The Toronto Maple Leafs will face the Columbus Blue Jackets during the Stanley Cup qualifiers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will face a tough opponent in the Columbus Blue Jackets to qualify for the NHL 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Given there is no easy opponent when it comes to qualifying for the playoffs, the Columbus Blue Jackets are a rough one to be matched up against.
Complete opposites of one another, the matchup between Toronto and Columbus is one based on skill vs. will. The Toronto Maple Leafs are heavily loaded with skilled and elite players, on paper, one might even argue they bolster one of the most talented rosters in the league.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, however, are a more balanced team after losing almost all their star players in free agency last summer. Nonetheless, at the hand of coach John Tortorella, they’re a disciplined team capable of being competitive every night.
It’s teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets the Toronto Maple Leafs struggle against.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Playoffs
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to extend their consecutive playoff appearances to 4 straight, losing the former 3 consecutive appearances in the first round.
Heck, they haven’t won a series since 2004, when they won a series against the Ottowa Senators.
It’s why the qualifying series could be a blessing in disguise for Toronto, should they clinch a playoff spot, it could give them some momentum whilst also shaking their playoff syndrome of not winning a series for so long.
That’s why for this weeks roundtable, we asked the writing staff of Editor in Leaf the following question; “How will the Toronto Maple Leafs do in the playoffs (qualifiers) and which player will surprise the most?”
Let’s find out!
The answers to the roundtable have been written before the first game against Columbus.