Leafs Re-Sign Matt Stajan

The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed forward Matt Stajan to a two-year deal worth $3.5 million.

Stajan, 24, scored a career-high 16 goals last season and was one of only three Leafs to play in each of the 82 regular season matches. Jason Blake and Tomas Karberle were the others. Stajan's salary of $1.75-million will make his the 11th highest paid player with Toronto, just behind Nik Antropov ($2.05-million) and ahead of Alexander Steen ($1.7-million)

This signing appears to be one of the few things the Leafs have done correctly this summer. Stajan isn't flashy, but he shows up to play every night and has been signed to a reasonable contract.

Ron Wilson coaching in Canada=weird

From Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News:

And, no, I'm not exaggerating. Wilson has been one of the NHL's rare American coaches. And he's fiercely proud of it. During his time with the Sharks, he loved to tweak Canadians for their proprietary attitude toward hockey. This didn't make him popular in the Great White North.

Read the entire article here.

The article is quite humorous. I wonder how Wilson will react to the publicity he will receive on a daily basis. His last three coaching jobs have been in the hockey hot-beds of Anaheim, San Jose and Washington. So I'm pretty sure he will face more questions on his first day in Toronto than he has in his past ten years of coaching. For us non-Leafs fans, this should be quite an entertaining tenure.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Darren Dreger comments on the NHL Eastern and Western Conference Finals, sees a goaltending duel out west.
2. James Duthie discusses the Fabian Brunston phenomenon.
3. Stan Fischler says that Brendan Shanahan's future in New York depends on Jagr.
4. An update on Fernando Pisani from the Hockey News.
5. Video of Dion Phaneuf relaxing and not playing for Team Canada.
6. Dan Daly notes that penalties in OT are no longer taboo.
7. Jim Balsillie is still looking for an NHL team.
8. What changes do the Sharks need to make?
9. Sean Avery discusses his ruptured spleen.
10. Lynn Zinser of the NY Times writes that the Rangers may make a pitch for Marian Hossa.
11. Don Cherry will be making regular appearances on Sportscenter.
12. Hockey's Future has been purchased by Crave Online.
13. David Frost finds another way to get his name in the news.
14. Team Canada will face its first big test today when it faces off with Team USA.
15. The Americans are holding auditions for 2010.
16. The Maple Leaf scouts have gathered in Toronto to decide where to trade their 7th overall pick.
17. The United States will establish a residency program for their women's national team.
18. The Latvian fans have been impressive thus far at the World Hockey Championships.
19. The weekly Hot List from the Hockey News.
20. The final installment of Jamie McClennan's blog from Japan.
21. A successful playoff season has both owners and players happy.
22. Memorial Cup history, 1939.
23. ESPN does an early mock draft of the top 14 selections.
24. The Vancouver Canucks have hired former Phoenix assistant GM Laurence Gilman to their capologist.
25. Allan Muir with his Inside the NHL column.

Numbers Game: Maple Leafs Winning %

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hardly been in the news these days. It seems as though the hockey media has forgotten about them, so I have decided to write yet another Numbers Game on the beloved Leafs. In all seriousness, I recognize that this is the third consecutive Numbers Game article on the Leafs and I have promised Illegal Curve’s editor, Richard Pollock, that this will be the last for a while.

In today’s Numbers Game, I decided to look at a relatively meaningless stat; the winning percentage of the Maple Leafs when each player on the Leafs scores. It’s even more meaningless for a Leaf’s team that is near the bottom of the NHL in wins.

But did you know that the Leafs never lose when Wade Belak scores? Perfect, Maurice can stop his search for a winger to fill in for Ponikarovski on one of the top lines. #23 out, #3 in. That’s right, the same #3 that stars on Leaf’s TV’s “Wade a Minute”. Belak’s versatility is clearly underrated.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, Belak has only scored one goal. The Leafs, however, do have an impressive .750 winning percentage with Alex Steen scores (he has 10 goals on the year). 8 of Stajan’s 11 goals were scored in Leafs’ victories, while 5 of Tucker’s unimpressive season total of 6 goals were scored in losses. Never mind Sundin, it’s time to start the “trade Tucker” campaign. The Leafs just can’t seem to win when he scores. It appears that Tucker might not be doing such a disservice after all: it’s a good a thing he never scores!

