SB Nation - Alexei Ponikarovsky

Maple Leafs 5 v. Thrashers 2: TODAY IS THE GREATEST DAYYYY

PPP — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:17:46 -0000

Sorry Antro. You can't have Poni! He's mine!

Chemmy would like you to listen to this song to understand the post title. Unfortunately, Smashing Pumpkins doesn't like having their music embedded.

The Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back from a pantsing in Boston on Saturday to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-2. They were paced by two goals by Alexei Ponikarovsky, a strong performance by Matt Stajan, and competent, nay, outstanding at times, goaltending by Vesa Toskala. Re-read that if you have to in order to believe it but there it is.

The Toronto Maple Leafs knew that they had to do something special. First, they knew that Puck Daddy was going to be in the building being afraid of King Clancy after a day spent visiting all of the city's sights. He also did his best Don Cherry impression: YER PATHETIC!! Could have used Jeff Marek standing beside him terrified and perplexed. Secondly, they likely (despite all protests to the contrary) read this abortion of an article by Mark Zwolinski featuring his best Working Class Howard impression:

Even though they are fully aware of it, the Leafs received another reminder yesterday of how fortunate they are to play in a city where no matter how poorly they perform, there's always a love-in waiting for them when they return home.

And that was the first sentence/paragraph/whatever journalists write since they stopped writing in proper English! Now, I know ad hominem attacks aren't the way to make your point but...come on, is Zwolinski an idiot? The love-in? Is this by the fans that spent so much time booing the team that JFJ actually got fired, that McCabe got run out of town, that Tucker and Raycroft were bought out, that reporters have commented on what a poisoned atmosphere the ACC has become? Really? Where are Amy Pohler and Seth Myers when I need them!

And because I can't let a mention of 'idiot' and Working Class Howard go without a proper mention here were the two records that the teams sported before tonight: Leafs at home: 2-7-3 Thrashers on the road: 9-2-1. What would those figures have told you before the game? That the Thrashers were likely to win the game. Well, that's not what Mensa Berger had in mind. His view was that 'something's got to give'. Sure Howie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he could have been saying that the Leafs aren't this bad and the Thrashers aren't that good but knowing WCH who thinks that that was his point?

The first period was a whole lot of frustrating as the Leafs directed 30 pucks in the direction of the Thrashers' net only to see 20 get blocked or miss the net completely. Most notably, on a long 5-on-3 the Leafs managed to look completely toothless. Luckily for them, Toskala kept out all nine of Atlanta's shots. Every time I write that I have to check the scoresheet to make sure it's real.

The second period can best be described with a short anecdote. Godd Till, of Zambonic Youth fame, and I frequently chat about soccer, our old high school, whose hometown is worse (Cobourg came out strong but was trumped by Peterborough's NSFW late effort), and simulate British football commentary when we rip on right-wing extremists on Twitter. For the unitiated, that means writing hilarious overwrought and ridiculous things but our all-time favourite word is the only one that could describe the second period: Rampant. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for one of the few times this year, were well and truly rampant. One might have referred to 'champagne hockey' and 'the gulf in class' being tangible. Leading the stampede was Alexei Ponikarovsky although he had plenty of help from Matt Stajan (on pace for 26 goals), Lee Stempniak (on pace for 21 goals), and Mikhail Grabovski (on pace for 17 murdered pineapples).

That left the ACC crowd in ecstasy (sorry, still in Brit commenter-mode) as the home side ran up a 5-0 lead. Of course, that led to the mention by everyone that Vesa Toskala could pick up a shutout. People were angry, irate, and...crazy. Jinxes are superstitions. We can't control it. If people want to flout accepted societal norms and mention shutouts all willy nilly well...that kind of thinking is what gave us the current sexually equal generation of women so who's to say it's wrong? In the end, people just had to remember that a. the Leafs get ridiculously pleased with a good two period effort and b. Vesa Toskala was in net.

