Leafs Season: Second Half Can Only Get Better

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had another mediocre first half this year.

They've started the season a dismal 16-18-8, and are sitting at 13th in the Eastern Conference and last in the Northeast division.

Yet, the Leafs have left lots of room for improvement in the second half.

But they have their work cut out for them if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

Here's the big letdowns of the first half, some areas needing improvement, and some ideas for John Ferguson to think about before he gets let go.

The Letdowns

1. Jason Blake: "Big off-season acquisition" has plummeted from a superb 40 goal season last year, netting only eight goals in 42 games.

2. Andrew Raycroft: (2-6-4) record, 3.79 GAA, and .878 save percentage. Enough said.

3. Bryan McCabe: Another awful season full of injury. Has played in only 27 games so far, and put up only 12 points.

4. Mark Bell: Six words for Bell: You can't fight, so don't try.

Areas for Improvement

1. Special Teams: The Leafs are ranked 26th in the league in both power play and penalty kill percentage. It doesn't help that Jason Blake has chipped in only eight goals and Bryan McCabe has only contributed four.

2. Team Defense: The Leafs have given up the 5th most goals in the league this year. Maybe instead of wasting all of their money on players like Bryan McCabe and get a defenseman that doesn't score half of the other teams' goals for them.

Ideas for the GM

1. Two words—Trade Sundin: As much as I hate to say it, the Leafs need to trade Mats for a good young player already in the league, and a first- and second-round pick.

2. Get Rid of Raycroft: Andrew Raycroft hasn't done anything this year. Vesa Toskala has emerged as the Leafs number-one 'tender and there is no further need for Raycroft.

This is my opinion on the Leafs season, and what they should do to save it. Please post any and all comments.