SITE NEWS
For those of you coming here for the weekly two minute minor I have some bad news. Nick, our intrepid columnist, is out on assignment this week and will not be delivering a two minute minor for you avid trap-o-philes. The good news... he'll be back next week with a HUGE HUGE update. Trust me... it will be worth the wait.
BET UPDATE:
Last night, in what shall from this point forward be referred to as The Futility Bowl, the Tampa Bay Lightning met up with the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto and something resembling a hockey game broke out. The Lightning dominated the play for much of the game, that is until the third period when the Maple Leafs brought it hard. The Leafs and Lightning both play an "attack first" strategy so it was an entertaining game to watch but the Leafs were outmatched by the Lightning's ability to field NHL caliber players on more then one line. What's that? Yes... I watched a large portion of this game (What I didn't watch I missed because I was watching other games). That's how seriously I take my obligation to you people.
Some fantasy notes from the game:
-Mike Smith made 37 saves giving him .942 Sv% on a team that is just now hitting its stride. Thats pretty solid. If Tampa Bay can start winning Smith will really gain some value in fantasy leagues.
- Stamkos got his first point... on the powerplay no less. It wasn't MUCH of an assist but later on he very nearly scored his first goal on a nasty wraparound. For some odd reason Melrose is still only giving Stamkos about 13 minutes a night (can his defense possibly be that bad) but he's showing signs of being able to spin whats being handed to him into gold. If you aren't already watching Stamkos... its time to start.
- Lecavalier woke up last night. Both of his goals were gorgeous. I'd say that shoulder is at about 72%.
- Hey... so... uh... Mike Van Ryn... scored his second powerplay goal last night. Someone has to fill in for McCabe. I just assumed it would be Kaberle or Kubina but maybe its Mike. Van Ryn has 4 points in the last 4 games.
Some Other Notes:
- Good gutsy win for Calgary last night. Hard hitting game, hard fought win. Calgary has to win those games if they are going to be a contender this year.
- The Sharks are off to an unbelievable start but you want proof that they are for real? They held the Pittsburgh Penguins to 11 shots last night. Crosby had 1 shot. Malkin had 2. Scary right?
- Tim Thomas has two consecutive shutouts. NEVER BET AGAINST TIM THOMAS. Take that everyone that thought Manny Fernandez was going to unseat him this year.
- Did you listen to me about Jofrey Lupul? Of course you didn't and as a result you missed 2 goals. Yes it was Atlanta. Yes they are terrible but Philly took full advantage of it. Philly is now wide awake.
Showing posts with label THE BET. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THE BET. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Two Minute Minor: Regarding Toronto
Nick here again, bringing you another Wednesday 2 Minute Minor. This week’s 2MM was to focus on Tampa and how laughably disgusting a team they are. As it turns out, the Flyers might actually be worse. But none of that matters because this week I’m all about Toronto. Before you read any further, scroll down and read the Rich’s official BTT Toronto season preview. (if you haven’t already.) Reading that will make this post a little more significant to you.
(Editor's Note: For ease, and because I like it when you read my stuff here is a link to the Toronto Team Preview http://breakingthetrap.blogspot.com/2008/10/team-previews-toronto-maple-leafs.html)
The Bet:
So there’s this funny little bet I have going with Rich right now and it’s quite simple. Rich is absolutely, 100% convinced that the Leafs will finish worst in the league. I am not. I’m saying Tampa, the Islanders, or LA will rise up and grab that brass ring of failure. But he is SO confident in the Leafs potential for epic failure that he gave me the entire league. All I wanted was LAK, NYI and TBL, but he’s confident enough to go all in. The official bet is as follows: If any team in the entire NHL finishes the regular season with less points than the Leafs, I get lunch. Toronto finishes last, Rich gets lunch. I’d tell you where if that particular fast food chain would like to contribute sponsorship dollars to this site. Otherwise let’s just say it’s something like “MacDougal’s.”
Anyway, leave some comments regarding the bet. We’d both love to hear some other opinions on it! We will also be tracking the progress of the bet (which sadly means tracking the “progress” of the Leafs) periodically here at BTT either in the form of a 2MM, Breaking the Slump (which is impossible for Toronto. It’s not a slump if you just plain suck.), random entries, polls, etc....
