The Toronto Star

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The Toronto Star

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Draft Preview 2011

After getting shafted in the Draft Lottery for a consecutive year, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be selecting from the 5th overall position. With no apparent luck in the Lottery, the Leafs may still get lucky come draft day if one of the marquee names drops into their laps. Many believe the Leafs are looking to draft a defensemen and may try to trade up in order to snag top defensemen Adam Larsson but GM Mike Walters has stated otherwise. "I will draft what I deem to be the best hockey player available and if it's not what we are looking for in terms of position, so be it." said in an interview. "While it may look to be a good spot to move up to some, I feel we can't afford to dump future assets in an attempt to get a slightly better player or a more suitable player for our roster. I made that mistake last year and I won't again. We need to start drafting more players and not trading draft picks." Leafs also have a late 3rd round selection as well as their own 5th, 6th and 7th round draft picks.

While many believe the top 4 will consist of any combination of Nugent-Hopkins, Larsson, Landeskog and Couturier, the leafs may get lucky if one these players isn't selected in the first 4 selections. But even if that doesn't happen, the organization still has a pretty difficult selection to make.

Dougie Hamilton, the 6'4 blueliner out of the OHL could be a very fine selection. He has pretty good skating, a solid two way game and a heavy right handed shot.

Nathan Bealieu, the 6'2 defensemen out of the OHL has more offensive skill and playmaking than Big Dougie but is lacking in the defensive zone and is only an average skater.

While anything can happen between now and when GM Mike Walters steps up to the podium to make his selection, rumours suggest Walters is looking at either Beaulieu or Hamilton with many saying he is leaning toward the Dougler.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDBBucVCtsc
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Re: The Toronto Star

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DRAFT REVIEW

After yet another disappointing campaign for the Maple Leafs, fans were looking foward to welcoming some new blood to the organization and possibly get a glimpse of a future star.

5th Overall
Jonathan Huberdeau
The 6'1 center out of Saint-Jérôme, QC is an all around offensive machine. Some may question his two way game but
that didn't stop GM Mike Walters from selecting Huberdeau with the fifth overall selection. Huberdeau is expected to start the season in the AHL.

"I firmly believe Jonathan can grow and mature into a great player." - Leafs General Manager Mike Walters




77th overall(3rd)
Sam Grist
The product of North Saanich, BC. Grist stands 6 feet 4 inches and brings a nasty game to the ice. It could be a risky selection but GM Walters is convinced Grist can become a serviceable blueliner. Grist is expected to start the season in the AHL.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Sam is in our line up come October and not in the AHL. He already has a decent defensive game and works his butt off on and off the ice. I think Sam has the potential to become a trustworthy shut down defensemen."



84th Overall
Henri Auvinen
GM Walters again addressed the teams weakest area, with the selection of the finnish blueliner out of Jyväskylä. Another risky selection but Auvinen's potential was hard to pass up for the Leafs boss. Auvinen is likely to start the season in Finland.

"Auvinen has more of a two way game unlike Grist and can bring other intangibles to the table. Another kid you can depend on to give everything he can every game."



154th Overall
Craig Cunnigham
The small left winger out of Trail, BC, will be a decent AHLer.

"Cunningham has BC blood in his fucken veins. ICE COLD BIOTCH.

160th Overall
Keegan Lowe
The Edmonton born Keegan is son of future hall of hamer, Kevin Lowe.

"His father was straight OG."

184th Overall
Toni Kallela
He'll be a decent AHLer.

"Who the fuck cares about the 7th round?"

One love.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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With a less than half the season left to play, The Toronto Maple Leafs sit 11th in the Eastern Conference and are 7 points out of a playoff spot. With many believing the Leafs would finish another season in the bottom 10; GM Mike Walters has the Leafs in a decent position to make a serious run for a playoff spot. The young buds are starting to produce wins consistently and are only 5 wins away from matching the win totals from the previous two campaigns with 37 games still remaining on the schedule. GM Mike Walters has seen his patience pay off with many young Maple Leafs enjoying career years including franchise player Taylor Hall and second year player Stanislav Gailev while veterans like Keith Yandle are having bounce back years.

