Toronto EASTERN CONFERENCE MAPLE LEAFS ATLANTIC DIVISION Phil Kessel, Jonathan Bernier Offense Things were looking up for the Toronto Maple Leafs got off to a 10-4 start to the season. By the middle of March, they had 80 points and were third in the Eastern Conference. Then the Leafs earned just four points in their final 14 games and missed the second wild card position by nine points. finished the season 2-12. The organization has undergone a lot of turmoil under new GM Brendan Shanahan, but the most important piece, Phil Kessel, is still in place. He has done nothing but produce since being traded to the Maple Leafs in 2009. Over the past three seasons, Kessel has appeared in every Maple Leafs game and averaged just over a point-per-game. He tied a career high with 37 goals last year and scored five goals in six games as a member of Team USA at the Sochi Olympics. Paired with James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak, the Leafs formed a number one line as formidable as any in the league. They put up 190 combined points and each averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game. At the age of 24, van Riemsdyk had a career year with 30 goals, but there has been talk of moving him to the second line in an attempt to spread the scoring around more. Nazem Kadri , another promising young forward, will center the second line. The former first-round pick of the Maple Leafs proved that he could make plays in the strike shortened season and he took Key Additions: Stephane Robidas, Dan Winnik, David Booth, Mike Santorelli Key Subtractions: Carl Gunnarsson, Dave Bolland, Mason Raymond, Nikolai Kulemin Strengths: Offense, youthful talent Weaknesses: Mental toughness, defense, penalty kill Claus Andersen/Getty Images
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