“I really think there’s lots to hope for, primarily a team that becomes much harder to play against and manages to be competitive through a new commitment to team defence. It might not be pretty, but if Leaf fans see a team that can be in the top 10 in the league in team defence, that’s concrete progress.”
That was Damien Cox on October 2, 2008. Seems like only yesterday…. Damien continued:
“Individually, I think it will be intriguing to watch players like Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, Mark Bell and Jamal Mayers, who seems like a very classy guy. Fans can also watch Alex Steen, Matt Stajan and Carlo Colaiacovo closely for signs that they can truly be important pieces of the puzzle down the road. Finally, Leaf fans can hope team management sticks to an intelligent game plan of rebuilding. That should include moving some veterans for prospects and draft picks at the February trade deadline. Remember, Philly got Braydon Coburn at the trade deadline in ’07, and now he looks like a future Norris Trophy winner. So if the Fletcher regime is on its toes, there will be real opportunities out there.”
Those at the time where his measuring sticks. Another reporter/blogger predicted a dead last finish. So how can anybody be surprised by his blog this am?:
“It’s amazing how many have decided that this Maple Leaf season has been a season of overachievement because the team usually played hard. It’s as though the lousy Leaf record isn’t lousy at all. Most important, what seems to have been overlooked entirely in all the gushing over the “effort” Ron Wilson has been able to coax out of his team on a regular basis is the fact this club has deteriorated into the NHL’s worst defensive team.”
I don’t have an problem with Damien’s criticism. Wilson is the coach and this is his team. I am the first one to say that he has done more with this squad then anyone really expected despite failures in other areas. The one thing I think he got out of this group where others failed is hard work. Apparently that isn’t easy in the NHL these days as leaf clubs have been devoid of for what seems like eons. I think this years edition played hard, really hard almost every night. I can’t say that about last years club especially when you consider the difference in talent levels.
“Look, it was clear the Leafs would be bad. What’s surprising is how they’ve chosen to express their awfulness, specifically by being absolutely rotten at keeping the puck out of their own net. Teams limited by talent generally try to play conservatively.”
Again, I have no problem with that. He laid out in his mind what success would be and they failed miserably in that area. For a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is goaltending. It’s Wilson’s team and he will be judged based on the record.
“So maybe Wilson has done the best he could this year with a very limited roster. Breaking in Luke Schenn comes at a cost, and youngsters like Jaime Sifers and Phil Oreskovic have had to learn along the way. But for the first time in more than a quarter-century the Leafs will be the NHL’s worst defensive team, and some of that has to go on the coaching staff. That’s far more noteworthy than the fact they frequently tried hard, don’t you think?”
Actually no I don’t. I am not seeing the world through blue and white colored glasses either. I expected them to be brutal and they weren’t nearly as bad as I thought. The fact their defense and goaltending were porous was a surprise, but so too was their ability to score goals. Very few teams complete a season without surprises, good and bad. Am I surprised they are worst in goals against? Yeah, I am. realistically though the this type of team usually plays the trap to win. Wilson and then Burke refused to do that. Also, Wilson played his kids a lot, and didn’t hammer them for screwing up. So, to answer your question, the fact they are dead last in defense is worth nothing. However, irrespective of the fact that these guys are supposed to play hard, they haven’t in years fast and that Wilson was able to get them to do on a regular basis is certainly noteworthy too. I certainly wouldn’t say that one is “far more” noteworthy.
Well sports fans, as promised Damien brought out the knife today and aimed it squarely at one Clff Fletcher. At least so far Damien has been very pro Brian Burke, or at least more balanced when it comes to reporting on his actions (or lack thereof). With Cliff, he says the right things, kind of but his criticism is, like Kramer said, hanging right out there…
“Had that not happened, Cliff Fletcher would have remained in charge through to this coming June, and it’s difficult to imagine the damage that might have been done by that time. Fletcher’s a nice man who owns a Stanley Cup ring and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is part of hockey history, and that will never change. But he wasn’t a suitable fit to run an NHL team in the cap era, yet Richard Peddie was prepared to let him to do so. Fletcher gave away viable draft picks like candy last summer (even a fifth rounder was obscene for Ryan Hollweg) to try and put a better team on the ice immediately and in so doing hang on to the “interim” GM position. The last piece evidence that he was prepared to sell the future was the deal that brought Lee Stempniak to town for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo, a deal that will be even more difficult to swallow next season when the light-weight winger earns a $3.5 million salary.”
