Reimer is fine; quite a 24 hours for a pair of Univeristy of Toronto goalies

Less than 24 hours after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury James Reimer was back on the ice. 

“Came back today, felt pretty good,” Reimer said following an hour long practise on Friday.  “I was riding the bike and working out before I hit the ice and hit the ice and felt pretty good.”

Just in case, the Leafs had Univeristy of Toronto goalie Michael Nishi on the ice, in the event Reimer couldn’t practise.

For Nishi – who played some goal in the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – it was an “eye opening experience.”

“I’m honoured,” said the 19 year-old. “My family has (Leafs) season tickets so when I was growing up I went to quite a few games.”

On this day he was sharing the goal with Reimer, who told Nishi to “have fun.”

The Leafs called in the teenager keeping in mind what happened two years ago to Reimer.

Reimer suffered a serious neck injury after he was struck by Brian Gionta. Reimer struggled to find his form the rest of that season when he returned.

Moments following Thursday’s incident in which Josh Leivo hit him and knocked him out of the game 32 seconds into the contest, Reimer couldn’t help but think back to that night in Montreal.

“Oh of course, I think everyone did,” said Reimer. “Obviously I’ve taken care of myself here, tried to strengthen things and have different people giving me insight and wisdom into what I need to do to be stronger. We know more about it. I know more about my own body and how I feel and how I am reacting. Sometimes there are things you have no idea going on but in this case I feel pretty comfortable.”

“We felt last night that it wasn’t anything that would be prolonged,” said Coach Randy Carlyle. “But you always err on the side of caution and you want your player to tell you he’s 100 percent ready to go.”

“It’s a hockey play and you can’t really control it,” said Reimer’s teammate, Jonathan Bernier. “He got lucky.”

Reimer wanted to return to the game, but doctors wouldn’t allow him. His headache subsided throughout the night and he feels he can play Saturday in Chicago if called upon.

 “That’s the plan,” said Reimer. “You never want to be out for whatever reason especially with a head injury. I’m glad everything is feeling great and shouldn’t miss a beat.”

While the Leafs were worried about Reimer’s condition, he was concerned about Leivo’s well-being.

Leivo couldn’t enjoy his first NHL goal, knowing he injured his teammate. Reimer told him not to worry about it.

“I could tell he had his head down and told him it was no big deal,” Reimer said. “He was doing his job. He tried to miss me and it didn’t work. Obviously it’s no big deal.”

But it could have been.

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When Reimer was pulled from Thursday’s game against Carolina, the Leafs needed a backup goalie to finish out the game against the Hurricanes.

That’s where 23 year-old Brett Willows comes in.

The University of Toronto goalie got the call to head to the Air Canada Centre and be the Leafs emergency goalie.

“I was at a restaurant called noodle bowl with a couple of guys on the team. We just finished practise and thought I would treat myself. I had two midterm exams earlier in the day and went there for nice plate of chicken chow mien and got through two bites and the phone call came in (from his University of Toronto head coach) that the Leafs goalie went down and could I come. Sure enough, I threw 20 bucks down and sprinted back down to the rink to pack up all my stuff.”

“Not a lot was going through my head. It was overall numbness. You know it is possible but you never think your number is going to get called.”

“I paid for the meal and sprinted down Bloor in the pouring rain. It was like a scene out of a movie only a little less sexy.”

From there Willows said he watched the rest of the game in the trainer’s room. But first he had to get through security which was a concern for the Rivers, Manitoba native.

You see Willows is a Montreal Candiens fan.

“I wasn’t sure if the security who checked me at the door would have found a Canadiens hat in my back pack tucked away deep down. I was thrilled with the opportunity. Words can’t explain how thankful I am.”

“I always dreamed of being in the NHL and even though it was a back door method, in 25 years the story might progress that I started a game for the Maple Leafs. It was a dream come true.”

Is Morgan Rielly going to remain with the Leafs for rest of season?

The Leafs have to make a decision soon on Morgan Rielly. Will he stay or head back to junior?

This and that from Leafsland

I know it’s only mid-October and the Toronto Maple Leafs have played only a small portion of the schedule, but if history means anything, than the Leafs are sitting pretty for a playoff spot.

