The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tailspin and beating up on the Seattle Kraken doesn't change anything.
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost four in a row and blew leads in all four games. Then they blew a lead in the fifth game in a row, but somehow got the goal waived off. Not too sure how much confidence you can take on winning on a technicality, especially when you did blow another two goal lead and you probably did deserve to lose.
So without a miracle, the Vancouver loss could easily have been their sixth in a row.
But even though it wasn't, you still can't be happy about the fact that you have to go back to December 12th to find the last time the Leafs beat a team that was in a playoff spot. (And that doesn't even take into account that they lost to Columbus twice, Buffalo and Ottawa during this span).
Beating Another Terrible Team Doesn't Change Anything for Maple Leafs
Had the Maple Leafs not won last night, they'd be in the second Wild Card spot this morning, and that is pathetic based on the expectations this team has.
Now last night was an OK game, but not nearly good enough. The Leafs were slightly better than Seatle, but mostly they traded chances and the Leafs won by a single goal (plus an empty netter).
That game could have gone either way. You'd like to credit the Leafs for doing well on a back-to-back, but Seattle is a bad team and should have been crushed decisively.
They weren't.
So now the Leafs either fire their coach, make a trade, or do nothing and play Winnipeg twice this week. The Jets are a top team, but they aren't a power-house, and the Leafs should easily be superior. They aren't. This doesn't look like a fair fight, and it probably won't be.
The difference between Winnipeg and Toronto? Goalies. The Jets have one of the only consistently good goalies alive, and the Leafs literally do not have an NHL goalie on their roster.
It doesn't seem like there is a path for the Leafs to get better as things stand. Keefe doesn't deserve to be fired, but at least that would provide a bump and a new voice (unless they are so incredibly lazy that they give the job to Guy Boucher, who is already an assistant coach and won't provide a new voice).
Also, a new coach might play Connor Timmins and Nick Robertson the correct amount (which is a lot). Both players offer offense the Leafs are starving for. And in the case of Timmins, he can actually really make guys like Marner and Matthews better because the only thing wrong with their games is tha the team lacks puck-movers on the back-end.
Last night, both players were great in limited minutes. Robertson scored, and they led the team in expected goals.
I'm not sure what the answer is for the Leafs. I don't want Keefe fired, but it's likely their only option. Either a blockbuster trade or a coaching change. This team needs something.