Troubles Are All The Same

So, we're at the 3/4 mark for the season, with just 21 games to go, and the Leafs are dead last in the Eastern Conference, 29th in the NHL overall. Seemed like it might be a good time to take a break and hit the "reset" switch. Yet again. And then I found out that the Leafs don't play another game for 3 whole weeks due to something called the "Oplinkits" - according to my 2 and a half year old daughter - which I've never heard of until just now even though every four years it gets more media coverage then Christmas.

Speaking of Oplinkits, you might already know that I think that women that compete are magnificent. So I've had my eye on the Canadian Women's hockey team with some interest. In 3 games now they've outscored their opponents, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Sweden, 41-2. I especially like the line of Wickenheiser, Apps, and Piper, who've totalled 27 points between them so far in the tournament. Piper is from Toronto, and Apps of course is a granddaughter of Maple Leafs Hall of Fame legend, Syl Apps. Wickenheiser is in her 4th Olympics, as is sweet-skating Jennifer Botterill, and ultimate hockey-mom and stay-at-home defenceman (defencewoman?) Becky Kellar. Good luck, ladies!

More Oplinkits! Nice to see Matt Stajan's favourite teammate, Jerome Iginla, with the hat-trick last night. The Canadian defence moved the puck efficiently all game while the forwards looked dangerous and determined. About half-way through the game I realized that if I screwed with the tint-control on the TV I could kinda make their uniforms look sort of a pinky-purplish-blue, and with the Maple Leaf crest on their sweaters, I felt like I was watching a beautiful, psychedelic dream.

I still can't cheer for Danny Heatley. His second goal of the game to make the score 5-0 was just a rocket of a shot, but it didn't make me feel good. I don't admire the guy. I don't think I ever will. I don't care how good he is. Is that wrong, or is it right? Doesn't really matter much, it's just the way it is.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina re-united tonight when the Czechs take on the Slovaks. Speaking of Kaberle, which apparently I often do, I think it's worth pointing out that on the last Leafs' goal, scored by Kessel on the powerplay in the 2nd period against the San Jose Sharks, Tomas earned his 40th assist of the season, and the 400th assist of his career - all in the Blue and White. Maybe not as glamorous or outstanding as 500 goals, but I think it's still worth recognizing.

The Leafs last game, an uninspiring 4-0 loss to Carlo Colaiacovo, Alex Steen and the rest of the Unstempniak'd Blues, was disturbingly familiar to many, if not most, of this season's performances. Made me feel nostalgic for the good old slightly less crappier days. The temporary glitz and sparkle of the new Leafs sadly faded in that game, revealing a team very much reminiscent of the old Leafs, with similar results but only half the personnel. It occurred to me that since Wilson came to town, Fletcher and Burke have combined to trade Antropov, Moore, Colaiacovo, Steen, White, Hagman, Stajan, Mayers, Blake, Toskala, and two 1st round draft picks, for Phaneuf, Kessel, Giguere, Sjostrom, Stempniak, and two 2nd round picks.

So with nostalgia in mind, and nothing else for me to say, I've decided to end this post with some favourite pictures of familiar faces from the recent past, starting with Alex Steen and his visit to the dentist!

"Yeth, a thorthanded goal. Weally cruffed thier thpiwit."

"A'splode for glory!"

"Hey, look at me! I'm worth a 2nd round pick AGAIN! I can't wait to play for my new team, the Buffalo Sabres Florida Panthers Montreal Canadians. I made Jason Blake's contract seem almost reasonable! I should be a billionaire!"

"Whoo! Antropov is Atlanta Thrashers leading scorer now! Ilya and I are unstoppa... wait, what?"

Dear Vesa; Please wash that blue and white out of your equipment. Signed, Finland.

Jamal Mayers: Motivation leads to success, or in this case, doing stuff."I am the God of Misfortune!"

He's a complicated man, But no one understands him but his woman...IAN WHITE!"Happily married? Well, yes. Why would you ask?""See ya next year, everybody!"

An Un Bee Lee Ba Ba Turn Of Events

Colossal is the only way to describe it.

Let's begin with Saturday night's epic disaster in this tragedy-filled season. This has to be the worst loss ever. I thought losing to Paul Maurice and the Carolina Hurricanes in a game where Ian White had given the Leafs the lead with 30 seconds to go was the most humiliating that it could get. I certainly never imagined - honestly, no one imagined - the Leafs building a 3-0 lead against Vancouver and chasing Luongo from the net, only to blow that lead and give up the game-winning goal with 2:04 to play, followed by an empty-netter, and then have that bastard Raycrap doing victory laps and waving to the fans at the ACC. A new low. Absolute rock-bottom. The only thing worse would be to have John Ferguson Jr. score a goal against the Leafs himself.

Warning: the video below contains graphic scenes of outright horror that are highly disturbing and may not be suitable for some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

Unforgivable. And so, we don't forgive. We blow the whole thing up and forget instead. The guys that lost to Raycoft and Vancouver are not our guys anymore - those are their guys, Calgary and Anahiem - we got new guys now. Not really, but y'know...

The Shake-Up

Forget that awful game on Saturday, let's get to the reaction of the trades. This is a major shock to the culture of the Maple Leafs dressing room. Six fairly prominent personalities - Stajan, White, Hagman, Mayers, Blake, and Toskala - have been moved out. With the prolonged injury to Komisarek, leadership will weigh even heavier on the shoulders of Kaberle and Beauchemin, and yes, even Luke Schenn. Phaneuf will slide nicely into the top-4 rotation and has a cannon for a shot so he might pair up with Kaberle very well. Hopefully Phaneuf can find chemistry quickly on a blueline that remains surprisingly deep yet was curiously dysfunctional. In Giguere, the Leafs add a Conn Smythe trophy winner to the dressing room and an intelligent mentor for Jonas Gustavsson. Finally, it appears that Bozak is here to stay and that Exelby will likely get his wish for more playing time, though Finger may end up being the next defenceman that gets moved.

Words For The Not-So Dearly Departed

Matt Stajan

I'm gonna miss Matt Stajan. A lot. I know not everybody's gonna agree with this, but I thought he gave a real honest effort most nights and exceeded expectations for a season and a half. At the time of the trade, he was leading all Leaf forwards in points and was actually chasing down Kaberle (just 2 points behind) for the team lead.

Ian White

It hurts to lose Ian White, it really does. Since the beginning of last season, when he sat out the first 11 games and then debuted as a forward, White has been earning admiration and respect. One of the very rare pleasures of this dreadful Maple Leafs season was witnessing the continuous ascension of Ian White's stardom. He was the heart and soul of this mostly passionless team, which isn't saying much I guess, but his contributions and efforts were appreciated and will be remembered. His mustache is immediately an honoured inductee in the Maple Leafs Mustache Hall of Fame.

