The Maple Leafs get to settle back into somewhat of a normal routine after completing a week-long four game Western road swing, going 2-1-1 and earning five of a possible eight points. Toronto has moved ahead of slumping Montreal into the top three of the Atlantic Division and could move to within five points of second place Tampa Bay as they take on the Lightning for the first time Tuesday night.
After playing an exhausting stretch of 12 games in three weeks, Toronto has a comparatively light six game schedule until the February 9th break for the 2014 Sochi games. The Leafs have three straight games at Air Canada Center against the Lightning, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators before travelling down to the Sunshine State next week for a pair of games. They finish up with a Saturday night match against the slumping Vancouver Canucks.
With no back-to-back games over that span and a 17 day Olympic hiatus afterward, it will be curious to see how many of the six starts Jonathan Bernier will get. Bernier has started 12 of 16 games since December 23rd(going 7-4-1).
James Reimer is having a difficult time adjusting to a workload more conducive to that of a backup goaltender, as he was sharp in only one of the four starts(a 35 save performance in Colorado) during the same span.
“I obviously want to play the bulk of the games,… Reimer said to the Toronto Star’s Dave Feschuk “Any goalie would. It’s tough when you get in and don’t have a good game. It doesn’t sit well. It’s harder if you don’t play. You want to get in there and prove yourself again.…
GM Dave Nonis has been steadfast in saying that he will not move Reimer before the March 5th trade deadline and could envision signing him to a contract extension over the summer, but it is more likely that the Leafs will move their former starter over the summer, when they can get the best return.
Reimer’s worth in the trade market is tied to his ability to be an effective starting goaltender and his recent struggles are doing nothing to raise his value. If Nonis and Carlyle have made the decision that Bernier is their go-to guy down the stretch, they may be forced to move Reimer sooner than they’d like to get a decent return.
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It was an eventful practice on Monday morning at the Mastercard Center, as both Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk left the ice for a time with leg injuries. The Leafs leading scorer was hobbled and disappeared into the locker room, but returned after 20 minutes.
Van Riemsdyk appeared to tweak something during a drill, according to TSN 1050’s Jonas Siegel. The big forward conferred with the Leafs medical staff before testing the injury and leaving the ice for good.
Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said both forwards have been hampered by the normal bumps and bruises associated with playing every game, but expects that both will be in the lineup on Tuesday.
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