Toronto Maple Leafs

On a night in which the Toronto Maple Leafs played their first game since 2008 without Ron Wilson behind the bench, the boys in blue and white defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at the Bell Centre. While one needs to reserve judgement for the next little while until new coach Randy Carlyle can implement his systems, there were many elements to last nights game that leaves fans feeling optimistic. Defensively the Leafs were dramatically better on the night, there were no glaring mistakes that led to odd man rushes against. The Leaf forwards were also much b...

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ downward spiral may have generated positive news with the hiring of head coach Randy Carlyle, replacing Ron Wilson after four years.

Fans should expect an adjustment period for the Leafs, however, as Carlyle will infuse a new brand of hockey compared to Wilson’s “run ‘n gun” tactics. Carlyle focuses on structured hockey and emphasizes on strong defensive play. If a player is careless without the puck and refuses to adapt to Carlyle’s system, that player will warm the bench. His brash approach ensures no non-sense and this could fit well with the developing Leafs---especially on the backend.

That said, Carlyle isn&rsq...

The Chicago Blackhawks fanbase held its breath as the trade deadline approached, wondering what magical trade that Stan Bowman might possibly manage to pull off. The "puck-moving defenseman" or the "second-line center" that the team had coveted all season? Perhaps the kind of blockbuster trade that nobody saw coming, one of the Hawks' stars for another team's stars? A goalie to help bail out Crawford and Emery?

At the deadline, however, none of these scenarios happened. The Blackhawks picked up one defenseman, Johnny Oduya, from the Winnipeg Jets; and shipped off John Scott to the NY Rangers. Scott had played 29 games for Chicago with an average TOI ...