The NHL Thread

[Demographic Shift]

Matthews out for 4 weeks at least. Yeesh. Time to test that centre depth, I guess. I like the idea of rolling the MarKadMar line again, so you've got Tavares carrying one line and Marner another.

Yeesh is right. Another shoulder. Shoulders and knees shorten hockey careers. Mathews didnt play major junior and likely has always been the biggest and most skilled player coming up the ranks where physical play isnt the factor it once was. Like Eric Lindros Austin is a load. And just like Eric he leaves himself in bad spots to take some big hits.

Lindros never learned to protect himself because he never had to. He never learned and it cost him the last few years of his career. Mathews is on the same path right now.

Two shoulder separations and a concky in 2 and a bit seasons. Time to start keeping his eyes up and not opening his body up to take those heavy shots.


He’s out a month.maybe six weeks. Naz can play on the second line and they can play 500 till Mathews gets back. The Leafs like the raps have to be picking up speed as the playoffs start. They have time. Without Mathews the Leafs are just another good team who will make the playoffs. With him they are in the conversation to win the Cup. It’s on him to find the line between playing in traffic without reservation and being aware enough not to open himself up to absorb some pretty hellacious shots.

[DanH]

Matthews out for 4 weeks at least. Yeesh. Time to test that centre depth, I guess. I like the idea of rolling the MarKadMar line again, so you've got Tavares carrying one line and Marner another.

[DanH]

Watching this slow moving soap opera that is the William Nylander contract negotiation highlights just how little leverage NHL players have. It’s way better than the infamous C cards of generations ago but Nylander is pretty much hooped as an RFA.

The unwritten agreement is that no one will put an offer sheet in front of him so it’s the Leafs or nuthin. And if he holds out beyond Dec 1 ..it’s groundhog day and the whole scenario repeats next year with the added kick in the nuts that he can’t play this year for anyone.

So he loses a year in the league. He loses a few million dollars that he will never get back and he loses a chance at a big playoff run. The Leafs..well they don’t lose much. The rink is always full. Ratings never decline and they are winning.

Lots written and only the negotiating parties know for sure but the puck heads are saying Nylander wants Driesital money at 8.5$ (yet another clumsy mistake by the oilers to add to their litany of bad moves) and the Leafs are saying we will pay you Pasternak money at 6.5$.

The Leafs aren’t moving off that number ..maybe they go close to 7..but I doubt it.

So Willy needs to decide inside of 30 days...does he take 6/38$ or maybe 2/13$ or sit at home for a year and do this all over again.
Betting he signs the short term or bridge deal.

Keep in mind, if the Leafs are offering 6.5M when they are buying UFA years, they'll be offering a lot less for a bridge deal. Probably more like 5M per year, so it's 6/40 versus 2/10. But also consider that he'll want a long term deal with signing bonuses so he doesn't get hit very hard when the next lockout hits - which is a few years away yet, meaning a two year bridge wouldn't appeal, and a longer bridge just gets him closer to UFA and the Leafs probably wouldn't be interested in that - unless he wants to lock into that super low rate for longer.

[Demographic Shift]

Watching this slow moving soap opera that is the William Nylander contract negotiation highlights just how little leverage NHL players have. It’s way better than the infamous C cards of generations ago but Nylander is pretty much hooped as an RFA.

The unwritten agreement is that no one will put an offer sheet in front of him so it’s the Leafs or nuthin. And if he holds out beyond Dec 1 ..it’s groundhog day and the whole scenario repeats next year with the added kick in the nuts that he can’t play this year for anyone.

So he loses a year in the league. He loses a few million dollars that he will never get back and he loses a chance at a big playoff run. The Leafs..well they don’t lose much. The rink is always full. Ratings never decline and they are winning.

Lots written and only the negotiating parties know for sure but the puck heads are saying Nylander wants Driesital money at 8.5$ (yet another clumsy mistake by the oilers to add to their litany of bad moves) and the Leafs are saying we will pay you Pasternak money at 6.5$.

The Leafs aren’t moving off that number ..maybe they go close to 7..but I doubt it.

So Willy needs to decide inside of 30 days...does he take 6/38$ or maybe 2/13$ or sit at home for a year and do this all over again.
Betting he signs the short term or bridge deal.

[Superjudge]

In a "what have you done for me lately" business like pro sports if Garrets next start is a good one and a win....The herd will move on to the next real or imagined leafs topic du jour. I'd like to see how he does over his next 10 or so games.

Sparks seems to havce justified my lack of worry. Great game against LA.

Toronto is good in net.

[DanH]

This scenario, where the backup is needed for more than just back to backs, is precisely the scenario where a younger goalie should pay off. Good to see Sparks have a good game last night to put his first game jitters behind him. Helps that the defence was (somewhat) better in front of him. More clean looks at the puck, even if he still saw 30+.

Notice Marleau had a similar goal to the 5th Sparks one from last game. He was closer, but the deciding factor was the same - the defence gave him as much time as he wanted to freeze the goalie and handcuff him, and then he fired it home against a paralyzed tender.

[Demographic Shift]

Sparks was a hero in the AHL last year, he will bve fine. He is every bit as good as CM, but has more friendly contract staus and he's only 25.

