To end its Cup drought, Toronto must follow my plan

	Jamming The Crease • BEST LINE of the season so far, muttered by one L.A. Kings exec to another after a shocking opening-night loss to Dallas in which the Stars scored the last five goals: "I've always said a four-goal lead is the toughest lead in hockey." • AFTER WATCHING Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky demonstrate intent where others would be credited with lucky bounces, I'm wondering if his recent roster screw-up really was a screw-up at all. There's no doubt he recognized some of his younger players were tense. Maybe it was his way of defusing that tension by saying, "Hey, boys, we all make mistakes and we can all get over them." Can anyone put it past him? • NO NEED to worry about Martin Brodeur after just four games, but it is surprising to see him 31st in GAA and 27th in save percentage. Rather than a slip in his game, blame a Devils defense, rebuilt after the losses of Scott Stevens and Norris winner Scott Niedermayer. New Jersey is giving up eight shots per game more in the early going than it did in 2003-04 (32 versus 24). That's a fall from second-best to 24th. • WHAT'S UP with the absence of quality right-shooting defenseman? This isn't meant to sound like one of those Seinfeldian rants (not that there's anything wrong with that), but a quick look at the league's best blueliners reveals more left-leaners than an Air America audience. A glance at the top-10 scorers from 2003-04 reveals just Nashville's Marek Zidlicky and Colorado's Rob Blake are righties. • THE NHL Players' Association recently signed a five-year, $25 million deal with Upper Deck to manufacture trading cards. That works out to an annual check of about $6,000 per player for the rights to use their image on gum cards. • ON SATURDAY, the Canadiens will announce the names of three players whose numbers will be retired this season. To date, hockey's most storied franchise has raised just seven jerseys to the rafters: Howie Morenz, Maurice Richard, Henri Richard, Jean Believeau, Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante and Guy Lafleur. The best bets to get the nods: Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden and Bernie Geoffrion. Patrick Roy might seem like an obvious choice to some, but sources indicate there's still bad blood between St. Patrick and his former club. • MAPLE LEAFS tough guy Wade Belak missed the season opener because of a spider bite. There was no official word on which part of the body the arachnid struck Belak, but given that he spends most of his time sitting in the penalty box, it's safe to surmise it wasn't his head. -- Allan Muir

Quick: When was the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup?

If you guessed 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation, you're not far off. It actually was 1967. That's 37 springs without a parade -- a real parade, not the kind that erupt spontaneously on Yonge St. after winning a game in the first round -- and it's about to become 38.

That's right, Leafs fans -- start preparing yourself now for the familiar and inevitable sting of disappointment this summer. This group just doesn't have it. And it's not like they're just a player or two away, either. Unless the true Eastern powers suffer a series of misfortunes (like Peter Forsberg coming down with gigantism and Zdeno Chara getting lost in the Springfield Mystery Spot), you may as well steel yourself for the next few years as well.

But before you start imagining yourself entering a famine of Cubs-ian proportions, here's the silver lining: The Leafs can win a Cup in your lifetime.

It won't be easy. There are no quick solutions anymore -- the salary cap saw to that. That means the Leafs can't follow their annual path to failure -- dumping young prospects and draft picks for marquee veterans who've passed their sell-by date.

It's time for a more comprehensive approach. If the Leafs follow my simple, 10-step plan, you might see them sip from the old mug before you require cataract surgery.

STEP 1: Minor Matters

While the salary cap limits what the Leafs can spend on the ice, there are no such restrictions on front-office finances. As the richest team in hockey, Toronto must use that fiscal clout to create advantages in every other area of hockey operations.

Hiring former Carolina coach Paul Maurice to guide the AHL Toronto Marlies fits that kind of spending. He'll make an immediate impact, but it remains to be seen whether assistants Dallas Eakins and Joe Paterson were equally inspired choices. If not, there's no excuse not to pull a few bucks out of one of those overflowing barrels of cash lying around the Air Canada Centre to lure in the most able bodies on the market.

STEP 2: Scout's Honor

As a former scout himself, general manager John Ferguson Jr. understands the value of the position. Good thing -- with the added emphasis on talent that's young and/or affordable, elite scouting will separate the contenders from the pretenders.

According to published reports, the Leafs currently spend about the league average ($1.5 million Canadian) on scouting. That makes about as much sense as Donald Trump buying a Camry. If the Leafs aren't in the top three in this area by next fall, they simply cannot claim to be serious about winning.

Adding respected names such as former Hockey Canada director of scouting Barry Trapp on the amateur side and ex-Flames GM Craig Button to head pro scouting shows the team is on the right track, but more resources must be funneled into this department, especially on the pro side.

Identifying and acquiring useful parts from other clubs will open up the cap space to execute the bigger moves needed to make a serious Cup run. And when they make those big moves, they need to be certain they're the right ones.