Toronto Maple Leafs

[AustroLeaf]

schlag nach unter fosrtner, k.!

vg

Kudsi

Kleiner Ausblick auf mögliche First-Round-Picks der Leafs:

OHL'S FAB FOUR GLADLY WOULD PLAY IN TORONTO

By MIKE ZEISBERGER, SUN MEDIA

Steven Stamkos is not the only stud prospect who would love to be a Maple Leaf in June.

Less than a week after the Sarnia Sting superstar told Sun Media that being drafted by Toronto would be "awesome," three other potential Top 5 picks yesterday chimed in on the prospect of wearing blue and white.

With the Leafs having plopped into the basement of the 15-team Eastern Conference, it is appearing that interim general manager Cliff Fletcher and his staff will have a legitimate shot to select Stamkos or one of highly-regarded defencemen Drew Doughty of the Guelph Storm, Zach Bogosian of the Peterborough Petes or Alex Pietrangelo of the Niagara Ice Dogs.

All four top-ranked players are in the Ontario Hockey League in what stands to be a banner season for commissioner David Branch's outfit.

"My buddies keep letting me know that going to Toronto would be great. They're Leaf fans so they'd like me there," Doughty, a native of London, said yesterday.

Having grown up idolizing Wayne Gretzky, Doughty said he could handle the spotlight of playing in a big market.

"I watched the way Wayne conducted himself off the ice as well as on. Hopefully watching him has taught me how to deal with fans and media," said Doughty, voted the top defenceman at the world junior championship.

Pietrangelo, like Stamkos, admitted sneaking a peek at the NHL standings every now and then, specifically checking out where the Leafs are mired.

"Being picked by the Leafs would be outstanding. My family would be thrilled," Pietrangelo, a native of King City, said.

Bogosian is an Ottawa Senators fan, having grown up just across the border from Cornwall in Massena, NY.

If it were to pass that he might one day face the Sens as a member of the Leafs, he said it would be "fun."

Stamkos, Doughty, Bogosian and Pietrangelo all could become household names in Leaf Nation as the draft approaches. Below is a closer look at the OHL's Fab Four, along with comments from an NHL amateur scout.

---

STEVE STAMKOS

Centre, Sarnia Sting

6-foot-1, 180 lbs.

Rankings: No. 1 (North American) by Central Scouting; No. 1, International Scouting Service; No. 1, TSN.

Stats: 43G, 48A, 91P

On The Leafs: "Being picked by Toronto would be a dream come true," said the Unionville native.

The Scout says: "Dynamic offensive force ... Like Mike Modano, he can play at high speed ... Would be dynamite in Toronto. For that kid to go to the Leafs would be perfect."

DREW DOUGHTY

Defence, Guelph Storm

6-foot-0, 213 lbs.

Rankings: No. 2 (NA skaters) by CSS; No. 2, ISS: No. 2, TSN.

Stats: 11G, 33A, 44P

On The Leafs: "My family would love it. Being from London they all grew up Leaf fans so they wouldn't have to change the team they cheer for if I get picked by Toronto."

The Scout says: "With his puck-moving skills he would inject a lot of skill into the Leaf defence ... Would be a huge addition for Toronto."

ZACH BOGOSIAN

Defence, Peterborough Petes

6-foot-2, 200 lbs.

Rankings: No. 3 (NA skaters) by CSS; No. 9, ISS; No. 4, TSN.

Stats: 10G, 44A, 54P

On The Leafs: "I grew up (an Ottawa Senators) fan. If the Leafs took me, playing in the Battle of Ontario would be fun."

The Scout says: "He's the complete package of size and skill ... Plays with an edge, which would endear him to Toronto fans."

ALEX PIETRANGELO

Defence, Niagara Ice Dogs

6-foot-4, 210 lbs.

Rankings: No. 5 (NA skaters) by CSS; No.4, ISS; No. 3, TSN.

Stats: 11G, 28A, 39P

On The Leafs: "Being from King City, I couldn't imagine anything better than being picked by the Leafs."

