Plus Ca Change. . .?

Can't say the Leafs haven't tried to change, or haven't tried to fix their problems.

The team that hits the ice tonight against the storied Montreal Canadiens will have at most eight of the same players who lined up to play the Habs in the home opener one year ago.

Maybe fewer.

That game came earlier, Oct. 1st, as part of the compressed Olympic schedule, a clash between two teams that both went into the season without a captain. On defence, the Leafs dressed Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin. Jonas Gustavsson was the goalie in reserve. Up front, there was Mikhail Grabovski, Colton Orr, Jay Rosehill and John Mitchell.

Coming into this season, only those players are back. Phil Kessel, of course, was in the Leaf organization, but wasn't ready for opening night because of off-season shoulder surgery. Today, Rosehill is in the minors and Mitchell may or may not dress, so well in excess of half the lineup will have changed over one calendar year.

That's a heckuva lot of turnover.

The Habs, you'll recall, won the game in OT. Mike Cammalleri undressed Schenn and Josh Gorges pounced on the rebound. Carey Price was terrific with 43 saves, while Vesa Toskala made 23 in the Leaf net. Matt Stajan, with two, and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for the Leafs. The home team led 3-2 with just over four minutes to play, but Glen Metropolit tied the contest, setting up Gorges' winner with 13 seconds left. It was a sign of the magic that would later show up for Montreal in the playoffs, while it the beginning of a miserable season for the Leafs.

Now, both teams come into this campaign with newly decorated captains, Dion Phaneuf for the Leafs and Brian Gionta for Montreal. Cammalleri won't play because of suspension, while Price is under the gun in net but also may not play because of illness.

The characters are different. In a matter of hours, we'll find out if the script has changed.

More Leafs opening day news and features:

Leafs fans party at Yonge-Dundas Square

Toronto banking on strong start

A Leafs Fan Blogs: Drunk on hope

Cox: Leafs better, but are they playoff-worthy?

 

Comments

[Eoin Kenny]

From your lips to God's ears, Damien. As a long-suffering Leafer, I get a sense this season will be different. I think the "blue and white" disease may be in remission. I think we've got the makings of a powerful team if we can keep these young guys together long enough to gel into something special.
(Hey, it's my birthday, a guy can dream, can't he!)
and ya gotta love the fact the Leafs are holding their Stanley Cup parade BEFORE the season begins while the Leafs are at tied for No. 1 in the league. Clever, Burkie, very clever!

[Moe Green]

It's a different feel this year. I expect these two teams to be pretty close in points all season. This is an important game for both teams. Montreal want to prove that it can win with Price and the Leafs need to end the losing streak early. SHould be a great game. Expect an unusually raucous ACC!

[Geoff Read]

Your recounting of last year's game provides a hint of why this year's edition of the Leafs will not, once again, make the playoffs: a lack of scoring. Who, besides Kessel, is going to score goals for this team? Unless Burke brings in some scorers, I think all talk of Wilson losing his job if the team doesn't make the playoffs, while probably accurate, is totally unfair. This team is not good enough, period.

[Sanj]

Well if the Leafs can't outscore the Habs tonite then at least they can beat them up. Isn't this Plan B for the Leafs??

[Steven L]

We should forget (how could we?) that Tomas Kaberle remains with the organization as well...

[Johnny Olo]

I recall good feelings last year just before the season started. The Buds were rough around the edges and played gritty, entertaining hockey. Then the season started and unfortunately the games had to continue into the 3rd period where they folded up like my expensive Coleman. Looking forward to something different this year...

[Matt B]

Geoff: Versteeg will score, Grabovski will score, MacArthur will net a good deal, Kulemin is for real.... Scoring will not be the problem as many expect. It'll be the complete game of the Leafs: forwards playing good D, d-men contributing offense, and goalies making key saves and not letting in softies a la Toskala.

[moe green]

@Geoff re: who's gonna score for this team... Here's a few: Bozak 18, Kessel 43, Versteeg 28, Kulemin 24, Grabovski 20, Phaneuf 16, MacArthur 18. How's that? I don't think it's scoring that's the problem - it's keeping the puck out of the net that concerns me.

[bill d]

New look Leafs, expect the same results.

[Regan4000]

Good god, you are all Man-Children!! It's a piece of rubber going back and forth on a slippery surface, over and over and over and over again. It's the same thing you watched in 2002, 1992, 1982, 1972, etc.

You'd have to be a troglodyte to continuously watch the same thing, over and over and over again. And so what if The Maple Leafs have 'bought' a bunch of hockey-playing millionaires? As if that constitutes or represents Toronto. Why is this puerile story headline news? Damien Cox, dude, there's more to life than shaving your head and watching sports. Christ all mighty! None of this is even slightly important. Who cares who wins and who loses? It's always a bunch of small-town, nitwits hurling the Stanley Cup above their heads at the end of the year.... I've seen it 26 times in my life so far and each time, I care less and less and less and less.

[Johnny Olo]

Hey Regan4000, seems like you still care enough to read about the Leafs and send in comments. Perhaps with another Leaf win you'll care even less and just go away and post somewhere else.