The State of the Maple Leafs: Another Long Season in Hogtown

So, what's wrong with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

While there are many opinions on this subject, the short list includes the goaltending and a lack of experience.

When you look at the surface, these seem like fixable problems.

And they may be, but at what cost?

Over the summer, the management group, beginning with Cliff Fletcher, decided it was time to clean house and dump some of the higher salaries.

Staying true to its plan, the front office declined to offer contract extensions to high-price free agents, such as Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe, who continued their careers elsewhere.

In the case of Mats Sundin, he wasn't going to return anyway, no matter what he or his agent, J.P. Barry, would have you believe.

It seemed clear the writing was on the wall. The Leafs were in for a hard season, one full of growing pains for the younger players, and restless nights for Ron Wilson and the coaching staff.

While there are some fresh, new faces in Leaf Nation, the outgoing players take with them a reasonably large salary commitment. Players like Mikael Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and Luke Schenn aren't going to break the bank salary-wise, but their inexperience becomes more and more visible the longer the season goes. 

Rookies make mistakes, and there's no getting around it. To err is rookie.

Curtis Joseph was brought back to give incumbent Vesa Toskala a veteran backup at a low cost. If you were to pay his salary by wins, it would be an $800,000 game against a lowly Thrashers team that is no better off than Toronto. Give him 20 wins and he would be looking at a healthy payday.

Me thinks this was just an attempt to get fans excited about the upcoming season.  "Cujo" was always a fan favorite and will be long after he retires.

So, what do they need to do to become competitive again? Ron Wilson is an exceptional coach, and his assistants are very knowledgeable and keen to teach. Bringing him on board was the right decision. Getting Brian Burke was also a no-brainer. They, as in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, have taken deft steps toward returning this franchise to the top of the NHL standings.

The on-ice product will take time to come around, so it is going to be a matter of patience. Drafting well, with lots of picks, is essential. Not just high picks, but players of substance, players that do many things well. 

Trading draft picks for high-price "rental" players is not the answer, especially at the cost of losing picks. The era of the Leafs spending the big dollars for free agents should be left to the past administrations.

Getting everyone on board, rowing in the same direction, is essential for success in today's NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to exercise patience and diligence to pull themselves from the quagmire they've thrust themselves into. 

Every journey begins with a single step, but if they don't take care to stay the course, the next steps they take could be two back.