Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

[Dynasty]

**** Place holder***

Hey guys, I will have the first update here soon just gotta do some formating.

I will be using custom sliders and tweaking as I go, so hopefully I will have a solid set soon enough.

I will be playing on all star difficulty, hard GM logic 10 minute periods.

Will have an update soon!

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Welcome and hello fans and readers, I am Toronto sports analyst Steve Pattenden. First off I wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read this, and I do hope you will make frequent return visits. Being the off season and only a month to go untill pre season begins anew things are somewhat slow now for leaf oriented news so I was thinking of beginning with a recap of last season, even though I am sure for most leafs fans out there it is tough to forget when your team misses the playoffs yet again, but that is something I will cover later.

It was a sadly typical beginning for leafs fans, renewed hope and some optimism that this year, THIS year we will return again to the playoff scene. Honestly I believe most fans just wanted to see it again regardless of outcome, we all wanted to hear the sounds of post season see the visceral action of what every team fights for all season long. A playoff berth.

The pre season schedule had potential for excitement, matchups with Ottawa, Philly, the Wings and Buffalo held promise, and as usual there was the hype (and let’s be honest, spine crushing pressure) that is placed on Leafs prospect and hopeful Nazem Kadri.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 21	vs Senators	Lost, 5-0
Sep 22	vs Senators	Won, 4-1
Sep 23	at Flyers	Won, 3-2 (SO)
Sep 24	vs Flyers	Lost, 4 -3 (SO)
Sep 25	at Sabers	Lost, 3-1
Sep 27	vs Sabers	Won, 5-4
Sep 29	at Senators	Won, 4-3
Oct 1	at Wings	Lost, 7-3
Oct 2	vs Wings	Won, 4-2

putting up a decent 5/3/1 record and getting a good look at prospects and new comers, the pre season was a relative success, looking at the goals scored we have Phil Kessel leading the way with 6 and Nikolai Kulemin chasing with 5 for the team lead which would be considered as it should be. The season began with the hopes players like Kessel and Kulemin would continue to mature as point producers in the NHL.

So we launched as a tentative yet hopeful leaf nation into the season with hopes of under the guidance of GM Brian Burke our ship was sailing in the right direction for the first time in a long time. After opening October with two straight wins, then finishing with a rocky 5/4/1 record for the month leaf fans were unsure of which way this season was going to go, there were many positives that could be gleaned from those beginning ten games but there were also a lot of negatives.

And so it returned to what it has been for those of us who have followed this club in recent history. The leafs went 5 months before turning out a single above .500 winning record. Sadly it took two injured goalies and the floundering of a number one line to spark the leafs. As it was only after Jonas Gustavsson was sent packing to the leafs AHL Marlies squad and J.S Gigueres groin imploding again that James Reimer stepped into the lime light, and let me reaffirm to you all he had his sunglasses on and was ready to rock it.

Toronto seemed to reinvigorate around this young man and the team charged to the finish line, confident in their goaltending and stabilising defence the offense being lead by what was to be a second line of Kulemin Grabovski and MacArthur made a statement, to those who remained to watch. But again it happened, as it has these most recent years the Leafs would make a late season charge at the finish line after a subpar year and fall short, though closer this time then those previous to it. We were again shut out of playoff hockey.

Well folks that is it for this time, I hope you enjoyed looking at the brief snapshot of the leafs 2010-2011 season. Next week I hope to write about some of the relevent moves made by the orginisation during the 2010-2011 season and also post a write up of two interviews I was able to attain with Leafs goaltender James Reimer and forward Clarke Macarthur.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Welcome back everyone, as promised in my opening blog I will be chatting with Leafs forward Clarke MacArthur and goaltender James Reimer. Originally these interviews were going to be separate but due to some scheduling restraints both the guys are coming at the same time and sadly this will cut down on the questions I am able to ask. So without further adieu let's begin



Here are their stats from the 2010-2011 season

Toronto Maple Leafs Stats - 2011
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Clarke MacArthur	82	21	41	62	-3	3	37	134	13.6%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
James Reimer	37	20	10	0	2.60		1044	.921	3

Pattenden: First just let me say thanks to both of you guys for taking the time to come down and chat with me, and answer some questions from the Leafs fans today.

MacArthur/Reimer: No problem

Pattenden: Clarke, now that you have signed your new contract with the leafs, can you walk me through how the whole process went down, and how you felt along the way.

