pucksandsmellingsalts-blog

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

Schooled.

Yes, I haven't written in a while and that's always the case nowadays. Anywho, the Leafs just lost 6-3 to the New Jersey Devils.

Time for me to rant.

Jake Gardiner. As much as I love to watch him play, sometimes it hurts to see him make silly mistakes that turn into a turnover or even a goal against. In this case, he helped cause the Devils to score when they had three, yes three, players on. THREE. Last time I checked, scoring is supposed to be the other way around but oh well. Gards had a bad game, oh well, but he's still a key guy on our team and I'm not going to give up on his development. That's that. Next.

Defensive play. I am so sorry, but the only player who can play a decent two way game on this team is Matthews at the moment. He looks great in the defensive zone. Everyone else? Let's not talk about it. Actually, let's talk about it. On the first goal for the Devils, Santini got the puck on the point and just ripped one passed Andersen (Wood did get credit for the goal). Upon watching the replay, I noticed the left winger was nowhere to be found. For some odd reason, Matt Martin was on the right side in the faceoff circle doing nothing. He only realized he was doing something wrong once Santini walked in and blasted the puck. The commentators and analysts never brought it up for some odd reason, which ticked me off even more, but how do you mess up that bad? As much as I love Martin, I really think he should be replaced for either a) a guy who can set up Connor Brown or b) a more responsible player defensively.

Freddie. As much as I love you, you have looked very shaky in the past 3 games. Even though the team in front isn't helping you out much, you still need to make some more saves. I understand that you're being screened on almost every goal now, but you have to find a way to track that puck. To be honest, I think Babcock should give him a rest against Montreal. He really needs it.

Anywho, that's numbero uno. There's still 78 games left to play, and I sure hope I see improvement.

EP

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

Liljegren signs with the Maple Leafs!

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick Timothy Liljegren has signed a 3-year entry-level contract. The 17th overall pick will either play in Sweden or for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League this upcoming season, ruling out the Niagra Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

The Swedish defenceman recorded one goal and four assists with Rögle of the Swedish Hockey League this past season and is a very exciting prospect for the Leafs organization.

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

The Leafs and the Expansion Draft

This past Sunday, the protection lists were made public by all NHL teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here is who they protected:

Tyler Bozak (F), Connor Brown (F), Nazem Kadri (F), Leo Komarov (F), Josh Leivo (F), Matt Martin (F), James van Riemsdyk (F), Connor Carrick (D), Jake Gardiner (D), Morgan Rielly (D), and finally Frederik Andersen (G).

In my opinion, this list gave me one surprise, which we’ll get to later. Now, here’s the list of Leafs players who are unprotected and can be claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights:

Brian Boyle (F), Eric Fehr (F), Colin Greening (F), Seth Griffith (F), Teemu Hartikainen (F), Brooks Laich (F), Brendan Leipsic (F), Joffrey Lupul (F), Milan Michalek (F), Kerby Rychel (F), Ben Smith (F), Andrew Campbell (D), Matt Hunwick (D), Alexey Marchenko (D), Martin Marincin (D), Steve Oleksy (D), Roman Polak (D), Antoine Bibeau (G), Curtis McElhinney (G), and Garret Sparks (G).

Yes, these are a lot of names to go through. If you want to know the more important names that were left unprotected, those names are Brendan Leipsic and Kerby Rychel. These two were a vital part of the Toronto Marlies organization this past season, boasting 51 and 52 points each. The head honchos who created these lists decided to protect Matt Martin and Josh Leivo instead of these two. From what I’ve seen so far, this has created a very positive negative response from Leafs fans on social media. So, let’s talk about that.

In my opinion, I feel like both Leipsic and Rychel do not fit Mike Babcock’s style of team. In hind sight, either Kapanen, Soshnikov, Leivo, Leipsic and Rychel are all deserving of that 4th line spot on the right wing if not higher, but Babcock wants a guy who can kill penalties as well, hence why Kapanen and Soshnikov get the nod. This is why Leivo was held to very few games despite having very good stats in the handful of games he was given to play. Babcock really likes his offensive capabilities, but prefers guys like Kapanen and Sosh who can play defensively as well. But why Leivo over Leipsic and Rychel?

