Toronto Maple Leafs

Which Way Do You Find Yourself Leaning?

Over the course of the past week, it became quite obvious to me that a few things are slowly taking shape in Leaf land:

1. The current dry stretch is going to produce copious “tank time” articles from the fans of the blogosphere, and “finally the team sucks like we predicted” articles from the mainstream media.

2. The Leafs are still one of the more exciting teams in the NHL to watch.  If they aren’t getting lit up for 8 goals and still in it by scoring 5 of their own against the “best” team in the East, the Boston Bruins, they’re pounding the crap out of other top teams like the Montreal Canadiens, or going toe-to-toe with the Broad Street Bullies of Philadelphia.  All of this despite a roster that most would still insist is far less “talented” than the opposition on most nights.

3. No matter how much effort one makes to point out this season has not been a complete bust developmentally for some younger Leafs, the myopia that takes hold… or I suppose in this case hyperopia (far sightedness)… is amazingly difficult to overcome.  Everyone seems to have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees.

My point is that I find it astonishing how Leafs fans find no middle ground.  Leafs fans seem to either think the team is awesome, plan parade routes after every victory, or trumpet every goal with the abandon of a renessaince herald in East London… OR… the team sucks NO MATTER WHAT positives arise from a given situation, who is playing well at a given moment, what progress has been made, or where the team is along the road to recovery.  Most fall into camp A or camp B.  Camp A ruled the roost for the past decade, and now Camp B is taking a turn, and the fence sitters are caught in the pull from either direction.

I am not referring to Leafs fans as mindless Sheep (a la the mustachioed bandit of hockey buzz), but to be fair, most of them do not focus on the Leafs and their status with the level of detail expected of those that follow the club and lead their eyes and ears one way or the other.  For many years, the mainstream press has railed against the dysfunction of the NHL franchise, in efforts to improve the management situation, despite any and all success.  Now that the team is obviously in a rebuilding stage, they continue to berate the club for every minor mistake, but take solace in the fact that everything they predicted has finally come to fruition.

Unfortunately they’re pulling many a fan down the rat hole with them.  Promoting tank jobs, cruising for last place, windows of draft opportunity and all that jazz.  They don’t actually seem all that interested in analysing the cupboard they keep referring to as bare.  They don’t particularly care if current Leafs are producing career years, or consider that remotely relevant in trade discussions.  Most seem more infatuated with the world of Mats Sundin, which now resides on the WEST COAST OF THE NATION.  When Leafs commentators focus more on the Vancouver Canucks than the Leafs, there’s a pretty serious problem with how they do their jobs.

So where do I sit in the midst of all of the above?

Neither side really.  Yes the Leafs are rebuilding, but who they bring in to manage and organize the club’s development is likely more important at this stage than where Mats Sundin ends up playing.  I would like to think most fans would appreciate a clear rationale for why certain players are of a certain value, and rather than fixating on whether or not they waive their Non-Movement Clauses… actually provide some level of insight onto where they would be most likely to move and why they’d go there.

Despite what many are saying about the Leafs recent “slide” in the standings, I think it should be pointed out that they’re back on the upswing again.  Consider that since Jan 1st the team is 1-4-0, but has outshot their opponents 4 out of 5 games.  The top line is beginning to click again, as Alexei Ponikarovsky has 3 goals in his past 4 games, Matt Stajan has 8 points in his last 6 games, and Antropov is on a 3 game scoring streak with an assist in each of the past 3 matches.

Their typically weak first periods are beginning to look more competitive, and despite giving up the early goal, they are at least fighting for the puck, and winning battles on the forecheck early.  They just need to capitalise on their chances more effectively.

Losing Mikhail Grabovski for 3 games after their loss to Montreal will not help the team, but it will provide an unexpected opportunity to try other line combinations and mix some other players into the line up.  Giving Brad May a further chance to help recalbirate the make up of the team, his presence is being felt physically if not on the score sheet.

I would be surprised if the Leafs win 5 games this month, but they are playing better recently.  The Loss to Florida was one of the low points of the season to date, and is unlikely to be the last one.  That being said, considering the make up of the team, and how many players are likely concerned about being traded, it would be far from logical to assume the team will play well consistently.

On a player development note, everyone in Leaf Land has been suddenly eyeing up every player on the club as a tradeable asset.  The irony being, when times were not much better… say… 2 seasons ago - nary a peep was heard about the trade values of Alex Steen, Tomas Kaberle, Mats Sundin, et al.  Now it is quite likely that things have swung too far the other way.  Nobody is “untouchable” articles abound.  Everyone and their cousin can outline who would fetch what from which teams.  Nevermind the fact that everyone is certain the proposed deals make no sense, or too much sense.

Apparently the only player that will remain with the club in 3 to 4 years is Luke Schenn.  Enough people say it that it must be true.  Of course that ignores the fact that on most NHL franchises there are very rarely complete turnovers of personnel.  Whether or not it is even desirable is taken for granted in most of these conversations.  Since the Leafs didn’t make the playoffs for 3 years in a row, everyone aboard must be cast aside!  Screw the fact that they’re having productive seasons… they still suck!

Sidney Crosby played on some pretty bad teams in his first two years in the NHL.  Rick Nash has never been a winning player in the NHL.  Dany Heatley didn’t get Atlanta to the NHL playoffs.  Somehow I doubt most Leafs fans would reject such talents.  Playing on a losing team does not automatically make one a “problem”.  Each player is a piece of a grander puzzle.  Entire rosters made up of solid talent can still work out to having a poor season.  Similarly, look at the decline of the Ottawa Senators in recent years. Some of the players on the team were rock solid a couple of years ago, but now they’re below the lowly Leafs.

Take every trade suggestion with a grain of salt.  Ignore the idea that 90% of the team is due to vanish in 2 seasons.  If half the team is different, that is far more plausible.  10-14 new faces is a hell of a major change in personnel.  I’m not counselling fans to ignore the media entirely, and I’m not suggesting the current constitution of the club will win anything.  I just honestly feel that there is talent on hand, and some of it is bound to stick around.  Perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing.