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Post by shanye on Feb 18, 2013 10:45:16 GMT -5
Turning a New Leaf Captain Dion Phaneuf, during Thursdays frustrating loss to the Red Wings The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't had a lot going for them recently. The Leafs are 53 out of 82 games done this season, 65% of the way there, with a disappointing 22-23-8-0 record. The Leafs sit 21st in the league with a measily 137 GF and 162 GA. The Leafs seem trapped again in no man's land. Not with enough young pieces, or high draft picks to do a traditional rebuild, but not enough core player and depth support to be a playoff team. Something had to change eventually, and this morning it did. The Leafs opened up the GM position and hired a former PTPHL GM in Shayan Majidy. Majidy has around a month till the trade deadline, and only 19 games to go to turn this team into a playoff team, or beginning the rebuild. In response to a potential rebuild GM Majidy said. "If by rebuild, you mean tank, no we're not. We're going to keep adding good young players that can make our club more competitive. We're probably not in a place to try and add some 35 plus year old veteran to push us over the top, or mortgaging the future for a short term fix, but we're going to add a few pieces where we need them to try and be a winning team for this season, and from this point on ward. It might take time, we will need more than one season, but we'll see." The Leafs sit 8 points out of the playoffs with 19 games to play. Captain Dion Phaneuf was asked about their playoff chances. "We put ourselves in a bad place, we know are dependent on other teams falling for us to be able to make it, which isn't great. We could get 12-7 or 13-6 to finish the year, after playing .400 hockey all season and still not make it. So we need to play our game, push hard, and hopefully some bounces will go our way." - Phaneuf Reimer had to add "It's hard, we put ourselves in a spot where we're closer to being a bottom five team than a playoff team, so hopefully things can change from here. We have to stay positive." Feb 17th
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Post by shanye on Feb 18, 2013 18:01:57 GMT -5
Tyler Bo-lstering The Third Line Tyler Bozak celebrates one of his 6 goals in the last 7 gamesA lot has changed in the life of Tyler Bozak over the past seven games these last three weeks. He now has a shiny new 5 year 4 mill per contract, he went form playing on the 1st line with Kessel and Lupul, to playing with Lup and Kulie on the 3rd line, and to top it off he has 6 goals and 10 points in his last 7 games. "Obviously something has clicked, I haven't had a streak like this in my career before, but right now Lup and Kulie are playing hard, winning a lot of puck battles, and I been in a good spot to bury the puck and hopefully we can keep it up. We're not very happy with our last three games, and we can't afford playing games like that when we're pushing to get into the playoffs." - Bozak Another leaf who has been lighting it up since getting a new extension is fellow centermen David Steckle. Steckle has 3 goals and 8 points in the last 7 games, something unusual to the usual non scoring forward. "Well, I had what, like 17 points this whole season, 8 of them came in the last 7 games, the other 9 came in the first 42 games, so it's been a big change. I sort of had two good games, I got 4 pts in one, then 3 pts in the other, so yeah, it's been fun." - Steckel What's more surprising is Steckle is currently being used in the 4th line C spot, and is still racking in the points. Steckle has had some PP time though, where he has 1 goal and an assist. Despite the recent success of Bozak and Steckel both should exchange line up changes coming soon, the team came off a 4-0 streak of the hiring of GM Majidy, only to fall 1-2 in the next three games. Which means changes to the lines are coming. JVR will be coming back to the Leafs roster soon and should be able to help, Kadri has also been promoted but has struggled, with 1 point and a -2 in 7 games. "Kadri will need time, he's getting better, the points will come" - Wilson At the leafs last practise they rolled a set of lines of... MacArthur - Kadri - Kessel Lupul - Bozak - JVR Which has some wondering if this means Grabovski may be on his way out? The rumors will only heat up as we approach the trade deadline. Feb 18th
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Post by shanye on Feb 18, 2013 18:10:01 GMT -5