Babcock gave Leipsic a crack on the Maple Leafs roster during the horrid 2015-16 season and scored his first career against the Vancouver Canucks in spectacular fashion, but I guess that was not enough to impress the head coach. Rychel was traded to the Leafs on the 25th of June in 2016 in exchange for Scott Harrington and a conditional pick and has never made his debut in the blue & white. My guess once again is that he does not fit Babcock’s style of play, hence why he is exposed.

The reason for Matt Martin even being protected is because there are not many enforcers left in the NHL with skill like Matt Martin. He may not be the best offensively, but he was a part of the 4th line that was crucial in Toronto’s game two victory in overtime against the Washington Capitals. He fits Babcock’s play style, hence why he was protected. 

Vegas’ team will be revealed tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see who Vegas selects from the Leafs or if the two teams make any deals with each other.

- EP

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

They Won't Capitalize.

Alright, so, the Leafs made the playoffs. Yaaaaaay. We're playing the President's Trophy-winning Washington Capitals. Awwwww. Not to worry, Leafs fans. Despite the fact that beating the Caps seems impossible, it definitely is possible. Although the team is young, the adversity they face gives them every reason to win and here are reasons why the Leafs will win. Reason 1: Frederik Andersen Freddy has been rock solid as of late and has been a crucial reason for the Maple Leafs' success this season. In 66 games played between the pipes, he has given the Leafs 80 of their 95 points this season. Without him between the pipes, it is likely that a team like Tampa Bay or the New York Islanders would be in that second wild card spot. After having a scare against the Penguins by leaving the game in the 2nd period due to an upper body injury, coach Mike Babcock insisted that he will be ready for game one. If he can stay healthy throughout the first round and stay hot as he's been and stop the snipers on the Capitals, he will definitely give the Leafs a huge chance to win. Reason 2: Lack of playoff experience Okay, this typically is a reason why a team would lose in the playoffs. In my opinion, though, the "underdogs" will overcome the "beast" not only in this series, but in a majority of the other series as well. Every year, the Capitals are considered cup contenders, but every year they get knocked out in or before the second round. Although this will give them the drive to make a cup run, the team on the other end would love to play spoiler. How would you feel if you lost a game to a bunch of "kids?" More than likely, you'd get pretty pissed off. Let's say the Leafs win the first two games in Washington (that'll be cool to see because the Caps are 32-7-2 this season at home). Anyone could tell the Caps players that they just got embarrassed in front of their home crowd by a bunch of "inexperienced kids." Speaking of inexperienced kids, only 10 Leafs have played in an NHL playoff game (only players who are healthy and in starting lineup). Reason 3: Battling adversity This reason has been a summary of the Leafs season. Pretty much no one considered them to be even close to a playoff spot because this is considered their 2nd or 3rd year of the rebuild, or the "Shanaplan." Hell, even I thought they would be bottom 5. After blowing a 4-0 lead to the Winnipeg Jets early in the season, I was almost certain the Leafs would finish in the bottom 5 like I predicted. But then December 17th rolled around. It was Hockey Night in Canada and the Leafs were taking on the defending Stanley Cup champions: the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Leafs threw on 49 shots towards Marc-Andre Fleury and ended up winning 2-1 in OT. That very game is when my perception on the team turned around. Although they did beat them earlier in the year and later got spanked by them, this out of them all was the one that got me thinking, "We can make the playoffs." It is now April 10th and yes, we did make the playoffs. Did I expect to get an easy opponent in the playoffs? Pf course not, there's no such thing as that in this stage of the year and that is what hockey fans don't get. I read somewhere on Instagram that the Leafs "don't have the talent" to last more than 5 games. Huh, so I guess Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Brown, Bozak, JVR, Kadri, Kapanen, Gardiner, Rielly, Zaitsev, and Andersen don't exist according to that fan. For the first time in god knows how long, the Leafs have depth. In other words, three lines that can consistently score goals. But no, the Leafs have no talent. Stupid comments like that will just make the Leafs winning ever so sweeter. Now, you can agree with me or disagree, which I completely understand if you disagree. You can easily say "oh, but the Caps have Holtby" or "we have the experience needed to beat Toronto" which are all true, as a matter of fact. Holtby is a William Jennings trophy winner this season and he damn well deserves it. But remember, this is my opinion. Don't call me an idiot if you don't know what you're talking about, especially if you became a Caps fan after Ovi had his 60 goal season. That's just as bad as being a Blackhawks fan since 2010. Anywho, thank you so much for reading. Go Leafs Go. - EP

