Leafs Nation Report (Toronto) – The OTHL Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, a first under general manager Jason Yu. After the previous season where they fell three points short of a final Eastern Conference playoff spot, the Blue and White racked up a respectable 96 points, securing the fifth spot in the Eastern conference rather comfortably.
This past season also saw a change of guard with the introduction of Jarrett Stoll as the new captain. Leafs nation were in awe of the selection considering there were other options such as newly acquired Brendan Shanahan, veteran blueliner Jiri Fischer and versatile Shawn Horcoff. Nevertheless, Stoll proved worthy of the captaincy, especially coming the latter half of the season when the big games counted. The Leafs went on to win many crucial one-goal games to earn a playoff berth.
With their return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, they once again faced the heavily favored Florida Panthers in the first round. Many pundits thought the Florida Panthers star power forwards, Joe Thornton and company, would easily outplay the rather weak defensive blueline of the Maple Leafs. However, it was the Leafs that dictated most of the play and drove the series into a nail-biting seven game series. If it were not for Roberto Luongo’s stellar play, the Leafs may not have been the team booking earlier tee times, bowing out in seven games.
Despite the heartbreaking loss in Game 7, there is much to look forward for next season. Seven players ended up with 20 goals or more, not including Shawn Horcoff who scored 20 goals as well before being shipped out at the deadline for Brad Boyes and prospect Jakub Kindl. Given that Eric Lindros’s 26 goals may not return next season, it is still expected that only more offensive power will continue. Steve Bernier, Raffi Torres, Jarret Stoll, Brad Boyes, Nathan Horton, and Brendan Shanahan will be expected to continue their offense. In addition, Stephen Weiss and Nik Antropov appeared to be reaching their potential down the latter stretch of last season. Management expects bigger things this upcoming season.
What was a great surprise and delight was this year’s rookie, Steve Bernier. He notched 26 goals and added 30 helpers despite playing mostly on the 3rd and 4th line. What was even more impressive was his play without the puck. Not only did he rank second on the team’s plus/minus rating with a plus 18, but his strong physical presence proved even more impressive. His gritty play near the boards, and bang-and-crash style around the net has made him a very valuable commodity to the team.
Another emerging star is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Despite playing backup to Ed Belfour for most of the season, he played 27 games providing much relief for the ever-aging Belfour backstopping to a record of 11-7-2 with a solid 2.18 GAA and SV PCT .918. He also played his first two OTHL playoff games. Despite losing both games, he has gained valuable experience. In addition, his .908 SV PCT fared better than Belfour’s .883. Fleury will most likely be the team’s starting goaltender next year once contract negotiations have been completed. Currently, Yu is attempting to sign Fleury to a long term deal and it is only a matter of time when this is completed. “Talks are going well at this point and we’re looking to get this done before unrestricted free agency begins.”
Perhaps the most valuable commodity on this team this past season has been Brendan Shanahan. The only significant signing the past off-season was the acquisition of the Mimico, Ont. native. Yu admitted earlier that Shanahan was not the real prime target as most of the focus was on Chris Pronger. After a long hard dueling battle with Buffalo, Pronger eventually decided to sign with the Sabres, a star-studded team on paper. Nevertheless, Leafs management refocused their attention and were able to draw Shanahan. His leadership, guidance, and experience provided a calm temperament to the young inexperience group. “It was certainly great year for us,”said Shanahan. “I’m proud of the young guys with their enthusiasm. We accomplished a lot this past year and we’ll be looking to improve on it this upcoming season. If we can add a few agents, it could be an interesting year for us.” Strong encouragements from the 39 year-old veteran.
“We are very pleased with how this year progressed,”said Yu. “We had a very good off-season last year, being able to draft Derik [Brassard] and Michael [Frolik]. We were very close to signing Pronger and it would have been a big boost. But in the end, we were able to land Shanahan at a very good value. Brendan’s been an integral part of this team and have helped our team along the way. We’ve got some good young kids coming up through the system and we plan on developing them. I think we have a very bright future ahead of us.”