More, More and More-gan Rielly Morgan Rielly at a drop in Leafs practiseThe Toronto Marlies have recently called up former 1st round pick Morgan Rielly from the WHL. Morgan Rielly has been adjusting to the pro game fast and it's shown in his minutes played. Morgan leads the team in ice-time playing on the PP, PK and 1st pairing. "It's been exciting for me, I been learning a lot and trying to soak it all in, I'm looking forward to helping this Marlies team win." Rielly. When asked about if he's distracted by trying to get a spot in the NHL. "Nah, I'm 18, I got time. Right now they have a team up there pushing for the playoffs, I'd love to be part of it, but we have a good team here to, a lot of good young guys and we're trying to win games. My focus is that, get better, get wins and one day down the road I can hopefully get my chance in the NHL." Many found it surprising Rielly spent so long in the WHL after being drafted, many scouts thought he was AHL ready. "I definitely thought he was ready" Said GM Shayan Majidy. "He's an elite talent, I don't know why the last GM didn't give him a chance, but I did and I'm glad it's paying off." Morgan Rielly has been playing regular minutes with fellow prospect Jesse Blacker. "Rielly has a lot of speed, great vision, super confident, no doubt in my mind one day he'll be in the bigs. Hopefully I can be there with him" - Blacker. The Marlies have also had some impressive play by fellow prospects Joe Colborne, Carter Ashton and Brad Ross. The Marlies core will receive a boost as well next year with the additions of Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy. "I been lucky to get so many great young guys to work with here in the Marlies, and we're all on the same page here, trying to get a competitive team, our vision is the AHL, our goals are here in the AHL, we want to win championships just as bad as those guys up in the bigs do." - Dallas Eakins. Feb 19th
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Post by shanye on Feb 18, 2013 18:47:13 GMT -5
Laten-adressing a Need Latendresse goes through two quick changes to land in TorontoThe Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens connected for a series of deal, non as controversial as the Latendresse deal. The struggling maple leafs traded away their top ten 1st round pick, along with high end prospect Greg McKegg for the 25 year old forward. "We traded a lot of young assest for him, the price was steep. We traded a 1st round pick, someone who is currently 17-18 years old, and Kegger who is 20, so we're adding some years in age here in taking Guy. But we looked at our club and saw we needed some more size, we needed a legit two-way talent, Guy is that man for us." - GM Majidy Rumors are that the leafs could go with a line up of Latendresse - Bozak - JVR, a line which should be able to play sound two-way hockey. "I don't know where I'll be playing, thats not up to me. Where ever I'm put I'm going to play my game, going to play hard, and hopefully help this team get into the playoffs." - Latendresse. "Playing with JVR would be a lot of fun, we're very similar players, same style, same size, both wingers, so I think it'll be easy to know where he is and how to give him the puck. Tyler Bozak has been on an amazing streak, I think he's been well over a PPG this last month, so I'm sure only good things will come from playing with him." "Yeah, coming back from injury, getting a chance to play with Bozie again will be amazing. He's been hot and I'm lucky to get to be on his wing, hopefully I can play well enough to stay there. Having Latendresse play with us, is going to be a huge boost, he's a big guy, skilled, he's going to be a great touch." - JVR "Yeah, it'll be a bit of a change of what I'm use to, Lupul/Kulie are both guys who aren't small but Lats and JVR are huge, and are fast guys, so I'm looking for to having them on my wings. Hopefully we can make a strong 3rd line together." - Bozie. "But again, honestly nothing matters right now but winning games, what ever wins us game and lets us get into the playoffs." Feb 20th
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Post by shanye on Feb 18, 2013 19:03:17 GMT -5
