Toronto Maple Leafs Training Camp Overview

With the preseason here and training camp up and running, coaches are looking for players who stand out to fill out the roaster. The Toronto Maple Leafs are no exception.

The Leafs put on a show this past Monday, when they took on the Buffalo Sabres, beating the rival club 7-4.

I watched that game—with a few interruptions (you know who you are)—from puck drop to when the final buzzer sounded. It was a solid game for the Leafs and I can only hope they continue this throughout the regular season.

Every single maple Leafs fan, young and old, knows that this years camp is going to be a tough one—especially for the defensemen. Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina seem to have the only guaranteed spots on this team, whereas the rest of them—Van Ryan, Stralman, White, and Coliacavio, among others—will be fighting for one of four spots remaining.

I was quite surprised to see that the Leafs dressed Luke Scheen on Monday.  I can’t say he had a remarkable game, but I was still impressed by his play.

However, I was disappointed to see that players such as Nik Hagman, Mikhail Grabovski, Jonas Frogren, and Jamal Mayers were left out of that night's roster. These were the guys I wanted to see playing—the guys that I never see.

On another note, I was quite happy with the play of Jeff Finger. He didn’t play like a $3.5-million D-man, but he wasn’t bad. Hopefully he will play like a second-line defenseman all year. 

Who knows? He may turn out to be a superstar—but I will still never understand why they gave him that contract.

Anyone that payed close attention to the game would notice the three guys that were wearing the As were as follows: Matt Stajan, Jason Blake, and Boyd Deveruex. Keep in mind Antropov, Kaberle, and Poni, were not in action. So, anything could change when they dress for a game.

If there is anyone that needs to step up their game this coming year, it is Jiri Tlusty. He hasn’t shown yet that he has what it takes to play with the pros.  Hopefully time in the NHL this year will help him improve his game and have a breakout season, instead of proving him to be a bust.

All that said, we have to keep in mind that only one game has been played at this point, and there is still a long season ahead. There will be a lot of changes in the coming year, and that doesn’t make it any easier for a team to be competitive.

“Only time will tell what the future holds.”  That's one of my favorite sayings.  If anyone knows who said it, please tell me.

Good luck ,Leafs!