Audition Time

You wanted it, you got it.

Those Maple Leaf fans who have been clamouring for callups from the Marlies to come and rescue the four-win parent club got their wish today when forward Christian Hanson was recalled.

That said, the nature of the callup isn't exactly what many wanted. Their fervent wish was that some big money player (Jason Blake) or underachiever (take your pick) would be punished with a demotion, and one of Hanson, Tyler Bozak or Viktor Stalberg would get the call.

The 23-year-old Hanson, however, is being recalled because of a knee injury suffered by centre John Mitchell in Monday's loss to the Islanders, an injury that will put Mitchell on the shelf for six weeks.

Lousy break there. Mitchell, 24, is in a contract year and wasn't exactly burning up the league with two goals in 22 games. He's a confounding youngster, a kid who shows impressive flashes from time to time but is maddeningly inconsistent and doesn't seem to react favourably when given a chance in a prime time role.

The Leafs went into the season a little worried that a breakout year from Mitchell might make him a target of an offer sheet next summer.

That's not likely now.

Hanson, meanwhile, has been impressive in the AHL, with 18 points in 18 games. However, as seen with Jiri (Yo-Yo) Tlustly, success in that league doesn't necessarily translate to the bigs.

Hanson, a centre with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last year, has been playing mostly right wing for Dallas Eakins at the Ricoh Centre except for taking some draws on the penalty killing unit. That he was recalled instead of pivot Tyler Bozak is either evidence that the Leafs may want to try him in the middle or that there's a determination to promote based on quality of play, regardless of position.

Hanson has outplayed Bozak, who has missed time recently with the flu.

Mitchell's loss leaves the Leafs with Matt Stajan, Mikhail Grabovski, Wayne Primeau and Rickard Wallin up the middle. GM Brian Burke has also suggested he'd like to see Phil Kessel play a little centre, as well.

The danger for the Leafs, meanwhile, is that after a very healthy opening 15 games, injuries are starting to mount. Mike Van Ryn is gone for the season, Mike Komisarek hasn't returned yet, Vesa Toskala's groin is acting up again - enough to force the recall of Joey MacDonald today - and now Mitchell is out.

The last thing these Leafs can afford is a big bite into their depth chart.

Comments

[TincupCanuck]

Last week you said the Leafs didnt ahve any injury excuses before they played Carolina...your point being that Carolina could use the injureis to Staal and Ward as an excuse. What about the fact the Leafs had both goalies down at the same time early in the season and our best player (Kessel) was out for almost all of those games. When you reported that last week, Komisarek was out too...care to rethink the injury situation? Its not an excuse...but it exists.

[Andy Knetsch]

What "depth" are we talking about Damien?

[CG]

We don't want one player called up (as that is unlikely to make a difference). We want three or four players called up. Dump underachievers, as they have been promising to do for months now, and bring in young hungry kids. I could handle losing if we were playing the kids but I cannot accept it from a bunch of underachievers.

[Joey]

Why not call up Bozak and Stalberg? If you're going to lose, why not lose with the kids? Hey, they can't really do much worse can they? I'd love to see Stalberg and Bozak line up on a line with Phil Kessel. He needs some skill to play with.

[David W.]

As long as Rickard Wallin keeps getting scratched, bring on the youngsters. Maybe Hanson will be able to push the Leafs up to 70 shots a game.

[Johnnnny]

Send down Blake, Stajan, anyone, really...the only ones to keep are Kessel, Pokahonsky, Hagman, maybe Primeau now...that's about it...the rest can play in the beer leagues.

[John Mullrooney]

WOW, the fact that Leafs management feared John Mitchell might be the target of an offer sheet shows just how much their heads are in the clouds. Mitchell's 38 points in 98 career games is not impressing anyone.

He needs to skate when he get the puck! He seems to get the puck and glide along with it --- drive that thing to the net Johnny!!!

[Bruce]

Sorry, Damien...the Leafs don't have a "depth chart"...more like a "shallows chart".

[Dave]

Hmmm I didn't get the Jiri (Yo-Yo) Tlusty part. Or maybe I'm just slow.

[bobbyshow]

Yes! It is definitely best to turn these kids into losers early in their careers, forever ruining them and destroying their confidence. That is, after all, the Maple Leaf way.

