The Toronto Maple Leafs have played some of their best hockey since the all star game, this is nothing new over the past few years as the club seems to always become an over .500 hockey club when things do not seem to matter but the difference this time around is the club is playing well to the point that it does matter.

There is something special about this young squad over the last couple of months and even though they were schooled Saturday by the defending Stanley Cup champs the Black Hawks, we will now see how the young squads composure will come through, will they whittle away or will they rise to the occasion. Leafs coach Ron Wilson has the team playing as well as he has had any squad and GM Brian Burke's trades which subtracted members from the club has only assisted in bringing this group closer together.

The Buds have 16 games remaining with 7 at home and 9 on the road and are in the playoff hunt battling for the 7th and 8th playoff spot with six clubs, the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils. The only club in this group hotter then the Leafs over the past 10 games are the Devils who are 9-1-0 compared to the Leafs 6-1-3 record.

The breakdown of games left and who plays who:

Maple Leafs (16 games left) 67 points
7 Home Games- Flyers, Sabres (2), Lightning, Bruins, Capitals, Habs
9 Road Games- Islanders, Hurricanes, Panthers, Wild, Avalanche, Red Wings, Bruins, Senators, Devils

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 4

The Leafs 7 home dates are against clubs that are all over .500 with a crucial two against QEW rival the Sabres who are one of the clubs they are in the fight with, the road sees them take on 5 clubs that are under .500 but one is their provincial rival the Sens who would love to play spoilers and then their is a mini road trip to take on the Western Conference who the buds are 7-7-1 this season against.

Rangers (14 games left) 74 points
7 Home Games- Islanders, Habs, Panthers, Senators, Bruins, Thrashers, Devils
7 Road Games- Ducks, Sharks, Penguins, Bruins, Sabres, Islanders, Flyers

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 3

Sabres (17 games left) 72 points
9 Home Games- Senators, Hurricanes, Thrashers, Predators, Panthers, Devils, Rangers, Lightning, Flyers
8 Road Games- Leafs (2), Habs, Capitals, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Penguins

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 6

Hurricanes (16 games left) 71 points
10 Home Games- Thrashers, Blue Jackets, Leafs, Islanders, Senators, Lightning (2), Habs, Sabres, Red Wings
6 Road Games- Capitals (2), Sabres, Lightning, Islanders, Thrashers

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 5

Thrashers (16 games left) 65 points
6 Home Games- Devils, Flyers, Canucks, Senators, Hurricanes, Penguins
10Road Games- Hurricanes, Flyers (2), Devils, Sabres, Islanders, Habs, Bruins, Predators, Rangers

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 6

Devils (17 games left) 64 points
9 Home Games- Senators, Islanders (2), Thrashers, Capitals, Flyers, Habs, Leafs, Bruins
8 Road Games- Thrashers, Senators, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Penguins (2), Sabres, Rangers

Games against teams in the hunt with them: 5

Lets now make 90 points the mark for a playoff spot as this seems to be the norm and the Leafs would then need to go 11-4-1 in their final games to hit this plateau so about .700 hockey the rest of the way, is this do able Leafs Nation? The one club that may have a lot to say with what happens in this playoff race may be the New York Islanders who play 8 of their final 15 games against one of the six clubs. The season is ticking down and the Leafs are in the playoff hunt, its been awhile since we last said that.

Follow on Twitter: TMLFanFury

Well Leafs its been over six weeks since the end of the regular season for our beloved Maple Leafs, after doing some reading over the internet on different hockey blogs I came across a very interesting statistic at Blue Notes which is a New York Rangers blog written by Steve Zipay. The Dollar Per Points or DPP, theme is a simple format that takes a look at how much a player was paid per point in the season.

The key all fans need to remember is that some players roles are not to accumulate points and a few on the list missed extended periods of time like Colton Orr who lead the club in DPP with $500,000 per his two points but also only played in 46 games, he is the clubs enforcer not goal scorer. This is all about seeing who gave the club its best bang for its buck and it was not surprising that Clarke MacArthur lead the club in this category, costing the Leafs only $17,742 DPP this season. The worst blue liner was Mike Komisarek who cost the buds $450,000 DPP with the best being Carl Gunnarsson at $40,000 DPP.

I used total salary for each player including any bonuses that would could towards that cap and rounded the cents to the nearest dollar with a minimum of 45 games played in the clubs uniform so you will see a few ex Leafs on the list with their full season point totals.


