Toronto Maple Leafs: Improved Offense Will Have To Come From New Faces

Heading into the 2010-11 season, many Toronto Maple Leaf fans are expecting big things from the Blue and White.

Generally speaking, the Maple Leafs look very solid on the backend and their goaltending, anchored by J.S. Giguere and Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, looks to be adequate.

Up front, the picture is not quite as rosy, but there is hope.

The 2009-10 season saw the Maple Leafs score a pathetic 103 goals (27th overall) at home, while accounting for another 107 (14th overall) on the road for an average of 2.56 goals per game (25th overall).

On the power play, the Maple Leafs were equally inept, scoring 22 times at home (29th overall) and 22 times on the road (21st overall).

Overall, the Maple Leafs finished the season with a total of 210 goals (25th overall) and 44 power play markers (27th overall). Simply put, they were terrible.

Given the Maple Leafs lack of offense, seemingly caused by a lack of chemistry and effort on the part of several players, Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke shipped out a lot of players at the trade deadline and over the summer in an effort to change the dynamics of the team.

Lee Stempniak, Matt Stajan, Alex Ponikarovsky, Jamal Mayers, Viktor Stalberg, Ian White, Jason Blake and Niklas Hagman were all sent packing for players and prospects. Combined, the “Great Eight” combined for a total of 109 goals, 25 of which came on the power play.

Through trades and free agency, Burke has acquired a number of players that he hopes will bring a different attitude and more offensive spark to a team that was/is in need of a shot in the arm.

Dion Phaneuf, Luca Caputi, Colby Armstrong, Mike Brown, Clarke Macarthur, Kris Versteeg, Brett Lebda and Matt Lashoff, represent the majority of changes for Burke.

Combined, this group of eight scored a total of 72 goals last season, 13 of which came on the power play.

On the surface, it would appear as if Burke has actually downsized his offense, but the bigger picture should tell another story.

Rookie forward Nazem Kadri is expected to score between 15-20 goals this season. Phil Kessel, who spent some time on the sidelines last season, is expected to approach the 40 goal mark this season, which would be an improvement of 10 goals. Armstrong, Versteeg and MacArthur are all expected to light the lamp more often with the benefit of what many expect will be a dramatic increase in playing time for all players involved.

Tyler Bozak, who is coming off a decent rookie season, is expected to get a full season alongside Kessel, which should see his goal totals and point totals rise significantly.

Fresh off a new contract, Nikolai Kulemin is expected to raise his game, while Mikhail Grabovski should be good for a 15-20 goals himself.

Burke hopes the sum of the parts up front and on the backend is enough to outshine what the castoffs accomplished offensively last season. In the end, if every player plays up to expectations (which, admittedly is always difficult to project), the Maple Leafs should see a modest improvement on last seasons offensive numbers, which could be significant.

Want proof? The difference between the Leafs 25th ranked offense (210 goals) and the 15th overall offense (Ottawa Senators) was a grand total of ten goals (220).

Clearly, with just a few more goals, the Leafs could catapult themselves from laughingstocks of the league to a respectable offensive team, which, in turn, should equate to more wins and, and with a little luck, a playoff spot.

Can the Maple Leafs current lineup squeeze a total of ten more goals than last years crew accomplished? That remains to be seen, but there are plenty of reasons to expect a better, if not modest, result this season.

Not to be forgotten, the additions of Phaneuf, Lebda, and possibly Lashoff, should provide the Leafs with a much improved rushing game from the backend, ultimately leading to more goals five-on-five and on the power play.

Armstrong, Versteeg, MacArthur and Kadri should provide the Maple Leafs with a better combination of puck support, checking abilities and offensive creativity than the previous crew, who, at times, were criticized for their lack of consistency and questionable drive.

Yes Leaf Fans, if the Leafs are going to improve offensively, it will likely come from the new faces, which is what Burke wants.

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Until next time,

Peace!