Do The Leafs Need A Veteran Goalie??
With the trade deadline next Wednesday, the Toronto sports talk radio stations were buzzing about whether or not the Maple Leafs need to acquire a veteran goalie. Tuesday there was all kinds of talk about the Leafs going after Miikka Kiprusoff. That was squashed that evening when it was reported that Kiprusoff would not report to a new team. But the discussion continues.
While it may make some sense to acquire a veteran, the question becomes who is available and at what cost? In the beginning of the season, there was plenty of talk about trading for Roberto Luongo. Where would the Leafs be if they made that trade which may have required Toronto to part with Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and more. There was a suggestion that the Leafs should look into acquiring Nikolai Khabibulin but at what cost?
The Toronto young goaltending tandem of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens have played a part in bringing the Leafs very close to securing a playoff spot for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. What I find interesting is the criticism that is heaped on these two youngsters. Every goal allowed is dissected and heaven forbid there is a bad one. Has Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy or Henrik Lundqvist ever let in a bad goal?
As Coach Randy Carlyle has said over and over, the goalies need to give the team a chance to win. Based on that expectation, Reimer and Scrivens have succeeded. For that reason, I don't believe that the Leafs need to make a move on a goalie. It would seem to me that the team would be much better off trying to acquire another veteran defenseman or an accomplished forward who have some playoff experience. If the Leafs are able to maintain their success in penalty killing and not forget the need to be defensively responsible, James Reimer and Ben Scrivens have shown that they can handle goaltending duties.
Tonight Toronto takes on Carolina at the ACC. The Hurricanes have had the Leafs number this season but will be without goaltender Cam Ward. Carolina is 0-4-1 in their last five starts. This is a game that the Leafs must win to solidify their playoff position, particularly with an upcoming schedule that includes at Ottawa on Saturday, Philadelphia at home on Thursday and at New Jersey on Saturday April 6th. The following week the Leafs will have a back-to-back series with the eighth place New York Rangers.
Puck drop is 7pm.
It’s Time To End The Shoot Out
Kudos to Red Wings GM Ken Holland for raising the issue of dropping the ridiculous skills competition known as the NHL shootout. What other major sport uses a skills competition to decide the outcome of a team game. Just imagine NFL games decided by placekickers kicking field goals and the one who made it the furthest away from the goal posts wins the game. Or how about baseball having a home run derby to determine who wins a team game. It's totally a joke and another one of the outcomes of Gary Bettman's reign as Commissioner of the NHL.
Holland proposes that if a game is tied after the first 5 minutes of 4-on-4 overtime play, the two teams would play another 5 minutes 3-on-3. This proposal is much better than the current set-up but I want to take it two steps further. First, at the end of the first overtime, teams would change ends resulting in a longer line change which could certainly result in a goal being scored. Secondly, the team that wins in overtime gets two points the losing team gets zero. If after both periods of overtime the score is still tied then both teams would get a point.
What do you think?? Let me know at tonytalkssportsblog or on twitter @tonytalkssports
Leaf Nation Chill Out
After the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 loss last night against the Winnipeg Jets, members of Leaf Nation and the Toronto media were pressing the panic button big time. The Leafs have lost three games in a row for the first time this season and people are convinced that we are going to have a repeat of last year. Let's examine the three losses.
The first loss was at the hands of the Boston Bruins in Boston. The Leafs lost 4-2 with Boston's last goal being in the empty net. In watching the game, the Leafs never quit and in fact could have rolled over when Boston went up 3-1. I venture to guess that last year's team would of rolled up in a ball and died. When that game ended, I was proud of the effort that the Leafs put out that night.
Loss number 2 was against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the ACC. The Leafs came back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Leafs traded chances with the Penguins in overtime and lost in the skills competition known as the shootout. The NHL is the only major sports league that determines wins and losses by a skills competition but that is for a post on another day. The Leafs got a point in a game that they twice battled back from a 2 goal deficit. Once again, I was happy with the effort.
