Ongoing Toronto Maple Leafs Thread 2014/15

[devo22]

I'll use this thread for all the updates I make. The start of the season is finally here! On the opening roster, there are only 4 players returning from last year: Tyler Johnson, Craig Smith, Barret Jackman and Kyle Quincey. Let's see what this completely remodeled team can do! Here's a look at the lineup:





Vanek-Filppula and Cammalleri-Johnson have formed deadly partnerships in preseason (those 4 scored a total of 28 goals - that's over 62 percent of all Leafs goals!), now I hope the right wingers can find their game as well.

[Goffie]

Can't wait to see what lies ahead for the Leafs this season.

[TurdFerguson]

Best looking leafs team I've seen in my time here. Good work. Would be awesome to see you push for the playoffs

[devo22]

MONTHLY LEAFLET
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OCTOBER RESULTS

The Maple Leafs struggled early on, but found some success late in the month and finished October with a 3-3-1 record.

# 1 at MTL 3-2 W
# 2 at PIT 1-2 L
# 3 vs NYR 2-3 L
# 4 at COL 1-4 L
# 5 at DET 2-1 W
# 6 vs DET 4-5 O
# 7 vs NYI 7-2 W

ENTERING THE SEASON WITH NEW FACES



A busy summer has completely changed the look of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as a quick glance at the top performers during the two year tenure of the current GM shows. Tyler Johnson is the lone returning player among the top 10 in goals and points, with Jiri Hudler joining him after a few games.

RE-ACQUIRING HUDLER



After a disappointing start to the season, we decided to shake it up a bit and traded Ryan Callahan and a 3rd round pick to Dallas in exchange for Jiri Hudler. What a summer for the Czech forward - from Toronto to Minnesota to Dallas and back to Toronto. Poor Jiri.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "SHOOT THE PUCK"?



While following the NHL progress of my players, one of the common themes I noticed was the fact that many of my top performers have managed to register assist after assist while failing to put the puck in the back of the net themselves. Thomas Vanek, Tyler Johnson and Valtteri Filppula contributed a combined 76 goals in the NHL last season, but it seems they haven't been able to find the bounces so far in 2014-15. Vanek, a pure sniper, finally got the monkey off the back in his 10th game of the season after registering 7 assists before that. Johnson, whose 24 goals in 2013-14 broke a Lightning rookie record previously held by some guy named Stamkos, has a single goal to his name so far as well. His response to the goal-drought? Leading the NHL in assists (13). In comparison to Vanek and Johnson, Filppula has been a goal scoring monster ... he has 2 goals so far (along with 8 assists)! While we are amused about the unexpected goal-assist ratio by these guys, we are sure that they'll soon turn it around in the goal scoring department as well.

YOU'RE IN THE BIG LEAGUE NOW, KID



One of the things that give me pleasure about the 2014-15 edition of the CPHL Leafs is the fact that so many of my prospects got a first chance in the NHL ... and they ran with it. A total of 4 forwards have got their first taste of NHL hockey and every single of them has found the back of the net already.

From that list, we're all most familiar with Josh Jooris surely. 3 goals and 4 points in 6 games is a pretty good stat line for an undrafted kid that was signed out of college and whose first pro season was nothing more than okay. But he's been flying so far this season, earning a call-up for the Flames after an impressive training camp. Jooris became a CPHL Leaf more than a year ago when we signed a cheap backup goalie (Scott Clemmensen) and felt that Michal Neuvirth was expendable, so we traded the Czech goalie to New Jersey for Jooris along with plugger Rich Clune and a 4th round pick. I hope he can keep his current form up (unlikely) or at least solidifies himself as a legitimate NHLer (more likely) so that we can actually use him in the sim.

Another forward bursting on the scene is Marko Dano. In the 3 CPHL drafts I have taken part in, I have certainly made some bad picks, but there have also been quite a few gems. Dano certainly falls in the second category - I managed to draft him late in the 2nd round last year, but the Blue Jackets then went out and actually made him a late 1st round pick. Playing in the KHL for two seasons surely help him settle in when he came over to play pro hockey in North America this spring, and Dano went on to comfortably make the NHL roster out of camp. An injury kept him out of the lineup for a few games, but he still has a goal and assist to his name after appearing in 7 games so far. We hope that he can stay in the NHL for the whole season and improve further.