What about Sundin who has been the subject of many trade rumours? The Leafs lose half the games that he scores in.

I would not focus on these stats at all. They really don’t mean anything. No one is going to suggest that Tucker shouldn’t score, as easy as that would be for him. Obviously, the more goals your team scores, the more likely you are to win. The issue is not really who is scoring and when, but rather who is not scoring enough. The Leafs brought in Jason Blake, a 40-goal scorer last year, to help ignite the offense. He currently sits at 9 goals on the year. Darcy Tucker scored an impressive 24 goals in 56 games last year and a career-high 28 goals in 2005-2006. After 42 games this season, he has 6 goals. If the Leafs want to turn around their season, then everyone has to step up, especially Tucker and Blake.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

Comparing Quinn and Maurice - Numbers Game

It is all but certain the John Ferguson Jr. will be fired some time in the immediate future. The Leafs have been mired in an awful slump with their last win in regulation being over a month ago. Reports have also surfaced that the players are no longer responding to their coach, Paul Maurice, so any new interim GM would likely fire Maurice as his first move.

While there could be endless debates about whether Maurice should get the axe, there is no disputing their paltry record and changes are clearly needed. However, while the team has not performed well, some players have certainly succeeded under Maurice’s guidance. Pat Quinn certainly could not get Alexei Ponikarovsky going and Mats Sundin is currently enjoying his best seasons since 96/97. Granted, Sundin has finally been paired with that prolific winger that he has been deprived of since he came to Toronto…. wait, my mistake… Jason Blake does not qualify.

In today’s Numbers Game, I looked at the production of some of the Leafs that played under both Quinn and Maurice (Mats Sundin, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Nik Antropov, Alexander Steen, Matt Stajan, Tomas Kaberle, Bryan McCabe and Chad Kilger) Specifically, I compared goals, assists and points per game (GPG, APG and PPG) and minutes per game (MPG).

So what is the verdict? Bryan McCabe is fairing no better under Maurice. In fact, his average PPG (0.57) is the exact same as under Quinn. Darcy Tucker and Alex Steen have, in fact, dropped in production while getting the same amount of playing time. Steen has been unable to regain his form that saw him amass 18 goals and 27 points in his rookie season under Quinn. As well, it appears that age is starting to become a factor for Tucker who just can not seem to find the scoresheet this year. Of course this happens in his first season after signing a contract extension.

Sundin, Kaberle, Stajan, and Kilger have all seen negligible increases in their point production. That increase can probably best be attributed to the fact that they are getting more playing time under Maurice with Stajan and Kaberle getting as much as 5.75 and 4.75 more minutes per game.

However, Maurice does appear to be getting the best out of Antropov and Ponikarovsky. Both translated more playing time into a significant increase in production. Antropov will, barring an injury (knock on wood), surpass his career high of 45 points this year, while Ponikarovsky enjoyed the best season of his career last year. The towering Russian forwards have increased their PPG by almost 0.3 points in the last two seasons. A critic could certainly argue though that Antropov and Ponikarovsky were very young when Quinn was the coach and now they have finally figured out how to utilize their skills in the NHL, irrespective of Maurice’s guidance.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that Maurice is completely to blame for the failure of the Leafs. In order to get the best out of players, it certainly helps to surround them with skilled linemates and that’s where Ferguson comes in. Quinn, as well, without question had the luxury of coaching much better teams. Starting in goal, CUJO and Belfour gave the Leafs a very good chance to win every night. Moreover, there was enough talent that Chad Kilger never had to play on the top 2 lines.

