SB Nation - Justin Pogge

Sitting Duck

Arthur from Anaheim Calling — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:56:04 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

ARTHUR:

The first true deviation from "you win, you're in" produced a victory for the Ducks, but it's hard to credit Giguere as a factor in the W as the Stars took less than 10 shots after solving the netminder three times. Jiggy will likely get the crease until the coaching staff decides he falls short of the new criterion (apparently unrelated to winning or losing).

Daniel, we both agreed that Carlyle should abolish the "you win, you're in" system, but will the new system make it more difficult for Murray to choose which goaltender he should trade?

DANIEL:

I don't think it will give Murray too much trouble in picking a goalie to trade. Murray has a tendency to just do what he wants. See the deconstruction of the checking line at last year's trade deadline, and the inexplicable signing of some 8 mediocre free agent defensemen, instead of one good one. When Murray wants to make a move, he makes one.

I complain a lot about Murray, but I think there is one thing I can definitively say about him as a GM: he won't let a free agent just walk. To me, that means that if Giguere just continues to play marginally well, Hiller will definitely get moved, simply because Murray won't let him walk for nothing. The fact is, HIller's impending UFA status makes him great trade bait in the salary cap era. Of course, his occasional flashes of brilliance help with that too, but a goalie rental for a paranoid team like the Blackhawks who almost HAVE to win this year will yield a great return.

I can't help but think that this system will inevitably drive up the value of the goalie who isn't playing. Teams won't be able to see the guy on the bench, and therefore won't be able to dissect his game as much. Instead, Murray can always say "Everyone struggled early on" and try to hide behind the team's overall struggles rather than any specific holes in a goalie's play. In the end, if Jiggy is the one who keeps manning the pipes, then HIller will be moved just to make sure he doesn't leave.

ARTHUR:

I don't think the new system will be problematic, just because I don't think these two were ever the type of player to flourish in a "you win, you're in" system. It's a romantic notion that Murray and Carlyle held, believing that one of these guys would go on a winning streak and force the other one out of the crease and, indeed, out of Anaheim. But nothing Jiggy and Hiller have done suggests that that was the best way to choose between them. Giguere doesn't perform well without his own confidence, much less the confidence of his coach, and Hiller flourished because he was given the starting job without the pressure of losing it.

I think Giguere will play a stretch until his performance degrades, then Hiller will play a stretch until his performance degrades and then the Ducks will choose and trade. And they really could have done that in November and had a guy out the door by now.

But I also think that Murray's already picked Hiller, and not just because he's already talked to Burke about Toskala. Right now, there is every reason to believe that Anaheim will be a rebuilding team next year and not the sort of team that can (or should) keep a 6M man between the pipes. And if we did keep Giguere, the netminder would have Murray over a barrel at the end of next year, when our goaltending alternative would be Justin Pogge.

Moving Giguere offers the team more flexibility. I'm not saying Murray will use that flexibility to pursue Turco or Nabokov this offseason, but there are plenty of situations that are preferable to having 6.6M tied up in the expiring contracts of Giguere and Pogge.

Leafs at Blue Jackets

Chemmy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:20:05 -0000

Jared Boll gets dusted by Luke Schenn

Puck Drop: 7:00 ET Leafs TV

Fresh off of first shutout of the year we've lost starting goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to another catheter ablation and so Joey MacDonald gets the start. Ordinarily this would be a total disaster but at least Vesa Toskala isn't starting.

The last time we played Columbus was 2/19/2009, the day after Tlusty's five goal game when another one of our prospects Justin Pogge stunk out the joint in the shootout after playing a decent game. What I'm getting at here is that Joey MacDonald is a lot better than Justin Pogge.

If the team plays stifling defense against Columbus like they did against Montreal we have a good shot at picking up a win against a stingy Blue Jackets team who are missing a ton of their own defenders. On the other hand look to Anton Stralman to have a big night against a club he felt didn't give him a big shot to crack the lineup.

Remember your SPG picks, check out The Cannon if you want Columbus' take on tonight's game, and go Leafs go!

