Follow Colin on Twitter!
I think we should all take a deep breath and accept what most/many expected this team would be this year, anyways.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were simply not believed to be a strong playoff ready team, but rather one that was expected to fight for a playoff spot right till the end.
Best case scenario was that a few fans figured they could actually challenge for a legitimate playoff spot and not a wildcard spot, but I think most of us figured the word “wildcard” would be discussed a lot.
And while the above is abundantly clear for most looking from the outside, it still pains the fanbase to think that this team could/should be doing a hell of a lot better than they are when you consider other teams around them were also struggling for a good portion of the start to their seasons. Ultimately, the Leafs were not able to find enough consistency within their play and would allow a few teams to sneak past them, as they now sit on the outside, looking in.
If you haven't had time to check out Steve Dangle’s video following Toronto’s recent loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, please check it out below, as you can likely relate.
While I find a lot of Steve’s videos funny, I particularly liked this one because I could count the number of times I argued with friends that “they will start winning because______”, over the years. He hit the nail on the head with those comments and, while it’s funny, it’s also a little depressing to step back and realize – F*&K ME!
Anyways, I opened the blog asking everyone to take a deep breath, so let’s not go down misery lane. When the Toronto Maple Leafs finally let head coach Randy Carlyle go I thought to myself – Alright, let’s see what this guy has to offer before I pass any judgments.
I have to say that right off the bat I was pleasantly surprised that I could actually break down what types of systems the coach was running and could follow along with some sort of game plan. For someone who needs to analyze the play and write about it, I’ve got to say that it was a nice change. With that being said, I surmised that the Leafs would need a fair amount of time to figure out how to play a defensive first system, while also scoring goals and winning games.
At the moment, the Leafs look like a baby giraffe trying to walk for the first time when it comes to playing this particular style of hockey and although it’s funny to some, it’s hard to watch for those hoping that freaking giraffe would just learn to walk already!
At the end of the day, I find it difficult to believe that any one of us truly expected that the Leafs would offer some strong hockey, on the road, without much time to practice, against some of the league’s best teams, with new lines, under a new coach and system, in only a few short games.
I am not one to generally make excuses for losses or consider that losing any amount of games is fine, but under the above circumstances I certainly wasn’t expecting them to win more than say, one game.
And that brings me to my next point; the Leafs should have at the very least won one game…
Although I mentioned above that the Leafs could be compared to a baby giraffe trying to walk as they learnt to play a whole new system with a new coach and some new lines, they aren't brand new hockey players playing a new sport. They are still professional hockey players, some who can play at a very high level, and others who have been around the league a fair amount of time.
The fact that the Leafs almost set a team record for not being able to score, while also losing back to back to back games, was a bit much; coaching change or not. This team has really suffered when it comes down to playing with heart and being able to battle through adversity, and it scares me moving forward.
Whether the current or upcoming coaching staff will be able to make changes to the team's mindset and environment that is required to win games, is still left to be seen, but I certainly hope that the current group of players do not remain together if they go beyond 15 games of play under Horachek and continue to falter as they have been.
I would like to see improvements in play, character, heart, puck battles and some close games. If this cannot be achieved I think it's fair to say - Cut your losses, trade the captain et. al, and move on.
This is where I stand, how about you?
Thanks for reading!
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»