Shoe is in!

The Leafs face New Jersey tonight... and the word on the street is that Fredrik Sjostrom will be back in the lineup.

Freddie is an interesting player. He was a first round pick (11th overall in 2001). Touted as a speedy winger, with good hands, he never really put it together in the NHL.

He reminds me of a couple other players the Leafs gave up on...

I have really liked his game, since the putting on the Blue and White. He is very quick, and is great on the Penalty Kill.

Notes for Tonight:

Brodeur is in net for the Devils, Giggy for the Leafs.

D Paul Martin returned from injury last night, and will play again tonight for the Devils.

Quick Hit - Drop the Gloves!

Another Battle of Ontario tonight

A couple of changes for the Sens... Chris Campoli and Nick Foligno will be in.. Mike Fisher and Filip Kuba are out with injuries (I am guessing one is upper body, and one is lower body!)

Fight night?

And of course, the Battle of Ontario wouldn't be complete without the "Orr vs. Carkner" billing. Here is how it has gone so far this season...

By my count... Orr has won 3/4 fights.

The Champ!

March 6th WINNER: ORR




Feb 6th WINNER: ORR




Dec 14th WINNER: CARKNER




Nov 17th WINNER: ORR




For a full list of Orr's fights... check out http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/1483/fightcard/reg2010

Stempniak

Many players seem to have their best years, either before they come, or once they leave Toronto.

For example, Tukka Rask, Brad Boyes, Freddy Modin, Aki Berg. Even Big Nik Antropov is doing well in Atlanta. The list could go on and on.

But should we be adding Lee Stempniak to that list?



He was just traded to Phoenix, but is already lighting it up!

3 games played, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, and a plus 6!

Pro-rate that for a season it makes 82 goals, 21 assists, 103 points, plus 164 (ok, maybe he wouldn't hit these stats...)

This is a player that scored 27 goals in 06/07.


Did we give up on Lee too soon?

TONIGHT'S GAME

The Buds play Tampa Bay tonight... watch for Stamkos he has been on fire lately. A GTA native, who I am sure will have friends/family in the stands.

I predict a hat trick!

A baby Stamkos!

Playoff Race

Well... the Leafs may be out of the playoffs, but there is still a good race for the last few playoff positions in the East.

A fellow blogger will be tracking the teams... check it out here.

PLAYOFF TRACKER!

It is a good way to see who may make that 8th spot!

Leaf Fans - They're Everywhere!

We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a very popular team.

Any time the Maple Leafs are on the road, a host of fans appear in Blue and White. "Go Leafs Go" echos through the arena.

But how far across this sphere we call Earth does Leaf Nation stretch?

A friend of mine is currently touring Asia... While walking the streets of Vietnam she met this friendly character.

Thanks Dawn for the picture!

That's right. Leaf fans are even found in Vietnam.

Granted, this guy has likely never seen the Leafs play (or any hockey team for that matter), but he is a welcomed member of Leafs Nation none the less.

GO LEAFS GO!

Trade Deadline = Lame = A long couple of weeks...

Well.... that was lame.

A lot of players moved this trade deadline day.... most of them being of 3rd line/4th line/AHL quality.

No big names. No blockbusters. Just a lot of TV analysts (ok, Internet analysts as well) killing time.

---

Tonight's game is in Boston. Sounds like Caputi, who the Leafs got for Poni, will play with Mitchell and Hanson.

Kulemin will be on the top line with Kessel and Bozak.

After trading away Stempniak and Poni , it is time for some of the young guys to step up and provide offence (the pair provided a large chunk of our goal scoring, with 34 goals and 38 assists).

Watch for Kulemin to score more often, as he steps into Poni's position on the first line.

The Hanson (Height: 6-3 Weight: 202lbs), Mitchell (Height: 6-1 Weight: 182lbs) and Caputi (Height: 6-2 Weight: 184lbs) line could be fun to watch, as all three are big guys that like to cycle the puck, and drive to the net!
---

By the way Calgary.... Toskala, Stajan, White, Hagman, Mayers.... We tried that combination. It didn't work. Thanks for Phaneuf!

Trade Updates

For your trade deadline updates... check the Blog below!

I will be updating it as the Leaf deals happen!

Subscribe to the RSS feed for the quickest updates!

UPDATED Your pre-trade Deadline TML Guide

Updated

Poni Traded - For Martin Skoula and forward Luca Caputi.
Martin Skoula traded to New Jersey for a late pick... 5th round?
Stempniak sent to Phoenix for a 4th and a 7th.

