Tryin’ to get the links up earlier and earlier on a day-to-day basis, and today I’m gonna be swamped all afternoon so I figured I’d just go ahead and do it quickly before the day got to me and I didn’t feel like doing anything. There’s not too much goin’ on right now in the hockey world, unless you care that some gray-haired oldtimer that’s never played hockey a day in his life is now the new NHLPA Executive Director (which, I don’t – as long as there’s no more lockouts, the douchebags that run this league with Bettman the weasel can remain anonymous to me). I’m just in a generally shitty mood this morning, although that title should help boost some traffic to the site, what with all the deviants running around out here in cyberspace.
You know you’re hurting when you’re throwing up NHL.com as a link, but the site’s “30-in30″ series wasn’t terribly done, and they finally got around to doing the Leafs. [NHL.com]
Also from the league site, just because it’s nice to get an official list and not something Eklund’s being flogged for, the best remaining free agents available. Only guy on here that I could potentially see fitting on the Leafs is Brendan Morrison, but I dunno if that is even in the realm of possibility. [NHL.com]
BCP wonders if Burke will throw out future draft picks next year to land another Phil Kessel-ish prize. [BlueChipProspects]
Will Kadri actually play for the Leafs this season? [LeafsHub]
Who has a better shot at making the club this year? D’Amigo or Kadri? [BleacherReport
Finally, do you agree with the way Burke's constructed the club? According to this, 4 of the last 5 Stanley Cup winners have had 15+ North American players on them (The Big Red Machine in Detroit being the only exception). The Leafs have 14 on the roster at the moment, with a couple more looking to jump on before the season starts (or ends, most likely). [BleacherReport]
That’s all for now, thanks for stopping by. Andrew and I have a lot of good stuff in the works already, and if this day doesn’t leave me hanging from a ceiling fan, I might try and get some of it up tonight.
Well, Tiger’s finally starting to show signs that he remembers how to play golf, obviously not enough to keep him from shanking opening drives, but it’s at least coming back to him. Maybe he needs a one-handed caddy, who knows, it worked for Happy Gilmore. I still don’t think the Leafs are all done making moves before the season begins, but with training camp rapidly approaching, I think I can say I’m happier with where they are now than where they were last summer at the same time. I’m starting to think more and more if the defense stays healthy and plays to potential while the offense plays a good two-way game, the Leafs could be a scrappy 7 or 8 seed by the time April comes around. Don’t hold me to it just yet, but justtt maybe.
Top link of the day: Just found this site today, wish I had picked it up earlier. The guys over at BlueChipProspects.com have alot to say and are pretty entertaining when they say it. Here’s a look at the Leafs’ chances of finding a stud in the goal crease. [Blue Chip Prospects]
Mike Augello postulates on how much the play of Francois Beauchemin will mean to the Leafs’ season. [HockeyBuzz]
Mike Ulmer gives us a status update on Marcel Mueller, another of the young guns Burke probably plans to start cooking in the AHL this year. [Toronto Maple Leafs]
Couple of opposing opinions from the same place here – First, a look at 3 Leafs that could surprise fans after subpar years last season. [LeafsHub]
Now, why the Leafs probably won’t make the playoffs yet again. [LeafsHub]
One more from over at BCP, a list of the top 25 players on Toronto under the age of 25. Fun fact: 11 of the 25 are either locks to make the roster or at least think they might have a shot. [Blue Chip Prospects]
I’m not a huge golf fan, but I do follow Tiger (aka, I watch ESPN and am subjected to whatever media frenzy is at hand0, and couldn’t help but notice how his play miraculously healed the same week his divorce was finalized. In honor of his former wife and all the ones to follow, here’s the 20 hottest women ever dumped by athletes. [Bleacher Report]
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m ready for some goddamn hockey. Some quiet rumblings from the Leafs this week, I’m a fan of both signings. Lashoff has shown promise, and would be a decent callup in the event of the inevitable injury to one of the Leafs’ top 6 d-men. MacArthur actually scored 30+ points in both of the last two seasons, a year and a half of which he spent in Buffalo, which is not exactly the lamp-lighting capital of the world these days. At 25, he’s got a touch more NHL experience than most of the guys on the roster, but still has time to develop if he takes advantage of the opportunity that’s apparently been presented to him in a top-six role.
I realized I never really addressed the new Leafs jerseys for this season, but I gotta say I’m excited, and I think a blue Phaneuf might have to be my next jersey purchase. In the same vein, here’s what all the Leafs’ jerseys would look like in the RBK Edge style. [LeafsHQ]
Mike Augello says Clarke MacArthur will get a chance to be a legit scoring forward with the Leafs. According to Garth, the lead Sabres’ blogger there, “At a million and change, MacArthur is a tremendous value. He’ll score 20 and and he can be counted on to play PK and some PP.”[HockeyBuzz]
Derek Harmsworth has had a great 12 Burning Questions series running lately, and the latest discusses a possibility that has crept into the back of my mind recently. While Burke and Wilson are definitely close, I don’t think Wilson is entirely exempt from being axed. Decide for yourself – Will Ron Wilson Finish the Season as Coach? [Maple Leafs Hot Stove]
And since questions seem to be the theme of the week over at MLHS, Ron Guillet asks if the Leafs are really ready to compete in the playoffs. [Maple Leafs Hot Stove]
What the hell, I got lost clicking around there. The guys at MLHS will be getting a chance to see the Leafs’ rookie camp with some exclusive access to the prospects and games. I’ll be keeping a close eye here since it should be a major indicator of how some of the young Leafs have developed. [Maple Leafs Hot Stove]
It’s been a long, dragged-out offseason, but it’s finally starting to come to an end, and I just realized that in a little over a month, the NHL and NFL seasons will be underway and the baseball playoffs will be in full swing. Should make girlfriends everywhere incredibly happy, right?
More about Kaberle staying in Toronto….yawn. [NetDugout]
“There is no issue as far as Tomas is concerned.” [Bleacher Report]
A number of teams around the NHL are hosting summer conventions for their fans, including the Capitals and Blackhawks. Howard Berger with a great look at what Leafs should get to work on to take advantage of the “rabid” fanbase. [Hockeybuzz]
A list of ten “realistic” moves the Leafs should make. [Bleacher Report]
In what can be nothing more than a depth signing at this point given their traffic jam on the blueline, the Leafs added former first round pick Matt Lashoff in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier today. Lashoff, a 23 year old defenseman, spent most of the last five seasons playing in the AHL with the Lightning and Bruins’ organizations, and has had a few solid years. He scored 29 points and 105 penalty minutes for the Norfolk Admirals last year, and will likely step right onto the Marlies’ roster.
The Leafs sent Alex Berry and Stefano Giliati to Tampa Bay, and I can’t say I’m too worried about the losses. Neither player had shown any tremendous promise, and Lashoff has at least generated some hype with his play. The two forwards combined for just 16 points between the two of them in Toronto last season, although Giliati did split the season between the Marlies and the Reading Royals.
Don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last minor deal Burke makes leading up to the season. The roster could definitely still use some work, and I’m a bit surprised a bigger effort wasn’t made to sign Raffi Torres, who recently landed in Vancouver. With only a couple weeks left before the puck drops on this season, it will be interesting to see Burke’s finishing touches.
Moving forward with Kaberle, via Richard-Steven Williams of Maple Leafs Hot Stove. [Maple Leafs Hot Stove]
Down Goes Brown with an awesome Pro’s and Con’s list on the NHL’s involvement in the 2014 olympics. In this bloggers opinion the sport could use the olympics now more than ever. The USA vs Canada games this winter proved that North America is hungry for hockey. The gold medals won by the American U-18 team and U-20 teams prove that the States will continue to be a contender in international tournaments. Oh, look! My American is showing! [Down Goes Brown]
More from DGB that we missed on Friday with a look back at the NHL Research and Development camp that took place in Toronto last week. [Down Goes Brown]
Mark Ritter with some insight on what the Leafs powerplay might look like this season. [Bleacher Report]
With the global hockey summit in Toronto, it was only a matter of time until the Maple Leafs made their way into the conversation. [HockeyBuzz]
One mans ideas for five free agents Burke should consider. Including Owen Nolan who I must admit would be a brilliant addition to Canada’s Team. [Bleacher Report]
Scott Weldon takes a look at Burke’s quick turnover of the Blue and White along with Northeast Division concerns. [Bleacher Report]
Mike Ulmer with Burke, who sees potential in Marcel Meuller, but doesn’t expect him to crack the roster in Toronto until he can raise his game to the next level. [Maple Leafs]
I’ve been scanning Youtube for Phaneuf hits and highlights and I was reminded of how much of an offensive force he has the potential to be. If he’s gonna score goals and hammer people he’ll be the first star of that genre to play in Toronto since the days of Clark and Gilmour’s glory. This highlight video’s a little overdone at times but the clips are so good I’ve watched it twice already today.
More on Phaneuf later this week. For now, today’s slideshow day because I got caught on Bleacher Report for about an hour and a half clicking through slides. For your viewing pleasure:
This one’s definitely worth clicking through – The Top 50 Past and Future WAGs…Marisa Miller, Nicole Scherzinger, need I say more.
Conflicting reports on the Tomas Kaberle situation from The Bleacher Report and The Toronto Sun. Seriously, can we all just move on? I’m fine with keeping him, let’s not blow the situation into a shitstorm.
That’s all for now, as always you can follow us at twitter.com/editorinleaf.
Sorry we missed the Links this weekend, Myles and I were traveling the last few days. Lots of Leafs literature backed up in our absence. You missed us, we know.
With Schenn in the lineup, Cale Loney thinks Leafs fans have a lot to be optimistic about. [Bleacher Report]
If this is really the roster we are taking into opening night, which I doubt, a HUGE question on everybody’s mind is, “Will Tyler Bozak shine on the top line?” (look for our series ‘What to Expect’ in the coming days and weeks with Bozak and the rest of the innumerable wildcards on the Leafs roster) [Bleacher Report]
Great breakdown of the Leafs and how they match up against the Capitals from Corey Masisak at CSN Washington, the sports network that covers the Caps, in his Eastern Conference Countdown. [CSN Washington]
In case you missed it, last week in our Leafs Links we reported on a revealing interview done by the guys over at Pension Plan Puppets with Frantisek Kaberle Sr. Apparently not everyone at the Toronto Sun is as thorough with their citations. Tisk, tisk. [Red Line Station]
More on what Papa Kaberle said. With TSN mistakenly citing the Toronto Sun. [TSN]
Also good stuff on it from Mike Augello. [HockeyBuzz]
Speculation on whether Burke should keep Kaberle or Wilson from Mark Ritter. [Bleacher Report]
To fire or not to fire, that is the question. [Bleacher Report]
The Monster says he’s preparing himself to take on the dreaded sophomore slump. [Toronto Sun]
Another believer in Toronto’s chances at making their first postseason appearance since the lockout. [Bettor.com]
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