Toronto came into last night’s game in a modest slump while the Flyers came in hungry and had been playing decent hockey as of late. In the first period it seemed the Flyers were pressuring the Leafs into coughing up the puck more than Coach Babcock would like them to. That quickly changed after the first period where it seemed the Leafs were forcing Philadelphia to make bad turn-overs and the Buds quickly caught up in shots and scoring chances.
Perhaps the beat down Phaneuf laid on Brayden Schenn set the tone for the Leafs. Certainly one of Dion’s better fights in a Maple Leafs uniform, something he’s been criticized for over the years as Captain.
One thing all National Hockey League players must know, going into Philadelphia; it can get ugly quick.
Reimer has had a few too many ‘run-ins’ over the years and was quick to get up and lay a few punches on the Flyers player as he crashed the net. It was a nice little scrum in front of the Leafs net and after Steve Mason saw James ‘Optimus’ Reimer tossing some blocker punches on his teammates he apparently skated to center ice to get a better look. Wouldn’t that have been something else to see Reimer and Mason duke it out!
Toronto ended up winning the game with less than ten seconds left in the third period when Matt Hunwick let go a clapper from the point beating Mason and breaking the heart of all the Flyers fans that were on the edge of their seats preparing for overtime and a battle for the extra point. That was Hunwick’s first of the season, and a big one at that.
With about 40 days until trade deadline, the Leafs find themselves with some decent options going forward. Parenteau, Bozak, and Polak seem to be the most likely candidates to find they bringing in a draft pick to the Leafs and playing for a quality team down the final stretch. Don’t think for a second that others couldn’t and won’t be moved if the right deal comes into play. Boyes, Matthias, Winnik and one of Toronto’s many 5-6 defensemen could also be shipped out, but likely wouldn’t garnish as healthy of a return as the others mentioned above.
On a personal level I really hope Toronto keeps Kadri, Rielly, JVR and Komarov as I feel those are all going to be impact players down the road. They are the type Babcock can work with and each brings a different element to the game than one another.
This is the time of year that General Managers will make impact moves trying to solidify any missing pieces of the puzzle for his team’s playoff push. Quite often over payments can and will take place, so it’s certainly in Toronto’s best interest to be active as they hoped to be when signing all of these one year deals.
Parenteau seems to have found his stride and his confidence has been boosted; increasing his worth drastically from what it was at the start of the season after Montreal bought him out.
Bozak has proven that he can not only play a good two way game, but can continue to put up points without Kessel. I’ve never been one to dislike Bozak, on the other hand I’ve never talked extremely high of. Credit is due though; Bozak has played very well for the Leafs this season, and continues to do well on the draw and on the penalty kill, further solidifying his worth.
Polak is best suited for a fifth defenseman but can bump up his minutes and role if needed to play on the second pairing. He’s a big body who plays a mean game and has no issues clearing the crease; he just doesn’t tend to make his mark on the scoresheet too often offensively.
With Mark hunter showing he’s fully capable of selecting quality players in the draft, its important Toronto can get as big of a return for the players they ship out. Who knows what the game plan at this year’s draft will be. Last year Toronto traded down to increase their number of picks, perhaps this year they trade up because they have so many picks. Time will tell, either way, the better the Leafs play from now until the trade deadline, the better our return on these players.
A lot of talk has been centered on Matthews being the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. After years of hoping for a first overall, I’ve given up hope and put more time into learning more about the players who will be picked in the 1-10 spots.
Take a look at the “Mississauga Missle… Michael McLeod.
He plays alongside Alexander Nylander, which of course is one of Toronto’s top prospects brother William Nylander.
McLeod was a rookie last year and put up 29 points in 63 games, but has come to play this season and is above a point per game pace with 46 points in 42 games. He and Alexander Nylander are both going to fall into the top ten in the 2016 draft and McLeod is the only Canadian player in the top ten. He could be quite the steal of the draft, pending where he lands.
McLeod is just above 6’2… and comes in at 188 pounds. As mentioned he plays in the OHL, so you know that Mark Hunter will have a pretty good idea of what Michael McLeod brings to the table.
Could the center be part of the Leafs future? I guess it all depends what draft pick we end up with, and of course the positive vibes with the thought Toronto trades up to get McLeod around the 9-12 mark of the draft. Perhaps trading Pittsburgh’s first and Toronto’s second? Landing two big fish in the top ten would certainly go over well in Leafs Nation.
Enjoy the game on Thursday against the Hurricanes and of course there are big hopes that Toronto can beat Montreal on Saturday night to help them continue their landslide in the standings.
Thanks for reading.