Maple Leafs: Turn Head, Cough

Greener — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:14:01 -0000

As a doctor, I have devoted my life to ending the pain and suffering of those wretched souls who wander the world without hope, without direction. Choosing this path in life has brought me many riches; for example, it's how I met Chemmy. But now I want to put my powers to even greater use: I am going to help the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"But how?", none of you must be asking. How is Greener going to do it? Well, if I told you everything, I'd have to charge every one of you my full fee of $****.95 an hour, so I won't, but I will let you in on a little thing I use in my practice. It's a little wonder drug called POSITIVE THINK-ING! And just how am I going to do this for the Leafs? Well, I'm going to the Leafs/Ducks game today in Anaheim, and I will be personally instructing the boys on how to change the course of their season. I'll be going into the dressing room before game time. A cool guy I met online told me he'd bring me in. He said to come around to the back of the Honda Center around 6:30 where him and his friends will meet me. He said bring money, so that'll be cool. I love making new contacts!

So, a quick visual lesson in Change Your Perspective, Change Your Life™, by Dr. Greener, PhD, PsyD, SeXY.

So, in no particular order, come... enter my healing place.

I mean, right?!? Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are already correct! You Leafs CAN win, because you WANT to win. Y...Y...You do want to win, right? Guys? *hilarious crickets sound*

God, it's funny cause it's true. The Leafs have lost everything, if "everything" means every hockey game in the 09/10 season. So that means, FREE PASS! You Leafs, to a man, are free to do absolutely anything. If by "anything" I mean beat the goddamn Ducks and let we, the lovers who love you, regain the ability to ~~achieve an erection~~ smile again.

What I'm saying here is that allowing yourselves to live in fear is WORSE than going out and facing up to the thing that you dread the most. In other words, going out there tonight and playing as hard as you can, throwing shot after shot at Ducks (hopefully) call-up goalie Justin Pogge is a lot better than waiting around for Brian Burke to call a meeting with you, Jason Blake, and telling you he's buying you a ticket to the Marlies. Did I say Jason Blake? That was a slip-up. I could have been talking about anyone.

So there you are, a quick lesson into how to make your life a success. I'm obviously living proof that it works. When you watch the game tonight, and Toronto is up by... uh... well let's just say when they're up, just look for the Leafs fan in the stands getting accolades from all his new chums. And when you spot me, just know that I'm thinking of all of you.

SB Nation NHL Preview: Your 2009-10 Anaheim Ducks

Earl Sleek — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:00:17 -0000

Hello, BoC readers and visitors! Today begins a 15-day gauntlet of season previews from all across our SBN hockey megaplex. Each day one eastern conference team and one western conference team will be profiled by team bloggers, and since we're sticking with the time-tested tradition of alphabetical order, our Atlanta Thrashers site -- Bird Watchers Anonymous -- and our Anaheim Ducks guy -- yours truly, until Anaheim Calling gets its act together -- get today's inaugural honors. A warning to regular BoC readers: this preview is intended for a wider audience than usual, so be prepared -- for purposes of this post, I'll probably use more traditional language -- "Getzlaf" instead of "Baldy" and "San Jose Sharks" instead of "Chokers up north". Enjoy!

2008-09 Season Recap: The Ducks' season was one of prolonged mediocrity for the first 69 games of the schedule -- through mid-March, seemingly every bit of good luck was countered by an equally bad one. Bobby Ryan was top notch, but Brendan Morrison couldn't get his act together. Jonas Hiller emerged as a top netminder, but J.S. Giguere turned awful. The power play was a deadly weapon, but the penalty kill was a disaster. The Ducks scored 3 goals regularly but typically allowed 4. Through Game 69, the Ducks sat one game above .500 and looked frustratingly out of a playoff spot. Longtime Ducks Chris Kunitz, Sammy Pahlsson, Travis Moen, and Kent Huskins were all shipped out via trade, and the Ducks began retooling for the future.

However, when Anaheim's back was squarely against the wall, the Ducks flipped on a magic "urgency" switch and began winning with regularity -- they ended the season with a whopping 10-2-1 record which was somewhat illusory (the Ducks blew four 3rd period leads in the stretch but won all four in OT/SO) yet effective. With a 2 point margin, the Ducks snagged the 8th playoff spot on the last day of the season, and prepared to meet their doom at the hands of the Presidents' Trophy ~~Chokers up no~~ San Jose Sharks -- a team with plenty to prove in the postseason.

