What happens now?

I don’t feel that Ron Wilson has had the most talented group to work with. But he does this year and we shouldn’t be seeing such awful defensive play at this point in the season. I can’t see him returning in any way next year unless they go on an amazing run to end the season. We’re still seeing the same old issues that we were two years ago despite a far more experienced roster.

I think the talent is there on defense. The issues as of late are not just on the defenseman. It’s the entire team approach to playing defense – the forwards don’t want to contribute. Mix that with some poor defensive play and terrible goaltending and TA DA.

I feel we have defense, and some potenially good goalies. But to me there’s one problems: #WeveGotWilson

Can we finally stop starting Reimer? I know guys here love him as do I but it’s clear he isn’t the same since the concussion. He is fighting the puck and doesn’t have his confidence.

meh i expected it

Aulie needs to go back to the Marlies and get on that bus to Peoria

He can’t be worse than Aulie.

I was at the Marlies’ game yesterday, thought Holzer looked pretty good. First real chance I had to watch the kid in any detail.

Do we get the 80’s Oilers in return???

For who? Wayne Gretzky?

Steve Simmonds suggested that Kessel-for-Nash was a good idea. Steve Simmonds is basically HFBoards.

What a gigantic dipshit.
I have found something I want in Toronto even less then Lebda.

That seems like a fairly good contract for the Pens.

Take a look at the Pens on Capgeek. Yeah they are lucky the got Crosby and Malkin, but they’ve done an excellent job building a team around those guys. Their salary structure is really good.

The fact that they get 4 UFA seasons out of that is really good for them. That’s below market value.

I didn’t watch last night but holy fuck, he did that? That line gets fucking pinned all the time, and you put them out against the best cyclers in the game?

it’d be a little easier if the rows were numbered… can you just name the player?

Grabbo played 17 minutes last night. Bozak, 18. In terms of ice time, Grabbo’s not missing much at all. If you’re talking about him being played with Kessel, well, imagine the prospect of Kulemin-Bozak-MacArthur.

Grabovski is on the “second” line precisely because he’s so good defensively. He’s still getting his ice time.

ask yourself if he deserves to be bumped up to the first line.

What would that accomplish though? Getting Grabbo the line/icetime he deserves? Sure. Neutering the team’s secondary scoring? Absolutely.

we had to go through a lot of goaltenders to get it too.

As shitty as they’ve played the last two weeks, they’re still holding on to the last playoff spot.

I think for the quality of teammates (no gritty mean wingers to cycle and dig out pucks or go to the net) and lack of PP time this year on leafs, he is not too far off his career ES space. Connolly shoots the puck alot and would benefit from big body in front of the net.

Sexy rendezvous?

Please don’t trade for Nash.

Scoring we can do.

WE NEED FUCKING DEFENSE AND GOALTENDING.

did Burke take a red-eye? He was just in Vancouver last night.

No, no, it’s not what you think. Howson just has a wide stance.

Maybe Howson is going to send Nash to Philly for baby Schenn and Bobrovsky, and send Carter to Toronto for older Schenn.

I hope this is because Burke realises that we need a centre who can play defence on our first line (Carter) and not because he thinks we need another scoring winger who isn’t good in his own end (Nash).

Burke’s in NYC for a different reason. Says meeting with Howson was unscheduled.

Toskalol

binational mockery. Love it.

Leafs break out up the middle. They are terrible along the boards. Watch Lupul, he always cheats to the middle of the ice in his own zone and when a defenceman whips the puck around the boards he is out of position

Harm

Would have to expose somebody to waivers.

He’d be the best fourth liner in the NHL and obviously alot better than anyone on our third line.

We don’t have to. I don’t think it makes much difference to the long term health of the club whether we do or not, and if we finish any lower than 6th I don’t like our chances in the opening series try much.

I definitley don’t want Burke selling the farm to make the playoffs.

I’d skip the playoffs this year if it means we netted some sure-fire elite talent.

