Do us all a favor, including Gustavsson: set The Monster free

The Leafs continue to show the ability to come from behind with strong third periods.  That was in evidence again at home on Tuesday night, as they spotted the visiting Coyotes two goals but battled back to tie things up early in the third period.  While it was not exactly a complete 60-minute effort, they did enough to earn a valuable point.


Komisarek continues to work to re-build his status on the Leaf blueline.  There is still work to do, but he is earning the confidence of the coaching staff- and quite a number of fans, too.


Schenn earned bigger minutes as well, which bodes well for where he fits going forward and how he is feeling about his own game.


Kessel was dangerous all night.  He continues to be a valuable guy for the Leafs, who need all the offence he can muster for them right now.


Scrivens did his Reimer imitation, conceding some early goals but absolutely stoning the Coyotes when the game was on the line.  Any letdown by Scrivens and the Leafs don't get that point.  He made a variety of fine stops, including a few stunners with his glove in the third period and in overtime.


With Grabovski and MacArthur hurting, we will likely have Connolly back in the line-up next game.  We'll see if Orr or Rosehill get the call, or if Kadri is summoned from the minors.  Some offense wouldn't hurt.


In any event, they can take the point and prepare to meet a team that is, most nights, a very hard-working crew down in Nashville.

**

I will acknowledge that I can’t remember (now, in fairness my short-term memory is hazy anyway, so this may not mean much) the last time Jonas Gustavsson stole a game for the Maple Leafs.

I can say that I think he is capable of that, and I still feel that way, despite growing evidence that he is in fact not a true first-string NHL goaltender.  But let me just add that while his support within the Leaf fan base may be dwindling, I am not prepared to write off his NHL career.

The whole Leaf/Monster “experiment” probably got off on the wrong foot to begin with—Burke eagerly criss-crossing Europe or whatever to track down this free-agent wunderkind goalie.  Un-drafted, Gustavsson came with a big reputation and a great nickname, “The Monster”.  Who wouldn’t want that, if you were an NHL team in need of help in net?

But a series of things seemed to get in the way since his signing, including the presence of veteran goaltenders, a heart ailment and inconsistent play.

But here’s the thing:  for whatever reason, Gustavsson never really earned Ron Wilson’s confidence.  Oh, I know, those who look to statistical answers will quite rightly say, “Just look at the guy’s save percentage.  How could Wilson have faith in the guy?”  And yes, the recent visual evidence that he tends to give up “bad” goals, or goals at bad times, can be crushing for a team, especially one with a fragile psyche and a recent history of non-success.

I just think there is often more to the picture than what we on the “outside” really see or understand.  In this case, I’m guessing (and this is indeed but a guess) that the Leafs, notably Francois Allaire, have not liked Monster’s mechanics or approach to the game.  It just seems that he has rarely, if ever, been given a stretch of, say, 10 games where he knows, come hell or high water, he will be back in the next game, too—without fear of being pulled or benched.

Yes, the answer to that is indeed:  play better.  I get that.  But wasn’t there a time, earliesh last season (2010-’11) when he had a run of games where he was pretty darn good?  I can’t recall whether it was a minor injury or the desire to get Giguere more time, but before we knew it, Gustavsson was back on the bench, and when Reimer came along and won our hearts, Gustavsson was yesterday’s news—again.

The guy is not unaware, clearly.  He knows that Wilson, Allaire and Burke aren’t fighting for him to be number-one.  They can say all the right things, but they just don’t believe in him, and he knows it.  So his teammates sit on the fence, hope he will play well, but at the first sign of trouble, they lose their spark, too.

So what am I saying?  Set the guy free.  As much as I’d like him to prove people wrong in Toronto, that scenario seems awfully far-fetched at this point.  It’s not going to happen.

This is the last year of his two-year contract extension.  He will certainly be elsewhere next season. It’s a business, so they won’t let an asset they are paying go elsewhere for nothing right now, but if they can get anything for the guy in a trade,  move him.

I say that not because I don’t like Gustavsson, or don’t think the guy can play.  I say that because I think the player deserves an opportunity in another market, with another coaching staff, a different goalie coach, and different—and perhaps more realistic—expectations.

I’m sure the folks who saw him play regularly in his native Sweden are confused by his lack of success here.  That’s the vibe I detect when I read perspectives from Sweden, that he is not playing like the Gustavsson they know.

So what is it—simply the pressure of playing in Toronto?   Oh, I think it’s more than that.  It’s that he knows he is not appreciated here, and no one, in any line of work, performs their duties to their full potential if they sense the people they work with (and for) don’t genuinely respect their work.  It’s human nature.

So again, set The Monster free.  I hope, for this sake, that he lands somewhere and regains the confidence and support network he needs to be a good NHL goaltender.  For the Leafs’ sake, here’s hoping they get something in return, however modest an asset it might be.

As for the broader issue of where the Leafs go from here (I have no sense what is happening with Reimer), I’m not among those looking for a short-term fix, a la Nabokov or Turco.  Nabokov may provide relief, but haven’t we been through this already in the Burke era with Gerber, Toskala, Giguere—veteran goalies here to plug a hole, but not very well.

Why are we looking for a savior when the answer rests with supporting and developing the talent we do have?  It’s too late, it seems, for the Monster.  But Scrivens has looked very good on a couple of occasions.  But when he struggles, you can just feel the weight on Leaf world falling on his young shoulders—and I don’t just mean the fans.

If he lets in a bad goal here and there, believe me, so does everyone.  Has anyone seen the 10 million dollar man (Luongo) in Vancouver this season?   He’s a great goaltender but isn’t perfect every night.  That’s why you have teammates.  That’s why your defense has to be air-tight, not give the puck away or give away easy two on-ones.  That’s why your forwards have to play 200 feet, and chip in with timely goals throughout the roster.

Yes, it’s nice if your goalie steals one on occasion, but most of the time, you ought not depend on that.  You need to outplay the other team, for 60 minutes—and not just in goal.