Analysis

Ok so as I was perusing various statistical pages last night, I stumbled across some interesting team statistics that have received nary a mention in the mainstream press. Why? you might be asking yourself, would we want to know anything that isn't quoted in the mainstream press? Well

Reflect back to the start of last season. Think back to when Clarke MacArthur first showed up in Leaf land, fresh from signing a one year, $1.1 million dollar contract that was a $300 K reduction from his previous contract. MacArthur had gone to arbitration as an RFA with

So a couple of days ago if you read the From The Branches, or if you keep tabs on what Gabe Desjardins is up to at BehindTheNet.ca (or Arctic Ice Hockey), you may have noticed that the Fenwick Percentages for the 2011-12 season were added to the mix of

By this point last year, Nikolai Kulemin had posted 4 goals and 5 assists on 26 shots, during a "slow start" en route to a 30 goal 57 point season. So far this year he has 2 goals and 4 assists on 25 shots, during an even SLOWER

Last year at the trade deadline the Leafs dealt Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Joe Colborne, and 1st and 2nd round draft picks (that we traded to get Tyler Biggs and John-Michael Liles respectively). Theoretically if Biggs pans out, and the Leafs at some point either

So far this season it looks like more of the same from Jonas Gustavsson. As we head into a match up versus the Philadelphia Flyers, many Leaf fans are are shaking their heads at the decision to bring Gustavsson back for another kick at the can as an NHL level

Juraj Mikus and Korbinian Holzer are a pair of 23 year old defenders with the Toronto Marlies. Mikus was drafted in 2007 in the 5th round, 144th overall, 50 picks before Carl Gunnarsson. Holzer was drafted in 2006, in the 4th round, 111th overall, 12 selections after James Reimer and

Despite a 3-0-1 record, there are a lot of questions with the current edition of the Leafs. Aside from the top pairing of Phaneuf (+8) and Carl Gunnarsson (+4), the Leafs D has proved to be a bit of a conundrum so far this season. Mike Komisarek has continued to

Earlier this spring, I compared Carl Gunnarsson to Keith Aulie, following the logic that Gunnarsson was more deserving a top pairing role than Aulie. Looks like - for the moment at least - that's how it's shaken out. Aulie was demoted to the AHL's

The Preseason is over, the final demotions have yet to happen (wait until Monday), and the Leafs now have the regular season on the docket.  It looks like some of the injuries to our centres will sort themselves out prior to Thursday's opener against the Habs, but we&

The mainstream press in Toronto (and across Canada) often has a bit of an axe to grind when it comes to things Maple Leaf.  They dislike the way the team is built, or the people running it, or the coach, or the fans, or the colour of their uniforms, etc.

The other day, I did a break down of the comparison between Luke Schenn and Dion Phaneuf based largely on their play last season defensively. That discussion largely focused on which of those two should be "leading" the Leafs defensively, and really the results came out in a

A few days ago, there was a fairly drawn out debate over whether or not Luke Schenn is a superior defender to Dion Phaneuf. Some would argue Phaneuf is "easily" the superior blue liner, and I feel it's quite easy to concede that fact on an

Nikolai Kulemin scored 30 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, a figure that was good enough for twenty-ninth in the NHL. The young Russian was even better at even strength, finishing twelfth in the NHL with 24 5v5 goals. It should go without saying that those are excellent

The Nose versus ... the new french guy that might rub people the wrong way with his personality. So what can we expect this season out of the two players that are likely to enter camp this year as potential 4th line centres? Darryl Boyce is a hard working, former CIS

In my first post, I took a look at the entire team's shot locations. In this post, I'm focusing solely on shots taken at 5-on-5 while the Leafs were on the road. To a large degree, the patterns are dictated by a players' position, and

No, this is not a Rorschach test. If you see a butterfly or a pelvis in these dots, it's because you're spending too much time doing drugs and not enough time studying the 2010-2011 Toronto Maple Leafs' shot locations. In the chart above, each individual

Yesterday we ran through the first four selections of the Leafs 2011 Draft, describing statistical comparables and running through some ideas of their potential. I may have come across as a tad harsh with respect to the Leafs first of two first round selections, Tyler Biggs. Before the angry e-mails

Ok, I know a lot of these draft picks are being analyzed from various perspectives around the Barilkosphere already. I'm also aware most of you may have already looked into some of this information. That being said, I'm going to attempt to do a bit of

There seems to be a general consensus within the hockey community that Tomas Kaberle has been a disappointment in Boston. Specifically, we're talking about his production on the man advantage. In twenty-four games with the Bruins, Kaberle amassed a measly three assists on the powerplay. He has since

I find it interesting to read tales of greatness.  Often we are given glimpses into the stepping stones, skill sets, and strengths of those conquering geniuses of sports management whenever they reach the pinnacle of their craft.  The local and national Canadian media are likely to fall all over themselves

Much ink (pixels?) is being devoted to the upcoming contract of Leafs D cornerstone Luke Schenn. Little has been devoted to Carl Gunnarsson, who is the only one of the two playing in the World Championships Gold Medal game. Both young men have acquitted themselves well in the NHL thus

How Optimus was Optimus Reim? How often did Reim Time occur? If we check the OR, will we like it so far (pardon the use of a line from a mid-90's Ottawa Rap Group featuring Tom Green... the letters just fell into place). Well, using the Quality Start

With the draft drawing scheduled for TSN later today, Tuesday, April 12th, it seems fitting that the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau has just released it's final rankings for the 2010-11 season, with a few major shifts since the Mid-Term numbers were released.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made the

Tyler Bozak is a second year forward playing big minutes. He's a 24 year old playing a bit out of his depth on the top line, but he hasn't shirked his responsibilities all season long. He's likely suffered as a result of the raised