One point to remember on Stempniak, is that is cap hit next year is under 2 million. Damien has been anti Cliff since Cliff took over. I think Cliff did a hell of a lot better then JFJ was doing or ever could have done. The Hollweg deal was a joke, I think the Mayers one was equally as bad and I have to think that Wilson was at least partially on board with trading Steen and Carlo. He did make the move for Schenn, which some people still argue was a bad move given the other players who were available at no additional cost to the Leafs. He did deal away McCabe and get Van Ryn back and he did bring in Grabovsky whom only yesterday Wilson said he “had all the time in the world for Grabovsky” which seems in stark contrast to what other media members seem to say his reputation is.
“Yesterday, meanwhile, the league fined the Leafs $500,000 and stripped them of a fourth round pick for the Jonas Frogren signing last summer. The contract was illegal, but rather than running it past the NHL first, Fletcher just did it and now the Burke administration is paying the price. Whether Fletcher really understood that the deal wouldn’t pass muster is unclear. The new CBA, after all, is a complicated beast. But that this was all done to sign Frogren, a marginal NHLer with suspect foot speed who can’t stay healthy, is ridiculous. Again, the notion was that Frogren would make an immediate difference, however, and that, not long-term growth, was the priority of Fletcher, which is why Jeff Finger was signed to such an outlandish contract How’s three more years at $3.5 million hit you today?”
Again, I may be alone on this one, but the Finger deal doesn’t bother me. By the Buds are really competitive the Finger deal won’t be so bad and it will be almost over. The guy is exactly as advertised, a steady defencemen. He doesn’t hurt you and he doesn’t embarrass you. I think if he had some strength around him his play would be even better. Let’s say that the Frogren matter is a pain in the ass and it stinks to high hell too.
“Burke may never lack for bluster, but he showed great class yesterday in not making any comment at all that could be seen as a condemnation of the previous caretaker administration for the Frogren screwup, and good for him. It would have been easy for him to roll his eyes at the loss of the very same draft pick that he essentially bought from Tampa for $500,000 in a complicated deadline deal, one that he made sure the league would accept BEFORE he did it, so instead he refused comment and issued an nondescript, let’s-move-on press release. ”
True, good for him. However what good would it have done for him to carve Cliff. There are lots of people who love the silver fox and carving him would only have made Burke looked bad. I think Burke knows that Cliff did what many of us would have if we were in the same situation. He came in midstream with no real mandate and no real timetable.
“The good news for Leaf fans is that while Burke and his underrated sidekick Dave Nonis are aggressive managers, they know the CBA and always make the extra phone call. They’ll make mistakes. Christian Hanson may be the first one, who knows. But it won’t be because they don’t have a logical plan or don’t know the rules.”
Let’s remember that when the sword comes out and Damien wants Burke to fall on it. We all know that day will come. It always does. I don’t know why he would point to Hanson in this column. I can’t imagine how he could classify signing a kid to a 2 year entry level deal as being a mistake. Say he plays less then 50 games as a leaf ever. What did it cost him. It didn’t cost him a pick. There was no compensation outside of money. Money he has lots of. Seems like a strange example to throw in to this piece.
In his mailbag segement of his blog today, he has an interesting response to a question about Justin Pogge (and no, I didn’t write it):
“What is unclear to me is whether Corey Hirsch is a suitable goaltending coach to bring the best out in Pogge, and Burke will have to make that assessment this summer. It would be a shame if the Leafs decided they didn’t even want to re-sign the young goaltender, but these are the tough decisions you have to make in a cap world.”
Funny how I said the exact same thing about Hirsch only a day or two ago. I have no clue if he is the right go or not. There are lots of good goalie coaches out there and to be honest I had never heard Hirsch’s name mentioned among them. That doesn’t mean he isn’t. With respect to resigning him, there is no way in hell Pogge will be able to demand a one way deal. His play hasn’t warranted that. So I am not sure why the cap comment here. Burke should be able to sign Pogge to a deal that pretty much pays him the league minimum. I still don’t see why they wouldn’t try to sign him to a two way deal….
