from Dave Hodge of TSN,

"Thumbs down" to the NHL salary cap. I could say that every day, and maybe I do, I just don't keep track.

On that note, earlier this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs "recalled" forward Casey Bailey from the AHL Toronto Marlies and they "demoted" forward Byron Froese. The next day, they "recalled" Froese and "demoted" Bailey. This was of interest to precisely no one except the two players' accountants, because it was simply a transaction on paper that enabled the Leafs to gain a salary cap edge. Bailey did make and Froese did lose NHL money for a day, so there was that.

Otherwise, the shuffle somehow made it easier for the Leafs to use the precise time that Bailey spent on the NHL roster to place the inactive Nathan Horton on LTIR (Long Term Injured Reserve), thus creating some $5 million in cap space.

Don't ask me to explain. If I could, I wouldn't, because this stuff doesn't qualify in any way as news, and no time should be spent telling fans otherwise. If the Leafs are now better positioned to take on a salary by way of a trade, let them make the trade and that will be reported. How they're moving numbers around interests me as much as where they're placing new office furniture and how they're disposing of the old stuff.

read on for some goal reviews talk...