MacArthur: I was so excited to be honest, obviously I had a great season for production, and really had chemistry with Grabovski and Kulemin, Brian and my agent had talked a few times during the season about extensions and values but we were not in a hurry. I wanted to return here and they wanted to have me.

Sure there was tension at points but nothing too serious, I was trying to get as much value for me and they were doing the same for them so we took our time before coming to the dollar value of 3.25 million and 2 years, I am glad it is now done and very excited to begin the upcoming season.

Pattenden: How about you James?

Reimer: You know, it's all about seizing your opportunities as they come, when I got my chance to play I took that and gave it my all, I never really thought about my contract during the season. I just tried to keep myself focused and moving forward, we had a chance to catch up and make the playoffs so I think all of our energy as a team went into that.

After all was said and done, Brian made it clear he would like me to remain in a leafs jersey, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, our contract talks were easily handled and once more I am focusing on the season ahead.

Pattenden: Speaking of the upcoming season, a question for both of you. You got some new teammates in this off season, how do you think this will affect the team, and will you guys make the playoffs this year?

Reimer: I am excited about the guys Brian and Dave have brought in, I think when everyone is healthy that it will provide competition for roster spots and bump up our skill level into a higher bracket.

MacArthur: I'm not a fan of making predictions so I am going to go with the neutral route and say that with the additions we will have a greater chance to make the playoffs then we did last year, and as James said the line up is getting crowded with skilled guys who want the ice time, which is great. I have seen those situations when you know there is no one behind you to take your spot, or guys that just are not ready yet and when you have that guy who is hungry for the ice and who wants to be there it really drives you and can push you to another level.

Pattenden: Okay guys got a fan submitted question for both of you; this is from Dave Howard of Owen Sound. Dave asks if you Clarke have changed anything in your off season training to help you continue your production from last year, and also asks you James if all the media attention has changed your views of the hockey world.

MacArthur: Well, it's not that I have changed the program completely but things have been tweaked, I am focusing more on legs and core this off season I would like to be a bit faster and more stable on the ice this season.

Reimer: Well, I will admit it is something new for me Dave, and that it requires some getting used to but at the end of the day I enjoy it. The media is an extension of the fan base here; the fans demand our attention and are very passionate about this sport and this team. I do my best to oblige them because I understand that hunger, and I am happy for it.


Okay folks that’s all the time that we have with Clarke MacArthur and James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I would like to thank them, and you our readers for taking the time to be here.
I believe for my next instalment we will be previewing the Leafs depth chart and talking about some possible line combinations, also I am hoping to get some face time with head coach Ron Wilson.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Hey guys, before I started writing I just wanted to say that I hate pre season, so I won’t be doing much reporting on it during this chise, as you will see below just a brief look at results etc. Pre seasons will be simmed.

Hello everyone and welcome, we are only a couple days away from season opening for the Toronto Maple Leafs. First off let’s take a quick look at the pre season and how it went for the blue and white.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 22	vs Sabers	Lost, 4-2
Sep 23	at Flyers	Won, 3-2
Sep 27	vs Canadiens	Lost, 3-1
Sep 30	at Senators	Lost, 2-0

So as you can see it wasn't the greatest pre season but, we all have to remember that the pre season is used to get a good look at some of the prospects in our system. Looking back over the stats sheet it looks as though Joffery Lupul was the points leader for the Leafs with 2 goals and one assist in four games.

Also of note from pre season action Matthew Lombardi, who was cleared to play after suffering a concussion last season missed a check during the Buffalo game and is out of the line up until October 12, with a sore shoulder.

Also Nikolai Kulemin is out until October 12th with a strained Abdominal.

Now moving past that gloomy tidbit I promised you all the last time I wrote we would spend some time looking at the depth chart for the leafs, we will also spend some time and look at prospects. Since we are nearly into regular season action Head Coach Ron Wilson has released his approximation of opening night rosters (first game is against Montreal FYI)

Here is what your opening day line up is supposed to look like.

Line one
LW Clarke MacArthur C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf ©

Line two
LW Colby Armstrong (A) C Mikhail Grabovski RW Joffery Lupul
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

Line three
LW Colton Orr C Tyler Bozak RW Mike Brown
LD Mike Komisarek (A) RD Carl Gunnarsson

Line four
LW Darryl Boyce C Philippe Dupuis RW Joey Crabb

G1
James Reimer
G2
Jonas Gustavsson

PP one
LW Joffery Lupul C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

PP two
LW Tyler Bozak C Mikhail Grabovski RW Clarke MacArthur
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

4 Man PP one
C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

4 Man PP two
C Mikhail Grabovski RW Clarke MacArthur
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

PK one
C Tyler Bozak RW Colby Armstrong
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

PK two
C Phillipe Dupuis RW Mike Brown
LD Luke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

3 Man PK one
C Tyler Bozak
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

3 Man PK two
C Phillipe Dupuis
LDLuke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

After reviewing the lines we can see a few things of note. 1) No Nazem Kadri again 2) No Joe Colborne 3) No Keith Aulie

I am sure that we will hear why these guys have been left down in the Minors to start this season soon enough from either Burke himself or Ron Wilson, but looking back at the pre season these guys didn't do much to impress and with the air of competition Brian Burke is striving to instil within the organization it would appear as it is time to put up, or shut up.

What we got and what we need them to do

Let's take a look at the key players for Toronto and examine what they need to do to get us back into the playoffs (FINALLY!)

Phil Kessel

Depending on whom you talk to, and their current mood the Phil Kessel trade could be either brilliant or brutal. Regardless of that though Kessel has posted three straight years of 30+ goals and 55-64 point seasons. His time in Toronto has been up and down, as Kessel is defiantly a shooter he is prone to dry spells where it seems no matter how much he shoots nothing will go in for him. Kessel has also been criticized for his lack of defensive play, especially during one of these scoring slumps. To be fair to Kessel (who is only 23 by the way) he hasn't had much support. With the addition of Tim Connolly in the off season I expect Kessel's production (and anyone else on his line) to jump. With the emergence of solid secondary scoring that should reduce some of the heat Kessel catches from top defenders I would say it isn’t absurd to expect 40+ goals from the young sniper this season, but this depends yet again on the health of Tim Connolly.

Dion Phaneuf

Phaneuf's tale is an odd one, he stepped into the league with instant success and posted superb numbers offensively while being a feared presence physically on the ice, after a couple years of struggles in Calgary the Leafs traded for Phaneuf (and Keith Aulie) During the 2010-2011 season Burkes gamble started to pay off, Phaneuf was regaining some of his past glory, reigning in 8 goals 22 assists for 30 points the newly named captain of the Leafs seemed to be stepping into a role of on and off ice leader that he was expected to be. With recent acquisitions it isn't unreasonable with a stronger and deeper talent pool Phaneuf's numbers will again jump, of course with the caveat of health and all around wellness.

Nikolai Kulemin

Entering into the final year of his contract and after exploding with 57 total points last season Nikolai Kulemin will look to continue his scoring ways, the biggest question is where will he be? Due to his pre season injury Head Coach Ron Wilson is unwilling to discuss where Kulemin will slot into the team but there is plenty speculation that he may make the jump (or remain, depending how you look at it) on the first line scoring units alongside newly acquired Tim Connolly and sniper Phil Kessel.

Luke Schenn

Still looking for his long term contract Schenn heads into this season, confident that a deal will be in place soon enough and also looking to build on what was an excellent season for the young blue liner. Schenn continues to grow as a defender and is becoming one of the best D zone punishers in the league, playing all 82 games last year and posting 22 points while amassing a league leading (for D-men) 248 hits.

Clarke MacArthur

After the then Atlanta Thrashers had walked away from MacArthur’s salary arbitration, Clarke Signed on with Toronto with a one year deal paying a modest one million. MacArthur found instant and good chemistry with Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin and went on to produce his best statistical year of his career. There is the possibility with new additions Tim Connolly and Matthew Lombardi will cause this line to be changed so it is hard to say right now who MacArthur will end up with but after getting a healthy raise and a brand new two year contract, MacArthur should be looking to pick up where he took off from last year.

Tim Connolly

After suffering a multitude of injuries during his stint in Buffalo it was clear Connolly was on his way out, during the off season Brian Burke made it clear to Connolly that if they failed to acquire Brad Richards during free agency that Connolly would be offered a contract. After receiving a two year deal @ 4.75M per season Connolly has a lot to live up to. He will be expected to feed Sniper Phil Kessel the puck and to provide solid offensive numbers. If Connolly can remain healthy I would expect at least a 50 point season out of him

Mikhail Grabovski

Entering into the final year of his current 2.9M deal Grabovski will look to return to the level he attained last season while putting up a career best 29 goals and 29 assists. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out for Grabovski after stumbling a little in the 09/10 season then pouring it on in 10/11, this season should show what he is made of, with plenty of competition at the center position and that kind of expectation hanging over his head it will be a telling year him. Depending how the line shuffle ends look for Grabovski to be re united with Clarke MacArthur and possibly Nikolai Kulemin or Joffery Lupul.

Cody Franson

After being dealt to Toronto Franson expressed his hope to become a top four defender on the Leafs blue line, it appears that Cody will be getting his wish, at least to start the season. It is hard to predict where Franson's numbers will end up but after putting up 8 goals and 21 assists for 29 points in last season’s campaign it wouldn't be farfetched to see his numbers to jump. Franson is currently slotted in the first pairing and will see time on the power play, which is more then he got in Nashville, but will he be able to take the pressure? With an able puck mover in John-Michael Liles putting positional stress on him Franson will have to impress to keep his minutes.

James Reimer

After posting 20 wins in 37 games with a .921 save percentage and 2.60 goals against, Burke signed Reimer to a three year deal at 1.8M per season. Reimer will look to remain consistent and healthy while doing everything he can to help his club into the post season. A clam and humble young man Reimer will enter this season as the clubs number one man between the pipes, and after what he did last season in helping the Leafs fans and I’m sure the organisation are hoping he can repeat his performance. If so the leafs have a solid shot at contending for a playoff spot.

Key Prospects

Keith Aulie

Seemingly having "mailed in" his performance during the pre season Aulie will begin his season with the Leafs AHL Affiliate the Toronto Marlies. While raising a couple eyebrows here and there, especially after logging 40 games with the big club last year Aulie will look to regain his form of last season and make a return to the Leafs crowded blue line. Though I guess that’s the luxury one has when your blue line is filled past the brim with NHL calibre defensemen. Look for Aulie to get re focused and make a return to the big club sooner than later.

Nazem Kadri

Once again Kadri will begin the season with the Toronto Marlies instead of the Maple Leafs, though he was "much closer to cracking the line up then in past years" according to Head Coach Ron Wilson, I am sure Kadri will be looking to make a quick jump back to the NHL if at all possible this season. With of season acquisitions of Mathew Lombardi and Tim Connolly it would serve well to assume that Brian Burkes statement of he would like to see Kadri play the wing may very well be a reality, if he can crack an ever full top six line up.

Joe Colborne

After coming to Toronto in the Thomas Kaberle deal, Colborne had a strong season with the Marlies and will look to continue that this season as he tries to take advantage of the full year in a Marlies uniform to impress the brass, and show them why they traded for him. Standing a 6'5" and weighing a healthy 213 pounds Colborne has the size and talent to contend for a top roster spot in almost any club in the NHL, but most believe he is still a year and possibly two away from that.

Thanks again everyone for reading, I hope you enjoy the continuing coverage of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season and into the future.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

I have started playing games, though its hard to say exact slider sets right now as they are in flux, but hopefully I can nail something reasonable down soon.



Difficulty: All Star
Period length: 10 minutes
Season start date: Regular season
Be a GM logic: Hard

Key player progression:
Phil Kessel 87 overall 23 years old C/C/C potential
Dion Phaneuf 85 overall 26 years old C/C/C potential
Nikolai Kulemin 84 overall 25 years old B-/C/C potential
Luke Schenn 84 overall 21 years old B-/B/B potential
Clarke MacArthur 83 overall 26 years old C/C/C potential
Cody Franson 82 overall 24 years old B/B/B potential
Carl Gunnarsson 79 overall 24 years old B-/B/B potnetial
Keith Aulie 78 overall 22 years old B-/B-/B- potential
Nazem Kadri 77 overall 20 years old B/B/B potential
Joe Colborne 76 overall 21 years old B/B/B potential

Injury news:

Both Mathhew Lombardi and Nikolai Kulemin have returned earlier then expected to the line up, which no doubt the leafs are hoping will boost their on ice production (currently 1-2-0) with both forwards returning to the line up the leafs have returned Phillipe Dupuis and Darryle boyce to the Toronto Marlies.

Line changes:

Line one
LW Nikolai Kulemin C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf ©

Line two
LW Clarke MacArthur C Mikhail Grabovski RW Joffery Lupul
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

Line three
LW Colby Armstrong (A) C Matthew Lombardi RW Mike Brown
LD Mike Komisarek (A) RD Carl Gunnarsson

Line four
LW Colton Orr C Tyler Bozak RW Joey Crabb

G1
James Reimer
G2
Jonas Gustavsson

PP one
LW Nikolai Kulemin C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

PP two
LW Joffery Lupul C Mikhail Grabovski RW Clarke MacArthur
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

4 Man PP one
C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

4 Man PP two
C Mikhail Grabovski RW Nikolai Kulemin
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

PK one
C Matthew Lombardi RW Colby Armstrong
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

PK two
C Tyler Bozak RW Mike Brown
LD Luke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

3 Man PK one
C Matthew Lombardi
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

3 Man PK two
C Tyler Bozak
LDLuke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

[HeroWorship]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Nice to see you plan on keeping the Leafs the same.

