As the Maple Leafs take a three day respite from the hectic NHL schedule, they find themselves in the thick of a tight race, with 41 points and six clubs within five points of the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto earned a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers Monday night, as Nazem Kadri scored with 1:24 remaining in regulation to tie the game.
Jonathan Bernier was the star of the game for Toronto, making 42 saves and keeping the game close after JT Miller scored the Rangers only goal 7:04 into the third period. As with his effort against Detroit on Saturday, Bernier’s success through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime did not transfer to the shootout for the second straight game, as Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan were successful and only Joffrey Lupul could manage to beat New York’s Cam Talbot, who made 25 saves in his eighth victory of the season.
The Leafs are currently 18-16-5 and have played under .500 hockey(8-12-5)since their very successful month of October. They have weekend home games against Buffalo and Carolina to complete their December schedule before heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the match against Detroit in the 2014 Winter Classic at the University of Michigan’s “Big House… on New Year’s Day.
With the news slowing to a crawl the next couple days, it is a good time to take some question from the members of Leafs Nation regarding the state of the club and some suggestions for possible remedies.
Q: …@ldsooner asks - The Leafs have been a frustrating team to watch this season. Will Dave Nonis consider pulling a trade for Phaneuf or fire Carlyle?
A: Nonis is in the first year of a five year contract extension and is under no pressure to make a rash decision. Firing Carlyle is a non-starter and not the answer, as much as many Leafs fans would like to make him the reason for their recent struggles. Nonis has indicated in recent interviews that the recent downturn in Toronto’s performance is more player related than coaching related, so that would suggest that Carlyle is safe until at least this time next year and that significant roster changes would be made before firing the coach is even contemplated.
Phaneuf and the Leafs are reportedly closing in on an agreement according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, in the neighborhood of seven years at $7 Million per season. The only way a trade scenario with the Leafs team captain becomes realistic is if contract talks fall apart and Nonis has to make a deal before the March 5 deadline to get some return on Phaneuf as an asset, but that does not appear likely.
Q: PrinceLH asks - Should the Leafs be looking for a right handed defensive defenseman to play with Phaneuf? He's logging major minutes, but when he's off of the ice, bad things happen. We can't be going with two green defensemen and hope to do well down the stretch.
A: Phaneuf prefers to play the right side as a left-handed shot defenseman and his pairing with Carl Gunnarsson will likely stay intact for the remainder of this season. The Leafs are looking for a right hand shot defenseman, but right now their focus is to find a defensive minded blueliner to pair with Cody Franson, Morgan Rielly or Jake Gardiner. Mark Fraser has not been the same since hurting his knee early in the season, John-Michael Liles is not an effective defenseman in his own end and Paul Ranger has been a liability on most nights.
This is priority “A… on Dave Nonis’s list after the holiday trade freeze expires on December 27.
Q: BIGMAC0918 asks - Do you think John-Michael Liles plus for Tim Gleason would be a mistake?
A: The speculation is that the Leafs will buyout Liles at the end of this season or attempt to trade him, which might be easier this summer with the salary cap going up to $71 Million. It all depends on whether the Leafs pro scouts have determined whether the 30-year-old Gleason’s skills have diminished to the point that he is no longer capable of playing effectively as a second pairing defenseman. If Gleason has lost a step, than he would be a $4 Million albatross around the Leafs throat for another two years. Durability also is a factor, as Gleason has been on the injured list on three separate occasions due to concussion issues, upper and lower body injuries this season.
If the Leafs feel that Gleason has not fallen off significantly, then a Liles / Gleason deal is a no-risk proposition, because he can be bought out and makes nearly the same amount as Liles does.
Q: @eli362 Why not switch goalies per situation? If Reimer is better than Bernier in shootouts, why not put him in?
A: The NHL is a league of copycats and no one in the league has a goaltender come in for shootouts like a relief pitcher coming in for a save in baseball. It might happen down the line as the game becomes more specialized. The current philosophy is sound, that the goaltender who has played 65 minutes is already loose and faced shots throughout the game, whereas the backup has been sitting on the bench and would be coming in cold. A cold goalie would not only open himself up to possible injury, but also would open up the coach to second guessing.
Ron Wilson used veteran Curtis Joseph in relief for a shootout in 2008-09 and the Leafs lost the game. I do not know whether any NHL coach has done it since.
…Q: @steveclay When do you think Granberg and MacWilliam will be NHL ready? I'd rather wait on them than give up valuable assets in a trade.
A: The Leafs are very high on both the 21-year-old Swedish import and 23-year-old NCAA former U. of North Dakota product. Granberg took some time adjusting to the North American game, but has come along pretty well in the American Hockey League so far, as he leads the Toronto Marlies in plus/minus with a +13. MacWilliam has been hampered by a couple injuries and has played just 18 games, but has 41 PIM’s and is playing a rough brand of hockey that Leafs coach Randy Carlyle is looking for.
It looks as if the plan is to give both players a full year at the AHL and then to give both a shot at training camp next September, with a potential significant changeover on the blueline(Gardiner, Ranger, Fraser, Franson and Phaneuf all unrestricted or restricted free agents).
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Here is my favorite Christmas song, “I Believe In Father Christmas… by progressive rock icon Greg Lake
Merry Christmas to all of Leafs Nation!!!!
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