The Official LEAFS NATION Hockey thread

Capitals to host Leafs in outdoor game at Naval Academy

The NHL will play an outdoor game at a U.S. service academy for the first time when the Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, next season.

Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday that the Capitals and Maple Leafs will meet March 3 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not announced the event.

The 34,000-seat stadium hosts Navy football games and the Military Bowl.

It’s the first game at a service academy though quite possibly not the last. The league has explored doing games at the Army’s home at West Point and at the Air Force Academy.

The New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers played a preseason indoor game at West Point on Oct. 8, 2016. Panthers owner Vinnie Viola and expansion Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley have Army ties.

This is the third outdoor game for the Capitals and Maple Leafs and the first in the Washington area since the 2015 Winter Classic downtown at Nationals Park.

Capitals-Maple Leafs at the Naval Academy will be one of at least three outdoor games next season. The Ottawa Senators will host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic on Dec. 19, and the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres will play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Citi Field in New York.

NHL Network revealed on air that the league would announce a game at Navy on Monday. In addition to being Memorial Day, it's the day commissioner Gary Bettman gives his state of the league address prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Leafs to play outdoor game in DC

Remember the name Jeremy Bracco......

A buddy of mine who saw him play swears he's a Mitch Marner clone, which says quite a lot. He'll likely play with the Leafs or the Marlies next season.

His team the Windsor Spitfires won the Memorial Cup last night against the Erie Otters. Great game!! :thumb:

The list is out:

Leafs may trade with Vegas for a top defenceman

Several teams including the Leafs, Rangers, Sabres, Stars, Habs & Oilers are in the hunt for help on defence. Many of those teams will likely try to get the Vegas team to draft some of the top defencemen available in order to make a trade with them, likely in the form of picks and/or prospects.

Among the defencemen Vegas could draft and then trade are Josh Manson, Matt Dumba, Sami Vatanen, Ben Lovejoy, Colin Miller, Marc Methot, Jake Dotchin, Jason Demers and Trevor Van Riemsdyk, among others such as Jack Johnson, Adam McQuaid, Dan Hamhuis, Niklas Kronwall, Griffin Reinhart, Marco Scandella, Alexei Emelin, Calvin de Haan, Paul Martin, Nate Schmidt.

There will be a lot of player movement over the next couple of weeks, possibly the highest player movement ever.

I also believe that no other team in history will be as stocked up with draft picks as the Vegas team will be for the next few years.

Leafs in trade talks with Vegas to acquire defenseman

Vegas GM George McPhee has admitted having deals already made with at least 6 teams. But he also admitted that he's in serious discussions with Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello who wants to acquire a defenceman. Talks would have began yesterday but Lamoriello encountered travel problems out of Toronto. He's now in Vegas and has met with McPhee and his team.

Among the defencemen who may interest Lamoriello once they're drafted by Vegas are the Bruins' Colin Miller, Ottawa's Marc Methot and Matt Dumba of Minnesota. Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson do interest the Leafs, but it's speculated that Anaheim already has a deal in place with Vegas in order to keep both of them with the Ducks.

Bhy the way, i now hear that Alex Radulov is looking at getting an 8-year contract from any team wanting to grant it to him. It was first speculated that the long-term deal he was seeking was for 6 years, but shockingly it's 8 years! Wow!

Joffrey Lupul might be Vegas-bound

by Kevin McGran, Toronto Star

While the Maple Leafs surprised many by including under-used forward Josh Leivo among the 11 players they were allowed to protect, the wild card in this week’s Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft as far as Toronto is concerned is Joffrey Lupul.

He is, oddly enough, eligible for selection, despite missing the entire season with an injury. All other NHL players who missed the full schedule because of injury — including the Leafs’ Stephane Robidas and Nathan Horton — are ineligible.

“None of the draft exemptions were automatic,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. “Each were evaluated on a case-by-case basis. That includes Lupul.”

So either Lupul believes he is healthy enough to play or Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello, the king of finding loopholes in the NHL’s rules, has a deal with Vegas GM George McPhee to take Lupul and his $5.25-million contract off Toronto’s books and stay away from a high-end prospect, such as Brendan Leipsic or Kerby Rychel.

The Leafs also protected forwards Tyler Bozak, Connor Brown, Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Matt Martin and James van Riemsdyk, plus defencemen Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick, and goalie Frederik Andersen.

They are heading towards a salary-cap squeeze, though, with nearly $14 million in dead money. That includes: bonuses paid to last year’s excellent rookies, carried over to this season; salary for those too injured to play or already bought out; salaries retained in trades.

For Vegas — which has to pick one player from each team by 10 a.m. Wednesday, with salaries totaling at least $43.8 million (all dollar figures U.S.) — taking Lupul only makes sense if it comes with a sweetener, perhaps the Leafs’ first-round pick in this week’s draft.

Joffrey Lupul Vegas-bound?

Well, it looks like Vegas has chosen Brendan Leipsic. It's too bad since i liked what he brought. My guess is that it was either between him or Marlies top scorer Kerby Rychel.

Many insiders expect the Leafs to make a deal for a top-end defenceman by Monday. The trade freeze ends tomorrow morning at 8am.

It's been reported that the Leafs are also interested in defenceman Nate Schmidt of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Schmidt formerly played for Washington and is RFA. The only problem with him is that he's a left-handed shot and the Leafs are looking for a right-hand shooting defenceman.

Travis Hamonic

The Leafs have reportedly made an offer for Islanders defenceman Travis Hamonic. Maybe he'll be a Leaf by the end of tonight's entry draft.

The Leafs drafted a giant defenceman in the 2nd round. He's 6'7, hails from Finland and played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. Eemeli Rasanen reminded people of Chris Pronger when he stood up after hearing his name called. His height reminds me of Zdeno Chara.

Leafs draft fearsome defenceman

joelcairo said:

It reminds me more of Hal Gill.

Click to expand...

Not a bad player. He had many good seasons in the NHL. I'll take him!

Bibeau, Griffith not qualified by Maple Leafs, will become UFAs

by Chris Johnston, Sportsnet

TORONTO – Antoine Bibeau and two other members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization are due to become unrestricted free agents after failing to receive a qualifying offer before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline.

Forwards Seth Griffith and Sergey Kalinin will also be free to sign with any NHL team as of July 1.

Bibeau, a 23-year-old goaltender, spent three years playing in the American Hockey League after being drafted by the Leafs 172nd overall in 2013. He made his first two NHL starts last season for Toronto, going 1-1-0.

A former QMJHL playoff MVP, Bibeau saw his development stall in recent years – dropping from a .913 save percentage in his first season with the Marlies to .894 this past year. He only appeared in one playoff game for the AHL team this spring.

Griffith was twice claimed on waivers by the Leafs last season. The 24-year-old forward had no points in three games with the NHL team, but put up 44 in 38 regular-season games for the Marlies.

Kalinin was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in a February minor-league trade for Viktor Loov and had four points in 19 AHL games.

Meanwhile, the Leafs retained four pending restricted free agents by issuing qualifying offers: forwards Connor Brown and Zach Hyman, defenceman Justin Holl and goalie Garret Sparks.

Those players have until July 15 to accept the offer. They may also negotiate a longer-term extension with the team.

Leafs giving up on Bibeau

Alexei Marchenko has cleared waivers and will likely sign with a KHL team.

Air Canada Centre changing name to Scotiabank Arena next summer

by Chris Johnston, Sportsnet

TORONTO – The Air Canada Centre is getting a new name and Scotiabank had to open the vault to make it happen.

The bank has agreed to a 20-year deal worth approximately $800-million, according to sources, that will see the home of the Maple Leafs and Raptors renamed Scotiabank Arena starting next July 1.

It is believed to be the largest sponsorship of its kind in North America and represents an astronomical increase on the $30-million Air Canada paid for the original naming rights when the building opened in 1999.

The announcement comes following a competitive round of negotiations involving several companies. Scotiabank held a provision in a pre-existing deal with the Leafs to get a shot at the naming rights if Air Canada elected not to renew them.

