As of right now the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) are currently sitting 11th in the Western Conference with 68 points, they trail the conference leader Milwaukee Admirals (AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators) by 8 points. The question becomes, Can the Marlies squeeze into the top 8 with only 18 games remaining? Right now Mike Zigomanis leads the team with 40 points (10G 30A) and Fabian Brunnstrom and Nazem Kadri lead the team with goals with 14 a piece. Jonas Gustavsson has been doing very well in net ever since being sent down on a conditioning stint with the Marlies. The 26 year old in 5 games has posted a 3-1-1 record with a .955% save percentage and a 1.14 GAA. The marlies have the day off today and will host the Admirals tomorrow at Ricoh Coliseum.
GO MARLIES GO
GO LEAFS GO
Monday, February 28, 2011
Deadline Day
Hockey deadline day is one of the most memorable and exciting days in the NHL. Today we've seen a number of trades happen, unfortunately, the leafs have yet to strike. There have been many rumours that the leafs were targeting Brad Richards as well as John Michael Liles but those rumours have been shot down by Brian Burke. Right now there aren't a lot of big names out there that are available. According to a source Burke is still looking for a defenseman and the 3rd rounder they acquired in the Versteeg deal is being used as bait. According to a different source Toronto has yet to agree on a deal with winger Clarke Macarthur, this will most likely mean that he will stay in Toronto and go to an arbitration hearing or get traded right before the deadline or get traded on draft day.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Are the playoffs in the Leafs current future?
Currently the Leafs are only 6 points out of a playoff spot with only 20 games to play. They currently trail the Atlanta Thrashers, Buffalo Sabers and the Carolina Hurricanes who are currently holding onto the final playoff spot. The Leafs will have a tough schedule going forward as they will be playing Montreal, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Pittsburgh once again, in their next 4 games. Although the Leafs have been doing well in their last 10 games, going 6-2-2, a lot of the other Eastern Conference bottom dwellers have been playing well as of late, most notably the New Jersey Devils who are 9-0-1 in their past 10 games. If the Devils can continue their torrid pace a playoff birth is certainly in their future. With 20 games to play in their schedule every point is going to be crucial for the Leafs as the playoff hunt is slowly heating up in the East.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tomas Kaberle: The Saga Ends.
In what ended 18 months of Kaberle-to-the-Bruins speculation, the Leafs shipped the veteran defenceman and his 520 career points to Boston in exchange for the Bruins first-round pick in 2011; 6-foot-6 forward Joe Colborne and a conditional pick in 2012. The conditional pick reportedly becomes a second rounder if Kaberle, a pending unrestricted free agent, either: a) re-signs with the Bruins or b) helps Boston reach the Stanley Cup final.
Is this the best the Leafs can do?
The Leafs had offers that sound way better then what they ended up being today. Jeff Carter and a first Rounder For Just Kaberle?? Remember that in 2008? Fans did not like that descision that he did not waive his no trade claus then. Kessel for Kaberle? They wouldn't have had to trade 2 first rounders for Kessel. No offense to Colborne, but he's Not A Jeff Carter or Phil Kessel.
Gone is the second-highest scoring defenceman in Maple Leafs history.
Gone is the franchise’s No. 11 all-time scorer.
Gone is the final remaining player from the Pat Quinn era.
Kaberle was a big help to the young D in Toronto's System, especially Luke Schenn. Schenn might have been in the Minors if it wasn't for him.
In 55 AHL games with the Providence Bruins this season, Colborne scored 12 goals and added 14 assists with a -16 plus/minus rating. Ouch. He used to play with Tyler Bozak. Maybe they can spark some much-needed offense. Just not now. Colborne was sent to the Minors. The 21-year-old was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, in 2008. At 6-5, 216 pounds, Colborne is a big forward who doesn’t always play to his size. He does not play physical, but has soft hands.
Leaf Fans, what do you think of this deal?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Leafs send Beauchemin to Ducks for Lupul, Gardiner and fourth-round pick
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| Beauchemin is going back to the team where he had the most sucess. |
Ok, if you want another player who has been injurned a few times recentley and has lost his goal-scoring form, Toronto made a great trade.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have shipped defenceman Francois Beauchemin back to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenceman Jake Gardiner and a conditional Ducks' fourth-round draft pick in the 2013 Entry Draft.
The 30-year old Beauchemin struggled during his time in Toronto after signing as a free agent in 2009, however he helped the Ducks capture the Stanley Cup in 2007.
In Return The Leafs get a good young player in Jake Gardiner. He is a very fast skater. If you like Keith Aulie, you will like this guy. He has good hands and good strength, even though he weighs less the 180 pounds.
Lupul, on the other hand, has been injurned for most of this season and last. He had only 14 points last year, and is on pace for only 20 this year. He has had 50 points twice in his career.
What Does Toronto Do With Their Goaltending?
With rookie James Reimer quickly becoming the toast of the town after blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on last Thursday, Toronto's goaltending got a bit more confusing. What should they do? Well , the Maple Leafs announced last friday that struggling second-year goalie Jonas Gustavsson has been lent to the team's American Hockey farm club "for conditioning purposes." He has not proven himself since joining the Buds in the off-season of 2009. In recent years, Toronto's goaltending has been a mess, with Vesa Toskala, J-S Aubin, Andrew Raycroft and Curtis Joseph, just to name a few. They all had their moments, but never was able to get to the main goal: Make the playoffs.
This year the Leafs have a strong group of guys defending the net, with J-S Gigueire, The Monster, Reimer, Scrivens and Rynass. The last 3 have put up a great battle with the baby Leafs, and GM Brian Burke was so impressed with Reimer to continue to call him up. But now hes here to stay. So what to do with Jiggy and The Monster?
Trade #35. He has big trade value compared to most Leafs. Trade him to a team that has a chance for the cup, but isn't sure if their goalie can take all the load. Teams like Anaheim, Philly and the Caps come to mind. The Caps have alot of players that can be sent to Toronto, like Semin, who can be packaged to T.O, and also sending Kaberle over their. Look at some of Giguere's achivements:
Those are attractive achivements for anyone. Any team that wants to make a run needs to get him. His contract will not be renewed. It's $6m, which means any team trading for him is taking a big risk.
Gustavson has struggled since joining the league. You can say it's been his team, but its the same team that plays night in and night out with Reimer. Reimer has proved so far hes a legitimate goalie in the NHL. Gussy can still be a backup, but the question is can Reimer be a legitamte starter? He never proved to be a starter with the Marlies, but can the Leafs afford to put their faith in another fail goaltender, like Raycroft or Pogge?
Syko
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