It was, of course, a long-awaited series for this blog, a postseason Battle of California that finally featured modern-day franchises. And of course it was an awesome result -- not every franchise gets the sweet opportunity to end Jeremy Roenick's career. The Ducks upset the Sharks in six games, and even pushed the 2nd-seeded Red Wings to a tight game seven before folding. The Ducks proved one lesson: regular season success does matter; it is really tough to keep winning as an 8th seed, because you're guaranteed a steady dose of top opposition.

The 2008-09 season was also the closing chapter for a couple notable eras in Anaheim -- longtime general manager Brian Burke, after spending all the money he could in Anaheim, left the Ducks in November to take a higher-spending position in Toronto, leaving Bob Murray at the helm. Also, it became the final season for Chris Pronger in Anaheim; three years after his acquisition, the Ducks traded the opposition-despised defenseman to the Flyers, which seems fitting -- in Philadelphia, a substandard moral code is usually rewarded by a hearty pat on the back.

In fact, now that the dust has settled from all the offseason activity, the Ducks have only eight players left from their Stanley Cup team two summers ago -- Giguere, S. Niedermayer, Selanne, Marchant, Getzlaf, Perry, Carter, and Parros. It's certainly a lot of roster turnover, but it also reflects the salary cap realities of a mid-market team with success; Burke built an expiring roster structure that left his successor with plenty of flexibility -- one aspect I really respect him for. And while many former Ducks have turned their cup success into valuable paydays elsewhere, GM Murray has filled out the roster with affordable talent that can hopefully keep the Ducks playoff-bound while readjusting the franchise to its proper mid-market spending budget.

Who's In: Saku Koivu (C, UFA-MTL), Joffrey Lupul (RW, trade-PHI), Luca Sbisa (D, trade-PHI), Nick Boynton (D, UFA-FLA), Evgeny Artyukhin (RW, trade-TBL), Steve Eminger (D, UFA-FLA), Steve McCarthy (D, UFA-KHL), Justin Pogge (G, trade-TOR)

Who's Out: Chris Pronger (D, trade-PHI), Francois Beauchemin (D, UFA-TOR), Drew Miller (LW, trade-TBL), Bret Hedican (D, retirement), Rob Niedermayer (RW, UFA)

Team strengths: Offseason additions of Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul should help Anaheim's forward depth considerably; during the playoffs the Ducks' offense mainly consisted of the Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan top line plus Teemu Selanne, with an odd triple-overtime goal by Todd Marchant sprinkled in for effect. That top line was fantastic, though -- over their final 26 games (the 13-game stretch run plus the two rounds of the playoffs), the trio combined for 39 goals and 48 assists, always in must-win situations and often against top-line opposition.

Against the Red Wings in Round 2, however, the Ducks were overcome by Detroit's ability to roll multiple scoring lines vs. Anaheim's ability to essentially roll one. The hope is that by fortifying the forward roster, the Ducks can imitate that pattern of offensive depth, which almost seems necessary -- they'll likely have to make up for some extra goals-against in Pronger's absence.

One other team strength is depth in net -- it's unclear right now who will emerge as Anaheim's #1 this season, though Jonas Hiller is probably the frontrunner. J.S. Giguere has been a marvelous goalie in the past, though; if he rebounds it provides the Ducks with two strong options in goal.

Team weaknesses: There's a ton of uncertainty about how the Ducks' blueline will cope with the losses of Pronger and Francois Beauchemin. Captain Niedermayer will obviously be the key -- he's played 347 games in a Ducks uniform, while the next highest defenseman, Sheldon Brookbank, has played only 42. Bob Murray has brought in quite a few useful defensemen, though -- Ryan Whitney, James Wisniewski, Nick Boynton, Luca Sbisa, and Steve Eminger all have NHL experience elsewhere -- but for three years Ducks fans have enjoyed a blueline featuring two of the game's best, a luxury that will be missed.

