Odds And Ends

What’s Going On?

• Let’s start with the above. Do the Leafs know they have other players on the team? Showing up to the official team website and seeing an all-Bolland section might be a little less unnerving if it wasn’t for the fact he doesn’t have a contract yet. I say yet because it sounds like it’s going to happen. I wish I had more backing info to turn that into a bigger train of thought, but the point is; can they get something else on the front page? Anything?
• While the Leafs claw at Bolland’s deal, the Hawks are walking away from Michal Handzus, who they acquired because they concluded that Bolland couldn’t score. Go figure. In other news, Vern Fiddler appears to be hitting the market, along with Paul Stastny, potentially.
• Hey, wait, Paul Stastny? Why are the Leafs focused on locking up support centres if a legitimate talent might hit the market? This team, man.
• Cam Ward is supposedly hitting the trade market, according to Bob McKenzie. On one hand, that could weaken the potential shopping of James Reimer, but at the same time, it could also create a high cap / low cap divide that weeds out non-serious candidates, which would be a positive for the team.
• Looking at Ottawa’s moves made me realize how much of an asset it is to have real dollars to work with like MLSE does. Offering Ales Hemsky $3.3 million a year seems borderline insulting, especially after his production during his run with them. More glaringly, letting Stephane Da Costa walk because you can’t afford to give him a 1-Way contract? What kind of mess does Eugene Melnyk have on his hands? By comparison, the Leafs gave 1-Way deals out like candy, including to guys they expected to not make the team, like Korbinian Holzer and TJ Brennan. Brad Staubitz, Frazer McLaren, and Trevor Smith are other examples of guys who weren’t secure in their league but had security in their paycheque.
• Greg “the Leafs didn’t get outchanced” Cronin finds himself taking an assistants role with the New York Islanders. I’d point and laugh, but this isn’t his first time there, and he was an assistant behind the bench for one of their best modern years (2001/02). 
• Nazem Kadri was at the MuchMusic Video Awards yesterday, which is relevant if you consider the Canadian “close enough” of MTV still important in 2014. I guess the MMVA’s are a good downtown spectacle for the city, though, and he did show up PK Subban in car selection.
• It would be really awesome to get something newsworthy to happen between now and eventually…