The 08-09 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Preview

Alex Steen and Matt Stajan are going to take on higher-leverage roles this season with the departures of the older team leaders. They have made the jump from the young guns to the more experienced leaders in the dressing room. Both of them will be expected to excel as star players for the Leafs in the upcoming season.

There are many players on the Leafs who have been expected to have potential for the future, but this year the future looks to be now as these players are now the stars of their respective team.

Grade: C

Defense

Kaberle--Finger

Stralman--Kubina

Van Ryn--Frogren

Other Notables: Kronwall, White, Coliacovo, Schenn

The Leafs are crowded at defense this season with many new players being brought in during the offseason. Jeff Finger, the most notable of these players, looks to be a fixture on a top pairing. He can play solid shutdown defense, and while not that capable offensively, the Leafs do have Kaberle and Kubina for a reason. He should get better as the season progresses, much like last year.

Tomas Kaberle has had at least 50 points in each of the past 3 seasons, so repeating that effort shouldn't be difficult, while Pavel Kubina has got past early criticism to be a valuable offensive defenseman.

The rest of the Leafs' defensive core remains up in the air and it will be the story of training camp in the preseason. Many young and new faces are trying to make their mark in training camp to stand out above all the rest. Anton Stralman has been highly touted and should hold down a spot on the defense, but will recieve challenge from other defensemen such as Nicklas Kronwall, Ian White, Carlo Coliacovo, and perhaps even 18-year old Luke Schenn.

Kronwall played in the AHL for most of last year but has spent parts of his last 3 seasons with the Leafs. He remains a good defensive defenseman. Ian White has played 2 full seasons with the Leafs but is in danger of losing his job, despite 21 points in 81 games last year.

Coliacovo has had bad luck with injuries over the past few years and many has labelled him as injury-prone. He remains an enigma with enormous potential that he has failed to reach. As well, Luke Schenn plays a very complete game for an 18-year old, although he is not expected to make the team this year. He will probably spend another season in the WHL before making his Leafs debut. Even though the defense doesn't look that strong on paper, it is a big improvement defensively from last season.

Grade: B-

Goaltending:

Toskala

Joseph

Other Notable: Pogge

Vesa Toskala has been a stud goaltender as he has been one of the top players overall on the Leafs during his first year with the organization. If the leafs are going to make any noise this year, you can guarantee Vesa will be a big reason why. Backing him up is the legendary Curtis Joseph, who played well in Calgary during the stretch run last year. While losing a lot of leaders last year, bringing in Joseph will put him into a big leadership role with the younger players, even as a backup.

Justin Pogge had a good year in the AHL last season. However, he is not ready for the NHL just yet. He is expected to make the jump to the NHL either next season or the year after. The goaltending will need to be the focal point of the Leafs roster if they are expecting to be a playoff contender. On paper, the goaltending seems to be the strongest aspect of the team.

Grade: A-

Although the Leafs are not expected to do well this season, they are looking better towards the future to get the organization back on track. This season I believe many people will be surprised by the young look Leafs. However, do not set your sights on a playoff position this coming April.

Overall Grade: C

Prediction: 10th in East

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