TORONTO – Randy Carlyle entered the dressing room of the Maple Leafs practice facility Monday morning to an unusual and almost eerie silence. There was no music pumping from the stereo system, nothing but the uncomfortable quiet of a team in midst of another memorable late season collapse. "Thats a sure tell-tale sign," he said of a group in shock, down in the dumps from a losing streak numbering eight games, one that has the clubs playoff hopes dangling from the thinnest of threads. Carlyle took the day to inject a little life into what remains of those hopes. He also did a fair bit of teaching, directing, and informing, tweaks to "things that we think that are very easily correctable". He implored his forwards to "turn your [butt]" to protect the puck and adjusted the positioning of Jay McClement and Tim Gleason during one particular defensive zone drill. Carlyle may be coaching for his job in these final six games of the regular season, but beyond the uncertain question of the head coach and his status for next season is the roster retooling that seems likely to take place under the direction of GM Dave Nonis and his management team this summer. With 10 players up for free agency – including half the forward group and two top-four defenders – and the core deserving of some scrutiny after another collapse, plenty of change could and probably will be coming to the Leafs. Forwards James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Phil Kessel Joffrey Lupul Nazem Kadri Nikolai Kulemin** Mason Raymond** Dave Bolland** David Clarkson Troy Bodie** Jay McClement** Jerry DAmigo* Colton Orr Defencemen Carl Gunnarsson Dion Phaneuf Jake Gardiner* Cody Franson* Tim Gleason Morgan Rielly Paul Ranger** Goaltenders Jonathan Bernier James Reimer* Note: *Restricted Free Agent | **Unrestricted Free Agent Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, David Clarkson, Joffrey Lupul, and Tyler Bozak are all locked up until the summer of 2017 and in some cases beyond. They constitute the Toronto core along with Morgan Rielly and Jonathan Bernier and the far less secure but high upside duo of Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner. Considering their place in three straight collapses – all of varying degree – and ongoing struggles to defend, adjustment to the group has to be considered with only Kessel, van Riemsdyk, Bernier and Rielly seemingly off the table this offseason. Luke Schenn, once a cornerstone of that group, was jettisoned after the meltdown in 2012. Mikhail Grabovski faced the same fate via compliance buyout after Game 7 last spring. Will the summer ahead bring with it more change to the building blocks of the organization? Is a 1-2 centre punch of Bozak and Kadri strong enough to be a force in the East or are upgrades needed down the middle? Is there enough two-way stability to the current top-six (all signed long-term, save for Kadri) with little in the way of youth on the way? Can Clarkson be redeemed in year two of a whopping seven-year contract? Might the organization buy him out? Is a trade even possible? Can Lupul be a part of the solution at age 30 and beyond that? Is the core, generally speaking, good enough to win as constructed or is a major or perhaps minor tinkering required? Beyond that core is the looming free agent bunch, of which Bolland figures to be the most intriguing. The 27-year-old began his Leaf career with a bang, posting six goals and 10 points in October. But a serious ankle injury kept him out nearly five months and muddled his status in the process. Theres value there, but at what price and what term? Can he stabilize the club at centre ice or is there a better fit elsewhere, perhaps 28-year-old Paul Statsny, also entering unrestricted free agency for the first time? Then there are the likes of Mason Raymond, Nik Kulemin, Jay McClement, Troy Bodie and Paul Ranger, all also unrestricted. McClement is useful if employed in a fourth line role, and Bodie has certainly earned himself another contract with an energetic presence. The others all have question marks with price point and fit among the concerns. Thats the entire group of bottom-six forwards, all in question to return next season. None of the three restricted free agents are certain or maybe even likely to come back next year with Jake Gardiner the likeliest of a bunch – by a good margin – that includes Cody Franson and the all-but-gone James Reimer. Torontos defence should be the top priority for upgrade followed by a forward complement that has plenty of holes in the bottom ranks (size, strength, defensive commitment among the issues) with question marks up top and down the middle as well. Nonis would be hard-pressed to bring back Carlyle if the Leafs do definitively fumble away their once certain playoff chances, but hell also have to give a long, hard look to a roster thats proven (in conjunction with that coaching staff) to be flawed and in need of improvement. Denis Suarez Jersey . The Raptors have been outscored 88-66 in the opening quarter over a three-game span to begin the month of February. 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PORTLAND, Ore. -- LaMarcus Aldridges big night against the Houston Rockets wasnt about the stats, the All-Star votes or the fans chanting "MVP! MVP!" "This was a we needed a win night for me," said Aldridge, who had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds in the Trail Blazers 111-104 victory Thursday. For Aldridge, it was important that Portland (19-4) come away with a win after losing to the Rockets earlier this season -- a rare blip for the Western Conference leaders. It was the first time in franchise history that a Blazers player scored 30 or more points with 25 or more rebounds. "Im blessed," Aldridge said. "(But) I felt tonight, it was needed." Dwight Howard had 32 points and 17 rebounds for the Rockets, who beat the Blazers 116-101 on Nov. 5. That was one of just two losses at home this season for Portland. The Trail Blazers led by 10 early in the fourth quarter, but Chandler Parsons hit a 3-pointer to narrow it to 93-88 with 7:07 left. Houston closed to 97-95 after James Harden made a layup and a free throw with 4:45 to go. Nicolas Batums 3-pointer pushed Portlands lead to 102-95 before Wesley Matthews layup and free throw made it 108-96 with 2:04 left and all but put the game out of reach for the Rockets. "They made some big plays down the stretch," Howard said. "It seemed like every time we would close the gap, they came down and got a great shot. This was big for them." Blazers centre Robin Lopez added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season, a career high. Portland was coming off a 105-94 victory in Utah on Monday. The Blazers have scored 100 or more points in 10 consecutive games. Houston had won two straight, including a 98-88 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. The Rockets (15-7) were without Omer Asik, who missed his fourth straight game with a bruised right thigh. Houston did get back guard Jeremy Lin, who missed the previous six games with a sprained right knee. Rockets coach Kevin McHale was not with the team bbecause of the death of his mother.dddddddddddd Her funeral is scheduled for Friday in Minnesota. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson ran the club against the Blazers. "Portland is obviously really good, and theyre really good in this gym," Sampson said. "They are playing with a lot of confidence right now." Neither side was able to get in front by more than five points in the first half. Portland held a 21-20 lead after the opening quarter. Aldridge was just 1 for 7 from the floor but he had nine rebounds. Houston went ahead 32-28 on Parsons layup and Howards hook shot, and the Rockets led 44-43 at halftime. Neither team shot well, with Portland at 32 per cent and Houston at 36 per cent. The Rockets had just five first-half assists. The Blazers opened the second half with an 11-3 run capped by Matthews 3-pointer to take a 54-47 lead. Portland stretched the lead to 59-49 on Lopezs dunk and free throw. Aldridge got rolling with 11 points and eight rebounds. The Rockets closed the gap to 70-68 late in the third quarter when Howard hit a pair of free throws and dunked. Omri Casspi tied it at 70 on free throws with 2 minutes left. The game was tied going into the fourth quarter, but Portland scored 10 unanswered points to go up 86-76. "I think we go into games with a certain level of confidence, but, at the same time, we realize that were playing hard and our success is because were playing hard," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "Our record is what it is, but its not easy. You have to compete every night." NOTES: Aldridge has four 20-20 games, making him the fourth Blazers player with that many. He is the only NBA player with two this season. ... Houstons Terrence Jones went to Portlands Jefferson High School. ... It was the opener of a three-game road trip for the Rockets. ... The Blazers embark on a four-game trip starting at Philadelphia on Saturday. ... 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