2014-15 Toronto Maple Leafs Preview

Sep 30, 2014 - 7:49 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs made a brief foray into playoff hockey in 2013, but last spring the club watched the postseason from home for the eighth time in nine seasons.

While 2013-14 was yet another disappointing season in the recent history of the Maple Leafs, an offseason of changes to the club's upper management does give Toronto considerable hope for the future.

Toronto's big move came shortly after last season when it named Brendan Shanahan as the team's president and alternate governor. The Hall of Fame winger left behind a job as the NHL's director of player safety to try and help his hometown team get back on the right track.

While the Leafs haven't made major changes to the look of the team since Shanahan's arrival in April, the club did hire 28-year-old advanced statistics wunderkind Kyle Dubas to serve as Toronto's assistant general manager, a move that could signal the beginning of the end for current GM Dave Nonis. One would assume head coach Randy Carlyle also is on borrowed time, as it was surprising to many folks that his services were retained for this season at all.

Prior to the hiring of Dubas, the Leafs were considered to be one of the NHL's worst offenders when it came to paying attention to advanced stats. Shanahan obviously is trying to transform the culture in Toronto and by hiring Dubas he made a subtle statement about the need for change.

With Toronto bringing back most of its roster from last season, the 2014-15 campaign could be one of evaluation for the Leafs as the franchise tries to transition out of its recent downturn.

But just because Shanahan and Co. could use this season to take stock of where the Leafs stand doesn't mean the playoffs are out of reach. Toronto suffers from a lack of depth but the club has enough talent to compete for a postseason spot in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

FORWARDS - The primary strength of the Maple Leafs resides in the club's top line, a trio led by dynamic winger Phil Kessel.

Kessel once again proved he's one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league, finishing 2013-14 with 37 goals and 80 points. In each of Kessel's five seasons with Toronto he has led the club in both goals and points, and it's a safe bet the speedy American will pace the Leafs' offense yet again this season.

It helps the 26-year-old Kessel is extremely durable and hasn't missed a game since the 2009-10 season -- his first in Toronto after the Leafs acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the rival Boston Bruins.

Kessel is entrenched as Toronto's top right winger and he expects to skate alongside centerman Tyler Bozak and left wing James van Riemsdyk this season. Bozak posted 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 58 games last season, while van Riemsdyk recorded 30 goals and 31 assists in 80 games. It was the best NHL season for "JVR" and Toronto hopes the 25-year-old can use his size and speed to become a consistent 30-goal threat.

Toronto's second line relies heavily on the health of winger Joffrey Lupul, who seems to be as injury-prone as Kessel is durable. Lupul has missed 148 out of a possible 376 regular-season games since the start of the 2009-10 season, but is a productive player when he manages to stay on the ice.

Lupul did play in 69 games last season for Toronto, marking his highest game total since partaking in 79 contests for Philadelphia in 2008-09. The 30-year- old registered 22 goals and 22 assists in 2013-14.

Nazem Kadri did a solid job as the second-line centerman in 2013-14, recording 20 goals and 30 assists over 78 games. Kadri, who will turn 24 years old just before the start of the season, was the seventh overall pick of the 2009 draft and Toronto hopes he is poised for a breakout year in 2014-15.

While Toronto would like to get more from Kadri and Lupul this season, they absolutely need David Clarkson to perform at a higher level. Clarkson signed a seven-year, $36.75 million deal with the Leafs in the summer of 2013 only to put up an embarrassing 11 points (5G, 6A) in 60 games. A 30-goal scorer with New Jersey in 2011-12, the Toronto native will need to earn a spot on the second line in 2014-15 after last season's debacle.

Expect the biggest changes for Toronto to show up on the club's third and fourth lines, as the Leafs aim to get higher quality play from their bottom six forwards.

Forwards David Booth, Leo Komarov, Petri Kontiola, Mike Santorelli and Daniel Winnik were all signed in the offseason and former draft selection Matt Frattin was brought back into the fold via trade. This means tough guys like Troy Bodie, Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren could have a tough time earning playing time at the NHL level.

"We have a lot of options to go with," Carlyle recently said of his forward group.

While none of the new additions expects to be a game-changing player on his own, Toronto hopes it can improve its forward depth by casting a wide net. The moves could create a healthy competition for playing time on the third and fourth lines and possibly take some pressure of Kessel and Toronto's top six forwards.

DEFENSE - While depth is clearly an issue up front it seems to be an epidemic on defense.

Back to take the lion's share of the blame is captain/lighting rod Dion Phaneuf, who logged a team-high 23 minutes, 33 seconds of ice time per game for a defense which coughed up nearly 36 shots per night.

Toronto attempted to address the defensive depth issue with one of its offseason signings, as the club inked veteran blueliner Stephane Robidas to a three-year, $9 million contract in July. Robidas, 37, is aiming for better luck in 2014-15 after breaking the same leg twice last season -- once while playing for Dallas and later in the playoffs after being traded to Anaheim. He had 10 points (5G, 5A) in 38 combined regular-season tilts with the Ducks and Stars in 2013-14.

The Leafs may not have Robidas at the start of the season as he is still recovering from his injury.

In addition to Robidas, the Leafs also added veteran Roman Polak to the mix via an offseason trade with St. Louis. Polak had four goals and nine assists in 72 games with the Blues last season and the 28-year-old has suited up for 424 games over eight NHL campaigns.

Cody Franson figures to get top-four minutes for the Leafs again after registering five goals and 28 assists over 79 games last season.

There is hope for improvement elsewhere on Toronto's blue line as young defensemen Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly hope to build off solid showings in 2013-14. Gardiner, 24, recorded 10 goals and 31 points over 80 games in his third NHL season. The 20-year-old Rielly, meanwhile, made his NHL debut last season and posted 27 points (2G, 25A) in 73 games.

GOALTENDING - It seemed like Toronto would make a return to the postseason in 2014 until a late-season collapse knocked them out of playoff contention. The meltdown coincided with an injury to No. 1 goaltender Jonathan Bernier, leading to backup James Reimer getting handed the blame for the missed playoff opportunity.

Bernier, who was acquired from Los Angeles in a trade during the summer of 2013, outplayed Reimer for the starting job early on in 2013-14 before suffering a knee injury in mid-March. Reimer and the Leafs lost the next five games and when Bernier returned on March 25, the club dropped three more in a row. All told, Toronto ended March on an 0-8-0 slide and finished the season by losing 12 of its last 14 games to fall well out of playoff contention.

Although many fans clung to a narrative that said Reimer cost Toronto a spot in the playoffs, it wasn't nearly so simple. Reimer certainly had a chance to steal a game or two down the stretch, but so did Bernier and did the rest of the team.

Still, Bernier enters 2014-15 as the clear top option in Toronto after going 26-19-7 with a 2.69 goals against average and .923 save percentage. Reimer, meanwhile, is in need of a comeback season following a campaign in which he posted a 12-16-1 record and sported a dismal 3.29 GAA.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Carlyle was handed a two-year extension after last season, but he could find himself out of a job if Toronto gets off to a slow start in 2014. There's a good chance of that happening, especially if the Maple Leafs still struggle with the possession game and getting the puck out of its own end. While a trip to the 2015 playoffs is not out of the question for Toronto, the main goal this season is to figure out a real plan for the future. Missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons wouldn't be a good start for the Shanahan regime but the focus in Toronto should be long term.