So for those keeping track at home, while the mittenstringers have been calling for Ron Wilson's head and people have been saying things like "The Leafs would have to win 6 out of every 10 games AND get an OT loss in there 6 times to make the playoffs!" the Maple Leafs have been picking up 6 wins and an OT/SO loss in their last 9 (6-2-1). Hmmm. Look at that. The Maple Leafs are not entirely out of the playoff picture. Weird. Because Damien Cox told us to abandon all hope and all we've been getting is an endless litany of Taylor Hall jokes. Sure, things look better if you take Ron Wilson's advice and read the standings upside down (PRESIDENT'S TROPHY!!1) but there's a lot of time to make them look, if not good, then at least acceptable.

Lots of great videos from last night's game here

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

Browse more photos »

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

Maple Leafs 6 v. Panthers 4: Hagman and Kessel Have An Awesome-Off

PPP — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:00:13 -0000

LEAFS MAN inspired the Leafs' to victory.
What has Carlton done lately?

The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Florida Panthers 6-4. By early I mean that the Panthers scored two goals in 53 seconds and Jonas Gustavsson looked like he might be in for a short night. Of course, he showed his ability to recover by stoning the Panthers on a breakaway and making a couple of big saves to keep the Leafs down only two. That set the stage for Phil Kessel to begin the Leafs' fightback. First off: don't the Leafs score some pretty goals against the Panthers? Here's Hagman's epic snipe from last year:

And here is Philty Phil Kessel's gorgeous goal. Aside from leaving Keith Ballard red-faced and bare-assed after the undressing I was really impressed with the cool, well-placed finish. Rather than try to hammer a puck home he just slid it through Alexei Ponikarovsky's wonderful screen:

Phil "Marc Savard Me Him" Kessel now has eight goals in 12 games (55 goal pace) and three assists none of which involved Marc Savard. Weird. The best part of that goal was the assist that Luke Schenn got for blocking a shot which bounced to Kessel. That's the third assist a Leaf has gotten off of a Kessel goal by getting him the puck in the Leafs' own zone. The first goal might have started the comeback but the second helped revive a Leafs team that could have been on the verge of folding after a heart-breaking fourth Panthers goal. Good thing he tied things up again 13 seconds later.

Going goal for goal with Phil Kessel is Niklas Hagman. He added two more tonight - one via a Ponikarovsky pass and another on the back of Christian Hanson's excellent forechecking - now has 13 goals in 23 games. Keep in mind that his career high is 27 goals in 82 games which he potted two years ago with Dallas. After a listless two goals and one assist start to the season Hagman has eleven goals and three assists in eighteen games since he was sent to the press box. I wonder if Ron Wilson will get any credit for the improvement?

The third head in this hydra of productive Leafs' forwards was Alexei Ponikarovsky. He added a goal and three assists but his most valuable contribution was showing what happens when forwards go to the net properly. He created a screen on Kessel's goal and then potted his on the powerplay because, instead of standing to the side of the goalie like every other Leafs' forward, he was planted right in front of Tomas Vokoun.

Gustavsson didn't have his best game but he made the big saves when the team needed them (except on the goals). The second on was very weak, the third wasn't helped by the presence of Garnet Exelby in the crease, and the fourth was knocked in my Gustavsson's blocker as he scrambled back after the Leafs' penalty killers allowed a slick cross-box pass. Speaking of penalties, Pierre Champoux was the cause of one so terrible that the ref apologised to Beauchemin after the game.

The Leafs were not able to get a lead until Hagman put them up 5-4 but once they did they did a good job of shutting things down. While they were pressured in their zone a couple of times they did well to prevent any great scoring chances other than a Nathan Horton blast that went over the net.

So as was pointed out, the Leafs are 6-4-6 since their 0-7-1. That's good for 18 points out of 32 available during those 16 games. That's pro-rates out to 92 points over a full season which would put them right where most fans expected them to be: scratching and clawing for the playoffs. They are on an honest-to-goodness winning streak and get a Saturday off to rest up for the upcoming games against the Bruins on Monday before heading out on the road for three tough games in Montreal, Columbus, and Boston.

On a final note: Congratulations to Tomas Kaberle who moved into second spot on the Leafs' all-time defencemen scoring chart with Tim Horton.

Poll

Who was the player of the game?

