Brett Lebda

Reports have been coming in via Tony Ambrogio tweets that Mike Brown and Colby Armstrong are going to be returning to the Leafs lineup from their injuries.

Both look ready, according to Ambrogio, who watched the practice during the Monday morning skate.

Brown, Darryl Boyce and Armstrong will apparently make up the third line.

With the recent wide spread speculation about potentials trades involving the Toronto Maple Leafs, the question has been raised, when is the best time during the season to make a trade?

The answer, at least for the Toronto Maple Leafs, should be now.

The fact is that the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to their best start in more than a decade.

The question is: Why has it come to a grinding halt?

Alright, grinding may be a little harsh.

Special teams is one of the possible answers; coaching is another one.

As expected, the Leafs are a force to be reckoned with on the penalty kill. The team who had the league's second worst stat in that department last season is currently eighth in the NHL with an average of 88.5 percent.

Going into tonight's tilt against the 2-1-2 Islanders of New York, the Toronto Maple Leafs have replaced young defense man Carl Gunnarsson with veteran Brett Lebda and for his part, Lebda who recently recovered from a hip injury is taking the pressure of possibly being the fly in the ointment all in stride.

In a move that no one is surprised with, the Leafs decided to waive defenseman Jeff Finger Tuesday.

If Finger clears waivers, the veteran defenseman will report to the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Maple Leafs.

According to Coach Ron Wilson and Leafs brass, Finger's contract will not be bought out, however. If an injury or bad play happens to any of the defenseman, Finger will be on the club's radar as a replacement call-up.

The Battle of Ontario is a series of games that everyone in Toronto and Ottawa follows closely. They are hard-fought, physical affairs that strike an emotional cord with both fan bases.  

There is a lot of pressure on both teams heading into the new year, and their first test is against each other in the preseason.  

When Toronto Maple Leafs' general manager Brian Burke brought defenseman Francois Beauchemin into the fold via free agency almost every Maple Leaf fan applauded Burke for signing the veteran defenseman, regardless of the high price (three-year deal worth an average of $3.8 million).

At the time of the signing, Burke described Beauchemin as a “rock solid, steady defender that will add character to our team.”

It's a new NHL season.

General Managers of all the teams in league have been desperately trying to improve their rosters.

Whether it's through the draft or trades or by signing free agents new players are being added to teams throughout the league.    

This is a look at the new faces that have been added to the teams of the Northeast division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Brett Lebda to a two-year contract that pays him $1.45 million per season.

Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Lebda scored one goal and added seven assists in 63 games.

This signing gives the Leafs a defense corps that is great, if not overstuffed. With the signing of Lebda, 28, the Leafs defense consists of Dion Phaneuf, Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek, Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarsson, Jeff Finger, and Lebda, with prospects like Keith Aulie and Jessie Blacker knocking on the door.

If Monday night’s performance hasn’t put an end to the debate as to who the starting goaltender in Detroit needs to be, I don’t know what will.

In a season where the Wings are looking for players to step up and take charge of a game, Jimmy Howard put in his best performance of the year, possibly even his career.