Full Panic Mode - Pogge to the Rescue

LOS ANGELES-With the club having all but quit on head coach Paul Maurice after two one-sided losses in California, the Maple Leafs are in full panic mode today.

As first reported by The Star, the Leafs summoned blue-chip goaltending prospect Justin Pogge from the minors after last night's appalling 5-2 loss to Los Angeles, possibly setting Pogge up to start tomorrow night in San Jose. No. 1 netminder Vesa Toskala has suffered a relapse in his ongoing battle with groin problems after being recklessly forced into action for the final two periods of the embarrassing loss to the Kings.

The Leafs have also claimed Domenic Moore, brother of Steve Moore, on waivers from Minnesota. Moore is an energetic checker who could add some pizzazz to the team's fourth line.

Meanwhile, confusion reigned this morning in the Leaf camp. Practice was cancelled, which was a surprise to some of the most senior members of the team, including captain Mats Sundin.

There is growing speculation head coach Paul Maurice could be in jeopardy after desultory way in which the club responded to a critical game against the Kings, as well as the manner in which Toskala was rushed back into service last night after the Leafs were already down 4-0.

Toskala was expecting to have the night off, but played after former starter Andrew Raycroft surrendered four goals on 11 shots in the first period against the Kings.

If that happens, it will be a difficult task indeed for Pogge, with all evidence suggesting the club is no longer responding to the direction of Maurice after 10 losses in the past 12 games. All political antennae are on high, and even the Leaf players are aware team president Richard Peddie is hovering over the club in what is turning out to be a disastrous California road trip.

A smarter decision would be to bring back veteran Scott Clemmensen, who left the club on Thursday and returned to the Marlies. But with the entire hockey organization expecting major changes because of the dreadful results of late, recalling Pogge is likely to make a bigger splash, perhaps the last ditch effort of the Ferguson regime to put the club into a playoff position.

The Leafs were nightmarishly bad Thursday night, managing only seven shots on the L.A. net in the opening 27 minutes of action as the Kings cruised to a 5-0 lead. It was only after the game was decided that the Leafs got busy, putting 43 shots on Jason Labarbara in the Kings net after the game was already decided.

Maurice denied that his team has quit on him.

"If they'd quit you'd have seen three periods like the first period," said the Leaf coach.

Truth was, the lazy, disinterested manner in which the Leafs played the opening 27 minutes was much more reflective of their attitude towards their coach than the final half of the game.

"Trust me, we're under a lot of pressure," said centre Matt Stajan. "We know what's going on."

Comments

[steve guerrera]

New GM must be brought in immediately to make the necessary trades. It is quite apparent that ferguson has no future with the club which makes him incapable of making long term plans...he'll be in survival mode..nothing more. The measures are clear: New GM...complete dismantling...new coach to start next season.

[Brian Marto]

Team has quit on Paul Maurice, a coach cannot go on the ice and play for the team, something has to be done, I do not agree with bringing Pogge up but this is the Leafs ,
The best thing for Pogge is to backup Toskala and get the odd game in
I feel Paul Maurice days as coach of the Maple Leafs is over
Ferguson is looking for a scapegoat

[crying the blues]

Its too little to late. We've all seen this before. Time to
play for draft choices. Wait they will just trade them away
too. When do the Blue Jays , Argos come back?

[Paul]

Somehow, I highly doubt any of the Leafs is quavering in his skates at the thought of blow-hard Richard Peddie being on the California trip. If I was on the roster, it wouldn't intimidate me.

[Jay]

I'm so very glad I'm not a Leaf fan so I can laugh instead of cry at this mess. Putting Toskala into that game last night was the height of stupidity and you could see it every time he winced after a save. This year in the Leafs organization is the biggest bucket of failure I have ever seen in pro sports ... and I'm a Detroit Lions fan!

[Adam Laudner]

It makes me sick to think Maurice is going to take the fall for this, with the idiots at the top still left to blunder through at least the season. Why don't they fire Ferguson and install an interim GM, or hire Muckler today?! He doesn't even have to be the best in the league, but he's better than what the leafs have now.

