Alright as promised I am gonna talk about the Phil Kessel trade. Originally Kessel was to be a Leaf on draft day back in June that would have seen Tomas Kaberle become a Bruin. The only problem was that Peter Chiarelli and Brian Burke were confused as to who was going to get a 1st round pick with their new player, the deal ultimately fell through because of this.
So over the whole summer Burke talked about how he was either going to acquire Kessel in a trade or by signing him to an offer sheet. Kessel was an unrestricted free agent so whoever traded for him would then have to sign him to a contract. Well Burke made a deal with the Black Hawks near the begging of the year to reacquire Toronto's 2nd round pick so that Burke could use it as part of the trade to get Kessel or use it to sign Kessel to an offer sheet and give Boston its compensation draft picks. Burke pulled the trigger on the deal in the middle of September, sending Toronto's 1st and 2nd round picks in this year draft to Boston as well as Toronto's 1st round pick in the 2011 draft. While Toronto got an unsigned restricted free agent (Phil Kessel). Kessel quickly signed a 5 year/27 million dollar contract with the Leafs.
That brings us to today the Leafs are in the basement of the league and are currently in possession of the 1st overall pick in the draft. However that pick now belongs to Boston. Kessel has made Toronto a better team and he is still young he is only 22 years old.
Many are already criticizing this deal because the Leafs weren't supposed to be this bad. Many are making the argument that Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin could easily help the Leafs just as much as Kessel is now. While others argued that despite Kessel's great goal numbers they would surely drop as in Boston Kessel had Marc Savard feeding him passes, but there is no one on Toronto's roster that could feed the puck to Phil. While Kessel has only played in 8 games this year because of off season shoulder surgery, he has 5 goals and 3 assists and is a +2.
I think time will tell the real story of this deal. If the Leafs go onto win a cup down the road and Kessel is still on the team many will say the deal was worth it no matter how good those 3 picks turn out to be. Or maybe Kessel leaves and we gave up those picks for 5 years of Kessel, or maybe we win a cup with Phil and maybe only 1 or more of those picks we sent to Boston become busts or they suffer a career ending injury. There are so many factors to consider when talking about this, I would have to side with taking Kessel, he has been one of the few bright lights for Toronto this season, pair that with the fact he is a proven sniper and he has yet to hit his prime as he is only 22. Kessel is going to be a good player but again time will tell just how good of a player he will turn out to be. The same will be said about the draft picks we gave up for Phil.
I am sure I will take heat for this but it's too early for anyone to be on the right side of this argument. It does irk me to see us in contention for the 1st overall pick in the draft and it doesn't even belong to us, however we could make a push and get out of the bottom 10 in the league. I DON'T see this happening but stranger things have happened in Leaf land.
There is of course the option to trade Kaberle for a 1st rounder but would it be worth it? Or could you sell someone on giving up a 1st rounder on a pending free agent? That would depend on where we traded T Kab and what position that team held in the draft. Let's face we don't have any real attractive assets in Toronto except for Kaberle. We are not going to move Kadri or any of are young guys, our veterans are over paid with large contracts. Guys like Blake, Hagman are the contracts I am talking about. We may be able to move Ponikarovsky or Stajan but were not going to get 1st rounders for them unless your playing NHL 09, best case you get a 2nd rounder each for them. Ian White is having a good year as well but I think Burke and Wilson both enjoy White and his never give up attitude so it would really take a good return to move him. I am not saying Ian White would fetch a 1st rounder by any means, but I think they both enjoy his style of play and he is only 25. He is on pace for 20 goals this year, but we all know that production is likely going to fall off, never the less Ian White went from being in the dog house to start last year to eating up minutes and pitching in from the point this year.
In next weeks blog I will talk about disappointing players who are wearing the blue and white.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Leafs Rookies Waiting In The Wings
Well the leafs can't wait to compete again for the Stanley Cup. They will have to do a number of things, build a solid core of players through trades and free agency and of course the draft. That is what this blog is about, we will have to wait around 5 years to see how Brian Burke's 1st draft as the Maple Leafs GM. However the jury is starting to come in on how John Ferguson Jr's draft's have gone. In this blog I will discuss Leafs rookies who have either cracked the roster and stayed or earned a few games with the big club.
