With the 2020 playoffs slowly approaching, the Toronto Maple Leafs will begin their run to the Stanley Cup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
For my birthday last year, my dad, sister, and I went on a road trip to Ohio in the middle of winter to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The arena was buzzing with Leafs fans, so much so that our chanting really annoyed the Blue Jackets fans. Our presence and enthusiasm overwhelmed them, something we should hope the Leafs do in the first round.
Although I am sure many Toronto Maple Leafs fans are familiar with the coach of the Blue Jackets, John Tortorella (AKA Torts), they may not be as familiar with their roster.
Per hockey-reference.com, the Blue Jackets finished the season with a 33–22–15 record and placed 4th in the Metropolitan division.
While this is better than their record last season, they lost two key players from last seasons swept of the Lightning, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, and suffered multiple injuries to key players.
Another interesting aspect of the Blue Jackets is their size, or lack thereof. The Blue Jackets have two players under 5’9 (although I suspect one is more like 5’7 since the NHL has been prone to boosting players’ stats).
The players on the shorter side, 5’8 Cam Atkinson (12–14–26) and 5’4 Nathan Gerbe (4–6–10), often play key roles in the lineup are an asset to the team.
Since they only played the Toronto Maple Leafs three times during the season, I am here to break down their roster and play.