Changes are clearly needed for the Leafs and whether deserving or not, one of those changes will like cost Maurice his job. The Leafs just can’t win and the playoffs are a long shot, even in the Eastern conference. The truth is no matter who coaches this current group of players, they are going to have a very difficult time enjoying any kind of success!

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin

Leaf's Stats (Click on image to enlarge)

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News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Montreal has demoted Carey Price and Kyle Chipchura to Hamilton of the AHL.
2. The Carolina Hurricanes have claimed Sergei Samsonov off of re-entry waivers.
3. Al Strachan gives us the good, the bad and the ugly from the NHL.
4. Hall of Fame Referee John Ashley has passed away at age 77.
5. Chris Chelios will become the 2nd oldest player ever to lace 'em up in the NHL sometime this week. I believe he is also 77.
6. The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired Ty Wishart from the Prince George Cougars.
7. Eric Duhatschek says the Wayne Gretzky should be the leading candidate for the Jack Adams trophy. I don't see a problem with this. The Coyotes have a record above .500 with 19 guys you have never heard of and that guy the Oilers should have drafted instead of Steve Kelly.
8.The New York Rangers will have a younger lineup tonight, with Greg Moore, Nigel Dawes and Parenteau drawing into the lineup.
9. The Toronto Maple Leafs tried using Alex Steen as a defenseman at today's practice.
10. Ken Campbell lists the top UFA's for next summer. Watch for Mike Comrie to sign in California. He's not much of a golfer, though I hear he likes to Duff every so often. (Booooo to myself for that one).
11. Jim Kelley gives us his mid-season award winners, Sportsnet style.
12. A profile on Tyler Ennis of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
13. This week's ECHL profile takes a gander at Swiss goalie Daniel Manzato.
14. Andrew Ference tackles global warming. Does anyone else find it funny that he travels around in the off-season to encourage people to be carbon neutral? Does his plane fly on happiness and gumdrops?
15. The Lightning Strikes blog wonders if the Bolts would benefit from missing the playoffs.
16. John MacKinnon feels that it is unfair to deny NHL shooters a statistic for shootout goals.
17. Mason Raymond will take Markus Naslund's spot on the Canucks top line.
18. Brian McGrattan and Ray Emery make up via text message. Like, OMG! Ru cmng to dinner? Plz??? Letz b BFF's 4ever. Cul8er. Hugz, Razr
19. Pierre Lebrun looks at the first half surprises from the NHL.
20. Interesting story about Jeff Bes, member of the 1993 World Junior team for Canada.
21. Terry Koshan of Sun Media gives us a very early draft preview.
22. The starting lineups for the 2008 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
23. Check out this article and video on bubble hockey.
24. Michael Farber of SI notes that teams are riding their high prices goalies (thats what she said?) more than ever before, in the modern era.
25. Kevin Allen of USA Today gives us a list of draft eligible players who helped their cause at the World Junior Championships.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

-John Ferguson Jr. rejects a report saying he was trying to fire Paul Maurice.
-Bob McKenzie discusses possible changes the league rules being considered by NHL GM's.
-Sportsnet reports that Daniel Alfredsson has resumed skating.
-Sean McCormick thinks that the Oilers should consider giving the C to someone other than the perpetually injured Ethan Moreau.
-The Hot or Not list from the CHL.
-The NHL celebrates its 90th Birthday today.
-The AHL's Teddy Purcell, an undrafted free agent before the Kings signed him, is leading the league in scoring.
-NHL.com with an in-depth look at the shootout.
-A profile on my future brother in law, Mike Cammalleri.
-The weekly NCAA hockey rankings from INCH.
-Brian Burke continues to lobby for changes to the CBA which would allow teams to trade players but keep some of the salary on their own books.
-Richard Peddie says there are no plans to fire JFJ.
-The weekly release from the American Hockey League.
-8 year olds brawl in Guelph.
-An analysis of the USHL from Gabriel Desjardins, master o' stats.
-A map of the hockey blogosphere.
-Taking Note tells us that former Oiler Mike Krushelnyski is coaching in the German Elite League.
-Sam Gagner will start tonight's game against Columbus on the 1st Line.
-Darren Eliot thinks the Penguins just need to relax and make the simple plays.
-Todd Bertuzzi reflects on his time as a Canuck.
-Greg Dennis of the Canadian Press examines the big money busts of fantasy hockey.
-Roundups from the QMJHL, WHL and OHL.
-The Hockey News debates the supremacy of Roy or Brodeur.
-The NY Times tells us how to block shots, doesn't blame Bush.
-The Score looks at the NHL's top lines.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Kyle Kosior.

