SB Nation - Jeff Finger

Will Any Maple Leafs Defencemen Be Heading To Vancouver?

David Danforth — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:30:13 -0000

Sorry Beauch. Don't pack those bags yet...

The other day we looked at Canada's defence to try to figure out who would be sporting the Maple Leaf in Vancouver. But what about the Leafs' defenders? Should any of them start booking their flights to the West Coast? The snap reaction will be to look at the Leafs' current 29th ranking in goals against per game (3.50 - yikes!) and call them all bums. However, some countries just don't have better players. I know, it's weird. Canada might be spoiled. Without further ado, check out after the jump to see if you agree and then share your thoughts in the comments.

Pack Your Bags

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Tomas Kaberle	32	2	29	31	-5	6	1	0	0	0	60	3.3

There's no doubt that Tomas Kaberle will be on the Czech team. He'll be reunited with Pavel Kubina and likely skipper the team despite having no leadership abilities. He is what he is at even strength but where he'll make a real difference for the Czech's entry is on the powerplay. Special teams can make the difference in the tight scoring games that you'll find in the medal rounds.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Mike Komisarek	24	0	1	1	-7	35	0	0	0	0	22	0.0

Brian Burke is the General Manager of the USA's Olympic team. Ron Wilson is the coach of the team. One signed him to a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal that made him the anchor of his NHL defence. The other leans heavily on him on the penalty kill especially. After a rough start, Komisarek has found the balance between physical play and discipline and is back to the game that made him one of Brian Burke's marquee signings this summer. I don't know that I would pick him for the American team but I do think that he'll get picked.

Had A Shot

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Carl Gunnarsson	8	0	4	4	4	4	0	0	0	0	12	0.0

Poor Carl Gunnarsson. He was on Sweden's pre-Olympic roster (although to be be fair, so was Jonas Frogren as well as almost every Swedish defender ever) and he had a strong showing at last Spring's Worlds. Then he started the year off on the Marlies because his waiver eligibility made him the easiest player to demote. Once he finally got a chance he was a revelation. Of course, he's currently out of the lineup with a hyperextended elbow so any chance he had of making the team has been consistently derailed at every turn.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Francois Beauchemin	32	3	11	14	-6	13	3	0	0	0	80	3.8

Francois Beauchemin might have been invited to the summer evaluation camp but then he joined the Maple Leafs. The instant loss of elite goaltending, Hall of Fame teammates, and the increased scrutiny all conspired to make Not Durno's transition to Toronto less than successful at first. Since the rocky start he's improved by leaps and bounds and really found a comfort zone but he needed to be absolutely lights out to even get a sniff.

No Dice

This section could also be re-named "Canadian defencemen" because none of the Canucks on the buds' blueline are going to Vancouver in any capacity other than a cheerleader.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ian White	32	5	12	17	11	29	1	0	0	0	68	7.4

Ian White might be killing it for the Leafs but his stint at the World Juniors won't count for much. Not to mention that for all of his redeeming qualities "Moustachelence" is probably not high on Steve Yzerman's evaluation rubric.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Luke Schenn	31	0	4	4	0	33	0	0	0	0	35	0.0

Sigh. Not in 2010 and on this pace not in 2014 or 2018 or...He's regressed mightily after a first season which I think was far more impressive that we had any right to expect or most people like to remember. Luke Schenn outscored Tomas Kaberle at even strength last year while also putting up some good Behind The Net numbers(ie better than Drew Doughty).

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Garnet Exelby	17	0	1	1	-4	19	0	0	0	0	4	0.0

HAHAHAHAHA Yeah, I just put this for the sake of being thorough. Also, I wanted to make a request: can people stop pretending that the Kubina and Stapleton for Exelby and Stuart trade was made in isolation? It's the kind of disingenuous thing that we'd rip the MSM for doing.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jeff Finger	16	2	6	8	-7	5	0	0	0	0	13	15.4

I can't say that I really understand Ron Wilson's handling of Jeff Finger this year. In my mind, you put Finger into the lineup over Garnet Exelby 100 times out of 50 but somehow it's only happened 50% of the time. He wasn't an invite to the orientation camp and he never did anything of note.