Niklas Hagman - 2 goals, +1

39 votes

Phil Kessel - 2 goals, +2

129 votes

Alexei Ponikarovsky - 1 goal, 3 assists, +3

70 votes

238 votes | Poll has closed

Maple Leafs 6 v. Panthers 4: Post-Game Thread

PPP — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:09:37 -0000

0:02 remaining in the 1st	1	2	3	Total
Toronto Maple Leafs	1			1
Florida Panthers	2			2

Join the Game Thread

LEAFS MAN lives! Unlike the Leafsmobile he inspired the Leafs to overcome a typically terrible start. Jonas Gustavsson did not want to disappoint him and he started making sick saves. Phil Kessel wanted to impress him so he undressed Keith Ballard. Alexei Ponikarovsky lives for his approval so he was in on the first four goals. He only gets credited with a goal and an assist but he also crashed the net twice Edit: and got more points elsewhere for a four point night. Niklas Hagman feared losing his wife to LEAFS MAN so he potted two goals. Christian Hanson doesn't want to play on a LEAFS MAN-less team so he hustled hard and forechecked like a power forward. Francois Beauchemin wants LEAFS MAN's help shutting up the naysayers so he continued his strong play.

Basically, LONG LIVE LEAFS MAN!

It's Thursday, and the Leafs Aren't Playing...

blurr1974 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:15:11 -0000

...so what to do, what to do? This sounds like a job for Super-Poni!

SOOUPER MAIN!!!1 (via www.babble.com)

Always looking on the bright side, mf37 dangles a carrot for the Leafs game against Carolina.
Dr. Steve is sensing a method to Ron Wilson's madness. Is he using Phil Kessel to jump start the lesser lights?
The general is tired of excuses. He wants results.
Furcifer wants to introduce you to Mr. Murphy.
MLHS has the story behind the season long suspension of Erie Otter Michael Liambas.
Leafs247 goes through the long list of Leaf forwards with expiring contracts.
Behind the Net breaks down Kessel's first night on the ice as a Leaf.
Speaking of Kessel, View From My Seats is wondering if he was worth the price paid. Not sure one game is enough time to measure that...
Toronto Maple Leaf Legends profiles Jack McLean.
Hockey Independent has 10 questions about the Leafs that need answers. They're the same as the ones on MLHS, except for the bonus question. Care to answer them?
Ever wonder where all the money comes from for the league and the teams? Well, wonder no more.
I somehow missed this recap of the Leafs @ Sabres game from the Good Point.
Update: Bloge Salming has outtakes!
Update: Truculence is Everything's take on the Liambas suspension in the OHL.
Update: eyebleaf would like to congratulate World Series winner A.J. Burnett.
Update: Some guy named Jared wrote something, and he's pissed.

Maple Leafs 4 v. Canadiens 5 (SO): Moral Victories Are Overrated

PPP — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:33:42 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

Damn that Komisarek. He's such a trai-eight-or. Kudos Montreal on spreading the message.

Browse more photos »

Moral victories are great and all but it sure would be good to rack up some actual victories. The Leafs played a good road game but were once again torpedoed by the man in the toothy mask. Since it's not Halloween we can dispense with the horror metaphors but the thought of Vesa Toskala playing anymore games is playing the role of the quiet figure in the shadows ready to rip out the Leafs' hearts. Ok, so I lied. Either way, the blame for the first goal resides solely with Toskala. Allowing that goal after the Leafs' had finally picked up the first goal of the game is inexcusable. The second could have been averted if Toskala has just frozen the dribbling puck rather than push it gently into the slot for the Canadiens to score.

Not that there wasn't some good to come out of the game. Mike Komisarek had an impactful game. He blocked eight shots, laid six hits (including the one below), and if not for being on the ice for two of Toskala's boneheaded plays he would have only been -1. It's not as good as it should be but it's getting much closer to what Burke expected when he signed him as a UFA.

Tomas Kaberle continued his ridiculous run of late with the game-tying goal with less than a minute left in the game and three more assists.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Tomas Kaberle	12	2	15	17	-3	4	1	0	0	0	24	8.3

He's been the guiding hand on the powerplay but that influence is sometimes clearly a problem. The best examples came on a couple of powerplay opportunities where the team stood around waiting for Kaberle to get open so that he could carry the puck out of the Leafs' zone.

