Kaberle's still a Leaf. Go Figure!

     Well, the last window of opportunity to deal The Toronto Maple Leaf's most tradeable asset has closed and Tomas Kaberle wasn't moved, again!  Don't get me wrong.  I'm a big fan of Tomas, but after 3 years of hearing boasts of Kaberle netting us high draft picks and scoring top six forwards, I'm a little disappointed to say the least.
      When the Kaberle trade talks began, he had three years left on a quite affordable contract.  Combine this with his unique skating ability and a great first pass. and you had a very marketable asset.  When Brian Burke took over two years ago he immediately targeted the defenseman as a player to be traded for some key pieces to the Toronto Maple Leaf puzzle.  His asking price was a big, young, forward who could score, and a high draft pick.  At the time it sounded very reasonable. 
      So why is Tomas Kaberle still a Leaf.  Part of the answer is Kaberle's no trade clause.  The Leafs have a small window every off season in which they can trade him without restriction.  The window opens after the entry draft and closes in the middle of August.  The other proviso is the no-trade clause lifts only if the team fails to make the play-offs.  Being that the team hasn't played post season since the lockout and never during Burke's tenure, they've had ample opportunity to trade him. 
     Since the day Burke took over, he's been touting the teams wealth of defenseman.  He claims they'll be instrumental in bringing talented forwards in trades.  So far Leafs fans have seen no sign of this.  A Kaberle trade was his chance for redemption.  So why no trade?  Is it as simple as Burke's giant ego getting in the way?  Maybe, maybe not.  I can't help but wonder how things may have changed if Burke hadn't set Kaberle price openly in the media.  I wonder still at how Burke arrived at the price he did for Kaberle.  The market proved he wasn't worth the price last summer when he wasn't traded back then.  This summer ten teams were in negotiation for him.  Still not one of them came close to Burke's asking price.  I think leaf fans and Brian Burke need to ask themselves.  Was every NHL GM wrong in their evaluation of Tomas Kaberle, or was Burke's bullheadedness getting in the way.    I think the answer is obvious.
     The bottom line is Brian squandered another golden opportunity to improve The Toronto Maple Leafs.  The team does have a wealth of quality defensman.  What they desperately need is talent upfront and draft picks.  Tomas Kaberle has been a loyal, honest and hard working player his entire career with The Leafs.  His name has been dragged though the media for three complete season now.  We are now in a position where we may lose him for nothing as a free agent.  At best he may still be traded, but his value diminishes the longer it goes.  It's not fair to him, his teammates, or the fans. The bottom line is, Brian Burke should have admitted he was wrong in setting Kaberle's worth.  He should have taken the best deal on the table and made the trade, period.

Kessel Needs to be Better!

     With just one goal in his last twelve games Phil Kessel is causing Leafs fans to wonder if he's the player Brian Burke thought he was getting when he traded for him in September.  Obviously Kessel is a highly gifted player and already the most talented player on this team.  The question is, does he have ALL the tools needed to help guide the Leafs to the promised land. 
     Phil Kessel's recent mediocre play is not the reason for the Leafs latest lack of success, but it is a contributor.  December was a very important month for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  It was an opportunity to reach a number of key milestones and position the team for a genuine run for the post season.  With teams like the Flyers, Canadiens, Islanders and Thrashers plummeting in the standings, last month was a golden opportunity to move up and gain some ground on the rest of the Eastern Conference bottom dwellers.  Unfortunately the Leafs and Kessel failed to take advantage.
     The Leafs came out of the blocks like gangbusters in December.  They began the month going 6 - 3  with 5 of those wins coming against Eastern Conference rivals.  Phil Kessel was on a 3 game goal streak with 5 goals and 5 assists in those 9 games.  With Kessel scoring at more than a point a game they were making a charge and moving back towards respectability.  They even looked like they may finish the month at 500%.

