Friday Mail Bag

Well, the wheels came off that blue-and-white bus in a hurry.

A total collapse for 57 seconds by the Maple Leafs on Thursday night in Calgary left them at 1-1 for their current western Canadian road trip. Must be time to fire the GM, head coach and captain again.

Just kidding. Really, other than that lapse, in which they coughed up three goals, the Leafs were essentially the equal of the Flames, but the home side sensed weakness for those brief moments in the second period to record a victory that was enormously important for them.

With pretty much all the hockey world having decided the Flames got the worst of the Dion Phaneuf deal, there was some symbolic importance for Calgary to get this win, if only to make some kind of a statement that despite their status as one of the older teams in the league, they have potential to make a second half run for a playoff berth.

At 1-1, the Leafs had lots of chances to score but Miikka Kiprusoff kept them at bay. J.S. Giguere did the same for the visitors and made a couple of ten-bellers, but then gave up short-side scores to Olli Jokinen and Rene Bourque that let the game get out of hand.

Vancouver will be an interesting test for the Leafs Saturday. The 'Nucks are one of the hotter teams in the league, having lost only two of their last 10 in regulation.

When you look at the what-might-have-beens, you can ponder how the hockey world might have been different if Brian Burke had been successful on his clandestine mission in the early hours of July, 2009, to fly to Sweden and convince the Sedin twins to sign with the Leafs.

As it was, by the time Burke landed in Stockholm, Vancouver GM Mike Gillis had beaten him to the punch and signed Daniel and Henrik to new long-term deals. If the Leafs had landed the Sedins, well, no Phil Kessel trade, plus a bona fide No. 1 centre who won the Hart Trophy last season and a clear first line.

So much for maybes.

By the way, folks, we'll have a live question and answer session Tuesday at noon on thestar.com to wrap up the pre-Christmas portion of the NHL season and look ahead to the world juniors and the rest of the Leaf campaign. Please check out details on our web site and join me with your pre-Christmas questions, ideas and comments.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: Hi Damien, I really enjoyed your blog, 'Leafs can't win for winning'. It brought this question to mind.

Glenn Healy made a big gaff while commenting during the Leafs/Habs game. He had a chart on the TV screen showing how Edmonton has the most turnovers in the league and Toronto was second. He said, "you can understand Edmonton having those turnovers, their a young team".

What, did I hear that right ? With Aulie in the lineup and Lebda out the Leafs are the youngest in the league.

My question is, why is there a perception out there that because Edmonton has chosen to build through the draft that it is a better way or the 'right' way and what Burke is doing(building through trades, signings and the draft) is wrong ?

John Fava, North Bay

A: Well, to a lot of people, I would suggest the less imaginative ones, that's exactly true. They believe that in the post-lockout, salary cap world, the Cup wins of the Pens and Hawks in recents years prove that you must be terrible for a few years, draft high, and then convert that into a championship. They neglect to mention the Wings winning it all, and not by doing it that way, and they neglect to mention that the Isles, Panthers, Blue Jackets, Thrashers and others have been trying that formula for years without any success. The truth is, there are many different ways to win. The Leafs took a more aggressive avenue that may or may not pay off. But its true that to some, the Oilers are "good" young, and the Leafs are "bad" young.

Q: Damien,

The Maple Leafs are the most expensive team to see in the NHL. A decent seat is well over $100, but I hear you can go to a game in Tampa for $8. My friend actually priced out going to see the Leafs when the played in Florida recently. The whole trip for two games was less than a pair of Platinums at the ACC. How can this be? Are we subsidizing these teams through equalization payments? Are Leaf fans the biggest suckers in the world?

Greg Woods, Ajax

A: Well, don't know about the suckers part. The customer is never wrong, and people don't seem to mind paying even though the Leafs are not a winning team, and haven't been a championship squad for more than four decades. And yes, of course, the Leafs are subsidizing the have-nots of the NHL to the tune of $10 million a season. The NHL instituted revenue sharing after the lockout, and a dozen or more teams benefit to varying amounts every year. Even a "successful" team like the Capitals dips in to the tun of more than $10 million a year. The strong teams subsidize the weak.

