Trouble in the Toronto crease

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 12:13 AM CST Comment 22 comments

Lots of activity in Toronto on Monday, and there wasn't even any real news on Brian Burke. For one, the Leafs made an interesting deal with the Blues, acquiring Lee Stempniak in exchange for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo in a pretty nice trade for Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher.

Here's some various Leafs-related items in the paper:

Problems between the pipes [myself]
Trade has Wilson's fingerprints all over it [David Shoalts]
And here's a transcript from Fletcher's press conference on the deal

Would be interested to hear your comments on the goaltending piece, in particular. As for Stempniak, well, goal scoring hasn't been an issue for the Leafs, but he'll be a good fit among the top six forwards. I'm surprised St. Louis gave him up.

PPP and St. Louis Game Time have more coverage on the deal.

Fletcher was at the team's morning practice at the ACC and spoke to Wilson afterwards (likely simply to inform him of the deal). The media didn't find out until news leaked via TSN at about 1:30, after we'd all left the rink.

Given their comments earlier in the day, Steen and Colaiacovo had no clue it was coming. Both have been in Wilson's doghouse in one form or another this season.

Also had a chance to catch up with Ben Wright from the Thrashers' communications department, who is in town with the team on their current road trip through Toronto and Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday. It may be early, but I get the sense Atlanta's fighting for its life right now given their record.

It's a tough situation down there given the economy and the general mood surrounding the team. There's probably no way up for the Thrashers other than to win — and that seems unlikely at the moment.

Busy day. I need some sleep.

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Vesa Toskala	18	1046	7	6	4	1	58	3.33	469	411	.876	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Curtis Joseph	5	168	0	2	1	1	9	3.21	71	62	.873	0

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Goaltending Article

Great article on the goaltending situation, James. Your writing is refreshing…

It’s certainly been a dangerous mix of Toskala letting in some softies and the team in front of him giving away quality scoring chances. I think Toskala will heat up – but also think he would be sharper with someone other than Cujo riding the pine every night.

by Likely on Nov 25, 2008 12:46 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Very interesting article, James. I knew the Leafs’ goalies were struggling, but I didn’t realize the numbers were that bad. Not sure Joseph is the solution; he hasn’t really outplayed Toskala to this point, and I’m also not convinced that he could hold up to the demands of starting regularly. Perhaps the Leafs should try and trade for Cory Schneider?

Queen's Journal Sports Editor.
Personal sports blog at www.sportingmadness.blogspot.com.
Contributing writer at Out of Left Field: www.neatesager.blogspot.com.

by Andrew Bucholtz on Nov 25, 2008 12:50 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

It's no longer the tank for Tavares,

it’s the tank for the number one goalie prospect. You could also mention that the Leafs top goalie prospect, Justin Pogge, is ranked 27th in the AHL.

by penaltyshots on Nov 25, 2008 8:18 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I didn’t fit in a tidbit on Pogge, but he has not been very good in the AHL.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 1:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

just don't...

say anything about Rask. I’m purposefully not finding anything out about him….

unless, you heard that he sucks, in which case, i’m ok with that.

"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock

by blurr1974 on Nov 25, 2008 3:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He’s been okay. Much better than Pogge, but not a world beater or anything.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 3:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Pogge...

I’m hoping will be like Brodeur or Roy. posting crap numbers in the AHL and/or juniors, but tearing it up in the bigs…

"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock

by blurr1974 on Nov 25, 2008 3:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Roy/Brodeur played a combined 33 games in the minors in their careers. Pogge’s already over 100.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 4:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

please...

let me have a happy place… :(

"You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free."
The Left Coast Lock

by blurr1974 on Nov 25, 2008 4:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If the team’s bad, they get another Schenn-type draft pick. With a .873 save percentage, they’ll be really bad.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 6:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair Point

Good article; it is refreshing to see articles making it into print that are premised upon facts and reason rather than…well, rather than what we’re accustomed to from the Toronto MSM. Let’s hope for your sake (and ours), G&M keeps sending you to work!