Forwards

Colton Orr: $1,000,000 (2 points) = $500,000 DPP
Fredrik Sjostrom: $750,000 (5 points) = $150,000 DPP
Joffrey Lupol: $4,250,000 (31 points) = $137,097 DPP
Colby Armstrong: $3,000,000 (23 points) = 130,435 DPP
Tyler Bozak: $3,750,000 (32 points) = $117,188 DPP
Phil Kessel: $5,400,000 (64 points) = $84,375 DPP
Mike Brown: $537,500 (8 points) = $67,188 DPP
Kris Versteeg: $3,083,333 (46 points) = $67,029 DPP
Mikhail Grabovski: $2,900,000 (58 points) = $50,000 DPP
Nikolai Kulemin: $2,350,000 (57 points) = $41,228 DPP
Darryl Boyce: $527,500 (13 points) = $40,577 DPP
Joey Crabb: $525,000 (15 points) = $35,000 DPP
Tim Brent: $575,000 (20 points) = $28,750 DPP
Clarke MacArthur: $1,100,000 (62 points) = $17,742 DPP


Defensemen


Mike Komisarek: $4,500,000 (10 points) = $450,000 DPP
Francois Beauchemin: $3,800,000 (17 points) = $223, 353 DPP
Dion Phaneuf: $6,500,000 (30 points) = $216,667 DPP
Luke Schenn: $2,975,000 (22 points) = $135,227 DPP
Tomas Kaberle $4,250,000 (47 points) = $90,426 DPP
Carl Gunnarsson $800,000 (20 points) = $40,000 DPP


There you have it Leafs Nation hope you enjoyed seeing what the Buds paid for every point on the roster this season.

Follow on Twitter: TMLFanFury

Maple Leafs fans we are just a few weeks from training camp, thats right Leafs Nation just a few weeks away from September and another run by our beloved Buds to end this playoff misery that we having been suffering from since the end of the lockout.

The Leafs have made a few changes from the club that ended the season in April:

In: Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi, Cody Fransen and Philippe Dupuis


Re-signed: James Reimer, Carl Gunnarsson, Clarke MacArthur, Tyler Bozak, Jay Rosehill, Darryl Boyce, Mike Zigomanis, Matt Lashoff, Luca Caputi, Ben Scrivens and Joey Crabb


Out: J.S. Giguere, Tim Brent, Brett Lebda, Fredrik Sjostrom and Christian Hanson


The club has yet to sign restricted free agent defensemen Luke Schenn but this should just be a matter of time as the club decides on a 3 or 5 year pact for Schenn who came into his own last season.


Coach Ron Wilson got this club to play great in the latter half of last season, lets hope that this was not another mirage. Tim Connolly will be asked to fill the #1 center spot along side sniper Phil Kessel while Matthew Lombardi's health is a concern but if he can recover from his head injury the Buds look set down the middle with Connolly, Grabovski, Lombardi and Bozak. The middle spot last season was a sore spot for the club.


The Leafs at this point look like they will be going with a young tandem behind the pipes with current starter James Reimer who will likely be backed up by Jonas Gustavsson unless the club signs a veteran puck stopper, look for Ben Scrivens to push the Monster for the back up role at camp.


The back end looks to be just about the same as it was when last season ended with Brett Lebda out and Cody Fransen in, a definite upgrade. The Leafs will also have some youngsters trying to grab a spot with the big club Nazem Kadri, Matt Frattin and Marcel Mueller fit the bill here.


The Leafs will break camp with 23 men on the roster, the likely breakdown will be 2 goaltenders, 7 defensemen and 14 forwards, who will these players be and what might the line combinations and defense pairings be? Well lets see...


Goalies: 
James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson


Defense: 
Dion Phaneuf paired with Keith Aulie
Luke Schenn paired with John-Michael Liles
Cody Fransen paired with Carl Gunnarsson
extra      Mike Komisarek


Forwards: 
Tim Connolly centering Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul
Mikhail Grabovski centering Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin
Matthew Lombardi centering Colby Armstrong and Nazem Kadri
Tyler Bozak centering Colton Orr and Mike Brown
extra        Darryl Boyce and Jay Rosehill


Well Leafs Nation it is an exciting time as always as the season nears what are the Buds going to do this season, we can only hope for the best....

