Let’s face it, you’re probably going to spend ten bucks on a garbage team calendar that still features Tomas Kaberle in a Leafs jersey (I bought one with Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala in it this time last summer). With the Maple Leafs Annual, you get all the great colour photography plus 112 pages of really good Leafs commentary and analysis. One of our readers said it the other day – this is “bathroom and beyond” reading material. High praise.
This edition (now $9.99), in addition to our usual staples – the player profiles (by Gus Katsaros), prospect rankings, and pages of analysis – we have continued to increase the reader—s level of inside access to the organization. Look for interviews with: President and General Manager, Brian Burke; Vice President of Hockey Operations, Dave Poulin; Director of Player Personnel, Rick Dudley; Director of Amateur Scouting, Dave Morrison; Director of Player Development, Jim Hughes; Leaf youngsters James Reimer and Keith Aulie; 2011 first round pick, Tyler Biggs, and head coach of the Marlies, Dallas Eakins.
Your lineup for the 2011-12 Maple Leafs Annual:
| Lucky Number Seven: Can this year’s Leafs squad bring the team back to the postseason? Break down the 2011-12 roster to see how Toronto is shaping up by Julian Sanchez |
| New Standard: One man’s projections for what well see out of the Maple Leafs offensive corps this season by Dirk Hoag |
| Defensive Development: The youth and talent are there, but the Leafs will be hard-pressed to improve on their 2010-11 defensive performance by J.P. Nikota |
| Net Gains: In his own way, each Leafs goaltender made important strides last season, including new starter James Reimer by Justin Goldman |
| You’re Up, Kids: The Maple Leafs can pin their hopes for the future on two youthful stalwarts: one on the blue line, and the other between the pipes by Steve “Dangle” Glynn |
| Sizing Up The Northeast: Unfortunately, the Leafs’ climb out of mediocrity will come with — yet again — stiff divisional competition by Greg Wyshynski |
| State Of The Union: It’s year three of the Brian Burke regime, so we turn to the man himself to get his expectations for the season ahead by Jonah Sigel |
| Offseason Additions: Go inside the Maple Leafs front office via exclusive interviews with Dave Poulin and Rick Dudley by Garrett Bauman |
| Phase Three: The MSP Maple Leafs Annual completes its three-phase series on the rebuilding plan of Leafs general manager Brian Burke by Ed Slater |
| Distance To Contention: Take a behind-the-numbers look at what it’ll take for the Maple Leafs to reach the 2011-12 playoffs by Stephen Burtch |
| How They Mould ‘Em: Director of player development Jim Hughes talks Leafs as we look at his teams top 10 prospects by Alex Tran |
| Biggs Love: Tyler Biggs compatibility with the Maple Leafs’ system is a big reason why fans are excited about Toronto’s 2011 draft class by Brian Huddle and John-Eric Iannicello |
| The Paradox Of Development: How much can an AHL team be expected to win when player development is the top priority? by Clayton Hansler |
| What If The Leafs Make The Playoffs?: What would the NHL world be like if the Maple Leafs returned to the playoffs? by Michael Forbes and Navin Vaswani |
| Grand Old Building: Maple Leaf Gardens’ long history has left the city of Toronto and its fans with plenty of lasting memories by Joe Pelletier |
| The Blue Testament: For every long-suffering Maple Leafs fan out there, here are some guidelines for a season of rationality by Matt Mistele |
The price is $9.99 this year, and if you are willing to pay the shipping cost, it assures delivery right to your doorstep in advance of the date it starts appearing in stores (September 13th). So go on, what are you waiting for? Buy It Now
