The 12th annual Toast of Hockeytown took place at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday evening. What’s the Toast of Hockeytown, you ask? It’s a charity event benefiting the Detroit Red Wings Foundation. What does it entail? The ice at The Joe being turned into a swanky club with food around the boards, a silent auction area in the middle, a live band playing at one end, and almost a dozen tables set up for wine tasting.

And the Red Wings team is there as well.

Now, my brothers (Matt and Mike) and I, being the huge hockey fans we are, have been wanting to do this for several years now. Our problem has been that I’ve been under 21 years of age, since it’s a wine tasting event. This was the first year we could finally go.

Getting a one-on-one (or three-on-one with Matt and Mike there, too) with the players, how could I not ask them a question I’ve always wanted to know:

Outside of Joe Louis Arena, what’s your favorite arena to play in?

Johan Franzen was the first player we talked to, congratulating him on his hat trick in the previous game. “Favorite place to play? Probably Colorado,” he told us. It makes sense, of course, since he scored more goals than the entire team in the 2008 Western Conference semi-finals. “There are a lot of fun places, though,” he added.

Justin Abdelkader, Patrick Eaves, and Darren Helm all said Chicago for the National Anthem (and the Original Six rivalry). Helm added, “Montreal is fun, too. And I’m excited for Winnipeg,” though the Red Wings won’t visit there until next season.

I startled Valtteri Filppula with my question. He didn’t have an immediate answer for me, and it took him a fair amount of time to come up with an answer. “Calgary,” he told me. We also asked him what he thinks Nicklas Lidstrom‘s chances are for winning the Norris Trophy this year. His face lit up and he laughed a bit. “Ohoh! Pretty good! If he keeps playing like this… it’s unbelievable.”

Then it was Pavel Datsyuk‘s turn. You think he’s hard to understand in interviews? Try an arena with a loud, live band playing and hundreds of people talking. Matt told him, “Hands down, you are the most entertaining player to watch in the NHL.” Datsyuk chuckled, gave a noncommittal shrug, and said, “Thank you. I try harder.”

When asked about his favorite arena in which to play, he said, “Old Pittsburgh. Mellon. But now it’s new… they all similar. Big, fans far away, lots of lights.” He mentioned another old arena that isn’t play in anymore, but couldn’t recall the name.

We asked him what he thought Lidstrom’s chances were for the Norris. He smiled and said, “He should have retired eight years ago. But he win seven of them, so…”

Tomas Holmstrom took fake offense to my question, mostly because I started out by saying, “Okay, Homer, you’ve been in the league a long time…” I patched things up between us, though, and he said he enjoys Toronto and Montreal for the fans.

“So you’d favor a move to the Eastern Conference?” asked Matt.

“Oh, for sure,” Homer said. “Right now, we always have to leave the time zone to plan an opponent.”

Henrik Zetterberg said he enjoys Chicago for the Original Six rivalry. “The fans recognize me on the street and give me a hard time,” he said with a laugh. Unlike a place like St. Louis or Columbus where “we’re just left alone to do our thing.” Of course, this is all null and void anywhere in Canada.

A few weeks ago, various Red Wings players visited local businesses around the Metro Detroit area. Datsyuk ended up serving coffee at a Tim Horton’s drive-thru. Start watching this video around a minute in, and you’ll see Zetterberg drive up in his car and ask where his coffee is. So I had to ask, “How much fun was it to drive through the drive-thru at Tim Horton’s when Datsyuk was working?”

Zetterberg started laughing. “Oh yeah. I was really hoping he was the ‘Welcome to Tim Horton’s’ guy, you know, just so you couldn’t understand him. And then I wanted to order fourteen coffees…”

Jonathan Ericsson took a different approach with his answer and said anything out west is good. “Mostly because it’s warm, so we can see the sun in the winter,” he explained. he also enjoys Florida, though the Wings don’t travel there often. Also, he told me he was 6’4,” and I’m pretty sure he’s lying.. I’m 5’8″, and he makes me look ridiculously tiny.

And then, of course, there’s the man himself. Nicklas Lidstrom. The wait to meet him was longest, by far, but absolutely worth it. Of course, the three of us had met him last season at the Season Ticket Holder Open House, but when he’s behind a table and you’re being ushered forward, it’s hard to carry on a conversation.