Last night, loss number 3 was the worse loss the Leafs have suffered since they lost to the Canadiens at the ACC. The turning point was their inability to score on a 1:53 2 man-advantage. Bad line changes and terrible defensive zone coverage led to an embarassing loss against a team that is not better than Toronto.
So what does this all mean? Well, the way I see it we will find out a lot about this edition of the Leafs over the course of the next two games. In listening to Toronto radio today, the Leafs shouldn't show up tomorrow against the Penguins. But, the Leafs beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh and we saw what happened Saturday night. The Leafs can win tomorrow and they can win against the Jets on Saturday night.
The Leafs need to make some changes in my opinion. Jake Gardiner needs to be brought up immediately. As I have stated many times, Gardiner is a special talent. He has the ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone, the ability to make the quick pass and will be a huge difference on a power play that needs help. The other change I would make is move Mikhail Grabovski on the first line with Phil Kessel and James van Reimsdyk. Tyler Bozak would go on the new third line with Nikolai Kulemin and either Jay McClement or Leo Komorov. The new second line would be Nazem Kadri with Clarke MacArthur and Matt Frattin. Randy Carlyle must also limit the amount of ice time that the fourth line receives.
The Leafs also need to spend less time trying to create fighting opportunities and more focus on taking the body creating an aggressive forecheck. The power play needs some changes. Along with Gardiner coming up, Carlyle needs to mix things up. Have Grabowski center JVR and Kessel with the 2nd unit being Kadri with MacArthur and Frattin. If MacArthur or Frattin don't go to the net then put McClement, Komorov or Kulemin out there to screen the goalie. You might want to consider moving Dion Phaneuf upfront with Franson and Gardiner at the point.
As far as the goalies go, it drives me nuts when Leaf fans start calling for Roberto Luongo. Last night, I would only fault Reimer on one of the 4 goals. Other than that, he was hung out to dry and the first Jets goal was a lucky deflection off the body of Nik Antropov. The Leafs can make the playoffs with Reimer and Ben Scrivens. If they don't make the playoffs, they will get a good draft pick in a deep draft. So Leaf Nation, take a deep breath!! If someone told you before the season that the Leafs would be in 6th place at the halfway point of the season would you have been surprised?? I think so.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering who will be the next quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, here is what's on my mind this evening:
* The Cleveland Browns signed Ravens outside line backer Paul Kruger to a 5 year deal. Kruger is suppose to be the pass rushing linebacker that the Browns have been looking for. While many are praising the signing, I'm wary of the fact that last season was Kruger's best. It also was his walk year and he was surrounded by an all-star filled defensive unit. I hate to be negative but has anyone heard of Mario Williams. Ask Bills fans about him.
* For the life of me I am totally besides myself over the signing of Desmond Bryant. The Browns strength last year was their D-line. Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin were solid for the Browns. Why do they need another D-tackle. Questionable signing as far as I'm concerned.
* In case you haven't noticed, the New York Knicks are in trouble. With Amare Stoudamire out for 6 to 8 weeks and Carmelo Anthony less than 100%, the Knicks need to get some consistent play out of Raymond Felton and JR Smith. They also need to utilize Chris Copeland more. The way things are going, the Knicks will have a hard time getting out of the first round.
* Rather unfortunate that Niagara's basketball team was knocked out of the MAAC Tournament. They are a very young team and should be a contender once again next year.
* With the release of Ryan Fitzpatrick, does this mean that the Buffalo Bills will draft a quarterback in the first round or will they acquire a veteran like Matt Cassel??
* Chicago Bears made a nice signing in acquiring tight end Martellus Bennett, formerly of the NY Giants. He should be a great weapon for Jay Cutler.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs probably turned in one of their worse performances of the year in a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Leafs team defense was abysmal and the turning point of the game was with the Leafs down 2-1 they had a 1:53 two-man advantage and could not score.