Q: Hey Damien,

Really enjoyed your blog on the youth hockey charity you covered. Have a website or link that I could donate to over the holidays?

On to my hockey related question, I know his contract is ugly, but would the Leafs have any interest in going after Vinny Lecavalier? Experienced centreman who could provide some stability and leadership up front for the young players.

Frank Elia, Mississauga

A: If you want to support the Hockey Academy you can contact Kent Yee, the principal at Wedgewood Junior Middle School in Etobicoke, or the convenor Bob Poldon at bpoldon@rogers.com.

Re Lecavalier, the Leafs would like the player, but neither they nor anyone else in hockey wants the contract. The best the Bolts can hope for is that the next collective bargaining agreement somehow reduces the burden of Lecavalier's deal or allows teams to assume part of a contract when a player is traded. Otherwise, at some point, they may have to look at a buyout to lessen the weight of that contract on the payroll of a team that is losing upwards of $20 million a season.

Q: Damien, Love the blog and your insights. One area that has caught my eye in the past number of Leaf games, is the number of goals scored by all the teams using a wrist shot vrs the slap shot. So far my count is 34 wrist vrs 7 slap. It is obvious that the control of the accuracy is far greater with a wrist shot but I don't know how much power is lost. It seems some players ( especally Kaberle ) would not get their shots blocked so often if they snapped off a quick wrist shot rather than telegraph a slow wind up to a slap shot. Your thoughts??

Bob Mayhew, Lindsay

A: That's absolutely the case. But the love of the big slapper starts when kids are 10 - or younger - and never abates. Watching Dion Phaneuf pound slap shot after slap shot at the Calgary net last night without much positive effect sure made you wonder if a wrister might work better from time to time.

Q: Hi Damien, firstly I love to read your blogs and your topics are very interesting. I saw The Reporters on TSN this sunday and it looked like you are most probably going to vote for Sidney Crosby for Lou Marsh Award this year. But don't you think this year winner should be an Olympic athlete like Christine Nesbitt? As Steve Simmons said she has dominated her sport for 2010. For Crosby 2010 was good only when it came to Olympics not for NHL although he has been good this year in NHL but he still has 52 games left to prove his point! Plus he won the award last year so I would really like to see somebody other than him win it. I would also like to point out Meagan Agosta as other nominee as women's hockey is rarely recognized in Canada which I find very surprising. One more olympian would be Jon Montgomery as this year has been pretty fantastic for him as well. After pointing out these facts would you still choose Crosby as your vote. One more question what is your favourite NHL team?

Nidhi Patel, Toronto

A: I voted for Crosby, or at least had him first on my ballot, with Nesbitt second. Baseball star Joey Votto carried the day, however, and I can tell you it was a spirited debate. To me, Crosby's year was brilliant. He tied for the most goals last season then has run away from the pack this fall. He scored the OT winner at the Olympics, but also had a key shootout winner earlier. But Votto was excellent, and as far as the Olympians went, I think had there been one without more than one gold the debate would have been even more heated.

My favourite NHL team? Sorry, don't have one. The only NHL jersey I own is that of the Minnesota Wild, a gift in their inaugural season. You can't do this job and cheer for a team, in my opinion.

Q: Hi, Damien:

I have a couple questions. First, Carl Gunnarsson seems to be struggling this year (his second pro season) just like Luke Schenn was struggling last season (his second pro season). I also note that Gunnarsson this year is getting about the same amount of icetime that Schenn got last year. Do you think Gunnarsson has gradually been improving and do you see him eventually breaking out of his struggles as Schenn did by the end of last season?

Second, this past August, Burke said that he had four plus "legitimate" offers (whatever that means) for Kaberle, but in the end decided to keep him. Do you think the offers were not "legitimate," the offers never existed, or that Kaberle agreed to a limited waiver of his no trade clause to keep from being traded to a team where he did not want to play? I am having a hard time believing that Burke would resign him, but I am also having a hard time believing that he would let him go at the end of this season for nothing, even if means the Leafs get to hoard more cap space.

