Winds of change are blowing through the NHL. Once mocked and ridiculed teams such as Florida, Atlanta, Edmonton and the Los Angeles Kings are now looking fresh and ready to compete. Similar changes have taken place in Tampa where the biggest move was Steve Yzerman, who by taking over the GM position, offers instant credibility to the Bolts franchise. Looking back at the last 10 or so years (not to get overly depressed), there’s nothing to suggest why we should be talking those teams down. For the Maple Leafs, success has been rare and far apart. So, where does this leave the Blue and White? Are we a part of the big shift of power that is going to hit the NHL in the next couple of years or are the Leafs just a rock too hard to be moved by the wind? In this article I’ll compare the Leafs with other franchises that I view as the most capable of future NHL success and are also in the midst of a rebuilding process. Details down below.

EDMONTON OILERS

A proud and storied franchise slumped to a level at which it is marked as one of the least desirable places to play in the entire league and which free agents look to avoid like a life threatening disease. More recent examples being Danny Heatley and Chris Pronger. Heatley refused to waive his NTC for a move to Edmonton, while Pronger bolted as soon as he got the chance. Actually, he created the chance by demanding a trade. Then came Big Sexy, Mr. Sheldon Souray. It’s sad that a franchise that once boasted maybe the best team in NHL history with players like Gretzky, Messier, Anderson, Fuhr, Coffey etc. suddenly couldn’t satisfy Sheldon Souray. In recent years, Edmonton was more famous for it’s losses and player/management wars than Stanley Cups, and their player development was at it’s all time low. But, all that seems to be changing with Tambellini and crew taking a more careful approach this time around. They have to, with expectations of a fan base only second to our own at an all time high (ok maybe not all time, but rather since the Gretzky years). Boasting talents like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi Svensson, talents that will grow together, and that have a chance to become a really tight nit group because the similar stages in their development and the young look of the new Edmonton Oilers. While their talent pool is probably deepest in the league, they are still missing key pieces of the rebuild. A top defenseman, a younger NHL starter goaltender and a top line center. Ryan Whitney and Ladislav Smid are two good defensemen, coupled with Tom Gilbert, Kurtis Foster make a decent top 4 group but there is still a feeling that a top NHL defenseman is needed. That top guy could possibly be Sheldon Souray but it’s highly unlikely he’s ever going to have the same impact as during his previous years, and it’s extremely likely he’ll be traded for some spare parts. Goaltending is a big question mark since Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Deslauriers are not really No1 material (maybe Dubnyk, but he has yet to show it, although the character is there) and future of star goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who was acquired last season is clouded by back injuries. They lack a veteran presence and will be looking to add it during this offseason. As far as the forward group is concerned, goalscoring and assists will be up to those kids mentioned above, with the biggest contribution coming from the oft injured and supremely talented Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff and the overpaid, oversized winger Dustin Penner. Sam Gagner has great passing ability but he has to prove he can produce at the NHL level (although he is still extremely young) and players like Gilbert Brule, Andrew Cogliano will probably play some part in the rebuild. Their new coach, Tom Renney, is a solid NHL coach, and the staff includes Pat Quinn, as the senior hockey adviser, assistant coaches Kelly Buchberger & Wayne Fleming, President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe and GM Steve Tambellini. While often stigmatized as hasty and rash, I’m willing to give Lowe and Tambellini the benefit of the doubt, their competence assessment depending on the future of the young trio. I don’t doubt Quinn for a second.

