Nikolai Kulemin

Here we go again. More NHL trade speculation involving the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Today, TSN analyst Darren Dreger reported that the Los Angeles Kings are believed to be interested in wingers Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur.

MacArthur has posted 16 goals and 11 helpers for a total of 27 points in 44 games this season for the eighth-place Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the 26-year-old winger has elevated his play as of late, recording six points in the past three games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of questions going into this upcoming season. Can Tim Connolly stay healthy? Can he be the No. 1 pivot to help Kessel break the 40-goal mark? Will the special teams be any better? Will goaltender James Reimer continue to have the same success in the crease as he did at the end of last season? Have the additions to the defensive core made the team stronger? And can the Mac-Russian line continue the success they had last year as a unit?

The Toronto Maple Leafs began the 2010-2011 season on fire winning their first four games of the season, instantly dispelling critics views on the team. Many prognosticators had them finishing in the cellar of the Eastern Conference, but after the hot start, the view of the Maple Leafs instantly changed from a surprising pessimism, to nauseating optimism in Hogtown.

With the 2010-11 season winding down it appears as if our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs will be hard pressed to make the playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Nikolai Kulemin may in fact be one of the most complete players currently slapping a stick across any NHL ice surface.

There are a number of other players in the NHL who play a complete game. Players who score, set up their team mates, don't take mindless penalties and are responsible for the most part defensively.

Think back to the beginning of this season. If I had predicted that three Toronto Maple Leafs players would score 30 goals this season, admit it, you would have laughed hysterically.

Now, fast forward to the day of the 54th game of the season. Currently, Phil Kessel (although on a agonizing goalless streak), Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin are all on pace to score at least 30 goals by season's end.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes squared off Monday night in what was one of the more heated bouts of the season. Unfortunately, one of the most heated moments may have cost the Leafs one of their top players.

Not 30 seconds into the game, Dion Phaneuf set the tone by delivering an old "Dion Phaneuf" hit that should be featured in the TSN Top 10 for the next decade. That physicality helped produce a fight between Clarke MacArthur and Chad LaRose, with MacArthur getting the decisive win.

Prior to the Toronto Maple Leafs' tilt against the Atlanta Thrashers Friday night I was a guest of Louis Pisano on “Get The Puck Out” which airs on MorencySports.com, where, amongst other things, Lou and I debated the validity of Toronto’s second line of Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin being the NHL&rsquo

Alright, please say "I" if you actually saw a win like this coming.

Silence. Just as I expected.

Nobody could have possibly predicted a finish so strange in Friday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Atlanta Thrashers, except for maybe your neighbourhood drunk.

Let's take a look at the current Toronto Maple Leaf roster and hand out some first-quarter report cards.

The Leafs currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, and are only two points out of a playoff spot.

The Leafs had two short winning streaks and one awful losing streak between the two. The future does look brighter, but no one is sure what the near future will bring.

We'll first look at the forwards, then the defence and then finally the goaltending.