The Scout says: A calm, cool, collected kid who moves the puck well ... Maybe not as skilled as the other defencemen listed here but he has a lot of puck play ... Has potential to step right in and play for Leafs next year."

--> Artikel (Toronto Sun)

[Seppo Dramac]

Gut finde ich dass Cliff Fletcher bereits ausgeschlossen hat dass zur Trade Deadline noch kurzfristige Hilfe geholt wird.

Wenn man sieht was in den letzten Jahren mit den Draft Picks passiert ist:

2007

1. Runde zu den San Jose Sharks

2. Runde zu den San Jose Sharks

3. Runde Dale Mitchell (CAN)

4. Runde Matt Frattin (CAN) von den Boston Bruins

4. Runde Ben Winnett (CAN)

2006

1. Runde Jiri Tlusty (TCH)

2. Runde Nikolai Kulemin (RUS)

3. Runde zu den Chicago Blackhawks

4. Runde James Reimer (CAN)

2005

1. Runde Tuuka Rask (inzwischen für Andrew Raycroft nach Boston getradet)

2. Runde zu den NY Rangers

3. Runde Phil Oreskovic

4. Runde zu den Columbus Blue Jackets

7. Runde Anton Stralman (SWE)

2004

1. Runde zu ?

2. Runde zu ?

3. Runde Justin Pogge (CAN)

4. Runde Roman Kukumberg (SLK)

2003

1. Runde zu den Boston Bruins

2. Runde John Doherty (USA)

3. Runde Martin Sagat (SLK)

4. Runde Konstantin Volkov (RUS)

Fazit: viele wichtige Picks wurden hergeschenkt, von den übrigen haben es nur Tlusty und Stralman in die NHL geschafft. Sehr schwache Ausbeute.

[AustroLeaf]

Fazit: viele wichtige Picks wurden hergeschenkt, von den übrigen haben es nur Tlusty und Stralman in die NHL geschafft. Sehr schwache Ausbeute.

Von Nikolai Kulemin hört man auch viel Gutes. Was nichts daran ändert, daß du recht hast.

[themanwho]

Hier finde ich die Wings wirklich beeindruckend.

1989

53 D Nicklas Lidstrom

1994

257 L Tomas Holmstrom

1998

171 C Pavel Datsyuk

1999

210 L Henrik Zetterberg

2000

29 D Niklas Kronwall

Nicht nur, dass die gesamte starting five selber gedraftet wurde - zählt man alle Nummern zusammen kommt man auf 720 (.. durchschnittliche Position von 144)

[Seppo Dramac]

Sagen wir so: der Red Wings-Scout in Schweden muss sich keine Sorgen um seinen Job machen.

Bei den Oilers der 80er Jahre wurde ähnlich gut gearbeitet, Messier (#48) und Kurri (#69) wurden zu Superstars, Tikkanen (#80), Anderson (#69), Moog (#132), MacTavish (#153) waren tragende Säulen. Erstrundenpicks waren lediglich Coffey (#6), Fuhr (#8 ) und Lowe (#21), Gretzky wurde bekanntlich nie gedraftet.

Verdammt nochmal, wenn ich schon nicht fähig bin so gut zu scouten (ist sicher auch viel Glück dabei), warum tausche ich dann so viele 1. und 2. Rundenpicks ein?

Das will ich damit sagen

bearbeitet 18. Februar 2008 von Seppo Dramac

[Lichtgestalt]

FLETCHER'S SEEING STARS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

These are the days when the hockey rumour mill churns furiously, so watching Cliff Fletcher spend the entire second-period intermission behind closed doors with Dallas co-GM Les Jackson had to mean something, right?

Or not. You're going to hear all sorts of bogus speculation over the next nine days, and while the Fletcher-Jackson tête-à-tête did in fact happen, whether they were discussing a Mats Sundin deal – the Stars wouldn't want him to go to Anaheim, would they? – or Barnsley's shocking FA Cup upset of Liverpool yesterday was, well, between the two gentlemen in question.