Quite simply, my concern is about every Ducks defenseman not named Niedermayer or not paired with Niedermayer -- the captain has proven to be quite a good babysitter for learning defensemen in the past. If the bottom four can't keep their heads above water, though, it's probably going to be a tough year in Anaheim. Plus there are loads of special teams minutes that need to be filled -- Pronger was a boost in all situations, and his absence could hurt the Ducks there, as well.

(I should also add that per my opening cartoon, another team weakness is clearly the Ducks' knack for taking too many penalties, but by now that complaint has grown stale -- these days it makes for a better cartoon than a discussion topic, I think.)

Depth Chart: (note -- with so many players new to the team, it's best not to read too much into line combinations or depth rankings; Coach Carlyle will decide those things. I should note one oddity -- the Ducks don't have any natural left wingers; all forwards are either right wings or centermen):

Forwards

Bobby Ryan	Ryan Getzlaf	Corey Perry
Joffrey Lupul	Saku Koivu	Teemu Selanne
Andrew Ebbett	Todd Marchant	Petteri Nokelainen
Evgeny Artyukhin	Erik Christensen	Mike Brown
George Parros	Ryan Carter

Defensemen

Scott Niedermayer	Ryan Whitney
Luca Sbisa	James Wisniewski
Nick Boynton	Steve Eminger
Brendan Mikkelson	Brett Festerling
Sheldon Brookbank	Steve McCarthy

Goalies

Jonas Hiller

J.S. Giguere

Justin Pogge

What's particularly nice about the depth chart is that there seems to be a good amount of competition for every position -- NHL-caliber players will be denied playing time this season, it appears. That's one source of hope for this year's Ducks -- they have plenty of roster options to experiment with; hopefully they can concoct a winner.

Prediction for 2009-10 season: Even though the Sharks have lost some depth, shook up their lineup, and are hugging the salary cap ceiling, they're still the reigning Presidents' Trophy winner, and will probably take the Pacific Division again. That's OK, though -- Anaheim has only taken the division title once since the lockout, but more importantly they have been the longest-surviving team from the Pacific Division in three of four post-lockout postseasons. If they can continue that trend, I'll likely be satisfied -- I can drink Shark tears all day.

On paper, the Ducks look like they have a solid enough roster to make the postseason and survive the Post-Pronger Curse, but there's still enough unknowns about the team (plus other contenders in the western conference) to say for sure -- what say you, readers? Take a stab at the poll -- c'mon, it took me sixteen separate steps to create! And feel free to leave a comment about any part of the Ducks preview -- what are you hoping to see out of the Ducks this year?

I know I can't wait; the season is nearly upon us! Go Ducks.

Poll

Prediction Time: Where will the Anaheim Ducks finish in the western conference this season?

1st

22 votes

2nd

29 votes

3rd

29 votes

4th

49 votes

5th

46 votes

6th

32 votes

7th

23 votes

8th

1 votes

9th

9 votes

10th

9 votes

11th

6 votes

12th

1 votes

13th

0 votes

14th

0 votes

15th

28 votes

284 votes | Poll has closed

Five (for Howling) Questions with Earl Sleek about the Anaheim Ducks

OdinMercer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:51 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - AP

7 months ago: Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, right, of Switzerland, talks with teammate Jean-Sebastien Giguere (35) after being pulled for an extra attacker in the third period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings, Sunday, May 10, 2009, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

View full size photo »

In our continuing series of ~~interrogating SBN bloggers using "enhanced techniques"~~ asking SBN hockey blogger questions about their teams we emailed Earl Sleek of Battle of California who was able to tear himself away from MS Paint long enough to answer our 5 questions about the ~~Mighty~~ Ducks of Anaheim.

1) With how Jonas Hiller performed last year and with a couple young guys (including Justin Pogge) waiting in the AHL, how long do you think it'll take for someone to come calling for J.S. Giguere and his 6 million dollar salary?

To be honest, I don't think there will be any calls to GM Bob Murray about Giguere until the trade deadline at the earliest, though Murray may be ringing potential trade partners before that. Giguere isn't only hampered by a $6M cap hit this year and next, but he also has a no-movement clause, so it's probably a very short list of teams that could both afford and attract him.

