Like the Leafs Ian White, Santa Delivers In the Clutch
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 5:00 AM EST
in From The Branches
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PrintChristmas came and went without much of a hitch for mi familia blurr here in California. The sun shone, the weather was pleasant. You know, just your typical Christmas day. Presents were opened, receipts exchanged, food eaten. When I finally got home, I took stock of our haul, and was pleased with the end result. The thing was, the gifts weren't done yet.
The next night, after dinner with some long lost friends, we all set off to a party for a good mutual friend of ours. And my pal (for whom the party was,) let's call him "Dan", just so happened to work for a company called Easton, down in San Diego.
Now Dan has been a cycling guy for as long as I've known him, so working for Easton in their cycling division was a dream come true, but what I didn't know, was his close connections with Easton's big money maker, the hockey division.
Turns out, over the years of my rambling, Dan happened to remember a few things, one being I liked the Leafs, and at some point, he must have heard me say something about some guy named Shea Weber (in case you didn't know, blurr likey da Weber.) The problem is, Weber doesn't play for the Leafs...
Turns out this stick was made specifically for Shea (as in, this was part of his latest batch of sticks destined for Nashville,) but had a very, very (did I mention "very?") minor defect in the blade. Dan managed to have them paint the stick in Leafs colors for me, and hand delivered it. I was blown away. He apologized for it not being a "game worn" (his words...) stick, or for a Leafs player, but the way I see it, it's a one of a kind. Until Burke makes my dream come true...
Hope you all had a great weekend. Let's get down to some links...
- So the Leafs win, and how many recaps do I see? Just this one, from the gang over at PensBurgh. Toronto Mike did confirm that a game took place, and the Leafs won, but there was an issue with the whole "watching the game" part. At this point, I'll take what I can get. I'll assume we'll have a big influx of them in the comments. If you've got one, give us a link.
- The world's most interesting man, and all around "good guy" mf37 likes to read. A lot .
- Scoring chances for the past two games are up and ready for your perusal over at Under the Helmet.
- It's not even January, let alone February, so logically there's only one question to be asked: are the Leafs buyers or sellers?
- In other news, apparently there is something called "the World Juniors" taking place. There are previews a plenty for the countries involved, including these three from the Hockey Writers, Crash the Crease and Hockey Blog In Canada.
- Leafs prospect Nazem Kadri is making a few statements of his own at the tournament, not the least of which is that he can be nasty.
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(almost) everything must go!
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Dec 28, 2009 9:22 AM EST up reply actions
interesting question
who “must” go?
I have nothing interesting to say.
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
good question
toskala, exelby.. stajan?
I can wear it one day, then not wear it the next day. It's like a pair of glasses, some days I wear it, some days I don't. I'm not wearing any underwear either. There is no reason. - Mogilny "on Visors"
by AkiSchennberg on Dec 28, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
good luck moving toskala or exelby. i could see Poni, Hagman, and Kaberle being moved at the deadline. Burke is going to try really hard to move Finger, but i think he’s going to have to be bought out. 1.6 million per year on the cap isn’t too terrible of a hit.
Don’t think the Leafs can keep both Kaberle and White through the summer.
the Leafs can get more for Kaberle than they can for White. Kaberle has been fantastic this season. Some team will pay a bounty at the deadline to get him. If he agrees to go that is.
food for thought
if White’s value is such that he can be seen as a replacement for Kaberle, then his trade value could be even higher. Add on the fact that Burke can trade him to whomever he chooses (re – the highest bidder) where as with Kaberle, he gets final say, and there is no guarantee he’d agree in the first place.
If I were Burke, and felt that Kaberle and White were superfluous, and thought I had to trade one, it would be White who would be the goner.
I have nothing interesting to say.
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions
I love White as much as the next guy
however, I cannot see White’s trade value being higher than Kabby’s
Fairweather fans can go to hell
not as an RFA
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Dec 28, 2009 1:51 PM EST up reply actions
Huh? If we’re worried about White’s cap hit it’s a win win for us because he’s an RFA.
If we can keep him cheap we win. If he wants big money and gets offer sheeted and we get a first? Ok cool. Thanks.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
That’s actually pretty smart Chemmy. If a team offers low money for White, Burke resigns him for cheap. If a team offers high enough for a 1st round compenastion, just let him walk (especially if it’s a really bad team offering for him)
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
iment his trade value would be lower because he was an rfa
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Dec 28, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
Poni, White, Hagman, Stajan
Those are the guys who i believe are available and have the most value in a trade. 3 of them are going to be free agents. Stajan and Poni might demand a combined 7-9 million. White looks to cash in for about 4. Thats alot of money to invest in 3 players.
Hagman is a goal scorer and could be a nice addition on a contender.
BTW i think atleast half of them get moved by the deadline if we’re in the playoffs of not.
