Farewell to the Regular Season

One of the better untold stories of this Leaf season was how a group of players was found out planning a helicopter trip from New Jersey into Manhattan for a night of partying the day before a game against the Devils.

Once head coach Ron Wilson got wind of the fun, he called a bed check. Oddly, none of those players are with the Leafs any longer.

Other bits and pieces from the final weekend of the NHL season:

• It will be interesting to see if there are any takers at all for Olli Jokinen, a poster boy for underachievers, in unrestricted free agency this summer. Will anybody pay this $5 million player more than $2 million? At least, anybody in North America?

• So St. Louis finishes 15th overall and misses the playoffs. Montreal finishes 19th and makes the playoffs. The schedule isn't balanced, but still, that seems a bit out of whack.

• It took him a full season of professional hockey split between the AHL and NHL, but Saturday night in Montreal was the first time Christian Hanson seemed to actually understand the advantage being a big body in the pros can be.

• Don't forget, teams can vault upwards up to four positions in Tuesday's NHL draft lottery. So the Islanders theoretically could yet draft first two years in a row.

• John Tortorella leaving Marian Gaborik on the bench in a season-ending shootout to the Flyers isn't exactly like Marc Crawford letting Wayne Gretzky sit in Nagano. But it's in the same conversation.

• It's great that Brian Burke is somehow willing to be Team USA's general manager for the upcoming world championships in Germany. But given Burke's personal hardship over recent months, USA Hockey should not be asking him to do an extra month's work. The bureaucrats just hope Burke will convince more American players to want to play knowing he'll probably be running the Olympic program four years from now in Sochi.

• Phoenix is probably the best example that building through the draft isn't the only way to go. Of their last 15 drafts, the Coyotes only have two first round picks currently on their roster as contributing players. Those players are Martin Hanzal (17th overall, 2005) and Shane Doan (seventh, 1996). The guts of the Phoenix lineup was acquired through trades and free agency, plus, of course, one of the best waiver pickups in recent memory, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
  
  Meanwhile, teams like the Islanders, Lightning, Blue Jackets and Panthers keep picking high and keep going nowhere. The only point, folks, is that there's more than one way to do it, and smart GMs know that.

• Could be Nazem Kadri's last junior game tonight as he and his London Knights play Kitchener in Game 7 of their OHL series.

• Islanders owner Charles Wang wants every NHL team to make the playoffs. Others simply want more teams. How about this for a little April intrigue? How about a week-long elimination tournament, with the winner getting the first overall pick in the entry draft?
  
  The only logistical problem would be what to do with teams that had already traded their first pick away. But otherwise, if they held that tournament of non-playoff teams starting today, which team would win and would your Leafs have a shot?

• Love Steven Stamkos and his season. Just fabulous. But those who keep complaining that he wasn't on the Olympic team need to give it a rest. The team won, already. Ditto for those who suggest he's a Hart candidate. You've got to at least make the playoffs, folks.
  
  The Bolts, by the way, look like the likeliest candidates to blow up the entire organization with a new owner riding into town. (Check that: Both GM Brian Lawton and coach Rick Tocchet were fired this morning.)

• Think about this statistical comparison. Washington defenceman Jeff Schultz led the NHL this season with a plus-50. Edmonton forward Patrick O'Sullivan was a league-worst minus-35. That means O'Sullivan was on the ice for 85 more even-strength and shorthanded goals than Schultz this season. That's quite incredible.
  
  Best plus-minus on a non-playoff team? That's Dallas defenceman Mark Fistric with a plus-27. Worst plus-minus on a playoff team? Ruslan Fedotenko's minus-17 with the Penguins.

Comments

[Josh]

Smart GMs like Brian Burke? He who traded a couple of first rounders (and most likely a lottery pick in '11) for Phil Kessel? Wake me up when that deal pays off. Please. You're sounding like the myopic fans of your city.

[KD]

I like the tournament to decide the first-round pick. Here's the other problem: Who would coach Tampa? Teams that traded their first round picks would get byes to the final four in the tournament.

[Matt]

I'm not trying to be a nit-picker, I'm actually confused about the Jeff Schultz/Patrick O'Sullivan comparison. I thought plus-minus stats were calculated based on the goal differential the player is on the ice for.

To simplify, Schultz and O'Sullivan could have both been on the ice for 50 opposition goals (a round number for argument's sake). If Schultz was also on the ice for 100 of his team's goals, and O'Sullivan was only on the ice for 15 Edmonton goals, would that not also work out to Schultz having a plus-50, and O'Sullivan having a minus-35? A worse minus-rating does not necessarily mean being on the ice for more opposition goals...

[Matt]

I'm also going to take a stab at the suspected Leafs players planning a "party night" in Manhattan the day before a game. Damien, tell me if I'm close:
- Matt Stajan
- Jason Blake
- Ian White
(hard to imagine Vesa Toskala wanting to be part of a 'social' gathering...)

[other mark]

Josh, Wake Up. Kessel will put up 50 next year.
As for Charles Wang and his idea to give every team a birth in the playoffs... well, this is the same moron who signed Rick DiPietro to a lifelong contract at a ridiculous amount. Besides, as much as I love hockey, I won't want to watch the Stanley Cup finals in August. Enough already.

[stickhandle]

"That means O'Sullivan was on the ice for 85 more even-strength and shorthanded goals than Schultz this season"

Uhhhh ... thats not right Damien. All we know is that Schultz was on for 50 more goals for than against, and O'Sullivan was on the ice for 35 more goals against than for. Its relative ... but not relative to each other. For example, if O'Sullivan was on for 15 goals FOR and 50 goals AGAINST, he would be -35.

