Toronto Maple Leafs Have Shown Improvement, Believe It or Not

There is so much being made right now of the Toronto Maple Leafs shortcomings it has almost become unbearable.

No matter where you turn, on the radio, TV sports shows, blogs all around the web, even writers right here on Bleacher Report are damning the Toronto Maple Leafs, their head coach Ron Wilson, GM Brian Burke and the entire ownership group to some sort of purgatory.

The Leafs have played 15 games, not even the quarter point of the season, and already fans of the team who were praising the efforts of Brian Burke and Ron Wilson just two short weeks ago are ready to march them both off a cliff.

Here are some facts about the team:

• The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have 13 points and sit just four points out of a playoff spot, while, again, not even a quarter of the way into the schedule.

• This time last year. the Toronto Maple Leafs had scored 38 goals but had given up 58 for a minus-20 in the goal differential department.
  
  Compare that to this season, while the offense is a little less potent having scored only 32 goals so far, the goals against has shown an incredible improvement as they have only allowed 40 for a minus-eight in the same department.

• At the 15 game marker last year, the Toronto Maple Leafs had only mustered three wins and 10 points, while this year they have managed five wins for a total of 13 points.

• The power play, which is once again their Achilles' heel, was a league worst 14 percent last year, and although it is a little off from that this year so far at just 13.3 percent with a full year from some of last year's key mid season acquisitions, there is certainly a good chance for improvement.

• The penalty kill, which finished at 75 percent last year thanks to a much better last half of the season, has already shown a slight improvement and currently sits at 76.5 percent.

There are, as stated earlier, myriad of people from all walks of life who would love to see Ron Wilson drawn and quartered, as he is apparently responsible for every single failing the Toronto Maple Leafs have.

As you can see, while the Leafs are embroiled in a losing streak and are in fact having some offensive issues, the team has improved.

They may not have improved a great deal yet but one has to remember as well that this is a pretty young team and a lot of them don't have a great deal of NHL experience.

The 2011 edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs is not supposed to win the Stanley Cup, hell, they aren't even supposed to contend, they are simply supposed to improve and possibly fight for a playoff spot.

It looks as though they are actually exactly where they are supposed to be, doesn't it?