ATLANTA THRASHERS

Atlanta has made some great moves in acquiring Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and the rest of the Chicago corps, they have finally put a respectable GM in place (Rick Dudley) and are not looking like a complete train wreck. Also, as a kind of side effect to the whole Kovalchuk trade and the recently completed NHL draft they have some great prospects in Patrice Cormier and Alexander Burmistrov. A core of solid defensemen led by Tobias Enstrom and Zack Bogosian is looking really promising after a breakout season Enstrom had last year. Other notables include recently acquired Brent Sopel, Ron Hainsey and Johnny Oduya. They plugged a big hole recently, by adding solid No1 goaltender Chris Mason who’s coming off a good season for St. Louis. The guy is a team player and is perfect to either hold down the fort by himself or share the load with up and coming Ondrej Pavelec. They have a solid, although not spectacular group of forwards. Good checkers in Cormier, Eager and Ladd, two very good evolving power forwards in Byfuglien and the guy who was most famous for knocking out Matt Cooke last season, Evander Kane. To me, the guys on Atlanta are not superstars, and they don’t need to be, but what they do have is a perfect top six, bottom six ratio. They have two good top six centermen in Antropov and last year’s surprise package in Rich Peverley coupled with good young scoring wingers in Brian Little and Niclas Bergfors. When you add Clarke McArthur, Todd White and excellent prospects like Cormier, Burmistrov and Telegin you have yourself a young and hungry hockey team, one that will only improve as years go by. The GM change from Don Wadell to Rick Dudley is a welcome and positive sign for Thrasher fans, it’s also the biggest plus as far as the offseason is concerned. The rest of the staff remains questionable. For this season at least, the franchise seems capable of making a postseason run.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

The Panthers have a really good chance to be a good NHL team for years to come. Florida has taken a route that’s similar to the Thrashers and Blues. Solidifying the defense, with a top notch goaltending talent in the player pool, and one already an established and quality NHL goaltender they are ready to build for the future from the back end. Jacob Markstrom is currently rated as the No1 goaltender in the world that’s not playing in the NHL. That will soon change. And when it does, the Panthers will have to decide what they are going to with Tomas Vokoun. But, that will remain kind of a bittersweet concern of GM Dale Tallon who has still time to decide what he wants in return for Vokoun. Depending on next season’s free agency, as well as this year’s lack of interest for high profile goaltenders I suspect it won’t be as much as he’s hoping for. The Panthers have have also drafted well according to their team needs. They are one of the big winners of the 2010 NHL draft with tough defensive prospect Erik Gudbranson and a possible steal of the second round in John McFarland. With a trade that sent Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell to Boston, the Panthers made sure their defensive core is set by getting a good puck moving defenseman in Denis Wideman. The new look defense looks really good, especially if Gudbranson adapts quickly. Brian McAbe is a guy we all know and Dimitry Kulikov oozes potential. Similarly to Alanta, there is not a bunch of big names up front, but with players like David Booth and Stephen Weiss there is plenty to build around. Other helpful cogs might be Michael Frolik, Michael Grabner, Steve Bernier who all haven’t come close to hitting their prime. Players like Chris Higgins, Cory Stillman and Steve Reinprecht still have something to offer. There is also the “small” fact that the team’s new owners seem to really care about hockey, the team and the community which in turn creates an atmosphere of something really positive that’s bruin in Florida.

LOS ANGELES KINGS

Well, Kovalchuk or no Kovalchuk it’s hard to deny the Kings are miles away for the Leafs in terms of the rebuilding process right now. Going after Kovalchuk only proves my point even further. Of all the teams mentioned in this article, the Kings are probably in the best potion concerning the rebuild, as long as they don’t go too crazy after Kovalchuk. What do they have? Well for starters, they have a goaltender with 39 wins last season in Jonathan Quick. They also have an even better goaltender who’s about ready for the big time in Jonathan Bernier who is/was btw the best goaltender in the AHL. Their defense is very close to being cup ready, but they do need another top 4 puck moving defenseman. Other than that, no problem. Drew Doughty is probably the best 20 year old defenseman since Bobby Orr, and strangely I really don’t feel I’m exaggerating too much here. Jack Johnson isn’t bad either. You can always count on Rob Scuderi to grind it out. They also have some prospects coming in to fill some bottom roles. Oh yeah, the forwards. Well, simply put, they have a legitimate NHL superstar (that much is clear by now, even if you don’t watch many Kings games) in Anze Kopitar. Ryan Smyth, their Leaf coveted hard hitting captain Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds, faceoff beast Jaret Stoll, injury prone but good winger Justin Williams and Michal Handzus round up an already impressive group, even without Kovalchuk. Now add him to the equation. And best of all, they’re young. The average age of the core group of Doughy, Quick, Bernier, Brown, Kopitar, Simmonds  and Johnson is just 22.2 years of age. All that without taking highly touted prospects Brayden Schenn and Brandon Kozun into account. Their coach, Terry Murray, although not exactly my first choice for coach of the year, proved he was exactly what the doctor ordered and with the careful approach of their GM Dean Lombardi you can be sure this is one well run team. If they do get Kovalchuk, Jack Nicholson just might have to switch to hockey.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

