Toronto Maple Leafs Preseason Player Review

The Toronto Maple Leafs are now four games into the preseason. While their record so far of 1-2-1 isnt impressive, they have not lost a game by more than one goal, and the Leafs have been competitive in every one of their matchups so far. Several Toronto Maple Leafs players have stood out these past few games for their strong play, while others...not so much. Im going to take a look at which Maple Leafs players have carried their weight and are likely to make the team, and which ones will be on the block when it comes time to make cuts for the regular season. Below is a summary of players that have stood out for me, either in good ways or bad ways, after watching the Maple Leafs play their first few games.

Jonas Frogren: Frogren played his first game for the Maple Leafs tonight after coming over from the Swedish Elite League this summer. My first impression after watching him play was a good one. When this guy said in an interview that he liked to hit, he clearly wasn't lying. All night long, he threw some big hits. The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to need a defender who makes opposing forwards pay a physical price for bringing the puck into their zone, and Frogren looks like he is that guy. He showed the Maple Leafs coaching staff what he is all about-not a talented goal scorer, but if you bring the puck near the Leafs net, he will hurt you. He also cleared the puck out of the zone in some key situations, and should be a lock to earn a spot in the Maple Leafs lineup so long as he keeps playing this way.

Ian White: The next Maple Leafs player who has stood out for me in the first few games is Ian White-but not in a good way. This year, the Leafs are stacked on defense, and competition for a lineup spot will be fierce. Ian White has clearly shown that he doesn't measure up to the other Maple Leafs defenders. Since the first game, he has been consistently bad on the defensive side of the puck. While he did score a goal in tonight's rematch against Buffalo, it doesn't redeem him. First and foremost, he is a defenceman, and his job is to defend. If he can't defend, he shouldn't play. Somehow, whenever Ian White is on the ice, the puck always seems to find its way into the back of the Maple Leafs net. This is not accidental, it is a result of him too often blowing coverage on his man, or simply losing battles for control of the puck. The Toronto Maple Leafs have too many other defenceman who are playing well right now. There is no room in the Leafs lineup for Ian White, and my prediciton is he will be nowhere to be seen once the regular season is underway.

Ryan Hollweg: One thing the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to acquire this offseason was a scrapper and an agitator. It appears that they have gotten that player in Ryan Hollweg. Hollweg has not been flashy on offense, but that is not the role the Maple Leafs brought him in to play. He has dropped the gloves so far in almost every game the Leafs have played. Tonight, he had a good bout with Buffalo defenceman Craig Rivet. While Rivet was the bigger player, Hollweg held his own. He seems to have no problem getting under the skin of opposing players, and the Maple Leafs will need this type of play from him to throw other teams off their focus, and force them to play undisciplined hockey. So far, Leafs fans seem to be giving Hollweg a positive reaction, and I predict it won't take long for him to become a fan favorite in Toronto.

John Mitchell: The Toronto Maple Leafs got a real good look at John Mitchell tonight. He was given alot of ice time, but quite frankly, didn't do anything with it. Mitchell failed to impress me, and Im sure the Maple Leafs coaching staff wasn't impressed either. He just didn't stand out tonight on either side of the puck, but what hurt his chances of making the Maple Leafs most tonight was his undisciplined play. Mitchell took a very costly cross-checking penalty in the final minute of tonight's game against the Sabres. He took this penalty at a time when the Maple Leafs were clinging to a one goal lead, and facing a six man onslaught from Buffalo in a desperate attempt to tie the game. This put the Maple Leafs down one man, and allowed the Sabres to tie the game with 5 seconds remaining. They would go on to win in overtime. Players take stupid penalties frequently in the NHL, but when you are fighting for a lineup spot, taking one that costs your team a win is not a good way to impress the coach. Combine this with his mediocre play, and I would be willing to bet that the Toronto Maple Leafs send him down to the minors this season, where he will hopefully learn to make smarter decisions in the future.

Justin Pogge: Not much to say here. He was absolutely incredible in goal tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs. All night long, he stood on his head to make some incredible saves. He was especially strong in the first period, where he completely shut down a surging Buffalo offense. His solid goaltending eventually allowed the Maple Leafs to get some momentum and take the lead. The goal he allowed in overtime was rather weak, but he went above and beyond many people's expectations for 3 full periods, so this is forgiveable. While it isn't likely he will crack the Toronto Maple Leafs starting lineup over Toskala and Joseph, it is clear that Pogge is the Maple Leafs goalie of the future. If one of the Leafs goalies is injured this season, I would feel more than comfortable with Pogge getting a call up to play in the regular season. Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson probably feels the same way.

Those are the Toronto Maple Leafs that I feel are worthy of mention so far in the preseason. Another player who has played strongly for the Maple Leafs is Luke Schenn, but because I evaluated him in my last post, I won't repeat myself here. It appears we are now getting a clearer picture of who will be a part of this team, and who will not. Once this gets ironed out, I think Toronto Maple Leafs fans will be in for an exciting regular season.