Last year
Burke said he got offered a 2nd for White, but I personally think he needs to be resigned, he should be part of the future of this team
Fairweather fans can go to hell
Burke was offered a 2nd for White
at the trade deadline last season – he didn’t ACCEPT the offer though, which indicates to me that Burke thinks he is worth MORE than a 2nd round pick – last year. He’s probably worth even more than that to Burke now.
Last year, White scored 10 goals, had 26 points, and was a +6 in 71 games. He scored a bunch of those goals as a forward.
This year White already has 8 goals, 21 points, and is a +9 in 40 games. None of his games have been played as a forward. He is on pace for 16 goals and 43 points, and he’s tied for 15th in the NHL for scoring amongst D men.
His numbers line up well with those of Andy Greene, and Christian Ehrhoff of the Devils and Canucks, and yet he’s playing on the LEAFS. NOT THE DEVILS OR CANUCKS. Think about that for a second….
The Leafs – rather than the Devils or Canucks. Oh and Ehrhoff and Greene are leading their respective D-corps in scoring, while White is playing 2nd pairing minutes because KABERLE is 2nd in the NHL for scoring amongst D men. 15 of Ehrhoff’s 21 points are on the PP, while 11 of Greene’s points come with the man advantage. Only 4 of White’s points have come while a man up.
Let’s face it, he’s worth a lot more than a 2nd round pick. That being said, I think the Leafs would be nuts to deal the 26 year old D man that’s an RFA when they have the 2nd leading scoring D man in the NHL who is 31 years old and has the most Power Play points of any defender in the league. Add in the fact that White is a +9, while Kaberle is a -6, and you begin to wonder if Burke is seriously crazy if you think he’s dealing White.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Sir Winston Churchill
I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.
by Steve Burtch on Dec 28, 2009 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
Let's face it
Every year for the past few years, Leaf fans have predicted half the team was going to get traded at the deadline, and they’ve been let down when, AT MOST, 2 or 3 guys are on the move.
Let’s ratchet back the trade discussion a tad, and remember that there aren’t a lot of positive options available in free agency, and frankly half the guys we’re talking about trading won’t bring this team huge returns. The Leafs aren’t likely to find a D man that’s better than White that they can develop in the next 2 or 3 years, unless they somehow miraculously convince a team to trade them a top 4 D man that’s 26 or younger. Good luck with that.
Stajan and Ponikarovsky might be UFA’s, but are we likely to bring in young players that will contribute more than they do on a game by game basis at this point by trading them? Neither one will garner the Leafs a 1st round pick. Stajan is only 26 years old, and Ponikarovsky is 29. If they want big money, you trade them for whatever you can get because they aren’t worth much more than $3.5 or $4 million. Otherwise, bring them back if you can afford to in the short term. The Leafs are holding down the fort till the likes of Kadri, Bozak, Hanson, Stålberg, Kulemin, Grabovski, Kessel, Stefanovich, Mitchell, Hamilton, Paradis, etc. can develop into decent forwards. That might take a few years… and Leafs fans need to adjust to that idea.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Sir Winston Churchill
I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.
by Steve Burtch on Dec 28, 2009 1:41 PM EST up reply actions
Basically it comes down to this: Who is Burke interested on re-signing and who will not be offered a contract?
Any one who is not in the plan and who is an RFA this year – XLB, Frogren(who?) Wallin, Mayers will be offered for next to nothing.
Then you look at the RFA’s – Kulemin, White, Bozak, Hanson, Stålberg, Gustavsson – pretty sure most(if not all) of these players are getting re-upped. Also, you have to consider how many of the 3 ‘Marlie’ guys might make the team this year – also throw Kadri into the mix…
Now you have to decide on a few players who have shown a certain amount of value – Poni, Stajan, Stempniak and Primeau and measure what value might get from trading them vs the cost(in term, dollars and roster spots) to re-sign them.
Tough decisions ahead.
Van Ryn’s done, nothing more to say on that.
Mitchell – never really saw what other people value in him.. was not impressed and don’t care whether he is an RFA or under contract or whatever.
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
Albert Einstein
by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Dec 28, 2009 7:28 PM EST up reply actions
Kaberle is not going anywhere by the trade deadline. Burke will not ask him to waive and he will not request a trade.
Done.
The trade window during the offseason is a completely different matter.
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
Albert Einstein
by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Dec 28, 2009 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
That’s a great gift. Don’t break it showing lil Bubba the mighty Blurr slapshot
Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!
by blindfolded tank driver on Dec 28, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions
Ha..
Weber’’s got 6 inches and 50 pounds on me. the butt end of the stick is at my shoulder. If this thing wasn’t a composite, I’d be hard pressed to lift it at all. the other crazy thing is, because Weber’s so freaking huge, there is NO flex to the stick when I lean in on it. Of course, as I said, he’s got 50 pounds on me.
So for now, it sits in a corner in my studio, until I can find an adequate place to display it.