Thrashers at Leafs

Chemmy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:13:42 -0000

Puck Drop: 7:00PM ET Sportsnet Ontario

Leafs' coach Ron Wilson says he hopes former players Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina won't be feted with a ceremony tonight. - Jonas Siegel

Tonight marks the return of a player who wasn't fully appreciated in Toronto even after he left. He had issues with his knee while he was here and was a solid player but didn't fit Burke's idea for a rebuilding team and was shipped out. That player of course is Pavel Kubina.

I think we were all expecting to replace Kubina's offense with Francois Beauchemin's. Obviously that hasn't happened. What's odd is that Happy Trails dropped a 102.2mph bomb in the hardest shot competition, capping what must have been bizarro weekend as Rickard "They Glue A Stick To My Hands Because I Can't Be Trusted Not To Drop It" Wallin won the shot accuracy contest.

Other promising ex-Leafs with knee injuries playing for the Thrashers include Nik Antropov, who has only 2 goals this year (yikes) but has 21 assists to give him 23 points in 26 games. I don't think anyone here saw Antropov as a setup guy, but I'm assuming he plays with Kovalchuk and that should boost his assist total. Strange though, Antropov played very well down the stretch for the Rangers last year including scoring a bunch of beautiful top shelf goals from the faceoff circles, he'll probably find his game tonight knowing our luck.

Garnet Exelby back in against his former team. Jeff Finger scratched. Rickard Wallin in as well. - Jonas Siegel

Christian Hanson has been returned to the Marlies in what I hope is a planned move; bring the kids up to get a taste and then send them back down to work on problems. Hanson looked good aside from his first game up and I didn't see the Boston game (thank god), so he should understand what he needs to do.

The puzzling move here is Exelby for Finger. Burke needs to shit or get off the pot with Finger; he's a better defenseman than Exelby hands down but with a bigger cap hit. If we're not going to waive Finger we might as well use him rather than have his cap hit in the press box.

Gustavsson couldn’t pinpoint an exact return date—he’ll need the incision in his groin area to heal—but he said that this time around was definitely better than last.

"Feels like I have more power now after this procedure than after the last one," he said. - Eat. Sleep. Leafs.

Gustavsson will probably be out more than a week while the incision in his groin heals and Joey MacDonald got shelled in Boston which means in addition to Rickard "Useless" Wallin coming back into the lineup Vesa Toskala will be in net.

The Thrashers come in to tonight's game at 15-8-3, the Eastern Conference's #6 seed. I have no faith whatsoever in Toskala or Exelby and combined with the return of Kubina and Antropov as well as this being a weekday home game against a Southeast opponent tonight is going to be terrible.

Don't forget your SPG picks, and no you can't pick Antropov, check out Bird Watchers Anonymous for Thrashers coverage and go Leafs go!

Game 28 Preview: The Rarely-Seen Buds Make the Trek to Ohio

Mike MacLean — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:32:58 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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They're getting better! The most recent game against the Blackhawks looked more like Jackets hockey than any other game this season, had they played the way they did during the losing streak, the score would have been ugly-very ugly in favor of the 'Hawks.

For the first time in a few years Toronto comes to town. The Leafs are still in the midst of a "re-tooling" (because if I would have said "rebullding" Ole Ironsides Burke would find a way to get me booted off of the internet) and are without either of their top goaltenders. Vesa Toskala is out with an injury, and Gustavsson will be going under the knife for another heart operation. Speaking of Gustavsson, when will the meda give him a new nickname? The Monster? Come on. Worst nickname for a player in all of sport, especially for a rookie. Joey MacDonald, a fellow Bluenoser, will get the start tonight. Mase is in for the Jackets.

The CBJ will be icing the same lineup as the past few games, although Raffi may miss it because his wife is in the hospital prepping for the delivery of the couple's first child. The Leafs have a tough defensive unit, so it will be interesting how the Jackets forwards can cope with that. I also wonder if Kris Russell can continue his red-hot stretch of play tonight. Here's hoping. Look for a good physical battle tonight folks.