Niklas Hagman

For the first quarter of the season, Hagman was the Leafs most consistent and complete player. He began to fade after that though and never really got it back. It also seemed that Hagman was reluctant to play a physical game and was in the bottom half of the roster for hits and blocked shots. Already a 20-goal scorer this season, Hagman does have fantastic skills, but wasn't a difference-maker often enough.

Jamal Mayers

How ironic is it that Mayers scores a goal and two assists in his final two games as a Leaf? Was his performance the tipping point for Calgary on this trade? Were they not sure until Mayers ripped one by Loungo with 5 seconds left in the first? Hilarious. If so, thank you Jamal, for finally doing SOMETHING. It's too bad things didn't work out 'cause your eyebrows are astounding, but 5 years from now the only thing I'm going to remember about you is that you were a part of this trade. Congratulations, you're Craig Berube now.

Vesa Toskala

AhhHahahahahahahaha!!! What were they thinking? I can't believe somebody actually took Vesa Toskala off our hands. And I can't believe they actually shut down his season last year for surgery that would make him feel great about being terrible! What kind of groin surgery did they do that fucked up his head like that? The VESA2010 was a total disaster and a disgrace. Stupid bio-engineered piece of junk. On the other hand, I now fully expect Toskala to return one day and shut-out the Leafs with a ridiculous 50-save performance, but this time there won't be any mini-lap celebrations, 'cause I'll be there, and I'll be waiting...

Jason Blake

THANK YOU ALMIGHTY JESUS! THANK YOU MERCIFUL ALLAH! THANK YOU BUDDHA! BLESSED THANKS TO BRAHMA, AND VISHNU, AND SHIVA! THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE INFINITE GODS THAT EXIST IN OUR UNIVERSE FOR THIS MOST UNDESERVING OF MIRACLES. IT IS TRULY A BLESSING AND A SIGN THAT OUR SUFFERING WILL SOON BE AT AN END! PRAISE GOD, WHOSE INFINITE WONDER KNOWS NO BOUNDS!

For years from now, fans of hockey teams anchored under the weight of outrageous contracts and cap-hits will look to this day and say, "If Jason Blake can be traded, anyone can get traded." I do want to recognize Jason Blake for having a terrific bounce-back season last year, and for keeping his chin up during some very difficult times in Toronto. However, I was worried at the beginning of the season that Blake might have little left in the tank, and even less to prove, and eventually that became apparent and it was time for him to move on. Good luck in California, I wish him well, but every time I see Blake in another team's uniform I'll bow my head and give a quiet thanks to Wendel.

So, it's like a whole new season from here on out, hopefully with new results. The past is the past. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Broken sticks and shin-guard tape goes in the basket. We're past the darkest hour now, and heading for the dawn.

January Jobbers

This is a follow-up, sort of, to a post I wrote at the beginning of this month. The Leafs played their best hockey of the season in the first half of December but then things came apart for the team in the second half of the month as all of Toronto's forwards fell into a deep funk. As I noted in that earlier post, the Leafs most consistent forwards for the month of December were Jason Blake and Lee Stempniak, not exactly an auspicious scenario. As I also noted recently somewhere else, usually by the time I notice a statistical trend, it starts to go the other way.

Troubles Remain In Top-Six Town

Well, "completely the other way" is a good way to describe Jason Blake's play this month. One goal and one assist thus far. After having an excelent December, Blake has simply not shown up for January. As an example, his pathetic penalty-killing effort on Thursday directly led to Tampa Bay's first goal of the game. (Check the tape - 2:15) After losing his stick and failing to throw the puck out of the zone, Blake then stands absolutely still and watches as Lecavalier sets up Stamkos for an easy one-timer. Two points in 12 games for January. So watch for Blake to start feeling the heat from Wilson and then suddenly start running goaltenders and producing again.

Stempniak continues his curious and enigmatic play. He's currently on a 4-game pointless streak, his longest slump in 7 weeks. He has 3 goals and 3 assists, 6 points in 12 games for January, but he's also a minus 3 for the month so far, the lowest plus/minus of any of the Leafs current "top-six" forwards. Stempniak's work ethic and production this season has been fairly dependable and consistent, and his value to any team, while low, is easily measured. For that reason alone, I'd be very surprised if Lee isn't dealt before the trade deadline.

Hagman was a rock through the first half of the season but seems to have lost his game now. Just 2 goals and 3 assists so far for January, however 4 of those 5 points have come in the last 3 games previous to tonight's game in Florida. Hagman has just 7 points in his last 21 games, and prior to the victory against Nashville, January 18th, had just 3 points in a 17-game stretch. The absence of production from Hagman, now coupled with Grabovski's injury, puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the rest of the team's forwards, especially Stajan, Poni, and Kessel.

Ponikarovsky is not doing much better. He has 6 points for January so far. 5 of those points are goals, the most of any Leafs forward this month, but he also has just one assist in his last 13 games. Recently, he took two penalties late in the game Thursday against Tampa, and while they may have been questionable calls, they also proved quite costly. I'm at the point now where I'm disappointed with Poni's production. I expected him to be leading the Leafs in at least one offensive category (currently he's tied with Hagman for the team lead in goals; 18), but he hasn't blossomed any further then he did at the end of last season, and I now think he's the most likely candidate to not be with the team come the second week of March.

Phil Kessel is finding ways to contribute again, even if his teammates aren't able to set him up with good scoring opportunities, and even as the opposition focuses their defence squarely on him. After being held off the scoresheet for the first four games of the month, Kessel was riding a 7-game point streak heading into Florida and has 8 points for January, second most among Leafs forwards. While he has just one goal this month, he has 7 assists, a few of which were beautifully slick passes that led to wide-open, easy tap-in goals for his teammates.

As he nearly did in November (10 points, 1 less then Kessel), and December (tied with Poni, 12 points each), Matt Stajan leads all Leafs forwards in points thus far for the month of January. With 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points, Stajan is also a +1 in the New Year, and from my perspective, has been giving the Leafs exceptionally honest efforts. He had an awful slump in the last 2 weeks of December, but it's interesting to note that ALL the Leafs forwards, except Stempniak and Kulemin, struggled with poor play at that time. Otherwise, Stajan has been a consistent producer this season, and currently has had his name appear on the scoresheet 8 times in the last 12 games. He's second on the team in scoring, behind only Kaberle.
Kulemin, not really considered a "top-six" forward for most of this season, has been the Leafs best player in 2010, in my humble estimation. Beyond consistent, Kulemin seems to be improving greatly from one month to the next, and right now appears to be the Leafs most complete hockey player. Kulemin's skills have come together very nicely to produce a forward who forechecks tenaciously, backchecks relentlessly, throws body checks in all 3 zones on the ice, and has a keen sense for creating or finishing offensive chances. For January, Kulemin has 3 goals, 4 assists, for 7 points (equal to Kaberle's production, 1 less then Kessel, and more then either Poni, Hagman, Stempniak, or Blake), while he is also a surprising plus seven over the last 12 games.

