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.

Home Cooking

The Leafs are playing well at home.

Read that again. Now remember, we are talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs here. For the last few years, they have struggled on home ice for whatever reason. My hypothesis? The Leafs just like the food on the road better.

One player who I have really liked is Jason Blake. Yes, his contract is still obstructive and obviously too large, but if Blake was getting $2 million per year, he would be a very good deal for any team. He has consistently brought a high level of energy to each game, and I like the way he has been driving towards the net more instead of going around it.

I think Luke Schenn is going to be sitting for a little while. Exelby and Finger have actually been a very steady pairing for the Leafs over the last two games, and if they continue to play well, Schenn might be better served by playing for a few weeks with the Marlies. I actually want to see him back in the line-up, but maybe a stint with the AHL affiliate will allow him to get more ice time and improve.

Anyways, with this latest "surge" underway, the Leafs play the suprising Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes have 7 more wins and 9 more points then Toronto, and would be in 5th place above the Bruins if they were in the Eastern Conference. Also, the Coyotes have a 5-4 record against the Eastern Conference this year.

I like seeing the Coyotes doing well. After all of the talk of moving and the team being sold, it is good to see them pushing towards the playoffs.

I like the Leafs chances against this team, however. The Coyotes do have one of the hottest goaltenders in the league right now in Ilya Bryzgalov, but I don't think anyone outside of Shane Doan scares our defence. With the way they are playing right now, I think Francois Beauchemin and Ian White will be able to perform and shut down the top line of the Coyotes. The real question is if the Leafs can score on Ilya Bryzgalov enough to win. With Phil Kessel and Niklas Hagman still rolling, the Leafs have two strong lines to throw at Phoenix and hopefully, get some quality scoring chances.

As long as the Leafs can continue their current trend of playing disciplined hockey, I think they have a great chance of continuing to streak forward and up the standings.