Toronto Maple Leafs Face New Challenges, but Signs Still Point To Success

If you asked any of those in Leafs Nation during the preseason would they be happy starting off the regular season with four wins and nine points out of a possible ten in the first five games.

While along the way beating two division rivals including a home opening win against their life long arch rival Montreal Canadiens and a W against Sydney Crosby and the Stanley Cup winner of two seasons ago (Pittsburgh Penguins)...

their answer would have been a resounding YES!

Well, here they stand in that exact position yet the tone seems to have soured slightly and a lull may have set in after their first defeat albeit in overtime.

Now they must answer the call and rebound from the loss.

Yes, their seemingly impenetrable, impermeable armor and untarnished record now stands dented, scathed and blemished.

Fear not, noble Leafs fans…Toronto has the foundation laid out for a solid season ahead.

They’ve been one of the hardest working teams and have true grit reflecting clearly their general manager Brian Burke.

And because of the lack of a true superstar presence, though there may be a couple budding ones, they will continue that tenacious physical play.

They have players throughout the lines that want to prove not only to the NHL world but too themselves that they belong while hungry youth wait in the wings.

Thus creating a positive yet competitive environment.

The goaltending tandem has been spectacular with both young Jonas Gustavsson and veteran J.S. Giguere instilling confidence from between the pipes into the rest of the team (very Un-Toskala-like, thankfully!).

"Suffocate the opponent and don’t let them come out of the corner" said Vincent Lecavalier during the Tampa Bay Lightening Dallas Stars first period while sitting up in the play by play booth and out of the line up.

He was referring to puck pressure in the defensive zone…

And as I watched the third line of the Leafs centered by Tim Brent with Colby Armstrong and (goal scoring snake bit) Fredrik Sjostrom shut down the Islanders it was apparent they were mimicking his words with intent and attainment.

While in the offensive zone this same line was paying close attention to detail on the defensive side keeping one guy high while two kept constant puck pressure.

The forwards as a whole have been excellent in their back checking roles and in quick transition from defense to offense creating odd man rushes.

The defense has been making key solid first passes out of their own zone.

The short crisp passes that are sewn into the design of their breakouts and neutral ice puck movement, is well thought out. While limiting the chance for blue line or neutral zone turnovers, that can bury a team.

When making the opportunistic stretch passes they are concise and timely without trying to thread a needle with a watermelon.

They have also demonstrated that they can generate scoring from all four lines.

Teams may be catching on to the Leafs offensive ideology of utilizing the point men to generate shots (Keep shooting Kaberele, Schenn, Phaneuf, Beachemin!) on net with bodies in front, not that it’s a new concept.

We have to hope that the Leafs aren’t a one trick pony and that coach Ron Wilson has more than one way of attacking while he continues the high energy team concept defensive play.

Phil Kessel, Clark MacArthur, Nikolai Kulemin and Kris Versteeg who all have the talent to bury the puck when given a moment with an open look should keep teams honest.

Also if need be Wilson can hopefully adjust whether in practice or during a game and get these talented players looks at the net from different angles in the offensive zone eliminating a one-dimensional attack.

I’ve been skeptical to say the least of Wilson’s coaching while in Toronto but previously it may have been the players as his teams have thrived while with other organizations.

If this team as they seem to be doing continue to buy into his philosophies while including all the positives that are attached to these players as a group as well as individually there will be success in Toronto and the Leafs will be playoff bound come April.