Toskala signs extension with Maple Leafs
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212706&hubname=nhl
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Toronto continues to award contracts with the player not having played a single game in a Leafs uniform. The deal with San Jose hinged on the fact that Toronto would be able to sign Toskala to an extension, but does it make sense to offer him a 2-year, $8 million extension based on his past performance with the Sharks?
How about the inverse? Would a longer term deal be a wiser move than a simple 2-year deal? With the trend to longer term contracts, does this 2-year deal fly in the face of common practice in today's NHL?
Justin Pogge should develop into an NHL goaltender within a couple of seasons, depending on his workload in 2007-08. Toronto could be trying to limit the financial obligation in a couple of seasons and see whether Pogge could step into the lineup in the 2009-10 season without Toronto having another contract to deal (Toskala).
It could also mean that the Leafs will have to depend on Pogge stepping in because they lose Toskala to free agency at that time.
Toskala brings an immediate upgrade between the pipes, and this causes another problem.
What happens to Raycroft?
Toronto has been shopping him throughout the NHL, but if there are no takers, will the Leafs keep him in an NHL uniform battling it out for a number one spot with the Finn, or would they send him to the minors? A $2 million AHL goaltender doesn't make good business sense, but it does wipe the salary off from under the cap. Would another club be willing to take a shot at Raycroft as a starter, or even as a very expensive backup?
I've really been harsh on Raycroft's goaltending abilities (I have never met the goaltender in person, so I don't have an adequate profile of his character) but it's the same thing that Toronto fans have witnessed. Going out to get a goaltender was the main priority for John Ferguson Jr, and he did just that at the draft in Columbus.
So for two years, goaltending is fairly secure in Toronto, and with the contracts and players they have signed long term (Kubina, McCabe, Kaberle, Blake) Toronto's nucleus seems to be stationary for the next 3-4 seasons.
Should Ferguson be able to move a big contract, then things change, but at the moment that has not happened. The focus now shoul be on restocking the prospect cupboard. That is priority one in Cabbagetown. No more trading away of picks and prospects unless youth could be returned to the Buds.
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Happy July Fourth to the American public. Or is that Indepenadance Day?
That movie was pretty out of his world... get it? Cause it involved aliens...
Anyway, enjoy the fireworks, BBQ's and hey, take the rest of the week off....
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I have forwarded off the comments to John Ferguson Jr. that were posted in a blog a few days ago wishing him and his family well. I thank everyone who wrote a note to him.
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On another note, with the free agency period pretty much at an end for Toronto, although there are still many possible transactions to be made, it is time to make the move.
Tomorrow will be my final blog on hockeybuzz.com.
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