1.A VCR for watching highlights of team games. This may seem a touch out-of-date, but DVDs were still a thing of the future when the Leafs were last a Stanley Cup contender.

This could be you, mocking Sens fan. Beware.

2. A pair of Colton Orr gloves, good for beating any rival fan who starts chanting “Sixty-Seven” at you during a Leaf loss.

3. The Mikail Grabovski knife set, which is perfect for helping prepare your holiday fruit platters. This is also the official knife set of the Belarussian mob.

4. Kris Versteeg’s debut rap album entitled “First to Worst: The Journey of One Man’s Fall from Hockey Supremacy”. Depending on its success, might be the first thing featuring a Leafs jersey to be associated with the word platinum.

5. While intended for children, the season’s hottest book will be a hit for fans of all ages. “A Monster Under the Bed” by Jonas Gustavsson.

6. Movember might be over, but it’s never too late to give someone a stick-on Wendel Clark moustache. A perfect accessory for all seasons.

7. A photo of Jason Blake in an Anaheim Ducks jersey. A reminder that miracles do happen if you wish for them hard enough.

8. A Team Canada jersey to wear during the World Junior Hockey Championships, as proof that it isn’t illegal or impossible for a team with a leaf as its crest to have success.

9. The Kyle Wellwood Holiday Feast – enough chocolate and gravy to make all your problems go away.

10. A waffle maker.

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Colby Armstrong’s thoughts on the Waffle Toss: “If we had won, he would have gone home with soggy waffles, so I don’t know. … Throw a t-bone. Spend some money. Throw a filet.” (Further evidence that Colby Armstrong is absolutely awesome.)

Luke Schenn: “If you’re bringing waffles to a hockey game, maybe you’re having issues of your own.”

While we don’t condone people throwing projectiles at hockey players, or anybody for that matter, it’s certainly a creative way of demonstrating your displeasure. It got us here at ETS thinking, what else could you throw on the ice? So with that, Brock and I have come up with the Top 10 things to throw at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1. A bone, because the team’s recent losing streak certainly has them in the doghouse.

2. A new set of bedsheets. Not to use to cover their faces in embarassment, but because right now they’re shitting the bed, and with Brian Burke’s holiday roster freeze in effect, it’s about the only thing that can be changed until after Christmas.

Beauchemin avoids a check, but not flying breakfast foods.

3. A copy of “The Christmas Sweater”, one of the only texts ever written in which someone will be able to read about a player in a Leafs jersey scoring a goal.

4. A stack of Kraft singles slices, preferably the upper most one, because it’s the closest anybody on the team will ever come to getting top cheese.

5. The scope of a sniper riffle, or anything that will improve their aim. These guys couldn’t hit a cow if they were milking it.

6. A second puck, or maybe even a third. Maybe, maybe, that will get the Leafs over the oh-so-difficult hump of 2.2 goals per game.

7. Those tiny one-use ketchup packets, which are a great substitute for blood in an attempt to draw a double-minor when high sticked.

8. Not hats. You’ve got a better chance of seeing Sarah Palin string together an articulate sentence than of seeing one Maple Leafs player score three goals in one game.

9. A flashlight, with the hopes they’ll be able to use it to climb out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference.

10. Vesa Toskala hockey card from his time in Calgary, to serve as a reminder of what will happen to you if you piss off the general manager.

Check back in tomorrow for “Top 10 things to buy a distressed Leafs fan for Christmas”

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Leafs fans seem to be pretty split with their opinions on this decision. Some are crying out that it’s far too early and that this will ruin Kadri forever if he doesn’t play well. They claim the team is trying to annoint him the saviour of a club that scores less frequently than Screech from Saved by the Bell.

On the flip side, there are those who say the time is now, and he should have been up earlier. I don’t agree with that, but at the same time, I agree that with the team’s lack of spark on offense recently, it really can’t get much worse from here, so there’s not much harm in trying it out.

Kadri has been playing the wing in the AHL, and will continue to do so now. This is not a move to bump Tyler Bozak or Mikhail Grabovski from the top two lines. Kadri was skating this morning with Bozak and Nikolai Kulemin. Phil Kessel remained with Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur.

