Bell Claimed by Rangers
It didn’t take long, but considering that every team lower than the Rangers in the Standings had the opportunity to take him, Mark Bell has slid quite a bit in terms of value.
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Archive for February, 2009
Leafs Management Surveying the College Scene
With the rebuild process in full effect, the Toronto Maple Leafs are exhausting every single possibility when it comes to bringing quality young players into their system. Dave Nonis, senior VP of hockey operations for the Leafs, was just on the Bill Watters show earlier this hour and discussed a number of topics pertaining to the Leafs, including the team’s approach to handling its NCAA prospects as well as possible interest in some of the prized college free agents. +Continue Reading
Playing The Odds
As the Trade Deadline approaches, speculation will continue to grow over which Maple Leaf players may be moving on to new NHL destinations.
The following is my own personal estimation of the likelihood of regular roster players actually getting dealt, based upon contract status, playoff/stretch drive impact potential, comments from players/coaches/management, and of course the metaphorical smoke & fire (the amount of repetition in the rumour mills). To quote the great Chazz Palminteri, “a rumour’s not a rumour that doesn’t die”.
Are Talks Heating Up?
The reputable Eklund is reporting with an always reliable “e4″ rating that the Maple Leafs are closing in on a deal with the Vancouver Canucks that will involve Nikolai Antropov heading west in exchange for a first round pick and a prospect. To no one’s surprise, Brian Burke and Mike Gillis have been carrying out negotiations for some time now, primarily on the subjects of Antropov and Tomas Kaberle. A deal is not as imminent as Eklund’s reporting, but there appears to be deal potential in Vancouver and potentially of the blockbuster variety.
Perfect Reception
When Mats Sundin made his return last night, in more than one respect, it was a perfect reception. The whole theater of what will happen when Mats returns to Toronto has come and gone and it completely personified what it’s like to be a fan. +Continue Reading
Post-Game: Leafs/Canucks – Sianora Sundin
On a night where we can say the “Sundin Saga” came to its exciting and fitting end, the Leafs played a second straight game where they showed the hard work and energy that was so characteristic of their early-season stretch of hockey. Upon the shootout conclusion of this game, I received three different messages all musing over the same thing: “Whoever scripted this game did it perfectly.” In the steady, reliable fashion that Leaf fans became accustomed to over thirteen years of service, Mats Sundin skated down the ice and with apparent effortlessness netted the shootout winner for his team. Except this time, he was doing it for the Vancouver Canucks.
Boo This Man!
I’ll keep this short and sweet. It’s become clear since Mats Sundin’s decision to sign in Vancouver in December that his unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause last trade deadline was more to do with a hesitance to jump ship on his teammates due to a false belief in his club as “still having a shot at the playoffs” than it was about being unable to picture himself in another jersey or being morally opposed to the concept of a rental player. Why he didn’t express the real truth as the pretext for his decision is what bothers me.
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The Sens Jump into the Fray
As the trade deadline looms ever closer, the Ottawa Senators have just completed the second major trade in the last few days, by sending San Jose’s 2009 1st round pick acquired from Tampa in the Andrej Mezaros trade along with center Dean McAmmond to the New York Islanders in exchange for center Mike Comrie and defenseman Chris Campoli. +Continue Reading
Fantasy Trade Deadline
Just a quick note as this is a busy time for everyone. I’m inundated with a multitude of fantasy-related issue with the trade deadlines in individual leagues.
Post-Game: Leafs/Blue Jackets – Twirling Tradewinds
A rather solid home game by the Leafs saw them come out on the short side of the stick in extra time (yet again), but a fair share of positives came out of tonight’s matchup. Justin Pogge played a very solid game in net for the Blue and White, and really needs to continue seeing time like this for anyone to get a fair idea of how he will perform in the NHL. Moreover, most of the Leafs were buzzing all night long, and this game really could have gone either way.
