Fair is Fair

Phil Kessel has three things working against him when he goes into Boston to face his old  team.

One, a wall of boos. Two, Zdeno Chara, all 6-foot-9 of him, is standing in front of him. Three, his own lack of options.

See, I don't believe for a second Kessel is intimidated by Boston's hockey hostility. This is a kid, don't forget, who spurned his hometown University of Wisconsin Badgers to go out-of-state and play for the hated Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota as a teenager.

He's been a target since he was 13 and he's not afraid of hard choices - like telling the B's he didn't want to play there anymore - or putting himself in the line of fire.

But Kessel lacks different approaches to different problems, not surprising for a young man who just turned 23. Playing his usual speed game isn't going to work against Boston, or hasn't so far, and it would do him a lot of good, and his team, if he spent a little more time battling in the crease than backing away from it a la Jimmy Carson.

Again, it's not that Kessel's scared. It's more along the lines of that like goalscorers like Brett Hull, he figures finding open space is the way to score goals, not going to where all the checkers are.

But the way the boring Bruins so effectively pack the slot and crease, there's just no way goals are going to be found on the periphery, particularly after Claude Julien's club gets a lead (playoffs excepted, apparently, as the Flyers could testify to.)

What will be interesting, meanwhile, is how, or if, the ACC crowd chooses to support its scoring star when the Bruins come to town Dec. 4.

Targetting opposing players to constant booing is nothing new in this league. All's fair in hockey and war, and Toronto, the place that booed Bobby Orr, has happily booed Daniel Alfredsson of the Senators for years, apparently for his run-in with Darcy Tucker in the playoffs.

It's not just T.O., of course. Chris Pronger gets booed in Edmonton. Actually, he gets booed everywhere. Dion Phaneuf, for reasons hard to explain, was the target of boos at Madison Square Garden in New York when the Leafs visited there recently, giving the MSG fans a temporary break from booing Michal Roszival.

Anyways, it's tit-for-tat, and Ottawa has tried to reply to the taunting of Alfredsson by booing various Leaf players, from Mats Sundin to Kessel.

So if you're a Leaf fan, how do you respond to what Bruin fans are doing to Kessel? (The "Thank You, Kessel" chant last night was particulary biting. And funny.)

Why, boo 18-year-old Tyler Seguin, of course. That won't please the family of Seguin, a GTA lad, but fair is fair.

If Kessel has to face years of dealing with boos every time he goes to whatever name the Boston rink has this week, then Leaf fans, if they're competitive (or even in their seats paying attention), might as well fire back at Seguin.

Makes you think that a playoff series between these two towns could be an awful lot of fun.

 

 

Thursday Mail Bag

This is Luca Caputi's newest big chance.

His chance to stick in the NHL for good that is. After a strong training camp, Caputi almost made the Leafs, but was a victim of both the numbers game and the fact there wasn't an obvious place to put him in the lineup. Right now, Colby Armstrong is probably the kind of player Caputi needs to try to be in order to land full-time NHL work, so the fact he's back in the bigs as a replacement for Armstrong should give him an extended opportunity to prove whether he can make a solid contribution at this level, starting tonight in Boston.

Caputi isn't likely going to be a big scorer, so he's going to have to make his make as a hustling, energy player, one capable to initiating contact on the forecheck and playing solid defensively. More than anything, he needs to define himself as a player without being pigeon-holed into being limited as a just a checker. Not an easy task for a young player who is likely to get limited minutes until he can show he deserves more.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: Hi Damien,

Do you think there is an eerie similarity between the career journeys of Dion Phaneuf and the Bryan McCabe of old when Leaf fans would have sold their first born to be rid of him? The comparison: both players have been very effective on the power play with each possessing a howitzer from the point. Goals abounded until defenders realized this and adjusted. Both players have the tendency to go for the big hit and find themselves out of position. Both had well regarded leadership abilities from a young age. Both players had a significant drop in play soon after signing a large contract, leaving what was a bright future very much in doubt. And finally, both were traded for significantly less than one would once have thought.

So have Leaf fans been saddled with the new McCabe and we just don't know it yet?

Andrew Puckrin, Toronto

A: You make a solid argument, and there are clearly similarities. That said, they aren't the same player. In particular, McCabe suffered from often terrible hockey sense and average skating ability. Phaneuf, I would argue, suffers from over-aggressiveness at times, but on night's like Tuesday against Florida, he's capable of playing a very solid, fundamentally sound game. As well, he's an excellent skater, a huge help in today's NHL. But certainly, part of what we're seeing in today's NHL is young defencemen who get paid big bucks before they've necessarily worth it - Jay Bouwmeester would be another example - and there's no guarantee Phaneuf will be better in three years than he is today.

Q: Hey Damien,

Might be a bit premature to ask but do you think Kris Versteeg is the new Jason Blake? (or has the potential to be) And by that I mean high expectations coming in but very little value added in the way of production. Love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,

Jacob Bloomfield, Caledon

A: For starters, Versteeg is overpaid, probably. He got lucky when the Hawks screwed up his contract and had to pay him as though he was unretricted. I think he arrived expected to be a 20-25 goal scorer and may be that, while Blake arrived as a 40-goal scorer and never came close to that again. Versteeg has a little more of a physical element to his game and has shown an ability to kill penalties and block shots. I would say Leaf fans haven't seen him at his best yet.

Q: It seems that Brian Burke has more or less adopted Cliff Fletcher's draft schmaft approach to team reconstruction (an executive suite symptom of the dreaded blue-white disease?). OK then, but what should be his deadline to deliver not just a playoff team but a Stanley Cup? For example, Pittsburgh and Chicago have shown that building through the draft, plus a bit of shrewd trading, should put you in the final if not hoisting the Cup within about 4 years max (Chicago was the quicker of the two because arguably they at least had the likes of Duncan Keith from the start of the rebuild). Washington, on the other hand, took the same approach and if there's no June parade past the White House this will be year 6 with no Cup since Ovechkin's arrival. (Should that mean they remove George McPhee as GM?) Will MLSE finally impose such performance indicators on a GM, or will they be happy with simple playoff appearances as they were in the 90's? It was BB himself who has said he can do it his way just as quickly as the draft way, so ...?

