Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.16

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After handing out glasses of holiday cheer and lumps of coal for some of the best and worst of the pre-Christmas portion of the Maple Leafs schedule last week on the program, it’s time to lay out some New Year’s resolutions for the Maple Leafs as we head into 2009.

First off: find some consistency in goal. Unlike a year ago when Vesa Toskala’s play often conjured up memories of quality netminding not seen since the glory days of Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour, his play thus far in the 2008-2009 season has left a lot to be desired. Infrequently has Toskala come up with big saves at key times in games, instead he far too frequently has allowed soft goals that have been more reminiscent of the play of another Maple Leaf netminder from the 2007-2008 season. That’s right, Andrew Raycroft.

In the limited action Curtis Joseph circa 2008 has received, he has been anything but reliable. Justin Pogge should get a long extended look at the NHL level but Maple Leaf brass has made it quite clear not to expect anything of that kind until next season. With the Maple Leafs turning in a solid, gritty, hard working effort on most nights, they deserve some consistent netminding to compliment their play.

Find a legitimate heavyweight. Try as they might, Ryan Hollweg, Jamal Mayers and Andre Deveaux simply cannot match up against some of the NHL’s toughest nor does their presence strike fear into their opponents.

Pick a captain! Now that Mats Sundin has officially closed the book, what are they waiting for? It’s time to take the next step in the rebuilding process and choose the new face of the team. You won’t find that face though among any of the players currently wearing A’s on their jerseys. Put the C on Matt Stajan’s sweater. He’s in the midst of a career season; always willing to answer for the team and quite honestly, it’s about time this guy gets some credit.

Here’s to a successful 2009 for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hey, it’s got to be better than 2008 right? But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.15

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Now having hit the conclusion of the pre Christmas portion of the Maple Leafs schedule, it’s an appropriate time to sit back and digest – perhaps over a glass of rum and eggnog if you feel so inclined – what we have witnessed over the first thirty four games of the regular season. Staying in the Christmas spirit, we’ll award a few glasses of holiday cheer for some of the better performances thus far this season and a few lumps of coal for some of the less impressive showings.

A glass of holiday cheer to Ron Wilson. No, the Maple Leafs are not the most talented team but on most nights, they show up with their lunch pale, willing to work and have hung around, winning more games to this point in the season than many had predicted. Accountability finally reigns in the Maple Leaf locker room and they have become a better team because of it. If a player performs in a way that doesn’t warrant more ice time, it’s quite simple: they don’t play.

A lump of coal to Tomas Kaberle. On a team laden with young players, Kaberle was looked upon to provide leadership and a steadying force on the blueline. Difficult to comment on his leadership because we aren’t in the locker room but Kaberle’s play has been as underwhelming as it ever has been since his tenure began with the Maple Leafs in 1998. In fact, despite being held accountable by being benched and having his ice time cut, Kaberle has continued to play in a way that appears as though he is simply going through the motions. Even Jason Blake has been able to drop that persona.

Finally, some holiday cheer to Matt Stajan. Never a guy to get the credit he deserves, Stajan has quietly gone about his business this season and is on pace for a career season. He rarely makes a bad decision with the puck, plays on the power play and penalty kill while continuing to be a vocal player in the media, always answering to the media and acting as a leader, something he also doesn’t get credit for.

At this point, fans should be happy with the Maple Leafs play, winning a comfortable amount of games while seeing some impressive development out of a lot of their young players. For Christmas, that’s all the Maple Leafs could really ask for. But hey, all that was just rigmarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.14

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Jeremy Williams can put the puck in the net. Period. But as any hotshot young sniper will quickly learn, there is much more to becoming an everyday NHL player than merely a one dimensional ability to score. Look at any of the top players in the game, be they Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, or Jarome Iginla: they all bring much more to the table than just offense.

For Williams, he has been a scorer at every level that he has competed at, whether it be Major Junior in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos, the AHL with the Toronto Marlies or so far in a brief NHL career with the Maple Leafs. The knock against him has always been a lack of competitiveness in the defensive end and as a result, he has never been presented with the opportunity to establish himself as a legitimate NHLer.

