Good Break
Peca's broken leg is good news considering there is not serious ligament of structural knee or leg damage, he is expected to make a full recovery, when is the only question that remains.
Just before I was about to put up a post explaining how important Peca is to this team, Crack, his season is done, and maybe the Leafs are too. Peca is an irreplaceable force on this roster. Although his point production was not great, Peca was easily the best pure “hockey player” this organization has seen at center since the likes of Gilmour. He had the grit, the will and determination, outstanding hand eye coordination, and most importantly the hockey smarts to enable him to be put against a top scoring line. Peca used all these tools on the ice, utilizing his reputation when trying to pass on this philosophy to his teammates, his presences verbally seemed just as, or maybe more important then his physical presence at this stage in his career. A veteran leader on a young team is extremely valuable, let us hope Peca stays close to this team even during injury, so if in-fact he does come back, his message will be carried out throughout the year.
GM JFJ has some work to do, this injury puts the Leafs in a position to place Peca’s 2.5 million on the shelf and replace it with another salary. Before this occurs, there is the option of returning Nik Antropov to center. I say this even before returning Wellwood to center because of the gaping hole we have at a defensive center position. Earlier on in Antropov’s career, he was known for his defensive abilities in shutting down the top centers on opposing teams. The Keith Primeau example is probably the best, during a playoff series with Philadelphia; Primeau was playing his best hockey while embarrassing Sundin on draws and play, this continued throughout the series until Quinn matched Antropov against him. Antropov’s tools enable him to successfully shut Primeau down; the only downside is it takes away from his point production. Due to the fact this team needs goals, I’m sure this defensive role will be left in the hands of Stajan, and if he can not handle this role, it may be time for Stajan to go.
Ian White, leads, or is among the top 3 rookies in ice time. Why? Ian White continues to be the 4th man on the PP. Why? Ian White is the 5th option for PK. Why? With a team that struggles defensively, why is it that the Leafs are using this time to try and break this kid into the league over Bell. It has to do with maturity, demeanor, or some other capabilities because all I can judge is how they look on the ice, and by far Bell is the better fit for this team. Between Bell and White there is a slight difference on the ice, I can say that White does push up more, but Bell is far more talented to do so himself. Skating, stick handling, and passing are Bell’s strong points and have been throughout his career, these are the tools missing when White is paired with Gill and are the root cause to the problems that this combo have faced.
Colaiacovo’s return should also mean his return to the PP and PK. It is game 6 into his return and this should mean more minuets and increased responsibility. Not only are they sticking with White, but they are rewarding him when I feel we should return him (while we still can safely) to the minions and go with Bell and Belak on D.
5 on 5
Kubina Kaberle
Colaiacovo McCabe
Bell Gill
Kubina Kaberle
Colaiacovo Gill
Bell Belak
(with McCabe at W)
In the spirit of questioning the coaching, I still wonder while Maurice feels inclined to break up chemistry when he does not need to alter pairings. The first example I will use is breaking up the Antropov/Wellwood/Ponikarovsky line with the return of Sundin. This was the beginning of the 7 game loosing streak, and while I do not disagree with returning Sundin to action as soon as possible, why not find a new line for Sundin to create on his own, seeing as how he is more then capable of doing so. Maurice did this again last week putting Sundin with O’Neill and Battaglia, when both 92 and 33 were playing so well with John Pohl. Suglobov, in both cases should have found his way next to Sundin, the Leafs need this guy to get settled into the NHL.
Lastly, before I conclude my Christmas post, Saturday night was one of those nights as Sundin scored back to back goals 14 seconds apart. The Leafs came up short due to the fact the only other forward to match his intensity was Suglobov, and no they never saw the ice together, a move that would give the opposing team fits defensively, making it seemingly impossible to contain both at the same time.
man i may be drunk
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
Just before I was about to put up a post explaining how important Peca is to this team, Crack, his season is done, and maybe the Leafs are too. Peca is an irreplaceable force on this roster. Although his point production was not great, Peca was easily the best pure “hockey player” this organization has seen at center since the likes of Gilmour. He had the grit, the will and determination, outstanding hand eye coordination, and most importantly the hockey smarts to enable him to be put against a top scoring line. Peca used all these tools on the ice, utilizing his reputation when trying to pass on this philosophy to his teammates, his presences verbally seemed just as, or maybe more important then his physical presence at this stage in his career. A veteran leader on a young team is extremely valuable, let us hope Peca stays close to this team even during injury, so if in-fact he does come back, his message will be carried out throughout the year.
GM JFJ has some work to do, this injury puts the Leafs in a position to place Peca’s 2.5 million on the shelf and replace it with another salary. Before this occurs, there is the option of returning Nik Antropov to center. I say this even before returning Wellwood to center because of the gaping hole we have at a defensive center position. Earlier on in Antropov’s career, he was known for his defensive abilities in shutting down the top centers on opposing teams. The Keith Primeau example is probably the best, during a playoff series with Philadelphia; Primeau was playing his best hockey while embarrassing Sundin on draws and play, this continued throughout the series until Quinn matched Antropov against him. Antropov’s tools enable him to successfully shut Primeau down; the only downside is it takes away from his point production. Due to the fact this team needs goals, I’m sure this defensive role will be left in the hands of Stajan, and if he can not handle this role, it may be time for Stajan to go.
Ian White, leads, or is among the top 3 rookies in ice time. Why? Ian White continues to be the 4th man on the PP. Why? Ian White is the 5th option for PK. Why? With a team that struggles defensively, why is it that the Leafs are using this time to try and break this kid into the league over Bell. It has to do with maturity, demeanor, or some other capabilities because all I can judge is how they look on the ice, and by far Bell is the better fit for this team. Between Bell and White there is a slight difference on the ice, I can say that White does push up more, but Bell is far more talented to do so himself. Skating, stick handling, and passing are Bell’s strong points and have been throughout his career, these are the tools missing when White is paired with Gill and are the root cause to the problems that this combo have faced.
Colaiacovo’s return should also mean his return to the PP and PK. It is game 6 into his return and this should mean more minuets and increased responsibility. Not only are they sticking with White, but they are rewarding him when I feel we should return him (while we still can safely) to the minions and go with Bell and Belak on D.
5 on 5
Kubina Kaberle
Colaiacovo McCabe
Bell Gill
Kubina Kaberle
Colaiacovo Gill
Bell Belak
(with McCabe at W)
In the spirit of questioning the coaching, I still wonder while Maurice feels inclined to break up chemistry when he does not need to alter pairings. The first example I will use is breaking up the Antropov/Wellwood/Ponikarovsky line with the return of Sundin. This was the beginning of the 7 game loosing streak, and while I do not disagree with returning Sundin to action as soon as possible, why not find a new line for Sundin to create on his own, seeing as how he is more then capable of doing so. Maurice did this again last week putting Sundin with O’Neill and Battaglia, when both 92 and 33 were playing so well with John Pohl. Suglobov, in both cases should have found his way next to Sundin, the Leafs need this guy to get settled into the NHL.
Lastly, before I conclude my Christmas post, Saturday night was one of those nights as Sundin scored back to back goals 14 seconds apart. The Leafs came up short due to the fact the only other forward to match his intensity was Suglobov, and no they never saw the ice together, a move that would give the opposing team fits defensively, making it seemingly impossible to contain both at the same time.
man i may be drunk
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
posted by LEAFER at
6:00 PM
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