All right. Considering I'm bored of hearing about the situation that leafs are in—rather depressing actually, so let's move along—I've decided to briefly chirp aloud about former Maple Leafs returning to some level of contribution.
Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker were both picked up by the Colorado Avalanche this season. Tucker was bought out by Toronto and signed with Colorado, while Raycroft cleared waivers before being picked up. They both had subpar seasons with the Leafs, yet at one time or another were decent players in their own respect.
Raycroft was thought of as a prodigy. He won the Calder trophy, but followed that feat up with several dismal seasons. His career was set back further when, after missing the playoffs again, Toronto brought in Vesa Toskala.
Now by no means is Raycroft going to be heralded as a savior in Colorado. Peter Budaj looks to be their No. 1 for the time being. However, as Colorado is nowhere near the overly-critical, under-rewarding hockey town that Toronto is, the duller "spotlight" could do this young goaltender some good.
Darcy Tucker has always been an annoyance to other teams. Though not the most skillful of players, there are few in the game that carry a heart as big as this guy. Two years ago, he was part of a consistent Toronto power play, yet tailed off last year.
Although he will not contribute a huge amount of scoring, he does lead by example, and could benefit with playing with up-and-comers on Colorado such as Paul Stasny, as well as proven veterans like Ryan Smyth and the always-impressive future Hall-of-Famer, Joe "Jovertime" Sakic.
I'll end this by talking about Kyle Wellwood. I'll be blatant in saying I just flat-out love watching this guy when he's on his game, so there is a fair bit of bias in this. His physical capabilities have been called into question many times, and his lackluster conditioning effort last season only stand to further his critics' arguments.
But as with Tucker, he was a key component in the Leafs power play, scoring the goal that sent fans into their latest bit of painful hope. His goal against Montreal put the Leafs temporarily into the playoffs, only to watch the New York Islanders poke-check them out of contention.
These three players, all of them, still have potential. While Darcy's no spring chicken, he still brings emotion to the game, and no team can ever have too much of that. For Raycroft and Mr. Wellwood, a change of scenery, and a whole lot to prove, can do a lot to alter your perception.
Best of luck, boys. I'll be watching...
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