Toronto Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk (21) celebrates his first-period goal with teammate Tyler Bozak (42) during an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Advertisement

Mitch Marner is named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January, Mike Babcock blends his line in practice after the Dallas blowout, Leafs hire a new special assignment coach, and more in the links.


Leafs Links

Toronto Maple Leafs hire Jacques Caron as a special assignment coach (MLHS)
Caron, 76, served as the Devils’ goalie coach during the Martin Brodeur era up until 2012-13. After spending 12 years with the Hartford Whalers organization, Caron was in New Jersey for all three of their Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000, and 2003 and worked with the organization’s goalie talent at all levels during that time (ECHL, AHL, NHL).

Mitch Marner named January’s rookie of the month (MLHS)
Marner has been on a constant trend upwards since the start of the season and it was predictable that he would take home this award at some stage. That all three of the Maple Leafs‘ holy trinity of prospects would each win this award at various points throughout the year was also a distinct possibility that has now been realized — William Nylander won it in October, Auston Matthews won it in December, and now Marner has now won it in January. No team in NHL history has ever received the recognition three times, and the 2016-17 season is only four months old.

Mike Babcock on Mitch Marner’s ROM honours: “We expect him to be an elite, elite player. We think he can.” (MLHS)
Obviously, he’s a good player. He’s come a long way. We expect him to drive a line for us. We expect him to be an elite, elite player. We think he can. He’s got a long way to go in his journey, but he’s playing hard and playing well. I thought he had good jump when he got with [Auston Matthews] last night, but I need him to have good jump when he’s not with [Matthews].

Marner passes Matthews in our monthly Calder Watch (Toronto Star)
Connor Brown makes his first appearance of the season on these rankings, helped in part by a five-goal-three assist performance over 13 games. Only Aho scored more goals among rookies in January. Brown has benefitted somewhat form being promoted to Matthews’ line. But his scoring ability has translated from junior to the minors to the NHL.

30 Thoughts: Lightning’s Yzerman not biting on low offers for Bishop (Sportsnet)
As momentum grows in everyone’s favourite city of Toronto to build up Nazem Kadri’s case for the Selke Trophy, the question must be asked — can someone win that award without killing penalties? Kadri averages three seconds of shorthanded time per game. The lowest average for any winner since time-on-ice recording began in 1997–98 is 44 seconds, by Pavel Datsyuk during his third and final victory in 2009-10. No one else is below Jonathan Toews’s 1:25 in 2012–13. Ryan Kesler has the highest total in the last 10 seasons, 2:33 in 2010–11.

Leafs weighing options? Oilers buying? Breaking down trade deadline possibilities for Canada’s teams (Toronto Sun)
Rebuild or not, Lamoriello wants to win — but not at the expense of mortgaging the future. The Leafs‘ No. 1 need is a top-end blueliner but giving up a young building block up front in Nylander, as some reports have suggested, seems like too big of a sacrifice. The Blues’ Kevin Shattenkirk has been linked to the Leafs, with the veteran defenceman said to be open to talking about a long-term extension with Toronto. Given the success both he and the team have enjoyed in the first half, moving pending UFA van Riemsdyk would be a surprise. And while the Leafs are seen as buyers, if Lamoriello could get another second-round pick for Polak — like he did from the Sharks a year ago — don’t be surprised if he does it. “If you can get better, you do it,” Lamoriello said. “But you don’t do something just for the sake of doing it.”

Down Goes Brown: Which Eastern GMs are under the most pressure? (Sportsnet)
Speaking of high-pressure cities, Lamoriello’s Leafs have been better than expected, and their push for a playoff spot has pushed their rebuild ahead of schedule. There are still holes, particularly on the blueline, but for the first time in over a decade things in Toronto are generally positive. Of course, all that positivity brings questions of its own. Such as: Should the Leafs actually become buyers, and take a swing at a deep playoff run right now? There’s a decent argument that they should. But the betting is that Lamoriello and friends will stay patient. The Leafs’ time may be coming quicker than we thought, but it’s not here yet.

Redefining Defensemen based on Transitional Play (Hockey-Graphs.com)
Be smarter about evaluating defensemen. With proper data and testing, we can identify new metrics that are of vital importance in hockey. This may lead to a preference for a new type of defensemen and unearthing previously miscast players. We need to move beyond the traditional, positional requirements of the defensemen and think of them more as attacking fullbacks and box-to-box midfielders. This will in turn redefine the rest of the team’s positions and responsibilities, ultimately arriving at a much more fluid and supportive style.

After winning the North Star Challenge Cup, the Maple Leafs prospect Dominic Toninato is named to the Hobey Baker fan ballot (PPP)
Dominic Toninato and the UMD Bulldogs won the North Star College Cup this weekend, held in the Xcel Engery Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s the Minnesota ‘Beanpot’ tournament, with all the Minnesota D1 teams competing against each other. Toninato has the cup now, always good when a Leaf wins a championship. Toninato is also now on the fan ballot for the NCAA’s Hobey Baker award. You can go here and vote through Facebook for the Leafs prospect.

Game #48 Review: Dallas Stars 6 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 3 (MLHS)
It took the team’s worst first period since 2009, but we finally got a peak at Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together and the tandem did not disappoint. The line looked great with Hyman driving the center lane and parking in front while Marner and Matthews played pitch and catch off the rush and cycle. There were multiple passing plays where it seemed like Matthews and Marner were the only two players on the ice, resulting in a number of grade-A scoring chances.

Leafs can’t recover from bad start in Big D (TSN.ca)
Desperate times called for desperate measures from Mike Babcock, who put Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on a line together for the final 40 minutes. He’s done it before with the two logging 41 minutes of even strength ice time together previously this season. They didn’t end up connecting on any goals, but did produce several good chances. Matthews and Marner have undeniable chemistry on the ice, anticipating each other’s moves like veteran linemates. In a game that was out of reach by the time they got together, the rookies were the Maple Leafs’ best skaters in a losing effort. Whether their performance changes Babcock’s mind about playing them together in the future remains to be seen – he has said before he believes each can drive a line on their own, hence the reluctance to pair them up. Matthews, Marner and Zach Hyman combined for nine shots on goal in the final two periods.

How a pregame ritual helps keep Frederik Andersen zen before a start (The Athletic)
Through his struggles, though, his routine before a start stayed unchanged. No matter what, he still stares at the ice until the very last moment before he has to put on his equipment. “It’s just a matter of getting into a good state of mind for playing a game,” Andersen said. “With so many games, the better you do at staying relaxed between games, the better you are going to enjoy your life.”

Young Leafs might be built to last: Feschuk (Toronto Star)
Mind you, more than once this season members of the Maple Leafs coaching staff have been seen shooing Marner from the practice rink so he might get some rest. Said Marner: “That’s the crazy thing. I could play hockey for seven, eight hours straight and still want to go out and play more.”

Mike Babcock on Mitch Marner’s ROM honours: “We expect him to be an elite, elite player. We think he can.” (MLHS)
Babcock: For sure. Obviously, he’s a good player. He’s come a long way. We expect him to drive a line for us. We expect him to be an elite, elite player. We think he can. He’s got a long way to go in his journey, but he’s playing hard and playing well. I thought he had good jump when he got with [Auston Matthews] last night, but I need him to have good jump when he’s not with [Matthews].


Practice Lines