We start with:
Viktor Stalberg: He was selected in the 6th round 161st overall in the 2006 draft. Stalberg tore it up in the preseason and had Leafs Nation a buzz with the possibility of having a potential Calder Trophy candidate. However since the season started Stalberg has fallen off the map, and has since been sent down to the Marlies the Maple Leafs farm system. He has only played in 8 games and has only 1 assist and is a -5. Once the games started meaning something Stalberg completely disappeared and gone are the speedy rushes down the wing and the nice goals and big games. Since being demoted to the AHL he has played in 8 games and has 4 goals with 5 assists for 9 points and a +3. Stalberg has time to grow down int he AHL and he is only going to become a better player the longer he stays and plays in the AHL. I'm not saying were gonna see this guy pot 50 goals but the more time he has to develop the better he will be in the future.
Carl Gunnarsson: He has only seen limited action in the NHL this year. He was called up from the AHL a week ago to fill in for the injured Mike Komisarek. Gunnarsson was selected by Toronto in the 2007 entry draft in the 7th round 194th overall. It's hard to judge just how good or bad Gunnarsson is because he has only played 3 games in the NHL. However in those 3 games he has looked good, he has 1 assist and is a -1. He has especially looked good working the opposite point on the power play with Tomas Kaberle. He is only 23 and again will be sent down once Komisarek returns from an injury. Just like Stalberg the more time he spends in the AHL at this age the better for his future. Carl has played in 12 games for the Marlies and has 2 assists.
Jonas Gustavsson: I won't spend much time on Jonas as by my last blog you know how I feel about him. Jonas has shown kinks in his armour but he is a rookie and the true test will be how he handle the adversity. Gustavsson can one day perhaps be a number 1 goalie in the league, I guess the test will be this year in Toronto. He is playing on a bad team with bad defence if he continues to play as well as he has then there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that he can indeed make that leap to number 1. Jonas has made numerous big saves this year already but I think the best save he has made was back in the preseason against the Detroit Red Wings. 2 Red Wing's came in on Gustavsson all alone, and Gustavsson absolutely robbed Detroit's Ville Leino. The Air Canada Centre then showed their appreciation for the monster when the gave him a standing ovation.
Tyler Bozak: Bozak who has only played 1 game in the NHL. Bozak was a monster himself in the preseason setting up goals like no other and even scoring a beauty short handed goal against the bruins. Bozak is hard to judge also due to the fact that he has only played 1 game but he got an assist in it and was a -2. However in the AHL Bozak has compiled 2 goals and 7 assists in 14 games. Bozak has potential to be the Leafs next big play maker, he was signed as a free agent out of the NCAA. Bozak will continue to blossom in the AHL and only good things seem to be in his future. I don't think he is going to be an all star or anything like that but he can be a serious contributer to this hurting Maple Leafs squad in the future.
Christian Hanson: Christian played in 3 games at the end of last year after being signed as a free agent out of the NCAA also. He scored his 1st career goal against the best goalie the game has ever seen Martin Brodeur. Hanson has yet to crack the big squad this season but is making his case for a shot as in 16 games this season with the Marlies he has a team leading 8 goals. He has 9 assists, and leads the team with 17 points. Hanson is also leading the squad with a +5. You can't really judge Hanson's abilities just yet with only 3 games under his belt. Hanson's production will surely drop off if he does get called up this year, but never the less he is having a great season in the AHL.
Nazem Kadri: Kadri was taken in this years past draft 7th overall, and was Brian Burke's first ever draft pick as the Leafs GM. Kadri impressed a lot of people in the preseason. Kadri who just turned 19 a month and a half ago is leading his team (London Knights, OHL) in goals (11) and points (22) and is a +9. Kadri was sent back down to the Ontario Hockey League because of his age and size. Kadri who is only 185 pounds and 6 feet tall, is still a little small for the NHL. Kadri is thought to have a shot at cracking the Leafs roster as early as next year, I don't think it would hurt to give him and year or two in the AHL however. There is no point in rushing him into the NHL. A lot of Leafs critized Burke for not keeping him in the NHL or even the AHL. I am gonna have to take Burke's side on this there is no harm in sending back a good player to the OHL, especially when that player can get better and have a chance to represent the Country in the world juniors. We will have to wait until next year to see if Kadri does make the roster next year or if he is sent to the Marlies, but we will have to wait at least 5 years to see jsut how Kadri turns out.
Here is a list of Brian Burke's first draft as the Leafs GM.
