Gold Medal Hockey Thoughts and Fun Facts

If you asked me a few weeks ago how many goals Canada would score on there way to a gold medal I would have said 25 to 30 over 7 games.  Canada would easily rack up 4 or more goals against weaker teams like Norway, Austria and Latvia.  Similarly, if you asked me how many goals against I would have thought 10 to 12 over 7 games.  I thought against teams like Finland, USA and Sweden they would likely get scored on twice per game.  So, I was extremely surprised that Canada scored only 17 goals and only 3 goals against.

2014 - Men's Olympic Champions - Team Canada

I'm not complaining that we won gold.  But, I was hoping for more entertaining hockey and I watched all the Canadian Men's games and some of the other games.  Frankly, I thought the best Men's game of the tournament was when the United States beat Russia in the shoot-out during the preliminary round.  That game had a lot more two-way hockey than the stifling defense as played by Canada, Sweden, Finland and Latvia.  Also, TJ Oshie was just amazing to watch in the shoot-out. If you have not seen that, get yourself to Youtube.  Overall, the best hockey games I watched at the tournament were played by Canada's women vs the USA.  That was great two way hockey and the come from behind win to beat the USA for gold was magical.

2014 - Women's Olympic Champions - Team Canada

What gets me excited about Olympic or World Cup hockey is the talent levels of the top countries in the world.  However, the stifling play on the International ice and the use of the trap and clogging of the slot does not make for exciting hockey.  In all frankness I could not watch 82 games and the Stanley Cup Playoffs on International sized ice.  It would be too boring and I think most fans would rather watch a 4-3 game to say 2-1 game.  You need changing scores and fast scoring chances to keep fans interested.  That's my two cents.

Fun Facts and Stats Leaders:

• Per the IIHF after Canada won the Olympic Gold we moved up 2 ranks to 3rd best Hockey Nation in the world.  Previously, Canada was ranked fifth. Of course this is after winning two consecutive Olympic Gold Medals.  Sweden and Finland ranks first and 2nd respectively after the Olympics.   I could not find an explanation of the ranking system.

Teemu Selanne - The Highest Scoring Olympian of All-Time

• Teemu Selanne competed at 43 years old and in his 6th Olympics for Finland.  With the 4 goals and 2 assists in 2014 he padded his record for most points at the Olympics to 24 goals, 19 assists for a total of 43 points.  He was also selected as the MVP of the tournament.
• Chris Pronger (1998 to 2010) and Martin Brodeur (1998 to 2010) are tied with the most appearances as a Canadian NHL player with 4 tournaments.  Pronger played in 25 games as compared to Brodeur who in two of those tournaments he did not play a single game (1998 and 2010).  He has in 10 starts - 6 wins, 3 losses and 1 Tie.
• Roberto Luongo with is his 1 shutout win against Austria has the most wins of any Canadian NHL goaltenders with 7.  His two shut-outs put him in a 3 way tie with Carey Price and Martin Brodeur. Roberto Luongo has appeared in 3 Olympic tournaments.

Jarome Iglina

Jarome Iglina holds the record as the Canadian NHL Player with most goals 10 and most points at 14 in 19 games played over 3 tournaments.  Iglina's Canadian point record will likely be broken at the next tournament by one of these players. 

For more fun facts see my previous blog regarding Men's Olympic Hockey.

Canada's Active Point Leaders:

Players	Age	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Shea Weber (D)	28	13	5	7	12
Jonathan Toews (C)	25	13	2	9	11
Sydney Crosby (C)	26	13	5	5	10
Ryan Getzlaf (C)	28	13	4	6	10
Drew Doughty  (D)	24	13	4	4	8

I was surprised to learn that Shea Weber is Canada's current point leader, but it makes perfect sense because in the last two Olympic tournaments Canada has gotten almost half of its goals by a defensemen.  It is likely that all of these players will participate in the next Olympics if they are healthy.

After the above players there is a points drop and most players have only a few points after participating in 1 or 2 Olympic tournaments.