* Critical questions for Coach Randy Carlyle: 1.) When will Jake Gardiner be called up? Leafs could use his offensive talent particularly on the power play. 2.) Why not put Mikhail Grabovski with JVR and Phil Kessel?? Would leave Tyler Bozak with Nikolai Kulemin and Leo Komorov. 3.) Who plays goal Thursday against Pittsburgh??
* Is it true that Brian Cashman is reaching out to Wade Boggs and Scott Brosius to see if they will come back and play third base??
Gotham Geezers
I nearly fell off my chair at work today when I saw on twitter that Brian Cashman was going to reach out to Chipper Jones to play third base. Jones' agent quickly indicated that his client had no desire to play baseball, even though it would be nice to put the Pinstripes on. But it didn't stop with Chipper. It has been reported that Cashman is now reaching out to Derek Lee and Scott Rolen. Maybe the Yankees figure if they can sign a few more geezers maybe they can get Social Security to pay for some of the salary.
If this doesn't illustrate the depth of mismanagement of this organization I don't know what does. Scott Rolen will only come if he gets guaranteed playing time. Derek Lee?? Really?? The Boss must be rolling over in his grave. Brian Cashman should be fired. He has totally screwed this season up. Some will say, "how could he predict the injuries to Granderson & Teixera." He couldn't but he could have had depth players ready to fill in if necessary. He had Jayson Nix, Juan Rivera, Matt Diaz, and now Ben Francisco which makes up the weakest Yankee bench in a long time.
If Hal Steinbrenner wants to believe that the Yankee farm system will provide cheap talent to keep this team winning then why not give Ronnier Mustelier a shot at third base. The kid can hit and I would rather have him there than the ancient Rolen. I would also rather see Zolio Almonte play over Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera. The Yankees would be no worse off going with these two kids for a month.
This is the perfect opportunity for the Yankee organization to come clean and say we need to rebuild for the future. Of course they believe that won't fly with a fan base that has been fed the corporate crap that the season is not a success unless they win a World Series. As a Yankee fan for 50 years, I can take a rebuilding season. I've suffered through many. But what I can't take is the propaganda which tries to make us believe that this team has a shot at winning their division and being world champions.
Get ready for the 2013 season for the Gotham Geezers!!
Leafs Fight Hard To Earn A Point
Being down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins after the first period, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to be blown out of the ACC. But the Leafs turned things around in the second period and tied the game late in the third to earn a big point before losing in the shootout 5-4 to the Penguins. Randy Carlyle deserves full marks for making line-up changes heading into the second period when he moved the Grabovski line against Sidney Crosby's line and moved Tyler Bozak's line against Evgeni Malkin's line. Carlyle moved Jay McClement on Grabovski's line and put Leo Komorov on the 4th line. The other big move was pairing Cody Franson with Dion Phaneuf.
James Reimer over came a rough first period and made some critical saves particularly in the third period that gave the Leafs the opportunity to tie the game. Reimer also had a huge save on Crosby in overtime. James van Reimsdyk was a physical presence as he gave Marc-Andre Fleury fits all night, parking himself all night in front of the net which resulted in his 14th goal of the season that got the Leafs on the scoreboard. He also leveled Evgeni Malkin in the third period that sent Malkin to the bench for the rest of the game.
Phil Kessel tied the game late in the third and he also had 2 assists. Kessel was flying in the third period. The Leafs outplayed the Penguins in the third period and in the overtime. They also had 2 power play goals and killed off all 4 of the Penguin power plays, including a 5 on 3. An unsung hero was Jay McClement. He was a force on the penalty kill and he really was aggressive on the forecheck particularly when he was re-united with Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.
Tonight was a clear indication that this team is quite different from last year's squad. In a week that they faced New Jersey, Ottawa, at Boston and Pittsburgh, the Leafs earned 5 points out of a possible 8. The point tonight was huge, especially with the way the game started.