Follow on Twitter: TMLFanFury

Well Leafs Nation we have just passed the quarter point of the season and the Buds are sitting 2nd in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the whole NHL. How many Leaf fans saw this coming? Do we have any hand raising, I think not. I did feel that Buds would make the playoffs this season but did not see them being in the place that they currently are in the NHL.


I have to say it is alot more fun to watch the games this season, the team is fast, we are getting scoring and surprise, surprise we sit 3rd in the league on the PP (this is huge). This Leafs Nation is something we have been waiting for since the lockout. There is still alot of season to go but if the Buds continue to perform, April will be longer then we are accustomed too.


I now grade the club at just over the quarter point, minimum 10 games played:


Goalies:


James Reimer- The # 1 has only played six games due to an injury, he has not lost in regulation this season. GRADE: N/A


Jonas Gustavsson- Gustavsson has played well of late and hope this continues until Reimer returns, he lets in the odd goal that leaves you shaking your head but he is a good positional goalie. GRADE: C+


Ben Srivens- The rookie has appeared in 8 games and has played some superb rookie games but at home needs some more consistency.GRADE: N/A

Defense:

Dion Phaneuf- The captain is playing at a different level not seen since his rookie campaign in Calgary, sits 5th in points from the backend and is on pace for a career year. GRADE: A


John-Michael Liles- A great pickup from Colorado, has worked well with Phaneuf on the main PP unit, tied for 6th in points from a defensemen in league. Liles is also on pace for a career year. GRADE: A


Luke Schenn- The stay at home blue liner is having a sub par year and has to regain his confidence, has had his minutes cut, lets hope he is not like pitcher Bret Saberhagen who had a good year, bad year complex. Schenn will be needed come playoff time. GRADE: D+


Carl Gunnarsson- I've said it before the best all around defensemen on the club, I don't think its a coincidence that Phaneuf is playing better along side the Swede. GRADE: A-


Jake Gardiner- The rookie has played great, leading the club in minutes played on many nights. He has pose and confidence a dangerous combination he will need it playing in one of the toughest positions a rookie can play in the game. GRADE: A


Mike Komisarek- The veteran looks to have finally turned his game around this season. An unfortunate injury will cost him alot of time on the IR. GRADE: C+

Cody Franson- This guy can shoot but boy is he soft for a big man, has only appeared in 10 games this season but has second worst plus/minus on the club, needs to learn how to play the man if he wants to stay in the line up. GRADE: D


Forwards:


Phil Kessel- The man has done it all, leads the league in goals and points. Where would the club be without him? Kessel for Seguin what do people think of the trade now? Kessel is on pace to score 50 + goals, that would be something. GRADE: A+


Joffrey Lupul- How many people took this man in their hockey pools? Lupul has played amazing and with an edge, playing like he has something to prove. He is 2nd in league scoring and would hit 100 points at this pace. GRADE: A+


Tyler Bozak- Bozak has filled in nicely as the top center between Kessel and Lupul with Connolly out. Bozak looks like he finely understands that you need to show up every night. GRADE: B-


Tim Connolly- Connolly has missed half the season playing in only 12 games but is a point a game player when in the lineup, if only he could stay healthy, what would we see? GRADE: C+


Nikolai Kulemin- Kulemin has the skill to be better then he has been. The power forward is on pace for just 8 goals after scoring 30 last season. Could losing his mentor Korolev in that awful Russian plane crash be having an effect on him? GRADE: D+


Clarke MacArthur- Has suffered an injury and started the season on a suspension missing six games in total but his 9 goals has him on pace to score over 30. GRADE: B


Mikhail Grabovski- Grabovski missed scoring 30 last season by just one goal, he will miss by alot more the way he is going this season, Grabovski could be playing 3rd line minutes with Bozak and Connolly performing well in front of him. GRADE: C


Dave Steckel- Has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him, this guy is a face off wizard and knows his role on the club. GRADE: B+


Matthew Lombardi- Lombardi has the worst plus/minus on the club but after missing just about all of last season with an injury, has been a decent edition to the club, youngsters though are knocking for his spot. GRADE: C-


Joey Crabb- Crabb has worked off his behind since being called up from the Marlies, 5 goals in 13 games was not expected. He is filling the bottom 6 role. GRADE: C


