New year, new attitude for youthful Leafs
Posted January 4, 2012 2:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t only for individuals. The Toronto Maple Leafs made one for 2012 and it’s as simple as it gets: focus and play better hockey.
“It’s interesting how many people in life refocus on the new year,” Leafs VP of hockey operations Dave Poulin told Jim Lang and Mike Farwell on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday.
“Everybody thinks there’s a calendar change in their life and they can refocus and I don’t think we’re any different.”
The Leafs play eight of the next nine games at the Air Canada Centre and Poulin says it’s a great opportunity for the Leafs to get back in the playoff hunt.
After losing three consecutive games to end the calendar year, the Leafs quickly went from sixth to tenth place and found themselves on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
As it goes in Toronto the headlines naturally focused on the team’s drop in the standings, but Poulin looks at the flipside.
“If you can go from sixth to tenth place in a day, you can clearly go from tenth to sixth place in a day,” Poulin said.
“We can swing it right around the other way, but we’ve got to string a few games in a row together and more importantly we’ve got to play well.”
Tuesday’s 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was a solid way to kick off 2012. Poulin says that the team needs to have complete performances like this on a more consistent basis for the team to get into the playoffs.
A big part of the win was the play of rookie Matt Frattin and Toronto Marlies call-ups Darryl Boyce and Nazem Kadri.
“Last night I think we had the majority of the guys on the right track and certainly contributions from what was the fourth line last night from (Frattin) and Boyce were tremendous,” said Poulin.
“To see Nazem come up and play as well as he has played and make the decisions he’s making, look we’re still on the right track here. He’s still only 21-years-old,” added the former Philadelphia Flyers captain.
Since being recalled from the AHL in late December, Kadri has three goals, four points and is plus-5 in six games.
The Leafs look to build on the momentum gained in Tuesday’s win as they host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.
In other Leafs news:
– Toronto placed tough guy Colton Orr on waivers Wednesday. Orr, who has battled injuries and been a healthy scratch for the majority of the season, has played just five games this year.
– On Tuesday the club dealt forward Luca Caputi to the Anaheim Ducks for winger Nicolas Deschamps.
“We brought Luca in two years ago and he had a really strong finish to the season and he was coming off a tremendous season in Wilkes-Barre (in the AHL),” Poulin said. “He has been injury-riddled for a year-and-a-half now and just hasn’t got on the right track … Sometimes just change is necessary on this level. It shakes up the team a little bit; it shakes up the roster a little bit. You trade two young guys, maybe they get in a better environment for where they’re at.”
In Deschamps’ Marlies debut he scored a goal in a 2-0 win over the Syracuse Crunch.
– Banged up Buds Mike Brown and Mike Komisarek have both been cleared medically to play and have been practicing with the team. It is now up to the coaching staff to determine when the two players will be game ready.
Komisarek has been out of the lineup since breaking his arm blocking a shot on Nov. 17 against the Nashville Predators. Brown injured his back in the same game and had it surgically repaired.
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