"After losing six consecutive games, Saturday's victory perhaps constitutes a morale boost for the Maple Leafs, with two games remaining ont their road before the Olympic break. There are 27 games remaining, and the Maple Leafs are now looking to operate as true sellers at the deadline for the first time in the Matthews Era, as confirmed by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman during Saturday's broadcast."
"If you're firmly aboard the idea that the Maple Leafs should be angling towards a bottom-five finish, in hopes of recouping their first-round pick from the Boston Bruins, picking up two points in any event isn't beneficial towards the goal. That's an impossible sell to any professional athlete, so if you're in the camp that still hopes the Leafs win out, regardless of intended medium and long-term planning, a shootout victory over the Canucks isn't satisfying."
Toronto Maple Leafs beat the last-ranked Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout, with Auston Matthews and William Nylander converting in the skills competition against Nikita Tolopilo. The team entered Saturday with just 2.6 percent playoff odds and had lost six straight games before the win. With two road games before the Olympic break and 27 games remaining, the Leafs plan to act as sellers at the trade deadline for the first time in the Matthews era. Debate persists over whether to pursue a bottom-five finish to reclaim a first-round pick, while defensive lapses and Morgan Rielly's upper-body injury remain concerns.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]