Over the course of the 2010/2011 NHL season, fans and media in Toronto have vented their frustrations on a variety of key members of the Leafs current squad. A cantankerous Ron Wilson has been the recipient of boos, chants, and constant calls for his firing. Leafs captain, and six-million-dollar-man, Dion Phaneuf has also been jeered by fans and his talents and demeanor constantly called into question by pundits. The ridiculously talented but streaky Phil Kessel has been, and always will be, reminded of what the Leafs gave up to bring him into the fold.
But amidst all this chaos and madness in the world’s most hockey paranoid city, this young Leafs squad has evidently found a way to make all that jeering and paranoia sub cede. Win.
Who would have known that all it would take was to string together some wins and play some solid, not spectacular, but just solid hockey? Since the calendar switched over to 2011, the Leafs have a 16-8-6 record. Something to be proud of.
With fans getting giddy over the prospect of the Leafs making the playoffs for the first time in seven years (as of today they sit four points out of a playoff seed), the burning spotlight on Wilson and company has dimmed. All the while Leafs nation has forgotten why they were so angry in December.
With 15 games left to play, two games in hand on the seventh place New York Rangers, and some inspiring play there is a chance the Leafs can squeak into the playoffs, but it’s still an uphill battle. In order to get there the Leafs have to leapfrog the Carolina Hurricanes and more importantly, the Buffalo Sabres, a division rival who the Leafs face two more times before season’s end.
History tells us that a team in tenth place with 15 games remaining will not make the playoffs, but it has happened in the past. Last season, the Philadelphia Flyers needed a shootout win in their last game of the season to clinch a spot in the playoffs. They got the two points, went into the playoffs, and we all know how that turned out. The Flyers knocked off every team in the Eastern Conference and moved on to compete for the Stanley Cup. They ended up losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, but the fact is anything can happen if a team makes the playoffs.
However, the Leafs also have to get some help from other teams in the NHL in order for them to make the playoffs. Simply put, the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Rangers all need to lose. In the meantime, all the Leafs can do is continue to win games for themselves and hope for the best.
But what if the Leafs don’t make the playoffs and fizzle out down the stretch? Will Toronto go back to their old ways and call for the axe on coach Ron Wilson, badger Dion Phaneuf, bemoan the Kessel deal? Only time will tell, but something tells me this young squad is much different than past Leaf rosters. They have youth, swagger, talent, and are beaming with confidence. These are things that haven’t been felt at the ACC for a long time. Leafs fans should also remember that building a team through youth takes time. And that’s exactly what Brian Burke and company are trying to do.
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