Toronto Maple Leafs: EIL Content Round Up For July 16th
Even in the dog days of summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs keep generating headlines.
To ensure that you, our loyal readers, stay informed on all these various developments, the EIL staff have been producing content at a rapid pace. Naturally, a piece or two may fall through the cracks, buried in the sea of daily posts.
In order to keep you up to date on the good work our writers put out, here’s a quick round-up of the week’s content.
Enjoy.
Johnsson Betting on Himself
Gord Brown is EIL’s newest writer, and he’s been running on all cylinders right out the gate.
With Andreas Johnsson choosing to accept his qualifying offer for the upcoming season in lieu of a long-term deal, it’s an undoubtedly risky venture. It’s this risk that Gord wrote about, elaborating on how Johnsson is clearly betting on the rewards of his future success.
“If Johnsson goes out and records a 30+ point season, which he should not be far off from, the Leafs will be forced to pay at seasons end. This is not ideal for Kyle Dubas and company. They’ll still have to take care of pending contracts for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jake Gardiner, among several others.
Keep in mind that Johnsson is eligible for salary arbitration following one more professional season. He’s betting on himself.”
Auston Matthews Will Score 65-70 Goals
You probably saw this one bouncing around twitter lately. I don’t blame you, it’s a pretty outlandish statement, which shouldn’t be a surprise coming from James.
Still, his passion is clear throughout the piece, and his argument is supported. Want to start a debate with your friends? This piece will do the trick.
“Before we even account for the presence of John Tavares, Matthews should have no trouble hitting 50 goals this year. His shooting percentage improved 11% from his rookie to sophomore seasons. And, he’s approaching peak age, where players his age almost always continue to improve.
Add in Tavares on the team, and now opponents can’t just put all their best defenseman on Matthews. They’ll have to put some pressure on Tavares’ line, meaning Matthews is going to occasionally benefit with easier minutes. That means even more goals for the guy who is already the best in the league at scoring them.”
Lamoriello Proving Leafs Right
Looking back now, it’s pretty hilarious to think that mainstream outlets begrudged Shannahan’s decision to promote Kyle Dubas, letting Lou Lamoriello walk. The latter has since completed a number of head-scratching personnel moves with the Islanders, to comedic effect.
Not to mention, he lost out on the Tavares Sweepstakes to his former-protege.
Carson took a crack at quantifying all this. Speaking on Lou’s tenure with the Leafs isn’t easy, with Carson ultimately doing a bang-up job. Give it a read!
“With each passing day, Brendan Shanahan looks smarter for the decision he made.
When Shanahan hired Lamoriello in 2015 to take control of the Leafs, they agreed it would be for only three seasons. Lou isn’t getting any younger. So, the three years was the perfect amount of time to bring stability to a young team that needed a strong presence. His rules were silly. Telling grown men they required short hair and to be clean shaved was ridiculous. But, he still had a positive impact.
Lou is stuck in his ways. That is never going to change. It was time for the Leafs to move on and give the keys to Dubas. Since taking over the New York Islanders, Lamoriello has made moves that make all Leafs fans happy he is gone.”
Josh Jooris Career Rollercoaster
Lost in the hoopla of John Tavares was the signing of a depth forward in Josh Jooris. It’s unlikley that Jooris factors much into the team’s NHL success, his most likely role existing on the Marlies.
Regardless, the guy has had quite a career. Continuing to find work in spite of this is commendable, something Alan succeeded in breaking down every stop along the way.
If you happen to enjoy stories on underreported developments, this piece is for you.
“To start his 2017-18 campaign, Jooris recorded 6 points in 31 games for Carolina. This past February, Jooris was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Greg McKegg (remember him? He was a Leafs 3rd round pick and played four games for them.)
Jooris played in nine games for Pittsburgh near the end of the season. But, was ultimately unable to record a point.”
Next: Trade Value Power Rankings
Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes peeled to Editor in Leaf as we churn out piping hot content all summer long.