AGRI Biz

There's rumors a-plenty as we approach the NHL Entry Draft and upcoming free agency window, so let's take a quick look. Pierre Lebrun (someone who isn’t full of it) has reported that the Maple Leafs will not be in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes come July 1st. “We won’t take part in that race” said Burke. I’ll take his word on it this time, but I always keep in mind that Burke said reports of ...

Well, the wait is over. The Leafs will finally officially announce Dion Phaneuf as the 17th captain in team history. Even though Ron Wilson let the cat out of the bag in April, now it’s time for the standard press conference where Dion will be formally introduced as the new leader. The Leafs will also show off their snazzy new jersey design at the presser as well. The festivities will get ...

As most of you have probably read, or heard, the New York Post reported today that the New Jersey Devils are putting the push on to land Tomas Kaberle. The report actually described Lamoriello and the Devils as the strongest suitors for the Leafs defenseman. I take this report seriously for a few reasons: Burke and Lamoriello have a history The Devils are a great fit for Kaberle Kaberle will remain in the East Again, Burke ...

After making easy work of the Canadiens in five games for the Eastern Conference Title, you’d think the Flyers would be rolling on as real contenders for the Cup. But the Blackhawks did them one better, sweeping the powerhouse San Jose Sharks in the West. Everyone is picking Chicago to win this series with ease because they made such an example of teams like Vancouver and San Jose, and the Flyers ...

With the NHL Draft literally just around the corner, I think it’s time we take a look at some of the Toronto Maple Leafs' options for their first pick. That first pick won’t actually occur until the third round, where general manager Brian Burke will have the joy of drafting 62nd overall with his first choice. Like I said, in this article, it’s not all bad, so I won’t get into ...

Though it seems like a cardinal sin to question any college signings made by the Maple Leafs in the past year, breaking these guys down has to start somewhere. Since I’ve spent too many words on Tyler Bozak in past articles, right now it’s time to take a look at the other two thirds of the frat pack; Viktor Stalberg & Christian Hanson. Hanson was signed as a free agent last spring, ...

When the trade deadline approached us a few months back, everyone who writes about the Leafs (myself included) speculated where pending UFA Alexei Ponikarovsky would land. The Penguins were the front-runner pretty much from the get-go and eventually went on to nab the big winger on the eve of the deadline. Coming back to Toronto was Luca Caputi, a power forward who was widely regarded as the Penguins top prospect alongside Eric ...

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs are expected to announce that Dave Nonis will be extended through 2011-12. I was worried when I heard about him being on the shortlist for the GM job in Tampa, but it looks like he’ll be staying put for the foreseeable future. Nonis has so much influence on the direction of the franchise and the decisions made by Brian Burke, it would have been ...

The World Championship Hockey tournament is usually the last thing you want your favorite players to be a part of. It simply means your team isn't playing for the "big mug." For the Maple Leafs, a team currently on the rebuild, the extra hockey really shouldn't do any harm. From mapleleafs.com ; "It was a good start at the 2010 World Championships for some of the Leafs' players. Jonas Gustavsson was in net for ...

10 goals, 13 assists and a plus-one rating over 63 games, while averaging only 14 minutes of ice-time per contest. These are the stats line for Sean Bergenheim of the New York Islanders, who’s slated to go to arbitration and possibly leave the circus that is Long Island. A decent scoring winger who only makes $800,000 per season doesn’t sound too bad to me. Though he isn’t huge, coming in at 5’10″, Bergenheim ...