Lightning at Leafs « Maple Leafs Hot Stove

Lightning at Leafs

Garrett Bauman
March 11, 2010
Uncategorized
429 comments

(On the road … so here is a quick thread for tonight’s action.)

The Toronto Maple Leafs (21-33-12), who are coming off a hard-fought overtime win over the Boston Bruins, are host to the Tampa Bay Lightning (27-27-11), tonight at 7pm.

The Leafs, who are all but officially out of the playoff race, are playing for jobs next season. To that end, the young players on the roster have put together a string of impressive efforts, and if their resilient play continues, few players will anonymously refer to them as an “AHL team”.

Game Notes:

The Leafs are sporting a 2-2-1 record since the Olympic Break ended, including three overtime games (2 wins).
The Lightning, meanwhile have gone 1-6 in their past 7 games, with three one-goal losses and 34 goals allowed (4.86 GAA) during that span.
Steven Stamkos has emerged as a superstar this season, and is currently in the midst of a 17-game point streak, during which time he has recorded an astounding 16 goals and 15 assists.

Roster Notes:

Ron Wilson continues to alternate his goaltenders. J-S Giguere gets the start tonight, with Jonas Gustavsson expected to go Saturday against Edmonton.
Francois Beauchemin missed practice yesterday (suspected flu), but is expected to play tonight.
Lost in the team’s struggles this season is the excellent development of Nikolai Kulemin and Carl Gunnarsson. Gunnarsson in particular looked great in the rookie camp last fall, and has translated that success into a full-time job as a smart, steady defender with offensive upside. Kulemin has added a physical element to his game, which has made a world of difference to his becoming a legitimate top six forward.

429 Responses to “Lightning at Leafs”

Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] Show All

401
the Surreal McCoy Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:24 am
kingkessel wrote:

I have seen two of these posts in just as many days and people keep on forgetting Sjostrom. If I remember correctly he was drafted 11th overall in the first round, in 2001.

yep, you remember correctly.

edit – FIRST post on page 9!!!!! wooo fucking hoooo!!! today is my lucky day!! i might even win a goddamn donut!
402
brokensilence Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Wook wrote:

CarltontheBear wrote:
Beauchemin (-15)
Kaberle (-15)
Mitchell (-11)
Finger (-10)
Komisarek (-9)
Wallin (-9)
Exelby (-8)
Stalberg (-8)
Can you say defensive liability? I realize that the team as a whole has stunk, but greater than half of the roster sits above -2. I think that Stalberg will score many goals for us but he will also cost us as many as well (e.g. LeCavalier’s breakaway in OT). It will be interesting to see how these numbers change throughout the remainder of the season as I expect many more tight games.
By the way, only Finger had less time on ice than Kaberle. Why do some people want to keep him again?

keep in mind that stalberg is a young, offensively minded winger straight from the NCAA. his defensive game will come in time. what’s nice about him though is that his speed can also allow him to get back into the play to cover for his mistakes sometimes.
403
B Leaf Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 11:59 am
I am happy that we have finally got our young guys playing. Not to be negative, but I can still see that alot of ground can be made by moving some key players outta here. Addition by subtraction.
1) Tomas Kaberle must be moved in the summer. I can’t possibly imagine that Burke is serious about an extension. As soon as Kaberle goes, this team immediately gets better. He has one good game about every five. I would like to get a good return but even if we don’t I want him outta here. We should be able to get a piece of the puzzle for him. I would love to see the Leafs go hard to bring Whitey back since he is an RFA and I am not sure Calgary can really afford him at the price he should demand.
2) John Mitchell would not make another roster in the NHL
3) Rickard Wallin is playing better but no where near what he needs to be. With our lack of top line talent we need 12 contributing forwards. I don’t think Wallin can bring what we need.
4) Wayne Primeau just hasn’t impressed enough for another look. I would rather see one of our prospects like Joel Champagne next year than Primeau. Having said that Joel Champagne should spend a year or two with the Marlies. But there should be other players available that can bring more than Primeau.
404
Brian Burke is bringing sexy back! Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Wook wrote:

CarltontheBear wrote:
Just thought I’d throw this out there. Schenn has 4G, 11A and is +1 in 64 games. Compare that to last year’s 2G, 12A and -12 in 70 games last year. For all the heat he took this year, his offense has slightly improved and his +/- has improved quite a bit on a much shittier team.

