Toronto Maple Leafs: 2011-12 Season in Review

The 2011-12 Toronto Maple Leafs were better than the Buds of recent years in two respects.

Firstly, this year's Leafs were better at winning.

With a clearly superior roster over last year's Leafs, this year's group played like a playoff-bound team until roughly the mid-way point of the season.

Secondly, they were better at losing.

No team ever loses intentionally, but they managed to not go on a post-All-Star break tear (Martin Gerber, anyone?).

Instead, they tanked in epic fashion, finishing 26th overall. With the tentatively fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft in hand, the Leafs finally have something to show for all the losing.

Maybe now, the rebuild that started about three years ago will finally bear fruit.

Let's take a look at the 2011-12 season from a blue-and-white perspective, starting in the summer of 2011.

June 24th, 2011

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 24 and 25 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Tyler Biggs (22nd) and defenseman Stuart Percy (25th) in the first round.

It would have been a big day for the organization if that was all that had happened.

Earlier in the day, former Atlanta Thrashers GM Rick Dudley was brought on board in an advisory capacity.

The Leafs had also traded the second-round pick acquired from Boston in the Tomas Kaberle deal to the Colorado Avalanche for puck-moving defenseman John-Michael Liles.

All in all, a good day.

Scott Gordon and Greg Cronin were actually hired four days earlier as assistant coaches, so really, it was a good week.

Brad Richards Mania

Brad Richards could've been watching the playoffs this year. Looks like he chose the right team.

It's not like Phil Kessel or Joffrey Lupul needed a bona fide No. 1 centreman to produce at a point-per-game pace anyway.

The Leafs, in hindsight, were smart not to burden themselves with the top-heavy, long-term contract of a player who, while talented, was clearly being overrated by folks in Toronto.

The guy had 25 goals and 66 points in 82 games this past season.

Lupul had 25 goals and 67 points in just 66 games.

So as it turns out, they didn't need Richards and the lengthy courtship was all for nought.

All the team really needs right now is some sort of Bozak-Grabovski-Steckel hybrid—a big centreman who is great at face-offs, works hard every game and scores pretty goals.

Grabozackel.

I'd settle for Mikhail Grigorenko.

Plan B

We didn't get the big fish, but we got the next best thing in Tim Connolly. We'll give him $9.5 million and he'll be the guy we've been missing.

As it turns out, the Leafs had plenty of guys just like him already.

Thank goodness it was only money.

Connolly is only under contract for one more year, unlike a certain Buffalo Sabre who shall remain Ville Leino. Oops.

For now, he'll be an overpaid third-liner who can at least provide some secondary scoring.

Since there's nobody available to replace him, there's really no rush to move him unless something happens, which requires some cap space freed up.

That said, there will be cheers in Toronto if Brian Burke can parlay him into a pick.

They got David Steckel for a fourth-rounder and John-Michael Liles for a second-rounder. Shall we call it a third-rounder for Connolly?

All Things Considered, Still a Steal

The day after the Leafs signed Tim Connolly, they traded defenseman Brett Lebda and minor-leaguer Robert Slaney to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Cody Franson and forward Matthew Lombardi.

It was perhaps the most lopsided trade in recent Leafs history.

Lombardi was on the road to recovering from a bad concussion, but the trade was still applauded in Toronto.

Franson was expected to be a top-four defenseman who could put up some big numbers from the blue line.

However, in an odd twist, Lombardi made his Leafs debut before Franson got the chance to do so because the latter ended up scratched to start the season.

Brett Lebda was waived by the Predators not long after, while Robert Slaney was sent to Montreal in the deal that saw Hal Gill going the other way.

So despite the fact that neither Franson nor Lombardi have lived up to expectations, the trade will always be remembered as an epic win for Toronto.

Other Notable Signings

James Reimer: Three years, $1.8 million cap hit

Here's hoping the old Reimer returns. Otherwise, we've got the next Steve Mason on our hands.

Carl Gunnarsson: Two years, $1.325 million cap hit

An excellent deal for a guy who eats big minutes for the Leafs.

Tyler Bozak: Two years, $1.5 million cap hit

Good term and amount for a guy who is best suited for a third-line checking role. Also good considering he has the potential to be a 50 or 60-point guy in the NHL.