The following 2MM has been inspired by our friendly bet. It is a friendly bet. Neither of us cares who wins. We both completely agree Toronto is awful. The bet pertains to our disagreement of to what degree will they suck? Will it be a lot? Enough to be the worst? Or will it be just enough? Just enough to not be the worst. We’ll see. As a preview to how bad one team can be, here is my team preview for Toronto. I think it will help you manage your fantasy team as my insight is both informative, stimulating, and completely useless. Enjoy.
Team Previews: The Toronto Maple Leafs (Revisited)
Introduction:
The Leafs can be a legitimate contender this season if they work hard to improve in some key areas. The first area in need of improvement is their relationship with alien species. Having a good relationship with an alien species could mean the potential granting of super powers from said species and could lead to a decisive advantage on the ice. A little telekinesis can go a long way and would greatly improve their scoring chances. Alien friends are also great for abducting star players of opposing teams. Sidney Crosby: MISSING? Leafs say “IDK.” Mind control could make an opposing player turn against their own goaltender, or make their goaltender leave the net altogether and just wander idly around the ice. All of that still wouldn’t be enough to give Toronto a winning record this year.
Another area they need to work on is their magical powers. Without the ability to turn opposing players to stone, turn them into chickens, or summon an evil Snarlaxx to destroy them, I just don’t see the Leafs being a threat. A simple fire spell to melt the ice in the goal crease would severely limit an opposing goaltender’s movement and surely lead to more scoring chances. I still have to wonder… would that be enough help?
The third area the Leafs should be looking to improve on this year is their entire ability to play the game of ice hockey. I’ve seen them play and… they’re not good. If you happened to see them play the Rangers last week, then what you saw was one team (that was unable to score) get completely and utterly dominated by another team (that coincidently also was unable to score). Toronto looked pathetic and was saved by Toskala who decided to show up that night. If he could only convince the rest of the team to all show up on the same night, they might have something. They’d still need magic and alien assistance though cause this team doesn’t stand a chance.
Key Departures:
Anyone who’s hockey card you’d want to keep
Leafs trading cards will definitely be the number 1 card found in bicycle spokes this year.(Islanders tickets are too flimsy and don’t provide the same noise. Sure, they’re easier to get, but they cost more.) No kid in his or her right mind would put a Sundin in his spokes, but I’ll tell you what; a Luke Schenn and an Alex Steen sounds just like a real motorcycle! Maybe I shouldn’t have said that as I seem to have just added value to their cards which is not my intention at all.
Yes, it’s true. Every player who’s jersey a Leafs fan might have wished to own, is gone. It’s sad too because how silly will they sound having to say “Let me get that sweet Hagman jersey?”
New Faces:
Curtis Joseph
Ryan Hollweg (I think)
Is Hollweg on the team? I changed the channel real quick during the St. Louis game and got distracted. Due to the entertainment value Bob Ross seems to have when directly compared to a TOR v. STL game, I almost forgot to put the game back on. It was the one where he paints the mountain. But I digress, when I put the game back on, Hollweg was gone and I haven’t seen him since. And he wasn’t even in the previous game. Who is this Ryan Hollweg everyone is talking about?
Ok, just kidding. Hollweg is a jackass who keeps getting thrown out of games and consequently suspended for boarding. It’s a really serious offense and he’s lucky he hasn’t given someone a career ending, life altering spinal injury yet. My advice to Toronto (and I feel the need to clarify this as sound advice and not a joke) is just release him. Let him go. He’s not going to help your team (and trust me, all your team needs right now is help) unless he knows some cool aliens with the ability to grant telekinetic powers to humans. Then keep him around, but release him after the entire team can teleport the puck into the net for a goal.
CuJo is good but he’s going to need more help than he currently has… which I’ll reiterate is NONE. It comes right back to those areas of improvement I already talked about. The ability for CuJo to summon a snarlaxx on opposing players is completely insufficient right now considering that he can’t summon a snarlaxx at all. It’s the only chance he has without Sundin & friends.
The Offense:
Since Toronto doesn’t have an offense to speak of, please accept the following alternative content:
The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by size, Wyoming is the least populous, with a U.S. Census estimated population of 522,830 in 2007, a 5.9% increase since 2000. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.