In a "what have you done for me lately" business like pro sports if Garrets next start is a good one and a win....The herd will move on to the next real or imagined leafs topic du jour. I'd like to see how he does over his next 10 or so games.

[Demographic Shift]

The Leafs could be the first team in a long time to crack 300 goals for in a season.

[Demographic Shift]

It's hard to believe Ward is still in the league. He's been bad for a long time.

I can assure you the last goal was tipped. The front of the net was a mess all night long.

As a former goalie I'm pretty critical of goalies in general (heck, Andersen was awful in game 2, as he often is early in the year), and every goal Sparks let in had some serious mitigating factors in this one (while he saved their bacon on several occasions). Now that may be a fact of life on this team, but I can't say another tender would have changed much last night.

I just saw that... a former goalie !
Well as a member of the goalie union I can see why you see Sparks is not a fault for anything
Kick save and a beauty ...

[Superjudge]

Sparks was a hero in the AHL last year, he will bve fine. He is every bit as good as CM, but has more friendly contract staus and he's only 25.

[DanH]

Sparks let the puck play him on his 2 in what seemed like 4 goals in 40 seconds to close out the game. I don’t think Hainsey was on the ice for number 6...maybe for 5. I’ll look for the highlights but Sparks was backing up as Kane’s less than a laser went by him high on the short side.

Did you catch Toews face after Ward let number 7 go in that won it for the leafs...

It's hard to believe Ward is still in the league. He's been bad for a long time.

I can assure you the last goal was tipped. The front of the net was a mess all night long.

As a former goalie I'm pretty critical of goalies in general (heck, Andersen was awful in game 2, as he often is early in the year), and every goal Sparks let in had some serious mitigating factors in this one (while he saved their bacon on several occasions). Now that may be a fact of life on this team, but I can't say another tender would have changed much last night.

[Demographic Shift]

Hainsey tipped that goal in, dude.

Sparks was about as good as a goalie could be behind the mess that was the Leafs' defence that game. Not even the defencemen in particular (except Hainsey who has looked awful through all three games), but the forwards turning the puck over deep in their own end, when they aren't fleeing the zone too early and leaving their D-men hanging to dry. Especially the bottom 6, though the top lines need to smarten up too. Not that the D were perfect, Dermott had a giveaway that led straight to a goal (though, again, abandoned by the forwards too soon), and Gardiner spoonfed them a chance for no reason (though Sparks bailed him out).

Biggest issue I had with Sparks was he was a little too aggressive playing the puck behind the net, but that's something I've had to get used to work Andersen as well. Cost them one goal, I think.

Sparks let the puck play him on his 2 in what seemed like 4 goals in 40 seconds to close out the game. I don’t think Hainsey was on the ice for number 6...maybe for 5. He didn’t look too steady most of the night. The bank shots that the guys take now to bounce it off the boards to come off at the side of the net gave him some trouble.

I’ll look for the highlights but Sparks was backing up as Kane’s less than a laser went by him high on the short side.

Did you catch Toews face after Ward let number 7 go in that won it for the leafs...

Edit..Your right Hainsey was on for 6 as well as number 5. Babcock is one stubborn guy.Even more so than Casey.

[DanH]

I love offense in hockey. Tonights Leaf/Hawks game was fantastic for fans who love wide open who has the puck last wins it game.

However one Kyle Dubas must be hoping really hard that the AHL goalie of the year has just had his worst game in five years tonight in Chicago. If its not... Kyle better start looking over the waiver wire for some help.

I get everyone has bad games.. .but that Kane goal to tie it at 6... it was a clear view shot from the top of the circle hard by the boards which went right by Sparks glove. Ouch man.

Hainsey tipped that goal in, dude.

Sparks was about as good as a goalie could be behind the mess that was the Leafs' defence that game. Not even the defencemen in particular (except Hainsey who has looked awful through all three games), but the forwards turning the puck over deep in their own end, when they aren't fleeing the zone too early and leaving their D-men hanging to dry. Especially the bottom 6, though the top lines need to smarten up too. Not that the D were perfect, Dermott had a giveaway that led straight to a goal (though, again, abandoned by the forwards too soon), and Gardiner spoonfed them a chance for no reason (though Sparks bailed him out).

Biggest issue I had with Sparks was he was a little too aggressive playing the puck behind the net, but that's something I've had to get used to work Andersen as well. Cost them one goal, I think.

[Demographic Shift]

I love offense in hockey. Tonights Leaf/Hawks game was fantastic for fans who love wide open who has the puck last wins it game.

However one Kyle Dubas must be hoping really hard that the AHL goalie of the year has just had his worst game in five years tonight in Chicago. If its not... Kyle better start looking over the waiver wire for some help.

I get everyone has bad games.. .but that Kane goal to tie it at 6... it was a clear view shot from the top of the circle hard by the boards which went right by Sparks glove. Ouch man.

[Demographic Shift]

Drove up Bay Street this morning on my way to my in laws.

Saw almost 1000 people on Bay scrubbing off their reserved spots they marked with day glo orange spray paint for the Leafs Stanley Cup parade this June.

And I thought Raps fans changed their views by the minute.