Toronto Maple Leafs News

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 21) — The report in this morning’s Globe & Mail about NHL governors “informally” discussing a second team for this city makes almost too much sense. What it doesn’t make is cents for the Toronto Maple Leafs and it therefore has almost no chance of happening while the current ownership group [...]

By HOWARD BERGER PITTSBURGH (Oct. 19) — In Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Maple Leafs were provided a first-hand look at what they hope to be at some point in the not-too distant future… a multi-talented club replete with several of the best players in the National Hockey League. Crosby and running-mate Evgeni Malkin [...]

By HOWARD BERGER NEW YORK (Oct. 18) — Perhaps coach Ron Wilson can petition the National Hockey League to allow a lone participant in shootout situations. That way, Wilson can send Nikolai Kulemin over the boards and have the rookie take all three shots in the one-on-one competition. Kulemin has been barely noticeable in the 60 minutes [...]

By HOWARD BERGER NEW YORK (Oct. 17) — When the Maple Leafs face off against the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden, it’s almost certain that Matt Stajan will be back in the line-up after a one-game hiatus as a healthy scratch. Stajan will take the spot of forward Ryan Hollweg, who is doing a terrific [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 14) — The National Hockey League will not levie any further discipline against Maple Leafs’ forward Ryan Hollweg for his hit from behind on St. Louis Blues’ rookie Alex Pietrangelo Monday afternoon. The punishment to Hollweg is limited to the automatic, three-game suspension issued by the NHL as a result of [...]

By HOWARD BERGER  TORONTO (Oct. 13) – The St. Louis Blues should have been stopped at the border on their way home after committing their latest felony at the Air Canada Centre Monday afternoon. It wasn’t quite first-degree murder and it didn’t equal the Blues’ Toronto heist of November 2000, but nothing could justify the opposition [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 12) — Now, that was more like the Maple Leafs we’ve come to know in the past four years. Despite an enormous personnel shuffle in the off-season — and a shocking triumph at Detroit on Thursday – there was an assortment of familiar elements in the Canadiens’ 6-1 decimation of the Leafs on [...]

By: David Alter D Jeff Finger skated around by himself for about 30 minutes by himself in full equipment.  He skated for a few minutes with his teammates as they began practice but then left the session.  Head Coach Ron Wilson is not in any hurry to rush Finger back before he is ready.  “We’re just [...]

By HOWARD BERGER DETROIT (Oct. 10) — It was a scene that nobody would have predicted in the days and weeks leading up to the regular season: Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, decked out in vintage Blue & White garb, thumb-nosing their Detroit counterparts after an opening-night, 3-2 victory for their team – a score that [...]

By HOWARD BERGER DETROIT (Oct. 9) — With dire predictions about the NHL season coming from all directions, what happened to the Maple Leafs’ players and staff overnight here almost seemed fitting. At 4:15 a.m., an ear-splitting alarm echoed through the halls of the MGM Grand Hotel, followed by an announcement to proceed to the nearest stairwell. Moments [...]

Forward lines Leafs are using in today’s final practice before regular-season: MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI-NIKLAS HAGMAN-JIRI TLUSTY NIK ANTROPOV-JASON BLAKE-ALEXEI PONIKAROVSKY DOMINIC MOORE-ALEX STEEN-NIKOLAI KULEMIN MATT STAJAN-JOHN MITCHELL-JAMAL MAYERS EXTRAS: IAN WHITE-RYAN HOLLWEG

TORONTO (Oct. 6) – Prior to watching the Maple Leafs during their nine-game exhibition schedule, I had been slightly wavering about where they could fit among the NHL’s bottom- feeders this season. But, there is no longer any question.

Hold onto your hats, Leafs Nation. For the first time in 24 years, the Blue & White will be looking up at the rest of the league when the regular season ends on Apr. 12th. Not since 1984-85 have the Leafs finished dead-last in the NHL, but the plan by management this summer to scale back in the interests of ultimately moving forward will bear spectacular results.

And, nothing could be more beneficial for the long-term welfare of the franchise.

