Leafs Exhumation 2011-2012

I haven't embarked on a player-by-player synopsis of the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years. It's a monumental undertaking for a blog entry that will be read by few and appreciated by fewer. But I'm going to do it this year, because this team is at a crossroads. It's a crossroads in the depths of blackest night, with a cemetery kitty-corner to a charnel house.  Dawn seems to be a long way off, if it ever comes at all, and worse, the players don't know which way to turn.

I haven't seen rage from the fan base like this since the early nineties. I'm told by someone who was there that one patron ripped his Leafs jersey off and threw it to the ice the other night, near the end of the 7-1 drubbing by Philadelphia. Doubtless many other fans have considered doing the same, and this die-hard fan wouldn't exactly blame them. It has been said countless times (and often by me)  that Leaf fans are among the most impatient in all of sport. That's not exactly true. Leaf fans have an almost infinite capacity for futility--hey, we've earned it!--but lack of effort is and always will be unacceptable.

And there is precious little effort being expended by anyone in blue and white over the last third of this season. The team appears to be completely disinterested in playing hockey. By and large, they're not even going through the motions: that would require they move. Little wonder the Air Canada Center erupted into prolonged chants of "Let's go, Blue Jays" on Thursday night.

Given the team's unprecedented collapse, the temptation is to give every single Leaf player an F and tell them they're lucky you can't get a lower grade. This would be as unfair as grading the team solely on their first sixty games would be. They obviously weren't as good as their record on February 6 -- when they were in the thick of a battle for home ice advantage -- suggested; nor are they as bad as their current lottery standing indicates. Perspective is needed, and lots of it.

Let me start by saying that most pundits expected the Leafs to challenge for a playoff position this year. This means they were initially expected to finish somewhere between, say, sixth and tenth place in the conference. They are currently within shouting distance of dead last--fifteenth. Yet in early February they were in sixth and trending upward.

So what happened? A whole bunch of things, none of them good.

Relentless offence inflated the stats at first. Under Ron Wilson, the team played a free-flowing style relying exclusively on offensive creativity and ignoring defence entirely. That kind of "system" only works if you have all-world goaltending (and even then, usually not for very long). Reimer started off very promisingly, but was concussed in his fifth start and hasn't been the same goaltender since. And there's nothing behind him. Gustavsson is a superbly athletic goalie and serious consistency issues. Three great saves, one soft goal, that's his motto.
Still, the team persisted in playing the run-and-gun, and it worked far longer than it probably should have. Credit where it's due, to Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. But, inevitably, the NHL tightens up as the winter wears on: teams anticipating playoffs hone their defensive coverage and begin to squeeze the life out of clubs like the Leafs.

Mats Sundin, the previous Captain of the Leafs and holder of the franchise scoring record,  was honoured before the February 11th game against the Canadiens, with the kind of moving ceremony that only the Leafs and Canadiens seem to specialize in. Then the current edition of the Buds went out and laid an egg: a 5-0 craptacular snoozefest that began to seriously sow the seeds of doubt. Those seeds have blossomed into huge doubtflowers waving in the wind of negativity and soaking up rays of disgust.

The downhill slide accelerated when Joffrey Lupul got hurt. Lupul is the only player since Sundin to manage more than a point a game (although it's all but certain Kessel would have done it too if his linemate had remained healthy).
Joffrey Lupul, Leaf nominee for (and for my money, the winner of) the Masterton trophy, is the engine that drives this team. With him out of the lineup, it's not at all surprising the Leaf bandwagon isn't going anywhere.

Other injuries besides Reimer's and Lupul's have taken a toll, most notably that of J.M. Liles. He was looking fantastic early in the season, moving the puck up ice crisply and with precision; since his return from concussion he has struggled to find his game.  Armstrong and Brown, otherwise known as grit and sandpaper, have spent great chunks of the season on the sidelines.

Finally, the coaching change sideswiped this team as they were careening into the ditch. Burke was right to fire Wilson, but his timing was...questionable.
The Leafs' penalty kill was  laughably bad in December. Epically bad. Historically bad. So bad that a perfect month of January managed to raise them all the way from 30th to 29th-best PK. If Burke had fired Wilson in December (rather than giving him a year's extension on his contract), Carlyle would have had considerably more time to instill some sort of defensive conscience and I doubt this team would be floundering this badly now.

As it stands, it's glaringly obvious that the team does not have the personnel to play a Carlyle game. The new Leafs coach is a big proponent of board play and this edition of the Leafs is terrified of the boards. They find it almost impossible to establish a cycle game and they struggle mightily to break the opposition's cycle. This, more than anything else, suggests big, big change on the immediate horizon.

