Leafs Nation Report (Toronto) – The 2006-2007 rendition of the Blue and White have shown great promise thus far as the OTHL season nears its third All-Star game. With 45 games under their belt, the Leafs boast a 23-18-4-2 record, which is good for fifth in Eastern Conference and third in the Northeast Division behind Boston and Ottawa.
With the game just around the corner, Brendan Shanahan has been the only player to have been selected from Toronot to participate in the All-Star game. The 38 year old has been nothing but spectacular for the Blue and White, providing leadership and timely goals for a young team led by a young captain.Much has changed since opening day. Management has made a total of seven transactions, including three waiver claims.
Transaction Recap
Toronto Eric Lindros & 4th NYR 2007
NY Rangers Marcel Hossa, Krys Kolanos, Lauri Korpikoski, Jay Harrison
General Manager Jason Yu was very eager to have this transaction done prior to the start of the regular season. However, New York and Toronto were far apart from a deal and it took several weeks to get the the deal done. After the deal was made, Yu’s integrity was questioned by critics for the price of Eric Lindros. “We feel that when Lindros is on his game, he can still be one of the league’s best,” defended Yu. “We talked to his agent, his father, and he has said that he was very interested in playing in Toronto after his current contract was up. So he was very happy to hear that we were interested in acquiring him.” With the deal, Lindros has provided much veteran experience to the forward core up front. He will provide added toughness with scoring powress. Contract talks have already begun between the two sides and it is expected to be a long term deal. “We are very optimistic about him re-signing with us. We think we can bring him back to his elite self that he was in mid nineties.” Currently, Lindros has 30 points in 41 games with 13 goals and 17 assists and is a +2 in +/- category.
Toronto Andrej Meszaros, Kyle Chipchura, 3rd TB 2008
Tampa Bay Matthew Lombardi, Taylor Pyatt, Christian Ehrhoff
Perhaps the most controversial trade this year in the OTHL thus far. In terms of public attention, this trade draws comparison to last year’s trade with Pittsburgh that saw Jeff Carter, Robert Nilsson, Mark Eaton and Marek Schwarz for Marc-Andre Fleury, NoahWelch, and Krystofer Kolanos. Many critics felt that much was given in order to obtain the services of Meszaros as it was with Fleury. “We were very comfortable with the trade and still am,”said Yu. “We got a bright young defenceman that we feel can build a championship around and we get a solid leader in Chipchura who is very much like Stoll. We see Kyle with similar characteristics.” There will be much pressure on young Chipchura to perform with the Lombardi, Pyatt and Ehrhoff all emerging into their own this season. On the other hand, Meszaros is currently playing on the top line pairing with Jiri Fischer and his play has been quite disappointing thus far with a team worst -5 in +/- category. Worse yet, after 36 games, he has only 12 points, with 3 goals and 9 assists.
Toronto Toby Petersen
Pittsburgh 4th NYR 2007
The previous two transactions had caused severe depletion to the once forward depth. As a result, Yu acquired journeyman Toby Petersen for a mid range pick that was obtained in the previous trade with New York. In the five games thus far, Petersen has yet to produce a point.
Toronto Raffi Torres
Detroit Brad Isbister, Noah Welch, 3rd TOR 2008
Raffi Torres had always been a favorite of Yu and being a Toronto native, it was no surprise to see Torres finally arrive, with Welch, Isbister and a draft pick over to Detroit. Torres will play the role of hard-hitting energy pest not seen since the departure of Darcy Tucker. Torres will also be relied upon to provide some necessary offense. He will also have the opportunity to play with former Canadian World Junior teammate Jarrett Stoll. “He is definitely one of the players we look forward to having. He will provide us some needed jump during games and will be a good compliment to Shanahan on the left wing.”