I have nothing interesting to say.
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 10:18 AM EST up reply actions
Weber is a giant, sadly he doesn’t get the real attention he deserves. He’d be great on the Leafs, obviously
Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!
by blindfolded tank driver on Dec 28, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, Weber’s got a cannon of a shot which means he probably uses a really stiff stick.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
i hear he carved that stick himself, out of a bigger stick
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Dec 28, 2009 1:53 PM EST up reply actions
TWSFuckingSaid.
I am Mikhail Grabovski's smirking revenge.
by kidkawartha on Dec 28, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
I’m wondering what stick Brian Rolston uses, he’s much smaller than Weber and Chara (6’2 approx 211 lbs) yet he’s got one hell of a shot
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 2:56 PM EST up reply actions
Do you have to be an ass Birky?
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
Pick on CH for being a bruins fan then
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:18 PM EST up reply actions
Somehow this has turned into a hatefest for the Devils… and the Leafs haven’t even played against them yet
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:20 PM EST up reply actions
No, i asked a civilized question and you decided to show a picture of a kid pissing on a Devils logo. That’s just being an ass
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:25 PM EST up reply actions
Serves you right for being a sports bigamist.
Either move to Utah or man up moose.
Resident Capologist
I’ll move to Utah! No wait it’s lame there. You always seem to find a way to lighten the mood up
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 3:31 PM EST up reply actions
so
any chance this gaff from Kiprusoff will get as overplayed as Toskala’s “miscue” (putting it lightly) against the NYI last year?
I have nothing interesting to say.
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 11:00 AM EST reply actions
Hmmm, Hey Burr,
You think that your friend “Dan” can hook a fellow cyclist up with some Schwag? Even if’n I’m a Bruins fan?
bt
Late Addition
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Sir Winston Churchill
I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.
Those on twitter
Have you seen Friedman, Portzline and MacKenzie reporting on the CBJ/Caps deal? According to the fraud the Leafs are also talking to CBJ. If they are looking for a defenceman, why wouldn’t Burke talk to them.
Fairweather fans can go to hell
goodbye Jeff finger?
Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!
by blindfolded tank driver on Dec 28, 2009 1:54 PM EST up reply actions
Oh god I wish
Leafs Nation: A drinking team with a hockey problem.
by nhlcheapshot on Dec 28, 2009 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
Hate to burst someone's bubble...
…but I don’t think it was custom painted in Leafs colours… that’s a standard colour for the S17 and it’s the same colour he usually uses…
My art portfolio:
www.ArtWanted.com/canadianmaple09
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Dec 28, 2009 2:34 PM EST reply actions
The truth hurts.
My art portfolio:
www.ArtWanted.com/canadianmaple09
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Dec 28, 2009 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
whatever makes him feel better.
i guess, if he were in my shoes, he would have told his buddy, who just gave him a $150+ composite hockey stick for free to shove off.
sadly, i’m not that cool… :(
I have nothing interesting to say.
by blurr1974 on Dec 28, 2009 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
I’m not a hater and I’m not jealous either. The only reason I’m skeptical is that I bought an Ovechkin “custom made, one of a kind” stick off ebay and it turns out it was just a run of the mill factory reject. I filed a complaint and got my money back and the seller was removed from ebay, apparently he’d built an entire business on fake hockey memorabilia. Obviously your case is different and I didn’t mean to offend.
My art portfolio:
www.ArtWanted.com/canadianmaple09
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Dec 28, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions
Also, I would not have told my friend to “shove off” if I was in that situation. Custom or not, it’s a sweet present.
My art portfolio:
www.ArtWanted.com/canadianmaple09
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Dec 28, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions
z
Washington has traded Milan Jurcina to Columbus
As per Bob McKenzie. Now if only the buds could move one of their excess d-man.
Fairweather fans can go to hell
I still think Bob and Doug when I hear the name Bob McKenzie!
My art portfolio:
www.ArtWanted.com/canadianmaple09
-Graham-
by CanadianMaple09 on Dec 28, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
That’s a pretty funny show (at times)
Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Dec 28, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
updated
Caps trade captain Chris Clark + Milan Jurcina to CBJ for Jason Chimera.
WASH saves about $2.4m in cap space w/the deal
Leafs Nation: A drinking team with a hockey problem.
by nhlcheapshot on Dec 28, 2009 4:31 PM EST up reply actions
Posting from my phone, I does it
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Dec 28, 2009 4:42 PM EST via mobile reply actions
YES.
As per new community rules; all signature tags on PPP must contain the word "truculent".
(843): the red head has a bf
(1-843): just because there's a goalie doesn't mean u can't score
by Wrap Around Curl on Dec 28, 2009 5:22 PM EST up reply actions
haha!
Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!
by blindfolded tank driver on Dec 28, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions
Awesome Gift
What a good buddy.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
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