Slovak Olympic hopes rest on Halak

If the Slovakian men’s hockey team has any shot at competing for a gold medal this weekend, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jiroslav Halak will be the focal point. With the semi-final games taking place today, USA will face Finland at 3EST and later at 9:30EST Canada will face Slovakia for a chance to compete for gold on home soil. For the Canadians the formula is simple, keep playing the way they’ve been playing in the past couple of games. Even in Canada’s not-so-great performances in the tourney, they’ve still dominated from whistle to whistle, but ran into trouble against hot goalies from the opposing side. Tonight will be no different. Canada should dominate the play and we’ll see how the Slovaks and their goalie can defend against the constant pressure.


If Halak can play like his USA counter-part Ryan Miller against the Canadians, the Slovaks will be competitive and have a chance at stunning the hosts. If Halak looks even slightly human, the Slovakian squad could be in for a long night.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not doubt the Slovaks talent. And as everyone should know right now, in a tournament of this magnitude, anyone can beat anyone on a given night. However, like I said in the post before the Russia/Canada game, the only time the Olympic hosts have had any trouble whatsoever is when a goalie from the other side has completely stood on his head. Miller and Hiller have been the ones to do it, resulting in a loss and a shootout scare for Canada. But that’s all over now. That part of the tournament went out the window when Canada made Russia look like fools on Wednesday night.

Canada’s defensive game should be as good as it’s been throughout the tourney. They really shouldn’t let in more than 3 goals. The question is whether they can put on an offensive clinic like they did on Wednesday and take the Slovaks out through skill and hard work in the offensive zone. If they can do that and manage to squeeze a few pucks by Halak tonight, then a gold medal game on home soil will come to fruition for Sunday. If Halak steals the show and manages to upset the Canadians tonight to advance his own squad to the championship, well… Gauthier can get out the cheque-book and Carey Price can start looking for a realtor.

My predictions for tonight:

Canada 5, Slovakia 3… I don’t think Halak has enough to stop Canada tonight. He could, but I highly doubt it. Canada should take this one and advance.

Finland 2, USA 1… USA have shown that they clearly rely on Ryan Miller and will only go as far as he can take them. For the Finns, another team adept at the defensive game, I think 2 goals can get the job done tonight.

MSU

The Russians are here

I’m almost too fidgety to even write this blog. The game tonight is scrambling my brain. The Sid/Ovie storyline is interesting but miniscule in the grand scheme of this tournament. Tonight is Russia vs Canada, on our home turf. Seriously, what else could we ask for? Canadian victory obviously. Pretty much everyone who has a brain will be watching this epic tonight, and I really do not expect it to disappoint. In fact, I think if the Russians let Canada grab momentum early, this game should go exactly as planned for the Canadian squad. Simply put, I’m picking Canada because I’m Canadian probably.. but I actually have more reasons than that alone.


1) Mike Babcock should be able to out-coach Bykov, despite Russia having home-ice

2) Russia in their defensive zone is completely laughable

3) Russia aren’t as good as everyone thinks they are

4) If Nabokov starts, Canada could rattle him early

5) It’s still early in the tourney and Canada has had more games, they SHOULD be ready to go

6) Canada has completely dominated and out-shot every opponent so far. The States and Switzerland were trouble, but only on magnificent goalie performances. I don’t know if Nabokov has the ability to do that tonight. Plus, maybe it’s now time that Canada gets a steal from Luongo.

I can’t wait for this. Everyone have a great night and enjoy the game. The other games will be fantastic too. Go Canada Go!



MSU

Take it easy already

Well now that the weeping and ugly hangover from the Canada/USA game has finally subsided, I guess it’s on to something new; the next game(s). You know, I actually heard bone-headed, shameful, so-called Canadians saying “Oh that’s it, Canada is done” or “Now how are they going to come back from this”. What are you insane? IT’S ONE GAME! Not to mention, that ONE GAME that resulted in ONE LOSS resulted in Canada being put in the god awful, hopeless, no-way-out position of… get ready for it… ONE EXTRA GAME! But one extra game you say? No way, there’s no way that Canada could ever survive this tournament with an extra game to play. How could they ever handle it? Their gas tanks will be on empty! How could they ever take on the Russians with a game against Germany on the previous night? It can’t be done. They’re finished. The one loss has completely killed them and with an extra game to play in order to qualify for the quarters, there’s surely no way in hell this team can win. It’s impossible. Sixty extra minutes, the Russians next, who knows what after that… my god, it’s over. The tournament is finished. Turn off your TV sets.


Alright, that’s my dumb attempt to be funny with sarcasm, back to reality now.

NHL players work out pretty much every day. They have nutritionists, trainers, personal doctors that are better than our doctors. When was the last time you were off work for 4 weeks after surgery on your broken finger? Uhhh… never. Now I won’t get in to any tasteless drabble about athletes being paid too much because it’s played out and redundant. But in all seriousness, for a player like Sid the Kid, Iginla, Nash, or any other of Canada’s all-star lineup, 20-25 minutes a game should be a cake walk, and that’s just the forwards. Everyone on this stacked roster play enormous minutes 3-4 times a week in the NHL and they travel all the time. The guys right now have been in Vancouver for a little while and aren’t going anywhere (hopefully) in the next six days. To think that Canada’s game against Germany is somehow going to cripple them to any degree is utterly foolish. If the squad cannot manage to pull through and win the next 4 games and they are stopped, then they lost to a better team (or goalie) on that particular night. But the loss to the USA isn’t going to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and that’s for sure. In a game completely dominated by Canada from start to finish, the States are the guys who should be worried. Sure, they scraped out a win, but how bad is Ryan Miller’s back hurting after carrying an entire team on it? Can he actually do that for three more games? Maybe, but definitely not likely.

I’m really not trying to be biased at all and I don’t think I am. I would be extremely worried about Canada if they had gone into that game and were completely outplayed for 60 minutes, but they weren’t and a couple gaffs cost them the win. But how could anyone watch that game and not see that Canada should win 8 or 9 out of 10 times against our neighbors. Canada wins that game 9/10 times. The States managed to snag that one other game on Sunday, but don’t expect it to be the same should they meet again. It was purely an upset win and luckily it only means an extra tune up game for Canada against an underdog German squad. Is that really so bad?

Obviously it is time for Canada to pull up their socks and put away some teams, but that will come. Playing confident in front of Luongo tonight and (possibly) for the remainder of this tourney should lead to good things. I truly believe that. For people who don’t believe and think that the loss on Sunday was the be-all end-all, you’re simply reading in to it way too much.



MSU

TSN becoming untouchable

So far in the Olympic games, every game has been covered by a combination of Bob Mackenzie, Nick Kypreos, Panger, Millard and the usual James Duthie. The commentary duos have been a combo of Gord Miller, Peter Maher, and Chris Cuthbert on play by play, and Pierre McGuire, Ray Ferraro and John Garrett providing color. Well, if there's two things to take from this Olympics, it's this... 1) John Garrett reminds me of Al Strachan but a little less negative, and 2) Nick Kypreos is getting exposed by TSN's quality broadcasters.

Now let's not freak out. I was just like the rest of most Canadians when the hockey shift started from CBC, over to TSN. The torch has passed, TSN carries way more games and has taken the reins in regard to the NHL. Though they still don't really hold a stick to CBC's commentary of Jim Hughson and Bob Cole, two household names in Canada, they're starting to close the gap. They're in-game analysis is as good or better than CBC right now. Mackenzie is the main reason for TSN's good game analysis and league news, but it's really starting to show now that the Olympics are in full swing. Take, for example, Nick Kypreos... from Sportsnet. Funny I know, I shouldn't be picking on Sportsnet, it's too easy... Ever watch one of those commercials on Sportsnet when Kyp and Maclean pop up and say stuff about breaking trades and how exciting it is? Man that's hilarious. I can't remember Sportsnet ever breaking a real trade.. call me ignorant, but come on.

I'm not trying to pick on Sportsnet, I'm just stating the obvious. I still watch HockeyCentral at Noon because they talk about the Leafs a lot, so they're fine in my books. But I have to say wow, Nick Kypreos getting ripped up at the Olympics. He was in the middle of some speal in the first game and in the middle he started to trip up in his words a little and ended up wrecking the whole point. "Oh god, I'm not talking on Hockey Central right now, there's actually millions of people watching this" had to be what was running through his mind. Panger kind of did the same thing but persevered and came back better afterward. Kypreos on the other hand is getting ripped on national television by TSN's obviously superior staff.

