New year, same old Leafs; how long before we see a major shake-up?
It hasn't even been a full 24 hours since the Leafs dropped a 4-3 decision to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal on opening night, despite having two separate leads in the contest against the team who finished 32nd overall in the league standings last season. Still, as early as it is and with only one game having been played, with 81 remaining, Leafs Nation is already showing some concern.
This year HAS to be a big one for the Leafs and, more specifically, GM Kyle Dubas and, by extension, Sheldon Keefe. We all know the narrative. 6 straight 1st round exits since drafting Auston Matthews 1st overall. We all know that the regular season is not what matters, but it is, as Keefe says, where the team builds its Stanley Cup habits.
Last night we saw anything but Stanley Cup habits. Granted, yes.. it's day one, but this team just endured a lengthy, competitive training camp and came into game one of the 2022-23 season unprepared for a Habs team that is likely bound for another basement finish. The Leafs didn't come to play, plain and simple. The passes were not crisp, there were too many defensive miscues and there were plenty of players up and down the lineup who played with less than a maximum effort.
The Leafs are no strangers to the lofty expectations, but they're also no stranger to under-delivering. In such a pivotal year, I can't imagine that Keefe and Dubas are going to give their stars nearly as much of a leash this season, given what's at stake - essentially their jobs. While yes, it's still too early to panic, it's not too early to wonder what happens if things stay status quo for this team. If the Leafs continue to drop winnable games to inferior opponents, it would be tough to imagine a scenario in which they don't make a huge, culture-shifting move. As far as when that might be, I'd imagine the club already has a bit of an internal deadline as to when they decide if they're good enough or a move is necessary. I'd guess that date is around the halfway point of the season, but that's purely speculative.
As for last night, new Leafs team, same old concerns, as the team essentially quit in the third period against an inferior opponent. If that's the way this year is going to go, it's not going to instill a lot of confidence in the fanbase and we're facing another long year with a lot of question marks relating to not only the team, but also Keefe, Dubas and even President Brendan Shanahan.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 13 | 209 ANSWERS New year, same old Leafs; how long before we see a major shake-up? Will the Leafs trade a member of the core 4 this season? | ||
| Yes | 100 | 47.8 % |
| No | 109 | 52.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
