5. Consistency. Last year the leafs started off hot, going 4-0 in their 1st 4 games, but then went cold in the months ending in "er" Once January came, the Leafs rounded out the last half of the season in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference. Now, I know the haters are going to be like.. "But Mr. Jeff, the Leafs always go on a run near the end of the season, and miss the playoffs, why would last year make any difference?" Which leads into my next point...
4. Dion Phaneuf. Dion came to the Leafs to provide a few things. One of those things is leadership. Once Kaberle was traded last year, Phaneuf stepped up and took this team as his own, as a captain should. Dion had 6G & 16A from January on. Not bad when compared to his dismal 1G 5A in the 1st half of his season. He also was hurt for a chunk of the 1st half as well. I expect a strong performance from the Captain this season. He needs it and deserves it.
3. New coaching staff. This point here may be overlooked by most people, but I think it is going to have a big impact. While Wilson somehow keeps his job, Wilson/Burke let go of the majority of their assistant coaches and replaced them with legitimate people that can make a huge impact behind the bench. Look for the Leafs powerplay and penalty kill to rise in the standings to both being in the top 13.
2. Center for Kessel. When you say the name Tim Connolly the 1st thing that pops into your head is "injuries", but what I think is "Leaf killer". As a Leafs fan watching this guy in Buffalo for what seems like the last 20 years, he always gets those timely goals against the Leafs, just as MacArthur use to, and look what happened with MacArthur. He plays great with Grabo and Kuli. Expect a near full season, a very productive one at that, from the oft injured Connolly.
1. Optimus Reim. This is the number one reason why we are going to make the playoffs. A lot of people are going to have this guy circled with a question mark on him because he has no real experience in the NHL. But the one thing he does have experience with, is adversity. He was hurt a lot in junior and had to work hard to get where he is today. This guy is the real deal. This guy wins 40 games this year, and his name will be mentioned in the Vezina trophy talk. He may not win it, or even be nominated for it, but he definitely will be an honorable mention for it.
There are a few other reasons that I wanted to add to the list but there are the top 5. Other reasons for optimism for Leaf fans is the fact that once Lupul got here, Kessel was more consistent. The Monster has to prove himself still, look for him to push Reimer for that starting job (Monster doesn't even have a chance). my final bonus reason is... come on Leafers, it's been 6 seasons (7 years) since the last Maple Leafs playoff game played in TO, we NEED IT DESPERATELY!!!! But hey, if they dont do it this year, there is always next year!
