It's Housecleaning Time in TO

Well, "Trader Cliff" Fletcher is certainly not your typical Interim GM. Besides, being given the reigns for at least a season, and not just 1-2 months, it seems Fletcher has been tasked with leaving a clean slate for the new GM (Burkie?) to work with.

Instead of just sitting back and waiting for his sponge bath, Fletcher has been busy cleaning house and getting rid of garbage stowed away in the attic.

Witness ...

1. Waiving Andrew Raycroft - one of JFJ's biggest mistakes was giving this young goalie a monster contract. Raycroft wilted in Toronto and never found the form he found in his rookie season. Raycroft is too expensive to be a backup goalie and simply not good enough.

2. Waiving Kyle Wellwood - This move shocks me somewhat, even if Wellwood is a midget and soft on the body. Wellwood is young, offensively talented, and isn't too expensive. You'd think Wellwood would stick around for at least another season.

Then again, the guy did only get 21 points last year in 59 games and is very suspect defensively. The Leafs are obviously worried about his ability to stay healthy, also.

3. Waiving/Buying-Out(?) Darcy Tucker - Love him or hate him, you know Tucker is an effective pest who can occasionally put the puck in the net. He's also overpaid at $3mil per season, and has had problems staying healthy. With his age (33) and his style of play, you know Darcy is an asset that will depreciate quickly.

4. Not going after Mats Sundin - Even if the Leafs don't intend to compete, this is a move that I think is a poor one. Besides being Mr. Maple Leaf, Sundin is also one of the most bankable, consistent offensive producers in the game. You can always count on Sundin to provide about a point-a-game whilst staying healthy. If Sundin wants to stay, why not sign him? It's not as if the Leafs don't have cap room.

I've been extremely critical of the way fossil Fletcher was brought on board and critical of the way the Leafs have managed their franchise since ... forever. Instead of finding a talented GM to chart a new course, the Leafs decided on some old guy to come in and simply 'hold the fort'.

That said, I have to commend the fact that Fletcher is not afraid to clean up some of the mess left behind and ensure that the GM-to-be doesn't have to waste time on such endeavors. While being in a 'holding pattern' for a season is a poor way to manage a club, Fletcher seems intent on at least allowing the Leafs to start fresh and not simply hang onto whatever chaff they have on board.

The fact is, JFJ signed a lot of players to deals that pay them too much: Jason Blake, Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, and Pavel Kubina. With the Leafs not being a very good team, it's obvious that some of these expensive players had to be let go in order to leave room for any future business.

As long as Fletcher doesn't spend this new-found cap room on aging vets in a stupid attempt to make the playoffs, the Leafs are, shockingly, looking like they might know what they are doing.

The Maple Leafs Goaltender Conundrum

by Jes


What did I do to deserve this?

When Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr., aka "Puppet Boy", put all of his eggs in one basket with the trade/signing of Andrew Raycroft, more than a few eyebrows were raised wondering just what the hell he was doing.

While Raycroft had an amazing rookie season once upon a time, he had just come off of an injury plagued season in which he sucked more than a blindfolded Brian Boucher. In 2005-06, Raycroft played in just 30 games, and sucked with an 87.9 SV%. Somehow, JFJ thought Raycroft was 'The Answer' after Ed Belfour's departure.

It was no surprise, then, that Raycroft completely bombed as the Leafs #1 'tender, finishing with a well-below-average 89.4 SV% (90.5% was the league average), and JFJ was forced to go to a Plan B.

That Plan B? Spend a whole whack more resources to acquire career backup Vesa Toskala, somebody with a pretty decent track record in his brief NHL career.

The overall cost?

Raycroft - Hot prospect Tuukka Rask and then a $6mil/3 year deal.
Toskala - A 1st and 2nd rounder in 2007, and a 4th rounder in 2007 for Toskala and drunk driver Mark Bell.

Well, 4 games into the season, and the Leafs' netminders have combined for a 4.17GAA and 86.5SV%, with both goalies playing equally brutal.

So, what the hell do the Leafs do? Play a goalie and hope he goes on a hot streak?

If I am Paul Maurice, I'd do something about those raccoon eyes, and then play Toskala as my #1 goalie for the first half of the season. Toskala, despite his poor start, has a much better track record than Raycroft. With Raycroft, you know you will not get average goaltending. With Toskala? There is a good chance that you'll get at least average, if not more.

Forget this back-and-forth crap to appease the media and fanbase, go with the talented hand, which is Toskala. Just because the Leafs paid so much for Raycroft, doesn't mean they should continue to play him.

Do what the Avs do, and realize that Jose Theodore is a sunk cost. They are smart enough to know that Budaj is a superior goaltender, so they just sit Theodore on the bench, and know that they can do little but pay Theodore to open the bench door for his teammates. At this point, Maurice should ensure that Raycroft has the same type of job.