The Toronto Maple Leafs finished 25th overall last year. At Christmas time the Leafs look like they just might be able to sneak into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, but alas the hockey Gods are not yet done with the Maple Leafs franchise. The Leafs fired coach Wilson last season replacing him with ex-Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. There have been more movies in the off season but nothing substantial that will push the Leafs into Cup contenders.
In June, the Leafs GM Brain Burke pulled the trigger on a significant move after the NHL draft concluded, acquiring left-winger James van Riemsdyk from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Luke Schenn. Burke has continued to state that he wants his team to be bigger up front.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded the rights to goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to the Winnipeg Jets for a seventh-round conditional draft pick in 2013.
Here is a look at how the Leafs did in 2011-2012.
| 2011-12 Finish | Team | GP | W | L | OT | PTS. | Win % | Goals per Game | Goals Against per Game |
| 25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 80 | 0.488 | 2.77 | 3.16 |
Maple Leaf Stats 2012-13
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Phil Kessel | R | 82 | 37 | 45 | 82 | -10 |
| Joffrey Lupul | L | 66 | 25 | 42 | 67 | 1 |
| Mikhail Grabovski | C | 74 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 0 |
| Tyler Bozak | C | 73 | 18 | 29 | 47 | -7 |
| Dion Phaneuf | D | 82 | 12 | 32 | 44 | -10 |
| Clarke MacArthur | L | 73 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 3 |
| Tim Connolly | C | 70 | 13 | 23 | 36 | -14 |
| Jake Gardiner | D | 75 | 7 | 23 | 30 | -2 |
| Nikolai Kulemin | L | 70 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 2 |
| John-Michael Liles | D | 66 | 7 | 20 | 27 | -14 |
| Joey Crabb | R | 67 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 1 |
| Luke Schenn | D | 79 | 2 | 20 | 22 | -6 |
| Cody Franson | D | 57 | 5 | 16 | 21 | -1 |
| Carl Gunnarsson | D | 76 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -9 |
| Matthew Lombardi | C | 62 | 8 | 10 | 18 | -19 |
| Matt Frattin | R | 56 | 8 | 7 | 15 | -4 |
| David Steckel | C | 76 | 8 | 5 | 13 | -14 |
| Nazem Kadri | C | 21 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Mike Komisarek | D | 45 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -13 |
| Joe Colborne | C | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Mike Brown | R | 50 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -8 |
| Colby Armstrong | R | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -8 |
| Darryl Boyce | C | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 |
| Keith Aulie | D | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 |
| Colton Orr | R | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ryan Hamilton | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| Jay Rosehill | L | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Philippe Dupuis | C | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| Carter Ashton | R | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10 |
This year we do not expect a lot of improvement with the Leafs unless they can get some better goaltending. Rumors continue to suggest that Roberto Luongo could be coming via trade but we cannot see that happening. Here is how we think the Toronto Maple Leafs will finish in 2012-2013. *Note: This is based on a full 82 game season as opposed to a condensed season due to an NHL lockout.
Key Additions:
- James Van Riemsdyk – forward
- Keith Aucoin – forward
Notable Departures
- Luke Schenn – defense
- Jonas Gustavsson – goal
Trending: DOWN
The Maple Leafs are a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2003-2004. Don’t expect that to change this year. Although with a shortened season, anything is possible.
