Written by
The Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - What has happened to the Toronto Maple
Leafs in the post-lockout era hardly seems possible for the NHL's most
valuable franchise.
But, the Leafs, who were valued at $521 million by Forbes back in November,
have learned the hard way that being profitable doesn't necessarily translate
to success on the ice.
When the 2010-11 regular season ended, it marked the sixth straight campaign
that Toronto failed to qualify for the postseason -- the longest playoff
drought in the storied Original Six franchise's history.
Lately, however, it seems that the Maple Leafs are ready to rejoin the ranks
of NHL playoff teams, as a rebuilding project begun over three years ago by
general manager Brian Burke is finally beginning to bear fruit.
The biggest difference for the Leafs this year has been the club's much-
improved offensive attack. Toronto finished last season ranked 21st in the NHL
with an average of 2.60 goals per game, but after 53 games this year, the
Leafs are ranked fifth with 3.09 GPG.
The increased potency on offense currently has Toronto in good position to
secure a playoff spot. With less than 30 games remaining in the regular
season, the Maple Leafs are sitting seventh out of eight postseason seeds in
the East. With 62 points, Toronto is just one point ahead of Ottawa for the
conference's final playoff berth, but the Leafs are also just six points
behind Boston for first place in the Northeast Division.
Still, Toronto head coach Ron Wilson wants his team to be careful not to get
too caught up in watching what other Eastern Conference teams are doing on a
nightly basis. The Maple Leafs instead need to focus on doing what needs to be
done to gain points on their own.
"There's not a whole lot of scoreboard watching on our part," said Wilson. "We
just try to take care of our own business and worry about ourselves."
Toronto has certainly been able to maximize its point earning potential in
recent weeks, as the Maple Leafs have posted a 5-0-1 record in their last six
trips to the ice. Prior to that run, the Leafs had dropped four of five and
Toronto will need to avoid swoons like that down the stretch if it wants to
punch its first ticket to the postseason since 2004.
One player who seems personally determined to get the Leafs back into the
NHL's annual tournament is winger Phil Kessel. A former first-round pick by
Boston in the 2006 draft, the 24-year-old American is finally coming into his
own after briefly becoming a poster boy for Toronto's recent lack of success.
Kessel was acquired by Burke from the Bruins for a hefty price just prior to
the 2009-10 season. The Leafs gave Boston their first and second round draft
picks in 2010, as well as a first round pick in 2011. With Toronto missing the
playoffs before both of those draft years, the division rival Bruins landed a
pair of top-10 picks (Tyler Seguin, 2nd overall, 2010 & Dougie Hamilton, 8th
overall, 2011) thanks to the Kessel trade.
To top it off, the rival Bruins won the Stanley Cup title last year and Seguin
is looking like a stud forward in the making.
Yet, through it all Burke had faith in Kessel, and now after two okay
seasons in Toronto, that loyalty is finally paying off.
It's not that Kessel was bad in his first two years as a Leaf, it's just that
he simply wasn't the Hart Trophy candidate that he's become this season. He
posted 30 goals and 55 points in 2009-10 and jumped to 32 goals and 32 assists
last season, but Kessel is ready to blow those numbers out of the water in
2011-12.
Through 53 games, the Wisconsin native already has 29 goals to place him
second only to Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos. Kessel's 57 points are third in the
NHL and just seven shy of tying his personal best total from last season.
The speedy Kessel has also done what all great players must; that is, make the
players around him better. That is especially true of linemate Joffrey Lupul,
who in his eighth NHL season and first-full year with the Leafs has already
posted a career-high 55 points. Kessel's centerman, Tyler Bozak, a 25-year-old
player who wasn't drafted, also has 31 points in 44 games to leave him one
point shy of his career-best point total.
But, it hasn't just been Kessel's line that has the Leafs hopeful for a return
to the postseason. Toronto is also allowing less goals this year than it did
last year, even if its still only ranked 20th in the NHL in goals surrendered
per game.
What has set Toronto's defensive game apart recently has been the club's
ability to stop the opposition's power-play chances. The Leafs have gone 15
straight games without allowing a power-play goal, the longest such streak in
the league since the Chicago Blackhawks went 19 straight games without giving
up a power-play goal in 1969-70.
All told, Toronto is a perfect 22-for-22 over its current run, which is the
longest such streak for the franchise since 1940-41.
If Toronto's penalty killers keep playing like that in front of goaltenders
Jonas Gustavsson and James Reimer, it will make qualifying for the playoffs a
whole lot easier.
It's taken several years, but things are finally looking up again for the
Maple Leafs. Yet, with improved play comes increased expectations and failure
to make the postseason this spring would really be a crushing disappointment.
Kessel and the Leafs have two months to prove they belong back in the
postseason. For a storied franchise that has only been able to brag about
financial success in recent years, a playoff appearance would be worth much
more than a strong bottom line.
The Sports Network