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Toskala's Time Is Running Short

October 4, 2009, 1:38 AM ET [ Comments]
Howard Berger
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
WASHINGTON (Oct. 4) – You could see this one coming from across the river in Virginia.

The Washington Capitals – fresh off a 4-1 season-opening romp in Boston – were greeted by a wild throng of more than 18,000 at the Verizon Center Saturday night, most of them wearing the club’s flashy red uniform, and the players were bursting with energy to begin their 2009-10 home schedule. For the Maple Leafs to have a prayer in an environment such as that, it was necessary to survive the early moments of the game, and benefit from a timely save or two by Vesa Toskala.

Not a chance.

The Finnish-born goalie set the tone for this night – and, perhaps, his future with the Maple Leafs – when he whiffed on a stoppable, 40-foot wrister from Alexander Ovechkin just 1:17 after the puck was dropped by referee Paul Devorski. It was the Capitals’ first shot of the game and it further enhanced the tumultuous climate in the building. Moreover, it was the type of shot a No. 1 netminder in the National Hockey League absolutely has to stop in the early moments of a match – particularly on the road – and Toskala couldn’t get it done. “I wasn’t able to help my team tonight,” he confessed in the visitors’ dressing room afterward, having been replaced by rookie Jonas Gustavsson to start the second period. The question now is: When will he get another shot at trying to help the Maple Leafs?

General manager Brian Burke moved heaven and earth to lure Gusatvsson from his native Sweden this summer – out-maneuvering a host of rival clubs – and likely not with the intention of watching the youngster languish on the bench. Nagging injuries may have contributed to Toskala’s poor season a year ago, but Burke also knows the veteran, now 32, has never been able to establish himself as a true No. 1 goalie in the NHL. Toskala was given the benefit of the doubt by the Maple Leafs after undergoing corrective surgery on his hip and groin in the summer, but there’s been nothing at all different about his performance through the pre-season and the first two games of the regular schedule; if anything, it has deteriorated. Were Toskala a past winner of the Vezina Trophy, perhaps Burke and Ron Wilson could rationalize his difficulty in the early days here. But, this is a movie so old, it’s about to go into syndication.

Should the Leafs give up on Toskala? It seems a tad premature to suggest such a move with 80 games left in the season, but erasing his $4 million salary could come in handy at some point in the future; perhaps when Phil Kessel is due off injury reserve. Back-up goalies aren’t overly difficult to acquire, and are certainly not worth the type of coin Toskala is making. For the Leafs to eliminate his stipend from their cap figure, the club would first have to be convinced he is incapable of handling the No. 1 role, while feeling comfortable with Gustavsson as the every-night starter. Once that is established [if it isn’t already] – and there are no teams desperate enough to be duped into a trade – the Leafs would have to waive Toskala and demote him to the American Hockey League while paying his full salary… something Burke repeatedly threatened he would do with non-performing veterans.

Accelerating the future of a young goalie is not without precedent in Toronto. Early in the 1976-77 season, incumbent starter Wayne Thomas was in a terrible slump with a team that many believed would be a strong playoff threat. The Leafs of Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull and Tiger Williams had unexpectedly challenged defending Cup-champion Philadelphia the previous spring, but Thomas’s struggle translated to a 1-5-3 start. Wasting no time, general manager Jim Gregory summoned hot-shot rookie Mike Palmateer from the minors and he became an instant hit with the hockey club and its fans. Thomas was traded to the New York Rangers, where his career eventually fizzled.

More recently, in 1992-93, rookie Felix Potvin stepped in for injured veteran Grant Fuhr and was unable to be dislodged from the starter’s role. Fuhr was traded by Cliff Fletcher to Buffalo for sniper Dave Andreychuk, who combined brilliantly with Doug Gilmour on teams that went to the conference final in consecutive years. Potvin was the man between the pipes for the Blue & White.

So, it is clearly not unheard of for a freshman goalie to steal the No. 1 job in Toronto. The Leafs frequently called Gustavsson “the best goalie not playing in the NHL” as they pursued him this summer, and nobody scoffed at the claim. There is no immediate burden on the 25-year-old to lead the Leafs to a championship, but the man that runs the hockey club has spoken brazenly about challenging for a playoff spot next spring, a year after missing out by 12 points. Burke has no chance of realizing such a dream with a starting goalie that can’t get his save percentage out of the .800s. There is absolutely nothing to lose for the Leafs by running Gustavsson hard in the next month or so, to see exactly what he’s made of. Should Burke be satisfied with his investment in the lanky Swede, he’ll likely not be content to live with a $4 million back-up.

Of course, this isn’t to absolve the rest of the hockey club for a pair of rotten defensive efforts. Francois Beauchemin looks like he’s never before seen a stick and puck, having been on the ice for six of the Leafs 10 goals against. “I’ve got to be a lot better,” he admitted after the 6-4 defeat here. “This is not my game and I have to commit myself to working harder in practice.” Luke Schenn has been caught flat-footed on several occasions while neither Tomas Kaberle nor Michael Komisarek has played like a reliable veteran in the first couple of games. The forwards must be more energetic with their defensive responsibilities, as the Leaf blue-liners are not quick enough to handle fleet-a-foot opponents barreling in unimpeded.

Next up? The not-so-mighty Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre. One can only imagine the hysteria at Bay and Lakeshore if the Leafs are still winless after three games.

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