I am going to go out on a limb here folks. It is time Nelson Millman to make a change to his morning show over at the Fan 590. I don’t want to call for someone to lose (not loose) their job, but the morning show is just stale. Why do I bring this up today, well, Don Landry was out ill today and Damien filled in for Landry. It was the best morning show they have had in ages. Let me be clear, I don’t know Don Landry from Adam. To quote Pat Burns, “I wouldn’t know him if I hit him with my car.” I don’t dislike him personally, nor the work he does. However, if ever there was a guy suited for a mid day slot it would be him. He can be funny, he likes to do more shtick then substance and I am sure he has a ton of loyal followers. He just isn’t a sports guy. This is a time slot the Fan has all to their own and to be honest most mornings I punt to 550 or god forbid music. If I am not getting sports at 590, there is no reason to listen. Nelson needs to find a replacement for Landry during that show and move Landry to an hour where his talents will be more appreciated. I can’t see the ratings for this show getting any better then they are right now. The show has peaked and I predict will decline until a change is made.
Damien was fantastic this am with Gord. They have amazing chemistry and man, they spent time actually talking about what their sports guests earlier in the am had to say. Damien was saying how he thought wht Burke was doing with Pogge was the right move, that it was part of a plan. He said he disagreed with Scotty’s take from earlier in the am which was great in that I didn’t get to hear all of it. There was a lot less hijinx then there usually is and a bigger focus on sports. Again, for some reason I think Damien’s column has suffered greatly as a result of the other things he does. He is better in his blog and is better then that on the radio. Watching him faceoff against Simmons on Sunday’s is pretty interesting too. In his column he rarely says why leaf fans should be happy that Cliff is gone. It sounds like a personal vendetta, and more so every time he says it isn’t. This morning he actually put some meat on the bones saying that if Cliff were still in charge we would have seen more deals like the one Cliff made for Lee Stempniak, trading away 2 guys who at the very least should have been given a shot with the Marlies to work our their careers. Damien guaranteed that Cliff was going to do everything in his power to get the team to the playoffs this season and deals like that were evidence of such. Now, I have no clue whether that is true or not. Damien also wrote that Doug Gilmour was paying for his players to be at the ACC this Saturday and we have since learned otherwise. At least it makes for interesting radio. It is certainly better then another bit of Ken Dryden in the house of commons! Good on Damien for mixing it up a bit, making it interesting etc.
I would like to see the Fan 590 think outside the box a bit more. In many major cities I have lived in the morning show and the drive home show feature a radio guy and a print guy as permanent hosts. The radio guy is always there (except for vacations) and the print guy is sometimes a little late, sometimes on the road or sometimes absent. They have good chemistry and create a good product. Now Brunt is a part timer on the Fan, not full time with McCown. While I love Brunt’s work, I think he comes across as being to cerebral for radio in this town. He is certainly better then some of the other guys though. I would love for the Fan to find a way to get Damien or someone like him in there with Stellick. Maclean would be a better fit to be honest. One of the problems I think is that we don’t have a huge bullpen of talent (at least known) in this market. It’s not like there are 5-10 guys on other shows who you say, man they would be awesome on the Fan. With the exception of Brady on 640 (and I think he would be terrific with Stellick, but can’t see that happening anytime soon), I really can’t think of anyone. Now Brady came from Detroit and there are probably a lot of folks in the industry looking for work in other markets. I think Nelson really should make a change, move Landry to the mid-day and bring in someone else to work with Stellick. This morning was a tease.
It doesn’t a whole lot, so when Damien writes nice things about someone it’s newsworthy.
In today’s star Damien has a feel good piece about Doug Gilmour, the former Maple Leaf captain. Someone correct me if i am wrong, but when was the last time a captain retired a maple leaf (even if he wasn’t captain when he retired). Gilmour is having a tough time with his new coaching gig in Kingston, his record is 4-22 since taking over. With a record like that, perhaps Brian should give Ron a sabbatical and let Doug take over for the rest of the year! Meanwhile, it is good to see Doug is earning a buck, learning a trade. Granted the one big take away from Cox’s article is that Doug has a lot of ex-wives and kids from each:
“He now lives most of the time at his lakeside cottage in Kingston, five doors down from where he grew up. He shares the house with his fiancée, Sonja, and the couple’s 3-month-old daughter, Victoria.”
ok- so that is 1 fiance and 1 daughter
“With sons Jake and Tyson living with Amy in Toronto, he treks back and forth along the 401 every weekend, leaving Sunday afternoons after Kingston home games and heading back on Tuesday mornings.”
