"Fail for Nail".... Five Prospects the Leafs Should Draft

Nail Yakupov

Today is March 14th 2012... Its hard to believe that with such success early on in the season I am even writing this post at all. With the Leafs all but eliminated from the playoffs it is time to look forward to next season. Gosh that hurts, I really thought this was the year. In this blog I will be outlining 5 top prospects the Leafs should pursue in the up coming NHL entry draft. You will notice a trend of centers as I feel filling this position is essential to being successful in the up coming years.

5. Defenceman, Ryan Murray

Ryan Murray

Age: 19
Shoots: Left
Height: 6'
Weight: 185 lbs
Country: Canada
NHL Comparison: Scott Neidermayer
Scouting Report: Surprisingly, the only Canadian on the list this year. Murray is most certainly a top 5 pick in this years draft, considered by some as a top 2. Murray is a strong, defensively sound player that is never out of position. Possibly Ryans greatest asset is his leadership qualities and is considered by many to be a future Captain  of an NHL team.


4. Winger, Filip Forsberg

Filip Forsberg

Age: 17
Shoots: Right

Height: 6'1
Weight: 176 lbs
Country: Sweden
NHL Comparison: Loui Eriksson
Scouting Report: touted as the best draft eligible player not currently in North America, Filip has decent size and elite level speed. What sets Forsberg apart is his shot. at only 17 years of age Filip already plays profesional hockey in the Swedish elite league which proves he can play with men, and be successful.



3. Center, Alex Galchenyuk

Alex Galchenyuk

Age: 18
Shoots: Left

Height: 6'01
Weight: 185 lbs
Country: Russia
NHL Comparison: Jonathan Toews
Scouting Report: This is my sleeper pick for this up coming draft. Galchenyuk should be 2nd over all right behing Yakupov, if it wasn't for the season ending injury he suffered. For this reason he will be overlooked by many scouts. Galchenyuk, although has Russian citizenship, he was born in America and plays a north american game, one the Burke will like. Defensively responsible, a great skater with good hands.



2. Center, Mikhail Grigorenko

Mikhail Grigorenko

Age: 18
Shoots: Left

Height: 6'02
Weight: 191 lbs
Country: Russia
NHL Comparison: Joe Thornton
Scouting Report: Grigorenko fits the bill for what the leafs need. He is a highly skilled center with good size. at nearly 200 lbs he could fit in on any virtually right away. What Mikhail is best know for is his hockey sense and IQ and makes very little mistakes, often in the right place at the right time. He curently has 84 points in just 57 games in the QMJHL.



1. Winger, Nail Yakupov

Nail Yakupov

Age: 19
Shoots: Left

Height: 5'10
Weight: 170 lbs
Country: Russia
NHL Comparison: Pavel Bure
Scouting Report: Easily the top pick in the draft this year. Small in stature, standing under 6 feet tall and 170 lbs Nail is know for playing bigger than he is. He is very elusive and has insane skill. The leafs will have to get lucky and win the draft lottery to have a chance at this talent.

BREAKING: Lupul Out.... What's Next?

Last night the Buds faced off against Zedeno Chara and the Boston Bruins. As my professor mentioned in class today, this was an "exciting game, that had everything a fan could want when attending an event". Everything including a season ending injury to the 2nd best player on our roster. Jofferey Lupul went hard into the end boards and appeared to hurt his right shoulder on the play. Earlier this afternoon my fears were confirmed. Lupul indeed suffered a separated shoulder and will miss 3 to 4 weeks of playing time, which more or less will end his season. Unless they make the playoffs of course. So, whats next? to be honest i dont know... the worst thing Carlyle could do right now is shuffle up the Garbo line that has been so potent of late, and really there are no right wingers down the pipe that compare to Lupuls talent on the ice. They may be forced to look to the Marlies for some backup. Unfortunately having seen the trade deadline pass without any major acquisitions the Leafs will be in tough as they make a push for the post season. I dont envy the coaching staff in anyway but we will see if they can work some sort of magic tonight VS Pittsburg @ 7:30 eastern on TSN.

FAN OF THE MONTH AWARD!

When you have garnered success in the blogging world to the extent that I have, it is important not to forget the people that got you there. THE FANS one follower of my blog sticks out in my mind as she emails me on a daily basis, follows me around school and bakes me cookies. This months FAN OF THE MONTH AWARD goes too..............

Drum

Roll

Please

SARA BOWDEN from London Ontario, Canada. 

Congratulations Sara, and please next time make sure the cookies arn't burnt!