I’m sorry, what were we talking about? Oh right, Toronto. Alright so here’s my suggestion for Toronto’s defense vs. their current pairings. Proposition the league to allow obstacles instead of players for the defense. So start Carlton the Bear, Alexander Ovechkin cutout, and the strongest looking hotdog vendor from section 312 as your forwards and then like, a bear trap in the neutral zone and a box held up by a stick with some cheese under it in the slot as the defense. It would work if dumb Carlton stayed away from the bear trap.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Bear Trap
Box Held Up By Stick With Cheese Under It
Bear trap is a good pickup and he’ll definitely get you some PIM as he is good for at least 3 holding and/or interference penalties per game. Watch out if he breaks the skin though as he may be liable for misconducts for intent to injure. You don’t want your fantasy players getting suspended.
FACT: Bear traps hurt like hell.
(Editor's Note: For ease, and because I like it when you read my stuff here is a link to the Toronto Team Preview http://breakingthetrap.blogspot.com/2008/10/team-previews-toronto-maple-leafs.html)
The Bet:
So there’s this funny little bet I have going with Rich right now and it’s quite simple. Rich is absolutely, 100% convinced that the Leafs will finish worst in the league. I am not. I’m saying Tampa, the Islanders, or LA will rise up and grab that brass ring of failure. But he is SO confident in the Leafs potential for epic failure that he gave me the entire league. All I wanted was LAK, NYI and TBL, but he’s confident enough to go all in. The official bet is as follows: If any team in the entire NHL finishes the regular season with less points than the Leafs, I get lunch. Toronto finishes last, Rich gets lunch. I’d tell you where if that particular fast food chain would like to contribute sponsorship dollars to this site. Otherwise let’s just say it’s something like “MacDougal’s.”
Anyway, leave some comments regarding the bet. We’d both love to hear some other opinions on it! We will also be tracking the progress of the bet (which sadly means tracking the “progress” of the Leafs) periodically here at BTT either in the form of a 2MM, Breaking the Slump (which is impossible for Toronto. It’s not a slump if you just plain suck.), random entries, polls, etc....
The following 2MM has been inspired by our friendly bet. It is a friendly bet. Neither of us cares who wins. We both completely agree Toronto is awful. The bet pertains to our disagreement of to what degree will they suck? Will it be a lot? Enough to be the worst? Or will it be just enough? Just enough to not be the worst. We’ll see. As a preview to how bad one team can be, here is my team preview for Toronto. I think it will help you manage your fantasy team as my insight is both informative, stimulating, and completely useless. Enjoy.
Team Previews: The Toronto Maple Leafs (Revisited)
Introduction:
The Leafs can be a legitimate contender this season if they work hard to improve in some key areas. The first area in need of improvement is their relationship with alien species. Having a good relationship with an alien species could mean the potential granting of super powers from said species and could lead to a decisive advantage on the ice. A little telekinesis can go a long way and would greatly improve their scoring chances. Alien friends are also great for abducting star players of opposing teams. Sidney Crosby: MISSING? Leafs say “IDK.” Mind control could make an opposing player turn against their own goaltender, or make their goaltender leave the net altogether and just wander idly around the ice. All of that still wouldn’t be enough to give Toronto a winning record this year.
Another area they need to work on is their magical powers. Without the ability to turn opposing players to stone, turn them into chickens, or summon an evil Snarlaxx to destroy them, I just don’t see the Leafs being a threat. A simple fire spell to melt the ice in the goal crease would severely limit an opposing goaltender’s movement and surely lead to more scoring chances. I still have to wonder… would that be enough help?
The third area the Leafs should be looking to improve on this year is their entire ability to play the game of ice hockey. I’ve seen them play and… they’re not good. If you happened to see them play the Rangers last week, then what you saw was one team (that was unable to score) get completely and utterly dominated by another team (that coincidently also was unable to score). Toronto looked pathetic and was saved by Toskala who decided to show up that night. If he could only convince the rest of the team to all show up on the same night, they might have something. They’d still need magic and alien assistance though cause this team doesn’t stand a chance.
Key Departures:
Anyone who’s hockey card you’d want to keep
Leafs trading cards will definitely be the number 1 card found in bicycle spokes this year.(Islanders tickets are too flimsy and don’t provide the same noise. Sure, they’re easier to get, but they cost more.) No kid in his or her right mind would put a Sundin in his spokes, but I’ll tell you what; a Luke Schenn and an Alex Steen sounds just like a real motorcycle! Maybe I shouldn’t have said that as I seem to have just added value to their cards which is not my intention at all.