7th Nazem Kadri, Forward, London (OHL)
50th Kenny Ryan, Forward, USA Under 18 (USDP)
58th Jesse Blacker, Defence, Windsor (OHL)
68th Jamie Devane, Forward, Plymouth (OHL)
128th Eric Knodel, Defence, Philadelphia Jr (US AAA)
158th Jerry D'Amigo, USA Under 18 (USDP)
188th Barron Smith, Defence, Peterborough (OHL)
Next Weeks Blog is about the Phil Kessel trade.
We start with:
Viktor Stalberg: He was selected in the 6th round 161st overall in the 2006 draft. Stalberg tore it up in the preseason and had Leafs Nation a buzz with the possibility of having a potential Calder Trophy candidate. However since the season started Stalberg has fallen off the map, and has since been sent down to the Marlies the Maple Leafs farm system. He has only played in 8 games and has only 1 assist and is a -5. Once the games started meaning something Stalberg completely disappeared and gone are the speedy rushes down the wing and the nice goals and big games. Since being demoted to the AHL he has played in 8 games and has 4 goals with 5 assists for 9 points and a +3. Stalberg has time to grow down int he AHL and he is only going to become a better player the longer he stays and plays in the AHL. I'm not saying were gonna see this guy pot 50 goals but the more time he has to develop the better he will be in the future.
Carl Gunnarsson: He has only seen limited action in the NHL this year. He was called up from the AHL a week ago to fill in for the injured Mike Komisarek. Gunnarsson was selected by Toronto in the 2007 entry draft in the 7th round 194th overall. It's hard to judge just how good or bad Gunnarsson is because he has only played 3 games in the NHL. However in those 3 games he has looked good, he has 1 assist and is a -1. He has especially looked good working the opposite point on the power play with Tomas Kaberle. He is only 23 and again will be sent down once Komisarek returns from an injury. Just like Stalberg the more time he spends in the AHL at this age the better for his future. Carl has played in 12 games for the Marlies and has 2 assists.
Jonas Gustavsson: I won't spend much time on Jonas as by my last blog you know how I feel about him. Jonas has shown kinks in his armour but he is a rookie and the true test will be how he handle the adversity. Gustavsson can one day perhaps be a number 1 goalie in the league, I guess the test will be this year in Toronto. He is playing on a bad team with bad defence if he continues to play as well as he has then there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that he can indeed make that leap to number 1. Jonas has made numerous big saves this year already but I think the best save he has made was back in the preseason against the Detroit Red Wings. 2 Red Wing's came in on Gustavsson all alone, and Gustavsson absolutely robbed Detroit's Ville Leino. The Air Canada Centre then showed their appreciation for the monster when the gave him a standing ovation.
Tyler Bozak: Bozak who has only played 1 game in the NHL. Bozak was a monster himself in the preseason setting up goals like no other and even scoring a beauty short handed goal against the bruins. Bozak is hard to judge also due to the fact that he has only played 1 game but he got an assist in it and was a -2. However in the AHL Bozak has compiled 2 goals and 7 assists in 14 games. Bozak has potential to be the Leafs next big play maker, he was signed as a free agent out of the NCAA. Bozak will continue to blossom in the AHL and only good things seem to be in his future. I don't think he is going to be an all star or anything like that but he can be a serious contributer to this hurting Maple Leafs squad in the future.
Christian Hanson: Christian played in 3 games at the end of last year after being signed as a free agent out of the NCAA also. He scored his 1st career goal against the best goalie the game has ever seen Martin Brodeur. Hanson has yet to crack the big squad this season but is making his case for a shot as in 16 games this season with the Marlies he has a team leading 8 goals. He has 9 assists, and leads the team with 17 points. Hanson is also leading the squad with a +5. You can't really judge Hanson's abilities just yet with only 3 games under his belt. Hanson's production will surely drop off if he does get called up this year, but never the less he is having a great season in the AHL.
Nazem Kadri: Kadri was taken in this years past draft 7th overall, and was Brian Burke's first ever draft pick as the Leafs GM. Kadri impressed a lot of people in the preseason. Kadri who just turned 19 a month and a half ago is leading his team (London Knights, OHL) in goals (11) and points (22) and is a +9. Kadri was sent back down to the Ontario Hockey League because of his age and size. Kadri who is only 185 pounds and 6 feet tall, is still a little small for the NHL. Kadri is thought to have a shot at cracking the Leafs roster as early as next year, I don't think it would hurt to give him and year or two in the AHL however. There is no point in rushing him into the NHL. A lot of Leafs critized Burke for not keeping him in the NHL or even the AHL. I am gonna have to take Burke's side on this there is no harm in sending back a good player to the OHL, especially when that player can get better and have a chance to represent the Country in the world juniors. We will have to wait until next year to see if Kadri does make the roster next year or if he is sent to the Marlies, but we will have to wait at least 5 years to see jsut how Kadri turns out.
