The Toronto Maple Leafs are the poster-team for stability.
Even though Sheldon Keefe has not even been the Toronto Maple Leafs coach for a single full season of 82 game hockey (this is his third season, and both of the first two were cut short by Covid) he now has a longer tenure than 20 other coaches.
That is incredible.
After the Oilers fired their coach today, and the Canadiens yesterday, only 10 other coaches in the league have been with their team longer than Keefe.
Toronto Maple Leafs, Coaches, and Tonight’s Game
The Oilers are a joke. The team picked first overall four times in five years, and in the year they didn’t pick first, they drafted Leon Draisaitl, and still they are brutal.
Ryan Nugent Hopkins has had 8 coaches since he was drafted. Guys, I think it might not be the coach. Either way, it’s hilarious to me that 20 coaches have gotten canned since the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Sheldon Keefe.
Speaking of those Leafs, they are on a bizarre 24-3 run in the last 27 games in which Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews both dressed. They probably should have waited until the spring to go on such a run, but it’s impressive nevertheless.
The good news is that Matthews will play tonight even though he got hit in the head in the team’s last game, which was a great victory of the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
The Leafs have picked up over 80% of the points available to them since October 27th when they turned their season around after a mostly unlucky start. It’s the greatest run in franchise history.
Obviously, Matthews playing is the big story, but there are quite a few subsequently smaller stories in play tonight against Calagary.
- Jack Campbell will be looking to get back on track after a bit of a rough month
- Mitch Marner will be looking to score in his 9th straight game
- In these 8 games, he has 19 points, which is just shy of a 200 points pace
- This puts Marner on pace for 102 points this year, which, short seasons not withstanding, would have been his third straight 100 point season.
- Auston Matthews has 24 goals in his last 23 games
- Jake Muzzin is likely going to play
- Wayne Simmonds won’t and Travis Dermott will dress in his place.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the Calgary Flames tonight in Calgary, at 9PM Eastern Standard time, and the most important story of all is they will be going for their sixth straight victory.