Fearless Prediction: CBJ score at least four goals.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Pension Plan Puppets

Game Page: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Toronto has played in Columbus only three times, most recently Nov. 20, 2006, a 4-2 Leafs win. The Blue Jackets would be wise to ignore the standings. After a horrible start, the Maple Leafs are 4-1-2 in their past seven games, including a 3-0 rout of Montreal on Tuesday. It could be a big special- teams game. Although the Blue Jackets excel on the power play, both teams struggle in killing penalties.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Toronto Maple Leafs

Alexei Ponikarovsky	Matt Stajan	Phil Kessel
Niklas Hagman	Mikhail Grabovski	Christian Hanson
Wayne Primeau	Nikolai Kulemin	Lee Stempniak
Jason Blake	Jamal Mayers	Colton Orr

Mike Komisarek	Tomas Kaberle
Luke Schenn	Ian White
Francois Beauchemin	Jeff Finger

Joey MacDonald

Jonas Gustavsson

Leafs at Les Horriblants

Chemmy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:44:26 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

Oh the fun we have.

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Puck Drop: 7:30PM TSN

Friday is the actual date of the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has been celebrating this for the past 99 years so hopefully the next time we play them they'll have shut up about their anniversary. On this the week of their birthday wouldn't it be nice to change our fortunes? Having lost to Montreal in OT on opening night and then in a shootout a month later I say it's high time the Leafs took it to Montreal.

Our defense is playing much better, although Gunnarsson is out hurt and will be replaced by Jeff Finger. Vesa Toskala is still "hurt" while he figures out how to stop a puck from going into a net which lets Jonas Gustavsson get another start after last night's game against Buffalo.

Thing is, you never know what you're going to get from this Leafs team. They came out hard and fast against Buffalo but couldn't hang with a superior squad. If they played last night's game against Montreal I think they would have left with two points so it's tempting to say that the Leafs can pull it out. At the same time Toronto isn't a good team and one of the obvious symptoms of that is that they play down to other team's levels. A solid effort against Buffalo doesn't mean we'll get that in a start against Montreal, but as a fan we have to hope.

Don't forget your SPG picks, check out Habs Inside Out if you want some Montreal coverage today, and go Leafs go!

My Heart is Crammed in My Cranium...

blurr1974 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:24 -0000

...and it still knows how to pound. It's the Monday after a long weekend and Frank Black is singing a song just for me.

Let's just get to the links.

Steve is wondering what kind of return Niklas Hagman and Ian White could net the Leafs.
On the flip side of that argument, the general takes a look at Garnet Exelby and Jeff Finger to determine who is the less useless.
Down Goes Brown reviews the year that was.
Sometimes I worry about LD...
Leafs Rumination went to a Marlies game. Then it goes downhill.
Toronto Sports Commentary likes the cut of the Leafs jib lately.
Kavel is throwing a party for himself like nobody's business.
MLHS talks about the heavyweight battle that never was.
The Blue and White Beat likes Colton Orr. A lot .
Would Jason Blake be an easier commodity to move had Burke hung on to Dominic Moore? Would the rumored $3M per Moore asked be worth it? Hockey Centric's Leaf blog is wondering the same thing.
Supposedly the Anaheim Ducks are just one of the many teams pursuing Niklas Hagman.

Senators hold on to win 3-2 over Leafs

PeterR — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:23:22 -0000

More photos » by Fred Chartrand - AP

28 days ago: Ottawa Senators' Mike Fisher (12) celebrates with Brian Lee (55) and other teammates after his goal during second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, in Ottawa. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

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That was a lot closer than it had to be, but the bottom line is that the Ottawa Senators came away with both points in an intra-divisional game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The win was largely on the back of Mike Fisher, who scored two goals, Alex Kovalev, who assisted on both of them, and Pascal Leclaire, who was big when he needed to be.

