Second NHL Team in Southern Ontario

Well the NHL is finally talking about putting a second team in Southern Ontario. Daly made the point that an objection from the Leafs would not stand in the way of such a move and MLSE responded by saying they would not stand in the way of such a move if it was shown to be good for the NHL and MLSE.

Daly also went out of his way to throw cold water on the idea of that team being located in Hamilton. His argument against Hamilton was that Copps Coliseum is not ready NHL ready. That argument is weak since it is the most NHL ready of any arena in the area and the cost to upgrade it to NHL standards is less then the cost to build a new arena.

The real anti-Hamilton stance is based on four points. First, Hamilton is the location that would most interfere with Buffalo’s fan base by drawing fans from the Golden Horseshoe. The second point is that Hamilton is not a known city south of the border and it would be another tough sell in the US. A minor third point is Hamilton’s friendliness with Balsillie and that a move into Copps may well require Balsillie as the owner. The fourth and major point is that Hamilton does nothing to increase revenues for MLSE.

Hamilton is a natural rival to Toronto so an NHL team there will not harm MLSE revenue. That however is not the point. The point is that a Hamilton franchise will do nothing to increase MLSE revenue. A one time territorial payment regardless of size is small potatoes.

What MLSE wants and will work out with the NHL is a strong new revenue stream in return for its support of the second franchise. Some mention a second NHL team playing out of the ACC. The problem with that is that the Leafs, Raptors, and a new NHL team all have overlapping seasons and that would not leave enough dates for other events.

MLSE thinks big and what would make more sense to them is a new development of condos, retail, restaurants, etc. surrounding a second GTA arena where the second NHL team would be the main tenant. That type of development would provide the immediate and long term revenue that MLSE expects and would increase MLSE and freeze out potential competition from another arena in the area.

Leading potential locations for this type of development are Downsview and Vaughan. Neither would be a threat to the Buffalo market and both would accessible to the GTA market. The NHL’s goal will be to maximize the payment for this franchise and the largest bids will come for a second team in the GTA. The second team will also likely be called Toronto since that has some name recognition in the U.S.

None of this is to say that a team in Hamilton or Kitchener/Waterloo could not succeed. The problem with those locations is that they will not maximize the revenue for the NHL, they will not add revenue for MLSE, and they would likely involve Jim Balsillie. Balsillie has burned many bridges with the NHL and it is difficult to imagine that he will be willing to work with MLSE and the governors to find a way into the NHL.

Another advantage to this type of deal is that it would work for a relocation of one of the southern U.S. teams that are currently in trouble. A troubled franchise has to be moved quickly so that local support is not further eroded. In this scenario the ACC could be used as a temporary home for a team while the new arena is being built.

Raps Wrap Pre-Season

The Raps finished their pre-season with another loss and another game where Triano could not use his regular rotation. Turkoglu suffered a minor ankle sprain which limited him to 14 minutes and Evans is still out with his injury. The overall preseason for the team was pretty dismal, but then again the Leafs had a hot preseason and that did not translate well when the regular games began. The team will also benefit by having almost a week off before the first game.

Despite not having the full team to work with, some of Triano’s rotation is starting to come together. The most interesting aspect is how he plans to use DeRozan. The thought is to let the rookie start and then determine his playing time based on how well he does. Instead of giving him minutes later in each half he will start but will likely not see action as the first half and the game wind down. Initially he may only play 15 minutes a game.

This approach makes sense. It lets DeRozan get playing time with the first unit and allows him to play against the league’s best. It also saves him from having to be on the court at crunch time when a veteran like Wright is more useful. As long as the first unit plays well and keeps the team in the game, this approach will let DeRozan earn more minutes as the season goes on. His confidence should also grow by playing at a less intense time of the game. A very positive early sign is DeRozan’s desire to drive to the basket and ability to draw fouls.

With Evans on the shelf, the first players come off the bench will be Wright, Jack and Johnson. If Johnson can provide efficient energy minutes along with solid defense and rebounding, Nesterovic’s minutes will be limited to games where they need him to bump against some of the bigger centers. Evans will become a fan favorite and his toughness will be missed early. Once he joins the rotation the Raptors will have a nice diverse set of skills to be able to bring into the game depending on who is on the court for the other team.

From the early look of things the team will need Belinelli to provide outside shooting off the bench. The Raptors were terrible from the 3 point line during the preseason and need this to turn around to provide more room for the skilled big men.

The only item we haven’t touched on so far is Chris Bosh and he will be the story for the team this year. Physically he seems to be coming into form and finished with a strong 27 point, 14 rebound game. He realizes that he needs to take his game up a notch this year and I am confident he will start out that way.

If the team plays well and settles into a playoff position record wise they should improve as the season goes on. If on the other hand they start off slow there is a real concern that the team could implode by Christmas. If they are well below .500 after 20 games the Bosh free agency talk will escalate and it will be hard for him, and the team, to focus.

What has to be remembered is that this is largely a new team with a coach that is starting his first full season as an NBA head coach. While I like the pieces Colangelo has put together the team is entering a high risk year that could go either way.

The schedule does not do them any favors. They play 8 of their first 12 games on the road and their first two home games are against eastern conference powers Cleveland and Orlando. A 5-7 start through that stretch would be great and allow them to get on a roll when the schedule becomes easier in December.

Maybe I’m still shell shocked by the start of the Leafs this year, but I see them struggling towards a 40-42 season which should let them sneak into the final playoff spot. Let’s hope that I’m wrong and they push for 5 seed. For that to happen, the big three of Bosh, Bargnani and Turkoglu will have to mesh into a top front court quickly.

Burke Takes Bad Rap For Mortgaging Future

Toronto is off to a horrid start and things are likely to get worse as they start a five game road trip on the west coast on Saturday. The blogs and radio waves are already filled with people attacking the moves that Burke has made. The most common refrain is that he has mortgaged the future of the team by trading away the team’s top pick the next two years as well as the second rounder in 2010/11.

While I would not have made the Kessel trade since I am not as aggressive as Burke, what I see is Burke fast tracking the team’s youth movement, not abandoning it. During the off season Burke did not just use the draft to pick up youth, he also pushed the Leafs ahead by adding youth in top ranked US college players and by signing Gustavsson from Sweden. Burke is using this approach to supplement the draft and will likely continue to proceed in this manner next year when he is without his top pick.

What Burke is trying to do is accelerate the growth through youth movement by expanding his strategy beyond conventional draft picks. He is willing to fight for top US collegians, top Europeans and by going after young RFA and UFA players.

Kessel is about to turn 22 and is coming off a 36 goal season. He will contribute more to the Leafs this year and next year then the number one pick in next year’s draft. Gustavsson will likely be the starting goaltender for the Leafs and he will likely have more value then the following year’s number one pick. Hanson is likely the equivalent of what the Leafs would hope to get with the number two pick in 2010/11.

While Burke did give up two number one picks and a number two this summer, he picked up Kessel, Gustavsson and Hanson which map to those picks. In addition, Burke also signed Tyler Bozak who should see quite a bit of playing time with the team this season.

The net result is that Burke added four under 25 year old players and has only given up two firsts and a second to achieve this. The top players that he added are more certain to have NHL potential then what may be available in the draft.

From my viewpoint he is not mortgaging the future, but is just fast tracking the addition of youth to the lineup.

NHL's Place in North America Sports

Headlines today talk about the City of Quebec pushing for a new $400 million hockey arena to lure back NHL hockey. The city has volunteered to put up $50 million and is asking the provincial and federal governments to each contribute $175 million under infrastructure programs. Now let me do some quick calculations here and figure out how much they are expecting from the multi-millionaires that will own the team that plays in the arena. In quick ballpark figures, that number would be zero.

In reading the positioning of their funding request you shake your head when you read that they are requesting the $350 million from the other levels of government under what they term infrastructure payments. Are we to assume that the road, sewage, transit, health and education systems are all up to snuff and do not require any of these funds? Are we to assume that this is the “perfect” time in our economic cycle to ask for this money? Maybe I missed something but I thought that we were in a major economic crisis with unemployment at maximum levels and a deficit that is racing to levels that will result in major inflation even if the current economic crisis is solved. Is this really the time for any rational politician to look for $400 million to fund an arena that will be used by a privately owned hockey team?

This brings me to what else is wrong with this picture. Why is a $400 million hockey arena now considered to be the price of admission the NHL is demanding for a city to qualify for a franchise. It is not enough that a city like Quebec, Hamilton, or Winnipeg may have fans to sell out NHL games? But after meetings with Bettman, it appears that a prerequisite now is that the hosting city find $400 million of taxpayer money to fund an arena that is suitable for the NHL.

Now why does the NHL require a $400 million arena when a 16,000 capacity hockey arena could be built for roughly half that price? The answer of course is luxury boxes. Luxury boxes exist in the NFL, NBA and major league baseball, so the assumption is that of course they must exist for NHL teams. Why? Well, the owners have to find a way to generate the money to fund player salaries that run up to $8 million dollars and pay an average player $2 - $3 million.

Unlike the true major North American sports leagues, the NHL does not have a national television contract in the U.S. to help pay the freight. When the NHL pretends that it is a major league it is putting a financial burden on most cities that they just can not afford. There is only so much money that corporate citizens and fans have to spend. In Canada and some of the major northern US cities there is either enough love for the game, or the city is large enough that it can afford to support an NHL that prices itself as a major league sport. In many US cities this is not the case as we see in Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Tampa, etc.

The NHL sees the abyss that many of their franchises are heading towards in the southern U.S. They are now coming to Canadian cities in the hopes that will find desperate local governments. It is not enough that hard working fans exist in these cities to support the team, but the governments must also cough up $400 million to build the super arena that the NHL demands. Hopefully these cities have the sense to say “No”. The way the league is structured it has priced itself out of any city that does not have a vacant arena lying around, or a government that is willing to sacrifice other priorities for the ego boost of having an NHL team.

