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By ADAM, on January 26th, 2012 Earlier this week, the Maple Leafs announced that John-Michael Liles had been signed to a 4-year contract extension. You could argue that Liles left some money on the table by foregoing unrestricted free agency, but that’s not really the point I’d like to cover.
What interests me about this move, as a Leafs fan, is that we now have 8 NHL calibre defensemen on the roster, 6 of whom are already under contract for next season.
- Dion Phaneuf
- Mike Komisarek
- Luke Schenn
- Carl Gunnarsson
- Jake Gardiner
- John-Michael Liles
Toss in Cody Franson and Keith Aulie, both of whom are entering restricted free agency, and there’s a real logjam on the blue-line.
Odds are that one of them is going to be moved before the start of next season, if not before the trade deadline.
- Phaneuf has a big ticket contract and is the team captain. There’s very little chance that the Leafs would look to move him.
- Komisarek comes with a $4.5M cap hit and his play really hasn’t lived up to that level. From a purely financial aspect, he’d be the most likely candidate to move. The Leafs would have to take on another underachieving player in order to unload his cap hit. As one of Burke’s original golden boys, I don’t think we’ll see Komisarek move until his contract is up.
- As I alluded to a few weeks back, the shine has worn off of Schenn. At this point, I’m sure that the Leafs would move Schenn if they thought he could help get them a big, powerful forward. He’s young, has a reasonable contract for the next few years, and still shows enough flashes of brilliance that someone will think they can get the best out of him. The downside here is that he lacks any playoff experience, so he may not be a hot commodity going into the deadline.
- Gunnarsson has a very manageable cap hit of $1.325M and has turned into a valuable member of the Leafs. I’d hate to see him go, but he might be a useful part of a package for the forward that Burke covets.
- Gardiner is in year 1 of his ELC and he’s going nowhere. I still can’t believe the Ducks gave him up.
- Liles would have been a candidate to move before the extension, but that seems less likely now.
- Cody Franson is my pick as the odd-man out. He’s got a cap hit under $1M and is due for a significant increase in pay for next season. He brings a solid all-around game to the table and has some playoff experience. There’s a great chance that Franson is moved at the deadline.
- Aulie is also going to be an RFA, and that situation figures to play out well for the Leafs. He’s proven that he can compete at the NHL level, he brings a skill-set that the Leafs sorely lack (big, tough, stay-at-home) and the back-and-forth with the Marlies as kept his games played count down, which will help the Leafs in contract negotiations.
At the end of the day, there are too many cooks in the kitchen, and my money is on Franson to be sent packing.
By ADAM, on January 26th, 2012 I can’t stand to watch, but I am keeping an eye on Twitter.
It’s a real toss-up over what part of this event is the worst.
- The fact that the NHL seems to think that there’s some relevance or interest in this draft.
- The fact that major media outlets treat the draft like there’s some relevance or interest. For example, TSN is pointing out on their front page that Pavel Datsyuk and Erik Karlsson were the first 2 picks. Is there some significance to that?
- The fact that some American media guys are taking it seriously…I’ve seen serious stories out of Pittsburgh, New York, and Philadelphia discussing where their hometown players were drafted and whether their play may have merited a higher selection.
Like the all-star game in other sports, the NHL’s version has become completely ridiculous.
When I was a kid, I really enjoyed the NHL all-star game. I can vaguely remember collecting hockey cards that depicted the Gretzky/Yzerman vs. Lemieux/Sakic battles. There was some real interest in the East/West contest. That was before the Internet, and before everyone had access to every game they wanted to watch. It was an opportunity to see the best players from markets that we virtually never get to see.
Now, we see every team as often as we’d like. If I want to watch the Kings play the Sharks on a Thursday night, I can. That means that there’s no element of surprise in the all-star game; I’ve seen all the players, and can see them whenever I’d like.
The league has toyed around with gimmicks over the last few years, but none of them have managed to capture my attention. I’d like to see them return to the East/West battles, or even the North America vs. the World, but something definitely has to change if I’m ever going to watch this game and the assorted activities again.
By ADAM, on January 23rd, 2012 In one of the more overblown stories of the year, the Twittersphere has been abuzz tonight discussing the merits of Tim Thomas’s decision to skip the Boston Bruins trip to the white house. Here’s what Thomas had to say.
“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People,” Thomas’ statement read. “This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.”
“Because I believe this,” the statement continued, “today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.”
