Walking into the Maple Leafs practice facility this week, I was struck by something I’ve never felt in 10-plus years of covering the team.

I felt the unmistakable air of optimism. I saw players smiling, laughing and horsing around with the media. Sure, there had been a handful of moments like that in the late ’90s-early 2000 heyday of Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph, but this was different. That Leafs team was filled with veterans who knew their window in which to win a Stanley Cup was small and getting smaller by the second. The roster members had pressure to live up to the reputations they’d built before coming to Toronto.

But the 2011-12 Leafs are unlike that experience-laden team in many respects. As components of one of the NHL’s youngest squads, these Leafs players are making reputations for themselves, not living up to anything they’ve done previously. There is no veteran, Sundin-like cornerstone around which to build – and don’t try and convince me Phil Kessel and/or Dion Phaneuf is that guy; the former is 24 years old and the latter was traded to Toronto because his stock had fallen in Calgary.

No, this is a Leafs core whose best days still are ahead. As Toronto fans are aware every time the Boston Bruins handily defeat the Buds (as they have already on three occasions this season), there are holes yet to fill and lessons to learn, but the patience management has exhibited since GM Brian Burke arrived three years ago is precisely what was needed after years of quick-fixes and lost gambles – and now, the organization has a degree of talent depth not seen in decades.

Now these Leafs can grow as a unit, learn to win and lose together as all great teams must, and collectively support each other through individual struggles. Indeed, one of the most heartening elements to their season so far has been the goaltending-by-committee approach that became a necessity after starter James Reimer was sidelined; in past years, net deficiencies always were the chief killer of Leafs seasons, but this time, Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens have patched together enough solid performances to keep Toronto from plummeting down the standings.

Such resilience is another element of the current Leafs team that hasn’t been there for ages. Maybe that’s why Toronto’s dressing room was so loose this week. Regardless, it’s a long time coming and a welcome change.