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3 Reasons Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Will be a Better Team Next Year

By Joseph Zita

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 08: T.J. Brodie #7 of the Calgary Flames skates with the puck in NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on February 8, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 08: T.J. Brodie #7 of the Calgary Flames skates with the puck in NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on February 8, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs /

TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 06: Nicholas Robertson #89 of the Toronto Maple Leafs.. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images).

1. Full Season Under Keefe

The Leafs will get their biggest advantage from having a full season under Sheldon Keefe. As everyone should know, the Maple Leafs only got 47 games with Sheldon Keefe after the firing of Mike Babcock and before the season was put on pause due to Covid-19.

If you look at the NHL standings, the Toronto Maple Leafs did finish their 2019-20 season with a record of 36-25-9 (81 PTS) which gave them seventh place in the Eastern Conference.  As head coach Babcock held a record of 9-10-4 (22 PTS) through the teams first 23 games of the season.

Fast forward to the hiring of Keefe, the Toronto Maple Leafs shot out of a cannon and played some  of their best hockey of the season and ended up with a record of 27-15-5 (59 PTS) through 47 games under Keefe. Under Keefe the Leafs were on pace for 47 wins and 102 PTS on an 82 game pace, under Babcock they were on pace for 32 wins and 78 PTS.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were getting under Keefe is way better than Babcock and it was only half a season. Sheldon Keefe is the proper coach for this team, they are offensive minded and that’s the play style Keefe and Dubas love.

Mike Babcock, on the other hand, was more of a defensive minded coach and it really didn’t work out as we could see.

Next. Give Gary Bettman a Hand. dark

All in all with the new additions, the help on defense, the toughness and physicality Kyle Dubas brought in this off-season, and a full season under Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs will be greatly improved.

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