In MacArthur, the Leafs gain a young player who has a scoring touch, and a physical edge. Mac scored 17 and 16 goals in his two first full seasons as an NHL regular, and has seen some special teams time as well. Burke has said that Mac will get a shot at top six minutes, implying he could be the left winger on a second line with Kris Versteeg. There is no reason Clarke cannot achieve at least 20 goals, especially with more minutes and better line mates.

In Lashoff, the Leafs get yet another defender, but this makes their AHL blueline even better, which is never a bad thing. When he was drafted 22nd overall in 2005, he was thought of as a top two-way defender. In the years that have passed, his stock has dropped, but he’s still a decent prospect, and good AHL player. He is an offensive threat, plays physical, and will be a good addition to the Marlies lineup. Don’t feel bad at the loss of Berry and Giliati, with Nazem Kadri and Jerry D’Amigo set to step in, they will hardly be missed.

Also, Christian Hanson was re-signed as well. He accepted a 1 year, two-way, 650k deal. He will battle with John Mitchell for bottom six center duties. The hold up on him re-signing was reportedly due to a dispute between a one or two way deal.

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Was Clarke MacArthur the right player to use the last SPC on? Who would you have used the last SPC on? Comment below, or vote in the new poll in the sidebar.

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Our last poll asked “Who will be the next victim of Toronto trade rumours?”

We had 76 people place votes, and the results are:

Still Tomas Kaberle – 33%, 25 votes

Luke Schenn – 24%, 18 votes

Francois Beauchemin – 20%, 15 votes

Mikhail Grabovski – 18%, 14 votes

Jeff Finger 5%, 4 votes.

Thanks for voting, it seems everyone thinks Kaberle will continue to be the focus of rumours, with Luke Schenn being the next best trading chip to acquire that coveted forward.

The Maple Leafs are well on their way to becoming a competitive franchise once more. Stabilization of the defense, and infusions of offense into the forward group, along with major upgrades in the crease can prove this. Although it has not yet directly translated into playoffs and Stanley Cups, you can definitely see a positive change, and some heavy groundwork being laid. Players like Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Kris Versteeg, Mike Komisarek, Luke Schenn, Dion Phaneuf and Jonas Gustavsson are all young enough to be considered core members. Even further, still raw players like Nikolai Kulemin, Christian Hanson, Luca Caputi, Mikhail Grabovski and Carl Gunnarsson could be all added to aforementioned group as early as this season. Add in a plethora of support players like Francois Beauchemin, Tomas Kaberle, Colby Armstrong, Fredrik Sjostrom, J.S. Giguere and you have a decent lineup. That’s not even mentioning enforcer / non-defensive liabilities Colton Orr and Mike Brown.

Now, in no way is the prior lineup perfect, but it definitely isn’t as bad as it has been in previous years. You can see some actual progression, where as in the past there would only be sideways moves, miring in obscurity. Each player has more or less a specific role, and this helps so everyone knows what is expected of them. In the past, roles were very obscure, and it led to bad results. With more pronounced roles, everyone should be able to focus on their job, and the workload should be more evenly distributed. Where does each of our players fit in currently? We’ll look at this to determine what we need still going into the season.

Assured Roster Players:

• Phil Kessel: First line right winger, counted on for scoring. Lots of PP time. 35-30 would be an optimal season.
• Tyler Bozak: Top six center, counted on for scoring and PP + PK. 20-35 would be an optimal season.
• Kris Versteeg: Top six winger, counted on for scoring and PP + PK. 25-30 would be an optimal season.
• Colby Armstrong: Middle six winger, counted on for agitation/physicality with occasional scoring. PK time. 20-25 would be an optimal season.
• Mikhail Grabovski: Top six center, counted on for scoring. PP time. 20-40 would be an optimal season.
• Nikolai Kulemin: Top six left winger, counted on for scoring/physicality. PP + PK time. 20-25 would be an optimal season.
• Colton Orr: Fourth line right winger, counted on for physicality. 3-3 would be an optimal season.
• Fredrik Sjostrom: Bottom six winger, counted on for defensive prowess/speed. PK time. 5-15 would be an optimal season.
• John Mitchell: Bottom six center, counted on for occasional scoring. Occasional PK time. 10-10 would be an optimal season.
• Mike Brown: Fourth line left winger, counted on for physicality/speed. 3-7 would be an optimal season.

