Ronald Neal
Contributor
I think it is fair to say that expectations were set low for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.
And who can blame them? The pain and suffering that was last season made us all a little weary of jumping onto the annual love-fest this year. The last two seasons under the management of Brain Burke and Ron Wilson brought to the roster a regime that could never get results to materialize on the ice. Earning the ‘worst team in the league’ title and losing our compensatory draft pick in the move that brought Kessel to the city only added insult to injury. Truly, those were dark times.
But like all things hockey, the unexpected always happens.
The fact is the Leafs are currently one of the best teams in the entire league, with a bevy of speed, youth and, finally, a legitimate answer in net that we haven’t seen since “The Eagle.” The team has managed to explode out of the gates with an impressive 4-1-1 start. Even more impressively, they’re working through some tough teams – like the Pittsburgh Penguins, perennial Stanley Cup contenders, and upstarts like the Montreal Canadiens, who have proven very dangerous in the east lately – on their way to the top. In short, the Leafs are pleasantly surprising.
But I don’t think we, as fans, should really be that surprised. What we are seeing on the ice now is a product of years of careful and deliberate planning on the part of management. We knew going into this that there would be dark times and that, hopefully, there would also be bright ones ahead too. I’m not saying we should get carried away; this is still a very young team with arguably a lot of uncertainty. What I am saying, however, is that this is not a fluke.
So, despite a few setbacks to all things New York this week, there are legitimate reasons to be optimistic this season. The next few months should be interesting.
