The Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have developed into one of the top offensive teams in the NHL in 2014-15. You can bet that increased scoring won't be on many New Year's resolutions lists for the Hogtown heroes.

Fans have been able to count on the Leafs to be unpredictable from game to game. Sometimes, they've shown Jekyll and Hyde qualities in a single period.

At their best, this club has looked like a sure playoff team. On other nights, the Leafs have looked nothing like a team that could win a playoff round.

Let's take a look at the top five New Year's resolutions for the Leafs in 2015.

5. Help Get Jake Gardiner Rolling Again

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As good as the Leafs have been of late, Jake Gardiner has failed to follow suit. Despite being one of the most mobile defenders in the NHL today, Gardiner has looked tentative and turnover-prone more often than not.

He has lacked confidence for the better part of the season. The young American has just two goals in 34 games. He's also minus-12 over that same span.

At his best, Gardiner moves the puck smartly, jumps into the offensive play with ease and shuts down opposing forwards with his blazing speed and good positioning.

An effective Gardiner will make the Leafs a much better team defensively. By extension, that should lead to more wins.

4. Let Phil Kessel Do His Thing

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Phil Kessel is never going to be a defensive stalwart. He's wired to go in one direction—that's toward the opponent's net. He's tied for seventh in the league in scoring, and is a threat to win the Art Ross Trophy this season.

Kessel is extremely creative off the rush. He can score on the fly or slow things up while creating chances for his linemates.

He has developed into a consistent top-10 scorer in the NHL. Only seven or eight teams boast similar players of Kessel's caliber.

While Kessel needs to improve his defensive awareness, teammates and coaches need to let him focus on what he does best—put up great offensive numbers.

3. Re-Sign Cody Franson to a New Contract

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Cody Franson has joined Dion Phanuef this season to form one of the better defensive pairings in the NHL. Franson has been exceptional on most nights.

The pair has played against other teams' top forwards all season long. Franson has 22 points already this season. He's playing over 21 minutes per night and has 69 penalty minutes in 35 games.

While the Leafs have some very good NHL prospects on defence, most of those players are at least a season or two away. The Leafs should focus on re-signing Franson to a multiyear deal.

He's more than proved his value to the organization this season. It's time for the Leafs to reward his great play.

2. Bear Down in the Big Games

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The Leafs are going to play a lot of meaningful hockey in the coming months. They have played well against some of the better teams in the NHL this season. They have had some memorable battles with the Detroit Red Wings, in particular.

The Leafs have to be at their best against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders. The same could be said for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Red Wings, but those season series are over (the Leafs lost all three contests to the Penguins), so the Leafs won't see them again unless it's in the postseason.

Collectively, these are the teams the Leafs are going to have to beat to make the playoffs and to potentially play more than four or five games in the NHL's second season.

Pay attention to these games more than the others to see how the club is progressing as the playoffs approach.

1. Seriously, Cut Down on Shots Against

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The Maple Leafs have not been a good defensive club in 2014-15. Jonathan Bernier has been outstanding on a regular basis. He's saved the club on many a night.

While goaltenders are a big part of any club, the Leafs cannot continue to give up 35-plus shots per game. Toronto is the second-worst team in the league in shots against, per SportingCharts.com. At 34.5 shots against per game, only the Buffalo Sabres have been worse.

The team must resolve to play better defensive hockey. The Leafs can continue to attack the opposing team, but if they don't concentrate on the defensive side of the game, they may not make the playoffs next spring.

All stats can be found on NHL.com unless noted otherwise and are current prior to play on December 31.