What Yu was referring to was the great prospect depth. Leading the list is Derik Brassard, who definitely has the chance to make the big team this upcoming season straight from training camp. The Drummondville center averaged two points per game during the playoffs despite being sidelined for a good portion of the regular seson with a dislocated shoulder. There is still concern as to how much an impact the injury has delayed his development. However, that still remains to be seen, although all indications are that he still on course to become possible first line center that Toronto has long coveted. There is also Vjatcheslav Trukhno who is just coming off a career year in the juniors with 102 points in 60 games. His transition to the pro ranks should be easy as he has played the past three years on North American soil. Frolik is coming off a respectable rookie season in QMJHL. The Kladno native scored 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points in only 52 games this past season with Rimouski. He will most likely play another season in juniors before getting a serious look at the big team.
Perhaps the two most ready OTHL players are Kyle Chipchura and Loui Eriksson. Chipchura has leadership written all over him. He brings character to any locker room and it is possible for him to be a future captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This past season in the minors, he has been used in every situation, whether on the power play or on the penalty kill. However, the Yu brass expect him to be a terrific penalty killer and leader for the rather young Toronto team. Rumor has it that Eriksson is close to signing a rookie-contract with the Blue and White. He has played consistently at almost every level including an impressive year in the minors in 2005-2006 where he amounted 60 points and 30 goals in 71 games. Eriksson remains to have the best chance at cracking the squad next season.
In the backend, Toronto have Ty Wishart and Jakub Kindl, headlining the team’s top defensive prospects. Ty Wishart had some inury troubles starting the 2006-2007 season with Prince George of the WHL. However as the season wore on he amassed 49 points in 62 games and added a +/- rating of +15 to his resume. Many scouts still feel he could be a top pairing defenseman in the OTHL with superb size, mobility and hockey sense. The other defenseman projected to be a top pairing defenseman is Jakub Kindl. In his second season in the OHL in 2005-2006, the Czech Republic posted an impressive 58 points in 60 games for the Kitchener Rangers. He followed up with a stellar training camp with the Blue and White in the offseason. He was returned to Kitchener where not only did he score 53 points in 52 games, but he began to take a leadership role, a quality that management took keen notice. Of notable interest is Theo Peckham, drafted by the team last season with their 73rd pick overall. He set personal bests with 10 goals, 25 assists for a total of 35 points. Known mostly for his bruising style of play, Yu could not be more ecstatic about the toughness that Peckham had to offer. It should be interesting as to how he will develop. It remains hopeful that he will be an enforcer for the big team.
Perhaps the most OTHL ready defensive prospect is none other than Nathan Paetsch. Paetsch is known for his offensive skills and ability to anchor the powerpay. With the recent departure of Kurtis Foster, expect Paetsch to possibly step up to the big team and backup Meszaros as the other offensive defenseman.
Not all things are quite rosy in Leafs nation however. The Toronto Maple Leafs soon found out with Jiri Fischer’s medical condition deteriorated to the point where he had elected to retire. “We were surprised and shocked when Jiri approached us and told us he will not return next year.”said Yu. “But you have to respect his decision and health certainly takes a priority over anything you do.” There were rumors that management knew well beforehand that this past year might have been his last. It was believed Yu pressed hard to find a suitor for the ailing Fischer. But in the end, he found it fitting to let him retire as a Blue and White having played for only two teams in the OTHL (Detroit as the other). Currently, Fischer remains apart of the organization although what type of role he will be involve in has yet to be determined.
While Fischer’s departure has been cemented, there are a few players that remain as uncertain possibilities. Ed Belfour did not play as well as he did the season before that had earned him MVP considerations. He averaged a 0.895 Sv PCT and 2.91 GAA with a respectable 29-23-7 record. To his defence, he did play behind a very weak defensive lineup which only had Meszaros and Fischer as legitimate top 4 defenceman. Garnett Exelby and rookie Kurtis Foster rounded the top four defensemen lineup. The rest included a rotating door of Jason Doig, Luke Richardson, Karel Pilar, Alexander Khavanov. Nevertheless, do not expect the Blue and White to re-sign Belfour at his previous $4.5M per season. There have been talks between the two sides to re-signing Belfour at a lower rate, but they have been minimal.
