Toronto Maple Leafs

On the heels of a disheartening loss against the last-place Carolina Hurricanes, it could now be concluded that the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be participating in the playoffs this season. When the 2009-10 campaign comes to an end, it will mark the fifth-straight season the Leafs have failed to reach the post-season. While fans of the Blue and White should be familiar with this ending, there's something about this season that is particularly infuriating. Oh, that's right. There's no first-round draft pick to look forward to at the National Hockey League Entry Draft in Los Angeles this summer. But, if there was, "Tank Nation" would be blue in the face knowing their team is curren...

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2009-10 season with lofty expectations set by the General Manager, Brian Burke, which fueled a widespread notion that, despite the team’s penchant for mediocrity, the Leafs would finally attain the playoffs. However, just a few games past the half-way mark, the Leafs sit 14th place in the Eastern Conference, and have made little improvement to suggest they will propel themselves in a playoff spot come April. While observers of the Blue and White have pegged the club’s core issue to be a lack of scoring, specifically the need for a sniper, the penalty kill, or lack thereof, has proven to be the Leafs’ Achilles heel. In fact, the Philadelp...