Leafs cope with life without Cujo
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 | 6:19 PM ET
CBC Sports
RECORD: 43-25-10-4 (100 pts); 2nd in East; 3rd overall
INCOMING: G Ed Belfour; LW Tom Fitzgerald; C Aaron Gavey; RW Josh Holden D Richard Jackman; G Trevor Kidd; D Robert Svehla;
OUTGOING: G Tom Barrasso; D Cory Cross; D Nathan Dempsey; C Jeff Farkas; G Curtis Joseph; G Corey Schwab; LW Garry Valk; Dmitry Yushkevich
The Leafs hope to see celebrations like this between Alexander Mogilny and Mats Sundin a lot this season. (CP PHOTO)
GOALTENDING (B+): Ed Belfour will have to perform near miracle feats to get Leafs fans to forget St. Joseph.
Curtis Joseph earned a lot of friends with his magical feats tending goal in Toronto and there will be a lot of pressure on Belfour for the first month of the season.
The good news is Belfour doesn't represent a serious downgrade in goal for the Leafs.
Belfour is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, but what has made the Eagle so great over the years is his ability to overcome adversity.
Belfour has one Stanley Cup and two Vezina Trophies on his resume, so Leafs fans know they are getting a quality netminder. More than anything, Belfour wants to win and that is what has made him one of the top goalies in the league over the past decade.
After losing Corey Schwab to the New Jersey Devils, the Leafs picked up Trevor Kidd to serve as Belfour's backup.
Kidd was once a starter in the NHL and gives coach Pat Quinn a pretty good replacement if the Eagle falters.
DEFENCE (B): Steady and under appreciated.
That pretty much sums up the Toronto defence situation. Keeping opposition scoring chances to a minimum was a weakness at the start of last season, but the Leafs worked hard on the basics and the group ended up as one of the top defensive teams in the NHL, allowing the third-fewest shots in the league.
The Leafs lost a huge locker room presence when Dmitry Yushkevich was shipped to the Florida Panthers, getting Robert Svehla in return.
Quinn insists that Svehla is a more durable and better all-round player than Yushkevich, but the jury is still out on that one.
With Yushkevich gone, Bryan McCabe takes the position as the team's No. 1 rearguard. McCabe is a stalwart on the blue line and developed an offensive dimension to game last season, contributing 17 goals and 26 assists – both career highs.
Tomas Kaberle gives the Leafs a mobile defenceman who can make a perfect breakout pass out of the zone. He would be a huge asset on the power play if he shot the puck more.
OFFENCE (B): It's hard to imagine the Leafs without Gary Roberts.
In his short time with the Leafs, Roberts has become quite a presence on the team and was key component in the team's run to the Eastern Conference final.
But the Leafs will have to make due without this rugged forward until January as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
While the Leafs will definitely miss his presence, they showed last season that they are more than able to fill the void on offence.
They led the Eastern Conference in scoring last year and were just one of three teams to have 11 players in double figures in goals.
The offence is still mainly dependant on captain Mats Sundin, who led the team in scoring for the seventh consecutive season.
Darcy Tucker showed that he's actually a pretty good goal scorer when he's not fighting with the opposition, registering career highs in goals, assists and points.
Alexander Mogilny was slowed by back problems, but he was truly a wonder to watch on the ice when he was fully healthy.
Mogilny is one of the best playmakers in the league and possesses a lethal shot. He will improve his point production if he can find a centre he can gel with on the ice.
One player that people are keeping an eye on is Alyn McCauley. Used primarily as a defensive forward last season, McCauley made the jump to the first line in the playoffs when Sundin went down to an injury and thrived playing with Roberts, picking up 15 points in 20 games.
It looks like Jonas Hoglund and Robert Reichel's days in Toronto are limited.
GAME BREAKER: Mats Sundin With Curtis Joseph gone, all of the pressure is now on Mats Sundin.
Although he's been a lightning rod for criticism during his time in Toronto, there's no doubt that's he is one of the best players ever to put on a Leafs jersey.
He'll never hold a place in fans' hearts like Doug Gilmour, but he's developed into a true leader on the team, never afraid of speaking his mind in the locker room and deserves to wear the 'C' on his uniform.
He backs up his words on the ice as well, leading the team in scoring every year he's been with the team and that's not going to change this season.
PREDICTION: 5th in East
