The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of questions going into this upcoming season. Can Tim Connolly stay healthy? Can he be the No. 1 pivot to help Kessel break the 40-goal mark? Will the special teams be any better? Will goaltender James Reimer continue to have the same success in the crease as he did at the end of last season? Have the additions to the defensive core made the team stronger? And can the Mac-Russian line continue the success they had last year as a unit?
For the sake of Leaf Nation, we had all better pray that they do.
Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur are all coming off of career seasons. Between the three of them, only Grabovski played less than all 82 games—he only played in 81.
Their success was a bright spot in the Leafs season this past year, and the coaching staff and management will be hoping that they can improve upon their play from last season. With Kulemin posting 57 points, Grabovski 58 and MacArthur 62, they have all set the bar relatively high for the coming year. This was one of the most effective second lines in the entire NHL last season. But was it really our second line?
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Article written by Scotty Huck
Toronto Maple Leafs: Why the Second Line Will Be the Most Important This Year
July 29th, 2011 by Scotty Huck Leave a reply »
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