The first line is the biggest problem. How do you generate that much offence and still be minus players? The answer is poor decision making when pressured. Too much focus on offensive positioning, not enough on defensive. The key to the improvement of the defensive awareness of the first line is JVR. He has to be better, he also has to know that Kessel is just okay and so is Bozak, so has to be the difference there.
The second problem is the young defence core. Franson has not developed the way Leaf brass has hoped, which is okay. He is what he is at this point. Reilly and Gardiner have the potential for growth and will get better under Randy Carlyle. They just need time.
Kadri will improve defensively and on faceoffs too, but also needs time. Lupul is alot like Kessel, okay defensively, that's why Kulemin is so important there. I'd also like Kulemin to learn from JVR and plant himself in front of the net, he's called "The Tank" for a reason. I still believe Kulemin can be a 2nd line player, he shows flashes, but just needs time to build some more chemistry with Kadri and Lupul, and KNOW his role there.
Clarkson is not a bad player, people need to ease up here. He's an overpaid 3rd line forward, similar to the way Grabovski was, however he is better defensively then he has been. I do believe he'll get there eventually. He'll always be an overpaid 3rd liner, but is a tweener 2/3 forward. Overpaid by about 2 million, which I'd be pissed about, but the cap is going up alot soon so I'll get over it. Raymond is a similar level player as Clarkson, 2/3 forward, but swap the defensive skills for offence. Bolland is a 3rd line center, maybe he would have been more, but he's not.
Bernier is brilliant, Reimer is still good, but the Leafs can't seem to remember how they played in front of him last year. It's like, they got used to Bernier being lawful good that they forget that Reimer is chaotic good. (The nerds will know what I mean here).
The 4th line is the 4th line, neither good nor bad, but necessary. Although I like Bodie there alot.
Randy Carlyle needs to stick with these forward lines and focus on the parts that can be improved with each player. Stop shuffling the lines and let them play through the struggles. Right now, there is a defensive hole on every single line, changing in shape and size night to night. On the first, it is Kessel and Bozak, the second it's Kadri and Lupul, on the third it is Raymond. Couple these with a young defence core, and you get the 2013/14 Toronto Maple Leafs.