Besides the numbers, Schenn looks much more comfortable out there and maintains his position very well (unlike one of his teammates whose last name starts with a “B” and ends with “N”). Did you see that one handed throw down of Tanguay in the 3rd period? He did the same thing against Boston as well. He will only get better.
Speaking of numbers, guess who was the sole minus player last night? That stat is an unfair representation of his play given that Giguere had to cover for his mistakes on numerous occasions including a breakaway and odd-man rushes. Plus/minus stats can be misleading, but in his case, I would argue that the numbers fit the sub-par play. And yes, he shares the lead with Kaberle in that department. Compared to Schenn and Gunnarson, this guy looks like a nervous rookie D.
Beauchemin (-15)
Kaberle (-15)
Mitchell (-11)
Finger (-10)
Komisarek (-9)
Wallin (-9)
Exelby (-8)
Stalberg (-8)
Can you say defensive liability? I realize that the team as a whole has stunk, but greater than half of the roster sits above -2. I think that Stalberg will score many goals for us but he will also cost us as many as well (e.g. LeCavalier’s breakaway in OT). It will be interesting to see how these numbers change throughout the remainder of the season as I expect many more tight games.
By the way, only Finger had less time on ice than Kaberle. Why do some people want to keep him again?

You shouldn’t have wrote that, Triple H is gonna try to ridicule you by sarcasticly telling you that we should trade all those players!
405
lonsmos2 Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
honesthockey wrote:

Tyler Bozak is tracking at 1 point behind where Matt Duchene is if pro-rated over an 82 game schedule as a rookie. Yep there is an age difference but it is still impressive. Over the last 10 games he has 8 points and seems to be getting better and better as he gets comfortable.
@Jordan
I said on more than one occasion that the team that started the season here could not win. I will say now that no matter what happens in the off season this team will be much better next year even if they make zero moves! A lineup that looked like this should have been started out of camp and included Kadri. Oh well he will be a huge part of next years playioff team.

I agree but I guess BB had to showcase some of the deadwood to make other moves particularly Dion
406
Brian Burke is bringing sexy back! Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
B Leaf wrote:

I am happy that we have finally got our young guys playing. Not to be negative, but I can still see that alot of ground can be made by moving some key players outta here. Addition by subtraction.
1) Tomas Kaberle must be moved in the summer. I can’t possibly imagine that Burke is serious about an extension. As soon as Kaberle goes, this team immediately gets better. He has one good game about every five. I would like to get a good return but even if we don’t I want him outta here. We should be able to get a piece of the puzzle for him. I would love to see the Leafs go hard to bring Whitey back since he is an RFA and I am not sure Calgary can really afford him at the price he should demand.
2) John Mitchell would not make another roster in the NHL
3) Rickard Wallin is playing better but no where near what he needs to be. With our lack of top line talent we need 12 contributing forwards. I don’t think Wallin can bring what we need.
4) Wayne Primeau just hasn’t impressed enough for another look. I would rather see one of our prospects like Joel Champagne next year than Primeau. Having said that Joel Champagne should spend a year or two with the Marlies. But there should be other players available that can bring more than Primeau.

1) I think Burke is serious about trying to give him an extension. Depends of the asking price and what Kaberle commends vai a trade. I would love to have Whitey back, but I have a hard time seeing it.
2) Of course he would. We had worst players cracking other nhl team roster. You guys are really hard on Mitchy.
3) I also think he is not nhl bound.
4) I wouldn’t resign Primeau either. No point losing time with an old kinda washed up player when we can start developping young talent.
You wanna step HH, Bring it on Stajan lover!
407
lonsmos2 Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Steve Stavro wrote:

Jordan wrote:
@ Steve Stavro:
Just watch the 1st one again and pretend its the second one lol. It wasn’t pretty
Lol ya just found it, yuck! Either way though, I hope this gives him some confidence.
Man Tyler Bozak is amazing me just as much as Kulemin is so far. After all this guy went through at the beginning of the year it’s really cool to see him doing so well. He’s just very smart with the puck and plays hard, fast, and creative.