If cities refuse to be held for ransom it will not be long before the NHL is faced with two real options that are dictated by the marketplace. One choice will be to contract the league to cities that do consider the NHL to be a major sports league. The other, will be to change their pricing and salary structures to market driven figures. This likely means either the elimination of the salary cap with team salaries being dependant on the money generated by each franchise, or a massive revenue sharing arrangement where the rich franchises share with the poor.

Either way the end result would be that ticket prices and player salaries come down to what the market will truly support. The reality is that in most cities the NHL is B List entertainment and the stars of B List movies do not make what the stars of A List movies make.

NFL Top 10 and Week 6 Picks

1 - NY Giants 5-0 (Last week 1)
Mercy move by the Giants when they pull Eli to go with Carr in the drubbing of the Raiders. Big game next week when they travel to New Orleans to face the undefeated Saints.

2 - New Orleans 4-0 (Last week 2)
We’ll keep the Saints at number two after the by week. Two weeks off to prepare to host the Giants will help.

3 - Indianapolis 5-0 (Last week 3)
The Titans defense could not slow the Colts as they cruise to an easy 31-9 victory. 309 yards in the air and 3 touchdowns for Peyton.

4 - Minnesota 5-0 (Last week 4)
You can only beat who you are scheduled to play. An easy win on the road over the Rams this week, but a big challenge coming up when they host the Ravens.

5 - Denver 5-0 (Last week 8)
All they do is keep winning. A very impressive come from behind overtime victory against the Patriots including a 95 yard fourth quarter drive by Orton who had 330 yards and 2 touchdown passes.

6 - Philadelphia 3-1 (Last week unranked)
McNabb returns from his injury with 3 TD passes and the Eagles from their by week cruising to a solid 33-14 win over the Bucs.

7 - New England 3-2 (Last week 5)
The Patriots played a solid game but let the Broncos fight back to tie the game late and then lose in overtime.

8 - Atlanta 3-1 (Last week unranked)
No problem for the Falcons as they shred the Niners defense. Ryan passed for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns while Turner had 97 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing.

9 - Cincinnati 4-1 (Last week unranked)
Another surprise team off to a good start. A road win against the Ravens last week gives them the lead in the division.

10 - NY Jets 3-2 (Last week 6)
Very unlike the Jets to give up 21 points in the fourth quarter. After two tough losses on the road hosting the Bills at home next week should be the perfect tonic.

Top Picks Week 6 (Last week 0-3, Season 6-9)

Chicago plus 3 ½ at Atlanta. This should be a tough game decided by a touchdown either way so I’m taking the Bears plus the points.

Houston plus 6 at Cincinnati. Maybe I’m late believing in the Bengals but I’m taking the Texans and the points in what I think could be an outright win.

NY Giants plus 3 at New Orleans. The big game of the week with two undefeated teams. I’m not ready to go against the consistency of the Giants so I’m taking them and the points.

Maybe A Way Out For Blake

There is lots of talk about burying Blake in the minors but that is easier said then done. The problem isn’t just one of MLSE agreeing to swallow Blake’s contract while he plays for the Marlies. The bigger problem is what Blake’s attitude will be down in the minors and how that will effect the players there. Burying a player like Blake also creates a bad impression for the team among NHL agents.

An out of the box thought is trying to move Blake for a worse contract that you are willing to eat. The name that comes to mind is Rick DiPietro. When healthy he is an outstanding goalie. The question is whether he will ever be healthy again. The Islanders signed him to a crazy long term deal that still has over ten years to run at $4.5 million per season and would love to get out from under that commitment.

At present DiPietro is costing the team salary but not cap space since he is on injured reserve. The Islanders do not need the cap relief and they certainly don’t want to throw $4.5 million per year down the drain on a player that is not contributing. For them, Blake’s contract at a $4 million cap hit, but only $3 million in actual salary for the next two years, would look great compared to DiPietro’s.

The question here is; would the Leafs be willing to take DiPietro’s contract off the Islanders hands? If they are serious about being willing to eat a bad contract then maybe Toronto is willing to pick up his contract, pay his salary, and get cap relief if he can not return.

Because of the contracts, a straight Blake for DiPietro is stacked in the Islanders favor so this should allow Burke to expand the deal. The player that I’d be interested in picking up from the Islanders is Josh Bailey. Bailey has slipped to number three at center on the Islanders depth chart, but at 19 he still has the potential to be a number one center. Going the Islanders way would be either Stajan or Grabovski.

Why would the Islanders do this? They immediately pick up production by adding Blake and either Stajan or Grabovski while only losing their number three center. More importantly they get out from under the remaining salary commitment to DiPietro who may never be able to resume his career as a full time number one goalie.

The Leafs pick up the $4.5 million salary commitment but this will only count against their cap if DiPietro is healthy enough to resume his career as a number one goalie. That is highly unlikely and if it were to occur, it is not a bad problem to have. They also pick up a top prospect that is ready to play in the NHL today and will be a legitimate top two line center and possibly the partner for Phil Kessel.

Is this deal sellable to either team? Likely not, but it is the type of out of the box thinking that Burke will have to consider to move the team forward.

Leafs After Three Games

After an exciting pre-season the regular season has gotten off to a bumpy start for the Leafs. All three games have resulted in losses, but the interesting thing is that each game was different. That could show that the team has more problems with different deficiencies being exposed each time, or it could show that the team has the ability to correct the deficiencies and just needs to find a way to put it all together.

The biggest concern so far is the defense. Burke invested heavily in the off season with the acquisitions of Komisarek and Beauchemin. Together with Kaberle and Schenn they were supposed to be the big four and provide 45-50 minutes of solid defense each game. Komisarek got off to a rough start against Montreal but we can write that one off to over exuberance against his former team. Since then he has steadied his play and it looks like he and Kaberle could be a strong number one pairing with Kaberle leading the rushes.

The real disappointment has been the number two pair. Beauchemin has gotten off to a really bad start and does not look like a top four defender on a contenting team. Schenn has had an equally shaky start to the year and there is no chemistry between the two. It may be time for the Leafs to look at dropping Schenn back to the third pairing for a while and move a Finger or Van Ryn (when he is healthy) into the second pair to work with Beauchemin. The problems here are likely temporary. It is not unusual for a 19 year old defenseman to struggle in his second year and Beauchemin is too solid of a veteran not to find his game. The only real question is whether the two of them will make the solid pairing that was forecast as the season moves on.

Toskala’s shaky start gave the team an early opportunity to give Gustavsson his first start. So far Gustavsson has done absolutely nothing to disappoint or show that he will not be the number one goalie at season’s end. Granted he has only played five periods of regular season NHL action, but he shows the confidence, agility, positioning and rebound control that you need in your number one goaltender. The Leafs will likely delay such a proclamation for as long as possible since they need to help Toskala rediscover his game if only for the sake of him providing some value for him at the trade deadline.

In Toskala’s defense fans should remember that he is trying to modify his style under the tutelage of Allaire and the team did not play solid defense in front of him. The reality however is that at 32, and in the last year of his $4 million contract there is no future here for Toskala. The team would be just as well served with a 29 year old MacDonald earning under $1 million serving as back up.

The forward units are a bigger concern for the team. Stempniak, Mitchell, Stalberg and Stajan have played well so far. Grabovski shows flashes of speed and skill, but his inability to win face offs against top centers wastes half of each shift for his line since they need to spend that time getting the puck back. Ponikarovsky is his old steady self but is showing that he will not be on the team next year. The Leafs sorely need to get Kessel’s finishing touch into the lineup and it remains a question as to whether he will play with Stajan or Grabovski, or will Bozak will be in the lineup by that time.

The bottom six needs to be settled as well but we can expect quite a bit of shuffling here throughout the season. Rosehill and Orr can not play on the same line but both may find a place in the regular lineup. To compete, the Leafs need to roll four lines since they must rely on energy and fore checking for a full sixty minutes.

Three games in it is too early to panic but the pieces have to come together quickly. With the schedule for the balance of the month being very difficult this will not be easy but the Leafs can not afford to fall too far back of a playoff position.

NFL Top 10 and Week 5 Picks

1 - NY Giants 4-0 (Last week 1)
The Giants ease to another workman like road victory against the Chiefs. A solid day for Eli with 292 yards and 3 TD passes.

2 - New Orleans 4-0 (Last week 3)
A two touchdown home win against the Jets where the defense held Mark Sanchez to 138 yards through the air. A bye next week leading up to the big game in two weeks when they host the Giants.

3 - Indianapolis 4-0 (Last week 5)
Peyton continues to dominate with 353 yards in the air in a very easy road victory against the Seahawks. So far they haven't missed a beat with the retirement of Dungy.

4 - Minnesota 4-0 (Last week 6)
The Vikings march on and Brett comes through with the win against his former team the Packers. Some concerns on defense where they gave up 384 yards through the air.

5 - New England 3-1 (Last week 7)
Patriots are rounding into form with a solid home win against the Ravens. Next week we get a reality check as they travel to Denver to play the surprising and undefeated Broncos.

6 - NY Jets 3-1 (Last week 2)
A loss at the Saints shouldn’t knock you down too much, but the offense was shut down on all fronts. Next week is important since a team led by a rookie QB needs to bounce back quickly.

7 - Baltimore 3-1 (Last week 4)
Ravens did not look all that bad on the road against in New England. The Patriots managed to control the game with ball control offense giving them a 10 minute edge in possession.

