CRASH, SMASH, BAM Kind of 2009-2010 NHL Season for the Leafs

1 sleep until Leafs preseason, 15 until regular season

Jonas “Monster” Gustavsson, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Garnet Exelby, Wayne Primeau, Rickard Wallin, Colton Orr, Joey MacDonald.

These are all the new comers the Leafs have signed/trade for this off season and soon we’ll get to see how (GM) Brian Burke’s handy work pans out. Potential to crack the line up as rookies are: Nazem Kadri, Viktor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak and Chrisian Hanson.

Can’t remember the last time I was this excited for the start of the NHL season. The Toronto Maple Leafs, although may have a hard time making the playoffs, are going to be bruisers. Last year the team was pushed around a beaten up a lot, and so Brian Burke addressed that issue by signing some big and/or nasty guys. A lot of people are complaining that Burke didn’t sign a true sniper to put the puck in the net and that he focused too much on his defence. Although I do wish that Toronto could have brought in a franchise type of player to bolsters the firing squad, I look at it this way...

The Leafs had a fair amount of young guys on their team. They also had their own share of smaller guys on their team. Their so called “snipers” weren’t able to have the space and freedom to show off their offensive abilities. They’d cross the blue line and BAM, laid out, they’d race for the puck to the end of the rink and SMASH, they’re flattened into the end boards, and get too eager in front of the net CRASH, they’re either in the net or they’re taking their teeth out of the crossbar.

When the team was getting pushed around too much last year you know who was coming to stand up for everyone? Usually a rookie... 18 years old...standing up for the rest of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He wasn’t always the only one but he showed a lot more heart and courage than most of them.

So Brian Burke hopefully solved that problem. Our “skilled” players aren’t going to be able to get knocked around without retaliation. So as long as the retaliation came come at no cost we’ll be alright and might be able to put some fear into other teams, but one of the big things that might hurt the team this year is penalties.

GM Brian Burke, and head coach Ron Wilson have both said they want the other teams to hate facing them. As long as we can do that without spending too much time in the penalty box then here’s to a hard fighting, won’t take crap from anyone kind of hockey team.

GO LEAFS!