A frustrating summer in the free-agent market doesn't bode well for the season

By Michael Farber

Ed Belfour.  David Sandford/Getty Images SI Fast Fact If Mats Sundin scores 20 or more goals in '02-03, he'll tie the team record for consecutive 20-goal seasons (nine) set by Ron Ellis ('66-67 through '74-75) and Darryl Sittler ('72-73 through '80-81). SI Insider Rankings Offense: 18 Little to like after Sundin and Mogilny Defense: 20 Lack of depth hurts; Yushkevich will be missed Goaltending: 25 Problem area because Belfour is on downside Special Teams: 19 Unsung McCauley leads solid penalty killing Management: 18 Failure to sign Joseph could set franchise back

Leafs TV, the 24-hour network devoted to the team, could have aired a miniseries last summer called The Bridesmaids. Toronto waded into the free-agent pool with a nose clip and water wings, making honest but ultimately futile attempts at signing top players such as forwards Bill Guerin and Bobby Holik and defenseman Darius Kasparaitis. The most telling runner-up finish was for their goalie, Curtis Joseph, who signed for less with Detroit ($24 million for three years) than the Leafs offered him (about $9 million per) to stay.

"He felt he had a better opportunity [to win the Stanley Cup]," says captain Mats Sundin. The implications of Joseph's defection were stunning: Toronto, the only franchise in the Eastern Conference to win at least one playoff round in each of the past four seasons, has the financial means to win the Cup but not the talent, a pity given that the footage of the Leafs' last Cup parade (1967) is in black-and-white.

They did sign 37-year-old free agent Ed Belfour to replace Joseph, a reasonable Plan B. Belfour won the 1999 Cup with Dallas, an accomplishment that drew more attention in Toronto than his woeful .895 save percentage last season. A goaltending virtuoso is paramount for the Leafs. Coach and general manager Pat Quinn employs an attacking style -- Toronto led the East with 249 goals -- that continually tests both netminders. The Leafs need to add at least one defenseman with some bite, although Belfour will benefit from the emergence of Bryan McCabe as an All-Star.

Sundin, whose 41 goals and 80 points led all NHL centers in 2001-02, reinforced the consensus that he's one of the game's top 10 players, but Toronto's failure to surround him with complementary wingers will continue to be a drag on his production. With his belated promotion to the No. 1 line last season, Gary Roberts proved to be the kind of crease crasher with good hands that Sundin needs, but Roberts is sidelined until at least January following shoulder surgery. Unless Alyn McCauley can replicate his playoff scoring (15 points in 20 games) and Alex Mogilny (a former 76-goal man who had 24 last year) regains his touch, the Leafs will be lucky to say, "We're Number 2!"

Issue date: October 14, 2002