The Leafs will place 30th among 30 teams and the only question to be answered is whether they will break the post-lockout record for fewest points in a season. The Philadelphia Flyers hold that distinction with a 56-point showing in 2006-07. In fact, that remains the fewest number of points accrued by any team since Atlanta had 54 in 2001-02. Coincidentally or not, the Leafs 2-5-2 exhibition mark this autumn places the club on a collision course with Philadelphia’s dubious honor of two years ago. Multiplying the Leafs’ preseason effort over 82 games results in a record of 18-45-19 for 55 points. That is a colossal 16 points less than the worst team in the NHL last season. Tampa Bay brought up the rear with 71 points and won the draft lottery.

Could the 2008-09 Maple Leaf bottom out to that degree? Absolutely.

Will they bottom out to that degree? Maybe not.

Goaltending and an improved defensive posture under new coach Ron Wilson might enable the Leafs to approach Tampa’s accumulation of a year ago. But, after further consideration, I’m not certain that 70 points is attainable [as I suggested in my previous blog]. Toronto should, however, partake in a ferocious, season-long battle with the Islanders, Atlanta and Los Angeles to see which team actually finishes in 30th spot. As such, the immediate future of the franchise will be largely dependent on nine games this season – four with the Islanders [Dec. 8th, Dec. 26th, Feb. 26th, Mar. 10th]; four with Atlanta [Nov. 25th, Dec. 22nd, Dec. 30th, Jan. 16th], and the lone meeting with the Kings, Dec. 1st, at the Staples Center. If the Leafs can limit their accumulation to no more than seven or eight out of 18 points during these games [a very real possibility], either John Tavares or Victor Hedman will almost certainly be theirs next June 26th in Montreal. And, the club will finally be heading in the proper direction.

This has been the plan ever since Cliff Fletcher assumed the managerial reigns from John Ferguson last January. It has become increasingly difficult to dissuade followers of the Maple Leafs through the years, as a crack over the head with a mallet wouldn’t be sufficient to cloud the rose-colored glasses indigenous to this tribe. In modern professional sport, only fans of the Chicago Cubs are comparable among those willing to absorb infinite punishment. As with the Cubs, force of habit and gullibility have been the Maple Leafs’ greatest allies.

But, Fletcher, ever the diplomat and keenly aware of the unshakeable love for his team, has refrained from offering to the public his most portentous thoughts – choosing, instead, to say things like “We hope to be better in December than we are today, and better in February than we are in December.”

Fletcher’s actions of the past nine months, however, speak louder than his conciliatory words. He finds himself in the most envious position of any GM in the history of the club. His lucrative contract, at post-retirement age 73, expires next August, prior to the 2009-10 NHL season, and he therefore has almost no burden to engender an improved product on his watch. It is the complete antithesis of the crushing strain felt on a minute-to-minute basis by Ferguson, whose inexperience and obligation to a meddling board produced a bevy of ruinous decisions. Fletcher, conversely, has the abetment required to put into action a formula consistent with the post-lockout model in the NHL. And, it has long been evident that the up-coming season is not at all beholden to that blueprint.

Without the presence of Mats Sundin to make a dreadful club just terrible, the Leafs will finally slide, unconstrained, to the depths of the 30-team league. For at least one year, it seems as if the ownership pyramid at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is willing not to encumber its hockey department with guidance and brainpower – the sort that has positioned the club, in recent years, to scramble for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Condominium sales being what they are, MLSE hasn’t even budgeted for playoff dates next spring at the Air Canada Centre. Given the Leafs’ immediate potential, of course, that’s the rough equivalent of department stores in the Bahamas refusing to budget for parkas.

This is going to be – by design – a long, difficult season for the Maple Leafs; more so for their legion of supporters, who won’t have much to cheer about unless they keep one eye focused on the future. The process followed by the club in recent years couldn’t have been more damaging. The Leafs had neither the capacity to qualify for the playoffs, nor the foresight to understand that wallowing on the fringe of contention was the worst possible strategy. As such, we get the actions of this past summer, when the GM runs off almost all of the club’s best [yet overpaid, underachieving] players, and replaces them with younger, bargain-priced commodities, mostly devoid of pedigree.

What it amounts to is a club that will score among the least number of goals in the NHL, and will easily threaten Philadelphia’s post-lockout standard of fewest points in a season if Vesa Toskala spends any length of time on the injury list. Off the ice, the Leafs’ biggest challenge will be tolerating another brutal season in one of the NHL’s most intense markets. And, undoubtedly, dealing with mixed signals from a disillusioned public. I’m still amazed by the number of Leaf fans that write and tell me they’ll be pleased if the club “overachieves” this season and contends for a playoff spot; as if the folly of the past three seasons hasn’t even registered.