Why do I sound so confident? Look at the standings and keep in mind what Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman wrote on his blog this morning: From the 2005-06 to 2011-12 season 3 of 32 teams 4 points out of a playoff spot by November 1st made the playoffs.

The Leafs are currently at 10 points atop the Eastern Conference and they have 8 games left this month (4 at home). With David Clarkson expected back before the end of the month, and Nik Kulemin a possible return by early November, the Leafs find themselves in good shape the rest of this month.

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Meantime, James Reimer starts tonight against Minnesota as Coach Randy Carlyle backs away from his “win and you are in” mantra and really we shouldn’t be surprised.

While Jonathan Bernier got the win Saturday over Edmonton, he looked shaky on a few goals. Reimer last played 10 days ago against Ottawa, and was pulled halfway through that game after allowing 4 goals on 21 shots.

Carlyle said going back to Reimer had a lot to do with schedule, and giving Bernier a break.

“You always try to balance things out, lines, defence,” said Carlyle. “You look at how they play, chances given up, and the number of games in a row. You don’t want people to get stale, so we make decisions on a number of factors.”

Given Carlyle’s history, both goalies will play at least 22 games this season.

Since Carlyle became an NHL head coach, the most games any of his goalies have played in a season is 60 (Jean –Sebastien Giguere played 60 games in Carlyle’s first NHL season with the Anaheim in 2005-06).

I would suspect Bernier will get the most starts this year based on the fact the Leafs traded to get him and then signed him to a 2-year deal.

But Carlyle isn’t kidding when he says you can never have enough goaltending.

Keep in mind when he coached the Ducks in 2008-09, Carlyle has Jonas Hiller and J.S. Giguere split the games – each played 46 that season.

“I’m pretty excited,” Reimer said about starting tonight. “No one likes to sit and not play so I’m excited to get back in. Just want to go out and give our guys a chance to win.”

“It’s a long season,” said Jonathan Bernier. “We can’t play every game so it’s going to be a rotation between me and Reims, that’s part of hockey.”

Bernier is 4-1 with a 1.74 GAA and a .946 save percentage and a big reason why at 5-1 the Leafs are off to their best start after 6 games in 20 years.

Jonathan Bernier looks to be the Leafs Number one goalie

Jonathan Bernier is the Toronto Maple Leafs number one goalie; just don’t ask Coach Randy Carlyle about it.

On Saturday, the Leafs goalie is expected to start for a third straight time, when the Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers.  If he does get the start, it would be the first time Bernier has done that in his career.

"I trained really hard in the summer and I wanted to be ready," said the 25 year-old Bernier following a 4-0 victory over Nashville on Thursday.  "I knew that was my chance to step up and show what I can do. I've been waiting for that moment for a while in L.A."

"The one thing that Bernie did tonight, he stood tall in the net and he didn't give up a lot of second opportunities,” said Carlyle. “The puck seemed to hit him in the middle of the chest and he controlled a lot of the rebounds.”

The key to Bernier in limiting rebounds is rather simple.

“Get it in the chest,” said the Leafs goalie.

The numbers have been impressive thus far: He has stopped 113 of 116 shots he has faced; has a 0.85 GAA and a save % of .974. 

The Leafs are 4-1 this season (Bernier is 3 and 1) and the loss occurred in a game in which he allowed 2 goals.

Bernier – the LA Kings 1^st round pick, 11^th overall in the 2006 draft – credits his former QMJHL coach Clement Jodoin for his ability to limit rebounds.

Here’s what Bernier told Jonas Siegel of TSN.CA: Bernier is working to implement a defined partnership with his new defence core in Toronto, a system that will allow both to work together successfully, "The way I like to play is take away my far side," he explained, "and that makes a big difference because I can take away my short side, which most of the time I'll get in my chest."

These lessons date back to his head coach with the Lewiston MAINEiacs – Clement Jodoin, now an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. Under such a system, as Bernier explained, the goaltender would assume responsibility for the strong side of the ice, the defenders keeping check of the weak side. "That was his system defensively," Bernier said of Jodoin. "I just thought it was so smart because that way it makes it look easy and obviously they're shooting more in your chest."

Hockey Night in Canada analyst Glenn Healy, a long-time back up in the NHL, recently blogged, “The Leafs no longer have to play a perfect game to get a win. He does something that I could never do – he makes it look easy.”