Hard work has also never been something that has come naturally to Williams. Often players blessed with natural ability are difficult to convince that at the NHL level, no matter how good you are, you won’t stay good for long if you aren’t putting in hard work, committed to continually improving your play.

Under previous Maple Leafs regimes, Williams was quite rightly identified as one of those types of players: a maddeningly tantalizing prospect who needs to learn how to be a consummate professional. So far this season under Ron Wilson, Williams seems to have received the message and has thoroughly improved his play in the defensive end holding a team leading plus four rating. Not surprisingly, he has been rewarded with greater ice time in offensive situations.

If Williams can keep his encouraging start going through a protracted period of time, the Maple Leafs may have lucked into the scoring winger they so desperately covet. If his play drops off though and a level of comfort seeps into his play, don’t be surprised to see Williams face another trip to the minors. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.13

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Heading into the season, it was very clear that if the Maple Leafs were not in a competitive position by the midway point in the season, trade talks surrounding some of the team’s veteran players would start to heat up. Clearly in a rebuilding position, it makes sense and is frankly a necessary thing to do, trading established, older, veteran players in return for packages that include draft picks and prospects instead of allowing tangible assets to go to unrestricted free agency and in turn lose them for nothing.

By now it has been made brutally obvious that the Maple Leafs are not currently and will not be at any time this season in a position to legitimately compete for a playoff spot. As a result, that aforementioned trade speculation has indeed begun and now the question is who will be the first to go?

If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Tomas Kaberle. Still a richly talented player, it has become clear that he is nearing the end of his ten year career with the Maple Leafs. Last Tuesday against San Jose, Kaberle did not see a shift in the first period. In the final forty minutes of that game, he was on the ice for four San Jose goals, not the best response to a message sent by Head Coach Ron Wilson. Recently, Kaberle has seen his special teams ice time cut down, perhaps another message being sent, telling Kaberle the Maple Leafs wouldn’t mind if he decided to waive his no trade clause.

Once he does agree to waive that clause, Kaberle would likely be the most desirable commodity the Maple Leafs have to offer. Still very much in his prime, he is under contract for another two seasons at a very reasonable $4.25 million dollars and could be a welcome addition to a Stanley Cup contender looking for an upgrade on their power play and a defenseman capable of playing a solid twenty to twenty three minutes per game. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.12 Ft. Michael Landsberg

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No matter how good of a General Manager you may have running your team, inevitably some moves that are made just simply don’t not turn out well. After all, nobody’s perfect. Cliff Fletcher made several moves over the course of the summertime that put the Maple Leafs in a significantly better position than they were in a year ago. Mikhail Grabovski looks like a forward with top six potential. Niklas Hagman has proven to be a reliable two-way forward, above average in both the offensive and defensive zones. The play of nineteen year old Luke Schenn simply speaks for its self.

In Curtis Joseph, the Maple Leafs knew he was no longer the goalie he was during his previous Toronto tenure between 1998 and 2002 but he was still thought to be a reliable back up, capable of playing fifteen to twenty games. However in the brief action he has seen thus far this season, Joseph’s play has been anything but what the Leafs were hoping for.

Frankly, the game looks like it has passed Joseph by. He has looked very uncomfortable in the Toronto net, clueless at times and has allowed numerous goals that simply have to be stopped at the NHL level. By no means though should Joseph feel any shame. He has been a wonderful, upstanding citizen throughout his remarkable NHL career but as so happens, players reach a point where they can no longer compete at the level they once could, and it is clear Joseph has indeed reached that point.

It’s now or never for Justin Pogge at this point in his professional career and it is time for the Maple Leafs to start seasoning him at the NHL level especially during a season where they seem to be more concerned with development than in wins and losses. Joseph should be kept on in the organization in a coaching or advisory role but to have him finish the season as their second string netminder is merely setting back the development process. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.