You know what really made my heart sing on Wednesday night? Realizing that Winnipeg Jets fans still chant “True North!” during “Oh Canada”, only to then watch the Toronto Maple Leafs hang seven goals on them in their own building.
Last week, I wrote an article detailing how Toronto Maple Leafs fans should handle the impending success of the upcoming season. See, the thing about that article was that it was all hypothetical. The Leafs hadn’t even played a game yet, so assuming they would do well was nothing other than wishful thinking. After last night’s game, however…
Throw that All Out the Window
Did you see what I just saw?! Did you see the Leafs PK kill off eight, count ’em, EIGHT Jets power plays? How about Patrick Marleau, who is supposedly washed up (looking at you, Tanner) dangling Jets “goalie” Steve Mason out of his pants? What about Freddy Andersen magically morphing into Georges Vezina himself?
The Leafs proved last night that they are for real. No more projections. No more hypotheticals. This is real life. The world now possesses tangible evidence suggesting that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a contender. This is a team that can put more pucks in the net than any other team in the league. This is a team with a penalty kill that held a PP unit of Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Dustin Byfuglien scoreless on eight consecutive occasions.
And not to mention, they now have the goaltending to back their offence up.
Depth, Depth, DEPTH
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Every single forward line played well last night. From Auston Matthews, all the way down to Matt Martin, everyone came to play. Mike Babcock could have confidently thrown out literally any of his four lines, at any point in the game and they all would have pushed the play. This is the deepest Leafs team of the last decade and possibly of all time. I dare you to name a deeper one. I’ll wait.
There was so much discussion this summer surrounding who deserved to occupy the Leafs 4th line. The debate about how Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Leivo should be in the lineup, taking over for less skilled veterans like Eric Fehr. Believe me, it’s all warranted. I would rather have younger, skilled players in the lineup too.
But, guess what?
The Leafs hung seven goals on the Jets, in their own building, after that STUPID pre-game laser show, with Eric Fehr manning the 4C. Not only that, but Fehr happened to also be a member of the PK unit that successfully killed off 16 minutes of shorthanded ice time. I’m pretty happy with that result, and you should be too.
Let’s say Fehr regresses. Let’s say the clock strikes midnight, and Cinderella turns back into a pumpkin, or however that story went. Guess who Babcock can slot in the lineup? That’s right, Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Leivo! And those guys might (will) actually be better than Fehr. The Leafs roster could be hit with injury, declining play, or any number of various calamities and come out of it IMPROVED. This isn’t Ottawa, where Erik Karlsson goes down and suddenly you’re left with an ECHL D corps.
More to Come
Two hilarious thoughts dawned on me last night. First, it was this hilarious tweet, which, if you haven’t already seen it, do yourself a favour and get on that immediately. Secondly, it was the fact that this is game one. The Leafs are but a single game into the season, leading me to believe that this isn’t even the best they can play. Chemistry will continue to be built and new additions will only acclimate further. This team absolutely dominated a star-studded Jets lineup and we haven’t even seen their peak yet!
So, buckle up folks. This season will bring with it, peaks and valleys. Every season does. However, if Wednesday’s game bared any indication on where things are headed, there are going to be a lot more ups than downs. The Leafs have arrived, and they are for real.