The Instigator

Plugging A Hole

For a player considered to be a stopgap, the Toronto Maple Leafs sure went out of their way to get John-Michael Liles. The puck-moving defenseman, who’d been on the team’s radar the past year, was acquired from Colorado at the NHL draft in exchange for a second round pick the Leafs obtained in the Tomas Kaberle trade. Fittingly, Liles is expected to fill the same role Kaberle did for 12 seasons. Only, he’ll be doing it for just one. After that, Liles becomes an unrestricted free agent. And though the 30-year-old could re-sign, chances are his spot is temporary while prospects Jake Gardiner (drafted 17th overall, 2008), Jesse Blacker (58th, ’09) and Stuart Percy (25th, ’11) get their feet wet. “We’ve got some guys coming who have great offensive upside,” said Dave Nonis,…

Blues Go Back To The Future

What year is this…2002? That was the reaction when the Blues signed free agent forwards Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott to identical one-year, $2.5 million contracts this summer. Though Langenbrunner and Arnott both have decorated NHL resumes, they’re each 36 and coming off seasons that signal them clearly being in the twilight of their careers. Only a year ago, the Blues had no interest in re-signing Keith Tkachuk or Paul Kariya, putting the club in the hands of its young core. So why, only 12 months later, would the Blues bring in Langenbrunner and Arnott, along with fellow veterans Scott Nichol and Kent Huskins? “One thing that crystallized itself last year…having NHL-ready calibre players at (coach Davis Payne’s) disposal was something we didn’t have,” said Blues GM Doug Armstrong. “(Because of injuries) we…

Dark And Bright Days

Wade Belak’s bitterly sad and tragic death thrust the long-moribund fighting debate back into the limelight. While the details surrounding his passing were still highly mysterious and raw a couple days after he was discovered, the dots were flashing red, waiting to be connected. The three young men whose lives ended far too early this summer – Belak, Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien – earned their stardom primarily by trading punches. Senior writer Ken Campbell examines the issue in his column on pg. 54. Be assured Campbell isn’t being an opportunist. He was an anti-fighting proponent long before the events of the past few months and, as he points out, there is no hard evidence to suggest fisticuffs played a role in the trio of deaths. It would, however, be irresponsible…