GoDogsGo
10-02-2007, 03:22 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=448 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Mon, October 1, 2007
By LANCE HORNBY (lance.hornby@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED]), SUN MEDIA
</TD><TD vAlign=top width=48></TD><TD vAlign=top width=43></TD><TD vAlign=top width=44></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellPadding=2 width=125 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
<!-- AdSpace site=sun_media&VChannel=londonfreepress&SubChannel=sports&position=bigbox&HChannel=news --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads5.canoe.ca/js.ng/site=sun_media&VChannel=londonfreepress&SubChannel=sports&position=bigbox&HChannel=news"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://adc2.adcentriconline.com/adcentric/tag/102/1/2049?number=0.533474532458309"></SCRIPT>
<!-- /AdSpace -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are either going green by recycling last year's game programs or mistakenly starting the new season with much the same lineup that missed the playoffs.
When the final roster of 23 is confirmed today, as many as 21 players around the team last year will return or start on injured reserve. That includes 15 players who were in the lineup of Game 82.
At this stage, goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake are the only newcomers bound to be in uniform Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators, with general manager John Ferguson and his staff discussing the merits of defencemen Staffan Kronwall, Anton Stralman, Jay Harrison and Bryan Muir much of yesterday.
That's assuming the Leafs carry two extra defencemen at the start as coach Paul Maurice hinted last week.
After starters Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Ian White, Pavel Kubina, Hal Gill and Andy Wozniewski, the Leafs will hang on to two of Kronwall, Stralman, Harrison and Muir. Mitigating circumstances include the risk of losing Harrison on waivers should they demote him, Stralman's reluctance to play in the AHL as opposed to returning to Sweden, Kronwall needing a regular shift to develop and walk-on Muir not yet under a firm contract.
The camp would have had a different look had centre/ winger Mark Bell been able to play. The Leafs talked of him challenging as high as the second line before he was slapped with a 15-game NHL suspension related to his off-ice legal woes.
After playing one game, centre Kyle Wellwood needed surgery for a sports hernia and, after two starts, defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo was experiencing knee pain.
By LANCE HORNBY (lance.hornby@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED]), SUN MEDIA
</TD><TD vAlign=top width=48></TD><TD vAlign=top width=43></TD><TD vAlign=top width=44></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellPadding=2 width=125 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
<!-- AdSpace site=sun_media&VChannel=londonfreepress&SubChannel=sports&position=bigbox&HChannel=news --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads5.canoe.ca/js.ng/site=sun_media&VChannel=londonfreepress&SubChannel=sports&position=bigbox&HChannel=news"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://adc2.adcentriconline.com/adcentric/tag/102/1/2049?number=0.533474532458309"></SCRIPT>
<!-- /AdSpace -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are either going green by recycling last year's game programs or mistakenly starting the new season with much the same lineup that missed the playoffs.
When the final roster of 23 is confirmed today, as many as 21 players around the team last year will return or start on injured reserve. That includes 15 players who were in the lineup of Game 82.
At this stage, goalie Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake are the only newcomers bound to be in uniform Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators, with general manager John Ferguson and his staff discussing the merits of defencemen Staffan Kronwall, Anton Stralman, Jay Harrison and Bryan Muir much of yesterday.
That's assuming the Leafs carry two extra defencemen at the start as coach Paul Maurice hinted last week.
After starters Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Ian White, Pavel Kubina, Hal Gill and Andy Wozniewski, the Leafs will hang on to two of Kronwall, Stralman, Harrison and Muir. Mitigating circumstances include the risk of losing Harrison on waivers should they demote him, Stralman's reluctance to play in the AHL as opposed to returning to Sweden, Kronwall needing a regular shift to develop and walk-on Muir not yet under a firm contract.
The camp would have had a different look had centre/ winger Mark Bell been able to play. The Leafs talked of him challenging as high as the second line before he was slapped with a 15-game NHL suspension related to his off-ice legal woes.
After playing one game, centre Kyle Wellwood needed surgery for a sports hernia and, after two starts, defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo was experiencing knee pain.