Report: Ray Ferraro rips Leafs’ recent performance

Appearing on TSN 1050’s OverDrive program yesterday with Bryan Hayes and Jamie McLennan, TSN analyst Ray Ferraro was blunt in his assessment of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the midway point of the season.

“It looks like they know they’re in (the playoffs)… and that’s how they’ve played at various times,” said Ferraro. “They kind of fall asleep a little bit… who’s going to come from behind them to catch them in the division? It’s not Montreal, it’s not Ottawa, it’s not Florida.”

The reality is that the Atlantic Division is so terrible this season that the Leafs can virtually cruise into the playoffs with fewer than 90 points. The Florida Panthers are currently 9 points back of the Leafs and they sit in 4th spot… that tells you about all you need to know about the Atlantic. How does all this bode for the Leafs? Last season they had to fight tooth and nail for every point down the stretch. The result was that that snuck into the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and nearly pushed the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals to the brink in their first round series. The Leafs were battled tested and ready. This time around, what kind of team will the Leafs be when the puck drops on the playoffs?