• Dion Phaneuf: Top pairing defender, counted on for leadership, physicality, and offense. PP + PK time. 10-40 would be an optimal season.
• Mike Komisarek: Top pairing defender, counted on for physicality and defensiveness. PK time. 5-15 would be an optimal season.
• Tomas Kaberle: Aging, but elite offensive defender, counted on for offense. PP specialist. 10-45 would be an optimal season.
• Francois Beauchemin: Middle pairing defender, counted on for a bit of everything. PP + PK time. 5-25 would be an optimal season.
• Luke Schenn: Potential first pairing defender, counted on for his defensive game and physicality. PK time. 5-15 would be an optimal season.
• Brett Lebda: Bottom pairing defender, counted on for puck moving and passing. Occasional PP + PK time. 5-20 would be an optimal season.
• Carl Gunnarsson: Potential middle pairing defender, counted on for steady defending, puck moving, and offensiveness. PP with occasional PK time. 5-20 would be an optimal season.

• Jonas Gustavsson: Potential franchise goaltender, will split time evenly with J.S. Giguere until he proves he is the worthy starting goaltender.
• J.S. Giguere: Aging elite goaltender, can still play, but his role is to allow Jonas Gustavsson enough time to develop properly. Will split time with Jonas.

Wildcards:

• Luca Caputi: Potential top six winger, but needs to work on various aspects of his game. Occasional PP time. 10-15 would be an optimal season.
• Nazem Kadri: Potential top six center, needs to earn his spot in camp. PP time. 20 – 15 would be an optimal season.
• Marcel Mueller: Potential middle six winger, needs to condition for NA style. 10-10 would be an optimal season.
• Jerry D’Amigo: Potential middle six winger, could earn a spot in camp. 10 – 10 would be an optimal season.
• Christian Hanson: Has NHL experience, but needs to sign a contract. Bottom six center. 10-10 would be an optimal season.

** I’ve decided to skip wildcard defenders, because of the current glut of NHL caliber defenders, not including Jeff Finger.

From the assured roster players, you can see that there are two areas where the Leafs are good-to-go: defense and goaltending. With 8 NHL caliber defenders, they are insured up to two injures, which should be enough at any given time.  With Jonas Gustavsson and J.S Giguere, you have a great goaltending tandem, enough to get through the season. The area which screams out at anyone should be the forward group. This isn’t a secret, it’s been the area to improve for the greater part of the off season. If we go line by line, we can see that we have only one bonafide top line player, Phil Kessel. All the other “top six” forwards would be best used as second line players, but due to the circumstances, they will probably be forced into first line duty.

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My guess for the first line is Versteeg/Bozak/Kessel or Kulemin/Bozak/Kessel.

The second line would then consist of Kulemin/Grabovski/Wildcard or Versteeg/Grabovski/Wildcard. If Nazem Kadri makes this team, it would either be as a second line center, or second line winger. Grabovski could be shifted to the wing, or if one or more wildcards outplay him, he could be dealt.

The third line would consist of Sjostrom/Hanson/Armstrong. This is conditional upon Christian Hanson resigning of course.

The fourth line would consist of Brown/Mitchell/Orr.

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My optimal season predictions are based on same point production as last year, or slightly higher. Let’s see how it stacks up in terms of league averages. All together, Toronto would have 236 goals, assuming Hanson and Kadri make the lineup. This would be good enough for around 7th in the league last year, which isn’t too shabby. However, it would be nice to have a little more offensive insurance, so if a higher scoring winger can be found, it should be done.

Getting on topic for roster moves and such, the Leafs are at their 50 contract limit. This will be reduced by up to 3 if and when Jesse Blacker, Jamie Devane, and Jerry D’Amigo are assigned to the OHL. You can bet that Blacker and Devane will be assigned to the OHL, but D’Amigo might stick with the Leafs, or will most likely be assigned to the AHL.

