TheStar.com - Sports - Blake gives Maurice options at forward: "Combining Kyle Wellwood and Jason Blake on the same line drummed up a wonderful offensive scenario for Leafs coach Paul Maurice yesterday – and the two won't be on the same sheet of ice for another month or so.
'Bringing in a guy with 40 goals (Blake), you're expecting he'll play a bit with Mats Sundin, but we see him playing with Kyle as well,' Maurice said yesterday, casting a glance forward while the Leafs ran their annual kids summer hockey camp at Lakeshore Lions Arena."
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Happy days of summer nearly finished: "We're not saying that Paul Maurice is ready for the season to start, but with July barely half over, the Toronto Maple Leafs coach has already mapped out training camp, which is three months away. And we're not saying Maurice took the end of last season hard -- watching the New York Islanders win a shootout that left the Leafs one point short of the playoffs -- but let's just say that his smile didn't immediately accompany him on vacation."
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Gary Bettman, cast as a hater of all things Canadian. Jim Balsillie portrayed as a zillionaire maverick, bordering on kook.
On both sides of the fence, some very fine and sophisticated fiction has been spun around the potential sale of the Nashville Predators and their move to Southern Ontario - a deal that now seems dead in the water."
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The board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is interviewing candidates for a hockey operations job that doesn't yet exist. They want an adviser, or a consultant. Ideally, he'll be some sage hockey mind, someone perhaps in his retirement years, who either is or isn't a direct threat to GM John Ferguson's job, depending upon whose side you're on.
According to Star sources, the former New Jersey Devils goaltender has signed a two-way contract with the Leafs and is expected to be the club's No. 3 goaltender this season, working with the AHL Toronto Marlies alongside youngster Justin Pogge."
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The Leafs signed former New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen to a two-way contract yesterday.
The 29-year-old will play for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, alongside youngster Justin Pogge.
In other Leaf activity, fired Ottawa Senators general manager John Muckler was in town yesterday to chat with Toronto brass about working in concert with current GM John Ferguson Jr."
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Muckler was to meet with MLSE president Richard Peddie and MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum to discuss the new mentor position they want filled to assist Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson."
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As much as Ottawa Senators fans might be loath to praise the Toronto Maple Leafs for anything, it appears the wide gap between the organizations has narrowed in the past week."
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RealGM Hockey: Wiretap Archives: Maple Leafs Sign Ling To One-Year Deal: "This will be Ling’s second tour of duty with the Maple Leafs organization. During the 2004-05 season he led St. John’s, the Maple Leafs former AHL affiliate, in scoring with 88 points on 28 goals and 60 assists, along with 152 penalty minutes.
Not the one with Leaf fans. That ended somewhere around January. This is his real one. The Leaf goalie got married over the weekend and is on his honeymoon with his bride, Erin, at an undisclosed location, said his agent, Jordan Neumann.
Whether he returns from his nuptials a Leaf remains anyone's guess. The $2 million (U.S.) a year goalie is rumoured to be on the Leaf trading block as GM John Ferguson finds his club's finances pressed up against the salary cap while carrying two capable goalies."
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The Finnish netminder agreed to terms on a two-year extension that will kick in after next season. The 30-year-old will earn $1.375 million (all figures U.S.) in the final year of the deal he signed with San Jose, then will get a pay hike to $4 million a year for the two seasons that follow."
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If Vesa Toskala turns out to be the same type of steal from the San Jose Sharks that Miikka Kiprusoff was for the Calgary Flames, JFJ will have cemented himself atop the Maple Leaf hockey pyramid for a long time.
As reported in Thursday's Globe and Mail, a source confirmed yesterday that the 73-year-old Muckler is interested in the new senior adviser position, and will stop by for an interview session with MLSE president Richard Peddie and possibly MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum in the next two or three days."
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A source confirmed yesterday that the 73-year-old Muckler is interested in the new senior adviser position that team owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment wants to fill this summer to give Ferguson assistance in rebuilding the struggling National Hockey League franchise into a playoff team.
ADVANTAGE MAPLE LEAFS: "t's not something we're used to from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the quiet, laid-back approach has served them well these last few weeks.
Did you hear Word 1 from the Leafs when Blackberry magnate Jim Balsillie was moving to set up shop down the street in Hamilton these past few weeks? Undoubtedly there was some dialogue between chairman of the board Larry Tanenbaum and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, as there is little doubt the Leafs opposed the intrusion into the southern Ontario territory they monopolize."