Alexei Ponikarovsky potted a couple including the crowd silencer which gave us so many guffaws. He headlined a group of forwards, among them thankfully Jiri Tlusty, that have improved their play on the road trip. They were more aggressive as a group, pressured the puck more effectively, and finally began to crash the net to generate chances. There's still a long way to go as shown by being ranked 24th in the NHL in offence but as with so much else the indicators are trending upwards. What's needed now is quicker improvements and bigger leaps.

The Leafs' next five games offer the team a good chance of building on the 'success' of the road trip. Home games against Tampa Bay and Minnesota as well as a trip to the suddenly horrific Hurricanes are the kinds of games where efforts on par with the Leafs' previous five games should stand them in good stead. They need to receive better goaltending but they need to make sure that they don't think that they've actually accomplished anything. As for the match-ups against Detroit and Chicago, well, they'll provide memories of times when things were much worse (the 80s) and when they were much better (the 90s). Most importantly, they'll provide the Leafs' a measuring stick against two Western Conference contenders.

Maple Leafs Schedule

Next 5 Games

Tampa Bay	Tue 11/03	7:30 PM EST
@ Carolina	Fri 11/06	7:00 PM EST
Detroit	Sat 11/07	7:00 PM EST
Minnesota	Tue 11/10	7:00 PM EST
@ Chicago	Fri 11/13	8:30 PM EST

If they can get off to a good start with Phil Kessel in the line-up Tuesday (maybe) it could be the home ice confidence boost that they need to build on what they've done on the road trip. It's finally the time of the year that matters most and it's about time that the Leafs start picking up points in the most important ways: with wins.

Attention Canucks: Don't Take Leafs Lightly

Sean Zandberg — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:00:21 -0000

After a spirited win over the Blackhawks, the Canucks now return home to face the winless Leafs (0-6-1). This has got to be a sure-win, right? Well don't get too cocky. The Maple Leafs have had a full week, (thanks to that dumb scheduling) to think about being winless and I cannot see them as a guarantee to lay an egg in GM Place. The team itself has been staying positive throughout the week, and the coaching staff has not talked all that much to the media except to say that they have their fingers crossed that The Monster Jonas Gustavsson will play against the Canucks. Monster is nursing a groin injury, and Canucks fans know what that's like having lost Luongo to a groin injury last season. Toronto cannot rush this kid back.

Where to start with this hap-less Leafs team:

OFFENCE: They are not getting enough scoring, which was predicted by many before the season started. They rank 29th in goals for per game. A shocking stat (to me, anyways) is that Alexei Ponikarovsky is leading the team with 3 goals and 4 points in 7 games. He is also a +5. A miracle, considering. Jason Blake, who is expected to carry a lot of the load, has 1 goal and 2 points. Beyond Niklas Hagman (2 goals and 4 points) there are way too many forwards that aren't pulling their weight yet. many of them are younger players who are/were projected to do more. The arrival of Phil Kessel may inject something more down the road, but he's not supposed to be back for a while yet, not is it fair to say that he can repeat his offensive output from last year because of the caliber of players he was with in Boston. Hey, you never know.

DEFENCE: Brian Burke signed big named guys like Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin this past summer in hopes of "rebuilding" the D corps. So far, that has not even come close to panning out. Beauchemin looks lost out there and Komisarek is taking a butt-load of penalties. The Leafs rank last in the NHL in goals against (try 4.57 goals against per game). My lord. That is atrocious. That is also a team stat.

Luke Schenn ~~looks to watch this game from the press box.~~ will play.

GOAL: Not much help from the goalies either. Vesa Toskala, who is also out with an injury, continues his less than stellar play. So if Gustavsson does not play against the Canucks, that leaves Joey MacDonald; he of the 0-2 record, with a .857 GAA and a 4.00 save percentage. I like our chances with him being in net). However, he knows what is at stake tonight. He wants to steal one for the team.