Of course, a lot could happen between now and the trade deadline, especially with such whopping turnover on Anaheim's blueline. One thing I know about Jonas Hiller -- that guy's a great puckstopper but leaves tons of rebounds out front; Hiller will probably miss Pronger's box-out defense more than anybody. So I think it's good for Anaheim to test both goalies behind a Prongerless defense, and I don't think it's impossible that Giguere re-seizes the #1 job in Anaheim. It's definitely one of my main questions going into this season.

Besides, why aggressively trade for goaltending talent from Anaheim? Better to wait and nab a quality goalie for free through waivers, right Coyotes?

[Editor's Note: Thanks for Bryz Earl]

2) Anaheim had a fairly busy offseason trading Chris "Elbows" Pronger to the ~~Fliers~~ Flyers and picking up the aforementioned Pogge among others. How have the moves changed the makeup and style of this year's squad?

Well, on the one hand, I have to think next year's Ducks will be wildly different -- don't forget that we've parted ways with reliable minute-eater Francois Beauchemin as well. That leaves Scott Niedermayer to lead a bunch of new arrivals on the back-end. Also, let's not forget how last year's Ducks essentially rode the Getzlaf line to success; GM Murray has bolstered that offense for sure. With a top-six of talent that includes Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne, and Joffrey Lupul, I have to think that next year's Ducks will be more offensive-minded. There should be at least two scoring lines and two strong power play units.

Then again, it's still the same head coach Randy Carlyle behind the bench, and I suspect he embraces change the same way I embrace punches to the face. As much as the personnel has changed in Anaheim, I suspect that once all the line-sorting has worked its way out, the Anaheim Ducks will emerge with a similar punch-first, ask-questions-later mentality -- they'll try to control the bluelines and the front of the net.

3) Anaheim is interesting in that you have a chunk of guys skirting retirement and another chunk of young up and comers. Who are you looking to have a breakout year and who might have just been better off hanging them up?

Well, I'm not sure if it's that interesting -- Niedermayer and Selanne go through retirement dances every summer now, and it's become sort of a tired annual tradition by now. Still, I can't complain, since every year they make the correct decision -- to come back and play, and to refuse to shop their talent around to other teams. It's Ducks-only, and I definitely love that. Aside from those two, you can toss Koivu and Marchant in as the team's elder veterans, and the key that makes them work -- they're all talented and incredibly popular -- I don't think any of them should be hanging them up.

The up-and-comers are at various tiers of accomplishment -- Getzlaf, Perry, Lupul, Whitney, and Hiller have more or less established themselves in the league, with still some possibility of improvement. Below that, Sbisa and Ryan have played less than a season apiece, and definitely look to improve. I'd say that Bobby Ryan has to be the breakout pick -- he had a phenomenal Calder-runner-up season where he went through a real-life "Be a Pro Mode" -- started on the Iowa Chops, moved up to the Ducks' fourth line, then gradually ascended to top-line duty by the time playoffs rolled around. Give that kid a full season and some regular linemates, and I'm not sure how high his ceiling really is. Plus, it's Ryan's contract year -- look out, opposing goalies.

4) The Pacific looks to be a crap shoot from top to bottom this season. With The Kings and Coyotes having young teams looking to climb up, the Sharks will be trying to continue their winning ways, but have a lot of roster work to do and Dallas coming off a down year. Where do you think Anaheim will end up in this mess of a division?

It's really tough to say, and a lot depends on how quickly the Ducks can figure out their optimal lineup and how seriously they decide to play. Don't forget that last year the Ducks essentially weren't a playoff team, except for the late-season-moment when they decided to "turn it on" and finish 10-2-1 or something and barely nab 8th seed.

I have to hope that last year did teach the Ducks' young players some lessons about why early season matters and why it's essentially impossible to win a cup from an 8th seed. That said, the Sharks have plenty of reason to be upset about last year's finish, and all the rest of the Pacific will be aiming for a return to the postseason as well -- the division really could end up in a lot of different finish orders.

I suspect the Sharks will take the division again -- they've slipped some, but probably not enough -- but beyond that, I'm just hopeful the Ducks hang in the top eight. I suspect they have enough talent and roster options to do so, but as we saw last year, they can't coast on that -- perhaps Koivu's legendary leadership could prove helpful there.

