Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.42

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The process that is the rebuilding of the Toronto Maple Leafs continued in earnest last week as Brian Burke and his staff added two more prominent pieces in Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg. What’s clear about both these additions is that they fit quite comfortably into the blueprint set out by Burke and his staff.

Whether you agree with the blueprint is not the issue. The fact is Burke has said he is going to build a team with a definable top six group of forwards that possess a high skill and talent level along with a bottom six group forwards that are rugged, mean and nasty to play against. Burke is only doing what he said he was going to do and for that he cannot be faulted.

The potential for success though with those two additions is high. In Kris Versteeg, the Leafs get a speedy, skilled winger that has hit the twenty goal mark in each of his first two seasons in the NHL while having to fight for ice time on a deep team in Chicago. That, in and of itself is impressive, and you can no doubt guarantee Versteeg will get an increased opportunity in Toronto. He’s versatile, able to play both on the power play and perhaps more importantly from the Leafs’ standpoint on the penalty kill as well. He should slot in nicely on the wing on the second line behind Phil Kessel.

Armstrong is the kind of player that Brian Burke would likely craft first if he had the ability to clone and manufacture players himself. He has good size at 6-2 and nearly 200 pounds, reasonable skill that can fit in anywhere from the first to third lines and most of all, the Lloydminster, Saskatchewan native ranks very high on many players’ lists of people they hate to play against and lord knows the Leafs desperately needed an upgrade in that department.

Don’t be surprised if Armstrong fits in on a line with two highly skilled players, perhaps a combination of Bozak and Kessel, to take on a role similar to that of Dustin Byfuglien during the Blackhawks playoff run. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.41

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Well for the time being, Tomas Kaberle, often rumored to be on the move for the past two years now, has dodged another bullet and will remain, for now at least, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he so emphatically made clear that he does not want to leave. The problem now for Kaberle is that he will have to make it to August 15th without the luxury of a safety net in the form of his no-trade clause that lifted as the NHL Entry Draft got underway on Friday night.

The Leafs saw significant interest from as many as five teams but none of the offers seemed to tickle Brian Burke’s fancy. As the Leaf general manager said, by Saturday, the team had stopped entertaining offers and was focused solely on day two of the draft.

The fact that Kaberle still remains a Leaf can be looked at as a positive though. For one, Burke has said all along there is no urgency to move the longest serving Leaf. Whether you agree with Burke or not, the lack of a trade this past weekend illustrated as much and serves as another example of Burke being true to his word. It’s refreshing for the general manager of a Toronto sports team to tell the truth. J.P Ricciardi could have taken a page from that book.

Secondly, by Burke exercising patience and not making a kneejerk trade, it shows that if Kaberle is indeed going to be moved, it will be in a deal that yields the maximum return. For far too long, the Leafs have been undercut on the return when dealing their assets. When was the last time the Leafs made a deal where you could say, “wow, did they ever get a steal on that trade?” If you can remember, let us know.

Kaberle may still yet be moved, but if it happens it likely won’t be until after July 1st when the free agency chips have fallen into place and teams that require a defenseman of Kaberle’s ability become clear. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.40

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While it may still wear on throughout the summer for the players, by now, just over a week since their Stanley Cup triumph, the feeling of euphoria must certainly be starting to wear off for Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman.

Simply by looking at the numbers, you can see Bowman has his work cut out for him with a $57.66 million cap hit covering just fourteen players for 2010/2011. More disconcerting for Blackhawk fans is the fact that key contributors in Nik Hjalmarsson and Antti Niemi – both due for big raises - are not among those fourteen players.

Next year’s cap is expected to be set in the neighbourhood of $58.5 million which will necessitate the removal of at least one but more likely two or three contracts from last year’s roster. With that in mind, let the vultures converge.

Remember the problems that the Tampa Bay Lightning went through after winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 when the big three of Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and Brad Richards were locked up at big dollars over long terms. Though they were solid up front, there was no money left to spend on adequate defense or goaltending. It’s been a problem they’ve been trying to solve since the league resumed after the lockout.

Chicago has a similar financial situation with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa not to mention the big contracts of defensemen Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. You have to think Bowman would like to unload Campbell and Huet – both of whom were far from integral to their playoff success. Easier said than done though with Campbell who has six years and $42.84 million remaining on his deal.

Likely two of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp will be on their way out and don’t expect the Hawks will get much in return. Remember, this is about unloading salary so there won’t be anybody of equal stature coming back. The Hawks hands are tied and the league knows it. Brian Burke, I believe that was your cue. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.39

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There’s something about winning the Stanley Cup. It has a dramatic effect on people, one that seems to impact people in different ways. For some, just like the commercial, it leaves them speechless, unable to reach even for a cliché as many players dole out like candy on Halloween night countless times during a season.

For others, it brings tears – and really, that’s okay as usually robotic interview subjects transform into real emotional people for a brief period of time after they’ve realized the magnitude of what they’ve just accomplished. But for some, winning the Stanley Cup seems to provide a license to say the stupidest things that could possibly come to mind.

Case in point, shortly after winning the Cup, the Blackhawks’ Adam Burish – a fourth line grinder at best who was a healthy scratch throughout most of the playoff run – launched into a tirade where he said and I quote, “I think Chris Pronger's the biggest idiot in the league. I can't stand the guy one bit. I hope I never have to see him again, and if I see him out there I might punch him.”