At some point, it is going to come together for the Leafs. It had better not be against the Canucks though. I just hope Vancouver doesn't play down to their level. We've seen it before. The Canucks gotta bury these guys early and often to finally get to .500 hockey. No use in taking their foot off the gas pedal.

Some Canucks news: Rick Rypien will not play against the Leafs. His groin still ails him.

-Canucks and Leafs hanging out together at Earl's? I'll let you be the judge of that story.

-Detroit's Loss a Vancouver Gain: Great Samuelsson story here.

It is time for Kyle Wellwood to score. 1 assist in 9 games is bunk and he needs to get it going. What better time than against his old team (and fans who sadly keep butchering him about his weight)? Silence your critics, Woody!

Same with you, Mason Raymond. It looks all fancy when you zip up and down the ice, but we need some goals.

GAME TIME: 4:00 PST. Yes this is bullshit.

TV: CBC

Ray of Hope: Alexei Ponikarovsky

Chemmy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:45 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Poni make goal.

Browse more photos »

I'm going to try and find positive things to write about on the Maple Leafs this week. Here's number one.

This year the Toronto Maple Leafs have been outscored 14 - 32 in their first seven games. Despite that Alexei Ponikarovsky is a +5. Here's your gold star for the first 8.5% of the season Alex, keep it up.

How Do The Maple Leafs Allocate The Salary Cap?

PPP — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Luke Schenn and Matt Stajan wonder if they can leave Vesa Toskala in NYC.

Browse more photos »

~~Yesterday~~ On October 8th (I wrote this post originally on the 9th) James had a piece looking at where the money was spent by the top five teams last year. Robot Godzilla previously took a look at how the Leafs' spending on defencemen, forwards, and goalies compared to the rest of the league. Considering that Jeff Finger is making $3.5M to sit in the press box it's no surprise to find out that the Leafs are spending the most on defence. Luckily, they are currently also getting the least in return. Wait...

Anyway, here's Mirtle's intro (ps. He went to Barcelona on vacation. Must be nice):

This is something I was working on before vacation, a mini-study of how five of the NHL's best teams are allocating their cap space this year. The five I went with are all right up against the cap, and all experienced a ton of success last year: The Sharks, Red Wings, Bruins, Capitals and Penguins.

After the jump I'll look at how the Maple Leafs stack up to last year's top five teams and where they might improve their monetary allocation.

One note is that I used John Mitchell as the 12th forward in the 'bottom 11' players category because the Leafs are going to carry a 23 man roster for the foreseeable future. This is a result of the lack of waiver eligible forwards in the lower ranks other than Jay Rosehill who isn't included in these figures. First up, is the visual representation of the money split among the top 11 and bottom 11 players for last year's top five teams:

Here is the same graph for the Maple Leafs' 23 man roster:

For the purposes of this exercise here is how I categorised players:

Top Six Forwards: Phil Kessel, Jason Blake, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Mikhail Grabovski
Top Four Defencemen: Francois Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek, Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn
Starting Goaltender: Vesa Toskala
Next Seven Forwards: Lee Stempniak, Nikolai Kulemin, Rickard Wallin, Wayne Primeau, Jamal Mayers, Colton Orr, Viktor Stalberg, John Mitchell
Next Three Defencemen: Jeff Finger, Garnet Exelby, Ian White
Backup Goaltender: Jonas Gustavsson

You'll notice that Mike Van Ryn isn't included in the calculations and that's because he might as well not exist.

Mirtle was never taught to put a legend with a graph so the differences aren't as visible as they should be. In order to salvage this entire exercise check out the first table below:

	Maple Leafs	% of Cap	Top Five Avg	% of Cap
Starting 6	$23,900,000	38.92%	$33,249,434	58.50%
Top Six Forwards	$19,155,000	31.19%	$26,402,768	46.50%
Top four D	$15,525,000	25.28%	$15,692,500	27.60%
Starting G	$4,000,000	6.51%	$4,258,333	7.50%
Bottom 11/12	$18,099,999	29.47%	$10,153,804	17.90%
Top F Line	$11,150,000	18.16%	$18,380,268	32.40%
Top D Pair	$8,750,000	14.25%	$10,610,833	18.70%

The Leafs are on par with the top five in terms of spending for their top four defencemen and their starting goalies. It's no surprise, given the lack of elite forwards (aside from Kessel we hope) that the Leafs have spent $7M less than the top five teams from last year. The real shame is that, as a result of some poor decisions, the extra spending hasn't gone to augmenting the top four defence or the starting goaltending but to the 'bottom 11 (or 12)'. One of Burke's big goals will have to be to get some of that money freed up so that it can be invested in the high end players.