Defensive Jones Coverage Local boy Mike Jones joins the Toronto Maple Leafs and signs long term The Toronto Maple Leafs made a move out of left field, trading leaf staple Clarke MacArthur, for defensive forwards and goons Ryan Jones and Matt Cooke. The Leafs and Jones wasted no time, signing Jones to a 5 year, 1.2 million per contract with a NTC clause. Jones isn't your typical player who gets a NTC but the Leafs are looking to build a more defensively responsible hockey club. "We're looking to be able to play a more shutdown game, we want to be a team that is able to put up 3-4 goals against the leagues top teams, but also a team that feels like it can lock down top teams to 1-2 goals. We think that starts in net, but it's everyones responsibility on the ice to make sure we're not being scored on and Jones does that well." - Majidy Jones is 6'1 and just over 200lbs, not a large man, but not small either. Jones skating and ability to play large minutes is limited, but playing a shut down role with fellow defensive forwards might be something he could do well in. "It's a different role than what I'm use to. Usually I play 4th line, against other teams goons and knock bodies and fight, but to play against the Malkins and Crosbys of the league and try to shut them down, thats exciting, something I'm looking forward to being asked to do." - Jones Jones and Steckle both signed now for five years will likely be spending a lot of time on the ice together. Both defensive specialists who aren't small. "Jonesie is an agressive guy, he's physical, he's smart, I'm glad we can be playing together, and I hope somehow the two of us together with who ever else is on our line can help push our team into a playoff spot, thats the ultimate goal right now, we need to play good hockey, and we need to be able to do our part." - Steckel
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Post by shanye on Feb 19, 2013 13:50:56 GMT -5
BIG-osian Changes for The Leafs New York native Zach Bogosian joins young Leafs Blue line The Toronto Maple Leafs have been on a 6-1-3 streak since Majidy took over the club, earning 15 out of a possible 20 points over that span. With things going so well for the Leafs club, you would think a block buster deal was the last thing GM Shayan Majidy would be looking for, wrong, Majidy did just that last Sunday night. The Leafs sent out #1C Grabovski, winger Nikolai Kulemin and defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson to the Jets for defensemen Zach Bogosian, depth forward Jim Slater and depth defensemen Gragnani. The leafs also recieved a Jets prospect in the deal. The news came as a shock to the players traded, but other may have saw this coming. "I was shocked, we were playing well here, winning games. I didn't think i would be traded, but it is what it is, I'm going to a great franchise with a great GM who wants to have me." - Grabovski Nikolai Kulemin who has spent his whole career in Toronto as the longest serving Maple Leaf refused to comment on the deal. "Even when you're winning some games, you're still not playing perfect hockey, if we were 10-0-0 of coarse I wouldn't of made this deal, but we're 6-1-3, we're lucky we squezzed out some extra points in OT games, but we haven't been playing to the level we need to be pushing for a playoff spot." - GM Majidy "Some players weren't making the effort we needed of them, we tried them in different spots, and this deal made a lot of sense for us." The Leafs blue line will take a massive boost, at the cost of their top six taking a hit. Bogosian will likely slot on the top pair with Dion Phaneuf, while Gardiner will move to the second pair with Mike Komisarek, leaving Liles and Finger together on the third pair. Gragnani is still injured and will be joining the leafs in two weeks, likely taking Fingers spot on the 3rd pairing. The top six may have lost two regular forwards, but with JVR returning to the line up any day now, and the addition of Rene Bourque from MTL, the top six may be able to plug the gaps. The main issue being not currently have a #1 C. While the team is confident Kadri will continue to develop into the roll, he's not yet in a place where he can be manning a #1 line, of a team desperate to move up the standings. Rumors have swirled that Kessel might make a move back to C and Kadri going to his wing, this has yet to happen in any practices. In the middle of this massive block buster, Latendresse is quitely acustoming himself to his new leafs team mates, and will play his first game Sunday in San Jose. "The guys have made me feel really comfortable here. Dion called me up the night I was dealt and told me he'd show me around the city, he's a great guy, great leader, made me feel a lot more comfrotable. I've gotten to know Bozie a bit better, and have practised with him, it looks like me him and Rene are going to be playing together to end the year. I think we got some good chemistry going and I'm pumped up to play. I've been injured for the last month so just getting back on the ice is going to be great" - Latendresse Bogosian's plane had yet to land, and was not available for comments. But he will likely dress for the Leafs this Sunday in San Jose as they face their toughest stretch of the season as they try to climb themselves back into playoff contention.
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