Of course, if you can show me what sure-fire elite talent looks like in this league…

see Aulie Phaneuf trade

A deal for Nash would almost certainly include one of Gardiner or Gunnarsson, which is to say that it would require the Leafs to trade away the kind of player we need more of, not less.

Someone is smoking crack if they think that Burke could get Nash for Kadri, Army and a 3rd.

but if I had to choose, Carter because the acquisition price would likely be cheaper.

I don’t really want Nash at almost any cost. Carter I would trade for at the right cost. If we really want someone off Columbus though, I think we should be angling for Tyutin.

Carter.

But the price is probably to high for him.

vermette and brassard are rumoured to be in play

A reporter going to a family member for an update on a player injury?

Did they learn nothing from Reimer-gate?

sad stuff.

Parade him around the city on a golden throne, hoisted high above the shoulders of his loyal followers as we all chant “Gardiner for Calder!”. This will get him right over the top. I’ve already made the down payment on the throne, which day works best for you all?

I think there’s a lot we can do from here. I’ve had this sort of thing happen on other sites – political ones, and policy ones, not so much hockey ones – and the main thing is whether there are MSM reporters crawling through your site from time to time, as Mirtle – amongst others – does here.

After MSM reporters have caught the idea, it’s more a matter of feeding in new facts, doing comparisons against other candidates, and maybe getting a bit of buzz going. Gardiner was being under-hyped for a series of reasons for most of the early year. People knew more about prospects like Kadri, or Reimer or Schenn’s troubles, or their hopes for Colborne, and the kid went under-recognized. Also, whereas other cities love to build a bandwagon behind a kid, in Toronto our big buzzes come around trades, firing coaches, and whether we make the playoffs or not. Plus, the thing with Gardiner is he’s just really bloody QUIET!

But if we can get his overall stats out… compare him to the other main candidates…. get people asking questions to him and about him, like getting Wilson and others to talk about him…. get Leaf fans excited at the possibility…. that’s doing a lot.

Writing blogs on other sites will help too, obviously.

My thing is to dig out some of the stats comparisons, and then hope the reporters do their job and ask Wilson and Burke and other hockey experts what they see. What I see is a kid who has the kind of effortless skating that you get in guys who last 20 years. And he’s only going to get better at shooting, taking it to the net, his positional awareness, and knowing his teammates and the opposition tendencies.

To make the obvious comparison, I can’t see any way in which he’s weaker than Tomas Kaberle. Kabby’s 1st year? On a 97 point Leaf team… he played 57 games… and had 4 goals, 18 assists, 22 points. He was a +3 and had 5 PP points. His TOI was 18:42 Total, of which 1:12 was on the PK and 3:33 on the PP.

Gardiner is 52-3-15-18 right now, just a notch below Kabby. He has a +7 (better) and 4 PP points. He’s playing more time at ES and on the PK (1:47) but less on the PP (1:54.) All in all though, comparable stats.

And I think Gardiner’s upside is higher, as he’d faster and doesn’t mind blasting a shot now and then.

Anyway, maybe somebody could do a story up comparing those two, or Gardiner to Niedermayer. etc.

Just thinking out loud.

Yeah, look at the overrated team who made it to Game 7 of the Cup Finals and lead their division while being 2nd in the league.

There overrated polls are so stupid. If you underrate Datsyuk, you are an idiot.

aaaand they’re winning of course. 2 games in hand, but still, not too long ago we had a chance to put them 10 points back of us and we couldn’t beat them. Now they are right back in it,

I kind of want to counter offer and switch St. Louis for Eriksson

I’m not against getting Nash but I don’t think he’s what the Leafs need. For a few reasons.

One, he’s not playing with Kessel because there’s no way they’re breaking up Kessel and Lupul as long as it’s working. Besides that he’s basically a more physical but slower Kessel anyways.

Two, related to number one, he’s not a center.

Three, his contract is way too big and he’s going to be old soon.

I’d rather have Getzlaf (best case) or even Carter (consolation prize) even though his contract sucks too.