Toronto Oleg Kvasha
Colorado Mark Hartigan, 7th TOR 2007
The final trade in 2006 season for the Blue and White involved the acquisition Oleg Kvasha. Yu acquired a solid veteran in Kvasha, with some scoring potential. “We felt the price was right to get him,” said Yu. “We think he’ll play well with Antropov. They’re similar in character and with Arnason playing alongside, there should be some good chemistry.” Kvasha has been putting up points since his trade to Toronto. Do not be surprised to see Kvasha becoming a prominent player in the second half of the season for the Blue and White.
Waiver Claims Jason Doig, Scott Ferguson & Luke Richardson
Scott Ferguson was the first pickup for the Toronto Maple Leafs and provided consistent play when in the lineup. He initially played on the 3rd pair line with Kurtis Foster. However, with the recent pickup of Luke Richardson, he has been a healthy scratch. He has played 31 games thus far, is a + 1 to go along with his 1 assist.
Jason Doig has been a steady rock playing alongside Garnett Exelby since being picked up from waivers. However, he has missed the past three games due to a groin injury. He will return to play on the third pairing line playing alongside Luke Richardson. His solid steady veteran presence has provided a solid pickup for Yu and continues to impress management with a stellar +11 in the +/- column.
The latest pickup through the waiver wire has been veteran Luke Richardson. Richardson returns for a second stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thus far, he has been thus far a steady presence for the team and currently pairs up with Jason Doig on the third line. In 18 games thus far, he has 1 goal and 4 assists in five games. However, it is his defensive responsibilities that head coach Pat Quinn will be relying on in the second half of the
season.
Outlook
This year’s Leafs have been a much improved. The team had has much depth with the acquisition of Tyler Arnason and Matthew Lombardi in the offseason As mentioned earlier, Lombardi has departed along with Taylor Pyatt. Lombardi and Pyatt are having a breakout seasons with Tampa Bay. However, the core continues to play defensive responsible hockey. The additions of Kvasha and Lindros provide veteranship for a rather young inexperience group. Stoll continues to prove he is emerging to become one of the league’s best captains. However, his success cannot be partially accredited to Brendan Shanahan. The 38 year old Mimico native is proving why he is still one of the league’s premier power forwards amassing 24 goals thus far. Of one great surprise is the play of rookie Steve Bernier. Despite playing mostly on the fourth line for the entire season he has scored 13 goals and 16 assists thus far and is a solid plus 9 in the +/- category. It has tied him for 3rd in rookie scoring. Many question head coach Pat Quinn’s decision to continue to have the Quebec native playing so few minutes and are worried about Bernier’s development. Nevertheless, if he continues to flourish, Quinn may be forced to play him on the top two lines.
The weakest link to the team still remains the defense. However, through the waiver draft, Toronto has been able to pick up some solid veterans in Richardson, Ferguson and Doig. Although some consider these pickups non-significant, they may prove valuable for Toronto’s stretch drive for the playoffs. For the time being, they have helped solify the top six positions. It has helped the team greatly and allowed young Matt Greene to play in the minors to further develop his skills. Like Bernier, Kurtis Foster continues to shine in his rookie season. Throughout most of the season, he has played alongside Garnett Exelby and is only second to Exelby in the +/- category at +14. At the same time, he has scored 24 points that is best among rookie defenceman. He will be relied on in the second half to continue his outstanding performance as the Leafs continue to fight for a playoff spot.
Thus far, Toronto has relied on the steady goaltending tandem of veteran Ed Belfour and young and upcoming Marc-Andre Fleury. Belfour continues his stellar play, backstopping to a 16-12-1 in 25 appearances. He has a respectable 2.75 GAA and a .903 sv pct. Although theses numbers may seem average, do not let them fool you. He remains still the most important player to the team, leading in star points with 46. Although he does not even rank in the top five of any goaltending statistics, he is playing behind a very weak defensive core that can claim only Jiri Fischer and newly acquired Andrej Meszaros as potential top four defenseman material. The remaining group of Garnett Exelby, Jason Doig, Kurtis Foster, Luke Richardson and Scott Ferguson has played sufficiently to win games. However, with the second half of the season yet to played, general manager Jason Yu should be worrisome as to whether the present squad can uphold their quite remarkable feat to squeeze into the playoffs.