So long to Maurice. His coaching style of hard work, intense forechecking, strong puck support and attention to defensive play does not fit well within this team (because they can't do it). It's easier to make a statement by replacing the coach, irrespective of his talents. I'm sure he won't have a problem getting another job in the league.

[Jeff]

No point bringing Pogge into this mess of a team. Its just going to negatively influence him. They did w/ Alan bester, Felix the cat and Ken Wregget... all ended up shell shocked.. Right now they need to protect their future a little. Don't trade Sundin he's got the character you want to build around, sign him till retirement, then sign him again. Kaberle, Andropov, Steen, White, Stajan and Kilger are your blocks (maybe blake)everyone else is available.
Lose Peddie, set ferguson free and see what he can do, but do it now... early bird gets the worm

[turk broda jr]

is not the razor the worst goalie in "professional" hockey right now?
the only way he knows he's positioned in front of the net is when he (ALWAYS) turns around to see where in the net the puck is
it's embarrasssing
you'd like to think he's playing this bad to make management take the heat but you can just tell the guys doesn't know how to play net
no movement
no speedy reflexes
no positioning
would anyone even pick him up from waivers????
just get rid of him and the coach in gm all horrible
wait three years and you'll at least have some kind of playoff team...i think

[HC]

This is the best thing that could happen to the Leafs. With any luck they'll lose again tomorrow night and maybe (just maybe), the powers that be can start trading away as many players as possible on their roster. If they can get rid of Tucker, McCabe and Kubina for absolutely nothing it'll already be a positive.

[Steve M]

It is beyond disgusting that a hockey team like Toronto can be so pathetic.

With the financial resources, granted I don't fully understand what restrictions the salary cap places on a team, that the Leafs have the layperson has every right to expect that the team could be much better.

Where is the pride? Where is the leadership? Where is the creative thinking?

How can the Wings and the Senators be so competitive year after year while the "Blue and White" simply can't get past average? This year average would be a gargantuan improvement.

Please, put us out of our misery and blow up the front office and the on-ice product. Bring in Scotty to build the franchise anew.

If that doesn't work move the Leafs to Hamilton and rent out the ACC to children's teams - it would be better value for the dollar.

[Guido]

This is pretty simple ... why is JFJ still the one to make these decisions? Why? Why? They've dropped like a stone since he arrived, so why should he be making any more decisions? If they lose in San Jose, I predict they will all be fired... finally.

I love Maurice, or at least I did .. this team is dead last in GA, PP, PK and takes a ton of PIMS. These are all elements of coaching.

Can somebody please tell me why Woznewski is still in the NHL? He plays 8 mins a night and gets 10 mins in penalties every night. If the Marlies are doing so well, why can't we bring up a D-Man? It can't be that hard.

[Ankur Arora]

The emergency mode or panic mode, should be 3 easy steps

Step 1) FIRE RICHARD PEDDIE, or move him out of any thing with hockey operations, he has meddled way to much with the leafs, and telling the media etc that trading Sundin need the boards approval. obviously gives signs to other GM's to make offers that no other GM would accept but maybe the MLSE board with little hockey knowledge would take

Step 2) FIRE JFJ... With the trade deadline 6 weeks away, we need to find a GM now, who can start rebuilding this team for the futre...the leafs need max returns for their ageing veterans. they ship is not too bad right now, a turn around like philly in a year or 2 is very possible.

Step 3) Related to step 2, hire a qualified big name GM like the Raptors did a few years ago

[Peter Ing]

What will the Leafs do for an "encore" after they and poor Pogge get shelled on Saturday in San Jose? I don't think this team could beat the 84-85 Leafs. Actually, Bill Root would look pretty good on the blueline about now.

