30 in 30 with the Toronto Maple Leafs

DP · Sep 1, 2011

NHL.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a push for the prize of this summer's free-agent frenzy, Brad Richards, but came up short. Even with that setback, the Leafs had a very successful offseason.

They picked up a pair of skilled forwards in Tim Connolly and Matthew Lombardi and made a deal with the Colorado Avalanche to acquire defenseman John-Michael Liles in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. Those additions without too many key subtractions could put the Leafs in the postseason for the first time since 2004.

The Leafs are coming off a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season, missing the playoffs by eight points. Strangely enough, they played some of their best hockey to close the season after General Manager Brian Burke shipped defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Francois Beauchemin and winger Kris Versteeg at the trade deadline.

After opening the season 19-25-5, the Leafs ended the season on an 18-9-6 run.

A lot of that success had to do with goaltender James Reimer, who burst onto the scene during the second half. He capitalized on injuries to goaltenders Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who left via free agency this summer, and Jonas Gustavsson to take the starting job. Reimer went 20-10-5 with a 2.60 goals-against average and an impressive .921 save percentage.

The Leafs return their top four point producers from last season -- Phil Kessel, Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. There's a lot of improvement that needs to happen on the ice this season in Toronto, but on paper in the middle of August, things are looking very promising for the Leafs
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The Leafs finished in the bottom third of the League in goals scored and goals allowed last season. They appeared to make the necessary improvements to boost the offense by picking up Connolly, Lombardi and Liles. The big question will be how they go about shoring things up in their own zone.

Leafs goaltenders were hung out to dry on numerous occasions last season, making it tough for any of them to find consistency. As terrific as Reimer was last season, his 2.60 GAA won't show up on the first page of leaders in that category. The Leafs will need to allow less than the 31 shots per game they surrendered last season to lessen the youngster's burden.

If Reimer proves to be the real deal and Burke's free-agent signings don't disappoint, there could be playoff hockey in Toronto for the first time in a long time.

Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozo.
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30 in 30 with the Toronto Maple Leafs

DP He shoots, he scores!

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30 in 30 with the Toronto Maple Leafs

DP He shoots, he scores!

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