Toronto Maple Leafs: Scouting, Legends Row, Gameday Thoughts

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action today against the Carolina Hurricanes after a tough loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Here are some Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts on a slow Sunday.

1) The Winnipeg Jets had two representatives in attendance for the game last night in Toronto. The Jets are one of the four teams who have been frequent flyers at Leafs games lately. Who are they after? Or who are the Leafs after?

How about we revisit Jacob Trouba from the off-season. Even though he signed a deal with the Jets, have they really kissed and made up? Maybe Toronto is still trying to work something out, because Winnipeg knows that if they wanted to deal him they were better off getting him under contract for leverage reasons.

2) The Leafs inducted four more players into Legend’s Row. Charlie Conacher, Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly and Wendel Clark were the honorees prior to last night’s game. I’m not going to waste your time making things up about Conacher, Mahovlich or Kelly because I never saw them play. Most people who are writing about those three today likely never saw them either, so at least I’m not bullshittting you. Clark, though. He was a beauty, but that’s not the point I want to make.

More from Editor In Leaf

The Leafs ceremonies are too long. Everything is a big show that delay’s the start of the game and I find that annoying. It’s great they’re honoring the teams’ past greats, but give me a break. Stop making everything a ceremony that’s as long as a period of play.

3) The Leafs are down to one game in hand on Boston. Toronto has squandered a six-game-in-hand lead they had on the Bruins. Sitting one point back of Boston with only one game in hand, the Leafs have lost their wiggle room. It’s time to start winning games or renewing golf memberships.

4) The Hurricanes just lost to Colorado. The same Colorado that is, by far, the worst team in the National Hockey League. If the Leafs can’t get up today ready to dominate then they should just forfeit the rest of the season. That’s a bit dramatic, but it’s not far from the truth.

5) The Hurricanes are offensively challenged. Tyler Bozak, the Leafs sixth leading scorer, would be one point back of the lead if he was on the Hurricanes. I don’t buy into the back to back nonsense so this is a game the Leafs should blow out of the water. Toronto can score in bunches, Carolina can’t. The Canes just don’t have as much talent, but they do play a similar possession game.

6) The Bozak-JVR-Brown line was a disaster at 5v5 last night, so look for a change in that arrangement. Perhaps Leivo goes there and Brown gets Kadri. I don’t know. What I do know is that Nylander was fantastic on the Matthews line and that should remain a constant for a while. Whoever comes off the line – whether it’s Brown or Hyman – doesn’t really matter. Nylander should be with Matthews.

7) If Toronto loses tonight it’s time to start considering not making the playoffs. Yeah, there’s still a lot of time left in the season but, win/loss-wise, the Leafs have lost five of their last seven. Carolina would make six of their last eight. That’s a wrong direction trend heading into March.

8) The saving grace in there, for some, is that the Leafs were supposed to be basement bad this year. Clearly that hasn’t been the case. They’re good. Personally, though, I won’t be happy if they miss the playoffs because they are good enough. I don’t really care about “the plan” or “the future”. If the team is good enough to make it now, missing the playoffs should piss you off.

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