Important dates

Well, it's a Friday, the day before the traditional day for Hockey Night in Canada (when in season, of course).  So it's significant most weeks between October and June but today, Friday, July 20th, 2012, we have a special event to celebrate. 

What are we celebrating?  We're celebrating this.

Cake for everyone!

Sens need to spend to get to the Cap floor!

Looking at what the suggestions are for the Sens lineup in the fall I used CapGeek.com to pull together the numbers.

FORWARDSMilan Michalek ($4.333m) / Jason Spezza ($7.000m) / Jakob Silfverberg ($0.900m)
Guillaume Latendresse ($2.000m) / Kyle Turris ($1.400m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($4.875m)
Colin Greening ($0.817m) / Peter Regin ($0.800m) / Mika Zibanejad ($1.744m)
Erik Condra ($0.625m) / Zack Smith ($0.700m) / Chris Neil ($2.000m)
Bobby Butler ($1.050m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Methot ($3.000m) / Erik Karlsson ($6.500m)
Jared Cowen ($1.265m) / Sergei Gonchar ($5.500m)
Chris Phillips ($3.083m) / Mike Lundin ($1.150m)
Mark Borowiecki ($0.610m) /
GOALTENDERS
Craig Anderson ($3.188m)
Ben Bishop ($0.650m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $53,190,000; BONUSES: $2,025,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $17,010,000


The cap floor is set at $54.2 million.

Mats Sundin: Hockey Hall of Famer

It's been a while since anybody has posted here at BoO. Will anybody even come by to read this?
I sure hope THM does.

You see, THM and I have been arguing for years about the HHOF and whether Sundin or Alfredsson or both (or neither) would or should get in. As expected, I traditionally argued Sundin should and Alfredsson should not. THM argued the opposite.

Obviously the day has come when one side of this argument has been won.

Mats Sundin is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. First Ballot, just to make sure he clearly deserves it. That ends the speculation on one front. But perhaps the argument will never end and in about four or five years we will see if Alfredsson will follow in his captain's footsteps in ways that he never did in his NHL career. My opinion still stands. If it took four years before Pavel Bure finally got admitted, it's going to take a lot longer for Alfredsson. If ever.

Despite the fact that the HHOF has the population of a small town worth of players who have not won a Stanley Cup, many fans out there think that a player should have won the NHL's ultimate trophy for their names to be idolized at Yonge and Front St.. Certainly a Stanley Cup helps, but people forget that there are many names on the Cup who don't deserve to be in the HHOF. So why can't players be in the HHOF who have never won a cup? It's not the Stanley Cup Hall of Fame, for those keeping track.

What it comes down to, for me, is this: was Mats Sundin a special player? Sundin was that, and more.  A trail blazer for his country, the best player to ever come out of Sweden when you tally up all the stats and of course the first taken 1st overall in the NHL draft. Sundin over his career scored more game winning goals than Wayne Gretzky or Steve Yzerman. He is 2nd all-time in overtime goals. He's part of the 500 goal club, 33rd all time in assists (well ahead of many HHOF players), and holds most of the records for one of the oldest hockey clubs on planet earth.

But why am I selling Sundin? He's already made it in.

The only question left now is will Daniel Alfredsson get into the HHOF some day?

THM, in the next decade or so might possibly have his day, like I am now.
Or, as I suspect it, he never will.

Burke WTF

So, here we are at the end of Rnd 1 and just watching LA winning and looking forward to tomorrows game, and for some reason the words of Burke come back to me:

Not to get in in the eighth spot, get your ass kicked 

Brian, how about getting into eighth spot and kicking ass?

A gift from a loyal reader....

King Karlsson

How can you not put this guy in the list for the Norris!

Memories

Remember when Burke was the best executive in the NHL?

Remember when the Leafs' Top-6 was so good Kadri couldn't make the team?

Remember when the Leafs' D-corps was so good the Toronto defense was the deepest in the league?

Remember when Francois Allaire was going to make the Leafs' goaltending tandem the best 1-2 in the NHL?

I remember.  Do Leaf fans?

Notice: registered commenting & an upgrade to the newest blogger template are in the works so things may do some funny things for a while until the bugs are worked out.  Patience is a virtue (unless you're Brian Burke, then you'll make major changes to impress rather than making well reasoned changes to build a foundation for a long-term successful club)

Help me. Help you.