Two Players Tested Positive for Doping:

At the tournament two hockey players tested positive for doping and only one was an NHL player.  Nicklas Backstrom got pulled prior to playing the Gold Medal game because he had allergy medicine in his blood, which was daily 'Claritin' like pill that he had been taken for 7 years.  The other was a Latvian Vitalijs Pavlovs for takings a stimulant called methylhexaneamine which is similar to ephedrine.  The latter never played in the NHL. This was only the third time in history a player has tested positive for a banned substance or having a blood level higher on non-prohibited substance.  In 2002 Mattias Ohlund tested positive for a drug that was prohibited after getting eye surgery, however he was allowed to play throughout the tournament.  In my mind it cheapens Canada's gold medal that Backstrom was unable to play over an allergy pill.  It is always best to win cleanly with both teams putting out there best rosters.

Looking back since the NHLers started participating in the Olympics in 1998 it is satisfying to know that our players and sport are clean.  The record books are not tainted with steroids, 'Balco', and various scandals that occurred in Major League Baseball.  All that drama that is going to permeate for years and the controversy will be ever present at Cooperstown.  Our (Toronto) Hockey Hall of Fame and record book remains asterisk free.  

Was Olympic Hockey that exciting to watch for you?  Could you watch 82 games and the Stanley Cup Play-offs on International Sized Rink?  Add your thoughts below.

Creamy Horseradish Topping (aka Horseradish Aioli)

This little piggy like his roast beef with horseradish and I prefer mine to be the naughtier creamier variety.  But, I have bought pre-made 'Creamy Horseradish' and have been disappointed with the long list of chemicals/preservatives in the ingredients and 'tinny' taste from the food additive.  By chance I stumbled upon this recipe to do it oneself and it takes a couple of minutes and tastes great.

If you like horseradish this recipe could be used to make a tasty garnish for hamburgers, sausages and sandwiches. This recipe takes 2 minutes to make and just a few dishes.  The recipe below makes enough horseradish for 4 to 6 servings of roast beef.  Bon Apetit!

Creamy Horseradish Aioli
Combine in a Small Bowl:
	1/2 Cup (125ml) Mayonnaise or Light Mayonnaise
	1/4 Cup (60ml) Sour Cream or Light Sour Cream
	2 TBSP (30ml) Extra Hot Prepared Horseradish
	1 TSP (5ml) Worcestershire Sauce
Steps:
	1) Stir above ingredients until mixed.
	2) Cover and refrigerate until needed.  You can make this several hours ahead.  Put dip in a serving dish and enjoy.
	3) Optional - Sprinkle serving dish with dried parsley flakes or minced chives for effect.

Additions and Substitutions:

• Since you are blending the horseradish into the topping using Extra Hot makes sense to get the right taste.  If you do no like your horseradish as strong use 'normal' prepared horseradish.
• I have made this recipe using both light and normal mayonnaise and I found that you don't need the full fat version.  However, light mayonnaise has far more additives and preservatives.  Same with light sour cream versus full fat sour cream.

What I Learned in Making this Recipe:

• Aioli is just a fancy word for mayonnaise and is commonly used in Southern France and Catalan part of Spain.  It is an emulsification of olive oil, garlic, egg yolks and lemon juice, for more details see wikipedia. 

Did you like this recipe? Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions? Please add them below.

Lemon & Basil Chicken Breasts

This is a tasty recipe that can be made year round as most grocery stores you can easily find fresh lemons and basil.  It takes just a few minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of time in the oven.  The coating will keep the chicken breasts moist and is healthy substitution as compared to the tasty chicken skin.  The portion of this recipe is for 2 servings, but simply doubling the ingredients you can make it for 4 people ore more.  You can marinated hours ahead and taken out of the fridge when ready to cook.  I would serve these chicken breasts with a fresh green salad or light pasta such as my Cherry Tomato and Fresh Pesto Pasta.  Also, I find that an off-dry white wine goes best with recipes that involve herbs and chicken such as a Chablis or Riesling.

