The Demise of the Toronto Maple Leafs

It's safe to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs' season has become one of utter failure, and will result in the team missing the playoffs once again.

In taking a look at the Leafs' roster, it's quite obvious as to why they're having a lack of success.

There are only two pure talents in Toronto: Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle. Aside from that, the rest of the roster is filled with role players or guys who should be plying their trades in the AHL.

Sure, Nik Antropov had a tremendous start to the season, but he has since fizzled out, having not recorded a point in eight straight games. Jason Blake, GM John Ferguson's high-profile free-agent acquisition, has tallied only eight goals all season, and has failed to gel with Sundin.

Blake's lack of passing ability is also becoming increasingly noticeable.

Alexei Ponikarovsky, meanwhile, has shown brief flashes of brilliance, but has still failed to become a consistent NHL hockey player. Darcy Tucker has been a non-factor.

On the blueline, Pavel Kubina can look good one game and then look absolutely horrendous the next. Hal Gill is usually steady and reliable, but still turns the puck over too much for a guy who has no recovery speed whatsoever.

As for Andy Wozniewski—well, what really is there to say about this guy except that he is clearly not an NHL-caliber defenseman?

Why the Leafs' continue to play Wozniewski is beyond me. He leads the team in minor penalties (50 PIM's total) in very limited ice time, which only proves that he can not handle the pace of the NHL.

In the future, Toronto fans can only expect more of the same. The Leafs are up against the cap thanks to the hefty salaries of underperformers such as Kubina, Blake, Tucker, and Bell. Our future prospects are nonexistent...and we can't make any trades involving the aforementioned players thanks to their large salaries.

Personally, I'm sick of hearing about the rise of Matt Stajan and Alexander Steen. If they're to be the future of this club, don't expect positive results in the coming years.

Stajan lacks the speed and finesse to be an offensive player, while also lacking the strength and determination to become a defensive force, which many "experts" seem to think is his role on this team.

Steen shows more sings of becoming a complete player than Stajan does, but he's very inconsistent, and has a lot more work to do to become any type of presence in the NHL.

For proof of the above, watch how many battles these two lose in the corners. However, the media has created the illusion that Stajan and Steen are franchise players, and it appears that many people have bought it.

The numbers certainly don't back up that claim: 9G, 9A, +2 in 43 games for Stajan; 7G, 12A, -2 in 43 games for Steen.

The only bright spots this season have been the play of Sundin, the emergence of Antropov, and the play of goaltender Vesa Toskala (the only positive move Ferguson has made in his tenure).

Aside from that, it has been an abysmal year that will likely result in the trade of our beloved captain and another failure to reach the playoffs.

The talent and work ethic just isn't there. Changes need to be made, and they need to be made now—or Leaf fans are going to have endure even more hard times in years to come.

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