Ok so, Amy is wife #2 and Jake and Tyson are kids two and three….
“His daughter from his first marriage, Madison, lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., with her partner, Detroit Red Wings prospect Evan McGrath.”
Ok, so this would be a reference to wife #1 and his fourth child….
In any event, Killer remains a HUGE fan favorite, who can forget the goal he scored against the St. Louis blues from behind the net against one Curtis Joseph!
It’s nice to see that Doug is looking forward to the upcoming ceremony at the ACC, he bought tickets for all his players too:
“”It’s probably the biggest thing to happen to me, even though winning the Stanley Cup was important,” he said.
“I almost want to videotape it myself.”
He was, of course, an unforgettable hockey hero in Toronto who defied the limitations of his size to nearly lift the team to a Cup on the basis of his indomitable will.
He’ll be honored in a city that wonders when the likes of him will be seen here again.
On that same subject, Greg Brady talked to Brian Burke about the buds honoring Wade Belak the other night. Burke held firm, he fully supported this and by the sounds of it, we can expect more of the same down the road. Maybe Damien was right, get ready for Alex Steen and Carlo tributes the next time they are in town. Good interview, worth listening to: you have to click on Brian Burke interview
According to sportsnet Cujo is in nets tonight vs. the Thrashers as for Lee Stempniak, we aren’t sure yet as (stop laughing) Carlo and Alex haven’t yet passed their physicals….
McKenzie has the buds presenting a term sheet to Burke, with progress being made towards an offer….
Anyone read Damien in today’s star? As bad as it gets with him….
Tough to make a call on this one….at least right now. This is not like a trade deadline deal where one team gets a guy to put them over the hump for a cup run. It’s a deal that involves 3 young players so it will be measured over the next couple of years vs. days or weeks.
One could argue that this deal did not (or should not) have to be made at this time. It could be compared to selling a bank stock over the past few weeks….Would waiting it out and letting Colaiacovo and Steen show improved play net more in return? Perhaps Wilson pushed to have these guys moved out to continue the process of clearing out the over-sold mediocrity that we’ve become accustomed to. Were Steen and Colaiacovo part of the “complacent” crew that didn’t show enough passion or seem to care when not playing well? Or is it simply that Fletcher had a chance to get “his guy” and pulled the trigger now…Who knows. What I do know is that Steen has not proven to be a goal scorer or defensive shut down guy….in other words, not very useful. In return, we got a player that is supposed to be an NHL caliber finisher. Colaiacovo, who on numerous occasions showed promise, seemed to have his progression stunted each time he got hurt. Or, based on the coach’s assessment not move forward because of conditioning…He may have been a thrown into the deal for Fletcher to get the guy he wanted.
If Steen and Colaiacovo continue on the path that they have been on over the past couple of years – this deal will prove to be a good one for the Buds…
Who should Stempniak play with?
I’m a Kulemin fan but he has not proven to be a finisher. Grabovski would probably be leading the league in assists if Kulemin had more touch around the net. Here is what the scouts said about Kulemin before the season.
“While Kulemin is unlikely to ever develop into a top line scoring sniper, his upside is that of a very capable third line checking forward who would also be able to fill in on the top lines in the case of injury.”
That plus what we’ve seen so far would suggest that Kulemin would be more suitable on our 3rd line with Stempniak taking over as right winger for Grabovski on the 2nd line.
