To start, forget about us rebuidling, this is just a general question and could easily relate to where we were at a few years ago when we were trying to make the playoffs.

For the most part, the Leafs haven't been great at faceoffs for a while. We typically hover in the 15-20 range. Kadri was a complete train wreck for a long time, but I've been heartened to see him improve. Bozak is actually getting pretty good now, but even a couple of years back, he had a hard time staying above 50%. And I don't think anyone expects him to stay around anyway.

Until we get a number one or two centre that is great at faceoffs, why not keep a number three or four centre that is amazing at them (and good defensively), so we can throw him out there on important defensive zone faceoffs?

Two players that come to mind that we let walk are David Steckel and going quite a ways back, Yanic Perrault. Now I get with Perrault we also had Sundin, but Perrault was a wizard at faceoffs and constantly either led the league every year or was damn close. And why we let Steckel go is beyond me. I mean, he wasn't a wizard like Perrault was, but he was always top 5-10 in faceoffs. I know he was a big dude and no Jay McClemenet defensively but I'm sorry, I'd rather have him take important faceoffs over Bozak or Kadri and then get his ass off the ice when cleared it.

I feel like a lot of the hockey community, or at least people I talk to, really undervalues faceoffs. Everyone that knows me knows I obsess over good faceoff guys. To have a superstar centre that is also amazing at faceoffs (ahem, meet my favourite player, Jonathan Toews) is so rare but it's my dream, that one day, the Leafs will have a number one centre that dominates faceoffs. But I'd be happy with a number three or four guy that is money at them.

How do you guys feel about faceoffs? Do you find them as critically important as I do?