The first thought that came to my head when I read of Kadri’s promotion was that it might hurt his development if he doesn’t play well and loses a great deal of confidence, as he’s been prone to do when things don’t go well (slow starts in London and Toronto this year after being demoted from the big club). The last example we have of a similar case was Justin Pogge, who got the victory in his NHL debut in the 2008-2009 season, then lost the next five he played, and is now on his second organization since leaving Toronto, still nowhere near being an NHL-calibre goalie.

He clearly got crushed by the pressure of the Toronto market, and it ultimately ran him out of town. After further consideration, I’ve decided I can’t possibly draw comparisons between the two. Goaltenders are a different breed to begin with, emotionally. They’re known to be basket-cases and have weird personalities. Pogge’s clearly wasn’t cut out for Toronto. Also, there is much more pressure on a goaltender than a top-six left winger. So even if Kadri doesn’t put up solid numbers, he can do other things to help the team succeed.

My final point will draw on Brian Burke’s experience. In his time in Anaheim, he was gifted with talented forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. None of those three started their rookie year with the big club, but all made an appareance or two during the course of the schedule. Granted, all three got more than 14 games in the AHL (and Burke admitted he wanted to wait about three more weeks before bringing Kadri up), so their development may have been further ahead of Kadri’s at this point. This isn’t to say that Kadri will put up huge numbers this year. None of those three averaged a point a game in their rookie campaign. But by allowing Kadri to come to the NHL and show what he’s got, it’s just the next step in his development.

We’d love to hear what you think about this, and our thoughts on Kadri. Post a comment on either story below, or tweet us @ehteamsports.

Fan reaction is fairly evenly divided between those who think an opportunity in the NHL right now is in opposition to his development on the farm and those who think he should have been playing NHL hockey since last season. There is no correct answer as to what’s best at this point – that kind of clarity only comes with hindsight – but the real answer probably lies somewhere in between.

After a relatively disappointing preseason from Kadri, some fans were declaring him unfit for the NHL, ever. Harsh condemnation, especially when you consider the flashes of brilliance he has shown in preseason games and throughout his OHL career. After getting off to a slow start with the Marlies, Kadri has compiled 14 points in 14 games, to go along with a +2. People who watch the Marlies regularly seem to suggest he won’t find immediate success with the big club, but who can really expect much success when he joins a team in the midst of a 1-7-2 stretch?

The expectations are there, from fans, management, coaching staff and himself; regardless of how unfair those expectations might be, if Kadri doesn’t find immediate success then the impatience welling up among Leafs Nation could have a convenient target. Aulie has less to worry about from the fans, and doesn’t figure to be a long term solution regardless of how he plays. Unless he surpasses Brett Lebda and Carl Gunnarsson, he won’t be with the Leafs once Dion Phaneuf is cleared to return. Kadri’s opportunity is much larger in scope. If he manages to ignite the offence and limit the defensive lapses that have some fans and the coaching staff nervous, then he may very well find himself a fixture on this team as the season marches on.

Burke was quoted Wednesday as saying he had no immediate plans to bring Kadri up to the big squad; so what changed? The need for offence on this team has been apparent since long before this season began, and Kadri is an offensively inclined player. A more likely scenario is Ron Wilson speaking up and asking Burke for the keys to the Kadri. Wilson’s charges up front are lacking skill, and Kadri brings some high end skill, albeit still raw, unrefined skill, to a group who can’t find the back of the net. Kadri will also get powerplay time, where he can hopefully shake things up a bit and get the percentages a little more favourable.

There’s no denying that Kadri is coming into a bit of a powder keg. Some have called it a setup for failure, and that’s probably not much of a stretch. The Leafs are foregoing some development in hopes that these prospects can have an immediate and positive impact. After the last two weeks, it’s hard to imagine it could much worse.