Ottawa was outshot on the night by a count of 32-21, including being outshot 15-4 in the third period--but that final frame was Leclaire's best of the game. He was routinely outside the crease challenging shooters, and--although it was terrifying for spectators--he didn't give up too many rebound in the third. The Sens gave Vesa Toskala a bit of a break, not only in terms of few shots on net, but also leaving a whole whack of rebounds and loose pucks in the slot without being fast enough to get on them.

Offensively, the Senators needed a spark--and it came from Fisher and Kovalev. His first goal was a matter of Fisher following up on the play, finding a puck and throwing it past Toskala. Second--the game winner--was a good heads-up play by Chris Campoli and a slick cross-ice pass from Kovalev to set up Fisher with all sorts of time to find the net behind Toskala.

(Read more... )

One thing the Senators can't complain about tonight was the refereeing. Ottawa had four powerplays tonight while Toronto only had one, and got little in the way of offence out of those four opportunities--despite the fact that the Leafs have the league's worst penalty killing. Although Milan Michalek did score a PP goal (after tipping in a great, and most of all, simple shot from Alex Picard), that was one of only two shots the Senators had with the man advantage. I can't say I know what is wrong with the Senators' powerplay, whether it's too predictable, or whether players are too hesitant to put the puck to the net, or whether players try and shoot through blocked shooting lanes (see: Daniel Alfredsson, who had another five shots blocked tonight), but considering how few and far between PP opportunities have been, it'd be a good idea to take advantage when we get them.

Something that was impressive was the play of Ottawa's fourth line tonight, particularly in the first period. Shean Donovan had two hits, a shot on net, and hit the post early in the first--had his shot gone in, it would have put the Leafs down much earlier in the game, and may have sparked the Senators' true offensive guns to get going. Jarkko Ruutu had a decent fight against John Mitchell--for which Mitchell took an extra two minutes for instigating--and had two shots and a team-high four hits. Centres Chris Kelly and Jesse Winchester shared time on the fourth line, but both played pretty well--Kelly made a nice pass to Fisher in the first on a two-on-one, and had three hits, while Winchester handled Jeff Finger in a first-period fight and had a couple of solid hits. Chris Neil was strong, too, with three good hits--including a big one on Luke Schenn that started a brawl between the two--and a couple of shots, too. Long story short, the role players were strong, but forwards like Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson couldn't get their games going. Fortunately, the newfound offensive depth of a reborn Fisher plus Kovalev--who'll show up here and there--and Michalek gave Ottawa the decision.

And hey, anyone who didn't think there was much to the Battle of Ontario anymore should have tuned in for the first period. Although the physicality toned down as the game went on, three fights in the first and a fourth in the second demonstrated a fair bit of hostility between the two teams. Hard to say whether or not it will continue because of the roster turnover both teams have been going through (and will likely continue to go through), but we'll see what happens next game--especially if the score gets out of hand.

Maple Leafs 5 v. Red Wings 1: On The Road To Validation

PPP — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:04:39 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

What can I say? I'm neewwwww here!

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The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Hall of Fame game 5-1 as they used their forecheck and a determined defense to stymie a Detroit Red Wings team that had seemingly turned a corner. The Chris Osgood that had posted a .976 sv% over his last three games was replaced by the one that had a sub-.900 sv% in the rest of his starts. There was a confusing moment in the first period when a Leaf wearing 1 and 8 flew down the wing, past a sprawling defender before rifling a wrist shot past Osgood to notch his first goal in Toronto. Congratulation to Wayne "Not Keith" Primeau on finally breaking his goose egg. Phil Kessel also managed it but in decidedly less glamourous circumstances as he tapped in a Jason Blake shot that was trickling into the net anyway.

Jeff Finger stretched the Leafs' lead to 3-0 when he rifled a shot past Osgood as he jumped into the rush to turn a Stempniak-Stajan 2-on-2 into an odd man rush. Daniel Cleary scored the least surprising goal of the season John Mitchell, who must be thanking his lucky stars that he is centering Phil Kessel, picked up his second on the powerplay on a play that looked like Kessel just banked it in off of his stick. Ponikarovsky finished off the scoring as he put a weak backhand through Osgood's legs.

