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There’s a silver lining to a team not having a go-to guy for goals. Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala hit on that when he reasoned that when Sundin was a Leaf it was just natural for other players to stay behind him and wait for him to produce offensively. Now without Sundin those on the ice for the blue and white have to work hard to get goals. The Leafs have no star they have to defer to and no security blanket offensively. They realize they have to do this scoring thing on their own now.

What this creates is not only a responsibility for providing offense that every player shares but also a personal accountability to give an all-out effort on every shift. The other thing is a lot of these players are now — sans Sundin — cast in more relevant roles in the offense. It’s almost like they’ve gone from being bit actors in a movie to supporting actors. I’ve always felt if a player feels important, he will play better. That’s what’s happening now with a bunch of the Leafs.

Wilson also has his team understanding and getting the grasp of the counter-attack game so they look faster than they are. When Ottawa coach Craig Hartsburg commented earlier this season that his team had trouble dealing with the Leafs’ speed, that revealed that Toronto’s style of play can be difficult to take on and succeed against even if the Leafs are not as fast as they seem.

Whatever strides Toronto makes this season could be accelerated in the future if Cliff Fletcher, who is 73, steps down as general manager after this season. Brian Burke, who is in the final year of his deal as Anaheim’s GM, has been rumored to be first in line to succeed Fletcher. Burke is not just a guy who builds from youth; he goes after proven talent as well. And Burke is someone who certainly enjoys taking on challenges and can anyone imagine a greater challenge than that of bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto, a franchise that hasn’t won one since 1967?

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