Watching last night's Maple Leafs vs Oilers game really did feel like a glimpse into the future. The amount of talent on both of those teams right now 22-years-old or under...is just astonishing. The difference in coaching styles was also very evident as Babcock continues to play Matthews in a much smaller roll than McDavid... McDavid has an extra year under his belt, but both players are unmistakably the best players on their respective teams. Kadri probably had his best game as a pro last night, getting in McDavid's face and beating Connor for the game-winner in overtime.
It should be noted Kadri also got away with blatant interference in the first minute of the game, a play which probably led to Connor McDavid's frustration on the final goal.... as the two got tangled up in what was a clean play.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see these two teams battle for Stanley Cup in the next five years...even though there's lots of work to do, free agents to attract and sign, and trade triggers to pull between now and then... Both teams have a foundation which gets the imagination going.
But who will be better....not this year, not even next year, but the year after that in 2018-19?
It's not easy question to answer because it yields plenty of answers to question.
What say you?
We will discuss this and more as the HockeyBuzzCast Returns today at 1pm ET
Listen to the HockeyBuzzCast on #iTunes w/ @eklund @mikeinbuffalo @sportsology @DanDanNoodles78 @fisherjillian https://t.co/4Vc8NnpljX #NHL
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) April 26, 2016