Obviously, you don’t walk up to him and ask him what he thinks his chances are of winning the Norris. I shook his hand heartily and grinned at him. While he signed my program, I asked, “You’ve been in the league for a while, so I’m curious – what’s your favorite arena to play in, aside from the Joe?”

“Oh, the Shark Tank!” Lidstrom told me immediately.

“Well, it does have an awesome name,” I agreed.

“Yeah, and the fans are always so loud,” he added. And with playing the past two postseasons there, I’m sure he’s grown a little fond of the place, even if the team ticks off almost every single Red Wings fan.

By far, the best conversation of the evening was with Niklas Kronwall. Matt, Mike, and I all had a different question to ask him or a comment to tell him. “If you’re willing to divulge this information, where did you get your glasses?” Mike asked.

“Polo Ralph Lauren,” Kronwall told him, laughing. “But it wasn’t in Detroit.” He told us he doesn’t wear them anymore; he had Lasik surgery at the end of this past season.

Matt asked the standard favorite arena question. “Montreal for their fans,” Kronwall said. “Calgary, too. Vancouver has a nice atmosphere. …And Nashville! Because they have so many fans.”

“Yeah…we’re not a fan of those games because of some of the chants they do,” Mike said.

Kronwall chuckled. “I can see that.”

Mine was a little more personal, and a bit of an anecdote. “Okay, I have to tell you…” is how I started it all. “Our neighbors set up an ice rink in their backyard every winter. And when we shovel it, we push all the snow to one side and stack it up so we can check people into it.” I looked at Kronwall. “We named it after you.”

“Really?!” he asked.

“Yes. It’s the KronWall of Check,” I told him.

“That’s amazing!” he exclaimed, absolutely ecstatic.

In other interesting facts, Drew Miller talks with brother Ryan a couple times a week. You know, just in case you ever wondered.

We asked Ian White how he likes playing for Detroit, and he said he’s glad he came here. He said he’s not fond of the twenty minute drive down to Joe Louis Arena from where he’s currently living; he was used to a five minute drive back in San Jose.

By far, the most talkative, friendly players were Eaves, Kronwall, Zetterberg, and Holmstrom. Datsyuk was, too, in his broken English way.

To learn cool little facts about the players and have one-on-one, almost private conversations with them was a treat. If your respective NHL team has anything like this, I say do it. While you may be able to go every year, it still feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And it’s an evening you will never forget.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

By George E. Norkus

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a problem between the pipes. And unless management is willing to make a move to bolster their goaltending in the short-term, the Leafs’ fast start could soon become a distant memory.

It’s been 19 days since James Reimer was elbowed in the head by Montreal’s Brian Gionta, an injury originally classified as “whiplash”, which forced the Leafs #1 netminder to the sidelines. Now, almost three weeks later, Reimer (4-0-1, 2.58, .912) is still not close to returning to the nets, reduced to off-ice workouts after suffering setbacks in his rehab, his injury re-classified as “upper body”, or in other words, a concussion.

Reimer, who signed a 3-year deal in the offseason with Toronto, was undoubtedly the key to the Leafs early season success, keeping them in games with big saves and his overall steady play. His replacements during his absence – Jonas Gustavsson (4-4-0, 3.78, .878) and rookie Ben Scrivens (1-1-0, 4.05, .867) – clearly do not appear up to the task. And if Tuesday night’s 5-1 loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers at the ACC was any indication, Head Coach Ron Wilson has run out of options in his attempt to fill the void left from Reimer’s injury.

Gustavsson, now in his third (and apparently final) year with the Leafs, has been terribly inconsistent in goal this season, if not downright terrible. It now appears “The Monster” has fully lost the confidence of Wilson, who unceremoniously yanked the 27-year-old after he allowed two bad goals in 0:19 seconds during the 2nd period vs. Florida to put the game out of reach. This decision was on the heels of Wilson electing to go with the untested Scrivens in back-to-back starts last week, a surprising move that left Gustavsson alienated on the bench and Wilson with egg on his face, after Scrivens, who granted was lights out in a 38-save effort at Columbus in his victorious NHL debut last Thursday, came crashing down to earth in a 7-0 loss against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins Saturday night. He followed up that performance by allowing two bad goals in mop-up duty against the Panthers.

