Dave Nonis in the stands at the morning skate at the ACC. (Rene Johnston/ Toronto Star)
On a day where pretty well every team around the Leafs got better, there wasn’t a whole lot out there that made sense for this team to do, in part because of cap constraints.
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Benoit Pouliot #67 of the New York Rangers checks David Clarkson #71 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Leafs are still firmly in a playoff spot and, other than Detroit (who has three games in hand on the Leafs, but are also missing Zetterberg and, for the moment, Datsyuk), the 4+ point gap the Leafs have on everyone else is a much tougher hill to climb than it looks because of the “three point era” in the NHL. It’s extremely tough to make up ground at this stage of the season in this day and age.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier leads the team in saluting the fans after defeating the Ottawa Senators in shoot out NHL action in Toronto on Saturday October 5, 2013. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Thanks again for all the questions. My apologies if I didn’t get to yours.
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 16: Jake Gardiner #51, Nikolai Kulemin #41 and Mason Raymond #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate a second period goal during NHL game action against the Buffalo Sabres November 16, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)
Thanks for all the questions. Part 2 will follow a little later on in the day.
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There has been plenty of debate already regarding Dave Bolland and whether or not he should be re-signed, a subject that will only continue to gain steam once Bolland returns after the Olympic Break and plays out the stretch on an expiring contract (as it stands).
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With the hockey world’s attention firmly fixed on the Olympics, it’s easy to forget that the NHL is quickly approaching a significant date: Trade Deadline Day on March 5th.
VANCOUVER, BC - NOVEMBER 2: Dave Bolland #63 of the Toronto Maple Leafs is helped off the ice by teammates after he was injured during the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on November 2, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 4-0. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
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You can’t convince me otherwise: Boston’s dominance of the Leafs and elite standing in League the past few seasons has made the Leafs better.
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It’s kind of amazing how the Leafs’ awful penalty kill has flown right under the radar this season.
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It’s amazing how much a week can change, in the minds of some fans.
Some may say Carlyle is no longer on the hot seat, everything is fine now, the team is heading in the right direction, and everything is turning around at the right time. “They aren’t even fully healthy yet.”
Another perspective sees it as just a hot streak. The team has won a few shootouts, they’ve got some bounces and some good goaltending, and it’s really not a big deal. “It’s unsustainable; the averages will catch up to them eventually.”
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Even the most optimistic Leafs fans weren’t expecting David Clarkson to be great throughout the entirety of his seven year deal, but this is just getting crazy now.
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Heading into 2013 training camp, Dave Nonis had two massive clouds hanging over his head as his best forward and best defenseman were both scheduled to become UFAs after the season. That’s no longer a problem as both have been signed to long-term contracts locking them in until 2021 and 2022 respectively.
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 23: Peter Holland #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs hits Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers into the boards during the first period at Madison Square Garden on December 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
With tomorrow’s game vs. Buffalo representing the 40th game of 2013-14, the Leafs are nearly at the halfway mark of the season. The Leafs, 18-16-5, currently hold the final playoff spot in the East, are 3-5-2 in their last ten, and will try to fend off the Flyers and Hurricanes who are both three points behind them with games in hand.
Although the Leafs went 1-2 last week, it really was one of their better weeks of hockey this season. They handily outplayed LA but just weren’t able to bury, and they laid a beating on the first place Hawks. It’s true that St. Louis completely outclassed them, but two pretty dominant games against two of the top five teams in the league is really impressive. The Leafs have to build on that as a positive.
Photo: Getty Images
The Sunday game threw off the timing of the Leafs Notebook (along with life, work, and so on), so I apologize for the delay. Hope it was worth the wait at least.
MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 30: Brian Gionta #21 of the Montreal Canadiens and Jake Gardiner #51 of the Toronto Maple Leafs watch the puck go wide in front of Jonathan Bernier #45 during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on November 30, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
The question for the Leafs right now is pretty simple:
Is this the kind of slump that every team goes through over an 82-game season, or is this a sign of things to come?
There’s no such thing as a “must-win” in November, but boy do the Leafs need a win tonight.
Through 26 games this season, the Leafs and Habs have an identical 14-9-3 record but Montreal is 6-2-2 in their last 10 while Toronto 3-4-3. Both teams lost after regulation last night (Montreal lost to Washington 3-2 in a shootout), so there’s no “tired” excuse for either club tonight. And Montreal was in Washington, meaning they had to travel as well.
The month of November hasn’t been kind to the Leafs as they are 4-5-3, but they can at least break 500 with a win tonight.
There are some changes being hinted at for the Leafs line-up and some interesting things will be to watch Kadri’s and Franson’s ice time as both didn’t play that much yesterday (14:13 and 15:56 respectively). We’ll post the lines when they come in, but regardless of what they are the Leafs need to play a good game here and start feeling confident about their game again.
The Leafs won their first game against the Habs in Montreal and after tonight have one more game remaining in Montreal (March 1st).
Odds are that Bernier is starting tonight because Reimer did yesterday, but Henny tweeted Reimer arrived to the rink first so we’ll find out in due time. The Habs started Budaj last night, unfortunately, so chances are they get Price in tonight.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Leafs Go.
Projected Lines vs. MTL: JVR-Bozak-Kessel. Raymond-Kadri-Clarkson. McClement-Smith-Kulemin. Ashton-Smithson-Orr.
— Jonas Siegel (@jonasTSN1050) November 30, 2013
Franson is hurt:
Projected defence (if Franson can't go): Gunnarsson-Phaneuf. Fraser-Gardiner. Rielly-Ranger. Goaltender: Bernier.
— Jonas Siegel (@jonasTSN1050) November 30, 2013
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 25: R.J. Umberger #18 of the Columbus Blue Jackets scores a first period goal as James Reimer #34, Tyler Bozak #42, Morgan Rielly #44 and Mark Fraser #2 of the Toronto Maple Leafs defend during NHL game action November 25, 2013 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)
- Losing to a young, inexperienced goalie that fought every puck, like in the loss against Nashville, is the kind of loss that really hurts over an 82-game season. Especially because, after the first period, the Leafs were firmly in control of that game but didn’t bury chances or give themselves much of a lead. The Preds got a four minute power play early in the second, they scored, and the game completely shifted.
AP Photo/David Duprey
You have to give Dave Nonis credit: The Leafs needed a center, so he went out and got one.
It was only a few weeks ago that I wondered aloud, in this very space, whether or not Nonis would pull the trigger to fill a position of sudden need, knowing he sat on his hands when he was faced with this same depleted center situation in Vancouver.
Photo: Getty Images via NHL.com
No appetizer today. Straight into the main course:
