Leafs 3 wins, 3 extra time losses to the Canadiens this season. No playoffs for 6 years.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Changing of the guard
Playing in what was almost certainly his final game as a Leaf, Tomas Kaberle (at least personally) goes out with a whimper. He was more of a liability than a leader in his Leafs swan song. Dion Phaneuf? He sent the Habs into the playoffs as losers, inevitably and optically winning the right to wear the "C" in Toronto next season.
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Echoes the sentiments of many. Kaberle was a great player in Toronto, but his time here has passed. Moving on can be a good thing, especially when a career is stagnating - Pavel Kubina being a prime example of that.
ReplyDeleteAs for Phaneuf, what people too often forget is that a defenseman's offense is typically only as good as the forwards in front of him. It's not a case of blame the defender - anyone who has been watching has seen him take shots and make good offensive-zone passing plays.
Here's the catch:
In Calgary, Phaneuf had players in front of him who were big-bodied and willing to use their size to set screens and be in position for rebound and deflection opportunities. Toronto's offense lacks players willing to do that, which allows the goaltender to see the shots coming from the point, and the defenders to clear away rebounds.
Fact of the matter is, until the Leafs' forwards are able to generate a "net presence" on a regular basis, Phaneuf's point totals will likely not return.
That's where Frolov, Armstrong and Kadri come in ;) Phaneuf has a pulse. It's a start.
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