Are The Maple Leafs Playoff Bound? Vesa Toskala Is Key...

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Normally, I scoff at articles that are written prematurely but, for the sake of creating some debate, I will make an exception.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to make the playoffs this season. How do you like them apples Hab fans?

When you look closely at the NHL’s Eastern Conference there are a few teams that will be a “Lock” to make the playoffs. The “Fab five” of the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes should all be there.

Do the math, that’s five teams making the playoffs. That leaves three spots for the other ten teams to fight over. The Leafs have a good chance of locking up one of those spots.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has made substantial changes to his less than stellar roster from 2008-09. Francois Beauchemin was brought in to be a veteran presence on defense. Mike Komisarek was signed away from the hated Montreal Candiens to supply a checking presence and Garnett Exelby was brought in to patrol the back end and supply some grit.

That makes three solid acquisitions to the defense, representing 50 percent change. The end result is a more mobile defense that should be better overall and will definitely make opposing players lives miserable in front of the Leafs net.

Defensively, the Leafs are deeper than most teams in the East. Outside of Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia the Leafs are arguably as good or better than the other 11 teams in the East. That should serve them well in the heavily offensive weighted Eastern Conference.

In the net, Vesa Toskala looks to be recovering nicely from a torn Labrum and should revert to his form of 2007-08 when he had 33 wins in 66 games with the Leafs. Add promising young goaltender Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson to the mix and you have what arguably should be an improved goaltending situation.

Great goaltending is the key to the Leafs success. Toskala must be better. If he falters the Leafs are in trouble. Gustavsson may be a great prospect, but, until we see if he can handle NHL shooters on a nightly basis and the rigours of an NHL season, the Leafs hopes lie squarely on Toskala's shoulders.

The Leafs should see a noticeable decline in goals against and the acquisition of Beauchemin, Komisarek and Exelby should limit the amount of rubber Toskala and Gustavsson face nightly. Less shots, better overall defense, and an improved effort between the pipes should equate to less stress on the Leafs offense, which means more wins.

Up front, the Maple Leafs are admittedly a little soft. When you consider the rest of the Eastern Conference, their forwards are very strong. Outside of the “Fab Five”, who all have deeper offensive lineups than the Leafs, the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightening, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators arguably have a better top six forward lineup than the Leafs.

Comparatively, the Leafs stack up well against the New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers, Buffalo Sabres and to some degree, the Florida Panthers. The Leafs can compete with these lineups, but, to be fair, the Leafs will have to be infallible defensively and between the pipes if they have any shot at making the playoffs.

The Leafs special teams are set to take a shot in the arm as well. The Power Play is an extremely important part to a teams success. Beauchemin has a great shot from the point and, if paired alongside Thomas Kaberle, they should be a formidable 1-2 punch.

Comparatively, the Leafs Penalty kill will be better. Komisarek is capable of shutting down the NHL’s best, as is sophomore Luke Schenn. Matt Stajan is a skilled penalty killer and Niklas Hagman is more than capable of stepping in and shutting the door.

On paper the Leafs are not going to run away with many games. Get used to watching a lot of 4-3, 3-2 and 2-1 games this season, with a ton of shoot-out games mixed in for good measure. Every game will be a battle.

In the short time that he has been the Leafs GM, Brian Burke has demonstrated his desire to bring a winning team to Toronto. There is no doubt in my mind that Burke is diligently working the phones as we speak, looking for ways to improve the Leafs’ compete level. Burke hates to lose.

I expect Burke will make a few more moves this summer, perhaps even adding the top six forward the Leafs so badly need. If the Leafs are close to a playoff spot the Leafs will be in the market for a forward or two at the trade deadline. Burke will have Cap-space available, and the green light to add players if need be.

The heavily weighted head-to-head schedule should serve the Leafs well. There is no better way to make up ground on your Conference rivals than winning head-to-head battles. Wining against the likes of the Islanders, Sabres, Canadiens, Lightening, Senators, Panthers and Tharshers will be paramount to the Leafs competing for the 7th or 8th playoff spot.

The bottom line is an improved defense, more consistent goaltending, an improved Power Play an improved Penalty Kill and an improved dressing room should equate to more wins.

The Leafs will struggle to make the playoffs, but there is a real possibility that they can make it a reality. Toronto sports fans need something positive to happen, the Leafs making the playoffs would go a long way in making Torontonian’s happy.

Go Leafs Go!

Until next time,

Peace!