     Since that charge, the Leafs and Kessel have been far from respectable.  They went 2 - 5 in the last seven games of 2009 and began the new year with only 1 win in their first 5.  During this period Kessel has managed just 1 goal and 1 assist.  His point production is worst among all noteworthy Leaf forwards and is even taking a backseat to 3 defenseman.  Even Luke Schenn has been more prolific during this span.
     Nobody is expecting Phil Kessel to carry this team single-handedly.  He also gets a pass for having to play with such a talent starved group of forwards.  Combine this last point with fact that opponents have figured out that if you shut-down Kessel, you shut-down the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Having said this, stars in the NHL are supposed to be able to overcome such things and find ways to succeed.  Not only has he failed at this he's become all but invisible.  If Toronto is going to salvage this season at all, this just cannot happen.
     It's still much too early to judge whether Brain Burke gave up too much for Kessel.  Carolina is trying their best (or worst) to land the number one pick in next years draft so leafs fans may not have to endure the agony of watching Boston use our selection to take Taylor Hall.  With every loss however, it does seem certain Burke did trade a lottery pick.  Too make matters worse, none of the players Burke aquired last season with the exception of junior prospect Nazeem Kadri are making much impact at any level.
     All this boils down to one important fact.  The team we have this year is probably going to look very much like the team we have next year.  Granted Burke will have some money to play with in the off-season and many of our current players may not be back, but with teams holding on to their young core players more than ever, good, young, free agents may be hard to land.
     Kessel is not big, he's not truculent, and he's not a fighter.  He's a fast, flashy forward, who can beat defenseman and goalies from almost anywhere.  He's been this for most of the season, hopefully he will wake up and bee that player again.  If not, this already disastrous season will only bet worse.

Can New Year Bring New Hope for Leafs?

     The first half of the 2009-2010 season is over, and for the Toronto Maple Leafs it may be a relief.  The first half hasn’t been kind to this franchise, at least as far as wins and losses are concerned.  With only 37 points, this season has provided fans with more up and downs than Tiger Woods'  zipper.  Hopefully 2010 will be kinder.
      The New Year is all about fresh starts.  Tonight can give the Toronto Maple Leafs just that.  They can put aside the terrible start and finally show fans exactly what kind of team we have.  Realizing their identity will be the key.  This past off-season, Brian Burke told us we will have a truculent, tough, hard nosed team with a strong commitment to defense.  He said teams would fear coming to play in our house.  Burke told fans this new gritty team would enhance the skill of our existing forwards, enabling them to play their game without having to constantly look over their shoulders.  If only this had come to pass.
      After 41 games the Leafs still sit second last in the conference and third last in the entire league.  They have a losing record at home, have allowed the second most goals,  are 12th in scoring, even with Phil Kessel, and 14th in penalty minutes.  The Leafs have the worst penalty kill and their once potent power play has dropped to 14th in the league.  These stats don't exactly reflect the type of team Burkie promised us, far from it actually.  With only 7 homes wins, only Florida and St. Louis have won fewer in their own house.  Teams will fear playing in Toronto, they may actually look forward to it. As far as skilled players not having to look over their shoulders, ask Kessel, Stajan, and Stalberg how they feel about that.
      There are some bright spots however.  Phil Kessel hasn't been wearing out the goal light recently, but he has brought fans out of their seats like no one since Matts Sundin. Niklas Hagman has had his share of highlights and Nikolai Kulemin is even showing some star potential.  Unfortunately team defense and goaltending continue to struggle.  Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this team so far is the coaching staff.  Ron Wilson and company have proven they can get this team to play well, and even win on occasion.  Their biggest challenging is convincing the players of this.
      The Toronto Maple Leafs true identity lies in their ability to realize their true skill level.   This team has two gifted scorers (Kessel and Hagman), one true offensive defenseman (Kaberle) with another emerging (Ian White), a good not great goalie (Gustavsson obviously), and a very tough enforcer who can actually put time in on the third and fourth lines.  After that we're looking at a bunch of very hard working, very fast, mix of veterans and young players.  It's here where they should be looking for their identity.
     Speed and work ethic should define this team, leave the fancy play and nifty stretch passes to the elite teams for now.  When this team wins they do so by out skating their opponents and wearing them down with relentless forchecking.  They put lots of pucks on net and lots of players in front.  They move the puck with quick short passes and the defense uses it's size to keep the middle of the ice clear in their own end.  In short they play a basic, simple style that matches perfectly to their skill level. 
     If 2010 is going to bring any success to the Toronto Maple Leafs, they'll have to put aside the rally caps and rely more on their listening ears.  They must force opponents to play their game.  They do have an identity.  It's a tough, fast hard working group, with lots of heart and a enough skill to keep fans cheering.  Once players truly believe this they will become the TEAM Brian Burke blustered about last summer.

   

Leafs Get Humbled in Boston.

