The Maple Leafs New Core and Identity
By John
I want to thank FanSided for giving me the opportunity to write for www.editorinleaf.com. I am excited to join the team. I have been a Toronto Maple Leaf fan my entire life and follow them daily. My hope is to generate some interest and provoke greater discussion for the reader and hopefully provide some new views on the Leafs that you can’t find elsewhere.
During a press conference Monday afternoon Lou was asked about Leo Komarov and P.A. Paranteau and their intended roles as veterans, presumably hinting at why P.A. wasn’t moved at the deadline. While this move is baffling, and probably had everything to do with him being injured (he was scratched last night), it is important to note how he voluntarily mentioned how Leo Komarov is part of the Leafs core. “There was no way that we were going to consider that. Even if it were a hockey deal. He [Komarov] is a core member of this hockey team.”.
This is interesting because it is the first time that Lou has come out and called him part of the core. I, for one, was surprised by Lou’s comments considering Leo was not a guy that many of us would have considered part of the new core.
“There was no way that we were going to consider that. Even if it were a hockey deal. He [Komarov] is a core member of this hockey team.”
While I love Leo Komarov with his grit and work ethic, I never considered him to be more than a strong building block to help create the foundation of the new team. Never did I think of him as part of the actual foundation. It begs the question, who is/will be the core and what is their identity?
This will be a forever evolving discussion for the next few years but with Lou’s comments yesterday, we can start making some safe assumptions. They want character, skill, and a good work ethic.
Character: Look no further than Lou Lamoriello and the respect that he commands. No team that he builds will have many character flaws. Lou runs a tight ship and nobody dares to mess with it because it they do, they are out. Komarov is obviously one of these guys that is not only a hard worker on the ice but a consummate professional and a leader in the locker room. While I am surprised Lou came out and called Leo part of the core as a player, I am not surprised he called him part of the core as a professional.
Skill: Now that most of the Burke era goons and the Frazer Mclaren’s and Colton Orr’s of the world have been shipped out, we are no longer trying to become the 21st century Broad Street Bullies. Instead we are drafting the likes of Dmytro Timashov, and Mitch Marner who are undersized and full of top end skill and heart. We are also trading the older and slower for the younger and quicker with the likes of the Franson/Winnik trade that eventually netted us Leipsic, Dermott, Bracco, and Dzierkals none of whom would be considered big guys and most of them are smaller.
Good Work Ethic: Gone are the days of the Kessel’s on the team where players refuse to run the plays designed by the coaches. The new Leafs will be coachable, committed to team improvement, and playing for the logo on the front and not the name on the back. How many times have we heard Babcock say he wants to make sure the players are eating well, working hard in the gym, and doing everything off the ice they can possibly do to get better. Matt Hunwick, a former healthy scratch of the New York Rangers is a prime example. Hunwick is now playing top pairing minutes on the Leafs because Bab’s saw him workout during the lockout and saw his intensity and determination. He is going to be just one of many examples of what Babcock calls a “good pro and a good man”.
And this is, in my opinion, going to be the new identity of the Toronto Maple Leafs…good skill, a good pro, and a good man.
Who fits this criteria moving forward? In my opinion…
Definitely:
Morgan Reilly
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Leo Komarov (apparently)
Probably:
JVR
Tyler Bozak
Matt Hunwick
Leafs 2016 first round pick
Maybe:
Brendan Leipsic
Kasperi Kapenin
Nikita Soshnikov
Jake Gardiner
Garret Sparks
Connor Brown
Frederik Gauthier
Andreas Johnson
Too Early To Tell:
Travis Dermott
Jeremy Bracco
Probably Not:
Nazem Kadri
Jonathan Bernier
Joffrey Lupul
Next: Toronto Maple Leafs Rebuild Moves Towards Next Phase
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!