As we get ready to head into 2012, it seems like a good time to take a look at some of the surprise performances in the NHL this year. One obvious starting point is with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their awesome play has set recording breaking sales for leafs tickets this year. Leafs fans are known as one of the most loyal fans around the world!
Original Outlook
The Maple Leafs have had a rough decade of losing. Ownership realized as much and brought in uber GM Brian Burke to rebuild the team a few years back. The old names were out and a youth movement devoted to physically imposing players began. Burke had run this type of program successfully in both Vancouver and Anaheim, so even the impatient Toronto fans and press were willing to wait for results. Well, they had to wait…and wait…and wait.
Fortunately, after three years out of the playoffs, the Maple Leafs are playing well and looking like legitimate contenders. The team currently is 18-14-4 and sit second in the Northeastern Conference and sixth overall in the Eastern Conference, a position good enough to qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. Enough progress has been made that head coach Ron Wilson just received a four year contact extension. Fans are excited that the team has kept their head coach and hopefully they will renew their leafs seats for the next 4 years as well.
Offense
Brian Burke is known for building big, strong defensive teams. Given this, it is a bit of a surprise to find that Toronto is an offensive juggernaut. The team is scoring 3.1 goals a game, the seventh best mark in the league. It is also fourth best in the league on the power play with a 21.1 conversion rate. All of this scoring is due to the dynamic duo of Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul who have been on the ice for 41 percent of all the goals scored by the Maple Leafs. The rest of the offensive has no stars, but contributes as it may.
Defense
The Toronto defense has been offensive in two ways. The first is a bad thing as the team isn’t just bad on defense, they are horrible. Toronto ranks 26th in the league in goals allowed, giving them up at a rate of 3.2 a game. As hard as it is to believe, the defense is even worse on the power play where the Leafs let the opposing team covert at a horrifically bad 27 percent, nearly the worst in the league. What is the problem? It really is a team effort. The forwards aren’t great at getting back, the defensemen are average and the goaltending scares nobody. This is something they will have to work on in the future if they want to continue selling out of Leafs tickets.
Is there a silver lining? Yes. The defense may be poor at stopping goals, but they are fairly good at producing them on the offensive end of the ice. Dion Phaneuf has 5 goals and 22 points for the fourth most points on the team. John-Michael Liles is right behind him with 4 goals and 21 points. The Maple Leafs have to score a lot of goals most nights if they hope to win. Fortunately, their defensemen are able to help with that if nothing else.
Improvement Needed
There is little doubt the Maple Leafs have come a long way this season, but the area the team needs to improve in is no secret – defense! Look for Burke to be active at the trade deadline. He needs to find players who can help in the defensive zone, particularly on the power play. If the Maple Leafs could tighten things up on the blue line, they could be a real force. Will that happen this season? We can only hope.
Outlook
Look for the Maple Leafs to continue to be an offensive force and defensive farce that hangs right on the edge of qualifying for the playoffs. With the demise of other perennial playoff contenders like Washington, I think the Maple Leafs have a good chance of squeezing in to the playoffs. Will they go anywhere once there? Not a chance. Teams that rely on one line for their offense always get shut down in the playoffs and there is no reason to believe the Leafs would meet any different fate. Still, Leafs fans should feel very excited that their team appears to be respectable again with a future that could be very, very bright. Be sure to buy your Leafs tickets early to support them in their quest for a Stanly Cup Finals.
