Dave Feschuk: Maple Leafs need Auston Matthews to be their alpha dog again
In other words, down the stretch of what is a make-or-break season for theas we know them, the guy who is supposed to be Toronto’s best player hasn’t been its best player, or maybe even its second-best. If the Leafs weren’t cruising along as the NHL’s fourth-best team as measured by points percentage on Friday, it might be setting off louder alarm bells.
“That’s why you commit to that core group,” Dubas said. “When one isn’t at the level that they expect in one specific area, the others tend to step up and help them.” Anybody with even a passing knowledge of Stanley Cup history, where there’s a long list of champions that have been constructed stylistically differently, and from the net out, has raised a skeptical eye at the viability of Toronto’s architectural choices going back to the moment the Leafs signed John Tavares to a seven-year deal worth $77 million in the summer of 2018.
And if Dubas didn’t see the need or the opportunity to bring in some insurance goaltending given the chronic uncertainty around Matt Murray’s availability, and the fact that Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are both unproven in the NHL post-season, well, perhaps the GM is of the mind that goaltending, in all but a few elite cases, amounts to an annual lottery. The Leafs just have to hope they get lucky with at least one of the guys they’ve got.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Smart, aggressive roster moves give Maple Leafs best chance in daunting playoff bracketYou can call it a win for old-school, meat-and-potatoes hockey over the charts and graphs crowd. Or you can call it a smart, aggressive roster adjustment, a skill-versus-will balancing in the face of the Herculean task that awaits: three-time finalist Tampa Bay, perhaps followed by an all-time Boston squad.
Lire la suite »
McDavid's historic fifth straight multi-goal game leads Oilers past Maple Leafs 5-2Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist for his fifth consecutive multi-goal game as the Edmonton Oilers earned a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Lire la suite »
McDavid’s historic fifth straight multi-goal game leads Oilers past Maple Leafs 5-2Connor McDavid scores pair, adds assist as Edmonton Oilers beat Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2
Lire la suite »
Maple Leafs lose to Edmonton Oilers as Connor McDavid scores two ... Sheldon Keefe must find right fit for new defenceMaple Leafs lose to Edmonton Oilers as Connor McDavid scores two ... Sheldon Keefe must find right fit for new defence Via sunhornby
Lire la suite »
‘It’s disappointing’: Maple Leafs’ stars fail to show up against motivated OilersSummoning nary a notable moment from their top-end talent, the Maple Leafs' players GM Kyle Dubas tried to give a boost fell flat in a loss to the Oilers. “We just didn’t play with any purpose or intelligence.” (lukefoxjukebox)
Lire la suite »