While it's obvious to point the blame at the goaltenders, starter Andrew Raycroft hasn't been that bad. There is only so much the 26-year-old Belleville, Ontario native can do when left high and dry for parts of almost every game he has played.
Oops, giveaway by Bryan McCabe. Uh Oh, slip up by Wade Belak. Oh no, odd-man rush by the opposition. Ouch, another giveaway by Mr. McCabe. And so on...
As the Leafs scour the market for a strong, offensive-minded winger to play alongside captain Mats Sundin (Phoenix's Ladislav Nagy comes to mind), it might be time to help Raycroft and obtain some defensive-minded assets.
Of the 10 defensemen to suit up for the Leafs this season, only three have a +/- rating above 0.
And while Darcy Tucker has potted in an impressive 19 goals so far this year, he's holds an unimpressive minus-14 rating.
While taboo in the hearts of Leafs fans, taking a page out of the rival Montreal Canadiens book might help the Buds down the road.
The Canadiens' third-line is one of the best (if not the best) defensive lines in all of hockey. Alexander Perezhogin, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson are a combined plus-32 and have shut down the opposition both five-on-five and on the penalty kill... and each player has still managed to collect double-digits in points.
The Leafs don't have that. They don't have anything near it. Sure, Mike Peca is an excellent two-way player, but without some assistance, it's hard to shut down an entire line by yourself.
Sure, acquiring Nagy would be nice, but if talks between the Leafs and Coyotes materialize, GM John Ferguson might better suited in trying to land someone like Dave Scatchard, a strong two-way forward (despite a horrid -16 rating, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he plays for Phoenix).
Toronto has a good product on the ice. They can score, they have some speed, and their goaltending isn't as bad the numbers show. But without a strong defensive game, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye.
