Of all the line combinations yet to be tried with the Maple Leafs, an intriguing one has emerged: Leo Komarov on the right side with Tyler Bozak at centre and James van Riemsdyk on the left side.

One supposes -- because Bozak plays more than any other forward and van Riemsdyk is the most gifted scorer -- that this is the first line.

(I'm willing to hear arguments to the contrary.)

Considering this is the week the Leafs face Phil Kessel and the Penguins, i'ts an interesting line to consider.

Kessel, of course, used to play that right wing position where Komarov finds himself. It was the undisputed first line, but it was -- how shall we say? -- a disaster.

Three skilled, fast players with the finishing touch, and it just didn't work. It could for short spurts. It could change a game quickly. But over the long haul, there was simply no grit on that line. No sandpaper. No one willing to pay the price to get the puck (van Riemsdyk, however, is more than willing to pay the price in front of the net. Credit to him).

Komarov is quite different. He'll do just about anything to get that puck. He'll probably be suspended once or twice this season, but that's the price for the kind of game he plays.

We'll see if it works. Maybe his grit will rub off on Bozak. Maybe Komarov -- who's play tailed off significantly last season after a concussion -- can light a fire under the other two. Or maybe Daniel Winnik is in that spot by the time the third period rolls around on Saturday.

Komarov was a top scorer in the KHL, but a third- or fourth-liner with the Leafs. Now he's getting an opportunity to show he can produce in the NHL. If nothing else, it should be fun to watch.

WORTH REPEATING:

Love this line from Brian Burke, speaking this week at the Rotman School of Business, about the Leafs management team:

“You’ve got Lou Lamoriello . . . who’s never taken an order from anybody, Mike Babcock — who’s a great coach and a good guy — who doesn’t think he should take an order from anybody. And you’ve got Brendan Shanahan in the middle, who’s a very bright, stubborn Irishman.

“Now, how does this work? How many hands can you have on the wheel?”

MAILBAG

A light week for the Maple Leafs translated into a light week for the mailbag.

COMMENT -- Kevin. Quite prescient of you to write about Bernier letting in soft goals last week. With better than average goaltending the team would have a least a victory to show for last week. But victories aren't what matter now - Bernier gives them the chance to lose every night and for the duration of his contract and that's OK. What isn't OK is who takes over - it's not Reimer. I'm not saying Bibeau isn't the the guy, but goaltenders seem to be the hardest to predict what level of success they will have. Remember, everyone thought Bernier was a solid prospect.

REPLY: Yep. Goalies are tough. Antoine Bibeau is high on the Leafs depth chart. But let's see how Bernier and Reimer react to the new goaltending regime. There's some high-end talented coaches teaching them: Steve Briere is the goalie coach and Lyle Mast has been brought in as a consultant.

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Neither of them are mainstream names, but both are well regarded within the industry. Briere has been developing top-end prospect junior goalies and Mast is credited with saving Devin Dubnyk's career by getting him to better track the puck. It's called a puck-tracking system. Sounds like "keeping your eye on the puck." Seems like something goalies should do.



Say this for president Brendan Shanahan, if he hears about a shiny new bauble that he thinks will help, he'll buy it. Here's hoping it works.