The Toronto Maple Leafs: Leafs Nation Gets Some Great News

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 13: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for a puck against the Montreal Canadiens during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 13: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs waits for a puck against the Montreal Canadiens during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have won six out of seven games.

You wouldn’t know it though, because even though the Toronto Maple Leafs are absolutely on fire, and even though statistically they are actually UNDERPERFORMING people are still finding things to complain about.

Such as “The Core Four have scored the last however many goals in a row and the team gets no depth scoring”  which is a really, really stupid thing to have listen to.

The other nights game, had you been drinking every time they said “core four” you’d be dead right now.  They sure killed that phrase, so I can at least promise you that you’ll never again see it uttered here at EIL.

Toronto Maple Leafs Get Great News

But annoying phrases aside, the complaint is utter nonsense.  The Leafs have more star players than other teams, so they rely less on depth.  Also, the four best Leafs are red-hot, not exactly a  problem.   Also, they get all the offensive zone starts, and most of the power-play time.  Also, this is by design.  Also, the shooting percentage of the Leafs non-star players is preposterously low and will – guaranteed – rebound.

Here is the thing: Writers and pundits need something to talk about, and complaining about the Leafs is usually a Fish in a Barrel situation, so when things are going well…..there just isn’t anything to talk about.

“The Leaf aren’t getting any depth scoring!”  –  Yeah playa, but they’re winning every game.

“The Leafs don’t have a good third string goalie”  – literally every team is in the same situation if their back-up gets injured.

It’s all nonsense, my friends.

Here is what you do:  You put on the first Stone Roses record.  You crank it to 11.  You get yourself a very nice, very strong black coffee and you write about how dumb these narratives are, just to vent.  Then consider making fun of the idea that people mock your hockey takes while John Torterella and Dave Poulin go on TV every night and say things that would make Rudy Giuliani blush.

Then take the rest of the day off work and see if you can finally beat the Emerald Weapon in FF7.

Now, this device might seem hyper specific, so if it doesn’t work for you, I don’t know what to tell ya.

But instead of complaining about something, I say focus on the good news.  What good news you ask?  How about this:

John Tavares, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the worlds most likely man to turn out to actually have been a Cylon the whole time , is back and ready to go.

He will return tonight for the games against the Flames.