I've blogged for quite some time about soccer. That is, 'football' for the purists (read: elitists). I am taking a break from blogging about the beautiful game and have decided that my second-biggest sporting passion deserves a little bit more of my attention.
In opening this account and blogging my ideas, I think it is only fair to start with a bit of a preamble. I am a Toronto Maple Leafs fan/supporter/follower. They are the club I grew up with, the team of my father and the team that I will watch until the day that I die. Having said that, I have certain clubs, players and coaches that I happen to have an affinity for and so you'll sense a certain favouritism to them on some occasions. I'm terrible at hiding my biases so don't hold that against me as you read.
I don't care much about being added to a blog roll, to a news agency that promotes other armchair managers and their thoughts. I've done this sort of thing quite successfully since 2006 and I'm planning to continue without self-promotion or aggrandizing what this truly is: one mile of blogged text, in the middle of a million miles of cyber space.
It's the day after the trade deadline, and in NHL terms it means that the business end of the season is well and truly upon us. Most teams have been playing as if each game leads towards the championship, and for some teams that's the way it has to be.
The Leafs have a kind of 'purgatory' style standing at the moment: not close enough to the playoffs to be seriously excited, and not so close to the trapdoor at the bottom that leads to Boston getting a top five draft pick in the lottery, come June.
I'm happy right now because it looks as if Brian Burke has the club on its way to being a powerhouse again in the Eastern Conference. I think it'll lead to major success because he's building Toronto in the mold of a Western Conference team, with Eastern Conference flair. I think it'll make us a tough proposition to play against. Dale Tallon is doing the same with Florida, and the blueprint has this team defensively robust, with most players able to go two ways, and loads of drafted talent and undrafted college prospects.
Burke is a smart guy, and not unlike my favourite football club in England, they are led by a man who has a proven track record and someone who is well respected in his sporting community. 'In Burke We Trust' is written on the mantle at the moment.
With some players leaving and optimism about the UFA market for the coming summer, I think we may see some players who are currently mired/stuck/learning in the Marlies at the moment. We can't see too many as the rule past the trade deadline is that no more than four players can be brought up and sent back down. There are a few that deserve a look based on their play and their stats.
I'm not sure what's going to happen to Nazem Kadri this year, but his initial inclusion was a mistake. Last year, he had a great camp and then wasn't included, hurting his confidence. This year, he had a poor camp and then found himself inserted into the lineup and it didn't go very well, hurting his confidence. Burke probably felt that he was damned on both sides, and sent him down for the remainder of the season. At 6 feet and 180 pounds, he'll grow a little bit and gain some muscle training with the pros, and return to the club in the fall with a new lease on life. He managed 6 assists in 17 games with the big club, and was sent to the Marlies to be their star offensive player. In 37 games, he's got 36 points -- very good numbers at that level. He's also got an even +/- rating, which bodes well for his two-way game.
He's a centre which is a position where we are particularly weak. I'd like to see him up this year to fill in for John Mitchell, who has just departed for the Rangers. If he can put up 10 points in the final 20 games, he'll earn himself a place for next year on at least the third line.
Fabian Brunnstrom is another interesting piece of the minor league puzzle. He rode into Texas as one of the highest European free agents of recent times, and managed to do pretty well with 29 points in 55 games. Dallas would have thought he'd do better the second season in the league, but instead his production fell to 11 points in 44 games. In the minors this year for Texas, he scored 21 points in 37 games, which isn't bad but with his talent and skill set it should be more. For the Marlies, he's managed just 9 points in 20 games. He's a +4 for Texas, and a +4 for the Marlies too, meaning that at least his lines have been decent defensively. He's a left winger, someone to take a look at for the 3rd or fourth line next year.
Mike Zigomanis is somewhat well-traveled. He's played for Carolina, Pittsburgh, Phoenix and now Toronto. His numbers aren't terribly impressive, but it's his intangibles that bring success to his game. At the minor league level, he's just about unstoppable, compiling 119 points in 128 total games over the course of nearly 5 seasons. In 192 total NHL games, his totals are underwhelming, with only 40 points. His penalty killing and face off abilities are what keeps his value as a hockey player, and frankly I'm surprised that he hasn't been used more often this year. He's a free agent this summer, so if Burke wants him he should get on it! This year, he's got 40 points in 55 games for the Marlies.
Luca Caputi? Yes, he still exists. He hasn't been as effective as Burke would have hoped, however that's likely due to injury which has limited him to 7 games for the Leafs and 11 games for the Marlies. He was such an offensive juggernaut for all of his youth teams and even in the minors for the Pens organization, it seems unlikely that he'd move to Toronto and somehow fade off the map. With size and skill like his, it's only a matter of time until he starts to show his skills on the big stage. Another play that, when healthy, could really make an impact. Important to remember that he's 6 foot 3 with a 200 pound frame, and that's going to make him a little bit imposing even at the NHL level. Perhaps Burke is looking for a little more truculence?
Christian Hanson is another centreman that needs to find his scoring touch at the top level. He's managed 6 starts for the Leafs this year, not finding himself on the score sheet. However, at the minor league level he's been very good. The last two seasons, he's played 86 games and managed 61 points. This year, he has managed 30 points in 48 games, down a little bit from last year. At 6 foot 4, he's got size on his side as well and at 228 pounds he should be punishing opposing players.
Okay, well that's all for now. If the Leafs are truly going to make a run, they have to start with a win tomorrow night against Pittsburgh, a team who are in the playoffs and need to get some more healthy bodies in their organization. The Pens were exposed last time around as defensively inept, but the Leafs allowed them back into the game and let their explosive forwards take over the game.
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