Last night Kyp made some point about how the Finns weren't big enough to compete with the Swedes because despite they're physicality, they were too small considering Sweden's larger players like Kronwall, Ohlund, Franzen, etc. Then Mackenzie reeled off a good point about something or other, didn't really rip Kypreos or counter and destroy his point, though he has many times so far in this Olympics. So the third starts and then McGuire completely destroys Kyp's point and completely counters with the exact opposite. Right after that, he commends Mackenzie on how awesome his little tidbit was during the intermission. Pure hilarity.

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Tomas Kaberle has looked great in these Olympics eh? Same with Kessel. I think any Leafs fans checking out the games should be liking what they see. Tough to see the American team and think that Komisarek could be on that team. The USA has shown a grit and intensity in each game that has been spectacular. Quickness and physicality have been their bread and butter so far. Add Kommo to that mix and bodies would surely be flying. We'll hopefully see him in suiting up for the States in Russia 2014.

Enjoy the games over the weekend. Tomorrow is a triple header of the best hockey possible. Make yourself comfortable for almost 12 hours of craziness.

MSU

Pending Free Agents Create Quite the Jigsaw

With ten, count 'em, TEN free agents pending for the Maple Leafs this summer, it's easy to assume that the club could look very different taking to the ice next season. One could compare the situation to the arch-rival Canadiens last year, who underwent one of the most drastic off-season overhauls in recent memory. However, the caliber of NHL'ers who walked away from Montreal were the core of the team at the time. The Habs let go ties with Kovalev, Koivu, and Komisarek without blinking and quickly signed a boat-load of free agents to replace them and go forward. Cammy, Gionta and Gomez were brought in to bring the skill up front, while the back end was patched up with free agents Gill, Spacek and Mara. For the Buds, the scene looks a little different.

Players who wrap up their contracts with the blue & white after this season are as follows:

Restricted Free Agents: Nik Kulemin, Jonas Gustavsson

Unrestricted Free Agents: Garnet Exelby, Mike Van Ryn, John Mitchell, Rickard Wallin, Wayne Primeau, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Lee Stempniak, Joey MacDonald


Let's start with the RFA's:

Pretty simple formula for both Gustavsson and Kulemin... re-sign both. The Monster has only a year in the league at a manageable salary. For him to ask for a raise would be a major surprise and at the current going rate of 2.5 million, he should be extended for at least a year or two. For Kulemin, a raise could be in order but not anything substantial. Kuli's cap hit right now is about 1.5 million per season. I would expect him to be extended at about 1.8-1.9 million. He is an excellent defensive forward and it seems like Wilson is a pretty big fan of his. This could be a player that in two years turns out to be a real gem, and it would be a very nice tribute to Wilson for him to become a solid NHL'er exclusively under his coaching. Keep them both for at least another 2 years, it's a no-brainer.

Now, on to the UFA's :

Exelby - Will be shopped at the deadline for ANY type of return. Likely will not see free agency. If he does? Let him go. It sounds harsh, but he was only brought in because the trade took Kubina's 5 mill off the books.

Van Ryn - Finally, his salary will be off the books this summer. The once promising, but oft-injured d-man came over in the trade when Toronto fans ran Brian McCabe out of town a couple seasons ago. Van Ryn is an excellent play with pure hockey sense, but known by most Leafs fans as the guy who got put through the glass by Lucic in Boston. It's a shame that injuries ruined his career. Can anyone believe that the LEAFS gave up an ADDITIONAL PICK to Florida in that swap? Hopefully he gets healthy and another team gives him a chance and he can revive his career. I don't think Van Ryn will ever play another game in a Leafs uni.

Mitchell - Not sure if he's being shopped for a deadline deal. If so, expect a late round pick (5th or 6th round). If Mitchell gets to free agency in the summer, he could be re-signed but I wouldn't bank on it. JM only makes half a million dollars, so expect him to want a raise that he doesn't deserve. Personally, I'd let him walk. Too inconsistent.

