Raps Disappointing

By Ranhvir Samra… 

 
On paper, the Toronto Raptors looked like a team that could contend for the Eastern Conference Championship. Prior to the 2008-09 season the Raptors had a bonafide superstar in Chris Bosh, rising point guard star Jose Calderon and ex-U.S. Olympian Jermaine O’neal, their newest addition. The hopes and expectations of the Raptor Fans was at an all time high. The problem with paper is that it doesn’t always translate well in real-life. The Raptors have struggled throughout the early part of the 2008-09 campaign. The Raptors have a record of 12-20 and do not look like the playoff bound team everyone in Toronto expected. Chris Bosh has been inconsistent, Jose Calderon has battled injuries and so has Jermaine O’neal. The Raptors have lost eight of their last ten games.
 
Long time Coach, and best coach in Raptors history Sam Mitchell was fired abruptly. It was too early in the NBA season to fire a coach that has endured so much throughout his years as Raptors coach. Mitchell, replaced by Jay Triano who has done nothing to improve the Raptors situation. In fact, the Raptors are worse record wise, with Triano. Coach Mitchell cannot be blamed for the Raptors lacklustre play. Guard Anthony Parker is known for his defence, but he has allowed Vince Carter, Lebron James and Dwyane Wade each score over 35 points against him. Point Guard Jose Calderon is putting up good numbers (13.3 ppg, 9 apg) but he has not been the on court leader, like he was last season. 
 
 Outside of Jermaine, their is no one on the Raptors that can guard an opposing big man. Andrea Bargnani is a weak defender despite his 7 foot frame and Bosh is too soft to bang with the Amare Stoudamire’s and Lebron James. Even offensively the Raptors have struggled, relying too heavily on an outside game which has been inconsistent all year. When healthy the Raptors have shown signs of brilliance. Jermaine O’neal has been anchoring the Toronto Defence, which sorely lacks size and toughness. Unfortunately, he has endured a plethora of injuries throughout his lower torso this season which has hindered his play. As for Chris Bosh, he has been a disappointment as well. He came out the gates on fire, at one point this season Bosh was averaging close to 30 points points per game and ten plus rebounds per game. With Bosh tearing it up and Jermaine providing backup, the Raptors were winning games and exciting the fans of “Canada’s” basketball team. Chris Bosh began getting some early season “MVP” chants at the ACC and that went straight to Bosh’s head. He even stated that he wanted to be MVP this season. Well, the competition must of heard him because since that point he has barely been averaging 20 points per game and nine rebounds with shooting percentages lower than his career average. The Raptors lost a few close games, one to Portland at home and an overtime loss to Vince Carter and the Nets. The Raptors are heading into 2009 on a sour note. The Eastern Conference is not the weaker conference any longer and the Raptors will not get far into the playoffs with a .500 record. That’s if they reach .500.
 
The East is filled with teams that are big, athletic and deep. The Pistons, Cavs, Celtics and Magic have played like they were expected to. Dwyane Wade has been the MVP of the NBA thus far and has carried the Heat to a respectable level. We expected the Raptors to be among the top four teams in the East. With the Raptors currently standing twelfth out of fifteen teams, they have proven that they are an overrated team which lacks, size, toughness, depth and leadership. If the Raptors don’t start winning soon, they’ll be on the outside looking in once again.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Need To Bring Up Justin Pogge

 

by Tyler Hill… Has Justin Pogge not spent enough time “developing” in with AHL Toronto Marlies? Or, has he not proven himself a capable NHL goaltender?

Maybe the Leafs want to save him for next year, so they can use him the whole year and also get a decent draft pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft.

I’m not sure what the reason is, but it seems that for some reason the Leafs, either do not want Pogge to play this year, or they refuse to believe that their young prospect is ready for the NHL.

Pogge has clearly proven—in his debut against Atlanta—that he is fully capable of playing at the NHL level. Not only can he play, but, he can play well. If given the right opportunity may even be able to steal a game or two.

Toronto’s management must realize that at some point he will no longer be their “young prospect”, but rather, their 30-year-old (NHL ready) goalie still playing in the AHL (ring any bells, Boston?). Some cases have shown that, holding a goalie in the AHL until he’s in his 30’s might not ruin him.

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t recommend it, in Toronto’s case—or any team for that matter. Except Montreal; they have enough goalies running in and out of that city.

Anyway, Justin Pogge is clearly ready now! Why are the Maple Leafs wasting their time waiting for Vesa Toskala to return to his form!?

They need to trade Toskala while they can still get something decent for him. By the time they realize he has to go, the rest of the league will be caught up in the reading (as in being on the same page). Thus, no one else will want him either.

