Toronto Maple Leafs Diary: October 20th, 2011

Toronto Maple Leafs Diary
BFin
Toronto vs. Boston (Boston, MA)
Thursday October 20th, 2011

Bets: TOR + NYI (Upset Special - Whoops), PHI, LA, NYR, COL, WPG, NYI, BUF

Drink: Red Wine, I felt bad taking two game days off.

State of Dress: Laundry Day! Sporting some athletic pants and a t-shirt.

Location: Toronto, Ontario.

Mood: Optimistic.

Introduction:
The surging Maple Leafs are into Beantown to visit the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. Boston has started out the season very slow at 1-3-0 but have been absolutely ravaged by injuries...not to mention the old Stanley Cup hangover. Toronto has once again continued their hot start recording 9 points in their first 10 games, led completely by the line of Kessel - Insert Center Here - Lupul. The Monster gets his first start in goal tonight and should be in against Tukka Rask. If you're a betting man, the Leafs have 2.45 odds (as of noon today) so they are providing a very good payout tonight.

1st Period
- Re-watching Kessels jump into Phaneufs awaiting arms still gives me goosebumps 21 hours later. I have NEVER seen that level of Phil Kessel throughout his entire career. Based on the way he is described in the book "Future Greats and Heartbreaks" by Gare Joyce, Kessel wasn't even that excited when he was going through the draft process. Perhaps we have won him over?
- This is not demeaning in any way to David Steckels play (because he has been very good) but how sad is it that in our third year with Phil Kessel we still say "Imagine what he could do with a real first line center?"...
- Frattin just held up instead of driving Seidenberg into the boards, Shanahans early suspensions appear to have worked.
- I think people have figured Colton Orr out. His arms aren't long enough to connect if you keep him extended an arm-length away. What was the purpose of that fight anyways? I took the time to go get another glass of wine. Also, I don't think Ray Ferraro gets what the code is if he thinks that fight was the code. The code is about honour, respect and sticking up for teammates...not staging some bullshit waste of my time in warm-ups.
- Is Komisarek out of the line-up? I see Franson, Gardiner, Phaneuf, Liles, Schenn and Gunnar. Smartest decision we have made all season.
- That experiment with Steckel at center lasted two shifts...talk about a short leash and a small sample size.
- DAMN! Changed my laundry over and missed Ron Wilson putting Steckel back on Kessels line for his first goal as a Maple Leaf. Am I the only one who does not get what cohesion you can form with line mates if they are different each shift?
- Will the undeserved love-fest for Matt Frattin (HFBoard's rookie of the year - LOL) end tonight? Bad penalty that gives Boston momentum right after the Leafs took it.
- And there it is. Nathan Horton with a gimme on the doorstep after Gardiner pinches too high on the PK and Monster fails to control his rebound. Boston is going to start controlling this game if we give them free chances.
- Phil Kessel needs to take the momentum back here (Didn't think I'd ever say that in my life).
- If I am an NHL GM or Coach I have a serious issue with TSN asking my players to speak to them during commercial breaks instead of them focusing on the game, especially when it's John Michael Liles.
- Another power play goal. When will we ever learn?
- I like Cody Franson, but he lost the puck there and missed his man. This is a brutal end to this period.
- Wow I love Dave Hodge. Articulate, insightful, sarcastic...perfect guy to be the old man on the NHL on TSN panel.