Money for Nothing? Apparently Not.

With my hockey draft less than a week away, I decided that it was time to start preparing. This draft, however, is no ordinary hockey pool. Each team has to draft players to fill a full 22 man roster. The catch? Well, we use each player’s current NHL salary and our team salary cannot exceed the current NHL team salary cup. Naturally, as both an NHL fan and as a fantasy owner of Lecavalier’s and St. Louis’ collective $12 million plus salary, I was quite happy when the NHL announced again this year that the cap would be increasing.

The strategy for this pool is to obviously draft players who produce a lot of points relative to their salary. It’s all about maximizing player’s point production! Accordingly, in order to prepare for this draft, I searched the internet for NHL player stats and salaries, so I could perform my nerdy calculations.

Sure enough, someone had beat me to it. I came across a study by Canadian Business magazine entitled “Hockey’s Most and Least Valuable 2007”. The study compared each player’s 06/07 salary to their production and provided statistics like $/game played, $/goal, $/point, and $/minute on ice. As a fantasy hockey participant, I found this site very interesting and it would have certainly provided me with an edge for the upcoming draft. However, in the interests of Illegal Curve, I have sacrificed my competitive edge and posted this article with a link and now all of my competitors can read it and prepare accordingly.

As a fan of the NHL, though, should I really care about these stats? Should I really care how much money my favourite players are being paid? Should I go out and buy a John Pohl (ranked #20 in the NHL last year for $/point) jersey because he is only costing my beloved Maple Leafs (please email your condolences) $15,517 for every point he scored last year and toss out my “old” generation Sundin jersey because he had the nerve to “charge” $100,000 (tied for 283rd overall) for every point he scored? Further, does this mean that John Ferguson Jr. is a good GM because the Leafs have a whopping 6 players in the Top 100 list for $/points (Pohl, Ponikarovsky, Battaglia, Perreault, Stajan, and Steen)?

In short, no! As a fan, all you should care about is that the player’s on your favourite team are producing. Those six guys on the Leafs who were in the Top 100 list combined for a measly 217 points on the way to helping the team miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Conversely, do you think anyone is going to suggest that Jay Feester made a bad move by signing Lecalvalier to a contract that saw him earn $7,166,667 last year?

Lecavalier is one of the best players in the league. Last year, he posted the best numbers of his career scoring 108 points with 52 goals. However, he cost the Lightning $66,358 for every point he scored, which was almost $60,000 more than first place Milan Michalek. The fact is, it doesn’t really matter how much a player makes. All that really matters is that there are owners out there who are willing to pay the salaries.

Last year, Kristian Huselius scored 77 points while “only” being paid $1,400,000 placing him a respectable 39th on the list. Sure, that seems like such a great signing by the Flames, but do you actually care that he makes almost $6 million less than Lecavalier? Would your now prefer to have Huselius on your roster instead of the inefficient Lecavalier? I certainly would not. Save the conversations about these “bargain” players for the guys that actually pay the bills. All we want is for the players to produce.

So, you ask, does that analysis of player productivity compared to their salary actually indicate anything? Indirectly, it does! What it mainly demonstrates is which teams have drafted or signed talented young players. The majority of the players at the top of the list are very promising and very skilled young hockey players, including the likes of Stastny, Plekanec, Parise, and Getzlaf. Players’ salaries are capped for the first years of their professional careers. Therefore, as a fan, you should be excited to see young players on the top of the list, like the 9th placed Vanek. You should be excited not because he only costs $11,219 for every point he produces, but because that number, mathematically, indicates that he had a great year, scoring 84 points.

