The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs look to make it seven wins in a row on Thursday, as they take on the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center for the time in over two years.
The Leafs have victories over Phoenix and Colorado in the first two games of their four game road swing, but that is not indicative of all their problems and shortcomings being solved. The club has received great goaltending from Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, who both had to withstand long sieges from the opposition in the two road wins.
Veteran blueliner Tim Gleason has fit in nicely since being obtained from Carolina, adding stability, quality depth and experience to the Toronto blueline, but the club continues to dodge bullets as defensively challenged defenders like Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson, who giveaway the puck as much as they create offensive opportunities.
The line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk has been unstoppable, combining for 25 points over the span of the winning streak, but this unit is notoriously streaky and these numbers will not be maintained. The club is dependent on their top unit to produce on regular shifts and power play and is getting no offense from their bottom six, while secondary scoring from Joffrey Lupul, Mason Raymond, Nikolai Kulemin and Nazem Kadri has been spotty at best.
“If we are relying on Phil, JVR and Bozak to do this the rest of the way, it’s going to be difficult.… Leafs GM Dave Nonis stated on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central Thursday afternoon. “At some point, they are not going to score at this pace, so we are going to need some more scoring and we are going to need to continue scoring from our back end.…
The Stars playoff hopes appear to be fading in the Western Conference, thanks to a horrific 2-8-1 record in January. Dallas ended a three game losing streak with a 4-0 victory of Minnesota on Tuesday and trail the Wild by seven points for the final wild card spot. Lindy Ruff’s squad is wholly dependent on young forwards Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn for most of their offense, as the former Bruins top pick leads Dallas with 21 goals, while his linemate and Team Canada selection is second with 17 goals.
Veteran Kari Lehtonen, who earned his second shutout of the season on Tuesday is expected to get the start for the Stars.
Jonathan Bernier, who was phenomenal in a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday, will be in goal for Toronto.
In injury news, Leafs winger David Clarkson is expected to miss another week after having surgery on his elbow. Nonis indicated that Clarkson had played over two weeks with the painful and infected bursa sac, which required it to be drained multiple times before surgery was deemed necessary.
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The trade on Wednesday that brought 2010 Team Canada World Junior member Brandon Kozun to Toronto is not the deal that most have expected from the Maple Leafs, as it was mostly to address the Toronto Marlies need for additional scoring.
Speculation persists that Leafs GM Dave Nonis is looking to find ways to improve his club before the March 5th trade deadline. The names of Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner have long been rumored as players that Toronto would be willing to move for the right price, but Nonis has not been able to find the right fit.
“It’s really difficult to make a trade right now.… Nonis said on FAN 590. “A lot of teams are either in LTI(long term injury)or there against the cap. No one knows what’s going to happen coming out of the Olympics.…
“A lot of guys(rival GM’s) aren’t willing to move pieces that are on their team right now. A lot of guys are willing to move fringe players or guys that are in the minors or players that are out of the lineup.… Nonis said. “For impact players….for players that are going to help you, it’s pretty hard to find them.…
The Leafs GM indicated in an interview with the National Post’s Michael Traikos that he has received many inquiries regarding Bernier and Reimer, but has no intention to this point of splitting up the duo that has been responsible in keeping the Leafs playoff hopes alive.
Recent comments and actions from MLSE Chairman Tim Leiweke have made it clear that the sports media conglomerate is all in favor of bold moves to add stars to their respective clubs, as the signings of Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe with Toronto FC would indicate. The landscape in the NHL is different due to the salary cap, but there does appear to be the will and the backing of Leiweke which would allow Nonis the freedom to make a major roster move.
The question is whether any team would be willing to move a cornerstone player before the trade deadline or whether it will have to wait until the summer.
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