The Leafs are next in action Tuesday at Winnipeg, at home against Pittsburgh on Thursday and close the week out at home against Winnipeg.
The Beginning Of The End & Changes For Tonytalkssports
Tomorrow it will be official: Mariano Rivera will be retiring at the end of this baseball season. How fitting that with the 2013 season looking to be one of the worst in recent Yankee history, Major League Baseball's greatest relief pitcher is ready to call it quits. It's rather unfortunate that the team he plays for has done nothing to put itself in a position to get another World Series title for him.
The Yankees made a conscious decision to let Russell Martin, Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez leave the Bronx. While one can make an argument that this was the right thing to do, the problem is that the Yankees did nothing to replacement these players. You see they believed that the team had enough firepower to still win. Well, they didn't count on Mark Teixera and Curtis Granderson to be out of action until mid-May. By that time, it may be too late.
I will be shocked and stunned if the Yankees make the playoffs this year. I'll go one step further, it may be a stretch for them to win more than 85 games. The person I hold responsible for this is Brian Cashman. He has done absolutely nothing to provide quality depth for this team to sustain injuries which will take place when you have the oldest team in baseball. In addition, the farm system that he heads up is years away from producing any bona fide major league ball players.
Yankee fans get ready for the worst season that this team has had since the late 80's. Smugness and arrogance reigns supreme in the Bronx and it will be interesting to see how long it will take to wipe the smugness off the faces of Levine, Trost and Cashman.
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Because of my work responsibilities, posting in the morning has been increasingly difficult. So starting this evening, my new posts will be published in the evening. Tuesday's Thoughts will continue and will be posted Tuesday evening. I am also going to dedicate a day each week to comment on either the Yankees, Maple Leafs, Browns or Knicks. A lot will be determined if one of the team's had a game that night. If that happens the post will be about the game.
I hope you still are able to follow tonytalkssportsblog.
More Deception From Cashman
Yesterday, a report from Tampa said that Yankee GM Brian Cashman will be dropping out of an Army airplane continuing his role as the daredevil general manager of major league baseball. The day before Cashman did some more dropping as he told the media that the Yankees have made a substantial offer to Robbie Cano. Cashman then caught himself and said he thought he was just repeating what Hal Steinbrenner had said earlier. Really??
Cano is represented by Scott Boras and the super-agent did not confirm Cashman's assertion which leads one to believe that the Yankees were playing the PR game. You see, the Yankees have made it their team policy not to negotiate during the season. They held this policy with such Yankee icons as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. They also did not negotiate before Alex Rodriguez's contract expired. Cashman will tell you that said policy isn't written in stone and any organization can decide to change.
While that may be true, this whole orchestrated announcement by Cashman reeks of trying to paint the Yankees in a positive light to the fan base. You see when contract negotiations stall, the Yankees will be able to say, "see we told you we made a substantial offer. It's that damn Boras being greedy." I'm one Yankee fan who won't buy it.
I have been complaining for awhile now that all I want is for the Yankees to be upfront and honest. If it is true that Hal wants to get the payroll down to $189 million by 2014, then they should also tell us that they are committed to a rebuilding process. From where I sit, you can't sign late 30-somethings to one or 2 year contracts and expect to continue to contend for a title. It would make more sense to let some kids play and see what they can do. While it's true that the Yankees best prospects are probably 2-3 years away, there are kids like Zolio Almonte, Ronnier Mustelier or Melky Mesa. Let them play as opposed to Matt Diaz or Juan Rivera. The results in the standings probably won't be that much different. In fact, they might be surprised that they could find a potential starter.
The problem with what I'm suggesting is that the Yankees fear that the fan base won't buy into it. Less people in the stadium. Ratings for YES would fall. That's why they re-sign Ichiro to a two year contract. That's why they sign Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner. You see the Yankees need the names to provide false hope. After all, the Yankee mantra is that if they don't win the World Series then the season is a failure. This was created by the Yankees and the fan base has bought into it hook, line and sinker.
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