The Maple Leafs were on a seven-game tear until the second period of what turned into a trouncing at the hands of the West conference’s answer to the Maple Leafs. Three unanswered goals meant back to the drawing board for Toronto with the sincerest hopes that Johnny Bower and the rest of the war veterans on hand didn’t take the confused effort personally. Losses to crumby teams happen to the best of teams, but the sickening listless glazed doll-eye look the Leafs were sporting for a good chunk of that game is a throwback to the bad old days and it needs to be nipped in the bud pronto. The home team looked goofy in their own end and Leaf fans know that train wreck when they see it. If the defensive juggernaut that wasn’t, doesn’t bone up on their fundamentals they’ll be riding the Monster’s back right into a padded room before the winter’s out.
The current incarnation of the Minnesota Wild should not be inspiring the kind of defeatist lethargy showcased this Tuesday. Backstrom may have played a solid game, but he was only along for the ride watching the Leafs beat themselves. Regardless of the score this was a failure of attitude plain and simple. What happened? Maybe it was some kind of existential crisis, maybe they were bummed because Marie-France hurt her back, maybe a few of them ended up drinking with Brian Leech after the induction ceremony, who knows?
Ron Wilson has his work cut out for him making this one step back turn into two steps forward, because the windy city awaits and the Blackhawks, who are enjoying the fruits of having dragged an original six franchise out of the sewer, are licking their chops over using an easy win at home to get some breathing room in the Western Central. In the Eastern conference meanwhile, eighth place just got another two points further away.
It’s not the end of the world by a long stretch and nobody thinks setbacks don’t happen, but emotional momentum is everything and that big clock counting down to April isn’t getting any slower.
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About Jeremy: He doesn't spit out stats, he slices open the NHL arteries, drinks real real deep and passes it around. His readers are water-cooler warlords. |
I wish the Bruins had someone like Phil Kessel. Oh, wait…sigh.
That’s ok – we have the dynamic duo of Sturm and Ryder! (Anyone want to trade – pls?)
I think Kessel if he plays up to his 36 goal standard will make those picks not in the top 10. He is young, so he fits with the youth movement. Overall the Leafs need someone who can put the puck in the net, some one with some star power and Kessel is that man
I agree with both Tyler and Micheal here; the Leafs really need to have someone that can keep the net clear for The Monster to see the puck better, but until Komaseriek comes back I really dont’ see that happening. I also agree that Burke has jumped the gun here with the Kessel move. Is he a decent player? Sure he is, you’d have to be blind not to think so, but the Leafs are a team in need of a serious rebuild, not a team that is in need of more punch to get to the upper echelons of the Prince of Wales. They need to inject some youth into a franchise that for a while now could have been considered the NHL’s Canadian Retirement home, and while Scheen and Gusto is probably the best start to this in a while (best since some kid from Kelvington, Saskatchewan maybe?), trading picks that are currently shaping up to be guaranteed top fives is a case of one step forward, two steps back.
“They also seem to have a confidence problem when the bounces or calls don’t go their way. They seem to think the refs are out to get them and it throws them off their game.”
That seems to be a long standing Toronto tradition, but I think the current staff is less inclined to let that attitude stick. As for the fans, old habits die hard.
The Leafs really had no excuses, but they were clearly missing that size and toughness that Komisarek was starting to bring to the club. So many times Wild players were sitting in front of the net unchecked and it resulted in a couple of goals.
They also seem to have a confidence problem when the bounces or calls don’t go their way. They seem to think the refs are out to get them and it throws them off their game.
They are starting to work better as a team and the wins will come with the confidence and camaraderie.
The Toronto Maple Leafs tried to skip a step in their rebuild process and the team is going to be trapped in their average play for the next few years. Although I would love a Phill Kessel type player on my team, I would never pay two first round picks, that may end up in the top ten, when all the good teams have been built through the draft. That being said I do not underestimate Brian Burke, as he could recruit some fantastic college players, european stars, and some goons that made his previous team, the Ducks, a fun team to watch and a Stanley Cup winner.