Toronto Finger Pointing: Five Leaf Players Who Must Step Up Their Game

(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

If I were to ask who needed to step up their game to get the Toronto Maple Leafs out of this terrible slump, the answer might be laughable. You could say that so far, every single member of the team has played far below their potential.

You certainly could make a case.

But things haven't exactly been as bad as it would seem for every member of the team. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this team isn't in a terrible situation, because they most assuredly are, but there are a few positives that can be brought out of these dreary days in Toronto.

Sure, the goaltending has struggled mightily, but things may not be as bad as they seem in net. Joey Macdonald played well in a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, and Jonas Gustavsson has only played 97 minutes this season due to injury. You can bet when "The Monster" gets back into games this week he'll be at his best, knowing that if he plays well, the starting job is his.

The Leafs have been weak when it comes to scoring goals. Dismal, in fact. They've only scored 15 goals in the eight games played. This has them ranked dead last in the league in that department. There are a few, and I mean a few, bright spots.

Alexei Ponikarovsky has managed a plus/minus rating of five, leading the team. He has also added three goals and looked good for the most part. Niklas Hagman, who was benched just a few games ago (and unfairly by some people's standards), has stood out in almost every game he's played.

His speed and excellent puck control in the offensive zone has lead to many chances, including his three goals and five points. Both of which lead the team.

On defense, it's two Leafs who have been here for a while who are playing the best. Ian White has stood out as the best defender on the team, being a rare skater not on the minus side of things. Thomas Kaberle is in a tie for the team lead in points and has looked like his usual confident-with-the-puck self.

Yes, the good things for the Toronto Maple Leafs have been few and far between this season. Plenty of hard work is needed for this team to right the ship. A large majority of the team has been inconsistent, or consistently terrible. Many of the players who were counted on coming into the campaign to lead the team have not shown up.

Here are the players who must step up and play better for the Leafs or else they'll be feeling the consequences sooner than later.

Jason Blake

Through his first two seasons with the Leafs, Jason Blake has garnered a reputation of a player who gets a lot of shots, but not a lot of goals. He had 634 shots in those two years, scoring only 40 times, a meager six percent. This season he once again leads the team in shots with 28 but only has managed one goal.

Simply not good enough.

If there was ever a season for Blake to take over the team, this would be it. He's been given every opportunity by Ron Wilson to put up points. He's playing on the first line and seeing significant power play time, but he just hasn't been able to produce.

He also is a minus seven, worst on the team. You could say he's been the worst of the worst.

With the addition of newly acquired Phil Kessel (who is expected to be in the lineup in a few weeks), Blake will have a solid running mate to play with and will hopefully benefit from his fellow American sniper.

If that doesn't work and Blake continues to struggle, Brian Burke will do whatever he can to see that Blake is on the first flight out of Toronto. We hear he could use a draft pick or two.

John Mitchell

John Mitchell, where art thou? With talk coming into the season that he would center the first or second line, Mitchell has not only disappointed in a major way, he has all but disappeared. Most of his time is spent on the fourth line. Not the way you want to start a season.

The 24-year old scored 12 goals and had 29 points last season. He was expected to play a larger role in the offense this year, but so far the only thing he has shown is an ability to turn over the puck in the offensive zone.

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