Here are some excellent links for a lazy Sunday...

Free will, responsibility, and the penalty box

Good read from Battle of Cali

How well do you know the LA Kings?

Take the quiz from DGB

2012 Draft profile: Radek Faksa

MLHS looks at a guy we all hope the Leafs don't have to pick

Is this where I say I was wrong about Lou and Kovalchuk?

VLM takes a second look at his opinion on the player's long-term deal

End is near for Rick Nash

Blue Jackets to re-open trade discussions - via Puck Daddy

After a dominating performance on Thursday night in Oklahoma City, the Marlies and Barons met again last night for game two. Unfortunately for Toronto, the roles were reversed as OKC netter 5 goals and tied their Western Conference Finals series at one game apiece. Jonas Gustavsson got the start in net for the Marlies.

Here are some links:

The Leafs, the NHL, coaching vacancies, and the playoffs

A new collection of thoughts from VLM

Should the Leafs give up on Colby Armstrong?

They should have done it yesterday

Bergevin remains tight-lipped about next Canadiens coach

God I hope he doesn't speak French

Should the Oilers trade Nail Yakupov?

YES!!!!!

It's been eighteen years since the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils met in the Eastern Conference Finals. That series happened to wind up as one of the most famous playoff series of all time. Will we see the same quality of hockey in 2012? Probably not. Mark Messier isn't around to utter guarantees to the local media (Daniel Alfredsson does that now) and Stephane Matteau is long retired; but you have to believe NBC is salivating over the possibility of a Cup Finals between New York (or New Jersey) and Los Angeles. A series involving the two biggest TV market in the US would probably break records for viewership and could even lead to claims like the one from a 1994 cover of Sports Illustrated. Should be fun to see how things unfold.

Links after the jump...

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Night and day. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Call it what you will, but Nikolai Kulemin has put together two polarizing seasons in succession that have fans of the Leafs and fantasy hockey managers alike questioning what his true potential is...

For Kulemin’s sake and for the sake of th Leafs, one should hope a change of scenery isn’t what’s needed to get him going again, and hope that he can grow and become stronger as a person and player. Will his return see him pot another 30 goals?

Interesting analysis from OT Winner. Kulemin escaped a lot of heat this year because of the fantastic performances by Kessel and Lupul and because he missed the end of the season. Had the Leafs been a little more desperate for goals or a little closer to a playoff spot in March, public perception of Kulemin could be very different.

A lot of very smart hockey fans felt Kulemin's goal totals would go down from the 2010-2011 season, mostly due to natural regression in shooting percentage. But nobody thought he'd score a measly 7 goals in 70 games. Going forward I'm not sure you can pencil Kulemin in as a second line player. He's only had one season with more than 16 goals and he'll be 26 this summer. He may not be a regular 25 goal guy because of his low shot totals. His contract negotiations this summer will be very, very interesting. Like a lot of Leafs, there's a bit of mystery surrounding what kind of talent he is - something Brian Burke and company need to figure out this offseason.

Links after the jump...

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Salary Cap Challenge? Sure, sounds fun. But what about adding a PPP twist? Too often do the writers and commenters on this site wax poetic this guy or that guy and how he'd look on the Leafs. Paul Stastny? Guilty. Chris Higgins? Guilty. Mike Weaver? Not guilty (you know who you are).

So I thought, "Would an all PPP man-crush team be possible while following the rules set forth by clrkaitken?" It turns out that the answer was yes; I somehow managed to do it. Follow along to see it in all its glory...

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Yes, those ugly neighbours to Ontario's east made headlines this morning with the news that they have signed Marc Bergevin to be their new GM. Sean Gordon of the Globe & Mail had a quick recap:

Though the Canadiens job is surely one of the most sought-after in the league - what’s not to like about a packed building and a spendthrift owner? - Bergevin inherits a team that finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season and needs some retooling.

His sunny temperament and sense of humour will be tested in the coming months and years.

The real news, however, was that former TSN analyst Pierre McGuire was reportedly notified by Montreal that he was their second choice for the job. Leaf fans will likely wonder what could have been should McGuire have gotten the nod over Bergevin - trading 8 first round picks for Mike Richards, letting Carey Price walk so he could sign Dustin Tokarski - the hilarity of it all.

Oh Pierre. What could have been.

The second round of the playoffs kicked off last night with an OT tilt between Phoenix and Nashville that went to the home team. The Rangers-Caps kick off their series at 3pm today, and the Kings-Blues provide the prime-time entertainment at 7:30.

Here are some links (mostly non-Leafs):

What went wrong? Excuses from the NHL's losers

New DGB

Sens eulogy at P Diddy

Written by some guys you might know

Marlies draw Abbotsford in Round 2

I don't know who that is but THEY'RE GOING DOWN

Toronto's goaltending connection to Luongo

Hmmmmm. Very interesting

Why an amnesty clause makes sense

Good read from J Willis

There have been reports Luongo has a list of six to nine teams he would accept waiving his no-trade clause for, including Toronto (where his old goalie coach, Francois Allaire, is employed) and the two Florida teams, close to his wife's family.

