Those who were looking forward to the debut of Leafs recently acquired defenseman Tim Gleason will be disappointed. The 30-year-old blueliner acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday is not expected to play against the New York Rangers at Air Canada Center on Saturday.
Toronto has earned points in their last six games(4-0-2) and have won three in a row, giving Leafs coach Randy Carlyle no reason to mess with a winning combination.
“We feel a lot better about ourselves in the last little while, and we just need a performance to support that now," Carlyle said.
The Leafs have eight defensemen on the roster currently, which means that two will sit every night. Mark Fraser has set up permanent residence in the press box, having not played since a 3-1 loss to Florida on December 17. The time off the ice may be just the thing for the tough 27-year-old defenseman to completely recover from an early season knee injury. Fraser was a solid performer to the Toronto club that ended the club’s nine year absence from the playoffs and there is no reason to think that he cannot regain the level of performance he displayed in the lockout shortened season.
Paul Ranger has played below expectations after a three year hiatus from the NHL, but the former Tampa Bay Lightning blueliner is playing much better after sitting for five games in mid-December.
“The one thing with Paul Ranger and a lot of our defensemen is that when you don't notice them it's because of the good reasons," Carlyle said. "The good reasons are they're playing safe, they're making good plays, they're strong plays."
The Leafs bench boss got his first look at Gleason on Friday and believed it was too much to ask for him to jump right into the lineup.
"I think it's another area when you bring a new player in and he gets one practice with your group and then you throw him in a game. I think it's a little bit unfair to the individual," Carlyle said. "I think we'd just like to get him acclimated to our style of play, the way we do things, our systems, everything before we put him in the lineup. And he will get a chance.”
Jonathan Bernier makes his fifth consecutive start for Toronto on Saturday and appears to be taking the lead in the contest between himself and incumbent James Reimer. Reimer has not played since allowing three goals in the first period against Detroit on December 21. Bernier has gone 3-0-2 in the last five games and has a sparkling .931 save percentage on the season.
Rookie Cam Talbot, who allowed only a disputed Nazem Kadri goal in a 2-1 shootout loss on December 23, will be the starter for New York, after veteran Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 28 shots in a 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday. Lundqvist signed a seven year, $59.5 Million contract extension in early December and has gone 3-5-2, with a 3.50 GAA and .873 save percentage since. Talbot is 8-3-0 on the year, with a microscopic 1.72 GAA.
*******
Maple Leafs 2013 seventh round pick Andreas Johnson was selected as one of the top three players for Team Sweden in the 2014 IIHF World Juniors in Malmo, Sweden. The 19-year-old winger has three goals and three assists in six games for Sweden, who won a 2-1 victory over Team Russia to advance to Sunday’s tournament final against Finland, who defeated Canada 5-1 Saturday afternoon.
The 5’ 9”, 158 lb speedster has 14 goals in 32 games for Frolunda in the SHL.
Toronto prospect Fabrice Herzog was the leading goal scorer for Team Switzerland, with three goals in five games, while 2013 first round pick Frederik Gauthier had one assist in six games in primarily a defensive and penalty killing role for Team Canada.
INTERESTED IN TICKETS TO THE GAME???: Get Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets For Any Game At FanXchange.com.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter:
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»