After tonight's 2-0 shutout to the lowly Panthers, it seems the offensive woes of the Leafs forwards will continue. While Bozak tallied 5 points in his first 5 NHL games, he too is getting a taste at the fountain of futility now with his third consecutive game without a point. Take it easy on the kid though, eh, he's doin' fine. I wouldn't put any more weight on his shoulders then there already is, anymore then I'd expect Wallin to step up and contribute when Grabovski gets injured, or Mitchell to lift his game when Hagman struggles, or anyone to do anything if Stajan has an off-night 'cause he gets hit in the face with the puck on his first shift. Expectations have to be realistic and achievable in order for them to be helpful, y'know?

Welcome Back

One hundred and ninety-eight days. That's how long it's been since Leaf fans were able to celebrate a regular season win. That's how long it's been since we've known what 2 points in the standings felt like. God, it's good to be back in the win column. Oh, how we've missed you, Defiant Maple Leaf. Welcome back, my friend.

And a very special welcome back to the Monster, who provided the Leafs first true act of defiance on the night when he denied the Ducks an early strike with this spectacular save:
Sensational. Now that is defiant. What a difference a Monster makes.

Later, Anaheim's dubious opening goal of the 1st period would set the stage for the Leafs second act of defiance. Just 7 seconds after the goal - a bench minor for abuse of officials at 10:35, assessed during a TV timeout, presumably for over-zealous chirping about the missed goaltender-interference call on Marchant. Could have been quite costly if the Ducks had scored to go up 2-0, but the Leafs continued their defiance with a gutsy and determined penalty kill.

In fact, before the penalty-time had even expired, the Leafs third significant act of defiance occurred. A minute and a half into the Ducks' powerplay, Beauchemin drew a slash from Bobby Ryan, and then, after standing his ground against his former teammate, drew the attention of Corey Perry. Within seconds, the game's hat-trick hero Hagman, along with Stajan, became involved as gloves and sticks fell to the ice. When it was all sorted out, Hagman had the lone Leaf penalty for roughing, while Ryan's initial slashing minor was accompanied by a double-roughing minor to Perry for separate mix-ups with Beauchemin and then Hagman.

Three minutes, forty-two seconds and 2 quick powerplay goals later, the Leafs were in the lead.

In the 2nd period, there was a similar moment, with similar execution. With the Leafs already on the powerplay, Stempniak takes a terrific run at Anahiem's crease-crashng-culprit, Marchant, absolutely ninja-popping him into the boards. As Niedemayer reacts and comes in to engage Stempniak after the hit, our favourite Weeble-Wobbler, Rowdy Grabbo intercepts and jumps on the old warrior's back. Grabovski, who'd scored the Leafs first goal, loses his helmet in the scrum, yet Niedemayer is the one assessed the only penalty for roughing and the Leafs go to their 2nd 5-on-3 advantage. Once again, Hagman makes them pay.
A great save. A bench penalty. An aggressive penalty kill. A dangerous powerplay. Team courage and toughness.

Defiance. Truculence. Victory.

And 2 points.

BoOBbB 6: The End

Hey, what happened to the Battle of Ontario Blow-by-Blow #5? Ya, well, no one wants to hear about my nightmare on the TTC streetcar, or read excuses about screaming infants and broken laptops. Let's just say it was a terrible game, the Leafs lost 2-1, and somehow I had foreknowledge that this would occur and because the game was on Leafs TV, I decided to boycott it. Apparently the highlight of the night was Cujo allowing the 2,500th goal of his illustrious career. For the full BoOBbB Experience, minus game 5, go here.

So here we are, game 82, neither of these teams headed for the playoffs. The Senators have already clinched 11th place in the East while Toronto will finish 12th. There may yet be some drama in this final game however- here's some things to watch for: Presumably Gerber will get the start and will face his former team. That alone increases the potential that this will be a good game. Meanwhile, Blake is now leading the team in goals, tied for the lead in assists with Stajan, and leading the team in points as well. However, Ponikarovsky is right behind him by just 2 goals, 1 assist, and 3 points. Will Blake wear the triple-crown for offence, or can Poni catch him at the finish line? Finally, both Blake and Stajan are 2 assists away from 40-assist seasons, a remarkable achievement if either can hit that number. Hope I haven't jinxed it. Really what I'm hoping for is a high-scoring game with a few good hits.

Enough with the mumbo-jumbo, let's drop the puck...!

First Period

Alfredsson not in the line-up for Ottawa.

20:00 Blake, Hanson, Stapleton, Schenn, and White are the starting 5 for Toronto.

18:30 Stajan with the puck in the slot, falls over backwards without being hit.

17:53 Stempniak with a nice rush between the defence, draws a hooking penalty. Kelly goes to the box, Leafs go to the powerplay.

17:45 Kubina hits the post.

17:00 Heatley shorthanded break, stopped by Gerber.

16:45 Leafs hit another post on a blind shot through a crowd.

15:53 Penalty expires. Shots are 4-1 for the Leafs.

15:15 GOAL!!! It's Devereaux! Stempniak starts the play cutting through the zone, then Devereaux jumps on the puck and fires a wrist shot along the ice that eludes Elliott. 1-0, Leafs.

12:20 Good save Gerber, as Ottawa presses for the first time.

11:30 Heatley stoped by Gerber.

10:50 Nice pass from Mitchell to May sending him in close but he can't get the shot away.

10:20 Stajan rips one over the net. His line, with Stampniak and Devereaux, have been the best Leaf forwards early on.

9:00 Puck bounces off of Hagman in front and Elliott has to make a tricky save.

7:10 Shannon shot stopped by Gerber, Heatley and Schenn battle in front.

6:20 A weak shot by Schubert, who then decides after the whistle to knock Finger's helmet off.

5:58 Donovan clothelines Hanson for a penalty. They call it "holding".

3:58 Penalty ends as White has a shot on goal from the point, the best chance of the powerplay. Bouncing pucks and a lot of hesitation.

3:20 Heatley trips Mitchell in the nuetral zone. Leafs go back to the powerplay.

2:50 Fisher with a short-handed chance. Gerber sharp so far.

2:40 Blake misses the net from in close.

2:30 Volchenkov takes a slap shot off the arm and lies on the ice for a while.

:20 May has a good chance then gets popped into the boards by Lee.

:11 May and Lee shove and throw punches at one another, but the linesman won't get out of the way. Lee gets 2 for roughing, May gets 4, but meanwhile the reason the whistle went is because Campoli shot the puck over the glass so he gets a penalty for delay of game and all the penalties wipe themselves out.

Period ends, Leafs leading 1-0. Volchenkov is gone for the game. Shots were 16-12 for Ottawa.

Second Period

20:00 Stempniak, Stajan, Devereaux, Schenn, and White on the ice to start the 2nd.

19:00 All Senators for the first minute but no real tough saves for Gerber.

18:20 Nice pad save by Gerber off Foligno.

17:50 Poni and Hagman both would've had good chances if they could control the puck.