After a dismal -28 campaign in 2010-2011, Keith Yandle has easily been Toronto's most consistent player (+10) and has quickly gained respect as a leader on-ice. 5 points away from matching his 2011 totals, Yandle has also enjoyed a healthy season and has not missed any games due to injury. Yandle is the league leader in hits, takeaways, and Turnover ratio while maintaining a Lady Byng-ish discipline with only ONE penalty all season long. Only thing that seems to be bothering Yandle is the fact he is still working on the goose egg in the goal column but GM Mike Walters is not worried.

"Yandle is easily one of the best stories this year, not only for our franchise but for the league. If there was an EHEC comeback player of the year, Yandle is top of that list." - Mike Walters


After going 2nd overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010, Taylor Hall had a somewhat turbulent rise into stardom. Going scoreless for much of the start of his rookie campaign, Hall has developed into one of the best two way forwards in the league and has anchored the first line with the two Russian stars, sniper Alexander Semin and sophomore Stanislav Gailev. At only 20 years of age, Leaf fans are already salivating at the prospect of Taylor Hall becoming a superstar and leading this team to the glory. He may still be a kid when you look at him but he looks like a veteran when he plays, he plays every situation including top minutes on the power play and penalty kill.


Even with the success they've seen so far this season and the growth of the team as a whole, GM Mike Walters is well aware that there is plenty of work to be done. While the top line enjoys career seasons, the 2nd line has been somewhat a revolving door or players and hasn't seen consistent production all season. Turris was injured a couple months and young Kenny Ryan was knocked out for the season early in the campaign and players who were brought in to help, have not lived up to expectations. The trading of Teemu Selanne and Sergei Samsanov has shown that Walters wasn't happy with their production and decided to make some changes. While the secondary scoring has been suspect, the checking lines have been decently consistent. Rookie James Wright stepped into the lineup because of injuries and has not looked back. After a contract dispute at the start of the season, Tim Brent has quietly done his job and kept his mouth shut much to the delight of GM Walters.

"We know as a team that the playoffs are not the main goal of this franchise. We know the strength of the top teams in the league and the only way we can get past them is with patience and effort to grow and get better as a team. All I want my team to do is challenge every night and if we don't make the playoffs, we can still be successful. We're not winning the Stanley Cup this year, players are still playing for jobs and things can still change but I believe we have a great core of players to build around and hopefully success is in the near future," GM Mike Walters
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Re: The Toronto Star

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I like soup.

That is all.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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TorontoGM wrote:I like soup.

That is all.
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Adam Burke
Former Commissioner, Current Jackets GM and Owner of Eastside's Hockey Elite Collide
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Re: The Toronto Star

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TORONTO 2012 DRAFT PREVIEW

Rumours have swirled around for weeks about GM Mike Walters plan for the draft and the 5th overall pick. While many believe Toronto could benefit from possibly moving the pick, some believe there's no way the Maple Leaf boss can pass up on the kind of raw talent that will be available at the number 5 position. The so-called "elite four" will most likely be in jerseys by the time the Leafs are on the clock, but that doesn't mean there isn't a difficult decision ahead for the Vancouver native who just finished his third season as the Leafs GM.

Experts have suggested the Leafs could go off the board and select a big body like Brendan Gaunce who plays a good two-way game and is quite physical but may lack the offense that GM Walters might be looking for. With the best blueliner available, Ryan Murray most likely being drafted within the first 4 picks. The Leafs could look to Morgan Rielly who is a consistent two way defender or Olli Maataa who could step into a pro team role right away. But with multiple picks in the 2nd round, GM Walters could do no wrong by going with the safest pick. With size, skill and good bloodlines, Alex Galchenyuk could be exactly what the Leafs are looking for.