Lemon & Basil Chicken with Pasta Side

Lemon & Basil Chicken Breasts
Combine in a Small Bowl:
	1 TSP (5ml) Canola Oil
	1 TBSP (15ml) Dijon Mustard
	1/4 (60ml) Cup Loosely Packed Fresh Chopped Basil
	2 TSP (10ml) Grated Lemon Rind
	1 TBSP (15ml) Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
	1 Clove Garlic Minced
	1/4 TSP Salt
	1/4 TSP Pepper
Add:
	2 Skinless Chicken Breasts
Steps:
	1) Pre-heat oven to 350' Fahrenheit.
	2) Combine ingredients above in a medium bowl and stir.
	3) Add chicken and thoroughly coat meat.
	4) Place on a roasting pan or baking sheet.  Cook in oven for 30 minutes until chicken is just start getting golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.
You can make this up to 8 hours ahead if you cover and refrigerate the chicken.  Leftover chicken if chopped and combined with mayonnaise makes a great chicken salad on a sandwich.

Ingredients for Lemon & Basil Chicken

Step 2: Ingredients combined to make Marinade

Chicken Prior to Cooking

Chicken after Cooking

The Finished Product

Substitutions:

• You can substitute the 1/4 cup of fresh basil for a 1/4 cup of parsley for a different taste.  Alternatively, for a more French taste you could use 1 TBSP of fresh tarragon in lieu of basil or parsley.  Tarragon is a lot stronger in taste and thus less is needed.  

What I Learned in Making This Recipe:

• You can use a classic box grater to grate lemon rind or just as easily use a lemon zester and then just chop the peel strips into small pieces.  I find the latter less dangerous and lemon zester can be put in the dishwasher.
• If you have a 'classic' oven where the heat comes from the bottom this recipe takes about 30 minutes.  However, if you have a convection roast function the chicken takes about 25 minutes. A visual sign that chicken is cooked is if you cut through the center of the breast and see no pink and the juices run clear.  Alternatively, you can use a meat thermometer and see if the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 180' Fahrenheit.  

Did you enjoy this? Have a question or suggestion?  Please add your comments in the field below.  

Winter Cold: Try Cock-a-Leekie Soup

With Winter not easing up at all this February in Toronto, it is nice to have a tasty soup to warm up with.  This recipe is fairly easy and does not require blending like most of other recipes that I have shared.  It serves 4 hearty portions and takes about 45 minutes including prep time.  Per Wikipedia this soup is French in origins, but it has also been called "Scotland's National Soup."  I can confirm it is both tasty and not that hard to make.   Hope you enjoy.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Cock-a-Leekie- Soup
Ingredients:
	2 TBSP of Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil
	2 Cups (500ml) Sliced Leeks (white and light green parts)                     Which is Approx 2 Medium Leeks
	2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, Cubed in 1/2 Inch Pieces
	6 Cups (1.5L) Sodium Reduced Chicken Stock
	3/4 Cup (175ml) Long Grain Rice
	1 Strip of Lemon Peel (1/2 cm wide and about 5cm long)
	1 Dried Bay Leaf
	TT Salt
	1/2 TSP Pepper
	1/4 Cup (63ml) Chopped Fresh Parsley
Steps:
	1) Cut bottom end off of leek and top of leeks after the light green parts.  Discard bottom and top. Cut leaks in half to split open.  Rinse leeks in hot water to ensure sand/soil is removed from inside and let drain in a colander.
	2) Slice leeks into large strips about 1cm wide and 4 cm long. Measure 2 cups.
	3) In a stock pot or large saucepan heat oil over medium heat.  Add Leeks and cook for 5 minutes.
	4) Add cubed chicken pieces and continue to fry about 4 minutes or until the chicken is no longer visibly pink.
	5) Add chicken stock, rice, lemon peel, and bay leaf; bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook 25 minutes and until rice is tender.
	6) Fish out bay leaf and lemon peel discard (use tongs or a slotted spoon).  Season with salt to taste and pepper.  Add parsley and serve.
Soup will last up to 3 days in the fridge, although the rice will lose its consistency and expand. It is best to serve and eat after preparing.