The beauty of following prospects and youth hockey is that every now and then, a prospect comes along and surprises everybody by playing lights out and making the NHL way earlier than expected. On the CPHL Leafs, that guy would be Anthony Duclair. I used my first of two 2nd rounders last year on Duclair (the second one was Dano), only to see him fall all the way to the 3rd round in the NHL. The speedy winger responded by scoring 50 goals in the QMJHL last year, but still nobody expected him to make the Rangers out of camp. The 19-year-old has been a revelation in New York, scoring a goal and 5 points in his first 8 NHL games ... sometimes he's even the best Ranger out there. We are very excited about the progress of this kid and hope he can keep it up.

Another surprise has been Dennis Everberg. The Swedish forward was signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche this summer, and as if that wasn't huge enough for the kid, he was also inked to a CPHL contract by the Leafs later in the summer. While fellow Avs Euro signing and CPHL Leafs prospect Borna Rendulic was sent to the AHL, Everberg made the NHL out of camp. After being held off the scoreboard in his first 5 games, he was sent down to the AHL, only to return a few days later and score his first NHL goal in a game against Anaheim. Everberg certainly has a lower ceiling than Dano and Duclair, but we hope he can stay in the NHL nevertheless and become a solid bottom six player going forward.

[dsavillian]

This is why you are an all star GM when it comes to update threads.

[Hanna Sniper]

Howie Meeker approves this thread

[TurdFerguson]

Was hoping for some insight but I guess I'll have to settle for your leaflet.

[HalifaxDrunk]

I don't understand, all your players are wearing different team jerseys. Is this their way of a silent protest about having to play in Toronto? I mean who can blame them?

[devo22]

(BI-?) MONTHLY LEAFLET
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INJURY BUG SPOTTED IN LOCKER ROOM!

Many tales could be written about the 2014-15 season of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but one of the most prominent ongoing storylines of this season has been the frequency of injuries the Leafs have had to deal with, especially on the blueline. In late December in a game against the Lightning, the Leafs had to ice this beauty of a defensive lineup:

Barret Jackman (TOI 26:27) - Corey Potter (TOI 25:22)
Kevan Miller (TOI 26:04) - Brandon Manning (TOI 24:10)
Nick Deslauriers (TOI 17:54) - Johan Alm (TOI 10:17)

Of course, the Leafs conducted a full evaluation of the club in order to find a reason for all the injuries, and it seems they have found one when they carefully examined the locker room:



It seems like getting rid of the bug helped: as of today, the Leafs have no player on IR left. Let's hope it stays like that!

OH BOY! A TRADE!



Despite all the injuries and currently being outside of the top 8, the Leafs still haven't given up on their playoff hopes. In an attempt to both bolster their blueline this year and next year, they decided to trade for Johnny Boychuk from the Philadelphia Flyers.



We overpaid for a good top 4 defenseman on a long-term contract because that's what this team needed. Letting two of our favourite prospects go was tough, but both Duclair and McCoshen are at least two years away from having any sim impact and as I learned in my time in the CPHL, good goaltending and a good defensive core are key to have success. Boychuk should help our playoff push, but he's also an acquisition for next year and beyond - like every other defenseman in my new top 4, he is signed until 2017. Plus he's having a fantastic season and should see another ratings bump.

A comparison between our current blueline and the one we had last year:



I'd call that slight progress.

YOU'RE IN THE BIG LEAGUE NOW, KID - PART TWO



Since the last update, 3 more forwards have made their NHL debuts. Hooray!

On December 31, Borna Rendulic made hockey history when he became the first Croatian hockey player to score a goal in the NHL. So far, Rendulic has appeared in 7 games for the Colorado Avalanche, and while he seems to be behind fellow CPHL Leafs prospect Dennis Everberg on the Avalanche's depth chart, it's great to see that he's seeing NHL time in his first season in North America too.

The Minnesota Wild selected Tyler Graovac only in the 7th round in 2011, but the big center has since impressed at every level. So after scoring 24 points in 31 AHL games this season, he got his first taste of the NHL in late December. He is scoreless in 3 games for the Wild so far.

And while it's not THAT difficult to crack the Oilers' roster, it was still great to see Iiro Pakarinen get his first NHL chance. In 5 games with the special boys up there, he scored one goal.

