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The Toronto Maple Leafs perfect road record was inevitably going to come to an end, but the first loss coming where the club tasted a bitter playoff defeat just over six months ago serves as a reminder of how tough a task it will be to get out of the Atlantic Division, let alone getting to the Stanley Cup Final.
In the second of back-to-back games, the Leafs fell 5-1 to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday in a contest reminiscent of the first two games of last April’s best-of-seven series.
Toronto once again had no answer for the line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, who scored four of the five goals and combined for nine points on the night. The Leafs looked to jump out to an early lead and pelted Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak with 20 first period shots, but the backup kept them off the scoreboard and until Boston’s top line began to work their magic.
Leaf killer Bergeron let the air out of the Toronto balloon with his ninth of the season late in the opening period and Pastrnak scored at even strength and on the power play to extend the Bruins lead to 3-0 in the middle frame.
“I thought we came out and started, (Boston) scored and then they got energy and were quicker than us in the second period.… Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said after the game.“(Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak) is a real good line and (the Bruins) power play has really been clicking coming in. It's not the best in the league, but it's moving fast in that direction. You've got to give (Bergeron) credit, he's a good player and he's playing with good linemates.…
November 11, 1918 11:11am to November 11, 2018 11:11am. The 100 year anniversary of the armistice that ended WW1. Stealing from Ronald Reagan, we will always remember, we will always be proud, and we will always be thankful to those that sacrificed and kept us free. #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/Hj6Zd4cNoQ
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) November 11, 2018
The impasse between the Leafs and William Nylander appears to have reached another level. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated on Hockey Night in Canada’s ‘Headlines’ segment on Saturday that the Leafs are asking teams interested in the restricted free agent who they will not be willing to move in a deal and to begin to submit formal offers for the 22-year-old winger.
GM Kyle Dubas did not have a comment regarding the ongoing situation and that the Leafs still want to sign the speedy Swede, but that they have been rebuffed in negotiations on a long-term deal.
Nick Kypreos indicated that there might be a willingness on the part of Toronto to offer Nylander a long-term deal similar to the Bruins David Pastrnak (six-year, $40 Million), but that has not been offered as of yet. The bridge option is still open to both sides, but Kypreos said that might only be an eleventh hour option and suggested that it would take $6 Million per season on a three-year contract (that is more than $1 Million more than the three-year deal that Tampa signed Nikita Kucherov to two years ago and the same AAV that Chicago signed Artemi Panarin).
There is no evidence that Nylander's camp would accept $6M on a three-year bridge....and that is over $1M per year more than Kucherov's bridge and equal to Panarin.
It has gotten to the point in the Nylander situation where it seems unlikely that his camp will compromise on the price tag of a short-or-long term deal. It is clear by the high activity of scouts at Leafs games and by Dubas and Toronto scouts on the road that both sides have been in an active posture for some time, but the factor that will determine whether a deal is consummated is the quality of the offers put forth by teams interested in the unsigned free agent. Any trade made by Dubas will have to provide the Leafs with cost certainty and a significant upgrade on the blueline and possibly an additional forward to be considered a success. If the offers are not equal to Toronto’s perceived value of Nylander, then it is possible that the club does not move him before December 1, but with a high number of teams being interested in the 22-year-old, it is probable that the Leafs will find one offer to their liking. *******
New episode of the podcast. Jump on it. @MikeInBuffalo #tmltalk https://t.co/zmQrDGHUjx pic.twitter.com/doHjfNut8v
— The Leafs Convo (@TheLeafsConvo) November 7, 2018