What this means is that for the Leafs to make a move they would have to wait to training camp to do so, or by means of a trade sooner. Therefore the rumours of signing a player like Raffi Torres would have to be put on hold until those players are assigned to the OHL or a trade happens earlier. A trade might be more likely, as Burke was quoted saying there were several non-Kaberle trades they had to re-evaluate and might pursue.

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Should the Leafs eventually open up a roster spot, I wouldn’t be against them going after a player like Marek Svatos on a one year deal. I don’t think Raffi Torres is the answer, he’s more of a physical guy as opposed to pure scorer. Someone like Svatos could put up 20+ goals, and would be a nice addition on the team at the right amount of money. Another option, albeit more risky would be Paul Kariya. He’s older, and more injury prone, but could still contribute some offense. Would Svatos or Kariya be the last piece to this puzzle? Probably not, but they would be damn good temporary pieces while we find the right ones.

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In closing, the Toronto Maple Leafs puzzle is far from finished. There are still vital pieces missing, including bonafide top six wingers. However, they are well on their way to forming a successful team, and completing the puzzle.

Tomas Kaberle was the odd man out on the blue line. With the additions of Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin and Dion Phaneuf, along with the emergence of Carl Gunnarsson, it was clear that Kaberle should have been dealt. After the depth signing of Brett Lebda, it was clear Kaberle should have been dealt. Yet, a trade never came and the Leafs now have 8 NHL calibre defenseman, a problem. Even if the Leafs demote Jeff Finger, there will still be 7 NHL defenseman, but their combined cap hits will equal $24.275 million. That’s almost 41% of the teams total salary allowance on 7 players. Yikes.

The most optimal solution would have been to move Kaberle to another team for some forward help. The Leafs are most notably thin up front, in particular offence wise. They were dealing from a position of depth and looking to add where they were lacking. It is clear that no team came close to offering what Burke was looking for in terms of a big, skilled top six winger. However, he did make it known that certain teams offered enticing “future packages” which consisted of good prospects and draft picks. I am certainly confused that Burke did not accept one of these future packages. He stated that none of the offers he was offered matched the value Kaberle has with the Leafs, but again this puzzles me.

Kaberle’s stock has been slowly falling, year by year. Last year he saw his minutes drop because of Phaneuf and Beauchemin, and they would have dropped lower, had Komisarek been healthy the entire year. Although he is an offensive catalyst, Kaberle is by no means an elite defender in the true sense of the word. Ever since he suffered a concussion, he has been soft on the puck and often a liability in his own end. He isn’t terrible, but he’s not great either – average really. It is his offensive abilities that have led him to be called an all star talent. Back to the main point, entering the last season of his current affordable contract, and before giving Tomas full ability to veto a trade, his value was highest (in terms of time remaining on his contract).

During the past week, Kaberle’s agent Rick Curran came public about him and his client being upset about the whole situation. They were upset that Burke was fielding offers for the defender. They then said they weren’t sure if they would sign an extension, if and when they would be offered one. It’s a little early, but based on the way Kaberle has been treated, and through his agent’s comments, it appears as if Tomas will walk at years end. Why not? He’s due for a big pay raise, something the Maple Leafs won’t be able to give him. All he has to do is play one more season, and then he cashes out on July 1st.

People may say that Kaberle shouldn’t have just been traded for the sake of making a trade, and I agree. However, I disagree that Kaberle was not traded to get something for the defender before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. This looks all too similar to the Buffalo free agent disaster a few years ago. They let Daniel Briere and Chris Drury walk away for nothing, and many fans were angered. This is a bad decision of asset management, where the Leafs should have traded from an area of depth to address an area lacking, and capitalized on a fading asset.