[Wayne Novak]

The problem with the leafs is not on the ice. The problem is management and until that changes, it is pointless to blame the players. The leafs can not draft, judge talent, trade properely, and sign players to the right terms. Pogge is not good enough for the NHL or he would be here already. Toskala is not much better than Raycroff. Why put Sundin on the spot as he has no-trade clause because he does not want to go anywhere, lets not make him feel guily if he does not approve a trade. After all, if he really wanted to win a cup then why is he here in Toronto? I would not allow current management to be allowed to order a box of paperclips, get a new GM, new Coach, and new Scouts, wait until the trade deadline next year as this will be a process that will take several years, there is no rush.

[Sandy T.]

"with the entire hockey organization expecting major changes because of the dreadful results of late, recalling Pogge is likely to make a bigger splash, perhaps the last ditch effort of the Ferguson regime to put the club into a playoff position."

And there's the problem. As ever it has been. What's the point of trying to herd this sorry band of third and fourth liners into the playoffs? The revenue from two home games? That's hardly enough to make a ripple in the MLSE money vault, but every nickel counts toward the pension fund I guess. Idiotic way to run a sports franchise.

And the players? Kool-Aid drinkers all...

"Trust me, we're under a lot of pressure," said centre Matt Stajan. "We know what's going on."

Do you Matt? I doubt it very much. As I recall, the players on those dreadful Leaf teams of the eighties thought they were were good enough too, if only they could catch a few breaks.

JFJ has managed what was a pretty fair team into oblivion and he must not be allowed to 'fix' it again. If, unfortunately, Sundin is going to be traded, and after two games on this road trip it should be clear to all that's now the only way forward for these Sad Sacks, this clown can't be the guy who's in charge of making the deal. He will only screw it up - as history shows.

Sad really, I've watched four Leaf championships and now a long period of rebuilding will likely ensure I don't see another, but that's still preferable to watching more wallowing and stagnation within this insipid organisation.

[Arrrrgggghhhh Go Leafs scouting staff]

This team is failing because, except for Mats Sundin and Vesa Toskala, everyone is underachieving massively.
At the outset of the season I thought, well, if Stajan, Steen and Wellwood can recover their respective paths to future second line stardom, well, with blake the 40 goal scorer getting 25-30, tucker dependable for 15-25 and mccabe/kubina/kaberle putting in 8-15 each, well...there was potential. But instead it's like the kid trapped in the well who turns out to actually be hiding in the barn...they're all saying they're under pressure and trying hard but, even when they shine the light down the well you can't see them swimming...i made that up.

So, fairly or unfairly, the team with potential has become the team with potent bad karma and I fully believe there are no quick fixes for a team playing like the leafs - they are going to draft high this year(thank goodness san jose chose to take the pick from the 07 draft!) As a realist of sorts, i'm not disappointed by the position the team is in, someone has to be in, what, third last? if they handle this properly (the potential there is dramatically less) a flop season could be a good thing...someday...

But honestly bloggers, i'm only legitimately disappointed that that smarmy, self-certain, liar of a tabloid writer at the SUN "NEWSPAPER" (there are probably more than one, but the one who said sundin was done because of hip problems - sad, just sad) got to "Go out on a limb" and predict the crappiness of this team. He just doesn't deserve the credit. Get him to predict the cup winner or the third overall pick or something and, shucks its cold here and i'm still steaming, damn simmons.

the individual leafs had potential, they have lost that potential and replaced it with boy in well syndrome...it won't be a big deal when these guys get found in the barn either, no one really cares if they drown unless we have to keep paying them...trade kubina, sundin and raycroft - eat humble pie and cut the pieces small so all we leafs fans can have something to eat while the house conn smythe built, destroyed by his son and his sons buddies and perpetuated since like a loud fart in a quiet, hermetically sealed room.

[Mike Ritchie]

A change in goalie will not save the sinking Leafs. They are in free fall and will crash soon. It will be interesting to see who perishes in the blaze, Maurice + JFJ or just one. Could even Richard Peddie, the teflon man himself take the fall? He created this mess.

It's actually very simple to fix the Leafs. Just tell Sundin that he has to score 2 or more points per game. They are 8-4-2 when he does and 6-18-6 when he doesn't. It says here that the Leafs are Sundin and nothing else.

