RUMOUR #2  Rumour of a Toronto – Vancouver proposed trade sending Mason Raymond to the Buds has surfaced. Raymond is a 6-foot, 185-pound winger who would fit in well on the Buds 3rd line. He has the speed for their run and gun offence. Is this a priority. Not likely. In my humble opinion I’d pass unless he could be picked up for the likes of Colby Armstrong. Raymond’s cap hit is $2.6M so the Buds would create a bit of cap space.

RUMOUR #3The Buds are interested in Derek Brassard of CBJ. If the fire sale is truly on in Columbus the 24 yr old center has potential and was eyed by Burke previously. At 6’1″ 200 lbs he could add size to a smallish Leaf forward group. Although risky, in my opinion, a straight up swap for Kadri might be the ticket.

RUMOUR #4  The Leafs are interested in Sam Gagner Edmonton Center. He might be an able replacement for Mikhail Grabovski who appears to be on his way out.  Although he’s been on a hot streak lately the Oilers might move him for one of the Leafs extra D-Men. In my opinion a good offer would be Keith Aulie or Cody Franson.

RUMOUR # 5 GM Brian Burke is still interested in James Van  Riemsdyk of the Flyers. Van  Riemsdyk suffered a concussion earlier this month but is back skating & close to returning to action. When this rumour first surfaced (before the concussion)the thought was that the Buds were ready to exchange D-Man Luke Schenn to the Flyers for Van Reimsdyk who is the kind of top 6 power forward Burke is looking for. Van Reimsdyk is signed for 4.25M for 6 more years, while Schenn has a $3.5M contract for another 5 years. If I was the GM of the Leafs I’d throw Kadri into the deal in hopes of clinching it. At this time Philly has picked up 2 D-men and I doubt if Schenn would suit their plans.

Rumour #6The Leafs are interested in Rick Nash Columbus Blue jacket captain However Nash has a no trade clause. Not only that he carries a $7.8M cap hit until 2018. The big center would be a great addition to the Leafs, just the type of player Burke is looking for BUT the cost would be prohibitive. Rumour has the Leafs sending Schenn, Komisarek,Grabo and Kadri to aquire Nash and Kristen Huselius who becomes a UFA next year. Trust me folks this ain’t gonna happen.

Rumour #6 Update: Columbus has put out the FOR SALE on Nash. At this point 5 teams are said to be on his short list. (He has a No trade contract). One of the teams is the Buds. If I were BB my offer would be Schenn, Kadri, Kulemin, Colborne, Gustaavsson & a 1st round pick for Nash and Mason.

Rumour #7 The Leafs are interested in Ryan Getzlaf C Anaheim Ducks 26 yrs old 6’4″ 240lbs. Just the type of Center Burke would sell his soul for.

The Offers (supposed) Bozak, Kadri, Schenn and Joe Colborne.

2nd Offer…Kulemin, Schenn, Brad Ross and a first round pick.

Reason it won’t happen… The Ducks would be crazy to accept either offer. Both too little. If I were Burke I’d add Kulemin to the first offer.

Rumour #8The Leafs are interested In Dustin Penner 29 yr old Forward LA Kings. he certainly has the size (6’4″ 240 lbs) that Burke likes and has a history with Burke. He has played poorly for the Kings scoring only 5 times in 43 games. He will be an UFA next year. The Buds would only need to pay a portion of his $4.3M contract for the balance of the year. As a rental the cost would be minimal Potential cost…3rd – 5th round draft pick or mid range prospect from the Marlies.

Rumour #9The Leafs are interested in Bobby Ryan  Anaheim Ducks forward. He would be just what the doctor ordered for the Leafs. The 22 yr old forward has the size (6’2″) and scoring ability that Burke is looking for. He has a cap hit of $5.1M for the next 3 years. If the Ducks look like they’ll miss the playoffs he might become available. A number of teams are watching developments… Rumour has it that he could be had for a first round pick.

My opinion on what to offer and why… If the Ducks are looking to trade Ryan and reduce salary at the same time the offer needs to reflect this… My offer would be 4 young players ( Kadri, Franson, Frattin & Colborne) and a 1st round pick. {roughly a $4.5M cap hit}

Rumour #10The Leafs & Hawks Cooking up Deal: Rumour - Mike Komisarek for Rostislav Olesz and Bryan Bickell.  Olesz is currently playing in the AHL  and is owed 8.25 M over the next two years. Bickell has a cap hit of 545K.                                           Komisarek has a cap hit of  $4.5M per yr for 2 years.                                                   Not sure if this is the kind of deal Burke would do unless he has other big things on the go and needs the cap space. (Malone).                                                              I’d want a 2nd & 3rd thrown in before I’d do it.

Rumour #11 The Buds have an interest in trading for Travis Moen of the Habs. Moen is 6’2″ 205 lbs and a gritty energy type 3rd liner. He has a cap hit of  $1.5M but would be a rental as he’s a UFA next season. He also has lingering injury problems these days. At this time I’d pass on him. In the summer he might be worth a look depending on price.

- El Puncho

First, the Toronto Maple Leafs crew does a fantastic job with pregame ceremonies. Tonight was Canadian Forces Night honouring our brave men and women who serve our wonderful country. Approximately 500 members of our armed forces had the opportunity to attend the game. I would like to thank all of our men and women for their bravery, courage and sacrifice to the greatest country in the world, Canada!