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Standing in their way is the NHL’s leading scorer in Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s been said more than once by a number of people, but the point is well made: if the Leafs are serious about contending for the playoffs, these are the kinds of games you just have to win. While the single points that are garnered for pushing a game to overtime are good in the sense that it’s better than nothing, conceding the extra point by losing in overtime or a shootout and allowing divisional or conference rivals to collect them makes it much harder to catch and pass teams down the stretch.

What makes it seem worse is the fact that in both cases the tying goal came as regulation time dwindled, and an insurance goal or even just safe and simple defensive play would have avoided the the surrender of these vital points. Dropping not one, but two points to a team whose goalie sported a GAA over 5.00 and a SV% well under .900 is almost inexcusable for a Leaf squad trying to prove that the playoffs are within reach.

Case in point: Tuesday night against the Lightning, a win puts the Leafs at 15 points and into a tie for 8th with the Thrashers while simultaneously performing the all important task of preventing Tampa from strengthening their hold on fourth place. A win on Wednesday prevents the Panthers from gaining any ground behind the Leafs and helps mitigate their game in hand. As it stands, should the Leafs win in regulation, Tampa’s 16 points would seem quite within reach. Following that up with another win over the Panthers on Wednesday would place the Leafs in the playoff picture once again, and go a long way towards erasing the painful memories of last week.

Overstating the importance of a regular season game in November is a relatively easy task, but the Leafs have to start winning at a .500 pace – or better – if they want to stay in the hunt for postseason play. Teams make statements at critical times throughout a season, and dropping points in the previous two games coming on the heels of losing three in a row, the hot start that had the Leafs at the top of the Eastern Conference is all but forgotten.

What better time for a golden opportunity to right the ship?

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It seemed far too common for the Leaf forwards to break up ice before they received the puck from the defenders, which left the rearguards little choice but to play the puck up the boards or up the middle in hopes of getting a kind bounce and not setting their teammates up for the RJ Umberger treatment. The Rangers have seen the Leafs once already this season, and their defence seemed much better prepared for the forecheck the Leafs used so effectively in their first five games.

The most concerning aspect of last night’s game has to be the benching of Tyler Bozak, the Leafs’ first line centre. When everyone but Mike Zigomanis, Mike Brown and Colton Orr play more minutes than your top line centre, something is wrong. Not that Bozak has been the Leafs’ best forward by any stretch so far this season, but giving him one shift in the third period seems couterproductive to his development and the success of the team. While Bozak is not a bonafide top line player on most teams in the NHL, he provides an offensive hockey sense that can’t be taught, and isn’t easily replaced.

Wilson didn’t waste too much time abandoning all forms of structure with his lines once he decided Bozak needed a rest. Zigomanis centered Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg. Versteeg centered Kessel and Clarke MacArthur. The lines that Wilson so clearly established in training camp and through the pre-season were nowhere to be found, and the Leafs looked accordingly confused. The one shift Bozak did take in the third period saw him nearly set up the tying goal on a nifty cross-ice pass, something not many on the offensively-challenged Leafs squad can do.

Meanwhile, Versteeg continues to provide critics with plenty of ammunition as to why he shouldn’t be considered a top line player in the NHL. A great stretch pass from Kaberle was for naught as Versteeg failed to capitalize on another breakaway. Wilson didn’t seem to mind though, as Versteeg must have played close to four of the final five minutes of the game.

The Leafs needed to lose a game sooner or later, if only to prevent a complacent attitude from forming around their early season success. Perhaps last night’s game is the kind of game that proves to be as valuable a lesson as the two points surrendered to a team the Leafs will be in competition with for the final few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. With the Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Leafs on Saturday, the first real test of adversity for this team will be to see if they can stop a losing skid.

The only change Ron Wilson made to his lineup after the first four wins was inserting Brett Lebda for Carl Gunnarsson, and until the three-minute mark of overtime it was a good move. Gunnarsson has struggled this season, including through training camp, and Lebda brings speed and maybe a little more offensive upside to the Leafs’ defence. Sadly, as fans witnessed through the early losing string last season, Lebda may have been guilty of trying to do too much to make an impression on the fans and coaching staff. A goalie interference penalty is never a good penalty to take, especially in overtime.

