3 Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Takes Ahead of the Playoffs
In a few weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs will once again be in the playoffs, for the eighth consecutive season.
Imagine telling yourself eight years ago when the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched their first non-shortned season playoff berth since 2004 that as the team entered their eight consecutive playoff berth, that they'd only have one playoff round victory?
You'd be shocked at the fact that the team made the playoffs that many years in a row, but more shocked at their lack of success.
But what are we going to do? Are we going to stop watching and throw our jersey's in the garbage? Absolutely not. As the playoffs start again, we're going to be right back where we started. Our excitement is going to be through the roof with anticipation that this could be the year.
Who knows. Maybe this will be the one year that they surprise us and go on a run. I can't even fathom that happening, but I can't say I saw the Toronto Raptors ever winning a championship and that happened.
As we get ready for another playoff run, I wanted to have some fun. Here are three torching hot takes that will agree or disagree with me about the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff run.
Hot Take No. 1: Max Domi Should Replace Mitch Marner on First Line
Max Domi has six assists in his last four games, thanks in large part to playing alongside Auston Matthews.
With Marner absent due to injury, Domi has stepped up and has been that playmaker for Matthews, setting him up for mutiple goals.
Domi's obviously not as skilled as Marner, but his playmaking should be recognized. He's able to fetch pucks behind the net and get them off to his linemates in quick fashion, which has resulted in multiple scoring attempts. He contributed one assist against the New Jersey Devils this week, but probably should have had three or four, if Jake Allen hadn't stood on his head.
Also, Domi is a one-dimensional player who's elite offensive passing ability is submarined by his terrible defensive game. One of Sheldon Keefe's biggest challanges this season has been to use Domi effectively.
For a large part of the year, Domi was teamed with Robertson and they won their minutes but the coach had to shelter them so much that it hurt other parts of the lineup. One way to get the most out of Domi is to pair him with Matthews, who is elite defensively and who drives play to such a degree that even Domi isn't much of a drag on his performance.
In a limited time together, Domi and Matthews have a 60% Expected Goals Rating, which is excellent. This should allow the Leafs to separate Matthews and Marner and put one super-star forward on each line.
I've said this a million times, but I'd love to see the Leafs core-four on three separate lines, and with Domi's emergence, Marner can slide to the third line. I know that sounds like a demotion, but it benefits the team tremendously, plus the opposition wouldn't know what to do. They would have a nightmare line-matching with those four players on three seperate lines and Marner could do some damage beside Pontus Holmberg and Matthew Knies. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Hot Take No. 2: Ilya Samsonov Shouldn't Play a Playoff Game
This probably isn't even a hot take. It might just be common sense.
Although he was the goaltender to help get this team their first playoff round win in 19 years, Ilya Samsonov is a liability, having allowed three or more goals in 12 of his 17 career playoff games. As such, I just don't trust his game the same way I trust Joseph Woll.
Samsonov has been winning games as of late, which has hidden the fact that he's a below average netminder.
During the Leafs recent winning run, Samsonov was decent, but he allowed three goals or more almost every game. The Leafs were the hottest team in the league since mid-January and during that time they led the NHL in scoring - their winning streak didn't have much to do with goalt
On the other hand, Woll has lost four of his last five starts, so the general public seems to think that Samsonov is better, but it's not true. Woll allowed five goals against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, but was left out to dry for most of those goals.
The win-loss records don't show the whole story between Woll and Samsonov, but if you watch the games, you can tell just how more posed Woll is and that he deserves to be the starter. If the Leafs go ahead with Samsonov, I can guarantee you they're going to get swept in the First Round.
The Leafs need to use Joseph Woll in the playoffs because he's a better goalie and he's more talented and more trustworthy. Also, he's their future and Samsonov is likely to be off the team at the end of the season.
Woll recently started three games in a row, which is an indication that the Leafs will use him in the playoffs. They better.
Hot Take No. 3: Leafs Will Get Swept In First Round
If you read anything I've written throughout the season, or offseason, you would have noticed a trend. I don't like what Brad Treliving did with this roster and am waiting for it all to crash and burn.
This might be my hottest take ever, but I'm predicting that the Toronto Maple Leafs go out in the worst possible fashion this spring.
Four straight losses to whatever juggernaut the ridiculous NHL seeding system serves up for them.
It's very easy to hide your defensive issues in the regular season, as long as you can score. The Leafs fortunately have a ton of fire-power, but once the playoffs start, the ice begins to shrink. You obviously need to score, but power-play's become less common and a physical defenisvely-sound 5v5 game becomes utmost important.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, they have huge defensive problems that weren't addressed at the NHL Trade Deadline. Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson were the team's biggest additions, which isn't enough. They still need that number-one defenseman who can log 30 minutes per night and carry the load, but they didn't make that trade.
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As a result, I have a bad feeling that this team will fall apart in the First Round and their defensive issues will be at the front of it. Teams continue to shutdown Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in the playoffs, so that trend will continue and Sheldon Keefe will ultimately be fired the day after the season ends. It's a tough pill to swallow and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see a positive future for the Leafs.