2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs season
2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs | |
---|---|
Division | 5th Northeast |
Conference | 12th Eastern |
2008–09 record | 34–35–13 |
Home record | 16–16–9 |
Road record | 18–19–4 |
Goals for | 219 |
Goals against | 257 |
Team information | |
General Manager | Cliff Fletcher (Sept–Nov) interim Brian Burke (Nov–Apr) |
Coach | Ron Wilson |
Captain | Vacant |
Alternate captains | Nik Antropov (Oct.–Mar.) Tomas Kaberle Pavel Kubina Brad May (Mar.–Apr.) Jamal Mayers Dominic Moore (Oct.–Mar.) |
Arena | Air Canada Centre |
Average attendance | 19,243 (102%) |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Jason Blake (25) |
Assists | Matt Stajan (35) |
Points | Jason Blake (57) |
Penalties in minutes | Pavel Kubina (79) |
Plus/minus | Alexei Ponikarovsky (+6) |
Wins | Vesa Toskala (22) |
Goals against average | Vesa Toskala (3.26) |
<2007–08 | 2009–10> |
The 2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the franchise's 92nd, and their 82nd as the Maple Leafs. The Leafs did not qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and have not qualified for the post-season since the 2003–04 season.
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Offseason
The Leafs faced an off-season challenge to hire a general manager. Brian Burke was a favourite for the position held by Interim General Manager Cliff Fletcher, but Burke decided to stay with the Anaheim Ducks. He was not given permission to talk to the Leafs about their vacancy by Ducks owner Henry Samueli.[1] Burke had one more year left on his contract as the general manager of the Ducks, and those close to him say he was interested in the Maple Leafs' job.[citation needed]
On May 7, the Leafs fired Head Coach Paul Maurice, along with two assistant coaches, after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.[2] On May 8, the Leafs asked the Vancouver Canucks permission to speak to Dave Nonis about hiring him for a position with the club.[3]
In mid-May, there were rumours that Wayne Gretzky was in the running for a position with the Maple Leafs. Gretzky responded to the rumours linking him to the Toronto Maple Leafs by stating that his focus was on the Phoenix Coyotes and developing their young talent.[4]
On June 10, Ron Wilson was hired as the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Wilson was fired in May by the San Jose Sharks after the Sharks lost to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the NHL playoffs. Wilson has also coached the Anaheim Ducks and the Washington Capitals. The former U.S. college player spent parts of three NHL seasons with the Leafs in the 1970s.[5]
The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Al Coates as their player-personnel director on June 16.[6] Coates comes to Toronto after spending the previous six seasons with Anaheim. Coates has spent more than 30 years in pro hockey and has been part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams (2007 with the Anaheim Ducks and 1989 with the Calgary Flames).
The move perpetuated speculation that Anaheim General Manager Brian Burke would become the Maple Leafs' GM once his deal with the Ducks expired in 2009. The fact that new head coach Ron Wilson played hockey with Burke at the Providence College sparked further rumors about Burke potentially joining the club.
Former NHL star Joe Nieuwendyk was named as General Manager Cliff Fletcher's special assistant on July 8.[7] While playing for the Florida Panthers, Nieuwendyk gained experience as a special consultant to GM Jacques Martin.
Throughout the off-season, the Maple Leafs have been involved in numerous transactions. On June 24, the Toronto Maple Leafs put goaltender Andrew Raycroft and forward Kyle Wellwood on waivers.[8] Morever, Interim GM Cliff Fletcher informed Darcy Tucker that he is to be bought out of his three-year contract; however, this decision was not made official until June 25.[9]
The Maple Leafs bought out goaltender Andrew Raycroft on June 28, making him eligible for free agency on July 1. When the free agent signing period began on July 1, Toronto signed defenceman Jeff Finger, goaltender Curtis Joseph and former Dallas Stars forward Niklas Hagman. Another transaction was made on July 3 when Toronto traded for former Montreal Canadiens forward Mikhail Grabovski in exchange for the rights to Greg Pateryn and a second-round draft pick in 2010. The Leafs also re-signed forwards Dominic Moore, John Mitchell and Greg Scott. On July 14, the Maple Leafs acquired forward Ryan Hollweg in a trade with the New York Rangers for a fifth-round draft pick in 2009.
Regular season
With a young roster, the Maple Leafs were expected to have a lacklustre season. This proved to be correct, as they fell out of the playoff race relatively early and showed little sign of recovery. However, they showed signs of improvement in February and March 2009, during which they had a stretch of seven consecutive games that went into overtime. The Leafs lost the first two in shootouts, then won four in a row with two overtime wins and two shootout wins, followed by an overtime loss.
In November 2008, Brian Burke obtained his release from the Anaheim Ducks and joined the Maple Leafs as president and general manager.
The Maple Leafs were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs on March 31, 2009, with six games remaining in the season.
