Maple Leafs Season Preview: 'There's pain coming'

"If you think there's no pain coming, there's pain coming."

Those were the words of Toronto Maple Leafs prized offseason addition Mike Babcock. And the head coach is right: 2015-16 will be painful for everything and everyone associated with the team.

But take solace: For the first time, an actual rebuilding plan is in place.

In a year and a half, president Brendan Shanahan has shaken up the entire organization, and assembled a front office full of smart hockey minds. Player development's the name of the game for the Leafs now. They nailed their draft, putting an emphasis on speed and skill, taking Mitch Marner fourth overall. Year-over-year, Toronto's system jumped from 17 to second in ESPN's prospect rankings.

Phil Kessel is no longer a Leaf, traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Toronto, while late to the party, has seemingly figured out what it's going to take to succeed. And the formula involves drafting and developing talent, and allowing said talent to develop in the minors. Let's call it "The Detroit Red Wings Model."

The rebuild will take homegrown prospects, time, and patience. Finding out what Babcock will get out of Nazem Kadri, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, and Dion Phaneuf will be reason enough to watch this season, but the Leafs are playing the long game. When was the last time you could say that?

Projected Depth Chart

X-Factor

What comes first: the great team, or the great coach? We're eventually going to find out.

Babcock takes over behind the bench and what he decides about the fates of youngsters William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen (acquired in the Kessel trade), and Connor Brown will say a lot about the direction the Leafs are taking this season - and their rebuild.

The three remain in camp with the Oct. 6 roster deadline looming, and Babcock's been open about his fondness for the kids, while calling out his veterans.

Nylander, who had 35 points in 42 AHL games last season, is ready for primetime, but this wasn't the year the Leafs were to embark on a youth movement, having brought in Daniel Winnik, P.A. Parenteau, and Brad Boyes. If the kids stay, veterans must go.

If Babcock learned anything in Detroit, it's that time in the minors is crucial. The Tatars, Nyquists, and Abdelkaders all played between 100 and 265 games in the AHL, and Toronto must show the same kind of patience with its young players.

Babcock will implement more rigid systems, and the Leafs will most definitely work harder. The only question is whether Babcock will be teaching the kids in year one of eight - which was not the plan when he came aboard.

Player to Watch

It's make-or-break time for Kadri.

Last season was a disappointment, his struggles both on and off the ice well documented. But it's a new year, Kadri has a new coach, and a new opportunity - likely his final as a Maple Leaf.

Kadri signed a one-year, $4.1-million contract in July, and it's up to him now. He can take the Leafs "to the bank," Dubas said.

With Kessel gone, Kadri should replace Tyler Bozak on the top line. Since 2013, Kadri has produced as a top-15 center at 5-on-5, even while playing in the possession black hole that is Toronto. So an increased opportunity, especially on the power play, should mean career-best numbers.

"I expect him to be an elite player," Babcock said. "He gets to come in and have a heck of a year and then put the screws to us. You know, why wouldn't he?"

Shanahan and Babcock have been challenging Kadri for months. He'll be 25 on Oct. 6. The time for Kadri to break through what is thought to be his second-line center ceiling is now.

Whether Babcock will or will not be able to motivate and mold Kadri into a No. 1 center will be one of the most interesting storylines of the Leafs' season. Kadri's either going to set himself up as a Leaf for life, or pave the way for his departure from his home-province team.