5 best soccer prospects on the Toronto Maple Leafs
The FIFA Women's World Cup is currently happening. It got us thinking. What members of the Toronto Maple Leafs would be best at soccer?
The Canadian women's soccer team recently had their first game at the FIFA Women's World Cup, which inspired this thought: who are the best soccer prospects on the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Mitch Marner, the current Toronto Maple Leafs MVP, has to be included on this list. He has creativity and has already demonstrated "sick" passes with his head. One can only imagine the crossers or drop-passes he would deliver on a large soccer field. Plus, his relentless energy and fitness would help him excel.
He uses his imagination constantly on a sheet of ice. Seeing what he could do on a playing surface that is more than twice the size would be worth the price of admission. His cheekiness might come in handy on penalty kicks too.
But he's not the only one:
5 Best Soccer Propects on the Toronto Maple Leafs
William Nylander has to be included on our soccer list because of his silky smooth skating style. This would likely transition to the pitch. He would endlessly possess the soccer ball until the other team's defenders were exhausted. Then, taking advantage of their advanced metrics, many Leaf goals would soon follow.
Also, Sweden is a highly-ranked soccer nation worldwide. He likely played a lot as a kid and has some hidden soccer skills.
Auston Matthews on this Mitch Marner header pass on Sunday:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 28, 2023
"I had to take a second look ... He was chuckling when we got back to the bench asking us if we saw it ... just thinking outside the box ... the creativity & willingness to pull it off is pretty special."
⚽️🏒 https://t.co/JyzQpOdaH6
As a striker, Nylander wouldn't have to pay much attention to the defensive side of the game. He could concentrate solely on offense.
The Soccer Roster Needs a Defender
The Leafs soccer team needs some grit and nastiness on its backend. Jake McCabe is the only remaining defenseman on the Leafs that has some snarl. He would happily launch himself at any opposition strikers to defend his goal.
New general manager Brad Treliving wants a net-front presence on his team. McCabe has it. A possible detriment might be McCabe's penchant for flattening oncoming forwards that have their heads down. Expect the soccer version of McCabe to pile up some yellow or red cards.
Leafs captain John Tavares can score in tight areas. He has a knack for parking it in front of the net and scoring by any means necessary. He won't have his stick for tip-ins, but he is likely to use a foot, head, or any other body part to re-direct a ball into the net.
A bonus of having Tavares on the soccer edition of the Leafs is creating "own-goals". His series-clinching goal against the Lightning brought a lot of joy to Toronto last spring.
Who's Next?
Morgan Rielly, the longest-serving Leaf, must be a part of any soccer team. He is a consistent participant in the team's pre-game soccer warmup. He must have picked up some skills after years of doing this.
Rielly would best serve the role of midfielder. He can roam all over the field and help wherever he is needed, offense or defense. It seems like the perfect fit.
Honorable Mention
They are now ex-Leafs, but Alex Kerfoot and Michael Bunting might have helped our fictional soccer team. Kerfoot has previously demonstrated some foot skills.
Bunting has been known to embellish on the ice surface to draw penalties. In hockey, it's frowned upon. In soccer, it's common practice.
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The Canadian entry in the women's World Cup won't need to fear this collection of soccer talent, but maybe the Leafs' soccer team could challenge another NHL team's players for bragging rights.