tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

It’s Crunch Time For The Maple Leafs

Heading into Christmas the Toronto Maple Leafs were riding high after defeating the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. They were sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and were facing three winnable games after the break: Florida, Carolina and Winnipeg. What an opportunity to solidify their position heading into January and they blew it getting only one point out of a possible six. So as 2012 begins the Maple Leafs will have nine out of their next twelve games at home. Failure to win at least six of those nine home games could prove to be costly if this team is to make the playoffs for the first time since the lockout.

The biggest problem that the Leafs face has been documented over and over again: the inability to kill off penalties. As was mentioned in the Toronto Star yesterday, killing penalties is not a specialty skill. It's about hard work, speed and a desire to do whatever it takes to prevent the other team from scoring while your down a man. The Leafs do not pressure the other team at all. The opposing team's point men have all day to make a pass. How many shots are actually blocked when the Leafs are shorthanded?? If the Leafs are to improve in this area, I would have the following forward penalty-killing units: Joey Crabb/Matthew Lombardi and Darryl Boyce, David Steckel and Matt Frattin, and Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. As far as defensemen go, I would not have Keith Aulie or Cody Franson on the ice for penalty killing purposes. The six forwards I have mentioned need to be aggressive, including in the neutral zone. If the Leafs are going to make the playoffs, they are going to have to improve in this area.

At even strength, the Leafs need to get scoring from the second and third lines. With Tyler Bozak out of the lineup, I would call up Joe Colborne and send Korbinian Holzer back down to the Marlies. I would have Colborne centering Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul and put Tim Connolly back on a line with Nazem Kadri and Clarke MacArthur. Connolly-MacArthur-Kadri seemed to be developing good chemistry and taking Connolly off that line I think reduces opportunities for the two wingers. I'm not sure what to do with Matthew Lombardi. If Lombardi can be utilized as a penalty-killer and face off guy, then the Leafs have to determine if Matt Frattin or Joey Crabb have a spot on the roster at this time. If neither one has to pass through waivers, I would probably send Crabb down.

As I indicated last week, Ron Wilson needs to change the team's philosophy when it is up a goal or two in the third period. Defensemen should not be allowed to pinch into the other team's zone. If they do they should be benched for the remainder of the game. An aggressive forecheck by the forwards and clogging up the neutral zone should be the Leaf strategy when up a goal or more late in a game. As a whole, the Leafs need to be more responsible defensively. I also think that once John-Michael Liles and/or Mike Kommisarek comes back that Keith Aulie should be sent back to the Marlies. Aulie has taken a step backwards in my mind and I wonder if his play hasn't also effected the play of Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf seemed to have good chemistry with Carl Gunnarsson when they were paired together before the Liles injury.

Goaltending hasn't been right since October 22 when James Reimer was knocked out of the game against Montreal. Both he and Jonas Gustavsson have flashed signs of stepping up and providng the Leafs good goaltending. However, both have also exhibited the ability to let in bad goals. In Reimer's case, Glenn Healey and Greg Millen (both former goalies) have made the same observation: Reimer is too deep in his crease. With his size, if he comes up to the top of the blue ice he really cuts down on angles. If Wilson fails to get this team to be more defensive-minded, particularly when protecting a lead, goaltending will have to be better than it has shown. In addition, its been said over and over again, a team's best penalty-killer is its goaltender. If the Leafs are to improve in killing penalties, goaltending must improve.

A bad January would most certainly call into question the job status of Ron Wilson. All of the excuses are gone. This team is now Brian Burke's team. They have obviously showed that they can play 5-on-5 with anybody else in the league, with the possible exception of the Boston Bruins. However, special teams and the inability to win consistently on home ice has been a constant under Wilson. In addition, the notoriously slow starts that this team has is unexplainable. It calls into question Wilson's ability to get his team ready. There is no doubt in my mind that Brian Burke will make a move before the trade deadline. For me the only untouchables on this team would be Phaneuf, Kessel and Lupul. But before Burke is able to make a trade, the Leafs may have squandered an opportunity to make a move in the conference standings. If that happens I feel that Burke would have to make a coaching change. If he doesn't do it during the season, failure to make the playoffs should be enough to remove Wilson as head coach when the season ends regardless of the much bally-hooed contract extension.

Starting Tuesday we will find out what this team is made of and if they are going to turn a bad December into a good January or more of the same losing hockey. The playoffs hang in the balance along with Ron Wilson's job. Stay tuned.