Leafs News
We reviewed Clarke MacArthur the other day here at MLHS. The feedback seemed rather divided on the question of whether to keep or not to keep the pending UFA. Meanwhile, there's no doubting that David Clarkson’s name will only continue to remain attached to the Leafs in rumour circles as we approach free agency and the Toronto native remains without a contract past July 5.
With a glut of wing talent already, and Phil Kessel in need a contract extension, there’s no way Dave Nonis should re-sign MacArthur and then also go and sign David Clarkson. It’s not a smart allocation of dollars when depth wingers are the easiest assets to come by in the NHL.
Of course, things could play out in such a way where the Leafs lose out on the Clarkson “sweepstakes” (he re-signs or they are outbid or whatever) and then turn and try to bring back MacArthur. But as of today, with both options on the table, there is certainly merit in the question of MacArthur vs. Clarkson. And it's a tough one. [more…]
The most controversially debated 5-6 minute hockey player on Twitter, Colton Orr, has been re-signed for 2 years at $925,000 per season. Not overly surprising given Randy Carlyle has always and will always feel there is a need for an enforcer on his roster, a philosophy Dave Nonis is seemingly on board with.
Assistant General Manager Claude Loiselle hopped on TSN radio shortly after the signing was announced and had this to say about Orr: [more…]
Darren Dreger has confirmed the hockey world's worst kept secret of the past few days - the Edmonton Oilers will introduce former Marlies coach Dallas Eakins as their new head coach tomorrow.
Eakins was an excellent communicator and player developer and will certainly be missed (best of luck in the coaches graveyard, Dallas), but the Marlies program will move forward. Dreger has begun to speculate on a few replacement options for the Marlies: [more…]
The Marlies are on the ropes against Grand Rapids after a 4-1 loss last night in Michigan. They're down 3-1 in their series headed into tonight. If they can take Game 5, the series would come back to Toronto for Games 6 and 7, so you never know. Also on the upside, Carter Ashton has goals in two consecutive.
In case you missed the end of year interviews today, Dave Nonis and Randy Carlyle's EOY addresses are below. [more…]
Listening to this interview with assistant GM Claude Loiselle was rather cathartic. It's a good perspective on what happened last night, why it might have happened, how the team will move forward, how this helped management and the coaches evaluate their players, and what the players might have learned from this experience. Well worth the listen. Credit to Bob McCown for a good interview.
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Pierre Lebrun of ESPN.com had an insightful in-depth chat with Wayne Gretzky on the growth of this Maple Leafs team and the work of head coach Randy Carlyle. Below are some worthwhile excerpts: [more…]
GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs Dave Nonis has wrapped up this season by proclaiming that time will heal all and that the only player [more…]
Those of you who know me, or follow me on twitter (@mapleleafmuse), will know that I'm a bit of a podcast addict. Apart from the mainstream media stuff, I also love listening to fan-made content and in case you have yet to do so, I invite you all to check out Leaf Matters with Matteo and Michael. They've had some excellent guests and offer an alternative source for Leafs fans looking for informative, well-articulated, and lively discussions on all things Leafs.
On Monday April 22nd, 2013, Brian Burke took some time out of his busy schedule as a scout for the Anaheim Ducks and joined Chris Nilan, a former NHL enforcer, on TSN 690 Montreal to talk about the Leafs' playoff clinch and the Montreal Canadiens' recent struggles. Below is a slightly-shortened transcript I put together of the interview. If you want to hear the full 10-minute interview, it's available at the TSN Podcast Centre. [more…]
One of our favourite YouTube/Leafs accounts, "BigBadBoss" uploaded this beauty for us today. Happy playoffs, Toronto. [more…]
Mirroring the trade deadline, it’s been a slow and painful week in Leaf land. The club still sits in sixth place in the Eastern conference, briefly flirting with fifth without even playing. Even with the loss, the Buds are sitting on a 20 – 13 – 4 record and play only four games against teams ahead of them in standings in their remaining games. And one of those teams is the Washington Capitals so really it’s three. Here are some Leaf thoughts to start your Friday off right.
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With team rosters now allowed to expand beyond the 23-man limit after the trade deadline, the Leafs have recalled big center Joe Colborne from the Toronto Marlies. After starting his AHL campaign with just six points in the first 22 games, and at one point being a healthy scratch, Colborne has posted 36 points in 43 games since picking it up in mid December. [more…]