Gordie King, Bolton

A: Well, every GM will tell you they have a five-year plan. I'm not sure any team in today's NHL can impose a performance guarantee on their GM aside from consistently getting better and being in a playoff position. Remember, 27 of 30 teams have missed the playoffs at least once in the past five seasons since the lockout. Basically, Burke has argued that the salary cap means old rules don't apply, and it's going to take a few years to see if he's right.

Q: If you had to pick 1 goalie to start a team who would that be?

Ed Anderson, New York

A: Well, if I'm starting a team, I guess I'd want the best young netminder out there. I guess at 30, Ryan Miller still has lots of miles left on his chassis, so I'd go with him.

Q: Enjoy reading your blog, keep up the good work.

This New Jersey deal with Kovalchuk just doesn't make any sense, either short term , or long term. They've messed up their entire salarly cap forever, it seems & now they're sitting him out as a healthy scratch. Is there any way that the Devils can survive this "mess"?

Ron Frizzell, Port Hope

A: Wow, hard to say right now. It has disaster written all over it. Last night against San Jose the Devils just didn't look like the Devils anymore. Awful no-name defence, not physical, and most worrisome was that both Kovalchuk and Zach Parise were invisible. Some tough decisions lie ahead for GM Lou Lamoriello that may not fit particularly well with the short term, which is why they got Kovalchuk in the first place. This is a team that may now have to move veterans, get down to a core built around Parise and Kovalchuk, and start again. It may sound like utter sacrilege, particularly to me as the author of a book on the man, but moving Martin Brodeur may end up being the most sensible transaction available to Lamoriello if this season continues to go sideways. Imagine the motherlode they could land for Brodeur!

Q: Hi Damien

I know that you've addressed this one in the past but if the GMs are serious about reducing the number of shootouts, wouldn't it make sense to cut down on the number of games that aren't decided in regulation? When the Leafs beat the Rangers in OT at MSG it was pretty clear that the last few minutes of the 3rd period were just a prelude to OT. Wilson had Sjostrom out for the dying minutes and there was no way that Kessel was going to see the ice. Once the single point was in the bank, the teams actually stopped playing "not to lose." Any chance at all of 3 points for a regulation win? It would cut down on the number of OT/SO games and reduce the wear and tear on each team's top players. Thanks!

Mike Atkins, Markham

A: What's sensible to both you and I, Mike, apparently makes no sense to the NHL. This idea has been out there for a while and there's no indication the league's board of governors is interested in changing. They like, I think, how the current setup keeps the standings bunched right through April.

Q: Damien,

I am of the opinion that the difference in quality of goaltending provided by Giguere and Gustavsson is negligible. Therefore with this likely being the last season Giggy plays for the leafs, would it not make sense to give Gustavsson the opportunity to have more than 1 start a week to see if he is going to provide the Leafs the type of goaltending they will need? I know it is early in the year, but I would really like to see him as the number 1 before the season is over.

Chris Dahan, Barrie

P.S. The Broncos were alot better before you started cheering for them.

A: Well, with the way the club has started the season, it's hard to quibble with the way Ron Wilson has used his goalies. Gustavsson really has to start putting together a body of work to prove he deserves to be No. 1. Right now, that's just wishful thinking. But he'll get every chance to earn the starting job this season. But he'll have to play his way into, and to do that he'll have to be better that Giguere, which he hasn't been so far.

Re Broncos, yeah, you're right, but it was only half-hearted by me. Having dropped the Vikes (five years ago now) can't say I've really found a new team to back. Maybe some day. . .

Q: I understand that New Jersey, and perhaps other teams, got under the salary cap, at least in part, by putting players on the long term injury list. Apparently their salary does not count against the cap while they are there. My question is does the NHL monitor or have the means to monitor such moves? Could teams report a fake injury or exaggerate the seriousness of one as a cap loophole?

Phil Ford, Ottawa

A: No. The NHL does monitor injuries, and team doctors have to sign off on them. I suppose with concussions there's a potential for fraud, but the cap system only gives you a break on the LTI during the season. You still get nailed for overspending later. So it's not like it's an area wide-open for abuse.

Q: Don't you think that Komisarek and Souray are suffering from the lack of the same partner - Andrei Markov?

Ron Chapman, St. Catharines

A: Ron, that's a great point I've never heard before. Certainly, both Komisarek and Souray had better years in Montreal than they've had with other teams they joined through free agency, and playing alongside the multi-talented and smooth Markov may indeed have been a big part of the reason why. He allowed both players to simply concentrate on what they do best without having to worry about the weaker parts of their games. That's what great players do.

 

Leafs Out to Slow Panthers

It's unlikely the Florida Panthers will blow the doors off the Leafs tonight with a powerful offensive display.

On the other hand, it's very possible the Panthers might out-hustle the home team and skate the Leafs into the ice.

So the challenge for Ron Wilson's club has to be to get its intensity level back to where it was eight days ago against the New York Islanders. So far this season, the Panthers and Islanders have arguably been the hardest working clubs in the league, so it's not like the Leafs should be caught off guard.

The focus over the past few days has been on the shuffling of the Leafs' top two lines, a shuffle that was probably overdue. Certainly Tyler Bozak needs to demonstrate tonight he can start producing, or his time with the parent club could be shorter than anyone anticipated. 

While there have been calls to promote Nazem Kadri, the most logical person to get a chance if Bozak fails should be John Mitchell. Yes, Mitchell had a weak camp, but giving him one game in a fourth line role hardly offers him an opportunity to show what he can do given that he's a finesse player, not a checker.