Ingredients for Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Step 3: Sauteing Leeks on Medium-High Heat

Step 4: Add Chicken and Fry for 5 Minutes

Step 5: Add Chicken Stock, Rice, Lemon Peel and Bay Leaf

 Step 5: Almost Finished Cooking 

Cock-a-Leekie Soup with Garnish of Parsley

Additions and Suggestions:

• Unlike a lot of soups I have prepared in which I have suggested various garnishes often sour cream, shredded cheese or home made bacon bits, I have no suggestions for this soup. 

What I've learned in making this soup:

• Leeks have a more subtle taste than onions and they are part of the same family of plants that include both garlic and onions.  They are great boiled into soups or fried in butter/oil as part of a stir fry.  It is best to eat the white parts and light green parts.
• Leeks are a good source of many vitamins including vitamin A, B6, Folate. K and minerals including manganese and iron.  Leeks have been eating by people since at least the second millennium BCE including by Egyptians and Mesopotamians.
• When preparing leeks it is best to cut off the bottom and top just where it stops being at the light green and to thoroughly rinse in a colander to get the sand/dirt out.  
• When cutting the peel of a lemon it is best to use a fresh lemon that is scrubbed and to use a sharp paring knife.  

Have a favorite soup for Winter?  Have an addition to this recipe?  Please share it below. 

Toronto Maple Leafs - Who to Sell

Yesterday's blog I analyzed the Toronto Maple Leafs and explained why I think they should be sellers at the trade deadline.  Today, I tell you who they should sell and what I think they could get for them.

What the Leafs Could Do:

Unfortunately, the Leafs are right up against the cap and can not take on expiring/bad contracts like Burke did in the past along with acquiring decent prospects or picks.  I can see Brian Burke likely doing this with the Calgary Flames. So what options does Dave Nonis have? Well the following players do not have trade clauses and thus could potentially be easily moved.

1) Trade Nikolai Kulemin - He's the current longest serving Maple Leaf and he sitting third on either wing on the depth chart. He's proven capable two-way winger and can play second line minutes.  He's in the final year of $2.1M contract, thus has a reasonable cap hit for a contender.  The Leafs could likely get 2nd round pick or a decent prospect for him.  Kulemin is on the Russian Olympic Team and a strong play in these games could improve his value.  Previously Kulemin had success during the last NHL strike playing with  Evgeni Malkin for Mettalurg Magnitogrosk in the KHL.  He had 38 points (14/24) in 36 games.  He could be a good addition for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2) Trade David Bolland - He's been injured for the majority of the season and has only played in 15 games. Bolland is a proven capable third line center, but his opportunity to be second line center was limited with the Leafs. At the beginning of the season he scored 10 points in 15 games, Leafs also won their first 10 of their 15 games with him in the line-up.  But, the Leafs most recent win streak coincided with Bozak's return to the line-up.  Bolland has proven to be solid in the play-offs with his 2 Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, would they want him back?  Many teams in both conferences could use him as a depth at center.  The Leafs paid a 2nd round pick and 2 4th round picks to get him and likely as rental the Leafs could a 2nd round pick for him or a decent prospect.  He's a UFA at the end of the season and $3.375 cap hit.

3) Trade Cody Franson - He's an RFA at the end of the season and is earning $2M at the moment.  He's a capable offensive defenceman and has 4 rounds of play-off hockey experience, mostly with the Nashville Predators.  He's be good on the 2nd or 3rd pairing on a play-off team and leading the 2nd pair on the power play.  With Franson likely going to push for a new contract around $4.5M the Leafs are going to have to choose how much they want to spend on their defense. Also, with Gardiner and Rielly playing a similar game with more potential upside and Franson not using his 6ft5 frame aggressively I can see him elsewhere.  I think Franson would be worth a late round 1st pick or 2nd round pick and good prospect.  

  

4) Nazem Kadri - He's a young NHL player with a growing upside, but has not demonstrated that he's the answer to the elite center that Toronto needs to win.  He's also an RFA and signed for an affordable $2.9M for next season.  He would not be the answer for a play-off contending team unless they had an injury at wing, but he may desirable player to a team that wants to rebuild quicker (Calgary, Edmonton, NYI, etc.) and could garner the Leafs a high 1st round pick and a solid prospect.  A healthy Bolland plays more of a two-way game and is prone to less turnovers.  Kadri is also less needed at wing with Kessel, Van Riemsdyk, Lupul and Clarkson all signed long term.    

