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There has been a lot of talk about the current Maple Leafs goaltending situation/tandem which is Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer. Are they enough to get us into the playoffs? Can they get us past a round if we make the post season this year?
Reimer was given the reins to the #1 spot and was playing well to start the season until a concussion in game seven knocked him out of the line up for an extended period of time. He has not been the same since his return as a 4-0-1 record has now become 7-5-4, Optimus Reim he has not been.
Jonas Gustavsson is now in the number 1 role, starting 10 out of 11 games in 2012 and has posted a record of 7-3-0 with three shutouts in this span but all though The Monster has played better of late, he is prone into letting in that bad goal at an inopportune time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 31 year old defensemen John-Michael Liles to a new 4 year contract extension, avoiding Liles becoming an unrestricted free agent. The deal is worth $15.5 million with an annual cap hit of $3.875 million which is slightly lower then his current cap hit of $4.2 million.
With NHL fighting slowly tampering off as most clubs look for not only a player that can fight but a player that can fight and still play a role with the club. The days of clubs carrying enforcers that play 4 minutes a game look to be coming to an end as the NHL slowly moves in a different direction.
It is hard to argue the NHL's direction, with the league at its highest levels in revenue, TV contracts, attendance and TV ratings. The league is not looking to abolish fighting at this time but for as many that enjoy this practice, there are just as many that feel if they want to watch a fight they will tune into a boxing or mixed martial arts contest.
The Maple Leafs are in an all familiar spot in the standings since the lockout, out of a playoff position once again thanks in part to a dismal month of December that saw the club go 4-6-3 and in a tight Eastern Conference that sees 10 points separating 3rd place from 12th place in the Conference the Buds need to get their game back on track
The team plays nine out of their next ten games at home, in what amounts to a very crucial part of the season, if the Buds can claim the majority of points in these games it should see them vault back into a playoff spot. The one thing that has been glaring in the month of December is a horrible penalty kill and a lack of confidence at times with the lead. This team also needs to stop getting off to slow starts, as playing catch up is a recipe for disaster.
Well Leafs Nation we have just passed the quarter point of the season and the Buds are sitting 2nd in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the whole NHL. How many Leaf fans saw this coming? Do we have any hand raising, I think not. I did feel that Buds would make the playoffs this season but did not see them being in the place that they currently are in the NHL.
I have to say it is alot more fun to watch the games this season, the team is fast, we are getting scoring and surprise, surprise we sit 3rd in the league on the PP (this is huge). This Leafs Nation is something we have been waiting for since the lockout. There is still alot of season to go but if the Buds continue to perform, April will be longer then we are accustomed too.
The 2011/12 Maple Leafs season is two days away against our arch rivals the Montreal Canadiens, the Buds will be looking to make the post season for the first time since the lockout. The club is one of only two clubs to have failed to do so (Florida Panthers the other) and will be looking to charge into the post season. Can the club score enough goals? Will the penalty kill finally stop something? What will the goaltending look like?
These are all major questions and some that the club, the fans and the media are already asking and we have not even dropped the puck yet. Well Leafs Nation lets take a look at 20 Insane predictions for the Maple Leafs 2011/12 season.
The NHL season is upon us Leafs Nation and the Toronto Maple Leafs made their final cuts today sending Keith Aulie and Mike Zigomanis to the AHL Marlies, while placing Darryl Boyce, Joey Crabb and Matt Lashoff on waivers as the October 6 home opener against the Habs inches closer.
There were a few surprises with the club as rookie defensemen Jake Gardiner and Jay Rosehill both stuck with the big club over Aulie and Boyce, while rookie forward Matt Frattin also is sticking with the big club as Nazem Kadri is out with an injury for 3 to 4 weeks. The Leafs opening night team will look like this.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone from 70 players at camp to 29 as October 6th, 2011 season opener against the Montreal Canadiens inches closer and closer and the club looking to trim down to the 23 player roster spots. Coach Ron Wilson has some interesting decisions to make as camp comes to a close, some of them expected while some of the surprising but all of a positive note.
We first take a look Leafs Nation at the players that are considered locks to make the squad come opening night. James Reimer, Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn, John-Michael Liles, Cody Fransen, Carl Gunnarsson, Mike Komisarek, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Tim Connolly, Joffrey Lupul, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Clarke MacArthur, Colton Orr, Colby Armstrong, Darryl Boyce, Jay Rosehill, Mike Brown, that is 19 players with Matthew Lombardi healthy this would be 20.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed stud defensemen Luke Schenn to a 5 year contract yesterday morning, announcing the deal just before training camp opened for the 2011-12 NHL season. Brian Burke signed last seasons hits leader to an annual cap hit of $3.6 million a season.
