Ryan Malone
The Tomas Kaberle trade watch is now in effect with only 36 hours to go until this situation concludes. The rumor mill is running rampant with some high profile names and some future fan favorites, but let's dive into who is being mentioned as possible blue and white sweater bearers.
It may seem uncharacteristic of  Brian Burke, historically a headline maker at the Entry Draft, to sit essentially idle on the hockey world's biggest stage. Important to remember is that the big man can be patient when he needs to be. The Anaheim and Calgary deals of last February, when Burke waited until certain pressure points reached a head, were both examples of Burke's willingness to sit back until the time was right to pull the trigger - despite all the temptations to hit the panic button as his team sat in the Eastern Conference basement with no first round pick to look forward to.
The Toronto Maple Leafs just can't seem to do anything right. The Maple Leafs surrendered another lead in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs fell to 1-10 in games decided beyond regulation and more specifically, 0-8 in overtime.
Some surprisingly good special teams had the Leafs ahead 2-1 late in the third, but a couple of 4-on-3 power-plays stemming from bad penalties resulted in the tying and winning goals for the Lightning. [more…]
After a sloppy first couple of periods, the Maple Leafs held on for a 4-3 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs blew a 2-goal first period lead, as well as a 1-goal lead in the second, but played a solid third period and came out on top. It surely wasn't the Leafs' best performance of the season, but it was nice to see them emerge on the right end of a tight scoreline for a change. [more…]
It's fairly obvious the Leafs are a team that wanders around looking for a win like men in a desert. Once they get close enough to civilization, it turns out to be a mirage.
Update: After careful deliberation, our very own Gus Katsaros was not only credited with his Kessel/Savard information, but he has been invited to appear on Hockey Central at Noon today during the show's 2 hour timeslot beginning at 12:00 EST. More info inside.
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I've been trading a few emails of late with some "non-sources" (I want to be very clear about that) employed by various media outlets in the Toronto area, to get their take on the rapidly-churning Maple Leafs' rumour mill.
Although these folks are obviously not directly tied to anyone you would call a "source" affiliated with a team, their insight is often valuable as they are privy to more of the backroom chatter with those who are connected to the so-called "sources".
Over the past 24 hours or so, there has been a ton of speculation regarding the rumoured Toronto-Tampa Bay trade talks. Before these rumours start spinning too far out of control, perhaps a bit of clarification on how this all got started may be in order. As such, I've been doing some digging this evening to try to straighten out the story.
Here's the update on the recent rumours flying around Leafland, from what I've been able to gather.
The Toronto Rumour Mill is buzzing today with word of the Leafs and Bolts in talks for the 2nd overall pick in this years NHL Entry Draft.
Hockey Night In Canada's Elliotte Friedman broke the worst kept secret in the NHL, leading up to this years draft, that the Leafs were rumoured to be talking to the Tampa Bay Lightning about getting their #2 Overall pick.
I've read a lot of comments and feedback on everyone's take for this pick but this is what has been making the rounds in the rumor mill - yes, rumors are still circulating through the playoffs. Keep in mind that this is pure speculation and isn't exactly a mainstream rumor, but it is interesting and perhaps logical.
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Slow times in Leafland these days, so let's have a crack at a couple of those questions. [more…]
Less than 24 hours after the Leafs season officially ended with a win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, the fans and media have already turned their attention to two important dates: June 26th, the date of the NHL Entry Draft, and July 1st, when free agent frenzy takes off. Just for discussion's sake, here are a few interesting scenarios currently being tossed various news outlets today: [more…]
