Forwards:
Ponikarovsky-Grabovski-Kulemin
Hagman-Stajan-Blake
Stalberg-Bozak-Stempniak
Rosehill-Wallin-OrrDefence:
Kaberle-Komisarek
Schenn-Gunnarsson
White-ExelbyGoalies:
Gustavsson, Toskala
No Kadri or Hanson; are Bozak and Stalberg making their case to stay?
over 2 years ago
Chemmy
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Glad to see Stalberg back in the lineup.
Wilson said Toskala would be playing the whole game, but I hope Jonas gets in some time
Resident Cook and IT Superman
Truculence FTW
by leafer1984 on Sep 26, 2009 2:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Really? I missed that. I thought before yesterday’s game they said he would play one period last night and 2 tonight?
Life as a Toronto Sports Fan?... *sigh*... It is what it is...
That’s what I heard too. Either way, I’ll be at both games this weekend so I’ll see him either way!
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Who’s out if Stalberg and Bozak are in? At first glance I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the forward line-up come Thursday, but I can’t see Wilson benching Mitchell…
Uh oh. No Tlusty. Hanson, too.
"We've had an ongoing problem with Grabovski this year." Bob Gainey, 4/04/09
RED WINGS LINEUP
Forwards:
Justin Abdelkader – Patrick Eaves – Kirk Maltby
Brad May – Ville Leino – Jason Williams
Kris Newbury – Mattias Ritola – Evan McGrath
Johan Ryno – Valtteri Filppula – Jan Mursak
Defense:
Andy Delmore – Derek Meech
Brett Lebda – Brad Stuart
Jakub Kindl – Niklas Kronwall
Goalies:
Chris Osgood – Jimmy Howard
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Kind of strange this wasn’t their lineup last night. I think the sched backwards.
"We've had an ongoing problem with Grabovski this year." Bob Gainey, 4/04/09
Funnily enough, it almost looks like this was pre-arranged. Detroit gets to put its full line-up in for the home fans against the Leafs kids fighting for a spot. Toronto returns the favour tonight for its fans, against Detroit’s bubble players.
Resident Capologist
No kidding
Wouldn’t be surprised if that was the deal.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I just can’t see Bozak and Hanson making the team on the 1st, not with Primeau, Mitchell, Myers, and Wallin in the bottom 6. I think the vets are getting showcased, the kids are getting called up to replace injured players, then Poni and Stempniak are trade-bait if they perform. If Poni has a good year and Atlanta’s on the bubble (and desperate to keep Kovalchuk interested in staying) I can see Burke trying to trade him to Atlanta for a first rounder.
I don’t know that ATL is going to be moving any first rounders. That kind of make the playoffs at all costs mentality cost them Braydon Coburn.
I think that Stempniak is definitely trade bait and rumours have been rampant since last year that Mayers wants out so those are two that’ll open up spots for the kids at some point.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I think a hypothetical 1st rounder for Poni would be based on a sense of desperation (if they’re a bubble team trying to make the playoffs, and get playoff revenue, as well as enticing Kovalchuk to stay by reuniting Poni with Antropov) rather than a sensible mentality. Basically, they might not want to move a first rounder, but might feel forced to. Maybe we can throw in a defenceman as well, sweeten the deal.
Once bitten, twice shy though.
Not to mention that the only first that moved last year at the deadline was for Olli Jokinen who was already signed for one more year.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Good point. I wonder if more 1st’s will be moved this year, or if there’ll be more movement in general, if teams feel they need to load up for a run before the cap shrinks. In which case players like Stemps and Poni become assets, because they’re unrestricted next season.
The cap shrinking is probably more of an incentive to hold onto those firsts though.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Don’t worry. MF37 does it to me all of the time.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Gunns with Schenn. That’s quite the endorsement. And I like the move to boot.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
I’m not too hockey savvy, especially when trying to gauge defencemen. What’s the impression around here on Gunnarson’s ability and potential?
He’ll be an able replacement this year in case of injuries. He’s pretty stable. Nothing too special so far but looks like he has some potential. Basically Stralman Redux.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
From what I’ve seen, he’s progressively got better as the games have gone on. Steady, nothing spectacular, but he does look like a capable 5th-6th defenceman right now. The key is his offensive game. If he can develop that, and in his recent stints in the SEL and World Championship play Gunns has shown some uncharacteristic offence, then the Leafs have a sleeper in their hands.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
How would you rate him below the top 6, ie: Finger, Frogren, White, Van Ryn, Exelby?