The urgency of the situation is highlighted by the tremendous pressure on Wilson and GM Brian Burke to win now. For Wilson, he’s coaching for a contract, his future fortunes in Toronto hinging on the team’s ability to continue to make solid strides and build on their hot start, after failing to make the playoffs in each of his three previous seasons behind the Leafs bench. Burke is equally invested in the dire need for team success in 2011-12, as upper management along with the Stanley Cup-starved fan base won’t tolerate any more losing seasons.

With Reimer’s status uncertain, and his return in the foreseeable future in doubt, Burke may need to pull the trigger on a deal to shore up the Leafs goaltending right now. One name that’s being thrown out there is New York Islanders’ Evgeni Nabokov, who would be reunited with Wilson from their time together in San Jose. Nabokov (1-3-0, 2.81, .911), who’s in desperate need of a change of scenery, could undoubtedly step in and be the #1 in the short-term, with the added bonus of creating a solid duo in net for Toronto upon Reimer’s return.

Another name being mentioned is Florida’s Scott Clemmensen, who’s just returned to the Sunshine State after coming off of knee surgery. Clemmensen is expendable, following rookie Jacob Markstrom‘s impressive performance with the Panthers this season, prior to him being sent down to San Antonio (AHL) to make room for Clemmensen. The 34-year-old career backup would be making his second go-round with Toronto, after playing 3 games in a Leafs uniform in 2007-08. But the truth is, Clemenssen’s only ever had one solid season in the NHL (he won 25 games in 39 starts for New Jersey in 2008-09), so he’s a bit of a risk for Burke, even though he likely wouldn’t cost the team much more than a 5th or 6th round pick.

And don’t forget, Marty Turco‘s out there looking for work too.

What do you think the Leafs should do to solve their goaltending woes? Ride it out with their current guys, or hit the trade market and go after someone?

Follow Dan following the Leafs all season long on Twitter @Dan_Berlin

Let’s leave the “What’s wrong with the Detroit Red Wings?” question at the door right now before we even start. That’s another article completely.

Many Red Wings fans were given good news on Halloween when the turned on their computers and went online and/or opened up the sports section of a newspaper and saw that Ken Holland worked his magic again:

Niklas Kronwall remains a Red Wings defenseman for seven more years.

And why wouldn’t he? He was given the title of “Alternate Captain” this season, swapping out with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings need that physical kind of force on their ranks, and keeping Kronwall around is a smart move. Plus, with Nicklas Lidstrom on his way out at some point in the future, the team needs some defensemen on which they can rely and not have to worry about re-signing every other year.

Kronwall signed for seven years, $33.25 million; at thirty years of age, this lengthy contract pretty much guarantees he’ll be wearing a Winged Wheel for his entire career, unless otherwise traded. His contract gets a little tricky. The salary cap hit will be $4.75 million, but the breakdown is more intricate than that (naturally).

2012-13 sees him making $4.25 million. The following three seasons, he ears $6 million, then $5.5 million in 2016-17, and the last two years of his contract will be $3.5 million and $1.75million.

Kronwall will earn $4.25 million in 2012-13 and $6 million in each of the next three seasons. He’ll make $5.5 million in 2016-17 and $3.5 million and $1.75 million, respectively, the final two years of the deal.

With a cap hit of $4.25 million, it puts him in the same ranks as Chris Pronger, Kevin Bieksa, Mike Komisarek, Dan Hamhuis, Jack Johnson, and Tomas Kaberle, to name only a handful.

So how does Niklas Kronwall compare statistically with these other defensemen?

Firstly, he’s always been fairly prone to lengthy injuries (one to two months of the season); the 2008-2009 season only saw him missing two games and getting 51 points and 50 PIMs. 2010-11, he only missed five games and hit 47 points and 36 PIMs. Twelve games into the season, he has two goals and two assists, though let’s not forget the Red Wings went through a six-game slump of only scoring six goals total.

Now let’s compare these stats to some of the previously mentioned defensemen. Kronwall’s stats are fairly similar to Pronger’s, if you can believe it. However, Pronger has come close in several recent seasons to hitting sixty points whereas Kronwall still struggles to hit fifty. Last season, Pronger only played fifty games, but still scraped up 25 points, almost identical to Kronwall’s 48 game, 22-point season.