At this point, there is too much money tied up on the blueline. A defender or two will still need to be moved in order to make this work for the long term. You can virtually cross of Komisarek and Phaneuf, while cheap defenders like Gunnarson and Lebda (who was just recently signed) will be integral. This means Luke Schenn or Beauchemin could be trade targets in order to bring in some offensive help. The fact that both are younger, and currently are, or could be, better than Kaberle  is disheartening. The fact the Leafs are at their 50 contract limit means they can not sign any more free agents, until Jesse Blacker, Jamie Devane and/or Jerry D’Amigo are re-assigned to their OHL teams. This means that, barring a future trade, there will be no other additions to the Toronto Maple Leafs which is somewhat disturbing, considering our biggest concern this off-season was to get bigger and more offensive in our top six.

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The results from our last poll, “Do you think Kaberle will be traded?” revealed that many (including myself) thought Kaberle would be traded. Of 60 voters, 68% thought he would be traded, 18% thought he wouldn’t and would then walk after the season, and 14% thought he wouldn’t be traded, but would then sign an extension. Thank you to everyone who voted.

“The hockey club confirms this evening that Tomas Kaberle remains a Leaf. While a number of Clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas’s value to our team. I understand a period like this is stressful to the player, and we are pleased that there is a resolution, and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season.”

What are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear from all our loyal readers and will try to answer every comment.

Are they better off without him?

Good question.  Up until a few days ago, I would have said no.  Now that “No” obviously comes with conditions that mainly depend on who they get back in return.  However, having said that, I still would have leaned towards “no.”  Kaberle’s offensive upside is hard to replace.  An excellent first pass out of the defensive end is just what the Leafs need to jump start their hopefully high flying wingers.  What’s the point of having Phil Kessel breaking down the right side if there’s no one to get him the puck in full stride just before crossing the other teams blue line?

I’ve stated before that while trading Kaberle for a top-6 forward may fill a giant need up front, it also creates a gaping hole in the back end that would need to be filled.  A player of Kaberle’s offensive skill set is hard to find and with no one in the farm system to replace him yet, that need will have to be filled from the outside via either Free Agency or a Trade.  Signing a comparable FA defenseman, should one become available, is going to cost as much as Kaberle, if not more.

When the league is looking at another potential work stoppage following the 2011-2012 season, do you want to add another couple million in salary?  What would they have to give up in a trade to acquire someone like that?  Probably similar to what they get in return for him now, so you see it’s really a giant circle.

Now, back to my initial statement of “up until a few days ago…” I recently had it brought to my attention that for all of Kaberle’s offensive upside, his defensive drawbacks are worsening by the year.  I guess I just never noticed because the team as a whole was having issues.  He finished the 2009-2010 NHL season with a team worst -16 rating, the lowest of his career.  Granted, routinely playing 25 minutes a night as well as premium power play and penalty kill minutes on one of the worst defensive teams will take its toll on even the most gifted players.

Kaberle’s defensive struggles have mirrored the teams over the course of the last few seasons, so it’s really a question of who’s hurting who?  Would Kaberle’s +/- be drastically better on a better defensive team?  Would the Leafs be better defensively without Kaberle?  Only time will tell the answer to both of those questions if Burke gets an offer he likes.

I still reserve the right to say it depends on what they get in return.

If they don’t trade him, will they re-sign him?

To me, this is a no brainer.  Yes.  You don’t lose him next summer for absolutely nothing.  Having spent the entirety of his career in Toronto, I’m looking for some sort of “small” home town discount should he choose to remain a Maple Leaf.  Burke will have to make some concessions as well, possibly a retirement contract in the range of 4-6 years.  Kaberle’s 32 and won’t turn 33 until just after the trade deadline, so he still has a few good years left in him.  I don’t see a NTC in his new contract though as I don’t think Burke is a big fan of those.

Why wouldn’t you want a player of Kaberle’s skill and leadership around the young kids?  Someone who’s been with the franchise through good times (2 trips to the Conference Finals in 4 years) and bad times (haven’t made the playoffs in 5 seasons) and has never asked to leave.  That’s the commitment and leadership I’d like to have around my kids coming up in the system.