Clarke MacArthur: Two years, $3.25 million cap hit

Not ideal, but better to slightly overpay than to lose a guy like MacArthur at this point. In a less imperfect world, he'd make a million bucks less per year and would be a regular on the third line.

Philippe Dupuis: One year, $650,000 cap hit

Worth mentioning because it's funny. Goose egg in 30 games played.

Luke Schenn: Five years, $3.6 million cap hit

It's either going to be a burden or a bargain. We'll find out soon enough, assuming of course you haven't decided already.

David Steckel

At the time, it kind of looked like the Leafs were giving up a fourth-round pick for yet another fourth-liner.

However, David Steckel quickly won over Leaf fans by dominating the face-off dot.

The big centreman can score the odd goal here and there, but he isn't good for much aside from winning faceoffs.

I think the Leafs are OK with that, though.

Win the draw, clear the puck, get to the bench.

Jake Gardiner Steals a Job

What a great story Jake Gardiner was, making the team out of training camp.

Cody Franson, who came into town expecting a top-four position to be handed to him, found himself in the press box to start the season because of this kid.

It's a shame about Franson because he didn't get much of a chance to show off his skills this past year, but how about the play of Jake Gardiner?

He's been a giveaway machine at times, but his great skill, potential and poise are undeniable.

Columbus wanted Gardiner in a package for Rick Nash and Toronto said no way if Gardiner's involved.

That should tell you all you need to know about Jake Gardiner.

I wonder if Brian Burke even blinked when talks turned to Nazem Kadri or Joe Colborne.

Matt Frattin Ahead of Nazem Kadri on Depth Chart?

There was a battle during training camp for a third-line winger position between youngsters Matt Frattin, Nazem Kadri and Joe Colborne.

In the end, Colborne didn't play well enough and Kadri got injured, so whether through merit or by default, Frattin won the job.

However, in each of their brief stints with the big club, Frattin has impressed the most.

He plays harder and smarter than Kadri. Naz may possess more skill and have a higher ceiling, but he hasn't been able to show it.

Is it possible that Frattin has leapfrogged over Kadri on the depth chart?

Hypothetically speaking, would the latter's departure from the organization hurt more, or the former?

Exhilarating Season Opener

You can't blame Leaf fans for feeling optimistic after the first game of the 2011-12 season.

After all, the Leafs had just beaten the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in what was one of the most exciting games of the season.

Everything went right in the game.

According to this game recap, David Steckel won 18 of 25 draws and Toronto was five for five on the penalty kill.

Dion Phaneuf blasted home a bullet from the slot while Matthew Lombardi, freshly healed from his post-concussion symptoms, scored on a backhander while shorthanded.

A goal from the captain and a feel good story in Lombardi.

To top it off, a shutout against the hated Habs in the first game of the season.

Everything was looking up.

Halloween and Beyond

On October 31, 2011, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a 7-3-1 record and sat fourth overall in the NHL.

Aside from a lopsided loss against Boston (what else is new?), they did very well. They even managed to win at the Bell Centre and at MSG—two very tough buildings to play in.

Slow starts tend to kill the Leafs, but this year was turning out pretty good.

Would the good times continue, or would the quick start be negated by yet another horrible November?

Well, on November 30th, 2011, the Leafs had a 14-8-2 record and were tied with Florida and St. Louis for fourth overall in terms of points.

Clearly, something good was happening in Toronto. This was going to be the year.

Reimer's Injury

Prior to October 24th, 2011, James Reimer was the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Toronto.

Very few people at that point dared to ask what would happen if Reimer were to be injured because nobody wanted to think of the consequences.

Enter Brian Gionta of the Montreal Canadiens.

He probably didn't mean to, but Gionta backed right into Reimer and knocked his cage off.

After a few scary moments, Reimer looked to be alright.

Two days later, the Leafs called up Ben Scrivens from the Marlies and the season-long musical chairs game was on.

NHL Stars of the Month

According to this NHL.com report, Phil Kessel had 10 goals and 18 points in 11 games in the month of October, earning him First Star of the Month honours.

Folks in Toronto are unaccustomed to having one of their own leading the league in scoring, so this was a welcome surprise.

To add fuel to the optimism in Leafland, Joffrey Lupul would go on a tear the very next month to become Third Star of November.

It wasn't as dramatic and perfectly scripted as the dueling hatties from Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, but the hat tricks from Kessel (vs. Ottawa) and Lupul (vs. New Jersey) were almost as exciting for Leaf fans.

