Loading ...
Maple Leaf Autographs
By Chris | June 28, 2005
C $5.99
See More Toronto Maple Leaf Autographs
Topics: MYTML Announcements | Comments Off
Maple Leafs Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)
By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | July 4, 2008
The Maple Leafs are moving ahead with their rebuilding for 2008-09, with or without Mats Sundin.
In a perplexing stance that saw the franchise leading scorer refuse to play for the Leafs at $7 million a season, the Montreal Canadiens at $8 million and the Vancouver Canucks, who wanted to make him the NHL's highest paid player, the unrestricted free agent put his career on hold at age 37.
"I would like to thank all the teams who have expressed such sincere interest in my services," Sundin said in a statement on July 2. "The numerous options provided to me were impressive and I have no doubt that each one presented a unique opportunity for me to finish my career in a terrific hockey environment.
"Unfortunately, I am simply not close to being ready to make a...
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Canadian Teams Do Well? Not So Much…
By Aaron Dunn | July 4, 2008
In general, it's safe to say that Canadian hockey teams are having a bit of a rough time with free agency this year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not been able to lure any notable names at all. But many of us expected more of a buyout session than anything. Jeff Finger's 4-yr 14$ million is a bit of a burn for a guy who has played under 100 regular season games. Nicklas Hagman for 4yr 12$ million isn't all that bad.
At least both are relatively young. The trade for Grabovsky is a complete burn. Having Cujo back will certainly be interesting, but I think he will be a positive influence in their young dressing room.
Vancouver just lost Markus Naslund, so there is a major leadership void there now. So who's next? Mats Sundin perhaps? Just like Toronto, the next captain will be replacing a fan-favourite and great leader.
Calgary has maintained their status quo, but they likely would like to have Wade Redden right about now.
Edmonton has been the most intriguing Canadian team so far. Kevin Lowe has been brilliant so far, aquiring solid players in return for a few Oilers who under-achieved and just plain needed a change of scenery.
Erik Cole is what the Oilers need to accompany the likes of Hemsky and the rest of the gang - a big, fast and physical forward with good hands. He'll make some room for Cogliano and Gagner.
Ottawa hasn't done much. We all knew that Wade Redden was leaving so no huge surprises here.
Montreal made their big splash at the draft in aquiring Alex Tanguay. He didn't quite work out for the Flames, so it was a good trade for both teams, but the Habs will get the immediate payoff from that trade.
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
The $5.75 Million Dollar Question: Trading Bryan McCabe
By Michael Forbes | July 3, 2008
With 10 potential NHL ready players on the blue line, and only prospect Luke Schenn being waiver exempt, it’s clear that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to make a few moves to get down to the seven D-men they plan on carrying during the regular season.
If top prospect Schenn gets the standard nine game look and is returned to his junior team, the Leafs would be down to nine D-men.
Given the Leafs recent move towards players with more size and grit, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ian White moved, which would put the team at eight defensemen.
That leaves defencemen Pavel Kubina and/or Bryan McCabe as prime trade bait for the re-building Leafs.
Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher and Coach Ron Wilson have both openly stated that McCabe is not in the team’s plans for the upcoming season, making McCabe, despite his no movement clause (NMC), the more likely of the two D-men to be moved.
Timing
If it’s Kubina on the trading block, the Leafs have a small window of opportunity to close the deal. Kubina’s contract permits the Leafs to trade him between July 1 and August 15. After that, Kubina’s no trade clause kicks in, effectively pulling Kubina out of the trade market.
McCabe is due to receive a $2M bonus in September (his salary for this season is $4.15M+$2M bonus for $6.15 while his cap hit is $5.75M). It's likely safe to presume that most teams would be far more inclined to deal for McCabe once that bonus has been paid by the Leafs.
Cap Hits, Chemistry and Conferences
If trying to trade McCabe with his NMC wasn’t challenging enough, a look at the cap situation across the NHL quickly reduces the number of possible trading partners.
Several teams are either right at the cap max or so close to it they likely can’t take on McCabe’s $5.75 M cap hit.
Cap issues pretty much rule out: Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Montreal, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay.
Nashville, Phoenix and St. Louis have the extra cap space but are likely too constrained by internal team budgets to take on McCabe’s $4.15M salary.
Sure, the Leafs could take back hefty salary in return, but it would have to pretty much be a dollar for dollar trade with any of these clubs, and given the log jam on D that precipitated this deal it would have to be a big-money forward.
It’s difficult enough to find a trade partner never mind trying to balance out the salaries going each way, so I don’t think trades with any of these teams are going to happen (but I could be way way off on this one).
McCabe’s rather free-wheeling style probably eliminates Minnesota and Florida outright too.