Bernier has excelled in the early going in Toronto, but when asked after the game if he is the number one goalie, the head Coach would have none of it.

“"I knew you'd ask that question because you guys are just waiting to anoint somebody as the No. 1 goalie, but this is the fourth ... fifth game of the year?" Carlyle barked at the media. "It's a little early guys."

Not for Leafs fans. Keep in mind; this is an organization that has had 16 goalies since the 2005-06 season:

Ed Belfour, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Mikael Tellqvist, Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala, Scott Clemmensen, Martin Gerber, Vesa Toskala, Curtis Joseph, Justin Pogge, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Jonas Gustavsson, Joey MacDonald,  James Reimer, Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas.

You can understand why Leafs fans would like to anoint someone – especially someone they feel is the best goalie since Belfour was here – as the number one.

The numbers may suggest Jonathan Bernier has earned that distinction, already.

David Bolland making an early impression on Toronto

Toronto Maple Leafs head Coach Randy Carlyle often says he is looking for “pairs” and not so much set lines.

He’s got a pair he trusts in Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel.

He may have another pairing in Mason Raymond and David Bolland.

“Have we created a Mason Raymond-Dave Bolland partnership as we have with Bozak and Kessel? Maybe,” said Carlyle.

The key to this potential Leafs “duo” is Bolland.

The Toronto area kid – already a 2-time Stanley Cup winner – has proven in his short time with the Leafs to be a valuable player on the team.

His no-look behind the back pass that set up Raymond for a goal on Saturday against Ottawa earned plenty of praise and a lofty comparison from Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry.

“Does Bolland not remind you of Dougie Gilmour? Does he not look like him?” Cherry said during his Coaches Corner segment. “Banging and smashing? Look at that pass there. Beautiful pass just like Dougie.”

“That’s a little bit out there,” Bolland said on Monday when told of Cherry’s remarks. “I think Dougie was a great player when he played and when I was younger I sort of modelled myself the way he was and the way he presented himself on the ice. Any way I can play the game like him, it could be a nice career.”

There are certainly some comparisons: offensive touch, defensively responsible and physical play.

While Gilmour had 2 seasons of 100+ points, Bolland has been more of a role player. He’s been a 3^rd line guy during his time in Chicago, never picking up more than 47 points in a season.

In the Ontario Hockey League as a 19 year-old in London, Bolland showed Gilmour-type offence scoring 57 goals, picking up 130 points.

In Toronto, Bolland – who wears uniform number 63 (as a tribute to Gilmour and his 93) will get a chance to play more significant minutes on the 2^nd line at times giving him a greater opportunity to be an offensive force.

That versatility has served the Leafs well in the early going, missing David Clarkson (suspension) and Nikolai Kulemin (injury).

“I think he can play up and down the lineup,” Maple Leafs General Manager David Nonis said at training camp. “He’s got enough skill that he can play with real good players; he’s got enough grit that he can play against really good players. I think he’s going to be given a very significant role with us.”

In the first three games of the season, Bolland has a pair of goals and an assist.

An unrestricted free agent after this season, Bolland looks motivated and determined to have a big year.

While he won’t say he’s bitter about how things ended in Chicago (he averaged just 13:31 minutes a game during the palyoffs, 6 minutes less a game than he averaged the previous 2 playoffs) Bolland may be playing with a chip on his shoulder.

The Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle wrote : Just how productive Bolland can be offensively is an interesting question to ponder, too, especially considering he should get a prolonged chance to share the ice with players like Raymond.

While the Blackhawks gave him plenty of ice time with Patrick Kane last season in a bit of a departure from the norm, Bolland had only 14 points in 35 games, struggling with injuries and inconsistency to the point that he lost his spot in the lineup by the time the playoffs came around.

Even so, if you examine his last three years of production, there are reasons to believe he can contribute higher in the Leafs lineup than he did in Chicago.

Bolland, for example, has had 0.51 points per game and 0.33 even strength points per game over that span compared to 0.53 and 0.36 for Toronto’s top centre, Tyler Bozak, who has benefited from substantially more ice time and playing with Phil Kessel.