8 - Denver 4-0 (Last week unrated)
The Broncos finally crack the top 10 with a home win against the Cowboys. I’m not showing much respect for them yet, but next week’s game against the Patriots could change that, or knock them back out of the top 10.

9 - San Francisco 3-1 (Last week 10)
Frank Gore is still out with the ankle injury and Hill was held to 152 yards in the air. A problem? Nope. The Niners still cruise to a 35-0 win over the sad sack Rams at home.

10 - Chicago 3-1 (Last week 9)
We’ll drop them one spot due to a lack luster first half where they gave up three touchdowns to the Lions. They recovered nicely in the second half to win by 24.

Top Picks Week 5 (Last week 0-3, Season 6-6)

Ouch. A painful shutout last week dropping us back to .500 for the season.

New England minus 3 at Denver. Well I’m still not buying into Denver being a solid team. I’ll take the Patriots and give up 3 points on the road.

Houston plus 5 ½ at Arizona. I see both these teams as about even so I’m going to take 5 ½ points and go with the Texans on a short road trip.

NY Jets minus 1 ½ at Miami. Miami looked good against the Bills but this is an important in division bounce back game for the Jets so I’ll give up the 1 ½ points.

Jays In Holding Pattern

What I would love to do this morning is look ahead to the Jays off season and play the game of trying to figure out what they will do to improve the team for next year. The problem is we really don’t know what the goal of the team will be for 2010 or what the budget will be.

The firing of JP over the weekend was expected. His credibility was spent with the fans and media and Rogers had no choice but to replace him. Overall I don’t think that JP did a terrible job. Competing with the Yankees and Red Sox is a no win situation and the Jays did as well as could be expected. The unbalanced schedule forces them to play 26 games with the Yankees and Red Sox each season. If the Jays were in the Central division they would have played these teams half as much and may well have been in a playoff race as often as not. JP also leaves the team with young talent that is already starting to mature.

For the moment, the GM of the team is Alex Anthopoulos but even he does not know if his position is permanent. The Jays have been in the process of hiring a new president and word now is that this will take place by the end of October. Once a new president is in place the GM position will be reassessed. Anthopoulos states that he has the authority to make player and managerial moves but do not expect anything significant to take place until the president’s position is finalized and a direction is set for 2010.

My guess is that Anthopoulos’ future lies with the future of Beeston. If Beeston stays highly involved with the Jays going forward then Anthopoulos may well get the chance to be the permanent GM. If a new president takes over all baseball operations then look for a proven GM to be put in place. Over the past few years Anthopoulos has made friends with the Toronto media and they will give him a chance to succeed. Whether the fans buy into this is less certain.

The big question regarding the future is whether the team will increase of decrease the player budget. While some in the media forecast a budget increase the signals do not look that way. The Jays recently laid off much of their marketing staff and that may well foreshadow budgetary cuts on the field as well.

The pressing matter player wise is Roy Halladay. Halladay wants to see that the Jays are committed to spending the money necessary to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox next year or he will not consider re-signing. The chances of this happening are remote. The likelihood is that Halladay will be moved this off season. Whether the Jays will be able to get more for him then they could have received at the trade deadline is an unknown. For future fan relations it may have been best to have let JP make the Halladay trade a couple of months ago instead of saddling the new GM with this responsibility and fan backlash.

On the field the team has promise. Hill and Lind had great years and if Snyder can take his game to the major league level the Jays have a strong young offensive core. Even without Halladay, the starting staff has potential with kids like Romero, Rzepcynski and Richmond, but they will need some veteran leadership. The bullpen does not have a true closer but has quality depth with Frasor, Camp, Accardo, Downs and League. The team will try to move Overbay over the winter and it is uncertain whether Scutero or Barajas will be back.

How the team fills the holes or uses the money available if Halladay and Overbay leave is impossible to forecast until Rogers decides on the budget and direction of the ream. For now any speculation would just be a guess. All we can do is hope that once a permanent president is announced the direction will be made clear as well. Hopefully this happens while fan interest in the team can be rekindled.

Jays Player Revolt

The news is spreading this morning that the Jays players have turned on Cito and do not want him back next year. Normally I support management and am not in favor of the inmates running the asylum. However in this case I am not surprised at the feelings of the players and do think that its time for Cito to slip back into retirement.

The word is that the players find that Cito does not communicate and is constantly negative. What I have seen in this reincarnation of Cito is that his calm and experienced manner has tipped to the point of being arrogance. He seems to take pride in not showing emotion to the point that he looks like wins or losses have no effect on him. When I listen to him speak I see a man who’s pride does not let him admit that any problem with the Jays may be his fault. The blame from him always seems to fall on the players and that they are not adopting his plan.

When you manage, a big part of the job is teaching and communicating. Even if the lesson that you are teaching is correct, there is a problem if your students are not learning. A good teacher should not simply shrug his shoulders and blame the students for not learning. A good teacher should realize that learning is a two way street and it is also the teacher’s job to figure out a way to get through to his students. If the students are not learning, you have to find a new way to teach.

Cito appears to be lost in the past. When he was rehired last year he did not look to find the best new coaches. Instead he went back to his personal comfort zone and hired the coaches that were with him in the Jays glory years over fifteen years ago. These coaches had not gone on to greatness in the intervening years, but had largely been forgotten by baseball. They, like Cito, had chosen not to grow with the game but remained steadfast in their beliefs that their old ways are the best ways. Baseball is a grand old game, but time and people do move on and must continue to grow and learn.

You would think that Cito’s quiet confidence would be appreciated by veteran players. Maybe it can be accepted by a veteran team that is winning and has veteran leaders. But today that attitude is seen as one of detachment and arrogance. The manager does not seem to be part of the team and the manager does not seem willing to take any responsibility for the failures of the team.

While the Jays were spiraling down after their hot start much heat was put on the players and JP. When Cito was asked about his future he seemed to just assume that none of this was his fault, or even concern, and he mused on about his plans to manage in 2010 and then retire and spend more time with his grand children. His whole attitude was that his methods were beyond question and it would solely be his decision when he would choose to step aside.

Maybe it is Cito’s close relationship with Beeston that gives him this feeling of security. However, when he spoke he did not seem like a manager that was looking for ways to turn his team around. He was just going to carry on doing what he had always done until he did not feel like doing it any more. That attitude does not inspire the group of men that you are leading.

It is interesting that Cito used to be considered a players’ manager. Maybe in his day players wanted a manager that let them be. Today it appears that players want a manager that will lead them and be part of the team.

I believe that Cito’s best days are in his past and this off season it is time to go with a new and more aggressive approach to try and win games and win back fans.

Leaf Dreams Before Game One

Before the first puck is dropped all teams are in a tie for first. Now is the time to dream a little as a fan so let me take a look into my blue and white crystal ball and see what surprises I would love to see for the Leafs as the year unfolds.

The biggest need for any playoff team is goaltending. The Leafs need rock solid goaltending this season for the team to contend. The chances are that Toskala is not the player to do this. For the team to succeed they need to have Gustavsson take over the number one job and pardon the pun, have a monster year. The best possible scenario is for Toskala to play well, but for Gustavsson to outshine him as a backup to the point that he takes over the starter’s job by the new year. Ideally, another team loses a starting goalie before the trade deadline and Burke can move Toskala for a pick and a prospect at that time.

Komisarek needs to show that he is fully recovered from the problems that he had last year. If he has, he will provide the solid partner that Kaberle needs and you will see Kaberle come back with a 60 plus point year. If Komisarek shows that he is back to his former self he may well be wearing the C on his chest before the first snow falls.

The number one power play unit should be very strong once Kessel returns. Kaberle and Beauchemin should be a great pairing on the points. Kaberle will quarterback the unit and Beauchemin has the one timer that will remind fans of McCabe. Stalberg has the quickness and size to work the corner but should also set up camp in front of the net where he can tip in shots and battle for rebounds. Kessel will have room to find open ice for his shot.

The bigger concern is the penalty kill and how much ice time it will see. The Leafs need to be tough, but they have to show restraint and can not lead the league in short handed minutes. If the goaltending breaks as we hope, then Wilson and his coaches should have the players now to provide much better penalty kill numbers. They have the solid defense pairs they need and Primeau, Wallin and Stalberg will be major new players on the unit up front.

Kessel needs to come on strong when he returns. As Burke put it, he isn’t sure that the team has the center that Kessel needs on his roster today, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get the winger first. The immediate plan is to play Kessel with Grabovski or Stajan and see if the chemistry is there. If this fails and if Bozak starts off fast in the AHL look for him to be given the opportunity to see how he fits in with Kessel. My crystal ball shows a unit with Kessel and Stalberg flying on the wings with Bozak being the play making center. With the delayed start to his season and the lack of a true number one center, a 20-25 goal season for Kessel would be what the fans should be looking for.

If all breaks right for the Leafs their point total for the season could hit the mid nineties and land them somewhere in the fifth to eighth place range. At the moment they are still tied for first and all systems are go for a drive to the playoffs.

Raptor Camp Preview

The Raptors camp begins this week and this year is a pivotal one for the franchise. If everything comes together the team will make the playoffs, win a round or two, re-sign Bosh after the season and be a contender for years to come with Triano as coach. If the team starts off slow, the season could quickly become a disaster, the Bosh speculation will be a daily distraction with him leaving the team via trade or free agency, Triano’s run as coach will be short lived and next summer will be another massive rebuild.

To get ready for the season Colangelo performed a major makeover. Only three significant players are left from last year’s team. The job of the coaches during camp is critical and not easy. They have to construct a Raptor team that is tougher than any in recent memory. The team has to play defense every night, hit the boards and reduce uncontested shots and easy drives to the basket by the opposition. The team is eleven deep with players that are worthy of being in the rotation, but that number will have to be whittled down to a tighter rotation.

