Toronto Maple Leafs Look to Get Back in the Win Column Vs Canucks

The Toronto Maple Leafs once again lost a game that they deserved to win last night.

It’s not a big deal, as anyone who can look beyond the results can see a team that is getting ready for a big run.  The Toronto Maple Leafs had to play the Bruins, Knights, Hurricanes and Penguins in a row, and they played well in every game.

Well, not really in the Carolina game, but they still won.

They got points in the first three games, and were unlucky to leave last night’s game without at least one.

No big deal however, as they get back on the horse tonight.  With Erik Kallgren, not Matt Murray.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks are horrible, and it’s fun to watch.

Sorry, but teams that refuse to realize how much of a competitive disadvantage they are at by not respecting the advancements the rest of the league has made in analytics deserve what they get.

Jim Benning was a horrible GM,  and I’ve been writing about how bad he is at his job for years.  They replaced with Patrik Alvin, but it’s really Jim Rutherford’s team, and he’s no different than Benning.

Ken Holland and Jim Ruthorford are so laughably bad at running NHL teams that if you are reading this, you could do a better job running their teams than they can. I am not kidding.

In the summer, against my express written advice, the Canucks signed Ilya Mikheyev to a horrible, ridiculous contract.  Everyone knows you don’t pay big bucks to mid-range guys that are available for free whenever you want.

Case in point: The Leafs pay Denis Malgin 5 x less to do the same thing.

I told them not to re-sign J.T Miller to one of the NHL’s dumbest contracts, but they didn’t listen.

Did they listen when I suggested it would be foolish to sign Connor Garland or Oliver Ekman-Larson?  Of course they didn’t.  Why would they?

The Canucks fans deserve so much better, and hopefully their ownership group will give the GM job to someone who doesn’t manage the team like its 1998.

The Leafs should completely destroy the Canucks.

Playing the Canucks after running the gauntlet of  Boston-Carolina-Vegas-Pittsburgh should be like stepping up to the plate with a light 32 ounce bat after swinging a fat-daddy on deck for five minutes.

This game will be a disappointment if the Leafs don’t blow them out of the building.  The Leafs need a game that clears the pipes.   A laugher.  A beatdown. Something to get reward the boys for their hard work and solid play that has, mostly, gone unnoticed so far.

Murray isn’t coming back, and Kallgren is going again.  Doesn’t matter. Time for Matty to score a hatty.

And if you meet me in person today, you have my permission to punch me in the face for writing that horrible line. The bottom line is this: the Leafs need a laugher, and Vancouver is here.  Beat them 7-1 and do them the favor of helping them get a new GM.