Toronto Maple Leafs: A Look Forward

Being a die hard Leafs fan for the entirety of my 26 year life, I have always needed a forum to express both my love and frustrations with respect to this team. Thankfully Twitter, and BlogSpot have provided me that opportunity...so I look forward to writing a few more Leafs posts as Training Camps get started and we get back into the swing of the greatest sport in North America.

In my first installment, I'd like to speak to the Maple Leafs presently, and look forward to the future...whatever that may hold.

Toronto Maple Leafs: A Look Forward

As we all know the Leafs are going into another season rife with uncertainty. Who is our first line Center? Is the Kessel deal going to be worth it? Will Kaberle be traded? Will our highly paid defense finally show up this year? All questions that I honestly don't think have been addressed at all this off-season. That being said, lets take a look forward at where the Leafs are, and what needs to be done in order to get back to the promise land?

Off Season Acquisitions:

Kris Versteeg - When all is said and done I truly believe that Versteeg will be a solid 2nd line winger for us. I think he will be forced into a first line role this year, due to the lack of depth at forward...however I see him as being a stalwart on the 2nd line for many years to come. Solid acquisition, I just wonder if it was a lateral move shipping Stalberg and 2 prospects for Versteeg.

Billy Sweatt - Who? Is probably the first thing that came to your mind. He was the prospect added in to the Versteeg deal, because Chicago was unable to reach terms with him and his agent. Don't take this as merely a throw in, I honestly believe Sweatt has top six potential....however the sticking point is that if he goes un-signed again this season he becomes a UFA and can choose which team he wants to play with. I look for it to be tough signing him in the future, however I would be very happy if they did.

Mike Brown - Nice Duster. He should fit in well with Colton Orr to form one of the nastiest fourth lines in the NHL. I like the fact that Burke protects guys like Kessel, however the Mike Browns of the world are not the type of draft day acquisitions this team needs.

Colby Armstrong – Solid third line guy, with strong leadership skills on a young team. I’d love to see him paired with Raffi Torres on a third line. From what I hear, this is a very likely possibility as Torres’ camp and the Leafs have been talking since free agency opened. Armstrong has a decent set of hands, a nasty demeanour, and a big body. All things I will welcome anyday on the Leafs.

Brett Lebda – Was caught off guard by this signing. In a good way. I think Lebda is an underrated puck moving defenceman. He has a great outlet pass, and a bit of a nasty streak to him. Carl Gunnarsson would look good paired with him. Too much cash? We will have to wait and see on that one.

Jussi Rynnas – I know so little about Mr. Rynnas that I can’t even write a proper opinion. I know he is big, raw, and will play with James Remier n the minors. I am willing to wait on that one, as the Monster is such a young player still. Stocking the cupboard with goaltending prospects was not a formula that hurt Burke in Anaheim, so I like that move in Toronto as well.

Brad Ross – Leafs first pick, albeit in the second round, of the 2010 entry draft. Listed at 6 feet tall, he appears to be a little smaller than that. Built in the mold of Darcy Tucker, but with worse hands, this kid projects to be a Steve Ott type agitator, with some decent skill. Whether his size and skill will translate to success at the NHL level is another story, but if he doesn’t make it…it will not be from a lack of effort.

Now that we have run down the recent player acquisitions, let’s breakdown some of the potential line combinations that we could see in the 2010-2011 season:

Versteeg – Bozak – Kessel
Kulemin – Grabovski – Caputi
Armstrong – Mitchell – Sjostrom
Brown – Hanson – Orr

Phaneuf – Kaberle
Schenn – Komisarek
Gunnarsson/Lebda – Beauchemin

Monster

I don’t mind the roster from the defenceman back, but I don’t know a Leafs fan that could look me in the eye and tell me that those forwards could compete in a playoff series with the Penguins, Blackhawks and Canucks of the world. The Leafs need a legitimate first line Center, and a big power forward to play with Kessel to even begin resembling a quality squad at the front.
Versteeg brings intrigue to the first line, however ultimately he will have to be relegated to the second line once higher end talent is accumulated (hopefully). As it stands right now, that first line is entirely too small and would get pushed around by the Prongers of the league. Lets take a look at the top prospects in the Leafs system, and how they project as future players.



