have Wilson consider is occasionally dressing Franson as a fourth line winger. This could be a way to ensure defensive depth in the playoffs, though with players such as Connolly, Kadri, Crabb, Orr and even Boyce all itching to get into the Buds lineup, I can understand if other players get shots at those forward jobs that occasionally come open.

Lombardi scores first of season to give Leafs 1-0 lead

The second period was much better for Leaf fans, with Matt Lombardi's shorthanded goal providing an early spark that carried on through the period. Phil Kessel is starting to get untracked and is looking dangerous.

Both Liles and Phaneuf are moving the puck well, and though Schenn's timing is still off, he's already a looming presence threatening fearsome hits.

This Lombardi signing could turn out to be a real blessing...

Leafs - Habs 1st period live blog

The Canadiens outplayed the Leafs for sure, yet the score is still 0-0, and Phaneuf, Komisarek and Reimer all looked good.

There's no chemistry or confidence in the forward lines yet, however even one goal can change that.

2011-2012 Maple Leafs opening night 23-man roster

With the first game of the new NHL season just days away, it;s time for the Leafs to get down to 23 men from the current 29. So let's take 3 right off the top. Kadri and Lombardi will start the season on the injured list, and Scrivens will be given the starting job with the Marlies.

Now we have 2 goalies in (Reimer / Gustavsson), plus 24 skaters competing for 21 skating jobs. Looking at the remainder, let's examine who is locked-in and who may be on the bubble.

Stars

Phaneuf
Kessel
Schenn
MacArthur
Grabovski
Kulemin
Liles
Armstrong


Of these MacArthur is out the first two games on suspension, but will be back on Grabovski's top line after that. So let's count these 8 as in, and move to the next tier.

Lupul
Aulie
Bozak
Boyce
Brown
Komisarek
Orr
Frattin
Connolly

The next question is, with the 5 strong defencemen named above (Phaneuf, Schenn, Liles, Aulie, Komisarek), do we go with 7 or 8 on D. I believe we go with 8, dressing 7 and keeping one in a suit. Which would mean these 3 also make the team:

Gardiner
Franson
Gunnarsson


Considering the injuries and suspension of front, going with eight D makes even more sense. So now we have 2 goalies and 8 D, plus 12 of 13 forward positions filled. Here's where things get tough, as there are 3 players battling for the final forward position:

Jay Rosehill
Joey Crabb
Philippe Dupuis

If Connolly or Bozak isn't sharp and ready for opening night, look for Dupuis to get in, otherwise the Marlies are likely to get an extra boost for the early season, picking up both him and Rosehill, with Crabb being the 13th Leafs forward.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the injury list have a couple more names added to it, as that buys time, and increases depth on the practice roster.

Soon we shall see...