I got NHL 11!

I just picked up NHL 11 for my PS3. I cannot wait to get home from school to start a franchise with the Leafs. The inclusion of the CHL should make Be-A-GM mode even deeper. Ultimate Team also seems like a fun mode to play around with, especially if I can get some friends to play with on the Playstation Network.

Last season, I was a sporadic poster. My goal for this new Leafs season is to post at least once a week, starting with training camp. Considering that I am now in college for journalism, maintaining this blog should be good practice.

Now I'm off to play some NHL 11!

Versteeg to the Leafs? Yes, please!

Here I am, preparing to sit and watch the 4 hour bore-fest known by TSN as "Free Agent Frenzy" tomorrow to see what our Toronto Maple Leafs do to improve, and out of left field comes this message - "Leafs Acquire Kris Versteeg". It took a second to sink before I reacted to the news...

Awesome. For weeks we have heard stories about how Brian Burke has been searching for a top six forward, a player that can step in a contribute right away. Names from Marc Savard and Nathan Horton to Brayden Schenn and Bobby Ryan have all been thrown about. Many of the rumours have been incredibly far fetched and illogical. Now, we have seen Burke and the Leafs HQ come through, bringing in a genuine top six forward who has already proven himself to be a good offensive performer.

I am excited to see that the Leafs have managed to bring in a player like Kris Versteeg. Versteeg is only 24 years old and exploded onto the scene in 08-09. Last season, the Blackhawks added some players and Versteeg was bumped to the third line, playing with John Madden, and he still was able to put up over 40 points and score 20 goals despite limited ice time. Versteeg is good in his own end, and has great offensive instincts. He may be a little small, but that hasn't limited him so far in his career.

The cost for Versteeg is what makes this deal amazing. To get him and prospect Bill Sweatt from Chicago, the Leafs gave up Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico, and prospect Philippe Paradis. Out of the three leaving Toronto, only one has played time in the NHL (Stalberg) and none looked to be more then third line players - something the Leafs have plenty of. This deal works for Chicago because they still needed to clear some cap space, and Stalberg should still be a good player for them on their third line.

The best part is that the Leafs were able to keep Tomas Kaberle. Since his no-trade clause was lifted, it has seemed like a certainty that Burke would peddle Kaberle. Many thought that the only way the Leafs could add a legitimate top six forward was if Kaberle was part of the deal. Now, the Leafs have added that top six forward and kept Kaberle. Burke can now move Kaberle to continue improving our group of forwards, or he could keep the smooth skating defenceman and longest serving Leaf and start working on a contract extension with him.

By adding Versteeg, the Leafs have improved offensively and now have more options going forward towards "Free Agent Frenzy". I have to tip my hat to Brian Burke and the Leafs for this pleasant surprise.

Free Agent Food For Thought

I haven't posted in awhile, but I plan to start back up as we get closer and closer to the new NHL season.

Anyways, it was great to see the Maple Leafs name Dion Phaneuf as captain. I know some are saying he was the only choice and questioning the timing of the move, I think that it was a smart decision. When in Calgary, Dion was obviously being groomed to for a leadership role. He is a very passionate player on the ice, and I think he can set the tone for others to follow.

The Leafs also released their new jerseys. Not a complete overhaul, but the new jerseys are very nice. If you haven't had the chance to see them, here they are!

Now, onto the topic I came here to talk about. I was on Hockey Buzz reading that the Leafs are going to target both Marleau and Kovalchuk. Now, both are great players, but I have learned to take anything a certain rumour blogger writes with a grain of salt. Plus, I don't think getting either player is a great idea.

Hear me out. Yes, Kovalchuk is probably the best goal scorer in the NHL after Ovechkin. Yes, Patrick Marleau had an amazing regular season for the Sharks this year. Adding either player would certainly boost the offensive abilities of the Leafs.

However, both Kovalchuk and Marleau are expensive players. Kovalchuk is going to be looking for a long contract with $10 million per year, while Marleau will probably be looking for $7 to 8. The Maple Leafs do not have a lot of breathing room under that salary cap, and I believe we need to add more then one player to increase the quality of our top two lines.

Instead of looking for one player to fix our offensive woes, I think the Leafs should look for a 30 goal scorer and one or two 20 goal men. This might not be possible with just free agents - a trade may be needed. With all the rumours floating around about Kaberle, though, I think Brian Burke is already working on this.

So, who do I think the Leafs should be gunning for? One name I've heard is Nathan Horton. Horton is a proven producer who still has some upside. He is the big body we need to improve our powerplay, and 27 or more goals three times in his career. Last season, Horton put up great numbers and could have put up a career high in points if not for injuries. The rumours of Kaberle going to Florida continue to pop up, so maybe this move is already being discussed.

Who do you think the Leafs should look to bring in? Would you rather see them bring up players from the Marlies and their other prospects? Post below and let me know!

Trade Deadline

Gold medal for the Canadian team?

Oh yeah, we rocked that shit. Crosby's overtime goal will probably be remembered as one of the best Canadian goals scored on the international stage. When I saw it on TV, I didn't even realize what had happened until the crowd went insane. It was a great moment for hockey and for hockey fans here in Canada and the United States. The US team was scary good. No one expected them to be as good as they were, but the goaltending of Ryan Miller and the quick and young forwards they had made them a real force. They caught Canada in the round robin, and almost got them again in the gold medal game.

Now that the Olympics are out of the way, we return to your regularly scheduled crazy NHL program. Now, with the trade deadline approaching, we are left to wonder if Burkie will be moving anyone else.

