Toronto Maple Leafs: A Look at Their Season Opening Roster

OK, so it might be a little late to take a look at the Leafs season opening roster five days after the season opener, but hey, I've been busy.

In this slideshow, I will take a look at every player on the Leafs roster and a few young players that should see a good amount of time with the Leafs if injuries occur.

Over the past few seasons, the Leafs opening day roster hasn't instilled that much hope in Leaf fans. This year, the roster that Brian Burke has created has given the Leafs a fair chance of making the playoffs if a few breaks go their way. The players will have to play like they want it and not take any nights off, but the playoffs, I believe, are reachable for this Leafs team.

So without further a due, let's take a look.

Colby Armstrong

Age: 28

Height: 6'2" Weight: 195

2010-11 Stats: 50 games played, 8 goals. 15 assists, 23 points, 38 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 410 games played, 86 goals, 115 assists, 201 points 355 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he overcome an injury-riddled 2010-11 season and bounce back?

When Colby Armstrong signed with the Leafs last offseason, fans thought that Brian Burke had overpaid for him. He may have, but there is no question that he brings a lot to the Leafs lineup. He helps with the penalty kill and is a mentor to the young players on the Leafs.

If he can stay away from the injury bug that plagued him last season, the Leafs will be much better off.

Keith Aulie

Age: 22

Height: 6'5" Weight: 217

2010-11 Stats: 40 games played, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, 32 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 40 games played, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, 32 penalty minutes

Big Question: After a disappointing training camp, can he play well for the Marlies and earn his way back up?

Keith Aulie came into training camp with a spot on the Leafs defense apparently locked up. Unfortunately, a young player named Jake Gardiner showed up and took his spot. Now back with the Toronto Marlies, Aulie will be given more time to develop until he is eventually recalled, which will most likely happen after a trade at some point this season.

Tyler Bozak

Age: 25

Height: 6'1" Weight: 183

2010-11 Stats: 82 games played, 15 goals, 17 assists, 32 points, 14 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 119 games played, 23 goals, 36 assists, 59 points, 20 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he improve on last season's dismal -29 rating?

After being moved down to the third line after the acquisition of Tim Connolly, Tyler Bozak found himself back in the familiar position between Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul after Connolly's minor injury. Now, he won't be there for long, but he has performed pretty well on the first line.

Mike Brown

Age: 26

Height: 5'11" Weight: 201

2010-11 Stats: 50 games played, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, 69 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 194 games played, 12 goals, 10 assists, 22 points, 380 penalty minutes

Another Leaf who battled injuries last season, Mike Brown might not be the best player on the Maple Leafs, but he plays a vital role for the Leafs. Unlike Colton Orr and Jay Rosehill, who look like they will split time, Brown will most likely play as many games as possible.

Tim Connolly

Age: 30

Height: 6'1" Weight: 191

2010-11 Stats: 68 games played, 13 goals, 29 assists, 42 points, 20 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 627 games played, 118 goals, 277 assists, 395 points, 260 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he finally have a relatively injury-free season?

I say relatively because Tim Connolly has already failed in having a full injury free season, missing the first two games of the season. I remember when Brian Burke said that his past injuries were flukes, and I'd say that his first injury, as it was described, was pretty fluky.

Hopefully the rest of the season goes along smoother.

Phillippe Dupuis

Age: 26

Height: 6'0" Weight: 196

2010-11 Team: Colorado Avalanche

2010-11 Stats: 74 games played, 6 goals, 11 assists, 17 points, 40 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 86 games played, 6 goals, 12 assists, 18 points, 46 penalty minutes

The Leafs' lowest profile signing of the offseason, Phillippe Dupuis might be on the outside looking in now that Clarke MacArthur and Tim Connolly should be ready to return to the lineup.

He does play on the penalty kill, so the Leafs might have some tough decisions to make very soon.

Cody Franson

Age: 24

Height: 6'5" Weight: 213

2010-11 Team: Nashville Predators

2010-11 Stats: 80 games played, 8 goals, 21 assists, 29 points, 30 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 141 games played, 14 goals, 36 assists, 50 penalty minutes, 46 penalty minutes

Cody Fanson was picked up in a steal of a trade this offseason, and after two games of the regular season, he has yet to play a game. Franson is too good a talent to be sitting in the press box and something has to happen to get him in the lineup on a consistent basis.

Matt Frattin

Age: 23

Height: 5'11" Weight: 187

2010-11 Team: North Dakota(WCHA)

2010-11 Stats: 44 games played, 36 goals, 24 assists, 60 points, 42 penalty minutes

Big Question: Is he ready to handle the rigors of a full NHL season?

Matt Frattin won the job of third line left winger when Nazem Kadri went down with a knee injury. Unfortunately, with the acquisition of David Steckel, Frattin might be on his way down to the Marlies not too long from now.

Frattin is one of the Leafs top prospects, and it won't hurt him to be sent down.