Whattya say we cheer for each others teams tonight?

Hear me out.

Leafs beat the Bruins and the Sens beat the Lightning has implications for both teams.

Toronto passes Tampa Bay and sits in 11th.
Ottawa move within 2 points of the Bruins.
Wouldn't it be nice to win the division Ottawa fans?

Lets make a deal. I'll keep swallowing back my own puke as I cheer for Spezza to score and you do the same for Kessel?

It would also be really nice if the Rangers, Detroit and Carolina could beat the Flyers, Devils and Caps. But if I had to choose one, I would take a Capitals loss which would put the Leafs tied for 9th, with 16 games to go, and still a game in hand on the Jets.

Not that I'm scoreboard watching or anything...

Welcome to the Randy Carlyle era.

Interesting what is coming out now that Wilson is gone. 

Carlyle's immediate assessment is that the Leafs are not fit enough to play to their strengths, which are speed and forecheck. Allegedly, Wilson's practices were quite light, giving the players Sunday off every week so long as there wasn't a game. His gameday skates were optional and about 15 minutes (can you imagine driving to the rink, getting dressed, tying up your skates, for 15 minutes of shoot-around?).

Carlyle cancelled the Sunday "day off" and took the players through a 45 minute hard skating practice. He also wants to change the defensive system, which, according the what I've been reading, under Wilson the d-men were coached to cheat to the outside in order to pick up pucks and transition to offense faster. If anybody was reading, this was my issue with Wilson just days before he was fired, that the d-men seemed set-up to go on offense instead of focusing on defence. Excuse me while I shine my knuckles on my shirt!

Also, Burke admitted in the outgoing press conference that him and Ron Wilson had their differences on how gritty the team should be, that Burke preferred a more rough and tumble style than Wilson, a brand of hockey that Carlyle prefers. It has also been reported that former norris winner Carlyle has focused much one on one time with his defenceman, namely Phaneuf, Komisarek and Schenn. What has been said in those aside scrums, who knows, but if I had to take a shot in the dark, it might be Carlyle reiterating his tough defence-first strategy and asking these players to do what they all do best, which is to play meaner back there. All three of these players have that skill and it would be welcomed by this particular Leafs fan. 

So, the major questions that remain:

1. Does Carlyle have enough time to implement a new system or at least change some aspects?

2. Is Jay Rosehill really enough added toughness to get this team meaner as Carlyle would like?

My 2-cents on those two questions is 1. Maybe and 2. No.

NHL Power Rankings for March 1, 2012

All of the major NHL power rankings are now out; each is the first of the post-deadline segment of the season.

Some surprises!

BoO Power ranking summary (click for larger image)

Yahoo rankings are live and based on fan voting, there appears to be no in-house ranking.

No surprise that Ottawa is held static or improved, though I think Ian Mendes may be in charge at Sportsnet.

What *is* surprising is that ESPN's Pierre Lebrun has indicated that Toronto has improved in the time between rankings.  Sure, he had no idea of what would happen Tuesday or Wednesday night this week, but c'mon.... is he really the only journalist on the planet blissfully unaware of what is happening in TOR?

Here are the links:

TSN
Sportsnet
ESPN
FOX
Yahoo!
CBS Sports

July 21st, 2012

July 21st will be a special day around these parts to be sure. Why you ask? Well, it will be the day that this counter will hit 3000!

Rarely do NHL teams hit such milestones and fans should start to understand the consistency that it takes to make it there! Can they reach the top of this table in a few years? We can only hope.

75/25

Just over 3/4 of the season is over and tonight the teams of the BoO have begun the last 1/4 of their respective regular seasons.  Each is playing their first game after the trade dealine that saw very little action on the actual day.

In Toronto, the 4th member of Hanson, Ashton Kutcher Carter is Mmm Boppin' on the bench somewhere in Toronto (is he a Marlie or a Leaf?) while "the next Pronger" Keith Aulie is happy he has squinty eyes -  Sooo much sun in Tampa.  Maybe he's made the trip to a Ft. Lauderdale bar to watch the Leafs battle from being down 2-0.  2 goals on 2 shots to open the game.   Good work, Mr. Allaire.

