Nazem Kadri, drafted 7th overall in the 2009 NHL draft, has been the talk of various trade rumors since he was first signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. His work ethic has always been questioned, and in the end, his lack of effort could conceivably cost him his NHL career.

At this point it is virtually impossible to trade him for an asset, and for that matter, include him in any package to get a proven NHL player.  In 51 games with the Leafs, Kadri has registered 8 goals and 19 points.  Not exactly the type of statistics you expect from a 1st rounder who was drafted in the top 10.

However, it should be noted that Kadri is on a bit of a roll this year, having registered 26 points in 27 games for the Marlies.  This will undoubtedly lead to questions about if he’s simply a good player more suited for the AHL level or is he on the rise to becoming a solid top-six forward in the NHL?

At 22, he is still young enough to prove himself and avoid the fate of too many prospects who fly off the radar after three of four bad seasons (especially those who don’t seem to work hard day-in day-out to improve and reach the next level.)

I truly believe this season is the year Kadri needs to breakthrough if he wants his NHL career to finally take flight.  Sometimes, athletes need just a bit of confidence to get back on the right track and perform at a high level.  Appearing regularly on the scoresheet with the Marlies and playing in arguably the best league in the world during the lockout should give him an advantage in this shortened season.

Kadri will need to capitalize early on in order to rebuild his reputation, and who knows, maybe to get back on the trading block once again.

• By Manny Frag
• January 10, 2013
• Comment

In order to improve the Maple Leafs and eventually take them to the level of “Cup Contenders” the new general manager Dave Nonis needs to address some urgent needs in the near future.

Here is what should be on the ‘To Do List’ of the Maple Leafs new GM.

No.1. Goaltender:

First of all, the Leafs need a no.1 goaltender. James Reimer is not a reliable goalie who can win over a long period of time. In the NHL, the success of a team usually relies a lot on having a dominant goaltender.

The issue could be resolved in a couple of days, as the Leafs are reportedly the front runners in the Roberto Luongo sweepstakes. If the Leafs can’t land him, they will need to fix the problem in a hurry, because they will never win constantly with Reimer.

As our own T.O. Insider reported earlier this week, the Leafs are apparently not interested in L.A. Kings backup Jonathan Bernier. Hopefully it was just Brian Burke who was against the idea of acquiring him, because I believe he would be a perfect fit for Toronto. He is young and has vast potential. Without a doubt, he will be a solid starter in the NHL before long.

First line centre:

Dave Nonis also needs to acquire a centre to play alongside Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. Grabovski is an excellent second line pivot, but cannot lead a team. In order to become a respected team, the Leafs need to get stronger at the centre position. A few options will be available at the end of the present season as many top centres will become free agents.

The Leafs will most likely not contend for the Stanley Cup this year, so I suggest Nonis stays patient in this regard. We have enough draft picks and prospects, so why not try and get a big forward in the free agents season?

Previous Stanley Cup winners:

Finally, the Leafs need to get two or three players who have won the Stanley Cup in the past, and know what is needed to get there.

A bit like the L.A. Kings did with veteran Rob Scuderi, who won the Stanley Cup previously with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and played a very important role along the way.  Another good example from the Kings is Dustin Penner.  He has a reputation of being lazy, but in the playoffs Penner was one of the most consistent players and played his heart out day in day out.

I know it is easier said than done, but in essence, this is what the Leafs need to do to improve and compete with the best over the next two or three seasons.

• By Manny Frag
• January 9, 2013
• Comment

A report in the Toronto Sun suggests that a trade sending Roberto Luongo to the Maple Leafs is a done deal and will be announced on Thursday, following the ratification of the new NHL collective bargaining agreement.

The Vancouver Canucks will reportedly receive in exchange Tyler Bozak, Matt Fratin and a second round pick in the upcoming NHL draft.

That being said, would Roberto Luongo, on his own, propel the Leafs to become a playoff team and possibly a cup contender?

With the kind of struggles both our goaltenders went through last year, starting in January, it surely can’t hurt.  Bobby Lu has averaged 37 wins during his six year in Vancouver.  I understand that the Leafs and the Canucks are different teams, but he is a proven winner and a solid goalie.

On top of it all, he doesn’t take up that much cap space at $5.3M per season and he is signed for the rest of his career.

With a proven top line in Kessel, Lupul and most likely Grabovsky this year, together with a solid second unit that includes James Van Riemsdyk, Tim Connolly and Matthew Lombardi or Clarke MacArthur, Toronto’s offence can fill the net.

The defensive squad, lead by Dion Phaneuf and John-Michael Liles, is nothing exceptional, but a goaltender like Luongo can make an average defence look pretty good.

The Leafs become a playoff team the moment Roberto Luongo enters that locker room and puts on the blue and white.  Probably not a cup contender yet, but once you enter the playoffs, you never know. Just ask the New Jersey Devils and L.A. Kings.

Let’s just wait and see if that trades actually pans out first though.

• By Manny Frag
• January 9, 2013
• Comment

It was confirmed late last night that the Toronto Maple Leafs will open their season in Montreal, on Saturday, January 19th against the Canadiens.