They may still be able to get rid of him, but for what? A third-round draft pick? I don’t think so, they might as well keep him if that’s all they’re going to get for him.

The best way to go for the Leafs is to get rid of Toskala as soon as possible, then bring up Pogge and Play him against a few tougher teams than the Thrashers. Get him some games so he can develop from an AHL goalie into a NHL goalie.

He needs to play against teams other than just the weak ones. Doing so is the only way he can reach his full potential. My co-host from Leafs This Week seems to think that the best way to go is to play him against weak teams to build his confidence.

All that will do is build him up for a horrible demolition when he plays a team with some real fire power.

You know the saying, “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Pogge plays against weak teams and wins a lot of game then he will become “bigger,” but if he is put into a game against a team such as Detroit or Boston he will “fall harder.”

Keeping Pogge in the AHL and playing him against weak teams isn’t helping him in anyway. The time is now! Stop letting him rot in with the Marlies and put him in some real game action!

I am tired of waiting around for the Leafs management to do the right thing; they better get their asses in gear and figure out that me and half of Leafs Nation is right!

Why does it seem that the only people involved with a team that can’t see what the right move is are always the people that have the power and the control of that team!? Why do fans seem to be the only ones who know what’s right for a team?

Most importantly, why is Justin Pogge, after his performance against Atlanta, still not playing in the NHL?

Anyone who can answer even one of those questions, please feel free to inform me because I would love to know.

Check out Tyler at Maple Leafs This Week

Toronto Maple Leafs Castoffs Prove Cliff Fletcher Right (Mostly)

by Mark Makuch… Over the summer, Cliff Fletcher did all he could to remove players from the Toronto Maple Leafs that had instilled a country-club atmosphere in the team.

After a season where hard work was a joke and talent unable to make up for it, several Leafs hit the road.

Looking at those players this year shows that Fletcher chose the right players to cut loose.

 

Darcy Tucker

Tucker was never a defensive force, nor was he ever close to being a speedster. He usually made up for those shortcomings by playing a hard-nosed and feisty game.

Last season, it seemed that age had caught up with him, and he could no longer contribute in that way.

This season, in Colorado, Tucker has lost 11 games to a knee injury, showing his fragility, and has only produced four goals and four assists, with a minus-five rating over the 25 games he has played.

Good move? You bet, even if it costs a million bucks a year.

Bryan McCabe

Toronto’s favourite whipping boy has new digs in Florida, closer to his wife’s mommy and daddy, and out of the spotlight in Toronto.

Florida is only one point up on the Leafs right now, and while he’s a respectable plus-eight with six goals and nine assists in 26 games, it’s nowhere near his contract—and you have to think the Leafs are better off with Van Ryn, who, despite injuries, has nine points in 17 games.

While Toronto’s defense has been absolutely porous at times this season, I’m sure Bryan is happy he’s not in Toronto still—he knows everyone would be blaming him for all 133 goals against this season.

Kyle Wellwood

Kyle’s departure was hotly contested by some Maple Leaf fans. Many thought his talent overcame his lackadaisical approach to conditioning and work ethic. To make matters worse, he started off with a bang in Vancouver, scoring seven goals in 12 games.

Unfortunately for Wellie, that’s come down to six in his past 21 games, and his almost point-per game clip is now down to about half that. Hmm—could that old conditioning thing be catching up with him?

And really, isn’t Grabovski a much better replacement?

Andrew Raycroft

Looking at Colorado’s stats, you see the biggest surprise. Andrew Raycroft, second-favourite whipping boy in Toronto to Bryan McCabe, is 6-1-0 with a goals against average that’s actually under 3.00.

I’m sure there is not one single Leafs fan that wants the Rayzor back—a couple more wins by our back-up would have pushed the Leafs over .500.

Mats Sundin

While Mats is not really a castoff, it’s clear the Leafs were not in the mix for him. The more I see the Leafs turn into a really hard-working group, the more I realize that Sundin is not the leader we all thought he was.

Sure he was a great example, but how come that example didn’t rub off on others? That’s where leadership comes in, or doesn’t.

As far as his “passion for playing” returning? Who cares. I want passion for winning.

I’m sure he’ll do well in Vancouver, but I can’t say I’m going to miss him.

 

Curtis Joseph: Bolt or Old Yeller?

by Melissa Hashemian…
Last week I had my heart set on writing a piece about Dominic Moore and his efforts this season. However to my dismay, i found myself utterly focused on writing one about netminder Curtis Joseph instead.

After the other night’s performance I realized two things: One, Joseph has gone through a lot of emotional turmoil when it comes to his time with the Leafs. And two, this league has changed throughout the years and cannot accompany primitive styles of goaltending anymore.

