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.

A pleasant surprise!

In my last post, I mentioned the Leafs home woes and their tendency to suffer a let down after a big win. Tonight, they proved me wrong on both accounts by playing a strong game on home ice against the New York Islanders.

What can I say? Luke Schenn is starting to look more comfortable again. He made one turnover that led to a penalty, but he also flattened Jon Sim and was otherwise a solid player for the Leafs. I know the coaches are trying to get him to produce offensively, but I think they should make sure he is rock solid in his own end. He looked that way last season at times.

Jason Blake is finally being rewarded (ignoring his big contract of course) for his hard work. The game winning goal tonight is suitable prize for a player who seems to give 100% every game. Except on the first goal of the game by the Leafs, I think the second powerplay unit looked more fluid and had better control. I think this is, in part, because of Jason Blake and his play along the boards.

Beauchemin scored. When I was at the game on Monday, I could see just how hard he can shoot. He truly possesses a rocket.

Finally, Vesa Toskala was the man tonight. Even though he allowed two goals in the third, he also won Toronto the game in the third period when he was bombarded with quality chances. His post to post save on Okposo was beautiful and, I hope, is a sign that he is rounding back into his form from two seasons ago.

The Leafs did what they need to do from now on - win in regulation. If they can beat Boston tomorrow, they will inch closer and closer to a playoff position. After the weekend's massacre, I would normally say that the Leafs will struggle. I think the Leafs will take the momentum from tonight and from Monday and carry it over into tomorrows contest.

A New Beginning

So, October was a fun month, eh?

Everything pointed towards the Leafs being a better team then this before the season began. The defence was supposed to be tougher. The goaltending was supposed to improve. The penalty kill was supposed to be somewhat effective.

With one month done and only one win, the Toronto Maple Leafs have looked worse then the team from last year. Losses to Washington and New York stick out in particular as moments this Leafs team would like to forget. Vesa Toskala was absolutely terrible and has lost his starting job. Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin have had a difficult time fitting in. Finding goals has been difficult.

Looking forward, there is some hope still for this Maple Leafs team to turn things around. The last four games have seen a huge improvement in all aspects of the game. Jonas Gustavsson has been fantastic. The defence has done a better job in front of the net. The powerplay has started to perform at a high level, mostly because of Tomas Kaberle.

The Leafs have recieved points in all of their last four games, but only won the game in Anaheim. They deserved better against Dallas, Buffalo and Montreal.

Despite the terrible start, Toronto is only 7 points back of a playoff spot. With "The Monster" in goal and the addition of Phil Kessel to the line-up, the Leafs will begin the long climb back into contention tomorrow night when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to the Air Canada Centre.

I personally believe Kessel will make a difference for the Leafs. Although some say Marc Savard is the reason Kessel scored 36 goals, the majority of Kessel's goals actual come from his powerful wrist shot. His ability to put a hard, accurate shot on goal from all angles will be a big help to a Leafs team that sometimes fails to even hit the net.

This is a new beginning for the Leafs. Hopefully it is a good one.

Leafs Send Down Stalberg

Yesterday, in preparation for tonight's game in Buffalo, the Maple Leafs called up Jiri Tlusty and sent down Viktor Stalberg and Joey Mac to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

I understand sending down Joey MacDonald. He didn't win when he started and with Vesa healthy, there was just no space left for him with the team. I also understand calling up Tlusty. A first round pick in 2006 (13th overall), Tlusty has shown flashes of talent at the NHL level but has failed to produce consistently. Last year in the AHL, Tlusty was fantastic and produced at a point per game level. He has continued to produce in the AHL this year and he could be taking a step in the right direction.

I do not understand sending down Stalberg, however. He looked fantastic in the preseason and, despite his lack of production, he has been receiving plenty of minutes and has been a good player for the Maple Leafs. If he was playing on the last line and not getting any playing time, I would understand. Since he has been playing, I think he should be allowed to work on his game at the NHL level instead of sending him to play against a weaker level of competition.

Tonight is Toronto vs. Buffalo. Here are a few key points I think will lead to success for the Blue & White.

1. Defence, defence, defence! The Leafs have seen Jonas Gustavsson make big saves over and over. Now, it's time for the defence to step up and lighten his workload. Against a quick, skilled team like Buffalo, it is important to make them work to the outside and keep them from using their quickness to cut into the slot. Toronto needs to use their size and strength on the backend to grind the Buffalo forwards against the boards and make them tired. This will slow their forecheck and create more opportunities on the breakout for the Leafs forwards.