I’m also surprised he is so strong on his skates particularly since he had a bad knee injury last year
408
Brian Burke is bringing sexy back! Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
brokensilence wrote:

Wook wrote:
CarltontheBear wrote:
Beauchemin (-15)
Kaberle (-15)
Mitchell (-11)
Finger (-10)
Komisarek (-9)
Wallin (-9)
Exelby (-8)
Stalberg (-8)
Can you say defensive liability? I realize that the team as a whole has stunk, but greater than half of the roster sits above -2. I think that Stalberg will score many goals for us but he will also cost us as many as well (e.g. LeCavalier’s breakaway in OT). It will be interesting to see how these numbers change throughout the remainder of the season as I expect many more tight games.
By the way, only Finger had less time on ice than Kaberle. Why do some people want to keep him again?

keep in mind that stalberg is a young, offensively minded winger straight from the NCAA. his defensive game will come in time. what’s nice about him though is that his speed can also allow him to get back into the play to cover for his mistakes sometimes.

And what speed he has. The kid impresses me a lot when he has so little nhl experience. I agree that his D game will come.
409
LeafsRyan. Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I’m vacationing in Tampa right now so I was lucky enough to catch the game on Sun sports(The weather is brutal and has rained everyday) and the commentators couldn’t get over how fast Stalberg was… I’m not saying both, but you just get the feeling out of both Kulemin and Stalberg one of them will be a real gem. Next year we will see both of them start the year in our top 9 forwards. Kessel, Bozak, Kulemin, Stalberg, Sjostrom are the only real locks, with Grabovski and Hanson likely to get a spot. Colton Orr will start on the 4th line. Kaberle will be traded for a forward and Gunnarson will run the PP with Phaneuf. Kadri should start the year with the Marlies.
410
Kostas Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Fan590.. BB is on next segment.. He may have signed a kid from the College leagues. A D-man
411
Wook Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Kostas wrote:

Fan590.. BB is on next segment.. He may have signed a kid from the College leagues. A D-man

Are you referring to Simon Gysbers? Signed for 2 years @ 705K per two way according to Capgeek.com.

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3973473
412
B Leaf Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
On fan 590 Burke says Gustavasson is coming back if his contract demands are reasonable.
413
Charlie Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Wow, Burke just left out Schenn from his top 6 of dmen.
414
lonsmos2 Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Charlie wrote:

Wow, Burke just left out Schenn from his top 6 of dmen.

ya noticed that too
415
rustynail Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Who was his top 6?
416
lonsmos2 Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
rustynail wrote:

Who was his top 6?

actually I don’t think it was his top 6 it was just he named the following defencemen and was saying that was a pretty good group as compared to other teams. He mentioned Dion, Kaberle, Beau, Komi and Gunnerson but I didn’t hear him say Schenn…
417
Blue Max Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Say what you will, but our 29Th ranked team has manhandled some of the better teams in the league. Part of the reason we were able to trade some of what many considered “deadwood” for a great return from Calgary is that we utterly dominated them in the one one game we played. Speed-wise anyway. Sutter, impressed with what he witnessed, decided he might be better off adding some of the players he liked to his listless team. Despite criticizing RW in the past, I have to give him props for getting the best of a perpetually disadvantaged squad.
It looks like the US getting to the finals was no accident after all. I shudder to think how could they could have been had BB and RW been from a talent pool as deep as the Canadian side. I think we’re lucky to have both.
418
Charlie Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
peterbleafs wrote:

Jordan wrote:
Nah, Poni seemed like he would be a great guy. He got guys like Kulemin and Grabovski to play better and even they gave him credit for it. He loved it here but yet still busted his ass so we could get a good prospect for him. He gets full marks from me and if the price was right I wouldn’t mins him back on our team
I dont connect the two directly but what I do think is happening is that a new feeling has taken over and the purging of players is a big part of it all. I get the sense that even on the ice Kaberle feels his days are numbered, its almost like he is on the outside. Even the announcers rarely say his name. I do not want Poni back. In life going backwards is rarely a good thing…so wish him the best, recognize the good he gave and move forward.
With Kadri now 4th in scoring and poised to finish right behind Hall and Sequin with less games played we have another elite player about to join us next year. We are young, big and very very fast.

