Belfour

If Eddie Belfour has anything left besides a bad back and a worse temper, the Leafs go up a few notches in our rankings. But if the Eagle crash-lands by Christmas -- before forward Gary Roberts returns from shoulder surgery --Toronto's in for a long winter. Mats Sundin, Alexander Mogilny, Darcy Tucker and underachieving Robert Reichel lead the offensive stampede. Too bad Curtis Joseph isn't here as the last line of defense.

	The Big Question
	Q: Will Belfour be "The Eagle" or "The Ugly Duckling?" The Leafs will be as good with Ed Belfour as they were with Cujo last season. Belfour is a great goaltender. He's got a lot to prove and he's going to be very motivated. Gary Roberts was Toronto's best player during the playoffs, so losing him hurts big-time. Other guys will have to step up and take his place. Roberts was one of their inspirational players, plus he scored 30 goals. Now, as the captain and the team's highest-paid player, it's up to Mats Sundin to be the leader. He's got to lead them to the promised land. Toronto is not a great defensive team. Last season, Cujo was often their first, second or third star. And Belfour is certainly that type of goaltender. He must be that type of goaltender for the Maple Leafs to be successful. -- Barry Melrose
	Good: Year One of the Alexander Mogilny experience was nothing special, as the Russian scored 19 fewer goals than he had in New Jersey the year before. While predicting a monster year would be careless, look for better production this season. Bad: Year One of the Ed Belfour experience might be a lot more disappointing than Mogilny's. Eddie the Eagle doesn't have a Dallas-type defense in front of him and he's no CuJo. He should play 60 games, but his days of first-round draft status look over. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Brad Boyes, C The former Erie Otter (OHL) has NHL tools already, but needs to grow into his body, which Toronto hopes will happen on The Rock. The organization thinks he is the best prospect in St. John's since Felix Potvin.
	Minors Outlook
	St. John's Maple Leafs The Leafs' new rink brought them a new lease on life last year, and the parent Leafs in Toronto provided them with a nice mix of veterans and youngsters. More prospects are on the way this year, it seems, as the system is replenished. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards The fact the Leafs entered camp with only one open spot at forward is a factor of finances as much as talent. At quick glance, the Leafs seem somewhat blessed, but among the elite players, only captain Mats Sundin and gritty winger Gary Roberts can be relied on to score consistently. Did we mention Roberts and his surgically repaired shoulders are out until the new year? For the rest of the crew, there is a discernable gap between expectations and actual performance. Injuries have hampered Alexander Mogilny, who still seems to fade and reappear at will. Jonas Hoglund, who is the default option for Roberts' spot, and Robert Reichel have taken turns as fan and media scapegoats. What they lack for in potency, they make up for in grittiness with Darcy Tucker (who set career highs in goals, assists and points last season), Shayne Corson and Travis Green, who often combine to form a tempo-setting line. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: T3rd Defensemen Hoping to sore up their defense, the Leafs traded their top defenseman - Dmitry Yuskevich - to Florida for then-retired, now un-retired Robert Svehla. After Bryan McCabe, who has taken over Yushkevich's role, and Tomas Kaberle, the Leafs are in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack. Fortunately (or unfortunately), 19-year-old Carlo Colaiacovo has shown there is hope for the future. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: T8th Goalie Curtis Joseph left the Leafs for the Wings to win a Cup. Ed Belfour signed with the Leafs to prove he still can. There's a difference. Belfour may still have the pride and the tools of a No. 1 goalie, but the Leafs' defense isn't as sounds as the Stars, so his mental ballast must be strong if he's going to prove critics wrong. Trevor Kidd may provide just the right amount of push that Belfour finds threatening. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: T9th

Rankings: T7th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 43-25-10-4, 100 points Rank: 3rd overall 2nd East 2nd Northeast Playoffs: Lost to CAR in East finals Home: 24-11-6-0 Road: 19-14-4-4 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 249/3.04 (3rd) Home: 130/3.17 (5th) Road: 119/2.90 (2nd) POWER PLAY Overall: 15.5/54-349 (15th) Home: 17.4/31-178 (9th) Road: 13.5/23-171 (21st) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 207/2.52 (13th) Home: 93/2.27 (11th) Road: 114/2.78 (18th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 84.5/51-328 (16th) Home: 89.1/17-156 (4th) Road: 80.2/34-172 (26th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Mats Sundin (41) Darcy Tucker (24) Alexander Mogilny (24) ASSISTS Sundin (39) Mikael Renberg (38) Tucker (35) POINTS Sundin (80) Tucker (59) Mogilny (57) Renberg (52) PENALTY MINUTES Tie Domi (157) Wade Belak (142) Bryan McCabe (129) PLUS/MINUS Tucker (+24) McCabe (+16) Dmitry Yushkevich (+14)* Aki Berg (+14) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Curtis Joseph (2.23)* SAVE PERCENTAGE Joseph (.906)* * - no longer with team