Lupul happy; Gardiner close to returning

Joffrey Lupul said the decision to sign a contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs was an easy one.

"I just didn't really envision myself playing anywhere else right now," said Lupul. "And that made it pretty easy for me."

Lupul's extension could keep him with the Leafs until the 2017-2018 season. He will be 35 by the time the deal - worth $5.25 million - comes to an end.

"I've been happy here," added the Leafs forward. "I've had success here and I really enjoy the city. the next step is getting the team into the playoffs and back where it should be. That's the goal here and if I didn't think that was possible, I wouldn't have signed here. We have a lot of potential here to get things turned around."

Lupul is coming off a season in which he had career-highs in assists (42) and points (67) despite missing the final 16 games with a shoulder injury.

Lupul joins Mikhail Grabovski and James van Riemsdyk as Maple Leafs signed under contract through at least the 2016-17 season. It seems General Manager Dave Nonis veiws these three players as key ones going forward.

"There's always a risk when you sign a player to more than one year," said Nonis. "But his age isn't a factor at all. In fact, he's been getting better as he's been getting a little older."

Lupul lost a year of his career due to back surgery and infections that followed. It looked like his career was over, but a move to Toronto has given him new life and he has taken advantage.

"It's good the team realizes that's behind me," said Lupul. "I really had one bad injury, that was supposed to be a six week injury that turned into a one year injury. A lot of poeple say I've had a lot of injuries and really it's just been two. Since I've come back from my back injury I haven't missed one game because of that."

"He's a much different player now than he was then," said coach Randy Carlyle, Lupul's coach during a difficult time in Anaheim. "I didn't give him the right situation or put him in the right situation. He's a much more complete hockey player than he was 5 or years ago. I think Lupes has shown a tremendous amount of leadership and a lot of courage and grit and determination to get where he is."

**

Jake Gardiner wasn't happy about having to miss the season opener in Montreal.
"It stunk,"said the defenceman. "Opening night is always fun."

But it was necessary, as Gardiner continues to recover from a concussion. He is feeling better and is expected to go "full out" in practise on Tuesday and go from there.

"I told them I'm pretty much ready to go," said Gardiner. "It is the coaches decision."

Gardiner suffered a concussion while playing in the American Hockey League for the Toronto Marlies last month.

"It was kind of a roller coaster," said the 22 year-old. "It's tough sitting out but we are just being pretty cautious. I feel good now and I'm ready to go."
　
　
　
　

Maple Leafs opening night roster - Youth and Grit are served

Somewhere Brian Burke must be pleased.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will start the year with more grit and sandpaper than it had at any point last year.

Matthew Lombardi has been traded and Tim Connolly will start the year with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

The Leafs will start the season with a 23-man roster that will feature 8 defenceman, 13 forwards and a pair of inexperienced goalies.

Nazem Kadri will get a chance to start the year in the NHL. The Leafs 2009 first round pick impressed the Leafs with his all-around game.

Colton Orr who couldn’t play in the NHL last year has lost weight, is faster and is more suited to play under coach Randy Carlyle than Ron Wilson, so he will start the season with the Leafs.

In forward  Leo Komarov, the Leafs have a winger who is in the words of defenceman Carl Gunnarsson a “pain in the ass” on the ice. He’s a pest who has played the last couple of seasons in Russia.

Defenceman Mark Fraser will make it difficult for the opposition who try to set up room in front of the Leafs net. He has 114 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Toronto Marlies.

It is a team that is certainly more in the mold of a Randy Carlyle team – hard working and difficult to play against.

“If you earn a chance and you put the time in, we can’t keep talking about giving young players an opportunity and never doing it,” said GM Dave Nonis. “The coaches have the say as to who they want to play. I never went into the room and said ‘Randy, you have to put young players in the lineup.’ But he’s embraced it. Randy’s happy with how the young guys have played.

“It also gives the players with the Marlies a little bit of hope. We have some good young players there, who are still in their second or third year of their entry level deals. When they see guys get an opportunity, they know that when we tell them if they play well enough, you’re going to be in the big leagues, that we’re not lying to them.”

18 year-old defenceman Morgan Rielly was sent back to the Western Hockey League but he left a positive impression on the Leafs.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Coach Randy Carlyle said. “With six days of training camp, taking 30 guys and picking an NHL team, it’s unfortunate for him that he didn’t get an opportunity to show us more in scrimmages and exhibition games. We just aren’t afforded that in these circumstances.

“We don’t want to put a player in a situation where he could possibly regress. That was our message to him: That he did nothing wrong. He has NHL quality skills. Does he need to work on some things? Sure he does.

“The next time you see him will probably be towards the end of this year. We have the right to bring him back, to the Marlies or here, and we said [to him] you’re going to see us very shortly again.”