5) The Other UFAs - C Jay McClement and LW Mason Raymond are both on affordable contracts and are capable of playing third line minutes.  McClement is a penalty kill specialist and shot blocker,  he'd be solid depth on the 4th line of a play-off contender.  He may be able to fetch 4th round pick or long shot prospect.  Mason Raymond is smaller forward and speedster, he averages a point every second game and he'd be offensive depth on 3rd line.  Again, maybe you could get 4th round pick. 

The Old Fashion Hockey Trade:

Nowadays a fair number of players have 'modified no trade clauses' and for some you can only trade a player with his permission and other players are contractually required at the beginning of each season to provide a specified number of teams they are willing to be traded to.  With the latter I wonder how many players have Edmonton, Winnipeg or Nashville on that list.  But, saying that teams can greatly benefit if you can make a win-win trade.  As a hockey fan it would be wildly speculative of me suggesting trades and it would largely based on what 'puckheads' are saying to fill air time.  But, saying that I've suggested a few ideas for David Nonis.

1) Trading RW David Clarkson to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for 1st Round Pick and Solid Center or Defenceman Prospects.

This trade would make sense for both teams.  Clarkson has had a terrible season in Toronto and played very well for New Jersey Devils.  Clarkson wanted a pay day and that is why he left, and has a modified no trade clause.  This would give New Jersey second line winger and help the team remain competitive with a player who does not take the night off.  Also, he would be a good role model for New Jersey as they rebuild. Also, Jagr may choose to retire at season end and that would leave them a player short on the right side. For Toronto this would get other players in the system and potentially one of these could be the core player that will help the Leafs become a contender.

2) Trading D Cody Franson, F Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche for C Ryan O'Reilly and 3rd round pick or prospect.

Colorado has an abundance of centers with Matt Duchene, Nathan McKinnon and pending UFA Paul Stastny who they can resign.  Ryan O'Reilly has already previously signed an offer sheet with the Calgary Flames that they matched and will be likely be a contract fight again at the end of this season.  He's a two way center and is has 52% career face-off percentage.  Kadri is both signed for $2.9m for one more season and will provide equal offense as O'Reilly on the wing and Franson would improve their depth at defence and would be upgrade over Nick Holden or Nate Guenin on the second pairing. This would work for the Leafs as they would get a solid second line center in his prime that can win at face-offs. O'Reilly's defensive ability and his better than average ability in the face-off will cut down on shots against and improve the leafs puck possession.  This trade would also work under both teams cap situation. Lastly, O'Reilly is an Ontario boy, so he may want to play in his home province.  

3) Trading F Nazem Kadri and G James Reimer to the Florida Panthers for C Aleksander Barkov.  

Florida is in third last place and continues to rebuild and has several talented young players from years of high draft picks in the system.  Wouldn't it help to put people in the seats if you won a few more games and  your goalie was not an aging Tim Thomas?  Well Reimer has proven that he can steal games and say nothing to offend anyone.  Kadri has demonstrated that he is able to RW or C on the 2nd line in the NHL he continues to have upside, but he's not the #1 Center for the Leafs. Further he's farther along in his NHL development after playing 2 full seasons in the NHL and 2 seasons prior as a call up from the AHL. Barkov could be as he was 2nd overall 2013 pick, he's 6ft3 and 210 lbs, and lastly he's Finnish and probably be adept at ignoring the Toronto Media.  Toronto may have to further sweeten this deal by adding a conditional 1st round pick if Barkov meets certain targets in the next 2 seasons.

Conclusion:

If I was in GM David Nonis shoes I'd be actively listening for offers for my pending UFAs and trying to get first round picks or high potential  prospects.  Trading Kulemin would make the most sense where he is on the depth chart and trading Bolland if you don't think he wants to stay in the Blue and White. I'd be actively looking to resign McClement as when he's playing 10 minutes a night he is highly effective in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill.  Raymond I'd let his contract expire and let player on the Marlies compete for the opportunity next season. 