Against a player like Bieksa, Kronwall has more offensive output (and a lot fewer penalties), with Bieksa’s highest offensive season coming in 2008-9 with 43 points. The same goes with comparing him to Komisarek and Hamhuis.

Kronwall is also pretty identical to Jack Johnson, both in offensive output and penalties. They both get around 35 to 45 points per season and hit somewhere around 40 PIMS.

His comparison to Kaberle is very similar to that of Pronger. Kaberle hits anywhere between forty and sixty points per season while keeping his penalties to a minumum. One thing is for sure, Kaberle really hasn’t missed a majority of a season like Kronwall has in the past. But if the Swede can stay healthy and aggressive, anything is possible.

Now after comparing all of these stats, would you find it strange to compare Kronwall’s output to Pronger’s output? People usually rank Pronger up there with Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, and Shea Weber, but Kronwall gets lost in the mix, and is usually only known for his bone-crunching hits. Well, it all started from the scouting level…

As Hakan Andersson, the director of European scouting for the Red Wings, once said, “I know one scout who tried to bring up Niklas Kronwall’s name with his team. They just laughed at him. They never even had a serious dialogue. They just stopped him. They said ‘a 5-11 Swedish defenceman?’ [The Red Wings] organization is more open-minded than that.”

But the Red Wings like their players to be under the radar and overlooked.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

Just as he was beginning to cement his spot in the lineup, New Jersey Devils‘ forward Jacob Josefson suffered a broken right clavicle that will keep him off the ice for three to four months. Last season he missed 35 games with a torn ligament in his right hand.

Since Travis Zajac started the season on the injured reserve list, the Devils were already short staffed down the middle. Now with Josefson out, New Jersey has a gaping hole at center.

The Devils quickly called up centerman Adam Henrique, who became a victim of the numbers at the end of training camp for the opening night roster.

Then, New Jersey claimed Ryan Carter, a center who played under Peter DeBoer in Florida, after the Florida Panthers placed Carter on waivers. In 189 NHL games since the 2007-2008 season, Carter recorded 14 goals and 21 assists. He likely will not be a replacement on the top two lines.

Carter becomes a fill-in player for the bottom two lines, but the Devils still need a center for the first two lines.

But, when Petr Sykora woke up on Monday with flu-like symptoms, the Devils had no extra forwards to put in the lineup had Sykora not been able to play. Luckily Sykora took to the ice for warmups, and ended up factoring into all three of the Devils’ goals against the Los Angeles Kings, but defenseman Mark Fraser nearly had to fill in at forward.

Captain Zach Parise moved to center for the first time since college, except for a few games in the 2007-2008 season. He went 9-5 in the face-off dot against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

Regardless of the Devils’ ability to shift around players to fill the void, they desperately need a true center.

New Jersey has roughly $3.8 million in salary cap space according to CapGeek.com and Josefson’s cap hit was $900,000.

Toronto Maple Leafs center, Tyler Bozak, would be a good option for the Devils to try to acquire. Bozak’s cap hit is $1.5 million, but he proved to be a powerful threat in the face-off dot last season.

Bozak, who has four assists in six games this season, is signed through next season. However, at 25 years of age, Bozak has more experience than a few of the other options out there.

Out west, there is Kyle Turris, who remains unsigned but is trying to work out a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. In 65 games in the NHL last season, he had a 50% face-off win percentage, but lacks the depth of experience that the Devils may need.

In 131 games, Turris recorded 19 goals and 27 assists.

Another possibility for the Devils would be to trade for Edmonton Oilers‘ Sam Gagner.

Gagner, who just returned from an injury on Saturday, needs to play with experienced wingers. He could become an very successful center, but needs the support.

If General Manager Lou Lamoriello makes a move to acquire another center, then look for him to go to the rental market.

Columbus Blue Jackets‘ forward, Samuel Pahlsson, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and boasts a $2.65 million cap hit according to Cap Geek.

The 33-year-old Swede has the Stanley Cup experience that any team desires, but he also has the ability to play against the other team’s best lines. A perfect fit for the Devils, Pahlsson is a center that can play on one of the top two lines and be defensively responsible.

Since the Columbus has only one win this season, they might be ready to complete a trade to switch some things up.