Now I’ve adored Joseph from the moment he started playing for the Leafs in 1998, so this piece is not entitled to admonish him by any means, but to rather remind us about his accomplishments before letting him slip from our minds.

Curtis Joseph was signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the ‘97-’98 season and became an extremely popular asset to the Toronto organization and city. He was with the Leafs for four consecutive seasons, posting 30+ wins in three of them, while playing a significant role in the Leafs’ quest to the finals in 1999 and 2002.

As a Maple Leaf, he registered 133 wins and 88 losses with 249 games played (1998-2002).

He was an inspiration, a role model, and a fighter. The city of Toronto loved him and all that he had to offer, but eventually all good things must come to an end, and that’s exactly what happened at the end of the ‘01-’02 season.

Joseph was said to have wanted to play on a team that was capable of winning it all, and by winning it all he meant the Stanley Cup.  His comments however, implied that Toronto didn’t possess this adequacy.

This created a huge buzz in Leafsland, as it left fans feeling betrayed and upset. Thus his player status in Toronto was disregarded and forgotten as he left for Detroit and the conquering Red Wings.

He didn’t manage to stay long in Detroit though, as he contributed to two other teams (Phoenix, Calgary) before returning back to Toronto again for the ‘08-’09 season.

Since being acquired as a free agent on January 16, 2008, Joseph has only played a total of nine games (four starts), and from those nine has only won one, which happened to come Tuesday night against the Thrashers in a 4-3 win in overtime. It was his 450th NHL career win, as he stopped 29 of 32 stops for the Leafs.

So, I’ve cleared one out of two of my realizations thus far. As for the second, it’s pretty self-exclamatory.

Bluntly put, Curtis Joseph is old. I don’t mean to announce that in a harsh or derogatory manner, but it’s true.

The game of hockey is changing every day. So, it becomes more and more difficult for players over the age of 35 to play in accordance to the expectations put in nowadays.  Joseph, the Keswick, Ontario native is turning 42 next April, and not getting any younger unfortunately.

His goaltending tricks and techniques just don’t cut it against young teams like Chicago or Edmonton. The game has become faster and the rules have generally changed a lot more. There is much more free will in front of the net now and defencemen can’t clear the net as well as before.

Cujo struggles with the rebound control as it is. There is a lot of traffic in front of the net now, and many players are there to bang in the rebounds much easier than before.

Joseph is no longer a starting goalie and hasn’t proven that he can sit on the bench and still play well when he hasn’t had a chance to start consistently.  He provided a sufficient performance backing up Mikka Kirpusoff in Calgary last year, but mostly because he only played nine games and had one of the league’s best defences in front of him.

Some goalies need to play a lot to remain focused and ready, and this was exactly the case for Joseph. He needs to play a lot more games than he actually has played in the past few seasons in order to be a more efficient and dependable goaltender. 

I say bring in Justin Pogge, and get Cujo packing. He’s had a good run in the NHL for the past 10 years, it’s time for a change. So why not start now Burke?.

Whatever the outcome is, Curtis Joseph must make a decision. The right decision is to retire and start a new career. Perhaps a Leafs goaltending coach?

Who knows, I just know it has to happen sooner rather than later. Time’s up for this Old Yeller.

Stephen King’s novel “Cujo” is about to have a run for its money when I come out with my debut novel titled “Old Dog Goes Home.”

It’s time to put Cujo down, he’s an old dog.

 

Maple Leafs Have Another Battle of Ontario Looming on the Way to the Cup

by Graeme Boyce… 

The Leafs are slumping.  But heading towards Saturday night, we can get revved up at the thought of crunching Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza again.  Frankly, the Sens are slumping too, which makes this upcoming tilt all the more special.  I’m looking at it like tryouts. 

C’mon, let’s make a deal, soon.  The Leafs could certainly use the services of Heatley, and while trolling I’d grab Fisher in a heartbeat too, who’s not exactly having a career year, as they say.

If the Leafs had a player like Heatley, in fact, then (in the immortal words of HG Wells) we wouldn’t have to play “what if” after each game.  Like, what if Poni had scored.  Or, what if Cujo made the save?  Moreover, what if White didn’t get that penalty?  This doesn’t take into account the fundamentals: What if the Leafs didn’t get called for so many offsides or icings…?

By not taking the fundamentals into account, Leafs players are surely demonstrating a lack of focus and, worse, laziness.  They are presumably well coached and well trained.  They have ample access to Gatorade and can’t blame it on “tired legs.”  Oh wait, they did after the debacle against the Stars recently.