Really, the major move for the Leafs was made before the Olympics with the acquisitions of Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere. The Maple Leafs still have several expiring contracts and some assets that other teams would desire. One is Tomas Kaberle.

For almost a whole year now, the rumours of Kaberle leaving town have been swirling. Although Tomas continues to deny that he would like to leave and says he will not waive his NTC, the Leafs would probably get back a sizable amount of picks and/or assets if they were to trade Kaberle. The two main issues are A) would Kaberle be willing to waive his no trade clause and B) would the Leafs want to move him anyway.

Another player who could move is Alexei Ponikarovsky. He has improved greatly over the last few seasons and is a legit 20 goal scorer in this league with the potential to score more. If Dominic Moore or Jordan Leopold are worth second round picks, then Alexei Ponikarovsky is worth AT LEAST a second round pick. He is a better player then Moore right now and could be a good addition to any team looking for a boost.

It will be interesting to see if Brian Burke makes any more moves at the deadline.

Jiggy - band aid or maybe more?

When I heard the trade sending Toskala and Blake away to Anaheim for JS Giguere, I was a happy man. Sure, we were picking up some salary but we managed to shed the terrible Blake contract and get rid of one of the worst Leafs goaltenders in recent times.

(In a side note, if Blake was making $2 million or less, I would have loved to see him stay with the Leafs. He is a tireless worker and although he makes some bad decisions and too many poor shots, he was a great person.)

Anyways, when the trade occured, it was thought that Jiggy was going to be a temporary fix until his contract expired. He would be the stop-gap, giving our team decent goaltending until our saviour named Gustavsson was ready. After seeing his first two games back and thinking back just a year or two, maybe people were too quick to call this man done. I think Giguere may be more then a short term fix.

How old was Belfour when he became a Leaf and helped the team make some playoff runs? Giguere is only 32 years old. He is not some ancient dinosaur like CuJo was in his last stint here. I may be jumping the gun on this, but Giguere has been very impressive in two shutouts against two game opponents in New Jersey and Ottawa - both tough teams to play due to varying circumstances.

If Giguere can prove himself to still be capable carrying the load, then maybe at the end of his contract he gets an extension, not his walking papers. I think that, like Belfour and Curtis Joseph, Jean Sebastien Giguere could be a long term solution. If that turns out to be correct, then Gustavsson will have plenty of time to work out the kinks and become the goaltender we all think he can be.

PHANEUF!

Brian Burke, you son of a bitch. Just as I was getting sad and depressed about this team, you make a huge move and get me interested again. What a way to wake up on Sunday, eh?

So, now Dion Phaneuf is a Toronto Maple Leaf. This is a player who can change a game, much like Phil Kessel. Phaneuf brings the hammer; he can change the momentum with a single hit. Oh, and he can do it on a regular basis. Unlike Exelby though, Dion also has the offensive tools to score goals and assists. The Toronto Sun calls him a "stud". I am going to call him a two-way player. He can play up to 30 minutes a night, shut down the best the other team has to offer, and produce offence.

Dion has had a rough year though. Once, he was a lock for the Canadian Olympic team and was a Norris Trophy candidate. He has struggled and found himself to be expendable. Why is that?

I think it is easy to see why Dion has struggled. Phaneuf is a bit of a rover - he likes to pinch and play offence, and he also likes to take risks and throw the body. Under Brent Sutter, he has been reigned in and it has affected his ability to produce. Also, the signing of Jay Bouwmeester has taken minutes from Dion. A team only needs one "elite" defenceman, and when Calgary brought in Bouwmeester, it became a case of too many hens in the hen house. Bouwmeester has not played too well in Calgary, either.

I don't think we will see the full effect of having Dion until next year.

I will miss Hagman. He was a creative player and he was locked into a sensible contract. White and his moustache will be missed as well. I had thought of Stajan as a Leaf for life for some reason. Mayers...well, I got nothing for him. Still, it was the cost of doing business. Outside of Mayers, all three players can add something to a team - but they are replaceable. A player like Phaneuf is harder to find.

I want to see Phaneuf and Komisarek as a pair. I think they both play solid defence, and Komisarek's steady play can set Phaneuf free to jump into a play or throw a big hit.

Does this move make Kaberle expendable? Will Phaneuf regain his All-Star form with the Leafs? These questions can only be answered by time.

What's the point?

I was not a serious fan before the lockout. Sure, I watched some games and I always watched Sports Centre, but I did not watch all the games. I would cheer when the Leafs made the playoffs, but I was never close to the team.

After the lockout, I somehow became a HUGE fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. From the 05/06 season on, I became a follower of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don't really know why I did, but I did. I watched almost every game from 2005 to now. I think I have missed less then ten games. I remember being pissed off at how slow Jason Allison was. I remember seeing Ian White as a rookie and being angry at all of his turnovers, then becoming a fan of his as he became a solid player for us.

Brian Burke and the current version of the Toronto Maple Leafs have somehow ruined the joy I had in watching the Leafs play hockey. This team never made the playoffs from 2005 to now, but before this season I actually liked watching the team. I looked forward to each game. I cheered them on and I enjoyed watching my team play, even if they lost. This season has been different. From the New Year on, I have been reluctant to watch my favourite team play. Why is that?

This team has been horrible. Despite one run in December, this version of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been terrible. They cannot kill penalties, they cannot play on the powerplay, and they are as bad in net as they were last year.

Why should I watch this team? Can someone give me a good reason other then "OMG THE LEFS ROK!"?