That’s 17 teams out of contention. (Of course, having said that on the record, the Leafs will definitely trade McCabe to one of these teams).
Then there’s the whole issue of location.
McCabe has some personal/home life issues that have led many to conclude that he would only accept a trade to a team in the Northeastern United States.
Teams with cap space, but a west coast bias, include Colorado (still need to re-sign Sakic), Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver.
Colorado already has seven pretty solid NHL D-men under contract.
Columbus just acquired Commodore, Tyutin and Backstrom and, despite signing Huselius, still need help upfront.
The Sharks have plenty of cap room, but having picked up UFA Rob Blake, the club now has 10 D signed to NHL contracts so there’s not much room for an additional blue liner there.
Similarly, with Visnovsky and Souray under contract in Edmonton there’s little to no chance a deal for McCabe is going to happen with the Oil.
That takes 21 teams off the table.
So What’s Left?
Given McCabe’s alleged preference is to play close to home that leaves just six teams in the east as potential trading partners, two of which are division rivals.
East
Atlanta
With just five D-men under contract, the Thrashers need to acquire some. They have lots of cap space and could really use the PP help that McCabe could bring. The challenge will be finding the right return for McCabe as the Thrashers are rather thin upfront and don’t have the greatest prospect pool. It’s also not clear that McCabe would accept a move that far south.
Buffalo
The Sabres have just six D-men under contract for 2008-09 (having traded Campbell at the deadline and losing Kalinin as a UFA to the Rangers). Rumour has it that Sabres GM Darcy Regier has contacted 40 year old former Sabres D-man Teppo Numminen about a possible return (yikes) so there might just be an opening for McCabe (who has a knack for scoring last second game winning goals for the Sabres).
While the Sabres do have lots of young players to possibly complete a deal with the Leafs, they may have budget issues that are too large to take on McCabe’s cap hit. The Sabres have already committed $42M in salaries and they still have to qualify Bernier and Paille.
Furthermore, McCabe’s multi-year deal might also interfere with the Sabres’ ability to sign a slew of key players who are slated to become UFAs and RFAs in 2009-2010.
Carolina
The Canes do have about $9M in existing cap space. Unfortunately, they already have eight D-men under contract including PP guys Corvo and Pitkanen.
The Hurricanes and Leafs do have a history as trading partners, but I have a hard time seeing McCabe squeezing into the Canes blueline or under their budget.
Islanders
The fish sticks have just six D-men under contract, but more importantly, the club has only 9F signed. There may be lots of cap space in Nassau County but most of it is going to be directed to finding another handful of forwards.
There is no doubt the Isles could use some help on their moribund PP; however, GM Garth Snow is on the record as saying he wants a pick from the Leafs in return for taking on McCabe’s contract. If that’s the opening bargaining position, I’m not sure where or how you even start to build a counter offer (how about a lower draft pick?)
Ottawa
With Redden signing in the big apple and Commodore heading out west, there is a roster spot or two open on D in the city that fun forgot (or to be more precise, in the suburbs of the city that fun forgot).
The Sens do have cap room, but rumours of Boyle to the Sens might preclude a McCabe deal. I don’t see this one happening, but then again Raycroft got an NHL contract so anything is possible…
Washington
The Capitals have about $8M in cap space, but I have no idea if their budget permits them to hit the cap max. They also need to sign four RFAs to new deals and already have 7 D under contract.
The Caps do have a number of young forwards and prospects that the Leafs could ask for in return for McCabe and Washington isn’t too far from the McCabe’s Long Island HQ. I wonder if Fletcher and McPhee have much of a history together…
West
Out west there appear to be just two options…
Los Angeles Kings
The team has just four D-men under contract and a whopping $28M in available cap space. Their PP quarterback Rob Blake was just signed by San Jose so there is an opening for a guy like McCabe.
As previously noted, the Kings are likely 4,000 km too far west for McCabe. The Kings are also without a coach at the moment (can you imagine the sh*tstorm in the Toronto media if the Leafs didn’t have a coach during free agency season?) which might make it a tad more difficult to talk McCabe and his agent Pulver into agreeing to a deal here. Still, it is an option.
Vancouver
The Canucks have the cap space and the desperate need for offence that makes them a pretty good potential trade partner for the Leafs. They also need to add at least one more D-man to their roster, so they do have a vacancy on the blueline.
Having lost Markus Naslund and being such an offensively challenged club, I’m not sure they have the depth at forward to swing a deal with the Leafs. Moreover, as noted with the LA Kings, you can’t get much further away from Long Island and Toronto than Vancouver…
Life of Bryan
It’s hard to believe, but McCabe is just one season removed from being one of the top offensive defencemen in the league and two seasons removed from being an Olympian who actually got Norris trophy consideration.