It was truly a great time to beleaf.

However, in hindsight, the team may have been conspiring to lift us higher up with the intention of bringing us down harder come springtime.

Beantown Beatdown, Part 1

Watching the game on TV or online has its advantages.

For one, you get to hear the play-by-play, the colour commentary, interviews and so on.

You also get to leave to grab a snack, read an article during a commercial break or simply stretch your arms without decapitating anybody.

But you know what the absolute best part of watching the game at home is?

You can stop watching when it gets too hard to watch.

Everyone's tolerance level is different. I'm sure some people watch every minute of every game, win or lose.

For me, there's only so much punishment I can take.

On November 5, 2011, I was forced to watch every minute of a humiliating 7-0 defeat of the Leafs at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

I didn't know it at the time, but apparently, there was still a ways to go to reach rock bottom.

Sad, but true.

Kulemin's Drought

On December 16, Nikolai Kulemin scored a goal against the Buffalo Sabres.

It was his first goal since October 22 when he scored in Montreal and only the third of the season.

When his season ended in mid-March due to a broken finger, the 30-goal scorer from last season finished with a paltry seven goals (still five more than Scott Gomez had this year).

Sucks for the team, but at least the organization will save some dough when they give him a new contract this summer.

It's odd that despite his struggles, very few people have been hard on Kulemin.

Perhaps it's because his English isn't the best and therefore doesn't speak as much as some of his teammates.

Perhaps it's because he isn't under contract for the next decade carrying a massive cap hit.

Perhaps it's because his defensive game is better than a lot of the other guys, but for whatever reason, Leaf fans don't criticize this guy that much.

Hopefully, he'll reward their faith with a big-time bounce-back year.

Lucky 7's

There was that 9-3 laugher against the Atlanta Thrashers last year, but Leaf fans aren't used to having their team score seven or more goals.

It's usually the Boston Bruins doing it to them.

However, on November 19, the Leafs cleaned the Caps' clocks 7-1 at the ACC.

Three days later, in Tampa, they whipped the Lightning by the same score.

And for good measure, the Leafs again scored seven goals against the Lightning, winning at home by a score of 7-3.

So the Boston Bruins beat the Leafs 8-0 and the Leafs beat the Caps and Bolts 7-1.

Doesn't that mean the B's should've had a couple 15-1 games?

It's only logical.

ASG Fan Ballot

Oh, the drama.

Remember when the All-Star Game fan ballot was in full swing and fans were chirping each other over who deserved what?

Remember when James Reimer led all goalies in votes?

When Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf were fighting with Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson for votes?

When the All-Star Game mattered?

Liles' Injury

On December 22, the Leafs played host to the Buffalo Sabres.

The blue-and-white won 3-2, but lost John-Michael Liles to IR.

As you can see in the video, Liles had his head way down while receiving a pass. Former Sabre Paul Gaustad absolutely crushes him with a perfectly clean hit.

They called it "concussion-like symptoms."

He returned on February 1, but was not the same player as he was before the hit.

This article in the Toronto Star cites Liles' injury as a reason for the team's collapse.

According to the article, the blueliner had 21 points in 34 games prior to the hit, but only four points in 27 games after.

Penalty Killing

From the Toronto Star:

"

Of their nine losses in December, the Leafs allowed two or more goals on the penalty kill in five of those games. Thirteen goals went in during the penalty kill in those five games...Overall, the Leafs killed only 33 of 52 penalties in December, good for 64 per cent. The club never lost by more than two goals in any game in December.

"

If the Leafs' penalty-killing unit operated at roughly 80 percent efficiency throughout the year instead of in the mid-seventies, would the Leafs have made the playoffs?

They certainly would have been a few points closer.

A Very Ron Wilson Christmas

"

"He came! He came!" Remember saying that as a little kid? Well he did: I got a new Red Ryder BB gun and a contract extension!

— Ron Wilson (@coachrw63) December 25, 2011

 

"

For no real reason, Brian Burke decided to give his old pal Ron Wilson a contract extension, but only for a year.

Because nothing says, "I'm confident in your abilities as head coach" like a one-year contract.

He was fired less than two and a half months later.

Gustavsson in January

Was it a goalie controversy or wasn't it?

James Reimer returned from his upper body/head/neck/concussion/concussion-like issue on December 3.