The win was good, starting a winning streak is great, but the best part is that root of the Leafs' ills seems to have be solved.

The Leafs have points in seven straight games with three of them being wins. Not surprisingly, Jonas Gustavsson started six of those games. The Maple Leafs are now looking like the kind of team that made Brian Burke think that the Phil Kessel trade was an acceptable risk. Brian Burke haters were falling all over themselves to get their jabs in when the Leafs were winless. Things were not helped by the fact that Vesa Toskala continued where he had left off before his surgeries. Actually, he has been much much more than he has ever been.

Jonas Gustavsson's heart issues and his strained groin robbed Brian Burke of seeing one of his prized off-season acquisition (and possibly his most important) make the impact that he expected. Until this recent run. The Phil Kessel trade would never have been made without the Gustavsson signing because as Burke has noted, you build teams from the net out. That signing, along with the additions on the blueline, gave him the confidence that the Leafs would not be giving up a top ten pick let alone a lottery pick or two in the deal.

Do you have that zen feeling when the opposition has the puck? You know, the complete opposite of what you felt when Toskala was in net? Yeah, so do the Leafs and it shows. Suddenly, Burke's talk about competing for the playoffs doesn't seem so insane. And it all starts in goal with the improved goaltending. Yes, chemistry was an issue early on but even the players and coaches and Damien Cox agree that the underlying issue was in net:

It's not rocket science after all; get good goaltending, and everything else flows from that.

I made a big point of the fact that having confidence in your goalie (as well as a goalie that can stop a beachball) helps to improve a number of areas. Take goal-scoring for example. The Leafs scored 15 goals in 7 games and a bit of the Washington game when Vesa Toskala or Joey MacDonald were in net but they potted 24 in 7 games and the rest of that Washington game with The Monster guarding the crease.

The penalty kill is another area that has improved. During the seven game point streak it's been killing penalties at a 85.7% clip including all of them over their last four games. You can read more quotations from other players in blurr's fanshot but this one from Jeff Finger sums the argument up best:

"He’s been great, bottom line. It gives us the confidence to play the game that you need to play to win in this League. You’re just confident in what you’ve got back there so you can make a play and not worry about turning the puck over. He’s been real solid."

At the end of the day, the poor penalty kill, the lack of offence, and the terrible defence are all symptoms of the problem that begins between the pipes. It appears that the Leafs have found the cure in Jonas Gustavsson but the real test will come the next time that they play Vesa Toskala in net. They need to maintain the mental toughness to play the game the way that they have been and maybe displaying that confidence will rub off on the Finn.

Maple Leafs demolish Red Wings 5-1

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:37:56 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

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On "Hall of Fame night" in Toronto, in which Brett Hull, Luc Robataille, and Steve Yzerman stepped onto the ice to be acknowledged, not much was Hall of Fame worthy from the Detroit end of things.

Phil Kessel had a big game for the Maple Leafs with a goal and an assist while goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped 35 of 36 shots for his second consecutive win. Chris Osgood gave up five goals on 28 shots as Detroit's three game win streak came to a close and Toronto won only their third game of the year.

Toronto's Wayne Primeau opened the scoring at 10:34 on a shot from the faceoff circle to the left of Chris Osgood. Primeau gained the zone following a failed pinch by Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Draper lost his edge to give Primeau a two-on-one against Brett Lebda. Colton Orr and Jeff Finger were credited with the assists on Primeau's goal, his first of the season. Phil Kessel added a goal with 26 seconds left to play in the first period to increase the Maple Leafs lead to 2-0. Ian White fired on net from the blue line and Jason Blake's rebound shot had originally beat Chris Osgood before Kessel tapped it in for insurance. Swedish goalie phenom Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson stopped all 13 of the Detroit shots in the first period with several great saves on quality chances.

