It’s Way Too Early To Be Angry With the Toronto Maple Leafs

The hate for the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason is unjust.

Although they haven’t played a game yet, and they’re only one week into free agency, many Toronto Maple Leafs fans are bashing this team before they’ve hit the ice.

Can we take a second to remember that this team just had it’s best two regular season’s in team history.

This isn’t a new organization….

They’ve been around since 1927 and just had their best year ever, but, yeah, sure, it’s time to blow it up and trade all the good players.

Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the very many that said they should trade Mitch Marner last year and also followed that up by saying they should trade John Tavares and William Nylander.

But at the end of the day, that was just the frustration of losing, and probably the glass (or three) of bourbon speaking after a late night of typing. But when you logically think about this team and what the future holds, why is everyone so negative right now?

Toronto Maple Leafs Should Be Stanley Cup Favorite

Did we all of a sudden forget that the best player in the world plays for the Leafs? Not only that, but did we forget the best right-winger in the world rides shotgun to him?

Auston Matthews and Marner are one of the best duo’s in the NHL and when they’re in the line-up, Toronto has a chance to win.

Even with this roster that’s currently constructed, the Leafs will be a playoff team. Their offense is still really good and they’ll out-score many opponents every night and Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov will be better than we think.

But let’s not forget, the season isn’t starting tomorrow.

There are still a ton of things that this team can do, whether that’s via trade, free agency, call-up’s or college signings.

I’m not saying he’s going to be the next Cale Makar, (they play different positions, I know), but who’s to say that Matthew Knies can’t be what Makar was for the Avalanche in 2018?

After two years of NCAA hockey, Makar jumped into the line-up (for free) and had six points in 10 playoff games, making an impact right away.

Maybe Knies is that secret weapons for Toronto because he clearly looks ready for the NHL. Instead of joining the Leafs now, he can instead join them at the end of the season and be in the line-up, without any salary-cap implications, becoming a huge addition for nothing.

Not only that, but a trade is going to happen, folks.

Whether it’s now or at the NHL Trade Deadline, this team isn’t going into the postseason with Justin Holl, Alex Kerfoot and Jake Muzzin on the roster. Instead, they will be valuable assets to trade at the NHL Trade Deadline, as they look to better their team.

Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Vladimir Tarasenko, Matt Dumba and Sean Monahan are all pending UFA’s after the 2022-23 season, so they could all be trade-bait for the Leafs, as their line-up doesn’t matter until it’s locked after the Deadline.

I know the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup in 55 years and they’re more than likely not going to win it next season, but we, as a fanbase, all need to damper our expectations.

We’re currently watching two of the greatest players in Leafs history in Marner and Matthews every night, but instead of being thankful for that, we’re worried about a salary-cap and yelling that Pierre Engvall is making too much money.

Let’s all take a second to breathe and see how this offseason unfolds.

Maybe there’s a surprise waiting to happen, or maybe there isn’t.

Either way, there’s never been a better time to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, so enjoy the ride and let’s see what happens. Hopefully there’s not another Game 7 loss in our future, but if there is, it’s nothing a cold beer can’t fix.