Ottawa is currently up 1-0 on Boston, despite Sportsnet starting out the broadcast with a 1-0 scoring for the Bruins. Ottawa's new acquisition, Matt Gilroy, is playing alongside Chris Phillips. New goaltender Ben Bishop has reported to Bingo where he'll right that ship before getting a shot with Ottawa next week (per Murray & Murray).  So far, tough guy Corvo hasn't gone after 38lb lighter Kyle Turris despite threats to do so.

Enjoy the rest of the games, folks.  Sens fans are wondering if Ottawa can beat Boston after losing 8 in a row.  The trending answer (courtesy of self-promoting THM on @StraightFromTHM)

#YesSweCan

Deadline day

It's not like we need another Trade Deadline thread on the internet, but here's a good place to mock each team's pickups or inactions.

One week ago, Leaf's GM Brian Burke indicated that he was very displeased with the Nonster and Jesus's choice in net.  A few days later, Ron Wilson hung out Jo'Gus' to dry instead of reflecting on his coaching abilities.  Leaf Nation finally started listening to THM and wondering if Francois Allaire was culpable in the shit goaltending of the team.  In brief, the answer to that question is "yes".

Across the aisle -- or province -- Ottawa was relatively silent on the trade front and absolutely zero noise had been made with respect to goaltending. 

So the Leafs were vocally in the market for a goalie; Ottawa was not.  Then top BoO goaltender Craig Anderson's dinner bit him back, with a chicken causing him to slice his blocker hand and and lacerate a ligament.  Verdict:  Out 2 to 8 weeks.  Lehner was recalled and the Auld-Lehner era began.

But wait.... the Leafs continued to tell everyone they were looking for a goalie.  The Sens clearly needed insurance in net.

So what happened?  The Leafs still talked.  And talked.  And talked.   Then, on Sunday morning, they still talked.  And while this continued, Brian Murray announced the Senators 2013 2nd round pick was headed to St. Louis in exchange for 6'7" giant goaltender Ben Bishop, the top performing goaltender in the AHL and a consensus NHL ready 'tender.   The hockey world reacted in shock that the Leafs did not appear to have more than a 2nd rounder to send to St. Louis.  One figures Leclaire will be in the blue and white soon.

In response to the acquisition of Ben Bishop, the Senators star goaltending prospect (Calder Cup MVP) Robin Lehner let in a stinker at 0:49 of the game v. the Isles.  Then he proceded to earn the 1st star of the game with an extremely solid performance.

14 hours remain
As of the publishing of this post, there are just under 14 hours left before trade papers can be faxed to NHL headquarters.

Will the Leafs land a goalie?  Will Nash end up in a Leaf jersey and Kadri play out the next several years on another AHL team?  Or will the Leafs take on the projected role of the Senators and start thinking 6/49?  Burke's personal trade deadline has been gone for a while (or so he tells people, as he likes to do).   Are the Senators done moving players or will we see more movement from the only BoO GM who puts his job before his mouth? 

What did Bryan Murray have to do with the Cup Winning Ducks?

Every couple of weeks or so at BoO, some Sens fan reminds everyone that Bryan Murray built the Stanley Cup Winning Ducks team and not Brian Burke. Burkey, they will tell you, simply walked in, poured a coffee,  and watched Murray's roster get him his first cup ring.

I beg to differ.

Here is a look at Bryan Murray's contributions to the Stanley Cup Winning Anaheim Ducks.

THE DRAFT

Bryan Murray watched over three NHL drafts for the Ducks from 2002 through 2004. 

*In 2002 Murray drafted Joffrey Lupul in the first round, who would later be traded by Burke. 

*In 2003, the deepest 1st round of the modern era, Murray picked twice: Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Then in the 8th round, Shane O'Brien was drafted. O'Brien would play 62 regular season games but zero in the playoffs. No other players in that draft are of note. 

*In 2004, no player drafted by Murray had anything to do with the cup winning team, which may be expected it being so close to 2006/2007. 

Result: Twenty-Five players were drafted by Bryan Murray in Anaheim. Only Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry played a role in the Ducks playoff run. 

TRADES AND SIGNINGS

Bryan Murray made 7 trades during his tenure as GM in Anaheim. Here is complete list of players acquired (for full list of players to go the other way, see Murray's wiki page).  

Petr Sykora, Mike Commodore,Jean-Francois Damphouse, Igor Pohanka, Sandis Ozolinsh, Lance Ward, Rob Niedermayer, Alexei Ivanov, PetrSchastlivy, Martin Skoula.

