The Ultimate ReBuild: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Right Track?

It has been many years since we Leafs fans have seen the Stanley Cup parade in Toronto (42, to be exact). In fact, some havn't even seen the parade, myself included.

 

We have seen many general managers and coaches get fired. We have seen players’ careers made and then ruined. We have seen too many rough seasons.

 

However, with all the moves the Buds made in the offseason, and with arguably the NHL’s best general manager just beginning his tenure at the Leafs’ helm, could we see the demise of all those rough seasons?

 

The Maple Leafs have finally showed that they are committed to rebuilding this franchise. No longer will the Maple Leafs’ management just fix the holes that are left on the roster.

 

This team is being torn apart completely and being put back together using a combination of draft picks, the free agent market, the trade market, and, most importantly, time. The Maple Leafs have a new general manager, a new coach, and what seems to be a good young core to build around.

 

In the summer, the Maple Leafs kicked off their rebuild by drafting defenseman Luke Schenn fifth overall. It wasn’t long after the draft until July 1 came, the day that NHL teams can begin signing free agents.

 

Then Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher wasted no time dipping into the free agent pool, signing three new players: Crowd favorite Curtis Joseph, who was signed to back up the starting goalie, Vesa Toskala; Jeff Finger, who was signed to a controversial four-year, $3.4 million contract; and Niklas Hagman, who signed a four-year, $3 million contract.

 

Those veterans will fit in with the young talent. Talent that includes Mikhail Grabovski and Luke Schenn, which is exatly the type of talent the Maple Leafs have been looking for. However, all of the pieces aren't there just yet.

 

The Toronto Marlies (their AHL affiliate) has players that could also be part of the Maple Leafs' quest to win a Stanley Cup. With players like Grabovski, Schenn, Kulemin, and Sifers in the NHL, and Pogge, Stralman, Tlusty, and Oreskovic in the American Hockey League, the Leafs seem to have a good core to build around.

 

Where the Leafs need to be careful is how the young talent is trained. Most of the veterans were part of the old plan, which means they will influence the new guys with the wrong methods.

 

Following is a list of players that seem to be part of the rebuild and players that are not. The latter category is listed as “On the Bubble,” meaning that the player could get moved between now and the trade deadline.

 

Part of the ReBuild                          On the Bubble

 

Mikhail Grabovski                            Nik Antropov

Niklas Hagman                               Jason Blake

Nikolai Kulemin                               Jamal Mayers

Brad May                                      Ryan Hollweg

Dominic Moore                               John Mitchell

Jeff Finger                                    Alexei Ponikarovsky

Luke Schenn                                  Matt Stajan                                   

Jamie Sifers                                   Lee Stempniak

Anton Stalman                               Jeff Finger

                                                  Jonas Frogren

                                                  Tomas Kaberle

                                                  Pavel Kubina

                                                  Mike Van Ryn

                                                              Ian White

                                                  Vesa Toskala

                                                  Curtis Joseph (retirement)

 

 

After the Maple Leafs finish their drafting and free agent signing, the rebuilding “freeze” will be turned on. During this time, they will not make any moves. All they can do is evaluate what they have until the freeze tag is removed.

 

The trade deadline is just over a month away and the rumor mill has begun to churn. This year, the deadline could decide the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs.