This Week's Mailbag

So a successful road trip ends with a thud in the desert. Still, three out of four is more than not bad.

That said, all that hard work and effort goes out the window if the Leafs don't come home with a strong effort against the Calgary Flames at home Saturday night. Well, make that if they don't get a win. This is one of the weaker Western Conference teams, and the Flames play the night before in Ottawa.

Winning in spurts, you see, won't get this team anywhere. A four-game winning streak is very good, but after dropping a lopsided one to Phoenix Thursday night, the true measure of the Leafs comes when they get one day off to recover from travelling home from Arizona and then take on Calgary. Five out of six is how you get somewhere in the standings.

The guess is that J.S. Giguere will return to the net, ending James Reimer's successful, if short, run. And Fabian Brunnstrom? No, he's not likely to get the call from the Marlies, at least not right away, and not until he shows something in the AHL to make the Leaf front office believe he can help at the NHL level.

He's a bigger name than the one the Leafs sent to Dallas in Thursday's deal, Mikhail Stefanovich, but understand part of the reasoning for the deal was that Brunnstrom's deal is up at the end of this season while Stefanovich has one more to go. For a team always close to the limit of 50 NHL contracts, and one probably looking to sign one or more NCAA free agents in the fall, opening room for another contract is no small matter.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: Some of the Leafs' penalty stats seem quite remarkable: Gunnarson and Kaberle with one minor each, Beauchemin with 12 minutes, Schenn with 21 (presumably eight minors, one every five games or so), even Aulie one minor in 12 games. Given the crackdown on hooking, tripping and holding, are they more skilful than people credit them? Yes, I know that it also shows a lack of truculence, but logic suggests a weak defender would be grabbing and hooking in his own zone.

Nick Martin,

Winnipeg

A: Hey Nick, not quite sure what to make of your question, exactly. I would say that the Leaf defence, despite the presence of some big bodies, isn't particularly physical. Then again, this is a team that has had trouble killing penalties in recent seasons - and again in Phoenix Thursday night with the game on the line - so low penalty numbers help the cause. Before Thursday's Phoenix game the Leafs were the ninth least penalized team in the NHL. Good, but certainly not quite the rowdy bunch envisioned when Brian Burke took over.

Q; Hey Damien, isn't it about time you gave it up for Cliff and the Grabovski trade? You were quite critical at the time and mentioned it in several columns. Now it’s looking like the best Leafs trade in years.

Mike Diver,

Oshawa

A: Done. Initially, it was believed in June, 2008 that Grabovski was going to be the compensation from the Canadiens if they successful signed Mats Sundin after acquiring his rights from the Leafs, albeit only briefly. Instead, Fletcher surrendered a prospect (Greg Pateryn) and a second round pick in 2010 to get Grabovski, who subsequently signed a multi-year deal that some found expensive. Instead, Grabovski has certainly emerged, and Fletcher deserves kudos for the deal. That said, the criticism at the time was really about why the Leafs were surrendering draft picks for players at a time when it looked like drafting and development should be the plan, just like Burke has been criticized for giving up first rounders for Phil Kessel. The moral of the story? We can all make judgements at the time, but particularly when it comes to young players, you really have to wait.

Q: Hey Damien, Grabovski has arguably been the best Leaf so far this season and has surely caught the eye of those around the league. Is he a player that Burke would like to build around or is he someone Burke may look to ship out while his value is high?

Charles Hentz,

Toronto

A: Gotta believe at this point Grabovski a part of the Burke future. But with the right offer, anybody could move.

Q: Hey Damien. With Reimer's play securing him as the definite go-to guy on the Leafs depth chart beyond Gustavsson and Giguere, does that open up a trade possibility with prospect Jussi Rynass?

Russ Gumer,

Toronto

A: The Leafs have got some offers for Rynnas, and Ben Scrivens has also played well for the Marlies. But it's too early to say who fits where on the goalie depth chart, and my guess is that while Burke could move one for a player, it's not yet really clear which of the four young netminders are the best. So why not wait.

Q: Enjoy the blog! Had a beer filled debate last night about what McCarthur and Schenn might be worth on the open market. Is McCarthur at 3yr/7 million and Schenn 4 yr/12 million reasonable projections of their worth on the open market? Also is Beauchemin worth a 2nd round pick in your estimation?

Brent Smith,

Cambridge

A: Hmm. I'd say your numbers look pretty good on the contracts, although Schenn might command a little more, especially when you consider Marc Staal's multi-year deal with the Rangers ($3.975 million cap hit). Beauchemin, at the deadline, could fetch a second, yes.

Q: Damien, are you aware of any contract talks taking place with Tomas Kaberle?

John Verriet,

Whitby

 A: No. I don't think the Leafs have any interest in re-signing him.

Q: At times this season the Leafs have looked as inept as the Keystone Kops but watching them through this past win streak they actually look like a team that is missing a big strong centre with a scoring touch to put them into contention. Which is it?

Stephen Seymour,

London

A: Depends what you mean by contention. Contention for a playoff spot? Maybe, sure. But until they get strong, dependable goaltending over 25-30 games, in my mind, it doesn't matter if they get that centre you're talking about. Reimer obviously got strafed a bit by the Coyotes, and now we'll see whether he bounces back. Or gets a chance to bounce back. And then, out there next summer as an unrestricted free agent, is rock-solid Ilya Bryzgalov of the Coyotes. . . .

Q: Tell me, what am I missing with Dion Phaneuf? What has happened to his game since his first couple of seasons (is there an injury he had in Calgary that I'm not aware of) and do you think we will ever see double-digit goals and consistent hard-hitting from this guy again? Thanks.

William Hare

Toronto

A: Don't see signs of that kind of offence returning any time soon. I think we're all still trying to figure out what kind of a player he's going to be as a Leaf. There are nights when he looks like a physical presence and a big shot on the powerplay, and certainly the team's record is better with him (8-8 since he got back from injury) than without him. But as was the case in the desert last night, he has this maddening penchance for bad defensive reads. At 25, he still has a lot of learning to do, it seems.

 

 

Comments

[othermark]

Funny how many people write in concerned about Phaneuf. I think of all the players on the Leaf's roster he is the one guy that has to be evaluated in context of what he brings to the overall team persona as opposed to his offensive stats and occosional defensive misreads. I'll never know (because I don't think the Leafs will be inviting me into their dressing room any time soon) but I do believe he is a leader in the room and his presence on the ice is undeniable. Incidentally, I would put guys like Colby Armstrong and Mike Brown in the same category. Not statistically oustanding, but real team guys that seem to make a difference when they are in the lineup, regardless of whether they show up on the scoresheet. I don't hear a lot of concern about these players... why can't people see that Phaneuf is cut from the same cloth?

[bitterleaffan]

Is Toronto ready to give the keys to the city to Grabovski? Give your head a shake? Sure he has gone a a magnificent run, but what happened in the first 40 games of the season? The Leafs are not playoff bound and everyone on the team is to blame. I suggest Leaf faithful wait until Grabovski performs at a higher stage like the NHL playoffs or Olympics .... Oh wait, never mind.

Lets hope he can put up points like Alex Semin in Washington .... Oh wait, never mind.

[The 5th Line Centre]

I remember when the Grabbo trade first happened, I think I was the only one excited about it. We gave up a bruiser and a second rounder for a guy I saw, eventually, slotting perfectly into a second line centre role.
And now he has, sure it is considered the Leafs top line right now, but thats only because the original top line tanked.
Watch for Grabbo to score 30, if not this year, then in the years to come.
This guy isn't one to build a team around, but is the secondary scoring you need. Plenty of teams have trouble finding this and usually fall short when their guys can't produce. Right now the Leafs have it, all they need is someone to take the Kessel line to the next level.
As for defense and goaltending.....more work needed.

[othermark]

Just read your article re: Leafs need more from Kessel and Phanuef. I won't register on facebook to comment... but I can comment in this forum. I think in a game where the end result is 1-1 (Calgary wins 2-1 in a shootout) and a d-man plays 28 minutes of that game... is pretty damn good. Like McCabe before him, Phanuef is a victim of his own success. He's not going to get clean shots from the point (ecspecially playing on a power play that is guilty of being way to deliberate in puck movement). As for Kessel, he is what he is. He's not a leader and never will be. But, if he scores 35 goals a season, let's look for leadership elsewhere and leave him out of the 'we need more from' nonsense. A bit more consistency may come with age, but really, how much more do you expect? Funny how we target the so called stars. On a low energy game like that ... I would actually expect more from my 3rd/4th liners to get out there and stir it up a bit and maybe get the rest of the team fired up. Isn't that what they are paid to do? Didn't see any of that (other then Boyce. He appears to be highly motivated).