The Toronto Maple Leafs concluded their Western road swing with a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center on Saturday night. The game marked the third time the Leafs had been shutout on the four-game road trip, as the Blues Brian Elliott made 27 saves for his 12th victory of the season.
As in San Jose on Thursday, Toronto had scoring opportunities early in the game but could not capitalize and sagged once the opposition scored. Kevin Shattenkirk gave the Blues a 1-0 lead late in the first, weaving through the Leafs defense and backhanding the puck past Jonathan Bernier. Former Leaf Alex Steen extended the lead early in the third, sifting his way through a stationary group of Toronto defenders to beat Bernier and TJ Oshie added his 12th goal of the season late in the third as insurance.
Bernier was one of Toronto’s lone bright spots, making 30 saves and keeping the club within range, but his performance was wasted as the Leafs continued in their inability to score.…
“There’s a mental letdown, that’s the part where our team has to be the strongest now. We’re going to have to be mentally tougher to get through tougher situations like this.… interim coach Peter Horachek said following the game. “When you go through losses and you’ve got injuries and people stepping up and people get frustrated, you’ve got to count on every single guy and your leadership group to step up and that’s what we’re going to do.…
The Leafs are now 1-7-0 in 2015 and have lost five of six since Horachek replaced Randy Carlyle on January 6. With the exception of the 5-2 victory over Columbus on January 9, Toronto has scored two goals or less in their seven losses, which is indicative that the root problem with the Leafs is not coaching or tactical, but more a lack of leadership and talent on the ice.
“The bottom line is that we went on a road trip and we’re going home 0-4. I don’t think there’s much more to sugarcoat it. Bottom line is we went on a trip and we’re coming home with no points. It’s unacceptable.… team captain Dion Phaneuf said following the game. “ We did a lot of good things but the bottom line is we didn’t win hockey games and we didn’t get points. It’s about winning games and getting points. It was a huge trip for our team and we come back with zero, so it’s disappointing.…
The direction of the organization has turned on its axis in the wake of the Leafs month-long decline. Unlike the response to the 2-12-0 death spiral that cost Toronto a postseason berth last March, where veteran depth players were added and the coaching and managerial staffs were reshuffled, the reaction to this latest cratering has been the firing of Carlyle and the likelihood that significant core players will be moved either before the March 2nd trade deadline or during the summer.
The #leafs worst recent stretches...
2011-12: 2-13-2 (Feb. 7-March 13)
2013-14: 2-12-0 (March 16-April 12)
2014-15: 3-12-0 (Dec. 18-present)
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 18, 2015In the second intermission of Saturday’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast, Sportsnet’s Damien Cox indicated that the Leafs have ceased any trade inquiries aimed at adding players in the pursuit of a playoff spot and have switched focus to trying to re-sign Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli.
Toronto is said to be opening contract negotiations with the pending UFA’s, but if they are not able to sign them to economical deals, it is likely that both Franson and Santorelli will be moved for picks/prospects prior to the trade deadline. Cox also reported that the player garnering the most inquiries from around the league is 20-year-old defenseman Morgan Rielly, but the 2012 fifth overall pick is close to being the only untradeable player on the Leafs roster.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported via Twitter on Saturday that Toronto was one of at least two teams to have shown interest in Colorado center Ryan O'Reilly, who the Avalanche reportedly are looking to move for blueline help.
The 23-year-old former Lady Byng Trophy nominee scored 28 goals played the wing with draft classmate Matt Duchene last season and has long been on the Leafs radar as a means of bolstering the club up the middle. O’Reilly is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2015-16 season.
The most interesting speculation came from HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman, who theorized that a deal between Toronto and Los Angeles involving Dion Phaneuf for Mike Richards might be plausible based on where the two franchises currently stand.
Both players are 29 years old with significant term left on their contracts.(Phaneuf signed through 2021 at $7 Million, Richards at $5.75 Million through 2020) Los Angeles is looking to bolster their blueline with Slava Voynov likely unavailable for the season, while Toronto has long been looking to bolster their strength up the middle.
Richards is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Kings and reached the Cup Final and won Olympic gold in 2010, but his offensive numbers have declined over the last three seasons as the fourth line center behind Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Jarret Stoll.
Phaneuf was selected 9th overall by current Kings coach Darryl Sutter when he was the head coach and GM in Calgary and would not have to play on the top minutes in LA with Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin already there.
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