UPDATE - 4pm : The Leafs have recalled center Peter Holland from the AHL Toronto Marlies and have sent winger Jerry D'Amigo down, per James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail.
*******
Tim Leiweke poured a bit of cold water on the heated chatter regarding a potential firing of head coach Randy Carlyle. The MLSE Chairman indicated he has full confidence in GM Dave Nonis and the Leafs bench boss in spite of the Maple Leafs recent struggles.
“Dave Nonis isn’t going anywhere. I extended his contract, he’s is my guy. I like working with him. I think we see the world the same way and I know that he has the best interest of this organization in his heart and I think he’s made good moves.” Leiweke said on FAN 590’s Tim and Sid show Monday afternoon. “If you look at the players that we have today, there is no question that we all think that we should be in a better position then we’re in today.”
“I think he(Nonis) spoke very loud and clear this weekend, the issue is not the coach. The issue is our players need to understand, October wasn’t a fluke.” Leiweke said. “We gotta get back to playing the way were then.”
The outspoken CEO stated that the Leafs are going to follow a patient and methodical approach to improving the club.
“This organization in the past has had a bad track record of knee-jerking and doing deals that were band-aid deals and using good, young assets. We won’t do that anymore.”
“I understand people are disappointed in the hockey team.” Leiweke said. “But we need to be patient. If people think we are going to freak out here and begin to trade away our good, young kids to go get a 33-year-old veteran….they’re wrong. He(Nonis) won’t do it.”
*******
Q - @ShaneAuger asks - Can you see the Leafs moving (Cody)Franson before (Jake)Gardiner? Do you see Leafs getting some defensive defenseman or offense upfront?
A – Both blueliners are RFA’s at the end of this season, but Gardiner is four years from being able to become a UFA, while Franson is just two seasons away. Since a perspective team could hold on to Gardiner for a longer time and because of his tantalizing skill set as a puck rushing defenseman, I think he would have more value on the trade market than Franson. Gardiner’s name has been out there enough in recent weeks to indicate that the Leafs are more willing to move him, since they see rookie Morgan Rielly being able to step right in.
As for what the Leafs will be looking for in return, it will have to be someone who is of comparable age and talent level to Gardiner, but it could be another defenseman or a forward.
Q - @trevorchef asks - With so little cap room at the moment, I don't see any major trades for salary until at least the draft. Would you agree with that?
A – I would agree that the Leafs will not be involved in any rent-a-player deals at the March 5th trade deadline with less than $1 Million in available cap space. The only way that would be possible is if they trade a pending UFA of their own like Nikolai Kulemin, who makes $2.9 Million to open up room for another player. Toronto is pretty much relegated to smaller depth player deals or a trade that would be dollar in, dollar out.
Q - @McLennanPeter asks - The Leafs current starting defense have an average age of 25.5 yrs. How much of a factor is inexperience on the blue line?
A - Inexperience is not a factor with anyone other than Morgan Rielly and maybe Gardiner, who is in his third NHL season, but played in the minors and missed time with concussion issues. All the other blueliners have five years experience or more. The problem with Toronto’s defensive corps is too many of one type of defenseman and not enough of another. The addition of Tim Gleason is a start in the right direction.
Q - @teddygmr asks - The Leafs need solid right shooting third pairing defenseman. When will Petter Granberg get a chance?
A – The Leafs are very happy with the progress of Granberg so far. It took him the first couple months to adjust to the North American game and playing on the NHL size ice, but he leads the Marlies in plus/minus and is using his size and strength to his advantage. With eight defensemen currently on the Leafs roster and Granberg only 21, it is likely that he will not get a legitimate shot at the NHL until next season, when the contracts of Paul Ranger and Mark Fraser are up.
*******
Listen to the latest edition of Leaf Buzz with myself and CTV’s Norman James discussing the Leafs struggles and the talk about firing Randy Carlyle.
*******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.*******
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:
»