Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: 26/82 of What We’ll Know: Assymptotic to the Playoffs and Some Love for Matt Stajan
Date: December 2, 2009
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: Keeping with the 1/82 theme, I tried to get optimistic about a better November for the Leafs…wait, I was optimistic after a 5-5-3 month IMPROVED on a 1-7-4 October? No wonder these 1/82 segments were sporadic. I also give some love for Matt Stajan, which is unintentionally hilarious in retrospect.

December is here just as quickly as November went (obviously?), and not without some all-too-familiar Maple Leaf sentiments. The Leafs are still in second last place in the NHL, still struggling to decide what is to become of overpriced veterans and/or underutilized youngsters, and still trying to keep one goalie healthy long enough to determine the least awfulbest starter.

That said, November was a much better month than October, both in terms of on-ice performance and reasons to be optimistic for the next four or five months of frozen agony. October brought a 1-7-4 record, November brought a 5-5-3 record, and the team sits at an uninspiring 6-12-7 overall (36.5% of possible points). Still, because of the NHL’s moronic insistence on rewarding teams for losing in overtime, the Leafs sit just seven points out of a playoff spot in the East. Don’t get it twisted, this is probably not a playoff team, but the realities of Bettman’s Hockey Funhouse are that teams can be pinned-to-the-bottom-in-cement-shoes for a long time and still float to the playoffs make a playoff run (see: St. Louis Blues, 2008-09).

As always, there are high points and low points with the current installment of the Leafs. Primarily, injuries on the defensive side have been an issue. Mike Komisarek, Jeff Finger, Carl Gunnarsson, Jonas Gustavsson, and Vesa Toskala have all spent time on the Injured List, which has prevented the team from settling into anything resembling a consistent lineup or rotation. Obviously, The Monster is the leading candidate to be the full-time goalie, but as recently as two weeks ago he was splitting time evenly with a streaking Toskala. On defense, injuries have provided opportunities for some (Ian F’ing White becoming a legitimate top-four D-man, Luke Schenn getting to play through his struggles, Gunnarsson’s debut), while also hindering cohesion between defense pairings. Luckily, Tomas Kaberle has played like a true number one defenseman and Francois Beauchemin has overcome some early-season struggles to prove his worth in the spotlight of his large contract.

On the offensive end, things are as difficult to piece together as ever, with the only constant being Phil Kessell’s point-per-game (almost) play and obvious penchant for sniping (and shooting, and shooting, and shooting…). Niklas Hagman has been hot of late, lending credence to why I’ve always thought him to have 25-goal potential, but the success may be short-lived in Toronto as I’m reading that there has been some serious interest in the almost-30 forward. While Hagman has been fun to watch, using him to acquire some younger pieces or picks makes sense, since it seems unlikely Hagman will be a top-player for the Leafs when they’re finally ready to compete (I’d like to say the same for Jason Blake, but that would mean he had played well at some point this year).

Elsewhere, Alexei Ponikarovsky’s skate blade falling off the other night is as close to poetic as you can find in the NHL. While he does have 15 points and a 28-goal pace, he has made very little impact and has made some question where he fits on the top lines (elsewhere, Nik Antropov has turned into an alleged playmaker, tallying 21 assists in 24 games for Atlanta…unrelated, but interesting). Mikhael Grabovski has put up 16 points despite struggles with teammates in practice and apparent poor chemistry with linemates. And, well, that’s about it for guys on pace for even 40 points, save for Kessell (76-point 82-game pace, on pace for 65 as it stands), Kaberle (a ridiculous 26-in-26), and the aforementioned Hagman (13-4-17), White (4-10-14), and, ughhh, Blake (2-12-14). And one more…

And here are a few little known facts about my second favorite Leaf (Ian F’ing White is number one, and should be for all of Leaf Nation):
*He’s been skewered in the media for years for not being a top-line center despite only having a 3rd-line-center’s skill set.
*He’s badling at age 25.
*My dad has been on my case for liking him since he joined the Leafs full-time in 2003.
*He’d be the captain of the team if not for constant trade speculation.
*He’s only making $1.75M, a pretty good deal compared to some on this squad.
*He’s one of more than a dozen FAs, but the only one I’m seriously concerned about re-signing.
*He is second on the team in points with 8-10-18 in 25 games, a 58-point pace that would see him net career highs in goals (26) as well as points.

And the most important bullet point…
*It’s pronounced Stayyyyy-HAN (c/o Jim Houston, NHL ’08).

Is it a bad sign for Leaf Nation that my 31.7%-of-the-way Leafs update is focusing on a 3rd-line center who is probably headed elsewhere in the offseason or sooner? Maybe, but with a lot of positives and negatives and unknowns still floating around the team, focusing on an underappreciated bright spot was something I felt the need to do.

So 26 games into the season, I say well done, Matt Stajan, and here’s hoping December is kinder than November which was kinder than October…constant marginal improvements have the Leafs assymptotic to the playoffs! Wait, my math might be rusty but that term means getting close to but never reaching….nope, that sounds right!

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