The 'Unacceptable' May Be Unavoidable in Leafs Nation

With training camp set to open, the Toronto Maple Leafs have taken the early lead on comments that might come back to haunt them before the 2010-11 season is over.

"We're definitely a playoff team," newly-minted captain Dion Phaneuf said recently. "Our goal at the start of this season is to make the playoffs. Anything short of that is unacceptable."

What else was Phaneuf to say?

Was he supposed to say, "Look, we might not have enough to make the playoffs"?

On paper, the Leafs probably have enough to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in seven years but the trouble is other non-playoff clubs made significant additions to their rosters compared to the ones general manager Brian Burke made to his.

Then there was coach Ron Wilson.

When asked about his goaltending, Wilson basically named J.S. Giguere the starting goalie ahead of Jonas Gustavsson.

"I think the No. 1 goalie's Jiggy, but he has to perform," Wilson told reporters at the Leafs Legends Charity Golf Classic. "Hey, whoever plays best is going to play. But I envision it being Jiggy right now."

There is every chance both comments will bite the Leafs in the butt before the end of the season.

The Maple Leafs were the second-worst team in the NHL last season but missed out on a top lottery pick in the draft thanks to the deal which landed Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins a year ago.

Burke had a good but not great off-season, adding a depth player in Colby Armstrong, along with Kris Versteeg and Clarke MacArthur to answer Toronto's scoring ills. The Leafs were ranked 25th in goals last season, averaging a paltry 2.56 goals per game. Toronto's power play was, not surprisingly, ranked the worst in the NHL.

Heading into camp, there are only a few roster spots open -- which is surprising given last season's performance -- but you have to think one is in reserve for Nazem Kadri, the seventh overall pick in 2009 who almost made the team a year ago.

Kadri beefed up over the summer and should he make the team, he could move into a role as a top six forward.

Kessel was the only consistent scoring threat last season, although Tyler Bozak showed much promise in putting up 27 points in 37 games as a rookie.

Burke and Wilson both like to note Versteeg had 20 goals while playing on a deep Chicago Blackhawks roster last season, and given how Versteeg will be on either the first or second line of the Big Blue, he should be good to improve on the 20-goal mark by 10 or more goals.

Burke and Wilson also like to hang their hats on the fact the Maple Leafs had the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference after they acquired Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames and Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks in January.
While that may be accurate, it really doesn't mean a thing.

That was last year and this is now.

Perhaps the best move the Maple Leafs made in the off-season was pinning the captain's C on Phaneuf's jersey, finally filling the leadership void left by Mats Sundin. Like Pavlov's dog, Wilson drools whenever Phaneuf's name is mentioned, calling him the "perfect guy to lead the Maple Leafs on and off the ice."

Phaneuf anchors a deep blueline that, if it stays healthy, will bolster Toronto's chances of making the playoffs.

The one blueline distraction will be the ongoing saga surrounding Tomas Kaberle. Burke has twice failed to trade him and now the Czech native will be closely watched by the Toronto media.

Given his comments, Wilson had better hope that Giguere returns to the form he showed a few years ago with Anaheim, when he was regarded as one of the top goalies in the league. Plan B is Jonas Gustavsson, who had to deal with health and personal issues last season and looked uncomfortable at times as he learned the NHL game.

The Leafs are coming off a miserable season in which they slumped out of the gate and never caught the pack. There were significant injuries to key defencemen, questions in net, troubles scoring and the ongoing Kaberle trade saga.

While the defenceman are healthy now, the same questions hang over this Leafs squad to start the season. Will they be able to score? Will the goaltending be up to snuff? Will Kaberle want out if things turn sour?

Burke tinkered with the roster to shore up his team's short-comings, but in the end it more than likely won't be enough. And while there appears to be calm surrounding Kaberle's future in Toronto, it is just a break in the unsettled weather pattern.

At least Phaneuf didn't put his foot in his mouth by saying Toronto is good enough to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Wilson made that projection a few years ago and the Maple Leafs then proved him wrong.

Wilson and Burke are close friends from college who are working together for the first time, and should the Leafs sputter early on, it would not surprise anybody if there is a coaching change.

Even then, it probably won't help Toronto into the post-season.

The "unacceptable" may be unavoidable once again.