As for the game, it was not a very good one for the Maple Leafs. You have to give the Rangers credit for shutting down the Leafs offence. They are a really good defensive team and did not give Toronto very many opportunities. New York also shut down the Leafs speed by clogging up the neutral zone.

Turnovers played a big role in Toronto’s loss. A bad pass in the second period by Mike Komisarek lead to a 3-on-1 and a Mike Rupp one-timer for the opening goal. The Maple Leafs had 15 giveaways half way through the game. I do not know the final total, but it would not surprise me if it reached 35+.

You certainly cannot fault Jonas Gustavsson again on this night. His team played poorly in front of him and did not give him many chances on the three goals against.

Dion Phaneuf had a big hit on Brian Boyle at the beginning of the third period to get his team going. The fourth line was probably the best for Toronto. They played physical and tried to change the momentum for their team.

Mikhail Grabovski was really lucky in the second period. He took a skate blade to his visor from Nazem Kadri. If he did not have it on, it could have been a devastating injury. But, he did not miss a shift.

Martin Biron was sharp when called upon for the Rangers. He stopped all 19 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season and his ninth win.

Toronto will have a few days off before their next game Tuesday at home against the Ottawa Senators.

Until next time,

Go Leafs Go!

Twitter: @ChaseHadden

They look better in Orange

Toronto is obviously going to make some sort of a move within the next couple weeks, hell, even the next couple days. Now one of these possible moves would be trading D Luke Schenn to Philadelphia for LW James vanRiemsdyk. Both young stars who have yet to truly show what they are fully capable of doing out on the ice. It seems like a deal that makes sense, with the Flyers, a team with a ton of young talent, in need of a defenseman to fill the void of Pronger’s absense. And Toronto, a team that is almost there but needs to solidify a top 6 forward unit. A season or 2 ago, this straight up trade would have got the deal done.

Now that all that is out of the way, let’s get to the real business. Both Schenn and JvR are at risk of being deemed “bender status” so far this season. I haven’t seen much from both of them, but for the Flyers, you can’t put the blame on James. The man is just dying to break out into the highlight reel player that he is, but when you throw him on a line with Simmonds (and don’t get me wrong because I love Simmonds) you’re not going to get the whole show. Any hockey player knows its the biggest tragedy when you’re stuck on a line with a guy who doesn’t have a backhand. It turns your line into a group of grinders whether you like it or not.

All I’m saying is if you honestly think that JvR is actually playing his game, than you must think that Shane Doan will go down as one of the Greats because you have no idea what you are talking about. You put vanRiemsdyk on a line up with Kulemin, Grabovski, Kadri or hell, even Armstrong, you’re looking at a 30+ goal scorer on the reg. That’s why I’m saying if you want JvR for Schenn, atleast throw us some free dessert in Nazem Kadri so the Leafs don’t make a mockery of the restaurant. Sure, I may be biased because Kadri is the epitome of Toe Drag Hockey, and yes, I would love to buy that Kadri Flyers sweater, but seriously, Schenn+Kadri for JvR+some 3rd round pick or something.

Chances are, this post isn’t going to mean anything at all because I’m sure Burke will make a move with Anaheim before anything gets done in Philadelphia. Brothers Schenn will probably have to wait a little longer to be together again.

In Nazem Kadri We Trust

All the images taken with:

• Canon EOS 40D
• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM

You have to give Carolina credit for most of the game shutting down the Leafs speed into the offensive zone and really did a good job taking away time and space keeping Toronto on the perimeter. The top line struggled all night with costly turnovers and poor defensive zone coverage.

Nazem Kadri continues to show he belongs with the big club. Tying the game early in the second period with some hard work below the goal line and stuffing the puck past former Conn Smythe winner, Cam Ward on a wraparound. Kadri now has three goals in the four games since being recalled from the Toronto Marlies. He also made a beautiful pass to Tim Connolly in the first period from behind the net showing his skill and vision as a playmaker.

With the game tied in the third, the Maple Leafs took the lead thanks to Nikolas Kulemin, who snapped home his first goal during play (minus his penalty shot goal) since October. You have to give credit to his line mates Darryl Boyce and Mikhail Grabovski for their effort to set up the goal. Boyce worked hard all game creating traffic in front of the Hurricanes’ goaltender and getting under the skin of their defensemen. Like Kadri, Boyce is showing that he too belongs on this team through his speed and grit.

But, Toronto only held their two-goal lead for 2:02 as the collapse began. Keith Aulie picked a wrong time to pinch and Eric Staal was off to the races on a breakaway and scored to cut the lead to one. Moments later, the Leafs had multiple chances to clear the puck out of their zone, but Carolina hemmed Toronto in deep and tied the game with three Leafs’ players around the net watching.

In overtime, a costly tripping penalty to Connolly sets up Staal’s OT winner on a one-timer that sneaks through the left arm of James Reimer. He started the game slow, but came up with some key saves late in the third to gain Toronto a point. But, a point should not be good enough against a last place team. When you have a two goal lead with 10 minutes left, you should be able to defend it. Plus they go 0-for-7 on the power play which has struggled since John Michael Liles went down with his injury.

Toronto’s final game of the road trip and to close out 2011 will be Saturday night in Winnipeg to face the Jets.

Until next time,

Happy New Year! Go Leafs Go!

Twitter: @ChaseHadden