I wouldn't give the leafs a B or A in goal. I think they are a C or C+ with the potential to be a B or maybe a little higher. Raycroft was not that good last year but Toskala has potential to be solid. Where i feel they loose rankings is he has never been a number one goalie before and has to prove himself first. Kaberle and McCabe are pretty solid but didn't Kubina have a bad year? If he struggles this year than that really hurts the D core as well.
Kubina isn't worth 5 million, he's worth about 3.5-4million, however the market at the time made him an important player. I expect him to rebound and worse comes to worse we send him to minors and he might get picked up ( I think JFJ would rather see him in the press box and try to trade him).
I think Kubina is good enough even at his worse that you would rather have him in the lineup than in the press box. If Kubina has a bad year than you would have to decrease the defense ranking by alot.
I think Kubina is good enough even at his worse that you would rather have him in the lineup than in the press box. If Kubina has a bad year than you would have to decrease the defense ranking by alot.
He had great chemistry on the top line with Kaberle and I really don't think over defence would be so bad without him, Stralman was a top five defensemen in the WC this year, and we still have defensive dynomos like Woz/Kronwall and Harrison. As for Raycroft, he was one of the best goalies in the league when on the road, and he blew at home. Toskola has an opertunity to step up into the top 10 in goalies this year, if we platoon the two of them I can't see them being that bad. I think they definatly have the potential of being A squad of tenders.
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I hope both Kubina and mcCabe get off the pressure that they had last year, because they had the mentality that they had to make big plays and score big goals all the time infront of the home crowd so they look good for their money. Though if they just did their job as a defenseman, that is score on the PP and play defense, we'd all be satisfied.
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I hope both Kubina and mcCabe get off the pressure that they had last year, because they had the mentality that they had to make big plays and score big goals all the time infront of the home crowd so they look good for their money. Though if they just did their job as a defenseman, that is score on the PP and play defense, we'd all be satisfied.
McCabe was 11th in defensive scorering last season, and him and Kaberle are tied with Vishnivsky and Gonchar for third most point by a defensemen since the lock out (125). McCabe didnčt have as bad a season as everyone made it seem, he did't make as many supid mistakes as he did the season before, and he was a top point getter. Then you have Kubina who after the suspention had injury trouble, but all the time kept saying he couldn't wait to get into the Leaf roster. He had a slow start, but he went from number 1 guy in an offensive system to a number 3 guy in a grinding system, so the slow start can be excused. Nearing the end of the season when he wa being partnered with Kaberle he definatly seemed at ease and was a solid member of our blue line, and became our second best PKer.
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I wouldn't give the leafs a B or A in goal. I think they are a C or C+ with the potential to be a B or maybe a little higher. Raycroft was not that good last year but Toskala has potential to be solid. Where i feel they loose rankings is he has never been a number one goalie before and has to prove himself first. Kaberle and McCabe are pretty solid but didn't Kubina have a bad year? If he struggles this year than that really hurts the D core as well.
I think you make a good point. We all hope Toskala can be a great number one, but there are no guarantees. We also hope Raycroft can rebound when he plays, either to give us great goaltending services or a good trade bait, but again, no guarantees. Kubina did have a bad year but he struggled early on and its hoped that he can be even better than before.
Good analysis MaCabe, maybe a bit homerish but enjoyable all the same . I love the thought of a Tucker-Bell-Kilger line...just the kind of energy line needed plus good scoring potential. For a fourth line I like to see Devereaux in there, and personally I'd love to see Newbury, but the last two spots will likely be taken by two of Stajan, Pohl, and Battaglia. I'd rather see Blake and Poni's line positions reversed, but either way Blake makes a big difference on what is still a "decent" top six, but more decent than last year.
I would also like to see Kronwall play; love the way he plays. Any one of Kronwall, Wozniewski, Vorobiev or Stralman would be quite fun to see, but White also has good value as an offensive defenceman in a trade or for the Leafs. However, I would personally rather see his spot taken by a defensive guy because we really need to keep pucks out of our net, and Kaberle, McCabe, and even Kubina make a lethal offensive d-man trio.
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. I love the thought of a Tucker-Bell-Kilger line...just the kind of energy line needed plus good scoring potential. For a fourth line I like to see Devereaux in there, and personally I'd love to see Newbury, but the last two spots will likely be taken by two of Stajan, Pohl, and Battaglia. I'd rather see Blake and Poni's line positions reversed, but either way Blake makes a big difference on what is still a "decent" top six, but more decent than last year.
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