[Hockey Fan, therefore by Definition Not a Leaf Fan]

Don't blame the Pension Plan for this awful team. They are an organization doing exactly what their purpose is: maximize profits. MLSE is just one of many successful investments they have made.

Blame the Laff fans. Blame the people who continue to subscribe to Leaf TV. Blame the people who buy the idiotic flags for their cars. Blame the people who buy a 60 dollar jersey for their 2 year old who grows our of it in 12 months. Blame the people who continue to buy the 9 dollar beers at the ACC.

When Detroit was bad, the fans showed their displeasure by staying away in droves. Same goes in Montreal. Those fans held the ownerships accountable and the ownerships felt it in the bottom line. They had to improve the on-ice product in order to improve the off-ice financial picture.

The sheep that follow the Laffs give the Pension Plan the luxury of not having to do a thing to improve the team, since the sheep will buy anything Leaf-related at inflated prices regardless of how bad the team is.

Until that changes, which is likely never, MLSE will not improve the on-ice product, but instead will simply generate ever higher revenue.

[Bill]

This is indeed the most embarrassing Leaf team ever.
i beleive Maurice will be fired because of this bunch of disinterested, overpaid, underacheiving, mollycoddled freeloaders which is too bad.
They seem to think that they are too skilled a team to get their noses dirty and are always waiting for the other guy to do something.
It's always wait till Caber comes back,wait till Toskala gets healthy wait till Carlo gets going and now ta da POGGE!!!
Give us a break.
There is no-one at the helm.
People complain that the teachers fund dosn't care.Well Duh!They are a $106 BILLION operation,why should they care about such a minor portfolio as the Leafs?

[David Taylor]

I have been a die-hard Leafs fan my whole life, and although the last month or two have been difficult to watch, I was very excited to see that they were blown out by the worst team in the league. This means that management has no choice but to give up on this year (I hope!), and start rebuilding the proper way, through the draft.

I have one final plea to Maurice and Ferguson. Please, please, do not bring up Pogge! He will not save this team this year, and will not save your jobs. He is the one young player that might be able to take this franchise somewhere, so please leave him where he should be, starting in the AHL.

[CMS]

Not only is Razor the worst goalie in the league he is--no joke--the worst professional athlete (in terms of athletic ability combined with mental toughness)under contract (in a major sport) in the world today.

I can't believe we only missed the playoffs by one point last year. Coming that close with Razor playing almost every night might actually surpass the Patriot's season as the greatest achievment by a professional team in the last 25 years.
CMS

[Curt]

In my opinion what it comes down to is the players on the ice. The majority of players on this team are underachieving. And yes while the management of this franchise, including GM and Coach hasn't been the best, the players on the ice are the ones that play the game and especially over the last couple of games they seem more interested in the California sun then they do on winning hockey games. I find it hard to believe MLSE would spent nearly 50 million on an investment and expect the results the players have provided. A lot of no shows this year on this roster (Tucker, Blake, Poni, Steen, the list goes on) and if anything else the fans should hold them accountable first, then management. All I can say is the Anaheim Ducks showed a lot of character and team chemistry when it came to Corey Perry being hit, they came to Perry's defense right away, can't say the same on most nights for the Leafs. No Character, No Drive, Bad results.

[Vasil]

The worst ever GM of the Leafs(well at least in my lifetime..and I'm in my early 40's) should be canned IMMEDIATELY. Someone like David Conte or someone of his ilk with a scouting background should be brought in.
Ferguson has blatantly lied to fans saying he was going to develop a bevy of young prospects throught the draft. HE LIED. He has no shame giving up first rounders and young stars for garbage. TOTAL INCOMPETENCE on Ferguson's part to save his own job. Enough of his "management"!!!!

[Jim in barrie]

The Leafs could nail a sheet of plywood across the front of the net an still get bombed.Justin pogge is not the answer. Blow the entire mess up and REBUILD. JFJ is obviously not a rocket scientist!

[Jason D.]

Maple Leafs are a joke, fire ferguson now and do what the raptors did and hire a component gm. How does peddie still have a job after the babcock and ferguson blunders is beyond me.