Toronto Maple Leafs Open With Tough Schedule

With the release of the Toronto Maple Leafs full 2008-09 schedule, one thing is clear. Fans will know pretty quick if the Maple Leafs have actually improved, or merely taken sideways steps this offseason. Consider this: 9 of the Leafs first 11 games will be played against teams who qualified for the playoffs last season. The first 2 of those games will be against the top seeded teams from each conference. The Toronto Maple Leafs will open regular season play on October 9th, at Detroit's Joe Louis arena. If opening the season against the defending Stanley Cup champions isn't challenging enough, the Maple Leafs will play their home opener against arch-rival Montreal at the Air Canada Centre on October 11th. Montreal was the top seeded team in the eastern conference last year, although they bowed out of the playoffs early in the 2nd round. The Toronto Maple Leafs will have their hands full right from the starting line.

Other noteworthy opponents that the Maple Leafs will face early on include the New York Rangers (October 17th), Pittsburgh Penguins (October 18th), and Anaheim Ducks (October 21st).

We Will Know Where The Maple Leafs Stand

If there is any silver lining in the Toronto Maple Leafs tough opening schedule, it is that we will know within the first couple of months where they stand among the NHL's best teams. Such a tough opening schedule will give the young Leafs players an oppurtunity to rise to the occasion, and prove what they can do. If they can manage to come out of the starting gate strong, and put up a good showing against top notched opponents, it will go along way to silence critics who have written them off as a team who has no shot at a playoff spot. If they end up being a doormat for these powerhouse teams however, Maple Leafs fans will know almost right away that they are in for a long season, and perhaps another high draft pick.

Among Toronto Maple Leafs fans, there has been plenty of debate about whether or not it would be better to hope for a losing season and a high draft pick, or try to make a run at a playoff spot. Looking at the schedule though, it appears that we will know what to expect out of this season after the Maple Leafs play their first 11 games. If the Leafs surprise us and do well in the first month of play, we could be looking at a darkhorse playoff team. As unlikely as it sounds, they have managed to make themselves younger, faster, tougher, and more defensively sound under the management of Cliff Fletcher. If those first 11 games dont go well though, as most people expect they won't, then the Toronto Maple Leafs can start analyzing the draft pool a little earlier than usual.