WIlson out Carlyle In... Christmas comes early

 

It is no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been on one heck of a bad stretch. No im not talking about their last 11 games, im talking about the last 7 years. Just like with any changing of the guard I, like most of you was optimistic when Ron Wilson became the new head coach of the leafs, and for good reason. He is one of the leagues most winningest coaches and has a fairly stacked resume thats only missing one thing, a Stanley Cup.  During his tenure as the Leafs head coach Wilson has been... well bad. They didn't once make the playoffs and have had exceptionally brutal special teams. Don't let the door hit you on the way out... but im sorta hoping it does.
To replace Wilson Brian Burke has called upon former Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, am I happy about this? well to be honest I would be happy with anyone, but I am not thrilled, no. Carlyle is a decent coach but not an ideal one as he has a bad reputation among his players which can be disastrous for such a frail team like the Leafs. Another reason why it may not be the best fit is that Carlyle and Lupul have a history of feuding which I hope for the sake of our team and playoff push does not carry over. For the time being, however I will give Mr. Carlyle the benefit of the doubt and hopefully we can get a convincing win tomorrow at Montreal.

Viewer Emails and the FIRST Winter Classic Sneak Peak!

Good afternoon, fellow Leafs fans and or all you haters out there (Leafs nation is an accepting bunch) I welcome you to a special edition of my blog in which I will be utilizing the magical technology that is video photography (I know, fancy eh!). In this post I will be answering some emails viewers have sent to me touching on anything from, the season thus far, to where we are headed, and what I feel needs to be changed moving forward. Oh and where I would take a date out on the first night :S. In addition I have put together what resembles a theatrical trailer but its for the upcoming Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at the Big House in Michigan, I attempted to make it as epic as possible. I hope you guys enjoy not only my video, but all the fancy graphics as well. Cheers.... with beers. GO LEAFS GO!

*** All highlights are copyright of CBC sports and I am in no way affiliated with NBC sports. This is for entertainment purposes only... It had to be done :)

Leafs Tailspin, Seen this One Before

Tonight the Leafs are playing a fellow original six team, the Chicago Blackhawks. Although the Buds still technically have a 13% chance of making the playoffs they must go a minimum of 12-5-2 in their remaining 19 games to even increase those odds to 51%. Does me giving up on them at this point make me a bad fan? no, it makes me a frustrated fan. It seems as though were stuck on repeat as I have seen this before, I have seen this every season since the lockout and its getting tiresome. I was talking with my roommates today and one mentioned that he wouldn't want to make the playoffs and just get worked 4 games strait. The way I look at it is simple, The leafs and the Panthers are the ONLY two teams to not make the playoffs since the lockout and after getting worked by florida last night I wouldn't be surprised if after this season we are alone in that category. Just embarrassing. I will live and I will die wearing the blue... but will I die never seeing them make the playoffs again? Sure as hell feels like it. COME ONE BURKE the time for change was 4 seasons ago, drastic measures are in order and get rid of the dead weight (Coach Ron Wilson). Lets look toward next year because it looks like your team is a bit too excited for this years golf season.

Why the Leafs Should Land Jeff Carter

With the trade deadline fast approaching the Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in 8th place and only 5 points from 11th in the east (close is an understatement) and have yet to make a splash for the many players rumoured to be up for grabs. One of the bigger names is that of Jeff Carter, the 6' 3" 200lb center for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Toronto needs two pieces to have a hope of winning a playoff series, a legitimate #1 goaltender and a BIG #1 center. Carter could be the answer up front. Since he has entered the NHL Carter has averaged 30+ goals a year which would certainly be a boost to the teams offense. One question mark and possibly the deciding factor as to wether or not Burke lands his coveted centerman is the 10 years left on Carters massive contract given to him by the Flyers, at $5,275,000 annually it seems like a high price to pay but there are some factors that personally I feel are to the contrary;

1. Grabovski will likely make 5+ mill a year when he signs a contract this off season, and carter is (as of right now) the better player.

2. With the looming collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA, its not unlikely that 5 years from now (half way through his contract) 3rd line NHLers with little offensive impact could be making the same if not more than Carter.

3. You will likely not soon see, if ever a once 46 goal scorer on the market at an anual cap hit of just over 5 mill again.

4. He has been disaster in Columbus and his hometown (a London native) Leafs and favourite childhood team could be exactly what he needs.

What do you think of a possible trade for Carter, assuming Grabovski will likely be included in any deal for the centerman should the leafs pull the trigger?