Matt Frattin- Frattin in his rookie year, has still not found his scoring touch, some time in the minors might be needed but boy can he skate. GRADE: C-


Mike Brown- Brown was a regular in the lineup ahead of Orr and Rosehill until his current injury, a hard working forward that does not back down from anyone. GRADE: C+


Philippe Dupuis- Dupuis is a decent PK man but is one of only two Leaf players over 10 games without a point, keeping spot warm for a youngster. GRADE: C-


Jay Rosehill- Rosehill could play the most games he has ever played in one season in the NHL. Rosehill is an enforcer but better then Orr? you decide. GRADE: C-


Colton Orr, Colby Armstrong, Joe Colborne and Nazem Kadri has appeared in less then six games so the grade is a N/A for all.


Well Leafs Nation it would be great if the club and players keep up their pace but something to ask yourselves, how far ahead would this club be if Reimer was around, while Schenn, Kulemin and Grabovski played to their level of last season? 


Follow on Twitter: TMLFanFury

Leafs News

It wasn't so long ago that the Leafs were sitting high atop the NHL standings but if you listen to Leafs Nation it might as well be an eternity. 11 games into this young season the Leafs are mired in their first losing skid and it is business as usual for Leaf fans everywhere; panic. Leafs Nation will be the first to tell you in Montreal the fans love you win or tie, but it is Leafs Nation that lives and breathes the most volatile hockey market this side of Jupiter.
[--split--]
Four games in Leafs Nation was asking when we could take this as a reality and not just a fluke start from a team that will be doing well to fight for a playoff spot. Seven games later Leafs Nation wants to trade half the team, fire Ron Wilson, hang, draw and quarter Brian Burke and jump off the CN Tower into an active volcano. Although mired in a streak which has seen us lose six of seven, the Leafs are currently 5-5-1 and sit 9th in the Eastern Conference. Maybe it will be 5-6-1 after facing one of the league's best teams tonight, but after 12 games last year the Leafs had one lonely win (and we wanted to jump into that active volcano wearing a C4 lined vest and cement shoes.)

Certainly a losing streak is never a good thing but they do happen. No likes them and surely Leafs Nation should not be happy with the way we've played for the better part of the last seven games, but let's not jump off the deep end either; although it is what we do best. Many are calling for Ron Wilson's head already because of little incidents in games they can't remember or certain trends they see this year after a measly 11 games. Unfortunately, those trends we have noticed were expected.

Coming into the season everyone and their dog knew that the Leafs were heavy on defense and light on offense. A couple of new players were brought in, but if we're honest with ourselves how much did we expect Versteeg, Armstrong and MacArthur to score? At the present moment the Leafs are giving up the second least amount of shots a game and are top ten in goals against per game. Those are really good numbers and ones we should be excited about, but are never mentioned. What is mentioned is that the team can't score goals. In other news, snow is white and Pierre McGuire is annoying.

Now let's not get confused about Ron Wilson either. No one has claimed he is the best coach in the world, he isn't. If we're counting current NHL coaches there are probably about 10 that we'd all take over Wilson. Unfortunately they are great coaches and their teams aren't looking to part with them. In other words, firing Wilson doesn't mean you'll replace him with a better alternative. If we look at our last five firings (Pat Burns, Nick Beverly, Mike Murphy, Pat Quinn and Paul Maurice), only one of those firings brought us any playoff series wins and no available option right now is going to be putting the puck in the back of the net.

At the end of the day we're stuck in a losing streak and the schedule isn't making it any easier right now. A new coach might light a fire under the team for a few games, but at the end of the day they will face the same problems as Ron Wilson is facing; a lack of scoring depth. Could a different system increase our goals per game? Yes, it certainly could (and it might not.) But will that system produce a team that has been as good as keeping the puck out of our own net? Maybe we should ask Paul Maurice.

Maybe it's not the coach. Maybe it's not the GM. Maybe it isn't necessarily the players we have, but the players we don't. We're not there yet and we all knew that this off-season. We're still young and we're still missing pieces. Maybe one day one of those pieces is a new coach, but it's tough to fire a guy that has the team sitting exactly where everyone expected after 11 games. Maybe we can keep this 11 game pace the entire season and hover right around the 8th place mark all year. Maybe we'll lose five of the next six. Maybe the sky isn't falling.

Maybe we're just a little too passionate.

Maybe I wouldn't have it any other way.