Leafs Season Looking Unclear

John Lebow
Sep 30, 2001

As the season is about to start, things may not be all right in LeafLand. Come the beginning of the season, there will be more questions than answers for the Toronto Maple Leafs. From the goaltending behind Joseph on up, the lineup that will be iced by Pat Quinn this season could be great, or not.

Corey Schwab, brought in originally as fodder for the Leafs' new guns may be the backup goaltender by default, seeing as how Mike Minnard and Swedish Elite League star Mikael Telqvist both could use another year to develop in the minors.

While the pre-season is generally to give young kids a chance and help veterans prepare for the regular season, nobody wants to start 0 and 3, scoring a single goal over that span. The tragic events in the United States caused a postponement of games across the country, but the Leafs were one of the few teams to make up the game they missed. Game one was against the Canadiens in Saint John's, Newfoundland, where the Leafs held training camp this year. The next night, they were back at it against the Canadiens, this time in the Molson Centre in Montreal, while 24 hours later, the Leafs' were on the ice in Ottawa against the Senators. For those of you unfamiliar with Canadian geography, imagine playing Florida, Boston and the New York Rangers in their buildings on three consecutive nights. Far be it from me to bicker about the schedule, the Leafs had the choice whether or not to play the game in St. John's, and since the proceeds went to charity at the time, it was a good idea.

Now, onto the players who will be wearing the blue and white this year:

Alexander Mogilny, in his first press conference after being signed by the Leafs said almost in the same breath that "I would have rather stayed in New Jersey" and "I am looking forward to playing in Toronto." It would seem that Leafs management has thrown enough money to Mogilny that he would be foolish not to turn it down, even to play for his preferred team.

Generally, I have a bit of an issue with players who sit out full seasons, except for ex-Phoenix Coyotes, who seem to have at least one a year sitting out (wonder if that'll change for Mike Barnett, since GM Cliff Fletcher traded away all his malcontents). Money is almost always the issue when players are sitting out, and money is the issue that brings players back (witness the Jiri Dopita, will he or won't he annual sweepstakes). Robert Reichel and Mikael Renberg both must have thought the money was too good for them to sit out another year in Europe. Now, all three have new contracts, and captain-turned-force in the playoffs Mats Sundin has a very nice contract extension, and Curtis Joseph is in negotiations for an extension as well. Usually, the infusion of a contract with a few zeroes after it creates a sense of complacency, and I can't help wondering how the regular season will fare for my boys in blue.

The lines that Pat Quinn has been using in the pre-season have also come under a lot of scrutiny. Jonas Hoglund, all but traded to the Boston Bruins before the trade deadline last season for Kyle Wanvig, if not for a broken fax machine, is on the first line. Swedish Olympic officials should take note how the All-Swede line of Captain Sundin between Renberg and Hoglund plays. The second line looks to be a very interesting combination of grit and goals. Robert Reichel will center Alexander Mogilny, who on New Jersey's third line still managed 43 goals last year; and on the other side, the heart of the Leafs, Gary Roberts.

Tie Domi will sit out his first eight games for his cheap shot to the head of Scott Niedermeyer in the playoffs, and that can give some players the chance they need. Starting the first eight games of the season can help show Coach/GM Quinn that they are ready to make the next step if someone gets injured during the season, or next season. The holdout of Tomas Kaberle will likely give youngster Karel Pilar a chance to start on the blueline indefinitely for the Leafs, who on defense can sometimes need all the help they can get. Pat Quinn also set a deadline of the beginning of training camp to negotiate for an extension for Curtis Joseph, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Obviously, that deadline has come and gone, which might be an incentive for CuJo to play his heart (not to say that he hasn't already), to ensure himself a new contract with as many zeroes after it as Sundin's near nine million dollar extension.

The Leafs should finish third in the conference, if only because there is nobody else to pick to win the Northeast division. Ottawa without Alexei Yashin and Buffalo without Dominik Hasek have good shots at making the playoffs, but it would take a prolonged losing streak by the Leafs for either to finish first in the division. Make no mistake, the Leafs clearly rely on their goaltending and offence to get things done, but if one or the other falters, the role players will have to step up, as will the defensive core, if possible.

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