Scout
11-24-2008, 10:00 AM
Mark Zwolinski
Sports Reporter
Ian White couldn't buy his way into the Leafs lineup three weeks ago. Now, the Leafs can't take him out of it, even if they wanted to.
White proved yet again yesterday that his versatility as both a defenceman and a forward is a handy commodity, especially when an injury bug strikes the club's blue line.
Defencemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Jonas Frogren were absent from practice yesterday, which meant Mr. Versatility was moved back to the blue line to fill the void.
"I'm happy to play wherever they want me to," said White, in what is now a familiar refrain for him.
White, after spending the first 11 games of the season as a healthy scratch, found himself back in games as a forward.
White's performance since then has been laudable – a current six-game scoring streak and a team-leading plus-5 rating.
All the while, there has been his old fallback – defence, which he played his entire life.
The Leafs even gave him double duty during his forward stints – deploying him as a defenceman on power plays – because of his puck-moving skills and ability to get shots on net.
"I spent 20 years playing defence and the past eight or nine games at forward, but I'm beginning to feel comfortable (at forward), getting into the rhythm of it," White said.
The Leafs may once again ask White to play musical chairs tomorrow.
The back and forth assignments are a necessity this time, with Frogren nursing a muscle problem in his arm and looking like he might be out of the lineup for a week.
The Leafs won't know the extent of Frogren's problems until he undergoes an MRI today.
Colaiacovo, meanwhile, endured another day yesterday with swelling and pain in his foot.
Colaiacovo is still unable to put on his skate, and has now missed a game and two days of practice since suffering the injury (courtesy of a shot off the skate) Thursday.
He remains day-to-day.
Mike Van Ryn, meanwhile, is out with a concussion, broken nose, broken bone in a hand, a lacerated forehead and damaged teeth after an ugly hit from behind by Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos.
With three defencemen out with injuries yesterday, the Leafs were also reminding everyone how having nine defencemen on the roster is not a luxury.
"It just shows you how deep you need to be on defence to survive in this league," coach Ron Wilson said. "We're fortunate we didn't lose one of those guys (three extra defenceman, to trades or waivers)."
Depending on Colaiacovo's availability for tomorrow's game, White could find himself at his familiar position on defence, or on a forward line again.
White also realizes his situation, along with several other players, could be plunged into uncertainty once again if and when Brian Burke takes over as GM.
Scout
Sports Reporter
Ian White couldn't buy his way into the Leafs lineup three weeks ago. Now, the Leafs can't take him out of it, even if they wanted to.
White proved yet again yesterday that his versatility as both a defenceman and a forward is a handy commodity, especially when an injury bug strikes the club's blue line.
Defencemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Jonas Frogren were absent from practice yesterday, which meant Mr. Versatility was moved back to the blue line to fill the void.
"I'm happy to play wherever they want me to," said White, in what is now a familiar refrain for him.
White, after spending the first 11 games of the season as a healthy scratch, found himself back in games as a forward.
White's performance since then has been laudable – a current six-game scoring streak and a team-leading plus-5 rating.
All the while, there has been his old fallback – defence, which he played his entire life.
The Leafs even gave him double duty during his forward stints – deploying him as a defenceman on power plays – because of his puck-moving skills and ability to get shots on net.
"I spent 20 years playing defence and the past eight or nine games at forward, but I'm beginning to feel comfortable (at forward), getting into the rhythm of it," White said.
The Leafs may once again ask White to play musical chairs tomorrow.
The back and forth assignments are a necessity this time, with Frogren nursing a muscle problem in his arm and looking like he might be out of the lineup for a week.
The Leafs won't know the extent of Frogren's problems until he undergoes an MRI today.
Colaiacovo, meanwhile, endured another day yesterday with swelling and pain in his foot.
Colaiacovo is still unable to put on his skate, and has now missed a game and two days of practice since suffering the injury (courtesy of a shot off the skate) Thursday.
He remains day-to-day.
Mike Van Ryn, meanwhile, is out with a concussion, broken nose, broken bone in a hand, a lacerated forehead and damaged teeth after an ugly hit from behind by Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos.
With three defencemen out with injuries yesterday, the Leafs were also reminding everyone how having nine defencemen on the roster is not a luxury.
"It just shows you how deep you need to be on defence to survive in this league," coach Ron Wilson said. "We're fortunate we didn't lose one of those guys (three extra defenceman, to trades or waivers)."
Depending on Colaiacovo's availability for tomorrow's game, White could find himself at his familiar position on defence, or on a forward line again.
White also realizes his situation, along with several other players, could be plunged into uncertainty once again if and when Brian Burke takes over as GM.
Scout