"A smart and creative center with very good puck skills. Galchenyuk moves the puck well in high speed and has quick feet. A constant scoring threat and can set up nice plays. Fairly reliable defensively." (EP 2012)

GM Mike Walters had the following to say regarding Galchenyuk:

"I'm confused, this kid was born in WISCONSIN? But he has Russian accent and drinks vodka by the gallon....."
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Re: The Toronto Star

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DRAFT REVIEW 2012 Part 1 - Trades

Trades:

Back-up Dustin Tokarski was traded to the Bruins for Boston's 2012 3rd rounder before the draft, which was then later packaged with a Toronto 2012 4th rounder for James Wisniewski and Dainius Zubrus. In another trade, Toronto traded completely out of the 5th round, sending all three picks to New York in exchange for a future draft selection. General Manager Mike Walters tweeted the following regarding the trades.

Mike Walters @EHECMapleLeafs
"We felt Dustin was expendable with the arrival of Kent Simpson. We all wish him luck in his future endeavors. #leafs"

Mike Walters @EHECMapleLeafs
"When I heard Tampa was dumping salary, I decided to fill some roster spots with two players who I believe to be good two way guys. #nohomo"
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Re: The Toronto Star

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DRAFT REVIEW 2012 Part 2 - Draft Selections

Round 1

With the 5th selection of the 2012 Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Alex Galchenyuk.
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The speedy forward brings a solid offensive game and will undoubtedly be given the oppurtunity to play with the top 2 lines in pre-season and hopefully make a push for a Regular season roster spot.



Round 2

With the 35th selection of the 2012 Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Mark Jankowski.
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The Ontario born kid, who's Great Uncle is none other than Red motherfucken Kelly was a no brainer for GM Mike Walters. The lanky forward brings a good two way game and will hopefully bring some muched needed grit to the franchise.


With the 36th selection of the 2012 Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Martin Frk.
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After getting who he wanted the pick before, GM Mike Walters went slightly off the board and selected Martin Frk. While still a raw talent, Walters hopes Martin can develop into a quality player.


With the 44th selection of the 2012 Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Mathew Dumba.
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Many “experts” consider him the highest risk/reward prospect, but it's obvicious Dumba's work ethic and passion for the game is what caught Leafs scouts eyes.

Rounds 4,5,6 & 7

#118 Nathan Walker - Project player, will probably be a decent farm player. (Tidbit: Born in Wales, but grew up in Austrailia and plays for the Aussis national team.)

#155 Matej Beran - Another project but is a decent big body, will probably be a regular farm player.

#185 Anton Zlobin - Zlobin? I hardly knew her.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Free Agency Report

With still a hole to fill on the 2nd line, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked poised to make a splash in free agency. Many believed GM Mike Walters was interested in the services of Ales Hemsky and was in serious discussions with his agent, which left fans drooling at the thought of Ales in a Maple Leaf jersey and dreaming of playoff home games. The so-called "race for Hemsky" dominated headlines but was strangly and abruptly brought to an end when it was ruled that Montreal would retain the rights to Ales Hemsky and Anaheim's winning bid would be nullified. None the less, once again Toronto and it's fans lost out on the top prize in the free agent frenzy and were left feeling unsatisfied. But while basically the entire league was consumed in the Hemsky ordeal, one source close to the organization reported that General Manager Mike Walters could be on the verge of acquiring a top six forward via trade. While much isn't known about who the player could be, the source did say that the team involved is a divional rival.