He was basically given his starting job back and managed to hold onto it until the end of the calendar year.

Jonas Gustavsson started the first game of 2012 and helped the Leafs win against Tampa Bay by a score of 7-3.

It was the Monster's job to lose for the next month.

In January, Gustavsson went 7-3-1 and had a 0.927 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against-average.

Three of the wins were shutouts.

The Perfect PK

The Leafs gave up precisely zero goals while shorthanded in the entire month of January.

They were shorthanded five times in their first game of 2012, but were only shorthanded twelve more times for the rest of the month.

The perfect penalty-killing streak actually lasted until Mats Sundin night, which was February 11.

For some reason, the players were incredibly disciplined in January. Sticks were kept on the ice and feet were kept moving.

Unfortunately, due to the low number of penalties they took, the length streak did nothing for their PK ranking, which remained 30th in the league for some time.

On the bright side, they did finish 28th overall at 77.3 percent, ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets and surprisingly, the San Jose Sharks.

The Streak That Almost Was

On January 31, the Leafs were in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins.

After 40 minutes, the Buds were leading 2-1.

Less than seven minutes into the third period, they were up 4-1.

Then, Steve Sullivan and Joe Vitale scored to make it 4-3. We had a hockey game. Of course, we all know how well the Leafs hold onto leads.

With just seven seconds left, who else, but Evgeni Malkin scored to tie the game up.

Overtime solved nothing, so the game went to a shootout where, who else, Evgeni Malkin scored the winner.

If it hadn't been for that third-period collapse, the Leafs would have had a six-game winning streak—they had won two games going into that one and won three games after that tough loss, including a 1-0 shutout of the Pens the day following that loss.

Following that three-game winning streak, the Leafs would lose 2-1 in Winnipeg.

That would signal the start of the team's free fall.

January 3, 2012

The Leafs made a minor-league deal on January 3 with who else, but the Anaheim Ducks that had Luca Caputi going to Anaheim in return for fellow forward Nicolas Deschamps.

The bigger news of the day, however, was that the team finally decided to send Philippe Dupuis down to the Toronto Marlies.

30 games played. Zero points.

Honestly, if he had just parked himself in the other team's crease and stuck his rear end out, he would've at least gotten a goal or two.

It's a wonder he didn't even register an assist. Apparently, he never passed the puck.

Or, perhaps, all his attempts at passing went astray.

Orr Demoted

Brian Burke lamented the need to demote Colton Orr, saying he was worried about the direction in which the NHL and the game of hockey were headed.

The enforcer's role is supposedly to keep everyone on the ice honest.

You take too many liberties with our guys and you have to pay the price.

Now that fewer and fewer enforcers are being employed by NHL teams, the remaining enforcers are seeing decreasing ice time.

When every enforcer has lost his job, Burke fears that dirty hits will make a big comeback because there will be nobody around to exact punishment.

That's the gist of it anyway.

It's a polarizing issue.

Some agree with Burke.

Others disagree, saying there is no place in hockey for guys who can't play hockey, whose sole purpose is to beat the stuffing out of the other guys.

Have you seen the movie Goon starring Seann William Scott?

A lot of the hockey stuff was exaggerated, but there was some truth in there.

Liles Contract Extension

Despite struggling after returning from concussion-like symptoms from the Gaustad hit, defenseman John-Michael Liles was rewarded with a four-year, $15.5 million contract extension.

He was in the final year of a four-year, $16.8 million contract.

Brian Burke did well to not only keep a skilled puck-moving defenseman in Liles, but also to slightly lower his annual cap hit from $4.2 million to $3.875 million.

Ideally, Liles will be able to be a huge contributor on the power play, as well as in even-strength situations where he can be the fourth guy on the rush.

The Leafs do have a guy like Liles in Jake Gardiner, except the latter has more upside, is craftier with the puck and, for better or for worse, is willing to take more risks.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have two offensive-minded defensemen on the team.

Toronto certainly had enough defensive-defensemen before they brought him in.

All-Star

I'd have some pretty insightful stuff to say about Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul's contributions at the All-Star Game and the Skills Competition, except I barely watched any of it.

Speaking of Mats Sundin Night

It was a good move on Montreal's part to have Tomas Kaberle, the long-time Leaf and former teammate of Mats Sundin, out for the ceremonial faceoff.

