The Maple Leafs lost in five games to the Florida Panthers in the second round because they didn’t score enough goals.
In particular, their top players didn’t score enough, especially Auston Matthews and John Tavares, who were both held without a goal. The Leafs got contributions here and there from lower in the lineup, but not enough to cover up for the big guys, and almost nothing from the defence beyond Morgan Rielly.
The Leafs scored two goals or fewer in their final seven playoff games.
Which sort of explains GM Brad Treliving’s willingness to take a chance on John Klingberg, who had 21 points in 26 playoff games for Dallas once upon a time en route to the Stanley Cup Final.
The problem? That was a long time ago, more than three years, in fact. Klingberg’s stock has been on the decline since. He’ll be 31 in August. For the second consecutive summer, he drew only a one-year deal in free agency. He’s coming off another bumpy season that saw him struggle in both Anaheim and Minnesota.
The Leafs agreed to pay him $4.15 million on the cap anyway, albeit only for one year.
Ryan Reaves’ perplexing three-year deal on top of that makes for two questionable bets to start free agency for the Leafs.
Treliving said depth scoring remains a need. Why, then, did they add a 36-year-old who has produced the following numbers in his last 36 playoff games: zero goals and one assist, while averaging nine minutes per game?
Obviously, the Leafs did not sign Reaves to score goals or help the offence. Why exactly did they sign him? For personality, it seems. Toughness, too.
“There’s a presence to Ryan,” Treliving explained after day one of free agency. “The one thing, talking with the staff and just looking at this group, it’s a quiet group.”
Why did the Leafs sign Reaves? For intangibles, basically. Generally speaking, however, paying for intangibles is almost always a mistake, one that previous regimes in Toronto made regularly on July 1. Think Colton Orr, Jeff Finger, Mike Komisarek, David Clarkson. But it’s an even bigger mistake for this particular Leafs team, which, unlike those other squads, is trying to win the Stanley Cup right now.
It also feels like a misjudgment of what’s held this team back over the years.
More noise in the dressing room won’t solve the lack of finish and resolve from the stars and their supporting cast when it matters. Just like it didn’t when the Leafs had personalities like Joe Thornton, Jake Muzzin, Wayne Simmonds, Ryan O’Reilly and Jason Spezza around.
Let’s say Reaves does lighten things up, and maybe that has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the group. How exactly is he helping the Leafs on the ice?
Tom Wilson having a warm discussion with Ryan Reaves. (Nick Wosika / USA Today)
Will he even be on the ice, or in the lineup period, in the playoffs? Can he help the Leafs in tangible terms in a series against the Lightning, Bruins or Panthers? Can he keep up?
Treliving thinks yes and lauded Reaves’ “physical presence.”
“He can still get on the forecheck, makes things difficult for the opposition, and it gives us a little bit of a different look on our lower lines,” the Leafs GM said.
Reaves will be 37 when the playoffs roll around next season. While he’s large, he’s not quick and won’t get any quicker. He’ll be 38 at playoff time in year two of the deal and 39 in year three. Why exactly did the Leafs give someone of his age and skillset a three-year contract?
Treliving said it’s what it took to keep Reaves from going elsewhere.
In each of the past few postseasons, the Leafs have seen older players, who were kept around for their intangible qualities, struggle to remain in the lineup and who were liabilities when they were out there. Think Kyle Clifford, Simmonds, Thornton. Mark Giordano, after a strong regular season, was barely playable last spring.
Spezza retired into the front office last summer, following a late-season string of healthy scratches.
Sheldon Keefe wanted it to work with all of them. Clifford and Simmonds both memorably played early against the Lightning in 2022. Both were tough. Both were intimidating. Both were leaders. It didn’t matter. They quickly lost their spots in the lineup.
There’s a very good chance things go the same way with Reaves, not just down the line but in year one.
Just last season, after only 12 games, the Rangers decided that Reaves could no longer be in their lineup. Why? They’d been outscored 6-1 when Reaves was on the ice, with an expected goals mark of 33 percent. Reaves became a frequent healthy scratch before he was dealt to the Wild.
Things improved for him in Minnesota, but not to the point of helping the Wild, who were eliminated in the first round in the playoffs.
No, Reaves isn’t making much ($1.35 million cap hit). But why commit a roster spot at all for an intangibles-only player at the end of his career?
If toughness and some combination of leadership and personality was an issue, why not address it, as the Leafs did at the trade deadline last season, with competitive players who can make a tangible difference in a playoff series?
Why not keep Noel Acciari around? Acciari got a three-year deal from Pittsburgh for slightly more money ($2 million cap hit) than Reaves. He at least brings some offence and other tools in his toolbox. He’s a hitting machine. He kills penalties. He can be on the ice defending a late lead. He’s responsible defensively.
Why not address the bottom of the lineup with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Luke Glendening or Andrew Cogliano, veterans who can still play a little?
In signing Reaves and David Kämpf before him, the Leafs are now stuck with two bottom-six players who contribute little to no offence. And that will put even more pressure on the stars to produce in the postseason.
The Leafs still have to find a viable scoring threat to help replace Michael Bunting, who punched in 46 goals the past two seasons.
Keefe also won’t have any malleability with Reaves. He’ll either play on the fourth line or not at all.
That was part of the appeal with past additions like Acciari, Sam Lafferty, O’Reilly and even Calle Järnkrok. They were switchable parts for the Leafs’ coach. Reaves is not that.
John Klingberg. (Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
Klingberg is another declining stock player who averaged under 17 minutes for the Wild in the playoffs. The ice was tilted badly in the wrong direction for both Minnesota (45 percent expected goals) and Anaheim (37 percent!) when Klingberg was on the ice during the regular season.
More than 200 NHL defencemen played at least 500 five-on-five minutes last season. None saw their team allow more expected goals per 60 minutes than Klingberg (3.84). In other words, Klingberg’s teams were giving up plenty of good looks when he was on the ice.
Now maybe there’s some Ducks-related chaos baked in there, but it’s not like things were great a year before in Dallas.
“John would be probably the first one to tell you it didn’t go exactly the way he wanted it to go last year,” Treliving said. “But he’s a really good player in this league. He can move the puck. He jumps up in the play.”
Added the Leafs GM: “He’s an elite offensive player in (the offensive) zone, so to me, he’s gonna bring us some more puck movement and hopefully some more production from the blue line.”
The Leafs could use more juice that way. From Jake McCabe to Giordano and Justin Holl, the Leafs had all kinds of trouble moving the puck in the playoffs. After Rasmus Sandin was dealt to Washington, it was really only Rielly providing a constant spark of creativity on offence.
But will it all be canceled out by Klingberg’s deficiencies at the other end?
Klingberg doesn’t solve the Leafs’ need (which they may still address) for the kind of impact defenceman who can tussle against top lines in the playoffs, nor does he bring the kind of heft and snarl that Luke Schenn delivered this past spring.
He proved erratic for the Wild after his trade from Anaheim, and they had no interest in re-signing him.
The Leafs are betting not on the upside of a younger player, but that Klingberg returns to the form of several years ago. The Ducks, albeit as a rebuilding team, made a similar bet last summer. They hoped to turn Klingberg into juicy assets but got back only a fourth-round pick and prospect at the deadline.
Reaves, meanwhile, will be among the older players in the league next season.
Two dicey bets for the Leafs as a crucial offseason kicks into full swing.
Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey, Hockey Reference, and Cap Friendly
(Top photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
