From The Branches

It's good to be back doing the FTBs. It's always nice to take a break, but I'd never want to miss out on Leaf action for too long. I've barely unpacked my bag from my vacation to Thailand, and François Beauchemin is

The hockey gods were with the Leafs last night, and again not with the Islander's goaltenders, as Kevin Poulin went down with an injury during warmups forcing man mountain Mikko Koskinen to make his first ever NHL debut. I saw him play for the Bridgeport Soundtigers last year

Hey, guess who was supposed to write one for today...yeah, yeah, yeah. Toss links to whatever Leafs/NHL news you're reading and share with the group. Update: Ron Wilson decided that rather than punish Phil Kessel because he thinks he hasn't focused on the smaller

While the Pack were laying the beat down on the Steelers, there was some big trouble in brewing in Little Toronto: Phil Kessel Sounds Off Against Coach - James Mirtle Asked Sunday whether Wilson has offered any advice given his struggles, Kessel offered some troubling insight into how the dynamic

So the Leafs lost in Buffalo once again last night, failing to give much support in front of young goalie James Reimer. The Buds have now lost 7 straight at HSBC Arena. During the second intermission in an otherwise dreadful game came the news from Pierre LeBrun that interest in

Sorry to ruin your Saturday, but it looks like John Mitchell will be returning to the Leafs lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Mitchell has been out with a knee injury since early January, and will likely take the spot vacated by Darryl Boyce. I would guess that Tim Brent,

Optimus Reim is in the building and he's rolling out the wins on the back of his Autobotesque .940 save percentage. Megatron ain't got s*** on him! Reimer Steers Leafs Past 'Canes - James Mirtle The charmed start to Toronto Maple Leafs rookie James Reimer’

Because of that we politely ask you to post your links in the comments below.

See? I told you there was no need to fear a Southeast opponent on a Tuesday night. Also of great note? Mikhail Grabovski is now tied for 14th in goals league wide. Hells yeah! Grabovski: Illusion or Future Difference-Maker? - Vintage Leaf Memories Even as he started this season well,

After a break that gave the usual suspects a chance to get some digs on the Leafs - seriously, did any mittenstringer read that the Leafs were also in the top ten MOST desireable places to play? - the buds will be back in action as they take on some

Well Phil Kessel didn't have a great All-Star Game. 0 points, 3 shots, and a +1 rating. However, he didn't have the worst. That honor would belong to Keith Yandle who had 0 points, 3 shots, and a -3 rating; the worst on either team. I

Anyone with half a clue understands that the All-Star game, like those in every other sport, is fluff aimed at facilitating business, recognizing players for good seasons (or good careers more often), and putting on a show for the fans. Then, there are mittenstringers like Boston's (what a

Maybe I'm out on a limb here, but Phil Kessel being selected last in the All-Star Game Fantasy Draft is actually a good thing. The last thing most Leaf fans need to hear or read about right now is Brian Burke trying and failing to trade for young

Leafs Links Do you want a Dougie Gilmour Fathead? Of course you do. Charges Dropped Against Waffle Thrower (insert waffle related joke here) Who and Why? LeafsHQ looks at ever team and picks a player that would be worth trading for. Leafs Barely Alive For the Playoffs So you'

So Phil Kessel will go to the All-Star game instead of Mikhail Grabovski, which is whack, but at least we have a player representing the Leafs. Being that this is a mediocre team (at best), it's hard to get too worked up about it. Dave Shoalts has a

James Reimer, good. Leafs offense, bad. The Leafs are simply incapable of beating a defensively orientated system team like Tampa Bay or Boston. I don't know if it's a personnel or a coaching matter, but it's got to change if the Leafs want to

Who the f*** is Tim Brent? This is who the f*** Tim Brent is!  Two goals on the night and yet he played less than Colby Armstrong in the 3rd period. Seriously Wilson? Leafs Let Down By Power Play in Testy Loss to Hurricanes - James Mirtle One of the

Not a whole lot of new, Leaf-related articles to talk about today, but as usual, there's plenty of other interesting stuff from around the league for your perusal to be found in today's links. Most of the Leaf content focuses on the goaltending-triangle we have going

It's not very often these days that I agree with Don Cherry. Actually, I find it difficult enough just to follow his seemingly directionless rambling most Saturdays. But last night was different. For a few moments on Coach's Corner, Cherry and Ron McLean spoke about the

Unfortunately, there isn't much Leafs news to report on this morning. The Buds do expect Fredrik Sjostrom and Mike Brown back in the line-up tonight against Washington on HNIC. While Sjostrom hasn't been very noticeable this season, Brown has won over many with his tenacious forechecking

So we can learn to pick ourselves up. Well obviously the Leafs are a big fan of Batman Begins because after falling down hockey's equivalent of a well and breaking their leg against the Rangers on Wednesday, the Leafs came back with a revenge and emerged with a

The Leafs play in Manhattan tonight and have never played a single interesting game there. Ever. Get ready for a snooze fest. Other than that, not a whole heck of a lot going on, so here are your Wednesday links. Pictures of Nintendo video game characters not needed. Leafs Links

Phaneuf No Longer Power Play Weapon - Eat. Sleep. Leafs. Phaneuf’s slumping goal totals have drawn the attention—he has only one this season—but it’s his ineffectiveness manning the point on the powerplay that has directly resulted in his spiraling offensive numbers. When he scored 20 as

Luckily for me, I had already left for shinny and didn't get to see it. But looking over the box score, I find Brett Lebda was a -1. This is bordering on amazing, isn't it? The guy plays a little over eight minutes in one of

So the Leafs return home to face Calgary tonight with a slightly different look to their line-up. Mike Brown has been suspended for three games for his hit on Ed Jovanovski, Fredrik Sjostrom and Kris Versteeg (from what we know) are still banged up, and Brett Lebda is a terrible