If the playoffs had began this week, the Maple Leafs would have drawn the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa would have had home-ice benefit over the Leafs, the third seed within the division.
If the Leafs go on a heater and win the Atlantic Division, they’d seemingly draw the Boston Bruins. As they are saying, damned for those who do, damned for those who don’t.
You see why not getting out of the North final yr resonates so loudly.
Nonetheless, successful the Atlantic is the aim for the group this yr.
“Our aim is to is to win the division and we really feel like we must always,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe stated. “We’re nicely conscious of the elite groups round us and simply how difficult it's by means of 82 video games to keep up that stage of play, to have the ability to be on the high. However we need to win each single sport and we really feel like we now have a chance to win each sport with the group that we now have. So, yeah, completely. The aim is to win the division.”
Listening to Keefe, and studying between the strains considerably, it might be the Leafs had it too simple final yr, that they're higher off in a division that's pushing them to be higher this yr.
Final yr, the Leafs kind of rode off to the highest of the North Division. The one time adversity actually struck was the primary spherical of the playoffs. And we all know how that ended.
“We’re in a division the place we’re surrounded by elite groups which can be rolling and don’t lose fairly often,” Keefe stated. “We’re 7-2-1 in our final 10 video games, however over that span Boston gained floor on us. That’s simply the character of the best way the division has gone.
“Clearly, Florida and Tampa don’t lose fairly often. We’ve been lucky to remain up with them. Regardless of the very fact there’s loads of season left, you possibly can’t take days off and take nights off. That’s why it was irritating that we gave up these factors on the street like we did.
“We have now to have the ability to get our share of factors each single night time as a result of everyone round you isn't supplying you with any room to breathe. And I feel that’s a really wholesome factor for our group. We are able to’t take nights off. Each sport issues. There’s loads of runway left however, for a group like ours that’s making an attempt to keep up excessive requirements and get again to enjoying a stage that we had been earlier than the break, the truth that the groups round us aren’t giving us that room to breathe, I feel that’s an excellent factor for our group.”
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GOT A QUESTION? E mail me at askkevinmcgran@gmail.com and I’ll reply it within the subsequent Mailbag. Now to the 13 Musings.
1. Curious to see what occurs at Sportsnet, at the least in its supply of hockey. Rogers spent $5.2 billion to get a product, after which cheaped out on supply of it. Now they’re anxious about rankings. Humorous what occurs if you fireplace world-class expertise and make each intermission appear to be each different intermission at each sport on each night time.
2. Ran into Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who relinquished his function as Crew Canada normal supervisor when the NHL withdrew from the Olympics. I stated I used to be going to overlook having the ability to second-guess him. He laughed, and acknowledged he was dealing with loads of exhausting choices. However on the brilliant aspect, he stated: “I’m getting extra sleep.”
3. Name me foolish, however I truly just like the 3-on-3 all-star format. Talent on show. I received’t moan that there’s no hitting or defence. Will probably be both be nice targets, or nice saves. I’m good with that. However the abilities competitors? Effectively, the blokes with one of the best abilities aren’t essentially on the all-star sport.
4. So as a substitute of getting a participant from each group within the all-star sport, why not simply have one of the best gamers on the sport? And have each group represented within the abilities competitors?
5. Depart it to hockey nerd Jason Spezza to have some good concepts concerning the all-star format. “I don’t know if they might make the talents competitors into nearly a made-for-TV occasion the place they do all of the filming beforehand. In some way they must hold the outcomes quiet. However possibly shorten that occasion and make it with some backstories. They might even usher in some guys which have exhausting pictures (who aren’t within the all-star sport). The NBA does an excellent job of that the place it’s not all the time the blokes which can be taking part within the sport who're those who're doing the occasions within the abilities competitors. So possibly one thing like that, condensing it and simply including some tales together with the published.”
6. As for the 3-on-3, Spezza likes it, too: “Looks as if the 3-on-3 has been nicely acquired. You realize, scoring possibilities each methods. It’s a troublesome format simply within the sense of like you possibly can’t play full out since you’re in a tough stretch of the season and no one desires to get harm.”
7. So if Spezza isn’t going to teach after his enjoying days, possibly he’ll be a hockey TV producer. I’d watch what he produces.
8. I went down a enjoyable rabbit gap concerning Spezza. By the top of this season — if he performs each sport — he’ll be at 190 profession video games as a Leaf. That will put him at 185th amongst Leafs skaters, in accordance with NHL.com. He’d be one forward of Bingo Kampman, two behind Rob Pearson and Denis Dupéré.
9. Bingo Kampman’s title is on the Leafs’ 1942 Stanley Cup, together with Bucko McDonald’s. They don’t make nicknames like they used to.
10. Alex Biega, a much better depth defenceman than, say, Martin Marincin, signed with the Leafs for a purpose: “It is a successful group, a successful tradition. Prior to now, sadly, I haven’t actually been on successful groups. Possibly at commerce deadline they took a again seat to successful and checked out improvement. It’s no secret. I’m 33 years previous. For me to have a chance to return to a group that could be a Stanley Cup contender, that was thrilling for me.” A former Canuck and Crimson Wing, Biega is a taxi-squad common nowadays with 242 NHL video games to his credit score. He’s gotten into one sport with the Leafs.
11. Michael Bunting left his residence in Tuscon, Ariz., for some Toronto ice. Sorry for butchering “Get Again,” however Bunting, a Scarborough native, considers Tuscon his second residence. That’s the place he obtained his skilled begin, enjoying 5 years within the AHL that coincided with the start of the Tuscon Roadrunners. “I used to be there for the primary season that they ever performed,” Bunting stated. “Town was nice. There they had been behind us proper from the get-go and it actually became a hockey city. I don’t suppose many individuals that lived there knew a lot about hockey, however they jumped on board and supported us each single yr. Extra followers got here and it was a extremely cool expertise. So I hope they only hold doing nicely down there as a result of it's now a hockey city.”
12. What to do the Leafs like concerning the street? “I do know a few of the guys with children wish to make amends for sleep,” stated Justin Holl.
13. What do they miss once they’re on the street? House. “You by no means need to spend an excessive amount of time away as a result of all that stuff begins so as to add up,” stated Keefe. “You haven’t slept in your individual mattress and also you haven’t seen your family members. It wears on you over time, although we journey very nicely, we keep in nice motels, eat nice meals. You attempt to make time on the street as snug as potential, but it surely’s not the identical as being at residence.”