     After last nights embarrassing loss to the Boston Bruins I asked myself, "should we really be surprised?"  Ofcourse we can be dissapointed, but surprised?  I don't think so.   This time last month this team was in complete turmoil!  We had only won two games and were wondering if this could be our worst season ever.  Luckily much has changed since then.

      Saturday night's 7-2 loss in Boston was the Leafs 28th game of the year.  This puts them one third of the way into the season.  If we break down these games into thirds what do we find?  What I see is a struggling franchise making small improvements.

      We all know how this team started the year.  One win in nine games.  The second nine weren't much better.  They managed 2 wins.  Since then however, the Leafs have been quite respectable posting five wins in nine games.  Maybe all this means nothing, but I think it shows a team that is slowly, but steadily, improving.  This brings us back to last nights game.  The 7-2 score was actually quite flattering to the Leafs.  They didn't score until well into the third period.  It was disappointing because a win would have given us our first winning streak of the year ( no, two wins in a row is not a streak).

      It's not surprising because, while the Leafs have been quite entertaining of late, they still have only managed to win eight games in twenty eight.   These are not the stats of a contender.  Boston on the other hand is a contender.  Even with the injury problems the Bruins have faced they still have almost twice as many wins as Toronto and sit third in the conference.  The Bruins are a team with legitimate stars at every position, a well stocked farm, a wealth of draft picks and a history of using them well.   The good news for Leaf fans is it wasn't that long ago, that Boston was exactly where the Leafs are now.  The unfortunate part for Leaf  fans is they were right there with them, but we'll leave that for another post.

     Despite our record of futility since the lock out, there is reason for hope in Leaf Nation.  We have one, new, legitimate star in Phil Kessel.  We've managed to resist panicking and trading our other star, Tomas Kaberle.   The Monster will get healthy and looks like he can be our goalie of the future, and we have at least one blue chip prospect in our system with Nazim Kadri.  Next year Luke Schenn will be over the sophomore jinx and maybe one of Bozak, Hanson, Stalberg or Gunnarsson will be living up to Brian Burkes lofty expectations.  We don't have to be reminded that we are short on draft picks for the next two years, but so far Kessel has looked great and maybe even worth the price.  I'm still undecided about whether that deal should have been made, but Kessel is quickly winning me over.  Besides with the recent trade of Tlusty for a first round prospect it went a long way to replenishing the farm.  Tlusty was never going to amount to much here and Paridis has good upside as well as being a Burke type player.

      None of this means the Leafs will win the Cup this year or next or even the year after.  It doesn't mean they'll be playing in June.  It does mean we will have more nights like last night, but with some more good moves and a lot of patience, Leaf Nation will rise again.

You Have to Admit, They've been fun to Watch.

They may be in second last.  They probably won't make the playoffs.  The rebuild may take longer than exepected.  All these may be valid claims but at least for Leaf fans they do have an entertaining team on the ice.

Don't agree, no problem, you're are not alone.  Maybe this clip will help convince you though.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

A little over a week ago the Toronto Maple Leafs had just thrashed the Detroit Red Wings, moved out of last place, and positioned themselves to start challenging for a playoff spot. They had a 7 game points streak and had won 2 games in a row.  Fans were talking playoffs and actually had reason to believe it might happen.  Ron Wilson was sleeping at night.  His players were finally listening.

Ten days have passed since then.  The Leafs have lost 4 games  in  a row and are back to the style of play that had critics calling them pretenders rather than contenders.  This past week and a half, has seen our Leafs lose to Minnesota, Chicago, Calgary, and Ottawa.  Based on their play this year even the most optimistic fan could never have expected them to win all of those games, but a split was definitely achievable.  Those much needed 4 points would have put them within striking distance of 8th spot and one step closer to respectability.  Instead their back in last place and back out of playoff contention.  Worst of all it appears they've reverted back to playing the undisciplined hockey that almost left them 0 for October.

It's no secret the Leafs are a little short on talent and skill.  They still need better goaltending and much better play from almost all of their forwards.  With the exception of Kessel, Kaberle and White, every player on this team has under-achieved.  Gustavsson may be entitled to a pass as he's still making the adjustment to the NHL and while Schenn is a huge dissapointment this year,  it's not completely unexpected due to his age and inexperience.  The same cannot be said for the rest. 

