Controversial situation!

Last night, during the first intermission of the Leafs game, the TSN panel held "The Quiz", which is a segment in which the host, James Duthie, asks three hockey analysts their opinions various questions relevant to the hockey world. Last night, one of the questions was, "Should the Toronto Maple Leafs pursue Steven Stamkos?" Steven Stamkos plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning and is one of the leagues best players. He is a Toronto native and has been the subject of controversy after last years playoffs when he expressed displeasure with his coach because of his playing time and position. Two of the three analysts believe that the Leafs should be pursuing Steven Stamkos when his contract is up at the end of the 2015-2016 season.

Early this afternoon, the controversy grew larger when, on the Leafs Lunch radio show, host Brian Hayes pointed out that Steven Stamkos "liked" the question when it was posted on Twitter. Could this mean that Stamkos wants to be a Toronto Maple Leaf? Is he coming home? This is an incredibly exciting prospect for Leafs fans. Stamkos is a former 60 goal scorer and is, arguably, the biggest sniper and purest goal scorer in the league. Adding a guy like Stamkos would expedite the rebuild process for the team. Having a guy like him around would be incredibly beneficial for the Leafs young, upcoming stars like Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen as he could be a great mentor.

There is one thing I am a little worried about, however. I do not want the Leafs to trade for Stamkos. I would be absolutely ecstatic if Stamkos decided to sign with Toronto as a free agent, but I do not want them to give up any of their young talent for him. They need to be patient and they need to do things right. If Stamkos is willing to sign in the off-season, that would be great. If the Leafs trade with them, I will be very disappointed. As much as I want Stamkos to come home to Toronto and lead the Buds to their first Stanley Cup in almost 50 years, I want it to be done in the off-season.

You have to admit, he'd look good in a Leafs jersey.

Quarter Season Update

The NHL season is just over a quarter of the way through, so I wanted to take the time to personally evaluate the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'll discuss how they've done, where they're headed and what I'm hoping for by the end of the season.

The First Quarter:

The Leafs have done pretty much what they were expected to do as of this point in the season. They're one of, if not the most, hard working teams in the league, but they have a severe lack of talent. Their top goal scorer is Leo Komarov, who was on their fourth line last season. The first twenty games have been just the disappointment the doctor ordered for the Leafs; tons of close, one-goal losses. In order for the team to be successful in the future, they need to go through the growing pains now. As painstaking and depressing as it is, it is a necessary stage in the rebuilding process and we just have to keep hoping for next year.

The Short-Term Future:

For me, I want the Leafs to continue at the pace they are at right now. Some games are absolutely brutal to watch, and some games they show youthful exuberance and play outstanding; most recently in St. Louis where they dominated the Blues in a 4-1 win with the help of Nazem Kadri's two goals. Ideally, guys like Brad Boyes, Daniel Winnik, Michael Grabner and the like will earn their keep with the Leafs and get shipped out at the trade deadline for draft picks and young talent.

By the end of the season, I want the Leafs to end up in the bottom three so they have the best chance to pick first and acquire the coveted Austin Matthews.