Primeau - At his current rate of 1.4 million he should be extended for a year or two. I doubt he'll be looking for much of a raise. Primeau is a solid two way forward who can forecheck, lay the body and pot the occasional tally. If the Buds let him go, they'll only try to sign another guy to fill his role. It's just as well to keep him because he plays his game very well.

Wallin - is a poor man's Wayne Primeau. Love him or hate him, Wallin plays the defensive game well. Only problem is, that's absolutely ALL THAT HE DOES. With Primeau you get a great defensive center with a major physical upside. With Wallin, you get a defensive center and that's all. There's no need to keep both. As Bozak and Hanson move down the depth chart at center (if the Leafs manage to grab a top line elite center, which should be a priority), Wallin should be pushed out and Primeau should keep his spot on the fourth line.

Ponikarovsky - Easily the most sought after Maple Leaf this season. Expect to see him in another jersey before the end of the season. Most likely headed to Pittsburgh, Montreal or Atlanta. I'd put Nashville and Chicago as long shots. The Penguins could definitely use his size and 25-30 goal output. He's a solid scoring winger and should bring in at least a second round pick, which is apparently the minimum asking price for #23. If he stays until the summer (very, very unlikely), expect him to want a raise. Poni will likely yield in the ball park of 4 million per season, around the same as his buddy Nik Antropov grabbed in free agency last summer. He'll be a good second line winger on any team going forward, Leafs included.

Stempniak - Probably won't have much of a return in the trade market going into March 3rd. If anything, maybe a 4th or 5th rounder coming back, but very doubtful. His cap hit of 2.5 mill is not really something any team is looking for. The only way Stempy stays in TO is with a pay cut, which is quite unlikely but not impossible. Expect him to walk in the summer.

MacDonald - Third in the goalie depth chart. Will continue to play for the Marlies and emergency call ups with the big club. Easily affordable. Likely staying around.

There's no question that the Leafs will look very different next year, especially with names like Kadri and Stefanovich in the prospect pool. The question is, what will Brian Burke add to the club to really get them over the top and in to Cup contention?

-MSU

Crazy couple of weeks coming up

Now that the Olympics are finally upon us, I guess it's time to do a little Olympic blog post. I actually thought of writing an assessment of the Leafs up to this point in the season, but with the blue & white sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference, it doesn't seem all that interesting. The future is beginning to look very bright for the Maple Leafs but as for this season, the hole is dug much too deep. Instead I'll take a look at the Olympic tournament starting next week, which some Buds will be a part of.

No Leaf is part of the Canadian Olympic powerhouse. The only player to make a case for that type of honor is Dion Phaneuf, who in my own opinion, should be on the roster ahead of Drew Doughty. The LA Kings young star is an amazing talent for sure, but I really think Dion , along with Jay Bouwmeester should have been included on the roster over Seabrook, Keith, or double D. With possible games against Russia and other hockey powers like the States and Sweden looming in the next couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see if Canada's picks are exposed. I sure hope they're not.

The United States actually have a better team than most are giving credit for early on. With Leafs all-star sniper Phil Kessel and more elite talent from around the NHL, the USA could turn some heads in the next couple of weeks. Parise, Brown, Backes, Kane and many others can play at the highest level and succeed no doubt. Goaltending will be in the hands of Ryan Miller, who has cooled off recently but should still be able to carry the States through the tournament. Buds d-man Mike Komisarek was originally picked to represent our southern neighbors, but unfortunately season ending shoulder surgery ended his Olympic hopes.

Nik Kulemin has been added to the Russian squad, but will not likely see much ice. The obvious pick from the Buds was Tomas Kaberle, who will be an integral part of the Czechs bid for a medal. I would almost go as far as to say Kaberle is as good, if not better than most defensemen on the Canadian or Russian squad.

Right now I'm picking Canada to take down the gold, it's the thing to do. My prediction is Canada on top, with Russia in 2nd and the USA with the bronze. I really think that Canada could be better on the back end but at such a high level of talent, it's tough to take one guy over another. Up front, no team outside of Russia competes with Canada. The forward position is simply too deep for the Canadian club. When you have Toews, Marleau, Thornton, Heatley, Morrow and Richards populating your 3rd and 4th lines... well, that's depth.

