The 2013-2014 Leafs come from all over the globe. Not too long ago there weren’t nearly any players from southern Ontario. This map shows you where every player is from, what team they have played for prior to the Leafs and a brief bio on their playing history and style. Click the picture for the interactive map.

 

This is some work from first year at Sheridan College. This specific assignment was a reporter package. I covered what services the Sheridan Athletic Centre has to offer for their students. I was the on air reporter, conducted the interviews, and edited it all together. Enjoy!

Sheridan Athletic Centre

More videos here… http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCohq6ARnUsCeae8L9Z3_iTg

The Leafs have signed Mason Raymond to a one year deal for $1M. I think this is a great move by Dave Nonis. There was a hole in the Leafs line up and he filled it. He has filled the void of Matt Frattin. I see Frattin and Raymond as similar players. Only difference is age, Raymond 28, Frattin 25. A few years but those are valuable years. It is the difference between experienced players and players who still need to grow. I see Raymond as an established NHLer and Frattin a proven call up who can hold his own. But Frattin is gone so let’s focus on Raymond.

He has tones of speed which he has shown in the preseason. He crashes the net, goes to the dirty areas, works the boards, and he can score, all qualities Matt Frattin has. Raymond is  consistently earning greater than .5 points per game in his career which is great for a second liner. But I’d say the Leafs have an established second line with Kadri, Clarkson, and Lupul. Now with Clarkson suspended for his 10 games for coming off the bench during a fight, I see Raymond filling that spot. But for a more permanent position his speed on the third line with Bolland, and Kulemin works well. Speed on the outside and Bolland to park himself in front of the net and knock in rebound looks good to me. Also Raymond has great back checking. Like I said before his speed allows him to catch up to the play and turn the play around. He is also killer on the penalty kill with a great shorthanded goal in the preseason this year. With four points in just three preseason games with a new team is something to be proud off. He definitely earned his way onto the roster.

Nobody has said anything about Jay McClement. I just want to quickly say he is a lock for the roster in my mind. He is a god on the penalty kill and also a solid 4th line guy to play beside two tough guys. If you think otherwise I strongly disagree.

All that I’m looking for now is for the Leafs to sign Franson, somehow, someway.

Raymond shorthanded breakaway goal against the Flyers- Sept 15/2013

The new Leafs have arrived in Toronto, but not after saying bye to a few players. One player that I was sad to see go was Matt Frattin. Frattin played hard while he was on the Leafs. You often heard “Frattin ties the game!” and “Frattin wins the game in overtime!” or so it seemed. Frattin was a solid third liner for the Leafs last year. His 12 game absence with a knee injury and jumping from the Leafs to Marlies a couple of times certain didn’t help his performance. His inconsistency left fans not happy with his play but I think the injury and jumping around from leagues certainly didn’t help. He racked up 7 gaols and 6 assists for 15 points in only 25 games. That is not bad at all for third liner and occasional second liner. The Kings definitely got a great player in Frattin. He will most likely play with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter who will improve Frattin’s game with their skill.

Bernier

The Leafs acquired Jonathan Bernier in a trade that sent Scrivens and Frattin to the Kings. Bernier’s stats do not lie his skill. He went 9-3-1 last season with 1.88 GAA and .922 save pct. I do like him as a player but for Frattin, it makes me iffy. I think Bernier will start the season on the bench behind Reimer but if Reimer ever under performs, you’ll see Bernier get on the ice and hold onto that number one spot. The Leafs have improved their goaltending but are suffering offensively. That was until they improved with the likes of Clarkson and Bolland.

Clarkson

I love David Clarkson. He is the Sean Avery that people like. He can get under the skin of players and is a goal scorer. Someone the Leafs need. I see him as the Darcy Tucker of this Leafs team. A tough guy who will fight and annoy other teams. Also, he played for the Aurora Tigers in Junior A (my hometown team) so I may be a little biased. Last season, he posted 15 goals and 9 assists in 45 games last season. He has only improved over the years. This fits well with a young Leafs team that is getting better and better season after season. Clarkson is a little older at 29 but will still fit in with the young team. He has experience playing alongside players like Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur. He has lots of playoff experience. I think this pick up by the Leafs is a great move and a great player to fill the void of Matt Frattin and to play with Lupul and the nifty Kadri.

