From The Branches

Is Mikhail Grabovski Playing Like a Top-10 Center in the League? - Mike Langlois from Vintage Leaf Memories I’m trying to remember exactly when, but at some point in this space last season I asked if Grabovski had become a top-10 NHL center. As I recall, some said yes

For more years than I care to remember, the Leafs have put together a wonderful runs after the All-Star break that have failed to carry them into the post-season. I figure that it's a coin toss whether or not the Leafs will actually pull it off this year,

Well there was an All-Star game this weekend and that's about it. Nothing much to talk about really, and there won't be until Tuesday when the Leafs play the Penguins.....that is of course unless a trade is made. Mmmmmmmmmmm trades. Speaking of which; Trade Rumblings

Oh, right, yeah, and the All-Star Game is on as well. I've got a few links for you guys today, only a few of which are specifically Leafs-related, but I figured that we can't leave you without a place to chat about today's game.

All-Star Weekend usually means a lack of news for more most teams. Such is the case for the Leafs at the moment. Lulls in the season can be a good time to look back at some of the season's top storylines. One of those storylines deals with Toronto&

Athletes as a group tend to appear to lack in the personality department. Part of that is because it's easier to hide it than to share it and have to deal with people opining on it (step forward Tim Thomas) and part of it is because when you

Judging by most of your blog posts and comments, there seems to be some consensus on what the extension of John-Michael Liles signifies for the Leafs as a team: First, this move signifies a step towards stabilizing the Leafs' roster. Brian Burke appears poised to make a real run

The trade deadline is fast approaching, and that means looking at players who could be added to the Leafs to help their playoff push. On Monday's edition of the #MvsW podcast, John Ferguson Junior, the head of pro scouting for the San Jose Sharks, was asked by Jeff

Well, it sure feels good to be back in the 'Win' column. That it also brings the Leafs back to a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference doesn't hurt either, but there remains a lot of work to be done, and the Leafs'

Sure this isn't really Leafs related anymore, but it's too funny not to bring to light. Saturday night Lee Stempniak "somehow" scored himself a hattrick, and Greg Wyshynski noted this odd feat in the title of his Saturday recap over on Puck Daddy. Well

The LCBO controls the sale of hard booze in the province of Ontario. I've often felt this was a good thing, as the Leafs tend to drive people to drink and having a bottle available at your corner store might cause a lot of problems for Torontonians. Last

Montreal comes to town tonight on the second leg of a back-to-back. A crushing 5-4 SO loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins has dealt their dwindling playoff hopes a serious blow. Another loss tonight to Canada's team would put the Habs 10 points back of 8th place Let'

A Win is a Win; It's 'Value' Depends on the Next Two Weeks - Mike Langlois on Vintage Leaf Memories The Wild, though, have retreated not only in their overall play, but in the standings. They haven’t played well at home or away from home.

Hey all, just in case you're in the mood to laugh and make your brain bleed this morning, I'd suggest you check out @AskBrianBurke. You see, if I ever attempted to compile a list of 140-character "thoughts" that encapsulated what it meant to be

After dropping both games of a back-to-back this past weekend, I got to thinking; why the hell did the Leafs play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday? Both teams last played on Tuesday, against each other. First Niagara Center had no event scheduled for Thursday, January 12th, and having a game

News that Jake Gardiner had been recalled from the Toronto Marlies yesterday had a few people scratching their heads, but Brian Burke had this all worked out. Since the Marlies don't play until Saturday, Burke decided that the kid may as well skate with the big team until

As I sit on the couch watching the Packers - Giants game on Sunday afternoon it's 0-0 between Washington and Carolina. A Capitals win knocks Toronto down to 9th place and since I've been a Leafs fan for a long time I'm pretty sure

The game last night was ugly. The Rangers come out with the intent to punish the Leafs physically, which they did, and the Leafs had no response. I would guess that Brian Burke did not have a great night's sleep. In other news, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa

[Corsi & Fenwick] - [Shift Chart] - [Faceoffs] - [Head to Head] Tonight's match-up in Buffalo was a bit of a trap game and most of you know it. The Leafs had beaten the Sabres 2-0 in Toronto on Tuesday night; a game where the Sabres struggled to

On the night that the impending Maple Leafs-Red Wings Winter Classic was basically confirmed by Bob McKenzie Pierre Gauthier made sure that he would steal the limelight. Here is the trade made by the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames: To Montreal Rene Bourque, prospect Patrick Holland, and a 2nd

Today, I've got a humongous big pile of links for your perusal, and they took me forever to gather. Now, you're going to sit at the table and read them until you're finished, or you're not getting any dessert. Also, it'

Was that a Mirage, or Did We Just See a Kulemin Breakthrough? - Mike at Vintage Leaf Memories Going into Tuesday night’s encounter against the struggling Sabres, Kulemin had found the back of the net a grand total of 4 times through the first half of the NHL schedule.

Recently, there is plenty of talk in support of our dear friend Jonas Gustavsson. Although I am among the greatest skeptics of The Monster's ability to remain a decent option for the Leafs in goal, numbers don't lie: Even in the organization, few saw this coming,

Asked and Answered: Brian Burke Edition - PPP at Leafs Nation Brian Burke took to Twitter for a Q&A session a few days ago and PPP has collected them all for you because he's a nice guy like that. Some highlights: Which trade do you consider

The Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings last night. Enjoy today's links. Resurgent Leafs edge Wings Wasn't perfect, but we'll take it Game 41: Game in 10 Quick hits from MLHS Shutouta Ya Mouth Is JP backtracking on Gustavsson? How the Maple Leafs can