Jeff Finger put a shot over Chris Osgood's shoulder on a 3-on-2 for a 3-0 Toronto lead 5:21 into the 2nd period. Finger, the trail man on the break out, received a pass from Lee Stempniak and was able to score his first goal of the year. The Wings were caught in a line change at the tail end of their power play and it resulted in the odd-man rush and a goal for Toronto. As if the 3-0 Toronto lead wasn't enough to deal with for Detroit, Jason Williams fell behind the Toronto net and left the game with an injury to his right leg. Early reports indicate a broken right leg.

Detroit finally got on the board in the third period. Although they didn't score on a five-on-three power play chance, they had several great opportunities. Soon after the power play ended, Dan Cleary received a pass from Brian Rafalski as both teams were changing and had only Gustavsson to beat. Cleary did just that as he scored his 100th career goal at 5:59 of the third, providing the only high point of the night for Detroit. The 3-1 Toronto lead quickly ballooned to 5-1 as John Mitchell deflected a Phil Kessel shot past Osgood at 9:22 and Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Osgood with a weak backhand at 12:44. Gustavsson was solid all game and allowed kept the puck out his own net and allowed his teammates to get chances at the other end.

Detroit returns to action on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

MrNorrisTrophy's Wing of the Game: No question about it, Dan Cleary. Cleary's goal was the lone high point in the game and a huge weight is off his shoulders after finally getting his 100th career goal. Goal 100 below.

Dan Cleary

#11 / Right Wing / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 18, 1978

Red Wings vs Maple Leafs coverage

Fist Pump Friday!

blurr1974 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:20 -0000

In case you need some instructions, I present to you the following step by step graphic.

Jason Blake's screen saver. (via www.guidofistpump.com)

The Leafs play the Hurricanes tonight. The last time we met, Jason Blake was highly motivated to make a fool out of Paul Maurice. I'm hoping he hasn't forgotten that feeling...

Dr. Steve has been busy, with two posts. The first, a comparison of Jeff Finger vs. Garnet Exelby then he takes a look at what the November schedule has to offer.
The Bitter Leaf, mf37 tries to put some context into the Leafs acquisition of H1N1 shots.
The Truthulence has a few words about Phil Kessel.
Loser Domi's youTube yoinkage is back, and this week, it's all about the mustache.
MLHS wants Habs fans to know, Mike Komisarek is playing like an all-star, for the Leafs. They are also liking the line up changes, and has the Leafs most recent line combinations from practice, as well as some predictions of how they could look after the trade deadline.
Kavel Pubina is writing a letter to MLSE's marketing folks.
Frozen Leaf can feel the wins, just around the corner.
Hockey Independent is reporting a turn away from truculence and to congeniality.

Jeff Finger?

Chemmy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:15:20 -0000

To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld: what's the deal with Jeff Finger? He's been a healthy scratch six games in a row and in those six games the Leafs defense has started to gel. There's a lot of Garnet Exelby hate around these parts but lately our defense has been rock solid.

Compared to Finger, Exelby's salary is a lot lower. I think Finger's a good defender and he put up points last year, but do you pull Exelby out of the lineup and mess with a winning formula to make it more expensive?

Is Finger injured? That made sense earlier in his scratch streak but LTIR means a player would only have to miss 10 games or 24 days; Finger hasn't played since 10/24, so he's 50% of the way there on days missed and he hasn't played in six games which could jump to eight by Sunday. Players can be placed on LTIR retroactively which means there's a chance that Toronto will do that to free up some cap space as a matter of principle.

Is one of the Leafs' D corps being showcased for a trade? I'd have to imagine Komisarek, Beauchemin and Schenn aren't going anywhere, and if we take Burke at his word he's keeping Kaberle. That leaves Ian White and Garnet Exelby, both of whom are UFAs at the end of the season.

So what do you think is going on with Finger? Are the Leafs planning to sit $3.5M in the press box all year or is something going to happen?

Poll

Why is Finger scratched constantly?

He's injured.

23 votes

Leafs are trading a d-man.

98 votes

Jeff Finger is fun to talk to in the press box.

150 votes

Other

34 votes

305 votes | Poll has closed