I look at the Leafs roster for the upcoming season, and I cant help but feeling somewhat optimistic. I really do like what Brian Burke has done with the team so far with the addition of Versteeg, and Armstrong. But the reason I have optimism isn’t just those signings, it is the blueline that we have in place, that has me thinking this could be a good season for the Leafs. It doesn’t take an expert to see that the team is missing some offensive firepower, but I really do believe that the defensive core will be enough to counteract that. I really do not think people understand how strong the Maple Leafs blueline is. The one knock I have against it, is that the cost for our 8 defensemen under contract costs 27,775,000$.

That’s an average of 3.47 million per defensemen, which is definitely too much to pay on average for a defensemen. However, when looking at the fact that Burke could bury Finger’s contract in the minors, and the fact that we are trying to trade Kaberle for a top 6-forward, that would be almost 8 million dollars off of the salary cap right there so it’s not as bad as it looks. But this article will not be to argue how much of a bargain Toronto’s d-men are or if they are worth the price. This will only be about the quality and the talent of the Leafs blueline, and why I truly believe that the Leafs have one of the best defensive cores in the league. With the exception of Chicago’s top 4 (Keith, Campbell, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson), Philadelphia’s top 2 pairings (Pronger, Timonen, Cobourn, Meszaros, and even Carle), and Vancouver’s all-around depth (Hamhuis, Erhoff, Edler, Bieksa, Salo, and Ballard) nobody else in the league can compare to the Leafs talent on D.

First we will start off with Tomas Kaberle. I was waiting to write this article until after he was traded, but since nothing seems imminent on that front, I will include him for the time being. I really do not believe that the Leafs will start the season with Kaberle on the roster, but if they do he truly is one of the premier puck-moving defensemen in the league. Just look at his starts over the last few years, not only is he consistent, but he has also been producing at a premiere level. If you look at the 5 seasons since the lockout, Kaberle has averaged .68 points per game(in 82 games that would project to over 56.1 points) as he put up 258 points in 377 games. He was also an all-star in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Kaberle has proven that he is one of the best powerplay quarterbacks in the league, and has done so on a team desperately lacking firepower. And in my opinion he truly has one of the best stretch passes in the league, he could single-handedly send a forward on a breakaway if the defence give him a small window. That is one thing I will really miss about Kaberle if he is traded, is the offence that he brings; it will be sorely missed, especially in the transition game. However, with or without Kaberle, I truly do believe this blueline, will be the strongpoint of the team, and will make us an extremely hard team to match up against every single night.

If Kaberle is gone, his offence will be replaced by our new #1 defenseman and Captain, Dion Phaneuf. I have already written an article before on what Phaneuf is capable of doing offensively, and it is no secret that a few years ago he was an offensive juggernaut. Hopefully the added responsibility of being named Captain, will rejuvenate him and get him back to the level he was at when he put up 60 points in 07-08. So if people are asking who will replace the offence that we lose with Kaberle, the answer is #3. He has a cannon of a shot from the point, and demands enough respect, that he will leave other players open on the powerplay. Before going into a slump for the last 2 season, Dion put up 49, 50, 60, and 47 points respectively in the 4 seasons prior to that.

So it’s not as if it was a fluke result, and there is no reason to think that he will not be able to return to form. But not only can he contribute offensively, he also is an absolute monster on the blueline. Opposing forward will not be going for the stretch pass, or going for passes with their heads down, or crossing across the middle of the ice, because they know if they do there is a very good chance that they are going to get “PHANEUFED”. Not only is he extremely physical at the blueline, but he also is good at rubbing players out along the boards, and can block shots as well. With that strength he has he is very good at clearing away the front of the net.

As to where I believe we will get more offence from, I believe a lot of that could come from Francois Beauchemin. Many people might argue with me here, and point to the fact that he only had 26 points last year in a full season. However, during his best season with the Ducks he put up 34 points in only 61 games, good for 46 points over a full season. However, I will admit his overall offensive numbers with the ducks were not overly impressive, you have to remember that he was not getting #1 powerplay time, as he was on a team with both Pronger, and Niedermayer, two of the biggest minute-munchers in the league.

So if Kaberle leaves, I believe Beauch will team up with Phaneuf to join the #1 powerplay. And with his ability to pass, and the fact that he has a tremendous slapshot, will make him a very big asset on the blueline. Just last year he had 170 shots for the Leafs, and with him on one side and Phaneuf on the other, this will lead to a lot of problems for opposing goalies, if the Leafs could find a big body to get in front of the net. With 2 cannons from the point, our powerplay would have 2 essential keys to success right there. I do not see a see a 35+ point season as too much of a stretch for him, and I think we are going to see a much more offensive side to him if Kaberle gets traded.