I'm interested to see how Connolly does for you, and knowing you, I do expect this to last. Good luck man.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Welcome back Leaf fans and readers, the first ten games are in the books so let's have a look at how the cards fell!

Toronto Maple Leafs 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Oct 6	vs Canadiens	Won, 3-0
Oct 8	vs Senators	Lost, 3-1
Oct 15	vs Calgary	Lost, 4-1
Oct 17	vs Avalanche	Won, 1-0
Oct 19	vs Jets	Won, 3-0
Oct 20	at Bruins	Won, 3-2 (OT)
Oct 22	at Canadiens	Won, 5-1
Oct 25	at Flyers	Lost, 3 -2 (SO)
Oct 27	at Rangers	Lost, 5-1
Oct 29	vs Penguins	Won, 3-2 (OT)

Well, looky here. Something to be excited about people! Opening up 6-3-1 not too shabby!

**Note: I edited sliders, bumping down hitting aggression and power for both human and CPU 2 clicks, seeing as Phil Kessel was monster trucking people. I will also be bumping up pass reception ease by one click as people were missing 5-10 foot passes that peewee players could get**

I was able to get a word (yeah pretty much only one or two) in with Head Coach Ron Wilson after last night’s Penguins game and here are his following comments:

Pattenden: Thanks for taking a minute to speak with me Ron. How do you feel about the positive start, and what are your plans for the next month?

Wilson: Well, at this point it can still be difficult to see how things are really going. There is a lot we are happy with but as always we need to change things just slightly to build upon the successes we have had. As for what those changes will be, ask me next month.

Not much info from the tight lipped coach, so let’s have a look at the stats and try to examine what may happen.

Toronto Maple Leafs Stats - 2011
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Phil Kessel	10	5	3	8	+2	1	6	62	8.1%
Tim Connolly	10	2	5	7	0	2	4	31	6.5%
Luke Schenn	10	1	5	6	+6	0	2	18	5.6%
John-Michael Liles	10	2	3	5	+5	1	0	20	10%
Dion Phaneuf	10	1	3	4	+1	1	6	20	5%
Colton Orr	10	2	2	4	+3	1	4	14	14.3%
Cody Franson	10	0	4	4	-3	0	0	25	0
Tyler Bozak	10	1	2	3	+4	0	0	14	7.1%
Nikolai Kulemin	9	3	0	3	-2	1	0	24	12.5%
Mikhail Grabovski	10	0	3	3	0	0	2	24	0
Colby Armstrong	10	1	1	2	0	0	2	14	7.1%
Joey Crabb	10	2	0	2	+2	0	2	8	25%
Joffery Lupul	10	1	1	2	+1	0	8	33	3.0%
Clarke MacArthur	10	2	0	2	-1	0	2	29	6.9%
Carl Gunnarsson	10	0	1	1	-2	0	2	5	0
Mike Brown	10	0	1	1	+2	0	2	16	0
Matthew Lombardi	10	0	1	1	0	0	0	24	0
Mike Komisarek	10	0	0	0	0	0	11	6	0
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
James Reimer	8	5	3	0	1.47	489	203	.944%	3
Jonas Gustavsson	2	1	1	0	3.40	123	50	.877%	0

Well from a pure points basis line one is doing well, though Kulemin doesn't seem to be fitting in with Connolly and Kessel as of yet, line two seems to be struggling out of the gate. Could this mean Kulemin will get reunited with his old line mates MacArthur and Grabovski?

Plusses:
Kessel and Connolly finding chemistry! Combining for 15 points in the first ten games

The emergence of Colton Orr the offensive threat! (haha) but seriously, Good for him. Putting up 4 points in ten games (2 goals 2 assists)

Optimus Reim! Taking command of the net earlie posting fantastic numbers and giving the leafs a chance to win each game he has played in

Offense from the defence, Franson, Phaneuf, Liles and Schenn have combined for 3 goals 15 assists and a combined +9 rating

Minuses:
The entire second line has fallen off the map combining for 7 points

With the season underway let's have a peek at the rest of the league and see how everyone is doing.