Yes, it’s true. Every player who’s jersey a Leafs fan might have wished to own, is gone. It’s sad too because how silly will they sound having to say “Let me get that sweet Hagman jersey?”
New Faces:
Curtis Joseph
Ryan Hollweg (I think)
Is Hollweg on the team? I changed the channel real quick during the St. Louis game and got distracted. Due to the entertainment value Bob Ross seems to have when directly compared to a TOR v. STL game, I almost forgot to put the game back on. It was the one where he paints the mountain. But I digress, when I put the game back on, Hollweg was gone and I haven’t seen him since. And he wasn’t even in the previous game. Who is this Ryan Hollweg everyone is talking about?
Ok, just kidding. Hollweg is a jackass who keeps getting thrown out of games and consequently suspended for boarding. It’s a really serious offense and he’s lucky he hasn’t given someone a career ending, life altering spinal injury yet. My advice to Toronto (and I feel the need to clarify this as sound advice and not a joke) is just release him. Let him go. He’s not going to help your team (and trust me, all your team needs right now is help) unless he knows some cool aliens with the ability to grant telekinetic powers to humans. Then keep him around, but release him after the entire team can teleport the puck into the net for a goal.
CuJo is good but he’s going to need more help than he currently has… which I’ll reiterate is NONE. It comes right back to those areas of improvement I already talked about. The ability for CuJo to summon a snarlaxx on opposing players is completely insufficient right now considering that he can’t summon a snarlaxx at all. It’s the only chance he has without Sundin & friends.
The Offense:
Since Toronto doesn’t have an offense to speak of, please accept the following alternative content:
The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by size, Wyoming is the least populous, with a U.S. Census estimated population of 522,830 in 2007, a 5.9% increase since 2000. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Players from other teams
THERE'S NO ONE ON THIS TEAM WORTH DRAFTING for a fantasy team unless your goal is to finish last in your league. I wouldn’t draft one of these guys on a fantasy dish washing team. Hollweg would just break them all anyway. I have no need for any of these players in any capacity. I wouldn’t let them park my car at a valet. Hollweg would just drive it into things. I can go on, I got a million of these.
FACT: 522,830 people lived in Wyoming in 2007. Any one of them is good enough to play for the Leafs this year.
You Want to Be Prepared to Snag:
Carlton the Bear
Put a stick in his hand and let him go. Who knows, he might get you some points in a category or two. Look, I can’t make this clear enough. I would sooner draft a garbage can as my goalie and a cardboard cutout of Ovechkin before I would consider a Leaf. If someone skated behind the cutout and pushed it along the ice, it might score a goal. It is Oveckin after all. I can hear it now, “Carlton moves in, looking to pass…can’t…finds Ovechkin cutout…around the backside of the net now…Ovechkin cutout feeds to Carlton HE SCORES!!!!!!!!” Even better would be about 30 seconds later, “Maple Leafs goal scored by Carlton the Bear. Assisted by Alexander Ovechkin cutout. Time of the goal 3:14 in the 2nd period.”
FACT: Did you know polar bears have nothing to do with maple leafs?
I’m sorry, what were we talking about? Oh right, Toronto. Alright so here’s my suggestion for Toronto’s defense vs. their current pairings. Proposition the league to allow obstacles instead of players for the defense. So start Carlton the Bear, Alexander Ovechkin cutout, and the strongest looking hotdog vendor from section 312 as your forwards and then like, a bear trap in the neutral zone and a box held up by a stick with some cheese under it in the slot as the defense. It would work if dumb Carlton stayed away from the bear trap.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Bear Trap
Box Held Up By Stick With Cheese Under It
Bear trap is a good pickup and he’ll definitely get you some PIM as he is good for at least 3 holding and/or interference penalties per game. Watch out if he breaks the skin though as he may be liable for misconducts for intent to injure. You don’t want your fantasy players getting suspended.
FACT: Bear traps hurt like hell.
Box Held Up By Stick With Cheese Under It is much cleaner defensively than Bear Trap and due to his permanent location in the slot tends to rack up blocked shot after blocked shot. He also takes a lot of skaters right out of the play because some lesser paid players simply can not resist free cheese. Be ready to grab him if no one snagged him in your draft.