Our so-called young Leafs should be playing like champs and proving themselves to fans and management, night after night.  However, so should any player, come to think of it.

Against the other divisional slumpers, the Sabres, Coach Wilson gave an excellent opportunity to Hagman to prove his value and lead by example in handing him the job to score on a penalty shot.  But he let the puck get out of reach and was deftly poke-checked by Miller.  Hmmm, how ’bout two goalies for one?  Toskala and Cujo for Miller?

I like the play of the Leafs’ vikings Hagman and Frogren.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—they each play with heart and, dare I say it, passion.  Hopefully this attitude is rubbing off on Grabovski and Kulemin, for example.  It might be.  These two rookies are starting to gel lately.  If only they’d really start to click; you know, like Courtnall and Clark, or Vaive and Derlago.

I’ve mentioned Poni, but what is up with Antropov?  Does he really miss Stajan that much?  And Stempniak?  They do the “dump ‘n chase” thing quite well.  Go figure, now they simply need to shoot—quickly and with authority.  And not at the forsaken pads or protector.  These guys are making it easy for Burke to line up a blockbuster trade.

Luckily other teams, in this wonderful age of parity when any team can win on any given night, are fraught with excuses as to why they might not make the playoffs this year.  I’d certainly like to know if Pomenville or Roy are on the bubble.  Maybe those two could get thrown into the upcoming goalie trade, in exchange for, say, Hollweg.

 

Toronto Maple Leafs and John McCain: “No Change, More of the Same”

by Ben Dover… 

We are almost halfway through the season and the Leafs are in 11th place—a position fans and players alike are getting uncomfortably use to. An agonising position for everyone who follows this team. Close enough to possibly make the playoffs, not low enough to get a better chance at John Tavares and the other hot prospects.

The 2007-2008 season was a year in which coach Paul Maurice said the team had a great chance to challenge for the Stanley Cup. This season, Cliff Fletcher came out and said to the faithful to not expect anything other than failure.

The ‘07-’08 squad had, on paper, a very solid team: Sundin, McCabe, Tucker, Raycroft. The team came up short. Very short. The ‘08-’09 team was changed significantly, the top guns were traded or “retired” and in return, the Leafs acquired much less talent and less expectations.

A position above 11th position would not be expected. Some analysts predicted the Leafs would come last in the conference.

Let us look statistically (with some degree of error for the ‘07-’08 season), at where the Leafs were this time last year and where they are today. Thanks to ESPN and NHL.com for the numbers. (The 2007-2008 season will always figure first.)

After much consideration, however you regard these things—positive or negative, statistically—the Leafs haven’t shifted a bit. The Leafs look like finishing the regular season in between ninth and twelfth.

At the halfway mark last year, the Leafs had won about 16 games; this year, they have won 15. Goals for the Leafs in ‘07-’08 stood at 114, for this season, similar at 114. Goals against, 199 to 198. Total team points, 313 to 312.

Where the Leafs of this season have improved marginally is in the Power Play Goals. Season ‘07-’08 stood at 31, this season 34. Power play assists sit at 58 to 60. Shots on goal slightly less at 1271 to 1234 and conversion percentage .089 to 0.92.

The 2008-2009 Leafs have improved on the power-play goal percentage 17.8 to 20.4; however, they have dropped off on the Power-Play Kill percentage, 78.2 to 73.2.

At home this season, the Leafs are 7-7-4. At the end of the regular season of 2007-2008, Toronto at home had a record of 18-17-16. Away, the Leafs of this season are at 08-10-2, the 2007-2008 Leafs Away record was 18-18-5.

So what can be gleamed then from all of this? The many theories as to why the Leafs failed last year are numerous. There is no doubt though, that the team of 2007-2008 was a stronger outfit than the team of 2008-2009.

What can be said quite confidently is that the team of 2007-2008 played below expectations. The team of 2008-2009, even though not a Stanley Cup contender, are playing above expectations.

So where does this leave the organisation, trying to rebuild, trying add some first-round prospects into the cupboard. Coming in 11th again in 2008-2009 does not help the Leafs rebuild and does not make the fans any happier missing the playoffs for another year.

Brian Burke has a dilemma. Should he push (under pressure from MLSE) for a playoff berth this year with some big trades? Or as he has stated publicly, trade his stars for draft picks and lesser players, destroy the current outfit, and hopefully finish in the deep bottom of the conference?

What Burke does between now and trade deadline will have a lasting effect on the hopes of the Leafs, eventually bringing home a Stanley Cup.

 

MONEY MAKERS – Wild Card Weekend

by Mike De Marco… 62-54-3 (Power Picks 14-4)