But Bozak stays put for tonight, while Mitchell heads back to the press box along with Carl Gunnarson, while Mike Zigomanis and Brett Lebda draw back in.

Despite the focus on the lines, however, the player whose response to Saturday's ugly defeat in Philly will be defenceman and captain Dion Phaneuf.

Phaneuf did indeed have a bad game. But up to then, he was rock solid in six previous games, and given the ups and downs he experienced in Calgary before being traded last season, that's what he needs to be right now in Toronto. Rock solid, not flashy or spectacular. If he tries to play a game that will make his critics believe he's worth his $6.5 million salary, he's doomed to failure, or doomed to suffer the same fate as Bryan McCabe, who coincidentally will be on the opposing bench tonight. Phaneuf has got to be solid in his own end and physical, and the offence will come later.

Phaneuf's response tonight, however, could be to try to do more, to create and be aggressive, and that's where he could get in trouble against a speedy, counter-attacking Florida team. 

I could count the number of important Toronto-Florida games over the years on, well, I can't think of a single important Leaf-Panther game ever. This one is hardly crucial, but the Panthers deserve a better record than they have, and the Leafs want to get back ahead of Montreal for first in the division. So there's something on the line.

 

Perspective

Twenty-eight days from today, somewhere around 9:30 p.m., the Maple Leafs will have completed their 20th game of the season with a home start against the Dallas Stars.

Any chance we can wait at least until then to make any firm pronouncements about the quality, or lack thereof, of this year's Leafs?

Moreover, any chance Nazem Kadri can be permitted to play 20 games in the minors before he reverts back to being the only person capable of saving the Leafs?

Seriously, folks. I mean, I get that the Leafs were hammered by the Flyers on Saturday night in Philly, although it's probably useful to remember this was a Philadelphia squad that came within two victories of taking home the Stanley Cup last spring.

Stinker? Sure, and it deserved to be identified as such. The Leafs probably have at least another 10 of those coming this season, and the same will be the case for the majority of NHL clubs in this terribly bunched league.

Look around. There's no shortage of teams off to more disappointing starts than the Leafs. You can start with New Jersey, check out what's happening in Ottawa and notice that the Oilers have lost four straight since winning their first two and No. 1 draft choice Taylor Hall has yet to score a goal.

Think they're ready to declare Hall a bust already? Don't think so.

Even the good teams are having bad nights. San Jose is struggling and got hammered by Calgary on Sunday. Chicago lost to Columbus.

And the best team in the league? Well, Nashville, of course. Everybody knew that was going to happen, right?

Fact is, as the league sorts itself out, it's not entirely clear whether the Leafs are improved or not. I had 'em down for 85 points, and right now their record is better than that.

They're still in first in their division. Their last four games included a terrific OT win in New York, a dominant performance in a home ice OT loss to the Islanders, a weak effort at the ACC in a defeat to the Rangers and Saturday's stinker.

So in four game, two good ones, two bad ones. Three of a possible eight points. Not the consistency good teams have to have, but not quite Armageddon, either.

Defensively, this team looks significantly improved, and Luke Schenn looks like a player reborn on the back end. Contract years do funny things, and remember, if they'd done the right thing and sent him back to junior as an 18-year-old, they wouldn't be facing the conundrum of a new contract until the summer of 2012. But that ship has sailed.

The challenge for Ron Wilson is going to be to coax enough offence out of this group without having it fall into its old, bad defensive habits, and the goaltending is going to have to stay sturdy. Maybe Jonas Gustavsson could play a little more than he's been playing.

Now, of course, there's nothing wrong with fans or the media criticizing the team after a bad game. Nothing at all. But a couple of bad games does not mean this team will finish 29th again just as four straight wins to start the season shouldn't have had anyone dreaming of engraving the team's name on the Presidents Trophy.

This is clearly a squad still trying to find itself. It was never going to be a Stanley Cup year, but always one in which scratching and clawing to make the post-season was going to be the result. Individually, games are going to be good or bad, but it won't be at the very least until the 20-game mark when one can draw any useful conclusions.

And Kadri? Let the kid learn with the Marlies. There's no rush, and while he's the easy solution to point to for every armchair quarterback, every day he serves his apprenticeship in the AHL is an investment in his future.

 

 

This Week's Mail Bag

It's early, and it's volatile.

Remember Edmonton's hot start? The Oilers have come back to earth, albeit with a roster that has their fans dreaming of better days. Sidney Crosby is scoring and the Penguins are starting to win, while the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins are the only teams still with a single defeat.

That said, even the surprising Stars don't feel particularly steady despite the brilliant early season work of No. 1 goalie Kari Lehtonen.

"He's been great, but he'll be 150 pounds by Christmas if we don't start giving him some help," observed Dallas GM Joe Nieuwendyk.

Zdeno Chara continues to own Alex Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur either can't stop the puck or won't let any in, Roberto Luongo is once again in the eye of the storm in Vancouver and my goodness, Colin Campbell is a busy man these days.

And how about those Chicago Blackhawks? Despite losing half their team, the defending champs sit atop the entire league, still waiting to see if somebody can knock them off.

So it's within this overall context - Chicago at the top, Ottawa at the bottom, everyone else scrapping and clawing - that you have to evaluate the Maple Leafs.

They're in the thick of it, and now they just have to stay there. The goaltending is sturdy, if not sensational, and that's an improvement. Ron Wilson's club is tied for the third best defensive record in the league, and that's a huge improvement.

The penalty killing is strong, the power play middling and at 4-1-1, the overall feeling should be good. But consecutive losses to the Islanders and Rangers on home ice have delivered some worrisome signs, like a group of centres - Tyler Bozak, Mikhail Grabovski, Tim Brent and Mike Zigomanis - that's not bringing a whole lot of offence to the party.

