The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t played since March the tenth.
In what was, most likely, their last game of the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 2-1.
It was a score that mirrored the Leafs record against what is, standings aside, the only team in the NHL equal to or better than they are.
In one man’s opinion, anyways.
The Leafs next game was supposed to be against the Predators, but as all are aware, that game never happened. Had the season not been interrupted, the Leafs would be looking to defeat the Hurricanes tonight after what I assume would have been a great victory last night over the Lightning.
But instead, the NHL postponed a bunch more stuff.
The NHL Cancels Almost Everything
Yesterday the NHL announced that, as expected, the Scouting Combine, NHL Entry Draft and NHL Awards would all be canceled and (one assumes) eventually re-scheduled.
As for the season, there is still no word.
The League and Players association clearly would like to play the rest of the season, but who knows if that is possible at this point.
For certain there will be no hockey for at least a couple of months, likely more. If the NHL decides to delay the start of next season, they could perhaps hold the playoffs.
Then again, even if this season is entirely cancelled, who is to say that we’ll be able to start next season on time?
Certainly nothing I’ve seemed proposed seems at all realistic. A loser tournament for the right to the first overall pick? A play-in that includes all but six teams?
This is all non-sense.
If the season is over but the playoff can happen, there should be no play-in. Just go by the points percentage of the teams on the last day of the season and play some playoff hockey – if that is even possible.
To be honest, I’m highly entertained by all the wacky proposals, I just don’t think they’ll ever happen.
I will tell you this though – if one more person tells me the results of a simulation, I might lose my mind.
Why on earth anyone would care about what happens in a video game is probably not something I’ll ever understand.
I look forward to the return of the Leafs, but if we’re looking for positives here, the fact that there won’t be an NHL Awards show is probably a good thing. I mean, that is unless you are a huge fan of stilted comedy and outdated “celebrities.”