Leafs Win...And I Post Nothing

Yours truly was one of the lucky few (thousand) that was at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night to see the Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. OK, the game really wasn't great, but the good guys won - despite a partial 3rd period collapse - and I was fall down drunk in my fancy standing room "seats". Boner of a night.

Sidney Crosby was absolutely invisible during the game. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed he was a run-of-the-mill 2nd or 3rd line player based on his performance on Saturday. Once-in-a-generation players aren't supposed to disappear for entire games like that, and it furthers my theory that Crosby is not. Crosby is absolutely a franchise player - the type of player you build a team around - but I am still not convinced he is in the Bobby Orr / Wayne Gretzky / Mario Lemieux mold.

Let me get one more thing off my back: Gary Roberts. This is a player that is still regarded as a nice rental player for any team planning to do damage in the playoffs. A player that will make any team he is on better. I am here to tell you that Gary Roberts is finished, and has been since his last season in Toronto. Before you attack me, let me say this: Roberts has produced for a long time in the NHL, and overcome things that deserve a standing ovation when he hangs the skates up. Moreover, he is a great character guy and leader. But, as a player, he is done. Roberts looked terrible on Saturday night, taking 3 penalties and going -1. He is still capable when within 10 feet of the opposition's net, but is a liability everywhere else. Watching Roberts in Toronto was agony; he simply can no longer do the things that an effective player can, but you want to cheer for him because he's a great guy who has overcome a lot. Saturday night was a little easier as he was on the opposing team, so his mistakes only helped the home team.

The best Maple Leafs article you will read all season:
Bold statement, sure, but CBC's Alex Shprintsen (writing for The Globe & Mail) took a look at the Leafs' draft history over the past 20 years as an explanation of their futility over the same period. Go read it. Now.

Eklund's ramblings:
Seems Eklund at hockeybuzz.com is hot with rumours (again). This time, there are rumblings of a shake-up in Tampa Bay that may see Vinny Lecavalier dealt. The Leafs and Canadiens are apparently the two most interested teams. The short version is here:

"So does that mean that Vinny LeCavalier, perhaps the best player in the world, could be gone?

Sources say yes, and point to the the fact that a ransom could be gotten that could include a young goalie and several top players for Vinny. All of who could be slotted into the Tampa line-up and make the team more affordable...and maybe even more of a contender."

I'd love to blow some smoke up your ass about how the Leafs can land Vinny, but the simply reality is that Montreal can offer much more than can the Leafs. The talk of a young goaltender than can immediately play for the Lightning is the nail in the coffin; the Leafs simply don't have that. Montreal has both Carey Price and, more realistically, Jaro Halak as trade bait. The Leafs have the less talented Justin Pogge but he is not NHL-ready as of yet.

Of course, this doesn't even speak to the 'top players' mentioned by Eklund. Montreal can offer better young players than can Toronto. Moreover, Toronto's top players have contracts that make trading them quite difficult. And, considering that Tampa Bay is trading Vinny mostly due to financial reasons, I really can't see the Lightning taking on significant contracts in return.

In short, trading for Vincent Lecavalier would be a franchise-altering move, and would be the first time in the history of the Leafs that they have employed the best player in the league (while he was on the top of his game)...but don't hold your breath waiting for this move to happen.