The only way up for the hockey club right now is down.

That’s why you can be sure that less is more for the Maple Leafs in 2008-09.

It will be the polar opposite for the Leafs’ legendary rival, the Montreal Canadiens. Though it’s difficult to pick against the loaded Red Wings, my sense is Detroit will lose just a slight edge in the playoff marathon next spring, being the defending champion. That’s all it will take for the Habs – led by Bob Gainey, the best GM in the Eastern Conference – to commemorate their 100th season in the NHL with their first Stanley Cup triumph since 1993.

So, having the benefit of exhibition play now behind us, and with injuries factored in, this is undoubtedly, unequivocally and with scientific certainty the way the standings will shape up in the coming season:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. MONTREAL 107 points

2. WASHINGTON 102 points

3. NEW YORK RANGERS 100 points

4. PITTSBURGH 98 points

5. PHILADELPHIA 97 points

6. BOSTON 94 points

7. NEW JERSEY 92 points

8. OTTAWA 90 points

9. TAMPA BAY 89 points

10. CAROLINA 88 points

11. BUFFALO 87 points

12. FLORIDA 84 points

13. ATLANTA 76 points

14 NEW YORK ISLANDERS 71 points

15. TORONTO 67 points

NOTES: Defenseman Sergei Gonchar is an incalculable loss for the Penguins, as he orchestrates so much of the attack from the defensive zone, and quarterbacks the powerplay. His absence will enable the New York Rangers to grab their first division title since 1993-94, the year they last won the Stanley Cup… The Penguins won’t make it past the opening round of the playoffs, as Philadelphia will avenge last year’s defeat in the Conference final… The Rangers, with the brilliant Henrik Lundqvist in goal, will knock off the Bruins and Capitals before being edged by Montreal for a berth in the Stanley Cup… On the final Saturday of the regular season, Tampa Bay will suffer a dreadful loss in Atlanta, while Ottawa will hand the Maple Leafs yet another defeat. That will give the Senators the final playoff berth over the resurgent Lightning.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. DETROIT 111 points

2. SAN JOSE 107 points

3. CALGARY 100 points

4. ANAHEIM 103 points

5. DALLAS 99 points

6. CHICAGO 96 points

7. MINNESOTA 93 points

8. EDMONTON 91 points

9. PHOENIX 90 points

10. VANCOUVER 88 points

11. COLORADO 87 points

12. NASHVILLE 83 points

13. ST. LOUIS 81 points

14. COLUMBUS 78 points

15. LOS ANGELES 70 points

NOTES: With Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne back in the fold from the outset, the Ducks will give Toronto-bound Brian Burke a wonderful parting gift by reaching the Conference championship and taking Detroit to the brink. Ultimately, the Red Wings will survive to re-appear in the Stanley Cup final against Montreal – the first such match-up since 1966… Hearts will be broken in Phoenix on the final Saturday of the regular season when the Oilers knock off Calgary and the Coyotes lose to Anaheim. That combination will give Edmonton the final playoff spot in the West by a single point over Wayne Gretzky’s crew. But, the Coyotes won’t miss the post-season in any of the next three years… San Jose will again underachieve in the spring – struggling to shade Minnesota in the first round before losing to Anaheim… The Blackhawks will continue their rise and make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Then they’ll surprise Calgary in the opening round before losing a pre-expansion match-up with Detroit… Nashville will finally tumble out of playoff contention.