It was noted in a pre-season column on Bozak that it seemed too good to be true that a player passed over in the NHL draft and finally in the league to stay at age 25 could actually be a bona fide No. 1 centre. Right now, that old saying that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is, comes to mind. That Bozak is apparently already avoiding the media after losses - who counsels these players? - is not a good sign of his ability to handle the pressure cooker that is Toronto.

Carl Gunnarson, thought by some to be a lock to be a regular, is already in the press box, and against the Rangers on Thursday, the overall blueline play wasn't nearly as tidy as it had been, although Luke Schenn might just be the club's top blueliner right now having made some obvious improvements to his offensive game, particularly his puck patience.

Every team still has questions. The Senators are already into must-win territory, it seems. Anaheim pulled out of an ugly early season swoon and won again Thursday in Philly. Some clubs, specifically Phoenix, Columbus and Atlanta, are already delivering some ugly early season attendance figures, and that's a story that will gain momentum in those cities if it doesn't change.

So, after just two weeks, lots of interesting developments, but still much to be decided as the season truly gets rolling.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: The Leafs' quick start has been a surrpise to many, and I wondered if the profit motives of MLSE actually played a role. By cramming in more exhibition games than any other team, they have actually done themselves a favour by being ready right out of the gate, whereas other more seasoned teams have ambled out of the gate. Do you have an opinion on this?

Jeff D, Toronto

A: It was less about the number of games, in my opinion, than the fact Ron Wilson got down to under 30 players more quickly than in other seasons. That seems to have had a positive effect particularly on the club's defensive play and penalty killing. Every team is different, and you can contrast the Leaf approach with that of the barnstorming tour the Carolina Hurricanes have been on throughout Europe and the U.S. and won't play their first game in their home rink until Oct. 27. Yet that team is off to a solid 3-3 start. So it's really hard to pinpoint a pre-season formula for any team that necessarily leads to success.

Q: Hi Damien. Glad to see the Spin is back. In view of your article on the shootout falling out of favour and all the different suggestions as to what to do now, I have had this feeling for a long time that hockey seems to have lost its way and is endlessley tinkering to find the "right formula." No other major sport changes so many rules on a consistent basis. What is it about hockey or the guys who run it that they never seem satisfied with how the game is played?

Darryl Weinberg, Maple

A: I hear you Darryl, although I would argue that football, particularly the NFL, does a fair bit of tinkering, sometimes even in mid-season as we've seen this week. Re the NHL, there's nothing wrong with continuing to try and make the product better, but sometimes you get the feeling that's not what changes are being made for. Moreover, this league seems to reverse its field frequently. On fighting, for example, two years ago the NHL was all about taking a hard new line on scraps, particularly so-called stage fights. Now, well, look on NHL.com today and you'll see the third news item highlighted points readers to a pair of heavyweight tilts from the night before. So the league has gone from cracking down on fights to openly promoting them. What other league markets a penalty? As in many cases, the NHL makes changes, or starts to make changes, then is either distracted or disuaded from doing what it started out to do. So I see why fans get frustrated.

Q: Hey Damien, Long time reader; first time writer. Although I can't complain with the recent success the Leafs have enjoyed, I have been noticing a bit of an unnerving trend so far...although the Leafs seem to be getting a decent amount of shots every game, there seem to be a disturbingly large amount of shots that come nowhere near the net, particularly from the point, and particularly from Dion Phaneuf. Just wondering if this is something they work on in practice at all, or perhaps something they should be working on? With such a hard shot, I figure if Phaneuf got more of them on net he'd have a few goals by now. Love to hear your opinion.

Nick Bloomfield, Toronto

A: Well, if Thursday night's game against the Rangers was instructive in any way, it was how the Leafs settled for shots from the perimeter, many of which were blocked or went wide. Obviously, the farther out the shooter, the less likely the shot is to be accurate. In the loss the Leafs seemed particularly reluctant or unable to take the puck to the net, and that was a glaring reality on the power play where the Rangers were content to let the Leafs move the puck around the perimeter. Re Phaneuf, I think his shot is a good one and pretty accurate. But in this league it's nearly impossible to score from 60 feet out unless there's traffic in front, which might make a player like Phaneuf think he's got to really hammer it instead of being hard, low shot on the net. As far as working on shooting, believe me, these guys shoot the puck a lot in practice. Sometimes in games, however, the opposition makes it a lot tougher.

Q: I keep reading, and have observed myself, that the Leafs seems unwilling to have someone near the net during the PP, and thus have no one to hammer in rebounds, robbing themselves of many chances. Who's fault is this? The 10 players on the 2 PP squads (4 of whom need to play the point most of the time, leaving 6 to blame) or the coaching staff.

I suspect it is the coaching staff. Either they are not asking the players to be near the net, or they are asking, and not holding the players accountable when they fail to do it. Either way, the blame is on Wilson and his staff.

But what do you think?

Artie Bailey, Red Lake

A: I think it's more a question of personnel. Look at the Leafs top six forwards - Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Kris Versteeg, Nik Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. None are strapping 6-foot-3 types, and none have shown an appetite or an ability to deliver a Dave Andreychuk-like presence in front of the net. Check out the rest of the lineup, and only Colby Armstrong, really, fits that bill at all, which is why in pre-season you saw the Leafs rotate their power play in such a way as to see Phaneuf in the crease providing that kind of slot presence. That's one way they can try to get around it, but they're limited to some degree by personnel. Eventually, however, even the smaller guys are going to have to understand they're going to have to get inside to score.

Q: Damien,

When Pittsburgh or Chicago come to town, they are hard tickets to get because fans want to go and see Crosby or Toews (for example). Who, in your opinion, was the last Leafs player that fans in other cities paid to see?

To follow up, who was the last Leafs defenseman to put The Fear into opposing forwards as they crossed Toronto's blue line?

Michael Jones, Daejeon, South Korea

A: Interesting. I would say Doug Gilmour was the last truly entertaining athlete the Leafs owned that fans in other cities wanted to see. Maybe Alexander Mogilny.

