year warm forcings melting news iii shelf economists…

“Toronto loves whipping posts Edward. Even politically, we love whipping the mayor but he seems to like it too. I see it that all fans and citizens of Toronto have an inane need to run someone down. Even on this site, the biggest targets are Blake and Stajan when a much worse player (Wallin) slips through the cracks for the occasional beating only.”

Much worse player – you must be kidding. Given the ice time and powerplay time that Blake has had.. the FACT he has two goals is beyond bad – he should be ashamed enough to bench himself – obviously Wilson doesn’t have the courage to do it.

Stajan versus Wallin – well I think that competition would remind me of the “fight” that Semin had last season I believe – a couple of girls slapping each other. Neither is robust – they both are far too passive at killing penalties – they both form a component of the worst PK int he league… but Stajan has had a lot of time on the first or second line – I don’t believe he has an even strength goal… but he’s certainly ahead of Wallin in hits that resulted in him being on his butt on the ice. Yup he’s ahead there.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not a fan of any of the three – but compariing Wallin to Blake at 4M for 2 goals is a joke. Stajan seems to get weaker (physically) each game… which leads me to wonder if his going bald is sapping him of his strength (you know the whole Samson thing).

Truth is… none of them has earned a spot at this point. And since the year is pretty much a right off…why not bring the kids up and see what they can do. What would be the harm? Oh yeah… I forgot – Wilson/Burke deemed the kids to be ‘not ready’ … so therefore the kids won’t get a chance to prove the “ultimate keepers of all hockey knowledge” wrong.

Could you imagine if Ron Wilson actually had to go in front of the camera’s to say … ‘well I guess my decision to not keep the FRAT pack in the line-up wasn’t the best… blah blah blah…’ (Quick Henney – ask him a question he can easily answer!!!!)

Come on already – how long with the Blake experiment need to continue for it to be deemed a failure? How long until BB has to ‘accept’ that Matt Stajan isn’t capable of anything more than being the player rep?

you forgot the one where he wheels full speed into the zone and he’s going so fast he can’t control the puck – circles to the opposite side face-off circle – waits for the incoming two defenders – usually 1 D and 1 Winger… he waits to long – then makes a lame soft pass back to the teammate at the point – who subsequently gets mashed by one of the opposition who has seen this lame play on every replay since 2006…. what a teammate

Because they’ll get a better return for Mueller. Basically, my point is, Phoenix ain’t giving up Mueller for Sopel. If they were that stupid, Chicago would be all over it and then trade Mueller for a lot more than they gave up for him. And Mueller ain’t gonna be that expensive with the year he’s having. He might be a decent replacement if they have to trade Sharp or someone to clear more space.

I think we Leafs fans have got to remember the 2009-10 team is an amalgam of three different managerial approaches (Toskala/Blake from JFJ, Stempniak, Finger, Mayers and Schenn from Fletcher, and Burke’s moves), which will be wiped clean (to a large extent) by the 11 impending UFA’s. Burke certainly knows that the value of each of his UFA’s will provide the team a greater return closer to the deadline if the team begins to claw its way back from the current abyss.

Other teams like Chicago may be in some bind, but Burke need not feel the same. He has 5 more years on his contract and essentially a clean slate this summer to go in whatever direction he wants. As such, hoping for major moves with the current roster to enable Marlie call ups before U.S. Thanksgiving is self defeating.

The team needs to provide the appropriate time for players to develop in the minors. Proper development is a key cornerstone in improving the club’s overall prospects and maximizing assets. Fans cannot continue to expect youngsters to come in and make an impact immediately and then boo them off the ice when they begin to struggle. The team needs to prepare the youngsters properly and give them the tools/environment to succeed long term.