[Derrick Wilson]

The leafs have 15 points after 22 games, the average amount required to make the play offs over the last 7 years is 93 points. That means they need to win 39 of 60 in order to make it...that is an average of 65% and only the Penguins have better win percentage at 66%. Call me what you want but this season is over, I say bring up the entire Marlie team and send the entire leaf team to the AHL, maybe they can win the Calder!!!!

[Faraz Farooqi]

Damien: your readers and some of your peers are infatuated with Kessel -Bozak, Kessel- Stalberg matchup but what they really should aspire is the supreme matchup that Kessel-Kadri bring to the spotlight - they are both finishers and also playmakers.

ON another front, Wayne Primeau needs to stay with the Leafs, Jason Blake needs a sniper training boot-camp - he will definitely benefit from it as he outskates alot of opposition, Grabo needs to relax and think while with the puck - not just skate like a chicken running around with its head cut off -- he is becoming another Sergei Berezin !!

Vesa is a big blow, but the biggest worry is the Leafs GA and GAA stats- we thought we were going to have a mean defence corps, on the contrary Leafs have allowed the most goals against in the entire leagure. Beauchmin needs to play with Kaberle - period! he does not match up with any other defenceman except Kabi or maybe Kubina, who we no longer have thanks to Burke.

Defn' get et rid of these Leafs:
1- Stempniak
2- Ponikarovsky
3- Stajan

[awineguy]

At the time of Wallin's signing Dominic Moore was still under the delusion that he was a $2.5 million a year player so Wallin at $800K looked like a bargain.

I still like Wallin's defense and Moore's not exactly lighting it up in Florida but I'm guessing if Toronto had knowm Moore could be had for $1.1 million things might have turned out differently.

The Kubina deal was essentially Kubina for Komisarek or Beauchemin, take your pick, as Burke needed to move Kubina's contract to sign his free agent blueliners.

I still, perhaps a delusion, believe that this team is much better than least year's team and much better than the record indicates.

[Scott CL]

I beg to differ Damien, I think the best thing that could happen to the Leafs is a lot more injuries to their so called NHL calibre stars and a lot more calls ups from the Marlies, White, Kessel, Hagman and Gustavsson excluded. My sense is that there is a lot of wasted talent down there and I am not just talking about the usual names we hear about on the farm, the Leafs have a terrible habit of not giving the players they draft or otherwise sign to the farm team a decent chance to make the big club, other successful clubs use their farm system to much greater advantage

[ostrichlover]

I dont know why everyone is all over Blake. he underacheives, but he is a gamer and if we had a better team where he wasnt expected to be a first line player, you morons might actually notice. Unfortunatley Blake and Stepniak will never be seen as the great role players they could be until people stop expecting them to be top tier players. Wilson should put Lee, Blake and Primeau on the third line and leave it together for the rest of the year. Could be one of the top thirdlines in hockey. As for losing with young players if youre gonna lose, I agree with that, and think Hagman and Stajan need to be cut or traded.

[Johnnyk]

Call up the youngsters for a taste of life in the bigs. Might motivate them to produce when life is good.
Send down the overpaid cade for a taste of riding buses overnight. Might motivate them to produce when life sucks even at $3 milion+ a year.

[aubrey rudd]

do the leafs circle the net as much as they do they go around and around....why don;t they cut to the net unstead i circuling the wagon...

[Sam]

You gotta be kidding me .. the last thing this team needs is injuries?! WHY NOT?! These guys aren't doing anything anyway! John Mitchell, Vesa Toskala .. OH NO, the Leafs are doomed now. They'll likely suffering a string of losing streaks .. oh wait. Anyway, this gives opportunities to see if these off-season signings of college players can really play.

[ostrichlover]

stepniak-primeau-blake would make one of the best third lines in hockey. Just because you dont know hockey and think a high salery means a superstar does not make these guys bad players. Stepniak and Blake both work hard enough to deserve a fair assement of their play which they are not getting from larley ignorant Toronto fans. Any good comentator will tell you the same thing.

[ostrichlover]

I would also like to add that unless you only pay attention during power plays, Nicklas Hagman is not a good player, at least for this team. Hagman is tradable, but should be one of the first to go off this team. How can you guys slam a guy like Blake who brings a billion times more effort each game than Hagman, then go out and praise Hagman? Its insanity. And its poor judgment of hockey ability.

