Garrett Bauman
The training camp cuts continue, as the Leafs have re-assigned 14 more players to the AHL Marlies.
Forwards Luca Caputi, Joe Colborne, Jerry D’Amigo, Ryan Hamilton, Marcel Mueller, Kenny Ryan, Greg Scott and Mike Zigomanis, defencemen Jesse Blacker, Jeff Finger, Simon Gysbers, Korbinian Holzer and Juraj Mikus and goaltender Mark Owuya are heading to the Marlies.
Caputi, Hamilton, Zigomanis and Finger were all placed on waivers. They must clear waivers before they can wind up with the Marlies.
Much like the last round of cuts, there are few surprises here. With roster spots at a premium barring injury, young players such as Colborne and Caputi will benefit more from a larger role with the Marlies than fighting for a 4th line job with the NHL club. D'Amigo will look to prove that he is ready for the AHL level of competition this time around, while Zigomanis' reassignment confirms the battle for the Leafs' 4th line centre role will be won by one of Darryl Boyce or Philippe Dupuis (with the other as the likely 13th forward on the roster).
Of course, the expected roster structure could change dramatically if Matthew Lombardi is ready for the season opener ... but that remains a rather large "if" at this stage.
The early '90s were an incredible time to be a Toronto sports fan. The Blue Jays captured back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993, while the Maple Leafs, in those same years, traversed the road back to respectability following the tumultuous (and largely disastrous) Harold Ballard era.
Following successive seasons of seemingly-endless roster turnover (the 1991-92 Leafs closed out the year with only 4 members remaining from the 1989-90 squad) and less-than-stellar results, Leafs' GM Cliff Fletcher felt he had finally established the right mix of youth and veteran experience to produce a legitimate contender. In fact, during the 1992 offseason, the man known as Trader Cliff somewhat surprisingly made only one deal of note: sending a future 3rd round pick (Martin Belanger) to Montreal for 25-year old shutdown defender Sylvain Lefebvre.
But Fletcher's most impactful move would not prove to be a trade; rather, it would be the offseason hiring of former Montreal coach Pat Burns, whose fiery, no-nonsense approach would translate almost immediately to his players -- especially franchise centrepiece Doug Gilmour.
According to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, a new contract for Luke Schenn could be announced by the end of the week, putting to [more…]
Twenty years ago ... still feels like yesterday.
1991-92 was a season of note. In celebration of the NHL's 75th anniversary, the Original 6 teams introduced throwback uniforms -- the dawn of 3rd jerseys in the NHL. The San Jose Sharks entered the league as the first expansion team since the 1979 NHL/WHA merger. Top draft pick Eric Lindros refused to sign a contract with the Quebec Nordiques, leading to a controversial trade with the Philadelphia Flyers which would turn the Quebec franchise into a powerhouse. The league endured a 10-day NHLPA strike, resulting in the season ending in June for the first time. Following the season, longtime NHL President John Ziegler would step down, paving the way for Gary Bettman to take over as Commissioner in two years' time.
It was a banner season for several players of note: Mario Lemieux captured the scoring title and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory. Nine players topped the 100-point plateau, including Brian Leetch -- a feat no defenseman has matched since. Jeremy Roenick and Kevin Stevens topped 50 goals for the first time each, while Brett Hull hit 70 goals for the third straight year. Legendary blueliner Larry Robinson played his final NHL game, while a future superstar named Martin Brodeur made his first appearance for the New Jersey Devils ... who drafted another future superstar, Scott Neidermeyer, with a pick acquired two years' prior from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As for those lovable Leafs, change was in the air following yet another season in the cellar -- with the team poised to take its first steps toward 1990s respectability.
MLHS reader Charlie posed an interesting question this morning:
"Why is [Shea] Weber a RFA after this contract? [Zach] Parise, same draft year, is UFA next year."
On the surface, it does seem a bit odd - two players, same draft year, both went to arbitration, yet one will be a restricted free agent in a year while the other will be unrestricted. How exactly does that work?
The answer to that quandary lies in a sliding condition in the CBA which is currently known as the "27 or 7" Rule.
Prior to speaking with Rick Dudley for the Maple Leafs Annual, I also had the opportunity to speak with Dave Poulin, Vice-President of Hockey Operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Having contributed an interview for last year's edition of the Annual, Mr. Poulin graciously agreed to accommodate our request again this year.
Follow the jump for a few excerpts of our chat.
As was the case with prior excerpts, the following quotes are excerpted from a larger interview and thus the flow of the questions may seem a bit off. The full interview will appear in the Maple Leafs Annual, due to hit newsstands in September.
Last week I had the privilege of speaking with Rick Dudley, Director of Player Personnel for the Toronto Maple Leafs, for a feature in the forthcoming Maple Leafs Annual magazine. We had asked for a few of your questions for Mr. Dudley, and were able to work some of them in during the course of the interview.
Follow the jump for excerpts featuring your questions. As with Alex's prior interview with Dave Morrison, please bear in mind that the flow of questions may seem a little off as these are excerpts pulled from various sections.
The full interview will appear in the Maple Leafs Annual this September.
Two and half weeks have passed since the July 1st free agent frenzy, and many in Leafs Nation continue to ponder the unsigned status of Maple Leafs' defenseman Luke Schenn. With GM Brian Burke currently taking a well-deserved vacation, odds are it may be a while yet before pen is put to paper on a new deal for one of the franchise's cornerstone players.
Were Schenn the only prominent restricted free agent remaining unsigned, his status as such would be apt cause for concern. However, Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos, and the Los Angeles Kings' superstar-to-be Drew Doughty also remain unsigned to date.  Is this perhaps a case of waiting for the shoe to drop with one of the aforementioned (Doughty), or simply a case of the formalities of a contract having not been deemed an exceptionally high priority?
The excitement never ends, does it? Days after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup, the NHL Awards capped off the season with a somewhat surprising (albeit well-deserved)Â Hart Trophy nod to Corey Perry. A day later, the Philadelphia Flyers rocked the hockey world with two major trades ... with reports suggesting the Leafs were nearly a trading partner in both.
As if that hasn't been enough, trade and free agency rumours continue to run rampant. The Leafs have several of their own player re-signings still on the horizon, and somewhere in all that a draft is about to take place.
Some late-night thoughts on all the madness, after the jump.
According to a report in the Toronto Star, Maple Leafs' goaltender James Reimer has signed a multi-year contract with the club.
While terms of the [more…]
What was interesting about Friday's late-breaking report by Stephen Brunt of a deal between the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers and True North Sports & Entertainment was less the news of a possible deal to bring hockey back to Winnipeg (the story of True North's - and particularly part-owner David Thomson's - interest in buying the Thrashers was first reported by Al Strachan on HNIC back in 2009), and more the mini-controversy that immediately followed the report.
While Brunt's report claimed sources had confirmed a deal was finalized, TSN followed with a report of their own claiming their sources suggested a deal was definitely in the works but stressed that nothing was finalized. What's interesting about this are the connections at play: The highly-respected Brunt writes for the Globe & Mail, whose Chairman is none other than David Thomson ... a fact not lost on the many joyously quoting said report. TSN, on the other hand, was using sources tied to the NHL, which as a matter of policy (and legal protection) will not confirm any deals until everything is signed, sealed and delivered. [more…]
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