Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.7

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Sometimes it is really difficult to figure out Maple Leaf fans. For years, the play of the blue and white was examined microscopically by fans and media pundits alike: doom and gloom after a loss, pure euphoria after a win. After suffering through three difficult losing years following the lockout that wiped out the 2004-2005 season, one would think that Maple Leaf supporters would be ready for a little winning but now strangely enough, the Maple Leafs, according to most, are playing too well.

That’s right. After a successful week, picking up five out of a possible six points, the Maple Leafs are said to be playing too well. All this success is screwing up the master plan of continuing to lose, losing worse than ever to continue to accumulate draft picks and then almost through rite of passage, magically transform from cellar dweller to Cup contender in a flash.

That’s how a lot of people seem to see it for the Maple Leafs, that they could not possibly get good again unless they continue to stink for the next few years. Nonsense. The fact is the coaching style being implemented by Ron Wilson is quickly ridding the team of the sense of entitlement that seemed to prevail throughout most of Paul Maurice’s tenure.

He is quickly facilitating development and ensuring that his players overachieve, not something often seen since before the lockout. If they don’t, Wilson assigns them a seat in the press box, not the bench, and so far, the strategy has worked in three cases. Matt Stajan, Mike Van Ryn and Jason Blake have all had to learn the hard way but have all responded and are playing some of their best hockey in years.

When Pat Quinn took over for the 1998-1999 season, the Maple Leafs were supposed to lose badly that season too. All they did was go to the Eastern Conference Finals. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.6

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After a shockingly unexpected defeat of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in their season opening contest followed by four less than impressive outings, reality is now beginning to set in for the 2008-2009 Maple Leafs campaign. Opening night euphoria has quickly given way to the stark truth of what likely awaits Leaf fans this season. But all is not lost.

The play of top prospect Luke Schenn has been very encouraging, consistently among the team leaders in ice time while arguably becoming the Maple Leafs’ most reliable defenseman in his own zone.

Nik Kulemin’s play is starting to remove the folklore that was built up around him from media speculation since the Maple Leafs drafted him out of Russia and instead, replacing it with shreds of optimism and truth that say, “yeah, this guy might just have some talent.” If anything, despite the Maple Leafs’ poor record in shootouts, Kulemin has shown a far too unfamiliar knack to the Maple Leafs, of scoring consistently in that facet of the game.

Mixing them in with the remaining group of young players including Mikhail Grabovski, Anton Stralman and Jiri Tlusty and all of sudden, there is the potential for some meaningful development this season.

Just a few seasons ago, the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues, long on young talent but short on experience, were in very similar positions. However, after suffering through some difficult seasons, those young prospects have developed to the point where they are now leading their respective teams to very successful starts in the always competitive Western Conference.

For the Maple Leafs, this is a season all about patience, in the hopes that riding with many of the young players they have on their roster now, will soon lead to the improvement seen in the cases of the Oilers and Blues.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and Leafs Nation…well it won’t quite be built in just one season either. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.5

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Throughout much of last season, it was clear that the Maple Leafs were not a tough enough team to play against – except for when Wade Belak was in the lineup, which wasn’t very often. The reasons for the Leafs’ disinterest in utilizing Belak a year ago to fill a role in which he excelled at – protecting his teammates by striking fear into opponents but without taking unnecessary penalties – I will never understand.

Instead Belak was shipped to Florida in exchange for a 5th round draft pick and Ryan Hollweg was acquired from the New York Rangers to fill his void and in return the Maple Leafs sent a different 5th round pick back to New York.

Essentially, the Leafs traded Belak for Hollweg and so far, the switch has been anything but a good one for the Maple Leafs. Inexplicably, Hollweg dropped the gloves an astounding five times in the preseason including three times in one game, losing all five bouts. Late in the exhibition schedule, Hollweg picked up a boarding major and a game misconduct against St. Louis netting him an automatic two game suspension for accumulating three boarding majors in forty one games dating back to his time with the Rangers.

No sooner does he return after serving his suspension, Hollweg lasts only four minutes of ice time before taking another boarding major penalty against the same St. Louis Blues netting him a three game suspension this time and possibly even more supplemental discipline. On the ensuing five minute power play, the Blues scored twice to tie the game on their way to winning in come from behind fashion.

Hollweg’s play has absolutely no place on the Leafs nor in the NHL and as wrong was Chris Simon was in tomahawking Hollweg across the head with his stick two seasons ago, Hollweg’s play thus far with the Leafs begins to allow people understand Simon’s frustration.

Here’s hoping Hollweg gets handed at least a twenty game suspension because that will be twenty games the Leafs will be better off without him. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 4.4

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Clearly, the 2008-2009 season is one of rebuilding and retooling for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Development of younger players is paramount whereas winning games is really not. After all the more games they lose, the better they set themselves up for a high draft pick at the end of the year and that’s all part of the master plan, or at least some people’s master plan isn’t it?

Certainly, under no circumstances would it make sense for the Maple Leafs to consider trading their first round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft. Well….not necessarily. Earlier last week, it was reported the Maple Leafs attempted to package their first round pick in 2009 along with two unnamed prospects in exchange for Mathieu Schneider and Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks.

For the first time in years, this was a trade that would have sacrificed a top draft pick yet yielded a player that would become a big part of the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobby Ryan, picked immediately after Sidney Crosby in 2005, is as good a first round pick that the Maple Leafs could possibly hope to land in the summer of 2009 but is also NHL ready. Add in the caveat that the Maple Leafs would retain their first round pick in 2009 if it ended up being in the top five selections and this was a win-win deal for the Maple Leafs, potentially being able to add to cornerstone players in a short period of time to their roster to go along with 2008 top pick Luke Schenn.

If Cliff Fletcher could have swung this move, the possibility existed that Schneider could then have been flipped for prospects or picks as well. If anything, Schneider’s veteran presence and experience would have benefitted the numerous youngsters that will ply their trades with the Maple Leafs this season.

Trading first round picks is rarely a wise decision, especially during rebuilding years but this was one circumstance that I would have made an exception for. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.