By The Numbers: Phil Kessel
Ever since the Leafs’ late-offseason acquisition of Phil Kessel, his performance has been (understandably) heavily-scrutinized in the face of the hefty amount of futures given up to secure the extremely talented winger.
Kessel’s season has, in some ways, mirrored that of his teammates, with periods of great productivity followed by periods of near-invisibility. However, considering a [...]
Kats Krunch: NHL One Goal Games Records
A quick look at the NHL standings at the Olympic break offers some interesting contrasts from expectation, with some teams surprising, others disappointing.
In the East, Ottawa sits atop the Northeast Division and third in the Conference with Buffalo right behind them due to a recent cold streak. In the West, the Phoenix Coyotes with an [...]
No Cause To Worry About Gustavsson
Earlier today on a certain Toronto radio show, a grim portrait of Jonas Gustavsson’s future was painted, citing the 32 games he has appeared in so far in his career – most of those starts behind a lacklustre team – as evidence that he may never develop into the sort of goaltender the Leafs envisioned [...]
Victim of Expectations
(Be sure to check out Bauman’s pre-game article to get yourself ready for tonight’s match-up!)
Dion Phaneuf, as of right now, is not a Norris trophy candidate.
Phaneuf took the National Hockey League by storm in his rookie season, producing 20 goals as a 20-year-old defenseman. He then had a successful sophomore campaign, breaking the 50-point barrier. [...]
Getting Out of Bottom Five = New Playoffs
Setting up a goal for the Leafs in lieu of a playoff spot, making up seven points to get out of the NHL basement is a good start .. but just how difficult will it be?
Let’s find out together.
Less Scoring? Play Better Defense
Where will goals come from? Toronto softened offensively with the moves on the weekend and questions abound about who will put the puck in the net moving forward.
Maybe it’s not about who will make up the scoring; instead, with all these moves – and proved in the 3-0 win over the Devils – in [...]
Blockbuster Breakdown – The Forwards
We have all had a few days to digest Sunday’s trades, but there is still a well of untapped implications. Here’s a closer look at the forwards involved: both the outgoing Leafs and our lone newcomer. Be sure to check out Garrett’s excellent pre-game analysis here before tonight’s tilt with the New Jersey Devils.
Kats Krunch: Phaneuf Regression In Context
In the end, perhaps the player to best describe the trades is … Wayne Primeau?
After all, the former Flame has been through this before.
Churn, Churn, Churn: An Update on the Plan
Let’s get one thing straight: this year is a write-off. The rest of the games scheduled for the Maple Leafs are not happening, at least not in any meaningful sense. Instead, the events you will be watching on your large-screen TVs over the course of twenty-six evenings littered throughout the next two and a half months are best considered nought but a demonstration or experiment of sorts.
Brian Burke has opened up a chemistry lab; you better believe he’ll be looking at team chemistry very carefully for the rest of this year. In this post, I do a kind of preliminary update on the article I wrote for the Maple Leafs Annual last summer about Brian Burke and the Maple Leafs’ rebuild.
Kaberle Key To Improved Goaltending
TORONTO — Leafs general manager, Brian Burke, has repeatedly stated he will not ask Tomas Kaberle to waive his NTC. This situation, however, could be key to shoring up the goaltending the Leafs need.