The Toronto Maple Leafs have not seen Playoff Hockey since the 2003-2004 season. Their fan base is beginning to believe that this team might be cursed. Not only have they not won Lord Stanley's Cup since 1967, when the NHL was only a 6 team league, they haven't even been back to the Finals since then. Their current roster is jam packed with outstanding young talent, but none of it seems to be heading in the right direction, or even the same direction. The inconsistencies in draft philosophies are evident here, as the Leafs have flip-flopped GMs twice now in the past 4 seasons. Burke pickups are beginning to define this team's identity, which is something it has been lacking in previous years. Not since Mats Sundin was taking this team to the playoffs 6 straight seasons, reaching at least the conference semifinals in 5 of those years, has this team had an identity. Somehow, this team expects to make it to the post-season next year.
Their management, Brian Burke in particular, is in no hurry to pay respect to veteran leadership, case in point with Dion Phaneuf being named the franchise's next captain over the experienced Tomas Kaberle, who finished second on the team in points with 49 last season in 82 games. Burke is sending a message to his players with this move, and that is this team will be physical if nothing else, and guys like Kaberle just don't fit that profile. In all likelihood, Kaberle is gone by the draft, as Burke has widely acknowledged that he has received offers for his services, and that he was willing to listen to said offers. What he gets in return is anyone's guess, just know that the days of Kaberle being worth a first round pick are long gone. Do not expect Toronto to trade back in to the first round with a package that includes only Kaberle, they will have to package a prospect or two in order to get that done. A more realistic expectation would be a scoring forward and a mid-round selection for the Czech defender.
A main issue for the Leafs is coaching, as Ron Wilson has shown he cannot take a group of rag-tag players and make them winners, as he did when he coached in Washington. Even in the playoffs, Wilson's recent track record is one of repeated failure as coach of the San Jose Sharks. His teams are never physical juggernauts, which is what Burke wants this Leafs team to be from here on out. If Burke expects this team to win by hitting with Wilson behind the bench, he is quite mistaken, because that is simply not a style of coaching suited for Wilson. Besides that, this team is too young to know how to win on any level in the NHL, and the only veteran leadership they have in Kaberle is already halfway out the door. If this team wants an example of how to play with tenacity and exuberance, and to win, it should look no further than across its own province to the Ottawa Senators, who nearly took Pittsburgh to seven games in the first round of the playoffs this year.
No player on the Leafs scored more than 55 points last season, and even that was a disappointment in Phil Kessel's game. Boston perhaps knew that Kessel was not going to live up to his draft status (5th overall in 2006), and got what they could for him (to the tune of this years second overall pick and other picks, a king's ransom). The depth of young talent on this roster is truly staggering. Performances last season like Luke Schenn's or Tyler Bozak's in the second half are exactly what Burke wants to see moving forward. What is even more staggering is that Burke acquired a lot of his talent through trades, not the patient build-through-the-draft approach that is becoming popular. He may have to make some more trades, or even go after a big free agent (Kovalchuk, maybe Alex Frolov) before he has what he wants, but Burke will get a competitive on-the-ice product soon. Maybe not in the next year, but soon.
Returning players: Phil Kessel, Mikhail Grabovski, Tyler Bozak, Viktor Stalberg, Luca Caputi, Fredrick Sjostrom, Colton Orr, Dion Phaneuf, Tomas Kaberle (contract only, expect him to be traded), Carl Gunnarsson, Luke Schenn, Francois Beauchemin, Jeff Finger, Mike Komisarek, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, Jonas Gustavsson
Free Agents who will likely be back: Nikolai Kulemin (RFA), John Mitchell (RFA), Christian Hanson (RFA)
According to CapGeek.com, the Maple Leafs have about $10 million in cap space. Expect them to try to make a splash, but the money may be too tight in this instance to go after, say, Ilya Kovalchuk. They need to add at least one top 6 forward, a third line center and a veteran defender.
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