Toronto Maple Leafs: EIL Content Roundup – May 19th

The season is officially over for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But that doesn’t mean the content must stop. Yes, although the Maple Leafs may not be playing actual hockey games anymore, the Editor in Leaf staff have been working around the clock to ensure that every angle from every offseason topic has been covered.

With so many pieces hitting the wall all at once, it’s natural that a few may have fallen through the cracks. So, let’s take a look at some of the past week’s most intriguing pieces.

Toronto Maple Leafs: A Potential Second-Round Draft Option

For the first time in the Brendan Shanahan Era, the Maple Leafs will not be sauntering up to the podium on Day One of the NHL Entry Draft to make a selection.

It’s a weird feeling, right? After dealing this year’s first-rounder to Los Angeles in the Jake Muzzin trade, the Maple Leafs will instead be kicking their 2019 draft class off in the second round, hoping to weed out a few potential steals.

There’s still enough time for things to change, however. Toronto could make a trade to launch themselves back into the first-round festivities. It’s certainly possible. Then again, it’s become pretty clear that Kyle Dubas would do just about anything if it meant avoiding trading up, so that seems like a long shot.

Off to the second round, I guess!

And in his latest piece, Alex takes a look at a potential later-round target for Dubas & Co.

“It’s hard to imagine how many points Simon Holmstrom would have finished with this season.

He had surgery on both hips at the end of last season and then broke his finger shortly after he returned. Major injuries seem to cause a drop in some prospects’ draft stock, so it’s possible that teams could pass on him. This could benefit a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs who don’t pick till the second round.

Regardless of whether not he was injured, he’s an extremely talented playmaker who’s forming quite the defensive game as well.”

Toronto Maple Leafs: Who Was Better – Player A or Player B?

Don’t you just love guessing games? They truly are the best; peak content in its purest form.

In all seriousness, though, stripping away the inherent bias which comes from name recognition is actually a pretty accurate way to determine an athlete’s performance. Leaning favourably towards one certain player, even if that player doesn’t necessarily deserve it, is strictly human nature. Heck, I’m certainly not immune to it. Trevor Moore can do no wrong. That’s just a fact. But comparing Player A to Player B, with no ancillary distractions to cloud one’s judgement, is about as free of bias as judgements come.

Which, funnily enough, is exactly what James does in his piece from this week.

Who was better – Player A or Player B? Read on to find out.

“As someone whose job affords him quite a bit more free time to study statistics than the average person, and who spends a ton of time talking to Leafs fans, I have an interesting vantage point.  I get to see the distinctions between reality and perception.

I see some players are beloved, while others….not so much, and when comparing their stats, it just seems funny to me how actual hockey performance has the least to do with who the fans like and why.

So let’s do a little blind comparison, just to make this point.  I will say only that Player B is a beloved team favourite, and player A takes specific criticism for ‘not showing up in the playoffs'”.

How Kawhi’s Game Winner Affects the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto sports fans aren’t afforded many memorable moments. Ours is a fandom rooted in failure; that dull, stinging feeling when watching the seconds tick down on your team’s season. It’s the “are you kidding me?!” gasps when a terrible call or physics-defying bounce brings forth elimination. It’s the anniversary tweets of every gut-shattering heartbreak from year’s past.

Well, no more. In the final seconds of Game Seven between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, Kawhi Leonard raced to the court’s right wing and heaved up a shot that appeared destined to live on in the Toronto Sports Hall of Dispair. But something amazing happened. Despite seeming short, the ball bounced not once, not twice, not three times, but four times on the rim before ultimately falling through the basket to send the Raptors on to the Eastern Conference Final.

It was a magical moment. The kind worth remembering.

Although, this got Michael thinking. How many of these moments have the Maple Leafs given their fans in years past? And not just that, but how many of these moments came about after the 2019 draft class was born?

The answer? Not much.

In his latest piece, Michael examines how just lacking the Maple Leafs have been when it comes to recent memorable moments, and how this trend may turn around sooner rather than later.

“It shows up in spades when it comes to memorable moments in recent Toronto sports history, with the Blue Jays and TFC so far ahead of the Leafs in this department, as well.

Aside from Bautista’s iconic home-run, Edwin Encarnacion’s walk-off homer in the 2016 Wild Card Game is most definitely on that list. You could also add TFC winning the city’s first pro title of this millennium to the list as well. Even the entire 7th inning leading up to Bautista’s dinger is an iconic Toronto sports moment.

Don’t forget about the other teams in the city achieving success, including the Argonauts in 2017, the Marlies last year (and potentially again this year), and the Wolfpack. They may not be generation-defining moments, but they are still successes nonetheless.

So what about the Leafs; what has been their defining moment for this new generation? To put it simply, they haven’t achieved it yet.”

Thanks for reading!