Maple Leafs or Make Be-Leafs

One week into the NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs sit on top of the league. No this is not a dream Leaf fans, but it sure might feel like one come February. Four wins in four games. Two of the four wins came against division rivals Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. When Brian Burke announced after last year that they would be a complete overhaul, he was not just saying it, he meant it. Since the Phaneuf deal on January 1st 2010, that saw Ian White, Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers out of Leaf jerseys Burke was attacking his team’s major weaknesses Powerplay, Penalty Kill, Faceoffs and Goaltending. Many hockey fans can agree that one-time Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere is a huge step-up from Vesa Toskala. Toskala started the first four games 0-3-1. Giguere is 3-0-0. Last year the Leafs were dead last in Penalty Kill, Power Play and Face-offs. After four games they are in the top three in these categories. The Leafs took a look around the NHL and realized why teams like the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks are so successful, because they are always in the top five on special teams. The likes of Versteeg, Phaneuf, Komisarek and Armstrong will help the PK, the power play though remains a question mark going 0-4 on five-on-threes.
A big reason for the Leafs early success is because Brian Burke brought in role players who can play specific roles. Out are the likes of Toskala, Hagman, Stajan, White and Jason Blake. In are the likes of Stanley Cup champ Kris Versteeg, grinder Colby Armstrong, Mike Zigomanis who has won all but one of the face-offs he has taken, newly appointed captain Dion Phaneuf who leads all defenseman with goals since the lockout and a healthy Phil Kessel.
But what have you done with Clarke McArthur? In Leaf world there is a stat for anything and anyone. McArthur is the only player to score a goal in his first four games as a Leaf. McArthur has scored five goals in the first four games of the season, two of them being game winners. Last year McArthur put up a combined nine points, he has six in the first four games, he could very well be the Leafs version of Jose Bautista. The Leafs though have seventy-eight games remaining on the schedule and who knows with a healthy Andrei Markov and Mike Cammalleri the Montreal Canadiens win that game, and the Leafs could have spiraled down to 0-4 like last year.
Are the Leafs a better team then last year yes, does that mean they will make the playoffs no. Do I expect the Leafs to make the playoffs no, but anything can happen in the world of sports this year. Two number one seeds in college football being knocked off in back-to-back weeks. Waiver addition Cody Ross hit two homeruns off Halladay in one game, and one of Oswalt, so sure anything is possible, and that is the way the Leafs are attacking the season…… so far.