It's a new day with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as general manager Brad Treliving has brought in several new faces to the team that was finally able to win a postseason series for the first time since 2004.
Additionally, they've cleared a major hurdle in terms of contracts by getting superstar forward Auston Matthews to agree to a four-year extension. But there's still a major issue with the team, according to former NHL forward and current analyst Ray Ferraro.
In Ferraro's mind, the Leafs will not compete for the Stanley Cup without fixing their blue line. He had the following to say during an interview on TSN:
"I think the thing with Matthews is, he's one of the three or four players that's thrown his name in the hat. If they go all out throughout the season like Matthews did once and Connor McDavid doesn't outperform everyone and get 150 points, there's a chance you can win a Rocket Richard, you can win a Hart Trophy, and there's only a few guys that can do it. There's Cale Makar, there's Nathan MacKinnon, there's Draisaitl. There aren't many guys that can do it.
The best years of a player's career, we know it, are in his upper 20s. And Toronto has him for those years, but it can only matter so much.
Whether Auston Matthews signed for eight years or four years for 10 million or 13 million, they're not winning the Stanley Cup with the defense as it's currently constructed. So, we can all focus on those guys, right? We'll focus on them because they're the headlining players. But that defense has to be addressed. And until it is, the team's going to be one of the best in the regular season. And we'll see what they are come playoff time. Why can't Toronto get 110 points this year? They can, for sure. Absolutely."
Folks, is Ferraro on point here?
Recommended articles:
