8. Defense and Goaltending
At least this one is plausible. It’s still not true, though. The Leafs are seventh in the NHL in 5v5 puck possession, meaning it’s hard to score on them because they usually have the puck. They played seven games, and 10 of their 17 5v5 goals against came in just two of those games.
The team stats are extremely skewed by their two games from last weekend where their goalies played horribly. Otherwise, they’ve had perfectly fine, even solid, goaltending and defense.
7. Kyle Dubas
All Dubas has done since getting hired is hire a great coach, clean up after Lou Lamoriello, lock up his best players through their primes, turn the Leafs farm system from one of the worst into one of the best, and ice a team that almost won the President’s Trophy and did win a Division Title.
He can’t help it that the pandemic caused a hard cap, or that Columbus won a five game series six months after the season randomly stopped, or that Montreal beat them with an injured Tavares. The Leafs should extend his contract and any talk of firing him is indicative of why this team has never won in a league with more than six teams. You’ve got to see the plan through.