Antropov Stajan Poni
Hagman Grabovski Stempniak
Blake Mitchell Kulemin
Mayers Moore White
Once again a hot issue occurs, and TSM is going to take you around the globe (not Globe) for your reading pleasure:
Mike Brophy over at Sportsnet, provides the news, but no real commentary:
“There was a time, not so long ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs thought so highly of forward Alexamder Steen they refused to make him part of a deal that would have landed them superstar defenceman Chris Pronger. Steen, 24, has not blossomed into the top six forward the Leafs thought they were getting when they drafted him 24th overall in 2002. He scored a career-best 18 goals as a rookie three years ago, but slipped to 15 in each of the past two years. He had two goals and four points in 20 games this season. Colaiacovo, 25, has shown signs of being a gifted offensive contributor from the blue line, but injuries have prevented him from playing anything close to a complete season. He hurt his foot last week blocking a shot, drawing the ire of coach Ron Wilson for his poor conditioning. In 10 games this season he has one assist. Stempniak, 25, was chosen 148th in 2003. He scored 27 goals and 52 points in 82 games, but slipped to 13 goals and 38 points in 82 games last season. He was fifth in Blues scoring with three goals and 13 points in 14 games at the time of the deal. ”
Yawn… I hope they don’t pay fot critical analysis… The rest of Brophy is here
On the same channel, Jim Kelly likes the deal for the Leafs:
“One thing we can be relatively certain of regarding the Cliff Fletcher-Ron Wilson tandem in Toronto is that they don’t like soft players.One could say the same about Carlo Colaiacovo who clearly got the don’t -let-the-Mr. Softee-truck-door-hit-you-in-the-backside speech from Wilson when the coach commented on the deal that sent the oft-injured defenceman and Alex Steen (no great physical player himself) to St. Louis for Lee Stempniak.Now don’t get the idea that Stempniak is the second coming of Cam Neely, but being a top-six forward for St. Louis, in terms of hockey skills, doesn’t hurt and he does have a little grit to his game. Understand he’s not a “me” guy and might even be a little media shy by centre of the universe standards, but this native of West Seneca, a first-rim suburb of Buffalo, NY, has what Leafs management — even if that management changes this week — wants: a guy who knows there is a price to be paid for making and then staying in the NHL. He played for a local junior-level team and for a local high-school team in his formative years and parlayed that hard work and some academic ability into a scholarship to Dartmouth College. It wasn’t so much that he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate that he went to Dartmouth, it was more a case of combining hockey (which he wanted) with a college education (which his parents demanded). He took his best offer, which was also his only hockey offer and headed for Dartmouth in part because the school promised him a chance to play right away. Little did they know that they had no competition. Stempniak is one of those players who works to survive and when you factor in desire, talent and that no one ever said he was soft, well, it becomes one of those two-for-one deals that actually make sense. Maybe not over the long term, but then long-term went out the door when Colaiacovo and Steen were sent packing. Anybody care to say they will be missed?”
I believe Kelly is on to something here. It was very clear that Carlo was not a Ron Wilson guy. Steen’s first ever benching was a sign that perhaps he too was a resident of chateaux bow wow. I have to believe that despite Wilson’s comments to the contrary, this was a deal he wanted badly. You can find more of Mr. Kelly here.
Over at the other network, Daren Dreger was the lone dissenting voice (at least so far)….
“Analyzing trades shortly after they’re made is a tricky business, but the quick reaction from around the NHL is that Lee Stempniak for Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen doesn’t address Toronto’s needs. If Toronto is truly in a “rebuild”, the belief is that a package for either player (or both) – as St. Louis managed to swing – should have included draft picks.”
Not one GM/Scout is ever going to say ‘oh yeah, awesome deal for the Leafs, I wouldn’t have offered more’….That isn’t going to happen. The reality is, one guy had to evaluate what was (or wasn’t) on the table and what he thought his needs were (or weren’t) and that is Cliff Fletcher. As I told you earlier, one scout was clearly upset that his team didn’t get Steen, but spoke pretty highly of what Cliff got in return. It is very easy to be a monday morning quarterback in these situations. it is even easier to say “he should have gotten more”.
“At 25, Stempniak is labelled as a goal scorer based on a 2006-07 season that included 27 goals and 52 points in 82 games. But his production nose-dived last year and he finished the season with just 13 goals. In the end, the Leafs get a young, skilled, right-handed player who has proven he can score, while the Blues receive a checking centre who lacks confidence and a defenceman who, in the eyes of his coach, just did not fit.”