5) What impact will George Parros' moustache have on the team this year?

Frankly, here's how I rank George Parros' assets:
1. Moustache
2. Charity work
3. Willingness to fight anyone
4. Ability to fight
5. Hockey skill
6. Ivy League education

And don't laugh that Hockey Skill is ranked # 5 -- before last season, it wouldn't have been on the list at all. But all told, it's a pretty good package -- the Moustache is incredibly popular in blood-loving Anaheim, and the Ducks have probably sold several hundred ParrosStaches as a result. He gets butts out of the seats, contributes off-ice wherever he can, and has become a poster-favorite in the city -- not bad at all for a one-dimensional puncher.

Parros isn't my favorite player, though in general I am still a dinosaur fan who loves fights, but if I was Anaheim's GM I'd have signed him in a heartbeat, too. There's so much you're getting in the Parros package aside from an enforcer; long live the Mighty Moustache!

Five (for Howling) Questions with Pension Plan Puppets about the Toronto Maple Leafs

OdinMercer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

8 months ago: Toronto Maple Leafs' Christian Hanson, second from right, celebrates his goal with Matt Stajan (14), Jeff Finger (4), and Tomas Kaberle, of the Czech Republic, during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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In our continuing series talking to other SBNation blogs about their respective teams I talked to, okay emailed PPP and Chemmy from Pension Plan Puppets to talk about all things leafs. They're decent enough guys that think Hamilton smells like feet and have been great, so check them out! Both of them answered our questions below...

Last November Brian Burke, formerly of the Ducks, came in as the Maple Leafs new GM. What kinds of changes have you seen him make in the team and does his presence in the front office make you more optimistic for the near future?

PPP: Yes. At the very least, he has a very clear concept of the makeup of his ideal team and the style of play that he wants to see. Also, 9 of the top 20 prospects (according to Hockey's Future) were acquired by Burke. Things are trending up.

Chemmy: Aside from the obvious complete overhaul of the Leafs' back end, bringing in Beauchemin, Komisarek, Exelby and Gustavsson, Brian Burke has tried to ensure there's competition for jobs at the Leafs' camp this year.

How would you rate the Leafs off season this year? You seem to have made a lot of moves to get tougher, how will that play out when the season comes around? What about your draft? How long until Nazim Kadri is ready for the NHL?

PPP: The toughness was added mostly on the blueline and it should help because the Leafs were pillow soft last year especially around of the net. The draft, aside from Kadri, was about kids that'll be ready in 3-5 years to hit the NHL. Guys like Kenny Ryan, Jerry D'Amigo, and Eric Knodel are going the NCAA route while Barron Smith and Jamie Devane are projects. Kadri wants to play this year but more realistically he'll go back to London, dominate the OHL, put on about 15 pounds of muscle and he'll start next year on the team.

Chemmy: The Leafs have a long way to go but Rome wasn't built in a day. Burke created what should be a steady blue line and that steadiness should bolster the team's other efforts as well. If Toskala isn't a complete sieve this year that in conjunction with some defense should make it a lot tougher to take two points from Toronto.

Toronto actually drafts pretty well, just in the past the Leafs traded away assets like Steve Sullivan, Brad Boyes, Tuukka Rask, etc. Mikhail Stefanovich in the fourth round last year looks like a steal after his 76 points in 56 games in the QMJHL this season. Before he broke his femur Chris DiDomenico had 35 points in 15 playoff games in the QMJHL and had just finished playing on a line with John Tavares for Canada's gold medal winning WJHC team.

Toronto's 2007 1st rounder Jiri Tlusty, famous for showing the world his gizmo, had a slow start in the AHL last season before his dad flew over from the Czech Republic and told Jiri to just have fun while playing hockey. The next game Tlusty exploded and dominated opponents for the rest of the season ending up as one of the top scorers in the AHL as a 20 year old. In the middle of February Tlusty had a five goal game, you're going to hear about the work this kid can do with his hockey stick in the future.

This year's draft was no different. According to Brian Burke Kadri is a "mean little bastard" with high end offensive talents. He'll likely remain in the OHL this year to captain the London Knights as he bulks up to play in the NHL. He has NHL hands, speed and an NHL shot, he just needs to add about 20 pounds of muscle to play on Toronto's first line.

