Maple Leafs; a One Liner No More

For as long as the Kessel, VanReimsdyk and Bozak line has been together, the Leafs have been known as a one line team, that are easy to handle when the top line isn't producing. However, some bargain free agent signings last offseason, the emergence of Peter Holland, and a lot of 'O' from the 'D', have allowed the Leafs to get a glimpse of what it's like to have depth in their lineup.

  David Clarkson  (7G, 1A, 9 Pts) makes $5.25 million a year. Daniel Winnik, David Booth, Leo Komarov and Mike Santorelli combined make $4.8 million, this is a testiment to how much more productive last offseason was to the year prior. In an uncharachteristic move, Dave Nonis  approached last offseason a little differently than in years past. Instead of paying one large contract to a big name free agent, Nonis signed multiple players to smaller contracts, a move that (so far) is paying off nicely for the 3rd year GM. The largest contract the Leafs offered last offseason was to Leo Komarov, a move that no Leafs fan could argue was a bad one. In 23 GP Komarov has 4G, 12A, 16 Pts, which has him on pace to easily surpass the numbers he put up during his first stint with the blue & white. Mike Santorelli has been one of the least talked about, most productive Leaf players all season. Santorelli (4G, 14A, 18Pts), along with Daniel Winnik (1G, 8A, 9Pts) have not only been productive on the score sheet, but both have been pivotal on the PK which currently ranks 11th in the NHL, a drastic improvement from what we saw last season where the Leafs ended up with the 28th ranked PK in the league. The final bargain signing for the Leafs this offseason was David Booth (1yr, $1.1 million), unfortunately for Booth he has missed most of the season with a broken foot suffered in the preaseason, after another few games getting his legs back, we should start to see what he will bring to the lineup. It is unclear as to who is really running this team following last offseasons various hirings and firings. One thing is evident however, coach Carlyle was forced to change at least some of his coaching tactics.

   If there is one player that has beneffited from the changes made by the Leafs last offseason, its Peter Holland. Holland was acquired in a trade last season that saw Anaheim receive defenseman Jesse Blacker, and two draft picks from the Leafs. When given more than 4:00 minutes of ice time, Holand showed flashes of great play and offensive skill, however, no matter how successful he was, much like the rest of the bottom six forwards last season, he would see less than 8:00 minutes of ice time a night. This season to start, it appeared we would be seeing (or not seeing) more of the same. However, recently Holland has been seeing an increased amount of ice time, and much like last season, increased production when he actually sees the ice. As it sits right now Holland has 5G, 4A, 9Pts and has been shooting the puck a ton. Hopefully, Randy Carlyle's new found confidence in the centre will allow his ice time to continue to increase, because it seems like the more he plays, the better he plays, and production from Holland would make the Leafs bottom six that much more effective. The Leafs have always been knocked for their lack of scoring depth, this season the additions to the forward core and their production have only been helped by the fire power from the Leafs back end.

  So far this season the Leafs have been seeing great offensive production from their defense. The Leafs defense might not be the best in the league (at all), and as much as they need to focus on their defensive game, the offense they are providing doesn't hurt. Heading in to tonight's game against the Canucks, the Leafs defense has 58 points (12G, 48A) which has them on pace to top their numbers from last season. Special mention has to go to Cody Franson who has 18 of those 58 points, is 6th in team scoring and 13th in the league when it comes to points for a defenseman. Franson is in his 3rd one year deal with the Leafs, and is quitely having his best season with the team. If he continues to play at the level he has been playing, the Leafs will have to decide once and for all whether they will sign him to the long term deal he's been looking for (if they dont someone will), or trade him at the deadline. If the defense can keep up with thier point production, while tightening up their defensive game and responsibilites, the Leafs defense may end up being one of the teams greatest strengths by seasons end.

   Although it's never good when your top line goes silent and isn't producing, as a Leafs fan it's nice to know the team has the firepower to still compete in any given game if the big three go silent in a game. The evidence of the depth is clear; with the top line slowing down in 6 games prior to the game against the Devils, the Leafs top line posted 9G, 8A for 17Pts, where as the rest of the team combined for 16G, 25A for 41Pts in the same span. If the Leafs depth players and defense can continue to produce at a steady rate, whenever the top line does play like we all know they are capable of, this Leafs team will be a force to be wreckoned with, and potentially, a dangerous post season opponent to any team.
   

  

A Chance to Thrive for #45

Early in to the 2014/15 season it was looking like the Leafs would be experiencing another season with a goalie controversy on their hands. As we move into the second quarter of the season it appears Bernier is ready to claim the net. 

Initially , when Dave Nonis made the trade for Bernier last offseason, I was very much bewildered by the move and totally against it, granted, I have always been a huge fan of James Reimer, especially following the lockout shortened season where he dragged the Leafs into the playoffs and single handedly took them to game 7 with the Bruins. 

  The Bernier deal seemed, at the time like a move that was made to address an area the Leafs had no need to address, especially when defense was (and continues to be) a glaring area of need for this team. As soon as the trade was made it was believed Bernier was finally going to be given the chance tp be a number one goalie, an opportunity the entire league felt he deserved. 

  At first it appeared as though Randy Carlyle was going to stick to the 1a, 1b system with the two net minders. Perhaps this philosophy is what created the controversy in the first place, the whole narrative could've been avoided if Carlyle had just named Bernier the number one. Although Carlyle  always seemed more comfortable to use Bernier on a nightly basis. As the season progressed #45 was earning a majority of the starts, ending up with 55 games played, a number that likely would have been higher if not for a late season groin injury. Considering how the Leafs ended last season, it would only seem natural Bernier would be able to come in to this season and be named the outright number one. However, an offseason that saw a 2 year extension for James Reimer, more confusing quotes from the head coachwould lead to more confusion surrounding the Toronto net.

Bernier began the season with a (1-3-0 ) allowing 10 goals in 3 losses, many of which were shaky, making the netminder look very human, especially compared to last season. The lacklustre start combined with what was a solid start for Reimer, had many questioning if Bernier would seize the opportunity and take over the net in Toronto. However, if there is one thing Carlyle should get credit for, continued faith in Bernier appears to be paying off. Recently, Bernier has been given complete control of his destiny and is proving equal to the task. One thing is clear about Jonathan Bernier, when he is on, he is dynamite and can steal you a few games. The one thing Leaf nation need to see from him is consitency. In the last 5 games Bernier is 4-0-1 and has looked solid in each of the starts. We haven't seen Reimer in net since  November 18th against the Preds.

Bernier is set to make his 7th conescutive start tonight, as the Leafs take on the Devils. It appears as if he is ready to claim sole posession of the number one spot on the depth chart. No matter what happens throughout the rest of this season the Leafs will have a crucial decision to make at the end of the season. There is no doubt then when he is playing at the level we all know he is capable of, Bernier is a top 10 goalie in the NHL. The Leafs have a big decision to make at the conclusion of this season; do they go all in on Bernier and sign him to a contract worthy of a number one goalie? or do they dangle him at the deadline and try to get maximum return, the latter would make little to no sense, as Nonis tried for so long to secure the netminder. As long as Bernier keeps up his play of late, I see no reason why the Leafs should not pay him the contract he deserves and allow Toronto to finally have a bonifed number one goalie, not only for this season, but for years to come.

By the numbers;

Jonathan Bernier, G,  Toronto Maple Leafs        17 GP       9W, 5L, 3OTL 2.62GAA, .917 SV%

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Consistently Inconsistent - By Mike Byrne

  As we all know the past two seasons of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey have been headlined by monumental collapses, both in single game (the game that shall not be named) and in the well documented final 14 games of last season that saw the buds go 2-12-0 and free fall out of a playoff spot, in a fashion that only the Leafs could.

    This past weekend the Leafs played back to back games on Saturday and Sunday, with both games showing two very different Leaf teams. After Saturday night's loss to the Pens, a game which epitomized the entire 13/14 season in a 60 minute game, the Leafs came out against the Rangers and played lights out, chasing Henrik Lundqvist from the net (not a small feat by any stretch of the imagination) As giddy as Leafs nation was after the Rangers win, personally it left me with an uneasy feeling of "here we go again"

  Don't get me wrong, I was as pleased with Sunday nights victory as the next blue and white blooded fan. However one word stuck in my mind throughout my analysis of the past weekend, inconsistency. Inconsistency has plagued the Leafs for the better part of the post lockout (2004) era. Many theories have arisen in regards to what is the cause of all of these record setting debacles. Whether coaching, the players, or the culture of the franchise, each aspect has played a role in the demise of the previous two seasons.

    The most mind boggling move  the Leafs neglected to make this offseason was the firing of Randy Carlyle (insert Carlyle rant here) a move that not only was negative for the players, but one that aids in the narrative of what a joke the Leafs management is. Giving an extension to a coach that has been at the helm for two seasons, with the most recent season ending in more misery than the shortened season, a task that seemed impossible, but then again nothing appears to be impossible for the Leafs (except of course making the playoffs on a regular basis) every game when the camera flashes to a shot of Carlyle the only I see is an uninspiring guy, standing behind the bench , keeping it warm for his inevitable replacement, yet another opportunity for The league to point and laugh at the disarray of our management structure. It is abundantly clear Carlyle is not in control of his lineup or roster moves any longer (see Marlies for Orr and McLaren) so why keep him around ? Because the Leafs....that's why.

 Now I cannot in good conscience complete this article without of course placing some blame on the players, after all they are the ones making the money, and tasked to actually do the job of putting the puck in the net, and preventing the puck from going in the net. However , after we all watched HBO 24/7 last season, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that these players just don't want to listen to Carlyle. The bottom line is, the Leafs are a more talented team than the last two years would lead us to believe, get a decent coach in there, with some stability in the front office, and stop making the team and organization as a whole, the punch line for jokes that we all have to hear throughout the season.

    To wrap it all up, it is my firm belief that as long as Carlyle is behind the bench, the Leafs will be poised for inconsistency and further collapses. Hopefully I am I horribly wrong, but there is no evidence to support any different outcome. Here's hoping for a win against the Avs tonight, hopefully we see the better side of this Jekyll and Hyde team for tonight's matchup ! Stay positive Leafs nation, after all, no matter what, we are all in this together!

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