PLAYOFFS:

EAST

MONTREAL vs. Ottawa [Canadiens in 5]

WASHINGTON vs. New Jersey [Capitals in 6]

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. Boston [Rangers in 6]

PITTSBURGH vs. Philadelphia [Flyers in 7]

****************************************

MONTREAL vs. Philadelphia [Canadiens in 6]

WASHINGTON vs. New York Rangers [Rangers in 7]

****************************************

MONTREAL vs. New York Rangers [Canadiens in 6]


WEST

DETROIT vs. Edmonton [Red Wings in 6]

SAN JOSE vs. Minnesota [Sharks in 7]

CALGARY vs. Chicago [Blackhawks in 7]

ANAHEIM vs. Dallas [Ducks in 6]

*************************************

DETROIT vs. Chicago [Red Wings in 6]

SAN JOSE vs. Anaheim [Ducks in 6]

**************************************

DETROIT vs. Anaheim [Red Wings in 7]

**************************************


STANLEY CUP FINAL

DETROIT vs. Montreal [Canadiens in 6]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 5) — With an unimpressive and exhausting 2-5-2 preseason schedule finally over, it is no less apparent now than it was during the summer which areas will be most challenging for the Maple Leafs. A smarter, more energetic performance against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday was ruined by yet another late-game [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 5) — The usual mantra of Leafs Nation at this time of year — “Hey, it was only an exhibition game” — has one more day of shelf-life before fresh excuses are required to explain fiascos like Saturday night’s loss to a glorified Detroit farm team. This embarrassment, at the Air Canada Centre, [...]

By HOWARD BERGER DETROIT (Oct. 4) — The standard is predictably low, but Ron Wilson appears to have a base from which to work as he begins his first season behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ bench. Regardless of which combination Wilson pencils in during the exhibition schedule, his team pretty much finds its level, and now Wilson’s [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Oct. 2) — News flash: Jeff Finger’s “minor” foot problem has been down-graded to moderate, and he’ll miss the first week to ten days of the regular season. How shocking it is that the Maple Leafs have publicly underestimated an injury to one of their players. Ron Wilson is quickly falling in line with [...]

By: David Alter Newly acquired defenceman Jeff Finger has been off the ice for the past week with a foot injury, now comes confirmation from Leafs Head Coach Ron Wilson that he will be out for the first week of the regular season.  “It’s just a bruise and it’s point tender” says Wilson.  “Hopefully he’ll only [...]

By HOWARD BERGER ST. LOUIS (Oct. 1) — The Maple Leafs are suffering through a rash of what coach Ron Wilson describes as “minor” injuries in the final week of the preseason, and one of the club’s most important players may not be ready when the puck drops for real — in Detroit, Oct. 9th. Defenseman [...]

By HOWARD BERGER BUFFALO (Sep. 28) — Another night, another implosion by the Maple Leafs, and the new coach is quickly growing fed up with a pattern that established itself last season. This one, at HSBC Arena, was more spectacular than the late loss at home to Pittsburgh on Friday, as the Leafs held a 2-0 [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Sep. 27) — He may have been coaching three time zones away last season, but Ron Wilson is well aware that the Maple Leafs repeatedly folded in the third period en route to missing the playoffs by nine points. Friday night’s 5-4 exhibition loss to Pittsburgh at the Air Canada Centre provided [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Sep. 25) — With the Maple Leafs between exhibition starts, and with Ron Wilson beginning to understand the challenge his group of forwards might present this season, there was precious little to talk about on an otherwise quiet Thursday. Filling the void, somewhat conveniently, was Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Sep. 23) — There’s a pretty good chance that Ron Wilson couldn’t have drawn up a better script for his first appearance behind the Maple Leafs’ bench last night. Though the two points earned in a 7-4 victory over Buffalo at the Air Canada Centre will not show up in the standings, [...]

GOAL- Justin Pogge; Curtis Joseph DEFENCE- Luke Schenn: Jeff Finger; Ian White; Carlo Colaiacovo; Mike Van Ryn: Staffan Kronwall FORWARDS- Jiri Tlusty; Matt Stajan; Dominic Moore; Boyd Devereaux; Ben Ondrus; Mark Bell; John Mitchell; Nikolai Kulemin; Ryan Hollweg; Darryl Boyce; Robbie Earl; Jason Blake

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Sep. 21) — On the eve of the Maple Leafs’ pre-season opener against Buffalo at the Air Canada Centre, there appears only one indisputable element of the 2008-09 club. With Ron Wilson behind the bench, the Leafs are said to be in the hands of a perfect coach for their uneasy circumstance; a [...]

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Sep. 18) – The Maple Leafs begin training camp on Friday with expectations as low as they’ve been in the past decade. In fact, it was exactly 10 years ago that the 1998-99 squad similarly appeared to be in dire straits. The ’97-98 Leafs, under head coach Mike Murphy, had trouble moving [...]