Matthew Lombardi update/information thread

[ZBBM]

If Lombardi ever plays for the Leafs it will be a bonus.  At this early stage I would not put any odds on it happening or not.  One thing that's become clear during the flurry of interest in concussions that has roiled up over the last year or two is that recovery from brain injuries is, as Ulmer says, erratic.  Just as you'd expect, since it's far and away the most complex organ in the known universe.

If you are Lombardi you also have to be considering the fate of people like Dave Duerson.  I hope he can come back but more than that I hope he carefully considers the consequences of trying to rejoin a violent sport.

 

[Leafaholic99]

"With Matthew, there is no timetable. He's getting better. He's been feeling very good. His workouts have increased in duration and intensity, but he won't be playing for us until he's ready to play. So whether that's a month or six months, who knows when that's going to be. We're not going to rush him, but we're going to be pushing as hard as we can to get him ready and prepared."

 

[jjjoejr]

?He is cleared for full activity on the bike,? Burke said in a phone interview. ?The last report I got he was doing 20-plus minutes without symptoms. He has been declared symptom-free and now it?s about getting the workload back up.?

Some good signs. Hope he's going to get healthy and resume his career with the Leafs.

 

[Bullfrog]

This is good news for sure. He'll add great depth to the team if he can get healthy and get in shape!

 

[Erndog]

This is good news for sure. He'll add great depth to the team if he can get healthy and get in shape!

I wonder what the timeline is before he gets close to 100% game shape.  Remember Kessel when he had offseason shoulder surgery?  He was gasping for air pretty much all season.

I think Lombardi might be in for a tough year condition wise.  He took a whole year off from ANY sort of activity.  Still, it would be nice to have him, and his minutes will be a lot more limited (on the 3rd line) than Phils were immediately stepping into the first line. 

I think it will take a few months to get fully up to speed but it's certainly encouraging.

 

[Bender]

Interesting Article on Sid's concussion, but references Matthew quite a bit. Will post Jonas Siegel's article when it's done.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cyberpresse.ca%2Fchroniqueurs%2Ffrancois-gagnon%2F201109%2F13%2F01-4447055-des-solutions-a-proposer-a-crosby.php%3Futm_categorieinterne%3Dtrafficdrivers%26utm_contenuinterne%3Dcyberpresse_aujourdhui-sur-cyberpresse_267_accueil_ECRAN1POS1&act=url

 

[Erndog]

Saw a tweet today (I forget from whom) that said Lombardi took part in his 3rd on-ice session with teammates.

Looks promising!

 

[Bender]

That probably would be from Jonas Siegel:

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/blogs/jonas_siegel/?id=375701

Sounds good. He's obviously not going to make training camp but if he's starting to work out with intensity and he's still symptom free then that's got to be promising.

 

[Tigger]

Burke said 'symptom free' in regards to riding a bike, Matt won't be back before January if this year in any meaningful way. I really want him back in my own selfish way 'cause the Leafs could really use him but there's no denying that it's baby steps for him right now in terms of conditioning.

 

[Jalili]

Burke said 'symptom free' in regards to riding a bike, Matt won't be back before January if this year in any meaningful way. I really want him back in my own selfish way 'cause the Leafs could really use him but there's no denying that it's baby steps for him right now in terms of conditioning.

This is what I've been thinking all along...

 

[Kessel Run]

The clip on TSN.ca shows him scrimmaging with other Leaf players, which is pretty encouraging.

 

[bustaheims]

The clip on TSN.ca shows him scrimmaging with other Leaf players, which is pretty encouraging.

Yeah, it is. That would he's probably cleared for on-ice drills and stuff as well, so, January might be too conservative an estimate of when he'll be back and contributing.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

The clip on TSN.ca shows him scrimmaging with other Leaf players, which is pretty encouraging.

Yeah, it is. That would he's probably cleared for on-ice drills and stuff as well, so, January might be too conservative an estimate of when he'll be back and contributing.

I'm thinking it is too conservative..

 

[Mack674]

Has there been any information on him participating in training camp ?

Maybe he is alot closer to returning than we were led to believe..

 

[maplesyrup]

KenBeckett: by b1rkyMatthew Lombardi set to wear no. 15 at camp.

 

[Bender]

Has there been any information on him participating in training camp ?

Maybe he is alot closer to returning than we were led to believe..

Well he said himself taking almost a year off will mean putting in a lot of effort in order to be in game shape. I'm thinking he's a mid-November return. It'd be nice to have a really good two-way forward as a third liner centre this year, but I can't help but think we're writing off Bozak. Also I'd probably want Fratting on a line with Lombardi and Armstrong. It seems Kadri needs to be in an offensive role, and the third line would need some scoring and toughness. Frattin, I would think, fits a bit better.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

A little comment from a Phaneuf article:

Phaneuf has been taking part in informal skates with his Leafs teammates and he has already has his interest piqued on a couple of other fronts. Nazem Kadri ?looks a lot more stronger and more confident on the ice,? said Phaneuf. And the captain has a sense that Matthew Lombardi will have a say in how the team does this season.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/jeff-blair/dion-phaneuf-the-thinking-mans-captain/article2166486/

 

[princedpw]

Has there been any information on him participating in training camp ?

Maybe he is alot closer to returning than we were led to believe..

Well he said himself taking almost a year off will mean putting in a lot of effort in order to be in game shape. I'm thinking he's a mid-November return. It'd be nice to have a really good two-way forward as a third liner centre this year, but I can't help but think we're writing off Bozak. Also I'd probably want Fratting on a line with Lombardi and Armstrong. It seems Kadri needs to be in an offensive role, and the third line would need some scoring and toughness. Frattin, I would think, fits a bit better.

I agree that on the leafs third line frattin might be a better fit during 5-on-5 play.  However, I think Kadri might very well steal a couple of key points all by himself in the shootout this year.  Given the incredible number of shootouts last year, that skill can really make a difference in the final standings.  It would be hard for me as coach to pull Kadri from the lineup for that reason.

 

[caver]

That is a good point. Does management consider keeping a player because he can win shootouts? How many points in the standings did a player like Jussi Jokinen help earn? It's  a fact of life in today's NHL.

 

[nutman]

The more you think about it the better the team looks. i think we are heading into a new era with the leafs, one that we will enjoy.