from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

First place in the conference, a one-two goalie punch most teams would love to have and the decision to make the star right winger the highest-paid player in team history looking like good business indeed.

Yes, these 26 days of October have been very, very rewarding for the Maple Leafs.

The fact eight wins have been racked up in 12 starts without yet dressing a complete lineup and having been forced to use a wide variety of farmhands and NHL greenhorns really says something about the kind of team that Brian Burke started and Dave Nonis has built upon.

Saturday night’s contest against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins was a perfect example of that. No Joffrey Lupul, no Tyler Bozak. Move a few bodies around, call up Carter Ashton for some energy, slide Troy Bodie into the lineup and turn to James Reimer in goal after three straight starts for Jonathan Bernier.

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