And the last scary Leaf defenceman? Well, I would have said Bryan Marchment, but he was kind of past it by the time he made it to Toronto. I might have been able to say Chris Pronger, but JFJ didn't want to give up Alex Steen. Danny Markov was a rough piece of sandpaper for a while but didn't stay long. Would you settle for Bobby Baun?

Q: Hi Damien,

Its quite obvious with some of the moves that the Leafs have made in the last year that Brian Burke has a budget for salary (actual money paid out) that is higher than the salary cap (based on averages). Do you have a rough idea of what that actual budget would be? Also, in the same respect, since the Leaf revenue is so much higher than other teams, what type of other non-monetary benefits are the Leafs allowed to offer players within the rules to be more competitive (private planes, better dressing rooms, free limosine service, private schooling for children, etc) in a salary cap world? It seems to me this could be a way to make Toronto a more attractive place to play, all other things being equal.

Thanks

Joe Akey, Ottawa

A: Okay, so I don't think there's an unofficial budget for the team, and right now, the Leafs are right around the cap in terms of actual dollars going out the door. I think the way in which MLSE has always operated is that the GM proposes a budget, but then that budget gets adjusted depending on how costs change over the course of a season.

Re other non-monetary benefits, well other than putting together top-quality practice and game facilities, nothing is allowed. The CBA strictly prohibits the kinds of soft benefits you suggest.

Q: Hi Damien, in today's (Oct. 16) mailbag you stated "agents of entry level players understand that if they structure deals so that the cap hit isn't enormous (like Tyler Bozak's $3.75 million hit) it may hasten their clients path to the NHL."

How is a $3.75mm cap hit for an unproven college free agent not 'enormous' (or at least a high enough number to act as a deterrent?) - that kind of money would buy a solid & proven 20 goal scorer, would it not?

Bill L., Toronto

A: You misunderstand. The meaning was that Bozak's hit is enormous, not that it isn't. My apologies if I worded it awkwardly.

Q: I would love any insight you could provide about why Ryan Malone is even potentially movable from the Bolts. Would be great to see him in blue and white, but despite all the discussion I just don’t see why Yzerman would consider letting him go.

Eric Herman, New York

A: Well, start with the fact that the Lightning, while they have a new owner, are going to lose buckets and buckets of money this season. They can't move Vinny Lecavalier because of his contract, they just re-signed Marty St. Louis and Steve Stamkos isn't going anywhere. Malone has four more years on his contract after this season at $4.5 million. This season, he has one goal in six games and is a minus-8. In his first two years in Tampa, he had 26 and 21 goals, respectively. Finally, the Bolts have needs, particularly on the back end where they're have to place an awful lot of the burden on 19-year-old Victor Hedman. At the end of the day, Malone, while a good, not great, power forward, may be a luxury they can't afford, particularly in light of other areas the team needs to improve upon. He has a no movement clause in his contract, which means a deal wouldn't be easy. But he's not exactly lighting it up for a team that surely feels the weight of his contract.

Q: Hello Damien,

Long time hockey fan of the Blue & White and I appreciate your candor and insight.

Next year's crop of UFA's looks fairly deep. With the 3M cap space Brian Burke has this year and the 4.5M from Kaberle not being here I feel the Leafs are patching this year together (hey if they don't give up a lottery pick it will be a success) and saving resources for next year.

What do you think?

(I agree with your comment last week that having Kaberle walk and freeing up 4.5M is significant)

Thanks for your time

Brooks Hipgrave, Guelph

A: Well, given the Joe Thornton was going to be the best player available next summer, at least until he re-signed last week with San Jose, I'd say its far too early to say whether the free agent crop will be particularly good. It wasn't last summer. There was precious little front-end scoring talent available, for example. So I don't get the feeling Burke is putting away dollars for next summer. He wants help now. That said, the Leafs have only 12 players currently on their NHL roster under contract for next season, and big tickets like J.S. Giguere's ($6 million) are going to fall off the payroll along with Kaberle. So there should be some flexibility there for Burke if he doesn't spend it first. The question is whether by next summer there will be anything for him to spend it on.

Q: Hi Damien,

Great to see the mailbag back in action!

Did you happen to catch Dave Hodge's rant the other day regarding teams dressing fewer skaters? It caught my attention, because I had just read your column on the NJ goings-on.

He lay the blame on the cap - and suggested it needed to go. He claimed the cap has failed to do what it intended to.

Is he nuts? I certainly don't want the NHL to end up looking like the farcical MLB!

Tom Havey, Arnprior

A: I didn't, although if it was Dave making the argument, I'm sure it was a good one. Whether the cap has worked or not depends on your perspective. It has stopped teams from spending unlimited amounts of money on players as once was the case with Detroit and New York. At the same time, teams at the bottom end are spending much more than they were before the lockout, albeit with clubs like Nashville, Washington and others receiving help from NHL revenue sharing. The gap between what the richest teams are spending and what the poorest are spending has narrowed. Moreover, there is extraordinary parity in competition, and that was part of the goal as well. But it's clear that when teams can't ice a full roster for cap reasons it hurts the overall integrity of the product. Whether there's a mechanism whereby such embarrassments can be avoided, well, that will be up to those who negotiate the next CBA. But because some teams screw up their payrolls doesn't necessarily mean the system as a whole has failed.

Q: With all these commenters/bloggers dreaming that the Leafs will get Travis Zajac for nothing to ease NJ's cap problems, what's the likelihood that teams would offer attractive draft picks to have a team accept mediocre and/or overpaid players (and likely bury them in the minors)? Is any cap-stressed team likely to dump a good, young player? As for the cap space, how much does Burke need to hold back in case he calls up Kadri, Hanson, Caputi, etc?