This is overflow for the FTB.

Not much in the way of Leafs news right now, certainly not enough to make a full list of links for you folks. We've got playoff hockey at Noon and 3pm today, so this will be your game thread. Feel free to throw any interesting hockey-related links in the comments below.

When do goals usually come?

Interesting stuff from JP over at Leafs Nation

2012 alternative NHL awards

A few chuckles from Five Minutes for Fighting

God bless the Vancouver Canucks and their playoff failure. Here I thought that the Pens - Flyers series was going to be the best story line of the first round. Instead, we all get to make riot jokes and laugh at funny Canucks golf logos. We may have even seen the last of the Green Men for the next five months -- although I myself never tire of seeing two grown men at a hockey game wearing what amounts to a skin tight lycra full-body condom (safety first, especially when dealing with Canucks fans).

Anywhoo...big cheers to the LA Kings this morning. Hopefully they wrap this series up at Staples Center. Links after the jump.

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Bell Centre | Montreal, QC

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: CBC, NHL Network (US)

[Preview] - [HEOTP] - [Game Page]

The pumps have been turned off. The glass has been taken down and packed away. The only professional hockey left to be played in Toronto will take place 3.2 km down Lakeshore Blvd at Ricoh Coliseum. For the 7th straight year, the Toronto Maple Leafs' season will end on the final day of the regular season. For a season that held such promise, even as recently as January, this weekend will be fairly depressing. The Leafs are out of the dance once again and it looks like yet another summer of significant change is looming. At least the draft should ensure the Leafs pick up a good young talent.

Links after the jump...

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Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: Leafs TV

[Preview] - [Raw Charge] - [Game Page]

First Niagara Center | Buffalo, New York

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: SN

[Preview] - [Die by the Blade] - [Game Page]

Why the Leafs should kiss Kessel goodbye and send Phaneuf packing:

I've compiled some the best remarks from comment sections of Toronto newspaper sites and, of course, HFboards. I thought you all could use a good laugh today.

Follow along after the jump...

Tip: This guy isn't wearing the bag because the Leafs stink. He's wearing the bag because he's embarrassed to be associated with other Leaf fans.

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No less than three sources (who wish to remain anonymous) have indicated to PPP that the Leafs are close to a contract extension with goaltender Jonas Gustavsson that will keep him in Toronto for the foreseeable future. I'm sort of at a loss for words. I mean, Gustavsson did have that one month where he wasn't hot garbage in net, but man...you really have to question the motives behind this deal. Not sure when the deal will be formally announced, perhaps after the season ends, so keep your eyes glued to PPP for any updates.

Links after the jump...

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Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: CBC, NHL Network (US)

[Preview] - [Die by the Blade] - [Game Page]

I'm out of things to say about the Leafs. Four more games and we can close the book on this disaster.

Links after the jump...

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Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: TSN

[Preview] - [Broad Street Hockey] - [Game Page]

Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: SN

[Preview] - [Canes Country] - [Game Page]

Reading John Lofranco's piece this morning over at The Leafs Nation got me thinking...how many of you are still watching the games religiously? I stopped paying close attention probably about 10 days ago. We went out to dinner last night and when we came back, I played BF3 with Chemmy and Skinnyfish. I checked in from time to time on my laptop, but I'm finding it tough to devote much attention, especially on Saturday nights, to this team anymore. So I ask again: Does this team still capture your attention? Do you still hold your breath when the Leafs get a two-on-one? Or do you make other plans now when the game is scheduled to start?

Links after the jump...

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A couple of sporadic thoughts on my mind this morning.

- Nazem Kadri's redirected goal and his tally in the shootout do not prove he should be in the NHL. The biggest issue I see in his game is actually his skating. He has poor acceleration and that really limits his offensive capabilities at the highest level.

- I'm happy for Ryan Hamilton getting into his first NHL game, but there's no future for him with the Leafs. They have a lot of young guys who can fill a bottom six role on the way.

- Should Tyler Bozak be playing wing? He's not a great set-up man and he's one of the better Leafs along the boards. He's a good skater and he can shoot the puck. I'm wondering if he wouldn't put up better numbers with less defensive responsibility.

- Alex Galchenyuk scored his first goal of the season in Sarnia's loss last night. Several members of the Leafs front office were in attendance. Destiny?

- Brian Burke has personally scouted Grigorenko, Galchenyuk, and Yakupov the last few nights. Hope he remembers how to do this.

Links after the jump...

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The Rock | Jersey

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV:Leafs TV

[Maple Leafs vs Devils preview] - [In Lou We Trust] - [Maple Leafs vs Devils coverage]

Air Canada Centre | Toronto, Ontario

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: SN

[Preview] - [Lighthouse Hockey] - [Game Page]

TD Garden | Boston, MA

7:00 PM

--- VERSUS ---

TV: SN

[Preview] - [Stanley Cup of Chowder] - [Game Page]

You should all be hungover this morning. If you're not, you did something wrong. Leafs walked out of Ottawa with their second straight win, further hampering their hopes for a top 5 pick. Not sure they totally understand how this is supposed to work.

Sigh.

Links after the jump...

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