Also, looking at the pending 2014 free agents I think the Leafs should wait until summer and attempt to sign Matt Moulson who born in North York and is capable 30 goal scorer.  If that could be done I'd trade Kadri for first round pick and prospect.  Alternatively, if you were able to sign Moulson than you could Trade LW Joffrey Lupul who has reasonable contract for his level of play and he has to submit 14 teams at the beginning of the season he's willing to play for.  They are both 30 years of age, but Moulson is far less injury prone. You only need so many top 4 wingers and have so much cap space.

Other player I would have seriously scouted is C Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche.  He's 28 and in his prime and capable of putting up 50 to 70 points a season.  He also has a career 52% save percentage and that is an improvement over Kadri and Bolland.  What the cons are is he's only 6ft tall, has 15 games of play-off experience, none of it in the last 5 seasons and his point totals have been on the decline since 2009-2010 peak of 20-59-79.  He'll also likely want a contract that is more then the $6.6M he's currently making and a long term deal.  However, I think the Colarado brain trust of  Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy will lock him up or let him go depending on how he plays in the play-offs.  If he doesn't perform that well, than why would the Leafs want him long term as well.  

For list of all pending UFA free agents see Capgeek.  Also, for a break-out of who the Leafs have signed and term see there page as well on Capgeek.

Your thoughts?  Any Trade Predictions?  Please add them below.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Buyers or Sellers

With 70% of hockey games (58 of 82)  now played by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the upcoming two week hiatus I wanted to take stock of how my favorite team is doing.  The Leafs sit 5th place in the Eastern Conference as of yesterday and this is coming off of a terrible loss to the Florida Panthers. The Leafs loss 4 to 1 to the third worst team in the NHL and were out shot 47 to 21.  Clearly team defense did not show up last night.  Yes, James Van Riemsdyk was coming off of the flu and it was David Clarkson's first game back after elbow injury.  But, a loss like this makes little sense after going 9-1-1 over the previous 11 games.

This article is part of my larger overall analysis of the Leafs.  For articles earlier this season please see my past blogs.  This is part 1 of 2 - the next article is my suggestion of who the Leafs should sell.

 

Where are the Leafs now:

The leafs winning record is .517% and that is they have won 2 more games than they have lost in regulation and overtime. Based on there points record they will finish with 93 and would face Tampa Bay on the road in the first round.  The Leafs have played Tampa Bay once this season in January and won 3-2 at home.  However this is a game that they came close to losing as Bernier saved the day after facing 42 shots.  Also, Tampa Bay's best player was missing in Steven Stamkos, who likely would have a buried goal in run and gun game like this.  A good test is tomorrow when they visit to play Tampa Bay and see if they can wash off the drubbing they took against the Panthers.  Will the Leafs show the hustle and team play to get through a first round play-off series?  With 3rd to 11th place in the Eastern Conference only 10 points separated, the Leafs are only one losing streak away from being outside the play-offs.

My argument for Sellers:

With the trade deadline approaching on March 5, 2014 and the Leafs really just playing slightly better than .500 hockey and in all likelihood be unable to beat Pittsburgh or Boston, in the second round than why keep the current team in place.  The two biggest holes remain are a top two way center that can win 50%+ of the face-offs and a true number one defenceman.  Or at least an elite shut-down defenceman.  I think if you can't contend in the second round of the play-offs than why bother to mortgage the future for a couple of depth players for the here and now.  The Leafs continue to struggle with consistency and defensive play.  

I've heard many 'puckheads' say "get into the play-offs and see what happens."  Well the Leafs came close to an upset of Boston last year, but there was no way they could have won against Chicago in the West.  More so I doubt they could have beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.  I think the Leafs getting play-off experience under the belt is important, but they have not demonstrated the ability to play consistent hockey.  They normally win by combination of killer first line and hot goalie.  The team defense is just not there and it is seen night after night in the shot differential.