While the offers are improving for Kaberle, nothing as of yet has come across Burke’s desk that he likes.  He was reportedly offered a player and pick, with the pick being conditional on Kaberle signing an extension with the new team, but that was rejected.  With the NTC in Kaberle’s contract set to resume at 12:00 am on Monday August 16^th, it’s looking more likely that he will re-sign with the Leafs.  I expect Burke to approach Kaberle before the NTC deadline to either sign him to an extension, or tell him he’s been traded.  Even though Burke has said nothing yet has interested him, I don’t see him letting Kaberle walk next summer.  Do we really need a repeat of the Mats Sundin saga?

The question now is, what will Brian Burke get for the talented blue-liner? Burke has admitted that he’s listening to offers for the 32 year old, and that the offers are now into the double-digits. However, obviously what counts here is quality, not quantity, of an offer. Don’t think for a second that Burke will settle for the best offer received by Sunday, because he is more than happy to keep Kaberle. He’s going to pull the trigger on a trade only if he is really happy with the return. “There’s no zeal to move the player, there’s no desire to move the player,” Burke said a few days ago. And we all know that over an 82 game schedule (and hopefully a few post season games as well), injuries do occur, and having depth at defence is a great thing. In fact, since the lockout, Leafs defencemen have missed at least 15 games each season due to injury.

But, what if Burke does get an offer than knocks his socks off? What if the offers do start drastically improving? Leafs management expects better offers to start coming in by Friday. As a matter of fact, last weekend alone, according to Burke, “two teams dramatically improved their offer” on their own, without Burke or Assistant GM Dave Nonis or anyone else from MLSE making a single phone call.

However, as fans, do we really believe the Leafs are going to get a star in return for Kaberle? Let’s remember that Kabs only has 1 year left on his contract, so if you were a GM in the NHL, why would you give up a young top 6 forward with loads of potential in return for a one year player? Curran himself stated that any team acquiring Tomas in a trade must “understand they have a one-year hockey player. So whatever it is they’re about to give up in asset value, they better gauge it accordingly.”

Of course that can just be Curran being cranky over the situation as I would fully expect any GM to request permission to negotiate a contract extension prior to a deal being worked out. Let’s remember also that Burke knows that if he can’t deal Kaberle by Sunday, his no-trade clause kicks in again, and trading him at the deadline might be quite a tough thing to do.

The questions for you fans are: do you want to see Kaberle traded? What would you expect in return? If he isn’t dealt on Sunday, would you like to see him sign an extension with the Leafs?

I would love to hear all your thoughts!

Tomas Kaberle: I am very glad that this will be coming to an end, not only for myself, but for Tomas as well. Imagine how hard it must be to constantly hear your name in trade rumours season in, season out. Don’t try and tell me he should be able to take it because he’s an athlete, he’s a human as well so have a little respect. On the flipside, a Kaberle trade would be in the best interest of the Leafs, who are healthily stacked on the blueline with defenders, and noticeably lacking in the scoring forwards department. If Burke can attain his asking price of at least a young, top six forward, then this will be a good deal. Expect lots of chatter and analysis on any potential deal, as Leafs Nation will never be 100% satisfied.

Nazem Kadri: Kadri will be Toronto-bound this season, but whether it is AHL or NHL will be determined by him in training camp. Nazem is obviously skilled, but his lacking area was size and strength. If Nazem has increased in that regard for this season, there is no way he shouldn’t be able to make the NHL team. However, I think he should only be allowed to stick with the big club if he shares top six center responsibilities with Bozak. If he is assigned to third or fourth line duties, this will be a mistake and will hurt his development. He should be given top six minutes, either at the NHL level or the AHL level. I don’t know why, but people are fascinated with penciling Nazem in as the third line center. Excuse me, but where do Mitchell and Hanson (when signed) fit in?

Christian Hanson: Does it not worry anyone that here we are in August, and Hanson has still not been signed? I know you all think there is still plenty of time left for a deal to be signed, but what worries me is the why aspect of this standstill. Is Hanson looking for a one way contract? Is he interested in more money? Is he holding out for free agency, but in a less public way than Bill Sweatt? These questions will be answered eventually, but it should still be something Leaf fans should be concerned with, as Hanson isn’t an asset you just want to throw away, at least get something for him.