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New Leafs netminder saying all the right things: "Vesa Toskala presumably moved to the top of the Toronto Maple Leafs depth chart when the team acquired the goaltender from San Jose in June.
He has better numbers than the incumbent, Andrew Raycroft. He came at a price, with the Leafs giving up three draft picks to acquire Toskala and forward Mark Bell hours before the NHL entry draft. And, after agreeing to a two-year, $8-million US contract extension with the Leafs on Wednesday, Toskala is making more money than Raycroft."
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Leafs laud Ferguson's recent moves: "When John Ferguson acquired goaltender Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell from the San Jose Sharks at last month's NHL Entry Draft, the Maple Leafs general manager received a congratulatory phone call.
It was from Mats Sundin's European-based agent.
'He said Mats wanted me to pass this along: 'He thinks it's an excellent deal and he's excited,' ' Ferguson said.
TheStar.com - Sports - Leafs won't break bank with Blake: "Of all the unrestricted free agents on the market this summer, none scored more goals last season than Jason Blake. In fact, only nine NHL players lit the lamp more often than the little roadrunner last season. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the Maple Leafs need Blake to repeat those numbers next season or beyond for their decision to sign him yesterday as a free agent to be a success."
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'What I like about Jason is that I really didn't like him,' said Maurice. 'I didn't like coaching against him. I didn't like how hard he competed. He's a guy that you're cursing.'
Now, thanks to a five-year, $20 million (all figures U.S.) free-agent contract signed last night, Blake is a Leaf, not a New York Islander. Maurice believes fans at the Air Canada Centre will be singing his praises instead of hurling insults."
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Battaglia re-established himself as an NHLer with a solid performance last year, starting on the fourth line but getting some first-line time on occasion alongside Mats Sundin."
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League sources confirmed yesterday the Maple Leafs have asked the Senators for permission to speak with to 73-year-old Muckler about an advisory role with the club, but they've been put on hold."
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Leafs re-sign Battaglia: "The feeding frenzy apparently over and most of the big names snapped up, Day 2 was much slower than Day 1 for the NHL’s unrestricted free agents as 30 players changed teams over a 24-hour period.
TheStar.com - NHL - Leafs re-sign Battaglia: "The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed hard-nosed winger Bates Battaglia to a two-year deal worth worth $650,000 a season, according to TSN.
Unless there's a change of heart later this summer, forwards Yanic Perreault, Travis Green, Jeff O'Neill, Bates Battaglia, Michael Peca and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin are finished in Toronto."
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After some excitement that they'd be able to afford Ryan Smyth, the Leafs settled last night for a 40-goal man who out-pointed Smythe 69-68 last year, the pride of Moorhead, Minn., Jason Blake."
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globeandmail.com: Help sought for Ferguson: "Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie confirmed yesterday that his organization is seeking to hire a senior adviser to work with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson.
The club first approached former Detroit Red Wings head coach Scott Bowman, who still works with Detroit as a consultant, about the position, but the Hall of Famer wasn't interested."
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The 2001 Canadian major junior player of the year, who couldn't make a go of it in the big league with Atlanta, Nashville and St. Louis before moving to Switzerland to play last winter, signed a two-year contract with the Leafs on Monday."
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Which moves a five-time Cup champion into a position of negotiating strength.
Scotty Bowman has turned down the overtures of a three-year contract worth at least $6 million because he determined he couldn't, or didn't want to, work for CEO Richard Peddie."
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Maple Leafs sign D Harrison, RW Gamache: "The Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Jay Harrison to a one-year contract and signed right wing Simon Gamache to a two-year deal.
Torontoist: The State of Leafs Nation: "As any hockey fan in Toronto already knows, the NHL draft took place this weekend and featured John Ferguson Jr. trading for a veteran goalie for the second straight year. The newly acquired Vesa Toskala, traded from San Jose, should provide a more stable presence in the net than Andrew Raycroft, and is projected to become the starting netminder.
While a quality goalie was obviously a necessity for the Leafs, the fact that they gave up first and second round picks from this year’s draft and a fourth-rounder from 2009 was yet another move by Ferguson that brought out the contradictions of his words and actions. For all that he talks about building a system from the ground up through quality scouting, drafts and prospects, it was the second year in a row that he sold out the future for the present."
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The 24-year-old Colaiacovo, who has appeared in 73 games with Toronto, had eight goals and nine assists in 48 games this season. He was second in goals and sixth in points among rookie blueliners."