2nd Period
- Great back-check by Kulemin. I see a Selke Trophy in his career at some point.
- Isn't Kadri playing wing? Why is he protecting the slot with Lombardi right beside him?
- I guess we were due for this at some point, but one has to ask whether or not the team we have seen tonight or the team we saw in the third last night are the real Maple Leafs. My fears are that it is somewhere in between but leaning towards tonight.
- Seriously impressed with Gunnars performance in his own end tonight. I was skeptical as to why he was paired with Dion but his blocked shots tonight have been absolutely crucial. Love admitting that I was wrong, when it benefits the Leafs.
- Ron Wilson's dog-house is bigger than Mike Vicks. Bozak has been the Leafs best center at both ends of the ice and we continue to experiment with him on other lines. Also, that god-house line could have been one of my best since the one about Mike Komisarek physically assaulting a woman a foot smaller in a Los Angeles nightclub. (Didn't think I was going to forget that one tonight, did you?)
- I would love to see a one-on-one competition between Komisarek and Liles a la Coach Bombay vs. Coach Iceland. Liles just sitting at the blue line letting Komisarek skate down to the other end, Komisarek blowing a tire while attempting to take a slap shot at the cross-bar. Not exactly 3 post quality stuff.
- "Phaneuf has got a face full of Zdeno Chara" may not be commentary as much as a Gord Miller fantasy. Just saying.
- Tim Thomas is on his unorthodox game tonight.
- Gord Miller follows it up with his best comment of the early season "To the bench" when describing Boychuk's go-to move on a breakaway.
- Tim Thomas needs to get an Iron Man themed mask after the number of posts the Leafs have hit in this period.
- Am I the only one that gets a man-rection every time I see the massive machinery in the Rio Tinto Diamond Mine commercials?
- I honestly feel bad for the Monster and Franson...Liles can not cover anyone. I know we are paying for his offence but what is the point if he is playing on the third unit?
- Frattin works his tail off, just doesn't have the creativity in his pro game to be an offensive force yet. I appreciate his game.
- Thanks for reminding me that we gave up a 2nd rounder for Liles...damn you TSN
- Kadri mopes more than Ior
- Kessel has zero shots. Boston must play a much bigger psychological game than it should.
- Tim Thomas won that period.


3rd Period
- The old NHL12 pass across the crease puts one home for the Bruins
- Leafs D has been bad tonight. All around. More Komisarek? lol
- Ric Flair references in Boston? What do Ric Flair and the Bruins have in common...absolutely nothing other than their ages. You're an original six Boston. As my buddy PK says 'act like you've been there before'.
- I have been blaming the D a lot tonight, but at the same time Gustavsson does not look like an NHL goaltender. Rynnas has proven he's a solid AHL starter, Scrivens needs time to show it as well...why not the end of this Monster experience?
- Why is Mike Brown playing with Kessel? FFS Wilson these guys need consistency! How are five line combinations in one night going to help you figure out what works?
- "Tyler Seguin breaks up a 2 on 1 between Kessel and Mike Brown"...ugh
- I have never seen a monster with that weak of a right hook. Kids not an NHL'er.
- Why is Mike Brown playing so much? We all know I love his PK abilities and speed, but regular shifts in a game we are trailing makes no sense to me.
- Oh wow. Someone call Ben Scrivens, the Bruins just killed a monster.
- I almost gave up on this diary and then realized that the Monster is still in the game and we have 8 minutes of goals left.
- HAH sweet fuck all for condolences tonight, but scoring during the "Thank you Kessel" chant was poignant.
- Nice assist by Gardiner. Needs to jump in the rush more.
- Now I am not looking this up and somewhat pulling it out of my ass (thanks wine) but I do believe that the 'Monster' has allowed 6 goals in his first game and that Reimer gave up 7 in his first THREE games. I yearn for the days of Don Beaupre.
- One has to ask what value Rosehill or Orr added to the lineup tonight? Wastes of space.
- Adele done by the organist in Boston is much more epic than the ACC's playing of a CD. Kudos to Boston for maintaining the organ! (Billy should love that one)
- Having the camera focus on Zdeno Chara with the song 'Shout!' playing in the background was odd.
- Bozak has been the best center on the Leafs tonight.
- Question: After tonight, who will be louder abour KOMISAREK BEATING A WOMAN IN AN LA NIGHTCLUB, myself or Gustavsson trying to distract?
- 17 goals against in Monsters last three starts. Come on.


