The Toronto Maple Leafs are among the NHL’s best teams.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens will begin a best of seven series on Thursday night.
The Canadiens beat the Penguins last year in a play-in round, before losing to the Flyers in the first round. The Leafs lost to the Blue Jackets in one of the flukiest upsets in recent memory.
When the year started, many hockey analysts felt that Montreal was going to be the team to beat in the North, but it was obvious to everyone who knew what they were talking about that that wouldn’t be the case.
As predicted, the Leafs made a mockery of the North on their way to the best season in franchise history (admittedly, that isn’t saying much).
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens and Leafs series can be summed up in two words: elite players. The Leafs have them, the Canadiens don’t.
Four players on the Leafs – count them: Nylander, Matthews, Marner, Tavares – would be Montreal’s best player, and that is something that Montreal can only overcome in one way: goaltending.
There in lies the Habs only hope: They can’t match the Leafs in scoring, defense, special teams, coaching, depth, or number of elite players. They could, theoretically at least, win due to goaltending.
But realistically, good luck with that. Auston Matthews scores a goal per game, and the Leafs win almost every game he scores in. Also, the Leafs haven’t even really got to play any games yet where they put Hyman and Foligno in their top six and relentlessly retrieve pucks for the four other superstars they play with.
The Leafs won seven out of ten regular season games, by a combined score of 34-25. The Canadiens have a good team but they are a superstar short of contending for anything. The Leafs, on the other hand, are hockey’s best team and are, I believe, just about to embark on something resembling a dynasty.
This summer, Montreal should do whatever it takes to acquire Jack Eichel. You can’t compete in the NHL without a player of that stature. In the meantime, the Canadiens can count the playoffs a success if they avoid a sweep.
The Toronto Maple Leafs should have no trouble whatsoever beating a weak Montreal team that lacks star power. The Leafs should easily sweep the Habs, but if the series goes five games Montreal should feel proud because realistically, they don’t have a chance.
The Leafs need to win the Stanley Cup to count this as a successful season. The Habs just need to win a game.