Nick Martin, Winnipeg

A: We have not yet seen a team move a good young player for cap reasons, although it could be argued the Bruins were forced into a corner on Phil Kessel when he was only 21 and pretty much had to trade him because of his contractual demands. Clearly, there are more teams dealing with cap problems this year than last, and five years after the cap was first introduced, there seems to still be a lot of learning left to do.

With respect to those non-NHL Leaf players, Kadri would come with the biggest cap hit at $1.7 million. Given that the Leafs are more than $4 million below the cap at the moment, it's not a concern. But I think most teams would like to have $1 million of wiggle room as the season progresses to account for needed reinforcements.

 

Ah, the Pride

It sure is starting to add up already for the NHL, and we're only 12 days into the 2010-11 season. 

So far, the league has seen:

--One player arrested for public intoxication.

--Four disciplinary reviews resulting in two suspensions and two fines.

--Two teams (New Jersey and Detroit) shortchange the fans by playing with fewer than 18 skaters because of salary cap complications.

--One player suspended for making a lewd gesture towards another player.

--One player knocked unconcious in a "staged fight" that the league once believed needed to be expunged from the NHL's entertainment package.

--One player take two baseball swings at the leg of an opponent and receive a two-minute minor.

--One goaltender faint on the ice.

--One player carried off on a stretcher after an illegal hit.

--More than dozen players sidelined with concussions.

--Referees unable so far to make the correct call on the new head shot rule on at least three occasions.

--One player, Rick Rypien, about to be suspended for grabbing at a fan in the stands after being ejected from last night's Vancouver-Minnesota game.

Meanwhile, the league says it's "riding the wave" from last season. Sure.

 

Not a Bad Way to Go Down

One night the Maple Leafs got the call in overtime against a New York team.

The next game, the New  York team got the OT penalty call against the Leafs.

Seems more of the evening out process of a long NHL season - some nights you get the calls, some night the other guys do - than blatant unfairness, and if you think the Leafs lost to the Islanders on Monday night because they were screwed by the officiating staff, you were watching a different game.

The game I saw was highly entertaining, very physical and an intriguing contrast in styles between two teams expected to be also-rans by many this season. The Leafs pushed the play, and the Islanders counter-punched, relying on smart play by their defence to steer away many Leaf attacks and then on Dwayne Roloson to stay in the game against a more aggressive opponent the way the Leafs used to rely on Curtis Joseph during the more successful portions of the Pat Quinn years.

While the Leafs pushed and pushed, they didn't break down defensively, and after giving up only 20 shots are now No. 1 in the league in fewest shots allowed. The Isles didn't get many chances, but they were opportunistic, both on the first period breakdown that left Matt Moulson wide open and in OT when John Tavares took advantage of Brett Lebda's interference penalty to end the game.

Tavares - as if the talented Oakville sniper needs any help - let a wicked shot go that helpfully ricocheted off the body of Leaf defenceman Francois Beauchemin and ended up under the crossbar, a goal-scorer's goal, to be sure.

Should Lebda have been in the box? Well, it wasn't as blatant a foul as Marc Staal's interference penalty Friday night in Manhattan against the Rangers, but it was certainly one all goalies would tell you they'd want made. It was borderline, but Roloson was definitely interfered with, and the call was made. To be honest, I'm always a little surprised when a goalie interference call is made if only because of the extensive interference all goaltenders are subjected to as a matter of routine in today's NHL.

By that point, the Leafs had enjoyed a million chances to win the game in regulation and OT, so putting it all down to a referee's decision on Lebda is silly.

Ron Wilson can rant and rave all he wants, but it appeared both of the goals that were waved off by the officials were done so correctly. The amazing part was that the officials caught Kris Versteeg's high stick even though he barely nudged the puck. Eagle eyes, indeed. If he knocks it down with a high stick first, it doesn't matter if he then shoots it in the net. Whistle is blown.

Any way you cut it, nine of a possible 10 points in the first five games of the season is a start of which Wilson could only have dreamed just a month ago. The lack of offensive finish that so many wondered about showed up against the Isles, or was that Roloson's superb netminding? Some of both, probably.

What mattered the most was that even in defeat the Leafs demonstrated a committment to a solid defensive posture that will stand them in good stead as the season progresses if they can maintain it.

 

 

The Strangest Franchise

By most any measure, the once proud New York Islanders are a failure of a franchise. They're still in the NHL, but barely, it seems.

Yet as they arrive in Toronto to take a poke at the perfect Maple Leafs tonight, the hockey team itself appears to be anything but a pushover.

Despite being without veteran defenceman Mark Streit and young forward Kyle Okposo, and without young star John Tavares before he returned on the weekend to help in a victory over Colorado, the Isles have been ornery and competitive so far, with only one regulation loss in five games so far.

Credit head coach Scott Gordon, centre Josh Bailey and winger Blake Comeau are good young forwards and the return of goalie Rick DiPietro has certainly been useful, although DiPietro's numbers aren't great or even as good as Dwayne Roloson. Adversity seems to have welded this long forsaken club together - the Isles haven't won a playoff round in 17 years, remember - and these players, so far, have banded together in impressive style.

Actually, adversity may not even be the word for it. For most of this calendar year, the Isles have been either dysfunctional or bizarre, depending on your definition of such things.

Consider:

--The club planned a pre-season trip to China and would have been the first team to travel there for the Far East. But then owner Charles Wang abruptly cancelled the trip, with differences with the NHLPA part of the problem.

--The team recently signed a radio broadcast deal with Hofstra University under which students will serve as analysts and reporters. It's the kind of move you'd expect from a minor-league baseball operation. And not the high minors.

--Organized "split" squads for pre-season games, and had to sign four free agent players to tryouts just to meet the NHL's minimum veteran rule.

--Defenceman James Wisniewski recently made a lewd gesture towards Ranger forward Sean Avery that got him suspended for two games. Gordon made a bit of a fool of himself by walking out of a post-game press conference when asked about the incident.

--Attendance for last Monday's Ranger game, always the Isles best draw, was under 12,000.