Dion Phaneuf put on what passes for a smile, but he probably couldn't have cared less. It's not like he ever played with Sundin.

The same could've been said for the rest of the Leafs. Well, except for former Leaf and current Blue Jacket Darryl Boyce.

The Leafs certainly played like they didn't care about Mats Sundin.

The Canadiens, on the other hand, played like Sundin was a former Hab and like it was Sundin night at the Bell Centre.

I can't imagine how the man must've felt after watching his old team roll over and die like that.

A 5-0 loss.

On Mats Sundin night at the Air Canada Centre.

To the Habs.

A team on which ex-Leaf Tomas Kaberle plays for.

Embarrassing.

February 7, 2012

On February 7, 2012, the Leafs ran out of gas following a big 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers the night before and ended up losing 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets.

It was a painful game to watch because there was zero effort from the Leafs.

OK, so they had a bad game. No sweat.

They would go 1-8-1 to finish the month.

To add insult to injury, it gets worse.

Much worse.

Boyce Waived

Darryl Boyce is remembered in Toronto as a hard-working grinder who suffered a nasty nose injury after crashing face-first into a camera hole in the end boards.

The Leafs certainly could have used him in the last few weeks of the season, but on February 25 decided to waive him instead.

The Columbus Blue Jackets picked him up off the waiver wire.

A sad day indeed for Leaf fans.

Would you rather have Boyce on the third line, or guys like Matthew Lombardi ($3.5 million per) and Tim Connolly ($4.75 million per) on the third line?

Nashcentre 2012

In the weeks, hours and minutes leading up to the 3 PM trade deadline on February 27, it was Rick Nash mania.

Media and fans alike discussed the Rick Nash rumours ad nauseum, so we won't go into too much detail here.

Suffice it to say, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the front-runners in the Rick Nash sweepstakes.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the asking price for the Blue Jackets captain was too high and Toronto decided not to do it.

It wasn't worth giving away promising young players like Jake Gardiner and Joe Colborne.

If you were disappointed that the Leafs didn't make a big splash for Nash or anyone else, the good news for you is that all the drama surrounding Nash prior to the deadline will repeat itself once draft day comes along.

Will the price go down, or will it remain the same?

Will "The List" increase in size, or will it decrease?

Get the popcorn ready.

Ashton Acquired

It wasn't the blockbuster many fans wanted, but on deadline day, Brian Burke decided to ship defenseman Keith Aulie off to Tampa for one of their top prospects in Carter Ashton.

The young forward had zero points in 15 games played for Toronto. He was a minus-10.

It's possible Ashton wasn't and still isn't ready for NHL action, but with all the injuries to NHL regulars, perhaps the coaches thought it would be nice to give him a tryout.

Mike Zigomanis may have been a better choice down the stretch, but what's done is done.

Still, it was a good trade.

Toronto had Carl Gunnarsson, Mike Komisarek and Luke Schenn, all stay-at-home defensemen. There was no need to keep another one in Keith Aulie.

It might've been better to teach Aulie to use his size more effectively and then to dump Komisarek, but as a young and developing player, Aulie had significantly higher trade value.

Ashton may not have helped the big club down the stretch, but he will definitely help the Marlies in their playoff run.

This was a move for the future.

Leaf fans are sick of those, but this will look like a smart move in a year or two when some of the Marlies' kids graduate to full-time duty with the Leafs.

Players for Picks

By now, it should be common knowledge that Brian Burke could have traded Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Luke Schenn for first-round picks at the deadline.

Grabovski was, and obviously still is, pretty much untouchable, but imagine if the others had been shipped out.

The team would be shaken to its core because the two currently longest-serving Leafs in Schenn and Kulemin would be gone.

A lot of salary would be off the books. And finally, the Leafs would have up to four first-round picks in this June's draft.

Think of the possibilities.

The Leafs could:

• use their tentatively fifth overall pick and another first-rounder to trade up, preferably to first overall
• trade up using a couple of the lower first-rounders
• use one or more of the lower first-rounders to acquire roster players
• simply draft a bunch of kids and hope a couple of them can jump in and help immediately

It's always fun to have more than one first-round pick in the same draft.

It's also fun to fantasize about stuff like this.

Oh well. We'll just have to settle for one first-rounder, albeit a very high first-rounder.

There's still time, though!