Top Comments

Ilovegrape
36 minutes ago
Divisional rival? wtf is MW smoking? hopefully he's getting a new captain and not another plug. #dvorak

montrealmg
1 hour ago
Toronto just can't do anything right.Francois Allaire takes over as Leafs GM next season

leafsguy692007
9 hours ago
@velvet_elvis: Lidstrom is retired numb nuts, they should trade Entstrom for doughty IMO

velvet_elvis
10 hours ago
MW should trade Enstrom for Lidstrom. #BOOM

newts
11 hours ago
Good riddance. Now let's sign a veteran defender to mentor our younger defense
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Leafs Off-season Report

In a bold and unexpected move, Toronto acquired for Daniel Alfredsson from the Ottawa Senators for a 2013 2nd round draft selection and future considerations. The move meant Toronto finally had a captain who could guide and mentor the Maple Leaf's young line-up. The deal also filled a hole on the 2nd line and hopefully add some much needed secondary scoring to take pressure off Taylor Hall and the russians. In a minor deal, young goaltender Kent Simpson was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins for fellow goaltender Jake Allen.

Projected Line-up:

Alex Semin - Taylor Hall - Stan Gailev

Mikheal Grabovski - Chad Kolarik - Daniel Alfreddson(C)

Rusty Olesz - Dainius Zubrus - Steve Downie

James Wright/Alex Galchenyuk* - Tim brent - Kenny Ryan/Martin Frk

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keith Yandle - James Wisniewski

Tobias Enstrom - Thomas Hickey

Brian Strait - Scott Mayfield

-----------------------------------------------

Marc-Andre Fleury
Jake Allen



With most spots already filled, rookie sensation Alex Galchenyuk is fighting for a job on the Leafs young roster and has shown great skill with 6 points in 7 games . Galchenyuk is expected to start the regular season with the big club over James Wright, who has struggled all pre-season and may find himself starting the year with the Marlies. 2012 3rd rounder Martin Frk has shown great promise but will mostly likely join Wright on the Marlies with 2012 2nd rounder, Mathew Dumba, and 2011 draftee Henri Auvinen. While technically not a rookie, 19 year old prospect Scott Mayfield looks to play a big role in his first full season as a Maple Leaf. Mayfield was solid for Toronto after being acquired from LA, and will be expected to play considerable PK minutes and protect the youngings.


Projected finish: 8th

MA Fleury +5 LE
Mathew Dumba +5 LE
Scott Mayfield +5 LE
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Re: The Toronto Star

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Toronto Maple Leafs Draft Review

4th overall
Lucas Raymond

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The right handed winger out of Göteborg, Sweden was arguably the second best offensive player in the 2020 draft. His offensive prowess and lethal skill are something the young Maple Leafs have been missing since the departure of Taylor Hall. He will hopefully compete and secure a spot on the pro team in 2021, a potential transition year as many of the Leafs core are up for contracts in the summer. Only time will tell if Raymond joins a contending team next season or becomes the new face of yet another rebuild.


12th overall
Jake Sanderson

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The 6'2 defensemen out of Whitefish, Montana was the second blueliner taken in the 2020 draft. His stay at home mentality and defensive attributes will hopefully help solidify the Maple Leafs young defense group in 2021. He will spend the season with the Marlies and a potential late season call up might be a possibility, especially if injuries become a factor. With Pitkanen and Hamilton both with expiring contracts, Sanderson could end up logging big minutes for Toronto in the not so distant future.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Toronto Maple Leafs Top 5 Prospects(excluding 2020 draftees)

Victor Soderstrom

While technically not a rookie and already 56 games into his EHEC career, Soderstrom has already established himself as a mainstay on a very young Toronto blueline. His struggles were well documented in 19/20 but Victor still managed 19 points in 54 games. Despite his ugly plus/minus, he continued to grow and gain confidence in his game while developing into a very nice two-way defensemen. 2020 could be a real break out season for the young swede, and he's not even 20 yet.


Danila Galenyuk

Another member of the under 23 club on the Toronto back end. Danila surprised many, playing all 82 games in 19/20 and quickly gained a reputation for his smart and reliable defensive plays. He continues to develop his offensive skills but with the addition of Pitkanen, he won't be relied upon as much as his rookie campaign. Danila and Soderstrom have shown chemistry early on, and are expected to be the 2nd pairing behind Pitkanen and Hamilton.


