2011-2012 Maple Leafs

Time for a serious blog. With preseason soon to be done, and a small amount of cuts left to be done, I'd like to put my Leafs roster together...here it goes. And yes, I know this will likely not be the lineup, although I wish it was. Small things like Orr being a regular or Komisarek making the starting 6 are moves I see Ron Wilson doing.

Lupul-Connolly-Kessel - Gotta go with these guys. Lupul and Kessel had great chemistry last yr. Hopefully Connolly can get in there and become the play making centre we need.

MacArthur-Grabovski-Kulemin - A no brainer here. They have great chemistry and were top 5 in the league in terms of goal scoring for a line. I expect big things again this year.

Kadri-Bozak-Armstrong - A line with a combination of skill and size. They looked great together this preseason, and they bring a scoring dimension to a team that needs secondary scoring. They have the potential to be one of the leagues better third lines. I also expect Bozak to have a good year, as he is in a position to succeed.

Brown-Lombardi-Boyce - A solid forth line as you can get. Brown is a middleweight with great speed. Lombardi could be a 2nd liner on most NHL teams. Im sure he will get a chance to work his way up the lineup. Boyce gets the nod over Orr, well, for the fact he can actually play hockey

Orr - 13th forward. He'll be inserted in the lineup when we need an enforcer. Maybe 10-15 games tops this year.

Gunnarsson - Phaneuf - Gunnarsson is arguably the Leafs better 2 way defensemen. He is vastly underrated and played 30 minutes a night towards the end of last yr. Dion is Dion.

Gardiner - Schenn - Luke Schenn had a fantastic season last year, once again proving to be a elite defensive defensemen with the occasional offensive flash. Gardiner has been the Leafs best dman in preseason and although he was expected to be a full timer next year, he has earned a spot on the big team. This pairing makes a lot of sense. Big bruising dman in Schenn with a guy who can skate and move the puck in Gardiner.

Franson - Liles - This was the hardest pairing to decide. I think Franson edges out Komisarek and plays on the 3rd pairing with Liles. The great thing is if he struggles we can insert Komisarek into the lineup. Liles will be our PP specialist.

Komisarek - Will be the extra dman. He has had a great preseason, but I don't think he should be in the lineup yet. Wait for someone to struggle, and then let him seize the opportunity.

Aulie - Sent back to the AHL since he isn't waiver eligible. Let him play a full season with Blacker on the Marlies and both should be ready for the big time next year.

Reimer - The #1 goaltender. Has picked up where he left off last year. His spot to lose.

Gustavsson - Had a solid preseason. Bounce back year, hopefully. Has outside chance of taking the starters job IF Reimer struggles

Scrivens - Sent to the AHL. Should be backup next year. Has the most potential of any goalie in our system. He looked very polished this preseason. Will split time with Rynnas and Owuya.