FACT: Free Cheese!
You Want to Be Prepared to Snag:
Other Bear Trap
Other Bear Trap can have a breakout year if he works a little harder. He’s smaller than Bear Trap and doesn’t latch on to ankles as effectively. But this could be a plus as he will still break up plays by slowing players down instead of completely stopping them. Both are effective methods and if anything, Other Bear Trap will take the occasional tripping call, but will ultimately take less penalties than Bear Trap. If you have a good feeling about Other Bear Trap, go with it!
FACT: Other Bear Trap was an absolute beast in the AHL leading the league in forced turnovers and scoring a miraculous shorthanded goal despite having no arms to hold a stick or legs to skate with or ability to move or think freely. It’s just a bear trap.
FACT: Did you know that bear traps are inanimate objects that can not really play sports because they can not move or think?
FACT: Did you know I am fully aware of my implications that an inanimate object would make a better defense than that which Toronto already has?
The Powerplay:
Who cares?
Shuffling the same crap around on the ice just because you have one more guy than the other team isn’t going to make a difference. Everyone knows the Leafs need a 13 man advantage with an empty net to score goals anyway so who cares which variation of crap they put out on the ice for a powerplay?
The Goalie(s):
CuJo
Toskala
Garbage Can
The Leafs have a shot if Garbage Can can stay healthy. He’s a huge fan favorite, he’s been with the team for years. Everyone loves his story of starting out, collecting trash after games and then working his way up to backup and then starting goaltender. It’s a great feel good story, great for the team, great for hockey!
FACT: Garbage can once lit a fire inside himself as a joke to scare Ovechkin Cutout. Ovechkin Cutout didn’t find it funny and the two didn’t speak for a month.
FACT: Ovechkin Cutout is made of cardboard and does not like fire.
The Verdict:
Toronto wins the cup. The Islanders have the highest attendance in the league, Tampa is a good team, Gary Betteman has never made a bad decision, and the glowing puck was a good idea… you know, as long as we’re making stuff up. Do I even need to say it? Toronto STINKS! But… they’re still not going to finish last. Philly is looking exceptionally disgusting, LA is an eastern conference team stuck in the west, and Barry Melrose is powerless without his mullet. A lot of things can happen. Don’t get me wrong, this team is bad. The Leafs v. Alexander Ovechkin (the real one) and Garbage Can would actually be a close game. My money would still be on Ovechkin.
Bear Trap, Ovechkin Cutout, Carlton the Bear, Other Bear Trap, Garbage Can and Box Held Up By Stick With Cheese Under It are all solid fantasy picks. Consider yourself lucky if you have one of them and if any of them are unclaimed in your league, jump on them immediately. As for the real Leafs… (expletive deleted) ‘em!
Final words… they’re bad, but they won’t be the worst. It won’t be their fault though. Another team will just find a way to out-suck the Leafs. Maybe through ritual suicide or something, cause that might be what it takes to finish worse. But I will win the bet! Lunch is mine!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
TEAM PREVIEWS: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Introduction:
So I'm going to come right out and say it. I have a bet going with Nick, author of the consistently funny 2 minute minors here at BTT, that the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish with the worst record in the league. He only requested that the bet include Tampa, the Islanders and the Kings but really if any team other then Toronto finishes below them I'll be shocked.
What's the bet you ask? I'll let Nick tell you that but I'll try to sort of hint at it at least. Its not quite a sportsman's bet, or a gentleman's agreement, or as the Spanish say an acuerdo de honor, but its close. I did a little research on that btw and it seems that these agreements came into play because people got tired of shooting their friends when they didn't pay up on losing wagers. So instead of wagering anything of value they just called it a gentleman's bet. Believe it or not.
So I've got a wager on the Leafs winning the Tavares lottery and being the worst team in the league. That should tell you about all you need to know for the sake of this preview but if you're interested in seeing my contractually obligated public evisceration of the Leafs... well then please read on.
Key Departures:
Mats Sundin
Darcy Tucker
Kyle Wellwood
Bryan McCabe
Andrew Raycroft
You know... just a couple of guys. No biggee. Sundin, one of the most consistently solid players in the NHL for over a decade now, refused to waive his no trade clause last season, a move when couple with similar refusals from Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe set the Toronto Maple Leafs back into the hockey stone age. That's right they now use Pterodactyls to sharpen their skates and elephants provide the water for washing their jerseys after tough games.
