"One year ago Monday, Brian Burke brought Dion Phaneuf to Toronto in a sweeping assault on the state of the Maple Leafs.

Since then, after moving 30% of his roster in one swoop, almost everything expected to change hasn't.

Phaneuf has not been the leader, the developing defenceman, the offensive force, the power-play specialist that Burke believed would jump-start the Leafs' revival. Instead, with 59 games gone by as a Leaf, Phaneuf has made some impact, just not enough. He has been all right, but nothing great, with the club losing 32 of the 58 games he has worn the blue and white.

Of all that was expected and all Burke thought possible - often last summer, he would reference Jan. 31 as a turning point in his stewardship of the Leafs - the disappearance of Phaneuf's offence has been the most notable. In fact, in his time as a Leaf, the stay-at-home Luke Schenn has outscored the once-explosive Phaneuf 5-3 in goals without any power-play time to speak of. And Phaneuf has barely managed more points than Schenn (21-18) in the year. Where once Phaneuf was first among all defensive shooters in the NHL, he is no longer even in the top 20.

The disappointment in Phaneuf represents a pattern of woe with current Leafs management. In no particular order, major signings or acquisitions such as Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Colby Armstrong, Kris Versteeg, J-S Giguere, and Jonas Gustavsson have all performed at a level below what has been expected of them. Until that changes, beginning with the play of the captain, little is likely to change with the Leafs."