Now, the big question is whether or not Roberto Luongo will be the starting goaltender for the Leafs, or will we have to start the season with the sometimes shaky James Reimer.

• By Manny Frag
• January 9, 2013
• Comment

Now that the NHL lockout is a thing of the past, it is time to look forward to a season that will, in all likelihood, start on January 19th. Here are five things that will hopefully make you forget about Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr in the near future.

1- The shortened season

Some people are saying that a shortened season is not a real season, and that the winners of the Stanley Cup won’t fully deserve their names on hockey’s holy grail.

I completely disagree.

During every 82 game season, all teams let up and don’t play to their highest potential in at least ten to fifteen games. In this year’s shortened season -either 48 or 50 games- no teams will be willing to give up on games as easily as they usually do. In essence, every game takes on added importance, which calls for a great season from beginning to end.

Of course the first few games will be erratic and out of sync for most of the players who didn’t play competitive hockey in over 10 months, but this could actually mean more goals and more wide-open hockey for us fans.

2-The players owe it to the fans

Any player who has pride and love for the game (and they all do), will give its absolute best day-in, day-out in this shortened season. They haven’t played in the NHL in a while, and they all miss it.

The players know they need to retain their fans in order to keep earning their big salaries in the future, and I believe they will do everything within their power to put on a great show. They are all super excited to come back and the intensity level jumped in rinks throughout North America the day after the players found out the lockout had finally ended.

3- The active players vs the inactive players

Over 200 NHL players went overseas to play in professional leagues in Europe during the lockout. The young NHLers were also allowed to play in the AHL. In total, close to 300 of the 750 NHL players have played competitively since October.

Of course, the intensity of these games played abroad will never compare to an NHL game, but at least those players had a chance to lace up their skates and play for a reason.

Fans are addicted to fantasy hockey and hockey pools, and it will be interesting to see if the players who have played competitively will dominate the games and fill the score sheets, at least in the early going.

4- Will Sidney Crosby stay healthy?

One of the biggest stories during the previous season was the whole saga regarding Sidney Crosby’s return to the NHL after a prolonged convalescence caused by several concussions.

On the day of his return against the New York Islanders, Sid the Kid put on an absolute show. He scored a magnificent first period goal, to let every one across the league know he was back and he meant business. He finished that game with a total of four points, but eventually succumbed to another injured later in the season, followed by another comeback attempt.

If healthy, there is no doubt Crosby is the best and most exciting hockey player in the world, but he is very fragile. Luckily for him, the time off could have potentially been the best thing to happen to his young career, which was in jeopardy of ending way earlier than expected.

Crosby made his NHL debut after the last lockout, and should finally return full-time to the ice after this most recent work stoppage. At 25, the Penguins’ captain is entering the prime of his career, and it would be a shame for him, the league and the fans to lose an amazing talent to repeated concussions. We can only hope Crosby will stay healthy for the remainder of his career.  And life for that matter.

5- Injuries

I will be very brief in the final thing to look for in this year’s NHL season because injuries are something that we, as fans, don’t ever want to see. We want the best product on the ice, and we don’t even want our rivals’ best players to be hurt, because we want to beat their team’s at their strongest.

But unfortunately, we all know that guys who have been out of the game for a long period of time are prone to groin injuries. Also, in order to give the best possible spectacle, the grinders of the game will throw some glass-breaking hit out there at some point, potentially resulting in more head injuries.

Hockey is the fastest and most physical game out there, unfortunately meaning there is no escaping the fact that injuries will occur throughout the season, no matter how short or long it is.

• By Manny Frag
• January 8, 2013
• Comment

Yes, this time it is true: The NHL Lockout has ended after 113 days.  The Boston Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference, who was in the negotiating room for more than 16 hours Saturday through Sunday, broke the news via Twitter at 5:02 am with a simple thumbs up.

Three minutes later @adater of the Denver Post confirmed the news that sources on both sides told his newspaper the lockout had ended.

I won`t go into detail as I’m sure you know them all by now, but at least we can now talk hockey!

Is Roberto Luongo coming to Toronto?

Will the Leafs finally make the playoffs?

Let the hockey talk begin and enough with the lockout chat!

By the way, the season will start on either the 15th or 19th, depending on how long it takes to make the deal official. So if it’s on the 15th, a 50 games season will occur, if not, expect a 48 games.

• By Manny Frag
• January 6, 2013
• Comment

Looks like the Toronto sports memorabilia shops are convinced Roberto Luongo will join the Maple Leafs, once the lockout is behind us.

The Score posted the above picture on their Instagram account, showing Bobby Lu’s #1 jersey in the white and blue of the Leafs. Not only did they post a very interesting picture, but they asked an equally mind teasing riddle. Would you buy a jersey of a player who is expected to be traded even before the trade is confirmed ?

I sure as hell wouldn’t.  I have enough problems finding jerseys to buy of players that won’t change teams again in the near future!  I really don’t see myself buying a jersey of a player who isn’t even on that team yet.

To be honest, I’m not even sure NHL regulations permits the sale of this type of merchandise.  I mean, it’s probably legal, but it still takes a lot of guts to buy such a jersey.

