The Only Thing That Can Stop the Toronto Maple Leafs Is the Leafs
By Bram Diamond
The Toronto Maple Leafs last 2021 playoff game could be Jumbo Joe Thornton’s farewell to hockey.
Jason Spezza is a veteran leader who constantly earns the veteran’s minimum and started a fund Marlies players who had to take less money this year make their full salary. Wayne Simmonds has been on a lot of bad teams and has a real opportunity for a playoff run.
While these three players are important to the Leafs success, they are all on the fourth line and will play less minutes than the majority of the Leafs other forwards. Despite that, one of the most important things about these playoffs is to finally help one of the league’s best ever players – Joe Thornton – get the championship he has long deserved.
Auston Matthews has won the Rocket Richard trophy by scoring 41 goals in 52 games, the most goals in the NHL. Mitch Marner is a top 5 point producer in the NHL. John Tavares is a point per game player in Toronto and the captain of the team. William Nylander and Zach Hyman are two terrific top six forwards. The list continues with veterans such and Nick Foligno and a bunch of other good depth players.
While this Leafs core is known for their scoring abilities, their defense at times has been more impressive than the offense. TJ Brodie’s arrival has been Kyle Dubas’ second best move besides signing Tavares. Him and Morgan Rielly have proven to be a great two way pairing and have generated terrific offensive and defensive production.
In order for a long playoff run, Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl need to be the shutdown pairing they have been at many points throughout the season. While they have been great through many long stretches of the regular season, they are sometimes victim of letting in some weak goals against. Leafs fans hope that they can play at their best in the playoffs.
The rise of Rasmus Sandin has gotten many Leafs fans excited about the future of the blue-line. Sandin has been so impressive in his limited amount of games this season. His defensive and offensive poise is off the charts for such a young defensemen. He can break the puck out of the zone so beautifully while being a force on defense with big hits and steady defensive play. Sandin paired with either Zach Bogosian or Travis Dermott is one of the best third pairing in the league.
Dermott has also looked extremely solid on the right side with Sandin and they could play together in the playoffs if Bogosian is or isn’t healthy. Bogosian played well during his time in Tampa Bay playing many hard minutes on the penalty kill when the team won the Stanley Cup.