Things are still trending upwards in Leafs Nation even after last night’s loss at the Air Canada Center versus the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs seemed a bit lost on the defensive side of the puck without their cornerstone Morgan Rielly. They will certainly have to adapt to play a better all round game defensively if they want to continue racking up points, and not just the defensemen. The forwards are going to have to step up their responsibilities at both ends of the ice and give the Leafs defenders and goalie more support.

One thing is certain; the Leafs can’t give up that many scoring chances against a powerhouse team like the Rangers as it won’t end well nine times out of ten.

The Rangers were not exactly terrific in their own zone either. Toronto pushed the play at times and had a number of high end chances that didn’t result with a shot on net or were pushed away by Lundqvist. I guess the “king” was due for a good outing, and as good as a team the Rangers are, the Leafs won’t take too long to reach this level of play if they continue to improve as they have been all season.

An off season of calculated moves from the upper management, another onslaught of prospects ripening and potentially ready to make the jump and the Leafs will be in better shape. Not to mention the boat-load of cash opening up this off-season and the next. Mind you Shanahan and his henchmen will have to be careful as they have some big decisions to make with JVR and Bozak as well as some fresh contracts along the way for RFA’s who are worthy.

With last night’s loss the Leafs are still in a playoff position as they sit in the final wildcard spot, mind you they still have a handful of games to play more than Boston. All in all, things are still moving in the right direction, which of course is forward.

Marner was outstanding yet again last night; he may not have tallied ten shots and a handful of points but his energy, skill and overall intelligence of how the game of hockey works all combine together to make him an exceptional hockey player. I love me some Mitch Marner, just electric; he really is, I mean this kid is my bet for the winner in the rookie scoring race. Nothing against our beloved Auston Matthews I just think Marner is a legitimate points machine.

It was November, and the Leafs were settling in with all of their rookies. Babcock had no problems pumping up little Mitch’s tires, as a matter of fact he gave him more praise than he did any other player of his own, especially at that age.

My favorite tidbit from Babs was: he's that competitive, he’s on the puck, he’s smart, easy to talk to, enjoys the game and wants to get better.”

What more could you ask for from a player who could be putting up record numbers in the OHL?

Not much, Marner and the Leafs rookies as we know have been off the charts in terms of production.

The Maple Leafs need to settle down and get back on track as they enter the stage of the season: Life without Rielly.

The battle of Ontario will commence on Saturday night when Toronto hosts the Senators, both teams are hungry and basically even at this point of the season in the playoff race. Andersen will likely set up the fort and do his best to secure the Leafs a big two points as they solidify themselves in a playoff position. At this point I think it’s safe to say we are all hoping the Buds make the playoffs and get some much needed experience and confidence. The road to success is much easier travelled if the Leafs can finish in one of the top three spots in their Division as opposed to one of the wild card slots.

Trade deadline is slowly approaching and the Leafs management team is quiet on all fronts. I feel that’s when Lou is going to make it rain, so be sure to keep an eye on any transactions that may take place. Teams may start to position themselves accordingly for their protected players as Las Vegas will be scooping up a few gems.

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend and enjoy Saturday night’s game against those Senators!

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