16:30 Poni in the slot again can't handle the puck on a pass from White.

15:10 GOAL!!! Devereaux again, with a beautiful one-timer from the slot on a nice feed from Stempniak out of the corner. Great goal. Good for Boyd. Stempniak's tryin' hard, too. That's his second assist. Stajan picks up his first of the night, number 39 on the season.

14:10 Schenn throws some weight around. The building nearly crumbles.

12:50 Ruutu goes around the net, sets up Kuba whose shot is blocked in front.

12:40 May and Heatley share a laugh.

12:23 Kubina trips up Spezza who crashes into the boards pretty good. Ottawa powerplay.

11:45 Kuba in the slot, nice save Gerber. Good rebound control and recovery.

11:10 Leafs with a short-handed chance, just miss.

10:46 Goal. Oh man. Gerber stops the puck behind the net and then fans on it, leaving it there for Spezza who tucks it in for the goal. Brutal. That's a really awful goal. Spezza, unassisted, on the powerplay.

8:18 Goal. Oh no. Gerber gives the puck away again! White misses an easy pass somehow and Kelly steals it and scores. Game tied, 2-2.

7:00 Leafs starting to pick up the physical play a bit. Mayers, May, and Finger all throw hits in the next minute.

6:00 Kubina knocks Heatley down to prevent a scoring chance.

5:00 Pace has picked up.

4:30 Mayers alone in close, shoots over the net.

4:23 May going after Lee. Fisher gets between them. Big scrum. May gets a misconduct penalty? Leafs get an extra penalty somewhere 'cause the Sens are going on the powerplay. 2 for roughing, 2 for slahing, and a 10-minute misconduct for May. Fisher also gets a roughing penalty.

3:25 A shot by Kuba hits Gerebr.

2:35 Hagman blocks a point shot and might be hurt.

1:50 Hanson has a shot on goal, and then Blake just misses on the rebound.

1:10 Stempniak with some nice moves, outside-inside on Schubert, but the shot goes wide.

Period ends, 2-2. Only 20 minutes left on the season.

Third Period

20:00 Poni, Grabbo, Hagman up front, Kubina and Harrison on the blue-line to begin the final period.

18:15 Great save Gerber on Neil, who crashes into the net.

17:50 "Go Leafs Go!" chant, first of the game.

16:23 GOAL!!! Hagman! Grabbo's shot hits Elliott in the shoulder and bounces high up into the air. Grabbo then swoops in, collects the rebound, and dishes to Hagman who one-times it into the net. 3-2, Leafs. Poni gets a phantom assist.

14:25 "Go Leafs Go!" chant again. Not much else going on. Sens try to press but it's all from the outside. Gerber hasn't had to make too many tough saves. Leafs are doing a good job of blocking shots, even if they aren't hitting much.

12:20 Grabbo's speed nearly creates a 2-on-1 but Poni can't handle the pass.

11:44 Heatley trips up Kubina. Leafs go to their 4th powerplay.

10:40 Not much happening on the PP. Devereaux out there looking for the hat-trick but I don't think he touched the puck.

9:30 Nice work by Schenn to stop a break and keep the play in the Sens zone.

8:50 Poni has a big collision with Brendan Bell.

7:20 Blake pass to Stempniak, shot on goal, big rebound, Blake with another shot, stopped by Elliott.

6:35 May and Neil line up. Maybe next year.

5:20 Surprisingly hard shot by Hagman from the boards.

4:40 Leafs 3-on-2, Blake can't finish.

4:00 Gerber comes out to play the puck behind the net and the crowd noticeably buzzes. It sounds like they're saying "GRBRZRKR!", but they could be saying "Get back in your net!".

3:40 Stempniak with a good chance in the slot, tough save Elliott.

3:12 Neil hits Mayers hard and draws a penalty. This is cheese. Neil specifically goes after Mayers with a late hit and then Mayers gets tagged for a little hey-come-back-hook. They call it "slashing". Sens powerplay.

2:49 GOAL!!! Unbelievable! Boyd Devereaux with a short-handed, breakaway goal for the hat-trick on a beautiful backhander! Mats who? MATS WHO?!? Welcome home Boyd! The fans at the ACC shower the ice with hats in appreciation of Devereaux's gutsy effort. Stajan gets the assist, his 40th of the season. He did it. Wow. Nicely done, Stajan. What a season.

2:05 Sens call a time-out. The fans start booing.

2:00 Sens pull their goalie. Why?

1:35 Spezza around the net, Gerber out of position nearly gives up on the play, and Heatley misses a tap-in from the side of the crease, high and wide.

:44 GOAL!!! Empty-netter. Hagman with his second, nails it from the blue line.

:40 May and Neil look like they might go, but no.

:10 Neil fans on a good chance in front.

:00 Time runs out. Leafs win, 5-2.

There's a scoring summary here. Toronto takes the season series with 4 wins, 1 loss, and one overtime loss. Ottawa looked mostly terrible tonight and wouldn't have been in this game if it weren't for Gerber's stick-handling. Not a lot of passion from either side, but a workman-like effort from the Leafs got the job done, allowing them to raise their sticks at the end and salute the ACC crowd before they skated off the ice for the last time this season.

The Third Star, Lee Stempniak

The Second Star, Niklas Hagman

The First Star, Boyd Devereaux

Nice job, Boyd. Thanks for the season, Leafs.

Those Who Could And Those Who Couldn't

Just before the season started, on October 2nd, I published a post about 7 Leaf players who all had a chance to notch their 100th career assist this season. I didn't think they would all do it, but I thought it would be interesting to see who could and couldn't, and also thought it would be a good way of measuring the team's success overall. Well, we're pretty close to the end now with just 6 games to go, so let's have a look and see who did, and who didn't, reach this mini-milestone.

Mark Bell only needed 5 assists to reach the 100-mark for what started out as a promising career. Unfortunately for Mark, he hasn't had one assist this year because he hasn't appeared in a single NHL game, not even for the Rangers. It's kind of puzzling that Mark Bell was able to pick up 10 points (4G 6A) last year despite a cracked orbital bone and jail time looming in the summer, yet this year, with all of that now behind him, he's been unable to find a spot on an NHL roster.

Mike Van Ryn needed only 9 assists for #100 in his career. Let's see what I had to say about his chances of reaching that mark at the beginning of the year: "...if he plays a full season, it should be no problem". Well, sadly, Van Ryn has played nowhere near a full season. The new Colaiacovo has appeared in just 27 games in an injury-plagued season, picking up a total of 8 assists, leaving him one shy of the magic 100 mark. While Van Ryn's tragic season is over, I only hope he nails that 100th assist in the season opener next year for an auspicious start to a year of better fortune in 2010.

