Toronto Maple Leafs: Stupid, Abominable and Ridiculous
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to finish somewhere between 6th and 8th in the overall NHL standings.
This is an incredible run, one that has seen the team set a number of (dubious) records, and which has ignited the fan base into a mob of crazy people who think Auston Matthews is some sort of God. Which, he might actually be. The Toronto Maple Leafs, after one of the shortest rebuilds in NHL history, are now a legit contender for the NHL championship.
So why in the _______ are they going to face one of the only teams in the NHL that is better than they are?
In what is unfair, ridiculous, dumb, nearly inconceivable, preposterous, stupid, enraging, infuriating, abominable, unconscionable, terrible, idiotic and, one could say, also frustrating as hell, the Leafs are set to open the playoffs against either the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa is currently second in the NHL, and could easily win the President’s Trophy. Boston sits one point behind the Lightning with a game in hand, and could also win the President’s Trophy.
So the Leafs reward for being one of the best teams in the NHL is that they have to play one of the best teams in the NHL. Sounds fair.
The NHL Standings are a Joke
The old joke goes something like this: people love hockey so much they put up with the NHL. That is because the NHL is notorious for terrible decisions. Its as if the league looked to the 1980s Maple Leafs as a model for how to do business.
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After one season (and earlier, if you actually took two minutes to think about it, which the league clearly didn’t) it was obvious that the new playoff formatting didn’t work. Forcing teams to fight within their division may be good for business, but it takes away the main reward for having a good season: a weaker playoff opponent. This can’t happen in the NHL if two of the league’s best teams ever end up in the same division, which pretty much happens every year.
If you are one of the best teams, you’re supposed to play the weakest teams. That’s how playoffs work………in every other league.
The Washington Capitals, forced to play the Penguins annually in the second round, have been the biggest loser in this format, but every year there is something dumb going on. This year, it’s the Leafs who get screwed. But not just the Leafs – it’s actually even worse for Tampa or Boston.
There is no way that your reward for winning the President’s Trophy should be a first round matchup against a team that might have finished ahead of you had its best player been healthy for more than 75% of the year.
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Not only is this unfair to the three Atlantic teams (arguably, if healthy, the NHL’s three best teams) but it also gives an advantage to weaker teams. For instance, last year the Senators (who everyone knew were terrible, just lucky) almost got a by to the Finals, because Washington and Pittsburgh had to play in the “real” Stanley Cup Final a round earlier.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter because the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to beat anyone they end up facing, but it should be said that it’s really dumb that two of the NHL’s best teams are going to play in the first round.