Isn’t that what trades are supposed to be about??? you can read double D here
In the battle of the dailies, the Star’s Kevin McGran played little in the editorial arena:
” General manager Cliff Fletcher has been targeting Stempniak for a month because he believes he is capable of playing on one of the team’s top two forward lines. Neither Steen or Colaiacovo seemed to have won the confidence of new coach Ron Wilson so far this season, but the GM insists this deal wasn’t a case of addition by subtraction. “It’s not about getting these players out of here – they’re good young hockey players,” said Fletcher. “We think we’re getting somebody that suits our needs better. Plain and simple.” Perhaps most importantly, it’s another move that will inject some new blood into the organization. Colaiacovo and Steen were once pegged to be longtime stalwarts with the Maple Leafs, but neither had lived up to expectations so far. As a result, they won’t be around to see the results of the current rebuilding effort. “We have changed the chemistry in the dressing room substantially,” said Fletcher. “I have yet to know a player trade in any sport that there isn’t an element of risk in it,” he said. “There is in every trade because the party on the other side is making the trade because they think they’re making a good deal. And we think we’re making a good deal.”Hopefully we’re both right.”
I think that is about right. There is no question that Cliff clearly felt he had to change this team dramatically, and he has done just that. The changes are everywhere and lets hope they are for the better. You can read McGran here….
David Shoalts at the Globe has lots to say on the deal…
“However, sending defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo and forward Alexander Steen to the St. Louis Blues for winger Lee Stempniak is not the NHL blockbuster it might have been a year or two ago even if both Leafs were first-round draft picks. But it is a good trade for the Leafs because they received a top-six forward for two players who never looked likely to live up to the team’s initial projections. If there are someone’s fingerprints all over this deal they are Ron Wilson’s, not Burke’s, although the Leafs head coach was quick to deny that yesterday. “No, not at all,” Wilson said. “Obviously I had some input into the deal because Cliff Fletcher asked me what I thought of Stempniak because I had coached against him.” Nevertheless, it is easy to conclude that Wilson was less than keen on both Colaiacovo and Steen. Both players are classic examples of that Toronto phenomenon — the player who is overrated in the minds of the fans and some media simply because he was a high draft pick by the Leafs. Sometimes this results in an overly swollen head on the player’s part, which is what more than one reporter noticed when interviewing Colaiacovo and, at times, Steen. “He’s got blue-and-white disease,” one NHL management type said of Colaiacovo, whose status as a hometown boy probably played into his attitude. “He’s been there too long and thinks he’s special.”
Sorry, as I said above, I don’t buy Ron’s story at all. I do agree with how both fans and media over-rate our draft picks and prospects. Part of the problem is just coverage overload. In this town we know more about every prospect and also in part because history has taught us we aren’t that in drafting, cause the good ones we take blossom elsewhere. Sometimes being a leaf fan is a bit of curse as we tend to see the world in blue and white glasses and some times, gulp the media sells it that way too…. You can read Shoalts here…
Neither the Sun (or Canoe/Slam ) nor the Post had one piece of editorial posted as I write this at 12:15am… Need I say more about that?
Over at the Fan, Happy Howie correctly believes that is only just the beginning:
“Call this deal today a preemptive strike. Presuming that Brian Burke had no knowledge of the two-for-one swap between the Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues – as all parties will insist – you can be confident it’s the first of many similar moves the Leafs will make once their new general manager is in place. If I am Matt Stajan, Tomas Kaberle, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Anton Stralman, Jason Blake, Ian White, Pavel Kubina or Nik Antropov – and no matter how decently any of the aforementioned have played this season – I’m not rushing to extend leases or rental agreements in this city. A quick round-up shows that seven members of management and coaching are no longer with the club, or in the same positions; while a total of 26 players in uniform at one time or another last season have either been moved, reassigned, or have not yet seen action with the Leafs this year. That’s a remarkable turnover in personnel – more than an entire 23-man NHL roster – and the trend to acquire fresh blood almost certainly will not stop with today’s peddling of Steen and Colaiacovo to St. Louis for 25-year-old forward Lee Stempniak. If you’re a fan of the Maple Leafs, you should be pleased with the obsession towards change. There is no guarantee that all of the moves executed so far will ultimately prove