Posted by The Toronto Maple Leafs are finally looking like an NHL franchise. The team is doing what it takes to win games–and winning!
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, they haven’t had a winning streak in a while. In fact, their only winning streak of the season was a two-gamer back in early November.
It just seems that the team is playing much better hockey over the past week.
Granted, they found a way to lose against the Carolina Hurricanes after being up 3-0 after the first period, but since that moment, it’s as if something clicked.
Fans may finally have something to make noise about (Photo Courtesy jbcurio/flickr)
Niklas Hagman is on fire, and is well on his way to having the best season of his professional hockey career.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed around the NHL.
Apparently, several teams have shown an interest in Hagman.
Would it be wise to trade him?
If Brian Burke could get a high draft pick for him, I certainly think so.
Burke needs to recoup some picks–or at least one pick! I don’t care how good Phil Kessel has been playing, he is not worth the next two seasons of picks, there are very few players in the league today that are.
Niklas Hagman is not one of them either, so I’m curious to know what the offers made for him were.
Jonas Gustavsson played a decent game in defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. He stopped 28 of 31 and picked up his first win since beating the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 7.
He needs to continue being at least decent while Vesa Toskala, who was playing his best hockey of the season, is on IR.
If the Leafs continue to amass goals like they have been, the Monster won’t have to stand on his head.
But, as we’ve already seen this season, the Blue and White could get snakebit.
When no goals are being scored, a lot of pressure is deferred to your goaltender.
I’ve already shared my reservations about Gustavsson–I’m not sure he is yet ready to handle that pressure. Time will tell, I suppose.
There is no need to worry about it right now, not as long as the team continues scoring.
Kessel hasn’t disappointed and Hagman has created some balance on the forward lines.
Their next week could prove to be a difficult one, as they play three away games. But, if they carry their momentum into it, it could be season-changing.
The Leafs could make a statement against the Panthers (Photo Courtesy of aimee.craze/flickr)
There is so much parity in the league. They are only seven points back of the Florida Panthers, the team they play next. If the Leafs can go on a streak, who knows?
They may be back in the thick of things come the end of December.
But once again, maybe we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves…
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Maybe Hagman would be good on San Jose, however I don’t think we’d get a high draft pick from them. I would love Burke to keep Hagman unless we can get a high draft pick, nice post.
If Chris Campoli got a first round pick from Ottawa, Matthieu Schneider got one from Montreal and Oli Jokinen got one plus a whack load of prospects from Calgary then Nik Hagman, who should score between 30 and 40 goals this year, is certainly worth a first round pick from a contending team. He’s only 29 or 30 and he’s a reasonable cap hit at 3.5 mil for what he does. Remember that a 2nd rounder gets you Nik Antropov and Domenic Moore. If Burke can’t get a 1st rounder or very good prospect he should hang on to him. Giving him away would be stupid. Ponikarovsky and Stajan will garner at least 2nd rounders at the deadline if they are traded. Anybody who can score over 25 goals and makes less than 4 mil in the Salary Cap era is worth a 1st rounder from a team going for the Cup.