Falling Maple Leafs in Toronto? One Can Only Hope

From what we have seen from the Toronto Maple Leafs this preseason, one has to wonder just what the plan may be.

The Leafs haven't looked great, but at 2-3-1 with three of those losses coming by just one goal, they haven't looked all that bad either.

It doesn't do this team any good to finish ninth or tenth best in the Eastern Conference, especially if they are in the admitted re-building process.

Which makes me wonder—why keep players such as Kaberle, Kubina, Blake, and Toskala around to give the Leafs a fighting chance?

It is no secret Toronto wanted John Tavares to play for the Marlies last season, and it was thought that they were gonna make a run for the highly-touted junior star this season.

Even with Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman being the odds-on favorite to go number one, if the Leafs end up with the pick Tavares will be their guy.

That is, if the Leafs end up with the pick.

If the Toronto brass is truly committed to rebuilding the Leafs via the draft, it is going to take more than just one top-five pick, and a couple in the top-two positions would be ideal.

Human eraser Luke Schenn has looked more than capable of playing in the league this year, and Justin Pogge has looked just as good—despite Ron Wilson's critisism of an overtime goal let in against Buffalo's Ales Kotalik.

So the goaltending and defencive building blocks have been set.  Now they just need the blue-chip superstar forward—which is something that John Tavares will have no problem bringing.

That is, if the Buds can lose and finish dead last—which is something we should all be cheering for this season.