Though ailed by an injury recently, Jochen Hecht, 34, would make a good addition to the Devils. His success in the face-off dot and his defensive ability would be a big asset.

Daymond Langkow and Olli Jokinen are also possibilities.

Langkow is in his second stint with the Coyotes. Through eight games this season, he scored five points.

Though, Jokinen, 32, does not have the experience in the postseason that may be necessary for the Devils. But hopefully by the time playoffs roll around, the Devils will have Zajac and Josefson.

Josefson’s loss created a huge setback for the Devils, but they proved they can rebound without necessarily having a top centerman.

Hold off on the parade planning, Leafs fans. Despite the hot start, there is still much work to be done if the Buds are legitimately going to compete for the playoffs this season.

To the Leafs credit, they took care of business during their five-game homestand to start the year, amassing nine of a possible 10 points (4-0-1). A solid start indeed, helping to take the heat off head coach Ron Wilson for now, and finally putting to rest the discussion on whether or not the Leafs won / lost the deal that sent the 2nd-overall pick in 2010 (Tyler Seguin) to Boston in exchange for Phil Kessel.

After close wins at the Air Canada Centre against a Canadian collection of sub-.500 teams – Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Winnipeg – the Leafs travelled to Boston Thursday night to play the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Bruins, in turn, shellacked the Leafs to the tune of 6-2, handing the Blue and White their first loss of the season, while giving us our first true indication how the Leafs might genuinely stack up against the league’s elite in 2011-12.

The answer so far? Not even close. And until the Leafs can address certain issues that were glaringly apparent vs. Boston, their 4-1-1 start, which ironically is the same record the team started with last season, will disappear faster than you can say, “Wilson’s fired”.

For starters, the Leafs blueline is an area of concern right now, with Wilson and company having difficulty establishing any consistency on their back end, outside of the play of captain Dion Phaneuf. Cody Franson, acquired from Nashville in an off-season trade, has been a bust thus far, unable to regularly crack the team’s top-6, and playing poorly when he does (he was a minus-3 vs. Boston). Wilson doesn’t seem to like his style – a big guy that isn’t very physical, who doesn’t move the puck out of his own end especially well – and hasn’t been afraid to relegate him to the press box on a bi-nightly basis. Luke Schenn, despite signing his big, new long-term deal prior to the start of training camp, has struggled mightily through the first two weeks of the season, evidenced by a steady decline in ice-time prior to Thursday night. And Mike Komisarek‘s play? ‘Nuff said. Wilson was forced to bench him for the first time in his Leafs career on Thursday night, after his less-than-inspiring play this year. The bottom line is the Leafs rank 22nd in Shots Allowed per game (32.0) and 26th in the NHL in Goals Allowed per game (3.17), and their overall team defence is at the heart of the problem. Eventually, if they can’t get this area straightened out, it will translate into a losing record.

The team’s dire need for a first-line center has only been masked thus far by the magnificent play of Kessel, who currently leads the league in scoring (12 points) through Friday. Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have carried the team thus far (along with the stellar play of goaltender James Reimer), providing great chemistry and productivity on the top unit. Can they keep it up minus the services of Tim Connolly, who was supposed to play a big role on the first line this year after signing a two-year, $9 million deal in the offseason? For all intents and purposes, Connolly can already be considered a bust, without yet having played a game. With no sign of his return from a serious upper body injury, Wilson has been forced to try and juggle Tyler Bozak, Matthew Lombardi and David Steckel to fill the void, with mediocre to poor results at best. If Connolly can’t come back, Leafs’ GM Brian Burke may very well be required to pull off a deal to give the Leafs some much-needed talent in the middle and a legit shot at making a run at the postseason.

The Leafs also need a big boost from their 2nd line – Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin – to help bolster the team’s secondary scoring. Their slow start certainly begs the question, whether or not these three were just a “flash-in-the-plan” last season. The jury is still out. But despite there still being time for them to respond from a slow start, if Grabo and company can’t replicate their solid and steady production from last season, then Toronto will find themselves in trouble putting the puck in the net as a whole all season long.

Heading into this year, special teams were a big area of concern for Toronto, if they were going to make a marked improvement over
2010-11. Well, so far, so bad. The powerplay has been below average, ranking 18th (13.8%) through the team’s first six games. Of greater concern though is their penalty killing, horrendous vs. Boston, and currently ranked 26th (74.1%) overall in the league. Not a recipe for success, by any means.

The road gets a lot tougher for the Leafs now, literally and figuratively speaking. Six of the team’s next seven games will be played away from home, a good test of where this team realistically sits now and where it’s heading. For the Leafs, the ‘honeymoon’ period is over. The hope now is that the team can build on their early season success, and make it last.

Sometimes ‘Kess” is more.

Phil Kessel was a one-man wrecking crew, recording his first ever hat trick as a member of the Maple Leafs, including the eventual game winner, as the Leafs hung on for a 6-5 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the Air Canada Centre Saturday night.

Kessel finished with four points (3 G, 1 A) on the night, helping the Leafs improve to 2-0 on the young season.  But it wouldn’t be easy for Toronto, who led 4-0 after two periods and 5-1 midway through the 3rd period.  After the Sens rallied to cut the lead to 5-4 with 3:16 to go, it was Kessel who stepped up big late in the game, burying his 3rd of the night with 2:19 left to give the Leafs a little breathing room at 6-4, then later playing a key defensive role late to help the Leafs ultimately hang on for the win after the Sens had cut the lead to 6-5 with just under 2 minutes to go.

“I’m happy for sure,” Kessel said of his scoring outburst. “But the main thing is we got the two points. I’m excited.”

For Kessel and the Leafs, Saturday’s performance is hopefully a sign of things to come, if the team is genuinely going to compete for a playoff spot in 2011-12.  Prior to the start of the season, Leafs’ Head Coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto media that he hoped his first line sniper could net 40 goals this season, after two straight 30+ goal campaigns in Toronto.  Following their win over Ottawa, Wilson had nothing but praise for Kessel’s overall performance.  ”He did an outstanding job,”  Wilson said during the postgame press conference. ”He showed a lot of determination and worked hard all night.  It was great for Phil and great for his confidence.”

The game also featured a bone-crushing – and clean – open ice hit by Leafs’ destroyer Dion Phaneuf on the Sens’ Stephane Da Costa, who made the rookie mistake of keeping his head down while coming across the Leafs’ blueline in the 2nd period.  Da Costa was fine, and later during the broadcast could be seen on the Sens’ bench mouthing the words, “it was my fault.”  Sounds like he learned his lesson.

Leafs’ tough guy Colton Orr also added a goal in his first game back in the NHL after suffering a season-ending concussion in January of last year, while Joffrey Lupul chipped in with 3 points (1 G, 2 A) playing alongside Kessel.

There are still a few questions that were raised from the Leafs near collapse in the 3rd period. Goaltender James Reimer let in 5 goals in the final frame, after not allowing a single goal in the Leafs first 5 periods of hockey, while defencemen Mike Komisarek and Jake Gardiner both looked shaky in the third, combining for a minus-4 in limited minutes.

The Leafs now have a week off to build off their early success, as they leave Monday on a 3-day team-bonding trip to CFB Trenton, a military base in Trenton, ON, before playing their next regular season game Saturday Oct. 15 at home vs. Calgary.

You can follow Dan following the Leafs all season long on Twitter: @Dan_Berlin

From DC-to-Jersey-to-TO, David Steckel continues his trek north. On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils traded the 29-year-old West Bend, Wisconsin-native to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for 2012 fourth-round draft pick.

The departure of Steckel likely allows the Devils to keep nonroster camp invitee and former Stanley Cup Champion Petr Sykora. Sykora impressed in camp and may find himself in the top six, perhaps with former “A Line” mate Patrik Elias.

Steckel posted a 30 goal season in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears in 2006-2007, but his forte in NHL is penalty killing and draws. The 6’5”Steckel won almost 58% of his draws in 2008-2009 and tallied an overtime game winning goal in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Penguins that spring. Last season, Steckel lead in the department with a very stout 62.3% winning percentage. On February 28, 2011, the Capitals shipped Steckel up I-95 to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the center of the aforementioned “A Line,” Jason Arnott. How about that for irony if indeed Sykora has made the Devils’ squad?

With the addition of Steckel’s $1.1 million cap hit, the Leafs move to within $1.9 million of this season’s cap hit. This includes the buyout of Darcy Tucker for $1 million. In addition to the on-ice skills in the face off dots and in shorthanded situations, Steckel adds veteran leadership to a young forward core. Steckel has tasted the NHL postseason in three consecutive years with the Washington Capitals, and the Leafs have not played a game 83 since prior to the lockout.

______________________________________________________________________________
Slashes, head shots, and anything unsportsmanlike is fair game on Twitter @Gordsie.

With autumn in the air, the leafs are starting to fall from the tree outside the Air Canada Centre.

The Maple Leafs made 14 cuts on Sunday to reduce their roster size to 29 (17 Forwards, 9 Defencemen, 3 Goalies).  There weren’t any real surprises amongst those sent packing, with C Joe Colborne, the former 1st round pick acquired from Boston in the Tomas Kaberle trade last season, unable to stick with the big club after an inconsistent preseason to date.

The battle for the last spots on the roster will come down to the team’s final three preseason games, where Head Coach Ron Wilson and his staff will have to make some difficult decisions prior to reducing their roster to 24 players for the start of the NHL regular season.

Dave Poulin, Maple Leafs’ VP of Hockey Operations, spoke to the media on Sunday to discuss the team’s latest moves and the remaining competition in camp.

Two youngsters, RW Matt Frattin and D Jake Gardiner, have made the biggest impressions in training camp so far in their attempts to crack the big club.  The 23-year-old Frattin, who’s competing with Nazem Kadri for a spot on the team’s 3rd line,  has recorded an impressive 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 preseason games.  Despite their solid showings, Frattin and Kadri could still both find themselves starting the season in the minors, now that C Matthew Lombardi is set to return to the Leafs’ lineup, after being cleared this weekend for full contact from the concussion he suffered a year ago.

Meanwhile, Gardiner, acquired in the deal that sent Francois Beauchemin to the Ducks last season, has shown tremendous skating ability while producing offensively from the blueline so far this preseason, recording 3 assists in 4 exhibition games.  Still a longshot to break camp with the Leafs, Gardiner’s abilities may prove to be too good to pass up for a team who’s powerplay is in desperate need of a boost this season.

The 14 cuts from Sunday include:  Colborne, Luca Caputi, Jerry D’Amigo, Ryan Hamilton, Marcel Mueller, Kenny Ryan, Greg Scott, Mike Zigomanis, Korbinian Holzer, Jeff Finger, Jesse Blacker, Simon Gysbers, Juraj Mikus, and Mark Owuya.

Zigomanis, Caputi, Hamilton and Finger all must clear waivers prior to joining the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs’ AHL farm club.

For all the news, stories and action surrounding the Leafs this season, follow Dan on Twitter @Dan_Berlin

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Tomas Hyka’s stay in his first NHL training camp appeared to be a very short one.  In a miscommunication in which he thought he was part of the 15 players cut from the roster by the Flyers on Monday, the highly-skilled left winger was at the airport and on his way back to the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL.

That’s when Hyka says he received a phone call from GM Paul Holmgren.  “Yeah, it was crazy because I was going to leave and somebody called me and told me to stay a couple more days, so I was very happy,” he said after last night’s 4-2 exhibition loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hyka slips the puck through Gustavsson late in the second

Hyka was perhaps the brightest spot in an otherwise poor effort by the Orange-and-Black, and he was able to put his offensive talents on full display late in the second period.  Just coming out of the penalty box after serving the boarding major for Jody Shelley, Hyka took a perfect home run pass from Matt Read that sent the speedy winger in alone on Leafs’ goaltender Jonas Gustavsson.  Hyka deked to the backhand, then went back with a forehand, snapping the puck through Gustavsson’s five-hole.

What came next brought the loudest cheers from a relatively sedate Philadelphia crowd.

As everyone knows players have their own style in celebrating a goal, and Hyka is a classic example.  As he skated around the boards in the right wing corner, he looked up to the fans and put his glove up to his left ear as if to say “I can’t hear you!”  It thrilled the crowd, and provided the Flyers some much-needed momentum.

When asked about it after the game, Hyka was almost matter-of-fact.  “Oh yeah,” he laughed.  “It is my typical celebration after my goal.”

