Mot the Barber said:
Oh! And I forgot another thing. The only way this pathetic team could qualify for the playoffs was in this idiotic shortened season with a million injuries all over the league. It also happens to be the year that every Eastern team sh*t the bed and sucked donkey arse. The Leafs weren't good enough to make the playoffs, it's just that every other team sucked enough to let them in.
This is my first post here so I really do not know much about the posters here or where they are coming from, such as yourself.
Every team knew there would be a short season and therefore could make a sprint to the finish line. Some teams were able to make adjustments and have a decent season and the teams that were able to adjust to injuries to key players that helped decide what teams would make the be playoffs and who would not.
In the case of the Leafs, benching Komisarek at the beginning of the season allowed other defensemen to contribute to the early success of the team. Having a defensive system made it harder for other teams to have good scoring chances. Remember seeing other players stand in front of the Leaf net while the Leafs defensemen were behind the net or just standing still??? The Leafs were more physical than most of the other teams. Reimer played like a Vezina contender. Lastly, Coach Carlyle instilled responsibility and accountability to the Leaf players that has not been seen in years. It is for all these reasons the Leafs made the playoffs. It has nothing to do with a short season or other teams sucking. The Leafs were better than 11 other Eastern teams and a good number of Western Teams.
The 55 points the Leafs have earned so far is close to 92 points in a full season. As a Leaf fan I am proud of the players. They played with their hearts, played with desire and did not give up when there were times we thought the team would collapse. To say the Leafs made the playoffs for the reasons you indicated shows me that you are quite oblivious to the reasons why the Leafs made the playoffs.