Tucker rarely lived up to the offensive potential that he seemed to have, but was always a useful force on the ice. The club bought his contract out in the offseason and watched him walk to Colorado without receiving anything at all in return.
Wellwood, who is now on waivers in Vancouver, was a decent center and though he never quite lived up to his potential he would still be the second best center on this team.
McCabe... is it just me or is this starting to feel like the closing credits of Animal House. McCabe was traded to Florida and is now the Mayor. He married his college sweetheart and the girl that he was peaking in the window at in Toronto. McCabe and his mohawk are on the Panthers. He might even play some games this season when his back feels better.
The Raycroft experiment ended this season and Andrew joined his buddy Darcy in Colorado. Andrew never ever looked comfortable in the blue and white. I wish him the best in Colorado as he was once a solid positional goalie in his early days with Boston. I'm also kind of partial to the 'lanche and at this point it is pretty clear that Budaj is not the answer for that team.
New Faces:
Curtis Joseph
Ryan Hollweg
CuJo! I love Curtis Joseph. FACT: Curtis Joseph is 4th all time in wins by a goalie. FACT: Curtis Joseph is also 4th all time in losses by a goaltender and only needs 9 more to be first on that list. I've always liked CuJo, and thats saying a lot because I've kind of sort of always hated Toronto. I have, on more then one occasion, almost bought a blue Maple Leafs jersey with the number 31 on the back. Welcome back Curtis. Enjoy sitting on the bench and watching someone else take the heat for his horrendous team, like you did for so many years. What a great way to ease into retirement.
Hollweg was added as part of the Maple Leafs quest to lead the league in suspensions this season. So far, so good as they currently lead the league with 2... both to Hollweg.
The Offense:
It doesn't look good. There is one person on the entire team that has proven himself to be an offensive force of his own and not one created by Mats Sundin... and Jason Blake hasn't done that in two years. I view this team's offense as similar to the Islanders but with more upside and less veteran gristle.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
No.
You Want to Be Prepared to Snag:
Nik Antropov
Jason Blake
Its not that these are the only players on the team that have a chance of being fantasy worthy, they are just the only ones that have even come close to doing it before. I like Alexei Ponikarovsky a lot, same for Alexander Steen. These are guys who have shown me flashes of brilliance and could flourish with more ice time this season... or crash completely. Antropov is big and slow. The Maple Leafs will never have an odd man rush so long as he is on the ice. However Antropov can absolutely barrel through people and starting to learn how to use that to his benefit. If he gets on a streak like he did several times last season then he will be worth your time.
FACT: Antropov has been a long time coming as he was drafted by the Maple Leafs 10th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft.
Blake has always confused me a bit. I never really understood where the 40 goal season with the Islanders came from and then I didn't understand where the 30ish goal seasons he had put up before that went last season. Please don't misunderstand me. I feel for the guy. I really do. It can't be easy to start the first year of a big contract in the most overly critical hockey market in the world by finding out you have a rare but treatable form of cancer. That has to be rough. That said... where did it go? He still took about a million (editor's note: actually 332) shots on goal, they just stopped going in, and its not like the Maple Leafs were a huge leap backwards from the Islanders team he had been playing on. Blake is worth watching, and that ridiculously large (editors note: again 300+) shot total makes him less of a risk.
FACT: Jason Blake has taken 300 or more shots in every season since the lockout.
The Defense:
Even without the presence of Bryan McCabe the Maple Leafs D-corps is still a place of some interest for fantasy hockey players as there are at least three players that are worthy of your attention.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina
Kaberle also declined to waive his no trade clause at the deadline... destroying a deal for Philadelphia's young center Jeff Carter. I'll give all of you Maple Leafs fans a second to collect your thoughts on that one. Better? OK. Team destroying no trade clauses aside Kaberle is and has been very good offensive d-man. It remains to be seen whether he can do it without his partner in crime McCabe and without Sundin in front of him, but early returns indicate that he can.
FACT: Kaberle has scored 40 or more points in 6 of his 9 seasons.
Kubina is a little bit more of a risk. His 40 points last season were a career high, but his value doesn't lie with point totals. If Kubina can manage mid-30's in points then his lack of points will be more then made up for by his PIM. Kubina is a solid 4th d-man in most leagues.