Conclusion:

The Good - Tough one. The stats were mis-leading to me because Gardiner and Kadri both got pluses in garbage time. Gardiner played better in the third than he did in the first part of the game. Kadri didn't impress me at all. Luke Schenn is still not Luke Schenn. BUT I honestly believe that despite the -2 that Tyler Bozak had a pretty good game. He was in the shooting lane and adapted to whatever position or line combo Wilson put him on. It was tough to look good tonight with Jonas playing behind you.

The Bad - OBVIOUS. Red Light Gustavsson. His performance this evening cemented the fact that he is nothing more than an average AHL goalie. Absolutely do not want to see him in the Leafs net again.

Overall - Misleading game because how do you judge it if Reimer is in? As I said before, expectations will be tempered until the 10 game point of the season because the sample size we have seen thus far is too small. If the Monster has officially been killed off in Toronto, I would not be upset. I don't like being an angry Leaf fan.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Where Do We Go From Here?
BF's Blog
August 16th, 2010

August 15th, 2010 came and went without much fanfare. A statement released from Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke simply read: "While a number of clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas' value to our team".

Some say they expected it all along, others were outraged that no deal for a top six forward could be made. I for one am neither here nor there, Tomas is a fantastic offensive defenceman and will continue to be a solid point producer on the back-end. On the other side of the coin is the fact that our defence continues to be overloaded and our top end forwards continue to be thin.

One has to ask themselves how a deal was not consummated when Brian Burke had stated that 10 teams had submitted offers with about 5 days to go before the deadline. One has to think that with that many deals on the table, one could have surely been made that would have been beneficial to the forward corps on the Leafs. That's not to say I wanted one to be made, but at the same time I am beginning to feel as though Burke is not always the most truthful GM in the league. Ten offers and no deals? Ten offers and no competition for his services in the final hours of the deadline? Perhaps Burke was doing more posturing than actual negotiating in this case.

If I can say one thing about this outcome, it is that I hope Toronto fans do not turn on Kaberle like Bryan McCabe. McCAbe got shabby treatment at the end of his career, and it visibly affected his performance on the ice. Neither one of these two players deserves it, and fans really can't use the dip in performance excuse like they did for McCabe. Tomas still remains one of the most skilled DMen in the league, and still has a number of good years left under his belt. We should be encouraged by his desire to remain with Toronto, and hope that many more of our players can act with the same class that he has displayed throughout his career and this off-season.

Will Someone be Moved?

Lacking a Kaberle trade this leads one to believe that one of the D-Men must be moved before the beginning of this season. With eight defenceman on the roster having guaranteed contracts and NHL experience, it is very apparent that there will be a log jam, and too many dollars invested on defence. Lets take a look at who's in the picture:

Dion Phaneuf - $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek - $4,500,000
Tomas KAberle - $4,250,000
Francois Beauchemin - $3,800,000
Jeff Finger - $3,500,000
Luke Schenn - $2,975,000
Brett Ledba - $1,450,000
Carl Gunnarsson - $800,000

Jeff Finger being the unmovable contract is naturally going to be a Maple Leaf for the tenure of Cliff Fletchers big mistake. He's not an awful defensive defenceman by any means, but he is not worth that much money for that amount of overall production. This leads me to believe that perhaps Francois Beauchemin could be the likely target of any team looking for a solid two way defender. Beauchemin can play the power play, penalty kill, and will stick up for his teammates. He has a big shot, decent defensive skills, and can hit...not a bad package for under $4 million dollars. He is a Brian Burke guy, so it leads one to believe that Burke will be hesitant to move him...however I don't know many people looking for a $4.5 million dollar defensive defenceman (Mike Komisarek).

What would a Beauchemin trade get the Maple Leafs? Personally I think you abandon any idea of a top 6 forward here, and I don't think the Leafs really need any more bottom 6 players. I think a 2nd-4th round pick and perhaps a mid-level prospect could be something that a team would think about. Perhaps a bigger deal would be consummated involving a forward or prospect could also be looked at. Who knows though, I'm just spit balling ideas.

Where does that leave us now?

