The definitive work on how the assassination of an Austro-Hungarian archduke led to the tragic First World War is called “The Guns of August”. If someone was to write about the news that is likely to occur in the NHL the next seven days, it might be aptly titled “The Moves of August”.

An arbitrator decision on the disputed Ilya Kovalchuk contract is set to come down on Monday and whatever the verdict, it will have league-wide repercussions. If the arbitrator rules in favor of the NHLPA, then the 17 year, $102 Million contract stands and more ridiculous long term deals will be on the horizon. If the contract is voided, Kovalchuk becomes an unrestricted free agent once again and the deadlock that prevents a number of transactions from occurring could continue for the foreseeable future.

The UFA scenario would be the worst-case for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who would prefer that the deck be cleared of any Kovalchuk-related complications, so that teams interested in Tomas Kaberle are not hindered by the “what if” of Kovalchuk being on the market. With only seven days remaining before Kaberle’s no-trade clause goes into effect, be prepared for a barrage of trade rumors throughout the week(all of which will be reported on this blog) but the conventional wisdom is that the trade will go down very close to or at the August 15th deadline.

There have been reports over the last few days that former Leaf goaltender Vesa Toskala is on the verge of signing with a club in Sweden for the upcoming season. Toskala became the poster child all the bad moves and mismanagement during the John Ferguson Jr. era (and by extension, the disastrous 2009-10 Maple Leafs), but to lay the blame solely at the feet of Toskala for the team’s horrible start would be unfair. His underperformance, along with the health difficulties of Jonas Gustavsson and horrendous penalty killing caused Toronto to have one of the worst first quarter records in the history of the NHL.

For Toronto to have any reasonable chance of making the playoffs this season, they must rely on the goaltending tandem of Gustavsson and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere to give them better performances in net, especially out of the gate. After being acquired in January for Toskala and fan-favorite Jason Blake, Giguere had a sub .500 record (6-7-2) but a very solid .916 save percentage and provided competition for the Swedish rookie. Gustavsson struggled in the first half of the season, due to two ablation heart procedures and difficulty buying into goaltending guru Francois Allaire’s teachings. After the deal and returning from the Olympics, “The Monster” appeared to be a more confident netminder, which is reflected in his 7-3-0 post-Vancouver record.

Both goalies have enough motivation to succeed this season. Giguere is in the walk year of his contract and will be looking to put up big numbers that will get him one more multi-year, big money contract, whether it be with Toronto or some other club. Gustavsson was re-signed in April to a two year contract, for $1.35 Million per year. He will be looking to establish himself as a viable #1 goaltender, so that he can make the big bucks after that contract has expired. The beneficiary of two hungry and driven goaltenders will be the Maple Leafs. If they get the level of goaltending they expect, then being in the mix for a playoff spot is not unrealistic.

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