Dion Phaneuf got some flak with a reporter last week about whether or not he should be captain of his team. Do you think the Leaf front office might be thinking about giving the 'C' to someone else just so he can concentrate on improving his game?
Calvin,
Brampton, Ontario
A: No. Generally, the Leafs believe Phaneuf is a very good captain, both on the ice and off. Phaneuf's play this season was fairly consistent and while more is expected from leadership across the board, Phaneuf's play, good, bad or otherwise is not the reason the Maple Leafs collapsed.
Management points to a number of concerns as contributing factors: subpar goaltending, a horrendous penalty kill, lack of size up front, a sense the game shifted to allow for more obstruction, and on and on it goes. So, while Phaneuf is an easy target because of the letter on his sweater, he shouldn't be singled out. This season's debacle will be shared by all, from ownership down.
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Dregs,
If goaltending is what the Leafs need to improve on first, what options are out there? Any chance they stick with Scrivens and Reimer next season, or do they go the UFA/trade route? And why are the fingers suddenly pointed at Francois Allaire for the Leafs' woes in net? The guy molded Giguere and Roy!
Nelson,
Laval
A: Nelson, depth in goal may not be a long-term concern for the Maple Leafs assuming Reimer returns to form, or Ben Scrivens emerges as Toronto's goalie of the future. Unfortunately, the Leafs don't have time to wait and will have to either spend assets to land a number one via trade, or use cap space to sign a goalie through free agency.
Toronto would love to land an experienced goaltender who can mentor Reimer/Scrivens and provide stability for as long as the next four seasons. Nashville's Anders Lindback and Vancouver's Cory Schneider may be among the trade targets, but to lure either east is going to require a collection of young assets Toronto may not be able to part with. At the moment, the list of potential unrestricted free agent goalies includes Martin Biron, Dan Ellis, Tomas Vokoun, Josh Harding, Brent Johnson, Michael Leighton, Chris Mason and Johan Hedberg. The trade market will be fully investigated by the Leafs brass before July 1 to determine the need for diving into the free agent pool.
As for Francois Allaire, the heat comes with the territory. He's a hands on goalie coach with a very distinct style of coaching. He's not responsible for the Leafs inconsistencies in net, but he does have to shoulder some of the blame. You can't work for the Toronto Maple Leafs and survive an epic free fall without accepting your share of the responsibility.
It's getting harder and harder to believe that "Dreger, Darren" doesn't appear somewhere on MLSE payroll these days.
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Originally Posted by Gatorade
Dreger being related to Nonis kills all credibility. He is a shill and has never said anything worth repeating.
Nailed it. He's just a mouthpiece for whoever is feeding him news. This crap, talking a few weeks ago about how Carolina is close to Cup contention... just shameless.
Toronto would love to land an experienced goaltender who can mentor Reimer/Scrivens and provide stability for as long as the next four seasons. Nashville's Anders Lindback and Vancouver's Cory Schneider may be among the trade targets, but to lure either east is going to require a collection of young assets Toronto may not be able to part with. At the moment, the list of potential unrestricted free agent goalies includes Martin Biron, Dan Ellis, Tomas Vokoun, Josh Harding, Brent Johnson, Michael Leighton, Chris
Since when are Schneider and Lindback experienced goaltenders?
Like either of them would fix the defense on the Leafs.
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Woodlief
using his big frame to create space and his skating ability to find open lanes to drive the net. He stands 6-3 and is a natural goal scorer with plenty of confidence.
He's a scout's dream in the way he prepares himself and plays an unselfish game, making smart decisions with the puck. With his bloodlines, he certainly understands what it will take to make it at the next level.