When your team signs a player to a contract, do not be concerned about how much money he is making. Instead, be concerned about how he will produce. Let Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment worry that they will only make $61 million this year instead of $65 million.

For now, I am adding Anze Kopitar (#26 with $16,131/point) and Travis Zajac (#66 with $23,433/point) to my draft target list.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

Maple Leafs rumored to open '08-09 season in Europe

In the news on Sunday

The Maple Leafs are one of the teams to be rumored to open the season next year in Europe. With the globalization of sports, this has become quite the trend in recent years. The Kings/Ducks open their season in Europe, pending on the success of that event, we could see even more of these overseas games to come.

One of my favourite blogs, the Uniwatch blog, gives their review of some recently released jerseys and shares my opinion in that the new jerseys look like crap.

TSN reports that Michael Ryder may be looking to move away from his home in Newfoundland as his car and house have been vandalized. He is an unrestricted free agent next summer, with a good season he may be able to cash in and buy that new home he is seeking.

Sportsnet lets us know all the line configurations and cuts that all the Canadian teams performed during Sundays training camps.
I would like to note that John Paddock has juggled the Sens lines and gone with
Niko Dimitrakos - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Antoine Vermette - Nick Foligno -Daniel Alfredsson
Patrick Eaves - Chris Kelly - Shean Donovan
The only question is how long will they stick with these until they don't work and are forced to revert back to the "cash line" (who gave it that awful nickname?) of Spezza, Heatley, Alfredssson.

The Vancouver Canucks were hit with the injury bug on Sunday, Trevor Linden went down with a groin, Sami Salo will have X-Rays tomorrow for a broken wrist and Roberto Luongo took a shot in the throat from Brad Isbister. Everyone will be re-evaluated on Monday.

See you in the morning

-remis

Leafs Miss Their Chance

Richard Peddie, the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), announced this week that the Leafs have ended their highly-publicized search for a senior hockey advisor to oversee General Manager, John Ferguson Jr.

Rest assured Leafs’ fans, the announcement was by no means a vote of confidence in Ferguson. In fact, it was a clear message to Ferguson that he will be gone by season’s end if the Leafs do not show any signs of improvement.

The decision to bring the search to an end was based solely on timing. It was no secret that the Leafs offered the position to coaching legend and current Red Wings advisor, Scotty Bowman. Throughout the summer, despite reports to the contrary, Bowman continually denied any interest in accepting the position. However, had MLSE given Bowman the assurances he needed to have the freedom to make the changes that he saw fit when the position was first offered, he would likely have accepted. Instead, Peddie and the rest of the MLSE board, who apparently, in addition to being prominent Toronto businessmen are hockey geniuses, agreed to relinquish full control over the hockey operations to Bowman much too late in the game.

With their failure to land Bowman and with training camp fast approaching, it became too late for the Leafs to bring an advisor in and make all of the changes needed. The Leafs had no choice but to enter this season with the team as it is currently composed.

Certainly, Ferguson has not done anything over the summer to instill confidence in his management abilities. He once again failed to land a marquee free agent and had to settle, as the Leafs always do, for signing a player to what will likely end up being the last contract of his career. Sure, Jason Blake may enjoy success playing alongside Mats Sundin, but he will be 35 at season’s end and won’t be able to maintain the same intensity of play for which he is known for. While Ferguson arguably improved the Leafs goaltending, the improvement in skill will likely be outweighed by the distraction caused by the inevitable goaltending controversy between Raycroft and the newly acquired Toskala.