The soon to be 22 year old defensemen took some major strides last season after a dismal sophomore season. Schenn has appeared in 231 NHL games all for the Blue and White and will be back on what is pretty much a set blueline for the upcoming season that includes Dion Phaneuf, John-Michael Liles, Cody Fransen, Keith Aulie, Mike Komisarek and Carl Gunnarsson.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs will open training camp this Friday and have released their training camp roster. The club has invited 70 players to camp as the club gets into high gear for the upcoming season. Luke Schenn is on the list as the club and player continue to work on a long term deal.
Maple Leafs Training Camp Roster:
(jersey number beside player name)
Goalies:
50 Jonas Gustavsson
1 Mark Owuya
34 James Reimer
40 Jussi Rynnas
30 Ben Schrivens
73 Garret Sparks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have released their 2011/12 broadcast schedule as we inch closer and closer to the opening face off. The Leafs will have all 82 games broadcast between four stations. Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, CBC and Leafs TV will bring all the games to you live this season. The Leafs will be on Rogers Sportsnet 29 times, CBC 24 times, TSN 17 times and Leafs TV 12 times.
Maple Leafs fans we are just a few weeks from training camp, thats right Leafs Nation just a few weeks away from September and another run by our beloved Buds to end this playoff misery that we having been suffering from since the end of the lockout.
The Leafs have made a few changes from the club that ended the season in April:
In: Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi, Cody Fransen and Philippe Dupuis
Re-signed: James Reimer, Carl Gunnarsson, Clarke MacArthur, Tyler Bozak, Jay Rosehill, Darryl Boyce, Mike Zigomanis, Matt Lashoff, Luca Caputi, Ben Scrivens and Joey Crabb
The 2011 NHL draft has come and gone and Brian Burke has added nine lucky youngsters when it was all said and done. The Leafs made a minor move by trading their 30th overall and 39th overall picks to Anaheim to move up to the 22nd overall spot. We take a look at who the Bud drafted.
Tyler Biggs (Forward) 22nd Overall Pick
USA (Under 18)
GP: 48 G 17 A 11 PTS 28 PIM 112
- Prototypical power forward who embodies truculence. He has decent hands and can drive to the net while delivering big hits
Stuart Percy (Defense) 25th Overall Pick
Mississauga St. Michael's (OHL)
GP: 64 G 4 A 29 PTS 33 PIM 50
- A smart player who is rarely caught out of position in his own end, he guards the puck well and makes passes well in all three zones
Brian Burke has made a move just on the eve of the NHL draft acquiring offensive defensemen John-Michael Liles from the Colorado Avalanche for a 2nd Round pick in the 2012 draft that the team acquired from the Boston Bruins as part of the Tomas Kaberle trade earlier this season.
The 30 year old Indiana native picked up 46 points last season and has 275 points over his career in 523 games played. Liles has 1 year left on his contract that pays him $4.5 million a season but has a cap hit of $4.2 million and was taken by the Avalanche in the 5th round of the 2000 NHL entry draft, 159th overall.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs will try once again to make the post season for the first time since the lockout as restless Leafs Nation fans await to see what general manager Brian Burke does come UFA time on July 1st. The Buds need a top line center, another one or two players for the bottom six forwards a puck moving defensemen and a veteran backup goalie.
The Leafs GM may fill a gap or two come draft day but nothing is certain except that the salary cap has been increased to $64 million for next season with the Leafs currently having about $25 million to spend. They will need to lockup restricted free agents Luke Schenn, Clarke MacArthur and Tyler Bozak which should cost the club about $8 million a season for all three while unrestricted free agent Tim Brent is all but a lock to return back for a small increase bringing spending room down to about $16 million.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought in two new coaches to add Ron Wilson next season as the club looks to end their post lockout goose egg in making the NHL post season, gone are Tim Hunter and Keith Acton and in are Scott Gordon and Gregg Cronin. Leafs GM Brian Burke brings in two more Americans to the Blue and White.
Scott Gordon is the former Head Coach of the New York Islanders and posted a 64-94-23 record, he was also Wilson's assistant coach on the silver medal winning USA Olympic team of 2010. Gregg Cronin has been the Head Coach of the Northeastern University Huskies of the NCAA for the past six seasons.
On another note the Buds signed defensemen Carl Gunnarsson to a 2 year contract worth $2.65 million over two seasons.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed upcoming restricted free agent James Reimer to a new three year contract for a reported $5.4 million which amounts to a friendly cap hit of $1.8 million a season. Reimer took full advantage of injuries sustained to goaltenders ahead of him on the depth chart last season to wrestle away the number one spot and earn a hefty raise from $600,000.
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