Leadership: The amount of leaders on this team will be very valuable in terms of gaining experience and becoming a playoff hockey club. Players like Mike Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf, Colby Armstrong, Francois Beauchemin and J.S. Giguere will all provide leadership in one way or another. This will be nothing but good for some of the younger players on the team.

Last Poll: Our last poll consisted of the question “What is newest captain Dion Phaneuf’s best attribute?” with answers to choose from consisting of:

1. Offence (0)
2. Defence (2)
3. Two-way Play (6)
4. Leadership (6)
5. Energy (23)

Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll. Please vote in our newest poll “Will Tomas Kaberle be traded by August 15th deadline?”

These are just a few of the things that are on my mind currently, and hopefully they provoke some thought within yours as well.

According to various sources GM Brian Burke is getting better offers and may indeed pull the trigger after all. It has been widely speculated that Burke wants a top 6 forward plus, and one sorce stated last week that Burke was offered a top 6 forward and a 1st round pick. So why did Burke not pull the trigger? In my opinion, I believe Burke knows the offers are only going to get better and by holding off until the last possible day – next Sunday the 15th, Burke will be offered a deal he cannot refuse. We can only hope this is true. This storyline is all too familiar, and I think it is time the Leafs part ways with their longest serving Leaf and get some forward help that they so desperately need. We will continue to keep an eye out and update you on anything we hear in the coming week on this drama filled situation.

On another note, we are here almost in mid-august. Training camp is less than a month away. Any other year 90% of team’s rosters would be set, waiting for training camp to begin; but not this year. This year there are a bundle of impact UFA’s and RFA’s who have yet to be signed, not to mention the biggest fish of them all, Ilya Kovalchuk. This summer has definitely been a crazy one, and i expect these next few weeks to be busier than ever before. Some teams are over the cap or close to and need to drop salary, while others are not even at the cap floor and need to add salary in order to play a game this season. Lots of work needs to be done. Leafs wise, I still expect a bottom 6 forward to be added via free agency. The likes of Raffi Torres or Glen Metropolit are 2 targets the Leafs are after, and as time passes by, their price tag will continue to drop. The Leafs will be able to pick up a very good role player for a great price which can be crucial to the Leafs post-season hopes this upcoming season. I also think the Leafs are holding off because they do not know what is going to happen with the Kaberle situation. Depending on if he stays or goes will determine how many forwards we need to sign and how much cap space we will have left to do so. Stay tuned Leafs fans as this cloudy smoke screen is about to clear up fast, and we will finally get to see what team will be taking the ice this season.

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Over the last few years, the Leafs have been one of the most revamped and youth injected teams in the entire National Hockey League. This off-season was nothing but the same, as Brian Burke continued to rebuild this team into what he hopes will be a contender this season and beyond. In the past the Leafs have been known as an old experienced veteran lead team which usually got into the playoffs but never got things done. However in a cap induced world, GM’s can no longer sign who they want for whatever they want, therefore youth is a key component to success as we have seen the last few years in previous Stanley Cup Champions. Most recent winners – Chicago and Pittsburgh followed this model to a tee proving that success comes from building within.

With this in mind, Brian Burke has continued to drop the average age on this Maple Leaf team letting veteran players walk to the market, while acquiring and signing younger quality players such as Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong. If  32 year old Tomas Kaberle is dealt, which is expected, that only drops the average farther. This is not to say that older experienced leaders are lethal to a team, but with the direction the Leafs are going, it is best for them to part with the old and start with some youth.