[Kyle Durham]

Damien is just making a point that there is not one single blueprint for building a winner. The Caps Pens and Hawks got lucky for bottoming out in years that Ovechkin and Crosby (decided by that lottery after lockout), and to a lesser but still great Kane/Teows were available at the top. You can't plan a season with the intention in finishing last its almost impossible. Everyone thought the Leafs would be fighting for eighth with the soul additions of Komisarek and Beauchemin through FA, before the Kessel deal was made to push the Leafs in. To me a 22 year old who already has two 30 goal seasons is a safe bet. The Leafs can't lose this deal, the Bruins still can lose the deal if whatever three players they take in the next two years with our picks doesn't pan out. A draft pick is never certain.. heres to another Daigle or Stefan.

[Chris]

@Josh

"most likely a lottery pick in '11" Can I have your crystal ball?

Phil Kessel was a lottery pick three drafts ago and is a top 20 NHL goal scorer in back to back seasons. Stop crying. His point (and it was true) was that Championship teams can be built without tanking for lottery picks for five years. Detroit, Anaheim and Carolina all proved that and Atlanta, Florida, NY Islanders and Tampa are all proving that it takes more than simply tanking.

The only reason it worked for Pittsburgh is because they tanked when the quality of players was uncharacteristically high. Crosbys and Malkins are rare and neither Hall or Seguin are even close to that class. Hall and Seguin aren't even close to the mediocre John Tavares in junior. Finally, if you're crying about Hall/Seguin then smile because Nazem Kadri is destroying both of them right now (and I mean DESTROYING) in OHL playoff scoring.

As a matter of fact Kadri (26 points) has as many points as Hall (16) and Seguin (10) combined!

[Conn Smythe]

'He who traded a couple of first rounders (and most likely a lottery pick in '11) for Phil Kessel? Wake me up when that deal pays off. Please. You're sounding like the myopic fans of your city.' How many goals have the 1st rounders scored, Josh? You should wake up and at least acknowledge that we won't know who will win the Kessel trade until a few years down the road.

[Conn Smythe]

'How about a week-long elimination tournament, with the winner getting the first overall pick in the entry draft?' I have a better suggestion - how about the team with the best record that doesn't make the play - off's get the 1st over - all pick? It certainly would eliminate the tanking concerns.

[KD]

Chris, as good as it is that Kadri is out-pointing both Hall and Seguin, it doesn't mean that he is as good as both of them combined - it just means that he's having a better playoff. Sure, one or both of Hall and Seguin might be busts when they hit the NHL. So might Kadri. On the other hand, we might also have the next Howe, Lemieux and Crosby in those three. Who knows?

[TJB]

John Tortorella should be fired for sending Jokinen to shoot instead of Gaborik. Hard to believe Glen Sather signed him to that risky contract to watch him sit on the bench in the most important moment of the season for the Rangers. For Leaf fans looking for some home-drafted talent in junior to watch since Kadri and the Knights are done, there's two of them playing in the Q semi-finals. Chris DiDomenico (drafted 164th overall in '06) plays for the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Joel Champagne (129th in '08) suits up for the Victoriaville Tigres. Check out my blog.

[Chris]

KD I fully agree with you. My post was meant to illustrate your point about stats being misleading. It was sarcastic not literal. I don't think Kadri is ready to dominate the NHL just as I don't see Hall/Seguin ready to do that next year either. The fact is that Hall/Seguin may end up being better than Kessel someday but it won't be next year and it's far from a guarantee. So many people are lamenting what the Leafs lost instead of looking at what they have. Every Stanley Cup Champion is built through a combination of good drafting, patient development and good trades/free agents. For Pittsburgh the good drafting part meant tanking to get top picks at a time where the top picks were generational players; for Detroit it meant good scouting and committing to developing players picked in later rounds. But even Pittsburgh signed Gonchar and traded for the likes of Guerin and Kunitz. Carolina only had one of their own lottery picks on their Cup winning team, same with Tampa. Detroit and Anaheim had zero lottery picks as the latter was built mostly through trades/free agents. The Leafs have good youth right now who have a lot of potential. Good draft picks like Kulemin, Schenn and Kadri combined with young acquisitions like Kessel, Phaneuf, Gustavsson and Bozak make up a solid core of youth. If Burke hypothetically added Kovalchuk how much better would the team be? It's not about what Burke does not have right now; it's about what he has and what he'll add to it. Specifically he needs a legitimate 1st line centre. It's possible he misses out on one with Seguin but it doesn't mean he can't get one. It just means that the player will be a little bit older and will cost more money. If the Cap is managed correctly it's more than possible. Take a half hour and look at the rosters of Stanley Cup Champions for the past ten years or more. You won't find rosters filled with top two picks; you'll find one or two top 2 picks (somtimes their own) but you'll find a combination of good draft picks, free agents, and trade acquisitions. I just wish people would research the facts before throwing their arms up and thinking we've just given up Sidney Crosby and it's all over.

[Avi]

Why would teams out of playoff contention play for picks? They would be competing to add a top quality player that would be fighting for THEIR jobs next training camp. Talk about conflict of interest.

Leave Kadri in Junior or the AHL. The kid has to put on some pounds before he can play professional hockey. He's fast and has great hands but he'll get mashed in the NHL - even with Komisarek and Phaneuf babysitting.

No way to say how the Kessel deal will pan out. Either way, we're stuck with it so lets see how he plays with a full off season to strength train and condition.

What's gonna be with Kabby? Anyone going to pay Burke's high asking price?