First game for Canada is Tuesday at 4:30 Pacific. They'll be taking on Norway in the tourney opener. This is a weak team that will be routed by Canada, with only one current NHL player in Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Former NHL'er and current KHL'er Patrick Thoreson will also suit up for Norway. Prediction? 9-0 Canada

Another blog coming before the Leafs vs. Blues on Friday.
Follow MSU on twitter at twitter.com/maplestirup

-MSU

Kadri suiting up tonight?

TSN confirms it. Kadri in the lineup tonight, Sjooey and Hanson both out with the flu.
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Looks like Nazem Kadri could be in the lineup tonight as an emergency recall, according to a source.
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Leafs in action tonight

The Leafs are in action tonight after a weekend of tragedy. After an inspiring performance on Saturday night against Ottawa, the blue & white now try to turn their attention to the San Jose Sharks, who visit the ACC tonight. On Friday night, the Leafs and the rest of us were all given the very unfortunate news of Brendan Burke's passing. No words can really describe what it's like to lose a family member and this is a true tragedy. Brian Burke is a classy, stand-up guy who is a role model for anyone who watches the game and follows the managerial side of hockey. For him to have to go through this type of thing is truly one of the saddest things we've seen in the sports news in a while. We can only pass along our thoughts and prayers to Burke and his family and give him the privacy he deserves.

The Leafs coaches and players have all expressed deep sorrow in regard to the tragic situation, and will continue to play hard and try to win games for their Pres/GM. Tonight will see the San Jose Sharks in town for their only tangle with the Leafs this season. The Sharks sit in 1st place atop the Western Conference with a record of 38-11-9, the only team to hold less regulation losses than the Capitals. The Sharks 85 points are 36 better than the Leafs current point total. Despite looking like a complete blow-out on paper, this game still holds plenty of interesting tidbits for Leafs fans, as new-comer Giguere will get the start and still hasn't let in one goal as a member of the blue & white. Coach Wilson's former team will be the first test on this go-around for rookie call-up Viktor Stalberg, who gets another crack at the big club tonight. The Leafs have sent Jay Rosehill down to the minors, and have also (strangely) called up Andre Deveaux today. Not sure if Deveaux is in the lineup tonight but Jeff Finger will definitely sit for the 6th time in a row on the back end. The Buds could be sitting Mitchell or Wallin to make room for Stalberg on the second line, putting Deveaux on the fourth. If Wallin sits, Mitchell will likely move to center the third line.

Speculated Lineup tonight:

Poni, Bozak, Kessel
Stempniak, Hanson, Mitchell(Stalberg)
Sjostrom, Wallin (Mitchell), Kulemin
Deveaux, Primeau, Orr

Beauch, Phaneuf
Kabby, Gunnarsson
Schenn, Exelby

Giggy (starter)
Gustavsson

The Leafs could really pull off a shocker tonight in this one. The game is on Sportsnet Ontario at 7ET.

-MSU

USA Today reports Kovalchuk to Jersey a done deal!

Cormier, Bergfors, Oduya and 1st rounder as per TSN!
Tedenby staying put.

Wow.. pretty wild trade


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Oduya, Bergfors, Tedenby and a 1st round pick going back possibly


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Wow.. Kovalchuk to Jersey

Looks like a lot coming back. Is Parise completely untouchable? Is Kovalchuk the only player in the deal from Atlanta?

Guess we'll find out soon.

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Bill Watters was right!

Note: Yesterday it was announced that Mike Komisarek will undergo season ending surgery on his shoulder and will miss the Olympics. Obviously this was the right thing to do, as the season is all but lost now anyway (playoff-wise) and it will ensure that Komo comes back better next year, instead of risking re-injury and further problems later in his career. It's unfortunate that he must miss the Olympics, as I'm sure everyone always dreams of what it must be like to rep your country on the biggest stage. Let's just hope that Komi has a great recovery and comes back strong next season.

Ok, on to Bill Watters!

When I flicked on Sportsnet the other day, I caught Watters in the middle of flipping his wig regarding the Ilya Kovalchuk situation. He was throwing out all kinds of things like "I don't want him on my team", "this guy just wants money and lacks honor". To which Nick Kypreos got all up in arms and freaked out talking about how great Kovy was and how he will get his cash one way or the other because he deserves it.

