"Currently on-pace for 91 points, if this team keeps that projection, they will barely miss the playoffs and gift the Boston Bruins a top-15 draft pick. The Leafs are in a weird position right now. They clearly have the talent to win multiple games in a row, but it's not sustainable. When William Nylander and Auston Matthews are cooking, the offense looks like a top team in the NHL, but when they're not performing, they look terrible."
"However, the team needs to get past that and whatever pick falls the Bruins way, they have to live with it. Nylander and Matthews are two superstars you can build around, but that's it. Bobby McMann, Matias Macelli, Nick Robertson, Max Domi, Calle Jarnkrok, Scott Laughton and Nic Roy are not players who you build a Stanley Cup team around. If they were, this team wouldn't be fighting for a playoff spot right now anyways."
The Toronto Maple Leafs hold a 27-21-9 record, are five points out of a playoff spot, and sit on pace for 91 points, which would likely miss the playoffs. The team plays streakily: elite when William Nylander and Auston Matthews perform but poor when they do not. The supporting forwards lack ceiling to build a Stanley Cup core around, making a deadline sell-off of depth forwards sensible. The club does not hold its own first-round pick this year (top-five protected), complicating a full tank and requiring acceptance of any pick the Bruins receive.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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