I agree that Toskala’s sub-par performance to date has probably cost the Leafs a few points, but lest that observation provoke the mob to start gathering torches and give the poor guy the Frankenstein treatment, (and I’m not suggesting you’re doing that, James) I think it bears mentioning that the margins involved are – you should pardon the ironic Raycroftian pun – “razor thin”.

The difference, for example, between Toskala’s current numbers and a more-or-less league average .904 save percentage (if my math is correct) is a mere 13 saves, or a little bit better than 2/3 of a save per game. That is to say that had Toskala been able to make one more stop in 2/3 of his games, he would be performing at the league-average level. Keeping in mind that the sample size is still relatively small (relative to a full season), I would suggest that the numbers point to a concern, but do not amount to an indictment of Toskala’s talent.

Yet.

jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at http://www.heroesinrehab.ca/blog

"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)

by jrwendelman on Nov 25, 2008 9:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

James, is there any way to assess the quality of scoring chances that Toskala faces? I know he has given up the odd soft goal (most goalies do) and had problems with rebound control. However, it often seems to me that while the number of shots the Leafs give up is low, the number of breakaways and cross-ice tap-ins is high.

As to the trade, the Leafs get the best player, but there’s no apparent long-term strategy in either the deal or the franchise. In other news, winter is colder than summer.

I've been looking at the sky

by Back In Black on Nov 25, 2008 9:44 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

How is there no long-term strategy? The Leafs have:

no right-handed forwards
no right-handed player on the powerplay
no young scorers (if every newspaper in the city is to be believed)

The Leafs addressed those needs by getting rid of their 8th defenceman and a young forward that didn’t seem able to put things together after getting shifted to a checking role.

And no long-term strategy in the franchise? What? Have you been sleeping the past 4 months?

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Nov 25, 2008 10:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Addressing the sudden need for a right-handed shot is a short-term strategy. Stempniak is a UFA in 2010; there’s nothing long-term involved in this trade. And that’s why it makes me feel that there’s no long-term strategy in the franchise – what’s the point of moving short-term assets for short-term assets? Especially when it’s done during the very transparent negotiating period with a new GM.

Perhaps the long-term goal is to turn around and flip Stempniak later in the season, after he’s scored a few powerplay goals. I’m skeptical, but I’ll appreciate it if it happens.

I've been looking at the sky

by Back In Black on Nov 25, 2008 10:56 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Stempniak is 25 years old. How is acquiring him only for the short-term? Just because he’s a UFA in 2010?

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Nov 25, 2008 11:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

They could easily sign Stempniak long term after this season.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 1:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, he was a low pick from Dartmouth with apparent confidence issues when he jumped at the chance to sign the multi-year deal with a very bad Blues team, so I could see him jumping at the chance to sign an extension in Toronto, too.

SBN now has a NY Islanders blog at LighthouseHockey.com.

by Dominik on Nov 25, 2008 1:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

More Ivy Leaguers

Soon the Leafs will be the smartest team in the NHL.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Nov 25, 2008 2:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Eh. Contrary to the propaganda, the Ivies loosen their admission standards for athletes, too. They just call it, “recruiting a diverse student body,” and giving non-curricular points to someone that plays sports. Remember, the Ivy League doesn’t give out athletic tuition breaks, just need-based scholarships.

As in, “We need a goalie.”

by J. Michael Neal on Nov 25, 2008 4:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

I know a dude that quarterbacked for Harvard – and this guy did NOT make it there on academic merit, I am here to tell you.

jrwendelman
The Artist Formerly Known as "Junior", who blogs at http://www.heroesinrehab.ca/blog

"But if someone so eager to engage into fist talk, we can always meet after season end in Minsk." (Mikhail Grabovski and a well-meaning but not particularly skillful translator)

by jrwendelman on Nov 25, 2008 7:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I would have loved to get into measuring the quality of the shots Toskala faced, as I think it would make his numbers look slightly better, but I simply didn’t have the time frame to come up with those numbers. Still, there is no way to sugarcoat a .873 save percentage; that is horrible regardless of circumstance.

by James Mirtle on Nov 25, 2008 1:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs