""There are two answers. Are we trying to get back to the playoffs? And if that's the case, then it's pretty easy. I think they could almost return the same team and get around the playoffs again, all with better luck, better health and just sort of a normal year.""
""Getting to the playoffs is a long way from winning the Stanley Cup, so if you're trying to win a Stanley Cup, I think you need to explore a longer-term rebuild. Those are two drastically different paths, and I'd likely have to factor in Auston Matthews in this calculus to see what he is on board for.""
""They have to be so much better at advancing the puck up the ice. In a nutshell, to me, that is it. That starts from their own end, stopping guys, then passing it up the ice, skating through the neutral zone, generating speed and attacking up the rush.""
""You can't defend and then play chip and chase. It's an almost impossible way to play for 82 games, and your best players kind of hate it. They get caved in every night.""
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a disappointing 32-32-14 record, placing them near the bottom of the NHL's Eastern Conference. With three games left in the season, questions arise about their future direction. Analyst Mike Johnson suggests that the team could return to the playoffs with better luck and health, but a true Stanley Cup contender may require a longer-term rebuild. He emphasizes the need for the team to improve puck advancement, which is crucial for generating offensive speed and effectiveness.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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