But as far as the Maple Leafs go, these days we're into a Blue Jay-type of scenario, or at least the Jays of the recent past when none of the games in the final month – or two – matter. Naturally, you'll now see the fellows who did squat when the Leafs actually were in contention for a playoff berth start producing. No surprise there.

The players who have been making it happen all year – Nik Antropov, Sundin, Vesa Toskala – were still delivering the goods last night as the Leafs surprised the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime to remove themselves from the Eastern Conference basement. It was actually a rather tepid affair that became interesting with six minutes left in the third when the Leafs turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, then blew that lead in the final minute of the period to end up in another OT session.

Instead of a 10th overtime loss, however, the Leafs came up with a win, taking a step back from Steven Stamkos after taking two steps towards the draftable young star earlier in the week. "(The Bruins) are tough to beat when they're ahead," said Sundin afterwards. "That builds a little character for us, I think." Sundin emerged long after his teammates to meet the media, and to meet a little cherubic lad named Michael. Unlike others, he does those types of things quietly, just another way for him to express the affection he has for the franchise and the city. Many, of course, would rather he didn't feel that way these days, that he was anxious to get out of Dodge to some possible Stanley Cup contender.

Funny, that. The best player the team has seen in a decade wants to stay now that times are tough, and some interpret that as disloyalty.

Fletcher, meanwhile, has probably seen enough of this Leaf squad already after 11 games, and last night the home team was atrocious early, allowing the B's to post a 14-1 shots advantage in the early going. Toskala was brilliant, with head coach Paul Maurice apparently intent on whittling the 5-foot-8 Finn down to about 5-5 by season's end with the huge workload he's getting these days. The Silver Fox will get a brief break from the team, heading south to Naples, Fla., today to hobnob with Jackson and representatives of the 28 other NHL clubs on important league matters and, of course, trade possibilities.

Last February, 50 trades were made in four weeks prior to the deadline, but there has been no such flurry this winter, only a single deal that sent Cory Stillman to the Ottawa Senators. The best bet is that once one Western Conference team makes a significant move, others will quickly follow. Dallas, Anaheim and San Jose are eyeballing each other closely, and Detroit has got to be thinking a lot more about making a bigger move with the way Mike Babcock's club has floundered of late.

Fletcher, then, really has to wait and watch the west. That's got to be more interesting than watching games that don't matter.

-> Toronto Star

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Columbus Blue Jackets 3:1 (3:1, 0:0, 0:0)

1:0 (6.) Colaiacovo 2 (Devereaux, Moore)

2:0 (16.) Antropov 21 PP (Sundin, McCabe)

2:1 (16.) Zherdev 24 (Peca, Murray)

3:1 (17.) Kilger 10 (Moore, Gill)

SOG: Leafs 25, Blue Jackets 27.

PIM: Leafs 8, Blue Jackets 10.

PP: Leafs 1/5, Blue Jackets 0/4.

-> Recap

[AustroLeaf]

Können wir bitte bis zum Schluß einfach alles verlieren?

Etwas kontroversielle Meinung von Scott Burnside betreffend Mats Sundin und no-trade clause - stell sie trotzdem mal rein:

If Sundin doesn't waive, Leafs should wave bye-bye to their captain

By Scott Burnside

NAPLES, Fla. -- At some point between now and Feb. 26, Maple Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher will go to captain Mats Sundin on bended knee and ask him in the nicest possible way to waive his no-trade clause so Toronto can begin the long task of rebuilding its rotted vessel.

Whether the team wanting Sundin is Detroit or Anaheim or Montreal or Ottawa, rest assured, it will be a team that will give the 37-year-old Sundin his best shot to win his first Stanley Cup.

No one knows what Sundin will say when this offer is presented to him, but the Leafs' course of action should be very clear if he maintains his stated position that he has no intention of leaving Toronto.

First, Fletcher should immediately strip Sundin of the captain's C. Then, Fletcher should make it very clear he will not re-sign the unrestricted free agent this summer or strongly recommend to the next full-time GM that Sundin not be re-signed.