Another player with an identifiable after-goal celebration, Danny Briere, weighed in on Hyka’s shining moment.  “That was pretty cool,” he said.  ”In training camp, there are always special moments and guys scoring their first goals like that.  That was special and fun to see.  You saw the big smile after and everyone was really excited for him.”

As for the scoring the goal, Hyka was elated.  “It felt really good,” he said with a well-deserved giant grin.  “It was my first goal in the NHL, so I am very happy and I hope that I will score in other games.”

After acknowledging that he had saved the puck (which was shown to the media by Flyers’ Senior Director of Communications, Zack Hill), the 5′ 10″, 155-pounder with a baby face was asked if he hoped to sign a contract (which likely CANNOT occur since he is not Flyers’ property - great read on Broad Street Hockey this morning) before going back to juniors.

“I don’t know,” Hyka said.  Then his smile widened.  ”But I hope that I will stay here.”

There is no doubt that Hyka needs some time to develop physically before remaining with the big club, and he made an impression on Peter Laviolette.

“Everyone likes his skill level considering on a breakaway being able to cash in like that,” the coach said.  ”He can skate.  He’s got skill and he’s a young player.”

Hyka finished the night with a +2 rating, and also drew a hooking penalty as he used his speed and outhustled Toronto blueliner Korbinian Holzer on a potential Flyer icing call.

The saying goes that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Hyka took that old adage to heart by making the most of his.  

Shelley Suspension Coming?

Midway through the middle frame, Shelley boarded Toronto center Darryl Boyce behind the Flyers’ net.  The hit drew a major penalty and a game misconduct – as well as the ire of tough winger Jay Rosehill.

Shelley skates to the locker room after fight with Rosehill (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Rosehill was quick to step in to defend his fallen teammate by engaging Shelley in a fight, and the two traded numerous punches.  Shelley, as was the case many times last year in scraps, was bloodied in the bout.

“Yeah, you know, he (Shelley) was in my face all game, running around,” Rosehill said after the game.  ”He put the guy’s (Boyce’s) face to the boards like that, and I just instantly wanted to grab him and away we went.”

The hit by the Flyers’ left winger will be reviewed by NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, and will likely yield a suspension – one that will be well-deserved.

Shelley notched two goals and four points, along with 127 PIMs last season in his first season in Philadelphia.  The 35-year-old enforcer is trying to make his own impression on Flyers’ management, as he is battling a number of very good young players who have designs on making the Flyers’ roster.

The hit on Boyce cannot be the imprint he wants left in their minds when considering which players ultimately stay and which ones leave. 

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

Luke Schenn’s rights will not be dealt, and there will be no offer sheet tendered from a rival club.  Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to a 5-year extension with the young defenseman on a deal that will pay him $3.6 million/season.

With this deal, Burke has strayed from his conventional wisdom of signing free agents to short term deals.  The pact constitutes a long term commitment to Schenn and a statement to the Leafs’ faithful that the 21-year-old will be the anchor of the blue line in the future.  The interesting piece of the contract is that the cap hit correlates to a 21% raise from what he earned on his entry level deal.  That is a fairly modest raise when considering what other players have received in their second NHL contracts (case in point, James van Riemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers, whose current contract reflects a 157% increase from his entry level cap hit).  (Note: Both players met bonus incentives which count against the cap.)  Thus far, Schenn has done a nice job using his 6’ 2”, 229-pound frame to keep attackers at bay, but the Leafs are looking for Schenn to develop more offensive prowess.  His career high in points came last season (22).  He will be encouraged to shoot more and to look for streaking forwards.

The core of the current Maple Leafs’ roster will be intact (barring trades or other movement) through the 2013 campaign.  They have a 22-man active roster, and approximately $4.5 million in salary cap space.  They are hoping that Schenn, goaltender James Reimer, defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson (formerly of the Nashville Predators), along with forwards Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Tyler Bozak can make strides in their development in the 2011-2012 season.  These young players, along with goal scorer Phil Kessel, recent acquisition Tim Connolly, and captain Dion Phaneuf will be under the microscope in TO as the team competes to make the playoffs for the first time since the lockout.  If the youngsters excel, the additional $4.55 million in cap space could come in handy for Burke at the trade deadline if he wishes to upgrade.

You can contact the author for cross-checks, high sticks, and other shenanigans on Twitter @Gordsie.