Peddie stated earlier in the summer that “[Ferguson] could use some help.” He won’t get that help anymore. If, as expected, the Leafs miss the playoffs or secure one of the last few spots, then Ferguson will be fired. A general manager will be brought and will be given the autonomy to make the adjustments he sees fit, much the same way that Colangelo was brought in to run the Raptors organization. The only way that Ferguson continues to serve as GM after this season is if the Leafs far exceed everyone’s expectations and MLSE is no longer convinced that he needs help. I would bet my money on the former.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

To retire, or to not retire?

• Taking a page out of the books of Roger Clemens, Brett Favre and most recently, teammate Scott Niedermayer. Teemu Selanne has sure been taking his sweet ass time contemplating retirement. Even though the two future hall of famers are coming off a Stanley Cup win, training camps have begun. They really are leaving the Ducks hanging. Luckily the Ducks have taken the proper precautions by signing fellow member of the tribe Matthieu Schneider and the son Brian Burke never had Todd Bertuzzi. Even if the two do not return, or just one of the two, the Ducks are still primed for another run at the Cup.
• The Atlanta Thrashers are optimistic about their chances at making the playoffs... I'm pretty optimistic that they will not get past the first round.
• The Flyers are expecting a huge improvement over last season. I would have to agree, Paul Homgren has done an outstanding job since he stepped in as GM. After suffering through years with the gruesome twosome of Antero Niittymaki and Robert Esche He has accquired a number one goaltender in Marty Biron, signed Daniel Briere, traded for Joffrey Lupul, Jason Smith, Kimmo Timmonen and Scott Hartnell. I'd look for the Flyers to make some noise this upcoming season. I expect Simon Gagne to post huge numbers this year, with Daniel Briere setting him up instead of oft-injured Peter Forsberg. Over the past year Forsberg has spent more time in rehab than Lindsey Lohan.
• As always, there is a significant amount of pressure on the Leafs to make the playoffs. The Globe and Mail reports that John Ferguson Jr. " is acutely aware that his future will be in doubt should the Maple Leafs miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season". Who are we kidding? As Richard profiled earlier this week the Leafs chances of making the playoffs are slim and none. They should get the ball rolling and fire JFJ already, what are they waiting for? The much overhyped signing of Jason Blake will not get the Leafs into the playoffs
• The Detroit Red Wings are loving the Drake. Really? I didn't know the former Winnipeg Jet was still kicking around. Ansar Khan reports "When Drake's on the ice, opponents better keep their head up." Ya, forsure.

-remis

For Whom the Bell Tolls

The Mark Bell saga is finally over, our newspapers will no longer be flooded with repetitive stories speculating on how many games Bell would be gone for, as he has been suspended for fifteen games. Along with the fifteen games suspension, the former Ottawa 67 forward will also have to report to a substance abuse program. We should not that during this time Bell will be allowed to practice with the team.

Overall, the forward will miss a month and a half of game time and is scheduled to play his first game on October 13th. Bell is scheduled to make $2 million in the upcoming season which will now be cut by 18%.

Bell arrived in San Jose via a three-way trade that took place between Ottawa and Chicago. The former Blackhawk was expected to be a power forward and significantly benefit from playing on a line with Joe Thornton. Unfortunately, off-ice issues had an effect on Bell and he was not able to play up to his ability with San Jose. As a result the troubled forward was shipped off to Toronto this off-season in a questionable acquisition by Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr.

My take: Fifteen games is a fair amount to hand down to Bell. It is not overly excessive, yet, at the same time, not too light. This suspension sends a message to the players of the NHL that they will not only pay for their actions in court, but they will also lose their paycheque and miss valuable game time. Players now understand that being convicted of crimes not only hurts them, but also hurts the team. (Although if Wade Belak was convicted of drunk driving and was suspended for 15 games I don't think Leafs fans would mind.) If I were Bell, I would be upset about losing 15 games pay, but I would be more concerned about spending six months in a prison. Hopefully he will be able to clean himself up, devote himself to Jesus and return to the same form he showed when he scored 48 points for the Blackhawks in 2005-2006.