But this, too, was expected...at least by me. I said repeatedly when Burke took over that it would take three overhauls of the roster to get from where the team was--nowhere--to where it wanted to go. We're through one churn now and a second awaits. It's worth noting that the Marlies, perennial doorstops, are favoured to win their version of the Stanley Cup this year. Perhaps the old adage obtains: it's always darkest just before the dawn.

Without further ado, but plenty of doo-doo...

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FORWARDS

Phil Kessel A

The Kessel-for-Seguin-and-so-much-more deal is going to be hashed out for the next twenty years or so. Burke was destined to lose that deal: he clearly overpaid. But he doesn't care, and neither, to be honest, should Leaf fans. Kessel is exactly as advertised. He puts points on the board. With his line intact he would almost certainly have finished with forty goals and over eighty points. With four games left, that's still possible, actually. He's the best pure offensive talent the Leafs have had since Sundin; he may be better. Sundin perennially had soup cans for wingers; Phil's got a soup can for a center. Defensively he is still a work in progress but has shown improvement. Note that he is one of very few players showing genuine anger at the turn his team has taken.

Joffrey Lupul A

Hands up all none of you who saw this coming. 67 points in 66 games played before injury. This is a piece you keep. (Doesn't hurt that my wife thinks he's a 'cutie patootie', whatever that is.) Lupul excels in creating space for Kessel: the two have a dynamic chemistry that we can only hope will continue for future seasons. Written off (by Carlyle!) in Anaheim, Lupul has come a long, long way in a very short period of time.

Tyler Bozak C

Offensively better: a function of linemates he wasn't supposed to have this year. Defensively, Tyler has regressed. He is still, sadly, miscast as a first line center, and is only there because Connolly failed so spectacularly in the role and management has a mental block when it comes to slotting Grabovski in that spot. Tradable for some size and board presence, to teams who can use him properly.

Mikhail Grabovski B-

The little Belarusian who could is not producing the way he did last year, but that has more to do with the cliff-dive Macarthur and Kulemin took than any real deficiency in Mikhail's play. He has some fiery passion that the rest of the Leaf forwards could do well to emulate. Carlyle is leaning heavily on Grabovski for solid two-way play and I think you'll see this player take another step forward next year. Again, a piece that can and perhaps should be kept; he could be packaged with picks and prospects for a very solid return, though.

Nikolai Kulemin D+

Where did his scoring touch go, and can he please have it back? Thirty goals last year...seven this year. He is still a good checker and board player, but this showing was unexpected and disappointing. I do feel he can rebound--but possibly not here.

Clarke Macarthur C-

Another player of whom considerably more was expected. Paired with Kulemin and Grabovski last year, he constituted one third of what was arguably the real first line of the team. Not so this year. He has been distinctly average, only showing flashes of the goal-scoring prowess he exhibited so consistently last year. Replaceable.

Tim Connolly D+

Brought in to serve as a first line center. Surprisingly, the brittle Connolly has missed only ten games. Also surprisingly, did not mesh on the first line at all. Or the second. Or the third, or the fourth. He has good hands, but the defensive acumen we were led to believe he possessed was not in evidence this year. That said, he has looked a little more competent under Carlyle. With an off-season reset, the optimist in me hopes he can have a better campaign next season.

Matthew Lombardi C

Lombardi was Leaf Nation's whipping boy du jour this year. It's really a wonder he could skate at all, much less so quickly, what with all that hatred on his back. True, the words 'Matthew Lombardi' and 'defensive responsibility' aren't often seem in the same novel. But do bear in mind this player wasn't expected to play at all this year after suffering a serious concussion last season. And the Leafs got him for nothing Brett Lebda. Going forward, I don't think he has a place on a Carlyle-coached squad. Does that make him a bad player? Not at all.

Joey Crabb C+

This year's Timmy Brent. Players like Crabb exist on every NHL team. Crabb is not blessed with exceptional talent (although every ten games or so, you'll see him score a goal that will have you wondering). He's one of a very few players with a positive plus-minus this season. He'll stick provided he doesn't expect a ton of salary.

Colby Armstrong D

Such a waste of a season. Armstrong came here billed as one of the league's premier shi(f)t disturbers, a tenacious checker who would irritate the almighty hell out of the opposition and pot the odd goal. He's had to battle an endless string of injuries, and I don't think 'odd' goal was supposed to mean ONE goal this year. He can't possibly be this bad again...can he?

Matt Frattin C-

Overhyped prospect who does have a heavy shot and some creativity, but who disappears for long stretches of game (and season). The C grade may be a tad generous, actually.

David Steckel C+

If the game of hockey consisted of nothing but faceoffs, you're looking at Wayne Gretzky right here. Steckel wins almost every draw he takes, it seems like. Unfortunately, he skates like the wind on a calm day and he's something of a defensive liability. Still, those draws! It's worth keeping him on the team just for the puck possession he'll give other, more talented players.