[naji najer]

I'd like to see more than just one friggin' call up and not only because of injury. Thank God they didnt call up tlusty-how many more chances does he need?! And why isnt Kulemin being sent down-he's about as useful as R. Wallin (actually at least wallin plays defence). Same goes for that useless sack of flesh called Grabowski-is there anyone more inept with the puck and have less brains?! I dont get it-Wilson constantly makes escuses for the team and Burke wont do anything to upset the millionaire cry babies. Still waiting for that "truculence" he promissed. I also hope Schenn is traded soon as he must be the worst d-man in the league.

[dissonant duality disposition]

I agree, except the 'depth' part. which perhaps you meant in another way but in reality they have depth only as defined by their paying the required number of living human bodies to play hockey. a quarter of the season has been literally lost already so if they are committed to trying to win games and score goals then they need to start calling up Marlies. injuries force them to do it one at a time but imo it would be more impactful if three of them were called up at once. go leafs.

[William Burrill]

Hey Damien,
Things I don't get re: Leafs:
1) Why are Stalberg, Bozak, even Jiri Yo-Yo and those new warm bodies with Anahiem NHL connections who are showing AHL promise still in the minors while Wallin with his two assists (one more than The Monster) plods on without scoring in something like 2,000 games (OK he's a DEFENSIVE player. I get it. But so is Ben Ondrus. Or Jay Rosehill. And what's so hot about Mitchell? Alex Foster -- AHL player of the week -- has just as much promise, or lack of it, however you want to put it.
2). Why the big knock on Blake, who tries hard and has 13 assists to go with his 2 goals (3 if you count the one that was going in anyway before Kessel dunked it)? He had 2 same time last year and ended up with 15 and 40-some assists. Give the guy a break.
#), Why the big knock on Stempniak He's got 5 goals and 5 or 6 assists last time I checked and tries hard -- which is more than you can say for some others) but more importantly you should explain to your readers that for some reason the Leafs are almost all left hand shots, -- which is one major reason why they went after Stempmiak in the first place: When acquired he was the only Right Hand shot on the offence which makes Stepniak a useful weapon on the PP etc. (not so much so since Kessel arrived with his right hand snap shot and that firing-back-against-the-grain-while-crosses-the-slot move that -- as a goalie for the Star pick-up team back in the day I saw many a time from the move's inventors (just ask them) Fabio Taylor and Rob Cribb. It's deadly until you (he, they) overuse it. A rightie shot is a vital cog in Wilson's playbook (or is it a play bar napkin?)
Sincerely, Bill Burrill-ko (who is STILL on the Star ent staff although they haven't been able to locate by body since that fishing trip back in '51).
4). Why isn't Ian White an Alternate Captain (NOT assisstant as every sports writer in town seems to think the A stands for?) I'd make him captain if anyone listened to me (which ... alas!...)
Cheers from the DL. BB (If you find any typos you can keep them)

[JP]

day after day of reading this sports section leaves me wondering why?? why does the star have so little sports info really!! When I look at your page/s I see the same story at least twice then lots of non-sports crap like blogs,recent comments and then even links to the same article I am reading?? everywhere. I have to ask myself why?? and this is what I have surmised ? you have been given this new toy (internet page) and you really have no clue what to do with all the space that should be filled with information we are willing to read.This of course means MORE work for the star. YOU HAVE FAILED I could personally fill to the edge your pages with NEW sports info continuously. Why the crap who cares about recent comments!! we want news!! not opinions from evryone with a computer.why would you have a facebook page or twitter? are you a fluff chaser? they are NOT news forums like the STAR was. Imagine your page in print with the articles printed twice on the same page. Remeber your page is your end it when it needs to be do not run on and on with crap YOU DECIDE I WILL JUDGE

[Leaffan]

Calling up the youngsters to audition is a good idea given the year is lost, but I really believe they will get a poor assessment of them given Wilson's system. His system is flawed as witnessed by them being among the worst goals against for several years. His attacking style exposes both the forwards and especially the defense greatly making the defense look worse than it is. He does not have the type of team that can play his desired style, but his arrogant approach to coaching won't allow him to change the system to match the players. So we either wait 5 years to have a team that fits his style or get a coach that can coach a different style. I am confident Jacques Lemaire would have this team competing for a playoff spot.