Matt Frattin was also cut but is someone the Leafs see as part of the plans moving forward as Nonis said, “Matt Frattin is an NHL player. We are still very high on Matt Frattin.”

In goal the Leafs will go with James Reimer and Ben Scrivens who combined have just 83 NHL games experience.

Yes the Leafs will be harder to play against but goaltending will once again be an area of concern, no matter what the Leafs say.

“Do I like our goaltending in terms of quality and are they capable? The answer is yes,” said Nonis. “Do we have veteran presence, do we have experience? The answer is no. That’s the concern that we have.”

We’re going to start the season with them. It’s up to them to play at an NHL calibre and our players have to play as hard as they can in front of them. If we can upgrade and get some more experience, we will. But not at the expense of moving some young players that we thing would be very important moving forward.”

Here is a look at the opening night roster.

Forwards:

Lupul – Bozak – Kessel

MacArthur – Grabovski – Kulemin

Van Riemsyk – Kadri – Komarov

Brown- McClement – Orr

Steckel

Defence:

Phaneuf – Kostka

Liles – Franson

Gunnarsson – Komisarek

Fraser – Holzer

Goaltenders:

Reimer

Scrivens

Leafs ready for intense training camp

If the Toronto Maple Leafs are to have any success this season, they better work hard and compete.

It sounds like a cliché but it is a point that was repeated often Sunday morning, before the Leafs hit the ice for the start of training camp.

“We are going to push guys a little harder. It’s going to be an intense camp,” said coach Randy Carlyle.

“We’re going to have a young group,” said GM Dave Nonis.  “You’re going to see some mistakes from some of the young players. But we can’t take nights off. And if we’re going to have any success at all, we have to be a committed team.”

“You talk about team toughness and being physically combative, it’s about winning one-on-one battles,” stressed Carlyle. “Our expectation is to win a fair share of those one-on-one battles.”

Carlyle said last year the Leafs failed to compete in “all three zones” and that will not be acceptable this year. That will make this 6-day training camp one that will feature plenty of skating drills and lots of attention to special teams and defensive zone coverage.

“We’re going to push this group a little harder in some areas where they normally haven’t been pushed,” said the head coach. “And that means that you’re going to have to win more of a one-on-one battles when you’re expected. That’s the reality of it. That’s where hockey has gone. You have to win the battles in the tight areas.”

Nonis likes the skill level of his team and the depth on defence.

Look for the Leafs first round pick last June, Morgan Rielly to be given a chance to make the team. Cody Franson has been re-signed but Jake Gardiner is not ready yet to start the year as he continues to be shut down by a concussion.

“The other aspect of it is it’s going to be just as important to prevent a goal as it is to score a goal,” said Carlyle. “Recognition of that is not going to be taken lightly.”

As far as the goaltending situation, Nonis gave James Reimer a strong endorsement.

“James is going to have to be prepared to step in and play Saturday (season opener in Montreal),” said Nonis. “We don’t need to make a move. Physically he looks real good, as fit as I’ve ever seen him.”

“There is only going to be a change in goal if we can upgrade without taking away very good players from our reserve list,” stressed the GM.

So as it sits now, it looks like Reimer and Ben Scrivens will be the goaltenders to start the season.

And Nonis has no plans to acquire a player – or players – if that impacts on the future.

“What people want is for us is to put a plan in place that will offer a team that will be competitive for years and to stick to that plan. As that plan is progressing, work as hard as we can to move it along. I don’t think we can do much more than that in terms of the on-ice hockey product.”

Brian Burke offers no excuses

There are a few things that you can always count on: death, taxes and memorable Brian Burke news conferences.

The former President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs met the media on Saturday, for the first time since he was let go from his post Wednesday. He did not disappoint.

“I was stunned by this turn of events no question about it,” said Burke. “I don’t know if I could feel any worse. This was like a 2 by 4 upside the head for me.”

Burke’s Leafs posted a record of 129-135-42.

Talk all you will about Burke’s questionable free agent signings or his bombastic and combative attitude, there is no denying Burke failed to win enough to keep his job.

“We didn’t win enough, and that’s why we’re here today,” said Burke. “I apologize to the fans that I wasn’t able to deliver more to the on ice product. I did not accomplish what I set out to accomplish.”

Burke admitted going through 10 goaltenders during his time in Toronto will in part define his legacy as Leafs GM.

“Clearly goaltending was an issue here, clearly,” admitted Burke. “It is not for lack of trying we weren’t able to solve it. I still believe if James Reimer hadn’t gotten hurt it wouldn’t have been an issue.”

Burke was told why he was fired, but refused to tell the media.

“I view that as something between me and ownership. I believe some of those things belong in the board room,” Burke said.

It is strongly suggested that the new ownership of Rogers and Bell media didn’t like Burke’s image and that – along with a poor job on the ice – resulted in this surprising turn of events.