Jamal Mayers needed 13 assists to hit the milestone, and at the beginning of the season I thought he had a good chance to get there based on his previous 2 seasons ('07 14A, '08 15A). This year, Mayers has only been able to pick up 7 assists so far, his lowest total since 2004. It's probably safe to assume that Jamal is not getting the opportunities or the ice time that he enjoyed in St. Louis, but still, I would have liked to have seen a little more from Jamal, especially early on. Unless Mayers can somehow break out with 6 assists in the last 6 games, this one is also a miss.

Niklas Hagman needed 15 to get there. This one was easier then I thought it would be. On February 7th, Hagman recorded his 99th and then 100th career assist in the 3rd period of a 5-2 win over those dirty Habs. Hagman currently has 18 assists on the year (103 career now), equalling his previous single season high in just 59 games, and looks sure to set a new standard for himself as he returns to the line-up for the Leafs' final stretch. I've been really impressed with Hagman's all-round abilities - a feisty checker and a natural scorer with 20 goals this season -  as the playmaking side of his game is progressing well.

Alexei Ponikarovsky needed 17 and it wasn't even close. Poni blew this one out of the water. With 35 so far on the season, 1 behind Stajan for the team lead, Alexei now sits at 118 career assists. Poni's numbers this year don't just look good, they look great. He is 2 behind Blake for the team lead in goals and points and may catch him in both categories before the season ends. With Poni absolutely blossoming in the absence of Antro, it's quite conceivable that when the season ends, Poni will be leading the Leafs in all offensive categories, except on the powerplay. He also leads the team in plus/minus at +8 (no one else is above +2!) and is one of only 2 Leafs (Kubina the other) to appear in all 76 games this year for the Blue and White. Suddenly, Ponikarovsky looks like this season's best candidate for Maple Leafs' MVP.

Alex Steen needed 26. This one looked tough at the beginning of the year, but Steen had totalled 27 assists twice before in his career (2006, 2008), so it seemed within his reach. Well, after starting the season with 2 assists in his first 20 games, the chase for 100 was already over, and Steen was dealt, along with Carlo Colaiacovo, to St. Louis for Lee "2-for-1 special" Stempniak. In 55 games this year with St. Louis, Steen's numbers have returned to near-respectable levels; 6G, 15A, giving him 91 career assists in just his 4th NHL season. While it's still very early in his career, it is disappointing to see him take a step backwards this season, and it was probably the right move to help him find his game somewhere else.

Matt Stajan needed 29 assists to get to 100. This was the one that I said was the "longshot". In order for Stajan to reach the milestone he needed to have a career year, and that's exactly what he's done. 36 assists, so far. In 2006-7 Stajan recorded exactly 29 assists, so I knew he could do it, but still, I find it utterly astonishing that he has easily surpassed that total by 7 with a half-dozen games to go on the schedule. Even more astonishing when one realizes that Stajan has hardly played that well lately, but has still managed to pick up 9 assists in his last 18 games, keeping him on pace for 40. Did anybody, I mean, really, ANYBODY predict Stajan would have a 40-assist season? Well, he's very close. Six games left, 4 assists to go, and he's there. Not bad for a player I once referred to as the "Invisible Matt".

So there you have it. 3 for 7. Bell, Van Ryn, Mayers, and Steen fail to reach the 100 asssist milestone this year, while, maybe surprisingly, Hagman, Stajan, and Ponikarovsky all achieved that plateau with ease. When I wrote the original post at the beginning of the season, I predicted that we could measure the Leafs' success based on how many achievers we had in this group. Here's the correlating prediction for 3 out of 7: "Hmmm. Easy come, easy go, I guess. We suck, but probably not bad enough to get Tavares." Not exactly a bold prediction but it sounds about right. Easy come, easy go. Don't get too excited, but a pick in the top 5 is still a real possibility.

How Bad Is "Suck"?

The Leafs have been crap lately. There's no other way to say it. They are in the midst of an awful run and it shows no signs of getting better. It's hard being a fan these days. The best summation of how I feel is from DownGoesBrown, in what might be the most important post of the year, - denial, anger, depression - eventually leading to the path of acceptance.

This sucks. This really sucks. For real.

The Leafs are in complete free-fall mode now. In their last 10 games they have 2 wins and 8 losses.

2-8 loss vs. Dallas

1-4 loss vs. NY Islanders

1-4 loss vs. Washington

4-3 win-ot vs. Atlanta

1-4 loss vs. Buffalo

3-1 win vs. Ottawa

2-4 loss vs. Florida

2-6 loss vs. Montreal

1-4 loss vs. Philadelphia

0-2 loss vs. Nashville

GF 17

GA 40

Over their last ten games the Leafs have given up an average of exactly 4 goals per game while scoring one....point....seven. ONE-Point-Seven. Ugh. That's not entertaining.

They have only one regulation win in their last ten, and that came against Ottawa. The win over Atlanta was in overtime.

Not a single loss over that period was by shoot-out or in overtime. In fact, every loss was by 2 goals or more. Eight losses, and not a single point to show for it.

The Leafs have given up the first goal of the game 9 times in their last 10 games. 4 times they've allowed the first goal within the first five minutes.

For the rest of this post I'm going to look at Leaf forwards (with the exception of Mats Stajan who missed half the games), and see how the main point-producers have, or rather, haven't performed in the last 10 games.

Blake; 4G, 1A, 5P, -4.

Moore; 1G, 4A, 5P, -6

It's a sad state of affairs when Dominic Moore and Jason Blake are your team's leading point getters, but over the last ten, they've produced the most. Blake's 4 goals would actually put him on pace for a pretty decent season.

Ponikarovsky; 3G, 1A, 4P, -5

Antropov; 0G, 4A, 4P, -5

Antro and Poni have really struggled without Stajan, but that's only half the story. Poni has been playing well seemingly, and his 3 goals puts him in the team lead for goal scoring, but that, and his single assist, are more an indication of Antro's continuing slump. The Lanky Kazakh has zero goals over this ten game span, and for a player that should be the team's best forward, this is a disaster. The Leafs cannot win on a nightly basis without a consistent contribution from Antropov.

Stempniak; 2G, 1A, 3P, Even

Grabovski; 1G, 2A, 3P, -1

Mitchell; 1G, 2A, 3P, -3

I'm not too worried about Mitchell. If he's keeping pace with Grabovski and keeping his plus/minus down, he's not doing too bad. Grabbo seems to maybe miss Kulemin a little, and even though his numbers are down compared to the hot streak he was on earlier in the season, he still seems like one of the few spark-plugs out there for the Leafs. Meanwhile, Lee "Nowhere-Near-As-Good-As-Steen-So-Why-Did-We-Need-To-Give-Up-Colaiacovo-Too?" Stempniak has 2 goals in his last 10 games and one assist, but remarkably has kept his plus/minus at Even. Maybe he's not on the ice when the Leafs are scored against because he's sitting in the penalty box, like he was tonight against Nashville. Or maybe plus/minus just isn't a very good indication of a player's performance. Then again, his plus/minus would indicate that nothing happens one way or the other when Stempniak's on the ice, and I can't actually disagree with that either.

