The Toronto Maple Leafs emerge from a five day respite with reshuffled forward lines to compensate for injuries to Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland and a fully healthy blueline as they face the New Jersey Devils at Air Canada Center Friday night.
Toronto will move James van Riemsdyk to center between Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, while recently added faceoff specialist Jerred Smithson will see fourth line duty between Frazer McLaren and Colton Orr, who missed the morning skate at the ACC due to a maintenance day. Nazem Kadri will center the second line with Mason Raymond and David Clarkson and Jay McClement will play with Troy Bodie and Nikolai Kulemin on the checking line.
Jonathan Bernier will get his first start since a 41 save effort in a 4-2 win over Calgary on October 30, which likely means that James Reimer will be in goal in the return to the scene of the crime Saturday night, as the Leafs take on the Boston Bruins for the first time since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final last May.
Cory Schneider will start in goal for New Jersey in the second of back-to-back games, as veteran Martin Brodeur recorded his 122nd career shutout in the Devils 3-0 victory in Philadelphia Thursday night.
The game marks the first time that Clarkson, who signed a seven year, $36.75 Million contract with Toronto faces his former team and marks the return of defenseman and former Devil Mark Fraser, who missed a month with an injured knee. It will be preceded by a ceremony honoring incoming Hockey Hall Of Fame members(and former Devils) Scott Niedermayer and Brendan Shanahan, as well as Chris Chelios, Geraldine Heaney and former Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers head coach Fred Shero.
Rookie defenseman Morgan Rielly is expected to be a scratch, along with John-Michael Liles.
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Former Leafs Assistant GM Bill Watters indicated in an interview with Hockeybuzz on Friday that the Leafs should not sign Dion Phaneuf to a long-term contract extension and that Toronto GM Dave Nonis should consider moving the 28-year-old team captain before the March 5th trade deadline.
“He(Nonis) needs Dion Phaneuf for another seven years like I need a toothache and he knows it a lot better than I do.… Watters said. “He spent the whole draft weekend in New Jersey trying to trade Phaneuf.…
Reports emanated late last month that the starting point in contract talks between Newport Sports(the blueliner’s representatives) and the Maple Leafs would be seven years, $50+ Million, making Phaneuf the third highest paid defenseman in the NHL under Nashville's Shea Weber and Minnesota's Ryan Suter.
“That is ludicrous and that was not stated by David Nonis, that is a plant by the agent and it is all over hockey.… Watters said. “Not only have they planted it in the media, they have planted it with every general manager so that they now have upgraded Phaneuf’s worth to the Maple Leafs.…
Watters suspects that the Leafs having eight healthy defensemen with the return of Fraser to the lineup tonight may provide Nonis an opportunity to make a trade for forward help.
“(Leafs rookie Morgan)Rielly is the only guy in that group of eight who is not trade bait. The rest are all tradable commodities and if your gonna trade them, you have to show them.… Watters said. …I have a suspicion that Nonis has to have a fallback position, in the short term he needs some help at center, so he may be able to move one of those defensemen.…
Darren Dreger indicated on TSN1050’s Leafs Breakfast Friday morning that there had been discussions with the Edmonton Oilers regarding blueliners John-Michael Liles and Korbinian Holzer in recent weeks, but that the the Oilers did not significant interest, in spite of Toronto’s willingness to pay some of Liles salary.
Listen here to the interview:
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