Leafs Big Mouth?
It seems just a few months after an investigation was done on the Maple Leafs regarding the Vancouver Canucks Sedin twins prior to free agency day, the Leafs face yet another potential charge for tampering. Once again, it involves the Canucks, and Vancouver’s GM Mike Gillis is not standing back this time.
The Canucks have filed papers to the league for the investigation after a Leafs TV segment aired a clip in which Brian Burke, Dave Nonis and Cliff Fletcher discuss a potential deal between the Canucks and Lightning that involved Kevin Bieksa, Alex Burrows and Victor Hedman.
“There are certainly some issues that the league needs to take control off when players’ names are being thrown around. You’re talking about lives and families and those things need to be kept confidential when you may be discussing a transaction of some type. There was a mention of player’s names, which was very upsetting for them, and it doesn’t make me feel very good,” Gillis told TEAM 1040.
Gillis made it clear the Leafs should not be able to walk away without punishment for discussing players from another organization. “Listen, I don’t anticipate a fight with anybody, however we’re going to protect the integrity of this organization and our players. If anybody wants to take a shot at them inappropriately, we’re going to protect our interests.”
“Once the league becomes involved in a very serious matter it isn’t prudent for us to talk about it. It isn’t prudent for us to threaten or do anything or escalate a situation. The league is the watchdog here and it’s up to them to deal with these issues as they see fit. And, as a member of the league, our owners want protection from anything that may be adverse to their interests. I think that’s common to every team in the league, I think every owner would expect that, and that’s what we expect.”
It seems there could be quite the crackdown within the Leafs TV network for the “mistake” of airing the conversation. The conversation taking place is not illegal by any standards, but the conversation being aired on television is an error the Leafs management should have picked up on prior to the video being broadcasted.
Once again, an error by the Leafs that could prove costly.
A quick exerpt from Stan Lee on CFB pertaining to the Leafs this season:
“Where is the Leafs truculence they discussed all off-season? Montreal, Washington and Ottawa appeared bigger and meaner. Is anyone afraid to play the Leafs when Lee Stempniak is the one who is hammering the oppositions defense?”
Quick note of the Leafs practice today:
Stalberg did not skate, still no word on his injury. Gustavsson, Primeau, Van Ryn and Kessel also did not skate today.
As Per mapleleafs.com, here are the lines that skated together today:
Alexei Ponikarovsky – Mikhail Grabovski – Niklas Hagman
Jason Blake – Matt Stajan – Lee Stempniak
Nikolai Kulemin – John Mitchell – Jamal Mayers
Jay Rosehill – Rickard Wallin – Colton Orr
Francois Beauchemin – Tomas Kaberle
Mike Komisarek – Luke Schenn
Ian White – Jeff Finger
Garnet Exelby
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Micheal A. Aldred