--The team's plans for a new arena as part of the larger Lighthouse Project have gone on and on for years with no end in sight. Nassau Country Coliseum is now, without question, the league's worst facility.

--The club's payroll is so low that it would be below the NHL's minimum if not for charges from old buyouts to Alexei Yashin ($4.75 million) and Brendan Witt ($1.33 million).

It goes on and on. Yet in the early going, the Isles have been no soft touch this season. Good for the players. Keeping it going won't be easy.

And don't be surprise if they end the Leafs' winning streak tonight.

 

 

 

 

Mail bag returns

Can't last. Never does. And I will fully expect this to produce accusations of "jinxing" the Maple Leafs. Fact is, three games into the season, they're 100 per cent healthy, one of very few NHL clubs that can make that boast even this early in the campaign. Brett Lebda's back and waiting for his turn, Colton Orr wasn't unduly concussed in that fight with Deryk Engelland on Wednesday and Freddie Sjostrom seems just fine after missing much of training camp after shoulder surgery.

Meanwhile, for the fourth straight game tonight against the Rangers, the Leafs will find the opponent a little banged up or at a disadvantage.

Against Montreal in the home opener, the Habs were missing winger Mike Cammalleri, not to mention Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik on the backend. They then played Ottawa, with the Sens facing a back-to-back after a tough loss to Buffalo and with Jason Spezza on the limp with a groin problem and Daniel Alfredsson obviously not at 100 per cent.

Then came the Penguins, who were missing injured defenceman Zbynek Michalek and Brooks Orpik, although they still held the Leafs to just 14 shots. Tonight, the Rangers will get Chris Drury back, but they're missing centres Vinny Prospal and Erik Christenson.

At some point, of course, the shoe will be on the other foot, and it will be the Leafs facing a back-to-back or struggling through injuries. Which makes it even more vital that they get as many points as possible before those difficult situations arise.

And now, with a new season upon us, we welcome back the weekly mail bag, with the bag already bursting with questions from the Star's passionate hockey fans.

Here are this week's:

Q: Was there ever any reason given for taking the "A" away from Kaberle, or is this just one more example of the current administration showing the life long Leaf no respect? Kaberle will never smash an opponents hed through the glass so he lacks the "truculence" that Burke desires, but most GMs in the league still recognize that he is an elite offensive defenceman.

I've been a Leaf fan my whole life so would normally want to see the team get better, but if I was in Kaberle's shoes I would refuse to waive my no trade clause. Doing this will make Burke look pretty bad for not being able to get anything for an asset that he doesn't value.

Roger Park, Halifax

A: A couple of points. They took the "A" away because Kaberle had a weak season a year ago and, let's face it, isn't really the leadership type. He remains the best chip they have to play in their dreams of landing a top six forward, so if that's the plan, there's no point making him part of the core leadership group. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to have bothered him. He's off to a good start. With respect to losing him for nothing, I think it's different than losing a lower-salaried, younger player. If Kaberle does move on next summer, that will give the Leafs $4.25 million to spend somewhere else, which they will do. When a free agent walks, you re-gain the cap space. No small thing.

Q: Supposedly, the NHL has said they are going to get serious on cheap hits, so when I read today that Niklas Hjalmarsson got a 2-game suspension for his hit on Jason Pominville, I wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, it's a suspension, which I guess is good. On the other, it's two games, given out the same day as they gave James Wisniewski a 2-game suspension for making an "obscene gesture" to an opponent. Does the NHL in their infinite wisdom really think that flipping the bird to Sean Avery is equally offensive as smashing an opponent's head against the boards? If they want fans to think they're taking head shots seriously, maybe they should start doing so.

Kevin D., Toronto

A: I agree. An illegal hit that leaves an opponent with a concussion is worth more than two games. But the league factors more into it, like the player's previous record and how much it will cost the player in salary. Moreover, it doesn't have a zero tolerance policy. If there are reasons it can find that exonerate the player from any sense of intent, they find them. Anyways, I would have given Hjalmarsson eight or more, knowing that such a ban would catch the attention of players across the league. Two games? Players won't even notice.

Q: Hi Damien,

Your article regarding Souray and Redden again got me thinking.

The common saying regarding players getting paid more than their respective value is: "wouldn't you take it if your boss offered it to you?"...and of course the answer is yes.

However it takes two sides to tango...the player needs to be demanding that amount too. When a player prices himself above his actual value it brings tremendous pressure that most never lives up to ( Brian Mccabe to name a few from Toronto). It can now mean the end of a career too. Do you think the salary cap era will make players think twice about maxing out their contract or, will this continue? Thanks, look forward to the mail bag.

Jeff Iles, Haliburton

A: Doubt it. Even Clarke MacArthur mentioned the other day the pressure the PA puts on players to maximize their income to help other players. The top end guys will always go for the maximum bucks. But the lower level players, given the choice between salary and term, may lean more towards term having seen so many of their brethren left out of work. As well, agents of entry level players understand that if they structure deals so that the cap hit isn't enormous (like Tyler Bozak's $3.75 million hit) it may hasten their clients path to the NHL.

Q: Hi Damien. For many years I've enjoyed your columns as well as your comments on The Sports Reporters. You seem to have a great balance between appreciating sports and ridiculing its foolishness. I have one question and one suggestion.

A quarterback, often the most valuable player on a football team, can be crushed from behind by a defensive player 50 to 100 pounds heavier, get up and return to the huddle for the next play. But in hockey if the most valuable player is hit hard, vengeance is the most immediate thought on the minds of his teammates. Hockey people always talk about what a tough sport it is but apparently the best players are off limits. Why?

On the shootout -- how about a chaser or a shot clock? Isn't it supposed to simulate a breakaway? I love the shootout but not when guys get to stop, start, swing wide, put the tip of their blade on the puck, or make a spin move. Put an opposing player on the blueline behind him and let him chase. Or put a five second shot clock on him. Be creative but at top speed.

