The Toronto Maple Leafs Will Never Draft John Tavares

Originally I wanted to put my thoughts down back on July the 30th. All I managed was this title.

I mean, I knew the Leafs weren't going to be that shitty that they'd end up feeding from the bottom, but what I couldn't discern was how they would stay out of the basement. Beyond the same negative media coverage we've grown accustomed to, whom all predicted the Leafs would be awful, most fans and objective NHL hockey fans really didn't know what to expect come the beginning of October. And as is turns out, one man is responsible for the Leafs not being bad enough, and most, including myself, didn't think he could do it.

What would the Leafs do without Mats? Are we looking at quantity over quality on the back end, and would any of these defence men play above and beyond expectations? Can Toskala pick up where he left off, with a brand new season without any competition for his starting job? And let's not even get started on where (or if ever) goals would come from amongst the forwards.

I knew in my gut that Toronto would never get that top pick, at least not this year. Ever since the lockout, when I changed from a fair weather hockey fan into a full blown Leaf nut, I've come to notice that the best possible situation never happens in Toronto. There is always a catch. I never could describe what it was, or how I knew something was just too good to be true. I've settled on a name for it, and you'll be seeing this phrase tossed about fairly often around these parts: "Maple Leaf Luck", or MLL. And this kind of luck, unfortunately, only seems to affect the loyal fans who deserve nothing less than a championship already.

MLL comes in all different forms when it comes to the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether it be cast offs who go on to be decent to great players, free agent busts, or even late season pushes that get your hopes up that maybe, just maybe, we'll see some playoff hockey, only to realize the consolation prize is a mid-level first round pick. We see it in players with all the tools to become good or even great, but struggle with injuries and never really get their fair shake. The most obvious form MLL takes is in the ranks of Leafs management, which continue to meddle and fuck up the team, yet still mysteriously retain their positions within the organization.

This year, however, the MLL seems to be changing it's tune, if only thus far. Suddenly this team is fun to watch again. Young players are actually getting the chance to play major roles on the team, and I've yet to see a performance that stinks of that old familiar "phone-it-in" level of effort. I no longer watch and hope that one individual will perform miracles to win games, or shit my pants every time the opposition gets a shot on goal. For the first time in a long time, fresh faces are actually making a big difference, rather than collecting their newly enlarged paycheck and half-assing it. The coach actually calls time outs and makes his players accountable, all while implementing a system that suggests he actually knows what he's doing.

I'm not hoping for the playoffs this year, but I'm also ready to accept, as all Leaf fans should by now, that Tavares, Hedman or even Cowan will not be pulling on a Leaf jersey in June of '09. This group of no-namers have more talent than Toronto themselves would have you believe, and the commitment to a high level of work ethic will see to it that the Leafs won't lose as many games as most (myself included) were looking forward to. This brand of hockey is not the brand of basement dwellers, and it has changed my mind in that I'm not so worried anymore. I now don't believe it's going to take the Penguins/Blackhawks method of rebuilding for Toronto to return to contender status. I wasn't expecting the Leafs to be this fun, and so as long as they keep it up, MLL can have its way.

So if you're like me, and you're excited and happy that you're seeing this rare development of so many players at once, or you're still hoping for a complete bottom-out and a chance at a franchise player like I used to be, you really only have one man to either thank or shit on for all of it. This season now and the many years to come are being affected by one man alone, who I will admit was nowhere near my first choice to replace the shamed John Ferguson Jr. Already it looks like we have a franchise defencemen in the works, as well as the steal of the off-season playing top six minutes for our team. And because of him, Tavares will never be a draft choice of the Maple Leafs.

Mr. Fletcher, I should never have doubted you.