5 things Leafs fans should be happy about

Positive news for 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs

Fast start – Even though the team was not playing that well, the Maple Leafs managed to get out of the gate strong and were leading the division, the conference and the league after a dozen games or so. This shows that with improvement, we can be a bona fide contender.


Surprises, the good kind – Lupul, Gardiner, and Komisarek are all exceeding expectations.


Brian Burke – His moves have taken a faceless, gutless team and shaped them into something close to formidable, with tremendous upside due to abundance of youth, plus great prospects with the Marlies. look for Burkie to sign Turco, or better still, trade prospects and/or picks for Nabokov, wasting away on the last place Islanders team.


Phil Kessel - The NHL's leading sniper this year is also 10th in the league in assists, a sign of a constantly improving player that is often overlooked by Leafs fans and local media.


Dion Phaneuf - The Maple Leafs have a winning record over the past two years whenever Dion is in the lineup, and he is the best captain the Leafs have had since Doug Gilmour.