FI-RE WIL-SON

In a span of a week or two, Brian Burke went from "not contemplating a coaching change" to firing the coach.

Did the fans have anything to do with it? Possibly.

In any case, Ron Wilson was fired less than two and a half months after announcing his one-year contract extension on Twitter.

Randy Carlyle was hired as head coach and Dave Farrish soon arrived in town to replace assistant coach Rob Zettler.

One reason behind the coaching change was to try and salvage the season. That failed.

The other reason was to get a head start on next year.

The idea was to get all the players used to Carlyle and his coaching style so that, come September, everyone would be on board and ready to roll.

Grabovski Re-Signs

Is five years at $5.5 million per too much for a second-line centreman?

It's certainly odd that Mikhail Grabovski is going to be higher paid than Phil Kessel for the next two seasons.

That said, it was a good amount and length, as well.

If Grabo didn't re-sign, who would centre the second line? Olli Jokinen? Tim Connolly?

Burke may have overpaid, but losing Grabovski to free agency would have been unacceptable and very damaging to the organization.

Every Leaf fan should be glad he's under contract for the next five years.

Beantown Beatdown, Part 6

8-0.

There are no words...

Pathetic, but Necessary Loss to Montreal

It was a pathetic way to end the season, but had they not lost to the Habs in the final game of the season, the Leafs would have risen a couple spots in the standings.

With that loss, they now possess the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Unless someone below them wins the draft lottery, the lowest they'll pick is fifth.

Since trading the pick away would amount to career suicide, it's safe to say Brian Burke will hang onto it, except if he decides to use it to trade up.

Every fan hates to see their team lose and it was a horrible game to watch, but it was a necessary loss.

Crappy way to end the season, but there's always next year (ha!).

Abbott Signed

In late March, the Leafs signed Hobey Baker Award finalist Spencer Abbott to an entry-level contract.

The former Maine Black Bear will join a soon-to-be beefed up Marlies squad to help them in their playoff run.

Nothing develops young guys quite like a deep playoff run.

If the baby Leafs go far or, better yet, all the way, the big club will have a lot of motivated high-end talent joining them next season.

Home Record

On February 6, the Leafs won at home against the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 6-3.

Their next home win would come 54 days later—a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Toronto's home record on the season was 18-16-7, which is completely unacceptable.

The Air Canada Centre is quiet most nights, except when the team scores a big goal, a fight breaks out, a Leaf throws a big hit or when someone needs to be fired.

The ACC is no longer a tough building to play in because an early goal from the visitors usually sucks the life out of the building.

There is no confidence from the fans that the home team will come back.

The players need to give people something to cheer about on a nightly basis and fans need to respond by being loud.

Both parties could learn a thing or two from the good folks in Winnipeg.

Career Years

The following players had career years (points) worth mentioning:

Joey Crabb

Previous career year: 2010-11, Toronto Maple Leafs

2010-11 stats: 3 goals, 15 points in 48 games

2011-12 stats: 11 goals, 26 points in 67 games

Jake Gardiner (rookie season, but worth mentioning)

2011-12 stats: 7 goals, 30 points in 75 games played

Tyler Bozak

Previous career year: 2010-11, Toronto Maple Leafs

2010-11 stats: 15 goals, 32 points in 82 games

2011-12 stats: 18 goals, 47 points in 73 games

Joffrey Lupul

Previous career year: 2005-06, Anaheim Ducks

2005-06 stats: 28 goals, 53 points in 81 games

2011-12 stats: 25 goals, 67 points in 66 games

Phil Kessel

Previous career year: 2010-11, Toronto Maple Leafs

2010-11 stats: 32 goals, 64 points in 82 games

2011-12 stats: 37 goals, 82 points in 82 games

Disappointments

Where to start?

Nikolai Kulemin was probably the most disappointing simply because of the expectations attached to him.

He went from 30 goals last season to just seven this season.

James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson, with a little help from Ben Scrivens, couldn't keep enough pucks out of the net.

Dion Phaneuf wasn't a good enough captain.

Colby Armstrong and Mike Komisarek were poor assistant captains.

Luke Schenn struggled defensively.

Clarke MacArthur and Mikhail Grabovski couldn't duplicate last year's success.

The PK was awful.

The power play, though it somehow finished 10th overall in the league, was entirely predictable and painful to watch.

Let's stop there before it turns into another slideshow.