Toronto Maple Leafs TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

Dash wrote:Why no Lombardi? Something I don't know? Injured?

Had a concussion last year and missed all the games but the first 2.

So, is he cleared to play? Cause I thought players couldn't be traded if injured? Or is that bought out?

Dash wrote:So, is he cleared to play? Cause I thought players couldn't be traded if injured? Or is that bought out?

I thought the same thing, I'm not really sure why that is, but I guess you can move injured players in the off-season.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Dash wrote:So, is he cleared to play? Cause I thought players couldn't be traded if injured? Or is that bought out?

I thought the same thing, I'm not really sure why that is, but I guess you can move injured players in the off-season.

They can be traded, just not bought out if they're injured, whether it's in the off-season or not.

Remember when we got Leclaire? Shockingly, he was injured at the time. The snag in the Brule for Smyth deal wasn't that he was injured and being traded, but that he was injured and being traded with the intention of being bought out.

Right, that clears it up. Thanks

So, the Leafs want it all for their 100th anniversary...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2011/07/27/leafs_100years/

The Habs got the ASG and the Draft in theirs right?

Leafs sign Broll to ELC...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=372756

Predicting the Leafs' Three Stars this season:

http://thehockeywriters.com/who-will-the-leafs-three-stars-be-in-2011-2012/

The article is writte by a guy named "Hardonk". That's not a typo.

Surprisingly level-headed analysis. His predictions are Reimer, Phaneuf and Kessel.

wprager wrote:Predicting the Leafs' Three Stars this season:

http://thehockeywriters.com/who-will-the-leafs-three-stars-be-in-2011-2012/

The article is writte by a guy named "Hardonk". That's not a typo.

Surprisingly level-headed analysis. His predictions are Reimer, Phaneuf and Kessel.

If any of Connolly, Liles, MacArthur, or Grabovski manage to enter that conversation, the Leafs should be in pretty good shape.

Was MacArthur's season a breakout or an anomaly? Will Reimer have a sophomore slump? I honestly don't know what to think about Grabovski. My gut tells me his totals will retreat to the 18-22 goal, 20-25 assist range. Liles will help, for sure.

wprager wrote:Was MacArthur's season a breakout or an anomaly? Will Reimer have a sophomore slump? I honestly don't know what to think about Grabovski. My gut tells me his totals will retreat to the 18-22 goal, 20-25 assist range. Liles will help, for sure.

Much like the Sens, they have a ton of potential to surprise this year if certain things fall into place. These two young teams have a lot in common.

Exactly! In both cases the upgrade in goal will give the D and the forwards more confidence. Both teams struggled scoring last year (the Sens, obviously, were better at struggling). Both teams had inconsistent goaltending for much of the season. However I feel Anderson is less likely to regress than Reimer (sophomore slump and all).

Can't wait till October to find out if I was right.

Toronto is playing some great hockey right now. 6-2-1 in the first 9. More than 3 gpg. Kessel's leading the league in points and goals.

spader wrote:

wprager wrote:Predicting the Leafs' Three Stars this season:

http://thehockeywriters.com/who-will-the-leafs-three-stars-be-in-2011-2012/

The article is writte by a guy named "Hardonk". That's not a typo.

Surprisingly level-headed analysis. His predictions are Reimer, Phaneuf and Kessel.

If any of Connolly, Liles, MacArthur, or Grabovski manage to enter that conversation, the Leafs should be in pretty good shape.

Connolly finally played last night but was not a factor. Grabovski is off to a bit of a slow start -- 3 goals, but only 4 points in 9. Liles got his 7th assist last night -- good start. Phaneuf has 9 points -- excellent. Kessel leads the league in goals and total points -- what more can be said. Reimer hasn't been bad but he's definitely benefiting from very good play in front of him.

I'd say right now they are the surprise team in the East.

Leafs host the Pens on Sat night and then visit Ottawa on Sunday. Pitt has been off to a roaring start as well. Hopefully the Sens can build on the 4 game winning streak...

Let's not overlook the fact that Toronto has had a really soft schedule to start. They have wins over the Habs twice, Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg, and the Rangers. They lost to Philly, Boston, and Colorado. Their schedule is also pretty soft going into November, so they might be able to keep up their winning ways for a while, but the crash back to earth is inevitable.

Toronto is tough to get a handle on... they haven't beat anybody all that good and lost to the better teams but they are winning. Confidence goes a long way just like the Sens.

I still think Toronto crashes and burns at some point.

shabbs wrote:Leafs host the Pens on Sat night and then visit Ottawa on Sunday. Pitt has been off to a roaring start as well. Hopefully the Sens can build on the 4 game winning streak...

Sens will have a little more time than usual -- 3PM game the day before. Leafs will probably take the bus into Ottawa after their game in Toronto, while the Sens will fly in after their 3PM game in NYC. I'd say advantage Sens -- assuming they charter, they should be in Ottawa by 9 and sleeping in their own beds at a regular time. The Leafs will likely arrive in Ottawa around 3AM. Here's hoping for a nice OT and a loooong shootout.

Now, would the team travel on game day in a situation like that? The game can easily go to 10:30 without OT, and close to 11 with OT and shootout. I could see them not getting on the bus until close to midnight, then a 4 hour drive to get to the Brookstreet. They could be in bed as late as 4:30. Would it make more sense, then, to stay in TO overnight and travel in the morning?