I thought "Watters is really getting on foolish here, he needs to really chill out." Of course I was wrong, because if anyone needs to chill out, it's Ilya Kovalchuk. Let's all look at this for what it is; Kovalchuk is insisting, well, demanding that he makes the absolute league maximum no matter what. He has reportedly turned down something like 100 mill stretched over ten years from Atlanta, and will likely look for the same type of godly treatment anywhere else. Now some people think if he's one of the premiere talents in the league, then he should make as much as possible. The only problem I see in all of this is that Ilya Kovalchuk thinks that he's bigger than the game of hockey. Hey Ilya, newsflash buddy, I can name ten players that are better than you without having to even think about it.

Doesn't this type of thing follow this guy as well? Anyone remember in the World Juniors when Russia were about to beat Canada, and Kovy skates in for the empty netter, then procedes to pump his fist DURING THE PLAY before burying the goal.

Watters was right. I don't want to see Kovalchuk anywhere near a Leafs uniform this year or any time in the near future. If he wants to take 200 million dollars and go play in the KHL, perfect. It might be a loss for the Atlanta Thrashers, but it's no huge loss for the league. The NHL has actual real premiere players in Ovie and Sid the Kid, both class acts. Kovalchuk should take a lesson from those guys and be a little more sensible about what he's trying to pull here. There's no doubt he is a great player with amazing goal scoring talent, but there are many players better than him in the league that don't act foolish and make ridiculous demands.

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With the Super Bowl this weekend, I remembered this gem. Anyone else remember these awesome clips?





-MSU

Now that's a first day of work

Wow.. Someone pinch me, seriously. When was the last time you felt THAT excited during a Leafs game this season? I really don't think I have watched a better game played by the Buds all year. Too little, too late of course, but the "truculence" and energy that Brian Burke spoke of in the summer actually made an appearance en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Devils last night. Hopefully the attitude sticks around for a while.

Talk about getting used to your new surroundings. The three star selection last night was Giggy, Sjooey (?) and Dion. Way to make a good first impression eh?

Of course Dion was the center of attention going into last night, and rightfully so. He was, after all, the biggest part of the biggest trade in recent Leafs memory. However, despite Phaneuf's beauty performance, Giggy posted a huge donut and perhaps the performance of the night. Not to be forgotten was Freddie Sjostrom, who contributed with an assist when his shot rebounded to Nik Kulemin early in the game and the Russian youngster made no mistake on burying his 11th goal of the season.

Any hockey fan could see why the excitement and hype behind Phaneuf was through the roof after the weekend. His game was crystal clear and the physicality he was supposed to bring to the Nation took only a few minutes to surface. Dion plastered Zajac into the corner in the Leafs zone, then only minutes later took a vicious run at Jersey star Zach Parise and consequently had to feed Colin White the soup bones. The roof almost blew off the ACC as fans rained down chants of "DI-ON, DI-ON". It was a memorable moment in a season filled with "forget". And that's really what fans can take from this game and every game going forward, a bit of positivity related to change. It was weird to look around on the ice and not see Matty Stajan or Ian White buzzing around, but the old is out and the new is looking a hell of a lot better.

Now I know what everyone is thinking, "Come on man, it's only ONE game!" I couldn't agree more. Remember the season opener against Detroit last year? When the Leafs scraped out a vic and everyone thought they were going straight to Lord Stanley? Well that's what separates the die-hard from the casual fan. If you watch every game in and out, then you start to see through the BS eventually. The difference this time is that the Leafs actually looked like a team who worked hard, and had confidence to boot. They actually went out to the ice like a team who thought they were better than NJ and that they were entitled to win in their own barn. Instead of playing not to lose, the Buds played to win. The shakeup has worked it seems, and it's directly related to Phaneuf and the swagger he brings to this team. The question is will he keep it up and will Giguere be the solid force in net he looked like last night. Because in actual fact, that's all Giggy needs to do: play his game, make saves when needed, and give the Leafs a chance to win. The real pressure lies on Phaneuf, the new cornerstone of the franchise and he seems to be embracing it, the sign of a true leader.

