2007-2008 NHL Season Preview - Toronto Maple Leafs
Notable moves and changes: Acquired G Vesa Toskala and F Mark Bell from San Jose for picks. Signed F Jason Blake (was with the Islanders).
Starting goalie:The money says Toskala, but Andrew Raycroft could cause trouble by having a stellar camp.
Summary of last year: The Leafs were one point out of the post-season after making a series of changes the previous off-season, including a new head coach and a new starting goalie. The Leafs aren’t in panic mode yet, but the Leafs Nation is starting to call for the head of GM John Ferguson Jr, especially since….
Prediction for this year: … is anyone even thinking of the season ahead, or are they looking at the Toskala trade and wondering if the goalie was worth the baggage in teammate Mark Bell? Bell has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL and placed in a substance abuse program after his guilty plea in a hit and run DUI in the US. He still has jail time to serve after the season is over, leading to questions about the effectiveness of his play and how much of a distraction he will be. Oh yeah.. the Leafs’ season. How much they miss the post-season by depends how long into the season Ferguson lasts, but the Leafs are likely no closer to the playoffs than they were last year.
Toronto Maple Leafs, Vesa Toskala, Mark Bell, Jason Blake, Andrew Raycroft, Leafs Nation, John Ferguson Jr

October 9th, 2007 at 11:19 am
[...] Leafs are the subject of much derision and abuse from fans throughout the season (and that’s just in Toronto), but no one ever wishes anything [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:38 am
[...] ranked where (and likely debate it for the remainder of the season, since it’s not like the Leafs are going to be doing much worth talking about), but to me the most fascinating part of the article [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
[...] How long will JFJ remain GM? by Michelle Finch Trust me, there are few out there watching the Toronto Maple Leafs meltdown as closely as I [...]