So, why mortgage the future by trading away high draft picks and prospects? Only 1 team wins the Stanley Cup and majority of recent Stanley Cup winners the team was already in place and they got a depth forward to shore up the bottom two lines.  The Leafs are missing two pieces of the core to be a true contender and nobody is going to trade you an elite center or defenceman without the Leafs parting with some key parts and prospects.  Trying to buy rental players with high draft picks and decent prospects is just going to put the Leafs in the same muddling teams like they had under the Pat Quinn and Cliff Fletcher years ago.  

What is there to Buy:

To further my argument about being a seller is to look at what top players are becoming a UFAs this summer and what the Leafs need.  Wingers such as Jagr, Vanek, Moulson, Vrbata, and Hemsky could be available, but the Leafs weakness is not on the wing with Kessel, Lupul, Van Riemsdyk, Kadri, and Clarkson.   Also, they would need at about $5M of prorated cap space which they do not have. 

Center is a significant weakness and only a couple of centers on non contending teams could be available such as D Legwand, S. Ott, O. Jokinen and B Boyes.  Legwand is only remaining center worth considering and would make sense as a second/third line center.  He also is a career 46% at face-offs, which is only slightly better than Bolland and Kadri.  This would not be the player that gives them that extra push.  Steve Ott is a great pest and yes could help the Leafs or most teams.  But, he also racks up the PIMs and with 34 play-off games under his belt he only has 5 points.  Not a proven track record and an untimely penalty could put you behind.    

Defenceman are even more slim pickings with Andrew MacDonald (27 - NYI), Marek Zidlicky (37 -NJD), Tom Gilbert (31 - Florida), Kimmo Timonen (38 - Philadelphia) and Andrej Meszaros (28 - Philadelphia).  Of these options A. MacDonald is the leader and a late bloomer, who currently leads the Islanders in ice-time and blocked shots.  At 27 he's also in his prime and earning $550K a year and could likely be resigned at the $5M mark. Trading for MacDonald would make sense for lot of teams and his price could be rather high.  Also, he only has 4 games of NHL play-off experience in last years first round exit of the Islanders.  A gamble to say the least.  Gilbert plays on top pairing with Bryan Campbell in Florida and with give you depth on a third pairing.  But, he has a total of 5 NHL games of experience.  The other defencemen are well past their prime or in the case Meszaros play decimated by recent injuries.

Lastly, goaltending and a hot goaltender can win you the Stanley cup or get you pretty close.  3 names stand out which are Ryan Miller, Martin Brodeur and Tim Thomas. All 3 have no movement clauses and I doubt would want to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  I can see Brodeur moving to be backup on a true contender, but I think he'll just stay put and retire a New Jersey Devil.   He does have 3 Stanley Cup wins and two Olympic Gold medals.  Miller I can see moving to a contender, but of the top teams most have solid goaltending.  Would Pittsburgh take Miller to replace Marc-Andre Fleury who's quality of play dived in the play-offs the last three seasons?  How about Minnesota who is getting great goaltending from Josh Harding, but because of his MS may not be able to handle a long run in the play-offs?  No matter for the Leafs, I think Bernier has to only worry about Reimer.  

Yes, there are few wingers that are worth looking at and couple of defencemen.  But, there is no game breaker that will get the Leafs deep into the play-offs.  Let the kids mature another season and keep giving them opportunities to develop into the players you need.

The Market:

Most teams are in the process of determining if they are buyers or sellers, what makes this season interesting is the number of middling teams in the Eastern Conference. The difference between 3rd place and 13th is 10 points and that means 11 teams are fighting for 6 positions and they are all a few games apart.  The Western Conference is far more clear cut.  5 teams are solidly in the play-offs right now, leaving 6 teams separated by 6 points for 3 play-off spots.  If you are one of these latter teams you have to consider what is your chances going up against Chicago, St. Louis, Anaheim or San Jose. 

