Leafs demote Kadri and Aulie

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that forward Nazem Kadri and defenceman Keith Aulie have been sent to the American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies in order to make room on the roster as forward Colby Armstrong and defenceman John-Micheal Liles rerturn to the lineup for the second game of a back to back with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last night was one of the best games of the year as Pittsburgh battles hard from a 4-1 deficit to force overtime with Fluery pulled and less than a minute on the clock in a game Toronto should have dominated but a superb effort in the third saw Pittsburgh force overtime and later a shootout.

Kadri was the second shooter for Toronto as he skated out with his team allowing a goal on the previous Penguins attempt. The pressure was on Kadri but he was unable to beat a solid Marc-Andre Fleury and the third shooter Phil Kessel also failed to score going wide of the net with a backhand that sent the Pittsburgh crowd abuzz as they watched their Penguins steal a game that many though was over.

It was an attempt that may well haunt Kadri as he now finds himself demoted to AHL. He played very well and made the most of this opportunity and it's not a stretch to say his next call up will be his last as Nazem has greatly improved his game and is no longer considered a liability because of flashy moves leading to turnovers.

With the trade deadline comes speculation and the wheels are spinning as rumours swirl that Toronto is pursuing big centerman Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks and Columbus' Jeff Carter. Many believe both deals are within grasp but any deal likely sees the Leafs overpaying from a position of strength which is Torontos defense core. Blacker, Komisarek, Aulie and the big fish of the group budding shut down defenceman Luke Schenn.
Whether the Leafs are able to hash out a deal remains to be seen but GM Brian Burke has a love for the flashy move and has shown before he will pull the trigger on a deal if it makes his team better.

JVR out with concussion

Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren announced today that big power forward James Van Riemsdyk is out indefinitely after taking hits to the head in consecutive games.

Van Riemsdyk reportedly felt off, felt as though something wasn't right and tests confirm JVR suffered a concussion at some point. James has been linked heavily in trade speculation with the Toronto Maple Leafs with the suggested return being big bruising defender Luke Schenn.

Philly before the draft traded then captain Mike Richards to Los Angeles in exchange for Wayne Simmonds and Lukes younger brother Brayden Schenn so the appeal of uniting them in the city of brotherly love is quite the thought for a Flyers fan base that has seen defensive stud and team captain Chris Pronger shelved for the remainder of the season.




Let's all hope for a speedy full recovery for JVR. With him being available it will certainly make this years trade deadline interesting to watch as Holmgren has shown he is always a willing player in the trade market.

Leafs show fans some love

The Toronto Maple Leafs held a fan appeciation night tonight. I love seeing fans getting the recognition they deserve, especially Toronto fans who are among the best fans on earth and support the team through thick and thin.
Without players pro sports would not exist and without fans pro sports could not function properly so it's nice to see players really put on their good guy hats, suck it up and just entertain the fans by signing their merchandise and in the case of Toronto tonight putting on a show with scrimmages and various fan entertainment.
The ticket prices for leaf games are crazy but Toronto remains a very classy organization regardless. Players being welcoming and willing to be there so everyone has a good time is a great way to gather support. It draws in fans and allows them to feel a connection to the players they watch on a game by game basis. I applaud this approach and the fans appreciate it.

Vancouver @ Toronto 7pm ET

                                    To think people had doubt in their minds

Toronto dropped a 5-4 decision to the Sabres last night as the penalty kill did not show up once again. It's becoming an ugly story and one that could cost people their jobs. Carolina centerman Tim Brent was a fearless player who did everything he could to crack the leafs lineup. He played the penalty kill he won face offs he blocked shots and put up the odd point when needed. His pay off? Being replaced by Phillipe Dupuis who has turned out to be a dud. With no points and centering a line on the (As of last night) 30th ranked penalty kill I think it's time to make a change. With a lot of youth and grit playing for the first place Marlies in the AHL why not demote him?

Vancouver is on a eastern swing and dropped a 4-3 decision to the Hurricanes last night. Expect Vancouver to come out aggressive trying to shake off a game they should have won last night. Luongo is expected to start so a lot rides on which version shows up tonight.

Prediction

Vancouvers skill proves to much for Toronto. 3-2 Canucks.

Leafs vs Sabres @ 7:30pm (ET)

                                                              Miller is the Sabres.

Buffalo (15-12-3) vs Toronto (16-11-3)
It's a rivalry Leaf fans love until they realise Buffalo isn't playing their back up tonight . Ryan Miller is a thorn in the side of so many franchise he sports the number of teams on his jersey. He brings a battle level which allows him to make third and fourth saves on chances where other goalies are beaten on the initial rebound. All the cash Buffalo has thrown out to Leino to Ehrhoff to Regehr all goes out the window if Miller is off his game but that doesn't happen often enough.


The problem for Miller is at the moment while those players thrive off of his abilities, Miller is without the key support he is used to going into this game and the team is riding a two game losing streak(Rangers and Senators). Lindy Ruff has to make do with what he has and going against an inconsistent team like Toronto he might have enough tricks up his sleeve to get it done as he has in the past.

For Toronto the key is special teams. Toronto is 29th on the PK but fifth on the PP! While the functional PP certainly has helped the team to it's 16-11-3 record as a Leaf fan you have to wonder where the team would be if the PK was on par or atleast in the top ten. Toronto is going to take off if they get special teams figured out sooner rather than later but history teaches us it's not likely so hang in there Leafs Nation.

James Reimer looked good against Carolina but then again who doesn't? He is 1-3 since returning from his head/neck injury which seen him miss 18 games. I'm not completely sold on the kid yet. He had a nice start to the season but we didn't get a big enough sample. Does he return to form or is the rust to much to shake off? He certainly has the defense to get the job done but the penalty kill is no ones friend in Toronto right now.


Projection: Miller keeps Sabres in the game but a fairly healthy Toronto squad proves to be too much against the reeling Sabres. Toronto wins 4-2

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Maiden Voyage

Bringing the hammer down on the new blog... Actually that's a Sabre player Luke, not my blog...

I am a sports nut. I much like yourself, Wake up in the morning and check the news. Check results. I look at the schedule to see which games deserve a look. I plan outings to sports events. I check my mobile constantly. For this I feel I have found my passion. The one thing I never grow tired of. HOCKEY!


Starting today I plan to review analyze and dissect the world of hockey. Starting out it's just me. So I will try to cover as many stories as I can with what I've got.

About me.
I'm a Toronto Maple Leafs fan who can name nearly every roster in the league off the top of my head so while I may show bias when talking about the Leafs I will cover other teams as fairly as I can with the odd heated review and opinions.

What you will read about here.
NHL
I will try to cover all teams in some capacity with in depth review on the team I know and love most.

FHL
I am going to cover the local team The Akwesasne Warriors of the Federal Hockey League. It's a league in it's second season trying to find it's way in less dominant hockey markets.

The league consists of The Akwesasne Warriors(Defending champs from the inaugural season) The 1000 Island Privateers(Playing out of Alexandria Bay NY) The Brooklyn Aviators (Brooklyn, NY) The New Jersey Outlaws (Wayne, NJ) The Danville Dashers (Danville Illilnois) The Danbury Whalers(Danbury, Conneticut) and The Cape Cod Bluefins(Barnstable, Massachusetts)

My hope is to drum up local interest in teams. I attend every Warrior game and some 1000 Islands matchups.

Please comment and let me know what you would like to see. I would be happy to analyze.