“Sleeper.” I love that word especially it’s “in our hands.”
Below the top 4?
He’s waiver exempt so he can go up and down all year. He’ll be the first to come up I think (over Oreskovic) from the Marlies.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
You’ll have to look hard because he doesn’t stand out much :)
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
The question I know you're all longing to ask...
Where is Tim Brent?
Bitter Leaf Fan: a life-long Toronto Maple Leafs fan comments on the team, the media and the exasperation...
he’ll show up when it matters.
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 Sep 26, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Scotland?
with the rest of the Marlies… I think.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Top 6 Forwards
Essentially our projected opening night lineup.
Stalberg and Bozak are playing for a chance to replace Tlusty, who hasnt done much besides whiff on a penalty shot and have it bounce in.
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Tlusty was really good last night.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Ah
I was drunk and didn’t see major pieces. All I saw was Stalberg scoring goals and being a felon menace.
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VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
Yes
Stalberg was a beast.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Tlusty made the nice pass to allow Grabbo to score to tie it up.
Good chemistry with the russian kids… Could be good, but makes that line too small.
Tlusty is 6’ 209
Grabovski 5’11" 179
Kulemin 6’ 1" 183
Two are a bit small but they are also very strong on their skates and they made up for it with their quickness last night.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Bozak/Stalberg
Would probably be playing with Stempniak and Mitchell.
Leaving Orr, Primeau and another (Rosehill?) as the bangers.
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It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part, but I want Stalberg to play this year and score 20+ goals so Kadri and Kessel can play with him next year.
I think that Stalberg will end the season with the Leafs.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I think only one of Stålberg or Bozak makes the club
Mitchell isn’t losing his spot.
As I posted here Stålberg has made the strongest case amongst the Leaf rookies to stay with the big club from a statistical standpoint.
He has awesome tools, and he seems to be putting it all together in a serious way. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wilson sees him as the Leafs version of Milan Michalek who Wilson was very high on during his time in San Jose (and still is if you heard his comments on Ottawa picking him up in the Heatley deal).
I think Mayers is seen as an essential piece of the bottom 6 by Burke and Wilson at this point, but his injury issues might open up a spot. Mitchell isn’t going anywhere, and Wallin is seen as responsible and dependable. Should some of these guys falter in the regular season though, I don’t see Burke hesitating to pull the plug and bring up the kids.
I’d like to see Tlusty get more of a shot this season, and Bozak will certainly be with the NHL group at some point.
I don’t want them to trade Ponikarovsky to replace him with a rookie at this point. If they could somehow pawn off Jason Blake at some point that would be nice… he’s small and shoots way too much for the number of goals he scores – both problems from where I’m sitting.
"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.
If they could somehow pawn off Jason Blake at some point that would be nice… he’s small and shoots way too much for the number of goals he scores – both problems from where I’m sitting.
Easier said than done I suspect.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
If they could somehow pawn off Jason Blake at some point that would be nice a miracle… he’s small and shoots way too much for the number of goals he scores – both problems from where I’m sitting.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
If Blake is sent down, the brought up on re-entry waivers and is claimed, are we on the hook for half his salary for the remainder of the season, or the remainder of the contract?
Season, right?
So we’d free up 2 mil from the cap hit over the next 3 years (well, 2 and a half whenever years, depending on when they hypothetically do this). Doesn’t seem so bad, if the core players you’re developing over the next few years are OHL/NCAA guys entering the league.
Still dead money though, and MLSE is still paying off Raycroft and Tucker.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
True, but assuming players like Stalberg and Kadri becoming top 6/top 3 players, for example, they won’t be due the big bucks until Blake’s off the book anyway. And our D already seems locked up already, with some affordable prospects in the pipeline. Our highest paid player is Kessel at 5.4 per year. Looking at the 6/7/8 mil a year players in the league right now, the Leafs could have the room over the next few years to go the waiver route with Blake.
Keep Blake
Last year he was our best player. Why ship him out for an unproven commodity?
Keep the depth!