• By Manny Frag
• December 3, 2012
• Comment

Phil Kessel was in Montreal last weekend to participate in the inaugural WPT Montreal event. The Maple Leafs’ forward, who was looking to cash in a first cheque in weeks, was not successful, and did not cash in.

Phil Kessel and other poker pros still found an amusing way to spend their Saturday afternoon. The playground poker club, site of the first ever World Poker Tour event in Canada, had a very good idea of setting up a mini rink with a hockey net, to amuse the celebrities present.

At one point, professional poker player Antonio Esfandiari (seen on the picture below on the right) strapped on the full goalie equipment and asked Kessel to take a full speed shot at him. After reflection, @magicantonio realized that this was a very bad idea and he told Kessel to go at 80% and not full blast.

Kessel shot a few pucks at Esfandiari but nowhere near his full capacity. We all know that Kessel has one of the best shot in The NHL and could seriously hurt anyone not trained to stop a puck…even with a full equipment on.

• By Manny Frag
• November 28, 2012
• Comment

When reading this title, you probably thought I fell on my head or was completely drunk, but if you think about it, I don’t think we’re that far away from seeing the NHL season finally start.

The Players’ last offer was definitely not their best offer. They said that for once, they didn’t require a fix amount of the HHR coming their way, but then again, they required their portion only goes up, starting in year two of the five year deal. How is that not a minimum fix amount?

Also, when interviewed after the last meeting, Donald Fehr said that this was pretty much their best offer. Doesn’t sound like a guy who can’t do better now does it?

In my opinion, the NHL will get pretty much what they want, and in the end, it might not be such a bad deal for the players.

First of all, they are losing an astrnomical amount of money right now by not playing. Cash that they will never have a chance to regain in the future, since an NHL career is so short. Also, even if their paycheque is cut for now, we all know that owners and GM will fall in the same pattern they always do, and sign enormous contracts to players who don’t deserve it.

And it might seem like the players’ union isn’t that strong after all. Do you really think Roman Hamrlik and Michael Neuvirth are the only players pissed off about not getting their cheque right now? Veterans like Hamrlik in their last year of their contract are scared that they will never step foot in an NHL game again, with reasons. The young and cheaper players are gaining a year of experience in the AHL, and in 2004, more than 20% of the players didn’t play another game after the lockout ended.

This year, more than 30% of the NHL players are wasting their last contract year. You can bet a good portion of them over over 35 years old won’t be back. Sad but true.

The players have officially lost four paycheques so far, and trust me, they are starting to panic. They want to be back on the ice playing hockey and making money that they were expecting this year. Don’t be surprised if they start negociationg way less agressively in the coming days, and weeks.

• By Manny Frag
• November 23, 2012
• Comment

One of my favourite holiday of the year is the American Thanksgiving, because I like to call in sick and watch football all day long. On top of it all, we have a very decent program this year, and all three games are very interesting.

Texans vs Lions

To start off the celebrations, the Lions will be hosting, like every year, a Thanksgiving match. For the record, Detroit has lost nine games in a row on this national holiday, and I expect them to make it an even 10. The Texans are coming from a very average performance against the Jaguars, and I believe they needed a good challenge like the Lions to really wake them up.

Don’t get me wrong, the Lions are looking better and better, and almost caused an upset last week, losing in the last minutes to the Packers, but I think the Texans’ defence, lead by JJ Watt, is simply too strong, and should limit Stafford to an average day. The Texans will win the game.

Redskins vs Cowboys

Last week, RG III had a perfect passer rating against the very disappointing Eagles. The kid is gaining confidence and he is an every week battle with Andrew Luck, for the title of rookie of the year.

Look for him to shine in this prime game that will be shown across North America.

And also, let’s not kid ourselves anymore, the Cowboys are an over rated team and Tony Romo throws picks like if it’s his job! He is just an average QB at best.

I like the Redskins in this very important divisional match up.  The winner of this game, will fall back in contention for a playoff spot, and with a Giants’ loss on Sunday Night, it would put the Cowboys on top of the division with a win, or Washington would be only 1 game behind if and when they win. The Redskins will win the game.

Patriots vs Jets

In the night game, the Patriots will be visiting the New York Jets in this AFC East divisional battle.

On paper, and statistics wise, the Patriots should destroy the Jets, but New York just played its best game of the season last week in St-Louis, and the Patriots will be deprived of their big Tight End Rob Gronkowski.

Mark Sanchez actually looked like an NFL QB against the Rams, and could potentially have success against the weak Patriots’ defence. However, the Jets’ running game is less than stellar this season, and this really handicaps them.

On the other side of the ball, New York is playing very well defensively, despite having to defend without their best corner Darrell Revis. Antonio Cromartie, who by the way has 9 children with 8 different woman, which is an amazing stat on its own, is taking over beautifully in the place of Revis, and is having a career year.

The lack of running, and the fact that the Jets are missing some key elements on both sides of the ball, force me to take the Patriots in that dual. The Patriots will win the game.

• By Manny Frag
• November 22, 2012
• Comment