Unsigned restricted free-agent defenceman Cody Franson (right) is expected to re-sign today, giving head coach Randy Carlyle his full complement of players for today's opening of camp. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun Files)
It came to pass late on Saturday night when the NHL and NHL Players’ Association completed a written memorandum of understanding hours after the players ratified the new collective bargaining agreement.
The lockout, which started on Sept. 15, officially was over.
And the Maple Leafs are about to find out whether a 48-game regular season, starting Saturday night in Montreal against the Canadiens, is enough time for them to learn the defensive ways of head coach Randy Carlyle and earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2004.
With training camp opening on Sunday in the form of medicals and an on-ice session in the afternoon at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke, the Leafs won’t have much time, like the 29 other NHL clubs, to get their feet under them.
