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The Toronto Maple Leafs enter their 97th NHL season with a revamped management and coaching staff, a reshuffled roster and the same concerns that have hindered the club from achieving success this decade.
Head coach Randy Carlyle is under the gun to get the Leafs to play a more responsible two-way game, improve their special teams and aid in the development of the club’s young prospects and should be helped by the influx of veteran support acquired via free agency and trades last summer.
Here are some factors that need to happen for Toronto to make it to the post-season and have what many would consider a successful year:
Bernier plays 60-65 games – Goalie Jonathan Bernier appears fully recovered from off-season sports hernia surgery and the Leafs fortunes will depend heavily on the 26-year-old in the final year of his two-year bridge deal. The injury in Los Angeles last March was the accelerant to the Toronto barn fire in the final month of the season. There is a calming effect with Bernier in goal as opposed to James Reimer, as he is better at rebound control and handling the puck. For the Leafs to have a legitimate chance of finishing in the top 8, Bernier will have to take on a workload consistent with other #1 NHL goalies and relegate Reimer to playing the second of back-to-back games.
Kessel scores 40, JVR 30 – After toying with the idea of splitting the tandem in the pre-season, Carlyle will begin the season with the top line unit of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel intact. Their success is heavily dependent on Bozak staying healthy to distribute the puck. If the Leafs stick with the plan to spread out ice time evenly throughout the four forward lines, the top unit will not see 20+ minutes per night, which should mean they will have enough gas in the tank to play consistently throughout the year and not be running on fumes as they did at the end of last season.
Limit Phaneuf’s ice time – The offseason additions of right handed veterans Roman Polak and Stephane Robidas were made in part to alleviate some of the burden on Dion Phaneuf to be a shutdown defender and play on both special teams units. The 29-year-old Leafs team captain averaged over 23 minutes per game last season.
The Leafs are moving Phaneuf to the left side and are hoping that the maturation of Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will allow them to take on more minutes. If Phaneuf averages closer to 20 minutes per game, it will be a sign that the young blueliners can handle more responsibility and that might allow Phaneuf to become a more aggressive defender.
Offense, special teams contribution from bottom six - Could be the most important factor in the Leafs success this season. GM Dave Nonis focused intently on improving the depth at forward over the summer, signing veterans David Booth, Daniel Winnik, Mike Santorelli and bringing Matt Frattin and Leo Komarov back into the fold.
Booth starts the season on LTIR, but it will be key for Carlyle to find effective combos with this group to go along with veteran David Clarkson, youngsters Peter Holland, Josh Leivo and Brandon Kozun that can take some of the pressure off the top two lines to produce night in, night out. Depth players have to relieve top six players like Bozak and van Riemsdyk from penalty killing duties. Better penalty killing – The Leafs were second in the NHL in penalty killing in the lockout shortened 2013 season and finished near the bottom of the league with some of the same strategies and personnel last season. The hope is that the influx of experienced penalty killers (Winnik and Komarov), a stronger presence in front of the net (Polak) and a more aggressive approach when shorthanded will contribute to a bounce back year.
Growth from youngsters – The success of the Leafs rests on Gardiner and Rielly stepping up and taking on a larger offensive and defensive role this season. It would allow Nonis to trade pending UFA Cody Franson before the trade deadline and replace him with a Stuart Percy or Petter Granberg. Toronto’s strength up the middle has been an ongoing concern as Bozak is not considered a prototypical #1 center.
In the last year of his two-year bridge deal and after scoring 50 points last season, Nazem Kadri is at a crossroads. If the 24-year-old has a big offensive season, plays a more complete game and surpasses Bozak’s totals, he will be in line for a big payday next summer and becomes the club’s presumptive #1 center. If he continues to be a one-zone player and a liability defensively, then it could be the last year for Kadri with the Leafs.
Peter Holland showed flashes of ability in the NHL and AHL and has a size component that Bozak and Kadri do not. the 23-year-old is an unknown commodity and needs to score in the neighborhood of 15 goals to be considered a viable third-line center.
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The Leafs will start the season with Bernier in goal against Montreal, top liners van Riemsdyk - Bozak - Kessel and the pair of Kadri and Joffrey Lupul spearheading their offensive attack. Speedy rookie and training camp standout Brandon Kozun plays his first NHL game on the right side on the second line, while Holland centers newcomer Daniel Winnik and Matt Frattin and Mike Santorelli plays between Leo Komarov and David Clarkson.
The defense pairings at the ACC morning skate were Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly, Dion Phaneuf and Stephane Robidas and rookie Stuart Percy playing on left defense with veteran Roman Polak in his first NHL game.
Carter Ashton and Troy Bodie are healthy scratches, Josh Leivo is hobbled by a bruised foot and Cody Franson skated Wednesday morning but is still hampered by a bruised knee.
Toronto will have a difficult task against their age-old rivals from Montreal, who lost to the NY Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final last season. Carey Price will start in goal for the Canadiens, who have become a significantly younger team under coach Michael Therrien with the departure of veterans Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, Danny Briere and Thomas Vanek, but hope that players like Max Paciorretty and PK Subban will step up and take a leadership role.
“I just see Montreal as a very fast, hard-skating, hard-working determined group.… Carlyle said on Wednesday morning. “They were able to do what they did last year not because one individual, not because of just Carey Price, not just because of PK Subban. They had a team effort, they played like a team and they worked like a team.…
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The Leafs announced Wednesday the naming of Stephane Robidas as an alternate captain, joining winger Joffrey Lupul as part of the club's leadership group behind team captain Dion Phaneuf. The 37-year-old blueliner was signed as a free agent from Anaheim last July and part of the reason for his addition were his qualities as an experienced defenseman as well as working well with young players. “We felt that (Robidas) would be a guy that could provide leadership, not only to our younger players but some of our older players. He could share minutes and he could make a contribution just not(only) on the ice.… Carlyle said. “That’s what he’s done all of his career, so we don’t look at it that we’re asking him to do something that he’s not comfortable doing.…
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