"The kind of defence that Ron Wilson saw when he peered into his crystal ball in training camp last September has evolved into reality.

The Maple Leafs' group is not only helping to keep the puck out of the net, to the tune of 27 goals against in 14 games in 2012, but also is adept at contributing at the other end.

Leafs defencemen, led by captain Dion Phaneuf's 30 points, have accounted for 119 points in 2011-12, third most in the National Hockey League behind the Ottawa Senators (127) and the Vancouver Canucks (123).

Last season, when the Leafs missed the playoffs yet again, their defencemen totalled 109 points.

There's a lot more happening with the blue-line group than simply thrusting themselves into the play and hoping something good happens.

"Nowadays, you have to have five guys (on the attack)," coach Ron Wilson said after practice on Sunday afternoon at the MasterCard Centre. "People back-check hard. If you don't have the defence involved, then it's three-on-four, three-on-five. We're fortunate we can have (at least) four guys involved in the play. That really helps a lot.""