Result: Only Rob Niedermayer played a playoff game for the cup winning Ducks. 

BRYAN MURRAY SUMMARY

Three years, 10 players added by trade and 25 draft picks, and in the end, of the 28 players who played in at least a game for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2006/2007 playoffs, only 3 of them came from Bryan Murray. 

Do we still think that 3 players out of 28 constitutes "architect"?

Reimer hoping new mask turns things around

I'm not sure he's on the right path but whatever works I guess. Hat-tip to the Globe.

The almost Pronger trade Vs. The maybe Nash trade

Nobody will ever know how close John Ferguson Jr. was to trading Tomas Kaberle and Alexander Steen for Chris Pronger the summer of 2006.

One thing for certain is that many Leaf fans thought the price was too high. An all-star defenceman and a (so we thought) budding NHL star in Steen, the Leafs in the end did not make the rumored deal and I count myself in the group at the time who was very glad it didn't happen. 

How wrong we were. 

Yesterday Damien Cox wrote a story about Jake Gardiner being the player coveted by Columbus as the centerpiece in a trade package. I got that same feeling as I did nearly 6 years ago. The voice in my head:

"We can't possibly trade Jake Gardiner. He's going to be a superstar".

Gardiner right now is the highest scoring rookie defenceman in the NHL. He is giving every indication that he's a star in the making, his minutes and production rising as the season grinds on. I would rather trade any 2 of our prospects together than Gardiner right now. 

From a pure business standpoint, it would be a no brainer to trade Gardiner. You look at asset management and it goes like this. Toronto sign Francois Beauchemin as a UFA giving up zero assets. Toronto then trade Beachemin for Lupul and Gardiner. If you're doing the math, that means Toronto have acquired an all-star forward heading towards 80 points and a bluechip rookie d-man, without giving up any organizational assets (other than some salary for Beauchemin during his tenure).

To then move a package similar to those two players for Rick Nash, you can see that the whole thing is working out pretty good for the long-term health of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

So why can't I shake this sick feeling in my stomach?

Again. 

Mr Overrated, meet Mr Intimidated.

It's these small things that make life so special.

Mats

Special nights for Leaf fans have come seldom over the past 40+ years. The odd playoff round clincher here, glimmer of hope there, a win to stop us from fully bleeding out.

It's a franchise that has not won anything significant in a long time. And for that reason, tonight's honoring of Mats Sundin is even more important.

On many nights during his 13 years as a Leaf, Mats Sundin was the only thing fans had to cheer about. You could always count on him to do something special. To score a goal when the team needed one. To make a pass with the clock ticking down. To represent the emblem on his shirt and the C over his heart with dignity.

In the past week a lot of media and bloggers have jumped on the greatest  memory wagon to carry them to this Saturday night. I'm going to do the same.

Flames @ Leafs, October 14, 2006. My best friend and I, in the 4th row, right behind Kipper, the game tied. Most know what happened next. But for those who don't recall, Mats Sundin scored his 500th NHL goal. In overtime. The game winner. A hat trick.

Man, did I tell that story to anyone who would listen for the next week.

Whether the highest scoring Swedish player of all-time will one day become a Hall of Fame member, we've had this discussion a million times here at BoO. Personally, I think he will. But for tonight, it's not about the HOF, or whether he's a better captain and player than Daniel Alfredsson, which is where this conversation usually travels on this blog.

It's about the Leafs giving honor to a player who absolutely, without a shred of doubt,  has earned it.

Thanks Mats.

BoO time!!

Man, no time to do this proper but had to put something up before the puck drops.

Both teams are healthy and both obviously need the win! Should be a great tilt!

See you later in the comments...

Kadri v. Turris II

We've already compared failed Cup guarantees from BoO captains (no comment from Leaf fans on that whole episode), so now it's time for an update on Kadri v. Turris I.

A few things to note:  both have slipped in PPG, +/- and FO% (it was too much trouble to segregate Turris' PHX v OTT FO%, so we'll leave it as is).  Turris, however, has increased his category lead count to 8 by adding a goal, and a realbeauty off a feed from Alfie against Boston.

It is going to be very interesting to see the progression of former 3rd overall pick Turris, and guaranteed Calder Trophy winning Kadri (theme!)  over the next few games. 

Oh wait.