By the way, you all seem to forget that Hall is in the same boat as Kadri as far as games missed. I think he has only played two more games than him.

Oh, and Kadri is in 5th right now.
419
Charlie Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Jordan wrote:

No way Kulemin will get 3 mil yet. I see 2.25-2.5

I hope we lock him up for as many years as his agent will allow at that price.
420
BeLeafer Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
@ Brian Burke is bringing sexy back!:
1) Not a chance Kabby resigns, there’s 0% chance of that happening, the trade will go down and we’ll get a young/solid top 6 fwd in return
2)Mitchell can be usefull.. look for him to be the 13 forward next year, as we have a UFA/ Kadri / + coming aboard
3) wallin is gonzo
4) Mitchell — see ya
421
Charlie Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Kostas wrote:

@ Leafsfan84
If I had to pick one player from the draft this coming year it would be Nino N … he totally fits in a young BB team. He’s kind of like the new breed of power forwards.

Ok, it’s officially.

I’m excited about Nino.
422
BeLeafer Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
@ lonsmos2:
on air slip up.. Burke loves Luke, he’s in the top 6 for sure…
423
B Leaf Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
If Kaberle stays with the Leafs past August 15th I will be very, very ,very disappointed. C’mon Burke I have endured enuf pain as a Leaf fan, please don’t make it any worse.
424
Charlie Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
BeLeafer wrote:

@ Brian Burke is bringing sexy back!:
1) Not a chance Kabby resigns, there’s 0% chance of that happening, the trade will go down and we’ll get a young/solid top 6 fwd in return
2)Mitchell can be usefull.. look for him to be the 13 forward next year, as we have a UFA/ Kadri / + coming aboard
3) wallin is gonzo
4) Mitchell — see ya

Um, #2 and #4?
425
Blue Max Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
BeLeafer wrote:

@ Brian Burke is bringing sexy back!:
1) Not a chance Kabby resigns, there’s 0% chance of that happening, the trade will go down and we’ll get a young/solid top 6 fwd in return
2)Mitchell can be usefull.. look for him to be the 13 forward next year, as we have a UFA/ Kadri / + coming aboard
3) wallin is gonzo
4) Mitchell — see ya

.
I bet you Kabere re-signs. Had RW not put Kessel on his PP unit Kaberle was on pace for a 70+ point season. I think this little experiment with 3 point-men Kessel-Kaberle-Phaneuff/Beauchemin/whatever
has to end.
426
Angry Analyst Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
I noticed someone say that Kessel didn’t play on Boston’s PP unit last year.. Lol..

I’m pretty sure he was either the leading PP scorer for them or one of them..
427
slowburn Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
kingkessel wrote:

wiski wrote:
Plus look at all the first round draft pic`s we have now
Phil Kessel – 5th overall 2006
Luke Schenn – 5th overall 2008
Nazem Kadri – 7th overall 2009
Mike Komisarek – 7th overall 2001
Dion Phaneuf – 9th overall 2003
Jamie Lundmark – 9th overall 1999 ()

I have seen two of these posts in just as many days and people keep on forgetting Sjostrom. If I remember correctly he was drafted 11th overall in the first round, in 2001.

We can add Paradis to this list as well.
428
Schenn Says:
March 12th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Kostas wrote:

@ Leafsfan84
If I had to pick one player from the draft this coming year it would be Nino N … he totally fits in a young BB team. He’s kind of like the new breed of power forwards.

You’d choose him over Hall or Sequin??
429
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