From among the forwards Lee Stempniak ($2.5M), Alexei Ponikarovsky ($2.1M), Matt Stajan ($1.75M), Wayne Primeau ($1.4M), Rickard Wallin ($800K), and Jamal Mayers ($1.33M) are unrestricted free agents while Nikolai Kulemin ($1.5M) and John Mitchell ($500K) are unrestricted free agents. That frees up about $11.88M to be re-invested into the forwards. If we follow the breakdown above that would mean re-investing $5.52M into the top six forwards. To get the team's expenditures on their top six forwards up to the same percentage the Maple Leafs would have to invest another $4M on top of that to get close. Now if only there was a player worth that kind of coin... The rest of the bottom six will have a lot of players on the Marlies and possible juniors to pull from to fill the spots. Considering Brian Burke's stated preference with which we are all well, well aware (Top Six v. Bottom Six) and his statements about the Leafs' current make-up ('Top' Nine v. Bottom Three) it will be interesting to see what moves he makes to address those gaps through free agency versus internal promotions. The former would be expensive and cuts into the money available to fill out the top of the roster which is where the top five teams are choosing to spend their money.

The gap in high end players is most visible when you look at the Leafs' starting six compared to the top five average. The starting six (Kessel, Blake, Stajan, Komisarek, Kaberle, Toskala) make $10M less which again shows that he Leafs lack in star power. Balance is all well and good but there is a lot to be said for having a superstar or two in the ranks. If you look a bit closer you see that the majority of the difference comes from the top forward line and Matt Stajan's $1.75M salary. If he remains with the team next year his raise will cut the gap somewhat but the case then won't be how the Leafs have allocated their money in terms of the players' place on the roster but if it is going to the right players.

In terms of the overall splits the picture is similar:

	Maple Leafs	% of Cap	Top Five Avg	% of Cap
Forwards	$29,013,333	47.24%	$33,220,239	58.50%
Defence	$24,166,666	39.35%	$18,386,166	32.40%
Goalies	$6,500,000	10.58%	$4,901,000	8.60%
Buy-outs	$1,733,333	2.82%	$515,000	0.90%
Total	$61,413,332

No surprise here as the Maple Leafs again spend more than the average on defence and less on forwards. Among the defence the Leafs have Garnet Exelby ($1.4M) and Mike Van Ryn ($2.9M) as unrestricted free agents and it would beggar belief to see either one return to Toronto. Ian White ($850K) is a restricted free agent who will likely be re-signed to fill in the sixth spot leaving the seventh and call up spots to Phil Oreskovic (who is an RFA), Juraj Mikus, and Carl Gunnarsson.

The other figure where the Leafs far outspend the top five is in buy-outs. Every dollar spent on a buy-out is dead space that hinders a team's ability to sign their own RFAs and UFAs and pursue others. As players like Viktor Stalberg, Christian Hanson, Luke Schenn, and Tyler Bozak come up to be re-signed the Darcy Tucker buy-out will be a niggling problem but it's vital not to add to it by going through some of the proposed buy-outs I've seen suggested.

I'm going to try to expand this analysis a bit further this week but let's hear what everyone thinks about the numbers so far.

Toronto Maple Leafs 4 Philadelphia Flyers 0: It's Only The Pre-Season But...

PPP — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:30:21 -0000

More photos » by Dave Chidley - AP

Lesson One for the NHL: Don't Mess With Schenn.

Browse more photos »

Well, my name is known all over the world
By all the foxy ladies and the pretty girls.
I'm goin' down in history
As the baddest 7th overall pick in history.