What happened with goaltender Justin Pogge? I know he kind of got squeezed out when you signed Jonas Gustavsson, but why didn't he work out better for you than he did?

PPP: I saw Pogge in one playoff game. He lost his cool, took dumb penalties, allowed five goals and generally managed to look small despite being 6'3". He was over confident, lazy, and had a brutal sense of self-entitlement. He might have improved under Francois Allaire's tutelage but apparently he didn't even deserve a year working with him.

Chemmy: Pogge put up below average numbers on Toronto's AHL affiliate and seemed to have a confidence problem. With Gustavsson coming in and the emergence of James Reimer Pogge was moved so he had a chance at getting some playing time I guess.

Personally I saw Pogge play a Marlies game where he let in seven goals. In the AHL. I think that about sums it up.

Who are your three favorites to have breakout seasons in 09-10? Predictions on their stats?

PPP: I won't predict stats because I don't think that I could do it. Schenn will continue to be a beast defensively and hopefully get more chances to put up points.

Among the forwards I am going to go with two of Grabovski, Kulemin, and Tlusty. The first two had very good first full seasons in the NHL and should get more powerplay time while Tlusty was killing it in the AHL.

Chemmy: Luke Schenn, Jonas Gustavsson, Niklas Hagman. I think Schenn continues his excellent defending and starts to get chances in an offensive role, possibly chipping in four or five goals. Jonas Gustavsson wins the starting job in November ish and runs with it, and Niklas Hagman builds on his excellent season last year by staying healthy and potting 30.

Do the Maple Leafs make the playoffs!!!1 this year? If so how far do you see them going? If not, how much longer until the Leafs are a serious contender again?

PPP: It'll be close only because a lot of teams in the East, like Montreal, Ottawa, and Buffalo, have all managed to get worse. They'll definitely make it next year but in terms of being contenders I think that they'll have to aim for 2011-2012. That's when guys coming down the pipeline, like Chemmy mentioned, will have one, two or three years under their belt.

Chemmy:Apologies to eyebleaf, I don't think the Leafs go to the dance this year. That said Toronto's got a lot of new offense coming down the pipeline; Bozak, Hanson, Stalberg, Slaney, Tlusty, Kadri, Stefanovich, Dale Mitchell and Chris DiDomenico in addition to rookies who joined the team last year like John Mitchell, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin.

Leafs Sign Joey MacDonald

Chemmy — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:47:16 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Joey MacDonald celebrates after shutting out Detroit in Detroit.

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The Leafs have signed ex Peterborough Petes goaltender Joey MacDonald [HockeyDB stats] to a one year deal at a yet to be determined salary. This is a solid move to give the Marlies some competent goaltending with the departure of ~~franchise savior~~ a horrible goalie who we always hated Justin Pogge. (Sigh.)

Joey MacDonald played for a godawful Islanders team (no offense intended) last season and put up better numbers than Vesa Toskala by a wide margin. On Long Island MacDonald posted a respectable .901 save percentage and shut out the Detroit Red Wings.

This seems like a very shrewd signing. To reiterate, MacDonald is probably a better goaltender than Vesa Toskala at this point in time. Assuming Toskala gets hurt or plays like he usually does, or if both Gustavsson and Toskala play well making Vesa expendable then MacDonald would be a more than capable backup. This addresses our lack of organization depth at the goaltending spot and earns Chemmy's "Useful Minor Leaguer" Seal of Approval.

Poll

Joey MacDonald: Good dancer or the best dancer?

Good

79 votes

Best

56 votes

Why is Chemmy blogging it's August?

73 votes

208 votes | Poll has closed

Leafs give up on Pogge

James Mirtle — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:18:54 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired goaltender Justin Pogge from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Pogge, 23 (4/22/86), made his NHL debut with Toronto last season, posting a 1-4-1 record with a 4.36 goals-against average (GAA) and .844 save percentage (SV%) in seven appearances.

