Toronto Maple Leafs: EIL Content Roundup August 20th

Even in the driest period of the offseason, there is still plenty to talk about when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As always, the EIL staff have been working overboard to keep you informed of every angle. With so many articles hitting the, as the kids say, interwebs, it’s easy for some to slip through the cracks.

So, here are a few notable pieces from this past week.

Player Profile: Calvin Pickard

Depending on how the goaltending situation plays out in training camp, Calvin Pickard could end up playing a big role for the Leafs in the coming season. What better way to familiarize yourself with the potential backup than by checking out his player profile?

“The Avalanche drafted Pickard in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft after playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL. After the draft, he spent 4 years in the AHL, 3 of them as a starter. Upon being called up to the Avalanche, Pickard split a backup role with Reto Berra.

His first season saw Pickard post a 6-7-3 record with a 2.35 GAA and .932 SV% in 16 appearances. His numbers stayed strong the next year, going 7-6-1 and compiling a 2.56 GAA and .922 SV%. His first two seasons may have been solid, but his third year would be a different story.”

Dubas & Epstein Ending Droughts

The Chicago Cubs draw a ton of parallels with the Leafs. Both franchises have experienced lengthy championship droughts cutting-edge young executives to turn things around and went on to employ a number of homegrown superstars.

Josh discusses how Dubas could follow a similar path to his Cub counterpart, Theo Epstein.

“In 2016, Pierre LeBrun wrote a post for ESPN discussing that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be the NHL’s Chicago Cubs. It’s very hard to disagree with LeBrun. Since the Cubs won the World Series, the Toronto Maple Leafs have done a number of changes to improve their odds of being the next dynasty.

The history of the Toronto Maple Leafs reminds me a lot of the history of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs just like the Maple Leafs were in a championship drought for many years. In the case of the Cubs, they hired an exceptional VP of Baseball Operations by the name of Theo Epstein, who understood the importance of advanced statistics when evaluating talent.”

Who is Better, Matthews or Tavares?

This is the type of debate Leafs fans never imagined having, even in their wildest dreams. And yet here we are. Pretty cool.

Anyway, give Michael’s breakdown a read.

“Matthews was able to do something no other player in the modern era was able to do. Not even Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux have this feat in their record books. He scored four goals in his NHL debut, something never done by a player before him.

That was just the beginning of a historic first year by Matthews. He scored 40 goals, the 40th being an empty-netter to seal the Leafs’ playoff spot.  He also had 69 points in 82 games, which is very good for a first-year player. Both are Leaf records and the former is an NHL record for most goals scored by an American born rookie.”

Is Kasperi Kapanen Good?

Kasperi Kapanen has been a puzzling prospect since entering the Leafs organization. The kid has more speed than he can handle, and yet has never been able to rack up points at the NHL level.

Is this due to his role on the 4th line? Or, is he just not capable of being the offensive contributor fans believe him to be?

Denver dives into this argument. Check it out.

“When I watch Kasperi Kapanen skate, I don’t care EXACTLY how kilometres per hour he’s going, or even if he’s the fastest skater on the team.  I just look, and in the moment I see him skating like a cheetah.  Then I reminisce about flashbacks of him flying by D-men and nearly making them break their ankles.  Without measuring anything, I can feel confident that he’s among the fastest skaters.  But not everything is so obvious.

Next, I think of the big goals Kapanen has scored.  Remember that short-handed overtime goal he scored against Washington in the playoffs that won us the game?  Remember that goal he scored against Pittsburgh in game 81, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to the post-season?”

Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes peeled to EIL as the season approaches.