Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Five for Fighting: Leafs Goaltending, Leafs Youngsters, What Laraques is Cookin, and NHL Rule Changes
Date: October 16, 2009
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: In advance of my long-awaited return to the ice, I hit on a few different NHL topics of interest.

Toronto Maple Leafs and the Goaltending Carousel
The Leafs’ goaltending situation is getting ridiculous, already. Obviously, nobody is happy with Vesa Toskala between the pipes. This has been the case all offseason as people clamored for Jonas Gustafsson and Joey MacDonald to be the team’s one-two punch in net, and after an extremely shaky start (4 games, .810 SV%, 5.57 GAA), an “injury” has put Toskala on the shelf for a couple weeks.

I put quotations around injury because a large part of the problem with Vesa is clearly mental, so this may be an early-season vacation more than anything. He spent his summer hearing the sport’s largest media market rip him to shreds, and he’s been booed on several occasions already. His playing style isn’t conducive to a lack of confidence, as his size is not such that he can afford to cower in his crease or look around defenders. Instead, he is bested suited to be aggressive, something he has not shown the willingness, confidence, or ability to do thus far.

I was a Toskala supporter in the offseason, but at the same time, Brian Burke spent a big chunk of energy and money chasing The Monster, and it doesn’t make sense to have him sitting on the bench while the starter struggles. If not for his own groin problems, the situation would be pretty clear – let Gustafsson sink or swim while Toskala heals up.

Instead, Joey Mac got the call (with James Reimer backing up in an emergency) against Colorado. It was ugly, and mostly unlucky, but he didn’t exactly solidify his roster spot when all parties are healthy, either.

So what is the team to do? A very light schedule over the next 10 days sees the Leafs play only on consecutive Saturdays…so it’s conceivable that the entire goaltending carousel could be ready to go a game from now on the 14th against the Canucks. If that’s the case, I don’t think Ron Wilson can roll with Toskala. The team clearly needs a shake-up, and while I’m not a proponent of radical changes this early in the season, and though I know poor defensive play is afoot for this team as well, the team and the fan-base is clearly uninspired with Toskala at the helm.

You put the work in to sign Gustafsson, and you need to find out if he’s the real deal for the future. If Toskala has been quit on by the city or even some of the players, there’s nothing wrong with a winless team expediting the development of one of it’s potential stars in The Monster.

Toronto Maple Leafs and The Kids Are Alright
Like the goaltending situation, there is really no reason for the Leafs to not be going with a youth movement right now. The excitement and performance in the preseason was buoyed by a roster of young players, yet the opening day roster saw few of them on the ice. Fans have been asking for names like Bozak and Hanson to get regular playing time, yet Wilson continues to roll with Jamal Mayers et al. I don’t have anything against any of these players, and every team needs one or two, but there is no need for what amounts to a lineup full of checking lines.

Mayers (47:09), Rosehill (29:24), Orr (43:33), and Primeau (15:09) have all logged minutes with some regularity, while players I consider to be 3rd or 4th line material have logged very serious minutes, in Mitchell (100:22) and Stempniak (111:49). Yes, Stempniak has played well so far and is a decent player. Yes, Mitchell seems pretty popular and isn’t an awful player. Yes, the aforementioned four are part of the Truculence Movement.

However, Bozak had a phenomenal preseason, and Hanson has shown he can play at the NHL level. There’s no reason for the team to not have these two on the roster while the paragraph above remains true. Bozak is allegedly being sent down after his one-game stint, and I have heard no talk of Hanson being called up any time soon.

Wilson’s hands may be tied with some of the veterans (e.g. Jason Blake) in terms of roster spots or even playing time (after all, you have to play your way out of a slump, they say), and you certainly don’t want your youngsters playing just a few minutes a game. But at some point, if the team is looking for an energy and morale boost, giving these two (and others?) a permanent roster spot has to be seriously considered.

Just quickly while we’re here – I do not support a Nazem Kadri call up. While he did show he can play in the NHL already, a year in London with a great coach and no obligations outside of hockey and the weight room should have him in a much better position for 2010-11 than a stint with the Leafs would. Again, he is good enough to play now, but the team isn’t playing for this year, and this is a better move for his development.

George Laraques and High Octane Drama
This is what all the controversy is about. Seriously. And it’s not that he’s advertising alcohol, or the fact that this drink is probably TOO AWESOME (7% alcohol and an energy drink!). No, apparently this is sexist and inappropriate for a role model to take part in. Yawn.

I have almost no comment. There’s nothing wrong with this…it’s a minor campaign, it’s fun, not unusual, and for all intents and purposes Laraques is generally a pretty damn good role model and ambassador for the sport (and for animal rights!).

This just pisses me off and I needed to bring it up. Get off of it already.

Pat LaFontaine and NHL Rule Change Priorities
In a recent interview with Yahoo, former NHLer (and personal favorite) Pat LaFontaine suggested the NHL adopt a new power play system for late in games. The aim of the change would be to increase the strategic element late in games, while also increasing late-game excitement, especially in close games. (LaFontaine also liked the shootout idea well before it went into effect, but I’ll forgive him for that.) His idea is such:

“Maybe if there’s five minutes to go in the third period, if there’s a penalty taken, maybe there’s an optional penalty shot?

Here are your options: You either get one penalty shot or a two minute penalty where the player doesn’t come out of the box. You have a chance to go for two goals instead of maybe one goal. But what if the penalty occurs with, say, 30 seconds left in the game? What it does is allow some excitement into the game. You need to put the breakaway back in the game.”

While I appreciate the ingenuity and the reasoning behind it, such a radical change has two major issues facing it: first, that the idea is somewhat complicated, to the point it could be confusing to introduce to casual fans; second, that there is a bigger regulation problem facing the NHL than power plays.

Seriously, I like the idea, and would love to see real economic strategy involved in hockey in a more explicit way, but if the NHL is going to make a major rule change, I think it should take place in the standings.

The current system rewards two points for any win, zero points for a regulation loss, and one point for an Overtime or Shootout loss. What this creates is a situation where both teams can benefit from longer and closer games. That is, in a standard game there are only two points up for grabs, and it’s all or nothing. Now, there are two OR three points up for grabs. Game Theory suggests that the equilibrium would see both teams play for a regulation tie, based on the payoff matrix below. This is especially true for games against non-Conference opponents, since you are not giving the extra point to anyone relevant, as the second matrix displays, where the plus/minus in parentheses represents hypothetical points gained in the conference standings compared to the opposition.

This is a pretty big problem. From a competition standpoint, teams are playing for a tie more often and are thereby less competitive. For entertainment value, it means more OT and Shootouts, but the league’s goal needs to be the highest level of competition.

LaFontaine’s change is a nice suggestion, but first the league needs to structure the standings so that all outcomes distribute the same amount of points (such as three for a regulation win, two for an OT/SO win, one for an OT/SO loss, and zero for a regulation loss).

Yours Truly and A Return to the Ice
I have a full set of gear. I will play hockey for the first time in five years in the next week or so. I couldn’t be more excited…don’t call it a comeback!