surgery
Based on several reports, Van Ryn is opting for knee surgery that could potential spell the end of his career. According to TSN, "Van Ryn is having an osteotomy, a procedure by which the bone is cut and the knee is realigned. This type of surgery is usually performed on the elderly."
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A quick profile of the newest Leafs forward, and an excerpt from the McKeen's Yearbook. For those in the Vancouver area, I kick off a monthly segment as a guest on Sportstalk Weekends with Rick Quinton on AM980 CKNW tonight .. we'll be discussing this deal and giving you all a fantasy primer for your drafts.
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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.
It wasn’t more than a year ago that head coach Paul Maurice announced his team would make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup. Players such as Simon Gamache and Tony Salmelainen were recruited from Europe by general manager John Ferguson Jr. and provided solid try outs. Colaiacovo was announced to not be in full form for the season opener, which we later discovered he would not be ready until late December, after arthroscopic knee surgery and an awkward fall in a pre-season practice after attempting a slap shot.
The team has confirmed the reported deal in a 5:41pm press release:
Leafs Acquire Mike Van Ryn
Toronto Maple Leafs
Sep 2, 2008, 5:41 PM [more…]
