Welcome to Glendale, Arizona -- outside Phoenix -- where the sun is up and it's expected to hit 74 degrees today. Okay, sorry. Fire away with your Leaf questions or comments, though I'd imagine there isn't a ton of anger or disillusion right now.
Certainly could see the Kings being interested in Versteeg, but they wouldn't trade Brayden Schenn for Versteeg's entire family.
You've watched the Leafs this year. Other than Luke Schenn, who will not be traded, has there been a really marketable defenseman without a no movement clause? Not to these eyes.
Folks, make it easier on me. Please try to use capital letters for names and a bit of punctuation. Please???! Burke said yesterday he will not be a seller at the trade deadline, he is looking to improve the roster immediately. But, we've heard that a few times before from double-B. Easier said than done. He also claimed he will not be asking for draft picks in return.
No, Reimer will continue to play until the Leafs lose with him in goal. After that, it's anyone's guess. You didn't mention Jonas Gustavsson. No one has mentioned his name for the past 10 days it seems.
No and no!
What is it, Mike? Or has air entered the ear-holes?
No different than yours, Jared88. Phil is scoring more lately, and the Leafs are winning more. Probably a connection there.
CAPITAL letters; punctuation, Mike. Makes things go faster. I have found this Leaf team to be arguably the tightestgroup since the Gilmour-Clark-Andreychuk days. It proves that comeraderie and success aren't necessarily liked, though it may be contributing to the current hot streak. Don't really know who hangs out with who, because no one on the team hangs out with me (nor would I seek that). I can tell you that the duo of Colby Armstrong and Tyler Bozak will be worth writing a book about one day.
Craig, did you have your Corn Flakes with milk this morning... or rum?
Hard to beat what I'm looking at through my hotel window here in Glendale right now, particularly in winter. This place is a Paradise, though you wouldn't want to be anywhere close to Phoenix between May and October. I covered several of the Coyotes' bankruptcy court sessions out here in May and June of 2009. It was 113 degrees during the day, and "cooled" to 105 at night. Los Angeles is probably my favorite road city, mainly because it's a second home, with Susan and her parents from there. We spend our summers in southern California. Also love Vancouver, Boston, San Jose, Chicago, Dallas, Carolina and Washington -- not necessarily in that order. Could easily live in North Carolina; the area around Raleigh is beautiful; wide-open spaces, and lots of very friendly folks. Best arena environment for a Leafs game -- and I've mentioned this many times -- is a Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, for obvious reasons.
Oh yes they have. And the fact they did not pan out in Toronto just adds to the hype surrounding the next great hope. Don't give up on Kadri. He'll be a good NHLer in the not-to-distant future.
First western-Canada trip with Leafs I've missed since 1993. Budget has changed at radio station... for the moment anyway. Have to respect the right of any company to run a business, even begrudgingly.
No, it's because the Senators reek at the moment, and have been getting worse over the past two years. Trekking out to Kanata in the middle of winter on the lone stretch of highway that leads there from Ottawa (Queensway-417) is not overly pleasant late in the day. Fans in the capital need a reason to make the drive, and they've had mostly good ones in the past 15 years. That isn't the case right now.
When Clarkson's head is in the game, he's a terrific agitator with a decent scoring touch. Devils re-signed him last summer and I don't believe they're overly anxious to let him go. We'll see.
All three.
Burke said out here yesterday that the offers are improving as the team improves, which is normal. When a team is wallowing, other GMs look to throw an anchor in desperation. Burke is smart to have ignored any such overtures to this point. I'm sure he's getting a fair amount of action on Grabovski and MacArthur... or will be closer to the deadline. Depends where Leafs are situated in standings at the time. And, if Burke really wants to unload a veteran. He strongly implied yesterday that he won't be a seller on Feb. 28. But, talk is cheap seven weeks before the deadline.
A bit spooky the way our minds are in sync today, Jared.
Only if he is truly a masochist. Otherwise, he'll say bye-bye to his limited NMC and move to a contending team before hitting the open market in July. With Kabby, though, you just never know.
Nice, modest handle you have there. Doherty quietly went the way of many Leaf prospects... to a life of anonymity somewhere. And quickly.
Thanks, Bob. I'm really handy with that Blackberry camera of mine. Actually, it takes fairly decent photos for what it is. And, yes, my aim was to "take all of you" along on this road trip as best I could. Sorry I couldn't return the weather to you, or those digging out in Toronto. I can't imagine the togetherness on this trip hurting the Leafs in any way. I also believe that debacle in New Jersey a couple of weeks ago -- when the players were stuck without cellphone power on a bus for six hours in a blizzard -- is a contributing factor. All they could do was talk to each other. In this day of electronic communication, that art is being lost. And, you bet the Leafs are banking on a ton of development from within. Whether or not it happens is another story.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Is that enough noise? First, Niklas and Matt have to be in the Calgary line-up on Saturday, which hasn't been a given lately. I'll be shocked, for obvious reasons, if either is a healthy scratch at the ACC. And, I'll never boo Matt Stajan. He's a class act that stood up and answered all the b.s. during his years in Toronto, no matter the circumstance. I wish him only well.
Greetings. How's the weather?