With 9 out of 10 possible points in the bank so far this season, there isn’t much for Leafs fans to complain about. The players are saying all the right things, and backing it up by working hard every shift. Clarke MacArthur’s goal streak is over, but Phil Kessel is still on pace for an 82 goal campaign. Grabovski left the game last night with an undisclosed injury but appears to be fine at practice today. Overall, things are looking pretty good on the ice in Toronto right now.

The only thing missing from last night’s affair was a Ron Wilson ejection. The officiating was such that it would not have been difficult to understand frustration on the Leaf bench boiling over and resulting in a heated exchange, followed by the ejection of one disgruntled coach.There is a time and place for these kinds of outbursts, and last night would have been as appropriate as any. The same way a fourth line is expected to boost the adrenaline of a team when things aren’t going well, a coach can bump up the energy level of the whole team with a well timed rant.

Sooner or later, every team requires a unifying incident or event to really strengthen the bond between the players and the coaching staff, and last night may have been such an event. After the Colby Armstrong non-goal was revealed to never have crossed the goal line, the Leafs came back with a hard-hitting, high tempo shift that set the tone for the rest of the third period. It’s the “us-against-the-world” mindset that better teams require to hold positions near the top of the league, and the Leafs may have taken a step towards realizing that attitude during last night’s game.

In other words, short-term pain for long-term gain. The Leafs may have suffered their first instance of loss last night against the New York Islanders, but in the eyes of many, they have already achieved more success than most optimists would have predicted prior to the start of the season.

So, in the hopes of trying to make it up to you, I’m going to try to produce a solid piece here.

I was fortunate enough to be able to get a ticket to the Leafs/Sens game at the ACC on Saturday. Big ups to my friend Matt – his tickets were not only in the platinum section, they were also worth platinum $$$. I don’t even want to know how much those puppies cost…

The atmosphere for this season’s first installment of the ‘Battle of Ontario’ was electric. Think of the BoO like a ‘Jersey Shore’ on ice…with all the shots, punches to the face, and whining (COUGH *Spezza* COUGH) you could ask for.

So, without further ado, the Top 10 Things I Noticed while at the Battle of Ontario, Round #1.

1. If the ticket cost doesn’t put you into bankruptcy, the beer prices sure as hell will. It wasn’t even the end of the first period, and after two beers, I was $30- down. The worst part was this look in the bartender’s eyes when I didn’t tip her. Sorry Britney, or Monika, or whatever generic blonde name you had, I just thought that the tip was built into the $14- beer I just paid for.
2. Phil Kessel is FAST. He was by far the fastest player on the ice. It could be the racing stripes on his hockey stick, or it could be good ol’ fashioned Wisconsin “hackey” in his blood, but Kessel was lightyears ahead of the Sens sluggish defence. As well, Kessel never once looked down at the ice – he was always looking into the eyes of the opposing defender, constantly one step ahead (mentally) of the Senators. And it paid off, as he scored a greasy, yet hustle-inspired marker to put the Buds up 2-0 in the first period. 
   
   

   MacArthur notches goal #2 on the season.

3. Sergei who? The man who the Sens brought in to quarterback their powerplay was a ghost on the ice. He was slow, made poor passes, and was often accountable for odd-man rushes. He must be taking lessons for a fellow Russian on the Sens. I wouldn’t try to emulate Kovalev too hard, Sergei – you might just put out a DVD that no one will buy.
4. Luke Schenn gave his sophomore slump the same treatment as he gave Jon Sim. The Saskatchewan native certainly earned his place on the second defensive pairing, as he played a near-perfect game. He was sturdy, intimidating, and showed great hustle to follow up on any mistake he made. Schenn will be an absolute force for the Leafs this year. Watch out for the 2-2 Train, folks.
5. Don’t look directly into Dion Phaneuf’s eyes, or you might get hit. Being in the 9^th row, I could see some of the facial expressions he put on. Bluntly put, the Cro-Magnon look-alike can scowl something fierce. He’s about as intimidating as when I first walked in to Real Sports Bar (which is a jaw-dropping, awesome establishment). Sean Avery better watch out next Saturday, or else No. 3’s brow ridge might knock him out. 
   