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Maple Leafs ink D Colaiacovo to three-year extension: "The Toronto Maple Leafs did not allow Carlo Colaiacovo to become a restricted free agent, signing the defenseman to a three-year contract extension Thursday.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Drafted 17th overall in 2001, Colaiacovo played in 48 games with the Maple Leafs this past season despite suffering several injuries, recording eight goals, nine assists and 22 penalty minutes. The 24-year-old ranked second in tallies and sixth in points among all rookie defensemen."
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Sharks trade Toskala, pick Couture No. 9: "The San Jose Sharks can only hope new center Logan Couture is as quick and creative as general manager Doug Wilson, who turned two of his club's biggest dilemmas into a top draft pick Friday.
The Sharks first traded goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell to Toronto for three picks in the first big deal of NHL draft day, resolving their goaltending logjam and dumping the underachieving Bell's exorbitant contract in one move."
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Let the trades begin: "Goalies ruled the day Friday as the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Vesa Toskala sweepstakes and the Florida Panthers landed goalie Tomas Vokoun.
The Panthers acquired Vokoun from the Nashville Predators for a package of draft picks in a blockbuster deal a few hours before the first round of the entry draft, giving up a first-round draft pick in 2008 and a pair of second-draft picks, an ’07 and a conditional ’07 or ’08."
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TorontoSun.com - Hockey - Leafs' moves excite captain: "Mats Sundin might well be basking in retirement on the shores of a pristine Swedish lake by the time the majority of kids from the draft class of 2007 finally claw their way into the NHL.
For the 36-year-old captain of the Maple Leafs, the future is now.
Vesa Toskala may indeed provide the Maple Leafs with an upgrade in goal over Andrew Raycroft, although it is historically curious that after using a Finnish goalie prospect to acquire Raycroft, who was better as a rookie than in subsequent years, the Leafs have now used a top draft pick to acquire a Finnish goalie who was much more highly rated in his own country a decade ago than he is now."
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Both Bell, a tough, scoring forward when he's on his game, and Toskala, a 30-year-old who split netminding duties in San Jose last season, will don the Blue and White next season after general manager John Ferguson pulled the trigger on a draft-day deal that addresses the team's biggest needs.
'Vesa is an unbelievable goaltender,' said Bell. 'I personally believe Vesa is highly underrated.
Mitchell, a 5-9 forward from the Oshawa Generals was picked today in the third round, 74th overall, but he was the first pick in the 2007 Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He's just not ready to share those plans just yet, but rest assured Vesa Toskala will see a lot of action in net, and winger Mark Bell will get a lot of ice time.
He wouldn't say whether he thought Toskala would assume the No.1 goalie's job from incumbent Andrew Raycroft.
'That's going to take care of itself,' said Maurice. 'We've got two very good goalies. One set some franchise records for us this year, another one's got outstanding numbers coming in."
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The Leafs director of amateur scouting had little to do for two rounds with Friday's trade for goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Mark Bell for a first-round pick on Friday night and second-round pick yesterday (plus a fourth-rounder in 2009).
'Obviously we made our deal which was great for our team,' said Morrison. 'Any time we make our big team better, I'm on board. That's okay. That's the nature of the business.'"
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globeandmail.com: Ferguson pulls off another deal for goaltender: "Andrew Raycroft matched a Toronto Maple Leafs club record with 37 wins last season, but general manager John Ferguson Jr. showed how much faith he had in him when he surrendered three draft picks for goaltender Vesa Toskala yesterday.
The Leafs acquired Toskala from the San Jose Sharks, along with forward Mark Bell, in exchange for the cost of a conditional first-round selection and second-round choice this year and fourth-round picks in 2009.
The Sharks then flipped the first-round and second-round picks to the St. Louis Blues for the ninth overall selection last night, which the Sharks used to draft Ottawa 67's forward Logan Couture."
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But Toronto? Nice place to live but you wouldn't want to play pro hockey here. Not, at least, if you want to be part of a winning tradition.
This is a city that is home to a franchise that last year celebrated the fact that it had been 40 years since it last won a Stanley Cup. Not five. Not 10. Not 20. Forty. Most places, the operators would have been laying low, trying to make people forget such a miserable statistic. Here, there is no shame, only opportunities for re-packaging (plus taxes)."
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The burning question is not why the Leafs again traded for a goaltender, but this time did they get it right?
It would appear so.
While Raycroft gave the Leafs steady and at times very good goaltending last season, he still couldn't steer the Leafs into the playoffs. Now, that is not the responsibility or the result of the play of one player, but what the Leafs needed last year was great goaltending and they didn't get it."
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