The biggest wildcard for the team is the first round pick DeMar DeRozan. For the team to reach its potential DeRozan should be the starting shooting guard. He adds athleticism that the team sorely needs at the wing positions. Even if his shooting touch does not develop in year one his physical skills should let him guard opposition guards straight up and he has the quickness to drive to the basket. The team will give him every chance to earn a starting job and he may even be able to guard some small forwards late in games. Should DeRozan not be ready to start Belinelli can, but he would be better coming off the bench and providing instant offense as part of the second unit.

Calderon appears to have recovered from the injuries that slowed him down last year and should be able to resume the play that made him a top point guard the previous season. Jack provides a very capable back up at the point and can fill in as a starter in the event of injury given Calderon time to fully recover. Calderon and Jack will also see court time together on occasion when the Raptors want to go small.

Up front the starters are Bosh, Bargnani and Turkoglu. If Bargnani can pick up where he left off last year he will provide more then most fans expect. Together, the three will provide defensive match up problems for the opposition but the question will be their rebounding and defense.

The conventional wisdom is that Evans and Nesterovic will be the main two bigs off the bench. Both are solid veterans, eat space, and Evans will add a touch of toughness that the fans have not seen since the Oakley days. Antoine Wright may be a defensive specialist late in games, but the surprise here could be Amir Johnson. Not much is expected of Johnson, but if the Raptors can bring out some of the potential that made him an NBA draft choice at 18 he could be a high energy player to play defense and pound the glass off the bench. Johnson may well disappear and fall out of the NBA but he could prove to be a diamond in the rough that Triano and Iavaroni may be able to reclaim.

This preseason most eyes will be watching Turkoglu to see how he fits and Bosh to see if he will emerge as a true superstar that can carry a team on his shoulders. While these will be the high profile stories of camp it will also be fascinating to see how ready DeRozan is, if Bargnani can pick up from where he left off last season, and how the rest of the rotation shapes up.

This is a big year for the Raptors and with the changes Colangelo made this off season there are no shortage of stories to follow.

NFL Top 10 and Week 4 Top Picks

1 - NY Giants 3-0 (Last week 1)
Dominating defense by the Giants in a 24-0 win on the road against the Bucs and that was without two of their defensive stalwarts.

2 - NY Jets 3-0 (Last week 2)
A bigger test for the Jets with Tennessee visiting last week. The offense went into a funk for the middle part of the game but did enough to stay undefeated.

3 - New Orleans 3-0 (Last week 5)
A solid road win that was never really in doubt against a Bills team that is playing good football. A challenge next week when they host the Jets.

4 - Baltimore 3-0 (Last week 6)
Sure they were only hosting the Browns, but a dominating 34-3 serves as a warm up for next weekends trip to Foxborough.

5 - Indianapolis 3-0 (Last week 7)
Another easy win, but an impressive air show against the Cardinals on the road. 379 yards and 4 TD passes for Peyton, but they did allow 332 yards passing.

6 - Minnesota 3-0 (Last week 3)
A bit of a tumble down the rankings despite the win against a tough 49ers team. Does Favre have another miracle up his sleeve for next week when the Packers come to visit?

7 - New England 2-1 (Last week 8)
The Patriots may be rounding into form with their home win against the Falcons. Next week is the test against the Ravens.

8 - Philadelphia 2-1 (Last week unranked)
The Eagles have not missed a beat with Kolb at the helm filling in for the injured McNabb. Another 300+ yard passing day backed up by their top 5 defense.

9 - Chicago 2-1 (Last week 9)
A solid win on the coast at Seattle keeps them in the top 10 and ahead of the Packers. Not sure how they’ll do when the schedule starts to toughen up.

10 - San Francisco 2-1 (Last week 10)
A heartbreaking lost on the last second miracle by Favre. The loss of Gore will hurt but they still should be able to get past the Rams with the tough brand of ball they are playing under Singletary.

Top Picks for Week 4 (Last week 2-1, Season 6-3)

Take Green Bay and 3 ½ points at Minnesota. I see this game staying within a field goal so I’m jumping on the early line to take the Pack against Favre.

Take Dallas and give the 2 ½ points on the road in Denver. The Broncos are 3-0 but I’m looking for that to end against a Dallas team that needs to keep pace with the Giants and Eagles.

Take San Diego and 6 points at Pittsburgh. Hard to bet the Charges at Pittsburgh, but so far the Steelers have done nothing to impress and 6 points are too hard to reset with Rivers playing great early in the season.

NHL East Projections

With less then a week to go until the puck drops its time to make our projections for the coming season. I break the conference into four teams with the Bruins and Penguins as the class of the East. Both have solid teams with no apparent weaknesses and solid goaltending. Not much to pick between the two but I’m ranking the Bruins first on the basis of superior defense, team toughness and coaching with the Penguins a very close second.

The next pack of four teams should all be locks for the playoffs but each has a nagging question or two. The Capitals have the most dominant player in hockey in Ovechkin and his hunger alone should carry the team to third place. The questions here for me are team depth and unproven goaltending where Varlamov only had six NHL games under his belt before his playoff run. The Flyers could challenge for the top spot in the east with Pronger solidifying the defense and a solid top two lines lead by Richards and Carter. This team will be as tough as any to play, but the gamble as always with the Flyers is in goal. Emery is their wildcard and the reason I am picking the team to finish fourth.

Carolina and Jersey had a great playoff series this past spring and will battle all year in the standings. I’m giving the edge to the Hurricanes for fifth with the Devils in sixth. There isn’t much to pick between these two team first clubs, but I see the Devils on a bit of a slide despite Lemaire coming back to coach. The Hurricanes came on strong with the switch to Maurice behind the bench and I see their energy and no name approach being enough to hold off the Devils.

The battle for the last two playoff spots is between five teams and may well go down to the last week of the season. The Sabres are my surprise pick for seventh on the strength of Ryan Miller and a team that is improving from within. The Sabres made the least number of changes and would have been a playoff team last year without Miller’s injury. A homer call here maybe, but I’m calling the Leafs for eighth. They now have the deepest top four defense in the conference and will rely on that strength to improve the league worst goals against average. To make the playoffs, Toskala must rebound and Gustavsson may have to be ready to assume more of the workload as the season moves on. Another advantage often overlooked is Wilson being a superior coach to those teams that I’m calling to miss the playoffs.

The next two are a toss up, but I see the Senators squeezing into ninth with the Canadiens for tenth. The additions of Michalek, Kovalev and Cheechoo will outweigh the loss of Heatley. The weakness of the team is defense and Murray did nothing to address that need while focusing on the Heatley mess. That should keep the Sens out of the playoffs, but if Leclaire is healthy he should be the long awaited answer in goal. The Canadiens have a new coach and gutted the nucleus of their team. There are just too many changes and questions on this team to call them for a playoff spot. Neither Gomez nor Gionta have previously shown that they can lead a team and Price has to show that he has regained his confidence. The Rangers are in the group that can challenge for a playoff spot but I’m calling them for eleventh. Yes they have Lundqvist in net, but they also have Avery as the number one left winger on the depth chart and Graborik has missed big parts of the last two seasons with injuries. I’m calling for them to tumble out of the playoffs.

The Panthers are a nice team with improving youth that could challenge if all breaks their way, but I look for the loss of Bouwmeester to push them back to twelfth. The team’s future is also a distraction as they go without a permanent GM. The Lighting are improving but have a long way to go, so a solid thirteenth is their likely spot. Stamkos will continue to improve and should benefit from Tanguay on his wing. The addition of Ohlund will be great for Hedman and look for this team to make strides next year if they are financially stable.

Kovalchuk has not signed for next year, Lehtonen is coming off back surgery and Antropov was signed to a 4 year $4 million contract. Things do not look good for the Thrashers who should finish second last in the conference and may have to entertain trade offers for Kovalchuk if it becomes clear that they will not be able to resign him. Too many questions for the Islanders to be anything but the pick for last. Tavares will be asked to carry much of the weight on his shoulders and the expectations of him being the next one might be way too high.

Early Leaf Decisions

The most positive development from this pre-season has been seeing the young players that are ready for a spot on the Leaf roster. Coach Wilson put it very well when he said that many of these players have earned a job on the Leafs with their play during camp, but they had not stolen a job. This leaves Burke with some work to do this season to see if he can obtain value for some of the veterans that will be pushed aside by next season. This task is made more difficult during a season where the Leafs goal is to battle for a playoff position. Finishing lower in the standings will be especially difficult to stomach for Burke since he traded away next year’s number one pick in the draft for Kessel.

The excess on defense is the easiest piece of the puzzle. The top two pairings are a lock for the next two years so a proven top four defender like Van Ryn is a luxury they do not need. Van Ryn is in the final year of his contract and will not be on the Leafs next season. If he can show that he is healthy, he will be a commodity that is attractive to a western conference playoff contender that suffers an injury. White can also help a playoff contender needing offense from the back end. With the emergence of Gunnarsson, White will likely not be retained when he becomes an RFA at the end of the season. If Burke can move these two, the third pairing and back up will be handled by Finger, Exelby, Frogen and Gunnarsson. The salary anchor there is Finger earning $3.5 million for three more years and that is a salary that Burke would love to dump.

Up front you have the three college kids and Rosehill ready for Leaf jobs now, with Kadri a year away. The difficulty here is determining who on the current roster will be a part of a winning team going forward.

The right side may be easiest to project with Kessel, Hanson and Orr being three of the four long term. Hanson could play on the second or third line depending on whether the Leafs keep Hagman as a solid third line player, or if Kulemin shows that he can be a skilled number two winger. Stempniak does not fit long term but the only choice may be to let him play out the final year of his contract. Even without Hanson a log jam occurs when Kessel is ready that could force a trade or send Kulemin to the Marlies.