Here is a list of Brian Burke's first draft as the Leafs GM.
7th Nazem Kadri, Forward, London (OHL)
50th Kenny Ryan, Forward, USA Under 18 (USDP)
58th Jesse Blacker, Defence, Windsor (OHL)
68th Jamie Devane, Forward, Plymouth (OHL)
128th Eric Knodel, Defence, Philadelphia Jr (US AAA)
158th Jerry D'Amigo, USA Under 18 (USDP)
188th Barron Smith, Defence, Peterborough (OHL)
Next Weeks Blog is about the Phil Kessel trade.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Leafs Free Agent Busts
So we all know the Leafs revamped their roster in the off-season especially on the defence, in an attempt to make a push for the playoffs. Well as stated in the blog before were 20 games into the season and have 3 wins. On top of that we are dead last in the league, and far out of a playoff spot. I am going to go over how I feel the free agents have done so far a quarter of the way into the season.
Rickard Wallin- Okay so we all know that Wallin was not brought in here to light the lamp, and his stats show that. He has played in 20 games this season and has 2 assists, which is fine for a player in his role. However he is supposed to be a defensive forward, but is a minus 5. That stat right there is unacceptable. In order for Rickard to make an impact on this club is to start to shut down the other teams players, which is his job after all. I would give Wallin a GRADE of C for his efforts so far this year.
Francois Beauchemin- Alright this was a free agent signing I was very happy with when it was announced. I have always been a big fan of Francois, however that being said he has been less that impressive. With that being said I think the real Francois Beauchemin has yet to land in Toronto. A quarter of the way through the season and his stats are fine, except for one. He has 2 goals with 6 assists for 8 points in 20 games, he has 3 more points then he did this time last year. The real number that bothers me is the -9. Since being in the NHL he has never been worse than a -9 for a season, if he keeps this pace up he will finish a career low -36. But like I said before I see him picking his game up a little more as the season continues. I give Beauchemin a GRADE of C+, if not for that lowly -9 he would have been a B forsure.
Mike Komisarek- Mike has taken lots of penalties, blocked lots of shots and been in a tilt here and there, and has even had a dirty hit or two along the way. Vintage Komisarek!! Even though I feel we over paid for him, he is doing exactly what we are paying him to do. The average fans says he doesn't produce the points though, that is not his job! Mike is a shutdown defencemen. He compliments Thomas Kaberle perfectly, T Kab doesn't have to worry about getting run like in past years because if he does get run, Komisarek will make that player pay. Kaberle's point production this year shows his comfort with playing with Mike. Komisarek has never been know for his offensive numbers and again this year that will be the case as he has 0 points in 16 games this year. He is a -9. He is in his 7th NHL season and has only once finished with a minus rating and that was his first year in the NHL with the Habs when he was a -6. I would give Komisarek a GRADE of B+, even though he is on pace to set a career low for +/- he has done exactly what he has been hired to do.
Jonas Gustavsson- Where do I start with the MONSTER. I think he has been the Leafs best free agent signing. He is young (25), and a good fit on the Leafs, as long as the Leafs don't ruin his confidence like they did last year with Justin Pogge. Gustavsson has started 11 games this year and has gotten the Leafs points in 7 of those 11 starts, one of his losses should have also been credited to Toskala too. The game in Washington where he came in to relieve Toskala and gave the Leafs a chance to win as they almost came back and he was unfairly given the loss even though when he came in he was down 3-0. He has a save% of .901 which needs improving but is the best on the team. He also leads the team with a Goals Against Average of 3.23. He is the only goalie this year with a win, he has 3 on the year so far. I give Gustavsson a Grade of A+, he has much to improve on but has done more than he was expected of and looks to be the Leafs new number 1 goalie.
In my next blog I will be talking about so of the Leafs draft picks that are coming around and that should be ready in a year or two.
Rickard Wallin- Okay so we all know that Wallin was not brought in here to light the lamp, and his stats show that. He has played in 20 games this season and has 2 assists, which is fine for a player in his role. However he is supposed to be a defensive forward, but is a minus 5. That stat right there is unacceptable. In order for Rickard to make an impact on this club is to start to shut down the other teams players, which is his job after all. I would give Wallin a GRADE of C for his efforts so far this year.