“Over the past many years, we’ve had a number of parties approach us and inquire: ‘Hey, if those naming rights ever become available we’d love to have a conversation about it,”’ Dave Hopkinson, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s chief commercial officer, said Tuesday in an interview. “Of course, we kept track of all those conversations – all the interested parties – and started early this calendar year seeing who was interested in having a serious conversation about it.”

The deal allows Scotiabank to further deepen its ties to hockey.

The company already holds naming rights on the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary and Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, and is a longstanding NHL partner. It also has its name on Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, among many other initiatives.

Seizing an opportunity to get its name and logo on an arena in downtown Toronto was a natural extension of those other partnerships.

“There’s obviously the brand value of just the consumer being aware of it, but where it really makes a difference for us is when we earn our way into the activation and relevance,” said John Doig, Scotiabank’s vice-president and chief marketing officer. “We don’t sell hockey sticks and skates so as a bank we have to be making sure every day that we’re working very hard to be relevant.

“It has to be way more than a name on the side of the building; this can’t be a logo at centre ice and nothing else around it in the community.”

The cost of naming rights on sports buildings has risen sharply in recent years. Citi Field in New York and Barclays Center in Brooklyn each bring in about $20-million per year, according to the New York Times, with AT&T Stadium in Dallas coming in around $19-million.

It’s little wonder why sports fans in this city will soon have to adjust to a new name.

“It will be a change,” said Hopkinson. “It will be a change to the landscape of Toronto.”

The building will continue to be known as Air Canada Centre throughout the coming NHL and NBA seasons.

Lupul fails second physical; can be put on LTIR

by Chris Johnston, Sportsnet

TORONTO — The NHL will allow the Toronto Maple Leafs to place Joffrey Lupul’s contract on long-term injured reserve this season, Sportsnet has learned.

The decision comes after the 33-year-old winger underwent a second medical examination following his failed physical from team doctors before training camp.

Lupul initially appeared to challenge that diagnosis — “Haha failed physical? They cheat, everyone let’s them” he wrote on his Instagram account last month — before deleting the comment and issuing an apology.

“I responded earlier this week to some negative comments on Instagram,” he wrote. “It was an inappropriate response, and I deleted it, but I take full responsibility. It’s been extremely tough not being able to play over the past 1.5 years.”

Lupul elected not to seek out his own second opinion — as was his right under the collective bargaining agreement — but the NHL initiated one so that it could independently determine his status.

Tuesday’s ruling will be met with a sigh of relief by the Leafs, who now have the ability to spend well above the $75-million salary cap by placing both Nathan Horton ($5.3 million) and Lupul ($5.25 million) on LTIR once the season starts.

They would have been tight to the upper limit and left without much much flexibility to add salary in-season had the league deemed Lupul healthy.

He last played for the Leafs in February 2016, when the team announced he would be shut down for the remainder of that season following sports hernia surgery.

Lupul has endured a slew of injuries and ailments during his career, including major back surgery while a member of the Anaheim Ducks. He failed his medical with Leafs doctors before training camp last September and missed the entire season before failing another one last month.

Still, some rival teams have held doubts about Toronto’s intentions.

The NHL’s ruling comes on the heels of a similar case involving Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa — he’s been deemed eligible for LTIR because of a skin condition — and should essentially close the book on Lupul’s tenure in Toronto.

This is the final season of a $26.25-million, five-year extension he signed in January 2013.

Lupul will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has expressed a desire to continue his career.

Lupul fails second physical

Marleau scores twice in Maple Leafs debut, Toronto routs Jets

WINNIPEG — Patrick Marleau’s birth certificate may say he’s 38 years old, but Toronto’s veteran free agent was feeling young and energized on Wednesday.

Marleau scored twice and added an assist in his Maple Leafs debut as Toronto cruised to a 7-2 rout of the Winnipeg Jets in the season opener for both teams.

His first goal began with youngster Mitch Marner passing up to sophomore Auston Matthews, who passed it across to Marleau in the high slot. The veteran kicked the puck up to his skate and went in alone on Steve Mason, dekeing before scoring the 509th goal of his career to make it 4-0 for the Maple Leafs.

