Welcome Back to the Family Uncle Leo

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a few offseason moves this past summer. Signing a veteran defenseman to help bring stability to the defense, bringing in a terrifyingly large and intimidating defender in Roman Polak, and bringing back Matt Frattin for no aparent reason at all. however, perhaps the best artillery the Leafs decided to arm themselves with this offseason was a Russian heat seeking missle, and of course one of the greatest parody Twitter accounts ever created.

hey, @Senators, guess who back? #yousuck
— Corporal Komarov (@CorporalKomarov) July 1, 2014

 Leo Komarov spent last season with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL ( 52GP, 12G, 22A, 34Pts) much to the shegrin of Leafs nation Komarov was not re-signed after the lockout shortened campaign of  2013/14 which of course saw the Leafs make the playoffs for the first time in 8 seasons. Komarov was a pivotal piece of the Leafs roster that season, in terms of energy and what he brought to the club. Many factors contribted to the dismal results of last season for the Leafs, perhaps one of the most impactful was the loss of Leo Komarov.

 Since returning to the Leafs this season Komarov has been lights out (15GP, 1G, 9A, 10 Pts, 176 Hits) he has not only seen great results in his individual play, he has elevated the play of those around him, mainly David Clarkson. Clarkson is off to a solid start in his second stint with the buds (15GP, 4G, 1A, 5Pts) now, of course last seasons numbers will not be hard to beat, however Clarkson deserves credit not only for the points he has manageed to put up, but watching him on the ice this season he looks far more comfortable and is adapting well to his 3rd line role. A good portion of the credit must go to uncle Leo, he has effectively removed pressure off of Clarkson's shoulders and allowed him to play a mroe relaxed game. Both Clarkson (48.51) and Komarov (46.03) have pretty solid corsi stats which is key for a role playing line, and also something the Leafs lacked desperately last season .Komarov was (unfairly) labelled a "third line plug" which created the narrative of "if the Leafs losing Komarov has that much of an impact, this team is in trouble" a statement that so far, Komarov is causing those who subscribe to that theory to very much eat their words.


  Saturday November 8th, the Leafs played host to the Rangers, and more importantly, Leo Komarov showed us all exaclty what he is capabale of and why the Leafs never should have let him go in the first place, also providing the internet with one of the cutest pictures ever. at 15:11 of the first period on a shorthanded opportunity, Komarov came down the right wing with Matts Zucccarello draped over him like a wet blanket, proceeded to dump Zuccarello off like a high school girlfriend, drop a glove just for fun, then dish it off to Peter Holland in front of the net for his 2nd goal of the season. Uncle Leo wasn't quite finished there, he ended up scoring the game winner with 5:34 remaining in the 3rd period, and if a goal and assist aren't enough to prove his worth, cap it all off with 8 hits. Komarov's inspiring performance had the crowd chanting "LEO, LEO, LEO" for a large portion of the 3rd period and even following the final horn.

   To have a player on your team that can elevate the play of the guys around him is a special thing. To have a player who can; score, hit, make plays and energize the entire roster is that much more unique. The Toronto Maple Leafs have one heck of a "third line plug" in Leo Komarov, and for those who annointed him with that underwhelming title, I am enjoying watching this man prove you all wrong. Leo Komarov is more than just a player who goes out and hits people (something he does extremely well) he is a skilled player that the Leafs are lucky to have, and we as fans are lucky to be able to watch on a nightly basis. So, let's all raise a glass, here's to uncle Leo, the family member the other 29 NHL teams wish they had.


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Breathe A Sigh Of Relief

A lot of things happened last night when the Leafs strolled into Madison Square Gardens.  James Reimer got the start.  He crawled out from the dungeon of the Air Canada Center and put on a sparkling display of goal tending excellence, until he head his head taken off by Ranger forward Dominic Moore.  You can breathe a sigh of relief though, because apparently, he is fine.

Something else that happened last night, Jake Gardiner was scratched. Really? They just signed this kid on the off season to a 5 year $20.25 million contract. But you can breathe a sigh of relief, because according to Randy Carlyle, Jake "drew the shortest straw". What's the chances of drawing the shortest straw two games in a row?  Although, one could make a case that Jake Gardiner was holding the Leafs back all this time.  The person making that case would be a fool, and be wrong.  There are people out there saying that though.

Phil's line showed up.  In fact, the entire top line for the Leafs combined for 7 points.  Which means I personally can breathe a sigh of relief, because if I heard one more comment about how fat and lazy Kessel is, I think I'd strangle a Habs fan.

Finally, Leafs Nation can breathe a sigh of relief, because the Leafs picked up their first win.  Reimer was great, Kessel's line was great, One of the big things that really stood out to me was how Percy played.  This kid is a rookie defense man and has points in all three games so far.  This has never happened in the Leafs history. I'm hoping that he can maintain this level of play all season.