beneficial for the hockey club, but the sheer unwillingness to stick with a losing hand is an impressive quality of the current regime. Had Ferguson recognized the same requirement after his second playoff miss in 2007 – and some suggest he approached ownership about such maneuvering but was re-buffed – he might still be a Maple Leafs’ employee. But, his unwillingness or inability to affect change led to his demise with the organization. What it leads us to believe is that the Leafs – for the first time in recent memory – are not content with merely putting a bunch of good guys on the ice. Or behind the bench. This is not to imply that either Wilson or any of the new players are “bad” guys. It’s simply that concurrent losing will no longer be tolerated. A good “feeling” among players in the dressing room will not drive management or coaching decisions in the absence of results. The sense of entitlement that Wilson has alluded to among former players – though it’s easy for him to make such claims – will presumably be discouraged until an appearance in the Stanley Cup final is achieved. This sweeping level of change has the potential to be extremely rewarding for a stoic franchise, providing that direction isn’t altered in mid-term. His first decision might well be to put Blake on waivers, though I certainly do not wish any misfortune or tumult on a good guy battling leukemia. But, it’s a move that Burke may execute for a number of reasons – not the least of which is, simply, that current management hasn’t felt the compunction to do so. Many of the other incumbents – Stajan, Kaberle, Kubina, White, Antropov, Stralman and Ponikarovsky – have trade value to varying degrees. Burke understands he’ll be able to put his indelible imprint on the organization – and continue to revamp the dynamic of a losing team – by increasing the movement of personnel that comprised all or part of the current playoff drought. And, Fletcher isn’t likely to hesitate if another appealing trade crosses his desk in the interim, though he insisted today that nothing else is currently in the works. As such, the St. Louis deal may be merely the tip of the ice-burg for the Blue & White.”
Of course the usual shots from Howie, but we don’t expect much else. I think the reality is it’s hard to find much fault with what Cliff did today. The JFJ era is quickly becoming a very bad memory, with very little left of his pathetic efforts. With Steen gone, I firmly believe the flood gates are next, all vets are available. It is nice to see there being some accountability for once…. You can read Howie here…
Over in St. Louis, the beat writer Jeff Gordon wasn’t too keen on the Blues “giving up on Stempniak”:
“Winger Lee Stempniak was the rarest of commodities, a real offensive threat drafted and developed by the Blues. So his departure for underachieving Maple Leafs Alex Steen, a versatile forward, and Carlo Colaiacovo, a rangy defenseman, is a bit of a head scratcher. Sure, the Blues acquired a natural center to fill an immediate need and a defenseman to add some depth. But isn’t this franchise dedicated to building long-term? How could the Blues give up on a home-grown shooter who scored 27 goals two years ago and was producing at a point-per-game pace this season? We’ll need some convincing in this corner of cyberspace. This deal sounds suspiciously like a Ron Caron trade, moving a potential standout for depth. Stempniak struggled all last season. But he worked himself into excellent shape over the summer and had a great training camp. A knee injury derailed him, but he was getting his game back. He had 13 points in 14 games and was making an impact on the power play. He was justifying the team’s long-term investment in him. Stempniak looked capable of filling a big role here, especially after Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya head toward the sunset. It’s just weird to see the Blues trade a player who was just regaining his stride after a year-long battle. This deal would have made perfect sense last February. Now? Well, we’ll see if the two new guys provide more than a short-term spark.”
Interesting that one, the folks there aren’t looking at the world through blue and white glasses and they have done their homework. Also good to see (from the leaf perspective) that those who really know the Blues aren’t in love with the idea of giving up on a kid…Funny, no one here is saying the same about either Carlo or Steen…. you can read the post dispatch here….
Still in the States, Pieree LeBrun over at Espn offered this after talking Burke for a few paragraphs…
“As for the deal, Stempniak has the most upside offensively, although with the long list of injuries in St. Louis, the Blues get some much-needed depth. Colaiacovo has never been able to stay healthy long enough to live up to his first-round draft pick potential, but this is a worthy gamble for St. Louis. Puck-moving defensemen are a valuable commodity, and if Colaiacovo ever manages to figure it out, this deal could help both teams.”
not much to dissect there…. you can read his take on Burke here…
Foxsports didn’t make a mention of the deal on it’s website….
