With another woeful Leafs season upon us, we asked the web’s top Leafs bloggers for their quick-hit season predictions.
“Vesa Toskala has the hardest job in Hogtown since Oren Isaacs was getting paid to laugh at Mike Bullard. With the Leafs going nowhere this year, it may be smart to cash in Toskala, but if top prospect Justin Pogge isn’t ready, the situation will go in the toilet faster than a Bullard monologue.”
“Luke Schenn is just 18 and he has a rare instinct for the defensive side of the game. He is eager and has lots of offensive upside. He is the kind of player who could anchor the Leafs’ defence in two years.”
– Mike Ulmer, Ulmer’s Blog
“Blogs, message boards and sites like YouTube will mean the increasing irrelevance of professional sports media. The web provides 24/7 Leafs content, from complex stats to slow-mo montages of the latest Ryan Hollweg fight (set to Slipknot).”
-Michael Forbes, the Bitter Leaf Fan
“There are still plenty of reasons to keep the faith, like Nikolai Kulemin, who centered Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin at the World Championships for Russia. He’s still adapting to the smaller ice surface, but he could become a game-changing player.”
“Last year’s trade deadline was a disaster. This year, Kaberle may be softening his no-trade stance and even Blake could have value. The Leafs can’t rebuild through the draft alone – they’ll need to make some deals when demand is highest.”
(Photo courtesy of Michael Clesle)