Well let me ask this, how many times did Burish see him during the Finals not counting the times he saw Pronger while wearing a suit sitting in the press box? Over the three games Burish did play during the Finals, he logged a grand total of 15:34 in ice time. Pronger plays that much in about a period and a half.

To Pronger’s credit, he didn’t miss the chance to respond two days later as the Flyers were cleaning out their lockers. When told of Burish’s comments and that he might punch him if he has the chance, Pronger, as he did all playoffs long, provided one more golden sound bite by saying, “Oh really? Where’s that, in the minors?”

If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it has to be don’t chirp Chris Pronger, especially if you struggle to stay in the league to begin with. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.38

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There’s a saying that goes, “In order to have success, your best players have to be your best players.” Well there’s something about the Stanley Cup Playoffs that often finds a way to disprove that theory. So often – certainly far more than in any other sport – it’s the lesser lights, the muckers, the grinders, the guys who show up with their lunch pail ready to work that become the heroes at the biggest times.

Just think Max Talbot, not Sidney Crosby, was the slayer of the mighty Detroit Red Wings in game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Often it’s not for long, a single step up into the pantheon of the immortal but you only need to do it once. Rarely do these types of players ever reach such heights again in their careers but that’s alright, they’ve secured their places in history.

So far in this year’s Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks have managed their success on the backs of those types of players. The Dave Bollands, the Troy Brouwers, the Ben Eagers have all had their moments in the spotlight, all helping to propel the Blackhawks to an early two games to none lead. But that’s the thing with players from the supporting cast; they excel in the moment, in brief instances in time when the stars align allowing them to be heroes. In order for those moments to occur though, that is where teams need to rely on their best players and so far for the Blackhawks, they have been absent.

Dynamite through the first three rounds, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have gone cold. In fact worse than that, not only have they produced just a meager four points between the two of them, they have consistently been victimized by the Flyers’ offense, putting up a minus six and minus three rating respectively.

Back in Chicago for game five, it’s the Flyers with all the momentum. If the Blackhawks are going to get back to holding control of the series, it will have to be on the backs of Kane and Toews. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.37

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If you need any proof that fortunes can change quickly in today’s NHL, you don’t need to look any further than this year’s edition of the Stanley Cup Finals. Just three seasons ago, the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks drafted first and second overall. That’s right; the last two teams standing this time around were mired at the bottom of the NHL standings in 2007. From the outhouse to the penthouse in three short years.

For the NHL, they are surely loving the reincarnation of two solid hockey markets in two major American cities. No disrespect intended to cities like Raleigh, Anaheim, and Tampa Bay but if the league is looking for major television numbers on a national level on NBC, they’ll have a much better chance attracting them with two of the biggest cities in the US reaching a fever pitch over their teams.

Moreover, Philadelphia and Chicago are two markets that have been out of the lime light in terms of Stanley Cup Finals appearances for quite some time. The league would never say anything against arguably its most marketable player in Sidney Crosby or the Detroit Red Wings, a model of success and consistency, but one has to think the last thing they wanted was a third consecutive Penguins vs Red Wings final. For even the most diehard fan, three years of the same starts to become awfully mundane. So if it’s time for a change, what better generate interest than two teams that could hardly be considered out of the group of usual suspects?

All that doesn’t matter though if the series itself does not live up to its billing on the ice. But through one game it certainly doesn’t seem like that’s going to be a problem either. The NHL has long craved a higher scoring, back and forth game and with eleven goals in game one, the league is getting exactly what it wants on the biggest stage that it has. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.36

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Could the Conference Finals have gone any worse to this point from the perspective of a Leafs fan? Quite simply, no. With the Chicago Blackhawks already having advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals and the Philadelphia Flyers holding a commanding three games to one series lead over the Montreal Canadiens, Leaf fans should start to prepare for the jeering over the lack of playoff or really any kind of success to get a whole lot worse.

Let’s start with the Blackhawks. By securing their spot in the finals, Chicago can now count four finals appearances since 1967 while the Leafs are still looking to break the goose egg in that department. One would think that by jettisoning the first place, albeit perennial playoff choking San Jose Sharks in four games and by virtue of their second place seeding, the Blackhawks have to be considered the favourite to win the big prize whether they end up facing the Flyers or the Canadiens. Should they win, it would be the Blackhawks first Cup since 1961 leaving the Leafs as the team with the longest Cup drought in the NHL.

That should mean any self respecting Leaf fan should be cheering against the Blackhawks in the sole hope of preserving the last saving grace that’s left. I still maintain that it would be easier to support the Canadiens from the perspective of a Leaf fan than it would be the Flyers as the Habs have given Leaf fans no reason to hate them in almost thirty years. That’s likely a long shot though with the Flyers poised to advance to the Cup finals themselves for the first time since 1997.

Remember, it was the Flyers that gave the Leafs such trouble in the playoffs in the earlier part of the decade including bumping them in 2004 in six games, the last time the Leafs made a playoff appearance. At this point though for Leaf fans, it has to be anybody but Chicago. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.