A major reason for this is the emergence of some young players, especially Tomas Kaberle and Danny Markov. No team in hockey has two young defencemen of this calibre. In fact, some franchises are born and die without ever seeing two young defencemen with this much talent. In the National Hockey League, defence is the toughest position to fill. You can see it when national teams are selected.
Goaltenders are easy to find and forwards are plentiful.
Yet Markov and Kaberle are poised and capable. They're certainly not the only reason the Leafs are a solid team. But at the start of last season, the impact to be made by Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph, combined with the coaching of Pat Quinn was expected. Both Kaberle and Markov looked good last season, and this year, they've proved that it was not a fluke. But despite all this, the Leafs still need some help to evolve into a true NHL power.