NHL Standings - Updated: Oct 29, 2011
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA
Toronto	6	3	1	13	23	20
NY Islanders	6	2	0	12	25	16
Tampa Bay	6	4	0	12	31	31
Boston	5	3	1	11	22	18
Montreal	5	4	1	11	21	26
Philadelphia	5	4	1	11	26	24
Ottawa	5	5	0	10	26	31
Washington	4	3	1	9	27	25
Carolina	4	5	1	9	28	29
NY Rangers	4	4	0	8	29	27
Pittsburgh	3	8	2	8	27	46
New Jersey	3	4	1	7	23	26
Florida	3	5	1	7	22	27
Buffalo	3	5	1	7	20	27
Winnipeg	3	6	0	6	25	30
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA
Colorado	7	2	1	15	32	19
Columbus	7	2	1	15	34	20
Chicago	7	2	0	14	38	27
San Jose	6	1	1	13	36	20
ST. Louis	6	3	1	13	31	30
Calgary	6	3	0	12	25	17
Nashville	5	3	1	11	34	29
Vancouver	5	4	1	11	33	31
Dallas	5	4	1	11	30	33
Los Angeles	4	3	2	10	30	33
Minnesota	4	5	0	8	30	29
Edmonton	4	6	0	8	25	30
Detroit	3	3	2	8	23	32
Anaheim	3	5	1	7	25	33
Phoenix	3	6	0	6	26	36

Some interesting things here, horrible starts for Detroit, buffalo and the penguins. A good launch into the season for the islanders, Avalanche and Blue Jackets, it should prove interesting to watch and see how this season pans out.

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Oct 29, 2011
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Loui Eriksson	8		1. Patrick Kane	13
	2. Bobby Ryan	8		2. Jonathan Toews	11
	3. Sidney Crosby	8		3. Paul Stastny	10
	4. Sergei Kostitsyn	8		4. Mike Ribeiro	10
	5. Martin Havlat	8		5. Daniel Briere	10
Points		PTS	Plus/Minus		+/-
	1. Patrick Kane	20		1. Patrick Kane	11
	2. Paul Stastny	18		2. Ryane Clowe	10
	3. Sidney Crosby	15		3. Brent Seabrook	9
	4. Mike Ribeiro	14		4. Marc-Edouard Vlasic	9
	5. Steven Stamkos	12		5. Martin Havlat	8
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. James Reimer	5		1. James Reimer	1.47
	2. Corecy Crawford	5		2. Steve Mason	1.48
	3. Mikka Kiprusoff	5		3. Mikka Kiprusoff	1.56
	4. Rick Dipietro	5		4. Tim Thomas	1.90
	5. Steve Mason	5		5. Ilya Bryzgalov	1.97
Save Percentage		SV%	Shutouts		SO
	1. Steve Mason	.953		1. James Reimer	3
	2. Mikka Kiprusoff	.946		2. Steve Mason	2
	3. James Reimer	.944		3. Mikka Kiprusoff	2
	4. Tim Thomas	.941		4. Antti Niemi	2
	5. Carey Price	.931		5. Al Montoya	1

Okay folk that’s it for this ten game update! See you next time and thanks for following.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Nice to see you plan on keeping the Leafs the same.

I'm interested to see how Connolly does for you, and knowing you, I do expect this to last. Good luck man.

Thanks for taking intrest Hero, so far Connolly has done the job he was brought in to do, but beyond the top line not much else is happening.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Line two reuinited! Kulemin and Lupul swap places

Line one
Joffery Lupul Tim Connolly Phil Kessel

Line two
Nikolai Kulemin Mikhail Grabovski Clarke MacArthur

Immediate impact felt as Lupul puts up 2 points in a 5-1 slamming of the Ottawa Senators!

[bthomp05]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Hey, you took my idea. haha. Great work as always, will be watching this.

Interesting that you sent down Kadri and Aulie. I kept them in the mix in my dynasty and Aulie has been playing reasonable well. Kadri too, when he is playing - has missed 8 games with two different upper body injuries, which is nice because its allowed me to take a look at Colborne and Frattin.

As well I have had a few D injuries that have forced me to play with 8 D - I just sent down Holzer and I'm already half way through November.

Good luck.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Hey, you took my idea. haha. Great work as always, will be watching this.

Interesting that you sent down Kadri and Aulie. I kept them in the mix in my dynasty and Aulie has been playing reasonable well. Kadri too, when he is playing - has missed 8 games with two different upper body injuries, which is nice because its allowed me to take a look at Colborne and Frattin.