Bolland’s contributions are even more impressive given the fact he has been handed tough minutes by Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. Not only has Bolland started more than twice as many of his shifts in the defensive zone compared to the offensive one, the Leafs have had 61 per cent of the shots on goal at even strength with him on the ice, the best such ratio on the team.

“When you’re around him and watch how professional he is and how hard he works and how committed he is, it’s one of those things I think our younger players should be able to grasp onto,” Carlyle said.

“I want to play here and I want to do big things here in Toronto,” Bolland said. “It’s a great place to play.”

Can Jake Gardiner and Randy Carlyle co-exist?

Just a week into the Toronto Maple Leafs seasons there are already a number of interesting story lines developing.

Following Saturday’s relief performance, has Jonathan Bernier taken over the mantle as the Leafs number 1 goalie, already?

Can a defence that is shaky be good enough to lead the team into a second straight playoff  appearance?

With Nik Kulemin out a few weeks with an ankle injury, and the suspension to David Clarkson, can the Leafs continue to win games?

But most intriguing storyline that seems to be developing revolves around the relationship between Coach Randy Carlyle and 23 year-old defenceman Jake Gardiner. Can the two co-exist?

After an exhibition game loss in Detroit – a game in which Gardiner had a couple of points, but struggled defensively – Carlyle was asked if Gardiner is playing at the level he was last year in the playoffs.

The coach responded, “No, No he’s not.”

In the season opener in Montreal, Gardiner had a -2 rating.

In the Leafs second regular season game of the season, Gardiner didn’t see much ice-time in the 3^rd period in Philadelphia. He played just 13:59 in all.

Mark Fraser suffered a knee injury in that game, yet Carlyle ran with 4 defenceman for most of the final period of a 1-1 game, leaving Gardiner glued to the bench. Toronto won the game 3-1 with a pair of late goals.

In the Leafs home opener, Gardiner played significantly more but all the talk after the contest was the play of 19 year-old Morgan Rielly making his NHL debut.

In fact Rielly played in many key situations – specifically a power play in overtime - while Gardiner watched from the bench.

At practice, or before a game, it is not uncommon to see Carlyle and Gardiner talking defence. Carlyle imploring his young blueliner to be more physical; the talk often turning to defensive positioning.

Carlyle won a Norris trophy in 1981 as the NHL’s best defencemen. He understands the position and he likes his defenceman to play a physical style.

In March, Carlyle said this about Gardiner to a Toronto radio station.

"Jake has got to be stronger defensively," Carlyle said during an interview on TSN 1050 radio.

"He has to start to step into people more in the defensive zone along the wall, get more engaged physically. And he does not have to run people over. That is not what we are asking people to do. He is not going to turn into a banger and a crasher.

"But he has to use his skating ability to position himself to separate people from the puck, or protect the puck better."

Weeks later, Gardiner told the media, “I think Randy wants me to hit guys more. Not necessarily hit them I guess, just finish my check.”

Well, those same issues continue to plague Gardiner still today.

But it looked like Gardiner had turned it around in Toronto after last season’s playoffs against Boston. Gardiner excelled picking up 5 points in 6 games.

Teammate Joffrey Lupul said Gardiner’s play in the post season reminded him of Scott Niedermayer, a player he played with in Anaheim.

“He’s got tremendous skating ability, and good vision, and instincts,” Lupul said in May. “I’m sure he’d admit his defensive game is still probably the last area to come around, and I’m sure he’ll work on it, and when he does, the sky’s the limit.”

His head Coach said during the playoffs, “I think he’s much more difficult to play against.”

Yet here we are again, a few months later where the Coach still has questions and concerns about Gardiner’s game.

It has been quite a whirlwind for Gardiner as a Leaf.

He had a strong rookie season picking up 30 points in 75 games.

Last season during the lockout, Gardiner played in the American Hockey League and suffered a concussion.

As a result the Leafs didn’t rush him back to the NHL. At one point, Gardiner’s agent Ben Hankinson tweeted #freeJakeGardiner.

It’s been like that with Gardiner during his time in Toronto: Plenty of highs, too many lows.

Are the Leafs listening to offers for Gardiner? Sources suggest as much.

Elliotte Friedman of CBC said in his most recent blog, There is definitely some level of conversation going on between other teams and Toronto involving Jake Gardiner. I despise the word "shopped," as it's more like a feeling-out process. If the Maple Leafs do decide to do it, it's going to be for a young asset or assets. So, you have to look at teams with talented young players. This is PURELY my speculation, but if teams like Dallas, Florida or Minnesota would be interested, you could see a match.