2. Discipline. The penalty kill has slightly improved, but is still a huge liability for the team. What is a good way to neutralize this weakness? Stay out of the box! It is almost impossible to stay out of the penalty box for the entire game, but a good team can limit the time they spend a man down. Don't take dumb roughing penalties after the play and DO NOT take penalties while in the attacking zone!

3. Momentum. Toronto has played well in two straight now and needs to come out strong. They need to set the tone and carry the momentum they have built up forward into the HSBC Arena. Toronto has been taking a lot of shots on goal and creating chances. They need to continue that and force Ryan Miller to play a perfect game.

If the Leafs can focus on these key points, then tonights game should be a fun one.

Old Habits Die Hard.

Coming into tonight's game, the Leafs were looking to their newly remodelled defence to help the penalty kill and improve from last season. They were looking for some toughness and some solid play from the goaltender.

However, not everything went as desired. Mike Komisarek spent 15 minutes in the box and was sitting on his butt when the Canadiens scored the first goal and the late tying goal in the third period. Komisarek was brought in to help the penalty kill, but it is hard to have him helping out when he is the one in the penalty box. Francois Beauchimen looked too eager to jump into the rush and was constantly out of position, leaving his defensive partner Luke Schenn out to dry on many occasions. In the early parts of the game, the Leafs showed a bit of a mean streak with some big hits and fights from Colton Orr and Jay Rosehill. As the game progressed, however, Montreal began to outmuscle the Leafs.

In goal, Vesa Toskala was not great, but he was not helped by the play of his defence in front of him.

Were the new Leafs a little too eager or excited? Hopefully that is the reason why they were repeatedly out of position and why the Leafs blew a late 3-2 lead and wound up giving Montreal the extra point in overtime.

Some positives do come from the 4-3 OT loss. The Leafs powerplay looked good with Stajan scoring twice. In fact, the line of Blake-Stajan-Stalberg were creating scoring chances throughout the game. Tomas Kaberle looked like his fantastic self, making a great play on Stajan's first goal. Another positive is that the Leafs outshot Montreal by a wide margin. Carey Price put in a great performance and likely saved the game for his team. The Leafs had long periods of possession in Montreal's zone, and if they can continue to pressure the opposing team like that they will definitly win more then they lose.

Overall, this is a tough loss to swallow. The next game for the Leafs comes this Saturday against the Washington Capitals, who were powered by 2 goals from Ovechkin in a 4-1 win over the Bruins.

Wilson Names Three Captains, Line-up For Opening Day...

It's opening night for the Toronto Maple Leafs! I'm really excited for the beginning of a new campaign and I really hope our team can show some improvement over last season.

According to Sportsnet.ca, Ron Wilson has decided to go with three associate captains this season. Wearing the "A" will be Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchimen. Wilson will name a captain later in the season when he sees someone step up and assume the role of leader for the team.

I like the idea of waiting to name a leader. Right now, there are a lot of new faces. Hopefully, someone will step up and take the "C". Last year, the Leafs remained without a captain throughout the whole season. This year, someone will wear the badge.

The lines for tonights games look like this:

Forwards:

Stalberg Stajan Blake

Ponikarovsky Grabovski Hagman

Wallin Mitchell Stempniak

Rosehill Primeau Orr

Defence:

Beauchimen-Schenn

Kaberle-Komisarek

White -Exelby

Goaltender

Toskala
Gustavsson

These lines were also taken from Sportsnet.ca. Toskala starting in goal has caused some concern among Leafs fans, but it is the right move. He is the veteran and deserves a chance to prove himself. It is a long season, and Gustavsson will get an opportunity to prove himself. If Toskala can perform like he did in his first season with the Maple Leafs, then it will be a great season for the Blue and White.

The Monster Has Arrived!

After watching tonight's preseason game, it is easy to see why Jonas Gustavsson is nicknamed "The Monster". In twenty minutes of work Friday night in Detroit, Jonas looked solid. Tonight, with two periods of work, Gustavsson looked excellent. He was very aggressive when challenging the shooter and made a terrific cross crease save to rob the Red Wings on a two on one scoring chance. The fans in the ACC gave him a standing ovation for his effort.

"The Monster" is able to use his 6'3 frame to block a large portion of the net off. When he comes out of his crease to challenge a shooter, there is very little net for the shooter to work with. He is also an incredible athlete, as seen in his acrobatic cross crease save.

Vesa Toskala continues to look better then he did last year, but a weak goal tonight against him makes it look like he may be challenged by Gustavsson this season. It happened all throughout last season for Toskala, with weak goals getting past him and taking the wind out of the sails for the rest of the team.

Another stand out tonight was, once again, Viktor Stalberg. He has impressed everybody with his speed and offensive ability this preseason and could make the team after scoring his 5th goal so far.

Gustavsson's big save.