If you didn't get excited by Nazem Kadri's first goal in a more real Leafs' uniform than during the rookie tournament then you don't have a pulse. The speed with which he broke through the neutral zone, his movement to the wing, the uncanny understanding of where he needed to go, and the wicked wrister of his back skate will hopefully be looked back upon in the near future as signs of what was to come. Is that too much? Definitely. But this is why the pre-season is so much fun. You get to see players put into different situations and the possibilities are endless.

A line of NCAA players? Sure, why not? The Delta House Line (Frat Pack?) of Tyler Bozak, Viktor Stalberg, and Christian Hanson have all notched goals and look at the very least to be on the verge of making the leap to the pro ranks. Hanson helped ice the game as he finished off a chance at the lip of the crease - where he has said he hopes to make his living - after he got two whacks at a Jay Rosehill rebound.

Speaking of Jay Rosehill, he led the intimidation brigade with two fights, some good jump, and good hockey sense. The Leafs, faced with a Flyers' lineup filled with gutless enforcers, trotted out two career AHLers and Our Luke and Saviour and didn't bat an eye. What little aggression the Flyers could muster was more than ably met by the Leafs with a closed fist and a crooked grin that dared them to do their worst. Sure, I could toss off a 500 word tirade about Arron Asham and what Ron Wilson and anyone with eyes termed a cheapshot or complain about the linesmen and referee shepherding the gutless puke out of the game sans blood being shed but I won't. Why not? Because the Leafs didn't back down from the Flyers' swinging sticks or their attempts to channel the old Broad Street Bullies.

Also, I know that Saturday night Colton Orr will be in the line-up and I'll be there to see him cut a swath of destruction.

Now, obviously, it wasn't ideal to have Schenn fighting but the reality is that he picks his spots and he's not likely to go through an entire year without having to drop the mitts. Teams are going to challenge the Leafs' to see if 'truculence' is just Burke's bluster or if the Bay Street Bullies are back to wreak havoc in the Eastern Conference.

It was alternately terrifying and heartening to see Mikhail Grabovski skating around at his whirling dervish best but get that head up! aside from the Asham hit he took a couple of other doozies. Good thing he's made of adamantium or he might have been injured.

The two players that needed to get going were Alexei Ponikarovsky and Nikolai Kulemin. It took them until almost the end of the second period but they started asserting themselves. Hopefully the push from the Kollege Kids (?) is the extra motivation that they need to improve on last season.

Among the forwards there was another player that stood out. Like the Animal House line he is an American and he's been known to sport do the little things right despite a pedigree that suggests he should be able to do the big things as well. You might have heard of him: Lee Stempniak. No? Well, I don't know what promises Burke might have made...ok, let's be realistic, they were threats...but in his first taste of pre-season action he added a goal scored on a rebound and a really nice solo rush to his usual dogged puck pursuit and strong forecheck. You can add his name to the list of players that have at least 89 games left to show that they have a future in the blue and white.

On the back end, Carl Gunnarson might as well wear Anton Stralman's old jerseys. He was an almost carbon copy of the cast-off Swede during his first training camp. He's also played for the Swedish national team so I hope that he puts things together with a strong year on the Marlies. The other long, long, long shot to make the roster that played was Jesse Blacker. He saw some powerplay time which was decent and he displayed some good composure after a slow start especially when the two times that his stick broke on the play.

As for the trio that are pencilled into the top four, I was impressed by Tomas Kaberle. Chemmy's agitation for a trade has always hinged on the fact that last season's Kaberle was a shadow of his past self. Last night that shadow filled in a bit more. He was confident with the puck, did his usual cool head fakes on rushes, and picked up an assist when he patiently held on to the puck to create a lane before getting a shot off on net. And finally, Mike Komisarek laid a decent check. He also brought some sandpaper to the defensive zone and sported an 'A'. I still don't like him but between his interview where he said the Leafs would win the Cup before Montreal and played a much more physical game and his perfectly timed open ice hit I might come around some day.

So that's two for two in games that saw the Leafs play an uptempo forecheck for as long as they could muster it. One team pushed back and scrapped a win while the other had their stars forwards seemingly afraid to cross the blue line while the Leafs ran up the score. What can we take away from this? Not too much...for now.