Gardiner is a restricted free agent next year and General Manager Dave Nonis has already made roster changes that suggest Randy Carlyle has a big say on who plays for the Maple Leafs.

Nonis made the move to buy out Mikhail Grabovski, a player who thrived under former coach Ron Wilson. Clarke MacArthur was not re-signed after his contract had expired.

To give up on a 23 year-old defenceman- one who has the ability to move the puck like Gardiner- might strike some as odd.

There’s no way it could happen, can it?

Consider that Carlyle was the coach in Anaheim when Gardiner was a first round draft pick. And Carlyle was the coach of the Ducks when Gardiner was dealt to Toronto.

Also keep in mind the Leafs have Rielly, and other young defenceman in the system (Stuart Percy, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Finn and Jesse Blacker) the thought of trading Jake Gardiner may not be as far-fetched as it appears.

Stay tuned.

Phil Kessel signs extension; is Dion Phaneuf next?

Now that Phil Kessel has signed an extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs, will Dion Phaneuf be far behind?

That seems to be the next order of business for GM Dave Nonis.

“They’ve (his agent and GM Dave Nonis) begun negotiating,” said Phaneuf hours after Phil Kessel signed his extension. “It’s the business side of the game. Like I said I have no problem doing it (negotiating) during the year but I don’t want it to become a distraction and I’m not going to say much more than that.”

So while preliminary talks have started, Nonis and the Leafs need to determine what kind of money is Phaneuf worth?

Phaneuf is 28 years old and is in the last year of a deal that sees him paid $5.5M, and is a $6.5M cap hit.

He regularly plays 26 to 30 minutes a game, and as captain of the Leafs, he does plenty of things in the community representing the team.

He has also been an easy target for criticism.

But do the Leafs need him going forward? Should they build their team around him and Kessel?

Right now, only seven defencemen in the NHL have a higher cap hit than Phaneuf’s: 

Nashville’s Shea Weber $7.8M, Minnesota’s Ryan Suter $7.5M, Brian Campbell of Florida, $7.1M,  L.A.’s Drew Doughty $7M,  Boston’s Zdeno Chara $6.9M,  Jay Bouwmeester of St. Louis $6.68M, and San Jose’s Dan Boyle $6.66M.

Phaneuf is in the prime of his career and his relatively young compared to the other defenceman who have a higher cap hit than he does.

Weber is 28 years old, Suter is 28, Campbell is 34, Doughty is 23, Chara is 36, Bouwmeester is 30 and Boyle is the oldest at 37.

By the way, Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues has a $6.5M cap hit and is 23 years of age.

Phaneuf was 11^th in average ice-time last season at 25:10 a game.   

His 28 points last year had him tied with Shea Weber for 4^th most among blueliners. Only Doughty and Pietrangelo had more shifts per game than Phaneuf last year.

Phaneuf has the 8^th most goals among NHL defenceman since the start of the 2009-2010 season. He’s had six seasons of 9 or more goals and 30 or more points.

This is going to be a tricky one for Nonis, but based on what Phil Kessel got - $8M a year for 8 years, Phaneuf will likely be asking for a 6 to 8 year deal seeking 7 to 7.5M a year.

Is that fair? Is that a deal the Leafs can live with?

It’s a question Nonis and his team must decide but I would think at the end of the day that’s the kind of deal Phaneuf will be signing – either with the Leafs or with another team.

Meantime, regarding Kessel’s deal here is why I think it is fair for both sides:

* Kessel is just 26 years old and would have been the youngest unrestricted free agent on the market.

* Over the last two seasons, only Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin and Claude Giroux have more points than Kessel.

* Over the last three seasons only three players have scored more goals than Kessel: Stamkos, Corey Perry and Alex Ovechkin.

Finally the cap hits next year for the players names above suggest the price was fair :

25 year-old Claude Giroux- $8.275M

23 year-old Steven Stamkos - $7.5M

27 year-old Evgeni Malkin -  $8.7M

28 year-old Corey Perry - $8.625M

28 year-old Alexander Ovechkin- $9.53M