Stajan and Ponikarovsky look to be entering Antropov type years. Both are useful, but neither are top six forwards for a contending team. If the Leafs were not shooting for the playoffs both would likely be moved at the trade deadline for second round picks since they will be UFA’s next year. One or both could still be moved if Bozak and Stalberg show they are ready within the first few months of the season. Though signed to a new contract, Grabovski is also not untouchable though a trade involving him may be a multi player deal for a top center on a non contending team.

Tlusty is at the crossroads this year. Are the Leafs ready to give up on the former number one pick who is still only 21? Does he deserve a spot on the Leafs ahead of Stalberg? There does not seem to be much to be gained by him spending another year with the Marlies so look for these questions to be answered fairly soon.

Primeau, Mayers and Wallin are useful in the bottom six. They are low maintenance players that can even sit in the press box and wait for spot duty. None may be on the team next year, but each is a reasonable piece at around $1 million.

Burke put himself into a tougher position when he traded his two number ones for Kessel. Trades now are not only for long term growth, but must also not detract from the goal of the playoffs this season.

Kadri Quandary

The play of Nazem Kadri has the Leaf fans excited with hopes that he may be the missing number one center for Phil Kessel. Expectations increased last night when he roofed the tying goal with the Leafs net empty and then scored a beautiful shootout goal which proved to be the game winner. He shows great composure, can skate, handle the puck, make the imaginative pass and has the shot of a goal scorer.

What Kadri reminds me of right now is that great new bike that you were waiting for and finally received on Christmas morning. The bike is shiny and new and it is what you’ve been waiting for. You picture yourself riding the bike all summer. You are tempted to take the bike out right away and take it for a spin even though there is snow on the ground. Your parents may let you sit on it in the rec room right away, but they are not going to let you take it outside and risk damaging the gift before the summer has even begun.

That is what it is like with Nazem Kadri. So far he has showed that he may be exactly what the team needs. But for now, the best place for him to show that promise is training camp and the exhibition season. Kadri will be a Leaf for years to come and he may well one day be the center for Kessel. The reality however is that he is still 18 years old and is less than 180 pounds. There is no reason to risk his long term development by exposing him to the rigors of regular season NHL play where he will be a target and be playing against men weighing 30 pounds more.

The reality also is that right now he is not a better hockey player then Grabovski, Stajan or Mitchell. He also is not as far advanced as Tyler Bozak at this point in his career. Kadri will likely be a center for the top two lines, but right now he is at best fourth on the list of candidates for that role with the Leafs. To showcase his skills he needs to play with skilled players. It would be a waste of his skill and development to find minutes for him on the fourth line.

Despite the temptation to see how he would do in the NHL, the best thing for Kadri is to have a great year in junior hockey where he is the star of a franchise. That will give him a confidence and winning attitude that he will be able to bring to the Leafs in a year or two. He should also have the chance to play a significant role with Canada’s team at the world juniors and work on building his strength. These experiences build character and are invaluable to a true blue chip prospect. They greatly outweigh the benefit of playing a third or fourth line role against NHL grinders on a team scraping to make the playoffs.

The other complication for Toronto is that they have a depth of NHL players up front that are on guaranteed contracts. Many of them are on the final year of their contracts and will not be part of the team next year, but you can’t just make them disappear. Instead, as injuries occur and as Burke finds an opportunity to trade some for futures their positions will be filled by Bozak, Stalberg, Hanson, Rosehill and eventually Kadri.

Maybe a spot will be found for Bozak or Stalberg at the start of the season, but it is more likely that their opportunities will occur during the year. The first 15 games of the season will let Burke evaluate his team and other managers to do the same. At that point Kessel will be ready for action and that might be a time for Burke to make some moves to open a few additional spots.

So far Kadri looks like a great number seven pick and shows nothing but promise. I don’t see Burke taking the gamble and rushing him ahead of schedule.

NFL Top 10 and Top 3 Picks for Week 3

1 - NY Giants 2-0 (Last week 3)
A solid win on the road spoiling Jerry Jones big unveiling was fun to see. The defense did a great job keeping Romo to 127 yards passing. Defense should be stronger as they get health.

2 - NY Jets 2-0 (Last week 6)
This may be temporary, but two very strong wins in a row for the Jets to start the season. Sanchez has played solid as a rookie and the Ryan defense is everything you hoped that it would be.

3 - Minnesota 2-0 (Last week 8)
Another slow start for the Vikings but Favre continues to play a control game. The defense was strong again though they only had to contain the Lions.

4 - Pittsburgh 1-1 (Last week 2)
The Steelers were unable to get a running game going allowing the Bears to focus on Roethlisberger. A late loss on the road doesn’t drop them down too much.

5 - New Orleans 2-0 (Last week unranked)
Saints offence and Drew Brees carry the day with 48 points on the road against the Eagles defense. The concern is that they gave up 391 yards to Kolb filling in for McNabb.

6 - Baltimore 2 - 0 (Last week unranked)
A good win on the road in San Diego was saved by a last minute defensive play by Ray Lewis. Maybe they should be ranked higher and look for them to continue winning as they travel to Cleveland next week.

7 - Indianapolis 2-0 (Last week 9)
Hard to win usually when you only have the ball for a quarter of the game, but a win on the road is always a good thing. Vintage Peyton Manning.

8 - New England 1-1 (Last week 1)
Two lack luster performances in a row. Has Brady lost his magic? Is Belichik finally running out of horses? A test next week when the host the rising Falcons.

9 - Chicago 1-1 (Last week unranked)
Yes they beat Pittsburgh and yes I’m ranking them lower then the Steelers. The lack of a running game worries me and it took a fourth quarter rally to get this win.

10 - San Francisco 2-0 (Last week unranked)
Two strong wins to start the season and a second week of dominating defense. Their first real test of the season is next week when they travel to Minnesota in a battle of unbeaten teams.



Top 3 Picks for Week 3 (Last week 2-1, Season 4-2)

Jets minus 2 ½ at home against Tennessee. Maybe I’m buying into the Jets too early, but with only 16 points against in two games I’ll put my money on their defense at home.

Green Bay minus 6 ½ at St. Louis. Green Bay has yet to roll, but this should be the week when they travel to play a very weak Rams team.

Pittsburgh minus 4 at Cincinnati. The Steelers are already one game behind the Ravens so look at them to make a statement with a division game against the Bengals.

Looking In the Leafs Cupboard

With the Kessel trade done, some of the Leaf knockers can’t resist chanting that this is the same old Leaf organization. Trading away picks for a short term fix thus mortgaging the future is the same old refrain. So, let’s have a look and see how the team projects over the next few seasons at each position.

Right wing seems to be set for years to come with an internal succession plan in place. Kessel and Kulemin are two skill players who will be 22 and 23 at the end of the season and likely mainstays on the top two lines. Colton Orr is set on the fourth line as the main enforcer and can take regular shifts without hurting you. Stempniak’s $2.5 million cap hit expires at the end of this year and Christian Hanson is ready to step in for him on either the second or third line. Further out is Mikhail Stefanovich who had 49 goals in 56 games last year in the QMJHL and is still only 18.

On the left side Blake likely has three more years with the team due to his contract. While the $4 million cap hit hurts, he still has speed and can score giving him some value if the Leafs are a playoff team. Ponikarovsky is in the last year of his contract and will likely be replaced by the cheaper, younger and faster Stalberg on one of the top two lines by the start of next season. Hagman can step into a top two line role when needed, but he is more likely a fixture on a solid third line. Rosehill could crack the team on the fourth line this year with his solid camp, but will most likely claim that spot next year. Robert Slaney is a year or two away, but projects to be a solid second or third line player. For this year Wallin, Primeau and Tlusty all can see time on the left. They are all on the last year of their contracts and Tlusty may have some trade value if the Leafs decide his future is elsewhere.

Center is a concern with the biggest whole for this year being the lack of a true top line center to play with Kessel. Grabovski will fill the top line role by default and will likely be followed by Stajan and Mitchell on the second and third lines. The immediate wild card here is Bozak who could start the season with the big club but will more likely get a couple of months seasoning with the Marlies. The fourth line will be centered by Wallin or Primeau. Botha are competent and Primeau will bolster the PK. Kadri looks to have the talent to be a top line center, but is one or two years away from earning that spot. This could be the spot for a free agent or trade by Burke, though Bozak, Kadri and Mitchell look like a very solid group of young centers two years out. Grabovski and Stajan could be assets the Leafs are willing to move here.

On defense the top two pairings are set with Beauchemin, Schenn, Kaberle and Komisarek. The strength of these pairings will likely leave only twelve minutes of ice time for the third pair. The excess depth is there for this year with Gunnarsson already ready to assume one of the spots when needed. At 18 Jesse Blacker will play another year with Windsor and be ready for the team in two years. Burke has an excess of defenders that he will try and move to restock some draft choices and possibly use in a package deal with Stajan and or Tlusty. If the Kaberle / Komisarek pairing jells look for Burke’s focus to turn to signing Kaberle to an extension instead of trading him. Kaberle and Beauchemin already appear to be solid as the top point pairing on the power play with Beauchemin taking over McCabe’s role in that spot.

Goaltending is an unknown long term until we see Gustavsson play. Ideally he becomes the number one goalie next year and Toskala’s expiring $4 million cap number can be used towards a proven top center. Reimer may be a nice surprise for the future with a full season in the minors and the chance to work with Allaire. If Gustavsson becomes the number one goalie, then I would like to see the Leafs go with an experienced backup like MacDonald for a couple of years

To me, the future looks pretty bright for the Leafs and the cupboard is anything but bare.

