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By HOWARD BERGER

ST. PAUL, MINN. (Jan. 26) – For the second time in just more than a month, the Maple Leafs are doing something that appears to be peculiar with their goaltending – calling up Justin Pogge from the Toronto Marlies with the assurance he’ll be returned to the American Hockey League after Tuesday night’s game here against the Minnesota Wild.

This is peculiar because hockey teams base their goaltending plans largely on the result of the previous game. In this instance, however, it will not matter how Pogge performs against the Wild… he’ll be gone before the Maple Leafs arrive in Denver for a Thursday-night encounter with the Colorado Avalanche. It isn’t anticipated that Pogge will have to stand on his head against Jacques Lemaire’s crew; Minnesota – though successful – is a staid, boring team that relies on sound defensive coverage to better its opponent. So, it’s unlikely the Leafs will send Pogge on his way after a 50-save performance.

That said, the goalie should face a stiffer challenge than during his NHL debut in Atlanta just prior to Christmas. Though the Thrashers clawed out of a 3-0 hole to beat the Leafs in overtime last week at Philips Arena, they were a soft touch on Dec. 22, when the visitors breezed to a 6-2 victory. Pogge looked confident in his first regular-season appearance, but it was hardly a difficult night’s work. He remained with the Leafs over the Christmas break, and accompanied the club to Uniondale, N.Y. and Washington for a two-game trip. But, he didn’t suit up for either match and was promptly returned to the Marlies.

So, the question remains: Why are the Leafs pulling a similar stunt with Pogge this time, when it seems clear they want to have an extended look at him before the season is over? Why bring Justin all the way to the Twin Cities for a single engagement? “We’ve got to see what we have in him,” GM Brian Burke said a couple of weeks ago when looking ahead at recalling Pogge. Surely Burke doesn’t expect to form an opinion based on one start.

The answer to this riddle almost certainly lies with Vesa Toskala, the starting goalie that has played more like a back-up in 2008-09, and with whom the Leafs are walking a bit of a tight-rope.

Had Toskala carried over his mostly splendid work from last season, chances are Pogge would be something of an after-thought, given his less-than stellar numbers with the Marlies [he’s been better of late]. In that case, if Burke hadn’t already extended Toskala’s contract beyond next season, fans and media would have been questioning the delay. Instead, Toskala has been a shadow of his former self in blue and white – confusing not only the Leafs’ brass and followers, but likely scouts and GMs around the league. There is no sentiment in Toronto towards locking up Toskala for the forseeable future. As such, goaltending must serve a dual-purpose for the club in the final two-plus months of ’08-09.

The results of games are virtually meaningless. Far more important will be evaluating Pogge at the NHL level, while giving Toskala enough work to improve his asset value. That won’t be an easy juggling act. Unless a team with legitimate playoff designs loses its number-one goalie to injury and suddenly is desperate for a replacement, Toskala’s value to the Leafs is alarmingly low. He hasn’t played nearly well enough to earn Burke’s long-term assurance, and by faring poorly, he has all but destroyed his market appeal. The only chance the Leafs have of improving that is to play him regularly down the stretch and cross their fingers he snaps out of his season-long funk. Then, Burke can choose between extending him this summer and seeking a reasonable trade exchange.

How do the Leafs achieve this… and give Pogge a legitimate test? Your guess is as good as mine. At the moment, it appears Toskala is the priority, and understandably so. The Leafs coughed up a first-round draft pick to acquire him from San Jose and would obviously prefer his career not fizzle. Given the tenuous confidence of most puck-stoppers, the Leafs are likely trying to strike a balance with Toskala… on one hand, sending a firm message that he hasn’t performed to standard this season, while confirming he is still the club’s No. 1 goalie. That’s the reason I believe Ron Wilson made it abundantly clear that Pogge is going back to the Marlies – come hell or high water – after Tuesday night’s game at the Xcel Energy Center. It’s a vote of confidence for Toskala, albeit a thinly veiled one.

At some point in February – if Toskala does not show signs of coming around – Burke could say “the heck with it” and recall Pogge for good. As it is, he must devise a plan to insert Pogge often enough for a sensible evaluation, while professing faith in Toskala… no easy task. Therefore, in the immediate days ahead, Pogge faces Minnesota, while Toskala gets ready for Colorado — and potentially a match-up with his stand-in from a year ago, Andrew Raycroft — at the Pepsi Center.

TUCKER HOME-SICK: On Thursday in Denver, the Leafs will cross paths with Darcy Tucker for the first time since buying out the remainder of his contract last summer. I recently ran into former Leaf Shayne Corson, who is Tucker’s brother-in-law and closest pal. Shayne told me that Darcy enjoys playing for the Avalanche – with whom he signed as a free agent – but is badly missing the hockey environment and home life in Toronto. That’s easy to understand, given Tucker’s six-plus seasons in a blue and white jersey and his burning desire – on most nights – to help the Leafs win. “Darcy’s heart is still in Toronto… it wasn’t his choice to leave,” Corson said.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A BUY-OUT: Long-time readers of the Globe & Mail might be disappointed to learn that veteran reporter/columnist William Houston will leave the paper, effective Feb. 1. Houston’s popular column – Truth & Rumours – has been a staple for more than 15 years, critiquing electronic media across Canada; particularly in the Toronto market. Bill’s opinions often angered his subjects [I’ve been on the wrong end of one or two of them], but they were usually honest and fair. As a hockey reporter in the early-1980s, covering a host of terrible Leaf teams, Houston relentlessly and justifiably challenged GMs, coaches, and the irascible owner, Harold Ballard, who despised Bill to his final breath in 1990. Houston has accepted a buy-out from the Globe, roughly two years before he planned to retire.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.