Lacking top flight forward talent, however having a lot of depth overall on the front end. Players like Versteeg and Kadri will be solid producers for years to come, and Tyler Bozak had flashes of brilliance last year. I don't see any of those players as top 3 forwards on a playoff contender or championship team, but they are improvements from the Tuckers and Stajan...so we are getting there. Burke was said to be in Europe discussing a contract with a free agent player a couple weeks ago, however, I can't imagine that there is a first line player available as a UFA in Europe that is not named Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk was still thought to be a New Jersey Devil at this time, so lets rule him out officially.



Toronto presently sits without a first round pick in next years draft, having sent it to Boston in the Phil Kessel trade. If this pick turns out to be another lottery pick it would be a huge blow to the Maple Leafs, so my expectation is that Burke will do everything he can in order to make the playoffs.

Who's Available in the Summer of 2011? Who Can We Afford?

Giguere's 6 million dollar salary is about the only contract that will be coming off the books next year, without a trade this season or Jeff Finger being buried in the minors. If a player of Beauchemin's calibre/contract value is traded it should leave the Leafs with about 10-12 million dollars to spend on a backup goalie, and a forward or two. (This is assuming that Bozak and Schenn will get slightly less, or close to the $3 million they each made in salary and bonus last year.) What free agent goalies and first line Center/Left Wingers could be attractive to the Leafs next year?

Brad Richards
Dallas Stars
C - $7,800,00 in 2010

Richards had 91 points last year with the Stars after registering only 48 the year before. He has been a little inconsistent to warrant his salary in 2010, however, if he has another 90 point season in 2010 he could be looking for another 6-7 million in 2011. If signing Richards to a 5 year $30 million dollar deal was a possibility...I would be happy as a pig in shit.


Patrice Bergeron
Boston Bruins
C - $4,500,000

Hasn't quite been the same since his string of bad concussions...but he is looking much better with each passing week. Had a bit of a comeback year in 2009 with 54 points, and with a strong 2010 could be looking for a bit of a raise. At only 25 years old, this is a very interesting player for the Maple Leafs and should absolutely be considered if he is healthy. Prior experience with Phil Kessel does not hurt either.


Zach Parise
New Jersey Devils
L - $3,125,000

This one is a big IF. IF the Devils come to terms with Ilya Kovalchuk, on a contract that will certainly come at a bigger cap hit than the 17 year deal...it will make it very tough for them to sign Zach Parise to a contract extension next summer. This is more of a pipe dream, as I don't think the Devils can afford to let a player of Parise's skill walk, but lets hope. He'd look great with Kessel.

JS Giguere
Toronto Maple Leafs
G - $6,000,000

Certainly will not make anywhere near $6 million in 2011. If he wants to stay in Toronto, and sign a 2 year $4 million dollar deal, I could see Burke keeping him to continue mentoring the Monster. Stability is never a bad thing in a young players development. Should the Monster not turn out to be a starting goalie, Giguere could fill the void until one of the many goaltending prospects (Reimer, Jussi Rynnas) makes it to the show.

Note: Joe Thornton was excluded due to the fact that I expect him to be re-signed by San Jose, or traded to a team that will have an extension in place.

Where are We Going??

Firstly, glad to still have you here Tomas. Keep putting up those points and running that power play!

At this point the Maple Leafs must stay the course with Burkes plan to build quickly, and avoid giving away a top 5 draft pick next season. If the Leafs can sustain a consistent effort on both sides of the puck they should stay away from a pick that low, and maybe push for one of the last playoff spots. The free agent class of 2011 does show some promise at positions that the Maple Leafs will need help, and if the Leafs can sign some of those players it would make them a very dangerous team come the 2011 season. This is without even considering the further maturation of Bozak, Kulemin, Gustavsson, Schenn, Gunnarsson, Versteeg, Kessel etc.

If everything falls into place, there is a lot of promise in my mind. With, or without a Kaberle trade.

Take Care
-BF
www.twitter.com/brandonfinleyy

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