Today is podcast day!  Mike and I are looking for questions for the podcast.  Feel free to send us your question and we will see about getting them in the podcast. For now just put your question in the comment section below, or you can send me the question through Facebook or twitter.

Watch for our prediction post tomorrow when the Leafs host the Avs.

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2013 Stanley Cup Predictions

It's Game On in the NHL, and that means we all try and pick who we think will win the Stanley Cup.  With a shortened season, only 48 games per team, a lengthy streak of some sort could make or break your season. It would be pretty easy to ride a hot goalie right into the playoffs and once you are at the dance, anything can happen on any given night.  That's why I believe that the New York Rangers will win the Stanley Cup. 

This season you might see a few goalies that will play upwards of 42+ games.  One goalie that I have in mind is Henrik Lundqvist.  He is a workhorse, in 7 seasons Lundqvist has started 70+ games on 4 occasions. I think Lundqvist will play 42+ games this year.  

For the last 3 years Lundqvist is getting better.  That is 

probably because the team around him is getting better as well, but I think this is going to be a big year for Lundqvist.

Also expect some big things from Rick Nash this year.  Rick Nash did well for himself in Columbus, but there he had the pressure of being the entire offence for the team.  Now that he isn't being reliable upon as the number 1 source of offence, that will take some pressure off and allow him to do what he does, score big goals. 

So there you have it.  My pick for the Stanley Cup!  

Game on!

It's over!  The lockout is over!  My how quick everyone's attitude has changed in the last 12 hours.  Okay, maybe not everyone's, but a lot of people's attitude has changed since the announcement was made.

A 10 year deal is fantastic, but there is a catch.  There is an opt out at year 8, available to both the owners and the players.  Either side may decline the opt out, but we'll talk about that when that time comes.

First things first.  Roberto Luongo is heavily rumoured to be heading to The Leafs.  This is an alright idea if the Leafs want to make the playoffs, but a terrible idea if they want to actually contend for a Stanley Cup Championship.   We all have seen what Luongo does when he is under pressure.

The NHL will probably be looking at a 48 game season.  Here is what the NHL looked like after 48 games last season.

NHL sends memo to clubs indicating no camps before Saturday (and may not open until Monday), 48-game season to begin Jan. 19
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 7, 2013

After the 1st 48 games last year the playoffs were set.  In fact only one team manage to sneak in after the 48 game mark and that was the Coyotes.  They went on that magical run to the West final on the back of goaltender Mike Smith.

Also through 48 games, this is what Kessel and Lupul's point totals were.

Player	Goals	Assists	Points
Kessel	26	25	51
Lupul	20	32	52

When it is all said and one and the deal it ratified by the ownership and the union, I'll be pumped and ready to watch NHL hockey once again.  Along with my son, who at only 10 months, his eyes are glued to the TV when hockey is on, just the way I like it.

BRichards

First, I would like to point out that the odds of BRichards coming to Toronto are pretty slim. The New York Rangers are on his short list of teams to go to, as well as The Tampa Bay Lightning, as he stated during the playoffs in an interview.

New York: The Rangers want him, and he wants them. They have the cap room to be able to get him. It really depends how badly they want him. If he is the guy they want, they will be the team to get him.

Tampa Bay: If they offer the right amount of money and right length, he will go there. This is his team of preference right now I believe. I think something in the 7mil range more than 5 years. If Tampa offers him that, he will pick them over any other offer.

Toronto: There is no doubt in my mind, that BRichards is exactly what the Maple Leafs need. He'd fit fine between Kessel and Lupul on that top line in Toronto that desperately needs a bonafide center. I will list the pros and cons of BRichards coming to TO.

Pros:

1. again, fits well with Kessel and Lupul. Unless there is 0 chemisrty between BRichards and the other two, this will just work!
2. Conn Smythe/Stanley Cup. This guy was the force behind the Cup drive for Tampa Bay. Named the MVP of the playoffs speaks for it's self. He shows up when he is needed the most!
3. BRichards is nearly a point per game player his career. I am sure with Kessel and Lupul on his line, he'd reach the 100 point plateau
4. does not require giving anything up out of the current system. No draft picks, no prospect, no roster players.
   

Cons:

1. He suffered a concussion last season in Dallas and missed a few games.
2. This is more like 1A. In the last 5 years he has missed 46 games with injury. It's not really that bad, only an average of 10 games a year, but still injured in each of the last 4 seasons. Could turn into a player who is always injured.
3. Big money. In order to get Brad to come to Toronto, the contract would have to be big and long. Upwards in the range of 8 mil+ per year, and at least 7 years, but probably 10 years.

In my opinion, this is the guy that the Leafs have always needed. The go to guy that can make the players around him better, especially the solo gun Kessel. BRichards comes to TO and Kessel gets 50. This is a no brainer Burke. Dish out the money, get this guy here, and slap #91 on his back. Oh, and MLSE... think about how many Richards jerseys you would sell!