The other player who I think has an offensive side to him that we haven’t seen yet, is Carl Gunnarsson. Last season in his first season in the NHL, he put up 15 points in 43 games. So if he stays at the same pace as last season and shows no growth, 30 points would be easily attainable. However, watching him play, he seems like he has a lot more to offer. And given his defensive responsibility, as he was a +8 on an awful team last season, there is no reason to believe that he will not get every opportunity to prove what he is capable of.

But his ability to make the right decisions, and play an almost error free game, will be a huge asset to this team, and eventually could become a great 2 way defenseman. I for one am looking forward to seeing this former 7th rounder, further develop his game, and try to prove that last season was not a fluke, and only a glimpse at what he is truly capable of.

Having said all of this, offensive output isn’t what I think is going to make this blueline one of the best in the league. What separates it to me from the rest of the league, is it’s defensive game, and the sandpaper. Which brings me to 2 other key players, Mike Komisarek and Luke Schenn. Komisarek is a 6’4, 245 pound defenseman, who plays every bit as big as he is. When he is on his game, he is one of the most physical players in the league. He has been injured recently, and ever since the Lucic fight, people seem to think he isn’t quite the player he used to be. I don’t care what anybody says there is no way that losing a fight, no matter how badly, can completely change a player.

If you ask me why he has been off the past few seasons, is not because of the fight, it is simply because he was playing injured. Now that his shoulder will be fully healed after receiving the surgery, I think we are going to see the old Mike Komisarek that Montreal fell in love with. Everybody points to the 08-09 season to where his game really took a step down, however, even in his worst statistical year, he still managed to have 191 hits, and finished in the top 5 in shot blocks. And last year in another “off-year” he managed to have 85 hits in 34 games, which would have been 205 hits over an 82 game schedule, which also would have been in the top 10 in the league.

Those were his stats during an off-year, imagine what he is capable of in a great season. Just look at 07-08, Komisarek had 266 hits (by far the most by a defenseman), and also led the league in blocked shots with 227. So on top of his game he was the best shot blocking and best hitting defenseman in the league. That is the 2 most important things to judge how a player is defensively in my mind, and although he may not contribute offensively all the time, defensively when he is on the top of his game he is an absolute powerhouse. A full 82 games of a healthy Mike Komisarek will drastically improve the Leafs penalty kill which was absolutely horrible last season.

So now teams will not only have to watch out for Phaneuf flattening them, they will also have to look out for a healthy Mike Komisarek, and when those 2 aren’t on the ice, there will still be one more player they should look out for. That would be Luke Schenn. Luke Schenn took the league by storm in his rookie year, and apparently didn’t get the memo that defenseman aren’t supposed to be able to make the jump to the NHL right away. However, last year, he took a step back, and seemed to struggle a bit at times. But as soon as Phaneuf arrived to the Leafs, Schenn’s game began to pick back up.

Schenn grew up watching Phaneuf, and tried to model his game after him, and it seemed that when the two were playing together, Schenn was a completely different player. And the only place to go for Schenn is up. Watching him, there is nothing flashy about his game, but he racks up the hits, he blocks shots, and he has an incredibly active stick. He looks calm at all times, even during his rookie year, and once he reaches his peak, I truly do believe he will be an absolute force on the blueline for years to come. He will never be the kind of player who is a powerplay quarterback, or contributes offensively every night, but he will be a great shut down dman. So I am really hoping that the Leafs do not trade him away (even if it was for the always brought up Bobby Ryan).

Phaneuf, Schenn, Beauchemin, Komisarek, Gunnarsson, and Lebda (and hypothetically still Kaberle) the leafs have an inordinate amount of talent on the blueline, and will be a force to be reckoned with. With prospects like Aulie, Mikus, Blacker, waiting in the wings, the future looks bright as well. And adding a guy like Colby Armstrong, will make Toronto an even less fun team to play against. I think Toronto is a few moves away from truly being a contender, but defence wins championships and the best offence is a good defence and I truly do believe that we are in great hands in that area at the moment. Whether or not everything will come together this year, I cannot be sure. But one thing I am sure about is the fact that opposing teams, and especially forwards, will not enjoy playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs for years to come.

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