This season is finally over and after a lot of promise and hope, the Maple Leafs collapse, which saw them go 7-18-4 from February 6th at the time they sat in 6th place in the Eastern Conference and dropped all the way down to 13th by the time the season ended, with the fifth worst record in hockey. What the hell happened?
We can point fingers at everyone in the organization from ownership to management to the coaching staff to the players themselves. The Leafs for the first time since the lockout actually posted their worst record after the all star game, the big difference is that for once the club was actually on the inside looking out at the time of the break.
The Toronto Maple Leafs did something on Saturday that the club has not done in their last six games and not at all on a Saturday night since February 4th..... WIN. In what has been a whirlwind in Leafs Nation the past 24 hours, it's always nice to win and no one better to do it against then the Habs.
Let's recap the last few hours in Toronto, Brian Burke fires Ron Wilson on Friday night after the club's February run of 4-9-1 that has seen the club drop right out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference and as last night's game got underway, we sat twelfth in the conference. The Leafs are closer to a lottery pick in this June's entry draft then we are go getting into the post season.
The trade deadline cometh and it has been taken away and many in Leafs Nation are a little shocked, a little puzzled and a little angry with the lack of movement by Leafs GM Brian Burke at this years NHL trade deadline or as it should be known "a lot of hype with really no bang."
The Leafs needed a power forward, with sand paper and a nose to the net and Burke acquired one and no his name was not Rick Nash this guy came from Tampa. His name Carter Ashton the 20 year old former first rounder who landed in Toronto for Leafs blue liner Keith Aulie. Ashton is the son of former NHLer Brent Ashton and is the power forward just not one that will help the club now but in the future.
The Maple Leafs have done a complete 180 degree turn from their usually post lockout performances and that is not a good thing Leafs Nation. The club has gone 4-6-2 since the all star game and an even worse 1-6-1 in their past 8 and as February 24/12 comes around the club looks like they will be sitting in a familiar spot post lockout..... out of a playoff spot.
The club is not scoring when they need to score, their PK has gotten better but the PP has been sliding and the most disturbing trend is the club after 61 games, still does not have a clear number one goalie. Ron Wilson has stated since James Reimer's concussion that he would go with the hot goalie, but Ron what do you do when you can't find one?
Its now Official Leafs Nation, the Toronto Maple Leafs will appear in their first Winter Classic next year and they will travel to Michigan to take on their long time original six rivals the Detroit Red Wings. The Leafs and Wings will be playing at the "Big House" home of the University of Michigan Wolverines or as it is officially called Ann Arbor Stadium.
There has been a lot of talk about the current Maple Leafs goaltending situation/tandem which is Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer. Are they enough to get us into the playoffs? Can they get us past a round if we make the post season this year?
Reimer was given the reins to the #1 spot and was playing well to start the season until a concussion in game seven knocked him out of the line up for an extended period of time. He has not been the same since his return as a 4-0-1 record has now become 7-5-4, Optimus Reim he has not been.
Jonas Gustavsson is now in the number 1 role, starting 10 out of 11 games in 2012 and has posted a record of 7-3-0 with three shutouts in this span but all though The Monster has played better of late, he is prone into letting in that bad goal at an inopportune time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 31 year old defensemen John-Michael Liles to a new 4 year contract extension, avoiding Liles becoming an unrestricted free agent. The deal is worth $15.5 million with an annual cap hit of $3.875 million which is slightly lower then his current cap hit of $4.2 million.
With NHL fighting slowly tampering off as most clubs look for not only a player that can fight but a player that can fight and still play a role with the club. The days of clubs carrying enforcers that play 4 minutes a game look to be coming to an end as the NHL slowly moves in a different direction.
It is hard to argue the NHL's direction, with the league at its highest levels in revenue, TV contracts, attendance and TV ratings. The league is not looking to abolish fighting at this time but for as many that enjoy this practice, there are just as many that feel if they want to watch a fight they will tune into a boxing or mixed martial arts contest.
The Maple Leafs are in an all familiar spot in the standings since the lockout, out of a playoff position once again thanks in part to a dismal month of December that saw the club go 4-6-3 and in a tight Eastern Conference that sees 10 points separating 3rd place from 12th place in the Conference the Buds need to get their game back on track
The team plays nine out of their next ten games at home, in what amounts to a very crucial part of the season, if the Buds can claim the majority of points in these games it should see them vault back into a playoff spot. The one thing that has been glaring in the month of December is a horrible penalty kill and a lack of confidence at times with the lead. This team also needs to stop getting off to slow starts, as playing catch up is a recipe for disaster.
