Cindy Crosby 1, Leafs 0

With the loss last night against Pittsburgh, the Leafs are now last in the league in goals against. The team has allowed 24 goals in 6 games. With stats like that, it's as if the Leafs are playing the 1985 Oilers every single game. Simply fucking brutal.

I normally have no problem laying some (or most) of the blame on sub-par goaltending, but this season I can't go there. Toskala and Raycroft haven't been terrible. In fact, I'd call them one of the strengths of the team thusfar.

So, where is the breakdown coming from? Here's a hint:


Yep, you heard it here: the defense has been fucking terrible. Actually, you probably heard it somewhere else too, because the Leafs inability to stop the opposing team's attack is sticking out like a NASCAR fan at the ballet.

I have to say - last night, the loss was pretty much all Bryan McCabe's fault. The Penguins handed him a plate full of his ass with all the trimmings. He was -3 with 3 needless minor penalties taken. Moreover, a McCabe gaffe led to a Nik Antropov penalty after Nik bailed out his defenseman.

I would personally eat an entire dead seagull off the beach to rid the team of the remainder of Bryan McCabe's ridiculous contract. Spending over 7 million per year on a guy that should realistically be a 4th defenseman and powerplay specialist is absolutely disgusting. McCabe is the highest paid Maple Leaf. He is the seventh highest paid player and third highest paid defenseman in the league (behind Nicklas Lidstrom (7.6M) and Zdeno Chara (7.5M)). He cannot be waived, traded, or sent to the minors because of a no movement clause in his contract. It could be said that even when he plays well, his contract is holding the team back. He is the iceberg that is sinking this ship.

The team should be paying McCabe 3 million less than they are - adding another 3 million dollar player to this team, or a superstar at the trading deadline would make the team a realistic competitor in the playoffs. Instead, the Leafs are doomed to barely make the playoffs (...or not) with a payroll that resembles the top teams in the league.

Who knew?
The Leafs are tied for first in the league in goals scored with 22. The co-leaders are the Ottawa Senators who [1] have the best line in hockey, and [2] have played one more game. Sexy time!

p.s. Don't look now but Nik Antropov looks pretty fantastic so far.