As well I have had a few D injuries that have forced me to play with 8 D - I just sent down Holzer and I'm already half way through November.

Good luck.

Hey BH yeah I kept them down for now but I expect one or both to be playing NHL hockey at some point this season.

I have been lucky so far with injuries. The only ones I have gotten were in pre season, and I play a very physical game as well. So just kinda going with my good fortune while it lasts lol

Thanks for following man

[bthomp05]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Hey BH yeah I kept them down for now but I expect one or both to be playing NHL hockey at some point this season.

I have been lucky so far with injuries. The only ones I have gotten were in pre season, and I play a very physical game as well. So just kinda going with my good fortune while it lasts lol

Thanks for following man

I hope it keeps going for you. :-) I have lost Kadri, Bozak, Gunny, Holzer, Schenn, and Aulie to injury this season. (Though all are back except Kadri and Schenn)

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Injury Update

During the second period of last night’s game against the Senators Tyler Bozak received a heavy hit from the Senators Matt Carkner, Bozak tumbled in a heap and had to be helped off the ice after a few attempts to skate off himself.

The Maple Leafs have released a statement this morning that Bozak suffered the first concussion in his career and they are expecting the struggling center to be out for the next 4-5 weeks. Bozak had 1 goal 2 assists in 17 games played.

To take the injured Bozak's place Phillipe Dupuis has been recalled form the Toronto Marlies, Dupuis has amassed 3 goals 6 assists and a +3 rating in 14 games played this season with the Marlies.

In the wake of this injury Head Coach Ron Wilson has shaken up the roster, stating that the lack of effort from some of his supposed NHL players isn't cutting it and changes will be continuing if he doesn't see a marked improvement.

Here is a look of what the new line up will be (bolded names are the changes)

Line one
LW Joffery Lupul C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD John-Michael Liles RD Dion Phaneuf ©

Line two
LW Nazem Kadri C Matthew Lombardi RW Nikolai Kulemin
LD Luke Schenn RD Cody Franson

Line three
LW Clarke MacArthur C Mikhail Grabovski RW Colby Armstrong
LD Mike Komisarek (A) RD Carl Gunnarsson

Line four
LW Colton Orr C Philippe Dupuis RW Mike Brown

G1
James Reimer
G2
Jonas Gustavsson

PP one
LW Nikolai Kulemin C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

PP two
LW Joffery Lupul C Mikhail Grabovski RW Nazem Kadri
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

4 Man PP one
C Tim Connolly RW Phil Kessel
LD Cody Franson RD Dion Phaneuf

4 Man PP two
C Mikhail Grabovski RW Nikolai Kulemin
LD Luke Schenn RD John-Michael Liles

PK one
C Matthew Lombardi RW Colby Armstrong
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

PK two
C Phillipe Dupuis RW Mike Brown
LD Luke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

3 Man PK one
C Matthew Lombardi
LD Mike Komisarek RD Dion Phaneuf

3 Man PK two
C Phillipe Dupuis
LDLuke Schenn RD Carl Gunnarsson

Nazem Kadri has arrived, but will he produce? being given second line and second pp unit time, he will have his chance. To make space for Kadri, Joey Crabb was sent down to the Toronto Marlies.

Here are the stats for the guys shuffling around
Bozak (injured) 17GP 1G 2A +3
Phillipe Dupuis (called up) 14GP 3G 6A +3
Cody Franson 17 GP 0G 5A +2
John-Michael Liles 17GP 3G 7A +8
Matthew Lombardi 17GP 2G 4A +2
Mikhail Grabovski 17GP 0G 4A +2
Nazem Kadri (called up) 14GP 5G 8A +6
Joey Crabb (sent down) 17GP 2G 0A +1
Clarke MacArthur 17GP 2G 3A +1

[bthomp05]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

Excellent shake up - the Bozak hit was a blessing. Good work.

[Dynasty]

Re: Pride, hustle, heart. An NHL 12 Leafs BAGM

20 Game update

Welcome back fans and readers, the Leafs season continues to roll on. Sporting a 12-5-3 record after twenty regular season games it's looking good in Leaf land this year.


Connolly enjoyes a slick pass from kessel that leads to a breakaway

Let’s take a quick look at the team’s production, and I’ll follow that up with a league wide stats update.