That sounds reasonable, which immediately rules him out of the Tea Party.
The whole “controversy” around this is asinine.
First, the tradition of the championship team being treated at the White House belongs in the same category as anthems before the game and criminal investigations into league issues. Sports and politics should not mingle in the best of times. With the entire world slowly circling the drain to economic catastrophe, they should stay far apart.
More importantly, Thomas is an American citizen. As such, it’s his right to exercise whatever freedoms he chooses. If he chooses not to lend whatever small vote of confidence his presence would lend, that’s his prerogative.
Seriously people. If you want to visit the White House, take the tour like anyone else.
By ADAM, on January 20th, 2012 I’ll admit to not watching the whole Leafs/Wild game last night, but the combination of what I did see, what the scoresheet says, and the final score, all point to a successful divorcing of Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Thursday night marked the first time all season that the Leafs’ 2 top scorers were separated, Kessel responded with a goal while Lupul picked up 3 assists.
The Leafs looked fast, as they have for most of the season, and organized, which is a nice twist. The Monster was solid in net, again, and James Reimer was solidly implanted in his rightful spot at the end of the bench.
One thing’s for sure, the Leafs are going to be in the playoff race right down to the end.
By ADAM, on January 18th, 2012 When the NHLPA rejected the NHL’s proposed realignment and scheduling changes a few weeks back, they released some PR BS (we’ll see lots of that in the coming months) about how the players were concerned about the potential travel burdens and playoff fairness.
While those may be legitimate gripes, make no mistake about it, this was the first shot in the 2012 labour battle.
The NHL wants something. To make it look like they’re working harmoniously with the players, they offered the NHLPA the opportunity to review the proposal. I suspect the NHL presumed it would be a formality. But there are no formalities in the coming war.
The NHL will not get anything for free. The players are correctly viewing this as a potential bargaining chip, and they were right to not concede the point this early.
There are many other topics that are going to come up over the next few months. None of them will be settled until a new CBA is in place.
- Olympic Involvement
- Safety Protocols
- Realignment
- Expansion/Contraction
- Salary Cap/Floor
- Shooutout/Overtime Rules
Most of us sitting at home today have a reasonable approximation of what the final solution will look like, so let’s hope that the NHL/NHLPA are smart enough to not throw another season down the drains.
By ADAM, on January 15th, 2012 So I finished the Eric Lindros book (“Fire on Ice“) that I made mention of the other day. Here’s a few more choice quotes.
The player who impressed me the most physically was one of our defensemen, Scott Stevens. Scott looks like Jean Claude Van Damme, the martial arts fighter from action movies like Double Impact and Universal Soldier. You should hae seen him. Wow! He’s just huge. He blew everybody away in the physical fitness testing on the opening day of training camp.
Aside from the obvious irony, how do you mention Van Damme movies and leave out Bloodsport?
What a lot of people don’t realize is that there’s no such thing as real free agency in the NHL. That was really drilled home to me again at the start of the Canada Cup when an NHL arbitrator awarded Scott Stevens to the New Jersey Devils after Brendan Shanahan signed as a free agent in St. Louis.
Eric is referencing this point as evidence that had he signed his first contract with the Quebec Nordiques, the state of free agency at the time means he probably would never have been allowed out of Quebec. It’s somewhat difficult for fans of today to appreciate that point, but when you consider the shenanigans involved in the Shanahan signing, it helps remind us how much that aspect of the game has changed.
This last quote is in a section of the book written by Brendan Shanahan. The book drops into sections written by various people from Eric’s life, including his parents, agents, lawyers, and team-mates, and it’s a style that is both different and effective.
Eric could turn around the entire tempo of a game without even touching the puck. I remember against Sweden, Keenan sat him out one shift. It was in the middle of the game; there was bit of a lull. When he opened the door to let Eric out, Eric was so fired up, he just went out and crushed a few guys with hits. It was awesome. On that same shift, he put Ulf Samuelsson out. And those were big, clean, hard hits, not cheap shots. It’s like, “Here I am. I’m coming. My elbows are down and I’m going to run you over.” It was a head-on challenge – and Eric won them all.
Of course, in hindsight, we know that Eric didn’t win them all. For those wondering, Shanahan is referring to a game against Sweden in the 1991 Canada Cup.
So, with this book finished, I must reiterate my desire to read the follow-up from Lindros. I really want to hear how his thoughts have changed, how he feels about the state of the game today, and what he might do differently given a do-over.
