ROAAAD TRIP!

Well, the first part of the season is over. Mercifully. Let's take a quick look back. You know what, no, let's not. Let's look ahead at our upcoming road trip and how we might fare. It'll be good for the new Leafs to take their first road trip as a team. Bob Segar, gas stations, road beer... it could be a place to pull something together. Of some form. The Leafs are actually getting a harder time from their fans then their enemies at this point (not the first or last time) so I'm thinking this just might be what the doctor ordered.

I've got hopes that it works out a bit like Almost Famous. The part where they sing Tiny Dancer. Not the part where they confess to sleeping with each others girlfriends, homosexuality, and vehicular manslaughter.

No wait, that's an Ottawa Senators road trip. Kelly Ripa!

I've amused myself to the point that I want to stop this blog right here. I will resist and continue.

SATURDAY: Vancouver

The Leafs roll into Vancouver. James Reimer is expected to get the start when Macdonald is sidelined following Kyle Wellwood confusing him with "McDonalds" and taking a bite out of his arm. The Leafs will spend the majority of the first period in the box as the Canucks think of clever ways to accuse them of tampering. Penalty kill will need to be strong.

Luke Schenn is expected to sit out this game and I can't help but root for this decision. Schenner has been pretty brutal all year and it's good to see Wilson actually show that players are accountable and benching the golden boy is a great way to walk the walk.

MONDAY: Anaheim

Jason "Casper" Blake is not expected to play after attempting to get a tan all day and being too sunburned to play. Vesa Toskala has actually been faking a knee injury as he's really suffering from the same burn from the red light burning the back of his neck. Bobby Ryan sees Brian Burke again and is frightened into scoring eleven goals and ending his slump. Similarly, I've got high hopes that coming back to Anaheim triggers Francois Beauchemin's memories of actually a being capable hockey player.

The good news is we'll have a capable goaltender in net for the first time in ages. Gustavsson or JS Giguere. The better news is we've got the possibility of a George Parros/Ian White moustache battle.

WEDNESDAY: Dallas

I hate Dallas. I hate Ribeiro, I hate Brendan Morrow, I hate Steve Ott. I do like when they sing the american national anthem and the crowd says STAAARS, though. But that's it.

I'm going to be liveblogging this game.

FRIDAY: Buffalo

Funny, if this is a home game, then why is everyone supporting the Leafs?

SATURDAY: Montreal

And everything comes full circle. I've got hopes that maybe this can be the game the Leafs pass the Canadiens in the standings. Maybe that's not realistic. But it's something to think about. What would be better than to see Komisarek, Grabo, and the rest of the Leafs hand it to the Canadiens in front of all their fans?

PREDICTION:
WINS: Canucks, Stars, Canadiens
LOSSES: Ducls, Sabres

L&L

Your 2009 Leafs: Plus/Minus (Part II)

So, Captain Mats called it a career today. I'm not going to write a column on this but I can't just not mention it. Glad to see he retired quickly so we can just appreciate him for what he was instead of wondering what he's doing all year. Apparently this decision was made easier by an offer to tour Sweden in a public speaking circuit about the importance of quick decisions. Anyway.

The other day we went over the Leafs forwards and we're going to pick off right where we ended and review the blueline and goaltending. Part of me is surprised we've still got ten NHLish defencemen and I can't help but think someone is getting dealt fairly shortly. The most likely candidate is Ian White as he is low cost, coming off the books at the end of the year, and to be honest probably has the most value of any of the Leafs blueliners (minus the top four). Anyway, for now, we're all still here so let's get right down to it.

TOMAS KABERLE
+ Strong puck moving skills and the best first pass on the team
+ One of the NHL's finest PP quarterbacks
+ Has the same giant eyebrows as Peter Gallagher
+ Potential to have a break out season with some added toughness around him and without Cam Janssen trying to make him into the next Steve Moore
- Isn't Jeff Carter and a 1st Rounder

MIKE KOMISAREK
+ Gives Tomas Kaberle room to move forward with his stay-at-home style
+ Will piss off Montreal fans for years to come
+ Is a massive, physical, shot blocking defenceman
- Still smells like poutine and cigarettes

LUKE SCHENN
+ Can follow up on a strong rookie season with a strong defense corps around him both to learn from and to relieve him of excessive ice time
+ Can now buy beer in Canada
- Cannot buy beer in the US
+ Is Luke Schenn
- Sexually excites Pierre Maguire

FRANCOIS BEAUCHEMIN
+ Might be the sleeper pick for best free agent signing of the summer
+ Hammer slapshot brings me back to the Kaberle/McCabe days on the powerplay (minus McCabe's defensive woes and fetish for giveaways)
+ True complete player: offensive upside rounded out by solid defensive play
+ Great fighter (but understands he's too important to be taking a significant amount of five minute penalties)
- Sounds like he should play for Montreal
+ Doesn't play for Montreal

IAN WHITE
+ Moustache
+ Versatile, hard working, honest player
+ Great on the powerplay
- May get traded and make me cry
- May shave moustache and make me cry

GARNET EXELBY
+ The hardest hitting defenceman in the league (minus Dion Phaneuf)
+ No BS, "off the glass" puck clearing style
- Off-season diet composed of rocks and trees
- Pre-season diet composed of shinpads and Jason Allison's soul

JEFF FINGER
+ Actually has pretty strong numbers in points, hits, and blocked shots
+ Is a very solid bottom two defenceman
- Gets paid like a Norris Trophy winner

MIKE VAN RYN
+ Really strong offensive defenceman
- Will probably be the end of free health care in Canada

CARL GUNNARSSON
+ Strong preseason: he wouldn't still be on the roster otherwise
+ Reminds of me Gunnar Stahl of Mighty Ducks fame (Good game, Captain Duck)
- Won't make the team

VESA TOSKALA
+ Has the silliest interview voice since Dominik Hasek
+ Has a chance to prove himself now that he's finally healthy
+ Will hopefully get the same kind of competition with Gustavsson as he did with Nabokov
- Doesn't seem to enjoy stopping pucks
- Lacks size to the point that he looks like he should play on the Canadiens first line

JONAS GUSTAVSSON
+ Big goalie with great reflexes and rapid crease movement
+ Has the city of Toronto singing his name
- The Toronto fans may pressure him to the point that he curls up into a ball and either goes insane or gives up on hockey to focus on shooting Bootlegger ads.

JOEY MACDONALD
+ Strong season last year with an awful Islanders team
+ Strong preseason
+ Gives us the ability to trade Toskala if Gustavsson is as good as he's supposed to be
- Was put on Waivers to go to the Marlies and will probably be claimed as the Isle's 8th back-up

Also...LEAFS/HABS. TOMORROW.

L&L