With both conferences having several bubble teams, I think we will see some minor trades coming once we are closer to the March 5th deadline.  A few more games played may separate out a little more the teams on the bubble.  But, I think GMs have learned in the past that selling the farm doesn't typically get you more than one extra round in the play-offs.  Although, I can see some GMs under pressure for their jobs and getting into the play-offs may be there priority.  I think Mike Gillis (Vancouver Canucks) is in this situation as his core forwards are getting past their prime and they are having a mediocre season.  Also, the last two first round exits against San Jose and Los Angeles did not help.  The fans in Edmonton are getting frustrated with the 8 year rebuild and Craig MacTavish is likely going to try find a veteran or two to help his line-up.  Multiple 'puckheads' have reported that MacTavish has consistently overvalued his players and because of this he's been unable to trade such players as Hemsky over the last few seasons.  I doubt much will change until summer and they again have limited luck finding free agents.

Also, we know that Brian Burke (Calgary Flames) will be up to something. But, I doubt he'll make any trades with Toronto as he'll be looking to draft pics for pending free agents such as W Lee Stempniak and D Kris Russell.  Overall, I think there will be modest amount of activity with probably 10 to 12 depth players moving around to contending teams.  I also think that NYI will try to move Vanek unless he signs and I think Buffalo is going to move Moulson to get more draft picks as part of their rebuild.  I think other players over $4M are likely going nowhere as most contending teams are pretty much up against the salary cap.  Per Capgeek of teams currently in the play-offs only Colorado has significant amount of room to take on salary.  Ottawa is the only Canadian that is just outside the play-offs that has cap space and on-line rumors persist they want Matt Moulson to play alongside Jason Spezza.  Lastly, we'll likely see several AHL players move around as these teams also get ready for the Calder Cup.  

See my next Blog for what I suggest as an arm-chair GM that David Nonis do for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  I already said I'd be sell, so who would I sell?  Stay tuned for tomorrow's article.

  

 

Great Movies of 2013: Action and Thriller

This is my last installment discussing my favorite movies of 2013.  My first blog has my top 5, followed by a second blog on my favorite Romance and Comedy movies and most recently I wrote about my favorite Dramatic movies.  As mentioned before I'm not a fan of gore, so there will not be any commentary on Horror movies and I don't go out of my way to see any animated movies other than something from Aardman Studios.  Keeping with policy of no spoliers, there are none below.

In my top 5 movies I already said that Gravity was my favorite movie of 2013 and I rated Rush as my third favorite movie of 2013.  So, what other movies are great?  Per my opinion these both are worth watching,

Action:

Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips (Adventure/Drama)  - Tom Hanks gives a great performance as Captain Phillips along with Barkhad Abdi who plays the Somali pirate in this action/dramatic movie based on the real life events that occurred on the Maersk Alabama.  You can see my original movie review here. 

When I started blogging I thought that I would write more movie reviews, but I rarely ever see a movie opening weekend anymore. As for action/dramatic movies I would put the story, cinematography and character development for Rush above Captain Phillips.  However, watching this movie is certainly a good use of anyone's time.  (My IMDB rating 8/10)

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness - Action/Sci-Fi - This is the second installment in the original Star Trek reboot and it features a young crew led by Chris Pine as Captain James Tiberius Kirk.  In this installment a terrorist attempts to destroy a Young Federation of Planets and the team on the USS Enterprise has to stop this one-man  weapon of self destruction. 

What makes this movie enjoyable is the great action sequences, great CGI and these young actors bringing the original Star Trek characters back to life.  JJ Abrams does a great job in creating the pace of this movie and it is solid on the overall canon of Star Trek.  I think this movie is worth seeing if you are a Trekkie or not... But if you are a Trekkie you would have seen this back in May of 2013 and would have formed your own thorough opinion.  This movie was the first time a Star Trek movie was done in 3D and probably best watched on a 3D television.  There are a few particular sequences that were extremely well done and I won't spoil them for you.  This movie was released well before Christmas on DVD.  (My IMDB rating 8/10)

I made a concerted effort the last few weeks to see several Dramas, but I have not made the same effort with action movies.  I would like to see still of 2013 RED 2, Wolverine and Enders Game.  Other action movies I thought were solid include The Hunger Games: Catching Fire starring Jennifer Lawrence, Catching Fire Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, and Oblivion starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman.   The latter deserves a George Lucas rewrite for the ending.  

Was there an action movie that was better than my four suggestions?  Was Superman really that super?  Are you not sick of Ironman?  Tell me what you think below.