Eric Lindros is another player that contributed significantly this past year. He registered 26 goals along with 57 points in 74 games after a trade from the New York Rangers that saw Marcel Hossa, Jay Harrison, Krys Kolanos, and Lauri Korpikoski being sent the other way. Mostly playing on the RW than his usual C position, Lindros provided a rugged power line with Stoll and Torres. Having given quite a few number of prospects, expect the Leafs to attempt to re-sign Lindros to a deal. Talks have begun, however, reports have it that they remain far from reaching an agreement. Another player that proved valuable expecially the last twenty games of the season was Oleg Kvasha. Often paired with Nik Antropov and Steve Bernier, they provided a physical presence as the team’s third line that would often chip with the timely goals. Unfortunately for many Toronto fans, Kvasha has already made intentions to play overseas in Russia for the next coming season.
The outlook is promising however, even though there is still much to improve on for Yu and company. Their salary currently sits at just under $26 million with only Fleury and Stephen Weiss as unsigned restricted free agents. Both are expected to sign shortly before the free agency period. With the recent announcement of league’s $50.3 million salary cap for the 2007-2008 season, the Blue and White are definitely in good position to make a big splash come free agency. There are many big names out there including Jarome Iginla and Jarmoir Jagr to name a few. Despite the heavy lineup of star power up on the wings, there is no true number one centre on the market that the Leafs have long coveted. Matt Sundin, the former captain of the Leafs, was a possible consideration until his recent resigning with the Phoenix Coyotes. Andy McDonald is the top legitimate number one centre heading into free agency. However, many sources close to the team claim that McDonald is not the center they are looking for. There is no pressure at the moment to find that number one center as currently Stoll, Weiss, Boyes and possibly Eriksson are expected to fill the four center position. Nevertheless, the team still lacks a bonafide offensive threat. With the makeup of this team, many feel that the Blue and White will heavily pursue top heavy power forwards like Iginla, Gary Roberts, and Todd Bertuzzi.
More importantly, it is expected that Toronto will attempt to improve on their defensive core this upcoming season. Meszaros, Allen, and Exelby currently are the top three defencemen, with Paetsch expected to jump right into the pro roster as a starting six. With an estimated $20 million dollars to spend on free agency, the Blue and White will certainly pursue the biggest free agent on the blue line. Literally the biggest defender. Zdeno Chara, the 6’9” Slovakian, would certainly fill that number one defenceman position. Chara split last season with the Atlanta Thrashers and Boston Bruins playing solid defence and providing a meanstreak to post an impressive +26 rating in the plus/minus column. He also had 35 points in 75 games to boot. It will be interesting to see if Chara would be willing to sign with the Leafs to play with fellow countryman Meszaros. “We’ll look into that more extensively when the time comes,”said Yu. “There are definitely a lot of interesting players out there this year. Chara is definitely a player we’d be looking at, especially after Fisher’s departure. He’d be a perfect replacement. But we’ll see when the time comes. Currently, our staff’s primary focus is the draft. There has lot to be done when the time comes.”
The Leafs currently hold the 4th overall pick that they obtained from Los Angeles Kings the year before in the Keith Primeau trade. Unfortunately for the Leafs this year, there are no Erik Johnson, Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin as in the years past. However, that won’t deter Yu from using the 4th overall position. The consensus choice for the fourth spot currently are rugged defenceman Karl Alzner from the WHL, speeding Czech rookie sensation Jakub Voracek and nifty playmaker Sam Gagner. What the Leafs currently lack in their prospect pool is a sure-fire bonafide 1st line player. So don’t be surprise if the Blue and White go off the chart to select one of the high risk/high reward players like Russian sniper Alexei Cherepanov or speedster Angelo Esposito.
This off-season could prove interesting as there is so much potential. Yu has a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft on hand. His prospect depth is stockpiled with many prospects that would interest many suitors. Not to mention, he has $20 million dollars in cap space. It would be hard pressed for Yu not to use a combination of these resources especially in a hockey-crazed town as Toronto. The bar has been risen this past season and with it, expectations will certainly be high for next year’s rendition of the Blue and White.