The Toronto Maple Leafs are very good at
something…. Yes you read that correctly.
The Leafs have had some talented players
over the years, names like Sundin, Belfour, Joseph, Kessel and yes, even
Phaneuf. All of these names have things
in common; Elite players in the NHL at a point in their career, key
contributors to their edition(s) of the Leafs team, all have faced criticism during
their time with the Leafs, and lastly, all fell victim to poor Leafs managerial
decisions, leading to hindered production.
Whether these players were brought in at a
time when the Leafs were non contenders, or brought in without any assistance
to help maximize their potential. At
least for as long as I’ve been alive the Leafs have never been known as a team
that has stellar defense, hence the reason Toronto is often referred to as a
“goalie graveyard” as Leaf fans we were so lucky to be able to have guys like
Cujo and Ed Belfour between the pipes, it’s just too bad that Leafs management
couldn’t provide them any help with the defense that skated out each night in
front of them, you’ve got to feel for a goalie that has to take the net defensive
units featuring the likes of ; Aki Berg (00-04,05-06), Jyrki Lumme (01-03), Róbert
Švehla (02-03), Ken Klee (03-06)
Whether it’s questioning their leadership,
or fitness level, the Leafs have been lucky enough to have the services of both
Mats Sundin and Phil Kessel. Sundin, who is now a HOF faced much criticism in
regards to his leadership, and production, the latter being completely
ridiculous as Sundin finished as one of the greatest Leafs of all time;
Regular Season TOR: 1,346GP (564G, 785A, 1,349 Pts.) Playoffs: 91GP (38G, 44A, 82 Pts.)
The
first ridiculous story conjured up by the Toronto media in the 2014-15 season
called into question the fitness level of Phil Kessel, a story that I am
convinced was created just because the media was bored and had nothing better
to do. Kessel, a perennial 30 goal scorer with the Leafs ( he has also scored
two goals in the time that I have been writing this article), is arguably the
best winger the Leafs have ever had in their history, yet the fans continue to
come down on him because he only skated 10 times this offseason, and has no
“compete” , hard to believe a player who is so fat, lazy and doesn’t compete
has 8% more 5v5 points than any other player in the entire league over the last
3 seasons. Not to mention he hasn’t missed a game in 4 straight seasons, just
thought I’d throw that little nugget in there.
Regular Season TOR: GP364 (156G, 177A, 333pts) Playoffs: GP7 (4G,
2A, 7Pts.)
Dion Phaneuf is the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
best defenseman …. The best defenseman for the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS is Dion
Phaneuf. We all have heard the bit about
how Phaneuf plays a ridiculous amount of time against every team’s best line,
which is a valid reason why he may look not so hot some nights, however, in his
time with the Leafs his defensive partners have left a lot to be desired. Carl
Gunnarsson, who was Phaneuf’s main partner until being traded this past
offseason, was yet another player miscast as this teams 2nd defenseman when he
is much better suited to be playing in a 3rd or 4th
defenseman role. Long story short, Phaneuf is not an elite defenseman in the
NHL anymore; however he is a solid 2nd or 3rd, who has
been miscast and set up for failure by the management at MLSE.
Don’t get me wrong, the players have to be
accountable for their on ice play, however, when management fails to upgrade
certain positions or add complimentary pieces to the most talented players on
the team’s roster; they are only setting them up for failure, and allowing the
media to miscast them in roles where they do not belong. Whether it’s the
inability to find a centre for Phil Kessel, or a winger for Mats Sundin, the
Leafs haven’t been able to provide their elite talent with players that would
allow us to see these stars at their full potential. This, amongst other things makes the Leafs
the butt of many jokes in the NHL world; they can never seem to have the right
pieces together at the same time, on the same roster. Imagine a team with Mats
Sundin (in his prime) and Phil Kessel on the same line… it would be illegal in
many countries. Sure being a fan of the
Leafs can be frustrating, however It’s time that we start appreciating the
talented players we are lucky enough to watch play for this team, and stop the
Toronto trend of dumping on the players who are successful, just because we
know they could be more successful.
Leafs nation, enjoy the nice things that we have while we have them, and
stop dumping on players who actually want to play for our team.
Feel
free to give us your two cents in the comment section below!
Questions and comments you can also email to questions@thefrancisreport.ca and maybe we will get them on the next Report!
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