Bolland

Just to calm my nerves a bit about the Frattin trade. The Leafs picked up Dave Bolland from the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks. He might not be the points guy you want on your team but he certainly is the experience guy you want on your team. He is 27 years old from Etobicoke, Ontario. He has two Stanley Cup rings and has been to the playoffs 5 seasons out of his 7 in the NHL (one season, only played one game). He’s a pass first player which will work well for most likely playing beside Kulimen, a player that needs to shoot more to repeat that impressive 30 goal season. Also playing beside the speedy Mason Raymond (hopefully) will complete a solid third line for the Leafs.

Mason Raymond?

More on him if he get’s signed, which I think he will.

It’s official Leaf fans. Nazem Kadri has been signed. The contract is for 2 years at $2.9M a year. This contract is reportedly $25,000 more then what the Toronto Maple Leafs offered just one month ago.

I think this shows how much Kadri wants to play for the Leafs. I mean who wouldn’t, it;s the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. I felt the whole offseason that he wanted to be here. He is a local boy from London, Ontario so playing close to home is everybody’s obvious choice.

I also like that he didn’t go out for a huge long term high salary contract. I think he understood that he is very young and STILL has to prove he is an NHL caliber player. Just like PK Subban who has a similar contract to prove himself. I see the two as very similar in their careers. They both clearly make an impact and both have had stellar seasons. They are both still young and can fall off their path to success if they don’t keep working.

This season will tell what Kadri is made of. As a locked in player for almost the first time in his career, maybe this will spark career numbers or maybe he will relax after knowing (or thinking he’s made it)

Franson

Now what does this mean for Franson? Franson definitely stepped it up at the end of last season after a disappointing first year with the Leafs. He was strong defensively but also on the powerplay. He surprised everybody with his playmaking abilities. Standing next to Phaneuf on the blue line proved to be a locked down defensive pairing, until…you know….THAT game.

What are your thoughts on the Kadri signing and the Leafs Franson situation.

The Toronto Blue Jays are set to take on the Minnesota Twins in a short 2 game series. The Jays are going for a fourth straight series win, it would be a season high. Jays starting pitching has been hot as of late with an ERA under of 2.93 in the past 11 games and going 8-2 in that time. The absence of Jose Bautista hasn’t seem to slow down the Jays offence. Edwin Encarnacion seems to be hitting home runs left right and centre these days. As well, the Jays call ups have been impressive both with the bat and the glove.

As the Jays take on the Morneau-less Twins, look for J.A. Happ to bounce back after 3 straight losses and Esmil Rogers to get his second straight win. The Jays are 33-10 since July 23rd, 2007 against the Twins. Good sign for the Jays I’d say.

Last time the Jays took on the Twins they won 11-5. It gave Redmond his first career win and Rajai Davis slapped a 3-run home run to left.

This is some work from first year at Sheridan College…

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCohq6ARnUsCeae8L9Z3_iTg

The Toronto Blue Jays lost the series sweep to the Diamondbacks yesterday afternoon. The rare matinee game was full of rarities. Rajai Davis hits a 2-run home run and Mark Buehrle at the plate is always a sight to see. The game went into extras where in the bottom of the 10th with a man on second and third, Willie Bloomquist steps up and hits an RBI single and wins the game for the D-Backs.

One thing I am wondering, the Jays won the series without Bautista (whose out now for the remainder of the season). The Jays have been playing great as of late and oddly it seems to be a large defensive improvement not offensive. Brett Lawrie, Jose Reyes and Ryan Goins who is surprising everybody with his great play at second. This is a positive sign for the Jays future, possibly next year as there is a hole at second in the Jays lineup.

This video highlights Brett Lawrie’s play from this year which I think proves he is a golden glove candidate.