Valeri Orekhov

The 3rd oldest defensemen of the top 6, and still only 21 years of age. Orekhov has developed his stay at home style in the AHL and is ready to make the jump and hold down the 3rd pairing with Jett Woo. While he may not offer much offensive punch, Valeri is a consistent competitor who is only going to get stronger. He will however need to keep a look over his shoulder, because sooner or later Sanderson will be called up and Orekhov might be the odd man out.


Ian Scott

The Maple Leafs may be happy with the depth in the crease, it seems Ian Scott just has to work harder and patiently wait for his chance to prove he has what it takes to be in the EHEC. After a solid preseason, Ian will spend the season leading the Marlies and hopefully fine tune his game in hopes of competing for a spot in 2021.


Eetu Luostarinen

Eetu is definitely not the best Finnish player on the roster. He's not gonna score as much of Patrik Laine or throw as big of hits as Alek Barkov or Mikko Koivu, but Eetu will bring that patented Finnish tenacity to the bottom 6 forwards. He could play a big role on the PK as the season continues on.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Toronto Maple Leafs Free Agency Review

In one of the busiest and most active off-season in his tenure with the Maple Leafs, GM Walters made great use of the excess cap space and added three significant pieces to the Toronto line-up.


Mikko Koivu

The 37 year old Finnish forward is coming off one of his most productive seasons with the Florida Panthers. Koivu will bring much needed leadership and experience to a young Toronto Maple Leafs. His versatility and two way game will help take the load off of Alek Barkov and hopefully help guide the young squad toward a possible playoff berth.


Joni Pitkanen

The 37 year old Finnish defensemen is fresh off a injury riddled 19/20 season in which he only appeared in 5 games for the Winnipeg Jets. Already looking strong and confident, the blueliner will be counted on to log big minutes alongside Dougie Hamilton as two veterans try to mentor and lead the young defense corps. He will also be expected to quarterback a powerplay that has struggled with consistency the last couple years.


Calvin Pickard

The 28 year old Canadian had his best career year statistically for the Montreal Canadiens last season and will look to continue his stellar play in Toronto. While he may not have the same level of talent in front of him, he joins a franchise trying to find consistency and stability that they haven't seen since Marc-Andre Fleury left town. Calvin will be in net for the the biggest and toughest match ups and Leafs nation is hopeful he can make the difference.
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Re: The Toronto Star

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Toronto Maple Leafs Season Review Through 11 games cause why not

Sitting at 5-5-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to find consistency as the staff continues to tweak and make adjustments to the line-up. We will review a few positives and negatives from the season so far.


Positives:

Patrik Laine - After an abysmal 2019/2020 season, where he only found the back of the net 11 times and was a staggering -33 in 66 games. Laine has bounced back tremendously so far, with 8 goals and 8 assists and league leading 16 points in 11 games.

Alexander Galchenyuk - Brought in to help provide more playmaking and creativity to the roster, Alexander has produced nicely to begin the campaign with 7 points and a team leading + 9 playing mostly alongside Alek Barkov and Patrik Laine.

Production from the back - While Pitkanen and Hamilton have produced as expected, some surprise offensive bursts from the back end have added some much needed secondary scoring. Valeri Orekhov has a goal and 4 assists while playing mostly in a defensive role. Jet Woo has 2 goals and 4 assists on only 3 shots. One of those goals was also a game winner while playing limited minutes.


Negatives:


Record - At 5-5-1, the Leafs still have work to do but the season is young and there is plenty of time to get things trending in a positive direction.

Powerplay - Sitting in the bottom 10 of the league, the man advantage has failed to produce at the level expected before the season began. They seem to get the chances and shots but struggle to convert on those opportunities. Maybe some puck luck and a little elbow grease can get this half of the special teams rolling.
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