Post by LeafsGM on Oct 21, 2011 10:48:31 GMT -5
With 9 games into the 9 th JGHL season, spirits are high in the Leafs locker room. The defending conference champions are tied for 1 st in East, with several games in hand. The past season is in the rear view, and the road ahead is filled with challenges. Many teams in the East have improved, and the West is looking as competitive as ever. All that means getting back to the cup finals is going to be more difficult, but this team believes they can do it.
Brad Richards understands this, being one of the longest serving members of the club: “We need to have a narrow focus here, because anything but a championship will be yet another disappointment”. Not everyone in the locker room is as serious as Brad though. We had a chance to catch up with star winger Alex Ovechkin after the morning skate: “I sign with Nike, so world mine now hahaha”. Ovie can laugh for now, but come playoff time he will need to direct his focus on the game played on the ice, not off of it. Newest acquisition Keith Yandle, who has brought a calming presence to the locker room and to the Leaf blue line, had a more serene view on the season: “We know there’s 25 other teams out there gunning for that cup, making the necessary adjustments, improving with every game.. What we need to do is focus on our game and what we’re capable of. The rest will take care of itself.” Keith is going to have to devote extra focuson manning the blue line with the average age of 25.
Though it is a small sample size, this current Leaf roster is going to have growing pains. With little or no experience on the blue line, lack of defensive forwards, and not enough depth on the wing, Toronto is bound to struggle against some of the powerhouses. With GM Sorokin at the helm though, change is something the entire organization is used to: “We kind of look at it like Facebook updates, you don’t always want it to happen, but you know it’s coming, and eventually you’ll get used to it” said Patrick Sharp with a smirk, who’s seen himself with a variety of line mates in the past 3 seasons.
Gone are Andrei Markov, Chris Pronger, Paul Stastny, Travis Zajac, Brandon Dubinsky, TJ Galiardi, Andy Greene, and Tim Gleason. In are Marty St. Louis, Justin Williams, Keith Yandle, Brayden Coburn (for a 2 nd stint), and Jason Garrison. Though if you are a Leafs season ticket holder, and were looking forward to seeing Marty dangle, you’re going to have to get Avengers tickets or wait until closer to the deadline for that.
The salary cap world is a harsh one, which is why St. Louis has started the season on the Leafs farm. Any veteran cup winner and hart finalist would be fuming over this development, but Marty is cut from a different cloth. We caught up with him at the Avengers pre game: “Am I happy about this? Definitely not, I would rather be out there with the big boys helping them secure of the top spot. But at my age, a full season of gruelling competition can take its toll, which is why I’m glad I’ll have it easier until game 60 something. Besides, I’m having a lot of fun out here with some has beens like Comrie, Whitey, Hunter, and Joey Mac. When the time comes, I’ll be ready. You can bet on that!” And ready he should be, because St. Louis should step right into the top line to form what could be a lethal combination of grit, skill, and scoring with Richards and Ovechkin.
Until then, the Leafs will have to get by with what they have, and that is a relatively young roster with some holes. With that said if Tomas Vokoun can repeat his vezina performance of last season, if Ovechkin Zetterberg and Sharp continue to score, and the blue line can adjust to the early struggles, then the team should be at the top of the conference or close to it
Brad Richards understands this, being one of the longest serving members of the club: “We need to have a narrow focus here, because anything but a championship will be yet another disappointment”. Not everyone in the locker room is as serious as Brad though. We had a chance to catch up with star winger Alex Ovechkin after the morning skate: “I sign with Nike, so world mine now hahaha”. Ovie can laugh for now, but come playoff time he will need to direct his focus on the game played on the ice, not off of it. Newest acquisition Keith Yandle, who has brought a calming presence to the locker room and to the Leaf blue line, had a more serene view on the season: “We know there’s 25 other teams out there gunning for that cup, making the necessary adjustments, improving with every game.. What we need to do is focus on our game and what we’re capable of. The rest will take care of itself.” Keith is going to have to devote extra focuson manning the blue line with the average age of 25.
Though it is a small sample size, this current Leaf roster is going to have growing pains. With little or no experience on the blue line, lack of defensive forwards, and not enough depth on the wing, Toronto is bound to struggle against some of the powerhouses. With GM Sorokin at the helm though, change is something the entire organization is used to: “We kind of look at it like Facebook updates, you don’t always want it to happen, but you know it’s coming, and eventually you’ll get used to it” said Patrick Sharp with a smirk, who’s seen himself with a variety of line mates in the past 3 seasons.
Gone are Andrei Markov, Chris Pronger, Paul Stastny, Travis Zajac, Brandon Dubinsky, TJ Galiardi, Andy Greene, and Tim Gleason. In are Marty St. Louis, Justin Williams, Keith Yandle, Brayden Coburn (for a 2 nd stint), and Jason Garrison. Though if you are a Leafs season ticket holder, and were looking forward to seeing Marty dangle, you’re going to have to get Avengers tickets or wait until closer to the deadline for that.
The salary cap world is a harsh one, which is why St. Louis has started the season on the Leafs farm. Any veteran cup winner and hart finalist would be fuming over this development, but Marty is cut from a different cloth. We caught up with him at the Avengers pre game: “Am I happy about this? Definitely not, I would rather be out there with the big boys helping them secure of the top spot. But at my age, a full season of gruelling competition can take its toll, which is why I’m glad I’ll have it easier until game 60 something. Besides, I’m having a lot of fun out here with some has beens like Comrie, Whitey, Hunter, and Joey Mac. When the time comes, I’ll be ready. You can bet on that!” And ready he should be, because St. Louis should step right into the top line to form what could be a lethal combination of grit, skill, and scoring with Richards and Ovechkin.
Until then, the Leafs will have to get by with what they have, and that is a relatively young roster with some holes. With that said if Tomas Vokoun can repeat his vezina performance of last season, if Ovechkin Zetterberg and Sharp continue to score, and the blue line can adjust to the early struggles, then the team should be at the top of the conference or close to it