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Toronto Maple Leafs: Atlantic Division Power Rankings November

ByAlex Hobson|
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 17: Brandon Carlo #25 of the Boston Bruins chases after Kasperi Kapanen #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 17, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 6-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 17: Brandon Carlo #25 of the Boston Bruins chases after Kasperi Kapanen #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 17, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 6-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 28: Yegor Korshkov #96 of the Toronto Maple Leafs passes the puck away as Madison Bowey #74 of the Detroit Red Wings defends during an NHL pre-season game at Scotiabank Arena on September 28, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Wilbert: There isn’t much to say to the season of the Detroit Red Wings. It’s much like the 2015 – 2016 Toronto Maple Leafs season, minus the elite prospects, they’re probably just hoping to tank the league to have the best odds in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.

They are last in the league with an 7-20-3 record, riding an 8 game losing streak and tank the league in goals for.

Let’s summarize the rest of their season, shall we?

They will end last in the Atlantic Division, obviously. Filling out your Red Wings all-star ballad? Dylan Larkin, hands down. Notable statistics to their season? They will probably end last in goals-for this season.

Actually, with current management direction, this applies for next year too.

With all due respect for one of the original six, they need to adapt. They have a depleted farm system, their on-ice development is going anywhere and their “rebuild on the fly” after the 25-year playoff streak isn’t working.

Alex, shouldn’t Detroit’s management consider moving all their valuable pieces to start a full rebuild by now?

Alex: “They absolutely should be. At this point, the Red Wings are beyond bad. They’re straight up laughable.

They currently sit dead last in the league with a goal differential of -56. That’s even more than the combined goal differential of the next two teams, which between New Jersey and Los Angeles, add up to -55.

At this point, the Red Wings remind me a lot of the 2015-16 Leafs. As we get closer to the deadline, they should be working the phones non-stop to get rid of veterans such as Jimmy Howard, Valtteri Filppula, Mike Green, basically anybody who doesn’t fit into their future plans.

Call up all of the kids and let them play. Give the fans a glimpse into the future and something to look forward to amidst a season where they clearly won’t be anywhere close to contention. 

The Atlantic Division is nothing short of a dog fight with the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs duking it out near the top.

If the Red Wings want to be a part of this dog fight in the near future, they need to kickstart the rebuild and start building for the future immediately.”

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