It was 1996 and Mike Keenan had just walked off the ice after Team Canada’s first orientation camp practice. He shuffled into the coaches’ room and closed the door.

“Holy s*** that kid’s good.”

That kid was 23 year old Eric Lindros. Since being taken #1 overall in the ‘91 entry draft Lindros has had his share of ups-and-downs, blackouts, collapsed lungs, bad knees, and every other kind of career threatening injury imaginable. He was traded to the Flyers in a draft-day deal that included Peter Forsberg going the other way. His father caused a Grand Canyon rift between Flyers’ management. Only talent has come easy for this guy.

It seems like Eric must be at least 40 now. But he’s only 32. Finally healthy after years of concussion-shortened seasons he’s the Leafs’ front-line centre with all the power play time he can handle. What can we expect?

Lindros was once the best player in the game. It was 1995 and he put up 47 goals, 68 assists, 163 penalty minutes and a +26 rating. He hasn’t really declined; he just hasn’t played.

Sure, 2002 saw Lindros notch only 53 points. But he was +5 on an awful Rangers team and his 141 penalty minutes were a bonus. Now most of those were awful penalties that absolutely killed his team. But that’s not important. They still counted for fantasy purposes.

The NHL’s a different league now and penalties and scoring are up in the early-going. If Lindros plays 80 games for a decent Leafs’ team he’ll easily notch 80+ points, 100 PIM, and a +15. He won’t score 40 goals, but 30-35 is a reasonable number to expect.

There’s been talk of Eric even reclaiming that Hart Trophy form of the mid-90s. He’s slowed down quite a bit, but his presence in front of the net is Shaq-esque. He won’t ever be the best in the game again, but he can still be an All-Star. He’s still big, still tough, and no one can move him.

He’s playing in one of the NHL’s biggest markets, a city that held entire 6 o’clock newscasts in front of the Air Canada Centre before the Leafs’ season opener. He’s wanted to skate on TO ice for a while and now’s his chance.

I just can’t see Eric screwing this one up. He’ll not only be a Top 10 centre this year; I can see him breaking the Top 5.