Jake Gardiner

Age: 21

Height: 6'2" Weight: 188

2010-11 Team: Wisconsin(WCHA)

2010-11 Stats: 41 games played, 10 goals, 31 assists, 41 points, 24 penalty minutes

Big Question: Is he ready to handle the rigors of a full NHL season?

Jake Gardiner. The surprise of training camp. The only question is can he play the way he did the preseason for a full 82-game regular season. If he does, then Brian Burke will look like a genius for making the trade that acquired him.

Mikhail Grabovski

Age: 27

Height: 5'11" Weight: 183

2010-11 Stats: 81 games played, 29 goals, 29 assists, 58 points, 60 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 245 games played, 62 goals, 88 assists, 150 points, 170 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he repeat his success from last year?

Mikhail Grabovski formed instant chemistry with Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur, and they formed the best line on the Leafs last season. Now, they must recapture that chemistry and continue to perform this season. If they do, the Leafs that will be much better for it.

Carl Gunnarsson

Age: 24

Height: 6'2" Weight: 196

2010-11 Stats: 68 games played, 4 goals, 16 assists, 20 points, 14 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 111 games played, 7 goals, 28 assists, 35 points, 24 penalty minutes

Big Question: With the Leafs' abundance of defensemen, will he be the one who is traded?

To start the season, Carl Gunnarsson has been paired with the captain Dion Phaneuf. Some would say that the Leafs are showcasing him to opposing teams looking to trade for him.

Although Gunnarson is a very good defenseman, he does seem to be the most expendable of the Leafs defense core.

Jonas Gustavsson

Age: 26

Height: 6'3" Weight: 192

2010-11 Stats: 23 games played, 6 wins, 0 shutouts, 3.28 GAA, .890 SV%

Career Stats: 65 games played, 22 wins, 1 shutout, 3.02 GAA, .898 SV%

Big Question: Can he be a good backup for James Reimer?

Jonas Gustavsson has fallen hard from where he was two years ago. He came in, took Vesa Toskala's job and ran with it. Now, two years later, James Reimer has taken the starting job and Gustavsson must sit on the bench.

If Gustavsson can prove that he can handle the small workload the Leafs are giving him, then he could get back in the good books of Leafs fans.

Nazem Kadri

Age: 20

Height: 6'0" Weight: 177

2010-11 Stats: 29 games played, 3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points, 8 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 30 games played, 3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points, 8 penalty minutes

Big Question: After he returns from his injury, will there be room for him on the Leafs roster?

Nazem Kadri's hopes of making the Leafs roster full time this year around might have been dashed by his knee injury. Whenever Kadri returns, which might be sooner rather than later, he will more than likely be sent down to the Marlies and, barring injuries, it might be hard for him to come back into the Leafs lineup.

Phil Kessel

Age: 23

Height: 6'1" Weight: 180

2010-11 Stats: 82 games played, 32 goals, 32 assists, 64 points, 24 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 374 games played, 128 goals, 117 assists, 245 points, 101 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he reach 40 goals for the first time in his career?

What is there to say about Phil Kessel? He's the Leafs offensive leader and he will be counted on once again to provide the spark the Leafs need.

Mike Komisarek

Age: 29

Height: 6'4" Weight: 243

2010-11 Stats: 75 games played, 1 goal, 9 assists, 10 points, 86 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 470 games played, 13 goals, 59 assists, 72 points, 822 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he finally play like a player that is getting paid as much as he does?

Mike Komisarek, for two seasons, has been the player that Maple Leafs fans have been looking at when they needed to blame some one for the Leafs misfortunes.

However, Komisarek has been playing really well through the preseason, and to start the regular season. If he continues to do so, he finally might get out the dog house.

Nikolai Kulemin

Age: 25

Height: 6'1" Weight: 225

2010-11 Stats: 82 games played, 30 goals, 27 assists, 57 points, 26 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 233 games played, 61 goals, 63 assists, 124 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he repeat the success of last season?

Perhaps the most complete player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nikolai Kulemin is looking to at least match the 30 goals that he scored last season. If he does, the MacRussian line will most likely have repeated its success, and the Leafs push for the playoffs will be greatly helped.

John-Michael Liles

Age: 30

Height: 5'10" Weight: 185

2010-11 Team: Colorado Avalanche

2010-11 Stats: 76 games played, 6 goals, 40 assists, 46 points, 35 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 523 games played, 68 goals, 207 assists, 275 points, 218 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he replace Tomas Kaberle's production?

The oldest player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, John-Michael Liles is going to be counted on for two things. One, to provide leadership to the young defenseman and two, replace the production that Tomas Kaberle provided for so long.

While he should have no problem replacing the contributions of Kaberle, the emergence of Jake Gardiner might determine how long Liles' stay in Toronto is. If Gardiner is ready to take the job, then Liles might be a valuable trading piece at the deadline.