We could go up and down the roster rhyming off numbers, showing how unproductive the forwards have been.  We could blame Toskala for his inconsistent play and habit of giving up at least one soft goal a game.  We could talk about needless penalties and their inability to kill them off.  The fact of the matter is they have been scoring goals (well Kessel has anyway).  The penalty kill has looked better.  Our defense has been more responsible and Toskala has looked much better since the emergence of The Monster.  So why do we keep losing.

The Leafs are losing because they've forgotten how to win!  They have completely abandoned the system Ron Wilson has been trying to get them to play since he took control of this team.  Why this bunch of talent starved skaters think they can play run and gun hockey is a mystery to me.  Watching Phil Kessel pick the puck up at his blueline and blast past everyone on the ice is a thing of beauty.  The way he can explode over the opponents blueline and wrist a laser into the net gives me chills.  Unfortunately,  Kessel is only one player and nobody else on this team has anything close to his scoring ability.  So far no one, not even Ron Wilson has been able to convince them of that.  The Leafs have stopped playing like a team.  It's like watching five skaters flying around trying to win the game on their own.

The effort is there.  If it hadn't been for some good goaltending by Calgary and Ottawa, they may have indeed split their last 4 games.  Well a loss is a loss no matter how well they looked.  With all these losses fans and media have begun to ask who is to blame.  So far most fingers point to Ron Wilson.  Should he be fired?  Who knows?  It can't be all his fault.  He's only the coach.  If the players don't play, what can he do?  Sure he can bench players and limit ice time,  but with everyone playing as poorly as they are, how will this help?   One thing is for sure.  Ron Wilson IS THE COACH.  That means it's his job to teach the system he wants his players to play.  If they aren't listening he has to find a way to make them.  That's his job, his responsibilty.  Hall of Fame Coach or not, if he can't find a way to make them listen to him, his days will be numbered, and rightly so.

Give me your impression.  Agree or disagree?  Can Wilson make  this team a winner? Are these players good enough?  Is this all a bunch of dribble?   I'd love to know what you think.

Will the Real Toronto Maple Leafs Please Stand UP!

The Jekyll and Hyde show continued Friday night in Chicago, as the Leafs dropped their second in a row 3-2 to the Blackhawks.  It looks as though the stinker they served up against Minnesota was not a mere blip in the midst of a remarkable turnaround.  It's possible it was an example of what Leaf fans should expect for the rest of the season.

A team is never as bad as they appear during a losing streak, and never as good as they look on a winning streak.  The Leafs proved this again Friday night.  Last night Vesa Toskala showed he can be much better than he's been over the first part of the season.  It's debatable whether Patrick Kane's wrist-shot over Toskala's glove should have been stopped, but it was point blank, so maybe we'll cut Vesa some slack.  What shouldn't be argued was the rest of his play.  He looked much more confident and competitive.  There were no softies Friday night.  He made some huge saves and looked very quick going post to post all night.  If we resign ourselves to considering Toskala as a backup goalie, the effort looked even better.

More good news was provided by the play of Phil Kessel.  At least 1 of his two beauties was worthy of a highlight reel and couldn't be duplicated by anyone currently on the Leaf roster. His 4 goals in five games and points in all but 1 of them is quickly helping fans forget the 3 picks they gave up to get him.

Only in Leaf land can see good news in a loss.  Now for the reality check.  For the second game in a row we wasted strong goaltending performances.  The Leafs have looked terrible in the first period in both games this week.  Other than Kessel nobody is generating any offense.  Worst of all, the Leafs have abandoned the style of play that got us thinking playoffs again.

Let's face it Chicago is a better team than Toronto right now.  They were the favorite going into last nights game on home ice.  We were without Komisarek which finally sounds like a bad thing.  Our second string goalie was in net.  These are all valid excuses, but can't be used when looking at Tuesdays game at home against an inferior Minnesota team.  The fact is we haven't played well since that great game against Detroit.  If the Maple Leafs hope to dig themselves out of the hole they dug in October they can't squander any more games.

Back to the good news.  Tonight The Monster is back in net.  Phil Kessel is playing well and making other players around him play better.  Mike Komisarek may be gone for the next three weeks, but they have 3 or 4 players salivating for a chance to prove their worth.  Finally as bad as they've been this week, all indications show their is a quick fix.

When they were earning points, they were doing it with simple, old fashioned hockey.  Ron Wilson knows his team is a little starved for talent.  He also knows he has some solid veteran defensemen and some pretty good young ones too.  He also know his team is fast, very fast in fact.

