Tuesday’s Games and Picks

For in depth look into the NHL teams records and preview of tonight’s games please go back to the “Home Page” on Hockey God, at the bottom lower left hand side:

Click on “Scoreboard” and review every game by clicking in the individual games being played on Tuesday.

Tonight’s Picks

WSH @ TOR: Take CAPITALS

MIN @ NYR: Take RANGERS

ATL @ MTL: Take CANADIENS

CLB @ TBL: Take BLUE JACKETS

ANA @ NSH: Take PREDATORS

LAK @ STL: Take BLUES

VAN @ DAL: Take CANUCKS

DET @ EDM: Take RED WINGS

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BURKE NEEDS TO RESIST TWINS

TORONTO GM HAS TO MAKE THE TEAM TOUGHER

More of the same is the not order the Toronto Maple Leafs should be even thinking of going this summer. Been there and done that with the Swedish dish in Mats Sundin who was team captain and for the most part the teams leading scorer in his years in Toronto.

Although you certainly can’t complain with Toronto’s leadership on the ice with Sundin, they never won a Stanley Cup nor did Sundin grab the team by the balls and carry them to the promise land.

I realize that it takes a good goalie and certainly supporting cast to win a cup no matter how good any one player is but the fact remains the Leafs with Mats were never really that close.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis has certainly delayed contract negotiations for a reason with the Sedin twins.

The reason? He wants to wait to see how they carry themselves in the playoffs as the top players-leaders this season before he opens the vault for the twins to long term contracts.

That is a very astute way of going about business because if Gillis discovers that the Sedins don’t have it in them as talented as they are, then he won’t keep them past this summer. It’s really as simple as that in Vancouver this season where the team is as good as it’s ever been with great goaltending and certainly the best defence this franchise has ever seen.

Gillis unlike Burke inherited the Sedin twins when he took over as GM from Dave Nonis- Burkes new asst GM in Toronto. Burke drafted the Sedins making a big splash at the NHL draft years ago trading up to land the Sedins.

Sedins have generally not disappointed in Vancouver as they have consistently put up good numbers all the while being paid the exact same dollar amount every single year but with no playoff success.

But there is a big but- can they win in playoffs? Well they have never shown that. In Toronto much the same as Sundin the Swedish tandem now all together will see if they can carry the Canucks to a Cup appearance.

Burke who loves to make a splash where ever he goes would like nothing more then to make a huge splash for the Leafs this summer. But with the Sedins making $3.75 million each at the moment and looking for raises to the tune of $6-7 million a season each and a long term deal, this is not the way to go.

First the fact that the Sedins want to be paid the same amount is nothing short of ridiculous with Daniel being more of a scorer and Henrik the set up man. Toronto laying out those type of dollars for two players that can really only play together may seem like they add some much needed offence but they have shown nothing in playoffs, if they bow out again in Vancouver this season there is no way they get the dollars they want.

This would do nothing of changing the culture in Toronto under Burke as a weak soft playing team in the alleys that he complains about often.

Burke needs to change the makeup of the team through some hard hitting, gritty working Canadians. There I said it Toronto needs good old North American passion with the Swedish experiment tried and tested in Toronto.

Brian Burke is worried like all GM’s about the cap dropping after next season but he has to keep with the original program and get better with draft picks and in his words players that play with an edge that block shots, fight, do all the grunt work.

Burke has to resist the big splash for the slow smart building process acquiring the right players with the right mental state and certainly the right birth place on their passport.

In other words wait for the Rick Nash’s of the league to become free agents and continue to land draft picks like Luke Schenn building the team that loves to beat you in the alleys and on the ice.

For Hockey God I’m Dave Frost

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