Mike Kirby, Belleville

A: Mike, some interesting thoughts. What's unfortunate is that it's not even the top players being "protected" from being hits, but everybody on the roster. The players talk about the need to keep hitting in the game but then try hard to persuade the other team not to hit. Referees need to call this tighter. That's the way the instigator should be used more aggressively. On the shootouts, I know what you're saying, but quite frankly, it's the innovative approaches that are often the most fun to watch. And shootouts just don't take very long as it is.

Q: Damien, love your reports and columns. Do you think it is time for the NHL to find a way to eliminate teams playing on back to back nights? I know it is difficult with arena availability (NBA, NCAA and Concerts). Hockey is just as demanding physically as soccer and football, and they only play once a week! The game on Saturday night just goes to show how difficult it was for Ottawa to keep up with a rested team, a clear competitive advantage for Leafs. In the NHL this season, the Sabres will play B2B 22 times, while the Hurricanes follow with 21 times. The Canadian teams in the west (I suppose due to travel) only play B2B 11-13 times.

Nauman Vania, Oshawa

A: In an ideal world, sure. But that's not the way the business of sports works. Competitive integrity often takes a back seat to revenue and, quite frankly, greed. Moreover, the travel requirements alone of Western Conference alone put them at a competitive disadvantage. You'd like it to be an even playing field every game, but that's just not going to happen.

Q: Damien, have not been able to figure this out.

MLSE have the 'Leaf Channel'. Out of 168 hours in a week they have maybe 1 or 2 games to broadcast. Including pre-game and post game shows, that's about 10 legitimate hours of quality out of the 168. Why don't they show Marlie games, maybe not HOME games because it might hurt the gate, but all AWAY games????(AHH, it's called marketing!} Especially this year because there will be interest in Kadri?

Craig Dawson, Pickering

A: Broadcasting games can be expensive. Especially road ones. And there are always broadcast agreements to be considered. Otherwise, I don't really watch Leaf TV unless they're showing a Leaf game. I get enough Leaf PR as it is.

Q: Big fan of your column. I'd like you to comment on the way the NHL presents itself out side of core markets like Toronto. Living in FL, I have DirectV (Sat) and subscribe to the NHL Center Ice package. NHL remains on Verus and is nowhere on ESPN. Versus did not air the regular season last year b/c of contract dispute with Comcast. NHL Center Ice has aired both Leafs games (thru 10/12/10) but in standard definition. Just seems to me there is no consolidated effort to make NHL presented in its best light. Does this go back to Bettman? I'd like your opinion. Toronto will always be a solid market but the way this is presented to the US market is lacking.

Mark Byers, Orlando, Fla.

A: Well, I was in New York last night, and the only game you could see on even cable was Versus showing Flyers-Lightning, and even that was a Comcast Philly broadcast dressed up as a national broadcast. It's a patchwork quilt, for sure, a reflection of the league's broadcast history, the regional nature of the sport in the U.S. and the absence of a major national contract that covers the entire season, not just part of it like NBC. It's maddening, for sure. A long-term deal with ESPN makes the most sense, but that's a business deal the NHL hasn't been able to cut.

Q: If you had to rank Tyler Bozak's draft year based on current performances, how high would he go?

Nick Martin, Winnipeg

A: Probably low first round, early second. He has potential, yes, but he really hasn't done anything yet. So this could change. It wasn't a great draft after the top few picks. But until Bozak puts an NHL resume together, it's all projection.

Q: Hey Damien,

With the recent retirement of Darcy Tucker, is the buyout money from his previous contract with the Leafs removed from their current salary cap obligations? If so, that must be a welcome suprise for Burke and company...Thanks.

Cory Abraham, Elliot Lake, Ont.

A: Nope. Four more years, $1 million per. Buyouts don't come for free. They last long after the player is gone.

 

The Monster's Turn

PITTSBURGH--Ron Wilson said it was the plan all along. He just didn't divulge the plan.

And so, sophomore goaltender Jonas Gustavsson will get the start in net tonight for the Maple Leafs against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, Gustavsson's first start of the season after J.S. Giguere won both of the club's season opening home starts over Montreal and Ottawa.

"He had a pretty good camp, and he's looked good in practice, so we'll see how he does tonight," said Wilson.

Last season, Gustavsson appeared in 42 games going 16-15-9 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average. Not bad for a first year NHLer who underwent two heart procedures during the season. At least he'll have a chance to be prepared for his first NHL game this fall. Last fall, he relieved Vesa Toskala partway through a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Gustavsson faced the Penguins once last year, dropping a 4-1 decision at the ACC on Jan. 9 when he stopped 35 shots.

In three games this season, Crosby and Evgeny Malkin have combined for just one goal and one assist, and it won't be too long before they break out.

"We're going to have our hands full," said Wilson. "We'll have to be aware when those two guys are on the ice."

It will be Pittsburgh's third home game at the magnificent, high-tech Consol Energy Centre, and they have yet to win a game. The new rink has many intriguing features, including Studio 66, an ice-level restaurant for high-end corporate clients, a 20,000 piece mosaic of Mario Lemieux, with each piece a picture of a Penguins fan, and a virtual display of the 15 members of the Penguins all-time team featuring videos, pictures and biographical information that's open to the public all day.

For tonight, the Pens won't have two key members of their blueline corps for tonight's game. Brooks Orpik is out with a groin strain, while Zbynek Michalek could be seen walking past the dressing room today with his right shoulder in a black sling. It's expected he could be out for months, although more will be known when he sees a specialist later today.

Pittsburgh is already missing centre Jordan Staal, who underwent five operations over the summer to deal with an infection in his foot that dates back to a skate cut picked up in the playoffs last spring.

Staal actually skated on his own today, but isn't close to returning.

"There will be no rushing Jordan back," said Pens coach Dan Bylsma. "This isn't a sign he's ahead of schedule."