To look at the NHL standings just prior to the All-Star break, it is hard to imagine that the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish any higher than 25th (or sixth in the draft lottery) and could end the season second only to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Leafs 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday was the club’s seventh loss in the last eight games (1-5-2) and has them tied for 27th place with 43 points.
Catching the Anaheim Ducks(49 pts) or Philadelphia Flyers (48 pts) will be a difficult task since both have played the same or less games than Toronto and could make additions
Calgary (45 pts) still has a chance to make the post-season in the weak Pacific Division and other than Jiri Hudler will not be selling off any significant players before the trade deadline, while Buffalo (43 pts) and Edmonton (42 pts) have complementary players like David Legwand, Jamie McGinn and Teddy Purcell as potential rentals and young core groups that could improve in the second half.
Winnipeg could decline precipitously if they move both Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd and Columbus seems to be angling for the best odds to draft Auston Matthews with the trade of center Ryan Johansen, another groin injury to Sergei Bobrovsky and GM Jarmo Kekalinen possibly shopping veterans Fedor Tyutin and Scott Hartnell.
Toronto has scored just nine goals in eight games since losing James van Riemsdyk to injury and will be even more challenged to generate offense when they start to trade some of their seven UFA’s before February 29 and replace them with the Joakim Lindstrom’s and Zach Sill’s of 2016 or experienced AHLers like Jeremy Morin and Matt Frattin.
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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that the Tampa Bay Lightning’s contract offer to pending free agent center Steven Stamkos an eight-year max deal for an AAV of $8.5 Million, which would put the 25-year-old in the top 10 of NHL salaries, but nowhere close to the eight-year, $80 Million deal signed by LA Kings center Anze Kopitar or the contracts of Chicago's Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
With the Lightning now back on track after a sluggish first half, it is unlikely that GM Steve Yzerman would try to trade Stamkos or that he will waive his no-movement clause, but anything less than an offer equal to or more than Kopitar’s is likely to result in the Markham, ON native going to free agency in July.
Tampa has been put in a tough position, as Kopitar did not take a hometown discount to stay in Los Angeles, but unlike the Kings who have their core group locked up for three or more years, the Lightning have to worry about new contracts for Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Ben Bishop, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn in the next two seasons. Another complicating factor is likely elimination of a salary cap increase next season and the report that the escrow withholding on player contracts is increasing from 16% to 18% due to the decreasing value of the Canadian dollar.
Free agents such as Dustin Byfuglien and Stamkos are unlikely to take less money in their deals when nearly one-fifth of it is in limbo based on the league’s revenues. If Winnipeg and Tampa are unwilling to offer close to what they will get on the open market, then those player will be heading elsewhere next season.
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While the Maple Leafs have struggled to generate offense and play consistently this season, such is not the case with the Toronto Marlies, who improved to an AHL-best 34-8-2 record with a weekend sweep of the Utica Comets at Ricoh Coliseum.
Marlies forward Brendan Leipsic scored a short-handed goal in a 7-1 victory over the Utica Comets on Sunday.
Image courtesy of Christian Bonin at TSGPhoto
On Saturday, Toronto won 4-2 in goalie Garret Sparks first AHL win in over two months, as rookie Kasperi Kapanen scored the game-winner on the power play midway through the second period.
2015 AHL rookie scoring leader Connor Brown returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing nearly three months with a broken ankle and scored a pair of first period goals in a 7-1 romp of the Comets.
TJ Brennan also tallied twice, along with singles from Mark Arcobello, recently signed defenseman David Kolomatis and Brendan Leipsic. Antoine Bibeau made 28 saves for his 15th win of the season.
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