Is it time to change the D?
Posted 10:41 PM ET | Comments 5
Well here we are 9 games into the season and the Leafs have scored the most goals in the NHL who would have though that when the season started, but there is one little problem we have also let the most goals in the league thus far and look to continue to do so if we dont make some moves with our defensemen.
The Leafs penalty killing is ranked 28th and its not hard to see it hit the basement in this case as well, the Leafs Defense core have been terrible this season.
Bryan McCabe- Team Worst -6, has 4 points and 12 penalty minutes, continues to give the puck away and who can forget the game winner for Buffalo.
Prognosis: Sit him in pressbox, maybe then he will waive no trade clause
Tomas Kaberle- Is a +1, but has managed to stay out of the box and tied for points lead amond D with 5, the Leafs best defensemen by far, needs to shoot more.
Prognosis: Top Defensemen on team needs a stay at home partner
Pavel Kubina- How he has the most ice time among any leaf per game is mind boggling, continues to take bad penalties and give the puck away almost as much as McCabe
Prognosis: Send him to Marlies will open up $5 million under Cap
Hal Gill- Slow defensemen but is our best backstop on the penalty kill, leads Leafs D with a +6, makes up for lack of speed with long reach, surprisingly doesnt take dumb penalties.
Prognosis: Stay on as 5th or 6th D to give team veteran presence
Ian White- Great skater, young and still learning the game can only get better and is a +2.
Prognosis: Needs to move up with Kaberle to Leafs #1 PP unit
Andy Wozniewski-Has taken to many penalties due to lack of speed on Antropov has more penalties then his 18 minutes.
Prognosis:Experiment may be over, send him to farm
So we stick with Kaberle, White and Gill this leaves us with 3 spots to fill, the return of Colaiacovo should help fill one of those slots but who would the other two be? Anton Stralman? Steffan Kronvall? Bryan Muir? even Jay Harrison with his mean streak would be an improvement over the 3 we need to ship out of town.
It would be nice to see Maurice make some moves in the back end, its becoming clearer every game the Leafs have the worse starting six in all of hockey and its time he woke up and realized that. After only 9 games Leaf fans have had enough of giveaways, bad penalties and boneheaded plays to last the season lets right the ship before its too late.
The Leafs penalty killing is ranked 28th and its not hard to see it hit the basement in this case as well, the Leafs Defense core have been terrible this season.
Bryan McCabe- Team Worst -6, has 4 points and 12 penalty minutes, continues to give the puck away and who can forget the game winner for Buffalo.
Prognosis: Sit him in pressbox, maybe then he will waive no trade clause
Tomas Kaberle- Is a +1, but has managed to stay out of the box and tied for points lead amond D with 5, the Leafs best defensemen by far, needs to shoot more.
Prognosis: Top Defensemen on team needs a stay at home partner
Pavel Kubina- How he has the most ice time among any leaf per game is mind boggling, continues to take bad penalties and give the puck away almost as much as McCabe
Prognosis: Send him to Marlies will open up $5 million under Cap
Hal Gill- Slow defensemen but is our best backstop on the penalty kill, leads Leafs D with a +6, makes up for lack of speed with long reach, surprisingly doesnt take dumb penalties.
Prognosis: Stay on as 5th or 6th D to give team veteran presence
Ian White- Great skater, young and still learning the game can only get better and is a +2.
Prognosis: Needs to move up with Kaberle to Leafs #1 PP unit
Andy Wozniewski-Has taken to many penalties due to lack of speed on Antropov has more penalties then his 18 minutes.
Prognosis:Experiment may be over, send him to farm
So we stick with Kaberle, White and Gill this leaves us with 3 spots to fill, the return of Colaiacovo should help fill one of those slots but who would the other two be? Anton Stralman? Steffan Kronvall? Bryan Muir? even Jay Harrison with his mean streak would be an improvement over the 3 we need to ship out of town.
It would be nice to see Maurice make some moves in the back end, its becoming clearer every game the Leafs have the worse starting six in all of hockey and its time he woke up and realized that. After only 9 games Leaf fans have had enough of giveaways, bad penalties and boneheaded plays to last the season lets right the ship before its too late.
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Not trying to troll here, but what team in their right mind would take McCabe and his 7 million dollar contract off of the Leafs hand? He is as untradable as they get
Nolantis - McCabe makes $5.75M/year and is CHEAP for a D-Man who is in the top 4 for points by ANY D-Man over the last 4 years. Just because this year works out to $7M - it means nothing - what matters in the cap hit - teams structure and weigh contracts in different ways for different reasons - the average is all that matters....... tml1967 - McCabes -6 isnt that bad for an offensive D-Man - and you will never replace his shot or his offence from D for $5.75M - compare his /- to the following: Ed Jovanovski -9, Rob Blake -9, Jay Bouwmeester -5 - do agree with you though, Kubina should be traded or sent to the minors - they could then use the cap room to sign a Markov, or move a kid like Strahlman up and give him a chance...
i agree with Andy Wozniewski he is either in the penalty box or on the ice for nearly every goal against..is terrible in his own end and mediocre in the offensive end! need to give strallman or kronwall or muir a shot at his spot!and maurice has to go as well..toskala stands on his head for the win against florida and he gives the start to raycroft who once again lets in a soft goal from the point (see robert lang goal)
Cartika: The offense he produces is moot if he can't keep the puck out his own net. Big shots aren't that hard to find any more. McCabe has unbelievably bad positioning, and isn't much of a playmaker. He just has that howitzer from the point. Why pay $5.75 million when you can draft some big-shot rookie and pay him $800K a season?
can you name a big shot rookie at $800k that has proven they can do that? maybe 1 exists, but, I doubt it... just ask Edmonton what they paid for Pitkanen and Souray - and they still havent solved that problem - if you get rid of McCabe, then you are off hunting for that big shot from the point again, and it will probably cost you more for someone that is even worse defensively (and yes, most of the big guns are brutal in their own zone). Once raycroft stops playing, you will see that defense isnt as big as a problem as you think it is...