TORONTO (July 11) – This is a blissful day, indeed. As much as I cherish my job covering the Maple Leafs for THE FAN-590, hockey is an inescapable matter in our city and a person in my role could easily find something to talk or write about 365 days a year. That’s why a chunk of “down” time in the summer is so refreshing, and I begin, today, a six-week vacation – the vast majority of which will be spent at my in-laws’ place in Los Angeles. For me, it’s an absolutely perfect rotation. I go hard for 46 weeks… from pre-training-camp workouts in late-August to the period of free agent signings in mid-July. Then, I get away from it all – literally.
Southern California is a bit warm at this time of year, but it’s one of the great places on earth. Nothing is more relaxing or soul-cleansing than curling up beneath an umbrella on the beaches of Malibu, Santa Monica or Venice, and reading a good book. Or going to a Mozart symphony under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl – the mansions of the rich and famous gleaming atop the surrounding canyons. It’s as far removed from the hockey madness of Toronto as one can possibly get. And it serves as an essential pre-cursor to the entire process renewing itself.
Each year at this time, as I prepare for my trip to the coast, I carefully peruse the Maple Leafs’ roster in the wake of free agency. Quite often, it’s a simple matter to determine, with a fair amount of accuracy, how that roster will compete in the following NHL season. Last year, for instance, provided virtually no challenge as hardly any effort was made to alter a club that had twice missed the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was entirely plausible to suggest it would fail for a third time. This year is a bit more interesting. While the automatic assumption seems to be that the re-tooling Leafs of 2008-09 will plummet even further, there is sufficient changeover to the roster that it provides for at least some mystery.
As an example, the total number of NHL goals last season scored by players on the current Leafs’ roster was 202. That is 29 less than the club tallied in 2007-08, but still more than the goal totals of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders. And it doesn’t take into account the possible scoring exploits of young players such as Jiri Tlusty and rookie Nik Kulemin. Or that Mikhail Grabovski could blossom with a front-line role in a new environment. Jason Blake is capable of more than 15 goals, isn’t he? With greater responsibility, it may not be a stretch to anticipate improvement on the combined 31 markers from Matt Stajan and Alex Steen. A healthy Mark Bell can surely surpass his meager four-goal tally of a year ago. If Ron Wilson somehow prompts the pass-happy Tomas Kaberle to shoot more often, the veteran Czech blue liner is a candidate to exceed his unimpressive eight-goal output. We can expect more than three tallies from Anton Stralman, who displayed increased confidence in his rookie season. Perhaps Jeremy Williams can find the net on a semi-regular basis if he earns full-time service. So, a best-case scenario does provide the potential for growth.
On the flip-side, I'm sure we all ponder whether Nik Antropov can score 26 goals once again. Most observers of the Dallas Stars believe Niklas Hagman maxed out with his 27 tallies last season and will not approach that total with the Leafs. Alexei Ponikarovsky occasionally teases with two or three scoring streaks per year, but seems ensconced in the 20-goal neighborhood. And, of course, who will compensate for Mats Sundin’s team-leading numbers?
Here are the current candidates for the Maple Leafs’ 2008-09 roster (with players grouped into their natural positions):
GOAL – Vesa Toskala, Curtis Joseph
DEFENCE – Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Ian White, Anton Stralman, Carlo Colaiacovo, Jeff Finger, Staffan Kronwall
CENTRE – Matt Stajan, Boyd Devereaux, Dominic Moore, Jiri Tlusty, Mikhail Grabovski, Darryl Boyce, John Mitchell
RIGHT WING – Nik Antropov, Jeremy Williams, Jamal Mayers
LEFT WING – Jason Blake, Alex Steen, Niklas Hagman, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Nik Kulemin, Mark Bell, Robbie Earl
The Leafs’ current payroll for 2008-08 stands as follows (with accompanying salary cap hit):
Bryan McCabe $5,750,000
Pavel Kubina $5,000,000
Tomas Kaberle $4,250,000
Jason Blake $4,000,000
Vesa Toskala $4,000,000
Jeff Finger $3,500,000
Niklas Hagman $3,000,000
Mark Bell $2,166,700
Alexi Ponikarovsky $2,105,000
Nik Antropov $2,050,000
Matt Stajan $1,750,000
Alexander Steen $1,700,000
Nik Kumelin $1,487,500
Jamal Mayers $1,333,333
Carlo Colaiacovo $1,282,300
Dominic Moore $900,000
Jiri Tlusty $855,000
Mikhail Grabovski $850,000
Ian White $850,000
Anton Stralman $737,700
Curtis Joseph $700,000
Boyd Devereaux $575,000
Jeremy Williams $500,000
Staffan Kronwall $487,500
John Mitchell $475,000
Darcy Tucker buyout $1,000,000
Andrew Raycroft buyout $533,333
TOTAL PAYROLL: $51,838,366
This is not a roster that jumps at you off the page, and it will almost surely struggle to provide realistic hope of ending the Leafs’ three-year playoff famine. Though Curtis Joseph is a capable stand-in at 41 years of age, heaven help the Blue & White if Vesa Toskala is sidelined for an extended period. But, at least there is a modicum of intrigue surrounding the 2008-09 club, and the new coach that will guide it.
In my usual role here, I respond to questions from readers. But, as I begin my summer leave, I’m interested in determining what you are legitimately expecting from the Maple Leafs next season. So, take a few minutes, if so motivated, to e-mail me your brief thoughts on the immediate future of the hockey club. As always, tell me your name and where you are writing from. I’ll look over your submissions and respond to as many as I can in a follow-up blog.
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BY THE WAY... those that eagerly anticipate the release of the NHL schedule each summer need not wait much longer. The 2008-09 sked will be unveiled by the league this coming Thursday, July 17th.
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