Hagman; 1G, 0A, 1P, -6

This is the real mystery to me. What has happened to Niklas Hagman? One goal and no assists in ten games is not the kind of production I was expecting, and if there's a reason why the Leafs production has fallen off so sharply, this must be it. Seems to me like Hagman is not the same player as he was the first 20 games of the season, and since coming back from injury he has not been himself. He scored 2 quick goals in his first 2 games back, but since then his production has totally dried up. The last 3 or 4 games, he has seemed a shadow of himself - reluctant, hesitant, shaky and fragile. Totally the opposite of the kind of player he was early on in the year. Perhaps he's not quite over the injury and came back too soon, or maybe it's a deeper psychological effect that he needs to battle through. Or maybe it's been the lack of consistency with linemates the last ten games that's thrown him out of his groove. I'd like to think that's the case, but whatever it is, Hagman needs to turn it around, fast, or the Leafs' free-fall will continue.

If the best players on the Leafs are playing their best, there's hope that they can win maybe half their games. But on the other hand, if the Leafs' best players are not playing their best, there's no hope at all of success,  and no way that they'll be able to compete with the teams in the league that are more talented then they are - and that seems to be just about all of them.

The Over/Under On My Expectations

Hey, Leaf fans! I'm lookin' forward to Saturday's game against Chicago, not just for the Wendelmania that's going to run wild, but partly because Mitchell is expected to be back in the line up, and also because I think this game will be the start of a good run for the Leafs. They've lost 3 out of their last 4, so now would definately be a good time to turn it around. 3 of their next 4 games will be at home, with the only exception being a road game in Ottawa (which is really the Leafs' home away from home) next Thursday. Also, each of the next four games will be against teams that have more losses then they have wins (I count overtime losses as a loss, not a tie): Chicago (8-9), Atlanta (7-10), Ottawa (6-12, wow), and Philadelphia (7-10). The Leaf's record of 7 wins and 12 losses puts them in the same category as the rest of these "playoff doubtfuls", so a modest winning streak starting now would be a good way to distinguish themselves from this mediocre group. Picking up at least 6 points over these next 4 games would also probably do a lot to lift their spirits before heading out west for another 3 games against L.A., San Jose, and Phoenix, next week.

For this post I thought I'd take a quick look at 6 players on each side of the expectation line that I've arbitrarily drawn; 3 that have so far exceeded those expectations, and 3 that, for now, are well below.

Under: Vesa Toskala

Okay, so we had a little fun with Vesa in our last post, and we're sorry 'cause we love him, but we were inspired by his play from games previous to the Boston loss. An .878 save percantage does not reflect one bad night, or even a handful. Vesa has to be better. Not just better then that game in Boston, better then every game so far, with the exception of the 1-0 shoot-out loss to the NYRangers. Game in, game out, Vesa needs to be better. Before the season, my expectations were that he would be one of the Leafs' 3 stars virtually every game. Sadly, that isn't happening, but it needs to happen if the Leafs are going to have any hope of playoff success. I certainly expect him to be better then Raycrap, but frankly, that's not saying much and it ain't anywhere near enough.

Over: Ian White

Not much was expected of White heading into camp. With an overcrowded blue line, White lost his usefulness until he reinvented himself as a forward in the pre-season. Even still, Coach Ron Wilson began the season with White in the press box for the first 11 games. As far as I know, during that time when White was a healthy scratch, his mood never became a distraction, nor did he complain, but instead, gave us this great quote:

"I can't wait to play, forward, defence, whatever. If Vesa (Toskala) or Cujo (Curtis Joseph) get hurt, I'll play between the pipes too. I just want to play."

Since being inserted into the line up, now primarily as a forward that can play be utilized as a defenceman when there's a need, White has responded with some of his best and most consistent play in a Leafs uniform. In 8 games, Ian White has tallied 7 points, and shares the team lead with Antropov in plus/minus at +5. He has averaged 2 shots per game, and has scored 3 goals. I think those are great numbers, and it'll be interesting to see now how long he can keep it up, and how long Wilson will leave him in the line-up if can't. For sure, he's shown the right kind of perseverance and determination, and the results so far are better then I ever would have expected.

Under: Alex Steen

I want to start seeing more out of Steen. I know the guy can score big goals and be a leader on this team, but this season he hasn't shown it. Up until now it seems Wilson hasn't been too bothered by Steen's play, satisfied perhaps that he is fulfilling his defensive responsibilities, but increasingly, others are starting to notice the lack of production. 2 goals and 2 assists, and also a minus 3, is well below the expectations I had for Steen. Over 3 seasons in the NHL, Steen has averaged 16 goals, and 25 assists per campaign. This year, he is on pace for 8 goals and 8 assists. In a year where I was hoping he would improve on his offensive numbers, this would seem to be a major setback. In my opinion, it's not an issue of Wilson putting Steen in more offensive situations either. The very best defensive forwards; Datsyuk, Draper, Peca, Federov, Gilmour, Carbonneau, Gainey, were all able to put the puck in the other net while keeping it out of their own, and often came up with the big goal which they'd call the "momentum killer". This is the challenge for Alex Steen. He needs to find a way to be a significant contributer, not with an abundance of scoring, but with the right goal at the right time. If he can, the pressure comes off the top two lines to win every game, and the Leafs attack becomes more dynamic

and difficult to defend against. For Alex Steen, the next level awaits.

Over: Nikals Hagman

Hagman has been a rock for the Leafs. His consistency is perhaps his strongest suit. Every shift, he seem to play hard and brings the same level of intensity over the boards every time he hits the ice. He plays a mature physical game: only 2 PIMs, and a +3 is the evidence of his excellent forechecking skills. Hagman is currently tied for 4th on the Leafs in scoring, with 13 points, 6 goals and 7 assists,  after 19 games, and shares the team lead with Matt Stajan for powerplay goals with 3. Most surprising, he leads the Leafs in shots on goal with 72. I never imagined anyone would have more shots on goal then Jason Blake, but thankfully Hagman's shooting percentage is much higher at .083. Overall, I'm really enjoying Hagman's play so far and think that he and Antropov are the 2 key components behind the Leafs' ability to have 2 strong offensive lines. 

Under: Jamal Mayers

Can't say I'm too impressed with Jamal Mayers so far. I hadn't seen a lot of Jamal, but I was expecting a player that banged and crashed - along the boards, in front of the net, in the corners, at centre ice - who'd make me want to yell, "YaaaaahH! Jamal smoked that guy!" So far, not so much. But mostly where I'm disappointed with Jamal is on the score sheet. Not that I was expecting a lot, but when I look at his stats from the last 3 seasons; 15G 11A 26P in 2006, 8G 14A 22P in 2007, and 12G 15A 27P last season, his 1 goal and 2 assists after 19 games this season just isn't up to par. Right now he's on pace for 12 points, or roughly half the offensive output that he'd been averaging the last 3 years in St. Louis. Part of that has to be because of the ice-time he's being given, as well as the role he plays, but also it seems as if he's struggling to find chemistry with any of his linemates so far. Hopefully soon he can find somebody to click with and he'll start to chip in more often on the scoresheet. Tough is good, but aside from making Chris Neil shake in his spaceboots, he's not really contributing much. Jamal needs to crank it up a notch and start poppin' a few goals and skulls at the same time.

