The Day Ahead

It seems the Steve Simmons article I linked to yesterday has generated quite the buzz in the hockey world. Leafs' management has given their typical response, void of any information and full of corporate-speak. JFJ has downright denied trying to fire Paul Maurice. Paul Maurice said he is looking for the dressing room leaders to change the course of the team.

In short, nobody is taking responsibility for a forgettable season, and nobody within the organization seems alarmed that the team is as low in the standings as an expansion team. 'Tis a typical day in Leafs Nation, I suppose.

The Leafs' season thusfar, explained in one image.

The Leafs are back in Toronto tonight to take on the Canadiens. This game might be what the Leafs need, as they have a 2-0-1 record this season against Montreal, who have lost 5 of their last 8. It should be noted, however, that the Leafs haven't fared much better of late (1-4-2 over last 7 games). Divisional rivalries are often great matchups featuring two teams pulling out all the stops to better their opponent, but considering these teams' recent play, tonight's game might look more like fancy boys fighting over an autographed Rip Taylor t-shirt.

Random Pre-Game Notes:
- Expect Vesa Toskala to start for Toronto, and Carey Price to start for Montreal.

- Mark Bell leads the Leafs in penalty minutes with 35 - despite missing 15 of 24 games - and averages only 8:35 of icetime per game. I'm not sure this is an accomplishment. I'm also not sure Bell is being used in the right role on this team; the man can score almost as well as he can drink and drive!

- The Leafs own a laughable .167 win percentage when leading after 1 period. Translation? They lose 5 of 6 games in which they're ahead going into the first intermission. How is that even possible?

- Maybe even more comical is that the Leafs' win percentage when leading after 2 periods is only .500. Yep, one of every two leads is blown in the third period.

- With stats like these, the team has more chance at Steve Stamkos than a playoff spot. And, at this point in the season, isn't the smarter move to make the push for last place overall - in order to have the best shot at the #1 overall draft choice next summer in the draft lottery - rather than making the push for the 8th playoff spot? Placing 8th would only match the Leafs up against Ottawa, a team they're incapable of beating over a 7 game series.

10 Degrees of Kevin Bacon
Ok, this has nothing to do with Kevin Bacon, but David Amber's latest '10 Degrees' column looks at the top 10 'nightmare contracts' in the NHL's new-ish salary cap world. You may be asking yourself how this applies to the Leafs, but I'd question your mental health if you were. Our good friends Pavel Kubina (#9) and Bryan McCabe (#2) both made the list. Way to go, boys!