A Week Off

Well after a strong 2-0 start, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be on break until next Saturday, when they take on the Calgary Flames. For half of their break, the Leafs will be spending time at CFB Trenton, bonding with each other and taking time to thank those who serve our country.

On the injury front, everyone appears to be getting healthy. Centre, Tim Connolly is expected to play Saturday, and today, Ron Wilson said Nazem Kadri has progressed quite well, and could be ready by Saturday; that is if Wilson believes he should play with the Leafs. It is possible he gets sent to the AHL. We should know more mid-week.

Also back from a two game suspension is LWer, Clarke MacArthur. Although Matt Frattin filled in admirably for MacArthur on the Grabovski line, it was clear that MacArthur's presence was missing.

Today, Ron Wilson said MacArthur is suffering from an infected elbow, but once again, he is expected to play Saturday night.

With at least two, possibly three players being injected into the lineup, their will definitely be some changes.

Lines for Leafs practice today were:

Kadri-Grabovski-Kulemin
Lupul-Bozak-Kessel
Frattin-Lombardi-Armstrong
Brown-Steckel-Dupuis

Obviously I expect this not to be the lineup on Saturday, but it does raise some interesting questions.

Are the Leafs better off sending both Kadri and Frattin down, while promoting Lombardi to play LW beside Bozak and Armstrong? This is assuming Connolly centres Kessel. What happens with Dupuis? Will Wilson decide to go without an enforcer in the lineup? Many questions will have to be answered in the next 3-4 days.

As for next week itself; the Leafs will be very busy.

They play three home games against Calgary, Colorado and Winnipeg, before going on the road to play Boston and Montreal. They will definitely be tested by playing five games in seven days.

A realistic outlook would be a 3-2 record for the Leafs although 4-1 would be nice. The Leafs need to win three games minimum next week, as they still have a relatively light schedule.

Also expect Jonas Gustavsson to see game action possibly against Winnipeg or Boston. I don't see James Reimer playing both games of the back-to-back this early in the year. A key to our team is to make sure Goose doesn't get too rusty on the bench.

Overall, I am pleased with the Leafs start to the year. Yes, the 3rd period performance against the Sens left a lot to be desired; but 4 points is 4 points.

Here is to an exciting week and a fully healthy roster!