Over: Matt Stajan

Stajan's numbers are amazing right now. Despite not getting a point Monday against Boston, the not-so-invisible-Matt is still leading the Leafs in scoring with 17 points. How much of this is just luck and how much of this is Stajan's skill and hustle we'll just have to see. He's on quite a run right now, playing some really excellent hockey, and if he can keep it up he is heading for a career year. Thus far, he has totally and completely exceeded all the expectations that I had for him at the beginning of the year, and looks more and more comfortable as a leader on this team. It's a long season and we're not quite at the quarter-mark yet, but this terrific start from Stajan should kill any confidence issues he might have had early on. While the next level waits for Alex Steen, Matt Stajan is already there.

Finally, an honourable mention should go out to Cliff Fletcher and Ron Wilson for producing a hockey team whose work ethic and competitiveness has easily exceeded any expectations I might have had back in September.

Third Line Charm = Freedom 55

Leafs 5, Oilers 2. A solid effort all around and the Leafs are rewarded with an excellent result. Early on in the evening there was a familiar sound:

"Breaking in down the wing, Jason Blake fires... right on... and Deslauries will... hang on to the puck." /throw to commercial break

Yes, it was Freedom 55, back on the ice, fermenting and pissing his way to two important assists in the 3rd period. Good for him (and good for Ron Wilson), as that's exactly the contribution Blake needs to make on a regular basis. Hopefully this will help Blake realize his role as an effective 3rd line player, inspiring him to play his best in every situation, not just his favorites. Perhaps because of the Blake benching, I've been thinking about Cliff Fletcher's words this summer, which bkblades also made a point about in the GameThread. Remember when the Silver Fox said:

"If you look at our club, we really have only one player you can consider a top-six forward, and that’s Antropov... We have a couple others that are on the fringe of the top-six, but no one else".

Well, the Leafs do in fact have 6 top-six forwards, but Jason Blake ain't one of 'em, anymore then Ian White is.

The top two lines look set and pretty solid. I've been tracking the Leafs statistics the last 6 games, ever since the thrilling Rangers comeback, and a clear pattern of succesful point production has emerged. The victory against the Rangers belonged to the third line, who were in on almost every goal, with John Mitchell as the key motivator. It was the last game Jason Blake made any kind of meaningful contribution. Since then, including tonight's victory over Edmonton, the Leafs have scored a remarkable 24 goals in 6 games, almost all of them coming from the top two lines.

Grabovski has been on fire the past two weeks and is leading the way with 10 points in his last 6 games. His linemates - Hagman and Kulemin - have added 6 points each. This line has found some chemistry, and is clearly capable of carrying the Leaf offence on any night. However, what I like best about this line is that while Kulemin's game still needs a lot of improvement, the potential is there that as he improves, so will the line, and hopefully SuperKule will grow into a top line superstar.

"I don't know how much more you can say about Matt Stajan."

-Jim Ralph

Totally. It's not like Ralphie to be at a loss for words. Matt Stajan has come alive. He's completely convinced me that he's a first or second line player who belongs with Antropov and Ponikarovsky. Amazing, but whatever, it's working.  Stajan had another big night with 3 assists, and now has 9 points in his last 6 games. Ya, 9. I know - wow. He's really come along way since the begining of the season. Sure looks like a top-six player to me this week.

Stajan's linemates, Antropov and Ponikarovsky round out the Leafs top-six. The Lanky Kazakh, with another goal tonight, has kept a point-a-game pace for six games, with 3 goals and 3 assists. Poni, meanwhile, hasn't let a newborn in the house slow him down too much, chipping in with 3 points over the last six games.

I like this top-six, and I think Ron Wilson does too. At this point, the only player I could see replacing Stajan on the Antro-Poni line would be the Captain himself. Hopefully Jason Blake can see the talent and the chemistry on these two lines and will realize that the only way to get top-six ice time is to be the best 3rd or 4th line player on the ice, night after night.

Tonight was definitely a step in the right direction. Now, if they could get their 3rd and 4th lines rolling with the same attitude and regular success, Wilson might soon have this team looking like a serious playoff contender, or even, like a dangerous playoff darkhorse. Jason Blake may be the key in that regard. If he can come to work and accept the role that Wilson gives him with enthusiasm and determination (i.e. Ian White, 5 points in 6 games), the confidence and the expectations of the entire team might be raised.

415!

Finally, I'd like to finish this post with a special congratulations to Tomas Kaberle. Tomas has struggled a bit this season in his own zone, but lately seems to be finding the offensive side of his game again. After last night's game in which Kaberle had a 3-point night,with a goal and 2 assists, he now has 8 points in his last 6 games, and, of more historical importance, equalled and passed Ian Turnbull for 3rd in all-time career points by a Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman, with his 414th and 415th points. Salming, the all-time leader (768) is still a long way off, but Tim Horton (458) could definitely be reached this season. Nicely done, Tomas. Keep 'er goin'.

The Hundred-Helpers Club

Seven New Members Are Waiting To Join!

Does 100 assists mean anything? Is that really a milestone? Well, it's not spectacular, but in a way, it's a significant indicater of a player whose having a legitimate NHL career with meaningful contributions. I don't know how many players have reached the 100 assist plateau, a lot I guess, but there must be even more who haven't. It's a line in the sand that seperates those that could from those that couldn't.
So, I was looking to see what milestones any Leaf players might achieve this season, and discovered a few - Antropov, if he stays somewhat healthy, will play in his 500th NHL game this season. He has 54 games to go. Blake is 10 games away from his 600th career game and is destined to take his 2,000th career shot on goal this season, and then later, his 3,000th. 3.5-million dollar defenceman Jeff Finger is just 6 games shy of 300 games in the NHL. Wait. That should be 200. No. Sorry, again. 100 games, and worth every penny.
Hey, remember that exciting opening paragraph? The only other milestone any Leaf players are likely to hit this year is in the category of Assists. Specifically, that first big milestone, 100. Seven players on the Leafs' roster will have a shot at it this season, which seems like quite a lot, and it gives you a pretty good idea of what kind of a team we have this year. Young and inexperienced, yet on the verge now of proving themselves to the league and establishing their right to be recognized.
The seven Leafs who might join the Hundred-Helpers Club this year are: Mark Bell with 95 assists, Mike Van Ryn 91, Jamal Mayers 87, Hagman at 85, Ponikarovski has 83, Steen 74, and Stajan 71. Mark Bell - 5 to go. Bell might be the first to reach 100 assists, and he might do it by December. If he doesn't, it means he's not on the team, or shouldn't be. Last year he had 6 assists in 35 games, but I think this year he'll have less time to show that he can do more. If he's in the line up on a regular basis, it means he doin' allright, and 100 is in the bag.

