The Toronto Maple Leafs sure have had an interesting beginning to their season.
There’s no William Nylander, Martin Marincin actually played a game, and two goalies sauntered off into the distance for free. Needless to say, everything has been happening.
So, the EIL staff put their heads together this week to answer one simple question:
Based on the final cuts from training camp, would you have done anything differently?
Personally? Yeah, I would have done a lot differently. I like Garret Sparks. Heck, I was one of his biggest supporters last season as he compiled one of the most prolific goaltending campaigns in AHL history.
That being said, his style in net is a legitimate cause for concern. Sparks is an aggressive net presence, attacking shooters squarely off the rush and generally relying on his athleticism to make up for any positional lapses. Only, there’s the thing. Swimming about in net leads to a plethora of positional lapses, the kind you can get away with when facing AHL competition, but NHLers will make you pay for.
We saw that on full display last night in Chicago.
Routinely swarmed by Blackhawks forwards, Sparks was lunging about in the crease to cover every angle, which, ironically, left the majority of them decidedly uncovered. It’s only been one game, and it’s far far too early to cast a complete judgement on his future with the team, but Sparks’ style may be suited best for competition in the level below the one he’s currently at.
Losing Calvin Pickard is a tough pill to swallow. While his five-hole may be an Achilles heel of sorts, Pickard is a far more stable presence and carries with him a proven track record of NHL success, albeit in terrible circumstances.
Sparks could completely turn things around in the games to come and it wouldn’t surprise me all that much. But Pickard seemed and continues to seem like the best choice for Frederik Andersen’s understudy.
Anyway, let’s see what the rest of the EIL staff had to say!