Francois Beauchemin- Alright this was a free agent signing I was very happy with when it was announced. I have always been a big fan of Francois, however that being said he has been less that impressive. With that being said I think the real Francois Beauchemin has yet to land in Toronto. A quarter of the way through the season and his stats are fine, except for one. He has 2 goals with 6 assists for 8 points in 20 games, he has 3 more points then he did this time last year. The real number that bothers me is the -9. Since being in the NHL he has never been worse than a -9 for a season, if he keeps this pace up he will finish a career low -36. But like I said before I see him picking his game up a little more as the season continues. I give Beauchemin a GRADE of C+, if not for that lowly -9 he would have been a B forsure.
Mike Komisarek- Mike has taken lots of penalties, blocked lots of shots and been in a tilt here and there, and has even had a dirty hit or two along the way. Vintage Komisarek!! Even though I feel we over paid for him, he is doing exactly what we are paying him to do. The average fans says he doesn't produce the points though, that is not his job! Mike is a shutdown defencemen. He compliments Thomas Kaberle perfectly, T Kab doesn't have to worry about getting run like in past years because if he does get run, Komisarek will make that player pay. Kaberle's point production this year shows his comfort with playing with Mike. Komisarek has never been know for his offensive numbers and again this year that will be the case as he has 0 points in 16 games this year. He is a -9. He is in his 7th NHL season and has only once finished with a minus rating and that was his first year in the NHL with the Habs when he was a -6. I would give Komisarek a GRADE of B+, even though he is on pace to set a career low for +/- he has done exactly what he has been hired to do.
Jonas Gustavsson- Where do I start with the MONSTER. I think he has been the Leafs best free agent signing. He is young (25), and a good fit on the Leafs, as long as the Leafs don't ruin his confidence like they did last year with Justin Pogge. Gustavsson has started 11 games this year and has gotten the Leafs points in 7 of those 11 starts, one of his losses should have also been credited to Toskala too. The game in Washington where he came in to relieve Toskala and gave the Leafs a chance to win as they almost came back and he was unfairly given the loss even though when he came in he was down 3-0. He has a save% of .901 which needs improving but is the best on the team. He also leads the team with a Goals Against Average of 3.23. He is the only goalie this year with a win, he has 3 on the year so far. I give Gustavsson a Grade of A+, he has much to improve on but has done more than he was expected of and looks to be the Leafs new number 1 goalie.
In my next blog I will be talking about so of the Leafs draft picks that are coming around and that should be ready in a year or two.
The Leafs Suck!!!
Well the Leafs did it again, they lost to the worst team in the league and blew a 3 goal lead in the process. You may ask but why do they suck? Well we are 20 games into the season, dead last in the league since losing to Carolina and we have compiled a less than impressive 3 wins. If this pace continues we will have an impressive 12 wins in 82 games. But that's okay right? because we should have the first overall draft pick, so we can take Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin. But WAIT we traded that pick to Boston as well as our 2nd rounder from this year and our 1st rounder for next year.
The Leafs are struggling all around it is impossible to put the blame on just one person. The only consistency with the Leafs is that no matter who is in goal the team doesn't play well enough in front of the goalies. On replays you are almost always seeing at least 1 Leaf defender standing around looking confused as to what assignment he is supposed to take, and that ultimately makes the goalies look bad as they fish the puck out of their net. Now I am not saying the goal tending is off the hook, they have their issues it seems goal tender Vesa Toskala can't stop a beach ball at times. Rookie Jonas Gustavsson has his share of bad games, although for the most part he always gives the Leafs a chance at winning, and cannot take the blame for the teams losses.
In my next blog I will discuss how Toronto's free agents are doing, and what they're not doing!!
The Leafs are struggling all around it is impossible to put the blame on just one person. The only consistency with the Leafs is that no matter who is in goal the team doesn't play well enough in front of the goalies. On replays you are almost always seeing at least 1 Leaf defender standing around looking confused as to what assignment he is supposed to take, and that ultimately makes the goalies look bad as they fish the puck out of their net. Now I am not saying the goal tending is off the hook, they have their issues it seems goal tender Vesa Toskala can't stop a beach ball at times. Rookie Jonas Gustavsson has his share of bad games, although for the most part he always gives the Leafs a chance at winning, and cannot take the blame for the teams losses.
In my next blog I will discuss how Toronto's free agents are doing, and what they're not doing!!
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