I like Gus, the worst thing that happened to the Leafs was Reimer got back to back shutouts and suddenly he was getting a shot at #1 again and then alternating back and forth with Gus for starts. Our downfall started at that point.

Reimer needs to go back to the minors and play lots of minutes to find his game again. Can't see him finding it at the NHL level. Goals go over his should and he is looking down at his pads for the answer or maybe he is just Reiming (NHL equivalent of Tebowing).
- leafs93

Didnt Gus play for a defensive team in the SEL before he came here? When he was deemed the best goalie not in the NHL?... Im guessing he kinda regains that form... not fully because of the recent health issues but close to being a solid guy who can thrive in a defensive system.

Reimer needs to find his game after that concussion...

...for almost a decade
- Barx

I am aware, it is the only way I can enjoy the playoffs.. Pit will be hard to beat and will be my team after the Wings are put out..

Wish I could cherrs for the Leafs, but...2 for their last ? means no plaoffs for the fans again this year.

Decent thoughts, Though I would massage them to this;
1.Take 'C' away from Phaneuf don't trade him unless a good deal is offered.
2.Trade Connolly for anything as his large contract makes him worthless.
3.Lombo is the same large contract but more healthy/less talent.
4. Armstong is a huge personality to have on the team. But plays 30games/year and needs to go for anything
5.If Dion Goes...which he won't. I really don't think Blacker could fill his spot, unless you were trying to say bring him up and Gardiner would take Phaneufs spot.
6.Agreed Colborne should get a chance, but on the 3rd line to ease him in.
7.Agree! Kadri is a good player and productive bring him up to let him prove himself if he's brutal after a good chunk of games then make a desicion on him.
8.Gustav? I don't know Reimer is signed through next year, and we need a decent Vet so Gustav for now is the odd man out, unless you are thinking of sending Reims down to the AHL next year.
9.Draft Galchenyuk, I don't care if hes been hurt all year, He has the best potential for Centers and was ranked #2 before being hurt, Let's hope his stock drops to #4 or #5 so the leafs can get him.
- wolfos412

Only differing opinion is Gus, and personally I think he ends up better than Reimer.

Man oh man, we lose 5 of 6 under the new coach and we're STILL in 12th! It sure is hard to leap frog teams down the standings with all these 3 point games.

Allaire just ruins goalies.... no goalie can co-exist with him changing their styles
- jps7878

That may be a little extreme. Allaire was in Montreal then Anaheim now Toronto. Roy, Giggy, Hiller, Bryzgalov ...3 Stanley Cups. No I'm not suggesting he was the reason they won ...but they all transformed their games to the 'Allaire style' and were successful. None were ruined. Now he's trying to take a bunch of no names and turn them into adequate goalies ...it's a different challenge. Although neither Hiller nor Bryzgalov were top end guys until they worked with Allaire.

Also, his brother (also of the Allaire system) ....yeah he's the goalie coach for NYR ....Lundquist likes him alot.

The Leafs issue is not leadership, it's goaltending. Plain and simple.

The whole team plays differently when they don't trust their goalie. They play afraid to give up scoring chances and this results in their own scoring drying up.

This was the exact situation in Ottawa last year. Then they got Anderson who gave them stable goaltending. All of a sudden they started scoring again and went on a real roll to finish the season. And it has carried over to this season.

Dallas is another example. They sucked and were picked to be near the bottom of the West last year. They traded for Lehtonon who has given them good goaltending. They just missed the playoffs last year and will make it this year.

The Leafs need a legitimate number one goalie. Address that and everything else will be better.
- maaddmike

Just sayin, Mr. MacLean may have had something to do with the big change as well.

Only differing opinion is Gus, and personally I think he ends up better than Reimer.
- mfreedman

As good as Monster can look at times, he consistently gives up the wrong goal at the wrong time. Not exactly the clutch Fuhr type. I think we've seen enough to cut bait here. Say what you will about Reimer, but he's the only of the two to show us some consistently strong play (last year straight through to the concussion). If we can get his head right again, he can be a quality goalie.

