Toronto Maple Leafs: The Enemy’s Insight – Post Deadline

Wasn’t it fun watching Toronto Maple Leafs legend Tomas Plekanec play his first game in the blue and white?

Boy, I bet Habs fans just loved that.

And, as luck would have it, we get to find out! Let’s hear what A Winning Habit editor Omar White had to ask me this week.

“As a Leafs fan, what are your expectations for Tomas Plekanec on the team? What kind of an impact can he have?”

Being a Leafs fan, it’s become necessary, nay, essential to temper your expectations with new acquisitions.

This largely results from the disappointing tenures of guys like Jason Blake and David Clarkson. They come in, we expect a parade, they don’t deliver, and we run ’em out of town. Such was the cycle of the pre-2016 Leafs.

Thankfully, in my old age of 22 (yes, my birthday was on the 17th and you all forgot), I’ve learned.

Aside from the immensely positive economic impact on Toronto’s turtleneck industry, Tomas Plekanec‘s on-ice impact will be that of nuance.

It goes without saying that Plekanec is an incredible addition to this Leafs team. Not only does he instantly shore up their biggest positional hole, but he immediately solidifies Toronto’s centre depth as among the league’s best as well.

What he won’t do, however, is light up the scoresheet. And I sincerely hope Leafs Nation realizes that.

Yes, he will be playing alongside vastly superior linemates here than he was in Montreal. Any combination of Leo Komarov, Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Leivo are all miles ahead of the Paul Byrons and Charles Hudons of the world.

But, that’s not what Plekanec was brought in for.

Plekanec is here to kill penalties and drive possession in a depth role. He’ll win key faceoffs while starting nearly all of his shifts in the defensive zone (he didn’t have a single o-zone start against Tampa).

And above all else, Plekanec’s primary value will shine through whenever opponents take a glance at the pre-game lineup sheet and go:

“They have that guy on their FOURTH LINE?! Come on!”.

That, my friends, is priceless.

“The Leafs failed to add any other players ahead of yesterday’s deadline. Are you disappointed with that considering what Boston and Tampa Bay have done to their rosters?”

Is it possible to be both disappointed and not disappointed at the same time?

Am I happy that the two teams Toronto will be forced to go through on the way to the cup finals made their already dominant teams even more dominant? No.

Although, would I have wanted the Leafs to give away so many valuable assets in order to make that happen? I’d have to answer no to that as well.

Regarding Boston, Rick Nash is a wonderful player. He brings size, skill, and two-way depth to a Bruins lineup that was overwhelmingly top-heavy. Saying that, the price Boston paid to get him is absolutely absurd.

Especially when considering this:

Now, you could easily say that Boston got Nash specifically to contribute in the playoffs. To that, I’d point out that Nash has scored just 15 goals in 77 career playoff games.

Not exactly a playoff performer.

With Tampa, it’s a lot harder to positively spin their deadline moves. Adding Ryan McDonagh to a blueline already housing Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Mikhail Sergachev should be illegal.

McDonagh is great. But, giving up a top-six forward, a first and conditional second-rounder, along with two promising prospects for him is a seriously steep price. One I’m glad Toronto didn’t pay.

So, am I happy? My short answer would have to be yes.

The Leafs solidified their biggest positional need without subtracting any pieces from their current roster. While I’m not exactly thrilled that they’ll likely be heading into the playoffs with Roman Polak in their top-six, their forward depth can offset any potential anxiety.

In the end, I’m even more confident of the Leafs dusting the Bruins in a playoff series now than I was prior to the deadline.

As for Tampa? Uh…next question.

“Did beating Boston Saturday night without Auston Matthews instil more confidence in a probable playoff series with them?”

The question needs to be asked. Did beating the Bruins on Saturday night, whilst missing one of the NHL’s top-five offensive players, convince Boston to pay out the nose for Rick Nash?

The Bruins making a reactionary move to preserve their dignity? Well, I never!

Prior to Saturday’s contest, Boston was 17-2-2 in their last 21 road games. And, with Auston Matthews injured, William Nylander as their first line centre, and Josh Leivo in the lineup for the first time in 2018, the Leafs dominated them.

You better believe I’m confident.

The Bruins have one really, really good line. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are darn near unbeatable and could cause headaches come playoff time. Other than that? Well…

Excuse me if Dalton Heinen and Tommy Wingels don’t fill me with dread. Aside from the top line, any of Toronto’s forward units could outmatch and anything the Bruins have to offer.

As for the defence? Well, the Leafs’ 21-year-old rookie did this to one of Boston’s top-four defencemen.

Yeah, that’s hilarious.

Over the last two seasons, the Leafs have dropped a grand total of one game to the Bruins. They just acquired one of the best two-way centres this game has to offer in exchange for nothing of immediate value and dominated Boston while missing their franchise cornerstone.

Give me Boston. I can’t wait.

Next: Plekanec Trade a Win

Thanks for reading!