Did Toronto Actually Improve?

While we seem to believe that the trades which landed J.S. Giguere and Dion Phaneuf in Toronto actually gave hope to Leaf Nation, it didn't do it for the first few days. The Maple Leafs are 2-2 with their new acquisitions. But Giguere has been able to hold the fort in Toronto, posting two shutouts over the Devils and Senators before finally allowing one against the Sharks in a 3-2 loss at Air Canada Centre. We should credit Giguere with some brilliance over the last few days. But is Toronto actually a better team than we saw before? Absolutely. We have seen better play from their defense thanks to Dion Phaneuf, while the offense has picked themselves up and gotten a few goals into the net. They played well against the Sharks and even outcompeted them in some categories but it was the defense that broke down. So perhaps the defense is starting to fall apart. Or is it? Well, keep watching, and I'll do the same, because if the defense does fall apart again, it will make it very hard for the Maple Leafs to acquire the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.