We know Gustavsson needs to work on rebound control.  His defense has to help gobble them up like they were doing prior to this mini-slump.  The defense has to grab those rebounds and either look for the quick pass to a forward or dump the puck into the neutral zone.  No more carrying the puck, Kaberle is the only Leaf D-man who can do it (sorry Ian White but you're not there yet).  Luke Schenn should only be allowed have possesion for 2 seconds at a time ... get the puck, pass the puck or get it over the blueline.  Sorry but  making plays like he did against Chicago is only going to kill his already shattered confidence.

Finally the Leafs need to use their speed to their advantage.  They've played their best hockey by beating their opponents up ice and winning the battles on the boards.  Last Saturday they dominated Detroit by limiting the play to the outside in their own end and making those short quick up-ice passes.  For years we've seen slow footed Leaf players take lazy, holding penalties between the blue lines because the opposition was so much faster.  They can finally turn the table and force other teams to take those penalties.  We know they can play this way and we know it works for them.  Ron Wilson has the right plan to make these guys winners again, hopefully they're listening.

It's Fun in Leaftown Again!

The only thing better than beating the dreaded Habs for Leaf fans, is beating those nasty Red Wings.  Last night that's exactly what they did.  Saturday night, at the ACC, Toronto Maple Leaf  fans witnessed a gem.  5-1 was the final.  No footnotes, no explanations, they didn't beat a last place team, or win because of good bounces or lots of powerplays.  It was a good old fashioned win against a good team.

Saturday's game gave Leaf Nation a thoroughly satisfying win.  For the first time this year they got their moneys worth.  The Leafs played a well disciplined game.  They didn't take bad penalties, refused to get sucked into playing Detroits game, and used their speed to counter attack all evening.  Gustavsson was fantastic, again, but so was the defense.  They made nice first passes, kept the front of the net clear and gobbled up all of  The Monsters rebounds. They didn't try to make something out of nothing and effectively cleared the puck from their zone when they needed to.  The few times the Red Wings did try to mount a sustained attack , the Leaf defense played to their own strengths and kept the puck to the outside, on the boards, where their size and strength gave them the advantage. They played the game Burke and Wilson have been promising us they could.

Leaf fans now know who their number one goalie is, they have a legitimate top offensive line, and best of all, they can start thinking playoffs again.  Before all those anti-Leafs out there starting groaning and twittering about how Leaf Nation is talking Stanley Cup, I should mention this club is nowhere near that level yet.  However, based on the last two weeks, I'm certain Toronto Maple Leaf players, management and fans, have the right to look forward to possibly playing hockey in the spring of 2010. 

The first four weeks of the season was disastrous for The Toronto Maple Leafs.  They squandered a third period lead in their season opener and lost with 13 seconds left in overtime to arch rivals, The Montreal Canadians.  Little did fans know this was going to be the highlight of their first eight games of the season.  They would have to wait to their ninth game of the year before earning their next point.  That span of eight games saw them outscored  35-15.  They looked lost.  Toskala was terrible and showed absolutely no confidence between the pipes and their defense looked worse.  To a player, every offseason pickup looked like a huge blunder by new GM Brian Burke.

The streak ended in Anaheim.  The perfect ending to an horrific streak.  Jonas Gustavsson, the Swedish goaltending prospect, signed in the offfseason as a major piece in Burkes rebuilding puzzle, was back from injury.  He instantly won over fans and gave them the glimmer of hope they were desperately looking for.  They won 6-3.  Their powerplay was unstoppable and with The Monster as their best penalty killer, they were almost perfect when down a man.  For the first time in 6 games they scored more than 2 goals.  No more dumb penalties by Komisarek, Beauchemin was back to playing his game, and Tomas Kaberle woke up and became the best offensive defenseman in the game.  Non-believers would say the Ducks lost the game on their own by taking so many penalties, and being so undisciplined.  Most observers agreed, but since that game a new streak has begun and it's breathed new hope into Leaf Nation.

The past seven games has seen the Leafs record a point in every one of them.  They have outscored their opponent 24-20 and have won three of those games in overtime.  They've even won their last two in a row.  They have the best powerplay in the league and the PK is getting stronger with every kill.  If this wasn't good enough, Phil Kessel joined the team and gave them a spark not seen since the arrival of Doug Gilmour.