Two Too Much For Kessel?

As the Kessel pursuit wound on my position was that two first round picks was too much to give up for Kessel and I would not have pulled the trigger. Fortunately for Leaf fans Burke is running the team, not me.

Burke set his sights on Kessel back during the draft and yesterday he got his man. He played tough with Boston and paid a fair price, though slightly less than what the compensation would have been had he signed Kessel to a $5.4 million offer sheet. By letting Kessel go to RFA status the Bruins lost control of him, and where he would be traded. As an RFA Burke was allowed to talk to Kessel and to let him know what the Leafs would pay. The Bruins did not want to trade him within the division especially for only futures, but Kessel was not going to sign with any other team. The Bruins hands were tied and Burke got him for basic CBA mandated compensation without having to play the offer sheet card.

Are two first round picks too much for Kessel? As I look at it this morning I think not. Toronto should be a middle of the pack team the next two years and the drafts coming up are not projected to be deep. This year, Peter Holland and Nick Leddy were picked in the middle of the first round. I’d rather have Kessel as a 22 year old fixture on my top line then gamble on prospects like Holland and Leddy who are still years away from establishing what type of players they will turn out to be.

This move also sets the immediate direction of the team. Fans and players can eliminate the loser mentality of wondering if the team should tank the season for a better first round pick next year. Those days are gone. Burke is about winning and the players better get on board and realize that the culture of this team has changed. Burke will be bold and play hard to make his team better. That is the mentality that he wants to see on the ice and throughout the organization.

Kessel’s start with the Leafs may be slower then fans might hope. The team does not have a true number one center for him to play with. At the latest this will be addressed next summer when several Leaf contracts expire and they can go after a playmaking center. If things break right, this might not be necessary and the answer might come from within. I would not be surprised to see Bozak given a shot at that role as the season moves on. For the future a top line of Bozak, Kessel and Stalberg could be in the cards for 2010/11. By then, or the following year, Kadri should have filled out and be ready to step in as the skilled number two center.

In addition to having some excess defense to trade, this growth from within likely signals the end to Leafs like Stajan, Ponikarovsky and Stempniak. All three will move down to third line status for next year, and all three will be too expensive for those roles. The scenario with these players should play out like it did for Moore last year and Burke will look to convert some of these assets into draft picks.

Burke has given a clear signal as to the direction of this team. The time for excuses is over and the time to compete is now.

Leaf Pre-Season Kicks Off

After following the Coyotes legal case all summer it was great to finally see some action on the ice last night. Sure it was only the first exhibition game, but there were some positive signs last night.

The two players that impressed me most were Stalberg and Bozak. Stalberg’s speed and size stood out throughout the game. He outplayed Tlusty at left wing but a part of that may have been that Stalberg benefited by playing with Bozak while Tlusty was stuck on a line with Allison. Stalberg makes Tlusty very expendable in a potential Kessel trade and would not look out of place on the Leafs this year. I do think that he will likely start the season with the Marlies, but become a fixture when the contracts of Ponikarovsky and Primeau expire and open up room on the depth chart.

Bozak’s game really impressed me and he does have the look of a top six forward of the future. He showed maturity, a very high skill level and surprising speed. The Leafs do have Grabovski, Stajan and Mitchell ahead of him on the depth chart, so he may also start the year with the Marlies since I don’t think they want to play him on the fourth line. Though a little behind those two, Hanson did not look out of place playing with them and I can see that being the top line on the Marlies as we start the year. The good news is that all three should be with the Leafs next year as the contracts of Stajan, Stempniak and Mayers also come off the books.

The Leafs took a cautious approach with Kadri and started him off with Orr and Primeau riding shotgun on his line. Kadri looked a bit out of place with that line but picked up his game when Kulemin and Tlusty joined him as wingers. Kadri seemed to relax at that point and showed the skill level that Leaf fans had hoped to see. He should see a few more exhibition games and will then return to London for his final year of junior hockey. Look for him to have a good junior world tournament this year, spend most of next year with the Marlies and then be ready to join the big team for the 2011/12 season.

On a lower expectation level I liked the controlled play of Colton Orr last night. He showed that he can play a solid game of hockey while providing the physical presence that you want on the fourth line. The Leafs were involved with five fights last night, but none involved Orr as he just focused on solid hockey and finishing his checks.

Jason Allison did nothing to show he deserved to be on the team. On a night where Bozak and Kadri impressed with speed and skill at center, Allison just reaffirmed his image as being too slow for today’s game. I think the Leafs want to treat him with respect but he will hopefully be out of camp after a couple more outings.

Beauchemin was solid on defense and it will be great to see him on the ice for 20 plus minutes a game once the season starts. It was disappointing not to see him play with Schenn last night, but hopefully we will see them together soon. Exelby came as advertised and provided grit when he was on the ice while Ian White seemed to fade into the background. I think White may well be on the outside, or on another team, when the season starts in two weeks.

To me it looks like Burke has the depth of youngsters to be able to start moving some of the incumbent forwards as trade opportunities arise. He has about five forwards that are penciled in as starters this year that will not be with the team next year. Burke will not want to see them leave for nothing, so look for trades even for draft picks as the year moves on.

Training camp will race by now with eight more exhibition games in the next twelve nights. Tonight its off to London to play the Flyers and we should see the debut of Komisarek, Kaberle, Schenn, Grabovski and Stajan along with juniors Slaney and Stefanovich.

NFL Top 10 and Week 2 Picks

1 - Pittsburgh 1-0 (Last week 2)
The defense picked up right where it left off last year. A slow start on the offensive side of the ball but its hard to look impressive against Tennessee.

2 - New England 1-0 (Last week 1)
Painful to watch if you are a Bills fan but somehow you just knew that the Patriots would find a way to win. Two very impressive touchdowns by Brady in the last three minutes to steal this one.

3 - NY Giants 1-0 (Last week 3)
A workman like win against the Redskins to start the season. Nothing at all flashy here, but all of the top teams got off to slow starts.

4 - Philadelphia 1-0 (Last week 5)
Losing McNabb won’t help them next week, but an easy win over the self destructing Panthers in week 1 is a nice way to start the year.

5 - Green Bay 1- 0 (Last week 7)
They didn’t blow out the Bears, but the defense sure made Cutler look terrible. Still an important division win to start the season and they avoided the type of tight losses that hurt them last year. The season could not have started off worse for the Bears with a terrible game by Cutler and the loss of Urlacher out for the year.

6 - NY Jets 1-0 (Last week unranked)
Have to reward the Jets for the best first week performance. A very solid debut by Sanchez and they totally handled the Texans on the road.

7 - Dallas 1-0 (Last week 8)
A comfortable win against Tampa in the first week. Great performance by Romo with 353 yards and 3 touchdowns.

8 - Minnesota 1-0 (Last week 9)
They started off very slow against a very bad Cleveland team but took control in the second half. Farve played a backseat role in the offense with only 110 yards passing while Peterson broke some big runs on route to 180 yards and 3 touchdowns.

9 - Indianapolis 1-0 (Last week 6)
Another blank of a game but the Colts came away with the win over Jacksonville. The Colts need to find some balance in their attack with Addai being held to 42 yards on the ground.

10 - San Diego 1-0 (Last week 4)
We’ll keep the Chargers in the top 10 this week, but they have to do better then squeaking out a win over the Raiders even if it is on the road.

Top 3 Pics (Last week 2-1 against the spread)

Take Pittsburgh minus 2 ½ at Chicago. Chicago’s season started off as bad as it could against the Vikes so this games worries me a bit as a bounce back. The Steelers will miss Polamalu, but I’ll give the points and look for Pittsburgh to overpower the Bears without Urlacher.

Houston plus 7 at Tennessee. Houston had a terrible start against the Jets at home but they are better then that. I look for them to stay within a touchdown of Tennessee whose offense does not impress me.

New Orleans plus 2 at Philadelphia. I hate to bet against Philly’s defense at home, but without McNabb and Vick I see Gregg Williams defense shutting down the Eagles enough to allow Brees to lead his team to victory.

Heatley Gets His Move

The Heatley trade saga came down to the last minute but Murray finally pulled the trigger on the first day of camp. The deal to San Jose actually looks great for both Heatley and the Senators.

The Senators had to move Heatley. Rumors were already spreading about the real reason that Heatley demanded the trade and the situation was just going to get worse if he was not moved. The net result for the Sens is that they lose Heatley, but pick up Cheechoo and Michalek to go with the free agent acquisition of Kovalev. Add this to Spezza and Alfredsson and you have a wealth of top six forwards.

Since their playoff run of a few years back, the Senators have been stagnant and in decline. While Spezza and Heatley were a great combination, the team was relying on them too much. Though Heatley is the best player in the deal, you could argue that this trade even makes sense from a hockey perspective.

Michalek could be the biggest piece of the puzzle. At 24 years of age is he is already a proven 25 goal scorer and could easily be a 30 goal a year man on the top line. He also has size, speed and is responsible at the defensive side of the game as well. He should fit in well with Spezza on the top line and contribute to the first power play unit. With Alfredsson or Kovalev on the other wing I don’t expect the team to lose much production from their first line.

Cheechoo is a bit of a wild card and fans may be expecting a bit too much. He did win the Rocket Richard award in 2005/06 when he had 56 goals, but its been downhill since then. He was never fast, but after his sports hernia surgery he lost some of the jump he once had. Don’t look for Cheechoo to be a top scorer with the Sens and he may well be slotted in to a third line role. The net result however is a deeper team with more of the scoring spread out amongst the top three lines.

