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It seems like a fruitless endeavor to make full season predictions with the uncertainty of when the actual season does begin.

Regardless, here we are. Under ideal circumstances, the season would start as per the current schedule and should both parties salvage a full season, we need to be ready.

Every summer we get the McKeen’s Hockey Yearbook together and about this time, I’m usually done with Leafs predictions.

It’s a summer tradition to post Leafs predictions here, and I wanted to continue the custom.

Predictions are based on the lineup as it appears below.

Leafs Lines Projections
Leafs Lines Projections

.. a few notes:

A lot of noise over utilizing Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne or newly-acquired James Van Riemsdyk down the middle. Noise .. that’s all it is.

I think that Clarke MacArthur is a placeholder for Kadri who likely slips into that spot, if not this season, then in 2013-14. I don’t think Kadri spends any time in the AHL, and has that 3rd line RW spot in a dogfight with Frattin as direct competition.

Tyler Bozak becomes the default #1 center. Yeah, yeah, Tim Connolly, I know, but I think that he’ll likely spend more time in the press box that in uniform. Bozak at least displays a willingness to the defensive game that Connolly doesn’t offer and the offensive skills that earned a 2-yr audition in Toronto aren’t there. Connolly doesn’t beat Grabovski for the 2nd line center spot, and McClement is almost entrenched at the 3rd line.

That leaves Steckel and Connolly to alternate in the lineup. I have no doubt Connolly gets a little bit of time as a top line center once again, but not enough to make a viable contribution to the lineup. There’s also interchangeability with Matthew Lombardi.

Ideally, I would like to see a JvR, Bozak and Kessel unit, even as an experiment.

Matt Frattin has balanced defensive awareness and trigger skills to pull off a 4th line role, especially with Kadri ahead of him on the depth charts.

I don—t think Leo Komarov will make enough of an impact to win a roster spot out of camp. Expectations are he starts the season with the Marlies and works his way from there.

On defense the #6 and #7 are interchangeable, and that’s Komisarek and Holzer. Should the Leafs be lucky enough to be able to unload Komisarek, Holzer can fill that spot.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see a Komisarek-Gardiner pairing to start the season.

I’ve tried to get the amount of games as close to the number of season games . There are 984 games played by 12 forwards in a season and 492 by six defensemen for a total of 1476 games. Predictions took into account 1450 games, ending up 26 short, although there’s a good chance those are taken by call ups and injury replacements.

Totals ended up giving the Leafs 235 goals in 2012-13, up from 227 the season before. The breakdown is 203 goals from forwards and 32 from the blueline, down from the 38 goals in 2011-12.

It’s no surprise Phil Kessel leads the way once again, both in goals and in points. I gave him 35 goals, but I’m under the impression it will be a more difficult 35, than 11-12.

Predictions below. I’ve also posted 2011-12 final results for comparisons.

2012-13 Predictions
Predictions for Maple Leafs in 2012-13
2012-13 Predictions GP G A Pts
D 472 32 125 157
Korbinian Holzer 45 0 1 1
Mike Komisarek 50 1 3 4
Carl Gunnarsson 75 4 12 16
Jake Gardiner 79 6 28 34
Cody Franson 70 6 18 24
John-Michael Liles 73 6 34 40
Dion Phaneuf 80 9 29 38
RW 336 81 103 184
Mike Brown 50 3 4 7
Nazem Kadri 70 12 19 31
Matt Frattin 65 12 11 23
Clarke MacArthur 70 19 31 50
Phil Kessel 81 35 38 73
LW 300 66 87 153
Matthew Lombardi 66 8 8 16
Nikolai Kulemin 80 13 27 40
Joffrey Lupul 76 22 31 53
James van Riemsdyk 78 23 21 44
C 342 56 91 147
Dave Steckel 58 4 8 12
Jay McClement 80 6 8 14
Tim Connolly 55 8 18 26
Tyler Bozak 72 15 26 41
Mikhail Grabovski 77 23 31 54
Grand Total 1450 235 406 641

2011-12 End of Season Results

2011-12 Results
End of season results in 2011-12
2011-12 GP G A P
C 395 71 99 170
Dave Steckel 76 8 5 13
Joe Colborne 10 1 4 5
Matthew Lombardi 62 8 10 18
Mikhail Grabovski 74 23 28 51
Philippe Dupuis 30 0 0 0
Tim Connolly 70 13 23 36
Tyler Bozak 73 18 29 47
LW 242 52 87 139
Clarke MacArthur 73 20 23 43
Jay Rosehill 31 0 0 0
Joffrey Lupul 66 25 42 67
Nikolai Kulemin 70 7 21 28
Ryan Hamilton 2 0 1 1
RW 310 65 73 138
Colby Armstrong 29 1 2 3
Colton Orr 5 1 0 1
Joey Crabb 67 11 15 26
Matt Frattin 56 8 7 15
Mike Brown 50 2 2 4
Nazem Kadri 21 5 2 7
Phil Kessel 82 37 45 82
D 480 38 130 168
Carl Gunnarsson 76 4 15 19
Cody Franson 57 5 16 21
Dion Phaneuf 82 12 32 44
Jake Gardiner 75 7 23 30
John-Michael Liles 66 7 20 27
Luke Schenn 79 2 20 22
Mike Komisarek 45 1 4 5

Twitter: @KatsHockey