Mike Brown D+

He's here to put up dukes, not points, and on that score he's...fair. You can't doubt his heart, either. But he was injured for thirty games this year and I didn't notice him leave or come back. Can a guy be washed up at 27?

Phillippe Dupuis F

The less said the better. He's a Marlie now, after thirty games, which was about twenty nine too many.

Jay Rosehill F

Rosie's a good fighter. Fighting has been largely expunged from the NHL. Ahem.


INC: Carter Ashton, Nazem Kadri, Colton Orr, Ryan Hamilton, Joe Colborne.

I will say I expect Kadri up full time next year and contributing, possibly as many as 40 points. Colborne has loads of potential, Orr's time is done, and Hamilton is one of those players who could have a long and lucrative NHL career but instead is kept in the minors to serve as a mentor. Ashton needs more AHL seasoning.

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DEFENCE

Dion Phaneuf D+

Burke will defend this guy until you give up and go away. Is that because, like Burke, Dion is all bluster and blather?
Look, it's not as if Phaneuf is a TERRIBLE hockey player. He's fifth on the team in scoring and plays 20+ minutes a game, usually against the other team's best. One wonders how many goals he'd score once he learns the net is actually at ice level; most of his shots seem to be about a mile high. Defensively, he's something of a pylon. And as a captain--well, look. There are several breeds of captain out there. Gilmour and Clark wore their hearts on their sleeves. Sundin kept his leadership quiet and mostly private, but quietly and privately averaged a point a game over a long Leaf career. Phaneuf is something else entirely. He doesn't lead by example and his compete level is rarely evident. As a #3 defenseman with less responsibility, Dion could excel. Unfortunately, this would require stripping the C off his jersey and that *never* works out.

Luke Schenn D

He must be frustrated, I would be. Good year, bad year, good year, bad year...he looked lost for most of this season. Still leads the league in hits by a defenseman but has no offensive skill and poor puck management. He should have spent (at least) a year on the Marlies, developing: it's a year he'll never get back now. Carlyle has, I suspect, one last chance to mould Luke into the nasty shutdown D-man we all think might still be in there somewhere.

Carl Gunnarsson C

Quiet, usually effective. He's not a heavy hitter like Schenn, nor a puckmover like Liles and Gardiner, but a little bit of everything. He does nothing extremely well, but nor is he deficient. Hence the C grade.

John-Michael Liles C

I hate giving poor grades in cases of injury. Yet another victim of the NHL's concussion epidemic, Liles started off the season in A form but has obviously not recovered fully, no matter what doctors may say. When healthy, Liles is Kaberlesque in his ability to skate the puck out of danger and he can run a powerplay. High hopes for him next year.

Cody Franson C-

Did not start well, bitching publicly about being benched at the beginning of the season, and once playing, did not show he truly belonged. He reminds me somewhat of Bryan McCabe. Same booming, low and usually accurate shot, same defensive miscues. and his grade reflects poor coaching more than anything else.

Jake Gardiner A

Every year there comes along a Leaf that gets you thinking "this guy's going to be great." Not so long ago that Leaf was Luke Schenn, and that hasn't turned out so well. Okay, that's as much tempering as I feel like doing. Jake is good. You don't often see players his age with the poise and instinct he has. And  he is such an effortless skater. It's easy to picture him leading a defence corps about five years hence, putting up something like sixty points. We've been burned before, but maybe...just maybe...this kid's the real deal. His only fault this year has been stretches of fatigue: entirely understandable when the kid's never played a schedule half this gruelling.

Mike Komisarek F

*sigh* Did you know he was once an All-Star? Well, he attended the game, anyway, thanks to the travesty that is fan voting. It just hasn't worked out for him here in Toronto. He tries to play with an edge and it only takes him out of position; if he tries to play in position he loses his edge. A big part of a hugely overpaid and under-performing D corps. Burke will have to work some Lebdalike magic to ship him out.


GOALIES

James Reimer C-

Oh, what could have been. 4-0-1 out of the gate and then flattened and concussed by Gionta. He never fully healed--he's out again as I write this--and the horror of concussions is, you never know if he ever will fully heal.  Burke inexplicably pinned the #1 on him on the basis of half a season of excellent work. He may well be a #1 goalie, when healthy. We'll just have to wait and see. Except Burke says he builds his teams from the net out, and three and a half years in, at a minimum, I'd expect the goalie position to be solid. It's anything but.

Jonas Gustavsson D

One good stretch of hockey does not a season (or a career) make. Gustavsson reminds me of me in my short lived goaltending days. I can make spectacular, otherworldly saves. Unfortunately, I am often beat on routine or less than routine shots. The Monster is a free agent and I think we've seen the last of him.

In conclusion...

Okay, Blue Jays, let's play ball!