The Toronto Maple Leafs are red hot – but after being hurt so many times, should we believe it?
A few years back I was fortunate enough to strike up a conversation with former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer and fan favourite Tie Domi. I asked him what the core issue was with the Leafs and their recent playoff futility. Domi thought for a moment and then said:
"“Look at the Islanders. They got Komarov and Martin; see how well they’re doing now?”"
I smiled and agreed with him (I may have a number of inches on the guy but he could still knock me out without a moment’s hesitance) and the brief interaction was over. But all I was thinking about was how little that answer made sense.
Could two fourth-liners (who, from time to time, are also healthy scratches) really have that much influence on the success of an entire hockey team? What exactly was it about Komarov’s 2 goals in 44 playoff appearances (all stats from hockey-reference.com) that were so integral to the Islanders playing that many post-season contests?
Toronto Maple Leafs and a Lack of…..Bad Players?
Moreover, both of these players also suited up for Toronto for multiple playoff games and, well, we know Toronto’s history there, so why did they fail to have any impact here?
The fact is, just about any “take” or core belief can be justified if somebody wants it to fit their particular narrative. And let’s face it, in this market there is never a lack of “hot takes” or intense examinations of everything Toronto Maple Leafs.
So in an effort to sift through the bloated mass of Leafs discourse and identify what is a pertinent issue and what isn’t, I present to you ‘Beleafs’ and ‘Disbeleafs’. The former are issues I either agree with or think are legitimate and the latter are the opposite.
(And, as a disclaimer, I steadfastly acknowledge that I certainly have had some bad “takes” myself over the years so as I said in my previous article, take this for what’s it worth).