Over at Hanky Land Andy Strickland offered the following:
“Toronto wanted a right handed shot on the PP and are getting a very smart, mature kid who was once considered a building block for the Blues organization. Stempniak brings lots of versatility to any lineup. He can be a top six player who can play the half wall or the right point on the PP. He can also kill penalties.The Buffalo native became somewhat expendable with the emergence of rookie T.J. Oshie who remains out with a high ankle sprain. The plan is for this trade to allow Oshie to see more minutes in both 5-on-5 and PP situations.This move was made with a long-term approach. Maple Leafs fans should be excited about getting a guy has underrated strength on the puck and has shown greater explosiveness after dedicating himself this past summer to improving his skating. His quick release and scoring knack makes him a threat every time he crosses the blue line. Stempniak has recently played his best hockey of the season and has the ability to bust out. I wish this kid the best of luck, he’s earned his way to the NHL after the Blues selected him in the 5th round in 2003. No one outside of Dartmouth University had even heard of him when he skated into the NHL and he has made himself a quality pro.
I had the chance to talk to a NHL scout this afternoon. It was a funny conversation in that when I asked him about Lee Stempniak he had no clue why I was asking. He told me that he is “very small, with a quick release and an amazing shot, he is a great finsiher. Lee has fallen off the map. I am not sure what happened to him. Really good skater. Bonafide sniper… Would be awesome with Grrabovsky and Hagman.”
It got really funny when he asked why I was asking and I told him that the Leafs just traded for him in exchange for Carlo and Steen when he yelled “FUCK!”, apparently he had tried to convince his club to take a flyer on Steen, whom “clearly is in need of a change of scenery.”
Over at the Star Damien has Brian Burke coming to town to visit with Dale Talon who unfortunately lost his dad last Friday:
“Burke headed east from his home in California to the Boston area yesterday with his two children and wife, Jennifer, to be with his other four children for U.S. Thanksgiving this week. He was expecting to travel north to Toronto today, however, to visit with close friend Dale Tallon, the Chicago GM whose father, Stan, died in Gravenhurst on Friday.”
Sources tell TSM that Burke was not at the funeral which was held earlier today, which doesn’t mean Burke isn’t coming to see Talon, just that he wasn’t at the funeral today….
Time will tell…. Gotta wonder if Cliff asked Brian for his opinion on the deal before pulling the trigger
Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen are gone to St. louis for:
Lee Stempniak
Lee Stempniak
Forward
Born Feb 4 1983 — West Seneca, NY
Height 5.11 — Weight 202 — Shoots R
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Selected by St. Louis Blues round 5 #148 overall 2003 NHL Entry Draft
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001-02 Dartmouth College NCAA 32 12 9 21 8
2002-03 Dartmouth College NCAA 34 21 28 49 32
2003-04 Dartmouth College NCAA 34 16 22 38 42
2004-05 Dartmouth College NCAA 35 14 29 43 34
2005-06 St. Louis Blues NHL 57 14 13 27 22 – – – – –
2005-06 Peoria Rivermen AHL 26 8 7 15 32 3 0 3 3 2
2006-07 St. Louis Blues NHL 82 27 25 52 33 – – – – –
2007-08 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 13 25 38 40
2008-09 St. Louis Blues NHL 14 3 10 13 2
NHL Totals 233 57 73 130 97
No, this isn’t a trade rumor. Happy Howie seems to think that the Leafs and Fletcher owe Carlo the right to ply his trade elsewhere. Here is the theory. Colaiacovo, you will certainly recall has been a walking injury ever since he turned pro. Every season has been lost due to serious amounts of time on the IR. This off-season, while he was getting healthy, Cliff was acquiring 3 new defencemen. As a result, Carlo is now in the pressbox not because he is injured, rather because he is at the bottom of the depth chart(behind only Ian White). Unlike other sulking athletes, however Carlo has been a good sport and a better teammate. Allegedly he has really taken Luke Schenn under his wing, helping Luke adjust to life in the “bigs” Alas, Howie says, if he isn’t going to make it here, Cliff ought to ship him where he can.
Two thought on this. First, Cliff’s job is to maximize assets. So, unless he can get what he thinks is value for Carlo, he shouldn’t make the deal. Second, Just as the former captain who used to wear #13 doesn’t “owe” the leafs anything, neither do the leafs owe Carlo anything. They stuck with him through every injury and we all know that an injury to a defenceman (irrespective of length or severity) is unavoidable. So if Carlo is a good insurance policy so be it. If Wilson thinks Carlo needs seasoning, so be it, learn at practice and in the pressbox.
Having said all of that. Like every player on the roster, Cliff should trade Carlo if he can improve the hockey club. If it can be done to help Carlo too, that’s the proverbial cherry on the sundae.