John Hunt, Harvard, Massachusetts

A: I don't see much improvement at all in Gunnarsson. Same puck errors, same inability to defend physically. Too many had him as a Leaf regular this season when he had much to prove. That said, I certainly wouldn't write him off. He just needs to learn, as do all the young Leaf blueliners.

I think there were absolutely offers for Kaberle, of what quality I don't know. Clearly, Burke isn't afraid to let him walk in June for nothing or he would have taken one of those offers.

Q: Hey Damien,

I'm wondering why Burke hasn't gone out and got a 4th line center man that is a defensive specialist. I think the last attempt was JFJ picking up Jamal Mayers and that experiment didn't turn out so well, but since the leafs are horrible on taking draws and even Brent isn't that great defensively and doesn't put himself in the way of the shot often. I know Ryan Johnson's out there but I suspect he is pretty beat up after last year. Can't hurt the penalty kill and it helps to have that faceoff man in the dying minutes of a lead (if the leafs ever can get one).

Also wondering about Clarke MacArthur. He is scoring and adds some grit, but can be questionable defensively. He's worth 1.1 million, but is he worth the 3-4 million he will be asking at the end of the season considering he doesn't exactly play inspired hockey? I'd love to keep him and trade Grabo, but I don't see anyone picking up his salary and someone has to be moved if we ever get that big top 6 forward.

Andrew Pawlowski, Toronto

A: Ok, bunch of stuff here. JFJ didn't sign Mayers - Cliff Fletcher did - and Mayers is a winger, not a centre. But yes, they'd love to get a Todd Marchant type if they could.

Re MacArthur versus Grabovski, you're not going to get a top 6 forward with either of those guys. MacArthur is earning himself a contract, but I would doubt greatly the Leafs would go beyond $2 million. Grabovski's contract calls for one more year at a cap hit of $2.9 million. Given that the Leafs are $4 million below the cap already, I don't see that contract as a big problem.

Q: Hi Damien,

First off I just wanted to mention that I enjoy the mailbag each week and to keep up the great work. My issue surrounds the play of Leaf rookie Nazem Kadri since his call-up from the Marlies a number of weeks back. My understanding at the time was that this was done out of necessity due to injuries on the big club and not necessarily due to his stellar play or progress in the minors. I have really tried to watch Kadri specifically when the Leafs are on TV and I have to admit that what I see on the ice leads me to believe he needs more time in the minors for a number of reasons. He is still quite weak defensively in his own zone, most notably when they play him at centre. He also seems to coast a lot on his back checks especially towards the end of a shift (I know he isn't the only one but as a rookie you'd think the effort would be there 100% of the time). But the biggest reason I feel he needs to go back down to the AHL is that he is far too easy to knock off the puck. Countless times each game he has the puck in the corners or crossing the blue line, and defenders simply challenge him and physically remove him from the play almost effortlessly. Some more time in the minors and another off-season dedicated to getting stronger is required in order for him to be any sort of consistent threat at the NHL level. I know there are much smaller players that have had solid careers but they usually are very strong in their legs and difficult to knock off the puck (ie: Martin St Louis), both are attributes that Kadri seems to be lacking at this point in his career. I'd like to get your take on this and how you think the rest of this year will go for him.

Cheers, Matt Kalagian, St Catharines

A: I agree with your assessment completely. The question is, I suppose, is Kadri better learning in the NHL or the AHL, the age old argument. I have suggested he needs to go back to the AHL and then be promoted again for a second look, but the Leafs seem to believe they are so offensively challenged they need him around. Right now, the club is playing fairly well, as are the Marlies, so right now I think he'll stick around until Burke can come up with a better answer.

 

Comments

[mark]

Two blueliners highlighted in the mailbag. Gunnarsson and Kaberle. Gunnarsson is a disappointment this year. The physicality might not ever be a big part of his game. But positioning and puck movement seem to have actually taken a step back. Then there is Kaberle. I was one of the fans who was not disappointed when Burke failed to move him last year. I couldn't really see an alternative puck mover on the power play. Now the situation is even worse. I'm sure they were hoping Lebda would be part of the puzzle, possibly getting a little less for Kaberle but not creating a huge hole in their lineup. Now, not only is Kaberle playing poorly, but so is Lebda. I won't be disappointed if Kaberle walks at the end of the season. Beachevin can be trade bate for prospects, Kaberle's $4.5 can be used to sign someone a bit stronger on the puck.

[david]

I'm disappointed with Brian's burke stance back in training camp stating "Kadri needs to develop" in the AHL, along with him stating "I'm trying to prepare him to play 10 years in the NHL instead of 10 games". It tells you a lot about how much this organization is all talk more than action nowadays.

Also why didn't leaf management retain some key guys in the recent past who would have helped the leafs progress in some areas like faceoffs, penalty killing, and a bit of offense like Dominic moore. I know there was some contract renegotiation but looks like he eventually signed with another team at 1.1 mil the following offseason. I think he could have helped the team more than tim brent/john mitchell/zigomanis. Where's the traction to at least demonstrate some progress/improvement?

[prize maple]

Damien, I think you are dead on about Kadri. He's shown that he's not ready for the big leagues. It's interesting you note how easy he is to knock off the puck. I've watched most of the games that Tyler Bozak has played and I think he is by far the weakest of the top forwards in terms of keeping the puck under any kind of pressure. I really can't think of anyone through my many years of watching the Leafs who has had more of a consistent chance at proving themselves while coming up empty time and again. I can remember clearly how good Steve Sullivan looked while he was here but to my unending astonishment he wasn't deemed good enough. Now we have Bozak, who clearly is not good enough, but they still keep putting him out on the first line. Mind boggling. I know they're thin on talent but at least try Brent or Zigomanis. Something, anything.

[mark]

Prize maple, I'll give you that Kahdri and Bozak are not stong on the puck. But, both are better options then either Brent or Zigomanis for top 6 duty. My guess is Kahdri will get stonger and improve his overall game becoming a solid 1st or 2nd line centre. Bozak, on the other hand, could be the odd man out if the Leafs aquire via trade or free agency a stong play making centre. I don't see him as a prototypical 3rd line grinder, nor do I think you want him as your 4th line 'energy' guy. This year he looks to be suffering from Mat Stajan decease. Not quite good enough to be 1st/2nd line (on a good team anyhow), not quite strong enough/tough enough to be a 3rd or 4th liner.

[jimmy]

Kadri: whats so bad about letting him learn in the NHL? He is already only one point shy of Joe Thornton's rookie scoring total (you know him right? He was the best player in the league form the time Mario retired until Crosby entered the league?) Who could replace Kadri out there? No body whose gonna take those 12 mins per game and do anything significact. This year is for developing a young team, so let the kid develop, he is going to be a good one.

[Jamie]

Mark, Dominick Moore wanted upwards of $3M/season playing in a second line role with Jason Blake. It was really his chemistry with Blake that made him have such a great season and the Leafs wouldn't bite on his outrageous demands and traded him. Not exactly a great relationship... his ship has sailed as they say... I think $1M is a fair price to pay but there are a lot of guys like him for that price and Mitchell/Zigomanis/Brent are all earnings well below the million mark.

[Gary Brownston]

One glaring problem with the Leafs is their inablility to finish scoring chances. Kadri can't hit the net and most of the others shoot the puck into the goalie or the defenders. Kessel can stickhandle but most of the time it's on the perimeter where he's no threat. As for grit and truculence, nobody seems to be willing to gut it out along the boards. Burke has no answers, either long or short term and either Wilson is trying to teach complicated systems that nobody can grasp or he doesn't have the ability to design systems that work in today's hockey world. Time to clean house from the top on down.

[mark]

Damien, I know many fans are prone to knee jerk reactions. But, before you accuse me of being one, I will state for the record I've been calling for this since the middle of last season. You jokingly refer to the firing of GM,Coach and Captain in your first paragraph. While I'm not ready to pull the plug on Burke or Phaneuf, I still say Ron should go. Case in point was the continued dismal play of the PK. Both goals allowed last night just totally deflated any momentum the Leafs had. And this is a continuation of something that has been going on since day one of Wilson tenure. It doesn't seem to matter who the players are, the results are the same. Languishing near the bottom of the stats pile in special teams. If Wilson is not accountable, then who is? I'm looking for a change after Christmas. I hope it doesn't take a 10 game winless streak to prove me right.