   

   Yes...hope for better dental work.

6. Pascal Leclaire has played well this year. Just ask other Sens goalie legends: Ron Tugnutt, Ray Emery, Damien Rhodes, Martin Gerber, Martin Prusek, and Alex Auld. I’m sure they all love Leclaire. Pascal, I personally want to thank you for putting on your best Patrick Lalime impression. In fact, I gave you a standing ovation for it five times last Saturday.
7. When it came to the Battle of Ontario, the suits stayed home. This was my first time sitting in the lower bowl of the ACC, and I was expecting the worst: ties, Blackberries, and the same level of excitement given off by a wet mop. But how wrong I was. The fans in the lower bowl showed the same amount of passion as Liberace at a Pride Parade – there wasn’t a suit in sight. I guess things are a little different when the bragging rights of Ontario are at stake.
8. Kris Versteeg’s Gordie Howe Hattrick is the epitome of what Brian Burke is going for: be mean, hold your own, stand up for your man, and put the puck in the net. And while you’re at it, why not beat up on Mr. Carrie Underwood? Congrats to KV32 for the first of many in a Leafs uniform.
9. I don’t know what Matt Carkner was thinking. Throughout the first two periods, he continued to jaw and egg Orr on. I understand Orr’s mentality – why fight when we already had a commanding lead? There’s no point to it, as the crowd is already going nuts for the new-look team! However, Orr hit his tipping-point in the third period, which was bad news for a certain curly-haired defender. Hope you like a faceful of fist, Carkner.  (Wow, talk about irony. ‘White Knuckles’ by OK GO just came onto my iTunes as I am writing this.)
10. Nothing, I repeat nothing, is better than the atmosphere outside the ACC after a Leafs win. So why not celebrate it with a ThunderJug of Molson Canadian at the Loose Moose, with hundreds of other Leaf-clad fans?

I am now reduced to counting down the days until Wednesday, when the Leafs face off against Pittsburgh. I love watching these Leafs play. Hey Damien Cox, just because I know you love it so much – we’re planning the parade!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to open a new season after the longest of off-seasons, and after five straight years without playoff hockey in the city, fans are eagerly anticipating the results of various off-ice changes over the summer.

There is little doubt that the Leafs are a much better team than they were at the outset of last season. The question remains: how much better?

Gone are the overpaid and underperforming veterans who came in, after a strong pre-season showing from younger players hungry to earn their spots on a stagnant roster, and essentially put the playoffs out of reach by the conclusion of October. The much-discusssed January 31st trades that imported new captain Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere point to a turning point that fans of the Leafs can only hope translates into a playoff berth.

Kris Versteeg, Clarke MacArthur and Colby Armstrong have to begin proving their worth to their team and the fans tonight, when the games count. First impressions are long remembered, and there is none better than tonight’s opportunity to capitalize on a rabid fanbase, starved for optimism.

Ron Wilson’s task seems to be a monumental challenge: get a team used to losing back into the playoffs, this season if possible. However, this challenge needn’t seem quite so monumental if viewed in a smaller scope. For Wilson, the first part of the challenge is to be in the hunt after October.

It doesn’t take an expert to realize that 0-7-1 is a poor start for any team, especially one with as high a price to pay as the Leafs’ first round pick in 2010. All the Leafs need to concern themselves with is escaping October, a .500 record in hand. Merely avoiding total collapse will seem like a major improvement over last season’s horrendous start, and it will give the Leafs a chance to keep the other teams in the hunt honest.

Much has been made about the difference goaltending will make this season, and it’s difficult to mount any kind of defence of Vesa Toskala when taking his performance into account. With Giguere slated to start 45 to 50 games this season, Jonas Gustavsson will be hungry behind him and both goalies should be pushed to perform well.

The special teams were as bad as they could possibly have been last season, and if that trend continues, expect the termination of Wilson sooner rather than later. With better personnel on the penalty kill, in the forms of Mike Brown and Fredrik Sjostrom, for a full season, expecting improvement in that department isn’t unrealistic. The powerplay demonstrated increased creativity and skill in the pre-season, and with any luck, should see significant improvement over the course of a full season.

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs in 2010-2011? That is a challenging question indeed, but for the first time since 2006, the possibility seems more tangible than ethereal. Like the NHL’s new advertising campaign, “Questions Will Become Answers”, and fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs hope the answer turns out be ‘yes’.

TUE. v. Seattle – W 5-3. WP: Marc Rzepczynski (2-4); LP: Luke French (4-6)
WED. v. Seattle – L 6-3. WP: David Pauley (3-8); LP: Kyle Drabek (0-2)
THU. v. Seattle – W 1-0. WP: Shawn Hill (1-2); LP: Felix Hernandez (12-12)
FRI. v. Baltimore – W 6-4. WP: Brett Cecil (14-7); LP: Chris Tillman (1-5)
SAT. v. Baltimore – W 5-4 (11). WP: David Purcey (1-0); LP: Mark Hendrickson (1-6)
SUN. v. Baltimore – W 5-2. WP: Shaun Marcum (13-8); LP: Rick VandenHurt (0-1)

Jose connects on his 50th J-Baumb of the season.

1. For the third consecutive week, Jose Bautista takes the top spot. And why not? The guy is having a terrific season, and hit another mileston on Thursday when he clubbed his 50th home run of the season. He became just the 27th player in the history of Major League Baseball to accomplish this feat, and he joins some pretty impressive names (see: Ruth, Griffey Jr, Mays, etc). And a bunch of guys who did steroids. Congratulations, Jose!

2. There were a couple of other home run milestones on the Jays this week. Vernon Wells hit his 30th of the season on Friday night, a solid return to form for a player who hadn’t hit more than 20 since 2006, when he hit 32. Lyle Overbay joined the list of Blue Jays with 20 long balls this year, which is now at five. It’s the most 20-homer players the team has had since 2000, when the had seven. Also, Wells and Bautista’s combined 82 are most of any teammate duo in the league. They lead Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols in St. Louis by 13.

3. There were mixed results at the plate for the Jays this week. Adam Lind was all about the average, hitting .316 (6-for-19) in five games, but he had no home runs or runs batted in. On the other hand, Aaron Hill (2-for-22), Edwin Encarnacion (3-for-20), and Lyle Overbay (3-for-18) hit a combined .133, but hit four homers (on eight hits) and drove in eight. I guess a balanced attack is the recipe for success, and the Jays won five games this week, so it clearly worked.

4. A tip of the hat goes to pitcher Shawn Hill, who picked up his first win since early 2009 on Thursday when he pitched five innings of four-hit, shutout ball, while striking out seven.

5. Most of the starting rotation actually pitched very well this week. Shaun Marcum notched his 13th win of the season on Sunday with a dominating performance against Baltimore, tossing seven innings and allowing no earned runs on four hits, striking out seven. Brett Cecil continues to remain one step ahead of his mates by picking up his 14th victory on Friday night. He gave up 11 hits, but only two runs in 6.1 innings. Marc Rzepczynski jumped to 2-4 after throwing 6.1 innings against Seattle on Tuesday in which he gave up two runs on seven hits, striking out eight.

6. Speaking of the starters, if anybody saw the sit-down piece Jamie Campbell did with Cecil, Marcum, Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow on Sportsnet this weekend, you can’t help but be excited. All four are promising young pitchers, and the four of them seem to get along very well. They’ve got different personalities which mess well with each other, and seem to enjoy being teammates. They appear to be dedicated to winning, and excited at the opportunity that lies ahead.

7. And to finish off this week, we’ll make a call to the bullpen to congratulate Kevin Gregg on picking up his 35th save of the season. Not many thought that would be likely or possible when he was signed just before spring training. His set-up men, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor combined to throw 6.1 shutout innings of relief this week as well.

The Jays will wrap up their home schedule with three games against the Yankees, culminating with Cito Gaston’s final home game as manager of the club on Wednesday night. That’s followed by a four-game set in Minnesota and their first trip to new Target Field.

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