Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs
Major Additions: Vesa Toskala, Mark Bell, Jason Blake, Scott Clemmenson
Major Subtractions: Michael Peca, Jeff O’Neil, J.S. Aubin
Analysis
John Ferguson Junior must be sweating by now. With one of his major acquisitions, Bell, suspended for at least 15 games, and a second, Toskala, shaky at best in his pre-season appearances, it’s not looking so good for the Leafs so far - lucky the games don’t start counting for another few days.
Let’s be honest here - Toskala should be better than we’ve seen so far. For that matter, Andrew Raycroft should be better than he was a year ago, now that he has some competition in the crease and a little less pressure.
Now how about the bad news? The bad news is the Leafs give up too many high quality scoring chances, their best player isn’t getting any younger, and they continue to trade away draft picks like they’re going out of style. This is a team desperate to win - finally - but not desperate for a Stanley Cup. And therein lies the problem.
I try not to pay much attention to pre-season games but there are some distressing signs from the perspective of a Leafs’ fan. I’m not overly concerned by Toskala’s early troubles (it’s been about 5 months since Toskala played in NHL game that counted; he deserves some time to get his timing back); I’m prepared to be patient with him. What does concern me is the continuation of the problems that plagued the team last year, problems that were far more troubling to me last season than when Raycroft struggled. Too many defensive lapses. Too many opponents given too much time in the Leafs’ zone. Too many missed opportunities to clear the puck away from danger zones. Too many penalties. These are problems that cannot be fixed by adding a goaltender or a 40-goal scorer. These are systematic, horrific lapses in judgment and discipline, on a team and individual level, that if left unchecked will doom a team - any team. And this is particularly important here because the Leafs, unlike many teams, do not have the skill or the talent to make up for these lapses.
Part of me really wants Blake to score 40 or more, Toskala to shine and the Leafs to roar into the playoffs and score a huge upset over the Senators in the first round. But realistically, I can’t see this team making the playoffs. And part of me thinks that could be the best thing that could happen to the franchise.