Matthew Lombardi

Age: 29

Height: 6'0" Weight: 198

2010-11 Team: Nashville Predators

2010-11 Stats: 2 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 0 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 446 games played, 89 goals, 147 assist, 236 points, 275 penalty minutes

Big Question: Will he suffer any repercussions from his prior concussion history?

Matthew Lombardi surprised everybody by coming back from his concussion so soon. If he doesn't face any further problems with his past concussions, he will undoubtedly be a very important piece for the Leafs.

His speed will be a great asset, as will his penalty killing skill. If Tim Connolly falters, Lombardi might just take his place.

Joffrey Lupul

Age: 28

Height: 6'1" Weight: 206

2010-11 Stats: 54 games played,14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points, 33 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 449 games played, 126 goals, 130 assists, 256 points, 265 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he and Phil Kessel form some sort of chemistry with Tim Connolly?

A lot of people I've seen comment on this site say that Joffrey Lupul should not be on the Leafs first line. Maybe he shouldn't, but he has formed a chemistry with Phil Kessel, and whatever line Kessel is on, Lupul will be on as well.

If he can contribute like he did after he was acquired last season, I have no problem with him being on the first line.

Clarke MacArthur

Age: 25

Height: 5'11" Weight: 191

2010-11 Stats: 82 games played, 21 goals, 41 assist, 62 points, 37 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 290 games played, 65 goals, 85 assists, 150 points, 166 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he prove that last year was not a fluke?

Clarke MacArthur was a pleasant surprise last season, doubling his previous career high. The problem with that is that it might be hard for him to reach those totals again.

MacArthur is out to prove his doubters wrong and come as close as possible to reaching those totals again. For the Leafs' sake, I hope he does.

Colton Orr

Age: 30

Height: 6'3" Weight: 222

2010-11 Stats: 46 games played, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, 128 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 373 games played, 10 goals, 9 assists, 19 points, 916 penalty minutes

There's not much to say about Colton Orr. He's going to hit, fight and, every 30 games or so, he'll score a goal.

Dion Phaneuf

Age: 26

Height: 6'3" Weight: 214

2010-11 Stats: 66 games played, 8 goals, 22 assists, 30 points, 88 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 470 games played, 85 goals, 183 assists, 268 points, 644 penalty minutes

Big Question: Can he improve his offensive production?

At the end of last season, Dion Phaneuf seemed to be getting his offensive game back to where it was in his early days in Calgary. He didn't take too long to get his offensive game going this season, scoring his first goal in the first game of the season.

If he can revert back to the way he played in Calgary, at least offensively, then he will be truly be worthy of wearing that "C".

James Reimer

Age: 23

Height: 6'2" Weight: 208

2010-11 Stats: 37 games played, 20 wins, 3 shutouts, 2.60 GAA, .921 SV%

Career Stats: 37 games played, 20 wins, 3 shutouts, 2.60 GAA, .921 SV%

Big Question: Can he prove that last season was not a fluke?

Two games into the season, James Reimer has the Leafs at a 2-0 record. He played very well in the first five periods of the season before letting five goals get behind him in the sixth.

It's a good start, but that third period can't happen again. Reimer needs to play like he did in the first game for the entire season for the Leafs to have any success.

Jay Rosehill

Age: 26

Height: 6'3" Weight: 215

2010-11 Stats: 26 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, 71 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 42 games played, 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, 138 penalty minutes

Jay Rosehill is pretty much a younger, more offensive version of Colton Orr. When Orr's contract runs out, Rosehill will take over full time.

Luke Schenn

Age: 21

Height: 6'2" Weight: 215

2010-11 Stats: 82 games played, 5 goals, 17 assists, 22 points, 34 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 231 games played, 12 goals, 41 assists, 53 points, 155 penalty minutes

Big Question: Will he try to play differently now that he's making more money?

Luke Schenn caused quite a stir in Leaf Land when he didn't sign a new contract until the first day in training camp. Now that he is locked up for another five more seasons, Schenn will one of the backbones of the Leafs defense for the considerable future.

He'll be the stay-at-home, shutdown defenseman that pairs with the playmaker on the Leafs' blue line, be it John-Michael Liles or Jake Gardiner.

David Steckel

Age: 29

Height: 6'5" Weight: 217

2010-11 Teams: Washington Capitals/New Jersey Devils

2010-11 Stats: 75 games played, 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points, 26 penalty minutes

Career Stats: 309 games played, 24 goals, 35 assists, 59 points, 115 penalty minutes

Big Question: Will he finally be the one to improve the Leafs penalty kill?

The newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, David Steckel has made quite a difference in his first two games in the blue and white. His skill in the face-off circle is unparalleled on the Leafs and, perhaps, around the NHL. He has allowed the Leafs to be successful on the penalty kill on all but two attempts, and those two goals were on one four-minute penalty.

He could develop into a fan favorite as the season rolls along.