Midseason Analysis: Toronto Maple Leafs

Rating: 0.00/10
Written by: Len Robinson
Sport: hockey
Genre: feature

Record: 17-25-9, 43 pts
Conference Rank: 14th
Division Rank: 5th
Top Scorer: Tomas Kaberle (5 goals, 37 assists, 42 points)
Top Goalie: Jonas Gustavsson (9 wins, 2.98GAA)
Midseason Grade: D-

When a team plays the first 8 games of the season without getting a win, it's definitely not a good sign. For the Leafs, that dismal month of October has plagued them all year long, as they remain mired in the Conference basement. The biggest problem all season has been the penalty kill, ranked last in the league. The Leafs kill less than 70% of their penalties, and for a team that bases its game around toughness, that's a recipe for a disaster.

Tomas Kaberle is having a great year, ranking in the top of the league in scoring by defensemen. It's usually not a bad thing to have a high scoring defenseman on your team, but when he's your team's leading scorer, it's generally a bad sign. Phil Kessel started the year great, but then hit a major slump, and has been scoring at a snail's pace since about mid-December. Niklas Hagman is leading the team in goals, but he has been slumping lately as well. About the only bright spot for the Leafs right now is young Tyler Bozak, who struggled in the AHL but has inexplicably thrived in his NHL debut.

Defensively, the Leafs are the worst team in the league, having given up over 170 goals already. Vesa Toskala might be the most hated player in Toronto sports right now, as he has been absolutely horrible in most of his starts. Then again, he still shows glimpses of the talent the Leafs thought they were getting when they picked him up from San Jose. Jonas Gustavsson looked like he was going to be the Leafs' savior, but a return of the heart ailment that set him back in the preseason put him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks early in the year, and he hasn't yet returned to the fine form he showed.

As a Leafs fan, I keep hoping they'll turn it on and make a run for the playoffs, but realistically speaking, it doesn't look like that will happen this season.