HUNTSVILLE, Ont. (Sep. 30) – During a short period of time here in the Muskoka region of central Ontario, we have learned a bit more about the Toronto Maple Leafs. We know, for instance, that defenseman Michael Komisarek is nursing a hamstring pull that could threaten his status for Thursday night’s regular-season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. We’ve been told that rookie Viktor Stalberg has effectively bumped second-year forward Nikolai Kulemin from the opening-night line-up – with abundant rationale. It is almost certain that free agent prospect Tyler Bozak of Denver University will start the season in the American Hockey League. Heck, we even found out that Jason Blake – allegedly – planted his first teenaged kiss on the lips of an attractive cousin… that bulletin courtesy of coach Ron Wilson.
Far more significant than any of this, however, is what we do not know – a puzzle that emphatically dwarfs every other issue surrounding the team: Will the Maple Leafs be strong enough in goal to improve on their 12th-place standing from last season in the Eastern Conference? The bold playoff talk that originated with general manager Brian Burke has gained exponential steam among covetous observers of the Blue & White, but it is light years beyond the realm of viability at this time. Until it can be determined that one or both of Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson is capable of unfaltering heroics between the pipes, playoff chatter is best reserved for that bottomless well of fantasy generated by supporters of the hockey club.
The evidence on the eve of the regular schedule is hopeful, yet underwhelming. Gustavsson has recovered from an unexpected cardiac procedure to begin legitimizing the mammoth reputation he garnered in Sweden. Three flawless periods of exhibition toil – punctuated by an eye-popping save off a Detroit farm-hand – has Leaf followers longing for more. And, probably, with good reason. That’s because Toskala, the embattled incumbent, appeared increasingly familiar as the exhibition calendar unfolded, ending the nine-game rehearsal with repugnant display against Buffalo. If it was Toskala’s way of substantiating his words – that he is fully recovered from a varying course of off-season surgery – his Toronto days are gravely numbered.
I listened to Toskala prior to training camp and felt quite certain he had overcome his problems from a year ago. It seemed entirely plausible that his physical limitations were to blame for a wretched 2008-09 campaign. But, I’m not as willing to rationalize his sub-standard showing in the pre-season, and there appears to be diminishing patience within the high command. Though Wilson continues to profess belief in Toskala, he does so with a noticeable absence of conviction. His boss, you’ll recall, consumed half the yearly budget of a small-market team to snare Gustavsson – going so far as offering to attend the funeral of the young goalie’s mother [Burke was politely rebuffed]. Wilson, therefore, has Toskala on a much shorter leash.
“We don’t want excuses from anybody, particularly our goalie,” the coach said after a 90-minute practice at the Huntsville Centennial Centre, emphasizing the Finnish native has exhausted latitude from a year ago by having his injuries addressed this summer. “All that stuff is behind Vesa now; he just has to step onto the ice, relax, and do the job. We’ll be better in front of him I know that for sure. Being healthy, Vesa should have a good season.”
When asked how differently Toskala will be viewed in the company of Gustavsson, Wilson was more direct. “[Vesa] feels the heat right now,” insisted the coach. “He may not admit it, but I know if I were in his shoes, I’d be saying ‘Boy, I haven’t seen a crack in [Gustavsson’s] amour yet.’ He’s only played three periods, but he came over with a big reputation – all the Swedes talk about him – and he stepped into the exhibition games and played very well [no goals allowed]. That should be healthy for Vesa and for our team. You’ve got to be able to handle that sort of competition.
“This is all about making the playoffs and being successful once you get there,” Wilson continued. “If we have people that can’t handle internal competition, how are we going to handle it externally? It’s very difficult to be a goaltender in Toronto, for obvious reasons. I have to do a good job of shielding Vesa from pressure but, at the end of the day, it’ll come down to how he works in practice and how he’s prepared for games. The attention to detail has to be there.”
Judging by his capacity in the pre-season, Toskala left that attention on the operating table. The bulk of his difficulties from last year were in evidence – lack of positioning; poor crease awareness; slow movement from post-to-post, and lapses in concentration that most would agree have nothing to do with injury. Every bit as alarming, it would seem, is the goalie’s apathetic demeanor when responding to concerns about his performance. All through last season, Toskala minimized or flat-out lied about his groin and hip ailments, suggesting everything was “okay”. Months later, he appears similarly unaffected, insisting his camp and exhibition display was more than adequate. Only the numbers and video corroboration suggest otherwise.
Now, goalies do have a way of insulating themselves by glossing over misfortune, and professing ignorance when questioned about a bad period or game; Curtis Joseph made it into an art form during his career. So, perhaps Toskala is genuinely troubled about his early returns this fall and is simply unwilling to project such anxiety. All that matters, of course, is how he performs against rival shooters. The optimum juncture of his career, to this point, seems to be when he ably battled Evgeni Nabokov for playing time in San Jose. Neither Andrew Raycroft, nor Joseph, provided much of a challenge in his first two years with the Leafs. Circumstances appear to be different with Gustavsson.
But, what if the rookie also begins to struggle in his transition to the NHL? Are these two goalies capable of picking up one another through an 82-game schedule? Until that becomes evident, the Maple Leafs are in no better position than they were last year at this time.
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