Division 5th Northeast 2007–08 record 36–35–11 Road record 18–18–5 | Conference 12th Eastern Home record 18–17–6 Goals for 231 | |
The 2007–08 Toronto Maple Leafs season began October 4, 2007. It is the 91st season of the franchise, 81st season as the Maple Leafs.
Contents
- Regular season
- Conference standings
- Playoffs
- October
- November
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
- Goaltenders
- Records
- Transactions
- Draft picks
- References
In an effort to return to the playoffs in 2007–08, the Leafs made two significant moves during the off-season. The first was to acquire goaltender Vesa Toskala, along with Mark Bell from the San Jose Sharks for three draft picks. Toronto also signed free agent Jason Blake to a five-year, $20 million contract. Blake topped the 40-goal mark for the first time in 2006–07.
With the Leafs struggling in the Northeast Division, the future of John Ferguson, Jr.'s tenure as general manager has been widely debated after Team President Richard Peddie admitted that hiring Ferguson was "a mistake." According to TSN, the Leafs asked former Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher to serve as interim GM early in January. On January 22, it was announced that Ferguson's time with the club had ended, as the board of directors at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment voted to make a change. Fletcher was named interim general manager of the team.
Defenceman Tomáš Kaberle was selected to represent the Maple Leafs and the Eastern Conference at the 2008 All-Star Game in Atlanta, Georgia. He hit all four targets in four shots to become the winner of the accuracy competition.
Regular season
On October 8, 2007, newly acquired winger Jason Blake announced that he had chronic myelogenous leukemia, a treatable form of cancer. He continued playing during treatment.
In mid-November 2007, Jiri Tlusty was caught in a scandal when nude photos of him appeared on the Internet. Tlusty apologized for this incident and admitted he made a mistake.
The Maple Leafs struggled on the penalty kill during the regular season, allowing an NHL-high 77 power-play goals.
Conference standings
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)
Playoffs
For the third straight year, the Leafs did not qualify for the playoffs.
October
Record: 5–5–3; Home: 3–4–2; Road: 2–1–1
November
Record: 4–6–3; Home: 1–1–3; Road: 3–5–0
December
Record: 6–5–2; Home: 3–2–0; Road: 3–3–2
January
Record:5–8–1 ; Home: 4–2–0; Road: 1–6–1
February
Record: 8–4–1 ; Home: 5–3–0 ; Road: 3–1–1
March
Record: 8–5–0; Home: 2–4–0; Road: 6–1–0
April
Record: 0–2–1; Home: 0–1–1; Road: 0–1–0
Playoffs
On March 27, 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from postseason contention for the third straight season following a 4–2 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Goaltenders
Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goalsMin, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Records
Transactions
The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.
Draft picks
Toronto's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio.