Debut on Broadway

NEW YORK - In a perfect world Tim Connolly would have made his debut with his new team during the Toronto Maple Leafs' five-game home stand to kick off the season.

Instead, the 30-year-old centre will get things rolling on the biggest stage of all - on Broadway.

Connolly, who has been out for a month with a suspected shoulder injury, took part in line drills skating with the NHL's leading scorer, Phil Kessel, and Joffrey Lupul Wednesday afternoon in the refurbished Madison Square Garden and will probably play when the Leafs hook up with the Rangers Thursday night. He may be joined by Tyler Bozak who hurt his foot blocking a shot last week. Goalie James Reimer, who hurt his neck in Montreal Saturday night, is also healthy.

"We'll wait until tomorrow before we officially make any decisions, but Tim Connolly is very, very, very, very, very close," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "Bozie said he's fine now so decisions will have to be made. They're not easy decisions, but (GM) Brian Burke said they are good decisions to have."

If both Connolly and Bozak go in, the Leafs will probably send a player down to the Marlies; the logical candidate being forward Nazem Kadri who was already sent down once following a knee injury, but was quickly summoned when Bozak hurt his foot.

Connolly started the pre-season skating with Kessel and Lupul, but injured himself when he crashed into the boards during practice. Since then the high-scoring duo have skated with a number of centres including Bozak, Matthew Lombardi, David Steckel and Philippe Dupuis.

Kessel is off to an amazing start with nine goals and 15 points in eight games while Lupul has four goals and nine points. Connolly is expected to add another offensive element to the line, although Wilson cautioned it might not be instantaneous.

"Obviously he adds experience," Wilson said. "There could be some chemistry issues, but those guys have taken care of business, Lupul and Kessel, pretty much regardless of who their centre has been. Tim is very smart in the offensive zone; sees the ice well and he has a great shot, too. Not only can he pass, but he's a scoring threat. I think over time Tim will blend in easily with those guys."

Connolly signed a two-year deal with the Maple Leafs after playing the past eight seasons in neighbouring Buffalo. He said he felt in the off-season Toronto was his best fit and despite missing the team's first eight games, he still feels the same.

"I feel good today," Connolly said. "It was good to get out there and get some regular shifts in as well as some power play and penalty killing. They're really clicking now; playing extremely well together. I'm just going to try to stay out of their way. I'll get them the puck as much as possible and just try to do all the little things right. I'm going to keep it simple and try to play solid defensively."

The biggest concern seems to be upsetting the chemistry being shared by Kessel and Lupul, although given the fact they have played with so many different centres this season, it seems a little far-fetched.

"In the back of his mind he knows we have played pretty well without him and he wants to make sure, in his own mind, that he's not jinxing the team," Wilson said. "That's the way players think. They don't want to be the guy who goes in and goofs up something that has been going pretty good. But he's a veteran. He's been around for 10 years or so and he should fit in nicely."

For his part, Kessel does not believe it is an issue.

"I'm not too worried about that," Kessel said. "Tim is a good player and I'm pretty sure things are going to work out. He brings a lot of skill. He's played in the league a long time now and he's a smart player. He's a good passer and he shoots the puck well so he'll add another element to our team."

Although Connolly missed just three games in his first four seasons in the NHL, he has been hurt often since then and now is painted as somewhat fragile. Being injured to start the year with his new team certainly didn't help his reputation, but his past is not something that coach Wilson or Connolly tend to dwell on.

"I mean he blocks a shot and gets hurt (last year with the Sabres); how many guys in our league are suffering broken bones from doing that?" Wilson said. "He's never been afraid to do things and even though he's apparently 'fragile' he still plays hard and that's what we need from him. I'm confident this was just a little blip on the radar. It was just a little freak injury and now he's ready to go."

Added Connolly: "I can't really worry about what people say. People watch the game and write about the game…you have to be a critic and there's no problem with that. Everybody's got to do their job. For me I just try to focus on what I can control and that's going out working hard and trying to contribute to help the team win. I'm here to win and do whatever I can to help the team win."

Broadway can be a pretty tough place to win over the audience, but Connolly sounds like he's ready to try.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.