Yup, here it is late May and my Leafs are still in the playoffs!

Before you think me daft you need only tune into the AHL where the Leafs... oops... Marlies are playing up a storm. Not sure how its allowed but are some regular season Leafs doing very well indeed for the Marlies right now... Gardiner in particular looks really good. Watched the game last night and although Kadri was out with a mysterious TO injury the rest of the team looked familiar our there... lot of guys who did time with the big club this past season...

anyway... I wish them well and hope they get some confidence from this run!

Go Leafs!

So here it is almost 11 months later... and the Marlies... oops... Leafs are playing well once again! Actually both teams are playing well right now and good on em!

I really hope they don't do anything stupid like trade the farm for a big name goalie they don't really need. Both Reimer and Scrivens are about as capable as most in the league... and I for one don't believe Luongo is the answer in front of this very young Leaf team. Give these two young guys a chance to grow with this team and I think we'll be in for some successful years in the near future.

People dumped all over the Leafs last year for their late season collapse, but little mention was made of the not-so-coincidental loss of Lupil from the line-up due to injury. I still maintain that the collapse was not coincidence. Lupul's loss was huge. We only have to look at the resurgence of the Leafs this year on his return. Sure, they were in and around a playoff spot but you could see they needed some on-ice leadership... and presto... enter Lupul from his recovery from his Phaneuf induced arm injury... Lupul has been nothing short of sensational since his return, offering both scoring prowess but an added injection of drive and desire to a team that was hovering on a collapse.

I strongly believe this is the year the Leafs will finally get back into the playoff picture. They are one year older, have added some key components and have proven that they can play with any Eastern team in the league right now. The system they are playing under Carlisle seems well suited to their youth, allowing them to feel comfortable with their roles while still allowing players such as Kadri and Kessel to showcase their creativity.

Go Leafs!