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 Trade Rumour: Jacob Trouba
This is going to be an offseason of exorbitant change for the Maple Leafs.
After yet another debilitating Game Seven loss to the Boston Bruins, in which the same issues from year’s past reared their heads, Kyle Dubas seems intent on morphing the roster into something that more represents his vision. Last season, that wasn’t the case. Ron Hainsey was logging top pair minutes, after all. But now Dubas has a full year in the GM’s chair under his belt and is heading into the summer with an appetite for change.
Could that come in the form of a Jacob Trouba trade? The Winnipeg Sun sure thinks so. And in his latest piece, James examines the pros and cons of a potential Nazem Kadri-for-Trouba deal.
Check it out.
“It’s not far fetched to think that if Nazem Kadri was less of an idiot, that the Toronto Maple Leafs would still be playing right now.
Kadri is and has been my favorite player for years. He’s one of the best homegrown Leafs players in my life, and I would be very sad if he was traded.
However, his contract is valuable and his age means that his decline will start soon if it hasn’t already. I don’t blame him for his suspensions and I think that’s a dumb reason to trade someone.
But if Kadri could bring back the long-targeted top pairing right-handed defenseman, I would have to be on board.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: Tyler Bozak Heading to the Finals
As if Game Seven wasn’t enough of a gut punch to Leafs fans, they now must sit back and watch the man they replaced with John Tavares, Tyler Bozak, take part in the Stanley Cup Finals. The same Stanley Cup Finals which the Leafs haven’t taken part in since 1967. And who is Bozak’s St. Louis Blues set to go up against? The Boston Bruins, of course. The same team he so repeatedly bowed to during his time with the Maple Leafs.
Terrific. It’s actually funny, really.
Yet, it’s hard not to root for one of Toronto’s most beloved exes. Bozak was a consummate professional throughout his 9-year tenure in blue and white, living through some of the darkest moments in the franchise’s history and, near the end, taking part in some of the brightest.
As Erin writes in her latest piece, it’s time to hop on Team Bozak™.
“With the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bozak was part of two Game 7 losses against the Bruins. Before he was injured and missed the last two games in 2013, he only contributed a goal and an assist. Last season, he put up 2 goals and 2 assists in all 7 games.
He may not have been around for this year’s upset, but he definitely saw it. And like the polite, dedicated, Toronto-loving man I’m sure he is, Bozak is ready to give Leafs Nation what they’ve been waiting three rounds for. Just, as a member of a different team.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Player Grades
With the Maple Leafs’ season now firmly in the books, it’s now finally time to take a look back at the year that was. Who performed above expectations? Who disappointed? Who elevated their game to the level we always thought they could?
All of those questions, and a whole lot more, are answered in James’ comprehensive Maple Leafs player grades. Take a trip down memory lane, and get a glimpse at how the individual pieces of Toronto’s roster performed in a season of sky-high expectations.
“William Nylander by James Tanner
It’s hard to grade Nylander, since he was out until December due to a contract dispute that has coloured how Leafs Nation views him.
Nylander could have scored 40 goals upon his return to the lineup and it is clear that the fans were always going to give him a hard time. They’ll forgive him soon (people forget that Brendan Shanahan had not one, but two intense contract squabbles during his career) but for now, he’s a villain.
Which makes no sense. He’s only one of the three best players the team has drafted in forty or so years. Since Sundin retired, he’s was the third best player to suit up for the Leafs until they signed Tavares.
He’s a franchise player.”
Thanks for reading! Be sure to keep an eye out for much more EIL content.