The Maple Leafs were put through a briskly paced practice for the second straight day at the Mastercard Center in Etobicoke, ON and on both occasions, center Dave Bolland has appeared significantly improved than he was prior to the nearly two-week Olympic break.
“It’s early to say. Hopefully this break has given him another 5 or 10% in the recovery.” Leafs Coach Randy Carlyle said on Wednesday. “He looks a lot better now and he’s performing at a higher level.”
While most of his teammates were frolicking in warmer climates, Bolland spent his time in London, ON, working out with the Knights, his former OHL club.
“I was mostly inside the rink, doing my rehab and trying to get back into game mode.” Bolland said after practice on Thursday. “I’m close, it’s getting there.”
While anxious to get back into game action, the Mimico native is realistic that it will take some time to get back to the level of performance he displayed before suffering a lacerated ankle tendon on November 2nd in Vancouver.
“I don’t think I’ll be stepping into the same role as I was at the start of the season. I missed two and a half…three months of hockey and just coming back and throwing yourself back in the mix is never fun.” Bolland said. “My expectations will be a little bit lower and things won’t be as high, but I know gradually the first two or three games, I’ll be back in the mix.”
The Leafs were 10-4 in October with the 27-year-old two-time Stanley Cup winner in the lineup and struggled through the next two months without his savvy veteran presence in the lineup, but Toronto has found their stride, going 11-2-1 in the last 14 games.
The return of Bolland when NHL play resumes on February 27 or in the days that follow will be a welcome addition to the lineup, like a player being acquired at the trade deadline.
“That’s a very big boost, (Bolland) is an experienced guy that has played a lot of hockey in the league and he’s a big part of our team.” Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said Thursday. “He’s big in the room, he’s big on the ice, he’s a leader in our dressing room and he plays hard night in and night out, so we’re excited to get him back.”
Bolland believes that he is close to being game-ready, but knows that there is still some work ahead to make that belief a reality.
“We’ll see. I don’t know, I just gotta keep working at it and keep doing those laps out there.”
*******
While the focus has primarily been on Bolland getting back to health, the Leafs also have been concerned about how that will factor into contract talks, as the center is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Globe and Mail's
James Mirtle indicated earlier in the month that the 27-year-old has an opportunity at testing the free agent market in a year where the talent pool is not particularly deep and in the wake of a serious injury is likely looking for a long term contract extension.
The dilemma facing Leafs GM Dave Nonis is that he only has a 14 game sample to judge Bolland on and does not know whether he will bounce back from an ankle laceration like former Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson did from his sliced Achilles tendon.
The Leafs are likely to try to get Bolland to take a short term deal to make sure that he is fully recovered from the injury, as he is someone who Randy Carlyle has grown to trust in a very short time. If there is an impasse in negotiations, it is possible that Toronto may looking at shopping the veteran before the March 5th trade deadline or evaluate his play for the remainder of the season and see if an agreement can be reached before July.
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:
»