Toronto Maple Leafs: EIL Content Roundup – August 5th

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: Tyson Barrie is the Missing Piece

When was the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs had a right-shooting defenceman as talented and productive as Tyson Barrie? I honestly can’t remember. Maybe Tomas Kaberle? He was incredible, but at least Barrie takes a few shots every once in a while.

Case in point; the acquisition of Barrie, regardless of its heartwrenching cost (we miss you, Naz), is monumental to what the Leafs plan to do this season.

He completely re-shapes their entire blueline, affording Morgan Rielly or Jake Muzzin with the best defence partner either of them has ever played with while allowing the Leafs to take the lion’s share of the responsibility off of one of their two top LHD.

In his latest piece, Patrick breaks down exactly how important Barrie is to his new team and why he may very well be the one last missing piece.

“The Toronto Maple Leafs look to have lost Jake Gardiner, Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey from the line-up. Zaitsev and Hainsey’s roles will likely be shared around, with their 5v5 time going to the new additions and their PK minutes likely being shared between Ceci, Reilly, Dermott and whoever else plays on the bottom pairing (Schmaltz, Harpur or Marincin). Therefore, Barrie’s primary spot to fill is the role of Jake Gardiner.

Tyson Barrie has put up 57 (14-43-57) and 59 (14-45-59) points across his last two seasons. Those numbers rank him as the sixth highest producing defenceman in the entire NHL across that span. Also, in those past two seasons, Barrie has produced at a better point per game rate than any Leafs defenceman, including Morgan Reilly.”

Top Five Best Defencemen in Toronto Maple Leafs History

Lists are fun, right? And the dead of the summer is more or less the best time to crank one out.

The Maple Leafs have been a professional hockey team for over 100 years. That’s incredible. In fact, it’s truly remarkable to just take a step back for a moment and ponder how much friggin’ time that really is.

Naturally, one would think that any team whose history spans in excess of a century would, therefore, harbour some legends amongst its past ranks. The Canadiens have Hall of Famers like Jean Beliveau, Rocket Richard, and Guy Lafleur; the Red Wings have Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe, and Alex Delvecchio; the Bruins have Tony Esposito, Gerry Cheevers, and Bobby Orr.

The Maple Leafs? Not so much.

While going through Toronto’s all-time best defencemen in his latest piece, Spencer hammers this very point home.

“Finishing with the bronze medal is Bryan McCabe (as is tradition).

One of the most perplexing players in recent memory, McCabe was the lightning rod of Leafs nation through the good and bad of the 2000s. No player was more unfairly ridiculed and underappreciated during their time on the Toronto Maple Leafs, with one possible exception.

Often hated for his defensive blemishes, McCabe was never truly recognized for his offensive ability.

In 523 games as a Maple Leaf, McCabe scored 83 goals and 297 points, which puts him 6th in all-time defensive scoring in franchise history (Quant Hockey).”

Brendan Shanahan is the Best Thing to Ever Happen to the Toronto Maple Leafs

For the most part, many people point to Auston Matthews’ draft day in 2016 as the true turning point in the Maple Leafs’ current rebuild. Others opt for Mitch Marner’s coronation the year prior, while another group reserves their judgement for July 1st, 2018; when John Tavares decided to live out his childhood dream.

Those are all admirable moments that paved the way for the Maple Leafs to ascend out of the NHL’s basement and into the upper tier of contenders. But they’re not the turning point.

No, that came on April 11th, 2014: The day Brendan Shanahan was officially hired as President of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shanahan is responsible for all of what has transpired since. He hired Kyle Dubas as a bright young executive, then hired Lou Lamoriello to serve as his mentor, then promoted Dubas three years later when he believed the youngster to be ready. Shanahan is the true godfather of the Maple Leafs’ organization, and should be hailed amongst the fanbase as such.

Which, funnily enough, is exactly what James does in his latest piece.

“The thing that makes Brendan Shanahan different from every single executive the Leafs have previously hired, and virtually everyone in else running a hockey team is that he is open to new ideas.

If you could boil the problem facing every GM down to one thing, it would be this: The ingrained dogma of 50 + years of hockey tradition clouds their judgement.

Brendan Shanahan has shown his willingness to listen to and learn from others to be his biggest advantage over his peers.”

Thanks for reading! Only a few more weeks until hockey is back.