LeafsParadise.com

At this time tomorrow there are going to be some very rich hockey players. Some will wind up like Jeff Finger. So what do the Kings have in mind? Do they really NEED anyone? They didn't lose their team like Chicago did and so far, only Dustin Penner (who is destined for wrist surgery) is slated to depart. This came to me today in a text... Sheldon Souray WHY? He's a locker room cancer...

In what can only be disappointing news for the fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers are said to have signed free agent defenseman Justin Schultz to a two-year entry-level contract. Schultz, who some scouts feel is the best defenseman not playing in the NHL, was said to be entertaining offers from several NHL clubs, including the Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers. Friday night reports surfaced that former Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey had reached out to Schultz in an attempt to lure him to Edmonton. While it is not known if Gretzky and Coffey’s talks were the final piece to the puzzle in Schultz’s decision it sure doesn’t hurt when two of the best players in NHL history come calling. Originally drafted in the second round (43rd overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Aneheim Ducks, Schultz became a unrestricted free agent when he refused to sign with the Ducks. Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was t...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that forward Colby Armstrong will be bought out of the final year of his $3 million contract. The move will potentially save the Maple Leafs an additional $2 million in cap space this summer, which will give Burke a little more cap room to play with in the event he is active in the free agent frenzy and/or decides to bring in a player that carries a big cap hit. Armstrong, 29, will be put on waivers today where any NHL club could pick him up. Well liked by teammates and the media, Armstrong never really found his way in Toronto, often finding himself in the press box with injuries. Armstrong will depart from the Maple Leafs having scored nine goals and 17 assists for a total of 26 points over 79 games. While many fans are appluading the move, most wish Burke could find a way to rid himself of defenseman Mike Komisarek’s mamouth $4.5 million contract, but I digress. We will miss Armstrong’s sense of humor, but in the end, this was th...

from TSN, The Toronto Maple Leafs have parted ways with forward Colby Armstrong. The team decided to buy out the final year of his contract, worth $3 million. He will be placed on unconditional waivers at noon et today. The buyout will count for $1 million towards the team’s salary cap over the next two seasons. The move frees up an additional $2 million for the team heading into free agency July 1, giving them $14.8 million in available cap space. continued

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke once said that July 1, the first day of free agency, is one of the two days in the season that managers across the league lose their minds (the trade deadline being the other day). That that is generally true, in that managers often overpay for players that they think will turn their team into the one that will beat the 3.3 percent odds of winning a Stanley Cup....

With a thin free agent market, I will be taking another look at a trade scenario that could certainly improve the Toronto Maple Leafs team dramatically. The trade scenario that I am looking at is the fact that Jonathan Bernier wants out of Los Angeles and the Kings need to get rid of Bernier. Jonathan Bernier is a goalie with his own promising future, but since he has been stuck behind a young goalie in Jonathan Quick who is on his way to stardom. With Quick’s brand new contact on the horizon of been finalized. Bernier now has a potential chance if he is traded to the right team, for an opportunity to be a star goalie. #bbpBox_218442363629076482 a { text-decoration:none; color:#2FC2EF; }#bbpBox_218442363629076482 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } Next move the #LAKINGS will be to trade Jonathan Bernier who has asked to be moved. #devils #Leafs #blackhawks all possibilties about 22 hours ago via webReplyRetweetFavorite @andystrickland Andy Strickland #bbpBox_21...

from Gary Marr of the Financial Post, It could be the easy way out. If the Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators fail to sign a new player when the National Hockey League free agency period starts Sunday perhaps they can lay the blame on the New Democratic Party. The NDP, after all, demanded a new surtax on the wealthy as part of an agreement to prop up Ontario’s Liberal government. That new tax, 2% slapped on income of more than $500,000, has catapulted Ontario near the top of the highest-taxed jurisdictions of the 30 NHL markets. To help kick off the NHL free agency period which starts on Canada Day, the Financial Post asked KPMG LLP to analyze hockey markets across North America to see how they compare on a tax basis. The firm studied what tax rates in various jurisdictions would mean to a player earning $2-million, $4-million or $7-million per year. continued