After all, what kind of role model is Sundin if he refuses to commit the ultimate act of leadership by helping the team he professes to love get better? What kind of leader would prefer not to go to a contender and stay with a team that has no hope to make the playoffs and is already in a much-publicized rebuilding phase? Is this a hockey leader, a player worthy of the captaincy, or is this a man who simply enjoys the prospect of an early trip to his cottage or vacation in Spain every April?

Think that's harsh? Get over it.

This is a team that hasn't won a Stanley Cup in 41 years. The only chance the Leafs have of ever getting back to being a team that can realistically contemplate being a contender is to rebuild -- and that starts with Sundin. He is the focal point, both philosophically and literally. Enjoying one of his strongest seasons, Sundin is coveted by many teams and should yield a top prospect, a first-round draft pick and other assorted spare parts.

This has nothing to do with whether Sundin has been a good and loyal player. He has been. This isn't about his contributions and commitment to the franchise. They have been exemplary. But these things have nothing to do with the reality facing the Leafs.

There are 104 NHL players who have no-trade and/or no-movement clauses in their contracts. Those clauses were given to them by NHL GMs, so you can't blame the players for taking advantage of something that gives them some control over their hockey lives. But at the same time, when a club feels it needs to make a move (and that move involves a player with that kind of clause), it's entirely within their rights to use whatever options they have available to get the deal done.

In St. Louis, the Blues very much wanted to acquire Andy McDonald from Anaheim, but Doug Weight balked at waiving his no-trade clause. The Blues essentially told Weight he wasn't going to fit into their plans and he would be looking at time in the press box and reduced ice time if he didn't agree to the deal.

That had nothing to do with whether Weight was a good guy -- he is. But the Blues needed to move forward and they needed Weight to help them get there, whether he wanted to or not.

The situation handed Fletcher in Toronto following the firing of former GM John Ferguson is untenable. There are five Leafs players with no-trade clauses: Sundin, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina, Tomas Kaberle and Darcy Tucker.

Kaberle, according to reports, has already declined to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a move to Philadelphia. What? Kaberle didn't like the idea of a long playoff run? Was he afraid of missing the World Championships?

What do Kaberle's teammates see when they see him walk through the door now, a player who, fully within his rights, declined to play for a team with a chance? Likewise, any of the others who may be asked to waive their no-trade deals but decline should take a long, hard look in the mirror.

The Leafs' situation is different than that of a player like Wade Redden, who has twice been approached about waiving his no-trade clause by Ottawa GM Bryan Murray. Redden, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is on a team that might well win a Stanley Cup. His refusal to consider moving is understandable.

Sundin and the rest of the Leafs have no such justification.

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Buffalo Sabres 1:5 (0:1, 1:3, 0:1)

0:1 (3.) Campbell 5 (Spacek, Mair)

0:2 (21.) Vanek 26 PP (Spacek, Campbell)

1:2 (23.) Kubina 5 PP (Kaberle, Toskala)

1:3 (29.) Kotalik 15 (Vanek, Lydman)

1:4 (35.) Roy 23 (Vanek, Pominville)

1:5 (60.) Kotalik 16 EN (Gaustad)

SOG: Leafs 35, Sabres 23.

PIM: Leafs 12, Sabres 12.

PP: Leafs 1/5, Sabres 2/5.

-> Recap

[AustroLeaf]

Danke Buffasludge. [x] lottery pick

[Lichtgestalt]

x] lottery pick

du wirst zunehmend viersilbig in letzter zeit.

[Lichtgestalt]

SUITORS WAITING FOR MATS TO MAKE CALL

Will Mats Sundin stay or will he go?

That's what NHL general managers want to know with the clock ticking fast toward the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline. Maple Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher flew home last night armed with a mandate to sit down with the club's captain and find out once and for all if he will waive his "no-movement" clause to go to a contender for the playoffs. While Fletcher was fielding offers from the likes of the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks for Sundin, sources say nobody wants to go any further in discussions until they find out what Sundin plans to do.

