What moves would the Toronto Maple Leafs take back if they could?
When it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, looking at things in hindsight is almost never a good thing.
All it really brings about is feelings of regret, or wishful thinking about what could have been if certain things had fallen just a little bit differently.
This season, albeit on pause, has brought time for many Toronto Maple Leafs fans to think. What could the team have done differently, looking at it now?
Personally, I can think of many things. While technically, should play resume, the team does sit in a playoff spot – they should be there much more comfortably than their current predicament shows.
This season, as many of you know, has seen the Toronto Maple Leafs take huge ups, but also suffer huge downs.
Here are three things that I think they could have done different – that would have had you all singing a much different tune.
1. Getting Rid of Babcock
When you first look at this, you may think I wanted the Toronto Maple Leafs to keep Mike Babcock.
No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. In fact, I think he should have been let go at the beginning of the season, in favour of Sheldon Keefe.
Now, I did like Babcock at the beginning of his tenure with the team. I thought he brought something that was needed to a team who had an overwhelming surplus of young kids who had barely played in the NHL.
But, after the disastrous playoff collapse that the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered for the second year in a row to the Boston Bruins, my tone quickly changed. At that point, I really believed that he was no longer the guy to lead this team to the promised land.
If Mike Babcock had been replaced prior to the season starting, I genuinely believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs would have had a completely different season.
I highly doubt that the losing streak we had to endure would not have happened, and the team would be in a much comfortable spot. I certainly don’t think that we would have been fighting with the Panthers all year for a playoff spot, that’s for sure.
2. Offseason Goaltending Priority
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a serious goaltending problem.
Before receiving Jack Campbell as part of the Trevor Moore deal with LA, the team went through a rotation of backup goaltenders. Need I mention that it should have been one of the major parts of last offseason.
As shown by his performances this season, one cannot rely on Frederik Andersen for every single game. He will have bad stretches, but when your backup goaltender almost certifies a loss whenever in the net, it forces the team to more heavily rely on Andersen.
I have to admit, ever since the team acquired Campbell, I feel a lot more relaxed going into each game. But, it would have been nice to have him just a little bit earlier. If they did, there’s a multitude of games that would have probably been in the W column for the Blue and White.
3. Mitch Marner
The Mitch Marner contract made and still makes many Toronto Maple Leafs fans scratch their heads. I honestly don’t think the deal should have taken as long as it did. Marner should have been signed early into the offseason, or back when Matthews signed his deal in February of 2019.
Now, I love Mitch Marner don’t get me wrong. Do I think he’s worth the value of his contract? No. Marner is worth $8-9 million a year at most. While he is an exceptional player, he is not in the same realm as Matthews or Tavares, the two top earners on the team.
The way the contract shook out between Marner and Dubas cost the team some valuable cap space that could have been used elsewhere in the years to come.
It didn’t need to be that much money, or for that much term. The team should have come to a much more reasonable deal, and much quicker than what they did.
Hindsight is 2020 for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Ha, that’s the only year that this joke will actually be valid.