TEAM PREVIEWS: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Introduction:
So I'm going to come right out and say it. I have a bet going with Nick, author of the consistently funny 2 minute minors here at BTT, that the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish with the worst record in the league. He only requested that the bet include Tampa, the Islanders and the Kings but really if any team other then Toronto finishes below them I'll be shocked.

What's the bet you ask? I'll let Nick tell you that but I'll try to sort of hint at it at least. Its not quite a sportsman's bet, or a gentleman's agreement, or as the Spanish say an acuerdo de honor, but its close. I did a little research on that btw and it seems that these agreements came into play because people got tired of shooting their friends when they didn't pay up on losing wagers. So instead of wagering anything of value they just called it a gentleman's bet. Believe it or not.

So I've got a wager on the Leafs winning the Tavares lottery and being the worst team in the league. That should tell you about all you need to know for the sake of this preview but if you're interested in seeing my contractually obligated public evisceration of the Leafs... well then please read on.

Key Departures:
Mats Sundin
Darcy Tucker
Kyle Wellwood
Bryan McCabe
Andrew Raycroft

You know... just a couple of guys. No biggee. Sundin, one of the most consistently solid players in the NHL for over a decade now, refused to waive his no trade clause last season, a move when couple with similar refusals from Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe set the Toronto Maple Leafs back into the hockey stone age. That's right they now use Pterodactyls to sharpen their skates and elephants provide the water for washing their jerseys after tough games.

Tucker rarely lived up to the offensive potential that he seemed to have, but was always a useful force on the ice. The club bought his contract out in the offseason and watched him walk to Colorado without receiving anything at all in return.

Wellwood, who is now on waivers in Vancouver, was a decent center and though he never quite lived up to his potential he would still be the second best center on this team.

McCabe... is it just me or is this starting to feel like the closing credits of Animal House. McCabe was traded to Florida and is now the Mayor. He married his college sweetheart and the girl that he was peaking in the window at in Toronto. McCabe and his mohawk are on the Panthers. He might even play some games this season when his back feels better.

The Raycroft experiment ended this season and Andrew joined his buddy Darcy in Colorado. Andrew never ever looked comfortable in the blue and white. I wish him the best in Colorado as he was once a solid positional goalie in his early days with Boston. I'm also kind of partial to the 'lanche and at this point it is pretty clear that Budaj is not the answer for that team.

New Faces:
Curtis Joseph
Ryan Hollweg

CuJo! I love Curtis Joseph. FACT: Curtis Joseph is 4th all time in wins by a goalie. FACT: Curtis Joseph is also 4th all time in losses by a goaltender and only needs 9 more to be first on that list. I've always liked CuJo, and thats saying a lot because I've kind of sort of always hated Toronto. I have, on more then one occasion, almost bought a blue Maple Leafs jersey with the number 31 on the back. Welcome back Curtis. Enjoy sitting on the bench and watching someone else take the heat for his horrendous team, like you did for so many years. What a great way to ease into retirement.

Hollweg was added as part of the Maple Leafs quest to lead the league in suspensions this season. So far, so good as they currently lead the league with 2... both to Hollweg.

The Offense:
It doesn't look good. There is one person on the entire team that has proven himself to be an offensive force of his own and not one created by Mats Sundin... and Jason Blake hasn't done that in two years. I view this team's offense as similar to the Islanders but with more upside and less veteran gristle.

You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
No.

You Want to Be Prepared to Snag:
Nik Antropov
Jason Blake

Its not that these are the only players on the team that have a chance of being fantasy worthy, they are just the only ones that have even come close to doing it before. I like Alexei Ponikarovsky a lot, same for Alexander Steen. These are guys who have shown me flashes of brilliance and could flourish with more ice time this season... or crash completely. Antropov is big and slow. The Maple Leafs will never have an odd man rush so long as he is on the ice. However Antropov can absolutely barrel through people and starting to learn how to use that to his benefit. If he gets on a streak like he did several times last season then he will be worth your time.
FACT: Antropov has been a long time coming as he was drafted by the Maple Leafs 10th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft.

Blake has always confused me a bit. I never really understood where the 40 goal season with the Islanders came from and then I didn't understand where the 30ish goal seasons he had put up before that went last season. Please don't misunderstand me. I feel for the guy. I really do. It can't be easy to start the first year of a big contract in the most overly critical hockey market in the world by finding out you have a rare but treatable form of cancer. That has to be rough. That said... where did it go? He still took about a million (editor's note: actually 332) shots on goal, they just stopped going in, and its not like the Maple Leafs were a huge leap backwards from the Islanders team he had been playing on. Blake is worth watching, and that ridiculously large (editors note: again 300+) shot total makes him less of a risk.
FACT: Jason Blake has taken 300 or more shots in every season since the lockout.

The Defense:
Even without the presence of Bryan McCabe the Maple Leafs D-corps is still a place of some interest for fantasy hockey players as there are at least three players that are worthy of your attention.

You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina

Kaberle also declined to waive his no trade clause at the deadline... destroying a deal for Philadelphia's young center Jeff Carter. I'll give all of you Maple Leafs fans a second to collect your thoughts on that one. Better? OK. Team destroying no trade clauses aside Kaberle is and has been very good offensive d-man. It remains to be seen whether he can do it without his partner in crime McCabe and without Sundin in front of him, but early returns indicate that he can.
FACT: Kaberle has scored 40 or more points in 6 of his 9 seasons.

Kubina is a little bit more of a risk. His 40 points last season were a career high, but his value doesn't lie with point totals. If Kubina can manage mid-30's in points then his lack of points will be more then made up for by his PIM. Kubina is a solid 4th d-man in most leagues.
FACT: In 664 regular season games Kubina has amassed 827 PIM.

You Want to Be Ready to Snag:
Mike Van Ryn

Van Ryn came to the Maple Leafs in the McCabe deal over the summer. He has always been a decent offensive option and find himself receiving powerplay time on this depleted Maple Leafs squad. Keep an eye on him. He has two point through 5 games.
FACT: Van Ryn was drafted 26th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 entry draft.

The Powerplay:
Nik Antropov
Alexander Steen
Jason Blake
Tomas Kaberle
Pavel Kubina

It is what it is.

The Goalie(s):

Sundin got Toskala 33 wins last season. By now you know that I like to use Sv% to judge a goalie's skill. Sv% is the only stat over which a goalie really has any personal control. I think it can be confusing when, like Brodeur early in his career, Sv% is artificially deflated by excellent defense. That is not the case here. Toskala's Sv% has never cracked .910, but his GAA has never broken 3.00 so he's kind of a mediocre option in net. I don't know if he'll break 30 wins this year, in fact I'm betting on it. CuJo
FACT: Was part of one of the greatest groups of goaltenders this side of Chicago's tandem of Belfour and Hasek. The 2002-03 Sharks had as their backstops Nabakov, Kipprusoff and Toskala.

The Verdict:
Its going to be tough for this team to score goals and the defense and Toskala aren't going to be able to keep them in enough games as the season wears on. My advice, be like CuJo, get nice and comfy on your bench/couch/bean bag chair and watch the Maple Leafs burn.