Toronto Maple Leafs fans are known as some of the most hopeless, negative, yet loyal fans in the NHL. That loyalty will be put to the test more than ever this season as the long awaited and long needed rebuild of the NHL’s most famous franchise appears to finally be underway. Team president Brendan Shanahan has been given the green light to blow up the team and begin a rebuild. While Shanahan has begun to do this, there haven’t been many changes in the lineup this season. Most of the major changes have occurred in the front office, including the hiring of prolific general manager Lou Lamoriello and super coach Mike Babcock. However, the lineup leaves much to be desired. It’s time to look ahead to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ upcoming season.
Last year, the Leafs finished second last in the Atlantic division, despite being in a playoff position at Christmas when the fired coach Randy Carlyle. From November 20th through December 16th, the Leafs were 10-1-1, including a six-game win streak. Their late season implosion was the second year in a row when the Leafs collapsed late in the season, a common trait for the team. James Van Reimsdyk led the team in goals with 27, while Phil Kessel led in points with 61.
MAJOR ADDITIONS | MAJOR DEPARTURES |
| PA Parenteau (RW) | Phil Kessel (RW) |
Oddly enough, despite being supposedly in a rebuild and all the rumors swirling all summer about player departures, only Phil Kessel is gone. More names were expected to go, including Captain Dion Phaneuf, Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, and even Nazem Kadri to name a few. However, most of the regulars have stayed. However, the rumors of their departure continue to swirl and likely will continue to throughout the season. It would not be at all surprising if the trades have only just begun and many of the Leafs’ regulars over the last few years don’t stick around for too much longer. The team has brought in a large group of middle of the pack players or young players they hope to develop. Of course, the biggest signings were Babcock and Lamoriello.
Who Will Replace Kessel
Phil Kessel was the first victim of the Toronto Maple Leafs rebuild. Not surprising since he never really panned out as a reliable franchise player and had a very poor attitude. For a young team looking to rebuild, it was important to get his notorious ego and inconsistency out of the dressing room. However, for all the problems with Kessel, he led the team in points every year since joining the Leafs in 2009 and was the team’s leading goal scorer every year but last year, which was the only time in all his years with the Leafs (apart from the lockout-shortened season in 2013) that he failed to score 30 goals. He’s leaving big shoes to fill and the Leafs have no logical successor. James Van Reimsdyk led the team in goals last year with a mere 27, nowhere near enough to be relied on as a team’s leading scorer. Last year, Tyler Bozak had 23 goals and Nazem Kadri had 18. No other Leaf had more than 11. None of the Leafs’ signings are prolific goal scoring. Shawn Matthias, Brad Boyes and Michael Grabner have had good goal scoring seasons in the past, but they would need to have career years to make up for the loss of Kessel. Right now, it’s looking like Leafs are going to have serious trouble finding the back of the net with no major scoring threats in their lineup.
Saint Mike of Babcock
It’s been a long time since there was as much excitement about a signing in Toronto than when the Leafs signed Mike Babcock for a record fifty million dollars over eight seasons. This has given Leafs fans hope for the first time in a long time, which is quite ironic since he’s taking over just as the team is expected to lose more than ever. Still, Babcock at the helm is a step in the right direction for the Leafs, the main reason being Babcock’s style of hockey. Babcock likes his teams to play a possession based style of hockey. The Leafs have been one of, if not the worst possession team in the NHL for several years now. Babcock will look to solve that problem by instilling the necessary discipline on the team and teaching them how to play his style of hockey, a style which brought him a Stanley Cup and two Olympic gold medals. Of course, the team is likely to struggle early since a team as bad at controlling the puck as the Leafs are not going to magically start controlling puck better under Babcock. However, since the team is rebuilding, Babcock can build a lineup with players he likes and develop the team’s prospects to play his style. But that is several years down the road. While the Leafs will probably be more disciplined under Babcock, it’s unlikely that his influence will lead to success this year. Babcock is a long term investment for the team.
Predictions for Season
The year’s edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs lack pretty much everything a team needs to be successful in the NHL. They have no reliable goal scoring, no puck possession skill, no solid defense, and no reliable starting goaltender. Pretty much the only thing the Leafs do have is a good coach. This year is entirely about the rebuild. They’re not even keeping most of their young players, William Nylander and Mitch Marner primarily, with the big club, reassigning Marner back to the OHL and Nylander to the Toronto Marlies. The only young-ish players in the lineup are Scott Harrington, 22, and Morgan Rielly, 21. The team is choosing to let their young prospects grow in the AHL first before subjecting them to the horror that is playing for the Leafs.
James Van Reimsdyk is probably the teams only top six forward. They still lack a top center or a goal scorer that they can rely on. They’re defense isn’t any stronger, as they don’t have any top line defenders. Dion Phaneuf has shown time and time again that he is not a reliable starting defender. Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly are still young and learning. In goal, neither Jonathan Bernier nor James Reimer have proven that they can be solid starting goaltenders. Bernier will probably get the nod, but he’s not a strong enough goaltender to steal nights for this team, especially is the skaters are getting torn apart which is quite possible. There is practically no depth in this lineup. The outlook for this team is poor at best. If they finish anywhere but last in the Atlantic, it would be a surprise. Although perhaps not a good one. The first overall pick in next year’s draft could be a real possibility for this team.