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Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Leafs fill the gaping grit gap
By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell
Special to ESPN.com
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The Maple Leafs racked up a club-record 100 points last season, boosting
expectations for this year even more. During the offseason, management went
out and added the single biggest element missing from the team – toughness.
The lack of toughness killed them against Buffalo in the playoffs two years
ago, and it was responsible again when the Devils steamrolled them
in the second round in '99-00.
But the Maple Leafs are Lilliputians no more.
Enter Dave Manson, Gary Roberts and Shayne Corson. The trio was signed not so much to kick sand in the faces of those who would push around the Maple Leafs but to prevent it from happening in Toronto as it has too often
the last couple of years in the postseason.
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Wed., Sept. 27
I loved what the Leafs did last season. When they added Darcy Tucker before the '99 season, they acquired a fan favorite and some much-needed toughness. They have continued the trend this year by adding Gary Roberts and Shayne Corson. It was essential they get bigger and tougher up front, and they've addressed those concerns in the offseason. When you add Corson, Roberts and Tucker to Mats Sundin, Nik Antropov and Sergei Berezin this is a good hockey club. The goaltending is solid with Cujo. Toronto is easily a team that could come out of the East this year. |
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One area Roberts is really expected to help is alongside center Mats
Sundin. Sundin is a terrific talent, but many believe he has yet to reach his
potential. With a feisty linemate like Roberts, it should make Sundin less of a
target for rough stuff.
The biggest challenge for the club will be on defense. After the tragic
accident involving Bryan Berard, who was struck in the eye by the stick of
Ottawa's Marian Hossa and whose vision is endangered, and the holdout of
Alexander Karpovtsev, the Maple Leafs are thin along the blue line. It's
possible Karpovtsev could come to terms but he has the same agent – Mark
Gandler – who aided and abetted Alexei Yashin's ill-advised holdout from
Ottawa for a year. So, who knows if Toronto will have Karpovtsev's services
this season.
The star of the franchise continues to be goaltender Curtis Joseph and
that should be no less true this year. Joseph finished fourth among goalies
in wins last year – with 36.
Offensively, the club scored 246 goals, second only to New Jersey in the Eastern Conference. However, the team's power play was not at
all what it should be, especially on the road, where it was ranked 15th.
Despite the skills of the units, there was little or no creativity. Losing
Berard is bound to have an impact. It's a matter of if they can find someone
else to fill that void. A good candidate is Tomas Kaberle, who finished with
seven goals, two on the power play, and 40 points last season.
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Bottom Line on the Maple Leafs
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Center
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Defense
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Power play
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SEASON OUTLOOK: The expectations for this club are huge. If they can put
together a similar year to what they did last season, it would be the third
great regular season in a row. This team has the talent, coaching and goaltending to be a legitimate contender to come out of
the East. If they can answer their questions on defense and if the new
additions live up to their billing, the Maple Leafs could go a very long way. |
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes a weekly national NHL column for ESPN.com.
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ALSO SEE
Ottawa Senators preview
Montreal Canadiens preview
Buffalo Sabres preview
Boston Bruins preview
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