Sources say some GMs were upset that Fletcher essentially completed a deal that would have sent defenceman Tomas Kaberle to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for centre Jeff Carter and a draft pick late Sunday. But sources say Fletcher agreed to the trade with Flyers GM Paul Holmgren and then found out from Kaberle's agent Rick Curran that the 29-year-old defenceman had no intention of waiving his no-trade clause. That left the Flyers scrambling to get defenceman Jaroslav Modry from the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday.

"Guys don't want to do deals with (Fletcher) if it gets down to just completing the deal and then Sundin says he's not going to go anywhere," a league executive said yesterday. "I know a lot of the teams that are talking to them want reassurance, otherwise, it's going to be a waste of time for them." There's a strong belief Fletcher hasn't even told Sundin what his plan is going forward. Fletcher said this week he won't ask anybody to waive their "no-movement" clauses until he has something tangible in place. Fletcher maintained he has "carte blanche" to do whatever he needs to improve the Leafs and plans to sit down with members of the organization today to find out what path the club will take in the next five days.

While Fletcher hasn't gotten anything concrete in place, he admitted he has an idea of what he can get for his players. It's believed the Ducks could offer prospect Bobby Ryan and Edmonton's No. 1 selection for Sundin. "I can come home and sit down with the people in our organization and speculate where we might able to get to in certain situations," Fletcher said. "But, I'm not in the position to say: 'We can get Player X or Player Y' for the team. It hasn't reached that stage at all. Based on the feel that I have here, and the dialogue that I've had with people, that seems to be the position that everybody is in."

There weren't any trades completed during the three-day general managers' meetings because teams are trying to figure out what's going to happen with Sundin and Atlanta winger Marian Hossa before deciding on their next move.

Sources say Atlanta Thrashers GM/coach Don Waddell, who left Tuesday because he had to be behind the bench last night, went home to take one more run at signing Hossa, but has told teams interested if Hossa doesn't sign, then he "definitely" will be dealt. "Those guys are holding everything up," an executive said. "There's a real logjam for everyone else."

Several teams have held talks with the Tampa Bay Lightning about defenceman Dan Boyle and the Buffalo Sabres regarding blueliner Brian Campbell. Both will be dealt if they haven't signed new contracts by the trade deadline. "(Boyle) wants to stay in Tampa and we want to keep (Boyle)," Lightning GM Jay Feaster said. "I hope that's a basis to get something done. If I announce an auction tomorrow, there will be a dozen teams that queue up."

As for Campbell, it's believed Sabres general manager Darcy Regier is going to deliver a new long-term contract offer this week and he planned to speak with agent Larry Kelly yesterday. "We've really just had discussions (with other teams about Campbell)," Regier said. "There's more tire-kicking going on than anything else right now."

While Los Angeles GM Dean Lombardi hasn't ruled out dealing Rob Blake, the club hasn't gotten any offers they would consider taking to the veteran defenceman. Lombardi said every player on his roster is available. Asked if he has been getting lots of calls from his friends around the league, Lombardi said: "I don't know if I'd call them friends ... not with what they're offering."

-> Toronto Sun

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Atlanta Thrashers 3:1 (0:1, 1:0, 2:0)

0:1 (12.) Recchi 12 PP (Hossa, Kozlov)

1:1 (24.) Sundin 25 PP (Wellwood, Antropov)

2:1 (43.) Steen 11 (Antropov, McCabe)

3:1 (53.) Antropov 22 (Steen, White)

SOG: Leafs 25, Thrashers 25.

PIM: Leafs 12, Thrashers 10.

PP: Leafs 1/5, Thrashers 1/6.

-> Recap

"No matter what happens I'll always love Toronto and I'm going to love the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's been my home for the last 13 years and that's never going to change. I hope people respect whatever decision's going to come out of this."

[AustroLeaf]

"No matter what happens I'll always love Toronto and I'm going to love the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's been my home for the last 13 years and that's never going to change. I hope people respect whatever decision's going to come out of this."

:LOVE!!!!!!!:

[themanwho]

Leafs have officially asked Mats Sundin to waive his no-trade-clause.

Sundin will aber bleiben (:sleepy: <- im Bezug auf die Situation an sich und dass es soweit kommen musste)