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

Playoffs...?

It's basically been forvever ago since I posted something on here and during the time before my absence I never thought the Leafs would be this close to a playoff spot at this time of the year. Players like Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Brown, Kadri, Andersen (basically everyone on the roster) have been a key factor for the team currently sitting in the 2nd wildcard spot with 5 points in hand on the next team, the Tampa Bay Lightning (who I considered a cup contender at the beginning of the season). Even though the Leafs are 5 points ahead, that doesn't mean the blue & white are in for sure. Currently, the Leafs "magic number" for the playoffs is 1. What does that mean? That means if Tampa loses a game in any fashion, the Leafs move on. If Toronto gains at least a point, they make it. Make sense? This may seem easy for the Leafs, but even though the Lightning basically sold their first team depth like Brian Boyle and Ben Bishop at the deadline, their young depth certainly has stepped up for them. A few of those players are Brayden Point, Adam Erne, Yanni Gourde, and Jake Dotchin. You may not have heard of these names before, but be very aware: they're really good. So how are we going to beat Tampa? What's the gameplan? If you watched the Washington and Toronto game Tuesday evening, we need to come out flying like Washington. Don't give the puck carrier time to make a decision and play him physical. Who knows, maybe score another 3 goals in 43 seconds again. I'd really like that. Another important key is to make close to no mistakes in the defensive zone. The Leafs have been blessed with great goaltending from Andersen as of late by saving our asses by making 30+ saves a game. How about we return the favour and make the night a little easier for him? Anywho, Tampa will visit the Leafs in Toronto on Thursday. It's going to be a hell of a game regardless of the outcome and hopefully the boys can tally a W to move on to the land of milk and honey; the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

#HuntforTavares

4:30pm: "Hall got traded? I kinda saw that coming." 

4:35pm: "SUBBAN FOR WEBER? WHAT THE HECK?" 

4:40pm: *smashes phone* 

GAAAH. 

Okay Eric, breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth... 

...STAMKOS RESIGNED IN TAMPA FOR EIGHT MORE YEARS. THAT RUINS ALL OF MY PLANS TO GET THE NEW LEAFS JERSEY WITH HIS NAME ON IT. Literally just hours before the signing, most analysts were saying that the chances for Steven Stamkos to stay in Tampa were slimmer than ever. Well, they were sure as hell wrong. Stamkos wants a Stanley Cup. Well, who doesn't? Since he wants one, he's probably not going to get one in Toronto for at least six years (that's being optimistic). The way the Leafs roster looks and by what Stamkos wants, Toronto was not the right fit for him. The Leafs are about to start their second season of their "rebuild" so that means no Stanley Cup any time soon. There's not much else I can say to this except that this brings us one step closer to signing John Tavares next summer. And with the Leafs' luck, the exact same thing is going to happen with Tavares. 

Let the fun times begin.

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

"PK Subban will not be traded." - Marc Bergevin

You lied to us, monsieur. This trade absolutely shocked me, but it also made sense. Why? Lemme explain. The older Habs fan base hates PK Subban. They hate how energetic he is, how offensive minded he is, and so on. I will agree with them that Subban does make a lot of defensive mistakes, but hey, the Leafs paid a guy seven million a year to do that so why should that matter? On the other hand, the young fan base of the Habs love Subban. They love him for how energetic he is and how offensive minded he is. Pretty ironic, huh. Why do I like this trade for the Habs? They're becoming a physical team. They just signed Shaw a few days ago and now with the addition of Shea Weber from this trade (that's right, Shea Weber), the Habs actually have a good team now. They might actually make the playoffs without Carey Price carrying them the entire time! What surprised me more than PK getting traded was Shea Weber getting traded, mostly because he was the captain of the Nashville Predators. Since he is getting there in age, it seemed like he would stay in Nashville because of their chances of winning the cup in the upcoming years. This trade shows how the Habs want to be cup contenders without Price and I think this is the perfect deal for them. The Preds on the other hand...you got a younger guy who can also shoot hard. Ta-da? - Eric Pronio (pucksandsmellingsalts)

