With the NHL trade deadline just four weeks away, plenty of rumors have surfaced, including the likes of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter joining the Toronto Maple Leafs. While no Maple Leaf players have been mentioned as possible candidates to join the Blue Jackets, the names of Clarke MacArthur, Luke Schenn and Mikhail Grabovski have been front in centre in just about every rumor involving the Maple Leafs. So, will Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke attempt to land Carter? At first glance, Carter, who stands 6’3” and weighs in at just under 200 pounds, has the size that Burke so desperately needs down the middle. That said, Carter is hardly known as a physical player, which is what Burke needs most. A former first round draft choice of the Philadelphia Flyers (11th overall) in the 2003 NHL

Sunday Afternoon team Chara took on Team Alfredsson in what was supposed to be a fun-spirited All-Star event. For the most part, the players had fun, enjoyed themselves and put on a good show for the fans, but one incident will leave a bad taste in the mouths of many NHL fans and the fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. With many players wearing microphones for the duration of the game the odd bout of questionable language was bound to be heard. That said, nobody was prepared for what Hartnell said after Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf gave away the puck in his own zone, which led to a team Alfredsson goal when Henrik Sedin tipped one past goaltender Jimmy Howard at the 12:51 mark of the first period. Hartnell, who was added to the All-Star roster when several NHL

On January 25th the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they were signing veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles to a four-year $15.5 million contract extension, and with that announcement came more rumors that defenseman Luke Schenn was going to be on the trading block. We have already discussed the good, bad and the ugly of trading Luke Schenn, with the majority of Leaf fans feeling that, if the return was great enough, i.e.: a top-six forward, then Burke would have their blessing to trade Schenn—a player that was thought to be untouchable as little as last season. In the case of Schenn, at just 22-years of age, he has tremendous upside. To a team in need of a legitimate top-four defenseman with the ability to be a top-tier defenseman one day, Schenn offers hope that he can evolve into that stud defense-first D-man.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have signed veteran defenseman John-Michael Liles to a four-year, $15.5 million contract. The contract averages out to $3.875 million per season, which is a pay cut from his current salary which pays him $4.2 million this season. At 31 years of age, Liles’ new contract looks to be on-point for his combination of veteran leadership and abilities. Through 34 games, Liles has four goals and 17 assists for a total of 21 points. Over 557 career NHL games, Liles has scored 72 goals (including 35 power play markers), adding 224 assists for a total of 296 points. Originally drafted in the fifth round (159th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Liles was acquired via trade from the Colorado Avalanche over the summer for the nominal price of a second round draft

With his team in a three game losing funk, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson switched up his lines Thursday night in an effort to get his troops to play better defense and spread out his scoring. One of the riskier moves saw Wilson separate Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul—the NHL’s most potent duo this season. Lupul (who now leads Phil Kessel in team scoring with 51 points on the season to Kessel’s 50) had a three point night, while Kessel scored his 25th goal of the season, albeit on the power play with Lupul notching an assist on the goal. At the end of the day, Wilson’s changes helped catapult the Buds past the slumping Minnesota Wild (2-6-2 in their past ten games) to the tune of a 4-1 victory. Goaltender Jonas Gustavsson was near perfect on the

Having sat out four straight games, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie defenseman Jake Gardiner has officially been assigned to the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies Sunday afternoon. Gardiner shocked many when he made the big club straight out of training camp, followed by an impressive stretch of games which saw him register ten assists through 37 games this season, while posting a respectable minus-1 rating. Known as an offensive defenseman, Gardiner uses his skating and hockey sense to outwit opposing forwards, while also possessing the ability to make a quick first pass. Originally drafted in the first round (17th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks, Burke was able to bring Gardiner to Toronto late last season as part of the Francoise Beauchemin deal. Originally expected to make the team by the All-Star break, Gardiner’s solid play led to the big club