Ohhhhkayyyyy, that time of year again when the anger and disappointment of our last playoff debacle has faded, and the inevitable hope attached to this love affair I have with the Toronto Maple Leafs starts bubbling to the surface. As regular as a visit to the bathroom after a 3 coffee breakfast. Help a guy out here, and tell me where I am getting ahead of myself, and where I am just plain wrong. Otherwise, I'm afraid that I'll once again believe that we've got a shot at this thing. And no, I'm not a masochist, I'm just a fan of Blue Swede, and an 'Ooga-chaka, ooga ooga' type of guy. IYKYK...
#1: Coaching. I'm not one to praise or blame a coach to any great extent. If they coach in the show they know their shit. For me, it's the players. However, while I don't blame Keefe as much as some, the change to Berube, imho, should help this team. He'll have free reign to coach as he wants, his pedigree allows him that, and the team knows that this is their last kick at the can. His no nonsense approach should mesh well with the desperation this group should be feeling heading into the season, which I believe should motivate the team's compete level to a new high for this group. I suspect this will be noticed most often when we play teams well below us in the standings during the season. I'll also suggest that this coaching group will be more willing to entertain changes towards young players, especially if something special develops.
#2: Young Players. I think there will be some surprises/hoped for development, from 2/3 of the following: Knies/Woll/Cowan/Grebyonkin(sp?)/Robertson/Timmins, and Liljegren. Minten and Quillan too. Of course not all will make it, but the infusion of this youth 'movement' should pay dividends if they are given the chances to play on a regular basis. Knies and Woll lead the pack, of course, with Woll hopefully being able to compete without injury. Knies has the chance to become a true power forward. I included Liljegren because he still hasn't topped 200 games in the NHL, and under a new coach I think he has the tools to be a competent 2nd pairing Dman. As injury prone as he has been, Timmins still intrigues me due to his skill set. Which leaves Robertson, Cowan, Greb, Minten and Quillan to perhaps force the Leafs into making some interesting decisions. I don't want to overload on youth, but I feel strongly that youth helps a team's 'energy'.
#3: Goaltending. As Bob Cole used to say, 'Ohhh Baby'. A disaster or a delight? If he can stay healthy, I think Woll is the real deal. In Stolarz we've a hungry young talent who has put up some consistently good numbers over the past few years. Combined...fingers crossed, but we could be looking at the best tandem we've seen in ages. Does Murray clear waivers, can Hildeby have what it takes? I don't know, but optimism baby, optimism. Damn.
#4: Defense. During the Matthews era we've always been a 2nd pairing Dman short of being good. With the addition of Tanev and OEL, plus my hoped for development of Liljegren, Rielly being Rielly, and McCabe rounding out the group, I can see us icing two pairings that can compete against most. Maybe not the best of the best, but not a group that is missing the required talent. And there is some depth to this corp. In Hakanpaa, Benoit, Timmins and others on the Marlies, I don't think we'll need to go shopping come the TDL, allowing us to concentrate on a more pressing need up front if required.
#5: Matthews with the 'C'. Regardless of how good he has been before, I think we're going to see a new level from our new captain. My hope is that he'll demand of all greater accountability to the team. I think he'll lead by example, I hope he get in someone's face when they mail it in. This should be his best year in the show.
#6: Splitting up the 4. In my opinion, the weakest of my reasons for optimism because 'who the f*ck am I' to roll out a team's 4 lines? It requires Berube to do what Keefe refused to do, and perhaps Keefe was right, but I truly believe William Nylander can play center in the NHL, and play well. Play Willy with Mitch and Knies and I think you've one of the best 2nd lines in the NHL, period...if you can stay the course. Good players play well with other good players, they figure it out. Yes, Willy will have to double down on his defensive responsibilities, but he is capable of doing so. Demand of him (I'm looking at you Berube, and AM!) what he is capable of bringing to the team. Which of course leads us to JT becoming our 3C. Play him with McMann, Robertson, Cowan, Greb., Jarnkrok...I can live with that type of 3rd line. If I had my drothers: Robertson/Matthews/Domi, followed by Knies/Nylander/Marner, with McMann/Tavares/Cowan in front of Dewar-Holmberg/Kamph/Jarnkrok-Reaves.
Conclusion: I'm an idiot, waiting to have my hopes dashed once again. But, there are still things about this team I really like, and hope springs eternal in my head. I'm also a bit tired of the negativity that dominates this board. I love the game, I love my Leafs, and I'd like to see some happiness around here again. Sorry for the length of all this, folks. Have yourselves a great day. Cheers.
