The Future of the Maple Leafs

How delicate is the comprising fabric of the Toronto Maple Leafs? A few pulls, and its very core unravels. A flu bug to make franchise players sick to their stomachs, injuries to drown player and fan spirits and more recently, trade rumours of players being shipped out in the off-season to cause a plethora of uneasiness in the dressing room.

As the possibility of a complete restructuring of the team by interim Maple Leaf general manager Cliff Fletcher draws nearer, fans are beginning to get restless.

Many believe it's time for the team to hang up their skates in order for the Maple Leafs' management to draft young Canadian hockey prodigy Steven Stamkos, the almost guaranteed number one choice in next year's NHL draft. Simple fact: the Maple Leafs need him if they want to win the championship any time soon.

Trades are a dead certainty. If the team trades away its big-name players for younger players, they can start rebuilding in efforts to win the only thing that really matters in the NHL, the Stanley Cup. Only a few players on the team have a high value around the league, Mats Sundin being the most sought after.

The Swedish superstar has made it clear that he will not waive his no-trade clause and wishes to remain in his beloved Toronto. Bryan McCabe, a defenceman whose only consistent performance trait is mediocrity, also has value. Emerging star Nik Antropov and the ever-disappointing Jason Blake are on Fletcher's chopping block as well. Now that the trade deadline has passed, Fletcher has begun looking to make these moves in the off-season.

Trading away veterans would be a new direction for the team; for years management has looked to veterans to come in and possibly win the championship in the same year. Short-term solutions have been the staple of this franchise for many years past. Ron Francis, Owen Nolan and Michael Peca are only a few of the sparkling players that were signed and destined to fail in this hockey environment.

It takes a lot of arrogance to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, arguably the most media-frenzied and criticized hockey team in the NHL. Players, coaches and general managers have to able to take the intensity after a bad game; unless you're a Gretzky, you're going to get verbally mangled in Toronto.

Is this a bad thing? No. The city is just passionate and rightfully frustrated with a management, led by Richard Peddie, that seems for some freakish reason not to want to win a championship. If you can't take the heat, get out of the locker room.

If anyone can handle the pressure, it is interim general manager Cliff Fletcher. Fans know trades are coming, and they know who will most likely be traded. It's just a matter of who they will get in return and if any of these players can help this team reach the Stanley Cup finals after an over 40-year drought.

It is safe to say that if the Maple Leafs don't make it to the finals before the drought reaches a pathetic 50-years, a mob of torch and pitchfork-carrying fans may be knocking at Richard Peddie's door.

Related Articles:

Raptors Deserve More Praise

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds