Another Maple Leafs season is about to start and for some reason this one feels different. The additions of Thornton, Brodie and a couple of others aside, the season is pretty much aligned for the Leafs to be successful. From what I have heard about the set up of the playoffs, the Leafs unless they have a major meltdown are pretty much ensured a first round win in the playoffs.
This is due to the fact that the divisions for this year constituted geographically meaning that for the first time in NHL history there will be a division of all Canadian teams. Wow! No one is this division scares me except maybe the Oilers. The other teams lost significant players and the Leafs were the only team to address their holes and make their team noticeable better. The Canadiens added Josh Anderson and the likes of Suzuki and their youth will continue to develop, but no other team in this division and maybe the entire league has as much depth all over the ice as the Leafs do.
Thornton has already started to impact the team in a positive way. Prior to him becoming a Leaf I knew that he was an elite playmaker and point producer, but I was not aware of what a great guy he was. He seems to be fun loving and his positive vibe seems to be rubbing off on his line mates already. Matthews and Marner already got a taste of this when Marleau was with the team for two years, and Thornton seems to be a bigger version of him. A strong veteran presence and someone who demands respect and who truly wants to win and win badly.
Thornton had a decent year on a Sharks team last year playing down in the line up and being a power play specialist. He has been given all the opportunity early this year to excel with top line talent that he has not played alongside since the days of Pavelski scoring 50 goals and Marleau being a front line player. I for one am really excited to see what he can do and on top of being skilled he is also really big and can go into the corners and retrieve the puck and let his line mates do what they are best at.
Keefe has also mixed up the power play lines and seems to be spreading the wealth a little. Taveras is also playing with Nylander and Vesey and so far so good. The third and fourth lines are filled with solid depth players and guys like Simmonds and Kerfoot should have decent years with the team. It looks like Robertson is going to start with the team as well, so let's see if he can grow from his solid playoffs earlier in the year.
The depth up front aside this team will win and lose with how well Freddy plays and how well the defence holds up. Rielly is playing with his best partner as a Leaf and Bogosian and Muzzin provide the muscle on the back end. Dermott has a ways to go to become a fixture in the top 6, but he is not terrible. Lehtonen starts the year as the rover on defence and he will be in and out of the line up it looks like, but he is a nice luxury to have. Sandin starts in the press box, but he should play in his fair share of games before the season is out.
I have not been this excited about a Leafs season since they drafted Matthews first overall. They made it to the playoffs that year after finishing last the previous season and almost beat the high flying Capitals in a hard fought seven game series. Damn you Tom Wilson!!
Comments