Something that can be argued, but vastly agreed upon is that the Leafs have not only gotten younger, but better. The Leafs have bulked up at every position on the ice, and with their core young group of players developing each season, they will only get better as a team. Brian Burke will always be looking to improve this team, but one can understand that once you hit a certain point of satisfaction, the amount of change is surely going to decline. This is not a bad thing, because something called chemistry has great potential to develop. Chemistry is going to be key for the Leafs going forward, as we have seen between certain groups of players in the past few seasons (ie. Kessel & Bozak)

For this upcoming season, anyone knows that anything can happen, however predictions are made for a reason, and more likely than not come into fruition. For the purpose of this article, and after analyzing the progress the Leafs team has made over the course of a year, I believe the Leafs will contend for a playoff spot. I think the days of lottery picks and rebuilding is over as the Leafs have begun a new era and have changed almost all aspects of their team off and on the ice. They are young and only going to improve, so as each season goes on we can expect them to get better and better. This however is the first year of the rebirth which can only mean that things will be taken slow. The Leafs will not win the Stanley Cup this year (I pray to God I am wrong), but they most definitely will not be a lottery team either. Injuries and other factors will play a huge part in determining their final position, but aside from all that a 6th-8th place finish in the conference and playoff hockey is not out of the question… in fact it is highly possible, and if I were a betting man, look for the Leafs to turn a lot of heads this season.

If there is one thing we learned from the blue and white goalies of the past few years, it’s that bad goaltending can really bring a team down. Andrew Raycroft and Vesa Toskala were both billed as legitimate starting goaltenders, and after allowing them to take the reins, caused the franchise to miss the playoffs every year since the lockout. Brian Burke is a very smart man. He knew that the first thing he had to do to fix this team was to stabilize it’s goaltending department. That’s why he went fishing in Sweden, and caught himself a monster. Jonas Gustavsson had an amazing season in Sweden before being whisked over to Toronto.

Naturally, expectations were very high for the Swedish phenom as he began his rookie campaign. However, before he could really begin to prove himself, he was sidelined by a freak injury – an irregular heartbeat. He was sidelined for a few weeks as he had the injury remedied by a procedure known as a heart ablation. Once he was past this, he had to deal with another hurdle: Vesa Toskala. As the incumbent goaltender, and coming off a surgery of his own, Vesa Toskala was given a shot to revive his career and be the starting goaltender for the year. However, no surgery could fix the flaws Toskala possessed. His play was atrocious, and was partly to blame for the Leafs starting the season winless.

Once it was clear Toskala could not handle starting duties on his own, he was placed in constant rotation with Jonas. This is when the Monster began to show his flashes of brilliance, including his first win against Anaheim. After losing his first two games (one was in relief for Toskala when the game was already blown out, the other a very close loss, 26/28) he went on to earn at least a point for the club in his next six games. In fact, he earned at least a point for his team (win or overtime loss) in 25 of 24 games. That’s a point earning percentage of around 60%. If Jonas had played the entire 82 game schedule, the team would have finished with 79 points, based on win and overtime loss percentages. Although it isn’t spectacular, it is a visible improvement on the 74 points the team finished with.

Going into this season, there is no doubt Jonas will be more prepared and poised. After dealing with the death of his mother, two heart ablations and a rookie NHL season, he can now focus on improving and having a good season with a better team. The fact that the team around him has improved is comforting, but success in the short and long term will rely heavily on how Jonas plays this season. His stats last season were decent for a rookie goaltender, but he’ll be counted on for much more this year. J.S Giguere will be vying for that starting goaltender’s job, and Jussi Rynnas and Ben Scrivens are both honing their game waiting for the right moment to seize their opportunity.

The franchise has put a lot of faith into Gustavsson, and rightfully so. He is a good goalie, but he’s still raw in a sense, and needs work. His play style is something worth putting effort into developing – he’s big and plays a positionally sound game, a style that has proven to be successful in the past. This year is very important for Gustavsson to prove he is number one material: Giguere’s contract is expiring, Scrivens and Rynnas will be looking to move up as well. The team succeeding depends heavily on Jonas Gustavsson and his development and progression as an NHL goaltender.

The Monster can terrorize the NHL, but that depends on him and how hard he’s willing to work to be Leafs solution to their goaltending issues. Here’s to hoping for a monster of a season from #50.

Edit: I totally forgot about James Reimer, who had a very good season for a bad team in the Marlies last year. He will receive strong consideration as well, and considering he’s one of the “longer serving Leafs”, should be higher on the pecking order. His play this year, presumably as the Marlies number one goaltender, should dictate if he stays with the Leafs going forward given their depth in net.