Perhaps, the most important move in Jonas Gustavsson’s fledgling hockey career didn’t take place on the ice.

It possibly occurred in the Maple Leafs’ dressing room when goaltending coach Francois Allaire shifted Gustavsson’s locker from across the room to the one beside newcomer Jean-Sebastien Giguere after the veteran arrived in a late January trade with Anaheim.

Gustavsson jokes that’s it’s better for conversation to have the “two most clever guys” sitting next to each other, but it is no coincidence that the rookie has played some of his best hockey since taking up residence next to the 12-year NHLer at both the Air Canada Centre and the team’s practice facility.

Sure, other factors are at play too in Gustavsson’s four-game win streak. The Leafs are playing better in front of him. He got a boost of confidence from being part of Sweden’s Olympic team. His health has stabilized after early-season heart troubles and the pattern of playing every other game seems to agree with him.

But there is also the impact of the affable Giguere who, perhaps more than any other NHL goaltender, is willing to share tricks of the trade with a young apprentice. Rather than feeling threatened by a partner who is playing well, Giguere has become a mentor for a freshman who is trying to develop a similar style of netminding under Allaire.

“It’s important to be a team within the team,” says Giguere, who clearly did not graduate from the Ed Belfour school of looking out for No. 1.

“No one else knows what we’re going through on a daily basis. I think it’s important for us to support each other. You can’t do that when you’re across from each other in the dressing room. I think it’s important that you talk to each other. I’ll ask him if he thought I made a mistake or the other way around. Stuff like that.”

Said Gustavsson: “It’s good for us to give advice to each other. Maybe Giguere has more to give me than I have to give him. It’s good. We can share ideas about how to play out there, equipment, everything.”

Gustavsson is headed for restricted free agency this summer. Though the two sides have yet to begin contract talks, the expectation is that Giguere, with a year remaining on his deal at $7 million, and Gustavsson will form Toronto’s goaltending tandem again next season. So the example Giguere sets for Gustavsson will only help the Leafs in the long run.

“The first thing I saw was how hard (Giguere) works out there. That makes me want to work even harder,” said Gustavsson. “If you can push yourself every practice, you’re going to be a better goalie. There are small things like how to move better and so on. It’s not that he’s been telling me how to do everything. Of course not. But we always share ideas.”

While head coach Ron Wilson acknowledges Giguere’s role in helping Gustavsson, he scoffs at how Toronto fans and media rush to judgment and anoint a player as the next big thing after a few solid games.

“I chuckle. He’s won four games in a row and now, I suppose, everybody wants to nominate him for the Vezina Trophy. A month ago everybody was ready to throw him under the bus because he was struggling a little bit,” said the coach.

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“We’ve played well in front of him. His confidence has improved when he knows he’s going to play. He’s got a great relationship with (Giguere) and I think (Giguere) has helped him out a little bit with how to work and relax and mentally prepare for a game.”

Wilson continued. “It happens way too often here. As soon as a young player plays two good games, he’s now a star. The goalie has won four games in a row. Part of it is we’re playing better as a team but we jump to conclusions here. It’s a long season. We’re glad some of these younger guys are starting to show some results, but they have long way to go.”