[pucksandsmellingsalts-blog]

Matthews vs. Laine

Alright, so the 2016 NHL Entry Draft came to a close yesterday with a bunch of picks, trades, and fines *cough cough Jim Benning cough cough*. But let’s forget about the other 208 players selected and focus on two of the top prospects in this draft: Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Auston Matthews is coming out of Arizona playing hockey. Yes, that’s, right, hockey. In one of the hottest states in the United States, the sport he chose to dedicate his life to was hockey. “But Eric, maybe his parents liked hockey!” That’s where you’re wrong, sweet cheeks. Matthews stated that 15 years ago his parents didn’t know what hockey was. I’m sure he’s exaggerating and all, but he was kinda right. When you think of Mexico, what sport comes to mind? For me, I think soccer. Mexico has many talented soccer players, like Chicharito and Ochoa. I bet all of you reading this did not think of hockey of a sport that a Mexican person would play. No, I’m not trying to be racist or anything, but name one Mexican player that plays professional hockey…I’ll give you a minute. Auston Matthews is half Mexican, and he gets that from his mother (Mrs. Matthews the city of Toronto would like to thank you on creating the Messiah of hockey, FYI). What I’m trying to show all of you is that Matthews doesn’t come from a hockey background and that playing hockey was his choice. (Thinking about it, I’m trying to imagine Ochoa finding a helmet that would fit over his afro) Patrik Laine is possibly the most relaxed and confident prospect in all of sports. In a facetime interview with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, he didn’t put on his best polo shirt, brush his hair, and clean his room. No no, he was wearing a white t-shirt and laying in his messy bed. This is definitely not professional, but hey, his work ethic sure is. His shot is as fast as a jet (pun intended) and he is as fast as a jet as well. As an 18-year old, he won MVP of the IIHF World Hockey championships playing against men. MEN. BIG, STRONG, EXPERIENCED MEN. But nah, an 18-year old was the best player for Finland. And he was. Back on topic here. Matthews and Laine as the top two can be compared to McDavid and Eichel from last year’s draft. One side wants one player to get drafted first, while the other wants the other player to go first. And in this case, both parties are right about their opinions. Why? My reason being is that because these players play two different positions: Matthews is a centreman and Laine is a winger. Put this into perspective: let’s say the Leafs somehow won the cup (gas costs 25¢ a litre, Canada still doesn’t have its own flag yet, CuJo is still the Leafs starting goalie making his 2nd comeback and Pluto is still a planet, in this world) and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery and get to pick first overall. At center, the Pens have Crosby, Malkin, and Bonino as their top guys. Since they have depth in that position, would they draft Matthews? More than likely if did, he would be their 2nd line center. But here’s the catch: you have a guy who’s making 9.5 million a year (USD) as your third line center. In my opinion, the Penguins would be stupid to draft a center like Matthews. Instead, they could pick up a winger as in Laine to put as a future first liner. You can start him off with Malkin (which would be kick-ass) and once he starts to perform, set him up with Crosby. If I were a Pens fan, I would be jumping up and down if this were true. What I’m trying to get across here is that Matthews and Laine are both very skilled. In this draft class, there is no definite numbero uno pick. It all depends on what the team needs and in this case, the Leafs needed a center. Matthews will be the last true centerman for the blue & white since the Mats Sundin days. Let’s say your team has the chance and picking Matthews or Laine. Who would you want your team to pick as the new face of the ((insert team name here))? Eric Pronio (pucksandsmellingsalts)