Martin Gerber
In part two of his 12 burning questions series, Derek Harmsworth looks at the Leafs goaltending of the past, and whether this year's tandem can provide them with healthy, consistent efforts.
The NHL goaltender.
It has been said that there is no more important position in all of pro sports. Â And if you believe that, it's quite easy to see why the Toronto Maple Leafs haven't had much regular season success in the post lockout NHL, and why the post season has eluded them. [more…]
An article in the London Free Press explains that the reasons for the earlier 7pm ET start times for home games this season: to cater to a younger audience and to allow for more efficient getaways in the case of a road game the following night. A slew of other small headlines including contract details for Komisarek, the Grabovski-Kostitsyn feud, and Justin Pogge. [more…]
Vesa Toskala will rebound after his abysmal display of goaltending last season.
The Finnish goaltender was among fan favorites in Toronto during his first season with the Leafs. His flashy, acrobatic style of goaltending proved to be succesful, as he was arguably the Leafs' most valuable player in the 2007-08 campaign -- even ahead of Mats Sundin. Leafs fans were singing his praises, and hopes to attain the Stanley Cup Playoffs suddenly lifted. But when a goaltender, particularly one who relies on his acrobatics, succumbs to nagging groin and hip injuries, well, you get the product Leafs fans had to endure last season. So Toskala was shut down, and was forced to get surgery while Martin Gerber finished off the season -- and surprisingly well, too.
Let's take a break from the rumour mill, and have a look at where the Toronto Maple Leafs roster currently stands.
With the draft a little over a month away, and free agency beginning shortly thereafter, it's time to take a look at the current Maple Leafs' roster, who is and is not under contract for next season, and the resultant depth at each position.
Now that the 2008-09 regular season has officially ended, it's time to take a look back over the roster to assess each of the Maple Leafs' players.
Note that I'm only including players who finished the season with at least one game played for the Maple Leafs, and am excluding those traded away during the course of the season.
Statistics for those who were acquired mid-season reflect games played as members of the Maple Leafs only.
On a night where the stars were aligned for the first-pick lottery, where a Leafs loss coupled with Phoenix and Los Angeles wins would give the Leafs a chance at the #1 pick overall, a night where Phoenix and LA both did their part ... the Maple Leafs took the high road and won the game.
The end result is Toronto finishes with the 7th pick in the draft, entering this week's lottery draw.
So you're Brian Burke and it's July 1st.
Who do you go after? And what is the contract you offer?
13 goals, 3 tenders, countless defensive errors and ugly goals. You almost felt sorry for Curtis Joseph after Jeff Carter cruised in for an easy breakaway goal and the camera panned to a thoroughly annoyed Ron Wilson. The Leafs would attempt a comeback of sorts after going down by six goals, but even with the best efforts of Martin Biron, it all went for naught.
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It appears Curtis Joseph, who let in four goals on nine shots last night, is not the second coming of Christ. Justin Pogge, who replaced Joseph mid-way through the second period, made 14 saves, allowing one goal in the 23 minutes and 30 seconds he played.
You what that means? It's Pogge time against the Boston Bruins tonight! If Pogge can hold the fort, he'll likely get the nod against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday – which will mark the final game of Martin Gerber's three-game suspension.
A March meeting with a solid team in the playoff chase (yes, that's actually Florida I'm talking about here) went pretty much as expected. Signs of life from the Maple Leafs were quickly overwhelmed by the desperation and talent (surprise! again!) of this Panthers squad. Sadly, this tussle lacked the fan factor that made Tuesday night's game in Tampa a joy to watch.
Curtis Joseph gets the nod against the Ottawa Senators tonight. And his two wins have got me confident!
Let's lay it on the table right away, the Leafs owe Martin Gerber nothing, and judging from his play this season (and the fact that he was acquired through re-entry waivers), he has done nothing to earn the role as a starting goaltender. Under the circumstances, Gerber should be content with playing half of the remaining games.
Ten questions as you ponder the Leafs' future with Martin Gerber between the pipes.
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