Toronto Maple Leafs: Breaking the Leafs Down Heading into Training Camp

Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs officially opened camp Friday morning, and with the opening, have began another attempt at making the playoffs. The club has not made the playoffs since the "Lockout."

Since the lockout, the NHL changed from a league full of big, strong, slow-skating players to a league full of young, speedy and crafty NHL players that the Leafs did not have in spades. 

Also adding to the Leafs' frustrations was the implementation of a salary cap. The Leafs have always been a team that likes to spend money, but in the new NHL they are limited in their spending powers. This forced them to draft better and vastly improve their farm system to become competitive in the NHL. They couldn't buy the necessary players, so they have had to develop them from within.

It's been a very slow climb for the Leafs since the lockout and the ending still isn't near, but this offseason certainly has helped in their ascent to the top.

Brian Burke's mission is to build a team from the goaltender out and build a team that exhibits toughness, belligerence, and truculence night-in and night-out. 

Coming into camp today, the Leafs added Brett Lebda, Matt Lashoff, and Korbinian Holzer (who was playing the DEL) to their already strong core of defenseman. The roles they will play are still unknown, but right now it appears they all have a place within the organization.

The Leafs needed to add plenty of scoring to their lineup and did so by adding former Blackhawk and Stanley Cup Champion Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, Mike Brown, Clarke MacArthur, and signing draft pick Jerry D'Amigo to a three-year, entry-level deal. 

The Leafs' goaltending needed some depth with the possible departure of J.S. Giguere either in the offseason or at the trade deadline so they signed Finnish goalie Jussi Rynnas to a contract. His numbers were pretty decent in a good Finnish Elite League playing with Assat.

So here's a small personal preview of the Leafs' lines this season. These are not the lines that will be used, rather a set of lines that make sense to me.

Forwards

Line 1: Nikolai Kulemin—Tyler Bozak—Phil Kessel

This line I'm hearing from reports will be used to start the season in an effort to continue to build chemistry. I don't disagree with doing this as this line accounted for the majority of the Leafs' scoring to finish out the season.

With a full year of Phil Kessel hopefully, and with more experience and confidence, both Bozak and Kulemin should have better years as well.

Projections: Phil Kessel, 35 goals; Nikolai Kulemin, 20+ goals; and Tyler Bozak, 50+ points.

Line 2: Clarke MacArthur—Nazem Kadri—Kris Versteeg

Personal opinion here: I feel that Nazem Kadri will win the second-line center position coming out of camp. His combination of skill, vision, physical play, and speed should earn him the spot over Grabovski, who looks to be skating on very thin ice in Toronto these days.

MacArthur and Versteeg are two of the Leafs' new editions this year and will firmly make their presence known on the second line. They should help remedy the lack of scoring depth on the Leafs' team and also help Kadri make the adjustment to the pro game.

Projections: Clarke MacArthur, 20+ goals; Kadri top 5 in ROY voting; and Versteeg 25+ goals.

Line 3: Freddy Sjostrom—Mikhail Grabovski—Colby Armstrong

I think this line may be a hidden gem on the Leafs' this season. Sjostrom and Armstrong bring a good combination of hands, skill, speed, and defense to the fold, and Grabovski, for all the inconsistency, showed last season he was a pretty decent defender and is still an agitator on the ice. How he translates into a bottom-six forward is anyone's guess, but one thing he has is talent and a good set of hands.

Projections: Sjostrom will lead the Leafs in SHP; Grabovski will score 40+ points; and Armstrong will provide Toronto with a 15 G 80 PIM season.

Line 4: Mike Brown—Christian Hanson—Colton Orr

Many of you will be like, why are you stashing Christian Hanson on the fourth line? My answer to you is simple. Hopefully, he will learn to play a tougher and complete game by absorption. I feel Hanson, if he plays alongside Brown and Orr, will hopefully feel more comfortable using his massive 6'4", 225 lb frame and throw his weight around. Maybe by this time next year he will have the center position down and be ready for a greater role.

Orr and Brown are solid veterans and should help the Leafs in a number of departments, although you could see Luca Caputi and John Mitchell get ice time over the course of the year if Grabovski is dealt, among other events.

Projections: Mike Brown will be a first-unit penalty killer; Hanson will eventually earn himself a promotion to a higher line; and Colton Orr will once again lead the Leafs in penalty minutes.

Extras: Luca Caputi, John Mitchell

Farmed: Marcel Mueller, Jerry D'Amigo, Michael Liambas, Brayden Irwin, Mike Zigomanis, among others.

Cut: Wayne Primeau

Defence

First Pair: Tomas Kaberle—Luke Schenn

Another pairing used from last season that should should be a coming out party for defenseman Luke Schenn. Already two years into his NHL career, Schenn showed late last season why he was taken so high in the 2008 NHL Draft. When he was paired with Kaberle, he seemed to skyrocket and gain more confidence and even a bit of scoring touch, adding seven goals to his resume.

Kaberle will once again anchor the Leafs' defence this season if he sticks around. I've heard rumblings about a possible extension with the Leafs as well, so stay tuned for more news regarding that.

Second Pair: Dion Phaneuf—Francois Beauchemin

Last season, this duo was the Leafs' go-to pairing for the remainder of the season. Phaneuf's brash style of game meshed well with Beauchemin's risk-reward style. This season they will be relied upon less in key matchup situations with the return of defenceman Mike Komisarek, so their minutes could be reduced a little.

Third Pair: Mike Komisarek—Carl Gunnarsson

This last pairing should be Toronto's strongest defensive pairing seeing big-time shutdown minutes in key games. Komisarek, when healthy, is one of the best shot blockers and open-ice hitters in the NHL. Couple his skills with Carl Gunnarsson, a shifty, skilled Swedish defenseman, and it's a recipe for success.

Granted, injuries come and go throughout an NHL season, but the Leafs' defence appears to be very strong heading into a year full of great expectations.

Extra: Brett Lebda

Farmed: Keith Aulie, Jesse Blacker, Korbinian Holzer, Jeff Finger (salary cap purposes), and Matt Lashoff, among others.

Cut: None.

Goaltenders

Starter: Jean Sebastien Giguere

This may come as some surprise, but I'm going to predict Giguere wins the role out of camp. Not because he deserves it, but rather, because of Ron Wilson's tendencies. When everyone last season wanted the college line to make it out of camp, Wilson ignored the outsider advice and stuck to his veteran guns. In the end, he ended up with egg on his face with that move, but one can argue we would never of ended up with Phaneuf had those veterans been traded, or worse, released for nothing.

Hopefully, this decision will not have any long-term repercussions.

Backup: Jonas Gustavsson

He should see a minimum of 32 starts this year, and probably will earn the No. 1 role come the end of the year, whether Giguere is traded or loses his spot due to superior play by "The Monster."

Extras: None

Farmed: Jussi Rynnas (AHL), James Reimer (AHL), Andrew Engelgage (ECHL), Ben Scrivens (ECHL).

Cut: None

This season can go either way for the Leafs. The new additions could mesh very well and the Leafs could see a spike in offensive production. The Leafs' defence is a year wiser and they have about a year now of being used to playing the game next to one other. If all square pegs can fit into the holes this season, the Leafs could really surprise, possibly rising as high as sixth in the conference. 

If the team doesn't gel properly, the Tomas Kaberle situation becomes the biggest distraction in the locker room, and the team doesn't stay relatively healthy, then the Leafs could be headed for another Northeast cellar finish