Howard Berger became synonymous with the Maple Leafs after many years of reporting hockey in Toronto. During the glory years and post season success in the early 90's, Howard Berger was an invaluable source of information to everything Maple Leafs. Fast forward to 2010, the internet has allowed fans to connect 24/7 with the Maple Leafs from many official and unofficial sources. It seems that technology has evolved so much that Howard Berger became less of a special reporter for Maple Leaf news.
Howard Berger did write many creative and witty articles before the Maple Leafs started to flounder into the present day team. I think a change of scenery for HB is the best thing to refocus and get energized about something else. HB always seems to write with passion and honesty, but now it is his time to write about something other than the Maple Leafs. Let's face it, anyone having to cover the Maple Leafs for the past six years could have been driven to insanity. I hope the Maple Leafs start to find success soon for Star reporter Vinay Menon sake.
I wonder if Toronto Sun Steve Simmons will take a positive tone when covering the Leafs next season?
Friday, June 3, 2011
A Revamped Maple Leaf Roster
ASSUMPTIONS:
If Burke can pull off a blockbuster trade with NJ and acquire Parise for picks, prospects and roster players. Grabovski could be that roster player NJ will covet to play with Kovy and still fit under their salary cap. With Grabovski traded, Laich could be signed for a modest cap hit to fill out the second line center role.
SJ may not want to allocate big dollars for Setoguchi on their third line. Moving Setoguchi for picks, prospects and roster players could allow SJ to resign some of the many UFA's they have this summer.
Ehrhoff is guaranteed to be in high demand this summer since the UFA has made it to the finals in the playoffs. Chances are Vancouver will be unable to keep both Bieska and Ehroff with many UFA needing to be signed and limited cap space.
James Wisniewski did not have a positive effect with Montreal this post season, so a change of scenery could work better for this UFA. A slight raise may be in order but with many UFA defensemen this summer, landing a big dollar contract will be hard.
The Leafs will find themselves with more cap space when taking into account the increase to the salary cap projected for the 2011-2012 season.
FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Zach Parise ($5.400m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
Nikolai Kulemin ($2.350m) / Brooks Laich ($2.500m) / Devin Setoguchi ($3.000m)
Colby Armstrong ($3.000m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.700m) / Nazem Kadri ($1.720m)
Joey Crabb ($0.630m) / Tim Brent ($0.630m) / Mike Brown ($0.736m)
Colton Orr ($1.000m)
DEFENSEMEN
Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m) / Christian Ehrhoff ($3.800m)
Luke Schenn ($2.700m) / James Wisniewski ($3.500m)
Keith Aulie ($0.733m) / Mike Komisarek ($4.500m)
GOALTENDERS
Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($1.200m) / James Reimer ($0.800m)
BUYOUTS: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $57,050,000; BONUSES: $1,000,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $
http://www.capgeek.com/cap_calculator/roster.php?id=1064
If Burke can pull off a blockbuster trade with NJ and acquire Parise for picks, prospects and roster players. Grabovski could be that roster player NJ will covet to play with Kovy and still fit under their salary cap. With Grabovski traded, Laich could be signed for a modest cap hit to fill out the second line center role.
SJ may not want to allocate big dollars for Setoguchi on their third line. Moving Setoguchi for picks, prospects and roster players could allow SJ to resign some of the many UFA's they have this summer.
Ehrhoff is guaranteed to be in high demand this summer since the UFA has made it to the finals in the playoffs. Chances are Vancouver will be unable to keep both Bieska and Ehroff with many UFA needing to be signed and limited cap space.
James Wisniewski did not have a positive effect with Montreal this post season, so a change of scenery could work better for this UFA. A slight raise may be in order but with many UFA defensemen this summer, landing a big dollar contract will be hard.
The Leafs will find themselves with more cap space when taking into account the increase to the salary cap projected for the 2011-2012 season.
FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($4.250m) / Zach Parise ($5.400m) / Phil Kessel ($5.400m)
Nikolai Kulemin ($2.350m) / Brooks Laich ($2.500m) / Devin Setoguchi ($3.000m)
Colby Armstrong ($3.000m) / Tyler Bozak ($1.700m) / Nazem Kadri ($1.720m)
Joey Crabb ($0.630m) / Tim Brent ($0.630m) / Mike Brown ($0.736m)
Colton Orr ($1.000m)
DEFENSEMEN
Dion Phaneuf ($6.500m) / Christian Ehrhoff ($3.800m)
Luke Schenn ($2.700m) / James Wisniewski ($3.500m)
Keith Aulie ($0.733m) / Mike Komisarek ($4.500m)
GOALTENDERS
Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($1.200m) / James Reimer ($0.800m)
BUYOUTS: Darcy Tucker ($1.000m)
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $57,050,000; BONUSES: $1,000,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $
http://www.capgeek.com/cap_calculator/roster.php?id=1064
Brooks Laich Would Look Great In Toronto
Brooks Laich may not get the spotlight as his superstar mates in Washington. Make no mistake, Laich is a skilled power forward with lots of speed. Laich is not afraid to crash the net, in fact most of his goals are scored from just outside the crease. Brooks Laich currently is relatively young with plenty of NHL experience who could show the Maple Leafs rookies and sophomore's the ropes in the NHL. Laich is a fierce competitor is valuable in playoff games. Laich would be a welcome addition to a Maple Leaf squad and would give much needed depth at center.
Does Brad Richards in Toronto Make The Leafs A Contender?
The Dallas Start have made it clear that no contract will be made to Brad Richards. Richards, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Burke could trade with the Stars for exclusive negotiating rights with Richards before July 1, but what would that cost? Richards still has to waive his no movement clause. At 31, he is still considered a star player who scored 28 goals and 77 points in 72 games last season.
It would be logical for Richards to sign with a team who is a contender rather than rebuilding given his age. Does Richards make the Leafs a contender? The simple answer is NO. The Leafs simply lack depth in all positions. Adding Richards would certainly help to solidify the center spot on the 1st line, but it does not guarantee Kessel - Richards - Lupul will find the chemistry needed to be effective.
If Burke can acquire Richards at a modest salary, then that would be ideal but fans should keep in mind that Richards is in decline and probably has another two good productive years left before shades of Chris Drury start to surface.
It seems clear that signing Brad Richards to a contract only helps the immediate future but does very little long term. Burke would be wise to stay away and add more NHL calibre depth to the lineup.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Hope Still Exists For Maple Leafs To Qualify For Playoffs
With under ten games, the Maple Leafs hold a distinct advantage over the teams ahead of them when looking at back-to-back games. The Leafs only have one back-to-back set of games remaining with the others having two or more. The Rangers have 2 back-to-back games remaining with 8 points at stake. Buffalo and Carolina have 4 back-to-back remaining with 16 points at stake.
Assuming theses teams lose one game in each back-to-back, same winning percentage over last 10 games, the final standing could still see the Leafs out of the playoffs.
(Points complied in a non scientific way and purely hypothetical, calculation omitted)
Previous L10 %GR PTS
NY RANGERS .700 .500 92
BUFFALO .650 .389 88
CAROLINA .550 .334 84
TORONTO .550 .500 84
For Toronto to finish with 84 pts, they would need 8 pts over 8 games ( 4-4-0 ) which is very reasonable. If the Maple Leafs could win two more games (6-2-0), they could potentially be tied with Buffalo for the 8th playoff spot assuming Buffalo struggles with the back-to-back games.
Cross your fingers.
WEEK March 21- 27
@ Wild ***WIN***
@ Avalanche (must win)
@ Red Wings (possible loss)
WEEK March 28 - 2
VS Sabres (must win)
@ Bruins (must win)
@ Senators (must win)
Assuming theses teams lose one game in each back-to-back, same winning percentage over last 10 games, the final standing could still see the Leafs out of the playoffs.
(Points complied in a non scientific way and purely hypothetical, calculation omitted)
Previous L10 %GR PTS
NY RANGERS .700 .500 92
BUFFALO .650 .389 88
CAROLINA .550 .334 84
TORONTO .550 .500 84
For Toronto to finish with 84 pts, they would need 8 pts over 8 games ( 4-4-0 ) which is very reasonable. If the Maple Leafs could win two more games (6-2-0), they could potentially be tied with Buffalo for the 8th playoff spot assuming Buffalo struggles with the back-to-back games.
Cross your fingers.
WEEK March 21- 27
@ Wild ***WIN***
@ Avalanche (must win)
@ Red Wings (possible loss)
WEEK March 28 - 2
VS Sabres (must win)
@ Bruins (must win)
@ Senators (must win)
MONTH April
VS Capitals (possible loss)
@ Devils (must win)
VS Canadiens (must Win)
VS Capitals (possible loss)
@ Devils (must win)
VS Canadiens (must Win)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Do The Leafs Get The Point?
Many Islanders and Maple Leafs contests do not conjure ideas of epic battles on ice. On this night, both hockey teams are considered to be non-playoff bound despite being mathematically alive. The Islanders know the remaining games are to showcase for next year. The Leafs are playing their remaining games with the hope sneaking into the post-season. Clearly, the Leafs had more to lose than the Islanders. The bottom six players for the Leafs led the Maple Leaf charge, too bad the top six could not pull their weight. On this night, it was the Islanders who played with more desperation and desire in front of a home crowd. The game could have been sealed early if not for the numerous pucks hitting the goal posts behind Reimer. The Leafs were very lucky to walk away with a single point. Fortunately for the Leafs, Buffalo and New Jersey lost their games. The Leafs provided no compelling reason to leave with the single point but they will consider themselves lucky. Time to get ready for a motivated Philadelphia team with Jeff Carter and vivid memory of defeat against the Leafs. Against the Flyers, can the Leafs get lucky again?
Looking For More Options On Power Play
More options on the powerplay will make it harder for the other teams to shut down.
For the Maple Leafs, they like to use Dion Phaneuf at the point to use his shot from the point. Many teams know this and are ready to defend this. The Maple Leafs have tried to use someone in front of the net helps but having two forwards in front makes it easier to defend against.
The better special teams use different looks with the man advantage and mix in a forward to quarterback the powerplay below the red line or from the corner. Using the corners allows for the defense to sneak into the play at the same time still provides a quick outlet to the near point for a quick one-timer. Having a player at all times in front of the net keeps the defending teams from vacating the area and giving more room for the other players. Cycling players at all positions will force the players with the man advantage to keep moving and become less stationary and predictable. When players are not moving around, they become easier to defend against. Defense should cycle with the forwards, Wingers should cycle with the centerman.
For the Maple Leafs, they like to use Dion Phaneuf at the point to use his shot from the point. Many teams know this and are ready to defend this. The Maple Leafs have tried to use someone in front of the net helps but having two forwards in front makes it easier to defend against.
The better special teams use different looks with the man advantage and mix in a forward to quarterback the powerplay below the red line or from the corner. Using the corners allows for the defense to sneak into the play at the same time still provides a quick outlet to the near point for a quick one-timer. Having a player at all times in front of the net keeps the defending teams from vacating the area and giving more room for the other players. Cycling players at all positions will force the players with the man advantage to keep moving and become less stationary and predictable. When players are not moving around, they become easier to defend against. Defense should cycle with the forwards, Wingers should cycle with the centerman.
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