Noon Mashup: Counting down the days

by Garrett Bauman on February 24, 2012 in Morning Mashup - 1,412 Comments

Photo: The Star

Since starting the season on a 4-0-1 tear, the Leafs have performed at a consistently-inconsistent 25-25-6 clip. The story of pretty much any Leafs game this season can be summarized as follows: You’ve got offense, defense and goaltending: Pick one.

Rare has been the occasion where even two of those facets has performed up to expectation at the same time. With all of three days to go until the trade deadline, the talk is permeating every corridor of Toronto: Who is available? Who will depart? And is there enough time left for the Leafs to turn their season around?

Is it possible the volume of trade talk has had a negative impact? Players will always claim they don’t pay attention to it, but where in Toronto can one turn without smacking face-first into the subject? Telling is the Leafs’ 1-6-1 record in their past 8 games. As recently-traded Kyle Quincey told reporters, “There’s a lot of guys whose bags are packed outside their door.” If it’s a distraction in Colorado, how could it not be one in Toronto? These next three days can’t go by quick enough.

Recommended reading after the jump.

Leafs Links:

MLHS: Game in 10
Mislav and Alec with the recap of last night’s game.

MLHS: Dustin Brown on Every Team’s Wishlist
Ryan Fancey takes a look at the latest name to hit the rumour mill.

THW: Five Maple Leafs Who Won’t Move at the Deadline
Fairly obvious list, although the bonus 6th entry makes for interesting conversation.

TLN: Born and Bred
Great food for thought on the bias toward Canadian players, specifically in the context of Toronto.

Toronto Star: Joffrey Lupul One of Five NHL Players Posting Playbook Videos
This is actually pretty cool. Hope more guys get on board with it.

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NHL Links:

Puck Daddy: Whole Lotta Love for Brent Johnson’s Led Zeppelin-inspired Mask
Still waiting for someone to do The Who, just so I can scream “YEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH” every time the guy makes a save.

Shoalts: Wait for Rick Nash Could Be Lengthy
You don’t say …

Duhatschek: The Risks and Rewards of the Jeff Carter Trade
Risk: Carter gets photographed at a club. Reward: Carter gets photographed at a club. Win-win.

Backhand Shelf: Against the Trade Deadline: A Polemic
Amen.

Post: Graham James’ Victims Serve Real Sentence
“Like all survivors the scars they carry are permanent.”

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