We have some pieces in play, sure. Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Jonas Gustavsson, Nazem Kadri, Kris Versteeg and Luke Schenn. Those are the main building blocks. Komisarek, Kulemin, Gunnarsson are the next most important assets while JS Giguere, Francois Beauchemin are going stay in TO for a relatively limited period. Accordingly, their main assignment is to fill in the blanks for the time being and teach younger guys how to be NHL players. Ideally, I would like the management to add some veteran depth at some positions, especially the center. Our core seems solid enough, but a lot is based on the assumption that either Nazem Kadri, or Tyler Bozak will end up being that No1 NHL centerman for the Leafs. I’m not doubting Kadri’s talent or Bozak’s NHL readiness, but I’d like to have a guy who would help them develop and teach them to play the position in the NHL. That No1 center would hold down the fort until the kids reach their full potential and would give us more depth throughout the first 3 lines. I feel really confident about our blueline corps especially with Komisarek’s due return. Yes, he wasn’t exactly stellar for the first part of his career with the Leafs, but seeing his training habits and work ethic I suspect that he’ll be much better next season. That is also based on the fact that, unlike last season, he’ll have help dealing with guys on the back end. Giguere and Gustavsson look really solid as a goaltending tandem which would suggest the area that needs most improvement is up front. While we’ve all noticed some big and positive changes in some players towards the end of last season, questions still remain. Can Bozak and Kulemin continue with that level of play for an entire season? Will Kris Versteeg play like a top six forward in the Leafs uniform? Will Jonas Gustavsson emerge as a No1 NHL goaltender? How will Nazem Kadri react to the pressure put on him by the Toronto media and Leafs Nation? Will Dion Phaneuf make a good captain? Is Phil Kessel a 45-50 goalscorer in the NHL? My answer to almost all those questions is a positive one. Can Bozak and Kulemin continue with that level of play for an entire season? Why not? Bozak has battled mononucleosis earlier last season and, finally healthy, he showed why Burke tried so hard to sign him. Kulemin had only just completely adapted to the NHL level and his forechecking work as well as corner battles and work ethic have been in a steady climb since he came into the league. There is no reason why that can’t continue. Will Kris Versteeg play like a top six forward in the Leafs uniform? He played like a top six forward on the bottom six Chicago line. Will Jonas Gustavsson emerge as a No1 NHL goaltender? He has the size, the agility, the work ethic and a really good mentor. How will Nazem Kadri react to the pressure put on him by the Toronto media and Leafs Nation? That one I really don’t know. What I do know is this kid has the drive and a will to learn. That, coupled by his skillset is a dangerous combination. Dangerous for teams facing the Leafs in the future. Will Dion Phaneuf make a good captain? Well the impact he had on the dressing room, plus the fact that he earned the captaincy in such short notice suggests he’ll not only be good, he’ll be perfect. Is Phil Kessel a 45-50 goalscorer in the NHL? Get him on a line with the right centerman and I’m sure he’d come close, but to tell you the truth, I’d be happy with him hitting 40 on a regular basis which he’s more than capable of. I’m also really happy with the level of sandpaperness that Burke has added to this team. Mike Brown and Colton Orr will be a terrifying tandem, and Colby Armstong is no slouch either. At 3 mil. he might be a tad overpaid, but his checks won’t be any lighter. Size and some scoring on the top two lines remains an issue, as does some veteran leadership. While I’m not ecstatic about having Ron Wilson as a coach, I’m also not ready to hang him out to dry. I’ll only be prepared to judge him AFTER he has had a season to coach a respectable NHL team. That said, I think our GM is one of the best in the game. He might not be patient, he might not be conventional, but he knows how to get the job done.

Mislav “Xterratu” Jantoljak