This morning's FTB is all over the place.
From Michael Langlois over at Vintage Leaf Memories on Kadri:
Right now, though, my biggest question has to do with the team’s judgment. They thought this kid wasn’t ready in early October. Then after only 14 games of minor pro experience, he was ready? And ready to be a first-liner, which is how they first plugged him into the line-up, as a winger (not his position)? Then later he was used for a time as a fourth-liner. Center, wing. First line, fourth line.
Then, over to Chemmy at The Leafs Nation on average-level goaltending:
Just as .900 seems low for today's NHL .919 seems pretty high to ask for average. One of my readers at Pension Plan Puppets asked a great question last night; what if we ignore single seasons and look at data for multiple years? What's the average then?
The last main Leaf issue to be raised was about MacArthur's consistency (so far this year). I should add that the title 'Quickly Shedding Inconsistent Label' is something of a paradox, but anyway:
"The only thing I see when he’s not on his game is he stops moving his feet," said Wilson. "He told that before the season started, ‘Usually when I get in trouble I stop moving my feet so if you can remind me of that’. So every two or three games you have to say ‘Hey Clarkie, you’re not moving your feet’ and he kinda resets and gets going again."
More after the jump.
Other Leaf Links:
Wilson: Best Thing For Kadri Is Stint With Marlies
"It’s been a bit of a struggle for him for over the last three or four weeks," said Wilson. "We’ve tried to get him through it up here, but the best thing for him right now is to go down to the minors, play, score at the level that he can score at [and] gain some confidence. There’s a lot of things about the game that he still has to learn and it’s difficult to learn them in the crucible of the NHL the way it’s going for us."
Game #35 Scoring Chances: CAR @ TOR, Dec. 28/10
Slava Duris continues his excellent work at over The Leafs Nation.
Blue and White Christmas: Final Act
The third installment of the series from Loser Domi.
Other Hockey Links:
Size Has No Impact On Faceoff Percentage: 2009-10 Data
I'm not sure how this one managed to slip out of an earlier FTB, but it's definitely worth a gander. By Jonathan Willis over at The Leafs Nation.
Puck Daddy's Three Stars
Eaves, Ward, and Lundqvist. Check out the article for more videos.
'24-7' raises its game again in Episode 3
If you haven't already checked out this series, you should.
Dun dun dun.
Sidney Crosby had five extra minutes to try to extend his point streak to 26 games, but he came up empty in Pittsburgh's 2-1 shootout loss. Another interesting number from this article: the crowd of 14,345 was the biggest so far this season on Long Island.
Team Canada suspension draws mixed reviews
Zack Kassian faces two-game suspension for hit on Petr Senkerik. From The Globe and Mail.
NHL's John Collins Discusses Evolution, Success of Winter Classic
"According to data provided by the NHL, it appears Burwick was on to something. League sponsorship revenue is up $330 million over the last three years, with the signature New Year's Day event as the driving force"
Canada returns to Spengler Cup semi-finals
Mark Messier’s team will now take on host Davos in the final four after Wednesday's 4-3 victory over Sparta Prague. Article from the Globe and Mail.
Stars, Daley agree to $19.8M contract
The deal is for six years. Article from The Globe and Mail.
Wade Redden's player profile photo for the Connecticut Whale. I have no words. - Silver Seven
Really. I can't add anything else. High-larious.
