Jeff Finger, D (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Colorado Avalanche)
Mikhail Grabovski, C (Acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens)
Niklas Hagman, LW (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Dallas Stars)
Ryan Hollweg, LW (Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers)
Curtis Joseph, G (Signed as a free agent, previously with the Calgary Flames)
Jamal Mayers, RW (Acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues)
Mike Van Ryn, D (Acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers)
NOTABLE LOSSES
Scott Clemmensen, G (Signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils)
Bryan McCabe, D (Traded to the Florida Panthers)
John Pohl, C (Signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League)
Andrew Raycroft, G (Contract bought out, Signed as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche)
Mats Sundin, C (Unsigned Free Agent)
Darcy Tucker, RW (Contract bought out, Signed as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche)
Kyle Wellwood, C (Claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Canucks)
Andy Wozniewski, D (Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues)
2007-08 Season Finish: 5th Northeast Division, 12th Eastern Conference, 83 Pts.
2007-08 Playoffs: Did Not Make Playoffs
2008-09 Prediction: 5th Northeast Division, 14th Eastern Conference
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking for their first playoff birth during the 2008-09 season since 2004. However, the team is currently going through a rebuild and is not likely to finish among the top teams in the league. The Maple Leafs unloaded several veteran players over the summer in an effort to get younger, with the most notable departure being Mats Sundin, who is contemplating retirement. If Sundin were to return to the Maple Leafs, the team would get a huge boost to their offense with his offensive talent, goal-scoring skills, and leadership. Even if Sundin does not return to Toronto, there are plenty of quality forwards ready to step up for the Maple Leafs. Nik Antropov, who had a career season in 2007-08, brings the team lots of offensive talent, two-way play, and toughness, and could figure to be one of the Maple Leafs top scorers for the 2008-09 season. Jason Blake, who struggled a bit last season, gives the Maple Leafs a quality scorer with plenty of offensive depth and will look to improve his play in the new season. Alexei Ponikarovky gives the team plenty of offensive depth and skill, while youngsters Jiri Tlusty and newly acquired Mikhail Grabovski provide the Maple Leafs with lots of offensive upside and talent. Niklas Hagman brings plenty of veteran depth and goal-scoring skills to the team, while Matt Stajan gives the Maple Leafs a capable two-way center. Alex Steen gives the team decent offensive talent and the potential to be a goal-scorer, while Dominic Moore brings good offensive depth and two-way talent. Ryan Hollweg, Ben Ondrus, Jamal Mayers, and Mark Bell all provide lots of toughness and gritty play to the Maple Leafs' checking lines. Bell, once a promising offensive player, has been in decline for the past couple of seasons and will miss about half of the 2008-09 season serving a jail sentence for drunken driving. Boyd Devereaux gives the Maple Leafs good, veteran depth, while Robbie Earl and Jeremy Williams give the team two promising offensive forwards. The Maple Leafs have several talented prospect forwards who will look to make the team at training camp on their fine offensive skills, including Darryl Boyce, Alex Foster, Brent Aubin, and Nikolai Kulemin. To improve their chances of making the playoffs in 2008-09, the Maple Leafs could look to add a couple of top-six forwards to their roster, especially if Mats Sundin does not return to the team.
The Maple Leafs lost a lot of offensive experience on their blueline after trading veteran Bryan McCabe to the Florida Panthers. However, McCabe was seen as expendable due to his high salary and management's desire to trim some payroll. Even with the departure of McCabe, the Maple Leafs still have plenty of talented defensemen. Tomas Kaberle gives the Maple Leafs a wealth of offensive talent on defense, as well as veteran depth and leadership, while Pavel Kubina also brings lots of offensive skill and toughness. Newcomer Mike Van Ryn, acquired from Florida in a trade, gives the team plenty of offensive skill on the blueline even though he is a bit prone to injury, while Jeff Finger brings the Maple Leafs toughness and some offensive potential. Youngster Anton Stralman gives the team a promising blueliner with plenty of skill, while Carlo Colaiacovo and Ian White bring lots of defensive depth to the Maple Leafs, though Colaiacovo, like Van Ryn, is a bit susceptible to injury. As with their offense, the Maple Leafs have several talented defensive prospects who will look to make the team at training camp, including Jonas Frogren, Staffan Kronwall, Jaime Sifers, and Luke Schenn. While Toronto has plenty of offensive defensemen on their blueline, the addition of a veteran defenseman or two for depth could be beneficial to the team.
Vesa Toskala returns as the Maple Leafs' starter for the second straight season. Toskala enjoyed a fine season in 2007-08 and played well for the team. Backup Andrew Raycroft, who struggled mightily last season, had his contract bought out early in the summer as was replaced with one-time Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph. The addition of Joseph gives the team plenty of veteran depth in goal and could easily jump into the starter's role if Toskala should struggle. However, Joseph's age could keep him from playing a lot of games during the 2008-09 season and he could face competition at training camp from prospect Justin Pogge.
STRENGTHS
- Good mix of veterans and young players on offense.
- Lots of offense of defense.
- Solid goaltending.
WEAKNESSES
- Need more goal-scorers on offense.
- Need more veteran and defensive depth on defense.
- Not a lot of high-caliber prospects in the minors.
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