If the Leafs are to go where Dion takes them, then they look to have a bright future with a young star who clearly needed a fresh start. It sounds cliche I know.

Brian Burke is much a different GM than Daryl Sutter. He comes off as a little more personable and sounds much more professional in regard to hockey operations and the media. Not to say Burkie is superior, though his recent cup success suggests he is indeed, but both Sutter's come off quite coldly and less animated than BB, or Wilson for that matter. Which begs the question if Dion was what everyone negatively made him out to be in Calgary. Was Phaneuf really a nuisance in the dressing room? Or is some of that attributed to Sutter? Some journalists have pegged Phaneuf as some sort of bad seed in regards to his off-ice persona, but how would they truly know? They don't. None of us do. As fans, the bottom line is that hockey is the game we all love and Dion Phaneuf plays it with an edge we can all admire. It will definitely be exciting to watch #3 in blue & white every time he's in the lineup.

-MSU

Leafers v2.0 tonight!

The blue & white take to the ice tonight against the recently lackluster New Jersey Devils. With new look Leafs Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere inserted into the roster right away, many fans will be scrambling to check out this game tonight. It's only the second of 4 meetings this season, with the first game last Friday at Prudential Center. The first meeting was a 5-4 overtime win for the Devils after a gutsy third-period comeback from 4-2 by the Buds. Tonight will see the Leafs on home ice at the ACC, before heading back to the swamp on Friday.

The Devils have gone 3-6-1 in their last ten games, while the Leafs have actually been one point worse, sporting a motley 2-6-2 record. As the standings sit right now, Toronto are 27 points back of NJ, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 72 points and the Buffalo Sabres only one point behind.

Everybody seemed to be rushing to figure out what Toronto would do with all the forward vacancies created by Sunday's clearance sale. It looks as though Freddie Sjostrom will step right into the lineup, likely playing with Kulemin and Wallin. Christian Hanson has been called up from the Marlies to play center, likely between Mitchell and Stempniak. Mitchell's move to the wing should be interesting, but Hanson was a center in his college days and it looks like the Leafs want to give him a shot at being a big-bodied middle man. His last call up with the Leafs was highly unnoticeable and this will be a new test for him to see where he can fit in going forward. At least Jeff Finger isn't actually playing forward, and will sit tonight as Exelby continues to stay in the lineup and (hopefully) bulk up his very low trade stock.

Here's the potential lineup for tonight

Kessel - Bozak - Ponikarovsky
Mitchell - Hanson - Stempniak
Sjostrom - Wallin - Kulemin
Orr - Primeau - Rosehill

Phaneuf - Beauchemin
Kaberle - Gunnarson
Schenn - Exelby

Giguere - starting
Gustavsson

I'd expect these lines to be juggled, and a definite mix-up in the back end. I wouldn't be surprised to see Phaneuf play a few minutes with Kabby so we'll wait and see what happens.

Injuries:
For the Leafs, Mike Komisarek will remain out of the lineup due to his shoulder injury, along with Mikael Grabovski (knee) and (do I really have to say it?) Mike Van Ryn.


The Devils are missing Paul Martin (arm), who will also be out of the Olympics. Patrick Elias (concussion) and tough guy David Clarkson (leg) will also remain on injured reserve.

If you can't catch the game I'm sure the season premiere of Lost could be on your radar. For everyone else, enjoy the Devils and Leafs!

-MSU

Late Christmas in Leaf-land

Let me start this off by saying the Leafs did a good thing yesterday. Both trades made by TO were discussed all day by pretty much everyone in Canada. My mom even asked me about it last night. I believe TSN may have seen the most traffic on their website since the internet was even invented. It was like Christmas a month late yesterday when Leafs fans flicked on the TV or computer and had to look twice, maybe even three times to make sure they weren't losing their minds. Phaneuf to the Leafs? Come on... I'm dreaming right. I'm still not sure if any of this is even real but lets take a look at it.

Phaneuf, Sjostrom, and Aulie (AHL) for Hagman, Stajan, White, and Mayers

Obviously the main piece in this trade is Dion Phaneuf. The second biggest piece is Ian White in my own opinion, as I've seen this guy turn into a very solid d-man who can move the puck and settle the pace of the game when needed. White will definitely be missed, along with the rest of players leaving town. Matt Stajan has been with this team for a long time, he's scored great goals, has always been a classy guy and we should all wish him the best (I wouldn't mind seeing him re-sign with the Buds this summer). Hagman and Mayers have been with us for a shorter stint but they deserve a change in scenery and hopefully they can help out with the Flames in the exciting Northwest.

What people seem to forget about this trade is that the blue & white have acquired another elite NHL player, and you need elite skill like Dion's to win. This guy is only 24 and brings a physical edge to his game that very few in the game can bring. Not only that, Phaneuf craves the open ice hit and has been playing in the West for four years. The east is all new for #3 and that's a good thing. Translation: Ovie, Gomez, Malkin, or anyone else who wants to carry the puck through the zone better take note quick.

Phaneuf also holds a complete bomb from the point, giving the Leafs two weapons in him and Beauch, along with Kaberle to distribute. He has always scored goals in double digits and will be a welcome force both offensively and physically for the next few years.

Then we have Sjostrom. The scouting report on this guy is a great penalty killer, with a plus rating, who has hands of stone and can't put the puck in the net. While I welcome the penalty killing (as I'm sure we all do), we'll have to see how this guy shakes out and what he brings to the lineup. We always hear of these guys with no output as "defensive specialists". Unfortunately that can mean anything from Ian Laperriere (good) to Rickard Wallin (ummm... yeah).

Keith Aulie is a surprising piece to this trade, as I really don't know why Calgary would give him up after already letting go of Phaneuf. How Burke managed to pull this off is puzzling. Aulie is a good prospect, a 6'6 defenceman with an obvious physical up-side who plays the game with grit and has a World Junior Championship on his resume. I really don't know what Calgary were thinking with this deal. The Flames and Ducks both kind of looked foolish yesterday.

Which brings me to the second trade of the day, JS Giguere (6 mil cap) for Jason Blake (4mil cap) and Vesa Toskala (4mil cap). Another mind-bender for all of us Leafs fans. Sure, Burke took back a goalie for a six million cap hit but atleast his save percentage is over .900 and his goals against doesn't float up into the 4's. Keep in mind that with Franky Allaire the goalie coach, Giggy won a cup and Conn Smythe in two different years. This one could turn out to be a milestone trade. For Burke to wipe Blake and Toskala's grossly inflated contracts from the books is enough to warrant a deal like this any day of the week. Again, what were the Ducks thinking?

Toskala never really amounted to anything and turned out to be an enormous let-down. Blake on the other hand, had a pretty good season last year but never lived up to the hype coming off a 40 goal campaign with NYI before signing with the Buds. That said, Blake was clearly the hardest worker on the entire team and really comes off as a team guy. He's fast and can definitely handle the physical game for a smaller player. I think he would have done a lot better production-wise if the Leafs had any decent forwards to play with, but they didn't and Blakey couldn't really get anything going on a team riddled with mediocrity. He's a class act for sure and I hope he finds success with the Ducks in the remaining years of his contract. He will surely benefit from the offensive skill of the Anaheim forwards and will fit in nicely with other vets like Selanne and Koivu.

The new Flames will take to the ice tonight, at home against the Flyers. I'm not sure who's in or out for this game. I'm guessing Staj, Hagman and White should definitely be in the lineup with Mayers on the bubble. Calgary is, after all, a full team of Mayers type players. The new look Leafs will be in action tomorrow night against the Devils. I'm sure Phaneuf will be in the lineup, but not sure whether Giggy will start. I would throw him in there right away, if not Thursday. I can't wait to see Phaneuf with a blue & white jersey, as I'm sure most Leafs fans feel the same.

-msu
razzler67@gmail.com

Rumor: Ponikarovsky to MTL?

Just speaking to a source who says a deal to the Habs is a real possibility. I'm not sure, as I've had Pittsburgh as the front-runner for #23 but the source is a pretty good one and I'd give this rumor about a B-

I was told that the deal would likely just be 1-for-1 Poni for a prospect straight up. Right now it seems like the top teams to be in the Poni sweepstakes outside of MTL are Pitts, Dallas, and oddly, Nashville. These are obviously just rumors but it'll be interesting to see where this thing goes in the next few weeks.