FACT: In 664 regular season games Kubina has amassed 827 PIM.
You Want to Be Ready to Snag:
Mike Van Ryn
Van Ryn came to the Maple Leafs in the McCabe deal over the summer. He has always been a decent offensive option and find himself receiving powerplay time on this depleted Maple Leafs squad. Keep an eye on him. He has two point through 5 games.
FACT: Van Ryn was drafted 26th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 entry draft.
The Powerplay:
Nik Antropov
Alexander Steen
Jason Blake
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina
It is what it is.
The Goalie(s):
Sundin got Toskala 33 wins last season. By now you know that I like to use Sv% to judge a goalie's skill. Sv% is the only stat over which a goalie really has any personal control. I think it can be confusing when, like Brodeur early in his career, Sv% is artificially deflated by excellent defense. That is not the case here. Toskala's Sv% has never cracked .910, but his GAA has never broken 3.00 so he's kind of a mediocre option in net. I don't know if he'll break 30 wins this year, in fact I'm betting on it. CuJo
FACT: Was part of one of the greatest groups of goaltenders this side of Chicago's tandem of Belfour and Hasek. The 2002-03 Sharks had as their backstops Nabakov, Kipprusoff and Toskala.
The Verdict:
Its going to be tough for this team to score goals and the defense and Toskala aren't going to be able to keep them in enough games as the season wears on. My advice, be like CuJo, get nice and comfy on your bench/couch/bean bag chair and watch the Maple Leafs burn.
So I'm going to come right out and say it. I have a bet going with Nick, author of the consistently funny 2 minute minors here at BTT, that the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish with the worst record in the league. He only requested that the bet include Tampa, the Islanders and the Kings but really if any team other then Toronto finishes below them I'll be shocked.
What's the bet you ask? I'll let Nick tell you that but I'll try to sort of hint at it at least. Its not quite a sportsman's bet, or a gentleman's agreement, or as the Spanish say an acuerdo de honor, but its close. I did a little research on that btw and it seems that these agreements came into play because people got tired of shooting their friends when they didn't pay up on losing wagers. So instead of wagering anything of value they just called it a gentleman's bet. Believe it or not.
So I've got a wager on the Leafs winning the Tavares lottery and being the worst team in the league. That should tell you about all you need to know for the sake of this preview but if you're interested in seeing my contractually obligated public evisceration of the Leafs... well then please read on.
Key Departures:
Mats Sundin
Darcy Tucker
Kyle Wellwood
Bryan McCabe
Andrew Raycroft
You know... just a couple of guys. No biggee. Sundin, one of the most consistently solid players in the NHL for over a decade now, refused to waive his no trade clause last season, a move when couple with similar refusals from Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe set the Toronto Maple Leafs back into the hockey stone age. That's right they now use Pterodactyls to sharpen their skates and elephants provide the water for washing their jerseys after tough games.
Tucker rarely lived up to the offensive potential that he seemed to have, but was always a useful force on the ice. The club bought his contract out in the offseason and watched him walk to Colorado without receiving anything at all in return.
Wellwood, who is now on waivers in Vancouver, was a decent center and though he never quite lived up to his potential he would still be the second best center on this team.
McCabe... is it just me or is this starting to feel like the closing credits of Animal House. McCabe was traded to Florida and is now the Mayor. He married his college sweetheart and the girl that he was peaking in the window at in Toronto. McCabe and his mohawk are on the Panthers. He might even play some games this season when his back feels better.
The Raycroft experiment ended this season and Andrew joined his buddy Darcy in Colorado. Andrew never ever looked comfortable in the blue and white. I wish him the best in Colorado as he was once a solid positional goalie in his early days with Boston. I'm also kind of partial to the 'lanche and at this point it is pretty clear that Budaj is not the answer for that team.
New Faces:
Curtis Joseph
Ryan Hollweg
CuJo! I love Curtis Joseph. FACT: Curtis Joseph is 4th all time in wins by a goalie. FACT: Curtis Joseph is also 4th all time in losses by a goaltender and only needs 9 more to be first on that list. I've always liked CuJo, and thats saying a lot because I've kind of sort of always hated Toronto. I have, on more then one occasion, almost bought a blue Maple Leafs jersey with the number 31 on the back. Welcome back Curtis. Enjoy sitting on the bench and watching someone else take the heat for his horrendous team, like you did for so many years. What a great way to ease into retirement.
