The Toronto Marlies will return to the friendly confines of the Ricoh Coliseum next Thursday with a 2-0 series lead, as Brandon Kozun scored twice in a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 2 of the best-of-five Calder Cup Western Conference Quarter-Final on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old Kozun scored 17 goals and 29 assists in 75 regular season games with Manchester and Toronto, after being acquired for forward Andrew Crescenzi last January.
The Marlies led 2-0 after 40 minutes on goals by Kozun and Sam Carrick(who has three goals in the series), before Kozun, Korbinian Holzer and Jerry D’Amigo scored in a 22 shot third-period Toronto barrage.
Calle Jarnkrok and Bryan Rodney tallied for the Admirals, while Drew MacIntyre made 28 saves for his second straight playoff victory.
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Continuing the evaluation of the Maple Leafs, moving from the goalies and defense to Toronto’s forwards, who for most of the season were able to score with regularity, but after the Olympic break the offensive struggles went hand-in-hand with their defensive breakdowns and subpar goaltending to create the perfect storm that was the March collapse.
Wingers
Phil Kessel : You know that Kessel has become a premier player in the league when you barely hear any more criticism about giving up picks that turned into Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton to get him.
Kessel was dominant and the Leafs best player until the last month of the season, when fatigue and an injured foot hindered his play. He finished sixth in NHL scoring with 80 points and leading the Leafs with 37 goals, but also registering an un-sniper like 43 assists.
The winger signed an eight-year, $64 Million contract extension that will kick in this summer. At 26, the Madison, WI native is just starting to enter his prime. Maturation and improvements in conditioning will only make him a better and more consistent two-way player, but Kessel can now be undeniably considered one of the top forwards in the NHL.
Grade – A
Outlook for 2014-15: Franchise player
Mason Raymond : If you are talking about the player that the Leafs got the most bang for the buck, it would have to be Raymond, who was given a tryout by his former GM Dave Nonis after going unsigned in free agency last summer and signed a one year, $1 Million deal after an impressive showing in the pre-season.
Raymond finished fifth on the club in scoring with 19 goals and 26 assists and was adept at moving up into a top six role when needed, as well as providing skill and speed in a bottom six role.
While not being adept at winning puck battles along the boards, Raymond provided quality depth to the Toronto lineup, but coming off a good offensive year as an unrestricted free agent, his price tag may be too rich for the Leafs this time around.
Grade – B
Outlook for 2014-15 : If Raymond is willing to take a multi-year deal for a slightly less amount($2 Million to $2.5 Million per season), then he will return to Toronto, if he is looking to hit the jackpot in July, that will happen somewhere else.
Nikolai Kulemin The Leafs have not gotten their money’s worth out from Kulemin, who signed a three-year deal for just under $3 Million per season after scoring 30 goals in 2010-11 and has not reached double digits in goals since.
The 27-year-old Russian had nine goals in 70 games and is perhaps the best Leafs defensive forward with good speed, strength and size, but could not produce offensively when moved up to play top six role with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul.
Grade – C
Outlook for 2014-15 : Kulemin is in a similar situation to Raymond, in that he could return if willing to take a cost-effective contract extension, but look for him to sign with another club next season(best guess Pittsburgh).
Troy Bodie The 29-year-old journeyman was expected to be a roster filler for the AHL Toronto Marlies, but the son-in-law of MLSE Chairman Tim Leiweke shrugged off any accusations of favoritism by being one of the most consistent, hard-working players on the Leafs whenever he was in the lineup.
Bodie scored three goals and seven assists in 47 games for the Leafs, showing surprising good speed, a high level of energy and using his 6’5… 230lb frame to his advantage. If only players who had more talent had Bodie’s work ethic.
Grade – A
Outlook for 2014-15 : Re-signed (without any help from his father-in-law) for one or two years and will play on a fourth line that will play more minutes next season.
Jerry D’Amigo Any evaluation of the 23-year-old winger is mitigated by the fact that he played just 22 games with the Leafs, but D’Amigo proved in his limited stint that he has the speed and hockey IQ to play at the NHL level.
The Binghamton, NY native scored 20 goals in 51 games with the Marlies and registered three points with Toronto playing mostly a third/fourth line checking role and as a penalty killer.
Grade – C
Outlook for 2014-15 : D’Amigo is a restricted free agent and will likely be re-signed for under $1 Million, which may be a factor in the Leafs decision-making process of whether to re-sign the more pricey Kulemin.
Frazer McLaren The contrast in the physical impact that the younger of the “Winnipeg Blue Bombers… had this season is startling. The 26-year-old McLaren had no points in 27 games with 77 penalty minutes and led the Leafs with nine fighting majors, but averaged just four minutes ice time per game and really did not contribute anything of consequence.
Grade – D
Outlook for 2014-15 : If Carlyle is retained as coach, there may still be room for an enforcer as a 13th forward for games against the Bruins, but more than likely McLaren will be a member of the Marlies or another NHL team.
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