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The Toronto Maple Leafs Biggest Lost Opportunity

By James Tanner

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 27: Tyler Ennis #63 and Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs chat prior to play resuming against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 27, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 27: Tyler Ennis #63 and Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs chat prior to play resuming against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 27, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are arguably the best team in the NHL with the brightest future.

Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t dress their optimal lineup once, they changed coaches midstream,  played something like a quarter of the season without their two best defenseman in the lineup, and when their back-up goalie played, they posted a record equal to the Senators.

And still, for the 40 odd games they played under their new coach, they finished 8th overall.

It’s impressive, and when you consider that they added an elite defenseman to the roster, and also made it way deeper, you’ve got no choice to be optimistic.   But there is still one that that bugs me.

The Toronto Maple Leafs could already be Cup Champions.

The Leafs One Big Error

When the Leafs gave Patrick Marleau a $6 million dollar contract, they were trying to win, they just had a bad GM who was extremely misguided.

What if, instead of signing a 4th liner with a Hall of Fame reputation, the Leafs actually spend $6 million dollars on a real $6 million dollar player?

The fact that the Leafs had three  superstars on entry-level deals, as well as Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner, James van Riemsdyk and Freddie Andersen during a “rebuild” means they should have been far less patient.

I said as much almost every single day back then.

What if, instead of adding Marleau, they packaged Timothy Liljegren and some picks for someone worthy of those six million dollars?

What if they didn’t enter the playoffs with Ron Hainsey on their TOP PAIRING?????? What if along with Hiansey, their top-four didn’t consist of two non-NHL players (We’re talking CNikita Zaitsev here as well)?

The Toronto Maple Leafs could have assembled an absolutely bonkers team while Matthews, Nylander and Marner were dirt-cheap.  Though other teams had yet to master the salary cap, and so circumstances were much different, both Chicago and Pittsburgh won cups with their franchise players on entry-level deals.

The Leafs could have done it too if Lou Lamoriello wasn’t incompetent.  They could have if they weren’t so afraid of not appearing to be patient.

In retrospect, Patrick Marleau will go down as one of the worst moves in franchise history.  That signing, along with the incomprehensible usage of Ron Hainsey and the horrible coaching of Mike Babcock will forever haunt the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Despite this, they came so close to upsetting Boston.  They lost a coin-flip and could have gone on to win the Cup, and that’s with Hainsey and Marleau. Imagine what they could have done had Kyle Dubas been given the job two years earlier?

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