Toronto Maple Leafs: Five Questions Facing The Team In 2010-11
With training camp just a few weeks away, many NHL teams are already to see some holes in their armor.
Salary cap restraints, questionable off-season signings, failure to address off-season needs and high expectations for younger players have many NHL fans wondering what the biggest questions are facing their favorite NHL team.
Amongst much change, a face-lift in the attitude department and an offense that has few NHL teams nervous, the The Toronto Maple Leafs are no exception, as they have many burning questions heading into the 2010-11 season.
Let’s take a look at some of the Maple Leafs' biggest question marks heading into the upcoming season.
1. Which Goaltender Will Emerge as the Number One Goalie?
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If you are a fan of putting a lot of stock in pre-season remarks, Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson’s recent comments that veteran goaltender J.S. will be his go-to guy would have you believe that Jonas “the monster” Gustavsson will be in the shadows of the former Stanley Cup winner all season long.
Not so fast Leaf fans!
As much as Wilson gave Giguere a vote of confidence, he also followed up his comments by stating that Giguere will have to “perform” if he wants to keep his number one status, which leaves the door wide open for Gustavsson to earn more playing time and the title of number one goalie.
Gustavsson, who accumulated a record of 16-15-9-1 to go along with his .906 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average in his rookie season, praised Giguere for his helpful tutelage last season, which suggests the two not only get along, but are willing to engage in a respectful competition for the number one job.
Giguere, posted a 6-7-2 record as a member of the Maple Leafs to go along with his .916 save percentage, 2.49 goals against average and back-to-back shut outs in his first two starts with the Maple Leafs.
Clearly, the two goaltenders will feed off the competition between the two of them, which, in turn, should keep the debate of which one is the true number one goalie all season long.
2. Can Tyler Bozak Rise To The Occasion, Emerging As A True Number One Centre?
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It’s not often that an undrafted player finds himself on the first line of an NHL hockey team in his rookie season, but that’s exactly where Tyler Bozak found himself for a good portion of the 2009-10 season (his rookie year).
Going forward, it appears that the Maple Leafs have made the decision to allow Bozak to continue his evolution on the top line alongside premier sniper Phil Kessel and, while not a certainty, Kris Versteeg flanking the other side.
Combined, Kessel and Versteeg scored a total of 50 goals last season, with many prognosticators looking for the duo to light the lamp upwards of 70 times in 2010-11.
Blessed with those two snipers on the wings and with the benefit of more playing time, Bozak has the opportunity to become a legitimate number one centre right away.
Known for his hustle and play-making abilities, Bozak also brings some very impressive face-off stats, winning a total of 358 of 648 face-offs taken for a winning percentage of 55.2 percent, which, if he had taken a few more face-offs, would have put him very close to the top ten in the league (Jarret Stoll, 56 percent was ranked tenth in the NHL in 2009-10), percentage-wise.
There are still a lot of questions surrounding Bozak, but the potential is there for him to have a big season.
3. Will Dion Phaneuf Be “Dion” In 2010-11?
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If you have been reading any of the comments Dion Phaneuf has made this off-season, you will have noticed that he is booming with confidence and, having been selected as team Captain, seems to be taking the role very seriously.
Chastised for being somewhat of a cancer in the Calgary Flames dressing room for much of the 2009-10 season, Phaneuf looks to have made a conscious effort to regain the status of elite defenseman—something that has been missing for a few seasons now.
Blessed with the ability to absolutely punish opposing forwards with his vicious body checks and a penchant for catching players off-guard, Phaneuf is still known as one of the NHL premier hitters.
For Phaneuf to be an effective player he needs to find a way to get the ‘eye of the tiger” back—something Maple Leafs fans witnessed from the 25-year old throughout much of his 26 game stint with the Leafs last season.
Phaneuf is said to have been in contact with just about every one of his teammates over the summer, stressing fitness and a commitment to excellence. If Phaneuf finds a way to find his former form and it rubs off on his teammates—look out!
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4. Can Nazem Kadri Deliver At The NHL Level?
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With so little competition within the Maple Leafs forward ranks, Nazem Kadri looks like a lock to make the team out of training camp.
Fresh off a season that saw him register a total of 35 goals, 93 points and 105 penalty minutes as a member of the OHL’s London Knights, Kadri (drafted seventh overall by the Maple Leafs in 2009) looks to have all the tools to be a legitimate NHL player right away.
A great showing at the World Junior Championships, a concerted effort towards playing better defense and, most recently, a commitment to an off-season training regiment that has seen the 19-year old add between 15-20 pounds over the summer, has everyone in Leaf Nation drooling at the thought of adding the talented forward to the mix.
For Kadri to meet expectations he will need to demonstrate improved play away from the puck and the ability to put the puck in the net.
Look for Kadri to get a look as both a sniper and set-up man, with a very good shot of earning some power play time.
With a little hard work, determination and luck, Kadri should emerge as a viable option in the number two centre role, with an outside shot at getting the nod as the teams number one centre before long.
5. Can The Maple Leafs Improve On Special Teams?
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After an embarrassing 2009-10 season which saw the Maple Leafs finish with the NHL-worst/30th ranked power play AND Penalty kill, Clearly, there is nowhere to go but up.
The Maple Leafs penalty kill netted out to a 74.6 percent success rate, while the power play also sputterd along at a paltry 14.0 percent success rate—simply put, they were terrible in both disciplines!
With what is believed to be a much better defense in place and a much tougher forward group, the Maple Leafs are banking on making tremendous improvements on both the PP and PK, respectively.
On the power play, the addition of Kris Versteeg (20 goals in 2009-10) and a full season of Dion Phaneuf launching his powerful point shot at opposing goaltenders, should equate to more goals.
On the penalty kill, look for the Leafs to send out a unit of Mike Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and perhaps one of Colby Armstrong or Mike Brown, making for one very aggressive, very large PK unit.
In order for both the PP and PK to be successful every player will have to buy into Ron Wilson’s strategies, which should see a premium put on aggressiveness and teamwork—something both units lacked last season.
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Until next time,
Peace!
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