Injury troubles certainly got the best of him last year and it can’t be a picnic being the whipping boy of the Toronto media (has any other athlete been called out as much by the press in this city? Has any paper ever demanded a player be traded on the front page of their paper?) but McCabe has handled all of this pressure with class.
Recent statements from Fletcher and Wilson have left little room for doubt that it’s time for McCabe to move on.
The $5.75 million dollar question is: where?
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Get It Out Of Your Systems, Show Me Your Best “Finger” Jokes!
By Adam Wright | July 3, 2008
Alright folks, since the Toronto Maple Leafs signed free agent defenseman Jeff Finger, everyone including myself has came up with all sorts of funny and amazing puns.
Immature? Maybe! But Funny? YES!
However, we can’t help ourselves. It’s like an age joke with John McCain, or a dumb blond joke with Paris Hilton. It just has to come out!
So folks, this is your chance to let it all out. Let’s get it all out of our system.
I want you all to come up with the funniest “Jeff Finger” puns or quotes you can come up with. This is your chance to sink to the lowest level possible. No shame here at all. Besides, better we do it now, so we enjoy the game when the season starts.
Now of course, I have come up with some doozies myself. Here they are!
“Finger penetrates the open zone at lightning speed”
“Finger gets him hard from behind!”
“He just got stomped by Finger.”
“Fletcher may have overpaid, but he got some Finger!”
“Finger once played with Foote.”
“Finger nails everything in sight!”
“He just got given the Finger!”
“Finger has scored short-handed”
“Finger is always in your face”
“We have a sticky situation involving Finger”
"The Toronto media is very hard on Finger"
"Finger was scratched for tonight's game"
"He's been on Finger all night!"
Alright, I feel much better now it’s out of my system! It’s your turn folks.
Show me your best “Fingering”!
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Canadiens sign D Henry, trade C Grabovski (PA SportsTicker)
By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | July 3, 2008
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Mats, your not helping!
By Lukas Hardonk | July 3, 2008
To Mats:
Mats, your not helping. There are 4 teams taking a risk on Mats Sundin right now: Toronto, Montreal, NY Rangers, and Vancouver. The reason your not helping is because all of these teams made very strong offers towards you, and can't wait another month to find out your decision because they need to know what they can do with their cap room.
Mats Sundin is basically deciding the cap for those four teams. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Leafs fan and want Mats back, but I'm not going to be his fan if he pulls a Peter Foresberg, waiting until the trading deadline to make his final decision.
The Leafs need to force a yes or no answer out of him, not a maybe, not a hold on and see, or a well I guess its going to be a long ride from here on out. But I guess that is Cliff Fletcher for you. He can never seem to get a yes or no, he is not strict enough. That is why they brought in Ron Wilson.
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Maple Leafs sign C Moore, two others (PA SportsTicker)
By Yahoo! Sports - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs News | July 3, 2008
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Toronto Maple Leafs: Day Three of 2008 Free Agency
By Lukas Hardonk | July 3, 2008
(5:25pm)
It wasn't a signing, but it was close enough.
Today, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a surprising trade with their 100 year rival, the Montreal Canadiens, and I think we all know why it's surprising. The Leafs traded a 2010 second round draft pick and the rights to Greg Pateryn (drafted in the fifth round in the 2008 entry draft) for center Mikhail Grabovski.
I believe this is a great trade for the Leafs because they get a great prospect who will probably play 60+ games for the Leafs this year and they only gave up someone who may not play for another five years and a second rounder.
Also today, the Maple Leafs resigned Dominic Moore, Greg Scott, and John Mitchell.
I like these moves by the Leafs because it will probably fill out their roster for this year. Last year, Moore was claimed off waivers from Minnesota and didn't score a lot, but I found that the team was a lot more energized with him in the lineup. He is also a great play maker. John Mitchell played all last year with the Marlies and had a great season.
Overall, it was a great day for the Leafs.
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
Cliff Fletcher is Doing Alright Considering…
By Riley Butler | July 3, 2008
I think that Cliff Fletcher is doing alright for the Leafs.
I mean look what John Ferguson Jr. left him with, all of these no-trade clauses and long-term contracts.
Brian McCabe is not doing as good as Ferguson Jr. expected he would, so now Fletcher has this five year $25 million contract with a no-trade clause on top of that.
The move that put Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft in Colorado was really good. Tucker was barely doing anything for the Leafs anyway and Andrew Raycroft was good at keeping the bench warm and that was about it.
Ron Wilson was hired as the new head coach, which was another very good move by Fletcher. Paul Maurice obviously wasn't doing a whole lot of good for the Leafs considering they didn't make the playoffs both years he was head coach.
Topics: Maple Leafs RSS Feed | Comments Off
« Previous Entries