Following their end-of-season collapse, Dave Nonis told TSN Radio 1050 that hes looking to get the Leafs back to where they were

Following their end-of-season collapse, Dave Nonis told TSN Radio 1050 that hes looking to get the Leafs back to where they were two seasons ago when the team broke their seven-year playoff drought. Cheap Wholesale Adidas Shoes . The GM said the additions of Leo Komarov, Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak were made with the expectation that the veterans would set an on-ice example of the way the Leafs want their top players to compete. “Those players can generate a lot of emotion and they can bring players into the fight with them, and thats what we had two years ago and we need to get it back this year,” Nonis said. Despite the addition of two defencemen, Nonis said he wasnt overly concerned about his back-ends overall talent level, but felt like their fit as a group of six wasnt ideal. “We wanted to change the way we played the game. With Robidas and Roman, youre talking about guys who play very very hard and the compete-level of those guys is a big part of their game and we think itll rub off with the rest of our group.” Besides the players he did sign and acquire, Nonis also weighed in on the loss of centre Dave Bolland, and the Josh Gorges situation, in which the veteran blueliner accepted a deal to the Sabres after vetoing a trade that would have sent him to Toronto. “We did put a significant offer on the table for him,” Nonis said of the Bolland negotiations. “We felt it was reflective of his value to us, where he should be paid and there was another team that felt like he should be paid more.” On Gorges: “I may find that odd, but thats his choice and hes earned that right.” To round out his roster, Nonis mentioned he is still in the market for forward depth, pointing out the Leafs are looking to put an emphasis on increasing the reliance on their fourth line. “Your third and fourth lines have to contribute,” Nonis said, adding that he recognizes the leagues top teams use their fourth line for between eight and 12 minutes a game in order to lighten the load on top-end players and prevent them from wearing down. In addition to possible future free agent additions, Nonis speculated Josh Leivo, David Broll and possibly Sam Carrick could challenge for a roster spots up front next season, while on the back-end, Petter Granberg and Stuart Percy could work their way into the mix. Addressing the rumours surrounding back-up goaltender James Reimer, Nonis said he is fielding offers for the 26-year-old, but if a deal cant be reached expects him to be ready for the start of camp. “If theres a deal that makes sense for us to move James Reimer, and makes us better and gives us assets that are reflective of what he is, which is a goaltender who has been a no. 1, who could challenge for a no. 1 here, then youll look to do it,” Nonis said. “But its difficult finding quality goaltenders. We think he is one and I would expect if there isnt a deal that makes sense that he would come to camp in the best shape that he could possibly be in with the mindset to play in as many games as he can.” Nonis: Leafs looking to increase compete-level Adidas Shoes Online Sale . -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. Adidas Shoes Clearance Sale . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. http://www.cheapadidassale.com/ . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s.SOCHI, Russia – Sitting on the plane amongst the plethora of his St. Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. It wasnt until he touched base on the ground here in Sochi and separated from all but his Team Canada teammate and defensive partner Jay Bouwmeester that the magnitude of what lay ahead really set in. The 24-year-old Pietrangelo is among the youngest to wear the red Maple Leaf in 2014 as youth infuses what was previously a veteran-laden squad. Like fellow youngsters 23-year-old Matt Duchene, 24-year-old Jamie Benn, 23-year-old John Tavares and 24-year-old P.K. Subban, he is getting his first opportunity (of many) on the grandest stage and his NHL head coach couldnt be happier for it. "Hes just going to get better," said Ken Hitchcock, the bench boss in St. Louis and an assistant coach for Team Canada. "Any time you can experience something like this, it makes you a better player." The chance to train, practice and play amongst the countrys very best and compete, in the days ahead, opposite the worlds very best is a large part of the appeal as is the opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage. But in advising his Blues centerpiece prior to the Olympics, Hitchcock wanted Pietrangelo to absorb and understand just how high and intense the hockey will get, even amongst his own NHL teammates and future opponents. "Like dont expect Patrick Berglund to be what he is. Hes going to go up another level," Hitchcock said of the Blues centre, one among 10 players from St. Louis selected to play in these games, tied with Chicago and Detroit for the most in the NHL. "Dont expect Alex Steen to be what he is. Hes going to go up another level and thats just the way it is. "So dont be surprised because people play with passion ... Their sweaters and the crest on their sweaters is just as important for them as it is us. I said just dont be surprised by everybodys A-game when its out there." Pietrangelo has also heeded the advice of Bouwmeester – who is set to participate in his second Olympics – peppering the 30-year-old in the days and weeks leading up to their arrival in Russia. "I was able to pick his brain about the experience and he was pretty much bang on with everything he said," said Pietrangelo, who has 41 points in 57 games for the Blues this season. The best part, Bouwmeester advised, was the opportunity to take in the Olympic experience alongside other Canadians, not just those on the two hockey teams, but skiers, curlers, skaters, those in sports unfamiliar to the King City, Ontario nattive. Cheap Adidas Shoes Online. "You see the skaters, you see the skiers on TV and you know that youre part of that group," Pietrangelo said. "Youre sitting in the lunch hall, the dinner hall now and you see them and you say hi and then you go out there and watch them on TV, its pretty special." On the ice, it was absorbing the complexities of the bigger international ice surface and systems employed by head coach Mike Babcock. Technical questions leveled at Hitchcock at an instructive Tuesday afternoon practice. "...he wanted to know, on defensive reads, whats his role because we play a different way [in St. Louis], especially on the back-check," Hitchcock said, noting Pietrangelos studious nature. The fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft is part of a youth revolution thats gradually crept into Team Canada and the hockey world. It was quietly prominent in Vancouver when a 21-year-old Jonathan Toews, 20-year-old Drew Doughty and 22-year-old Sidney Crosby all emerged at various points en route to gold, and its risen to new heights in Sochi. Gone from that triumphant squad on home turf are hardened veterans like Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow, replaced by a new wave that includes Pietrangelo, Duchene, Subban, Benn and Tavares. "We knew that when 2010 ended, there was going to be a changing of the guard," said Blues GM and Team Canada management member Doug Armstrong. "For quite of few of those players, their time had come. A lot of them are retired now. And you really cant keep these young players down." That would include Pietrangelo, who has surged to the heights of the defensive position on a powerhouse Blues squad, one that is tied for second-best overall with 84 points at the break. Still in just his fourth full NHL season, he is sitting fourth among all NHL defenders in points this season while averaging more than 25 minutes per game on one of the leagues preeminent defensive teams. A member of two Canadian World Junior teams – including a gold-snatching squad in 2009 – Pietrangelo was brought along carefully by the St. Louis organization, who signed him to a seven-year, $45 million contract this past summer. He played in just 17 games in the two years that followed his draft, rare patience that is quickly being rewarded. "Its hard to argue that right now," said Pietrangelo, gazing around at where he stood on Olympic ground. "Its a tough thing to go through as a young player. You always want to be playing at the highest level, but to see where I am right now, they were investing their time and money in me and they were going to make the best decision for me. Thats how I looked at it. Id like to think that its working right now." 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