“I would like to go to work for a team that doesn’t get sold next time. Someone buys a team they have the absolute right to have their guy. I have to pick better next time. The people that hired me hired Brian Burke. Maybe the new guys don’t like that brand. I’m not changing.”

Burke is a Senior Advisor to the Leafs, but was told not to report to the hockey operations side, but to the board of directors. That doesn’t sit well with Burke who admits he wants to be a GM again “tomorrow.”

“If we won enough games you can be as obnoxious as you want to be if you are in first place. We didn’t win enough games.”

Burke says he never was given a “satisfactory” answer as to the timing of the firing, but stressed his firing was handled with class.

“It’s the Vatican. It’s the biggest stage in hockey.”

A stage that becomes quieter without Burke on the scene.

Brian Burke out as Leafs GM

Why was Brian Burke fired?

Plenty of reasons are out there, such as:

- He was reluctant to acquire Roberto Luongo in a trade with Vancouver, as Sportsnet has reported?
- The team has a large payroll, and have never been in the playoffs during Burke's time as GM?
- The Phil Kessel trade haunts the Leafs and will continue to do so for years?
- New ownership wanted a GM who was less vocal/confrontational?
- New ownership wanted the players to be the face of the franchise, not the loose tie wearing GM?
- A combination of all of the above?

Whatever the reason, Brian Burke's time has GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs is over.

When he was hired in 2008, Burke called Toronto the Vatican of hockey cities - if one is a Catholic - and that running the team was "one of the most important jobs in hockey on the planet."

Now less than 5 years later Burke is out of a job.

Burke's hiring November 28, 2008 was met by enthusiasm. After all, he won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim just a year prior. But when the bombastic Burke took the job, he warned it wouldn't be easy to turn a franchise - one that last made the playoffs in 2004 - around.

"Rebuilding this team is not going to be easy," said Burke at the time of his introduction (he  signed a six-year, $18-million US deal). "Changing the general manager doesn't change the team. It is going to take some time and some patience. Changing the general manager does not change the roster we are going to dress tonight. It doesn't change the record of our team and it doesn't change the chapters of history with unfulfilled expectations that preceded today. What it does represent is the turning of the page."

On the day he was hired, Burke talked about having a tougher team "We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That's how our teams play."

But at the end of the day his teams were more finesse than physical and while he always said he would build the team from the net out, he never has his goaltending situation settled.

That leads us to all the Roberto Luongo trade speculation, and while rumours persist that his reluctance to bring in Luongo was the last straw for the new ownership contingent of Bell and Rogers media, it is fair to say the Leafs problems run deeper than just questionable goaltending. (It should be noted new Leafs GM Dave Nonis acquired Luongo from Florida when he was in Vancouver)

Since Burke was hired in Toronto, the Leafs have a record of  129-135-42, tied for 26th among the 30 NHL teams during that stretch. They have not made the playoffs and during Burke's time, the Leafs rank 30th in goals against per game and 30th on the penalty kill.
It was Burke who made the bold (you could say franchise altering) move of acquiring Phil Kessel for draft picks (who have turned out to be Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, two players who have star written all over them.)

Burke's critics will say his inability to be patient (the Leafs haven't won a Stanley cup since 1967) and his desire to make a push now has cost them a chance to rebuild in the mode of the Pittsburgh Penguins and/or Edmonton Oilers.

He also was quite indignant about the matter when he was asked about taking a more patient approach and building the Leafs through the draft when he barked at the media, “What’s the Pittsburgh model? They got a lottery. They won a goddamn lottery and they got the best player in the game (Sidney Crosby). Is that available to me? Should we do that? Should we ask the league to have a lottery this year, and maybe we pick first? Pittsburgh model, my ass. I mean, they got the best player in the game in the lottery. Ray Shero’s done a good job. He’s an excellent GM and he’s a friend of mine. But I love when people talk about the Pittsburgh model. The simple fact is, they got the best player in the draft. We came in second that year in Anaheim. We got Bobby Ryan out of that — impact player, good player. They got Sidney Crosby in the lottery.”

To be fair to Burke, he has been able to get some top quality young players via trade and free agency and drafts. Among them, defenceman Jake Gardiner, Matt Frattin and Nazem Kadri.

Did Burke have a fair shot in Toronto? To be a GM for four-plus years suggest yes. But the timing of the deal is odd, just days before training camp is to start.

But the Leafs haven't shown much improvement and while the minor league team (Toronto Marlies) are better (in the AHL final a season ago) does that mean players from that team will be able to step in and help the Leafs anytime soon? Most likely no.

Apparently ownership felt it was time for a new voice (one less bombastic).

You get the feeling this was a decision made weeks ago and not even another season would have made a difference in the eyes of Leafs ownerhsip.