Man oh man, we lose 5 of 6 under the new coach and we're STILL in 12th! It sure is hard to leap frog teams down the standings with all these 3 point games.
- 1979AD[/quote]


I don't know, the Leagfs have lept over like 5 teams since Feb. 1st, not that hard..

Didnt Gus play for a defensive team in the SEL before he came here? When he was deemed the best goalie not in the NHL?... Im guessing he kinda regains that form... not fully because of the recent health issues but close to being a solid guy who can thrive in a defensive system.

Reimer needs to find his game after that concussion...
- jps7878

Problem with Reimer's concussion, I don't think it is an excuse.

He came back and struggled but then apparantly found his game again because like I said earlier he had back to back shutouts.

I guess I'm just tired of the fact that everyone is blaming his play on his concussion. Remember, he was never projected to be more than a NHL backup at best. Maybe we are seeing the reason why.

The Leafs issue is not leadership, it's goaltending. Plain and simple.

The whole team plays differently when they don't trust their goalie. They play afraid to give up scoring chances and this results in their own scoring drying up.

This was the exact situation in Ottawa last year. Then they got Anderson who gave them stable goaltending. All of a sudden they started scoring again and went on a real roll to finish the season. And it has carried over to this season.

Dallas is another example. They sucked and were picked to be near the bottom of the West last year. They traded for Lehtonon who has given them good goaltending. They just missed the playoffs last year and will make it this year.

The Leafs need a legitimate number one goalie. Address that and everything else will be better.
- maaddmike

Your are right about one thing here, and it is the bolded. That was what they played like under Wilson, because a botched play always resulted in a break-away or 3 on 1.

Right now, we are not playing that style in front of Gus. He has been solid as of late, taking the PHI game into shootout, and only giving up a goal against Giroux, which no goalie would have stopped (if you havent seen it, go watch, it was datsyuk-esque)

Right now, the Leafs are having trouble adapting to Carlyle's system,a nd rightfully so, it has been less than 2 weeks.

We will be fine with Gus in net and a REAL defensive system in front of him. YOu'll see

I am aware, it is the only way I can enjoy the playoffs.. Pit will be hard to beat and will be my team after the Wings are put out..

Wish I could cherrs for the Leafs, but...2 for their last ? means no plaoffs for the fans again this year.
- bixll

I'm a leaf fan too...hence why I have always had a second or even third team I cheer for.
Thank god for fantasy pools, they keep the season interesting even when the Leafs are sucking goat balls.

Problem with Reimer's concussion, I don't think it is an excuse.

He came back and struggled but then apparantly found his game again because like I said earlier he had back to back shutouts.

I guess I'm just tired of the fact that everyone is blaming his play on his concussion. Remember, he was never projected to be more than a NHL backup at best. Maybe we are seeing the reason why.
- leafs93

Its hard to give up on a guy after just 1 1/2 seasons. Thats why for all the excuses i guess. He has the tools to be a good #1. Just has to figure how to put it all together... Although i do agree gus has bigger upside

true true... i just wanna see the leafs give him a chance (around 30 games+ in a row) before they make a decision on him... or keep him in the AHL another year and hope he works out everything in his game
- jps7878

You'd think the opportunity to earn 30,000k per week as opposed to 3,000k would be enough motivation! I just can't imagine not giving everything I had to give every night ...for a chance to get up to the big club.

Hopefully, for Kadri, it's execution and not effort that has him struggling.

The Leafs issue is not leadership, it's goaltending. Plain and simple.

The whole team plays differently when they don't trust their goalie. They play afraid to give up scoring chances and this results in their own scoring drying up.

This was the exact situation in Ottawa last year. Then they got Anderson who gave them stable goaltending. All of a sudden they started scoring again and went on a real roll to finish the season. And it has carried over to this season.

Dallas is another example. They sucked and were picked to be near the bottom of the West last year. They traded for Lehtonon who has given them good goaltending. They just missed the playoffs last year and will make it this year.