Hollweg was added as part of the Maple Leafs quest to lead the league in suspensions this season. So far, so good as they currently lead the league with 2... both to Hollweg.
The Offense:
It doesn't look good. There is one person on the entire team that has proven himself to be an offensive force of his own and not one created by Mats Sundin... and Jason Blake hasn't done that in two years. I view this team's offense as similar to the Islanders but with more upside and less veteran gristle.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
No.
You Want to Be Prepared to Snag:
Nik Antropov
Jason Blake
Its not that these are the only players on the team that have a chance of being fantasy worthy, they are just the only ones that have even come close to doing it before. I like Alexei Ponikarovsky a lot, same for Alexander Steen. These are guys who have shown me flashes of brilliance and could flourish with more ice time this season... or crash completely. Antropov is big and slow. The Maple Leafs will never have an odd man rush so long as he is on the ice. However Antropov can absolutely barrel through people and starting to learn how to use that to his benefit. If he gets on a streak like he did several times last season then he will be worth your time.
FACT: Antropov has been a long time coming as he was drafted by the Maple Leafs 10th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft.
Blake has always confused me a bit. I never really understood where the 40 goal season with the Islanders came from and then I didn't understand where the 30ish goal seasons he had put up before that went last season. Please don't misunderstand me. I feel for the guy. I really do. It can't be easy to start the first year of a big contract in the most overly critical hockey market in the world by finding out you have a rare but treatable form of cancer. That has to be rough. That said... where did it go? He still took about a million (editor's note: actually 332) shots on goal, they just stopped going in, and its not like the Maple Leafs were a huge leap backwards from the Islanders team he had been playing on. Blake is worth watching, and that ridiculously large (editors note: again 300+) shot total makes him less of a risk.
FACT: Jason Blake has taken 300 or more shots in every season since the lockout.
The Defense:
Even without the presence of Bryan McCabe the Maple Leafs D-corps is still a place of some interest for fantasy hockey players as there are at least three players that are worthy of your attention.
You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina
Kaberle also declined to waive his no trade clause at the deadline... destroying a deal for Philadelphia's young center Jeff Carter. I'll give all of you Maple Leafs fans a second to collect your thoughts on that one. Better? OK. Team destroying no trade clauses aside Kaberle is and has been very good offensive d-man. It remains to be seen whether he can do it without his partner in crime McCabe and without Sundin in front of him, but early returns indicate that he can.
FACT: Kaberle has scored 40 or more points in 6 of his 9 seasons.
Kubina is a little bit more of a risk. His 40 points last season were a career high, but his value doesn't lie with point totals. If Kubina can manage mid-30's in points then his lack of points will be more then made up for by his PIM. Kubina is a solid 4th d-man in most leagues.
FACT: In 664 regular season games Kubina has amassed 827 PIM.
You Want to Be Ready to Snag:
Mike Van Ryn
Van Ryn came to the Maple Leafs in the McCabe deal over the summer. He has always been a decent offensive option and find himself receiving powerplay time on this depleted Maple Leafs squad. Keep an eye on him. He has two point through 5 games.
FACT: Van Ryn was drafted 26th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 entry draft.
The Powerplay:
Nik Antropov
Alexander Steen
Jason Blake
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina
It is what it is.
The Goalie(s):
Sundin got Toskala 33 wins last season. By now you know that I like to use Sv% to judge a goalie's skill. Sv% is the only stat over which a goalie really has any personal control. I think it can be confusing when, like Brodeur early in his career, Sv% is artificially deflated by excellent defense. That is not the case here. Toskala's Sv% has never cracked .910, but his GAA has never broken 3.00 so he's kind of a mediocre option in net. I don't know if he'll break 30 wins this year, in fact I'm betting on it. CuJo
FACT: Was part of one of the greatest groups of goaltenders this side of Chicago's tandem of Belfour and Hasek. The 2002-03 Sharks had as their backstops Nabakov, Kipprusoff and Toskala.
The Verdict:
Its going to be tough for this team to score goals and the defense and Toskala aren't going to be able to keep them in enough games as the season wears on. My advice, be like CuJo, get nice and comfy on your bench/couch/bean bag chair and watch the Maple Leafs burn.
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