FAN590

You're right about free agent market. But, I think B.B. hung onto his two first-round picks at trade deadline to parlay into trade for established centre this summer... if he cannot sign one. Good move by Leafs' GM on Monday.

I think VERY important. MacArthur has established value on the ice and in the dressing room as a respected, willing, and well-liked spokesperson for the team. He's fit into the plan hyere perfectly. He'd be foolish to demand something unreasonable from Leafs, and Leafs would be foolish not to give him term and money he has earned. I have said three years and $8 million. I still believe that will be close to final deal.

Love the tag Muhammad Aulie. Whether or not he drops gloves again soon, young Keith has a nickname now for his hockey life.

No one will see the ice except Reimer until there's a reason. Keeping a back-up in sinc is never reason enough to rest a hot goalie. Never.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is the best and most enjoyable group of Leaf players I've been around since the Gilmour-Andreychuk-Clark-Potvin-Macoun group more than a decade-and-a-half ago, near the beginning of my time covering the team. So many young guys on this club, and they get along fabulously; they want to win for one another, as corny as that sounds.

Always fishy when you show up. BTW, this isn't Bill Parcells, is it?

I have never Lupuled before... have you?

Makes total sense if right price is available. If Colborne and/or Kadri mature into NHLers, Leafs will have the absolute perfect situation -- quality and depth up the middle. But, we won't know that before next season at the earliest. So, Burke must find an established pivot in the summer. I bet he will, too.

I have serious doubts. He must have incurred a severe head injury when George Parros dropped him in that fight Jan. 20. I've seen Colton a couple of times around the ACC and he looks just fine. But, Leafs have been very evasive about his injury -- likely at Orr's bequest. Perhaps there are some quality-of-life issues at play here because of thye injury. If so, that is far more significant than anything pertaining to hockey. Let's hope he eventually makes a full recovery.

Bryzgaklov's availability will tempt Burke for obvious reasons. But, Reimer and Gustavsson are the two goalies I expect for next season. I also expect the Monster to bounce back in Year 3, as a lot of players do.

See prior answer.

Just giving you a hard time. No reason to assign Lupul a number if Armstrong and Komisarek are back. If an 'A' is somehow available, it should go to Schenn or MacArthur, in that order, before Lupul.

You won't let this go, will you?

Yes, there are several factors, but goaltending in hockey is undoubtedly the most important. If you have strength at the position, you always stand a chance to overachieve. If not, even an otherwise good roster will founder. James Reimer is unquestionably the Leafs' MVP right now.

I think it's human nature to favor those that are helpful and friendly... in any situation. There have been legitimate reasons to criticize Wilson and Phaneuf this season, yet both exacerbate the issue with their crusty personalities. Speaking for myself, I won't back down from a strong demeanor, but neither will I withhold credit. You look stupid doing that... way too transparent.

Why not? He made several excellent plays in the Pittsburgh game the other night, including the shot that went in off Kessel's tush to tie the match in third period. I think Carl has some skill with the puck and it will flourish with opportunity. Now, would Leafs rather have Lidstrom, Keith or Doughty? Of course. But, on this team, Gunner is not a bad choice.

Not sure at this point. I know Dallas quite well and have always respected him as a hockey mind. Probably needs a bit more time in AHL, though, before he gets legitimate shot in the bigs. Pretty decent candidate, though.

Sorry, my friend... don't deal in optimism or pessimism. That's for you to determine. As I've always said, my reporting will reflect the performance of the hockey club. If the Leafs stink, I'll tell you. If they are playing well, I'll never hold back credit, or be hesitent to admit I didn't anticipate a situation... such as the current one. This, to me, seems like more than a post-all-star tease because it is happening much earlier than the other "garbage time" efforts. It began with more than a quarter of the schedule remaining.

As I said, reporters are human, too. But anyone that allows personality issues to trump fairness will not last long in this business. An agenda is the absolute worst trait for a reporter to have.

Excellent question. Don't know if it's a problem, but the increasing multi-cultural aspect of our city and surroundings is definitely a factor, and the Leafs readily admit so. I did a day-long speaking engagement at my old high school (William Lyon MacKenzie) in North York two weeks ago and perhaps 15 to 20 percent of the students raised their hands when I asked how many follow hockey and the Leafs. It absolutely blew me away, and made for kind of a disastrous experience; normally, I can quite easily keep an audience's attention when speaking... with my hockey stories through the years. I simply could not with these students. The ethnic composition of our city is much different than it was when I went to school. We had 600 students at MacKenzie back then (1974-78). I'd bet 575 were native-born and crazy about hockey. The Leafs need to be more competitive to gain a following among those that come from places where hockey is completely foreign. The club understands this.

Always a chance of emotional burn-out in this hockey town, but Reimer is too grounded to let that happen. He is so thrilled with this unanticipated opportunity, and is simply riding a wave of talent and Adrenaline. There isn't enough season left for him to flame out.

Verigo is wonderful! Just don't be in the car when it hits.