I think we’re saying that, should we develop PROVEN commodities, that can do the same job in the near future (but need his ice-time to develop) or a better job, then what are our options?
The kids can get their shot without creating dead cap space.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Bozak and Stalberg will be RFAs when both Tucker and Blake’s dead money are still counting towards the cap + Gustavsson will have been signed.
Not to mention that you then need to replace Blake’s 50+ pts with $2m.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Would they be RFA’s or FA’s?
We have them both for the next 2 seasons, right? So you’re right, there would be a one year overlap with Blake.
But assuming the Leafs cap is 53 mil (Blake, Tucker) instead of 56, and that Bozak and Stalberg probably won’t be getting Heatley-style money over the when they’re resigned, is the dead cap space a serious issue?
I’m not arguing that they SHOULD do this, but how viable is the option of Burke WANTS to do it.
They are RFAs but if things go well they could still be getting big raises.
Dead space won’t be an issue when it comes to signing those two (and Hanson) it’ll be an issue when you’re looking to fill out the roster.
$3M buys a lot.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Yeah, you’re right. Although I guess $2M buys a lot; Tucker’s $1M gone for the next few years whether we like it or not.
So if Blake finds himself 7th behind the top 6, do we send him to the Marlies?
No
Wilson said he wants a third line that can chip in with scoring so he plays there and you keep him killing penalties.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
MLSE can conceivably have the entire roster as dead salary, but lost money is lost money and I’m sure it’s something MLSE would like to avoid. Either way, it cuts into revenue when you have to give away money for no tangible return, however mediocre the return may be.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
The thing to keep in mind is that every veteran that is sent down to the minors kills the team’s depth. They cannot be called up in case of injuries because they can be claimed on waivers. So now, instead of having a proven NHLer being replaced by a good kid with potential we start getting to the point where Marlies scrubs are replacing kids with potential.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Mitchell isn’t losing his spot
100% agree.
Wilson has raved about Mitchell’s versatility and attitude over and over again this preseason.
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Stempniak
Is no longer needed, really.
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Nope
He’s not needed but he’ll stay with the big club.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
For how long?
And more importantly: Why?
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VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
For a few reasons:
- he does a job. He works hard, hits, and does the little things right
- nothing in training camp has shown that he is going to start doing otherwise
- once he is in the minors he can’t come back up without being exposed to re-entry waivers
He’s probably not in the team’s long-term plans but short term he could be turned into something if he is playing with the Leafs. Otherwise, he becomes worthless.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
For as long as possible until the Leafs can find a suitable trading partner. I don’t mind Stempniak because he doesn’t cost the team any games. Though along the same veins, he won’t win you many games either.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
Stempniak
hasn’t really played poorly. He hasn’t been getting the PP time the Frat Line has, and he hasn’t made the defensive errors they have on occasion either.
He might appear “invisible” because he doesn’t make end to end rushes with regularity like Stålberg, but he isn’t going to get dropped to the minors at this stage of things I don’t think. The Leafs just have too many forwards to promote the kids right now. I know I want them to, but until the space is made available, I don’t see it as likely.
This is why in my posting I argued that Leafs fans need to start going to Marlies games in a serious way. If you want to see Stålberg fly down the wing and take passes from Bozak in full flight and pump a rocket past the opposing goalie… go to the Ricoh Coliseum in October.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh and another thing to remember
Stempniak has played the point on the PP in the NHL for a few years now, first with St. Louis, and then with Toronto at times last season. This pre-season Bozak has been taking that role, and frankly I think they’re just seeing if he can handle the pressure that comes with the situation.
The Leafs already know Stempniak can man the point on the PP… so they don’t need to let him do it in the pre-season. He will probably do so on occasion during the regular season though, and his point totals will likely improve along with the increased opportunity.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The Leafs just have too many forwards to promote the kids right now.
DING DING DING
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Dave Nonis
He was on Leafs Lunch today at noon and he said that there were three things that they would be looking at when making the final roster.
- cap implications – I assume that this is not just in the short-term but also in the long-term.
- what will be best for the kids’ development
- what will give the team the best chance of success.
The third one is important. Keeping the kids on the Marlies allows the team to have top quality call-ups available without sacrificing assets.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
It also makes the most sense in terms of sheltering them at this stage of their development.