For Heatley, the move to San Jose is perfect. The team is a perennial winner, but being in California he will not be exposed to daily media glare. For a goal scorer you can not ask for more then to be paired up with Joe Thornton so he can expect another 50 goal season. Heatley should also be very motivated to confirm his standing as a top player so I see him coming out of the gate fast and earning a spot on the Olympic team.

From San Jose’s perspective, their GM promised to remake the team after another disappointing playoff performance and this trade qualifies as a bold move. Heatley adds flash and will add goals, but I really don’t see this as a move that makes them a stronger playoff team. Look for San Jose to have another good regular season but I don’t see them making it past the second round of the playoffs.

Conventional hockey wisdom states that the team that gets the best player in a trade wins the deal. While Heatley is the best player, I’m going to give this trade to Ottawa. They eliminated a distraction, shook up a team on a downward slide, and netted Kovalev, Michalek and Cheechoo to replace Heatley. A good move up front, though I would have liked to see them strengthen their blue line.

Jays Adrift

Last night the Toronto Blue Jays hit a new attendance low for the Rogers Center. The announced attendance was 11,159 and that certainly looks small inside that stadium.

The sad part of this figure was that Halladay was pitching last night. During the Halladay trade talk so many fans said that if you trade the Doc I’ll never go to another Jays’ game. Well the Jays didn’t trade Halladay and still the fans do not show up.

Listening to the talk shows you hear so many people blame JP for the lack of interest. I am definitely not a JP booster, but that is just a cop out. If you are a baseball fan and you really care about the team keeping a pitcher like Halladay you have to go out and support the team, especially when he’s pitching. The only thing last nights game showed the owners was that the fans are not willing to support Halladay with their wallets.

At this point of the season I’m not laying the blame on JP for lack of attendance. The major fault now has to be laid at the feet of Rogers. JP has overstayed his welcome and the fan base in Toronto has tuned him out. Years of lies and arrogance has put JP in this position. Once the trade deadline expired and a Halladay deal could not be worked out Rogers should have fired JP right then. Granted it would not help the team for the balance of the season, but it would be tangible proof that the times are changing for the Jays. It would have been a bold statement, and a problem with the Jays is that they are anything but bold.

The fans have no idea what the future of the Jays is. Some information has been leaked that next year’s budget may jump up to $120 million, but there is not one shred of evidence that supports this. If there is any credence to that rumor I can not see any reason for Rogers not making that public. It would provide hope for the fans and give them some reason to believe. At present they are saying nothing and hiding behind the excuse that they are in the process of hiring a new president. Sorry that just doesn’t wash and the 11,159 fans in attendance last night bare that out.

The other bit of reality here is that Toronto is not a true baseball city. The stadium is in a perfectly accessible location and last night was a great night to see the game with fan favorite Halladay on the mound. The reality is that the fans are no longer paying attention to the Jays and there are very few true baseball fans in Toronto who even knew that Halladay was the scheduled pitcher. If they did know, not many showed up.

If disinterest is the major issue here, part of the blame must also fall on the manager. Cito is a player’s manager and his total focus is on the players on his team. He stands by them through thick and thin, but he does not appear to be an inspirational leader nor does he seem to think that getting the fans excited is his job. In Toronto we need that. We need someone running the team that inspires the fans and gives them a reason to believe. We are not Boston where baseball is so deep in our blood that we appreciate every nuance of the game. To attract crowds of 30,000 plus we need to be motivated and excited by the GM and manager of the team. That is especially the case when the team on the field is not producing results.

I really think that Rogers is perplexed by the attendance figures and is reevaluating their commitment to the team. I’m not saying the team will leave Toronto, but I would not be surprised to see it sold in the not too distant future.

Argo Nots & Top 3 NFL Picks

Though I have yet to write about the Argos I am still a big fan of the team. Let me correct that, let’s say that I still want to be a big fan of the team. Yesterday’s Labour Day Classic performance by the Argos was simply ugly.

While Pinball likely saved the franchise with his personality and spirit, he started the slide by his push to sign Kerry Joseph a few years back. At the time the team was growing with a developing quarterback in Michael Bishop. Pinball pushed Rita to sign Joseph off his Grey Cup win with Saskatchewan. This created a division within the team and Joseph has never been the quarterback that Pinball envisioned. The signing created a buzz at the time, but CFL watchers could see disaster all over this move.

The coaching side has also been on downward spiral. Stubler was a great defensive coordinator for the team, but he was a bust when he was promoted to head coach after Pinball’s retirement. Maybe he would have grown in his new position, but the team panicked quickly last year and fired him after only 10 games. What to do next? Do you go with an old retread CFL coach, or do you try the “new” way and hire an NFL type that is new to the league since that worked for Montreal. Well for some reason the Argos did both.

First, they hired Dan Matthews who was one of the best CFL coaches ever, but had burned out a few years ago. He no longer had the drive and his record was 0-8 to finish the season. Then they hired Bart Andrus with no CFL experience and he has the team off to a 2-7 record this year.

While I like Andrus’ no nonsense approach, he does not understand the CFL and he did not hire assistants with CFL experience. The team’s game plan is based on perfect execution and that makes no sense with a rookie QB and inexperienced receivers. In the last two games Pickett has had a great completion percentage, but there is no attempt to stretch the field and defenses find it all too easy to disrupt any drive. Without the threat of going deep, defenses can stuff the run on first down and then focus on short passes on second down. Even if you complete 2 out of 3 passes, your drives die.

Another example of mismanagement is that for the last game the Argos wasted an import spot by having two import kickers on the roster. This is even more ridiculous when they had Prefontaine on their roster and he was more than capable at both punting and kicking before they let him go to Edmonton. The team is a pure mess and likely needs both a new GM and coach.

Top 3 NFL Picks

Take Philadelphia minus 1 ½ at Carolina. I think the Eagles may implode a little once Vick is activated, but I like them coming out of the gate fast and Carolina will not have a strong year.

Take Minnesota minus 3 ½ at Cleveland. I love the Browns, but this could be a very sad year for them. The Vikes have the defense and way too much offense for Cleveland. Look for a blowout.

Take Houston minus 4 ½ at home against the Jets. The Texans are on the way up while the Jets try to break in a rookie QB on the road.

MLSE Territorial Veto

One of the biggest areas of confusion in the Coyotes case is the alleged MLSE veto over a second NHL franchise coming to Southern Ontario. This veto is seen as something MLSE will use out of fear of competition to protect their Toronto area monopoly at all costs. The possibility of MLSE suing the NHL to protect this veto power will likely be central to a Balsillie anti-trust action against the NHL if they purse that route.

The reality is that MLSE does not fear competition from a second NHL team in its area. The Leafs are the Leafs and their legion of fans has supported them when all rational people would have abandoned the team. A Hamilton Blackberry franchise would have little effect on Leaf fans and would not put a dent in MLSE revenue.

A larger fear for MLSE is what effect a second team would have on the Raptors, on arena bookings and on television rights. The Raptors could feel some effect in terms of fan support and corporate marketing dollars, but the basketball fan base is quite separate from hockey fans. Likewise marketing dollars exist for both in the region.

A bigger concern is the possibility of a second arena drawing concerts and events away from the Air Canada Center. To this end the Hamilton franchise would not be a bad thing for MLSE since the arena already exists and no new competition is added. The television pie is already split with numerous Canadian franchises and it is not likely that a new team would take away from the mystique of the Leafs. By and large the Toronto market will not be clamoring for more Hamilton hockey games. If a second NHL team in the area forces more Leaf games off network television, MLSE will be more than happy to accommodate those games on Leaf TV.

From all these perspectives a Hamilton franchise may well be the best possible scenario for a second NHL team from MLSE’s point of view. So, why are they threatening to play the veto card and why are they not in favor of the Hamilton franchise?

The reason is that MLSE is not a defensive organization, they are an offensive one. They view this alleged veto as an asset. They are not willing to give that asset away, nor are they willing to sell it for some $25 – 50 million in indemnification fees.

They realize that a second team will eventually come to the GTA and they realize that their veto is likely not enforceable in court. What they want to do is maximize this veto asset and they will only give it up for a lucrative business opportunity.

What they likely want to do is forge a business partnership with the second GTA team and leverage that into a massive development. They envision a second arena with a surrounding development of condos, restaurants, stores, etc. with the new hockey team being the core tenant in the arena that MLSE will own. That type of project will generate the type of revenue that they will demand for agreeing to a second GTA hockey team. At that point you will see them welcome a second team for Southern Ontario hockey fans and join that team in its submission to the NHL.

The only problem for MLSE with Balsillie or Hamilton is that it doesn’t satisfy the one question that we hear all too often today. “What’s in it for me?”

Komisarek Leafs Biggest Gamble

Most of Burke’s moves this off season have little risk. Gustavsson, Bozak and Hanson are all no risk, high upside signings. Colton Orr at a million a year is fine as a fourth line player and enforcer. Exelby, Wallin and Primeau all have only one year remaining on their contracts and as such have no ongoing liability if they prove that they are not part of the future. The Beauchemin signing involved more years, but he is in the prime of his career, recovered from his injury, and is a great addition for top four minutes on the blue line and a likely defense pairing with Luke Schenn.

The one big question is the signing of Mike Komisarek. At age 27, 6’4 and 240, he should be exactly the type of defenseman that you pair with a player like Tomas Kaberle. He is a punishing player with very good defensive skills that can keep the crease clean and provide confidence for those on the ice with him. At his age he should still be improving and should just be entering the prime of his career.

The question mark surrounding Komisarek is whether he will rebound to be the player that he was before his two fights with Milan Lucic last year. Komisarek took a battering in both those fights and also likely sustained lingering injuries. He never returned to the form he had and appeared to have lost his confidence and commanding presence on the ice for the rest of the season and playoffs.

He was definitely dumped on by some of the fans in Montreal and took the heat as part of the reason for the first round blowout by the Bruins. The Canadiens evaluated their situation after the season and did not really give up on him. Reports were that they offered him a $4 million contract to re-sign as a UFA but would not go higher. Burke jumped in and lured Komisarek to Toronto with a 5 year contract at $4.5 million per season.

The term of the contract is not a stretch for a 27 year old, but at $4.5 million a season Komisarek has to return to a dominant physical presence on the blue line to justify the dollars. The Leafs do not need him to be the policeman for the team, but with his limited ability to handle the puck his role is to intimidate the other team inside the Leafs blue line and he must be worthy of top pair minutes.

The one additional factor that makes you think the gamble is worth it is that Burke knows Komisarek from his involvement with the US hockey program. He should have the inside story and know whether last year’s decline was largely due to injury. Komisarek definitely has the character that Burke loves and the Leafs need. The fans just have to hope that the off season has allowed any physical and psychological scars to heal and that Komisarek will be back to his usual physical self. If he is, a partnership with Kaberle and his puck moving skills will be great for both players.

I think we have to trust Burke with this move, but at 5 years at $4.5 million a season it is the Leafs biggest gamble of the off season and one that could handcuff the team if it does not pan out.

NFL Pre-Season Top 10

My version of the NFL top 10 will be updated each week. Here’s how I see it heading into the season.

1 - New England
Brady’s back at the controls and that makes the Patriots just too hard to defend. Combine that with the brilliance of Belichik and the Patriots are the team to beat once again.

2 - Pittsburgh
The defending champions will remain hungry with Tomlin in charge. The defense is as tough as it gets and Roethlisberger will continue to play a more controlled game as the Steelers look to repeat.

3 - NY Giants
The NFC is still the poor cousin to the AFC, but the Giants combination of a pounding defense and pounding running game make them the most consistent team in the conference. Eli has grown up and knows how to manage an offense.

4 - San Diego
Playing in the easy AFC West almost gives them a bye to the playoffs. LT and a solid defense are the plusses, but can Norv Turner match the top coaches in the league?

5 - Philadelphia
On talent this team could be the class of the NFC, but the loss of Jim Johnson will be a big blow to the defense. Vick adds talent and a new look, but his playing gives McNabb another excuse for bad play.

6 - Indianapolis
I might be rating the Colts too high, but I have a lot of faith in Peyton’s will not to lose. The change from Dungy to Caldwell may actually give the Colts a wakeup call and eliminate some complacency that has been creeping in.

7 - Green Bay
This is my surprise team coming off a 6-10 season. Look for a breakout year for Aaron Rodgers and Packer pride beating the Vikings out for the division title. The new look defense will also help.

8 - Dallas
The Cowboys may be a top 5 team, but they play in the toughest conference. I look for the Giants and Eagles to beat the Cowboys down and Romo has not shown me that he can lead a team all the way.

9 - Minnesota
The favorite by most to win their conference, but I think the addition of Favre will be more of a negative as the season wears on and the body breaks down. Their defense and running game makes them tough to bet against however.

10 - Arizona
You have to show a bit of respect for a Super Bowl team so we’ll start them at the 10 spot. I’m not confident that their air attack and aggressive D can lead them back but they do have an easier conference to play in.

Others to watch: Chicago (addition of Jay Cutler finally gives them a starting QB), New Orleans (Gregg Williams magic can transform the D), Tennessee (loss of Haynesworth keeps them out of my top 10), Atlanta (solid team on the rise), Baltimore (I hate when teams lose a top defensive coordinator)

Super Bowl: New England beats the NY Giants to make up for the lost “perfect” season.

Leaf Camp Questions

What better way to spend the first morning of September then to look forward to the start of the NHL season. The players will soon be arriving at camp and the Leafs have many questions that need to be answered. Let’s have a look at some of the most pressing issues.

Who will be on the third defense pairing? Barring injury Kaberle, Komisarek, Beauchemin and Schenn have the top four defense spots locked up. That leaves the Leafs with five more NHL ready defensemen competing for the final pairing and the reserve spot. Frogren was a starter last year, but he will likely be on the outside looking in. Van Ryn should be on the final pairing and may also be trade bait for Burke. White’s flexibility should land him the spot as the seventh defenseman with his ability to quarterback the second power play unit and help up front if needed. That likely leaves the battle for the final spot between Finger and Exelby. The Leafs love Exelby’s grit, but it will be hard swallow Finger’s $3.5 million salary if he is sent down to the minors. I see Burke trying very hard to move either Van Ryn or Finger prior to the start of the season to ease the log jam, though that Finger contract may well be impossible to move.

Is Gustavsson ready for the NHL? Burke spent lots of time and effort to land Gustavsson this summer with the idea of him starting the season as Toskala’s backup and hopefully being the number one man next year. The exhibition season will show whether he is ready to step right into the NHL, or if some seasoning with the Marlies is necessary. The signing of Joey MacDonald gives the Leafs a proven backup should Gustavsson need a little more time, but my guess is that Gustavsson will start the year as the Leafs number two goalie.

Is Bozak ready? Hanson and Bozak were two big college signings the Leafs made at the end of last year. Hanson played a few games with the Leafs, but Bozak was kept out of action due to an injury. Bozak is likely the one with the biggest chance to jump right into the NHL and will be given a chance by the club to make the team out of camp. I’d rate his chances as high as 50/50, but seeing him crack the lineup would be great news for the future.

Can Tlusty finally claim a top six spot? While a top six spot on the Leafs isn’t exactly the pinnacle of hockey success, the hope is that Tlusty finally discovered something during his last stint with the Marlies. While it seems as if he’s been trying to crack the lineup for years, he is only 21. If he earn a full time spot on one of the top two lines that would be a big step for him and the team.

Will Kulemin build off his rookie year? Kulemin had a strong rookie campaign with 15 goals and will be given a shot to play right wing on the top line. He showed plenty of skill during his first year and a jump to 25 goals would not be out of reason. Can he and Grabovski find chemistry on the top line?

What will Primeau’s role be? Little was made of the pickup of Wayne Primeau, but I think he may have an important role to play for the team this year. He may well center the fourth line, but he may also see time on the top lines when some size is needed. He has a history of playing for Wilson so look for the team to make good use of his 6’4, 225 pound size if he manages to stay away from injuries.

How will the PK develop? Penalty killing was a major weakness of the team last year. With new size on defense the team should do a better job of clearing the front of the net which will help the goalies. Primeau will also help with his size and reach, but improvement here will be a major focus of camp.

Training camp is less then two weeks away and the season starts in just one month. These chilly mornings are helping us get into the mood.

NHL In Conflicting Positions

It sure does not look like the NHL is used to being in a situation where it is not in control. With their bid for the Coyotes they are now in several positions of conflict of interest and have an unfair advantage over other bidders.

First of all the NHL is the second largest secured creditor of the Coyotes. As a result they have a right to help determine which bid is most acceptable to the creditors. The NHL is also in charge of approving proposed owners, so they believe they have the right to determine who is in the auction. Now, the NHL is also a bidder for the Coyotes. This would mean that one bidder believes they can control who the other bidders are and also have the right to help determine who the winning bidder is.

According to the NHL, a bankruptcy judge isn’t really required is it?

One of the interesting elements here is the Ice Edge bid and how they have no problem with the NHL now being a bidder. This speaks to both the credibility of the Ice Edge bid and also to the backroom discussions that must be in place between Ice Edge and the NHL. The NHL Board of Governors has yet to formally accept Ice Edge as approved owners and they have yet to approve Ice Edge’s plan to play five home games a year in Saskatoon. If Ice Edge were truly an independent bidder they would have a major problem with the fact that a competing bidder will be the one that approves their suitability for ownership and their business plan.

When we take this a step further, we look at the NHL’s motion to vacate the Balsillie bid. With the NHL now in the role of a bidder in the auction, they are asking that the judge to vacate a competitive bid. This may well give Balsillie’s team further ammunition in its attempt to invalidate the NHL’s vote of him being an unacceptable owner, and therefore bidder.

Since the NHL’s bid states that the Board of Governors has approved their bid, the question that begs to be asked is; when did they approve this strategy? The bid is very detailed so the strategy was not approved yesterday. Was this in fact a strategy when they voted to reject Balsillie as an owner? Is that not a further conflict of interest and grounds to invalidate the vote?

From Judge Baum’s perspective this could well be viewed as an attempt to pre-empt a fair and competitive auction. The NHL launched its bid only after Reinsdorf pulled out and is basically stating that their bid is there just in case a bid that they don’t like may win. The NHL also expects Judge Baum to be fine with the NHL being the entity to approve who can bid in his auction (their claim that only NHL approved owners can bid), help determine a winner (their status as a secured creditor), and be a competitive bidder all at the same time.

The NHL’s bid only contains a one year commitment to Glendale and the comment that the Glendale lease is not workable for a local owner. They further state that they may have to sell the team to a relocating buyer in a year with a percentage of those gains going to the NHL. Why would this be acceptable to the bankruptcy judge since his job is to secure the best deal today for the creditors, not to approve a deal to a party that plans on selling the asset in a year at a profit when there already is such a relocation bid on the table?

The judge may well ask himself the following questions. Is the NHL truly committed to Glendale as they originally stated? Was the NHL truthful in its claim of having numerous local buyers? Is the NHL trying to prevent a relocation bid today which would provide more money for the creditors and current owner, with the intent of selling to a relocation bidder a year down the road when they will reap a profit? In view of the preceding, was the NHL acting impartially when it voted against Balsillie being a suitable owner?

It will be very interesting to see how Judge Baum reacts to the NHL’s bid when the hearings resume next Wednesday.