Alas, such a book does not yet exist, so I have moved on to a Mario Lemieux biography that was hiding on the book shelf. I’m sure some interesting stuff will arise there as well.
By ADAM, on January 14th, 2012 Let’s put a hold on that whole Schenn for van Riemsdyk thing, ok?
JVR sidelined indefinitely with concussion.
By ADAM, on January 13th, 2012 From philly.com comes word that something may be brewing between the Leafs and Flyers.
The speculation seems to be around a potential acquisition of Luke Schenn, a move that would pair him with his younger brother Brayden in the Flyers lineup.
When Brian Burke arrived as the GM of the Leafs, he was quite adamant that Luke Schenn was one of few “untouchable” pieces on the Leafs. Given that Schenn was a highly regarded, recent first round pick, it was a logical and defensible stance. Has that changed?
Schenn was the 5th overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, but few people would rate him that high in a do-over. Amongst those chosen after Schenn, we find Tyler Myers, Erik Karlsson, and Jordan Eberle. Schenn hasn’t blossomed into the top-flight shutdown defender that was once imagined, though he has evolved into a reliable contributor.
The emergence of Keith Aulie as a cornerstone of the Leafs defensive corps does 2 things.
- Demonstrates further just how badly the Leafs fleeced the Flames in the Dion Phaneuf trade.
- Makes Luke Schenn expendable.
Amongst the names mentioned as a possible return from Philadelphia are 2011 first round pick Sean Couturier and 2007 2-overall pick James van Riemsdyk. Either would be tremendous value for Schenn and satisfy a part of the Leafs need for a big, skilled forward. Van Riemsdyk brings with him a reasonable contract ($4.25/season for 5 more years), and would serve to even the distribution of cap space between the Leafs’ front and back ends.
Perhaps bringing some doubt to the mind of Brian Burke is the speculation that the Anaheim Ducks are open to parting ways with Ryan Getzlaf. It’s no secret that Burke’s infatuated with Getzlaf, and he’d be a perfect fit for the Leafs. Should something materialize there, I’d think that Luke Schenn could be a key part of the package the Ducks would want.
We know that Burke likes to swing deals before the deadline, so if something is brewing on either front I’d expect it to happen in the 2-week window wrapping around the “all-star” fiasco in Ottawa.
By ADAM, on January 13th, 2012 Hands up if you’re enjoying the chaotic experiment that is the Montreal Canadiens.
Seriously, let’s just recap the last few months for Pierre Gauthier and what is supposed to be hockey’s holy grail of a franchise.
Given that Pierre Gauthier was never this crazy in the past, one has to wonder who is actually calling the shots in Montreal. There’s been speculation that Geoff Molson is a little more involved than is healthy for a president/owner.
All I know for sure is that the Canadiens, considered a solid candidate for the playoffs by most pundits going into the season, are now a whole pile of hot mess. They’ve got half the Quebec-based media up-in-arms because Pierre Gauthier refuses to speak to them and Randy Cunneyworth can’t speak to them. They’ve got an owner and general manager who have publicly apologized for hiring the coach that’s standing behind the bench every night. Finally, they just traded their best offensive player for a lesser talent.
The Habs are a mess, and as a Leafs fan, I love it.
By ADAM, on January 12th, 2012 For reasons unknown, I’ve started re-reading Eric Lindros’ Fire On Ice. It’s a light read and it’s really only interesting given what we now know about how the career of Eric Lindros unfolded.
Here are 2 choice quotes I’ve come across so far.
When I go to watch a hockey game, I focus on one player for a shift. I watch what he’s doing, try to figure out what he’s thinking. When Steve Yzerman curls, he turns on a dime. Messier, when he drives, his feet never stop moving. When Al Iafrate rushes, he doesn’t care that he might get smoked, he just goes for it. You’ve got to like that. I look at what some guys do and I try to adapt it to my game. I try to integrate as much as possible. The more complete your skills are, the better a player you will be.
It’s surely a sign of how times have changed that one of the young superstars of the 1990′s was advocating rushing the puck with no fear or concern for getting steamrolled.
…I’m thinking, “All right, you’re in for a ride, you’re going down. I might get hurt, but you’re going to be hurt worse than I am.” You’ve got to think you’re invincible…
One can’t help but wonder if Eric’s career may have taken a very different path had he realized earlier that he wasn’t invincible.
As lacklustre and self-promotional as this book is, I think I’d very much love to read a follow-up to the Eric Lindros story.
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