The Maple Leafs finished the season with 286 goals allowed (excluding seven shootout goals), the most out of all 30 teams. The Maple Leafs also struggled on the penalty kill, finishing 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 74.68%.[10][11]
Divisional standings
GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | z – Boston Bruins | 82 | 53 | 19 | 10 | 274 | 196 | 116 |
2 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 249 | 247 | 93 |
3 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 250 | 234 | 91 |
4 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 217 | 237 | 83 |
5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 250 | 293 | 81 |
Conference standings
R | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | z – Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 53 | 19 | 10 | 274 | 196 | 116 | ||
2 | y – Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 272 | 245 | 108 | ||
3 | y – New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 51 | 27 | 4 | 244 | 209 | 106 | ||
4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 264 | 239 | 99 | ||
5 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 264 | 238 | 99 | ||
6 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 239 | 226 | 97 | ||
7 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 210 | 218 | 95 | ||
8 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 249 | 247 | 93 | ||
8.5 | |||||||||||
9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 234 | 231 | 93 | ||
10 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 250 | 234 | 91 | ||
11 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 217 | 237 | 83 | ||
12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 250 | 293 | 81 | ||
13 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 257 | 280 | 76 | ||
14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 210 | 279 | 66 | ||
15 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 201 | 279 | 61 |
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division
Schedule and results
2008–09 Game Log | |
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October 4–3–3 (Home 1–2–2, Road 3–1–1)
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November 4–6–3 (Home 3–2–2, Road 1–4–1)
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December 7–7–0 (Home 3–2–0, Road 4–5–0)
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January 4–7–2 (Home 2–4–1, Road 2–3–1)
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February 6–3–4 (Home 2–1–3, Road 4–2–1)
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March 6–6–1 (Home 3–3–1, Road 3–3–0)
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April 3–3–0 (Home 2–2–0, Road 1–1–0)
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† Hockey Hall of Fame Game | |
Schedule |
Overtime Statistics
Games | Won | Lost | Goal Scorers | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overtime | 10 | 4 | 6 | Pavel Kubina (2), Niklas Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski |
Shootout | 13 | 6 | 7 | |
23 | 10 | 13 |
Playoffs
The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to qualify for the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. If the Leafs had qualified for the playoffs, it would have been their first qualification since the 2003–04 NHL season.
Player statistics
Skaters
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Goaltenders
Regular season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Maple Leafs. Stats reflect time with Maple Leafs only.
‡Traded mid-season.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
Note:
- Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
- Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Awards and records
Records
Milestones
Regular Season | |||||||||
Player | Milestone | Reached |
Transactions
On October 6, the team placed Mark Bell on waivers.
Trades
June 19, 2008 |
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Jamal Mayers |
To St. Louis Blues
Third-round pick in 2008 (James Livingston) |
June 20, 2008 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
First-round (5th overall) pick in 2008 (Luke Schenn) |
To New York Islanders
First-round (7th overall) pick in 2008 (Colin Wilson) Two conditional picks (Shawn Lalonde) (Mat Clark) |
July 3, 2008 |
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Mikhail Grabovski |
To Montreal Canadiens
Greg Pateryn Second-round pick in 2010 (Jared Knight) |
July 14, 2008 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan Hollweg |
To New York Rangers
Fifth-round pick in 2009 (Andy Bathgate) |
September 2, 2008 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Van Ryn |
To Florida Panthers
Bryan McCabe[12] Fourth-round pick in 2010 (Sam Brittain) |
November 24, 2008 |
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Lee Stempniak |
To St. Louis Blues
Alexander Steen Carlo Colaiacovo |
January 7, 2009 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Brad May |
To Anaheim Ducks
Conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2010 (not exercised)[13] |
January 21, 2009 |
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan Hamilton |
To Minnesota Wild
Robbie Earl |
March 4, 2009 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Second-round draft pick in 2009 draft (Kenny Ryan) Conditional draft pick |
To New York Rangers
Nik Antropov |
March 4, 2009 |
To Toronto Maple Leafs
Second-round draft pick in 2009 draft (Jesse Blacker) |
To Buffalo Sabres
Dominic Moore |
March 4, 2009 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Olaf Kolzig Jamie Heward Andy Rogers Fourth-round draft pick from Carolina in 2009 draft |
To Tampa Bay Lightning
Richard Petiot |
Free agents
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Claimed from waivers
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Draft picks
Toronto's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft[14] in Ottawa, Ontario.
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Luke Schenn | (D) | ![]() |
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
2 | 60 (from Pittsburgh) | Jimmy Hayes | (RW) | ![]() |
Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
4 | 98 | Mikhail Stefanovich | (C) | ![]() |
Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
5 | 128 | Greg Pateryn | (D) | ![]() |
Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL) |
5 | 129 (from Phoenix) | Joel Champagne | (C) | ![]() |
Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL) |
5 | 130 (from Florida) | Jerome Flaake | (LW) | ![]() |
Kolner Haie (DEL) |
6 | 158 | Grant Rollheiser | (G) | ![]() |
Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL) |
7 | 188 | Andrew MacWilliam | (D) | ![]() |
Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) |
Roster
Updated March 30, 2009.[15][16]
See also
Farm teams
- The Maple Leafs continue their affiliation with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
References
- ↑ globeandmail.com: Burke stays put, leaving Leafs in the lurch
- ↑ Paul Maurice fired as Leafs head coach
- ↑ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Toronto – Leafs' timing questionable
- ↑ Gretzky's focus remains in Phoenix, not Toronto
- ↑ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Toronto – Wilson faces different challenge with Leafs
- ↑ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Toronto – Leafs hire Al Coates
- ↑ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Toronto – Nieuwendyk brought in as GM's right-hand man
- ↑ Toronto Maple Leafs – Mike Ulmer's Blog: Leafs Begin Promised Overhaul – 24 June 2008
- ↑ Toronto Maple Leafs – News: Maple Leafs To Buy Out Tucker – 24 June 2008
- ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2009.html
- ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2009_games.html
- ↑ http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2008/09/03/6646861-sun.html
- ↑ http://slambios.canoe.ca/sportsplus/hockey/tradelog-viewtrade.cgi?trade&x_id=1318
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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