Mike Van Ryn - 9 to go. Again, Van Ryn is going to need playing time in order to get there, but if he plays a full season, it should be no problem. In three full seasons with the Panthers, in which he played 79, 80, and 78 games, Van Ryn collected 24, 29, and 25 assists, repectively. If he's playing everyday, he could reach 100 before mid-season.

Jamal Mayers - 13 to go. It might take the season, but Jamal has a chance to get to 100 career assists this year. Last year with the Blues, Mayers had 15 assists in 80 games played. If he's healthy all year he'll probably see increased ice-time with the Leafs and will have a good chance to hit the 100 mark if he plays with anyone who can score. Mayers brings leadership and toughness to a team that needs it, so if he can contribute 13 assists as well, I'll call that a success.

Niklas Hagman - needs 15. This one will be close. Hagman is more of a goal scorer. He had an imressive 27 goals last year with the Stars, but only 14 assists. He's only had more then 15 once in his career, way back in 2002 when he had 18 with the Panthers. The following year he had exactly 15. Obviously the pressure will be on Hagman to score goals, but if he doesn't reach the 100 assist milestone this year I'll be a bit dissapointed. It should be within his potential, and given his role as an offensive player, he should also have talented linemates to work with. This will be one to watch.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - needs 17. For 4 straight seasons, Ponikarovsky has not produced fewer then 17 assists, averaging 19.5. Last season he had exaclty 17 assists in only 66 games. This one may take all season as well, but Poni will be expected to produce and deliver this year, and if he can't reach the 100 assist plateau by season's end then he's probably not had a good year, and neither have the Leafs.

Alex Steen - needs 26. In three seasons with the Maple Leafs, Alex Steen has recorded 27, 20, and 27 assists, so 26 is very much in his range, but he'll need to have a good season, stay healthy, and be a leader on the ice in key situations. Steen is a good player, there's no doubt about that, but if he can get up to 100 assists this season, in just his 4th year with the team, it'll show that he's still got a great future.

Matt Stajan - needs 29. This is the long shot. Last year Stajan was well off pace with a disappointing 17 assists. However, the year previous, Stajan recorded a career high, 29 assists, which is exactly the total he needs this year to reach 100. So basically, Stajan needs to have a career year or better. Can he do it? 29 assists, in today's NHL, seems like an awful lot for someone who'll be used in a checking role primarily. But he's done it once before, and I think Stajan has a lot he wants to prove. Reaching the 100 mark for career assists would definately help in that regard.

Seven players. 100 assists. Can they do it? All of them? Will any of them? Why should I care?
I'm going to make a chart with all of their names on it, with a blank space beside each. Whenever (if ever) any of them hit the 100 assist plateau this year, I'll write a 1 in the blank followed by 2 happy faces. At the end of the year, I will count up the total number of happy faces and compare it to my projection below:

No one does it, so - no happy faces: Here comes Tavares!
Only two happy faces: Here comes Tavares!
Four happy faces: Tavares?
Six happy faces: Hmmm. Easy come, easy go, I guess. We suck, but probably not bad enough to get Tavares.
Eight happy faces: Aw, crap. Not even a top 5 pick.
Ten happy faces: Please no, not 9th place!
Twelve happy faces: Hey, is this team playoff bound? Damn, still 9th place, but that was close and a lot of these players had really good seasons. Hopefully Cliff can swing a nice trade at the draft for one of these proven performers.
Fourteen happy faces - all of them do it: Holy smokes, what a season! Team chemistry, career-years, and exceeded expectations! Man, it's weird to be back in the playoffs!

So, there we go, a way to measure success or failure this season, since everyone knows we're probably not gonna win the Stanley Cup: How many milestone-makers will finish the season in the Hundred-Helpers Club?

Dougie's Tip For Frequent Helpers: Pass the puck to Kaberle.

What YOU can do to help: Yell "SHOOOOOOOOOT!!!"

Flushin' It Down The Woz

Tucker bought out. Raycrap gone. Same goes for Johnny Pohl. Wellwood lost. Everyone's assuming Sundin is see-ya-later, and so am I. McCabe might be forced out. Kubina might be traded. Jay Harrison is going to Switzerland or wherever. Kronwall is not currently listed on the Maple Leafs roster. And Wozniewski, well, the name means toilet to me now. (I really enjoy saying, "I'm gonna take a whiz in the Woz")

Meet The D-Men Update: Leafs Acquire Frogren!

Special thanks to Steve over at HockeyAnalysis: Toronto Maple Leafs and MF37 at Bitter Leaf Fan Page. Excellent work keeping us on top of the situation with these posts about the McCabe Conspiracy, and the Leafs evolving blue-line. To summarize: Frogren is a "strong stay-at-home defenceman with a lot of skill in his own end". He is "considered physical, even tough", and makes the simple play with "solid" execution. The only other thing that I know about him is he's prone to making Spezza bleed, which has tremendous prospect potential written all over it. Finally, if you can read Swedish, there's this article about Frogren which tells you everything, including who Mats will play for next year.

So forget everything I said in my last post. Suddenly, with the acquisition of Frogren, I get the feeling that Fletcher really is trying to blow the whole thing up. He could just be filling holes, moving Frogren into Kronwall's place on the depth chart, or he's a possible back up to Finger, if he gets an early injury. But if Frogren is expected to crack the lineup off the bat, with Finger and Stralman playing regular shifts too, then there really is too many bozos in the circus. Like a McCabe backhand pass, this thing is about to explode. Cliff has only just begun. By the start of the NHL season, you will see a new-look Leafs.

Breaking News: We interrupt this post to announce that Mats Sundin may yet return to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Reports are coming in from around the globe that Cliff Fletcher is doing everything in his power to make the captain "very comfortable".

It starts with Cliff signing Cujo, Sundin's buddy, but it doesn't end there. Wilson's a tough coach who isn't afraid to call out anybody, but I don't think he'd ever embarrass Mats. The team will be led by Kaberle, Toskala, and Antropov; all Europeans. Frogren, Kulemin, Hagman, and Grabovski are all European additions. Stralman, a Swede, is expected to have an elevated role. And Jeff Finger and Jamal Mayers are here to make sure these pussies don't get kicked around. Looks like "home sweet home" for Sundin. A very comfortable set up, if you're not looking to win a Cup right away, that is.

Maybe it's true that Sundin does want to end his career as a Toronto Maple Leaf, but maybe it's also true, as suggested here, that he wanted to see what he was worth on the open market, flatter himself, and then go back to the bargaining table with Cliff. The Silver Fox has played his hand, and Mats, quite intelligently, has countered. But neither side has formally left the table, and I think there's a chance we could still see a deal. The just needed to shuffle the deck a bit first.