The Leafs need a legitimate number one goalie. Address that and everything else will be better.
- maaddmike

burkes biggest mistake as a gm was his miscalculation of his goaltending....well, almost as bad as the kessel deal.

I'm a leaf fan too...hence why I have always had a second or even third team I cheer for.
Thank god for fantasy pools, they keep the season interesting even when the Leafs are sucking goat balls.
- Barx

I usually start going for other Canadian teams in the playoffs.

Usually teams in the opposite conference that we don't play much, Canadian teams in the same conference that we play often I just grew to hate. Oh wait, I hate Vancouver too.

I'm a leaf fan too...hence why I have always had a second or even third team I cheer for.
Thank god for fantasy pools, they keep the season interesting even when the Leafs are sucking goat balls.
- Barx

It is a sad state of affairs in Leafs Nation..Very sad..

dont make me break out the randomban

i got an image ready and everything lol
- Dozzer

pft...im unbannable...im like the jesus of this blog...only I can cast a stone

Just sayin, Mr. MacLean may have had something to do with the big change as well.
- bixll

Absolutely Maclean has been great. But look at the Sens record last year, with Clouston, after getting Anderson. Faith in your goalie impacts how a team plays.

At least Kulemin's cap hit should go down next season.

I think we need to go after Parise in a bad way.

Connolly can get sent to the minors to make room.
- leafs93

Not likely. At the very least, we have to qualify him at 100% of his current salary (because he earns more than 1 million per season). He can either accept his qualifying offer (which he and his agent would be idiots not to), sign the qualifying offer and negotiate a lower contract out of good will (this same agent just signed Grabovski to 5.5 per year for 5 years), or, the Leafs don't qualify him and he either walks, or re-signs out of good will.

Just sayin, Mr. MacLean may have had something to do with the big change as well.
- bixll

I've always had this little formula .....50% g'tending ....25% coaching ....25% everything else. Although the coaching and the g'tending often go hand in hand.

Its hard to give up on a guy after just 1 1/2 seasons. Thats why for all the excuses i guess. He has the tools to be a good #1. Just has to figure how to put it all together... Although i do agree gus has bigger upside
- jps7878

Like I said though, he was never projected to be an NHL starter. Half a season of success and we are trying to ride him into the playoffs.

Burke should be smarter than that. I think the real Reimer is somewhere between what he did last year and what he is doing this year and that is not enough to be a #1 goalie.

We are only going to give away more games by playing him and hoping he turns into something he may never be.

I never have believed the goalie position to be a position where you can groom a guy by making him a #1. It only equals failure. Bring him in through the backup position first.

Absolutely Maclean has been great. But look at the Sens record last year, with Clouston, after getting Anderson. Faith in your goalie impacts how a team plays.
- maaddmike

True, but MacLean is a local boy, Anderson is not..

pft...im unbannable...im like the jesus of this blog...only I can cast a stone
- noename09

however like Bruce Willis in Unbreakable you got to have a weakness

his was water whats yours?

As good as Monster can look at times, he consistently gives up the wrong goal at the wrong time. Not exactly the clutch Fuhr type. I think we've seen enough to cut bait here. Say what you will about Reimer, but he's the only of the two to show us some consistently strong play (last year straight through to the concussion). If we can get his head right again, he can be a quality goalie.
- 1979AD

What about through November when the Monster's play had us in the top 4 of the conference?

You can call them weak goals, but I call it shoddy defensive play, and a barrage of shots. for a goalie that was not given regular starts up until that point, I say he did great! Two bad games and Wilson threw him under the bus again, opting to go with Reimer, then alternating them.

BOTH goalies NEED consistency. They never got it under Wilson

I've always had this little formula .....50% g'tending ....25% coaching ....25% everything else. Although the coaching and the g'tending often go hand in hand.
- The Law

I always thought it was 50% defensive team effort, allows for quality goaltending, 25 % coaching and 25% put the (frank)in puck in the net..

At the end of the day, you will not win if you do not score.