It's been over a week and I am still not over the disappointment of losing to the Canadiens. That Montreal steam rolled over the Jets only makes it harder for me to accept that this should have could have and would have been the year for the Leafs to finally do something in the playoffs, but as always everything went terribly wrong. Most of the people that I talked to thought that going into this season that this was the best time for the Leafs to win in the playoffs. The roster was improved with fundamental needs and the North Division was probably the worst in the NHL. Actually it is the worst in the NHL. Watching the other playoff games I can honestly say that the only team in the North that can stand up to the fire power and skill level of the other teams is the Leafs, but again what could have been.
Teams like the Lightning, Knights and Avalanche are built on speed and defence with enough goal tending to get the job done. That is what makes Tampa Bay elite and the odds on favorite to repeat since they have the best goalie in the league over the past couple of seasons. Sure Carey Price is playing bonkers right now, but he had long lulls of playing terrible during the regular season over the past few years. I am happy that he has stepped up during the playoffs during the past two seasons, but I do not think he can be considered the best goalie in the world with how inconsistent he has been.
How far will the Canadiens go? It has been an amazing run, but they ran into a Leafs team that found a way to lose in all the games that they lost and a Jets team that did not show up at all for four games. That will not happen in the next round and going against Vegas or Colorado will be a different animal and personally I think that will be a sweep. Habs fans should still be happy because no one expected them to make it this far and they have a good nucleus of young players such as Suzuki. Caufield I think is a tad over rated, but he is young and has produced in crunch time. That and of course they have one of the best goalies in the world as well. As far as the Leafs are concerned there is nothing much else they can do. Going after a Dougie Hamilton would be nice, and they have the money to do so with players like Andersen, Simmonds and Thornton going off the books, but I don't know if he would be enough. Keeping Hyman around is also an absolute must. He is a heart and souler that every team needs and someone you can count on every game to give his 100 percent best. Trading Marner is a senseless idea. He is an elite player and just needs to get his head on straight to step up his game to the next level. Same goes with Matthews. They are just too damn good and skilled to not figure it out eventually and that is the way I see it and how any Leafs fan can see it. Sure losing every damn year in the most painful of ways sucks, but I keep my head up and remain confident that things will be done to make this team if not better at least different. Things always stay entertaining here in Leafs Land and that's all any fan can ask for.
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