>> team release

I was probably harder on Pogge than I should have been this past season, but the fact is that he has never proven to be close to an NHL goalie in the minors and shouldn't have had those games to fall on his face in. He is only 23, however, and we've seen plenty of goalies flame out later than that and return to have solid careers in their late 20s and 30s.

I'd be surprised if we see him in the NHL in the near future, but this isn't much of a gamble for the Ducks to take. I don't believe Anaheim has its own affiliate team this season, so who knows where he ends up. Given all of the competition for NHL starts, Pogge's got some work ahead of him to get another one.

Ultimately, however, what Leafs fans are likely to remember from all this is the fact Pogge was the "goalie of the future" kept over Finnish star Tuukka Rask (despite the fact Rask won goaltender of the touranment when they went head to head in the world juniors). And, for his part, Rask very much looks like someone ready to make an impact in the bigs.

Monday links: John Davidson avoids the 'Danger Zone' edition

averagejoe — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:14 -0000

Sunday could not have been any better for me: beer, bacon, friends and all around good times. Hope you all had a great weekend, let's dive back into the week.

Blues news

When John Davidson talks, I listen. [Blues]

Hockey news

In case you missed it, Patrick Kane got arrested. Gotta be honest, he was probably 600th on my list of guys to get thrown in the pokey. [TSN]
Phoenix gets all the bad ownership headlines, but shit is real bad in Tampa Bay. Can't we all just get along? [TSN]
Anaheim gets another goalie: Justin Pogge. [TSN]
We all know Snoop Dogg likes hockey (we all do, right?), well apparently, some of the players enjoy Mr. dee oh double gee. [The 700 Level]
Some of the NHL10 player ratings are out. No word if T.J. Oshie rates higher than Cam Janssen. [postgameheroes.com]

Other links

As a journalist, if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? [Probably Bad News]
I wasn't aware anteathers had such filthy mouths. Well, they fit in around here. [Maxim.com]
The greatest URL ever makes anyone a DJ. [TWOYOUTUBEVIDEOSANDAMOTHERFUCKINGCROSSFADER.COM]

Video

It's movie music Monday. I heard a request for no Huey Lewis. Done. Today is Kenny Loggins.

How 'bout a round of applesauce for PCS. He does good work. Gametimelinks(at)gmail.com. Later.

Leafs Wave Bye Bye Bye (Bye Bye) to Pogge, Barilkosphere Explodes

blurr1974 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:00:15 -0000

The man, the myth, the legend; these are the things you may be reading about Justin Pogge in the main stream media. None of them are true.

Today's collection of links looks at every aspect of the Pogge deal, ad nauseum. Enjoy the final farewell.

Fans telegraph Justin Pogge's future in the Leafs organization

Steve questions the sanity of moving a depth player from an already weak position.
TSM has a look at the man rumored to be signing on as Pogge's replacement, Joey MacDonald.
TML Central thinks Brian Burke is trying to say something by moving Justin Pogge.
Toronto Mike sums up the pro-Pogge camp's feelings in 7 words and....
...being slightly wordier, eyebleaf summarizes the anti-Pogge camp in 10.
Fallen Leafs wonders if Justin Pogge is...well, a fallen Leaf.
Speaking of myths and legends, jrwendelman has an interview with a true Canadian icon.
MLHS wonders who the next Leafs captain should be.
A two-fer from TML-Nation. First, an inside look at the Nazdaq's performance during the Canadian Junior Hockey training camps (is it just me, or is my stock rising? In my pants! Hello!) Then they look at Jiri Tlusty's big thing...er...I mean...hmmm. Let's start over. Does Jiri Tlusty have the complete package...no. Can Tlusty play hockey better than most overexposed prospects. Forget it. TlustyNSFW!!!1. (btw - totally safe for work.)

Update:

Kohma wonders what the phone call to Bob Murray might have entailed.
The General makes the arguments for captain that usually go unmade.
Furcifer notes that the Leafs had the gold-medal winning goalie and the best goalie in the tournament from the same WJHC and now they only have a conditional draft pick and the ability to look forward to years of nightmares.
The Other Vatican points out the symbolism of what Burke did in jettisoning Mr. Pogge.
The Truthulence is that Pogge was a triangle and wasn't square enough to play in Toronto.