Every season Leaf fans ask themselves, “Will this be our year?” With al the turnover on the roster, behind the bench, and in management, that query has become the one constant in an inconsistent season. This year the same concern is being addressed, but unlike most years, the answer will be contingent on how the goaltending situation sorts itself out.

In seasons past, success has been built on the skill of a tremendous goalie. Toronto has been spoiled by Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph, and Ed Belfour, of whom at least one will eventually make it to Cooperstown. Their play has allowed the team to hide many of the most glaring weaknesses in its defence and overall positional play. This season, they do not have that luxury.

For the first time in years, Leafs defense has been unpredictable. Neither fans nor players can be certain of who will be between the pipes on any given day. The question has shifted from “Will this be our year?” to“Who will be in goal?”

Two possible answers come to mind: Vesa Toskala and Andrew Raycroft, though if you ask those close to the team, they would probably argue for “none of the above” as a fair alternative.

Toskala, who finished 2006 with a 2.35 GAA, had a productive year with the San Jose Sharks, though many of those stats came as a backup to starter Evgeni Nabakov.

In Raycroft, the Leafs have a former Calder Trophy winner who just last season posted a 2.99 GAA to go with 37 wins. Of the two, Raycroft is the most proven in blue and white, but many still criticize his inability to steal a big game or get the big save in crucial situations.

In an interview with The Varsity, Leafs TV personality and broadcaster Jody Vance said, “I know Leafs’ fans say we should have kept Belfour, or that Curtis Joseph should come back. But it’s not always the answer to look to former players as the tonic or cure in a current time of struggle. Give them [Raycroft and Toskala] time, that’s my advice.”

Perhaps Toronto’s notoriously fickle fans are simply being overanalytical, making rash judgements too early in the year. Of course, it’s easy to look on and say that the goaltending sucks when players are being compared to Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour.

“These are great athletes who are being asked to perform on hockey’s most pressure-filled stage,” Vance said of Toskala and Raycroft.

The theory does have some validity, as neither Raycroft nor Toskala have played in a city that places as much scrutiny on its hockey teams. In contrast, Belfour and Joseph came to Toronto by way of Dallas and Edmonton, hockey hotbeds where expectations were always high.

As the adage goes, time will tell. In time, Leafs fans will get the answer they’ve been waiting for—but if current results are any indication, it may not be the answer they want to hear.