Toronto Maple Leafs

Mikhail Grabovski Comes Clean About BiteYou may have seen the link to the original PD article yesterday (and this one has a link), but yes, Grabbo did bite Patch. Victoria Day Open Thread: Is London's Max Domi a draft target?I'd be happy with him at the position the Leafs will likely be picking, but we'll see. From Cam Charron at TLN. By the way, if you haven't seen this video, it's pretty awesome. Reflecting on Dave Nonis’ “exit” thoughts—and grading out the Maple Leafs, with some perspective, after a season that ended a bit too soon…Michael Langlois with a report card for the Leafs. Vintage Leafs: Carpenter behind the benchCheck out the site, because there are a bunch of new photos up. Will Acton emerging as more than a penalty killer, Tim Connolly battling health and goal slumpConnolly was sat for Game’s 4 and 5, however Eakins wouldn’t make it clear if it was because of injury or poor play. Tough year for Timmy C. From Kyle Cicerella. NHL Tooth Watch: Cataloging all the lost fangs in the 2013 playoffsThe latest from Harrison Mooney. Blackhawks robbed by refs on no-goal in Game 3 vs. Red Wings?Yeah, I'd be mad about that call. The goal that saved the Pittsburgh Penguins’ seasonYou can probably guess which one it is. From Cam Charron at BHS.

May 12, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins forward David Krejci (46) and Toronto Maple Leafs center Mikhail Grabovski (84) battle for position during the first period in game six of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports Mikhail Grabovski did an interview for Puck Daddy recently and shed some light on the alleged biting incident he was involved in with Max Pacioretty back in February. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward admitted to biting Pacioretty in a scrum during a game over three months ago. Grabovski said Pacioretty was choking him during the skirmish and the only way he could get his hands off was to bite him. He went on to say that it was difficult to breathe and Pacioretty shouldn’t have put his hand there. Pacioretty said to the media that he had a tetanus shot because of the incident and after a phone interview conducted by the NHL with both players; no supplemental discipline was handed out. Each received a ten-minute misconduct for their actions in the altercation. You can check out the entire interview from Grabovski here.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a great season as they surprised many by making the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Not only that, but they took the Boston Bruins to seven games in the first round. So with that, it’s time to move on and focus on the off-season as the Leafs will have the opportunity to gain more cap space by using one or both of their compliance buyouts. The two buyouts don’t count towards the team’s cap, so here are three players I think the Maple Leafs should consider buying out this summer. 1) Mike Komisarek  The first player on my list to be bought out this summer is Mike Komisarek. By the start of the 2013-14 season, I’m confident Komisarek will not be with the team. He currently carries a $4.5 million dollar contract and in fact he isn’t even playing with the Leafs as he’s been down with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) for much of the 2013 season. Many fans have waited for the team to buyout Komisarek’s contract for a few years now, and with the amnesty in effect, I’m sure fans will see their wish come true this summer. 2) Mikhail Grabovski The next player to look at is Mikhail Grabovski. The 29-year-old signed a five-year extension worth, $27.5 million dollars in March, 2012 and since the extension, he hasn’t been worth the $5.5 a season. Grabovski was put on the third line behind Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri during the regular season only registering 16 points in 48 games played. Grabovski is the highest paid forward on the Leafs, and let’s be honest – he really shouldn’t be. After next season, the Leafs will look to resign Phil Kessel, and with Grabovski still around, signing the speedy American  could be harder to do as he’ll look for $7 million dollars per year. 3) John-Michael Liles That brings us to John-Michael Liles. The 32-year-old signed a four-year, $15.5 million dollar contract extension in January, 2012 and he really hasn’t been worth the money. During the regular season, Liles would often sit in the press box as a healthy scratch as Korbinian Holzer, Mark Fraser or Mike Kostka played. During the playoffs vs. Boston, Liles played in only four of the seven games as Kostka and Fraser both became injured. Final Say Maple Leafs, General Manager, Dave Nonis will have to decide which two players he’ll buyout this summer, but one thing is certain - it shouldn’t be that difficult to decide. Be sure to follow me on Twitter here: @Dale_Lamontagne

May 13, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Joffrey Lupul (19) keeps the puck away from Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) during the first period in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports The Toronto Maple Leafs had an excellent chance of getting at least one player in the semi-finals of the EA Sports NHL 14 Cover Vote, but it was not to be. Joffrey Lupul and James van Riemsdyk were both in the final eight of the contest, but neither moved on to the next round. Lupul was defeated by Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and van Riemsdyk was beaten by Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. The Leafs were the only team to have two players that made it all the way to the last eight. However, getting by the popular Datsyuk and Brodeur was too much to overcome. The semi-finals now has Datsyuk taking on Brodeur in the one matchup, and John Tavares of the New York Islanders going up against everybody’s favourite goalie Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the other. You can have your say on who makes it to the finals by voting up until May 26th at covervote.nhl.com. One lucky voter will win a trip to a 2013 Stanley Cup Final game.

Links to follow.

Over the course of the year I have been tracking the Leafs goals in a spreadsheet, largely for the purpose of looking at primary/secondary assists but also for tracking situational statistics. It was through this spreadsheet that I noticed the most amusing fact of the season; that Tyler Bozak finished the year never having had [more…]