Leafs Win Against Jets Saturday – Who Is On The Move? – Rielly Stepping Up

It has been known for a few weeks now that the Maple Leafs are not making the playoffs this year (surprise surprise) which now means in such a deep draft year the hope of every Leafs fan is for them to topple down the standings in order to get the highest pick in the draft possible.

Saturday night in Toronto the Leafs took on the Winnipeg Jets in spirited effort by both clubs with James Van Riemsdyk potting the winner in overtime. Now although this may be a bummer for Leafs Nation that the team won, the simple fact is that with 23 games remaining in the season, there will be some wins here and there. Leo Komarov started the night for the Leafs with a top corner blast short-handed to take the lead in what ended up being a 4-3 win. Still no Dion Phaneuf back in the lineup but is slated to make his return from Injury Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

With the March 2^nd trade deadline nearing, many names have been tossed into the mix of who could be on the move next for the Leafs. Big names like Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, and Tyler Bozak have been heard in rumours for weeks, but it is the likes of depth player Daniel Winnik to be on the move next. Many teams have shown interest in the surprising Winnik, having been one of the best players on the Leafs roster during the great downfall this year. The Maple Leafs are most likely hoping for a 2^nd round pick as well as a prospect in exchange for Winnik, with teams like the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburg Penguins interested in acquiring his services.

Another one of the bright spots during this brutal season for the Leafs has been their youngest defenseman Morgan Rielly. Head coach Peter Horachek has definitely taken confidence in the 20 year old, and Rielly has rolled with it. Rielly has been on the ice a lot during the last few games, over 25 minutes in the last 3 contests, which is usually reserved for the leagues best. No doubt that ice time will fall when team captain Dion Phaneuf returns on Thursday, but it just goes to show the trust that Horachek has in Rielly, who has shown flashes of brilliance. Fans and Insiders believe although no player seems untouchable on Toronto right now, Morgan Rielly is one player you want sticking around for a long time.

Let the Rebuild Commence

Lots of news this week in Leaf Nation, and we will get to all of it. The Leafs have now lost 22 out of their lasts 25 contests which has brought the Leafs faithful into speculation of what the team should do going forward. Most people would agree that it is time to rebuild the club by trading most everyone on the roster and build a new team through the draft.

Having said that, a report came out earlier this week that Leafs president Brendan Shanahan got permission from the MLSE board to commence with a total rebuild. Since hockey is a business, Shanahan needed the approval of a rebuild from the owners because a rebuild can affect their financials. Shanahan has a vision and he believes you need to get worse before you can get any better. A typical rebuild will probably take 3-5 years to draft young prospects and develop them into a cup contending team. All the leagues top teams including the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings have been through rebuilds drafting franchise players like Drew Doughty and Jonathan Toews. The first of many trades for the leafs followed this Sunday.

On Sunday, the Leafs traded much sought after unrestricted free agent Cody Franson, and feisty depth player Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators for 1 first round pick, prospect Brendan Leipsic, and veteran centre Olli Jokinen. The first round pick gives Toronto two picks in the upcoming draft. Although it will be a late first round pick from Nashville, the Leafs are going the route of a rebuild. Mike Santorelli has been a inexpensive asset for the Leafs this season, but contract talks were going nowhere. Brendan Leipsic is a young gritty skilled player, who cancels out Mike Santorelli. Many fans in Leafland scratched their head when they acquired 37-year-old Olli Jokinen. Jokinen has struggled this season, being a healthy scratch for Nashville on multiple occasions. The truth of the matter is that Nashville wanted to dump Jokinen as him going to Toronto had to be part of the deal. It is almost certain that Jokinen wont be apart of the Leafs future plans, and he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and the Leafs will let him walk. In an ideal scenario, the Leafs will flip Jokinen to a playoff team and will probably take any return on him.

Many believe this is the first of many trades coming. It seems almost no one is untouchable on the Leafs roster including elite sniper Phil Kessel, and team captain Dion Phaneuf.

Leafs Put An End to Worst Losing Streak in Franchise History

Last week the Toronto Maple Leafs set a new franchise record, but not one that fans will ever brag about. The team lost its 11^th consecutive game marking an all time worst losing streak in the history of the team.

However this past Saturday night the Leafs did something they haven’t done in almost a month. Win a game. The Leafs lackluster offense as of late finally exploded against the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-1 win this weekend. Goals came from secondary scorers such as Peter Holland, Richard Panik, Mike Santorelli, and a beautiful end to end solo effort by young defenseman Morgan Rielly.

James Reimer started back-to-back nights, something he hasn’t done all year. An emotional Reimer called out his teammates lack of passion after Fridays loss, and according to head coach Peter Horachek, has started to step up as a leader in the Leafs dressing room, which has led to the confirmation today at Leafs practice that James Reimer will get the nod for Tuesdays tilt against the New York Rangers. Although Jonathan Bernier is slotted as the leafs number one goalie, the Leafs bench boss intends to roll with the goalie who he feels gives the team the best chance to win on a particular night.

The likes of Phil Kessel, James Van Riemsdyk, and Tyler Bozak have been known to be the leafs most offensive and elite players in the past few seasons, however their lack of productivity has had the trio bumped to the third line at times during games, and most recently in the Leafs practice today. It is evident the three players will get back on track eventually, as they have been getting their chances, but not necessarily getting any “puck luck”.

Tank Nation

I feel like I am starting to sound like a broken record. The end of another week for the Leafs brings another few losses. The Leafs have now lost 9 games in a row now and end the month with their lowest scoring January in franchise history.

Man, it really sucks writing this blog about something you are passionate about and really having nothing positive to say week after week, but sometimes that is the sad reality of being a Maple Leafs fan.

As the points slip away (only capturing 7 of the last 40 possible points), Leafs fans are not so much looking to a playoff push anymore, but rather to continue to tumble down the standings for a better chance to draft the highly skilled 19 year-old Connor McDavid. Who is Connor McDavid you ask?

McDavid, currently playing for the Erie Otters of the OHL, is the most talked about draft eligible player since Sidney Crosby was drafted in 2005. The young Canadian phenom helped bring back the world junior gold medal back to Canada, for the first time in 5 years. McDavid was granted exceptional player status allowing him to be drafted to the OHL at the tender age of 15, which is one year earlier than normal. He has an outstanding 72 points in 28 games this season with the Otters making him the clear cut choice for any NHL club looking to turn the tide in years to come.

There is no doubt the Leafs would love to land a player of this caliber and would mark the start of a new era for the organization. The Leafs would have to continue to play at the brutal level of hockey to even have a chance to get McDavid, as any teams finishing in the bottom 5 in the league will get the opportunity to do so.