It’s almost playoff time for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As the regular season winds down and the postseason grows closer on the horizon, the EIL staff have been hard at work to make sure that every possible angle is covered. With so many stories hitting the wall all at once, it’s entirely likely that some may have fallen through the cracks.
Here’s a brief recap of some of the past week’s content.
Toronto Maple Leafs Will Call Calle Rosen Up
The Leafs blueline can’t get much worse than it is right now, can it? With both Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott on the shelf with injuries for the past month, Toronto’s back end has been noticeably slim.
Enter; Calle Rosen.
The hype surrounding Rosen is no joke. Following up on a decent debut campaign in North America last season, Rosen has established himself as arguably the AHL’s top defenceman this season, with a starring role on both the Toronto Marlies’ power play and penalty kill to go along with his 45 points in 53 games.
Rosen is will a sight for sore eyes when he likely makes his season debut on Saturday. Check out Nick’s piece to set the stage.
“Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs have 3 players battling for 1 spot, and 2 players out to injuries. Travis Dermott is set to return in a few days and Jake Gardiner is likely to return before the playoffs start.
And even the fact that Mike Babcock went to the Marlies game on Sunday, just to get a glimpse of Calle Rosen, makes it even more likely to me. He’s 6’1, he uses the body, and most importantly, he can score.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: This is Why You Don’t Trade Young Forwards
Remember when everyone thought it was a good idea to trade William Nylander? Pretty crazy, right?
Nylander has arguably been the Leafs’ best forward for the better part of the past month. With some absolutely glistening possession metrics, including a 56.3% CF/60 at 5v5, Nylander is pushing the play better than he ever has, and his offensive results are now starting to demonstrate that.
In James’ latest piece, he outlines why trading players of Nylander’s calibre for checking defencemen is a fools gambit. Give it a look
“People try to offer subtle analysis that goes beyond point totals, but the fact is, most people don’t care. Most people look at Nylander’s 5 goals in 48 games and assume he is playing poorly.
They’ll tell you to watch the games if you bring up any of his other stats, but the fact is, if you do, you see a player that constantly carries the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone with confidence. A player who creates chances almost every time he’s on the ice.
Nylander was the Leafs best player during the month of February, but playing mostly with Marleau and Brown (as a centre when Kadri went down) didn’t do much for his point totals.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: Get to Know Your First Round Opponent
You knew it was coming.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will once again face the Boston Bruins in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and all your greatest fears will inevitably be realized. Isn’t hockey fun? This is fun.
And yet, even though the Leafs have seemingly locked horns with the Bruins nonstop for the past decade, there is still much we do not know about them. They say it’s best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, which is exactly what James sought out to do this week.
Take a gander at his latest piece to better acquaint yourself with the bane of the entire Greater Toronto Area’s existence.
“Don’t forget that, during this time, the Leafs played 20 games at a 119 point pace and didn’t gain any points in the standings. The Bruins are a good team, but their streak padded their totals and makes them seam better than they are.
They have more points than the Toronto Maple Leafs because they won two games in a shoot-out and have three extra loser points.
The two teams have the exact same amount of wins in regulation/OT.
The Bruins are a slightly better possession team (about one percentage point) and the Leafs have scored an extra 50 5v5 goals. Both teams generally get stellar goaltending, and while the Bruins are better defensively, the Leafs are significantly better offensively.”
Thanks for reading!
Stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com