Optimism in LeafLand?

James Reimer will have to be brilliant if the Maple Leafs want to make the playoffs this season.

      
          With training camp recently opening, it's that time of year again for hockey optimists. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are arguably the most highly scrutinized team in the NHL, made several off-season tweaks to their roster and are poised for another playoff push. But the burning question for all Leaf fans is if their beloved squad can climb over the hump and make the post-season for the first time since 2004.

          During the last two seasons, Toronto's offensive output has steadily increased. They ranked 25th in goal-scoring in 2009-10 and finished 21st last season. The Leafs had four players with 20 or more goals in 2010-11, which was the first time they've achieved that feat since 2008-09. A lot of discussion last year surrounded the play of winger Phil Kessel. Ron Wilson couldn't pair him with a talented centre to feed him the puck. GM Brian Burke obviously wanted to fix the issue over the off-season and he did so by signing Tim Connolly as a free agent. The Syracuse, New York native is a shifty centre and has nifty hands. However, throughout his career, Connolly's biggest fault has been his durability. During the post-lockout era, he has never played 82 games and has nursed about every injury imaginable. He'll be counted on as Toronto's number one centre this season, but only scoring 42 points in 65 games last season don't seem like top line numbers to me.


        The Maple Leafs were 25th in goals against last year. They acquired Cody Franson and John-Michael Liles over the off-season to help out the back end. Liles will provide leadership for some of the younger players and he should improve the powerplay. However, he's had a rating of minus 30 during the last three seasons, which just isn't good enough. With Franson, the Buds have a hulking blueliner that should patrol the backend for years to come. Whether the Salmon Arm, BC native will be able to handle the Toronto media spotlight, that is the question.

        For any hockey team to be successful, no matter what the level, the goaltender has to be one of the best players. During the first half of last season, Jonas Gustavsson and J.S Giguere just weren't cutting it for Toronto. But on January 1, 2011, the Leafs netminding changed in a big way. Some unknown prospect named James Reimer started and stopped 32 shots to lead the Leafs to a 5-1 over the Senators. That fine play continued throughout the entire second half, as he finished with a 20-11-5 record, with a 2.60 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Standing at 6'2, Reimer combines both size and an efficient technical game that always keeps shooters guessing. If the Leafs have any chance to make the post-season, James Reimer has to be the team's MVP.

        That brings us back to the 'P' word. Can the Leafs make the playoffs? Toronto finished in 10th spot last season, eight points behind the eighth seeded New York Rangers. If the Buds make the playoffs, they'll obviously have to oust one of the teams that made the promised land last season. Can Toronto finish ahead of Carolina, with their dynamic forward duo of Eric Staal and Justin Beiber (I mean Jeff Skinner)? Will the Leafs have a chance to be better than Brad Richards, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers? How about the Buffalo Sabres, who revamped their entire squad and now have the highest payroll in the NHL? Can Toronto edge their Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens, with Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges both back healthy to start the season? It appears that Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay are post-season locks. So will the Leafs make the post-season for the first time since 2004?

In one word, no.