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Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger •
***On his 3rd shift of the game, Phil Kessel got leveled crossing the blue line by Lightning defenseman Mattias Ohlund. He has gone to the Leafs dressing room and has yet to return.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a month of October so pitiful that if it were possible to erase it from their memory banks, they would have done it without hesitation. Their record of 1-7-4 does not give a completely accurate picture of the dire straits that the organization is currently in. The statement that GM Brian Burke made before the season started that the Maple Leafs were good enough to make the playoffs looks more like a submission to the Toronto Star's recent joke contest rather than a statement of accurate fact.
The goaltending situation has been chaotic to say the least, both Vesa Toskala and newcomer Jonas Gustavsson were out of the lineup with minor injuries, forcing third stringer Joey McDonald to fill in for a sizable number of games. When healthy, Toskala has not played anywhere close to the quality expected from a No. 1 goaltender. Last Saturday versus Montréal, he let in a couple goals that should have been stopped and as typical of Toskala, he was horrible in the shootout, failing to stop both Montréal attempts. There are some fans out there who would prefer to send Toskala on a slow boat back to Helsinki or to trade him anywhere for a bag of pucks, but that would be shortsighted and stupid because his trade value is at its absolute lowest and he is still a valuable commodity. For the Leafs to truly benefit, they must give him playing time and hope that he can regain his previous level of competence between the pipes. If the organization has any hope of trading Toskala for anything more than salary cap relief or a seventh round draft pick before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year, they need to prove to the other NHL GM's that he can still play and be a valuable addition to their team.
That being said, the organization does seem to be ready to hand the reins of the majority of the goaltending duties over to Gustavsson. Although he has only played four games, the 24-year-old Swede has shown the talents and composure that are necessary for being a goaltender in a market like Toronto. In every start, he has shown a level of competence and confidence that Toskala has rarely shown. In Buffalo last Friday, Gustavsson limited the Sabres to two goals in regulation and kept the team within striking distance until they started to dominate the play in the latter half of the game.
The defensive corps has not played anywhere close to the expectations before the season started. Free-agent acquisitions Michael Komisarek and François Beauchemin have been disappointing, Luke Schenn is in the throes of a sophomore slump, Garnett Exelby is not a difference maker and Jeff Finger is a $3.5 million per year 7th defenseman. On the positive side, Ian White has performed competently and Tomas Kaberle has seemed to regain his offensive abilities on this most recent road trip, scoring 12 points and being named one of the NHL's three stars of the week.
The forwards are the greatest area of concern, with their complete inability to score consistently at even strength. Players that were expected to be solid contributors like Jason Blake, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt Stajan have not performed anywhere close to expectation. With the offense of this team noticeably wanting, the Leafs are very happy to have Phil Kessel making his debut in blue-and-white tonight versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kessel is nearly 2 weeks ahead of schedule from off-season shoulder surgery, which raises concerns that he is being rushed back into the lineup. Hopefully the fans and the media will be realistic with their expectations for Kessel's impact on the team. He's not a superstar, but an effective 21-year-old sniper with the ability to finish plays. It will take him a bit of time to get back into game shape and to be at his offensive best.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a 4-4-4 record so far this season, placing them 11th in the Eastern Conference. They are being led by sophomore Steven Stamkos, a budding superstar who has scored 11 goals and 16 points. Veteran Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone are also having solid offensive years. Vincent Lecavalier has gotten off to a disappointing start, scoring only one goal in his first 12 games. No starting goaltender has been announced for tonight, but it is expected that Jonas Gustavsson would get the start.
From the desk of Mike “In Buffalo” Augello
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a month of October so pitiful that if it were possible to erase it from their memory banks, they would have done it without hesitation. Their record of 1-7-4 does not give a completely accurate picture of the dire straits that the organization is currently in. The statement that GM Brian Burke made before the season started that the Maple Leafs were good enough to make the playoffs looks more like a submission to the Toronto Star's recent joke contest rather than a statement of accurate fact.
The goaltending situation has been chaotic to say the least, both Vesa Toskala and newcomer Jonas Gustavsson were out of the lineup with minor injuries, forcing third stringer Joey McDonald to fill in for a sizable number of games. When healthy, Toskala has not played anywhere close to the quality expected from a No. 1 goaltender. Last Saturday versus Montréal, he let in a couple goals that should have been stopped and as typical of Toskala, he was horrible in the shootout, failing to stop both Montréal attempts. There are some fans out there who would prefer to send Toskala on a slow boat back to Helsinki or to trade him anywhere for a bag of pucks, but that would be shortsighted and stupid because his trade value is at its absolute lowest and he is still a valuable commodity. For the Leafs to truly benefit, they must give him playing time and hope that he can regain his previous level of competence between the pipes. If the organization has any hope of trading Toskala for anything more than salary cap relief or a seventh round draft pick before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year, they need to prove to the other NHL GM's that he can still play and be a valuable addition to their team.
That being said, the organization does seem to be ready to hand the reins of the majority of the goaltending duties over to Gustavsson. Although he has only played four games, the 24-year-old Swede has shown the talents and composure that are necessary for being a goaltender in a market like Toronto. In every start, he has shown a level of competence and confidence that Toskala has rarely shown. In Buffalo last Friday, Gustavsson limited the Sabres to two goals in regulation and kept the team within striking distance until they started to dominate the play in the latter half of the game.
The defensive corps has not played anywhere close to the expectations before the season started. Free-agent acquisitions Michael Komisarek and François Beauchemin have been disappointing, Luke Schenn is in the throes of a sophomore slump, Garnett Exelby is not a difference maker and Jeff Finger is a $3.5 million per year 7th defenseman. On the positive side, Ian White has performed competently and Tomas Kaberle has seemed to regain his offensive abilities on this most recent road trip, scoring 12 points and being named one of the NHL's three stars of the week.
The forwards are the greatest area of concern, with their complete inability to score consistently at even strength. Players that were expected to be solid contributors like Jason Blake, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Matt Stajan have not performed anywhere close to expectation. With the offense of this team noticeably wanting, the Leafs are very happy to have Phil Kessel making his debut in blue-and-white tonight versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kessel is nearly 2 weeks ahead of schedule from off-season shoulder surgery, which raises concerns that he is being rushed back into the lineup. Hopefully the fans and the media will be realistic with their expectations for Kessel's impact on the team. He's not a superstar, but an effective 21-year-old sniper with the ability to finish plays. It will take him a bit of time to get back into game shape and to be at his offensive best.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a 4-4-4 record so far this season, placing them 11th in the Eastern Conference. They are being led by sophomore Steven Stamkos, a budding superstar who has scored 11 goals and 16 points. Veteran Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone are also having solid offensive years. Vincent Lecavalier has gotten off to a disappointing start, scoring only one goal in his first 12 games. No starting goaltender has been announced for tonight, but it is expected that Jonas Gustavsson would get the start.
From the desk of Mike “In Buffalo” Augello
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