Toronto Maple Leafs Stats - 2011
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Phil Kessel	20	12	7	20	6	3	6	133	9%
Tim Connolly	20	4	12	16	6	3	6	51	7.8%
John-Michael Liles	20	3	8	11	8	1	0	35	8.6%
Nikolai Kulemin	19	8	3	11	0	1	0	54	14.8%
Matthew Lombardi	20	3	6	9	6	0	2	50	6%
Luke Schenn	20	1	8	9	13	0	8	28	3.6%
Joffery Lupul	20	5	3	8	6	1	10	62	8.1%
Colby Armstrong	20	4	4	8	3	0	8	48	8.3%
Dion Phaneuf	20	4	3	7	7	2	14	38	10.5%
Colton Orr	20	2	4	6	5	1	8	26	7.7%
Cody Franson	20	0	6	6	3	0	2	35	0
Clarke MacArthur	20	2	3	5	-2	0	4	56	3.6%
Mikhail Grabovski	20	0	5	5	2	0	4	45	0
Carl Gunnarsson	20	0	5	5	0	0	6	16	0
Mike Brown	20	1	3	4	6	0	8	36	2.8%
Mike Komisarek	20	1	2	3	3	0	17	15	6.7%
Nazem Kadri	3	3	0	3	4	1	2	12	25%
Tyler Bozak	17	1	2	3	3	0	0	27	3.7%
Phillipe Dupuis	3	2	0	2	2	0	0	6	33.3%
Joey Crabb	17	2	0	2	1	0	6	15	13.3%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
James Reimer	15	10	5	0	1.64	912	360	.935	5
Jonas Gustavsson	5	2	3	0	2.96	304	130	.897	0

Pluses:

Phil Kessel continues his scoring ways alongside Tim Connolly and Joffery Lupul.


Sniper loose!

John-Michael Liles has stepped forward as the team’s premier puck moving D man and power play quarterback.

James Reimer soldiers on in net, showing to all who care to watch that he belongs, and he is number 1.

Nazem Kadri pots three goals in three games, equalling Tyler Bozak's point total, even though it took Bozak 17 games to reach the three point plateau.


Nikolai Kulemin has shrugged off his opening ten game struggles and moved into 4th place for team scoring.


boom!

Minuses:

Team discipline has lacked of late, there have been too many 5on4 and 5on3 chances given to opponents.

Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur have faded away to shadows of their former selves. Combining for a measly 2 goals 8 assists and an even rating.

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Nov 26, 2011
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. Sidney Crosby	14		1. Patrick Kane	25
	2. Nikolai Antropov	14		2. Jonathan Toews	20
	3. Marion Gaborik	13		3. Joe Thornton	18
	4. Patrick Sharp	13		4. Drew Doughty	18
	5. Alexander Ovechkin	13		5. Niklas Backstrom	17
Points		PTS	Plus/Minus		+/-
	1. Patrick Kane	36		1. Milan Lucic	17
	2. Paul Stastny	28		2. Drew Doughty	17
	3. Eric Staal	27		3. Ryan Clowe	16
	4. Sidney Crosby	26		4. Zdeno Chara	15
	5. Joe Thornton	25		5. Dustin Penner	15
Wins		W	Goals Against Average		GAA
	1. Mikka Kiprusoff	12		1. James Reimer	1.64
	2. Semyon Varlomov	12		2. Mikka Kiprusoff	1.71
	3. Corey Crawford	11		3. Tim Thomas	1.88
	4. James Reimer	10		4. Martin Brodeur	1.99
	5. Annti Niemi	10		5. Semyon Varlomov	2.04
Save Percentage		SV%	Shutouts		SO
	1. Mikka Kiprusoff	.944		1. James Reimer	5
	2. Tim Thomas	.940		2. Tim Thomas	3
	3. Martin Brodeur	.936		3. Jean-Sebastian Giguere	2
	4. James Reimer	.935		4. Mikka Kiprusoff	2
	5. Semyon Varlomov	.926		5. Martin Brodeur	2

Prospect watch

Toronto Marlies Stats - 2011
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Joe Colborne	17	5	14	19	6	2	6	51	9.8%
Luca Caputi	17	7	8	15	1	3	4	53	13.2%
Marcel Mueller	17	4	8	12	-3	0	36	50	8.0%
Matt Frattin	17	1	4	5	-3	0	2	34	2.9%
Keith Aulie	17	0	1	1	1	0	34	8	0

Joe Colborne has upped his game even more after Kadri's call up, maybe he thought it should of been him to see NHL action instead?

Thanks again to all the readers and Leaf fans that take the time to read this! see you next time