[David Tait]

Hey Damien. Your assessment of Kadri is pretty accurate. To me it's obvious he needs to get stronger and needs power-skating lessons (as do MOST of the Leafs.) So a question - shouldn't the club hire power-skating coaches and Gary Roberts to make these guys stronger on the puck? My assessment (from watching them on TV) is that they lose almost all battles along the boards and are weak on puck. Either no desire or no ability. cheers.

[Simmer]

Regarding the Lou Marsh award
I feel like I'm the only one considering Jonathan Toews. This guy had a good season last year, and incredible playoffs taking the Conn Smythe, and was arguably the best player on the Olympic team during the Olympics (He was much more of a factor during the tournament than Crosby).

Is Crosby getting that much more recognition because of his name, or am I missing something?

[Luke R]

I think this whole argument over whether there is a "right" and "wrong" way to build is just ridiculous and gets us no where.

It should be about what gives you the best chance of landing an elite player and then surrounding that player or players with other good pieces. And going the draft route will probably give us the best chance of getting an elite player, no? Even Detroit, which Cox listed as a team that didn't build through the draft, got their elite players in the draft. And you need elite players to win. Ya, there's not many of them, but that's a minimum requirement, isn't it? None of the young pieces the Leafs have are projecting to be elite players, are they? So, I am curious how exactly Burke will manage to trade for one or sign one in FA. Who's going to give up a Crosby or an Ovechkin or a Toews? That's whats missing in this whole rebuild, a bonafide superstar. And again, I realize they're hard to get, but you need one of those. And the draft has to give us the best chance of landing one. You can talk all you want about the Thrashers, Panthers, Blue Jackets and Isles, but at least they were able to draft elite players (Nash, Kovalchuck, Tavares, just off the top of my head), which again, is the minimum. They failed to surround them with a good group of players.

Where's our Crosby, Toews or Oveckin? I don't see any of the prospects becoming one. That doesn't mean we send them packing, but I just don't see how we acquire one without a draft pick (and a top one at that), which will give us the best chance of getting one.

[Jas kandola]

Kadri should be playing tonight don't know what
Wilson is doing

[KD]

@David: Burke wouldn't have signed Dominic Moore if he scored 100 goals per season and offered to play for the league minimum. Remember that Moore's brother Steve and his family have a lawsuit against Bertuzzi, the Canucks, Crawford and Burke slowly inching its way through the courts. The day Burke was hired by the Leafs was the day that the end of Dominic Moore's tenure with the Leafs was in sight. The decision was purely personal - it had absolutely nothing to do with hockey or with Moore's contract demands.

[Neil B]

I don't think that the Leafs are actually using the Detroit template. A large part of the Detroit success over the last few years has been signing "damaged goods" at a discount rate, and then exploiting their winning cachet to get the players to buy in (see: Bertuzzi, Cleary, Draper, etc.). Toronto can't do that until they win a few.

What Burke is doing, to me, looks a lot more like what Philly has been doing or the last few years. Restock the system, develop your youngsters, and then grab a couple of prize free agents to round it out. He's just very early in the game.

[Robert Bates]

Really when is Burke going to be called to account for the weak team he has iced this year. If anything , they are weaker than last season's 2nd last team.
The man seems only capable of blowing smoke out his ass rather than assembling a decent hockey team.

[neilt]

"You can't do this job and cheer for a team, in my opinion."

I sure hope they don't seat you beside Vinay Menon at the staff Christmas Party. Things could get a little awkward!

[Chris]

How does Damien think Detroit didn't use the draft to win and didn't suck for years? They drafted Steveie Y 4th overall becasue they sucked in the 80's. That was one played but he played a mojor role in Detroit having success in the 90's. And that is why a lot of people are mad at Burke. He didn't try hard enough to get the first overall picks in the 2 drafts he has been Leafs GM. As shown with Detroit it only takes one high draft pick to build up success.