They can play top line minutes against weaker competition and increase their confidence. They’ll also adjust to the regularity of an 80 game sched in the AHL. They were playing on the weekends only in the NCAA, now they’ll be playing every other night or so. It might not seem like a huge strain after 6 games, but after 26 it will. Seriously they still have some adjusting to do.
Some will do it faster than others, but we’ll see how long it takes them all over the course of this season.
Injuries will happen, and eventually teams around the NHL will need some help up front with THEIR depth. That’s when Trades become more likely. Wait a bit and we’ll see things take shape.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Yup
That’s a perfect description of point # 2.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
I'm looking forward to seeing Leafs at the top of the AHL scoring sheets.
Last season the Hershey Bears were dominant. Alexandre Giroux, Keith Aucoin, Chris Borque.
Then the Portland Pirates had Mark Mancari, Tim Kennedy (highest scoring rookie in the AHL), and Mathieu Darche all in the top 20.
The only Marlies players in the top 20 for scoring in the AHL last year were Tim Stapleton and Jiri Tlusty.
Think about how well they’ll do with Tlusty, Stålberg, Bozak, and Hanson on the top 2 lines. Toss in Tim Brent who finished 27th in the AHL in scoring last year, and the Marlies will be pretty formidable up front. Then you’ve also got Stefanovich and Dale Mitchell… yeah they’ll be good to watch.
Hamilton had 2 rookies in the top 40 in AHL scoring last year (Ben Maxwell, and David Desharnais).
We’ll be pretty good on the farm this year methinks.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I gotta make it out to more Marlies games; the only reason I haven’t done so is because it simply doesn’t occur to me.
Well, that and I watch 82 Leafs games a year, and kind of get my fill. I’d love to see more Marlies games on TV, though.
Leafs TV
shows them throughout the year.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
But go down to watch them live.
It’s a small rink, you’re about 35 feet from the ice from most vantage points. You won’t have to fight for seats, and you can actually feel like you’re at a hockey game rather than a Suit convention.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve tried catching them in the past, when I knew big games were coming up, but couldn’t see them on LTV. How many do they broadcast in a year?
The schedule has not been released yet apparently
Last year they showed most of the home games. Away games were another story… but yeah it was hit or miss. They also show a lot of them on replay during the course of the season.
Hopefully they update the broadcast schedule soon?
"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 Sep 26, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Marlies Games
I fully plan on making Marlies games the designated PPP Get-Together meeting place for any event we have during the season.
We can all head out and get punk in drublic together post-game, high on rookie reefer.
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VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
So let's get the 2010-11 projections started
Leafs line up in 2010-11:
S1: Stålberg, Grabovski, Kessel
S2: Tlusty, Stajan, Hagman
C3: Bozak, Mitchell, Kulemin
C4: Rosehill, Wallin, Orr
D1: Komisarek, Kaberle
D2: Schenn, Beauchemin
D3: Finger, White
Extras – Gunnarsson, Hanson.
"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.
Archimedies: Unconscious.
The Handsome Man's Guide To Life- Tuxedos, Truculence and Twitter
VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
The funny thing is
We could ice that line up this season…
I’ll miss Ponikarovsky if he’s gone though. Seriously we have too many forwards… they need to trade some of them BEFORE they become free agents.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
You don’t think Kadri sticks next year?
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Maybe...
Maybe not…
I’m going back to the whole Burke thing about not rushing prospects without needing to.
Those are all players who are under contract other than Stajan, Kulemin, Mitchell, Wallin and White.
I don’t see why losing Wallin would make a difference, and I don’t think they’ll let Kulemin go easily if he develops this season. So no… at this stage I’m not sure Kadri makes the team.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Steve, semi-related question
How do you get the a with the o over it for Stalberg?
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VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
Alt-134
On the number pad… å å
You can also use alt-135 to get the ç for François Allaire.
ASCII code … I try to avoid using it too much, but I much prefer it to calling him “Stahlberg” like the NHL seems to be doing.
"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 Sep 26, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Excellent!
Stålberg!
Looks much, much better.
The Handsome Man's Guide To Life- Tuxedos, Truculence and Twitter
VIKTOR STALBERG APPRECIATES YOUR ATTENDANCE
Oh and if you want the capital Å
it’s Alt-143
"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.
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