From The Branches

If so, please enjoy this photo of Brett Lebda being thrown into the glass. I hope it makes your day a little sunnier; it sure put a smile on my face. In the Land of Leaf-Related Links there is precious little to choose from, but the one I'

After last night's disappointing shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators, seven points separate the Leafs from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here and the Buds needed the victory badly. The effort and urgency of wins in

Entering last Saturday night's HNIC game against Montreal, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Kaberle were still members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seven days later, Brian Burke has turned those two players into three (possibly four) draft choices and a highly regarded prospect in Joe Colborne. Add in the

Well, only a few. It's only natural that Tomas Kaberle trade talk is going to dominate the day's chatter. I, for one, won't pretend for a moment to be more interested in anything else, or even to be sick of hearing about the upcoming

Oh, who am I kidding? The Leafs hardly stand any chance at all of making the post-season. Let's just be thankful that they moved ahead of the Florida Panthers to slide into 25th overall, and now sit only one point behind The Colorado Avalanche for 24th. There

MacArthur: We're Not Raising the Flag on this Season With Kris Versteeg shipped off to Philly for two draft picks on Monday night, outward signs—which Brian Burke denied—began to pointing to a rebuild this season in Toronto. "I definitely don't want to hear

Mouth guards in the GTA will rest easy knowing that public enemy number one Kris Versteeg will no longer be chomping their friends, relatives, or neighbors anymore. He's moved on to greener pastures. If you're not a mouth guard, however, it's hard to feel

The Maple Leafs: A Pessimistic View (Part II) - Vintage Leaf Memories Burke is a sharp guy, but his reputation was highly overblown when the Leafs hired him (and obviously had their eye on him long before he arrived). He won a Cup, yes, in Anaheim. But just as he and

I usually take a small break during my Sunday morning (Vietnam time) classes to check on the progress of the Leaf game on each Saturday. The Leafs lost? Bummer. The Leafs lost to the Canadiens? Even more so. It's extra homework for those kids today. If life hands

Lots of Leafs news to chat about today. Colby Armstrong and Jonas Gustavsson are dealing with injury issues, Jean-Sebastien Giguere may have discussed his future in Toronto with Brian Burke yesterday, and the Leafs are set to visit the Habs in Montreal tonight. Giguere wants to stay but only

He's on a 4 game scoring streak. Hot sauce. Friday Morning Links for Friday Morning People It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year For a Non-Playoff team BCP sees the upcoming 2 weeks as the night before Christmas. Leafs Upended at Home Kovalchuk now

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 with

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’s

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 team that

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.

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

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

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'