Are you ready? It is going to be an exciting couple of hours.

The trade deadline is today (March 3rd) at 3pm, and it looks like Brian Burke is going to be a busy man.

There are several players in the Blue and White that are on the chopping block... going to the highest bidder.

The good news is that it is a sellers market. A lot of teams are still in the playoff hunt, and looking for something to push them over the edge.

Ponikarovsky - TRADED

Ponikarovsky was sent to Pittsburgh for defenceman Martin Skoula and forward Luca Caputi.

Skoula is only a salary dump, to allow Pittsburgh to fit Ponikarovsky under the cap. He has been traded to New Jersey.

Luca Caputi is the big piece here. He is 21 years old, and was playing in the AHL. His last year in the OHL(07/08) he had 51 goals and 60 assists. This year in the AHL, he had 23 goals, 24 assists in 54 games.

Caputi fits the "Burke Mold". A power forward type player who can get garbage goals.

The player most likely to go, is Alexei Ponikarovsky. Poni is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, making him a cheap rental player for a team looking to make a playoff push. The 6'4 220 pound Ukrainian will put up points, and is a great fit for most team's first or second line.

Rumoured destinations include Pittsburgh and Nashville, both who are looking for some secondary scoring.

I wouldn't be surprised if a bidding war drove up the price of Poni. If they are lucky, the Leafs may get a first round pick, but a second rounders is more realistic.

Lee Stempniak - TRADED

Sent to Phoenix for a 4th and a 7th round pick

Lee is also a UFA at the end of the season. Although Burke will likely move him, the price won't be as high as Poni.

Remember, this is a player we gave up to first round picks to get (Steen, and Coliacovo).

Stempniak could garner a second round pick, but a 3rd is more likely. He will provide some scoring depth as a third/second liner.

Garnet Exelby/Jeff Finger

Martin Skoula has been traded to New Jersey... Sounds like a 5th round pick back.

Exelby and Finger are the victims of a numbers game. The Leafs have too many defence men... meaning someone needs to go. Earlier in the season Exelby had requested a trade, to a team where he can receive more ice time. Finger could also go, but with a more expensive contract, he may be harder to move.

Either could go, but I wouldn't expect a significant return.

Wayne Primeau

A veteran player that can play on your fourth, or third line. He could even jump to the second line if injuries occur.

Primeau may get a 3rd round pick.

Tomas Kaberle

Don't hold your breath. Kaberle may be moved, but I expect it won't happen until the season is over, and Kaberle's no trade clause is lifted.



I will keep you update on any trades that happen over the next few hours... so keep checking back, or subscribe to my RSS feed!

The Legend of Sid the Kid and Olympic Thoughts

Post Game Analysis

What a game!

A couple of players really stood out. Toews seemed to be everywhere on the ice. Creating chances, backchecking. Between Toews and Kane, adding Seabrook and Keith, I can see why Chicago is one of the top teams in the west!

Nash also played extremely well. Not only did he have several great chances offensively, but was also able to play the shut-down game as Canada got the lead (Hitchcock's fingerprints all over that one).

On to Crosby

Time to retire Sid. Stanley Cup, and Olympic Gold Medal in less than a year! Congratulations!

But does anyone else think he is a little over-rated?

Crosby was invisible for most of this game, and really most of the tournament. A couple of offensive flashes, a couple of defensive plays, and a couple of shoot out goals.

Nash was better. Toews was better. The San Jose line (most games) was better. I would even say Iginla was better.

BUT THE LEGEND OF CROSBY GROWS.

Everyone will remember this goal, not his lacklustre performance.

Much like everyone will remember Crosby hoisting the Stanley Cup, but not Sid the Kid (or Sid the Baby) sitting on the bench, injured for most of the game (I am sure he was crying, but I may have made that up). Malkin was the real star of Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup run....

But the Media spotlight will shine on... Crosby will continue to be the face of the new NHL... And Gary Bettman will continue to sit diabolically behind the scenes...

Final Olympic Leafs Stats

Just a quick note...


Here are the FINAL stats for Leaf players in the Olympics...

Nothing fantastic. Kessel (on a Silver Medal winning team) is really the only player of note.

Although have a look at Kaberle's shot total. Where are these shots for the Leafs?



*For those of you who don't know the name Korbinian Holzer, he is a Leafs prospect in Germany.