Torrin Batchelor’s Take
No.
That seems blunt, so let me explain. The Toronto Maple Leafs are still a rebuilding team. This is still a year of growth. Yes, Auston Matthews and the young guns progress has probably accelerated things by a year, but this was always a year of growth.
Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello, Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas aren’t here to help Toronto go on a single playoff run. The Shanaplan is to build the Leafs into a perennial playoff contender, and eventually a series of deep and sustainable championship runs.
This isn’t a one and done group like the lockout shortened 2012 season. Now don’t get me wrong, if the Leafs get out of this mini-slump their in and actually secure a playoff berth, I will be cheering with the loudest of you.
Toronto Maple Leafs
If they ultimately fall short?
That’s more than okay too. In fact, I would argue it might be more beneficial to fall short and secure a Top10 pick and get a potential Top 2 or 4 defender in Timothy Liljegren or Callan Foote than being ousted in the first round by powerhouse Washington.
The Leafs have proven time and again that their defenders aren’t good enough. We have some nice pieces in Rielly, Gardiner, Zaitsev and Carrick. However, they seem to fill more along the lines of the 2,3,4,5 roles than the 1,2,3,4 roles.
That doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it absolutely can and has proven to be. Ultimately the Leafs have a plethora of skilled wingers and little to no Center depth or defensive depth. That only changes through the path we’re already on; hoarding picks and drafting well.
We can’t afford to have knee jerk reactions and trade future for now, like so many Ill-fated Leafs management groups on the past half century. Give the kids time to grow, unlike what most of the media has been saying we are not on a clock.
Yes, Matthews, Marner and Nylander are going to be more expensive in a few years. That’s plenty of time to surround them with the right pieces to hopefully win a cup.
Just calm down, and enjoy the ride.