[simmer2]

Steep price for Boychuk IMO but you got a guy who will likely get a ratings bump and is signed on a solid contract.

[devo22]

IMPROVED PLAY, BUT STILL NO PLAYOFF SPOT

Since my last update, the Leafs have posted a 9-6-2 record. Some good results have allowed them to stay in the playoff hunt, but they are still on the outside looking in right now. Currently, the Leafs are 3 points behind the 8th spot, but also have games in hand. They desperately need a winning streak soon if they don't want their golfing season to start early again.
-
vs CBJ 5-1 W
at LAK 1-3 L
at ANA 1-3 L
at SJS 4-2 W
at STL 2-0 W
vs CAR 1-3 L
at OTT 4-5 O
at NJD 2-3 O
vs ARI 3-2 W
at PHI 2-1 W
at NSH 2-1 W
at NJD 5-4 L
vs EDM 2-3 L
vs NYR 3-2 W
at NYI 3-1 W
at MTL 3-2 W
vs FLA 1-3 L

TRADE WINDS ARE BLOWING

The Leafs have been busy on the trade market, making all kinds of deals: lateral, upgrade, downgrade, futures ... you name it. As a result, there's been a number of new faces coming in while some big contracts have also been moved out.



The Leafs also shipped out Sam Carrick and Louie Belpedio, while acquiring some 2nd and 3rd round picks in various deals. Also not included in the picture is Brian Boyle, who was acquired and traded again in a matter of a few days.

PROSPECT REPORT: LEAFS HAVE A PROMISING COLLECTION OF COLLEGE PROSPECTS



... no, not Weezie! It's rather Jimmy Vesey who spearheads a collection of promising college prospects within the Leafs organization. Vesey, a junior forward for Harvard University, is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the NCAA right now, scoring 18 goals in 22 games while also adding 17 assists. He's improved significantly over the last two seasons and we are excited to see what he can do once he turns pro with the NHL Predators.

Two other junior forwards posting good numbers are centermen Andrew Copp and Boo Nieves, who are both playing for the University of Michigan right now. Drafted into the NHL by the Jets and Rangers respectively, Copp is currently scoring a point per game (13+11 in 24) while Nieves' numbers are not far off either (4+15 in 22). I expect both to play their senior year too, but you just never know.

One of the most pleasant surprises has been freshman forward Danton Heinen. The Bruins prospect has adapted to the college game very quickly, scoring 29 points in his first 26 games for the University of Denver. He'll need time to physically mature and add weight, but it's encouraging that the transition to college has been so smooth and we're excited to have him in the fold.

Rounding out a solid group of forward prospects at the college level are Taylor Cammarata, Vince Hinostroza, Robbie Baillargeon, Shane Eiserman and Tim Harrison.

On the blueline, Matthew Grzelcyk is having a very good season for Boston University. After his sophomore season was cut short due to injury, he has bounced back in impressive style, scoring 18 points in 26 games. He's very small for a defenseman, but that didn't stop guys like Torey Krug or Jared Spurgeon get to the NHL level. Grzelcyk has the potential to do the same, but he's still some time away.

Ever since starting his college career, Blues third rounder Colton Parayko has been an important defenseman for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and his junior season has not been an exception so far (19 points in 28 games). He still needs to fill his huge frame, so I expect him to stay at Alaska for another year as well.

After being drafted as an overager by the Penguins this past June, Jeff Taylor has wasted no time trying to prove that the Penguins spent their 7th rounder wisely. The sophomore is leading all college defensemen in scoring right now (28 points in 28 games) while playing for Union College.

The Leafs also have two defensemen from Providence College in their system. Unfortunately, John Gilmour has seen his season cut short due to injury which came as a huge blow to the defensive-oriented Friars. Meanwhile, teammate Anthony Florentino, a Sabres draft selection and long-term project, has improved steadily over his first two college seasons.

The sole college goaltender in the Leafs system is junior Adam Wilcox. Playing for the Golden Gophers, Wilcox had a spectacular 2013-14 season, winning both the Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year awards in the Big-10 Division. Given the NHL Lightnings depth at the goaltending position, they will probably be patient with Wilcox and I wouldn't be surprised if he returned for his senior year.