NHL Power Ranking - Week 27

The Maple Leafs are clearly just going through the motions of playing out the remainder of the season. Any power ranking above 29 is undeserved. Despite management, the coaching staff and the players committing to winning as many games as possible, nothing could be farther from the truth. What else can they say with so many home games at the tail end of the schedule. People are shelling out $200 or more or a ticket to watch shinny in some cases.

All of a sudden a raft of players are hurt and out of the lineup including James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson, Mikhail Grabovski, Joffrey Lupul, Clarke MacArthur, David Steckel, Mike Brown and Matt Frattin. If the team was fighting for a playoff spot how many of these walking wounded would be still in the lineup? Obviously we will never know. One of the luxuries of playing for a non contender is that you don't have to play injured and you have 5 full months to recover from the season before training camp starts. I can just imagine how many NHL players are playing hurt right now. That number will grow through the playoffs. So playing on a non contender can extend your career. Life isn't so bad if you are a Maple Leafs player.

Fox Sports - 26th (-1)

Air Canada Centre is apparently the new Nassau Coliseum, as four different Maple Leafs have started in goal over the last five games. The fans will have one more opportunity to taunt the home team this Thursday against Tampa Bay.

The Hockey News - 26th (-1)

Fan anger over Leafs' consistent futility at an all-time high; Brian Burke better have long sleeves - and more than a few tricks up them - this off-season.

CBS Sports - 27th (-1)

When they beat Buffalo on Saturday night, the Maple Leafs won on their home ice for the first time since Feb. 6.


TSN - 29th (-2)

Locked in a battle with the Ducks and Islanders for the fourth, fifth and sixth-worst records in the league, with the bottom five eligible to land the top pick in the draft lottery, the Maple Leafs are making a solid bid for positioning with three top six forwards on the shelf the rest of the way.

ESPN - 29th (-4)

After a colossal fall from grace, the only thing the Leafs have to look forward to is denying Buffalo a playoff berth, which could happen as they visit Buffalo Tuesday.