Kessel blasted on the scene with 10 shots against Tampa Bay and notched his first goal last night against Detroit, the game winner by the way.  He's already on a point a game pace, but more importantly he's made the Leafs already lethal powerplay even more deadly.  As an added bonus he's inspired Jason Blake to step up his game and may have turned youngster John Mitchell into a first line center overnight.  Two firsts and a second round pick still sounds like a lot to give up but suddenly the trade is starting to look less one-sided. The most telling stat is, with Phil Kessel in the lineup they're 2-1 and have outscored the opposition 9-5. 

Since this turnaround the Leafs sit tied for 27th overall.  They're 5 points behind the Habs with 2 games in hand.  If they win their next game against Minnesota they'll move ahead of them in the standings.  They may overtake Florida and end up tied with Atlanta.  They may find  themselves only 4 points out of a playoff spot.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dug themselves a pretty deep hole in the first eight games this season.  They 're far from climbing out.  Fortunately the past seven games has shown fans, and the rest of the league, they aren't about to roll over and right off the season.  Who knows, maybe Brian Burke wasn't just blustering.  Maybe this team is better, and maybe Leaf players can leave their golf clubs at home this spring while they do battle in the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Leafs can't Win in Overtime

The Toronto Maple Leafs 5 game road trip came to an end Saturday night, and while it only produced 1 win it did give Leaf fans some reasons to cheer.  Before embarking the Leafs had yet to win a game and looked terrible in all but their first game of the season.   They still won't be mistaken for a playoff contender, and remain in last place, but with points in their last four games, the bandwagon is beginning to take on passengers again.

Anyone not a fan of the beloved blue and white may not understand how  to see the good in a team with only 1 win in 12 games, but Leaf fans are experts in separating hope from despair.  So for those non-beleafers impaired by perennial pessimism, here are some positives you may not have noticed.

Last night the leafs scored first!  They hadn't done that in their previous 11 games.  In their  5 games before hitting the road they hadn't mustered more than 2 goals in a game and in 3 of them had only managed 1 goal each.  Needless to say their power play was almost non-existent and even worse their penalty kill made their opponents look like the 84 Oilers.  In today's NHL that just can't happen ... the proof being the Leafs record before going on the road.  They started the trip with both starting goalies injured.  Their 3 offseason defensive pickups (Exelby, Komisarek, and Beauchemin) were tempting Leafs fans to petition Todd Gill to make a comeback.  In short they were awful and looking like a team destined to finish last over-all.  Considering they don't have first pick for the next 2 years things looked bad!

Much has changed since then.  The Leafs have THE BEST power play in the league!  If you don't believe me look it up.  The penalty kill still ranks at the bottom of the league, but has been crawling back steadily and is no longer an automatic goal.  Their 30 goals scored ties them at 22nd best, not worst in the league.  As of last night both starting goalies are healthy and Jonas Gustavsson is showing why Brian Burke chased him all spring.

If this weren't enough, Tomas Kaberle is on FIRE!  After last nights 4 point effort (he was in on all 4 Leaf goals), he now sits tied for 6th amongst all NHL players.  Not defensemen ... players.  His 17 points puts him ahead of Sydney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Danny Heatley.  His 15 assists is BEST in the NHL.  When was the last time we could say best and Toronto Maple Leafs in the same sentence?  Did I mention he's tied the game in the final minute 2 games in a row.   Even if you still think he should be traded this has to make you happy.

Kaberle's not the only won looking good these days.  Niklas Hagman has a hat-trick and six goals so far.  Lee Stempniak is playing his best hockey since being obtained from St. Louis.  His shot from the point on the power play has been a welcome, if not startling surprise.  An honorable mention should go the Mikhail Grabovski for his contribution to the four game Leaf point streak as well.  If he continues to play this way he may become a fixture on a line with newcomer Phil Kessel.

Tuesday night the Leafs come home to play the Tampa Bay Lightning.  They will also be treated to Phil Kessel's much anticipated first game as a Leaf. That's probably the best news so far.  This speedy winger and power play specialist enters the line-up of a team with the best power-play, best offensive defenseman, possibly the best rookie goaltender, and a 4 game regulation-time unbeaten streak.  That might be more flattering than they deserve but why should Burke and Wilson get to be the Spin-Doctors all the time.  Now if we could figure out how to score in overtime or in a shoot-out we might just be allowed to talk playoffs again.