Maybe Next Year

In September, before the start of the 2024 - 25 NHL season, the Vegas bookies named the Maple Leafs to be 8th in their selection process for winning the Stanley Cup. 

I regrettably had to admit that "Vegas is rarely wrong ... it's how they managed to build all those skyscrapers on The Strip".

I'm not a hockey expert and have a lengthy record of not being able to handicap winners, but I'm a die-hard, card-caring member of Leaf Nation, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

If you decide to proceed to read my summary of this year's Leafs, and you have an interest, please include your thoughts and comments at the end. 

In my September pre-season essay, I wondered about the choice of the Leafs for their new captain, Auston Matthews. I wondered if his appointment would be too much for him to handle in this market, particularly because he seems to struggle in front of cameras, trying to defend his mates and dissect the details of a just-played game.

Last year, Auston tallied 69 goals and had a +31 rating. His employer and Leaf Nation expected 70 goals this year. However, the weight of his captaincy may have been a curse for him ... this year, he scored 33 goals and had a +11 rating. No need to speculate about a phantom injury or nagging health issue. It is what it is.

Often, TV broadcasters and analysts describe him as a "superstar" -- perhaps that's a stretch. In the recent playoffs, partly due to their description of him, I expected him to, as they say, "put the team on his back and will them to win" ... ya know, Mark Messier style.

Often, he was the opposite and seemed to have little or no impact in the playoff run. Many fans blamed his lack of effectiveness on a sore hand or rib injury. After pre-season + an 82-game schedule + playoffs, it would be a good guess that everybody still playing is carrying a bunch of injuries.

34 sprang back into action with the game-winning goal in Game 6 on a beautiful five-foot pass from his set-up man, Marner. It was his first goal after taking more than 50 shots in this series.

I also speculated that this season, 34-year-old John Tavares would have a great year without the weight of the Leaf captaincy. Last year, as team captain for 82 games, he had 29 goals and a +2 rating. This year, he played 5 fewer games and had 38 goals with a +10 rating. 

For the playoffs, he was a relentless puck chaser and fun to watch, while remembering that he spent a hundred-plus games getting the hell beaten out of him just in front of the blue paint by 6'6" defencemen. But in Game 7, his opponents were just too much for him.

As previously noted, I'm a big fan of Marner's and thought he'd finally reached his playoff potential. He was so important to their Ottawa success, and I was looking forward to his challenge of facing the Cup champions. But, game 5, when he sent a blind pass up the middle to an onrushing Panther who burned the Leafs with another goal, it reminded me of that thoughtless "over-the-glass" penalty he got in a past playoff run. Maybe he's not ready for playoff wars yet. In Game 7, he wasn't effective, and there's a very good chance that he and his recent 100-point season will be moved to another team.

This year, Willy was great and exciting to watch, but it didn't seem to happen enough. He didn't play well in the important playoff games once the Panthers decided to play bigger. For Game 7, like most of his mates, he disappeared.

Knies is fabulous and will only get better. Talk about a well-rounded game ... 29 goals & assists for this season and a +7 

rating. And, he was one of the bright lights in the playoff run.

The D.

Tanev is a beast. He stops more shots than the goalie and finished the season with a +31 (keep that plus/minus in mind for later), and he's an elite passer. Can you imagine how many bruises he has when he gets home after a playoff game? And, you know, every time he gets hit, the puck lands on a spot that isn't equipment protected.

Benoit 

Last year, he led the Leafs in hits with 207 and was flawless in his regular season play this season, then just got better for the playoffs. We need three more like him. He gets $1.3 million per season and sits beside a D teammate who, somehow, gets several million more a season. "Benny" had a +12 rating this season.

Carlo

The 6'5" 220 lb. monster who never, ever touches anyone. Look no further than the knock-out head-hit that Bennett laid on our goalie, Stolarz. Carlo stood beside him following the hit. Any other team, any other defenceman doing that to a goalie and there would have been instant payback. I was very surprised our once heavyweight champion of the NHL and now Leaf coach didn't send Carlo to the showers for his lack of response. 

In Game 7, Brendan Carlo was miserable. 

Rielly

Great skater. Excellent puck mover. Never touches anyone and makes millions a year on a guaranteed contract, and just finished the season with a -8 rating. My suggestion ... convert him into a 3rd line centreman. 

In the 1960s, a four-time Stanley Cup defenceman from Detroit who had a similar skill set to match Reilly was traded to the Leafs. They immediately turned him into a centreman, and he earned 4 more Stanley Cups -- "Red" Kelly. 

For the coming season, let the young corps of D-men in the minors fight it out for a spot alongside Tanev and Benoit. Move Riley now when you can get some offensive value for him.

About the Panthers:

Four years ago, Smirnoff Vodka had a year-long sales promotion in South Florida ... "Buy a bottle of their alcohol and get a ticket to a Panthers game". Funny how things change. Now, with a committed ownership, a talented coaching and scouting staff, and an outstanding team chemistry, they've already enjoyed one Stanley Cup win and have another in their sights.

Their key regular season goal scorers are Reinhart (39), Barkov (20), Thachuk (22), Verhaeghe (20), Bennett (25), Lundell (17), Rodrigues (15), with Marchand pulling up the rear. But more than scoring, they all seem to have that grit gene that's bordering on nasty, led by Bennett and Marchand and don't forget Thachuk. 

Florida was embarrassed by the Leafs' shutout win in front of their home crowd in Game Six. It's why they trounced the Leafs in Game Seven -- they are proud Cup winners and showed up angry.

The Leafs' first shot came at 8:33 of the first period. Do you remember the Lafleur/Robinson/Dryden Canadiens teams that were so dominant in the playoffs that they looked like they were playing with an extra player on the ice? Did the Panthers look like that to you? The shots on goal for the second period were 14 -1 for Florida.

Many of my hockey buddies hate/hate/hate Marchand. I say, "Give me three of him and I win the Cup every year."  He's the guy you hate to play against and the guy you hope is on your team. He added an empty net goal in Game Seven just to remind everyone ... he still counts ... he can make a difference ... and, if you're his opponent and expect to win, you have to go through him. 

The Leafs ... what's next, Keith Pelley?

If you are not familiar with that name, he's the new head of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, who's been in the job for a year (Google him). He's a Torontoian. He knows about our Stanley Cup drought and the pain of being a fan of "the blue and white". Things will most definitely change under his watch, whether it's trades or a complete blow-it-up-and-start-all-over.

The reason my Leafs fell short, again, may be answered simply ... for the 2024 -25 regular Leaf season, 8 Leaf FORWARDS: Domi, Lorenz, Homberg, Pacioretty, Reeves, Jarnkrok, Laughton and Kampf had a combined total of 36 goals! Does that total seem wrong to you? It did to me. I had to check it three times. How could an NHL team expect to go far with that kind of production?

In September, I likened this year's Leaf team to a very good American League team. However, now I apologize for making that statement. They showed some guts and talent and pushed the Stanley Cup champions to Game 7.

Just a Question  ... Aside from the eight non-scoring group mentioned above, Robertson had 15 goals by himself (and had very little regular ice time). Why didn't he play more? For Games 6 and 7, they thought the best place for him was in the press box. Will he be another one who gets released by the Leafs to go away and have a terrific career with another club? 

Leaf Nation would be happy to have a parade for this guy
"Thanks for 10 Years of the Shanny Plan"

Note to Mr. Pelley ... if it's possible to do just one thing ... please/please/please show Brandon Shanahan the door and tell him to take his Shanny-Plan with him. 10 years is enough.