Checking In on Our Pre-Off-Season Toronto Maple Leafs Checklist of Goals
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not, in my opinion, had a very good summer.
I do like that the Toronto Maple Leafs went with a more puck-moving blue-line, but I don't think they went far enough in that direction (three of their six assumed starters are terrible puck-movers) and I think they got way too risky with their additions.
What I hate most of all is the lack of clarity on the Mitch Marner situation. The Leafs could do everyone a big favor and call a press conference to let us know they won't trade Marner and are working to re-sign him.
Personally, I think the Leafs are lucky to have Marner and the idea of trading him is just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Hearing people who should know better talk about losing a trade on purpose is driving me nuts, not because they disagree with me, but because I think they're really ungrateful.
You don't just get to whine because you don't get the exact results you want. Winning is hard and it matters precisely because of how hard it is. Sure we all want the Leafs to win, but the entitledness and the whining is a bit much.
A lot much, actually.
However, rant over. The reason I am here today is to discuss the Leafs offseason as it compares to the goals I laid out before the draft.
Checking In on Our Pre-Off-Season Toronto Maple Leafs Checklist of Goals
1. Trade for a Goalie.
Status: Failed.
While I hold out hope the Leafs might surprise us with an Ilya Sorokin for Woll and picks trade, the far more likely outcome is that the Leafs try to win a cup with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz.
I think this is a mistake because it's Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner's prime and they should be more cognizant of that.
To my mind, the only thing the Leafs haven't tried during Auston Matthews' career so far is pairing him with an elite goalie, and so I thought that should have been their top priority.
Since they clearly had interest in both Markstrom and Saros, I think they agreed, but just couldn't work it out.
If Matthews wasn't in his prime, I'd be a lot more comfortable trying Woll, who I think can be really good, but whose injury history and experience is a concern.