Top Prospects:

Nazem Kadri – Talented scorer that put up 93 points in 58 games last year in the OHL. Had it not been for an early slump after being sent back to Junior by the Leafs, Kadri would have amassed over 100 points for the Knights and could have challenged Hall and Seguin for the CHL scoring title. A few knocks I have on Kadri are; size( though from what I hear he has bulked up quite a bit this year…or so this creepy blogger says: http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=51444&post_id=9811) On ice vision (he appears to make some stupid plays with the puck, and try and force it through the neutral zone) and finally his mental game. I think he projects to be a second line player (70 point seasons) with Versteeg as his running mate. They would form quite the formidable secondary scoring, and be exactly what his team needs to succeed. Kadri should start the season in the AHL for some professional seasoning, however I look to him to be on the Leafs full time by the end of the season.

After Kadri there is a significant drop-off in the quality of the prospects we have at our disposal, however here is a quick run-down of some of the other Leafs prospects:

Brad Ross – See above, previously mentioned.

Mikhail Stefanovich – Heard some good things out of summer camp last year from him. Offensive winger who can light the lamp with ease. Needs to work on his 2 way game.

Jerry D’Amigo – Getting lots of love after an excellent performance at the World Juniors in 2010. Needs to be smarter and more consistent, but is another decent Wing prospect.

Keith Aulie – A forgotten man in the Dion Phaneuf trade. Aulie is a large mobile defenceman who had a rather inauspicious year with the Marlies. You didn’t really notice him on the ice, which is tough to say wherther that is good or bad from a big D-man.

Jesse Blacker – A Windsor Spitfires defender that some say has an excelent all around game. He is positionally strong, with a decent sized body for the NHL. Could be playing with the Leafs in the next 2 years.

As you can see, the cupboard is not completely barren…however there is a significant lack of high end talent in that cupboard…especially for a team that has missed the playoffs the last 4 years. Accumulating more of this talent is a must for any team in the salary cap world because RFA and rookie contracts help win Stanley Cups…ask the Blackhawks.

What else does Burke need to do to make this team a contender? Here are some of my thoughts as to what the next steps should be:
- Acquire top 6 forward talent. We have second line players in first line roles right now, and you can not compete over the course of an 82 game schedule with players playing out of position. We saw this with Matt Stajan for so many years, and it did not help then.
- Power forward with skill. Tough to find I know, however acquiring a guy like Milan Lucic, Ryan Malone, or Dustin Penner (bad example I know) who can put in 25 goals but still create open space is a must. This type of player would not only contribute offensively and be an upgrade on the front line, but he would open up space for Kessel to roam by clogging up lanes and screening shotsd. I think this type of player is a MUST.
- Playmaking center. How is Kessel expected to score 40 goals with Tyler Bozak feeding him on a nightly basis? Not a knock on Bozak, I love the way he came in and played last year, I just don’t know a sane Leafs fan that would say he is a legitimate first line player. Kessel needs a Savard type player again that can find him in open space, hit him for a one timer, and provide those passes that make your jaw drop. This along with a power forward would make our first line legitimate, and allow Versteeg and Bozak to slide down the depth chart and balance the attack.
- Is the Monster the goalie of the future? I have yet to see concrete evidence that Gustavsson is the answer in net….however…if Antti Niemi, Brian Boucher, Michael Leighton, Chris Osgood etc are any inidication, big money does not need to be spent between the pipes in order to win the cup. The Leafs would need Gustavsson to be solid (2.70 GAA, .900-.910 sv%) but not spectacular in order to compete with an upgraded lineup, and I think he can provide that. With more confidence, less heart surgeries, and continued tutolage of JS Giguere, I think the best is yet to come with the Monster.

Season Prediction: 8th/9th in the East – Burke can not afford another lottery pick going to Boston.

What do you think? Am I talking out of my ass? Do you agree with my assessment of this team, and what needs to be done to improve? Will Kadri be a superstar? IS Kaberle going to be here next year? Let me know! Sign up and comment! Thanks for the read, I am going to do a lot more posts about the Leafs in the future…so please share your thoughts and ideas as well.


- BF