"You can see how hungry they are out there, not only in games but in practice," Marleau said of Matthews and Marner. "They’re striving to get better each and every day and you want to be part of that and you can feed off that for sure."

Marleau spent the first 19 seasons of his NHL career with the Sharks, signing a three-year contract with Toronto on July 2.

"That was awesome," Matthews, 20, said of Marleau’s first goal. "Unbelievable pickup by him and the move was even better. Pretty special play by him.

"I’m sure it feels good for him to get the ball rolling on that so we’re all happy for him."

Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk and William Nylander scored in a three-minute span in the first period for the Leafs (1-0-0). Marner and Matthews each added their first goals of the season. Tyler Bozak, Matthews and Van Riemsdyk each had a pair of assists and Marleau, Marner and Kadri all contributed one.

Frederik Andersen made 35 saves in net for Toronto.

Mark Scheifele nixed the Leafs’ shutout bid at 11:31 of the third period to make it 6-1. Mathieu Perreault also scored for Winnipeg (0-1-0).

The seven goals tied Toronto’s highest output from last season, a 7-1 home win against the New York Islanders on Feb. 14.

Mason was pulled after Marleau’s second goal 36 seconds into the third period, the Jets goalie having allowed five goals on 20 shots. Connor Hellebuyck stopped nine of the 11 shots he faced in relief.

"Five was enough," Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said of the timing to pull Mason. "He’s going to have a couple he’d like to have back, but there wasn’t anything you’re looking at saying, ‘My god, how did he miss that?’ "

The Jets dominated the opening period, getting three early power plays and testing Andersen with at least eight shots with the man advantage, but it was Toronto’s only power play of the period that paid off.

With Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba in the penalty box for hooking, Kadri went in front of Mason and took a shot, got his own rebound and then jammed the puck into the net at 15: 45. Van Riemsdyk added his goal at 17:40 and Nylander used Toronto’s 10th shot of the game to make it 3-0 at 18:23.

"We had a number of power plays and it was doing everything but scoring," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "And then we took a penalty and kind of let a greasy one in. From there, you blink and it’s 3-0. We weren’t able to dig our way out of it."

Winnipeg was 0 for 8 on the power play and the Leafs 1 for 2.

"There are going to be a lot of penalties called (this season)," Andersen predicted. "Hopefully, we can figure that out soon. Every player is smart. I think we can adjust and not take as many."


Jets destroyed by Marleau and the Leafs

Martin Marincin put on waivers

If he clears waivers he'll be sent down to the Marlies. If he clears waivers the Leafs will save $1.025 million off their salary cap while he's playing for the Marlies.

My guess is that after watching defenceman Andreas Borgman's strong play last night the Leafs were comfortable having him in the lineup regularly and no longer need Marincin as an insurance policy on the active roster.

Don't be surprised if the Leafs don't make a major trade for a top-notch big name #1 defenceman during the season. They have the young talent available to make such a trade and would also be willing to part with JVR if the right offer came along. JVR will be UFA after this season and many believe he'll be too expensive to re-sign considering there's Kaspari Kapanen and tons of talent on the farm just waiting for an opportunity to join the big club.

The name Drew Doughty is the biggest potential trade bait out there. He's from the Toronto area, will be a UFA after this season and has made it no secret he would welcome playing for the team he grew up idolizing as a child. Other big names could be available depending on how their current team's season goes. The Leafs have the cap money available to accomodate one more big contract should they decide to trade for a big-name defenceman.

Leafs obtain Calvin Pickard from Vegas for Tobias Lindberg and a 6th round pick

This is a very good trade for the Leafs. Pickard will likely act as the Viking's backup and is potentially a #1 goalie for many other teams. He was the starting goalie for Team Canada at the last World Championships and played brilliantly. I love the trade!!! :thumb:

Leafs beat Chicago 4-3 in overtime!!!!!!! What a game!!! What a game dominated throughout by the Leafs!!!! :thumb:

Next up: The NJ Devils on Wednesday night. Go Leafs Go!!!