The Toronto Maple Leaf preseason opener on September 21, 2010 gave fans a huge let down, yet this season’s Leaf schedule is bringing a sense of hope to thousands of die hard Leaf fans. After two years of wandering aimlessly, the Leaf games now have a captain to help rally the team. Dion Phaneuf is the first player to wear the prestigious “C” since Mats Sundin departed Toronto. Despite the preseason opening game loss, fans are still hopeful that this season will prove to be better than last year’s standing.
Toronto Maple Leafs Schedule
The Leafs have nine preseason games scheduled; five at the ACC and four away games. Preseason Leaf games include three against the Senators, two against the Flyers, two against the Sabres and two against the Red Wings.
Toronto Maple Leafs have 41 home games at the ACC this season. On Thursday, October 7, 2010 the puck will drop at the ACC for the official season opener when the Leafs take on the Montreal Canadiens. Another 41 games will be on the road for the Leafs during the 2010-2011 NHL season.
Toronto Maple Leaf Predictions
Sportswriter Jon Neely made predictions for Leaf fans. Some of these predictions include:
- Dion Phaneuf will feel the pressure of filling Mats Sundin’s skates and this will slow him up at the beginning of the season. If this isn’t enough stress, there is pressure coming from every angle to take the team into the playoffs.
- Jonas Gustavsson will put behind all the struggles and health issues that plagued him last season and he’ll take control between the posts for the Leafs. He is expected to share the load with Giguere, but by the midway point of the season the Leafs will have to rely heavily on him to make the postseason.
- Giguere is not the same goalie he once was, and although he will prove to be a valuable mentor to Gustavsson, his time with the Leafs will be short lived. He is expected to get quality net time for the first half of the 2010-2011 season only because he is being paid more money than some countries have.
- Phil Kessel won't reach 40 goals, but he'll come close.
- Nikolai Kulemin will have an outstanding season. He will earn 20 plus goals, 60 plus points.
- Kris Versteeg scored 20 goals last season and his career mark for goals is 22. If coach Ron Wilson lets him play on a line with Kessel the two will find chemistry and work well together.
- The Leafs will set a record for the most pre-game ceremonies ever done in one season. This will annoy fans for more than 40 home games.
- Leaf fans will be calling for his head, but coach Ron Wilson will not be fired, no matter what happens this season.
- Colton Orr will get suspended for doing something really stupid. Jon Neely has reason to believe that this will be due to an incident involving either Derek Boogaard of the New York Rangers or Matt Carkner.
- of the Ottawa Senators.
- Tomas Kaberle will not finish the 2010-2011 season as a Leaf player; he'll either cave in and accept a mid-season trade, or go at the trade deadline for some offensive help as the Leafs make a final playoff push.
Jon Neely predicts that the Canadiens and the Leafs will meet up on April 9, 2011 and the winner of this game will move on to the post season with the loser going home. That loser will not be the Maple Leafs.
As every year in the past, Toronto Maple Leaf fans will show the hockey world they are the most dedicated and die hard hockey fans in the NHL.
For the complete line up of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2010-2011 schedule please visit the Official Site of Leafs Nation.
Karen Stephenson - Karen has written for several newspapers and print media in addition to many online publications. She holds a B.A. in English and an ...
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